How To Feed A Thin Pony Through Winter Without Going Bankrupt

March 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

Come winter cut down on the pony riding and equestrian sports and focus on your horse’s feed—or how much she needs. Because when such seasons are near, you know your hard keepers are going to be harder to feed than they already are.

All horses are affected by a variety of emotional and physical factors—thin horses more so than others. Some of the more major contributing factors are teeth, calorie requirements parasites, and stress.

Recall if your pony has had a dental float during the course of her equestrian training during the last year. If not, then it is high time to go to the vet or equine dentist for a full check up and a float. Your horse’s teeth and whether or not they’re in good shape contributes considerably to how much good stuff she gets out of her feed.

And then there’s her basic calorie requirements. Dependent on the equestrian sport or activity you’re training her for, she’ll need basic calorie levels and you want to ensure she is getting it. Even basic horse riding has minimum calorie level. Of course, the horse’s condition in the difficult winter season also influences how many calories she needs—a horse who stays in a stall covered in a blanket all winter will need less quantities of calories in her diet than one living in a pasture or run. And colder weather conditions means more calories eaten up,

Run faecal analyses to check parasite levels. They obviously affect how much feed your horses can take in and really benefit from. Remember, some stomach bugs like tapeworms will not register on a fecal analysis, so take the initiative to consider upping the dose on particular dewormers that take care of these stomach bugs.

Just like humans, stress can actually shred a pony. And again, just like humans, horses can get stressed through diverse means. The mere physical stress through an injury, a complicated coaching procedure, or the harsh cold that winters can bring can be cruel. And then there’s emotional stress from incompatibility—the horses character being non-compatible with their environment or her equestrian sport, or being low in the hierarchy inside her herd.

Now if your mare checks out on all the factors mentioned above and you suspect it’s something else, then it may all come down to the particular feed. During the time you have been riding or training her you may have noticed that she’s either low or high in energy.

For thin horses with low energy levels, increasing the calorie count in her feed during cold seasons would help her add weight. Prefer energy giving corn and barley over oats, and use pelleted senior feed. Increase her feed’s grain content by a pound for each 100 pounds of body weight, be more generous if required. Also, if your mare can’t digest well, consider giving her whole food supplements loaded in acidophilus, bifidus, and enzymes that fortify stomach health and the good bacteria that flourish there.

If your thin horse has high energy levels on the other hand, then she is just losing weight through her activities and continuous horsing around—even through just her nerves. So your goal for her during tough cold seasons is to keep her relaxed and calm. Feeds should be rich in alfalfa and grass hay. Increase her calorie count and mix in probiotics into her feed which would help her stay calm. Omega sun enzyme is seen to definitely impact horse brainwaves and nerve systems.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats

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Your Pony Reads You Like A Book

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Is that horse bodywork convention coming up the month after next tempting you? Or maybe you are thinking of attending a tack fitting clinic? Or perhaps you are thinking of an animal communication workshop?

Well, you are on the right track. And here is the rider: beware!

Accept it or not, your horse knows when you have picked up some new thing that may better the standard of your horse’s life. Your pony is aware of exactly what it is that you have recently learned. Earlier, your pony could have been awfully tolerant of that ill-fitting saddle you kept torturing him with, but now, after the tack fitting clinic, he’s going to try to throw you off if you keep persisting with that saddle.

Your swaybacked mare, who used to trot up to you when you entered her pasture, will now kick up her heels and take off the other way, that is, if you’re not planning on doing bodywork right then.

And what price your show pony who dislikes his job but still excels at it? He is aware you attended an animal communication workshop and he’s aware you are paying little attention to his need for a change of career. He’s now waiting to teach you a lesson at the next horse show.

Is This All A Kind of Joke?

It is not, trust me. It is deplorable that so many horse owners have had to learn the hard way that their horses are telepathic. Your horse just knows what you know. As long as you were ignorant, he was willing to endure you, but the instant you learned something new that would improve his life, he is on to you, and he expects you to utilize your new information to his benefit. And that’s starting right now, without any further loss of time!

Be warned: just finding out about new aspects of helpful stuff like better horse health care, better pony feed and better horse management marks you out! Once you’ve traveled down that road, there is no coming back; it is a one-way street. Your horse will make damn sure of it! I have come across repeated examples of people that convey something to their animals and then failing to essentially do what they announced they would. They are facing the consequences: it could be the dog relieving himself on your carpet and telling you where you get off, or it could be your horse bucking you into orbit. If you neglect your animals, they are not going to excuse you.

I have had repeated occasion to have my lacks set straight by my horses. I recollect Marka, my first big-time jumper pony, used to be very easy-going and absolutely safe to ride when I first got him. We were ideal partners, winning all kinds of shows and championships around. I was sure Marka and I had the perfect chemistry. Actually , Marka was a cribber, and that often played havoc with his teeth, spine, and performance. I thought cribbing was bad, and tried everything I could to bring an end point to his cribbing. Nothing I attempted worked. That horse continued to crib, but he never had any bitterness that I kept trying to get him to stop.

Then I had a brainwave. I tried to reach out to him, to actually speak to him. I asked him just what could actually be done to stop him from cribbing. His answer was right on the spot: “Do I ask you to give up eating?” Reading closely, he was telling me that cribbing was as much part of him as his eyes, his ears and his legs.

Despite this, I did not give in on trying to get him to give up cribbing. It became plain straightaway that he was no longer indulgent. He started showing me his butt whenever I went to catch him, and continually damaged some part of his stall or some object there. His strongest sign of bitterness, though, was his new-found refusal to jump at the shows. He resisted all the attempts of my trainer and I to make him perform correctly. He refused to do so even on courses he used to have a liking for.

We went back for another session with the animal communicator. Marka was extremely unequivocal: “You want me to perform at the shows, let me crib.” Well, that was it “he had issued his ultimatum in a way that was unmistakable. We made a decision to let him crib without any more complaint, and was that a good thing. He started performing well again and more crucial, he started loving it again.

Marka is no longer with me. He now belongs to my previous coach. I’m told Marka has his own cribbing tree and he even has his very own gang of cribbing pals. It is rather a lovable gang of equine cribbers! They take turns cribbing. Marka sets the ball moving, then turns to one of his pals and announces, “You’re on dude, go ahead!” when the buddy is done with his cribbing, they both turn to a 3rd friend and let him know to get on with it. When every horse has had his turn, it’s back to Marka again. He is on one. Gigantic cribbing binge these days. He’s normally used to take novice kids and grown-ups through three foot courses. He has absolutely no problems with the world so long as it doesn’t interfere with his cribbing. His teeth may suck but it is worthwhile for him!

My experience with almost all of my horses “particularly my mustangs “has been pretty much the same. So long as you are an ignoramus, they’re reasonable and forgiving. As soon as you lose the bliss of ignorance, they stop forgetting and forgiving. They have memories that may challenge those of elephants. But they’re loyal to you if you’re understanding with them. Once you give them what they desire, they try to give you what you want: better rides, better performances.

I have tried to pass on an amicable caution thru this article to all pony lovers. Learn all the subtleties of correct pony medicare. Learn also to come to a compromise with your horse: they like a scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch yours arrangement. Don’t pay the penalty for being inflexible.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about cheap horse rugs

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Horse Racing Handicapping Angle Horses That Fade Now Going …

March 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

One of my favorite horse racing angles seems to defy logic.  In the world of betting on horse races and finding value in your wagers, however, you’ll find that if something is logical and seems to make a lot of sense, it is usually over bet.  When something is over bet, it means that the crowd has latched onto some piece of conventional wisdom and hammered so that even if the horse wins, it is a lousy bet over the long run.

An example of one of these horse racing “isms” that everybody and his brother seems to know is “Lone Early Speed in the Race.”  I’ll bet that as soon as you read that phrase you knew exactly what I was talking about.  It is one of those situations handicappers look for where only one horse has early speed and will easily make the top and win the race.  Everybody knows about it and when it occurs, it is usually bet down below fair value odds.

Fair value odds simply means that if you bet a horse under those conditions at those odds ten times you will lose money in the long run.  Let’s say you spend $10 per race for a total of $100, but the payoffs are so low that you only take back $90, you’ve lost money despite cashing tickets.  That is an example of a horse below fair value odds.

Sometimes you have to either sit a race out or go against the wisdom of the crowd.  Cases where you sit races out are typically where you don’t have a strong opinion about a horse and therefore don’t want to risk money on any of the runners.  Here is a bit of conventional horse racing handicapping wisdom that is still good no matter how many people know it, call it a principle of wagering.  If you don’t have a strong opinion about a race, don’t bet the race.

One bit of conventional wisdom that you can cash in on if you have the courage to go against the crowd and what seems to be common sense is the horse who faded in a race that is shorter than today’s event.  An example would be a horse who took the lead at the half mile marker in a $5,000 claiming event at six furlongs who is now in a $5,000 claiming race at a mile.  Obviously, if he couldn’t go three quarters of a mile without fading he certainly won’t be able to get a mile, right?  Well maybe, but not necessarily.

The problem is pace and how he handled it in the last race and what the pace of the race may be today.  If this is a horse that needs to settle and run off the pace and gradually make his move he may have expended too much energy in the earlier stages of that sprint and consequently burned himself out.  In a longer race where the pace may actually be slower and he may have time to get his stride and run his own race, that fader may actually hold on.  

Many people will be shaking their heads after the race when that type of horse wins, but if you’ve looked at the pace and determined the horse was used hard in the early part of that race and therefore compromised his chances of winning, you’ll be heading for the windows to cash your ticket.  Don’t just assume that a horse that faded in its last race can’t go a longer distance and be competitive.  Always look at the pace scenario of the race that any horse faded in and then make your decision about its chances today, no matter what the distance.

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Bill Peterson has 1 articles online

If you want to learn how a horse owner and insider handicaps just go to http://williewins.homestead.com/truecb.html and get the truth. Bill Peterson is a former horse race owner and professional handicapper. To see all Bill’s horse racing material go to Horse Racing Handicapping, Bill’s handicapping store.

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Horse Racing Handicapping Using Online Stable Reports

February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Many handicappers now use Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) services online.  They offer the convenience of wagering from home along with other attractive perks like free programs and even some bonuses for deposits.  Before signing up with an ADW, however, you should make sure that it is legal in the jurisdiction where you live and plan on using it.

One of the ADW capabilities that is often over looked is the stable report service that you can set up through your account.  We all know that it pays to follow jockeys, trainers, horses and to wager on them when the time is right.  That is one of the strengths of a stable report.  You can get an alert in your email everyday that lets you know when one of the horses or trainers you are following is racing.

How can this help you to make money betting on horses?  If you are handicapping horse races for a living, you know how difficult it is to keep up with all the information that is necessary in order to bet on the ones you are following.  If you start your morning with a report that alerts you to every race that might have a potential bet in it, then think of all the time that could save.

You can also keep notes on trainers.  I like to keep a few of the patterns that make me money with a particular trainer in the notes section.  Then, when I open the race with that information in front of me, I can see if that trainer is repeating one of the patterns with that runner.  I can also keep notes on a horse that had a bad trip and may improve.

One of the problems that we all face in the world of high tech handicapping is information overload.  While we may only rely on a few pieces of information to make a bet, the few pieces may change from bet to bet.  One wager may be based on a trainer racing a maiden off a good series of works and the next wager may be an older horse who had a bad trip last out but looks to improve with a better post and a little luck.

If you haven’t started using stable notes and reports I advise you to give it a try.  You can start slowly with just a few of your favorite trainers and work your way up as you find what works for you and what has the best value.

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Bill Peterson has 1 articles online

If you want to learn how a horse owner and insider handicaps just go to http://williewins.homestead.com/truecb.html and get the truth. Bill Peterson is a former horse race owner and professional handicapper. To see all Bill’s horse racing material go to Horse Racing Handicapping, Bill’s handicapping store.

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Three Winning Horse Racing Handicapping Tips

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season to get jolly and offer a few tips to people who handicap horse races and try to make some money for the holidays.  If you are one of those people trying to make money betting on horses you know just how hard it is.  If you are using a system, and still losing, you’re not alone.  Many people use a system and still lose, but trust me, they lose less than people who use no system at all.

Here are a few horse racing tips that may help you to tighten up that system and start to receive rather than give at the betting windows.

1. First and foremost of all, keep track of your bets, money, and progress at the races.  IF you really are serious about making a profit, then this is a job or business.  Would you run a business without keeping track of the cash?  Of course not, but yet many people who are normally quite responsible turn into giddy sailors on a spending spree when they get to the track.  Why do they do that?  Because some people who are feeling repressed think that the race track is a good place to just let go and have a good time.

If you are at the races strictly for fun and have budgeted some “mad” money to bet with, there is nothing wrong with gambling with that money.  On the other hand, if you are really trying to make money, then the opposite is true.  You should be keeping records so you know what works and where the money goes.

2. KISS – or keep it simple stupid.  Don’t think that the road to riches is exotic bets.  While the payoffs may be very enticing, if you can’t even win with a simple win bet, how will you ever win with an exotic bet with multiple legs or runners?  They are called gimmick bets by people who take the game of horse racing seriously.  Stick with simple bets and master them first.

3. You better shop around.  The difference between success and failure at the races may be as little as a few percentage points one way or the other.  Let’s imagine that two people are standing in front of you and you have to buy your wagering ticket from one or the other.  You have $100 to bet.  Person A tells you that she will charge you $10 for the bet so you will actually only have $90 left to bet with.

Person B tells you that she will charge you $15 to bet so you will only have $85 to bet with.  Which person would you place your bet with?  Obviously, it would be person A.  You will win more money with a $90 bet than with an $85 bet.  You do make that decision every day when you decide which tracks to play.  Some tracks, depending on the state where they are located, charge different percentages.  Shopping around can make a big difference.  Find out what the takeout is at the different tracks and take your business to the best one.

Just following these three simple guidelines will help you to lose less and win more.  If you’re using a good system, but still not quite making it, these tips may put you over the top and you may just realize your dream of making money at the races.

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Bill Peterson has 1 articles online

If you want to learn how a horse owner and insider handicaps just go to http://williewins.homestead.com/sharpshooter2.html and get the truth. Bill Peterson is a former horse race owner and professional handicapper. To see all Bill’s horse racing material go to Horse Racing Handicapping, Bill’s handicapping store.

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How To De-Worm Train Your Horses

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Deworming your horses can be tougher than training for Olympic equestrian events—but that’s only if you didn’t train your horses for the process. You can try and re-train them to accept the entire tribulation, but on the other hand it is usually better to start at the beginning. Anyhow, whether you’re just introducing the deworming practice or you’re attempting to get your mare to love it even just a touch more than before, there’s a straightforward coaching scheme you can employ.

If you’ve been training your mare for equestrian sport or merely good old horse riding, then this may be simple. Even if you have just started your partnership with your equine partner, if you believe you’re ready to introduce the deworming routine, then the steps of this should be 2nd nature. T

The steps are similar to those you would when you want to get your mare used to you touching her sensitive parts for cleaning or whatever. First, teach your horse to place her head in the right position thru pressure cues. Working in an enclosure with the bridle secured, manoeuvre your horse’s head to the correct elevation and make her move her head in front of you by applying gentle but firm force on the other side of her head where you would like her head to go. This process is tedious—she would probably resist at times , and put her head back where she wants it. Let her do so , but always reward her correct responses and release the pressure cue as quickly as she does it. Then, just patiently put her head back in place thru the pressure cue and release so she eventually understands you really desire her head where you’re leading it. Practice this on either side of her head and let her rest between tries.

Done successfully, this would teach your pony to lower her head when you place downward pressure between her ears and move her face towards you when you apply pressure on the side of her head turned way from you. Now you can introduce the dewormer syringe.

Just like when coaching your pony to let you touch and thus check and clean her mouth and teeth, patiently introduce the syringe. You can start rubbing it on her face where she permits then move on to her mouth and then on the side of her lips where it will be placed. Don’t forget to have patience and be rewarding of positive responses. If she’s already used to you putting your hand into her mouth, place it in the right spot (between the molars and incisors, the opening with no teeth) and try and stick your hand into her mouth careful not to get bitten—or being pulled in by her tongue and then bitten. When she tries to push your hand out using her tongue, take it and gradually set it on the side. After she’s used to the motions, introduce the empty syringe until she is ok with it.

Different horses have different temperaments, but most have certain preferences when it comes to taste. While there are dewormers that have flavours and using them is a smart idea, when training your horse to accept the method first, leave the dewormers out of the picture. Use the syringe to administer measures of her favourite syrup or baby food. Repeat this till she’s keen for the process. When she is administer the dewormer without hesitation. Then go with her favorite syrup again and return her to the process if the dewormer made her regress. You can let up on administering “fake” dewormers when there’re no detectable adverse reactions to the particular dewormer anymore. If you do this the proper way, you will not only have taught your horse to place her head where wanted to administer the dose, but you have also rid her of the averseness to the dewormer.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs

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Teaching Your Horse To Cross Obstacles

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Coaching your pony to cross over hurdles is best done in a managed environment with the least number of possible distractions. Horses are smart animals they can learn pretty quickly. Therein also lies a specific downside that may make coaching them more than challenging: smart animals have attitudes.

Horses would not be well placed to perform complicated and graceful Olympic equestrian manoeuvres if they were not smart. But ask anyone who’s trained a pony for dressage and did so successfully and they’d tell you one of the first hurdles they were forced to overcome was either subdue the proud animal’s attitude or meet it halfway, the latter more desirable than the former.

Your horse wants to get left alone while doing what’s required of her, although you unfortunately can’t just let her do that, unless you have already established thru a cue exactly what it is that you need her to do and how. You can teach her to place her feet where you need them, either whilst from the saddle or from the ground, but whatever cue you want her to be acquainted with, just do not forget to release her from it quickly after she responds in the correct way.

With no regard for the obstacle, you have to be decisive on precisely where you want her to cross. Being more exact helps to make it easier for her to grasp. The key thinking to remember is to always keep her eyes on that focus spot. Try applying your “go forward” cue and release her from it as fast as she responds.

If you’re focusing on the “go forward” cue, you will need to negate all other motions she tries while keeping both her eyes on the same spot as before. Move her back to the left if she moves to the right and vice versa. She’ll will keep moving her head away from the point of focus—just keep turning it back to the spot where you need her to cross. When you happen to spot her pawing or lowering her head, she’s pondering going forward, so apply your cue and reward her responsiveness if she does go forward.

When she reaches the obstacle, allow her curiosity to be satisfied by inspecting it. If the obstacle is water, just let her paw it; if it’s step ups, let her go a foot at a time; for crossovers, let her get a feel for it. The first “step” is always the most important, and if she successfully clears the obstacle then start over from the other side. Repeat till she crosses without delay to the opposite side and back. It’s advisable to work using an obstacle your pony would think she couldn’t cross in an area adequately large to make allowance for safe manoeuvring.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs

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Basic Pony Feeding Rules

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There is simply so very much more to training and raising horses than nice horse riding sessions and coaching for sport or shows. One important aspect of horse care away from the action and the glory but makes a contribution to it at once is horse feeding. Some basic guidelines to recollect that ought to be adhered to:

Check the weight of your horses. Feeding them properly comprises knowing how much your horses weigh. This should not be complicated: just use a horse weight tape to determine their heart girth.

Calculate the pounds of hay needed for your horses to remain healthy. A well-balanced equine diet is an essentially low grain % combined with high bulk %. It’s crucial to avoid feeding your horses grain too much. In general, the best feed diet is one and a half pounds of hay for every 100 pounds of horse weight.

Figure out the pounds of grain required too. Naturally, there are horses that don’t require any grain in their diets. In general, only horses doing regular heavy work or sport, young and growing horses, and lactating broodmares need the grain content. Ask your vet about how much grain is required for your steeds—remember though that particular grain have specific weight.

Don’t overfeed. A loving equestrian might easily become confused about how much her steeds are chewing, so aside from being a loving equestrian, be a responsible one too. And take care to lock away feeds—horses that make their way to the grain stash will eat up until they get colic or founder.

Don’t underfeed too. Obviously, this extreme is to be avoided too. Thin, feeble horses might not be getting enough nourishment. You could be either underfeeding her hay or grain, or underfeeding her nutrition.

Supplement. Always supplement any kind of diet and feeding regime with whole food supplements and necessary nutrients. You can opt to administer a home made recipe through a syringe, or just mix it into suitable amounts of feed. But the nutrient elements you supplement will rely upon the hay you’re feeding, as different forms of hay provide different amounts and kinds of nutrient elements, so it could be best to get the advice of your vet.

Ensure the presence of a fresh water source. Horses and humans have many things in common particularly when it comes to the physical structure of their bodies. And as people need lots of fresh, clean water, so do horses. There are numerous diseases that can result from not getting enough water, for example colic, loss of appetite, and more. For an equestrian living in regions where the climate always freezes water supplies, this job can be more daunting, and so is manifold more important.

These basic rules can be further expanded and extended, but it’s sufficient to not lose touch with their elementals. As an equestrian, your duties not only end with making a steed a safe mount for horse riding or teaching her maneuvers for sport and shows—you also must take care feeding her.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about cheap horse rugs

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How To Train Horses To Receive A Needle

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Horses, much like humans, are justifiably averse to getting any type of shot of any sort of drug or vitamin or whatever. Even those bred right from a domesticated environment will still react using an animal’s natural flight or fight reaction. Leave pony riding and equestrian training for a moment; and work on coaching your trusty steed to learn how to put up with injections.

Your mare may never like being pricked by that needle every time she needs a shot, but she’ll better handle it if you make the time to train her for it. Like in equestrian training and practicing difficult dressage routines, patience and praise will do wonders.

This coaching is a combination of pretending the motions of giving the shot, applying your usual pony praise after every improvement (even if the horse didn’t do anything but refrained from regressing). What you do is approach your mare much in the same way you would if you were giving her a shot. Remember to employ a snaffle bridle on her if a halter affords little control. Hold up a dummy syringe too—play the effect to the maximum for best results. Then you move to the spot where the shot goes, and pat the spot forcefully 2 times. Stop before she reacts (some react adversely even to motions suggesting that a shot is immanent), praise her, and walk a couple of steps away cueing for her to follow. Repeat the role play till you’re sure she is used to it on each side. After the pats comes the pinching. There might already be a negative reaction to just the action of pinching, so attempt to pinch really lightly at first and progress to firmer pinches at the horse’s pace. Try to break down the steps to the smallest parts feasible to stay safe—some equine patients would kick and buck at the ‘pats ‘ stage.

With the pinches, do the same thing. Pinch for a while, release, praise, and stroll off cueing her to follow. Pinch a bit longer, let go before she reacts, praise, walk away , have her follow. Pinch longer still, let go, praise, walk off have her follow. Sort of like teaching a dressage routine isn’t it? The same steps apply to the subsequent and most imperative part… the prick.

Simulating the prick is the final stage next to administering the shot. Try a toothpick or anything that will adequately prick the horse’s skin like a needle without piercing it. Naturally you’d first prick very lightly, then lightly, then strongly, then work on keeping the pricking sensation on her skin for longer, but never longer than a shot takes. Between pricks do not forget to praise, walk off and have her follow. Also, remember to do both sides of your mare. Regress to a comfortable stage if the horse reacts negatively before you could stop. Start over from that comfortable earier point.

You mimicked the motions of giving a shot so she would become used to them, did the do-this-and-praise routine so she’d become used to all of the step-by-step motions, and walked away each time to distract her from reacting further. By following these steps you can save both you and your pony from the hassles related to injections… aside from giving the shot itself. In fact , these steps apply to most routines in equestrian coaching and pony riding.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about horse rugs.

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Horse Coaching That Pays Dividends

February 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

Horse owners are faced with an unfortunate hurdle in the form of tight budgets. Since it’s all about being practical and saving as much as you can—even trained horses are not going to as many horse shows as they would before the financial crisis. So what do you do if your own a horse, still desire to become involved in horse riding, and still wish to do some equestrian training? Well, you circumvent the issue through improvisation.

A great way to know how best to improvise is to grasp what goes on in your locality, of course, in terms of horses and horse riding. Making an investment in training enables you to turn your mares into performers instead of just great steeds for pony riding and that is a fantastic outcome… particularly if it pays off handsomely. And that’s the reason why you have to know what’s going on in your area. Know what activities horses are most often utilized for within your immediate locality and train your horses for such activities. A mare that may perform what’s needed of it really is a sale waiting for a buyer. That’s one way to continue making profits from what you love doing.

As we are already discussing coaching horses for pony riding where horse riding is the norm and trail riding where trail riding is the norm and such like, you might find that some horse activities particularly in the Colorado region and other areas of similar topography often see riders on horseback roping and shooting. Now since we’re being practical and if that is what they do in your neighborhood, you’d still need to capitalize on that… but how?

Well, you can start training your studs and mares with lariats and pistols. You are not going to go off roping and shooting them, but doing equestrian coaching using those things as tools. Fundamentally, you are going to want to teach them to be safe mounts used to both tools being utilised by their riders.

Obviously, a horse that is comfortable with a rider swinging ropes around has selling value, especially in parts where roping is widespread. Ropes are not as imposing as a gunshot, but your horses may still have some unfavorable reactions to them.

Pistols, on the other hand, are totally unnatural and would be completely new—and traumatic—to your horse. That is why in parts of the country where hunters shoot off of their horses, training your equine friend to be a trustworthy mount that is used to pistols and shooting would make your horse real valuable property. But again, the difficulties arise in training them.

Training with lariat, and particularly pistols, are dangerous and could be completely new to you as well as your pony. So don’t hesitate to get pro help. But again, do what you can with what you have—barter with an equestrian who does roping and horseback shooting to get the best deal.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs

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