Horse Training Tips – Simple Groundwork
Below is a brief description of just three simple groundwork exercises you can perform with your own horse or a horse you are training. These exercises will allow you and the horse to become familiar with each other and build trust. Future training success is dependant on good groundwork. The importance of safety and maintaining your personal space bubble should not be taken lightly.
Training your horse will require you to have plenty of patience, persistence and to use lots of positive reinforcement. These are the 3 P's of basic horse training that will serve you well no matter what level you are training or what you might be training for in the future.
1. Groom your horse. This is the perfect first exercise for you and your horse. Your horse will get to know you during this quality time together, and vice verse. Standing beside your horse, brush his back and neck. It is not unusual for the horse to bring his teeth around to you for a little love bite. While horses do this to each other all the time, naturally they cannot do it to humans. Just wave your hand or push the head back to straight ahead position to discourage this. Those teeth are HUGE so you must make it clear from the beginning that this is unacceptable. Use patience and keep calm. It will not take long for him to cooperate once he gets the idea. It's pointless to shout, smack or get panicky with your horse. This will only set you back with your trust levels.
2. Lead your horse. Holding the lead rope just below his chin in your right hand, walk beside your horse on his left side. Walk forward with a slow step. He should remain at your right side and never try to go ahead of you. He may try to do this and you should walk around in a circle to your left. Do this as often as you need to. Show persistence. Use the circular movement to stay just ahead of him, where you should be. If, on the other hand, your horse doesn't want to walk with you, stand slightly behind at his shoulder facing the same direction. Push forward while holding the rope close to his chin. When he takes a little step, praise and positive reinforcement is in order. When he starts to walk willingly, take your place slightly ahead of him and walk on. Remember that in order to stay safe, you should never wrap the lead rope around any part of your body. If the horse decides to bolt you'll be going along and it will not be pretty.
3. Lunge your horse.This is a great exercise used by most horse trainers and owners. It will help you to get closer to saddle work by teaching the horse many of the skills, cues and commands he will need.
In a large open area (an arena works, too, if you don't have a round enclosure) clip your horse to a lunge lead specifically for lunging. This will be a long rope - about ten metres - much longer than the rope you would use for leading. Clip the lead to the horse's left halter side and hold the lead in your left hand. To begin, hold the lunge lead while facing the horse's left side. Hold a lunge whip in your right hand which you'll use to guide him along. Now step to your right sideways toward the rear of the horse while holding the whip out behind him. The horse's natural reaction will be to step forward. Now let out the rope as you follow behind the horse to the left side, making a kissing sound as you do so. Soon that sound will come to mean "move forward" to your horse. As you're turning and the horse moves in a circle around you, hold the whip slightly behind his hindquarters. Do not use the whip to hit the horse. Simply by waving it about a little the horse should pay attention to you.
Move yourself slowly backwards to the centre as the horse is moving forwards. With the lunge lead fully extended, stand in the middle and turn as the horse walks around you in a circle. Watch your horse's hip area as he's going round.
This is the perfect time to teach your horse to understand "whoa". In a low, calm voice, say the word "whoooaa". At the same time, step toward your horse's head and repeat the word. When he stops, give him lots of praise and a little neck rub. You will help him remember what to do through this positive reinforcement.
Now you can change your lunging position to move him in the counterclockwise manner. Do this by swapping hands so that you hold the lunge whip in your left hand whilst the lead is clipped to the right side of the halter.
These few exercises are just the very basics to help you get started with training your horse. Always remember the size and sheer power of the horse. This alone should be enough to remind you to have adequate horse insurance in place should either you or your equine be injured. Safety and trust is crucial to your success in training ventures and in all future activities. As well as a loyal friend, your horse is also an investment, so remember to protect that investment against theft, accident or misadventure by making sure you compare horse insurance policies to ensure you are getting the best level of cover for both of your needs.
Equine Colic – Advice and Information
Confirmation of equine colic is a situation that worrries any horse owner. So what exactly is colic in horses? What signs should you keep an eye out for?
Colic is in reference to pain originating in the abdomen. Normally horses do not hide pain of the abdomen very well. So in the event of any disturbance of gut functioning they will usually show signs of pain.
Visible signs of discomfort could be stretching, a stance as if to urinate, and pawing the ground. If the pain is greater the horse will get up and down, and try rolling to become more settled.
The horse will likely start to sweat. In more severe cases it will get up and down and continuously roll.
What Can You Do?
Should you believe your horse is suffering from colic, you should call an equine vet straight away. They will be able to provide rapid pain relief and decide whether further treatment is necessary.
What can you do while waiting for the vet? Taking your horse for a walk sometimes helps. It can sometimes encourage his intestines to work normally and help soothe the discomfort. It may also further prevent the horse lying down and rolling. If he is lying down peacefully then you should let him stay there.
It was previously thought that a horse could twist its gut by rolling around. That is probably incorrect. But it is best to prevent him rolling over if possible. That way you will prevent your horse causing injury himself by knocking himself on any walls. But take care that you don't cause injury to yourself. It's likely horses will lose all their manners when in pain.
There are several different reasons as to why horses get colic. But often the signs look similar regardless of what caused it.
So how will the vet investigate the problem? They will listen to the abdomen using a stethoscope which will tell if there is more or less activity in the intestines than there should be.
Examining the heart rate gives a good indication of the severity of the discomfort and the seriousness of the problem. Normally a horse with a regular heart rate doen't have a serious case. However a high heart rate is not such a promising sign.
A really helpful area of the examination is the rectal examination. By feeling the gut, vets could be able to identify the cause of the issue. Without doubt this is a highly skilled examination, that hasthe potential to be hazardous for both the vet and the horse. However for an experienced vet the information it gives is invaluable in concluding the cause of the issue. Revealing a blockage, or a swollen loop of intestines as a result of a twist or another problem with the intestines.
In all but the simple scenarios vets may pass a tube through the horses' nose an into the stomach. Though it sounds uncomfortable but often may make your horse more comfortable by releasing the built up pressure in the stomach. This process can also give the vet detailed feedback as to whether the stomach is functioning properly.
On occasion the horse is in so much distress that it isn't possible for the vet to examine him properly without first giving a quantity of sedative.
Only by considering all of the information provided by a careful examination is the vet able to make an initial diagnosis. Even then it may not be possible to diagnose exactly what is going on.
It might be the case that, after the first inspection, your horse requires surgery. Though more usually the vet will choose to treat the horse with a fast-acting painkiller and review his progress after a few hours. Most examples display a quick improvement. But some will show no response to the treatment, or they might improve initially, then start showing signs of pain again later.
Rather than having to bring the vet to your horse several times, it is normally better to move these cases to a specialist practice where they can be closely monitored and operations can be performed if necessary.
In Conclusion
Fortunately most colic cases respond well to medical treatment. Although if surgery is needed - it is important to operate as soon as possible. The likelyhood of a successful outcome is much better if the operation is carried out before too much damage has occurred.
For more information, horses for sale and more, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory.
