Posts Tagged ‘legs’

Grooming horses is very important to a horse’s health. Grooming promotes muscle tone and circulation. Just like us humans need a good rub and groom once in a while – it’s the same for animals. You know that when you pet a friendly dog – they look up to you with those eyes and they just fall in love with you, well again, it’s the same for horses. Grooming strengthens the bond between the horse and it’s owner and also allows the owner to look over the horse to see if it has any injuries and such. Of course, the main reason one would groom a horse would be to basically make it look purty of course!!

The equipment you need to groom a horse are:

1) hoof pick
2) dandy brush
3) rubber curry comb – to clean the dandy brush after use
4) plastic curry comb
5) body Brush
6) metal curry comb
7) 2 used cold tea bags (optional)
stable rubber / tea towel
9) strapping pad
10) water brush
11) clean sponges
12) tale bandage
13) mane and tale conditioner
14) Hoof oil and a brush

Seems like a lot huh – well if done right, it should take you approximately 45 minutes to groom a horse correctly!

The first step is to start cleaning the hooves with the hoof pick. First tie up the horse outside and if the horse is fussy, give him a hay net to play with to distract him. Make sure you clean the hoof from heal to toe.

Next, take the dandy brush to remove any dirt on your horse. It’s best to start at the neck and go down the body then down the legs.

Next, remove hair and promote circulation with the rubber curry comb. This is the part of the grooming that promotes circulation – your horse will be very happy when you are doing this!! Avoid the legs during this stage.

Next remove dirt with body brush and metal curry comb. Be firm during this act. Hold the metal curry comb in the other hand and scrape the dirt off so that you can continue cleaning the horse.

Next is the head – remove the head collar and hold the head with the hand you are not going to be grooming with. Use the body brush to clean the head.

Next brush the mane with either your fingers or the body brush. Go here to see some natural products to promote a shiny horse coat and mane. Keeping horses healthy the natural way is always best!!

Don’t forget the tale, horse lovers!! Spray some condition and brush that pony tale, pardon the pun!! *** Be careful not to stand directly behind the horse in case the horse kicks**!!

Next, grab the dampened sponge and wipe around the eyes and nose of the horse. Use the tea bag to wipe down the eyes as well, but this is optional.

Next, (this will won’t be your favorite part) – but take a different wet sponge and wipe around the horse’s bottom area. told you you wouldn’t like it! LOL!!

The tale bandage gets wrapped around the tail for a neater appearance when it is removed.

Use the strapping pad to strap the horse. This is a skilled process which I will discuss in later articles. Only if you feel comfortable, this is the time to strap the horse.

Lastly, take a damp towel and wipe down your horse. This will make your horse feel refreshed for sure!!

Actually, one more step – and that is to grease both the inside and outside of the hooves with oil.

That’s it. Now you are happy that you have a clean horse and your horse is happy because he just got done with a massage!!

Debbie Drum – The All Natural Pet Helper

For Natural Horse Health.

Author: Debbie Drum
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-angiogenic Food

I used to do kung fu as a kid and could sit the horse stance for quite long. I am know 20 and tried to sit it today and i couldn’t even manage 1 minute without my legs shaking in agony. Do i have really weak legs?
blackbelt1123 – No disrespect mate but karate is no kung fu. I have seen the horse stance in karate, i could probably sit that all day.

I saw this horse on a British tv show. It wouldn’t jump over things and they were teaching it. Its markings looked like they were sprayed on.

Our vet thinks that my horse is part walking horse, but I have seen racking horses that look like mine. I love gaited horses and wondered if it was possible to teach her how to gait. Her coat looks chocolate colored and she has white on her stomach and legs. She also has a very smooth trot.

When you first see a horse in a field the most identifiable feature is the color of his coat. No doubt the first thing you learn after the word horse is his color. You certainly do not need to learn to identify every single horse breed, but knowing the colors and markings on a horse will help you distinguish between horses.

As a manager on a stud farm I was in charge of 150 horses that grazed the land. During the breeding season we would also have a number of other horses come and stay for a while. More often than not the visiting mares would be grouped together with our own.

I would be able to identify every single animal without needing a name tag, just by their color and markings. You may not need to know a dozen horses, perhaps only one, but knowing the color and markings gives you helpful knowledge.

When you are in a stable yard and a horse breaks loose, you can call attention to the urgency of the situation. If you said there was a black horse running loose, the yard manager may well know that the black horse is a stallion and other horses would be in danger, not just the loose horse.

Coat color and markings of horses is determined genetically. There are about 20 different coat colors, some are clearly defined like black and others are part-colored or broken such as spotted.

Unless there is a specific need for you to know all the colors and variations, knowing the basic usually suffices. I can not say that anyone in 25 plus years has ever looked at me weirdly because I called a dapple grey horse just plain old grey.

Besides the general body color of the horse it is also good to know the markings on a horse. That way when you are around horses you can tell them apart. If you are told that the brown horse in the field is for sale, and there happen to be 5 brown horses grouped together, it certainly would be helpful to know what else sets him apart from the others.

Markings are usually on the legs and face and mostly with white colored hairs. A horse with a white face or blaze has a large area of white, particularly on the nose. These horses would greatly benefit from a daily application of sunscreen when the temperatures are high.

There are basic leg markings on a horse known as socks or stockings which are general terms as to the length of white. More specifically for identification purposes the markings are named to where the white hair begins and ends on the leg. Some horses may have white on all four legs, others may have only a single sock on one leg and still others may have none at all.

A horse that is all one color, like chestnut, with no white distinctive markings on the face or legs can still be identified from other horses by less noticeable markings such as whorls.

Whether you are a beginner rider, a horse admirer or someone that works with horses it pays to know the color and markings of horses. It certainly makes identifying one horse from another a piece of cake.

Horse Guide.

Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about horse coat colors and markings. Learn about Horse riding safety.

Author: Benjamin Wise
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

Did you ever see a horse that was tied to something set back and fight against the rope? It’s not a pretty sight and can be very dangerous. I knew a gal who tied her horse to the stair rail while she ran inside for something. When she came back, there was no stair rail any more. It was attached to the end of the lead line and “chasing” her horse around the yard, banging his legs at every stride. It was an expensive vet bill, and expensive repair bill, and a lesson learned the hard way. Not only did she learn not to tie a horse solidly to an object that might give way, but she learned that her horse didn’t really tie well.

What’s the best way to teach a horse to tie? I’ve heard and even tried lots of ways. The way that we’ve learned doing natural horsemanship seems to be the easiest on the horse and it solves a lot of other problems at the same time. It involves teaching the horse to give to even the slightest pressure on the lead line.

Begin by having the horse wear a good rope halter, not the flat web or leather kind. The rope halters offer a better feel to the horse and are not as easy to lean against and ignore pressure. Then, stand by the horse’s shoulder and gently and steadily use the rope to ask the horse to bend its head towards you. At the slightest movement of the horse’s head, release all the pressure and rub the horse. Do it again and again and again from that side and then also from the other side of the horse until the horse becomes very tuned in to bending its head on the slightest of cues and until it can bend farther and farther around. The release of pressure when the horse gives even a little is very important.

Stand out in front of the horse and put some pressure on the rope asking the horse to come forward towards you. If there is resistance, just hold steady, not pulling, just steady, until the horse gives to the pressure. At that point, be sure to release the pressure quickly.

Once your horse really understands how to give to pressure, you will find that if it steps on the lead line while grazing, there is no jerking upward when it feels its head held down. Instead, the horse will drop its head back down and step off the rope. In fact, this is a good test to see if your horse really gives to pressure and is ready to tie.

What does this have to do with tying a horse? Well, the horse has to know how to give to pressure to be able to stand tied, and once you have a horse that will respond instead of pulling against the pressure, you have a horse that will tie and not pull back. The process of really getting it to give to pressure may take a few sessions, longer perhaps if the horse has already learned to set back, but it will make for a much safer and responsive animal and is well worth the time it takes to teach. Additional benefits include a horse that leads without having to be tugged along, and a horse that already knows about giving to pressure when it comes time to begin asking for collection under saddle.

Bonnie and her husband own Gemara Farm Fox Trotters in Barnesville, GA. They use natural horsemanship methods gleaned from many sources to train their horses. Bonnie coaches others in what she has learned and there are usually fox trotters available for sale with a natural horsemanship background. For other tips and pictures about natural horsemanship, visit http://www.gemara.homestead.com

Author: Bonnie Martin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

The Arabian horse is an animal which has lived on the Arabian Peninsula for well over 2000 years. These horses were properly bred to demonstrate many traits which were attractive, such as strength, beauty, and endurance. Many experts on horses have concluded that Arabian horses are among the oldest breeds in the world.

The Bedouins were a nomadic people who are given credit for first taming the Arabian horse. The Bedouins made every effort to protect the purity of these horses, and many could trace back the lineage of the horses they owned. During this time, it was critical to have a horse which was strong, fast, and courageous. 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.

The Bedouins soon gained a reputation for breeding some of the most beautiful horses ever seen. Many people would trade horses with them, and they would get together and share the lineages of the horses which were traded. There are a number of different variations of Arabian horses, which are known as strains. These horses have a common ancestor and look. Some of these are Hadban, Kuhaylan, and Dahman.

The Arabian horse of one of the most well known breeds in the world. Their heads are shaped like wedges, and they have large eyes and a small muzzle. Arabian horses which have a concave shaped nose are highly prized. The neck of an Arabian horse should be arched, and their legs should be muscular and lean. Their coat should be shiny, and can be likened to silk. Despite this, Arabian horses are often not seen at the highest levels of show jumping competitions, because it does not have a good bascule compared to other breeds.

Most Arabian horses have a coat which is grey or brown, and some horses also have black coats. Arabian horses with black coats were rare, because in the desert they would absorb heat, and this would be dangerous. Because the Arabian horse is so genetically pure, it is commonly used in enhancing the characteristics of other breeds of horses. Arabian horses have a good temperament, and this also makes them attractive to breeders.

Arabian horses have been used in professional horse competitions for a long time, and Arabian horse games are being held every year in which the horses and their owners can compete with each other.

Michael Colucci is an experienced horse competitor and writes articles for HorseGathering.com and HorsePasture.net

Author: Michael Colucci
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Anti-angiogenic Food

Many people are confused about the aid for the canter. What follows are some common questions about the canter and my answers.

Q. I know to ask for the canter it is outside leg behind the girth and inside leg at the girth, however during the canter is your outside leg supposed to stay back or do both legs then become neutral at the girth once the canter is achieved?”

A.Swing your outside leg back ONCE, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield-wiper-like action. If you wait for your horse to answer, he’s not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn’t canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.)

As soon as he does the canter depart, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot, your horse might get confused. He won’t know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or to pick up the canter.

It’s easier to teach him to canter from an aid that ONLY means canter depart than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

Q. Are you saying that the canter depart is achieved with the legs only? Or, were you just addressing your reader’s concern about her legs? I thought the canter depart was achieved by a slight turn of the wrist on the inside hand, weight on the inside seat bone, AND the windshield wiper outside leg. Is that correct?

A. Yes! I was just addressing her concern about the legs…But you’re right about the rest of the aids. I also push that inside seatbone toward the inside ear and support with the outside rein so I don’t get too much bend in the neck.

Q. How do I use my hands and seat in the canter depart?
What rein aids, if any, should be used?
Do I stay centered with my seat or shift my weight to the inside or outside when I cue for a canter depart?

A.Your weight is on your inside seatbone. When you ask for the depart, push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear.
Ask for flexion at the poll to the inside with a slight indirect rein aid, but support with the outside rein to keep your horse from over bending his neck to the inside.

Q. How do I keep the canter depart from being hollow?

A. Your horse is perfectly justified in coming off the bit if all you do is give the aid for a transition. To do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once–the transition aid AND the aid to tell him to stay on the bit–the connecting half halt. When you give these two sets of aids at once, you’re telling your horse to “do a transition on the bit”.

* Essentially, you’ll superimpose the connecting half halt over the aids for a transition. That is, you’ll give the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* In this case, the connecting half halt lasts longer than three seconds. It might even last six, seven, or eight seconds.)

* Apply it lightly before, during, and after the transition so that you “bridge” the transition with your connecting half halt.

* Start the connecting half halt before the transition. (Close both calves as if you’re asking for a medium gait, close your outside hand in a fist to capture and recycle the power back to the hind legs, and vibrate the inside rein to prevent your horse from bending his neck to the outside.)

* Keep giving the half halt while you add the aids for the canter depart.

* AND keep giving the connecting half halt for two or three strides into the next gait.

Q. What aid do I use to go from canter to trot?

A. The primary aid for any downward transition is a “stilled” seat.

* Sit with equal weight on both seat bones, and stretch up tall so you have a gentle curve in the small of your back. I call this posture a “ready” back.

* Brace your lower back in a stopping, non-following or retarding way by tightening your stomach muscles like you’re doing a sit-up.

* When you brace your back, your hips stop following the motion of your horse. Your non-following hips signal him to drop down to the next slower gait.

* To learn the feeling of stopping your hips, simply sit on your horse at the halt. Focus on the immobility of your seat.

* When you ask for a downward transition, mimic the way your seat feels in the halt.

* To practice your stilled seat, pick a point in the ring or on the trail. As you pass this spot, make your body immobile.

Q. How do I keep my horse on the bit during the transition back down from canter to trot?

A. Let’s say you want to do a downward transition from canter to trot on the bit. Remember, if you want to do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once.

* Ask your horse to stay on the bit during the transition by giving the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* While you’re in the canter, start your connecting half halt.

* After giving the half halt for a couple of seconds, add the aid for the downward transition by tightening your tummy muscles.

* In the beginning, it may take a few seconds for your horse to respond to your seat.

* No matter how long it takes, keep giving the connecting half halt until he listens to your seat and drops into the trot.

* Maintain the connecting half halt until you’re trotting for at least two strides.

Note: If your horse does the downward transition from the half halt itself, you’re either using too much hand and not enough leg or he’s behind your leg. He should wait to do the downward transition until you actually still your seat. The connecting half halt is just for keeping him on the bit. It’s not the aid for the downward transition.

Q. When we’re cantering my lower leg and knee creeps up and my stirrups dangle on my feet (both left and right). What can I do while I’m working alone, which is most of the time, to improve my leg position at the canter? I realize lunge line lessons would improve my position, but that’s not an option right now.

A. It sounds like you’re gripping with your knees and thighs for balance. Think about relaxing your knees and thighs and letting your legs hang loose so that you feel your feet supported by the stirrups. Sally Swift has a great image for this. She says to imagine that your legs are so long that your bare feet are dangling on the ground, and you can feel mud squishing between your toes.

Q. I was initially taught to ask for the canter with the outside leg, as are most people. However, as I progressed in Dressage, I was taught that although my outside leg was behind the girth in the canter transition (to tell the horse which lead I wanted), I actually asked for the canter with my inside leg, at the girth. Is this right?

A. Absolutely. The outside leg tells the outside hind to strike-off. (The outside hind leg needs to strike off first for your horse to end up on the correct lead.)
Your inside leg at the girth tells your horse to go forward into the canter.
So, you do end up using both legs although the emphasis changes from your outside leg to your inside leg as you and your horse become more advanced.

Q. I unconsciously lean forward as I ask for the canter. Should I stay upright? Should I lean back?

A. Stay upright, but push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear during the depart. As Kyra Kyrklund says: Pretend there are arrows extending down from your seatbones. You’ll push your horse’s hind legs in whatever direction your seatbones are pointed. So when you lean forward, your seatbones point backwards, and that’s the direction you’ll send the hind legs. By pushing your inside seatbone forward, you bring the hind legs with you and underneath your horse’s body.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques? Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence? Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach? Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Make PCB Assembly