Management & Maintenance

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There is a lot more to haymaking than “making hay while the sun shines,” though doing so is a necessary start. Sadly, each year horse barns and farmers’ storage barns burn down, and horses become sick from respiratory disease and colic, as well as myriad other diseases such as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID or Cushings disease). Many of these situations are avoidable so here are, in my opinion, the seven deadly sins of horse hay-making, in no particular order.

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Question: I’d like to make my horse facility more environmentally friendly but I’m on a tight budget. What are some inexpensive ways to “green” my barn? A: Going green doesn’t have to mean spending a small fortune. There are many budget-conscious ways to change the way you manage your facility so that your barn and property are more eco-friendly.

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Protecting Horses and Humans - The COVID-19 pandemic showed how alarmingly quickly a virus can spread across countries and continents and created an understandable reaction to protect against infection from any and all viruses and pathogens. By extension, it is also essential that there is a level of biosecurity on your farm or acreage to protect horses against agents of disease.

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A common problem during the fall and winter months, muddy footing in horse turnout areas not only increases the difficulty of daily barn chores and grooming routines for owners, but creates a living environment for your horse that is neither safe nor healthy.

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Are you considering the best way to create the perfect barn to house your horses? Should you construct an entirely new building, or make over an existing structure? There are pros and cons to each option depending on your particular situation, but in many cases even a radical renovation may be preferable to the stress, expense, and time commitment of a new construction project.

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When hay becomes scarce, especially during late winter and early spring, horse owners become resourceful. With the majority of your horse’s diet consisting of forage, your hay provider and equine nutritionist are vital members of your horse’s health care team.

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Many people dream of leaving the city behind for the slower pace and more natural lifestyle of the countryside. The yearning for country living may be driven by the dream of keeping your horses at home, owning other livestock, developing a large garden, and enjoying a healthier way of life. But this idealized vision of rural life may not reflect reality for you and your family. There are many practical, environmental, and legal considerations to sort through, not to mention the financial costs. So before dropping a down payment on a piece of property, you have some homework to do, and there are some important factors to consider that might save you big headaches later on.

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Horse owners with a stream on their property know exactly what kinds of headaches a waterway can cause. Besides posing a hazard to your horses and other animals, or being inconvenient when moving machinery and vehicles around your property, use of your stream is likely subject to a host of strict government regulations designed to maintain water quality, which is something we all benefit from.

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The Inside Story - For as long as horses have been grazing the hillsides and meadows, the pest of parasite infestation has plagued them. Perennial as the grass, intestinal parasites find every possible opportunity to enter their horse host, and live out their life cycle.

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Given the varied weather types and landscape in Canada, the threat of severe weather and geological events is a constant reality. Natural disasters can include wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, hailstorms and landslides.

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