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!
YOU THOUGHT HIS DISPOSITION and level of training were just right for you. But soon you began to feel nervous on him, especially at the lope. You realized you could probably do a lot of groundwork and mounted exercises that, over time, would help him be more responsive and you feel more comfortable. But…you thought this one was “ready to ride”! What went wrong? Getting expert help whenever you acquire a new riding horse is always your safest bet. But when you’re working on your own, there’s one strategy you can use to test in advance that you’ll feel truly comfortable on a horse. It’s simple and straightforward, but a lot of people don’t do it. It’s loping the horse. A lot. What usually happens instead is you watch the…
A PRE-PURCHASE EXAM is when you have a veterinarian give a horse you are considering purchasing a thorough examination. During this exam, they will check for any potential issues that you would like to know about before buying the horse. While it’s not a guarantee that your horse won’t have any issues if their pre-purchase exam (PPE) comes back clean, it can help you make an informed decision and give you some peace of mind when making such a big purchase. When you ask for a pre-purchase exam, the vet is going to ask what specific things you want to check for. You might think that you should test for everything, but that would be an unnecessary and extremely expensive veterinarian’s visit. Keep reading to get an idea of what…
STEVE FRISKUP, of Muleshoe, Texas, has been involved in the Clovis Horse Sales for more than 30 years, now as an ownership partner, and he’s the country’s leading Western performance horse auctioneer. Friskup has sold some of the highest-selling horses in the business, but he also prides himself on ensuring quality in the market for the everyday horsemen and horsewomen, too. More info: clovishorsesales.com. JANN PARKER, of Billings, Montana, is one of the horse industry’s leading ladies. With her late husband, Bill, Parker built Billings Livestock Commission’s Horse Sales into one of the top volume consignment horse sales in the nation. BLS offers monthly horse sales featuring everything from cutters and reiners to trail horses, guest ranch horses, and rope horses. More info: billingslivestock.com. SARAH BOWMAN, of Grapeland, Texas, along…
I shake my head every time I scroll through horse-for-sale ads online and in magazines. The photos that accompany many ads make it nearly impossible to gauge a horse’s quality. The backgrounds are messy. The lighting is horrible. The horse is standing at an unflattering angle (and often is dirty). How can anyone expect to sell a horse like that? Just as in the show pen, first impressions matter. And with an ad (online or otherwise), that first impression is usually a photo. So make it count. No, don’t just make it count; make it sell. How? It’s easy. And won’t cost you anything but time, some inexpensive grooming products, and a little elbow grease. SET UP TO LOOK BAD Look at the two photos, above and on page 41,…
