Alabama Equine Extension

The Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences is conducting a survey aimed at improving the development and delivery of Extension educational resources. We encourage you to participate!

Participants who voluntarily provide their Email address are eligible to receive a YETI Tundra 45 Hard Cooler upon random selection.

Please visit https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6JWjOlE3gcS0zvo to learn more. Reach out to Dr. Leanne Dillard at [email protected] if you have any questions. Thanks!

Got questions about Horses or Forages? Our Extension Agents are located across Alabama and ready to help—reach out today!

Seeing a horse lying down can be concerning—it’s a sure sign of colic…right?

Actually, horses need to lie down for a 30 minute period each day to get REM sleep to remain rested and healthy, and many enjoy stretching out to sunbathe when they feel safe and relaxed.

True colic, on the other hand, often presents with additional symptoms such as pawing, rolling, looking or biting at the flank, loss of appetite, reduced manure production, and other signs of discomfort or restlessness. If your horse is showing these signs and colic is suspected, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian. While waiting for the vet to arrive, remove access to grain and closely monitor your horse for any changes in behavior or condition.

Lying down can be one sign of colic, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Taking time to assess your horse’s overall behavior—looking for other signs of discomfort or change—can help you decide whether it’s time to take action or simply let them rest. Understanding what’s normal and what’s not is key to making the right call when it counts.

Offering forage to your horse in the form of hay, pellets, or cubes (or letting your stalled horse graze while you groom) before exercise is not only safe—it’s beneficial. The equine stomach produces acid continuously, regardless of whether the horse has been eating. Unlike humans, horses only produce saliva, which naturally buffers stomach acid, when they are eating or chewing. Without saliva produced to act as this buffer, acid can more easily splash upward from the lower, protected glandular region into the more sensitive squamous, or non-glandular, portion of the stomach. This upper region isn’t designed to handle constant acid exposure, making it especially vulnerable to gastric ulcers.

Providing a snack before a ride helps reduce this risk by supporting the formation of a fibrous “mat” that settles along the dividing line between the two stomach regions, known as the margo plicatus, as the horse eats. This layer helps prevent acid splash, and therefore, ulcers.

However, it is important to note that this science applies solely to forage. Grain and other concentrated feeds should not be given right before exercise, as they digest differently and may increase the risk of metabolic or gastrointestinal complications when fed too close to physical activity.

A simple handful of hay can make a big difference in a ride—don’t let outdated myths get in the way of smart horse care.

Throughout modern horsemanship, bitless bridles have gained popularity as a seemingly kinder alternative to traditional bitted equipment. On the surface, removing the bit might feel like the obvious path to a better connection; however, in practice, the story is far more nuanced.

While bitless bridles are marketed as a setup that takes pressure out of the horse’s mouth, thus becoming a wiser tack choice, the lack of a bit does not make a rider’s contact influence disappear. Instead of primarily targeting the tongue, lips, and bars of the mouth, as a traditional snaffle bit does, bitless bridle mechanics shift these points of pressure directly to the horse’s poll and nasal bone.

Neither side of the bridle coin is inherently right or wrong, and the true severity of any particular setup typically lies in the hands of the rider, both literally and figuratively. What feels effective and appropriate for one horse-and-rider pair doesn’t always translate to every situation, and it is always worth considering the individual horse’s needs, along with the rider’s ability and training goals to use equipment thoughtfully and make that decision.

Overall, respectful riding does not come automatically from what is on the horse’s head, but from the knowledge and intention behind the reins!

Historically, the world’s brave and heroic soldiers rode horses not for pleasure or sport, but as quick, efficient partners for travel and battle. Their swords hung at their left sides, providing an easy maneuver from sheath to right hand. Thus, mounting their noble steeds from the left was a practical matter of necessity. Today, riders still climb atop their horses from the left, but as a remnant of equine history rather than for a specific purpose.

Over time, this once-logical practice has turned into the habit-based myth: horses must be mounted from only the left side. While there is nothing inherently wrong about this tradition, moving the mounting block to the opposite side every once in a while is not only safe, but beneficial to both horse and rider. This change promotes growth of both physical and mental balances of the horse, reducing the tension that may have built up in a horse’s body or brain over years of one-sided mounting. Perhaps most importantly, switching up riding routines can influence adaptability and prepare a pair for real world situations. Most trails rarely offer a conveniently placed mounting block in case of an unexpected emergency dismount. In unconventional moments like these, getting back in the saddle from either direction isn’t just helpful—it is a skill that adds a valuable layer of safety to any given ride. Next time you and your horse come up to a mounting block, try stepping up from the right—you will end up behind the same two ears, but the horse beneath you will be ready for anything after a built in warmup exercise!