Magic Valley Pony Club - USPC

03/05/2025

All riders struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, and frustration—in riding and in life—but how can we help ourselves and get back to better riding? Two experts share tips on developing happier riders. Read the tips at: bit.ly/mental-health-for-the-rider

02/13/2025

Healing with Horse Power: Is your horse dealing with joint discomfort? Learn how veterinarians at Zoetis Equine use regenerative medicine devices like Pro-Stride® APS to help address lameness. Visit the USPC blog to learn more: https://blog.ponyclub.org/2024/05/30/regenerative-medicine-for-horses/

01/07/2025

Is your horse’s nighttime vision better than your daytime vision?

When comparing equine vision to human vision, the horse has a smaller visible spectrum (see image) which means they see a smaller range of colors than we do. However, horses have a structure in the back of their eye—called the tapetum lucidum—that humans do not have. This enhances vision in low light conditions and allows a horse to see better in the dark than a human does. However, reflections from the tapetum lucidum can also blur images and lead to poor depth perception at night.

Dilation of the pupil allows all species to see better in the dark. This process takes longer in a horse (45 minutes) than it does in humans (25 minutes). So, when a horse is asked to do something in a dark environment, it’s important to allow their vision proper time to fully accommodate.

Overall, the nighttime vision of a horse is better than the nighttime vision of a human. However, the horse’s nighttime vision is NOT better than the daytime vision of a human. Anytime you are asking your horse to function in a dim light situation, give them time to adjust. And if they are fearful, be patient and try to understand how things look from their perspective!
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Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

11/22/2024

USPC posts featuring our Magic Valley members - it was a great convention!

08/12/2024

08/12/2024

The best relationships are always built on trust.

07/08/2024

One day you’re going to do everything right and it’ll still go wrong. You’ll give 100% but come up short. You’ll do you best, but your best won’t be good enough. I know how these statements sound, but believe it or not, they’re neither negative or pessimistic, and they’re not a comme....

06/13/2024

When you develop a grooming routine during your daily barn chores and riding, it can be easy to fall into some bad habits or forget about an important step. Here’s a list of mistakes from the pros at Shapley's to avoid while grooming your horse and what you can do instead.
>>>>bit.ly/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-grooming-your-horse

06/12/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/pYMRuh1g84zVo3S4/?mibextid=WC7FNe

We know just from standing close beside your horse that he, like every living animal, generates heat. But have you ever considered where that energy comes from? Just going about the daily business of staying alive, the cells of the body convert the sugar glucose into energy. But the cells do not use...

06/04/2024

Whether you're in the show pen or out about in life, the way things affect you has everything to do with how you choose to look at the situation. Learn to choose curiosity over a self-centered perspective in the latest Reiner Psych column in the Reiner magazine at reini.ng/TakeNothingPersonally.