Posts Tagged ‘Mane’

A good photograph portrays your horse in his best possible light. A bad photograph, by contrast, draws attention to every fault, no matter how insignificant, and sometimes even exaggerates those faults!

Whether you are advertising your horse because he is for sale or advertising his recent show ring accomplishments, knowing how to photograph your horse correctly is a skill you must develop. If you derive income from your horses getting good photographs of them to put in front of the public is absolutely integral!

So, how do you take good photographs of your horse? Well, the first thing you should know is that it takes a little bit of practice. You shouldn’t expect to load your camera, take a few rolls, and be Robert Vavra over night! However, if you follow the following tips you’ll be shooting great pics of your horse in no time.

o Film matters! That’s right, use good-quality film such as Kodak or Fuji, and you’ll see it really does make a difference. If you are using a 35 mm format opt for 200 ASA. Going digital? The higher the pixels the better.

o Pick the right day. A bright day is good, but pick a day that isn’t too sunny. Too much sun will create dark shadows, and can be particularly problematic if you are shooting a dark horse. If you have no choice but to shoot on a sunny day, use a flash to eliminate shadows. It sounds counterintuitive, but it really does work!

o Prepare your horse. Now I know you are not going to stand him up hairy and dirty, but in addition to good grooming you might want to take some extra steps to ensure your horse looks his best. If appropriate to the discipline in which he participates, braid his mane and oil his hooves. Make sure his coat and his tail are shiny and well-brushed.

o Pick a uncluttered background. A natural background such as a field, woodland, or pasture is a good choice. The barnyard or driveway, no matter how neat and clean, is not a great choice because of the stuff that is bound to be in the background. You want the viewer to be wowed by your horse, not your new Cadillac Escalade. Look at the details before you click! Sounds crazy, but how many amateur photographs have you seen that depict horses with pitchforks growing out of their heads? As improbably as it sounds, I bet at least one, right? It bears repeating–check the background!

o Make sure tack is clean. If you photograph your horse in his bridle or saddle, make sure that both have been recently scrubbed. For that matter, anything your horse wears in a photo should be squeaky clean. That goes for the rider and handler, too!

o Enlist the help of a knowledgeable horse person. You can’t take pictures and position the horse too, so you’ll need some help. It’s best if the person who helps you knows how to pose a horse to his best advantage.

o The angle and position of the horse are key. For a full body shot, stand the horse with both front legs together and one hind leg slightly behind the other. To minimize parts looking too large or too small, focus on the middle of the horse, and do not shoot from too high or too low. Make sure the horse looks alert with bright eyes and both ears forward. Horse not cooperating? Have a friend make some noise (outside the frame, of course!) to get your horse’s attention.

o Get the right action. If you are taking shots of your horse in action, you’ll want to capture his power and impulsion. If your horse is trotting or cantering, try to capture him with his leading leg extended.

o Stay away from the front and rear. Photos from the side come out much nicer than photos taken head on or from the rear, which almost always accentuate unwanted things and make them look, well, HUGE!

o Keep clicking! While skill is most certainly involved, some of the best horse photographs are lucky. That’s right. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Just keep clicking and you are sure to get a shot that shows your horse at his best!

Ron Petracek – Idaho Raised Horseman, Equine Article Directory HorseChitChat.com Looking for more equine information or services? Try our vast network Click here => http://www.equinefieds.com/network.php

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I have a QH cross and would like to braid him up at the horse show coming up in June. It’s a large horse show so I want him to stand out. He’ll be in english classes including equitation and pleasure. He has a longer mane, maybe 12in at the longest? It’s not evenly that long the whole length of the neck (unfortunatly). I’m not ready to cut it so was wondering what braids would be acceptable.

Keeping your horse’s mane looking its best isn’t something to leave until the day before a show. Clipping and trimming a little each week will result in a better finish, a healthier mane, and a happier horse. And of course, for some working horses, clipping the mane is essential for comfort and safety.

Where do you start?

First you need to decide on the best look for your horse. Some breeds, like Arabians and saddle seat horses, have breed requirements for showing that will tell you if you need a short mane, or a more natural look, and how long you need to clip the bridle path. Polo ponies and cow horses often have ‘roached’ or ‘hogged’ manes. That means the entire mane is clipped away, except for a tuft at the withers and the forelock – this keeps the reins and ropes from getting tangled up. If you show hunters or dressage, you’ll want to trim the mane with braiding in mind. All of these factors will help you determine how you want your finished mane to look, and horse clipper is best for you.

Let’s start with the bridle path. For most horses, this will be a short clipped section just behind the ears, about two inches long. This keeps the mane from getting caught up in the headstall, and makes the horse more comfortable. Some breeds will have longer bridle paths, up to 12″, depending on your horse’s conformation and your personal preference. The best way to start is to clip the bridle path back a half inch or so at a time, leave it a few days and see how you like it before clipping any further. It’s a lot easier to clip a little more each time than to go too far and try to grow it back out!

If your horse has a thick neck, or is a working horse where the mane can get in the way, you can consider roaching or hogging the whole mane. The first time you do this, you might want to use more robust body clippers, but for regular maintenance – again you should do this weekly – opt for the small hand clippers. Keeping the hogged mane short and neat will make it easier to keep clean, and it doesn’t have to grow out much to look pretty unsightly! Leave a tuft of mane at the withers to protect them from saddle pads, and leave the forelock – it isn’t just for looks, it helps to protect the horse’s eyes and ears.

Why trim the bridle path every week? First of all, it makes keeping the area clean a lot easier. The horse’s poll is sensitive, and under the headstall can get dirty and sweaty. A closely trimmed bridle path is easy to keep brushed clean, and prevent any sores or scurf building up. Also, if you let the bridle path grow out to even a half inch or more, the hairs will fold over under the bridle path, causing pressure on the poll, and an uncomfortable horse won’t be easy to bridle, and won’t perform its best. This is why your hand clippers are going to be an important tool in your horse grooming supplies!

Why buy hand clippers?

The best finish always comes with small hand clippers or trimmers, and a set of these will be a great addition to your horse grooming supplies. Scissors never get the same results, and if your horse moves around, you can easily make a mistake, or even injure yourself or your horse. You’ll want to choose clippers that are easy to use, so you keep the bridle path neat and tidy with weekly clipping. Your hand clippers aren’t just for the mane – you can use them to keep up with regular clipping and trimming, such as around your horse’s face and hooves. In an emergency, hand clippers can be a real asset to clean up wounds or help bandages stick. A good quality set of battery powered or rechargeable hand clippers will be one of your most useful equine grooming supplies!

Which clippers should I choose?

Choose clippers from a reliable manufacturer. This way, you will get a good warranty, and replacement blades will be easy to find. Plus, you can be sure that by sticking with the best suppliers, like Wahl, Andis, and Oster that your clippers will be safe – and that’s important anytime you use electrical products around horses.

Which one you choose depends on a number of factors. You’ll want a cordless one if your horse is jumpy or you want to take the clippers with you to shows. If you roach your horse’s mane, or you have a very woolly horse, a more robust model is best. If your budget is tight, or you have several sets of horse grooming supplies, you might want to look for the best value. Here’s a quick selection of good mane clippers from the main manufacturers:

Wahl horse clippers. The Wahl Mini Arco is a great choice for routine trimming. It’s quiet, and stays cool, and blade changing is quick and easy. It runs cordless, but for quiet horses or longer jobs, you can run it with the cord attached.

Oster horse clippers. The Oster Mini Max trimmer isn’t rechargeable, but it’s comfortable, easy to use, and very economical. The low price means you can keep one in your horse grooming supplies, one in your first aid kit, and one in your truck.

Andis horse clippers. The Andis Power Trim is a good choice if you have a lot of trimming to do. It’s rechargeable, but the batteries last well and it’s quiet so it’s good for nervous horses. Best of all, it has an ergonomically designed grip, so you’re hand won’t get tired.

Simply put, a correctly thinned mane, and a regularly clipped and trimmed bridle path don’t just look good, they are easier to keep clean and healthy. Keep a set of good quality hand clippers in your horse grooming supplies, and you will have a happy, healthy, good looking horse every day!

This is the first in a series of five articles on horse grooming. This article is an easy to read, well written guide to grooming your horse’s mane. Not only does it provide specific guidance, but also makes recommendations on the best horse grooming supplies to use to get the job done right.

Author: Marcus Koll
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The Friesian (or Frisian) horse breed are a relatively rare, black colored breed that originated in Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. Breeding Friesian Horses and dealing in them was very important for the Friesians. The monks in the many monasteries in Friesland before the reformation did a lot of horse breeding. Formerly used as warhorses, the black pearls of the north have come a long way.

Friesian horses are dramatic, graceful, and very fairytale-like with long, wavy manes and tails. They are unusually friendly, well mannered and gentle by nature. Friesian horses are really peaceful and sweet, so much so that in Holland, they often carry stallions round with just a halter on. Friesian horses are popular in both Europe and the United States, and are often used today for Dressage competition and pleasure riding. Friesian and Friesian-mixed horses can do well in dressage competition due the breed’s strong intellect, appearance, power, and body control. They also have an intelligent, willing spirit.

There is truly no other breed similar to the Friesian. Graceful enough for riding and powerful enough for farming, the breed has been used by medieval knights, 17th-century cavalry and World War II soldiers. Friesian horses are always black dressed up with the important characteristics of the breed; the luxuriance of the mane, forelock, tail and the fetlocks.

Today, there are two distinct conformation types of the Friesian horse. The baroque type has the more robust build. The modern, sport horse type is finer-boned.

Due to the strict breeding regulations of this breed there are less then 100 approved breeding stallions in the world and approximately 20 here in North America. Therefore purebred Friesians are considered somewhat of a rarity here. Due to a strict process of selection over the centuries, these are also the movement characteristics that are deeply embedded in the genetics of the Friesian breed. This also applies to the unique character of the Friesian horse: lively, intelligent, honest and reliable, always willing to work, but as proud as the Frisians themselves.

As hard as it might be to believe, the breed nearly became extinct on several occasions over time. Due to fuel rationing during World War II the Freisian’s farm and carriage use was revived, saving the breed long enough for both its population and popularity to rebound. Due to the fuel shortages, Dutch farmers turned to horses for transportation and fieldwork. The Friesian is one of the best carriage horses in the world. Due to its flashy appearance, the Friesian has become popular in the film industry. The breed owes much of its current popularity to the appearance of the Friesian stallion Othello in the 1985 film, Ladyhawke, which ignited a worldwide interest in these horses.

The modern day Friesian horse is as popular today as it has ever been, used both in harness and under saddle. With that type of versatility, they will be around for a long time.

Do you want more information on Friesians? Then visit http://www.ElegantHorsePictures.com/friesian-horse-pictures.html where you can view prints by artists Lesley Harrison and Janet Griffin-Scott

Author: Patrick Mooney
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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You are getting ready to ride your horse, go on a trail ride, take them to a show, or it has been raining. You discover your horse has been “rolling in the mud.” If it hasn’t happened to you yet, sooner or later you’ll get a surprise at the worst time. I have seven beautiful Paint Horses or, most of the time they are beautiful. When they roll in mud, it is not a very pretty sight to see and if neglected for an extended period of time, it will have undesirable effects on your horse’s mane, coat and skin. I live in Texas, in an area where the soil is a black-clay so when it rains, the soil becomes deep, sticky and very muddy.

Once my horses roll, because they are wet, they turn black instead of their natural color which is mostly white. This is what I do to keep them groomed, not only for their skin condition, but to look really good. People often ask me “how do you keep those horses so clean.” The answer is simple… I bath them regularly. Now it is time, not only groom your horse, but to give them a bath first.Simply brushing the horse only removes some of the dirt and the remaining dirt and dust is unhealthy to their coat and skin and coat. Your horse should always have a healthy diet for that natural shine to their coat. If you groom and/or bath your horse and they still have a dull coat, you should make sure they are getting a healthy and proper diet.

You will need grooming products. There are lots of them out there. I find the sources on-line are cheaper, even with shipping and offer discounts. You don’t have to get the most expensive brands to groom your horse either. You will need the following:

1. Shampoo – Suave(TM) — Inexpensive (buy at local grocery store) or, use Vetrolin Bath(TM) as it is not that expensive and a little goes a long way — It contains PABA Sunscreen (buy on-line).

2. Conditioner – Suave(TM) — Buy this at your local grocery store… very inexpensive or use Vetrolin Conditioner(TM) as it is not that expensive and a little goes a long way. It contains PABA Sunscreen (buy on-line).

3. A good detangler – Survivor Detangler(TM) by Eqyss — Expensive but well worth it. Great for the Mane and Tail and it smells wonderful (buy on-line).

4. Sheen (optional) – If you really want your horse to have a brilliant shine, you can use a “ready to use” spray such as Vetrolin Sheen(TM) (buy on-line).

You want your equipment to last so it’s best to spend a little extra in this area. If it’s really cheap, there is usually a reason.Here are some suggestions:

1. A comb for your horses mane and tail (buy on-line)

2. A regular curry brush (buy on-line).

3. A good rubber curry comb. Using the rubber curry comb to lather your horse will give them a great message. (buy on-line).

4. A good brush for when the horse is dry – Pick one that will feel good to your horse (buy on-line).

5. Electric clippers – I use all Oster(TM) products because they last forever (buy locally or on-line) Used to clip bridal paths, chin hair, ears but it’s not natural to cut a horses mane or tail. These are best combed out with brush or detangler.

Now that I have everything I need, I put all my stuff in a horse bucket that I can carry around (except the clippers).

Location – Pick a spot where you can tie your horse and have a water hydrant and hose long enough to avoid getting their legs tangled-up in the hose. Try to avoid bathing in area that will become muddy during your horses bath. It’s easiest to use a variable sprayer for your hose, of the garden variety.

1.Wet the entire horse down, starting in the rear and working your way forward and around the other side. When you wet their heads and, avoid spraying them directly in the face. Using the “mist” selection on the sprayer works really well from about 18″ away from the face and spray upwards and allow the mist to settle gently on their faces. This will minimize your horse’s resistance to getting their faces sprayed.

2. Once your horse is wet, you can begin to apply the shampoo using the rubber curry brush, creating a good lather, and giving them a nice massage. Most horses really enjoy this part once they get used to being wet. Wait until the very end to apply any shampoo to the facial area in case your horse gets soap in their eyes. You don’t want to try bathing them with their eyes full of soap. When applying to the face, use a sponge, a mildly soapy rag, or even your hands.

3. Rinse well and message, with rubber curry, to get out any remaining shampoo and spot clean any dirty areas still visible

4. Apply the conditioner and leave it on for a few minutes. Again, wait to apply to your horse’s face last, with your sponge, instead of the hose.

5. Rinse your horse thoroughly with the “shower” setting on your sprayer but, use the “mist” setting to rinse your horses head.

6. Use a squidgy to get most of the water off by starting at the upper neck and working your way down to the hooves.

7. Spray the horse with Vetrolin Sheen(TM). Do not spray the sheen to the horses back if you plan to ride the horse because it is too slippery and will cause your saddle to slip.

8. Apply the de-tangler to the mane and tail with your hands. Comb out the mane and tail, starting at the bottom and work your way toward the roots.

9. Tie your horse in a dry spot until they are totally dry. The last thing you want is to have your horse roll while wet and ruin your efforts.

When it rains, I try to wash one horse a day until they are all clean and I wait until after the weather dries out for a day or two before I begin. Once they are clean, brushing them every day or two will keep them quite clean. Of course you don’t want to over bathe your horse as this will dry out their skin by removing all the natural oils necessary for a healthy coat. Bathing them every other month is sufficient unless “Mother Nature” gets involved.

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. If you would like to see the products in this 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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