Some riders opt for treeless saddles to make it easier to lift them onto the horse, for personal comfort preferences during riding, or to fit horses with especially wide backs that may have uncomfortable pressure points with traditional saddles. What are the disadvantages of a treeless saddle? Treeless saddles can Read more…
The height of a horse is measured from the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back, down to the ground. Are horses measured at the shoulder? Horses are measured from the ground, just beside and behind a foreleg to the top of the withers (shoulders). This Read more…
Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse’s back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs. What does a horse rider sit on? Read more…
The word bridle comes from the Old English bridel meaning “rein, curb, restraint,” which is precisely what the purpose of a bridle is — to help restrain a horse’s movements when necessary. What does bridle mean in horses? : the headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries Read more…
The purpose of the breast collar is to keep the saddle or harness from sliding back. The variation of a harness used for harness, is referred to as a breast collar. The term breastplate is occasionally used, though western riders generally use breast collar to refer to both designs. What Read more…
Nervous system, horse Specialized tissue called the meninges cover the brain and spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is formed by neurons of the cranial and spinal nerves that extend out to the rest of the body. What is Read more…
The breast collar is properly fitted if you can just fit your fist between the front of the breast collar where the straps meet and the horse’s neck. Along the sides, each buckle should be attached at the same hole on the strap. How should a horse breastplate fit? But Read more…
right kidney. The equine kidneys not only have very different shapes compared to the rest of the domestic species but they also each have a different shape. The right kidney is described as heart shaped whilst the left is described as being pyramidal. What is the shape of the left Read more…
The callous type growth on the inside of your horse’s leg is called a chestnut. The chestnut is believed to be the remnant of a toe that the horse’s ancestors may have had millions of years ago. It is a flaky growth of tough, hardened tissue that serves no function Read more…
While the incidence of rabies in horses is low, the disease is invariably fatal and has considerable public health significance. The rabies vaccine is a core vaccine that should be administered to all equids annually. What are the five core vaccines that every horse in the United States should receive? Read more…