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Economical Dressage
Letters
(Added 5/31/04)
I needed new dressage letters for my uncovered arena
and didn’t want to spend big bucks. So I measured the
height of the top rail of my arena fence and then used my computer
to select and print a set of letters in a bold font that is very easy
to read. I went to my local copy store, enlarged the letters
to fit exactly on the fence, and laminated them (there was a choice
of lamination thickness and I went for the heavy-duty one).
I used a staple gun to attach the letters to my arena fence.
Total cost, with sales tax, was under $10.00 and they have held up
perfectly so far (most of a year), far better than the commercial
letters, which I had originally purchased for several times as much
money. – Helen Mehan, Permanent Vacation, San Marcos,
TX
Missing
Stirrup Ties
(Added 4/29/04)
Take some long leather shoelaces and wrap your stirrups.
Holds everything in place and when you need a piece of leather on
the trail just cut off a piece of the shoelace! - Zack,
submitted via www.horsegazette.com
Pills
(Added 1/1/04)
What we don’t do for our horses! I crush any pills
that I need to give to my horses, then I cut an apple or carrot in
bite-sized pieces. And then I hollow out a couple pieces (however
many I need) to get all of the crushed pills inside in the least amount
of bites! - BJ, submitted via www.horsegazette.com
Horse Feathers
(Added 1/1/04)
I live in Washington and recently I was told by an old cowhand not
to clip the feathers on my horse. In wet weather the feathers act
as natural drainpipes, leading water away from the heels. -
Bette, Washington, submitted via www.horsegazette.com
Converted Sleeping
Bags
(Added 1/1/04)
I read this in a book a long time ago and I tried it and it outlasted
my store bought blankets! I now make them for my friend’s horses.
My friends and me hit a lot of garage sales and whenever I find a
waterproof sleeping bag we buy it. I remove the zipper and cut out
a semi-circle for the neck. Then I stitch around all of the edges
and add seam binding or colorful cording around the edges and up the
center of the back. I use big strips of Velcro for the breast straps
and under the belly if the blanket is going to be used if the horse
is stalled. If the horse is turned out in a paddock I will take the
time to add straps and buckles. As a finishing touch I will monogram
the horse’s name either around the neck opening on one side
or on one of the bottom corners. - Phylllis, submitted
via www.horsegazette.com
Fly Fringe
(Added 1/1/04)
Another trick I learned, I buy old browbands convert
them into a fly fringe. I wrap pieces of macrame cord around the browband
with long fringes of the cord hanging from the browband, making sure
the fringe comes 2-inches below the eye. This makes a perfect substitute
forelock if your horse doesn’t have much of a forelock to keep
flies away from her eyes. Once it becomes weathered, it’s easy
to replace the fringe. - Phyllis, submitted via www.horsegazette.com.
MORE De-Skunking
(Added 12/3/03)
I should have known that by my including the recipe
for the home-made mixture to eliminate the skunk odor from pets, that
my dogs would have another run-in with a skunk. Sure enough, my hound
was sprayed at close range (8th time), and the other 2 dogs received
a good misting.
To top it all off, my husband left the back door open and the Yellow
Lab came running back into the house, jumped on the bed and proceeded
to roll around...with me in it! The hound came in and rolled on the
living room carpet, and the old German Shepherd moves real slow so
the odor lingered before we could get them all outside.
Here are more helpful hints to rid the skunk odor from your home if
this happens to you.
First plug your nose, then check your pet’s eyes to look for
redness, swelling or irritation. Use an eyewash solution or plain
water to rinse their eyes if they show any of the above signs.
Place freshly ground coffee beans in front of your AC/Heat intake
vent.
Wash fabrics with laundry soap, 1/2 to 1 cup baking soda, and liquid
Febreze fabric odor remover - wash twice.
For carpets sprinkle two cups of baking soda and 1/2 cup salt on the
carpeting and allow to stand over night. Mix a larger batch by doubling
or tripling if your animal does a dive and skids across your carpet!
Vacuum in the morning...or just before carpet cleaners arrive.
And once again...here is the wonder mix that works to get your pets
smelling MUCH better. One quart (3%) hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking
soda, and one teaspoon Dawn liquid dish soap. Mix the baking soda
and dish soap in the bucket, and then add the peroxide and mix. Coat
your animal with the mixture - using rubber gloves, let it soak for
15 minutes then rinse. - Marilyn Short, Editor
Braiding Manes
Posted 11/2/03
If you use yarn to braid your horse’s mane for
a show, you can save time by threading lots of needles beforehand.
Stick them to the front of your shirt, jacket, or grooming apron so
you don’t lose them and so they will handy to reach.
Also I’ve found that I can improve the appearance of my horses
by the way I braid their manes. I use lots of small, dainty braids
if I have a horse with a short, thick neck. If I have a horse with
a pencil-type neck, I will use fewer and larger braids. –
Lindsey, Houston, Texas
Emergency Contacts
Posted 11/2/03
If you run a boarding or training facility, make up an emergency notebook
and keep it by the telephone. I have an emergency page in the notebook
with all of the farriers, vets, equine dentists used by my clients,
and even a large animal disposal service in the front of then notebook.
I have typed this up in large type so it’s easy to read and put
the paper in a plastic sheet so it doesn’t get dirty. I’ve
taken alphabetical dividers and placed them behind the emergency page.
I have a page for each owner with their horse’s name, stall number,
and picture of the horse, along with contact information, vets used,
etc. Then I have a page for each horse with the same information. I
then have the owner page listed again on a sheet with the stall numbers.
This makes for a great cross-reference system so in case of an emergency
when we may not be thinking clearly we have everything at our fingertips.
All of the sheets are either laminated or encased in plastic sheets.
– Becki, submitted via horsegazette.com
Getting Horse to Eat
Meds Mixed in with Feed
Posted 11/2/03
I have a fussy mare that refuses to eat her feed when I put meds into
it. I read a long time ago that you can mix 1 part molasses with 5 parts
water to disguise meds. I’ve tried almost everything to get my
mare to eat meds in her feed when she needs them (luckily that’s
not very often), but nothing worked until I mixed up a batch of this
stuff. It has a strong smell so I guess it covered up the smell of the
meds, and she seems to love the taste! - Ginger, submitted
via horsegazette.com
Do You Know How
to Use Your Fire Extinguisher?
Posted 9/5/03
There is a simple way to remember the steps to using your fire extinguisher
to fight a fire whether it’s in your barn, home or horse trailer.
All you have to do is remember the acronomyn P.A.S.S.
1. P = PULL the pin. This unlocks the operating lever
and allows you to discharge the contents of the extinguisher.
2. A = AIM low. Point the nozzle or hose at the base
of the fire.
3. S = SQUEEZE the lever above the handle. Remember to hold
the extinguisher upright. This discharges the extinguishing agent.
Releasing the level will stop the discharge.
4. S - SWEEP from side to side. Moving carefully
toward the fire, keep the extinguisher at the base of the fire and
sweep back and forth until the flames appear to be out. -
Don Buyse, Classic Equine Equipment
Confused as to what
size of round pen you need?
Posted 9/5/03
As someone what size round pen you should install and
you’ll get a different answer almost every time. One of the
first questions you should ask yourself is what would you like to
use your round pen for?
If you want to do mostly basic training in the round pen then you’ll
want a 35’-40’ round pen. This size pen is great for starting
a new horse to the basics such as the walk or jog, sacking out a horse,
introducing a horse to tack, teaching a horse to lead, tie, or lifting
hooves. For fast longing or riding, this is not a suitable size of
round pen. Cantering small circles around this size of round pen is
stressful for leg bones and joints.
A good working pen is 50’-60’ in diameter. You can work
a horse at a walk, trot/jog, and canter. This size round pen may be
a little small for canter work or introducing the horse to a canter
carrying a rider, depending on the experience level of the trainer.
Some trainers think the ideal size of round pen is 66’-70’
in diameter. This size can work well for almost every aspect of training.
If you’re going to do a lot of canter/riding work, this is an
ideal pen size.
Other trainers who work cattle, like even larger pens with solid walls
versus open bars so the cattle can’t get caught or hung up in
the panels. - George Merketson, Edgars Round Pen
Skunk Spray Your
Dog or Horse?
Posted 9/5/03
Ah, the pungent aroma of skunk...gag! If your dog has
has a run-in with a skunk or if it seems as if your horse has surprised
a skunk - try this wash remedy. NOTE: You cannot store this mixture
- you have to make it fresh each time.
Mix together: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide 3%, 1/4 cup baking soda, and
1 teaspoon liquid dish detergent
Put mixture in spray bottle and spray animal down with
it. Don’t get it in his eyes and don’t let him lick it
off his coat. Rub it in well then rinse down after 15 minutes.
One treatment is usually enough. Repeat if necessary. Tomato juice
has minimal to no effect. - Marilyn Short, Editor, The
Horse Gazette (one of my dogs has been sprayed 8 times by a skunk!)
