Horse Q & A
HORSE Q & A
Horse Gags On Bit Question I started training our one-year old to a bit this week. For the first five minutes of each session he pounds the ground and stretches his neck. His breathing remains even, but his eyes do widen. None of my horses have ever done this. Do some horses have strong gag reflexes? Do I need to use a different bit? We just stand still until he calms and then he is fine the rest of the session. Any thoughts? Horse Gags On Bit Responses I am glad you asked that question. I had that problem too with the bit. I assumed I was using it wrong so I switched over temporarily to a western curb bit and no more problem, but I would love to go back to the snaffle. Is it the horse or the rider with a problem? Because the horse keeps pulling his head way out stretching it like to get leverage on the bit or something, I found myself at least trying to hold the reins at a reasonable area and still have some kind of control over a green horse and yet not gag him. Didn�t work for me. He gagged and coughed but I did not experience the ground pounding. Please help. Head Pushing Problem From Katie My horse is making me crazy. She is constantly butting me with her head. If I am brushing her or whatever, she is butting me with her head, hard, all the time. Does anyone know why? I don�t think she is being nice about it and wanting attention. I think she is being mean and grumpy. She does not bite but the head butting hurts too when she connects. Also, when I try to pet her face she raises her head real high so I cannot reach her face. Why is she doing this? Please help. Head Pushing Answers This sounds like a habit to me. I would try tying her while I am grooming her so that she is not able to head butt you. As far as trying to pet her head�I would start by petting her neck and then gradually work your hand up toward her ears and gradually down between her ears to her face. Do this over and over until it comes natural. I had a man tell me one time the idea is to get higher than the horse even if it meant standing on something to do so. I don�t know whether that works or not. Hay Question How much hay should I feed my horse? Hay Responses The recommended amount of hay to feed a horse in one day according to some feed manufacturers is approximately 1% of the horse�s body weight. But I would suggest that you ask your horse�s veterinarian because your veterinarian knows your horse�s particular requirements. A horse�s natural instinct is to graze most of the day until naptime, so my personal opinion is to keep hay accessible to the horse all the time. Horse Backing Up Problem Every time I try to get on my horse he starts backing up. What can I do to stop this? Horse Backing Up Responses I would try tightening the rein across the shoulder on the right side of the horse first. If this does not work immediately then I would start groundwork from the beginning by getting your horse use to you standing next to his shoulder. From Xann My Solution-- My horse used to do that too. What I would do is stand next to him, slowly tighten up the reins like you usually do to get on, not pulling, and if he starts backing up just go with him. When he stops, praise him. Then, if you use a mounting block, pull it towards him. Don't step up onto it until he stands still for a little while. When he stands, get up on the first step. If he moves, get off and circle back to it, until he stands with you on the block. Then, put pressure on his back. Lean on him. If he moves, get off the block and start over. Be patient with him. After a while, he should let you get on. And it won't take one time, it may take more. And if it means you don't get to ride for one day, that�s good. As long as you make progress. From Susan Make sure when you mount that you are standing equal to the horses shoulder, facing the rear, with your foot in the stirrup. Before you begin to mount, turn your body around to the side of the horse and MAKE SURE your pointy toe is not poking them in the ribs!! Surprising how many people do this without realizing it! Lift your swing leg high over the horses butt and don't kick them while mounting. If your horse still is disagreeable and moving off when mounting, get off completely and give them a few quick turns on the lead rope or back them up or whatever it takes to make them work a bit and move their feet. Horses are lazy and would rather not work. So eventually, your horse will figure out that everytime he moves when you mount, you will make him work, he'll soon figure out that it's better to just stand there like a good boy. Some extreme horses at this are professionals. Therefore, a good lunge line attached to specifically address this problem may be in order. I also use this same method when I'm training my horses to ground tie. A hoppy horse is annoying! Horse Biting Question Every time I try to pet my horse while he is in the pasture he reaches out to bite me. Does anybody have any ideas how to stop this? Horse Biting Solutions According to Clinton Anderson� the famous horse trainer, horses bite to show dominance. To stop your horse from biting, Clinton says�Move his feet. Get his mind off of it and start backing him up. For more great solutions visit Clinton�s website at� www.clintonanderson.net From D My horse turns his head to bite when I try to get on. I started getting real firm with him and now I tell him, don�t look at me! I say it like I mean it and now he immediately turns his head back away from me. From Susan There are two things a horse can do that are scary. One is kick you and the other is bite you. Bites are nasty, but you may think not as serious as a kick. This is not true. A bite is an act of deliberate aggression and your horse is sending you a serious message. If you were a horse in a pasture, you would be the recipient of the domineering horse - not the position you want to be in when you're trying to mount or work with your animal. I use the 3 second rule if I get bitten and it usually always works. If a horse bites me, I have three seconds to scream, yell, hit and otherwise attempt to "KILL" that horse. The only rule is you can't hit the horse in the head and you can't use anything heavier than your hands. You get three seconds to do the damage and it needs to be instantaneous to the bite. After the three seconds, your horse will see you in a whole new light and think you are the very cool alpha in the herd! If you're mounting and they take a nip at you (more common and not as aggressive in nature as an outright bite, be prepared and send an elbow sharply to the face - avoid the eyes. This is what a mare would do to a smart aleck out in the pasture - cause pain. They will get the message if this blow is delivered consistently. Stall Problem When I take my horse out of the stall in the morning and try to lead him to the pasture he starts running before I can get him through the gate. Please help. Stall Solutions Do not allow your horse to come out until he can settle down. Keep telling your horse no, settle down. If he runs out of the stall, turn him around and take him back in and do this as many times as it takes until he comes out like he is suppose to. From Susan The other responder exactly right!!! Never, ever allow your horse to get the upper hand by rushing at you out of the stall. This is not only disrespectful, but very very dangerous! Your horse is telling you that he doesn't give a flying leap about hurting you or mowing you down just to get his way. It's time for some ground training on manners and respect. You need to send your nasty little horse the message that he's on YOUR payroll and YOU are the alpha and dictate HIS behavior. Simple as that. There are lots of little ways you can accomplish this as well. I'm guessing that if your horse rushes out of the stall, he's also pulling you on the lead. When he does this, back him up to the point where he started pulling you. If he does it again, back him up again. This will take several CONSISTENT sessions, but your horse will get the picture. Make him respect and stay out of your space. I had a horse that would turn her butt towards me whenever I would come into her stall. I pulled her out with a halter and we did some respect exercises on the ground. You don't have to hit, scream or yell at your horse. It's very effective and she never turned her butt to me again. Be careful, a horse like this will HURT you unless you gain the upper hand and do it quickly. I would suggest any good video on teaching and understanding ground manners (usually one is just as good as the other) and do some research on horse herd behavior - you're the low man on the totem pole. This is how people get hurt! From BR In reference to the horse rushing from the stall: Our pony used to do that when leaving one gate of the pasture. He would actually rear up if I didn't let him. We had to keep going back in and redoing it. It worked, but I could always feel his little body tensing up as we passed through. One day I stopped him in the middle of the passage and held him there. It was then I realized his leg was brushing a large thistle I had never noticed. I pulled it -problem solved. Be sure there is nothing scaring or hurting your horse as he passes through. So simple. Horse Feed Question I have a new horse and I would like to know about how much feed he should get a day? Thanks in advance. Horse Feed Responses When I first bought my horse I asked the veterinarian that same question about feed. The vet told me the approximate weight of my horse and then told me to start with 1-pound of grain for each 100 pounds of body weight, but not to feed that all at one time, to break the total amount up into 2 or 3 feedings a day. So for instance, a 1000-pound horse would eat 10-pounds of grain a day. 5-pounds at breakfast and 5-pounds for supper, or 3 and 1/3 pounds 3 times a day. The vet said to watch closely though and adjust the feed amount as needed. If the horse is gaining too much weight cut the amount back and if the horse is not gaining weight, increase the amount a little. If the horse is maintaining a good body weight, stay right where you are. The vet also said the horse should have plenty of fresh hay to eat all the time unless he is in a field of beautiful grass. Also make sure the horse has plenty of fresh, clean water within his or her reach constantly. Another person told me not to try to re-invent the wheel, meaning stay with what is proven, the experts. Choose a good brand of feed, read the back of the bag under feeding instructions and then follow the instructions carefully. I thought that was good advice. I personally chose Purina� Omolene horse feed, but first, I called Purina� on the phone, described my horse to them and they told me what to buy and exactly how much to feed. You may like to know that the veterinarian�s suggestion could not have been any closer than the manufacturers, meaning those veterinarians know their stuff. The veterinarian said along with feeding, be sure to be on a good deworming program and to keep all the horses necessary shots up to date. Horse Hoof Question Could anyone tell me how often I should call the blacksmith to look at my horse�s feet? Horse Hoof Responses I have a blacksmith out to check my horse�s hooves about every 6-8 weeks. But sometimes you may need the blacksmith sooner if there seems to be a problem of any kind. Make looking at your horse�s feet a priority everyday because problems or accidents can happen overnight. Keep this little clich� in mind�No feet, no horse. Meaning, if your horse�s feet are not kept in top-notch condition you won�t be doing much riding. Horse Saddle Size and Type Question How does a person know what kind of saddle or what size saddle to buy for their horse? Horse Saddle Responses From Debbie Well, I do not know too much about the saddle size other than not only does the saddle need to fit the riders behind but it needs to fit comfortably to the horse too. Not too long ago I had a clerk at PetSmart� show me an English saddle that had Velcro in the front part that sits over the withers telling me that it was a good saddle because it was adjustable to fit any horse. Interesting. I just recently had a friend tell me that most full grown, adult horses wear at least a size 5 bit. You may want to also try lifting the saddle, some of them are quite heavy and hard to lift up on to your horse. I found out regarding western saddles�a size 12 is a youth saddle, size 14 is a small adult, size 15 is the most common size adult, size 16 and up would be for a large adult. When sitting in the western saddle you should be able to put at least 3 fingers between you and the front of the saddle. It is good advice to always sit in a saddle before purchasing. Nothing is worse than spending several hundred dollars or more to find out later this is the hardest, most uncomfortable saddle you�ve ever sat in. Most saddles have the size stamped into the leather some where, but if not, use a tape measure to measure the distance from just behind the horn, across the seat, to the back of the seat. This should give you a good idea of the saddle size. I also think the new break away stirrups are a good idea. Regarding the kind of saddle�do I want to ride English or Western? I would think this would be the first question a person needs to ask their self, followed by what do I intend to do with the saddle, such as, pleasure riding, performance, timed events and so on�Once the decision has been made, shop for quality and comfort. Horse Treat Question Does anyone know how to make homemade horse treats? Horse Treat Responses From Susan When making your own horse treats, don't add "human grade" white flour, sugars or other preservatives. Keep it natural. I buy a bag of Bran from the local feed store, mix a bit of cinnamon, some applesauce as a binder and add a touch of molasses, but I don't over do that. When I have them, I cut up apples, pears, peaches or any orchard type fruit, even shred some carrots and mix them up. If you can find dried fruits like banana chips, figs or similar in bulk at affordable prices - then why not! In winter months, add a bit of salt to help them drink more water! Drop cookie dough onto parchament paper on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven at 325 for however long it takes to make them dry and fairly crispy. Sometimes this can take up to 30 minutes. Depending on how much molasses you put in, it may take longer. Get creative - cinnamon is good for horses, so are a variety of orchard fruits, but don't go overboard on anything. Avoid chocolate and any processed ingredients. Their bodies don't need to be exposed to preservatives or junk food. As an alternative, good treats always include a crisp apple, a slice of cold watermelon on a hot day, a cold carrot or two. Keep treats to a minimum and NEVER use them to catch your horse. I usually give a little cookie to each one as I close up the barn for the night. They look forward to eat. God forbid the night I shouldn't have any treats in my hand! I hear about it with stall kicking and tossing buckets around! :) Horse Leaning Question From Reader I have a 2-year old horse. Lately I�ve noticed when I am cleaning her front feet she has a tendency to lean towards me to the point that it almost seems like she could fall down. Is this normal of a young horse? I do not see any signs of a problem area with either foot or leg and she does not limp at all. She does not always do this but here lately it seems that she is doing it more often. Is there anything else I should be looking for other than knots, bumps, scrapes, cuts or something in the hoof? She seems to do it more often on one particular side. Thank you in advance.
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