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A collection of pictures of horses.

Making Sense Of Horse Terms

There are so many horse terms, some that we understand and others that leave us a bit baffled. Leg parts, hoof anatomy, points, tack, and training methods. Gaits and illnesses add to the mix, and when we need to know what we’re talking about it’s so easy to trip over it all. Horse terms aren’t really as complicated and scientific as they seem at first, and below are a few of the most common ones that you will here in equine circles.

Frog- this is the v-shaped protrusion on the underside of the hoof, prone to fungus and tenderness if not properly cleaned on a regular basis.

Fetlock- the rear side of the lower leg joint, the knobby protrusion above the hoof area.

Forelock- the portion of the mane which falls forward between the ears and down the forehead.

Withers- the joint and muscle area located at the base of the neck where the mane usually ends, considered the top point of the animals shoulder. Horses are measured for height from the ground to the highest point of the withers.

Hands- originally meant to signify the average distance between the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky on a spread out hand, this unit of measurement equals a perfect four inches.

Lunging- a term for a training and exercising technique using a long lead (lunge) line and a whip. The whip is used for sound and motion only, and the optimal outcome produces a more supple and responsive horse.

Canter- the third natural gait in a horse’s speed progression. The canter can be a very slow, gentle gait which you would ask for in place of the choppier trot, and can be fast enough to encourage a full out gallop if it isn’t controlled properly. It is the most comfortable and desirable gait for riders.

Gallop- The fastest, four beat gait of the horse. This gait is identified by the full stretch and retraction of the horse’s back, neck, and legs during each beat. This gait is capable of producing speeds toppling 30 miles per hour.

Colic- a potentially deadly digestive tract condition in horses. Horses have one stomach, and do not have the ability to regurgitate. Should a bloating or blockage occur with the sensitive stomach or intestinal areas, the pain becomes unbearable to the horse, and blood circulation becomes deficient in that area. A horse needs to move in order to digest. The more movement, the better chance your horse has of passing the blockage and coming out of colic. This is why a horse befallen with colic should never be allowed to lay down or consume any food or water.

These horse terms are merely a drop in the bucket, yet hopefully mean the difference between confusion and understanding. Good luck.

Some Useful Tips On Horse Behavior

Horse behavior is one of the key things that many people don’t seem to know, or even care about. Your horse will tell you everything you need to know about how you’re doing as a groomer, an owner, a rider, a trainer, and a friend. If you know what to listen for, or should I say look for, you could be well on your way to creating a much better relationship. We should start with the two basic instinctual aspects of horse behavior, the first being the fact that they are social animals.

Horses can and do thrive in the singular sense, if they are not given the opportunity to herd together in pasture. In cases of the single horse, behavior leaning toward his social needs will show in a different way. The singular horse is more apt to befriend the family dog, or to stand at the gate and sway back and forth at the sight of a human, because you are his herd. This is why some of the wilder, less obedient horses become more calm and focused for training when confined away from their fellow equines. With nobody to show off for, and nothing to look forward to back at the pasture, these horses can’t wait for some interaction with you.

The second key aspect of horse behavior is their strong flight instinct. Horses are in constant migration in the wild, searching for greener pastures and plentiful sources of water. They are natural prey for many mountain and forest predators, and their first defense against attack is their speed and agility. Though they can kill quite easily, horses would rather not risk mortal wounds or being taken down. It takes them too long to stand back up, and this spells almost certain death.

A common mistake, and an innocent one, is to allow your horse to infringe on your personal space. You love him, he knows it, so you have become a rubbing post or a walking bumper car. The problem with this is, of course, your safety. He is an animal who is capable of seriously injuring you, whether he knows it or not. You must impose a protective barrier between you and your horse, one that he is not allowed to infringe upon. To do this, use the same pressure techniques that you use for all of your dealings with him. If he becomes indignant or aggressively stubborn about it, a sudden, loud yell will let him know that you are serious. Physical punishment is never recommended, but you should be able to startle him into submission.

Important Facts About Horse Pedigrees

Horse pedigrees are basically the family tree of your purebred equine. They are critical in not only proving the pure bloodlines of your horse’s origins, but are used to control double breeding and to prevent inbreeding. Horse pedigrees date back as far as the 8th century in such early breeds as the Arabian and the Andalusian. Later, designer breeds such as the Thoroughbred were perfected by careful crossbreeding until the desired conformations and lines were achieved by the cream of the crop. These exemplary horses were then bred against each other to solidify the blood origins of the breed.

Today, such relatively new crosses as the Morab can earn horse pedigrees, as the promise and popularity of this Arabian and Morgan mix has proven itself a safe and worthy one. Official blood line papers are only available from the associations and clubs which are founded for that particular breed. In other words, one cannot apply for registration of a Quarter Horse at The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Registry. Breeds must be recognized by their perspective associations as specified by the unanimous characteristics and distinct historical lines of that breed.

Registration of pedigreed, purebred horses costs a bit of money, and there are usually time limits imposed as to the birth and/or purchase and breeding of an animal. This is especially true with the breeds who are in high demand and whose bloodlines are imperative to their carrying on, both  professionally and in the maternal and paternal senses. Basically, the more expensive and talented a horse is, the more valuable his pedigree becomes.

An important point on this subject is the possibility of a surprise success with a more obscure breeding attempt. What this means, for example, is that your mare may be a descendant of Secretariat himself, but the unproductive crossings of her predecessors placed them out of the running as quality race horses. She is still pedigreed, but in a much less rigorous category as her immaculate forefather was. If she should, however, carry a recessive gene which throws an amazing champion foal, her bloodline, and those of her offspring, will become much more valuable. For this reason, along with the ones aforementioned, up-to-date and officially registered horse pedigrees are an absolute must.

A Few Guidelines For Proper Horse Nutrition

Feeding will depend vastly upon the workload and everyday activity level of your horse. Nutrition is of the utmost importance to every aspect of your horses health. Malnutrition can be easily detected, causing such telltale signs as dull, patchy coat, difficulty shedding properly per season, loss of weight, loss of muscle tone, lack of interest in water, runny nose, lethargy, and nervousness, just to name a few. If you recognize any of these symptoms with your horse, nutrition may be lacking and some adjustments will be needed right away. Lost muscle mass can be a devastating set back to the future of your equine charge, not to mention the danger which comes with the foraging that hungry or nutrient deficient horses will do.

Unless you keep gluttonous horses who don’t know when to say no, a constant supply of hay should be available for your horses. If your horses are younger, and have constant access to hay but are still losing weight or showing signs of malnutrition, you will need to worm your horses and check your hay for quality. The greener the better, of course, but if your hay is composed of too many stalks, your horses will not only be lacking in proper caloric balance, but this type of hard to digest food source can cause painful, potentially deadly blockage and colic.

If you have older horses who are privy to a constant source of hay but are still losing weight, you will need to check their teeth. Often, the rear teeth of older horses recede and fall out, and they can not chew. These horses will need supplements such as softened beet pulp or senior pellets. They will still attempt to eat hay, so don’t be fooled by the mere vision of them standing around the hay bail. Toothless horses can quickly fall to starvation, no matter how much hay they pretend to chew.

Everything You Want To Know About The Amazing Belgian Horse

The Belgian Horse most generally strikes awe and sheer respect with those lucky enough to give him an audience. Referred to as the Horse of Flanders during the 15th century, the Belgian Horse is immediately derived from the Brabant Heavy Draught Horse of Belgium. None of the strength and determination of the breed has been lost on this secondary strain, but merely a slight amount of the sheer mass indicative of the ancient Brabant. There is so much to say, and so little room on this page, so perhaps we should get started.

The Belgian Horse was widely migrated throughout the European continent toward the late 15th century, and his excellent reputation for brute strength and kind amiability proceeded him. He was an easy breeder, his blood line strong, and his improvements upon existing breeds eminent. He is single handedly responsible for such fine breeds as the Clydesdale, the Shire, and the Suffolk Punch. He never complained, he never faltered. He was an exemplary horse in form, strength, endurance, and temperament. His journeys abroad began in the 16th century, where again he was highly respected and quickly began to rebuild the working stock wherever he roamed.

In the America’s, the rumor of this super horse were running rampant, but the only ones with enough clout to ship horses to the mainland were the rich. Unfortunately, being rich during this time period also meant being haughty, judgmental, and vain. The Belgian was rumored to have an unsightly, bulky build, short legs, and a barrel-shaped, undignified head. This was unacceptable to high society, who was famous for breaking the winds and backs of gorgeous horses in order to keep their heads fashionably high. An ugly horse, no matter how useful, had no place in the barn of an influential.

The Belgian Horse did not find his way to North America until the early 1800’s, where he quickly proved himself worthy of the praise that proceeded him. His blood began to influence every breed from mules to mustangs. Anything that needed calming or bulk or strength was supplemented by the Belgian. Today, strains are being created for pleasure and trail riding, incorporating longer legs and less bulk with the perfectly cooperative and intelligent personality of this beautiful breed.

The Truth About The Buckskin Horse

The buckskin horse is not a breed, though they can and should be registered with the American Buckskin Registry Association for recorded evidence of the presence of the cream gene. The buckskin color can occur in nearly any breed of horse, and is much sought after by breeders and hobbyists alike. The cream gene which produces the distinct color features of the buckskin horse can be extremely illusive to the untrained eye, making it difficult to successfully breed for this rare color.

The buckskin horse is not to be confused with the dun horse, as they are very different from one another. The easiest way to pick out the dun horse, for the novice, is to find the dorsal stripe. This telltale marking is dark and runs down the entirety of the spine. The body color of the dun tends to be consistent, which is to say that the color of the body, neck, and face usually don’t vary from one area to the other. The points, which would be the ears, the muzzle, and the eye areas, aren’t usually darker than the rest of the body either. The legs, however, are horizontally striped with black that leads down to a solid black near the bottom, matching the mane and tale. A beautiful color, but not as rare as the buckskin.

The buckskin horse boasts a completely different shading and under glow than does the dun. The presence of the cream gene turns a sorrel, bay, chestnut, or black into a buckskin, which omit’s the possibility of a dun stripe altogether.

Just as the palomino is not a breed but a color created by a recessive gene, the buckskin horse was intended to be a dark horse, but the gene mutation has diluted the dark hair follicles everywhere except for the mane, tail, legs, ears, and nose. This dilution is not consistent, which gives the beautiful buckskin that wavy, under glowing creamy appearance, no matter how dark the horse is. The cream gene can occur in blacks, and the result of this is tentatively called a “smokey grullo.” This is possibly the most rare color mutation associated with this breed, and is quite a sight to behold.

The buckskin does not have a dorsal stripe, he does not have the zebra leg stripes, and he tends to have a wavy, inconsistent tone to his coat. All points are darker than the main mass area of the body, and one should be able to positively identify a true buckskin horse based on these facts. If you should be graced with the honor of meeting a true buckskin, give him a nice friendly pat for me.

Everything You Need to Know About The Smallest Horse

The smallest horse breed in the world is actually raised in Argentina, and are known as Falabellas. The American standard of miniature horse is born of many strains, and as such is not recognized by any official equine association. But they truly do exist, and have made the Guinness Book Of World Records for over 14 years running. Hope, a 21 inch high (at the withers), miniature horse held the record of the world’s smallest horse until 2001, when along came the amazingly sweet Black Beauty. At merely 18 inches high, she held tight to her Guinness thrown, and to her spot on the couch in front of the television, for 5 years. In 2007, a pretty little bay by the name of Thumbelina measured in at an astounding 17 ½ inches at the withers, and is still holding on as the world’s smallest horse.

Thumbelina enjoys sleeping in the farmyard doghouse when she isn’t frequenting The Today Show and country wide charity functions. It seems that she has no idea how truly little she is, and is fully respected by even the largest animals on the farm. They say that animals don’t know their size, and Thumbelina proves that they must be right.

She was born in early May of 2001, weighing in at an alarming 8 ½ pounds. This is merely ounces heavier than the average newborn human. Riddled with detrimental health issues, including weak lungs, Thumbelina had to fight her way through infancy, and fight she most certainly did. She emerged from all the worrisome trials as an energetic, sweet, and comical addition to the Goose Creek Farms family.

Thumbelina, and the world record holding horses before her, is actually a dwarf miniature horse. Dwarfism occurs in many mammals, even humans. It is a birth defect, and was not expected or intended to happen. Thumbelina’s owners joke that she is a mini mini, and this isn’t too far from the truth. Weighing just 57 pounds, she is a horse who eats one cup of grain per day, and merely nibbles at her hay. Quite a far cry from the worlds largest horse, the Belgian giant known as Radar. He stands 6 feet 7 ½ inches at the withers, and weighs in at a whopping 2407 pounds. He eats more than Thumbelina’s weight per day, consuming 18 pounds of grain and 40 pounds of hay in a twenty four hour period.

The standard miniature horse stands between 25 and 34 inches at the withers, and weighs anywhere between 73 and 140 pounds, depending on how lazy he chooses to be! Good luck to the miraculous little Thumbelina and her tiny peers.

The ABC’s Of Horse Fencing

In an ideal world, horse fencing would not only be cost effective, but safe and secure to boot. There are so many choices in horse fencing out there today, and each have their very own strengths and downsides. Safety and security has to pertain to both our equine friends, and to ourselves. Horses need a strong, somewhat flexible, and secure area of confinement, and it is our job to provide just that. The following is a quick once over of the do’s and don’ts of horse fencing.

One of the most important factors to consider when installing or upgrading your horse fencing is the distance between the horizontal posts of the fence. Wire mesh fencing, especially that which has squares or holes larger that three inches in diameter, makes for a very unsafe construction and should not be considered a viable option. One stray hoof is all it takes to create an absolute disaster, as the horse struggles and tangles further, and usually isn’t found until he has been down and in pain for hours. Also no barbed wire of any kind, and no horizontal boards any lower than 18 inches from the ground. These are all extreme safety hazards for your horse.

There are many alternatives to the standard wood and electrical fencing options. The issue that many face with wooden fencing is that it needs pretty consistent upkeep. Nailed boards toward the outer perimeter of the fence can be pushed out by a busy or curious horse, and the elements do their fair share to weaken the wood as well. If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, than a fence is only as strong as its weakest board. It can also be misleading to depend on electric fencing alone, as there are many technical and weather related issues which can knock out the power source to your fence, sometimes for hours before you realize what’s happened. It seems most people figure out that their electric fence isn’t working by looking out the window and watching their horses frolic freely through the yard. It happens all the time.

There are PVC and vinyl horse fencing options available today which not only withstand the elements, but that are safe and slightly flexible. They also discourage the dangerous habit of cribbing, and those who own equine gate crashers will have less stress about injury. This fencing option has just the right balance between give and strength. Tape fencing is another interesting option, using very heavy rope that looks like tow strapping, as it focuses on both complete safety and user friendliness. These alternatives can have a greater initial cost than the old standards, but the long term peace of mind may just be worth it for you. 

One of the most important aspects of horse info available is that having to do with the personalities and behaviors of horses in general. There are far too many categories of horse info to cover in so short a time, so let’s go over some key factors involving different inherent traits of some of the most popular breeds. This helps to give clarity to those who are either choosing their first equine friend, or those looking to add new horses to an existing stable.

The most popular breed of “pet” or “hobby” horse is the Quarter Horse. The most sound, foundation stock of this breed are renowned for their intelligence, their formidable and stocky physique, and their amiability. A multitalented and diverse breed, this would be the horse most likely to be considered “bomb proof” when trained properly. They are brave, calm, and are excellent sprinters. Their name is derived from the fact that they can maintain their full speed for a quarter of a mile, and they shoot forward like a cannon ball from a dead stand. Some more high strung cross breeds have been developed of late, some of Arabian persuasion, and others of Thoroughbred lines. These crosses are generally created for a more firry sporting horse, such as those destined for the jumping, race track, and dressage arenas.

Horse info on the Arabian breeds can be a bit confusing for the novice horsemen, as the two distinct bloodlines are quite different in temperament and in appearance. The lesser known of the two breeds, the Egyptian Arabian, is thought to have a more calm standing demeanor, yet does not lack the spirited love of running which this strain is beloved for.

The Arabian was the first domesticated horse, dated back to the 7th century by markings of horses with tell-tale concave faces and tails carried high. What you need to remember about the Arabian is that, though they are not prone whatsoever to temper or tantrums toward humans, their indomitable spirit and unstoppable stamina is in the blood. It can not be broken, nor should any attempts be made to train it out of them. The three hour trot through the trails designed to exercise and calm any other horse merely serves as an appetizer for the spunky, energetic Arabian. Endurance and brevity are mainstays with this breed, and unless you can truly appreciate and be inspired by this awesome horse, you should think twice about owning one.

The Thoroughbred is quickly becoming a family, rodeo, and jumping favorite. With the recent movement for Thoroughbred race horse rescue, more and more abused, injured, and neglected Thoroughbreds are finding loving homes with those who see the extreme intelligence and potential of this regal breed. They can be easily trained, or rerouted, for anything from pleasure saddle and dressage to rodeo. Though they can be stubborn and a bit spirited, the Thoroughbred can be the perfect horse for the intermediate horseman.