Navigating the final transition with your horse

Navigating the final transition with your horse

I’ve been writing articles for quite a few years now, and have wanted to write this one for a long while, but couldn’t quite bring myself to it. The fact is, talking about death and dying is hard, even when a part of your career is focused on it. I literally wrote a book about it, and work with animal lovers all over the world to move through this transition more easefully, and it’s still a challenge to go there. So I’m going to make my best attempt here to write on this tough topic, acknowledging that it is emotional, often triggering, and just plain hard to look at, but in my experience is made easier by awareness and preparation, rather than not facing it. 

Build your track system on a budget

Build your track system on a budget

How to build your track system on a budget By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST   This girl loves a deal and I have a feeling a bunch of you might as well! Must be my Scottish blood, but there's not much I love more than a good bargain, buying second hand, trading, or...

But my horse is boarded out?

But my horse is boarded out?

I know this is going to be a barrier and a question for many of you who are thinking about a more species-specific way of horse-keeping, so it felt appropriate to give this topic some space to work through it. 

I will say right off the bat, that I’m with you! My three mares are in a boarding situation (self-board, no other horses), so in the back of my mind I am always considering the impermanence of being in a boarding situation. My hope is that within the next two years we will buy a little acreage of our own (may my upcoming online course be super popular!), but until then, my situation has given me much food for thought that hopefully can be of value to those that also have their horses in boarding situations. I know there is many of us in the same boat!

Some things to consider if you are boarding your horse and would like to make some shifts (cont’)

Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

In my talks with multiple equine professionals, and countless horse owners, about enrichment for horses, the overwhelming answer about the most enriching thing for horses is…FRIENDS! 

Horses thrive with friends. They are a community, a socially-oriented being, who thrives with interaction and relationship. In fact, for the many hours you are not at the barn, this is your horses main source of stimulus, co-regulation, entertainment, and interaction, even if they can’t touch one another. Whenever I see horses in stalls with no ability to see or interact with each other, my heart breaks knowing how empty their lives are without their horse friends. The reality is, your company is not enough, and stall living is not enough, by a long stretch. Isolation for horses can lead to many issues, as it is not in their nature to be alone, and creates a great deal of internal/external stress in most horses. I have met only a handful of horses that are happier on their own, and it generally due to substantial trauma and/or dysregulation.

12 Awesome Enrichment ideas for your horse

12 Awesome Enrichment ideas for your horse

Whether you are setting up a more traditional horse space or you are planning a track system, one of the most fun aspects to think about and implement is enrichment for your horses. Enrichment includes any aspect of your track that adds a little spice to your horses lives and emulates a natural environment, all while building their body awareness, coordination, proprioception and sense of curiosity. Think about what a wild horse might be navigating in their environment – how might you create a little bit of that in your horses space?