Posts Tagged ‘Horse People’

Deciding to own a horse is a major decision and a big commitment. Not just financial, but there is the time commitment to consider as a horse needs caring for 365 days a year. Among other things, there is the concern of where to keep it and who will look after it when you’re on holiday, ill, working late etc. Horses are not like having a cat or a dog, as most people will happily feed and walk a dog while you are on holiday but a horse?! Most people would run a mile, not because they don’t like horses, but because they are harder to look after, take more time and are generally more expensive to fix if something goes wrong.

The first decision that needs to be made once you have decided to have a horse is where to keep it. Some of us don’t have the option to keep our horses by our house and therefore livery yards offer a solution. Some liveries offer a ‘full’ livery service others a ‘part’ or ‘DIY’ (Do It Yourself) service. Choosing a livery yard suitable for you and your horse might depend on the type of service best suited to your needs, where your friends are or just simply down to location. Other people might be fortunate enough to keep their horse at their own property.

Wherever you keep your horse, there will be times when you need help from someone to care for you’re your horse. Whether it’s just to feed him 1 night or to do everything for 2 weeks, at some point you will need a hand and whom will you ask? For those using a full livery service this shouldn’t be a problem but for the rest of us finding help can be tricky, especially help that is competent and reliable.

Some people might temporally move their horse to a livery yard that offers a full livery service. However getting a stable on a yard when you need it might not be that easy, so travelling even further away from home might be necessary. This option can be stressful for your horse, especially if he doesn’t settle well or is a bit nervy. Others might relay on friends or other horse owners but what happens if something goes wrong? What if that person can’t make it and if the horse is injured who pays for the vet bill? This option can lead to favours been owed or friendship frayed.

So what’s the solution?

A professional mobile livery service.

Leave your horse where it is. No stress for your horse, no stress for you. Have a Mobile Livery come to care for your horse.

A Mobile Livery Service brings the services of a typical full livery to you and your horse so the horse doesn’t move and you don’t keep risking friendships or replying on family. Mobile liveries are operated by freelance grooms or horse sitters and are a professional horse care service. Whenever you are going away or are tied up with life commitments a mobile livery will come to your horse and provide all the care he needs. You won’t have the hassle of finding a livery yard with a spare stable or the inconvenience of transporting and your horse won’t get stressed by changing his routine. You can leave your horse exactly where he is and nothing will change for him. He won’t even know your not there!

Mobile livery, freelance grooms and horse sitters are all horse care professionals, caring for all types of horses and yards is what they have been trained to do. They will have equine qualifications and should be CRB checked, but most importantly will have *insurance so if something does go wrong everyone, including your horse should be protected.

Remember to always find out about the person you are leaving your horse with read more advice on what to look for at http://www.kirstyshorses.com/blog/ or locate someone to care for your horse at http://www.kirstyshorses.com

So when life gets busy or you’re going away and you need someone to care for your horse, think of the easiest solution and that’s leave your horse where it is and have a professional mobile livery come to you. Hassle free, worry free, SIMPLE.

*insurance covers my change from company to company, you should always check what the person you are using is insured for.

Author: Kirsty Rickett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Often people are under the misinterpretation that you simply need to control the head in order to control the horse. This is why you need to use a lead rope or bridle in order to teach a horse how to stop and start. However, do you know how you can control a horse if you don’t have a lead rope or bridle? If you have ever spent time chasing a horse around a pasture you have likely wondered this.

You can learn to control you horses mind through a process known as natural horse training. If you control a horses mind there will be no worry about losing control no matter what situation you are in with the horse. Natural training is a specific discipline that has to be done properly in order to achieve success.

When you use the term discipline for natural horse training it is important to realize this doesn’t mean obedience or punishment, but rather means you are focusing on calm compliance from the horse. In order to have a horse that is a good follower you need a trainer that has good discipline and self-control. This way the horse will be able to willingly follow you lead.

To have this done successfully natural horse training requires trainers to focus on developing a pattern and providing the horse with a safe and comfortable environment. This description makes natural training seem easy, but it is actually difficult to become successful with this horse training method.

The first step in this horse training method is to get your horse to pay attention to you. To do this you also need to pay complete attention to your horse and what they do without allowing distractions to get in the way.

Make sure you place yourself in a place where you are able to focus and concentrate. If it isn’t possible to do this for long periods then you should start in small durations of at least ten minutes and then increase the length of time.

It is important to focus on your horse and the feedback they provide. What signals are the ears and eyes sending you? What does their breathing tell you? How is the horse reacting and how does this compare to other times? This will help you to determine what triggers your horse to pay attention to you so you can get them to focus on you and do what you want willingly.

Relaxation and rhythm are the two keys to natural horse training. The moment you go near the horse you need to make sure, you are making rhythmic movements. Even as you approach the stall, you should have relaxed movements. You should also pay careful attention to your breathing. Your horse is going to be carefully watching your actions and if you are tense, they can sense it. This is why relaxation and rhythm are vital should something unusual or unplanned happen later.

When you use these two simple steps, you can start having success with natural horse training. Although you shouldn’t become discouraged if things don’t go well on the first day or week of training. It can sometimes take several months before horses can learn to use a non-predatory system of learning. While the name is natural horse training this doesn’t mean it happens naturally for all trainers and horses.

Sheryll Walker is a horse training enthusiast, helping numbers of people to learn Secrets of Training Horses.

Don’t Wait! Get your hands on the “Natural Horse Training” Videos!

To discover more on Training Horse to do what You want, and learn about natural horse training, visit HorseTrainingHelp.com.

Author: Sheryll Walker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Some of the horses on the Auction are snotty or bite. How do you avoid those horses? Im going to be a new horse owner and I need a nice horse! How do I get a good horse?

Horse people spend years trying to find out information and techniques from different trainers for a few tips that help them with their horse back riding training before they ‘chance’ upon training that actually works for them successfully that they can instantly understand and practise the moves.

How many times do you see people practising the same move whether general riding, dressage, western, western pleasure or cutting and they repeat the same moves over and over with no improvement ‘locking’ their horse into a frame and getting mediocre results.

Then they sell their horse and buy a new one and unless the horse can ‘teach’ the rider the ‘move’ the same thing happens. When an experienced trainer hops on the horse they can execute moves that you didn’t know your horse was capable of – This is the SECRET- to learn and understand the required thinking and aids to ask and communicate to your horse and unite this with your correct body position that doesn’t lock or stiffen their frame.

Do you see people kick and hit their horse to move it and when the horse finally moves they jerk on the reins, and pull the mouth to make the horse uncomfortable – it’s no wonder that the horse doesn’t want to move!

Imagine being able to dance in self carriage and never having to continually repeat exercises with your horse, which they see as undeserved punishment! And better still, having the correct riding seat and the respect from your horse so it will move forwards willingly as you lift your energy!

This is why when you have the opportunity to acquire quality training information – You should take it- Read it – Understand it- Plan it and Practise it!

How do you know when the training offered is quality equestrian and horse back riding knowledge that is easily understandable to you?

A good trainer will tell you about the results they have obtained with other horses. The information that they provide will be clear and concise, being easy for you to understand as they discuss what you don’t want with your horse and then what you do want! You can understand clearly how to implement the training information with your horse, with examples of improvement being discussed with so you can see how to progress to that point and when it is obtained. Training tips and a free mailing list should be available to you – so you can communicate easily.

Most importantly great equestrian training is so substantial that it caters for horse back riders and horses of all equestrian disciplines – Western, English, Western Pleasure, Cutting, Reining, Hacking etc. to give breakthroughs and advance horse and horse back rider performance. Lets say a horse won’t go forwards properly, this isn’t a particular problem associated with one equestrian discipline -i.e dressage – it’s a communication and respect issue that can happen to all riders in any equestrian discipline – the equestrian rider needs to understand the theory and comprehend the bodily-kinesthetic knowledge of the moves – how to apply the training and aids, and know what to expect from the horse.

These key areas of training need to be available to the horse back rider in unison allowing an advance in equestrian training and performance, good horse training will equip you in all these areas – ending frustration created from no advance in horse back riding skills – due to only part of the training information being available to the horse back rider.

Suzanne Garrard has a post graduate degree in education and has been working with and training horses for 15 years – including horses that when purchased lacked impulsion or were a problem horse. She is passionate about continual and further education for horse and rider advancement. If you are looking to advance your equine performance and horse back riding skills, and increase your understanding of the equine language, whilst building you and your horses comfort zones and your leadership with the horse, so you are both confident and happy then click on [http://www.smarthorseandridercoaching.com] to get free training tips, join the mailing list and easily access comprehensive equestrian horse back rider training!

Author: Suzanne Garrard
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I like to run in a park, but on hot days these huge horse flies are always chasing me. When they occasionally bite, it really hurts. Is there a horse fly repellent that I can use, to get these pests away from me?

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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It can be very scary entering into a new relationship because it takes some time before you feel like you are really getting to know your new girlfriend. There are many things that you will be able to find out about your new girlfriend by simply asking her. This could include what her favorite color is, when her birthday is, and what her favorite movie is. These are the simple things; it can be a little more challenging trying to determine what her true personality is and if she is a “closet horse lover”.

Many people may not know what a closet horse lover is. A closet horse lover is a person, usually a woman, who is infatuated with horses and everything horse related. What makes a closet horse lover different from an ordinary horse lover is that she is afraid that you will not like horses as much as she does so she will try to keep it a secret from you, but there are some signs that men can watch for to determine if their new girlfriend is a closet horse lover.

The first warning sign is that she will have a secret stash of horse magazines. These could be hidden under the mattress or in a shoe box in the top of the closet and if you are to find her secret stash of magazines, she will go one of two ways. She will either deny that the magazines are hers, or she will come clean and confess that she is a horse lover.

Another thing that men can be observant of to determine if their new girlfriend is a closet horse lover is to pay attention to how she is dressed when she comes home. Many women who own horses will go for a short horseback ride after work. If your girlfriend leaves for work in the morning wearing a business suit and comes home in blue jeans and an “I love horses” tee shirt it is probably safe to assume that she owns a horse and was out riding.

When confronted, many women will confess that they are a closet horse lover, but what makes women hide their love for horses in the first place? Many women are afraid that their new boyfriends will become jealous of their horses because owning a horse is a big responsibility and will take up much of woman time. Many men who have not been around horses find it hard to accept that their girlfriends spend so much time in a smelly barn with a horse everyday.

This is why women will go to such great lengths to keep their horse a secret. Most women are sneaky and they think that if they can keep their horse a secret long enough that by the time their boyfriend finds out he will already be in love with her and he will just accept the horse instead of breaking up. What women do not know is that most men enjoy spending quality time in front of the television while they are at the barn.

Ron Petracek was raised in Southern Idaho with a beautiful jet black morgan as his adventure companion, and the snake river within a easy ride. Horses and the outdoors are a solid part of his life along with his beautiful wife and two children. Ron would love for you to stop by and introduce yourself to our community.

For more great information and FREE equine classifieds! Everything from horses to trailers & tack please visit. http://www.theequineyard.com

If you would like to help others learn more about horses than stop by our beautiful and friendly equine forum http://www.horsechitchat.com

Author: Ron Petracek
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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