Posts Tagged ‘Exercise’

I am learning how to ride dressage. After the ride, I led the horse back to the barn. Why would the horse push me in another direction telling me where to go?
How much exercise can a Warmblood Equine endure in a given day? How many days of rest does a Warmblood need before the next outing?

Is lunging a horse more than simply having your horse run around in circles? It turns out the answer is a definite “yes”. In this article we’re going to lay out a system you can use while lunging to turn this exercise from a mindless session of running around in circles into a comprehensive training plan that teaches your horse to be willing, respectful, and attentive-getting her ready to ride.

First what tools do you need? You can use a whip or carrot stick if you like, but the truth is all you need is a lead line and halter. Let’s start with having the horse move out to the left. Take the end of the lead rope that’s closest to the halter and hold that in your left hand. Then take the far end of the lead rope and hold that in your right hand. The end of the rope in your left hand will be an “open door” through which the horse can move-so don’t pull on it or apply any pressure, just hold it loosely. You may want to use that hand to indicate you want the horse to move that way by pointing, but that’s about all we’ll do with that hand.

The other end of the rope is the “gas hand”, we’re going to use it to put pressure on the horse to ask her to move out or speed up. You do this by swinging the rope at the hip area of the horse.

When you ask the horse to move out the first time, ask her to move out at a walk. Remember, we aren’t trying to “cool down” a “hot” horse with this exercise. The goal is to build a communication bridge and get the horse listening to our cues – this is going to carry right over to training under saddle.

When the horse is walking, especially if it’s a young or untrained horse, you might want to change the diameter of the circle. You can do this either by reeling in some rope to bring her closer to you, or you can walk to position yourself closer to the horse. Try alternating the distance between you and the horse large-small-large-small. This helps her feel comfortable with different situations. When she is close, you can pat the horse on her mid-section. This will help desensitize her to being touched while in motion, which carries over to riding.

To stop the horse, bend down and look at her hip, then she’ll swing around and face you. Now we’re going to try something different than the usual approach to lunging a horse. Take the opportunity to throw in some other groundwork routines at this point, instead of just sending her out the other direction. First, lead her a couple of steps and then ask for a stop. Then move over to the withers area and ask her to lower the head. Then flex. Now ask her to back up a few steps and send her out the other direction.

Instead of just sending her out, we’ve just practiced: dropping the head to promote submission, flexing to teach the one rein (emergency) stop, backing up and leading to teach respect.

Now ask the horse to trot. When she’s moving at a walk, put some extra pressure on the hip area by swinging the rope. Let her trot around a couple of times and then ask her to slow down. Try something different-ask her to slow down using breathing. Take a deep breath and then exhale loudly. Horses are really in tune with this body language cue which means slow down and relax. Some horses might come to a stop, and that’s OK at first-but the goal when trotting is to have the horse slow to a walk. When she is walking, you can exhale again and in that case it would mean to stop.

Now we can mix it up, even throwing in some cantering. Alternate between walk-trot-canter, periodically stopping and going through the groundwork routine described earlier.

What are the advantages of lunging a horse this way? First and foremost is it teaches the horse to pay attention. With so many activities thrown in, she has to stay focused to see what you want next. Second, it reinforces your leadership position by incorporating exercises like dropping the head and backing up. This approach also keeps things more interesting for the horse. Horses get bored just like we do, so why not mix things up and make it more interesting for the horse. Lastly, lunging a horse this way builds a communication bridge. When you’re practicing changing from walk-trot-canter with slowing down and stopping using your breath, you’re preparing the horse for being ridden by teaching her cues to listen to.

David McMahon is a freelance author who owns three horses. He invites you to visit http://horse-training-tips.com where you can learn more about lunging a horse.

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Solar panel, solar power

My horse does great barrel turns, but on the way home she runs hard, but seems to have more to give. Should I run longer sprints in practice? She is a TB/Quarter. Her Father used to race 1-1/2 mile races and won the Belmont in 68.

If you own a horse, it is very important that you understand several basic parts of the horse’s anatomy to be sure you are caring for your horse in the best way possible. You can do this through studying on your own or you can talk to your vet to learn the basics.

First of all, you should know that laying down is very hard on your horse. If a horse lays down for any amount of time they are risking damage to their internal organs. A horse’s body is not meant to lay down for long periods of time, which is why you need to know that if your horse is laying down, there is something wrong with him. If you see your horse laying down, you have to be sure to call your vet immediately, because it is an emergency.

Your horse’s legs are the most important part of his body. Not only do they carry all of his weight, and support him while he is sleeping or while he is awake, they are very thin and are easy to damage. If a horse gets a broken leg, there is going to be a lot of problems because he won’t be able to lie down to mend it, which means that the healing process can be quite painful. What this means for you is that you have to be sure to always, always take care of your horse’s legs and feet. This is very important as a horse owner.

Another thing that you have to be sure to take care of is his skin and his coat. These are things that you have to focus on because they keep out a lot of problems and keep your horse happy and healthy. You should be grooming your horse each day, and especially should be grooming him after each time you ride him.

It is also important to note that a horse has a very advanced heart and lung system that can allow them to keep running or walking for long periods of time. This does not mean that your horse never needs to rest; it simply means that you can exercise your horse more than you are going to be able to exercise yourself!

Keep all of these things in mind if you own a horse. You always want to be sure that you are doing the best that you can do to care for all aspects of your horse.

Lynn Stanley was born in 1956 in Sandusky Ohio. He is a fun loving person who wishes nothing but the best for everyone.

For more articles on horse health as well as the latest in equestrian news please visit my blog at: http://horsehealthandyou.blogspot.com/

Author: Lynn Stanley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Humorous photo captions

Horses that spook easily are dangerous to ride, they are a danger not only to themselves, but to others as well. Horses, being prey animals, have a strong fight or flight response, and when faced with a threatening situation, they deal with it by shying or even worse, bolting. When this happens the horse is usually classified as a problem horse and is considered dangerous. A seemingly harmless object such as a plastic bag or chicken coop can send the biggest of horses into a bolting frenzy.

There are some things you can do to desensitize your horse. This problem horse training is ideally started when the horse is young and in training as it will ensure a spook proof horse. Begin by lunging the horse for a few minutes to allow him to work off any excessive energy. Leave a halter and lead rope on the horse and approach him slowly with an old saddle pad or blanket allowing him to sniff it. Work at the horse’s pace and if he spooks or takes a step back, introduce the blanket again slowly until he is comfortable having it close to him.

Once he’s more at ease around the blanket, you can start moving it around and swinging it slowly. This will help desensitize the horse against flapping objects. The horse will most probably feel uncomfortable and may even shy, so be patient and work with him until he is accustomed to having the blanket swung around him.

The next step is to touch the horse with the swinging blanket, gently swing it onto his back and all over his body. Once the horse accepts the blanket on his head you’re halfway there! Place the blanket by his feet to help desensitize him to objects under his feet, this is an essential part of the desensitization exercise. That’s it; reward him profusely for a job well done!

The next desensitizing exercise you should try is to use a soft rope and work with it in much the same way as you did with the saddle pad or blanket. This teaches the horse to tolerate having a rope moving around his legs and body. Teaching your horse to tolerate this type of sensation can prove to be lifesaving if tack fails and the horse finds himself with bits of tack flying around him. This makes the horse much safer in dangerous situations when tack breaks. Throw the rope on the ground and in-between the horses’ legs and belly until he is no longer afraid of it. If the horse allows you to move the rope around his face and head, you’ve successfully completed this exercise.

Last but certainly not least is the plastic bag. Many, many horses are afraid of plastic bags and this exercise will help eliminate that fear of plastic bags in your horse. Show the bag to your horse and allow him to smell it, then tie it to a long lunge whip and wave it around while holding your horse on long lead rope. The horse will inevitably shy and try to get away from the terrifying object. Shake the bag around the horse until he becomes comfortable to having it around him, once this happens, touch him with bag all over his body. Move it around his body and under his belly, when he allows you to touch his head with it, you’re done.

Work at your horse’s pace and always end your training session on a positive note and with a lot of pace. Never force your horse into an uncomfortable situation or you may end up scarring him for life. Make sure you do these exercises regularly even after the horse has become desensitized to ensure the horse doesn’t fall back into his old familiar patterns.

Stal Amani is a top equestrian centre based in Belgium within 2 hours drive of most of the top jumping and dressage competitions in Europe. We regularly host national and international competitions. For more information please visit http://www.stalamani.com

Author: Josie Amani
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-angiogenic Food

Feeding a stabled horse is slightly different than feeding a horse that lives on a pasture. A stabled horse will spend more time in a stall and will require a somewhat different feeding regime. This is because the stabled horse does not have access to the same amount of roughage that the pastured horse receives. The stabled horse will also eat a lot of high-energy feed, but then have nowhere to release that energy. This is why it is important that you understand what and why you are feeding the horse to ensure that he is receiving all of the nutrients the horse requires.

Exercise must be considered when developing a feeding program for your horse. The horse’s age, gender and size will all play a determining role in how much the horse is fed. A horse that is four years old or older and is only ridden on the weekends or one hour per day will only require a maintenance ration. If the horse is not working extremely hard, then the horse is considered to be lightly worked. In this case, it does not matter what gender the horse is and a maintenance ration will be sufficient. You will need to fee the horse approximately one percent of his body weight in hay per day and then use your feed tag to help you determine what percentage of the horse’s body weight should be fed in grain. A horse that is on a very good pasture may not even require a grain supplementation until the cooler months.

Horses that are used for events such as jumping, roping, cutting, polo or racing are going to require a more customized feeding program. These horses will still require about one percent of their body weight in hay per day, but they may require a higher protein ration. Some horses may also need a fat added ration depending on how much energy they are burning in their work and if it is causing them to lose weight. A good general rule of thumb is that if the horse needs more energy then you should gradually increase the amount of feed that the horse is receiving. Racehorses and polo ponies may require fat added diets because they need to sustain their glucose levels throughout their competition.

The mature adult horse requires eight percent protein for daily maintenance. This means that a horse on very good pasture or alfalfa hay will not require supplementation from grain. Younger horses will require a ten to twelve percent daily protein depending on how quickly they are growing. High performance horses may require 14 percent protein depending on the amount of work they are doing. Owners should consider purchasing a well balanced sweet feed with a good hay, either alfalfa or grass, to meet their horse’s nutritional needs.

Once your horse is feed go inside and enjoy your horse home dcor.

Author: Jo Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
News of Solar Power and Alternative Engery

Many years ago while visiting the dressage stable of the late Hector Carmona in New Jersey, I was intrigued by a sign in his indoor arena that boldly proclaimed, “The secret of riding is the outside rein”. I soon discovered that the outside rein (AKA the rein of opposition) has many critical jobs:

1. You control speed with it.
2. You use it to steer.
3. You use it to keep your horse straight.
4. When you combine the outside rein with both your driving aids and your bending aids for 3 seconds, you have a “connecting half halt” to put your horse on the bit.
5. Later in training your dressage horse, you’ll use a momentary closure of seat, leg, and hand to give a “collecting half halt”.

(The half halt is one of the most essential concepts in riding because it allows you to improve your horse’s balance–an issue we’re constantly dealing with in training. But more on the half halt in a moment. ) First, let’s take some time to develop a feel for simply using the outside rein.

LEARNING TO USE THE OUTSIDE REIN

To start, I’m going to give you some exercises to help you become more aware of your outside aids. I think this is a useful first step because riders instinctively rely more on their inside rein than their outside rein.

The first exercise is simply to ride in all three paces on the “second track” which is one meter away from the wall. One meter is a good distance because it’s fairly close to the wall. And you’ll soon find that the wall exerts some sort of “magnetic pull” that draws your horse back towards the track. Plus, it’s a small enough distance for you to clearly tell if you’re staying equidistant from the track.

Your goal is to make it all the way around the ring exactly one meter away from the track without having to make any corrections or adjustments. Pretend you’re on a 4-inch wide balance beam and any deviation off your line means you’ve fallen off the beam. If your horse is between your aids, it’s easy to keep him one meter from the wall.

Once you can do that, increase the difficulty of the exercise by making a circle. Ride one meter off the track as in the first exercise. Then ride a circle that begins and ends at exactly the same point. As you finish the circle, continue riding straight ahead maintaining your one-meter distance away from the track. The critical points are when you start and finish the circle. You’ll need your outside rein both to turn your horse onto the circle as well as to straighten him to tell him to go straight ahead again.

To add an even greater degree of difficulty to the exercise, turn down the centerline and leg yield over to the wall. When you’re one meter from the wall interrupt the leg yield with your outside aids and redirect your horse’s energy so he travels straight ahead. Since your horse will be inclined to continue his sideways momentum and end up on the track, you’ll need to influence him firmly with your outside aids.

HALF HALTS

Once you have a handle on using your outside rein, ask your dressage horse to step through it and come on the bit by giving a “connecting half halt”.

During a connecting half halt there’s a marriage of three sets of aids–the driving aids (both legs and the seat), the bending aids (both legs and the inside rein, and the rein of opposition (the outside rein).

Imagine what would happen if you were to apply your driving and bending aids to their maximum without adding the rein of opposition. That’s right. Your horse would be running very fast on a very small circle. Not very good balance, eh?

However, with the addition of the outside rein, an imaginary door shuts in front of your horse. As your horse maintains his speed and straightness while yielding to this outside hand that is closed in a fist, he bends the joints of his hind legs to a greater degree and changes his balance and shape.

Changing his balance can include anything from putting him on the bit by connecting him longitudinally to improving his self-carriage by collecting him to calling him to attention when he’s distracted. The main difference is just a matter of degree. Depending on what you’re trying to do, all the elements (driving aids, bending aids, rein of opposition) are there, but the emphasis merely changes.

For instance, you’ll use a certain amount of seat, leg and hand to ask the horse to step through the outside rein and come into a round frame in the working gaits. Then you can take that same horse and with a greater degree of the three elements, you can ask for more collection. Or if you want an extension, half halt by using more seat and leg versus the amount of restraining outside hand. When you want to do a downward transition at the end of this extension, you’ll use more upper leg and outside rein to collect your horse. When you close your legs and drive more with your seat into a restraining hand, the educated horse knows to passage. If you then half halt by maintaining your legs and closing your restraining hand a bit more while lightening your seat, you’re asking that horse to piaffe.

When you’re ready to give a connecting half halt, you’ll combine the three sets of aids for approximately three seconds. Of course, there will be times when you give a half halt in one second. But it’s best for the green rider to think that the half halt lasts for the amount of time it takes to take a full breath.

As you breathe in, tighten your stomach and the small of your back. You should feel it as a wave that travels up your stomach into your chest. Your shoulders go back and down and the wave goes down your back into your seat. At the same time close your legs and maintain your horse’s bend with your inside hand.

As he begins to move forward and bend to a greater degree, you’ll feel a surge of energy come into the rein. This is the moment to close your outside hand in a fist. The outside hand says, “You’re not allowed to speed up or bend to a greater degree than you already have. Instead you must yield to the outside hand, and because you’re being driven forward, you’ll bend your hind legs more.” At the end of your full breath, relax all the aids and resume a light but pleasant contact with your legs on your horse’s barrel and your hands with his mouth. Then you can ride him forward in a new state of balance and attention.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK AND FEEL LIKE WHEN YOUR DRESSAGE HORSE

STEPS THROUGH THE OUTSIDE REIN?

When your dressage horse steps through the outside rein, he feels like he’s in an organized package rather than a jumble of disconnected parts. On circles, he “fills” the outside rein and, in turn, the rein envelops his neck. His silhouette or shape is round, and the power from his hindquarters travels uninterrupted over his back through a long and beautifully set neck. Because he moves through his whole body like a dancer rather than holding his back rigidly and shuffling along with his legs, he’s more comfortable to sit on–especially in trot and canter. He’s so uncomplicated to ride that you have a sense of anything being possible within the very next step. For example, if you’re in extended trot, you can just as easily be in collected trot by the next stride. Or if you’re backing up, you can effortlessly strike off into the canter.

As you use your driving aids, you experience a comfortable interaction with your outside hand. You create energy, and your outside rein recycles that power through your horse’s body without any conflicts–sort of like a flywheel that continues to turn by itself because it doesn’t meet any resistance. There’s a cooperative relationship between the driving aids and the outside rein where the use of one benefits the other rather than existing as separate entities that work against each other.

Not only can you feel when your horse steps through your hand, but you can see it as well. As your horse steps through your hand, you’ll notice that his neck changes shape. It gets longer, rounder, and often lower. His neck is widest at the base and gets progressively narrower with the narrowest point behind the ears. (If his neck is widest in the middle, he’s not stepping through the outside rein.)

However, when the relationship between your driving aids and outside rein is not right, the use of your driving aids complicates the feeling in your hand. Your horse might speed up and run through your hand, become hollow, pull, come against your hand, or lean on it. He feels as if he’s jammed up against your hand with the kind of resistance or blockage you’d meet if you were trying to drive your car with the emergency brake on. You’ll also probably feel like you have to resort to doing too much with your inside rein for basic things like steering and maintaining his round shape.

TESTING THE CONNECTION THROUGH THE OUTSIDE REIN

After you’ve pushed your dressage horse through the outside rein with a half halt, you can tell if you’ve been successful by softening your inside rein forward for a couple of strides (uberstreichen). If your horse maintains his shape and position while you give your inside hand away, you know he’s stepping through the outside rein.

Start your test on a circle where the bend of the circle will help you to put him through the outside rein. Give a half halt. Close your legs, close your outside hand in a fist, and maintain flexion to the inside by lightly vibrating the inner rein. Then put a loop in the inner rein by softening your hand forward towards his mouth for a couple of strides. Does your horse stay bent along the arc of the circle? Do his speed, balance, and frame stay the same? If so, you can feel confident that your horse is connected through your outside rein. If anything changes, give another half halt and try the test again.

Next, challenge yourself by doing this same test on a straight line where you don’t have the bend of the circle to help your horse fill the outside rein. When you give the inside rein away after a half halt, ask yourself if your horse’s spine stays parallel to the track or does his neck bend to the outside. If it does, does it bend a little or a lot? The amount that your horse’s neck bends to the outside and he, therefore, loses his straightness tells you the degree he’s connected (or not) through the outside rein.

Once you know your horse is stepping through the outside rein on circles and straight lines, do the same test during lateral work. Start a shoulder-in, a haunches-in, or a half pass. Give your half halt and then soften your inside hand forward for a stride or two. Does your horse maintain his bend and position? If he does, you’re in business. If not, you’re probably helping him too much with your inside rein rather than pushing him from your inside leg to your outside rein.

HELP!

At this point, you’ve ridden a bunch of half halts, but your dressage horse just doesn’t seem to understand stepping through the outside rein. Every time you drive him forward and close your outside hand, he stiffens against the rein and raises and shortens his neck. So what now?

What I do in this case is use the momentum of a lengthening to give the horse the idea that he must go forward “through” the closed outside hand.

To do this, start on a circle where you know your outside rein has to be more definite because of the bend. Then ask for a lengthening. When you’re really motoring along, close your outside hand in a fist while maintaining the lengthening. While doing this, your inside rein is doing its usual job of keeping the horse straight–that is, vibrating just enough to keep the inside flexion of the horse’s head.

If your dressage horse lowers, stretches, lengthens, or rounds his neck even one inch, soften your aids and reward him. If he doesn’t, KEEP lengthening while your outside hand stays closed and your inside hand vibrates until you see his neck lower even slightly. (This could take half way around the circle in the beginning!) When the power of the lengthening carries him forward through your closed outside fist and he comes rounder, soften your aids and praise generously.

If your horse still stiffens against your hand when he feels you use your outside rein, give an “increasing half halt”. Start with a light half halt but over the course of the three or more seconds, increase the pressure of all the aids. If you need “more leg”, you can tap your horse with a whip at the same time that you are using your driving aids and hands to the maximum.

Now here’s the important part. While you’re doing this, watch your horse’s neck very carefully. The moment it becomes even slightly longer, relax all of your aids. By lengthening his neck, your horse is telling you that he’s starting to step “through” your outside hand. He should be instantly rewarded for this both by the softening of all of the aids and by praising him.

Then start again with a light half halt only increasing the pressure if necessary. Always start with a light half halt rather than immediately going to a strong one so that you give your horse the option to respond to a subtle aid. You always want to ride using the most refined aids possible. It’s not much fun for either you or your horse to ride from strength.

In this way your dressage horse learns that when he arrives at your closed outside hand, he should soften and yield to the action of the rein. He has other options besides jamming up against your hand. He needs to view the outside hand as a wall, but it’s an invisible wall. He can step “through” it and come into a better balance.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques?
Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence?
Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach?
Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty tariff

Does your horse have a weak topline?

Some horses just have conformation that promotes a weak topline. Whether your horse is swaybacked or loses his topline when he isn’t in training, a weak topline is never pretty. Luckily, there are three simple ways that you can help any horse build a stronger, better-looking topline.

#1: Build Your Horse’s Topline with Backing

When your horse walks backwards, he has to engage the muscles in his back and hindquarters, especially if he lowers his head while backing. Teaching your horse to back with his head down is a valuable time investment for two reasons:

1. It increases his topline

2. It puts him in a relaxed state because horses relax when their heads are low

At first, your horse may only want to back with his head up high. You may have to spend some time in the beginning teaching him to back with his head down low. Sometimes holding a treat down low can encourage your horse to drop his head.

I sometimes break the exercise into two pieces: dropping the head and backing. To teach my horse to lower his head, I crouch down low and gently tug on the lead rope. Most horses are curious enough to drop their heads and see what I’m doing. I reward that action with a treat. Next, I get teach him to lower his head while I’m standing up, again using a treat as a reward. Finally, I teach him to keep his head low while backing.

This may take several days, as some horses actually don’t know how to engage the correct muscles to back with their head low. At first, one of my horses could only take a step or two backward with his head in the correct position. It took several days before he could engage the correct muscles and back 10 steps or more.

Once your horse has learned to back with his head dropped, back him every day for 100 steps. This exercise will build the muscles in his topline, including his neck, back, and hindquarters. The results are actually surprisingly quick. You should see a difference in 2 weeks or so.

#2: Feed Your Horse on the Ground and Use Ground Toys

If you feed your horse in hanging bucket or manger, this may be contributing to his poor topline. To build a strong topline, horses need to stretch the muscles and ligaments in their topline. Feeding them on the ground will definitely help. In addition, consider using a ground toy that dispenses feed. There are a lot of options on the market, including the Nose-It, the Likit Snak-A-Ball, and the Amazing Graze toy.

These toys all roll around on the ground, which encourages your horse to keep his head down for long periods of time, thus stretching his topline muscles. When these muscles are stretched, they develop mass more easily.

I’ve used all three of the toys mentioned above, plus a few others that are no longer on the market. They work well because the slow dispensing of feed keeps your horse interested for longer than a non-food toy. It also keeps him engaged for longer than his normal hay or grain allotment.

One additional benefit is that having your horse stretch his topline is that this prevents his withers from “getting stuck,” which is the case in a lot of horses that are “built downhill.” They are not actually built that way, but their withers are stuck so they look downhill. Once their withers are released, they will have a more balanced-looking topline.

#3: Feed Raw Coconut Oil

This works well for horses who are fat all over except over their topline. For some reason, the calories from raw coconut oil go to a horse’s topline. Most horses that have this problem of being fat but having no topline have a Shao Yin personality type. These horses can be absolute pudges, yet look swaybacked and ewe-necked. So it’s coconut oil to the rescue. If you have this kind of horse, here are the three resources you need:

• Get raw coconut oil at your health food store or online
• Learn more about Shao Yin and other horse personality types at the Horse Harmony website
• Type your horse’s personality online for free at the Horse Harmony Test website if you are not sure about his type

For those of you out there with topline-challenged horses, I hope these recommendations help. They have certainly helped my two horses who have this issue, even during the winter, when they are not in training. Hope these tips help your horse, too!

Stephanie Yeh is a zen cowgirl obsessed about horses, healing, natural remedies, herbs, magic, MLM, and more. Check out natural horse care tips, ways to fund your horse obsession, natural health products, and more on her blog ( http://zencowgirl.blogspot.com ) and order XanGo mangosteen products on her website ( http://www.mangosteengood.com ).

Author: Stephanie H. Yeh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Mobile device news