Hitching Post Stable and Trail Obstacle Course

02/07/2026

01/07/2026

A veterinarian shared this with me quite a while ago and it made so much sense. 💡
Long term use of commercial dewormer actually interrupts our horses’ immune systems. A lot of us already know that parasites are growing more resistant to these products.
I’ve had more than one veterinarian recommend to only deworm when necessary, not just because like so many of us were taught to do but I didn’t know there was an easy way to determine exactly what my horse needs until 2025:

“You should only deworm if they test positive and over 200 Eggs/gram for internal parasites on the F***l Egg Count (FEC).”

Horseman’s lab is an inexpensive and user-friendly option. ⬇️

I’m sharing this for EPM equine owners here especially since any changes in their routine can impact their immune system and interrupt progress. After all, how many of us have seen polyneuritis flares after deworming? 🤚🏼 Point is, ITWMH Id only deworm when absolutely necessary. Link below. Hope it helps some of you. 💛🤠

Price includes the postage both ways, collection kit, processing sample, and email results if no email address results will be sent through USPS. Please note that there is a $6 replacement fee per kit if lost, misplaced, or destroyed. Test Kit Pricing & Info: Buy 1 Kit: $26 Buy 2-5 Kits: $23/per kit...

01/05/2026

Help your horse breathe comfortably with Equi-Breeze — a natural, vet-formulated respiratory supplement.

12/29/2025

Hello, Due to the ice storm the barn will be closed today for the safety of owners and their horses.

12/04/2025

THE COLD WEATHER IS UPON US! ❄️

Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal, and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

09/07/2025

My girl practicing her obstacles with one of her boys, Shiloh. ❤️ So proud.

07/22/2025

Come join the fun every Wednesday 1-4 for Horse rides. sign up for one of your favorite Twist and flip classes.

06/24/2025

HORSES SHOW DISTINCT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS WHEN ANTICIPATING POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE EVENTS

New research has shown that horses display different facial expressions and behaviours depending on whether they are anticipating a positive or a negative experience.

The study aimed to explore how horses express their emotions using facial expressions and behaviour, and whether these could be linked to positive or negative emotional anticipation.

Twenty mares were trained to wait in a designated area (a starting box) before being led to one of two possible outcomes: a positive experience (access to pasture with other horses) or a negative one (being taken alone to an unfamiliar environment). This setup allowed the researchers to observe how horses behave when they expect either a desirable or undesirable situation.

Over multiple sessions, the team recorded the horses’ behaviour, facial movements (using EquiFACS – the Equine Facial Action Coding System), heart rate, and cortisol levels. They also used a network analysis tool (NetFACS) to study which facial expressions tended to occur together in each context.

The researchers found clear differences in the horses’ responses depending on the type of anticipation. When expecting a positive event, horses more often showed behaviours such as head shaking, stepping back, sniffing, and pawing. They held their necks higher, performed more half-blinks, and showed increased mouth movements.

In contrast, during negative anticipation, horses showed less behavioural variety. They were more likely to hold their necks at a medium height, keep their ears back and flattened, and exhibit more nostril movements. Their behaviour was generally more withdrawn and they appeared more tense.

Interestingly, while heart rate and cortisol did increase slightly in the negative condition, these physiological changes were not as marked as the behavioural and facial differences — highlighting just how important it is to observe the horse’s expressions and body language alongside traditional measures of stress.

These findings confirm that horses express emotions in nuanced ways and that facial expressions and behaviour offer valuable insight into how they feel. Understanding these subtle cues can help us better recognise emotional states in horses and improve how we manage and interact with them.

Study details: Phelipon, R., Bertrand, L., Jardat, P., Reigner, F., Lewis, K., Micheletta, J., & Lansade, L. (2025). Characterisation of facial expressions and behaviours of horses in response to positive and negative emotional anticipation using network analysis. PLoS ONE, 20(5), e0319315.