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 I was out in the field on a warm sunny morning, helping my dad change some section knives on the haybine. Something we've done many times before, but I sill wouldn't be able to tell you what size wrench was needed... Skills and knowledge that I hope is going to stay retained in my brain somewhere until one day when I have to do it on my own. After spending 6 hours doing maintenance on the haybine and baler, including running to the dealership to buy $500+ worth of extra parts and lubricants, I started thinking about how there are lots of aspects to every business that people just don't understand how much work it actually is. The same is true for the horse business as it is the hay business. Hay is a big deal for stables, in terms of horse health and is second only to labour in terms of biggest costs of production. I would say having to buy hay has been one of the most challenging and frustrating aspects of being a stable owner. However, making hay can be equally frustrating, something I think many barn owners and managers don't understand and don't have sympathy for when making hay purchases. As someone who has been on both sides of the fence, I have some important points to ponder when making hay purchases:
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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 It had been a busy day, but a good day. My husband was working off property, my daughter was at daycare, and I was getting things done! I was getting things done so well, I lost track of time, and was 10 minutes late picking up my daughter from daycare... After rushing to pick her up, and with my husband still not home, I suddenly realized that part of the reason I had lost track of time was because no one had showed up to do afternoon turn-in... 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!
The muddy conditions this spring caused many horses hooves to become very soft. The clay soil then dried quickly, creating rough, rutted and pitted surfaces. The horses hooves did not dry out as fast as the soil, meaning the horses soft hooves were walking on the hard, uneven surfaces. This has resulted in a few abscesses showing up in our horses feet. Abscesses can seem very scary the first time you see them because a horse will suddenly become severely lame. 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 Do you have a love-hate relationship with going on vacation? Then you must be responsible for animals and/or own a business! For most people, vacations are one of those things that you try to do to relax and get away from your job and normal routines. However, if you are responsible for animals and a business, the preparation to go, the worrying during your vacation and the fixing of things when you return can be so stressful you are often left wondering if it was all worth it?! 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! This past month we had a saddle fitter come and look at our saddles and lesson horses! It is the third time in the past 6 years that we've had this particular saddle fitter out. I'll even give her a name drop! Her name is Linda Ridley and her business is called The Level Headed Horse! There are a few reasons why I like using Linda in particular that I want to share with students. Number one is that Linda is not associated with a particular saddle maker and is not trying to sell us saddles. She is only concerned with the welfare of the horse and making sure you have a proper fitting saddle.
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? |
AuthorGwendolyn Donohoe, PhD, is the owner/manager at Sagehill Stables. Read more here Archives
March 2024
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