Ward - Your healthy & happy horse : how to care for your horse and have fun too!

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Karla Austin, Project Manager

Michelle Martinez, Editor

Book design and layout by Bocu & Bocu

Photographs by Lesley Ward

Copyright 2003 by I-5 Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ward, Lesley.

Your healthy & happy horse : how to care for your horse and have fun too! / from the editor of Young rider magazine, Lesley Ward.

v. cm.

Contents: Finding the right horse -- Footloose in the field -- A stable life -- Staying healthy -- Feeding facts -- A good fit -- In and out of the saddle -- When good horses go bad! -- Saying goodbye.

ISBN 1-931993-40-8 (Paperback : alk. paper)

eISBN 978-1-620080-11-5

1. Horses--Juvenile literature. 2. Horsemanship. [1. Horses. 2. Horsemanship.] I. Title: Your healthy and happy horse. II. Title.

SF302.W343 2003

636.1'083--dc21

2003007070

I-5 Press
A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC
3 Burroughs
Irvine, California 92618

Printed and Bound in Singapore
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Your horse is your best friend, so spend as much time with him as you can.

INTRODUCTION

G alloping down leafy trails, jumping over fences, and winning ribbons at showsthese are the activities that make owning a horse lots of fun. But if you and your horse arent well suited for each other, or if hes not looked after properly, you might not get to do any of these amazing activities.

The key to having a great time with a horse is to buy one who is right for you in the first place. Keep an open mind when youre searching. If your horse is too hot for you to handle, you wont want to spend time with him. You might want a flashy palomino, but the best horse for you might be a quiet bay.

Once you get your new partner home, its time to think about his health and happiness. If he isnt fed properly or has to stand out in the freezing cold with no shelter, he wont feel like racing around barrels or popping over an oxer. If hes not vaccinated regularly, he might get sick and then you wont be able to ride at all.

The way you ride your horse affects his performance, too. If all you do is school in an arena every day, your horse will get bored and may lose interest in his work. If you were a horse, would you like to go around in circles all the time? Why not break up your schooling sessions and go on a trail ride with a pony pal?

Owning a horse or pony is a big responsibility. Your horse relies on you to look after him properly. If you do a good job, youll have a super time with himboth in and out of the saddle.

A slow, steady horse can do great in western pleasure classes.

CHAPTER ONE

FINDING THE RIGHT HORSE

B efore you begin searching for a horse, you need to ask yourself a few important questions. The first one is, Am I experienced enough to look after a horse? Be honest! Do you know what and how much a horse eats? Do you know what vaccinations a horse needs? Would you be able to tell if your horse was sick?

If you dont feel sure about these answers, wait a while before buying a horse. Spend as much time as you can at the barn before and after your lessons. Offer to help feed and groom the horses. Ask a pony pal if you can hang out with her and learn all you can about how she cares for her horse. It wont be long before youre ready to own a horse.

The second question you must ask yourself is, What kind of horse do I need? Young riders often buy unsuitable horses, and then no one wins. The horses end up being ridden by trainers or soldand who knows what fate awaits them then? Life would be better for many horses if their riders had spent a little more time searching for suitable four-legged partners.

While you cant guarantee that the horse you buy is going to be perfectvery few horses areyou can take some sensible steps that will increase your chance of finding a good partner, one that will have a happy home with you for a long time.

STARTING YOUR SEARCH

The key to buying a suitable four-legged partner is finding one that can do the activities you want to do. Never force a horse to do a job he cant do; hell end up unhappy and frustrated. If you want to barrel race, theres no point in buying a dressage star. If you want to compete in pleasure classes, dont buy a speedy horse. If you want to trail ride, dont buy a hyperactive horse.

Offer to groom the pony you ride at riding school.

Do you want to compete in show jumping classes with your horse?

Before you begin your search, sit down with your parents and make a list of the things you want to do with your horse. Here are some fun equestrian activities:

Barrel racing

Competitive or noncompetitive trail riding

Cutting

Dressage

Endurance riding

Eventing

Gymkhana events and mounted games

Jumping

Reining

When you meet a horse for the first time, tell his owners what activities youd like to do with him. If they want their horse to go to a good home, theyll be honest and let you know what he can and cant do.

WHERE TO LOOK

Start your search by letting your pony pals know that youre looking for a horse. Call up local Pony Club and 4-H leaders. They might know of a horse who needs a new rider. If you have a trainer, she should be able to line up some horses for you to try. Go to the local tack shop and look at the bulletin board where people post pictures and details about horses they are selling. Some of the best horses dont get advertisedthey sell by word of mouth. Its great to learn about a local horse whos for sale because then its easier to find out more about him.

This is one of the fun things you can do at a Gymkhana event.

Also, look in the newspaper and check the Horses for Sale section in the classifieds. Hunt for ads that contain phrases such as, perfect kids horse, quiet and calm, and good to clip and trailer. Avoid ads with phrases such as, green horse or needs experienced rider.