Purchasing a horse can truly be “a dream come true.”

Many folks love the idea of owning their own horse. Often, that is as far as it goes. Life’s situations, finances, conflicts and limitations, can mean that the dream of owning your own horse stays just that, a dream. If that is what will best fit into your life, I suggest that you be satisfied with that reality, at least for the time being. Trying to make this dream a reality, in a life where it does not fit, will often cause real problems. Perhaps down the line, life’s situations for you will change.

Some people are fortunate and life presents a situation where, fulfilling the dream of owning your own horse is feasible and you decide to take action. The purpose of this article is, to help those of you who decide to move forward with the purchase of your own horse and make the dream come true a happy event and not a nightmare.

On our web site we help folks develop strategies to save money on horse care and how to generate an additional income stream to help people afford their horses, without putting their regular finances at risk. We hope this information will prove helpful to you. Before you go out and start looking at prospective horses to buy, there are several items you need to consider.

Define what you want to do with your horse.
I recommend that you decide what activities or disciplines, would you like to pursue? Do you just want an equine friend that you can look at or visit in the pasture? Do you want to trail ride? Would you enjoy participating in local competitions or do you have the goal of competing at a higher level?

What discipline do you want to participate in?
Does competing in Pleasure Classes meet your goals? Do you thrive on the excitement and speed of Barrel Racing? Do you dream of clearing an Oxer in a Jumping Course? Is Reining, Dressage or Endurance Riding what you really enjoy?

I recommend you spend some time taking some lessons and trying different disciplines, if you are unsure as to the direction your horse journey will take. Although some horses are multi talented and can perform in a variety of disciplines, others horses are more suited to specific activities and although they could be used in another discipline, they are not suited to excel at it. Therefore it is to your advantage to have a pretty good idea as to what you want to do with your horse before you go out and buy one.

Where are you going to keep your horse?
You have two initial options. Do you want to, and do you have the land to keep your horse on your property or will you keep him somewhere else?

If you have the land to keep your horse on your own property, you have a number of decisions to make. What kind of fencing currently exists and is it safe? If you do not have current safe fencing, what kind will you use and who will install it? What will the cost of that be? Do you have a barn/stable? If not, will you build one? Will a run in shed meet your needs and those of your horses? Where will you store feed, hay, tack and other horse related supplies? Do you have an adequate water supply? What will you do with manure and soiled bedding? What will the cost be to prepare your place for your horse? Where will you purchase, hay, feed, bedding and at what cost?

If you will board your horse you have a lot to consider:
How far away is a reasonable distance to keep your horse from your home? At first consideration a certain commute might seam reasonable, until you have done it for a while and then, going to see or ride your horse can become a chore.

Do you have a horse friend who has property and room for your horse? If so will their facility meet your needs? If you chose this option, make sure you have a clear understanding with the property owner as to financial and other responsibilities. Always better, as the boarder, to try to do a little extra and make sure the property owner knows you appreciate the opportunity given you. Do not make them wish they did not let you bring your horse on their property. You also do not want to lose a friendship over horse issues.

If you board at a stable
What characters are important to you at a boarding facility? Certainly you want to look for safe stalls and fencing. Are basic accommodations satisfactory to you, or do you want something nicer? Do you look for an enclosed arena to ride in. What about an indoor riding arena or access to trails? What is their feeding policy? How often are stalls cleaned? What are the pastures like and when are the horses turned out? Is pasture board available? What kind of folks board at the facility? What kind of riding activities do they participate in? Are there a lot of kids there? What are the owners, managers and employees like? Is a Trainer or Instructor available on site? What is the cost of the board? Is the facility run safely? Is this a place you will feel comfortable? There are many wonderful facilities out there and many others that you will not be comfortable at. Take your time to decide and visit each option a few times.

Once you have decided where you will keep your horse, line up an Equine Vet and a Ferrier. You may want to consider using ones that other boarders recommend or that a neighbor has had good experiences with.

What can you afford?
The cost of purchasing a horse can range from free to many thousands of dollars. You should do your homework and see what the price range and value in your area is. You will normally pay more for a better trained horse, one that is registered, one from successful breading lines, one that has been campaigned successfully or one that is an appealing color. Decide what attributes are important to you. Take your time.

The purchase of your horse is only the beginning of the financial challenges of owning a horse. Beyond that there is, the ongoing costs of hay, feed, bedding, barn maintenance or board at a stable. Then add to that tack, Vet bills, Ferrier bills, supplements you chose to use, trailer and truck if you chose to purchase them. Training for your horse or lessons for you might be needed. Cost of going to competitions and other equine events if you chose to participate in them. Make sure you have the funds available to meet these needs. We have compiled an extensive list of cost saving tips through our web site. These may help you keep your horse expenses at a reasonable level.

Define what your horse skill and knowledge levels are.
We all start the development of our horsemanship skills and knowledge where we are today. We have all had different backgrounds and experiences. You are encouraged to take an honest evaluation of your horsemanship skills and abilities. Where you are in your horsemanship journey should influence what horse you purchase. You should match your horse to your abilities. If you are new to horses and do not have advanced skills, you would be well served to select a horse with significant experience. One that is well trained and can help you learn and develop your horsemanship skills.

Have a Vet perform a pre-purchase exam and ask for a week trial period.
It is a very good investment to have an Equine Vet examine the horse you are looking to purchase. You can do this before you bring the horse home or you can ask for a week trial period and have your Vet perform the exam at your place during that week. This is a real good idea and will work well if you live near the seller. You do not want to purchase the horse and get him home only to then discover a problem that you did not know existed.

Where do you look to find your horse?
There are a lot of places where you can look to find the horse you are going to purchase. Equine Vets, Ferriers, Trainers, Instructors and other knowledgeable horse people are good to touch base with. There is an informal network of horse people in most areas the can really help you find the right horse if you take your time. Feed Stores and Tack Shops normally allow flyers noting horses for sale. Check their postings frequently. There are many sites on the internet that allow folks to advertise horses for sale.

Buyer Beware!
There are many very honest folks out there and I have had the fortune to have met many of them. On the other hand, there are others who are not so honest. I have met my share of those as well. Hopefully the seller you are dealing with honestly portrays the horse you are interested in. To help safeguard your purchase, I advise making multiple visits to see and evaluate the horse. See him at different times of the day. If you are able to show up without advanced notice, that would be helpful. As noted above, having an Equine Vet evaluate the horse and a week trial would be a real good safeguard

If the horse is portrayed as being well trained, ask for the owner or someone else to show you how the horse performs and then ask to ride the horse yourself if you feel comfortable with this. It is not recommended that folks new to horses purchase a horse at an auction. It can be very hard, even for experienced horse people to be sure of what they are buying at auction. New horse owners should also avoid purchasing a stallion. These animals require experienced handling and specific living accommodations.

By all means, take your time in the buying process. Educate yourself, evaluate the criteria noted above. Make sure you are comfortable with your purchase. Make sure you have the financial resources to not put the rest of your financial life in jeopardy. It is a really good idea to seek the help and guidance of an experience horse person. They can make a big difference as you try to sort this all out.

Visit our website for cost saving tips and a proven system to generate additional income that can fund your horse journey.

I truly wish your dream of owning your own horse comes true in a very satisfying way.

Bob Kane has studied the techniques of and learned from the best Horsemen that he could find. He has taken what he has learned from many of these trainers and endeavors to blend the outstanding qualities he has learned from them into his own techniques. He believes that your Horsemanship is as unique as your personality. You have to be true to yourself or the horse will see right through you.

If you have training questions or I can help you in any other part of your horse journey, visit our web site http://www.makinghorsesaffordable.com or email me at bob@kanehorsemanship.com.

For horse lovers, one of the most frustrating experiences is trying to catch a horse who doesn’t want to be caught. Maybe you’ve had a long day at work and are eagerly looking forward to a relaxing trail ride, or perhaps you need to catch your horse to haul him to a horsemanship clinic. Either way, if you can’t catch your horse, chances are that you’ll feel angry and upset when your horse runs from you and refuses to be caught.

So how do you catch a horse who won’t be caught?

As always, there’s no pat answer that will apply to every horse. Some horses avoid being caught because of past trauma, while other horses simply enjoy a good game of chase. In general, though, the way to successfully catch horse who runs from you has a lot to do with his personality type.

How to Catch a Horse Based on his Personality Type

If your horse is healthy and happy, meaning he isn’t suffering from some physical problem or the victim of some past trauma, he still might run from you when you go to catch him. To minimize the amount of time it takes to catch your horse, you have to first understand why he’s running from you. You can figure this out by determining his horse personality type. Learn more about personality types at Horse Harmony and Horse Harmony Test.

Like people, horses have distinct personalities, and each type avoids being caught for different reasons. So let’s take a look at each type, as well as the reasons each type might refuse to be caught.

The Fire Horse Personality Type

These horses love to be at the center of attention, and need a lot of love and grooming to stay happy. They need daily contact from their human, even if it is just a few minutes of petting and scratching out in the pasture. If your Fire horse runs from you, chances are that you haven’t been spending enough time with him, and he is pouting. Fire horses do hold grudges, and tend to “make you pay” for any lack of attention.

To catch a pouting Fire horse, be patient but don’t give up. Follow him slowly and avoid getting angry. When you do catch him, offer him a treat or two as a reward. Pet him and reward him lavishly with your affection. And, in the future, to avoid this kind of pouting, try to spend some quality time every day with your Fire horse, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. You’ll be richly rewarded for your efforts with a loving and loyal horse who is easy to catch.

The Wood Horse Personality Type

The Wood horse, being mischievous and fun-loving, truly does enjoy a good game of catch. He thoroughly enjoys making his human “work” to catch him, and is especially pleased if he can get his person angry in the process. Wood horses take game-playing to a whole new level. A Wood horse might also avoid being caught if he feels he hasn’t had enough turnout or playtime. Wood horses need a lot of exercise and freedom before they are ready to get down to work.

To catch a horse with a Wood personality, first be sure that he has plenty of room to run and play on a daily basis. Wood horses have energy to burn, and trying to catch this kind of horse before he’s burned off his excess energy is like trying to hold onto a lit firecracker. If your Wood horse has had plenty of turnout but still refuses to be caught, the next step is to go into game mode. If you approach the process in a playful mood, chances are your horse will get a kick out of running for a few minutes, and then reward your playfulness by allowing himself to be caught. You might also entice him by offering him a varied training program. Wood horses love to do something different every day, so by offering him variety in his training rather than repetitive drilling, he’ll look forward to being caught and going to work.

The Earth Horse Personality

Food, food, and more food. Food is the currency of choice when you want to catch a horse with an Earth personality type. Most of the time, Earth horses are quite lazy, and will only run from you if they perceive that being caught means less food. For instance, if your Earth horse is turned out on a lush green pasture and you want to catch him so you can ride him in endless 20 meter circles, he’s going to run because there’s no food in the dressage arena.

To make it easier to catch an Earth horse, make it a routine to offer him a significant food reward every time he allows himself to be caught. For instance, if he is already turned out on a green pasture, be sure to offer him a handful or two of sweet feed after you have caught him. The Earth horse has a tremendous sweet tooth, and will do almost anything for a sweet treat. By making the sweet treat a routine every time you catch your horse, he will become easier to catch over time because he knows he’s getting something good as soon as the halter goes over his head.

The Metal Horse Personality

The Metal horse is one of the most challenging horses to catch. Because Metal horses value their solitude above all else, they avoid being caught at all costs. Many a person has been known to expand their vocabulary of curse words while trying to catch a Metal horse. Luckily, once you do catch a Metal horse, he will work for you until you tell him to quit. His avoidance of being caught isn’t about dodging work, it’s just a manifestation of his solo personality.

To catch a Metal horse, you either have to find his weakness, or drive him into a smaller area where he knows he can’t run from you. For instance, if your Metal horse lives on a giant pasture, you might have to drive him into a corral before you can catch him. But a Metal horse isn’t all that easy to drive, so you might have to catch and lead another horse into the corral first. Your Metal horse will most likely follow this other horse, though at a distance. When you’ve tied the other horse, also known as a “Judas horse,” in the corral, you can more easily drive the Metal horse into the corral. Once trapped in a small enclosure, your Metal horse is most likely to turn and face you, knowing he’s caught.

The other option is to find a Metal horse’s weakness. For instance, I know of one Metal horse in a dude string who easily eluded wranglers for weeks, but had a weakness for carrots. If you brought a large bag of carrots with you into the pasture, you could catch this horse within 15 minutes. Another Metal horse loved to team rope, and allowed himself to be caught only if you carried a lariat into the pasture along with his halter.

The Water Horse Personality

Being the most fearful of the five horse personality types, the Water horse tends to run because of fear. Your Water horse may not fear you, but he may fear what you will do to him once he has been caught. For instance, if he is overwhelmed by his training program, he’ll avoid being caught so he can avoid those fearful experiences. And on some days, he may just be stuck in his “fight or flight” reflex. For example, if you try to catch a Water horse on a windy or stormy day, he might run from you just because the whole day is downright scary.

To catch a horse with this kind of personality, your first priority is to make him feel as safe as possible in all situations. Keep your training sessions short and be sure they take place in an environment where your horse feels safe. This ensures that your Water horse won’t avoid being caught because of his fear of training. If you can’t catch your Water horse on a particular day because he is stuck is his “fight or flight” reflex, catch a different horse instead and offer that horse some yummy treats. Your Water horse, seeing that the other horse is safe and being rewarded, will soon come over to investigate. Then you should be able to catch him easily.

Because Water horses tend to be fearful and flighty, you may also want to consider adding herbal supplements to his diet to keep him calm and relaxed. I’ve discovered that either Eleviv or RelaxBlend work best for these kinds of horses.

How to Catch a Horse – Make Sense? I hope the descriptions of each horse personality type shed some light on the reasons why each type avoids being caught. This means you have to approach each type of horse differently when he’s running from you. Whether you need to adopt a “games” posture to catch the playful Wood horse or you need to bring the independent Metal horse into a smaller space, hopefully this article gives you some ideas for catching your horse… and reduces your frustration when your horse does run from you.

Horse Personality Typing Resources

Ever since I developed the Five-Element horse personality typing system, I continue to be fascinated by the amazing differences among the types. Experiences that stress out one type are manna from heaven for other types. For instance, the Wood horse loves the varied experience of doing something different everyday, while such a varied program would totally stress out a Metal horse. Fire horses tend to be a bit vain about their looks, while an Earth horse could care less what he looks like. He only cares about what his food tastes like!

There is so much to learn and I continue to delve deeper into the whys and wherefores of each personality type. If you’d like to discover your horse’s personality type or just find out more about horse personality typing, check out the resources below.

- Horse Personality Type Test
- Horse Personality Type Information
- Horse Personality Type Book
- Horse Personality Type Ebooks
- Horse Personality Type Educational Audios

Madalyn Ward, DVM, is a recognized author and veterinarian in the field of holistic horsekeeping. For free tips on horse health, horse personality types, and horse nutrition, plus one-stop shopping on holistic horse products, visit http://www.BuyHolisticHorse.com.

It is often the little things that make a big difference when it comes to horse health care.

Have you ever noticed how some horses who have been doing poorly start to thrive when one or two little things are tweaked in their management program? Horses are relatively simple creatures and their needs are not complicated. The devil, as they say, is in the details when it comes to horse health care.

7 Little Things That Matter a Lot in Horse Health Care

As a zen cowgirl who has seen a lot of horses come and go, both performance horses and backyard pleasure horses, I’ve classified 7 areas of “little things that make a big difference” when it comes to horse health care. Take a gander and see if you agree with me.

#1 – Basic Nutrition

Horses are phenomenal creatures in that a little nutrition goes a very long way. Horses are accustomed to eating lots of food that is high in fiber and low in nutrients, so when you add just a small quantity of power-packed nutrition to their diet, the results are pretty astounding. Don’t you think it’s amazing that you can change the health of a 1,200 pound creature by just adding 1 liquid ounce of nutritional supplements to your horse’s feed?

I feed an ounce of my special horse goo, which I mix up on my kitchen table, to each of my 4 horses and the results are pretty amazing. The goo, which includes XanGo’s mangosteen juice plus Simplexity Health’s Essentials, is a wonderful maintenance tonic that keeps my horses healthy, happy, and symptom-free. The mangosteen juice is a wonderful antioxidant and source of trace minerals, while the Essentials have probiotics, enzymes, and blue-green algae. Together the combo significantly contributes to my horses’ well-being, even in tiny doses.

#2 – Plenty of Long-Stem Chewable Food

To stay healthy horses need to chew on something pretty much all day and all night. To keep both mind and body happy, horses need plenty of long-stem chewable material, like hay. They also need to be walking while they eat, as this helps their digestion and keeps them active. Since hay doesn’t meet all of a horse’s nutritional needs, I view it as entertainment. Chewing on hay all the time keeps a horse occupied and out of trouble. It is tempting to feed soaked beet pulp pellets and a Senior feed instead of hay when hay is in short supply, but this kind of diet doesn’t offer the long-stem feeds that horses need to stay healthy. If you must feed beet pulp, choose the shreds over the pellets because the shred are longer-stemmed than the pellets, which are chopped up.

One thing that works very well for horses not on a giant pasture is Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise concept, which keeps horses walking and eating all day long. Just Google Paddock Paradise to get the scoop.

#3 – Basic Body Maintenance

Basic body maintenance is an essential part of good horse health care, but doesn’t need to be complicated or cost a lot. If you horse has its nutritional needs met and is kept out of trouble by having plenty to chew on, veterinary care boils down to hoof care, dental care, regular de-worming, possible vaccinations, and any bodywork that might be needed.

Depending on how much hands-on work you want to do, you can handle most of the hoof care, de-worming, vaccinations, and body work yourself. I wouldn’t recommend taking on the dental care. I do everything but the dental care for my horses. It is possible to learn bodywork (massage, acupressure, Equine Touch) from books or workshops. The same goes for hoof care, especially if you keep your horses barefoot. If you don’t want to handle these chores yourself, scheduling one visit per year with your veterinarian should take care of dental work and vaccinations. Then add in visits from the farrier every 6-8 weeks and body work as needed, and you’re good to go. Just keep it simple.

#4 – Space to Roam

Wild horses travel up to 25 miles per day in search of food and water. Horses are meant to be on the move, all the time, so if at all possible give your horse plenty of room to run. If you keep your horse in a stall, schedule as much turnout as possible. If you have a choice between keeping your horse in a run or a stall, choose a run. It always amazes me that horse people pay more for a smaller space (stall) than they do for a larger space (a run) or for pasture care. A run or pasture ends up being cheaper boarding options than a stall, not to mention healthier for your horse. If you have limited room or no pasture for grazing, consider the Pasture Paradise concept (Google it) to make the most out of a small space and keep your horse moving.

#5 – Match Your Horse’s Job to His Personality

Every horse is a particular personality type, just as people have personality types. Each type wants to be loved in a different way. Veterinarian Dr. Madalyn Ward has developed a horse personality typing system that helps you determine your horse’s personality type, and understand how best to manage your horse. Check out the Horse Harmony Test.

More importantly, once you’ve figured out your horse’s type, see if your horse’s job, management, diet, and so forth match his personality type (you can get all the details in her book, Horse Harmony). Tweaking your horse’s management program so that it fits his personality can go a long way to keeping your horse healthy and happy.

#6 – Other Horses to Play With

Horses are herd animals, which means they are not meant to live alone. Horses feel safe and secure when in a herd. To keep your horse happy, he needs to at least be able to see and hear other horses. Better still would be if your horse could interact with other horses in a herd situation. Of course, your job is to ensure that the herd is composed of suitable companions for your horses so that your horse emerges from a play session injury-free and happily satisfied. If you keep your horse where he cannot see or hear other horses, consider bringing in some kind of companion, even if it’s not another horses. Horses often get along with donkeys, mules, goats, or even llamas.

#7 – Time Off to Be a Horse

This is especially true for performance horses who are campaigned heavily all year long. Most horses are more than willing to do their jobs, but they need down-time to just be horses. If you have a performance horse on the circuit, consider turning him out to pasture for a month or two during the winter. While he may lose some of his physical condition, his mental condition will be restored, and he will work all the better for you. This is a case of “less is more,” where slightly less work equals more effective showing later in the season.

Horse Health Care – Why the Little Things Matter

These little “tweaks” to your horse’s management program can matter a lot because at the end of the day, a horse is a horse, not a motorcycle. Horses are living, breathing creatures who have adapted remarkably well to domestication, but nevertheless have some basic needs that date back to their ancestral roots. You’ll be amazed how much happier a horse can be when his basic physiological and psychological needs are met. For instance, many a wood-chewing horse has been restored to normalcy by simply having constant access to long-stemmed feed like hay or beet pulp shreds. Putting a round-bale into your horse’s pen is a simple “tweak” that can produce big results (and equal less carpentry work for you)!

Got any other great “tweaks”? Leave a comment so everyone else can benefit!

Stephanie Yeh is a zen cowgirl obsessed about horses, healing, natural remedies, herbs, magic, MLM, and more. Check out natural horse care tips, ways to fund your horse obsession, natural health products, and more on her blog (http://zencowgirl.blogspot.com). You can get the recipe for the “Horse Goo” on the same website. Order XanGo mangosteen products on her website (http://www.mangosteengood.com).

Almost all horse injuries and illnesses (excluding sports injuries and mistreatment) are due to a small number of mistakes in the way horses are kept and treated. Here are the top 10 tips to avoiding these errors and protecting your horse’s health (in rough order of importance, beginning with the most important).

1. Start with a healthy horse

Our number one tip is to make sure when getting a new horse that it is healthy to begin with. There are a lot of horses which are cheap, or even free, because they have health issues; avoid them as you are likely to spend more in veterinary costs and tears than you will save on the purchase price. Also, beware of sellers passing off a sick horse as a healthy one. Before buying a horse, put it through a thorough health check (see our website for guidance).

2. Food type and quality

Try to feed the horse as natural a diet as possible. This should be grass whenever possible, otherwise hay. There are cases when a horse may need other types of horse feed (e.g. an old horse with dental issues, a weak horse that needs extra energy), but for a healthy horse a natural diet is best for its physical health and mental wellbeing.

Aside from the type of food, one needs to ensure that it is of good quality. In particular, a horse should NEVER be given food that has mold or fungus (visible by sight or smell). If food becomes damp or wet, it should be used immediately or disposed of, since food that has gone off can cause a variety of illnesses such as colic or laminitis (founder).

It is advisable that the horse has a mineral stone and salt lick, to compensate for any elements which may be missing from its food.

3. Natural environment (pasture & herd)

Just as a horse should have natural food, it should spend as much time as possible in a natural environment. The two most important parts of this is that it should be on pasture as much as possible and that it should be part of a herd (i.e. with other horses or horse equivalents). Time on pasture gives the horse a natural diet (grass), a natural feeding regime (many small feeds throughout the day rather than a couple large and short feeds), exercise and mental stimulation. Being with other horses gives a sense of safety (horses have a very strong herd instinct) and the social interactions gives it mental stimulation.

A horse which spends much of its day in this type of environment is not only happier, but is far less likely to develop bad habits (e.g. cribbing) due to stress or boredom. Horses which are kept in a natural environment also tend to be physically healthier.

4, Healthy stall

Especially if a horse spends a lot of time in its stall, the stall environment should be healthy.

• It should have enough ventilation that there is not a build up of ammonia (the harsh burning smell which is produced when bacteria break down horse urine on the stall floor).
• It should be big enough that the horse has a bit of room to move, say 4 yards by 4.
• It should have clean and suitable bedding. In particular, bedding which has gone off (mold or fungus) should never be used.

5. Safe pastureThe pasture should be free of any items which could injure the horse.

One of the most common causes of serious horse injuries is inappropriate fencing wire. One should never use barbed wire, as it can puncture the horse, resulting not only in injuries (which can be fatal if it happens to hit a main artery) but also abscesses and other serious infections. One should not use high-tension wire, since if it breaks and tangles around a horse’s leg, it can cut through flesh and tendon down to the bone. If one uses wire, it should be a type which breaks before causing serious injury and should probably be under electrical current to discourage horses from pushing against it.

If one is using a field which has not been previously cleaned, every bit of it should be closely examined for items which could injure a horse and such items removed. I’ve seen enough horses seriously injured from being put on an old farming field which had bits of fencing wire or pieces of machinery lying about. Likewise, holes (e.g. from burrowing animals) can result in a broken leg so should be filled in promptly. Similarly, broken branches or other objects lying around can result in injuries (especially if the horses are spooked at night, when they may not see the objects and consequently run into them).

There are a number of poisonous plants, which can make a horse ill or even kill it. Learn what types of plants are on your horse’s pasture and check if any of them are poisonous to horses. Most horses will avoid the majority of poisonous plants (unless there is nothing else to eat) so if you see a type of plant which the horses are not eating, one should in particular check that it is safe.

6. Preventative routine medical

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. One should worm a horse regularly, give it the required inoculations, and have a regular (e.g. once a year) dental check. Worming requirements depend partly on where you live (parasite types and severity vary by region). Likewise the inoculations which should be given depend not only on the local areas (what diseases are present) but also on how you use the horse (e.g. if it is transported off your property and comes into contact with strange horses). Consequently, one should discuss requirements with a local veterinarian.

7. Watch and regularly inspect the horse

Horses, like people, will naturally become ill occasionally and may suffer accidents from time to time. In most cases, one starts with a minor problem which is easily (and inexpensively) treated if spotted early, but may become a major issue if left untreated.

One should watch a horse each day, and preferably twice a day, even if it is just for a few minutes. Learn what is normal behavior for that particular horse (e.g. running about or quietly grazing) and if there is a change to its normal behavior one needs to inspect the horse more closely. In particular, any signs of the horse appearing unwell (e.g. head hanging, inactive, stopped eating) or unhappy should be checked and monitored until the cause is found and corrected, with veterinary assistance if the situation becomes worse or is already serious.

Certain illness (e.g. impaction colic, laminitis) can often be treated successfully if done so promptly, whereas waiting less than a day after the first visible symptoms can result in a maimed or dead horse. Regular observation and prompt treatment are the key to so many illnesses.

One should clean and examine the sole of the hooves each day. In part this is to remove stones, ice chunks or other items which can damage a hoof. However, an equally important part of this daily routine is that it enables one to spot hoof issues early. Likewise, regular grooming is important not only because a clean horse looks better but also because it provides an opportunity to closely examine all parts of the horse for injuries or other abnormalities.

8. Shelter

Horses should have shelter from excessive cold, rain or wind. A simple shelter, open on one side facing away from the prevailing wind, can greatly increases the horse’s comfort. Alternatively, when the weather is very bad, it may be necessary to remove the horses from pasture and paddock and put them into their stalls.

The amount of shelter a horse requires depends on the local environment (how extreme the temperature gets locally) but also on the horse. A strong and healthy horse, which is neither very old or very young, will be much more resistant to weather extremes. Likewise, certain breeds (especially if they have a long coat, which has not been trimmed or had the coat oils removed by frequent washing) are more resistant than others. One needs to provide a level of shelter which is appropriate to the individual horse and the current weather. One should also consider a horse rug for horses which are very old, very young, sick, weak or prone to illness. One may also consider a fly sheet which not only increases the horses comfort but also reduces the risk of sweet itch, eye infections (if a fly mask is used) and other illnesses which can be transmitted by biting or blood sucking insects.

9. Consider breed and individual requirements

Each breed has its own special requirements. For examples, many breeds are prone to laminitis and consequently should have only limited access to spring grass. Other breeds may have specific issues and require special treatment (e.g. many Appaloosa are night blind and consequently are more likely to run into fencing if left out at night). Learning about your breed’s strengths and weaknesses from a medical perspective will allow you to respond accordingly.

Likewise, each horse is an individual. Some are more weather resistant than others. Some are more prone to colic or other illnesses. As you watch and live with your horse, learn about its special needs and treat it accordingly. For example, if it is allergic to dust, one may need to soak its hay in water or buy low-dust feed. If it looks unhappy and uncomfortable in cold weather, one should consider taking it under shelter or providing it with a rug, as you may be looking at an early warning for a potential illness (e.g. cold-induced colic or a cold-induced lung infection). Taking account of your horse’s medical history and behavior as part of your horse management program will help keep it healthy and happy.

10. Continue to learn

Nobody knows everything about horses and everyone started out knowing nothing. However, if you educate yourself and continue to learn, you will be able to take better care of your horse, avoiding problems when possible and otherwise treating them promptly and correctly.

The above is an excerpt from Top 10 Rules for a Healthy Horse, written by Dr. Doug Stewart based on his research. Additional horse care articles are freely available on his Horses for Sale website.

Buying a horse can be a very complex task. For those people that may think a horse is horse could find themselves facing big problems. Each horse is different and needs to be looked at in such a way. All horses will have some problems, it is a matter of do you have the skills to properly deal with them.

Let me say up front one big secret I think there is to having a great horse, it’s all in the relationship. If you want to have a successful and fulfilling relationship with your horse you have to get along. The famous Will Rogers quote, “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” That is true quote but you must remember that the opposite can be true also, you could begin to dislike and even hate a horse you are not having fun with. The remarkable thing about a horse, is that over time they will begin to represent a mirror image of you. If you don’t know how to handle a horse then your horse’s problems can grow. A horse has a wonderful knack to exploit your imperfections. That why it is imperative to have the horsemanship skills and tools to be able to “train” a horse. From the selection, training, management and to horseman, I have defined four sections to examine in order for you to take the steps to excel as a horseperson.

Selection: The horse you choose, is the horse you must live with and deal with on a daily basis. If you select a horse with many “challenges” then you must embrace ways to develop and learn to possess the skills to correct those “problems”. There is no horse that is challenge free or problem free. Some horses just have less challenges then others. Your first horse should not have challenges that can in injure you. Challenges can be in many forms:

Age – Breed – Health – Abuse – Attitude – Neglect – Never Trained – Poorly Trained – Time to devote to the horse – Facilities not available

It is best if you shop around and educate yourself on what you really want in your horse. Love at first sight is not a good buying strategy for a horse. Inexperience in horse selection can be anything from unpleasant to very painful, including death. The wrong horse in the wrong hands can be a deadly combination. The average horse is ten times more powerful than you. Horse ownership should be an absolute joy and not filled with fear and anxiety. Selection of your first horse is paramount to having a good horse experience. The old saying of a green horse and a green rider soon turns to black and blue was founded on truth.

Psychological Selection: We may unknowingly be psychological mirrors to the horses we gravitate towards, or the horses may be psychological mirrors of us. Either way it is very common for the person buying a horse for personal use, to select a horse for subconscious reasons. I only address this here so you are aware of it. It is too complex an issue to discuss in its entirety here.

Cost: Good horses are expensive to purchase. But the initial price of the horse may be shortly eclipsed by the constant cost of the routine expenses it may take to properly care for a horse. Veterinarian bills, feed bills, farrier bills, continuing education fees, tack, stable fees, etc.

Time: The time you spend with your horse is important. The horse’s favorite companion is routine and habit. For a horse to develop well, he should also be mentally and emotionally stimulated. It takes time to teach a horse something new or to refine prior learned tasks. It takes lots of time to build exceptional communication between you and the horse. Again learning in horsemanship is a two way street, you must also develop your horsemanship skills. My personal goal as a horsemen is having people to try to figure out how you got the horse to do that maneuver, with no obvious signs of a cue. When people always ask you how it is you have the best mannered and such a well trained horse, that is when you are becoming a horseman. In my opinion there is no more noble quest than to be a superb horseman. Pat Parelli considers a horse green with less than 1,000 hours of training. If you work/train/ride your horse one hour each day, it will take about 3 years to reach 1,000 hours.

Breed selection: There is no perfect breed. Each breed always have pluses and minuses. Each breed has it’s limitations and attributes. Some breed organizations are large, others are small. You should select your horse based on your intended use and individual flare. Arabian horses will make poor roping horses, but they make superb endurance racers. Quarter Horses were originally bred to produce an all around ranch horse that was extremely fast running a quarter mile. Walking horses make excellent trail horses, their gait and endurance allows for a long pleasant trail ride. Each breed may have their temperaments, some may be “hot” or “cold”. Horse shows, fairs, television programs and the internet are just a few places to learn about different breeds. Most people will be more than happy to embellish enthusiastically about “their” breed of horse if asked.

Age: Young horses can be very enjoyable, most of the time they are “baggage free”. They can also become nightmares in the wrong hands. Raising a young horse from weanling to riding age can be the best thing ever, to both you and the horse, if handled properly. It is not wise to have your first horse be a horse younger than six years old, that has been properly trained. Your first horse should never be a green horse. A ten year old well seasoned horse is worth its weight in gold. They are usually very mature and commonly have only a few veterinary problems. Your first horse should be your buddy. A horse that will help you learn at your pace. A green or young horse will learn at their pace. If you are unprepared to teach the horse, let someone else start and train your horse. But you must be in on the process. If you don’t know how to train or ride a horse you really need some professional guidance.

Place of Purchase: Buyer beware was a phrase born by dealing with horse traders in the old days. Auction barns can be a place to get a very good deal or a perpetual problem. The best place to purchase a horse is from a well respected breeder or private owner. The first question you should ask is: Why are you selling this horse? A breeder makes a living selling horses. His or her response should be, “That’s what I do.” A private owner may have numerous different responses. Hopefully they will be frank and honest with you. It is possible to pay an experienced horseman or horsewoman to help you select the horse that is right for you. The phrase many people use today in selecting a horse is called “matching personalities”. Don’t feel you have to be coerced into buying the first horse you see. There are millions of horses out there, buy the one you think will suit you best. For your own protection ask for a 30 day trial period. If the horse turns out not to be the horse for you, a honorable person should take the horse back. A person that is truly interested in the welfare of the horse will want what’s best for the horse. The seller should want what’s best for the horse, if not, you are a buying a horse from the wrong person. The horse should be in the same condition it was when you bought it, if you expect to return it.

Normal wear and tear: The only time a horse is usually perfect is the minute he is born. Horses will get cuts, scars, bumps, bruises and other sundry of problems. Chronic medical conditions that cost large sums of money to treat or that will impede the normal use that you expect with your horse is entirely different. HYPP, laminitis, club foot, heaves, and other serious diseases/syndromes can become a horrendous ordeal. It may be beneficial to have a veterinarian conduct a “vet check”. The veterinarian can point out any physical pitfalls. That of course will require a fee, but may in the long run be a lot cheaper.

Horse Home: A horse needs space and/or daily exercise. Horses in the wild average 20 miles of travel a day. The smaller the confinement, the more potential problems you will have with your horse’s emotional state. Horses do much better emotionally with a buddy of some type. Horses feel more comfortable in groups, as in the wild they bond together in bands for safety. The point being that horses are plains animals, and rely on other horses in the herd/band to spot potential enemies/threats. When there is no one else to help look out, a horse can become emotionally over concerned and may not rest well. The area in which the horse is confined should be free of hazards.

Horses, as the joke goes, could injure themselves in a padded room. Another truism, the more expensive the horse the greater chance they will hurt themselves. The area in which a horse is housed needs to be inspected for various hazards a horse may find during their free time.

Horses are one of the greatest gift you can buy for yourself. A lot of thought and research should go into this very important purchase. Educate yourself so that you will have a fulfilling experience and know the joy of horse ownership.

Matthew M. Brendal is a professional farrier, equine consultant and horse trainer in the state of Oklahoma since 1999. He has never met a horse he didn’t like. Each day is just another opportunity for him to learn from and work with horses. His major equine education milestones include: Equine Science Certificate from the University of Guelph; Master Farrier Diploma-Oklahoma Farrier College; Parelli Natural Horsemanship Level 1 Official Graduate: Certified Equiflex Equine Massage Therapist; Certificate of Achievement-Emergency Management Institute, Animals in Disaster.

http://www.fundamental-horsemanship.com

Ground Manners – An Overview

Horse training success is all in the work from the ground. A good, long-term relationship between you and your horse is built from the ground up, literally. Ground manners is about teaching your horse how to behave around humans and that you are his protector and friend. The two go hand in hand by building leadership respect and trust. The time dedicated to building a proper foundation by establishing control on the ground is well worth the effort involved.

Why would you want to bother with ground manners? Well, safety issues are a good start. An untrained or poorly trained horse with bad habits such as biting, kicking, rearing and charging (among others) is dangerous. A horse can kill a person with these behaviors. The horse can injure himself, for example, by rearing and banging his head on a low ceiling. Horses do knock themselves out, cut their heads on a nail or sharp corner and require stitches. Just think of the vet bills. And the panic you’d feel in this situation. Or think of the litigation if your horse kicked someone, injuring them so they were unable to work. These things do happen. Teaching a horse good ground manners is teaching a horse that these are unacceptable and unnecessary reactions.

The horse that won’t stand still is a danger. One day you’ll be caught in the wrong spot, he’ll get a fright and someone will be hurt. The horse that keeps leaning into you and treading on your (soon to be broken) foot is not fun. The horse that tries to kick when you pick out his feet is going to injure you one day. Good ground manners is about teaching a horse to respect your personal space.

The nervous or disobedient horse is also a danger. The jumpy horse that shies and knocks you over is a liability. The horse that loses his mind and tries to run every time he sees a plastic bag is more than a nuisance. Ground manners is about showing your horse that scary things aren’t so scary and to have confidence in you. To trust that you, as leader and protector, will always keep him safe.

Good manners on the ground makes the transition to riding much smoother and much much simpler. You will have learned to read your horse’s feelings or mood. He is not your servant. He is your partner. He will have learned unquestioned obedience. As a result, your riding sessions will be more fun.

Taking the time to lay firm foundations will also mean that you will be training a horse that is willing to please, that is EASIER TO TRAIN IN THE LONG RUN, that is a joy to work with and not an obstinate animal that is always acting out. When you choose to own a horse, you’re making a commitment for many years, so you want to be sure you’re going to have a well-behaved and easy to handle horse-friend.

The Basics Of Ground Manners For Your Horse

Teaching good ground manners right from the beginning will result in a horse that is a joy to own, while keeping yourself as safe as possible. Enforcing ground manners will teach your horse to:

* Look to you as leader for what to do whenever he is unsure of a situation (less likely to bolt, shy or be disobedient in new situations)

* Not crowd your personal space (no kicking, biting, charging, leaning, treading on your feet etc)

* Respond appropriately to whatever you are asking him to do

* Have calm confidence in the outside world because you will protect him

* Stand still patiently

* Tie calmly

* Allow you to pick up his feet for cleaning

* Allow you to groom him

* Calmly accept being bridled, haltered and led

* Accept being saddled without moving

* Refrain from nipping, kicking, charging or rearing to get his way

All this BEFORE you get on his back. It is actually a good idea to spend some time with a new horse on getting these basics right before you start riding. Despite how eager you will probably be to hop on and go, spend a few weeks or even months working on ground manners. It pays off in the end. If you’re having trouble with riding your horse, it may also be a wise investment of time to stop riding for a while and get these basics back on track.

So how do you instill those good ground manners in your horse? By understanding how a horse’s mind works. There are 6 basic principles you need to learn that apply to all horse situations.

1. Repetition

It is not widely known that a horse can take around 60 iterations of a lesson to ‘get it’. That’s right. It may take you repeating the exact same lesson 60 times before your horse understands what you are trying to teach. To put this in perspective, if you see your horse once a week and teach the same lesson once each time, then it may take over a year for your horse to learn it. Of course you may try the lesson more than once a session and you may see your horse more than once a week, but it takes TIME and PATIENCE to train a horse effectively.

The good news is that you can be successful in training your horse to have good behavior in any situation. This applies to all horses, whether they are young, old, previously poorly trained or have been in neglectful and abusive situations. You can teach your horse to lead, tone down aggressive behaviors towards people and other horses, teach a nervous horse to be calm, and get rid of bad habits horses learn such as rearing, biting, and kicking. All of this can be attained. But please remember that horse training takes as long as it takes. 60 repetitions is an average.

2. Be a leader to your horse

Horses are herd animals and are mentally wired to look up to the leader of the herd. In a herd, which is the natural situation for a horse, there is a pecking order (order of dominance). The stallion and lead mare are the leaders. Every other horse below them in the pecking order will look to these two to find out how to react in a given situation. If the leaders are calm, the others are calm, if the leaders are running for their lives, the rest of the herd is right behind them. It is also the leaders job to keep an eye out for danger. Or in other words, the leaders signal to the rest of the herd what is dangerous and what is safe. The rest of the herd has 100% faith in their leaders. They follow blindly. They do not think rationally or for themselves. This horse behavior makes a horse very easy to train.

To use this horse behavior to your advantage when you’re training your horse, the leader of his herd needs to be you. You MUST show, through your tone of voice, your body language, your confidence, that you are a leader. For example, you cannot expect a horse to walk calmly past a barking dog if you are frightened yourself. If there are situations around your horse that scare you, you need to be inventive and work out how to avoid the situation where your horse can see you as weak. If your horse often charges you, avoid the trigger situation until you have established dominance in other situations. Get outside help if you need it. A horse generally weighs as much as 10 times more than a human, so you cannot expect to out muscle your horse when it behaves inappropriately. It is crucial that you become the leader to your horse so he follows you, rather than dragging you around.

3. Consistency

Being a leader also means having a zero tolerance policy towards your horse invading your personal space or disobeying your requests. In the herd, the pecking order is often challenged. Stay vigilant as the pecking order is never set in stone. If you get slack, the horse will start to dominate you. Be firm, consistent and persistent in applying your rules. You’re either training or de-training your horse every moment you’re with him. Mind the small stuff. It really does matter. Your horse will test you in small ways to see how serious you are. If you don’t hold your ground over your space or do accept a tardy response to a request, you’re effectively eroding the respect he has for you. ‘That’s ok, I don’t really mean stop when I say so’. This is then a green flag for your horse to try on bigger and bigger misbehaviors. For example, don’t let your horse kiss you. Not just for reasons of hygiene! No, letting any horse nibble or kiss you is sending him down the slippery slope of developing a biting habit. After all, a bite is just a firm nibble isn’t it? And a biting problem is not one you want to be dealing with. Painful for you, and difficult to get rid of. In this case, no kisses, no nibbles, no bites. Ever. Be firm, consistent and persistent in applying your ground rules. Absolute CONSISTENCY is the key to fast training.

4. Trust

One of the biggest reasons horses lack good ground manners is the fact they don’t trust as well as respect the people who are handling them. Trust and respect go hand in hand and once you have attained that, the rest of your training is so much easier. As leader (where you earn respect), part of your job is to keep your horse SAFE (where you earn trust). That’s safe from his perspective, not yours. You might think he’s perfectly safe in a trailer, but if he’s never been in one you’ll need to show him that you’ll go into one and that other horses agree it’s safe too. Your job is to prove to your horse that no matter what goes on around him, he will not be harmed. Angry bullying won’t work. Losing your temper won’t work. Banging his teeth with the bit, slapping him unexpectedly on the rump, making loud, sudden noises and unexpected gestures don’t help either. Let your horse know where you are and what you’re up to as much as possible. Be calm, be considerate, be affectionate, be patient. This path leads to earning your horse’s trust, an essential for a long and happy relationship.

5. Be fun

No one, even a horse, enjoys all work and no play. Remember to make your lessons enjoyable. Your aim is to encourage your horse to look forward to hanging out with you. What your horse likes will be individual, but most horses have a place on their body they like having scratched or rubbed. This can be a reward for obedience. Many horses enjoy the mental stimulation of a lesson if it’s not repeated endlessly in one go. More than half an hour on any one lesson at once is too much. 10 or 15 minutes is enough. And horses like variety in their ‘work’. So sometimes go out for a trail ride, sometimes do some jumping, sometimes work in the ring. Mix it up and keep it interesting. A bored horse is a cranky horse, and anyone in a bad mood is likely to misbehave.

6. Comfort

The horse likes a life of comfort. That means, a life free from irritants as well as pain. You can use his dislike of being irritated to your training advantage. Basically, you are looking for non-painful but annoying things you can do to encourage your horse to do as you ask. The key is to remove the irritant immediately when the horse does what you are asking. Stopping the annoying thing you were doing is his reward for doing as you asked. This is the most effective and yet gentle way to teach your horse to do what you ask

One example of irritant training is a technique called pressure and release. An example of pressure and release:

If you wanted your horse to turn its head to the left, you would put your hand in the halter strap and gently pull to the left just slightly. As soon as the horse begins to turn his head left, let go of the halter, releasing the pressure, and praise your horse quietly. If your horse were to pull to the right instead, you would continue to apply gentle pressure to the left until your horse complied, then release and praise again. Through patient, consistent repetition, your horse will learn what you are asking. This is the pressure and release training method in a nutshell, and can be applied throughout your horse’s training.

So these are the 6 basics of teaching ground manners. Repetition; Be a leader; Consistency; Trust; Be fun; and Comfort. Apply these whenever you are around your horse and you will be well on the way to many happy times.

Phil Tragear
http://www.HorseTrainingSuccess.com
All the questions you’ve asked, answered.

—————————————————————————————– About the Author Phil is author of the comprehensive book ‘Horse Training Success’, full of answers to the most asked horse training questions. Stop by http://www.horsetrainingsuccess.com for a huge selection of information regarding common problems, training of horses, equine psychology, how to get the best behavior and so much more!

Please feel free to use this article on condition that you maintain a live link to the http://www.horsetrainingsuccess.com website, acknowledge that the content is ©Phil Tragear 2006, and keep this paragraph included!

Horses are amazingly beautiful and sensitive creatures. Horses require not only understanding and patience to have a horse as a pet, it also requires a whole lot of care.

Herd Mentality:

Observe horses in the herd system, each horse’s welfare in the wild depends upon an instinctive submission to the discipline of the herd. The instinct is for immediate action. To the horse, action is survival. When horses live in an herd environment, they often take turns sleeping and standing guard for any predators. When the leader of the herd signals danger they take flight.

Learning respect and ascending to authority starts on the first day of life for the foals, there is a distinct pecking order in herds of horses.

It is important to keep a quiet profile around horses. Horses naturally do not like unnecessary noise because in the wild their survival depends on detection of predators with their hearing. Extraneous noise interferes with this predator detection. This predator detection is tightly coupled with a horse’s flight reflex. Due to these survival genetics, horses have a physiological wiring in their brains that predisposes them to prefer quietness and to become bothered by unnecessary noise. Many horses can get startled easily from abrupt noises and this could result in injury to the horse, the rider, or people around the horse. Talk to your horse in a quiet, reassuring voice.

Relationship With Horses:

A horse will love you if, first and foremost, you treat it fairly, and secondly, if you allow yourself to develop a relationship with it in the same way you would a human partner. There are too many who will look after the horse’s material needs but put nothing back into the partnership itself. The horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. A healthy relationship with your horse requires: trust, coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

Check Your Horse:

Examine your horse every day and especially prior to riding the horse. Carefully examine the horse’s legs and back for any unusual heat or lumps. Make sure that the horse’s eyes are alert and not glazy. Listen for any excessive noise or gurgling sounds coming from your horse’s stomach. Catching problems before they become serious is critical to keeping a show horse sound and alive.

Exercise caution and discretion when around stallions and mares when they are in heat. They are dealing with hormones on an order of magnitude that you probably can not comprehend. Stallions typically bite and some may be easily triggered into violent behavior.

Grooming Horses:

Keep your horse clean. Keep your horse’s entire coat free from dirt, mud, sand, and sweat. Brush your horse every day. Pick out your horse’s feet every day. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad or girth every day. Wash out any dirt or sand residue, as from the riding arena, on your horses legs every day. A number of different problems can result if a horse’s coat is not kept clean.

Barn Care:

Keep your horse’s stall clean. Make sure that your horse’s stall is cleaned every day. Be sure that any wetness is removed with the manure. Replace the removed bedding with fresh, clean, dry bedding. Water should be dumped from buckets every day without exception. Unhealthy dirt and bacteria can build up in a bucket if it is not cleaned on a daily basis. Clean water is essential to maintaining a healthy horse. Make sure your horse always has clean, fresh water available.

Training A Horse:

The intelligence of the horse increases rapidly with education. An intelligent trainer can make an intelligent horse. A kind but firm trainer will result in a disciplined but pleasing horse.

Horse Feed:

Feed your horse(s) at the same times every day. A horse may get upset and colic or injure themselves by kicking the stall or pawing, if not fed when feeding is expected. You should not make radical changes in a horse’s feed program. If you must make a change in the feed program, make the change gradually. Drastic changes in a horse’s feed program can cause the horse to colic and in some cases, may die. Your horse’s stomach is a highly sensitive bio-reactor that maintains a delicate balance of the organisms that digest food in your horse’s digestive track.

Visitors should not feed a horse that you do not own without the owner’s permission; no carrots, no apples, no treats, nothing. The horse could potentially, get sick if they have an allergy or sickness.

Pay attention to everything that goes into your horse; that means all feed, all hay, all water, all treats, all supplements, all pills, and all shots. This knowledge could save your horse’s life in an emergency situation. Post this information on your horse’s stall door so that it is available to a vet if you are not around in an emergency. Make sure that your horse gets high-quality feed and hay. Your horse’s health and soundness depends on the nutrition that you provide for them. Take good care of your horse. A rider without a horse is no rider at all.

Vet Care:

Make sure that you have a good equine veterinarian. A good vet will save you money in the long run and may save your horse’s life some day. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure your horse has all the vaccinations that are normal for your geographical location. All horses should be on a good worming program to control intestinal parasites. A horse should be wormed by a vet at least twice a year.

Horse Flies:

In the summer spray your horse trailer down with fly spray about 10 minutes before you load the horses. The flies should leave, and your horses will be without those pesky flies!

Cooling Horses:

Never spray a hot, sweaty horse with cold water immediately after working the horse. This can cause muscle spasms and binding, or shock that can lead to death. Wait until the horse is breathing regularly, and use warm water if it is available. If a horse has heat shock, consult your vet and the vet may instruct you to cold hose the horse, even if still hot and sweaty. Never put a horse in a stall or confined area while sweaty or while they are still breathing heavily. This can result in shock and/or colic that can lead to death. Walk the horse until the horse is cooled out and the breathing is normal.

Shoeing:

Horses’ hooves generally grow approximately 1 cm in a month, and take nearly a year to grow from the coronet band to the ground. Horse’s hooves need to be trimmed regularly (about every 6-8 weeks). Shoeing a horse does not hurt them. If you were to grow out your finger nail, you could put an earring/pin through it without causing discomfort; however, if you pushed the pin through the part of your nail that is attached to the soft tissue of your finger, it would hurt. When horse shoes are nailed in, they are nailed at an angle so which the horse doesn’t feel it.

Make sure that you have a good farrier, especially if you show your horse over jumps. The concussion from landing from jumps amplifies any problems in a horse’s shoeing. If a horse gets sore feet or legs from bad angles or bad shoeing, the horse can not just take his shoes off, sit back on a couch, and rub their feet, or find another pair of shoes like you can. Bad shoeing can result in your horse becoming lame due to a number of problems including: bowed tendons, popped splints, or shoulder/back soreness or spasms. Bad shoeing can ruin a good horse, so don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish where shoeing is concerned. A laid-up horse is far more expensive to maintain than a good farrier. And remember not all horses need to have shoes, only if they are competing, walking on hard/rocky surfaces, or have hoof problems.

Sleeping:

Horses do lay down to sleep, but only if they feel completely comfortable in their environment. It is not enough to provide a dry stable, food and water. Horses will often sleep standing up by locking their knees. Horses are one of the few animals that can put one half of their body asleep while the other half is wide awake. Emotionally and mentally, all horses need to feel they have and be comfortable in their own space!

To fully enjoy a horse’s finer qualities you must treat them with both kindness and quality care. In the end, a happy horse will mean a nicer ride and a happier rider.

Rob Daniels has been an equestrian rider for 25 years. He has studied various disciplines additional articles are available at: Riding Stable – http://www.riding-stable.com and Horse Stall [http://www.horse-stall.net].

As a horse trainer, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is about bits and bitting. It seems there is a lot of confusion about when to use a certain type of bit and when not to.

People also want to know what type of bit they should use during a horse’s particular stage of training.

In this report, I want to clarify some of the misconceptions about bits and how to use them.

Let’s start with snaffle bits.

Most colts should be started in a snaffle bit. And, many older horses that need fixing should also be schooled in a snaffle bit.

To my way of thinking, a horse should be ridden in the mildest bit that he will respond to for the job that he is intended to do.

Here is the reason why:

Most horses will lose some of their sensitivity as they get older. A two year old colt will have a much more sensitive mouth than a ten year old horse. The more pressure or abrasiveness the horse’s mouth is subjected to, the quicker it will toughen and lose its sensitivity.

That is why I want to use as mild a bit on the horse as I can get away with. I want to preserve the sensitivity of the horse’s mouth as much as I can.

Now, don’t confuse a mouth that is merely “sensitive” with a mouth that is “educated”.

A horse’s mouth can be sensitive but if its not also educated on how to respond to pressure, the sensitivity really doesn’t help much.

Ideally, you want both… an educated mouth that responds and is sensitive to light pressure.

With that idea in mind, a green colt will usually be ridden with an o-ring snaffle that has a smooth 7/16″ mouthpiece. And you stay with that mild bit until the colt doesn’t respond to it well enough anymore.

Here is where a lot of folks get confused. They don’t know what bit to go to next. Should they go to a snaffle bit with more “bite” to it or should they go to a curb bit?

Generally, the horse should stay in some form of o-ring snaffle bit until he is well along in his training. Ideally, the horse should be taught to do everything that you want him to while being ridden in the snaffle bit.

So, if you want your horse to be a reining horse, you should teach him to stop, spin, change leads etc. in the snaffle bit. Once he knows how to work, then you can step him up to a curb bit. Curb bits are for “refining” the training that you have accomplished with the snaffle.

Same goes for a cutting horse. He should be in a snaffle bit while he learns to stop, turn and rate the cow. I believe the snaffle bit is the best tool for teaching a horse how to position himself and use his body correctly.

Any performance horse needs to learn to give his head to the direct rein, move his shoulders off the indirect rein and position his ribcage and hindquarters from leg pressure.

Here is the sequence of the various types of snaffle bits that I use:

I try to do most of the foundation training with an o-ring snaffle with a 7/16″ diameter mouthpiece. I stay with this until the horse is too heavy in it and I can’t get him to respond as lightly as he should.

To get the horse to lighten up and respond, I’ll try schooling him with a snaffle that has a mouthpiece that is smaller in diameter… usually a 3/8″ mouthpiece.

With some really sensitive horses this is all the snaffle I’ll need. But for the majority of horses it won’t be quite enough.

Most horses are going to need a snaffle with a thinner mouthpiece so I’ll go to my absolute favorite snaffle…

My favorite training snaffle has a thin mouthpiece that is 3/16″ in diameter. I call it a “thin, smooth-wire snaffle”.

I love this bit because it gets the desired results but isn’t harsh or abrasive to the horse’s mouth.

I’ll use this bit to lighten a colt up for a few days and then I’ll switch back to the regular snaffle. After a while though, this is the bit I’ll be using to do MOST of the training.

I’ll stay with the smooth-wire snaffle just as long as I can. The horse will be taught the majority of what he needs to know wearing this bit.

However, sometime during the training process, a horse will need to be lightened up even more. Especially the older horses that are being tuned up or re-trained.

So to get the job done, I’ll go to a twisted-wire snaffle. Either the regular or the thin twisted-wire.

These twisted-wire bits have some “bite” to them and will convince even an older, hard mouthed horse to respond and lighten up.

Even though it works well, be aware that a “twisted” mouthpiece is abrasive and can sore a horse’s mouth if it’s used too many days in a row or too harshly.

I recommend riding the horse with it for one or two days to lighten him up and then switch back to the smooth-wire snaffle.

Side note:One of the questions I constantly get asked is why I don’t use a “running martingale” with a snaffle bit to help position the horse’s head.

The answer is simple: The running martingale DOES NOT work well.

If you adjust it short enough to encourage the horse to flex his poll for vertical flexion, it is too short and interferes with lateral flexion. If you adjust it long enough not to inhibit lateral flexion, it is too long to help with vertical flexion.

For 10 years, I trained with a running martingale simply out of habit. I finally asked myself why am I wasting time and money on a piece of equipment that doesn’t work. That was 15 years ago and I haven’t ridden with one since.

If you want to try a piece of equipment that DOES HELP a horse learn to give to your hands, supple-up and flex at the poll… use a German martingale.

It’s the best training aid there is.

Okay, now let’s get back to the bitting process.

Another bit that I sometimes use to lighten a horse up is a “draw” or “gag” bit. On some horses this bit works great. The reason is because it works on different pressure points than a regular snaffle bit.

A regular snaffle bit works by placing pressure on a combination of points. Mainly the horse’s tongue, lips and bars of the mouth.

The gag bit works by placing pressure mainly in the “corners” of the mouth and the horse’s poll. Many horses work well with this bit and it gives you a lot of control without putting a lot of pressure on the horse’s bars.

Again, as soon as the horse lightens up and is responding well, I’ll switch back to a milder bit.

The practice of using a stronger bit to lighten a horse up and then switching back to a milder bit, works really well to preserve the horse’s mouth while keeping him working right.

Read the above sentence again, its key.

Be aware, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Some horses just won’t lighten up the way they should in a snaffle bit. For those horses, you are going to have to go to the “next stage” of the bitting process sooner than you would the average horse.

After the horse has a good idea of what is expected of him and is pretty far along, I’ll start riding the horse in a “transition bit”.

Transition bits are middle-of-the-road bits used to transition the horse from the snaffle to a regular curb bit. Transition bits are the stepping stones between the green horse and the finished horse.

When I feel the horse is ready to leave the o-ring snaffle, the first transition bit I try will usually be a short-shanked curb bit with a snaffle mouthpiece. This is basically a snaffle bit with 5″ to 8″ shanks (cheeks).

The horse is already familiar with the snaffle mouthpiece so the only thing he needs to adjust to is the curb action of the shanks. For most horses this is a very easy transition. Others are really bothered by it.

I’ll ride the horse in this bit until he is totally adapted and working well in it. Then, I’ll move on to the next bit in the transition process.

The next bit in the sequence is my favorite transition bit.

It’s a loose shank bit with what is called a “Billy Allen” mouthpiece. (Billy Allen was a top trainer who invented this mouthpiece many years ago. The design has stood the test of time as one of the best bits ever invented).

What I like about this bit is that it gives the horse the “feel” of being ridden with a curb without scaring the horse.

The reason why is because the Billy Allen mouthpiece moves and is flexible similar to a snaffle.

However, the Billy Allen mouthpiece has a “roller” that is molded over the middle joint. This roller “limits” the movement of the mouthpiece.

The horse gets the feel of a mouthpiece that is almost “solid” like a regular curb bit yet still has some “flex” to it.

This semi-solid mouthpiece gives you a lot of control without scaring or worrying the horse. Most horses love this bit and you can usually leave a horse in it for most of his training.

The extra sensitive horses, I’ll ride with the 7″ shanks but most horses I’ll ride with the 8″ shanks.

This is also the primary bit I use to teach a horse to neck rein.

The loose shanks and flexibility of the mouthpiece allows me to use a direct rein to position the horse’s head before I apply the neck rein. It’s very easy and very effective. (You can see how I do this in my “Teach Your Horse to Neck Rein” video).

You can teach a horse a lot in the Billy Allen. And some horses work so well in it that you can keep them in it for years. However, most horses will eventually need to be moved up into a regular, solid-mouthpiece, curb bit.

For those horses, the next bit I’ll use will be a low-port mouthpiece with 8″ loose shanks (cheeks).

I like using the low port as the horse’s first solid mouthpiece because is relatively mild. The bit pressure is more evenly distributed over the tongue and bars of the horse’s mouth.

Important note: Even though I’m advancing the horse in the bitting process, I still want the curb bit to have “loose” shanks. The loose shanks make it much easier to take a horse’s head to the side and get lateral flexion. After the horse gets farther along in his training, then “solid” shanks can be used with good results.

I’ll ride a horse for a while with this low-port curb bit and see how he responds with it.

From this point on, it’s just a matter of experimenting with different bits to see what the horse responds to best.

Some horse’s can stay in the low port for years and years. Others will need to be moved up to a medium or high port bit. With the higher port, there is less tongue pressure and more bar pressure. The majority of horses will respond well to this.

Keep in mind, all through the training and bitting process, if I run into a problem, I’ll sometimes go back to an o-ring snaffle to iron out the trouble and regain the horse’s confidence. Usually, a few rides in the snaffle fixes the horse up and I can go back to the curb bit.

Also, be aware that some horses just can’t stand prosperity. Ride these horses with a mild bit and they just take advantage of you.

I have a horse like this in training right now. Every time I go back to a milder bit to reward the horse for good performance, he cheats me and won’t work right. So I’m forced to ride him in a stronger bit most of the time.

Now, this particular horse behaving this way disappoints me but I don’t hold it against the horse. I don’t get angry with him for it. It’s just part of horse nature to take the easy way out and slack off.

In reality, most horses will slack off from time to time and not work up to their potential. They will test you by being heavy. Either they refuse to lighten up at all or they will get light for a while and then revert back to being heavy.

And you sure as heck don’t want them to slack off just when you are about to take them to a show.

A day BEFORE the show or maybe even DURING the show, you want to ride the horse with your TUNING bit.

A tuning bit is a bit the horse will REALLY listen to. It’s usually a stronger bit than the horse really needs on a day to day basis. But not so strong that it scares the horse. Yes, I want the horse to have a lot of respect for that tuning bit but I don’t want him so afraid of it that it worries him.

Remember, a horse that is scared or worried won’t work to his full potential. He’ll be tentative and prone to make mistakes due to his nervousness.

You want him attentive and responding well but not afraid.

There are two primary “tuning bits” that I use.

One is for horses that are still in the o-ring snaffle. The other, I use on horses that are in a transition bit or a regular curb bit.

For the horses that are normally being ridden in an o-ring snaffle, I’ll use a curb bit that has a “correction” mouthpiece and very short, curved-back, “Argentine” shanks (loose shanks).

The correction mouthpiece will really get the horse responding well… especially for the stop.

This type of curb bit can easily be used on a snaffle bit horse because the shanks are so short and curved back that there is almost no curb action. The lack of leverage allows you to take the horse’s head laterally without scaring him.

On my horse’s that are normally ridden in a transition bit or curb bit, I’ll use a tuning bit that has a “correction” mouthpiece and 7-inch loose shanks.

This bit has some leverage to it but it’s easy to get lateral flexion because the shanks are loose.

I should also mention, on some of the heavier horses, I’ll use a curb chain with this bit that has more bite to it than the usual one that I use. Usually, a dog-chain curb works well.

I’ll normally ride the horse with a tuning bit for a ride or two (or show him in it) and then go back to whatever bit I normally ride him in.

Well, I hope this information helps you with your horse training. If you would like to see what the different types of bits look like, go to my website or simply click on the links below.

Take care,

Larry Trocha

Larry Trocha Training Stable

Larry Trocha is a professional reining and cutting horse trainer located in northern California. Visit Larry’s website,http://www.HorseTrainingVideos.com for videos, horse training information and Larry’s recommended horse tack

Respect. These seven letters are absolutely essential to a happy, healthy and enjoyable relationship with your horse. Whether your vision with your horse is of precise dressage circles, long ambling trail rides or eventing, if you don’t have respect on the ground you won’t have it in the saddle. Gaining your horse’s respect is a simple and essential part of horse ownership that helps you build a strong relationship with him, and it starts with understanding why your horse is the way he is.

Understanding Your Horse’s Needs

Horses belong in a herd; evolutionarily speaking, horses are prey animals that benefit from numbers. In a running herd, predators have trouble focusing on and bringing down a single animal in a group of 20. An essential part of this herd is its hierarchy. If you spend a day watching your horse in the pasture with other horses you will see constant movement; at first this movement may seem random and aimless, but if you look closely you will see that all movement begins with one horse that sets off a chain reaction among the others. Horses will move and shift constantly, from patch of grass to piles of hay to watering trough, moved around by the boss of the pasture; while your horse may favor one section of grass or area of the pasture, the boss can move him off at will, pinning her ears and lowering her head, perhaps with a snaky, swaying movement or teeth bared, moving towards what she wants with very pointed energy. If your horse does not move when presented with these obvious physical signs, the boss will proceed with more physical interventions, biting or kicking to get the reaction she is looking for. If there are horses lower in the hierarchy than the horse that was moved off, that horse will proceed to move another horse, and then another, and so on until they have all moved to a different patch of grass or pile of hay.

The hierarchy of the dominant horse is fairly stable but can change; even something as simple as putting on a fly mask or a turnout blanket can shake up the herd and result in squeals, kicks and challenges until things settle down again with a (sometimes) new boss. As uncomfortable as it may look from the outside, horses feel safer when they understand who is in charge and where they fall in the ranks of the herd. A lead horse not only says who eats what, when and where but also keeps an eye out for predators and keeps track of new foals; this horse also controls the speed and direction of movement in the event that the herd needs to run from a predator.

A Herd of Two

A horse’s need to feel safe as part of a herd’s hierarchy does not diminish when it is just you and your horse, and there is only one safe way for you two to form your own herd: you must be the boss. If you do not assert yourself, gaining (and keeping) your horse’s respect, you will become the owner of a horse who is (or becomes over time) pushy during feeding time, pushy when being led, pushy under saddle and pushy in general. Eventually you will have a dangerous horse that cannot be trusted on the ground and certainly should not be trusted under saddle. Your horse needs direction and guidance, and if he does not get it from you he will assume he is the one in charge and act accordingly.
Where to Start

When we think of getting our first horse, most of us have images of saddling up and riding, galloping across an open field on a sunny day, or completing a lightening-fast barrel run or dressage pattern or meandering along sun-dappled trails through the woods. Reality is something quite different. If your goal is to build a relationship with your horse that will last their lifetime, the first step is building respect, and respect begins on the ground. For the purposes of this article, we will assume that your horse’s most basic needs are being met so that he is receptive to this type of basic training. Your horse should be on a sound and regular feeding schedule designed to keep him at optimum health, and even if you have adopted or purchased a horse that is weak from hunger or illness, you can still address some basic respect issues without harming your horse. If you are unsure, check first with your vet to get the go-ahead, and then proceed slowly, being mindful of your horse’s comfort and building from there.

For all exercises that follow, remember to repeat them from both sides of your horse’s head, and make sure to practice them regularly and consistently; stay calm and firm when you ask you horse to do something, and reward even his smallest try. A horse that lowers his head and begins to lick his mouth or make chewing motions is a horse who is thinking about what you are asking him to do, and this is what you want: a thoughtful horse. If this is your first time doing groundwork, remember that you are training yourself, too; as you work with your horse, your body language and cues will become clearer and easier to understand, and your horse will relax and follow your lead.

Basic Exercises

The purpose of these first exercises is to show the horse that you control their feet (direction). Going back to the example of the boss horse moving the herd away from their food, remember that the boss was able to get the other horses moving with eye contact and body language. So that’s where we’ll start. You are looking to get maximum response from minimum pressure, so start small and increase your motions until you get a result, then back off instantly.

Many professional trainers recommend using a rope halter with two knots over the nose, and a ten-foot lead rope. The reason for the rope halters as opposed to a basic web halter is that a stubborn horse can lean against a web halter, effectively resisting your cues and making it nearly impossible for you to feel their slightest try. In a shoving match, your horse will win, and that is not the goal in the first place. You are looking to get maximum response from minimum pressure (a “light” horse), and a rope halter helps you to give smaller cues first and feel the response more quickly than a nylon halter. Do not wait to start until you have a rope halter; groundwork for respect should begin the second the first hoof hits the property! You can always get a different halter later.

There are four basic exercises for respect: backing, releasing the hindquarters, releasing the forequarters and leading.

Backing

Backing is simply getting your horse to move backwards out of your space on command. Not only does backing reinforce the very basic requirements of respect (for the horse to move away when you ask him), but it also makes him safer to approach in the pasture and during feeding time when you ask him to move away from gates or his feeder. There are two basic ways to back your horse: standing at his side beside his ears, or cuing him from in front of his head, facing him.

For the first method, start on either side of your horse, holding a couple inches below the clip on the halter in one hand, and the rest of the lead rope in your other hand (remember not to hold the rope in loops, with your hand in the middle). Putting slight pressure on the halter, step toward the horse’s shoulder. You are looking for one step backwards from any foot. If you need to, jiggle the halter slightly with the hand holding the clip and/or add additional pressure back towards the shoulder. Do not hesitate; be firm and sure. Do not release the pressure until your horse steps backwards, then release it instantly. The release of pressure is their reward for doing the right thing. As you progress, your horse should be taking more steps backwards, with more energy and less pressure. This requires patience and persistence. Eventually you want to be able to step towards their shoulder and have them back until you stop. Whichever side you start on, remember to move to the other side of your horse’s head and repeat.

The second method is adapted from several different natural horsemanship trainers; each trainer puts their own particular spin on this method. A rope halter does work best with this method, but again it is not required.

Stand in front of your horse’s head, just slightly off to one side (you do not want to be in their blind spot directly in front of them, but you also don’t want them to move to one side), about four feet away. The first step to this may leave you feeling a little silly; make eye contact with your horse, and think to yourself as hard as you can “Back up.” Try to convey just through eye contact the same thing the herd boss would, to get out of your way or else. If your horse does not respond to this (and many will not the first time out), start to gently wiggle the lead rope with one hand while making “sh-sh-sh” noises. Your horse’s head may come up slightly, and his ears may prick forward; his listening. Again, here you are looking for one step backwards. Gradually increase the motion of your wrist and the lead rope so that the halter may end up rubbing all over his nose. This is very unpleasant for your horse, and he will want to move away (back!) from it. Do not move towards him; wait for him to move away from you. The second he steps back, stop all wiggling and noise and praise him. You may have to wiggle the rope with pretty big movements at first, but he will figure it out quickly to escape the rubbing halter. As you progress through this exercise, his head should come down when you ask him to back, with very little pressure required. With this method you may be able to get your horse so light and responsive that he backs when he hears the noise!

Work on backing (either method, or both to mix it up) as long as it takes him to take as many energetic steps backwards as you need; go as slow as your horse needs (be patient) but remember that you are establishing your role as the dominant “horse” in your herd of two. If your horse knows what you are asking but lazily moves back on his own time, or only gives one or two steps, increase the pressure until he does what you are telling him to do. The idea is to first ask, then show, then tell him what to do.

Troubleshooting

If you start with a horse that really has no respect for you or your space you will need to march him out of your way at first. With the lead rope in one hand and a dressage crop (or similar crop or training stick without a whip attached) begin marching in place, swinging the crop out in front of your knees and really exaggerating a high-stepping march in place, with hands pumping up and down as well; establish a rhythm in place (while your horse looks at you like you are crazy), then begin marching toward him. Continue your rhythm. If your horse does move, he will get the dressage crop on his chest and a hand on his chin. Your goal is not to hurt your horse, but he needs to know you are serious, so if he is not moving by the time the crop reaches him, make sure he feels it. This is the same as the herd boss baring his teeth and biting out. You are not being mean or beating your horse; if you cannot get him to move out of your way he poses a real threat to your safety. He must understand that you are not to be run over or stepped on, and this teaches him that lesson.

Next Steps

After your horse takes multiple, energetic steps backwards with minimal pressure from you, try backing over trot poles, or try varying the direction by moving your focus further back on his body to his hip (so he’ll swing to one side or the other). Once he has learned to back and respect your space, keep his refresher training sessions short and effective so that he stays engaged and willing. It is best to apply these skills to real situations, so after you catch him in the pasture back him for a few steps when you open the gate, or back him into his stall at night.

Releasing (Disengaging) the Hindquarters

The second stage of gaining respect by controlling your horse’s direction is getting him to release his hindquarters on command. A horse that is soft and supple in the hindquarters is a horse with beautiful lead flying lead changes, instantaneous sidepass, seamless direction changes and a spook that happens in place, instead of down the road. Some trainers will have you work on lateral flexion (bending their heads softly to one side or the other) prior to moving the hindquarters, but this method can get you moving their feet before they are completely flexed in the neck. As you work on perfecting this you can add lateral flexion, but as our goal is respect and establishing you as the dominant horse, we’ll start with movement of the feet and add flexion in next steps.

Start on the near (left) side of the horse, facing his head and standing behind where the girth would be; hold the lead rope in your left hand and place your right arm on your horse’s back, without crossing over to the other side. Apply pressure to the lead rope by pulling back slightly, just until your horse turns his head; once the horse turns slightly, release the pressure and let him straighten up. Repeat at least three times on each side. The goal in this case is to get your horse flexing to the side, not to touch their side completely; you just want to see their eye facing you. After the third time, hold the horse’s head slightly flexed, drop your right hand down to the side where a rider’s heel might ask for movement, and bump his side slightly with the heel of your hand, keeping gentle pressure on the lead rope. Here you are looking for your horse to release his hindquarters, crossing his left hind leg in front of his right hind leg. At the beginning, look for just one step across, and not a shuffle; you need to see one leg cross in front of the other one, not just shuffle around. When you get it, instantly stop bumping and release all pressure, praising verbally and rubbing the spot you were bumping with your hand. Repeat this exercise as many times as necessary to get that one step with light pressure. Eventually you will have a horse who releases quickly, pivoting on the front legs. Remember to practice this on both sides of the horse, and alternate releasing the hindquarters with backing.

Troubleshooting

If your horse moves forward as he releases, he is really just walking a circle around you, and you are looking for a swinging hind end. Release some of the pressure on the halter, as he may think you are trying to walk him, and raise your hand in front of his eye to stop him from walking toward you. Make sure he can feel you bumping his side; you’re not playing patty cake. You should definitely reward the try, but make sure your horse understands you mean it when you tell him to do something. You can also step towards his hindquarters with a big movement, and he should move out of your way.

Next Steps

When your horse releases his hindquarters with minimum pressure, pivoting or moving very little with his front legs, add a backing exercise to the end. Give him a little more lead rope, and when he swings to face you, begin to back him up using whichever method works best for you.

Additionally, for a good stretch, you can begin to ask your horse to flex his neck in either direction to touch his side. Stand beside your horse either facing his body or his head, close to the point of his hip, drape the end of your lead rope over your horse’s back. If you start on the near side, slide your left hand down the lead rope towards the clip, and when you get about a foot and a half away, pull back and slightly up towards the withers (this is where you would pull towards in the saddle). When the horse stretches back towards his side by any amount, release instantly and let him relax for five to ten seconds before flexing again. Sometimes you can tickle their whiskers if (they have any), and they will reach further; other trainers suggest you take their head in one hand and their tail in the other and get them to stretch to touch their tail. For any of the flexing exercises, a rope halter is almost imperative; a stubborn horse will lie back on the webbing and wait patiently for you to stop asking. If that happens, bump the lead rope slightly and get ready to release if they try even a little. You always want to end on a positive note, right as the horse is working with you and attentive.

Releasing (Disengaging) the Forequarters

Now that you have your horse backing smoothly and releasing the hindquarters lightly, it’s time to work on the front end. If the hind is the engine, the front is the steering wheel. Gaining control over your horse’s forequarters will give you more confidence when you mount up; he will know you mean business when you are directing him because you laid the foundation of control on the ground.

Stand on either side, approximately parallel to your horse’s ear, maybe a little back. You do not want to be too far back, as your horse will feel like you are driving him forward, and you don’t want to be too far in front of him, as he will think you are asking him to back up. With the lead rope in one hand, making sure he has enough room so you aren’t pulling on his face, but not so much room that he can just move away and avoid the action, raise your hands to eye level, and begin to rhythmically wave both hands toward him. His head will probably come up to avoid your hands; try to keep them at his eye level. If you horse is especially tall, you may want to add a crop or other training stick to lengthen your arm. Again, you are looking for one step, this time one front leg crossing over the other. Increase the pressure every five or so waves by making them move bigger, or thumping on his neck. Your goal here is not to hurt your horse but to imitate the boss in the pasture; when you say move, he needs to MOVE and NOW. For some horses, this may mean a thump or two on the neck, but do check yourself and make sure you are increasing the pressure because it is time, not because you are frustrated.

Troubleshooting

If your horse backs up when you are asking for the release, that is okay; he is trying to figure out what you are asking him to do. Do not increase the level of pressure; stay with him, and keep asking. When he stops backing but still does not respond then you can increase your pressure.

If your horse moves forward to run away from pressure, immediately back him 10-20 steps and start over again. Make sure you are not standing too far back (so your body language is moving him forward), but do not otherwise let him move forward. He is entering your space unbidden, and that is not safe.

Next Steps

Once your horse smoothly releases from both the front and the back, alternate between them; release the hind, then release the front. See if you can get him to release by just looking at the point of his hip or his shoulder. Back in between releases, and make sure to praise and give time to rest.
Leading

The final exercise for gaining your horse’s respect on the ground is teaching him how to lead safely. The reasons for the exercise need little explanation; you cannot have a horse that runs up over you, cuts you off, or steps on your feet when you cross in front of him. In the wild, the dominant horse is truly the one in the lead, and all others follow.

If you watch ten different people with their horses, you will see ten different styles of leading. Some people lead with their horse’s head in front of them; some lead walking next to their horse’s poll; some lead with the rope looped around their horse’s neck; some lead with the horse far behind them. For the purpose of gaining respect, you will learn to lead with your horse behind your right shoulder; if your horse is behind you you will be able to cross in front of him without pushing him out of the way, and he will have space to come to a stop without running over you.

To start, back your horse out of your space and make sure his attention is on you. Hold the lead rope loosely across your right palm with about three feet of lead between you and your horse (hold the remainder in your left hand, loosely coiled). The reason you keep your palm open and some rope between you and your horse is to show him that you trust his ability to follow you, and to not keep him so tightly trussed to you that he cannot move. Remember that as a flight animal, a horse’s instinct will make him pull away if he feels trapped, and holding him right under his chin or too close to his halter could produce that feeling. Turn your back to your horse, with your shoulders squared. Look in the direction you are going, and in one smooth movement, step forward with the right foot, click with your tongue, and move your right hand forward slightly. To stop, plant both feet and either say, “woah” or blow out through your mouth, hard. You can add a slight squat to this if you like (similar to the motion of trying to stop your horse in the saddle by sitting lower). Walk in circles, making sure to keep your head up and eyes facing where you want to go (your horse is reading your body language from behind), with your horse behind your right shoulder.

Troubleshooting

If your horse is not used to following, or is high strung, or does not quite get the idea of staying out of your space, he will run up on your shoulder or try to surge ahead of you. Do not let him do this; be consistent. Stop and back him up, then start again, or lead him in a circle, either in front of him or just to the left away from him. Do not let him lead you, and do not let him place you beside his shoulder. When he does this, he has told you that you are his inferior, and he’ll do the leading around here, thank you very much. Back him off and keep him out of your space. Travel short distances at first, and always reward the try.

Next Steps

Long, rambling walks, respectful bonding time: these are your next steps. Practice leading your horse safely wherever you go, and be consistent with his position.

A Respectful Horse, A Happy Horse, A Beautiful Relationship

These are the most basic exercises you can start working on immediately to build a strong relationship with your horse that is based on respect and trust. You will always come back to the basic principles behind them, just as the boss in the pasture reasserts her status from time to time. Combined with bonding over grooming (find his itchy spots!), observing your horse in the pasture and relaxing hand grazing, these simple exercises will strengthen your relationship on the ground, laying the foundation for a long and lasting bond with your horse.

[http://www.localequine.com] is a wiki dedicated to complete, accurate and helpful information on all aspects of horse ownership; readers can peruse the information or join and login to add events to the calendar or recommendations for everything from barefoot trimmers to lesson barns to riding trails to books and other training resources. Currently focused on the southeast, LocalEquine plans to expand up the east coast and west to eventually include local, updated information for all of the lower 48 states. Our goal is to create a community of horse owners who are committed to the holistic care of their equine friends, whether they are free rescue horses or $150,000 Thoroughbreds.

HORSE LOVERS: During my thirty years of selling rural land, I have frequently found that folks want some acreage so that they can own and ride horses. They LOVE horses in their own mind but have little if any of the real knowledge or experience necessary to raise one or more horses. Far too often, they have knowledge based on little more than an idyllic dream and that dream based for the most part on romantic novels and movies. This article will give you some basic information which may save you and a horse some bad or even terrible experiences.

HOW MANY ACRES?: If you do want horses; a good rule of thumb in good pasture areas is 3 to 5 acres of pasture per horse, and ideally another acre or two of paddock per horse. The wise Equestrian will thus plan about 6 to 10 acres per horse they want to keep in the purchase of land. The paddocks are smaller fenced pasture areas close to the barn used for training, saddling up your horse or getting a new horse acclimated to his new home.

The risk of injury to animals increases where horses are overcrowded, and competition for food, water and space may lead to fighting. You must provide an adequate number of paddocks or yards to permit incompatible animals to be segregated. The number of horses and their grouping in each paddock or yard must be appropriate for their compatibility and for the ground conditions, taking into account the climatic conditions pertaining at the time.

You also need room for the house, barn, hay storage, tack building and a loafing shed for them to get under when the weather is not quite acceptable to them. In any yard or shelter, each horse must have adequate room to lie down, stand up and turn around. There should be a clean, dry area for the horse to lie down, the surface of which protects the horse from abrasions and capped elbows and hocks. Paddocks which expose horses to items of machinery, equipment or rubbish (especially wire) likely to cause serious injury must not be used.

FENCING: There are numerous types of fencing that are designed for horses. Board fences are deadly dangerous if not constantly maintained. The horses can break a board and end up impaled on it. Wire, especially barbed wire can entangle your horse’s leg or neck and seriously injure him or worse. There are several kinds of fences made for horse pasture. Barbed wire and narrow gauge (2.5 mm) high-tensile steel wire, because of their cutting, non-stretching and nonbreaking properties, can cause severe injury to horses. They should be avoided when constructing fences for horses, as should internal fence-stays or posts, which are a common cause of injury.

Fences should be readily visible to horses and properly maintained. The ideal fence for premises designed mainly for horses is the synthetic, strong, flexible, post-and-rail type, with rails treated or painted with nontoxic preparations. A popular alternative, which also provides a good visual barrier, is a single top rail attached to a conventional post-and-wire fence. I like the Australian Sheep Wire fence as it has a grid that is very small at the bottom and larger at the top. The small grid size at the bottom prevents the horse from stepping through the fence and getting tangled. I also like a charged electric wire just above the highly visible top rail to “convince” the horse to not lean over that top rail to get grass on the other side. Such leaning by such a strong and heavy animal is a major cause of fence breakage. There must be no sharp objects projecting inwards.

Your large animal Veterinarian or Horse feed and tack store can help you find the right fencing and an installer that knows what he’s doing. Ideally your pasture will have fence corners rounded on a large radius to prevent your horse from injury if he is cornered by another horse or is just running with exuberance and misjudges the distance to the corner. I have occasionally seen a horse on a tether chain or rope, as some people do a dog. Tethering is a practice which has a high risk of injury to horses. It is not recommended and should be used only when other forms of grazing or containment are unavailable and when close supervision of the horse can be maintained. Only placid horses and those adequately trained to accept the practice should be tethered.

FORGET WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM NOVELS OR HOLLYWOOD: Contrary to all the horse stories and films, your horse will not respond to you the same way a dog or cat will. He will respond and perform best when his owner is consistent and has a routine. Forget all those stories about Flicka and Black Beauty; it only happens in the movies.

Horses do have personality but you must remember that they are very big and strong and you cannot make them do anything unless you have convinced them and then they choose to do it. Proper ground manners are a must and the rider must know how to ride. Take some lessons if you are a first time owner. Horses do not like you to hang onto the reins for balance. Learn how to balance yourself in the saddle and to gently guide the horse with the reins. There is no faster way to make a horse “sour” than to pull on his mouth roughly. Learn the horse language; the way to communicate to your horse is through the balance of your body, your seated position, the position of your feet and legs and lastly the position of your hands.

STABLING: He does not enjoy being locked in a stall every night. He would much prefer the open fields and the starry nights! A three sided shed (preferably with the open side to the southwest) will due just fine. Horses do need protection from the sun and rain. Horse blankets/rugs make us feel better; nature however, has equipped him just dandy with a real fur coat. Those horses that are unlucky enough to be put in a stall every night could probably use a rug unless the barn is REALLY COZY. But, when it is 30 degrees or lower and it is blowing and wet, he does appreciate a stall to eat his grain and hay. And it will save you a lot of cleanup in your paddocks.

PASTURE: Plant a pasture with a mixture of proper grass seeds. Check with the local Agricultural Substation or horse feed supply store for the seed mix. Build several paddocks to keep your horses in for short times, so that you can rotate the pastures and periodically give each one a rest to replenish the height of it’s grasses.

Horses are poor utilizers of pasture, compared to cattle or sheep. Most horse pastures contain a large proportion of weeds and “roughs” where horses are the only grazers. Horses will not eat pasture that is contaminated with horse dung. This usually causes the contaminated area to become larger and the grazing area smaller. The pasture growing round the dung patches is usually lush and looks to be the best feed, while the patches in between will look overgrazed.

Where possible, horses should be grazed in conjunction with cattle or sheep. In addition to helping calm the horses; the other species will clean up the “roughs” while also reducing the worm contamination on pasture. Although harrowing can also be useful to spread the dung around, in moist conditions and when the grass is long it may spread worm eggs, making a larger area of the paddock infected. Where no cattle or other grazers are available, it is essential to remove the manure or spread it around regularly during dry periods, when the sun and ultraviolet rays will tend to destroy eggs and larvae.

Your horses will leave some big manure piles around the pasture and especially in the corners. Spread the horse manure out on the pasture with a drag harrow and rake out the pasture corners to break it up in smaller pieces; it helps to keep the fly larvae in the manure from hatching out and bothering your horses.

You will need a manure spreader to spread the manure you shovel out of your loafing sheds and stalls. Your horses will eat a lot of the grass in your pasture — but you will still have to mow the pastures periodically and you will need to use a weed-eater under and along all the fences. You will need to keep a check out for any plants of the nightshade family as they are poisonous to your steeds.

Grazing animals deplete soil nutrients progressively, which in turn leads to poor pasture quality and growth rate. This should be regularly monitored by soil and pasture analysis. Pasture should be top dressed with fertilizers to replace identified nutrient deficiencies. Check with your State Agricultural Agent (each state has an Agricultural College and Agents attached) to learn to identify soil nutrient needs and to show you how to destroy noxious plants properly. Make certain that there is always plenty of clean fresh water in the pasture and that the water trough is kept dutifully clean!

VACCINATIONS: Your horses require annual booster shots for Rabies, Tetanus, Flu Rhino and Encephalitis, and Potomac Horse Fever. Check with your local Large Animal Veterinarian and maintain a proper schedule of immunizations and regular checkups. Horses also require quarterly worming to keep the intestinal parasites below the danger level.

FARRIER SERVICES: Horses in the wild got along just fine without a Farrier. They ran and romped over vast expanses, were chased by predators and often ran long distances as a herd. But now that they are kept and ridden mostly on soft sandy soil or grasslands — the hooves need trimming every six to eight weeks. AND, yes some horses do need horseshoes of steel, rubber or some other material. You will be able to tell if your horse need shoeing; if he does he will walk very “tender-footed” and may have cracks and breakage in his hooves. The way he walks, stands and carries himself in general will tip you off to his Farrier needs.

INTENTION: Your intention is of great importance! Horses can feel a fly on their back and they can feel your intent; when you really mean business. They learn in a hurry who they have to respect and who they can play around with — DON’T be fooled! Set yourself up to win his respect and keep it. Don’t ask him to do anything that you suspect will be an argument unless you have the time to make certain that he does it. Be firm. Being firm does not mean beating your horse; it does mean that sometimes you might have to put a chain a little too snugly across his nose to lead him if he walks too fast and gets ahead of you at lead.

TRUST: It is so important that your horse trust you. Please don’t abuse him by hitting or kicking him. Trust is necessary for him when you want him to cross a ditch or a fence or take him to water or take him to ride with other horses. Trust is built by day to day consistent care and treatment of your horse; and by not putting him into situations that hurt him or scare him badly.

EQUINE DENTIST: Horses need dentists too! At least once a year, some horses require to have the equine dentist “float” his teeth. This removes sharp edges so that he can chew his food properly and be comfortable with the bit.

GROOMING: Horses love to be brushed and bathed. Spend lots of quality time with your horse when you first get him and each time before and after you ride him with gentle loving hands and lots of brush grooming. Pick the stones and dirt from his feet before and after a ride to keep him from getting bruised feet. Check him for ticks after any ride in the woods or tall grass — especially in warm weather. Keep all your tack clean and the leather saddle-soaped and lightly oiled. Wash your saddle blanket after each use and rinse his bit well too. He doesn’t like a hard, dirty blanket on his back or a crusty bit in his mouth. Keep your brushes clean too, rinse, wash and pull the hair out of them periodically.

NUTRITION: Nutrition is a powerful factor in the life of a horse, just as it is our own. Often a problem horse can just be suffering from some nutritional deficiency. Often a horse that is “cribbing” that is chewing on his stall or on the fence has a nutritional deficiency. This should be handled quickly as the swallowed wood splinters have obvious danger to your horse. Horses need vitamins, roughage of course, minerals, protein, oils, carbohydrates, enzymes and trace elements in their diets to be at their best in health, behavior and attitude… and sometimes even if they are getting the correct food they may not be digesting it to get the proper use of the nutrients… just like us.

Horse Hair Analysis is a very useful tool to find the realistic needs of your horse. The hair is a long term record of the horse’s nutritional health and the analysis will tell the most accurate story as to what your particular horse needs… or what he is getting too much of — especially if he is ingesting some sort of toxic substance.

TRAILERS and TRAILERING: For most people learning to trailer your horse is mandatory. If you are fortunate to purchase a place far out in the rural un-populated areas, especially if you purchase property on a long dirt road or network of such roads — you may be able to do a lot of riding without trailering. You will still likely want to have a trailer eventually, so that you can take your horse to a trainer, pick up another horse, or take your horse to join a friend for a ride.

There are several types of trailers; they are of many sizes from small to huge. Some of them even have owners quarters or a groomsman’s room adjacent to the horse section. There are the horse carrying motor home style vehicles too. For highway speeds and to go any distance, it is best to use a large towing pickup truck specialized for such use. The best are the dual tired big pickup trucks called Duelies. You then get a big sturdy support hitch mounted in the pickup bed and the trailer has a long hitch stalk that projects into the truck bed. This type, called a goose neck trailer with a 5th wheel hitch, will give you excellent stability and a shortened turn radius. It is also virtually impossible to have a trailer disconnect from the truck — which is a worry with pull-behind trailers.

Before you take your horse for a first trailer ride; you should ride in the back of the trailer, while someone else drives the truck, so that you can experience the cornering and braking calamities that the horse will experience. Some folks put leg wraps on their horses when trailering to help protect the horse more from accidental braking, cornering, or bumping. After you have ridden in the moving trailer yourself, take a few practice runs with you and the horse — so you can see what the horse is experiencing as a driver drives, turns and brakes. And it would be a good idea to next have someone else ride with your horse while you drive. One of my friends had a good technique; she put a long stem wine glass on the dash of her truck and filled it with water. She then learned to drive without spilling the water or turning over the glass. Personally I think it is a great technique to practice.

You also need to keep the trailer clean, especially keeping it free of hay dust and dirt. Remember when the trailer is underway and if the vent windows are open, whatever hay and dirt there is inside will start whirling around in the trailer. Keep everything well tied down inside too; falling, and swinging articles in the trailer can spook your horse and cause him to jump and hurt himself.

Service the trailer at least once a year. Check the brakes, tires, tire pressure and all hitch welds and bolts carefully. Make certain that the floor is solid. Practice driving, backing and turning. Practice using the mirrors. Mirror use is difficult to learn and of utmost importance. With proper mirror use however, you can easily back your trailer into a space only a few inches larger than it is.

WHO IS THE BOSS?: If you don’t watch out — your horse will TRAIN YOU, for instance… I knew this lady who trailered her horse to various lessons and rides… but he knew he did not have to get into the trailer until the third attempt each time. First she would lead him to the trailer, he would stop and she would pet and coo to him. The second time she would coax him a little more with carrots and baby talk. When that, of course, didn’t work either (he liked that sweet talk and especially the carrots) she would try the third method. By now she was a little tired and frustrated with him, she wanted to go home or get on with the lessons; so she spoke firmly, put the chain across his nose, tightened it a bit, and… he’d get right on. But he always knew that he didn’t have to get on until the third technique — besides he would miss his carrots and sweet talk if he got on the first time!

Here’s another one. Some horses raise their head and clamp their teeth and will not accept the bit. I have seen people strike the horse about the face or swing the bridle and hit him — this only teaches him that the bridle is a mean, scary piece of equipment and that he’d better raise his head up out of your reach for his own protection. The solution to bit shyness takes a while; it will take a little patience, some sweet talk and some sweet syrup on your fingers. Play around with his mouth with your fingers and let him wear the bit awhile when he is in his stall to eat and drink. Put it on him sometimes while you are grooming him too. Make sure that the bit is adjusted correctly for tightness in his mouth and that it is the right size and style. And especially be certain that when you ride him that you are not always holding tension on the reins, using them when you should be only giving body language directions, sawing them back and forth from left to right or in any way being rough on his mouth.

MOUNTING YOUR HORSE: Training your horse to stand still as a statue while you mount is a MUST! If your horse likes to walk about while you try to mount up — have someone hold him while you get up and properly placed in the saddle. Once you are mounted — sit well in the saddle with an erect posture, take a deep and cleansing breath and sink into your saddle with poise and assurance before you start off with him. Take time frequently with just you and him; when no one is around, mount him inside the pasture or paddock fence and just stand there in the saddle with him for several minutes. Then after quite some time, ask him to walk. Of course you will need to spend the time needed to train him to stand quiet and still while you are on him. And you must each learn the particulars of how to open the pasture gate while you are in the saddle.

RETURNING FROM A RIDE: There is always the temptation on your horses part, to run back to the barn at the end of a ride. He will be tempted to trot instead of walk; canter instead of trot; or run instead of canter. Be careful or you will be allowing him to learn or to think you are teaching him to run home. If you persist in this permissiveness you may eventually have a runaway horse each time his head turns toward home.

When you do return home; come down to a walk well away from the barn and let him cool down well as you near the barn. If you are cantering in and he wants to go faster, break down the gait to a trot and if needed down to a walk even if a long way from the barn. If he won’t walk calmly but wants to jig and go sideways or tries breaking into a faster gait — you need to spend some time in the paddocks and school him to walk and trot when you tell him too. If you still have trouble; get help from an outside equestrian or a trainer.

BUYING YOUR HORSE: When buying a horse be aware that what you see during the purchasing meeting with the horse — is what you will have when you take him home. He is most likely on his best behavior at the barns and paddocks where he lives, so when you remove him to take him to your place you are likely to get worse behavior not better. Unless you are a very experience rider with some good horse sense, you should purchase an older, settled horse for a first mount and then as you improve get a younger more spirited one.

Look at the teeth to detect age and condition of the horse. Horse newspapers have lots of ads and some advice. There are auctions for horses too; once you find out about them you can get on the mailing list and visit a few before you buy. Classified ads are a very good sources of horses for sale.

When you go to look at a horse to purchase; take along an honest and reputable person to help you with that purchase. A good saddle horse should cost you from $2,500 to $5,000. A trained horse can cost much more but may well be worth the cost. Specialty horses of course — Arabians and Thoroughbreds for instance can cost more than a nice home or in some cases more than a nice shopping center. You don’t always get what you pay for… but you can count on paying for what you get.

Watch for conformation (shape and bodily proportion) in the horse; which can be learned from books and then there is Attitude — this is the same as for humans. If the horse has a bad attitude it’s hardly worth owning at any cost. The horse should be checked perhaps even x-rayed by a Veterinarian. This is called Vetting a horse; done in a pre-purchase exam. This usually costs about $300 to $500. A lot of lameness can’t be seen with the eye and will only show up with strenuous training, or during work or competition — just when you can’t afford it. ===
Happy Trails and best wishes to a lot of good horsin’ around for all you readers who want horses. Horses can bring out the best and the worst of a person and give you endless hours of pleasure, exercise and frustration. But most horse owners and lovers wouldn’t have it any other way.

TALLY HO!

Copyright 2004 by Jody Hudson

www.Kate-Jody.com and www.TheRuralSpecialist.com

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Email MrJodyHudson@earthlink.net

Jody Hudson, Realtor specializing in horse properties and being around horse farms, since 1972 and much more. Many years of being around an being in business to help people with horses.