If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you probably don’t need much convincing that mud can turn a perfectly manageable horse property into a daily chore. Once the rain starts, areas around gates, feeders, paddock entrances, and other high-traffic spots can quickly become deep, slippery, and difficult for both horses … Read More
The days are getting shorter, and before long, the sun will be setting while we’re still trying to finish the evening chores. For horse owners who work during the day, those dark winter evenings can turn simple jobs like feeding, cleaning paddocks, or checking a horse into a frustrating—and sometimes … Read More
Fall is one of those seasons when the horse chores seem to pile up quickly. Before the rain arrives and the ground turns soft, there’s a short window to get pastures, paddocks, and manure management systems ready for the months ahead. So, when should you move horses off pasture? What … Read More
Managing a small horse property doesn’t mean you need to own a tractor and every piece of farm equipment under the sun. In fact, for many of us, the bigger challenge is figuring out which tools are actually worth the money—and where we can save a few dollars without making … Read More
Owning a few acres and a couple of horses can sound pretty simple—until you realize just how many chores come with the territory. There are stalls and paddocks to clean, pastures to mow and harrow, fences to maintain, and enough manure to make you wonder where it all comes from. … Read More
Personalized Accounting, Tax & Bookkeeping Services for Horse Businesses and Small Businesses One of the things I enjoy most is introducing our readers to businesses that are passionate about serving the horse industry. Ashley Brown of MTA Financial Services recently joined our HorseSource community, and I asked her to share … Read More
After a long winter, it’s common to find pastures looking a little worse for wear. Bare patches, thin grass, muddy areas, and signs of winter damage are all reminders that your grazing areas have worked hard through the colder months. Spring offers the perfect opportunity to give those pastures a … Read More
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) requirements, imposed under EPA emissions standards since around 2010, were supposed to deliver cleaner air through Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems. In reality, they have created a cascade of failures—faulty sensors, sudden derates, shutdowns, and skyrocketing maintenance—that plague farmers, ranchers, truckers, and equipment operators. These headaches … Read More
Most horse owners spend a lot of time thinking about fencing, but gates are often what make a horse property either easy to work with — or frustrating every single day. You usually don’t notice a badly placed gate until you’re hauling hay, pushing a wheelbarrow through mud, trying to … Read More
Every horse owner knows the feeling. You finally get a warm stretch of weather, the horses are shedding out, pasture season is starting to look good… and suddenly the bugs arrive in full force. Flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and biting midges can make horses absolutely miserable this time of year. And … Read More
