Posts Tagged ‘geldings’

I have been pretty lucky in my selection of horses… until now. Starting out, I had trainers who helped me pick the best horses for my temperament. My temperament can be summed up in a single phrase: “I want to win!”

Luckily, my trainer helped me pick out a good match for my first real long-term equine partner: Marcus. Marcus didn’t necessarily want to win, but he did want to please. In wanting to please me, we won a lot. Marcus had an Earth horse personality, so he was always willing to please as long as I brought treats, plenty of treats. Earth type horses work for food.

Next, I had a couple of geldings I did fine with, and then I moved into the big adventure of training mustangs. When you go to pick out a mustang to adopt, unless you are planning to adopt one that has already been halter-broke or started under saddle, you basically get to choose your horse from a distance.

Mustangs: A Whole New World

I get all of my mustangs from the Canon City facility in Colorado, where BLM and the inmates at the prison facility work together to house, maintain, and train a bunch of mustangs (soon to number around 3,000). When I want to adopt a mustang, I drive 6 hours to facility on a scheduled adoption day, join a group of adopters, and wander through this giant facility.

Most of the mustangs are fairly wild, so mostly you stand outside a pen that holds between 30 and 500 mustangs, and you try to “pick” one that you think you would like. I’ve been lucky. My first mustang mare was Bella (you can read about her here), a gentle mare with an Earth horse personality. Again, as long as food was present, everything was fine.

My next mustang mare, Valentine, had a Wood horse personality. Her motto, “I will win!” matches mine pretty well. As long as we both want to win at the same event, we are unbeatable. On the events where we don’t agree, forget it. You can’t “make” Valentine do anything she doesn’t want to do. But generally, I “ride the horse in the direction she’s going,” and we get along fine.

After that came three more mustangs, all with suitable horse personalities. All of them had strong personalities and could withstand some fairly tough training in multiple events. We do everything from team penning and sorting, to hunter/jumper and barrel racing. Fun stuff.

Along Came Walker

Then I got interested in the sport of reining, and I was told in no uncertain terms that my mustangs had neither the conformation nor genetic background to be reining horses. So I bought Walker, my first “expensive” luxury-model horse in a very long time (it costs only $125 to adopt a mustang). Wow, Walker was genetically and conformationally built to spin, stop, and lope circles. He was the perfect reining horse.

The only problem was that Walker was not the perfect reining horse for me. He and I do not have matching personality types. I have to admit that Walker was an impulse buy and that I never stopped to consider his horse personality type before I bought him. It turns out that Walker is a Shao Yin (Fire/Water) horse personality, which means that he is eager to please but also among the most fragile of all the personality types.

When Walker gets a small cut on his leg, his entire leg swells up like a balloon. When one of my mustang mares gets a cut, they don’t even notice it. When Walker gets a stone bruise, he limps like he needs hit foot amputated. When the mustangs get a stone bruise, they lope a little slower on trail but otherwise don’t care. When Walker gets his feelings hurt, he doesn’t react outwardly, but immediately develops some kind of earth-shattering ailment. When the mustangs get upset, they have great fun refusing to be caught. Are you starting to see the difference here?

There is, of course, nothing wrong with Walker. He is a dream horse for most people. He will try his heart out for me and I love him dearly for his kindness, gentleness, and sweetness. I’m just not used to dealing with horse personality types that are “hothouse flowers.” Had I known Walker was a Shao Yin before I bought him, I would have never bought him because I know that I am not the nurturing type. I’m a no-holds-barred tough zen cowgirl who needs a horse just as tough.

The Moral of This Story

So, while Walker and I are learning to get along together, I thank him for teaching me a valuable lesson:

Always test the personality of the horse you are about to buy before you buy him.

The test, which is the equivalent of eHarmony for horses, is free online at Horse Harmony Test. You can read short summaries about the different horse personality types on the Horse Harmony website. Better yet, get the full scoop by reading the Horse Harmony book.

Figure out what type best suits your personality, the discipline in which you ride, and the management style you have. Pick the right type and you’ll have a match made in heaven. Pick a type that’s a little bit of a mismatch, and you may be looking for a different horse within a short period of time. So take the test (you can test yourself as well as any potential horse) and learn something about you, your existing horse, or a future horse. It is fun, it is free, and it is a learning experience!

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
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Your horse has just tried to bite you! You can’t understand why this animal that you love and care for would behave in such a way. Horses that bite people are displaying an aggressive, unsafe behaviour that needs to be changed.

The first step in changing any behaviour is to understand the underlying cause of it. Horses are prey animals that live in herds and run from danger. Their first instinct is to run away when they feel their safety is threatened. If they are unable to run away, they will fight to defend themselves by aggressively biting, kicking or striking.

What causes a domestic horse that is being cared for and loved by humans to become aggressive and bite his or her caregiver? There are 2 reasons for this undesirable behaviour.

1) The human is inadvertently causing stress to the horse by their own behaviour and body language and the horse is unable to leave. Usually this is caused by the human sending forward, impulsive energy towards the horse’s head and neck area while working around the horse that is tied up or confined in a small space such as a stall. Horses feel most vulnerable around their head and neck because this is where predators attack to kill.

2) Young colts tend to bite because this is stallion behaviour. In the wild, stallions must compete with each other to win a band of mares and the right to breed them. This is why young colts and even some older geldings play fights can look quite aggressive. The play is practice for potential future fights.

The traditional method of breaking the behaviour of biting people is to smack the horse in the mouth or face. Some people even go so far as biting the horse back. Neither of these tactics is particularly effective in stopping the biting. Hitting the horse in the face, from the horse’s perspective, is a very aggressive behaviour. It either makes the horse head-shy and/or escalates the behaviour as the horse becomes more aggressive. In both cases, the human is being reactive after the horse has bitten them.

A better way to stop this behaviour involves working with the horse’s psychology and being proactive to prevent the bite. In the herd, a horse that misbehaves or shows disrespect to higher ranking horses is pushed out of the herd. This is the absolutely worst punishment for any horse as isolation from the herd increases the vulnerability to predators. The exiled horse is only allowed back into the herd once he or she has shown signs of respect and submission.

Prevent your horse from biting by following these steps:

1) Be respectful of your horse’s personal space (head and neck area) by not sending forward energy from your body into that area. If you are standing beside your horse, stand with your weight even on both legs or resting on the leg farthest from your horse’s head so that your hip is not aimed into your horse’s head.

2) Ask your horse to be respectful of your personal space. Picture your personal space as a bubble around you. Block your horse from coming into your bubble unless you invite him or her in and he or she is respectful – low head, not pushing, etc.

3) Be aware of signs that your horse is threatening to bite or be pushy to you and proactively send him or her away from you with a push or a tap on the shoulder. Even if your horse manages to get in a nip or a bite do not hit him or her in the face. Only ever hit you horse on the body and send him or her away from you. Do not let your horse come back into your space until he or she is completely calm, non-threatening and showing signs of respect.

Working with an understanding of horse psychology as well as diagnosing the cause behind behaviours is a much more effective way of working with and training horses than simply focusing on the symptom (in this case, biting). You will develop a stronger bond with your horse built on mutual trust and respect. Your horse will no longer see you as a potential threat, but as a benevolent leader and trusted herd mate.

Author: Anne Gage
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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So, your little girl has been taking riding lessons for a year now and
(surprise) she wants her own pony. Heres how to begin.

First, talk to your childs trainer. He or she may have an experienced
lesson horse they would be willing to lease to you. Thats a good way to
get your feet wet before you commit to the full-time obligation of caring
for your own pony. Leasing arrangements vary, but usually you pay a
monthly fee for riding privileges any time you want, as if it were your
pony. You can ride, train and show the pony. You may also have to pay
for farrier services (usually a hoof trim and/or reset shoes every six
weeks), periodic de-worming and veterinary services.

If you cant find a suitable leasing arrangement and are still interested in
owning a pony, here are some tips and things to consider along the
way.

1. What age do you want your pony or horse? An ideal age for a
beginner rider horse is 10. You can go a little younger, if you want, but a
well-trained 10-year-old horse has already experienced a lot of life. He
probably wont be as frisky as a younger horse and will be less likely to
spook or act unpredictably. You are looking for a “bomb-proof” horse,
especially for your childs first mount. Ten years old is great, as well,
because as your child grows, the horse will have many healthy years
ahead of him for riding and showing.

2. What gender should your pony be? Common experience tells us that
geldings are the best beginner mount, however, some mares can be
excellent babysitters as well. The main drawback to a mare is that some
get moody during their monthly cycles, and can even nip or kick. The
other consideration is if you are ever going to have additional horses
and plan to turn them out in a pasture together, its better not to have
one mare and several geldings. Even though they are gelded, the males
will still want to fight over the mare. You can avoid that headache by
sticking with geldings. However, if you plan to always keep your horse in
a stall in a stable with individual turnout, a mare can work out fine. Of
course, a first-time owner should never buy a stallion.

3. Do you want a horse or pony? A small horse may be a better option
than a pony for several reasons. First, your little one is going to grow up
and may be faced in the future with having to sell her beloved pony
because she’s outgrown him or her.

Second, horses are a little easier to care for. Ponies are famous for
foundering, a condition that occurs especially when a pony overeats rich
grass. The safest bet for a pony is to never let him eat grass. Feed hay, a
little grain and turn him out on dirt. Horses can founder as well, but not
as easily as ponies.

If you have a pasture-only boarding situation, opt for a horse, not a pony.
Some stables, however, have many ponies they turn out together on dirt.
If your barn is set up to care properly for a pony, go ahead, if not, stick
with a horse.

3. Look in the newspaper, on the internet, ask around at horse shows or
call other trainers. Many trainers will help you find the perfect horse for a
finders fee. It can be more expensive, but well worth it in the long run to
have professional assistance. Taking along a trainer to look at a horse
with you can give you confidence as well as an expert set of eyes and
ears in the situation.

4. Once you have a prospect located, find out as much as you can about
the horse or pony. What is its training or background? Has it showed
and where? Does it have any bad habits or fears? Is it friendly toward
other horses? Does it load in a trailer and can I do it myself? Does it or
has it ever had any health problems? Why are you selling now?

5. Get a veterinarian check before you buy. This can cost up to $200, if it
includes x-rays, but it can be well worth the expense and trouble.
Coming home with a horse that immediately is lame can be a big
disappointment. Consider the possibility, too, that the current owner may
be giving the horse bute (horse aspirin) to hide lameness when you are
looking at the horse.

6. Check out the horse unannounced. Show up at the horses stables or
pasture when you are not expected. Ask to take the horse for a ride or to
trot him on the lead rope to check for problems. Unfortunately, some
people drug their horses to make them appear more calm than they
really are. Arriving unannounced helps you see the pony as he really is.

7. Get ready for expenses. Make sure you understand and budget for all
the expenses associated with owning a horse or pony. There are
monthly boarding bills, which include food and care. You may also want
to supplement your horse or pony with a hoof, coat or joint supplement.
Your horse needs its hooves trimmed or shoes reset every six weeks.
You also need an annual check from the veterinarian, which at least will
include shots, teeth floating and a coggins test. Many owners give their
horses twice yearly shots, as well as de-worming at least four times a
year.

Of course, now there are expenses for saddles, blankets, bridles, bits,
riding clothes, lessons, helmets, riding lessons and showing fees. If your
trainer will transport your horse for you, great, if not, add a horse trailer
to the list.

Finding the right horse or pony can be a long adventure. Dont be
tempted to pick one out of the paper and surprise your child with it at a
birthday party. Considering the investment on your part, you want your
child to fall in love with this animal, so his or her opinion needs to count
as well. Finding the right equine companion for your child can begin a
relationship that will last for years.

Author: Diane Samson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News