Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2019 i Horse & Rider

I want to introduce you to the little girl in this photo. She’s 11, and after years of scraping together every last penny to lease a pony for the summers, her parents finally bought her a 2-year-old Paso Fino/Welsh cross out of the classified section of her hometown newspaper in the Kiski River Valley of Western Pennsylvania. She named that pony Boogie, and after getting bucked off and scraped off on trees for six months, with her horse trainer-friend’s help, she’s finally got Boogie “ready” to go try the walk-trot classes at a local show. Her parents hooked up their old Suburban to their two-horse stock trailer (that they also found in the classifieds for $1,500), and despite the downpour, hauled her to her very first show on her very…

1. Insect Barrier Wound Care A wound-care gel that forms a physical barrier to insects, protecting your horse’s difficult-to-bandage wounds from bugs. $42.99; curicyn.com. 2. Mosquito Mesh Fly Sheet A fly sheet designed with a fine window screen mesh to protect from the smallest bugs, with an adjustable neck and shoulder fit so your horse is always comfortable. $164.99; sstack.com. 3. Dual Defense Pack light on your next trail ride with an insect repellent that offers 12-hour protection from bugs and can be used on the whole family—horse and human. $17.95; farnam.com.…

An overbridled horse is flexed too much through his neck and poll, curling his nose toward his chest. In some of today’s events, horses can sometimes wind up overbridled, and if you want to go on and show them in an event like ranch riding or cowboy dressage, you’re going to have to undo that tendency to over-flex. I’m going to show you how to accomplish that. The horse in the photos is one my wife and I acquired in 2017 when he was 13 and could overbridle to the point of bringing his nose right to his chest if you had to pick up on the reins during a run. We helped this with a lot of exercises like the one shown, with the result that my wife showed…

As riders have evolved and specialized in different Western events, saddlemakers have become more sophisticated, too. Now there are all kinds of discipline-specific saddle elements and customizations for multiple events. A saddle’s seat and cantle play a major role in determining a saddle’s type and influencing your ability to ride more effectively. For example, say you ordinarily ride a seat like that in Photo 4. If you’re practicing your reined work and stopping and need to sit deeply, it would be difficult to accomplish in that saddle. But if you were in a saddle like the one in Photo 2, you’d have much better success sinking deep into the saddle. Choosing a saddle is similar to choosing a car: When you go car shopping, you see a lot that look…

A horse that’s difficult to load and haul is problematic. He’ll make you late to trail rides, lessons, horse shows, and veterinary appointments. Worse, his behavior can also spell disaster. Loading fights can result in injury to you or your horse, and scrambling during transit can create an unsteady trailer, a distracted driver, and, ultimately, an ugly traffic accident. You can hardly blame a horse for being reluctant to load and haul. Stepping into a box not much larger than his body and riding quietly in bouncy confinement goes directly against his nature. Fortunately, there are methods of improving unwanted trailering behaviors. I’m going to share some common scenarios related to loading and hauling, explain possible causes of the behaviors, and provide solutions so you can help resolve your horse’s…

A well-trained therapist can be a critical member of your horse’s health-care team. Selecting a therapist can be challenging, however, as few rules exist to regulate equine massage and bodywork. That means making a good decision requires research on your part. Here are questions you should ask. 1. What training have you had? Answers to this question are likely to range from “my farrier taught me, and he’s a really good guy,” to “I’m certified by a program that requires courses in anatomy and physiology, has veterinarians on their faculty, and administers testing prior to certification by that school.” Be aware that even if the therapist attended a “school,” the amount and quality of training ranges from a weekend course to years of study. Take time to check out the…

M&M Acres M&M Acres is an established 501(c)3 organization dedicated to equine and farm animal rescue and rehabilitation. Located in Lockport, Illinois, M&M Acres’ mission is to inspire and educate the community while providing second chances for these animals. By working with the local community, multiple rescue groups, and slaughter pens, M&M Acres removes farm animals from neglectful, inhumane, and abusive situations, and offers an environment for last-chance surrender cases. While some animals receive sanctuary status, M&M strives to regain trust, train the untrained, and prepare these animals for their forever homes. Learn more at mnmacres.com. A Home For Every Horse This content was provided by A Home For Every Horse, a resource for non-profit horse rescues, sanctuaries, and care facilities. Rescue organizations involved with A Home For Every Horse…

#HORSELIFEIRL nichole_leigh4 On Fridays we ride until the sun sets. #horselife #horselifeirl #trailriding #horses #trailhorse #coloradoliving #equestrian #howtoendtheworkweek Tag your Instagram photos #HorseLifeIRL (In Real Life) for a chance to see your post here! FUN ON FACEBOOK We shared the article, ‘Why Kids Should Ride,’ on Facebook; here’s what some of our fans had to say about it. Devin Tetreau I'm pregnant now and plan to get my child into riding young. I started at 12, so I've been riding 22 years. It’s a lifelong passion, and while kids around us were getting into trouble, my best friend and I would stay at the barn all day. When we'd get home from the barn, we'd set up jump courses to canter around, and go out on "trail rides" behind our…

KNOWING HOW TO USE YOUR REIN HAND TO GUIDE ONE-HANDED IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF WESTERN RIDING, no matter the discipline. When you’re steering your horse, you want to be able to take a hold of his face and move him over in either direction with the help of a neck rein, which is why it’s important that you pay attention to how you hold your hand. When you’re riding in a one-handed bridle, you ask your horse to turn by neck reining. However, if you don’t know where to keep your hand when you’re guiding your horse, you could be ineffective with your cue. If you constantly ride with your hand left or right of center, you’re unknowingly giving mixed signals to your horse. If you keep your hand…

Horse people offer all kinds of advice about how to cool down an overheated horse. And much of that advice is steeped in centuries of tradition that’s hard to break. But science tells us that many of those traditions simply aren’t correct. Here, I’ll give you a short quiz to see how your own cool-down routines stack up against solid research. Then I’ll explain the science behind each current recommendation. You might be surprised by what you discover. COOL-DOWN QUIZ Take this quiz to test your cool-down knowledge, then see the answers on page 70 to see how you fared. QUESTION #1: When your horse is hot and sweaty, he’ll need hosing down. What’s the safest approach? (a) Wait until he dries, then hose him down to remove the crusty,…

If you must tug the lead rope or tap with a whip to get forward movement from your horse, you’ll be even less likely to succeed at an obstacle, such as a stream, bridge, tarp—or trailer. Here’s a straightforward method to establish a reliable go-forward response. 1. Stand next to your haltered horse, then walk on without pressure on the lead rope. 2. If he doesn’t step forward with you, guide him forward with your hand on the lead rope but without applying pressure to his halter. 3. If he still doesn’t step forward, place just enough contact on the rope to create slight pressure on his halter, then wait patiently. Keep the light pressure on until he releases it himself by stepping forward. Keep the pressure off, allow him…

If you’re interested in the Western movies filmed in Kanab, Utah, don’t miss the Western Legends Roundup (westernlegendsroundup.com). Held every August, this event celebrates the Old West and Kanab’s Hollywood heritage. Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, The Lone Ranger, Have Gun Will Travel, and more were filmed in the area. At the festival, you’ll enjoy Western music and entertainment, meet Western movie stars and stunt performers, and peruse Western-themed exhibits. You can also ride your own horse in a wagon train for four days and three nights through John Wayne country, then saddle up for the parade on the event’s last day.…

Take tech with you while on the trail and horse camping? Don’t equestrian adventures mean “unplugging” to get away from today’s ever-present technology? After all, you find the sounds of nature more calming than cellphone alerts. But wait—you likely carry your cellphone in case something goes awry and use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to help you find your way. On long rides and overnight trips, you need a portable battery charger to keep these devices up and running. You also need a protective case and holder for each device. Are you ever caught on the trail after dark? Trail lights can help when your ride runs later than planned. Do you enjoy music, either on the trail or in camp? Durable Bluetooth speakers will deliver the soundtrack to…

JUST ASK ANNIE! Wondering what’s worth using—plus how to use it—in your everyday horse life? Just ask Annie, the knowledgable horse girl, by tuning in to her entertaining and educational AskAnnie Podcast. It’s part of the new Equine Podcast Network, brought to you by the folks who publish your favorite horse magazines, including Horse&Rider. Also available: DiseaseDuJour, the podcast that delves into research and best practices on your most pressing equine health problems. Learn more at bit.ly/equinepodcastnetwork. Have You Seen It? Warwick Schiller, author of H&R’s Problem Solved series online at HorseandRider.com, is among scores of talented horsemen and -women featured in Listening to the Horse, a documentary series by award-winning Irish filmmaker Elaine Heney. The series seeks to answer the question, “If horses could talk, what would they say?”…

The summer months mean more time spent in the sunshine and longer days at the barn, but they also mean more bugs to protect your horse from. If your horse is sensitive to the sun and easily bothered by flies, but spends a majority of the time in a pasture, try a fly sheet like the SmartPak Deluxe Fly Sheet ($89.95; smartpakequine.com). This fly sheet is made from a breathable mesh to keep bugs off your horse and is designed to block up to 70 percent of harmful UV rays.…

Sometimes a wet/dry cycle is hard to avoid, as when your horse is turned out at night in the summertime and exposed to dew-soaked grass. His hooves then dry out during the heat of the day, creating that wet/dry cycle. One solution is to apply a hoof sealant to the lower two-thirds of his hooves before turnout to lessen the amount of moisture they absorb while exposed to dew. The sealant also helps the hooves to retain their natural moisture inside.…

Here are the underlying mechanisms your horse uses to cool himself down. By knowing how they work, you’ll have a better understanding of current cooling recommendations. Convection: Heat (thermal energy) is carried away from your horse’s body as air flows over his skin, as in response to a cool breeze or fan. Radiation: Heat is lost into the environment because of a difference in temperature between your horse’s body and the surrounding air. Evaporation: Heat is lost when a liquid (sweat) is converted into a vapor. Conduction: Your horse’s warm body comes into contact with something cooler, such as a spray of cold water or an ice bag. The heat then conducts (transfers) to the cooler object. So how do these mechanisms work? Here’s what happens in your horse’s body…

Riding in Utah’s red rock country is spectacular, but conditions and terrain can be challenging. Here are our top planning and riding tips for a safe, comfortable adventure. PLAN WISELY. The best seasons to ride in Southern Utah are spring and fall. If you plan to bring your horse to the Western Legends Roundup in August, take precautions to keep him (and yourself) cool and hydrated. Avoid Moab in mid-April during the town’s four-wheeler jamboree. Call in advance to check camping conditions. CONDITION YOUR HORSE. Condition your horse for desert riding, which will include traversing rocks, riding through deep sand, and navigating hills. SCHEDULE THE FARRIER. Get new shoes for your horse, or, if you use hoof boots, have him trimmed just before you go. Hoof protection should be able…

Most horses that come to us arrive in trailers. Sometimes, we drive to pick them up—10, 150, even 1,500 miles—and sometimes, they’re delivered by a hauler. One horse walked to us. It’s a Friday. As I walk out the barn door to check water troughs, I see two men walking a horse up the driveway. This horse is clearly in pain; he can barely walk. We live in a highly suburban area, and I know the next closest barn is at least a mile away. This horse has clearly walked a long distance—too long for a horse in his condition, every step filled with pain. “Do you want him?” one of the men asks. “He’s a kid’s horse.” Even before the words have finished coming out of their mouths, I…