Thor Ranch

Our last ride. ❤️ June 7th 2020.

Trails mowed today

The horses are enjoying their morning grazing

Nice day in the pasture

A couple happy riders today! Check out both of their smiles 😊🐴

Green Grass for Horses

https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/education/detail/green-grass-for-horses-approach-with-caution?utm_source=management_tips_education_horse_april&utm_medium=email&utm_content=3292404&utm_campaign=2708915&returnStatus=null

Green Grass for Horses Green grass for horses relieves the pressure of finding affordable hay. However, if you intend to use pasture for horses, there are things to consider.

Sundown at Thor Ranch

To all the equine people out there take a miniute and check out Equine Nutrition if you have any questions on feed for you’re horse or not sure your using the best one. This is a site to get information on different feeds and the science behind it. With over 11 years of education on equine feed Mottecan share her knowledge with the community.
Check it out Legacy Equine Nutrition

Blister Beetle Toxicity in Horses

https://www.vet.k-state.edu/vhc/services/equine/timely-topics/blisterbeetle.html

Blister Beetle Toxicity in Horses A recent situation in North Carolina highlights the importance of being careful when feeding alfalfa hay to horses. Under certain conditions alfalfa hay can become contaminated with blister beetles. When horses ingest blister beetles they can become quite sick, even develop life threatening complica...

Hay tainted by toxic beetles kills 14 horses in Wisconsin

https://kstp.com/news/hay-tainted-toxic-blister-beetles-horse-deaths-wisconsin/5608414/

Hay tainted by toxic beetles kills 14 horses in Wisconsin Hay tainted by a toxic beetle is blamed for the deaths of 14 horses and illnesses to dozens of others on a Wisconsin ranch...

A Horse That Was Rescued From The California Fires Turned Around To Save Two Other Horses

Truly amazing the bond horses have with each other in their herd.

 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/daniellaemanuel/horse-saved-family-california-fires

A Horse That Was Rescued From The California Fires Turned Around To Save Two Other Horses This will both make and break your day.

Hoof Abscesses and Puncture Wounds - Horse Illustrated

https://www.horseillustrated.com/horse-health-horse-hoof-abscess-17265/amp?fbclid=IwAR0j3RCihvNa8HtRzLbxF-ORszuxZx1H8CWoF0raoffSJD2fXBpxKs10HnI/

Hoof Abscesses and Puncture Wounds - Horse Illustrated Nothing can be more satisfying to us vets than a really good hoof abscess. Right from start to finish, they can make our day. It starts with the call, pretty much always the same, “Horse was fine yesterday; very lame today,” and ends with the owner overjoyed that the diagnosis is merely an absce...

Michelle and I finally got our sign up Monday in between the rain.

Well I guess his head is clean after the 1.5” of rain the other day.

Thor Ranch welcomes Tilly

Some sunbathing on the Lords Day. I told them to face the east for the camera. 🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

Welcome Dee to Thor Ranch

Welcome Sprit to Thor Ranch. Everyone in the background is excited as well as we are.

Police help move horse from basement in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.

Really????
http://www.fox9.com/news/inver-grove-heights-officers-help-move-horse-from-basement

Police help move horse from basement in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Officers in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota responded to an unusual call Friday night.

The Running of the Goats at Sunflower Farm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2_-i_cohMM

They are cute until they turn on you

The Running of the Goats at Sunflower Farm Need some goat swag from the farm? Try here: https://society6.com/sunflowerfarmcreamery Want to see our Live Barn Cam? Check it out through kidding season Ap...

And this is how it all starts♥️♥️

Some good information

Historic cold weather is set to hit Minnesota (again) this week. As temperatures plummet, there are five things we need to keep in mind for our outdoor horse:
1. Energy needs for a horse at maintenance increase about 1% for each degree below 18°F. For example, if the temperature is -18°F, a 1,000 pound idle, adult horse would need approximately 4 additional pounds of forage (i.e. hay) daily. It is best to provide the extra energy as forage since heat is produced from the microbial fermentation of forage.
2. Horses must have access to shelter from wind and moisture. A horse’s hair coat acts as insulation by trapping air, but when wet, the insulating value is loss. As little as 0.1 inch of moisture (sleet/freezing rain) can cause cold stress by matting the hair. It is important to keep horses dry and to provide shelter.
3. Water should be kept between 45 to 65°F to maximize consumption. Most adult horses require a minimum of 10 to 12 gallons of water each day.
4. Blanketing a horse is necessary to reduce the effects of cold or inclement weather when there is no shelter available during turnout periods and the temperatures and/or wind chill drop below 5°F; there is a chance the horse will become wet; the horse is very young or very old; the horse has a body condition score of 3 or less; the horse has a clipped coat; and/or the horse has not been acclimated to the cold (i.e. recently relocated from a warmer climate).
5. Maintain your normal schedule. Research from Virginia found that an increase in colic episodes following adverse weather was a result of sudden changes in management and not the weather itself.

Photo compliments of our friends at This Old Horse, Inc.

Crews in Princeton rescue 'Breeze' the horse from cold swamp after falling through ice

Amazing local story on this horse rescue in Princeton MN

http://www.fox9.com/news/crews-in-princeton-rescue-breeze-the-horse-from-cold-swamp-after-falling-through-ice

Crews in Princeton rescue 'Breeze' the horse from cold swamp after falling through ice Warmer weather this week has spurred “thin ice” warnings across the state. And on Wednesday in Princeton, crews responded to a rescue unlike most others. It wasn’t a car or snowmobile under the water, it was a horse. 

Viral video shows horses pulling semi truck up slippery Minnesota driveway

http://www.fox9.com/news/viral-video-shows-horses-pulling-semi-up-slippery-mn-driveway

Could have used the horses to get one of my customers up the hill from the barn last night?

Viral video shows horses pulling semi truck up slippery Minnesota driveway A video showing two horses pulling a semi truck up a slippery Minnesota driveway has gone viral, reaching more than 600,000 views since Dec. 5.

How to Manage and Prevent Thrush - Horse Illustrated

https://www.horseillustrated.com/horse-health-how-to-manage-and-prevent-thrush/amp

How to Manage and Prevent Thrush - Horse Illustrated It’s rampant and insidious, and sometimes invisible. It can destroy a hoof from the inside out, causing a horse to become inexplicably lame. This treacherous villain is thrush, a combination of bacteria and fungi that feeds on your horse’s frogs, slowly degenerating the foot. In the past, thrush...