The average bit is 5″-5 1/2″ but the basic rule of thumb is that, correctly place in your horse’s mouth, the bit should only have 1/4-1/2 inch of play between the horse’s lips and the ring. How tight should a horse’s bit be? A full cheek snaffle, Pelham or elevator Read more…
Therefore, most equestrians consider a horse broken if it is safe to ride. Usually, this process takes approximately 40 to 60 days. Most trainers wait for a horse to be two years old before trying to break it. When can you start to break a horse? The Average Horse For Read more…
Horses evade the bit when they are uncomfortable in their mouths. That can happen for a number of reasons. The most common one is that the rider has unsteady hands. The rider’s hands may be seesawing or pulling or constantly bumping the horse’s mouth and the horse looks for a Read more…
Horses should not be eating when wearing a bridle (referring to the bridle as the complete apparatus which it consists of—headstall, bit, reins, and depending on the bit, possibly a chinstrap and/or cavesson). The bridle should be removed prior to allowing the horse to eat. Can I let my horse Read more…
The prevention of tetanus is easy, keeping your horses covered and vaccinated with tetanus toxoid. The protocol of vaccination consists on a primary course of two injections four to six weeks apart from each other. How is tetanus prevented in animals? The most effective way to prevent tetanus is to Read more…
The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or “bars” of the horse’s mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. How tight should a bit be in a horses Read more…
No definitive antemortem (before-death) test exists for rabies in horses. Clinical signs are suggestive but nondiagnostic. The diagnosis is made by postmortem (after-death) evaluation of the brain of the suspected animal. How do you check if an animal has rabies? You can’t tell if an animal has rabies by just Read more…
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease found in many animals. It is zoonotic, which means it can also be spread to humans. Horses become infected when mucus membranes (in their eyes, mouth, and nose) or cuts and scratches on the legs contact infected urine or blood. What diseases can humans get Read more…
A kick to the arm or leg can cause a fracture, the bone will show deformity and the casualty will tell you where it hurts! A nasty kick to the chest or stomach could result in internal bleeding. Find out more about dealing with horse kick injuries and internal bleeding Read more…
The equine kick is a powerful force localized in one small area, and its effects can be debilitating and even mortal, for both humans and horses. Do horses have powerful kicks? Horses can kick hard enough to kill. Their kicking force is estimated to be 2, 000 psi, with an Read more…