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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: Prevention is key to preserving property and animals when it comes to farm fire safety

Last week our neighbor’s barn caught fire and burnt to the ground. Their horse, poultry, a young steer and many rabbits unfortunately perished. Firefighters were able to save the house, and prevent the spread of the fire to adjacent buildings and properties.

Horses in the neighboring fields raced with their tails straight up, calling out and clearly considering storming the gates to distance themselves from the wall of flame. The heat was palpable at that distance, with intermittent explosions punctuating the fire’s roar.

We are greatly saddened by the loss of livestock and property but relieved that no people were injured and that damage was limited by the heroic work of the firefighters.

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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: Haflinger horses are an old breed originating in the Tyrolean Alps

The Haflinger is a versatile breed developed in the Alps as an all-around horse for work under harness and saddle. Its roots go back to the Middle Ages, but all modern Haflingers trace back to one foundation sire: 241 Folie, foaled in 1874.

The Haflinger’s calm, gentle nature, sturdy build, excellent endurance, and ability to thrive on little food suit it well for life in the mountains. This week the Bridle Path takes us to an ancestral farm at the foot of the German Alps, home to three fortunate Haflingers.

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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: 'Make hay while the sun is shining' is not just an old saying - it's good advice for harvesting quality horse feed

Horse forage in Michigan is generally pasture grass and legume mixture, and hay, which is the same stuff, but dried out. It is the basis of a horse’s diet. Pastures and hayfields are not static entities, but are made up of a cast of different species which change over the course seasons and years, and even during the course of a single day.

Forage is the veggie matter horses and other livestock eat. Originally, forage referred to the plants the livestock walked about and grazed upon, or the act of going around collecting or grazing. Forage has come to refer to hay and silage as well.

Hay is cut, sun-cured grass and/or legume mixture which is preserved by drying. Silage is high-moisture, green plant matter which has been preserved by fermentation. Silage is mainly used for cattle in this country, but modern methods of forage material baled and wrapped in plastic have been advocated for horse use as well.

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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: Tales of three Thoroughbreds

Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, when the fastest of the fast will compete. Most race horses start at age 2 and can race until the mandatory retirement age of 12-15 that most tracks set.

Between 70-80 percent of registered Thoroughbreds race at some point during their lives.

What happens to the Thoroughbreds who did not reach elite racing status? They may find careers as sport horses or as general family horses. If they retire from racing while still healthy, chances are better that they will find a good home.

There is a dark side to horse racing, which we will explore another time.

This blog is a tale of three Thoroughbreds that I am familiar with.

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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: As Kentucky Derby approaches, a look back at the Thoroughbred's rich history

Saturday, May 7 will be the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. It is a glory day for the Thoroughbred horse.

The breed has a fascinating history, and a vibrant role in the world of horses. There are many aspects of the horse racing industry that are worthy of exploration, but today's discussion will be limited to a brief history of the breed.

All Thoroughbred horses are descended from three stallions imported from the Middle East to England in the 1600-1700s. Each has its own story and legend.

In 1688, a nice young stallion was appropriated from a captured Turkish officer by Capt. Robert Byerly, under English King William III of Orange, at the Seige of Buda in Hungary. The horse was estimated to be 8 years old at the time, giving him a birth year of about 1679.

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Along the Bridle Path

One woman's return to riding: Icelandic horses in a greenhouse in Norway

This week, I traveled along the bridle path to Stavanger, Norway.

My sister-in-law, Ase, invited me to visit the stable where she takes riding lessons with a couple of friends.

Ase is 40-something, a generally athletic person, with an adventurous spirit. As a kid, she and her friends hung around the local racetrack to work (gratis) around the horses. The track races Standardbreds, the fastest horses under harness. The girls did barn chores, worked their way up to grooming, walking and occasionally riding the horses.

As you can imagine, inexperienced tween girls riding horses bred and trained to race did not always make a great combination. Many wild rides and spills occurred. Undaunted, the girls started taking actual lessons at another barn.

Life changed over years with school, work, family, etc. Horses faded from the picture for a few decades, but now Ase is ridng again.

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Along the Bridle Path

Horses need plenty of water, but the cold of winter makes delivery of H20 difficult

Horses drink a lot of water. Each horse drinks between eight and 15 gallons of water per day, depending on such factors as weather, activity level, pregnancy/lactation and size. They should have access to water at all times, day and night, and certainly should not be without palatable water for more than a couple hours. This is especially true in the winter when water takes that inconveniently solid form. Horses need additional hay in winter, as the metabolism of the microbes in their gut generates heat, helping keep them warm. More dry food means more water to help wash it down. Risks of low water intake for horses include dehydration, colic and death.

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Along the Bridle Path

Pets: Farewell to Harmony: Selling a horse is a basic, if sad, part of ownership

A woman of about 30 drove up in a pickup pulling an older model, rusty red stock trailer. She stepped out of the vehicle and lit up a cigarette. I introduced myself, and she introduced herself, switching the cigarette to the other hand to shake. A man emerged with a small, smiling girl of about 4, who was dressed in a pink coat.

“We’re here for Harmony.”

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