A beginner's crash course on horses

Fugly Horse of the Day had a terrific post today about beginner mistakes that can kill your horse. It is seriously the best rundown of the worst mistakes that I've ever seen.

Here is a summary, but be sure to go to the actual blog post to read the commentary:

1) Turning a horse out in a nylon, non-breakaway halter

2) Unsafe fencing

3) Pasture obstacles

4) Letting a horse graze too long or eat grass clippings after you've mowed

5) Turnout with a dangerous horse

Of all of these, it is the first one that bugs me the most, partly because I see it all the time. In fact, someone I know (and will be blogging about soon — stay tuned) has pasture horses that they never take the halters off of. I seriously want to launch into a lecture every time I see a pasture horse with a halter on. If you can't catch and halter your horse in the pasture... Well, that's from a lack of training — and no one's fault but your own!