Pedigree & History

Interesting when you look into a horses pedigree and the story it tells of it's history. 

25 Greatest American THOROUGHBRED Racehorses

1. Man o'War (1917-1947) 
2. Secretariate (1970-1989)
3. Citation (1945-1970)
4. Kelso (1957-1983)
5. Count Fleet (1949-1973)
6. Dr. Fager (1964-1976)
7. NATIVE DANCER (1950-1967)
8. Forego (1970-1997)
9. Seattle Slew (1974-2002)
10. Spectacular Bid (1976-2003)
11. TOM FOOL (1949-1976)
12. Affirmed (1975-2001)
13. War Admiral (1934-1959)
14. BUCKPASSER (1963-1978)
15. Colin (1905-1932)
16. Damascus (1964-1995)
17. Round Table (1954-1987)
18. Cigar (1990 - )
19. Bold Ruler (1954-1971)
20. Swaps (1952-1972)
21. Equipoise (1928-1938)
22. Phar Lap (1926-1932)
23. John Henry (1975-2007)
24. NASHUA (1952-1982)
25. Seabiscuit (1933 - 1947)

Additionally,  Man o'War sired: Seabiscuit & War Admiral, BUCKPASSERS Sire was TOM FOOL and Grandsire Man o'War, Kelso's Grandsire was Man o'War and Roses' (not shown on list) Great Grandsire was Colin. 

Great Names for STANDARDBREDS 

• AMBERCROMBIE
• ADIOS 
• BRET HANOVER 
• ON THE ROAD AGAIN (Horse Hall of Fame Inductee & Horse of the Year) 
• SILENT MAJORITY (Horse Hall of Fame Inductee)
• MEADOW SKIPPER (66 Million Earning Sire to Ralph Hanover & Most Happy Fella)  

Standardbred ADIOS

Standardbred BRET HANOVER

Transporting Your Horse (Safely)

I read an article about two women transporting their dressage horses, when the unexpected happened. Someone rear-ended their horse trailer causing it to disconnect from the hitch, pass them then sideswiped their truck. You can read the entire story by clicking on this link: The Horse Journal 

The end result - the truck spun out, while the trailer flipped and hit the ditch. In the end the horses survived (thank God), although sore and banged up - nothing was broken or scraped causing either their life. The two woman attribute this to two things: one, their leather halter as they snapped when necessary, two, their leg wraps - protecting from cuts, gauges and absorbing impact. They recommend exercising caution. 

I'm going to invest in shipping boots, and a leather, or break-away halter. In our case a head bumper or helmet as well,  as our TB is quite tall and even in easy, short trips can bump his head - hard enough and this can cause him to stumble or fall and tied can create a dangerous scenario. 

Front Boot/Leg Wrap

Rear Boot/Leg Wrap

Bumper Guard/Helmet (Attaches/Adjust to any Halter)

Break-Away Halter, Leather Top

Padded, Leather Transport Halter

Additionally, keeping an EQUINE TRAVEL EMERGENCY KIT including:

• Spare Tire - for both the trailer tire and vehicle
• Tire Iron - for both the trailer tire and vehicle 
• Tire Guage
• Jumper Cables
• Cell phone or CB Radio
• Duct Tape
• Electrical Tape
• Flash light with batteries 
• Emergency Flares
• Sharp Knife
• Wheel Chocks
• Sponge & Bucket
• Water: 20 Gallons/horse
• Extra fuses, lightbulbs
• Fire extinguisher (also good for tire and chemical fires)
• WD-40, Spray Lubricant
• Tool Kit
• Work Gloves
• Extra Halter w/Lead
• Spare Belts or Hoses
• Tow strap or Chain
• Shovel
• Kitty Litter or Salt/Gravel
• Red Flag to attach to antennae 
• Horse Blankets 
• Human Blankets
• Candle(s) & Lighter/Matches
• Food and Water 
• Gauze, Wraps, Self-Sticking Bandages
• Towels/Blankets
• Wound Coagulant like 'Wonder Dust'
• Disinfectant 
• Six inch Garden Hose 
• Bute 

Equally as important is a:  TRAIL RIDE EMERGENCY KIT

Horse Boarding Facilities

Came across an article written regarding Horse Boarding Facilities, it's well written and breaks down the things to consider when deciding to run/operate a private or commercial facility.

I'm not interested in investing into this sort of business - but for anyone who might be, it's good to read into it and do as much research as possible first.

The article is by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and is called: Commercial Horse Boarding Stable Industry. 

Book on Horse Handling Facilities

Critical Temperature

As a result of reading a very informative post by a website called igrow explaining the deaths of the livestock, cows, horses & sheep, in the recent blizzard in South Dakota on October 4, 2013. A very well written explaination on critical temperature and the stress the unpredictable environment can cause on a cow or horse - lead me to want to share and save the information for future reference.

The website has a handy chart ( that I have converted from Fahrenheit to Celius), along with a PDF document regarding calves, that can be found at: https://igrow.org/livestock/beef/spring-storms-and-cold-stress/ PDF document (link) on Cold Stress and Newborn Calves

The following is explained:

COLD STRESS: wet conditions alone or combined with wind create temperature effects.
A wet coat reduces insulation that the hair and hide provide and increase the rate of heat loss from the body. The TYPE of coat (summer/winter) also affects the animals critical temperature.
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE is the temperature at which the animal must increase its metabolism, or burn its own energy to maintain its body temperature. The further the effective temperature is below the critical temperature, the more energy the animal must use to maintain its body temperature.

°C - Celcius CANADA

°F - Fahrenheit US 

I don't know how to read the chart exactly, but understand the top portion. Recently, we experienced a fast, drastic change - going from +20 degrees Celcius to -11 degrees Celcius. The horses were wet and shivering as the snow was heavy and sloppy. There was a cold wind accompanying it and their coats weren't quite grown in. They are lucky to have access to plenty of good quality hay, shelter and fresh water. As a precaution we put their blankets on - mainly to keep them dry. 

Another helpful resources/sits is the South Dakota State University website