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Why Does Your Horse’s Weight Matter?

Click to see VideoThis is another handy video from World Horse Welfare and this time the topic is horse weight. An essential element to horse welfare is keeping them at a healthy weight.

Getting Slim

While many of us know that underweight horses are a bad thing, did you know that an overweight one is equally as susceptible to problems? Being overindulgent can be as bad as withholding food in many respects, an overweight animal is obviously prone to leg, joint and feet problems to start. It’s important for horse owners to know their animal, their breed type and be able to recognize signs of obesity in equines.
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An Interview With April Kae – The Saddlebred Loving Songbird

April KaeTell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I’m from San Diego, CA and spent most of my childhood there, although I lived briefly in Connecticut.

Even though I stayed in one city for most of my childhood my parents traveled a lot for work when I was young, so I had been to seven countries and seen most of the Unites States by the time I was 12. I am and always have been very close with my family, and those relationships influence me greatly.

Where can people find more information about you & your music online?
You can visit my website, www.aprilkae.com. You can also find me on Facebook and follow me on twitter @april_kae.
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Rodeo Clown – Horse Jobs

Rodeo clowns standing in a corral

Being a rodeo clown is a highly seasonal (or highly mobile) career path, rodeos often travel and are active when the weather permits. While an exciting job that offers a lot of spirited activity and contact with the animals, it is also among the most dangerous.

What You Need

Qualities of a good rodeo clown will vary by show and location. Regardless of where they are, they will need a strong understanding of the animals around them, which is seldom limited to horses. This understanding will help keep them on their feet uninjured. On top of the danger an engaging personality and even a bit of acting or theatric ability are important in this line of work.
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Read Black Beauty Online – Chapter 15. The Old Hostler

Black horse in a green field

Chapter 15. The Old Hostler

After this it was decided by my master and mistress to pay a visit to some friends who lived about forty-six miles from our home, and James was to drive them. The first day we traveled thirty-two miles. There were some long, heavy hills, but James drove so carefully and thoughtfully that we were not at all harassed. He never forgot to put on the brake as we went downhill, nor to take it off at the right place. He kept our feet on the smoothest part of the road, and if the uphill was very long, he set the carriage wheels a little across the road, so as not to run back, and gave us a breathing. All these little things help a horse very much, particularly if he gets kind words into the bargain.
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Artsy Horse Ideas for the Home – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftRecently we’ve been sharing a lot of horse theme fashion, but today we want to switch gears a little and look at a few items for the home. If you are an art lover, you are in the right place, we’ve got some lovely artistic horse items for the home to share.

Artistic Horse

We feature a lot of horse art and love to share new horse artists with our readers. Today we have some fun and fabulous horse art for the home – use them as gift ideas or fill your own home with them. We won’t tell. Either way, we have dozens of artistic horsey items to share and will have more to come.
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The Fabulous Eichholtz Equestrian Collection – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftAs we are sharing fantastic equestrian gift ideas, our lists would not be complete without a nod to the Eichholtz Equestrian Collection for the home. This is a handsome, slightly masculine collection with loads of class.

Leather Touches

Through the use of soft leather accents and shiny nickel buckle details, the equestrian influence is undeniable. While it has a bit of horse flair, the items are well crafted and provide handsome accent pieces that can flow through a variety of different rooms and spaces. Use the umbrella stand by the door, the lanterns down the hall and serve tea on the lovely tray.
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Keeping Your Horse Healthy – A Guide to Disease Prevention

Click to see VideoThis handy video was created by World Horse Welfare to educate horse owners about keeping horses healthy by paying attention and remaining on top of preventative care.

Expensive Friends

Anyone who owns a horse knows that vet bills are a fact of life, equines are expensive animals to keep. Part of being a good owner or caretaker means paying attention and doing everything you can to prevent the onset of health problems. Of course with horses this list could become quite long. As always, remember that we’ve created the world they live in and we have to make allowances for how we’ve changed the nature of their existence.
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Mounted Tour or Trail Guide – Horse Jobs

people riding horses on a trail

This is another of the dreamy dream horse jobs for horse enthusiasts because it means being paid to ride. While it encompasses a wide variety of different types of employment, there is a lot of hands-on experience with the animals themselves along with a potential for adventure.

What You Need

Above all a love of horses is a must to work as a mounted guide, but that’s not where it ends. Regardless of where you are and who you work for, this position requires being alert, understanding body language (both horse and rider) and a strong work ethic. In smaller establishments guides may also be responsible for varying degrees of horse care and maintenance in addition to tours. Stables offer a range of riding packages to their guests and guides can expect to be in the saddle anywhere from an hour to eight in the saddle.
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Read Black Beauty Online – Chapter 14. James Howard

Black horse in a green field

Chapter 14. James Howard

Early one morning in December John had just led me into my box after my daily exercise, and was strapping my cloth on and James was coming in from the corn chamber with some oats, when the master came into the stable. He looked rather serious, and held an open letter in his hand. John fastened the door of my box, touched his cap, and waited for orders.
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6 Calendars for 2013 – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftOver the past few weeks we’ve begun our annual gift idea celebration & have been sharing fab gift ideas for horse lovers of all types. We have plenty more to share & today is no exception.

Keeping Track of the Time

Whether you need a calendar at the barn to keep track of vet & farrier visits or to keep a little horse with you at the office, we’ve got something for you. Every year we try to share a few fun horsey calendars for our readers & we select them based solely on the lovely quality of their images.
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