Equestrian Goods

Other than actually riding a horse, what are the best things I should be doing to improve my fitness levels. Would power walking up and down steep hills be enough?
I am looking at getting up to 3 to 4 hours in the saddle of pretty fast riding, plus some jumping.

To be honest, my friend Sammy. (ahh shez'a legend!)
She got fit by riding horses!
and i don't recall her trying to get fit either lol.

I don't think you'd need to prepare :/
because you'll probably be fit after 2/3 weeks of ridin a horse.
I mean, Sammy has a six pack! :O

Good Luck with it.

Love
Bj&co.
x

http://www.horseland.com
http://www.equintium.com
http://www.howrse.com

there are plenty of them. some, you have the option to pay to upgrade your account, but you don't have to.

also, search "horse games" on google (or any search engine).

I am confused about the qualifications for the ROLEX (dressage) the FEI Youth World Cup and The Olympics. What shows must you compete in, how many points must you gain, and how do you progress on? I really just need to know how to get on track to be able to compete at these competetions, like qualifications. Thanks!

contact rolex and ask for qualifications.

No, I don't want to know you ages, but if you are anywhere near my age, that ride was made back in the seventies. A man did it in about 8 months as I recall….
So, did anyone read the magazine article about him? Can anyone find an archive about it? I think it was in Horse & rider.

He went through terrible hardships with his horses. He had huge abcesses on his horses' backs by the time he got to Colorado, I think, he started with horses and had to change. I think he ended up with a pack MULE and one or two tough little horses that finished the trip.
The Long Riders Guild, WOW, interesting site. Never realized there were so many that have made such fabulous treks. I was referring to a magazine covered trip by John Egenes from Ventura, CA to Virginia Beach, VA on "Gizmo" a QH. A yea later Allen Russell rode from Flathead River, CA to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on "Kono" another QH…these were both in mags back when I was a kid…but the others in the LRG are amazing, especially, of course, the women!!! We are tougher than we look…. ;D
That was Flathead river, CANADA not Cali.
I read about Len Brown, amazing story also…from the 1970's, but John E. was the guy I read about….
I'm giving best answer to the source link of the LRG. Excellent reading!!!!

This the only person that comes to mind. Gene Glasscock. But I think his riding was done in the late 90's, early 2000's. I know he had quite a few mishaps along the way also.

http://www.geneglasscock.org/

You may also check out the archives on thei website:

http://www.thelongridersguild.com/LRG.htm

I’ve been thinking of starting riding lessons, but i’ve noticed that a lot of people on YA! have been talking about english or western?
and what is dressage?

Contrary to what others have said, neither is necessarily more costly than the other, neither is necessarily harder, etc.

They are different. There are lots of options in either. Western is NOT just rodeo, barrel racing, etc.–it includes performance events like Western Pleasure, Reining, Horsemanship, etc.

I show and ride both. In the last twenty years, I’ve done trail riding (E&W), speed events (W), western pleasure (W), horsemanship (W), reining (W), western riding (W), dressage (E), hunters (E), equitation (E), aqha hunter under saddle (E), aha hunter pleasure (E), jumpers (E), etc. on different horses. I love it all.

There is a difference in saddles, but that extends beyond just disciplines. Western saddles have different styles as well for different styles of riding–speed events, pleasure saddles, trail saddles, endurance, etc. English saddles include dressage, forward seat, close contact, etc.

Don’t panic over it now. The important thing is that you find a good, reputable, safe barn with safe, solid lesson horses–any discipline. Get your feet wet around the horses and talk to people there about the disciplines. As you learn to ride, you’ll figure out what you like most. Then you can choose your discipline based on that, not on someone else’s opinion (asking whether English or Western is better is like asking someone if they like blue or red better…it’s totally up to each person).

Google the two and look at pictures of different styles. That’ll give you an idea of what you’re getting into.

Next weekend I’m going to my first show with my new horse. And i don’t know what bring! Is there any easy ways to remember the course? Help please.And no silly answers please Thanks!

Take all the stuff you need for your horse. Saddle, bridle, girth, brushes, your helmet, hoof pick, fly spray, tail brush, conditioner to spray in tail. If you’re leaving your horse in the stall, you should take your own pitchfork to clean the stall. Your own buckets and stuff. Feed. Your show clothes, a cloth to wipe off your boots. Anything that you use for your horse needs to go with you.

Remembering the course isn’t that hard actually. When you’re out there riding, you sort of instinctually know where to go because of the way the jumps are arranged… the way they’re facing. Just look at the chart when they post it, then stand at the ring until you’ve memorized where to go. Then you can watch other people riding the course to get an idea of what you want to do when you ride… think about if you would have turned there or gone straight longer and whether you’ll try to get the line in 5 or keep it a 6. Sometimes you can ride in the arena in the morning before the show starts. You probably won’t know the course yet, but if you ride there, think about the possible combinations that they could make for the course.

Ok its a slow night on here, lets get it rolling.

There appears to be 2 sides on here in reguards to this question.

I have always felt that respect comes from training and building a bond with your horse that way.

Then you have the other ones that believe you go out there with a bucket of treats, pet them, kiss them and build respect and trust that way.

How do you accomplish this and how many horses have you honestly owned (living breathing ones).

Are you trying to stir things up, young lady?
I don't do treats, I don't feed anything by hand and they have to make do with kind words and a pat. Horses are not always the smartest kids on the block but they sense and they know and they can smell BS coming a mile off.
We had a broodmare come in, 12 years old and she always wore a halter. Her owners sent a photographer over so I cleaned her up and swapped her halter for a fancy one. The owners had bred and raised her and said that her entire life, she had worn a halter and it could only be changed when she was in the chute and wanted to know how I did it (this was news to me). I just took the halter off and swapped it again while we were on the wash rack. The moral of the story is that she knew that she could lead them on a merry dance and she had been doing it all her life. I've had loads of broodmares like that which are supposed to be impossible to catch, load etc. I go about my business and treat them with respect and I get respect back from them. No secret code or horse whispering. 99% is in the way that you handle them, kind but firm and that's how I have always operated.
As far as owned, 4 ponies as a kid and 3 horses as a youth/adult. I have so many to deal with each day at work, I've never felt the need to get another but I'm actually in the process of adopting another OTTB and I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas!

We're going on a 3 hour horse ride while we are on vacation. Is there anything we can do to prevent being so sore?
We are getting in the car and driving about 5 hours after the ride. I know that isn't going to help.

This will be a leisurely ride, correct? Odds are you won't be putting alot of stress on your muscles. Sore thighs come from holding onto the horse tightly with your legs. At a leisurely pace, you won't be holding very tightly unless you are going up and down steep inclines.

Do some loosing up before the ride for the muscles on your inner thighs. Your legs may be spread wider than you are used to. Just a few minutes will be fine. Arrive early enough so you can walk around before getting on the horse, then walk around after the ride to stretch out.

The stirrups should be high enough so that when you stand in the stirrups, you should be able to get your seat out of the saddle but not so high that you'd be able to clear the saddle horn.

It's better for the saddle to be too large for you than too small. If the saddle feels too tight in your seat, ask for a larger one. You probably won't encounter that; rent lines tend to have saddles with larger seats so they fit more people.

Most people realize they shouldn't wear pants that are too tight, but wearing pants that are too baggy can also cause problems. The cloth can bunch up under your seat, causing raw spots on your skin. Yep, saddle sores.

Lastly, don't stay seated the whole ride. Every now and then, stand up in the stirrups. Not only does this give your seat a break from the saddle, it gives your leg muscles an opportunity to move rather than being in the same position for three straight hours.

Some other things to consider . . . .

A hard, slick seat on a saddle is more comfortable for long rides than a padded, sueded saddle. Kind of ironic, but true.

Lactic acid can be one cause of muscle cramps. Lactic acid occurs when your body digests lactose, the sugar in dairy products. If you are not used to using your legs at least a little bit, you may want to minimize the amount of dairy products you consume for the 24 hours prior to the ride.

I'm working in a horse spelling property. And a new horse is unloaded after some hour's travel on a truck. How do I cater for this horse

Lead the horse out of the trailer and walk him/her slowly around. Letting the horse run right away can either pull tendons, or in worse cases, even cause colic.
Offer the horse a drink of water,a small amount of hay, and a stall or small paddock to be turned out in. Do NOT turn the horse out with other horses at this time. He/she needs to get used to their surroundings first. And horses have a pecking order, which will, in the days to come, be established between the horses themselves, without human interference. The horse should be left alone (though check on him every so often) in the stall or paddock. Allow him/her a few days, up to a week to get used to things before expecting work from him/her.

I am curious as to what the difference is among 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level dressage? Are there any more than 4 levels?

Here is a link that tells you which movements are involved in each level (US and Dutch equivalents):

http://www.engelsehoeve.nl/horses/horse_video/dressage%20levels%20translator.htm

This link explains each level (US site):

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/articles/horses/002-02.htm

Charts and nice organized websites are easier to read than anything I could attempt to explain!