Stealing Horse Tails - Am I Serious?

Interesting week - sudden infestation of Indian mynah birds prompted action from the local bird catcher. He rounded up the lot in one afternoon. Awesome skill and modesty combined...just for a few beers too. Now is a friend for life.

A Dexter woman says she's furious that someone cut off the tails of three of her horses and wants to warn other horse owners about the problem. This crops up from time to time and here's a short video from 7 news (in the US) about the latest occurence. Weird....why would you want to steal a tail? Are economic times really that bad?

Grooming a horse has a dramatic effect...new research. Stormie Schoolcraft is a seventh-grader at Alta Vista Middle School, the only student from AVMS to be invited to the state science fair. Her interest in rodeo led to a project that got her horse involved. My project was to see what kind of effect grooming a horse had on its heart rate," she said. "Grooming the horse (after exercising) makes the heart rate slow down dramatically. "When I just left her alone and let her relax, it slowed down but not as much," she said Courtesy of Carslbad Current Argus. Now that's something really worth knowing.

Here's a whole load of horse videos posted free on line by Horse.com. There's every subject you could think of including a very comprehensive horse training section. You really ought to have a look.

We've had a few entries for our competition but not nearly enough. There are great prizes so why not have a go. The 'tame vet' who helps me judge the winners is really fed up. I think he's going through a 40 plus crisis but some more entries would aid his ego and give him an excuse to eat more muffins at my expense. You can help him.

Protect your horse’s health with these five tips to reduce trailering stress. They missed out one important one though...exmining hooves for small stones before trailering.

This video clip has nothing to do with horses but I laughed until I cried. What an idiot....

A good friend sent me this link to a short video showing a very young foal trying to find out if his Mum has any food for him and where the dickens is it? Lovely clip...

This is skijoring, where horse racing and skiing collide to form one of the most dangerous sports this side of bull riding. For 60 years, skiers have been testing their abilities against powerful horses and jumps the size of small houses. Daft I call it.

Understanding Horse Personalities, Part 1: The 4 Basic Personality Types. Knowing more about your horse’s personality type can help you ride and train better. By Yvonne Barteau and courtesy of Equisearch.

We have two copies of 'The Riders Fitness Programme' in stock. If you want to keep slim and trim with your horse this season then it's worth a look. The book features more than 85 exercises designed to help new riders get over the aches and pains of getting started and experienced riders hone their skills and technique and prevent injuries.


Have a great week.
Geoff

Horses Playing Football?!

You won't believe this.
There are some nice, short videos of talented horses playing with footballs of various sizes. We could almost put a team together. From Horse Training Success blog.

We've planted a big crop of veggies in the patch this season to carry us through the winter since vegetables are getting so expensive. I've found a great way to control the birds and caterpillars together...the water pistol filled with pyrethrum mixture. Works a treat.

Some great articles for you this week. Informative and useful..these courtesy of Equisearch. We all know horses can act stupid on occasion, both amusing and confusing their caretakers. But which, if any, of these equine actions are considered normal? One way for horse owners to find out is to study the 11 primary categories of equine behavior as outlined in My Horse University's online Horse Behavior and Welfare Course, based out of Michigan State University.


Click 'n Learn: Flying Lead Change with Clinton Anderson
Control of your horse's hind end is key to overall control of his forward motion. Use the Click 'n Learn stop-action sequence to see Clinton Anderson's flying lead change as it happens.

EquiSearch's Ask the Vet: Horse Allergies. Horses with allergies need help regulating their immune systems. Dr. Joyce Harman explains what to do in EquiSearch.com's Ask the Vet.
Question: My 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding has many allergies (food/environment). He is allergic to molasses, corn, oats and timothy/orchard mix hay......

A zorse is what happened in a German safari park when a zebra named Ulysses got hot to trot for a horse named Eclipse. To the park keepers’ surprise Eclyse the zorse was born and she is rare. Weird or what....

I didn't know that there was a Miss Rodeo pageant every year... when I viewed these pics I thought it's almost worth the trip.

No, she’s not sinking is she? — or is she just short? Mayflower, a small Shetland pony has become a minor celebrity in her hometown of Southhampton, Hants in the UK. Four times passers by have called emergency rescue services because they thought the pony was sinking into the mud by a river...is she or isn't she? Courtesy of Elizabeth Goldsmith and Equine Ink.

If you've a horse in a boggy field then there's always a chance of him getting ringworm, mud fever or some other nasty fungal infection. Why take the chance? We've a great offer on H10 ointment and spray and you can read what others think too.

Have a great week

Close Shave From The Cyclone

Our local surfies have been queing up along the beach car parks waiting for the waves from Cyclone Hamish. They seem to be the only people disappointed that the storm is dwindling, thank goodness.
There's been so much rain that I'm fed up with lawn mowing. I've an idea to dig it up and plant fruit trees but that's met with some opposition....

Here's an useful equine expense sheet so that you can calculate all your costs involved in keeping your horse(s). Courtesy of Equisearch. Thanks.

Bad hay is more than unappetizing for your horse. Moldy, dusty or spoiled roughage can trigger respiratory allergies or colic in horses. Buying your hay from a reputable supplier reduces your chances of getting an unacceptable lot, but an occasional bad bale can slip into any shipment. Here's how to test it:

I make no apology for this video...and I hope you laugh yourself silly. I did. It's got all the basic mistakes courtesy of French & Saunders. What skilled riders.

Here's a new blog I found from Katherine Blocksdorf. It's different in that she covers a multitude of topics with some great links to other sites. Worth a look.

The economic impact of the horse industry?. This short letter looks at the impact of the current fiscal crisis in the US on the horse industry. Why print it? Well, I hope things don't get to this stage here in Aus but it's salutary if emotional piece.

The Dubai International Horse Fair (DIHF) 2009 will be held from 19 – 21 March at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hall 5 & 6. This development is in line with the huge growth of the Equestrian Market in the Middle East. New equestrian projects are being developed, driven by the rapid 5% annual growth in population and further propelled by the region's heritage as a culture of horse-lovers. What a show too...if you haven't had a preview you can, here and you can read the 2008 show report too.

Do you watch ER on the TV? Well, here's the equine equivalent together with all the drama and illustrations too.

Some people spend a lot of time and money bathing and conditioning the manes on their horses. Does that really help? Here's a short sound bite from expert Rick Lamb on the importance of looking after
your horses mane and tail.

I've put a big list of all types of horse books you can view here on the H10 site. They're at our usual discounts so it's well worth a look.

Have a great week!

A Horse With 3 Legs On The Ground All The Time!?

We've got lemons coming out of our ears...the trees in the garden have a bumper crop so I'm thinking of selling it to the local Woolies since they're charging $6 a kilo.
I've changed the format of the newsletter back so that you can access everything from this email although it's still available on the blog and H10 web site

Create a Dancing Partnership with Your Horse
Ride your horse's hindquarters to create impulsion, suspension and balance, without confining his movement and rhythm.

Question: I have a 2-year-old gelding whose disposition turned sour recently. My son was feeding him grain in an over-the-fence feeder and all of a sudden the horse tried to pin him up beside the fence with his rear. Then he ran toward him and tried to stomp him with his front hooves. What's going on??
Here's the answer, courtesy of Equisearch.

Fence Maintenance - Better Safe than Sorry - Common Sense Fence Maintenance by Lori Roets from her website at www.loriroets.com.

The Fjord horse has its own unique conformation, which is a blend of draft horse muscling and bone, with smaller size and greater agility. It has a strong, arched neck, good feet, and a compact, muscular body. Lovely photo here of a really individual horse breed.

We've a little gizmo that teaches you how to measure a horse properly. That's important in a selling situation because you don't want to be arguing over height or size...just the price. It's a liitle download from H10, scanned for virus of course.

We all know that a correct fitting saddle is vital...but how do you go about deciding what's a correct fit. This video might help you. Nice saddles too. From Deanna Castro's blog with thanks

The Peruvian Paso horse has three unique gaits and three feet on the ground at all times, resulting in an unusual but very smooth ride. Great video courtesy of National Geographic with apologies about the short ad.

Most horse owners know how tough it can be just loading an animal onto a trailer. Tim Scarberry's horses will climb up on the roof. All he has to do is ask. Worth a read believe me.

We're still offering a 2 for 1 deal on H10 ointment. Click here to see what others think about it and why it's do darned good.

Have a great week.

How To Measure Your Horse Properly

Here's a little programme that you can download free from the H10 web site and it will show you how to measure your horses properly.

I read of so many problems and complaints with incorrect horse measurement particularly in the 'For Sale' side of things.

The file will download to your hard disk and then you can open it as usual. It has been checked to be virus free of course