My two-legged friends at the Equine Science Center find themselves with too much time on their hands and an itch to be moving around. I called a meeting of my four-legged friends and we came up with the perfect task for our human friends – spring barn cleaning. There’s nothing like a little elbow grease to make you feel like you’ve put in a good day’s work. As you clean the barn and surrounding area, it’s also the perfect time to make sure your barn is a safe place and you’ve minimized the risk of fires. Let’s look at what areas you should pay attention to while cleaning. We’ll also review some safety tips as we go along!

I hope you’re enjoying this wonderful spring weather! I certainly am. It makes for lovely naps in the sun and young, green grass to snack on. It also means the staff at the Equine Science Center has called the veterinarian to schedule an appointment for my yearly vaccinations. The quickly approaching mosquito and fly season heralds the onset of disease season also. I know vaccinations are important, but I wanted to know just how important they are. For help, I reached out to Dr. Leslie Seraphin, a District Epidemiology Officer with the USDA-AHPIS Veterinary Services.

This spring weather sure has me excited! Unfortunately, this rapidly changing weather and thawing ground means my pasture has some mud holes. While I may not always be the cleanest horse, I do have my standards. All of this mud also means my daily hoof cleaning has turned into quite the chore. All of this time spent on my hooves has made me think about that special person in my life whose job it is to trim and shoe my hooves – my farrier. I decided it was time to go back to my series on careers in the equine industry.

Whew, here at the Equine Science Center we’ve had a busy couple of weeks preparing for and hosting the Horse Management Seminar in addition to all of our regular activities. With so much going on, I had almost forgotten Valentine’s Day. It’s a good thing my friends reminded me. My true love, Hugme Christi, would not be happy if I forgot to give her a Valentine’s Day gift.

Guess what? I got to be a student again this past week. Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers so many amazing opportunities, and I took advantage of their recent webinar on mosquitoes and ticks. I can’t wait to share my knowledge with all of you! Are you ready to learn the nitty, gritty details on these little critters?

2020 is off to a great start for me! I have enjoyed the recent warm weather and time spent dozing in the sunshine. I am now well-rested and ready for a year full of fun activities. Can you believe our first event of the year is almost upon us? You better be ready to come join us for the annual Horse Management Seminar on February 9th. This year’s topic is Racehorse / Sport Horse Care and Rehabilitation. I will definitely be in attendance, and I plan to take copious amounts of notes. I always keep a close eye on the nutrition talks, but there promises to be something for everyone.

Happy new year! Winter has definitely arrived. My pasture is sadly lacking in grass and snow has become commonplace. As we all know, winter brings an added layer of difficulty to your daily horse care chores. Wading through all the mud and snow just to take a look at your horse and make sure it has plenty of feed and water can be exhausting. Even though winter may not be your favorite time of year, your horse can remain happy and healthy with a little bit of help from you! I’ve asked the folks here at the Equine Science Center to help me compile a winter horse care checklist. See how you measure up on your winter horse care practices!

Boy, oh boy. I have exciting news for you this week! I’m so stuffed full of horse treats I can barely lift my hooves to get this written. My friends here at the Equine Science Center decided to indulge my sweet tooth and bake some holiday horse treats. This year they created their very own recipes and I had to spend all week taste-testing. It’s exhausting work, but I have good news. I have found the perfect recipe!

The holiday season is right around the corner. For all my friends here on campus, that means finals are also fast approaching. Before everyone can take a much-deserved break, they have to put in a bit more studying and make it over that final jump (excuse me, final exam). Now, we all know the dreaded season of final exams brings plenty of stress with it including those dreaded all-nighters. Healthy eating habits can also quickly disintegrate, and stress levels can seem to spiral out of control. Before you panic, however, take a moment to rein in those feelings of stress and take a look at some ways you can minimize stress. And the coolest part? You’ll also learn about keeping your horse healthy!

The leaves have all turned colors and I see pumpkins everywhere! Fall is definitely here and that means Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As you might guess, Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays because of all the yummy food (mmm, I can already taste the pumpkin pie). Don’t get me wrong, I also take this opportunity to be thankful for the many good things in my life. One of the best things to be thankful for this holiday season is family.