Posts Tagged ‘Feet’

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
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I bought a 16+ hand thoroughbred at a local horse sale. She is sound but she has typical thoroughbred feet. They are dry and cracking. What is the best thing to give her to get her feet nice and healthy? Also she is quite a bit underweight. I think she must just be a hard keeper. What is the best thing to give her to get her to put some weight on?

Teach him to stand still when mounted.
Teach him to stand still on concrete while being groomed. (He likes to walk all over the place.)
Teach him to not freak out when he’s being sprayed (Show Sheen, fly spray, etc.)
Teach him to get on the bit nicely every time. (He CAN do it and does sometimes).
Teach him to pick up his feet. (He’s willing about 75% of the time and once his feet are up, he stands nicely, but sometimes he flat refuses.)

How many hours of training would this horse need and what would you charge to accomplish this? I know there are a lot of variables here, but give me your best estimate.

Should a professional horse trainer guarantee her work?
Note: We just bought the horse about 3 weeks ago. He’s a really good and sweet boy, but he hasn’t been ridden or even handled much in about a year. He’s getting a lot better at each of these issues as my daughter is working with him.
Thanks for all of your answers.

How do you know when your horse is too small for you? Quite simply, when your horse can’t carry you comfortably, you’ve outgrown him. Of course, there are ways to outgrow a horse well before he feels physical discomfort. So how do you know when it’s time to upgrade to something a bit larger?

There are instances where your horse can handle your weight just fine, but you are simply too tall for your horse. How to tell? Well, if you are jumping over obstacles and your feet are banging on the rails, you are most likely too tall for your horse! But what about that same rider and horse who don’t jump? If the horse can still handle the weight of the rider, whether or not the rider is too tall for the horse is a matter or aesthetics. If you are showing your horse and feel that your size is going to affect the outcome of the competition, that’s a good reason to get a larger horse. Ask your instructor, a judge, or someone who is well-acquainted with your discipline to give you an honest assessment of how you fit your horse and whether or not that will have any bearing when you show your horse.

Which brings us to the fact that whether or not a horse fits a rider often has more to do with certain trends than it does with whether the horse can actually carry the rider. Today’s fashion, for example, dictates that humongous horses carry tiny riders. Some people feel that a horse is too small if the rider’s legs go more than halfway down its sides. On the other hand, disciplines like Western riding, endurance riding, and competitive trail riding focus more on the horse’s ability to carry the rider, and not how the rider looks on the horse.

When deciding whether you’ve outgrown your horse, ask yourself a few questions. First, ask yourself whether your horse is comfortable carrying you.

If you are showing your horse, ask your self if the size of your horse, compared to the size of you, might negatively impact competition results. If there is a size-related reason that you feel is going to hold you back, it may be time to get a larger horse.

Finally, ask yourself whether you want to compete and ride with your horse, or whether you want another horse. Sometimes, it may be all about competing with a particular horse, and the outcome may not be all that important. In other cases, the outcome is most important and the horse is just the means to the end. There is no right or wrong answer, and the answer will vary from rider to rider.

In some cases, outgrowing a horse has nothing to do with size, but has to do with how far a particular horse can take you. If you are a rider who is improving and is ready to move on to the next level, you may need another horse to get you there.

Ron Petracek – Idaho Raise Horseman, Article Director Need More Information on Horses – Buy,Sell or Trade Click Here => http://www.HorseChitChat.com/network.php

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Catching a horse can be trouble. If a horse doesn’t want to be caught, his ability to escape and evade that’s a built-in part of being a prey animal can make things really hard on us. All too often, people try to deal with this problem by doing everything wrong. What people don’t realize is that the interaction you have with your horse when catching builds a foundation upon which everything else in your relationship with the horse is built. Get it wrong and you’re going to have trouble in everything else you do.

Here are some mistakes people make when catching a horse, and how to avoid them.

1. Trying to bribe the horse

You’ve probably found that cutting corners isn’t the best way to get ahead in life and with horses that principle holds true as ever. The way to cut corners when trying to catch a horse is by offering him a carrot to convince him to let you put the halter on. How many times have you seen someone out in the pasture trying to bribe the horse with a bucket of grain?

Yeah it’ll work but with a price. The cost for bribing your horse to do things is lost respect. If you give your horse a treat in an effort to get him to do something, he will not respect you as much as he would otherwise. Food does not motivate horses the way that it would a predator animal like a dog.

To avoid this mistake, you need to approach the situation the way the dominant horse in the herd would. Alpha horses make the other horses move around! Control the feet, control the horse. We apply this when catching a horse by pushing a horse that doesn’t want to be caught. That seems counter-productive-you’re sending a horse away that you want to come to you! But this produces solid, long-lasting results-when you push the horse he gains respect for you-the first step necessary to have a true partnership with him.

2. Failing to read horse body language

The second mistake people make is failing to recognize signs the horse is giving you that she wants to have a conversation. Horses give subtle body language cues that we sometimes miss, and these cues can indicate respect, trust, and acceptance. Some signs to look for are ear on you, licking of the lips, and dropping the head. When you see these signs, take the pressure off. Stop pushing the horse, don’t walk up to the horse, and avoid eye contact with the horse at that point.

3. Walking right up to the horse

OK what are you gonna do if you want to put the halter on your horse? Many folks do what comes naturally to humans, they walk straight toward the horse to put the halter on. What else would you do?

Problem is, that’s how a predator would approach a horse. This is recognized on an instinctive level- and if a horse is not comfortable being caught, what’s going to happen if you approach like a predator? You’re going to trigger his instinct to flee.

Avoid this mistake when catching a horse by approaching lateraly, without making eye contact with the horse. If she shows signs of acceptance like looking directly at you, you can stop (don’t approach closer just yet), smile, and praise the horse verbally.

4. Failing to push again

OK so lets suppose you’ve been catching a horse and she’s given you the signs of acceptance, and she’s just standing there watching you. You approach to within 10 feet, and then suddenly she takes off again. Don’t make the mistake of failing to push again. At this point you need to push the horse around to get more respect. We’re giving her the chance to flee if she chooses to do so, but make her work if she makes that choice.

5. Getting too greedy

People get anxious with horses all the time. The first time you’re next to the horse, you might want to hurry up, put the halter on and be done with it so the real work can start. What you’re missing, however, is that when catching a horse the real work began the second you entered the pasture. Failing to continue building a solid foundation from the start will lead to problems down the road. It might require a little more effort up front, but if you’re not anxious and instead use a patient approach, you’ll do better with your horse long term.

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

Author: David McMahon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I’m not looking at teaching the horse to throw the rider. The horse is very good natured and very willing to learn. If you fall off this horse, she will turn around and nudge you back on your feet and stand perfectly still as you get on, saddle or bareback. I’ve seen one other person train their horse like this but their method was rather cruel.
I’m not trying to make her a "rodeo" bucking horse. Far from it. She already knows a few simple tricks like laying down and kneeling. I want to train her to give straight-line bucks, no longer then 10 or 15 seconds. Any longer and it could hurt her. The object is to stay on and get the hardest bucks without being thrown. This is nothing but another trick for her.

Practice makes perfect. That statement is very true for Dressage. Of course, if you only practice by yourself, you may not get any better, but a good coach can help you improve your riding skills. If you have ever had to re-train a horse, you know it. The same counts for re-training a student, or even yourself. Bad habits are habits too, and changing habits has never been easy. Still, it is do-able.

When I started taking dressage lessons, the first lesson was almost all talk. Not much riding. It surprised me, but later on I really appreciated it and was able to go back to what I learned during my rides without my instructor.

Today we are explaining the basis of it all: Rhythm.

Rhythm is the result of a defined beat pattern of the hoof fall. A relaxed horse can step into a natural rhythm in all four of the natural gaits:

1. Walk – this should be and clear regular 4-beat gait.

2. Trot – a clear and regular 2-beat gait.

3. Canter – a clear and regular 3-beat gait.

The walk is 4-beat gait; when either one of the horse’s front legs leaves the ground, it is followed next by an opposite hind leg that reaches forward underneath the belly, creating a diagonal balance point. So the horse doesn’t step on the heels of his own front feet with the rear hooves, he moves each foreleg forward out of the way before a hind hoof on the same side of his body hits the ground.

The trot is a 2-beat gait; in Dressage we need the legs to move in diagonal pairs and hit the ground at the exact same time. When posting we move with the inside hind leg, sitting when it is on the ground and rising when it comes off, to help the horse balance itself.

The canter is a 3-beat gait. On a circle to the right his left hind leg pushes him forward onto his left front/right hind diagonal pair of legs which he’ll use for momentary balance before rolling onto his right front, or leading, leg; thus creating a 3-beat gait. There should be a clear moment of suspension.

To teach a horse rhythm you will ride the majority of your lessons in the trot. The trot is the easiest to control since you only work with a 2-beat rhythm. You also will not have to follow his head and neck, as in the trot, it is relatively still. It is easy to feel, easy to count, and easy to feel if it gets too quick. Once you and your horse have mastered the rhythm in the trot, you will notice that the rhythm in the canter is much easier to maintain.

There is good rhythm and bad rhythm. Good rhythm is when the horse’s canter is a true 3-beat, bad or incorrect rhythm is when it becomes a lazy 4-beat. Rhythm faults in the walk are when it comes close to 2-beat (lateral gait – like gaited horses), and in the trot when it resembles a lame, hopping horse.

I the next couple of days, we will discuss the next level of the training scale: Relaxation with Elasticity & Suppleness.

And now I would like to give you our Free eBook: “What to Do In Time of Emergency – A Guide & Workbook for Families with Horses”.

All I ask is that you sign up for our weekly newsletter with lots of good information for the Dressage and Horse Enthusiast. Just go here to our blog at http://www.PerformingHorse.com.

You will get instructions of how to download your copy and will receive “Tips & TidBits from our Barn” our newsletter.

Now Go Out And Ride

From Monique Myers @ http://www.performinghorse.com/AboutMe.html

Author: Monique Myers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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ilih2006 asked:

I’m getting a new pony 16 yrs quarter pony 14.0 hands, and have never had my own horse before. I’m trying to keep my costs as minum as they can be. Please tell me:

How often should I deworm, and what is the cost per tube?
How often should teeth be floated, cost?
How often should i get her feet trimmed (no shoes), cost?

Am I forgetting anything? Thanks.