Tack n' Talk
Online Equestrian ResourceTack and Talk Gets a New Stable!
Thank you to all our horsey fans!
The wait is over – our new stable…I mean website…is up and running! Check out our new home at tackandtalk.com!
Tack ‘n’ Talk gets a Redesign!
Hi everyone,
Tack ‘n’ Talk started in May 2009 – since then it has hosted several contests, interviewed some top equine athletes and professionals, and provided you with informative training and horse care tips.
Now, encroaching on our 5 year anniversary, Tack ‘n’ Talk will be getting a whole new redesign!
What’s in store for Tack ‘n’ Talk:
– New URL at tackandtalk.com
– New site layout with easier access to your favourite content
– A Tack ‘n’ Talk store, where you can find your favourite items at a click of a button
During our redesign, we will still be posting content on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tackandtalk
Electrolytes
The summer is finally here and in some areas that means hot temperatures and high humidity! That combination can really take a toll on both horse and rider. What to do?
Many horse owners knows about the importance of electrolytes. But do you know that many electrolyte mixes have too little Magnesium and Calcium and too much sugar? Magnesium and Calcium mimic the electrolytes your horse loses in sweat. However, working horses that sweat significantly do need to have some sugar to refuel working muscles.
Be sure to check the label before giving electrolytes to your horse. Here’s a link to a good article on electrolytes and your performance horse. http://www.ker.com/library/advances/123.pdf
Happy Summer!
HorseTap, A New Horse Health App for Phones and Tablets and NOW APPLE!
Tack and Talk is proud to present to their readers, Horse Tap the Animal Health App for your Android phone and tablet and NOW APPLE!
HorseTap was built with animal owners in mind. Horse’s can’t tell you what’s wrong and there is nothing worse than seeing your partner in pain and not knowing what to do. Now, you can learn what’s wrong with just the tap of your finger.
Horse Tap: Horse Health on ‘Hoof’: The app that lets you decide when to call a Veterinarian.
Do a google search on ‘when to call a vet’ and there are a huge number of blogs and posts on the subject. Everyone seems to be asking the same fundamental question, but when your horse is sick do you really have time to trawl through the internet looking for answers or wait for someone to reply to your desperate tweet?
Horse Tap uses a non-web based method, asking a series of quick questions to triage whether you need to call your vet immediately or if you can manage the situation at home. This approach allows you to take your phone or tablet to your horse and make that vital decision ‘on hoof’. Within seconds you will have the essential knowledge of how to manage the situation taking away all the stress of wondering how to proceed.
Horse Tap’s horse care section guides you through daily checks of your horse’s legs, hooves and teeth and contains information on grooming, feed allowance, shoeing and vaccinations. Horse Tap turns your daily checks into a game, you are entertained as you work through them with Chester the horse under the characteristic blue sky, green grass, white clouds setting and, if after these checks you do not notice any worrying signs, you are rewarded with Chester rosettes. If there’s a problem you are directed to the veterinary section of Horse Tap where you can learn how to take vital signs and recognise what tools are a must in your horse ‘veterinary kit’. Working through these checks allows you to understand what is ‘normal’ for your horse making it easier to pick up on anything wrong and reducing the length of time taken for the vet to receive that very urgent call.
If you want to find further information about what may be wrong with your horse, then Horse Tap also features both an extensive anatomy section and a horse disease section, a handy reference tool for horse owners as well as pre-veterinary, and veterinary students who are in need of a quick, yet informative summary, for exam revision. Horse Tap also includes invaluable revision required for pony club efficiency exams.
Horse Tap aims to minimize unnecessary calls to the veterinarians freeing up the time veterinarians have to respond to those urgent matters. With Horse Tap you can work more closely with your veterinarian. By working together in a swift and informed manner your horse will be restored to full health in the shortest possible time when every minute can be critical.
HORSE TAP – everything you could possibly need for a quick stress free initial diagnoses at your fingertips. MAKE THAT FIRST CALL A HORSE TAP CALL!
Available on Google Play and Amazon for android mobile and tablet and kindle.
http://is.gd/horsetap_googleplay
Follow HorseTap on twitter: www.twitter.com/farmtap
ProChaps Contest WINNER!
Congratulations to Caitlin Steel of Ireland on winning the I ❤ ProChaps Contest! She is the lucky winner of a pair of ProChaps. Caitlin has selected a pair of Competition ProChaps.
Caitlin with her girl, Eve! Congratulations Caitlin!
Are you having problems with your arena?
Presented by Larissa W. Cox, M.Sc. Applied Equine Science with permission from Springride Surfaces
Believe it or not, summer is coming and you will be riding! However, if you look at your arena now, it’s looking a little sad. You know you have to do something about it, but you don’t know what.
Sand draining well but needs added spring.
So, your arena looks okay and the drainage is good but it needs that added spring. According to Springride, UK manufacturers of Equestrian surfaces, prepare your sand by levelling and rolling and then lay 25mm rubber and fibre composite chip on top at a rate of one tonne per 40sqm. If you buy Springride’s premium chip, it comes in bags, so you can position them evenly on your arena, split or tip the bags and spread to an even depth. Take care to ensure the sand is completely level, you don’t want to lay the rubber in tracks or pits. Once laying is complete, level and roll daily until settled.
How much do you need? Springride delivers their product in 1 tonne bags, so if you have a 20m x 20m arena, the suggested requirement is 10 tonnes (10 bags). 20m x 40m = 20 tonnes; 20m x 60m = 30 tonnes.
Deep riding sand
According to Springride, this is one of the most common problems and generally occurs as a result of over engineered drainage and/or the wrong sand. You need to source a fine to medium, angular silica sand and lay to a depth of 100mm if topping with a rubber surface. Springride offers a great product called Springride Shred which is a blend of specifically shaped and uniquely patterned rubber that anchors into the sand layer to create a stable surface. This product reduces maintenance, provides great cushioning and spring with minimal kick back. It has great drainage properties and reduces dust, retaining moisture in dry months.
Is your indoor dry and dusty?
This is a very common problem with indoor arenas even with a sprinkler system in place. Prepare your sand by levelling and rolling. It is very helpful to thoroughly wet the sand prior to laying a top dressing. Springride has a innovative product called Shredtex which is a blend of rubber strips and rubber backed with textile. This helps retain moisture and provides a soft but secure footing. Lay this blend of rubber and textiles on a 75 – 100mm sand base and roll as often as possible in the first few weeks. You’ll be amazed at the difference.
Springride products are available for delivery across the UK and Europe. Sorry folks, this product is not available in North America.
Contest closes February 14th! Enter to win!
Would you like to win a pair of ProChaps chaps? Of course you would! We are hosting this great contest and ProChaps is the sponsor. To enter, visit https://promotion.binkd.com/Enter.aspx?id=15082
Together, we are promotingthe comfortable, high performance ProChaps riding chaps by giving away one free pair to a lucky winner who will be announced once the contest is over on Valentine’s Day.
The winner will chose between 3 styes:
ATHLETIC full chaps. One of a kind, great for high-intensity training and long-distance riding!
COMPETITION half chaps. Hunters, jumpers, eventers and many others LOVE the increased performance they provide.
FIT half chaps. Comfortable and great looking, for everyday training and riding.
ProChaps – the only one in the world to offer half chaps in 35 sizes and classic full chaps in 25 sizes! Don’t miss out on this amazing contest. To enter the I ❤ ProChaps contest, visit https://promotion.binkd.com/Enter.aspx?id=15082
Good luck and keep riding!
The great debate: How heavy is too heavy?
Presented by Larissa W. Cox, M.Sc. Applied Equine Science
The great weight debate: How heavy is too heavy?
While most healthy horses can easily carry a rider and saddle, they do have their limits. How much weight can a horse comfortably carry? It’s a difficult question and one that science can only provide some guidance. There isn’t a simple formula as there are just too many variables in the equation, many of them are quite subjective Read the rest of this entry »
ProChaps CONTEST!
ProChaps, the most innovative riding chaps on the market today, and in conjunction with ProChaps, Tack and Talk invites you to participate in our current contest:
Entering the contest is simple: Simply click here and follow the instructions! https://promotion.binkd.com/Enter.aspx?id=15082
Following years of research and listening to rider’s comments, ProChaps has pioneered combining extra light knits, compression materials, waterproof leather and dynamic engineering. This hybrid combination helps accelerate blood flow, allowing the rider to perform in a very balanced and accurate way. This will aid in getting more oxygen to your working muscles and will boost your performance.
ProChaps are different because their unique combination of features works better than any single component. Contrary to other manufacturers, ProChaps not only focuses on a classic and innovative fashionable design but also intertwines exemplary athletic materials to achieve peak equestrian performance.
ProChaps remarkable benefits can be traced back to our concrete belief in continuously testing the product and making improvements. The results are constantly being applied to the product you wear today.
ProChaps benefits include:
- Accelerating blood flow
- Expanding leg power
- Reducing moisture from the skin
- Controlling temperature whether it’s hot or cold
- Durable
No Hoof, No Horse: How does the hoof grow?
In previous articles, we discussed the external and internal structures of the hoof. By understanding the structures of the horse’s hoof, we can understand how the hoof grows. The rate and the quality of growth, much like our own fingernails, varies and while we don’t depend on our “claws” for survival, horse do depend on their hooves.
Tack n' Talk 