StableManagement Magazine

Having a variety of pens can give people choices for how they exercise their horses. | Adobe Stock Providing adequate turnout can pose a challenge at busy horse facilities, particularly when acreage is limited. Shelby Ketcham, owner and founder of SJR Horsemanship, in Kuna, Idaho, manages approximately 60 horses on 10 acres facility, including 40 client horses, with a variety of schedules.

Getty Images In this episode, Frank Andrews, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of equine medicine and director of equine health and sports performance of Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, explains how to determine when your horse needs a supplement and how to choose the right one for the individual animal. He describes how to spot high-quality supplement research and the steps to take if you think your horse might benefit from a nutritional supplement.

Contracts can protect both horse owners and barn managers. | iStock When you’re running a boarding facility, a clear boarding contract can help prevent misunderstandings and establish expectations from the start. A well-written agreement should spell out each party’s responsibilities and cover everything from routine care and payments to veterinary emergencies and facility rules.

Getty Images In this episode, Ray Smith, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, in Lexington, explains how you can prepare today for healthy pastures through the fall and even into next spring. He describes common mistakes farm managers might make when caring for horse pastures, why planning ahead is essential for health pastures, and how to help your pastures recover from summer grazing.

Equine professionals often function in a state of chronic sympathetic activation. | Adobe Stock Many barn professionals treat packed schedules and constant availability as simply part of the job. Being overbooked becomes a badge of honor, and running on caffeine and adrenaline becomes routine.

Thinkstock In this episode, Jenifer Nadeau, PhD, associate professor and equine extension specialist at the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, explains how to maintain your trailer to keep you and your horses safe on the road. She describes how often you should have your trailer taken to a shop for maintenance, how to perform a safety check before loading your horse for a trip, and the importance of proper cleaning following a trip. Learn more here.

Wildfires diminish air quality and affect horses’ breathing. | Adobe Stock Catastrophic environmental events such as wildfires that diminish air quality and affect horses’ breathing might seem beyond human influence. We do have control, however, over the equine management choices we make daily about feed, bedding, ventilation, exercise, and veterinary care. Many of these decisions and strategies can help horses breathe easier during times of both crisis and calm.

In this episode, Laura Stevens, fire information and education program coordinator with the Texas A&M Forest Service explains how to handle wildfire emergencies when managing horse farms. She describes how to make a wildfire preparedness plan, guidelines for evacuation, and how to landscape around your farm to reduce the risk of wildfires on your property.

Slow feeders extend a horse’s eating time. | Getty Images If you’re using a slow feeder, it’s probably because you want the best for your horse. You know horses in the wild graze and browse up to 16 hours a day, and you want to offer a way for your horse to have a similar feeding regimen in his domestic environment. Good for you! And all the better for your horse. Occasionally, though, slow feeders create health or welfare issues of their own.

Skunks are burrowing animals that can cause problems on horse farms. | iStock One night around 9 p.m., long after the sun had set, I headed out with my two dogs to do the last of the day’s three feedings at our 12-horse boarding facility. The dogs bounded happily past me out the door and around the corner, status quo, the three of us oblivious to anything out of the norm.