In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
THE EXTENDED TROT IN WESTERN EVENTS is often misunderstood or even overlooked by beginner and intermediate riders. While the Western extended trot doesn’t show the extreme length of stride that top hunter under saddle horses exhibit, it does involve the horse lengthening his stride, pointing his front toe, and the opposite hind leg mirroring that position. Here, I’ll evaluate a horse and rider as they transition to an extended trot and back to a jog. I’ll discuss both the horse’s and the rider’s nuances for presenting the gait in the best possible manner. 1. Looking at the horse’s legs, you can tell that he’s 1. jogging, because there’s not any extreme extension. This is a nice, collected jog, and the rider has a solid base, meaning that her ear, shoulder, hip,…
HOT WEATHER, HARD GROUND, DRY HOOVES, BRUISED SOLES Attend to your horse’s summer hoof needs, and you’ll head off foot problems. Here are key points to consider. Hard Ground Sweltering summertime climates can zap the moisture from your horse’s hooves, especially if you work him over sand. This can leave them brittle and more vulnerable to concussion, plus more liable to crack, break, or contract. Another potential cause of dryness is a repeating wet/dry cycle. The hoof wall is somewhat like wood: It absorbs moisture quickly, but it also dries out quickly. When your horse’s hooves are wet-then-dry repeatedly, chronic dryness is exacerbated—similar to how people can develop “dishpan hands” from too much wet/dry in the kitchen. To head off this problem, limit after-ride rinsing that wets hooves. Instead, sponge…
Fly season is just around the corner, and if you’ve not yet marshaled your defensive plan, now’s the time. To help you in this task, we’ve put together a summary of methods and products designed to hold fly populations at bay and keep your horses comfortable throughout the tail-swishing season. Fly-Free Zone? Everyone knows flies are a fact of life when you have horses. Is it really worth the effort it takes to combat them? Yes, it is. Flies are not just a nuisance, though they are indeed your horses’ most annoying pest. Flies represent a health threat, too, as they’re highly effective at spreading diseases, including influenza, equine infectious anemia, pigeon fever (dryland distemper), salmonella, and vesicular stomatitis (a virus that causes painful mouth ulcers). Then, too, your horses’…
I t’s a beautiful evening, and you’re out for a ride. The trail winds along a stream and takes you to a nearby pond where your horse can get a drink before you head for home. It’s a cool evening, and even though there’s a mosquito or two, you horse doesn’t seem to mind. Thank goodness the flies stayed home. But wait…even though we spend enormous amounts of energy worrying about flies and the diseases they spread, other insects can be equally threatening to your horse’s health. In fact, mosquitos may be less annoying, but, truth be told, they’re responsible for spreading the most deadly diseases of all the annoying insects horsekeepers cope with. Here you’ll learn about three frightening mosquito-borne diseases that threaten your horse’s health. You’ll discover how…
