Riding on the road

If you're riding on the road, you'll obviously need to take some precautions.
First of all, make sure that if a car comes, they'll be able to see you. If you can help it, don't go riding on the road at night. If you have to, at least try to wear bright clothing that will help drivers see you.
But another one of the dangers of riding at night on the road is your horse. If your horse gets excited because you've never ridden it before in the dark, it may be very hard to control it, and the cars that pass by won't help.
  Before you go riding on the road, try to get your horse used to the cars. Let it see them from a distance, where it feels it is safe but can still look at the cars. Then it would be a good idea to lead your horse beside the road. That way if it spooks or gets nervous, you can get more control of it on the ground and will be there next to your horse to comfort it.
      When you do riding on the road, be sure to ride to the side, where you'll be out of the way of an incoming car. Be prepared if your horse gets nervous. Don't be surprised if he jumps if a car honks.
It's a good idea to go riding with a friend whose horse is already used to cars. That way your horse will calm down at the sight of another equine. Another reason that's a good idea is because if your horse spooks, or you get into trouble, you have a friend there to help.
   I've ridden on the road a few times, and it is a lot of fun. You've just got to be prepared if something goes wrong. But it's a lot more relaxing than doing work in an arena with an instructor.

Loping a horse

The first time I heard of loping, I thought of a really fast run. But my riding instructor, Claudia Lasater, corrected me.
In western riding (the style I ride) the lope isn't much faster than the trot. It's just a different gait. The trot is more bumpy, though on the horse I rode it was actually pretty smooth. But the lope is a different gait. It's more of a gentle rocking.
 By the way: The lope is the same as the canter, just with a different name. People who ride western style tend to use the word, 'lope' more and people riding English tend to use the word 'canter,' more.
    I actually really like loping, although at first I was really scared of it because once I'd had a bad experience. The horse I'd been riding had had a disease in his feet called Laminitis and he'd crow-hopped (kicked up his heels a little). I'd been able to stay in the saddle just fine, but it had still scared me a little. So ever since then I hadn't wanted to try loping again. But this time I tried it on a different horse, and I actually really liked it. It's not much faster than a trot, and it's like sitting in a rocking chair. You have to work you're body more at the lope, though. Move slightly back and forth. Don't lean too much forward or your horse might take as a sign to speed up.
But once you really learn how to move to the lope, I'm sure you'll like it a lot.

Saddling and Bridling a Horse

If you're going to work with horses, you'll need to know how to saddle and bridle one. We call this "tacking" the horse up. The saddle and bridle are referred to as the tack, and the act of saddling the horse is called tacking it up.
Whether you're tacking a horse Western or English style, you'll need someone with you who knows what they're doing.
You'll want to tie the horse, but do it loosely so that the horse can look around and move its feet. If the horse can't move its feet, it will feel trapped and may kick or try to bolt. But tie the lead tight enough so that, if the horse is touchy about the girth, it can't reach it's head around to nip at you if you get the girth too tight.
To start, you may want to give the horse a light brushing around the back, withers, and girth area, where the saddle will be. Make sure there are no clumps of dirt in that area that might aggravate the horse when the saddle is put on it.
You'll need to put a saddle pad on the horse's back first, just to ensure that the saddle doesn't rub on the horse's back and make it sore. Place the saddle pad high on the withers and make sure it's even. Then place the saddle just slightly on the withers. Draw the girth down and tighten it snug - loose enough to be comfortable for the horse but tight enough so that it doesn't wriggle around on the horse's back. But it's okay if you can't get it tight enough. You'll be warming the horse up before you ride, so that should loosen him up and allow you to tighten the girth before you ride him.
To put the bridle on, go to the left side of the horse's head and put your right arm under the horse's jaw and throat and rest it on his nose. With your left hand, hold the top of the bridle (the head piece) and get the bit up to the horse's mouth. Use your right hand to guide the bit into the horse's mouth. If the horse refuses the bit, DO NOT bang it against the horse's teeth. This will only aggravate the horse and he may fling his head up.
Stick your fingers into the corner of the horse's mouth where there are no teeth, and the horse will open his mouth and you can easily slip the bit in. Put the head piece over the horse's ears and strap the throat latch in.
If the horse holds his head too high for you to reach, you can offer him a treat (probably a carrot or apple), which will get him to lower his head to take it. When you're bridling the horse, an important thing is to have the horse tied so that it can't raise its head too high. If it does, pull the lead pretty hard until the horse lowers his head.
Warm the horse up before you start riding. Lunge him and get him to move around. Back him up, lead him, get him to move different parts of his body around (his front end and his hind end).
Before you mount, check the saddle girth. If you couldn't get it very tight before, that's okay. It's good to wait to tighten it until after the horse is warmed up and loosened. He should allow you to tighten the girth without any problems.
Check the bridle, too, to make sure the horse didn't try to rub his head on anything to loosen or damage the bridle.
And, now, you have a saddled and bridled horse! Have a nice ride!

Stopping a horse from puffing his belly

One of the common problems lots of people have when saddling their horse is when the horse puffs his belly up. Sometimes the horse will take a deep breath when you're tightening the girth. When you're done tying it, the horse will release his breath, and the girth will hang loose. This will cause it to slip when you're putting your foot in the stirrup.

Usually, the reason horses do this is because you've been tightening the girth way too tight. So they puff themselves up to make the girth looser. When you're saddling the horse, poke his belly to make him exhale (this doesn't hurt the horse). Tighten the girth to where it's snug, but not pinching the horse and causing it to be uncomfortable and in pain.
If possible, warm the horse up before you ride by lunging him and doing ground exercises with him. You should be able to see if the horse has puffed his belly because the saddle will fall sideways or be extremely loose on the horse's back. Before you mount, tighten the girth. Poke the horse's belly and make him exhale.
Be careful when you're in the saddle. If the horse has puffed his belly up, the saddle may slide sideways, taking you with it. Grab the horse's mane and get your feet out of the stirrups. Then you can slide off the horse's back and reposition the saddle.

Boarding a horse

Sometimes if a person doesn't have enough land to put a horse on, they board their horses at a boarding stable.
Boarding stables can be very expensive, though. You want to find one that isn't too expensive to board your horse at.
Before you decide if you want to board your horse at the stable, you definitely should go look at the stable. Look at the condition of the stalls - are they big enough for the horse to move around in and turn around if they want? Is there good bedding and good drainage in the stall? Do you think your horse will be comfortable in it?
Is there a good, clean tack room? Is it organized? Is the feed and storage room neat and organized?
If the boarding stable has a ring, either an outside one or an inside one or both, look at them both and look at the conditions of them. Is the dirt safe and easy to ride in?
Definitely look at the condition of the fields and paddocks. Is there a shelter in the paddock that the horse can easily get to? Is the fencing safe and built so that the horse can't get a hoof caught in it? Is there enough land so that the horse can run around? Is the grass in good shape? Are there any dangerous plants in the field?
Are there good people at the farm who can help you if you need it? What about the storage shed? Is it in a good place, not too close to the stable?
Ask a lot of questions about the stable. Make sure that it is a good place for your horse to stay and be comfortable in.

Preparing a mare for stud

Horse breeding is popular in many places. I'm going to tell you in this post how to prepare a mare for stud.
Make sure that your mare will come into heat at the right time and that there will be no problem. When you send your mare to stud, she may not like the stallion, which is one thing to consider. Mares have to decide if they like the stallion, or if they don't like the stallion. If they like the stallion, they will nicker to him and maybe nudge him, blowing softly through their nostrils.
If the mare doesn't like him, she may lay her ears back and bare her teeth. She might kick. This is a sign that she doesn't like him. Make sure that the stud you choose is calm and nice around mares. Some stallions will bite or kick a mare, or act badly around it.
Make sure that the breeding facilites you choose are good, with big box stalls to keep the mares in, good pasture and grass, and a good feeding plan.

To prepare the mare for stud, get the vet to check her. Trim her feet and take the shoes of her back legs. Wrap her legs and hooves with bandages to pretect the stallion if the mare kicks. Rub her down and clean her, bandage her tail so it doesn't get in the way.

At the stud, the mare will again have a vet check and be rubbed down and groomed. The stallion will be introduced to her, and will breed her. After the breeding, she will probably be put in a stall that will be well boxed in and big, and the breeding managers will need to have a good feeding plan for her.

Man 'O' War

Man 'O' War was is considered one of the greatest racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War 1, he won 20 out of 21 races and 249, 465 in purses. By the pominent sire of Fair Play, out of the mare Mahubah, Man 'O' War was owned and bred by August Belmont, Jr. (1851-1924), who's father's accomplishments were recognized through the naming of the Belmont Stakes.
Belmont Jr. joined the United States Army at age 65 to serve in France during World War 1. While he was overseas, his wife named a new foal "Man 'O' War" in honor of her husband. However, the Belmonts decided to liquidate their racing stable. At the Saratoga yearling sale in 1918, Man 'O' War was sold at a final bid of 5,oo to Samuel D. Riddle who brought him to his Glen Riddle Farm near Berlin, Maryland.
The underbidder at the auction was believed to be Robert L. Gerry, Sr. Above is Man 'O' War. He was a reddish dark brown horse.

A painting of Man 'O' War. (Above and below.)

As a two year old

Trained by Louis Fuestel and ridden by Johnny Loftus, Man 'O' War made an impressive racing debut on June 6, 1919, winning by six lengths. Three weeks later he won the Keene Memorial Stakes.

In the early 1900s, there were no starting gates. Jockeys circled around and then gathered their horses in a line behind a flimsy piece of webbing known as the barrier and were sent away when it was raised. In Man 'O' Wars only loss, the Sanford Memorial Stakes, he still was circling with his back to the starting line when the barrier was raised (though some accounts give other reasons). After the jockey got Man 'O' War turned around, he already was far behind the pack.

In frustration, Johnny Loftus, the jockey, made major errors. Three times he put Man 'O' War in bad positions, getting boxed in by other horses.

Despite this, he came close to winning, losing by half a length as Man 'O' War charged across the finish line, going much faster than any other horse on the track, and ultimately finishing second. The winner was Upset, whose name is sometimes erreneously thought to have popularized a new phrase in sports ("upset" meaning an upstart beating the favorite) Man 'O' War finished his two year old campagne with nine wins from ten starts.