Be Alert To Horse Navicular Disease

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The term navicular bone describes a smallish smooth bone shaped like a pyramid sited deep inside a horse’s foot. It fundamentally functions as a pulley over which tendons have smooth play. A horse develops navicular illness when the little navicular bone loses its smoothless. Tendons are not in a position to pass over smoothly, and the resulting friction can cause significant pain to the horse. It is bizarre that the definite cause or set of causes that trigger this condition haven’t been identified.

Navidular disease conditions worsen as time goes by, and unfortunately a sure treatment for this affliction still has to be found. If the condition is spotted at its terribly early stages, the agony caused to the horse can be relieved by utilizing pain relievers and bute. Special shoes are also of real help in alleviating the condition, as I can confirm by dint of personal experience. Inexorably, though, the condition gets worse and shortly the afflicted horse can no longer be ridden. It becomes a stable and pasture decoration piece.

There is evidence that horses with heavy bodies and small feet are most at the mercy of navicular illness. Characteristic horse breeds are paints, some quarter horses and appaloosas breds with little feet. There is one criterion that you must stick to when purchasing a horse: make sure he has massive feet.

Navicular disease is very commonplace among horses of the breeds discussed a couple of sentences earier, particularly those that lead a relatively inactive lifestyle. Contrarily, the condition also appears in horses that are ridden hard in events like hunter jumping. Occasionally, horses appear to develop the condition for no identifiable reason.

Your best chance is to be in a condition of constant alert regarding the condition of your horses’ feet. A horse’s feet are potentially the most delicate part of him, and you need to ensure they’re always maintained in the top of condition.

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 professional choice

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Understanding Horse Social Structure

April 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

In my early days, I was frequently told that horses are herd animals and had a rigid order based primarily on strength, which suggested the strongest horse bossed round the rest. I now know, after a life spent with horses, that they’ve got a social structure, nevertheless it is definitely not primarily based on fear. Neither is the head horse always at the front of the herd. Horses in a herd are basically terribly protective of each other, as is abundantly demonstrated when a mare gives birth: she’s surrounded during the process and care of her new born foal is looked on as the entire herd’s responsibility.

The head pony reaches his or her station through respect earned the tough way, by acing practical tests in the herd’s life. Some tests were planned, but most were not , and the head pony was certainly the one that handled tough’s scenarios best.

There were similar strategies used to allot a place to each member of the herd. I haven’t seen horses rebel or luxuriate in trade unionism, so I presume each horse was fine with his or her place in the herd.

I also realized that this was less complicated to cope with horses if you appealed to their entrenched herd instincts. These instincts are robust, because they are part of equine evolution.

When you train a pony, you either let it control or you rule. While you strive for a relationship of equals, one entity has to be more equal. When you establish yourself as the more equal party, you are pretty much taking the place of the herd leader, and the horse begins to offer you its trust and obedience. You can’t achieve trust through bullying or a punishment-oriented approach. Things work much better with a reward-based approach that doesn’t compromise on your (subtle) predomination. At times of emergency, the herd leader or some other dominant horse takes the lead, and the rest follow with total and unquestioning trust. That is the sort of trust you would like to earn.

Clearly, you do need to know your horses. Like human youngsters, they come in all types: compliant and rebellious, dominant and meek, inquisitive and unquestioning. Again like with human kids, if you dig deep into it you’ll find that horses respond to the treatment they receive. With patience , you can work nearly any pony into line. Their herd instincts are far stronger than their sense of individualism.

Just remember: horses think along straight lines. When you teach them something, they don’t forget, so long as they’re not confused by contrary instructions later on. Horses aren’t capable of the kind of multidirectional thinking human beings are. Horses can’t reason the way we can. Thus, it is down to you to initiate relationships: you’ve got to reach out to the pony because you cannot expect it to relate to you mentally. Put simply, you adapt yourself to thinking along one direction, like a pony.

You are literally capable of joining its herd, but it isn’t capable of joining yours.

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 mini chaps

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Your Pony Grooming Kit

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There are not many horse-related activities as nice as grooming horses on an excellent sunny day, especially if you have an extensive collection of apparatus for grooming. If there’s any downside, it is the dust and the summer season’s beginning malting coat, but all that is of no significance after you get to see your horse’s summer coat come through in shining triumph, shimmering with vigour and health.

A grooming kit for summer must include these essentials: shampoo, sponges and fly sprays. For whatever purpose: washing the pony down after a good afternoon run or giving him a full-on bath so he will sparkle for an outing, shampoo and sponges are indispensable summer accessories. In winter, when it is too cold for a full bath, they may also be used to get shot of stable stains. Make sure your grooming accessories include tail and mane conditioners and coat shines, which make the ideal material for getting your horse to look spanking clean. Use them as a post-bath spray to give him an additional sheen. To top it all off, apply fly spray all over so your pony is clean, good looking and cosy too. That should leave you both content. To protect against allergies, always test out new lotions, creams, sprays and potions on a little patch of skin and keep a look out for allergic reactions.

Other must equipment that your grooming set should include are a mane comb and a small pair of scissors. A pulling brush is useful for trimming, as it is handy enough to reach nooks that are normally hard to get to. At the beginning of the season, almost all of your horse’s hair should have been taken off with clippers. Unless your horse is very hairy, a brush and scissors are ideal for constant trimming of straggly hair growth on areas like the fetlocks and moustaches.

We haven’t finished with your grooming kit yet. Other can’t-do-without stuff your kit should have are quarter markers, plaiting bands, wipes and stable rubbers. While a lot relies upon the kind of pony you own, getting a horse groomed before a show needs these things for that incredible look. Horses are scared travellers, and never cease to surprise their owners with how much muck they can generate even after short journeys in trailers. That’s why wipes are absolutely essential. It is easy to get a neat job done with wet wipes, which are also handy for cleaning out and shining up areas round the nose and eyes. For hygiene’s sake, you ought to use separate wet wipes on each area.

Think about every viewpoint when you start a list of the grooming accessories you want to procure. It may be sensible to have separate kits for competition grooming and for yard grooming. The competition kit should be renewed with any products that are getting ready to finish or wear out before it can become unusable. It is better to have extras and be rather safe than regretful, because there is nothing so deflating as finding out you are short of something at a competition. When your grooming kits are complete, and your grooming efforts have borne fruit, take a while off to enjoy feasting your eyes on your stunning equines!

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 western show clothes

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Ponies And Their Social Sensibilities

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

You can try to get a pony to adjust to your own social sensibilities, and you will fail. You can make attempts to adjust yourself to the horse’s own in-built social senses, and you will succeed.

I have earlier discussed horse herd patterns: the leader of the pack could not always be the strongest horse. The strongest horse is the one which takes charge in emergencies. The leader keeps social decorum intact.

Equine social structures have developed from the need for herd protection and preservation. The structure suggests that all horses are equal and so the actions of one can have repercussions on all. It also suggests that all are responsible for protection of each member, as can be seen when members of the herd encircle a foaling mare to permit her free space and protect her when she at peak vulnerability.

You work to get yourself accepted inside this structure. You will get nowhere if you attempt to break this structure, not necessarily physically, but from the perspective of equine perception.

Consistency of procedure is also key to acceptance. Just consider the straightforward, regular act of cleaning your horse’s feet: you will do better if you always stick to the same sequence for the four feet. Gentleness, of course, is a definite prerequisite, since horses are sensitive to touch and its intended messages.

Sometimes, it is up to you to make the first move. As a stranger to you, a horse isn’t going to come up and ask to be ridden, or to be trained. You take the initiative. Horses are curious, and they may also be sneaky in a manner of speaking. Your pony will test you, initially with light instances of insubordination. If you don’t pay attention to these instances, you pay the penalty. You get no respect. If you put your foot down and make it clear you’ll put up with no nonsense, you’ll do better. Horses can be gracious losers, and your pony is willing to live with the undeniable fact that his attempts to defeat you failed.

Consider one thing, though: you’ll never really get a horse’s esteem if you resort to physical punishments for transgressions.

When you handle him right, he will actually go the other way, accepting you as the superior. But that recognition incorporates its own load of responsibility. When you establish your domination over a pony, you are accepting responsibility for his health and well-being, for his security and contentment. Once a horse accepts you as the chief, he expects you to resolve all of his problems. That’s his herd instincts kicking in.

Rearing a pony is not different from rearing kids at home. Give them what they desire inside reasonable limitations, but confirm they know their place, ensure they know who runs the show. Reward them for doing things right, and punish them for doing things wrong. Remember: punishment is not always a physical act. Getting your kid or your pony to do something over and over again until she or he gets it right is in itself a form of punishment.

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 country supply

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Lunging Is An Essential Part Of Pony Training

April 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Lunging is a very necessary part of horse coaching. It assists in improving smoothness of motion and coordination irrespective of the discipline and may also be used to take the sting off an over fresh horse.

Lunging enables the coach to make critical assessments about whether a horse is ready psychologically and physically to go a higher level of training. Lunging enables your pony to master the practice of correct pressure regarding the reins and head control, and also to gain command over the various gaits , as well as commands like “whoa”. You’ll become consciously aware of the fact that “whoa” is one command that it’s mandatory for each horse to appreciate and obey.

When you are engaged with lunging, ideally you should use a rope of about 12 feet long. You may have a longer rope if you like more distance. You use the lunge to coach your horse in gaits like the trot and the canter.

The Lunge

You need to make certain you are operating on a level friendly surface. Uneven surfaces can wreak havoc with the tendons and ligaments in your horse’s legs. Round pens are appropriate if they’re roomy enough.

Before moving on with the training, get your pony into a good mood. He’s not going to be particularly responsive if he is despondent or irritated by or frightened of something. You should sweeten him up with a little bit of rubbing down and sweet talk. It’s fine to use tools that will help you conserve your energy while improving your capability to exert pressure. Never punish your horse physically. Avoid even screaming at him cruelly. There are other better ways of correcting him if he is going wrong. You must maintain the best of rapport with your pony to get him to absorb the training well.

Just a note: you shouldn’t be training your pony in lunging if you are not prepared for it.

Start your training by getting your pony to start moving. Let him go round in circles while you hold the rope slackly. Project your energy behind your pony to keep him moving forward.

If your horse is moving too quickly, take a couple of deep and slow breaths and ease off on the rope so he slows down. Occasionally your horse can act a bit bone headed and take his time about stopping. Use the rope with a touch more aggression, if necessary. Your training is meant to make your pony sensitive to the tiniest bit of pressure. You may have to drop your whip once in a while to get your pony to stop.

Move your horse clockwise and then ant-clockwise. Bring a halt to events by pulling in your pony toward you at the centre.

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 western clothes

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Why Have Pony Training Goals

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In any sort of coaching endeavour, the exercises involved must be designed around a group of goals. Every piece of training must have a required result that’s to be attained. This truth is no less pertinent for the coaching of horses.

I like it the way a buddy puts it. This buddy, the world’s pre-eminent author on training, claims that “If you do not know where you are going, you never will know when you get there”. I find a great illustration of the reality behind this statement in the history of America. Going west was a dream for hundreds of thousands of people that basically had no clue where they were going. They were going west because they were seeking greener pastures, but they actually did not know what they would find and where they might find it. Many of them settled down because they found what appeared to be ideal spots, a few of them set down roots because they became incapable of proceeding any farther and a few of them decided on California as that was as far as “west” would go.

It continues to amaze me that so many folk begin to train their horses without clearly defined objectives. What is rather more superb is that a large amount of pro trainers are guilty of this oversight. They just do not seem to be aware of the potentially serious results their approaches can have.

You really need to have your training aims clearly set in 3 categories: the required end result; the factors for deciding when the result has been achieved; and the conditions that should prevail when the result has been achieved.

Let me give you a clearer picture.

When we discuss desired end results, we are talking about objectives like, say, a horse loading into a trailer without trepidation. When this is the objective, the pony is trained to get over its nervous tension about getting into trailers and accepting trailers as being harmless conveniences. The final result is accomplished when the pony loads without demur and without pushing and prodding.

The desired factors that have to be met include the horse loading without demur, without pushing and prodding, and without jumping or hustling into the trailer. Associated criteria would include the pony getting into the trailer with the lead rope tied at the neck, simply responding to a verbal cue. Obviously, you would have different criteria for different training exercises.

We now come to prevailing conditions. The quality of a performance can be contaminated or boosted by a set of abnormal circumstances. Taking the example of the horse loading into the trailer, is he doing it just when there is not any distraction. Is he capable of doing it when other horses around are showing laborious objection to loading, say after a show has ended? Is he equally at home with an open stock type trailer of 16 feet and a smaller trailer for 2 horses?

Obviously, you are covering all grounds when you know beforehand what the perfect end results which you desire are, what the ideal criteria are that decide their quality and what the perfect circumstances are that determine their effectiveness. That way, you can finely tune your training to just the sort of end results which you desire.

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 circle y saddles

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Showing Your Pony In A Hunter Event

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One very fashionable event at horse shows is the Hunter Under Saddle. While these events are possibly most widely seen in Northeast America, you can see them at other parts of the country and the world too. Irrespective of your horse’s breed and your level of participation, judges are alert to certain indicators. These are some revelations for you.

The perfect hunter shows perfect manners, pliability, quality of motion and correctness in function. Hunters must be eminently acceptable for the purpose, which suggests they ride the fields and cover enormous territory with little effort. An ideal hunter’s stride is long and low. He reaches ahead with ease and grace. The rider should be able to reduce or lengthen the horse’s stride when necessary. The pony must move unreservedly and with smooth-flow thru all the gaits. 2 of the largest scoring elements as far as judges are concerned are movement quality and gait consistency.

Hunters should exhibit obedience. They ought to be bright and alert of countenance, and react to the lightest of hand or leg contact. They should be able to transition between different gaits effortlessly. When they are required to extend trots or canter, it should be done smoothly, with the flow of motion that characterizes the other gaits. The horses poll should be level or merely above its withers. Judges penalise for polls held lower than the withers. The head should be held in a position of vertical or just a bit forward of vertical.

There are penalties if the hunter is on a wrong lead leg while cantering or the rider is on at a wrong diagonal while trotting. The hunter will also be penalised if he is taking short, quick steps or exhibits too much knee action. He faces penalization also if he is too swift or too slow, though most judges are courteous of every horse’s need to run at the pace that it finds most comfortable. Judges don’t require disproportionate canters, nor do they want exhibitors getting all nervous about passing. When you are passing a fifteen-hand pony on a seventeen-hand horse, you’ve got to do so at a canter. Horses are also penalized if they fail to tame the gait on cue or if the break the gait regularly.

Hunters also pay a penalty for head carriages that are too low or too high, and for intolerably flexing or nosing out. The rider needs to maintain contact with his horse’s mouth, since he has to ride the horse in-hand. Tossing of the head and constantly showing too far off the rail are also penalised.

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 horse riding clothes

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Show Jackets For Your Horse Discipline

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When you procure a new show jacket, you are laying down a large investment for a top notch item of accoutrement that you expect will serve you faithfully and usefully for a long period of time. If you’re purchasing one for the first time, you can face a large range of likely products and that can leave you in total uncertainty about what exactly is best for you.

Riding jackets of dark colors are suitable for you when you’re a competitor in dressage events. You are allowed to sport a tweed coat if you’re not above the Advanced Medium class (a black or navy blue jacket would be best if your need is for a specific discipline). While details of rules may differ to a tiny extent between various ruling bodies, the essential necessities are pretty much the same. A tail coat is best for Advanced tests, but as this is a somewhat specialised requirement, it may need some consideration before you invest. Obviously, your largest obsession should be with getting a jacket that is of the perfect fit for you, every brand has its own kind of individual fit, and you want something you look good in and feel confident wearing.

The rules are similar for show jumping: the best jacket would be short and dark in color; tweed coats are also accepted. There are some fascinating more recent innovations like riding jackets with zips on the front made of some breathing water-proof fabric. These innovations are satisfactory in some show jumping events only. Though traditionalists consider these new jacket types not nearly as smart or suitable as traditional jackets, they have become highly regarded with professionals because they are eminently suited for high performance. Some places have strict rules about logos and sponsor’s decals on the jackets, but in the main, these rules customarily target semi-professional riders and do not apply to the non-professional rider of leisure. Jacket rules for the dressage and show jump disciplines have their own conditions, for reasons of practicality.

In showing events, jackets can be changed. What you wear will often depend on the class you participate in, the horse type you’ll be showing, and your country of origin. I have noticed that usually, black show jackets aren’t in favour, while navy blue appear to be fine for women on show ponies. So far as the rest are concerned and especially for local types and working hunters, tweed coats are suitable. While tweed coats can be found in a wide variety of colours and designs, you would like something that’s not too loud, so that it becomes versatile and you can use it for more than one discipline. One of the greatest selections would be a subdued tweed jacket with subtle stripes in a colour that matches the color of your tie or the band on your horse’s brow, so that you can achieve a pleasant coordination with your pony.

While this article has debated almost all of the larger disciplines that necessitate your wearing a riding jacket, you may run into other occasions when you are required to wear such a jacket. This is also the case when you are involved with disciplines that aren’t so well recognized. When you are in doubt, take it up with the governing body of the event or take a look at their rulebook. For all-around use and when you’re competing for sheer fun, it could be best for you to choose a straightforward navy or black show jacket. These jackets are flexible and draw no raised eyebrows at the lower tiers of the majority of the disciplines.

And before we wrap up: you fairly obviously must take your own personal tastes and budget into account. This suggests that before you step out on your trip, you make very sure of what you are out to get and how much you are prepared to spend on it. You should never only be exceedingly comfortable in your new jacket, you have to also feel and look confident in it. It is in the nature of equine events that looks must complement functionality.

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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How To Consistently Have Your Horse’s Work At Your Pace

April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ever come across horses that have some type of itch to be at the front of every group they are a part of? You could have also faced horses that have got the opposite urge: they always lag behind to be the last in the group. Clearly, when you’re riding in a group, such horses could be a real agony because they constantly must be slowed down or sped up.

I have some good news: owners of such horses need not give up on them. It needs some work, of course, but the issue can be resolved satisfactorily.

Whatever kind of horse you are riding, you can attain cruise control with it so that it travels at the rate set by you, instead of itself. With a correctly trained pony, you should have no problems getting it to stay at precisely the speed you wish. You can’t achieve this, though, until you are ready to be more than just a horse rider. You must be a much more effective communicator.

Routinely, horses are actually capable of 4 gaits. Each gait should ideally be composed of 3 paces: slow, normal and fast. What all of this means is that if your horse has a natural bent to stroll slowly, you’ll need to work on getting him to go up to normal or fast pace at your command. Inversely, if your horse has the tendency to walk fast, you have to train him to ease down to normal or slow at your cue. This applies for trots, canters and gallops, too.

What is it you can do to get your horse going at your pace, whenever you would like it? You must start with the walk and move on step by finished step. Make sure your body movements are in complete rhythm with the pony, with your hips complementing his movements, not clashing with them. Feel out your horse’s rib cage in its swinging side to side motion. As your leg comes up against his rib cage, gently press down ‘never use force’ with your calves and then release the pressure. Alternate between your legs, and make sure you are not reining in the pony as you do this. This should result in your pony extending and engaging a rather more active walk. At every point, ensure your hips are relaxed and moving in perfect time with your horse. At the beginning, your horse may manage just a couple of more energetic steps. Be OK with that much, reward your pony by rubbing his neck. As time passes, it is possible to get your pony to enhance his walk for longer and longer spells.

When you are coping with horses with a natural tendency to remain put instead of move, and move slowly when they do move, you need to work with them on terrain with long stretches. This means that you should not be working with them in tiny arenas or pastures. Give the pony an extended workout in a straight line and treat him to a rest at the end of each stretch. You might motivate him more with a treat available when he completes each stretch.

Clearly, horses with too much in the way of energy need to be handled differently. They have to be cooled down. There isn’t any way you’re going to achieve your objectives by becoming involved in a rein-based tug o’war. What you must do involves quite some work with circular variations, which would help most with this type of pony. When you do out and in spirals, serpentines and circles of different diameters with these horses, you’ll be able to persuade them that there is no fire anywhere. Attempt to cease prompting your pony on with swapping legs; have plenty of half halts, utilise a snaffle bit inside rein in a squeeze/release pattern.

When you take the trouble of getting your horse to adjust his gait at your command regularly, you are patently going to stay with any riding group you are a part of. You won’t have to frequently step on the gas or stamp on the brakes with your horse. A respondent pony means more pleasurable rides.

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 simco saddles

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Boarding Your Pony At A Stable

April 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you are nuts for horses, and desperately desire one of your own, don’t let your lack of room or facilities at your own house stop you. Go on and pamper yourself; owning a horse can be tricky but very rewarding work. Horses are impressive animals that are pure fun, and if you're really set on getting one, just sniff around for a suitable stable that accommodates outside horses.

You want to set certain factors that will need to be met before it is possible to select the boarding stable that is best suited for your purposes. You want a stable that's maintained with close attention to cleanliness. The other animals at the stable should be up to date on their inoculations and vaccinations. Skillful vets should be available on call at any time of day or night. If the stable operators are not able to provide you with detailed info on the medical care of their boarders, you wish to look somewhere else. You want a stable that may turn out your horse each day. If you are unable to come over every day to feed your pony, will the stable make appropriate arrangements? Is there an adequate supply of fresh water, and are the boarding animals given full time access to that water? The horses should have adequate protection from the elements in the guise of sheds or barns. They should also be given acceptable space in the stalls.

Find out what protection measures are established in the event of fire or other possible sources of damage or injury. Does the stable have sufficient insurance that covers the animals also? A large amount of multinationals do not bother to get insurance coverage for animal housing structures and cattle; make sure you do not put up your pony at one of them. Make very sure you are getting value for your cash.

You also need to be certain that your pony is not going to be utilised for riding by strangers. While most stables are reasonably strict about this issue, I am mindful of some dishonorable firms that let people ride horses they don't seem to be entitled to for a charge. A method to get reliable feedback is to chat to owners of other animals boarded at the establishment. Are they satisfied with the care their animals are receiving? You may also follow up with neighbors around the stable. Have they noticed things that aren't quite kosher?

Double check forms with minute care before you put your signature down.

Most stables are usually well run and will give no cause for complaint, but there is always the odd one that's out to make money without giving worth in return. The internet is another great source of feedback, as are any vets in the area of the stable. A good stable should have no problem in allowing you to give their multinational a thorough inspection and in giving you references. The better ones will give you a lot of options: additional feed, extra blankets, scheduled farrier or vet visits and the like.

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 stable rugs

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