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The Big Comeback

Confidence is tough to regain after a fall. It’s much easier to work through your fears when you trust the horse you ride when your fears are still actively surfacing. Make sure that the horse

By Julie Goodnight Have you worked with a rescued horse or a horse with abuse in his past? The lessons learned from working with these troubled-but-not-disposable horses are priceless. If you let them, these horses

Extended Trot Instead Of Canter Cue

Julie Goodnight Q&A Q: How do I get my horse to move out at the trot without breaking into a lope? He’s a western horse learning dressage and the extended trot is part of the

Senior equine care protocol

By Jeannie Willems, LVT, RVT, BS Horses are living longer, more productive lives. This is partly due to the willingness of the horse owner to take better care of their investment, whether it’s a

Explosive Canter Departures: Learning to let go and allow the horse to move forward

I’ve learned to recognize the signs of the horse who’s afraid of the canter departure. I’ve seen it many times throughout my career: A “forward” horse (with too much go) works just fine with the

Dr. Getty’s Tip: Colostrum – An Exceptional Superfood!

By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. Colostrum – you know it as the mare’s first milk. It is a complex fluid, rich in nutrients and immune-regulating compounds, all designed to give the newborn foal the immune

Abby on Skippy with Julie standing beside them.

Becoming The Leader

I love when kids are interested in riding. Most of the time the best horses for learning are the lazy and slow ones. Even if they are usually well-behaved, these horses can learn quickly that

Past Performance is No Guarantee of Future Success

Anyone who has ever invested in the stock market has seen this disclaimer: Past performance is no guarantee of future success. Yet when we invest our resources into a well-trained horse, we expect a guarantee

My Horse Consistently Breaks Gait From A Lope To A Jog On The Right Lead. Q & A

Q: My horse consistently breaks gait from a lope to a jog on the right lead. What may be causing this? –Haley White A: This is an interesting question—and I wish I had a few

Feed-Time Aggression Q & A

Question: Why do some horses feel threatened when it comes to their food, and in return behave in an aggressive way at meal times? What can I do to prevent food-time aggression and stay safe

Trust Is A Two-Way Street

Trust is an elusive thing, both to give and to get. You cannot force or implore someone to trust you, you can only earn it. If you feel as though you have been wronged by

De-Spooking Shadow/ Update on Episode 909

The Key to De-Spooking Shadow Desensitizing had failed. Could a new approach help this gelding—on camera, no less? By Annette Nole Hall Our beautiful, kid-broke Tennessee Walking Horse is a spook. His name is Shadow and

Do You Know What You Don’t Know?

Identify holes in your horsemanship training and continually seek new information An assignment from my first riding instructor—assembling a bridle from scratch—at first seemed like an easy task. But what seemed easy turned out to

Dr. Getty’s Tip: Reduce Risk Of Infection When Traveling

www.GettyEquineNutrition.com March 22, 2016 For many horses, this is the season for traveling to horse shows and events. Considering periodic outbreaks of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) and other infectious diseases, it is critical that your

Add Serving Of Caution To The Tender Spring Grass

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2016 www.GettyEquineNutrition.com By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. Spring is almost upon us in most of the country, so it’s time to revisit that critical topic: spring grazing. Transitioning a

5 Pound Challenge Monthly Post

February My husband reminded me that we are going on a beach vacation soon— Yikes! The double whammy! Vacation calories plus skimpy clothing and bathing suits. If that doesn’t motivate me to lose weight,

Sharing Your Passion For Horses With Kids

There is much about life to learn from horses and the lessons learned are too important not to share with as many youngsters as we can—be it your children, grandchildren or the neighborhood kids. If

What Is Vegetable Oil?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE www.GettyEquineNutrition.com February 23, 2016 What is “Vegetable” Oil? by Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. The ingredient list is your most important source of information when evaluating a feed or supplement for your horse.

Six Points To Consider Before Using A Calming Supplement

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Apr 29, 2015 | Travel and competition season is upon us, and “show nerves” are common, even in horses. Agitated, nervous horses that are normally well behaved may benefit

How To Feed A Severely Neglected Rescue Horse

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Apr 22, 2015 | When we can offer a safe, caring home to a severely neglected horse, everyone in the horse world cheers. If you have recently adopted a

Guess Who’s Coming To Harrisburg?

by Pennsylvania National Horse Show | Apr 16, 2015 | A few hints…. Emmy Winning Television Star…..Celebrity Stylist….. Author……Fashion Designer… While his previous experience at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show was as a competitor, his

Dr. Getty’s Tip: Too Much Iron Can Be Detrimental To The Insulin Resistant Horse

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Mar 26, 2015 | Are you adding a supplement to your horse’s diet that contains iron? You may want to consider changing it if your horse is overweight, diagnosed

Equine Author Announces 2015 Book Tour

by Sharon Miner | Mar 24, 2015 | Sharon Miner, the author of the Beloved Horses series, will be traveling from her home in Tampa to the Mid-Atlantic region in early May for her 2015

Obesity. The Real Cause. The Real Fix.

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Mar 20, 2015 | Obesity is an epidemic problem with domesticated horses. Although we most easily attribute the problem to overfeeding concentrates combined with too little exercise, the underlying

Dr. Getty’s Tip: Calculating With PPM In Two Easy Steps

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Feb 27, 2015 | The trace mineral content of most feeds and supplements is provided in terms of parts per million (ppm). A ppm is the same as mg/kg

Do You Need To Analyze Your Hay?

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Feb 24, 2015 | Many horses rely entirely on hay for their forage needs. Is hay nutritious? Not very. Hay is dead grass; it no longer contains many of

Dr. Getty Urges: “Don’t Let Your Horse Develop An Ulcer!”

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Jan 22, 2015 | Dr. Juliet Getty never stops urging horse owners to “feed your horse like a horse,” for the simple reason that a horse, fed according to

Hemp Seeds Rival Soybeans In Protein Quality

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Jan 16, 2015 | Soybean meal is the most commonly added protein source in horse feeds. However, increasing numbers of horse owners are shying away from feeding it, most

Your Mare’s Pregnancy: Nutrition For The Final 3 Months

by Juliet M. Getty Ph.D. | Dec 18, 2015 | During the first 8 months of pregnancy, your mare may be fed like any other horse, with a balanced, quality diet. But things are changing

Added Fat Improves Behavior

February 11, 2016 www.gettyequinenutrition.com Added Fat Improves Behavior by Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. Diet affects behavior. This makes sense. A well-fed horse is healthy. And a healthy horse feels good. Conversely, a poorly-nourished horse is

2016 February Blog – It’s About Time

It’s About Time Most things in life that are important, take an investment of time—an education, a career, a relationship. Mastering a skill or a sport, starting a new business, overcoming setbacks; none of this

Eddie’s New Saddle – How Saddle Fit Changes Over Time

I bought Eddie in the spring of his 3 year old year; he was a handsome and sensible youngster with a great pedigree. A very ‘typey’ stock horse, he stood 14.2 hands and weighed in

First Aid For Horses

I’ve been taking care of horses for half a century and during that time I’ve seen hundreds of injured horses, from mild scratches to cuts that need stitches to deep-tissue lacerations, punctures and impalements. As

On The Rail: Teaching Horse Behavior To Youth Q And A

On the Rail: Teaching Horse Behavior to Youth By Julie Goodnight Q: Dear Julie, I am a big believer in natural horsemanship and how effective it is to handle horses with an understanding

Tricks Of The Trade

Lingo – Ventral Edema A horse showing signs of ventral edema may have compromised health. Swelling is typically seen on the ventral midline of the horse’s belly and is characterized by puffiness, bumps or fluid

Surviving First Canter Lessons

Teaching Techniques Surviving First Canter Lessons By Julie Goodnight Canter: Sometimes, the mere mention of the word is enough to send riding students into panic and cause high blood pressure in the instructor. And it

On The Rail: Q And A

Question: I work as a therapeutic riding instructor at a facility that has about 20+ horses. We have all types of horse behavior issues that creep up before we know it. I’ve seen a gelding

Integrating New Horses Into Lesson Programs: Q And A

Question: The camp where I work mainly serves kids which have never ridden before, and some of our horses will have 15 different riders in a week between campers and horse lessons. Some of our

Teach –Ride At Will During A Lesson

Riding lessons are all about imparting information and developing rider skill, but sometimes students are over-loaded with information. It’s helpful to plan practice time in each lesson– either at the end of the lesson for

Tack – Cheek Piece

For many horses, particularly in the winter when the hair coat is very thick, pulling the bridle over the ears is a tight fit and can cause a lot of momentary discomfort in the horse’s

Herd – The Frog Sloughs!

The frog of the hoof grows continuously and is an important structure of the foot. Traditionally, farriers would trim the frog back, keeping it very neat and trim, but increasingly farriers are leaving the frog

Feed-Time Aggression Fix Q & A

Question: Help! What do I do, my horses are crowding me when I go into their pen to feed them and it’s just scary to have them so close and on top of me. Plus,

Julie’s Training Log: November 2015

As I write my articles for November’s newsletter, Equine Affaire is quickly approaching! Hard to believe, one of my favorite expos is so close. Equine Affaire is November 12-15, 2015 http://www.equineaffaire.com/massachusetts/ and I will be

Five-Pound Challenge

Thanks for your interest in the challenge! Find out more and take the challenge pledge here>> Visit and join our Facebook group here>> How to take the challenge: Find a friend (or friends) willing

Note from Julie: October 2015

Dear friends, We’ve just returned from an incredible 4-day ranch-riding clinic at the C Lazy U Ranch and soon I am headed to Spanaway, Washington, for my last 2-day horsemanship clinic of the year, then

For No Apparent Reason: Learning to understand why horses behave the way they do

When folks tell me about problem behaviors, I hear one phrase often. I admit I’ve even said it myself when I was a young trainer. “For no apparent reason, my horse….” You can fill in

Top Tips To Prepare Your Senior Horse For Winter

What defines a senior horse? While there is no consensus among experts about what constitutes a “senior” horse, most agree that it is not based on chronological age but on physiological age. Some horses may

Julie’s Tips On America’s Horse Daily

Find Julie’s tips from the AQHA publication. Tips about riding a rough trot, dealing with a head shy horse, links to safety videos, cantering tips, manners at feed time and more. Videos and articles await>>

Horseback Riding Basics: Using Your Aids, Part 2 from AQHA Daily

Clear, consistent communication is the key to smooth transitions with your horse. AQHA Professional Horsewoman Julie Goodnight explains that your horse comes to understand how you’re moving with how he’s moving and that you can