Buy a horse

Ten Steps In How To Buy A Horse

Buying a horse or a colt is an exciting experience for the first time. It is easy to captivated by the looks of a particular horse, but that same horse may not be the best horse for you at your level of experience. The horse could make for you an unpleasant and unsafe companion, and may become more of an issue than an asset for many years to come.

The following are 10 steps to serve as your checklist in how to buy a horse. It serves to help you avoid the mistakes that new horse buyers may incur.

1. Purchase of an untrained horse.

Many experience horse men and women will give the advice that they see this very often. Because the fact that inexperienced horses are often cheaper, or some other excuse, the buyer will choose an untrained horse.

Don't buy a horse because you tell yourself that you are going to train the horse or send him to a trainer. The training of a horse can take months. It can dangerous if not done correctly. Young or inexperienced mature horses are not reliable. The beginning horse rider will be happier with a horse that they can enjoy from the moment it gets off the trailer.

2. Turning down aged horses.

Actually, an older horse, makes a great horse for the beginner. The beginner may shy away from a horse in their teens or twenties, but many healthy horses can be ridden far into their senior years. In fact, daily light exercise, will be beneficial both to the rider and to the horse.

When buying a horse, verify the birth date, height, weight, and sex of the animal. Ask about any health problems. If you can, try to get information on the horse's training history. Find out if the horse been kept on a pasture or in a stall, and where are you keeping it? Has this horse part of a herd, or has it been alone?

3. Purchasing a young horse for the kids, "to grow with".

This philosophy sounds great, but the reality is that young horses and young riders are not a safe mix. It pays to buy a trained, mature horse that can be saddled up the moment you bring it home. A more experienced horse, contrary to a younger horse, will know how to handle the less perfect, "scarier" parts of the world. An older, well trained horse will provide more safety and enjoyment for your little ones.

4. Buying at an auction.

It takes a keen eye to acquire a good horse from an auction. At the auction, the horses appear to be calm and docile. That is because they are so confused about where they are, they freeze. Horses can be drugged to make them look calm and healthy. There was a young horse bought at an auction, that was drugged into good health right before the auction, but had the "heaves", similar to emphysema in humans, for many days after being brought home. The new owner spent many days and much money in vet bills nursing the colt back to good health afterwards.

5. An impulsive buying decision.

Before buying a horse, and making such a big decision, sleep on the decision. You may want to the idea across your friends, and of course, your spouse, if you're married. Buying a horse is a big decision, and you want to make sure the horse will be well suited for you.

6. Ask for a testing period.

Don't be afraid to ask the seller for a testing period. The majority of the private owners would prefer that their horses went to the good homes, and they want to feel confident that the purchaser can handle the horse. Some sellers will agree on a trial period, or may help you find a horse that is a good fit for you.

7. A breeding purchase.

Do you want to buy a horse just to breed it? Horses should be bred so as to pass on outstanding qualities, not just for the "fun" of it. Before you indulge your desire, visit an auction where the horses are destined for meat or otherwise. Let your own eyes behold the result of someone else's "backyard breeding experiments". Because the foal will be really cute is not really an important quality to pass on.

8. Resist the urge to buy "too much horse".

Your dreams may be bigger than reality. You may dream of going cross country on your new horse and jumping the culverts as you go. But, your reality is that you have only been riding a few months. Let your horse purchase be consistent with your skill and fitness level, not one to match your dream which may be ahead 5 years up the road.

9. Buying a horse just for color.

You probably want a horse of a particular color like paint, palomino or Appaloosa, but it is not the wisest decision to buy because of the color only. You don't ride color, just the car adage is that you don't drive paint. If you have several horse buying options, and all the horses are of great sanity, demeanor, and training, then by all means get the color that you have in mind. However, do not base your buying decision solely on color because that is not all you ride.

10. Horse care is a big factor in horse buying.

Taking care of a horse requires both time and money. Be realistic about this. These animals don't stop eating on special days, and can't just take care of themselves. The horse care requirement is still there even if you lost your job. You may love horses, but maybe it's more worth it to spend some money of riding lessons or a trail ride and leave to care and other details in someone else's care.

I hope these 10 steps will help you in your decision making process in how to buy a horse. In summary, find out as much about the horse as possible before you make your buying decision. Finally, please make sure that there is a bond between you and the horse since that will carry you through your entire ownership of that horse.

Erik Loebl offers a large selection of horse care, buying, recipes, and breeding topics at his website: http://horsecook.com

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Dream horse

How to Care For Your Dream Horse

I remember when I was a little boy; I would fervently pray to get a horse. Yes! I want to have my very own white horse that I can ride all day and night. When you grow old, buying a horse is not a small thing anymore. You need to be responsible enough and knowledgeable enough on how to take care, groom and even feed your horse. Do not worry! We have it all covered, we will give a few tips and tricks on proper horse care. So when you get your very own white horse or whatever breed of horse you plan on getting, you will be prepared!

Horse Care is something that should be enjoyable for both the owner and the horse. You are not just horsing around because proper horse care will do a great deal on your horse's health and it is a way to monitor the growth and progress of your horse. Like humans, it is best to treat grooming as a daily habit; this is to avoid too much dirt and grit on the horse's body.

Here are some useful tips and tricks to make grooming a fun experience for the both of you, read on and apply this on real life!

• First, it is important you buy a brush. A nice horse brush to brush that wondrous mane and tail. You would like to opt for plastic than metal since plastics are more durable than compared to metal which is prone to breakage.
• Next, a grooming mitt is a must for petting your horse; not only you get to pet your horse but also you care for his hair by brushing out those tangles and dirt.
• You need a lot of brushes for your horse but do not fret there are a lot of stores that carry different kinds of brushes, you just need to find the right one! Remember quality versus quantity.
• Another type of brush that you may want to purchase are body brushes it serves as brushes for the main body of the horse.
• Also, you might want to throw in a clean sponge or a dry cloth. The use of the clean sponge and dry cloth is for bathing and cleansing your horse.
• You could keep all your brushes in a bucket or a box for easier storage and handling.

That is about it. Remember to enjoy the experience and make it a bonding moment with your pet horse!

You may even be interested in learning more about horse care.
Find out more by visiting the Horse Pro Site at http://www.TheHorsePro.com

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Riding Horse

Riding Horses - Safety First

No matter how well trained your horse may be there are always little things that can spook or startle a horse, causing him to jump sidewise, stop suddenly or even take off running. Knowing what bothers your horse is important, as you can be alert and watchful of any potential problems while you are out.

I

f you have a horse that is a known to shy or startle, it is important to be sure that they are as calm as possible before starting out on a ride. Using a longe line to work the horse for 20 minutes or so before riding will help take the edge off, plus it will help your horse work with your when you get on its back. A horse that trusts its rider is much less likely to over-react to a sudden noise or a bird flying out of the bush ahead.

A good idea is to start introducing new things to your horse in training, this helps them to understand that while you are around they have nothing to fear.

Aside from watching for blowing objects, flapping flags and weird shaped objects that may be new to your horse, as the rider you also have to stay in control of the horse. Always maintain contact with the bit through the reins, don't ever drop the reins or hang them over the saddle, this is really dangerous as if the horse bolts you will have no way to calm and steady the horse.

Also, don't allow the reins to become so loose that you cannot, with a gentle movement, apply pressure to the bit to control the horse. If your horse does become spooked or seems hesitant to go forward, stop the horse and allow them to become familiar with the object that is bothering him. Talk calmly to the horse and even cue him to back away and then approach the object from a different direction. You may also want to dismount and lead the horse past the object, allowing them to smell and look at it. When you return, allow the horse to walk past at a distance, soon they will accept the object or area without hesitation. Never try to run a horse past an object they are frightened of as this will establish a really dangerous habit.

Avoid any types of stunt riding with your horse unless you are in a training arena with someone that knows what they are doing. Riding side saddle, sliding off the back of the saddle or even trying to stand up in the saddle are simply accidents looking for a place to happen. You should also avoid your friends or fellows if they tend to engage in these types of activities as they are likely to cause problems for you and your horse through their actions.

Another consideration that a responsible rider will make is to avoid specific things that they know are upsetting or frightening to the horse until they have had a chance to desensitize the horse. For example, if the horse is afraid of vehicles, avoid riding them beside roadways, especially those with heavy traffic. If the horse is particularly excited in stormy weather, postpone your ride or do some work inside in a covered arena.

Susanne Malloy is an avid equestrian and an editor for [http://www.englishsaddleshop.com] , your complete resource for new and used English saddles [http://www.englishsaddleshop.com], riding apparel, and tack.

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Riding horses

Riding Horses - A Great Sport

In war, horses were specifically trained to be "bomb proof." Most horses, like soldiers, would not survive many battles and wars. In the early colonization of america, horses were used as farming aids, and as a backing in building the railroads, large buildings, and many water canals. It is safe to say that as time has passed by, the human race has become more and more reliant on machines and other advances in technology, that eventually pushed the role of horses back.

In order to find horses today, one must look past the busy streets of urban cities and into the rural, or country sides. Horses take part in the rich-man sport of horse racing, as well as being found competing in sports such as equestrian, show-jumping, cross-country, or dressage. Today, many people are turned off of horse-back riding because it is seen as a boring or unpopular or an uncommercial sport. This should not be the case at all.

There has been disputes about horse-back riding, or equestrian actually being able to fall into the genre of sport. However, there are countless arguments against the claim that riding a horse is "not a sport." There are over fifteen different muscle groups that being used in simply riding a horse around in a circle.When you start competing, and moving to different speeds, such as the trot, and canter, almost every single muscle in the leg are being used. You are competitive in the sense that you compete for ribbons and an over all title in show-jumping, and horse eventing, it is a competitive and olympic sport.

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Clydesdale horses

This variety or breed of horse has been developed in between 18th to 19th century in Scotland. These Clydesdale horses reached to Canada first with the Scottish people who started to reside there. This animal possesses some specific characteristics which make it different from the other horses.

Features and Characteristics:

The Clydesdale possesses large hooves and marvelous legs feathers. The majority of the Clydesdale horses possesses different colors of the body with white face and legs. The colors of Clydesdale would be black, brown and bay with roan markings and spots. Some of them also possess white stocking legs and hard colors. Clydesdale is primarily developed for agriculture and business purposes, however; now-a-days it is used for riding, driving and sports. One of the important features of Clydesdale is the long silky hair that grows up to the back of each leg. These hairs not only give the beauty to the horse but also provide safety.

Requirements of horses:

The food requirement of this horse is surprisingly less as compared to the other horses having same build and body. They are huge although but their nutritional requirement is not too much. Therefore feeding the Clydesdale horse is much easier.

Uses and Benefits:

This horse is a marvelous variety of horses which is used for multiple purposes now-a-days. These horses are used for commercial purposes, like to advertise the brewing houses and on the farms for agriculture.

Diseases and Illnesses:

There are few diseases that can be acquired by Clydesdale horse, like itch on the skin near feathers and the sun burns due to fair white colors near eyes. These problems should be addressed promptly. Although the Clydesdale horse is a stronger one but still it needs care for more performance and use.

Conclusion:

Among different types of horses, Clydesdale horse possesses a reputable position due to their beauty and type of work that could be obtained from it.

Nuno Ricardo

[http://www.horsestall.org/artigos/clydesdale-horse]

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