Track wild mustangs in the barren and remote high desert area of Pizona in Inyo National Forest, which plays host to North America’s wildest bands of mustangs. Observe free-roaming herds, blooming wildflowers and other resident wildlife, and learn about the history, social behavior and uncertain future of these proud animals.

Tip #4- After judging a class, most of the time your first instinct is to go to work writing out your reasons. However, this is doing yourself a huge disservice. Writing out your reasons forces your brain to remember the piece of paper, not the horses. If you get stuck in the reasons room, you’ll have a harder time trying to remember what you were trying to say. Instead, jot down a few key words or bullets and refer to those when practicing, not your whole notes page.

Aluminum corrodes. Alkaline in urine and manure is the biggest culprit. An aluminum floor has to be washed with soap and water often to deter corrosion. Without cleaning, certain aluminum floors can fail in about eight years or less.

Among the diagnostic points covered are the necessity for a ‘whole horse’ evaluation that includes assessing range of motion in hand and under saddle on hard and soft surfaces, palpation of tendons and soft tissue, muscular symmetry (atrophy vs. development), flexion tests, way of going through the gaits on straight lines and circles, on contact and a long rein, and overall fit of the girth and saddle.

In a horse affected by sweet itch however, the immune system overreacts and the horse exhibits a type one hypersensitivity reaction, resulting in the release of histamine. Histamine causes intense itching and swelling at the site of the bite, making the horse rub and scratch, leading to skin damage and possible infection.

New to the HorseIQ Library are hunt-seat equitation pattern videos from the 2017 APHA World Championship Show. Use these runs to enhance your understanding of the class judging priorities and scoring system, practice judging and scoring runs, and to understand the nuances that compile to create a winning performance. In addition to the entire slate of class performances from the 2017 Classic Amateur Hunt-Seat Equitation class, find links to a blank scorecard, the pattern description and judges’ official scorecards.

Excess weight may cause or predispose horses to problems like joint pain, laminitis and insulin resistance, or it may indicate an existing metabolic disorder. Nutritional management of the overweight horse is key – and not quite as simple as some may think.

“It’s not uncommon to come across misleading ads or outright scams online. There have been many cases of people receiving a sick or diseased animal, or a breed unlike the description in the online ad. The truth is, it’s difficult for members of the public to differentiate between good and bad ads,” Dr Hazel said.

“To put it simply, Hendra virus has shaken the equine veterinary profession and the horse owning community in a way that we’d never experienced before. Hendra first emerged in 1994 in Queensland and it is responsible for the deaths of four people, including two veterinarians, Dr Ben Cunneen in 2008, and Dr Alister Rodgers in 2009,” he said.