Posts Tagged ‘Stable’

If you own a horse, do you have to have a stable for them? Are you allowed to tie them to a fence in your backyard? Where they can’t get into shelter? Someone in our neighborhood is doing such things and I just want to make sure the horse is OK. They gave him food, but is it suppose to sit in the rain and get wet? Besides, the SPCA where else can I find out about such things?

Buying a horse is buyer beware. Not to make you frightened, but it is your responsibility to make sure the horse you choose is what you expected you were getting. Check all claims made about an animal out for yourself.

To start with, take someone you know who knows horses. If you don’t know anyone who will volunteer their time, consider paying a trainer or riding instructor for their time as it will be money well spent. There is so much to take in when viewing a prospective horse that many eyes alone will give a more accurate picture. Different people will ‘see’ different things. A beginner may see an affectionate good looking animal. An experienced horse person may observe an arthritic joint and a tendency towards pushiness.

Also on a general note, take lots of pictures. Consider making notes. If you have particular questions in mind, write them down beforehand and note the answers when you ask. This way you’ll cover everything and remember a lot.

Health. Although the domain of health is for the experts, look for a general impression of wellness. In a well lit place, is the coat shiny and smooth to the touch? Are ribs showing? Does he have a pot belly? Are the hooves broken, cracked or poorly cared for? Is the horse alert or half asleep? Are the eyes bright and clear? The ears scanning for sounds?

Temperament. How is this horse around other horses? Watching him being walked past other horses as he is brought in from the pasture or out from the stable will give you and idea of how he relates to other horses. Does he kick or bite? This might be forgivable when directed at other horses, but not at humans. Do not buy a horse with bad manners.

Training. Ask for and watch the horse being caught, led, tied and groomed, including having all hooves picked out. Have a demonstration of the horse being put on a trailer. Watch the horse being saddled and mounted. In short, ask to see everything demonstrated that you’d do with this horse yourself. How does he behave?

Riding. Let the owner ride first and put the horse through all it’s paces and special skills. How smooth are the horse’s responses? Are there any signs of resistance or fighting? Head tossing, leaning on the bit, laziness, tugging?

Your Turn. Ask your knowledgeable friend to try the horse out and then you have a go too. Watch for how the horse reacts to you. Go back to the basics and try all the everyday stuff as well. Leading, grooming, hoof handling, saddling up.

Paperwork. If this horse is a registered breed, ask to see the papers.

If the horse does not behave, that’s kicking, biting, rearing, bucking, bolting etc then don’t buy it. Did you hear that? No matter how stunning you think this horse may be! Don’t buy it. Yes you want to feel a strong commitment to your animal AND you also want a well-behaved animal, especially if this is your first horse. Don’t settle on a gorgeous looking bucker. It’s not worth it, and the well behaved ones come in ‘stunning’ too.

It can be worth making a second visit. Ask the questions you forgot the first time. Repeat the same questions from the first time. Do the answers match? Is the horse behaving in the same manner?

Phil Tragear
http://www.HorseTrainingSuccess.com
All the questions you’ve asked, answered.

About the Author
Phil is author of the comprehensive book ‘Horse Training Success’, full of answers to the most asked horse training questions. Stop by http://www.horsetrainingsuccess.com for a huge selection of information regarding common problems, training of horses, equine psychology, how to get the best behavior and so much more!

Please feel free to use this article on condition that you maintain a live link to the http://www.horsetrainingsuccess.com website, acknowledge that the content is Phil Tragear 2006, and keep this paragraph included!

Author: Phil Tragear
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Deciding to own a horse is a major decision and a big commitment. Not just financial, but there is the time commitment to consider as a horse needs caring for 365 days a year. Among other things, there is the concern of where to keep it and who will look after it when you’re on holiday, ill, working late etc. Horses are not like having a cat or a dog, as most people will happily feed and walk a dog while you are on holiday but a horse?! Most people would run a mile, not because they don’t like horses, but because they are harder to look after, take more time and are generally more expensive to fix if something goes wrong.

The first decision that needs to be made once you have decided to have a horse is where to keep it. Some of us don’t have the option to keep our horses by our house and therefore livery yards offer a solution. Some liveries offer a ‘full’ livery service others a ‘part’ or ‘DIY’ (Do It Yourself) service. Choosing a livery yard suitable for you and your horse might depend on the type of service best suited to your needs, where your friends are or just simply down to location. Other people might be fortunate enough to keep their horse at their own property.

Wherever you keep your horse, there will be times when you need help from someone to care for you’re your horse. Whether it’s just to feed him 1 night or to do everything for 2 weeks, at some point you will need a hand and whom will you ask? For those using a full livery service this shouldn’t be a problem but for the rest of us finding help can be tricky, especially help that is competent and reliable.

Some people might temporally move their horse to a livery yard that offers a full livery service. However getting a stable on a yard when you need it might not be that easy, so travelling even further away from home might be necessary. This option can be stressful for your horse, especially if he doesn’t settle well or is a bit nervy. Others might relay on friends or other horse owners but what happens if something goes wrong? What if that person can’t make it and if the horse is injured who pays for the vet bill? This option can lead to favours been owed or friendship frayed.

So what’s the solution?

A professional mobile livery service.

Leave your horse where it is. No stress for your horse, no stress for you. Have a Mobile Livery come to care for your horse.

A Mobile Livery Service brings the services of a typical full livery to you and your horse so the horse doesn’t move and you don’t keep risking friendships or replying on family. Mobile liveries are operated by freelance grooms or horse sitters and are a professional horse care service. Whenever you are going away or are tied up with life commitments a mobile livery will come to your horse and provide all the care he needs. You won’t have the hassle of finding a livery yard with a spare stable or the inconvenience of transporting and your horse won’t get stressed by changing his routine. You can leave your horse exactly where he is and nothing will change for him. He won’t even know your not there!

Mobile livery, freelance grooms and horse sitters are all horse care professionals, caring for all types of horses and yards is what they have been trained to do. They will have equine qualifications and should be CRB checked, but most importantly will have *insurance so if something does go wrong everyone, including your horse should be protected.

Remember to always find out about the person you are leaving your horse with read more advice on what to look for at http://www.kirstyshorses.com/blog/ or locate someone to care for your horse at http://www.kirstyshorses.com

So when life gets busy or you’re going away and you need someone to care for your horse, think of the easiest solution and that’s leave your horse where it is and have a professional mobile livery come to you. Hassle free, worry free, SIMPLE.

*insurance covers my change from company to company, you should always check what the person you are using is insured for.

Author: Kirsty Rickett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Once in a while you come across great kid’s horses that are ponies. My younger siblings had one named Tony Pony.

Tony was a champion with kids. After my brothers out grew him he went to a dude string and gave kids rides for several more years. This is one of the problems with ponies, the kids outgrow them. It happens faster than you can believe. Then you are faced with keeping the pony forever as a pet that eats a lot and does other things a lot that have to be picked up and disposed of. Ponies often live a long time as well, Tony was up around forty when he finally went to that golden stable in the sky. It’s good they can live so long, as long as the child is riding them but it’s a lot of mucking stalls if your child is grown up and gone and you’re still taking care of the pony.

The other alternative is you sell the pony to some other deserving child’s parents. Even though you know, deep down inside you did a good thing, you still have to face the looks given to you by your wife and grown child for the next few months or depending on how well liked the pony was, maybe a few years. Don’t worry, they will finally forgive you, it just may take awhile. All joking aside, it truly is like selling off a family member or maybe a little harder.

Most ponies are very ill mannered. An old man told me years ago that if you have a kid you hate buy him a Shetland pony. One of the main reasons for this, I believe, is because it’s hard to find a good trainer that is light enough to ride them. Hence, finding a well broke pony is much more difficult than finding a well broke horse. As a kid I would ride anything just to get the chance to ride. Therefore, when we went to visit friends that owned a pony that was less than well trained I was enlisted into service on the spot. I’ve ridden ponies that would bite, buck, run away, sull, rear and one, that if all of the above tricks failed to get you off, he would throw himself to the ground. I also rode some that were very nice to ride and a couple that were good heeling horses (although I never took them to a jackpot or rodeo where people would see me rope off them).

Another thing that’s of least importance in buying a Kid’s horse is color. I know we all like a pretty horse but in the case of a Kid’s horse I feel it’s much more important how the horse handles and in general, how he gets along with the child, than it is how pretty the horse is. Believe me, if the horse takes good care of your children, he is soon going to be the prettiest horse around, to both you and your child.

The age of a Kid’s horse, when you buy him is very much irrelevant. While it’s true you don’t want a horse that is on his last legs, as long as the horse has a few good years in him, he can teach your kid more on how to ride than all the instructors going. If he rides right, takes care of your child or children, then he may be the best Kid’s horse going, even though he’s thirty years old. On the other hand some horses are just born a Kid’s horse. I had a colt years ago that as a green broke three year old was the best Kid’s horse going. My five year old daughter learned to ride on him and I wouldn’t have risked her safety for the world. To sum it up Kid’s horses come in all ages, colors and sizes. You need to exercise patience, do your home work and shop around to find the one that fits your child the best.

I want to remind you right here that all of these guidelines are generalities and there are constant exceptions to every one of them. That is one of the things that makes horses so much fun is their individual personalities. They are all different and they are best suited for different types of jobs. Now, let’s discuss some of the more important things to consider.

Disposition, handle, and what the horse’s job is going to be are far more important factors to consider than height, color and age. If a horse has the right disposition, isn’t spooky or ill tempered it counts for a ton of peace of mind for the parents. It also makes the child’s rides more pleasant and they can learn to really enjoy riding horses.

If a horse handles easy, he neck reins or, in English riding, is what they call, light in the bridle, a kid can handle a horse with ease. No matter what is happening, if a horse will stop when you ask him to, just about everything else can be fixed.

What the child is going to use the horse for is probably thought about the least by first horse parents. Yet this may be the most important factor to consider from the stand point of the child’s future with horses. Take for example if the Dad, wanting to be the hero, shows up one day with a good riding, Kid’s horse that is nice and slow and easy going the child will be ecstatic for awhile. But, let’s say the child is a little girl, who unknown to her parents because they didn’t ask, idolizes Charmayne James and wants to be a world champion barrel racer. She is going to get tired of old Plug Along and getting beat every time she competes pretty fast. Soon barrel racing’s not fun anymore and boys, hot cars and alcohol are. Do you see a pattern here that could’ve been prevented with the right horse? More often than not what happens is the family ends up owning and feeding two horses even though the girl only rides the new barrel horse. It’s often just too hard to sell off old Plug Along.

A kid’s horse should be what we call bomb proof. It means he doesn’t get excited even if you set a bomb off underneath him. He should handle well and fit the job the kid wants to do with him. Good Kid’s horses are hard to find but they do exist. A good one is worth whatever you have to pay for him. He’s a combination baby sitter, best friend, confidant, entertainment center and psychiatrist. I personally, won’t hardly ride anything else.

Troy Andrew Smith was born in the small rural town of Nowata, Oklahoma. He was raised on a ten acre place just outside of town and grew up dreaming of being a cowboy. As an adult, Troy worked as a ranch hand, machinist, carpenter, guide, dude wrangler, and Country Western Singer. He also wrote a weekly column for the Nowata newspaper and had several of his Cowboy Poems published in various publications.

While attending film school at Montana State University, Troy supplemented his income with movie jobs in the summers and started writing novels and screenplays. He has ridden horses or driven teams in numerous movies and TV shows, including three seasons on HBO’s series DEADWOOD.

At this time Troy is concentrating his efforts on his skills as a Screenwriter, Author and Actor.

Troy Andrew Smith is the author of the western novel Radersburg Gold published by Hailstone Press.

http://www.hailstonepress.com/radersburg-gold.html

Author: Troy Andrew Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Get my ex back

There is so much excitement and anticipation in the very art of buying a horse. It is certainly a task not to be taken lightly. A horse is certainly not as easy to drop off at your local shelter as a cat is. When you buy a horse it should be genuine, not a spur of the moment whim.

The biggest consideration when buying a horse is where to keep him. Investigating local stables and yards, finding out the fee and what you are paying for is an important step to make the transition easier. I have yet to find a stable that pays for horse shoeing, unless it is on their horses!

Once you’ve settled on a place to keep your horse, you can then indulge yourself in finding a good horse. Horses are easy enough to come by, but not all horses are alike. We know that all horses bite, it is a fact horse owners rarely think about. However when buying a horse it is a tidbit to keep handy.

Some horses due to cruel handling, neglect or an aggressive streak will bite. Biting is a bad habit called a vice, horses that bite do not make a good first horse purchase. There is fact in the saying “once bitten twice shy”!

Read up on vices so you know one when you see one and if the current owner says the horse crib bites, you’ll know what that means and whether it is a vice you can live with. Remember the horse is yours and will be your responsibility once you purchase it.

Like humans you have horses in good health and others in questionable health. Some owners will try to sell a horse when they find out his health is less than perfect. The horse could have been in a field and cut his leg. Seems like an every day possibility but depending on where and how severe the cut, he could have done permanent damage. He would thus have a weakness and be prone to lameness.

It is always a good idea to have a veterinarian inspect the horse you want to purchase. That way any possibility of ill health can be brought to your attention and you are in control of taking on the responsibility or not.

Find out if people know about the horse and let them tell you their view of the horse. What is he like on an every day basis when a prospective buyer is not looking? Some horses are lunged to tire them out before a buyer comes to ride…

Yes, riding is sure a very important step when buying a horse! I was so desperate to buy my first horse that I overlooked this step and regretted it every day of the two years I owned the horse. Sometimes you can simply get sold by the look of a horse…

Make sure you buy a good horse that is right for you. The best way to do that is to read and gain knowledge of horses. Take a trainer or experienced horse person with you, but be sure to trust your instinct and have the knowledge to make the best decision for you. Turns out the person I took with me to buy my first horse was really looking for something they wanted.

Horses. Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about buying a horse. Learn all about your horse starting today.

Author: Benjamin Wise
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Excise Tax

Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of your first horse. It’s time to either move your new responsibility to a boarding stable or to your own farm. There are many horsemen who will haul your horse for a reasonable price. However, although they may be slightly higher in price, there are also many hauling companies nationwide that usually have very large horse vans that may be better equipped to move your new family member. Either way, the best advice would be to spend a little more money for a reputable hauler as they usually provide very experienced drivers.

If you are looking to purchase your own trailer for hauling, you have many companies to choose from as well as many different types. There are two, three, four and six horse trailers and so on. You can get the standard trailer with horses walking straight into the trailer, or slant trailers where the horses are loaded on a slant, or vans that the horses can walk up into and are backed into the stall, and basically they are facing each other as they travel. Keep in mind that hauling this animal is probably the most unnatural thing you will do with your horse. If you find that your horse is not good with hauling, then you must approach this problem carefully. Having a trailer with a ramp instead of a step up trailer is to your advantage in this situation. Some horses love to go for a ride, and of course, some don’t. Some horses will, with patience and a small amount of encouragement, enter a trailer fairly quickly. Some horses will be reluctant to leave their environment and their friends and will be much more difficult and sometimes become quite angry. In these cases, make sure you have an experienced horse person to help you. Sometimes it may be necessary to load another horse, who does not mind getting onto a trailer, temporarily, in order to convince the stubborn horse that it is alright to go on. As soon as the reluctant horse goes onto the trailer, you will have to unload the decoy horse quickly, lock and secure the ramps and doors immediately, and start on your way. Leaving a horse or horses standing in a trailer for more than a minute or two can be asking for trouble, especially with a horse who did not want to leave in the first place. This time frame goes both ways for getting them into the trailer, and getting them off as quickly as possible.

Some horses are claustrophobic and will be much more willing to load on a larger van. If you cannot get your horse loaded on a smaller type trailer, you may have to postpone your move to another day and consider a larger van as an option. Keeping in mind that a horse’s body temperature is higher than ours, normally between 101 degrees to 102 degrees, as horses will start to sweat quickly once placed in the trailer. As you move off, the air passing through the open windows in the trailer will help to keep them cool. It is a good practice to put shipping bandages on your horse, but by an experienced horse person, as bandages too tight or too loose are dangerous. Learning to bandage the legs of a horse is fairly simple and with practice, under experienced instruction, can become an easy task.

Driving a trailer or van is a very big responsibility, not just because of the equipment being used, but also for the precious cargo that is depending on you to get them to their destination safely. TAKE YOUR TIME. Going too fast and having to stop suddenly could be a disaster. Going too fast around the turns can cause the horse to be thrown around in the trailer and step on themselves causing injury to their legs or coronet bands, especially if they have shoes on or if their legs are not protected by shipping bandages. You always want each and every hauling experience to be a pleasant one. Also, make sure you have quality hay for them to munch on during their journey, either in a hanging hay rack or the hay sacks provided in the trailer. If you and your horse are about to head out on a long journey, make sure you have a water bucket and a large amount of water in a container so you can offer your horse water at stops every few hours. Remember, dehydration can be deadly.

In the future, I will be coming back to articulate on different aspects of hauling vehicles and problem horses that refuse to load. Patience and understanding is priority when transporting horses.

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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If you are one of those owners who owns a horse that has developed the idea that quality time spent involves the owner lovingly chasing after it whilst it playfully avoids being caught. We know your pain.

There is nothing more frustrating than having to wander after your horse in the attempt of catching it. Spending most of your time out in the paddock instead of out riding with friends.

However the correction of this is not as simple as we would like it to be. Placing a horse in a smaller paddock or leaving a halter on will not always make matters better, the same as locking a horse up in a stable could lead it to kicking.

The unwillingness to be caught is a vice the same as any other developed or acquired vices a horse may develop. It has a cause and often runs hand in hand with two other bad habits.
These being the likely hood of bolting and the unresponsive horse. It is very rarely that a well-behaved and responsive horse will run off when it is time to work.

We explored ways of correcting these problems as well as how to get your horse to be more willing to be caught.

A horse turning tail and heading for the far side of a paddock is the first warning that somewhere something in its basic training seriously went wrong. It now associates the human with bad or often painful experiences. The first step to take is to change your horses routine, no riding for a few days, place the horse on three meals a day (divide daily ration into three) and bring it in for lunch, it will soon enough realize that there is food involved. If needed take your horses’ friend or companion in as well. This way your horse will not necessarily associate mid day captures with riding. Also capturing your horse mid morning and moving it to another pasture with “better” grazing will help, as your horse will not always associate being caught with work and punishment.

Learn too approach your horse with a less demanding front. Just walk up to it and spend some time with it, approach the shoulder and not the head. By showing your horse you are not out to get it every time you see it goes a long way to developing a relaxed relationship.

Most horses that run off know only frustration and often anger when they are finally caught. Show your horse you can be a nice person by taking it a snack and walking off. It will soon start looking out for you and often may even start following you. Horses want calm and confidant owners and riders.

Once the horse is more willing to be caught a handful of food in a manger will suffice in keeping it happy. (Bribery works)

Horses prone to being irritated or bolting off whilst ridden usually require a lot more work than a simple change of routine. Please do not confuse irritation under saddle with a hot horse. A hot horse is willing to work, it responds and will listen and conserve its energy for when it is needed. An irritated horse is unlikely to stand still or respond to aids when asked, an irritated horse will also run through aids and is less likely to balance itself or its rider. These two are often confused.

A bolting or irritated horse associates pain and punishment with work and therefore has no interest in responding positively to a riders aids. These horses require patience and experience. All to often they are bitted up in an attempt to slow them down when in fact they require the opposite. Bitted down and schooled with patience without a whip. These horses are often sold as horses for competent and experienced riders and often marketed cheaper than their actual worth.

Horses who do little or are unresponsive under saddle, and are difficult to catch are often overworked. They know there is work to be done and will avoid it at all costs. And when ridden will drag their toes or shuffle about. These horses require a change of workload or alternatively a holiday turned out in a pasture for a month or so with younger horses (visit him or her everyday with a treat) He or she needs to learn how to become a horse again. Its workload needs adjusting with some variation included.

Catching an unwilling horse often means working at eliminating the cause. And horses that are unwilling to be caught, have issues that need to be resolved, before positive results will be seen.

Kate Hinton is CEO of ThatHorse.com which is a one stop shop for everything equine. She is also the author of ‘The Essential Guide to Selling Your Horse’ which is a must have if you are looking to sell a horse. Visit http://www.horse-selling-guide.com to purchase your copy today!

Author: Kate Hinton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Recently I started working with a horse someone at my stable just bought. The horse has a very bad habit of turning a circle after every jump.
I’ve tried using leg pressure and rein, but with little success. I do not want to go to a stronger rein (riding with a d-ring) but we would like to show the horse, but that would be nearly impossible if he circles after each jump!

Any clues on why his previous owners may have taught him this, and how I can correct it?