I love the photos of the old west. They give such insight into the American Old West. Below is a photo of Deadwood in 1876. It is there busy mainstreet, Deadwood was less than a year old when the photo was taken.
1 1/4" width heavy single ply 11/12 ounce or Soft Chap lined double and sewn Harness Leather Hobble crafted from premium Hermann Oak Leather. This Hobble is crafted with a single ring center (ring has a hand braided wrap of rawhide) stainless steel buckles in smooth polished (sample on right) or cowboy shaped engraved (sample on left). Traditional Buckaroo look designed to be easily carried on your saddle for quick use when needed.
Regular Price: $59.75 Sale Price $49.75 You Save: $10.00
Farah DeJohnette....Tail Swishing
I thought it would be good to look into this particular body language in horses a bit more closely. I find it discussed quite a bit and thought I'd share my experience with it.
Horses and cats share a common expression with their tails with the exception of horses also obviously use their tails for fly protection as well as communication. I have observed horses tail swishing for a number of reasons.
Annoyance
Pain
Dominance
Communication with other horses or animals
unique momentary communications
Frustration
In order to understand the source of the swishing and the communication behind it. I usually observe very carefully the exact time the tail swishing occurs.
Read more of Farah's insightful article on Tail Swishing please click the button below......
Al Dunning......Horse Trainer
Arizona horseman, Al Dunning, has owned and operated his "Almosta Ranch" since 1970. The Quarter Horse training facility is in Scottsdale, Arizona.
He began riding horses with his sisters and went on to further his talents with mentors such as Jim Paul, John Hoyt and Don Dodge.
Al Dunning is a horse trainer with many years of experience and below is a few training tips for your working cowhorse.
Schooling with Style and Purpose
When and how to school your show horse to get the results you want...
The majority of show horses will only perform at their peak for a given period of time. Eventually their performance will decline or their attention to the rider's cues and desires will diminish. Because of this inevitable factor, schooling in the show arena is sometimes necessary. The following are few overlying guidelines that should be followed no matter the discipline.
1- Do not use up much more time than what it would take to complete the normal pattern or run. 2- Be humane. Abuse will not be tolerated. 3- Be respectful to the judge, the rules, and most importantly, the welfare of your horse.
Now when you get into specific events and disciplines such as reining, cutting, or working cowhorse, there are correct behaviors to remember when schooling your show horse in each event.
Working Cowhorse
In the cow work portion, sometimes you will draw a hard to work cow or your horse will be pushy or chargy. In these cases, here are some possible schooling suggestions.
1- When boxing the cow, keep your horse straight and make him hold the stop longer before turning.
2- When starting down then fence, check your horse back or stop when he becomes chargy or doesn't rate the cow well.
3- If your horse wants to drop his shoulder and dive toward the cow, stop him straight next to the cow and make a square, 180 degree turn.
4- Keep his shoulder up while circling the cow to keep him balanced and straight.
I hope these tips will give you some insight into what is appropriate when schooling is necessary. It is difficult to keep a horse at his peak, time and time again. Just remember to use your common sense. You are at a show and spectators and judges are always evaluating your actions. Think of your horse's well-being. It's not always what you do to correct your horse, but how you do it that is most important. School with style and purpose and your horse's show pen habits will stay sharp.
Visit Al Dunnings website
and sign up for his free newsletter where you can read more of the above tips.....
Facebook has a great group of horseman and women, called The Greatest Horseman's Group. You can post video's or photos of your horse and you can receive a review from your peers about training issues and performance. One of the participants of the group is Chelsie Kallestad. She is a Natural Horsemanship Clinician.
Chelsie Kallestad
is a Natural Horsemanship Clinician, and she appears internationally offering Natural Horsemanship Clinics, Private Lessons, and Horse Training.
The 5 Components of Chelsie Natural Horsemanship are: Lightness, Politeness, Patience, Consistency, Confidence in Both People and Horses.
Chelsie works to create a learning environment in which her students feel safe and relaxed.
Jeannie and her husband own J Bar B Ranch in Texas. Jeannie has been around horses all her life and loves to share her knowledge of horsemanship with fellow horsemen and women. Jeannie writes a blog about many aspects of horsemanship, including basic riding horsemanship, cattle work, groundwork, healthy horse/healthy rider and many more subjects.
Visit her informative blog and sign up for emails. You can also follow her facebook
and twitter.
Below is one of her posts on "Heat can be hard on your horse: help your horse beat the heat"
Heat Can be Hard on Your Horse: Help Your Horse Beat the Heat
Horses are well-equipped to handle high temperatures and humidity if left in their natural environment, but when we confine our horses we interfere with their natural defenses and heat can be hard on your horse. When the weather is hot we need to pay special attention to their needs. Stalled horses need to have access to five to ten gallons of fresh clean water at all times. I prefer using five-gallon buckets or troughs rather than automatic watering systems since these systems don't allow monitoring on your horse and his water intake. Plus, some horses like to take deep drinks rather than sip their water, and most automatic water systems force horses to sip water. Another disadvantage of automatic systems is that they don't allow the chlorine gas to escape from treated water. Some horses dislike drinking chlorinated water and the chlorine can negatively affect the bacteria in the horse's gut. If your horse normally drinks from an automatic water system, try hanging an extra water bucket in his stall or pen during the hot summer months and see if he drinks from it. Keep the water as cool as possible as this will help your horse cool down when he drinks and also encourage him to drink more. I have never tried adding ice to my horse's water bucket, but I know that I personally prefer ice water in the summer.
Read more of this article by clicking on the blue button below..
