Welcome to my bookshelf!
Okay, so in actuality I have several bookshelves of various sizes all over the apartment, but I'm an English major, so that is to be expected. But we're only concerned with one part of my book collection today, boys and girls.
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| So browse around, and if you really want to help support me, buy any book you want through Amazon.com by clicking on this page. |
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Of the books I have read, I probably could have gotten by with only this one to guide me through the foaling process. Dr. Hayes has created a very well written book for anyone to read ... from the layman to others in the veterinary field. The book is quite well organized, with each section covering different crucial stages of foaling, from knowing when she's going to foal through the first 12 hours. Photographs are appropriately placed in order to educate the reader about what ever physical aspect of foaling, from signs, to birth positions, to milking the mare. Personally, I found the organization to be quite a nice touch. There are lists and charts at the end of the book to help you organize the information you've just read. Some issues aren't entirely talked about ... each veterinarian has their own opinions, and Dr. Hayes has her own about vaccines and worming and the such. As always, talk the more medical aspects of foaling over with your own veterinarian and decide on what you feel is best. |
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This book focuses almost exclusively on the foal. Dr. Lose has written another book, Blessed are the Brood Mares, to cover the mare half of foaling. I enjoyed this book, but found it a bit spare on the actually foaling procedure. It extensively covers diseases and illnesses ... something that occurs, but not to all of us. I would have preferred more time spent on how to keep the foal healthy and happy. I'll call the vets over if my foal gets sick and I'll trust their opinion the best. Dr. Lose covers a long length of time in the foal's life, examining vaccinations during the first year, handling the foal (limited), turning the mare and foal out (some good tips there), and feeds. She is an advocate of early weaning of the foal at 3 months of age. This is a debatable practice, but if you are interested in it, she seems to have her reasoning explained. |
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If you have heard of imprint training and want to imprint your foal, you have to read this book. There is a lot of misinformation about imprinting foaling around out there, and this book lays it out logically and in a organized fashion. If you are simply interested in imprint training or want to learn more, then read this as well. Dr. Miller is the fellow who has popularized this method in the past 15 years, although it has existed to some degree in remote pockets of training. Essentially, imprinting training is neither of those two words. It is two different times in the foal's life. One, the first hour after birth, during which the foal is accepting of its surroundings. This time can be used to get the foal used to just about anything. Touched everywhere (except the sides of the barrel, which you sensitize when they are standing), restrained, used to clippers, plastic, etcetera. The second period is during the first week of the foal's life during which you can follow up on the desensitization and starting leading and tying. What I like the most about it, is that the foal will not be afraid of humans. He or she had you there at birth and therefore accept you into his or her definition of a herd. My second favorite aspect of this training method, is that you will end up with a halter broke foal that can be taken almost anywhere needed. |
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This is one of several books in the "Concise Guide" series by Dr. Ramey. I'd definitely recommend all of the books to any horse owner. Not only are they well written and incredible informative, but they cover topics that any horse owner should be aware of (tendons, colic, medications, etcetera). This particular book covers the basics of nutrition for your horse. It does not get too technical like many nutrition books do, which then either scares the reader away, or bores them senseless. What is DOES cover is quite important: feed ingredients, when to feed, what to feed, supplements, knowing your horse's condition, feeding for maintenance, growth, reproduction, performance, and for disease. |
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While this book doesn't pertain to foaling quite as much, I still think it is a great book to have. The greatest portion of it is an alphabetical listing of all medications and supplements that exist for horses, what exactly they do, or claim to do, and what folks use them for. |
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This book is quite useful with an emphasis on the health and care of the horse. Essentially, it is a collection of articles written by veterinarians and other horse oriented people from the vet school. Reproduction takes up almost 150 pages. Other large topics covered include nutrition, diseases and disorders, and care. Other topics such as vaccinations, selection, transportation, breeds, and behavior. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone, since the articles cover information that horse owners should be aware of (such as the extensive disease articles), but might not be entirely educated about. |
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I used this book for an animal science class in college. I'm quite familiar with horses, but never the less, this book is definitely recommended for most anyone to have around as a basic horse book. For new horseback riders or owners, I'd definitely recommended it. The author covers essentially every topic imaginable, from behavior, conformation, breeds, stabling, feed, teeth, gaits, handling, conditioning, grooming, illnesses, farriers, diseases, performance, breeding and genetics. Even though I was familiar with most of the material covered, it is extremely handy to have such a book on hand for things like a dental chart for aging, or the weight to energy ratios for various grains. Just a lot of stuff down in writing that you might not always remember off the top of your head. |