Pets Blog

Training horses areis} rarely a walk in the park. In fact, becoming a seasoned horse trainer requires many hours of practice and application, and much of money for clinics and courses in horse training. Yet, not everyone has the desire to become a professional trainer nor the money and time to enroll in many horse training events for weeks or even months of learning.

Horse training videos will allow you to study the inner workings of different horse trainer.

Current Information

Horse training videos should provide a compressed source of knowledge of horses and training. Although, clinics and such provide the benefit of being able to get questions answered and having an instructor guide you through the exercises, videos give you the advantage of being able to rewind or stop when you need to. Most of the time the techniques being taught by the videos are effective, so you don’t need to resort to trial and error in learning how to train your horse. And all the learning can be done in the comfort of your own home.

At Your Learning Level

Training videos also enable you to learn training methods and caring for your horse at your pace. You don’t need to adapt to a rigid schedule that clinics may have to enforce. You can learn new skills while you go on with your life, your job, or other priorities. These videos are great for people who want to learn more about horses and training but only a few minutes each day in which to fit learning into their daily schedules.

Repetition

If you own the videos, you have the luxury of playing the videos over and over again until you have fully grasped the topics covered. But don’t underestimate the value of borrowing videos as well.  Read more...

Part 1: Pasture and Shelter

Pasture time for your horse is important all season long even when it’s snowy and cold. We might not like the cold but, horses are wild animals and they don’t mind being outside.  Horses thrive best in temperatures ranging from 14 degrees to 77 degrees.  They will also huddle together for warmth if necessary.

Watch out for glazed over paddock and icy patches by the pasture shelter and frozen water buckets.  For ice patches, put something with some “grit” on it to make it easier for walking and try spreading some alfalfa meat on ice to help melt it. Dirt, fireplace ashes or burn pit ashes work great for some extra traction.  Keep water always accessible, breaking up frozen tops on water buckets or troughs can be done in just a few minutes, sometimes a ball in the water can help keep the top from freezing.

A shelter or run in shed works great in the pasture or paddock to protect horses from wind, snow and rain. This shelter should have clean bedding and water. Dry hay should also be provided in the shelter even if there is hay in the pasture. Remember to keep an eye on your horses – some will try to “dominate” the shelter and deny access to other horses. You need to make sure everyone has access to shelter, food and water.   Read more...

Physically the horse is a thing of incredible beauty and unbelievable wonder. There are very few things in the world more beautiful then a well groomed horse in motion. It doesn’t matter if that horse is performing a complicated dressage test, running down the backstretch, sailing over a jump, or chasing after a calf, the horse is a thing of incredible beauty.

In addition to being structurally designed to steal your breath , horses have a hair coat that is designed to withstand the elements. As long as they have plenty of fresh water, lots of roughage and a good shelter there is very little reason to blanket a horse. Most breeds have skins that are fairly tough. In addition to a tough skin they are blessed with a wonderful hair coat. Their hair is designed to fluff and catch pockets of air, once the air is caught in the hair it is warmed with the horses body heat. A healthy horse with a good hair coat will stay warm, wrapped in their air pocket throughout the winter. If you don’t believe  drive past a field of unlamented horses in the winter, chances are pretty good that they will be completely ignoring any shelter they have been given. The only time the average horse has a real problem with staying warm is if they have gotten wet, or if their hair has been flattened by mud.

Just because the average horse doesn’t need a blanket in the winter doesn’t mean that they all don’t. Several breeds, including Arabians and Thoroughbreds, have thin skin that is easily chilled. Older horses can also have a difficult time staying warm. Horses that have had an injury or illness that caused them to loose hair. Horses that are underweight are another group of horses that should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t develop a chill.  Read more...

“Horse boots?” you ask.  “Horse blankets…does my horse come with its own wardrobe?”  The purchase of a horse can bring so many changes; it can overwhelm the owner just by the information needed on the supplies.

For your journey into horse care, you’ll need good horse blankets.  More than one is quite handy as one alone is sure to get dirty and need attention just when you count on it the most.  The horse blanket, of course, usually goes along with owning a western saddle, which requires the use of a blanket underneath because of the lack of padding.  It would be cruel to use a western saddle without a horse blanket, and usually a pad is used in addition to the blanket.  You want optimum performance from your animal.  You get that result by taking good care of your horse, which mean using the proper equipment and supplies.

Aside from the horse blankets, pads, and saddle, you’ll want other things such as a horse trailer for hauling the animal, a properly fenced area for grazing, a barn for storing hay and stalling the horse, curry combs for the care of the mane and tail and to groom the horse’s coat of hair, a big water barrel or trough, grains for feeding, bridles, bits, a halter, and various other items that might come in use.

One of those items could possibly be horse boots.  Don’t worry, you won’t have to take your pet shopping and spend hours at the shoe store while they choose their selections!  You could be amazed, however, at the stores that do sell horse boots and at how many varieties there are.  There may be as many as there are different selections of blankets.
Your beloved pet need not be dressed in its “horse clothes” each time it leaves the barn.  Unlike our clothes, which we could get arrested for not wearing in public, your horse would wear its clothes only when appropriate for the situation.  
As with the horse blankets, the horse boots are not just for looks.  You can, however, match the color of the boots to the color of the blanket, if that is an issue for say, show purposes.  Read more...

Your horse riding is to be taken very seriously to be successful. Horse colors are very important to some people: some enjoy a black horse; others enjoy a white horse, while others prefer a grey horse, or want to know the if the breed of horse originated in Czechoslovakia. However, there is no time to daydream of the days with your rocking horse, your horse pictures or horse photos; this is now a time to think about horse training, horse riding, horse safety and horse care.  Many people think of horse riding as a children’s activity, since they may have never owned a horse as a child, but may have had the adventure of being taken for horse back riding, as a child, on the beach. The truth is that horse riding is for everyone, and you can fulfil your dream of riding at any age. There are, for example, live horse racing, horse jumping, dressage and cross-country; many areas of riding that may interest you.

When there is focus in horse riding, you will soon discover that there is always something more to learn, such as tack and horse equipment, and how these, for example, can enhance your horse’s performance.  However, the importance of safety around your horse should be paramount at all times. There is always something for everyone, and you should be comfortable with what you choose as a riding discipline. A gift for a horse lover is their dream horse that is well-trained and happy – easy to ride – a horse that enjoys being ridden, but there are wild horses too. Wild horses are a challenge where avid equestrians may want to delve further, as all aspects of horse riding is a thrilling pastime. Obviously you are going to want to spend many hours working with your horse so that he understands what you want from him. It is a good idea to learn to tackle the tasks of horse grooming and tacking up the horse. The rewards are great when you take the time to tackle these basic techniques of riding and horse care.  You will be a position to enjoy your leisure rides in all its various forms.  Read more...