Bev's Horse Advice

Walking into a stall and having a thousand pound horse charge at you with teeth bared and ears flat back on their neck really is no fun. Actually, it is quite scary.

Usually horses that exhibit bad stall manners are performance horses. Performance horses are in the stalls most of the day and night and if they are out of the stall, they are under the stress to perform whether they feel like it or not. Horses that are out in a field all day and night can exhibit this same behavior and that is a territory or a dominance issue, but it is rare.

Probably, the first part of this problem is figuring out why this particular horse is behaving in this manner. Is the horse unhappy because it despises being in a stall all day? Or maybe needs contact with other horses? Are they claustrophobic and just really want to

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Just as most horsemen are very busy with details and chores associated with having horses, blacksmiths experience the same hectic schedule. Part of their job involves a considerable amount of time traveling from client to client. This will usually put them on a tight schedule. Having a professional and friendly relationship with your blacksmith is important as well as making sure that everything runs smoothly during that appointment. Knowing the day and time for the appointment with your blacksmith, you should have everything in order. Horses should be brought in, preferably standing and waiting in a stall or in paddocks that have a very close proximity to the area where the blacksmith will be working. Giving your horse a bath right before your blacksmith arrives may not be a good idea but getting most of the dirt and/or mud off of the horse with a good brushing is a good idea.Click here to continue reading

Horses have five hundred muscles throughout their body in three separate layers. Add that to an average of one thousand pounds per horse and you are considering a major undertaking in trying to bring this massive creature to a certain level of fitness. Ligaments, tendons and muscles are connected and are attached to bone. All of them make up a symphony of parts that must be fine tuned as one. This means that we cannot focus on just the muscle but all of its counterparts. A healthy muscle attached to fragile bone or ligaments and tendons attached to malnourished or overworked depleted muscle is not going to get your horse to the athletic level that you desire. Having said that, nutrition is the very first consideration in helping your horse in becoming fit. Secondary to nutrition is of course, exercise. Having your horse properly shod will make a major difference

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There is an old saying: “Horses have five hearts”. The frog in a horses’ foot is like another pump or heart in their body. There is a lot of circulation in the frog and if the horse has been properly shod or trimmed and the frog has correct contact with the ground, with every step, pressure from the ground will push on the frog like a pump and force blood flow through the foot and back up through the leg. This pumping action is essential for better health of the horse especially when enduring the rigors of carrying a human being and during flight. Inside of the horses’ foot is called the laminae, which has limited circulation the same as a horses’ tendon and these pumps are necessary for a healthy foot and leg. Thrush is one of the enemies. It is a bacterial infection with a foul odor and

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In a perfect world, the horses that we so dearly love and enjoy riding, would feel exactly the same every day that we sit on their backs. But, because of the rigors of schooling, jumping, showing, roping, reigning, cutting or eventing or even racing, horses are going to have one or several problems arise at some point. There is that occasional “Iron Horse” that can train very hard, never miss a show and have very little time off, sometimes for years, and will never have any issues at all. These horses do exist, but they are very rare and are cherished. Just because your horse starts to show signs of stress let’s say in their joint or joints, this does not mean that it is the end of the world. There are many remedies that can be used internally and externally to help your horse cope with these issues or

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For most horsemen who have just taken on the endeavor of breaking a young horse, it is an exciting experience. Having said that, know that it is very easy to over indulge in the schooling process that is at hand. After your horse has accepted the fact that their new job is to allow humans to put a bridle on them and place a saddle on their backs in order to ride them, the rest of the journey involves the everyday schooling of this young individual. The rules are still the same, try to make it short and sweet. Now as your horse becomes more fit, then the lessons can go on longer. As their fitness level increases, your horse may not mind spending more time being schooled; they may even start to enjoy the time spent in pleasing you.

The error you do not want to make is to put

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Now that your youngster has learned to accept you on their back, doing figure eights at a walk and accepting the bit when asked to stop is a good beginning. This next step can be hard if you do not have a lead horse to help your baby understand that they not only need to go forward, but at a faster pace. Most young horses are not that willing to jog with you on their back. This is a new experience and a new feeling for them. Their whole life they have been able to run, jump, buck and play whenever THEY felt like it, not when someone asked or told them to. Usually you can get them to go a few strides but they will automatically go back down to a walk. Some of them will do this many, many, many times, because they do not want to do

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Now the journey has begun. You have a baby that has learned to  accept the bit, go forward while being driven, accept strange things touching their sides and rump, learning small amounts of voice commands and accepting a  saddle on their backs not to mention that annoying girth that really does not  feel all that great. The next step is to get on their back. Probably most  horses, if they accept human beings as their friend, will be fairly open to  allowing you to climb aboard. For the few that really do not think that it is a good idea, your expertise will be necessary to help them to understand that this will be a part of their life and if they object a little, that is fine, but do not get carried away.

Again, make sure your stall has a considerable amount of bedding in it. Take your filly or colt into the stall with

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Yes, you only break a horse once. However, I have heard people say that they re-break a horse, but I don’t buy it. From the first day you start the breaking process, you are making indelible markings on your animal; physically, mentally, and emotionally. I could understand re-schooling but if they are broken in a way that they have developed bad habits from the experience, it can take a very, very long time to get that out of their heads. So, take your time, be patient and get it right the first time and life will be much easier for you and your horse down the road. Alright, enough of that, let’s get down to business.

Please keep in mind that everyone does things differently, especially when it comes to horses. My methods are the ways that I have found to be best for me and my horses. You can take

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Yes, they are children. They are horse children. They had a mother and a father and we estimate that horses develop about four years to our one year of life. So, this means that starting the breaking process of a two year old is about the same as dealing with an eight year old child. Now that you have that information, don’t forget it and base your actions towards your horse always keeping this in mind. People have a tendency to feel that because a horse is big and strong, that they are mature. NOT. Some young horses will try to play games with you and out smart you on a minute to minute basis. Young horses are quick to temper or quick to respond in a negative way. If your young horse has been handled from birth and has grown to be a very quiet individual, things can change

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