Horse Safety Quiz
When my daughter first started driving, she decided to visit a friend who lives about two hours away. This was the first time she had driven a long distance by herself. So before she went and much to her annoyance, her father and I anxiously reminded her of all the safety rules about driving alone. When she competes out on trail, or over a cross country course, I have to bite my tongue when I feel myself wanting to do the same sort of thing. If I did, I'd only get the exasperated sigh that expresses how she thinks her mother is dumb as mud. She has been raised on horseback, and the safety rules have been ingrained from the start. (Of course, I have to suppress a snicker when she does the same thing to me.) When we are working with horses, there is a lot to remember. We want to avoid accidents and injury to our horses or ourselves. Do you know how to stay safe while grooming, riding and driving? Test your horse and pony safety knowledge with the Horse Safety Quiz.
Vesicular Stomatitis in Horses
It seems the dry hot weather we've been having means some diseases that we don't normally see are making an appearance. Vesicular Stomatitis has already made headlines after two horses in New Mexico were reported. While this is not a deadly disease for horses, its spread to other livestock is significant because its symptoms are so similar to some other diseases that have a devastating effect on beef, dairy and goat herds. Your horse has a pretty good chance of recovering fully from vesicular stomatitis, but strict quarantine and hygiene is required until the outbreak is over. My article will tell you what to look for, how it affects your horse and how to look after a horse with this disease.
There's Lots More to Read About Horse Diseases :
Horse Quiz - What Comes Next?
Riding is much more than just getting on a horse and galloping into the sunset. Some things just need to be done to ensure everyone's safety and comfort. Do you know how to safely bring your horse in from the pasture, saddle up, and then cool out and put your horse away after a ride? Test your safety and horse care knowledge with the What Comes Next Quiz. Good luck!
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Can You Learn to Ride a Horse With An Online Course?
You can't really learn to ride well from a website, book or video. There are no secrets to learning to ride a horse and the best and safest way to learn to ride is with the guidance of a competent instructor or coach. A coach or instructor can help you start out right, catch bad habits before they become ingrained, prevent you from making possibly dangerous errors and give you encouragement and support. Perhaps you can't afford weekly lessons, but I have found that even the occasional lesson leaves me with lots to work on and think about. My completely free, without obligation Learn to Ride Email Course however, will introduce you to horseback riding and prepare you with knowledge of what to expect as you learn to ride with an instructor.
More Resources For Learning About Horses and Riding
- Have fun and learn with the Test Your Horse Savvy Email Course. Enjoy six weeks of quizzes that test your horse knowledge.
- Receive my weekly newsletter with tips and information for beginner horse riders and owners.
Horse Quiz of the Week: Saddle Fit Quiz
Saddle fitting can be difficult, but it's worth taking the time to make sure you've found the best fitting saddle for you and your horse. Even though my saddle fit Trillium well, the padding inside had shifted, forming hard lumps. After the saddle had been adjusted, little problems like being unwilling to travel in frame for anything but a short time, or refusing to do a rein back were almost instantly solved. Now because her muscles have changed again, I need to have the saddle adjusted to fit her new shape. But I've learned that it is money well spent.
Photo 2007 K. BlocksdorfHow much do you know about saddle fitting? Take the Saddle Fit Quiz quiz and test your knowledge. Did you know you can get horse quizzes delivered to your email inbox? Sign up now for the Test Your Horse Savvy quiz series.
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What Goes In, Must Come Out...
Read More About Stable Management:
Top Reasons Not to Wear a Riding Helmet - And Why They Are All Excuses
Image: 2005 K. Blocksdorf
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Cleaning Saddle Pads, Blanket and Turn-Out Rugs
Imagine how excited I was to come home from riding last weekend to find my husband at work cleaning my saddle pads! I handed him the hair and dust coated saddle pad I had just used and he went right to work. The pad came beautifully clean. Even my white dressage pad, which I usually replace each summer because it becomes too stained for show ring use came out almost like new.
In the past, I've crammed pads, sheets and coolers in the washing machine. Even with a large capacity washer, it's a tight fit and the items don't seem to come completely clean. Horse gear isn't usually welcome at laundromats, and if you've ever done a load of dark wash after you've laundered your white horse's gear, you'll know why. The hair tends to cling to the inside of the washer and get deposited on the next load. Large rugs are impossible to wash in a home machine. So instead of struggling with washing machines and driers, choose a nice sunny day and try this way of cleaning your saddle pads, blankets and turn-out rugs.
More About Blankets and Pads
How Horse Crazy Are You Quiz - Take the Interactive Horse Crazy Quiz
More Horse Quizzes
Do You Have Four-legged Termites?
Do your rail fences look like they've got fancy scalloped edges? Are the trees in your pasture slowly dying because the bark has been stripped off? Or, do you come out to find wood chips along the edges of your horse's stall? Could you have a bad case of four-legged termites? Actually, you've got a horse that has developed the habit of wood chewing. Horses chew would for a number of different reasons, and they're a bit different from the habit of cribbing. Learn about the different causes of wood chewing, how it can affect your horse and what you can do about it. Read Learn Why Horses Chew Wood and How to Solve The Problem to help solve your ' four-legged termite' problems.
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