To Switch or Not to Switch? - Trainers that Is..

Hey everyone how in the heck are you doing? Hope everyone is well. It has been an interesting week with horses. Had an old horse we had to say goodbye to, he was 24 and became a cronic colic guy. I was amazed at how well my children handled the loss. It is always a weird feeling when you loose something close. It was a habit I will miss to give the old man his evening treat. Dealing with any type of loss is weird for me, I don't handle it well.

Someone just had a very interesting topic on the HorseChitChat forum and I thought I could go into a little more detail. The question was whether or not it was okay to switch trainers as get better at riding or if you should stick with your current trainer?I think that you should definately switch trainers if you feel like you have learned as much as you can from your first trainer or riding instructor. Most riders begin with riding instructors or trainers to either learn to ride a specific discipline or compete in a specific event. If you feel that you have learned everything that you can from your current trainer and that you are not progressing any more, then you should definately look at a more experienced trainer that you feel you could learn more from and compete at a higher level with. If you find that you are no longer interested in one discipline or area of competition and you are thinking of making a change, then you may want to consider making a change in trainers as well. You wouldn't want to stick with a reining trainer if you have a new goal of becoming a Grand Prix show jumper. There's not a lot that your reining trainer could help you with. Many riders may also find themselves with a riding instructor that doesn't compete, but the rider wants to. This is also another reason that you would want to switch trainers. Your instructor may have been very beneficial in teaching to ride, but if he/she doesn't want to compete or has no experience in competing then he/she won't be very helpful in preparing you for the show ring.A lot of trainers and instructors are also constantly seeking a new education and if you feel that you are ready to move to the next leve, then your trainer may be able to refer you to a trainer that competes at a higher level than them. They will definately understand if you need to switch trainers, just sit down and talk to them about it.

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend and hope to chat with you again soon.
----------------

I gave one of my sites a facelift.
Http://www.EquineFieds.com
Sales,Stallions at Stud, Horse Trailers

Understanding Horse Show Judging

Hey Everyone hope the last couple days have been treating you well had some more thoughts to share!
Showing can be a wonderfully rewarding and inspirational experience for riders. It can also be a source of great stress and confusion. Many new riders start showing without having an understanding of the rules for horse show classes and, as a result, do not understand why some issues may be judged—in their perspective—more harshly in one class but not in another.

Often, judging is a matter of not only finding the winner—either the best horse or rider in the class—but it is also a matter of weighing the offenses of those who do not win the class. Faults are weighed against each other; for example, a rider’s heel coming up and leg moving a bit back on jumps is less of an offense than a rider who gets left behind. The greatest offenses could include a dangerous ride, an abusive rider or a rider who very much gets in the way of his horse (like the one who gets left behind).

For example, in hunt seat equitation divisions, the rider is judged on position and control. Additionally, diagonals and leads count (as does dropping one’s head to check if one is on the correct lead or diagonal!) In equitation over fences divisions, refusals, break of gait and wrong leads are faults.

In hunter classes, such as hunters under saddle, hunter hack and hunters over fences, the horse’s movement and attitude are judged. The hunter should look like a willing participant in the show with an alert, quiet, relaxed, balanced and happy expression and way of going. As a good mover, he’s obviously not lame or stiff. He is balanced and not on the forehand. He’s softly round and traveling on the bit instead of hollow backed and evading the rider’s contact. Pinned ears, tail swishing, spooking, bucking, kicking out, and inability to maintain a consistent rhythmical gait are penalized. In the over fences classes, unsafe form is flawed such as dangling legs and lying on the side over the fence. A nice hunter over fences jumps in a calm rhythmical approach without rushing to the base and popping over the jumps. He tucks his legs up and uses his neck and back in a soft roundness over each fence. Refusals, bucking and taking down rails as well as missing lead changes are all faults. Horses showing dangerous behavior such as lameness, kicking or rearing, will be eliminated.

When selecting classes, riders need to know what equipment is allowable and what equipment is not. For example, dressage shows are very strict about bit rules, and riders must ensure that their bits are regulation dressage bits. Similarly, in hunter under saddle classes, martingales are prohibited. Boots on horses are allowed in jumpers and equitation over fences but not in hunters. And certain bits that are allowable in jumpers may not be approved for hunters over fences.

When you are entering classes in a show, to save yourself from confusion, heartache and wasted money, study up on the show requirements for winning those classes as well as the prohibited or penalized issues in those classes. If you know before you go, you’ll have a much happier experience!
------------------------

Stop by and visit my new "facelift"

Let me hear your input.http://www.equinefieds.com/

List - Buy - Sell Everything Equine for Less

Making the Wrong Horse Right for the Job

As I watch my friends buy new horses, the same theme keeps repeating itself over and over—suitability. We’ve all seen it; the wrong horse for the job. I see people buying horses that are not suitable because of conformation, age, previous work, movement or incompatibility with the rider, among other reasons.

Most common seems to be the young horse buy—the four-year-old horse for the child or someone who just intends to ride on the trails. Sure, you can find a nice quiet four-year-old, but, really, what are the chances he’ll be a trustworthy mount for a weak inexperienced amateur or the older recreational trail rider?

Another wrong horse scenario involves conformation. One friend was looking at horses that were billed as “dressage or hunter” prospects. (Frankly, I don’t see how a horse could be both except if you intend to ride just the lower levels of dressage, but that’s just my feeling.) She was shopping for a dressage horse and came back with a trial horse who seemed pleasant enough in personality, but he was a big draft cross type, maybe Irish draught.

“I dunno...,” I mussed, taking in his big, draft body, huge legs, and clunky feet. When he cantered, he sounded like a medieval war horse. “I’m no expert, but he looks more like he’d be real happy as a field hunter.”
“Really? They said he’d probably go to fourth level, maybe higher,” she said.

“I thought you said you wanted something small enough so that you could mount it from the ground in case you got thrown?” I wondered aloud, figuring he was over 17 hands. She didn’t answer. She was shorter than me, and I knew I’d have to vault off the side of the arena to get on this monster. And it’s not like she sticks like glue either; she was off her previous horse more often than not.

Needless to say, her instructor did not feel he’d make an upper level dressage horse, and he went back before his trial week was up.

Maybe I’m not one to comment. I've never sold my horses. I’ve loved them for what they could do. I don’t really know what it’s like to go horse shopping with the intent on finding a horse for a particular job.
In a recent lesson with my dressage trainer, we began to push Lady’s training a little further, encouraging her to carry herself in a more advanced frame. Because we’re going slowly and carefully, she’s picking up the work quickly and agreeably (that is, when she isn’t distressed by squealing pigs.) I am well aware that she is not built to move through the upper levels of dressage, but that’s okay. She doesn’t like jumping and she’s not terribly bold without a lot of encouragement. But she’s a nicely forward, pretty mover for an ex-racehorse, with a lovely head and neck. I’m happy to work with what she’s willing to give while keeping her sound and sane. My riding aspirations revolve around what my horse is capable of doing—her suitability for the task. I will find the right job for her so that she can be the right horse.EquestrianHorseForum

The Mechanical Horse: Now at a Gym Near You

Have you seen these new horseback riding simulators? They’re marketed as exercise machines that build strength and endurance while simulating the gaits of a horse.

I guess it’s nice to know that someone, other than a horseperson, finally realizes that riding is exercise!

For one of the simulators, the marketing photo that accompanies it features a woman sitting on a machine that looks like an exercise bike saddle with stirrups. In front of her is a large plasma television screen of rolling grass hills. (The television is not included.)

Another one looks like a teapot on an ergonomic chair. A third simulator doesn’t look much different from the mechanical plastic rocking horse I grew up with, springs and all.

They’re the rage in Japan, a place where there’s not much room for horses, and are making their way into gyms in America. They probably do assist in building core strength and balance. Perhaps, like the marketing literature for the latter states, they’re good for rehabilitation after an injury.

Of course, now I can’t see ever using one of these simulators instead of riding a real, warm, independently thinking horse. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned or I hear the call of the open range (as open as it gets in New York), but I can’t ever see substituting a ride on a horse for this inanimate object. Then again, when it’s 20 degrees and my car is buried under snow, I might think differently. And at $600-$2000, they may cost as much as a horse, but they don’t eat, buck or go lame.

---------------------------
Want to buy one of these beauties or the real thing? Try looking here
http://www.equineminimart.com
Equine Equipment,Equine Classfieds,Horse forums

Cribbing & Colic

Many people recognize that some horses have vices and all horse owners tend to live with them as best we can. Many people do not realize the seriousness of cribbing and how detrimental it can be to a horse's health. In Equine Health and Boarding Horses you will find an article called "Combatting Cribbing". Many boarded horses are cribbers and I thought it appropriate to include the article in this category as well. Now, I am going to tell you my horror story with cribbing.About three years ago I acquired a 4 year old Appendix Quarter Horse Gelding. He was easily pushing 17 hands and was named appropriately, "Big John." He was a beautiful bay and I had a lot of plans for him. Unfortunately, I only had him about a year before I lost him.Big John was an extreme cribber. The previous owner failed to alert me of this until after I had the horse and the owner of the boarding barn called to tell me he was cribbing on a t-post in the pasture. Then she gave me the cribbing collar that she had bought for him before. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I didn't really know the extent of it yet either. It seemed that the cribbing collar was helpful and he didn't really do it all that much.Then, I moved to a really nice boarding barn and he had a nice size stall and a good size run of his own. Then he became a cribbing monster. As soon as his last piece of grain was gone he turned to the nearest pole on the stall and started sucking air. So, we upgraded the cribbing collar. We got a Miracle Collar and it seemed to work pretty well.Months went by and all was good. The summer came and went and then in January my husband and I and some friends went to Las Vegas for a little vacation. The boarding barn manager took care of Big John and all was fine while we were gone. About three weeks later though that was it.I was on my way to feed when I got the phone call that he was down in his stall. When I pulled up to the barn they had him up and walking but he was shaking. He had prolapsed, which means his rectum was coming out of his rear. He was in extreme pain. We called every vet in town and nobody would come out!!! Only one would answer the phone, but he couldn't leave. There was no way this horse could ride in a trailer, he could barely stand up on his own. So, we were instructed to give him Banamine, and walk, walk, walk. I walked that horse all day. I did my best to keep him up. He had rolled and thrashed so viciously in the early morning that he had given himself a black eye and had rubbed hair of his body. I talked to the vet and he said it looked like he would be okay since the prolapse went in on its own, but he wasn't sure if were out of the forest yet. I sat with him until I had to go to work and then I switched shifts with my barn manager. I hadn't got 15 minutes away when she called and said he was gone. I attribute this horrible case of colic to cribbing. He had sucked himself so full of air that when he rolled he twisted a gut and that was it. So that, is my horror story with cribbing and why it is a vice that cannot be ignored.

-------------------------
Need More Equine Advice? Visit
EquestrianHorseForum
Win a $30.00 Gift Card for making us laugh this month.

The Dance of Dressage

When the video of top international rider Andreas Helgstrand on his mount Blue Hors Matine at the 2006 World Equestrian Games went around from equestrian email boxes, equestrians and non-equestrians alike around the nation agreed with the commentator--"the mare is absolutely dancing."The video demonstrates the real dance-like movements that the pair is gaining international recognition for--the strong passage and piaffe.The passage is a very collected trot with supsension and higher steps. The movement follows a rhythm (and, in this video, the rhythm really rocks to the music). In a correct passage, the height that the legs are lifted to is more dramatic with the front foreleg bending at the knee to 90 degrees. As in collected dressage work, the horse's poll is the highest point of the horse. His head is close to being on the vertical (that is, vertically pointing to the ground), but his nose is pointing forward just slightly forward of the vertical.The piaffe is an even more collected trot that looks like a trot in place or "trot on the spot." Like the passage, the steps are high and rhythmical. As the collection is to a greater degree from passage, the horse begins to "sit" even more in the hindquarters. The forelegs should lift as high as they do in the passage, but the hind legs do not because there is not a movement forward and because the hindquarters are sitting more.The very basics of teaching a horse piaffe and passage begins by improving his suspension at the trot. Beginning with poles on the ground and raising them until they are raised cavaletti will help a horse attain suspension, balance and rhythm. The goal of the rider is to help the horse maintain that suspension and rhythm when he passes the cavelletti.Just the little bit of suspension and rhythm that you will feel while working cavaletti will make you feel like you are dancing--almost like Andreas and Matine.

--------------------
Visit our Equine Article and Classified site below
Http://www.EquineMiniMart.com
Buy-Sell-Trade everything equine

Keeping Your Barn Manager Happy Tip #1

#1 Pay Your Rent!
This is an obvious one isn’t it! Rent day is the happiest day for barn managers, especially when they get paid! Many barn managers do most of the barn work and they feel like they are finally getting paid for all their hard work when boarders pay their bills on time. Paying your board on time will also ensure that your barn manager doesn't place an agister's lien against you and your horse. There are many farms that are prepared to do this as soon as you are late on your rent because that is there only way of protecting themselves. If you have a problem paying your boarding, talk with your barn manager about the situation. Everybody has been in a financial jam before and they are generally willing to let you do farm chores or barn work in exchange for boarding your horse. It is always polite and professional to discuss the situation first rather than chance losing more money or a horse in the long run.

--------------
Looking for some more great tips just visit
Friendly Horse Forum forum and we will help
you become that Equine Expert.

The Tidy Tack Room Tip #1

Plastic storage containers with drawers are great for polo wraps, horse boots, and brushes. You can have a drawer for wraps, brushes, bathing supplies and medical supplies as well. They are also great if you live in an area where dust accumulates on everything, like in my West Texas barn. Everything inside will remain relatively clean and you can empty it and spray it down with the hose if necessary. If you have items that you use regularly, tote boxes with handles are great as well. These can be stored on top of the storage unit with items you use on a daily basis. Large plastic tubs are also handy for keeping unused saddle blankets and ropes in. Regularly check your tubs and containers for evidence of mice holes and chew marks, you may need to change them out periodically if the mice find a nice home in your saddle pads. This generally is problem during the winter months.

Evaluating Riding Instructors and Facilities

Finding a riding instructor suitable to your needs, experience, discipline and expectations isn't always easy. In my 30 years of riding and taking lessons, I've ridden with more than 15 different instructors, and that doesn't include clinicians. And, unfortunately, sometimes you might find a great riding instructor at a less-than-desirable facility. To make your evaluations, follow these easy steps:

> Discipline. First know what discipline you want to ride and select an instructor who is expert in that area. For example, if you want to ride dressage, you wouldn’t go to a hunter/jumper facility and expect its instructors to all know how to teach dressage.
> Certification. You can check with riding instructor associations to see which instructors are certified in your area. Certification is a great method of determining the qualifications of instructors; however, the certification process is very expensive (potentially costing more than $500). Many very experienced and qualified riding instructors choose not to obtain certification because of the expense. Some states, like Massachusetts, have an affordable certification process. But most states do not. (for example, the Certified Horsemanship Association and the American Riding Instructors Association have certification programs).
> Word of mouth. Tons of online equine bulletin boards have members from all over the country who are ready to make recommendations about their favorite riding instructors.
> Watch lessons. The best way to ascertain an instructor’s teaching methods, expertise and suitability for what you want to learn is by observing several lessons with riders and horses of different levels of ability and experience.
> Determine cost effectiveness. One instructor may charge $30 an hour and the other $100 per hour, but you need to determine how much information is being gained by the rider in the different lessons. In some cases, you’ll find the more expensive instructor may be an awful lot of hype over a name and you could have received the very same training, or better, from the $30 per hour instructor. In other cases, you might find the $30 per hour instructor is not nearly as knowledgeable and that you have gained as much information in one lesson from the $100 an hour instructor as you may get in four lessons from the $30 per hour instructor. Watch several lessons from each and watch them teach different levels of riders. You can also speak to their students to see how they feel they have progressed.
> Go to horse shows. Watch instructors with their students as they compete. You may find you are interested in lessoning with the instructor with the most riders who are being pinned first. Or you may find yourself interested in the instructor who, though having new riders who may not be pinning high in the ribbons, spends much quality time schooling the riders and coaching, providing emotional support. Keep in mind that some instructors prefer working with students who may have anxiety or fear when riding or showing, and though those students may not perform well under pressure, their instructors may be very capable teachers.
> Look at the lesson horses and evaluate the facility. Often this can make or break the decision to take lessons somewhere. Some lesson horses just don’t receive the care they should. Do they look fit and happy? Or are they trudging around the ring with sour faces and gimpy, sore legs. Are the lesson horses skin and bones or do they look as shiny and well fed as the privately owned horses? Certainly, many lesson horses are older semi-retired horses that may be serviceably sound with some arthritic or navicular stiffness, but plenty of successful riding academies manage to feed older horses well enough to keep their weight on and coats shiny. They also schedule lessons to ensure the horse’s receive time off. At the riding academy where I taught, several horses in their late 20s and 30s were still being shown and looked as healthy as the privately owned horses. In fact, the academy received on offer on a lesson horse at a horse show—he was 39 at the time, and no one believed his age. At this academy, Monday was dark day and no lessons went. In addition, every horse had an extra day off in the week. Plus, horses were never over jumped. Every other week was jump week (every other week was flat week.) And horses rarely ever went more than 1.5 hours of lessons a day, unless going in beginner walk-trot classes where they spent much of their time walking. When evaluating facilities, keep this in mind and see if you can get an idea of the type of schedules the lesson horses face.

---------------------------
Want to enjoy more great articles or blogs?
Ride on by. HorseChitchat.com
Equine Story Contest in March

Cribbing & Colic

Many people recognize that some horses have vices and all horse owners tend to live with them as best we can. Many people do not realize the seriousness of cribbing and how detrimental it can be to a horse's health. In Equine Health and Boarding Horses you will find an article called "Combatting Cribbing". Many boarded horses are cribbers and I thought it appropriate to include the article in this category as well. Now, I am going to tell you my horror story with cribbing.About three years ago I acquired a 4 year old Appendix Quarter Horse Gelding. He was easily pushing 17 hands and was named appropriately, "Big John." He was a beautiful bay and I had a lot of plans for him. Unfortunately, I only had him about a year before I lost him.Big John was an extreme cribber. The previous owner failed to alert me of this until after I had the horse and the owner of the boarding barn called to tell me he was cribbing on a t-post in the pasture. Then she gave me the cribbing collar that she had bought for him before. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I didn't really know the extent of it yet either. It seemed that the cribbing collar was helpful and he didn't really do it all that much.Then, I moved to a really nice boarding barn and he had a nice size stall and a good size run of his own. Then he became a cribbing monster. As soon as his last piece of grain was gone he turned to the nearest pole on the stall and started sucking air. So, we upgraded the cribbing collar. We got a Miracle Collar and it seemed to work pretty well.Months went by and all was good. The summer came and went and then in January my husband and I and some friends went to Las Vegas for a little vacation. The boarding barn manager took care of Big John and all was fine while we were gone. About three weeks later though that was it.I was on my way to feed when I got the phone call that he was down in his stall. When I pulled up to the barn they had him up and walking but he was shaking. He had prolapsed, which means his rectum was coming out of his rear. He was in extreme pain. We called every vet in town and nobody would come out!!! Only one would answer the phone, but he couldn't leave. There was no way this horse could ride in a trailer, he could barely stand up on his own. So, we were instructed to give him Banamine, and walk, walk, walk. I walked that horse all day. I did my best to keep him up. He had rolled and thrashed so viciously in the early morning that he had given himself a black eye and had rubbed hair of his body. I talked to the vet and he said it looked like he would be okay since the prolapse went in on its own, but he wasn't sure if were out of the forest yet. I sat with him until I had to go to work and then I switched shifts with my barn manager. I hadn't got 15 minutes away when she called and said he was gone. I attribute this horrible case of colic to cribbing. He had sucked himself so full of air that when he rolled he twisted a gut and that was it. So that, is my horror story with cribbing and why it is a vice that cannot be ignored.

---------------
Need more information? Stop on by our Equine Articles
If you want to just chat about todays equine issues click here.
TheEquineLot

Understanding Your Dream Versus Your Horse’s Capability

Kara had gone out in search of a new riding horse after she had retired her aging Thoroughbred out to pasture at a retirement farm. In her mind, she envisioned a trail companion and a horse that she can take over some jumps in the woods—something steady in mind and sound of foot. She came home with a not quite yet 3-year-old gelding. When she realized she had made an impulsive buy of a cute horse, she bought 13-year-old quarter horse and turned the almost 3-year-old out to pasture to finish growing before she starts him under saddle.

When planning to buy a horse, potential owners need to ensure they know exactly what they want or don’t want. For some like Kara, even after realizing the mistake, she had already grown attached to the new horse and didn’t want to return him.

When purchasing a new horse, many new owners don’t just make the mistake of buying something that overfaces them by being too much to handle for their level, but they also fail to keep in mind their goals and the intention they had for buying a new horse.

When selecting your new horse, make a list of your goals and keep it with you to remind yourself as you are looking at horses. Make a checklist from it for each horse that you see and check off the items that the horse matches. Consider the items that he doesn’t match and decide if you are willing to live with that or if one positive offsets that negative.

On your list, consider:
Your budget versus your goal. Can you afford the horse you want?
Your riding goal NOW. Do you want a horse that is ready to show tomorrow? Do you want a trail horse? Do you want to start a youngster and realize that you won’t have something to ride for some time?
Your riding goal five years from now. Does this horse fit into a short- or long-term goal?
Your experience level now. Can you handle the horse now or will you need a trainer to assist you?
Where the horse can take you now. Will you be learning from him? Is he a dressage or jumper schoolmaster who can take you where you want to go now?
The horse’s age versus your plans now and in five years
The horse’s experience level now and how much work you will have to put into him. Do you have the ability to train a young, green horse?
With a young or green horse, are you willing to wait several years before he can even be competitive?
Do you have the time to put into a young or green horse or do you need a been-there-done-that type of a horse who doesn’t require the schooling time to be competitive.
Shopping for horses, especially for those of us who don’t do it often, can be like putting a kid in a candy shop. Each one can seem so beautiful, but you need to check their qualities off against your list to ensure that you keep a level head in the process and come home with the horse of your dreams, even if it means that your dream has changed in the process.

------------------------------
looking for that next great horse? Or Looking to sell?
TheEquineyard - Buy-Sell-Trade or Lease but at least
Stop by and say hello.

Taking the First Ride

There was a time when many horse owners would bring their colts in from the pasture in the spring and then would let any cowboy they knew jump on them to begin their training. Well, today, many more people are realizing that doing this might not be such a good idea. They are also beginning to realize what an impact the first ride has on a colt.

Colt-starting clinics are more popular today than they have ever been. More and more people are looking at the mechanics of starting the colt versus just having any willing person jump on. When visiting the clinics, it is important to remember that these are professional horsemen and although you may have a lot of equine and riding experience under your belt, how many colts have you actually started? Not many people have had the experience of taking a colt from the halter breaking stage to the first ride stage and the professionals make it look very easy.

The point is that starting your own colt can be a very rewarding experience. Taking your colt from halter breaking and building a bond through groundwork is one of the most spectacular feelings you will ever feel. Before you decide to start your own colt, however, make sure that the risk is worth the reward and that you are willing to spend the time it takes to make sure your colt is ready for that first ride. Even if it means waiting a year and working on groundwork before you put your foot in the stirrup for the first time, the wait will be well worth it. The more mature and bonded your colt is with you, the better the first ride will be. Remember that the goal is to get on and he doesn’t buck. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t even want to move. Sitting on him will be rewarding enough.
Whomever you choose to give your colt his first ride, you should research thoroughly. You might even do a little soul searching yourself, because who knows-you might be the one who will give your colt the best start possible.

---------------------------
Stop on by our fun and friendly Equine forum Horsechitchat
Also maybe you might find that Paint horse for sale that
you have been looking for.