Cherry Hill's Horsekeeping Almanac

808 Pages·2007·17.91 MB·English

by  Cherry Hill

CHERRY HILL’S
HORSEKEEPING
ALMANAC
CHERRY HILL’S
HORSEKEEPING
ALMANAC
THE ESSENTIAL MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE
FOR EVERYONE WHO KEEPS OR CARES FOR HORSES
Illustrations by Elayne Sears
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Deborah Burns
Editorial assistance by Melinda Sheehan
Art direction by Cynthia N. McFarland and Alethea Morrison
Cover design by Alethea Morrison and Jon Valk
Text design by Vicky Vaughn Design
Illustrations by Elayne Sears
Maps and image coordination by Ilona Sherratt
Photograph on page 14 by Randy Dunn
Indexed by Susan Olason, Indexes & Knowledge Maps
© 2007 by Cherry Hill
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written
permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor
may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the
publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our
knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the
author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in
connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please
contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and
for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
Printed in the United States by CJK
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hill, Cherry, 1947-
Horsekeeping almanac/Cherry Hill.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-58017-684-2 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Horses–Calendars. 2. Horsemanship–Calendars. I. Title.
SF285.H549 2007
636.1--dc22
2007032328
DEDICATION
To my mother, Sally George,
91 years young, who followed her own Almanac
while raising five children.
Thanks, Mom, for passing along your love of nature
and for teaching me how to cook, can, and make soap!
And to Richard,
husband, best friend, and fellow horsekeeper,
who has helped make my dreams come true.
Thank you, Richard, for everything!
CONTENTS
Preface
We Horsekeepers
Long Tail Ranch
Using This Book
LATE WINTER
January
Tracking your weather
Latitude map
Setting up records
Monitoring vital signs
Daily visual exam
Good manners for farrier visits
Cold weather feed rule
Calculating your horse’s weight and height
Mountain lions
Bobcats and lynx
Internal parasites
Deworming dos and don’ts
Windbreaks
Sanitation
Saddle check
Leather tack care
Income tax overview
Know your knots
Rhino #2 for your mare
Foaling kit
Barn cleaning
Maintaining your tractor
Beet pulp mash
Deworming
Bots
Winter weather patterns
February
First-aid kit
Finding and choosing a farrier
Hay is for horses
Hay amount
Natural feeding
Predators
Pasture check
Electric fences
Spread compost
Late winter grooming routine
Shedding
Bridle check
Turnout halter
Liability and property insurance
Power outages
Wood chewing
Manure-handling equipment
Pill prep
Health food for horses
SPRING
March
Floods
Time change
Immunizations
Mud season
Thrush
Beet pulp
Chore sandwich
Birds
Time to let your land rest
Manure management
Grooming tools for early spring
Halters and lead ropes
Trailer (shipping) boots
Budget
Cost of raising a foal
Breeding contract
Stallion selection
Life in the pen
Choosing the right mower
Natural horsekeeping
Flooding in the South
April
Lightning precautions
Time change in Canada
Ten skin ailments to avoid
Hoof cracks
Grains
Eagles
Turkey Vultures
Ticks
Miller moths
Tent caterpillars
Spring pasture tune-up
Handling manure
Helmets
Back in the saddle
Rain sheets
Buying a horse
Ground training review
Predicting foaling
Hazardous wastes
Spring cleanup
Spring vehicle maintenance
Pill paste
Horse colors
Conformation
Midwest tornado season
May
Hail
To shoe or not to shoe
Summer caretaker
Giving horses treats
Snakes
Spring pasture
Composting
How to bathe a horse
Clipping
Tail care
Saddle pad care
Blanket storage
Lessons
Leasing
Hay inventory
Trailer loading
Foaling
Round pen size
Fire strips
Servicing equipment
Rotary harrow
Correct weight
Mold and mildew
A continent of pastures
SUMMER
June
Hurricanes
Solstice