When you want to find a horse to buy you want list to find a horse that is right for you. You want to make sure that the temperament is good, that the horse is sound and that he is healthy before you buy. Horse sellers who are advertising online will often include good, clear photos and lots of information. Whether you buy horses online, through classifieds or through a friend, an honest seller will gladly answer any questions that you may have when you let them know you may buy horses from them. If the seller seems to dodge certain questions, such as, has the horse ever foundered? Then you need to look a little harder or perhaps elsewhere for your horse.
You can often buy horse tack in the same places that you can buy a horse. If you want to buy horses online, there is usually a section devoted to tack, feed, hay, trailers and other equipment. In print classifieds it tends to be all lumped under one category such as “horses” or “livestock.” You may be able to find a horse for sale, but he may be buried among ads for trailers and cows. Quite often, online searching is the way to go for a fast, easy and organized way to find a horse. Another perk to buying online is that many sites offer ratings for both buyer and seller. This allows both parties to research the other to ensure a safer, more secure sale. A seller with good ratings is more likely to be honest about the condition of the horse and more helpful in facilitating the sale while a buyer with good ratings is more likely to come through and be a serious buyer. The rating system is also an incentive for buyers and sellers to conduct business in an ethical manner.
There are some very important and crucial questions to ask the seller when you set out to buy your horse, whether you buy horses online, from the print classifieds or from a breeder. For instance, you should know if your horse has ever foundered, if he kicks or bites, if he trailers well. Also, ask if he has ever had colic or, more importantly, has a tendency to colic. Ask if he has been stabled with other horses, in a public stable or by himself. When was the last time he was seen by a vet? Is he current with his vaccines and worming? Has he had a recent negative coggins pulled (more prevalent in southern states)? When was the last time he was ridden? Is he green-broke? What type of tack has been used on him? English? Western? These are just some basic questions to get you going. If you do not know what these terms mean or why they are important, then you need to research and learn about them before you own a horse. Also create a list of personal preference questions that you want to ask such as how is the horse with children or how tall is he? When you find a horse that fits your needs you will walk into the sale as educated as possible on the animal. You can buy horse equipment and buy horses online as a convenient option when you decide to add a horse to your family.
If you are further interested in looking to buy a horse online please visit http://www.horsegalore.com/ as there are many horses for sale and rescue horses available.
About The Author
Shannon Margolis Owner Marketing Coordinator http://www.horsegalore.com/
View their website at: http://www.horsegalore.com/
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Gymnastic to Increase Your Horse's Flexibility
This exercise from eventing coach Jim Wofford's book Gymnastics: Systematic Training for Jumping Horses will help you increase your horse's gymnastic ability, balance and flexibility using cavalletti poles.
Editor's Note: This technique is one of 23 gymnastics designed to improve your horse's jumping skills that Wofford describes in his illustrated book, Gymnastics: Systematic Training for Jumping Horses.
After you have warmed your horse up at the walk, trot and canter, then trot into the exercise marked A in the sketch at right. Cavalletti set at this distance (4 ft., 6 in. apart) will produce a working trot for most horses.
These exercises are all designed for horses with some jumping experience. If your horse is extremely green he probably should not be attempting this exercise yet. However, if he is slightly inexperienced or is an experienced jumper but has not done much work over cavalletti you can pull the first and the third poles in towards the center line of the arena. This will produce a 9 ft. (2.7 m) distance between two poles. Horses find this exercise easier and will soon become stable and regular at the trot, which is always your goal. You can then put the four poles together and work in both directions over four of them on the ground. After you have established your horse's balance and rhythm here you can proceed to the curved poles in B.
At the posting trot, proceed on a circle in either direction through B. Keep your horse's direction adjusted so that the length of his step on the curve feels the same as it did over A.
Once you and your horse have become adept at this you can then start to enter, for example, closer to the 3 ft (90 cm) end of the poles where the distance is shorter and then let the horse angle away from the center of the circle. This will cause your horse to go from a working trot to a medium trot or possibly, if your angle becomes too great, even take a couple of steps of extended trot. If your horse takes two steps between the poles or breaks into a canter, you have probably asked too much flexibility from him. Aim closer to the 3 ft (90 cm) end of the curve, and enter B again at the posting trot.
Alternatively, you can enter from the outside of B, where the rails are farther apart. This will cause your horse to take quite a large step at first. Angle in towards the 3 ft (90 cm) distance between the last two poles. This will bring your horse back to a working trot or even a slightly collected trot. Having worked in both directions over B, including being able to angle both ways, you can then proceed to C.
The poles positioned at C, set at 5 ft. (1.5 m) apart, will produce the sensation of extended trot, and you may find that your horse cannot reach enough in his fourth step to get out over the last pole without "chipping in" an additional step. Simply remove the last pole and continue. You will find that, after a couple of days' work over cavalletti, your horse gets the message and you can replace the fourth pole. You should work in both directions over the 5 ft (1.5 m) poles at C until your horse can maintain his regularity and length of step. After a short break proceed to D.
These four rails on the ground, set at 4 ft. (1.2 m) apart, will produce a collected trot. Although these exercises can be ridden either posting or sitting, you should definitely use rising trot until your horse becomes adjusted to them. Again, work both ways through D until your horse is relaxed and steady in his balance and rhythm. He should be able to deal with the rails without any interruption in the flow of his movement, changing only the length of his step to adapt to the various distances that you have put in his path.
After another break you can now link these four elements together in order to produce various transitions that will be of great benefit in teaching your horse to be flexible. For example, enter A on the right hand in a working trot, where the rails are 4 ft., 6 in. (1.35 m) apart. As you leave A, turn right in such a fashion that you produce an arc through B which causes your horse to change the length of his step from working to collected trot. In other words, you would enter exercise B from the outside in. This will put your horse in a slightly collected frame. Proceed directly then to C, which will produce an extended trot. After the extended trot at C, turn right and enter the shorter cavalletti at D.
If your horse has difficulty with this you can do A, B and C as I have described and then in posting trot circle (or repeat a circle until your horse has settled down to working trot), turn and enter D, thus producing a collected trot. If you have successfully done this, walk, reward your horse and let him relax and consider his effort while you plan your next series of repetitions through these exercises. When you resume the posting trot, work in both directions and vary the relationship between the exercises to improve and confirm your horse's flexibility.
Take a moment to remind yourself of your horse's bad habits. If your horse tends to rush at the trot, he will not need too many applications of C. He should come from outside in rather than from inside out at B, as this will cause him to continually re-balance and collect his step rather than rushing forward. If, on the other hand, your horse is choppy-strided or lazy, a bit more emphasis on C and a few more repetitions at B, going from inside out, will teach him to lengthen his step.
The total amount of exercise over these rails in any one period should not exceed 45 minutes, including the periods of rest between exercises. These exercises will fit comfortably in a 75 ft. x 150 ft. (22.8 m x 45.7 m) arena.
Be sure to check out Jim Wofford's new column "Cross Country with Jim Wofford" in the May 2006 issue of Practical Horseman as he tackles the question: "What makes a great event horse?"
Wofford has represented the U.S. in eventing at three Olympics and two World Championships
About The Author
Shannon Margolis Owner / Marketing Coordinator http://www.horsegalore.com/ View their website at: http://www.horsegalore.com/
Editor's Note: This technique is one of 23 gymnastics designed to improve your horse's jumping skills that Wofford describes in his illustrated book, Gymnastics: Systematic Training for Jumping Horses.
After you have warmed your horse up at the walk, trot and canter, then trot into the exercise marked A in the sketch at right. Cavalletti set at this distance (4 ft., 6 in. apart) will produce a working trot for most horses.
These exercises are all designed for horses with some jumping experience. If your horse is extremely green he probably should not be attempting this exercise yet. However, if he is slightly inexperienced or is an experienced jumper but has not done much work over cavalletti you can pull the first and the third poles in towards the center line of the arena. This will produce a 9 ft. (2.7 m) distance between two poles. Horses find this exercise easier and will soon become stable and regular at the trot, which is always your goal. You can then put the four poles together and work in both directions over four of them on the ground. After you have established your horse's balance and rhythm here you can proceed to the curved poles in B.
At the posting trot, proceed on a circle in either direction through B. Keep your horse's direction adjusted so that the length of his step on the curve feels the same as it did over A.
Once you and your horse have become adept at this you can then start to enter, for example, closer to the 3 ft (90 cm) end of the poles where the distance is shorter and then let the horse angle away from the center of the circle. This will cause your horse to go from a working trot to a medium trot or possibly, if your angle becomes too great, even take a couple of steps of extended trot. If your horse takes two steps between the poles or breaks into a canter, you have probably asked too much flexibility from him. Aim closer to the 3 ft (90 cm) end of the curve, and enter B again at the posting trot.
Alternatively, you can enter from the outside of B, where the rails are farther apart. This will cause your horse to take quite a large step at first. Angle in towards the 3 ft (90 cm) distance between the last two poles. This will bring your horse back to a working trot or even a slightly collected trot. Having worked in both directions over B, including being able to angle both ways, you can then proceed to C.
The poles positioned at C, set at 5 ft. (1.5 m) apart, will produce the sensation of extended trot, and you may find that your horse cannot reach enough in his fourth step to get out over the last pole without "chipping in" an additional step. Simply remove the last pole and continue. You will find that, after a couple of days' work over cavalletti, your horse gets the message and you can replace the fourth pole. You should work in both directions over the 5 ft (1.5 m) poles at C until your horse can maintain his regularity and length of step. After a short break proceed to D.
These four rails on the ground, set at 4 ft. (1.2 m) apart, will produce a collected trot. Although these exercises can be ridden either posting or sitting, you should definitely use rising trot until your horse becomes adjusted to them. Again, work both ways through D until your horse is relaxed and steady in his balance and rhythm. He should be able to deal with the rails without any interruption in the flow of his movement, changing only the length of his step to adapt to the various distances that you have put in his path.
After another break you can now link these four elements together in order to produce various transitions that will be of great benefit in teaching your horse to be flexible. For example, enter A on the right hand in a working trot, where the rails are 4 ft., 6 in. (1.35 m) apart. As you leave A, turn right in such a fashion that you produce an arc through B which causes your horse to change the length of his step from working to collected trot. In other words, you would enter exercise B from the outside in. This will put your horse in a slightly collected frame. Proceed directly then to C, which will produce an extended trot. After the extended trot at C, turn right and enter the shorter cavalletti at D.
If your horse has difficulty with this you can do A, B and C as I have described and then in posting trot circle (or repeat a circle until your horse has settled down to working trot), turn and enter D, thus producing a collected trot. If you have successfully done this, walk, reward your horse and let him relax and consider his effort while you plan your next series of repetitions through these exercises. When you resume the posting trot, work in both directions and vary the relationship between the exercises to improve and confirm your horse's flexibility.
Take a moment to remind yourself of your horse's bad habits. If your horse tends to rush at the trot, he will not need too many applications of C. He should come from outside in rather than from inside out at B, as this will cause him to continually re-balance and collect his step rather than rushing forward. If, on the other hand, your horse is choppy-strided or lazy, a bit more emphasis on C and a few more repetitions at B, going from inside out, will teach him to lengthen his step.
The total amount of exercise over these rails in any one period should not exceed 45 minutes, including the periods of rest between exercises. These exercises will fit comfortably in a 75 ft. x 150 ft. (22.8 m x 45.7 m) arena.
Be sure to check out Jim Wofford's new column "Cross Country with Jim Wofford" in the May 2006 issue of Practical Horseman as he tackles the question: "What makes a great event horse?"
Wofford has represented the U.S. in eventing at three Olympics and two World Championships
About The Author
Shannon Margolis Owner / Marketing Coordinator http://www.horsegalore.com/ View their website at: http://www.horsegalore.com/
Thursday, August 10, 2006
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