Allee Acres

11/21/2025

Enrollment Now Open on Outschool! January Equine Science & Horsemanship Classes

All classes are taught by a Certified CTE Agriscience Instructor and may be used for external elective credit with school approval. 🐴

Here’s what’s available in January 2026:

✨ Hooves & Habits: Introduction to Equine Science & Horsemanship
A perfect starter course covering safety, basic care, colors, markings, tack, discipline types, body language, and foundational horsemanship skills. Fun, hands-on, and great for beginners or intermediate students.

✨ Gut Check: Equine Digestion, Nutrition & Feed Management
For the horse-obsessed kid who wants to do things right. Students learn the digestive system, colic prevention, feed labels, forage types, and how to create real-world feeding plans, knowledge every horse owner needs.

✨ Neuroscience of Horsemanship: Understanding How Horses Think, Learn & Communicate
This course blends science with compassion. Students learn how the equine brain, senses, and nervous system shape behavior, helping them build deeper connections and train with empathy, clarity, and confidence.

✨ Equine Anatomy & Conformation (Great for Future Trainers, Judges, & Vets!
This course dives into form-to-function, biomechanics, skeletal & muscular structure, balance, stride mechanics, and conformation evaluation. Students learn why certain horses excel in certain jobs and how structure impacts performance, athleticism, and long-term soundness.

✨ Horse Health & Soundness (Essential Knowledge for Every Horse Owner)
A practical, hands-on course covering normal vs. abnormal vital signs, lameness basics, common ailments, preventative care, first aid skills, and early warning signs owners should never ignore.
Students leave with real-world knowledge to recognize when a horse is hurting, what to do in emergencies, and how to keep horses as healthy and sound as possible.

Join our herd as we explore the basics of equine science! Learn to "speak" horse by reading body language, discover colors & breed characteristics, and identify equine anatomy all while mastering the essentials of horse care and handling.

10/18/2025

We're excited to announce our new course- Think Like a Horse: The Science Behind How Horses See, Hear, and Feel the World.

True horsemanship isn’t about control, it’s about connection.
In this 8-week course, students learn to see the world through the horse’s eyes and understand the science behind how horses think, feel, and react.

Through lessons on the equine brain and sensory systems, we’ll uncover why horses spook, how they learn, and what they need to feel safe and understood. Students will leave with the knowledge and awareness to communicate with empathy, calm, and clarity, allowing them to create partnerships built on trust, not tension.

🎓 Course includes once a week live sessions, guided notes, presentation materials, reflective assignments, and optional assessments to deepen understanding.
🐎 Perfect for ages 10+

👉 Enroll now on Outschool: https://outschool.com/classes/think-like-a-horse-the-science-behind-how-horses-see-hear-and-feel-the-world-uUULMloB

Transform your perspective. Strengthen your bond. Learn to truly think like a horse.

Think Like a Horse explores how a horse’s brain and senses shape behavior, reactions, and communication. Students learn the science behind sight, sound, and touch to better understand how horses think and experience the world.

08/23/2025

🍂 Fall into Homesteading Fun- check out our upcoming sessions!

📍 Located in Queen Creek, AZ
📅 Wednesdays, 9–11am

Designed for ages 5–11, parent attendance optional (but welcome!). ESA Class Wallet Vendor.

Check out the calendar & reserve your spot here: https://bookwhen.com/alleeacres

07/28/2025

🌾 Something New at Allee Acres! 🌾

We’re excited to announce Homestead Hands: Life Skills & Crafts at Allee Acres – a weekly homeschool program designed to bring kids together to learn, connect, and create in a real ranch environment.

Each Wednesday morning, children ages 5–11 will:
-Participate in a fun social activity to build friendships and teamwork skills
-Explore a hands-on science or life skill lesson (like gardening, animal care, or basic homesteading)
-Complete a creative craft or project to take home

We love creating a space where every child can feel supported and engaged. ESA approved vendor through Class Wallet!

📅 When: Wednesdays, 9–11 AM
📍 Where: Allee Acres – Queen Creek, AZ
💻 Sign up here: https://bookwhen.com/alleeacres

Come learn practical skills, make new friends, and experience the beauty of ranch life with us!

At Allee Acres, our mission is to empower children through hands-on learning, connection with nature, and community building. We create enriching experiences where families can explore life skills, science, and creativity in a supportive, inclusive environment. By blending practical homesteading ski...

07/23/2025

🌾🐴 Save Your Time & Money: Curriculum Summer Savings Event! 🐴🌾

Heading back to school or planning your homeschool year? Our Equine Science and Agriculture resources are 20% off to help you kick off the year prepared and stress-free!

From equine anatomy & horsemanship to agriculture foundations & hands-on science experiments, these resources are:

Ready-to-use & standards-aligned

Perfect for CTE, Agriscience, and Homeschool electives

Designed to save hours of prep time while keeping students engaged and curious!

📅 Sale runs now through July 26th
📂 Instant downloads = ready when you are
💸 Automatic 20% discount – no code needed!

Browse here 👉 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/allee-acres-aged

Whether you’re in the classroom, the barn, or at your kitchen table, these resources will set you up for a year of success.

Tag a teacher or homeschool parent who would love agriculture or equine science lessons!

Browse over 50 educational resources created by Allee Acres AgEd in the official Teachers Pay Teachers store.

06/28/2025

Looking for a way to grow in your horsemanship journey without the summer heat? Join our next session of Equine Science 101: Foundations of Equine Science starting Wednesday, July 2nd! ESA approved vendor.

This engaging 8 session course introduces students to the fundamentals of equine science and horse identification. This course is designed to provide the foundations students need to master before diving into deeper equine science concepts.

06/23/2025

Gut Check: Equine Nutrition, Digestion, & Feed Management starts next Monday, June 30th. Enroll today to learn all about the horse’s unique digestive system, uncover common issues like colic and ulcers, and learn preventative care by providing the best forage, feed, and pasture care. ESA funds accepted!

In Gut Check: Equine Nutrition, Digestion, and Feed Management, students dive into the horse’s unique digestive system, uncover common issues like colic and ulcers, and learn how to provide the best forage, feed, and pasture care.

06/14/2025

Last year, Paul asked me what my life goal was. I told him—only half-joking—that I wanted to befriend a raven.

He started leaving food after he heard them calling. Just little offerings of peanuts and dog food. Over time, they began visiting regularly, and we’d see them every morning and evening. We’ve grown used to their presence, their voices, and their reminders for food. They hang out by the barn and do an amazing job keeping hawks away from the chickens.

Lately, we hadn’t seen them as much… until today.

They came back—with a surprise.

They brought us their baby, and it hopped right on Paul!

06/07/2025

Let them help.
Even if the cows get out.
Even if the feed spills,
the rake leaves more behind than it picks up,
and the hose runs wild.

Let them splash.
Let them sweep.
Let them slow you down.

Let them feel useful.
Let them know they matter.
Let them make mistakes
and watch how they rise.

Because when we let them…
they let us.

They let us remember who we were.
They let us soften.
They let us fall in love again
with the work,
the land,
and the little moments
we’d have missed in a hurry.

One day, they’ll pass this all on—
and they’ll remember:
we let them.

Let them.
Let them.
Let them.

05/21/2025

Interesting read! There are many benefits to having turnout for your horses.

🌾 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝑼𝒔 𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆

Every day, we make choices for our horses: what to feed, when to ride, and where they spend their time.

Some horses sleep in stalls with soft bedding and controlled routines, while others spend their days under open skies, moving, and interacting with a herd.

Both options come with good intentions. Both reflect care.

But beyond tradition and habit, what does research reveal about how these choices affect our horses - inside and out? The answers go deeper than you might think.

🦴 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐞
Research has found that stalling, even over short periods of time, can lead to a loss of bone mineral content and increased bone resorption (loss) compared to horses with pasture access, regardless of age.
📚 Hoekstra et al., 1999; Logan et al., 2019

🏇 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
A study evaluating 2-year-old Arabians beginning training found that pastured horses adapted to training quicker, required less time to reach training objectives, and had fewer undesirable behaviors under saddle compared to stalled horses.
📚 Rivera et al., 2002

💪 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
When comparing pastured horses to those stalled with and without exercise, the stalled horses without exercise lost fitness, while the pastured and exercised horses maintained their fitness.
📚 Graham-Thiers and Bowen., 2013

🧠 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬
When weanlings housed in paddocks or stalls were compared, paddock-housed weanlings had time budgets similar to feral horses, while stall-housed weanlings displayed more aberrant behaviors, including licking, chewing, pawing, bucking, and rearing.
📚 Heleski et al., 2002

🔁 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐬
Horses were more likely to develop stereotypies—such as pawing, weaving, wall kicking, cribbing, and prancing—when stabled or housed in a corral compared to those kept on pastures.
📚 Kádár et al., 2023

🦠 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Horses moved into single-housing experienced a decrease in white blood cells, indicating that social isolation is a stressor that can weaken immune function.
📚 Schmucker et al., 2023

🤕 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
In a study of 327 horses in Sweden, stall-kept horses had higher incidences of respiratory problems, colic, and skin injuries compared to group-housed horses.
📚 Yngvesson et al., 2019

💡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
We all want what’s best for our horses, but when it comes to choosing between stalling and pasturing, the science offers a clear perspective: 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕—𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔.

At the end of the day, stalls offer us convenience, structure, and control, but they were built for our lives, not theirs.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about awareness and reflection.

I will update to add that as with any managerment practice, there are always exceptions. While turnout is generally healthier for most horses, some individuals may require stall time due to medical needs, safety concerns, or management of specific conditions. Good horsemanship means recognizing and adapting to the unique needs of each horse.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈?

— Dr. DeBoer

Hoekstra KE, Nielsen BD, Orth MW, Rosenstein DS, Ii HS, Shelle JE. Comparison of bone mineral content and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in stall‐vs. pasture‐reared horses. Equine Veterinary Journal. 1999 Jul;31(S30):601-4.

Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Sehl R, Jones E, Robison CI, Pease AP. Short-term stall housing of horses results in changes of markers of bone metabolism. Comparative Exercise Physiology. 2019 Oct 9;15(4):283-90.

Rivera E, Benjamin S, Nielsen B, Shelle J, Zanella AJ. Behavioral and physiological responses of horses to initial training: the comparison between pastured versus stalled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2002 Sep 10;78(2-4):235-52.

Graham-Thiers PM, Bowen LK. Improved ability to maintain fitness in horses during large pasture turnout. Journal of equine veterinary science. 2013 Aug 1;33(8):581-5.

Heleski CR, Shelle AC, Nielsen BD, Zanella AJ. Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2002 Sep 10;78(2-4):291-302.

Kádár R, Maros K, Drégelyi Z, Szedenik Á, Lukácsi A, Pesti A, Besenyei M, Egri B. Incidence of compulsive behavior (stereotypies/abnormal repetitive behaviors) in populations of sport and race horses in Hungary. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2023 Mar 1;61:37-49.

Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krüger K, Stefanski V. Single housing but not changes in group composition causes stress-related immunomodulations in horses. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 17;17(8):e0272445.

Yngvesson J, Rey Torres JC, Lindholm J, Pättiniemi A, Andersson P, Sassner H. Health and body conditions of riding school horses housed in groups or kept in conventional tie-stall/box housing. Animals. 2019 Feb 26;9(3):73.