Horses are creative when it comes to getting dirty. Any puddle of muck is fair game, including using their own poop as a pillow. Despite this, it’s essential to keep them clean for their health by brushing them and cleaning their brushes regularly. These 6 simple steps to clean horse brushes will help you keep your horse clean and happy and save you time.
Why clean horse brushes
Dirty brushes do nothing more than move the dirt around or, even worse, add dirt. They can also spread diseases such as rain rot and other skin infections. Therefore, it is essential not to share brushes between horses either.
How to clean horse brushes
Shake them out to get the easy-to-dislodge dirt and dust.
If it has been a while since they’ve been cleaned, soak them a few minutes in a vinegar solution (use cleaning vinegar here, not the stuff for your salad) to disinfect them.
Rinse clean and towel dry and let air dry, bristles down or on the side.
How often should you clean them?
Clean your horse brushes at least once every second week and more often during muddy season.
Conclusion: Clean your brushes!
In short, it takes just a few minutes to clean your horse brushes and keep your horse’s coat healthy. So grab all your brushes and take a few minutes to clean them.
Whether it is to make our equestrian life easier or to track progress towards a goal, apps are there to help! But there are more and more equestrian applications on the market, so which one is worth downloading? This list of the best exercise tracking apps for equestrians on Android and Apple in 2020 will help you find the right app for you.
Equilab tracks your trail rides and your training with details like time, elevation, gaits and calculates roughly the caloric expenditure of your horse and you. It uses GPS to map your rides, so it is less likely than cell coverage to lose the signal. Equilab also allows you to share horses like when you are leasing a horse and has a calendar where you track the visits from different equine professionals. It also pairs with your Wear OS by Google.
If you subscribe to the Premium version at $12.99/month or $99.99/year, you can export your training data and use the safety features that alert people should you fall off your horse or need help.
Equisense is your ultimate training companion. It uses the measurements that your phone takes while you ride and gives you a detailed picture. You can choose what you want to work on. You can pair it with the company’s biosensor for your horse. The sensor is expensive, but what you can do with just your phone is impressive and useful.
Horse Globe tracks your rides and offers an impressive list of horse trails. It also allows you to share your rides on Facebook. This app is more about sharing the trace of your rides than documenting your workout.
The basic option is free. The paid version allows you to share more of your rides and trails.
Ridely comes with tracking and videos from trainers to help you reach your goals. The structure of this app is really nice and is designed to help you achieve even your long term goals.
Available on Apple and Android.
There are of course other apps that aren’t designed for horses but have a horseback riding setting for tracking your rides such as MapMyRun.
I hope you find this list of the best tracking apps for equestrians useful. I like Equilab and Equisense; however, any of these will track your rides. It all depends on which options you need.
The wet and rainy season is around the corner, and there is nothing worse than lovingly blanketing your horse, only to find a few hours later a cold, wet, shivering horse. You tried to do your best, but something went awry. We’ll go into detail on how to waterproof your horse blankets and avoid that whole unpleasant situation.
The solution is not to buy a new blanket! As a horse mom to three horses and hobby farm owner, I know how expensive replacing blankets can get.
You can re-waterproof your horse’s blanket for a fraction of the cost of buying a new one! And yes, you can waterproof your horse’s old faded and well-loved blanket.
Did you know that waterproofing on textiles only lasts a short while? It means that you need to re-waterproof your horse’s blanket regularly.
How to choose the right waterproofing
The different waterproofing products are classified into two types: sprays and washes. Sprays are easy to use and versatile compared to washes that require using the family laundry machine (your choice to tell your spouse or not!) or large laundry machines.
4 things to look for in a waterproofing product
Pet-friendly—for obvious reasons
Little to no odour—we all know animals have sensitive noses
Water-based—better for the environment and our horses
Breathability—your horse’s sweat still needs to evaporate
Avoid silicone sprays as they are not safe for your horse’s paddock mates to ingest (or your blanket destroyer if you have one). Now that you have found your product onto the fun part!
Hand wash or machine wash your horse blanket using the right quantity of product. If you use a washing machine, you can protect it by tying the buckles together and covering them with an old sock.
Wash using the delicate cycle and cold-water settings.
Remove promptly and let dry.
And you are done! Your horse’s blanket is ready for another rainy and snowy season.
You know you need to get your horse stuff ready for fall, but don’t know where to start? Are the fewer hours of sunlight getting to you? Yeah, me too. This Equestrian Autumn To-do List will help you target and cross those things off your list. Don’t be impressed by the size of it. Some items are quite fast but often overlooked, and others take a bit of time. Remember! One bite at a time – You’ve got this!
Your to-do list
Remember to do one thing at a time and plan longer tasks by putting them in your personal to-do list or calendar. In the end, it will be worth the peace of mind.
Tack
Tack includes your saddle, bridle, boots, polos, wraps and saddle pads. You may have more stuff, but that’s the bulk of it!
Clean and condition tack thoroughly.
Waterproof your tack.
Inspect for cracks and stretching and have any damage repaired. Replace tack as needed.
Check your saddle’s fit or plan to have a saddle fitter come out.
Go through your saddle pad collection. Wash your saddle pads and recycle the old ones.
Stud your hoof boots, if you use them.
Grooming Kit
For example, your brushes, hoof picks, grooming gloves, sponges, towels, etc.
Disinfect your brushes, especially your hoof pick, and brush box.
Donate or sell any brushes you haven’t used in ages.
Go through your horse products and first aid kit. Throw out the very old or expired ones.
Horse Blanket
Fix tears and missing buckles.
Donate or sell old blankets that no longer fit.
Wash using a blanket wash and rinse.
Waterproof your horse’s rain and winter blankets.
Clothing
Go through your riding clothes to see if they still fit or need to be replaced.
Clean and condition your summer riding boots and chaps.
Pull out your winter riding gear
Waterproof your winter gear.
Stock up on heat packs.
Check your helmet’s expiry or manufacture date. They should be replaced every 5 years or after a fall.
Would you rather have a printable version of the Equestrian Autumn To-do List? Here it is!
If your horse loves to roll in the mud, you are no stranger to dirty blankets (or horses). You may have wondered what the best way to wash horse blankets at home inexpensively is. Also, clean horses don’t stay clean under dirty blankets.
As a mom to three horses and hobby farm owner, I know how expensive replacing blankets and regularly washing blankets can get. With the right products and techniques, you can make sure your horse blankets last without creating a hole in your budget. Here are some easy steps you can do at home to wash your horse’s blanket.
Steps to clean your horse blanket
Let the blanket dry! Your washer will thank you.
Use a stiff-bristled brush to remove the dry dirt and grime. If it is filthy, you may want to hang the blanket on a fence and hose it down. Use mild dish soap to get the stubborn muck stains out.
Use a saddle pad and blanket wash detergent designed for animals to protect their skin and the blanket’s waterproofing.
Hand wash your horse blanket in cold water or use the delicate cycle on your washer. If you use the washing machine, you can protect it by tying the buckles together and covering them with an old sock.
Add a rinsing agent (not fabric softener!) to your fabric softener dispenser to deodorize and add anti-static conditioning.
As an equestrian, it is so hard to know when to blanket your horse during the winter. As a hobby farm owner with her horses at home, I found two articles describing what you need to look at as you decide to blanket or not.
The first article Should I Blanket My Horse In The Winter? by Dr. Lisa Nesson published on IronGate Equine Clinic made recommendations based on hair coat, types of blankets and their fit as well as the basic requirements for roughage, water, and shelter. She talks about the hair coat’s abilities to withstand cold weather without a blanket, which allows the hairs to trap insulating air to keep the horse warm. She even included an infographic to help readers decide when to blanket.
The second article published by the Feed Room, When to Blanket a Horse: Ask the Expert, Marcia Hathaway, Ph.D., answers this question by setting out some keep points about shelter and weather conditions, as well as age and body score. She mentions that horses continue to grow their winter coat until December 22 and start to lose it as the days start to get longer near the summer solstice.
Horse Blanketing Checklist
Based on these two articles and my experience as a horse owner, I have listed three things you need to check before deciding to blanket your horse:
Examine coat condition – If your horse has a thin coat, put
a blanket on.
Check age and health – If your horse is very young, very
old or has underlying health conditions, put a blanket on.
Evaluate body condition – If your horse’s body condition is
less than a 3 on 9, put a blanket on.
Now you know what to consider before blanketing your horse.
My name is Chloe. I’m a passionate equestrian, horse lover and hobby farm owner with three horses in my care. I’ve been riding (on and off) since the tender age of 6 and love to discuss anything horse-related. Feel free to connect with me at @eqnextdoor on Twitter or Equestrian Next Door on Facebook.
As some of you may know, my hubby has decided to rehome his horse as he no longer has time to ride and wants to find a good home for him.
This adventure started in January and has been a rollercoaster since. I won’t go into the details here, that will be for another post, but I felt that sharing what we had figured out so far from our experience and from what we have seen other people do would be important… and help others avoid some mistakes.
What not to do
⊗ Ask your hubby to take pictures of the horse while you are holding it.
Talk about timing…
⊗ Ask your hubby to hold the horse while you are taking pictures.
The finger on the lead… and the horse.
⊗ Forget said pictures when selling – A block of text won’t sell a horse.
⊗ Send your horse out on trial with a friend, without investigating intermittent lameness issues first – This can create lots of issues and put your friendship in danger.
⊗ Lie or make exaggerated claims – Duh!
⊗ Forget to put your post as public on your page – If your Facebook post asks people to share, make sure the privacy settings are set to Public. The pesky “I can’t see what you shared” gets old fast.
⊗ Forget details like vaccination status, farrier, bad habits, or vices etc. – For example, if you are selling a trail horse, it might be important to say he trailers well (and he better do just that!). Or, if your horse cribs, you may want to warn your buyer.
⊗ Have only a verbal contract. Write this stuff out! – This goes without saying…
⊗ Not answer messages regarding your ad or be available for viewings – Nothing is more frustrating for a buyer than an unresponsive or rude seller.
⊗ Stop working your horse as usual – You want to make sure that your horse is in the proper condition to do the job your selling it for. Don’t stop doing your usual stuff for the horse just because you’ve decided to sell it.
⊗ Say how difficult this sale is for you – Potential buyers do not want to buy your drama or get into a situation where you might change your mind about selling it. If you can’t sell the horse without keeping it personal, ask a friend or your trainer to do it for you.
Additional resources
Here are some additional Canadian resources for when you are selling your horse.
With more and more apps designed to help equestrians manage their horse, especially barn owners with many charges, it is hard to choose the right one. Here is a list of the top horse management apps for 2020 on Android and Apple. You are sure to find an app for you.
If you are looking for a list of exercise tracking apps for equestrians, here’s the list!
The Equestrian App is designed for horse owners and horse business operators, including barn owners, bodyworkers, farriers, and equine dentists. For barns, it includes barn chat to allow boarders and horse owners to discuss and chat. For horse owners, it keeps track of your horse’s appointments so you can stop asking yourself “When was the last time the farrier was out?”
I was able to test this application extensively thanks Patrick from the Equestrian App, who gave me temporary access to all the Gold features. It was a good experience; however, I never really understood how to share a horse and I wasn’t able to find a FAQ at the time. Their customer support has since improved and my understanding is that the app is getting better and has more options with every iteration. I encourage you to try this app out if you want an all around companion in your phone for all your barn and horse needs.
Available for Apple and Android. Accessible online from a computer.
The basic options are free.
If you want to add Barn Chat, Photo gallery, printing and To-Do’s, it is $2.95/month or $24.95/year for the Silver membership.
$4.95/month or $49.95/year for the Gold membership, you get unlimited horses, file upload, ride tracking, Show and award tracking and business profile enhancements.
EquiTracker helps you track all aspects of horse care including farrier, deworming and vaccinations. It does have ads though. If you want to remove them, it is a one-time fee of $2.99.
Horse Health Tracker was designed by Guelph University. It tracks the important metrics of your horse, such as body condition and body weight calculator. It also has a 5-minute health check assessment.
The upgrade costs $4.59 to unlock reminders, graphs and videos for two horses. $6.99 for 10 horses and $9.99 for up to 50 horses.
Equine organiser allows you to track all aspects of your horse management on any device, including your computer. It even allows barn owners to organise their staff and service providers with to-do lists and you can also list your horses for sale.
The Pony App allows you to organize and invoice your different services. It tracks the different horses you ride and keep everything in the same place. The premium version is $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
HorseCare is an app that allows you to keep track of all the appointments but also document your horse journey using a journal. It also has a built-in community to share your pictures and updates. The Premium version at $8.99/month or $32.99/year has a few extra features, notably a safety feature, a nutrition calculator and the ability to use it offline.
Hooves is a journaling app that allows you to share your horse’s information with other riders. You can manually track your training sessions as well. This one is great for those who want to keep things simple.
Available on Apple and Android.
Conclusion
I hope you find an app that meets your needs in this list. If you have any questions, message me! If you are using another app to track your horse’s appointments and stuff, add it below. I would love to hear about it.
I put together a list of trail riding safety tips after an unfortunate incident last year. I hope these tips help you avoid the situation we found ourselves in!
Incident
A friend and I were out on a trail ride in a lesser-known area of our trail network when her horse tripped and accidentally dumped her onto the ground.
Once I managed to stop my horse and grab hers, I headed back to her. She was still on the ground and in obvious pain. She decided to walk it off a bit (like any good equestrian, right?), so we both took our horses and walked. As we moved further away from home, she realized that she was hurt worse than she had originally thought and made the decision to turn around and head home. If only she could get back onto her horse!
She managed to get back on thanks to a well-placed log, but it was a painful hour back to the barn. I insisted on accompanying her back to the barn and making sure she was in good hands before heading home.
She spent that evening in the hospital for x-rays and such and it took weeks for her to feel like herself again.
This incident led me to think about the key things to do to improve your safety while on the trails in case the unexpected happens.
1. Pack water and a snack
You never know how long you will actually be out on the trail. Packing water and a snack is the minimum to get by in most situations.
There are lightweight saddles bags out there that work for both English and Western Saddles.
It is a great thing to have when you need to call for backup. Even better when it’s charged. Make sure to program the local emergency numbers too. Sometimes it isn’t as simple as 911!
3. Tell someone
Tell them how long you think you’ll be out, the route you think you’ll take and any other details. Make sure this person is responsible enough to try to contact you if they haven’t heard from you and know what to do should that happen. Have a plan!
4. Dress appropriately
There are few things worse than freezing on your horse because you didn’t check the weather forecast. Check the local weather and bring what you need. The general rule of thumb that it is easier to remove layers than add some (especially if you forgot said layers back home) still holds true on horseback.
If you are trailering out to a trail ride, make sure to pack extra clothes for everything, including socks. You never know what may happen while you are out there.
Special note on winter riding: Be aware of frostbite and dress warmly. I love the heat packs for your feet and hands. Though I find the ones for your feet only last about 3 hours instead of the advertised 5. Also, this may sound obvious, but check the wind chill!
Last but not least, buddy up when you can. It is more fun and at least you have someone else who can contact emergency services or administer first aid if needed.
Take away message
I hope you never need all these safety tips, but as they say, better safe than sorry! I certainly encountered a few situations last summer that made me wish I had taken the time to prepare and make it part of my riding routine.
Have you ever been in a sticky situation? What happened and what did you do? I would love to hear about your adventures in the comments below or join my Facebook group for Canadian Trail Riders to share your stories!
It is important to wash your horse properly to keep its coat healthy. It allows you to identify skin or other issues and helps you bond with your horse. Keep in mind while you are washing your horse to avoid standing in back of it as much as possible, especially while washing its tail.
Make sure all the items you need are clean, especially your brushes.
Choose a nice warm day, so that your horse won’t catch a chill.
Find a spot with access to water and a place to secure your horse. Make sure to use a quick-release knot.
Groom your horse before washing it, including the mane and tail.
Use a sponge to gently clean your horse’s face. Do not use shampoo and clean in the direction of the hair.
Wet your horse. If you aren’t sure of how your horse is going to react, start with the hooves and move your way up. Your horse may prefer a sponge instead of the spray from the hose. Take the time to figure this part out and get your horse comfortable with either option.
Clean your horse’s genitals. Use a clean sponge and gently wipe and clean your horse’s anus and genitals. Remove any stuck-on debris with a sheath cleaner.
Work the shampoo into your horse’s coat with a grooming glove or sponge. You may need to do this in sections to avoid leaving the shampoo dry on your horse’s fur. This will dry it out.
Rinse the horse either with a clean sponge or hose until the water runs clear and there is no shampoo left.
Scrap off the water from your horse and use towels to dry it off. Walk it in the sun for 10 minutes or, if it is cloudy, use a cooler.
Comb your horse’s mane with your fingers first and then the comb and use a detangler as needed.
Wash your horse’s tail in a bucket with shampoo. Swish the tail around in the bucket. Use a sponge to clean the dock and the top of the tail. Rinse until the water runs clean and there’s no shampoo left.
How often should you clean your horse
It is possible to wash your horse too often. If your horse lives mostly outside, washing your horse once a month is enough. If you need to wash your horse more often due to shows, consider stabling as washing too often will strip your horse’s coat from its natural defences against the weather.
Enjoy the grooming time!
Ready to wash? Check out our grooming products!
Grooming
Check out these horse grooming supplies such as gloves, brushes, and products to keep your horse’s skin and coat looking and feeling amazing. Grooming gloves, shampoos and conditioners to bathe your horse. Special brushes to massage and clean your horse.
Do you have a horse? Whether it’s for riding, breeding or just being the cool ranch roommate that never leaves your side – horses can be really expensive. That’s why we’ve rounded up all sorts of horse grooming supplies so they stay looking their best and feeling good on top of doing what humans tell them! Check out these great products; every equine deserves some love!
