With fall upon us, there are some important things that you'll want to make sure you get done around the barn before the snow flies. Add these items to your fall to-do list around the barn.

Check Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors
Now is the time to make sure that your fire extinguishers haven't expired, and that they're placed appropriately throughout the barn. Be sure to check your smoke detectors, too, and replace the batteries if you didn't already do so in the spring.

Clean Out the Feed Room
During the busy summer it's easy to let cleaning slip. Before you stock up on feed for the winter, thoroughly clean out the feed room. Keep an eye out for signs of rodents, and check all of the feed for spoilage. Don't forget to check the expiration dates of feed and supplements.

Stock Up On Hay
You don't want to have to deal with a hay delivery when the roads are snowy and ice-covered, so be sure to stock up on hay now. Check your remaining hay for mold, and make sure to store all of the hay properly to lessen the risk of fire.

Check Your Horse's Weight
Before you start blanketing your horse for winter, it's a good idea to check and record his weight. Knowing his starting weight will help you monitor him through the winter to make sure that he doesn't gain or lose too much.

Decobweb
Choose a day when the horses are outside, and go through to thoroughly decobweb the barn. Perform a thorough sweeping while you're at it, and take the time to thoroughly scrub out both feed and water buckets.

Update Contact Information
Your fall barn cleaning is the perfect time to update all contact information that you have at the barn. Make sure that all of your phone numbers on your horse's emergency contact cards are current and accurate so that you can be reached in an emergency.

Evaluate Your Horse's Feed Schedule
As the days become colder, many horses receive less exercise. Now is the time to evaluate your horse's feed plan and begin to make adjustments for the winter. Remember that your horse should receive plenty of roughage, and you may need to decrease his grain as his workload lessens.

Schedule Your Horse's Fall Vaccines
In many areas of the country, giving your horse fall shots is recommended to booster his defenses against diseases. Talk with your vet about whether your horse might need fall shots, and make an appointment if you decide to have him receive the shots.

Check Blanket Fit
As you dig out your horse's blankets from last year, take the time to check and make sure that they fit your horse before you depend on them. You'll also want to look for any repairs that the blankets might need.

Clean Your Tack
Tack gets rigorous use during the summer. Schedule some time to sit down and give your tack a thorough cleaning and conditioning. Look for any signs of weakness or breakage. If you find issues, have your tack professionally repaired before using it again.

Winter will be here soon. It's important to get these barn chores done in the fall so that you're ready for the cold when it comes.

Photo source: http://pixabay.com/en/barn-red-sunset-clouds-campbell-63835/

Did you know that there's a really easy way to cut down on the numbers of flies that pester your horse in the barn or stable? And - better yet - you have this natural resource right at your fingertips.

So what is it?

Wind.

That's right - flies and gnats don't like wind, so if you can get air moving through the stable, it will encourage those bugs to move on outta there. The trick is that you want to create a steady breeze throughout the day. How do you do that?

Barn Construction
Good air circulation through your barn begins with the barn's construction. Yes, if your barn is already built then you're probably out of luck on this front, but it's good information to know in case you ever build a barn from scratch. When building your barn, be sure to include large barn doors that can be fully opened. Maximize the number of windows installed - ideally include one window per stall. Additional measures, like vents under the roof or additional doors on the side of the barn, can help to bring more air into the barn.

Open Windows
During the summer, open up all of the windows and doors that you can. This includes the barn doors. Be sure that windows are safely secured and/or grated to keep your horse safe. If you're worried about leaving the barn doors open overnight because of the possibility of escaped horses, then set up a few lengths of rope or 2x4 wood lengths that can be placed across the doorway to keep the horses contained in the barn.

Open Stalls
Even if you get a good current of air moving through the barn, it won't do your horse much good if it can't get into his stall. Stalls with more open construction, such as those that feature stall bars or grates on their top portions, naturally allow more air to circulate. To maximize air circulation in your horse's stall, consider using a stall guard or stall door grate so that your horse's door can essentially be open, allowing air to freely flow into his stall.

Fans
Fans can also help to circulate air in the stable, but be careful whenever using fans. Only use fans in your barn that are manufactured specifically for barn and outdoor use. These fans have fully enclosed motors, unlike fans produced for household use. Household fans have motors that can quickly become choked by the dust of a stable, which can cause their motors to burn out. If the motor burns out, pieces of that hot motor can drop down onto bedding, starting a fire.

In addition to only using fans made for barn use, be sure that all of your barn's wiring is up to code. Check that the outlets, the cords, and the fans themselves are well out of reach of a curious horse.

Do the flies have you and your horse down? Increase the air circulation through your barn and you should see a decrease in your fly problem.

Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/olocaudigital/10106250405

Have you ever kept a riding journal? Even if journaling isn’t quite up your alley, there are many benefits to keeping a riding journal. It only takes a few minutes and it doesn’t even have to be a daily activity - you can keep a journal dedicated only to lessons, only to shows, or even only to what you think are significant achievements in your riding. If you’re not yet keeping a riding journal, here’s why you might want to.

Track Your Development as a Rider
Having a written record of your learning and development as a rider is priceless. By journaling your growing knowledge, horsemanship, and ability as a rider, you’ll be able to look back and see your progress over the years. This is invaluable in the sport of horseback riding, where so often we can work for days and weeks and even months on end without seeing sudden significant progress. Being able to look back and see your development through your own words can really drive home just how far you have come, which can be especially important and comforting on days when riding just doesn’t seem to be going well.

Mark Important Days and Significant Achievements
Do you remember the first time you trotted a horse? How about the first time you jumped? Your first trail ride? Depending on how long ago these events happened, they may be starting to fade from your memory. By writing about them, you’ll be able to relive them and reflect on them and how much they meant to you as a rider. Reading your journal entries can take you back to the excitement and elation you felt on special days in your riding career.

Record Information on Your Horse’s Physical Condition
It can be hard to remember little bumps and bruises that your horse has here and there, but months or years later those little ailments might be significant. As you chronicle your journey with your horse through a riding journal, you’re also creating a pretty detailed record of your horse’s health and any physical issues. This can be a valuable tool in looking back at your horse’s physical history over the years.

Chronicle Your Relationship with Your Horse
Relationships with horses are funny things. They’re constantly developing, deepening, and changing. Your relationship with your horse five years ago is very different from your relationship with him today. Reading over your journal entries will drive that home and help you to see just how much you and your horse have developed. Our time with our horses is precious - when we no longer have our horses with us, our journals chronicling our journeys with them become very precious.

And don’t forget, journals provide great ways to remind yourself of the wise words of your trainers and of lessons that you need to remember. Are you keeping a riding journal yet? If not, are you going to start?

Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/waltstoneburner/7946581522/in/photolist-d7diQf-dGwfTC-fLxNPB-5ZWrFK-bzW9T1-zTeKG-716HuH-659EkA-7Heh2K-5pirmb-6NwAjq-btYhQV-7GJLT5-8fQsXR-gTsdu-daQimU-fgXPUz-9ikhm7-9dvYF-bLPEDH-9dxoG-7hfMCu-9W3bLG-9YvpG-4UzbFD-9gLEn9-bSHoLz-7MMSrV-6kEVGs-5iRM9t-8oH5qt-u8QPh-6vabe9-6KVGw-i9SXAF-adTyN-5PhwSc-5UQTXF-6gqqsy-7uJdPA-7DHi1J-7rZSAo-t3j7g-4VfejV-8USsk6-7R5s5E-bDFhqq-nyiu5o-74AeT4-9nK9Je

Did you know that there's a right way - and a wrong way - to hose your horse off after a ride? As summer temperatures soar, you'll want to be sure that you're cooling your horse off efficiently and effectively. Here's how.

Reduce Your Horse's Activity
Even during the summer heat, it's important to give your horse some time to recover from his workout. This means lessening his physical activity so that his heart and respiration rates have time to return to normal. Keep your horse moving, even though it's hot - walk him around the arena for a few minutes. During this time, encourage him to relax into a loose rein. If you dismount, then loosen his noseband and his girth to make him more comfortable and help him to breathe more easily.

Hose Off Your Horse
When you hose off your horse after a ride, you need to apply cool water to his body long enough so that it can reduce his body temperature. If you hose your horse off once and then scrape the water off, you may find that your horse's skin is cool and comfortable to the touch. If you wait a few minutes, though, your horse's skin will be hot to the touch. This is because the cool water has had time to sit against your horse's skin, and has been heated up. If you leave your horse like this, this heated water will only sit against your horse's skin, insulating it. This will slow your horse's cooling process, keeping him hot longer.

The best way to hose off a horse is to continuously apply cold water until his body has cooled down. Some riders prefer to hose the horse off, scrape off the water, hose the horse, scrape, repeat. Others prefer to continue hosing until the horse is cool - this can take upwards of ten minutes on particularly hot days when the horse has been heavily worked.

Encourage Your Horse To Drink
Rehydrating a horse is very important after a hot summer workout. Encourage your horse to drink as you cool him out. Provide him with fresh, clean, cool water. If you need to make the water more tempting, then add electrolytes, Gatorade, or apple juice to enhance its taste. Horse Quencher can also help encourage your horse to drink.

After a hard workout in the heat, make sure that you monitor your horse until he returns to his normal, comfortable self. Remember, sometimes it's just too hot to ride, especially when it's both hot and humid. You can always resume your training another - cooler - day.

They’re here! We hate to admit it, but the first flies of the summer have begun to land in stables and farms. Before you and your horse become covered in bites, here are some ways to keep flies at a minimum, both around the farm and while you’re riding.

Minimize Standing Water

Flies lay their eggs in standing water, and if given long enough, that will mean more flies. So, your goal should be to minimize the amount of standing water available on your farm. Activities like dumping and cleaning water buckets and troughs every few days (which should really be done anyway) can help cut down on the fly population. If you have wet areas on your property where water pools frequently, think about adding extra drainage to reduce the standing water.

Encourage Predators Who Eat the Flies

There’s a way to take care of those flies naturally. Consider bringing in animals who feast on flies. Guinea fowl can be great for this, and fly predators are another option. And those pesky barn swallows? Let them stay – they eat flies and can help keep your barn fly-free.

Zip-Lock Bags of Water and Pennies(?)

Take this one with a grain of salt: rumor has it that if you fill a Zip-Lock bag with water, toss in 5 or 6 pennies, and hang it in each doorway to your barn, the flies will not enter. We haven’t yet tried this ourselves, and while some people swear by it, others say it doesn’t work. That said, giving it a try can’t hurt – and if you try it, would you report back to us and let us know what you think?

Horse Clothing

Fly sheets, leg fly wraps, fly masks… the tools of the trade when it comes to fly season. They’re classic, and they work. It’s rumored that zebra print helps to deter flies – we don’t know if this is actually true, but if you happen upon a zebra print fly sheet, try it out! If you’re shopping for fly masks, check out our review of SmartPak’s Classic Fly Mask. Tip: Opt for fly sheets and masks that offer UV protection for added benefit.

Fly Spray

Dousing your horse in fly spray can help lessen the bites he receives during rides and while in his field. You may have to try a few different brands before you find one that works well for your horse and the flies in your area. If you’re looking to save money, then buy a large jug of concentrated fly spray. Mixing up your own bottles typically costs less than it would cost to buy them individually in the store.

So, have we given you a place to start in fighting the flies this summer? If you have any other favorite tips, please share them with us in the comments.

Image source: https://flic.kr/p/2ePzEW

Carrying medications safely with you when riding can be a challenge, especially when those medications are temperature-sensitive. Last year I learned that I am allergic to bees – somehow in all my years of riding I’ve managed to avoid ever being stung, but now that I know of the allergy, going without my Epi Pen is not a risk I want to take.

I’m not terribly fond of fanny packs, and slipping the Epi-Pen into my boot as I’ve heard other riders do didn’t seem like a great idea. Still, I wanted it attached to my body in case my mare and I should ever part ways and I should need to use it. But Epi-Pens need to be protected from heat, a feat that would prove a challenge during hot summer rides. Thanks to some hunting around the internet, I’ve come up with a solution.

FRIO makes a Duo Insulin Cooling Wallet which is large enough to carry one (or two) Epi-Pens. The wallet is soft, the Epi-Pen easily fits inside, and I’m reassured that my body heat and the summer temperatures won’t affect the viability of the Epi-Pen. According to FRIO, the cooling wallet will stay cold for up to 45 hours. It also protects against freezing. While the wallet requires about a half hour’s worth of preparation time, I do it while I’m tacking up my horse. By the time we’re ready to go, so is the cooling wallet.

The whole case, Epi-Pen included, fits inside the adult-sized SPIbelt. Designed for runners and athletes, the SPIbelt (Small Personal Item belt) features a soft, expandable zippered pocket. It fights tightly against the body and doesn’t move around, which I appreciate, and is nowhere near as bulky as a fanny pack. I wear it under my shirt, and while the look isn’t exactly flattering, it’s still pretty decent considering it’s an Epi-Pen that I’ve strapped to myself.

So, if you or another rider you know needs to carry an Epi-Pen, insulin, or other medication, the pairing of these two items might be a good solution for you. Happy riding!

Horses are finicky. Many of them decide that medications, whether in pill or powder form, are not to be ingested at any cost. Need some ideas for getting medicine into your horse? Here are some quick tips to help:

• Crush pills into a powder (check with your vet first to make sure that the pills can be crushed without compromising the medicine's integrity) and dissolve in warm water. Pour it into a dosing syringe. Alternatively, mix the powder into applesauce and pour into a dosing syringe.
  
• Mix powdered medication into a small bit of applesauce and molasses. Pour it over your horse's grain and mix it in thoroughly, so that the grain is sticky. Toss in some apples or carrots to up the appeal even more - many horses can't resist this mixture.

• Push pills into soft horse treats - Stud Muffins work particularly well for this. Be sure that the pill is covered by the treat, and feed the treat to your horse. If you have a small bit of powdered medication, sometimes you can slip it into the center of a horse treat, but make sure that the treat is small enough that your horse will eat it in one bite. Horses are finicky.

What tricks have you come up with to get your horse to take his medication?