Horse Picture Article
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Horse Picture Article
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Ridin' To Dreamland Collectible Little Girl Doll With Wooden Rocking Horse
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Why Did My Horse Do That? Shying from butterflies or refusing to get on a trailer....why do horses act so silly? Can't they understand that there's no danger? Begin to see the world through the horse's eyes and learn how you can help them over some of their hangups. How many times have you heard someone grumble about their horse doing something they thought was uncalled for? They might be fussing about a horse that shied at something as harmless as a butterfly or complaining about a horse that refused to get on a trailer. To the human, these and many other actions don't make any sense. We know butterflies and horse trailers aren't something our horses should be concerned about, but they don't see and think about things our way. Horses and humans are two very different species who see the world from different perspectives and react to it differently. To start with, humans have eyes on the front of their heads, like other predators, and see better to the front. On the other hand, horses' eyes are set to the sides where they can get more of a view to the sides and behind them. Being prey animals, they need a wider range of vision for their safety from predators. A horse's first line of defense when it is threatened is to flee. If that's not possible, then they can kick and bite to defend themselves. No matter that in today's environment horses are usually pretty safe from predators. They are wired to think in terms of a prey animal's survival instincts and will do so until they feel completely safe about whatever situation they are in. Sometimes just an ordinary item being in a different place will catch the attention and perhaps trigger the flight/fight instinct. I remember setting a bucket out in front of the barn one time and then having a horse shy when I walked it around the corner. The reaction didn't make much sense to me at the time because the horse wasn't afraid of feed buckets at all, but seeing it out of place caught her attention and she reacted before stopping to notice that it was an ordinary feed bucket! Another time, we were practicing swinging a lasso until my horse was desensitized to the moving rope. Then my instructor showed me a different throw, one that the only difference was that the rope swung counterclockwise rather than clockwise. It was like starting over on getting my gelding comfortable with the rope again. The difference in his reaction was due to the fact that he was seeing the rope come at him out of a different eye. Instead of coming from the left, the rope came from the right. Horse trailers are commonly a place where people get frustrated with their horses. To us, it's no big deal, but to the horse, a trailer can be a big scary place that might be harboring all kinds of horse-eating monsters. To walk up to a trailer and get on, a horse has to be willing to step up into and be surrounded and covered by solid barriers on all sides. Not a comfortable situation for an animal that needs to be able to run away from danger. Knowing this, humans can take time to make certain that their horses get over any claustrophobic tendencies before asking the horse to get on a trailer and stand there. If your horse can't stand close beside a wall, walk over a platform, and duck under something above its head, chances are it won't be comfortable getting on a trailer either. Work on those things away from the trailer, one situation at a time before putting all of them together and the likelihood of the horse getting on the trailer when asked is a lot greater. If we will take time to consider the world from the horse's viewpoint, a lot of things they do will make more sense to us and we will be able to find ways to help our horses become more comfortable with situations we expose them to. It works a lot better than just expecting them to see the world from our viewpoint which they never really will. Bonnie and her husband own Gemara Farm Foxtrotters located in Barnesville, Georgia. They currently have nine fox trotters of their own and practice natural horsemanship with them, and Bonnie coaches others. There are usually some fox trotters available for sale. http://www.gemara.homestead.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_Martin |
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Dona Gelsinger Heavenly Blessings Collectible Horse Carousel
First Musical Collectible Horse Carousel by Dona Gelsinger Celebrates the Joy of Children and Heavenly Blessings! Lights Up! - Sweet child angels and luminous white horses combine to recall childhood's simple joys. This collectible horse carousel celebrates life's "heavenly blessings" in a shimmering display of artistry, music and light. The heartfelt title adorns the base in a celebration of all the blessings we receive each day.This Ardleigh Elliott exclusive is meticulously crafted of Heirloom Porcelain(R) with 22K gold accents, the carousel glows with light and plays the melody "On the Wings of Love." A fine example of inspirational artwork and a thoughtful horse carousel gift for daughters, the carousel is adorned with words of blessing on each horse's saddle. Strong demand is expected for this limited-edition collectible from acclaimed angel artist Dona Gelsinger. Order now!
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A Fit Horse is Essential for Safe Carriage Driving ...and to get a horse fit can be a real battle. What does fitness actually mean? How can fitness be monitored in a horse? Why does a driving horse need to be fit? How can I make my driving horse fitter? This article tries to find an answer to all those questions and suggests in further reading an exercise program for horses. What does fitness actually mean? A horse shows no signs of distress during work and is able to do the tasks you ask for. Its health status is not affected by doing a certain distance at a certain speed. After work it should soon breathe normally again and look happy and not distressed. If it is heaving and sweating thoroughly even after 15 - 20 minutes, its not fit and needs a carefully adjusted exercise plan. What factors should be monitored and measured? There are three physiological factors, which can easily be monitored: pulse rate, respiration rate and body temperature. The pulse rate reflects the heartbeat rate and is measured by placing two or three fingers (not the thumb!) of one hand underneath the lower jawbone, where the artery crosses the bone. Count the number of beats per minute. The normal resting pulse rate is 30 - 40 bpm (beats per minute). In fit horses during trotting phases it can go up to 150 - 180 bpm. and decrease after a 10 -15 minutes rest to around 40 - 50 bpm. The respiration rate is measured by counting breathing intervals (= one in- and one expiration movement) per minute. It needs a bit of practice to monitor movements and time at once. The normal breathing rate at rest is around 10 - 20 breaths per minute. The third factor, the body temperature is usually measured rectally with a thermometer. Normal temperature n a horse is around 37*C. The shorter the time it takes for the horse's pulse and respiration rate to fall from the high rates achieved when working hard to the rates applying at rest, the fitter is the horse. Grass is the basic feed for a horse, but it won't become really fit on a sole grass diet. Weight control and an individually adjusted diet are crucial. But an overweight horse will struggle to pull a carriage and you or even a few passengers and being far too heavy. Health problems are pre programed. You need to follow an exercise regime to get your horse slowly and steadily fit. Dr.med.vet. Ellen Schmidt I am a veterinary surgeon living and working in Scotland, United Kingdom. My passion are horses and horse driving for pleasure and recreation. In my spare time I am creating and writing on my website http://www.discover-horse-carriage-driving.com This is an "Infoport" for hobbydrivers and horselovers who would like to get expert information about most aspects of equine driving. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ellen_Schmidt |
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