When you are flat out working and also have family commitments there are sometimes you barely have time to ride, let alone catch up on the many chores around the stables that should be done. Your gear needs a clean, you saddle cloth and bandages need a good wash, the manure in your paddock is piling up and the mice love the amount of grain on your feed room floor. The weekends are busy with kids to organise, competitions and other commitments. Sunday night comes around and you feel like there are more horse chores to do there were at the beginning of the weekend It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the horse chores there are to do. Don’t worry; you don’t have to catch it up all at once. Just focus on the most important task until you have a well-run, efficient stable. That … [Read more...]
Help! I Have So Many Horse Chores!
Horse Vision – Interesting Facts that Affect Horse Behaviour
What it is about horses’ eyes? Your life can be in turmoil, full of stress and worries and then . . . you look into the eyes of a contented horse, really look into them, and it can have such an amazing effect on your day. A large eye has a much more powerful effect, and horses have eyes larger than any other land mammal. The more we understand the way that horses use their eyes, the easier they are to train and much of their natural behavior is related to their eyes. Blind Spots For instance, they have both monocular vision and binocular vision with a range vision of 350 degrees. Their ‘blind spots’ are just in front of their eyes and behind their head, over their back and their tail as shown in the image at right side*. When we are working around horses, we must … [Read more...]
Good Horsemen and Butchers
A friend of mine walked into a butcher shop in a small town on the way home from the National Dressage Finals. The butcher saw they were travelling with horses, and boasted that he used to ride when he was younger. There was a local pony club day on in the town that weekend and the butcher went on to complain that ‘riders these days’ don’t do anything, they just sit there and look pretty. He said that dressage riders were the worst. My friend was very excited! “Isn’t it wonderful that people think riders can sit there and look pretty while the horse does all the work? Ultimately, isn’t that what good horsemanship is all about?” A good horseperson works quietly with their horse, giving signals that only other good horse people recognize. They see potential problems with horses … [Read more...]
Healers with Four Legs and a Tail
I have just read a lovely book about using horses for rehabilitation during or after a serious illness or depressing situation. The author Michael Hay writes about this natural but different approach in a way that provokes much thought into the way we use our horses and making sure our perspectives are in the right mind.His approach looks at the healing ways of horses, the way they naturally reduce stress and compares the basic needs of the horse to our basic needs. Michael has kindly allowed me to give you a free copy of his book ‘Healers with Four Legs and a Tail’ which can be downloaded here Enjoy the read, Glenys :) … [Read more...]
Frustration From Horses or Passion For Horses?
I love technology when it is working well but find it very frustrating when it isn’t! I can do some of the basic stuff, but if the wrong button is pushed or a misdirected technical genius makes a website go down then I am not interested in fixing the problem and refer it to the Webmaster. Some people are like that with horses. They become frustrated with them and are not interested in fixing the problem. The only problem is that horses aren’t machines. They live and breathe and there is always a reason for doing what they do. If a resistance or an evasion is not corrected immediately, it can become a habit. As much as I am not interested in fixing technology, I am absolutely passionate about fixing horse problems. Last week one of my students bought a lovely horse as a … [Read more...]
Your Gift ‘On Horsemanship’ by Xenophon
At Online Horse College, we are partnering with a PhD student to develop courses for Equine Assisted Learning courses. As part of her research, she would love to survey you about your coaching and learning styles and as a reward for your input we have a gift for you! Xenophon is one of the earliest riding masters, training horses through kindness and reward. Topics include his teachings on selection of a young horse, breaking colts, selection of the older horse, care of the horse and grooming, handling correctly and safely, mounting, riders position and training the rider, advanced training of the horse including jumping and cross country and much, much more... If you would love a copy of this book, simply complete the one page equestrian coaching survey on the link below to … [Read more...]
Three Rewards for Your Horse
Have you ever noticed how when people ride their horses and reward them all the time, the horses go well for them? There are other riders who are always angry at their horses and give them a hard time. Keep a diary of everything that went well on your ride today, just the best three things and what you did to reward your horse. It could have been a softening of the reins allowing them to have a stretch and a break, a walk break or to finish the work session. When you focus on what went well and the rewards you give your horse on a regular basis, you look forward to your riding and training so much more. … [Read more...]
How Addictions To Horses Are Created
Horse Addiction I finally worked out why I was addicted to horses! According to Tony Robbins, humans have six basic needs and if they find an activity that satisfies at least four of those needs there is a very strong chance they will become addicted to that activity and find it difficult or impossible to stop. Certainty Uncertainty Significance Connection Growth Contribution I know with me, horses satisfy every one of those needs! No wonder so many other people are also addicted to them! If I have never met a horse before, I can be certain they have characteristics and behaviors that are unique to the horse. At the same time, every horse and every situation is different. Even on a well-trained horse there is always a degree of uncertainty in the way they are going … [Read more...]
Uncharacteristic Behaviour in Horses
Price is always a consideration when buying an asset for a business. So when his owner told me that he was selling him cheap because he won’t ‘tuck his head in’ and he throws his head around even after his teeth has been attended to, I was interested. His mouth and back seemed fine so the next step was to ride him. Sure enough, as soon as he started to go forward with a focus on energy, rhythm and tempo with a few bending and flexing exercises then he responded positively. As I said . . . we have a lovely big chestnut school horse called Sunny. We were able to buy him at a very good price because I recognized that the throwing of his head was a response to him not being ridden correctly. The way he was being ridden was the real problem. Horses communicate in all sorts of … [Read more...]
What Would You Do With Your Horse In This Situation?
In a place where I used to work, one of the horses (Sunshine) was injured. After months of treatment and rehabilitation it became painfully obvious that Sunshine would never recover properly. Tom (the owner of the business) decided that the best thing would be to have Sunshine put down, but Bec (the girl who looked after the horse through his ordeal) disagreed. ‘But he is such a kind horse, I will take him and look after him’ ‘He will cost you a fortune and you will never be able to ride him’ said Tom ‘That is ok, I just want to let him live his life in peace’ After much begging and pleading, Tom gave Sunshine to Bec and that could have been the end to this story. However, a couple of years later I caught up with Bec . . . “I will never forgive Tom for giving me … [Read more...]
How Is Your Horse’s Satisfaction Rating Of You?
This is a checklist for your horse’s satisfaction rating Methods to measure students’ satisfaction during their riding lessons are fairly well researched, but the horses’ satisfaction in their lessons is also important. Children may jump out of the car and quickly find their favorite horse to say ‘hello’, does your horse have their ears pricked and look forward to visits from humans? When a student is getting ready for their riding lesson they could be excited about their lessons. While you may not want your horse to be excited, are they entering the arena pleasantly without napping, snarling their face or swishing their tail? Even when a student is concentrating on improving their riding, they should be enjoying themselves. Does your horse understand what you ask and do … [Read more...]
Tips for Caring for Horses Who Live Outside
The care of horses involves many tasks. This article looks at some of the basic necessities and tasks you need to know when you are learning about how to take care of horses correctly. You may be required to undertake these as a horse owner and/or carer when you are caring for horses who live in a paddock/ field/ pasture (depending on the country where you live). A horse is a much bigger commitment than other family pets, if fact everything about them is bigger, feeding, veterinary bills, worming not to mention all the accessories that go with them. With the right care and knowledge you can keep your horse happy and healthy. Routine Checks When Caring For Horses Horses which are kept outdoors will require checking at least once a day. If you have poor quality or little pasture you may … [Read more...]
How to Take Care of Stabled Horses
Many new horse owners are not sure how to care for a horse and the main points as well as a few horse care tips are listed below. This article may not teach you how to take care of horses who live in a stable completely but it will certainly point you in the right directions for your equine care. Taking Care of Horses Twice Daily Horses kept in a stabled environment will need attending to at least twice a day. This is because they are confined to a small area, with no access to grazing and no opportunities to self exercise. The horse's digestive system is designed to take in small quantities of food at regular intervals therefore a stabled horse will need more feed, in particular roughage, to maintain weight because it will have no access to pasture. Another essential part of equine … [Read more...]
The Reason Why People Have Horse Careers or a Horse Business
If you work with horses or a horse business, you already know the answer to this one! Horse careers and horse businesses have an extra ingredient that many traditional businesses do not have. Unless your equine business coach or equine business manager understands this extra ingredient, they will try to structure your horse business in the same way as a traditional business. The nature of business is to make a profit, however if you own a horse business or plan to have a career with horses then you may be looking for that profit in another form! Why work with horses? Are you like the majority of the people who own horse related businesses? If you are like most people, you would like to work with horses or have a business with horses, because of the enjoyment you will have from the … [Read more...]
