Improving Your Dressage Riding Skills

Posted on January 4, 2019 by blogeditor

Your Dressage Riding Skills

Dressage is an equestrian sport; it is a highly skilled form of riding performed in exhibition and competition. A big part of riding (and riding well) is keeping the right frame of mind when in the saddle. You should always be thinking about the rider position and function. This is especially true when trying to improve your riding skills relating to swiftness. If you are always thinking about what you should be doing to ride your horse the fastest, then you will already be ahead of the competition. For example, if I have really tight arms or wrists, or holding tension anywhere in your body, you will not be able to push the horse as fast as it can go.

There are exercises that can be used out of the saddle to help you. Wrap a long flexible cord around a helper’s upper chest and shoulders, and pretend the other end is the reins of your horse. Have your helper walk forward, turning left and right, while you try to maintain a steady contact with these makeshift reins. Then switch places and have your helper steer you. This will provide you with insight into what your horse experiences.

Following those steps, grasp one end of your test rope and have your helper grasp the other end. Have your helper move their hand. Follow their movements to keep a soft, even contact. Pay close attention to your wrists, forearms, and shoulders. Are your wrists locked? Forearms tight? Shoulders stiff? This is indicative of how you will be in the saddle and gives you a chance to correct them before straddling your horse. For more information on English horse training in Colorado, check out our Colorado Horse Training page. Looking for horse properties for sale in Colorado? Contact a horse-person realtor today.

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How To Build An Indoor Colorado Riding Arena

Posted on December 5, 2018 by blogeditor

Building An Indoor Colorado Riding Arena

Expanding on our article on “Building A Horse Riding Arena In Colorado” there is so much to be said on the topic of indoor Colorado riding arena. Other key facts that should be considered when constructing an indoor arena are ventilation and the base. Ventilation comes through strategically placed openings that encourage the flow of air. Also, without adequate ventilation, you can get condensation on the roof that will drip down. Mechanical ventilation systems occur more often in heated (insulated) buildings and larger commercial projects. Therefore, make sure to discuss ventilation with your contractor. Go over your options to find the best method for you.

The base is the foundation on your riding arena and a vital component of the structure. That base should consist of four inches of compacted limestone screenings over top of a clean engineerable fill. This fill could be clay, sand, or an aggregate mix that does not contain any organic matter. The footing itself can range from a locally sourced sand to a sand and fiber mix. Add a permanent dust-free coating to either of these footings. A decent footing gives stability, traction, and shock absorption for your horses. Also, depending on what kind of horses you’ll be training, your footing may need to be different.

Different sands have different qualities. A sand mixture uses grains of different sizes. Hard, washed, medium-course sands, are preferred. You will also want sand with a high angular content. Other sands break down quickly creating dust and offer little traction. These sands to not make good riding arena surfaces. Deciphering the elements of quality sand and sourcing the material can be difficult. Consult with your contractor on footing when selecting your material. Click the link for more information on arena builders in Colorado.

5 Ways To Bond With Your Horse

Posted on November 27, 2018 by blogeditor

Bond With Your Horse

Bonding with your horse is a great way to improve your overall health as well as the health of your horse. For more reading on horse bonding, check out our article How To Bond With Your Horse. (1) Riders should look at their offseason as an opportunity to bond with their horse. Many professionals spend their offseason introducing new skills such as flying changes and sliding stops, strengthening their discipline. (2) There are ways to be a fresh perspective on your horse. Spend some time in the saddle without stirrups or try riding other horses that are more experienced than your own. You can also attend a clinic or take lessons with an experienced trainer. Getting new perspectives on your horse will bring you closer.

(3) Riders are often forced to board their horses for the season at a professional training barn. This can result in low to zero one-on-one time with your horse. Not all horses react the same way to this type of low interaction. If your horse is not performing as well as usual, consider making a change. Making a trip back home with your horse and tack in tow can be annoying, but making time to bond with your horse at home might be just what your horse needs. (4) You can learn how to better bond with your horse by trying another discipline. During the offseason, try a new sport like jumping or cantering poles.

(5) One of the most important things that you can do to keep up with bonding methods is to research. Always read about new techniques online, visit equine trade shows in your area, or attend bonding seminars. Other studying opportunities include winter clinics, online courses, and magazine articles. For ideas on how to bond with your horse, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

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How To Bond With Your Horse

Posted on November 26, 2018 by blogeditor

Bond With Your Horse

Bonding with horses seems to be a fundamental trait that humans have developed over the years. Bonding with horses teaches compassion, patience, and has been shown to reduce stress. So how do you bond with your horse? Colorado Horse Property has put together a list of ways to bond with your horse that you might not have thought of before.

When your horse has to be seen by the vet, don’t take a back seat. Being there during this stressful period can increase the bond that you already have. So the next time your horse gets diagnostics, dental work, alternative therapies, or even surgery be present. If you are a competition rider, supplement your horse’s training with other activities in the off season. The more time you spend with your horse, the greater your bond will be. The greater the bond, the better your horse will be on and off the track. And don’t abandon your horse when winter comes. Winter can be harsh, especially in the state of Colorado, but your horse needs attention all year round. Put on your winter gear and get outside with your horse—you’ll both be glad you did!

It is common for your horse to show negative behaviors when they get older. Is your horse resisting and showing tension more lately? You could go out and get your horse all new tack and bring in a new trainer. However, this behavior could be the result of your bond with your horse slipping. Don’t feel bad. We all get busy sometimes, but when your horse is showing these signs it is time for you to get busy bonding again. It’s time to address these problems from a new angle, experiment with new techniques, and rebuild the foundation with your horse.

Image by Tatyana Sharnina on Pixabay.

What Your Colorado Horse Is Built For

Posted on November 21, 2018 by blogeditor

Your Colorado Horse

Taking a closer look at your horse’s physical structure is essential. This says a lot about your Colorado horse. Before reading this article, check out the article “What Your Colorado Horse Is Made For” for more information on this topic. If you have any questions about this article or are looking for horse property for sale in Colorado, contact one of the knowledgeable horse-person realtors at Colorado Horse Property.

Also, your horse’s legs are critical to examine. A horse with calf knees has front legs that bend backward. This can cause excess strain on the bones, ligaments, tendons, and joints, a problem found in some racehorses. Examining a horse’s legs can tell you where the force of your horse’s body weight is going. This can help you determine problems that your horse might have in the future, as we’ve seen with the calf knee example above. If your horse’s hind legs bow inward, this indicates additional stress on the hocks. This is commonly known as cow hocked. This could also mean that your horse will have problems with osteoarthritis or bone spavin.

Horse community professionals also evaluate horses by their physical structure. However, specific kinds of horses have physical structures that make them more suited to particular functions. Warmblood horses are great for show jumping. Thoroughbreds are good for speed. For more information on these breeds and more, read Five Popular Horse Breeds and Five More Popular Horse Breeds. Animals with the right build for their jobs are usually easier to train and less likely to develop performance-related injuries. Always do your research. Match your horse’s breed to what your Colorado horse is built to do.

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What Your Colorado Horse Is Made For

Posted on November 20, 2018 by blogeditor

What Is Your Colorado Horse Made To Do?

It probably seems like a silly question to ask on the surface. Which horse runs the fastest, jumps the farthest, trots the longest? Your horse’s structure is the key. One of the first things you’ll want to look for it how well balanced the horse is. In this case, we are referring to the balance of the three parts of the horse’s structure. These consist of the shoulders, barrel, and hindquarters.

If you look at the top line of your horse, you should be able to determine whether the area between the withers and the point of croup is level, uphill, or downhill. Don’t worry if your horse seems heavier in the front end. In fact, even well-balanced horses carry nearly sixty percent of their weight on their front end. This is due to the weight of the head and neck. Horses with a downhill slope are even heavier on the front end. Another physical trait that could determine what your Colorado horse is made for is angulation. Meaning the angle of certain key body parts.

Horse’s with an angled hip, but not an angled shoulder, will result in a slower horse. In this case, the horse will have a longer stride behind than in front. This type of imbalance causes the horse to not move well—even more at a diagonal. The shoulder angle is essential to look into because it usually matches the pastern angle or the part of the foot extending from the fetlock to the top of the hoof. An upright pastern angle results in poor shock absorption and a rough riding horse that’s prone to joint issues. For more information, contact the horse-people at Colorado Horse Property. Continue reading at What Your Colorado Horse Is Built For.

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Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association

Posted on October 30, 2018 by blogeditor

Colorado Quarter Horse Association

The American Quarter Horse Association is in Texas. The Colorado chapter is called the Colorado Quarter Horse Association. Also, the association has many forms like the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association. This association dedicates itself to preserving the American Quarter Horse. Also, the main job of the association is to maintain their registry. The organization started in 1940 in Fort Worth, Texas. The modern association moved to Amarillo recently. The organization boasts as many as 350,000 members.

There is also the American Quarter Racing Association. This group maintains the operation of racetracks and ID requirements for racing the quarter horse. They set the standards for racing. They register quarter horses and Thoroughbreds, including paint horses. Stay updated with Colorado Horse Property blogs for more upcoming information on the American Quarter Racing Association.

You will know the American Quarter Horse today as a show horse and racehorse. The quarter horse is also used as a reining horse. It is also a good family horse. Also, quarter Horses compete well in rodeo events like barrel racing and calf roping. They also compete in gymkhana. The quarter horse has many features. Also, the Quarter Horse has a small head. It also has a straight profile and a strong body. The quarter horse has a broad chest and powerful hindquarters. For more on the quarter horse and other common horse breeds found in Colorado, read Five Popular Horse Breeds and Five More Popular Horse Breeds.

Popular Horse Breeds

Posted on October 18, 2018 by blogeditor

Popular Horse Breeds Around The World

Paint

This popular horse breed, more commonly known as the American Paint Horse, combines aspects from different breeds. The paint horse has features from the western stock horse and a spotted pattern of white and dark colors. Each Paint Horse has a particular combination of white and another color of the equine spectrum. The commonly occurring color combinations are white spots with black, bay, brown, and chestnut or sorrel. Other types include the palomino, buckskin, cremello, perlino, champagne, roan, and grullo.

Tennessee Walker

Tennessee Walkers appeared when and Canadian Pacers from the eastern USA bred with Spanish Mustangs from Texas. The horse “Black Allan” is the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. In 1935 the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ Association was formed, and it closed the studbook in 1947.

Thoroughbred

Thoroughbreds are racing horses. However, they are also bred for other riding disciplines such as show jumping, combined training, dressage, polo, and fox hunting. They are also commonly crossbred to create new breeds or to improve existing ones and have been influential in the creation of the Quarter Horse, Standardbred, Anglo-Arabian, and various warmblood breeds.

Warmblood

This popular horse breed is a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds primarily originating in Europe and registered with organizations. The term distinguishes these horses from both heavy draft horses (“cold bloods”) and refined light saddle horses such as the Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Akhal-Teke (“hot bloods”). Modern warmbloods are descended from heavier agricultural types systematically upgraded by hot blood influence. However, the term does not imply that warmbloods are direct crosses of “cold” and “hot.”

Four Popular Horse Breeds

Posted on October 8, 2018 by blogeditor

Popular Horse Breeds Around The World

Andalusian

The Andalusian is one of the most popular horse breeds. They are also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or Pura Raza Española. Andalusian horses are from the Iberian Peninsula. We celebrate the Andalusian as a warhorse. Historically the bred saw reduced herd numbers in the 19th century due to warfare, disease and crossbreeding, their numbers have since recovered. In fact, in 2010 there were over than one hundred and eight five thousand registered Andalusian horses all around the world.

Appaloosa

You can find Appaloosa’s mostly in the northern Americas. This horse breed has a colorful spotted coat pattern, which occur in a wide range of body types within the breed. Also, this type of coat variety comes from the influence of many other breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse’s color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting patterns. These patterns develop over one of several recognized base coat colors. Appaloosas are great horses and tend to be healthy. However they are apt to get equine recurrent uveitis and congenital stationary night blindness.

Arabian

The Arabian or Arab horse (Hasan in modern standard Arabic) is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. Also, the Arabian is the most easily identifiable horse in the world. This is because of their distinctive head shape and high tail carriage. There is archaeological evidence of the Arabian dating back to the Middle East that resemble modern Arabians from over four thousand years ago. Also, this makes the Arabian one of the oldest breeds in existence today. Arabian bloodlines are found in almost every modern breed of riding horse.

Morgan

All Morgans trace back to a stallion named Figure form Massachusetts. Figure passed on his distinctive looks, conformation, temperament, and athleticism to his children that we know today. The exact pedigree of Figure and the Morgan horse is widely unknown, although extensive efforts have been made to discover his parentage. For more information on horse breeds in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

US State Horses

Posted on September 21, 2018 by blogeditor

State Horses

It is no secret that the states in America have different state symbols. Apart from having specific state flags, there are also state seals, flowers, trees. A few states even have a state coat of arms. Some have state animals—birds, butterflies, insects, and fish. And yes, some states have state horses; twelve states to be exact.

The first state horse was designated in the state of Vermont in 1961. The most recent induction of a state horse occurred in 2010 when both North Carolina and South Carolina declared state horse breeds. Aside from the twelve states that have picked their state horse, Oregon and Arizona have both had proposals to induct this new type of state symbol but have neither chosen which breed to represent them yet. The state horse of North Dakota is the “honorary state equine.”

The Alabama state horse breed in the Racking Horse, which is well known in the southern United States for its ambling gait. Florida recently designated the Florida Cracker Horse as its state horse in 2008. The Florida Cracker Horse was first brought to what is now Florida in the 1500s by Spanish explorers, and it played a large part in the development of the state’s cattle and general agriculture industries. For more state horses and horse facts, check out our new Colorado Horse Information page.

No Colorado State Horse

Though Colorado is a big horse state with a lot of beautiful horse property for sale, it has yet to have named a state horse. What horse breed do you think should be Colorado’s state horse? Weighing in on the subject, Colorado Horse Property suggests The Colorado Ranger. The Colorado ranger horse (or ranger bred horses) is a breed of horse that comes from the High Plains region of Colorado. The Colorado Ranger Horse was started by Mike Ruby. Ruby is a Canada-born horseman, specifically from Ontario. Check out our blog to find out more information on The Colorado Ranger Horse.

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