NetAgra

Frost seeding horse pastures

2012-01-12T10:23:00.000-06:00

It's cheap, it's easy and with a 70 percent success rate, you should frost seed pastures every year.Frost seeding is the practice of spreading seeds on frozen ground and then letting nature run its course. To add white clover to pastures, Dan Undersander, UW-Extension forage agronomist, advised broadcasting the seed at about 2 pounds per acre. Broadcasting may be done with a hand spreader or

From plow horse to "War Horse"

2012-01-07T16:48:00.000-06:00

A movie that tracks the book on which it's based while breathing life into the story beyond its words is what makes the movie "War Horse" something special for horse lovers. "War Horse" the movie thrills and hurts and inspires and sends you out of the theater knowing you've just been taken on a journey you would not have had simply reading. The movie is based on the children's book written by

Equine business rises on changes, trends

2011-12-21T15:43:00.001-06:00

Things looked grim for a while. After hitting a peak of about 25 million horses in the U.S. in the 1950s, the equine population went into a steep decline, hitting the bottom in the 1970s at an estimated 2.5 million. "That's only one-tenth of the peak population of horses," said Robert Miller, leading equine veterinarian and father of the imprint method of training. Historic changes affecting

Equine liability laws go only so far

2011-12-08T13:31:00.000-06:00

Yvonne Ocrant Forty-six states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, have equine liability statutes. The laws are intended to shift many of the responsibilities of taking part in equine activities away from stable owners and back to the participants. States value the social and economic benefits of equine pursuits, so laws are on the books to protect and enhance horses businesses, said Yvonne

Staying sane in the horse boarding business

2011-12-01T18:50:00.000-06:00

Not only do you have to know about horses, you better have the people skills and self preservation instincts to successfully manage a boarding facility. If you can keep the boarders from driving you nuts, you stand a pretty good chance of making it in the business. Sports psychologist, Ann S. Reilly, said there are two tricks to staying sane in the horse boarding and lesson business: do your

Emerging equine market female, older, affluent

2011-11-22T20:54:00.000-06:00

In a numbers and reality presentation, Lisa Kemp and Martha Thompson-Hoyt laid out the dynamics of the fastest growing opportunity for stable owners and coaches. Services and activities geared toward women ages 45 and up are rapidly becoming an important part of managing a successful horse business Lisa Kemp, Kemp Equine, a Chicago area equine marketing consultant, laid out the numbers during

Equestrian lifestyle expo focuses on education

2011-11-16T19:24:00.001-06:00

60,000 square feet of holiday equine shopping! With more than 50 hours worth of educational programming lined up, it's Dr. Robert Miller that has the organizers of the Chicagoland Equestrian Lifestyle Expo and Holiday Market most excited. "Dr. Miller is 83 years old and an icon in the horse and veterinary world," said Joy Meierhans, expo manager. "We're just blown away that he'd come. At 83

Holiday Horse Parade returns after one-year weather delay

2011-11-16T19:15:00.000-06:00

The parade was over and costume awards were being handed out when Oregon Horse Association President Barb Waters alerted the winners, "The trophies all say 2010 and not 2011. We couldn't have a parade last year so we saved them." With a 56-degree high, a breeze and partly sunny skies, weather conditions this season were favorable for the long-running Holiday Horse Parade in downtown Oregon. Snow

Mare milking simplified

2011-11-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

Buck Wheeler demonstrates UdderlyEZ If you go to the expense and risk of breeding and foaling a mare, skimping on solid management practices could set you back. A universally accepted rule of having a healthy foal is making sure it gets its mother's first milk, or colostrum. "Every foal should have colostrum milk as soon after birth as possible," said Liv Sandberg, UW-Madison extension equine

Dairy farmers take hobby to World Clydesdale Show

2011-10-27T17:47:00.003-05:00

Dustin and Brian Brooks Grandpa liked the horses. So does Dad. No wonder then that Dustin and Brian Brooks have continued the tradition of breeding Clydesdale horses from their dairy farm near Sparta. Four years ago the brothers began to prepare for the World Clydesdale Show recently held in Madison. The preparation paid off in the World Show competition. With Dustin handling the reins,

Clydesdales gather in Madison for world show

2011-10-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Photo furnished by Clydesdale USA Four years ago, Clydesdale Breeders of the USA decided to hold a "world" show. The first-of-its-kind show was a success, drawing together not only Clydesdale breeders from around the world but also turning out a significant public attendance. "You may only get to see this kind of thing once in a lifetime," said Cathy Behn, association secretary in Pecatonica,

Boathouse

2011-09-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

Boathouse, originally uploaded by NetAgra.Lake boathouses are nearly a thing of the past.

Lamplight lights up for fall jumper show

2011-09-29T21:03:00.001-05:00

WAYNE, Ill. - You can get close enough to get sprayed with flying arena footing. Close enough to hear the rider whisper to the horse. Close enough to smell the exertion. Close enough to see the expressions of horse and rider: determination, anticipation, concern, sometimes fear. The sprawling Lamplight Equestrian Center is host to many high-end horse shows during its April-to-October season,

Prairie du Chien historic mansion grounds home to authentic Victorian-era equine event

2011-09-24T08:57:00.001-05:00

There's the prime rib dinner with 350 of your friends as the sun seeps into the Mississippi River. But dinner Saturday evening is getting ahead of things. A major sanctioned carriage driving event held on the grounds of a signature historic Victorian mansion, on an island in the Mississippi River, on the site of a frontier fort, add up to one of the most unique equine experiences in the nation.

Comforting touches: Practice helps relieve stress in animals

2011-09-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

Tami Parr You've probably had a stiff neck that hurt so much you had to turn your shoulders to look around. Horses can develop "stiffness" in muscles and joints too, and there's nothing as comforting as working out the tension with touch point releases and gentle passive range-of-motion movements, said Tami Parr of Equine a.t. Parr of Beaver Dam. "Bodyworks is what it's called," Parr said. "

To shoe or not to shoe? That is not the question.

2011-09-09T21:08:00.001-05:00

Rick Burten, Master Ferrier from Urbana, Ill., is a man on a mission. "There isn’t a single ounce of scientific evidence that shows shoeing a horse is harmful," Burton said. "But people hear things like ‘shoeing makes the hoof go numb’ and it seems to make sense to them so they believe it."Along with the mission, Burten may also have a small chip on his shoulder. "People say, ‘sure you want to

"Soft" touch means responsive horse

2011-08-31T21:31:00.003-05:00

It’s easy to get a reaction out of a horse but a lot harder to get a response, contended Mike Branch, a trainer and equine coach from Blaine, Tennessee. The process of achieving "soft" response is built on trust and incremental steps. "It doesn’t take much thought to create a reaction in a horse," Branch said during the recent Horse Days event in Belvidere, Ill. "But it takes a lot of thought

New "Horse Days" event gathering steam

2011-08-13T09:33:00.004-05:00

If shear enthusiasm leads to a successful first event, the upcoming Horse Days August 19-21 at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere, IL should pass the grade. Horse Days executive coordinator and promoter, Brian Lamb is near breathless describing the undertaking. "There was a group of us who wanted to do something like this and we’d been talking about it," Lamb said. "So finally, I got

“Ringbone” a bane to performance horses

2011-07-27T21:04:00.004-05:00