Barn tips, tricks, and other making life easier with horses tidbits

Today I have decided to share some of my horse care tips.  Please feel free to share your tips by leaving a comment and I will add yours to the list.

1.  A cheap adjustable nylon pet collar will keep your hook over the rail buckets in place with a horse that likes to redecorate on a daily basis.

2.  A used dewormer tube works great when you need to give bute or other powdered (crushed pills) medicines.  Just pour your stuff in the tube and add something sticky and sweet to help the medicine go down.  I like to use cheap pancake syrup.

3.  When at shows, on the trail, or other away from home stabling events first lead your horse to water and give them a chance to fill up.  Then haul water to their stall.  Doing this will save you a few sloppy bucket hauls and help ensure that your horse will have throughout the day/night.

4.  Consider your water trough placement and put it in the shade when possible.  Doing so will help your horse drink more water during the summer months.  (If you do not think this is important, leave a bottle of water in the sun and try to drink it.)

5.  Plain old deodorant will help keep a horse from chewing bandages.  I also really like to product Bitter Yuck! that is no toxic and can be sprayed on anything (I taught the then puppy to not eat my patio plants with it). I highly recommend doing something to make it taste bad the first few times you use wraps on a horse.  There is nothing worse than needing a leg wrapped and having horse that tries to remove it.

6.  Bitter Yuck! and other nontoxic cribbing sprays are a great deterrent for tail chewing foals and horses and can safely be applied daily until the behavior becomes extinct.

7.  A large grill cleaning brick is so much cheaper than a for horses bot block and is made from the same material.

8.  If you travel with you dog a lot consider making them a on the road tag with the license plates of your trucks and trailers.  This tag could be a lifesaver if you regularly camp in remote areas that do not have reliable cell service.   www.dogids.com has great slide on tags for just $10.

I will add more as they come to me and others send them in so stay tuned.  :)

It's not cheating if it works

It's not cheating if it works.

No, I am not talking about illegal drugging, abusive training tactics, or other wise breaking the rules.

I am talking about taking the simpler way when training.

I taught Mozzie to load this weekend.  (Yes, I know I should have gotten around to it sooner but I just had a baby and life kind of got in the way.)

I didn't tap.

I didn't pull.

I didn't sweat, and didn't stress.

I just cheated and tried the easiest way first.

 I offered a hungry baby his breakfast that could only be gotten by doing the right thing.

He put one foot on the ramp and was reward with a bite and in less than 10 minutes he had willing walked in.
I then backed him, unloaded him and did the whole process over and over.  At the end of his 40 minute lesson he had quietly and calmly loaded and unloaded 8 times all because he was motivated by his breakfast.
While I was more than willing to do whatever I needed to get him in the trailer using force. I choose to first try positive motivation and was able to make the scary process of loading pleasant and enjoyable.

Moral of the story -

Why start a fight if you do not have too.

Give your horse a chance and start positive when possible because it isn't cheating if it works.  

(Of course if positive reinforcement does not work you must continue try all options until you eventually achieve your goal)

Great horses- my personal philosophy

I believe most if not all horses have the ability to become a really great horse.

The kind of horse every equestrian dreams about.

Light.

Willing.

Responsive.

Trustworthy.

Reliable.

The kind of horse that can be ridden with just a whisper.

I truly believe that every horse if given the chance can become something truly great.

The key words being "if given the chance."

Great horses are made by great riders.  

Riders willing to do what ever the horse needs until he no longer needs it.

A rider willing to work through the tough outer shell until they reach the sparkling gem hidden inside.

Good horses are born, but great horses are made.   

Water problems- Health Edition

Lines break.
Floats stop working or get knocked out.
Buckets get turned over.
Buckets get pooped in.
Birds or wildlife fall in.
Many things can go wrong with your horses' water supply.

So what should you do if you find that your horses' tough is dry or contaminated?

Besides obviously cleaning and filling the trough you should withhold grain (and hay if possible) for a few hours once the trough has been filled to give your horse plenty of time to drink and re-hydrate to help prevent colic.

If you feed a horse before they have had a chance to drink for several hours the they many end up with an impaction colic from not having enough moisture to properly digest their meal.

They can also suffer from gas colic if they drink a bunch of water right before or after a large grain meal which then can give them a tummyache.

So in short to help prevent colic when #@%^ happens postpone a grain feeding for several hours or skip a feeding entirely when your horse has not had free access to water for an period of time.

This also applies when riding and trail riding for several hours at a time.

 

My New Long Term Project

For the time in a few years I finally have something new to train for myself.  This is Mozzie.  He is currently 3 and a half months old and is the newest member of the KnP team.  Just like his dam Pie he is already proving to be quite the horse and character.  I am excited to be able to document his training progress here on the blog so stay tuned.  

Teaching Headsets And Other Finer Things- Are You Ready?

Headsets, people love them.

There are few things prettier than a horse with a nice level headset. (Headset meaning- relaxed, light, not too high, not too low,  and on and nearly on the vertical with little to no rein interference.)

While everyone wants an attractive headset many people rush through the training process and try to teach/achieve a nice headset before a horse is ready.  In order to be ready for headsets and other more advanced maneuvers a horse must first have a firm grasp on the basics.  

In order to achieve or school on a headset a horse must first-
*  Have forward movement.  A horse must first be moving freely and willingly under saddle with little to know encouragement from the rider.

*  Be under complete control of the rider and light and responsive to all aids.  A horse should not warp circles, veer off a straight line, or resist rein or leg pressure.  

*   Be able to rate.  A horse must be able to maintain a constant speed at all gates as directed by the rider and do so on a loose rein.

Only after all of the above is achieved should a rider even consider schooling more advanced maneuvers. And a rider must also be willing to go back to the basics and do a little tuneup at any time before continuing in training.      

An Explanation

I apologize for not writing with much regularity the past few months.

I may have not shared that I've been pregnant with my first child and have not been able to sit at my desk comfortably since February. And while I was still working up until a few days before my delivery (I actually had a lesson scheduled for the day that she arrived) getting my ideas down hasn't been as easy.

Thankfully my new riding/training partner was born May 17th (She shall be known as LL here on the blog) and I start back to work this week her in tow which should get the creative juices flowing once again as I take on training and coaching now with the twist of also juggling motherhood.

In the next few months I also hope to take this blog to a more personal level as I begin this next chapter of my training career.

So please stay tuned it promises to be an interesting ride.