Snow Flakes and Icicles

Winter's arrived!! In some regions of the country it came in with a howl......in others with just a whimper. Here in California winter came in cold but we sure could use some rain and snow in the high Sierra. Water is running sort of slow and pastures haven't started to green up fully yet which means still have to feed those pasture horses.

With the cold nights comes long hair. Even with a blanket on, horses get long hair not so much because it's cold but because there's less sun light so Mother Nature just provides for her creatures by growing longer hair. Less sun means less warmth.

If you've got a blanket on your horse, be sure to take it off and check the hair and skin condition underneath. Blanket may keep the horse warm but hair can get matted and skin needs to be brushed at least once a week. If the horse is in pasture, make sure to keep blankets on straight and they don't get to hanging on one side or the other where a hoof can get caught up in the straps when the horse lies down or rolls. And horses with blankets on WILL roll!!

Don't forget to regulate feed with the cold, snow and wet weather too. Horses require more calories to burn when the temperature starts to drop so extra feed in the form of hay or grain or pellets should be available. With my horses, I feed extra amounts of hay at night so the horses have more to nibble on when it's dark. It keeps them busy and by keeping busy they keep the body warmer. Calories burn and provide body heat. So adjust that night time feeding to include something extra.

With winter hair you can't really tell how fat that horse is. A horse with a lot of hair will look -- and feel -- fleshed out but in reality, needs some more groceries to put more weight on. Come spring a lot of 'fat' winter horses suddenly take on a thin look because winter hair starts to come off and the true condition of the horse's body is shown.

Christmas has come and gone and New Year's is looking us in the face right now. Time to start thinking about New Year's resolutions -- not the normal ones everyone makes but ones you're going to keep this year. One good resolution would be to "ride my horse more". And if you can't "ride more", plan to get out to the barn and be "with" the horse at least an extra day a week. With jobs, families and other responsibilies all fighting for our time just "riding" can take extra planning. So plan that resolution to include riding. You'll not only be happy you did but so will your horse -- he'd like to see ya' more often and get out of the pasture and barn and onto a trail!

Take care and Happy New Year to everyone.........

Bonnie Davis
horsecamping@comcast.net

IT'S ALMOST BOO TIME.......

October has broken onto the calendar and in a few days it will be Halloween. Spooks and ghosts will be wandering and some folks will be attending Halloween parties and trail rides. If you decided to 'dress' your horse up for the day -- make sure the horse WANTS to be dressed up! Keep a costume horse simple. Nothing to drag on the ground that a horse could get wrapped around legs. Plenty of eye space so the horse can see where he's going and his vision is not restricted. And don't feed chocolate and candies -- keep it to carrots and apples -- for a safe digestive tract. The last thing you want for Halloween is a sick horse and an emergency call to or from your vet.

Along with October begins the Holiday Season. Used to be nothing Holiday began until AFTER Thanksgiving but Holiday stuff is creeping onto the store shelves sooner and sooner each year it seems like. I received my first Christmas catalog for Holiday cards the end of September. Sort of takes the fun out of last-minute shopping if you forget something. With 3 and 4 months advertising BEFORE Santa arrives there's no excuse for last-minute shopping.

Over the busy up coming season don't forget to take time and ENJOY your horse. Sometimes we get caught up in the rushing, shopping, buying, wrapping and forget our stall and barn bound pal waiting for us. You don't have to buy something expensive for your horse as a present -- your horse is just as happy with a bag of carrots, a couple apples, a good brushing, a clean water tub, a dry stall and good feed. It seems sometimes the presents aren't so much for the horse as trying to keep up with what the guy in the next stall buys his horse. So take a break from spending -- give your horse a hug, a pat on the neck and go for a ride!

If you want to give something to a fellow horseowner think what they do. If they trail ride, think about trail guides -- books on where trails can be found. Two Horse Enterprises (www.twohorseenterprises.com) has over 25 state trail guides. Plus other books for trail and horse safety such as "Bombproof Your Horse", "Horse Owner's Field Guide to Toxic Plants", "Happy Trails: Your Complete Guide to Fun & Safe Trail Riding" and more. There's videos on horsecamping, "Horse Sense", "Hobble Training" and "Hit the Trail", techniques for mvoing English and Dressage horses out of the arena and onto the trails. Hardware includes tree saves, knot eliminators, Bickmore Gall Salve and if you need a map -- Two Horse has National Forest Service, National Park Service and more in maps! Check out the website. And if you can't find something -- Two Horse also has Gift Certificates!

If you put a blanket on your horse over the next few winter nights, be sure to check it and make sure it fits the horse. Doesn't rub on the shoulders. Isn't to tight around the legs when the horse lays down. And TAKE the blanket OFF the horse at least twice a week to check skin and coat condition underneath. Ideally, the blanket should be pulled everyday -- and if the blanket is not water proof and gets wet, take it off and put another blanket on!! A horse will chill and can get sick with a wet blanket on. Just because a horse has a blanket on doesn't mean you stop grooming -- brushing, grooming, combing is just as important with a blanket on as off. So use a little grease and REALLY groom that horse!!

Stay safe on those winter trails,

Bonnie

www.twohorseenterprises.com
horsecamping@comast.net

Back in the Barn

Hi Everyone:

Well we're back from our Northern California investigation of horsecamps. Got all the horses settled back in the barn and now it's time to unload all the pictures into computer. I'd much rather spend time with the horses -- even mucking out stalls!! -- than trying to figure out how to do it and work with computers. I'm NOT a computer person.

Went into California's furtherest most horsecamp -- above Eureka off 101. It's the last horsecamp on the Coast in Northern California. It could be the last horsecamp in California before hitting Oregon border but have to check map first to make sure of that statement. There's a couple pretty far north above Susanville and Yreka. Anyway, information on it and all the other horsecamps we found will be in "Northern California Trails & Horsecamps" which we hope to have printed by first of year. Still trying to decide how to bind it. Any ideas? Want it 'user friendly'. Not just a book that sits on a tack room shelf.

Firming schedule for 2008 "Horsecamping" clinics. Will be at Equine Experience in April down at Paso Robles.

Then up to HorsExpo in June. This will be our 10th year as a vendor and clinician at HorsExpo. Miki Cohen has accomplished a world class HorsExpo and this year she'll top last year's event. I just know it!!

We'll I've got to figure out how to take the 'chip' out of digital camera and then find the slot to put it in on computer to download last batch of pictures. With any luck, I should have it done by sunset.

With winter rain, snow or sleet just around the barn corner, now is a good time to think about your winter blankets. And uses. Stitch any small tears and rips so they don't become major repair jobs. Check buckles to make sure they still work and are easy to open and close.

Bonnie
www.twohorseenterprises.com
horsecamping@comcast.net

Welcome to our campfire!!

Welcome to Two Horse Enterprises' blog. For those new to our site, Two Horse is dedicated to trail riding and horsecamping. Our blog is intended to help answer trail horse, trail riding, camping and other down the trail around the campfire questions. So if you have a question -- or comment -- e-mail horsecamping@comcast.net. We'll post your question and provide an answer. If we can't find an answer we'll ask for help from our readers and other horseowners. We're not experts but we do want to help with your trail riding and horsecamping adventures!

Currently, we're up in Northern California checking out trail heads and trails for a new book we plan to put out the first of 2008. There's books for horse trails and camps in Southern California but nothing for Northern California -- we hope to help correct that by printing one and it will be offered on Two Horse Enterprises website (and in our catalog).

So make sure that saddle blanket is square on your horse's back and ride on down that trail. We need to keep horsemen ON trails and IN camps if we plan to keep trails OPEN for our use!!

Bonnie
Two Horse Enterprises