Posts Tagged ‘Pace’

I know with my lesson horse one had to gentlly raise the right heel and let the horse know which foot to start off on. I had tried and tried to get my horse to Canter and he will not step up the pace!?! Is it me, what am I doing wrong or need to be doing?

Horses that spook easily are dangerous to ride, they are a danger not only to themselves, but to others as well. Horses, being prey animals, have a strong fight or flight response, and when faced with a threatening situation, they deal with it by shying or even worse, bolting. When this happens the horse is usually classified as a problem horse and is considered dangerous. A seemingly harmless object such as a plastic bag or chicken coop can send the biggest of horses into a bolting frenzy.

There are some things you can do to desensitize your horse. This problem horse training is ideally started when the horse is young and in training as it will ensure a spook proof horse. Begin by lunging the horse for a few minutes to allow him to work off any excessive energy. Leave a halter and lead rope on the horse and approach him slowly with an old saddle pad or blanket allowing him to sniff it. Work at the horse’s pace and if he spooks or takes a step back, introduce the blanket again slowly until he is comfortable having it close to him.

Once he’s more at ease around the blanket, you can start moving it around and swinging it slowly. This will help desensitize the horse against flapping objects. The horse will most probably feel uncomfortable and may even shy, so be patient and work with him until he is accustomed to having the blanket swung around him.

The next step is to touch the horse with the swinging blanket, gently swing it onto his back and all over his body. Once the horse accepts the blanket on his head you’re halfway there! Place the blanket by his feet to help desensitize him to objects under his feet, this is an essential part of the desensitization exercise. That’s it; reward him profusely for a job well done!

The next desensitizing exercise you should try is to use a soft rope and work with it in much the same way as you did with the saddle pad or blanket. This teaches the horse to tolerate having a rope moving around his legs and body. Teaching your horse to tolerate this type of sensation can prove to be lifesaving if tack fails and the horse finds himself with bits of tack flying around him. This makes the horse much safer in dangerous situations when tack breaks. Throw the rope on the ground and in-between the horses’ legs and belly until he is no longer afraid of it. If the horse allows you to move the rope around his face and head, you’ve successfully completed this exercise.

Last but certainly not least is the plastic bag. Many, many horses are afraid of plastic bags and this exercise will help eliminate that fear of plastic bags in your horse. Show the bag to your horse and allow him to smell it, then tie it to a long lunge whip and wave it around while holding your horse on long lead rope. The horse will inevitably shy and try to get away from the terrifying object. Shake the bag around the horse until he becomes comfortable to having it around him, once this happens, touch him with bag all over his body. Move it around his body and under his belly, when he allows you to touch his head with it, you’re done.

Work at your horse’s pace and always end your training session on a positive note and with a lot of pace. Never force your horse into an uncomfortable situation or you may end up scarring him for life. Make sure you do these exercises regularly even after the horse has become desensitized to ensure the horse doesn’t fall back into his old familiar patterns.

Stal Amani is a top equestrian centre based in Belgium within 2 hours drive of most of the top jumping and dressage competitions in Europe. We regularly host national and international competitions. For more information please visit http://www.stalamani.com

Author: Josie Amani
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Horses were born to eat grass, it is their natural food. The supplemental feeding of grain was created by man in order to keep weight on horses as they were being used for beasts of burden. Horses pulling caravans across this vast country did not have time to graze, so man had to supplement their need for food. This is probably when feed bags were invented. As man settled and began to farm, horses were necessary for plowing and traveling long distances either for supplies or for herding cattle; again demonstrating the need for grain.

Horses can survive on grass alone. The need to give them grain will depend on the age of the horse, what kind of activity the horse is performing on a daily basis, the amount of pasture that is available for the individual and the quality of the pasture. Young horses that are weanlings (babies just weaned from their mother) and yearlings are growing at a fast pace. Actually any horse under the age of five for most breeds is still growing. If you want a horse that is strong and will grow to their full potential, giving them grain is the right thing to do. Horses that are being ridden often or on a daily basis should have grain. Now if your horse is in a pasture that has a lot of weeds or the grass stays short because there are too many horses in one pasture, then you may also want to supplement them with hay as well as grain. Another factor that comes into play is the breed of the horse. Certain breeds will need only a small amount of feed, others such as Thoroughbreds, need much more grain to accomplish the development of a healthy, strong animal.

Being a horse owner means that you must monitor your horses weight and condition constantly, whether they are in a stall or in a pasture. If you have a horse or pony that is an aggressive eater and is becoming too fat or even obese, when you are graining the other horses in the pasture, you will have to put that horse in a catch pen, usually built into a corner of a pasture, with no grain until the other horses are finished eating. Remember, if you are giving grain to pasture horses, the amount that you feed will be much less than that of winter time. Lets’ say you turn your horses out during the day in the winter. They will just forage around and pick a little on old dead grass that has little to offer as opposed to gorging themselves all day long and even during the nighttime. Horses can suffer from a severe condition called laminitis (founder) when they are carrying too much weight and producing too much heat in their bodies, and the heat travels to their feet. This condition is not only very painful for the horse but it is a permanent condition. They become more sensitive, can re-founder, will need extra care and specialized shoeing, and it can even cause them to loose their life if they are not removed from the environment that originally caused them to founder.

Horses have been around for millions of years and they survived without grain. The decision is yours and if you have horses in a rich pasture and they are not being ridden often and they have a healthy weight on them, then grain probably is not necessary. As long as your horse has a plentiful supply of rich grass, plenty of fresh water, trees or woods or a lean-to structure for protection, and you have them on a regimented worming program (will be discussed at a later date), life will be good for them without grain. Even though they seem to be self sufficient, horses always need to have a watchful eye on them at least once a day. It is necessary to check their water and clean the waterer or tubs often. Make sure all the horses seem happy, and are following their usual daily habits. You must also check them thoroughly making sure there are no serious cuts, wounds, or kick marks, and check their eyes for injuries or signs of illness or allergies.

Beverly Jansen
http://bevshorseadvice.com
I’m a licensed Thoroughbred Horse Trainer and a licensed Equine Message Therapist. I have devoted my entire life to horses and have over 40 years experience to share. My blog site was created to share my knowledge and will soon offer exceptional, all natural horse products that are above and beyond any other products in comparison and will guarantee fantastic results. I will also be posting “How To” videos on my youtube channel soon.

Author: Beverly Jansen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I have a Standardbred horse who used to be a sulky race horse. I want to show her, but she paces instead of trotting. I have had her for over a year and we have have various trainers, but she still paces a lot. Does anyone know anything about getting Standardbred to trot? Thanks so much!
She is almost six years old and we aren’t very experienced, so we don’t plan on doing anything like dressage and time soon.

When you’re into horse training, you have to find the best approach suitable to your horse. Some approaches work better than others and it all relies on the horse’s learning proportions. The learning pace of each horse varies; some learn faster than others and there are likewise people who are too stubborn to learn. Learning your horse’s personality is essential so that you are able to choose the best approach to use.

Novices are advised to seek the help of professional trainers if they have doubts as to their abilities as a horse trainer. In order to be an effective horse trainer, you should be inventive, a thinker, and most of all, use your sound judgment.

Horses are herd animals. If you try to observe a herd of horses, they ordinarily eat all during the day, groom, and sleep; challenge one another to gain position in the herd, and play. It is essential that you study the behavior of the herd so that you are able to incorporate the knowledge you’ve gained into the horse’s training program. Since each horse is unmatched, you will need to devise a training program worthy its ability or personality.

The majority of people feel like a stallion leads the herd but they’re wrong. In point of fact, a mare serves as the herd’s leader. It is the duty of the stallion to warn the herd when there is danger or when there is a threat of marauding stallions. The mare leader alternatively decides when it’s time to eat, the position where they are in a position to eat, and discipline other horses who’re at fault. The entire herd respects the mare and supports her decisions; the herd also trusts their lives to the mare. So you see, in the training program, you should act as the mare herd leader. You has to be in a position to win your horse’s respect, trust, and support.

In horse training, it’s not a great idea to use force. Although the horse will follow you, it’s not a reliable move. There isn’t one best’ training approach. As discussed previously, horses are unique animals and you must identify the most appropriate approach that suits the horse’s personality. Some of the famous horsemanship masters known presently are Pat Parelli, Dennis Reis, Buck Brannaman, Tom Dorrance, and Ray Hunt.

Good horse trainers do not just focus on one training technique; they strive to learn as many horse methods so that they are able to select the proper approach for each horse they train. If one of the famous horse training masters visits your area, why do not you check them out? It’s a venture that you shouldn’t miss.

It’s natural to make mistakes especially if you’re a beginner. If you make mistakes, do not be ashamed and instead, learn from it. Trainers handling troubled horses need a great amount of patience and determination if they wish to be victorious in the training program. This sort of horses is challenging to handle and if you are not cautious, you have access to hurt. If there are troubled horses, then you can likewise find horses that learn easily. Again, find the best approach that you can use in the training program.

Horse training definitely involves employing your sound judgment. Without it, you could be in difficulty. Even the truly great masters started out as novices. Learn all that you can about horse training. Handle the horses properly and earn their respect and trust. This ensures a smooth training program.

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Author: Bart R Montoya
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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