"My horse is smart enough not to eat toxic plants" - This is a comment I often hear during property visits focused on responsible manure and pasture practices. While it’s true that horses generally avoid undesirable or toxic plants when there’s ample healthy forage available, issues tend to surface when pastures are overgrazed and food choices become limited. That’s when horses may resort to eating weeds or harmful plants. It’s essential for horse owners to recognize which plants pose a threat and to understand how to control their presence in grazing areas.

Choosing the right horse fencing is one of the most important decisions when planning or upgrading an equine property. Beyond defining boundaries, fencing represents a significant long-term investment that influences horse safety, property security, day-to-day management, and the overall appearance of a farm or stable. A well-designed fence should safely contain horses while discouraging unwanted visitors, including loose dogs and trespassers. It also makes it easier to manage grazing and separate horses according to age, sex, value, or intended use. However, not every type of fencing is appropriate for horses.

The Inside Story - For as long as horses have been grazing the hillsides and meadows, the pest of parasite infestation has plagued them. Perennial as the grass, intestinal parasites find every possible opportunity to enter their horse host, and live out their life cycle.

There is a lot more to haymaking than “making hay while the sun shines,” though doing so is a necessary start. Sadly, each year horse barns and farmers’ storage barns burn down, and horses become sick from respiratory disease and colic, as well as myriad other diseases such as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID or Cushings disease). Many of these situations are avoidable so here are, in my opinion, the seven deadly sins of horse hay-making, in no particular order.