Posts Tagged ‘Thoroughbred’

From birth to race, what does an owner of a thoroughbred have to do or pay to qualify his horse for the Triple Crown races?

From birth to race, what does an owner of a thoroughbred have to do or pay to qualify his horse for the Triple Crown races?

I am mostly asking for an easy way to measure my thoroughbred for a western saddle that fits, but also, a site i found, saddleonline.com, has nice looking saddles, but it is unbelievably low priced. I’m not sure what to think about it.
als, what are some tips for teaching horses to jump? My horse loves western but is also a natural jumper. He has days when he jumps anything, but he gets bored with jumping very quickly. what should i do to keep him interested?
I appreciate any help with these questions and just to clarify, i am NOT new with horses. only new to western and I’m not exactly sure how to train jumping.

Early on in the history of the Arabian horse’s arrival to America, the newly formed Arabian Horse Registry wanted a way to promote the horse in the United States. The directors of the Arabian Registry determined the best way of doing this was to get the Army interested in using and breeding Arabian horses. This was a substantial investment by the Arabian Registry because it took a lot of time, money and energy to prove to the Army and their cavalry majors that Arabian horses made the best cavalry horses.

In 1908, the Army had established the U.S. Remount Service, a horse cavalry unit. Its goal was to supply hundreds of thousands of horses for military use. To get the U.S Remount Service interested in Arabians, W.R. Brown, president of the Arabian Horse Registry at the time, organized the first Cavalry Endurance Ride in 1919. With a high regard for purebred Arabians overseas and their growing popularity in America, this was a perfect time to convince the government and the Army’s Remount Service to breed them. Unfortunately, there were only 362 registered Arabians in the country in 1919. With so few Arabians, it was not an easy task to find enough of them to adequately represent the breed in the endurance ride. Even with this challenge, the Arabian horses made a superior showing, taking most of the prizes including first place in the endurance ride. W.R. Brown won first place on his purebred Arabian mare named Ramla #347. She carried 200 pounds during the ride.

The second Calvary Endurance Ride took place in 1920 and this time, the U.S. Remount Service was much more involved. The weight carried by the horses was increased from 200 pounds to 245 bounds. The horses traveled sixty miles a day for 5 days with a minimum time of 9 hours each day. The Arabian horses fared well again as they had the highest average points of any breed entered. This time, however, a grade Thoroughbred that was entered by the Army took first place.

Albert Harris, the Arabian Horse Registry Director from 1924 to 1949, believed that the Thoroughbred Jockey Club gave the Army $50,000 in 1921 so that they could purchase the best Thoroughbreds they could find in hopes of beating the purebred Arabians entered in the 1921 endurance ride. Mr. Harris wrote:

“With two endurance rides to the credit of Arabian horses in 1919 and 1920, the U.S. Remount, and incidentally the Jockey Club, felt something had to be done to beat these little horses in the next ride…”.

The Army purchased several grade Thoroughbreds and planned to have Cavalry majors ride them. The Army also wanted the carried weight limit reduced back to 200 pounds. Since the Arabians had proven their mettle at 245 pounds, the Arabian Registry objected. Eventually, a the two sides compromised at 225 pounds.

In spite of the Army’s efforts to have their grade Thoroughbreds beat out the Registry’s Arabian horses, the first prize in the 1921 Cavalry Endurance Ride went to W.R. Brown’s purebred Arabian gelding, Crabbet #309. W.R. Brown, with his Anglo-Arab gelding named Gouya, won the trophy for the third time in 1923.

W.R. Brown (and the Arabian Registry) had won the Calvary Endurance Ride three times with their Arabian horses. At that point, Mr. Brown gained permanent possession of the U.S. Mounted Service Cup. Albert Harris wrote in his history of the Arabian Horse Registry:

“… after 1923, the Arabian people decided not to enter their horses in the ride. This was done “so that the Army would have a chance of winning the cup the next time.”

Actually, there was one exception. The Arabian people allowed the U.S. Remount Service to enter an Arabian stallion, El Sabok #276, in the 1925 endurance ride. The stallion ended up taking first place but he was not awarded the trophy because of a small welt raised under the cantle (projecting rear part) of his saddle. The U.S. Department of Animal Husbandry noted, though, that of all stallions of various breeds entered in all of the rides, El Sabok was the first and only one to finish a ride.

Fully convinced that Arabian horses had tremendous endurance, the Army planned to develop a supply of saddle horses that could be called to service if needed. Since Arabian horses were scarce at the time and difficult to obtain, the Army’s breeding program didn’t really get off the ground until 1941. This is when the Arabian Horse Registry directors decided to donate the nucleus of an Arabian stud to the U.S. Remount. Each director and Mr. W.K. Kellogg (of the Kellogg cereal company) personally donated one or more horses. A total of one stallion, seven broodmares (six in foal), one suckling filly, and three two-year-old fillies were placed at the Fort Robinson Remount Depot in Fort Robinson, Nebraska.

By 1943, the number of Arabian horses the Army owned was second only to the number of Thoroughbreds they owned. Later that same year, W.K. Kellogg (an Arabian Horse Registry Director from 1927 to 1940) and Albert Harris, helped the U.S. Remount Service gain possession of Mr. Kellogg’s Arabian stud in Pomona California. The stud was originally given to the state of California, but with World War II heating up, the U.S. Remount Service felt they had a need for it. In October of 1943, Mr. Kellogg was successful in getting the California Board of Regents to turn over the Arabian Ranch (and 97 purebred Arabian horses) to the U.S. Army for use as a remount station. The ranch was owned by the War Department from 1943-1948 and was known as the Pomona Quartermaster Depot (Remount).

Later in 1948, the Army decided to dispose of all its horse operations to the highest bidder. In June of 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill which transferred the ranch back to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. On July 2 of that same year, the California Legislature passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution No.100 which favored the transfer of the ranch from the Kellogg Foundation to the California Polytechnic College. To this day, the school continues to maintain a prestigious Arabian breeding program. As warfare has become more technological, the Arabian horse has made its transition from the Army to being used in various equine sport activities and an endeared equine to horse enthusiasts and families.

Randy Meyer, along with his family, are well-respected breeders of high-quality, beautiful purebred Arabian horses on their farm, Red Oak Arabians. They usually have fine quality Arabian horses for sale at all times.

Author: Randy Meyer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Pressure cooker

Here’s my story and suggestions on how to avoid making the mistakes I made, and almost made, when I came to buy a horse! I was in my early 50′s when I started riding. I was full enthusiasm and keen to get really involved. I’d just bought a 10 acre property with lush pasture and so had plenty of space to keep a horse. The fencing was excellent as the property had formerly been a deer farm and was fenced accordingly. So I decided to buy a horse. I’d heard of a horse for sale some distance from me and he sounded like he could be OK. So I arranged to see him for an inspection, even although I was totally inexperienced.

I took a horse owner friend with me for guidance and went to see him. He turned out to be a rather tall, chestnut thoroughbred. The lady owner didn’t offer to ride him (my first mistake as I should have insisted she did) and my friend mounted him and did some walking, trotting and cantering.

Then it was my turn. With some trepidation I mounted up, but due to my total inexperience, only managed to walk him around the property for a short time. However my friend gave the nod of approval and said he looked fine, so I made my first major mistake. I said “yes” to the seller and so became the owner of a horse of unknown origin known by the name of Ziggy.

After I had Ziggy back on my property I enlisted the help of an instructress from our local Saddle Club who came to my place and gave me a series of lessons. Initially I only rode on my property, but then ventured out my front gate and rode on some of the riding tracks that were plentiful in my area. And finally I took him to the monthly all-day training meetings at the Saddle Club. I learnt a lot, but the only problem was that Ziggy obviously sensed my inexperience and was inclined to fight my every move.

I persisted with Ziggy for six months or so, but then decided that he wasn’t the horse for me. So I decided to sell him to someone more capable of handling his strong spirit and did just that. My second mistake (well, almost!) when I went to buy a horse. By luck, this “almost a mistake” turned out in my favour!

I’d heard a consistent rumour about a beautiful, big black horse that had apparently been left out in a paddock somewhere in my local area for quite some time. As I wanted another horse I was intrigued and decided to check this rumour out. As it turned out it didn’t take me long to find that the horse was actually well attended and was agisted on a horse riding facility not far from my property. I promptly went and had a look. And, yes, he was big, beautiful and black and I instantly fell in love with him. But was he available to be bought?

I found that the owner was an advertising agency principal from Melbourne. I phoned him and he told me that he’d owned the horse, Midnight, for two years with the idea of using him at a Hunt Club but had never had the time. Subject to where and how I’d keep Midnight he could be bought for what I thought to be a high price. I arranged for an inspection meeting at the facility where he was agisted.

The day arrived and I waited for the owner to arrive and was rather amused when he turned up in a BLACK BMW duly dressed in neat BLACK riding gear, making a good match to the BLACK horse. We took the horse to any undercover riding area and owner did several circuits in varying gaits. Then suddenly Midnight went lame in the right front shoulder. The owner instantly dismounted, but it was obvious that I wouldn’t be able to ride him in that condition. It was left that I’d call a vet to look at the shoulder and obtain a full “vet check”.

The vet could find nothing that caused the lameness, but recommended that I not buy him. I was devastated! I reported this to the owner. He then suggested that If I was prepared to take him to my property and call in what ever veterinarian treatment was needed to fix the lameness that he’d re-inburse me for all costs and we could then discuss possible purchase. This is where I made my “next big mistake – well almost!” In spite of the vet’s advice I said “yes”.

I called the best veterinarian care people I could find including the senior vet from the Melbourne Racing Club, chiropractors, and even an acupuncturist. All with no success. Then by chance I found a local young lady chiropractor who had a brief look and said “his shoulder has frozen up through lack of riding. Just exercise and ride him and he’ll come good”.

Once again I reported back to the owner who promptly came down to see me. Standing in the paddock with Midnight he said that if I was prepared to work with the horse and accept all the fees I’d incurred, I could keep Midnight with no purchase cost. I immediately said “yes”. The owner asked if I’d leave him alone with the horse before he left, and I could see he had tears in his eyes.

I worked with Midnight, whose name I abbreviated to Middie for everyday use, constantly. I lunged him, rode him in short bursts at first, and finally took him to Saddle Club. He was improving, but if he showed too much sign of soreness I cut the day short.

And to cut this long story short Middie’s lameness cleared up completely and we became the very best of friends He was an absolute gentleman, probably because he was a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross with the Percheron characteristics showing through strongly. I had total trust in him and he appeared to have complete trust in me and we’ve had many, many happy years of riding.

But pleased be advised not to take my pure luck with Middie and feel that it could happen to you. When you buy a horse, have a qualified “vet check”, and take the advice of your vet!

So here are my Top 10 Things for you to do BEFORE you buy your horse based on my experience…

1. Have you had riding lessons? Have you done a personal assessment of your riding skills?
Before you buy a horse be sure you have had at least six months of riding lessons.

2. What type of riding activity do you want to do?
This is important. Do you want to to go in for jumping? Dressage? Hunting? Just trail riding? Be sure of what you want.

3. What sort of personality do you want your horse to have? Full of fire and enthusiasm? More quiet and passive?
A lot will depend on the type of riding you decide to pursue.

4. Do you have any preference on the breed of horse you want?
Once again, the sort of riding you want to do will have a major influence on your choice.

5. How big a horse do you want? Pony size? Mid-size? Or tall because you like a big horse?
Be sure that you choose something that you can easily manage.

6. Do you have a preference on gender?
Geldings usually make great riding horses. Mares can also be good if they have stable personalities. Avoid stallions unless you’re going in for breeding.

7. Have you given proper consideration as where you’re going to house and keep your horse?
If you’re planning to keep your horse on your own property, ensure that you have safe fencing and a clean barn or other shelter. If you’re boarding out, check out the available boarding stables before you commit to buying your horse.

8. Bearing in mind the costs of horse maintenance, have you set a affordable budget figure for purchase of your horse?
Budget all costs carefully and don’t over-commit yourself. Be ready for unexpected costs such as vet fees in case of vet care due to an illness or accident.

9. Have you had a serious look at the monthly/yearly cost of keeping your horse?
Take the time to look at costs of such items as feed, food supplements, hay, farrier charges, worming, etc..

10. Have you considered your needs and costs associated with equipping yourself and your horse with tack and supplies?
You’ll need a saddle, halter, headstall, bits, lead rope, and a wide variety of other tack and supplies. Review everything carefully.

I hope that these suggestions will assist you to buy a horse that you’ll truly come to love. If you’re ready to own a horse learn more about how to buy a horse at http://www.easyhorsecare.com

Author: J Russell Hart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I bought a 16+ hand thoroughbred at a local horse sale. She is sound but she has typical thoroughbred feet. They are dry and cracking. What is the best thing to give her to get her feet nice and healthy? Also she is quite a bit underweight. I think she must just be a hard keeper. What is the best thing to give her to get her to put some weight on?

When I started writing my tips for breaking a young horse I thought I must be mad, what did I know? There are loads of experts out there all offering advice and I was just a humble horse owner, not a trainer etc. Then I decided that if my story helps anyone to have the confidence to work with their own horse then I believe they will find it a rewarding experience and it will be beneficial to both the horse or pony and themselves.

Backing, Breaking and Training a young horse. Well its something that we are told is best left to the experts and to some degree I agree, as you can do a lot of damage to a horse at such a young age, but with the right support and information I do believe you can make a good job of it.

Its easy to say leave it to the experts but for most of us our horses and ponies are part of our family. We are the one’s who are with them every day and the one’s who have built up mutual trust and a bond with them.

I took a break from owning my own horse for about 15 years. Then found myself, in my naivety, being the proud owner of a 2 yr old filly. I fell in love with her, what more can I say, but she was 16.1hh and very powerful. A lot could have gone wrong. I did contemplate sending her away when the time came, to have her professional broken, backed and schooled. There were several problems with this idea though. Number one was the cost, I just didn’t have the money to do that as the quotes I had attained were extortionate. Number 2 was this was my horse, I had spent hours and hours in the stable with her, bonding, grooming and just sitting there gaining her trust. I didn’t want to send her away and lose all that. I knew she trusted me, she would follow me around the paddock like a dog, if I ran she would trot after me. Quite scary when you have a 16.1hh thoroughbred chasing you. I had never read a natural horsemanship book, but I realised that this was just what we were doing.

I also discovered she had never been walked off the yard, boxed, lunged or had a bit anywhere near her. I figured it was going to be a long drawn out process.

In reality I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although I did take things very slowly I found backing her to be extremely straight forward.

I used a lot of common sense, sought loads of advice from local tack shops and the people on the yard, and read as much information as I could find including everyone else’s tips on breaking a young horse. A lot of the techniques and equipment had evolved from when I had had my last horse. So I had to learn what to do with it again.

The things I learned and my 10 tips for breaking a young horse are:

1. Spend time bonding with your horse or pony, don’t just rush into breaking it. You will need time to build up mutual trust.

2. Learn your horses moods. Learn their normal behaviour and pick up when something is wrong.

3. Spend time before you try to back your horse getting it used to basic commands, both on the lunge and long rein. Stand, walk, trot will be invaluable once your horse is first backed.

4. Introduce the bit slowly – don’t just expect to put it in your horses mouth and leave it there for hours. Try a few minutes at a time over several week and get a bit suitable for a young horse. I used a copper key bit.

5. Introduce the saddle without girth, stirrups and leathers to begin with and remove again after a few minutes.

6. Before you even think of putting someone on your horses back get the horse used to wearing the saddle and bridle on the lunge or in hand.

7. When lunging the first few times in tack make sure stirrups and leathers are not flapping around and spooking your horse.

8. When you do introduce someone on their back ensure you are the one who is talking to your horse, after all you are the one who is built up the trust.

9. Try to get someone light to be the person who first sits on your horse. Start with them just lying over your horse and then gradually sitting. Make sure every movement of the rider is slow a fluid. Again make sure this isn’t rushed and is done over weeks.

10. Take backing your horse or pony slowly, take the lead from the animal. If they are looking stressed or anxious or are really misbehaving stop. There is generally a reason.

It took me about 2.5 months to back my horse from only ever having a head collar on to gently hacking out with me on her.

I introduced everything bit by bit and talked to her constantly. It might seem a long time to some people but I was left with a well adjusted horse who doesn’t get stressed or act up very often. She takes the lead from me and will attempt new things because I firmly believe she trusts me.

Make sure you are safe at all times and that someone is with you if necessary who is more knowledgeable but don’t be afraid and take the lead.There is no excuse when horse breaking to be cruel, and remember animals including horses are not born bad, they react to what we as humans do to them.

You can get more information and advice regarding horses at horse bits and pieces At horse bits and pieces you will find all the horse and rider equipment you will ever need.

Author: Rachel Harding
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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We all have those visions in our heads of the perfect horse. Maybe it’s a 16-hand palomino mare with a snip and two socks and a beautiful, wavy blond mane and tail. Maybe it’s a well-muscled solid black gelding with just the smallest of stars . . .

So why don’t we ever end up with it? Well, probably for good reason. Is it possible to find the perfect horse for you? You can certainly get darn close. But will he look like the vision you’ve carried in your head since childhood? Doubtful. If you want to find the right horse for you, you are going to have to do a lot more than go on looks alone.

Finding the right horse is hard. There are lots of horses out there for sale, and it’s not always easy to determine that a horse will fit your needs in the limited amount of time you spend considering him. However, if you follow a few simple rules you can make sure that the horse you end up buying is the right horse for you.

o Deal only with reputable sellers. Ask friends, family, and fellow riders for recommendations of good sellers to deal with. An honest, reliable seller will make a considerable difference in your horse buying experience.

o Determine your discipline. No matter how much you love the leggy Thoroughbred you saw last week, if your discipline of choice is barrel racing he might not be the best choice. Know what type of conformation and attitude suits the discipline you enjoy, and look only at like horses.

o Know your strengths and weaknesses. Your horse should make up for your deficiencies, and you should make up for his. For example, if you are a beginner rider, you are going to need an expert horse to show you the ropes. But if you are an expert rider, you might enjoy working with a green horse. Don’t forget to consider personality as well. If you are a timid rider, for example, you will do much better with a confident horse.

o Enlist the help of a knowledgeable friend. Sometimes you get so caught up one aspect of a horse–say his bloodlines–that you can’t see past it. A knowledgeable horse person–a friend, instructor, or trainer–will notice things that you don’t. It never hurts to have a few pair of eyes look a potential horse over.

o Ask lots of questions. Make a list of questions about behavior, performance, and health, and bring them with you when you visit the barn. If the owner declines to answer a question, consider it a red flag!

o Handle the horse yourself. Ask if you can groom the horse, handle him in crossties, load him on a trailer, or anything else you see yourself doing with the horse on a regular basis. Never buy a horse without knowing that you are comfortable handling him.

o Ask to see the horse ridden. Have the owner or trainer ride the horse before you do. That way you will be able to better gauge his performance level and potential.

o Take the horse for a test ride. You’ll want to do this at least once, preferably two or three times, to determine whether you like the way the horse goes. If you are an inexperienced rider having your trainer or riding instructor ride the horse will also give you a good sense of what your horse is capable of.

o Have the horse vet checked. If you love the horse and want to buy him, make sure that your contract stipulates that the horse must pass a vet check in order for the sale to be final.

o Ask the seller about a trial period. Some sellers, particularly those who are concerned that their horses go to the right buyers, allow a horse to be returned within a specific number of days if things don’t work out.

Good luck finding the perfect horse! And check out the great resources below for more information on equine information.

Hope that Helps..

Ron Petracek – Raised in southern Idaho, Ron loves horses and the outdoors. If you would like to join in and learn from the vast resources at our equine forum please visit http://www.horsechitchat.com Looking to buy sell or trade something equine realted? Just visit our huge network and get 12 sites for Free! Click here => http://www.Click4equine.com

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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