Perfect Horses

Thoroughbreds have acquired a false stigma, similar to that of pitbull dogs, making them difficult to home. The thoroughbred is a flighty breed, they are designed to be fast and agile. These biological tendencies are reinforced after race training when they are taught only to gallop as fast as possible.

After the grown-ups had gone to bed, Tommy and I shifted the Buick into neutral, pushed it down the driveway and out of earshot, started the engine and toured the neighborhood. The sheer difficulty of horsemanship can be illustrated by what happened to Tommy and me next. Nothing. We maneuvered the car home, turned it off and rolled it back up the driveway. (We were raised in the blessedly flat Midwest.) During our foray the Buick’s speedometer reached 30. But 30 miles per hour is a full gallop on a horse. Delete what you’ve seen of horse riding in movies. Possibly a kid who’d never been on a horse could ride at a gallop without killing himself. Possibly one of the Jonas Brothers could land an F-14 on a carrier deck.

Some people think of them as animals. Some people think of them as objects. Some people think of them as friends. Then there are the few who think of them as family. Horses have always been like family to humans, except sometimes closer. There are many benefits to owning or being around horses. They come in many different colors. There is a multitude of breeds, also. Additionally, they have a long history with humans. Horses have unique behaviors. Showing horses has been the past-time or even career of many people. Furthermore, caring for horses can be a handful, but is definitely rewarding. Finally, riding horses is not just a hobby or a sport, but an action of your heart. Horses are wondrous creatures that have lived with man or

There is a trail down the road in Delaware where I enjoy taking my dog for a walk. It is a beautiful, five-mile loop traversing cornfields, thick patches of forest, steep hills and flowing streams; a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the suburban lifestyle and spend some time amongst the peacefulness of nature. It is not a complete escape, however, for I am not the only person that knows of the trail- it seems to also be a favorite of horseback riders. Often times I will encounter a rider or two at some point during my walk and, without fail, I will be in awe of the size and majesty of the horse. What an incredible, gentle beast it is. Standing next to a horse, you cannot help but gawk at the bulging, toned muscles and long, agile legs. It is truly an athlete with a rare combination of strength and speed. Yet, they are gentle and kind and have therefore been joined at the hip with humans; today, nearly all horses have been domesticated. So I find myself

I have been riding horses for just about 7 years. My horses D. D. and I have been working together for 2 of those years and I have never had a problem with her ever. She is the most calm horse I have ever owned and worked with. Sometimes, with out a saddle or even a bridal and reins, I will run up to her and hop on her back and she doesn't spook at all. I can even put a complete stranger up to her and she will rub her head on them. She also is a junk food junky and will eat any thing from chips to crab rangoon shells to honey & apples, but she won't eat celery because that's just to healthy.

My career in barrel racing began when Katie, a lifelong role model, brought me to one of her races. Immediately after seeing her run, I knew my calling in life, I was to become a barrel racer. Arriving home, I immediately attempted the pattern on Patches. As we worked to perfect the pattern, I came to the conclusion she wasn’t fast enough for what I seeked to accomplish. Agreeing with me, my mom started looking for a new barrel horse. Around six years old, my new horse, Tip, came home. When he arrived, we quickly learned he was “too much horse” for me; he was nothing short of a bucking bronco horse at a rodeo. For further training, my cousin took him to college with her. He returned back home as an utterly

I remember as a little kid and now being fascinated by race horses. When I was around eight years old, my grandfather took me to a farm where they raise race horses. They were out exercising Mine That Bird and a few other horses. I thought it was so fascinating! The owner walked up to and asked if I enjoy watching them, I said very shyly,” yes sir.” He took me to the barn and let me look at all the foals and I was astonished. I got to thinking what all do they have to do to get these young foals ready to one day race? I asked Mr. Allen, and he said, “there are many things that you can do but some people don’t do the right thing and they cheat their way to victory”.

"Howdy everyone! I'm going to tell you all about horses! I will talk about the breeds, the foals, the guide of owning a horse, and how to ride a horse. Now hop on and let's get started!

I am the daughter of a livestock dealer. My father was an amazing wrangler and rancher. Throughout my life, we have bought and sold many horses--too many to count, and I have also sent my own fair share to the slaughter plants. As a young teen I had a horse we called Whino, he was a great horse for me when I was learning to ride and wanting to follow Dad around. There comes a time in a horse’s life when they are not capable of doing what they once were or that they become sore or crippled to lead a life with meaning or comfort. I was raised to understand life and death and that one will follow the other. I knew when we had

Riding is balance and communication. Both the rider and horse need to be athletes. I know when I get on a horse; my 170 pounds changes the horse. Now, my job is to make it as easy as possible for the horse to be strong, flexible and happy with my added weight. Athletes, both human and equine train to be strong and increase flexibility, but training and muscle development takes time. However, people are impatient and that is where aggressive riding and gadgets that occur rollkur come in to the picture; draw reins, funky bits, head setters, and improper use of side reins. As Sarah Rigg has mentioned to us in numerous classes it takes years of proper training and riding just to correct the issues humans cause in horse’s just by sitting on

Horses that are trained using very little or nonforceful techniques tend to be more respectful towards their riders. Equine lecture at the University of Maryland Erin Petersen states that, “you’re using the horse’s own natural communication, which is through body language, to actually train the horse” (qtd in Godvin). They can soon be able to do more than one thing at a time, but you should not ask the horse to go while you are pulling back on the reins. Slowly move your hand up their neck before making any quick movements, if you were to quickly raise your hand towards them they take it as another horse swinging their neck at them telling them to get back in line. Approaching the horse quickly and straight on opposes a threat to them.

Fixing a problem is never easy, that’s why everyone calls it a problem. My problem certainly wasn’t easy, especially considering it focused around a fifteen hundred pound animal that has an attitude. My problem actually has a name; his name is Preacher. Having a powerful, sorrel colored Quarter Horse, who towers over everything, you wouldn’t believe he would act like an adolescent; but he is indolent and temperamental. Like I said, the process of fixing a problem to be difficult, but like my trainer says “The hardest part is figuring out how to solve the problem without creating another one.” Solving one problem and creating another at the same time is really easy to achieve. Riding a new horse is not easy for anybody, some people adjust quickly,

There are some types of riding there is : Dressage, Barrel racing, racing, vaulting, and jumping. Dressage is the horse basically dancing with it’s head and mostly legs. Barrel racing is the rider has to go around barrels riding the horse with full speed. Racing is a really dangerous type of horseback riding. The horse is going probably maximum 30 - 40 miles per hour. The jockey races with a few other jockeys and the jockeys goal is to get to the finish line first and the horse probably runs 1 mile in 1 minute. Vaulting is basically the rider sits backwards and all kinds of other stuff on the horse. The rider has to have a special type of saddle that has a hook the rider can hold on so the rider doesn’t fall of. And finally there

First off when purchasing your horse you have to watch for proper balance. Balance is arguably the most important aspect when examining a horse since it is fundamental for both movement and performance, this is determined by the horse's bone structure.(Duberstein) Some aspects that play a role in determining the balance includes the horse's weight along with the proportions and angles of the body. A horse can be light weighted or heavy weighted and still balanced if its bone structure allows for equal distribution of that weight. Appropriate balance of a horse allows it to carry itself in a well mannered fashion.("Test Your Eye for Horse Conformation") Along with a horse's balance, structural correctness plays a major role in

When many people approach a horse, they instantly feel cautious of their surroundings. These people tense up and become terrified because of the horse’s size, how they look, or just because they have heard of people being injured from horses. Many people are intimidated by how big some horses can be and they do not want to be around them. Horses are only thought to be a dangerous animal, but they have helped humans in many ways. For instance, they have helped with farm work that humans couldn’t have done by themselves, and they were a mode of human transportation for many years. The things horses have done for humans have helped in many ways, but horses have many other purposes that can help people out. Although many people agree