Northernhorse.com Blog

If you are out riding along the fence lines or bush, make sure you keep an eye out for the raspberry patches. Dave and I were over at Mom’s place the other day and found patches good enough that we could pile the berries in our other hand and gulp down handfuls of them. I might have to go back tonite and have another feast.

Did you ever spend a day in a ditch along a very dusty road with a couple of horses? I have now. It wasn’t quite what I had envisioned when we headed out to the Ya Ha Tinda but it was what happened.

We have been shopping for a new truck. We did know the old one was pretty tired with 350,000 km and it wasn’t really tough enough to start with. But it was working and the hubby is Scottish and tougher trucks seem so expensive.

But, when the transmission decided to retire on a long uphill grade way back in the mountains, we were really wishing we had been a little more committed to shopping. And after several hours of waiting in the dust, we were quite anxious to go shopping.

So, if you know of a nice 1 Ton diesel dually that would like to be our new, dependable trailer hauling truck, please give us a call. 403-728-3661 or dreamweaver@northernhorse.com.

AQHA Animal Welfare Working Group Moving Forward With Objectives

America’s Horse, August 14, 2009 – The American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee recently approved three objectives established by the Association’s Animal Welfare Working Group.

1. Develop a written commitment to be signed by AQHA and its alliance partners (the National Reining Horse, National Cutting Horse, National Reined Cow Horse and the National Snaffle Bit associations) to work jointly to ensure and promote animal welfare.
2. AQHA and its alliance partners will develop an editorial board with each of its publications to rotate interviewing horsemen and their commitment to caring for their animals. The articles could be developed into a “Horsemen’s Manual,” which would be used as an educational tool for prospective horse trainers.
3. Conduct a breeders’ seminar in conjunction with the 2010 AQHA Convention to discuss the effects of genetic defects/diseases on the American Quarter Horse breed and cover stallion breeding, other business statistics and a review of foal activity summaries to educate breeders on selecting stallions/mares.

Members of the working group are Dr. Wayne Burwash, Janet Bowen, David Dellin, Dr. Doug Corey, Bobby Lewis, Sam Rose and Allen Mitchels. The Animal Welfare Working Group also will meet during the next 12 to 18 months to develop more objectives that will be presented to the AQHA Executive Committee for approval.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.

The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, August 20, 2009 – American Quarter Horse runner Silent Cash Dasher on Sunday won at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Owned and trained by Gary Earp of Jay, Oklahoma, the gelding by Dash Easy is 16 years old.

That’s eight times as old as the starters in the All American Futurity trials happening today in Ruidoso, New Mexico. In a sport with the majority of its participants competing in futurities for 2-year-olds and derbies for 3-year-olds, Silent Cash Dasher has captured the hearts of many racing fans because of his longevity. Continue Reading »

Some safety tips. I hear there have been some folks coming back from their rides on STARS Ambulance instead of on their horses this summer. Perhaps a refresher on safety would be of help.

Horses are creatures of instinct and habit. Psychologically they are hard-wired to be wary of their surroundings and react to the slightest threat of danger. This comes from the days of their wild ancestors roaming the open fields keeping careful watch out for predators and other threats. Of course through the generations humans have created a domesticated animal, but the flight-or-fight tendencies still prevail when horses feel their safety is at risk. Continue Reading »

On July 22, 2009, Agriculture Canada announced that livestock producers in Alberta in drought affected areas will be eligible for tax deferrals on breeding livestock sold due to drought in 2009. The tax deferral allows eligible producers in designated areas to defer income tax on the sale of breeding livestock for one year to help replenish breeding stock in the following year. In the case of consecutive years of drought designation, producers may defer sales income to the first year in which the area is no longer designated. Continue Reading »

I notice that folks who ride “western” tend to consider riding helmets uncool while my “english” riding friends all wear them.  My children want my grandchildren to use them and, of course, they all insist that they love me just as much as they love their little darlings and therefore they have me wearing one now too. Actually just like when seat belts in cars arrived and we all thought that was such as nuisance and now most of us feel more comfortable with them done up, I have now got used to my helmet and actually feel safer wearing it. Continue Reading »

Although most of us are well aware of the danger of that young spring grass and it’s ability to cause laminitis, colic and diarrhea, many of us don’t realize that grass that has been stressed by drought can cause these problems too.

When stressed by drought most cool-season grasses accumulate sugar and fructan (a type of sugar). The growth slows but the sugar levels rise in intense sunlight. This can make the grass as dangerous as the new spring grass for horses predisposed to founder. It is many of our hardiest and most common grasses that are most likely to cause the problem. Continue Reading »

AQHA Offers Reduced Rate on Registrations for American Quarter Horses 3 and Older

America’s Horse, August 3, 2009 – If you’ve had the paperwork laying around for a couple of years on your American Quarter Horse and just never got around to getting it registered so you have papers to prove it, now is the time to preserve the pedigree of your treasured equine friend!

The American Quarter Horse Association is offering reduced registration fees for horses 3 and older. Normally the 3-year-old fee is $550 and the fee for horses 4 and older is $1,000. But for a limited time, AQHA is offering a reduced rate of $300. Continue Reading »

Import Restrictions Reduced for Horses from Texas and New Mexico Entering Canada due to Vesicular Stomatitis

Ottawa, ON—Equine Canada’s Breeds & Industry Division and Health & Welfare Committee would like to inform all stakeholders that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has eliminated import restrictions for horses from Texas and reduced import restriction for horses New Mexico that are entering Canada as a result of additional information it received from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the recent cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS) reported in these states. Continue Reading »