Ron Petracek

Stallion Promotion

It's almost that time of year again! As the fall and winter near, there will be mares and stallions being placed under lights as they are prepared for the next breeding season. This is also that time of the year when mare owners are desperately searching... Read >

West Nile Virus Myths

Just a few years ago, West Nile swept across the United States. The disease was one of the most dramatic epidemics that U.S. veterinarians had to face. The disease was responsible for the deaths of thousands of horses and a few humans as well. There ar... Read >

Give Your Horse Some Slack

Many people have problems training their horse to stand still. This is usually because many people are constantly messing with their horse to make them stand still. The funny thing about the horse is that he is kind of like a little kid. If you want hi... Read >

Deworming Demystified

How do you keep those nasty parasites at bay? A regular deworming process is necessary to rid your horses of dangerous, and sometimes deadly nasties such as large strongyles, small strongyles, ascarids, bots, pinworms, intestinal threadworms, and summer s... Read >

Managing Your Foal With Imprinting

It's true that mother knows best, but a little human help doesn't hurt either. Since Dr. Robert Miller introduced foal imprinting about 20 years ago, breeders, trainers, and owners have embraced this hands-on approach credited with producing more manageab... Read >

Footings - Train And Compete Injury Free

The ideal footing for your horse will depend on what type of event, climate, natural ground type and location of where you work, exercise and train your horse. In most cases, it is easier to find a service that is more suitable for one event in particula... Read >

Jumping Finesse: Don't Get Shaken Loose!

Do you have a horse who loves to jump? That's great news! Many riders would love to be in your shoes-or stirrups as the case may be. Some horses take their love of jumping to the next level, and go really big-much bigger than they have to-over jumps. W... Read >

Riding Down Hills

When you are out riding on trails, there is a right way-and a wrong way-to go down hills. As with many skills in riding, the key to successfully and safely navigating hills is good balance. A horse going down a hill has a hard enough time balancing on ... Read >

Signs of Navicular Disease

Navicular disease is somewhat of a mysterious condition among horseowners. They may walk to their barn one day to find a horse that is sitting on his haunches and appears to be in enormous amounts of pain. Or, they may notice that their colt in race tra... Read >

Have You Outgrown Your Horse

How do you know when your horse is too small for you? Quite simply, when your horse can't carry you comfortably, you've outgrown him. Of course, there are ways to outgrow a horse well before he feels physical discomfort. So how do you know when it's time ... Read >

Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)

Many breeders and mare owners are working to inform themselves more on this disease, as the devastating effects are being felt by those who haven't checked to see if their mares or stallions have been vaccinated against this disease that causes abortion i... Read >

Equine Influenza

It's flu season and you feel a little under the weather. Did you know that your horse can get the flu too? That's right! Just as the flu spreads quickly through groups of people, equine influenza spreads quickly through groups of horses as well! But don't... Read >

Parelli Natural Horsemanship

Natural horsemanship has become very popular in the last few years, with Pat Parelli's name at the top of the list of trainers using this method. He has his own unique program in place for horse owners to follow, or to at least take into consideration whe... Read >

How to Photograph your Horse

A good photograph portrays your horse in his best possible light. A bad photograph, by contrast, draws attention to every fault, no matter how insignificant, and sometimes even exaggerates those faults! Whether you are advertising your horse beca... Read >

Are You Ready to Buy Your First Horse?

You've loved horses ever since you were a kid and have always dreamed of owning one. You've spent the last three years taking horseback riding lessons. You know how to tack up, muck out, and have read just about every book out there on the care and feedin... Read >