WOW! Way to much on my Plate- Equine News

Okay really sorry for the delay in posting but we have been working really hard on the equinenetwork system and my wife picked up a couple news horses in her training arsenal so to say the least we have been really busy.

Lets see what we have to rant about.

Last week I started getting into the "full wheel barrel" as I call it. I started working on being less selfish. Lets face it sometimes we have so much to do we really don't think about helping others with their stuff, so I started on that project.

I also started looking for other equine bloggers to help promote their blogs and behold their are lot of people just like me out there (most have a lot better grammar).

But "hay" I am here just to express my love for the animals not to try and impress the socks off of anyone. And that is what I found, like minded people and I made a few friends.

It is hard in this day and age to get anyone to scratch your back without scratching theirs also. And like I said earlier I am going to try and set out and do this one project this month and see how well I do...

For me this is going to be hard, surely I will get sidetracked but I have already social bookmarked at least 20 other equine blogs and taken the time to comment.

Since you are all taking the time to work hard to keep your blogs up to date. I am going to try and commit to at least once a week. Along with my other blog on my equinenetwork.

So with that said.. here is an article that has been edited and should be close to correct..

Enjoy.. I hope :)

Basic Riding - Before Mounting

Riding Basics - Before You Get On

Most people view riding as cutting cattle, galloping over an open range or serious competition in jumping or other events. Before any of that can happen one must master the basics.

You're facing a large animal with power, big teeth and an instinct of self preservation above all else. The fear of sitting on this should be tempered with the confidence that most horses do not want to hurt people. Communicating with the animal is not the same as with another human or with a dog or other creature. The horse is "wired" uniquely. Respect him for his ability to take pieces out of an opponent, for the power that can crush a threat to his life and the speed to flee a dangerous situation - respect, don't fear. Remember that with a little understanding we can temper those tendencies for our benefit. Being fearful instead of a leader he needs means he's the leader - and many horses don't want to be! So they misbehave, someone gets hurt and the horse is blamed.

Instead approach him with the knowledge that in the wild world he was created to be food, and an appreciation that despite that he allows us to drape equipment on him and ride him! Watch your actions to keep him comfortable. So often a rider gets in the horse's way...and creates a problem where there was none.

Get on safely. Wear shoes or boots with enough of a heel that your foot doesn't slide through. Prepare yourself. These exercises will seem silly - but they will help you!

Stretch your legs out. Use a solid fence board - raise each leg individually as if you are going to step up on the fence. Brace your body and gently lean forward...don't "bounce" or lean all the way to the fence at once...this stretches the muscles in your upper leg. A few of these on each side can make a big difference.

Take a 2X4 or 4X4 board and place it on the ground in a level area. Place your toes and ball of the foot on the board, with your heels on the ground. In sets of 10 to start, then build up to 25 over a few weeks, raise yourself up, then ease back down - this stretches and strengthens the leg and, further, "teaches" the leg automatic heels down. When you get on the horse your leg is then automatically in the position to cue him with your leg, and is less likely to bounce against him when you don't intend to kick him.

On your board stand on it solidly...arms at riding position, and work up to 10 squats. Slowly lean to each side, front and back, and back up. This positions the body for automatic balance. If the horse does spook your body can more easily adapt, absorb the spook and stay in the saddle rather than on the ground. The fall from a 4X4 isn't nearly as hurtful!

Use a few solid blocks, the back of a trailer or truck or another higher area for the last exercise - ideally next to a post with a hay twine. The object is to, with your left leg, raise yourself up to the surface in one step, with minimal pull on the hay twine. While this may seem silly - that higher surface is your "stirrup" and the line is the reins - you don't want to pull on the reins (or the horse's mouth) but can grab the post (or saddle horn or mane). An old manual said a real horseman can mount a horse without the girth being on the saddle, and while that is a challenge that can be a goal with today's tall horses that sometimes isn't so easy! For those of us who are "vertically challenged" getting on a 16.2 hand horse means a patient horse, practice and sometimes a step or hill!

These exercises can be done, quickly, as a warm up before getting on each ride. They'll help you physically do the task at hand, and further help the horse to do his job.


Having a healthy horse to ride is important, but you can work on riding long before mounting up! Exercises to increase balance and leg will make it easier on both you and the horse.

Have a great ride!

Ron
EquineInternet.com

Choosing the Right Horse Breed

What, exactly, is a breed of horse? It’s a collection of horses that have been selectively developed by breeders to carry certain traits. Since the beginning of time people have bred horses for particular jobs and tasks, and that’s why there are so many distinct breeds today. Some people needed big, heavy, and strong horses to get chores done around the barn, while others were more interested in breeding light and fast horses for racing or riding. Traits that stand the test of time that are passed down from generation to generation often become traits by which the breed is known. The breed of horse you select can be very important to whether or not you and your horse are well matched. So how do you determine which breed is right for you? Ask yourself a few questions: • What discipline am I planning on enjoying with my horse? Those who plan on enjoying barrel racing with their horse will have dramatically different needs than someone whose goal is to reach the Grand Prix level of dressage. • What is my experience level? If you are a novice rider, you will likely need a horse with a calm temperament. More advanced riders can handle hotter horses. • What is my temperament like? A good rule of thumb is that you and your horse should balance each other out, and that means you shouldn’t have the same weaknesses! If you are hotheaded, go for a horse with a calmer temperament. Now that you’ve asked yourself all the right questions, make a list of the traits that are important to you. It’s easier if you make two columns—one for conformation, and another for temperament. Once you have your list, you can start doing some research to find breeds that share these traits. Light horses. Light horses refer to just about any breed of horse used for riding, and there is a great variety when it comes to color, size, conformation, and temperament. Popular light horse breeds include the American Quarter Horse, whose athleticism, versatility, short-distance speed, and sturdiness make it ideal for ranch work, cutting and reining, and short-distance races; the Arabian, whose beauty, incredible endurance, and high spirits make it ideal for endurance trail riding, showing, and pleasure; the Dutch Warmblood, whose conformation, athleticism, and size make it perfect for jumping, dressage, and driving; the Morgan, whose excellent temperament, strength, endurance, soundness, and versatility appeal to people engaged in just about any discipline; and the Thoroughbred, whose speed, endurance, and “never-give-up” attitude make it well-suited to racing, jumping, dressage, and cross-country. Ponies. By definition, a pony is any horse standing under 14.2 hands. Despite their small stature, ponies can be excellent mounts for adults and children alike, and often excel at jumping, driving, and trail riding. Popular pony breeds include the Chincoteague Pony, whose wonderful temperaments and pretty faces make them ideal first mounts for children; the Connemara, whose stamina, strength, and jumping talent help them excel in jumping, hunting, dressage, driving, and other sporting pursuits; the Hackney Pony, whose high action, great stamina, and effervescent personalities make them just right for pleasure, harness, and roadster driving; and the Shetland Pony, whose versatility and great temperament make them ideal for carrying children or for driving. Heavy Horses. Heavy horses are those horses that are selectively bred to be tall and massive, and were originally used for farm work. Today, some heavy horses are used for riding. Popular heavy horse breeds include the Belgian, whose sturdiness of bone and high-stepping action make it ideal for pulling; the Clydesdale, whose size and fluid and powerful movement make it well-suited to draft work and being part of multi-horse hitches; and the Percheron, whose elegance make it ideal for harness and carriage driving.


Want to express your ideas and thoughts, stop by our redesigned equine forum at EquestrianHorseForum you can also post your equine items for sale for Free at Equineminimart.com

So, Your Wife Wants a Horse...

By the time a man finally decides to marry the love of his life, he thinks that he knows exactly who she is and that he will be able to get along with her for the rest of his life. The first few years of your marriage are wonderful. You have got a promotion at work and your wife has turned out to be the perfect spouse. Then one day you come home from work and your wife drops a bomb. She tells you that she wants to purchase a horse!

You do not know what to do. You think that purchasing a horse will ruin your wonderful lifestyle, but what many men do not realize is that letting your wife purchase a horse will score you some major brownie points. Most of you are thinking to yourself that there is no way that this could be true. You think that you are going to have a huge monthly expense because owning a horse is not cheap and you just know that eventually your wife will want you to purchase a horse so that both of you can go horseback riding together. If you stay calm and keep your cool, you will be able to come out ahead, your wife will be happy, and everyone knows that if the wife is happy, the husband will be happy.

If you refuse to let your wife purchase a horse, your relationship could eventually end in a divorce and that will be much more costly than paying for feed and boarding. If you let your wife purchase a horse, you will be able to benefit just as much as she does.

By letting your wife purchase a horse, you will be able to get just about anything that you want. This means if your wife tells you that you do not need a 72 inch flat panel plasma screen television all you have to tell her is that she did not need a horse and before you know it you will be watching your favorite football team play on a 72 inch flat panel plasma screen television.

This tactic can be used over and over again because a horse is not a one time expense. As long as your wife owns a horse, you will be paying for feed, veterinary costs, and various other expenses. This means that anytime your wife tells you that you cannot have something that you want all you have to do is mention how much you spend every month on her horse and she will not be able to stop you from purchasing new golf clubs or anything else that you want.

So, while purchasing a horse for your wife may seem like a huge expense all you have to do is think of owning a horse as a get out of jail free card. You will be able to pressure your wife into purchasing things that you would not be able to buy if she did not own the horse.

So what do you think? Want to share your thoughts? Post here or stop by our beautiful equine forum atEquestrianHorseForum and share, we would love to hear from you.

Women's Love of Horses

For many women who own horses, their horse is one of only a few constant factors that they have in their lives. In a way, their horses are like their children. Women have to watch over them and take care of them on a daily basis, just like their children. This is one reason that women love their horses so much.

To a woman, a horse is just an extension of their family, why else would a woman get up at five O’ clock in the morning and go outside in the freezing cold to feed a horse and clean out their stall? There has to be a great amount of love involved for anyone to do that. Many women see their horses as not only members of their families, but also as their best friends.

Many women could easily spend hours in the barn telling their horse about all of their problems or other events that are happening in their lives. This is because horses are great listeners, much better than most men.

Men cannot help the fact that they do not listen well. All men know that their ears are not able to hear the frequency that a woman voice is produced in, however; they are very skilled at listening to a sports analyst when they are predicting the outcome of a game. This is why most men cannot remember a single thing that their wives tell them, their ears cannot determine what is being said. This is similar to listening to someone speak in a different language; you can hear sounds, but you have no idea what is being said.

This is why women will turn to their horses. A horse will stand quietly in their stall or in the pasture and will listen for hours and they do not even have to be bribed with food. Many women will even tell you that their horse understands what they are saying because if a woman is feeling down, a horse will often give her a nudge with their muzzle as a way of saying “I understand”.

Many women (and men) will also tell you that their horse is a very inexpensive form of therapy. An observant person may notice that if a woman has had a bad day and goes out to the barn for a “therapy session” with their horse that ninety percent of the time she will come back from the barn with a smile on her face and with a new outlook on life. How many therapists can you think of that can produce an effect like that during an hour long therapy session?

This is why many men love women who own horses. They know that if their wife is having a bad day, after a short trip to the barn her day will be much better. A smart husband knows that the horse listens to all of his wife’s problems, which means that he will not be disturbed while watching his favorite football team.

For more great fun with women who love horses please join our equine community at EquestrianHorseForum and list your equine stuff for only .99 cents! Tell a friend.

Equine Website Network Eliminates Competition for Small Businesses

In the dog eat dog world of equine sales small businesses often find themselves crushed under the hooves of their larger competitors; however, a new website recently launched by equine enthusiast Ron Petracek has made great strides in leveling the playing field. Equineinternet.com provides a strong platform for individuals specializing in equines and related equipment, and its unique network ensures that no advertisement will be swept to the wayside by a competitor with more marketing dollars to burn.
Ron Petracek was raised in Southern Idaho and has been working with equines in some manner or another his whole life; however, some time ago he and his wife began to grow frustrated with the difficulties they faced buying and selling their horses.
“I have a Master’s Degree in the School of Hard Knocks,” say Petracek when asked about his experience in marketing and equine sales.
Petracek took his education and what he had gleaned by attempting to work with other sites specializing in equine sales and created Equineinternet.com. Sellers can list their horses and related equipment, such as trucks, trailers, saddles and tack (both new and used) for only .99 cents per ad.
After listing the ad will be duplicated across all twelve sites in the Equineinternet network, a network that includes such sites as ClickEquine, ClubEquine and EquineJunction. Sellers are not expected to compete for exposure on the basis of the size of their bank accounts; no one is lost in the pasture of technology, as is so common with many of the free listing services currently available.
When they choose to advertise with Equineinternet.com sellers will be given access to a vast directory of equine services at no extra cost and instant self-serve business banner advertising for as little as ten dollars a month.
EquineInternet.com also, for a limited time, is providing owners and breeders with the opportunity to list their stallions for .99 cents for a full year, with quality leads guaranteed.
At Equineinternet.com’s network site Equineminimart.com horse lovers will have the opportunity to buy and sell equine related arts, crafts and gifts, and members will have access to a vast assortment of articles and community resources through a feature known as HorseChitChat, where owners and equine enthusiasts can gather together and exchange ideas and advice on a variety of different topics.
For more information about Equineinternet.com visit http://www.equineinternet.com. Or to view the entire network visit http://www.horsechitchat.com/network.php

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.
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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!
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