No hoof no horse. If you have not heard that expression before, it basically means to take care of your horse's feet. Here is the thing, the ideal time for hoof trimming is every six to eight weeks. The ideal in between time for shoes is eight to ten weeks. Fees to get shoes or trimming on horses can get expensive especially if you have several horses. Some people don't care, they just wait for the hoof to break off on it's own. The question is..What happens when the horse gets laminitis or some other hoof related disease? But also.. Do horses in the wild ever get farrier work done?

If you don't own a wild mustang in the ranges of the wild west, do yourself and your horse a favor. Trim or shoe on schedule, it will save you thousands on vet bills in the future by preventing illnesses on your horse's feet.


http://www.classicalspanishequitation.weebly.com

I was talking to a woman yesterday about horsemanship and skill. To my amazement she began to talk a lot of bad things about some well known horsemen such as Pat Parelli, and Monty Roberts. She made comments such as "Pat is nothing but a dam sales man, and Monty is a f....n' liar." Unfortunately this is not the first time I hear these comments, I have even been shown a video on youtube where Pat unsuccessfully demonstrates his skills and goes completely against what he teaches. Monty on the other hand has been called a liar and a fake, because according to people who have personally known him, he never spent any time in the wild like he says in his books. I would like to make a comment regarding these gentlemen. First I have attended some of Pat Parelli's clinics and I must say that they are very amusing, but it also demonstrates that even though pat does perform a lot of circus tricks, he also rides some really well schooled reiners and high level dressage movements, and to top it off he has been complimented by one of our last remaining classical masters Walter Zettl. As for Mr. Monty, well I just want to say that in my opinion  no horse should be raced or competed under saddle at age 2, because to do so such horses will have to be started as yearlings or before they turn 2. Many only worry about their reputation, and wining. A young horse whose joints have not fully developed yet are more prone to being hurt or having permanent damage, and no matter how much join up you do with these horses their physical development and their mental acceptance are two different things. To close I want to say that we all have good and bad days, and no matter how great any trainer/rider is there are always those who dislike or disagree with what they do. I would like to say too, that everyone has an opinion and we should take what these trainers have to offer that works for us and leave what doesn't.

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The Seat

                                                                               
by Antonio Topete Diaz

Western, English, Dressage, Australian, Stock, Mexican, Spanish, Portuguese, Maremano, Gaucho etc. etc. These are just some of the riding saddles that are most popularly used today. But, does it really matter what kind of saddle is used for the training of a horse? And more importantly, does the kind of saddle matter in the ability of the rider to ride? The answer, is both yes and no. Why do I say this? Well, for the inexperienced, the kind of saddle does give the rider a sort of comfort and mental assurance that he/she will not fall off the horse. For the rider that has been riding correctly for some time, feeling safe on a horse's back will depend very little on the kind of saddle being used. On the other hand, a more comfortable saddle for the horse and for the rider will always make horseback riding a more pleasant experience. Some saddles that have knee rolls or something like it, gives the rider a sense of feel that if the horse takes off running or bucking, the saddle will keep the rider in place. For training, the saddle will depend on the kind of training that the horse will be put under, or on the kind of work that will be expected of the horse.

When we Speak of the seat, it does not mean we are talking about the seat of the saddle, but of the seat of the rider. The seat of the rider plays an important role in riding and in training horses. The rider that develops a strong seat, also known as an independent seat will be more apt to train a horse or to ride a schooled horse. For this reason at Spanish Riding School, the riding masters first teach their pupils how to develop a strong seat, and nothing else, the same was true at the Centaur Institute of Classical Equine Studies (CICES). This is done with a gentle horse on the lunge line under the eye of an instructor/s to assure that posture, relaxation and correctness are developed. Only in this way can the student develop the ability to use body weight, legs, and hands or seat,legs, and hands with greater ability.

The horse, even when young or green, will be able to move more relaxed and freely under a rider who does not depend on a death grip of his legs or of the reins to stay in the saddle. As the rider advances in his/her riding education, he/she will feel more relaxed and comfortable riding a horse in what ever discipline they are studying. As the rider gets more comfortable the horse too will become better schooled, given that it is prepared carefully and diligently. In time the rider will learn how to use his/her seat to turn, stop, reinbeck, and collect his/her horse. Only through the proper use of seat, legs and hands can the rider ever accomplish high levels of horsemanship regardless of the riding sport in question.

"It takes time, riding takes a long long time." -Walter A. Zettl


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mane and tail

Have you ever seen a horse with a long mane and tale, to the point of almost hitting the ground? I saw a lady ride a grey Andalusian Stallion at a show once and the mane and tail of that thing where so long it amazed me. I have been around horses my whole life, and especialy the Iberian breeds, and well those things generally have lots of mane and tale. This horse that I saw though had so much hair, even I was very impressed. The first thing that came to my mind was "WOW" the second thing was "I feel sorry for who ever has to wash that" anyway in my last post I added a link to both my website and a link to a website of some hair growing tips for horses yes I got the program and yes I am using it. It was not as great as the ad says but I did get my money's worth. If you didn't get the link here it is:

http://off-to.net/fairytalehorse

http://www.classicalspanishequitation.weebly.com 

I don't know about you, but for me, a lot of mane adds a lot of "look at me" to a horse. The down side to this is that it requires a lot of work. If you don't have someone to help you groom maybe a lot of mane and tale is not such a great idea, unless of course you like to groom.

Horses of Today

In the past, lets say one hundred years ago and if we go even further, to a couple of centuries ago, we find that almost every person knew a thing or two about horses. Why? you may ask. It is simple, the horse was a means of transportation and warfare. So, most people, at least most head of house holds, had some kind of interest in horses during those times. And although not everyone could afford a horse back then, never the less did most people have a sort of interest in these amazing animals. For recreation, courtships, transportation, or work, the horse was a necessary tool in every day life. Today the horse is still widely used. Think about it for a minute. Have you ever seen a commercial on T.V. about the newest sports car? have you noticed that they will often use X-amount of "HORSE POWER!" to advertise the greatness of the vehicle? That's right and what about movies. If you have seen Tangled you will notice that they used a white horse. Polo, Dressage, Reining, Jumping, Gymkhana, all these are recreational sports in which people spend a lot of money and time, around and with horses.

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I found something that you might enjoy, check it out and see what you think.
http://off-to.net/fairytalehorse