Horse Articles page 3

HORSE ARTICLES page 3

Horse Breaking Explained
By: Paddy

Anyone wanting to know the basic method of horse breaking applied in the past can rent a western movie. Watching is about all the method is useful for as today there are far kinder ways in which to break in a horse.

I really do not like to use the term breaking simply as the word breaking, denotes force. Ultimately horse breaking is training of the horse. Training for a work or pleasure horse, has the same basic method of getting a horse to submit to man.

Training horses has two main methods, the old and the new. The old technique is still very much in use today, but has been refined and altered along the way. That is to say that in most countries where horse folk are being educated, they no longer hurt the horse.

In the old days one would tie a horse up to a fence for hours until he had no fight left in him and one could then sit in the saddle and not be bucked off. Today thankfully man has learned to work with horses instead of simply dominating them.

The new method of training known as natural horsemanship may not be entirely new, but the trend and following is. Natural horsemanship as against simple horse breaking does not involve the horse submitting to man.

Instead man learns to communicate in the horses own language and becomes the horses leader, like the stallion of a herd. You do not have to be an experienced horse professional of old nor an aspiring natural horsemanship individual to realize that violence is not needed to train a horse. No matter what method of training you follow it always pays to respect the horse.

If you are not a competent horse handler you have no place training a green horse. A green horse is the term used to describe a horse that is unbroken and thus had very little if any training. I say this because a green horse will be bold and challenge you and you could very well be tempted to react with force or violence through fear.

When you are considering training a young horse and you have never done so before, have a knowledgeable trainer with you. Untrained or green horses often cost less than a trained horse and it is for this reason many people are tempted to buy them. Once again if you do not have the skill to train the horse without using violence and force, either have someone help you or send it to a trainer first.

When you take the extra care and attention to train a horse humanely and effectively, you have a horse that is happy to be handled; a horse that can be handled by most people too. That way you ensure a beginning relationship of trust between man and the horse which is essential to get the best performance from your horse.

Horse breaking is the start of training a horse to work with man. Today there is certainly no excuse when horse breaking is a cruel act. It makes common sense then to create a long lasting relationship of trust through kindness. It will continually be proven that horses do not need to be driven into submission. How wonderful the feeling is when this big powerful animal actually wants to please us.

Article source: Articlecat.com

Author: http://www.your-horse-guide.com Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about horse breaking.

Curious About The Gaits Of A Horse?
By: Paddy

The horse is said to have four natural gaits, namely the walk, trot, canter and gallop. When you learn to ride you start off slow with the walk and work your way up in speed to the gallop. Each gait requires the rider to be balanced. Like a baby learns to crawl before he runs, I recommend that every beginner rider learn to walk before they gallop off into the sunset.

Gaits are the horses way of moving. So do you really need to know all about gaits? It really depends on your personal situation. If you are a beginner rider and decide to join a trail ride at a holiday resort, it would be important for you and the other riders to know what speed you are comfortable in and can safely ride.

If you say you can and would love to canter, but never have, you place yourself and the other riders at risk. A horse is a highly intelligent animal and he will sense your level of skill. You no doubt will have heightened excitement knowing you are going to canter and this may make your horse excited too.

The problem arises when you all get ready to canter and you find that you do not know what aid to give the horse to signal to canter; your horse may find himself left behind and go even faster to catch up, almost running away with you. This is a frightening experience and your horse will pick up on the fear and uncertainty, it is very unlikely your horse will stop or slow down until he reaches the other horses.

So it is important to know your level of riding and what speed or gait you are capable of riding on a horse. If you have never cantered and desire to do so, the best place to learn is in an arena.

When you want to partake in different horse disciplines and possibly compete, you certainly would need to know the gaits for that sport. For example a polo match is fast paced with minimal walking, barrel racing has zero walking, but dressage has various takes on the walk.

When first learning to ride, the trot is probably the most uncomfortable and challenging to ride. The rider's body is propelled up into the air and unless you have balance you just end up plopping back down in the saddle only to be thrown up again.

The canter is smooth and rhythmic; it is a controlled speed and a gait enjoyed by almost every horse enthusiast. The key aspect a rider needs is to relax in his seat and move with the rocking motion of the horse. If you stiffen up and sit rigid, you will most likely have an uncomfortable ride as your body will be bounced about.

Last but not least of the natural gaits is the gallop. A horse's top speed can be easily observed on any race track. I over the years have learned great respect for horses and riders that perform any task at a gallop.

Article source: Articlecat.com

Author: http://www.your-horse-guide.com Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about Gaits Of A Horse

Do You Know The Basic Anatomy Of A Horse?
By: Paddy

There are many parts to a horse and do I really have to bother to know them all? Well, that all depends on who is doing the asking. Certainly a person who owns a horse would know about the horse. Any person wanting to ride a horse needs to know a number of parts of the horse.

When you learn to ride a bicycle, some one tells you to hold onto the handle bars, sit in the seat and put your feet on the peddles. Horse riding is very much the same. When you are around horses people are going to be using the language of horses including the parts of a horse that make up his anatomy.

The most common ones to know are head, back, tail, hooves. Pretty straight forward, knowing the parts of a horse really pays off in a number of areas. For example when you take riding lessons, the instructor may say to "engage the hindquarters". What are hindquarters exactly?

When you tack up a horse, certain straps and buckles go in specific places on a horse. If you read any book on fitting tack correctly, it will tell you exactly how and where with the use of the parts of a horse. For example a sentence in a book may say something like this: The headpiece should lie comfortably behind the horse's poll. When you are putting on a bridle you do not want the headpiece to go anywhere else, so it helps to know exactly where the poll is.

Anytime your horse injures himself, it is very useful and helpful to be able to tell the veterinarian in horse terms, where on his body he hurt himself. "He hurt himself on his leg"; the foreleg, the hindleg, the knee or the hock; where exactly?

The most significant time to know the parts of a horse is when you are buying a horse. When you buy a horse, you have to look at his conformation. How well is his body put together? Does he have sickle hocks, is he over at the knee?

Conformation goes hand in hand with body parts and the horse's anatomy. If the horse has conformational faults and you can point them out to the owner, with the correct use of 'horse lingo', you may be able to negotiate a lower price.

By no means buy a horse that's anatomy is less than desirable, if his fetlock sinks to the floor when he is walking, walk away from the horse and do not look back. Some conformation faults can be overlooked and forgiven, some must be avoided at all costs. You'll only know what faults to look for and where to look for them by knowing basic horse anatomy - the parts of a horse.

People who are around horses will not think that you are showing off when you start naming or using the names of parts of the horse. In fact more than likely they will expect any horse person simply to know them. When you know the horse, you'll know all the parts that make him whole.

Article source: Articlecat.com

Author: http://www.your-horse-guide.com Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about The Basic Horse Anatomy. Learn about Horse riding safety.

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