• Vary the time of day that you ride your horse.  Try riding your horse as the sun is coming up or setting.  Changing your riding time will not only change your view, but it will also be a nice change of pace in your horse’s daily routine.
• Vary your scenery.  Change the path that you ride your horse on.  Exploring new areas will not only be fun for you, but it will give your horse a chance to see some new sights.
• Exercise your horse by longeing or by playing with a ball in the pasture.  This pastime not only is good for your house physically, but it is also mentally stimulating.  Longeing should be done in moderation in place of a daily ride.  For longeing, you can use a Cotton Horse Lead to help exercise your horse.  Playing with a ball is also lots of fun for your horse to chase in the pasture.  Use a scented ball, such as the Scented Jolly Ballby Horseman’s Pride, for hours of playtime in the pasture.  Horse’s love the smell of these ball and it is available in either apple or peppermint flavor that horse’s find irresistible.

Last month, Petazon launched its niche shopping comparison engine www.Petazon.com/price.  While most comparison engines take an all-encompassing approach, Petazon’s price comparison website focuses solely on pet, equine and animal product and price comparison.

Shoppers can easily choose to compare pet products by keyword, brand, size, type, or even color. Once an initial selection is made, users can make further refinements, tailoring the search results to their specific needs. The niche shopping comparison website is unique in itself, but Petazon offers a feature referred to as “Ask for a Deal” which allows visitors to request an even better deal from the participating retailers (like Shane’s Tack Equine Supplies)

Users can find top brand horse models like Farnam, Zareba and many others. Retail merchant store prices are shown in real-time, enabling any shopper to compare and find the lowest prices available.

The site is created for the end-user with a focus on easy site navigation and strong search functionality. A commitment to accuracy and technological leadership allows users can to focus on their equine shopping without problems.

A great grooming tool for shedding is the AGP Super 2-Speed Animal Clipper – Purple by Andis.  This highly-effective clipper has two speeds for better performance and quicker clipping.  You can use this clipper on your horse’s body to help reduce the thickness of the coat and to help style your horse’s coat for show or performance.  This fast, powerful clipper will get the job done quickly and leave your horse looking great.

If you prefer a cordless clipper for trimming your horse’s coat, the Super AGR+ Cordless Rechargeable is fast, effective clipper for grooming your horse any where.  This cordless clipper is perfect for grooming your hourse on the road or wherever a plug is hard to find.  It is also great for reaching hard to clip spots and allows you more freedom when grooming.

To cover more area on your horse quickly, choose a clipper like the AGC Super 2-Speed With Extra Wide T-84 Blade to groom your horse.  This clipper has an extra wide blade that is perfect for grooming larger horses and it may be interchanged with other blades for clipping smaller areas.  The ergonomic style is easy on your hand and comfortable to hold during hours of clipping.

• For smaller leather items, like boots, shoes and purses, use a leather cleanser such as Bickmore Saddle Soap Plus Tin.  Saddle soap is a very gentle cleaner that cleans leather really well without drying it out.  This saddle soap is easy to apply to your leather items and only requires a soft cloth for application.  Rub the saddle soap into the leather to remove salt and more.  You will see great results right away.
• Another great leather cleaner is the All Purpose Cleaner and Conditionerby Fiebing.  This lotion is both a cleaner and a soap in one and is very convenient for any one who travels to use.  Use a soft cloth to apply and rub the lotion into your leather.  It leaves your leather looking clean and feeling soft.  The conditioner helps to prevent the leather from cracking and drying out.
• If you have suede or nubuck leather items, try using a cleaner like Suede and Nubuck Cleanerby Bickmore.  This cleanser works especially well to thoroughly clean suede or nubuck leather without damaging the texture of the leather.  Use this cleaner to help remove oil and water stains caused by rain, snow or wet weather conditions, which is perfect for use after a long, wet winter.

A great metabolic energy supplement to use is DMG Natural Metabolic Enhancer for Horses by Farnam.  This metabolic energy supplement is great for use on a variety of horses and easy to administer to your horse.  It is made with DMG, a natural nutrient that is ideal for breaking down glycogen in the ATP cycle, which helps to create more energy.  This supplement easily absorbs into the body for better and quicker results.

If you have a performance horse, then try DMG 3000 Equine Energy Boosterby Farnam to help improve your horse’s energy, which will improve your horse’s performance when racing.  This metabolic energy supplement is also easy to give to your horse and works quickly to help improve your horse’s energy.  It is formulated with 3,000 mg of DMG to greatly improve the rate of oxygen transfer to the cells and gives your horse a quick boost of energy.

Another great metabolic energy supplement for your horse is the Lactanase Metabolic Equine Supplement, which is also made by Farnam.  This metabolic energy supplement is made to be given to a performance horse shortly before a race.  It is designed to supply the cells with Acetyl Coenzyme A and a variety of other nutrients, which all work together to help release energy built up in the cells.  It makes boosting your horse’s energy easy and quick.

A great product to keep in your barn all winter long is the Sweet PDZ Stall Freshener.  This great stall freshener is ideal for absorbing bad odors and helps to keep your horse healthier by reducing the amount of ammonia in the stall.  Ammonia is bad for your horse’s lungs and using a product like this will help decrease the amount of ammonia in your horse’s stall.

Another great air freshener for your barn is the Fresh N Clean Solid Odor Absorber.  Place a few of these around your barn to help it stay clean and fresh smelling.  This air freshener has a fresh, clean scent that disperses into the air continuously throughout the day.  Bad smells are absorbed as the air freshener evaporates into the air.

The Country Vet Classic Dispenser is automatic air freshener that will keep your barn smelling great all day long.  This automatic air freshener releases a burst of fresh air every 15 minutes and may be used with a variety of scents, such as the Breathe Easy 30-Day Metered Refill for Horses, to freshen up your barn for both you and your horse.  Your barn will smell fresh and clean as soon as you start using this automatic air freshener.

• The Rubber Glove Massage Mittby Partrade is made of rubber that is durable and helps to keep your hand dryer when using it.  This mitt has a soft nubs on it to gently massage your horse as you work the shampoo into the skin and is great for removing mud and dirt.  If you have dry skin, put on a rubber glove first before putting the mitt on your hand to shampoo your horse to help protect your hand from drying out more.
• The Grooma Loopa Shampoo Mitt by Miracle Corps Products has a more abrasive texture that makes it ideal for removing a poultice from your horse’s hair.  This grooming mitt may be used wet or dry on your horse and is easy to lather shampoo when made wet.  The texture of this grooming mitt also gives you a lot of finger control with washing your horse.
• The Oster Paw Monster Replacement Mitt is another great grooming mitt for your horse and it is made of soft chenille microfiber that is perfect for use on all types of horses.  This soft glove is perfect for everyday cleaning or horses with sensitive skin because the material is very gentle on your horse’s skin.  It also lathers up easily and may also be used with the Paw Monster handle to reach difficult places.

Shane’s Tack was recently asked to submit a product feed for Petazon’s Animal, Horse and Pet Comparison Engine - and we like what we saw.

Petazon has combined over 30 online retailer’s in an accurate shopping comparison site that is concentrating solely on the animal, livestock, horse and pet verticals.  The website uses a combination of UPC, manufacturer, brands and product numbers to match like products across various retailers to display a comprehensive product price comparison to the consumer.

Since ShanesTack.com prides itself in low prices, this product comparison engine should not only help our customers, but should help us too.

Pictured to the right is Farnam’s Mosquito Halt.  Click on the image and you will see an example of this product and pricing at five different stores at Petazon.  Shane’s Tack and a few other stores sell this product in a case, while a few stores sell this product individually.

Looking for a Chin Halter for your horse?  Checkout Petazon’s Animal Product Shopping Comparison engine first, to find the lowest price.

The Stable Snax Horse and Pony Treat by Ginger Ridge contains no molasses and makes a healthy treat or snack to give to your horse or pony.  These treats fit nicely in your pocket or a small treat bag and are convenient to give to your horse anytime of the day.  Both horses and ponies love the taste of this multi-grain snack and these treats are the perfect size for a horse or pony.

For a sweet treat, give your hose the Carrot Cake Horse Treats or the Alfalfa And Apple Horse Treatsby FM Browns as a reward or treat for a special horse.  Both kinds of treats are made of nutritious ingredients that add the perfect amount of sweetness to the treats.  The carrot cake horse treats are made with carrots, apples and raisins that horses love to eat it.  The alfalfa and apple treats are high in fiber and made with wholesome apples for the perfect touch of sweetness. 

To make your horse feel special and to help prevent your horse from becoming bored in the stall, give your horse a toy like the Jolly Jumbo Lick Horse Toy for hours of fun licking in the stall.  This fun and tasty horse toy is easy to install in your horse’s stall and will help to keep your horse happy and busy licking for hours.  Put your horse’s favorite snack in the center for hours of licking fun and the toys on each end are made for hours of horse play.

• If you are limited on time, try to spend at least 10 minutes each day on each stall doing a quick clean-up of the stall.  Create a checklist of tasks that can be done quickly.
• Use a manure fork, like the Ergo Future Fork, to help reduce the strain on your back when picking up manure and soiled bedding. 
• Use a large garbage can with a muck cart to make throwing away the manure and soiled bedding much easier.  Whether you dispose of the waste by composting it or throw it in the trash, it is important to remove of it right away.
• After the manure and soiled bedding has been removed use a hose to quickly clean out the stall.  The Heated Pirit Hose is great for use all year long in your barn because it has contains a heating element to warm the water in the winter. Give your horse’s stall a quick hose down to help wash away urine and other debris.
• Lastly, make sure that your horse tack is put away to prevent it from becoming soiled or destroyed by critters.  A tack box is great for safely storing your tack.  One of my favorite tack boxes is the Tack Trunk with Tray Model 700.  This tack box is great for keeping your tack organized and clean.