a blog around all things equestrian and Caballo’s thought on each month.
Caballo Calendar! The Perfect Gift for the Horse Lover in You!
A little over two months ago, our little girl came into the world. She’s completely full of sunshine, just like her daddy. We thought we’d start off each day with a new Caballo calendar that would help us get in the right mood for the day.
It was a simple idea truly inspired by good vibes and positive thinking. We’ve got our lovely daughter to thank for it all—wishing her a lot of love and happiness is such a great way to start each day!
The January horse moon is called the Hunger Moon and symbolizes a time of scarcity during the winter months.
The January horse moon is called the Hunger Moon. This is a perfect name for it because there is not much grass around to eat during these cold winter months, and hay just doesn’t do the trick in satisfying hunger!
At Caballo, we like to give our horses healthy snacks to help them feel full throughout this time of scarcity. One of our favorite snacks to give them are carrots or apples. We also like giving them grass pellets as a treat. These snacks keep the horses energized for when we take them out for trail rides!
February’s week-long celebration of horses includes feeding them carrot cakes, and running through fields together.
Happy February! Horse lovers around the world are celebrating one of their favorite holidays of the year this month: Horse Week. To honor this special week-long celebration, we’ve put together a list of some activities you can enjoy with your equine best friend.
- Feeding them carrot cake (and maybe having a slice or two yourself):
Carrot cake and other sugary treats aren’t recommended for horses, so it’s important to limit how much they eat. That being said, Horse Week is certainly a great time to enjoy a slice of carrot cake with your horse as you celebrate the holiday together.
- Running through fields: Horses love running through fields and so do you! Get out there in nature and run through some fields with your horse during this week-long celebration.
- They do that thing where they’re excited: Horses get really excited about things sometimes and it’s really fun to see! If you have a horse, make sure to keep an eye out for those moments during Horse Week because they’re very interesting.
March’s traditional holiday involves stables filled with chocolate eggs hidden by horses.
Traditional Easter Eggs for Horses
The Horse Easter Egg hunt is a fun tradition that has been around for centuries. We’ve talked before about just how much horses love to eat, and chocolate eggs are the perfect snack for them. Hiding these eggs is also one of the few times when horses get to do their favorite activity–hide food! It’s a win-win situation!
The Easter Bunny hides eggs for horses too. These have hay inside, but you can always wrap some chocolate eggs up in hay as well. Just make sure to get your horse a checkup right after you finish hunting!
April’s holiday is all about giving back to horses, who give so much to us throughout the year.
April is the month of giving back to horses, who give so much to us throughout the year.
The holiday was started in 1953 by a group of horse lovers who wanted to recognize the contributions of horses around the world. At that time, horses were used in many aspects of daily life. They plowed fields, pulled carriages and even helped with housework (there’s a reason people say “just horsing around”).
Today, our use of horses has changed. Horses are still used for work and transportation, but they are also frequently used for riding and sport. This has led to a greater proliferation of horse love around the world.
When you see your horse galloping across a field or carrying you with ease over an obstacle course, it’s easy to feel gratitude towards them for all that they do for you. But don’t let this feeling pass! Take a moment on April 1st (or any other day) to thank your horse for their hard work and their love.
May 1st starts with a horn blast signaling the beginning of 5 days of horse races and feasts.
The first day of May is known as May Day and it starts with a horn blast signaling the beginning of five days (yes, I said five!) of horse races. The race is held every year at this time in Siena, Italy and it’s an exciting activity for both spectators and participants!
It’s a great activity to do with your family and friends. Make sure you celebrate together with a feast at the end of the day!
June is a month when many races have prize money that can go as high as $1 million per race.
June is a busy month for racing in the United States. Many horses and the people who take care of them are out of town, training and competing at racetracks all over the country. When prize money is on the line, it makes perfect sense to enter your horse in a race. With $1 million going to the winner, both horse and jockey will try their hardest to cross that finish line first!
July we celebrate how great it feels to ride a horse on a hot summer day and how it feels even better to run one into a lake at full speed!
On hot summer days, nothing feels better than taking a horse for a run and splashing in some cool water! But it’s not always easy to convince your horse of that. What do you do when your mount gets scared or refuses to cooperate? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers.
First, make sure the water is the correct temperature—around 15 degrees Celsius. Next, check that the area is clear of debris and other potentially dangerous obstacles underfoot. Having a friend run along beside the horse can keep him from getting spooked by any unexpected splashes he might come across in his new environment. You should be moving at a good clip before you hit the water so that your horse doesn’t have too much time to think about what’s coming as he’s going in, but not so fast that he’ll lose control when you enter—aim for an 8-10 on our 10-point danger scale! And if your horse still seems reluctant? That’s what treats are for! Give him a few positive reinforcement snacks so he knows that this is fun.
August brings about hours of riding into a golden sunset, just before dinner time.
August is the perfect time to take advantage of our longer days and enjoy a sunset ride with your equine companion. The sun sets around 7:30 in much of the northern hemisphere, so it’s easy to get in a late-afternoon ride before dinner. The last rays of sunshine are ideal for taking photos of your horse, as the mane and tail will catch the sun and shine like gold. If you live in a place that doesn’t have many golden sunsets (like me), keep an eye out for clear summer evenings. It’s worth waiting until you have one to go on a sunset ride – especially if you’re going on vacation soon. (Soak up every last minute!)
A sunset ride is also one of my favorite times to take a trail ride because it can be cool enough that your horse isn’t too sweaty when you get back, but still warm enough that he’s not cold after being hosed off. For safety reasons, don’t jump at night unless there are lights on the arena or there’s enough light from the moon – which there might be during certain months! Overall, I think August is one of my favorite months because it combines good weather with long riding hours into an amazing summer sunset!
September marks the end to those easy breezy summer nights, but there’s still enough time for at least one more.
While September may signal the end of those easy breezy summer nights, there is still plenty of time for one more night under the stars. Whether you are a seasoned camper or this is your first time, having your horse along can make the adventure even more exciting.
For beginners, we recommend finding an area nearby with well-established trails and a good network of campers. While you’re out exploring new places, bringing a friend or two along can help keep everyone safe and make the trip even more fun. If you are traveling alone, consider staying closer to home in case anything unexpected happens on your trip.
One way to enjoy camping with your horse is by going on a trail ride followed by a picnic lunch. Just imagine how much fun it will be to pick apples while riding through an orchard in September! Be sure to bring some extra pieces of fruit back for your equine companion as well.
October is a great time for us horse lovers to enjoy apple picking and other fall festivities with our families.
For those who might not be aware, fall is a great time for us horse lovers to enjoy apple picking with our families. Many apple orchards offer the ability to board your horses at the orchard, so you can enjoy a day of riding through the trees and have fun family time together without having to worry about leaving your horse at home or driving back and forth from stable. Once you’ve picked several bags of apples (or in my case, several dozen), what’s next? Well, it’s obviously time to make apple pie! Here are some tips:
- The best apples for baking are Granny Smiths. They’re tart and crisp with a firm flesh that holds up well when cooked.
- If you want an apple that is delicious both cooked and raw, try Honeycrisp apples.
- An easy way to pick the freshest apples–and therefore make the best pies–is to gently tug on an apple growing near the top of its tree. It should come off easily if it’s ripe. If there seems to be any resistance at all, then leave it alone as it’ll take more effort than you want put into making pie when you get home! And remember: for every one piece of fruit we eat during this season (or anytime really), another two go bad somewhere else in America because no one wanted them before they went off.”