The Open Gate Reader Blog

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When I first heard I could write an article for Horse Community Journals about my time at a gold-level show, I immediately started writing about the incredible experience it was for me. But then I stopped for a moment and thought it would be more important to write about how it was for my horse, Petey.

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A Reader Shares a Loving Goodbye - Kneeling, we formed a circle as our beloved ailing mare, now 34, sank down gently onto her right side in the lush grass beneath us.

It was the fall of 1962 and I was in Shilo, Manitoba having just completed my Canadian army recruit basic training, and was once again allowed to wear civilian clothes and had the freedom to leave the base.

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“Opinions are like butts; everyone has one,” my Dad told me over the phone as I was crying. I had just come back from a riding lesson where I spent almost the entire lesson trying to hold back tears while I was being lectured about how unknowledgeable I was about horses.

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Finding New Homes for Thoroughbreds - You’ve been fortunate to have an equine companion for several years now. He has thankfully remained healthy. He’s done his work, and now this companion, who has become like a member of your family, is getting a bit long in the tooth, literally. What now? There is an interesting answer.

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Stabling and turnout practices are dependent upon many factors. These include owner preferences, setup of the barn, number of horses, size of paddocks, availability of outdoor shelter, sources of food and water, gender mix, as well as the health and work requirements of individual horses.
It seems to me that a lot of horses are kept in stalls most of the time, with many stables limiting turnout to a fraction of the day and keeping horses inside during the night and in cold weather. This makes sense based on our human schedules and needs. But does it make sense when considering the different sleeping and eating schedules between humans and horses?