We have all heard old timers say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
I cannot disagree more. Over the years, I've had many dogs and always more than one at a time. They have been different breeds and have ranged from large breed (Rottweiler) to very small breed (Yorkshire Terrier). Presently, my heart belongs to the Pomeranian. In any case, quite a few of my dogs have been rescues from the Humane Society; every rescue was an adult dog.
My dogs, in each case, fit right in and blend with the pack. They assimilate commands and almost immediately "speak the language of the household."
Over the years, I have exclusively used single German word commands on my dogs. I also teach my dogs to take food only from the left hand, never from the right hand. (a stranger trying to gain access to home or property is likely to offer meat chunks with the right hand.) The dogs are taught to disregard any kind of treat if offered by the incorrect hand.
Having said all that, my older adult dogs are absorbed into the household quickly and easily, learn my words, my language, my habits, and become cherished members of the pack almost from the start. Here is how I do it:
1. Use only one word to give your command.
I use these words to this day: "Gasschen," to potty train; "Fresschen" to give them supper; "hier" to ask them to come; "Bitte" to ask (beg) and so on. Within several days, each dog would go gasschen, fresschen, hier, and bitte, whatever. They'd actually enjoy doing so.
It really does not matter what words or language you use to train your adult older dog (or puppy) as long as they are consistent, repetitive and easy to understand. Example: My dogs love to ride in the car - the word "Ride" starts an epidemic of wagging tails. Likewise, if I say "Squirrel," the dogs stampede to the bird feeders to chase away the four-legged intruders.
2. Let your adult dog please you.
Adult dogs are more settled and responsive than young puppies by their nature and maturity. They aim to please and, I believe, rescues even try to show their thanks. Watch body language and the tail. When the older dog is paying attention, he is focused entirely on you, is alert, has tail going a mile a minute - that is the prime time to ask for the behavior and lavishly reward each correct response.
3. Give rewards and heaps of praise.
Good behavior and responses deserve a treat and praise and pats and more praise. Since adult dogs are so eager to please, it takes no time at all to get their attention, establish rapport and reinforce good behavior.
4. Condition the adult dog.
Exercise, walk, talk, praise and reward - Put together and in just a short amount of time, your older adult dog is the perfect companion.
5. Treat him kindly, always.
If you give the command, expect the dog to obey. Reward. If you give the command and he does not obey, never punish or scold - the absence of praise/reward gets the message across in no time.
6. Teach him tricks.
As your dog learns your nuances and language, try teaching him some advanced tricks. All you need to do is teach him in stages. Reward and praise is the secret. Never scold or punish.
One final word of advice. Give your adult or older dog attention, and lots of it. If you don't have time for a dog or cannot focus some attention on him daily, don't get one! Also, I firmly believe in the saying, "There are no bad dogs, only bad owners."
And a request: I don't mean to preach here, but if your dog has been a member of the family, He is a living, breathing, feeling creature. Treat him well, cherish him for the short time that you have him and live in harmony.
I personally cannot imagine life without at least one dog!
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare and can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Take Awesome Digital Pictures of Your Dog
The digital camera is near the top of my favorite contemporary inventions. Current models, with their many bells and whistles, make digital phototography a snap.
How many of us remember our 35 mm cameras, instant cameras and disposable cameras? If we wanted an instant picture, we used Polaroids. All these cameras were great to be sure, but now we have the current greatest - the digital camera! Nowadays, picture taking is as easy as point, click and instant gratification. What you see is what you get - almost instantly.
Just a word about flash - The Old Gray Mare likes natural lighting most of all. You know your camera, your potential photo locations and how your dog reacts to the flash. Plan accordingly.
Your subject matter can be as varied as your imagination. This article focuses on taking memorable pictures of your dog. (We'll discuss horse pictures at another time since The Old Gray Mare can never leave the horse subject too far behind.)
Prepare your dog for his 5-minutes of digital camera fame
My article focus is Doggie - up close and personal. We're not looking for the Niagara Falls scenic shot that just happens to have Doggie in it too. Instead, we want Doggie to be the star - we want to zoom in on Doggie's adorable face and drop-dead gorgeous body.
If you are looking for candid snaps, leave Doggie in his "every-day look." No need to do anything special. You love him just the way he is so take his picture that way.
Perhaps you want more formal results. Take the time to brush your dog's coat. You might give Doggie a bath and give him a spa experience - bath, brush, pedicure (nail polish?). If Doggie just came home from the beauty salon, he's ready for a portrait. Put on Doggie's best collar.
Maybe Doggie is playing dress up in this photo session. Get him into costume or canine duds. Let this be fun for your dog - many don't want to be in clothes. He needs to think he's having a blast.
Select a location for your photo session
Decide whether you are digitizing in the house, outside or at the beach, park, or whatever location. Gather your props such as favorite toys, Doggie's treats, and anything that will work in your pictures.
Set up for your camera session
If you are headed outdoors, have a natural backdrop in mind. Change locations and backdrops as you get ideas but make Doggie the focal point. Doggie should take up the whole frame.
For indoor shots, a sheepskin thrown over a chair as a backdrop is terrific and works well for the small dog. The sheepskin gives texture and shading, can be blurred in extreme face closeups and does not detract from Doggie with color or pattern. The large breeds photograph well on a sheepskin as well; you just place it on the floor and get down to the dog's level.
In The Old Gray Mare's opinion, one of the best spots in the house for photographing Doggie is at the top of the stairs. The flat surface allows dog posing and is not too intimidating for Doggie - he's already used to this area. It's easy to set up a neutral background behind the dog by draping a cloth, sheet or blanket over a chair or two. Here the dog is not out of his element - he's on the floor, you can hold his attention, and he won't be fearful.
Pose your dog
You may have to practice lots of patience during this step. Doggie knows something different is happening and he's anxious. He may not want to prick his ears. He may be asking to get this over with. It's up to you to make him comfortable. Offer his favorite cookie; pat him lavishly. Never raise your voice or intimidate Doggie in any way. If you yell or push him into positions, he'll remember and won't cooperate now or in the future. Make this a pleasant experience from the start.
Don't concentrate on getting the perfect picture. Let Doggie wonder what you are doing and allow him to change position, expression and attitude on his own. His ears will perk if you squeak his toy.
Be innovative. Take profile shots. Take head on shots. Try one looking down at your dog. If you use the top-of-steps suggestion, get some shots of your dog looking down, extending his neck, reaching for something.
Showcase your dog's tricks
If your dog begs or dances on command - or has a special trick - you've got great opportunities for win-win pictures. Give yourself time and many snaps to get the perfect shot.
Take many pictures
Then be ready to follow your dog with the camera. Snap pictures often, click away, capture anything and everything. Remember - the pictures aren't costing you anything. You might have to take 25 pictures or more to get even one that may be good. If you are lucky, your dog is a ham and all pictures are cute and adorable. I recommend snapping, snapping and snapping some more. Don't even bother to check what you have taken until you download to your computer. Just bring an extra chip or two along during your digital camera session and be prepared to take heaps of pictures.
View your results
You're ready to download. Pop them all onto your computer and then critique. Get rid of any that are out of focus, blurred, poor composition, or show half the dog. Now group, edit and name your files. You can crop and compose the remaining pictures. Once you have done all of this, select a few that are favorites. Show them to Doggie - just kidding!
Print a few
Select the top photos, decide what size suits each picture and print.
Hang in a wall grouping
When you have several top notch pictures of Doggie, why not show them off in a brag spot on the wall. Make a grouping of your own photographic art.
It doesn't get much better than this! With time, a little forethought, patience and your Doggie, you can come up with the most adorable, totally awesome, greatest-ever dog pictures.
This article and horse articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
How many of us remember our 35 mm cameras, instant cameras and disposable cameras? If we wanted an instant picture, we used Polaroids. All these cameras were great to be sure, but now we have the current greatest - the digital camera! Nowadays, picture taking is as easy as point, click and instant gratification. What you see is what you get - almost instantly.
Just a word about flash - The Old Gray Mare likes natural lighting most of all. You know your camera, your potential photo locations and how your dog reacts to the flash. Plan accordingly.
Your subject matter can be as varied as your imagination. This article focuses on taking memorable pictures of your dog. (We'll discuss horse pictures at another time since The Old Gray Mare can never leave the horse subject too far behind.)
Prepare your dog for his 5-minutes of digital camera fame
My article focus is Doggie - up close and personal. We're not looking for the Niagara Falls scenic shot that just happens to have Doggie in it too. Instead, we want Doggie to be the star - we want to zoom in on Doggie's adorable face and drop-dead gorgeous body.
If you are looking for candid snaps, leave Doggie in his "every-day look." No need to do anything special. You love him just the way he is so take his picture that way.
Perhaps you want more formal results. Take the time to brush your dog's coat. You might give Doggie a bath and give him a spa experience - bath, brush, pedicure (nail polish?). If Doggie just came home from the beauty salon, he's ready for a portrait. Put on Doggie's best collar.
Maybe Doggie is playing dress up in this photo session. Get him into costume or canine duds. Let this be fun for your dog - many don't want to be in clothes. He needs to think he's having a blast.
Select a location for your photo session
Decide whether you are digitizing in the house, outside or at the beach, park, or whatever location. Gather your props such as favorite toys, Doggie's treats, and anything that will work in your pictures.
Set up for your camera session
If you are headed outdoors, have a natural backdrop in mind. Change locations and backdrops as you get ideas but make Doggie the focal point. Doggie should take up the whole frame.
For indoor shots, a sheepskin thrown over a chair as a backdrop is terrific and works well for the small dog. The sheepskin gives texture and shading, can be blurred in extreme face closeups and does not detract from Doggie with color or pattern. The large breeds photograph well on a sheepskin as well; you just place it on the floor and get down to the dog's level.
In The Old Gray Mare's opinion, one of the best spots in the house for photographing Doggie is at the top of the stairs. The flat surface allows dog posing and is not too intimidating for Doggie - he's already used to this area. It's easy to set up a neutral background behind the dog by draping a cloth, sheet or blanket over a chair or two. Here the dog is not out of his element - he's on the floor, you can hold his attention, and he won't be fearful.
Pose your dog
You may have to practice lots of patience during this step. Doggie knows something different is happening and he's anxious. He may not want to prick his ears. He may be asking to get this over with. It's up to you to make him comfortable. Offer his favorite cookie; pat him lavishly. Never raise your voice or intimidate Doggie in any way. If you yell or push him into positions, he'll remember and won't cooperate now or in the future. Make this a pleasant experience from the start.
Don't concentrate on getting the perfect picture. Let Doggie wonder what you are doing and allow him to change position, expression and attitude on his own. His ears will perk if you squeak his toy.
Be innovative. Take profile shots. Take head on shots. Try one looking down at your dog. If you use the top-of-steps suggestion, get some shots of your dog looking down, extending his neck, reaching for something.
Showcase your dog's tricks
If your dog begs or dances on command - or has a special trick - you've got great opportunities for win-win pictures. Give yourself time and many snaps to get the perfect shot.
Take many pictures
Then be ready to follow your dog with the camera. Snap pictures often, click away, capture anything and everything. Remember - the pictures aren't costing you anything. You might have to take 25 pictures or more to get even one that may be good. If you are lucky, your dog is a ham and all pictures are cute and adorable. I recommend snapping, snapping and snapping some more. Don't even bother to check what you have taken until you download to your computer. Just bring an extra chip or two along during your digital camera session and be prepared to take heaps of pictures.
View your results
You're ready to download. Pop them all onto your computer and then critique. Get rid of any that are out of focus, blurred, poor composition, or show half the dog. Now group, edit and name your files. You can crop and compose the remaining pictures. Once you have done all of this, select a few that are favorites. Show them to Doggie - just kidding!
Print a few
Select the top photos, decide what size suits each picture and print.
Hang in a wall grouping
When you have several top notch pictures of Doggie, why not show them off in a brag spot on the wall. Make a grouping of your own photographic art.
It doesn't get much better than this! With time, a little forethought, patience and your Doggie, you can come up with the most adorable, totally awesome, greatest-ever dog pictures.
This article and horse articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
Find Online Coupons and Save Money
A whole world of savings awaits the savvy shopper nowadays. If you are a trained coupon saver, this article is for you!
Of course, you can still shop for coupons in your local Sunday newspaper. Or you can purchase the Entertainment Book for your state and/or location. But you can also let your keyboard do the walking for you.
Check out these three major coupon sites:
www.CouponCabin.com has been discussed on Good Morning America (ABC). They referred to it as the "Web's best kept secret." This site is a winner for coupon lovers. Neatly organized by online code discounts and printable coupons, you can find some big name stores such as Home Depot, Dick's, Kohls, Macy's - well, you get it. There are now well over 750 retailers waiting for your business. Find your specials, make your purchase online and enter the appropriate code for your sale. Look for the site's printable coupons or type in your zip code for deals in your geographical location. $ave!
www.retailmenot.com presents the consumer with an array of online coded coupons, printable coupons and deals. It is a premier site for consumers seeking to save. This site even features coupons for the horse crowd. The site categorizes and rates both the stores and coupons by popularity and current best deals are generally at the top of the lists. $Save!
www.Coupons.com brings you coupons to clip, sort and save. Print your choices from the numerous coupon options on the site. You'll find beauty supplies, pet food, grocery coupons and countless other options. Using the site's downloadable coupon printer software and your own printer, getting these coupons into your hands is a snap. $ave!
www.couponcabin.com offers brand name coupons to consumers. The site features an alphabetical listing of its participating stores. Participating merchants' logos are prominently displayed and the recognizable branding helps find the stores you are seeking. $ave!
www.couponpages.com is another traditional coupon site. It primarily offers supermarket coupons but you can also find restaurants and other business coupons as well. Here you do not have to register; all you do is find the coupons on interest to you, download them and print. Great savings, easy as finding and printing them out. $ave!
There are countless other coupon-specific sites for consumers and all are just several mouse clicks away. It's such an easy way to browse for bargains. Scope out what is available and plan your grocery and holiday shopping like the contemporary Internet-savvy consumer that you have become.
This article and other hints and horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
Of course, you can still shop for coupons in your local Sunday newspaper. Or you can purchase the Entertainment Book for your state and/or location. But you can also let your keyboard do the walking for you.
Check out these three major coupon sites:
www.CouponCabin.com has been discussed on Good Morning America (ABC). They referred to it as the "Web's best kept secret." This site is a winner for coupon lovers. Neatly organized by online code discounts and printable coupons, you can find some big name stores such as Home Depot, Dick's, Kohls, Macy's - well, you get it. There are now well over 750 retailers waiting for your business. Find your specials, make your purchase online and enter the appropriate code for your sale. Look for the site's printable coupons or type in your zip code for deals in your geographical location. $ave!
www.retailmenot.com presents the consumer with an array of online coded coupons, printable coupons and deals. It is a premier site for consumers seeking to save. This site even features coupons for the horse crowd. The site categorizes and rates both the stores and coupons by popularity and current best deals are generally at the top of the lists. $Save!
www.Coupons.com brings you coupons to clip, sort and save. Print your choices from the numerous coupon options on the site. You'll find beauty supplies, pet food, grocery coupons and countless other options. Using the site's downloadable coupon printer software and your own printer, getting these coupons into your hands is a snap. $ave!
www.couponcabin.com offers brand name coupons to consumers. The site features an alphabetical listing of its participating stores. Participating merchants' logos are prominently displayed and the recognizable branding helps find the stores you are seeking. $ave!
www.couponpages.com is another traditional coupon site. It primarily offers supermarket coupons but you can also find restaurants and other business coupons as well. Here you do not have to register; all you do is find the coupons on interest to you, download them and print. Great savings, easy as finding and printing them out. $ave!
There are countless other coupon-specific sites for consumers and all are just several mouse clicks away. It's such an easy way to browse for bargains. Scope out what is available and plan your grocery and holiday shopping like the contemporary Internet-savvy consumer that you have become.
This article and other hints and horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
How to Survive a Heart Attack When You Are Alone
Listen up women everywhere and take heed! You should know what to do if you find yourself in the throes of what might be an impending heart attack.
It is important to note that I am not a medical professional. I have, however, educated myself on female heart attacks, symptoms and treatments. Based on what I have learned and also from personal family histories, female heart attack sufferers have different symptoms than males.
We should become aware of how heart attacks affect some women, what the signs are, how the symptoms present, and what to do if a heart attack occurs.
Heart attack warning symptoms for the female
The symptoms suffered by females are often not identical to those suffered by males. That heavy, overbearing chest pain may not occur when a woman has the onset of a heart attack. Likewise, a woman's warning pains may not manifest in her left arm. She may, however, experience intense pain in the jaw - yes, in the jaw!
Female heart attack symptoms
The woman may -
*Get heavy pressure, stabbing and/or squeezing in the chest with acute pain. The episode may last over 5 minutes or more. Pain may come and go. (But, it could also present with upper body pain without the acute discomfort in the chest area.)
*Experience sudden onset of radiating neck, jaw, shoulder and/or arm pain.
*Have abdominal distress and pain. Feel severe heartburn.
*Feel upper back pain.
*Become unusually tired, fatigued, weak.
*Become nauseated for no apparent reason; vomit.
*Have extreme shortness of breath.
*Break into a cold and clammy sweat.
*Experience dizziness. Become lightheaded.
*Feel unusual or unexplained fatigue.
*Get an extreme anxiety attack, usually of impending doom.
One woman experiencing a heart attack may not have any chest pain. Another may have minor chest pain and yet another woman may have acute pain in the chest. Perhaps she suffers intense sweating and becomes very nauseated. If the heart attack occurs at night and the pain awakens her, it may be from intense pain in the jaw or abdomen.
Know the various symptoms. And then act! Call immediately for emergency medical assistance 9-1-1. Waste no time because time is truly valuable and the clock is ticking - you must fight for your life!
Your chances of survival dramatically get better if you receive medical treatment fast. Now is not the time to sit and wait out the symptoms. Get immediate help from 9-1-1 or have someone get you to the closest hospital. Never drive yourself, unless there is no other alternative.
So you think you are having a heart attack
It has been a hard day and you are exhausted. All you want to do is kick back and relax when, suddenly, you feel an acute jolt of pain shoot from your chest up into your arm and jaw. Your pain is intense. You think you are having a heart attack. Even though you have CPR training, you don't know how to help yourself now. The pain is not abating and you know you have only seconds before you may become unconscious.
Remember these steps because they could save your life
Time is precious, the seconds are ticking and you do not want to lose consciousness:
1. Call 9-1-1 for help. Then settle yourself comfortably, perhaps on the floor leaning against the wall, and repeat the next steps over and over until help arrives.
2. Take as deep a breath as you can manage.
3. Cough! Cough with every ounce of strength you can muster.
4. Breathe deeply again.
5. Cough. Vigorously, Deeply. Forcefully.
6. Breathe as deeply as possible.
7. Then cough, cough, cough again.
8. Repeat the breathing and coughing in 2-second intervals. Put your whole being into the coughing effort.
9. Continue this 2-second breathing/coughing routine until help arrives. The deep breathing oxygenates the lungs and, simultaneously, the intense coughing efforts squeeze and massage the heart and maintain blood circulation.
10. Under no circumstances stop this rhythm of breathing and coughing until help arrives.
This effort may sustain your life until medical professionals can take over. Ideally, you can re-establish normal heart rhythm.
And finally, consider this:
Approximately 1/3 of women having a heart attack do not have any chest pain.
About 71% of women feel sick with flu-type symptoms. These symptoms may even occur from 2-4 weeks prior to a heart attack.
Severe shortness of breath may also occur before an actual heart attack
This article and other articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
It is important to note that I am not a medical professional. I have, however, educated myself on female heart attacks, symptoms and treatments. Based on what I have learned and also from personal family histories, female heart attack sufferers have different symptoms than males.
We should become aware of how heart attacks affect some women, what the signs are, how the symptoms present, and what to do if a heart attack occurs.
Heart attack warning symptoms for the female
The symptoms suffered by females are often not identical to those suffered by males. That heavy, overbearing chest pain may not occur when a woman has the onset of a heart attack. Likewise, a woman's warning pains may not manifest in her left arm. She may, however, experience intense pain in the jaw - yes, in the jaw!
Female heart attack symptoms
The woman may -
*Get heavy pressure, stabbing and/or squeezing in the chest with acute pain. The episode may last over 5 minutes or more. Pain may come and go. (But, it could also present with upper body pain without the acute discomfort in the chest area.)
*Experience sudden onset of radiating neck, jaw, shoulder and/or arm pain.
*Have abdominal distress and pain. Feel severe heartburn.
*Feel upper back pain.
*Become unusually tired, fatigued, weak.
*Become nauseated for no apparent reason; vomit.
*Have extreme shortness of breath.
*Break into a cold and clammy sweat.
*Experience dizziness. Become lightheaded.
*Feel unusual or unexplained fatigue.
*Get an extreme anxiety attack, usually of impending doom.
One woman experiencing a heart attack may not have any chest pain. Another may have minor chest pain and yet another woman may have acute pain in the chest. Perhaps she suffers intense sweating and becomes very nauseated. If the heart attack occurs at night and the pain awakens her, it may be from intense pain in the jaw or abdomen.
Know the various symptoms. And then act! Call immediately for emergency medical assistance 9-1-1. Waste no time because time is truly valuable and the clock is ticking - you must fight for your life!
Your chances of survival dramatically get better if you receive medical treatment fast. Now is not the time to sit and wait out the symptoms. Get immediate help from 9-1-1 or have someone get you to the closest hospital. Never drive yourself, unless there is no other alternative.
So you think you are having a heart attack
It has been a hard day and you are exhausted. All you want to do is kick back and relax when, suddenly, you feel an acute jolt of pain shoot from your chest up into your arm and jaw. Your pain is intense. You think you are having a heart attack. Even though you have CPR training, you don't know how to help yourself now. The pain is not abating and you know you have only seconds before you may become unconscious.
Remember these steps because they could save your life
Time is precious, the seconds are ticking and you do not want to lose consciousness:
1. Call 9-1-1 for help. Then settle yourself comfortably, perhaps on the floor leaning against the wall, and repeat the next steps over and over until help arrives.
2. Take as deep a breath as you can manage.
3. Cough! Cough with every ounce of strength you can muster.
4. Breathe deeply again.
5. Cough. Vigorously, Deeply. Forcefully.
6. Breathe as deeply as possible.
7. Then cough, cough, cough again.
8. Repeat the breathing and coughing in 2-second intervals. Put your whole being into the coughing effort.
9. Continue this 2-second breathing/coughing routine until help arrives. The deep breathing oxygenates the lungs and, simultaneously, the intense coughing efforts squeeze and massage the heart and maintain blood circulation.
10. Under no circumstances stop this rhythm of breathing and coughing until help arrives.
This effort may sustain your life until medical professionals can take over. Ideally, you can re-establish normal heart rhythm.
And finally, consider this:
Approximately 1/3 of women having a heart attack do not have any chest pain.
About 71% of women feel sick with flu-type symptoms. These symptoms may even occur from 2-4 weeks prior to a heart attack.
Severe shortness of breath may also occur before an actual heart attack
This article and other articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
Monday, September 7, 2009
How about blogging?
I signed up for Blogger.com a week ago and put out some horse how tos and horse blanket articles and useful hint and recipe articles out for Blogger fans.
Well, I thought I'd hear from people - I didn't think I'd get flooded, but I thought someone would enjoy sharing tips and pointers, passing along some constructive criticism. I even thought someone might check out www.DressYourHorse.com and say, wow, nice website. Maybe they might like Little Patrick, the logo.
I feel like the blogs are not there? Maybe I did something incorrectly? I'm so new to this I think I'm not really showing anywhere? Do I have to do something else.
Come on, everybody has a comment on everything. I could use a how to for sure.
Comment here or go into my Contact us in www.dressyourhorse.com/contact and give me a how to, atta girl, here's what you do, nice to meet you - anything. Just let me know I exist in cyberspace. Thanks for all you do!
Well, I thought I'd hear from people - I didn't think I'd get flooded, but I thought someone would enjoy sharing tips and pointers, passing along some constructive criticism. I even thought someone might check out www.DressYourHorse.com and say, wow, nice website. Maybe they might like Little Patrick, the logo.
I feel like the blogs are not there? Maybe I did something incorrectly? I'm so new to this I think I'm not really showing anywhere? Do I have to do something else.
Come on, everybody has a comment on everything. I could use a how to for sure.
Comment here or go into my Contact us in www.dressyourhorse.com/contact and give me a how to, atta girl, here's what you do, nice to meet you - anything. Just let me know I exist in cyberspace. Thanks for all you do!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
New Online Horse Clothing Store Opens
Recently, a new ecommerce business published a horse clothing site for the horse loving audience. Based in northern Connecticut, www.DressYourHorse.com specializes in horse wearables – if the horse wears it, DressYourHorse either has it already or will have it soon.
There are plenty of horse tack sites and other horse clothing sites but DressYourHorse is distinguishing itself. It offers amazing price points, outstanding suppliers, top quality horse clothing, halters and accessories, and superior, personalized customer service. Its website is uncluttered, easy to navigate and user friendly.
Already, the complete line of Curvon Horse Clothing and the famous original Baker Horse, including all embellishments, is offered to the horse public. Says owner, Heidi Rucki, “Curvon is a company that has manufactured horse blankets and sheets for over 100 years and is famous in the horse industry.” Also on DressYourHorse.com’s vendor list is the outstanding, top horse blanket manufacturer, Jeffers Equine. Another very excellent, high quality company featured by DressYourHorse.com is Ozark Leather based in Texas. Rounding out the vendors, currently, is Champion Horse Products. Champion brings polo wraps, leg protection and head and shoulder hoods and more.
Note: Just added are note cards featuring the art of Gretchen Almy and Sarah Lynn Richards.
Visitors to the gift section of the website can find note cards, home décor and even highly collectible, vintage Swatch Watches.
Owned and operated with a mailing address of Mansfield Center and Eastford location, www.DressYourHorse.com has already held its first marketing event. The company announced its imminent website publication at Klem’s Equine Day in Spencer, MA. In celebration of the website launch, DressYourHorse held a drawing of a beautiful authentic Baker sheet in the classy tartan plaid. That Drawing was also held at Klem’s on July 27. Rucki says, “The winner of the Baker sheet is Gina Smith of Pepperell, MA, congratulations!”
www.DressYourHorse.com is fast establishing itself as unique and different. Prices are generally as good as or better than even the long-established businesses. It discounts the already low prices for quantity purchases. Orders over $250 will always ship free. In an unusual customer benefit, product can be delivered within Connecticut on a door-to-door option, free.
Rucki points out the family friendly fun stuff on its pages. She says, “Check out the horse songs and horse videos. We’ve got lots more coming.”
Original how-to articles, written by the sites’ The Old Gray Mare, are being posted hot off the press. More will be coming.
The company can be contacted by email customerservice@DressYourHorse.com or at DressYourHorse@earthlink.net or by phone at toll free 866.429.6771.
www.DressYourHorse.com has promised more great products and fun stuff is coming soon! Stay tuned . . .
There are plenty of horse tack sites and other horse clothing sites but DressYourHorse is distinguishing itself. It offers amazing price points, outstanding suppliers, top quality horse clothing, halters and accessories, and superior, personalized customer service. Its website is uncluttered, easy to navigate and user friendly.
Already, the complete line of Curvon Horse Clothing and the famous original Baker Horse, including all embellishments, is offered to the horse public. Says owner, Heidi Rucki, “Curvon is a company that has manufactured horse blankets and sheets for over 100 years and is famous in the horse industry.” Also on DressYourHorse.com’s vendor list is the outstanding, top horse blanket manufacturer, Jeffers Equine. Another very excellent, high quality company featured by DressYourHorse.com is Ozark Leather based in Texas. Rounding out the vendors, currently, is Champion Horse Products. Champion brings polo wraps, leg protection and head and shoulder hoods and more.
Note: Just added are note cards featuring the art of Gretchen Almy and Sarah Lynn Richards.
Visitors to the gift section of the website can find note cards, home décor and even highly collectible, vintage Swatch Watches.
Owned and operated with a mailing address of Mansfield Center and Eastford location, www.DressYourHorse.com has already held its first marketing event. The company announced its imminent website publication at Klem’s Equine Day in Spencer, MA. In celebration of the website launch, DressYourHorse held a drawing of a beautiful authentic Baker sheet in the classy tartan plaid. That Drawing was also held at Klem’s on July 27. Rucki says, “The winner of the Baker sheet is Gina Smith of Pepperell, MA, congratulations!”
www.DressYourHorse.com is fast establishing itself as unique and different. Prices are generally as good as or better than even the long-established businesses. It discounts the already low prices for quantity purchases. Orders over $250 will always ship free. In an unusual customer benefit, product can be delivered within Connecticut on a door-to-door option, free.
Rucki points out the family friendly fun stuff on its pages. She says, “Check out the horse songs and horse videos. We’ve got lots more coming.”
Original how-to articles, written by the sites’ The Old Gray Mare, are being posted hot off the press. More will be coming.
The company can be contacted by email customerservice@DressYourHorse.com or at DressYourHorse@earthlink.net or by phone at toll free 866.429.6771.
www.DressYourHorse.com has promised more great products and fun stuff is coming soon! Stay tuned . . .
Make a Crab Meat Appetizer
This recipe is so good! You will want to make it often. It is a favorite at our house and you'll be giving out this recipe to all your crab meat loving friends.
The ingredients:
1 Can (6½ oz) Crab Meat - or fresh picked lump crab meat (use a generous 1 cup!)
12 oz Pkg Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp Worcester Sauce
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Bottle Chili Sauce
1 Small Onion
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Pepper
Sprigs of Fresh Parsley
This is a quick and easy appetizer that has become one of our all-time favorites at family or holiday gatherings. It is also a terrific item to bring along with your entree to pot luck dinners. You can whip this recipe up in minutes - well in advance of the party - pop it into the refrigerator to chill, and serve it as soon as guests arrive.
It is best when you make it with real crab meat. For those extra special occasions, you can substitute fresh crab meat for the canned meat. The Old Gray Mare suggests you use at least one generous cup of fresh crab meat to get the most fabulous taste. Or try experimenting with the ingredients: use imitation crab meat, mix up the ingredients and, instead of chilling to serve as an appetizer, heat at about 350 degrees for about 20 minutes - then serve warm as a side dish.
Here are the steps to make this delectable appetizer.
Blend the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and lemon juice by hand. Then, also by hand, mix in the onion, garlic power, salt and pepper. Spread the combined mixture on a shallow plate.
Pour the chili sauce over the spread.
Layer the crab meat on top of the spread and sauce.
Decorate with small sprigs of fresh parsley.
Chill. This appetizer should remain chilled until it is served.
Serve with crackers.
We like to serve this on a decorative plate or shape into a design for certain holidays. At Christmas we form the layers in the shape of a Christmas tree. The parsley acts as tree decorations. At Easter, the shape of the appetizer starts out as a large egg shape or even a common bunny shape. At Halloween, it's as simple as a hissing black cat shape. We like the oohs and aahs.
Prepare this appetizer and you'll have the start of a great party. Enjoy watching people gobble it up!
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
The ingredients:
1 Can (6½ oz) Crab Meat - or fresh picked lump crab meat (use a generous 1 cup!)
12 oz Pkg Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp Worcester Sauce
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Bottle Chili Sauce
1 Small Onion
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch of Salt
Dash of Pepper
Sprigs of Fresh Parsley
This is a quick and easy appetizer that has become one of our all-time favorites at family or holiday gatherings. It is also a terrific item to bring along with your entree to pot luck dinners. You can whip this recipe up in minutes - well in advance of the party - pop it into the refrigerator to chill, and serve it as soon as guests arrive.
It is best when you make it with real crab meat. For those extra special occasions, you can substitute fresh crab meat for the canned meat. The Old Gray Mare suggests you use at least one generous cup of fresh crab meat to get the most fabulous taste. Or try experimenting with the ingredients: use imitation crab meat, mix up the ingredients and, instead of chilling to serve as an appetizer, heat at about 350 degrees for about 20 minutes - then serve warm as a side dish.
Here are the steps to make this delectable appetizer.
Blend the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and lemon juice by hand. Then, also by hand, mix in the onion, garlic power, salt and pepper. Spread the combined mixture on a shallow plate.
Pour the chili sauce over the spread.
Layer the crab meat on top of the spread and sauce.
Decorate with small sprigs of fresh parsley.
Chill. This appetizer should remain chilled until it is served.
Serve with crackers.
We like to serve this on a decorative plate or shape into a design for certain holidays. At Christmas we form the layers in the shape of a Christmas tree. The parsley acts as tree decorations. At Easter, the shape of the appetizer starts out as a large egg shape or even a common bunny shape. At Halloween, it's as simple as a hissing black cat shape. We like the oohs and aahs.
Prepare this appetizer and you'll have the start of a great party. Enjoy watching people gobble it up!
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
Make a Harvest Potatoes Casserole
Ingredients You'll Need:
· 1 Pkg (30 oz.) Frozen Hash Browns, Thawed
· 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
· 1 Cup Sour Cream
· 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
· 1 to 1 1/2 Cups Diced Meat
· 1/2 Cup Margarine, melted
· 1/2 Tsp Salt
· Pinch Black Pepper
· 1 Medium Onion, diced
· 1 Tbs Garlic Power
· TOPPING:
· 1 Cup Crushed Ritz Crackers
· 1/4 Cup Margarine or Butter, melted
We have a recipe in our household that everybody loves. It has lots of things going for it – it is really quick and easy to make, it can be whipped up the day before and refrigerated until baking time, it is inexpensive to make, and best of all, it is delicious.
The Old Gray Mare has listed the ingredients that our family has always used but, in the interest of cutting down calories and/or fat content, you might consider using fat free or lower fat content ingredients. It might affect the “yummie” factor somewhat so experiment.
The ingredients listed are for basic Harvest Potatoes. We like to include various types of meat in our recipe and there is no hard or fast rule about how much meat gets added. Everybody here likes bratwurst, kielbasa, knockwurst or hot dogs; at other times we might dice up leftover meats such as chicken or pork.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13x9” pyrex dish.
Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the ingredients for the topping.
Thoroughly mix all ingredients.
Step 2 - Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Spread evenly into corners and level with a spatula.
The Old Gray Mare notes: If you have prepared this recipe for later use, refrigerate it now without adding the topping. It will keep several days if it is chilled, but she recommends you leave it for just one day.
Step 3 - Prepare the topping: Place the Ritz crackers into a zip lock bag, seal well, and crush the crackers into small pieces. Melt the butter or margarine. Pour the melted butter on the crushed crackers and mix well. Spread the mixture over the top of the dish.
Cover with foil.
Step 4 - At 350 degrees, bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly. It is ready to eat then. But, if you like your potatoes well baked & softer, leave the dish in the oven a few extra minutes. Also, if want a crisper and browner topping, uncover and leave in five additional minutes.
Serve up and enjoy!
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
· 1 Pkg (30 oz.) Frozen Hash Browns, Thawed
· 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
· 1 Cup Sour Cream
· 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
· 1 to 1 1/2 Cups Diced Meat
· 1/2 Cup Margarine, melted
· 1/2 Tsp Salt
· Pinch Black Pepper
· 1 Medium Onion, diced
· 1 Tbs Garlic Power
· TOPPING:
· 1 Cup Crushed Ritz Crackers
· 1/4 Cup Margarine or Butter, melted
We have a recipe in our household that everybody loves. It has lots of things going for it – it is really quick and easy to make, it can be whipped up the day before and refrigerated until baking time, it is inexpensive to make, and best of all, it is delicious.
The Old Gray Mare has listed the ingredients that our family has always used but, in the interest of cutting down calories and/or fat content, you might consider using fat free or lower fat content ingredients. It might affect the “yummie” factor somewhat so experiment.
The ingredients listed are for basic Harvest Potatoes. We like to include various types of meat in our recipe and there is no hard or fast rule about how much meat gets added. Everybody here likes bratwurst, kielbasa, knockwurst or hot dogs; at other times we might dice up leftover meats such as chicken or pork.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13x9” pyrex dish.
Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the ingredients for the topping.
Thoroughly mix all ingredients.
Step 2 - Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Spread evenly into corners and level with a spatula.
The Old Gray Mare notes: If you have prepared this recipe for later use, refrigerate it now without adding the topping. It will keep several days if it is chilled, but she recommends you leave it for just one day.
Step 3 - Prepare the topping: Place the Ritz crackers into a zip lock bag, seal well, and crush the crackers into small pieces. Melt the butter or margarine. Pour the melted butter on the crushed crackers and mix well. Spread the mixture over the top of the dish.
Cover with foil.
Step 4 - At 350 degrees, bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly. It is ready to eat then. But, if you like your potatoes well baked & softer, leave the dish in the oven a few extra minutes. Also, if want a crisper and browner topping, uncover and leave in five additional minutes.
Serve up and enjoy!
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
Make Hot German Potato Salad
Ingredients:
6 Cups (3 lbs) Cooked & Sliced (or Cubed) Potatoes
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Cub Apple or Wine Vinegar
1/2 Lb Bacon
1/3 Cup Bacon Drippings
1 Tbsp Flour (or Corn Starch)
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Celery Seed
1 Tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper
1 Tbsp German Maggi (Soy Sauce)
This potato dish is served piping hot and is always a hit. The recipe has been used for as long as I can remember in our family and by all the generations. It is best served in cooler weather since it is not a recipe for diet control. Guaranteed that you will want a generous portion.
We don’t have it all the time because it is a fat-rich recipe but it is really tasty. (Frankly, we have never substituted low fat ingredients nor have we eliminated the bacon. It is The opinion of The Old Gray Mare that you eat this mid day and give yourself time to work it off. Just don’t eat it as a late dinner. The Mare also believes that imbibing once in a while is OK; just cut back on a high fat-content dessert item or snack – hopefully this gives you the excuse to try it – simply enjoy!
Step 1 - Fry up the bacon and get it good and crisp. Go for lean bacon because it tastes better in the salad.
The Old Gray Mare offers up a few pointers here that make this dish such a success: Substitute Canadian bacon. You can also use turkey bacon, small cubes of kielbasa. If you are fortunate enough to buy some “German Schinken,” then that is actually the best flavored meat to use.
Step 2 - After you have crisped the bacon well, drain on a base of paper towels. No need to blot.
Step 3 - Heat the drippings. When hot, blend in the flour, sugar, celery seed, salt & pepper and Maggi (or soy sauce). The Old Gray Mare suggests adding garlic powder as well although our traditional family recipe does not call for it. Give the mixture a good stirring.
Step 4 - Blend (gradually – slowly – stir) in the broth and your vinegar choice.
Cook until the mixture thickens slightly. Keep stirring!
Remove from heat source.
Step 5 - Combine the bacon pieces with the potatoes and toss.
Finally, pour the hot sauce mixture over the potatoes and toss to mix.
Preheat oven to 325-350 degrees.
Step 6 - Put the combined ingredient mixture into a serving dish, put in oven, and heat for ½ hour.
These potatoes are excellent when served with knockwurst, bratwurst, pork or veal, etc.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
6 Cups (3 lbs) Cooked & Sliced (or Cubed) Potatoes
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Cub Apple or Wine Vinegar
1/2 Lb Bacon
1/3 Cup Bacon Drippings
1 Tbsp Flour (or Corn Starch)
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Celery Seed
1 Tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper
1 Tbsp German Maggi (Soy Sauce)
This potato dish is served piping hot and is always a hit. The recipe has been used for as long as I can remember in our family and by all the generations. It is best served in cooler weather since it is not a recipe for diet control. Guaranteed that you will want a generous portion.
We don’t have it all the time because it is a fat-rich recipe but it is really tasty. (Frankly, we have never substituted low fat ingredients nor have we eliminated the bacon. It is The opinion of The Old Gray Mare that you eat this mid day and give yourself time to work it off. Just don’t eat it as a late dinner. The Mare also believes that imbibing once in a while is OK; just cut back on a high fat-content dessert item or snack – hopefully this gives you the excuse to try it – simply enjoy!
Step 1 - Fry up the bacon and get it good and crisp. Go for lean bacon because it tastes better in the salad.
The Old Gray Mare offers up a few pointers here that make this dish such a success: Substitute Canadian bacon. You can also use turkey bacon, small cubes of kielbasa. If you are fortunate enough to buy some “German Schinken,” then that is actually the best flavored meat to use.
Step 2 - After you have crisped the bacon well, drain on a base of paper towels. No need to blot.
Step 3 - Heat the drippings. When hot, blend in the flour, sugar, celery seed, salt & pepper and Maggi (or soy sauce). The Old Gray Mare suggests adding garlic powder as well although our traditional family recipe does not call for it. Give the mixture a good stirring.
Step 4 - Blend (gradually – slowly – stir) in the broth and your vinegar choice.
Cook until the mixture thickens slightly. Keep stirring!
Remove from heat source.
Step 5 - Combine the bacon pieces with the potatoes and toss.
Finally, pour the hot sauce mixture over the potatoes and toss to mix.
Preheat oven to 325-350 degrees.
Step 6 - Put the combined ingredient mixture into a serving dish, put in oven, and heat for ½ hour.
These potatoes are excellent when served with knockwurst, bratwurst, pork or veal, etc.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
Make an All Natural Sure-Fire Laxative
The following recipe is from a lifelong friend who assures us that this all natural laxative works better than just about anything you can buy, mix or concoct. Handed down by the oldtimers, this laxative will do its magic better than anything you can get over the counter.
In fact, heed this warning: take only the exact amount suggested and no more. Take more, and you will be overstimulated. (Our friend worded this with a bit more color!) Take this laxative concoction in the dosage recommended.
The ingredients’ list is short and sweet. Senna leaves can be found in health food stores; it may even be available in your supermarket. Prunes, figs and raisins are readily available in any neighborhood supermarket.
Ingredients:
2 ounces senna leaves
½ pound prunes
½ pound raisins
¼ pound figs
Sugar to taste - optional
Step 1 – Pour 1 pint boiling water over the senna leaves. Allow to steep 30 minutes. Strain and save out all of the liquid and save. Discard the leaves.
Step 2 – Chop prunes, figs and raisins into small pieces – finely chopped or bigger chunks.
Step 3 – Add chunks of fruit to the senna leaf liquid.
Step 4 – Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Step 5 – Add sugar to taste.
Take 2 or 3 teaspoons – can be taken daily as a healthy supplement to aid or stimulate.
As you can see from the few ingredients, this is an all-natural laxative recipe that is quick and easy to make. You can store the pudding-like mixture in your refrigerator as you would jams and jellies.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
In fact, heed this warning: take only the exact amount suggested and no more. Take more, and you will be overstimulated. (Our friend worded this with a bit more color!) Take this laxative concoction in the dosage recommended.
The ingredients’ list is short and sweet. Senna leaves can be found in health food stores; it may even be available in your supermarket. Prunes, figs and raisins are readily available in any neighborhood supermarket.
Ingredients:
2 ounces senna leaves
½ pound prunes
½ pound raisins
¼ pound figs
Sugar to taste - optional
Step 1 – Pour 1 pint boiling water over the senna leaves. Allow to steep 30 minutes. Strain and save out all of the liquid and save. Discard the leaves.
Step 2 – Chop prunes, figs and raisins into small pieces – finely chopped or bigger chunks.
Step 3 – Add chunks of fruit to the senna leaf liquid.
Step 4 – Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Step 5 – Add sugar to taste.
Take 2 or 3 teaspoons – can be taken daily as a healthy supplement to aid or stimulate.
As you can see from the few ingredients, this is an all-natural laxative recipe that is quick and easy to make. You can store the pudding-like mixture in your refrigerator as you would jams and jellies.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
Make Old Fashioned German Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 Cups Potatoes, Peeled & Diced
1 Cup Finely Diced Celery
1 Cup Chopped Onion, Coarse
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Whipping Cream (I like the heavy)
3 Tbsp Butter (or Margarine), Melted
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Salt
Pinch (1/8 Tsp or Taste) Pepper
Dried Parsley Flakes
Oh so easy! This is a hearty soup that takes no time to prepare and is excellent when served in mid-winter with corned beef or a pork dish. You can add some cubed meats if the plan is to serve for lunch.
This is the basic recipe. Use it exactly as The Old Gray Mare’s mother used to make it or try some minor variations of your own. Substitute cream of mushroom soup or chicken broth for some of the water. If you like onion soup, that also works. If you like a chunkier soup, dice the potatoes coarsely.
We always put a lot of variations into our basic home-tried-and-true recipes and they are always excellent. Here’s the few steps, one by one:
Step 1 - Cook these ingredients: potatoes, celery, onion, salt, pepper & garlic powder in 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
Step 2 - Allow a brisk boil. Stir occasionally. Boil for 20 minutes, maybe longer – get the potatoes soft.
Step 3 - Remove momentarily from heat source – lightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher or pot blender for a smoother consistency.
Step 4 - Place back on burner, bring to boil, turn to medium/hot burner, stir in the milk and cream. Stir constantly to prevent sticking.
Finally, Step 5 - Continue for a minute or two and let the soup thicken.
It’s good and wholesome.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
4 Cups Potatoes, Peeled & Diced
1 Cup Finely Diced Celery
1 Cup Chopped Onion, Coarse
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Whipping Cream (I like the heavy)
3 Tbsp Butter (or Margarine), Melted
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Salt
Pinch (1/8 Tsp or Taste) Pepper
Dried Parsley Flakes
Oh so easy! This is a hearty soup that takes no time to prepare and is excellent when served in mid-winter with corned beef or a pork dish. You can add some cubed meats if the plan is to serve for lunch.
This is the basic recipe. Use it exactly as The Old Gray Mare’s mother used to make it or try some minor variations of your own. Substitute cream of mushroom soup or chicken broth for some of the water. If you like onion soup, that also works. If you like a chunkier soup, dice the potatoes coarsely.
We always put a lot of variations into our basic home-tried-and-true recipes and they are always excellent. Here’s the few steps, one by one:
Step 1 - Cook these ingredients: potatoes, celery, onion, salt, pepper & garlic powder in 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
Step 2 - Allow a brisk boil. Stir occasionally. Boil for 20 minutes, maybe longer – get the potatoes soft.
Step 3 - Remove momentarily from heat source – lightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher or pot blender for a smoother consistency.
Step 4 - Place back on burner, bring to boil, turn to medium/hot burner, stir in the milk and cream. Stir constantly to prevent sticking.
Finally, Step 5 - Continue for a minute or two and let the soup thicken.
It’s good and wholesome.
This article was written by The Old Gray Mare of DressYourHorse.com.
Care for Horse Hooves--Treat Equine Thrush
What Is That Awful Smell?
You have just cleaned out your horse’s hooves and notice a pungent, offensive odor. It is much stronger than the normal earthy smell of hoof grunge.
Upon closer inspection of the foul smelling hoof or hooves, you also see an ooze – a blackish discharge around the frog area and in the frog itself. That is equine thrush. You need to treat it at once and continue treatment in order to prevent the condition from attacking surrounding tissue, manifesting itself in the foot and eventually also spreading to the other feet - and worse case scenario - causing lameness.
Your veterinarian can tell you the technical terms and, of course, treat your horse for thrush. However, if your horse’s thrush has not progressed too far and you are willing to commit to the every-day care and treatment required to eliminate it, you can successfully treat the condition with the guidance of your farrier and by using available medications.
What Is Equine Thrush?
In lay-person language, thrush is a fungal infection – caused by bacteria that thrive in moist, soiled conditions. It occurs most frequently in stalls that are not regularly mucked out, that retain moisture, or that have the combination of moisture and dirty conditions.
As you can see, therefore, thrush can infect your horse’s feet if your stall management is a bit sloppy. Your horse may also contract thrush if you don’t regularly clean out his feet so that moisture, feces, urine and dirt are retained in the hoof, allowing bacteria to thrive. Finally, a horse with super sensitivity may be unusually susceptible to the bacteria that causes thrush.
Generally, the condition affects the frog and the surrounding tissues. It presents as a moist, black discharge with a truly nasty odor. You will find there is no mistaking that odor - it just plain stinks.
Cure Thrush with Daily Treatment
The treatment for thrush is not difficult, but it does require your daily commitment. It is important to immediately change your stall management and grooming routines. Read The Old Gray Mare’s discussion (“Care for Horse Hooves – Inspect and Clean”); it can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com under The Old Gray Mare Articles.
Basic Steps to Treat Equine Thrush
1. Enlist the immediate help of your farrier. He or she will trim the hooves, angle them correctly and remove much of the infected tissue. If possible, let your horse go barefoot. You can also discuss packing the feet and adding pads at the next shoeing, once the thrush is gone. Be careful if you choose pack & pad: use this method only with an experienced farrier.
· Hoof-packing can combat thrush. Best to get rid of the thrust first though.
· Hoof-packing treatment consists of thick tar or putty packed around the frog and covered with a leather pad, then the horse is shod (not unlike shoeing the show horse but without a weighted shoe).
· Packing remedies have the benefit of helping to seal out debris. This is especially helpful if you are not able to treat the hoof daily.
2. Move the horse to a dry area. If the horse is stabled, maintain a clean, dry, well-bedded stall. If your horse is confined in wet, soiled conditions or excessively muddy pasture, you will need to relocate him into a drier environment to eliminate the constant exposure to moisture.
3. Attack the thrush with your farrier’s recommended medication – there are several excellent choices on the market. Get the thrush “where it lives.” That means in the tough places, especially in the frog and the heel. The Old Gray Mare recommends using a syringe. Liberally squirt the liquid or soft salve into the deepest crevices of the frog, paying particular attention to the heel. Insert the syringe deeply into the tissue and plunge in the medication.
One very effective medication for thrush is not made specifically for horses – it is made for treating fungal infections in cow teats and udders. It is sold in a syringe and can be squirted directly into the frog as already described above. The Old Gray Mare has seen it used at a large show stable with superior results after just a week or two of treatment, in conjunction with one of the popular thrush ointments.
You can try iodine or full strength bleach. Both work well for a very short repetitive cycle. Never use these liquids for a prolonged period of time because they have a severe drying effect on hoof tissue and are too harsh to be used routinely.
You can also use undiluted Apple Cider Vinegar or Hydrogen Peroxide for mild cases of thrush.
4. Apply the thrush medicine with a small stiff brush or use lots of clean swabs, forcing the bristles or swabs into the cracks and crevices. Saturate the underside of the hoof as well as the hoof walls. You want to pay close attention to the difficult-to-reach spaces.
5. After application of the medicine, hold the foot upside down for a minute to create a sort of “bowl” to keep most of the healing fluid or ointment cupped in the hoof.
6. Treat the horse on a daily basis and once you get the condition under control, cut the medication back to every other day and so on until you can maintain with daily cleanings and an occasional application of hoof conditioner.
7. The Old Gray Mare recommends you keep tabs on hoof dryness during treatment. Treating thrush can be fairly aggressive and may excessively dry out the hoof over time. Do not forget to apply hoof conditioner every few days along the coronet band all the way around the hoof, but especially at the heel above the frog.
8. If your horse is prone to recurrent episodes of thrush even though you meticulously maintain his stall, you will need to institute a preventative care regimen that controls the problem. Clean your horse’s hooves daily. Every few days, along with hoof conditioner, use diluted bleach, a thrush product, hydrogen peroxide or undiluted apple cider vinegar.
Finally, develop a game plan to prevent thrush in the first place.
This article and other horse-care articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
You have just cleaned out your horse’s hooves and notice a pungent, offensive odor. It is much stronger than the normal earthy smell of hoof grunge.
Upon closer inspection of the foul smelling hoof or hooves, you also see an ooze – a blackish discharge around the frog area and in the frog itself. That is equine thrush. You need to treat it at once and continue treatment in order to prevent the condition from attacking surrounding tissue, manifesting itself in the foot and eventually also spreading to the other feet - and worse case scenario - causing lameness.
Your veterinarian can tell you the technical terms and, of course, treat your horse for thrush. However, if your horse’s thrush has not progressed too far and you are willing to commit to the every-day care and treatment required to eliminate it, you can successfully treat the condition with the guidance of your farrier and by using available medications.
What Is Equine Thrush?
In lay-person language, thrush is a fungal infection – caused by bacteria that thrive in moist, soiled conditions. It occurs most frequently in stalls that are not regularly mucked out, that retain moisture, or that have the combination of moisture and dirty conditions.
As you can see, therefore, thrush can infect your horse’s feet if your stall management is a bit sloppy. Your horse may also contract thrush if you don’t regularly clean out his feet so that moisture, feces, urine and dirt are retained in the hoof, allowing bacteria to thrive. Finally, a horse with super sensitivity may be unusually susceptible to the bacteria that causes thrush.
Generally, the condition affects the frog and the surrounding tissues. It presents as a moist, black discharge with a truly nasty odor. You will find there is no mistaking that odor - it just plain stinks.
Cure Thrush with Daily Treatment
The treatment for thrush is not difficult, but it does require your daily commitment. It is important to immediately change your stall management and grooming routines. Read The Old Gray Mare’s discussion (“Care for Horse Hooves – Inspect and Clean”); it can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com under The Old Gray Mare Articles.
Basic Steps to Treat Equine Thrush
1. Enlist the immediate help of your farrier. He or she will trim the hooves, angle them correctly and remove much of the infected tissue. If possible, let your horse go barefoot. You can also discuss packing the feet and adding pads at the next shoeing, once the thrush is gone. Be careful if you choose pack & pad: use this method only with an experienced farrier.
· Hoof-packing can combat thrush. Best to get rid of the thrust first though.
· Hoof-packing treatment consists of thick tar or putty packed around the frog and covered with a leather pad, then the horse is shod (not unlike shoeing the show horse but without a weighted shoe).
· Packing remedies have the benefit of helping to seal out debris. This is especially helpful if you are not able to treat the hoof daily.
2. Move the horse to a dry area. If the horse is stabled, maintain a clean, dry, well-bedded stall. If your horse is confined in wet, soiled conditions or excessively muddy pasture, you will need to relocate him into a drier environment to eliminate the constant exposure to moisture.
3. Attack the thrush with your farrier’s recommended medication – there are several excellent choices on the market. Get the thrush “where it lives.” That means in the tough places, especially in the frog and the heel. The Old Gray Mare recommends using a syringe. Liberally squirt the liquid or soft salve into the deepest crevices of the frog, paying particular attention to the heel. Insert the syringe deeply into the tissue and plunge in the medication.
One very effective medication for thrush is not made specifically for horses – it is made for treating fungal infections in cow teats and udders. It is sold in a syringe and can be squirted directly into the frog as already described above. The Old Gray Mare has seen it used at a large show stable with superior results after just a week or two of treatment, in conjunction with one of the popular thrush ointments.
You can try iodine or full strength bleach. Both work well for a very short repetitive cycle. Never use these liquids for a prolonged period of time because they have a severe drying effect on hoof tissue and are too harsh to be used routinely.
You can also use undiluted Apple Cider Vinegar or Hydrogen Peroxide for mild cases of thrush.
4. Apply the thrush medicine with a small stiff brush or use lots of clean swabs, forcing the bristles or swabs into the cracks and crevices. Saturate the underside of the hoof as well as the hoof walls. You want to pay close attention to the difficult-to-reach spaces.
5. After application of the medicine, hold the foot upside down for a minute to create a sort of “bowl” to keep most of the healing fluid or ointment cupped in the hoof.
6. Treat the horse on a daily basis and once you get the condition under control, cut the medication back to every other day and so on until you can maintain with daily cleanings and an occasional application of hoof conditioner.
7. The Old Gray Mare recommends you keep tabs on hoof dryness during treatment. Treating thrush can be fairly aggressive and may excessively dry out the hoof over time. Do not forget to apply hoof conditioner every few days along the coronet band all the way around the hoof, but especially at the heel above the frog.
8. If your horse is prone to recurrent episodes of thrush even though you meticulously maintain his stall, you will need to institute a preventative care regimen that controls the problem. Clean your horse’s hooves daily. Every few days, along with hoof conditioner, use diluted bleach, a thrush product, hydrogen peroxide or undiluted apple cider vinegar.
Finally, develop a game plan to prevent thrush in the first place.
This article and other horse-care articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
Decide on a Horse Blanket – To Dress Your Horse or Not
By nature, horses are well equipped to handle the temperature changes and weather conditions that occur as seasons change. They are sleek with ultra short coats in summer; winter has them naturally wrapped in warm, wooly fur. Left to their own devices, horses manage cold, heat, wet and all variations of climatic changes without human intervention.
The Horse of Today
But this is now and most horses are no longer running free. Horses must live their lives at our beck and call and whims. The great majority of horses are kept in stables; many are confined to paddocks and pastures. Some horses have to rough it while others are coddled and pampered. We clip them in cold weather, exercise and work them in heat – you get it – they serve our folly, sport, pleasure and more. No longer free to roam the range, horses depend on us for their very lives.
It is up to us, then, to treat them well, give them the best possible care and give back. All of this has changed how we house, treat and care for our horses. Now there is need to blanket and pamper, especially our show stock. We must protect our horse friends against the elements and pesky biting insects. So, horse clothing has become a staple in the horse industry and in the horse world.
Horse Blankets Are Part of Today’s Horse World
At www.DressYourHorse.com equine wearables are our specialty and we like to think that we know a little something about blankets and how and when to use them. Our own Old Gray Mare is penning this timely discussion so that you can make the basic decision: to blanket or not to blanket. In a separate article, the Old Mare details different types of blankets and sheets. For our purposes here, she discusses why to get a horse blanket and how to keep your horse comfortable and safe in it.
Should My Horse Wear a Horse Blanket?
Scenario 1: The Show Horse – It is New England and you are hitting the show circuit nearly every weekend. Your showing season is short and the time that your horse carries the glossy, sleek and polished summer coat is likewise short. In this part of the country, for some horses, coats begin transitioning as early as September and miniature horses and ponies put on the wooly bloom even earlier. In any event, the sleek coat for this year’s show season is over early. To have any chance in competition, you have to clip – and we’re talking a whole body clip. It is then necessary to keep the horse warm and protected. In this case scenario, a blanket or sheet or both are necessary.
With this blanketing comes an additional responsibility, however. Fall weather in New England can have hot spells and also cold temperatures with great fluctuations on a day-to-day basis. Your horse is clipped so it is necessary that the blanket goes on in cold, comes off when it’s warm – it is essential to maintain the horse’s comfort level based on temperature changes, and your responsibility is to toggle between heavier and lighter horse clothing.
Scenario 2: The Family Horse in summer – Your horse is living nightly in a stall and is turned out regularly during the day. He is quite content and happy with his living arrangements – the stall is cozy and warm. But in summer the flies bite hard and often and the mosquitos don’t give your horse a break. You spray the horse each time he is turned out during fly season. So the horse spends his day grazing, sleeping and stomping. He rolls and stomps some more – the fly spray’s effect starts to wear off and now your horse gets increasingly uncomfortable. At the end of the day he’s only too happy to come into his sheltered stall. In this scenario, a fly protective sheet AND a face/ear mask are recommended. Horses are exposed to a number of dangerous health conditions that result from biting insects, especially sleeping sickness. While no fly sheet will completely protect him, a fly cover used together with fly spray will help.
Scenario 3: The Family Horse in winter – Your horse is regularly turned out and the seasons come and go. He has staved off pesky biting insects; he’s gotten wet in driving rain; he’s happy to live outside during the day but he’s often more thrilled to be brought in. Sometimes it is not just the food that he’s after – he appreciates the shelter too. As the season changes, his coat thickens. His natural coat offers a lot of protection against the conditions but is it really enough? You don’t get the chance to exercise him regularly and field turnout is his daily routine. In this scenario, he should be allowed to wear a turnout blanket to ward off piercing wind, rain and snow. Quite possibly you can use the heavier turnout during the day and dress your horse in a stable blanket at night.
Scenario 4: To Blanket in Cold Weather or Not to Blanket -- Here is The Old Gray Mare’s perspective and a cautionary warning. In cold weather, a single lightweight or inexpensively-made blanket may actually be worse for your horse than no blanket at all. Picture it -- The hair on a horse’s coat flattens down from the weight of a blanket. It loses its natural insulation qualities and leaves the horse colder than without the horse blanket in the first place. Therefore, careful selection of a winter horse blanket with insulation is imperative.
Scenario 5: Grooming and Cleanliness -- You love your horse and enjoy having him. Yet the grooming chores and daily maintenance gets shortchanged at times. You don’t have a horse vacuum and have very little time to groom. Yes, in this scenario, it is a good idea to blanket your horse. A horse blanket or a stable sheet will protect the coat, prevent grime in the coat, and best of all, eliminate matted hair and spots on the coat. It does much of the grooming for you and most definitely helps keep your horse clean. You will have to make certain the blanket is not too heavy for the conditions, or the sheet is too light, or you need to add another blanket. Always be concerned that your horse has freedom of movement in his horse clothing. Well, you know now what to do to have a comfy, cozy horse.
So far we have discussed a few instances in horse care and confinement that may require blanketing the horse. There are dozens more but you get the point – It is likely your horse will need to be clothed now and then or all the time. Once you have made the decision to blanket your horse, you must consider quality of the blanket, safety of your horse, excellent fit, freedom of movement, weight, turnout versus stable blanket and so on.
Here are just a few of the reasons to blanket your horse:
* Protect the clipped horse against cold temperatures
* Provide additional warmth for thin-skinned, short coated horses
* Protect regularly turned out horses
* Enhance shine and condition of coat
* Keep horses clean
* Maintain coat color and finish
* Protect against cuts, scrapes
There are also reasons against blanketing your horse:
* Danger of possible injury to the horse
* Risk of entanglement by legs, feet, even the tail
* Blanket too large – horse rubs
* Blanket too small – horse rubs
* Horse does not like to wear blankets and sheets
* Horse is destructive and works at ridding himself of horse blankets
* Expense of purchasing blanket
* Maintenance of blanket and cost to clean
* Blanket may be too cumbersome for your overactive horse
All of these pros and cons are valid but only you know your horse. If he is obviously uncomfortable in horse clothing and risks injuring himself to get it off, then it is best to keep him in his natural state. The show horse that is clipped will definitely need a body and neck covering in addition to close observance of fluctuating temperature. Horses that race, train, event, jump, hunt – just about any discipline – will probably require blanketing.
You may have decided to purchase a horse blanket or horse sheet but hold off – there are so many choices on the market and online. Decide on your budget. Horse blanket come in many fabric choices, weights, styles, with and without insulation and the list goes on. The Old Gray Mare suggests you carefully read up on the various types of horse blankets and consider your circumstances before you purchase. Another article describing horse blankets in great detail is due out shortly and, certainly, there are many other sources to check out as well.
Do your homework and make the right decision for your horse friend.
This article and other horse-related articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on the www.DressYourHorse.com website.
The Horse of Today
But this is now and most horses are no longer running free. Horses must live their lives at our beck and call and whims. The great majority of horses are kept in stables; many are confined to paddocks and pastures. Some horses have to rough it while others are coddled and pampered. We clip them in cold weather, exercise and work them in heat – you get it – they serve our folly, sport, pleasure and more. No longer free to roam the range, horses depend on us for their very lives.
It is up to us, then, to treat them well, give them the best possible care and give back. All of this has changed how we house, treat and care for our horses. Now there is need to blanket and pamper, especially our show stock. We must protect our horse friends against the elements and pesky biting insects. So, horse clothing has become a staple in the horse industry and in the horse world.
Horse Blankets Are Part of Today’s Horse World
At www.DressYourHorse.com equine wearables are our specialty and we like to think that we know a little something about blankets and how and when to use them. Our own Old Gray Mare is penning this timely discussion so that you can make the basic decision: to blanket or not to blanket. In a separate article, the Old Mare details different types of blankets and sheets. For our purposes here, she discusses why to get a horse blanket and how to keep your horse comfortable and safe in it.
Should My Horse Wear a Horse Blanket?
Scenario 1: The Show Horse – It is New England and you are hitting the show circuit nearly every weekend. Your showing season is short and the time that your horse carries the glossy, sleek and polished summer coat is likewise short. In this part of the country, for some horses, coats begin transitioning as early as September and miniature horses and ponies put on the wooly bloom even earlier. In any event, the sleek coat for this year’s show season is over early. To have any chance in competition, you have to clip – and we’re talking a whole body clip. It is then necessary to keep the horse warm and protected. In this case scenario, a blanket or sheet or both are necessary.
With this blanketing comes an additional responsibility, however. Fall weather in New England can have hot spells and also cold temperatures with great fluctuations on a day-to-day basis. Your horse is clipped so it is necessary that the blanket goes on in cold, comes off when it’s warm – it is essential to maintain the horse’s comfort level based on temperature changes, and your responsibility is to toggle between heavier and lighter horse clothing.
Scenario 2: The Family Horse in summer – Your horse is living nightly in a stall and is turned out regularly during the day. He is quite content and happy with his living arrangements – the stall is cozy and warm. But in summer the flies bite hard and often and the mosquitos don’t give your horse a break. You spray the horse each time he is turned out during fly season. So the horse spends his day grazing, sleeping and stomping. He rolls and stomps some more – the fly spray’s effect starts to wear off and now your horse gets increasingly uncomfortable. At the end of the day he’s only too happy to come into his sheltered stall. In this scenario, a fly protective sheet AND a face/ear mask are recommended. Horses are exposed to a number of dangerous health conditions that result from biting insects, especially sleeping sickness. While no fly sheet will completely protect him, a fly cover used together with fly spray will help.
Scenario 3: The Family Horse in winter – Your horse is regularly turned out and the seasons come and go. He has staved off pesky biting insects; he’s gotten wet in driving rain; he’s happy to live outside during the day but he’s often more thrilled to be brought in. Sometimes it is not just the food that he’s after – he appreciates the shelter too. As the season changes, his coat thickens. His natural coat offers a lot of protection against the conditions but is it really enough? You don’t get the chance to exercise him regularly and field turnout is his daily routine. In this scenario, he should be allowed to wear a turnout blanket to ward off piercing wind, rain and snow. Quite possibly you can use the heavier turnout during the day and dress your horse in a stable blanket at night.
Scenario 4: To Blanket in Cold Weather or Not to Blanket -- Here is The Old Gray Mare’s perspective and a cautionary warning. In cold weather, a single lightweight or inexpensively-made blanket may actually be worse for your horse than no blanket at all. Picture it -- The hair on a horse’s coat flattens down from the weight of a blanket. It loses its natural insulation qualities and leaves the horse colder than without the horse blanket in the first place. Therefore, careful selection of a winter horse blanket with insulation is imperative.
Scenario 5: Grooming and Cleanliness -- You love your horse and enjoy having him. Yet the grooming chores and daily maintenance gets shortchanged at times. You don’t have a horse vacuum and have very little time to groom. Yes, in this scenario, it is a good idea to blanket your horse. A horse blanket or a stable sheet will protect the coat, prevent grime in the coat, and best of all, eliminate matted hair and spots on the coat. It does much of the grooming for you and most definitely helps keep your horse clean. You will have to make certain the blanket is not too heavy for the conditions, or the sheet is too light, or you need to add another blanket. Always be concerned that your horse has freedom of movement in his horse clothing. Well, you know now what to do to have a comfy, cozy horse.
So far we have discussed a few instances in horse care and confinement that may require blanketing the horse. There are dozens more but you get the point – It is likely your horse will need to be clothed now and then or all the time. Once you have made the decision to blanket your horse, you must consider quality of the blanket, safety of your horse, excellent fit, freedom of movement, weight, turnout versus stable blanket and so on.
Here are just a few of the reasons to blanket your horse:
* Protect the clipped horse against cold temperatures
* Provide additional warmth for thin-skinned, short coated horses
* Protect regularly turned out horses
* Enhance shine and condition of coat
* Keep horses clean
* Maintain coat color and finish
* Protect against cuts, scrapes
There are also reasons against blanketing your horse:
* Danger of possible injury to the horse
* Risk of entanglement by legs, feet, even the tail
* Blanket too large – horse rubs
* Blanket too small – horse rubs
* Horse does not like to wear blankets and sheets
* Horse is destructive and works at ridding himself of horse blankets
* Expense of purchasing blanket
* Maintenance of blanket and cost to clean
* Blanket may be too cumbersome for your overactive horse
All of these pros and cons are valid but only you know your horse. If he is obviously uncomfortable in horse clothing and risks injuring himself to get it off, then it is best to keep him in his natural state. The show horse that is clipped will definitely need a body and neck covering in addition to close observance of fluctuating temperature. Horses that race, train, event, jump, hunt – just about any discipline – will probably require blanketing.
You may have decided to purchase a horse blanket or horse sheet but hold off – there are so many choices on the market and online. Decide on your budget. Horse blanket come in many fabric choices, weights, styles, with and without insulation and the list goes on. The Old Gray Mare suggests you carefully read up on the various types of horse blankets and consider your circumstances before you purchase. Another article describing horse blankets in great detail is due out shortly and, certainly, there are many other sources to check out as well.
Do your homework and make the right decision for your horse friend.
This article and other horse-related articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on the www.DressYourHorse.com website.
Teach Your Show Horse to Back Up Properly
Backing up is a simple request of the show horse but we often overlook it during training sessions.
Lets say we are showing a fantastic English pleasure horse who is a fine show horse and a real pleasure to ride and exhibit. We concentrate on his conformation and brilliance, his gaits and movement, his willingness to take the correct leads at the canter. The horse delivers a stunning performance in the class and may well be the winner. We line up and then, oh no! He is asked to back up, and he doesn’t or won’t or sidles around.
The fact is that your horse may have to back after the class lines up – it can become an important factor in winning a class if there is another contender in the running and if both horses had a brilliant performance. Maybe they were both fabulous and it all comes down to the back up. Will your horse be outperformed because the competitor sneaks in the best back up? Now couldn’t you just kick yourself . . .
Teach or reinforce a good backup during ground training sessions. Once your horse understands your signal to back up, he will easily respond; then you will ask him to back up from the saddle.
Here are the basics.
Halter your horse, snap on a leadrope and stand at his left side facing him. The hand holding the leadrope should be fairly close to the horse’s chin.
Observe how your horse is standing. Never attempt to back the horse if he is in the classic English “park position.” If he is even slightly stretched, ask him to step up and stand him squarely. Then, when he is standing squarely, apply slight pressure on his chest with one hand while simultaneously moving the leadrope hand with a steady pull -slightly down and back - toward his neck. Give the command “Back!” If he willingly takes a step or two backward in response to the slight pressure, that is a wow and he deserves a good pat and praise! If he did not pick up on the cue, do it again and exert slightly more pressure and exaggerate the backward leadrope pressure as well. Repeat the command “Back!” Reward your horse when he successfully responds and moves backwards a step or two.
Repeat this several times, rewarding your horse with a pat and praise each time he gets it right. After a couple of sessions, he will step back without difficulty.
After he understands the word “Back,” and he readily complies, continue his ground training while he is in tack. Repeat all the same steps and be lavish with praise and patting. Your goal is to have the horse react solely to the verbal “Back” command.
The Old Gray Mare’s note: As soon as my own horse obeyed “back” command, I substituted “back” with a soft “sssssss” sound – as if I was mimicking a snake sound. He soon responded to my barely, split second long sssss. From the saddle or from the ground, my horse backed easily for as long as I asked.
Now you are ready to mount the horse and continue to practice from the saddle. Use an assistant at the beginning to make it easier for your horse. Apply a slight backward pressure on the reins followed by quick release and slight pressure and quick release to signal your horse to back up. Tell him to “Back” (or make that sssss-sound) while your assistant applies slight hand pressure on your horse’s chest. Repeat the rein pressure/release each time you want your horse to back.
Use leg aids to keep your horse backing up in a straight line. If he pivots to the right, increase pressure with your right leg; if he moves too far left, apply pressure with your left leg. Repeat the training over and over for several days until your horse puts the cues together. Eventually your slightest tug/release on the rein will be enough.
Teaching your horse to back up easily and freely is useful in many ways. Everyday situations require your horse’s willingness to move forward, backward and sideward. Stepping into a horse trailer and backing out is just one example.
Throughout this training, remain firm but gentle. Never yell, lose your temper or use a whip. Reward him lavishly for good behavior. In no time at all, he’ll move back like a pro or a champion Quarter Horse. And, you know, it may even be a class win!
This article and other how to horse articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
Lets say we are showing a fantastic English pleasure horse who is a fine show horse and a real pleasure to ride and exhibit. We concentrate on his conformation and brilliance, his gaits and movement, his willingness to take the correct leads at the canter. The horse delivers a stunning performance in the class and may well be the winner. We line up and then, oh no! He is asked to back up, and he doesn’t or won’t or sidles around.
The fact is that your horse may have to back after the class lines up – it can become an important factor in winning a class if there is another contender in the running and if both horses had a brilliant performance. Maybe they were both fabulous and it all comes down to the back up. Will your horse be outperformed because the competitor sneaks in the best back up? Now couldn’t you just kick yourself . . .
Teach or reinforce a good backup during ground training sessions. Once your horse understands your signal to back up, he will easily respond; then you will ask him to back up from the saddle.
Here are the basics.
Halter your horse, snap on a leadrope and stand at his left side facing him. The hand holding the leadrope should be fairly close to the horse’s chin.
Observe how your horse is standing. Never attempt to back the horse if he is in the classic English “park position.” If he is even slightly stretched, ask him to step up and stand him squarely. Then, when he is standing squarely, apply slight pressure on his chest with one hand while simultaneously moving the leadrope hand with a steady pull -slightly down and back - toward his neck. Give the command “Back!” If he willingly takes a step or two backward in response to the slight pressure, that is a wow and he deserves a good pat and praise! If he did not pick up on the cue, do it again and exert slightly more pressure and exaggerate the backward leadrope pressure as well. Repeat the command “Back!” Reward your horse when he successfully responds and moves backwards a step or two.
Repeat this several times, rewarding your horse with a pat and praise each time he gets it right. After a couple of sessions, he will step back without difficulty.
After he understands the word “Back,” and he readily complies, continue his ground training while he is in tack. Repeat all the same steps and be lavish with praise and patting. Your goal is to have the horse react solely to the verbal “Back” command.
The Old Gray Mare’s note: As soon as my own horse obeyed “back” command, I substituted “back” with a soft “sssssss” sound – as if I was mimicking a snake sound. He soon responded to my barely, split second long sssss. From the saddle or from the ground, my horse backed easily for as long as I asked.
Now you are ready to mount the horse and continue to practice from the saddle. Use an assistant at the beginning to make it easier for your horse. Apply a slight backward pressure on the reins followed by quick release and slight pressure and quick release to signal your horse to back up. Tell him to “Back” (or make that sssss-sound) while your assistant applies slight hand pressure on your horse’s chest. Repeat the rein pressure/release each time you want your horse to back.
Use leg aids to keep your horse backing up in a straight line. If he pivots to the right, increase pressure with your right leg; if he moves too far left, apply pressure with your left leg. Repeat the training over and over for several days until your horse puts the cues together. Eventually your slightest tug/release on the rein will be enough.
Teaching your horse to back up easily and freely is useful in many ways. Everyday situations require your horse’s willingness to move forward, backward and sideward. Stepping into a horse trailer and backing out is just one example.
Throughout this training, remain firm but gentle. Never yell, lose your temper or use a whip. Reward him lavishly for good behavior. In no time at all, he’ll move back like a pro or a champion Quarter Horse. And, you know, it may even be a class win!
This article and other how to horse articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com.
How to Properly Adjust Horse Blanket & Assure Horse’s Comfort
The Old Gray Mare’s previous article, “Decide On a Horse Blanket – To Dress Your Horse or Not” discusses the pros and cons of blanketing horses. It also cites a few everyday scenarios when blanketing is advisable.
This follow-up article defines responsibility of horse owner to horse(s) under his care, motto to keep horse comfortable in his blanket, and how to readjust the blanket properly.
Horse Industry Endorsement
The use of horse blankets evokes a fair amount of indecision in horse circles and everyone has a strong opinion. Old timers believe that it is unnecessary to blanket horses since nature gave them short and long coats appropriate for the seasons. Other horse people use blankets and sheets selectively or for specific purposes, such as trailering or coat protection. Horse show people swear by horse clothing and blanket throughout the year for coat quality and maintenance, and color and sheen. In general, the horse industry endorses horse wearables for all breeds, horse sport and disciplines.
Horse Owner Responsibility to the Blanketed Horse
Horses that are blanketed, whether indoors or outdoors, require frequent observance and checking. You want to be certain that the horse blanket fits properly, that the horse is not too hot or too cold in his garment, that the straps are in place, that he is not rubbing and that he is not entangled in any way. A blanket that fits well usually stays in place even if the horse is very active, rolls, kicks up his heels and acts like a horse.
If you dress your horse, diligently observe him and his comfort level. Check him for rubs, sores and tears in the clothing. A well-fitting blanket may twist or shift with activity or rolling. If you observe any hair rubs on the coat, or notice your horse is rubbing, add an undergarment or liner or guard and stop coat damage immediately.
Motto for Blanketing
In short, your motto for blanketing should be “Measure him carefully, fit him well, check him often, readjust as necessary and monitor temperature changes consistently.”
How We Do It at DressYourHorse.com
At our stables, we remove horse blankets and sheets to groom and adjust them as necessary on a daily basis. Blankets come off each day for grooming and pampering - there are no short cuts and no exceptions! Grooming time and associated tasks are built into the schedule. This is the time to provide kind, thorough attention to every animal. Check out each horse for rubs, condition, etc. Our small barn is on a three-times a day feed schedule and each time, the horse clothing is checked – and that is in addition to the daily grooming sessions. When weather conditions are unstable, we may even check more frequently in order to monitor temperatures. It is not at all unusual to layer blankets during the night and peel off coverings as the day progresses. Our horses love the attention!
How to Adjust Horse Blanket Properly
Straighten your blankets and/or sheets by undoing them entirely and physically shifting them back into proper position. The Old Gray Mare recommends that you follow this simple procedure to fit and to readjust horse clothing:
1. Undo both leg straps first, then unclip the surcingle(s)
2. Unbuckle the chest strap
3. Fold up the rump (rear) portion of the blanket onto the withers
4. Slide the now half-folded blanket way back onto the rump
5. Assure yourself there is no dirt, sand, or chafed spots on the neck, withers and chest area
6. Lift the blanket up and off the horse and bring into correct position at the neck and withers
7. Keep one hand on the half-folded blanket (to keep it from slipping) while you quickly check the hindquarters
8. Unfold and move the whole blanket into correct position
9. Assure the blanket is centered along the spine of the horse
10. Assure the top front portion is aligned properly on the withers
11. Buckle the chest strap(s)
12. Move to the side of the horse and smooth blanket over hindquarters evenly from spine on both sides
13. Clasp surcingle(s)
14. Clip leg straps – between hind legs criss-crossed under horse or passed between hind legs in parallel clip method
To summarize: undo straps and fasteners starting in back and moving to front, lift up the rear portion of the blanket(s) and fold forward to the withers, then lift completely off his back and put down again in the correct position.
There is lots of information to share with you about horse care and horse clothing. Another installment about horse blankets, “How to Care for Your Horse Blanket” is next.
This article and other horse-related articles are written by The Old Gray Mare of www.DressYourHorse.com.
This follow-up article defines responsibility of horse owner to horse(s) under his care, motto to keep horse comfortable in his blanket, and how to readjust the blanket properly.
Horse Industry Endorsement
The use of horse blankets evokes a fair amount of indecision in horse circles and everyone has a strong opinion. Old timers believe that it is unnecessary to blanket horses since nature gave them short and long coats appropriate for the seasons. Other horse people use blankets and sheets selectively or for specific purposes, such as trailering or coat protection. Horse show people swear by horse clothing and blanket throughout the year for coat quality and maintenance, and color and sheen. In general, the horse industry endorses horse wearables for all breeds, horse sport and disciplines.
Horse Owner Responsibility to the Blanketed Horse
Horses that are blanketed, whether indoors or outdoors, require frequent observance and checking. You want to be certain that the horse blanket fits properly, that the horse is not too hot or too cold in his garment, that the straps are in place, that he is not rubbing and that he is not entangled in any way. A blanket that fits well usually stays in place even if the horse is very active, rolls, kicks up his heels and acts like a horse.
If you dress your horse, diligently observe him and his comfort level. Check him for rubs, sores and tears in the clothing. A well-fitting blanket may twist or shift with activity or rolling. If you observe any hair rubs on the coat, or notice your horse is rubbing, add an undergarment or liner or guard and stop coat damage immediately.
Motto for Blanketing
In short, your motto for blanketing should be “Measure him carefully, fit him well, check him often, readjust as necessary and monitor temperature changes consistently.”
How We Do It at DressYourHorse.com
At our stables, we remove horse blankets and sheets to groom and adjust them as necessary on a daily basis. Blankets come off each day for grooming and pampering - there are no short cuts and no exceptions! Grooming time and associated tasks are built into the schedule. This is the time to provide kind, thorough attention to every animal. Check out each horse for rubs, condition, etc. Our small barn is on a three-times a day feed schedule and each time, the horse clothing is checked – and that is in addition to the daily grooming sessions. When weather conditions are unstable, we may even check more frequently in order to monitor temperatures. It is not at all unusual to layer blankets during the night and peel off coverings as the day progresses. Our horses love the attention!
How to Adjust Horse Blanket Properly
Straighten your blankets and/or sheets by undoing them entirely and physically shifting them back into proper position. The Old Gray Mare recommends that you follow this simple procedure to fit and to readjust horse clothing:
1. Undo both leg straps first, then unclip the surcingle(s)
2. Unbuckle the chest strap
3. Fold up the rump (rear) portion of the blanket onto the withers
4. Slide the now half-folded blanket way back onto the rump
5. Assure yourself there is no dirt, sand, or chafed spots on the neck, withers and chest area
6. Lift the blanket up and off the horse and bring into correct position at the neck and withers
7. Keep one hand on the half-folded blanket (to keep it from slipping) while you quickly check the hindquarters
8. Unfold and move the whole blanket into correct position
9. Assure the blanket is centered along the spine of the horse
10. Assure the top front portion is aligned properly on the withers
11. Buckle the chest strap(s)
12. Move to the side of the horse and smooth blanket over hindquarters evenly from spine on both sides
13. Clasp surcingle(s)
14. Clip leg straps – between hind legs criss-crossed under horse or passed between hind legs in parallel clip method
To summarize: undo straps and fasteners starting in back and moving to front, lift up the rear portion of the blanket(s) and fold forward to the withers, then lift completely off his back and put down again in the correct position.
There is lots of information to share with you about horse care and horse clothing. Another installment about horse blankets, “How to Care for Your Horse Blanket” is next.
This article and other horse-related articles are written by The Old Gray Mare of www.DressYourHorse.com.
Find a Boarding Stable for Your Horse
Congratulations. Your dream has come true and you are getting a horse.
The excitement level around your house has no bounds. Here you are, aged 10, horse crazy and you think you are in heaven. In your mind, the only thing better in this whole horse thing would be having him or her in your backyard acres.
Horses Can Be a Lot of Work
But take heart – backyarding a horse is lots of work, responsibility, care, worry, and (did I say) work. Sometimes all that work puts a quick kabash on your enthusiasm. I always say that you can park a boat or bike when it’s cold outside or when you want a few extra minutes curled up in bed, but you cannot park a horse – he needs to eat, and get mucked out, and exercised, and he’d mostly like a lot of your attention.
Instead, you are truly lucky if you can begin your horse ownership at a boarding stable.
It’s Up to You to Keep Your Commitment
Your parents have already endorsed your commitment to a horse with one of their own – covering the expenses. It is up to you to keep your commitment to both horse and to your parents.
Now then, lets get your horse settled in a boarding stable. I’m pretty sure that your parents have already completed the research on local stables. I’m likewise sure that driving distance and cost is a factor in your decision in all decisions. You’ll also add safety and well-being of the horse as criteria.
You have narrowed down the stables to one or two. Everyone is in agreement with location, driving distance, expense. So go and interview the stable owners. You’ll be asking a lot of questions and I suggest you go with a list of them. Cover all the bases at the beginning so you can make an informed choice. If you are interviewing several stables, ask the same questions, make the same inspections, and bring the family for their input.
First Impressions Checklist
Upon arriving at the stable, check out the layout, the surroundings and the cleanliness. Here is a first impression/upon arrival checklist:
* Are the fences around ring and pastures sound and well maintained?
* What type of fencing surrounds the fields and pastures. Is it electric, wire mesh, board?
* If electric or wire fencing is used, are there safety boards across the top, tapes, etc.
* If wire fencing is used, could a horse get a foot through the holes in the fencing?
* Is the fencing barbed wire? If that answer is yes, my instant advice would be NO – don’t put your horse into that danger.
* Are the fences high enough that you horse cannot escape by jumping out?
* Are the fields well maintained with minimal soiled areas and no overgrown weeds?
* Is the stable located on a major roadway?
* Are there rocks, tree stumps, holes or obstacles in the pasture?
* Does the facility have a riding ring. Even better and in addition, does it have an indoor riding ring?
You Have Found THE Stable
Your first impression is, “I love it.” Great! So, have a look around. If this is an impromptu (no appointment with owners) visit, is anyone there to greet you or check you out? You might plan a surprise visit initially, but when you’re really serious about moving your horse in, I suggest a set appointment with the owners.
You will have a close look around inside. Are the stalls large, roomy and bright. Are the walls safe and secure. Are the horses able to look out of a window that has a steel grate or heavy mesh covering over the glass? Can the horses see you approach at the stall door? How many horses are boarded/do the owners keep some horses of their own? Are the stalls clean? Are there strong urine or feces odors? Are the horses clean and well kept and in good flesh? Can you hear horses kicking or cribbing?
As you can see, there are many questions. But you have fallen in love with your horse already and you want to be sure he is safe in his new home, right?
As they say, “All systems are go.” Everyone agrees this particular stable is the ideal place.
The Real Important Stuff – Your Boarding Checklist
Now, I highly recommend that you make a definitive agreement with the owners that clearly states all parties’ responsibilities. You’ll decide whether to full-board your horse: the stable feeds, cleans, and - based on agreement - handles and turns your horse out and brings him in daily; or stall only: you will need to feed at least twice daily, morning and night; or rough board: your horse is turned out and has a run in.
If your plans are to take lessons on your horse, to show your horse, to trail ride him, and to spend every spare minute of time loving him, then you will most likely elect the full-board option.
Here are your checkpoints using the full-board choice – discuss everything fully with the stable owners and, preferably for everyone’s best interests, enter into a written agreement:
* Board payment is due, promptly and in full, on the first of every month.
* How often can you visit – use the facilities – set clearly defined guidelines here. Ideally, you’ll be able to visit your horse daily or close to it. If it’s only weekly, use of the facilities for you and your horse during the visit becomes increasingly important since others may also be there and you’ll all share.
* Discuss feed schedules, amount of grain/hay/vitamins, etc.
* How is mucking and manure disposal handled at the stable? What is used for bedding. Is the stall mucked out daily? Good idea for you to “apple pick” when you visit. Your horse will get to have you around and learn your ways. Just be careful. Don’t get kicked. Use your best judgment.
* Is there a worming schedule?
* Will your horse go out to pasture daily? Will he be turned out with other horses? Is there a source of water? Shelter? If the weather turns inclement, will someone get him in ahead of normal schedule?
* How many people board and ride at the stable?
* Where will you leave your tack? Is there a tack room?
* Is there a toilet facility for the humans that visit the horses?
* If you have a horse trailer, can you park it at the stable?
* What arrangements does the stable have with a blacksmith? If you have a blacksmith in mind for your horse other than the stable farrier, are you permitted to bring him/her in to shoe your horse?
* Vet care and dental are very important issues. Who is the stable’s vet? Are regular inoculation visits set up. Is there a regular horse dentist? Does the stable use a blanket cleaning service?
Well, enough already. I have given you many pointers and some very important questions that should be asked. By no means is this list complete, so feel free to add and tweak the list. When you are ready, you will be able to make an informed choice and you parents will be so totally impressed with you!
This is another article on horses, horse care or horse blanket care by The Old Gray Mare. Additional articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at website DressYourHorse.com.
The excitement level around your house has no bounds. Here you are, aged 10, horse crazy and you think you are in heaven. In your mind, the only thing better in this whole horse thing would be having him or her in your backyard acres.
Horses Can Be a Lot of Work
But take heart – backyarding a horse is lots of work, responsibility, care, worry, and (did I say) work. Sometimes all that work puts a quick kabash on your enthusiasm. I always say that you can park a boat or bike when it’s cold outside or when you want a few extra minutes curled up in bed, but you cannot park a horse – he needs to eat, and get mucked out, and exercised, and he’d mostly like a lot of your attention.
Instead, you are truly lucky if you can begin your horse ownership at a boarding stable.
It’s Up to You to Keep Your Commitment
Your parents have already endorsed your commitment to a horse with one of their own – covering the expenses. It is up to you to keep your commitment to both horse and to your parents.
Now then, lets get your horse settled in a boarding stable. I’m pretty sure that your parents have already completed the research on local stables. I’m likewise sure that driving distance and cost is a factor in your decision in all decisions. You’ll also add safety and well-being of the horse as criteria.
You have narrowed down the stables to one or two. Everyone is in agreement with location, driving distance, expense. So go and interview the stable owners. You’ll be asking a lot of questions and I suggest you go with a list of them. Cover all the bases at the beginning so you can make an informed choice. If you are interviewing several stables, ask the same questions, make the same inspections, and bring the family for their input.
First Impressions Checklist
Upon arriving at the stable, check out the layout, the surroundings and the cleanliness. Here is a first impression/upon arrival checklist:
* Are the fences around ring and pastures sound and well maintained?
* What type of fencing surrounds the fields and pastures. Is it electric, wire mesh, board?
* If electric or wire fencing is used, are there safety boards across the top, tapes, etc.
* If wire fencing is used, could a horse get a foot through the holes in the fencing?
* Is the fencing barbed wire? If that answer is yes, my instant advice would be NO – don’t put your horse into that danger.
* Are the fences high enough that you horse cannot escape by jumping out?
* Are the fields well maintained with minimal soiled areas and no overgrown weeds?
* Is the stable located on a major roadway?
* Are there rocks, tree stumps, holes or obstacles in the pasture?
* Does the facility have a riding ring. Even better and in addition, does it have an indoor riding ring?
You Have Found THE Stable
Your first impression is, “I love it.” Great! So, have a look around. If this is an impromptu (no appointment with owners) visit, is anyone there to greet you or check you out? You might plan a surprise visit initially, but when you’re really serious about moving your horse in, I suggest a set appointment with the owners.
You will have a close look around inside. Are the stalls large, roomy and bright. Are the walls safe and secure. Are the horses able to look out of a window that has a steel grate or heavy mesh covering over the glass? Can the horses see you approach at the stall door? How many horses are boarded/do the owners keep some horses of their own? Are the stalls clean? Are there strong urine or feces odors? Are the horses clean and well kept and in good flesh? Can you hear horses kicking or cribbing?
As you can see, there are many questions. But you have fallen in love with your horse already and you want to be sure he is safe in his new home, right?
As they say, “All systems are go.” Everyone agrees this particular stable is the ideal place.
The Real Important Stuff – Your Boarding Checklist
Now, I highly recommend that you make a definitive agreement with the owners that clearly states all parties’ responsibilities. You’ll decide whether to full-board your horse: the stable feeds, cleans, and - based on agreement - handles and turns your horse out and brings him in daily; or stall only: you will need to feed at least twice daily, morning and night; or rough board: your horse is turned out and has a run in.
If your plans are to take lessons on your horse, to show your horse, to trail ride him, and to spend every spare minute of time loving him, then you will most likely elect the full-board option.
Here are your checkpoints using the full-board choice – discuss everything fully with the stable owners and, preferably for everyone’s best interests, enter into a written agreement:
* Board payment is due, promptly and in full, on the first of every month.
* How often can you visit – use the facilities – set clearly defined guidelines here. Ideally, you’ll be able to visit your horse daily or close to it. If it’s only weekly, use of the facilities for you and your horse during the visit becomes increasingly important since others may also be there and you’ll all share.
* Discuss feed schedules, amount of grain/hay/vitamins, etc.
* How is mucking and manure disposal handled at the stable? What is used for bedding. Is the stall mucked out daily? Good idea for you to “apple pick” when you visit. Your horse will get to have you around and learn your ways. Just be careful. Don’t get kicked. Use your best judgment.
* Is there a worming schedule?
* Will your horse go out to pasture daily? Will he be turned out with other horses? Is there a source of water? Shelter? If the weather turns inclement, will someone get him in ahead of normal schedule?
* How many people board and ride at the stable?
* Where will you leave your tack? Is there a tack room?
* Is there a toilet facility for the humans that visit the horses?
* If you have a horse trailer, can you park it at the stable?
* What arrangements does the stable have with a blacksmith? If you have a blacksmith in mind for your horse other than the stable farrier, are you permitted to bring him/her in to shoe your horse?
* Vet care and dental are very important issues. Who is the stable’s vet? Are regular inoculation visits set up. Is there a regular horse dentist? Does the stable use a blanket cleaning service?
Well, enough already. I have given you many pointers and some very important questions that should be asked. By no means is this list complete, so feel free to add and tweak the list. When you are ready, you will be able to make an informed choice and you parents will be so totally impressed with you!
This is another article on horses, horse care or horse blanket care by The Old Gray Mare. Additional articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at website DressYourHorse.com.
Rider Conduct on Horse Trail Rides
Trail riding is the horseman's way of communing with nature. Fresh air, quiet paths, the twittering of birds, possibly a spooked deer - it's a magical time when you are astride your favorite horse.
This beauty, peace and quiet comes with some responsibility, however. Whether you head out alone to enjoy your horse and the great outdoors, or ride with a horse buddy, or ride in a group, or join your riding club on a monthly trail ride, manners are important. Acting with courtesy and consideration will assure an invitation to come again.
The Old Gray Mare Has Some Advice
The Old Gray Mare advises that, first and foremost, you need to be certain that you are permitted to ride the trail you have chosen. Don't merely assume that you can ride on a path or trail because it is there - Get permission first. Many landowners will grant you access to their land if you leave it the way you found it AND if you get permission first. If you ride on a dirt road, you will need to obey all rules of the road. There are many state forests or public lands; not all of them permit horse riders. Know where you can or cannot ride.
Use Common Sense
Here are a few common-sense guidelines for you. Adhere to them and you will always be invited back.
Tip 1 - If you are riding with others and your horse kicks, braid or pin a bright red ribbon on his tail. This is a signal to the other riders to "Stay Away" - this horse is a kicker. If your horse is uneasy or swishy around other horses, use the red ribbon signal as well.
Tip 2 - Do not gallop or canter at high speed around your group of horses or others that you may encounter on your trail ride. Always slow to a trot/jog or walk. Not only is it rude to fly past others on the trail, it is dangerous. The other horses may get spooked and you do not want anyone to get hurt.
Tip 3 - Do not yell, shout or make unnecessary noise (unless there is a problem). This is quiet time and mental therapy for trail riders.
Tip 4 - Slow down around corners. Stay on the right side of the path, trail or dirt road on which you are riding. Always be aware of sounds - these days, you are sharing the trails with many interested trail people - they could be on dirt bikes, cross country motorbikes, four-wheelers. On dirt roads you will probably encounter the occasional car or motorcycle.
Tip 5 - Leave gates as you find them - This is a standard trail riding rule.
Tip 6 - Always help someone that is in trouble on the trail. Stop and offer to help. In this day and age of technology, your cellphone should be on the trail with you and your horse and, on a social ride, with your group.
Tip 7 - Do not trash the surroundings. Leave the trail as you found it. Beer & soda cans, candy wrappers, plastic and paper waste do nothing to improve the beauty of nature. Add only your hoofprints. And, The Old Gray Mare cautions that you should stay on the trail to leave vegetation and delicate plant life undamaged.
And the most important: Tip 8 - At the end of your ride, take excellent care of your horse. Do not short-change your horse now that he just carried you for miles across the countryside. Make sure he is not hot and, if he is, walk him to cool him down. Rub him down, clean out his hooves, give him hay and offer him water (provided he is not hot). Always care for your horse before you think of yourself.
Trail riding is terrific. Do it often and do it with manners.
Happy hoofprints to you!
This article and other horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com
This beauty, peace and quiet comes with some responsibility, however. Whether you head out alone to enjoy your horse and the great outdoors, or ride with a horse buddy, or ride in a group, or join your riding club on a monthly trail ride, manners are important. Acting with courtesy and consideration will assure an invitation to come again.
The Old Gray Mare Has Some Advice
The Old Gray Mare advises that, first and foremost, you need to be certain that you are permitted to ride the trail you have chosen. Don't merely assume that you can ride on a path or trail because it is there - Get permission first. Many landowners will grant you access to their land if you leave it the way you found it AND if you get permission first. If you ride on a dirt road, you will need to obey all rules of the road. There are many state forests or public lands; not all of them permit horse riders. Know where you can or cannot ride.
Use Common Sense
Here are a few common-sense guidelines for you. Adhere to them and you will always be invited back.
Tip 1 - If you are riding with others and your horse kicks, braid or pin a bright red ribbon on his tail. This is a signal to the other riders to "Stay Away" - this horse is a kicker. If your horse is uneasy or swishy around other horses, use the red ribbon signal as well.
Tip 2 - Do not gallop or canter at high speed around your group of horses or others that you may encounter on your trail ride. Always slow to a trot/jog or walk. Not only is it rude to fly past others on the trail, it is dangerous. The other horses may get spooked and you do not want anyone to get hurt.
Tip 3 - Do not yell, shout or make unnecessary noise (unless there is a problem). This is quiet time and mental therapy for trail riders.
Tip 4 - Slow down around corners. Stay on the right side of the path, trail or dirt road on which you are riding. Always be aware of sounds - these days, you are sharing the trails with many interested trail people - they could be on dirt bikes, cross country motorbikes, four-wheelers. On dirt roads you will probably encounter the occasional car or motorcycle.
Tip 5 - Leave gates as you find them - This is a standard trail riding rule.
Tip 6 - Always help someone that is in trouble on the trail. Stop and offer to help. In this day and age of technology, your cellphone should be on the trail with you and your horse and, on a social ride, with your group.
Tip 7 - Do not trash the surroundings. Leave the trail as you found it. Beer & soda cans, candy wrappers, plastic and paper waste do nothing to improve the beauty of nature. Add only your hoofprints. And, The Old Gray Mare cautions that you should stay on the trail to leave vegetation and delicate plant life undamaged.
And the most important: Tip 8 - At the end of your ride, take excellent care of your horse. Do not short-change your horse now that he just carried you for miles across the countryside. Make sure he is not hot and, if he is, walk him to cool him down. Rub him down, clean out his hooves, give him hay and offer him water (provided he is not hot). Always care for your horse before you think of yourself.
Trail riding is terrific. Do it often and do it with manners.
Happy hoofprints to you!
This article and other horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at www.DressYourHorse.com
My Horse Survived a Severe Injury
Looking back
Old memories are coming back since I've started writing again. Mulling around in my head are many high and low points - and there are those that I thought I would never live through. I did - and it all turned out OK.
I remember my beautiful Saddlebred gelding, his flawless body and his high moving ways. Then it all came crashing down one day . . .
A Bit of Nastalgia
Back then, we had an old trailer. It had served us well over several years of hauling our show stallion, a section A Welsh, back and forth to the shows. We used to joke that "here comes the ratty trailer with that drop-dead gorgeous stud pony." Well, Windsor Chief did win everything around the Connecticut Open Horse Shows Circuit. It was generally known that when he stepped off the tailgate and went into the showring, it was all over for the competition. Soon another horse joined our show string.
We bought a firecracker - a handsome Saddlebred gelding, aged 12. Right from the start, Be Calm was a handful. It took a lot of time and patience and training to get him into the show ring again. But when he hit the ring, he hit it big! He was feisty, bold and hot. He won every Model Class he went into and any Open Three Gaited Class he entered. Getting anything less than a blue ribbon was not even a consideration.
The Injury
He also rode in that trailer - the ratty one. Thinking back today, it's easy to remember that he was never overly fond of getting into it or even going up the ramp. It's hindsight now, but had we paid more attention to the horse, he might never have been hurt. In fact, we would have junked that beastly trailer at his first reluctance.
One day, trucking to the blacksmith to set his shoes, something made him lurch in the trailer. Could be he saw something that spooked him since there was no swerve or other reason for his jumping around. I was behind the wheel and glanced in the side mirror. Horror! Absolute horror grabbed me. I saw his leg protruding out of the side of the trailer and he was obviously struggling. I'll never forget where we were at that precise moment. We were driving past the Mansfield Drive-In Theater in Willimantic, CT.
Seconds seemed like an eternity but I managed to stop the car and trailer, pull off the road and get to my horse. We got to him quickly. As I was trying to calm him, my husband was lowering the tailgate. Thank heavens the horse remained calm as we pulled his left hind leg back into the trailer. The leg bone, a good 3 inches of it, showed bright white but, strangely enough, there was not much blood.
It Was Rough
There were no cell phones back then and no horse ambulances. You were pretty well on your own - did you call police and delay getting him help, or did you drive to the nearest vet as quickly as possible? We opted to drive to the vet.
I drove and my husband stayed with the horse. To this day I cannot remember much of that drive except that I fought hysteria but somehow, miraculously, remained sane and calm. We drove to Bolton Vets (then it was Dr. Leventhal's practice). Dr. Pomper was on site that day - thank goodness!
Everything happened so fast. We got the horse off the trailer and into the yard. There was no stable or barn so the horse was tended to right there on the pavement. Dr. Pomper anesthetized the horse's leg and began pulling bits and pieces of plywood out of the wound. Again horror!
My poor horse. He was laboring through all this and yet, for once, lived up to his name - Be Calm. After two hours of labor intensive work, Dr. Pomper stitched and bandaged the horse up and sent us on our way. It was highly probable that this wound was going to cause problems and it did. Horrors!
We dressed and washed and medicated our horse around the clock. Still, we didn't avoid the infection. Dr. Pomper decided to operate to clear the wound of all residual foreign matter.
The operation took place in our backyard. (No, I'm not ancient but things were just not like today - vets and great hospitals and cell phones everywhere.) We found a grassy level spot and put the horse under anesthetic. As he lay there, we thought we would lose him for sure. Another two hours later and Be Calm was again stitched up and bandaged.
I had never seen a horse come out of anesthetic. He struggled up and buckled and fell and struggled and flopped around. It was hard to keep him down but we had to sit on his head. Finally, it seemed forever, he was able to stand - wobbly but upright.
Through all of this, Be Calm was stoic and resilient. He was agreeable when he received his daily soaks and cleaning. We fussed and fretted over him. We dealt with the proud flesh and the hand walking. Over and over again we told ourselves that we were lucky he did not pull a tendon, ligament or sustain even more serious injuries.
It Ended Well
It was this injury and Be Calm's quiet acceptance of it that left an indelible mark on my mind. His trust and bond with us had become remarkable. And, I honestly believe he never blamed us for his pain and injury. Instead he grew closer to us. It's hard to explain, and you have to know horses to understand, but he began to love us.
This nonfiction story was written by The Old Gray Mare. Other articles by the old nag can be found on the website DressYourHorse.com.
Old memories are coming back since I've started writing again. Mulling around in my head are many high and low points - and there are those that I thought I would never live through. I did - and it all turned out OK.
I remember my beautiful Saddlebred gelding, his flawless body and his high moving ways. Then it all came crashing down one day . . .
A Bit of Nastalgia
Back then, we had an old trailer. It had served us well over several years of hauling our show stallion, a section A Welsh, back and forth to the shows. We used to joke that "here comes the ratty trailer with that drop-dead gorgeous stud pony." Well, Windsor Chief did win everything around the Connecticut Open Horse Shows Circuit. It was generally known that when he stepped off the tailgate and went into the showring, it was all over for the competition. Soon another horse joined our show string.
We bought a firecracker - a handsome Saddlebred gelding, aged 12. Right from the start, Be Calm was a handful. It took a lot of time and patience and training to get him into the show ring again. But when he hit the ring, he hit it big! He was feisty, bold and hot. He won every Model Class he went into and any Open Three Gaited Class he entered. Getting anything less than a blue ribbon was not even a consideration.
The Injury
He also rode in that trailer - the ratty one. Thinking back today, it's easy to remember that he was never overly fond of getting into it or even going up the ramp. It's hindsight now, but had we paid more attention to the horse, he might never have been hurt. In fact, we would have junked that beastly trailer at his first reluctance.
One day, trucking to the blacksmith to set his shoes, something made him lurch in the trailer. Could be he saw something that spooked him since there was no swerve or other reason for his jumping around. I was behind the wheel and glanced in the side mirror. Horror! Absolute horror grabbed me. I saw his leg protruding out of the side of the trailer and he was obviously struggling. I'll never forget where we were at that precise moment. We were driving past the Mansfield Drive-In Theater in Willimantic, CT.
Seconds seemed like an eternity but I managed to stop the car and trailer, pull off the road and get to my horse. We got to him quickly. As I was trying to calm him, my husband was lowering the tailgate. Thank heavens the horse remained calm as we pulled his left hind leg back into the trailer. The leg bone, a good 3 inches of it, showed bright white but, strangely enough, there was not much blood.
It Was Rough
There were no cell phones back then and no horse ambulances. You were pretty well on your own - did you call police and delay getting him help, or did you drive to the nearest vet as quickly as possible? We opted to drive to the vet.
I drove and my husband stayed with the horse. To this day I cannot remember much of that drive except that I fought hysteria but somehow, miraculously, remained sane and calm. We drove to Bolton Vets (then it was Dr. Leventhal's practice). Dr. Pomper was on site that day - thank goodness!
Everything happened so fast. We got the horse off the trailer and into the yard. There was no stable or barn so the horse was tended to right there on the pavement. Dr. Pomper anesthetized the horse's leg and began pulling bits and pieces of plywood out of the wound. Again horror!
My poor horse. He was laboring through all this and yet, for once, lived up to his name - Be Calm. After two hours of labor intensive work, Dr. Pomper stitched and bandaged the horse up and sent us on our way. It was highly probable that this wound was going to cause problems and it did. Horrors!
We dressed and washed and medicated our horse around the clock. Still, we didn't avoid the infection. Dr. Pomper decided to operate to clear the wound of all residual foreign matter.
The operation took place in our backyard. (No, I'm not ancient but things were just not like today - vets and great hospitals and cell phones everywhere.) We found a grassy level spot and put the horse under anesthetic. As he lay there, we thought we would lose him for sure. Another two hours later and Be Calm was again stitched up and bandaged.
I had never seen a horse come out of anesthetic. He struggled up and buckled and fell and struggled and flopped around. It was hard to keep him down but we had to sit on his head. Finally, it seemed forever, he was able to stand - wobbly but upright.
Through all of this, Be Calm was stoic and resilient. He was agreeable when he received his daily soaks and cleaning. We fussed and fretted over him. We dealt with the proud flesh and the hand walking. Over and over again we told ourselves that we were lucky he did not pull a tendon, ligament or sustain even more serious injuries.
It Ended Well
It was this injury and Be Calm's quiet acceptance of it that left an indelible mark on my mind. His trust and bond with us had become remarkable. And, I honestly believe he never blamed us for his pain and injury. Instead he grew closer to us. It's hard to explain, and you have to know horses to understand, but he began to love us.
This nonfiction story was written by The Old Gray Mare. Other articles by the old nag can be found on the website DressYourHorse.com.
How to Apply Horse Polo Wraps & What You Should Know About Them
The primary focus of this Old Gray Mare article is to describe the correct way to apply polo wrap bandages to your horse’s legs. But first, a few pros and cons regarding the use of polo wraps.
The Pros: Here is the short list - to protect the lower legs, to add modest stability to the tendons and ligaments, to prevent injury during workouts, to maintain leg warmth and blood flow.
The Cons: incorrect and possible damaging application of polo wraps; using them while horse is turned out; on cross country and trail rides; jumping solid obstacles. Use polos when dry only – never leave on wet polos for any reason.
What Are Polo Wraps?
Polo wraps are soft, stretchy 9’ lengths of fabric, most often cushy fleece or heavy weight polyester. Nowadays they fasten with 2” Velcro closures. Mostly, they are five inches in width and come in a brilliant array of colors.
Care of Polo Wraps
Polos get soiled with every use. If you can shake them free of excess shavings, grit and sand, you can reuse them and keep them clean and rolled and ready for the next application. It is best not to reuse soiled and gritty wraps; wash them often, even between each use if necessary.
Machine-wash and dry the wraps. The Old Gray Mare suggests you place each set of two or four wraps into a drawstring-type bag. Otherwise they may become entangled. Overdrying lessens the lifetime of the fabric so tumble dry and remove from dryer.
When polo wraps lose their stretchy quality, discard them.
The Correct Way to Apply a Polo Wrap
Use correct technique! To haphazardly put them on the horse’s legs has the potential to cause damage. Remove them immediately after exercise or training.
1. Be sure your polo wrap is ready to put on the horse--the Velcro closure/tab should not be visible. Newly purchased wraps must first be rewound so that the Velcro is inside and last to be applied.
2. Start with the left front leg. Position the edge of the polo on the inside of the top of the canon bone, holding firm as you bring the rolled-up polo around the back of the leg to the front of the leg. Secure the start of the bandage with another wrap and begin to swirl downward. It is important to maintain steady, even stretch and pressure for each turn as you work the bandage down. Each wrap should cover approximately 50% of the previous pass.
3. Tighten the bandage on the bone, NEVER the tendon.
4. Do not lose the even and consistent pressure as you work. Permit no wrinkles to form.
5. Continue down the leg and under the fetlock joint. Make a “sling” with the wrap directly under the fetlock and turn to spiral back up.
6. Continue to apply the same amount of even, firm pressure as you work your way to the top.
7. Use up the entire bandage. You should be close to your started point. If you have too much bandage left, the wrap may be too tight. Likewise, if you run out of bandage before you are near the top, your wrap might be lose.
8. Secure the wrap by fastening the Velcro hook and loop firmly in place. Generally the Velcro holds for a training session. Just to be certain there is no loosening or slippage of the polo wraps, secure the Velcro latch with a four inch piece of duct tape.
9. Be prudent about the safety of your horse. If you are uncertain about your handiwork, take the time to unwrap the leg and start again.
10. Wraps that are wrinkled or applied too tightly may cause tendon injury and impede blood flow.
11. Proceed to the right front leg, and then to the rear legs. Use the same technique for each leg.
12. Wrap the four legs yourself for uniformity and best results. No two people wrap the same way.
13. Remember to safeguard your horse’s legs. Certainly you want to protect him from possible nicks and cuts and hoof overreach; however, you do not want to damage tendons. Do this job properly because your horse’s legs depend on it!
It is always safer to apply polo wraps when exercising your horse than not, provided they are put on properly.
This article and other horse care articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found on website www.DressYourHorse.com.
Tips: Polo wraps are useful during lunging.
Warning: Never leave wet polo bandages on the horse.
Do not apply too tightly.
Do not permit the bandages to bunch up.
The Pros: Here is the short list - to protect the lower legs, to add modest stability to the tendons and ligaments, to prevent injury during workouts, to maintain leg warmth and blood flow.
The Cons: incorrect and possible damaging application of polo wraps; using them while horse is turned out; on cross country and trail rides; jumping solid obstacles. Use polos when dry only – never leave on wet polos for any reason.
What Are Polo Wraps?
Polo wraps are soft, stretchy 9’ lengths of fabric, most often cushy fleece or heavy weight polyester. Nowadays they fasten with 2” Velcro closures. Mostly, they are five inches in width and come in a brilliant array of colors.
Care of Polo Wraps
Polos get soiled with every use. If you can shake them free of excess shavings, grit and sand, you can reuse them and keep them clean and rolled and ready for the next application. It is best not to reuse soiled and gritty wraps; wash them often, even between each use if necessary.
Machine-wash and dry the wraps. The Old Gray Mare suggests you place each set of two or four wraps into a drawstring-type bag. Otherwise they may become entangled. Overdrying lessens the lifetime of the fabric so tumble dry and remove from dryer.
When polo wraps lose their stretchy quality, discard them.
The Correct Way to Apply a Polo Wrap
Use correct technique! To haphazardly put them on the horse’s legs has the potential to cause damage. Remove them immediately after exercise or training.
1. Be sure your polo wrap is ready to put on the horse--the Velcro closure/tab should not be visible. Newly purchased wraps must first be rewound so that the Velcro is inside and last to be applied.
2. Start with the left front leg. Position the edge of the polo on the inside of the top of the canon bone, holding firm as you bring the rolled-up polo around the back of the leg to the front of the leg. Secure the start of the bandage with another wrap and begin to swirl downward. It is important to maintain steady, even stretch and pressure for each turn as you work the bandage down. Each wrap should cover approximately 50% of the previous pass.
3. Tighten the bandage on the bone, NEVER the tendon.
4. Do not lose the even and consistent pressure as you work. Permit no wrinkles to form.
5. Continue down the leg and under the fetlock joint. Make a “sling” with the wrap directly under the fetlock and turn to spiral back up.
6. Continue to apply the same amount of even, firm pressure as you work your way to the top.
7. Use up the entire bandage. You should be close to your started point. If you have too much bandage left, the wrap may be too tight. Likewise, if you run out of bandage before you are near the top, your wrap might be lose.
8. Secure the wrap by fastening the Velcro hook and loop firmly in place. Generally the Velcro holds for a training session. Just to be certain there is no loosening or slippage of the polo wraps, secure the Velcro latch with a four inch piece of duct tape.
9. Be prudent about the safety of your horse. If you are uncertain about your handiwork, take the time to unwrap the leg and start again.
10. Wraps that are wrinkled or applied too tightly may cause tendon injury and impede blood flow.
11. Proceed to the right front leg, and then to the rear legs. Use the same technique for each leg.
12. Wrap the four legs yourself for uniformity and best results. No two people wrap the same way.
13. Remember to safeguard your horse’s legs. Certainly you want to protect him from possible nicks and cuts and hoof overreach; however, you do not want to damage tendons. Do this job properly because your horse’s legs depend on it!
It is always safer to apply polo wraps when exercising your horse than not, provided they are put on properly.
This article and other horse care articles written by The Old Gray Mare can be found on website www.DressYourHorse.com.
Tips: Polo wraps are useful during lunging.
Warning: Never leave wet polo bandages on the horse.
Do not apply too tightly.
Do not permit the bandages to bunch up.
How to Properly Measure and Fit a Horse Blanket
You want your horse to be comfortable and safe in his stable blanket. It is easy to get the proper fit with a little attention to detail. An improper fitting blanket will cause wither and shoulder rubs; a blanket that is too large can pose danger from straps and excess material. So you want to get it right.
At www.DressYourHorse.com we want to be certain your blankets fit properly. The process is simple and straightforward.
Measure Your Horse
Find a level spot and have an assistant hold your horse. Use a flexible cloth measuring tape.
-- Stand your horse squarely on all four legs and face him to the left.
-- Hold the measuring tape at the center of your horse’s chest (A) at the point where neck and chest meet, and
-- Keeping your tape level, measure around the widest part of the shoulder and along the barrel and around the widest part of the hindquarter - to the side of the tail (B).
-- Your tape should remain tight and level against all measuring points of the horse.
The blanket size for your horse is the resulting measurement from point A to Point B. If you measure 74 inches from A to B, then your horse wears a Size 74. If your measurement is an odd number, use the next highest even number.
BLANKET SIZE HOOD SIZE
52” – 62” Extra Small
64” – 68” Small
70” – 76” Medium
78” – 82” Large
84” – 90” Extra Large
Fit the Blanket on Your Horse
You have purchased a stable blanket in your horse’s correct size. It’s easy to dress him in this new blanket, have him look classy, and make him comfortable.
1. Fasten the blanket, in the case of an open front blanket, so that the chest straps allow some fabric overlap and the blanket back falls at the top of the tail. It should fit comfortably across the shoulders and be neither be too loose nor too tight.
2. Your horse blanket may have bias or straight surcingles or it might have just a single surcingle. In the case of bias surcingles, cross them under your horse’s belly. Each of the three surcingle styles (straight, bias, single) should be fastened and adjusted to permit a hand’s width between the straps and the horse’s belly.
3. To fasten the blanket’s leg straps, pass the right leg strap between the hind legs and secure at the left D-ring. Likewise, pass the left leg strap between the hind legs, cross through the right strap, and fasten to the right D-ring. Finally, adjust the leg straps to allow one hand width between your horse’s thighs and each leg strap. You may also parallel fasten your leg straps – left strap to left D-ring and right strap to right D-ring. Be certain, if you use this method, that the blanket fits securely and the hand’s width rule is met.
Common Problems of Incorrectly Fitted Blankets
-- A blanket that is too big or too small may cause a lot of rubbing. Because the horse is uncomfortable, he may actually rid himself of the blanket.
-- When the neck of a blanket is too large, it will hang lower on the horse’s back. This causes rubbing and consequent slippage. When the horse rolls or stands up after rolling, there is great danger that he will step on the blanket material.
-- The blanket is too large when it extends beyond the top of the tail. A blanket should reach just over the top of the tail. If it does not reach that far, it is too small.
-- It is important to allow a hand’s width between each leg strap and the horse’s thighs and it is equally important to allow the hand’s width between belly and surcingles. When straps and surcingles are too loose, the danger is that the horse may get his legs trapped in them. Leg straps secured too tightly will cause rubs.
Remember, if your horse is comfortable in his properly fitted blanket, he will be much happier to stay dressed.
This article and other horse-related articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
At www.DressYourHorse.com we want to be certain your blankets fit properly. The process is simple and straightforward.
Measure Your Horse
Find a level spot and have an assistant hold your horse. Use a flexible cloth measuring tape.
-- Stand your horse squarely on all four legs and face him to the left.
-- Hold the measuring tape at the center of your horse’s chest (A) at the point where neck and chest meet, and
-- Keeping your tape level, measure around the widest part of the shoulder and along the barrel and around the widest part of the hindquarter - to the side of the tail (B).
-- Your tape should remain tight and level against all measuring points of the horse.
The blanket size for your horse is the resulting measurement from point A to Point B. If you measure 74 inches from A to B, then your horse wears a Size 74. If your measurement is an odd number, use the next highest even number.
BLANKET SIZE HOOD SIZE
52” – 62” Extra Small
64” – 68” Small
70” – 76” Medium
78” – 82” Large
84” – 90” Extra Large
Fit the Blanket on Your Horse
You have purchased a stable blanket in your horse’s correct size. It’s easy to dress him in this new blanket, have him look classy, and make him comfortable.
1. Fasten the blanket, in the case of an open front blanket, so that the chest straps allow some fabric overlap and the blanket back falls at the top of the tail. It should fit comfortably across the shoulders and be neither be too loose nor too tight.
2. Your horse blanket may have bias or straight surcingles or it might have just a single surcingle. In the case of bias surcingles, cross them under your horse’s belly. Each of the three surcingle styles (straight, bias, single) should be fastened and adjusted to permit a hand’s width between the straps and the horse’s belly.
3. To fasten the blanket’s leg straps, pass the right leg strap between the hind legs and secure at the left D-ring. Likewise, pass the left leg strap between the hind legs, cross through the right strap, and fasten to the right D-ring. Finally, adjust the leg straps to allow one hand width between your horse’s thighs and each leg strap. You may also parallel fasten your leg straps – left strap to left D-ring and right strap to right D-ring. Be certain, if you use this method, that the blanket fits securely and the hand’s width rule is met.
Common Problems of Incorrectly Fitted Blankets
-- A blanket that is too big or too small may cause a lot of rubbing. Because the horse is uncomfortable, he may actually rid himself of the blanket.
-- When the neck of a blanket is too large, it will hang lower on the horse’s back. This causes rubbing and consequent slippage. When the horse rolls or stands up after rolling, there is great danger that he will step on the blanket material.
-- The blanket is too large when it extends beyond the top of the tail. A blanket should reach just over the top of the tail. If it does not reach that far, it is too small.
-- It is important to allow a hand’s width between each leg strap and the horse’s thighs and it is equally important to allow the hand’s width between belly and surcingles. When straps and surcingles are too loose, the danger is that the horse may get his legs trapped in them. Leg straps secured too tightly will cause rubs.
Remember, if your horse is comfortable in his properly fitted blanket, he will be much happier to stay dressed.
This article and other horse-related articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
Plan a Horse-Themed Birthday Party
Your horse crazy 11-year-old daughter wants a horse-themed birthday party. Chances are, all the kids she wants to invite are just as horse-obsessed. How lucky for you because there’s nothing easier than putting together a totally fun gallopin’ party. Let the Old Gray Mare at www.DressYourHorse.com give you a few whinnies – I mean ideas.
Party stores (like IParty.com) and online stores (like PonyPartyIdeas) stock countless horsy party goods, favors, piñatas, balloons and ideas. If you decide to use ready-to-go supplies, then you’ll simply organize a detailed To Do List that includes a list of party goods, invitations and the like. However, if you are adventuresome, creative and a workhorse, and if your child is chompin’ at the bit to help with this project, here is some fodder for your mane event.
Planning process
Have fun with your child in a brainstorming session. You’ll need to decide on the number of guests, develop a schedule and set your budget. Based on the type of horse party you are planning, ask yourself few questions:
- Will you be playing games
- Will you be visiting a horse farm
- Will you rent a pony or several ponies to give rides at your party
- Will you rent a horse video
– Are you headed to a horse show
- If your child rides or boards at a stable, can you have the party there
- Can guests ride at the stable too
- Will the stable participate in the party
- Can you rent trail horses in your area?
It is a good idea to develop the theme of your birthday bash from the beginning.
If your child is involved in riding lessons or showing, why not try Saddle Club, Pony Club or 4-H themes. Here are a few other possibilities:
- Blue Ribbon Party
- Cowgirl Party
- Racing or Kentucky Derby Party
- Barrel Racing Party
- I Love Show Horses Party
- Wild Mustangs Party
- Picture Me on the Pony Party
- Lets Do Something Horsy Party
- You Are Horse Crazy Party
Once you and your child have agreed on the date of the party, give yourself lots of time because horse partying is not only addictive, it is work intensive. Oh well, the party planning was the fun part. Now for the work . . .
Invitations
Invitations can be as varied as your creativity and fun quotient will permit. Naturally, if you will have a large group of kids, then you might be more inclined to keep the invitations simple. Here are some ideas:
- Rubber stamp and/or use stickers to construct invitations.
- Find copyright-free clipart on the Internet. Cut and paste the clipart on your invitations.
- Use magnetic sheets to create refrigerator magnet invitations.
- Cut out the shape of a horse silhouette (enlarged clipart) and use the cut out as the invitation.
- Cut a sponge into a horseshoe. Use it to stamp & design the invitations.
- Before the party, dress your child in a riding habit or cowgirl outfit. In a takeoff of the famous Uncle Sam poster, have her face the camera and point. Print the words: “I WANT YOU AT MY HORSE PARTY!”
- Have your child draw a horse picture. Make copies or scan into the computer to enlarge or reduce as needed to make invitations.
The wording for your function might read:
- For a cowgirl theme: “You're invited to my Buckaroo Round Up! The herd will be ready to horse around at our mane event and we can’t wait to gallop with you. Don’t be late cause we having cake!”
- For a pony ride party: “Put on your breeches and wear your boots. We’re ridin’ high at my party. All the horses will be there.”
- For a mustang/western party: “We’re having a wild horse roundup. Gallop on over to our Corral and join the herd.”
- For a western party: “We’re getting together in the OK Corral at high noon for a Horse Birthday Party. It wouldn’t be fun without ‘ya. We’ll be expectin’ ya so y’all better not miss it!”
You can then add all the party details including date, time, location and other appropriate information. Be sure to mention in your invitation whether you are visiting a barn or stable, if you are going on a trail ride, etc. When you’re thrilled with your masterpiece invitations, you’ll hand deliver or mail them to the lucky guests.
Decorations
There’s no easier theme for a party than horses! The internet world provides countless copyright-free material that you can use free of charge.
1. Birthday Corral Welcome Sign - Your child can paint a large sign, i.e. “We’re Having the Best Horse Party Ever, Barn None!”. Surround the border with stamped horse shoes, your child’s art, or cardboard horseshoes. Bright and colorful is good! Hang it outside to welcome guests as they arrive.
2. You can cut out many cardboard horse shoes. It’s an easy shape and you can have dozens in a very short period of time. Spread them on the walkway or in the house for effect. You can use them to guide kids to grain, water trough, chuck wagon, exercise arena, wash rack, show arena, fillies, colts or buckaroo rooms. You take it from here.
3. If you are lucky and you have a trophy or, better yet, lots of them, use them as serving containers (place a bag or container inside first) and place them at strategic locations for a bold decorating statement.
4. You can also use rosettes and ribbons. These make excellent decorations for a horse party.
5. Place a small cup or glass inside a pair of riding boots or cowboy boots. Fill with sand or marbles. Glue cut out horse shapes and balloons on dowels and arrange. Presto! A great centerpiece!
6. Purchase a pair of boots, derby or cowboy hat that you can use after the party. Use a bag or container as liner and fill with snacks for munching.
7. Using regular construction paper, cut out rectangular frames. Cover magazine horse pictures with these frames and hang as art.
8. Balloons, balloons and more balloons are fun. With a Sharpie or kid paints, you can easily paint horse silhouettes on them for an easy decoration.
9. Get creative with stickers, stencils and Breyers horse figurines.
10. Use clean articles of riding clothes, riding hats and helmets or horse t-shirts and drape or pin them around like art.
11. Another use for the simple horseshoe shape can be to string or tape them together to make a long chain. String your horseshoe chain around the room. Here and there, hang a cutout horse shape or small plastic horse or ribbons. Work intense but very effective!
12. Accordion-fold freezer, foil0, wrapping or butcher paper. Trace cowboy boots or hat shapes to fit from one edge to the other edge - You are making a long chain so be careful to leave a small bridge to form a chain.
13. This is a great balloon weight idea. If you have access to real horseshoes, spray paint them gold, silver or a hot color. Add lots of bling to snazzy them up.
14. Make a rustic “picnic table” by putting four bales of hay tightly together. Cover with a clean horse blanket, sheet or cooler.
15. Hang a long piece of butcher paper on the wall. Have your child draw or paint a horse mural. Or, use this idea as an activity for the guests. Provide the kids with paint and brushes, chalk, crayons and stencils, and have them produce a one-of-a kind horse scene.
16. Cut crepe paper streamers into two lengths: long to simulate a horse’s tail and somewhat shorter for the mane. Tape the short lengths together to create the mane and tape the long lengths together for the tail. Tightly secure with a string or ribbon. Tie the mane into the birthday girl’s pony tail and the tail appropriately lower. She can then proudly prance around during the party.
17. Cover the party table with your theme. You can be very creative by cutting out horse pictures and gluing them along the border of a table cover of cloth or paper. Your child might be happy to provide the art. You can purchase horse borders, decals or fabric with horse theme designs.
18. Purchase a horse piñata and horse balloons for easy, quick decorations.
At this stage of your party planning excitement, you are ready for fun and games.
Activities
- If your gathering is having horse or pony rides, what fun! Make sure you have lots of adult help and lay the ground rules – you know the ones about safety and listening up. You want the kids that are not familiar with horses to learn how to approach them and how to conduct themselves around them. Take several digital pictures of each child, print the best one, place it into an inexpensive frame and give it as a party favor keepsake.
As a door prize, have everyone guess how many candies, goodies or coins are in a jar. The person whose guess is closest to the actual count, takes the jar home.
- Purchase cowboy hats and handkerchiefs. They’ll wear the cowboy hat for the party and, as an activity, they can decorate the handkerchief with fabric pens and rubber stamps that you provide. Both hat and decorated handkerchief become their favors.
- Hide horsy items such as small plastic horses, stuffed toy horses, sticker sheets, Bella Sera card packs, and other items such as notepads, coloring books, inexpensive horse jewelry, etc. around the yard and have a treasure hunt.
- Pin the tail on the horse. A birthday party is not complete without the classic pin the tail game. Use a horse poster or enlarge a computer image into the desired size. Make multiple copies of the horse’s tail and cut them out. Each child pin the tail on the horse – somewhere - because she is blindfolded during her turn. Winner who gets it right or is closest, gets the prize.
- Toss horse shoes. This is a fun outside activity and, ideally, you’ll use real horse shoes. Drive two sturdy stakes into the ground and have the guests toss two horseshoes each. The winner is determined by the closest shoes. Have kids cheer each other on.
- For each of the players, suspend one small apple on a string from a tree. Without using hands, each person has to bite and eat the apple like horses.
- Instead of an egg race, have a sugar cube relay race. Draw names to put guests into two teams. Each team has a “race track” consisting of a pair of chairs placed away from each other in a straight line. Place a bowl on each chair – at the starting line, the bowl is empty and on the distant chair the bowl is filled with sugar cubes. The race is on! The first racer speeds to the bowl of sugar cubes, scoops up just one and races back to the starting line, drops the sugar cube into the yet empty bowl, passes off the spoon to the next racer and steps aside. The teams go through their racers one by one until the far bowl is empty of all sugar cubes. The team that fills their bowl the fastest, becomes the winning team.
- The galloping horse relay is similar to the sugar cube race. Again the kids are split into teams and lined up. Carrying a riding crop, the players canter from the starting line to the opposite end (a chair or a stake), go around it, and canter back. The crop passes from kid to kid until each has had a turn. The team with the first finish is the winner.
- Have the kids make their own favors by personalizing t-shirts, bracelets or bandanas. You’ll provide all the necessary materials, guidance and supervision. The kids will bring it on with their unique creative talents. Best of all, they can take their creation home.
- Pose everyone around a horse, a stack of hay, a bon fire or your decorated table. Take your time with the shot to get a great picture. They’ll say “heowdy,” you’ll get the shot. When your child sends the thank you notes, she’ll include the group snapshot as an additional memento.
Well by now you’re turning into a horse party expert. We haven’t discussed food or cakes. After all the detail stuff we just discussed, horse food items are easy. Just go for chocolate, candy, grain – I mean granola bars - munchies, apples.
The cake will be the final wow of the party! Bake a regular sheet cake and cool. Select a horse head image from the computer that you can enlarge. Place it on the sheet cake as a template and cut around it. Frost the shape generously in your child’s favorite horse color, paying close attention to location of eyes, nose, mouth and ears. You could use Necco wafers for eyes and nose, but I think tinted icing and your whimsy and talent would be far better. Don’t forget that the horse in your daughter’s dreams has a lush, flowing mane. You can add a blaze or a star. Black licorice simulates bridle and reins but you can also use chained chocolate chips or pieces of chocolate. The kids will think your cake is the horse’s whinny!
Another simple cake idea that has a large impact on the kids, especially for the cowgirl theme, is a Cowgirl Boot Cake. Trace out the shape of a large boot, frost it and go crazy with the decorations. After all, the boot should have lots of bling.
If you have enjoyed all of the planning and it’s finally time for the party, but you don’t have horsy music, visit www.DressYourHorse.com because we have it covered. Go to the fun page and let the horse songs play during your horse-themed party. Enjoy!
This is another article on horses, horse care or horse blanket care by The Old Gray Mare. Additional articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at website DressYourHorse.com.
Party stores (like IParty.com) and online stores (like PonyPartyIdeas) stock countless horsy party goods, favors, piñatas, balloons and ideas. If you decide to use ready-to-go supplies, then you’ll simply organize a detailed To Do List that includes a list of party goods, invitations and the like. However, if you are adventuresome, creative and a workhorse, and if your child is chompin’ at the bit to help with this project, here is some fodder for your mane event.
Planning process
Have fun with your child in a brainstorming session. You’ll need to decide on the number of guests, develop a schedule and set your budget. Based on the type of horse party you are planning, ask yourself few questions:
- Will you be playing games
- Will you be visiting a horse farm
- Will you rent a pony or several ponies to give rides at your party
- Will you rent a horse video
– Are you headed to a horse show
- If your child rides or boards at a stable, can you have the party there
- Can guests ride at the stable too
- Will the stable participate in the party
- Can you rent trail horses in your area?
It is a good idea to develop the theme of your birthday bash from the beginning.
If your child is involved in riding lessons or showing, why not try Saddle Club, Pony Club or 4-H themes. Here are a few other possibilities:
- Blue Ribbon Party
- Cowgirl Party
- Racing or Kentucky Derby Party
- Barrel Racing Party
- I Love Show Horses Party
- Wild Mustangs Party
- Picture Me on the Pony Party
- Lets Do Something Horsy Party
- You Are Horse Crazy Party
Once you and your child have agreed on the date of the party, give yourself lots of time because horse partying is not only addictive, it is work intensive. Oh well, the party planning was the fun part. Now for the work . . .
Invitations
Invitations can be as varied as your creativity and fun quotient will permit. Naturally, if you will have a large group of kids, then you might be more inclined to keep the invitations simple. Here are some ideas:
- Rubber stamp and/or use stickers to construct invitations.
- Find copyright-free clipart on the Internet. Cut and paste the clipart on your invitations.
- Use magnetic sheets to create refrigerator magnet invitations.
- Cut out the shape of a horse silhouette (enlarged clipart) and use the cut out as the invitation.
- Cut a sponge into a horseshoe. Use it to stamp & design the invitations.
- Before the party, dress your child in a riding habit or cowgirl outfit. In a takeoff of the famous Uncle Sam poster, have her face the camera and point. Print the words: “I WANT YOU AT MY HORSE PARTY!”
- Have your child draw a horse picture. Make copies or scan into the computer to enlarge or reduce as needed to make invitations.
The wording for your function might read:
- For a cowgirl theme: “You're invited to my Buckaroo Round Up! The herd will be ready to horse around at our mane event and we can’t wait to gallop with you. Don’t be late cause we having cake!”
- For a pony ride party: “Put on your breeches and wear your boots. We’re ridin’ high at my party. All the horses will be there.”
- For a mustang/western party: “We’re having a wild horse roundup. Gallop on over to our Corral and join the herd.”
- For a western party: “We’re getting together in the OK Corral at high noon for a Horse Birthday Party. It wouldn’t be fun without ‘ya. We’ll be expectin’ ya so y’all better not miss it!”
You can then add all the party details including date, time, location and other appropriate information. Be sure to mention in your invitation whether you are visiting a barn or stable, if you are going on a trail ride, etc. When you’re thrilled with your masterpiece invitations, you’ll hand deliver or mail them to the lucky guests.
Decorations
There’s no easier theme for a party than horses! The internet world provides countless copyright-free material that you can use free of charge.
1. Birthday Corral Welcome Sign - Your child can paint a large sign, i.e. “We’re Having the Best Horse Party Ever, Barn None!”. Surround the border with stamped horse shoes, your child’s art, or cardboard horseshoes. Bright and colorful is good! Hang it outside to welcome guests as they arrive.
2. You can cut out many cardboard horse shoes. It’s an easy shape and you can have dozens in a very short period of time. Spread them on the walkway or in the house for effect. You can use them to guide kids to grain, water trough, chuck wagon, exercise arena, wash rack, show arena, fillies, colts or buckaroo rooms. You take it from here.
3. If you are lucky and you have a trophy or, better yet, lots of them, use them as serving containers (place a bag or container inside first) and place them at strategic locations for a bold decorating statement.
4. You can also use rosettes and ribbons. These make excellent decorations for a horse party.
5. Place a small cup or glass inside a pair of riding boots or cowboy boots. Fill with sand or marbles. Glue cut out horse shapes and balloons on dowels and arrange. Presto! A great centerpiece!
6. Purchase a pair of boots, derby or cowboy hat that you can use after the party. Use a bag or container as liner and fill with snacks for munching.
7. Using regular construction paper, cut out rectangular frames. Cover magazine horse pictures with these frames and hang as art.
8. Balloons, balloons and more balloons are fun. With a Sharpie or kid paints, you can easily paint horse silhouettes on them for an easy decoration.
9. Get creative with stickers, stencils and Breyers horse figurines.
10. Use clean articles of riding clothes, riding hats and helmets or horse t-shirts and drape or pin them around like art.
11. Another use for the simple horseshoe shape can be to string or tape them together to make a long chain. String your horseshoe chain around the room. Here and there, hang a cutout horse shape or small plastic horse or ribbons. Work intense but very effective!
12. Accordion-fold freezer, foil0, wrapping or butcher paper. Trace cowboy boots or hat shapes to fit from one edge to the other edge - You are making a long chain so be careful to leave a small bridge to form a chain.
13. This is a great balloon weight idea. If you have access to real horseshoes, spray paint them gold, silver or a hot color. Add lots of bling to snazzy them up.
14. Make a rustic “picnic table” by putting four bales of hay tightly together. Cover with a clean horse blanket, sheet or cooler.
15. Hang a long piece of butcher paper on the wall. Have your child draw or paint a horse mural. Or, use this idea as an activity for the guests. Provide the kids with paint and brushes, chalk, crayons and stencils, and have them produce a one-of-a kind horse scene.
16. Cut crepe paper streamers into two lengths: long to simulate a horse’s tail and somewhat shorter for the mane. Tape the short lengths together to create the mane and tape the long lengths together for the tail. Tightly secure with a string or ribbon. Tie the mane into the birthday girl’s pony tail and the tail appropriately lower. She can then proudly prance around during the party.
17. Cover the party table with your theme. You can be very creative by cutting out horse pictures and gluing them along the border of a table cover of cloth or paper. Your child might be happy to provide the art. You can purchase horse borders, decals or fabric with horse theme designs.
18. Purchase a horse piñata and horse balloons for easy, quick decorations.
At this stage of your party planning excitement, you are ready for fun and games.
Activities
- If your gathering is having horse or pony rides, what fun! Make sure you have lots of adult help and lay the ground rules – you know the ones about safety and listening up. You want the kids that are not familiar with horses to learn how to approach them and how to conduct themselves around them. Take several digital pictures of each child, print the best one, place it into an inexpensive frame and give it as a party favor keepsake.
As a door prize, have everyone guess how many candies, goodies or coins are in a jar. The person whose guess is closest to the actual count, takes the jar home.
- Purchase cowboy hats and handkerchiefs. They’ll wear the cowboy hat for the party and, as an activity, they can decorate the handkerchief with fabric pens and rubber stamps that you provide. Both hat and decorated handkerchief become their favors.
- Hide horsy items such as small plastic horses, stuffed toy horses, sticker sheets, Bella Sera card packs, and other items such as notepads, coloring books, inexpensive horse jewelry, etc. around the yard and have a treasure hunt.
- Pin the tail on the horse. A birthday party is not complete without the classic pin the tail game. Use a horse poster or enlarge a computer image into the desired size. Make multiple copies of the horse’s tail and cut them out. Each child pin the tail on the horse – somewhere - because she is blindfolded during her turn. Winner who gets it right or is closest, gets the prize.
- Toss horse shoes. This is a fun outside activity and, ideally, you’ll use real horse shoes. Drive two sturdy stakes into the ground and have the guests toss two horseshoes each. The winner is determined by the closest shoes. Have kids cheer each other on.
- For each of the players, suspend one small apple on a string from a tree. Without using hands, each person has to bite and eat the apple like horses.
- Instead of an egg race, have a sugar cube relay race. Draw names to put guests into two teams. Each team has a “race track” consisting of a pair of chairs placed away from each other in a straight line. Place a bowl on each chair – at the starting line, the bowl is empty and on the distant chair the bowl is filled with sugar cubes. The race is on! The first racer speeds to the bowl of sugar cubes, scoops up just one and races back to the starting line, drops the sugar cube into the yet empty bowl, passes off the spoon to the next racer and steps aside. The teams go through their racers one by one until the far bowl is empty of all sugar cubes. The team that fills their bowl the fastest, becomes the winning team.
- The galloping horse relay is similar to the sugar cube race. Again the kids are split into teams and lined up. Carrying a riding crop, the players canter from the starting line to the opposite end (a chair or a stake), go around it, and canter back. The crop passes from kid to kid until each has had a turn. The team with the first finish is the winner.
- Have the kids make their own favors by personalizing t-shirts, bracelets or bandanas. You’ll provide all the necessary materials, guidance and supervision. The kids will bring it on with their unique creative talents. Best of all, they can take their creation home.
- Pose everyone around a horse, a stack of hay, a bon fire or your decorated table. Take your time with the shot to get a great picture. They’ll say “heowdy,” you’ll get the shot. When your child sends the thank you notes, she’ll include the group snapshot as an additional memento.
Well by now you’re turning into a horse party expert. We haven’t discussed food or cakes. After all the detail stuff we just discussed, horse food items are easy. Just go for chocolate, candy, grain – I mean granola bars - munchies, apples.
The cake will be the final wow of the party! Bake a regular sheet cake and cool. Select a horse head image from the computer that you can enlarge. Place it on the sheet cake as a template and cut around it. Frost the shape generously in your child’s favorite horse color, paying close attention to location of eyes, nose, mouth and ears. You could use Necco wafers for eyes and nose, but I think tinted icing and your whimsy and talent would be far better. Don’t forget that the horse in your daughter’s dreams has a lush, flowing mane. You can add a blaze or a star. Black licorice simulates bridle and reins but you can also use chained chocolate chips or pieces of chocolate. The kids will think your cake is the horse’s whinny!
Another simple cake idea that has a large impact on the kids, especially for the cowgirl theme, is a Cowgirl Boot Cake. Trace out the shape of a large boot, frost it and go crazy with the decorations. After all, the boot should have lots of bling.
If you have enjoyed all of the planning and it’s finally time for the party, but you don’t have horsy music, visit www.DressYourHorse.com because we have it covered. Go to the fun page and let the horse songs play during your horse-themed party. Enjoy!
This is another article on horses, horse care or horse blanket care by The Old Gray Mare. Additional articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found at website DressYourHorse.com.
Groom Your Horse Thoroughly
The time you spend grooming your horse is beneficial for you both. This close, personal attention gives you the opportunity to check his overall condition. Best of all, your horse learns to enjoy, relax and bond with you. Coddling your horse during regular grooming sessions is therapeutic and strengthens your mutual bond.
Approach grooming as a pleasant task for both of you. If your horse is fidgety, do not get impatient with him, yank him around or yell at him; and never hit him – make this time pleasurable. Grooming is the perfect time to be kind, calm and collected – let your horse fall in love with you!
It is during grooming time that you encourage the horse to “step over,” “move up,” or “pick up.” Manners taught in an authoritative but calm voice (using same words every time) translate into a happy horse and one that will not crowd or step on the groomer. Use the same commands, given clearly and calmly, each time you ask him to move. (It is the neatest thing when the horse holds up a foot even before he is asked to “pick up.”)
Always use the same safe location for grooming. Halter him and cross tie him at this grooming station each time he is groomed.
1. Start with a curry brush, an oval-shaped rubber grooming tool with grooves. Use small circular motions, applying steady, comforting pressure, starting at the top of the neck and working down and across his body, under his belly and shanks, briskly working in tight circles. Do not use the curry on his legs since there is minimal soft tissue and the curry’s pressure is hurtful on his bones and joints. Complete one side of his body and then curry the other side.
(If you prefer, curry and brush at the same time, using alternate strokes. This is a great time saving and effective method of grooming. To use curry and brush simultaneously, hold curry in one hand and a medium-bristle brush in the other, stroke first with the curry and follow over that stroke with the brush. Repeat curry and bristle-brush strokes over the entire horse; complete one side, then move to the other side.)
2. Briskly stroke over the entire horse with a medium-bristled brush, starting at the neck. Complete brushing both sides of the horse. This effectively removes the loose dirt and hair that the curry brush lifts up from the hide.
3. Put your attention to his head and face. Always use a small ultra-soft brush. Ease it over his face, avoiding the eyes. Draw his head closer to you, and coo, fuss and talk nonsense to him as you do this - your horse will simply adore you! Use a cloth to wipe around eyes, nostrils and mouth.
Before you finish the head, check for eye matter or drainage and wipe. Handle and stroke his ears for 30 seconds, checking that there are no foreign objects or biting insects. If done routinely, you will promote his trust and, more importantly, prevent head shying.
4. Brush his forelock and mane using a medium-bristle brush. If you are preserving every strand of hair in forelock and mane, then never brush. Use a wide tooth comb instead, being extremely careful NOT to pull or tear at the hair.
5. Concentrate on his tail. If you are not concerned about tail length or some hair breakage, go ahead and brush the tail, using a medium-bristle brush. But if every hair is important, read The Old Gray Mare’s follow up article on tail care.
6. Now is the best time to look closer at any cuts or bumps that you noticed during the curry and brushing session. Treat any cuts appropriately and apply salve as necessary.
7. Divert your attention to his legs and hooves. Run your hands down your horse's legs to feel for swelling, bumps and knots.
8. Pick up each hoof in succession to pick out the soiled matter, noticing any cracks, abscesses or loose horse shoe nails. Cracks need to be taken care of quickly to prevent expansion and infection. Obviously, abscesses require immediate attention, possibly by your veterinarian.
If you notice a foul or excessive odor in any hoof, apply a thrush medicine liberally, especially on the frog.
9. Use a stiff-bristle hoof brush to briskly scrub the coronet band and outer hoof wall to promote blood flow. Twice a week, apply a hoof conditioner at the coronet band and top inch of the hoof. Once a week, treat the entire hoof with conditioner.
And 10. Almost done! - You’re now ready to use the finishing brush to give a final brushing over the horse’s coat and to give him the final “spit shine.” This will get off any remaining dust and lay the hairs down smoothly. Always use the brush in the hair growth direction. Apply coat shine spray, misting lightly starting at the top of the neck. Avoid overspray near eyes and ears. The final touch - take a plush towel and rub smoothly along hair growth.
You now have a horse that is shiny and sleek and relaxed. If you took your time and didn’t rush through this grooming session, and if you enjoyed this closeness with your horse, you will be relaxed as well. It’s a win-win for you and your horse!
Other helpful horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
Approach grooming as a pleasant task for both of you. If your horse is fidgety, do not get impatient with him, yank him around or yell at him; and never hit him – make this time pleasurable. Grooming is the perfect time to be kind, calm and collected – let your horse fall in love with you!
It is during grooming time that you encourage the horse to “step over,” “move up,” or “pick up.” Manners taught in an authoritative but calm voice (using same words every time) translate into a happy horse and one that will not crowd or step on the groomer. Use the same commands, given clearly and calmly, each time you ask him to move. (It is the neatest thing when the horse holds up a foot even before he is asked to “pick up.”)
Always use the same safe location for grooming. Halter him and cross tie him at this grooming station each time he is groomed.
1. Start with a curry brush, an oval-shaped rubber grooming tool with grooves. Use small circular motions, applying steady, comforting pressure, starting at the top of the neck and working down and across his body, under his belly and shanks, briskly working in tight circles. Do not use the curry on his legs since there is minimal soft tissue and the curry’s pressure is hurtful on his bones and joints. Complete one side of his body and then curry the other side.
(If you prefer, curry and brush at the same time, using alternate strokes. This is a great time saving and effective method of grooming. To use curry and brush simultaneously, hold curry in one hand and a medium-bristle brush in the other, stroke first with the curry and follow over that stroke with the brush. Repeat curry and bristle-brush strokes over the entire horse; complete one side, then move to the other side.)
2. Briskly stroke over the entire horse with a medium-bristled brush, starting at the neck. Complete brushing both sides of the horse. This effectively removes the loose dirt and hair that the curry brush lifts up from the hide.
3. Put your attention to his head and face. Always use a small ultra-soft brush. Ease it over his face, avoiding the eyes. Draw his head closer to you, and coo, fuss and talk nonsense to him as you do this - your horse will simply adore you! Use a cloth to wipe around eyes, nostrils and mouth.
Before you finish the head, check for eye matter or drainage and wipe. Handle and stroke his ears for 30 seconds, checking that there are no foreign objects or biting insects. If done routinely, you will promote his trust and, more importantly, prevent head shying.
4. Brush his forelock and mane using a medium-bristle brush. If you are preserving every strand of hair in forelock and mane, then never brush. Use a wide tooth comb instead, being extremely careful NOT to pull or tear at the hair.
5. Concentrate on his tail. If you are not concerned about tail length or some hair breakage, go ahead and brush the tail, using a medium-bristle brush. But if every hair is important, read The Old Gray Mare’s follow up article on tail care.
6. Now is the best time to look closer at any cuts or bumps that you noticed during the curry and brushing session. Treat any cuts appropriately and apply salve as necessary.
7. Divert your attention to his legs and hooves. Run your hands down your horse's legs to feel for swelling, bumps and knots.
8. Pick up each hoof in succession to pick out the soiled matter, noticing any cracks, abscesses or loose horse shoe nails. Cracks need to be taken care of quickly to prevent expansion and infection. Obviously, abscesses require immediate attention, possibly by your veterinarian.
If you notice a foul or excessive odor in any hoof, apply a thrush medicine liberally, especially on the frog.
9. Use a stiff-bristle hoof brush to briskly scrub the coronet band and outer hoof wall to promote blood flow. Twice a week, apply a hoof conditioner at the coronet band and top inch of the hoof. Once a week, treat the entire hoof with conditioner.
And 10. Almost done! - You’re now ready to use the finishing brush to give a final brushing over the horse’s coat and to give him the final “spit shine.” This will get off any remaining dust and lay the hairs down smoothly. Always use the brush in the hair growth direction. Apply coat shine spray, misting lightly starting at the top of the neck. Avoid overspray near eyes and ears. The final touch - take a plush towel and rub smoothly along hair growth.
You now have a horse that is shiny and sleek and relaxed. If you took your time and didn’t rush through this grooming session, and if you enjoyed this closeness with your horse, you will be relaxed as well. It’s a win-win for you and your horse!
Other helpful horse articles by The Old Gray Mare can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com.
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