Horses
Welcome! Here we aim to bring you the most information about horses on the web. You'll find horse care information, beautiful horse photos, consumer tips, and more on the joys of horses. It's the perfect place for horse lovers, owners, and enthusiats alike!
Not all equestrian accidents happen while you're riding. Routine daily horse care chores like grooming, tacking and feeding can result in an injury. Be prepared, be aware and be safe!
1. Rope Wrap: Don't wrap your lead line around your hand (or any other body part). If your horse spooks or shys, you can get a rope burn, a sprain...even some broken bones.
2. Tack Troubles: Use caution when tacking a horse, especially an unknown horse. When you're tightening the girth some horses will bite at anything they can reach. If the horse is in cross ties, be sure no one is standing within striking distance. If your horse isn't in cross ties, keep an even wider perimeter.
3. Bridle Knockout: Keep your wits about you when bridling a horse. Some horses will shake their heads before accepting the bridle. If you're not paying attention, you can get hit in the head. Hard.
4. Not So Tranquilizing: Some horses can become aggressive when tranquilized. Don't assume your horse will be putty in your hands! Use of prescription drugs should always be under your veterinarian's direction.
5. Eyes On The Flies: Be aware of the environment in which you're going to work or ride. If the flies are plentiful and biting, your horse may bolt in an effort to get away from them. You can use fly sprays, but keep in mind that the sprays wear off. You may need to reapply during a long ride.
6. Try A Little Tenderness: Check your horse for injuries or sore spots before grooming. Inadvertently running a comb over a tender spot can cause a dangerous bite or kick.
7. The Trick Of Treats: Horses love treats, and sometimes they show their love by shoving and kicking their pasture mates. There is a pecking order in the herd, and horses take it very seriously. As they jockey optimum treat distribution, you may suffer collateral damage. Feed treats from the safe side of a fence, tossing some treats to the lower status herd members. For the safest possible treat feeding, just put them in their feed buckets. You'll get fewer brownie points with your horses, but you'll stay in one piece.
8. Fit That Tack: Poor fitting tack can cause discomfort to your horse. This, in turn, can cause discomfort to you when he tries to buck you off. Be sure your tack is correctly fitted to your horse.
9. Dress For Success: Wear appropriate footwear. A properly fitted boot/stirrup combination is also very important. Release catches are available on some saddles to prevent dragging if your foot is caught in the stirrup.
10. Plan For A Quick Retreat: Don't enter a stall without planning how you'll get OUT of the stall. If the stall doesn't have stall guards (allowing you to duck under) and you must close the door, be sure someone is available to open the door quickly in the event of trouble. In an emergency, reaching over to fiddle with the stall door latch may not be feasible.
Let Practical Horsekeeping show you how to become an efficient, effective equine expert! Moira Clune and Noreen Girao provide helpful horse care information with a practical twist at http://www.PracticalHorsekeeping.com/ Our free horse care ezine shows you the fastest, safest, smartest ways to care for your horse and create an organized, appealing environment that works for horse and rider! Sign up today and get our free, veterinarian approved Colic Preparedness Report that shows you exactly what to do in a horse colic emergency. Join us today at http://www.practicalhorsekeeping.com/horsecarenewsletter.html and start getting practical!
Aug 30 2010
The Belmont is over; we have a new winner; Summer Bird followed by Dunkird and Mine that Bird. It was a good race; all of the horses were safe. Only Dunkirk tied up after the race, but he was reportedly doing fine back at the barn. These are the horses that make headline news, and [...]
Jul 03 2010
Suppling Through Circles Does your horse have a favorite direction to be ridden in? Does he ride more smoothly and with better contact in one direction? I have a straightforward exercise that can help correct and straighten your horse. This exercise takes 2 basic shapes and uses them to loosen and stretch your horse so [...]
Sep 14 2009
Training a wild horse is not really easy. In fact, it can be a pain in the neck. That is why you need to have a lot of patience and commitment when training a wild horse. One of the trainings that your horse must undergo is the saddle training. To do the training successfully, I [...]
Aug 27 2009
Creating your own memories. Why make your own horse hair Bracelet? I have been a crafty kind of Cowgirl my entire life. In fact I think that most Cowgirls have had to learn to be somewhat crafty. There is just about nothing a true Cowgirl cannot ride, make happen, repair and there is truly nothing [...]
Aug 17 2009
How to start: It’s easy to get started in getting that Custom piece of Horse Hair Jewelry. First, if you have ever dreamed of having a Custom Horse Hair Jewelry made from your own horse’s hair, then the best way and the easiest way is to collect your favorite horse’s hair is right now. The [...]
Aug 15 2009
Finding a Bosal and Mecate/bosal rein: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! Bosal sets that don’t cause pain to your horse. If you are looking for a mecate rein for the first time, you might be surprised at the price range. A Bosal can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Let’s [...]
Jul 23 2009
When it comes to horseback riding, the importance of a bridle is obvious. A horse bridle comes with different pieces such as the brow-band, nose-band, cheek-pieces and throat-lash. For the comfort of the horse as well as the rider, it is necessary to adjust each piece so that the bridle fits correctly. Mismatching can often [...]
Jul 13 2009
Last year, I had some trouble with our little Arab gelding. We purchased him late 2006 and brought him home from Arizona, where he had been living on the breeding farm with the brood mares and foals. Up until then, the footing he was used to was very soft dirt with manure turned under and [...]
Jul 02 2009
In this day of internet commerce, many people buy and sell horses sight unseen. I have done both several times with success. But have you ever wondered why that wonderful horse you have advertised hasn’t sold even after you sent photos or video to prospective buyers? You know he or she is a great horse. [...]
Jun 28 2009
During my many years of following and being involved in horse racing, I have seen several dozen advertisements and websites all claiming to have the best horse racing system out there. The industry is now becoming saturated with, I’m afraid to say, not so legitimate offers of being able to make anyone a millionaire overnight, [...]