Posts Tagged ‘good horses’

The name Sport Horse is given to type of horse rather than a particular breed of horse; it is a term to define a horse that will excel in equestrian sports such as Showjumping, Dressage or Eventing.

Sports horse breeders follow intensive breeding programs. The breeding goals differ from registry to registry, some more geared towards Showjumping others Dressage, Eventing or all-round top quality riding horses, this is reflected in the breeding, for example to produce a top class jumping horse only prestigious jumping blood lines are used to produce a horse with the physical attributes and athletic ability which is needed for show jumping.

Quality Sports horses have certain attributes which incorporates the following:

o Correct confirmation – Sports horses should have correct confirmation as this has a direct affect on the movement and jumping capabilities of the horse.

o Temperament – Sports horses must have a trainable and willing nature.

o Movement – Sports horse should have an athletic gait with good suspension in trot and canter.

o Jumping ability – Sports horses that are bred for jumping have excellent jumping form and conformation that allows them to jump higher.

If you are looking to buy a horse to compete, a sports horse would be a very good choice. You should set yourself some guide lines on the criteria of the horse you wish to buy; a good place to start is to identify your capabilities as a rider. Less experienced riders should look for an older experienced horse that knows its job; an accomplished rider may want to bring on a younger horse and take it through the grades, it is absolutely essential for the rider to realise their capabilities. Unfortunately many people make the mistake of “over horsing themselves” this is when a less experienced rider has bought a horse that is far too much for the rider to handle. This can ruin good horses and ruin a rider’s confidence. Set a budget, the height range that would suit you best and what you intend to do with the horse. This will narrow down the market and get you focused on the right market of horses for sale.

There is an abundance of Sport horses for sale currently in the U.K. you only have to look briefly at the equestrian classifieds and you will be sure to see several advertisers offering Sports horses for sale. There are many competition yards that have Sports horses for sale.

 Professional horse producers will often travel to Ireland and mainland Europe to source Sport horses from breeders and farmers.  The horses that are brought back to the U.K. are to be sold to the equestrian competition market. A good professional horse producer will help you find the right horse; you will usually find that there will be quite a few Sports horses for sale at any one yard so you will have plenty of Sports Horses for Sale to view. There are lots of yards devoted Sports horses for sale, so you will always have plenty of horses to look at, if they don’t have a horse that is suitable they will often be able to source a Sports horse for sale that meets your requirements, as they are more than likely to have established equestrian links with farmers and breeders overseas.

It is also possible for you to go to Ireland or the Continent to look for a Sport horses for sale yourself. It is good to look on the internet for Sports Horses for Sale to see if there are any abroad that you like, many yards will offer a service where they collect you from the airport and accommodate you while you view their Sport horses for sale.

If you are ever in doubt about what horse would be most suitable for you must always seek professional help from a reputable source, a person who has expertise in your preferred discipline.

Sports Horses for Sale [http://www.horsewizard.co.uk/marketplace?page=show_category&catid=39]

Horses for Sale

Author: Paul Simms
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

If you are interested in learning more about horses for beginners or are looking for your first horse, then this article is for you. This article discusses the types of things you should look for when looking for a beginners horse.

Time dedication

Horses require a lot of maintenance. If you think you can just turn your horse out to grass in a field and not worry about it, you are wrong. Horses need to have their feet trimmed and may need shoeing depending on the amount of work they do. Like people, they need to have exercise, or they can get out of shape and grow fat. Some horses can eat so much that that they founder, which means their feet hurt so much they are unable to walk. Horses that have a tendency to gain weight should wear a grazing muzzle when turned out to grass, to prevent overeating. Ponies are especially prone to founder. Horses need to be checked every day to make sure they are not sick or injured. If you board your horse at a boarding facility, your horse is usually checked each day, which helps if you can’t always be there to do it yourself.

Your Ability

The horse’s amount of training and your ability are a big consideration when looking for a horse for beginners. If you have no riding experience, it is best to get a well trained quiet horse. These horses are sometimes called schoolmasters. This means they know their job. They are good horses for beginners to learn on, especially if you find one that is very forgiving. A horse with this type of temperament is easy going and doesn’t get upset when beginners do things wrong.

Your Finances

There are a wide range of prices related to horses. Fancy, flashy show horses can cost thousands of dollars, whereas horses that are less fancy can be more moderately priced. The amount of training a horse has can also affect its price. For example, if a horse is young and has a little bit of training, it will not cost a lot. Unfortunately, horses with little training are not good beginners horses. A horse that is between 6 – 8 years old and has good training is usually more expensive. These horses are in their prime. A horse that is over the age of 10 or 12 years old usually is well trained, but health and the condition of the horse’s joints is a consideration. It is not uncommon for older horses to have arthritis. Older horses are usually great beginner horses, but they may have more associated vet expenses due to their age.

Choosing Your Horse

It is advantageous to have someone experienced go with you when you are choosing your first horse. It is best if you have a trainer, who will not only give you lessons after you buy a horse, but help you choose a horse that will be well suited to you. Before buying a horse, you should also have it examined by an equine veterinarian. This is an very important step that you don’t want to skip! The cost of the vet check will depend on how thorough the examination is and how many tests you have done. Your vet can tell you what your options are, but it is always a good idea to get x-rays of the horses legs and joints. It is not uncommon to find something wrong with just about any horse during a vet check, but it is up to you to decide what you are willing to live with. For example, you may not care that a horse has arthritis in his hocks and cannot jump, if you are only going to use it for trail riding.

Buying vs. Leasing

You don’t always have to buy a horse. You also have the option of leasing one. There are a lot of different lease arrangements available including half leases and free leases. With a free lease, you don’t have to pay the owner to use the horse. In this arrangement you are responsible for the horse’s care and living arrangements. With a half lease you may use the horse a few days a week, while the owner or someone else uses the horse the other part of the week. If you do decide to a lease a horse, make sure you have a written agreement, so you know who is responsible for all of the expenses related to the horse, like vet or farrier (blacksmith) bills.

As you can see, there is a lot to consider when getting your first horse. Before you jump into a purchase or a lease arrangement, make sure you do a lot of research first, so you get a horse that is well suited to your individual needs.

Author: Eileen Childs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information

Here are 5 things to do to put the odds of getting a good horse in your favor.

Let me share a short story with you about public horse auctions and my friend Jack.

I’ll show you how to buy a horse at auction so you won’t get burned. Jack, an old time horse trader and I use to travel to horse auction all over the state. I’d just watch Jack and maybe later ask my questions.

Jack was usually pretty closed mouthed, but he let me in on his secrets to buying good horses at auctions.

#1 Arrive at the auction real early like 3 hours or more before the auction starts.

You want to be there as the horses arrive, so you can see who brings them and how they unload and walk to their pen.

Who brings the horse? A horse trader, private party, woman, man, kid, also how many horses did they bring? You need to know this so you have a clue as to who you will possibly be buying from and who to talk to about the horse before you bid.

#2 If you see a horse you like the looks of, go to the horses holding pen.

Watch the horse and how he moves. If the horse is tied up in the pen this could mean trouble as the horse owner might not want you to see the horse move. Check the horse for blemishes and soundness, make sure the legs are clean and the hooves are healthy and maintained, there should not be any limping or signs of lameness.

I do not like scars, divots or bumps on the head and neck, This shows the horse has been in a wreck of some kind, which could mean the horse is prone to panic, I’ve been stuck with a couple of panic prone horses and they did hurt me. If you don’t know about lame horses and what to watch out for, take someone with you who does or don’t bid.

Now the horse should show signs of life maybe be a little bit excited, what with all the other horses and the new surroundings, if not you could be looking at a drugged horse.

#3 Talk to the person that brought the horse

you know this person because you seen them arrive. Make sure they are the owner of the horse, if not who are they? The standard stories are:

It’s my neighbors horse, this often means it is my horse but I am not going to admit it to you, as I don’t want to be held accountable for the lies I’m about to tell you.

Or I’m a dealer trying to pass off this horse as a good old horse so gentle to ride, the neighbor kid rode bareback on the road when in reality it’s a dink horse that he can’t sell off his trading string.

Jack use to saddle up to the person who brought the horse and softly ask; say can you tell me a little bit about your horse? ( then he SHUT UP! ). They would tell all the nice things about the horse and Jack would just look at the horse, not saying a word. After they got through the string of lies or half truths, they would start getting nervous because it was so quite they thought they had to ramble on some more and that’s when a bit more of the truth starts to show up, yeah old Barley don’t buck except that one time when he broke my collar bone opps…

#4 Follow the horse from the pen to the sale ring

Jack use to walk right into the sale ring with the horse and watch it move in the ring too. The other advantage is you can see who is bidding. The owner or someone with them may be running up the bid, you know this because you seen them arrive right?

Now you may not be able to get in the ring but you can stand next to it so you can see the horse and the crowd too. Most owners try too hard to get their horse to ride well in the ring which is usually too small to work a horse in anyway so you get to see how the horse responds under pressure. Watch for rearing, head tossing, humping up or crow hopping, usually the small size of the ring prevents them from bucking.

#5 If you still like the horse bid on it.

How much? Jack would only pay about $15 to $20 above killer price. How much is that? You need to snoop around before the sale and ask the dealers or auctioneer, I’ve seen it range from 15 cents to 1 dollar a pound, so that could mean from $150 to $1000 for a 1000 pound riding horse.

Jack was comfortable paying that price as he would take the horse home, try them out, if there was a problem he would run them through the next auction and not get hurt too bad, out $20 at most.

This works good if you, your wife, or kids don’t fall in love with old Barley, Jack use to say if you don’t send them right back to the auction. you end up with a field full of cripples and buckers.

You can get a nice horse at a rock bottom price following this method. My experience has been that I can get older well trained horses that people are bailing out on because the kids all left home and they don’t want to feed the horse any more, or they just were flash in the pan horsemen and need the money for a quad runner.

I have also bought young unbroke horses that people do not have the skill to train, if you think you want a go at that, make sure you have a medical plan and go for it.

I do not pay top dollar for exceptional horses at auctions because, again experience has taught me there are no exceptional horse at these auctions, if you think there are some there, look close as there is usually a hole in them somewhere.

Now put this plan into action and you will find a nice horse that you can use and even make a profit on if you so choose at some time in the future, just do all the steps and you will get the successful results.

Author: Dale Anderson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff

Before buying or choosing a new horse, it is important to check its health. Although it is impossible to be 100% certain that a horse is completely healthy, there are a number of tests which can identify most potential health risks. Following is a checklist.

The first indication is the general appearance. It should have a shinny, even and flat coat. The body should be well muscled, neither fat nor skinny. When standing, it should spread its weight evenly on all four legs, with each hoof pointing straight ahead. While normal to rest a leg from time to time, it should not be for long periods or always the same leg, as this would indicate an injury or weakness.

Slowly run your hands down the legs, from top to bottom, with careful attention to joints and the lower leg. There should be no bumps, swellings or hot spots. The hoof walls should be even, free of cracks and completely smooth.

Lift a hoof and examine the sole to ensure that there are no marks or indications of previous injury and that it is correctly shaped. Repeat with the other hooves. The angle and tilt of all four hooves should be correct and identical. If the horse is reluctant to lift one of its feet, this may be because it does not want to lift a good leg and put more weight on a bad one. The hooves are perhaps the most important area to examine in terms of horse health, as so many otherwise good horses have problems here.

The gums should be shinny, moist and pink. If one presses on the gums with a finger, they will turn white, but should return to pink within two seconds of removing your finger.

Check the teeth (you may want to use the services of a horse dentist) for spurs, unevenness or excessive wear. Try feeding the horse hay and watch how it eats. It should use both sides of its jaw equally and eat steadily. Dropping hay or leaving hay partly chewed indicates a problem either with the teeth or the jaw joints.

Examine the horse’s droppings. They should consist of firm balls, with a mild and inoffensive odor.

The horse should look happy, alert and interested in what is happening. Its ears should stand up and should move alertly in response to sounds. It should be interested in what is happening around it, but not nervous.

Have someone work the horse in an exercise ring while you watch. They should gradually go through all the gaits (walk, trot and gallop), in both directions. The horse should show easy, smooth strides, with the weight distributed evenly on all four legs.

It should not sweat (except during hot weather) until it has been worked for some time at speed. Its respiration should gradually increase as the gait picks up but it should not breathe hard except at a fast gait. As the gait is reduced, its respiration should quickly reduce. Once the horse stops, its breathing and pulse should quickly return to resting normal. Neither during nor after exercise should the horse shown any sign of discomfort, pain or limping.

One should also ask the current owner about the medical history and ask permission to discuss the horse with its regular vet. Ask to see the inoculation and medical records for the horse. Ask if it has every had any illness, in particular colic or laminitis. Be concerned about any incomplete or evasive answers.