Posts Tagged ‘Horses’

I’m a beginner rider in english and an intermediate in western. i’m looking for a horse that is atleast 15hh and can jump. I would like to show, but all the horses I can find are either green or can’t jump. I would prefer to adopt, but if necessary, I would buy. Does anyone have any websites or anything?

Here you will find some horseback riding tips that are geared towards the beginner or aspiring horseback rider. Learning to ride a horse can be one of the most thrilling experiences of your life, as long as you do it safely. The payoff lies not only in the freedom of galloping across a field on the back of an animal, but also in enjoying the wondrous bond between human and horse. Did you know that knowing the basic horseback riding tips before taking professional lessons, cuts your learning curve in half? Find out some essential horseback riding tips from the pros here.

First of all, it’s good if you can get to know everything you can about horses – their breeds, colors, heights, etc. You also need to know the differences between English and Western riding styles. It’s good if you can get to know the horse you’ll be riding on. Likewise, the horse should trust you too.

One of the best horseback riding tips is: Always keep your cool. If you lose control of yourself, have no doubt you will lose control of your horse. A horse can sense if the rider is scared. Even if you are scared (and that’s normal) and you have no idea how you’ll ever stay on the horse, you cannot think that around your horse. You need to stay calm & relaxed (Hint: Fake it till you make it!) If you get a little scared, take a few deep breaths so that you can slow your heartbeat and relax yourself. Odds are, if you think you’re in control, so will the horse. Also, when you are finished riding make sure you dismount on the left side.

You will greatly benefit if you know some basic horseback riding tips & techniques before taking horse riding lessons. There are some good books out there that give you many essential horseback riding tips. Read them, follow the many horseback riding tips and tricks and you will quickly & easily learn the basic skills needed to ride a horse. Some of them are written in plain, easy to understand language with no complicated instructions. These books show you horseback riding tips and everything that you need to know to easily learn how to ride a horse for the first time. You’ll learn all the horseback riding basics…..how to approach a horse, what never to do, how to mount & dismount and much, much more. And, they have some of the most beautiful horse pictures I’ve ever seen! These books lay it all out for you, so that you will know exactly what you are doing…before you approach a horse.

Author: Sara Diamond
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information

This is basic ground manners explained. These manners require that your horse does as you ask. Even the simplest of tasks or movements needs to be performed safely by the horse. He should not push, step on, crowd, or in any way endanger you either intentionally or unintentionally. While these may only appear to be slightly annoying habits at times, it is important to break them before somebody gets hurt. Since horses outweigh you by a ton, literally, a misplaced hoof can break your foot. You could be covered for this type of injury under the terms of your equine insurance – but it’s far less painful to avoid the necessity of that in the first place! Your very own personal space bubble can be established and then maintained to best avoid this problem.

Allowing your horse to nuzzle into your pockets in the search for crunchy treats could land you with a nibble in a rather inconvenient place. A horse’s love nibbles are painful when applied to mere human skin. Horses in a herd treat each other differently than they must treat us. They crowd, nip, and bite each other, but they are far more durable than we humans, of course.

Unfortunately, the space bubble lesson has been learned by many the hard way. My first, and subsequently the last, experience with the concept of crowding occurred when I bought my first horse years ago. My wonderful new four-legged friend liked to “help” me with the paddock cleaning. As I shovelled and filled the manure cart, he would come and put his nose into it. Then one day he actually lifted his front hoof and put it into the cart when I put a rake full of manure in. He knocked the cart over, which spooked him, which in turn spooked the other three horses in the paddock. Suddenly I found myself within the midst of hooves and tails every which way. Thankfully I was not hurt, but this could have been a mild or even a serious disaster – and may have even necessitated a claim on my horse insurance.

This happened when our training relationship was in its learning curve phase. I was so amused at his trying to help me with my chores that I didn’t think about the potential consequences. On that day I learned the importance of manners. from that day on I began to teach him the importance of respecting my space if I happened to be in the paddock doing jobs or attending to the other horses. If he wanted to play cute he could still do this during the time we spent together learning cues and training.

You can use the three Ps of horse training to instil basic safety manners into your horse. The relationship which you have with any horse – be it your own or one you are training for someone else – is largely dependant on the use of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement.

Patience. Remember that your horse doesn’t yet know what is expected of him. You will go a long way in building trust by showing patience with your horse when showing him what to do, and letting him try and try again until he gets it. Enter the training session with a clear and stress free mind. Take a deep breath and relax. It is part of the natural learning process for your horse to test the waters. He needs to check and see if what he thinks you want is correct. This can occur several times before the horse has confirmed his correct assessment of the task.

Persistence. Don’t give up after just a few tries. It is difficult to communicate at first. After all, you don’t speak the same language yet! Stay with it and be consistent in your cues. Horses are very perceptive to even the slightest cue. It will not usually take long for a horse to learn what a cue means – then you will have cooperation.

Positive reinforcement. Give your horse the signal when he’s done something correctly. The best rewards don’t always come in the form of a tasty treat. They love to be released when they’ve done their job. Imagine the “whoa!” or “stop” cue. It’s a pull on the bit within the horse’s mouth. When the horse exhibits the signs that he understands that you want him to stop, release the bit immediately. This lets him know that he is doing the right thing.

Horses need to know their limits. How close can he stand to you before you feel crowded? Can he pull on the lead rope if he doesn’t want to go the way you are leading him? Is he allowed to get away with things that he may not wish to do on a whim? For a horse this is not natural, even though to us it may seem like common sense. A correctly and carefully trained horse will forever be both a most pleasing companion and could also represent a lower liability when it comes to renewing your horse insurance policy.

This is basic ground manners explained. These manners require that your horse does as you ask. Even the simplest of tasks or movements needs to be performed safely by the horse. He should not push, step on, crowd, or in any way endanger you either intentionally or unintentionally. What may only seem like a slight annoyance often has the potential for somebody to get hurt. Since horses outweigh you by a ton, literally, a misplaced hoof can break your foot. You could be covered for this type of injury under the terms of your equine insurance – but it’s far less painful to avoid the necessity of that in the first place! The best way to avoid this is to establish, and then maintain, a personal space bubble.

If you allow your horse such liberties as nuzzling his nose into your pockets to look for treats, then don’t be surprised to get a nibble if he finds something. A horse’s love nibbles are painful when applied to mere human skin. Horses in a herd treat each other differently than they must treat us. Horses are somewhat more robust and durable than humans and it’s OK to them if they sometimes nip, bite or crowd each other.

Many have learned this lesson in spatial awareness the hard way. My first, and subsequently the last, experience with the concept of crowding occurred when I bought my first horse years ago. My wonderful new four-legged friend liked to “help” me with the paddock cleaning. He liked to place his nose into the manure cart as I was filling it. Then one day he actually lifted his front hoof and put it into the cart when I put a rake full of manure in. He knocked the cart over, which spooked him, which in turn spooked the other three horses in the paddock. Suddenly I found myself within the midst of hooves and tails every which way. Thankfully I was not hurt, but this could have been a mild or even a serious disaster – and may have even necessitated a claim on my horse insurance.

This was in the basic learning curve time period for both of us. I was so amused at his trying to help me with my chores that I didn’t think about the potential consequences. On that day I learned the importance of manners. From that point forward he was taught to respect my space when I was in and around the paddock and the other horses taking care of business. There was still plenty of time to be cute during our training time.

The three Ps of horse training success can be utilized to teach basic safety manners to your horse. Whether training or riding your own horse or someone else’s it is crucial to the future relationship between you and the horse that you remember the rules of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement.

Patience. Remember, your horse does not know what you want. Patience in showing your horse a task and patience in letting him try until he gets it right, is so important in building a trusting relationship between you and your equine. Enter the training session with a clear and stress free mind. Take a deep breath and relax. It is part of the natural learning process for your horse to test the waters. He needs to check and see if what he thinks you want is correct. This can occur several times before the horse has confirmed his correct assessment of the task.

Persistence. You musn’t be tempted to give up after a few goes. You will find it hard in the beginning to communicate. Over time you will learn to speak the same language! Stay with it and be consistent in your cues. Horses are very perceptive to even the slightest cue. It will not usually take long for a horse to learn what a cue means – then you will have cooperation.

Positive reinforcement. Show your horse a signal to let him know he’s done something right. The best rewards don’t always come in the form of a tasty treat. Horse love to be released when they have done a job correctly. Imagine the “whoa!” or “stop” cue. This is a pull on the bit within his mouth. When the horse exhibits the signs that he understands that you want him to stop, release the bit immediately. That will let him know that he’s doing things correctly.

Horses need to know their limits. How close can he stand to you before you feel crowded? Can he pull on the lead rope if he doesn’t want to go the way you are leading him? If he doesn’t feel inclined to pick up his foot, will you allow him to get away with this? What may to us seem like common sense are not necessarily things which come naturally to a horse. A correctly and carefully trained horse will forever be both a most pleasing companion and could also represent a lower liability when it comes to renewing your horse insurance policy.

The Arabian horse is an animal which has lived on the Arabian Peninsula for well over 2000 years.

Strength, beauty and endurance are typical traits of this breed of horse. Studies have show that Arabian horses are amongst the oldest breeds discovered in the world.

The Bedouin people are thought to be the first to train the Arabian horse. Bedouin people took the ancestry of these breeds very seriously and could back date the lineages of the horses they owned. At these times it was crucial to have a dependable horse that was quick, brave and strong. It also had to be capable of surviving in the desert environment. The Bedouin tribes were constantly at war with other tribes in the region, and it was necessary to have a horse which could lead them into battle.

Some of the most impressive horses ever were bred by the Bedouins. Information regarding the horses’ linegeage and ancestry was exchanged during the trade of this breed. There are a number of different variations of Arabian horses, which are known as strains. They are similar in appearance and share ancestry. Dahman, Hadban, Kuhaylan are some examples.

Arabian horses are said to be one of, if not the most recognised breeds in the world. Their heads are shaped like wedges, and they have large eyes and a small muzzle. Some of the most sought after Arabian horses are the ones with concave shaped noses. An Arab neckline should be arched, and they have toned muscular legs. Their coats should have a sheen, often referred to as being silk-like. Consequently, Arabian breeds are not often viewed at top end competitions due to their inadequate bascule in comparison to other breeds.

Typically, their coat is brown or grey although it is not unusual for some Arabian horses to have black coats. Arabian horses with black coats were rare, because in the desert they would absorb heat, and this would be dangerous. Arabian genes are so pure, they are commonly used in enhancing other breeds characteristics. Arabian horses are very well mannered, an attribute breeders find very attractive.

Professional horse competitions have used Arabian horses for a great deal of time, and there are even competitions each year between Arabian horses and there owners.

For more information, Arabian Horses for sale and more, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory

Hoof maintenance is a crucial part of looking after your horses health. You should look at your horses hooves every day, and minimum twice per week.  You should become familiar with what is usual and what is not, and be able to to spot any issues that might be starting. 

Reading this simple guide will hopefully help you in your daily grooming practices.

1. Approaching your horse ensure the symmetry is close, however they don’t have to be exactly equal, but very close to the same size and shape. 

2. Look carefully for defects in the wall and coronary band.  Lift up the hoof, run your hand over the exterior of the wall to feel for impairments.  You can use the exact technique for the coronary band and then press it softly. Applying these two procedures will also highlight tender areas and moisture holding areas.

3. Examine the sole. Examine the colouring in each hoof. If correct they should be identical in colouration.  A well defined dark spot indicates bruising or damage.

4. Examine and compare the frogs.  The front hooves should be the sae size and shape, the same applies to the rear hooves. Try and lightly press each frog using your hoof pick, mostly, excluding the desert areas, they should be slightly spongy.

5. If already shod, hold the horseshoe and see if it wiggles. Look for missing clinches, if the shoe is loose you may choose to remove the shoe before your horse loses it on its own and perhaps removes a chunk of hoof as well.

If you keep a good close eye on each hoof, you can avoid a great deal of problems by noticing the problem before it gets severe.

We recomend you work into your daily hoof cleaning some simple steps. Use a pick from heel to toe.  If packed solid you may need to loosen it up a touch before it can be taken off. Once the material has been taken out, check all the parts of the hoof and be positive that there is not a bad odour as this is usually a obvious sign of thrush.  Be certain there are no pebbles or gravel lodged anywhere, even under the shoe.

Your horses hooves should exhibit a natural sheen on the hoof wall. 

If you see a smooth uniform surface with no cracks, circles, dishes, flares and a concave sole that touches the shoe, then you can be pretty sure that your horses hooves are in good health.

For more horse information, horses for sale and more, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory.

A diagnosis of equine colic is a situation that worrries any horse owner. So what is equine colic? What indicators should you be aware of?

Colic in horses refers to pain originating in the abdomen. Normally horses will not handle pain of the abdomen very well. So if there is any abnormality in gut functioning they will usually show signs of discomfort.

Signs of irritation could be stretching, a stance as if to urinate, and hoofing the floor. If the pain is greater the horse will get up and down, and roll to try to become more comfortable.

It will likely start to sweat. In more severe cases it will stand up and lie down and continuously roll.

What Should You Do?
If you believe your horse has colic, it’s best to call an equine vet immediately. They will be in a position to supply emergency pain relief and make a decision whether additional treatment is necessary.

What should you do while waiting for the vet to arrive? Taking your horse for a walk sometimes helps. It may encourage his guts to work ina normal manner and surpress any discomfort. It could also further prevent him lying down and rolling. However if he is currently lying down quietly then you should let him stay lying down.

It was thought that a horse could twist its gut by rolling. That has been proven to be probably not true. But it is preferred to stop him rolling over if possible. This way you can stop your horse causing injury himself by knocking himself on the stable walls. But be careful that you don’t get injured yourself. It’s likely horses will forget all their normal manners if in pain.

There are many different reasons as to why horses get colic. But often the signs look the same regardless of the cause.

How does the vet investigate the problem? He or she will have a listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope to show them if there is more or less activity in the gut than normal.

Monitoring the heart rate gives a good indication of the severity of the discomfort and the seriousness of the issue. A horse with a normal heart beat does not have a sever case. Whereas fast heart rates are not such a promising sign.

A really helpful part of the examination will be the examination of the rectum. By physically feeling the intestines, vets could be able to find the cause of the issue. It goes without saying that this is a very complicated procedure, that is potentially hazardous for both the horse and vet. However for an experienced equine vet the feedback it gives is invaluable in concluding the nature of the issue. Helping to discover a blockage, or a swollen area of gut as a result of a twist or another problem with the intestines.

In all but the simple cases vets may inset a tube through the horses’ nose into the stomach. It sounds uncomfortable but often may make your horse comfortable by releasing the pressure from the stomach. Doing this can also give the vet useful feedback about whether the stomach is functioning correctly.

On occasion a horse is in so much pain that it isn’t possible for the vet to diagnose properly without first applying a dose of sedative.

Only by considering all of the information provided by a careful examination is the vet able to make an initial diagnosis. Though it might not be possible to tell exactly what the problem is.

Occasionally, after the initial inspection, the horse needs surgery. But more usually the vet will decide to treat the horse with a fast-acting painkiller and monitor his condition after a few hours. Most examples display a quick improvement. However others will show no response to the treatment, or they will respond at first, then start displaying signs of pain again later.

In preference to having to call the vet out multiple times, it is normally better to move these cases to a specialist equine practice where they can be closely monitored and surgery can be performed if necessary.

Conclusion
Luckily the vast majority of examples respond to medical intervention. However if surgery is necessary – it is important to operate early. The likelyhood of a successful outcome is much better if the surgery is carried out before too much damage has occurred.

For more information, horses for sale and more, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory.

When looking for horses for sale, there are a few points which are worth thinking about in order to make the buying process easier, and to make sure you end up with your perfect horse.

• No horse is perfect – just make sure that the one you buy has faults that you can put up with and that won’t reduce your enjoyment.
• Take an expert with you, someone who is aware of your capabilities and strengths. Ideally take someone who is able to spot {whether the horse is lame} lameness or illness. Or even your instructor who will be able to tell if the chosen horse is suitable for your style of riding – your aptitude and confidence.
• Always check the horse’s papers and passport.  A horse passport is not proof that the horse is owned by the person selling it so ask if there is a receipt as proof of purchase. It is unlwful to sell or purchase horses without a passport.
• Ask if all vaccinations are up to date. A new course of vaccinations can cost a lot of money and take many months to come into effect if you wish to compete.  You will not be popular if you move a horse to a new horse if it brings illness along as well.
• Once a decision is made, engage a qualified vet to perform out the highest check that you can buy. Do not let your heart rule your head or be pressured into purchasing if you feel you need the horse checked out by your vet.
• Where possible see the horse or pony performing the tasks you would like it to do. Retraining a horse will add considerably to the total cost if you aren’t in a position to do this yourself.
• If possible negotiate a trial period in which the horse can be returned if it is not suitable.
• Make sure you are realistic when buying a youngster, ask yourself if you have the necessary experience to bring it on. Looking at it differently, a more mature horse may just have the stability and experience to give you confidence and help you learn you the basics.
• Don’t feel you have to buy the first one you view and don’t be pressurised by the many other people that are waiting to buy the horse if you don’t – very often this is just a ploy to push you to make an impulse buy. Take your time when buying a horse.
• As soon as the sale is completed make sure you insure the horse before you consider transporting it.  The majority of injuries occur during transit or whilst introducing a horse into a new yard with new companions.
• Trust your judgement – if you think the vendor is concealing something from you then they most probably are. 
• Be mindful that your horse is a huge investment of both time and money – be sure you have considered a budget for all the expenses that you will encounter. 

Finally, enjoy your new horse and enjoy many hours horse riding together!