Posts Tagged ‘Attitude’

If you are interested in Tennessee walking horse for pleasure riding you need to acquire knowledge in two types of horse riding. One is defined as a western style of riding and the other is completely the riding with the English style. The western and the English style of riding are just the opposite of each other. You can have different gear and different set of rules for riding in both the styles. Western riding is nothing more but just anything with western tack. Such a pleasure riding on a Tennessee walking horse in the western style can be perfect for the beginners. The beginners can really enjoy the trial riding through such a pleasurable style providing the experience and organize over themselves in a show or trail scenario. If you are really interested in some governing competitive associations then it is very important to accomplish with your mount just to have the success. You need to judge the breed of every horse before doing anything. You need to judge the ability of any specific horse to distribute a pleasurable ride through his responsiveness, attitude, and method of moving. While you are on the ride you are in the control to move your horse and you are the responsible person to provide the appropriate pleasure riding training for your horse. It is better to keep this in mind that for the events like reining, western riding, trail, and others your gaited pleasure Tennessee walking horse is not the only one in the ring. The competitors will definitely be judged individually and that is a tough job to win.

You should follow some essential tips being the owner of the Tennessee walking gaited pleasure horse. For any kind of pleasure riding the behavior of the horse is very important and essential. It is necessary to show the consistency of your horse just through its behavior and nature. It is very common and natural that some horses change the attitude very instantaneously and you can never judge their behavior from the beginning. You need to keep its attitude within your rues while entering into the arena so that it can never go too much excited and unruly with other animals or other competitors. It is your responsibility to train and control your horse’s behavior. You need to prepare it making sure that nothing will irritate the animal once the competitor start. You must prepare the animal from the very beginning. You need to process through the simulation through your training. A horse should be trained with similar stimuli can never bother or be bothered by the unknown simply because nothing is scary anymore.

Undoubtedly riding is not a very physical for just the most part of your animal if the attitude and the behavior go well with the nature of the animal. Smooth riding Tennessee walking horses capture the techniques very well if you give them proper training and knowledge about such riding. It is very important to make and display the good communication between you and your animal. Flawless communication can really help a lot to win a competition. You must show that you are having the full control over the animal while riding it and your horse is also willing to win. Time in the saddle and mixed with knowledge can bring success for your end. It is very important to give an intense notice on the trail, enjoyment and safety of both the mount and rider. You can never lose the confidence while riding that is very important. This can give you enough marks and the judges will judge this factor to determine if you are having complications with the activity.

http://www.walking-after-midnight.com/ and its team have brought this post for you so that you can gather enough knowledge about the perfection of horse riding and can arrange everything as per your requirement.

Author: Jasmine Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are considering buying a new horse, there are several issues of concern to you. Smart buyers and riders know what they want before speaking to horse sellers.

It is important to know everything you can about the new horse. Learn its history, blood lines, habits, preferences, skills and overall attitude. It is also important to find out about its inherent traits. All horses have their own unique traits. Know which ones are most desirable to you.

Traits to Consider

Some horses are better at certain tasks than others. When buying a new horse, pre-determine what skills you want the horse to possess. Some to consider are:

* English riding

* Showing and jumping

* Racing

* Western riding

* Trail riding

* Roping

* Team roping

* Barrel racing

* Endurance

Questions to Ask Before Buying a Horse

How much do you expect to pay? Look only at horses within your price range. What gender, color, age and size are you looking for? Weed out horses that don’t fit within your requirements. Does the horse load and unload from trailers well? Will it tolerate shoeing and hoof trimming? Score your prospective horses on a scale of one to five for these items. The higher scorers will help you determine which horses are of the most interest to you.

When buying a new horse it is important to be sure it has been thoroughly evaluated. An initial inspection of the horse must be performed by someone capable and experienced. If you don’t know what to look for, bring someone you trust who does. Here are the areas you need to check:

* Eyes. Make sure the horse can see out of both eyes. Do a flinch test by waving your hand quickly in front of each eye. Check for any differences.

* Ears. Check for excess ear wax or over-sensitivity when the ears are touched.

* Mouth. Check for any lesions or sores. Be sure the teeth are normal and aligned. Watch the horse chew to check for normal biting ability.

* Head, neck and chest. Check for symmetry and balance of muscles. Be sure the horse moves its head, neck and chest freely and without difficulty.

* Feet. Inspect all four feet for swelling and sensitivity to touch. Flex and extend all joints to look for pain, resistance or head lifting that indicates pain or discomfort.

* Rear end. Check for good tone, signs of discharge and signs of diarrhea.

* Lameness. It is imperative that you are able to observe the horse trotting in circles in both directions and in a straight line. Watch closely for irregular bobbing of the head, sloppy movements or skipping that may indicate pain in any of the legs.

If the horse has passed your initial evaluation, it is time to take it for a ride. Observe its stamina, nerves and whether or not it is alert and well behaved.

If you have any doubts, either walk away or arrange an agreement based on the findings during the veterinary examinations. This is common practice and a legitimate horse seller will agree to some reasonable terms.

Be sure the three required exams are performed by a veterinarian of your choosing or one that has a neutral opinion. The required exams are:

* Health certificate, which is usually for crossing state lines.

* Insurance exam, to satisfy mortality and other questions related to insuring the horse.

* Pre-purchase veterinary exam, detailing the medical status of the horse at the time of purchase.

When buying a horse, you want to find one that is healthy and has a good attitude. The horse’s experience and dependability levels must closely match, or be above, that of the primary rider. A willing and intelligent horse can be trained to bring you years of pleasure and skilled work habits. Choose your horse wisely.

Rachel Harding has been riding horses since she was five. Sign up for our free newsletter and get all the information you need at Horse And Rider Info

Author: Rachel Harding
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many folks who like to ride have the attitude that all they need to do is slap a saddle and bridle on a horse, get on and go, and that the ride will be wonderful. Sometimes it turns out that way, but often not. “Passenger” types of riders are at the mercy of their horse who may or may not be capable of being in control and taking care of its rider as well as itself. There are way too many stories of mishaps that should have never happened had the riders been aware of what was coming and did something before it happened to avoid a bad situation.

There are some babysitter type horses in the world and they are invaluable in handling situations without the help of, and sometimes in spite of, their rider; but by far the majority of horses need some competent help and direction from their riders to make the ride as enjoyable and safe as it can be. If the rider isn’t capable, the horse is in charge, and that may or may not turn out well. An instructor I once worked with called that kind of situation “sneaking a ride”. Not really a safe way to do things, that’s for sure.

On the other hand, there are riders who are so busy micromanaging their horses that the horse isn’t allowed responsibility for anything on its own. That’s not the best situation possible either.

So how does one assure that the rider and horse will be working together as a team instead of leaving it all up to one or the other? A rider who wants to be more than an uneducated, vulnerable passenger needs to spend some time learning to be a competent, educated horseman. It’s a never-ending journey, but one that will be very rewarding to both human and horse.

To start the education, an understanding of horse psychology is important. Horses don’t think like humans. They are prey animals whose very survival depends upon being aware of its surroundings and keeping away from things they perceive as dangerous. If riders are aware of that and learn to read their horse’s early reactions to things, they can help the horse by supporting it, redirecting it, and providing trusted leadership when the horse needs it instead of having to deal with something after the fact of whatever the horse did on its own.

An example would be of a trail ride where one horse suddenly kicks another coming up behind or beside it. It didn’t happen without warning, but the warning and reason might have been totally unrecognized or ignored by the riders. Horses have pecking orders within their herd, and if one is riding with strange horses, sometimes the horses feel like they need to establish their place in the new group, especially if they are unconfident horses or ones who don’t trust their riders to take care of them.

When a strange horse gets too close to a horse like that, there will be signs such as hard, unblinking eyes, ears that go back, maybe some tail swishing, or other horsie threats to warn the other horse (and hopefully the riders). It is the riders’ responsibilities (both riders need to be paying attention) to recognize and do something about the threat before it becomes a problem and too late to really respond to. Reacting after the promised kick is too late to do anything effective about it.

Instead of reacting after the fact, the rider on the horse who is making the threats should alert the upcoming rider to steer clear. He or she can also distract the threatening horse by asking it to do something more than just go straight down the trail. This might be a request for the horse to bend its head slightly towards the offending horse so that the hindquarters will move away. It could be asking the horse to move down the trail while doing a move such as haunches in, shoulder in, or some other request that requires the horse to move parts of its body independently of other parts.

Hopefully, the riding partners you have are also working on being horsemen rather than mere passengers, and your rides will be more and more enjoyable rather than putting it all up to chance and hoping your horse will do all of the taking charge and taking care of you.

I’ve heard it said that there are four stages of horsemanship:

1.unconsciously incompetent–don’t even know what they don’t know

2.consciously incompetent–aware that they don’t know but haven’t absorbed how to do it all yet

3.consciously competent–know what to do and do it when they are focused and paying attention

4.unconsciously competent–aware and automatically do what they need to do

It’s the fourth stage that we should all be aspiring towards in our horse endeavors so that we won’t be sneaking rides and be at the mercy of our horses who may instead need our support and help.

Bonnie and her husband own Gemara Farm Foxtrotters located in Barnesville, Georgia. They currently have nine fox trotters of their own and practice natural horsemanship with them, and Bonnie coaches others. There are usually some fox trotters available for sale. http://www.gemara.homestead.com

Author: Bonnie Martin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many people are under the impression that you can just train a horse and that is all you need to do to get your horse to do anything you want. While training is extremely important and proper training will take you a long way with your horse, there is one element that almost always goes unmentioned. If you want to develop a close relationship with your horse, there is no replacement for spending time alone with them. Now, I know that might sound strange but horses need a close bond with their owners to develop a sound trustful relationship. Once you develop this mutual trust, the bond will last forever. Horse trainers/owners spend hundreds of hours working on control but very few know that spending a small amount of leisure time with them can have a dramatic effect on their attitude.

Have you ever gone out to get your horse and they avoid you like the plague? You have to consider how the horse feels when they see you coming towards them. If they feel like you are just going to put them through another torture session, chances are they will not be looking forward to it.

I would like to offer a simple technique that I have learned and I believe this can be beneficial to you as well.

1. Take your horse and put them in their stall or small pen (Example: 8′ x 10′) and take something small for you to sit on like a water bucket turned upside down or a short stool.

2. The quieter the area is, the better.

3. If you have have other horses, put them somewhere else first so the horse you are bonding with can’t see them.

4. Do not take treats, hay, brushes, or any other sort of bribes to get the horse to pay any attention to you. You want them to act voluntarily.

5. Remove the rope and halter and toss it outside the stall where they can’t see it.

6. Take your bucket or stool and set it in the corner of the enclosure and have a seat and just wait.

7. Don’t make eye contact or show any interest in your horse.

8. At first, just ignore them.

9. The horse may ignore you too at first, especially if you had a hard time catching them in the first place.

10. In a short period of time, your horse’s curiosity will get the best of them (typically less than 5 minutes) and you’ll find them wandering over to see what your doing there as this is not your normal behavior.

11. At first, don’t even raise a hand and make sure your posture appears relaxed and non-threatening.

12. Your horse may walk away briefly but don’t worry, they’ll be back (they can’t really leave anyway).

13. Let the horse check you out.

14. If the horse begins to show any signs of aggression, stand on top of the bucket for a moment and look large but remain passive.

15. Once you feel your horse has accepted the situation and feels comfortable, you may slowly raise your hand and pet your horse briefly.

16. You may even find that your horse will turn around and back up to you. As long as this is not aggressive in nature, the horse may acting out of instinct and stand guard as they do to each other when one wants to lay down. This is their protective nature and they all have it in them.

17. After doing this for about 15 minutes, your horse should be really calm and the bonding process will have begun.

18. After the session is complete, show your horse some love by rubbing them and showing your appreciation. You may even go fetch them a little treat, carrot, or apple.

19. Repeat the practice about twice a week while NEVER showing any signs of aggression or control during this period.

20. Your horse will soon realize that just because you’re around them, you not necessarily asking them to do anything but asking for a little mutual trust.

The Bottom Line: If you can spend 30 minutes a week with your horse and develop a trusting bond, then your actual training will be a lot more pleasant for you and the horse and you can avoid any fear the horse might have had without this bonding procedure. There may be a time when something spooks your horse or you end up on the ground (heaven forbid), but it sure would be nice to see that your horse doesn’t run off, but actually comes to you to see what’s wrong. Respect and a little conditioned-response can go a long way in establishing a bond that will last a life time. A happy, un-threatened horse makes horseback riding an extremely pleasurable experience and one you can both enjoy.

Happy Trails!

Sherry Marshburn has been working with horses for over 20 years. She now runs a small ranch, called Paints of Texas Ranch with APHA paints outside of Austin, Texas. We buy,sale, breed and train horses. If you would like to see more article or tips on horses, such as buying, selling, training, or general care, please go to http://www.paintsoftexas.com or e-mail sherry@paintsoftexas.com

Author: Sherry Marshburn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many people hope to own their own horse or pony at some point in their lives. These beautiful animals can be perfect for all the family. Although some may find it difficult to find horses for sale, due to their lack ok knowledge, there are actually several places you can look. Here are some options to consider when looking for the perfect horse.

The internet is the obvious starting point, as it is filled with information and products to buy. You can find just about anything conceivable you can think of online, including a horse or pony for your kids. By doing a quick search in Google, you will find over 11.7 million results for “horses for sale”. There is a plethora of different websites for you to look at, allowing you to quickly run the comparisons and find the right horse or pony for you.

Another option to consider, besides the internet, is your local county newspaper. There is no question the internet has taken over in popularity from the newspapers and magazines, but it can still be a terrific way to find what you are looking for. Because the weekend newspaper is the most important, pick up a copy on the weekend and look in the classifieds ads section.

Depending on where you live, there may be horse auctions located not too far from you. Horse Auctions give you the ability to sometimes find a tremendous horse, for a really competitive price. The internet can also be a great place to find the nearest auction to you.

If you are looking for the top equestrian websites for the sale and loan of Horses and Ponies then do a search on Google for Horses for Sale.

A source of horses that often gets ignored are rescued horses that you can also buy. Many times, counties do have one or more rescue ranches, from where you can adopt. Adopting a rescue horse can be your way to give back by taking in an unloved horse and caring for it. You can sometimes find some excellent horses that are free of attitude issues at these centers.

Last but not least, think about looking for a horse trader / horse dealer, as this can be a great place to look. Horse dealers can shorten the time spent looking for the horse of your dreams. Horse dealers have a keen eye for pairing up people with horses. Knowing which horse will suit you, will eliminate the chance of you purchasing a horse out of your skill level and save you alot of heartache in the future.

Finding horses for sale can be a tough process. However, it is important you remain optimistic and continue to look around until you find the right horse. The last thing you want to do is purchase a horse that is not right for you or the family. There are a huge range of resources for you to use in order to find the right horse. Everything we mention in this article can help lead you to your dream horse.

Today, many horse owners are looking to loan their horses. This can be the perfect way to get started and so when doing your online searches, do consider searching for horses for loan as well as horses for sale. Most equestrian websites also have articles and tips / advice pages for their users that are a really useful resource for you.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and it has given you an insight into the world of “how and where” to buy horses for sale and horses and ponies for loan.

Nick Morgan, who has been a keen horseman for over thirty years, has developed a highly popular website where you can buy and sell Horses and Ponies. The advertising for horses for sale is totally FREE of charge. Go to => Horse Sales to search for Horse and Pony sales as well as horses and ponies for loan in the UK and Worldwide.

Author: Nick P Morgan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Not many people think of working with horses as a way to help yourself; but in fact that is exactly what can happen. When you work to train a horse, you are working with the mind, and once you have the mind, the rest of the body follows. As you teach the horse about Man’s World (as you know it), you use your own natural mental skills. In turn, the horse will in turn put you back in touch with nature, while allowing you to find balance within yourself and be the best that you can be. The better you are, the better the horse will be.

It’s all about changing your mindset. Your job is to help your horse learn about “Man’s World.” In order to do that, you first need to understand how to go into his world. One successful way is to change the attitude of “Do what I tell you to do” into “How can I help you?” When people learn to become the alpha in a herd of two (the herd being made up of the horse and the person) this “How can I help you?” mindset is at work. The lifestyle of a horse is different in his natural setting as opposed to the environment we bring him into. For example, in the herd, there is a certain pecking order where he has a number of teachers. When we bring him into our world, we need to teach him about the world he is coming into, and become “the alpha” of the herd of two.

In the round pen you simulate life. In order to establish yourself as the “alpha”, the initial work is based on four tasks: movement, direction, rhythm and track. In working with a horse, you use your body to apply pressure, the same way that you use your legs and reins when you ride. In the round pen, your body represents your reins and the pressure you put on represents your legs. In other words, pressure means something, but the horse tells you how much pressure to apply. In this situation, you practice giving up control, thereby being in control and setting the example for the horse. This is a way you can practice your riding, as well as your timing, your feel, and many other things, all without actually riding the horse. It can be the beginning of a step by step process of gaining his trust so that you can build a solid foundation. After the initial work, a systematic approach is used to test the body, first along one side, front to back, then moving to the other side, because for every horse, there are two horses, the left and the right. “We do this to test the body in order to find if we get a negative response or one of the three “F’s” (freeze, flee or fight) due to a lack of understanding. Depending on the reaction from the horse, we can tell if there are issues in that part of the body, mentally transforming “mistakes” or negatives into positives because we know which areas need work. Finally, after the ground work, when you add the saddle, bridle and rider, you have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work with you. If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop. During this process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you’re there to teach horses, but in the end, they’re teaching you about yourself.

Many times we teach horses to be dependent on us by telling them where to go and what to do; we always have something attached, whether it is a halter and lead line or bridle and reins. We take away these artificial attachments, and by using pressure, one of his natural forms of communication, ask for what you would like, allowing the horse to make choices for himself and learn about consequences if he makes the wrong choices. This allows you the opportunity to simulate life in our world and let him know what can happen to him in when he makes that mental choice. Having no attachments can be an advantage that can help you to strengthen your “mind power.” While you are increasing your mental skills, you are building confidence in your horse and at the same time building your own self-empowerment. This also allows the horse to rely on his natural instincts and gives you the opportunity to practice life skills such as listening, timing, feel, patience, and many more. While in the round pen, one of the tools is a 35′ lariat, which can be used as an extension of your arm. This makes it possible to “reach out and touch the horse” without making it necessary to act as a predator, while also preserving your safety. Using the rope also teaches you to “give up control;” in other words, you must “listen” to the rope in order to roll it up. This parallels listening to the horse; after all, the horse teaches us to teach him. Using the rope allows you to practice this mindset. The first step is to change your way of thinking. If your attitude truly is “How can I help you?” your focus will be on “listening” to what the horse is telling you to do to accomplish your picture. This takes the pressure off of you and allows you to be “in the zone.” You have a picture and the horse tells you what to do to create the picture. The more you improve the horse’s knowledge, the easier your task will be. This type of work can help a trainer who is already working with a rider to improve in a particular discipline. can benefit horses and riders in all disciplines.

While doing this work, there are five rules. Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: Your safety. Rule #3: The safety of the horse. Rule #4: Conservation. Rule #5: See rule #1. While following these rules, participants often see that the situations that occur in the round pen often parallel or “mirror” situations that occur in their lives. In working to help the horse, you can also work on changing negative habits that you have acquired and work toward self-improvement. In fact, although this work is used for horse owners and trainers, it can be used to improve relationship skills for couples or families. For example, in working with the horse, children can learn parenting skills by setting boundaries for their horse. For a career professional, as you learn to be committed to helping the horse stay on track in the round pen, you can envision the parallels to being committed to staying on track in your career. Round pen work can even be used in addition to traditional therapy methods. A local therapist has seen positive results with her clients. “(This work) brought each individual’s patterns and feelings to the surface as they attempted to have the horse complete the task they were given or the task they gave themselves. In each instance, the horse became the mirror for where they were, where they were stuck, or what they were feeling. As a therapist, it is important to me that the client discovers his or her own “monsters.” The issues became glaringly apparent to the client who is working with the horse in the round pen and, in this case, to the family members observing the process.” The work can also benefit business/corporate and school groups with the emphasis on self esteem and teambuilding. Urica Pope, Program Coordinator for the Creative Services Department of South Carolina ETV, worked in 2004 with Anderson and groups of young girls participating in a gender equity program. “There is a valuable lesson to be learned from it,” said Pope. “We chose this program because it deals with leadership. We want the girls to work together and with the horse as a team-building program.” For Bobbi Kennedy, vice president for continuing education at S.C. ETV, the goal is teaching young girls that they can “take on a complex topic and master it.” Kennedy said that the girls don’t just learn for themselves but learn how to work as a team, a concept that is a constant theme in the program. In workshops with Anderson using two horses, the girls also covered topics such as anger management, self confidence and how to say “no.”

The nice thing about this work is that it allows you to be the best that you can be. If you come to the round pen and do something that you are afraid to do, and do it well, you will build your self esteem. With horses as a representative of nature, in working with them, people are getting back in touch with the environment through the horse, thereby finding balance in both worlds, “Man’s World” and “Nature’s World.” Give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime: but you’ve got to let him get to the pond. If we stay on the path that we’re on, there quite possibly may be no fish left in the pond. Horses are helping humans find balance in their lives, thereby showing that once again, as they did in the past, horses can play a vital role in our society.

Copyright (c) Nature’s View, Inc. 2009 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Julianne Neal is an author and educator. She and Bruce Anderson conduct clinics, workshops and training sessions throughout the US. For more information on Nature’s View, visit their websites at http://equusencounter.com and http://naturesview1.org

Author: Julianne Neal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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