Tag Archives: horses for sale
Horse Training – Loading Your Horse
Mistake #1 – Thinking your horse is like a dog or a cat.
Unless the new horse owner has been educated, they may think their horse is like a cat or dog. The new horse owner may pat his thigh and say, “C’mon” a few times and the horse will just leap into the trailer like a happy dog.
Mistake #2 – Using food as bait
Another mistake they often make is putting hay, grain, apples or some other food at the front of the trailer to tempt a horse to step in to get the food. This almost never works. If it did, it would be a stroke of luck. Some horses will lean in and try to get the food, but they wouldn’t step into the trailer if their life depended on it.
Mistake #3 – Forgetting to hook the trailer to the truck
Some new horse owners will forget the hitch the trailer to the truck before trying to get the horse into the trailer. With the trailer unhooked, when the horse steps into the trailer, the trailer is going to wobble around.This will more than likely frighten the horse, making it even more difficult to load him in the future.
Mistake #4…
Winter Horse Care
When you care for your horse, it is vital to make preparations for the winter months. Horses must be able to tolerate the cold weather and remain as healthy as possible. In the winter horses will have special requirements which you as the owner will have to take in hand. It is crucial to get ready for winter in advance.
Horses are naturally tolerant to cold weather. In fact, horses cope with cold weather much better than hot weather. Regardless of this, there are some basic things horse owners will want to do to make sure their horses stay in good health. You will want to make sure the horse doesn’t have any lice, and has been vaccinated up to date. The expenditure for doing these things will significantly pay off during the winter, as the expenses of feeding your horse will be lower.
You may also want to work with your vet in planning up a health plan to care for your horses. Helping your horse prepare for winter will help it reduce the necessity to eat large amounts of food in order to maintain its weight. Your horse should never lose weight during the winter. Allowing your horse to put…
Equine First Aid Kits
Horse equipment runs the full gamut from grooming products to dietary supplements.
But there is an elemental horse supply that you should not leave your barn, or your bag without.
Horse first aid pack could be just the one factor that could rescue your horse’s life. You should understand from experience that no matter how well thought out or planned an outing might be, there are just some things that go awry. It’s not being paranoid, it is about being prepared. Early preparation might help prevent your ride from becoming into a serious situation.
The horse first aid pack must be stored in a container or bag that can stop water and muck out because these promote the development of bacteria. You would run the risk of aggravate your horse’s infection if you used contaminated dressings. Shops that sell horse supplies store items such as a plastic waterproof bag. Apart from keeping tools, or grooming gear, these bags are also good for storing first aid items. Groceries sell tupperware food containers in different sizes. Apart from keeping possible infections out, you could also pick out one that could fit in your saddlebag.
Among the items that you should include in your first aid kit,…
Thoroughbred Horse History
Ancestry of the Thoroughbred:
This breed of horse was originally bred in The UK as a result of the English horsemens long for to possess a swift race horse. There are three that began this strain which are: Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian, named after their owners, Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin and Captain Robert Byerley. Every one of these stallions were imported to England from the Mediterranean Middle East between 1670 and 1710. The result was an animal that could carry weight with sustained speed over extended distances. Approximately ninety percent of modern thoroughbreds have come from Eclipse whose grandsire was Darley Arabian, who never lost in eighteen races. This started a very selective breeding process which has continued for all but 250 years, producing the best race horses, giving them authorityand brilliance on the race track.
About the turn of the 1700′s, breeding records for Thoroughbreds were sparse and frequently incomplete, and many times, they would not refer to a horse until the juvenile horse had proven themself commendable. A gentleman called James Weatherby, through his own inquiries and hard work, and by the consolidation of his own privately kept pedigree records published the earliest volume of the General…
Draft (Draught) Horses – The Belgian
As implied by the name. This breed originated in Belgium. In Medievil times, central Western Europe was well renound for the large, black “Flemish” horse. Heavily armoured knights were carried into war by these horses. Only the fittest, largest and most powerful were selected and trained as “chargers” and “destriers”. From this stock, genetic make-up was drawn for other breeds. At the heart of this area, Belgium was established as a country. The stallions of the region, in order to meet the demand for larger horses were exported to many parts of Europe to work in agricultural and industrial settings.
Because Belgium was the resource upon which other countries depended for these large stock animals, all that remained was for the country to establish the breed and increase the strength of the genetic makeup already at hand. The Belgian government quickly helped to refine the breed by setting up district shows, from which the winners would move up to compete in the national show in Brussels. From those who participated in the national, the best were selected by the country’s inspection comittees for stallions for public service. The result of these efforts was that the fixed breed type rapidly improved and the…
Keeping A Horse On A Budget
Surviving the credit crunch is never easy, but when you have ponies and horses who completely rely on you for nurishment, shelter and medical attention, every small amount saved helps.
It’s a well known fact that too many horses and ponies are abandoned every week, as horse owners struggle financially with the economy as it is, as a result there are presently many horses for sale.
Sara Tuppen from the Horse Refuge in Kent, knows all about looking after horses when money is scarce, and relies purely on donations to help keep more than 40 rescued horses in good condition. According to her there are a few points which could help make keeping a horses during a recession a little easier:
1. A lot of horses can live comfortably outside for most of the year, as long as there’s nurishment, water and a place to shelter available. Providing this is an acceptable option for your horse, it could help reduce the cost of stabling by a large amount.
2. Removing shoes is an easy way to reduce outlay. If not ridden regularly, and not ridden on rough surfaces, many horses will be happy without shoes.
3. Loaning your horse is a fantastic way to cut (even halve!) costs, and provides a…
Horse Trailer Tips – Bumper Pull or Gooseneck
When deciding on a horse trailer, there are various features to consider. One significant feature is whether the horse trailer will be bumper pull or gooseneck. There are many reasons why you may gain from either type. Below we will look at the two designs and explain a little further.
Bumper Pull Horse Trailers – Advantages and Disadvantages
Bumper pull trailers, also known as tag-along trailers, are horse trailers that connect to a hitch on the hauling vehicle. The trailer “tags along” after the towing vehicle and therefore a part of the complete vehicle.
Advantages
There are a few plus points of bumper pull horse trailers. They generally cost far less than a gooseneck trailer. It’s not compulsory to drive a pickup truck for hauling the trailer, and more people can tow this layout of trailer with their usual car. Normal turns are often easier because the tag-along will keep to the line of the towing vehicle. The storage space required is less for the horsebox as you would for a gooseneck trailer. The trailer does not have to be classed as a “commercial” vehicle for licencing because the total weight of both the horsebox and pulling vehicle is commonly below 10,001 lbs.
Negative Points
There…
The Clydesdale Draught Horse
This large breed of draught horse can be traced to Lanarkshire (then Clydesdale) in Scotland, as far back as the early 19th century. There was a strong need for this large horse not only in the agricultural area but in the commerce area as well.
The Clydesdale horses were used in the coalfields of Lanarkshire and for hauling wagons in the streets of Glasgow. The desire was to breed a horse with large feet and long legs to aid work in the Scottish soil, so stallions from Belgium and England were imported to breed with the smaller mares. What we know as the modern day Clydesdale horse was the result of this.
The Clydesdale horses soon become world renound and the Scottish breeders exported them to the US, Canada and as far as New Zealand and Australia. In this day and age, Clydesdales still play an important part in their native Scotland, and are prized throughout the world. There is in fact a hugely popular brewery in the US which uses Clydesdale horses to pull promotional beer wagons at special events. They make these magnificent animals available for one to go into their temporary stables and actually walk up to the horses…
The American Saddlebred Horse
The Saddlebred Horse is a breed of horse developed in the American state of Kentucky. These days they are to be found in several showring disciplines, and they are also used in racing, parades, and hunting.
Characteristics of the American Saddlebred:
These horses have a manner which makes them good for nigh on every task in which they are needed. They are also well respected for their determination and the ability to remember quickly.
The Saddlebred is very sharp and earnest. It is flashy horse and will step high, commonly referred to as the “peacocks of the horse show world.” The ideal American Saddlebred possesses excellent proportions and is striking. They have large eyes which are sharp, and their ears have a superb shape. The Saddlebred horse is recognized for holding a head that is attractively even to its body shape.
These horses are also renowned for withers that are prominent and well-developed, muscular shoulders.
Saddlebreds are also recognized for being five gaited, a trait which was passed down by their ancestors.
Saddlebred Ancestry:
This breed of horses was first developed in the eighteenth century by the Americans who cross-bred the Thoroughbred horse with a Narragansett Pacer. During this time the Pacer was a very well respected…