Horse Boarding near me
Horse riding lessons
7 best rewards for your horse
After an intensive exercise or a long walk you are probably proud of your horse. But what is the best way to reward your horse? We list the 7 best rewards. Give a pat or tickle: Just like we like to get a pat on the back, a horse also likes to get a pat or tickle. Through the loving contact, your horse feels that you are proud of him. Have your horse do a favorite exercise: You have just run a course with your horse and you would like to reward him. Do this by having him do his favorite exercise, such as a walk in the woods or lunging your horse. Think of positive things: Horses are very good at sensing people. For example, they can tell from your attitude and behavior whether you are in a positive or negative mood. When you are proud of your horse, it is important to think of this as well. By doing so, you ensure that you yourself are relaxed in your skin, and your horse feels this. Speak it out: Besides the fact that positive thoughts also have a positive influence on your horse, it is even better to speak it out. For example, whisper in his ear that you are proud of you or that he did well. Even though he can't understand you, your tone will make him feel that it is positive. Let him go his own way: When you are walking with your horse it is sometimes good to let him go his own way. For example, does he want to stand still for a moment or does he want to take a different route? Let him take the initiative at such times. Take the helm again if he goes in the wrong direction or runs too fast. Round trip: Just as people like to walk after a round of running, a horse likes to take a quiet walk after an intense exercise. By offering him relaxation, he feels that he has done a good job. Aftercare: As a reward you can always give your horse a nice carrot, a banana, a warm shower or maybe he likes to be brushed. On our site we offer different care products with which you can reward your horse. Think about muesli, our special licking stones, a massage brush or a complete care package. Order them today! |
horseback riding lessons for adults near me
|
adult horseback riding lessons
7 Tips to Avoid Flies on Your Horse If you pass by a pasture with horses, you will almost always see flies near their heads. This is because flies are attracted to the smell and warmth of the horse. In addition, they are mostly around their eyes, mouth and nose. This is because these are moist areas and this contains many proteins that flies are looking for. Sometimes it also happens that the horses get irritated by the flies. What could we as humans do about this? Read on quickly for the answer. Tip 1: Anti-fly rug First of all, a fly blanket helps a lot against flies. It makes them less attracted to the heat and smell of the horse. For optimal protection, we recommend you to combine it with a fly mask. Tip 2: Anti-fly mask As mentioned before, flies are mainly around the eyes, nose and mouth of a horse. These areas are therefore best protected with a fly mask. This prevents flies from reaching the moist spots. Check out our range of high quality fly nets. These have a light fabric, making it comfortable to wear. Tip 3: Clean stable and pasture Do you ever leave your horse's manure in the meadow or in the stable for a week? Then try to do this more often. Flies are attracted by the smell of manure. And believe me, they know how to find horses. So clean the stable and the pasture about 2 to 7 times a week. In addition, you also make sure that the worm pressure in the pasture remains low. Tip 4: Fan When there is wind, flies are less active. So you can place a fan in the barn that will keep the flies away. The wind will blow the flies away and the horse odor will not stay in the barn hands. Tip 5: Chasing away flies At DG Equestrian, in addition to anti-fly blankets and masks, we also offer other things that chase flies away. Think of our fly spray, dazen- and wasp trap, our fly repellent and the fly trap. Want to do it right the first time? Then go for our 'enjoy the nice weather package large'. Tip 6: Keep your eyes clean and dry Flies are therefore mostly around damp places. It is therefore necessary that you make these places less moist and thus less attractive to flies. You can do this by keeping the eyes clean and dry with a towel. Tip 7: Just keep away Finally, you can also make sure that your horse and flies are less likely to come into contact with each other. For example, you will see a lot of flies especially around still water and during dusk. Therefore, make sure your horse has no water nearby and keep him inside during dusk. |
winter horse back riding
4 Things to make your horse more beautiful
According to Tresheroll, the Akhalteke horse is number two most beautiful animal in the world. Of course, that already says a lot about the beauty of horses. But besides that, you can do many more things to make your horse beautiful. A good care is already of great importance here, such as brushing, feeding and hoof care.
Adding Swarovski jewelry
You may be thinking: what does Swarovski jewelry have to do with horses? Yes, Swarovski jewelry for horses really does exist! On our site we have a collection of different jewelry that you can add. For example, there is a stirrup belt with Swarovski crystals and different types of front straps with Swarovski crystals. This gives you an extra look to your horse. Be sure to take a look at our site to see the different jewelry.
Mane colors
Besides Swarovski jewelry, we also have products to color your horse's mane. Who doesn't want a horse with a rainbow mane?
Brushing
The hair and mane of a horse says a lot about its appearance. If you want to keep your horse beautiful, it is important to brush his hair and mane every day. By doing this you brush away gross dirt and make sure that the hair runs in one direction. Besides, a horse also likes it when he is brushed.
Look further on our site for more articles that make your horse even more beautiful. You can also think about the saddle and any leg accessories. Do you think your horse is beautiful enough already? Then we also have a wide range of products that you can use yourself, such as riding socks, boots, caps and competition clothing.
horse back riding jacket 3 Ways a horse stays warm We humans can get very cold in the winter, but horses definitely suffer from this too. Unlike humans, horses can keep themselves warm for the most part. This is necessary, because in the past horses were used as a means of transportation. Sometimes it happened that a horse had to walk for hours through the winter cold in Scotland. And I can tell you, winters are really cold in Scotland. To a certain extent a horse can keep itself warm, but at a certain point this also stops. However, it still varies from horse to horse whether they can regulate their body temperature. An old horse or a pony has to make more effort to keep itself warm than a mature horse. The fitness of a horse also plays a role. When a horse is fit, it can keep itself warm better than a sick horse. Finally, it helps if a horse has a thick coat to keep itself warm. There are other ways for a horse to stay warm. Acclimatization There are several ways in which a horse keeps itself warm. This has everything to do with acclimatization, also known as adaptation to the climate. First of all, horses, like people, shiver when they are cold. This activates their muscles and keeps them warm. In addition, when it's cold, horses straighten their hair. Air is trapped between their hairs. This has an insulating effect which is also called thermoregulation. Blanket We all know the image of a meadow full of horses with a blanket over them in winter. Horses are good at keeping themselves warm, but we can also give them a helping hand with a blanket. However, there are a few things to consider if you want to use a blanket for your horse. When it is above 15 degrees, horses do not need a blanket. This becomes too warm for them. In addition, there may be steam coming off the horse. In that case, do not put a blanket on, because steam means the horse is warm. Infrared lamps A normal heater will not work as well because the heat can escape from the stall more quickly. So it is important that you use radiant heat. This ensures that you heat the horse directly rather than the space around it. A big advantage is that it saves on energy costs. When buying an infrared lamp, make sure that it does not have a red glow, as this can make horses feel threatened. Horseback riding lessons near me |
What is sustainable horsemanship...or unsustainable?
What is sustainable horsemanship?
A sustainable horsemanship could be defined as one that does not negatively affect the horse, both physically and psychologically, and that allows for long-term activity with the animal while taking into account its welfare.
Inadequate management and riding techniques imply in many cases a high prevalence of both physical and behavioral pathologies, also associated with pain, discarding many animals from the activity due to physical incapacity in a premature way (low performance, lameness, back problems, stress fractures, etc.) or due to lack of safety in their management because of behavioral problems (aggressive horses, with violent reactions, sudden escapes ... etc.).
Many of these pathologies could be prevented with an updated knowledge of ethology, training and/or equine biomechanics applied to riding.
Currently we can observe a great variety of methods of handling and training horses very distant from each other, not all of them scientifically contrasted and with very different results both at the level of emotional and biomechanical states, causing in many cases negative consequences in the horse's health, both physical and psychological.
The consequences of an incorrect biomechanics, for example in inverted horses, are usually multiple but the most frequent and diagnosed are the pathologies in the forelimbs (tendinitis and desmitis), or pathologies of the back among other areas of the spine. (How to identify correct biomechanics).
At the behavioral level it is common to see animals working with high levels of stress, fear and even expressions of pain leading to avoidance behaviors such as violent escapes or even aggression towards humans that eventually end in complete apathy in too many cases by the type of handling or working materials used. (Symptoms of pain in the horse).
For example, a prematurely ridden foal without a correct muscular development that allows it to maintain a balance with a rider on it will start to get tired earlier, will become more stressed, will start to raise its head out of discomfort or will try to run away, and in these cases the rider's reactions are usually to fix more contact to avoid these complaints or increase the hardness of the materials to avoid running away.
There are more and more studies that aim to highlight the discomfort and the presence of pain in the horse, and not only in the accommodation or during handling but also during the practice of riding.
Example of studies that relate postural or behavioral changes with back pain in horses engaged in riding.
The different versions of horsemanship that we live...
Currently, at a general social level, different ways of approaching riding and horse management can be observed, many of them inherited from the experiences and needs to obtain a performance from the horse's work, being excessively demanding with it and forgetting that it is a living being with needs and emotions, and others that, being on the opposite extreme and trying to avoid certain painful materials or traditional practices, move away from traditional riding, forgetting in many cases the need for training and correct biomechanics to be able to ride a horse or to set limits, that is, to educate it for a positive coexistence with the human being and without risks.
Science today is drawing a line where you can develop a riding that does not harm physically or psychologically to the horse, changing feeding management, training, housing, materials, types of interaction, learning techniques, etc., all thanks to every day a greater concern for equine welfare.
Photo: Example of a trotting horse with constant changes in the position of the head, which may be symptoms of pain in the horse.
The traditional solution to these "behavioral problems of the mounted horse", i.e. "behavior modification technique" that is applied in many cases is usually to increase the use of materials that restrict the abnormal mobility of the horse (German reins, rubber bands, fixed reins, gamarras ... etc), even though they are expressions of pain, instead of making a diagnosis of why the animal reacts in this way and treating the cause and not the symptom that is abnormal or unwanted behavior that we see.
What factors do or do not favor the horse engaged in riding?
In many cases the line between these two types of management or horsemanship is
In many cases the line between these two types of management or horsemanship is very fine because there may be factors that are crossing, there may be horses that are ridden in a very "restrictive" and stressful way for the animal but live in paddocks, or on the contrary, horses that live in boxes but are ridden taking into account their emotional state or without forced postures looking for a correct biomechanics.
The reality is complex and there is still a lot of confusion about what works or not, what works or not and especially about the consequences for the horse.
However, the number of studies that are emerging and the concern of many professionals to improve, increasingly clarify the path of a sustainable riding, that is to say that does not cause pathologies and is respectful of the horse as an individual and as a species to meet their basic needs.
And what factors can we currently find that favor "unsustainable" riding for the horse?
The age at which horses start to be ridden and the exercises required: foals that start to be ridden when they are three years old or even earlier are asked to do exercises for long periods of time without a complementary physical development, for example.
Unsuitable materials: For example, poorly adapted saddles that cause injuries, muscular atrophy or that prevent the rider from sitting correctly, causing imbalance with the consequences on the horse's back. It is also very frequent the use of excessive saddles that allow the control of animals ridden with very high levels of stress without a correct diagnosis or previous training of the rider.
Biomechanics: In many cases, a biomechanics that is completely incompatible with the health of the horse and the prevention of injuries is being positively valued and promoted, causing serious degrees of pain in horses, which are controlled with increasingly painful materials to avoid defenses and expressions of pain (bouncing, abnormal head movements, sudden escapes...), creating a vicious circle that does not benefit the horse at any time, just as, in many cases, without a correct diagnosis.
Example of horses ridden with unsustainable biomechanics, which can have a high prevalence of injuries.
Lodging: It is essential to take into account the social, movement and feeding needs of the species, which in no case are similar to those of an equine stabled 23 hours a day. Numerous options are currently being sought, such as active stables, dynamic paddocks, or a return to the pastures of a lifetime with improved management.
Feeding: Prolonged fasting, diets based on many concentrates and few forages or unbalanced generate problems of all kinds in horses ( performance problems, skin problems, colic ... etc.)... look for models away from the 2 rations a day and receive advice on equine nutrition adapted to the activity is essential for the health of the horse.
The rider: In many cases due to the type of saddle, in others due to the teachings received, the rider's balance and adaptation to the horse's biomechanics is still a pending subject. New riding models such as centered riding or connected riding allow developing a better adaptation of the rider to the movement, reducing restrictions and favoring the horse's movements. And of course, without forgetting that it is a sporting activity, the physical fitness of the rider is fundamental.
Learning: The concepts of dominance are discarded in the equine species by science, which highlights all the incorrect learning models that are carried out in equines based on an idea of false hierarchy that seriously affects the welfare of the horse. Improving knowledge on equine ethology and learning theories would allow a great improvement of the horse-human relationship and equine welfare during activities with them, thus avoiding a great number of behavioral pathologies and accidents with horses.
(Image from worldbitlessassosiation.org).
Relationship: In the past, riding horses was in many cases almost a work obligation. Now it is not. Now most people ride horses for leisure. It makes no sense to go off daily to fight or suffer with an animal because you don't understand what it's really like. A positive relationship with a horse is the sum of positive situations lived together, if he runs away, if he is aggressive, if he is apathetic or if he is constantly nervous or hyperactive is that something is wrong in the relationship or in his daily management.
Teresa Gamonal.
Veterinarian specialized in equine ethology.
Would you like to understand and learn how to apply the fundamental bases to develop a sustainable riding ?
Upcoming training!
Basics for a sustainable horsemanship.
Taught by Tomas Mateo & Teresa Gamonal at Eduquina.
Dates:February 19 to 27, 2022
Bibliography:
Horses Could Perceive Riding Differently Depending on the Way They Express Poor Welfare in the Stable (Alice Ruet, Sophie Biau, Cecile Arnould, Patrick Galloux, Alexandra Destrez, Elena Pycik, Laetitia Boichot, Lea Lansade).
Detecting and Measuring Back Disorders in Nonverbal Individuals: The Example of Domestic Horses (Clémence Lesimple, Carole Fureix , Lydiane Aubé , & Martine Hausberger )
Rider impacts on equitationJane Williams∗ , Gillian Tabor
Equine Discomfort Ethogram Catherine Torcivia, and Sue McDonnell
Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art Clémence Lesimple Clémence Lesimple
DetectingWelfare in a Non-Verbal Species: Social/Cultural Biases and Difficulties in HorseWelfare Assessment Martine Hausberger, Clémence Lesimple and Séverine Henry
Development of an ethogram to describe facial expressions in ridden horses (FEReq) Jessica Mullard, Jeannine M. Berger, Andrea D. Ellis, Sue Dyson
EEG individual power profiles correlate with tension along spine in horses Mathilde StompID, Serenella d'Ingeo, Se'verine Henry1, Cle'mence LesimpleID, Hugo Cousillas1, Martine Hausberge
Search ...
RECENT ENTRIES
What is sustainable riding...or unsustainable?
ETHOLOGY + EQUINE PHYSICAL TRAINING
Equine ethology: Desensitization and counter-conditioning in horses
Learning theories applied to horses
Do you know if your horse is balanced?
RECENT COMMENTS
Teresa Eduquina on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
Apolonia Fernández on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
ana laura ullua on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
nestor figueroa on NEW SCHOOL OF CANINE OSTEOPATHY.
Fran on EQUINE ETHOLOGY: Learning problems or resabios
What is sustainable horsemanship?
A sustainable horsemanship could be defined as one that does not negatively affect the horse, both physically and psychologically, and that allows for long-term activity with the animal while taking into account its welfare.
Inadequate management and riding techniques imply in many cases a high prevalence of both physical and behavioral pathologies, also associated with pain, discarding many animals from the activity due to physical incapacity in a premature way (low performance, lameness, back problems, stress fractures, etc.) or due to lack of safety in their management because of behavioral problems (aggressive horses, with violent reactions, sudden escapes ... etc.).
Many of these pathologies could be prevented with an updated knowledge of ethology, training and/or equine biomechanics applied to riding.
Currently we can observe a great variety of methods of handling and training horses very distant from each other, not all of them scientifically contrasted and with very different results both at the level of emotional and biomechanical states, causing in many cases negative consequences in the horse's health, both physical and psychological.
The consequences of an incorrect biomechanics, for example in inverted horses, are usually multiple but the most frequent and diagnosed are the pathologies in the forelimbs (tendinitis and desmitis), or pathologies of the back among other areas of the spine. (How to identify correct biomechanics).
At the behavioral level it is common to see animals working with high levels of stress, fear and even expressions of pain leading to avoidance behaviors such as violent escapes or even aggression towards humans that eventually end in complete apathy in too many cases by the type of handling or working materials used. (Symptoms of pain in the horse).
For example, a prematurely ridden foal without a correct muscular development that allows it to maintain a balance with a rider on it will start to get tired earlier, will become more stressed, will start to raise its head out of discomfort or will try to run away, and in these cases the rider's reactions are usually to fix more contact to avoid these complaints or increase the hardness of the materials to avoid running away.
There are more and more studies that aim to highlight the discomfort and the presence of pain in the horse, and not only in the accommodation or during handling but also during the practice of riding.
Example of studies that relate postural or behavioral changes with back pain in horses engaged in riding.
The different versions of horsemanship that we live...
Currently, at a general social level, different ways of approaching riding and horse management can be observed, many of them inherited from the experiences and needs to obtain a performance from the horse's work, being excessively demanding with it and forgetting that it is a living being with needs and emotions, and others that, being on the opposite extreme and trying to avoid certain painful materials or traditional practices, move away from traditional riding, forgetting in many cases the need for training and correct biomechanics to be able to ride a horse or to set limits, that is, to educate it for a positive coexistence with the human being and without risks.
Science today is drawing a line where you can develop a riding that does not harm physically or psychologically to the horse, changing feeding management, training, housing, materials, types of interaction, learning techniques, etc., all thanks to every day a greater concern for equine welfare.
Photo: Example of a trotting horse with constant changes in the position of the head, which may be symptoms of pain in the horse.
The traditional solution to these "behavioral problems of the mounted horse", i.e. "behavior modification technique" that is applied in many cases is usually to increase the use of materials that restrict the abnormal mobility of the horse (German reins, rubber bands, fixed reins, gamarras ... etc), even though they are expressions of pain, instead of making a diagnosis of why the animal reacts in this way and treating the cause and not the symptom that is abnormal or unwanted behavior that we see.
What factors do or do not favor the horse engaged in riding?
In many cases the line between these two types of management or horsemanship is
In many cases the line between these two types of management or horsemanship is very fine because there may be factors that are crossing, there may be horses that are ridden in a very "restrictive" and stressful way for the animal but live in paddocks, or on the contrary, horses that live in boxes but are ridden taking into account their emotional state or without forced postures looking for a correct biomechanics.
The reality is complex and there is still a lot of confusion about what works or not, what works or not and especially about the consequences for the horse.
However, the number of studies that are emerging and the concern of many professionals to improve, increasingly clarify the path of a sustainable riding, that is to say that does not cause pathologies and is respectful of the horse as an individual and as a species to meet their basic needs.
And what factors can we currently find that favor "unsustainable" riding for the horse?
The age at which horses start to be ridden and the exercises required: foals that start to be ridden when they are three years old or even earlier are asked to do exercises for long periods of time without a complementary physical development, for example.
Unsuitable materials: For example, poorly adapted saddles that cause injuries, muscular atrophy or that prevent the rider from sitting correctly, causing imbalance with the consequences on the horse's back. It is also very frequent the use of excessive saddles that allow the control of animals ridden with very high levels of stress without a correct diagnosis or previous training of the rider.
Biomechanics: In many cases, a biomechanics that is completely incompatible with the health of the horse and the prevention of injuries is being positively valued and promoted, causing serious degrees of pain in horses, which are controlled with increasingly painful materials to avoid defenses and expressions of pain (bouncing, abnormal head movements, sudden escapes...), creating a vicious circle that does not benefit the horse at any time, just as, in many cases, without a correct diagnosis.
Example of horses ridden with unsustainable biomechanics, which can have a high prevalence of injuries.
Lodging: It is essential to take into account the social, movement and feeding needs of the species, which in no case are similar to those of an equine stabled 23 hours a day. Numerous options are currently being sought, such as active stables, dynamic paddocks, or a return to the pastures of a lifetime with improved management.
Feeding: Prolonged fasting, diets based on many concentrates and few forages or unbalanced generate problems of all kinds in horses ( performance problems, skin problems, colic ... etc.)... look for models away from the 2 rations a day and receive advice on equine nutrition adapted to the activity is essential for the health of the horse.
The rider: In many cases due to the type of saddle, in others due to the teachings received, the rider's balance and adaptation to the horse's biomechanics is still a pending subject. New riding models such as centered riding or connected riding allow developing a better adaptation of the rider to the movement, reducing restrictions and favoring the horse's movements. And of course, without forgetting that it is a sporting activity, the physical fitness of the rider is fundamental.
Learning: The concepts of dominance are discarded in the equine species by science, which highlights all the incorrect learning models that are carried out in equines based on an idea of false hierarchy that seriously affects the welfare of the horse. Improving knowledge on equine ethology and learning theories would allow a great improvement of the horse-human relationship and equine welfare during activities with them, thus avoiding a great number of behavioral pathologies and accidents with horses.
(Image from worldbitlessassosiation.org).
Relationship: In the past, riding horses was in many cases almost a work obligation. Now it is not. Now most people ride horses for leisure. It makes no sense to go off daily to fight or suffer with an animal because you don't understand what it's really like. A positive relationship with a horse is the sum of positive situations lived together, if he runs away, if he is aggressive, if he is apathetic or if he is constantly nervous or hyperactive is that something is wrong in the relationship or in his daily management.
Teresa Gamonal.
Veterinarian specialized in equine ethology.
Would you like to understand and learn how to apply the fundamental bases to develop a sustainable riding ?
Upcoming training!
Basics for a sustainable horsemanship.
Taught by Tomas Mateo & Teresa Gamonal at Eduquina.
Dates:February 19 to 27, 2022
Bibliography:
Horses Could Perceive Riding Differently Depending on the Way They Express Poor Welfare in the Stable (Alice Ruet, Sophie Biau, Cecile Arnould, Patrick Galloux, Alexandra Destrez, Elena Pycik, Laetitia Boichot, Lea Lansade).
Detecting and Measuring Back Disorders in Nonverbal Individuals: The Example of Domestic Horses (Clémence Lesimple, Carole Fureix , Lydiane Aubé , & Martine Hausberger )
Rider impacts on equitationJane Williams∗ , Gillian Tabor
Equine Discomfort Ethogram Catherine Torcivia, and Sue McDonnell
Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art Clémence Lesimple Clémence Lesimple
DetectingWelfare in a Non-Verbal Species: Social/Cultural Biases and Difficulties in HorseWelfare Assessment Martine Hausberger, Clémence Lesimple and Séverine Henry
Development of an ethogram to describe facial expressions in ridden horses (FEReq) Jessica Mullard, Jeannine M. Berger, Andrea D. Ellis, Sue Dyson
EEG individual power profiles correlate with tension along spine in horses Mathilde StompID, Serenella d'Ingeo, Se'verine Henry1, Cle'mence LesimpleID, Hugo Cousillas1, Martine Hausberge
Search ...
RECENT ENTRIES
What is sustainable riding...or unsustainable?
ETHOLOGY + EQUINE PHYSICAL TRAINING
Equine ethology: Desensitization and counter-conditioning in horses
Learning theories applied to horses
Do you know if your horse is balanced?
RECENT COMMENTS
Teresa Eduquina on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
Apolonia Fernández on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
ana laura ullua on Equine Ethology Course. Lucy Rees.
nestor figueroa on NEW SCHOOL OF CANINE OSTEOPATHY.
Fran on EQUINE ETHOLOGY: Learning problems or resabios