The Horse [part three, care, illness, activities, ownership]

Care
Grooming
When grooming a horse, one of the first rules is to brush the way the horses hair grows. Not only is it more comfortable to the horse, it looks a lot better.

The main reasons for daily grooming include:
•Improved health of the skin and coat.
•Decreases the chance of various health problems such as thrush, scratches, and other skin problems .
•Cleans the horse, so chafing does not occur under areas of tack.
•Gives the groom a chance to check the horse's health, such as looking for cuts, heat, swelling, lameness, a change in temperament (such as depression) which could indicate the horse is sick, and look to see if the horse has loose or missing horseshoes.
•Helps to form a relationship between horse and handler, which can carry over to other handling duties and riding.
Tools of the trade:
Rubber curry comb:

This is for loosening dirt, hair, and stimulating the skin to produce more natural oils, and is usually the brush used first. The horse also enjoys the currycomb, as it scratches their itches and gives them a bit of a massage.
Dandy Brush
This is a stiff-bristled brush used for removing everything loosened by the currycomb. If you horse spends most of it’s time in a large paddock like mine, you will find it very useful for removing dry mud.
Body brush

This soft-bristled brush removes finer particles and dust, adds a shine to the coat and is soothing to the horse. A body brush can be used on the head, being careful to avoid the horse's eyes. The body brush is always the last brush used on the horse.
Towel

A terrycloth towel or other type of cloth can be used to give a final polish to a horse's coat and is also used after riding to help remove sweat.
Bot knife

A bot knife is used to remove the eggs of the bot fly which are usually laid on the legs or shoulder.
Sponge/sweat scraper
I trust most of you know what a sponge looks like.

Small sponges can be used to clean of areas like the muzzle and around the eye.
Sweat scrapers are used to scrape off any excess sweat/water from the horses coat.
hoof pick

Used to dig out mud, stones and other things from a horses hoof.
Illnesses
I’m only covering some here, because there are a lot.
Stringhalt

Stringhalt is a disease that results in an exaggerated flexing of one or both hind legs. Some horses may show only mild signs with slight flexing seen when the horse is backed or stopped suddenly. In other cases the flexing can be so severe that the front of the fetlock may hit the belly. If both back legs are affected a bunny hopping type of gait may develop. The condition affects the long nerves of the back which can also result in the larynx being partially paralyzed. In these cases the horse cannot vocalize properly, resulting in 'roaring'. It is cured by a mixture of herbs naturally high in magnesium.
Strangles
I’m not going to show a picture do to the very unpleasant appearance of a horse with strangles. Just Google it if you want to see it.

Strangles is a highly contagious and serious disease. Typically, horses suffering from strangles have pus discharging from the nostrils and swellings (abscesses) forming in the lymph glands under the jaw. These abscesses often burst and exude thick yellow pus. Affected horses can have fever, be depressed and may stop eating. Most animals recover, but horses that contract even a mild case of strangles must be isolated and removed from training or heavy work for up to 3 months. In some cases the infection can cause chronic illness or even death.

Colic


A list of symptoms generally associated with colic
1.The horse is reluctant (anorexia) or refuses to eat;
2.The horse may look at their sides, or turn and nip at their sides;
3.The horse may kick at their abdomen with their back legs, paw with their forelegs, or stomp their feet;
4.The horse appears to be stretching out abnormally when defecating or is straining to pass a bowel movement;
5.The horse lies down and begins rolling and thrashing violently and does not shake after;
6.The horse is excessively sweaty after light exercise;
7.The horse shows excessive lip curling (Flehmen response);
8.The horse has cool extremities (e.g. lips might feel cool to the touch on inside of the mouth);
9.Lack of bowel movements, as evidenced by the small number of manure piles (however, bowel movement is evident in some more severe cases);
10.Along with these other symptoms the horse's pulse (greater than 52 beats per minute) and respiratory rate may increase
(NOTE: the horse's temperature usually shouldn't increase with colic. If a horse is experiencing abdominal pain and also has a fever, seek a veterinarian's help immediately, as this is often an indication of an infection and may also be an indication of peritonitis).

Equine Sports/activities
Racing/ steeplechasing

Racing is two or more horses racing around a track of a certain distance. It requires an obedient horse with speed and stamina.
Racing breeds:
Thoroughbred
Arab
Quarter horse
Akhal-teke

Steeplechasing is the same, but with jumps.
Steeple chasing breeds
Kinsky horse
Thoroughbred

Endurance

Endurance riding is a form of race over a long distance on often rough terrain. The horse and rider need to be in good physical condition. There are a number of vet checkpoints around the route which measure the horses’ pulse rate and overall health. If the horse is deemed unfit to continue, it gets pulled out of the race. If it’s pulse rate is over the set limit for that race, it will rest at the checkpoint until it’s pulse slows to an acceptable limit. This requires a fit, steady horse with good stamina.
Endurance breeds
Any breed may be entered, but the Arab mostly dominates the higher levels.

Show jumping

Jumper classes are scored based on a numbered score determined by whether the horse attempts the obstacle, clears it, and finishes the course in the set time. Jumper courses are often colorful and at times creatively designed. Jumpers, while caring for their horses and grooming them well, are not scored on looks, are allowed a wide range of equipment, and riders may wear not-so conservative attire, so long as it stays within the rules. However, formal turnout is always preferred, and a neat rider gives a good impression at shows. A show jumper must have the scope and courage to jump large fences as well as the athletic ability to handle the sharp turns and bursts of speed necessary to navigate the most difficult courses. Many breeds of horses have been successful show jumpers, and even some "grade" horses of uncertain breeding have been champions. Most show jumpers are tall horses, over 16 hands, usually of Warmblood or Thoroughbred breeding, though horses as small as 14.1 hands have been on the Olympics teams of various nations.
Showjumping breeeds
Any breed as long as it’s althletic and obedient.

Dressage

Dressage’s’ main purpose is to develop, through training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's development, it can smoothly respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids by performing the requested movement while remaining relaxed and appearing effortless. Dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet"
Dressage training pyramid

Rhythm & regularity
Rhythm, gait, tempo, and regularity should be the same on straight and bending lines, through flat work, and through transitions. Rhythm refers to the sequence of the footfalls, which should only include the pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter.
Relaxation
The second level of the pyramid is relaxation (looseness). Signs of looseness in the horse may be seen by an even stride that is swinging through the back and causing the tail to swing, looseness at the poll (area behind ears), a soft chewing of the bit, and a relaxed blowing through the nose. The horse will make smooth transitions (changes through moves) and be easy to position from side to side.
Contact
Contact the third level of the pyramid, is the result of the horse’s pushing power, and should never be achieved by the pulling of the rider’s hands. The rider drives the horse into soft hands, and should always follow the natural motion of the animal’s head. The horse should have equal contact in both reins.
The pushing power (thrust) of the horse is called “impulsion,” and is the fourth level of the training pyramid. Impulsion is created by storing the energy of engagement (the forward reaching of the hind legs under the body). Impulsion can occur at the walk, trot and canter. It is highly important to establish good, forward movement and impulsion at the walk, as achieving desirable form in the trot and canter relies heavily on the transition from a good, loose, forward walk.
Impulsion not only encourages correct muscle and joint use, but also uses the mind of the horse, focusing it on the rider and, particularly at the walk and trot, allowing for relaxation.
Straightness
A horse is straight when his hind legs follow the path of his front legs, on both straight lines and on bending lines, and his body is parallel to the line of travel.
Collection
At the apex of the training scale stands collection. It may refer to colleted gaits: they can be used occasionally to add to less vigorous work. It involves difficult movements, such as flying changes) in more advanced horses. Collection uses greater muscular strength, so must be advanced upon slowly. When in collected gait, the stride length should shorten, and the stride should be more dynamic.
When a horse collects, he naturally takes more of his weight onto his hindquarters. A collected horse is able to move more freely. The joints of the hind limbs have flex more, allowing the horse to lower his hindquarters and bring his hind legs further under his body. In essence, it is the horses’ ability to move its centre of gravity more backward. This should be shown during each switch to a lower gait, even by a novice horse.
Dressage breeds: Thoroughbreds Warmbloods Andalusians Friesians Lusitanos Lipizzans
Trail rides Trail riding is an activity purely for enjoyment. It is a ride of any length with any number of people in any outdoors location. Trail riding breeds: Anything goes in a trail ride, just as long as it is comfortable in new places.


Equipment (tack) Saddle

A saddle, in it’s most basic sense, is a seat. Saddles come in many shapes and sizes to suit your chosen riding style. Make sure you ask around so you can’t find one that best suit you.
Bridle

The bridle is a system of straps and buckles fitted on a horses’ head to assist in control. It, like the saddle, comes in many shapes and sizes to suit your needs.
Saddle pad

This is a cushiony bit for the saddle to rest on.

Other interesting bits and attachments
Crupper

Breastplate

Martingale



Looking for the Right horse
Before you go about buying a horse, make sure of some things:
You can take care of it
You know at least SOME things about horses
You’re not going to lose interest rally easily
You know what kind of horse you want
You know your financial limit. (Horses can get pretty expensive!)
Size
Not all horses’ and riders need to match in size.
Most people will want to buy a horse close to their own size, but size doesn’t matter TOO much, though it isn’t great if your horse is WAY too small…
Most people
Temperament
Before you pick out a lovely looking horse, make sure you know it’s personality. Some of the most beautiful horses can have awful (and sometimes dangerous) temperaments.
Price
Usually, the better the horse, the more it will cost.
I bought my horse for roughly $2,000, and he is not really a show horse, but he’s tough and reliable and quite nice looking. My first pony was $1,500, he was a gorgeous little thing, but a tiny bit evil… taught me a lot though. I outgrew him eventually.

This concludes my 3-part horse blog, I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to PM me with any enquiries! All pictures found in Google.