Being a veterinarian, I’ve seen a lot of young horses in practice, everything from newborn foals to weanlings, yearlings, and on up. But going out to a farm a couple of times a year for physical exams, vaccinations, and even…
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Blog Archives
101 Things I Didn’t Know About Raising a Young Horse #27 – They take a lot (a lot!) of naps
Posted in Pregnant Mares, SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
AAEP By the Numbers
Held in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, this year’s American Association of Equine Practitioners 65th Annual Convention & Tradeshow stood out for a number of reasons. 5,443 . . . Total Attendees The 2019 attendance was higher than…
How to Introduce a New Horse to a Herd
Shortly after I wrote the first blog about Stan Lee, circumstances dictated that he be moved from the original place I chose to board him to Crack of Dawn Farm, where my other horse, Newman, is boarded. I now call…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
Newman Is an Uncle!
Technically, Newman has not actually met “Stanley,” his new two-year-old Dutch Warmblood nephew. And he may never meet him, as they’re boarded at different stables and it will likely stay that way, given the difference in age and activity (18…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
There’s a Skeleton in My Closet!
A Skeleton Boot Sociable on City Gear, that is. At least, that was the name of the carriage I was challenged with identifying at the Dairyland Driving Club’s first-ever Carriage Tour Party held a few weeks ago in beautiful but…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
The Lord of the Reins
Remember “Bilbo” and “Pippin?” Two hobbits from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series? Well, meet Bilbo “Billy” and Pippen two miniature horses! With my horse out of commission and a driving clinic coming up (for which I’m the organizer, to…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
Trish Times Two: Double the Driving Fun with Demers
What’s more fun than one day of lessons with Trish Demers? Two days of lessons, that’s what! The HUB Club of northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin invited Patricia “Trish” Demers from Prescott Valley, AZ back to the Chicagoland area for a carriage…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
Ask the Vet: Summer’s Hottest Questions
You’ve got horse health questions, and we’ve got answers! We asked Dr. Lydia Gray to answer your most commonly asked questions about summer horse care so you can help your horse beat the heat this year. Q: “How long should…
How to Maintain Sanity through Months and Months of Rehab
In December, Newman just didn’t feel right under saddle so I asked the local veterinarian I work with to maintain my horse’s health and soundness to come out and try to diagnosis this subtle asymmetry. Through a bevy of lameness…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
A Walk Down Memory Lane…to Vet School
I recently returned to my alma mater, the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, at the request of the first-ever SmartPak Vet Student Class Rep, 3rd year veterinary student Cheyenne Sams. She had scheduled a “Lunch & Learn” for…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
Trail Riding in Hawaii
Just before Christmas, my husband and I were lucky enough to make an unexpected trip to Hawaii for 5 days and 4 nights. It was our second time on the island of Oahu, where the state capital of Honolulu is…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
6 things I learned at the Explore Driving! Day of round table topics
Come November in the Midwest, the carriage driving season is over and there are no more shows, clinics, or recreational drives. So what’s a driver to do to fill their time? Come to a day of panel discussions on a…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
Seven Steps to Sidesaddle Success!
Almost a year ago, I set out on a journey to learn how to ride sidesaddle, as my horse gets bored quickly and thrives on new challenges (as long as the question is more mental than physical). If he were…
Dressage Seat Equitation: Calling all adult amateurs!
What to do when you’ve reached a plateau in competitive dressage: try your hand at earning a new Dressage Seat Equitation award from the USDF! I say “new” but I think this award has been open to all riders –…
Posted in SmartPaker Stories & Adventures
SmartPak Goes to Saratoga
SmartPak attends one small, one medium, and one large equine veterinary meeting each year. In 2018, the “small” was the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Summer Focus meeting in Raleigh, NC in June which was capped at about 100…
Posted in On the Road with SmartPak
