Horses are born to reject anything in their mouth other than food or water. Accordingly, they are inherently averse to the bit. ‘Acceptance of the bit’ is an unrealistic expectation. A bit interferes with a sense organ (the mouth) and three body systems; the nervous, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems. Do Read more…
By all accounts, parrot mouth in horses is genetic. That means you should not ever breed a horse that exhibits this type of condition. In fact, when showing “halter”, a judge may ask to see a horse’s bite. What does it mean when a horse has a parrot mouth? The Read more…
Bosals, side-pulls, and mechanical hackamores are all options you can try. Remember though, that you are not necessarily being kinder to your horse by using a bitless bridle. Why use a hackamore instead of a bit? The hackamore has more weight, which allows for more signal before direct contact. This Read more…
One rein riding is simply riding your horse without a bridle, using instead a regular halter and lead, with the lead as your single rein. It’s a simple tack change, but a great way to brush up on the basics with all levels of horses. Can a halter be used Read more…
It consists of a group of cartilages that allow air to pass into the trachea and protect the airway during swallowing. RLN is caused by paralysis of one or both of these cartilages (called the arytenoid cartilage) due to lack of innervation causing atrophy (wastage) to the muscle that moves Read more…
All horses are exposed to the five potentially fatal core diseases — West Nile virus, Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, and rabies. However, of these core diseases, rabies presents the most serious threat for horses because it’s 100% fatal. What animals are immune to rabies? Birds, snakes, and fish Read more…
If you are bitten and it breaks the skin, clean the site thoroughly with soap and water. If there is significant trauma, or if the bite is over a joint, hand, foot, or a prosthetic device, you should see a doctor immediately because antibiotics are most likely indicated. What antibiotics Read more…
The angle formed by the meeting of the upper and lower incisor teeth (profile view) affords an indication of age. This angle of incidence or “contact” changes from approximately 160 to 180 degrees in young horses, to less than a right angle as the incisors appear to slant forward and Read more…
Vehicle From 1817 An inscription explains how it works; ‘The rider is conveniently seated on the small square board and leans forward against a well-padded cushion…’ Hobby horses had no pedals or brakes, but were propelled and slowed by the rider pushing or dragging on the ground with his or Read more…
Kids enjoy rocking horses because they are fun and educational toys that improve their mobility and promote exercise. Probably no other children’s toy is as iconic as a rocking horse. Playthings like these have been around for hundreds of years, and they do not appear to be going out of Read more…