General Article

You Want The Best For Your Horse

Whether you’re a championship rider or just a recreational owner, your horse means the world to you. They’re intelligent and sometimes sensitive creatures that you likely consider a part of your family. So, not only is careful consideration taken in regards to their stable, the food they eat, and the equipment they use in regards to saddles and bridles, but recreational equipment is carefully considered, too. One of these pieces of recreational equipment, often used in tournaments and shows, is that of horse jump standards. For championship riders, having the right jump is critical for an excellent performance. For the recreational rider, the right jump is absolutely necessary to ensure that you’re not asking for more of your horse than it can provide whilst still giving it an enjoyable exercise.

Top Quality Horse Jumps

For those who are recreational riders, it may not be immediately clear on where you can purchase top-notch horse jumps. One such company you may want to consider is Old Dominion. They specialize in horse jumps that challenge both horse and rider but also provide excellent fun for those who simply want to give their horse a bit of a thrill. Old Dominion has over 15 years of experience in crafting some of the best horse jumps on the market. Their secret is in the careful selection of the wood that’s used for the jumps. Because they are horse owners and competitors themselves, they have a keen insight as to what makes for a good horse jump, and what doesn’t. One of the benefits of selecting a jump from Old Dominion is that their jumps aren’t required to assemble. Their jumps are also built to last. They take the extra measures to pressure-wash their wood in areas that touch the ground as well as use an antifungal primer to ensure that the wood isn’t eaten away by mold.

Because of their care for the wood, you and your horse can enjoy Old Dominion’s jumps for some time.… Read More

Farm gate openers come in all shapes and sizes, but they can be somewhat tricky to install, especially if you’ve never done it before. What do you need to know about the installation process before you start mounting posts and juggling remote controls? How can you be sure that you’re buying a good product in the first place? Here are four tips for finding, selecting and getting started with your gate opener.

1. Clear Your Schedule

It won’t take days to install a gate opener, but it won’t be a quick five-minute job, either. You should expect it to eat up at least a few hours of your time. You might consider clearing your morning or afternoon schedule for it. Keep a phone handy in case you need to call tech support.

2. Buy the Right Posts

Square posts are your steadiest option for automatic gate openers. If you only have round posts, you can still use them, but it’s recommended that you anchor them in cement. All posts should be fitted exactly to the particular gate that you buy.

3. Secure the Hinges

This is how you’ll keep your livestock from accidentally opening the gate. Even if they bump into it or accidentally engage the latching mechanism, the hinge will prevent the door from swinging all of the way open. Of course, your hinges need to be properly installed for this to happen!

4. Get a Guarantee

Never sign on the dotted line without reading the warranty. If you’ll be responsible for return shipping charges after a part breaks off your gate, that’s something that you’ll want to know in advance. You’ll also want to know if you’ll be charged an extra fee for replacement parts or no-show deliveries.

These are just a few things to consider after you’ve ordered an automated gate opener. Whether you’ll be installing it yourself or with the help of a technician, it’s important to get things right the very first time. You don’t want to damage your vehicle with a poorly-mounted post or wildly-swinging gate!… Read More

Raising a horse is a labor of love and you want to do your best to ensure he lives a long and healthy life. One of the best things you can do for your horse is to ensure he’s getting all of the nutrients and vitamins he needs to grow up strong and maintain a good physique through adulthood. Just like people, horses need a good balance of nutrition and, while they may get what they need through feeding, it can help to give them a boost with a daily supplement.

While there are a great many equine performance supplements on the market, Twydil O stands out, because it provides a wide range of vitamins and trace elements. Additionally, it provides a balance of amino acids, magnesium, prebiotics, and probiotics, all of which are essential for horse growth and performance. The ingredients found in this supplement are especially beneficial to horses who compete and perform in races or competitions.
In addition to strengthening your horse, the ingredients in Twydil O help protect against the common digestive disorders that horses tend to experience. While building muscle, the supplement also promotes a shiny and healthier coat and stronger hooves. For these reasons, Twydil O is especially recommended for younger horses, as well as for lactating mares, breeding stallions, and weaned foals. In testing, the initial effects of administering the Twydil O supplement to horses was observed after just three weeks. The maximum range of benefits was achieved, after having administered the supplement for six consecutive weeks. Significant benefits were not observed after the six week period.
Twydil O was tested by LCH labs out of France, which is the world’s most prominent authority on anti-doping in horses. The lab officially certified the supplement, indicating that there is no risk in administering it to horses.
Keeping your horse healthy requires a full regiment that includes a healthy diet and regular physical activity. Additionally, providing him with a supplement can help ensure he’s getting a full array of the vitamins and nutrients he needs. This can help him look healthier and build muscle mass. A stronger horse doesn’t just compete better. He remains healthier over time and lives a longer and happier life.… Read More

No matter whether your horse is for recreational or commercial use, it must be in good health for optimum performance. Your attention and care towards your horse are certainly reflected by its health and well-being. Addressing  horse health is not limited to vaccination and deworming, but a comprehensive plan for handling any sudden disease outbreak and other health issues. Coming up with a good preventive care program may save you a good amount of time and money in the long run.

The popularity of horse riding as a sport or pastime is increasing day by day, indicating more horses are being imported in most of the countries in Europe. This increasing number is posing threats to both new and existing horses. The threats we are mostly concerned with are infectious diseases. However, there are non-infectious diseases as well as malnutrition, genetic diseases, autoimmune diseases, etc. In this article, we will consider general principles for preventing common equine diseases.

How diseases spread

There is no question of spreading non-infectious diseases. However, if the disease is caused by an infectious agent, there is a certain risk of catching a disease from living or non-living subjects contaminated with the agent. Various modes of disease transmission include-

• Direct contact between same species (i.e. horses).
• Direct contact with other animals like pets, humans, wild animals.
• Insect bites. Some insects are prone to carry certain infectious agents.
• Droplet infection. Coughing, sneezing, may release water droplets containing infectious agents which if inhaled by other horses, can cause the disease.
• Through excreta of infected animals.
• Contaminated water, food, or bedding.
• Vertical transmission. Infected mother horse can transmit the disease to its baby during pregnancy through the placenta, or after delivery via milk.

So, why should we be interested in preventing the spread of disease? The simple answer is to get optimum performance and prolong the active lifespan of the horses. In addition, preventing disease means reducing your chance to contribute to an epidemic of a serious disease. Certain equine diseases can be transmitted to humans such as ringworm, typhoid. By taking preventive measures we can minimize the risks of those infections as well. Last but not the least, the cost related to the treatment of an illness certainly outweighs costs related to preventive measures.

Basic principles of horse disease prevention

Unfortunately, there is no surefire way of preventing illness. Most of the horses will encounter some sort of common disease at some point in their life. But, it does not mean that we will sit reluctantly and leave everything on luck. A fruitful prevention program will include being aware of common diseases, maintaining good hygiene, conducting routine health check-up, timely vaccination, keeping horses away from others with unknown health status, isolating ill horses, prompt treatment, and so on. Some key elements of a comprehensive prevention program are discussed here.

Keep the place neat and clean

There is no alternative to a clean environment and proper hygiene for preventing disease and illness. Installing a stable can be the initial … Read More

As we find veterinary costs soaring like never before, it has become even more necessary to have pet insurance coverage to avoid shelling off a huge amount during medical emergencies of your pet. Reports reveal that an animal’s hernia operation can cost up to $2000 and few other health conditions like cardiac issues, tumour, arthritis and diabetes can also be counted as few of the common things which increase the pet insurance premiums. If you’re a pet lover, you need to be equipped with the best knowledge so that you don’t make a wrong decision due to hurry. Here are few points to note down.

• Know about the characteristic traits of the breed

When you try your best to know about the characteristic traits of the specific breed you own, you will become more informed on its common health problems. This is some vital knowledge that you should have on your pet before you opt for getting pet insurance policy.

• Educate yourself on the pet insurance glossaries

You need to understand few key words like premium, deductible, pre-existing conditions and the limit of payout so that the pet insurance provider doesn’t deceive you into explaining something else to squeeze money. You can navigate through the plans of several insurers confidently when you know the meanings of the terms.

• Contrast policies and premiums with several carriers

The patterns will start emerging and this will help you highlight the differences of the premium costs and the coverage that you need. Don’t go for the lowest price insurance policy as low price doesn’t always guarantee best coverage. Always check the coverage before taking the plunge.

• Focus on the waiting period which can be applied

Majority of the pet insurance companies often have waiting periods before the main coverage starts off. When you learn all these information beforehand, this will make it easier to plan the insurance along with a pet.

• Discuss the coverage with your local vet

Once you get to know about the coverage that you will get, you should discuss it with your local vet so that he gets to know about the coverage that you’re planning to take for your pet. Also go through the pet insurance reviews so that you may get an idea from the clients.

So, once you have all the above mentioned knowledge, you should opt for a pet insurance coverage from your local insurer.

 … Read More