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Does your horse need grain?
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Does your horse really need grain? Good question, and one that a lot of people can't answer.
In the summer months, you have to look seriously at your feeding regime compared to the winter months. If you are keeping your horse in a stall or small paddock area, his feed requirements will be similar to the winter, with a bit less hay as it is no longer needed for warmth. He may also still need his grain, especially if you are working him hard.
A horse that is in light work may not need any extra feed at all, and a horse that is not being worked probably shouldn't get grain - it tends to make them higher and the consequence of that is a horse you might not want to be around!
A horse being worked four or five days a week, and being worked hard when he works (like extensive training for jumping, dressage, cattle work, etc) will need the extra calories to maintain weight as well as energy levels.
If your horse is out on good pasture, however, he likely won't need any extra, and in fact might need to be pulled off the field for a while each day so his stomach gets a chance to catch up!
I like to grain my horses once a day, not so much because they NEED the extra energy but because I am also using a lot of supplements right now. Grain time is a way of making sure they are getting what they need, mixed in with their ration.
So each horse and each situation is different and you need to balance the pros and cons for each individual horse. Also remember that when changing feeds, you should change them slowly over a period of a week or two.
If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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Past articles are all available in the
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Leadrope sizes and hardware
Cotton ropes usually come in two thicknesses, 5/16" and 3/4". While I prefer the larger rope for my saddle horses, the smaller rope is better to use if you have a smaller horse or a foal, or if the person leading has small hands.
You will also have a choice in length. A lead may be as short as 6' or longer than 10', with 10' being a preferred length by most handlers. Ten feet gives you enough room to get out of the horse's way in case of emergency, and is also long enough to tie onto most trees, fence posts and hitching rails. Some shorter ropes simply aren't long enough to go around a tree and leave enough room for the horse to stand comfortably. A leather shank will only be about 6' as you are not expected to tie with it (or with your leather show halter either for that matter!).
Different companies use different means of connection on their leads. Some rope halters come complete with a permanently attached lead. While you'll never lose the lead this way, it can be annoying if you wanted to take it off for some reason. Different snaps are used as well, with a preferred snap being what they call a *bull snap* - it is a large and heavy metal snap which has a tongue piece you have to pull out of the body of the clip. Like a wider rope, the bull snap may be too heavy for a small pony or foal and you may opt for a swivel snap.
Swivel snaps can also be used on lead ropes but they are more likely to break (than the bull snap) if the horse should pull back. They are available in varying sizes - generally the larger sizes will be stronger. The swivel snap has a round eye hook with a trigger on the front of the clip. You pull the trigger down to move the tongue inside, opening the clip.
Scissor snaps or trigger snaps might be substituted but they are a lighter duty snap and better used on reins than a lead rope. Scissor snaps will open up or break under excessive pressure. The trigger snap is a little more durable and is most often found on breastplates or tie downs.
There are lots of choices when it comes to your lead ropes. If you're not sure, check out what your friends are using, and ask them what they like or don't like about their ropes. Next week we'll cover a couple of other rope and snap applications.
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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We update the Events Page regularly - so be sure to check often.
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse
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If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page.
Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.
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Brakes optional?
While team penning last weekend, I started running into an interesting problem with Tex (a borrowed horse I used for the Grassy Plains penning competition). When I'd try to stop him, he started locking his shoulders and bulging one out to one side. That might sound like an odd picture, but those of you who have experienced this will know exactly what I mean! Basically, he was resistant and was saying NO emphatically to my stop-and-change-directions-fast cues.
It became most apparent when I went into the herd on my last run - I went to stop and turn back on my cow, and Tex jammed his shoulders, threw his head and didn't want to stop, once I muscled him to a stop (already past the cow), he was jammed up so tight I couldn't turn him towards the cow and had to take the other direction. How frustrating - I knew where we needed to be on that cow and just couldn't get him there.
We sorted through the cows again and then repeated the performance at the exact same place - finally another team member came in and cut the cow out for us as we simply couldn't get the job done.
Afterwards I talked to Tex's owner, and we went over what had happened out there. He gave me a good tip to use when this happens - though I have to note here that it is not for an inexperienced rider to do, and should probably not be done on anything other than a cowhorse - a reiner or pleasure horse would be thoroughly confused by it and it would serve no purpose.
Jeff said to simply jump Tex ahead and then stop him hard and back him up. At first, when I jumped Tex ahead and tried to stop, he braced his head and neck, and jammed his shoulders - this puts a horse in a precarious position as rearing becomes easier than backing (which is why I recommend that inexperienced riders do NOT do this). I went into his sides with my legs to encourage him to drop his head and back up, which after a few seconds, he did. Then I jumped him ahead again.
At first, he jammed and resisted me every time we stopped, until he realized that he was going to be backing up after every stop - he quit bracing so hard. Then he started stopping with his head down and his weight over his hocks so he could back up, and that's when I could feel we had taken care of the problem. Basically he had been resisting because he had his weight on his forehand and wasn't in a position to work the cow. By reminding him that he was supposed to keep himself set back a little more, it freed up those shoulders so he could stop and turn a lot better.
It was a very interesting lesson for me, as this is one thing I have noticed with cattle penning before - many of the horses end up working on their front ends. Unlike reining where you have a chance to correct this in a soft and gentle manner, team penning is fast paced and you need stuff NOW, not a minute later. Because other events have that chance for a more subtle correction, I don't think you should use this for anything but cattle work, but if your horse is having that same resistance problem on cows it may just help!
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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