A non-existent horse plays an important part in one well-known film! ‘ A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’ cries Richard 111 when he finds himself steedless and at the mercy of his enemies on Bosworth Field.The horses in these movies are, however, a far cry from Shakespeare’s evil Richard and the horse – any horse – he so desperately needed. While life in Richard III’s time may have been bloodier and generally a great deal more perilous, at least they didn’t have to worry about the necessities of veterinary bills or horse insurance!

The Black Stallion
This award winning film was produced in 1979 – some 400 years after Shakespeare.It tells the story of the relationship between Alec and a spirited Arabian stallion. Especially memorable is the shipwreck scene and Alec’s subsequent rescue from drowning by the horse and the ensuing time on a desert island where they learn to overcome the mistrust they previously felt for each other. This trust becomes total and the two become inseparable. The film is a fine illustration of how close a horse and a man can get with each other. I won’t tell you any more in case I spoil things for those who haven’t yet seen it. It’s sufficient to record one critic’s opinion, that it was perhaps ‘the greatest children’s movie ever made’.But adults too can find much to relish in the film.

Black Beauty
Does a horse have to be black?. Would you be excited at the title ‘Piebald Beauty’?. Unlike the Black Stallion, which we see as outside observers, this 1994 film puts Black Beauty as the narrator. This narration is spoilt by the obvious fact that the script has been written by a human. I don’t mean that it doesn’t neigh and whinny like a horse; such a practice would soon empty any cinema. No, it’s the content of what the horse says that’s so human. And, unfortunately, it voices the opinions of a rather naive and sanctimonious human. However hard you try, you cannot fail to find Black Beauty’s human attitudes and voice clumsy and ineffective. Although there’s a lot of cringing sentimentality, there’s also some magnificent photography especially of Black Beauty strutting her stuff.

The Horse Whisperer
This film was issued 4 years later, in 1998. Following a cruel accident, Grace and her beloved horse, Pilgrim, are seen slowly but surely regaining their confidence and health. Following this accident, Grace’s mother, Annie, takes daughter and horse to the wide open spaces of Montana to seek the help of a man, Tom, who’s renowned for his ability to empathize with troubled horses. It is not only with horses that Tom can form close bonds; it’s with troubled women as well. Tom soon has both Annie and Pilgrim doting on him. The film is not, though, only about the recovery of Grace and Pilgrim and the love that dawns between Annie and Tom; it’s also about the differences between city life (Annie came from a hectic metropolitan life in Manhattan) and country life. Annie must choose between her high-flying sophisticated lawyer husband and the more down-to-earth and homely horse whisperer. Guess which one she chooses!

It’s not only the horses that are moving – whether galloping, cantering, or trotting – it’s also some of the more emotional scenes. Some of the scenes are truly idyllic and beautiful ; some of the ‘moving’ moments might make you laugh or weep. Metaphors as well as riders are on the backs of these horses. Only you can decide the nature of the message and whether or not it’s a help or a hindrance to the story of the horse. The answer can be obtained by a phone call to your local DVD store!

This article has been published for the millions of horse enthusiasts all over the world by Animal Friends Equine Insurance – the UK’s only not-for-profit horse insurance provider. Horse rider insurance can be bought today online or by phone, and all net profits go to benefit troubled animals all over the world. You can read more about the many charities helped by Animal Friends on the charity support pages of their ethical pet insurance website.

As opposed to with human babies, colic in horses can turn into truly considerable. In truth, it is deemed as an emergency as a result of the potential deterioration that it may do on the horses. Even when handled immediately, only some will respond to medication and relief medication. The condition of most will only deteriorate.

Colic in horses, like in people, is pinpointed to some dilemma in the digestive method. Horses will feel agony in their abdomen, which can bring about them to act wild. Horses who are struggling with colic will also cry and shout. They’ll also prance and buck wherever they’re. This may perhaps bring about injuries to themselves as well as towards folks who go near them.

There are lots of sorts of colic in horses. 1 is usually a colic brought on by a dilemma with gas. This is known as spasmodic colic. Another variety is caused by obstructions in some parts of the body, particularly inside colon or within the intestines, wherever the structure is a whole lot narrower in comparison with other species. Typically, impactions like this in different areas of their bodies will involve remedy, from something as straightforward as oil and remedy to fluid therapy, depending on the severity from the problem. Other styles that horse lovers and owners must watch out for are colics brought on by overeating and those triggered by worms.

Indications of colic in horses

There are many signs of colic in horses, main of this will be the apparent restlessness and abrupt loss of appetite. Like babies, they’re going to also be grouchy and fitful. Appetite is one of the most important items that horse proprietors ought to observe as this might be frequently overlooked. A further probable sign of colic is that the horse will turn out to be restless at just one time and listless the other time. They may unusually be lacking in vitality and will probably be lying straight down for the time frame. Other instances, they may be at their most active.

That is when the colic is currently in its sophisticated kind and also the horse can no more time bear the pain. They will tart to paw, prance, and kick the belly. They will be shopping at their sides frequently, and rolling their upper lip. Some will also be jerking their tails, stretching their legs and proceeding from just one area to another, unable to rest.

In extreme circumstances, they can get so wild that they’re going to throw themselves affordable and assume positions which have been so unnatural. They may groan and roll and paw.
Despite the fact that at times, horses could be mighty moody from time to time, all these happening in the very same time frame, recurring more than twice need to currently sound the alarm bells in particular if the behavior is so unlike your horse’s temperament.

What to do

The first issue that you ought to do in the event you suspect colic inside your horse is always to not worry. This advice could be hard to take in when your horse is tearing the barn straight down with their wild behavior. But stress will not achieve anything at all. You need a clear mind to package with the difficulty. Besides, the feelings of panic will only be picked up by your horse, thereby exacerbating their own worries and fears.

The next matter for you to need to do would be to call the veterinarian. Question for assistance and don’t make an effort to solve it by your self or to wait until the situation improves. Don’t forget that colic is often a critical matter and will need to be taken care of as quickly as feasible.

Given that then, horse racing could have been a component of our culture. It have been a well-liked entertainment for several several persons. Though lots of people think that it is unattainable to create money by bets on horse racing, other finds it pretty profitable employing these systems. In fact, many individuals have gained wealth just by betting on these races. Even so, additionally it is a reality that a lot of have lost their moneys as a result of this sport, too.

Now, ff you are a novice, using variety devices prior to you realize the fundamentals may perhaps are likely to confuse you. You see, you can find some terms utilised in these racing guess techniques which are not easy to comprehend.

There are several guides available that will enable you to study the way to guess on horse racing. In betting, you also should make physical approximations around the condition of every single player. You need to look at the jockey as well as the trainer on the horse. You need to make certain that the selection have to have a great run.

You will find still other issues that are needed for betting and to find out about them lots of people have made different horse racing choice programs which will enable you to figure out the horse that may perhaps in fact win.

Nonetheless, it will take you loads of time to discover which sort of horse can make probable goods. You’ll need thorough exploration to be able to come with an even larger opportunity of successful in each and every guess. For some folks this really is time consuming and probabilities are minimal. On the other hand, what they don’t know is that these devices will supply important information regarding which horse will gain each race.

The use of horse racing assortment systems is now wider because numerous have tested these programs to be able to produce an simpler strategy to guess on which kind of horse possess a greater probability of profitable each and every race.

Most method work from a way that it relies on a considerable simple fact, wherein most of the racing nights at minimum One favorite will gain on the list of races. Inside a day, you can find at least 3 (Three) race meetings in just about every day Six of 7 races in a very meeting. Thus, this commonly means that in other elements of your country there are excess of 20 races.

Consequently, if 1 favored wins out of the Twenty races, you’ll be able to currently contemplate your self a winner, correct? You can image the probability that there’s often a single preferred winning out on the Twenty races. On the other hand, it is compact.

A horse racing collection system can be utilized so that you can know which horses have large odds of successful with regards to essentially the most typical forms of horse race bets. You’ll be able to use these programs for producing straight wager, place bet, mixture guess, display guess, select 6 wager, reverse forecast, tricast, superfecta, everyday double and a lot more.

You are able to look at various horse racing choice methods. Most of these devices is usually discovered online, just use an on the web seek out engine and also you will get a record of organizations that offer them. Now, it truly is as much as you if you’d like to use them or not. Nevertheless, if you ever don’t feel like you’re throwing away your dollars just by randomly deciding on the sort of horse which will win, it really is advisable to use these techniques.

Animals are prone to different diseases. Some of these may perhaps depart everlasting harm even though others are fatal. One instance, which could go either way, is equine colic.  This transpires when the horse experiences soreness within the abdomen and things could possibly get worse if healthcare interest just isn’t administered  immediately.

If your general practitioner has not arrived yet, the person can do specific things, which will help in the therapy. This contains using the temperature and monitoring the heart rate, recalling what type of food was offered the previous couple of days as nicely since the water consumption and  looking at the colour in the gums.

The veterinarian may possibly be on call elsewhere so until guide arrives, no meals have to be given for the horse. It will also be a fantastic thought to stroll the animal so it will not feel about the agony. If your creature doesn’t need to get up nevertheless it however continues to roll around the ground, everyone must help out and transfer the horse elsewhere so it doesn’t inflict any destruction to itself or others.

The physician will normally give the horse some antibiotics. This will likely aid ease the soreness and it is really a wait and see game soon after that to see if there are any advancements. Some horses recover rapidly when you can find those that don’t so this really is dependent around the animal.

You can find other authorities who have a  pure therapy formulation to treat equine colic. As an alternative of using prescriptions, herbs are utilized rather. Some examples of these are cape aloe leaf, ginger root, fennel, wild yam root and cayenne powder. It is mixed collectively with water or some alcoholic formula after which presented for the horse.

Prevention naturally is however the ideal way against any disease. That is because the price of medicine and the specialized fees of the general practitioner are rather expensive. In this article are a few issues that horse owners should do to prevent equine colic.

1. Initial, the individual will need to observe the foods getting served towards horse. Processed grains from a reliable supplier are perfect when raising such a magnificent animal. Some persons believe that hay is ok but it really may possibly have bugs or other foreign objects, which could lead to issues. This should be checked before this can be given.

Two. Besides checking for foreign objects within the hay, the person should also have a very parasite control plan. This will be sure the stable is clear in any way occasions even if this really is washed thoroughly several instances a week.

Three. Horses will need lots of exercise to stay fit. A short ride or basically walking with it for a number of minutes daily can help strengthen its immune program. It’ll also require enough rest. There have to be time presented towards horse to just roam all over or just lie however inside stable.

Four. All multivitamins or prescriptions that will probably be offered to the horse should 1st be examined because of the vet. This can be simply because some may possibly make the animal sick in particular if it features a sensitive digestive program.

Five. The person should also ensure the horse practices correct hygiene. It indicates offering it a bath and brushing its teeth given that deposits may perhaps quickly turn out to be infections that could get even worse if practically nothing is carried out to cure it.

Italy has a lot of well-known travel destinations these kinds of as Rome. Less publicized destinations this kind of as Siena are even superior.

Sienna

Located roughly an hour outside of Florence, Siena is 1 of my favored spots in Italy. If you believe gothic architecture and medieval town, you consider of Siena. Created like a fortified city behind significant, thick walls over a little mountain, Siena oozes historical past. Cars are barred from considerably on the city, so you can meander down ancient brick alleyways beneath towering wall-to-wall residences.

In Siena, you will find a relaxed way of daily life, two music colleges and just a normal sense of what Italy need to are already like in the past. Head for the Piazza del Campo inside heart on the urban center and grab a seat in the café. As you gaze throughout the urban center, you can view the Duomo Cathedral that towers more than the city limits. As opposed to other cities, the cathedral won’t contrast with the buildings around it. All of Siena retains the Gothic medieval architectural fashion and you will be hard pressed to discover a better gothic instance in Europe.

The best strategy to expertise Siena is to basically stay there. Like wine, Siena improves the longer you stay. Day-to-day explorations result in astonishing minor shops, astonishingly friendly men and women including a basic feeling of peace.

Il Palio

In the event you favor a bit of action on your trip, Siena has an occasion that rivals any in Europe. The Il Palio bareback horse race around the Piazza del Campo is usually a sight to become seen. The entertaining starts properly ahead of the race when various neighborhoods challenge each other. The problem arrives inside type of bands jogging through “enemy” neighborhoods in the middle with the night and producing an unholy racket. At some point, each neighborhood creates a horse and rider for your day of the race. Bareback, the riders race for neighborhood delight among an absolutely screaming crowd of men and women. The working from the bulls has practically nothing on this occasion.

Should you check out Florence although in Italy, take the time to commit a couple days in Siena. In simple fact, blow earlier Florence and go promptly to Siena.

Working towards a close and loving relationship with your horse can bring health benefits to you both. You may not think your companionship plays a big role in your horse’s health, but in actuality, it does! If you take good care of him, you can develop a long lasting bond with your horse, which in turn leads to excellent horse health, close companionship and a happy horse that should live a long life.

Treat Your Horse like He’s Family.

Most horse owners treat their horses as a part of their family, feeding them well, including exercise into lifestyle, keeping him well groomed and showering them with lots of love and attention. Whether you have horses for show, sport or leisure, having horses is a wonderful experience because they are beautiful loving animals. A horse can provide a rewarding experience for those involved in caring for it.

The Correct Way to Care for your Horse.

The specific breed of horse will to some extent determine the level of care, maintenance and exercise needed. They may be easy-going and loving animals, but like any other pet animal, there are certain essentials you will need to provide to ensure their health and happiness. Below are important things you need to include in your horse’s life if you plan to have a happy and healthy horse.

• A large animal like a horse demands a high level of upkeep and care.
• Horses are herd animals – they are sociable and require attention and lots of love.
• You’ll need to visit them daily and care for them as part of your family.
• A horse needs an activity to engage in every day which will stave away boredom.
• Your horse will need a stall comfortable and big enough in which to eat and sleep.
• You must provide a healthy horse diet.
• You must provide the horse with lots of water daily.
• Annual vaccinations will be necessary.
• Routine health check-ups including worming and dental care.
• Foot care (hoof maintenance).
• Obedience training.
• You’ll need to have access to a large enough and well-maintained area in which to exercise your horse.

A horse will often misbehave if he thinks he is not getting enough attention. For example, they may try to break out of the stall to roam nearby fields to find things to do. Their general behaviour may change first of all. They can behave in a similar fashion to children, and will disobey or act naughtily to try to gain attention from you!

If you plan to get horses make sure you are ready because more than any other pet owning a horse is a huge commitment. Horse care can be very expensive, particularly if your horse has an accident or develops an unexpected illness and needs veterinary treatment. This is just one of many reasons for which you will need to ensure you have good horse insurance.

A Healthy Horse Needs Plenty of Exercise.

Like us, horses like to have a bit of fun. Perform regular exercises to keep your horse healthy and happy. Exercising should not, and does not need to be all day long. Horses should rest too. Remember also that it’s important to include a variety of different work and exercises for your horse as otherwise he will get bored quickly. You need try to change of similar activities or work frequently so the horses remain interested all the time.

Exercises to Help Maintain the Health and Strength of your Horse.

• Riding in circles/Bending exercises: using circles in a figure of eight movement. You should perform these circle eight movements on both reins (left and right) to maintain even suppleness and balance on both reins.
• Lateral work: Lateral work is similar to gymnastics. First you need to do groundwork exercises with your horse. You will notice that the horse’s obedience, strength and flexibility will improve over time.
• Pacing: The purpose of pacing is to improve the horses pace. Your training should focus on teaching your horse how to politely speed up or slow down. An example is walking to trotting.
• Training and control techniques; including endurance, jumping and dressage. The purpose of the dressage technique is to focus on improving pacing and lateral work. Endurance riding, as the name would suggest, focuses on improving the stamina of a horse.

You can exercise your horse virtually anywhere that space and safety allows. Only exercise your horse in a secure area that he cannot escape from. Ensure the area is safe for both you and the horse to work in so as to avoid injury. You can buy horse insurance to cover you if you are riding someone else’s horse; so be safe rather than sorry, as accidents can and do happen even to the most cautious of riders.

Horse exercise works well when executed in an area where the horse can concentrate. Areas that work well are either an indoor or outdoor arena, or a specific area in a field or on a farm.

Riders as well as Horses will Benefit from Horse Exercises.

Both horse and rider will benefit from these exercises, as a rider can practice balance and position whilst performing them. The rider’s skills can improve dramatically over a short period. The goal for a horse rider is to develop good “contact”. This term refers to how connected you feel with the horse, both through your upper body to the horse’s back and also through your hands and down the reins to his mouth. Your level of “contact” is determined by how well your horse has been trained and how much the horse has retained. A well-trained horse will have the ability to work through the back and hindquarters. You will know when you have established a good contact when you feel the reins soften as your horse arches it’s neck in front of you and rises it’s back under you, you will also notice that your horse will use its hindquarters to thrust itself forward, rather than pulling onward from the forehand.

Once you have developed good contact with your horse you will be able to work and perform exercises together which will help to improve your horse’s health and increase your horse’s level of happiness by creating a tight bond with your horse.

While exercise is key to a happy horse, other things can occur which may effect the health of your horse. If only it were true that a happy horse will always be a healthy horse. Sadly there are plenty of ailments and illnesses from which horses can suffer, which is why it is important to also have good horse insurance to cover the cost of unexpected vet’s fees.

You never forget the day that you first see the horse that’s going to change your life. Riders first connect with a horse the first time they see and ride them. That connection doesn’t happen when shopping in a horse sales advertisement. You can’t commit to something you can’t see, and sometimes a two dimensional picture just isn’t enough.

For one of the most popular horses and ponies for sale websites in the UK and USA that list thousands of Horses for Sale as well as Horse and Ponies for Loan check out Horses for Sale.

The secret to making sure your horse goes to the right home is to make your horse sales advertisements count.

A good sales advertisement is one that can convince a potential buyer to come take that first look at your horse. A good horse sales ad should include a brief summary of the horse’s physical characteristics. Thoroughbreds should also come with their pedigree, particularly their dam and sire. The performance of their sire and/or dam is a strong precursor to how effective their performance will be as well if placed in the right hands.

If you are looking for one of the most popular top equestrian websites for the Sale and Loan of Horses and Ponies then check out Horses for Sale.

Potential buyers also want to envision how your horse performs under tack. Is your horse best suited for the ring or the oval or are they happiest when they’re out on the trail? Their training is going to heavily influence your buyers’ ability to recognize that your horse is the right choice for their needs.

Is their personality sweet and cooperative or stubborn and willful? A horse’s personality can be as different as night and day. Some horses demand an experienced rider, while others are perfect for beginners. Your horse’s ability to get along with both other riders and other horses is going to affect how well you’re able to place them in a new home.

The real secret to successful horse sales is to give the viewer the chance to understand who your horse really is. When you’ve done that you can be confident that you’re in the perfect position to attract the kind of buyer your horse deserves.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and it has given you an insight into the world of “how and where” to buy horses for sale and horses and ponies for loan. For a huge selection visit one of the top equestrian sites online today please visit: Horseboxes for Sale

Bonding with your horse will allow you to learn and respond to his feelings and reactions in different situations. Over time you will learn his body language. A calm and responsive manner is a sign of a happy horse. They will keep their head lowered, and have soft eyes and a relaxed jaw. A happy and contented horse will want your love in return and show respect to you. When a horse yawns this is not a sign of being bored, but a sign that he is calm and relaxed. A horse will show that he is uncomfortable in a number of ways, including holding his head high and with a tense jaw, darting his eyes around, and not wanting to stand still. Allow the horse time to settle himself slowly in order to avoid the onset of “flight” mode and further stress.

Grooming your horse gives you the opportunity to check him over regularly. It is advisable to check your horse’s teeth, eyes, hooves, shoes and droppings frequently. Any change in the normal should be reported to your vet at the earliest opportunity – any delay could cause you extra worry, expense and a potential claim on your horse insurance. Regular appointments for worming and routine vaccinations are essential. Worms and parasites can build up immunity to medication so to minimize this you should rotate the medications. Colic, heart and immunity problems can all be caused by lack of suitable medication. Vaccinations for encephalitis, rhinoneumonitis and influenza are essential for a healthy horse. A good idea would be to have tetanus and rabies vaccinations too. Regular users of trailers at show and equestrian events may need to show a negative Coggins test for presence of the incurable virus EIA or equine infectious anaemia.

An important part of keeping a horse happy and comfortable is making sure you have a good farrier who visits regularly. It is important for your horse’s comfort, mood and performance that you do not allow his feet to get too long and unbalanced. Your horse will need his hooves trimmed by a farrier at least every eight weeks; sometimes more often is necessary.

A blanket or coat during winter, and a fly-protective sheet in summer are simple ways to keep your horse physically comfortable. If your horse is prone to lathering during or after exercise then it may be best to use a horse cooler until he has calmed down. A horse’s body could go into shock if given water directly after being ridden. It is also important to let your horse cool down properly after exercise and before feeding. Leave it for an hour after meals before exercising your horse.

Horses need to have a purpose in life – whether this be for work or pleasure. Horses glory in feeling worthwhile. It is important for a horse’s sense of purpose and focus that he receives regular praise – especially when young – for performing simple tasks such as simply standing still or in the right place. As horses are naturally inquisitive animals, they will become more brave, positive and confident the more new experiences you introduce to them.

A horse is a beautiful and magnificent creature that deserves a good home for life with excellent care. You have a responsibility as a horse owner to provide the very best in care and welfare. Keeping a horse can be a very expensive business, and without good horse insurance provided by a specialist equine insurer, it is possible to quickly run into financial problems if your horse should become sick or sustain an injury. By looking out for your horse’s health and happiness you will be rewarded with love a hundred times over from your equine friend.

Horse training requires a firm basis on the ground before you can move onto saddle training; here are a few basic exercises outlined which can be used when training your own horse or someone else’s. It is important to get these exercises right first, as this is how you and the horse will become familiar with each other and build a trusting relationship. It is the groundwork that will pave the way for future training. It is important for your safety that your new ton-sized friend is taught to respect your personal space bubble.

Successful horse training requires patience, persistence and lots of positive reinforcement. These three P’s can be applied to all current and future levels of horse training.

1. Groom your horse. This is the perfect first exercise for you and your horse. You’ll get to know each other. Stand beside him and brush his neck and back. A horse will often turn to give you a little love bit at this time. Horses do this to each other, but may not do it to humans. You can discourage this easily enough by the wave of a hand or by pushing his head back to the straight position. Those teeth are HUGE so you must make it clear from the beginning that this is unacceptable. Use patience and keep calm. The horse will understand and cooperate before too long. It will do you no good to panic, stress, smack your horse or get otherwise agitated. This will only set you back with your trust levels.

2. Lead your horse. Walk on the left side of your horse, holding the lead rope just below his chin in your right hand. Take a step and walk slowly forward. He should remain at your right side and never try to go ahead of you. If he tries to go ahead just walk around him to your left in a circle. Do this as many times as necessary. Show persistence. Use the circular movement to stay just ahead of him, where you should be. Should your horse not want to walk with you then stand slightly behind him, at his shoulder, facing the same direction. While holding the rope close to his chin, push forward gently. Give praise and positive reinforcement when he takes a small step. When he starts to walk willingly, take your place slightly ahead of him and walk on. Never wrap the lead rope around any part of yourself – this is for your own safety. If the horse decides to bolt you’ll be going along and it will not be pretty.

3. Lunge your horse.This is a great exercise used by most horse trainers and owners. Many of the skills, commands and cues that your horse will require for saddle work can be taught by performing lunging exercises.

In a large open area (an arena works, too, if you don’t have a round enclosure) clip your horse to a lunge lead specifically for lunging. The lungeing rope will be much longer than the lead rope at about thirty feet long. Clip the lead to the horse’s left halter side and hold the lead in your left hand. Face your horse’s left side to begin, whilst holding the lunge rope. Hold a lunge whip in your right hand which you’ll use to guide him along. Now step to your right sideways toward the rear of the horse while holding the whip out behind him. The horse’s natural reaction will be to step forward. Let the line out and follow the horse just behind and to the left side and make a kissing sound. Soon that sound will come to mean “move forward” to your horse. As you’re turning and the horse moves in a circle around you, hold the whip slightly behind his hindquarters. The whip is not for hitting. You only need to wave it just a little to get his attention.

Now, as he moves forward, you should move yourself slowly backwards, so that you come to the centre of your training circle. Stand in the middle and turn in a circle with the lunge line fully extended and the horse walking around you in a good circle. Watch your horse’s hip area as he’s going round.

The “whoa” command can be taught at this stage. In a low, calm voice, say the word “whoooaa”. At the same time, step toward your horse’s head and repeat the word. Be sure to give him a neck rub with lots of praise when he stops. Your horse needs this positive reinforcement if he is to remember what he needs to do.

You can now change position so that you are lunging your horse anti-clockwise. This is done simply by swapping the lead over to be clipped onto the right of the halter, and holding the lunge whip in your left hand.

These exercises are simple ways to get you started when traiing your horse. Bear in mind that a horse is a huge and powerful creature. This alone should be enough to remind you to have adequate horse insurance in place should either you or your equine be injured. Your success with training and all future activities depends both on safety and trust. As well as a loyal friend, your horse is also an investment, so remember to protect that investment against theft, accident or misadventure by making sure you compare horse insurance policies to ensure you are getting the best level of cover for both of your needs.

Saddle training is the ultimate goal for riding, but the groundwork must be laid first. You will first need to lead your horse from the trailer, for example, to the tack area in order to tack-up and then ride. Not much point in teaching your horse point B, the saddle riding part, if there’s no way to get there from point A is there?. When your horse learns to cooperate with you, you can act as a team. This cooperation begins with your ability to approach, catch, and halter him first. Then you’ll need to lead your horse about with a halter and a lead rope.

The primary objective in teaching a horse acceptable behaviour is safety for both of you. He will need to be taught that his natural tendency to pull against the lead rope, for example, is not allowed. Your horse should also know that he must not invade the personal space of the human leader on the other end of the rope. Accidents can easily occur if proper consideration to teaching basic safety manners to your horse is not given before moving on to more advanced training. Whilst a good equine insurance policy may cover you for accidents that happen in training, it’s obviously far more preferable not to have to find this out!

Leading your horse requires that you use the three Ps of horse training: patience, persistence and positive reinforcement. Having already accomplished haltering, it is likely that you have already discovered the effectiveness of the three Ps.

Beginning lead training when the horse is still a foal is the easiest plan. Although you won’t need to cover saddles and riding with a very young horse, it’s important to get an early start when teaching basic ground manners. The young horse will need to cooperate for farrier and vet visits, as well as for the various people moving about the yard, stables or paddock.

If you’re lucky enough to have the dam on site, the foal will copy the behaviours of the dam. Don’t worry if the dam is not present, as it works as well with any horse which the foal spends time with. A young horse will naturally learn from his elders. For example, you don’t need to teach a horse in the pasture how to graze or go to the water and drink. They learn by watching the others. If your student is older, you can still use another horse’s example by haltering and leading the other horse first. Horses notice everything that goes on around them – particularly if it involves other horses within the herd – so you can be sure that your student will be paying attention.

Begin by leading a more experienced horse or dam along with your young student horse, walking side by side with you in the middle leading both at once. The safest place for you to stand is to the left of your student’s shoulder, with the older horse to your left. A young horse could suddenly decide to bolt or to kick his heels, so make sure that you don’t wrap the lead rope around your hand or anywhere else that makes you vunerable. The last thing you need at this stage is complicating the process with an injury for which you may need to claim on your horse insurance.

If you have a calm horse which you think the foal will follow you could also use the pony method. Using a longer lead rope and simply tow the young trainee behind the more experienced horse. Since it’s natural for the young to follow the elders behaviours, this is actually a quite natural method for teaching the lead.

If you don’t have the luxury of having other horses close by from which your student can learn, you will need to rely heavily on your skills of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement. You will get there in the end but it will probably take a bit longer for the horse to understand what is required.

After satisfactory progress, it’s time to try it alone. Again, standing to the left of your young horse’s shoulder and with both of you looking straight ahead, gently walk forward and as you step out, tug very gently forward, then release any pressure on the rope as soon as the horse makes any motion to go forward. Understanding that release is a reward to your horse is a valuable tip used by professional trainers. It tells your horse he’s doing something right.

After you have him walking with you in straight lines with success, try turning slightly to the left, maintaining the space bubble between you. If he crowds you, use your right hand to push him out away from you and hold your arm out to the appropriate distance. Then try turning to the right with the same safety distance between the two of you, still using your right hand to guide him into the correct zone. Reward him each time he takes a step in the right direction by releasing the pressure on the lead rope.

Lead training can be a testing time. Stay with it and you will see great improvement. To get yourself closer to the day you can saddle up for a ride, you’ll need to put in the work; little and often (every day if possible) works best and will soon give you great results.