Pets Blog

To save you the time and money finding that perfect horse, I shall tell you the truth; the ‘perfect horse’ does not exist. Even the greatest looking ‘well bred’ horses fall short of the mark. Before you go to great expense of buying a horse, you need to consider how much commitment and time you will be investing in your riding career. You can even evaluate how good a rider you are, and how much you really know about horses and horse care. All the above are more important than the amount of money and time spent ‘upfront’.  At the start you have to be honest with yourself; do you need the training to become a better rider?  Do you need books and videos to look at the theory of horse riding to begin with? You need to really consider this huge commitment.

Your Horse

Some people search for a black horse, some look for a white horse, others a grey horse. For the perfect riding horse there are 3 main ingredients: conformation, temperament and time.  Generally you do not have to search for too long; as long as the horse has a reasonable conformation and a nice temperament, which is all that matters at this stage.  With training and time spent with your new companion, it is possible to create a wonderful riding horse from almost any horse you choose. What size and age of horse would work best for your riding?  Read more...

Horses are far easier to train once you realise that they don’t always react the same way you would expect a person would react. Good horse trainers already understand these instincts and techniques and that is why they get results!

Remember that a horse is a horse and not quite the same as a person!

Some things about people and horses are similar; some things about horses and people are very different.

This horse training information is worthy of reading and understanding so that you develop a strong and trusting relationship when training your horse or pony. Understand from your horse’s point of view and you can be successful working with your equine partners.

Consider this when you are training your horse or pony.

Remember:

Your horse or pony likes to have friends around them. Your horse or pony feels most happy with other horses. Horses and ponies would prefer to be in company rather than alone. Most times they would like to be somewhere where they can actually play. At the least, they need to be able to see other horses or animals or people. You would think that a happy horse would be much easier to train!

Horses have a herd instinct and a flight instinct. They work out where they stand in a herd – the so called ‘pecking order.’ And they go with the crowd rather than stand alone. Be aware of this. As a trainer, you can use this to help your horse and become his or her leader. You then become their focus and they are attentive to you.

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Grooming a horse needs various grooming tools. Know what to keep in your horse grooming kit and learn about cleaning a horse using the correct grooming equipment as well as other handy horse grooming tips.

To have a clean horse, there are some essentials you will need in your grooming kit.  Theses are the basic items and some grooming tips for horses and ponies

The horse grooming brushes you may need when you are grooming horses are the dandy brush, body brush and water brush.  Keep reading for tips on how to groom horses with each horse brush.

There are two types of combs you can use when you are grooming ponies and horses, the curry comb and the mane and tail comb.

You will also need two sponges and some other accessories in horse grooming kits. Keep reading for the essential horse grooming equipment and to find out how to groom a horse.

A hoof pick – this is essential part of grooming your horse to make sure there are not rock, stones or other objects caught in your horse or pony’s hooves

A dandy brush – a heavy duty brush to get all that mud off your horse or pony’s muddy coat. This horse brush is great in the winter, but be careful if you brush a horse with this one and they are a bit ticklish!

A body brush – a softer brush to take off all the dust and scurf from your horse or pony’s coat. You can also use the body brush to gently brush their mane and tail. The best way how to brush a horse, is in the direction of the way the hair is laying.  Read more...

Online horse games are very popular. Girls do love horse games but they are popular even among little boys which might be surprising to some people. Little girls like ponies very much and having a real pony is not an option for everyone. The variety of horse games is endless, some are very silly while others are very good and have good graphics and music otherwise they would not be so popular. Here are some of the types of horse games which can be played online:

Horse dress up games – these horse games are for really young kids and mostly girls. If you thought that girls only like to dress up their Barbies and play tea party with them, you were wrong. Apparently they like to dress up horses too. These games allow you to choose the horse or pony of your own colour; pink, purple and bright red are very popular. You have to dress them up, try various accessories on them and make them prettier. Some of the popular dress up games are: Bella Sara Beautybox, Bratz Little Pony, Cowgirl Sweetie, Dream Horse, Dress Up Horse, Fantasy Unicorn & Fairy, French Horse Designer, Horse Dress Up, Horse Maker etc.

Horse riding games – these games are categorized as horse riding games simply because there is a horse riding in them. The horse is a cartoon which can do anything, not just regular horse things. Those games are very funny and would surely make you laugh out loud. Those games are a mix between horse racing games, horse jumping games and simple horse walking games. Example of those games could be: Big Country Fun, Charger Escape, Horse Athletics, Super Horse, Horse Rancher, Lisa and Bandit, Nicki’s Roundup, Penny’s Courageous Ride, The Jump Off and many more.  Read more...

A new breed of horse, known as the Azteca, is in demand in Mexico. It is the first breed to be developed in Mexico and was designed from the beginning to suit all that is required of a Mexican horse. The majority of horses in Mexico are descendants of Spanish horses, and the since the Spanish horse has always been preferred in Mexico, the Andalusian was the foundation for the new breed.

Several horsemen living in Mexico in the late 1960′s decided to re-create a horse that no longer existed. It was to be reminiscent of the horses originally brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadors; symbolic of Mexico; and, it was to have cow sense for working the cattle ranches of the charro (cowboy); and it was to be an accomplished performer in typical Mexican events such as fiestas, parades, and as a mount for the Rejonero in the bullfighting ring.

After several years of experimentation and research, a new breed of horse was created in Mexico in 1972 called the Azteca from Andalusians crossed with Quarter Horses and Criollo mares.

The worldwide Registry for Azteca horses is maintained by Asociacion Mexicana de Criadores de Caballos de Raza Azteca (AMCCRA or The Azteca Horse Association of Mexico). This is the only organization approved by the developers of the breed and by the Government of Mexico to register Azteca horses and to legally use the name “Azteca”. There are about 2000 Azteca horses currently living in North and South America, and Spain which have been approved by the International Azteca Horse Association. The AMCCRA and the Government of Mexico are continuing these efforts to refine the Azteca and to define the main contributions of each of the three founding breeds to the phenotype. It has acquired so much recognition that it has earned the title of the National Horse of Mexico.  Read more...