How do you measure a horse?

I have a mini and want to know how big he is.I don't know where you measure from.

Answer: Go to your feed supply store and get a weight tape. To measure the height you start at the bottom of the front hoof and measure to the top of the withers. To measure her weight you would wrap the tape around the area where the girth would normally go.

running out of jumps!!

by Alyssa B
(NJ)

The horse i ride is 10 years old. He has always loved jumping and jumped anything without a second look. I am 15 and his owner is not able to ride anymore. Ive been jumping him for 5 years. The horses owner started lunging him over 4'9" jumps about 3 months ago and the tallest ive ever jumped him is 3'. About 5 weeks ago he started running out of jumps once in a while. Now he runs out of 2 foot jumps almost 90% of the time. 2 foot jumps used to be very easy for him. I have started over and he is very confident on the ground and over crossrails. i havent jumped any height more then a crossrail successfully in over 3 weeks. I feel like he might be scared and i spoke with his owner and asked her to stop lunging him over the large jumps. What should i do? i want to start showing again and he is normally a very mellow horse that i can trust with my life. now i am on alert every time i jump any height bigger then a crossrail. Im lost! Please help! He usually would go over jumps even when i did something drastically wrong. He has saved my butt many times but now he is like a different horse as soon as he gets to the 2 foot jumps. The week before all this happened i was jumping 3 foot with him willingly. It all happened very suddenly.

Answer: You need to make sure that there is not a medical reason for this. If he has been doing this willingly all this time, then there is a reason for him to suddenly stop. Make sure he's not hurting anywhere before you try anything else.

How should I train to pick up hoof?

Hay Ya'All! I've had my 10 yr old gelding for about a month. He will not let me pick up his hoofs to be cleaned. When I try to get it across to him that I'm not going away, he starts to side kick, even when I'm still taking time on his front hoofs. So for he's been a real sweetheart, if only he would let me care for his hoofs. Thanks Mare


Answer: He has probably had a bad experience with his feet before. It will take time for him to trust you with his feet.

Start of by just rubbing his legs, just rub up and down his legs and let him know that your not trying to hurt him.

When he is comfortable with that, start by tapping his leg with your fingers on the front of his leg between the knee and hoof, when he picks his foot up, stop immediately! Don't stop tapping until his foot moves. That's how I trained all my horses to pick up their feet. Now all I have to do is touch their leg and the foot comes up.

If it becomes to much, try adding a treat, such as a piece of pepperment or carrot. As soon as he picks that foot up, stop tapping and give him a treat. It won't take long for him to make the connection with "pick up foot - get treat"! Just don't go overboard with the treats. Only give him a treat if he picks his foot up.

Melinda

when can i ride my horse?

by luke
(unionville, tennessee)

She had her baby on August 28, 2009, idk.

Answer: Congratulations on the new baby. I waited about 6 weeks before I started riding my horse, and then the colt just followed along beside us. You probably won't be able to ride without the colt for some time.

how many people are in the horse industry?

by natalie
(erueka, il)

i would like to know roughly how many people in the u.s. have jobs in the equine industry.


Answer: There are 1.4 million jobs that are created by the horse industry, 44,000 jobs in Florida alone. The horse industry contributes around 40 billion dollars annually to the Gross Domestic Product of the U.S. economy. If you add indirect spending to that, the number jumps to around 63 billion.

care of a yearling thoroughbred

by Sarah a.k
(ireland)

I am not experienced with young horses but I had my 1st horse for eight yrs, i got her when she was 6.
I recently bought the most perfect yearling,(I hadn't been looking, it just happened) we clicked instantly. I am now concerned as I want to be able to give my girl the highest standard of care and give her the best home which she so deserves. I am so eager to achieve this and I refuse to fail her. Please help and give me advice on general care, nutrition, and exactly how and what training to start. Obviously she wont be backed until she is 3, but I know there is some very basic slow lunging etc that she can learn (only for very short periods at a time so not to damage muscle).
Look forward to your comments. Thanks

Answer: The best things you can teach her, until she is ready for real training, is ground manners.

Also, it won't hurt her to do light lungeing, but only at short intervals. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Young horses don't have a very big attention span and she will zone out quickly.

Also, you want to make sure not to damage her legs at this young age. They will be plenty of time for the hard stuff later on.

For now, give her lot's of love, but don't forget the manners. It's very easy to spoil a young horse to the point of being a brat.

when a horse is left without horse shoes can you still ride them as often without wearing down the hooves too much, or is it not a problem?

by Alecia
(Minnesota)

I am planing on getting my first horse and I had some questions, I would like to have my horse unshod but I don't want to cause any problems with wearing down the hooves, would the terrain i live in or the age of the horse make a difference, or even the extra weight of the rider, (I weigh 118lbs)? I would not have my horse walking on cement or anything. But would I have to ride less often than if my horse did have shoes? Thank You

How do I get my horse not to be afraid of the halter, etc?

by Debbie Mackey
(Modesto, CA USA)

My horse is 7 years old and I recently acquired her. The problem I am having is that she gets spooked by even seeing a halter. It takes two to three people just to get one on her. She doesn't like being restrained in any way. And forget about a saddle for the time being. She's a great horse and shows a lot of love. My understanding is that she was abused by a previous owner and had also taken a bad spill a couple of years ago. Now she's gun-shy about most things. I'm hoping that she can be trained to trust me and know that I wouldn't do anything to harm her. She even freaks when you put a lead rope on her. She bucks and backs up and then I call it quits. I'm so frustrated but I won't give up. I love this horse but I need help.

How do I keep my horse from trying to go to his friends when being ridden?

He tries to go to his friends instead of being ridden.

Answer: Sounds to me like he is buddy sour. Usually this means a low confidence level. Horses are 100% herd animals, they feel that there is safety in numbers. Sounds like he needs a lot of groundwork and desensitizing to build his confidence. The more confidence a horse has, the better. I am currently writing a e-book that will probably be available by the end of October. It will explain all the levels of groundwork and how to implement them.

My pony wont do it on his own

by Mollie
(Coventry)

My pony is 13 years old and a ex riding school pony, in the last six months he has been moved to a new yard and now only me rides him. My problem is when we go xc training in a group & he's with his friends he is fine and clears 2'6 with ease.But when it's the event & he's on his own away from his friends he just wont jump anything.
The manager at the yard has said maybe I will need to replace him, I really dont want to do this as he has shown he is able to do it & he is so sweet natured.
Will I ever be able to get him out of this.

Answer" Sound to me like he has more confidence when he is with his buddies. Try practicing without the group and see what happens then. He may need some groundwork and desensitizing to help build his confidence.

My horse is really agressive at feeding time, what should I do?

by Laura Hinkly
(Kansas)

My horse is a real sweetheart, until it comes to feeding time. Then he's like Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. He rushes to get the feed and almost plows me over in the process. How can I fix this?

X Harness Racer/Learning to Canter

by Gail
(Nova Scotia, Canada)

Hi There,
I recently took ownership of a retired harness racer. He is 14 years old and has a pretty good personality. The problem is, I can't seem to get him to canter; not even when I lunge him. In fact, I think because he was whipped so much during racing, he is resistant to any kind of whip at all, even though the lunge whip isn't hitting him. The best I can get out of him is a really fast trot and when I ask him for more than that he either bucks and turns around or just stops altogether and refuses to move. I've tried it in the saddle with the same results. Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.



Hi Gail,

I have the same problem with my 15 year old mare. I could never get her out of a trot. When I was riding her and tried to get her to canter, she would always buck. I had my horse trainer come out and see what he could do with her. Once he started to lunge her, he immediately noticed that she has stifle problems. I was told that that was about the best I would ever get out of her was a trot, because it hurt her to run. You should have a vet check her out and make sure that the problem isn't physical.

Melinda

What can I try to do to get my horse to come down from a canter to a walk

by Debbie
(USA)

I am a 12 year old girl that had to train my horse by myself with few lessons. My horse is a 12 year old quarter horse that was abused for the most part of his life. He does have a very sensitive mouth, right know he is using a loose ring snaffle but the problem is every time i ask for the transition from a canter to a stop he tosses his head a prances in a circle i also don't place in any eq. class because of this. I was wondering if I should try a stronger bit like a twisted snaffle or stick to the bit i have or if you would recommend one. He stops from the trot perfect its just the canter. He is very stubborn with certain things. Thanks

Answer: I don't think a bigger bit is the answer. It sounds like to me he needs a lot of groundwork. Have you ever done groundwork with your horse? You also need to teach him a one rein stop, that way when he starts tossing his head you can pull him around and stop him. Start making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. Everytime he does something wrong, make him have a consequence. Make him go backwards or make him go in circles.
He will soon figure out that it's easier on him to do the right thing.

Why am I having bit problems?

by Bruce
(Del Rio)

I Have a 5 year old paint horse that was green broke approx. one year ago and has been ridden ever since. The problem that I continue to have is that while riding him he continues to fight the bit and loses concentration on what I am trying to teach him. When I got him back from the trainer, he recommended for me to continue to use a three piece snaffle bit which I have. I have also tried a regular ring snaffle and a twisted wire snaffle. The horse continues to fight the bit and try to get his his tongue over the bit. When he gets really frustrated he tries to rare up on me. Do you have any advise because I am out of ideas.

Answer: It sounds to me like the bit is causing him pain. The first thing that comes to mind is this. Horse's have, was I call, wolf teeth, that come in that should be removed when they are young. The bit will hit against those teeth and cause a great deal of pain.

Do you have access to a round pen or enclosed arena? If so, try this. Get a 4 knot rope halter, if you have clip on reins, clip them to the halter. If you don't, you can tie your lead rope on the other side to form reins. Try riding him with just the halter and lead rope for a couple of day's and see if it improves. If so, you should have your horse's mouth examined by a vet to see if his wolf teeth have been removed. He could even have sharp points on his teeth that the bit is hitting.

The bit could also be to tight and pinching the corners of his mouth. Let me know what happens.

is a foal legs the same lenght it was born to adulthood

by bren
(england)

No, this is not true. A foal legs are not as long as there going to be when he grows up.

How do I get my horse to accept a bigger rider?

by Charity
(KY)

My horse will only let kids ride him, about 50 lbs. I can do everything with him except ride him. I can clean his hoofs, groom him, give him a bath, saddle him, back him, etc. He comes when called, when he is in the pasture. The only thing he doesn't like is a bit. He will let me play with his ears, and he lowers his head for his halter. I was told that if I let little kids ride him and slowly put bigger kids on that he would accept an adult. The problem with that is people don't want their kids on a horse they can't ride. He isn't scared of me,so what could be the problem, and how do I fix it? I can't ride out his bucking. Any info. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Answer: Sounds to me like he may have soreness in his back for some reason. Have you had him checked out to make sure. I wouldn't think the difference in weight would matter for any other reason.

first time- my horse sometimes lays with forelegs folded up uder him, Is this normal ?

by David
(Al.)

My horse lays flat on the ground sometimes,also lays upright with forelegs under him. Should I be concerned about either of these.

David

My Horse is kicking and is kinda a spaz but not when i got him what do i do?

by Megan Traxler
(Minnesota Le Center U.S.)

I will look out my window and he will be kicking and jumping and being a spaz. He was never like this last may. He just started when the weather got nice.


Answer As long as he's not doing it while your riding him, what's the problem? If the weather is nice then he is probably feeling good and playing and enjoying life.


Melinda

can a non pregnant mare produce milk?

by carol
(wisconsin)

my mare weaned a foal in August 2008. She ran with a stud from April thru Sept 2008. She isn't very large. She was thin in Dec and I started her on grain and supplement. She is up to date on worming and shots. She has a very slight bag. A month ago it took four pulls to get a clear liquid from her teat. Now it takes one pull.My vet suggested palpation but I don't want to do this so late. Also, my vet budget is limited and want to save this in case she needs a vet when and if she is in foaling. Do you think she is pregnant? Can a non pregnant mare who weaned close to a year ago have milk?

Answer: My guess would be that you have a very pregnant mare. I have never seen one produce milk for no reason. At any rate you will find out in a couple of months. Let me know what happens!

is it ok to run your horse?

by rudmose
(Sf Ca)

I just started to lease a horse and was told not to run him cause he is being ridden six days a week, I always thought that it was good for the horse to fold out and loosen up his muscles, am I wrong?

Answer: I don't really understand the question here. If you are leasing the horse, then who is riding him six days a week?

Also, how hard is he being worked when he is being ridden? I don't really see a problem running a horse, as long as it's only short distances and not just constantly running the whole time. But, I'm not the one that your leasing him from.

is it possible for a horse to have an issue with the person riding its weight?

by Rae
(Pennsylvania)

We got a horse that when someone heavier gets on her she doesnt act up as much as when someone lighter is on her.If someone lighter is on her and someone is leading her with a lead rope she acts perfectly fine.Could this have to deal with her possibly not being fully broken in?we got her at an auction and we think shes about 6 years old.

Answer: I wouldn't think the weight factor has anything to do with it. Either she is not fully trained or she doesn't respect the person riding her. You have to spend a lot of time with your horse and earn his respect, they don't just give it freely. You have to establish yourself as lead mare. But you also have to know what your doing before you can teach your horse what to do.