Everything about the Anderson Horse Farm

Having a licensed vet that knows your horses is extremely important for their health. The following links are 3 places that I recommend and the services they offer.  U of I Teaching Hospital in Urbana The University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital is one of the best places to take your animals in central IL. Since they are a teaching hospital they sometimes offer a discount on services because they use it for students’ experience. Their service is staffed by specialized veterinarians 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for emergencies and by appointment for patients in need of evaluation and care from the board-certified specialists in equine surgery, internal medicine, and reproduction. Additionally, if your horse needs the expertise of a specialist in cardiology, dermatology, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, or imaging the equine veterinarians can quickly and easily consult with additional board-certified specialists ...

I’m sitting with Dr Kiley Kelly, large animal veterinarian to discuss equine health and her practice treating horses. First of all, how did you decide to become a vet? Dr Kelly,”I have always been interested in animals, specifically horses and grew up riding and caring for my own animals. I went to college to study animal science and knew after getting my bachelor’s degree that I would apply to a college that offered veterinary medicine. Eight years of college and I was ready to apply what I had learned and start a small practice.” What would be a typical week in your animal practice? Dr Kelly, “I schedule patients for routine exams and general health concerns like vaccinations and tests typically two or three days per week. I schedule farm calls one or two days a week. I am also a licensed and certified equine chiropractor. Horses have a complex skeletal system and working animals are similar to human athletes and need to keep aligned and adjusted. This area of my practice has grown t...

Usually a dentist will ask about the horse’s dental history but we have only ever used the same dentist so he will ask if our horses have experienced any of the following issues from the last time he's seen them:  • Dropping feed from the mouth while chewing.  This is also known as “quidding” and can happen while eating hay or grain/pelleted feeds. • Awkward chewing motions while eating.  This may look like exaggerated chewing action, chewing on one side of the mouth, or slow or intermittent chewing rhythm. • Trouble placing a bit in the horses’ mouth or difficulty riding when the horse has a bit in the mouth.  This may be seen as fighting the bit, shaking or tossing the head when contact is made with the bit, or potentially the horse can be less willing to travel in one direction. • Weight Loss • Nasal Discharge Next the dentist typically will sedate the horse.  Sedation allows for a more thorough oral exam, as well as a more thorough dental float and...

One of the worst things about having animals is having to keep them on a schedule and routine. Depending on the day, weather and plans for the day it can become a large inconvenience. Having to feed them before doing anything for the day and making sure you’re home to feed them at night.  My mother taught me that plans come after the animals and if you have to change plans so they get fed that is what you need to do. Ideally, they get fed at the same time each day but with a busy schedule that can be extremely difficult.  Smokey is very old and needs to be fed 6 times a day and having to either stay on the farm or drive back and forth is frustrating. The rest of our horses have their quirks as well. Fireball and Whiskey need specialized grain. Denver spills most of his grain so he needs to be hand fed. Bo needs a probiotic and Durango needs supplements on his feed. Spitfire is the most low maintenance but she needs her water changed more than anyone else because she is a messy...

There have been predictions that the world of ranch riding is going to continue to get bigger.  In ranch riding, the horse is judged on its ability to work at a forward, working speed while performing required and optional maneuvers. The ranch riding horse should simulate a horse riding outside the confines of an arena and reflect the versatility, attitude and movement of a working horse. The required maneuvers are the walk, jog and lope (both directions), the extended trot and extended lope at least one direction as well as stops, back and one change of direction. The optional maneuvers are sidepass; turns of 360 degrees or more; change of lead (simple or flying); walk, jog or lope over poles or other reasonable maneuvers a ranch horse could perform.  There is no doubt that the ranch riding (formerly, ranch horse pleasure) classes have exploded in recent years at AQHA and APHA shows. This exciting, fast paced event is quickly becoming one of the largest classes at many shows ...

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who was the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three of its constituent races. He is widely considered to be the greatest racehorse of all time.  Secretariat was officially bred by Christopher Chenery's Meadow Stud, but the breeding was actually arranged by Penny Chenery (then known as Penny Tweedy), who had taken over the running of the stable in 1968 when her father became ill. She got Secretariat after losing a coin toss with the Phipps family of Wheatley Stable as to who would have the first choice of the foals from two Meadow mares that had been bred to Wheatley’s renowned stallion Bold Ruler. Penny wanted the foal that ended up being Secretariat because of the foal’s pedigree. Even though she lost the initial toss she ended up winning it all in the end.   He became the first Triple Crow...

  The National FFA Organization is an extracurricular student organization and was founded in 1928. The opportunities and experiences are unlimited in this organization, a lot of people think you have to have livestock to be involved and that is definitely not the case.   I was apart of the FFA for my 4 years of high school and completed at the State level multiple times. As far as horses go I have done competitions such as horse judging and a reco r d book.   The record book was the largest involvement of the Anderson Horse Farm. We were required to pick an area of expertise which I chose Equine Science Entrepreneurship. I logged everything I did with my animals and did something similar to this blog. I wrote about their routine and feeding regime and why those are what they are. I also wrote about other as pects of their care such as farrier visits, vet visits and dentist visits. This project helped me truly understand the level of care that a horse takes an...

An important part of caring for a horse is understanding the things needed for their wellbeing. At the Anderson Horse Farm we have a farrier come out every 8-12 weeks. The timeline can depend on conditions and our farrier’s availability. Horse hooves can become cracked and hurt the horse. Due to weather chan ges such as frozen ground to mud and back and also in the summer when there is little to no rain.     When the farrier comes to trim our horse’s hooves this is the process. These are things that anyone can do with their animals if they choose, they do not need a certification but do need their own tools. We choose a farrier due to the number of ho rses we have and that hooves need to be cared for carefully because diseases and sickness can affect a horse through their hooves.     First he will clean out the hoof with a hoof pick. He is cleaning dirt, rocks, sand, mud etc out of the hoof. Once that is clean he will take a knife and cut down the horse’s frog. T...

  My name is Courtney Anderson. I have been apart of the Anderson Horse Farm located in rural Heyworth for 23 years. I am 23 years old and have always known life with horses. I am a senior at ISU and also work full time at a bank. Through the horse experiences I have learned responsibility, how to care for horses, different feeding regimens, and the ins and outs of farm life. I try to spend as much time as I can outside with the horses and caring for them. I have ridden most all of our horses but my two favorites are the horses I own personally. My horses have a registered name that is on their papers and a barn name that they are called each day. My horse Denver or Zippo TE Maid and Bo or Cody Bo Winchester are the two I prefer to ride and show. I was involved in 4H for 10 years and helped others for an additional 5. I was also involved in FFA for 4 years in high school and would go to various weekend horse shows over the past 20 years. My mother started this farm and has inc...