Warming up and cooling down will help to minimize muscle stiffness and loss of range of motion. This will also help to prevent injury such as to tendons or muscles and help prepare the horse and rider both mentally and physically to maximise performance. Why is it important to warm Read more…
According to Dr. Duncan Peters, DVM, horses sweat so that they can cool themselves off and reduce their temperature back to normal. As Peters explains, “During exercise, muscles generate heat; heat is a byproduct of energy metabolism.” Horses dispose of heat through breathing and through its skin. What does sweat Read more…
Your horse’s legs The small amount of blood that does reach a horse’s hoof is normally spread by capillaries. However, when his feet get cold, a mechanism known as ‘direct shunt’ opens up in the hooves, allowing blood to flow through larger veins instead of small capillaries, helping to keep Read more…
Horses maintain their body temperature by sweating, just like humans. But relative to their body mass, they have less skin surface area to dissipate heat from than us, making it more difficult for them to cool down. This means that heavy exercise can quickly lead to heat stress. How does Read more…
Of the group of children who were injured while being around horses and not riding, about one-third sustained a TBI. Because of this, the team recommends children wear helmets while working around horses in addition to while mounted. Should you wear a helmet on a horse? Whether you ride English Read more…
Evaporative cooling i.e. sweating, is the most important mechanism by which horses control their body temperature during and after exercise. Water from sweat evaporates into the air taking heat energy with it. Body heat is also lost (about 30%) through the lungs and respiratory tract during normal breathing. How do Read more…
You may not expect to find horseback riding in Chicago, but there are actually a few places in the surrounding area where you can ride a trail. No experience is required, and they’ll offer some quick instruction before you head out as well as provide guides to make sure you Read more…
You can wear bike helmets while horse riding, but they aren’t safe because they don’t adequately protect your head. And most horse riding facilities that require riding helmets only accept certified horse riding helmets and will not allow you to ride with a bike helmet. What is the difference between Read more…
Your helmet must be ASTM/SEI certified, meaning it passed rigorous guidelines for the protection of human skulls. Most ASTM-SEI certified horse riding helmets are manufactured multiple layers of air bubbles that are supposed to help reduce the force and damage on impact of a fall. Do you need a helmet Read more…
“Horses with foot soreness can appear more painful when walking on hard surfaces, like asphalt or packed clay, than when walking on more forgiving terrain, such as grass or arena footing. Foot soreness differs from an abscess, which is a compromise in the hoof structure due to bacterial infiltration. Can Read more…