Terra Equestrian

12/30/2025

Please help spread the word on our region's Hobby Horse Rally, Saturday January 10th
https://facebook.com/events/s/pnw-hobby-horse-rally/851922767241202/

12/12/2025

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. . .

If I had a dollar for every time someone pulled out this tired argument, I could finally build that new barn I have been dreaming about.

So I am here to set the record straight. Comparing domestic horses to wild horses is not the slam-dunk some people think it is. Rather, it falls apart once you get past the surface because it was never solid logic to begin with.

Yes, ‘wild’ horses, moose, elk, antelope, and whatever other critters people like to use in this argument don’t wear blankets. But here’s the part that is conveniently left out: they survive by paying a price. There is no safety net. Nature is not kind. And when a wild horse isn’t thriving, nature removes it. And it can be a painful and drawn out process.

Thankfully, domestic horses don’t live this way. But the trade off is that they are required to live within the constraints of human expectations.

They live in limited space, depend entirely on what we provide, and do not have the ability to roam miles to find shelter, better forage, or protection from the elements. Some drop weight dramatically in winter. Some have metabolic disorders, clipped coats, low body conditions, or age-related problems. We groom them, ride them, and many have been bred for refinement and traits that excel in the show pen, not rugged survival.

And here’s the biggest difference: our responsibility to domestic horses is not to simply allow them to survive but rather we have a responsibility to help them thrive.

I am a huge advocate for letting a horse be a horse. But it is not always that simple. Humans domesticated them so it has become our duty to manage them.

Blanketing is not about pampering. It’s not about fashion. It’s not about treating horses like fragile glass figurines. It’s about understanding the individual needs of the animal in front of you. Some horses will be perfectly fine naked all winter. Others will burn calories they don’t have, shiver for hours, lose weight, or struggle quietly.

Will they survive without a blanket?
Most likely.

But will they thrive?
That depends on the horse. And as their caretakers, it’s our job to know the difference.

So stop using that lazy “wild horses don’t need blankets” line.

We’re in the 21st century. We have knowledge, tools, and compassion. Use them. Do what’s best for your horse, not what a wild animal has no choice but to endure solely based on principle.

And I want to be clear. I think MANY horses do just fine without blankets, just not ALL horses. And that is the distinction I am trying to make here.

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

I am also super grateful for Untamed Souls Photography (link to their page in the comments!) for letting me use their picture in this post. While I pride myself in creating my own visuals, I didn’t have anything I loved for this post and her picture captured my vision perfectly!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cmm3YCV3q/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/22/2025

This Saturday! Riders of all ages are welcome to join the fun!

10/01/2025

🐴 Come Join Us for Our Annual Gymkhana! 🐴

We’d love for you and all your horsey friends to come out and play!
📣 Annual Gymkhana Day!
✨ Morning jumps
🥪 Lunch concessions
🎠 Afternoon games
👗 Costume class finale!
Come ride, cheer, and play—spread the word!

08/31/2025

Roughly five thousand years ago on the Eurasian steppe, people began selecting horses not only for their strength but also for traits hidden in their DNA. A new genomic study points to two key regions of the horse genome that may have determined which animals could be saddled and steered. One gene, ZFPM1, influences anxiety and stress in other species. Its rise suggests early breeders favored calmer, more manageable animals.

The second, GSDMC, appears tied to the shape and stability of the spine. When this variant spread between 4,700 and 4,200 years ago, horses likely developed stronger backs and sturdier forelimbs. Such changes would have made them better able to carry a rider, a development that transformed human mobility and warfare. Ludovic Orlando, who led the research team, explained that the rapid spread of these traits shows how quickly people recognized and reinforced them through breeding.

Archaeological traces of early saddling and wear on horse teeth line up with the genetic timeline. The match between the physical record and the DNA record provides a compelling case that humans were deliberately shaping the rideability of horses at the dawn of the Bronze Age. While other genes and cultural innovations surely played a part, this discovery helps explain why wild herds became the trusted partners that carried humans across continents and into history.

08/30/2025

08/25/2025

08/01/2025

New research shows cranking the noseband hurts your horse's gait.

There are always many opinions about nosebands. Too loose, and a trainer might call it sloppy. Too tight, and it becomes a welfare concern. There are studded and crank and chain and traditional, and all kinds of gadgets and gizmos designed to keep our horse’s mouth shut, but what is best for the horse? Is cranking that extra hole doing more harm than good?

A 2025 study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science examined the impact of noseband tightness on pressure and performance. The results are eye-opening if you believe that a tighter noseband means better performance in the ring.

Most riders are familiar with the standard: leave two fingers’ space beneath the noseband. It’s even outlined in guidelines from the FEI. And according to the study, 85% of riders say they know this recommendation. But when researchers actually measured the fit using a standardized taper gauge, only 15% had their nosebands adjusted to the proper tension.

The vast majority were too tight. Sometimes dramatically too tight.

The Hidden Pressure on a Horse’s Face
In the study, eight horses were fitted with a simple cavesson noseband and tested at three settings: a standard two-finger fit, a snug one-finger fit, and a cranked-tight zero-finger fit. Under each setting, researchers measured facial pressure and evaluated gait.

- The one-finger setting increased pressure on the nasal bone by 54% over the two-finger baseline.
- The zero-finger setting? A staggering 338% increase in pressure.

Imagine trying to do your day job with a belt cinched tight around your nose and jaw. Now add that your success relies on body movement, and you have no way to say, “This hurts.” That’s similar to what the horse might feel like being asked to perform in a fully tightened noseband that more than triples the force exerted on its face.

Unfortunately, changes to tack and equipment don’t typically come solely from the perspective of the horse’s comfort. So let’s look at performance as well.

In addition to pressure data, the researchers measured each horse’s trot stride. As the noseband got tighter, the stride got shorter—by a lot. On average:

- Horses at the one-finger tightness lost 6.2% of their stride length.
- With a fully tightened noseband, stride loss jumped to 11.1%.

In real-world terms, that’s about 24 centimeters, roughly the length of a hoof, disappearing from every stride. While that may not sound dramatic at first, consider how it compounds across a full course. Shorter strides can mean rushed distances, flat movement, and a horse that never quite gets to “flow.” In the hunter ring, 24 centimeters could be the difference between pinning in a highly competitive under saddle class.

And this wasn’t just about stiffness or resistance. The study found a statistically significant negative correlation between noseband pressure and stride length. In short, the tighter the fit, the shorter the step.

Sure, a longer stride is helpful in the show ring. But this research highlights deeper concerns about what that level of pressure does to the horse’s face and nerves. The noseband sits directly over sensitive structures, including branches of the trigeminal nerve, which help regulate posture and proprioception. Excessive pressure here doesn’t just hurt. It may also interfere with the horse’s balance and coordination.

Previous studies have shown that pressures as low as 32 kPa can damage tissue. In this study, the tightest noseband setting reached an average of 115.8 kPa. That’s far above what’s been associated with pain or injury in other species. That number isn’t just theoretical. It’s happening under tack, often unnoticed, every day. And unlike overt lameness, this kind of pressure flies under the radar, making it easy to miss, but just as impactful.

🔗 Read the full article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/07/30/new-research-shows-cranking-your-noseband-hurts-your-horses-gait/

🔗 Read the full study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080625003120?via%3Dihub

02/15/2025

Let her be
For her heart is filled with stardust
Her soul is as wild and free
As the wind

A little poem by Athey Thompson
Art by Catherine McMiillan Art