Carousel Stables

10/31/2026

Does bedding depth affect rest? The answer is yes

When horses are stalled, especially when they are stalled for an injury, we often want to ensure that they will get adequate rest. Many factors affect how much horses lay down to rest and many of those factors are things that are difficult for us to control. Bedding depth is a factor that we can control, however bedding is expensive. It is tjherefore good to evaluate if deeper bedding does in fact encourage horses to lay down.

Researchers Suomala et al published a research study where they evaluated the affect of bedding depth on the rest of horses stabled overnight.

They evaluated two bedding depths - 5cm and 15cm - They used peat bedding so results may be different on shavings which are more commonly used in the US.

A cross over design was used meaning the same horses were evaluated bedded in 5cm and 15cm to control for individual horse variation

Healthy riding horses were used, so results may be different for horses that are injured or on stall rest.

What they found:

Horses actually spent very little time laying down overnight

Increasing the bedding depth almost doubled the amount of time the horses spent laying down - From a mean of 35 min to a mean of 70 min

Increasing bedding depth increased the amount of time horses spent in sternal recumbency but did not affect the amount of time horses spent in lateral recumbency (laying flat out)

While this is only one study, it does provide some evidence that increasing bedding depth does help extend the amount of time a horse lays down and rests.

Here is the link to the article
https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.mul.missouri.edu/science/article/pii/S016815912600287X

10/29/2026

Calling all carousel stables kiddos and any adults that want to help. I’d like to gather people to bag some sawdust for a client who lost her husband who used to pick up her sawdust in bulk. It would help her out a lot! Please let me know if you can help.

10/25/2026

For next year, leases will be increasing. With price increases of just about everything,and not having increased leases, we’ve decided it’s an unfortunate necessity. Please reach out as there are different levels of leasing. Thank you for understanding.

10/24/2026

You don't have to be the alpha to be a leader. One of the concepts from Mark Rashid that has really changed the way I think about horsemanship is his idea of passive leadership. Which- at first glance- made me think "ew"....
But...

We hear constantly that we need to “be the alpha,” “establish dominance,” and make sure our horse knows who's in charge.

Rashid's observation is that the horse everyone else follows isn't necessarily the horse constantly pushing everyone around. The dominant horse may control space and demand submission, but the other horses don't necessarily choose to follow it.

The passive leader is different.
The important distinction is:

Alpha/dominant horse: Rashid describes this horse as maintaining its position through dominance and force. His observation was that other horses often avoid this horse rather than willingly follow it.

Passive leader: This is generally a quiet, consistent, dependable horse that other horses choose to follow. The leadership is earned through consistency and example, rather than constantly enforcing rank.

“Passive” does not mean weak, permissive, or letting the horse do whatever it wants. It's more about how leadership is established.

His underlying idea is that horses are motivated to conserve energy and seek out individuals they can depend on. So the leader they voluntarily stay with can be more influential than the horse that spends all day pushing everyone around.

Rashid applies that directly to people: become the person your horse chooses to follow because you're consistent, fair, quiet, and dependable, rather than trying to convince the horse you're the biggest bully in the room.

Your horse can respect you without fearing you. You can have boundaries without constantly proving you're dominant.

You can correct a horse when correction is needed without making your entire relationship about control.

You don't have to convince your horse that you're the biggest, strongest, most intimidating thing in the arena.

Because leadership isn't about forcing someone to follow you.

It's about becoming someone they want to follow.

10/07/2026

Maybe 😊

🐴 SAVE THE DATES! 🐴

Get ready for the Phoenix on Killian Winter Ranch Shows! Three exciting events are coming your way:

📅 November 21, 2026
📅 March 7, 2027
📅 April 24, 2027

Plan ahead and mark your calendars now!

✅ A current Coggins test and up-to-date vaccinations are required.
✅ Outdoor stalls will be available.

The showbill is coming soon—stay tuned for more details and get ready for an exciting winter season!

10/02/2026

Just a little insight

Patr 1: Why equestrian sports are so much more expensive than other youth sports (hint: it is not because we are greedy).

The three things most equestrian facilities factor into the equation (and there are more we SHOULD factor in) are:

1. Horse
2. Instructor
3. Facility

I am going to do a series on these factors, today let's focus on the horse.

As a "consumer", you want a healthy, well-educated, safe, happy horse to ride. We want that for you, too! This industry is expensive and dangerous, we want you to get the most for your money and be as safe as possible doing it. The question at hand is what does it cost to accomplish all of those things?

We all know horses are expensive, but most don't know how expensive a good lesson horse truly is.

So let's break it down into what you want:

1. Healthy: the basics are feed, hay, feet, teeth, medical. We'll use my horse Brooke, a fairly easy keeper. She costs me about $350 on an average month. But it really goes far beyond that. A beginner lesson horse, no matter how well I do my job, will have their mouth yanked on, imbalanced riders, etc. Bodywork and retraining are necessary. That adds another $150 plus hours of my time. Then we add in the necessity of properly fitting tack - saddle, bit, bridle, girth - and regular fit checks and adjustments. Now that is thousands. Does the horse need a targeted nutrition plan to handle mineral and/or gut deficiencies? Most likely. Monthly supplements? Yup. Now we are at $650/month minimum. None of this includes the costs of having a farm where I can keep her, she can graze, etc.

2. Well-educated: this takes years. A lesson program is either buying these years or making the years. Let's say your average horse costs about $5k per year before training, showing, etc. Let's say it traditionally takes at least 2 years of intensive training for a young, green horse to get the experience to be "well-educated" (the length is debatable, but traditionally military programs had an intensive 2 year program for military horses so we will base this off that). If a program does all the training for a young, green horse, they still have the purchase price and another $10k+ into the horse before it earns a dollar.

3. Safe: This is different than well-educated. Some horses have safer personalities than others, but we can also create safe horses. This takes a lot of time, training, and exposure to different environments (including hauling off-site). So add more cost to the "well-educated" baseline.

4. Happy: This requires a hands-on, observant manager and a diligent instructor. Is the horse getting off-balance, frustrated, bored? How do we catch it before it becomes an issue? How do we build time into the horse's week outside of lessons for rebalancing, for play, for connection? Who does that and with what time? What is the limit on the number of lessons they can teach and be happy? My horses do 3 - 5 lessons a week and I keep it that way because they are happier. Which means lessons have to be more expensive because I am not a barn requiring my horses do 10 lessons a week.

So, if I get cheap/free and spend 2 years cultivating a healthy, well-educated, safe, happy horse that costs me, minimum $16k before I put in an ounce of my time.

We put a dollar sign on a lot of these things, but not on my time. If I sent that horse off for training for 2 years it would cost me $24k more on top of that $16k. If I paid myself as barn manager (a job I do, but don't get paid for) to do basic care, prioritize good handling, hold for the farrier/vent/dentist/bodyworker, use the info from those professionals and my own observations to constantly adapt care and training for the horses, etc. that would have to be a full-time living wage. Luckily, I spent years paying to educate myself so that I don't have to pay someone else to do those jobs (we will get into the cost of instructor education when we do part 2 on the instructor). It just means I need more hours in my day.

None of this takes into account what it costs when we ethically retire that horse on our property because she gave everything for years.

Every time someone complains about a price, this all floods my mind. I know that people do not understand the amount of time and money that goes into creating a healthy, well-educated, safe, happy horse. I think we need to change that.

Lesson horses are incredibly valuable because the rider does not have to absorb these years of costs that allow them to enjoy horses once a week. Most barns are DYING (sometimes almost literally from the work we put in and financial debt) to give you access to horses. Horses have been such a big part of our lives and we want to share that with you. But, we will not compromise the well-being of our horses or your safety. I think that standard is something we can all agree on!