The Farrier and Your Horse
Finding a good Farrier is a job in itself. A good Farrier will not give you the time of day, if your horse cause more trouble than other horses, and he will charge you much more for using up added time. Sedation is one answer but it is not a permanent answer to the problem.
One of the most important aspects of your horses care is hoof care. In order to receive proper care from a Farrier you must give your horse a certain amount of training so as to make him job easier and make it easier on the horse. Many untrained horses will pull their feet away from the farrier and will lean their weight on the farrier will he is trying to work on their feet. In the worst case the horse will kick out at the farrier possibly causing injury. So you can understand the dilemma of the farrier.
It is best to start from a colt and teach foot care to your horse early making it a natural occurrence to have their feet lifted and trimmed. It is the responsibility of the owner to make sure this is done. If the horse is already older and still untrained then training can be done fairly quickly by being patient and not asking for too much too soon.
Five to twenty minutes twice a day is sufficient to start with. Once a day will also give some results, but will end up taking much longer. Work with the horse untied as confining him could cause panic. Begin with the front legs and rub him on the neck. Slowly make your way down the shoulder and if he is okay with that then keep preceding to the foreleg and eventually to the hoof. Keep repeating this procedure for a couple of days and then on the third day start to try to lift his leg up by tickling the back side of the foot. After the horse finally gives you his foot, lean in to his shoulder a bit to make him shift his weight to his other legs. This shifting will give him more balance and be comfortable. Do not let the horse take his foot back. It should be your decision to put his foot down, not his.
Keep repeating this procedure until you can take his foot and stretch it forward as a farrier would do. By the time the farrier comes to trim and shoe your horse you will have already "desensitized" your horse to having his legs handled.
Controling Your Horse
Those that love to horseback ride are truly in to nature and animals. There is a special feeling you get when riding a horse through trail rides just as they did in the old days. Learning to control your horse with ease and comfort is very important. Everyone agrees that galloping or loping your horse is the most fun of all as over time, the rider and the horse become one.
Your body and your horses body changes when you are galloping. The mechanics for both of you change completely. In this position, it is most difficult to handle your balance and your horse at the same time. The horse's back drops down and he lifts all four feet off the ground at once. The rider comes up in the saddle a little and pushes down in to his stirrups for balance. For those times that your horse may get spooked and take off running with you, you need to know how to get your control back.
If your horse starts to take off with you, don't panic. Go with the gallop but instead of just letting the horse head straight on till he gets tired, pull him on one rein and put him in a slow circle and lead him back around to where he started. If you continues to run, then continue to make him circle, making it tighter each time. He will soon learn that he is not getting his way and is returning to the place where he was fleeing anyway and he will stop. This will tell the horse, that you are still in control and he is not getting what he wants, while at the same time you are not making a huge ordeal and punishing him in a way he won't understand.
Since it is always easier to learn anything new at a slower pace, practice the correct form in a canter verses a gallop. Put yourself in the two-point position. Concentrate on keeping the reins secure in your hands. Some actually place their hands on the mane of the horse and grab hold of some hair. When your horse starts to move forward, push down in your stirrups and lean forward while lifting your bottom up off of the saddle seat.
First learn the mechanics of a proper gallop. You and your horse will learn together so that whether or not any mishaps occur, you can remained calm and balanced in the saddle enough to teach your horse a lesson.
The most important thing is to relax and enjoy. Your horse will read your feelings of fear if you are not relaxed and happy. In other words, go with it and have fun!
Teaching Your Horse to Barrel Race
A good barrel horse requires lots of time and training. The event, which usually draws more girls than boys, has become extremely popular in 4H clubs and rodeo's.
A horse that is already trained in riding and knows all of the basic commands and basics such and trotting and loping is much preferred to a green horse. If he does not know the basic stop, starts, and reining it makes things extremely difficult and will take much longer to get up to speed. It is best to have a somewhat eager and energetic horse when racing barrels as they must be athletic and have good energy for this fast event.
An arena with at least two inches of loose sand or dirt on top of firm ground is needed. Arrange three barrels in the proper pattern you wish to run. You can either start on the left barrel or the right. Walk your horse around the barrels. Make the pattern three or four times at least completely. The turns must be complete and in the proper way. Leave a pocket when approaching each barrel just as you would when riding the pattern in competition.
Trot your horse around the barrels through the proper pattern for about two weeks. Do not move on until your horse is able to trot the pattern with minimal instruction. Get him to learn the pattern so well that he doesn't even have to think.
You can increase to a lope after the two weeks. If the horse makes any mistakes, go back to the original trot until he fixes the problem. Even after you are at a running speed, continue to walk and run your horse every day. This will teach him that he doesn't have to run the barrels every time he gets near them.
Over time, horses can get very excited when running the pattern and begin to charge the barrel. Relaxation is the key in any competition. When in the training arena and walking around the barrels you may want to walk him several times around a barrel until he can do it calmly and relaxed. Don't go thru the pattern at a run until he is calm and focused.
Make sure to give your horse time away from the barrels, as they get extremely bored of doing the same things over and over. Give them a little relaxation time away from the work.
Undernourished Horses
When a horse looses weight, he looses his fat first, just as we humans do, and then the muscle tone goes next. By the time you actually see a weight-loss, your horse has already lost a significant amount of weight. Usually a horse has a large amount of fat in reserve that he has stored during summer months to prepare himself for the cold winters. As with many animals, it is inherent in their nature.
You must monitor your horses weight regularly, especially if he is prone to weight loss or a "poor keeper". A "poor keeper" is a horse that is hard to keep a stable weight on and must be monitored to make sure he doesn't get sick. They sell "tapes" that you use once a week to measure certain areas of the horse. This tape is about 90% accurate. There are of course scales you can set up to weight your horse, but the tape is accurate and cheap enough for most people needs.
If your horse needs more weight, feed more grain than your horses usual portion. Use a feed that is higher in fiber and lower in starch as this reduces the chances of your horse from getting too hyped up from the added energy. More protein and energy intake builds weight. Low energy feeds can be fed from 1kg to 6 kg without your horse going thru the roof with energy.
If you don't have good grazing land, offer more hay during the day to provide extra roughage and nutrients. Fresh coastal or alphalpha grass is preferred, but the hay will still provide "gut fill" which creates heat from the process of fermentation. Try to stay away from large round bales as they can develop mold and are not suitable for horses.
Always consult your veterinarian if you are unsure how to best feed your horse to build weight. They can suggest a good nutritionist that can guide you in proper feeding and supplements.
Saddle Bags
When you think of the saddlebag from cowboy days, leather or canvas comes to mind. These materials are still used to make bags, but they are also made from new materials such as nylon. Nylon is lighter weight, durable and less expensive than the usual leather, although nothing is quite as strong or gives you the nostalgia of the old fashion leather product.
If you ride horses on a regular bases, then you will have some kind of saddle bag. In the old west,
saddlebags carried everything necessary to take you through a cattle drive or bring tools needed for fixing the fence-line. Today, there are many options available and ways to carry your gear. There is not just the traditional saddle bags anymore. There is also the hobble holders, hoof pick holders,
gun holster and scabbards,
horn bags, bottle holders and cantle bags. All you have to do is look around and you will find a holder for it. The choice you make depends on personal preference and what gear you need to bring with you.
The definition of a saddle bag is two pouches connected by a wide piece of leather. Attached with saddle strings, they lie behind the cantle and across the back behind the cantle.
Saddle bag strings are usually very long long which gives you lots of length to tie a blanket of rain gear as well as the bags on to your saddle.
Leather bags just as saddles can be beautiful works of art. You will find many saddle makers who also make custom leather saddle bags. On the other side of the tracks, nylon bags are are stretchy, allowing you to put more in to them and they come in many colors. The main draw to nylon is the price factor. You can get nylon cantle bags as well as horn bags. For this rider, it's nice to have the old-time heavy leather saddle bags for show, but for actual use to just drag around, you can't beat the cheap nylon offerings of today's nylon bags.
Learn To Trailer Your Horse
Trips to the veterinarian hospital or to a park are common place. Moving your horse from one place to another is a must whether you show your horse or not. Loading your horse can be a stressful time for the horse as well as the owner if the horse hasn't been taught correctly from the start. Any mishaps can scar the horse for life and it will be very difficult to change the unpleasant memory. Remain calm and give praise whenever possible.
Trailers should be introduced to a horse from the time he is a young colt. Often times feeding them in a trailer that is parked and not going anywhere at all. You can start with putting the feed on the floor at the back door and gradually as the days go by, put the food farther and farther up in to the trailer until it is fully inside and completely confident inside. This can work with a fully grown horse also. Making them familiar with the trailer is key to getting them loaded.
Start by walking the animal near the trailer in a circle but don't actually go inside. Each time he completes the circle praise him and give him a scratch behind his withers. Approach the trailer closer each time. If you have introduced him to the trailer from a colt he will have no problems. If not then keep familiarizing him with the trailer. Walk him up to the trailer or up the ramp over and over until he feels secure.
There's a fine line between being pushy and firm, so just use your own judgment. Make your intentions clear that he is to go in to the trailer. Praise him when he makes progress towards entering the trailer. Never force him in, but a pat on the butt when he is close to entering encourages him to move forward.
On different days all through the day, load him up in the trailer to enforce the behavior that he must comply each time he is asked no matter what is going on around him.
Tacking Up Your Horse
To put on the equipment needed to make a horse ready for riding is called "tacking up" a horse. You will need a saddle complete with girth strap and stirrups, saddle blanket, and bridle to begin with. Learning to tack a horse properly is very important to the rider as much as to the horse.
If you put a saddle on with dirt underneath it will rub on your horse causing irritation. Before putting anything on your horse you must be sure he is brushed and groomed. Dirt under the saddle will cause the horse irritation. When the coat is clean, then you made start.
Always put on all tack while standing on the horses left side. Make sure your horse is well secured with a halter and lead rope as horses have a way of getting tangled up when you aren't looking. Put the saddle blanket on first, placing it in the proper place up towards the withers. On top of blanket place the saddle. Make sure the blanket and saddle are pulled up far enough to the withers. Usually with western saddles one cinch is in the front and one in the back. The back Flank Billet or rear cinch should hang one inch below the horse. It doesn't need to be tightened. The front cinch, which is the one you should do first, needs to be secured tightly. Tighten it as much as possible. Before getting on the horse you will tighten it again.
With your left hand on the bit and the right hand on the top of the bridle insert the bit in to the horses mouth. Pull it up and over each ear, then secure the small buckle at the top of the cheek-piece. There should be only a slight wrinkle on the lip where the bit sits. Pull up the reins around the horses neck and you are ready to go.
After a few minutes, check the forward cinch again for tightness.
Youth Horseback Riding
Most children have a natural love of animals. Some have an innate love of horses specifically. With young riders, the key is to try and make the first lessons fun. Heavier lessons need to wait until they are old enough to physically handle an animal as large as a horse. Usually under six years of age, children are not strong enough to handle anything but the most safe and older "kid horse".
Grooming and taking care of a horse are the first lessons of a student. It is suggested to have the student wear a helmet during the entire lesson, even while grooming. Let the children drop treats into a bucket for the animal. When they are ready, teach them how to feed a horse from their hand, with it being totally flat and fingers tightly together so the horse doesn't nip any fingers. Horses naturally nudge when they think you have a treat, so make sure the child is aware that this is normal.
Don't let the beginning student get their horse for the lesson. Have him caught and ready to go. Horses are very large and you don't want a student to get hurt trying to lead a horse. Make the lesson fun but stress safety and what they should do and where to stand for each step in the grooming process.
Always look for the smallest saddle available and do what is necessary to make the stirrups short enough to reach with their feet. This will give them more balance and control. It is much easier for the teacher of a child to physically demonstrate what you mean rather than give only verbal lessons. Teaching a young rider is very "hands on". Keep a halter on underneath your horses bridle so you can attach a lunge line on. With the lunge line you can allow the child to ride around on the horse while still having control over the horses head.
As time goes on the student will gain the strength and balance needed to pursue riding. Wearing safety gear and keeping the lunge line clipped to the horse's halter at all times, proceed with the lessons. Teach balance and getting used to the motion of the horse and learning to use the reins to direct which way the horse will go.
Before Buying A Horse
A good question to ask yourself when looking for a horse is "What is my true riding experience?". Try to take an honest look at yourself and get friends to help you decide what kind of a horse is best for you. This is where many people falter in judgment. You must match how much training a horse has had to your riding ability.
What sort of riding do you do? Think of the end goal around five years from now. Hacking, showing, polo, driving, jumping are just a few of the things you might want a horse for. This will help you decide whether to buy a horse that is already completely trained or one that needs a little work.
Never buy a horse without riding him first. It is very common to try out a horse in this way before purchasing. Get a knowledgeable person that is a good judge of handling horses to also ride the horse and give an evaluation. Your riding instructor would be a good person to do this for you, especially if you are nervous about riding a strange animal.
Beginning riders need a horse that is already broke (trained) and easy to work with. Only very experienced riders should pick a horse that needs more control or guidance while riding. Know your limits where this is concerned. Look in magazines, newspapers and even on the Internet to find a good horse. Another good outlet is to ask your horse-riding friends if they know of anything for sale.
Stop A Bucking Horse
Have you have ever gotten in a situation where your horse begins to buck with you while having a nice trail ride and you end up on your bum? If so, then from that time on you have probably made certain to be on your guard about it happening again. There are certain steps you can follow that will help you to stop the horse in it's proverbial tracks before he can throw you off his back.
Pay attention to your horses behavior in relation to how he is tacked out. Is he personable, finicky, irritable, quick to run? Or is he being very docile and walk slowly? Make sure before you do any riding at all that the saddle and tack fit your horse as perfectly as possible. The trick is to avoid any pinches or pokes by the equipment. Before getting angry and trying to punish your horse for bucking, check your saddle and headstall to make sure it was not that versus something to do with behavior issues. Horses usually buck for a good reason, but every now and then you will find one that has had bad training and does not like to be ridden. As stated before, this is only the case on rare occasions.
The signs that your horse may be about to buck are, ears pinned back; turning his head to look at you; dropping his head quickly to the ground or even tensing up under saddle and moving around. There may be no signs at all that there is anything wrong so it takes a watchful eye. When a horse bucks he drops his head down while kicking his back legs up and out in to the air with a huge amount of force. The usual reasons he bucks are to kick the horse next to him or his saddle is pinching him and causing discomfort in some way.
The first thing you do when a horse is bucking is pull the reins back as far and tight as you can to pull the horses head up. It is a physical impossibility to buck if his head is up in the air. Stand in your stirrups to help keep your balance and try to stay off his back so that he is bucking under you. If you get no results then take the right or left rein only and pull the horses head around to the side. This will cause him to move forward in to a circle where you can get control of him.
Basic Horse Knowlege
We see pictures of horses grazing out in the field and we surmise that horses live there alone with very little attention from humans. Horses can be sometimes misunderstood by people who know nothing about their behavior. Unless you are around horses on a regular basis, you will not know how they act or the safety issues involved when being close to a horse.
Movements, body position and calls are all forms of communication with horses. Just sit and observe your horse for long periods of time and you will begin to see the horses language to other horses and to humans. Don't misunderstand ears that are pointing back to listen to you with the "flat" back ears which means anger. The ears of a horse always point in the direction that he is paying attention to. If you are riding him, you want one ear pointed at you. If his ears are flat back against his head, it means he is afraid or angry. Ears that move front and back continuously means he uncertain what to do.
Horses are herd animals, so their instinct is to run from danger and stay within their heard for protection. Communication is very important with any animal. Since they cannot learn how to understand us, we as owners of horses must learn their behavior instead. Horses, like many animals, have a strong since of self-preservation. With some good training and an experienced rider, a grown horse can learn to follow directions rather than following their instincts. Trust is the main ingredient for this to happen. Spend time with your horse and always react in the same way every time with patience.
Facial expressions are another way to read what a horse is thinking. A wrinkled nose can mean disgust and annoyance. When a horse bares his teeth with an open mouth, it means he's about to bite. A long nose and tight mouth show anxiety and fear as when they are being taught something. When he figures out what he is trying to be taught, then his mouth will relax and he'll began to chew. A long nose with a slightly open mouth shows that the horse wants to be groomed and also to groom in return too.
The tail is also a way to read your horse. A high tail means excitement in a horse while a tail that is flattened and between their legs means fear. A tail that is lashing about is a sign of irritation and annoyance. A sort of "kinked" tail is often a sign that your horse is about to buck, especially if he bows his back up at the same time.
These are just a few ways that you can begin to communicate with your horse. Trust and positive interaction is the key. Since people are verbal, we often don't want to try to understand other forms of communication, but as horse owners we need to at least try to learn ways to improve how we react with each other.
The Paint Horse
The American paint horse is a stock-type horse that is intelligent and is built for agility and speed and has a "willing" attitude. He is ideal for many different riding needs such as ranch work, showing, pleasure riding, rodeo events and they are wonderful horses for children and beginning riders.In order for a horse to be registered as a paint he must fit in to three catagories. Tobiano, Overo or Tovero paints.
The Tobiano pattern has an oval or round white spot that extends down the neck and chest. Often in this pattern, the white crosses the horse's back between the tail and withers and the head can either be solid or have a blaze, strip or star. Their legs are usually white below the knees and sometimes the tail will be two colors.The Overo paint horse can be mostly white or dark. They often have loud white markings on the head such as a "bald face". An overo's markings are usually scattered and irregular and the legs are the same. They can have one or all four legs dark or white, but their tail is usually one color.The markings of a paint can be so varied that the American Paint Horse Association has made a third category to classify characteristics of both Tobiano and Overo. They call this classification, Tovero.
The Comanche Indians, used the paint horse as much as they could as depicted in their early drawings of spotted horses found on buffalo hides. The paint to the Indian had special magic that would help them hunt and fight.The Paint horse has been called Paint, Pinto, piebald and skewbald as there was no specific name for the paint way back when. When an association was formed it was decided that the stock type build of the breed would stay in tact. In fact, the only difference in a paint horse and a stock-type horse is the coloring.There are many breeders of paint horses today as the romance of the old west and the Indians carry on. The uniqueness of the paint horse will forever be a point of interest to the horse inthusiast as there are no two paint horses the same in coloring or confirmation.
The Kinsky Horse
The Kinsky horse has an extremely long history. They are good-natured and have the stamina necessary for many different activities such as Fox Hunting or Western riding. The moment they are born they are very friendly to humans and can bonding with their owners from the start.The legend is as follows. A hunting party was attacked by wolves. Only one man stayed and stood his ground against the wolves and drove them off killing three of them. For his courage, he was knighted and given a coat of arms with three wolves' teeth as a reminder of his brave act.
Over time, the reputation of the Kinsky horses grew. From cavalry horses to carriage horses, the breed was widley known. They began to be known as the Gold Kinsky horses because of the gold metallic shine to their coats, although not all Kinsky's are gold. They can be all shades of gold and, on rare occasions, black.
The Kinsky horses is a seven time winner of the Pardubice Grand National. The most remembered race was won by the gold Kinsky mare Norma. The rider was the first and only woman to ever win the European race.
The USSR confiscated all Kinsky Estates at the beginning of the war and banned foxhunting. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of family the Kinsky horse's standards did not suffer during this time. Now known as the Czech Republic, the Kinsky horse is regarded as a treasure to their country.
There are less than one-thousand registered Kinsky horses today. A stud farm has been opened in the UK to breed this rare horse for the first time ever. Hopefully, this will increase the number of Kinsky's so that they can preserve the breed.
Stabling Your Horse
The needs of a horse are not too different from any other animal. Basic needs consist of adequate food, fresh water and plenty of exercise. Some people keep thier horses out on the open range and only bring them in when they are needed. Stalled horses require constant attention. Many prefer "stalling" because you can control his diet and exercise. Here are a few things to know about keeping your horse well taken care of in a stall situation.
The size is the stall is very important. A twelve-by-twelve stall is sufficient for most size horses. If you have a larger than average horse, act according and get a larger stall. There should be ample room to turn around or be groomed. A paddock that your horse can go outside the stall in is recommended.
Cement or concrete walls are dangerous to horses as they can break their legs if they kick the wall for any reason. Stalls made of wood are recommended.
Automatic waterers are very popular these days for horse stalls. They are mounted in the wall so the horse can't kick it over or get hay or food in it. It gives out fresh water continuously. The only problem is you can't monitor their water intake. Also, some horses don't them. If using a bucket, try to keep at least ten gallons of water available at a time.
There are many different feed containers you can use. For a stall, a combination hay/feed bucket is recommended. Throwing grain on the ground will cause your horse to eat sand or dirt which cause colic. Hay racks keep food out of the bedding where they can ingest dirt also.
Make sure you keep proper bedding in your stalls. Wood shavings work very well for stall bedding and is usually plentiful and absorbant.
Horse Training
The goal with any horse is to get to the fun part where you can take him on trail rides or let your friends ride him with no worries that he will start bucking or take off running with the rider. You must first put in the training necessary so that your horse becomes agreeable in any situation. If you can't afford a "kid safe" horse and have to work with what you have, then there are things you can do to make this happen.A "spooky" horse can be a dangerous thing for riders. Serious injuries can be caused by a horse that is "green" and unused to being around certain objects or places. Spend as much time with your horse as you can so as to build a trust with your horse, starting with the groundwork. Trust is invaluable as a tool to help your horse overcome his natural instincts to flee when danger is near. If your horse trusts you to keep him safe, he will ignore his instincts and remain calm. You must establish yourself as your horse's "leader" and work with him as much as possible, letting him know who is boss.
Take your animal out with a horse that is what is known as "bombproof". When a horse sees and feels that another horse is remaining calm in all situations then he will realize that things that seem scary to him are not so scary after all. Horses learn a lot from each other and read situations through other horses eyes. Walk him through many obsticals in many different situations with this lead horse for a good example.
If your horse is scared of certain objects, then make sure you expose those objects to him every day until he is completely comfortable around them. For example you can tie plastice bags to the fence and let them flap in the breeze. Then keep taking your horse past the bags every day as part of his training to NOT be afraid of things that are moving around him when under saddle. Walking him through brush that he's never been around every day helps your horse get used to trail riding.Fear is the main thing that drives a horse to misbehave. The point is to make him comfortable with as many things as possible on an every day basis. Use calm and patience but with a firm hand to continue in your role as "lead" horse.
