Horse Maintenance

October 1, 2012
Vet Care For Horses

Usually my horse maintenance plan goes something like this: pitching hay morning and night and making sure they’re all walking on four legs. But sometimes horses require more than that. We had the vet come out the other day, to castrate our buckskin yearling stallion and check on his mother’s health. Both of the buckskins have lost body condition in the year that we have owned them, and we wanted to get a professional evalution from a veterinarian on how to counteract that. We weren’t sure if it was a tooth problem or lack of adequate nutrition for the mare, and the colt needed gelded and is looking a little bony as well.

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Dorothy the Hereford Cow

September 18, 2012
Dorothy The Hereford Cow

This is Dorothy, our favorite pet cow. Disregarding the fact that I grew up on a ranch where we really didn’t name cattle, as all of the calves were destined for the sale pen and most of the cows were a uniform black color with no distinguishing characteristics…we now have a small enough herd with enough color variations and personalities to be able to tell them apart and call them by name. So we have Dorothy, a glossy red and white Hereford cow. She has a very sweet temperament, is the most laid-back and gentle cow I’ve ever seen, and our affection for her over-rules all common sense, because a smart cattleman would have sold her long ago.

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How To Buy Horse Tack

September 15, 2012
How To Buy Horse Tack

For the beginning horse enthusiast, the task of buying all the stuff that is needed for horse ownership can be exhausting. It can also drain your bank account very quickly, and without prior experience you might find yourself buying things you will never use, or horse items that aren’t the best quality. This article will provide you with the best websites to find tack and used tack, some tips on choosing what to buy, and some guidelines to hopefully prevent you from spending too much.

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I’ve Been Everywhere

August 31, 2012
My Husband and I

Okay, so it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything here at CowgirlDiary, and I apologize…it’s been summer and a lot has happened, and—sad to say—none of it was horse-related. But it’s been fun, and busy, and crazy, and I’m just now getting to sit down and sort through photos and reminisce a little bit about the great summer we had. And I’m also feeling sad that it’s already gone!

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How To Make a Horse Keepsake Box

July 26, 2012
How To Make A Horse Keepsake Box

When I was sixteen years old, my dad bought me a beautiful black colt to train. That colt took all of my focus, my affection, my time, and attention, and I was devastated a few months later when he got badly hurt and had to be put down. I remember making a promise to him, in those last painful moments, saying I would never forget him, and that I would keep his memory alive forever. It was the most difficult part of my teenage years, giving up on that colt.

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Passion or Pastime?

July 14, 2012
Me and My Mare Daisy

I’ve been mulling a bit lately, over the horse ownership thing again. I’ve mentioned before that I feel guilty about owning horses and not spending much time with them, aside from feeding time. I confess that it’s been about three months since I’ve ridden….in fact, I can’t even remember the ride at all, or when it was. I have a pretty good excuse for not riding any broncs, though….I’m pregnant with our third child.

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Horse Book Giveaway

June 26, 2012
Horse Book Giveaway Contest

So here’s our third giveaway for the month of June—isn’t this fun?!!! This week I am featuring the paperback version of Horses Never Lie About Love, by Jana Harris, which I have reviewed before on my blog. It’s a true life story, nothing fictional about it, but it gives you a clear picture of one horsewoman’s devotion to her dream, and this really different sort of horse that she falls in love with. I think any horse lover would enjoy this book, and you can win your very own copy right here on CowgirlDiary.com.

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Just Like In The Movies

June 21, 2012
Old West Movies and Horsemanship They Taught Us

Most of us horse lovers have been inspired by horses and riders in the movies at one point or another. Whether it was growing up watching Bonanza or seeing Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken for the first time, those horses and the people who rode them made a big impact on us and deepened our interest in becoming a rider or owning our own horse someday. There are just a few things that have crossed my mind when watching some of the Hollywood-style riding, and wanted to comment for the benefit of the total beginning horse enthusiast.

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Horse Bracelet Giveaway

June 18, 2012
Horse Charm Bracelet Giveaway

I’m so excited to share this with you! This week’s giveaway is a beautiful beaded bracelet with silver horse themed accents and intricate detailing, offered by WyoStyle, and designed by Equestrian Designer Kerstin Stock. Additionally, WyoStyle is offering a discount to all CowgirlDiary.com readers. Their items are uniquely designed for horse enthusiasts, and you’ll really like the great quality of this jewelry.

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Cowgirl Accessories Giveaway

June 12, 2012
Cowgirl Accessory Flexi Clip Giveaway

One of the really cool perks of blogging is the offer of horse-related merchandise to feature on my blog. I recently received several items to review, and am ready to launch a series of giveaways here on CowgirlDiary! Keep a close watch over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be telling you all about them and how you can win one of these great cowgirl accessories for your own.

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Paula and Gem

June 5, 2012
Paula And Gem - A Horse Lover's Success Story

Ever since I was a little girl I recall wanting to be a cowgirl. I had this pair of cowboy boots that you would have thought were permanently attached to my feet. They were an old beat up pair of boots that were way too big, but no matter what the weather was like, I always had them on.

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Foals in Idaho

May 29, 2012
Hickory's New Stud Colt Born In Idaho

I finally got word from my folks about their first crop of foals from their new stallion, and best of all, they sent pictures! Now I can’t wait to travel out to their ranch in Idaho to see them for myself. They have had a good foaling year (last spring they not only lost a foal before birth, but also had to put one of their best mares down due to birthing complications) so it’s a blessing to see these happy little horses on the ground, safe and sound.

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How To Draw Horses

May 16, 2012
How To Draw A Horse

I started drawing horses when I was four. I remember I had been given a large book of colored construction paper, and if I had been more frugal I might have understood that such a variety of colors could have been used more creatively. But I made a horse drawing on each page of that book, using a black marker, creating rather pudgy replicas of the species, usually only supplying them with the two legs nearest the viewer, but never forgetting the feed pan for them to eat out of. All of my first drawn horses were happily eating grain from their feed pans.

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Horse Names

May 5, 2012
Naming The Mare

We’re still trying to come up with a name for our mare. We have kicked around ideas, but no matter what one person suggests, someone else has an aversion to that particular name, or they have a suggestion that they think would work better. I’m beginning to think that I just don’t have the imagination I used to have when I was younger. Coming up with horse names was a cinch when I was a little girl.

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Four Hours West

April 25, 2012
Taking Cattle Out West

Last weekend we took our cows out west where I grew up. From here, it’s a four hour ride in a car…a six hour ride for a cattle pot and truck and trailer with seven people packed into the crew cab. Saturday was one long hectic day. But it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time, because to me it meant going home.

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What You Find At The Auction

April 19, 2012
What You Find At The Auction

I’ve been going to a lot of cattle sales lately, at the local auction barn. Inevitably, there are two or three horses there every week, and I’m always curious at what they bring. I wonder why they were brought there, and where they are going after that final winning bid. It always makes me wish I had multiple pastures and unlimited funds so that I could take them home with me.

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Two Orphans

April 5, 2012
Two Bottle Calves

I was at the cattle auction last Friday watching our feeder heifers sell when I got a text message from my brother-in-law that said, “You haven’t been checking on your adopted calf lately, have you?” I panicked, thinking maybe it was dead. “No, why? Is it sick?” I typed back. “Emaciated, lethargic, and has a runny nose and scours,” he replied. Great….I had quit checking on the mama cow, several days earlier, thinking she had adopted it and was caring for it. Evidently not.

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Stallion Shopping

March 29, 2012
Looking For A Stallion At Stud

It’s springtime, and babies are being born, and it makes me start wishing and hoping. No, we don’t have any expectant mares this year, but my folks out in Idaho have several mares that are bred to this Hancock bred blue roan stallion, Handmade Forever, for his first foal crop. They purchased the stud colt and two fillies from Keith Munn’s production sale two summers ago, and are really excited to see how this young stallion turns out. I’m looking forward to lots of baby pictures and celebrating spring as it should be.

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Mix & Match With Cows

March 20, 2012
Grafting On A New Calf To A Cow Whose Baby Died

I’ve been really busy the last three days. Four days ago we lost a calf. One of our herefords’ calves was stillborn, and it’s a real shame because the calf really would have been something—a purebred hereford bull calf. But for some reason or other, he didn’t make it through the birth process. So we went to the cattle auction to try to find a replacement calf to graft onto the cow since her milk was still good. I had seen my dad do this many times, and figured our chances were pretty decent, since this particular cow is Dorothy’s mother, and is very gentle and easy to handle.

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Choosing A Bit For Your Horse

March 19, 2012
How To Choose A Bit For Your Horse

When you’re just buying a horse, or beginning riding a new horse, it can be really hard to know what type of bit to use. There are two ends of the spectrum, where you don’t want to use a bit that is too severe and risk ruining a horse’s mouth, but you also don’t want to use a bit that the horse doesn’t respect at all and risk getting thrown or run away with. So choosing what bit to use for your horse is a very important decision, and I’ll share some tips that might be a help.

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