I realize that you and the boys tend to get a little rowdy when you are turned out all day together. I also realize that you may be trying some new tactics to get my attention. But seriously – you HAVE to stop getting cut up on your lower legs because in a few weeks I’m not going to be physically capable of bending over to take care of you.

A few weeks ago Ace cut the inside of his hock. It got a bit infected and was swollen and hot for a few days. I spent lots of time with cold compresses and clean water (wash stall is out of commission for winter) to reduce the swelling and encourage healing. Yesterday I discovered a lovely cut on his right front leg above his pastern. It looked like one of his play buddies had come down on it with his hoof, taking out a chunk of hair and skin and scraping down his fetlock. It wasn’t terrible, but it was a little sore and swollen. So I did my cold compresses, cleaned it out, treated it, and wrapped it overnight to reduce the swelling. (PS Glenn and Jennifer – Well-Horse really is amazing stuff!)

At 28 weeks pregnant with my first, I’m fortunately not overly large in the belly yet (but I’m getting there fast!). I do, however, find myself modifying how I have to perform basic tasks around the barn – from treating leg wounds (or just cleaning off the excessive mud thanks to this non-winter) to filling the grain bin to getting brushes out of the grooming box.

With slight issues with balance starting to kick in, a lower back that gets sore fast if I bend over, and a bulging belly that gets in the way, I’m quickly finding new ways of doing things when I’m at the barn. Fortunately, with a few modifications (and a special helper) I haven’t had to give up my feed nights yet that help reduce my board costs.

Here are 5 basic modifications I’ve discovered that keep me active around the barn well into my pregnancy.

My Top 5 Tips for Modifying Barn Work While Pregnant

5. Carry stuff (yeah, I mean hay bales) low or to the side and use your hip if needed.

I found out real fast that I apparently have a habit of lifting with my arms and bracing hay bales against my stomach when I carry them. I never noticed I did it until a little bit of a baby bump made it super uncomfortable when I would lift a hay bale, and push it into the wheelbarrow with my belly. My modification? I carry the hay bale low against my thighs, lift with my arms, and use the side of my hip if I need to push it around. Large stacks of grain buckets are a little more awkward, but still manageable off to the side instead of the front of my upper body where I used to brace them.

4. Rest your horse’s hoof on your knee for hoof picking.

It’s amazing (read:pathetic) how out of breath I get these days just cleaning Ace’s feet. And with the amount of mud we’ve had, it’s an essential and sometimes lengthy process. Bending over is about the most uncomfortable thing in the whole world right now, which literally made hoof picking a royal pain. Modification? Partially squat keeping my back straight to ask Ace to lift his hoof, then stand part way up and have him rest his hoof on my knee for cleaning. Both are significantly easier on the back and the belly.

3. Use those arms to avoid twisting.

Any kind of movement where I twist in my core is uncomfortable and is sure to leave my poor stretched out abdominal muscles quite sore after I head home from the barn. It is also rough on the lower back. Pay attention to how you clean stalls or sweep out the barn aisle, and you’ll discover real fast that there’s a lot of twisting. The modification is using lots of arms, keeping your core straight, and moving your feet more often to get facing in the right direction. It feels awkward at first, but is much better than the alternative.

2. Always squat, never bend.

Mixing up grain buckets and bending over to scoop supplements, bending to the grooming box for brushes, bending to clean hoofs (and treat wounds), bending for flakes of hay – sense a trend? All that bending makes for a very sore lower back (and is just plain uncomfortable when your baby belly gets in the way). The modification? Always squat, never bend. It felt weird at first, but now I don’t have to think about it. And bonus? Squats are supposed to be a good pregnancy exercise in preparation for delivery.

1. Recruit a helper, preferably a pre-teen girl.

The very best trick for staying active in the barn late into pregnancy – making friends with a 12-year-old girl who is willing to do the heavy lifting and handle the misbehaved horses. Shout-out to mine – Hannah – who has been coming with me to the barn on feeds nights for nearly two years. We play with our horses together and then she helps me bring in and does most of the heavy lifting (read hay bales and grain bags) on our feed nights. She gets a ride weekly ride to the barn when her parents are tied up, the occasional English lesson on Ace, and valuable experience caring for the horses. It’s a win-win for both of us!

What other tips do you have for modifying your activity around the barn to accommodate for pregnancy? Comment below to share your best tips.

It’s a boy!

Now that the official stuff is over, please lament with me that I couldn’t convince my husband to let me go with a cowboy-themed nursery. Granted, it had nothing to do with the cowboys or the ponies at all all – and everything to do with the fact that he just didn’t want any kind of theme, period. Fortunately I generally agreed with him and didn’t have any interest myself is the typical overly-done themed nursery bedding and decor. But some of these little cowboy sets still captured my heart!

I saw this cowboy bedding from Montana Silversmiths several years ago while visiting my sister in Oklahoma. I might have fought a little harder for this one, if it hadn’t been discontinued.

The JoJo Designs Wild West Collection is one of my favorites, and is the only one carried by BabiesRUs where we did our registry. I like the simple horsey motif with the stars, paisley, and cow prints.

This is the CoCoLa Round Em Up baby bedding. It has a little more of the babyish style to it if that’s your thing – and a nice mix of neutral colors.

I particularly love the cactus on the Bananafish Round Up baby bedding. The pony is pretty cute too.

I like the balance of colors in this one, and particularly the cow and wire prints on the diaper stacker. This is the Boutique Horse Western Cowboy bedding from Geeny. (if you didn’t notice, this is the same pony from the CoCoLa set above)

And last but not least, here’s the not-at-all-horsey but completely perfect nursery bedding we picked out:

It’s the Skip Hop Treetop Friends crib bedding. We love the colors, the simple and understated design, and the lovely detailing. Just what we had in mind! And we can use it again in a few years if we need something appropriate for a little cowgirl too.

If you didn’t tune in to Horses In the Morning yesterday, hop over and take a listen to their fun version of announcing the Eclipse Awards winners that were released on Monday night. Glenn, Jamie, and our good friend Frankie Lovato -  an Eclipse award-winning jockey and founder of Jockey World – shared their picks for each of the Eclipse Awards, and then Jennifer played a sound file of the official announcement for each award.

But just what is the big deal about the annual Eclipse Awards anyways?

History of the Eclipse Awards

Prior to 1971, the Daily Racing Form and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association each had their own yearly awards. “Horse of the Year” awarded to well-known greats like War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Citation, and Bold Ruler was given by the Daily Racing Form. In 1950, the Thoroughbred Racing Association got in on the action and starting offering awards of their own – but picking all the same winners.

So in 1971, these two organizations along with National Turf Writer’s Association decided to team up and sponsor one set of awards. That year the official Eclipse Awards for thoroughbred racing were born, named after the great racehorse and sire Eclipse. In the mid-18th century Eclipse began racing as a 5-year-old, had 18 undefeated starts, and his foals won 344 races.

Eclipse Awards Categories

The Eclipse Awards recognize horses and people in all facets of thoroughbred racing – from the horses (of course!) to the jockey, trainers, and even the sports writers. While the “Horse of the Year” category is of course the most prestigious, horses can also earn recognition in each of these categories as well:

• 2-year-old male
• 2-year-old filly
• 3-year-old male
• 3-year-old female
• older male
• older female
• male sprinter
• female sprinter
• male turf horse
• female turf horse
• steeplechase horse

The humans involved can win:

• outstanding owner
• outstanding breeder
• outstanding trainer
• outstanding jockey
• outstanding apprentice jockey (Frankie won this one!)
• special award (to honor outstanding achievements in TB racing)

There’s also a whole section of “Media Eclipse Awards” for photography, writing, television, and audio/multi-media/internet.

How are Eclipse Award Winners Selected?

Eclipse Award members are selected by a majority vote by members of the three sponsoring organizations (Daily Racing Form, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers Association). The only criteria is the horse had to have one start on American soil. Other than that – it’s fair game.

Here’s an interesting (read:funny) article on Forbes by one of the voters on selecting Eclipse Awards winners.

The award winners are announced in a big ceremony (which was streamed live online this year) in the middle of January.

Follow the Eclipse Awards

• Winners prior to 1971
• Current Eclipse Award winners

Additionally, you can easily follow potential Eclipse award winners throughout the year through various channels online. Most major racetracks post their races on YouTube and have blog and article coverage, or you can check out the many sportsbook review websites out there (even if you’re not into gambling, they do tend to have very good coverage of the races and top horses).

I’ve read articles for years about riding while pregnant, which all pretty much boil down to doctors saying not to ride at all, and horse women saying to keep it up if you feel comfortable and are careful. I wasn’t sure which way I would lean until the day I found out that I was indeed expecting.

And I knew there was absolutely no way I could give up riding right then cold turkey. I felt fine, I didn’t look or feel pregnant, and the baby was smaller than an ant.

I did however scale back immediately. I quit jumping, and didn’t head out on the trails where we could meet unexpected deer and small critters to eat my big pansy thoroughbred. We stuck to light rides in the arena on the soft sand where Ace was comfortable.

Doctors Say No Horseback Riding During Pregnancy

I researched some more during those early weeks to decide how safe it was to ride and for how long. At my early prenatal appointments, I sat mute when the nurse practitioner asked if I had any questions, because I didn’t want her opinion on if it was OK to ride knowing I probably wouldn’t like what she had to say. On every list of high-risk sports to avoid while pregnant, horseback riding was near the top. They talked about the risk of falling off and the damage it could do. They talked about potential problems caused by the jostling. Across the board, non-horsey medical professionals said no riding under circumstances.

Horse Women (Some Also Doctors) Say To Ride, Carefully

Then there are the horseback riding women themselves, and doctors who are also riders who tend to be more understanding of the deep-seated NEED to ride. Many of them say that if your body is accustomed to riding at a certain level, the physical effects of riding aren’t going to cause problems (same goes for many other types of heavier exercise like running or weight lifting). Many agree that as long as you feel comfortable in the saddle and your balance isn’t compromised, keep riding!

They do all, of course, caution about the risk of falling off. Most say to avoid jumping, hot/spooky horses, and situations that could stress your horse. Stick to trust worthy horses you know well who are unlikely to have an issue.

Make Your Own Choice On Riding While Pregnant

I was feeling encouraged by the doctors who are also horse women and their advocacy of riding with some basic precautions. Then I came across an interesting tidbit in an article by one of these doctors. It explained that up until 12 weeks, the developing baby is very very small and is well protected by the pelvic bone. Even at that point, a fall is less likely to do any significant damage to the baby because of that protection.

However, at 12 weeks, the baby is bigger and moves forward and up to where it is no longer protected by the pelvic bone. At this point, falling off a horse is very likely to do considerable damage.

I set my stop riding date for the Saturday in October when I hit 12 weeks.

For me, the risk of falling off and hurting my baby is too great to ignore. As badly as I want to get on every single horse I see right now, there’s nothing that would make me get back up in that saddle.

After my second to last ride with Ace during my 11th week, I went home and cried because I was so upset about giving it up. I raged at my husband ant told him it was no fair that I had to give up my riding, and my figure, and my energy, and then push this baby out, and he didn’t have to give up anything (pregnancy hormones at their finest!).

Two days later I climbed aboard Ace for what was to be my last ride. I wanted it to be amazing, and a ride to remember.

It wasn’t. Ace was stiff, unenthusiastic, and neither of us felt our best. The whole time, all I could think about was the fact that if I fell off, my husband would never forgive me – and neither would I forgive myself. I got off after 20 minutes mentally at peace with my decision.

I know that come April when I have both a beautiful healthy baby in my arms and a horse to ride, it will all be worth it.

Your Turn!

Whether or not to keep riding while pregnant is a personal choice. I know that this was the exact right decision for me. However, for someone with a higher-risk pregnancy it may be prudent to stop immediately. Or for a trainer who makes her living riding horses, there’s also great risk to stopping too soon.

If you’ve been pregnant, did you keep riding and why or why not? If you might be pregnant someday, what do you think you will do? And if, like me, you did stop riding for most of your pregnancy, please share some tips on how you survived!

(PS – I DID ask my doctor if it was ok to lift hay bales and grain bags – no worries if I had to give that up! Of course, she said as long as I was used to doing it and my body felt fine, it was no problem.)

If you are a long-time reader and are confused by that statement because you know that my love Ace is a gelding and not a mare …

… by mare I mean ME!

My hubby and I are expecting a new member of our family – the first one with less than four legs – at the end of April. We hit the second trimester tomorrow, and will find out sometime mid-December if we’re having a little cowboy or cowgirl.

Ace is preparing to be a good big brother by getting lots of brushing, hand-grazing, ground work, and gaining a few extra pounds with me as I am no longer riding him. But that’s another story for another day.

In fact, the next six months is going to be full of stories of what it’s like to be expanding the human family while trying to maintain the equine one. I already have stories of tell of my decision on whether or not to keep riding, how I cried the last week that I rode Ace, and then how I finally felt peace with keeping my feet on the ground, of the 12-year-old girl who now hauls all the hay bales for me, the Western, pony-themed bedding I love but is discontinued, and most importantly my plans to half-lease Ace for the duration of my pregnancy and as I enter motherhood.

Hopefully the training Ace has me given in caring for a fragile creature and training a willful four-legged child will be useful somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

I’ve been waiting anxiously to be able to tell you where Regarding Horses is headed for the next year. I hope you will join me on this journey! Be sure to subscribe via RSS or email in the sidebar to join in the fun.

One of the areas I’ve really been struggling over lately is the usefulness (and ethics) of using correction tools in training.

I’m talking things like spurs, draw reins, side reins, gag bits – anything outside of your basic saddle and bridle with a gentle snaffle. I think there are three general camps that we fall into as horse men and women:

1. These tools should never be used any under circumstances.
2. When used judiciously, these can be useful training tools.
3. Always use these tools to get training done quickly or to mitigate issues.

I am not a believer in quick fixes. Training a horse to be a successful partner long-term takes patience, kindness, firmness, and consistency. I also think the goal of solid training is to teach your horse to require as little cue as it takes to get the desired result. The slightest closing of the leg sends him forward. Quieting the seat slows him down. The slightest squeeze on a rein increases the bend or straightens the neck. And eventually, with time and patience and consistency, we should be able to do this without spurs, whips, or correction bits.

However, when your horse is just learning (and sometimes later if he forgets) it will take more than the lightest squeeze to elicit a response. Sometimes he ignores the light bump of your outside leg that keeps him from overbending as he drags you into the wall and a bigger kick (or even a little spur) is necessary to get his attention.

Lately Ace, who has been very nicely light in the mouth from day one, has started leaning on the bit. He’s not really using it for balance and he’s still responding and moving nicely – he’s just heavy. If I give him more rein he just bears down until he’s trotting with his nose at his ankles (literally). Sending him forward doesn’t help, and light jiggles of the reins to remind him not to lean only help temporarily.

So when my mom offered me an elevator bit on loan to see if the leverage would help him learn to quit the lean, I gave it a shot.

It’s a single jointed Happy Mouth elevator, sometimes referred to as a bubble bit. I could attach two reins – one as the regular snaffle rein, and one on a lower ring to add the upwards leverage as needed. Ace loved it. And so far – just two rides in it did the trick. I kept my hands light, and if he started to get heavy would gently activate the lower rein until he lifted up again. It only took two or three times for Ace to “get it.” He was happy, light, forward, ears perked, soft in the poll, and gentle in the contact.

Next ride we went back to him normal loose-ring Myler bit, and he was still happy, light, forward, soft in the poll, and gentle in the contact.

For Ace, one ride in a judiciously used correction bit solved more issues than the nagging and constantly reminding him with leg and reins to lighten up. Used this way, I’d say it’s a very useful training tool – and one that was much kinder on my horse.

What are your thoughts on tools like spurs, correction bits, draw reins, etc?

From TheHorse.com: “Insect bite hypersensitivity is the most common cause of pruritus (itchiness) in horses, affecting equids in almost all parts of the world,” van den Boom said in the study, adding that IBH is an allergic reaction to insect bites. Clinical signs include scratching and rubbing, excoriations (areas where the skin is rubbed off), oozing of serum, patchy alopecia (hair loss), scaling, and hyperkeratosis (callousing).” (article on ointments that can help bug bite sensitivity.)

It sounds like mine. Skin rubbed off – check. Oozing of serum – check. Hair loss – check. Callousing – check.

Apparently Insect Bite Sensitivity is an actual condition in horses, and Ace has more than a few of the symptoms. When I left for a week long beach vacation, Ace had a few bug bite callouses on his back that he’s had most of the summer. When I returned, he had two spots that looked like small wounds oozing serum – one on his neck and one on his belly. He has more calloused bumps than when I left. He also has a handful of small, hairless, scaly patches. It sounds like a lot when they are added up, but his symptomatic areas are small and generally not that noticeable unless you are grooming and looking for issues.

From what I can find, all advice for dealing with bug bite hypersensitivity has to do with preventing insect bites in the first place. Use fly spray, masks and sheets, feed through bug control supplements, and avoid turning out during the buggiest times of day. But what do you do to get rid of the pre-existing skin issues?

Horse owners of similarly-sensitive-skinned horses: go! What have you found to work for getting rid of callouses and other skin issues caused by insect bites in your hypersensitive horse?

Ace had been mine for about a month. As an 8-year-old gelding who was out of practice but had obviously been handled well in his past and I knew had been ridden plenty in his early years, I expected that a simple walk under saddle should be easy. But once again we were planted in the center of the ring – unmoving.

There were a few times that I felt a little like this about horses behavior:

Sure, we don’t actually expect our horses to be capable of learning to speak French. But how often do we expect them to automatically “speak” our language when we ask them to:

• Step forward when we squeeze with our legs.
• Load into a trailer.
• Walk quietly beside us at all times.
• Stand still when we spray them with fly spray or put on a blanket.
• Stand quietly in the cross ties.
• Lunge around us in a perfect circle.
• Allow us to touch them anywhere.

For some reason, we expect that our horses are born knowing these – and many other – behaviors.

For most of my life, I thought that if a horse didn’t do as I asked or expected he was being bad. As a teenager, if Ace has jerked his head sky high when I lifted the reins over his ears (like he did two days ago), I would have given him a smack on the neck for acting up. I wouldn’t have thought about the fact that for some reason he was feeling the need to protect his head, and even though I was prepared and being careful he felt threatened. I wouldn’t have thought about the fact that I needed to be understanding and carefully and gently re-teach him that I’m not doing anything that will hurt him.

There’s little that breaks my heart more than when I see someone punishing a horse for a behavior he’s just never been taught to do. As horse people, we need to always remember that horses must be patiently taught everything we expect and ask of them.

At the same time, while we can’t expect our horses to know everything about how we expect them to behave automatically – we still need to have high expectations of their manners. Those high expectations then become training goals.

If a former owner hasn’t already, we need to take the time and effort to teach our horses to:

• Stand quietly unless asked to do otherwise – under saddle, tied, on a lead line.
• Be handled all over.
• Stand quietly for your hoof care professional and allow feet to be handled.
• Be sprayed all over with water or sprays.
• Walk quietly beside a handler.
• Respect your space.
• Give to pressure – whether it’s moving forward under saddle or responding to the halter or just your hand.

For your safety and the safety of others who may handle your horse, it’s critical that you instill good manners – including but certainly not limited to the above.

Your horse may not be able to learn to speak French, but he certainly can learn basic behavior skills if you take the time to teach him!

And while I was busy running around with a bunch of teenagers, averaging 4.5 hours of sleep a night (more than last year!), facing fears on the high ropes course, and generally acting younger than my age – Ace was at home enjoying long lazy days at grass in the big pasture, getting fed more treats than he knew what to do with from his barn mates’ owners, getting a break from hard work, and generally living the high life.

So when I FINALLY showed up at the barn last night, Ace’s greeting was a little less than enthusiastic.

Of course, it didn’t help that I showed up right at dinner time and took him out of his stall. And I guess that after 9 days of not showing my face around those parts, he just figured that I’d dropped off the face of the earth.

At any rate, Ace survived my absence with flying colors. No scrapes or bumps or issues arose while I was gone. He is happy, healthy, shiny, and as close to fat as a well-fed Thoroughbred can get as ever. Even if he wasn’t beside himself to see me, I was just glad that nothing went amiss while I was gone. Having something happen to my horse while I’m out of town and unreachable is my greatest fear about going away!

Preparing for Vacation and Leaving Your Horse At Home

Fortunately, I made sure I did everything I could to prepare for the trip and to ensure that Ace was in good shape and good hands while I’m gone. If you board your horse, here are some things I would recommend doing for your peace of mind and the care of your horse:

• Make sure he’s up-to-date on regular care. Is your horse about due to have his feet trimmed? Ace was due the week I was gone, so I got it done a little early this time around. I know that for Ace it’s better not to let his feet go too long between trims or he starts to have problems. Also check to see if it’s time for de-worming and make sure you’ve got that handled.
• Check supplies. Do you provide your own feed or does your horse get supplements? Make sure there are plenty of each for the timeframe that you are gone. Also, it never hurts to have an extra fly mask or halter on his stall in case he loses or destroys one while you are gone.
• Authorize someone to make decisions in your absence. My good friend Dave lives just a few miles from the barn, and I trust him to make the same decisions for Ace that I would. If something would happen to Ace and he requires attention, I know Dave is available and skilled. I leave his number on Ace’s stall and tell barn management to call him.I have heard horror stories of people gone on vacation whose horse colicked. They couldn’t be reached, and the horse suffered because he couldn’t be euthanized or taken to surgery without their permission. As awful as it sounds, plan for the worst and hope for the best.
• Leave emergency contact numbers. I didn’t have cell phone reception at camp, so I let everyone know I was not reachable at all. I left Dave’s cell phone number in case of emergency, and gave him the phone number for the camp if it was really really needed. Always leave your phone numbers and the numbers for your authorized friend.
• Give your horse lots of treats and love before you go. Great way to get over the stress of packing and cleaning for a trip? Get it all done and leave plenty of time the night before you leave to spend it with your horse. It was a great way to unwind mentally, plus I felt better about leaving Ace for a week since I spent some unhurried, quality time with him.
• Tell all your barn friends that you are going to be gone and when. It’s important that your barn owner and the people who provide daily care know when you are gone and where you will be. Bonus? Tell every barn friend you have too, because they will keep an eye on your horse – and probably give him some love and treats in the process. The more people you have keeping an eye on him the better you’ll feel! I have people who feed Ace treats, people who get him out of his stall to watch him move, and people responsible for cleaning out his feet. It pays to make friends at your barn! (and offer to do it for their horses when they go out of town!)

Taking the time to cover these basic going-away steps will ensure that both you and your horse can relax while you are away on vacation. Do you have anything you would add to this list of tips?

Stories of the utter devastation in the more western states due to flooding and tornadoes are heartbreaking. People have lost their lives. Others have lost their homes, their farms, their horses – ultimately their loves and their livelihoods.

It will be difficult for many to rebuild – not just emotionally but also financially.

So, I was more than on-board with the idea when Glenn from Horse Radio Network called me up about an idea to create an initiative called Horse World Gives Back to raise funds for disaster victims. In three days Glenn and his team (including me!) had a plan, a website, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and plenty of support to make it happen.

Two major fundraisers will raise money to be donated to the American Red Cross and the US Disaster Equine Relief Fund of the Kentucky Horse Council:

• Radiothon on Monday, June 6 from 6-9pm interviewing riders, disaster victims, safety officials, and more – and taking pledges of support
• Retail Day on Tuesday June 7 in which participating retailers will donate 5% of the days sales to the chose charities.

Go check out the website, follow Facebook and Twitter (follow #horserelief), and spread the word to everyone you know about Horse World Gives Back. If you are a fellow blogger, please post on your website and consider carrying the Radiothon player. If you are a retailer, please consider participating in Retail Day. If you are a horse person of any sort – go shopping on Tuesday!

Here’s the official info:

Horse World Gives Back to Stage HRN Radiothon and Retail Day on June 6-7, 2011

The Horse Radio Network has announced the creation of Horse World Gives Back; a charitable initiative aimed at uniting the horse world in a fund raising drive that will benefit horses and horse owners affected by the recent flooding and tornadoes across the United States.

HRN will host a 3 hour LIVE broadcast on June 6, 2011, 6-9 pm Eastern as a fund raising effort called the Horse World Gives Back Radiothon followed by a Horse World Gives Back Retail Day on June 7, 2011. Participating retailers will give back 5% of the day’s sales to the charities that will direct the funds towards helping horse owners across the country whose horses have been affected by the devastating weather damage.

This relief aid is being channeled through the Kentucky Horse Council’s Equine Disaster Relief Fund and the Red Cross. HRN and its media partners are reaching out to equestrian and equine related organizations to become involved and unite the horse world in this nationwide effort.

HRN Hosts, Glenn, Jamie and Chris will be hosting the Live Broadcast on June 6th from the Red Cross Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky which can be heard on the Horse World Gives Back website at and its many affiliate partners listed on the website, Guests will include horse people affected by the devastating weather that has displaced so many horses and their owners, Red Cross representatives, prominent riders and members of the horse community.

How you can get involved:

Website Owners and Associations: Help us promote the Radiothon and Retail Day through your email lists and social media. Plus, you can post the Radiothon Player on your website so people can listen to the show on your site. It is a simple embed code – get the embed code now.

Retailers: Please consider giving back and being part of this national fund raising event. Sign up to be a participating retailer for Horse World Gives Back Retail Day.

Wholesalers, Manufacturers and Horse Businesses: Please call the Radiothon and pledge your support.

Horse Owners World Wide: Tune into the Radiothon and donate what you can to help those in dire need. Plus, if you were planning on buying anything horsey in the next month, please make the purchase on June 7 at one of the participating retailers.