Tracking Horse: The Hanoverian Horse

Horses are trained by Heidi’s interns in basic dressage and jumping, very different from their past of galloping counter clockwise around a racetrack.

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” -Winston Churchill. Horses not only inspire their riders, but also the spectators. The art of equestrian is generally disregarded as a competitive sport. Being a rider not only takes raw talent but also devotion, skill, concentration, knowledge, and strength. With a variety of riding styles, it’s difficult to express which one is superior to the others. There is tension between the horsemen with different riding styles; each believe their accomplishments take more skill. Western Pleasure riding and English Hunter Jumpers are two distinctive techniques with diverse characteristics, but

Did you know that the Preswelskis Horse can go at an astounding 27 miles per hour and can sleep both lying down and standing up? I chose to do my report on the preswelskis horse which is an endangered animal and hasn't been seen in the wild since 1968. The scientific name for this horse is Equus Caballus Przewalskii and its classification is mammal. A female is called a Mare while a male is called a Stallion. This horse has a lifespan of 20 to 25 years and the family name is Equidae.

In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest chapman known in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. He was the only horse to ever grace the covers of magazines and newspapers like the Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated in the same week. Secretariat still holds the record for the fastest time in the Kentucky Derby and the belmont Stakes. Secretariat was a Thorough bread race horse, he was given the nickname of “ Big Red”. The reason for this nickname was because of his coat, it was a vibrant chestnut color that could appear coppery-red in the bright sun.

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

Julie Goodnight was raised on a horse farm in Orlando, Florida, where she was raised riding horses. In her youth, she started taking riding lessons in English riding and started to pursue hunter jumping. She started competing in hunter jumping shows. She began training at competitive facilities to get the training need to start riding in more elite hunter jumping competitions. During her college years in New Mexico, Goodnight got a job exercising Thoroughbreds on a nearby racetrack. After college, she got a job in Colorado, where she was a trail guide in the Rocky Mountains. While in Colorado, she worked at an Arabian training farm, then started to form her own training facility and camp. Through these experiences, she gained experience in many different disciplines such as: cutting, jumping, racing, colt-starting, dressage, reining, and wilderness riding (juliegoodnight.com). Goodnight has commented many times that she believes this is what gives her an advantage in the training industry (YouTube).

Tuesday November the 4th marked another Melbourne Cup, promising a day filled with champagne, crowds and colour. 1000s of spectators, staff and jockeys had lined up in the hope of cashing in on some success. Unfortunately this was not the case for the owners of Admire Rakti or Araldo, who tragically died after the race. This sudden and shocking news has re-ignited the issue of whether horse racing should be banned in Australia. Ironically this issue is driven on both sides by the same impulse: the love of the horse. Organisations including the coalition for the protection of racehorses along with animal welfare groups are concerned about the treatment and well-being of the horses. Similarly, horse owners, jockeys and staff’s main focus is the welfare of the horse.

The science behind evaluating racehorses is deciding which faults make a direct impact to the horse’s career. The requirements needed for a horse to succeed starts at the conformation of the foal/yearling. To which conformational faults are passed down from parents, however, faults may or may not have consequences to their racing career, and therefore different trainers/bloodstock agents may have different inceptions with regard to acceptable faults (TOBA, 2015).

“On average, 24 horses die per week on racetracks in the U.S.” (Cohen). This is due to the horrible mistreatment and horrendous training methods used on too young horses. However, the racetrack is not the only place where horses are abused. Horse shows, show rings, large business stables, smaller private barns; wherever a horse can be found, there is potential for some sort of animal abuse. There is not one certain breed or type of horse that is most commonly abused, every horse around the world can be subject to mistreatment. Unfortunately, there are not many laws that protect these horses, and some people merely turn their heads away. That is why there should be more laws against the abusive techniques applied by many equestrians in the equine

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

Unknown to most people, there are between 75-200 horse breeds in the world, each with specific characteristics that make it unique. However, all species of horse share defining characteristics that have evolved over time and all are

Marketing a new product requires strategic planning and research into the target market. The equestrian market is vast in size and diversity and is often underestimated by businesses (Graham-Suggett, 1999: 31). Due to the range of disciplines and activities covered by this market, targeting just one group could lead to increased sales through word of mouth

An interesting piece from John Lyons’ book, Communicating with Cues: The Rider's Guide to Training and Problem Solving clearly explains equine herd behavior. I quote, “A horse develops security by knowing his place in the herd. Herd hierarchy is important. No matter how much we think we are the dominant part of his life, it’s what the horse thinks that influences his behavior. Not only is pecking order important, but socialization is also” (Lyons 12). John Lyons is an American horse trainer and author in the field of natural horsemanship and has been training horses for many years. Further, the alpha mare is the leader of the herd, and she decides where the group will eat, sleep, drink, and in what direction the herd will travel. If a young horse misbehaves, the alpha mare will send him out of the herd where his survival is uncertain. The alpha mare will invite him back into the herd after proper punishment. The young horse knows that isolation is not a good place to be, and he will come back and obey the alpha mare. Furthermore, horses are most vulnerable when they are eating or drinking, and so, the stallion’s position in the herd is the guardian and protector while maintaining reproductive viability. Also, the requirements of the lead horse are not strength or size; if this were so, the human could never lead the horse. During equine training, humans should

Equines have been essential to the evolution of our society for over 4,000 years, providing speed and strength to aid in work, travel, and war. They are extreme athletes, capable of producing high speeds and stamina and are able to do so efficiently. This is due partly to the muscle physiology of the equine. In most mammals, 40-45% of body weight is made of muscle mass. In horses this percentage is increased to over 50%. Horses are not all the same, however. Different breeds have different skeletal muscle builds as well as muscle types. For example, the Thoroughbred, one of the most athletic breeds of horses, has a muscle mass percentage of almost 55%. (Gunn, 1979) Conditioning of our equine athletes is an important part of equine care, especially

Due to the large size of horses it can be dangerous to work with ones that are hard to handle. The term “Imprint Training” is popular in the horse industry meaning early handling of foals with to focus on improving their behavior, learning ability, and for them to gain confidence in the world around them (Lansade, 2004). This imprint training is believed by many horse people to help horses and make them easier to work with when they become older (Lansade, 2004).