By Horse Council BC - Your horse needs proper dental care just like you do. Left unattended, gums and teeth may become damaged over time, or food may become trapped, resulting in inflammation, infection, and ulceration. A horse’s teeth should be checked annually (preferably bi-annually) for signs of abnormal wear and other dental problems that may cause the horse any pain or discomfort.

Three hundred kilometres east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, lies a crescent-shaped island of sand 42 kilometres long by just 1.4 kilometres wide at low tide. Everything on this island – plants, animals, insects, the dunes themselves – is driven by the harsh influences of its foggy marine world where, over the centuries, this sliver of sand sculpted by churning seas and angry winds has been the graveyard of the Atlantic. Since 1583 there have been over 350 known shipwrecks on the island’s sand bars.

By Lindsay Grice - Riding should not be an aerobic workout like riding an exercise bike. Self-carriage is when a horse maintains his pace, straightness, and frame or outline when you lighten up on your aids. You’re not really riding until you take the training wheels off!

Winter snow may still blanket the ground, but foaling season will be here before we know it. If you have a pregnant mare in your barn, plan ahead to collect and freeze some of her colostrum — that all-important first milk — so you have it on hand if a foal is born without access to this essential liquid.

By Anna Carner Blangiforti - Tack made from hides that were poorly tanned in caustic solutions, made from hides given bad dye jobs, made using leather cut from the stretchy belly portion of a hide, or made cutting any other manufacturing corners cannot be improved by after-market cleaners or conditioners. If you buy tack at a bargain price, be prepared to get what you pay for.

With Matthew Hudson - When a horse is collected – which means that he is engaged from behind and elevated up front and light in the mouth – it is much easier for him to perform any required task, especially the demanding manoeuvres of a reining pattern. If we can make it easier for the horse, then, in turn, he will be more willing mentally to try. If you try to get your horse to spin or do a sliding stop when he is strung out, hollow-backed with most of his weight on the forehand, high-headed, and heavy in your hands, it won’t be easy for you or the horse, and it definitely won’t be pretty.

The oldest continuously operating dude ranch in Arizona (since the 1920s), Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia is a 6500-acre oasis of peace and calm, perfect for a relaxing retreat. Managers Jock and Pamela Soper began visiting Circle Z in the 1980s as guests, fell in love with the ranch, land, and people, and are now in their third season as staff.

By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. - You’ve just bucked a couple of month’s supply of hay into your barn—or maybe an entire season’s worth—and now it’s time to get acquainted with it. You made sure it was green and attractive, fresh-smelling and free of mold. You’ve stored it under cover and away from the incursion of any damaging moisture. Now you’re ready to find out what it offers your horse in the way of nutritional value.

In all disciplines, we want to be able to train our horses to move up the levels and perform different maneuvers for us. Without a supple body, a horse isn’t capable of that... and if you haven’t got a supple rider, then it’s not going to be possible to have a supple horse.