Carrots are approximately 85-90% water, so the horse is only getting about 1.5 lb of dry matter. Of that, 25% is water-soluble carbohydrates, so that means there is about 0.36 lb (~6 oz) of sugar, and about half that amount of soluble fiber (~3 oz). Are carrots high in sugar Read more…
If your horse starts to stop on its front end, we can move the shoulders around in a spin to free them up on the front end. Try to always start that back up or that spin slow after a stop, and then start to engage his body. Why does Read more…
A horse tends to fall in when heading back to the gate or barn. To correct falling in when on a circle to the right, use the inside leg slightly behind the girth to move the horse out toward to the left to make the circle bigger and bring his Read more…
As a horse ages, its muscles weaken. This can lead to the swayback we often associate with old horses. This is just one of the reasons why a horse needs to get exercise throughout its life, to keep muscles in tone. Lack of muscle at any age can cause a Read more…
Spinal ataxia occurs when there is a lack of information coming up the horse’s spinal cord to tell his brain where his body parts are in space, and the state of muscle contraction at any one time. Ataxia is therefore not painful for the horse; rather, he has no sense Read more…
It’s never obvious when a horse has one or more ribs out of place, but the range of symptoms is great. Your horse might ring his tail or try to bite you when you cinch your saddle. Or if he has a rib out of place in his right side, Read more…
To properly hold a horse’s reins, hold them in your left hand as you mount the horse. Once you’re seated in the saddle, hold one side of the reins in each hand. For a secure hold, wrap the rein around your first 3 fingers, but don’t loop it around your Read more…
How to Stop a Horse From Taking Off Remain calm. A panicked rider only makes the bad behavior worse for everyone. Circle your horse. Turn your horse in one direction or the other and make him travel in small, tight circles instead of running away. Ride through it. How do Read more…
Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues, also known as rein aids. Various commands may signal a turn, ask for a slower speed, request a halt or rein back. Rein aids are used along with leg aids, shifting of body weight, and sometimes voice commands. Can you ride Read more…
Pain, boredom, frustration, impatience, anxiety, hunger, excess energy and isolation can all be causes of pawing. If the source of mental stress and/or physical pain is not identified and remedied, pawing can eventually become a stereotypy/habit – presenting a whole new set of challenges for both horse and guardian. What Read more…