Author Archives: equusblue

Matching Horse with Rider.

Riding is most pleasurable when the horse and rider are in synch. Some riders will feel confident on a nervous horse, “up in the bridle” while others will be more comfortable on a quiet horse that needs more leg. I have been riding and playing polo for 40 years and have always preferred this type so it is not just a matter of experience. The key to a pleasurable ride is matching horse with rider. Matching Horse with Rider.

Unfortunately, if you are taking lessons or are in a riding program where you cannot choose your mount this may not be an option.

What to do.

First of all, do not be discouraged and feel you are lacking as a rider if you cannot adjust to certain horses that may be assigned to you. There is nothing wrong with asking for the ones you prefer. Many instructors will insist that you use the one assigned. They will argue that dealing with a variety of mounts will challenge you to be a better rider. This is true but not as important for all riders many of whom have different skill levels and different goals. You can learn more and a lot quicker on a horse that builds your confidence and makes the experience fun.

When getting on a new mount there are a few things that you can do to give you the best chance for a good ride. First of all, ask for a little background information about the horse. How does he go? What should you watch out for (any bad habits etc.) Matching Horse with Rider.

When you mount gather up the reins, first making sure they are not too loose or too tight and not twisted. Get on his back gently. Make sure your stirrups are adjusted properly before you walk off.

Now walk off. Some horses will want to trot or even canter almost immediately. This is especially true with the nervous type. It would be best if they would just walk but sometimes holding them back will just annoy them and it would be better to let them go at their own pace as long as they don’t get out of hand. If you feel that they are not under control ask for a different horse, but first give yourself and the horse a chance. In most cases, the horse will settle down and you will be ok. You must remember that they are not machines and need for you to make allowance for their needs.

Next, you may want to move ahead at walk or right into trot or canter for a few minutes. Give them a warm up. Give yourself a warm up too!! Then on with your ride and most of all have fun!!

Now walk off.

Do Horses Prefer Male Or Female Riders?

A subject that that often is discussed on rainy afternoons when a ride is canceled is; do horses respond differently to men than to women. I’d like to put in my two cents worth. The answer is yes…… sometimes …….some horses ……..to some men and to some women. do horses prefer male or female horsebackriders ?

At the risk of not being PC, my opinion is that horses greet each human they encounter with a set of expectations. While horses lack deductive reasoning they have incredible memories. If they have been treated in a certain way in the past they will expect a repeat of that treatment. Do Horses Prefer Male Or Female Riders?

Men and women generally have different physical characteristics and even more important, different emotional characteristics. A horse reads this information and responds to it.

If a horse has been treated roughly by a man who asks much but “explains” little then the horse will bring to any new encounter with masculinity an attitude of reserve and even fear. Even a gentle and patient male will have to gain trust

Encountering a female rider may not start out with such negativity.Now I say sometimes because there are plenty of female riders who are rough and plenty of horses that are not so sensitive.

I have a case right now with a polo pony that I am retraining for jumper/dressage.She was being handled rough while she was in training by a great rider and polo player but she was too soft for that kind of treatment. It bothered me so much that I lost sleep over it and so I bought her. I am “soft” with horses (I bet you guessed) and so we got along fine but my groom and other men who rode her did not. One of them fell from the horse hitting the ground and breaking his shoulder. I decided that she would never make a great polo pony. She just wasn’t tough enough and so I decided to train her at something different. I called on my friend Erica Hansen to help.

Erica is a skilled horsewoman educated in Europe. She is strong and adamant but always patient and understanding. It was amazing to see the difference in the mares attitude. She was relaxed and learned quickly without any rebellion.

Now all the people who were working with this mare were very experienced. In this case, it was the horse’s attitude that made the difference. She just had an open mind about working with a female.

Erica had her daughter ride her and still there was this easy relaxed attitude even with a novice rider putting her through her paces

Now it’s hard to make a general theory based on one case but I have seen this many times.

Horses really are pretty smart in their own way

Horseback Riding Gear- Swap Meet

If you don’t have your horse where you can ride indoors this has been a frustrating spring. Cold, rain, and pretty gloomy , and it’s almost June already.

Here is an idea for a bit of fun on a rainy weekend. Have you and your pals organize a fun horseback riding gear swap meet.

Everyone goes through their stuff and picks out whatever they don’t ,use or have outgrown , or have just grown tired of. Even the small stuff that you don’t need, a spare halter or a headband that doesn’t match your saddle pads ,an outgrown pair of chaps. Horseback Riding Gear- Swap Meet
Put it in a pile outside your stall. Then let the fun begin as everyone picks through everyone else’s pile.” One man’s junk is another man’s treasure “. If you are new to riding and don’t have much to trade don’t be embarrassed. No one would expect different. Bake a big pile of cookies and use them as currency It will be a great opportunity to pick up some stuff you might want. Nothing like a horseback riding gear swap meet to spend a rainy day.

Horseback Riding Tips : How To Get Good Hands !!

Horseback Riding Tips: How To Get Good Hands

When you work at something you must have a trail of goals to achieve. Progress is measured step by step toward the realization of the objective.

But what is the objective you seek ; what are your goals as a rider.

For some, it is a victory in some competition. A blue ribbon or the trophy after a hard-fought tournament.

For some, it is the pleasure of a day spent in beautiful surroundings with a pure animal pal.

I want to give you a horseback riding tips and an objective that you may want to keep in mind whatever you do with horses.

You have heard the term often used “she has good hands”. That means not just that the rider has hands that are gentle on the horse’s mouth but also that the “seat” is secure so that the rider does not use the reins for balance and that the legs are “quiet” and not confusing or annoying the horse.

How do you know when you are achieving this objective?

Good Hands

Try this test. Pretend the reigns in your hands are two little birds. If you squeeze them too tightly you will hurt them. If you are not firm enough in your grip they will fly away. Now try to keep this image in mind as you go through your maneuvers.

Of course, there are times when you will have to be a bit more vigorous, and times when you can just drop the reins and let the horse amble along. But the times when you are communicating to your horse and asking her to perform, the closer you can get to holding the reins like two little birds, the closer you are getting to your objective of being an accomplished rider.

Horses love eating Spring Grass !!!

Horses Love Spring Grass

The great joy of spring ,when the world bursts out from winter grey to vibrant green, presents some challenges for horsemen. One of these challenges is the vibrant green itself. Horses love spring grass.The new spring grass that shoots up overnight is delicious and nutritious for your horse but can also do some harm. Getting too much grazing is a bit like letting a kid have too much candy, the cause of many a Halloween bellyache. We want to give our horses the joy of a good graze but have to be careful not to overindulge on spring grass. Horses Love Spring Grass !!

Horses coming off a winter of hay and pellet or grain feed should be limited to a half hour of grazing the first few days going to one hour after three or four days. Thereafter longer grazing can be considered but overweight horses should still be limited. The unusually lucky horses who have access to unlimited grazing in a grass paddock might have to be restrained by a grazing muzzle to limit their grass intake.

As the season progresses the grass contains fewer carbs and sugars and so is not as dangerous to the horses digestion and longer periods of grazing can be allowed.

As with most things common sense and moderation should be the guides but the danger is real and must be taken seriously

Colic in Horses. What to do?

No word strikes fear in the heart of a horse lover quite like “colic”. It is the leading cause of death in horses (death from colic in horses is 33.5%). It is hard to treat because at a certain point there is little that can be done However, if caught early there is much that can be done to save the horse and there is much you can do to prevent colic.
If you are around horses long enough you will be faced with a colic situation almost invariably. In fact, the term colic covers a broad spectrum of problems. Colic in horses really means “bellyache ” and there are many causes for a belly to ache.
Horses have evolved over thousands of years into their present physical state designed to graze on small amounts of a diet primarily of roughage, feeding day and night on his own schedule. We keep our horses in confined quarters and feed them on an arbitrary schedule with concentrated feeds and grains that are not the way nature designed them. They are kept away from grazing when in their stalls and then given a big meal which they gobble down, because they are hungry. Result…..bellyache. horses

Actually, there are other causes of colic. Worms are often the culprit. There is also “sand colic “caused by horses picking up sand with their feed when they are fed off the ground. A good program of worm control and feeding horses off a clean surface in sandy paddocks are very effective in prevention. Another cause is simply overfeeding and that is simply to be avoided.

What to do?

So how do you recognize colic and what can you do to give your horse the best chance for survival?

Actually, horses tell you with their body language that they have a bellyache. They are restless. Often they keep turning their heads to look at their sides, the source of the discomfort. Some may dispute this but I have observed that often. They appear to have a concerned look on their face. If you take their temperature. It should not be above 101 degrees .As things get worse they lie down and get up repeatedly. This is where you can help. It is important that the horse not be permitted to lie down. If he does and he rolls or thrashes he can cause his gut to twist and this makes things much worse.

Most important is to call the vet. This is the most important thing you can do. Early intervention from the vet can be the difference between a mild tummy ache and a life-threatening event. The vet will give him something to calm him and something to diffuse the gas and will snake a hose through his nose to his stomach and pump warm oil down to help move any obstruction.

In no event should you give him anything to eat.

In most cases colic in horses will pass.

Most important…… Good prevention!!!

Spring and Horses. What to do ?

Spring and Horses.

Spring is here. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for including our horses. It’s only natural for them to be “exuberant ” after the long winter. That can be a bit of a challenge when the wind gets up their tails. Even the quietest and best citizens can kick up their heels and do a little jitterbug during a ride.

spring and horses.

What to do. Here are some handy tips I use at the start of Spring with my Horses.

1) Try to relax. If you get uptight they will feed off that and that’s the last thing you want so force yourself to be calm.

2)Give them a job to do . Don’t ask them to stand still because they won’t. Instead, ask them to move ahead at a controlled pace but walk or trot preferred.

3)Circle them. First large circles then smaller. Change directions often.

4) Vibrate the reigns. When they have more energy, you can be “vibrate” the reigns You do this by rapidly, but very gently, pulling the them left, right, left and right with just the pressure of your fingers. This causes the horse to focus his attention to the rider and usually stops the agitation at least temporarily This gives you a chance to get him settled down a peg. You may have to do it more than once.In fact, a few times. It also has the effect of giving you a sense of control which will help you to relax

Horse reins and the horses mouth. How much pressure is enough ?

Horse Reins.

Hey!! My mouth is at the other end of those horse reins !!

horse reins

I’m sitting over my coffee looking out at snow on the ground with more to come. Like many riders, I don’t have a covered arena to ride so this is the time to rest and dream about rides to come ( for me and my horses).

Having the time to think I came up with an idea of how I can get first-hand experience of just what the horse feels at the other end of the reins.

Here’s what I came up with. I took a snaffle bit, (in this case a D-ring snaffle not only because I had one on hand but because the corners of this bit exert ” influence” on the corners of the horse’s mouth and I wanted to know what this felt like to the horse) and I attached horse reins to it. I then put the bit on my bare foot, passing it between my big and little toes.

No one can tell us how sensitive the bars ( the open space where the bit rests on the gums)of the horse’s mouth are but it is fair to guess this part of your foot, which is pretty tender, is close.

Now pull back on the horse reins as if you were riding and wanted to stop your horse. Imagine yourself doing other maneuvers : a turn, a half halt, elevate his head, vibrate the reins as to get his attention, etc.

It is enlightening to see just how much pressure is enough and how much is too much. You will feel what you are doing when your sensitive toes are at the other end of the reins!! Make adjustments as needed.

Horse Sense. How you communicate with your horse.

Horse Sense

The mind connection between horse and rider.

I am a strong believer in the telepathic (T) ability of horses to communicate. If you observe a herd spread out over acres and one horse senses danger the whole group responds, no matter how remote each individual is from the source.

This T communication exists between rider and horse. I call it Horse Sense.

It happens all the time in polo. You ride up to the ball at full speed. You reach back to start your swing. By the time you are into the swing you are close enough to the ball that the horse can no longer see it. As you have risen from the saddle to get power into your stroke your legs can no longer be useful to guide the horse. You only have one hand on the reins so no matter how well your horse neck reins only major adjustments can be effected. Small refinements are not possible. How then does your horse position himself just the right distance from the ball for you to hit. And do it time and time again. The slightest miscalculation, too close or too far away… Means no hit.

What happens is that you are looking at the ball and your senses take over. The horse is responding to your thoughts directing him. His Horse Sense.

At least, that is the way I see it.

Now many of my polo pals would have a good laugh at this and suggest I go out and hug a tree. So what!!

This communication is not specific to polo. Jumpers are told to “throw their heart over the jump” they walk the course to think their way around clear. Barrel racers throw themselves around the barrels mentally. Great dressage riders dance with their horses like Fred and Ginger.

I think the greatest joy and the highest “art” an equestrian can experience is that level of communication.

It starts when you “look where you are going”. The horse will pick up on your intention to get there.