In the world, there are approximately 75,000,000 horses and 350 breeds of horses that can be found around the world (circlerranch.com). Horses are amazing and beautiful creatures that may be used as show horses or a family pet. Show horses require many hours of daily preparation in order to be competitive in the show ring. I have grown up with horses my whole life. I watched my mother show horses and followed in her footsteps.
The most important aspects of show day are the appearance and the way the horse presents itself to the horse judge. The judge will look at the structure, muscle, and balance of the horse. To be competitive on show day, the horse must be healthy and have a good attitude. A horse requires a balanced diet. The horse should have no need for additional supplements unless the owner knows that he or she is suffering from a deficiency. The show horse should be well conditioned but not carry too much extra fat (Boyes). The amount of grain given to the horse depends on its weight. Proper nutrition gives the horse a shiny coat. Clean water should be available at all times. A mature horse may drink twelve gallons of water a day (North Dakota State University). The horse requires grooming and training, in order to be prepared for show day.
Horse owners may forget about the importance of the horse’s dental health. Yearly, the horse should have its teeth “floated”. Floating is the removal of the sharp or jagged edges. Sedating the horse is recommended for safety issues during the equine dental floating process. If a horse has poor dental health, it could have trouble eating and may lose weight. Horse’s teeth grow constantly until they get into their mid twenties. There teeth last up to twenty or ...
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Works Cited
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Boyes, Jennifer. “How to get your horse or pony ready to show”. Preparing for the show ring. 8 March 2008. Web.22 Feb 2010
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Once you get them to settle down and get there mind focused on just walking and the rider then you know the bond with the rider and horse are strong. When it is time for the second run of the night you want to warm them up again but not as hard this time because he or she has already been warmed up once before this, so just a little warming up won’t hurt. When it is that time for the second run the rider will bring the horse him a set him or her up for their first barrel and make the most of the race. If you see the rider smiling then everyone knows she has done her job with this horse. The rider can make an automatic barrel horse where that horse know his job and she barely has to ask the horse for a turn or touch his face to go around that barrel. When the rider gets a horse to be like that everyone can tell they spent hours and days together. The rider worked with that horse but never made him sour or hate coming into the arena. They spent time working on flexing the horse and making sure he knew when to tuck his nose and leave it for an extra second. They will all see when they are running home how much they spend time they spend together if they are fast and smooth through the pattern and don’t have any blow ups before or after coming in and out of the arena. After the race is over and the announcer say who
Wharton, Mary E., and Edward L. Bowen. The Horse World of the Bluegrass. New York: The John Bradford Press, 1980.
fun with and enjoy your horse. To start you should have your horse groomed and in the cross ties.
Any good horseman should know that there are three very important steps to take into consideration when preparing to ride your horse. The following three steps; grooming, tacking up, and warming up, if done properly should lead to a trouble free enjoyable ride.
A clean Horse- Making sure your horse is clean and brushed is very important because you will get a better score. It would also be good to check over your horse before show time to make sure you didn’t miss any dirty spots or there aren't any new
"Breaking a Horse to Ride: A Guide to Teaching a Horse to Accept a Rider -." Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.
Rodeo is a sport with long American traditions and loved by many spectators and participants. Past history has shown that rodeo needed to make way for a new era of riders and trainers with a larger emphasis on the welfare of the animals and not be discontinued or banned entirely. Today’s rodeos do not present a danger to the animals because the animals are well-cared for and protected, rodeos have strict rules and the stock are treated as prized animals.
Rogan, Pamela. "Equine Assisted Therapy And Activities." Welcome to Harmony Farms -- Horses for the Handicapped. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. .
Probst, G. F. (1977). The Kikkuli text on the training of horses (ca. 1350 B.C.). Lexington: Keeneland Association Library.
An assessment of adequate energy intake can be established by evaluating body condition. Deficient diets result in weight loss in the horse. Alternate causes of weight loss are internal parasites and disease. Excess energy intake wall cause obisity which stresses joints and reduces athletic ability. (arg.gov.sk.ca) A horse in moderate physical condition is described as “Back level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.” (Henneke et al., 1981)
If anyone had told me that I would one day regard this sensory experience with the same disdain as my parents, I would not have believed it. However, as I grew older, my priorities at the State Fair changed. The very things that sent me into a transport of delight began to irritate and annoy me. As I grew older, I developed a desire to show horses at the top level of competition. Showing at the State Fair World Championship Horse Show became my ultimate goal.
Kirkpatrick, Jay F. "The Surprising History of America's Wild Horses." LiveScience.com. Live Science, 24 July 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .
Horses are not just beasts to take care of, there are benefits to owning them, riding them, or even just being around them. You will of course learn to love horses, and they will probably love you, too, if you treat them kindly. Similarly, you learn the responsibility of being around horses and how to take care of them properly. Also, you can have pride in you or your horse's accomplishments, your riding skills, or knowing how to be around horses and having experience with them. If you are around horses, you have much to tell and share!
Sliding the barn doors open, I step into a warm, comforting environment. Musty straw mingles with the sharp aroma of pine shavings, complementing each other. A warm glow from sporadically placed incandescent lightbulbs richens the leather tack, all cleaned and hanging ready for the day's use. From it wafts the smell of a new pair of shoes. The fruity essence of "Show Sheen", applied after yesterday's baths, still lingers in the air. Even the harsh stinging scent of urine and manure is welcome at this early morning hour. Breaking open a bale of hay, I sense the sweetness of the dried timothy as it engulfs my olfactory system, making me wish my queasy stomach had not made me skip breakfast. I am nervous, as are many others. I know that the day ahead will bring excitement, dread, triumph, and defeat. The unpredictable nature of horse shows causes frenzied questions, like salmon spawning, to run constantly though my mind. Will the judge like my own particular style? What if the red flowers bordering the first jump spook my horse? What if a piece of paper on the ground blows into the ring? Will this horse show be a success? The outcome depends not just on me; but a...
Snodgrass, W. D. "A Rocking-Horse: The Symbol, the Pattern, the Way to Live." The Hudson Review 11.2 (1958): 191-200. JSTOR. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.