Horse Owners' Essential Tips: Grooming, Care, Tack, Facilities, Riding, Pasture

A comprehensive illustrated reference to simplifying horse care.

Horse Owners' Essential Tips is chock full of the best proven advice on horse care. Shared among owners and riders for years, these tips and tricks revolve around daily maintenance and the most common problems that arise when caring for a horse. The book packs them all together in an easy to use guide that will quickly earn a prominent place in the stable office.

The tips are organized into seven sections covering all aspects of horse care: Grooming; Care; Equipment; Stabling; Riding; Equestrian, In the Meadow, and Horse Life.

Here are some examples:

• About half a glass of sunflower oil in each ration will give a beautiful shine to a horse's coat.
• Hay should be fragrant and green but it also should not be too dry or too wet. To test, vigorously twist tufts of hay between both hands. It should be flexible enough to survive 10 twists before snapping (meaning it's not too dry) but if it still doesn't break after 15 twists, then it's too wet.
• A basketball net, without the backboard, makes a great hay feed net for a stable -- and it keeps the hay off the ground.
• To keep a stable water trough clean, install it into a corner of the stable and fix a metal bar about one foot (30 cm) front of it. This will keep the wrong end of the horse away from the water.
• Some horses eat much too quickly, which can cause deadly choking or bloat. To slow it down, break stones of salt into the ration. This slows the horse down as he has to pick through the food to avoid the salt.

Horse Owners' Essential Tips is eminently practical and informative for all new and veteran horse owners and for young and experienced riders alike. An essential selection for all collections.

Philippe Meyrier has had a lifelong passion for horses. He attended École Estienne art school before founding his own design company, a publishing house, and an illustrated newspaper. He has devoted himself almost exclusively to his art of drawing horses and riders. His work has been exhibited around the world and published in numerous horse magazines and books. He lives in France.