The Saddle Mag

Horses with pink skin can get sunburned.   “The pigmentation in hair and skin protects against the penetration of ultraviolet light, so any non-pigmented horse or an animal with white-skinned areas is prone to sunburn damage,” says Dr Janet Littlewood MRCVS, a specialist in veterinary dermatology. “Although the horses most at risk are those kept at permanent pasture in the summer months, it’s important not to forget that  sunlight can also be damaging at other times of the year .” The  face and heels are most commonly affected  because these often have non-pigmented patches and less hair coverage. “It’s not a breed-related problem because nearly all breeds produce horses with white facial markings and legs,” explains Dr Littlewood, “but owners of animals with a thin coat should be particularly careful.” Ensuring fields have shady areas is essential, but even the most severe weather conditions won’t stop some horses grazing. There are equine sun barri...

A large number of horses, demonstrates to be afraid of water. Understanding where this fear comes from is not straightforward or easy at all, it requires non-indifferent patience and effort: it may derive from a trauma or an inborn fear. Depending on the case, you can intervene to help him. Here I will write an example of noninvasive intervention. First and foremost, as we always do, we gain its trust, with the methods I have already mentioned in previous posts. Later we can start lunging him. When the horse is calm, we will take a bucket of water and put it in front of it; Probably, we won't notice strange reactions, because it will bring it back to the water that he drinks it in the box, or in the paddock.  Next, we will take some water with our hands and begin to touch the coat with wet hands, including the head.  When it seems calm, we can begin to make it familiar with a small sheet with slightly raised edges, with water inside. The horse will have to slowly ...

HORSE'S COAT COLOR  Palomino, light bay and chestnut do not create any kind of problems in being photographed. Different is the case of the gray horses: young gray horses usually have darker-gray coats, but when they grow up the coat starts lightening. The camera may not even focus on its coat and the shades it has and we may have exposure problems; in his case it is fundamental to change the automatic settings and overexpose or underexpose it. It is important to have some testings and find out the perfect exposure.  With dark horses it is even worse; the steps to follow are the same. It is absolutely important to focus on the background (read the article:  what background to choose? ) in order to highlight the coat color shades.  Credits: I Nostri amici cavalli Magazine.  The photo is mine, Copyright Saba Armeni. 

Some days ago at the stables, I heard a riding teacher, saying this. I just thought: isn't this horse a living being? Starting to whip him, he forced the horse to stop doing what he was doing and continue trotting. I just believe that this behavior is inconceivable. It is true that some horses need to understand that while competing they can't stop for 'doing their business', but that is absolutely not the right method. Actually as I always say, the start is creating a relationship of mutual trust. If since now you have been whipping at him madly, he'd probably fear the whip now. To overcome this, read the article:  overcome the fear of whips . Then we can lunge him for some sessions of 5/10 minutes. Whenever he does the session without stopping for pooping, you can reward him. If he stops many times, you can try to stimulate with voice and movements (NOT VIOLENCE) him not to stop and if he does so even for 5 seconds, then you can let him stop and do whatever he ...

Actually a lot of horses, have been trained with a wrong use of the whip; 'cause of this, they develop fear against this simple device which instead needs to be an extension of our hand .  This is a huge problem that inevitably needs to be resolved, as the whip, if used correctly and not as a weapon, is an object that can be useful in lots of situations. The process of inserting the whip, begins as always with the establishing of a relationship of mutual trust (the process has already been explained in previous articles:). Afterwards, you will show the whip to the horse for short sections of time, rewarding it  with a treat,  whenever he seems quiet. Of course, to show it, the whip will be pointed down and never lifted up, because it would be synonymous of "scolding" or rebuke. After repeating this kind of easy procedure, for a few minutes and more or less two sessions a day, when the horse is beginning to show itself quiet about the whip, we can start passing ...

First of all you must understand why this happens. It might derivate by back pain or illnesses (for example: Cold Backed Syndrome ).  So, the first step is certainly a vet visit. If everything's ok with his health and nothing in its eating habits has changed, you have to concentrate on yourself: is your position appropriate? Do you use correctly reins and stirrups? Do you have a good balance and not lean ahead or back? If also these are not the causes, the horse may be scared by whip or spurs. In order to understand if this is actually the real problem, try to eliminate these advices for some days and see if the behavior changes. If this is the problem, you may have to integrate the presence of these objects slowly (read the article: Overcome the fear of WHIPS ).  if this is not the cause and even without whip and spurs, he continues bucking madly, you have to search for something else.  There are two other huge and frequent matters: 1) the horse doesn't tolerate the s...

Horses are on one hand brave animals, but on the other they have several fears that, if not got over, they will develop during their life. The best thing to do is to help them avoid those fears by letting them see that there is nothing to worry about.  If you do not work on these fears, or else you punish the horse when it shows them, you will end up making it develop bad behavior and an increase in that fear.  We might find ourselves, for example, in the case of a horse that is afraid of the obstacle pillars , perhaps as a result of trauma (a fall in which it has been hit by a pillar, for example).  The worst thing to do it would be to push him (perhaps with the help of the whip) to overcome the obstacle: the horse, following the intimidation and the beatings, might even overcome it, but surely this will help to increase the fear as it will associate the obstacle to the beatings;  If he will begin to force the horse, he may at any time discard and refuse, c...

Since I saw that lots of you were interested in "equestrian innovations", I thought that this could be an interesting article for all horse enthusiasts and riders.  From the mind of Arioneo society, Orscana is a new connected sensor that can be hung under any type of blanket . It is created in order to analyze all horse's moves when we cannot control him, (such as time spent lying down, or moving and so on) for example when he is traveling in the trailer (and maybe he is one of those nervously-traveling-guys) or more simply, at nighttime.  It also controls temperature underneath the blanket and detects the sweat .  Basically it gives a total monitoring of the horses's condition by analyzing its activity during day and night, watching t emperature underneath the blanket in stable, paddock or transport, and warning if the horse is out of its comfort zone .  It also anticipates the horse's needs for the following night, in conjunction with the weat...

Since yesterday I feel off the horse while he was bucking   assiduously, I thought that  this could be a  useful article for every horse rider. First of all you must ride a horse that is suitable for your skills, in order to be a perfect combination together. It is also absolutely important to wear always all of your protective equipment in order to be as safe as possible in case of fall.  However in case of need you have to decide rather to hold or let the reins. Of course if you horse is bucking or bolting and you loose you balance, it is always better to release reins to prevent being engaged or entangled. Be careful to let go your feet too: one of the most dangerous thinks that can happen is that your feet remain in the stirrups, so in case of danger if you feel like nearly falling, letting go your feet may be a good idea.  Once you are falling, try to roll out of the way of your horse's legs. Do not stick your arm out to break your fall as t...

WHICH BACKGROUND TO CHOOSE? The best place to photograph the horse is definitely a quiet place, where it is not subject to many distractions or elements that might frighten him.  Avoid road, cars and so on, because they would be both aesthetically and logistically unsuitable. Disagreeable are also white or dark backgrounds that would not outline the tone of the coat well and would end up flattening the figure. The ideal are landscapes and vegetation, or ancient walls on the brown or reddish tones. Moreover, I think the most appropriate background is the place that recalls the natural habitat of the horse. A photograph that portrays the animal in nature, surely transmits much more feelings than another taken in a place from which it is evicted. Applying this "trick" to the one shown in the previous article, you will have a wonderful picture with warm tones and vibrant vegetation ... follow the upcoming tricks for refining your technique! With a cue taken from ...

What is the best time to take a photograph of the horse? Surely the best times for photographing your horse are sunshine and sunset. The light in those hours is the best as the sky is colored of Warm colors that attribute heat to photography and to the subject. And if you are able toposition the horse on the basis of the source of sunlight at that moment, the sunlight will create around the subject of the photo a kind of luminous halo that will look golden. It is not advised to take photographs in the central hours of the day in the summer, because in addition to the suffering for man and horse in staying outside with such a high temperature, the image will be flattened by the excessive presence of light. In winter, but above all in the presence of snow, photographs taken at dawn or sunset are particularly recommended because they give a further light as snow reflects the sun rays. Credits to  https://it.pinterest.com/pin/408983209880878018/  for the image ...

Except when it is really hot, the horse should always wear a cover on the van and especially on the trailer, which is not completely closed. It should not be too heavy, however, because during the transport, the horse splits a lot. In the middle of the seasons, that of cotton used in the stables is fine. Before putting the bumpers, it is useful to knot the tail so that the hairs do not risk hooking to velcro closures. We grab the part under the nerd with one hand, and with the other we create a lance. Let's pass the final part of the tail in the ass and pull it down. Travel buffers are different for front and back legs. The first ones are repaired by the crown at the knee, with the closures always outside. In choosing the model, privilege those with several tears, which remain stiffer. The rear bumpers cover the limb from the crown up to the hock: this way, even if the horse is agitated during transport or simply loses the balance it does not risk getting hurt. When we p...

Start from the shoulder and go to the neck, holding the clipper flattened and countering it;  Leave your free hand in contact with the horse, so to calm it down. Follow the curve of the maneuvre in a precise manner, combing it all on one side and moving linearly about one centimeter under the hanging. Then we go to the chest and belt region: here the skin is very delicate, so be careful not to pinch it. If possible, let usomeone lift a front, so as to stretch the skin better and avoid wrinkles. On the back we can perform a full lacquered, or leave the saddle area untouched to avoid slacks. In this case we use a chalk to plot the exact perimeter to follow. In the posterior area, close to the rim, the mantle grows in different semicircular directions. So you have to pay particular attention to go to sleep. At the level of the grasses, which are very delicate, it is advisable to help with the free hand to stretch the skin well. For the rump we place ourselves sideways to av...

Anyone who has a gray horse knows well how hard it is to clean it.  If stains are localized, depending on their consistency we can choose for some different options: rub with a wet sponge , eventually using a creamy neutral soap; Pass a pumice stone in the fur coat, or use the old method of straw-like ash to spread damp and then remove with a brush. Equally effective is white vinegar to mix with lukewarm water and then sprinkle on the critical zone using a rag and sponge. There are specific products specifically designed for gray coats, such as dry shampoo, powder or spray form. Just distribute them over the stain, let them act for a few minutes and then rub the part with a cloth or a sharp cloth. If you are in hot seasons and the temperatures allow it, the ideal is a shower with shampoo (better that made for gray coats), to be sprinkled with the aid of a glove equipped with a brush for washing. To treat the area of the head , we use a small soft bristle brush and...

Dressage dates back to classical Greek horsemanship and the military who trained their horses to perform movements intended to evade or attack the enemy whilst in battle. The earliest work on training horses was written by Xenophon, a Greek Military Commander born around 430 BC. Dressage continued to be developed by the military who studied horsemanship as part of their military training and during the Renaissance European aristocrats displayed highly trained horses in equestrian pageants. The great European riding masters of the time developed a training system and the Imperial Spanish Riding School of Vienna was established in 1572 and all dressage training today is based around their principles. Dressage become an Olympic Sport in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm with only commissioned military officers eligible to compete until 1952 when the rules changed to allow both civilian men and women to compete. The first Dressage organisation in the UK was the British Horse Socie...

BREATH CHECKING: First of all, we check the respiratory rate.  We can do it simply by observing or "listening" to our friend's chest, even better with a stethoscope to be placed in the trachea. In good physical conditions, we must count no less than eight and no more than fifteen breaths per minute: less in cold season and more in hot season. If the breath is too fast or too slow, we should call the vet. TEMPERATURE CHECKING: Let's get a rectal horse thermometer, with a loop tied to one end for recovery in case of ... "embedding". With that we can mischief the temperature, which in good physical conditions should be between 37.5 and 38.5 degrees Celsius. If it exceeds 38.8, we should call the vet. MUCOUS MEMBRANE CHECKING: Take a look to the mucous membranes, which tell us about a good blood circulation. Look at the inside of the nostrils, the conjunctiva and the gums. All these areas must be rosé and wet. If they look too pale, call your veterinari...

There's something almost spiritual about the healing properties of water. Humans have used this life-giving liquid to encourage healing, in themselves and in their horses, since the dawn of time. Water cleanses (in fact, several of the world's religions have endowed it with symbolic purifying properties). It soothes, it draws away inflammation and infection, and it does so in the most natural way. It's simplicity itself, borne of a simple molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms bound to an oxygen atom. Even with all of the advances in veterinary medicine we've seen over the past century, there's still no substitute for simple, soothing water. For many equine injuries, hydrotherapy (applying water to encourage healing) is just what the doctor ordered--and can help the healing along better, and more cheaply, than many of our chemically advanced lotions and potions or electronic gadgets.  "Hydrotherapy," says Sigle Magner-Skeries, a certified equine massa...

This is considered an alternative therapy that helps influencing the soft-tissues of the horse's body mass, and it is based on the application of various techniques in which our hands have an essential role. The benefits are evident: it stimulates blood flow, alleviate muscle contractors and help improving the general flexibility. Although it is important to consider that the function of this technique is not building up muscles, so it mustn't replace ordinary workout, but assist it. These massages are useful both before and after the ordinary exercises. TOUCH:  This technique can be applied with one or two hands. The palm and fingers follow the direction of the main veins. Start from the outermost parts of the body, and then move to the central ones slowly, exerting a slight pressure. Then go back lightly. The hands must not be rigid. As the horse relaxes, the pressure increases.   - Improves venous and lymphatic flow, helping relax CLAPPING:   Place the h...

The first project developed at Equisense is a unit that is placed on the horse and serves to measure and analyse the animal's gait, to follow up its workout sessions, even when several riders mount that horse. For example, it allows you to have a precise vision of an obstacle circuit, where both performance and progress can be recorded: stride length, trajectories, jump curves, speed attained ... It therefore is an overall performance monitor that helps riders to adapt their work schedules to the horse; it is also accurate and easy to use. "It is perfect for all riders who mount more than once a week", adds Benoît Blancher. "Our objective is to enable riders, whatever their level and horsemanship skills, to progress and to take care of their horses' well-being". [To this end, it authorizes the riders to integrate the health care system for their horses. A print-out is available. The vet. can also follow the treatments he/she has administered, notably wh...

Horse diving is an attraction that was popular in the mid-1880, in which a horse would dive into a pool of water, sometimes from as high as 60 feet. On 7th February 2012, in Atlantic City, at the Steel Pier park, there was a re-making of this famous 'show' and this aroused the activists that started protesting for animal rights. We can easily understand that this 'tradition' reflects a cruel action against horses that are obviously not used to jumping and diving from that height. What do you think about this?  Credits: http://www.imisteridelcavallo.it Wikipedia