March 2011 Blog Posts (71)

Knut the Polar Bear Has Died

I am so sad that Knut the polar bear has died. http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=137138&p=3&topicID=41829617

I loved following his story and am sick for his caregivers and for the people who had come out to the zoo yesterday to see him and who had to witness the sad ending to his short life.

I wonder what could have caused his very early…

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Added by Barbara F. on March 20, 2011 at 8:53pm — 1 Comment

Ever since I got my first horse, the Anglo-Arab Hat Tricks, I have been trying to ride at as high a level as I can. I faced repeated frustrations due to my undiagnosed MS as it affected my balance, coordination, and proprioceptive sense (I could not tell where parts of my body were.) In spite of all this my riding gradually improved, and I got to riding reliably at a low to middle intermediate level in the Forward Seat system. Even my jumping improved, not that I was ever that great over…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on March 20, 2011 at 12:30pm — No Comments

...and IthatI is why I have horses.

Little guy is going to be coming up to live with me in a couple months, so, seemed like a good time to start the journey towards loading into trailers. He leads about anywhere just fine, but my trainer suggests that we teach him to get on himself, which means sending him into the trailer. Well, he hasn't done anything like that yet, he's just a BABY (ask him!). So, I took the trailer down last night, to find out that there was a snowfall warning for today. No problem park the trailer, do some… Continue

Added by MagsNMe on March 19, 2011 at 10:02pm — 1 Comment

The Brook Hospital for Animals

The Brook Hospital for Animals (BHA) is an international organization that offers free veterinary services to animals in need. In addition to treatment, it provides training and programs regarding animal health and well-being. The organization’s primary focus is in Africa, Asia and Latin American.

The BHA was founded 1934 by the wife of a British army major general named Dorothy Brooke following a trip to Egypt. She was horrified by the condition of the horses there. Many were cavalry… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 18, 2011 at 4:02pm — No Comments

Different Breeds in Racing

When horse racing comes to mind, a herd of running Thoroughbreds vying for first is usually what comes to mind. However, there are different types of races geared towards different breeds that are becoming more popular throughout Canada and the US.

Standardbreds

Standardbred racing is the second most prolific type of racing in North America. Horses pull small carts known as sulkies that are piloted by a jockey. They race in either a trot or pace. Except in continental… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 18, 2011 at 4:00pm — No Comments

how to handle your (young) stallion on competitions

would you like to share your experiences? that would be great :-)

Added by nicola baur rona on March 18, 2011 at 11:59am — No Comments

Climbing Back On-

Riders know this lesson; if you get bucked off you have to climb back on. That’s the rule. Horse or rider are better for it. They say that the hardest thing about riding is hitting the ground (sigh) but I disagree. The recovery is often more challenging.

I think we are afraid of what we know- more than the unknown. Experience makes it personal. Once we have…

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Added by Anna Blake on March 18, 2011 at 8:37am — No Comments

Equine Canada has a Dressage App for that!!

Attention dressage enthusiasts! FIRST THROUGH FOURTH LEVEL DRESSAGE TESTS now available for your your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on the iTunes Store at http://ning.it/hBb1FV!

These Apps, designed in partnership…

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Added by Equine Canada on March 16, 2011 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Equestrian Fund Raiser for Japan

Equestrian Fund Raiser for Japan

I am running a couple of fund raisers including an Equestrian Silent Auction which will culminate on March 31st. First on board was Horse Sport Magazine who are also going to promote the fund raiser on their facebook page. Already (from last night's idea) I have several trainers including two Olympians have offered a one day clinic. The details and list of items are on our…

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Added by Andrea on March 15, 2011 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Important Horse Care Tips

Spring is pretty much here and before you know it: show season. In light of all the training and preparing you’ll be doing, here are a few tips on caring for your horse that should keep him or her in top shape.

Maintaining Manes: during the summer show season it gets hot. This might cause your horse’s mane to become dry and start to frizz. In addition to regular shampooing and conditioning, apply olive oil to keep it soft and shining.

Pink Noses: also in… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 15, 2011 at 12:51pm — No Comments

~The Dressage Affaire CDI~

Chance and I had another great show March 9th – 13th! We packed up and headed to Del Mar, CA on Wed. for The Dressage Affaire CDI. We had a pretty large group from the barn going with Ashleigh showing Fab, Alex showing Ari, Tori showing Viktor, and Colby showing Capri. It was a lot of fun and we all…

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Added by Catherine Chamberlain on March 15, 2011 at 8:41am — 2 Comments

Starting Young Horses

It’s not recommended you start a horse young. You should be waiting till they are at least four years old which is about when horses finish growing. Otherwise, starting them too young can cause damage to their skeletal structure and weakens their muscles and ligaments. It’s also a deterrent to some horse buyers who are aware of the damage it causes.

However if you feel you can’t wait, there are ways of reducing the damage. Make sure your horse is going through long straight lines in… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 14, 2011 at 12:44pm — No Comments

Wild Horse Inmate Program

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a government organization responsible for numerous things, one of them being to solve problems for the thousands of wild mustangs that roam American land. One of their sponsored programs, the Wild Horse Inmate Program, involves the rehabilitation of inmates using wild horses. The program carefully selects convicted inmates and allows them to train horses as part of their rehabilitation. Once the horses are able to execute a walk, trot and lope under… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 14, 2011 at 12:44pm — 1 Comment

Rider to Watch for: Ben Asselin

Calgary native Ben Asselin is definitely turning heads in the Grand Prix show ring. As of last year, his career highlights include five perfect rounds at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championship- landing him individual and team gold, winning the $32,500 Laramide Oil and Gas Grand Prix in the CS12* Rocky Mountain Classic I Show Jumping Tournament and named… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 14, 2011 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Professionalism

Yesterday i was at a dressage show, chatting with a 'trainer' who I know, but never trained with. Was telling her who I was working with, and she made a snide comment. Not what I would expect, but, well, some people are petty.

So, today my little girl had another session ground driving. We talked about something they wanted to try… Continue

Added by MagsNMe on March 13, 2011 at 10:00pm — 5 Comments

The Horse is Out of the Barn!

Why are we so focused on "the cure"?

It’s commendable how people have banded together to find “the cure”. I doubt there is anyone reading this who hasn’t somehow contributed to the fight to cure…

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Added by Patti Bartsch, Ph.D. on March 13, 2011 at 1:30pm — 5 Comments

The Horse as Therapist -- Part II

And yet another poetic rambling courtesy of my alter ego, Shakespeare "The Equine."

Enjoy!

The Horse as Therapist -- Part II…

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Added by Bear on March 13, 2011 at 11:23am — 1 Comment

SPLAT

The sound one fat 39 year old lady makes hitting the ground off a cantering horse...

Ah, my poor little girl. There was a scary tire with a white rim at the one end by the mounting block. Now just because she inspected it and put her nose on it before I got on her is no reason to think she'd be okay with it. So, we start walking on a loose rein, as we always do. At least once around each direction, just like everyone says you should. And we were at that end, and there was apparently… Continue

Added by MagsNMe on March 12, 2011 at 10:42pm — 4 Comments

Olympic Tickets go on Sale Soon!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday March 15th, tickets for the Olympics go on sale in North America! CoSport is the official hospitality package provider and authorized ticket seller in the US for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. They will begin to offer tickets in just three days time, which will also mark the 500 day countdown to the games Opening Ceremony.

The first phase of ticket sales will offer more then 58,000 tickets to be available to the 650+ sporting sessions hosted. About… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 12, 2011 at 12:35pm — No Comments

Barn Cautionaries

In every business there are risks. Owning and/or running a stable is no different. Just be knowledgeable about the risks so you have an idea of how to prevent them. Thefts, people who come for lessons without an intention of ever paying and rider accountability are just three of them. Here are a few tips on preventing either of them.

Thieves

While boarders generally won’t steal from each other, it’s outsiders you have to be careful of. There are numerous… Continue

Added by The HorseLady Blog on March 11, 2011 at 9:42pm — No Comments