Good Riding EQUALS Good Horse

January 26, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

I sincerely believe that good riding makes for a good horse. This can’t be emphasized enough. When our horses act up and give us problems we need to take a long look at how we ride them. You will hear people say that it could be due to other things like bad fitting saddles, bad conformation, bad attitude, bad breeding, horse in need of a chiropractor, wrong equipment, etc…. Some of these things do contribute to unwanted or dangerous behaviors in a horse. But nine times out of ten, good sound riding with attention and time given to developing the horse’s body and mind will correct unwanted behaviors. This is of course assuming that the horse is not sick or in poor health and we are providing him with the proper nutrients and environment to foster good physical and mental health. And I say riding rather than training because as we ride “well”, we are essentially training our horses in a less concentrated manner.

…more about good riding

Mill City, OR Horse Abuse

January 23, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

It breaks my heart to read about and watch the videos of this horrific case of horse neglect and abuse in Mill City, Oregon. It also makes me so mad that I want to go pound the crap out of this Tania Herring person.

I just don’t understand HOW someone can look at their sick, starving and neglected animals and not SEE the truth there! How can they walk by these horses, day in and day out, and not see the ones that can’t get up, the protruding ribs and backbones, the open sores and the flipping CHUNKS of missing fur!! This is a sick person!

…more on this horse abuse case

Trick Training Gone Bad and Other Ramblings

January 18, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Several weeks before Christmas I found myself swamped with all the hubbub of the holiday chaos. I breezed in and out of our horse’s lives with little time to spare for riding – only to feed and pass out some kindly pats on the neck. Then it got bitterly cold and I blanketed everyone up snug and got even quicker with my feeding and visiting regime, trying to limit the time before my fingers, toes and nose suffered severe frostbite.

Rain, looking a bit scruffy, meeting the Friesians!

Unfortunately after the cold spell, rain hit in buckets and what once was a suitable shelter became a mucky mess (it was a ground water issue)! So, amidst the frantic and last minute holiday preparations, we also had to move the horses to more suitable environments. I took Hershey and Dino back to Walnut Spring Stable for boarding, farmed Rain out to a good friend for a little R&R and some Friesian company and my older daughter took her mare back to her Dad.

Hershey and Dino adjusted well to stall life again, and Charlie and I love having a spacious, light and airy sand-filled arena to work in during the winter. The beauty of stall boarding is:

How clean you can keep your horse!
How easy it is to get your horse – for riding, brushing, company, etc….
And Most Importantly…. How easy it is to manage their diets individually!

…read on-you eventually get to the trick!

Finding The Right Horse

January 4, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Horses have personalities just like people do. And just like people, some personalities mesh really well and others don’t. We can make the mistake when buying a horse in thinking that how the horse acts under saddle and in the arena is an indicator of his personality. If you’re going to form a long-lasting riding and companion bond with a horse you need to get along with it in all kinds of situations, especially the ones outside the arena. You need to consider your horse’s personality the same way in which you would a good friend. A good friend is someone you trust, you respect, you feel comfortable with, you want to be with, you share good and bad times with, you have similar likes and dislikes with and your personalities “blend” well together. Essentially this is the relationship you want with your horse so you enjoy keeping and riding him.

…read more about horse personalities

Difficulty Getting On Your Horse

December 26, 2009 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

You’re getting ready to put your foot in the stirrup and gracefully (we hope) hoist yourself up on the back of your horse. But as you lift your foot to find the stirrup your horse dodges sideways. You try again. Your horse scoots away from you again! Soon this becomes a kind of dance, he moves sideways, backwards and in circles away from you while you hop around on one foot, chasing the stirrup with your other foot. No amount of yelling, positioning the horse against a wall or yanking on the reins does any good except rile your horse up more and completely diminish the possibility of taking that nice relaxing trail ride you planned on doing.

In desperation, you call to a nearby boarder (or neighbor, friend, child) and with their help holding, bracing and positioning the horse, and you being as nimble and quick as humanly possible, you finally lunge upon your horse, exhausted and worn out before your ride even begins!

If this describes your typical mounting experience, fear not – there is a solution! With reflection on your own riding practices, with some attention to your equipment and with a little handling consistency you can correct this annoying and potentially dangerous problem.

…read more about mounting problems

Good Riding EQUALS Good Horse

Mill City, OR Horse Abuse

Trick Training Gone Bad and Other Ramblings

Finding The Right Horse

Difficulty Getting On Your Horse

« Older Entries