Posts Tagged ‘horsemanship skills’

I have decided to have a career in horses and go to a horse university,. I am 17 but have been rding for only three years.

Besides majorly increasing my personal fitness, what else can I do to make my horse riding skills increase and start thinking of competing, and having lseeons at least twice a week?

Aswell I will obviously increasing my horsemanship skills as hopefully I will be getting my own horse next halfway through next year during my gap year.

Any tips, besides the fact that I will be poor forever?

Thank you in adavnce for taking my question seriously.

Buying a horse can be a very complex task. For those people that may think a horse is horse could find themselves facing big problems. Each horse is different and needs to be looked at in such a way. All horses will have some problems, it is a matter of do you have the skills to properly deal with them.

Let me say up front one big secret I think there is to having a great horse, it’s all in the relationship. If you want to have a successful and fulfilling relationship with your horse you have to get along. The famous Will Rogers quote, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” That is true quote but you must remember that the opposite can be true also, you could begin to dislike and even hate a horse you are not having fun with. The remarkable thing about a horse, is that over time they will begin to represent a mirror image of you. If you don’t know how to handle a horse then your horse’s problems can grow. A horse has a wonderful knack to exploit your imperfections. That why it is imperative to have the horsemanship skills and tools to be able to “train” a horse. From the selection, training, management and to horseman, I have defined four sections to examine in order for you to take the steps to excel as a horseperson.

Selection: The horse you choose, is the horse you must live with and deal with on a daily basis. If you select a horse with many “challenges” then you must embrace ways to develop and learn to possess the skills to correct those “problems”. There is no horse that is challenge free or problem free. Some horses just have less challenges then others. Your first horse should not have challenges that can in injure you. Challenges can be in many forms:

Age – Breed – Health – Abuse – Attitude – Neglect – Never Trained – Poorly Trained – Time to devote to the horse – Facilities not available

It is best if you shop around and educate yourself on what you really want in your horse. Love at first sight is not a good buying strategy for a horse. Inexperience in horse selection can be anything from unpleasant to very painful, including death. The wrong horse in the wrong hands can be a deadly combination. The average horse is ten times more powerful than you. Horse ownership should be an absolute joy and not filled with fear and anxiety. Selection of your first horse is paramount to having a good horse experience. The old saying of a green horse and a green rider soon turns to black and blue was founded on truth.

Psychological Selection: We may unknowingly be psychological mirrors to the horses we gravitate towards, or the horses may be psychological mirrors of us. Either way it is very common for the person buying a horse for personal use, to select a horse for subconscious reasons. I only address this here so you are aware of it. It is too complex an issue to discuss in its entirety here.

Cost: Good horses are expensive to purchase. But the initial price of the horse may be shortly eclipsed by the constant cost of the routine expenses it may take to properly care for a horse. Veterinarian bills, feed bills, farrier bills, continuing education fees, tack, stable fees, etc.

Time: The time you spend with your horse is important. The horse’s favorite companion is routine and habit. For a horse to develop well, he should also be mentally and emotionally stimulated. It takes time to teach a horse something new or to refine prior learned tasks. It takes lots of time to build exceptional communication between you and the horse. Again learning in horsemanship is a two way street, you must also develop your horsemanship skills. My personal goal as a horsemen is having people to try to figure out how you got the horse to do that maneuver, with no obvious signs of a cue. When people always ask you how it is you have the best mannered and such a well trained horse, that is when you are becoming a horseman. In my opinion there is no more noble quest than to be a superb horseman. Pat Parelli considers a horse green with less than 1,000 hours of training. If you work/train/ride your horse one hour each day, it will take about 3 years to reach 1,000 hours.

Breed selection: There is no perfect breed. Each breed always have pluses and minuses. Each breed has it’s limitations and attributes. Some breed organizations are large, others are small. You should select your horse based on your intended use and individual flare. Arabian horses will make poor roping horses, but they make superb endurance racers. Quarter Horses were originally bred to produce an all around ranch horse that was extremely fast running a quarter mile. Walking horses make excellent trail horses, their gait and endurance allows for a long pleasant trail ride. Each breed may have their temperaments, some may be “hot” or “cold”. Horse shows, fairs, television programs and the internet are just a few places to learn about different breeds. Most people will be more than happy to embellish enthusiastically about “their” breed of horse if asked.

Age: Young horses can be very enjoyable, most of the time they are “baggage free”. They can also become nightmares in the wrong hands. Raising a young horse from weanling to riding age can be the best thing ever, to both you and the horse, if handled properly. It is not wise to have your first horse be a horse younger than six years old, that has been properly trained. Your first horse should never be a green horse. A ten year old well seasoned horse is worth its weight in gold. They are usually very mature and commonly have only a few veterinary problems. Your first horse should be your buddy. A horse that will help you learn at your pace. A green or young horse will learn at their pace. If you are unprepared to teach the horse, let someone else start and train your horse. But you must be in on the process. If you don’t know how to train or ride a horse you really need some professional guidance.

Place of Purchase: Buyer beware was a phrase born by dealing with horse traders in the old days. Auction barns can be a place to get a very good deal or a perpetual problem. The best place to purchase a horse is from a well respected breeder or private owner. The first question you should ask is: Why are you selling this horse? A breeder makes a living selling horses. His or her response should be, “That’s what I do.” A private owner may have numerous different responses. Hopefully they will be frank and honest with you. It is possible to pay an experienced horseman or horsewoman to help you select the horse that is right for you. The phrase many people use today in selecting a horse is called “matching personalities”. Don’t feel you have to be coerced into buying the first horse you see. There are millions of horses out there, buy the one you think will suit you best. For your own protection ask for a 30 day trial period. If the horse turns out not to be the horse for you, a honorable person should take the horse back. A person that is truly interested in the welfare of the horse will want what’s best for the horse. The seller should want what’s best for the horse, if not, you are a buying a horse from the wrong person. The horse should be in the same condition it was when you bought it, if you expect to return it.

Normal wear and tear: The only time a horse is usually perfect is the minute he is born. Horses will get cuts, scars, bumps, bruises and other sundry of problems. Chronic medical conditions that cost large sums of money to treat or that will impede the normal use that you expect with your horse is entirely different. HYPP, laminitis, club foot, heaves, and other serious diseases/syndromes can become a horrendous ordeal. It may be beneficial to have a veterinarian conduct a “vet check”. The veterinarian can point out any physical pitfalls. That of course will require a fee, but may in the long run be a lot cheaper.

Horse Home: A horse needs space and/or daily exercise. Horses in the wild average 20 miles of travel a day. The smaller the confinement, the more potential problems you will have with your horse’s emotional state. Horses do much better emotionally with a buddy of some type. Horses feel more comfortable in groups, as in the wild they bond together in bands for safety. The point being that horses are plains animals, and rely on other horses in the herd/band to spot potential enemies/threats. When there is no one else to help look out, a horse can become emotionally over concerned and may not rest well. The area in which the horse is confined should be free of hazards.

Horses, as the joke goes, could injure themselves in a padded room. Another truism, the more expensive the horse the greater chance they will hurt themselves. The area in which a horse is housed needs to be inspected for various hazards a horse may find during their free time.

Horses are one of the greatest gift you can buy for yourself. A lot of thought and research should go into this very important purchase. Educate yourself so that you will have a fulfilling experience and know the joy of horse ownership.

Author: Matthew Brendal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty on LCD/Plasma TV

In horse training or natural horsemanship, Approach is
nothing more than a technique or method used in helping your
horse to understand what it is you want him to do.

I feel it’s important to point out at this time that one of
the major reasons people fail to achieve excellence with
their horse is that they are not mentally, emotionally and
physically fit. The way to achieve this is by being
persistent and consistent in learning and practicing your
horse training / natural horsemanship skills. Remember,
It’s not your horses fault, it’s your responsibility to be
fit if you’re to achieve success and excellence with your
horse.

In talking about Approach or techniques, we’ll use some
examples to point out some approaches people take in
working with their horses, which are very different from
natural horsemanship.

Let’s talk a little about longeing… Most people longe
their horses to exercise them, but let’s look at what
happens when you do this. Your horse is going in
mindless circles usually circling to the left and will
certainly get stronger physically, but unfortunately, he
will also get mentally weaker because you are only
exercising his body and not his mind. It’s important
to exercise both his body and mind.

Now let’s look at lateral longeing. This is where we are
going to exercise both your horse’s body and mind. First,
what are the differences between longeing and lateral
longeing?

In normal longeing, the person is only exercising the horse
to take off the edge so the horse will be easier to ride.
I think it’s important to note that if your longeing your
horse 15 minutes to take off the edge eventually you will be
exercising him 30 minutes to take off the edge and as you
continue this regime he will become stronger and stronger
until you can no longer handle him.

In lateral longeing, you’re looking to develop a
communication system with your horse along with exercising
his body and mind, which will cause your hose to be
emotionally collected. This communication system is built
around 6 yields… Your horse going forward, backward,
left, right, up or down. These 6 yields work into a series
of maneuvers, which will exercise your horses mind and body.
By being persistent and using the 6 yields you will help
your horse to be mentally collected and instead of
increasing the time it takes to get your horse under control
you will decrease the time each day. By using lateral
longeing you can help your horse to become mentally
collected in a shorter period of time.

Remember that horses can do only 6 things, but they can do
them in combination… Move forward, backward, left, right,
up and down. Your goal should be to get your horse to go
forward, backward and sideways whenever you ask him. If you
can do this, you will become the Alpha horse in his
society.

When you teach your horse to go backwards you are also
teaching him to stop. The better he backs up the better he
stops. When you teach him to go sideways, you are also
teaching him to steer left or right. When moving right or
left you are simply moving his hindquarters or front
quarters or moving them both at the same time to move
sideways. Most horsemen will tell you that the better a
horse backs up and goes sideways the better he will do
everything else.

Lateral longeing is different from normal longeing in that
you are exercising your horses mind with his body following
naturally causing your horse to yield to you mentally.

Let’ take a quick look at Riding. What do most people do
after saddling and getting on their horse? They kick him to
go, rein him across the neck to turn and pull on him to
stop. Instead, why not get him mentally and emotionally
ready before we go riding? Why not put your horse through
the 6 yields? Yes, I know that takes some time, but is it worth it to you and your horse to be emotionally and mentally fit before you go riding?

After putting you horse through the 6 yields you’re now
ready to mount. After you’re mounted, it’s time to ask your
horse to move forward. Instead of kicking him to go why not
ask him to move by giving him a cue?

For example, if you want to move your horse forward, put 2
or 3 cues together, put them in order and be consistent with
them and your horse will eventually respond to the cues.
An example of this would be to 1. Squeeze both cheeks of
your buttocks tightly. If that won’t cause him to move
forward then progress to cue number 2. Genteelly squeeze
with your legs clear to your ankles and use a verbal cue
such as a cluck, kiss or smooch. If this still won’t get
him moving forward then progress to cue number 3. Give your
horse a spank, preferably closer to the center of the tail
head. This will start your horse to move straight. If you
spank right or left of center, you will cause your horse to
move off to the left or right.

When using cues remember to start the cue with light
pressure and increasing the pressure, (the pressure should
only be for a few seconds before moving on to the next cue)
and if there is no response move on to the next cue until
you get the desired response. With practice and
consistency, your hose will learn to move off the pressure
(cue) at the slightest squeeze of your buttocks or legs,
whichever you decided to use as your cue.

This article is getting long so I will briefly touch on
stopping your horse. There are two ways to stop your horse,
pulling back on the reins which most people use (the horse
can get wise, tuck his chin and keep running) or you can
bend your horses neck around with one rein and cause him to
stop. If you can bend his neck to the right and stop his
right side then his left side is probably not going to run
off and vise versa.

I do not recommend letting or allowing your horse to stop on
his own; if you allow this behavior, you will eventually
have problems with keeping your horse moving. You only want
your horse to stop after preparing him with a cue to stop
and then giving him the cue to stop. A cue might be, you
bringing down your energy by putting both hands on your
thighs, completely relax and look down at your tummy, to sum
it up, quit riding. Eventually your horse figures out that
you have stopped riding and he will stop. Remember, you
have to be consistent and persistent, it is not going to
happen over night, but eventually your horse will figure out
the cues and you will get the desired response. One other
thing, make sure you keep your horse straight. This will
cause him to stop. Don’t worry about him not stopping as
quickly as you like as long as he comes to a stop. As I
said before it takes time to get the desired response.

Good Luck and have fun with your horse!

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In the next article, we will discuss Patients… Be
patient/tolerant, take the time do it right and you
won’t have to go back and do it again and again.
Helping your horse to understand what it is you want
him to do.

Copyright © Mike Gorzalka All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Author: Mike Gorzalka
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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