For as long as I can remember I’ve been in love with horses, which is a common story other horse lovers will tell you. As any other equine obsessed kid, I dreamed of all the possibilities you could have in career with horses, one of which was to be a jockey. Unfortunately genetics caught up with me and standing 6’2” and being a girl my dreams of days on the track were trampled quite early.
Or so I thought. My big black Tennessee Walking Horse and I live in the heart of the Genesee Valley Hunt Country, home to century’s old fox hunting and hunt races. I’ve been a spectator at many of the local races and never thought of actually running in one of them until I learned of a novice race being held just down the road from us. The ½ mile race on the turf sounded like something Goliath and I could handle so I signed us up.
Race day came I wasn’t sure what to expect and wondered if my lazy trail horse would even run. My concerns were answered as the first of the days races ran past us to the finish line. When Goliath caught sight of the field my “bomb proof” horse reared straight up and attempted to bolt off with the herd. We were running today and Goliath knew it. I made my way to the registration table and picked up our spiffy saddle blanket, #2.
Tacked up with the other 4 field members it was time to go! This 6’2” jockey was ready for the field not knowing what to expect. Because of our novice status a walking start was issued. A walking start is where the horses walk in a line to the start. When the starter sees that all horses are relatively even he drops the flag and they’re off!
We walked up in a line, we were 2nd to the outside between a draft and a 4yr old TB. Evenly as we could we walked forward, the flag was dropped, and we were OFF!
I’m so glad I watched “The Black Stallion” as many times as I did as a kid, because if I didn’t have a hold of his mane I’m sure I would have been left on the ground when we broke. Goliath had settled into 3rd behind the TB and the younger of the two quarter horses. I had to actually hold him back for the first 1/4 mile because he put his whole heart into the run too quickly. I wanted to keep him right up behind the pacesetter but with enough energy for that last 1/4-mile sprint.
The first turn went well as we managed to sneak into the inside and move up a little without the effort. Unfortunately turn #2 spelled disaster for most us because the out gate was located in the middle of the turn. At one point I think the field practically came to a stop before we could re-direct the horses towards the finish line and spur them on. Only the QH kept his pace going around turn #2 and left us scrambling to catch up.
By the time I got back up to speed, I was 3 lengths behind the QH. I peaked behind me and the rest of the field was far behind, with only 1 horse ahead, the scent of potential victory breezed past. I took my western 7-foot split reins I slapped Goliath on the rump and dug into his sides with my spurs and with an indescribable surge of energy below me, we hit mock 2! Like the sight of a gun, I looked through Goliath’s ears towards the finish line and calculated the distance vs. speed needed to cross first. I could almost taste the early victory in my mouth as we quickly closed ground. Soon we were neck and neck, then head and head, bobbing for the lead just as I felt it; Goliath gave up! The happy trail horse in him shined through. Goliath was perfectly content running behind or even with the other horse but he would not pass!
The finish line came and went and we firmly grasped on to second place. Our placement didn’t matter; the smile on my face said it all. I, was a jockey.
Tags: GV Hunt Races, horse dreams, Novice horse race, Schoolhouse Races
The truth is, no. Horses do not sleep standing up. Adult horses will rest standing up and look quite out of it but they cannot “sleep” standing up. For a horse to actually achieve REM sleep they must lie down and be stretched flat out on their sides. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is a deep dreaming sleep and a horse standing up with locked legs would surely fall right over or sleep walk/run.
How much sleep do horses get? With my small herd I’ve noticed many different personality types and their sleep habits. Here is how each of my horses sleep.
Jasper: I have yet to see this old boy sleep during the day. He’s middle of the herd hierarchy and spends most of his day trying to make it to the top of the pack. Come night fall he finds his “spot” and conks out for a good 30 minutes and seems to get 2 long sessions in overnight.
The General: This poor boy is at the bottom of the food chain and always gets picked on. He really wants his beauty sleep and when he can he lies down and tries to get a few Z’s Since his sleep is usually interrupted I find he sleeps more frequently in 24hrs but for shorter periods of time maybe only 5-10 minutes.
Fay: This cute little filly is higher up on the latter than the 2 previous boys and is 1 of 2 girls in the group under the watchful eye of the herd leader, Goliath. Being young she resorts to being the snot that likes to wake The General up and chase him around. She rests throughout the day and I only see her take 1 lie down nap at night. Come warm spring weather she does lie down more frequently and really enjoys her sun baths.
Cotton: Cotton is 2nd highest on the food chain and the beloved girl friend to Goliath the leader. She has the ability to nap whenever she wants, where ever she wants and for as long as she wants. I notice she chooses to only take maybe 1-2 short 5-10 minute naps during the day and one long one late morning just before sunrise in the safety of her stall. I’m usually the one who wakes her up in the morning.
Goliath: The leader of the pack and the laziest horse in the group. Since he is the big cheese no one ever bothers him and he can sleep for as long as he wants. Most vets will tell you that a horse that is lying down longer than 30 minutes should be checked on because the weight of the animal will start to crush its innards. Apparently Goliath could care less about science and takes record breaking 1-2hr naps. I’ve gone out and poked him on several occasions just to make sure he’s doing ok. He appeases my pestering by rolling over and lying on the other side instead. I’ve noticed that the rest of the herd usually takes the “it’s time to sleep” queue from Goliath. Jasper is the one who stands guard while the others get a few precious minutes in.
Until recently I wondered if horses legs would fall asleep like ours do when they fold them up under themselves to sleep. Even after a long nap they always seem to stand right up and walk off without so much as a hitch in their gait. That was until just a few weeks ago. I had woken Cotton up from her morning slumber and she bolted up to a standing position. This morning something was off, she kept picking up her hind right leg and shaking it and then would pound it on the floor. Ah ha! Her hind leg had fallen asleep! After a few good shakes and stomps on the ground the pins and needs must have subsided and she put full weight on it and came over for treats.
(Left to Right) Faye, Cotton, Goliath
I just love caring for horses. Most folks probably don’t know that each one has their own personality just like the cats and dogs we call our pets. It’s the individuality of each horse that I care for that makes me smile every day.
I feed my horses in the indestructible flexible rubber tubs. These tubs are the greatest things since sliced bread, horses can step and invert them, tractors can run over them and they are still in perfect shape when it comes time to feed a meal. That is if you can find them!
This morning I went out to feed breakfast and made my way from tub to tub scooping out grain but this morning I was short one. I looked in all the usual hiding places but alas, my tub had vanished. I felt bad for the last horse in the group, he ended up eating his grain off the snow.
I went about the rest of my chores feeding all the alpacas, tossing out hay and had totally forgotten about the missing tub. That was until it came time to water everyone. The horses have a 100 gallon stock tank for their water supply and it needs refilling once or twice a day depending on how much hay the fatties eat. I came out with the hose to fill up the tank and to my surprise there was the missing tub.
My absent tub was floating perfectly on the surface of the water in the tank and looked like a little boat. The only conclusion I could come up with is that the 3 year old Filly Fay, had placed it so gently and perfectly in there after getting thirsty.
Fay really likes the feed tubs and they seem to act as a pacifier. She likes to pick one up and happily walks around with it in her mouth. It seemed that last night she had wandered around with her tub, got thirsty and placed the tub on the water to take a drink. I sure got a good laugh finding the rubber tub boat floating in there.
Extracting the tub, I shook off the water and tossed it back out with the others in the paddock. Of course Fay immediately had to investigate and picked up her trusty tub and wandered off with it. I wonder where I’ll find it tomorrow.
Looking for something to do tomorrow morning? Check out the GVEquine Winter Horse Health Seminar. Large vendor area promoting, local organizations, feed, farriers, large animal rescue and more.
Where: Wheatland-Chili High School at 940 North Road in Scottsville
When: Saturday February 6, 2010, 8:00 am to 12:30 pm
Speaker: Dr Amy Grace and Dr Susan Fubini
For more information visit GVEquine.com
The thermometer is below freezing, the wind is whipping up and riding in a storm is the last thing you want to do. However, warm horse bodies nestled in stalls are keeping the barn comfortably warm to work in. The question is what can you do with your horse indoors to keep both of you entertained. My answer? Clicker training!
The simplest of tricks to teach is “target” and it is the backbone to all clicker training. The idea is simple, have your horse touch a target with their nose on command. I personally like using a tennis ball skewered on the end of a whip, crop or carrot stick. My treat of choice is hay stretcher. You can pick up a 50lb bag for about $10 at your feed store. Horses love the stuff and I feel good about giving them treats knowing they aren’t fatty molasses cookies.
Step 1 – Associate a Click with a Treat
This part is easy work for the horse. Click and give a treat. Only do this 3-4 times. Horses are smart and pickup quickly that a click noise equals treat.
Step 2 – Introduce the target
Bring in your target and hold it about 2-3 feet in front of your horse’s muzzle. Curiosity will get the better of your horse and they’ll want to sniff the tennis ball. As soon as their muzzle touches the ball, click and treat. Repeat until the horse figures out that they have to touch the target to get a treat. Some catch on quick, others will keep trying to dig into your pockets for cookies. Be patient.
Step 3 – Introduce the word target
We tell young horses to woah, walk on, trot, gee and haw so now it’s time to associate a word to touching the ball. Best word to use is, target. Repeat the steps above but this time don’t click and treat until you tell the horse “target” and then they touch the ball.
Step 4 – Target stretches
A target right in front of the nose is easy, now try moving your target. Raise it up and ask your horse to reach to touch it or lower it down to the ground. Use the target to ask your horse to bend and stretch in new directions. This is not a dance, have your horse keep their feet still and not be tempted to walk around to chase the target yet. Besides you’re in a stall or aisle way, there’s not much room to move!
These steps are the basics of clicker training. Some horses pick it up quickly while others might take a few weeks of work. Be sure to keep your sessions short 10-15 minutes. Always end on a good note and know when to stop before the thinking part of your horse’s brain shuts down. The rewards of working with your horse doing simple tricks are worth the effort.
Stay warm and have fun!
Tags: clicker training horse, horse bend, horse bendings, horse stretches, horse stretching, horse training, teaching horse tricks, trick training horse
Does your barn look like mine? You have an old feed bag or muck bucket that just collects baling twine each time you feed hay? If you really are like me, you pay close attention to how you take off the twine. I ultimately try to remove the twine without cutting it but if I must cut it I do so as close to the knot as possible just in case I find a use for my bucket-o-twine later.
I thought I’d share with you some things that I do to recycle my twine.
- Hold up a broken gate
- Tie down a tarp over a cattle panel to make a shelter
- Braided into a wisp to groom a horse
- Tie up horse tails into mud knots or to hold a braid
- Fix horse blankets
- Tie panels together for a temporary catch pen
- Chain some together to make a herding tape to round alpacas up
- Braid into leashes and lead ropes – bit itchy on the hands but good in a pinch
- Use as a break-away for cross ties or trailer ties
- Woven, knotted or crocheted into door mats
- Above mats wrapped around a post or on a wall for horses to scratch on
- Use in the garden for peas and tomatoes
- I have organic twine and it makes great kindling for fires
What do you do with your twine? I’d love to see your comments.
Tags: bailing twine, baler twine, baling twine, recycle baling twine, recycle twine, things to make out of baling twine, uses for baling twine, what to do with baling twine
I got a flyer about CountryMax’s Saddle & Tack Consignment Sale
Where: Farmington Store
When: Feb 19th – 20th
Consignment deadline is February 16th. Forms are available in stores or online
Since the weather has not been the greatest for riding I find myself spending these winter months doing little projects and my latest one I thought I’d share with you.
I know this is “English” leather country but I’m a cowgirl at heart and love the feel of a mecate or rope reins in my hands. The weight and lay of a good rope cannot be beat in my book and I decided to make one for myself.
Since I raise alpacas it seemed only fitting to make my new reins out of alpaca. Each cord I used to braid with is made up of 8 strands spun fiber (or yarn) this part requires a rope machine. Each cord is made up of 8 strands; 2 strands per hook; a total of 4 hooks. These strands are kept under even tension and twisted counter clockwise up to 15% shrinkage and then counter spun clockwise around one another creating a rope cord. I made 6 of these cords and a 7th to use as a core.
Since I’m still new to rope making I haven’t yet mastered the art of twisting cords around a core into rope. So I opted to do a 6 plait round braid around the core, back braided scissor snaps on each end and left the fringe on to a little character.
I hope you enjoy my finished product! Now I just need Mother Nature to behave so I can get out and use them!
Great video of how horsehair mecates are made.
My rope machine isn’t nearly as fancy.
Please visit Back At The Ranch
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Tags: alpaca reins, Braided rope reins, making rope reins, twisting rope reins
Most of our horses here in WNY are built for the cold. They are very fuzzy this time of year with thick winter coats to keep them warm in sub zero temperatures. These winter coats are great for battling the cold but not so great for exercising under saddle. Often just a light ride with friends out on the trail can work up a sweat for your horse. Be sure to care for your equine friend the right way after your ride.
- End you ride with a nice long walk on a road or packed snow if possible. Just walking through deep snow is quite a workout. Your horse can get pretty warm even with a simple walking ride.
- A sweaty horse after a ride is a cold horse. Do your best to dry your horse off and use a fleece cooler to help draw the moisture away from their body while keeping them warm. Do not turn your horse out until they are dry! Because of the cold it will take longer than normal for a horse to dry off. Be prepared to have your horse cooling off in a stall for 1-2 hours after your ride before they are dry enough for turn out.
- Clipping your horse. Depending on how much winter riding you do you might find it beneficial to clip your horse. This will help them regulate their temperatures better during winter work so they aren’t prone to sweating. Just be sure to follow proper blanket management for the type of clip chose for your horse.
- Offer warm water. Hot horse drinking cold water could cause colic. Wait until your horse cools down and offer them heated water. Either boil some in a teapot and add to a bucket or better yet use heated buckets!
- Dehydrated horse? Believe it or not most horses like Gatorade (mine like orange flavor). The sweetness of a few scoops of Gatorade in their water bucket entices them to drink up and the added electrolytes help their system rebalance.
Winter riding is a blast and there is nothing more beautiful than enjoying a fresh snow on a crisp winter morning. Ride Safe.
Tags: clipping a horse, clipping your horse, cooling a horse off, dehydrated horse, horse, horse cooler, horse drinking, horses, horses in snow, how to cool off a horse, riding in snow, trail riding, warm water horse, Winter riding tips
So you want to enjoy your horse during the winter months but every time you hit the trials your horse’s hooves fill up with hard snow making the bottom of their feet look like a snow cone. Not the safest of situations.
There are several ways to keep the snow from packing up in your horse’s feet.
Cooking or Silicone Spray – This offers a temporary solution and is really easy to apply. Just pick up the foot, brush it clean and spay. Usually this method will prevent the snow from packing up in the hoof for 5-10 minutes.
Full Hoof Snow Pad – Made of hard plastic
Pros – You will never have to worry about snow building up in the hoof, period!
Cons – You can’t see the hoof! What’s going on under there
Silicone Snow Pad – A ring of silicone that fits between the hoof and the shoe.
Cons – This pad still can allow snow to build up if it packs up under the pad and is horrendous to clean during mud season
Horse Hoof Boots – My personal favorite Choose your style and manufacturer there’s tons of them out there. Your horse can still be turned out barefoot and strap the boots on when you need them. I personally like the Old Mac’s because of the hiking boot type tread that is on the bottom which gives better grip.
Tags: get snow out of horse feet, get snow out of horse hoof, hoof care, horse care, horse feet snow, horse hoof snow, horse shoes, horse tips, horseback trail riding, horsebackriding in winter, riding in the winter, shoeing horses, snow horse hoof, snow horses hoof, snowball hooves, snowballs hoof, trail riding, winter riding
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