Westwood Acres

Strangles Case Confirmed at California Boarding Facility The facility is located in Sonoma County, where 30 horses have been exposed.

Getting in a fun trail ride with some students before school starts for them! It was beautiful at Ragle! 🦄🐎

Arena is open now!

Sorry for the inconvenience but new footing will be spread tomorrow, (Wednesday) beginning at 10:30 AM. Feel free to text me to get a better timeline of when the arena will be usable.  Thinking it should only take about 2 hours though.

I’m very lucky that mine have 24-7 turnout. I know it’s not easy for some places nowadays with the cost of land.

Most barns in America operate on a schedule that looks something like this: horses come in from the paddocks in the early afternoon, stand in stalls through the night, get turned out in the morning, then after the feeding and mucking is done, come back in sometime in the early afternoon, and stand in their stalls again through the late afternoon, evening, and night, Piper Klemm writes.

If you examine it honestly from the horse’s perspective, from the barn management perspective, and from the perspective of everyone who needs access to those horses during the day, it is also, in some cases, exactly backwards. While night turnout in the summer or heat is not a radical idea, it is time for it to be given more and serious thought for year round horse management.

Research shows that horses are happiest and healthiest with regular turnout, and that allowing horses freedom of movement and social interaction fulfills basic needs that support equine welfare. The question is not whether turnout matters (that is settled) but how much of it the horse actually gets under the typical schedule. In most working hunter-jumper barns, the honest answer is somewhere between six and eight hours on a good day, and considerably less on busy show prep days, bad weather days, or days when the schedule simply runs long. Night turnout, by contrast, gives a horse the entire dark stretch of hours — realistically twelve to sixteen hours outside, moving, grazing, breathing fresh air, and doing what horses are physiologically built to do.

Researchers have found that animals in natural settings spend significantly more time in restorative rest cycles compared to stalled counterparts, and that the physical space of a field encourages low-impact movement that reduces joint stiffness while building muscle tone. A lack of turnout is linked to stereotypic behavior, digestive problems, and weaker musculoskeletal tissues. Every extra hour outside is an hour of circulation, hoof stimulation, gut motility, and mental decompression that the stall simply cannot replicate regardless of how well it is managed.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/07/08/the-case-for-night-turnout-year-round-why-flipping-the-schedule-is-worth-considering/

How cute is this!?! These two talented sisters, who spent most of their childhood riding here, got to ride together yesterday for the first time in ages. Maddie (on the right) just graduated from Berkeley and is off to grad school soon, while Ava (on the left) is on summer break from Tulane! Way to go, ladies! Thanks Lindsey for digging up that old photo for me! 

I follow this trainer in the UK. She deals primarily with difficult horses. She is truly amazing! I love her comment at the end of this post, “vet first, training second” 🙌💜!

From Napa Equine:

🚨 Emerging Livestock Health Alert 🚨

To date, there have been no identified cases of New World Screwworm in California. However, its re-emergence after decades of successful eradication and prevention efforts in the United States is a significant disappointment and concern.

Education, vigilance, and continued collaboration between veterinarians, livestock owners, and public health partners will be critical as we all move forward from here.

Please take a moment to learn more about this issue below from the AAEP. 🐎

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has provided an important update on New World Screwworm which has been detected in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas. Read the full press release here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states

General information about New World Screwworm (NWS) can be found in the text below and in the attached infographic.

The adult screwworm fly is about the size of a common housefly (or slightly larger), with orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along its back. It gets its name from the behavior of its larvae (maggots) as they burrow (screw) into the wound, feeding as they go. The maggots (larvae) cause extensive damage by tearing at the hosts’ tissue with sharp mouth hooks. The wound can quickly become enlarged and deeper as more maggots hatch and feed on living tissue.

Because they feed on live flesh, NWS maggots may burrow deep into wounds or openings, while other species of maggots may appear around the outer surface of the wound. In addition, even the smallest wounds have the potential to attract flies, so it is imperative that you keep a close eye on your animals for any signs of wounds.

Lastly, NWS infestations are a reportable disease! Immediately report any suspicious wounds, maggots, or infestations to a local accredited veterinarian, your State Animal Health Official, or a USDA veterinarian.

For more information, reference this resource from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm