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How to insure your horse is safe and comfortable when at the show

If you think the show ring is stressful then you haven’t had the opportunity to settle your horse into a strange stall at a strange showgrounds. Many veteran exhibitors can attest to the fact that how well your horse settles into his weekend abode can make or break your chance at a ribbon at best but at worst can be the reason for a full blown catastrophe.

Listed below is a step by step accounting of some procedures that need to be adhered to if you’re to give to your horse a safe and enjoyable experience at his next show.
Let’s start at the beginning assuming you’re organized and your departure wasn’t too stressful.

Step 1. The Stall Before you put your horse into it you must scrutinize every inch of it checking for nails, loose boards, splinters, any thing that may pose a threat. Check the ground. Are there rocks, nails, glass, and any thing that can pose a hazard? Remember if there’s even the slightest thing that a horse can get hurt on believe me he will find it. If there’s something that isn’t appropriate, a tough door to open or close an electrical wire close by or anything dangerous within your horse’s reach don’t hesitate to consult with whoever’s in charge and ask for a new stall. You have every right to and they want you to feel secure so often they’ll work hard to get you what you need.

Next, check to see what angle the sun moves at. Will it cause your stall to overheat? During summer months it is typical for owners to place fans and even misting systems above their horse’s stall to keep them cool. Just as mentioned earlier though be careful to not have any electric cord or nail or string where your horse can get to.

Be sure to secure your horse’s water bucket so he cannot turn it over or spill it out and be careful it’s hung at just the right height. For an average horse you should have two buckets, one always with fresh water and one with electrolytes. The water should always be kept full because dehydration is one of the most typical ailments at shows. Besides dehydration if a horse doesn’t drink enough water to process his food he could end up colicking which will bring a quick end to your weekend and perhaps even to your horse.

Always properly bed your stall. This is not the time to skimp on bedding. Use enough to keep your horse from meeting the ground under his body when lying down and be sure to bank the shavings up alone the walls. Most show stalls are a bit cramped and you want to bank your bedding far up the sides to prevent your horse from getting cast.

Step 2. The Feed Be sure to feed your horse at the show the same kind of hay he would eat at home. If you can you should even bring the feed from your home to keep your horse from eating hay from a different region which can cause him to colic or have allergic reactions.

It’s good to have something in front of him at all times. Horses relax when they chew so consider some kind of “grazing” feed to keep him busy and help him to unwind. Something really tasty like a nice Timothy or Orchard Grass will tempt him to focus more on what’s in front of him then the Stallion across the barn aisle.

Be careful not to feed too many treats. It’s great to reward your horse especially when he’s being really good but be careful not to overdo anything in the way of nutrition at the show. A too rich diet can wreck havoc on a horse’s system when they’re under the stress of new surroundings.

Step 3. The Horse As mentioned before the horse stalls at shows are usually quite small so be sure to get your horse out as often as possible for a walk especially if he’s been in a lot of classes that day. After working so hard he will likely get stiff and sore if he’s not allowed to keep moving besides it gives you a chance to check in with all your friends down the barn aisle to see how they faired in their classes.

Keep your horse well groomed to keep him from getting itchy and prevent rolling. Granted at some point your horse will want to lay down and perhaps even roll but the risk of getting cast is ever present so the more you can reduce his chances of him rolling the more you can reduce the chance of him getting cast.

You may want to consider keeping your horse’s legs bandaged if they stock up from being in a small stall but do not, I repeat, do not bandage your horse’s legs unless you are an expert or have access to one that will do it for you because you can do more damage than good putting a bandage on your horse the wrong way. Putting a bandage properly on a horse is almost an art form and takes a lot of experience to master.

So there you have a basic list of things that are mostly necessary. Properly settling your horse is lot of work and a lot of things to be aware of but it’s something that must be done right to avert disaster and enable your horse to compete at his best. If your horse isn’t comfortable I can assure you your show will be an unsuccessful endeavor in one form or another.

If you’re going to all the expense of showing, the time put into your training and all the sweat equity in general then you want to be sure you will have your best chance of winning and it starts with the comfort and safety of your horse, your partner and your friend.

Millie Chalk (White Star Woman)
Professional horse trainer for 25yrs. and author of historical fiction. Part Cherokee Indian I’m passionate regarding the current struggle of all the first nations feeling most akin for several reasons to the Lakota.
For more information on all aspects of horsemanship check out my website at http://backyardhorseman.com/

Author: Millie Chalk
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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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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The Dressage Arena

Inside the arena is one of the most difficult moments at a competition for both the rider and the horse. The time immediately before entering the arena is the most crucial. You hope that the horse has worked is ready to do its best. But it is very easy for the horse to switch off between the warming-up area and the competition arena. You have to be alert with particularly young or inexperienced horses and ponies. They will be wary of any new arena, and may well lose their confidence and concentration when entering this new place.

In training, frequently give your horse an opportunity to switch off, then find ways of bringing it back to attention. This is beneficial at competitions, when you will need to bring the horse back again to do its best following a break. When you are about to enter the arena, try, as quickly as possible, to bring the horse correctly on the aids again. This is another situation where as the rider and trainer, you need to really know your horse.

With young horses or a pony it is vital that the rider treat the competition arena as a training ground. If the horse does something unacceptable, it has to be corrected (as he would be at home). If the horse get the idea that you, as the rider will allow him to misbehave in the arena, the horse’s behaviour or the pony’s behaviour, will gradually get worse. Some novice riders think that they must do nothing in the arena. The equestrian dressage, however, will realize that if something is going wrong it needs to be corrected immediately.

Now that both rider and horse have entered the arena, they should make sure that the horse’s boots or bandages are removed and your rider’s jacket is buttoned up. Have a few calming thoughts, then you are off!

And Finally

Wherever you are placed at the end of the event, remember dressage competitions are a test of the horse’s training and provide an opportunity to receive expert observations of an independent judge.

Frequently a rider will be thrilled with a fairly low placing in a test in which the horse did its best and showed improvements. On the other hand, another rider may be unhappy with a winning test that he did not consider to be that good. Winning may be the well-deserved regard for all the time and patience put into systematically training a horse, but it should not in itself be the primary aim. If the performance of the horse or pony was disappointing, do not automatically blame the horse or pony. Instead, try to view the test dispassionately; try to see the good points as well as the bad. Think about what you could have done better, and how you will improve next time.

It is very important that the principles of sound training (dressage) are clearly understood by riders, teachers and judges.

Training should be kept as simple and clear as possible, with no secret about the correct thing to do – just dedication on your part. I hope that this article will help make the life of your horse or your horses more comfortable. As I wish you good riding and happy horses.

Sonia is a book reviewer, coach and author. Equestrian dressage is about techniques, competing, tack, horse riding, caring for your horse and more.

Refer to:

http://dressage.ebooksgain.com

in support of more exciting and appealing information on your passion!

Author: Sonia Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Beading Necklace

A lot of people get into the horse business or horse ownership as a "family" thing. The generations before them had horses, and now they too own horses. I’m sure most of their knowledge comes from learning by hand.

But some other people (like myself) do not get this opportunity. My grandparents owned horses, but my parents did not. So that "hands-on" learning that goes on for generations stopped.
Right now I’m still in High School but plan on owning a horse or more in the future. I’ve taken equine science/management classes, and work with large animals like cattle (not that their care is alike!).
And as weird as it sounds- I think I am going too far with learning and reasearch.

So have you horse owners learned what you know from childhood, learned about the subject then got into horses, or just got horses and learned as you go?

I’ve been riding all my life and have always ridden the western style with a western saddle. Just last week I got the opportunity to try out an English saddle. Boy what an experience. It was so different from what I’m used to. Your body postion is totally different with a much more forward angle. For a short ride it was fun, but I can’t imagine riding the long miles of a working cowboy in an english saddle. It’s a lot harder on your body, and a lot harder to accomplish a task from the saddle. It was fun to try it out, but I think I’ll stick to my western saddle.