RIP Pondie

Sadly, yesterday (2/8/14) Pondie passed away. He had to be put down a few days after his operation to remove a cyst from his face. The vet said he got a blood clot from not moving around too much after his  operation. He was slowly deteriorating, he was supposed to be released from the vet clinic on Saturday but he wasn't well :(

Hey!

I haven't been on for I while, I was busy with school, I still am but hopefully I will be able to post a few times a week! An Information thing about sinusitis will be posted in a few days and some other updates too!

See you soon! 

Grains

One use of grains is for feeding livestock like horses. Some grains that horses are fed are oats, barley and corn.

Oats, like many grains, are grown outdoors. After plantation, the crops take around 45 days to mature and be ready to harvest. Corn takes even shorter to grown while barley takes the longest to grow- up to 70 days.

While humans generally eat rolled oats for breakfast, horses eat whole oats. Grains may be fed by themselves or compressed with other food and vitamins. My horse, Pondie, eats whole oats and barley compressed with vitamins.

                          Pondie eating his food

                            What Pondie thinks of his food

                              Compressed barley (Gumnuts)

  Whole oats

Bye! Stay horsey,

~Livinia

Images belong to Horseyferret!

Hi

Sorry I haven't been on for a while. I had exams/tests/revision! Later today there will be a post about horse grains!

Bye!

Sorry!

This happens too often! I owe you guys an apology, I haven't been posting for a while!! I haven't being feeling so good and lots of work, anyway, I should always make time for my blog! New post WILL be up TOMORROW!! I promise:)
Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Any Ideas?

What do you guys need help with? I don't know what I should do on training Monday's as I don't know you guys. Please leave me your problems or any ideas!
Stay horsey
~Livinia :)

My bad!

Whoops! I forgot to write the horse breed of the week post, oh well, it'll be up tomorrow, sorry :)
Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Show-Jumping Rules

Like dressage, showjumping is also a very formal event horse breeds like hunters are used and once again, like dressage, it is performed in an arena.
Riders are given a course of jumps (jumping course) and before the event starts, they will walk the course to see how many strides between each jump and to help them memorize the jumps.
English tack is used, mainly an all-purpose saddle or a jumping saddle (for formal events, tack would be black) A hackamore or cavesson bridle are also used. Rides wear white breeches (or beige, cream or tan) a black competition jacket, helmet, gloves and tall riding boots or gaiters. Show-jumpers wear what hunter riders would wear.
Olympic and Grand Prix events have 10 jumps with 2 combinations (refer to 24th march for types of show jumps http://thehorseradishblog.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2014-03-31T23:26:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=14&by-date=false and http://thehorseradishblog.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2014-04-08T15:23:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false for jumping distance)
and the types of jumps varies from competition.
Penalties-
1st refusal- four faults
2nd refusal- elimination
Horse or rider fall- elimination
Exceeding  time limit- 1 point for every second
Foot in water- four faults

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Horse Riding Tips

This is a little different from what I usually do but here are 20 horse-riding tips to live by!

1- Never show fear
2- Learn to half halt (it will save you a lot)
3- Heels down!
4- Lean back when going downhill
5- Lean forward when going uphill.
6- Don't give up easily
7- Sit straight
8- Be gentle on the reins, force will never help
9- Don't give up easily
10- Praise your horse if they do something good
11- Look up and ahead
12- Don't get angry
13- Get back on after a fall if you can
14- Head up, eyes up!
15- Check your girth before you get on
16- Measure your stirrups correctly
17- Make sure the reins are joint and not broken
18- Warm up and cool down your horse!!!!
19- When starting to jump, start with a small cross rail
20- Pull and release will help with slowing your horse down

Stay horsey,
~Livinia

P.S- feel free to comment on what you need help with or if you would like to know something about riding!

Akhal-Teke

Akhal-Teke

The Akhal-Teke originates from the country Turkmenistan. They are a hot-blooded breed which means they are active, agile and fast horses. They can be 14.2-15.2 hands high and can come in the colours chestnut, dun, grey or palomino. Their habitat is the desert since they originate from the hot climate of Turkmenistan. They have a beautiful long face and a slender body, long legs and a sleek muscular neck. 

Stay horsey,

~Livinia :)

Dressage Rules

Horses- Horses that compete in the Olympics and WEG are typically warm-bloods.
Arena- Dressage is performed in a 20 by 60 meter arena or a 20 by 40 meter arena with letters all around (AKVESHCMRBPF) 20 by 40- (AKEHCMPF) and in the middle the letters are- DLXIG
Tests- Dressage tests are usually marked from 0 through to 10-

0- not executed   

1- very bad

2- bad

3- very bad      

4- insufficient

5- marginal

6- satisfactory

7- fairly good

8- good

9- very good

10- excellent                                             

Tack- Tack for dressage is always English tack and your score also depends on how good you look and how neat your clothes and tack are. For dressage, a dressage saddle, cavesson or hanoverian bridle and a saddle pad. Tack is usually black but can be dark brown.
Clothing- Professional dressage riders dress very formally for competitions. They wear cream or (preferred) white breeches, white gloves, mostly white shirts, top hat or helmet, possibly tie and tailcoat or black riding jacket. (Tailcoats are worn in advanced competitions)

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Pilates for Horse-riding!

What you need-
Gym ball.
Dumbbells.

Exercise 1- On the gym ball, tilt pelvis back and forth.
Exercise 2- Move pelvis sideways.
Exercise 3- Hip circles- move your hips in a circular motion.


Exercise 4- lie on your tummy, your hands together under your chin. Lift your head and chest. Do the same exercise but with your hands by your side.
Exercise 5- Stand straight with your legs slightly apart, using dumbbells, slowly lift your arms until they are in front of you and in line with your shoulders.

Do these exercises a few times each, 10 minutes a day will improve your riding and balance!

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Lundy

The horse breed- Lundy- originates from the UK, although it is not a native breed from the UK, it was bred by crossing Welsh, Connemara and Thoroughbred. The Lundy's head is rather large with big eyes. Their legs are sturdy and have a long body. They can come in all solid colours such as chestnut and brown and also can be dun. The breed is quite small, they are usually around 13.2 hh. They are generally nice, kind and willing horses. Since they come from colder climates, they are agile and are hardy.

Stay fluffy,

~Livinia :)

Peritonitis

So today, Pondie was diagnosed with Peritonitis, he is an old horse (but doesn't look like it) so it was rather worrying but so far he is fine. The symptoms can be similar to colic and it can be confused with it too. Some symptoms of Peritonitis are-
- Looking and kicking at abdomen.
- Loss of appetite.
- Depression.
- Diarrhea or constipation.
- Rolling

Pondie was rolling, lost his appetite and was looking at his belly, which are all common signs of colic but of course, the best thing to do is call your vet out and have them see what is wrong. Peritonitis can be fatal (to humans and animals) if it is not treated immediately or properly. There can be different causes for horses getting Peritonitis, some more severe then others.
Causes-
- Bacterial infection (eg- worms in the soil)
- Injuries (eg- piercing through abdomen)

Injuries can be more fatal because if a- for example- stick penetrates the skin and goes through the abdominal wall, the dirty stick will introduce more bacteria then would if a horse consumes worms.
Bacterial infection can make the horse sick if a horse consumes something like worms, they can make small holes in the stomach, breeding more bacteria, creating inflammation of the horses peritoneum and causing pain and discomfort for the horse and eventually can be fatal if the horse is left untreated for too long.

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)  

The perfect bend

Bending your horses neck and head to the inside of the arena is vital in dressage. It may be difficult to achieve this, and it may need a professional horse trainer, but to help and get the results you want, I will share with you this 'must need' dressage training.

1- start to do a 20 meter circle on your (example) left rein. Some horses won't bend their necks is their not relaxed or warmed up so you will have to give them a forward trot and a canter on both reins.
2- To do a bend, you have to see the horses eye and muzzle, so you will need to pull back on the inside rein and keep the outside rein tight. If your horse pulls his head up, release your reins and try again. Remember to not get frustrated too soon, this takes practice.
3- If you are having trouble, do a tiny (and I mean tiny) circle in your 20 meter circle, your horse will bend their neck nicely, they can bend their neck to your knee is you wanted to do that. So try what you did in the small circle and do it on the big one.
4-Once your horse finally does the head bend for at least one circle, try it in trot, remember to keep the trot lively and big.

I hope this helped,
I didn't post the breed of the week last week because I had my cousin visiting and it was also Easter.

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Brushes

Grooming your horse is the preliminary level of riding and caring for horses, you have to do it, whether if your making your horse look nice or neat, to get the dirt and mud off before tacking up and to check for injuries, it needs to be done. So here are the brushes you use from the first one you have to use to the last.

Step 1-  You will need a rubber curry comb and a hard brush. Start by moving the curry comb on the horses coat in circular motions to loosen mud and dirt, then brush it away using the hard brush.

Step 2- Brush the dirt off the horses legs with the hard brush.

Step 3- Using the soft body brush, brush over the whole body with it, removing any remaining dirt.

Step 4- With the mane comb (or the mane and tail brush) and a hard brush, untangle and brush the horses mane and tail.

Step 5- Pick out your horses feet using a hoof pick.

Step 6- (optional) you can brush your horses face using a goat hair (or soft bristled) face brush. If you have washed your horse, after soaping and rinsing your horse, use a sweat scraper.

Stay horsey,

~Livinia :)

Tiny Horseland Haul!

I went to Horseland today and I thought I might share what I got with you guys! I put some items in that I got last time because today I only got 2 (I told you it would be tiny).

#1- Cream joddies! I got another pair of jodhpurs because I needed a new pair for competitions, I didn't get white ones because I wasn't planning to and there are extremely expensive but for these, they originally costed $60 but I had a voucher for $20 off (for $50 or more spent) so they were $40.

#2- I got a new pair of gloves. I got them for only $20, they are black and this velvety kind of texture, I got cheap ones this time because I have more expensive, better quality ones at home but I needed a pair for normal riding and especially with what I'm doing with Pondie, he is quite strong so I needed gloves with a good grip.

What I got last time!-
#3- Blue Jodhpurs! Yep, another pair. I got them just for normal riding purposes.

#4- A new halter for Pond. A red one in fact. I thought red would look nice on a chestnut horse? Now I want a red saddle cloth to match that.

#5- Curry comb and sweat scraper- I always misplace those two tools! It's always the curry comb and sweat scraper.

That's all. Sorry that it was small but at least it was something :)

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Jumping

I feel as if Pondie and I are improving in not rushing at jumps! Yes! If you are suffering from your horse(s) running at jumps, read on!
Tips-
-Wear gloves

1- I started off with doing a 20 meter circle in canter after warming up well, my not-so-strong-side is my right rein, so I did one circle on my right rein, then my left rein and so on for another 4 times. When you feel that you are strong on both reins, it's time for transitions!

Firstly, you will have to go wide and do a nice, big trot and every 10 or so strides or every second letter, you will halt. Simple? Halting can be easy but there are some things that I will tell you that will help your halting. Usually, before you halt, you will forewarn your horse that you are going to do so, but you also have to know how to suddenly halt, in different situations you will have to use a sudden halt, especially if your horse takes off or is uneasy, in a dressage test, to tell your horse your in charge and (in this case) for training. Some points you will have to know when halting, especially when doing this training, you will have to have your heels down (as always) and your legs forward, lean back and pull the reins. You may find the first few times hard as your horse isn't used to stopping from a canter and maybe so aren't you. So do halts using those tips a few times in a circle in a canter until you are confident and it seems easier to halt.

2-Now for jumping! set up a small cross-rail jump and get into an even, but slow trot. I put the jump between V and E, the next thing you have to do, if you feel your horse is speeding up before the jump, just stop like the first exercise.

The next step is to stop (halt) at the curve before the jump and stay for a few seconds, then continue onto a trot, once again stop, right in front of E, even at E and wait for a few seconds and continue over the jump, and don't let your horse canter! If he does, HALT and continue. Do this for a long time until when you are trotting past the markers that you stopped at earlier, your horse should slow down without being told anything but remember to reward your horse when he slows down and don't stop 'tweaking' (pull and releasing) your reins when your horse is in a faster trot.

Now try in a canter. Of course you don't have to yet, but it must be done! If you still want to keep it at a trot, that's fine but the next step is canter.
Do one or two 20 meter circles in canter, this time keep it nice and slow, like how you would like you horse to approach the fence. After you have done that, start at a nice trot around (or over) the jump slowly then ask for a canter at B. Your horse may not slow down at E like it did in trot so halt before E and at E, then ask for another canter. You don't want to do this too much as your horse will learn to 'explode' at the jumps, but keep of pulling and releasing your reins, halting and if your horse keeps on running at the jumps in a canter, don't be scared to pull away from the jump, it's better then him catapulting you out of the saddle!

Stay horsey,
~Livinia:)

Tennessee Walking Horse

This breed has a unique pace that is called Running Walk. There is a competition for the horse who can lift it's legs the highest. Unfortunately, some people, to win the competition will put kinds of acid on their horses legs, wrapping them with plastic wrap and putting metal around their feet, this process is called soring. It makes every step the horse makes terribly painful, making their legs lift higher. Hence it's name, it is from Tennessee, USA. The breed is generally 15 hands, they can be any colour but mainly they are black, chestnut grey and brown. Most of these horses are charismatic, gentle and calm.

Stay horsey,

~Livinia :)

Images off Google Images

Update

Hey! Lately I haven't had much time to spend on my blog, even though it's the holidays, so my posts were like a day late, but they still came up! The horse breed of the week will be up tomorrow unfortunately. I thought I would do a quick update of what I have being doing with Pond. On Tuesday I had another lesson with my trainer Amanda Ross, who was in the Olympics and she is so good, she has a method for everything. I recommend, even if you have your own horse, you need to have a lesson at least once a month, Pony Club or Riders Club is good too. A lesson a month will be good to solve any problems that you have being having, any questions and it's good to see a professional once in a while. I have told you this on my blog that Pondie rushes at jumps so Amanda taught me a few tips and I will share those to you on Monday!

Stay horsey :),
~Livinia :)

Update (kind of)

Would you guys like to see reviews of books/TV shows/movies about horses or animals?

Bye!

Dressage terms/movements

Collection-  The strides are shorter and more 'collected' and on the bit.
Extended-The horses strides are much larger then the collection and it covers more ground in an extended stride.
Working-  This stride is between collected and extended, it would be ridden in nice, even steps.
Medium- It is between working and extended, the strides are rather large.
Passage- The passage is a very collected trot, it looks like the horse is prancing.
Piaffe-  The Piaffe is like he Passage, it is also a very collected trot but it is done in one spot.
Flying change-  A flying change is done in a canter where the horse changes it's lead leg while still cantering.
Counter canter- Counter canter is when, on purpose, the horse is on it's eg- riding on the right rein when doing a circle on the left rein.
Rein back- The horse moves backwards while keeping a straight line.
Leg yeild- A move where the horse moves side-wards by crossing it's legs but still facing forward.
Half pass- The Half pass is like leg yielding but the horse is slightly bent around the riders inside leg and maintaining an active trot or canter.
Pirouette- The Pirouette is usually performed in a collected canter, where the horses front circles it's back, a circle.
Serpentine- They are half circles throughout the arena, making a snake like shape.
Travers- Like a shoulder-in but it is ridden with the horse facing the outside of the arena but still going forward in a straight line.
Shoulder-in- Horse faces the inside of the arena but still going in a straight line in a steady pace.
Volte- The Volte is usually a 10 meter half circle that looks a little like a tear drop.

Half pass

Passage
















Serpentine

Shoulder-in

                                                    Stay horsey,
                                                    ~Livinia :)











Volte

Jumping distance!

When walking a showjumping course, in between each jump, you can count every step you take until you get to 4, which is roughly one horse stride. eg- 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4, that will be around 3 horse strides (12-14 m)

Stay Horsey,

~Livinia :)

Showjumping Schedule!

This is the Showjumping version of the Dressage schedule, feel free to take this one or make your own.

This is created for my horse who is strong and rushes jumps, if you want, you can finish the day off with- 

-raising the jump more

-COOL DOWN!

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Clydesdale

The Clydesdale is one of the biggest horse breeds, they are a draft horse which means they are bulky horses that can carry heavy loads. Clydesdale's can be brown, bay and black, they can also have solid colours with patches anywhere on their body. The characteristics of this horse breed are- energetic, alert, easy going and sociable. The breed originates from England. The Clydesdale has a large head with medium shaped ears, A slightly Roman nose with large nostrils. Their legs are strong for pulling heavy loads and their hooves are covered with feathers. The breed can be around 16-19hh.

 

This image is not mine

Stay horsey,

~Livinia :)

Bad news and good news!

Ok, so I will start off with the bad news to get it over and done with! Today I won't be able to do the horse breed of the week since I am SUPER bust, I have to study a lot today and the horse breed of the week takes me a while so I will 100% post it tomorrow! and as a sorry, a training routine will also be featured in it! And now the good news! The holidays are coming up and it is the last day tomorrow, not only will holidays mean that all students/staff will be free but I will be at home more and there will be updates on both my blogs and more horse stuff! (http://adventuresofanimalsblog.blogspot.com.au/)
Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Dressage Training Routine

Here is a dressage training routine I made for myself for everyday training and exercises, I made this on Excel :) using a template already, feel free to take mine/use my idea or make your own. P.S, the times are there to just be there, it's just a rough draft of how long each exercise would take.
 

Should I do one for jumping too? I hope this will help you!

Stay horsey,

~Livinia :)

Tuesday- Information on............XC jumps!

Good news! I copied before I published so every thing was there but a few jumps which I re-did! Yay!
Cross Country jumps!

Brush Fence-

This jump has a solid base with a brush sticking out at the top, where horses have to jump over.

Coffin Jump- It is a narrow ditch in the ground, which you have to jump over.                                                 

Bank Jump- A Bank jumps are usually 'steps or stairs' leveled above the ground, like stairs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Bull Finch- A bull finch is like a brush fence but with a solid base that is very high.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Arrow Head Jump- An arrowhead, also known as a chevron, is a triangle the arrowhead is very narrow

Corner Jump- The corner jump is also known as the apex. It is a triangular shaped jump. The side is the widest and is the part you have to jump over.

Ditch- this jump similar to the coffin jump, but on the other side of the ditch, there is a jump.

Log fence- It is just like a vertical or an oxer but just made out of a log.

Normandy bank- This jump is a combination of obstacles, there is usually a jump after the ditch, making the horse have to jump over it in one leap.

 Roll top- this is a long barrel-or half barrel- jump.

Table- this jump represents a table, the top is long and filled. It is a fence that is high and long.

Water jump- the water jump can be a mix of obstacles, for example, there can be a jump before or after the pool  of water, maybe even both! 

Tuesday- sadness and frustration!

Ugh! NOOO! The more I think about this, the more I get frustrated! I was typing and editing my Tuesday information on cross country jumps but them something happened and it took me back to my blog page and everything was gone!!!!! I am so upset, so jest letting you guys know that this is the only post for today sorry! It will be up, hopefully by tomorrow morning since there are no posts planned for Wednesdays!
Again, I'm really sorry!

Stay horsey,
~from a frustrated Livinia!

Monday- Exercise!

Exercise 1-

 In trot, concentrate on making your turns around the cones more right angle instead of arcs. If your horse is too keen around the turns, do half halts to maintain the rhythm and don't constantly pull on the reins, pull and release for a better outcome!













Exercise 2-

Place 2 poles or cavaletti jumps to ride over. Start at a trot and then work into a canter. Stay balanced and when approaching the jump, stay in a steady balanced canter or trot. If your horse is too fast or keen, ask for a downwards transition and then try the trot or canter again.










Exercise 3-                                

 Place a small vertical or cross bar jump in the middle of the arena (center line at X) and come at the fence at trot and then canter. Make sure to keep the canter steady but forward canter. Once again, if your horse rushes, bring him back to a trot and a walk and ask for another canter.

Tips for rushing horses-
-Do lots of half halts
- Pull and release on the reins
- Do a few small circles when your horse is going too fast

Stay horse:)
~Livinia :)

Thursday- Horse breed of the week!

Thoroughbred

This horse breed is best known for racing. The Thoroughbred originates from England, they are very athletic, with long limbs and muscular body. They can range from 15-16.2hh in all colours are acceptable. A Thoroughbreds characteristics are-  fast, athletic, courageous, alert, honest, bold and friendly. The breed is hot-blooded which means they are spirited and athletic. 

 

Images are off Google Images and are not mine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Stay Horsey,       ~Livinia:)     

Random post :)

I just felt like posting something today. I have decided to start jumping more, and starting to jump higher. Maybe cross country... if I come up with any 'training routines' for a horse that rushes or runs at jumps (what I am dealing with) then I will post them here! It is getting darker earlier and lighter later in Australia! Nooo, winter is creeping onto us. So that is all I wanted to say, tomorrow will be horse breed of the week so stay tuned for that. I think my favorite blog day is Monday the training routine/exercise day, maybe I'll make two of these days a week, let me know in the comments and tell me what you would like me to write about next!
Sorry for not posting many pictures,
Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)

Megan Jones 

Image from Google Images

Tuesday Information- Types of Show Jumps!

Showjumping or Stadium Jumping is a discipline in English riding. I hope you will learn a little from these types of jumps. Vertical- It is a simply a straight pole, it can be one pole or multiple under one another. They are the most common. Wall Jump- Wall jumps are sometimes made to look like brick walls but actually the 'bricks' that make up the wall are light weight and fall easily and cause no damage to the horses legs if they hit the wall. Oxer Jump- It has two verticals placed close together making one whole jump that is wider. The oxer can also be called a spread. There are also many diffferent types of oxer jumps- Square oxer- both top poles are the same height. Ascending oxer- furthest pole is higher then the first. Descending oxer- furthest pole is lower then the first pole. Swedish oxer- poles slant in opposite direction and look like the are an 'x'. Swedish oxer Hog's back- poles are placed unevenly, for example the middle pole(s) can be the highest Fan jump- the rails on the side are spread out making them look like a fan from above. Triple bar jump- has three poles placed close together making them a wider oxer jump. has three poles placed close together making them a wider oxer jump. Filler jump- It has a solid bottom, usually below the poles. Open water- a ditch of water can be in front or behind a jump, like a vertical. Liverpool- a liverpool is just any jump like a vertical which has a pool of water directly under the jump. Feel free to comment on what you would like me do write about. Stay horsey, ~Livinia All pictures are from Google Images, they are not mine :)