Wild Ridge Stables

12/16/2025

Over the past year or two, I’ve made a subtle but significant shift in my routine at the barn, and the impact on my horses—and also on myself—has been profound.

Growing up in a weekly lesson program, it was instilled in me early on that you always look after your horse first. And of course, that’s a value I still hold dear.

But—

There’s another piece to this picture. One that perhaps only becomes clear with time and experience:

A horse who is accustomed to being tended to immediately, in every moment, can become a horse who expects things to happen quickly… and who gets uneasy when they don’t.

I’m not necessarily talking about the most obvious examples, like the horse who dances all over the crossties, or the horse who throws a stall-banging tantrum at dinner time.

I’m talking about the horse who stands politely for harnessing, but the moment you mount the carriage, he’s asking to walk on.

The horse who waits patiently while you unhook, but as soon as he feels those shafts pop free, he's ready to head for the barn right now.

I’m talking about the horse who keeps you in a constant state of motion because he always has his head up and ears pricked, anticipating the next thing you will do for him.

This horse isn't being "bad," but he does keep you on your toes.
He’s polite, but never fully settled.

You have no breathing room.

We live in such a fast-paced world that we often don’t even notice our habit of staying in perpetual motion. But our horses notice. They feel that subtle hum of hurry—even when we think we’re calm—and they mirror it back to us in ways that get described as “spirited,” “eager,” or “fussy.”

For many years, my routine looked something like this:

1. Pull out and prepare the carriage
2. Set up the arena
3. Organize my brushes and harness in the grooming area
4. Bring my horse into the grooming area
5. Brush my horse, pick his feet, and tidy his mane and tail
6. Harness my horse
7. Put on my helmet and gloves
8. Bridle my horse and fasten the reins
9. Go outside and hook to the carriage
10. Mount the carriage and drive on

It was a smooth and efficient routine, but notice the pattern: Everything that didn’t directly involve the horse was done before he was brought in. Subconsciously, my routine was dictated by the philosophy of minimizing the horse's "waiting time."

And because I always kept my horse as the central priority in every moment, he learned to expect that, too. He learned that the next thing always came right on the heels of the last.

He rarely experienced that quiet in-between space: the simple, settling moment where nothing is required of him and nothing happens next until it happens.

Only later did I realise how much my desire to be considerate—to never inconvenience him, never leave him standing idle—had actually created a horse who didn’t know how to rest in the routine.

These days, my routine looks more like this:
1. Bring my horse in and give him a brush down
2. Set up the arena
3. Pick my horse’s feet and tidy his mane and tail
4. Harness my horse
5. Pull out and prepare the carriage
6. Bridle my horse
7. Put on my helmet
8. Fasten the reins
9. Put on my gloves
10. Go outside and hook to the carriage
11. Mount the carriage and sit quietly. I might take a few minutes to fire up the GoPro camera or answer a text message.
12. Drive on

Notice how all the same tasks are included, but now I alternate between giving my attention to my horse and letting him quietly wait his turn.
Nothing is rushed.
Nothing is urgent.

My horse stands, relaxed and content, because waiting is no longer unusual or uncomfortable for him.

Some days, I weave small farm chores throughout the routine – refilling feed bins, topping up the goats’ hay, or other tasks that I would otherwise need to do later.

After our drive, I unhitch as usual—and then, more often than not, I let him stand quietly while I put the cover back on the carriage and tuck it away for the night. It saves me a trip later, and it gives him a chance to soften, breathe, and simply exist for a moment after our work together.

In fact, my Belgian gelding, Tony, has gotten into the habit of taking the opportunity to empty his bladder during these couple minutes’ pause outside, which is surely more pleasant for everybody than his previous habit of peeing in the barn aisle. But beyond the obvious convenience, it’s a sign of how at ease he’s become with this slower, steadier rhythm.

On days when I am working multiple horses, I can extend this idea even further, allowing each to wait while I work another.

My overall barn time hasn’t changed; it’s simply the reordering of things that creates an incredible amount of peace and calm.

And that, ultimately, is the heart of this shift: By breaking the cycle of instant gratification, we eliminate the expectation of constant urgency, replacing anticipation with peaceful acceptance.

I haven’t changed what I do with my horses—only how I move through the routine. By weaving in small pauses, alternating between moments of attention and moments of quiet waiting, I’ve given my horses a new experience: the opportunity to settle inside the work, not just move through it.

It’s remarkable what unfolds when waiting becomes normal.
Horses soften.
Humans soften.
The whole energy of the day softens.

My horses no longer feel the pressure of my constant motion, and I no longer feel the pressure of their anticipation. There’s space for both of us to breathe. There’s room for thoughtfulness instead of hurry. There’s a sense of shared steadiness that carries through the drive, into the barn, and even into the rest of my day.

Most of us would never describe ourselves as rushed or frantic in our horsemanship. We care deeply, we’re attentive, and we want to do right by our horses.

But in trying so hard to never inconvenience them, we sometimes forget that a truly relaxed horse is one who has learned to wait—without tension, without worry, without the expectation that something should be happening right now.

When we give our horses the gift of unhurried moments, we teach them something far more valuable than any single skill:

We teach them to feel safe in stillness.
We teach them that the world won’t always push them forward.
We teach them that rest is part of the work.

And, perhaps most unexpectedly, we teach ourselves the same thing.

12/14/2025

🐴 Horses.... it's not just a hobby.

12/14/2025

Sometimes you have to think outside the box when talking to humans 😅

I was tending to a clients horse and as usual, chatting. It came up randomly in the conversation that the horse was behaving oddly when ridden. The owner was quite concerned about his knee. 😳
I asked "is he lame?", she said "no".
"Is it swollen?" Again she said "no".
I said "then what is it about his knee that has you concerned?"

She said "well he keeps rubbing it!"
I kinda have a feeling where this is going but thought let's lead her to it.
So I ask "what is he rubbing it on?"
She says "his nose! He suddenly stops when I'm riding and rubs his knee with his nose! The vet has been out and said there is nothing wrong with his knee but I'm sure there must be." She was visibly very worried.
So I asked "well what about his nose?" This puzzled her.
So I tried again "is there something wrong with his nose rather than his knee?" I saw the penny drop!
"Oh" she says, "I hadn't thought of that, but what could possibly be wrong with his nose?" I admit she looked a bit sheepish at this point 😅
So I asked "You mentioned it only happens when he's ridden? Never in the stable or in the field? What about when lunging?"
She says "never in the stable or field but yes he does on the lunge"
I ask "do you use a cavesson to lunge or your bridle?"
She said "bridle"
I double check "the same bridle you ride in?" And she confirmed. "I suspect the problem is your bridle is irritating him somehow" I finished.

Anyway, long story short, this horse happens to have an unusually high nasal notch and the owner was using a flash noseband which was fitted normally (not tight!) but given the horse's anatomy, it was sitting on the soft part of the nose, squeezing his nostrils and therefore his airway. The harder he was working, the more he was struggling to breathe easily through an airway that he couldn't dilate. The very clever lad had realised this thing on his nose was the problem and was stopping to try and get it off. The further into a session he went, the more frantic it was.

Now, in hindsight it's obvious, but the owner genuinely believed the problem was his knee! She was determined to find and fix the problem, just was looking at it upside down 🙃

I explained how to find the nasal notch and discussed nosebands that could work with his anatomy. We settled on a grackle because the horse was strong to a jump and could cross his jaw, hence the flash to start with. The problem vanished instantly 🥰🥰

We've always got to think outside the box, and ask the right questions. I've included a shot from my previous post on how to fit a noseband, just to demonstrate where the nasal notch is. In some horses it is very high and they cannot wear a flash or drop noseband at all! It's worth having a feel of your horse's nose and double checking too 😁

Just a quick edit - The part of this behaviour that was concerning is that it was interrupting his work. It is normal for them to have a quick rub at the end of a session or when resting but they should not slam on mid ride to do this. That points to a problem.
Also please note that this behaviour doesn't necessarily have to be the noseband. It was for this horse, but it can have many causes. As a few examples - dental wise we have wolf teeth (possibly blind ones), teething in young horses, sharp points, hooks, tooth root infections, food stuck etc. Other causes can be allergies, bridle buckle pressing on nerves, headpiece pressing on the ear base, poorly fitted bit, soft tissue damage, true trigeminal head shakers (this will be obvious daily and not just ridden though) and even none head related issues like neck pain or back pain (this is more about needing to put their head down rather than about the rubbing).
In this case it was a combination of the horse never showing the signs in the stable or field and showing the signs when lunged in the bridle without a saddle or rider that made me go to the bridle first.

12/13/2025

❄️ 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 ❄️

Unfortunately, I come from a long line of Minnesotans which means I am deeply rooted in the arctic tundra of the upper Midwest. And up here, our winter is about as long as our sunmer so we need to rely on some cold weather conditioning to optimize our competition season.

And while there really isn’t enough research to set strict, evidence-based rules about what counts as ‘safe’ winter riding weather, it is important to consider due to potential health implications of exercising our horses in the cold. So I pulled together some research from published studies on how cold weather can impact horse health and I turned that information into the general guidelines I personally follow to guide my winter riding decisions. Since a lot of people are navigating the same questions this time of year, I figured I’d share them here!

🫁 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
A study evaluating cold weather exercise in horses (Davis et al., 2005) used eight healthy adult horses in a cross-over design and had them exercise at either 77°F (warm; 25°C) or 23°F (cold; -5°C). The exercise performed in this test included 5 minutes walking, 5 minutes trotting, and 5 minutes cantering three times each week. This study found that breathing cold, dry air during moderate–high intensity exercise caused measurable airway irritation and can produce bronchoconstriction and inflammatory changes in otherwise healthy horses. Additionally, repeated exposure is believed to contribute toward chronic airway conditions such as equine asthma.

🛡️ 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The previous study (Davis et al., 2005) also demonstrated a likely mechanism for immune suppression following strenuous exercise in a cold environment. Further research (Davis et al., 2007) evaluating horses exercising at similar temperatures supported this research and found an altered immunological response for at least 48 hours following exercise in cold weather. Both of these studies found that exercising in the cold amplified the expression of cytokines that suppress cell-mediated immunity. The concept of immune suppression following strenuous exercise is not new and could predispose these athletes to viral infections of the respiratory tract.

💪 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 & 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬
Cold weather can also impact the muscles and joints of the horse. While the work has yet to be done in horses, research in other animals and humans has shown that when muscles and nerves get cold, they don’t fire as quickly or efficiently (Racinais et al., 2017). Horses may also tighten around their joints or ‘brace’ with opposing muscle groups as a natural way to protect cold tissues. This is why a slow, progressive warm-up is so important in winter. Getting the horse’s body temperature up helps their muscles move more freely, improves coordination, and reduces the risk of strains or awkward, compensatory movement - especially during more technical maneuvers or intense work.

This is supported by a study (Dixon et al. ,2010) which found that humans who immersed their legs in cold water (54°F/12°C) for 45 minutes had decreased power on a vertical jump. However, this decline in performance could be negated by a 15-minute dynamic warm-up. These findings stress the importance of an intentional and lengthy warm-up prior to cold winter exercise.

✅ 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡
These are just a few examples of how cold weather can impact our horses, but they are important to consider when determining how to safely but effectively condition them this winter.

🔥 Warm-up is key. Walk at least 15–20 minutes before trotting or cantering.

🌡️ Monitor the temperature. Reduce intensity as temperatures drop to minimize immune and respiratory stress or risk of injury.

🐴 Observe your horse. Watch for coughing, stiffness, or changes in performance.

I hope this information helps to guide your equine exercise practices this winter! Stay warm out there!

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

Davis MS, Malayer JR, Vandeventer L, Royer CM, McKenzie EC, Williamson KK. Cold weather exercise and airway cytokine expression. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2005 Jun;98(6):2132-6.

Davis MS, Williams CC, Meinkoth JH, Malayer JR, Royer CM, Williamson KK, McKenzie EC. Influx of neutrophils and persistence of cytokine expression in airways of horses after performing exercise while breathing cold air. American journal of veterinary research. 2007 Feb 1;68(2):185-9.

Racinais S, Cocking S, Périard JD. Sports and environmental temperature: from warming-up to heating-up. Temperature. 2017 Jul 3;4(3):227-57.

Dixon PG, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, Howard RL, Gomez AL, Comstock BA, Dunn-Lewis C, Fragala MS, Hooper DR, Häkkinen K, Maresh CM. The impact of cold-water immersion on power production in the vertical jump and the benefits of a dynamic exercise warm-up. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2010 Dec 1;24(12):3313-7.

12/10/2025

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11/30/2025

With every mare, we're gifted with unwavering loyalty that's only bestowed upon us when we've earned it. Let's cherish this precious trust, for once broken, it's a challenging journey to regain. 🐴💕 The strong-willed mares, often misunderstood, have frequently been shaped by the hurt of others. Let's acknowledge this reality. Geldings, with their gentle hearts, absorb our imperfections, making them beloved companions. Mares, on the other hand, reflect our true selves, like mirrors held up to our souls. 💫

11/25/2025

https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/hyperkalemic-periodic-paralysis-hypp

HYPP is a muscular disease caused by a genetic mutation that results in an excessive amount of potassium in the blood.

11/24/2025

I see this comment all the time on posts about neglected, skin-and-bones horses: “Why didn’t someone just toss some hay over the fence?” “I would’ve thrown them a bucket of grain!” “I’d feed it myself if the owners won’t!” I understand the instinct. You see a starving animal and your heart says FEED IT RIGHT NOW. But here’s the truth no one talks about: Throwing food to a severely starved horse can kill it!

When a horse has been without adequate food for a long time, their body enters survival mode. Their organs slow down. Their electrolyte levels crash. Their gut can barely function. Then someone tosses them a huge meal, hay, grain, whatever, and their body simply can’t handle it.

This is called Refeeding Syndrome, and it can lead to:
- Heart failure
- Respiratory collapse
- Colic
- Organ shutdown
- Sudden death

Not because the food was “bad”, but because their system was too damaged to process it.

What SHOULD happen with a starving horse:
- Small, controlled amounts of hay to start
- Frequent tiny feedings, not big meals
- NO grain early on
- Vet-supervised refeeding to prevent electrolyte crashes
- Slow, steady rehabilitation, not “feed them up fast”

So please, don’t throw food. Call it in. Push for help. Document it. You might think you’re saving them, but the wrong meal at the wrong time can cause more harm than good. Let’s educate people and make sure these horses get the proper care they need to survive and heal.

11/24/2025

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