Professional Groom - BarnManager

Liv’s Tip of the Month – 3 Ways to Keep Warm at the Barn

January 23, 2019| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv Gude kicks off our 2019 tips with three ways to stay warm at the barn this winter!

Number 1. Layer.

This cutie sent in by Jill Saccocia needs no layers!

Start with silk undergarments, then add layers upon layers!

I have the distinct honor, which comes with age I think, of not caring AT ALL how I look, especially at the barn. I will take an extra long and extra wide scarf and wrap up my head, neck, and even part of my face to stay warm. I will also add a hat on top of this to keep things secure and extra warm. This was a total game changer and helps when you are walking into the wind.

I also have lined everything – gloves, socks, boots, breeches, jeans. I tend to also go for dark colors, so that if the sun is shining, things get warmer faster.

Number 2. Move.

George Liberty sent us this handsome dude staying warm in the powder

Turning your horse’s “easy” exercise day into your “walk your butt off day” will keep you infinitely warm. Instead of riding, go for a nice long handwalk.

You might be surprised how warm you will get by just moving your legs around. Go for an hour or so for max horse and person effect.

Number 3. Heat.

Make a space that you can do chores in without freezing. If your tack or feed room is drafty at best, get some window sealing plastic at the hardware store and start to button up.

Add a space heater (use only when supervised) and get your chores done in the warm.

Good Luck and stay toasty!

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

BarnManager is designed to be a part of your team, with the compatibility and credentials necessary to improve communication, simplify the management of horses, and get you out of the office, off the phone calls, and into the barn with the horses you care about! Click here to get a free demo and find out more!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Holiday Treats

December 13, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

What treats can your horse eat for the holidays?

First – think of this in terms of a tiny treat – like half of a peppermint – or something larger, like an extra flake of hay or an extra scoop of feed. Then that treat has become part of his diet. The point is to make sure that “treats” don’t tip the balance of his forage and feed diet into the unnecessary calorie zone.

You also don’t want to feed anything that will upset your horse’s stomach. Smaller treats will help prevent this, as will treats that are similar to what he already eats. Think about the horse who eats alfalfa/timothy blend hay. You could give him few hay cubes of the same combination.

Watch the sugar content of any treats, many horses with metabolic issues don’t need the sugars. Carrots are surprisingly high in sugar. Peanuts in the shell are not, and make an ideal alternative.

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Showing Your Horse Your Thanks

November 21, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Cultivate a little gratitude for your horse! It’s easy to show daily gratitude for our horses with a treat, a hand graze, extra scratches on the itchy spots.

But what about big picture stuff? Like saddle fit? The best diet formulated by an equine nutritionist? Regular bloodwork and soundness exams?

And bigger yet? Retirement plans? Finding a barn with bigger fields, larger stalls, more horse friends?

Or you could go the opposite way – find gratitude in the little things – like trail rides? Days off? Longer grooming sessions?

What’s your favorite way to show your horse some gratitude?

Liv Gude, a former International Dressage Groom for years, founded proequinegrooms.com as a way to unite Grooms in the horse industry. The educational website also serves to entertain and inform horse owners across all disciplines about horse care, grooming, and health. Click here to check it out!

Get Demo

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Winter Coats

October 31, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

So what triggers your horse’s winter coat to come in? Your horse’s eyes and the summer solstice!

Every June, the solstice signals the start of summer. The days get progressively shorter. Your horse’s eyes slowly start to notice this…sending signals to his brain to start thinking about winter. Sure, he’s not going to start sprouting a new coat mid-July, but he’s noticing.

The primary stimulus for a horse’s shedding and coat growing cycle is sunlight! Very little of the temperature and blanketing situations has an influence on the hair growth cycle.

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Signs of Dehydration

August 31, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv’s Tip of the Month

Dehydration is more than just your horse being extra thirsty – it can become a veterinary emergency.

Pulling a bit of his skin on the neck to see how fast it snaps back is not a reliable way to measure hydration. Older horses have less elastic skin!

You need to look at your horse’s gums. Pale, white, red, or blue gums are a sign of severe danger. The gums must also be slippery and slick, not dry or sticky.

In the warmer summer months, use electrolytes a few hours before you exercise your horse. This helps retain water.

Keep plenty of fresh water available and make sure your horse gets at least a tablespoon of salt per 500 lbs of body weight every day – no matter the season.

BarnManager can help track supplies, medical records, and watering reminders – to sign up for a free trial click here!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month -Beat the Heat

July 25, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv’s Tip of the Month

There’s one sure fire way to determine if your horse is having a hard time with heat and humidity -take his temperature. Before and after a ride. Also, check his gums frequently for signs of dehydration, his upper teeth should be slimy and slick. Sticky or dry gums are dangerous and are a sign to call your vet right away.

Ride in the shade if you can, during the coolest hours of the day, often in the morning. Take your time cooling your horse down, offering water right away and rinsing with water or a water/alcohol bath. Alcohol evaporates faster and helps speed us the cooling process.

Consider clipping your horse in the summer for added temperature control. (You can see Liv’s clipping tips here!)

Talk to your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns.

BarnManager can help track temperatures, schedule ride times, and keep medical records – to sign up for a free trial click here!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Clipping Like a Pro

June 24, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks 1 comment

Liv’s Tip of the Month

Start with a clean horse! Shampoo, condition, dry. Use a sheen product or grooming oil.

Then add wickedly sharp clipper blades. Pick a clipper blade that leaves enough hair for your taste. Most blades have a mm designation that tells you how many mm of hair are left with that blade.

If you are going for a partial clip, your horse doesn’t have to be clipped in a specific pattern. It’s much better to clip your horse’s hot spots – where he sweats.

If you clip too early in the season, you might have to do some touch ups later. That’s fine! If you clip too late, the hair will have stopped growing in and any clipper marks or “oops” will be there for a while.

Depending on your climate, you may want to do a full body clip early so you can prep your horse in the last few days of warm weather. As winter drags on, you can do a partial clip so legs stay warm but his body gets the benefits of a clip.

BarnManager can help track who needs to be clipped and who is left – to sign up for a free trial click here!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – Fly Control

May 21, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv’s Tip of the Month

There are two main things to know about fly control – first, know what types of flies you are targeting and second, you must attack all stages of the fly life cycle.

When you know if the flies are heat seekers, like horse flies, or smell seekers, like stable flies, you can create the best fly control program. The types of flies will also tell you about their environment. This enables you to start time turnouts and trim back scrub brush around creeks that flies like to live in.

Use fatty acid based sprays for biting flies that look for their meals with their noses. Confuse the sight oriented flies with zebra printed fly sheets.

Keep the manure picked from your horse’s area several times a day, use fans, and do your research about what types of flies you are battling.

Finally, keep notes from year to year on your management plan. BarnManager can help you do this – to sign up for a free trial click here!

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Liv’s Tip of the Month – 5 Springtime Dangers to Avoid with Your Horse

April 24, 2018| Nicole Lakin| in category Tips and Tricks No comments yet

Liv’s Tip of the Month

Springtime brings some beautiful flowers and we all want to be outside after the long winter. However, springtime also brings some unique dangers to keep your horses away from.

Buttercups are toxic – really toxic – but luckily they are bitter tasting and most horses won’t eat them. However, this can become a problem when your horse gets hungry from being in a sparse paddock with nothing to nibble – then the bitter taste may not matter so much.
Dandelions are not toxic – but they are very high in sugars! With springtime grasses also high in sugars, this can become a real risk for the metabolically compromised horse.
You should also watch out for cool mornings – temps below 40 degrees overnight create a spike in pasture sugars. Hot afternoons are also an issue – the same thing happens when temps warm up suddenly!
Poison ivy – another non-poisonous one that can still cause some issues. Your horse can rub on the plant and transfer the oils to you.
Leftover acorns are a problem because they are toxic AND delicious. While most oak trees shed their acorns in the fall, sometimes they can linger until spring, so watch out for those!

The solution to many of these is the keep plenty of fresh forage and clean water in front of your horse to distract them from expanding their diet into any unhealthy things. You can use BarnManager to create reminders to check on all these plants, and to get the word out to your team. To sign up for a free trial of BarnManager’s horse management software click here. Be safe out there and enjoy the warmer weather!

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