• About Joan Fry

Backyard Horsekeeping

~ One woman´s experience with keeping her horses in her own backyard

Backyard Horsekeeping

Tag Archives: horse’s age

The Horse in Winter

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by Joan Fry in A Day in the Life, Horse Health, Tack and Equipment, Weather

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Backyard Horsekeeping, Blankets, feeding for the winter, horse's age, Winter

If the title of this post sounds familiar to you, it should—it’s the title of a book written by Susan McBane and published in this country by the Lyons Press (2005).  The book is a common-sense look at how to do all the usual horse chores when it gets cold outside—and to judge from Tuesday morning’s headlines, it is frigid outside!  Living in California—even its inhospitable high desert—does have its advantages.  Like many owners, Susan McBane—as well as William Healey, the guest blogger who discussed blanketing in my previous post—advocates blanketing horses in the winter.  I do not, except under certain very specific circumstances.

Two horses and a human, all three dressed for the cold weather.  (Photo by Charles Hood)

Two horses and a human, all three dressed for the cold weather. (Photo by Charles Hood)

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Blanketing Your Horse

09 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Joan Fry in A Day in the Life, General, Horse Health, Tack and Equipment, Uncategorized

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Backyard Horsekeeping, Blankets, horse's age, Winter

While I personally don’t blanket my horses, I would under specific circumstances—if I had an old horse and I couldn’t keep weight on him, for example, or any horse with medical problems.

A blanketed horse.  (Photo by www.horsejournals.com)

A blanketed horse. (Photo by http://www.horsejournals.com)

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Dropped Fetlocks

25 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Joan Fry in A Day in the Life, Conformation, Horse Health, Safety

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Backyard Horse, Backyard Horsekeeping, dropped fetlocks, horse conformation, horse's age, lameness, trail riding

Horses love to run, and one of the best things you can do for your horse every once in a while is—let him run.  Whether you keep some control of him (a good idea, in most cases), or just turn him loose (galloping uphill is much safer because it allows you to take back control at any time), is between you and your horse.  Do you think he’ll stop, or do you know he’ll stop?  Since I knew Prim would always stop, I occasionally turned her loose, but only if we were going uphill, the footing was good (packed dirt can be as hard on your horse’s feet as concrete), and we were heading away from home.  There’s no feeling quite like it in the world.  Freedom, exhilaration, speed, and an almost electrical bond between two species who—for as long as the moment lasts—share the same goal:  run as fast as you can. 

Notice that Prim's hind legs are almost vertical while her hind pasterns (as opposed to her pasterns in front) are almost horizontal.  (Photo by Joan Fry)

Notice that Prim’s hind legs are almost vertical while her hind pasterns (as opposed to her pasterns in front) are almost horizontal. (Photo by Joan Fry)

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How to Buy a Horse

01 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by Joan Fry in Buying a Horse, Conformation, General, Horse Health

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Backyard Horsekeeping, buying a horse, horse conformation, horse ownership, horse's age, rider's experience, trail horse, trail riding

With the economy in such bad shape, you might think this would also be a bad time to look for a horse.  Actually it’s a good time.  According to horse rescues and other humane groups, horses are being abandoned by their owners in record numbers.  Other, more conscientious owners, are willing to give away their horses—particularly those older than ten or fifteen—to “good homes only,” or sell them for very little money.  If you’re a first-time owner, especially if you have a steady income and were a horse-crazy teen, it might be the perfect time to buy a horse.

The foot closest to viewer is a club foot.  Compare the heel to the heel of the hoof   on the left.  The angle of the club foot is completely different.  (Photo by www.horseadvice.com)

The foot closest to viewer is a club foot. Compare the heel to the heel of the hoof on the left. The angle of the club foot is completely different. (Photo by http://www.horseadvice.com)

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Thank you for reading my blog. Please feel free to contact me with any horse-related questions or comments you might have.

Backyard Horsekeeping: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need (Lyons Press, Revised Edition 2007). Praised by everybody from horse behaviorists to trainers to veterinarians, the book's appeal was summed up by Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar, who gave the book a five blue-ribbon rating: "It is the author's voice and commitment to detail that make this book stand apart."

Joan Fry

"Playboy, my first backyard horse, really belonged to my neighbors. But I fed him and brushed him and kept his water bucket full, and in return, they let me ride him whenever I wanted to."

“Even as a kid I loved to write. When I was about eight I typed my first novel on my parents’ Underwood typewriter. I called it Silver the Wild Horse, and it was all in capital letters because I didn’t know how to work the shift key. It was illustrated in crayon. From that little experiment, I found that I’m a better writer than I am an artist. I also discovered my future: I would write about horses.”


John Fry on Imperator, four-time World's Grand Champion Five-Gaited American Saddlebred.
Photo by Avis

Recent Posts

  • Oh No–Not Again!
  • I’m Eating, Don’t Bother Me
  • The Horse in Winter
  • Blanketing Your Horse
  • Goodbye to All That
  • Dropped Fetlocks
  • Dear Robert Redford
  • Do You Feed Your Horse on the Ground?
  • Feeding the Backyard Horse
  • Slaughtering Horses for Meat
  • What Do You Do with the Pee and the Poo?
  • How to Clean Your Horse’s Stall or Corral
  • How to Buy a Horse for Your Child
  • How to Buy a Horse
  • A Day in the Life of a Backyard Horse Owner: Day #2

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