Western Riding with Saddle

Western Style is the preferred way in the west for pleasure riding, as well as working cattle. A Western competitive horse is often taught to do a roll-back, and also long-slide reining. It is also trained to neck-rein, which means that the horse will move to the right or left depending on which side of the neck the rider applies pressure with the reins.

One of the central aspects of training a Western Style horses is the quality of the pace. These paces are called the jog and the lope, and are essentially a shorter-stride version of the trot and the canter. One specialized move is the Western spin. Performed at full-speed, the horse will pivot smoothly on the inner hind leg. All the moves that Western horses are taught were originally developed for working with cattle. Cutting horses are the standard for horses that perform real work on cattle ranches. However, the Quarter horse is the superior example of Western show class competitions. A Western saddle is made with a horn at the front—also called a pommel—which can carry a looped rope, or can affix a rope when the rider is lassoing cattle. Western horses use a curb-bridle or a bit-less bridle, and the saddles are made with long stirrup leathers to allow the riders to use a straight-leg position.

Taking care of the horses hoofs

If you start with a foal, start him off right by getting an opinion on his hoof conformation from your veterinarian and a farrier. Working horses need to be shod to protect their hooves; since hooves need trimming about every six weeks, finding a good farrier is vital to keeping your horse in good shape. You'll want to consult with an expert about when your horse should start wearing shoes and the type of shoes that will work best for the kind of activities your horse will take part in. Since proper traction is a factor in hoof and leg health, there are shoes made especially for equestrian sports like jumping, dressage or reining. Talk to your farrier about the way you plan to work with your horse, so he gets the right shoes for the job.

Hooves grow about a quarter inch each month, and need trimming to stay even and to prevent breakage. The farrier removes the shoes, trims the hooves and replaces the shoes. Shoes won't keep your horse's hooves from growing; if they aren't trimmed often enough or if they shoes stay on too long, your horse will go lame. Sometimes the shoes can be reused; your farrier will decide.

Shod hooves do pick up more debris than unshod ones, and the packed rocks, mud or even ice can cause your horse pain and injury. The added pressure makes walking uncomfortable and can create a bacterial infection in the sole of the foot. Pick out your horse's feet each day to remove foreign matter and prevent infection.

Should my horse go barefoot?
If your horse has tough, smooth hooves that aren't inclined to get too long in the toe or deform in other ways, and if your activities don't require special shoes for support, you horse may be able to get along fine barefoot. The hooves will still need trimming every six weeks: many horse owners learn to do this work themselves. The drawbacks to shoes include more difficulty in keeping the hooves picked clean, the fact that shoes sometimes catch on steps or rails and can cause injury, and that getting kicked with a hoof is a wee bit less dangerous than being kicked by a hoof shod in metal. Much depends on the conformation of your horse's feet and legs as well as the way you intend to work with your horse. Talk to your vet and speak with a farrier before deciding if your horse can go without shoes.

Caring for horses hoofs part 3

What about differences of opinion regarding trimming?
Isn’t that a controversial area? I say, vive la
différence! Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t all
think alike? Isn’t it great that there are so many
people out there exploring this new frontier?
Because while some may theorize that trimming
is self-evident—trimming is always a man-made
activity. Humans trim, therefore we can’t ever
really call it “natural.” But we can aspire to the
natural, and attempt to discover the best ways to
help our domestic horses keep their feet shaped as
naturally as possible

.
Now a special note: this is a hard thing to write,
but I feel it is so important, I’m willing to stick my
neck out for it. Nothing breaks my heart more
than to see members of any barefoot group (association,
organization, school, etc.) launch a public
attack on any other barefoot group, or even upon
barefoot individuals. Usually it is done in the
name of “good,” as the attackers often speak of
protecting the horse, or trying to educate those
they believe are ignorant—but all I see are stones
being thrown in a glass house. A whole lot of bad
things have been done in the name of “good.”
If you truly love and care about horses, and about
the barefoot movement—and not self-promotion—
I urge you to think before you condemn
another barefooter, because you literally shoot
your own self in the foot. You have a right to your
own beliefs—stick to them, present your own
methods and be proud of them, and treat everyone
else with respect. At the same time, be humble,
and continue to learn from all sources. You
would be surprised what you can learn from
unexpected places.

Likewise, individual barefoot owners and trimmers,
please think carefully about your words and
actions, and consider how you can promote the
good of barefoot as a whole. Our best way to success
is to lead the way through our own good
results. There is no need to condemn horseshoes,
or people who live within a different paradigm.
Finally, through the Barefoot Paradigm, I want to
introduce a new concept, and that is unity.
Despite our different trimming theories and systems,
and focus on various horse sports, activities
or philosophies, we have so much in common!
We need team spirit, so I’ve come up with the idea
of “Team Barefoot” as a generic catch-phrase.
If you believe in the Barefoot Paradigm, you are
already an honorary member of Team Barefoot!
Be proud of us all, the entire community, everyone
who has made the choice to do better by the
horse. We’ve come a long way in this past decade,
but we can go a whole lot further if we do it
together! Go Team Barefoot! If you like this
idea, please share it!

Caring for your Horses hoofs part 2

This definition of the Barefoot Paradigm comes
directly from material authored by Dr. Hiltrud
Strasser, Jaime Jackson, Pete Ramey, KC La
Pierre, and flows through all the studies presented
by Dr. Robert Bowker. Each of these
people have inspired unique schools of thought,
and yet there is one single continuity. And in the
end, we discover that the Barefoot Paradigm is
all about the choices made by the horseowner.
The Barefoot Paradigm:
1) Because domestication has created so many
health problems for the horse, we must recognize
and study the natural equine and identify its true
biological needs.
2) Once these genuine, physiological needs for
good health have been identified, we must remove
those elements of our care which are causing
problems for our horses, and modify their lifestyle
to promote better health.
3) With the right combination of improved living
environment, diet, exercise, and trimming of
the hooves to encourage a natural hoof form,
horses can live in a domestic situation with
extremely healthy bare hooves, and can perform
nearly any task that is humane to ask from a horse.
4) When we encounter health and/or hoof problems,
we do not simply apply “symptom relief.”
We go back to step one, and repeat the entire process,
scrutinizing what combination of factors
caused the problem—then removing the cause.
The Barefoot Paradigm is about putting the needs
of the horse first. There is never a single right or
wrong answer to any problem; it is about doing
the best we can for our horses within any limitations
that we might have at this time. Hoof protection
is sometimes a necessity, and can be very
helpful when it is used appropriately and chosen
with great care. The Barefoot Paradigm is not
about being “anti-shoe.” However, because of the
great damage and interruption of normal circulation
caused by metal horseshoes, it would be rare
to ever find that an acceptable solution to any
problem. As such, we find that shoes are no longer
the “necessary evil” they once were—there are
now so many other choices

.
       CHOOSING WELL.
One problem we are now having, due to the
increased popularity of the barefoot movement, is
that so many people are taking their horses barefoot—
without even understanding the Barefoot
Paradigm first. These people don’t realize that
they have missed the entire boat. Whether barefoot
fails or succeeds is something they will simply
observe, rather than understand it is something
that YOU DO! Sorry, if your horse’s shoes
have just fallen off, that does NOT make you a
barefooter! Likewise, if your farrier doesn’t apply
shoes to your horse, and it happens to be working
for you—but you’ll slap shoes right back on if
they ever become “needed”—that does NOT
make you a barefooter. Barefooters make it
work, by figuring out what they are doing
wrong, and doing it better for their horse!

Careing for your Horses Hoofs

Its very important to take care of your horses hoofs, their is a1000lb on four little feet .Those of us that believe in barefoot the natural of horse care. I ran across article that i thank it is wrath it wait and reading.
The Barefoot Paradigm by Yvonne Welz
Why it is high time for Team Barefoot!
 The common golden thread that binds
together the originators of the barefoot
movement is the premise that when we
undertake the responsibility of removing iron
shoes from our horses’ lives, we change everything
about the way we THINK and CARE for
these horses.
But hold on a moment—just what is a “barefoot
horse” in the first place? And what defines a
“barefoot horseowner?” Believe it or not, these
are two questions that deserve a great deal more
reflection.

Horses were born barefoot. There is nothing
magical about that whatsoever! This is one of the
concepts that naysayers of barefoot like to point
out—after all, pull the shoes on any horse, and
you’ve got a barefoot one, right? Wrong!
Likewise, if you own a horse that isn’t wearing
shoes at the moment, well, that alone really does
not make you a “barefooter.”
When we talk about a “barefoot horse” or a
“barefoot owner” in the modern context, we
reference a very specific paradigm. A paradigm
is “a philosophical or theoretical framework.”
Without fully understanding this paradigm,
communicating with others about “barefoot”
can become a very frustrating ordeal. So exactly
what is the barefoot paradigm?

Now I’m stepping up to the plate here, to add my
perspective. What qualifies me to define the barefoot
paradigm? I believe I have held a distinctly
unique point of view over the development of the
barefoot movement during the past 12 years. I’ve
been able to communicate extensively with vast
numbers of hoofcare professionals, farriers, vets,
trimmers, students, and horseowners, representing
just about every single barefoot method and
organization that exists. I have watched horses
rehabbed through barefoot both in person, and
long distance through various communications
with so many owners and trimmers from different
backgrounds all over the world. I have researched
and studied all available information about barefooted
horses. In the end, what stuns me most is
how similar all the disparate information is—just
how much in common the various and competing
“methods” have with each other. In the end, there
truly is simply one single Barefoot Paradigm.
TO BE CONTINUED

Taken Care of Horses, Saddle, and Tack.

Horse tack is all the equipment that comes with owning a horse,a draft horse or riding a horse and properly caring for a equestrian. For every piece of horse tack you will need to buy you will have to evaluate your horse's needs and activities compared to the type of equipment you are purchasing. Tack like bridles, saddles, bits, cinches, saddle pads, lead ropes, halters, whips, stirrup leathers, horse boots, are just a few of the bare minimum supplies. The hackamore is the oldest form of horse control," notes Pony Club instructor Susan Harris. "It works on pressure points on the horse's nose, chin and face." Possibly the truest form of hackamore is the bosal, simply a braided rawhide device that goes around the nose, ending in a heel knot under the chin.
Your first trip to the horse tack store will probably be quite expensive, but will become less so over time. Get product recommendations from other horse owners before visit a tack store in your area. They will have invaluable knowledge about their likes and dislikes of certain products, tack types, and price ranges for their particular horses.								.
The hackamore is the oldest form of horse control," notes Pony Club instructor Susan Harris. "It works on pressure points on the horse's nose, chin and face." Possibly the truest form of hackamore is the bosal, simply a braided rawhide device that goes around the nose, ending in a heel knot under the chin.

Get Your Horses Ready for Winter

As winter is getting closer  people want to put a blanket on their horse. Without realizing that horses have a natural way to protect them from cold built right in.  A good horse keeper knows that the longer winter coat helps to trap the body heat against the skin. Also, tiny muscles in the skin raise the hairs, creating tiny air pockets that heighten the insulating effect. Flatten this ‘fluffed-up’ coat by adding layers of light blankets, or even one heavy one, can actually make the horse colder

If the horse is not accustomed to being blanketed,  it can put the horse at increased risk.  If it becomes overheated, it will begin to sweat. The dampness causes it to become chilled later, which then increases the risk of pneumonia or other respiratory infections. If the horse must be blanketed in the colder temperatures of morning, make sure that you remove it as the temperatures rise later in the day.

When caring for horses. The right grass or hay can provide a substantial part of equine nutritional requirements, and pasturing the horse on high-quality grass will reduce his need for grain feeds. Choosing hay is another part of the equation: low quality hay may provide less than 20% of the nutrition found in the best hay. When the horse grazes on a meal of fresh grass or high quality your care is helping him stay healthy and warm.