Posts Tagged ‘equine supplies’
Nylon Horse Halter versus Leather Horse Halter
What do you look for when in search of a halter for your horse? It can be a complicated process for someone
that is new to purchasing horse halters or any other kind of tack. I have listed below some pros and cons that I have found to be helpful when I was initially in search of the same.
Nylon horse halter
- Cheaper
- Easier to clean
- They are durable
- Many colors available
- Can be unsafe if caught in a branch, fencing or something else as it does not break easily or at all.
- Can be uncomfortable as they may rub raw in places.
Leather halter
- Can break if a horse gets in trouble,
- Full leather halters are safer than the nylon break away halters.
- Leather has the ability to snap anywhere it needs to,
- Looks appealing
- Comfortable
- Limited in color variation
- More time-consuming cleaning
- More costly
Horses and the Economy Part 3-Grooming
I have discussed some solutions in previous blogs. Some to do with types of saddles some info to save you money regarding bartering.
There are a number of ways to go about having your horses groomed. I remember as a kid I was the one that was responsible for the grooming, cooling down, feeding and cleaning the stalls. It seems that we have gotten away from the simple things in life that use to give us pleasure. Granted, cleaning the stalls before school was NOT the highlight of my day but it taught me responsibility.
Now is the time to go back to the simpler things in life. Back to the beginning and remember what it is all about. OK enough of that. Now…you do know where your horse grooming tools are right? 
Some ideas that can help you in a tough situation is to:
- Barter your way through periodic grooming that you need done. That is if you do not want to tackle it yourself.
- Get kids involved.
- Ask you local kids group, ymca, or other local center if they would like to have the kids visit your farm for some demonstrations and learn how to work with horses. The grooming can be a part of that visit.
Teach them about all the tools: curry comb (metal or course/fine rubber combs), hoof pick, soft/hard bristle brush, mane and tail comb. You may be surprised at how many kids enjoy working with horses and would not mind coming periodically to help. Who knows you may have a future employee in training.
Give some of your own ideas to help others.
Horse That Overcame Adversity Attempts Guinness World Record
Lukas, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding who stands 16.2 hands, may well be the smartest horse in the country–maybe the world, and owner-trainer Karen Murdock is trying to get him into the Guinness World Records for “Most numbers identified by a horse in one minute.”
On June 16, Lukas was able to identify a correct number at least 18 times.
“The counter said 20, but I think he skimmed two of them,” said Murdock of Southern California. “I don’t know how stringent the Guinness World Records will be. He got between 18-20 correct, which is about average for him.”
Lukas’ journey from broken-down rescue to smartest horse was a long, hard road and can be an inspiration for anyone, Murdock said. “Lukas overcame adversity and that can help our character. It is never too late for any of us.”
He ran three races as a 2-year-old and bowed both front tendons, ending his career. He was found years later filthy and emaciated in a back yard by a woman who took pity on him.
She tried to rehabilitate him for her jumping program-but he was obstinate and dangerous. She sold him to Murdock eight years ago.
“He was a handful,” Murdock said, “but I fell in love with him. Basically, I had to un-train him and use tricks and play to change his attitude and to build a bond with him.”
Lukas has been listed on Yahoo, Google and the World Records Academy as “The World’s Smartest Horse.” He counts, spells, identifies shapes, discriminates colors and grasps the concepts of same/different, proportion and absentness, she said.
To be considered for the Guinness record, he had to point with his nose the correct number from 1 to 5 when Murdock called it out; the call-outs were random and non-sequential.
She was not allowed to praise him, pet him, encourage him or touch him. “The guidelines were specific in that there could be no pointing or touching, no extra words,” she said.
Murdock doesn’t know when Guinness will make its decision, but she is happy that the record-keepers are even considering Lukas. Until now, animal records have had to do with the physical attributes – tallest, shortest, longest tail, etc.
Considering an animal’s cognitive abilities is new.
“This is the first time that Guinness has ever allowed such an activity,” she said. “I’m just glad that people are willing to look at animals in a different light.”
This article is from http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=16545
Written by: Marie Rosenthal, MS
73 Horses Seized in Upstate New York—ASPCA Reports From the Scene
I truly do not understand the concept of owning animals but not taking care of them.
On March 16, under the authority and request of the SPCA Serving Erie County (NY) members of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team were dispatched to assist in the sheltering management and care of 73 horses seized from what is believed to be the area’s largest farm animal rescue ever. The animals were found living in deplorable and extremely unsanitary conditions on a farm in East Aurora, NY (about 20 miles southeast of Buffalo).
Jeff Eyre, the Northeast Director of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team, was sent to the scene with other ASPCA staff skilled in horse handling. Over the past eight weeks, the group has played a vital role in helping to feed, water and clean the animals. More importantly, the team has spent time nurturing the horses, helping them to rebuild their broken spirits. On April 30, the mission came to a close, as the remaining horses were transported to new foster homes.
“Our on-site response is complete,” says Jeff. “We achieved our goal to rehabilitate these horses, both physically and behaviorally. These are now happy horses, and I could not have asked for a better ending.”
Read the full report here:
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/aspca-in-action/73-horses-seized-in-upstate-new-york.html
Saddles-Old versus New
I don’t know about you but when I grew up the saddles were completely leather the saddle pads were very simple and not decorative. Plain Jane type tack and saddle, snaffle versus straight bit. Of course you had to take care of what you had but everything seemed so much simpler when it came to choices.
Now you have still have the leather saddles but also saddles that are made of synthetic materials or a combination of the two.
A lot of what you purchase will also depend on how you ride.
Obviously good materials and good quality are essential in all gear. But has anyone tried both? There are pros and cons to all types and it can get confusing and costly for a beginner to figure it out.
In conducting minor research on the different models I found that
Synthetic is:
Lightweight
Easy to keep clean
Sometimes less expensive
Durable
Leather
Deeper seat
Heavier
Care needed
Durable if cared for
Your thoughts?
Talking to your animals?
Do you ever talk to your animals? Oh come on admit it, you do.
I have to say I had the most embarrassing moment the other day. I came home from work and the first thing I do is let the dogs out. Well, I also happened to be on the phone with my husband using my bluetooth and thought I had hung up. Well…I did, but the bluetooth did not. Now my husband works 2nd shift so he has no idea that I talk to them at night (usually in english). Anyway, as I was letting the dogs out one of them decided to bark so I follow along and go woof, woof, woof. Hmmm a smart thing to do? No. Because, as I said, when I thought the phone disconnected it actually didn’t. So my husband heard me barking at the dogs and in turn let his co-worker listen to it. He called me on the landline to let me know what he heard. Laughing is not the word! Hysterical is more like it.
He now thinks I will be snorting with the horses. I’ll never tell and have learned to leave the cell phone behind.
Let me know your funniest moment with your animal.
All Natural or Not
I have been doing so much research on the many varieties of treats for dogs and horses. I have to admit that there are so many processed treats, too many to count! But there are not half as many all natural treats.
You have apples that you can feed your horse, thats natural. You have peanut butter you can give your dog, thats natural.
There are treats that you can hide inside of dog toys.
When you look at the ingredients, are do you look at the ingredients, do you know what you are looking for?
With that said, What do you choose? Let me know your choices. What do you usually purchase?
Animal Love
- Can I please?
Does your dog or horse have a face like this? I call this the pathetic look.
Penelope the Therapy Pet
This is a video that has been created to show the great work our therapy pet, Penelope has done! We are hoping with grant money to buy a wheelchair accessible cart. Please watch this as I know everyone can appreciate the special fun that Penelope has with all of her new friends.
Animal Massage
What activities do you do with your horse?
The deep bonds acquired with your horse can allow each of you to find fun in all that you do. A horse can be a part of your life for many reasons. But no matter what the reason, you have to care for it to maintain that trust and bonding relationship that you have developed.
Since their bodies are made up of huge muscles to the maximize power when exercising they need to be addressed. The muscles can be addressed in a technique called equine massage, regardless of the activity.
As with people massage, equine massage addresses
• Increased circulation
• Eliminate toxins from the body
• Increased flexibility
• Increase Muscle tone
• Increase Range of motion
• Relief of pain due to over use of muscles or trigger points (knots) in the muscles
• Stress relief
The activities of the horse, massage therapy greatly increases the muscle tone for greater strength ability. Massage may also lessen the injury potential in your horse. If your horse is injured, providing massage will assist in the healing process by providing fresh oxygenated blood to the injury area, deeply assisting the healing process.
Look for the next article on Reiki for animals.