Horse Tripping...

I was waiting for the holiday season to end so this wouldn't damper on our Christmas spirit. I was surfing through some horsey blogs when I found this article on horse tripping, a sport! It is exactly how it sounds like too, a horse runs between two men swinging ropes, they snare it, and it usually flips over or falls on their face... My heart ached as soon as I saw this.

Here is a little piece from the article:
Horses and cows are completely different.  Their instincts and mental capacities are completely different.  Their physiological structures are completely different.  And thus the way they move, including speed and agility are, you guessed it, completely different.  When a horse has its front legs ripped out from underneath it while it’s running from a predator, it reacts and falls completely differently from the way a cow would react and fall.  It is not a fair, nor accurate, comparison.  Just because they’re both classified as livestock, doesn’t mean they look and/or act the same.  You wouldn’t compare a horse to a pig, would you?  And yet, they’re both considered livestock. - Posted from SnarkyRider

If you want to see the article here is a link to it. There is a video as well but viewer discretion is much advised. I wanted to hopefully make this more aware to people so we can help put an end to it.

Link [here]

I Didn't Know...

That Equestrianism was named the most difficult sport in the Olympics! Now I have actual proof to all of those other people who think horseback riding isn't a sport... They can suck it!

Check out the article [here]

Want to Ride in the Cold? You're Crazy... NOT!

Riding in the freezing cold is by no means fun. Freezing your toes, fingers, even your face can actually be quite painful at times. But does your horse feel the same way? Actually most of the time he doesn't. Horses handle the cold quite a bit better than us humans do; which is no surprise but still good to know.

I'm always a nervous wreck about riding Ava in the cold, or even worse, the rain. I constantly think she won't be dry enough after a ride and shiver at night or even cramp up! I can't stand to think about it.

I've pulled some awesome articles about riding in cold weather, rain etc. If you're as nervous as I am about it hopefully these will give you a piece of mind.

Horses and Riding in Cold Weather - packed with information!
Horseback Riding in the Winter/Cold - read the Best Answer

Julie Goodnight on Riding Horses in Really Cold Weather

Cold Weather Riding Considerations

Grooming After Cold Weather Riding - some of these answers were helpful

10 Tips for Horseback Riding Safely in Winter

Is Your Horse Listening to You?

I found this great article from America's Horse Daily about how to tell if your horse is listening to you. Check it out!

Is Your Horse Listening?

Trail Safety: Wild Animals, Oh My!

I found this article a while ago about how to deal with wild animal encounters on the trail. Although for those of you who don't live in a mountainous or "wild country" area I don't know if this will help too much, but it may be good to know if you decide to travel somewhere like that, never know!

Anyways, every time I take Ava on a walk or just a short ride on the outskirts of the stables it still creeps me out that we could encounter something, yep, I'm a pretty paranoid person! But I guess it is better to be cautious than not (depending on the situation of course!) Surprisingly we haven't crossed paths with any wild animals but if we keep our trail riding up it will definitely increase our chances. Do you know of any one (or yourself!) that has had an experience(s) with a wild animal(s)? What happened? I'd love to know!

Now to get back to the article.

Here is a little taste of what to expect,

When it comes to successfully handling wildlife encounters in the wilderness, Colorado Division of Wildlife Game Warden Ron Zaccagnini
(who also owns horses) has 30 years of experience.

Ron sent me a nice email after I wrote about my fear of mountain lions and I immediately seized the opportunity and asked him to give us folks who trail ride in the wilderness some valuable tips

Read the rest of the article [here], you won't be disappointed, it also short and sweet, nothing that drones on forever.

Spring Training from America's Horse Daily

I am subscribed to America's Horse Daily and they sent me this great article about getting your horse physically and mentally ready for Spring riding. This may not be useful for most of you but there may be some green horses out there like Ava who need some help, so here you go, this is a paragraph (or a few) from the article.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Mike Kinsey in America’s Horse

There’s a whiff of spring in the air, the pasture is greening up, you’re having more short-sleeve than long-sleeve days, and judging by the amount of hair that’s coming off your horse, you’re a little nervous that he’ll be naked by June. Spring has sprung, and you’re itching to hit the trail.

Not so fast, buckaroo.

There’s a good chance that your pasture potato isn’t ready for a five-mile hike. It’s no different from the condition you’d be in if you sat in a La-Z-Boy from November to March, eating Nacho Doritos and watching “American Idol.”

The amount of work it takes to get a horse ready for trail ride season all depends on the age of the horse, whether the horse has been in a stall and is overly fat or whether he has been in a pasture and is in a little better condition.

Read the rest of the article here: [click this]

Letting Them Be Horses...

This post really made me think [click this]. It explains everything! For the past year Ava has not been her old self which was sweet, calm, and not bucky. I always thought it was because something was wrong with her feet, she was in pain, or because we tried endurance one summer (which was not a good choice.) But after reading that article it makes complete sense. I haven't been letting her be a horse! When we moved to our new barn in August of 2011 she and her pasture mate Poco were confined to a smaller paddock. All of early summer they had been kept on a large piece of pasture all to themselves. I never would have thought it would affect her mood that much. Although, I never would have thought a lot of things... Anyways, yes, I finally figured out the problem. Ava is stressed from her paddock size. At the moment I can't do anything about it, all of the larger spots are taken for winter but as soon as horses start to leave again for the summer I'm going to have them moved to a larger pen, which will make them much happier. Until then I'm going to be turning them out in the arena as much as possible to keep them sane.

At first they were snorty and easily spooked but that soon wore and were actually happy with their little excursion. So, first new year's resolution (kind of late but oh well,) keep my horse sane!

News Article, Race Against the Tide!

I found this article on Facebook. Amazing story, brought me to tears.

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Race against the tide: Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse's side for THREE HOURS after getting trapped in mud 'like quicksand'

This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud 'like quicksand'.

Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide. The 78-stone show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.

Miss Graham had been out on an afternoon ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelong, south of Melbourne, when 18-year-old Astro suddenly sunk into the mud.

Before she could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed up by the mud. After dragging herself through the mire, Miss Graham helped her daughter and the other horse on to firmer ground.

However, Astro was stuck fast and her efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire.

As Paris ran to their car and phoned for help, Miss Graham stayed at her horse’s side. She courageously clung on to his neck, terrified that he would not be freed before the tide came in.

After three 'terrifying' hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Miss Graham from the mud.

Read the full article and see more pictures here: [click here]