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| Horses are hand led to and from fields |
ARE GELDINGS AND MARES TURNED OUT TOGETHER?
Yes, and we encounter very few problems. We strive to let horses be horses, within reason. If a horse causes problems
in the big field, however, we move that horse out of the general turnout field and into a semi-private pasture.
ARE HORSES HAND-LED TO AND FROM FIELDS?
Yes. They are walked individually or in groups of two or three.
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| Manure is hauled off the farm. |
HOW IS
THE FARM CLEANED AND MAINTAINED?
Stalls are cleaned every day except Sunday. They are routinely stripped and
re-bedded as needed with sawdust or shavings. Aisles are blown out daily. The wash stalls, a favorite place for boarders to
visit while they groom and tack up, are power-washed weekly.
Water buckets are dumped daily and refilled and
are scrubbed at least once weekly or more often if needed. Water tubs in fields are also routinely scrubbed. Our staff does
a great job seeing to it that horses have clean, fresh water at all times.
The indoor arena is dragged and watered
and the outdoor ring dragged periodically to keep the footing nice. Of course, fencing and stalls are repaired as needed,
and the pastures are periodically fertilized and seeded.
HOW IS MANURE HANDLED?
Manure is hauled off the property, which keeps the farm cleaner and, in warm weather, keeps the fly population down.
IS SOMEONE PRESENT ON THE FARM AT ALL TIMES?
Millhaven horses have someone
watching over them at virtually all times. Our home is built above the main barn. We can look out our windows to check on
horses or run down the steps directly into the barn. Our staff lives on the property and homes surround our pastures.
Anytime that horses are in stalls overnight, a "late night check" is conducted about 11 PM. Each horse
receives more hay, water buckets are checked and filled if needed and we simply make sure that each horse looks healthy and
happy.
DO YOU HAVE RESTRICTED HOURS?
We appreciate it if boarders riding at night try to
finish up by 9:00 p.m. so the horses and residents can settle down for the night.
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| Leonardo gets his annual dental check from Dr. Sarah Smith. |
WHAT VETERINARIAN DO YOU USE?
Dr.
Stuart Scheinberg and his associate Dr. Sarah Smith of the Animal Medical Hospital in Glenwood, Maryland, provide care to
most Millhaven horses. Animal Medical has provided excellent service to us for many years and the practice has a fantastic
emergency system. (See Web link below for information on Animal Medical Hospital). Also see the link below to an article that will tell you more about Dr. Scheinberg's
emergency system and why it's a key reason we favor his practice.
To learn more about Dr. Scheinberg and the Animal Medical Hospital, click here.
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| Dr. Scheinberg on a visit to Millhaven. |
Click here to access an article about the emergency care provided by our barn veterinarian.
CAN I USE MY
OWN VETERINARIAN?
You can, but we strongly prefer that you use our veterinarian because we schedule routine preventive
care and it's easier and far less time-consuming for us to manage when one veterinary practice is involved; it's also
easier for us to make sure each horse is on schedule for preventive care. You may use another veterinarian if you choose,
as long as you take responsibility for scheduling appointments and make sure your horse is kept up-to-date with our health
program.
WHAT IS YOUR HEALTH PROGRAM?
Our preventive vaccine and worming schedule was devised
for our barn by Dr. Scheinberg.
Horses at Millhaven are wormed every two months. Stool samples are taken periodically
to check the efficacy of our worming program.
Vaccines are administered annually for rabies and tetanus, and
twice annually for Eastern and Western encephalitis, Potomac Horse Fever and West Nile viruses. We also vaccinate routinely
for flu/rhino. We will be happy to provide the exact worming and vaccination schedule upon request. We do not vaccinate against
strangles; we've never had a case and there are concerns about the vaccine. Nor do we vaccinate against botulism, because
we seldom feed round bales and on the rare occasions when we do, they are fresh, properly baled and properly stored.
Horses at Millhaven also receive routine preventive dental care annually.
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| Lewis Rimes getting a shoe just right. |
WHAT ABOUT USING
MY OWN FARRIER?
You may use any farrier you choose. We have several farriers who come to Millhaven. Those who
handle most horses in the barn are Lewis Rimes and Barry Henderson, who work with us to schedule visits; we see that horses
are in the barn and available at the time each farrier arrives. If you want to use another farrier, please schedule
visits yourself; if you cannot be here for the farrier visit, we will be happy to have your horse in at the appropriate time
if you give us 24 hours notice.
HOW DO BOARDERS PAY FOR VETERINARY AND FARRIER CARE?
Veterinarians
and farriers bill boarders directly and you pay them, not us, for the services rendered.
DOES MY HORSE NEED TO BE BLANKETED IN WINTER AND IF I WANT TO BLANKET, WHAT DO I NEED TO SUPPLY?
Unless horses are aged, ill or clipped, blankets are not necessary. In addition, Millhaven horses are brought into the
barn overnight in winter and anytime there is very inclement weather. When we close the doors to our main barn building,
it tends to be about 10 degrees warmer inside than it is outside.
Many boarders, however, prefer to blanket. In this case, please provide 1) a waterproof sheet with no fill for intermediate
weather and 2) a light- or medium-weight waterproof blanket with fill. Heavyweight blankets are too warm for this area! If
we have unusually frigid temperatures, we can put the sheet on over the blanket. Make sure sheets and blankets are labeled
with your horse's name and keep them in good repair.
ARE HORSES REQUIRED TO WEAR HALTERS?
Yes. Halters help ensure that we can catch and control the horses, which is safer for the horses and our staff. Halters
are left on at all times; with 40 horses, it would really run up labor time removing and putting on halters. However, we require
that horses have a breakaway halter and that boarders replace these as needed. Non-breakaway halters (including regular leather
halters) are strictly forbidden.
Horses that get rub marks easily from halters may wear a breakable leather collar.
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| Natalie with Gibson and Magnum |
HOW ARE NEW HORSES TRANSITIONED ONTO THE FARM?
New horses that will be in the general turnout field are started out in a small, adjoining introductory pasture where
they can meet the other horses over the fence before commingling with them. If needed, we put a "buddy" horse in
the introductory field with the new horse.
If a horse has been receiving a different brand of sweet feed than we use, we ask new boarders to bring some of the horse's
current food; we'll mix that with ours and transition the horse gradually.
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