There’s been a lot of activity at our place these last few months. The quarantine has us sheltering in place here in Rhode Island, but that doesn’t mean there’s been a lack of things to do. On the contrary! From finishing our new hay shed, to major driveway construction, Buck and I have been busy little bees. Stick around to find out what inspired Buck to get back in the saddle, how our backyard barn has been serving Brody and Siouxsie, and how this time of isolation has also brought an opportunity for self-reflection and a new respect for horsemanship. Listen in!
We had an entirely different episode planned for today. Dr. Karyn Malinowski was kind enough to agree to a 2-part series on horse keeping at Rutgers University Equine Science Center. Well, we got Part One down okay, but as we connected last week to begin recording Part Two, Dr. Malinowski and Helena found that their casual conversation about their horses was just the antidote to the ho hum glum of isolation. And so that’s what you get today – an interesting conversation about Standardbreds, a mid-life crisis, crashes, lessons learned, laughable moments, and horses loved. This is the kind of thing horse people do… when we’re not riding, of course. So listen in!
Dr. Karyn Malinowski, an accomplished equine scientist, is the Founding Director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). She joins Helena today to talk about current best practices in horsekeeping that are actually backed by scientific research. We cover things like managing the dietary requirements of the horses at Rutgers, turnout, herd dynamics, and so much more. Dr. Malinowski is such an enthusiastic leader in our industry — and a great story teller — so listen in!
As we move closer to peak infection rates of coronavirus in the United States, more and more states are reporting their hospitals becoming overburdened with sick patients, healthcare workers are also becoming infected. This makes any visit to the hospital an especially risky one. The governing bodies of most equestrian sports have issued notices to riders to take extra steps to reduce the everyday risks that are inherent in our sport, as well as those risks we take as we push ourselves toward specific goals.
For many pleasure riders, taking some time off from riskier activities isn’t such a hassle, except for the fact that we’re not quite sure what to do to keep our horses busy physically and mentally. In this episode, I have another list for you. This is one is smaller than the last. It includes 10 things you can do with your horse to stay active, engaged, and fairly safe. Listen in!
It may seem odd, at a time like this, to talk about saving time, when we’re all locked in our homes with nothing but time. But it’s actually a great time to talk about time. While our everyday lives have slowed to a crawl, let’s take this opportunity to get creative about the ways in which we can optimize our time at the barn so we can enjoy every minute there. In today’s solo episode, I share 25 tips that will save you time and energy. Listen in!
