Every single day across the United States veterinarians see hundreds of horses stricken with the painful disease, laminitis- an illness that affects the feet of our beloved horses. The sad news is that many cases of laminitis are completely preventable; it appears that many of us may be killing our horses with what we consider to be kindness. A common cause of laminitis is overeating, which frequently results in insulin resistance in horses, culminating in laminitis for some.

Educating ourselves on the signs, causes, and treatments of laminitis may help us reduce the risk factors for our horses or control the long term effects if it has already occurred.

Laminitis Definition

Laminitis interferes with horse health by disrupting blood flow to the sensitive and insensitive laminae. These structures in the foot keep the hoof wall and coffin bone secure. An inflammation can weaken the laminae and interfere with the bond between bone and wall. In the severest of cases, these areas can separate completely. In that situation, the coffin bone can rotate within the foot, move downward, and penetrate the sole. Although, capable of affecting one or all of a horse’s feet, it usually occurs in the front feet concurrently. Although many people use the words “laminitis” and “founder” interchangeably, founder generally is used to describe a chronic problem.

Laminitis Causes

Although laminitis is a disease which strikes the feet, it is generally the result of a disturbance in another part of the horse’s body. While the exact reasons why the feet are damaged are unknown, the causes can include the following:

1. Improper horse nutrition like a sudden dietary change or excessive grain or horse treats.
2.  The sudden introduction of lush forages that the horse’s gut is unaccustomed to. This is referred to as “grass founder.”
3. A foot concussion. This is referred to as “road founder.”
4. An established foot disease or disorder.
5. A high fever, particularly Potomac Horse Fever.
6. Black walnut shavings used in bedding.
7. Improper removal of placenta in a mare that has recently foaled.
8. Excessive weight bearing on one leg resulting from an injury of another.
9. Toxins released in the horse’s body.
10. Equine colic.

Signs of laminitis

1. A hesitant or reluctant gait.
2. Painful reaction when hoof testers apply pressure to the toe region.
3. A “sawhorse stance.”
4. Walking in circles or shifting feet when standing.
5. Rapid digital pulse.
6. Heat in the foot.

Treatment and management of laminitis

The sooner treatment for the disease is begun the better the odds are that your horse will make a full recovery. It is worth noting that horses that have had laminitis before are inclined to have recurrences in the future. The problem can be chronic, as cases of the coffin bone rotating within the foot can result in laminae that never go on to regain the same strength they had originally. Treatment for laminitis will vary according to horse, but generally will include the following:

1. Dietary restrictions. Horse grain and pasture may be restricted by your veterinarian.
2. Stabling the horse on soft ground to reduce pressure on the laminae.
3. Draining out any abscesses that may develop around the hoof.
4. Mineral oil may be administered through a nasogastric tube.
5. Fluids may be pushed if the horse becomes dehydrated.
6. Antibiotics may be prescribed to fight infection. Anticoagulants are also frequently used to improve the foot’s blood flow.

Some horses that are afflicted with laminitis can go on to make a full recovery and live out full and useful lives with no problems. Others may find that their cases become chronic and must be euthanized for humane reasons. As with many other diseases, the best way to deal with laminitis is to prevent it from ever occurring. If you want to introduce lush pasture to your horse, do it gradually. Keep horse grain securely stored out of reach. Assist your horse in maintaining a healthy weight through proper diet and exercise, and use organic horse feed if it’s possible. If your horse is under stress or ill, keep an eye on him as this can be the precursor to laminitis. Above all, practice quality hoof care and provide your horse with access to quality, routine health care. If you see any symptoms of laminitis, contact your veterinarian immediately, as early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to reduce the debilitating effects of laminitis or founder.

Do you love your new puppy but hate the smell that accompanies housebreaking? Do you have a kennel that smells of dog odor no matter how often you clean it? Then the people at Spalding Labs have a great product for you to try. Bye Bye Odor joins the Spalding family of natural, Earth-friendly, biological control products that are designed to make your world smell a little nicer.

Spalding Labs’ Bye Bye Odor is a natural solution to odor control that’s safe to use. Bye Bye Odor has been formulated especially to greatly reduce or eliminate a variety of bad smells that accompany animal manure and urea. It works rather ingeniously; the microbes inside of Bye Bye Odor begin to work when they get wet. They then break down and consume the organics that lead to unpleasant odors and the unhealthy buildup of ammonia that frequently accompanies confined animal waste products. Although these ingredients have been used by varying products like household carpet cleaners, stain removers, and commercial odor removal products for many years, the concentration of microbes in Bye Bye Odor are much higher than those offered by competitors. Bye Bye Odor doesn’t cover up unpleasant smells, it cleans them up. Whether you use it indoors or out, the microbes inside are perfectly safe for use around humans as well as animals.

Bye Bye Odor arrives in a 32 ounce spray bottle that’s ready to use immediately. If you prefer, you can also purchase it as a super concentrate that can be diluted before use with water. All you need to do is pour the 4 ounce bottle into a 2-3 gallon sprayer like you would use in your garden and add tap water. Then, just clean the pen area or kennel like you normally do before spraying a generous mist of Bye Bye Odor. For best results, Spalding Labs recommends that you spray areas where waste accumulates daily.

Kennel owners and breeders will find that Bye Bye Odor is especially designed with them in mind. Regular daily usage in kennels after a thorough washing down will provide a simple, fast, and effective way to control the smells associated with urine and waste products. Bye Bye Odor also works well on breeding boxes, dog crates, and areas in the yard where your dogs like to “do their business.” It usually only takes 3 to 5 days of daily applications to completely remove all unpleasant odors from the area.

For over 35 years now, Spalding Labs has been the leader in fly control with their ingenious Fly Predators. Bye Bye Odor integrates well with the other Spalding products because it too is a product that’s designed to remove problems organically. Both Fly Predators and Bye Bye Odor are Earth-friendly ways to deal with unsavory sections of life; and it deals with them the way that Mother Nature would- safely and gently. There is never any need to worry about using Spalding Labs products around your kennel or in your home. All of their items are safe to use around people as well as animals.

Bye Bye Odor is reasonably priced. Four ounces of concentrate will make 2 ½ gallons of solution that you can use for up to 2 months. After 60 days, the microbes inside of Bye Bye Odor become ineffective. At only $19.95, the cost of maintaining the health of your dogs comes to only pennies a day.  If you prefer, you can purchase a 32 ounce bottle of Bye Bye Odor that’s ready to use for just $11.95. You may also buy the 4 ounce packages in groups of 4 for just $69.95 directly from Spalding Labs’ website. Doing so will save you $9.85 over the cost of buying individual packages. Finally, large kennel owners will be interested to know that they also sell a 32 oz. concentrate that makes 20 gallons of reconstituted Bye Bye Odor for $119.95, enough to clean as many kennels as you can imagine.

Spalding Labs’ Bye Bye Odor frees you up to spend more time with your dogs. Whether they’re in the house with you or outside in the kennel, Bye Bye Odor takes the stink out of dog ownership. Try some today. Your dogs will thank you.

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By following several simple steps discussed here, you may find that getting rid of flies has never been easier. You can virtually eliminate flying pests without having to resort to hiring an exterminator who uses insecticide or fumigation techniques that can harm the environment and may do little to stop infestations, long term.  This involves understanding how a variety of strategies all work in concert to discourage house flies reproduction and to eliminate the flies that do make it to adulthood. Take these steps to heart and you should find getting rid of flies and other flying pests to be easier than ever before.

 

Number one is cleaning up your property. It may sound simple, but stressing sanitation is the first step in fly prevention. More importantly, is understanding just what effective sanitation actually involves. All outside trash and manure areas should be kept as clean as possible. Make sure all your garbage cans feature lids that seat tightly and always line them with garbage bags. Garbage cans that are kept clean combined with properly sealed, garbage bags, means a huge decrease in odor, which dramatically reduces attracting flies looking to lay their eggs. Keep garbage as far from stables, kennels and housing as possible.

Weekly garbage and manure disposal is critical, as house flies and blue flies require a minimum of eight days to emerge from their cocoon or pupae. Keeping fly breeding materials such as rotting hay, loose straw, leaves, wet manure and mulch either down to a minimum or covered with black plastic is critical. The plastic encourages the materials to warm up, which in turn destroys fly larvae. Remember, fly breeding is always centered around moist manure, vegetation or rotting organic matter. And, understanding how to get rid of flies means really understanding how flies live.
Spreading potential breeding materials out thinly so that they can dry out also discourages completion of the fly’s development.  You may want to invest in a dump trailer or landscape trailer to be able to do this properly.  This is because flies require very specific moisture and warmth ratios in the materials the pupae are maturing in. And, swift disposal of any road kill near your property will help keep quick fly infestations from having a chance to develop.

 

Weed control is another critical component in controlling green flies. Flies need somewhere to rest as well as to escape from extreme temperatures. Tall grasses and weeds provide the perfect fly haven. By eliminating weeds and maintaining closely cropped lawns and fields, flies can often be encouraged to rest and get cooled down, elsewhere.

 

 

Discouraging Fly Breeding & Killing Adult Flies. Two Steps That Eliminate Pests Successfully.

Once the House Flies having started to harass you and your animals, killing them off should be your first concern, right? Think Again. Standard spraying can leave a toxic residue on horse feed particularly horse feeds like beet pulp and, is rarely effective for very long and does little to address your real problem. While the desire to spray the little monsters away may be your inclination, you’ll not only find it ineffectual, but it could dramatically INCREASE the problem. The flies visible to you are only 10% of the problem. Another 90% are lying in wait, days away from crawling out of their pupae. Spraying kills the beneficial insects that kill cocooning pests.

Yes, there are several insect species of which “fly parasites or fly predators,” are the most instrumental in keeping your fly problem down, organically. These insects are constantly preying on cocooning fly larvae, so that only 2 to 4% of them ever make it to adulthood. For organic pest control, your job is to:  1.  Increase the ratio of these beneficial bugs. (They’re practically invisible and utterly harmless to humans, livestock and pets.) And 2. To use pest-killing strategies that won’t harm the good, fly killer bugs.  With all these beneficial bugs about, why do we even have fly problems to begin with?

Because pest fly populations out reproduce beneficial flies by a 9 to 1 ratio. Your aggressive addition of fly predators means you’ll be able to curtail the majority of the 2 to 4% of flies that make it to adulthood. That there will be more female fly predators using metamorphosing flies as incubators, curtailing the development of emerging flies. Systematic distribution of fly parasites at the first sign of spring works best. But, if you’re a tad late and adult flies are already present, you’re going to need fly traps (And, not just any fly trap.) and possibly poison fly bait to get the problem under control quickly.

Which Fly Trap Strategies Work Best Against Which Flying Pests?

Insect pest traps that work by attracting pests with non-poisonous, specially designed odors are known as attractant traps. These are the most popular for eliminating House Flies. Capable of luring flies from a distance of up to one hundred and fifty feet away, these should be placed away from your main stable, kennel, living areas, etc. Conversely, sticky fly traps, can and should be placed inside kennels, barns, dairies, etc. and do not promote flies, getting rid of any flying pests that haven’t been killed through other means.

Signs like a chewing dog could mean you’ve got issues with flies on dogs. House Fly Traps are virtually useless when it comes to trapping Deer, Horse or Biting Stable Flies. These insects are attracted to flies traps featuring strategic visual stimuli. These specie specific traps work best when installed at least ten feet away from horse stalls & corrals. They should be no more than four feet above the ground and posted where the sun hits the hardest. Out in your fields and pastures, place them approximately 50 to 100 feet from one another and be sure to make them inaccessible to your animals. (They’re harmless, but unbelievably sticky!) Horse & Deer Flies need to be captured and killed with specialty fly traps that exploit their need to fly upwards when panicked.

 

Problem/Solution-Flies: How To Get Rid Of Fly Infestations & Prevent Them Going Forward.

 

Just as the temperature starts warming up, bam! You’re greeted with the first fly swarm of spring. Why? Because while you may not understand fly reproduction, the little monsters certainly understand you. So, turn the tables on that first group of flying adult pests with a poison fly bait campaign. At the same time, install your odor lure and sticky fly traps and start spreading the beneficial fly parasites everywhere. DO NOT use toxic fly sprays. Most insect repellent and insecticides are indiscriminate and will destroy your beneficial insects along with the flying pests, which could create an even bigger fly problem. They’re not only fairly ineffective against the flies you want to deter, they’re great at killing the beneficial bugs that are going to help you get future generations of fly pests under control. Poison fly bait holds no interest for the good guy bugs and does nothing to harm them, so they can stay healthy and very, very, busy. Slaughter the adult pest flies, get rid of those fly larvae about to burst forth from their metamorphosing naps and you’re making great strides in the fly control wars.

 

Keep in mind that resisting the habit to use bug sprays will not only save the beneficial bugs you’ve purchased, it will allow the dung beetles and mites you’ve already got on the job to do their work. All these natural fly pest predators, combined with the right fly traps, sanitation and gardening routines should eliminate your fly problem quickly. Who knows, pretty soon your neighbors may come to you for the low-down on pest control products and how to get rid of flies.

Laminitis occurs most frequently when a horse’s digestive tract experiences a carbohydrate overload, which means a sudden or excessive increase in grain, high sugar grass or other high sugar/starch content horse feeds. This leads to a rapid change in bacteria levels, affecting the horse’s PH and allowing toxins to be released into the horse’s blood, where they can dramatically interfere with hoof circulation. Given the significant detriment to horse health that laminitis can create, while it may be treatable, laminitis is best dealt with through rigorous prevention.

 

Now, while the majority of laminitis is caused by improper horse nutrition, there are other causes. Barbaro, the celebrated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who shattered his leg at the Preakness, fell ill to laminitis brought on by both the severity of his injuries, and his subsequent attempts to shift much of his weight onto his front legs. An extended period of lameness in one leg almost always guarantees laminitis. This is because horses are designed to spend most of their time standing, ready to run from potential predators. Because they simply can’t lay down for extended periods of time, they end up throwing too much of their great weight onto their remaining healthy legs. Since their front legs already bear the brunt of supporting more of their weight than the back legs, the additional stress tends to lead to a inflammation of the laminae in the hoof, which is known as laminitis. When a horse has extreme laminitis, we say that the horse has founder. By minimizing equine feed problems, you can decrease the likely-hood that your horse will ever be plagued with this issue.

 

First, avoid excessive feeding or pasturing on rich grasses.  This means the high sugar grasses (grasses with high soluble carbohydrates) that grow in the Spring and Autumn. Make sure your horses cannot access feed bins or tack rooms where grains, specialty feeds and horse treats are stored, under absolutely any circumstances.

 

Horses are giant children and will gorge themselves on sugary feeds, given the chance. All it takes is one incident of a horse breaking into an improperly secured feed room for that horse’s destiny to take a life altering, turn for the worse. Another major issue is watering. Make sure the temperature of your horse’s water is monitored. Horses will often avoid water that is too hot, too cold or covered by ice, and then, driven by overwhelming thirst, abruptly drink large quantities of overly cold or hot water. This can lead to equine colic or laminitis, so, it’s critical that this not be allowed to occur.

 

While we all like our horses to look slightly fat and shiny, don’t let your horse become obese. Overweight horses are more susceptible to laminitis. If your horse appears to be getting fat, determine the right combination of hay, horse grain & horse supplements your horse needs to slim down. Consult with your veterinarian, design a plan based on the recommended combination of horse products and stick with it.

 

Conditions such as diarrhea in horses, peritonitis (an inflammation/irritation of the thin tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen) and metritis (uterine inflammation conditions that often arise after foaling.) can also release toxins into the bloodstream, leading to laminitis. Do not hesitate to ring the vet the minute any of these problems, arise.

 

Avoid trotting or cantering your horse on hard surfaces, especially pavement. Driving and cart horses are especially prone to laminitis brought on by excessive shock from hard surfaces. If you must use your horse on roads or hard trails, keep to the walk and talk to your shoer about pads.

 

Make sure your horse’s feet are trimmed regularly. Overly long feet can lead to laminitis.

 

Stress actually makes some horses more prone to developing laminitis. If your trainer or grooms are particularly tough on your horse, you might consider a new barn.

 

Horses reluctant to load into horse trailers may actually be telling you that they find the ride too stressful. Should this happen, inspect the horse trailer’s floor cushioning. Is it truly sufficient compared to other brands? And, with no horses in the vicinity, jump up and down in the horse trailer and see how much noise it makes. That sound is akin to what your horse is being subjected to as she’s hauled. Then, check out other trailers and see if they’re less noisy. You may actually have to swap trailers or haulers to help reduce your horse’s stress levels while hauling.

 

For horses on ulcer prevention or pain killing medications, monitoring horse’s gut flora is critical. These medications can impact her intestinal enzymes leaving her vulnerable to digestive issues. This can lead to blood toxin overloads and potential bouts of laminitis.

 

Feeding Horses Correctly, Post Laminitis.

 

Many folks feel that you feed for horses with laminitis by almost starving them. This is certainly not the regime recommended by many equine dietary experts. It’s best to use a balanced combination of minerals, forage feeds, vitamins and, in some cases, Alfalfa Hay or Straw Chaff. The Alfalfa Hay can help keep your horse’s calcium levels at the recommended levels.

 

Whether your horse is used for pleasure, showing or is currently recuperating from a laminitis attack, a high fiber, low carbohydrate diet, balanced with equine supplements, is probably the best place to start. Some older horses do require senior horse feed, as well. Before considering adding specialized feeds such as senior horse feed, it’s always recommended that you consult with your horse’s veterinarian. Study up on horse feed choices and consult with your veterinarian about the best diet for your horse. Ask him about everything down to the horse treats you use. Feeding horses, whether they’re healthy or not, is a balancing act and it’s best to get help from the experts. With so many specialty feeds and supplements for horses, on the market, trying to pick the best horse products by yourself, could be overwhelming.

While Spalding-Labs is renowned for their Fly Predators®, the amazing beneficial insects that stop house flies from successfully reproducing, they’re not interested in resting on their laurels. While thousands of horse owners across the U.S. have used Spalding-Labs Fly Predators to eliminate the majority of their house fly problems, there’s always the issues of visitor flies. Any neighbor living with 1/4 mile of you that has large animals, is going to be the source of visitor flies. Given that Fly  Predators rarely stray more than 150 feet from the place they originally  hatched, they’re not going to be able to help you stop visitor flies. Nearby neighbors with many animals can be the source of a continual onslaught of visitor flies. If you’re located near anything like a neighboring equestrian center, feedlot or cattle ranch, you may have a serious problem that can’t be addressed through Fly Predators alone, and that’s why Spalding-Labs is adding Fly Traps to its fly fighting arsenal.

Persuading your neighbors to test out Fly Predators is usually successful. But, all it takes is one hold out who simply can’t understand the amount of damage he or she is costing their own operation, let alone their neighbor’s and you’ve got to be pro-active. For some of the most effective, USDA tested fly trap products, Spalding-Labs is the company to check out. If you don’t already know about Fly Predators, check them out. But, while you’re at it, make sure you learn all about their fly traps. They’ve got both sticky and stinky, to help you strategically catch and draw flies away from your animals. Spalding Labs offers sticky traps that are far more effective at catching flies than the springy, coiled types you see flitting around some barns. Another cool thing is Spalding-Labs odor lure fly traps. Just ring the kind and helpful Spalding Labs folks at 888-562-5696 and they’ll walk you through selecting the right traps for your situation.

Spalding-Labs spent a great deal of time, studying the market prior to adding fly traps to their roster. They ultimately based their fly trap partner selection, on a number of independent, USDA sponsored research studies.

Knowing that they needed to address a number of flying pests, including house flies and biting stable flies, Spalding-Labs ultimately implemented a wide spectrum of insect traps that, utilized in concert with Fly Predators, are being shown to be truly effective at limiting fly infestations. Go to Spalding Labs for more information. Because of Spalding-Lab’s foresight, you won’t have to spend a lot of time trying, testing and throwing away ineffectual fly trap products or trying to figure out which fly trap goes where.

Whether you’re concerned about staying organic or are simply looking for a proven, effective, integrated pest control strategy, Spalding-Labs is happy to discuss your situation. Contact their customer service reps between 5 AM and 6 PM, PST and get ready to shoo-flies for good.

During the Victorian era living spaces become more, “social friendly,” and the all-important tea and coffee rituals helped give birth to changes in people’s living arrangements-hence, the coffee table. Only, during that era, they were still known as tea tables.

Eighteenth century Europeans designed their living rooms around such furnishings as, “settles,” (A small sofa with a high back.) tea tables, end tables and centre and occasional tables. In the early 1800′s, sofa’s replaced settles as the most coveted seating choice for people’s living and sitting rooms. With that came sofa tables. These were placed directly behind the sofa and required awkwardly turning 180 degrees to procure the tea cups placed there.

Eventually, sofa tables gave way to coffee tables, a lower table that was placed directly in front of the sofa, creating far less awkwardness as both host and guests put their cups up and down on the table. Some historians cite this transition as being influenced by England’s then, turn of the century fascination with Japanese culture and the Japanese style of low, front placed tea tables. Since this important transition, the range of trunk coffee table choices has grown exponentially. Now, accessing coffee and other beverages from a centrally located, low standing table became the norm. But, one of the most inspired coffee table solutions are those designed both as a low table and as an inconspicuous piece of storage space. Now, it’s absolutely commonplace for living & sitting rooms to be built around something both unusual and elegant like a leather trunk.

Saunter into any furniture store, high end, mid priced, what have you and you’re bound to see an absolute bevy of coffee trunk options. Well, one of the easiest ways to create character in your living or sitting room, according to the powers that be, (i.e., interior designers) is with completely unique, vintage or vintage style storage trunks. Once you start to look around, you’ll see that a coffee trunk can, in fact, be a wonderful contribution to virtually any setting. Coffee trunks can be both charming and endearing, reminiscent, as they are, of a simpler, more romantic era. What many don’t realize is that the Chinese culture had incorporated the antique trunk into their lifestyle for centuries. The steamer trunk only met with its demise when suitcases came into being. The suitcase’s lighter construction and lower relative cost helped to push the steamer trunk into the annals of history.

Steamer trunks were commonly constructed by first building a pine box as the base. Then utilizing a great variety of protective coverings, they were decorated to taste. A great many recovered antique trunks have been found sporting every kind of covering imaginable, from unusually treated leathers to studded hides and the like. During their hey-day, the great majority of antique trunk brands were a form of offshoot production by furnishing manufacturers. As craftsmen sought ways to set their trunks apart a great many decorative papers, treated metals, hardwoods, canvases, and ornately styled hardware fasteners made their way into the craft.

If your house is decorated in a fairly eclectic, shabby chic or rustic style, finding a coffee square table or coffee trunk that will fit right in with your house’s decor shouldn’t be too difficult. Designers recommend wooden Japanese style or a refurbished trunk steamer as an easy solution. Your coffee table could easily become a great conversation starter. If you’re living in smaller quarters and you’re eager for more storage space, a trunk coffee table that double as extra drawers or storage space might be the ideal solution. Just having somewhere to throw your bootjacks when you pull off your boots after a long day could make this the ideal solution. Or, you could store more than just a bootjack collection. Saratoga trunks, manufactured before the 1880′s, were renown for their multiple compartments and trays. Some of them were on the slightly complex side, so you may want to look carefully through a few.

Victorian trunks often offered a number of tray and lid compartments. Everything from the incredibly complex to the extremely basic. A basic tray system might include a document, coin and hatbox and a shirt compartment. A more complicated system of trays might be composed of everything from secret compartments that were carefully designed to keep out the riff-raff, several shirt compartments and document & hatboxes, and a coin box. Really, why settle for an ordinary coffee tables wood? Imagine having several drawers worth of additional storage right where you set your coffee cups and bedtime snacks.

Consumers have a great many details to consider when scrutinizing horse trailers for possible purchase. “Should I select a gooseneck hitch or a bumper pull? Do I want an aluminum or steel horses trailer for sale minus the living quarters versus living quarters horse trailers? Most important, horse owners want to know that when they’re involved in horse trailering, that their horses, their rig and the horse trailer, itself, are all designed for maximum safety and comfort. Because getting from point A. to point B. safely, means everything.

While steel horse trailers have both been manufactured the longest and maintain the highest overall standards record, today’s steel horse trailers have been somewhat reconfigured. Solid re-engineering has allowed horse trailers to both weigh less and yet continue to withstand the same loads and stressors as their heavier made ancestors. Corrosion protection has also been dramatically enhanced by many steel trailer brands through chemically sophisticated pairings of automotive-quality paints and more highly galvanized construction materials.

Aluminum horse trailers have been the industry’s answer to lighter hauling weights and lower corrosion factors. However, with aluminum trailers being only 10-15% lighter and the corrosion factor being offset by aluminum’s oxidation issues, there can be higher maintenance costs over the life of the trailer. Not to mention that aluminum horse trailers can cost upwards of 10-25% more than steel.

Aluminum skinned, steel framed trailers offer the best of both worlds, marrying the corrosion resistance of aluminum with the strength of steel. The biggest issue with this construct is that without the proper barrier materials in place, electrolysis can be a very real issue.

How best to check out a trailer’s ability to withstand wear and tear? Why, at your neighborhood rodeo or horseshow, of course. Horse trailers living quarters and especially Horse trailers for sales, in the three to five year range, will give you a great point of reference for determining that brand’s cosmetic and structural integrity.

Every trailer has “tongue weight”. This is the amount of weight weighing down on your towing rig. Bumper pulls, popular with people pulling a 2 to 4 horse trailer and especially those with horse trailers living quarters, work by creating force all along the trailer to its very rear. With this kind of trailer’s axles poised to take on the majority of the trailer’s weight, your tow vehicle will be taking on approximately 10-15% of the trailer’s load, with the emphasis on its rear axles.

You’re probably aware of the fact that when bumper pull trailers are driven in reverse, they tend to almost over-react to any shift in the tow vehicle’s direction. This can be tricky to maneuver, especially for the beginner or novice trailer driver. Depending on your horse trailer’s size and your tow rig, here’s where a hitch that helps to distribute the weight more evenly can be extremely helpful. By redistributing the trailer’s weight and equalizing the pressure on the tow rig’s frame, this kind of hitch can make your load infinitely more easy to tow.

With a gooseneck trailer, the weight of the tongue is placed over the center of the truck bed and directly over the rear axle. This can offer a far safer driving experience for most drivers. Roughly 23-28% of a horse trailer’s weight is redistributed onto the tow rig. As the popular choice for 2 to 8 horse trailers, gooseneck trailers are infinitely easier to back up, whether you’re a novice driver or an expert. The trailer’s response is far more intuitive for any driver, as the trailer’s response to changes in direction is far more fluid. The downside? The gooseneck trailer’s longer length.

When shopping horse trailers for sale, regardless of whether they offer living quarters horse trailers or more standard features, it’s important to review the trailer’s genuine functions & features, or the trailer’s parts that are most inclined towards wear and tear.

When reviewing horse trailers for sales especially those with horse trailers living quarters, visualize yourself actually loading your horse and tack. Take notice of how well the tack doors seat when shut, how the dividers close, the way the feed doors drop, how smoothly the swing-out saddle racks, move, etc. Also, pay close attention to the noise factor. A horse trailer’s excessive noise and rattle factor can contribute dramatically to your horse’s stress levels. To get a real feel for your horse will be experiencing as he/she is trailered, try the following:

First, shut all of the horse trailer’s dividers, gates and doors. Then, starting jumping up and down in the trailer. Notice how much noise the trailer creates when you do this? Now,  imagine how your horse is going to feel, listening to this, mile after mile. Bear in mind, the more excessive noise your trailer generates, the more your horse’s performance could deteriorate at the horse show.

Among the most crucial aspects of any horse trailer’s design is the storage space factor. Most trailer manufacturers realize that giving you adequate space for your equipment and personal items is key.  Most offer features such as: side tacks, mid tacks, rear tacks and mangers equipped with additional storage, underneath. Here, it’s important for you to imagine horse trailering: loading and unloading all the tack, equipment and accessories you’re going to need to have everything fully at hand at your event or destination.

Of the convenient options available on so many horse trailer for sale brands, water tanks are among the most popular features. Averaging roughly 25 gallons in capacity, most take up little space as they are usually installed in a, so called, “dead corner,” where the wall angle meets the tail side wall. A door mounted tack organizer is very accessible and another tremendous space saver, giving you nifty compartments for your most needed supplies: brushes, bug spray, wraps, veterinarian supplies, etc.

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Calder Race Track Key Plays

#2 Champagne Account got a much needed race under his belt after six month’s rest and relaxation. Before that, he had been extremely competitive and should be raring to go today..

#5 Easy Over (8-1 ML) drops down from Maiden Special Weight company to $32,000 and tries the turf course in his second start, which should be the surface he excels on given his heritage. Paco Lopez keeps the horse, aiding his appeal at a square price.

Horse Betting Tips Triumph: Asmussen Score’s First Santa Anita Win With Silver.

ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 31, 2010) – In spite of having 504 training victories coming into the last day of 2010, Steve Asmussen was still missing something he’d been striving hard for, a win at Santa Anita Race Track. Well, he finally got his horse racing results where he wanted them on the very last day of the year

Silver Medallion, the 6-1 shot in the Eddie Logan Stakes for 2 year olds, won the $79,950 race, coming in one-length ahead of Ten Devils. This is being viewed as the day of reckoning for Asmussen and his Southern California operation.

As the winner of the Eclipse trainer’s Award for 2009 and 2008, Asmussen only had two horses race at Santa Anita Race Track prior to the launch of the 2010 winter/spring season. Given Santa Anita’s new, natural dirt main track and higher overnight purse structure, Asmussen elected to give it his all, bringing 30 horses to the track for the new season.

“We’ve got a lot of good horses beaten here, so any win right now feels good,” Blasi said in the winner’s circle. “This is a nice colt (owner) Mike Ryan sent us for a winter run on the grass. He’s trained well, and he ran like we thought he would.”

With Garret Gomez aboard, Silver Medallion scored Asmussen his first local win, with a time of 1:35.67 over the 1 mile course.

Horse Betting Tips Aqueduct: Dominguez, Pletcher, Dubb Come in At Of 2010 NYRA Standings.

If 2009 was a wonderful year for jockey, Ramon Dominguez, 2010 may come wrap up with an even more amazing horse racing and betting record for him.

After riding yet another 4 horses to the winner’s circle at Aqueduct on New Year’s Eve, the thirty four year old race rider saw his NYRA victories tally rise to 353 winning horse races for 2010, almost twice the number of runner-up, fellow jockey, David Cohen, who finished up the year at 180 winning rides.

It was Dominguez’s second NYRA horse racing title, who elected to park his tack trunk in New York, on a full-time basis starting in 2009.

Dominguez $16,911,880 earnings for the year clearly put him in the prize money winner’s circle for the first time, ever. New York regular John Velazquez followed second with annual  national purses totalling $16,743,328.

New York has been where Dominguez scores the majority of his triumphs, with all but 16 of his victories coming from there. This included Grade 1 wins aboard Haynesfield in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Man o’ War aboard Gio Ponti, the Garden City riding Check The Label and his Three Chimneys Hopeful win aboard Boys At Tosconova.

2010 saw Dominguez ride 5 winners on February 17th, 4 winners 12 times out and 3 winners on nothing less than 41 individual meet days.

“To be able to feel that 2010 was as good or better than 2009 is very gratifying,” said Dominguez, who lives near Belmont Park with his wife, Sharon, and their sons Alexander and Matthew. “It’s hard to pick out one highlight, but I thought the Jockey Club Gold Cup with Haynesfield and the Hopeful with Boys At Tosconova were special, and it’s always great to win with Gio Ponti because he’s such a good horse.”

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Starting Sunday – January 2nd, 2011 – DRF and NTRA are launching what looks to be one of the most potentially profitable horse betting contests in the history of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC).  This one year qualifier series, which wraps up in 2012, features a number of exciting firsts:

1. First off, you’ll need to sign up for NHC Tour membership to compete for seats at the 2012 NHC in Las Vegas. Click here or visit NTRA to learn more or renew your annual membership. You’ll immediately see benefits that will more than offset the cost of a $45.00 membership.

2. The 2011 Tour Championship will be awarded to the player with the five best top scores. There is a grand total of $125,000 to be split. Not only will the smartest horse betting tip winner earn $75,000 but they’ll be eligible for a $2,000,000 bonus should she or he win the 2012 National Handicapping Championship. The remaining $50,000 will be split between the 2nd through 5th place champions.

3. 2011 has 500 NHC player positions, more than ever before! Tour members will get to compete for 40 of the spots for either the 2012 or 2013 NHC. That means 40 Las Vegas opportunities to win $1,000,000 or more. Click here for more information about the 2011 Tour’s official guidelines.

The 2011 NHC Tour is kicking off early in the season, so it’s important to be registered by Sunday, January 2nd. Your $45.00 membership will make you eligible for the NHC Online Kickoff Challenge. The Top Finishing Five Race Results Players will be automatically qualified for the 2012 NHC Tour. Tour members will have access to an additional 10 positions, to be assigned over the year’s course in other free online Tournaments. Click here now to register for this coming Sunday’s online Tournament. Remember, you cannot join the tour until you have registered to become a member.

4. Best of all, the upcoming 2012 National Handicapping Championship will offer an estimated grand prize purse of $2,000,000 with an estimated grand prize of $1,000,000 to the NHC Grand Prize Winner. This translates into the 2011 National Handicapping Champion being up for a potential $3,000,000 total payday in Las Vegas in 2012. Think it’s out of your grasp? Well, talk to 53 year old Thomas Noone, from Redondo Beach in California. Just this last weekend, Tom won the $75,000 2010 National Handicapping Tour. He’ll be in Las Vegas, next month, where he’ll be competing for up to $2,500,000. Or, better yet, chat up Brian Troop, the Barrie, Ontario, 61 year young accountant who won $500,000 for nailing the 2010 National Handicapping Championship and who will be honored on January 17th, as Handicapper of the Year at Miami’s Eclipse Awards.

Among the benefits to be included in 2010 The National Handicapping Champion Tour are:

Eligibility to compete for the estimated grand prize of $1 million and a seat at the January 2012 National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

• Starting with the January 2nd, 2011 tourney offering 5 berths in the 2012, Free online tourneys offering 15 seats to the 2012 NHC.
• Season-ending, online tourney for the topmost 100 Tour points leaders, offering 15 seats to the 2012 or 2013 NHC.
• Top 10 Tour points leaders who have not already qualified to the NHC will also earn berths in the 2012 NHC.
• Special DRF offers, including:
  • 10% discount on the purchase of any DRF.com past performances plan — good for new and existing DRF.com members.
  • 20% discount on a single DRF Press order at check-out.
  • Daily Racing Form offerings alone, exclusive to Tour Members, more than offset your $45 membership fee;
• $125,000 in prize money to Tour points leaders based on the top five aggregate scores compiled during 2011;
• $2 million bonus to 2011 NHC Tour winner if he/she wins the 2012 NHC;

and much, much more.

With the 2011 calendar already scoring a record number of tournament locations and online dates, the good news is that all you’ve got to do is keep checking in as more dates are added.

With the 2011 NCH Tour and 2012 National Handicapping Championship looking to be the most enthralling contests in National Handicapping Championship history, players are encouraged to sign up now. The DRF or Daily Racing Form, has been the series title sponsor every year, since its inception in 1999. That year, the purse was $192,000 with winner Steven Walker of Lincoln, Nebraska winning the $100,000 Grand Prize. Being able to offer a $2,000,000 purse and $1,000,000 as soon as 2012 is a dream many thought would never come to pass. Well it has. So don’t miss out.

Santa Anita Race Track’s 74th opener, genuinely hit pay dirt. With the debut of a newly installed multi-million dollar, sand-and-clay racetrack, 2 long time track records were broken. The record setting horses emerged strong and sound and Santa Anita staffers seemed extremely pleased with the track’s performance.

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Most of the horse trainers and handicappers had expected a fast track, given the encouraging workout times seen in previous weeks, but Sunday surpassed their expectations. The opening day of the spring-summer meet yielded some of the most blazing horse racing results for today.

Celebrity trainer for the day, John Sadler, said his horses were great. “The main thing is horses are pulling up well,” His horses blazed to three stakes wins, including Grade One wins by Switch and Twirling Candy. Horse Betting Tipsters saw these returns: Sidney’s Candy paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10 and keyed a $6.20 exacta. Indian Firewter returned $2.60 and $2.60 after recording his ninth consecutive in-the-money finish for trainer Bob Baffert. Nextdoorneighbor was $3.40 to show.

Twirling Candy blasted Spectacular Bid’s 30 year old track record of 1:20 with a time of 1:19:70 in the Malibu Stakes. Twirling Candy paid $ 9.00, $5.40 and $4.00 and paid a $50.00 exacta.

As president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers Association, Sadler reported that as of Monday morning, he had yet to hear anything negative from fellow trainers.

“It was very formful yesterday,” he said. “Everything looks good so far. We’re going forward with a brand-new track.”

2 year old maiden, The Factor, trained by Bob Baffert, ripped through six furlongs in 1:06.98 on Sunday, smashing the  record of 1:07.20 set by Sunny Blossom in 1989. Monday, Baffert noted that The Factor was in good shape. He seemed impressed with the track’s shape, given that it was hit with roughly 14 inches of rain between December 17th and the morning of the opener, with the southland being drenched right up through the night of December 25th.

“They bounced right over it,” Baffert stated. “It was wet.”

Given the onslaught of drainage problems the track experienced with its previous, multiple, synthetic track installations, this year’s thunderstorm onslaught might have forced the track to cancel, had they not installed the new, all natural, dirt and clay track. The 2007-2008 meet was plagued with eleven days of cancelled racing and Santa Anita was also forced to cancel 5 days in the spring of this year.

To keep track times on an even keel, Santa Anita elected to discard time records generated during the synthetic track era, in spite of its contribution to some blazing performances.

In the track’s 9 race schedule, no horses sustained injuries. Santa Anita Race Track president, George Haines was pleased to say, “I’m more than happy with it being a safe day.”

At least two leading jockeys applauded the track’s quality and performance. Patrick Valenzuela called it perfect. “It was fine,” Victor Espinoza said. “They got over it pretty good.”

Monday, 176 workouts were recorded on the main track, with a few trainers taking a cautious tact both Sunday and Monday.

With The Factor breaking the six-furlong record, trainer Eric Kruljac elected to scratch 3-time stakes winner La Nez from the La Brea Stakes. Instead, he plans to start her in the Monrovia Stakes this Sunday or may wait for the Kalookan Queen Handicap on Jan. 7.

“They did a good job keeping the track raceable,” Kruljac said. “But you’ve got to weigh all the factors. It wasn’t in her best interest.”

Trainer Jim Cassidy exercised his 1st group of horses on the main track early Monday morning, then moved his 2nd group onto the infield training track.

“After the first set, the exercise riders said it was too hard,” Cassidy said. “The times got a little ridiculous” on Sunday.

Richard Tedesco, the track’s superintendent, indicated that the surface still had moisture through Sunday, leading to some surprisingly quick times. Maintenance staffers massaged the track’s surface through Sunday morning, harrowing the soil after removing several inches of top soil.

Tedesco expects slower times once the rain subsides.

“The amount of moisture [in the track] is keeping the speed up,” he said. “I think it will be slower. Everyone I’ve talked to, they’re saying their horses are fine.”

The advisory going out to trainers is to expect an inch of rain early Wednesday and that the track might be closed for workouts on that day.

Haines was reported to have expressed relief at Sunday’s injury free outcome. “It’s a good feeling,’ he said. “We knew we were being watched by the world.”

This is Horse Betting Tips Now, your touch stone for Horse Betting Tips, Horse Racing Results For Today and Horse Racing News, signing off.