Well, at least for today. Yesterday we got some rain and a cold front. Temps dropped to the 80s and it was such a nice relief from the heat. However, not having that burning feeling while being outside, got the hitch fire burning again. It's time to get those horses working again.
Good news came from a phone call the other day. I am wanted for wagon rides the 2nd and 3rd weekends in December. In Greenville, TX, there is a historic street called "Park Street". Every year they decorate their houses all pretty and give wagon rides on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas. This is a real sweet deal for me and I've been invited to do it all 4 nights. They really want a wagon that seats 15 people. To me, this means I need to be on the look out for a larger wagon, and more importantly, I need to have the team ready. Rachel is not a worry, but Pam is going to have to get some miles under her. I'm real excited about this. last year I got to do it for one night, and it was awesome. Looking forward to it.
I'm also looking to begin actively pursuing my goal of haying my field with my horses. This is tough though, because I need the equipment to do this, starting with a mower. If anyone knows of a horse drawn mower here in Texas that is up for sale, please let me know. I also need a good forecart so that I can pull other implements too. Keep your eyes open for me and let me know if you find something that is within a half a day's drive to me. :)
When I harness the girls up next, they'll be using their new liverpool straight shaft bits instead of the twisted wire bits that came with the harnesses. I'm excited for this. I've been really impressed with the liverpool bits and love the control that they give. I just hope Pam and Rachel don't complain too much. :)
Hooray for fall almost being here. Time for this lazy boy to get outside and get busy again. Summer break is OVER!!! :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Dog Days of Summer
It's been hot as hell here in North Texas. The last 5 days have been over 100 and sitting around the 105 mark. Due to the heat, it's pretty safe to assume that not much is going on as far as working the horses goes.
In my riding club newsletter they posted a pretty good little blurb about horses and heat. I figured I'd include it here. It's an easy forumula and can help you know when you should be concerned with your horse.
Other than that neat idea below, I have nothing else going on. I've been staying indoors and making use of the modern conveniences of air conditioning. I tell you, I sure have a respect for those who lived 100 years ago, who had to work the land, even in head like this. And they even did it without gatoraide! :) Hopefully we get some rain or a cold front soon.
The Heat is On!
We are now into the hottest weeks of summer and need to be aware of the effect of heat and humidity on our horses. Endurance riders use a simple formula to determine when weather conditions become stressful to the equine athlete. It is called the Heat Index (H I), which means in this context, the sum of the temperature and humidity. Any time the H I reaches 150, we need to pay attention to our horse’s condition. When the number exceeds 180, a horse can quickly get into trouble. Always encourage water consumption. Electrolytes are essential for horses working in the heat. Commercial supplements are available, but here’s a simple, cheap, home-made formula: One 26 oz. box of table salt (plain, not iodized) Two 11 oz. boxes of Morton’s Lite Salt Two oz. (4 TBSP) dry Epsom salt
Mix well and feed ½ oz. to 1 oz. per day, depending on level of work. (1 to 2 TBSP)
One of the most important things you can do to encourage your horse to drink water is to provide a clean, cool source. If the water source looks too dirty for you to drink out of, then your horse probably isn’t too keen on it either. The exception to this is pond water; they love it!! Go figure!
In my riding club newsletter they posted a pretty good little blurb about horses and heat. I figured I'd include it here. It's an easy forumula and can help you know when you should be concerned with your horse.
Other than that neat idea below, I have nothing else going on. I've been staying indoors and making use of the modern conveniences of air conditioning. I tell you, I sure have a respect for those who lived 100 years ago, who had to work the land, even in head like this. And they even did it without gatoraide! :) Hopefully we get some rain or a cold front soon.
The Heat is On!
We are now into the hottest weeks of summer and need to be aware of the effect of heat and humidity on our horses. Endurance riders use a simple formula to determine when weather conditions become stressful to the equine athlete. It is called the Heat Index (H I), which means in this context, the sum of the temperature and humidity. Any time the H I reaches 150, we need to pay attention to our horse’s condition. When the number exceeds 180, a horse can quickly get into trouble. Always encourage water consumption. Electrolytes are essential for horses working in the heat. Commercial supplements are available, but here’s a simple, cheap, home-made formula: One 26 oz. box of table salt (plain, not iodized) Two 11 oz. boxes of Morton’s Lite Salt Two oz. (4 TBSP) dry Epsom salt
Mix well and feed ½ oz. to 1 oz. per day, depending on level of work. (1 to 2 TBSP)
One of the most important things you can do to encourage your horse to drink water is to provide a clean, cool source. If the water source looks too dirty for you to drink out of, then your horse probably isn’t too keen on it either. The exception to this is pond water; they love it!! Go figure!
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