Liv’s Tip of the Month – 5 Springtime Dangers to Avoid with Your Horse
April 24, 2018| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet
Liv’s Tip of the Month
Springtime brings some beautiful flowers and we all want to be outside after the long winter. However, springtime also brings some unique dangers to keep your horses away from.

  • Buttercups are toxic – really toxic – but luckily they are bitter tasting and most horses won’t eat them. However, this can become a problem when your horse gets hungry from being in a sparse paddock with nothing to nibble – then the bitter taste may not matter so much.
  • Dandelions are not toxic – but they are very high in sugars! With springtime grasses also high in sugars, this can become a real risk for the metabolically compromised horse.
  • You should also watch out for cool mornings – temps below 40 degrees overnight create a spike in pasture sugars. Hot afternoons are also an issue – the same thing happens when temps warm up suddenly!
  • Poison ivy – another non-poisonous one that can still cause some issues. Your horse can rub on the plant and transfer the oils to you.
  • Leftover acorns are a problem because they are toxic AND delicious. While most oak trees shed their acorns in the fall, sometimes they can linger until spring, so watch out for those!

The solution to many of these is the keep plenty of fresh forage and clean water in front of your horse to distract them from expanding their diet into any unhealthy things. You can use BarnManager to create reminders to check on all these plants, and to get the word out to your team. To sign up for a free trial of BarnManager’s horse management software click here. Be safe out there and enjoy the warmer weather!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!
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A Spring Cleaning Checklist
April 19, 2018| | in category Tips and Tricks 3 comments
Your Barn Spring Cleaning Checklist

The weather is finally warming up across the country, which means it’s time to open the barn windows and get out the cleaning supplies! The fresh start that spring brings is the perfect opportunity to clean and organize not only your home, but also your barn, your tack, and your horse.

Here are a few things that we recommend checking off your spring cleaning list!

Tack and equipment

Get to the bottom of your tack trunk. When was the last time that you actually took everything out of your trunk? Whether you’re coming off a winter show circuit or just gearing up for your first show of the season, the spring is a great opportunity to take everything out of your trunk, deep clean, re-organize, and maybe even re-locate that glove you thought was long lost!

Evaluate, eliminate, and replace tack as needed. As you’re going through your tack trunk, also evaluate all of your tack and equipment. If there’s something that you no longer need or want, consider donating it to a horse rescue or therapeutic program or taking it to a local equine consignment shop. Now is also the time to replace any broken or overly-used tack or equipment or stock up on new items for the summer.

Send blankets out for cleaning and repair. By the end of the winter, it’s likely that your horse’s sheets and blankets are in need of a deep cleaning! Depending on your area, some exceptional blanket cleaning services are available to clean and repair your blankets and then carefully wrap and pack them for safe keeping until cooler weather returns.

Your horse

Get spring vaccinations. Make sure that your horse is up to date on all vaccines and has a recent coggins test.

Have those teeth checked. While your vet is there for vaccinations, or if you use an equine dentist, now is the time to have them float your horse’s teeth and check for any potential dental issues.

Stock up on fly repellant products. In most parts of the country, the onset of warmer weather also means the onset of more flies! Stock up on fly sprays and any fly masks or sheets.

Around the barn

Check your fire extinguishers. If you have your own barn, your spring cleaning check list can grow immensely! Consider including things like checking your fire extinguishers or

having them serviced. Don’t have a fire extinguisher? Add getting one to your spring list, as every barn should have at least one!

Clean out gutters and downspouts. Clear out any leaves or build-up that may have accumulated over the fall and winter months.

Inspect your pastures. Walk the perimeter of all pastures to check the fencing and locate any weak or broken spots. Thoroughly clean any run-in sheds, and walk your fields and fill in any holes.

Have BarnManager help!

BarnManager makes it easy to simplify your spring cleaning and organization!

After your horse gets its spring vaccines, snap a picture of the shot records, and upload it straight to your horse’s profile in the BarnManager app!

Have a long list of spring cleaning to-dos? Make the list within BarnManager and even share it with fellow barn members, clients, or staff to assign tasks or accomplish the to-do list together!

Plan your spring and summer show schedule directly within BarnManager’s calendar for easy access by everyone within your barn!

Sign up to try a free trial here!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – 8 Spring Cleaning Must-dos for Your Barn
March 26, 2018| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet
Liv’s Tip of the Month

Time to do a few things around the farm to get ready for warmer weather!

horse rolling in the flowers

  • Have a professional check your electrical wiring, especially if you use fans in warmer weather.
  • Clean, repair, and carefully store your winter blankets.
  • Take your trailer in for yearly service, including tire safety and braking systems checks.
  • Clean out your grooming supply buckets – all of that spring shed hair loves to collect in there!
  • Schedule your spring vaccinations (BarnManager can be very helpful with this!)
  • Implement a tick control program.
  • Collect manure samples for a worm check from your vet’s office.
  • Clean and condition tack, as well as double checking stitching and buckles.

BarnManager can help you make your spring cleaning list, set due dates, and assign tasks to your team members. To try a free trial of our barn management software click here. Then go out and embrace the fact that spring is finally here! Time to celebrate riding without those huge winter jackets!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!
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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Laminitis Signs
February 28, 2018| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet
Liv’s Tip of the Month
Laminitis is not just a springtime issue – although it seems to be more common in the spring, it can happen year round! Here are some sure-fire signs your horse needs a vet – pronto!
  • An increased digital pulse at the fetlock. This means something is brewing in the hoof.
  • A reluctance to walk or turn. This is easy to see when asking your horse to step from a padded stall to a harder surface.
  • Heat in the hooves – again, this means something is brewing and should be looked at.
  • A mild colic or symptoms of a mild colic. Sometimes pain in the hooves mimics pain in the gut.
  • A curling or wiggling of the horse’s upper lip. Some horses show the flehmen response when in pain.

Stay ahead of the curve and check your horse for these symptoms, including heat in the hooves and a digital pulse, every single day!

BarnManager can help you catch these issues early by giving you an on-the-go way to record and track these symptoms for every horse on your phone through our mobile app. Sign up for a free trial of our horse management software here.

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!
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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Keeping Your Horse’s Skin Healthy in Winter
December 27, 2017| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet
Liv’s Tip of the Month
Keeping Your Horse’s Skin Healthy in Winter
It’s cold. Your fingers are numb. You just want to tack up and ride and go home – but you might be skipping some steps to help your horse’s winter skin stay healthy. Here’s what to do:
  • Take off blankets daily. Look for rubs. Look for sore spots. Look for pinched skin from buckles and straps. Also, inspect horses for tack rubs. On clipped horses they are easy to develop and see, and in some unclipped horses the extra hair under tack causes sores and rubs.
  • Groom your horse daily – you won’t be so cold after a good curry session! And you will be able to find weird new itchy places, scabs, hair loss, mites, lice, scaly skin, and dandruff – the list goes on. Anything new or weird warrants a quick text (and maybe a photo) to the Vet for further investigation.
  • Take sweat seriously in winter. A fuzzy horse that sweats is more likely to overheat during exercise, get skin infections from the sweat, and to take a long time to dry, possibly risking getting too cold in the process. Use coolers to help dry, feed electrolytes before you ride if your horse is sweating, and be diligent in your daily skin inspections.
  • Be prepared for stain accumulation. You won’t be bathing as often, so take advantage of dry shampoos and spot removers for those stains that pop up in winter.
  • Keep your grooming tools exclusive to your horse. Rain rot and other bacterial skin infections are easily transmitted from horse to horse with brushes, grooming gloves, blankets, and saddle pads.
BarnManager makes it super easy to jot down notes about each horse while you are grooming in our mobile app. To signup for a Free Trial of our equine management software and see how it can help you click here.
Happy grooming, and spring is coming soon!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

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Picture of Bits on a Wall

Liv’s Tip of the Month – Warming Up Your Bits
November 23, 2017| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv’s Tip of the Month
Do your horse a favor in cold weather and warm his bit up for him! It’s easy and makes bridling comfortable. Depending on your barn’s tack room set up, you might have a lot of options to make this happen!

One easy way to warm the bit is to hang it in a window of the tack room. Of course, this only works if this tack room is relatively warm, but the sun through a glass window can work wonders.

You can also wear the bridle under your jacket as you do barn chores and groom. This might take a bit of practice to not get totally tangled up though!

The bit can also be warmed up by using any sort of warm compress. There are two types you can buy – some use the microwave to heat up and some need an outlet.

Dunk that bit in some hot water for a quick second! If you have hot water from the faucet you can use that, or invest in an instant hot water kettle to create super hot water quickly.  Make sure to test the bit to be sure it’s not too hot.

Have a great winter ride!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

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501(c)(3) Feature: Heart of Phoenix
October 25, 2017| | in category FreeFor501(c)(3) No comments yet

One of the greatest parts of our work with BarnManager is getting to know and learn from incredible horsemen and women across the globe. Everyone has a unique and powerful story of what horses mean to them and why they continue to dedicate themselves to the equines in their life.

One such story comes to us from Tinia Creamer of Heart of Phoenix, an equine rescue facility in West Virginia. In 2010, Tinia and her family came across one of the most horrific examples of abuse and neglect they have ever seen. This is the day that changed everything for the Creamers.

A mare was found tied to a tree with no shelter from the sun or any inclement weather. Her hooves were overgrown and curled up to her fetlocks, and her face and ankles were covered in lacerations. Prior to being tied to a tree, she had been confined to a stall for 5 years with little to no time outside. Her skeletal frame suggested years of starvation, malnutrition, and dehydration.

This unimaginable cruelty left the mare with very little chances of survival. But Tinia and her team worked feverishly to give her the best chance to heal and recover. They fought for her with hopes of giving her a future until it became clear that letting her go was the kindest and most humane thing that they could do.

Tinia gave the mare a name, Phoenix. The phoenix in Greek mythology carries a lot of meaning. The death of a phoenix is not the end of its life. A phoenix is cyclically regenerated or reborn from the ashes of its predecessor. With a heavy heart, Tinia said goodbye to Phoenix, but their short time together would not end in vain.

Born from the loss of the mare they could not save, the Creamer’s created an equine rescue, Heart of Phoenix, that has grown into an organization comprised of volunteers, offices and board members spread across 4 states. This team works tirelessly to rescue as many horses as possible from dire circumstances. Their mission is to save, rehabilitate and place as many horses as possible in adoptive homes, and they have successfully done so for hundreds of horses.

Heart of Phoenix specializes in horses that are seized by Animal Control and who often require substantial medical care and groundwork to regain their health, well-being, and trust. Once a horse is healthy and happy, they seek to match each and every horse with the best home. The organization works to thoroughly screen all applicants for adoption and to ensure that each horse is given a fresh start with an owner who can properly care for them.

BarnManager is incredibly proud to have Heart of Phoenix as part of our Free for 501(c)(3) program. We are thrilled that we are able to offer tools to aid in their mission to provide exemplary care and management of their horses. And we look forward to supporting them for years to come.

For more information about Heart of Phoenix, visit their website: http://www.wvhorserescue.org

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Preparing the Barn for Winter Weather
October 25, 2017| | in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

The time to get ready is before it gets cold! This includes getting your barn spic and span, and your horse all squared away for the cold weather. Focus your winter barn prep energy on making sure these systems are a go:

  • Electrical: Exposed wiring is a fire hazard. Have an electrician inspect your barn and fix any issues. Metal conduit is one of the best ways to protect the barn’s wiring from rodents, curious horses, and dust.
  • Plumbing: Are water lines deep and freeze proof? Add insulation to exposed lines, and invest in bucket warmers. For outside areas, consider trough warmers.
  • Ventilation:  Even though it’s cold – keep the air flowing. Use products to absorb ammonia, and keep windows open. Most horses LOVE the cold weather, so resist the urge to lock up everything to make it warmer.
  • Hay:  Is your storage area waterproof? Can your winter hay supply be lifted on pallets or tires so the damp ground doesn’t mold the hay? Do you have enough, and then some, for the winter?
  • Blankets: Time for a deep clean and re-waterproofing. Most horse blanket repair pros can do this for you to save some time. Also, double check buckles and straps.
  • Your horse’s feet: Fall is the time to talk to your Farrier about winter weather changes. Are snow pads in order? What about leather pads to protect from the hard and frozen ground?
  • Your horse’s health: Fall is also the time that rising ACTH levels in your horse’s blood can lead to laminitis. Work with your Vet and perhaps run some simple blood tests to make sure your horse’s metabolism is within normal ranges.

And last but not least, enjoy the chill in the air! Spend lots of time currying that winter coat, ride in the crisp air that gives your horse some pep to his step, and enjoy the changing seasons with your horse!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

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Protected: What’s In Your Tack Truck? – with Lillie Keenan
January 15, 2017| | in category What's In Your Tack Truck? Enter your password to view comments.

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