Buying your first or new horse can be a very exciting but nervous time. Will I find what I'm after? Will it be the right horse for me? What is the real reason it's for sale? Does it have any health problems? HELP!I don't want to be ripped off!RELAX..here are a few handy hints that can reduce the stress in choosing your new equine partner.Whether you are looking at buying your first horse or your...

I told you about your horse's brain box and how it protects his brain in the event of a forceful head trauma. You also learned that the construction of the brain box makes it unlikely that a head injury will result in a brain injury. I'm going to give you 3 simple field tests you can perform with your horse in the field. When you learn them, you'll be able to tell the difference between a minor...

When a horse takes a direct blow to a muscle, we say he has sustained a contusion. Contusions are almost always followed by swelling. Your knee-jerk reaction is to ice it. Good choice. But if you don't have an ice pack available, try this instead.When it comes to contusions, horses are a lot like humans. A direct blow from a blunt object crushes the underlying muscle fibers and the connective...

How can you tell which deworming program is right for you? ollowing a traditional plan may mean that you are worming your horse too often. Does that matter? Well, apart from spending more than you need to, you also run the risk of the worms becoming resistant to the wormers.Anthelmintic resistance is being recognised as an increasing problem. How common a problem is it? The short answer is that we...

Owning a horse can be a very rewarding hobby. Whether you are a person who just likes to go for a peaceful trail ride or you are aiming for Olympic gold, there comes a time when we all will travel somewhere with our horse.Whether this experience is just to go to a different trail riding area, heading to your first competition or moving paddocks, the following handy tips can help make the...

Have you ever gone to camp in the summer and watched other people riding horses and wish you could join them? Well, you may not have gotten the chance when you were small, but today, kids from anywhere can go to horseback riding camps for such fun and adventure.Horseback riding camps provide much more than just merely riding through hills and valleys. Instruction about horse care and grooming are...

Ticks. If you've taken your horse on trail rides, you've probably come back with them. Sometimes on his legs. Sometimes on his neck. Sometimes in some very sensitive areas. You'll no doubt find a few in his ears, too. But if they're so far inside his ears that you can't reach them, you'll need to try one of these methods to get them out.Surface ticks are generally no big deal to remove. If I've...

Our older horses are loyal horses and many of them are still eager to hit the trails or even compete at a local show. Some have been retired to their pastures to live out their days in equine luxury. If you plan on keeping your senior horse until the very end, then you will want to attend to his special needs as he ages.A geriatric or senior horse is typically twenty years or older. There are a...

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is also known by the term "swamp fever." The disease is also referred to as "equine AIDS" because the virus that causes it is closely related to the human HIV virus. That being the case, how can you tell if your horse has it? And do we humans need to be concerned about coming down with a deadly disease if one of our horses has swamp fever?The...

Out of sight, out of mind? The hidden problems in your horse's stomach.Is your horse off colour? Has he lost his appetite? Is he performing poorly? All these signs can be indications of gastric ulcers.Up to 90% of racehorses in training may be affected by gastric ulcers. But not only racehorses suffer from this condition. Surveys have found that up to 60% of sport horses and 35% of leisure horses...

Learning how to train a horse successfully starts with the right materials. You will need a guide to show you the proper training techniques that are proven to work with horses, from pint-sized ponies to spirited stallions. When you have the right material in hand, you will have the confidence you need to find training success.Training your animal starts with your attitude. If you are scared of...

Horse training is a complex process that involves more than just giving instruction to your animal, followed by a reward. Properly teaching your charge how to follow your commands, each and every time, involves building a strong relationship with them. This relationship starts by getting inside their head. In order to train your animal properly, you must understand how he thinks. Learning how to...

Is it possible to win each you place a bet on a horse race? Is it possible to make money betting on horse races? Yes and yes. These are two questions that have been asked in discussion boards all over the internet and the solution to each of them is yes.In order to make it possible for you to win each and every time you place a bet on a horse race, there must be some serious research that goes...

When most of us start out learning about horses, we are told that a horse is a member of Equus caballus that is over 14 hands high (a hand, we quickly learned, is 10 cm). A pony, on the other hand, was defined as a member of the same species that was less than 14 hands. Now, miniature horses are always much smaller than 14 hands, so why are they called miniature horses rather than ponies?

If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Or so the old saying goes. However, wishes were horses but not horse supplies as well, then the beggars in question would not be riding.To begin with, anyone who wishes to ride a horse, will need horse supplies in the form of tack. Even the roughest rider who enjoys bareback riding will require a bridle, and most of us would prefer to have a saddle...

Few breeds of horse have captured the imagination like the Arabian horse has. Since the dawn of history, Arabian horses have inspired and influenced many people.In the days of early history, Arabian horses were prized as warhorses and mounts for royalty. The Old Testament in the Bible contains many references and descriptions to these horses, the most notable being in the book of Job, where a...

Horses are living creatures with needs and emotions. But if you love horses, you don't need to be told that. And like all living creatures, they need to be kept healthy if they are to be happy and successful. However, this world can be tough, and "nature red in tooth and claw" has a number of threats to horse health that a wise owner will want to watch out for.

A number of terrible things have happened to horses I have known or worked with. Blaze escaped from her paddock and wandered onto the road, where she was hit by a truck coming over the hill suddenly and was killed. Sultan caught himself on a piece of barbed wire that cut him from fetlock to withers. April suddenly dropped dead.

Horses are susceptible to a variety of diseases and the wide majority of them we are not too concerned with because we vaccinate our horses. It is important to remember that just because some diseases are vaccinated against, your horse may still be able to contract them but the vaccination will lessen the effect of the disease. Vaccinations are important because you never know what may be floating...

The world of horse wormers is a really confusing one. Not only do you have to work out what you're worming for and when you need to do it, there are so many horse wormers on the market that it can be hard to see the wood for the trees.

Breeders are not the only ones who have the knowledge of different horse breeds. Many horse lovers do, too. The history of horse breeding as well as the features of different breeds are interesting learning that can give you a better understanding of these magnificent creatures.

Horsetail is used in traditional medicine as a diuretic and an antitubercular drug, and in the treatment of kidney and bladder disturbances. It's been used topically in cosmetics, and as an astringent to stop bleeding and stimulate wound healing.

Studies have shown that people who own a tropical fish tank are calmer and suffer from less ill health than those who don't. Dogs and cats are also known to have therapeutic benefits. Stroking a dog or cat has been proven to provide a calming effect on the brain. But the simple observation that watching fish makes people calmer and healthier is also backed up by studies. A freshwater or a tropical...

Buying an aquarium is a commitment which should be approached with careful thought and consideration. While aquarium keeping is considered to be an enjoyable hobby by many, it is always best to purchase the largest tank you can afford when you first begin. This will help you to avoid the need to upgrade later on; after your fish have already been established. Keep in mind, when purchasing an...

Most aquarists are dictated to by circumstance. There is a really big aquarium, at a really good price, but one rather definite problem, and that is there's nowhere to put it. So a smaller aquarium is chosen, but not by choice. However, even in the described circumstances, a smaller aquarium could be the one of choice.Most aquarists dream big, visualizing that final aquarium that will bring the...