Saturday, September 19, 2009

Bits or Bitless?





"In the hands of a master horseman who has learned to ride with seat and legs and who hardly uses the reins when riding a fully trained horse, the most severe bits may be completely pain-free," Cook states. "Conversely, a supposedly simple snaffle in the untutored hands of a novice can become an instrument of torture."


Bitless Bridles Touted as Safer Alternative for Horses in New Study


Friday, August 28, 2009

Prairie Home Companion Cowboy Radio



A funny look at modern cowboys, Lefty and Dusty, by Garrison Keillor.






Friday, July 17, 2009

Saddle and Horse Movement Simulator



Heather Moffett pioneered the teaching of riding with horse movement simulators and has taught and lectured worldwide with them. She developed a 'hands on' unique method of showing the rider the precise movements of lower back and pelvis in order to synchronise their movements exactly with those of the horse, producing a very quiet, but effective Classical seat. Even long established faults in riding can be easily corrected, 'feel' can be taught, and the horse is also saved any discomfort in the process.






Thursday, July 09, 2009

How to Building A Mounting Block



Here is a list of materials and instructions on how to building a mounting block for your horse:

http://americashorsedaily.com/how-to-build-a-mounting-block/



Thursday, June 25, 2009

Shag-Ra, Wonder Horse



The horse named Shag-Ra appears on Animal Miracles with Allan Thicke.


Sunday, June 14, 2009

Baby Horse Video



This is a real cute baby horse video!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Why Saddles Do Not Fit



Interesting numbers in regard to saddle fit. And what happens to the numbers if you include the "dynamic" horse back versus the static horse back?


Saturday, May 09, 2009

Hay Feeders



In a previous blog post, Horse Eating Slower, a feeder was shown to help a horse eat slower.

Another option is a hay net: BusyHorse Hay Net


Directions for making the Cataloochee Free Choice Pasture Hay Feeder

Here's an innovation: Pasture Pal Feeder


Homemade Feeder:


Nose-It Feeder Toy:


Soaking Hay with Slow Down® Hay Feeder Soaker




Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Monday, May 04, 2009

Tornado, Horse Movie



A new movie, Tornado, with a beautiful Arabian horse:


Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Saddle Fit


Here are some images of different saddles, different angles, on the same horse, Tucker, who belongs to Kristen. She says:

"I thought it would be fun to explore how different saddles fit. I tossed a couple on I knew would not fit just for a comparison.

Which saddle do you think fits the best? Which one(s) doesn't fit?"


Saddle 1 is a Stubben Siefried saddle.


Saddle 2 is a Big Horn western.



Saddle 3 is an Astund Special Icelandic saddle.




Saddle 4 is an Ascot International draft horse saddle.



Saddle 5 is a Barbier dressage saddle.



Saddle 6 is an "Evolutionary" flexible panel saddle.



Sunday, March 29, 2009

Can You Ride Without a Bit




I think you have to have a special connection with your horse to be able to ride without a bit. Some people *need* a bit to "control" their horse. But if a horse is willing to lend you his legs, and his mind connects with your mind, it should be a ride that does not need any pulling or yanking on the reins.

This article should help owners get to the point of connecting on a different level with their horses: http://paintinghorse.wordpress.com/what-is-attraction/


Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Old Broads' Riding Rules



OLD BROADS' RIDING RULES

1. We DO NOT need to show up with our hair combed, make up on and wearing a clean shirt.

2. Moaning, groaning and complaining about aching muscles is perfectly acceptable, as is taking Motrin prior to a ride.

3. Helping someone on or off the horse does not mean the rider is an invalid. It only means the horse got taller overnight.

4. No one will comment about how big someone's butt looks in a saddle.

5. Everyone will wait, patiently, while someone dismounts and adjusts equipment. Everyone will also wait, patiently, until that person remounts and is ready to move on...no matter how long that takes.

6. When a horse is acting up we will accept that the horse is just having a bad hair day and it is not the rider's fault.

7. Mentioning it is too hot, too dry, too humid, too wet, too buggy, etc., is considered self expression, not whining.

8. Wanting to be first , last, walk, or just stop does not mean the rider is a wimp. Sometimes it is necessary to teach a horse who is in charge.

9. We will take the time to discuss the important issues of the day like who is dating who, who is cheating on who and any other relevant information which needs to be passed on.

10. Not keeping your horse at the Gaited Horse/Warp Speed (if we all ride gaited horses) is not a Federal Crime. With all that is going on today, the FBI has too much on it's plate to follow us around.

11. We will acknowledge that horses are very strange animals and sometimes for no reason at all we fall off of them. If this happens to any rider the other riders will ascertain that the person is okay and then not mention the incident to another living soul, especially husbands and significant others.

12. We will acknowledge, without apology, that riding more than 2 1/2 hours increases our grumpy level far more than any ego benefits we may get from riding lon ger.

13. Our horses are not fat they are big boned.

14. Looking at my bouncing fat is NOT an acceptable way of determining if I have a good seat. My fat always bounces, thank you. It is cushion I carry in case I fall off.

16. Yes, I do have 7 horses and 6 saddles, did I ask you how many golf clubs your husband has?

17. Although I will beat your butt around the next corner I need to tell you again that "I am not competitive!"

18. No, I have not seen ANY correlation with the challenges of keeping a mare versus a nice, gentle, reasonable gelding and the fact that my husband says I am sometimes difficult and moody! What is your point?

19. I never "treat" my horses to anything I don't like myself. Ever tried hay?

20. I need to keep this Gaited Horse riding mysterious and strange sounding. If everyone else finds out how much fun it is the price of the horses will go up and I wont be able to afford a dozen of them.


Saturday, February 28, 2009

Horses: Luxury or Essential





A survey about horses; are they a luxury or essential?

Go to Survey



Sunday, February 08, 2009

Drinking and Riding (Horses)


Video by Barb Fenwick http://barbfenwick.blogspot.com. A spoof on natural horsemanship.


Friday, February 06, 2009

Clicker Training to Halter a Horse




Description by the video owner:

This is Pamela a 6 yr old gaited mare. She is a former show horse who was ridden in a severe curb bit. My goal is to ride her bareback and in a halter. My plan is to treat her like a horse who has never been ridden. I've been working with her once per week over the last several weeks on haltering, leading, groundwork, and preparations to ride. When we first began it would take 30 minutes to get the halter on. She used to run off to the other side of the paddock at any suggestion that I might raise the halter to her head. Now she just walks off a few steps. We're down to just 5 minutes to halter. Clicker training has played a very prominent role in this process.




For further information about clicker training, please see:

[] the ClickRyder website,
[] the ClickRyder Discussion List,
[] and / or the ClickRyder Blog.


Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Activate Your Horse's Core



Activate Your Horse's Core consists of a 95 minute DVD and a step-by-step manual with laminated pages and spiral binding that can be taken to the barn.

The DVD and manual show how to perform exercises that mobilize the joints and engage the muscles used to round and stabilize the horse's neck, back and pelvis during athletic activities.

In addition to improving strength and flexibility, these exercises will improve your horse's posture, self-carriage and balance, especially in the highly-collected movements.

The exercises are performed from the ground and do not require sophisticated equestrian skills or special equipment.

The exercises have been designed by a veterinarian and a physical therapist to improve performance and reduce the risk of injuries by strengthening the muscles of your horse's core.




Sunday, January 11, 2009

Metal-Free Horses




The EquineSoundness Newsletter presents an article about "Metal-Free" horses:

EquineSoundness January 2009 Newsletter, Metal-Free Horse



Saturday, January 10, 2009

Pony Drill Team



Nice pony drill team!




Friday, January 09, 2009

Best Friends


Best friends Tara and Bella.



Thursday, January 08, 2009

Slow Down Horse's Eating




Here's a possible way to slow down a horse's eating, especially those who are insulin resistant (however, my mare chips her teeth by trying to get the neighbor's grass thru the horse fence, so I don't know if the same would happen to her with a feeder like this, unless the grids were plastic or cloth, like the hanging hay net feeder):



Thursday, January 01, 2009