Welcome to Catskill Horse.
Welcome to The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse. We hope you enjoy browsing our monthly online magazine. This .org digital magazine, began as a community resource serving the North East region of the USA, and has grown to reach a national and even international audience. The complete source for everything horse with a bevy of archived educational articles, tips and advice for multi-riding disciplines for horse owners everywhere that encompasses everything horse and rural lifestyle related.
In addition to our Directory of useful services and horse lover articles check out our latest features Hit the Hay Accommodation Guide, The Feed Bucket Restaurant Guide, Horse and Home Real Estate Guide, Stallion Directory and Equine Art at the Catskill Horse. Plus coming soon our shopping choice guide! Come join our Merry Band at the Catskill Horse. And don't forget to check in at our Facebook page for our weekly Giveaway contests.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday and managed to find some extra riding and horse time. Not easy an easy thing to do when the pressures of the holiday season arrives is it?
For myself I am looking forward to hopping back across the pond to England again, (I just returned from an October trip with my Grand Prix duo partner, hubbie Paul). This travel experience will as usual, incorporate part work and part play. I am looking forward to spending time with my 90-year-old mum at my childhood home and bringing her back to the U.S.A. for the Christmas holidays. A return trip happens again in January! Building up the airline miles for sure.
Along the way I’m thrilled to have been invited to visit with two British dressage team riders. A chance to educate and broaden my dressage mind and embrace some rather famous humans and their horses. I’ll also be revisiting some dressage clients in Buckinghamshire and giving a few lessons. Hubbie will hold down the farm fort in my absence. So I’m sure like yours dear readers, the holiday season is going to be a jam-packed time. And I will look forward to sharing what I learn on the horse side of things on the Catskill Horse blog in 2024.
Notwithstanding all this activity, as your Editor at Catskill Horse magazine, the work must go on. And you can trust that I have been busy.
This month our ‘Merry Band’ proudly brings you our 101st issue, focused as promised on the Iberian horse breeds. Lusitano and Andalusian ownership in the U.S. continues to rise exponentially. A delightful occurrence for our friends on the Continent who suffered greatly the lack of export opportunities for their horses during the Covid pandemic even though demand was as strong as ever during that period.
Enjoy our interview with two experienced professionals in the Iberian world, Meredith Crawford and my husband, Paul Alvin-Smith in two articles. Meredith shares her wealth of experience in equine nutrition and holistic care of the Iberian horse. Paul addresses the training side of life in a review of the difference in schooling protocols between warmblood and Iberian breeds and in particular provides training advice to solve a problem commonly seen in imported horses.
As winter is the perfect time to put your Spring plans into action, we’ve also included a very helpful article on barn building. This time in regard to the site preparation and pitfalls to avoid. This feature is kindly provided by our good friends at Horizon Structures. It will help any you navigate any barn project site preparation to help ensure it runs smoothly and doesn’t end up costing you more money that it necessary. It should help you not only avert costly mistakes, but enhance your pleasure in using your new barn in the future.
Don’t forget to check in at our news page for lots of horse lover information, see the winners of our monthly book contest and find new events to attend on our very popular events page.
With heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters, viewers and advertisers alike who have helped keep Catskill Horse growing this far. We look forward to many more years to come as we build this digital publication and continue to reach far and beyond New York.
If you write and would like to contribute; have news you would like to share about your organization or activities at your farm, please email info@CatskillHorse.org
Please to visit our Facebook page and keep up on current news and come join the chat at the Catskill Equestrian Group too.
Happy Riding!
Nikki Alvin-Smith
Editor
Catskill Horse Magazine
Publisher: Horse in a Kilt Media Inc.
Can You Help Spread The Love?
The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse have been catching up with Dominique – the therapy horse. Sandy Smith and her wonderful companion Dominique have been out and about cheering up folks in need of a smile.
“Here is Dominique in his Super Dom costume. He looked adorable and is Super the way he changes a room from winter into summer with sunshine, flowers, and smiles. Dom spent a good deal of time at the Wilmington, DE Ronald McDonald House on Halloween. He was Super Dom and his dad just sent this photo. The joy they shared with their little son, told it all. This is why Dominique’s Smiles exist, and why we simply must get into hospitals and other Ronald McDonald Houses. Everyone reading this, please know Dominique needs your help. If you know a hospital doctor or board member with some clout, get after them to allow Dominique to visit!” explains Sandy Smith.
If you can help, please step up. You can follow Dominique’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn More About Horse Hay
Have you ever wondered where your hay comes from? In this episode, we learn about what it takes to produce the most important component of a horse’s diet. Plus, we learn about things like how to spot a good bale when you see one, how to measure moisture content, prevent spontaneous combustion, and more. Hay farmer, Nikki Alvin-Smith from Willowview Hill Farm Dressage, brings a ton of really interesting information.
Check Out Horse Radio Network Alumni Helena Harris Podcast Stall and Stable
Listen in for advice "Keeping a Grand Prix Dressage Horse".
Catskill Horse T-Shirts & Notebooks Now Available
Catskill Horse is pleased to announce that we now have T-Shirts, mugs and notebooks with our own arty design available for purchase to help spread the word.
Buy any one of our products - choose from our 100% cotton T's or buy a mug or notebook.
T-Shirts are available in Womens Fitted S/M/L/Xl and Unisex S/M/L/XL/2XL for only $20 plus $6.50 S/H. If you are located in NY please add 8% sales tax.
Mugs: $12.95 plus $6.50 S/H. Please add 8% sales tax if you are located in NY.
These fun notebooks are available for $11.95 plus S/H fee of $2.00. Please also add 8% sales tax if located in NYS.
Checks should be payable to Horse in a Kilt Media Inc., and mailed to P.O. Box 404, Stamford, NY 12167. Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.
Vaccine Risks?
Here is some advice on what to look out for as your horse is administered vaccines this season. There have been reports of some serious adverse reactions this year, so be vigilant and ask your vet for their advice and specifically what adverse vaccine reports they have received through their channels.
It’s important to be able to distinguish between minor side effects and those reactions that warrant a call to your veterinarian.
Normal Responses
After intramuscular vaccination, it’s fairly common for horses to experience mild, temporary side effects for a few hours such as:
• Local muscle soreness or swelling
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Lack of energy or alertness
However, if the signs listed above last for more than 24 hours, you should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible to inform them of what is going on with the horse. This will allow your veterinarian to provide you with treatment advice and care instructions.
Causes for Possible Concern
Sometimes more serious side effects, and in some cases, life-threatening events, can occur, including:
• Hives
• Difficulty breathing
• Collapse
• Colic
• Swelling at the injection site several days post vaccination.
These more serious side effects are rare, but do require immediate consultation, and, in some cases, medical intervention.
Working with your veterinarian is the best way to ensure your horse is being evaluated based upon its particular needs. Many veterinarians follow the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ recommended guidelines for core vaccinations. Veterinarians can also be helpful in determining the need for other risk-based vaccinations based on an assessment of your geographic threats and travel plans. They are also familiar with the proper handling and administering of vaccines, which is important because those handled improperly can actually become ineffective or may increase the risk of side effects.
CH note: This advice comes from a leading vaccine manufacturer and is provided in excerpts.
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Promote your event.
Have an event planned? Send us the details and we'll post it our events calendar page.
Do You Love To Write?
While Catskill Horse has a staff of professional contributing writers/reporters/photographers, Catskill Horse is always interested in receiving submissions of articles and photos for publication from new writers. We can provide a photo or authorship credit for those works accepted. Please do not submit via mail - we prefer email submission. Send your ideas/articles/wrap up features/photos to us at info@CatskillHorse.org marked attention Editorial. If accepted you will be notified via email.
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