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Understanding White Line Disease

White line disease can affect horses of any breed, age, or gender. It can occur in one or more feet, although it seems to be more common in front feet. Both barefoot and shod horses can be affected. The term “white line disease” is a bit of a misnomer since the white line is not affected.

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Pressure without Panic - How Equestrian Riders Can Feel More Present and in Control

Growing up as a three-day eventer, I spent many minutes waiting to enter the ring or the start box. At times, the nerves felt almost unbearable while waiting to compete. I would find myself thinking about all the money and time I’d invested to get there and how much I wanted to succeed. The thought of making a significant mistake, or failing, made me feel panicked. With hindsight I can now see how the experience of pressure was distracting me and pulling my attention away from the task at hand. Ironically, this loss of focus sometimes contributed to the very mistakes I feared making.

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Wildfire Smoke - When is it safe to ride and compete?

Wildfire smoke is a recurring reality for Canadian horse owners, and it’s likely increasing the prevalence of respiratory disease in horses across the country. Researchers have found that wildfire smoke produces measurable impacts to horses’ respiratory systems — including reduced aerobic capacity and lung function — even after air quality improves.

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Is This Hard for My Horse?

Miscalculating the effort level of exercises for horses often derails the process of gaining fitness. Whether or not a horse finds any given exercise hard is left to a lot of guesswork. And since many riders form assumptions based on their own perspectives of sport and physical challenges, this guesswork is frequently inaccurate. To gauge this better and to deliver beneficial doses of effort, we need to clarify how and when certain tasks are difficult for the horse.

Newfoundland Pony half-sisters Charm and Diamond driving as a team at Bar Lazy M7 Ranch.

The Heart and Heritage of the Newfoundland Pony

The Newfoundland Pony is a unique type of pony that developed in Newfoundland from a variety of Moorland and Mountain ponies brought in by settlers from the British Isles starting in the early 17th century. Dartmoor, Exmoor, New Forest, Welsh, Galloway, and Highland, as well as Connemara ponies from Ireland, all influenced the development of the Newfoundland Pony.