Chronicles of a Stable Owner are real-life stories about caring for horses and their people
Written by Dr. Gwen Donohoe, Owner/Manager at Sagehill Stables

Have you ever... used a 1750 pound hay bale to cover mud in a gate entrance during a wet year? This was my first time, and I needed to use three! 

Note: In a year with hay shortages and extremely high hay prices, let me add that the bales had water damage and were of zero value as feed!

We had record snowfall this winter, followed by a cool, slow melt in the spring.  Significant rainfall before the snow had finished melting and before the ground had thawed caused overland flooding on our property that we've never had before.  Our buildings flooded, pens flooded and gate entrances that have held up in the past did not hold up this year.

Chronicles of a Stable Owner are real-life stories about caring for horses and their people
Written by Dr. Gwen Donohoe, Owner/Manager of Sagehill Stables

It's 10 pm.  My one-year old has been teething and I finally get her back to sleep... and then I get the text.

"There is no water in the barn..."

Water is one of the most challenging things barn owners and managers have to deal with.  Fixing water problems for most business owners would typically just mean calling a plumber.  At 10pm on Sunday night of the May long weekend, it's not likely that we were going to be able to get any assistance (tonight or tomorrow for that matter) and with 60 horses on the property needing water it was a serious situation.  Horses don't just stop eating, drinking and pooping because it's a long weekend!

Horse Health Tips For Students includes information for our students about common horse health care issues.  These posts are to bring awareness to horse welfare issues - always ask your veterinarian for advice and treatment protocols for your own horse!

​After a winter with record snowfall, we are now into a very wet spring.  This brings to attention a couple of health issues that anyone working with the schoolies needs to know about and watch for!  One of them is thrush.

What is thrush?
Thrush is most commonly a bacterial, and sometimes fungal, infection of the horses frog. Remember, the frog is the living, growing, soft tissue on the bottom of the horses foot.  Thrush occurs more commonly in wet conditions.

How can you tell if it's thrush?

Horse Health Tips For Students includes information for our students about common horse health care issues.  These posts are to bring awareness to horse welfare issues - always ask your veterinarian for advice and treatment protocols for your own horse!

After a winter with record snowfall, we are now into a very wet spring.  This brings about a couple of health issues that anyone working with the schoolies needs to know about and watch for!  One of the is scratches.

What is scratches?
Scratches (a.k.a. mud fever and pastern dermatitis) occurs when the skin on the lower part of the horses leg becomes infected. The infection can be bacterial, fungal and/or parasitic in nature (and often in combination).  Scratches most commonly occurs on back of the lower leg, particularly on legs with white hair (i.e., horses with socks) and when conditions are wet and muddy.  That being said, we have had it occur on horses when the pens are extremely dry as well and the infection may start with a cut or abrasion.

How can you tell if it's scratches?