How To Influence Your Horses To Go Straight

September 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ever been baffled by the way your horse appears to achieve straightness as you are returning after a long day’s trail ride or after a rather serious coaching workout? Have you question why your horse cannot maintain that straightness all of the time. Why is it that he did not show the same straightness while you were on the trail?

You need to give it some serious thought. The answer’s right there in your face, waiting for you to realise it.

The enormous difference lies in the indisputable fact that once your ride or training program is over, you have a tendency to get awfully relaxed in the saddle. You and your horse are done for the day; you have put some heavy work behind you and you are feeling happy with yourselves. You are rewarding him by giving him loose rein and allowing him to steer you.

There: that’s your answer, the straightness key.

It is almost certainly an issue of attitude. When you’re heading out in the morning, your mind is occupied with thoughts of the chores to be finished over the day. You may be in a state of anticipation over some new kit for your farm or tack for your pony. You may be pumped up about some new maneuver you intend to try out with your pony. These thoughts are going to keep you from relaxing. And because horses are attuned to their riders’ moods, your horse is also going to be as tense as you are.

When you’re done with it all at the day’s end, your tension or excitement has oozed out of you. You are limp and relaxed. And your pony reflects your mood. You both are anticipating getting back. He’s in anticipation of a relaxing rub down and you are in anticipation of a relaxing bath. Because of this frame of mind, you are not watching your horse the way you did in the morning.

That laid back absence of control is why you see your horse achieving straightness. Yes, it can be done all of the time, providing you always keep your mind clear and by association, that of your pony.

You can work this out best by allowing your horse to go down the path of least resistance whenever possible. If he goes astray when at the rail, nudge him back to where you want him and relieve the pressure. Try to achieve the mental thought patterns and physical habits of always riding as if you are on the way back to the barn. Try riding on a serpentine route, thinking to yourself, “I will ride the horse to that fence pole from this one in a direct line” Work your way onward, correcting your pony only if he should stray. The idea is to teach him that the best way to go is where he gets no pressure from you, that’s your way.

You give him pressure the instant he veers off. You don’t wait for him to get well on the wrong way, because you won’t be signaling your desires clearly. Eventually, you will find the right middle spot and your pony will feel that he is precisely between your knees. You should start this exercise with a walk and build it up slowly to speedier gaits. This way, your pony learns better, and soon gets to figuring out just what you want. You need to practice this exercise at numerous parts of your farm and on the trail. If you find, for example, that your pony is veering toward the barn, you give him sufficient pressure to get him to the corner of the barn and not the door. He is going to work out what it is that you need and he is going to start toeing the line.

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Getting Your Horse On The Bit With The Half Halt

September 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In the world of horses, questions abound. One of the questions that abounds most is this: “How can I keep a pony on the bit?”

I have a reply to this question for you.

You use a particular aid to get your horse on the bit, the same sort of aid utilised for canters or for leg yields. The aid we are talking about here is the half halt.

The half halt is perhaps one of the least understood ideas in the world of horses. Just to do an appraisal of what a half halt is all about, these are some significant points.

1. It helps your pony achieve just about perfect balance;

2. It has a very important role to play; it helps put your animal on the bit, it is also the fulcrum that allows you to effect changes in gait, movement, balance and exercise.

3. In actual fact half halt does not really signify ‘halting’ it could well be called ‘half-proceed’ half halts actually are based on the same thrust from the rear that is used for medium gaits.

4. Half halts are executed in one specific way: they involve the transient closing of seat, hands and legs.

5. Confusion about the half halt often arises due to the number of variations that are possible because of the number of ways the seat, hands and legs can be employed. Variations also arise from the duration and strength factors.

6. Each variation of the half halt ends up in a different end result to do with connection and collection, or with preparing for something new.

7. You can put a pony on the bit by using the change that ‘links’ the animal’s rear end to the front end. Only for convenience, I’m going to refer to this difference as the ‘linking half halt’

8. The ‘linking half halt’ comprises the union of 3 aid sets:

a. Driving aids (the seat and both legs)

b. Bending aids (the inside rein and the two legs)

c. The outside rein.

9. The 3 aid sets mentioned above must be applied over 3 seconds

10. The casual viewer would think these 3 aids are given at the same time.

11. But with slo-mo video replay or freeze frame shots, it can be seen that:

a. The 2 calves of the rider are tightly closed to cause a power surge from the rear (at about that point, I’m intentionally keeping the seat out of it, so things can be kept simple).

b. The rider then closes a fist on the outside rein so he can capture the energy from the rear, contain it and recycle it back to the horse’s hind legs.

c. The rider ultimately gives 3 small squeezes. She releases the rein on the inside so the neck is kept straight (this is mandatory because the pony will otherwise turn his neck outwards because of the outside hand fist).

d. The riders lets things go soft after the passage of 3 seconds. She or he goes back to a lighter, maintenance hand and leg pressure, such as he or she had before the half halt.

12. Like any aid, getting a horse on the bit is really very straightforward. Sadly, riders make it complicated by attempting to find exercises so that they can connect the pony (I don’t mean to be contrary, but leg yield type of exercises are beneficial. They are useful in giving newbie riders and horses the connection ‘feel’ but what you really want is to be able to get your pony on the bit using an invisible aid at any time of your choosing, like when you’re showing).

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Horse Cross Country Three Day Events

September 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Cross Country riding is usually held on the second day of Three Day events; these events include cross country, dressage and show jumping. Competitors have to use different riding styles on each one of the three days. Spectators get to see a glorious demonstration of the skill, suppleness and endurance need by both horse and rider to enable them to compete, and in the case of the fortunate few, win.

Cross Country is an enormous test of the heart, speed and stamina, as also of the training and conditioning of each participator; taking both rider and pony at very high speed over terrain that is ‘natural’, with hills, dips, water and obstacles made of fallen trees and tons of debris. These obstacles are different to the light rails of show jumping, because they do not have much ‘give’ that means they do not collapse on impact, and can hence cause physical harm. So the Cross Country is the hardest and possibly hazardous element of 3 Day Events. As a spectator sport, the Cross Country is a big hit, because spectators get to see riders and horses compete in the fastest and most exciting riding of the whole event.

Traditionally, Cross Country historically had 4 segments, each timed individually. The first and 3rd (A and C) segments were known as Roads & Tracks. The second part (B) was a Steeplechase. The fourth (D) segment was the genuine Cross Country, and made for the most difficult segment. Part A was a warm up segment and part C was a recovery segment. Some events made it mandatory for horses that had finished segment C to be comprehensively checked by vets to make sure they were fit enough to resume. Though the segments were timed, it was expected that competitors would give priority to faultlessness of ride over speed. Riders went through segment B and segment D at a gallop. In most modern events, segments A to C have been dropped, and only D is retained. Few modern events still utilize a 4-segment format.

Cross Country courses feature several sorts of jumps, including some almost four feet in height and 12 feet in width. The jump variations include log fences (rail fences featuring logs); triangle fences (also called ‘tiger traps’); the trahkener (consisting of a rail spanning a broad ditch); and table fences (with a level surface on the top). Jumps are laid out in order that they seem to be a natural component of the surrounding landscape, though in some courses a touch of some bright color or some weird, unnatural object will be thrown in to test the mettle of the horse.

Flags posted at appropriate points along the riders, trail indicate the direction riders need to take. As a part of preparation, it is best that riders walk over the course twice times before really riding it. This way, they can judge the jumps and other parts of the course. They can also make an evaluation of the footing (ground conditions). It is generally a safe policy to never ride a course hard without first walking it.

Just to summarise, I recall the guidance of one writer, who said that Cross Country can be an exciting, fun sport that’s definitely not for the faint of heart or the unfit. Each rider should work a pony which has superb coordination with her or him. The rider and their horse should have perfect rapport. Riders must be capable of riding over exceedingly long stretches before they can even think of checking out cross country circuits. Cross country riding can be a most rewarding, exhilarating experience for folks who have got the courage and the talent to master it.

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A Few Horse Safety Tips

September 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you’re sure each equestrian accident occurs when horses are being ridden, you need to do some research before you learn the hard way. Horses and their riders are equally subject to the whims of fate. Both of them can get hurt even while they are engaged in humdrum chores: grooming, feeding and watering and such like. As a horse owner, it is your responsibility to wish for the best but get ready for the worst! Here are some hints.

1. Lead rope precaution: Never make the mistake of wrapping lead lines around your wrist or any other part of your body. If anything happens to make your horse spook, you can land up with burns, sprains or perhaps broken bones.

2. Tack sense: Be alert when getting tack onto a pony, particularly a strange one. Some horses snap at anything in reach when they are being girthed. If you are working on a horse in cross ties, ensure there isn’t any one inside biting distance. Improve on that if the pony is not in cross ties: ensure there is no one within spitting distance.

3. Bridle uppercut: Watch out when you are putting the bridles on a horse. A large amount of horses toss their heads hard just before they accept the bridle. If you’re daydreaming, you get it on the chin.

4. Sedate shenanigans: Horses have been seen to become suddenly aggressive after they’ve been drugged. It would be a mistake to presume a drugged horse is like putty in the hands. Unless in a downright emergency, never use prescription drugs without clear directions from your veterinarian.

5. Fly-fed flights: Beware the environment you are leading your horse into, whether for work or play. If flies abound and are in the biting mood, the likelihood of your pony bolting is high. If you use fly sprays, remember that the sprays work only for a while. You need to reapply them every so often.

6. Care while caring: Before grooming, check to see if your horse is carrying any injuries or sores. Even an inadvertent brush of a comb over a sore spot can result in a bite or a kick.

7. Treat with care: Horses are nuts for treats. In their rush to get more, they may shove and kick their pals. Horses are extremely acutely aware of their own places in the herd pecking order, and they are serious about maintaining it. The problem is, they may accidentally inflict some unintended damage on the treat distributor, you. Commonsense claims that you stick to safety first principles by treating horses from the other side of an obstacle like a fence. Do not forget to especially feed treats to the poor horses on the lower hierarchy rungs, or they won’t be getting any. Your best bet basically is to feed treats to horses by putting the treats in individual feed buckets. The horses in the upper echelons may not approve, but you will stay whole and you’ll guarantee equitable non-discriminatory treatment.

8. Tackle tack properly: Your horse can suffer great discomfort due to ill-fitting tack. He may attempt to take it out on you by bucking you into orbit. You want to be exceedingly sure all tack fits well and painlessly on your horse.

9. Don’t let him get the boot: Be precise in your selection of shoes. The combination of your boots and the stirrups should be perfectly complementary. Some saddles come with release devices that stop your getting dragged if your foot gets caught in its stirrup.

10. Eviction notice: Never get into a horse’s stall without an escape plan. You are comparatively fine if the stall has side bars you can duck under to get out. If it doesn’t and you’ve got to shut the door, have a kind samaritan on the other side of the door prepared to open it instantly at your call. You may not be able to reach the latch if an unexpected emergency should pop up.

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Equine Studies – University Of Minnesota-Crookston

September 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The University of Minnesota-Crookston in Crookston, Minnesota, offers Bachelor and Associate degrees in Equine Sciences. UMC courses specialise in equine industry management and in equine businesses. Scholars are led through a totally balanced educational process covering most areas of the equine industry, such as daily care, medicare, nutrition, exercise and coaching, management and business. Scholars graduate from this program with thorough theoretical and practical knowledge of nourishment, physiology, health and reproduction, and further, of the responsibilities that come together with equine ownership. They’re given in depth instruction on management ideas and are trained in using software and marketing techniques important to the equine industry. Aside from the management talents they’re imbued, graduates also come out as accomplished horsemen, ready to train horses of all conformations and temperaments. This type of theoretical and practical instruction enables students to shine as employees or as entrepreneurs in the equine world. They can select careers like:

– Bloodstock management/sales

– Consultant/administrator in Breed Associations

– Pedigree/buyer evaluator

– Management/sales, drug & pharmaceutical concerns

– Equine appraiser

– Sales, equine feed and nourishment

– Reporter, equine World

– Specialist, equine reproduction

– Instructor, riding and equitation

– Youth employee/coach, equestrian teams

– Extension teacher

– Manager, guest ranches

– Horse show manager

– Pony coach

– Representative, hardware for horses

– Pony judge

– Boss, horse farm ranches

– Selling and advertising professional

– Manager, stables

– Manager, stud farms

– Specialist, therapeutic riding.

Equine Programme scholars work with the 40 horses at UMC’s stables. Students are given valuable practical exposure by being made to look after the horses and by riding, grooming, training and breeding the numerous breeds represented. Unless they are in coaching or showing classes, students do not receive any special horse by way of assignment. They’re instead made to work with different horses to assist them to experience handling horses of various conformation and temperaments. Each student also receives a laptop with software applicable to their sources of study. These computers have to be used almost every day. Graduates from this establishment are sought after because of their range of equine and technical talents; these talents set them aside from graduates of other institutions.

The University’s Teaching & Outreach Centre at the north part of the campus boasts of several super features including:

– Faculty offices

– Science labs

– Interactive TV/networked school rooms

– Indoor heated arena of 90 x 120 feet with seating capacity of 205

– 45 stalls equipped with automated watering

– Gear and tack for Western, all-purpose, hunt seat and saddle seat

– Boot wash rack

– Loos

– Locker room

– Laundry room

– Round-pen

– Turnout paddocks

– Racks for pony washing

– Breeding phantom/stocks

– Tack room

– Driving carts & harnesses.

Students are free to join up in any one of the institute’s a few clubs, all equine related. The school’s IHSA riding team regularly participates as part of Zone 9, Regions 3. Members can select either Eastern or Western events at a few shows. Students can become Horseman’s Organisation members. This Association keeps the community informed on equine science, helps folk compete at varsities events, provides support to students desiring to develop their horsemanship skills, takes them on visits to equine industry companies and provides members with opportunities for social networking.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers http://horsehorses.net/

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Training Your Pony In The Round Pen

September 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I strongly advise all beginner horse folk to get some groundwork coaching laid in well before they even think about putting on the saddle. Smooth groundwork is the precursor for smooth riding, and if I had my way, I’d make it compulsory for newcomers to coach their horses in the round pen.

The secret to success in pony training is repetition. Regardless of how much it strains your schedules, you should stick to your groundwork training until it is completed satisfactorily. Whatever form the training is taking: sensitizing a horse to the subtleties of pressure by repeatedly getting it to obey or desensitizing it to ropes by repeatedly exposing it to the rope, the only way to get the task well done is to repeat and repeat again.

If the pony is at present new to a saddle on its back, it may be a good idea to do the groundwork training with a saddle on your pony? Without sitting on that saddle. Get the pony used to the saddle, its weight and its handling. This will be of significant help to you when it’s time to get into the saddle, because you’ll have already achieved one desensitization process.

Try to keep the saddle tight enough to avoid slipping, but loose enough to let the pony feel relaxed. As long as you aren’t actually going to be riding the horse, you don’t need to cinch up tightly. One way to check if the saddle is just right is to work out if there’s a tight fit of your hand between the horse’s girth and the strap. If there is , you have done it right.

After you have gone thru all of the initial preparations, your first exercise in groundwork is to hook on with the horse.

Hooking on

By getting your horse to hook on, you are solidifying your accord with the horse, while at the same time gaining more respect from it. While steering your horse round the pen, keep to the outside. When you would like your horse to come to a stop, step out in front of him and indicate that he should stop. If things have worked out the way they should, your pony should follow you when you turn and walk off. This is what is referred to by ‘hooking on’. If the pony didn’t stop when you stepped in front him and commanded him to, it indicates that you have not been forceful enough when facing the horse.

You will have to keep repeating the exercise until your horse responds with perfection.

Body language

Almost exclusively, you use body cues when handling your horse. Since this sort of communication calls for great consistency to avoid confusion, you should have mastered physical communication skills, and you also should be adept at reading your horse’s body language.

As a amateur, you should not try to command your pony with any cue apart from physical. Whether it is a matter of getting your pony to switch direction or execute inside turns, you need to communicate using special body language techniques.

The horse’s power generating plant is in its hind quarters, so keep that under consideration. Move toward him, clicking as you do to get him moving forward. Pay constant attention to the horse’s physical centres of power when radiating body signals. When you and your horse have become adept, you’ll manage amazing mutual coordination.

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Essential Horse Training Equipment

September 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In the act of perfecting your equestrian skills don’t forget in your eagerness to put your talents into use to make sure that you have rationally laid out your training area and your tools to expedite easy access. Preparation for horse riding is like preparation for any sport, you want the right structure, the proper tools and the right training. You want a schedule to which you’re going to stick, and you want a set of progressive goals. As your abilities in horse riding grow, your requirements for land area might also grow: you are going to move from ground work on foot to mounted work, and that means small pens are now not going to be adequate.

Gradually, areas you’ll require include:

– A round yard of 22 ft;

– An arena or a fenced in area of 40 x 60 ft.:

– An open ground area of at least one acre;

– Massive, open areas appropriate for trail riding.

There’s no way of reading a horse’s thoughts, but I bet that if you managed to, you would find that every time you enter a barn with, say, 9 horses, you would hear them all exclaim something like, “Here comes number 10!” Horses have their own hierarchies, and the 9 horses in the barn would have already received their own rankings between number 1 and number 9. That leaves you with the obvious number 10.

Whether or not this is essentially true or not, you must keep 2 things in mind: you have got to ensure your pony knows you’re the chief, and you’ve got to impress it on him without resorting to any vicious measures. When your horse is pliant and accepting of your superiority, your training and riding sessions will go thru with great smoothness. Your horse is relaxed and enjoying the sessions, and so are you. Obviously you know your work outs with your horse are a hit when you both look forward to the next session as soon as one is done with.

Horses that have issues adjusting to bridles and bits sometimes respond much better to ‘natural’ Hackamores. Hackamores are not nearly as harsh as bits, and when you use hackamores, horses relax, their tensions with their rigidity originating from the bit disappearing and they are more eager to get to work.

You want to get very well versed with the hackamore and its uses, and you need to become adept at its use in the yard before you attempt using it on trail rides.

Essential coaching tools you’ll need include:

– A knotted natural type halter, like those manufactured by Nungar Knots;

– A natural type hackamore, including reins;

– A snaffle bit of the loose ring joint type, preferably with a sweet iron bit;

– A simple bridle without Cavesson and without nose band (effective coaching does not need them);

– Reins for sportsmen;

– Lead ropes of 12 ft and 22 ft.

The ropes of 12 and 22 feet help distance responses from your pony and also permit him to move away if frightened, without losing his connection to you. All of the tools mentioned here facilitate easy communication with the pony without compromising comfort. Simple communication is the pillars around which effortlessness of equestrian abilities are built.

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The Easy Way To Feel Your Horse’s Hind Legs On The Ground

September 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Are you an adequate rider that you mostly know when your horse’s rear legs are grounded? This is a capability that you just cannot do without. It is essential that you give leg aids just when your horse’s rear leg is grounded? Really at the precise moment it is prepared to take off. This is the one precise moment when you can impact the hind leg.

I know where my horse’s rear legs are by sensing the position of his hips. When a given rear foot is aground, his hip goes higher. I get the sensation of my seatbone being pushed forward.

Below are some pointers to help establish when your horse’s rear leg is aground:

1. When waking, keep your eyes shut. Get your focus on the inside seatbone. I have known people describe this as a feeling that their seatbone is ‘higher’ others say it is like the seatbone being ‘pushed forward’. Try and fine tune your sense of timing by saying ‘now, now, now’ every time you sense your seatbone has been pushed forward. This way, you’ll be able to get yourself sensitized to the instant the hind leg is on ground.

2. Get a chum to keep a record of one hind foot and shout ‘now’ every time it is aground. Ensure you are aware of the feel underneath your seat every time. That way, you’ll soon become adept at it.

3. If you have got no one to help you watch the horse’s shadow, or make use of a mirror. Make sure you are getting it correct by calling off footfalls and checking now and then with the shadow or the mirror to confirm if you are doing fine.

4. Closely watch other riders and horses and with regard to one specific rear leg, keep watching the position of the hips of both the rider and the pony when that leg is grounded.

5. At the canter, learn how to sense when the inner hind leg is grounded by studying the horse’s mane. The mane flops up at the canter’s 2nd beat, when the inside hind leg is grounded. Repeat the word ‘now’ to yourself every time you see the mane flop up. This way, you are able to synchronize whatever you are observing with the word ‘now’ and whatever you’re feeling beneath the seat.

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Overcoming Fear In Horses

September 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why are horses fearful? Do they have nightmares or do they fear spooks?

They’re fearful because of their evolution survival instincts.

Let me do a little deeper. Nature has made horses to be a part of the fodder in the food cycle. They have been preyed upon by predators from time immemorial. That is where the evolution part comes in? Horses are skittish because they have survived by being alert and canny. These marks, have gotten to be part of their in-built nature, and tend to dominate even if they’re in relative safe settings; it is these that will make them fight or flight on occasion.

You can’t entirely remove these instincts, but you can definitely curb their influence over the behavior of a tame horse.

You begin by checking yourself out. What type of impression do you portray when handling your horses? Do you portray assured fearlessness or nervousness? When your pony abruptly shows skittishness, how do you cope with the reason behind this behavior? Say some machine that your horse hasn’t seen before is spooking him. Is it your first instinct to shut down that machine?

You aren’t doing your horses a favour if that’s how you react. You are adding to the difficulty rather than solving it.

Your pony looks up to you as a protector. He comes out of a species with a herd mindset, where a powerful herd leader cares for the remainder of the herd. If you have just a pony or 2, you are their direct herd leader. If you happen to have a herd, they are going to have their own equine herd leader, but you will continue to be a notch above that herd leader. Either way, you are the final authority.

That implies that your response to situations is mirrored in your horses attitudes. If you’re nervous, they’re going to be. If you’re cool and courageous, they’ll continuously learn to be as well.

To return to the piece of machinery that spooked your horse, what you shouldn’t be doing is turning it off or taking it away. Go to your pony with total poise. He may back off, but stay firm. Stay by him until he quietens down, then rub him affectionately at the withers. This way, you are informing him that there is no threat from the machine. You are informing him that you are feeling no fear of the machine, and neither should he. Once you’ve calmed down your horse adequately you advance towards the machine rather than away. If at any stage your pony shows nerviness again, you take the same steps and keep soothing him. Shortly enough, your horse will get so used to the machine that he won’t notice its existence anymore!

You can follow this procedure or adaptations of it to help your horses out of their fear of virtually anything that isn’t actually a real challenge to them.

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Mastering The Sitting Trot With Your Horse

September 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

As a coach, a lot of questions I’m asked are basically repetitions. One question that I’m frequently asked is, “Can I learn to sit better while on the trot”?

If that is a question that’s bothering you, also , here are some answers for you.

1. The main need is that your pony is on the bit. You’ll struggle to sit if your horse’s back is stiff, hollow or tight. And it is pretty much a certainty that if you’re uncomfortable, you will somehow cause discomfort to your pony, too!

Put your pony on the bit by getting the connecting half halt right.

2. Slow down the trot. Ride on very low throttle and when you’re able to sit easily, step on the gas in a couple of stages, a little bit at a time. Slow down once again.

3. Get the pony on the bit while at a posting trot. When your horse is round, sit quiet for 2 or 3 strides. Get to posting once again, before you give in to the desire to utilise your legs to grip your pony. Set your body right, relax the legs and again sit quiet for 2 or 3 strides.

4. Cross the stirrups over at the saddle’s front. Do posting without using the irons till your legs tire. You’ll be unable to grip with tired legs, and that will make you sit deeper.

5. Concentrate on your own hips. Make a note of the way they close and open on the walk. Try and imitate that precise motion on the sitting trot.

6. Make believe that you’re a practiced belly dancer. Swivel your hips.

7. Grip the saddle’s front with the inside hand. Using that same hand, pull yourself more deeply into your saddle. This way, you will be able to experience the feel of sitting in sync with your horse on the sitting trot.

8. Relax your thighs and knees; take them off saddle briefly, about an inch or so. Let them drop back, this time very lightly.

9. Go thru some lunge lessons. There’s no better way to master the kind of independent seat that can let you sit comfortably through a trot. Avoid using stirrups or reins for the lessons. Leave the steering and control of speed to the individual that is lunging you. Go through some exercises: move part of your body while keeping the rest positively still. You can do exercises like scissor kicks and arm circles. Practice deep seats while your horse is in travelling gaits; continue to practice through down or up transitions.

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