Think Like A Horse

Horse's love it when their owner's understand them; Rick Gore
Horsemanship is about the horse teaching you about yourself.

Horsemanship Tips

Picking Feet: Pick and clean your horse’s feet in good fresh mud. This will removes rocks and manure and puts fresh mud into the frog area, which is the best thing to be in the frog. This will help prevent thrush and other bacteria from damaging the hoof. I see many people pick the feet and then walk the horse around the barn, over rocks and manure. If your horse picked up a rock or debris then when they step in mud it keeps that stuff in the frog and that is not good for the hoof. If you smell a foul odor when picking the feet, it could indicate the start of thrush. Spraying a little bleach and water (50/50 mix) in the frog once a week or so will help kill bacteria and help prevent thrush.

WD40: Most everyone knows that WD40 is a good spray lubricant that will unstick most things. Well it has another really good use. For those of you that live in area with stickers, star thistle or other pesky things that get stuck in your horse mane or tail, WD40 works great. Spray down the tail and stickers, let it soak for a minute or so and they slide right out with ease. This prevents pulling out all the hair or cutting and is less painful for the horse.

No Fence Corners: No corners on horse fences. Fence corners and horses are trouble. I see people spend thousands of dollars on horse fencing and then they put corners in the fence. Corners are scary for horses and they get trapped when scared, chased or pushed by another horse. If you install a fence, angle or round all corners. 90% of all horse injuries occur in the corner of a fence. Get rid of corners and you help your horse stay safe. If your fences have corners, you can place 2X6s or 2X4s at an angle to remove the corners. If you have extra temporary panels, you can use them to put in the fence corners at an angle to remove the corner. Horses don’t get trapped in round areas or angles. In the picture (above left) I have shown how to place boards or panels in corners to remove the corner. The "Y" with dots is to show a nice three wall wind block. It only takes four post and three walls between the post and you are set. This way a horse can pick where to stand for wind, rain or sun protection without feeling trapped. You can install a roof from post to post for shade protection as well. On the topic of fences and gates. All gates should only open inwards towards the horses. This way if a gate is ever left unlocked the horses cannot open them by pushing on the gate. This also makes it easier to get horses since you don't have to latch the gate while putting on halters or catching your horse, you can simply close it and the horse can't push it open. The expensive nice white plastic fencing is very popular but not real functional. The picture to the left is a plastic fence after a fire. Not a pretty sight.

Horse Discipline: About the only thing I see people consistent on when working with horses is kicking a horse’s butt and blaming the horse. A horse may need discipline sometime, not every day, not every ride and not every time you are with your horse. Every time you discipline a horse or lose your temper or over react, or get rough on the bit, or start yelling and calling your horse names, you should feel bad. We have all done it. I assure you a horse does not know why he is getting bent/flexed, kicked, and yelled at or being yanked around. After a horse submits to you for a second or two, he is then confused, scared and fearful and is NOT learning much, except that he has a predator (you) attacking him. He is not thinking, “Oh, I get it, I just got my ass kicked for the past 30 seconds for that thing I did a minute ago”. Remember if you think like a horse you would know how your horse is feeling and what he is probably thinking. If you think like a human you will blame the horse for not knowing what you are thinking and blame him for not knowing what you want. If you have to kick, scream, yell, cuss, yank a horse in circles and punish your horse every time you ride or handle him, IT IS NOT WORKING. Your goal should be to minimize the number of times you have to discipline a horse and not to convince the horse that you can kick his ass. Quiet and soft hands make soft horses. Aggression, lack of knowledge, anger, meanness, and tempers make fearful, confused and nervous horses. What kind of horse do you have? You may think or see your horse has obedient and respectful, that does not mean he is not scared, nervous and worried when you are around. Know the difference.

Sheath Noise: I have heard more crap about this topic. The noise you hear when a male horse runs or trots does NOT mean his sheath needs cleaning. That is the most absurd thing I have heard and I hear it a lot. This rumor is promoted by people that know little about a horse, want to give advice and just keep passing on this bunk. Here are some other things I hear about this; the noise is made since the testicles have been removed, because the sheath is dirty, because air is trapped, it is when the horse is tense, only geldings make the noise. You will hear this noise normally when a horse is trotting but can also hear during a canter. When a horse is tense, stressed, being resistant, showing frustration, excited or is trying to show dominance, he will make this noise. Not sure if the horse does it intentionally or by reflex (I think is it is intentional). It is a squeaking, grunting or honking noise and sounds like trapped air being forced out or kept in the sheath area. Some say it happens when the horse pulls his penis up higher into his sheath which creates an air pocket. It normally happens when a horse is tense (resistant). When a horse is relaxed you will normally not hear the noise. I think you will also hear it when a horse is showing resistance or dominance. A stallion or proud cut gelding will make the noise when entering a herd or trying to attract attention to him so he can impress the herd and announce his presence. Is he doing it intentionally or by the fact the he is tense and showing off, not sure, bit I think they know when they do it. A mare will not make this noise, so I have to think it has to do with the male parts. When a horse is trying to impress mares or about to defend his position to another horse, I would say he is tense and showing dominance, which would coincide with the idea that the horse is tense and excited, which could mean he is retracting his penis and creating an air trap. The next time you hear this noise, see if the horse is being resistant, testing the owner, showing dominance, or is not wanting to do what he is doing. You will find is has nothing to do with a clean or dirty sheath. So please stop the rumor that the sheath is dirty and that is why the noise is there, it just ain’t so.

Dragged by Horse: To keep from getting dragged by a horse if you fall off or are thrown, never ride with lace up boots or shoes with no heels. Have a pair of boots only used for riding and get them a size or two bigger. That way if you are thrown or fall off and your boot gets stuck in the stirrup, your foot will slide out of your boot easily. Riding with any shoe that does not have a heel is bad. If your foot slips and your heel goes through the stirrup, you are stuck and will not come free. Always wear boots with a heel and never lace up shoes when riding. I see people wearing running shoes to ride, no heel and lace up, a bad combo. People think that I will just do it this once or I am only going for a short ride. If a horse spooks or if a horse gets stung by a bee, he is going to react and may buck or rear, if your foot gets caught and you fall off, you are in deep trouble fast and it just don't matter how short your intended ride was planned. Notice the boot still in the stirrup on the photo to the left. That cowboy may not be happy right now, but he is happier than if his foot was still in that stirrup.

Bit Warming: Warming your horse's bit in the winter before putting it in his mouth. (Of course getting rid of the bit all together would be better). If warm water is available you can run some warm water over the bit to take the chill off or place the bit under your arm pit while getting other things ready. This may seem little, but having metal in the mouth is bad enough, try ice cold metal. If you were a horse, what would you want? Even better if you use a bosal, then this problem is not an issue.

The Rear Cinch: To have or not to have? How tight should it be? This is some of the most discussed and picked on topic of horsemen. Some say you don't need it, others say it is a must. Some say it should be loose, others say it should be tight. Not sure if there is a right or wrong, just pros and cons. I rode for years without one and years with one. I think you should have one. It keeps the saddle more secure, allows you to pull or dally up and helps prevent the saddle from sliding or moving as much. When in a canter, it keeps the saddle from popping up and down so much and banging on the horses back. As for how tight, I like it snug. If you see a loop or space before you get in the saddle, this space and loop will get bigger once you get in the saddle, as your weight pushes down on the saddle. Any space is a place where twigs, braches or stickers can get caught and send the horse into a spook. When going up or down a hill, a horse can get his hoof caught in this slack or loop and you will have real troubles. If too loose it pops under the horse's belly as he runs and may cause a spook. I don't make it as tight as the front cinch, but snug enough to see no gap after I am in the saddle. Since it gets loose once you get on the saddle, it should be fairly snug before you mount. (In my opinion, the rear cinch in the photo is too lose since you can see a gap)

Weight on Kidneys: When riding a horse and they have to urinate, lean forward and shift your weight to the front of the horse. This will take weight off the rear part of the saddle and the back of the horse. Taking weight off the rear and back of the horse will release pressure off the back and kidney area. This will make it a little more comfortable for your horse while they take care of business. Horsemen are always aware of the little things that make it easier and better on the horse. Remember to stay balance and centered on the horse, when a horse parks out and spread's his legs to pee, he is off balance, the last thing he needs it a rider moving around leaning, moving and throwing off his balance. Same thought process on letting your horse stop to poop. I see and hear people all the time yacking at their horse about how they can poop and walk or telling someone else not to let their horse stop and poop. Sure your horse can poop and walk or run, but why make it? I hear that if you are at a "show" the judges will mark you down for letting your horse stop and poop. Stupid judges! They should give you extra credit for being a good horseman and caring about your horse. Your horse would probably pee while running if you never let stop, but what would be the point. A horse does not like to pee on itself and does not like to poop on itself. So letting your horse stop, relax and take care of business is not a bad thing, it is not a lack of control, it is not your horse being resistant and stubborn, it is simply a horse wanting to stop and set up so it does not poop or pee on itself. See it for what it is and not for what some judge sees it. Good horseman treat their horse like they would want to be treated. If I see someone letting their horse stop and poop and see someone yelling at their horse for trying to stop and poop, guess which one I think is the better horseman?

Loosen the Cinch: A good friend will help his friend. When dismounting, loosen the cinch and give your horse a break. When a saddle is cinched down it constricts blood flow, it is tight on the horse, sweat makes it itch and it gets more uncomfortable the longer it is worn. If you ever wore a tight pair of shoes, remember how good it felt to slip them off if only for a few seconds. A good horseman will always loosen the cinch when he dismounts to give his horse a break/breather. This will allow air and blood flow under the cinch and under the saddle to help cool the horse and make him feel more comfortable. Even a short break will be appreciated by your friend. Watch people dismount, if they immediately loosen the cinch, you can tell they understand a horse, are concerned about their horse and they are a good horseman.

Mounting a horse from only one side sets your horse up for failure. If you ever have to mount or dismount from the other side your horse will be confused and nervous. A horse needs to know that you can get on or off from either side. If you ever need to dismount on a steep hill or ledge and you have never taught your horse this, you will be in a bad fix. This is easy to teach. Start by getting off your horse on the right side. After a few times with no issues, only get off on the right side half way, then get back in saddle. Soon you will be able to mount or dismount from either side. You should always try and mount your horse from different objects like a tailgate, a fence, the bumper of your trailer or the top side of a ditch. This will teach the horse that it is ok for you to mount from anywhere. Read my Horse History page to find out why mounting only on the left got started. Remember, when mounting on a hill, always mount from the high side of the horse. This makes you higher and prevents you from pulling the horse down on top of you or pulling the horse down the hill. And don't forget to sit softly in the saddle. I see too many people just slam their butts in the saddle and I watch the poor horse's back sink, their ears flinch and I see the pain and uncomfortableness on their face. Ease into the saddle softly so it will not put undue stress on the horse's back. Remember anytime you mount or dismount, be ready for a blow up and only have your toe in the stirrup, once you are in the saddle you can move your foot to the proper position.

Horse Trailer: When buying a trailer, think of the horse. If you ever watch a horse standing inside a stock trailer, they will be standing at a slant and not straight with their head in the front and butt in the rear. Standing at a slant is more comfortable for the horse. It enables them to balance better and control weight shift during turns, acceleration and stops. If involved in an accident or sudden stop, a slant stance will transfer weight along the side of the body/trailer divider and not just the head and neck, like if the horse is standing in a straight load. So if the horse chooses to stand at a slant when given a choice, why would a person buying a trailer buy a straight load? I think the horse prefers a slant load trailer, therefore, I prefer them. The picture above is what happens when a horse is foced in a trialer and locked in and then panics.

Gates: I see lots of people being careful while going through gates. They take their time to be extra careful not to bump their horse with the gate. That teaches a horse that the gate is never going to touch him. Let the gate bump him, close it on his butt, use the gate to ease him through the gate and let it hit, bump or rub his legs, hips, shoulders and other body parts. Let him know that when a gate hits or bumps him, it is no big deal and he can ignore it and not be hurt. Once a horse gets comfortable with the gate he will start pushing it open or close it for you. By trying to protect the horse too much, we teach the horse that things will never scare him. A horse needs to get scared so he knows that he does not have to be scared.

Blindfolds: Few people practice for a crisis. My horses allow me to cover their eyes with a rag, t-shirt, sweatshirt, or scarf. Then I lead them around while blindfolded. This is an advance sack out technique. It builds trust and lets the horse know that when he can’t see, he can trust me to move him and walk him safely. If you ever are caught in a forest fire, barn fire or pasture fire, this will be very valuable for you and your horse. Having the ability to take away your horse's sight and still having him responsive to you, temporarily, is good for you and the horse. It may help you save your horse. Also remember that if your barn is ever on fire, don't let your horse go right outside the barn. The horse will be nervous and scared and may panic and run back to his stall for comfort and safety, not thinking about the fire.

Crawling under your horse: The more you do with your horse the more your horse will do for you. The more you trust your horse - - the more your horse will trust you. If you understand and trust your horse, you should be able to lay on your horse's back, slide off his butt, stand behind him comfortably, crawl under him, sit under him while grooming his belly and back legs and lay down beside him and rub him with your feet as you lay on your back. All of this builds trust. It teaches the horse to relax with you knowing you will not hurt him. It teaches you to read your horse, to trust him and to know how far you can go, when to release and when to go slower. I look at this as a calming exercise. Crawling around under my horse tells my horse to trust me no matter what I am doing and it teaches me to trust him. It is a little scary, I get a little nervous sometime, but I always trust my horse more afterwards. Just like the horse, sometime we have to get scared to know that we do not have to be scared. Go slow at first, coming from under a horse from one side puts you in a blind spot under the horse so if you come out too fast, it may startle the horse.

Fire Drill: Another crisis drill is loading your horse in a hurry. In a fire you may need to run to a trailer and load your horse fast. If you have never done this your horse will get scared, panic and fight you. This will frustrate you and will transfer to the horse and put you both in a panic. Try to run your horse to your trailer and load him fast. It may take a few times, but once he learns he gets out fast once he goes in, he will not resist so much. Trying this in a fire is not good planning. So after you load him a few times at a walk, try it at a trot a few times and then try it at a run. See if you can make him run into the trailer from different distances and at different approaches. Every time you push your horse and yourself, you both grow.

Bath Time: I see lots of people get into real trouble in this area. Horses know how to get wet, they stand in the rain all the time. However, getting sprayed with pressure from a hose is different. A horse should be sacked out with water like any other thing that is new and scares them. When giving a horse a bath, always spray the feet first. By wetting the legs and feet, you let the horse know what is coming and prepare them for what is coming. This will also help prevent a horse from kicking when water drips on his dry leg, which he may mistake for a fly or bee. So start with the feet and legs, then work up to the lower body, then the top and then the neck and head. I see lots of people say my horse does not like his head wet, so they never wash the head. Your horse will accept his head being sprayed if you do it and don't avoid it. Don't stop spaying a horse if he dances, moves or tries to get you to stop. Only stop washing him when he stands still and shows no resistance. Like in all horse training, you stop pressure when you get the right response, not when you get resistance.

"A horse needs direction not correction." Know the difference! One is proactive and the other is reactive.

Hard to catch horses are smart horses. They have learned that when they see a halter, they are about to be caught and put to work. Using a catch rope will do many things. It will make you learn to lead your horse without a halter, it is easy to conceal or just throw over your shoulder and it is easy to carry with you while doing your chores. A catch rope can be thin or thick, a broken lead rope with the snap removed, or a piece of hay string. I tie mine, by tying the two ends together so it is one loop. This means I have to put it over the nose and head. It may be easier to start out with just a rope that is not tied. That way you can pet your horse on the shoulder and slide the rope around his neck without messing with the head. Teach your horse this catch in a stall or round pen first. This leading technique will force you to use better horsemanship skills to lead your horse. You will not have the advantage of a rope near the nose where you can pull or yank the horse around. Without this advantage, you will have to think more and convince, urge and encourage the horse to follow you. Later, as you get better you will not need the rope to lead your horse.

Here is handy way to make a quick catch with any rope with a loop or where you can tie a loop: The images go down in order (1,2 and 3)

Slapping a horse: Horses don't like to be slapped. They like rubs and scratches not pats. Think like a horse, when horse's say hello or are relaxed, they present their head, smell, nuzzle or scratch each other. They don't talk, say good boy or discuss things. Give your horse a soft rub or scratch to help him relax and feel comfortable. Patting or pounding is not pleasurable to your horse. It is predatory behavior that we do to our dogs, which are also predators. It is hard and high pressure, which makes a horse uncomfortable and not want to be with you.

Show Respect when Approaching Horses: People who understand horses have a soft way to approach a horse. I see lots of people walk up to a horse and go right for the face. In horse talk that is rude. Horses don't just walk straight into the face of another horse. They make eye contact, they lower their head and slowly walk in almost requesting permission. Then they stop and both horses reach out to each other and smell or acknowledge each other, then they move in next to each other and rub. So what people approach a horse, if the horse pulls away, back up or bites or nips, it is because the person was rude. Watch people and you will know who understands a horse and who does not. The horse will tell you if you approached him politely or rudely.

One Rein Riding: Most good trainers will start horses with one rein. This helps the horse understand how a rein helps the horse turn and bend in one direction. Since a horse is mostly led around in a lead rope and halter, it is used to one rein, one rope, one direction at a time. You can use this to get a horse to relax when you are on him for the first few times. However, this is a good drill to continue as you grow with your horse. I say if you cannot ride a horse with a halter and single rein, then you should not be riding him. Doing this drill helps remind you to be aware of your cues. Since you only have one rein, you have to be much more aware of your seat, legs, where you are looking and body position. You cannot cheat, like you can with two reins and a bit, you must pay attention. You have to anticipate what your horse is going to do and be ready to give him guidance and assistance so he knows what you want. This will teach you how to talk to your horse softly and without pain and making him do something verses showing him and requesting he do something. I always want to tell someone I see being rough on a horse with a bit, to try that with one rein and a halter and see if you can get away with it. Ride your horse from time to time with just one rein, you will learn something about yourself and your horse. This will also teach you to use each hand independently. Riding with each hand working alone is better for the horse and sends more simple cues so the horse understands. By only having one rein you cannot pull on two reins, which confuse the horse and braces the horse so he can learn to pull and brace against you pulling on two reins. It will give you confidence that you do not need a bit or pain to control a horse. You can really tell if your horse is neck reined trained when using only one rein. If he is, you will be able to make him turn both ways with just one rein, if you can't then he is NOT neck reined trained.

Kissing too Much: Constant clicking and kissing for everything makes a horse ignore those cues. Horse's don't talk for no reason. Even the Mares :) -- So if you talk or give a cue make it mean something. There are certain words that horses should only hear if you want a specific response. Some of these are stand, whoa, walk, trot, canter, quit and come. If you were to say these all the time and not associate them with a specific act, they would soon ignore these. Clicking and kissing at a horse all the time does the same thing. Try to make your words and sounds mean something. Horse's learn from consistency. Constant clicking or talking is like sacking out (desensitizing) a horse to your voice, you don't want this. Words and sounds have to mean a specific thing to a horse. I kiss to move, kiss to have my horse jump, kiss to have my horse come, kiss to have my horse give me his foot, and so on, the horse soon learns to ignore a kiss. Now you have loss a verbal cue that could help your horse understand. One word, one sound means one thing. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Pick Feet Before a Ride: Always pick your horses feet before you ride. This removes rocks and burs, allows you to check for injuries, cuts or muscle soreness and tells you how much resistance your horse as in him. Remember, moving a horse up, down, left, right, back and forward maintains your higher position. I also like to stretch my horse's front legs after I saddle to remove pinches or folded skin under the cinch before mounting. This will help you notice any foot pain or stiffness as well.

Groom Before a Ride: Before saddling, brush your horse on top where saddle goes and under the belly where cinches go. This removes dirt and stickers that irritate the horse and may get you a buck or two, and I am not talking about money. Brushing your entire horse is better, that way you can inspect him for cuts and injuries, see any resistance he may have, help spread his oils over his coat and makes your horse feel good. You should also be able to tell if he has any soreness on any parts of his body. Always check the cinch and straps of the saddle for burs and stickers before saddling up.

Saddle Pad Placement: When saddling a horse, always put the pad closer to head and then slide back into place over the withers. This will ensure the hairs on the horse are lying flat and will be most comfortable for the horse. Don't put on the back and slide it forward as this would make the hair unnaturally. Any extra pad (pad that extends past the saddle) should be forward of saddle, since when a pad moves or slides, while riding, it will normally slide back.

Always put your hand under saddle pad, between the horse and the pad, when saddling. As your saddle settles, the pad is pushed down onto the withers and will put pressure on the horse's back and withers. By placing your hand under the pad, you make extra room and it pushes the pad up into the saddle gullet. This keeps the pad off the back, off the mane hair and off the withers. It is being aware and making your horse more comfortable.

When putting things in your pasture, like salt blocks, water, feed buckets, put them in different areas along the fence. This will teach your horse to walk straight lines from one place to another, which will make it easier for him to do when you are on his back.

Stretch your horse’s front legs after you tighten cinch and before mounting. This removes pinches, folded skin, and lets you see any resistance in your horse. It also lets him stretch out his front legs. A piece of folded skin under the cinch can put your horse into a spook during a ride. This should be smooth and easy on the horse, I see some yank the foot and do it with force and speed. This should be calming move and help the horse relax and feel comfortable not a command.

Stampede Stings come in handy on windy days. Also known as a hat string. You can guess how it got its name. Many stampedes have started with a hat flying off into the herd. If windy and you are wearing a ball cap, you can wear it backwards so the wind will not catch the brim or you can take it off and tie it to your saddle with one of your saddle strings. I have been bucked off a few times when riding other people's horses when my hat or someone else's hat has flown off. This always confirmed that the horse was not sacked out correctly. A horse should not react to a hat flying off you or any other rider.

Bucking Strap: Putting a "night latch" or "bucking strap" on your saddle comes in handy. This helps when riding at night, since horses spook and move sideways at night more than during the day. If your horse does buck for some reason, jump quickly, or spook, you have a much better chance of staying in the saddle if you have this strap. A night latch is a piece of leather, much like a dog collar, which is secured to your gullet, next to your saddle horn and can be used as a handle when the ride gets rough.

The picture above are examples of night latch or buck strap. The rope one is called a cowboy night latch and can be made of a lead rope. Soft rope makes a nice handle.

Leading Your Horse: Leading a horse is not pulling it around by the lead rope. You should lead your horses on a slack rope. The harder you pull the harder you will have to pull. Light touches and request will teach your horse to follow you and respond to you rather than to feel he is always in a tug of war with you. Soft hands make soft horses, hard hands make hard horses. A lead rope should be used as a suggestion cue and not as a pull rope. Notice others holding their horses, many people feel the need to hang on the where the lead rope attaches to the halter. This is annoying to a horse and will cause him to ignore pulls and changes in pressure to his halter. The less you move, pull or hang on the halter, the more the horse will pay attention when you use it as a cue. Don't hang, pull, tug, fiddle, swing or mess with your lead rope or reins. These are used to give a cue not for you to annoy the horse or occupy your idol hands. When leading your horse try and lead it with no rope. Try and put your hand under the chin and on the opposite cheek of the horse. If you lead your horse like this with a rope, soon you will not need a rope. Another way is to place your hand on the withers while leading your horse on a lead rope, soon your horse will learn to walk with you if you place your hand on his withers. You should also try and lead your horse with other things. Try and lead with your belt or shirt around his neck, a hay string or other string. Never pull a horse straight, you can't do it, he will learn to pull and you will lose. Always pull and release at an angle so you take away the horse's ability to pull straight back. You can tell someone who does not understand a horse when they continue to pull straight on a horse until they cause the horse to rear. Leading is about getting a horse to follow you without pulling it. Less is more.

Asking for help: Don’t ask people how to fix a problem with your horse, just because their horse has the same problem. I see this all the time. If John’s horse throws his head, don’t ask John how to fix this problem. If Bob’s horse bucks, don’t ask Bob how to help you stop your horse from bucking. People often think that if someone has the same problems with their horse, then that person will know how to deal with all horses that have that problem. This comes from the belief that the problem is the horse’s fault. In fact, the person causes the problem. If your horse runs back to the barn, don’t ask another owner that has a horse that runs back to barn how to fix this. If their horse has the same problem, they obviously don’t know how to fix it and like you, they probably caused it.

Dropped Lead Rope: Allow your horse to walk around with a lead rope dragging in a small area. They will step on it and pull back thinking they are trapped. After a few times they will learn they are causing this and it will not be a big deal. The more you do this, the more they will learn that it is not a bad thing to step on the rope and they will learn how to release the pressure over time. That way when you accidentally drop your rope and your horse steps on it, you will not get a blow up or run away. Remember use a rope halter with no snaps so your horse will not break it and it will not hurt him. Not to mention that if the snap breaks he will not learn how to release the pressure and only learn to pull until the snap breaks.

Braided Tails: This may look pretty but it is bad for the horse. I hear all kinds of reasons for this; it helps the tail grow, it keeps the tail free of tangles and stickers, it stops other horses from chewing on it, it keeps it clean, bla bla bla... A horse needs his tail free. The tail helps keeps flies off him, it allows him to buddy up with another horse to keep the flies out of each others face, it acts as a warning for danger to the herd, it acts as a warning to another horse, it is used for communication with other horses and last but not least, I have never seen a wild horse with a braided tail, which makes it very unnatural. Don't do it, it is bad for the horse.

Spooks: When a horse spooks it is NOT a bad thing. It is a training opportunity. Sometime a horse needs to get scared to know that he does not have to be scared. Spooking is a very natural act for a horse. They do it all the time in the wild except it is called being alert, staying alive and surviving. A good alert horse will not let a mountain lion get you or let anything get close to you without letting you know about it. Don't get mad a horse for doing it. Reassure him and let him know he does not have to be scared. If you get hard on the bit, start flexing and getting forceful, then you confirm that the horse should be scared. You don't want your horse associating pain with any fear.

Horse of a 1000 rides: Too many people want a perfect horse from riding it three times a week or every weekend or a few times a month. After about a 1000 rides you can consider your horse broke. I hear horses for sale that say “three year old, dead broke”, BS. No such thing as a dead broke horse at three. In order to get a 1000 rides on a horse, if you ride a horse every day for three years you will get a 1000 rides. If you ride a horse twice a day for two years your will get 1000 rides. If you are like most people and only ride two times a week, it will take you 10 years to get a 1000 rides in. The number of rides is not the only thing that is important, it is how long the rides are, what you are doing and how well you are doing it. So with all those factors, the odds of getting a well trained and well broke horse under six years old is very rare. Now, with that in mind, that is only considering the horse. What about you? How many actual rides do you have under your belt? What did you do on those rides? Were you just sitting or were you actively driving and learning? So even if you have a horse with a 1000 rides, if you only have 100 rides, it will not take long for the horse to know this. So be aware that it takes time to make a good horse and it takes time to make a good rider. The horse is the best teacher of the horse – learn from them all and be a good student of the horse. Before you blame the horse for a problem, make sure you have your 1000 rides in.

Rain Rot: Help your horse's hair dry faster. Fluff the wet hair by rubbing against the grain. This will cause it to air dry and help it dry faster. It will also help prevent rain rot or rain scald. Rot happens when the hair stays wet too long and never dries. If there is a break in the rain, brush the hair to remove mud and distribute natural oils. Most horses stay dry under their belly, so a dry brush should be used there first. If you use your hands to rub and fluff all the hair you will decrease drying time and increase air exposure to the hair. This will also allow the hair to dry deep in the winter fur and help prevent rot and help your horse to stay warmer if the temp drops. I have heard that using Listerine on the rot will help it clear up, I have not confirmed this, but have heard this from several people. The photo to the right is some severe rain rot, the photo to the left is more common. Using a blow dryer works well and sacks the horse out. This is just one more thing that the horse will learn not to be fearful of and it will warm him and dry his coat and help prevent rot.

Flexing: Don't over do this but by flexing your horse left and right after you mount, gets the horse in a routine and he will not want to walk off knowing you are going to flex him. This also tells you where your horse's head is at, is he paying attention to you or how much resistance is he feeling. While trail riding, flex your horse and make him let you touch his face and rub his eyes while flexed. This will make him more comfortable about flexing and when he gets a pesky fly on his face, you can flex him and help rub the fly away. If you do it enough, the horse will learn and will flex when he wants help with flies or something else on his face.

Changing bits while Mounted: I still find it hard to believe what I see people doing with horses. It just confirms why so many injuries are blamed on horses when really they are caused by people. I just saw a rider, while sitting on a horse, allow another person to remove the headstall and reins and then replace the headstall with another bit and reins. For about 30 seconds, this rider was sitting on a horse with means to control in an open area. Had this been done in a round pen or enclosed arena, it would not have been as dangerous, but still unwise. Since it was done in an open area with cars, trailers, other riders, motorcycles, planes and other distractions, it was extremely dangerous and risky. It would have been very easy for something to spook this horse and cause this horse to jump or move quickly. Had this happened, the horse would have quickly learned that he was free and the rider had no reins or no lead rope to control him. This would have made the horse more insecure and what could have been a small spook and jump is not a scared horse that thinks his rider is giving him no direction and no help and now he is on his own. So what do you think would happen next, the horse would run, since his instincts would take over and he would be more scared. Then the rider would be scared, rightfully so, and she would probably scream, yell and panic, this would increase the fear the horse was already feeling and would only cause him to run faster and with greater fear. Since a lot of riders use their reins for balance, the odds are the rider would fall off or jump off. And of course everyone would blame the “Crazy” horse for all these problems. The point is, don’t ever let anyone remove your headstall, or other means of control, while you are on a horse, it is dangerous and foolish and only sets the horse up to get blamed when it goes bad. When you take all head control off a horse, you can expect that he may walk off, run off or start to move, no matter how well he is trained. No training takes out all fear and spook from a horse. So a horse can spook at anytime, under any conditions, so don’t be shocked when it happens, expect it and plan for it, so when it happens it won’t be such a surprise. This could have easily been avoided by simply getting off the horse and then getting back on. Even putting a lead rope on the horse before removing the headstall would have better, but don’t risk it. Get off your horse if you need to change a headstall and make sure anyone you care about does the same.

Spurs: A lot of Spurs are for people who want to look cool. They are a reminder of the old style of horsemen. When pain and fear were commonly used to train horses. If a horseman is good enough and understands the horse, he will need spurs on all horses. Unfortunately, most riders who wear them never get good enough to get rid of them or are more worried about looking rough and tough than caring for the horse. Not so long ago, so called horsemen would sharpen their spurs and tips to make the horse more responsive. But many people that use them say "it does not hurt the horse if you know how to use them" or they say "I don't use them unless I have to", or they say, "If you use them right they will not hurt the horse." If you know how to understand the horse, you will normally not need them. If you allow someone to use them on your horse, soon your horse will not respond to anyone that is not wearing them. On the flip side, yes they can be used as an effective aide to give more specific cues to specific parts of the body, but not for general riding and not for 90% of riders. Until you know how to ride in balance, learn timing and feel, learn to use your body and legs to communicate with your horse, you do not need to add spurs to equation.

Control Test: To test your control of your horse, do this exercise. Walk your horse to a fence post and stop with his head facing the pole. Try and move only your horse's hips to the right, a quarter turn. Your horse’s front legs should still be in line with the pole. Now face the pole again and move your horse’s front legs to the right. Your horse’s back legs should still be in line with the pole. This will show you that you have control over the front end and the hindquarters. He won't get it right the first time, but he will get better the more you do it.

Horse kicks: Horses kick for varied reasons. If you get kicked, it is normally because you failed to see the warning sign or was not paying attention. A horse can kick from fear, aggression, if he gets startled, if he is being disrespectful, maybe a fly or bee landed on his leg, he may be playing, sweat may be dripping down his leg, a leaf may get blown into his leg or when he gets excited like getting out of his cell (stall). An old cowboy saying is "if you always keep at least a quarter of an inch between you and horse's foot, you will not get kicked." Keeping that inch is the problem. Being alert and aware when around horses is the best thing you can. Watching the horse for signs or possible issues that may cause a kick. This is mainly when you are near a horse's rear feet. If I am at my horses head, I really don't care if he kicks. If your horse trust you, sees you as his leader and respects you, he normally will not kick at you.

Loose Horse: When a horse gets loose don't panic, don't try and help and don't chase or go for the lead rope like a predator. Act like you wanted to let the horse go and calmly go over and pet the horse (Not on his head). Slowly work to the lead rope and catch him. If in a round pen or arena don't stand by the fence or gate if some other horse gets loose and starts running wildly. Stand in the middle so you have room to move. The horse will usually run the fence line looking for a gate or way out. If you are in the path you may get run down or stepped on. A horse always runs faster when being chased or if people are yelling and acting like the world if ended. Once a horse gets free, never chase it down and beat it or “show it who is boss”. It will not understand and will only learn that when he gets free, he better not let this mean predatory catch me. If you blow it and let the horse get away, then you need to eat that lesson. Catch him, do something simple that he will be successful at and then move on. Once you teach a horse to fear you catching him, get ready for a long walk home if you ever fall on a trail. You can tell the experience of a horse person on how they react to lose horse. If they calmly walk to a gate or path or if they run yell, get excited and panic or start to chase the horse, then you know they do not understand a horse or have much horse experience. You cannot stop a 1000 pound horse. I see people want to run and help, start blocking door ways or start moving to the horse like they are going to save this disaster, this normally does not help and only makes it worse. RELAX! Many horses get lose everyday, it is not the end of the world and if you come running to save the world, you only make it worse and end up getting someone else hurt. The best way to help a lose horse is to STAY OUT OF IT, and let the owner or one person catch the horse.

Hot Wires: Spend some time with your horse and hot wires so they understand them. Too many people just put up a hot wire and think a horse will figure it out, not so. If you do not introduce the horse to the wire and help him understand to move away from the shock, you will set the horse up for failure. When a horse gets his first shock from a wire he will most likely panic and run into it, in an attempt to get away from pain. After he does this a few times, he will learn that by running through the hot wire the pain is stopped and now you have a horse that only knows one way to deal with hot wires. Then you can be like so many other and blame the horse for not knowing what to do and being hardheaded, when in fact, it was your fault for not showing the horse how to move back away from the wire. Hot wires are cheats, they use pain and fear to train a horse. I don't like them and think they are mean. I see people put them around their stalls to keep their horse "safe". This makes a horse nervous and always on guard when moving, trying to make sure he does not get shocked. A stall is bad enough, at least a horse should be able to feel safe in it. Hot wires are just another cruel method and shortcut used to control horses with fear and pain.

Ride your horse: I see all too often people go the barn, talk, feed and then come up with excuses for not riding their horse; I don't have time, it is too hot, he is not in a good mood, he looks sore, his hoof is chipped, it is too windy, too many people are around, the tractor is working and it scares my horse, by the time I saddle up I will have only few minutes to ride, my horse seems lazy, my horse has a cough, and so on. A ten minute ride a day is much better than a two hour ride on one or two days. Saddle up, even if you just sit on your horse and talk or walk to get the mail. Little short rides teach the horse that not every time you saddle he gets his ass rode off. Short pleasant rides, where the horse is not worked that hard are great for you and the horse. No pressure, no fuss or frustration and spend some time in the saddle. So stop making excuses and ride your horse. For most people it takes seven years for them to get one year's ride time on their horse. Short rides teach a horse that when it gets saddled it does not mean they are going to get ridden for miles.

Allowing or Stopping: You want a horse to think you let or allowed him to do something, not that he made you release pressure. Knowing this difference is huge and you can bet the horse knows the difference. Stopping a horse from doing something is the same as making him do something. If I stop him forward movement, I have exerted dominance and told him I control his movement. If I make him give me his leg, I have stopped him from standing on all four feet and take away his ability to run. So lets take eating on the trail. If I allow him to eat then when I stop him from eating he is submitting to me and I am making him stop eating. You are always teaching a horse. If you stand around and pull or hang on a horse’s lead rope then you teach him to ignore pressure from the lead rope, if you always pull or keep your reins tight, then you teach him to ignore pressure from the reins. You ability to make a horse feel no pressure is has important as your ability to make a horse feel pressure. You being aware of it is the key. Horse riding is not a spectator sport. Awareness is the key to knowing what you are doing, what your horse is doing and how to change both.

Pre-ride Checklist: Have a routine for saddling up your horse before you ride. This lets the horse know what to expect and creates GOOD habits. I like to tie him up, pick his feet, brush him down, saddle him up, stretch his front lets, flex him on each side, tighten the cinch at least three times, lounge him once or twice each direction and make him stop, then mount and sit for a few seconds so he learns to wait and not walk off as soon as I get on. This tells me alot about my horse. I can tell if he shows any pain or sensitivity while brushing or picking his feet, I can tell any resistance when picking his feet, flexing or stretching his front legs, when lounging I can see if he is paying attention and listening to me. All of this will set you and your horse up for a safe ride. What I see most people do is rush, rush, rush, throw the saddle on, cinch up once as tight as they can, be rough with the horse by pushing him around, force the saddle and bit, and then jump on and immediately take off. This set up bad habits and if your horse has any issues you will find out on the trail and while in the saddle, not good for you or your horse.

Fly Help: Don't throw away your old bacon grease. Save it and use it in the summer to keep flies away from cuts, scrapes or out the horse's ears. I rub a little in the ears and it keeps the flies and gnats out. Not sure why, but pork fat repels flies. Try it, it works and is cheap.

Spray Bottles: Save your old spray bottles. You can put corn oil in one and spray on the hay or grain. An old shampoo bottle with a pump works well too. I keep a old spray bottle with one third bleach and two thirds water for my horses feet. After I pick them out, I spray a little bleach mix into the frog area to kill bacteria and other junk. I don't do it every time, but at least once or twice a week. I pick my horses feet at least once a day.

Riding Friendly: When a riders dismounts to open or close a gate for others, it is proper to wait until that person remounts before riding off. Horses may get nervous if their buddies start leaving without them, which may cause problems for the rider trying to mount.

Bring your horses treats in a plastic bag. Carrots, apples or treats, soon the horse will not fear plastic bags, they will like them and associate them with good things.

No Reins Steering: Test your ability and see how well your horse responds without reins. On the way back to the barn, try to let go of your reins (hang them on the neck or saddle) and see if you can get your horse back to the barn without using them. If you have to use them, just pick them up lightly and then put them back down. Use your legs, seat, body and voice to see if you can get him home with no reins. Each time your horse will get better and you will learn not to rely on your reins so much.

Release: Good horsemen have "brains in your hands." You see, when you were asking a horse to move, you were putting on the pressure. When you quit the pressure, you released the pressure; the horse thinks he did the right thing. The release is what the horse 'really' learns from. Unless you are absolutely clear on what you want from him, you may teach him something you didn't mean to. If you release the pressure at the wrong point, he'll think and remember what he did last to get you to leave him alone. So, if a horse tries to lie down while you are riding him and you get off. Guess what, you just taught him how to get you off of him. If what a horse is doing, gets you to quit, then that is what the horse learns to do, to get you to quit.

Keep some salt in your truck or trailer. When in strange places horse's may not drink the water. If you put the salt in your hand and let your horse lick it, they will usually take a drink after the salt. Once they take a drink, they will normally continue.

Vinegar: This stuff is great. It cleans, it helps with fungus and I hear if you put a little apple vinegar in the grain it helps repels flies. It is cheap and does wonders for hair, which out large friends have lots of. So put some vinegar and water in a spray bottle (maybe 50/50) spray it on the horse and feel how soft it makes the hair. Just like show-shine but a hell of a lot cheaper. Maybe not as good, but close. Vinegar and lemon juice is also said to kill weeds safely. Try it out and see if it works on your weeds.

Nylon Latigo: Some people have changed their leather Latigo in for a nylon one. Leather stretches and allows the horse to breathe and will give as the horse breathes heavier or expands his chest. A nylon Latigo will NOT give and if put on too tight will start to cut into your horse since it much thinner and stiffer than leather. Nylon is much more uncomfortable to horse. It is much stronger than leather, but is not as good for the horse as leather. A horseman will not use something that is not good for the horse. The photo to the left shows a nylon latigo.

Blankets -- As a general rule, most healthy, unclipped horses don’t need added blanket protection in temperatures above 10 – 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Below that, a blanket helps conserve calories and keep your horse comfortable. A wet horse often shivers as a natural response in order to warm the muscles. This does not necessarily mean a horse is overly chilled, but rather it’s his body’s way of coping with the environment. Offering extra grass hay will help him stay warm from the inside out by utilizing the natural combustion chamber of the hindgut as it digests the high fiber ration. If you feel you must blanket, remove the blanket during the day to prevent sweating.

This is called a calvary knot for a halter. In the days of war, horses were allowed to graze but had to be ready to be caught and lead in a moments notice. This knot allows a horse to walk around, graze and still be safe, while wearing his halter and lead rope. It is a simple knot, much like a hangsman knot. You can lead the horse with the rope left around the neck or you can slip it over the head and lead him normally. By putting your hand under the chin and sliding your hand forward, you put pressure on the lead rope and the horse will walk as if you were leading him. If you do this enough, you can put your hand under your horse's chin and he will follow you and lead for you without a rope.

Removing Mud: When your horse gets muddy from a nice roll, use a broom to remove it. This is good way to sack out your horse while you clean him. The broom will be different and you will have to desensitize him to it at first. A good stiff broom removes dried mud, dirt and other debris. It covers a wide area and you get more leverage from the long handle. Another good tool is a rasp. Rub it softly in a circle over dried mud; it breaks it up without damaging the hair so the mud can be brushed away easily.

Trimming Whiskers: This may make your horse look clean and groomed, but it does take away from your horse. A horse will use is whiskers to test a hot wire to see if it is hot, he knows when he gets to water since he can't see under his chin, when rubbing on another horse, he knows when to go slow and when he is close. Long eye lashes also help a horse with flies and helps him from poking his eye out. when he gets close to an object, the long eye lashes let him know when he is too close to an object. Yet many trim all these away just for ego and so they can say their horse looks better. Next time you see a horse with an eye injury, check the lashes and eye whiskers, I'll bet they were trimmed.

One-Rein Stop Warning: Many people promote and praise the “emergency brake” or “one rein stop.” I have heard this preached by many, including people that call themselves trainers, life-long Horseman and so called horse experts. The one-rein stop is also called “a horse fall” move by the movie industry. Watch an old western movie and when you see a horse fall, notice the rider doing a “one-rein stop.” This technique is dangerous and is not failsafe. If applied too harshly or too quickly you will cause your horse to fall and possible roll on top of you or break his leg. Don’t depend on some move, that is preached by so many, to save your life in a crisis or run-away horse situation. Calmly tilting the horses head inward and trying to circle the horse slowly into a smaller circle until you can calm the horse and bring him back to you mentally is a much better option. Be aware of those who tell of the magic tale of the “one-rein stop.”

Horse Shoes In Pasture: Most barns have a policy that if your horse has rear shoes he is not allowed to be turned out with other horses. A horse can take a kick from another horse. However, a kick from a shod horse will break bones, cut deep and will cause much more severe damage and deep cuts to another horse. Be a responsible horse owner, if you feel you much shoe your horse, only do the front feet and if you do the back feet, don't turn your horse out with other horses. If you have a choice, don't allow others to turn their horses out if the horse has rear shoes. Another note on shoes, they cause fires. Ever ride at night and watch a horse with shoes, they will spark as they hit rocks and gravel. So if a bunch of horses are in a dry pasture and start running or playing, a fire can start pretty easy. Just one more reason not to have shoes in pasture. To see the power of a horse kick watch this video, CLICK HERE.

Empty Grain Bags: Save them empty bags for hay. When going out for a trip or over night stay, empty grain bags are great for a flake of hay. Slide the flake in the bag, fold over the end and you can stack them in your tack room. You can even put a little grain in the bad over the hay so your horse can get a little treat with his hay. This will make for easy feeding later and will keep the hay from blowing all over everything during the ride. So it keeps the hay off other things, it's makes for easy feeding and the bags can be used for garbage after you feed the hay.

Farrier verses Horse Shoer: Lots of people out there claim to be a Farrier. In the older days, people remember a Farrier was called a Blacksmith. The word Blacksmith comes from black metals that turn black when heated (iron) and smith comes from the word smite which means to hit. Hence heating iron and pounding it to shape. Blacksmiths mainly made weapons and tools and later moved to horse shoeing. As people learned more about the horse’s foot things changed. Even today angle of hooves are debated. Farrier school takes about a year to complete and concentrates on hooves. Angles, anatomy, neglect, fixing problems, mistakes and most topics related to hoof care are taught. So if a person calls himself a Farrier, he should have some education behind him to prove this. Some of the old timers may have been doing horses feet for 30 or 40 years, but never have had any formal education. Not a bad thing since they have many years of first hand experience. Owning a horse will require you to use someone for your horse’s feet. So knowing the difference may help. One Farrier told me that the difference between a horse shoer and a Farrier is; “:A Farrier is who you call after a horse shoer messes up your horses feet.” Made me laugh, but there may be some truth to that. Be aware how to tell if the person working on your horse’s feet know what they are doing. Always watch them work on your horse. Ask questions and learn something from each visit. Confirm things you are told from other horse owners and other Farriers. Research things on the net to get different view points and to see what information is out there to help you learn. I like to watch for clues. What clues you ask? Does this Farrier own horses, is he known, what is his reputation, does he explain things, is he gentle, does he hit horse’s with his tools, does he use a gum line, does he use a twitch, is he on time, does he answer his phone, does he keep his appointments, does he tell stories about how many bad horses he has beat to make them behave, and so on. Don’t be afraid to tell your shoer NOT to hit your horse. If you are there, you can enforce this no hit policy. On the other hand, if have not spent the time to train your horse, don’t be surprised if your Farrier does not return your calls and does not want you as a client. If you pick your horse’s feet daily, your horse will behave much better for the Farrier. If you educate yourself about horse’s feet, you will know when a Farrier is packing sand or being honest. HINT: Farrier’s make more money shoeing horses than trimming horses!!!

Blacksmith information Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmith

Weight Load: A good average for what weight a horse can carry is about 20% of the horse's weight. So 1000 pound horse can safely carry about 200 pounds. This can go up or down depending on rider's ability, saddle and gear weight, how in shape the horse is, how old the horse is and what terrain you are riding in.

Horse Growth: A horse reaches his full height at about three years. He will still continue to grow in size, but normally not get much taller after three. Another concern is the spine of a horse continues to grow until the horse is five. So heavy riding, jumping or work before five can cause damage to the horses back.

Applesauce: This is nice to have in your tack room. Horses love apples and like applesauce. Keeping a few single servings of applesauce in your tack room will come in handy if you need to bute or pill your horse. You will want to give this to your horse once and a while so he will know what it is and will want it. Then if you need to pill him, simply drop it in the sauce and let your horse suck it down.

Sweating Horse: Don't put your horse up wet. The old saying, rode hard and put away wet is bad! I see people put their horse up after working them when they are wet. This is a sign of poor horsemanship and lack of respect for your horse. When the sweat dries it packs the hair and is irritating to your horse. Yes a horse can roll and itch this but it is not same. This can affect the cooling system for the horse and wont let air flow until the horse get wet again from more sweat. Is it critical or life threatening, no, but it reflects poorly on you. Be kind and help your horse out, give him a good rinse after he sweats, it cools him, removes the sticky salts and feels good. It also makes your horse get better with the hose so when it is bath time he will be better and more accepting.

Wet Horse Rolling: On the topic above, after wetting your horse, a horse will like or want to roll. I see lots of people stopping this and doing all kind of things to prevent their horse from rolling. I don't get what the big deal is if a horse rolls and gets some dirt on them. I go as far as throwing dirt on my horse if he can not roll. A horse rolls to itch his skin, to remove dry skin, to fluff their hair, to spread oils or to coat themself in dirt or mud. Where insects are bad a good roll in the mud will put a layer on a horse to prevent bugs from biting, stinging or annoying them. Remember a horse can shake a fly off their butt, their skin is extremely sensitivity. So if your horse wants to roll, think like a horse, your horse may good reasons for wanting to roll, so let him enjoy a good roll after a hose down. Believe me, what ever dirt he gets on him, you can brush off the next day with ease.

Neck Reining: Stop neck reining if you do not know how to do it. Neck reining is not just pulling on both reins. I see too many people just pulling on both reins and then claim their horse is neck reining. If both reins are not lose when a horse is neck reining, then you or your horse is not neck reined trained. Pulling on the neck and face and making the horse turn is NOT neck reining, it is confusing to the horse and shows poor horsemanship. So the next time someone tells you they are neck reining, check to see if the reins are lose when they turn and you will know the difference.

Open Mouth Cue: Your horses should allow you to open their mouth upon request. This will show your control and will allow you to inspect your horse's mouth for injury, check his teeth, clear an obstruction and deliver wormer. If you teach this, your horse will let you grab his tongue and hold it. This is easy to teach and will show that your horse trust you, recognizes you as the leader and submits to your request. Putting your thumb on the roof of the mouth should cause your horse to open his mouth. Not jamming your thumb or hurting him, just enough to make him uncomfortable.

Feed or Grain Buckets: I see lots of people who leave their grain buckets out between uses. This is not a good idea since birds will learn to find food there and will eat any left over morsel of grain. This is not the problem, the problem is insects, mites, bird poop and other contaminants left over from the birds. If you do not clean these buckets each time, your horse will ingest these and other bacteria. Not good for your horse's health. If you must leave your buckets out or must feed out of a bucket that was left out, it is better to wash and clean the bucket with some bleach or other disinfectant. In a pinch, you can put dirt or some hay in the bucket and scrub the bucket with the hay, straw and dirt and then dump it out before feeding. This will at least clean out some of the negative stuff.

Short Reins: This appears to be a security thing. I see lots of people with short reins. By short I mean no room for slack and the horse never gets complete release from pressure. I see this more with women. Which is why I think it is a security and confidence thing. For some reason, if someone has short reins they feel more in control and think they have more control over the horse. The opposite is true. The fact that you cannot feel in control with lose reins shows that you are not a confident rider and are not relaxed in the saddle. The horse knows this and will normally feel the same way. A confident rider will know that the bit or short reins will not control a horse. Understanding and trusting the horse and yourself will control a horse. I like having people who ride with short reins ride with a rope a halter. This teaches you to control the horse with only one rein, the lead rope and to control the horse with just a halter. This builds confidence in horse and rider. It also teaches a rider to control the horse with each hand and not to try and "neck" rein a horse. Neck reining is confusing to a horse, normally because most people don't really understand the concept of neck reining. A horse needs clear cues and direction. You do that by direct reining and not by neck reining. Do your horse a favor, learn to ride in lose reins with slack, your horse will be calmer and will learn to pay more attention to your reins than if you use short reins where your horse is annoyed and learns to ignore your reins movements.

Mud at Water: Allowing mud at or around your water buckets will help keep moisture in your horses hooves and will help prevent cracking. I see people go to great lengths to keep the area dry by the watering hole. Let it get muddy, the more will pack the feet and will keep the hooves from drying out and cracking.

Ride with Plastic bags: Lots of people use a sack out stink with plastic bags tied to it. This is used to shake and move around the horse so the horse learns to ignore the sound and will not react to plastic bags. I tied some to the end of an old lounge whip and I can make it fly like a fishing pole and casting. I can drag it behind me and the horse and use it in different ways than just the bags on a stick. Once you get your horse to ignore this on the ground, get him to ignore it while you are in the saddle. I ride my horse with my sack out stick and use it to keep flies from my horses eyes and under his belly. So he has learned that plastic bags are his friends not a dangerous horse eater.

Leading by the Ear: Practice leading your horse by the ear, neck, mane or tongue. If you have done your homework, you should be able to put your fingers in your horse's mouth and grab the tongue. This will help the vet do inspections of teeth and gums and will allow you to lead your horse by his tongue if you ever have to move him without a rope or other device handy.

Fireworks: New Years and July 4th are two days where horses are in more danger. If fireworks are going to be set off or used by where your horses are, take some precautions. The bright lights scare the horses and cause them to run, since the flash takes away their night vision, they are almost running blind, the chance of them running into each other, running into a ditch or running into a fence is extremely high. Be aware and take appropriate safety steps. Just being out with your horse will calm them down and give them something to focus on rather then the loud pops and bright flashing.

Hoof Care: I talked about keeping mud by the water trough, but hooves do better with a little care once a week rather then just getting care once every 6 to 8 weeks. Taking a rasp and just filing the edge off the hoof really helps prevent chips and improves the strength of the hoof. Spending just two minutes on each hoof once a week will really help keep the hoof level, stronger and prevent chips and cracks.

Meet resistance with equal resistance: I see many riders over react to a horse's slight test or mistake. We tell our horses not to be right minded and not to react, yet I see riders react when their horse gets to close to them, moves off when mounting or taking a step forward after a halt. If the horse is giving a low level test, do not correct with a high level reaction. It a horse walks off after you told him to stop, think and calmly back him up a few steps. This does not have to be aggressive, loud or with kicking and hard reins pulls. Just simply recognize the test and direct the response appropriately. You can back a horse with soft hands and without kicks and yells and get the same result only better. Don't use a sledgehammer to kill a fly. When a horse test you, push back with equal or slightly greater pressure to overcome the resistance, not over kill with running, yelling, rough head yanks and pulls or backing with a tight bit. All of this aggression takes away from the learning part of the correction. When you go overboard, your horse is not learning, he is reacting so he will not be sure what the lesson is. If you slow down and be more calm, the horse will understand the lesson and will learn from it. So don't back a horse 30 feet for taking one step forward. Make him get a good head set, have him step back two or three steps and release. If he submits then you did right, if he resist, then you may need to work on this later or change what you are doing. Getting your horse to submit to you is your goal. Every time he submits he tells you OK I see you as the higher horse. So do this without telling him that you are an aggressive predator on his back. Remember, he is your partner not your slave. :) Less is always better. So always try and get a result with as least pressure as needed, that way your horse learns to do more with less from you.

Feeding in Pasture: I talk about making sure you have several different piles of food for your horses in pasture, to prevent fights and disputes. However, feeding in pasture can be tricky and it is easy to set the horse up to bite you or kick you. Don't allow horses to eat hay that you are holding. They will try and grab a bite as you walk out to pasture and by accident will get your arm or hand. You may have to teach them that when you are holding hay, they must stay back. You can do this by walking around with one flake and have a whip, rope or plastic bag in the other hand and if they try to approach, move them away. When you have to walk out in pasture to feed, drop small piles or hand full as you walk. That way the horses will have something to eat and keep them busy while you are delivering the other piles.

Breast Collars: To use or not? I like them and use one. I like the pulling type, called a pulling harness. It stays high off the shoulder but will stop the saddle from sliding back and will also help the saddle from sliding to one side. By using a breast collar you will not need to cinch the saddle so tight and it will be more comfortable to your horse. Riding this way will force you to improve your seat since balance will be more critical to keep the saddle centered and you will not be relying on just a super tight cinch.

Saddle Blanket: Lots of choices of these. Some say use two, others say use on thick one, others use a thin one. I like wool ones. I also like and think that saddle blankets that have a curved back and hole for the center withers (shoulders) are best. If you look at a horse's back it is not straight, it is curved so using a curved blanket is reasonable and will distribute pressure more evenly. Some just ride with a thin blanket under saddle, I not sure this is good for the horse. A blanket helps distribute weight of you and the saddle across more the horse's body, so you minimize pressure points and pain to the horse. Too think is not good. Too thick is good, but better then too thin. Look at your horse's back when you remove the saddle, if you see dry spots then your saddle or pad is not fitting properly.

10-Inch Box for Hands: The old saying, soft hands makes soft horse, hard hands make hard horses; much like people who like to fight will have horses that like to fight; The less you move your hands, the more aware you are of what you are doing. So, when you see someone riding and their hands are all over the place, up by their face, by their shoulder, behind their hip, etc. This means they are correcting their horse verses directing. Remember, a horse needs direction not correction. By giving good solid direction to your horse and by being aware before your horse makes a mistake, you prevent problems before they occur and you prevent a correction. By having soft hands or also called quite hands, you can feel when your horse is pulling or trying to go off in one direction, by directing the horse back to the right direction, you prevent letting get too far and then correcting him to the right direction. So if you horse tries to bite another horse and then you snap the reins, yell at him, back him up or make a huge deal about it, I say it was your fault for not knowing he was about to bite and did not give him direction before he actually did bite. Take responsibility for what your horse does and stop blaming the horse because you failed to pay attention, you failed to see the warning signs, you were not in tune enough with your horse to read what he was going do and did not prevent him from doing it. Keep your hands quite when handling reins, your horse will become more responsive and you will become more aware how little you really have to move your reins and still have control of your horse.

Problems on the Way to Barn: I see lots of people try and work on problems on the way back to the barn. Some problems can be worked on and other should not be worked on. Most problems do not occur over night or in one ride. So way do so many people try and fix running and pulling on one ride back to barn. We have all done it. You get tired, you get in a hurry, your horse gets excited, he starts pushing and pulling and you start showing him "who is boss", then you end up in a fight all the way home. After time the horse leans to expect this and as soon as you head home, they know they are about to get into a fight, so they get more upset, more excited, more high-headed and are actually getting ready for the fight they know is about to come. So then we react and it goes down hill from there. I know it is easier said than done, but try and keep your return calm, fun and relaxing. Not to mention that other riders don't want to see you fight with your horse. When you get upset and fight with your horse, you upset the other horses, you make other horses nervous and may cause others to have problems with their horses. I bet we all have heard or seen where all the horses were just "Bad" on the way back to the barn. Horses are herd animals, when they see another getting his butt whipped, they know. When I have to have a horsy to horsy discussion with my horse, I don't like doing it around lots of people. When no one is watching, the ego factor goes way down. Ego is one the worst thing that interferes with training your horse. Remember having a horse is about a loving caring relationship with your partner, it is not all about being in charge, being right, controlling every detail and teaching the horse who is boss all the time. If you were a horse, wouldn't you like to get back to the barn so you could eat, get that saddle and 150 pounds off your back, get that hot saddle and tight cinch off and be in a safe environment with your friends? Of course you would, so try and understand what your horse is thinking when you respond or reacting to his behavior. This does not mean allow your horse to run back, but try and deal with it from a horse's point of view. I assure you, your horse is not saying: OK, here we go, this is where I get to piss off mom or dad, watch this, I will start ignoring them and they will get pissed, I stop paying attention and watch me get them mad, bla bla bla. That is something people would do, but not a horse. Sometime watching people respond to their horse, I really think people believe their horse is actually thinking like this, it ain't so. Your horse is just being a horse. Give him direction and not correction.

Riding vs. Understanding: There is a big difference between riding a horse and understanding a horse. I am always suspicious when someone starts telling me how they rode horses all the time as a kid. Sitting on a horse may be riding, but you are not communicating and you don't have a understanding about how a horse thinks or why a horse is what it is. Until you study the horse (which most do not), you cannot know what you need to know to understand a horse. So people may have owned or ridden horses for 20 years, yet they still only have maybe one year of experience 20 times. I have these type of people come up to me when I am working with my horse and tell me what I should be doing. I have had people reach over and grab my horse by the halter when I am holding the lead rope. I have had people adjust my equipment while I am in the saddle. People do this thinking they are helping and it is very impolite and dangerous. If you really understand a horse, then you will know and will wait for someone to ask you. And they will, they may not listen to what you tell them, but they will ask. The ones that want to tell you how and what to do with your horse, are not being asked for a reason and that is why they have this need to volunteer. Real experienced horsemen do not need to tell someone what they know, you can see it in the way they handle their horses and the way their horse's respond to them. The real judge of a good horseman is the Horse!

Old Halters: Don't throw away those old halters and lead ropes. When a halter breaks don't throw it away, cut it up and keep the solid steel or brass rings. They make great gate latches, tie points and can be used for many things. Same for the lead ropes. Just because the snap breaks (you should not be using ropes with snaps) the rope is still good. You can tie them together for a catch rope, you can use them for a high line, keep them for later and will find some use for them.

Hot Weather: When it gets really hot your horse sweats a lot. You will see the dry salt on his coat. Take a few minutes and hose your friend off. This will remove the sticky salt and help your horse's cooling system. This is also a good clue to make sure that your horses have a salt block/mineral block available to replace all this salt loss. The more you hose your horse, the more they will get used to it and like it. They will resist it less and it will keep their coat clean and healthy. And don't stop or prevent them from rolling. Horses love to roll in the dirt after they get wet. This itches the skin, massages the dry skin, distributes the oils and creates a nice sun screen and bug protection. After a horse rolls the dirt that sticks like mud will help keep flies off, will help the horse not feel the flies, will prevent mosquitoes from biting. So a dirty horse is good. So what if you have to brush him before you saddle or ride, you should be doing that anyway.

Begging verses Asking: If you ask a horse 10 times to do something you teach him to not listen the first nine times you asked. I think you should always ask nicely at first but then you have to turn up the heat. Some say the difference between a good horse and a great horse is how it is asked to do something. Some believe that if I ask nice and you don't get your horse to respond then you just bought some trouble hard and fast. Others believe that you ask several times with increasing pressure until you get the proper response. I think somewhere in between is fine. If my horse knows something good and I know he knows it good, then I will only ask once and then let him know he should have responded to my request. However, if he is slow or worried or paying attention to something else, then I will give a couple of request and try and get the horse to respond to me. I never want to fight or look for a fight with my horse, that only teaches a horse to fight and fear me. So I am always searching on how to set my horse up for sucess and to get my result with the least amount pressure or resistance. I can always get aggressive and scare my horse to move, that is not good horsemanship. My goal should be to remove fear and never to create it. Pain = fear, fear = reactions, reactions do not = learning. I find that the louder and more vocal a rider or handler is, the less the understand a horse. Talking and explaining to a horse does nothing for the horse, it is normally done to try and justify what is being done to the horse and is done for other people watching. The best horseman get results quietly, calmly and with hardly no movements. When people look and wonder how the horse knows what to do since they can't see the rider doing much, that is the sign of a horseman. When you see yelling, yanking on the bit, screaming, kicking, and flopping in the saddle, that is not good horsemanship and normally confuses the horse and makes the horse nervous and scared and creates a fear response.

Round Penning 101: The round pen is NOT a correct tool or a torture chamber. However, that is what it is used for a lot of the time. Anyone can chase a horse in a round pen. Understanding the drive line, getting inside and outside turns, getting your horse to look to you for direction, getting the horse to move slowly and to change directions smoothly, to come to you when called, to be calm in the round pen and to enjoy it rather than fear it or look at it as punishment and or pain. Use the round corral for training and understanding and not for correction and punishment. I discuss this in more detail on my horsemanship page under round penning.

Creating Fear and lost trust: People tell me all the time how they put plastic bags and other scary things in their horse’s stall, since their horse is scared of them. This is not a good way to sack out a horse. If you sack out a horse you want to be able to apply pressure and remove pressure when the horse gives the right response. When putting things in stall, you cannot remove or control the pressure. Basically you are just creating fear for your horse and your horse does not learn. He may eventually learn to ignore the scary items you force him to live with. And in his stall this may work, but once he runs into the scary object outside the stall, he will still have fear. The stall technique will not build trust between you and him and will not accomplish what you hope. Think about it, if you were deathly afraid of snakes, so I decided to put several snakes in your bedroom and lock the door. Would that really help your fear of snakes? No, it would make you think I was jerk, it would make you not like your bedroom, it would make it so you could not relax in your bedroom and would cause you not to like being in your bedroom. A horse already dislikes being locked up and stalled; you really don’t need to make him dislike it more. Once again this is “cheat” and a shortcut and that rarely works with horses. When you take the time to work with your horse, to teach it to trust you, you show the horse that if he stands still, you will make the scary thing go away. You show the horse that you will not hurt it and if he trust you, you will keep him safe. You show the horse that you understand him and you know when he gets too scared so you can make the scary thing go away and he can relax and take a break. You show him that you control the scary thing. You show him that as long as the horse does not react, you will make the scary thing release pressure. All of this will help you learn your horse, will teach you to read your horse better and will develop a bond with you and your horse. So if you are not concerned with helping your horse go ahead and park a tractor in his stall to “teach him a lesson” for being scared of a tractor.

Horse of a 1000 rides: Too many people want a perfect horse from riding it three times a week or every weekend or only in an arena for 10 minutes five times a week, it just won’t happen. Horses are habit creatures, they learn by repetition and doing things over and over. So after about a 1000 rides you can make a good broke horse. And don’t forget, practice does not make perfect. If you practice wrong for a year, it will teach wrong. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you ride your horse every day for three years, you will ride it over 1000 rides. Is anyone going to do that? No, it is not reasonable. I know people that have owned horse “their entire life” and have not ridden 1000 times. The point here is it takes lots and lots of doing to get results. So be fair to your horse, don’t expect perfection from riding two times a week or a few times a month, it is not fair to the horse. Accept small advances, notice the small improvements, grow with your horse and don’t blame the horse for not growing as fast as you think he should. Enjoy the journey and help him grow positively with guidance and direction. And if you have had a 1000 rides, then maybe the last few hundred were really the ones that mattered. Soft quiet hands will show in your experience and understanding of the horse.

Tie Downs: I see more and more use of tie downs. A very real danger of a tie down is when someone forgets that the horse has one on and then takes the horse to water. A horse cannot swim with a tie down, it cannot raise his head and will drown if taken in water while wearing one. This is very easy to forget if your horse wears on all the time. So besides the fact that a tie down is a cheat, it teaches a horse to pull, it teaches a horse to be hard and not soft, shows a lack of training in the horse and rider, besides all those bad side effects of it, it will kill your horse if your horse gets into water while wearing one. I am sure their is someone out their going, I never put my horse in water so I don't have to worry about this, well if your horse ever gets spooked and runs off or chased and ends up in water, he will die. I guess the moral of this is with all the bad that comes with tie downs, why do so many still use them?

Stud Chains: It still amazes me on the number of people that use stud chains. It is like people that wear spurs. I think it somehow it makes them think they are rough and tough since they have to use or wear spurs and chains to control their horse. Stud chains are mean and hurt the horse. I assure you I can control any horse with a rope halter better than anyone can control a horse with a stud chain. If you see a good horseman he will not have to use a stud chain on his Stud, so why in the heck do so many women want to use one on their horse. Is a compensation thing? Does using this chain make them feel tough like they have such a mean horse that they need this to control him? A stud chain should send one clear message, the person using it has little horsemanship skills and they don't know what they are doing. So please don't be impressed and let the person know that using a stud chain does not impress you or the horse. The damn things should be outlawed to protect the idiots who use them from doing more damage to the themsleves and the horse.

Wash your Halters: I see people wash their horse, clean their saddles and clean their stalls, but people seem to overlook their halter and lead ropes. By washing your halters and lead ropes you remove the sweat and salt that comes from your horse. This salt and sweat attracts flies which irritates your horses. Ever see a horse tied up and the flies seem to be all around the face and halter. Do your horse a favor and wash your halters and lead rope to remove the sweat and salts. You can even spray them down with fly spray before putting them on and it will help keep flies off their face. Washing your horse with his halter on is not the same thing, but it may help. Your horse will thank you for thinking of ways to make him more comfortable.

Movement burns Adrenaline: Making a horse stand when scared or fearful may back fire on you. Moving feet help a horse release stress and assures them that they can move and still run. A trapped horse can go into “fight” mode if they feel cornered and think they cannot move. The next time your horse gets a little nervous or anxious move their feet, let them walk around a bit, let them know they are not trapped. By forcing a horse to stand still and not allowing them to move will not help them relax. It can make them feel more tense and stressed and may force a blow up, blot, rear or buck. By letting them move their feet, but you controlling them, you tell them they are not trapped, you are still in charge, you are calm and in control, and you are still the leader, all of which will help them calm down, feel secure and keep their mind on you and not on their fear. The flip side of this is to get rough, start yelling and yanking on the bit, start blaming the horse for being stupid, showing them who is the boss and making them stand still with force, fear and pain. This will create more fear, tears down trust, shows the horse you don’t understand his fear and can make the horse believe he is really in more danger since he is scared and being hurt by YOU, his leader who he should trust.

Horse Play with horses: Horse are great fun and love to work and play. The term "No horseplay" came about with good reason. All horses love to play. People enjoy using horses for play and fun as well. In the mud, by hanging onto a horse's tail they can pull you with ease while you slide behind them. I have seen horses pull boats in water, pull people on sleds and many other games. There is always the chance of horse or people getting hurt during this. If you do this or watch this, remember, it is not the horse's fault for anything that happens. He is just being a horse doing what we make him do.

Horse Eating Straw: I will say it again in case you missed it the other 10 times I mentioned it. Too much time in a stall is not good for horses. Some people use straw for beddings. The three most common bedding being used is straw, shavings or pellets. Each has good and bad points. Shavings (saw dust) remove moisture from the feet more and can cause dust (respiratory) problems for some horses, but soak up urine really good. Straw does not absorb urine as well, but is easier to remove and makes better bedding (cushioning) for the horse and tends to be cheaper. Straw is more natural and if a horse eats some with his food, it will not kill him. However, some horses want to eat the straw like hay (I think this is from boredom or hunger). Straw is the by-product (dry stalk) of cereal plants (barley, oat, rice, rye & wheat). Since straw is dry and can be sharp it can cause injuries to the nose and eyes it poked the wrong way. Straw is fed to cattle as a roughage supplement. As it digests in the gut, it creates heat and keeps them warm. Concerns with straw are it is dry and can cause or contribute to impaction colic. So you do NOT want to use it as a primary food source and you should probably limit it from a horse’s diet. Some things I have heard to help stop horses from eating straw is, you can put wet (urine soaked) straw on top of your other straw. The horse will not normally eat wet, soiled or urine soaked straw. Some horse develop a cough from eating straw, maybe because it is dry and dusty or some say it is mold spores in straw that cause it. Some people say straw has good fiber and no calories so let them eat it. Others say spray the straw with vinegar to stop a horse from eating it. Is a horse eating some straw a major problem, depends on you and your horse. It is something to be aware of and to keep an eye on. The less time a horse is in a stall with straw, the less he will eat it. I think if you are feeding your horse well he will not eat it, since it is hard and not as good as other hay you are feeding. However, if locked up in a stall for too long, a horse will chew wood, chew poles, wind suck, crib, sway or eat straw out of boredom. If you don’t feed your horse for 12 to 24 hours and a horse is gets hungry, they will eat most anything to stay alive. If you use straw, feed your horse and keep him out of stall as much as possible.

** Staying warm tip: Straw stuffed under your jacket, pants, in bags laid on the ground can keep you warn by providing good insulation from the cold.

Shipping fever: This refers to sickness that is caused by shipping a horse. This is a respiratory illness that comes from tying the horse’s head high and not allowing the horse to lower his head on long trips. If dust or other foreign objects get into the horses airway, a horse needs to be able to lower his head and expel the object. If the head is tied high, he cannot do that. Combine that the stress of travel and being trapped, with long trips, no stops or breaks for the horse and you got yourself a sick horse. Stress is a powerful immune killer. Extended stress suppresses the immune system in horses and humans. Shipping fever (Pleuropneumonia) can be prevented by allowing the horse to be able to lower his head during shipping or while loaded in a trailer, lots of breaks and rest stops and making trips as less stressful as possible. Signs of sickness can be coughing, discharge from the nose, pawing, kicking, fever, sweating and loss of appetite and no water intake.

** Here is a good health link for horses: www.myhorsematters.com

** Health Tip: Horses should be breathing at eight to 12 breaths per minute at rest. If your horse is over 22 breaths per minute at rest, call a vet.

Tail Pulling: This is a bad position to be in, so be aware of the danger. I like to pull and stretch my horse's tail. This has to be slow and gentle and calming not a fight. Grab the tail just below end of the tail bone or towards the last foot of the tail. Align the with the horse's spine. Slowly increase pressure straight out and slightly down from the horse's back. You can hold it for a few seconds and even hear pops in the back and tail. Slowly release the tail. This is about the worst place to be if a horse decides to kick, so you better be aware of your horse's mood and behavior. Any signs of nervous behavior, you might want to just move the tail around softly and make sure your horse is OK with you doing what you are doing. This is another trust exercise and it will build trust in both you and the horse.

Wash Your Cinch: After a few rides where you horse sweats, your cinch will become salty, rough and stiff. Even if you just take it off and rinse it off, you will remove salts, make it softer for your horse and will make it last longer. For the comfort of your horse, wash it after every few rides.

Used Wormer Syringes: Save those old wormer syringes for later uses. They come in handy when training a new horse to accept wormers or to work with a horse that has soured on getting wormed. Take an old wormer and wash it out good. Then load it up with some apple sauce and give it to your horse as a treat. Your horse will start loving the dreaded white tube you put in his mouth. After a few treats of applesauce you can bet the next time you worm, the horse will help you and not fight it. They can also be used to give your horse medicine, crush up a pill, put in some water and load into the old wormer. If your horse has a cut, you use the old wormer to apply some alcohol or peroxide. Load it up with peroxide or alcohol and you can squirt it onto the cut or injury.

Kotex Pads: They make a great pad for a cut. Keep some in your medicine bag. A little duct tape on one can stop bleeding, apply medicine or help pad an injury. They may not be manly, but they sure do work well.

High Lining or Picket Lines: Tying a horse to a high line or rope between two trees is a good way to secure your horses when no pens or corrals are available. However, you have to teach it and expose the horse to it before just doing it. I have put a drawing of some knots to help set up a picket line. High Lining is nothing more that tying your horse high. The problem is when a horse has not been taught to tie well and is a puller. If a horse pulls a high line, it shakes and moves the line, which ALL horses will feel that are tied to the line. A horse has to be taught that the line moving is no big deal. Other ways to secure a horse is to make a temp pen with rope around four trees. This would have to be taught as well or the horse would over, under or through it. You can use hobbles if you horse has been trained to accept them or you can what is called ground tying. Ground tying is tying your horse to a stump, log or by burying the rope in a hope and pounding dirt over it with your heel. Of course your horse has to know how to not step on the rope, how to NOT panic if the rope gets around his legs and to give to pressure of the rope. As you can tell, no matter what method you use, you have to put time in to prepare the horse for success and to protect the horse from itself.

Snakebite: If you ride in a area where snakes are plentiful you may want to carry some pieces of cut garden hose with you. If you trailer out a lot and you may want to keep some hose in your trailer tack room in case your horse or someone else's horse gets bit. Horses like dogs normally get bit in the face when investigating a snake. When this area swells, it cuts off the air supply. By inserting some hose into the nostrils, you can save your horse until you get to a vet. Remember a horse can't breathe through thier mouth, so if they lose their nose airway they will die. You can secure the hose with duct tape or other medical tape.

Chestnuts: These are the callous like growths located on the inside of the legs by the knees of the horse. They are also called "night eyes". These continue to grow and need to be peeled off once and a while. By putting some baby oil on them or rubbing them with Corona Ointmint, which contains lanolin, will soften them up and the next day you can peel them off easily with out any discomfort to the horse. They say chestnuts are like whorls, they are unique as fingerpints.

Proud Cut Geldings: This is term that refers to a gelding that still acts like or behaves like a Stallion (Stud). Some of these behaviors can be herding, snaking, mounting mares, chasing or charging other geldings and just a very dominate disposition. Some say this is casued by not having all the testicular tissue removed by the person that gelded the horse. I think it also has to do with how old the horse was when he was gelded. The longer a horse remains a Stud, the more traits he will keep after he is finally cut. Testosterone is produced and this can be an additional factor for this behavior. Some people say this behavior can be caused by an over active adrenal gland. No matter the casue, this is not horse's fault and is all instinctive behavior.

The Flehmen Response: This is when a horse lifts his upper lip and raises his head as if he is investigating a smell. He will lift and wrinkle his upper lip and it may appear to flutter. This is nomarlly done when a male is smelling a mare in heat. Mares will do it when they are smelling their new born foal. It is a way to allow the smell to reach the chemical receptors that are located in the roof of the mouth. Some say it looks like a horse is laughing, others confuse it as a sign of aggression since the neck is stretched out and the teeth are exposed. Neither is correct, but myths have a way of staying around and are believed by many.

Snaking: This is term not herd much nowadays. It is most common when a stallion is moving or herding a mare. It is done to show dominance and to move the mare to show that the Stud is interested and is claiming his mare. The horse will lower it's head and point and direct it at the target horse or group of horses. Normally the other horse will move away and will follow the directions the snaking horse. Sometime a mare will snake it's foal. It think this is done to teach the foal to respect the mom and to claim the foal, much like when a stud does it to a mare.

Washing Water Buckets: When you wash your water buckets use your horse brushes to scrub them. That way you clean your buckets and your horse burshes at the same time. Cleaning your burshes help prevent fungus and other hair issues from becoming a problem that you keep passing on.

Signs of a healthy horse - what to look for in a healthy horse:

Appetite - If there is no logical explanation for loss of appetite, regard it as one of the first signs of illness.

Coat and skin - Coat will vary with breed, season and housing conditions (stabled and/or rugged). For instance, the thoroughbred has a fine coat in summer; the Shetland has a long, thick, two layered coat in winter. When the coat is long or thick, short or fine, it should be evenly distributed, except during the process of shedding the winter coat in spring. Normally the coat should be soft with luster. The skin should be supple and elastic with no sign of bald patches, rubbing, inflammation or oozing.

Condition and weight - A horse’s condition varies with breeds, feed and exercise. Some may be well muscled and others may be fat or thin. A thin horse is not necessarily unhealthy. A horse on the same ration and exercise routine maintains a certain weight for years. If suddenly, or over a period of time, it starts to loose weight, check your horse carefully. Weight loss or gain in association with some other signs, e.g. poor coat, diarrhea, poor appetite, lethargy or poor work performance, is indicative of a health problem.

Conformation - To examine a horses conformation, look at it standing still from a short distance away to ascertain overall balance, then examine it more closely for overall body detail, limb detail and relationship of limbs to each other. The horse should then be observed in motion to evaluate its conformation. Limping or unevenness could indicate a problem.

Demeanor - This may vary tremendously in different breeds, individuals and situations. Changes in demeanor such as quiet or excited, alert to dull, placid to aggressive, relaxed to restless, may indicate a more significant problem.

Droppings - This usually occurs 10 - 15 times a day. Color, consistency, volume, odor and frequency of droppings vary considerably with type of feed and exercise. A horse on a well balanced diet should pass droppings that are brown, formed, tend to break up as they hit the ground and have an odor that is not unpleasant. Horses on lush green feed will often pass greenish, unformed, cow like droppings. Those on large volumes of low grade hay will pass hard, dark colored pellets.

Ears - These should stand erect in an alert but not rigid position. One ear should not flop nor should there be any sign of discharge or heavy wax build up.

WAYS TO TELL A PERSON UNDERSTANDS HORSES:

Watch a person handle, lead, work and ride a horse. You can tell if they really know and understand a horse.

How they Handle a horse:

Good: If they handle the horse calmly, smoothly and with confidence. Does the horse respond to their request with ease and respect. Do they communicate clearly with cues and body language on what they want. Are they consistent. Do they move the horse when the horse test them or acts disrespectful. Are horse's calm with them or nervous, upset and uneasy.

Bad: If they fight, argue and force the horse to do everything. If they talk to the horse like they talk to their kid. Does the horse react to their demands with fear. Do they chastise the horse verbally like he understand what they are saying. Do they blame the horse for everything bad it does wrong. When they correct the horse do they have to talk about and explain and make a big deal about it. By drawing attention they think they are showing how good they are? Do they use stud chains, tie downs, big bits, draw reins, bungee cords, or twitches? Do they tie bags in the stall or put other scary things in the stall thinking they are sacking out?

Leading a horse:

This is a dead give away. I can watch a person lead a horse and know with 95% accuracy that the person either has horse sense or has no clue.

Good: The horse follows the person on a SLACK rope. The person communicates with body language and encourages the horse to follow on a SLACK rope. The horse follows calmly with his head down like he is comfortable and knows what to do. The horse stops when the person stops and walks when the person walks. You will not hear or see how the horse knows to stop or start. They will not be raising their voice, yanking the head, have a tight rope, talking or dragging the horse. It is smooth and easy. Other people will comment that the horse is good and calm. They don't get it, the person causes a horse to be the way it is. If they got it, they would know the person knows what they doing and that is why the horse is good. However if they admit this, then they would have to admit that their horse is bad because of them and then they could not blame the horse for being bad! They will not be yelling raising their voice and making a big deal out of everything. Quiet mouth and quiet hands!

Bad: The person holds the horse by the snap or right under the chin! Dead give away. The person is not confident, thinks they can control the horse if their hand is close to halter. The horse is pulled when you want it to walk. The horse is pulled or yelled at when you want it to stop. The horse looks around and is not comfortable. The horse pulls towards food or other areas and tries to drag person. The person ignores the horse and does other things like talk, answer the phone and then blames the horse for pulling and not standing still. The person will be constantly correcting the horse, changing directions trying to pull the horse and be angry and upset or always in a hurry and complaining about how bad, stubborn and hardheaded their horse is.

Riding a horse:

This will tell a lot about the confidence and riding ability of the rider.

Good: The person prepares the horse to mount. The person mounts by jumping up into the saddle smoothly, puts their leg over softly and sits softly in the saddle. The horse does not walk off or try to leave during mounting or after being mounted. The reins are not pulled, yanked or tight. The rider sits in balance has the horse stands calmly before riding off. The horse walks off without the rider appearing to do anything. NO KICKING the horse to make it go. The reins are kept loose and the horse moves like he knows what the rider wants. The rider's hands are slow, smooth and do not move much. You will notice the reins are always slack or released when the horse gives a correct response. The less movement you see from the rider the better they are.

Bad: The person fights with the horse before mounting. The rider tugs and yanks on the horse to try and make it stand still to mount. The person hops with their foot in the stirrup trying to get the horse to stop moving. The person pulls the saddle to them as they slowly struggle to get up into the saddle, pulling the horse and saddle off balance. While getting on they are unaware how they are pulling on the reins and the reins are tight and pulling to stop the horse from moving. The rider appears off balance and leans back and forth trying to get their foot into the stirrups. The horse walks off and the rider yells at it and yanks on the reins and blames the horse for not listening or standing still. Then the horse walks off and the rider lets it and laughs and makes a joke that the horse is ready to go. The reins are held in one hand and tight and the horse's head is pulled or yanked in the direction the rider wants him to go. You will not see any release from the rider when the horse gives a correct response. As you are watching you will not even know what the rider wants from the horse and the two will not be working as a team, they will be both wanting different things, trying and doing different things. The rider will constantly move thier hands and use the reins for balance. The horse will ignore the reins from all the movement that means nothing. The horse or rider will not be relaxed.

Round Pen Work or Lounging:

Good: The person will have a horse respond calmly. The horse will appear to know what the person is asking and will do what is asked. The horse will not appear scared and fearful. The horse will move in a direction told at the speed requested. The horse will stop and come when asked. There will not be a whip used or popped to scare the horse. The person will use multiple cues, voice, body, movement, and others to ensure the horse knows the right answer and what to do. The person will not chase the horse to make it run. They will not make fast running movements which threaten the horse. They will get the horse to do inside and outside turns in the round pen. The person will immediately stop pressure when the horse moves. They will not continue to chase or spin a rope after the horse moves. If the horse tries to put pressure, the person will respond appropriately with just enough pressure to overcome the horse's pressure and get the desired response. The horse will move not run fearful. The horse will come to person when told to and will lock (hook on) on to person and follow person while off line.

Bad: The person will be loud, fast and jumpy. They will chase the horse, they will run after the horse after the horse is moving. They will not stop pressure after the horse gives the a correct answer. The horse will appear to be fearful and running and reacting not responding. The horse will appear to be looking for the right answer and will not look confident or will not know what the right answer is. The horse will not move correctly and will try and run past the person and will not turn with asked but will race to get past person faster. The person will blame the horse for not know how to lounge and not being a smart horse. They will say this horse is bad, stubborn and untrained. They will get mad at the horse and use a whip to make it run faster and cut the horse off with a whip to make the horse turn. After all it has to be the horse's fault, it can't be the person's fault. : (

Conclusion:

A good horseman knows it is never the horse's fault. They will never blame the horse. A horse only reacts to the people around them. There are no bad horses, only bad and uneducated people that cause a horse to do bad things. If a horse is good, he is being handled by a good person who understand horses. (Unless the horse is being bullied or controlled by pain) A horse is good when he feels safe, secure and is treated fairly. By fairly, I mean he knows what to expect, he does not get ambushed or surprised, he is NOT always guessing what will happen next, he knows, because he gets good clear and consistent cues, he is prepared for a move (not ambushed) and he gets release of pressure when he gives the right answer. If a horse gives the wrong answer, you asked the questions wrong. If a horse fails, the person caused him to fail. If a horse blows up, the person pushed him too far, too fast. If a horse acts bad, he was not given the right direction to find the right answer. When a horse is good, the person is giving good guidance, when he is bad, the person is confusing or scaring him to react and not respond. A horse is only a reflection of the person handling him. Where you see good horses, you will find good horsemen. A horse is not good if he is being controlled by big bits, spurs, pain or fear. Only when you accept that you cause all actions from the horse, will you be able to learn, grow and critically evaluate yourself as to what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.

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Rick Gore Horsemanship

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Rick Gore Horsemanship Training Videos; www.thinklikeahorse.org