Hoof care is an important element in the care of a horse. With a young horse it is really important to start foot care early. Handle the feet as soon as a foal will allow it. You can prevent a lot of conformation problems by trimming early. Sometimes a hoof grows upright and boxy instead of at an angle like a normal hoof. This is called a clubfoot.
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We need to set standards and have expectations for our horses. There is always a pecking order in a herd. When a horse is a member of a herd, it knows how to behave and what is expected of it. It is no different with us. We are obviously not going to kick our horse if it doesn’t do what we want as a boss mare would do. However, we can duplicate that leadership by controlling the feet and putting pressure on the horse,
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What qualifies a person to be a horseman or horsewoman? I think maturity is the number one factor. By this I mean handling horses over a lifetime. We can certainly have a talent for horses and get along with them but being a true horseman or woman is not something learned over night. I was first introduced to horses as a teenager and I thought that every older cowboy I met was a horseman.
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We often speak about making sure our horse is collected. Collection is important for every rider whether you trail ride or you are serious about showing. So what is collection and why is it so vital for every rider?
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People think of abuse as a horse being beaten but there are many types of abuse that you might not even recognize. As mentioned in the previous article, neglect is certainly abusive but also spoiling a horse by not teaching it manners,
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I know a good deal about this subject as I have rescued many, many horses over the years. There...
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Last time I discussed the need to free our horses from stalls and barns that may collapse or burn around them and the need to identify our horses so that we can be reunited if separated. Today I want to share with you some steps you can take to prepare yourself for an emergency whether it is an immediate response such as in the case of wild fires or advanced preparedness in the case of tornados and hurricanes.
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Several years ago at a horse expo when another presenter cancelled at the last minute, I was asked to fill in and discuss disaster preparedness for hurricanes, tornados, fires, etc. With nothing prepared, I decided to talk in terms of common sense. The question centered on whether it is better to leave horses in the barn/stall when there is a hurricane or tornado watch or,
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The exercise we call “concentrated circles” is a critical foundation training exercise. This exercise teaches the horse to bend around you, which improves suppleness. It also provides important schooling of the go-forward cue.
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We all have busy times when we can’t work with our horses as much as we would like. Family, illness, work and weather can prevent us from working our horses consistently.
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