Pony Training Tack Tips

There are a fair number of horse riding and coaching tools and aids at an equestrian’s disposal—tacks that purport to be able to teach this and that. But an essential flaw in almost all of the concepts of horse tack training is that tacks employ generally discomfort, pain, and fear to teach and train horses—and these are not ideal teaching aids. Some tacks are best avoided, some may be used carefully or in proper measure.

Transition Curb Bits

Commonly known as Tom Thumbs and designed to transition from snaffle bit to leverage bit, this is not an effective bit to start neck-reining your pony with. Neck reining is best taught by teaching horses to connect their shoulders and respond to the snaffle. Right and left reins connects to the left and right shoulders respectively to move either. When your equine partner learns to master this, you then shift to the neck rein. Transition curb bits are best avoided altogether, because though they may in effect teach a horse the right way to neck rein, it’d be a unacceptable and stiff manoeuvre, somewhat unpleasant to the eyes even in a basic pony riding session.

Martingales

Built to hold the head of the horse in a preferential position vertically and laterally, the main trick behind a martingale is that it makes the bit uncomfortable, even agonizing, when your steed’s head is out of position. The martingale is the ultimate example of misguided equestrian practice. Discomfort and pain aren’t the best teachers of animals as wild and proud as horses. Bits can be handy when employed for the purpose of communication through applying correct levels of pressure where needed. The most significant difference between communication and using agony as a motivating force is that in communication the pony is released from the pressure and praised when she responds in the correct way.

Stopper

A stopper is another prime example of upsetting pony tack coaching. A tack that teaches a horse to stop to avoid getting it into her mouth, a stopper uses pain and agony in place of communication and the pressure-release-praise system. It’s very important for your horses to actively think about what you would like them to do, though not thru the inducement of escaping pain.

Snaffle bits

Meant to train horses to respond with a light touch of the reins; the difficulty is, again, it relies on misguided guidelines. Consider this: if the pony does not hear the snaffle cues, what would you do? You’d potentially find a tougher bit. And if she becomes used to that and begins to not listen again—another harsher bit? This possible cycle of pain and tolerance is not a good teaching method, and would eventually prove dangerous for the overall well being of your horses.

As you can see, there’s a need to apply tact when using your tacks, be it for training or horse riding, and particularly for equestrian sport. It’s the job of trainers and riders as equestrians to coach their horses, the tacks and tools should not do it for them.

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 blanket

When To Shoe Your Pony

While there are lots of angles to horse raising and coaching, one outwardly minor detail that will pose a large dilemma for horse owners and trainers is whether to let the steeds go shoeless or shod.

Leaving horses shoeless or having them shod both have their own benefits. Having the horses shod will protect the feet especially if the hoof gets worn quicker than it can get replaced. On the other hand, allowing horses to go shoeless will improve their overall hoof health. Being shoeless provides horses room for movement, growth, and circulation. The heels of the horse expand, the walls of the hooves thicken, and the depth of the soles grow deeper.

But you simply can’t settle on a whim. You must first know what’s going to be better for your horse, as is your responsibility as an equestrian. How are you to grasp that? Consider your mare and her condition: her workload, the environment she is in, the health of her feet. Putting these things into perspective will aid in making it simpler for you to decide whether it is better for your mare to put on shoes or go shoeless.

Take a look on your mare’s feet. Are the feet of top quality? Top-grade feet have solid heels with cup on the sole, thick walls that don’t have flares, and frogs free of any disease. Such feet can put on a shoe real well and can also go barefooted. You’ll know it when you are one of the lucky few who got a horse with such healthy feet. The telling signs are: you—well, your mare—hasn’t faced feet issues, like a fungal disease among others; your farrier gives a positive evaluation; and your mare’s feet displays the standard of healthy, solid feet, e.g, front and back are relatively even.

Checking the state of your mare’s feet is just the first step. You still need to mull over her environment—the kind of footing the horse has in the area where she lives and works—and her workload.

If the ground where your horse works is soft and non-abrasive, and her workload is low, (you do little more than enjoy basic horse riding), you can leave your horse without shoes. Then again, regardless of if your easy going horse riding is on rough terrain then your mare will be much better off being shod. If you’d like to promote the barefoot methodology, just take away the shoes in the months when your mare has no workload, say in the winter.

Other circumstances where it’s best to have your horse shod are: when she has got a navicular illness; is badly foundered; has sensitive feet like Thoroughbreds or have little hooves like a quarter horse, which sometimes can’t go without shoes; or if her feet has cracks, which if it’s the case, you will have to wait for the cracks to heel before it’s possible to show them again to being without shoes.

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 .

Pony Lungeing Techniques

A large amount of the basic danger that comes with horse riding rests in the bent of a horse to change from a meek temperament into an explosive one as fast as the rider saddles up. One effective method to get rid of constrained or excess energy that may all of a sudden burst forth from your horses when taking them out for a horse riding session is to longe them before actually riding them.

There’s a bit more to longeing horses than merely chasing them around a pen though. What you’d need as the equestrian is have your horse follow through the pressure off the longe line; ideally, you will be driving the horse in a position such that your body is behind her shoulder. Proper longeing is crucial to—so check if her nose is tipped to the direction she’s turning to, among other stuff. As for your role as the equestrian leading the longe, it is best to lead the horse through the longe using your right hand if you are going right and vice versa. While driving by standing behind her shoulder, use your free hand to lead. When you want your horse to slow to a stop, step in front of her shoulder where you are.

To make her change the direction she is going, just apply pressure to the halter utilizing the rope—pull using your opposite hand in the other direction. Don’t be deterred when your steed can’t seem to pull this off correctly. Many horses might find the process of turning to be challenging; there are some steeds that like going in one direction too much that they may even defy your cues and fight back when you’re attempting to lead them to switch directions. But with some patience and practice, plus an additional tap on the hindquarters with the rope’s end if needed, such horses would eventually be in a position to change directions smoothly and without incident.

When your horse is at a stage where she is quite happy with changing directions (in a round pen or corral) and you observe her anticipating your cues to do so , you can try to mix it up a bit and turn regularly in different directions within the round pen or small corral.

Naturally, don’t forget to praise your horse and give her a break she deserves when she is doing so well. After the break, drive her again and be more exhaustive this time. When it comes to longeing, there will be a time when you will not even feel a bit like you are actively driving your horses around the pen or corral anymore. You may observe them working round the pen with the tiniest of hints from you on where to go. This suggests that you don’t need to apply as much force or effort, but it’s best to remain an active participator in the longeing. Around ten or 15 minutes of longeing would mentally prepare and loosen up your steed for safe and correct horse riding.

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

Choosing A Horse Rug – What Are The Differences?

Horse rugs come in many different types, materials and thickness. The ideal situation would be to have a rug for each season but good quality rugs are rather expensive. Dependent on the horse’s wants such as breed, health, age, and coat thickness, a rug of appropriate insulating quality should be selected. The degree of heat insulation also is dependent upon the climatic conditions and the horse’s way of life. Other considerations are price, rug quality, frequency of use and whether the rug fits firmly on the animal without creating too much pressure and friction.

There are 5 common sorts of rugs: turnout, stable, summer, exercise, saddle and sweat rugs. There are fly sheets, exercise sheets and fleeces. Some come complete with a neck. Most have two straps to fit snugly and keep the rug in place. Some are waterproofed or chemically proofed for outside use. Others have linings with antistatic properties, insulation material like Thinsulate, or soft pads for the neck and chest areas. Others are tear-resistant and can be machine washable.

A stabled or exhibiting horse such as a Thoroughbred has a thinner coat and must be kept warm in winter. A horse with a naturally thicker coat and more fat will not need as much warmth and protection in winter. Horses that take part in exhibitions and competitions need exercise rugs, fleeces and sweat rugs or coolers.

The turnout rug is most generally used as it comes in different thickness or weight. It should be adequately heavy to protect and keep the horse warm although not too warm for comfort. These rugs used to be waterproofed cotton canvas for outside use but now there are several other materials to make a choice from like cotton canvas with polyester fibres and nylon.

Stable rugs are lined with insulation and used to keep the horse warm at night inside the stable. There are wicking, dust-repellent, strain resistant, antistatic and easy-clean rugs for stable use. Some have nylon linings with pads around the neck and chest areas. A fleece, blanket or quilted lining may also be used under a stable rug.

Consideration should be given to whether antiseptic properties are desirable. Type and thickness of insulation will change dependent on the horse’s needs. Breathable rugs allow sweat to dissipate and make the horse more comfy as well as keep it healthy. Sweat rugs are critical for exhibiting and competition horses to avoid over-heating. A rug’s anti-friction properties help to slide the rug easily onto the shoulder and chest areas not rubbing unduly the horse’s coat. Hooks, loops, buckles, straps and attachments should be powerful and easy to open and shut.

One can be overwhelmed with the enormous quantity of selection options for horse rugs. It is generally recommended that horse owners or their caretakers find the advice of experienced equestrian tack shops to find the most appropriate rug for their mount, with the best quality at an affordable price.

Anna Sola is an established article author publishing articles on a wide selection of subjects including travel sport and medical subjects. Townend Online is an equestrian clothing and tack shop for all competitive riders stocking a variety of Bucas rugs and other expert equestrian equipment.

Are You Ready To Up Grade Your Pony

In the course of a collaboration between equestrian and pony, there comes a time when the rider inadvertently outgrows his steed. This will mean a variety of things, and not just that the equestrian has grown in physical proportions to be too heavy or to cumbersome on his pony. Here are three questions you should ask yourself to discern whether the time’s come to part with one mare and move on to another:

Is your horse easily and comfortably able to carry your weight? This question is more about the physical size of the rider in contrast with his steed. If in normal horse riding sessions your mare is unable able to carry you around, then it’s time to move on to a bigger pony. If during jumping over rails your feet hit the obstacles, then it’s pretty much certainly that the requirement for a larger steed is a pressing one.

Is your horse’s size in contrast to your size a factor that is having an effect on the sport or show you need to take part in? Obviously, this question is for the equestrian actively taking part in sport or shows. Depending on the sport or activity, how you look on your horse may have an impact on the result. There are sports like endurance riding, Western riding, and competitive trail riding that focus mainly on how well your horse carries you and not how good you look. But when taking part in shows or sport where you’re not sure if the size factor counts toward your accomplishments, be at liberty to ask a judge, an expert, or any esteemed equestrian well-oriented in that particular discipline if your rider to pony proportion can indeed affect the result of the show or competition.

Is the horse you are currently riding the best match for you as an equestrian and rider? Occasionally it isn’t that you are too big or too tall, it is not even that your steed to rider proportions are affecting shows and sport—sometimes it’s just time to bid a steed farewell and move on to another to enhance your level of horse riding skill.

If a certain steed can only take you so far, then it’s totally OK to move on to a pony with higher level abilities and more talent. A mare OK for horse riding might not have what is needed to challenge in dressage events. Dressage and other higher level sport require a stud or mare to be terribly gifted from the “get-go”, and some equine partners just can’t cut it.

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

How To Stop A Horse From Jigging On Trail

Are your horses jigging on trail? Horses wait for your cue to determine what action they should perform next, and when they are not used to your cue, then comes the jigging. Baptism by fire won’t do; the best way around the problem is to work on their coaching at home first by building your cues and make sure that your horse is reactive to them.

Here is a straightforward method of equestrian training to get your horse to be right on cue, as it were. Employ a round pen of approximately 60′. In this round pen, use your rein and seat position as training cuess for your horse to either increase or decrease their gait speed.

It’s simpler if you commence with a trot on a loose rein: Shift yourself to a two point seat position and let your hand go as far up the horse’s neck being careful not to get your face in front of or over the pommel. Use your established cue (voice, or leg) to tell your horse to go faster without changing gait. Keep her at this pace till you are feeling she is ready to slow down. When you think she’s thinking of letting up, sit back down and remove your hand from its position on her neck. If she slows, good—praise her. Otherwise, resume your 2 point position and push your hand up her neck again and give her your cue to accelerate like before. If she breaks gait turn her head towards the railing and change direction utilizing the rail to help turn her. Get her used to breaking down gait when you sit right down and start changing direction you wish to establish this as a definite stop.

You’ll have to have patience with the procedure , and at first there won’t be any remarkable changes. You can expect some degree of understanding in your horse after roughly 20 minutes of work. But like plenty of other methods of equestrian coaching, once your horse tires out, the routine will start sinking in more and you will be able to see excellent results. Keep on applying this type of coaching for a couple of days dependent on the horse you are training till you get both a strong trot and a slow one. You know you have won when there’s a larger spread of gait speed at your immediate command.

Back on the trail, rein in as much as your are able to. If she breaks gait, just do as you did in the pen: turn her back and tell her to resume the gait you started with. If in case she breaks gait again, just repeat what you trained for. Soon enough she’ll stay on your preferred gait. A note of caution though: going out with a huge group right after training would put a lot of pressure on your horse, so try the trail on your own first or with someone who can wait for you to catch up.

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

Stress Free Actions Result In Successful Pony Riding Outcomes

Even nature-loving positive horse rider can find one or two things in life to get worried about or pressured over. The thing is, it isn’t only detrimental to their health it is also negative to their relationship with their horses. The problem seems to lie in the way adults take negative things and dwell on them even unconsciously, and so stressful issues are always at the back of our minds and though not actively having an effect on our activities, are still seeping stress into our system. Think about it: as youngsters when we were just dreaming up cowboy and cowgirl fantasies without even knowing a thing about horse riding or equestrian sport, we were carefree and unburdened. No nerve-wrangling tensions limiting our physical and mental capacities and as a result, we not only enjoyed life for what it was but were more subject to learning and broadening horizons.

But the effects of stress on an equestrian aren’t restricted to just her capability to learn new dressage coaching regimens or a whole different line of equestrian sport. Where as a child first seeing the wonders of Olympic sport as stunning as dressage she dreamed of taking part in it, today she dreads the thought of the rigorous coaching it entails.

The point is well established and generally known, but a resolution to that difficulty isn’t easily available to many. To an equestrian the way stressful factors affect her personality and thus her disposition when horse riding or coaching can influence how well—or in this example how badly—she performs. Not only that, but since as a horse and rider tandam the equestrian should be able to flow with her steed and vice versa, the pony she rides would be influenced negatively by all the stored up stress in the rider’s body. Not a lot of people know the way to get shot of their stress, but there are powerful methods to.

The importance of ridding yourself of negative stress can be exemplified by how smooth and nice a horse riding or training program goes with your equine partner. Horses teamed up with their own riders are reliant herd members with the riders as their leaders. They look to the leader for support and direction. If the leader’s grouchy as can be attested to by his temperament or his bodily motions or tensions, then the horse following her would probably develop a similar temperament or disposition, or at a minimum respond in a similarly unfavourable way.

The better you influence your body to release unnecessary stress, the better you will be able to find your centre, achieve your balance, relax, and unreservedly influence and control your mount. Similarly, less stress means less resistance, and the less resistance there is in a partnering between horses and riders, the better and longer the sound relationship lasts. Resistance in a partnership is like having a single body fight itself. It’s downright hard on the physical faculties and counter productive particularly coaching. Remember how sensitive a horse is, and by doing so realize just how important it is to get rid of your stress for both you and your pony.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like things about barrel saddles for sale

2012 Breeders' Cup – Horse Racing's Premier Event, Expected to be …

Santa Anita Park appears to have landed the 2012 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. This will be the third time in five years that Santa Anita will play host to racing’s championship series, the last hosting being in 2008 and 2009. This will be the sixth time in Breeders’ Cup history that Santa Anita will play host to the coveted event.

In addition to Santa Anita, both Churchill Downs and Belmont Park had been finalists for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup.

One factor that may have worked in Santa Anita’s favor is that Greg Avioli, who is the former Breeders’ Cup CEO is now the CEO of Stronach Entertainment which runs Santa Anita Park among others.

Avioli said that many consider the 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cup hosted by Santa Anita to be among the best ever held. In fact, after Zenyatta won the Classic in 2009 in front of a packed house, many said that what they witnessed was the best moment in racing of their lives.

Another factor might have been that when the event has been held at Santa Anita, it has generally been successful, so why mess with a formula that has worked before?

No comment was forthcoming from the Breeders’ Cup organization itself

The Breeders’ Cup this year will be held on November 4th and 5th at Churchill Downs, which will be the second consecutive year in which the event has been held there. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup seven times already.

Though no formal announcement has yet been made, invitations to an event in downtown Los Angeles sent out Tuesday read: “Please join the Breeders’ Cup and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a luncheon and special announcement.” One need not be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that Santa Anita Park will likely be the venue for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup.

Some had concerns about Santa Anita’s main dirt track, however it was just renovated again and recently re-opened to generally positive reviews.

Reports are that Frank Stronach who heads the Stronach Group, which controls Santa Anita Park believes a Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita would be great for California racing.

Other factors must be taken into account when deciding who to award the Breeders’ Cup to, including venue size, the ability to handle an international group of horses, and of course the surrounding accommodations.

The 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cups at Santa Anita generated approximately $60 million in revenue to the Los Angeles area in those two years, according to Breeders’ Cup officials.

In addition, the influx of visitors over the two-day event contributed roughly $20,000 to the coffers of Arcadia, the city in which Santa Anita Park is located. This came as sales tax as well as thousands more in hotel bed tax.

Over the years there have been many great Breeders’ Cup races. Imagine being able to relive some of the best Breeders’ Cup championship races over and over again and watch how different pace scenarios and jockey strategies return different results.

At horseracegame.com, you can have access to over 100 of the best Breeders’ Cup championship races ever run in a simulated virtual format. You can jockey any contender you want or you can set up the race by assigning different pace instructions to each horse to see how the virtual simulation compares to the actual results.

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Lee Lane-Edgar has 234 articles online

An ardent fan of horse racing for years, I am extremely passionate about writing articles on adventurous topics on the lines of new developments in sports, online games as well as other fields. You can find articles regarding Horse racing industries and interesting facts about the understanding of online horse racing games. To know more about horse racing games online and related information log on to www.horseracegame.com.

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DarinSewe has 1 articles online

Another Find Thoroughbred Horse Racing Fantasy Offers – Curlin

Timeform awarded him a rating of 134, declaring him the best racehorse in the whole equestrian fraternity. With some amazing performances and victories under his belt, he indeed was one of the selected few to qualify for the ‘best’; this was Curlin, a horse remembered for his exceptional display of intelligent racing and incredible endurance. Curlin was the ‘dirt’ God.

Curlin derived his lineage from the best in business racehorses. While his sire was Smart Strike, a former Canadian star, his maternal grand sire was Deputy Minister. Amidst numerous lawsuits the ownership of Curlin became quite a challenging decision but all issues resolved, Curlin became a property of Stonestreet Stables and Midnight Cry Stables. He was assigned to Steve Asmussen and Helen Pits for training.

The second year season for the chestnut colt went unnoticed and barren with no starts. Curlin made his maiden run wen he was three years old at a 7 furlong race winning it by 12 ¾ lengths, the race held at GulfStream Park was a milestone race after which his seasoning was given away to Steve completely. Curlin made his next winning start in the Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakes, both ridden by jockey Robby Albarado.

Curlin’s connections decided to participate in the Derby as their next target making him the only horse with just three prior starts to contend for the race since 1915. Curlin closed a fine third to Street Sense and Hard Spun despite only three prior starts. His next start in the 132nd Preakness became one of his most thrilling performances where he chased down the race lead Street Sense in the last furlong finishing the race in 1:53.46. He had tied track records, one that also belonged to Secretariat.

He was however once again defeated in the next Triple Crown leg when the fierce filly Rags to Riches raced him down to win by a neck beating a record of 102 years at the Belmont Stakes.

Curlin closed third in the Haskell Invitational but successfully closed the Jockey Club Gold Cup beating Lawyer Ron earning a Bayer Speed Figure of 114 and a fixed position for contention in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. In the Breeder’s Cup Classic that followed soon after on October 27th 2007, Curlin overtook the race lead Hard Spun drawing himself farther awar from the pacesetter and bringing him to close the finish in a lead of 4 ¾ lengths.

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Lee Lane-Edgar has 234 articles online

An ardent fan of horse racing for years, I am extremely passionate about writing articles on adventurous topics on the lines of new developments in sports, online games as well as other fields. You can find articles regarding Horse racing industries and interesting facts about the understanding of downloadable racing games for free . To know more about horse racing games online and related information log on to www.horseracegame.com