Posts Tagged ‘anxiety’

As any pet is cared for within the home, the care for horses is very much the same; ensuring the proper medical, physical, and nutritional care for a horse is part of the responsibility of its owners. There are many different facets of horse health and all must be attended to in order to ensure the horse’s vitality and longevity.

In order to be well-versed on horse health it is important to understand the signs of a healthy horse; conversely when those signs wane, you will immediately be alerted to a possible decline in the health of your horse. One quick indicator of horse health is the overall appearance of the animal. A healthy horse has a shiny, slick coat with a hard hoof. Any nutritional issues would immediately show up on the horse’s coat – resulting in dullness, slowed shedding, and even bald patches. Additionally, dry and cracked hoofs could be a sign of dehydration or poor circulation.

Of course, not much tells a greater story of horse health than the horse’s eating and drinking behaviors. The sudden and ongoing decrease in appetite or refusal to eat and drink altogether can be a common sign of a horse in dangerous health. Pay attention to the amount of grazing a horse does during the course of the day, its ability to hold food in its mouth and chew (problems with this could indicate teeth/mouth conditions) as well as the frequency with which it urinates and eliminates waste, and any weight fluctuations in the animal.

One of the most important indicators of horse health is behavior; like people, horses have their own personalities so what behavior may inspire concern when exhibited by one horse may be well within the boundaries of another horse’s personality. But there are a few common behaviors that generally signal distress across the board including the appearance of anxiety, lethargy or fatigue, decreased socialization, and stall weaving – a behavior signaling heightened anxiety wherein the horse paces around its stall. A healthy horse should also move unreservedly; any limping or bobbing of the head often indicates painful movement and a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.

As a matter of fact, the most important step to preserving horse health is an established relationship with a reputable veterinarian. As a horse owner, you are the first line of defense in maintaining the health of your horse; you are in a better position than anyone to recognize signs and symptoms that may indicate trouble for your horse. A veterinarian, however, in addition to performing frequent check-ups, can help you identify and address any health concerns you have throughout the lifetime of the horse.

Owning a horse can be a wonderful experience; but also an enormous responsibility. Just as children depend on us to care for them in every capacity, a domesticated horse relies on its human companions in much the same way. In this role, it is incumbent upon us to understand the many facets of horse health and do all that we can to do to protect the lives and vitality of our animal friends.

For more information on horses, try visiting http://www.interestinghorses.com – a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on horse health.

Author: Riley Hendersen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Training horses is one exciting and enjoyable way to teach your ponies and make them good buddies in your horse riding spree. Of course, you would not want an untamed horse jumping on you during one of your rides.

If you are a horse lover or a horse riding enthusiast and you want to do the horse training yourself, here is a simple guide to training horses and ponies. Of course, a well-trained horse is a great companion and they can become your best buddies at play or at work.

In training your horse, it helps a lot to understand their body language or the sounds they make. Of course, they can only produce these sounds whenever they are happy or in pain or they feel uncomfortable, so you have to familiarize yourself and listen to them. Horses neigh if they feel confident but it can also mean anxiety. By reading his body language, you can however distinguish what your horse is feeling. Horses may sigh as a sign of being deeply relaxed and they may usually begin to snort if he is afraid of something. Indeed, learning their language can facilitate your horse training and will help you understand your horse’s feeling as well.

In any guide to training horses, it is important to gain the trust and respect of your horse. If you remain a stranger to him, he will never be confident around you. Do not create an atmosphere that will make your horse fear you, instead make him feel happy when he sees you.

In training your horse, it is wise to start with light touching of the horse to make him comfortable and at ease with you. You can then start training him by leading him to walk when you try to hold the rope and adding some commands that you will use to talk to him and convey what you want him to do. Horses can easily follow when they have a leader that can show them what to do as they usually follow a leader in a herd, and in horse training, you will act as your horse’s leader to make him do things. If he does it right, then you have to remember to reward him.

One basic thing that your horse should learn is how to walk beside you. This is usually attained by means of lead training, where you can also teach your horse to stop or turn at your command. As he will eventually learn these simple commands, you can then move on to training him so that he can accept being ridden and that he can follow the commands of the rider. Training him to listen to your signals and commands is a favorable means to train your horse but avoid whipping him just to make him follow you.

It is important too that when your horse has learned one skill, repeat it to him and make sure he gets it before moving to another command or skill. It is also important to let your horse be accustomed to the bit, the saddle and other accessories, as he would be wearing them when someone eventually rides him.

These are just a few of the tips and things that you have to keep in mind in training horses. To be able to get full details of horse training, find a good guide to training horses and make sure also that you have a professional trainer with you if it is your first time doing it.

Carolyn Anderson loves outdoor adventures. If you want to learn how to train horses, check out Natural Horsemanship Software Pack. Also check out Horse Training Secrets, to find out the secrets and techniques in horse training.

Author: Carolyn Anderson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It’s true what they say; it’s the little things. Your relationship with your horse is built upon the simple day-to-day activities you do together. How you and your horse interact while performing the mundane tasks of leading, grooming, mounting, etc. set the tone for the day. They build the foundation upon which you learn to rely on and respect each other.

You are always training your horse when you are interacting with her. As soon as you walk into her pasture or stall your horse is aware of your body language, voice, your energy, and mood. By making every experience a positive one for your horse, one that promotes relaxation and respect, the bond between you will grow stronger. By being aware of how your horse is responding to you and proactively helping her make constructive decisions, the two of you will reach a higher level of partnership.

Put your nose in the halter. We are often in a hurry and push on the halter onto our horse’s head without thinking. Our horse may pull away or elevate her head, a sign of anxiety or distrust that shouldn’t be ignored. Instead, put your right arm over the top of your horse’s neck and hold the open nosepiece of the halter a couple of inches below his nose and an inch or two toward you. Use the weight of your arm to encourage your horse to lower her head. Slight pressure from the halter strap that’s touching your horse’s neck will encourage her to bend her neck slightly toward you. Don’t “make” your horse respond. Wait for her figure out what to do on her own. That way you’re allowing her the time to make the decision to relax and place her nose into the halter on her own.

I lead, you follow. Your horse always leads a little bit ahead of you. She starts walking faster, and now you’re pulling back on the lead…against a 1,000 pound animal that knows she’s bigger than you. You lost her attention, and respect, the moment her shoulder passed yours. Never EVER let your horse lead you. That puts her in a dominant position, and when she’s thinks she’s in charge, anything goes. If your horse starts to get ahead of you, choke up on your lead. Put rearward pressure on the lead rope that’s angled toward the lowest part of the center of your horse’s chest. Keep the pressure steady, but don’t try to muscle your horse back. She needs to respond to light pressure, no more than a pound or two, and back off on her own. If she doesn’t swing the tail end of the leadrope (with your left hand) across her chest until she slows down and releases the pressure you’re applying with your leading hand. Your goal is not to cause your horse any discomfort at all, but to mimic the “back off” cue another dominant horse would give if your horse was caught taking the lead inappropriately.

Stand still for grooming and bathing. When your horse stands calmly and quietly, she feels confident in and comfortable with what’s happening. Certainly if you’re power spraying your horse with cold water on a chilly day, she won’t be very patient. Whatever you’re doing should be respectful to your horse as well. Teach your horse to stand still while holding the leadrope first. That way you can correct her safely without her feeling trapped or confused. Face your horse when you’re working around her. If she moves away, back her up a few steps to reinforce your authority. Then ask her to lower her head and relax with downward pressure on the leadrope. Then, bring her forward again (make sure you turn away to invite her to follow you and then face her again when you want her to stay put) and resume what you were doing. Be repetitive and calm.

Don’t move when I step in the saddle. It’s very disrespectful for your horse to walk off when you climb aboard. It can also be a sign of anxiety. Either way, it’s a problem that needs to be fixed. If she takes a step, when you put your foot in the stirrup, step down and back her up. Lower her head and bring her forward to try again. Repeat this until she’s standing solid. If you tend pull on your horse to get on, she’ll lose her balance and have to take a step. Use a mounting step or hone your mounting skills to make it easier for your horse to do her job right.

Every moment you spend with your horse is an opportunity to build a foundation of partnership. You and your horse are a team that will always work best when you’re working together.

Dale Rudin has 26 years horse experience as a trainer, instructor, and clinician. She has authored articles for Horse Illustrated, Young Rider, and other publications.

Information about her approach to training, products, and services can be found at http://www.dalerudin.com

Author: Dale Rudin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It really was a sad story. The horse sure was depressed but the owner wasn’t able to figure it out. They brought in a very large, beautiful horse which, we could tell, had more years behind it than ahead of it. They loved the horse however and didn’t want to see it spend its final years suffering with equine depression. They had lots of space on a nice big farm for their horses to run and play. If you’re a horse it really is the idyllic setting. This made it all the more perplexing to comprehend the whole depression scenario. The horse was living on a proverbial retirement home for horses and it was suffering from equine depression? That doesn’t make much sense. Horse Depression

I tried probing the owners a little and asked them a few important questions. It turns out that they had an old silo on the farm. The kids liked riding the horses in a meadow and the path led past the old silo. When I asked what was in the silo the reason for the equine depression became clearer. The silo was being used as storage for animals that, for whatever reason, died on the farm. As the kids forced the big horse up to and past the silo, the owners explained, the horse would hesitate and then bolt past the silo and into the meadow. The kids loved the speed that the horse would reach and would do it repeatedly. Pet Anxiety

They didn’t realize that the horse was running so fast because it was so scared. They didn’t realize they were abusing the horse. When we explained that this was likely the reason for the equine depression they were horrified. They were very apologetic and offered any lifestyle correction that we could suggest. We did have a few suggestions and we spent a great deal of time correcting the animal depression with the therapies that we offer here. They were very grateful and so were we. Horse Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation