Horsemanship Level 4: Saddlery pt I The final checklist item for Horsemanship 4 is: 10. Saddlery. Fit and care of own tack. Identify & fit nosebands, girths & common tack. Put on & remove a blanket. Once more, this is a large topic that we'll break down into several posts, looking at saddle fitting this…
Horsemanship Level 4: Vet & First Aid pt III Last week for this topic we looked at discerning emergency versus non-emergency ailments of the horse. This week we'll cover treatments of some minor illnesses and injuries. Thrush Thrush is a foul-smelling infection that occurs in the grooves (sulci) of the hoof on either side of…
Horsemanship Level 4: Vet & First Aid pt II The second check box for Level 4 Vet & First Aid is: 9. Signs of cold, laminitis. Causes of colic. Cause & treatment of thrush, abscess, minor injuries. When to call the vet and what to tell her. Again, you have learned much of this in…
From Alexander the Great, to the Sultan Mehmed, to Louis XIV of France, monarchs entered battle on the backs of horses. There are practical reasons for this: from a horse you can see farther, move faster, and avoid many of the dangers a foot soldier faces. In addition, the beauty and power of a horse…
Horsemanship Level 4: Vet & First Aid The Vet & First Aid section of Level 4 Horsemanship is very similar to the Level 3 requirements, the difference being you are expected to know the subject more thoroughly. 8. Vet & First Aid. T, P, R; Identify minor wounds; cause, care & treatment. Since these topics…
Horsemanship Level 4: Conditioning pt II At the end of April we covered work versus exercise in our Level 4 conditioning topic: 7. Work vs. exercise. Warm-up and cooling out, reasons why. Cooling out was covered in this Level 3 post, so this week we'll look at what constitutes an effective warm up. Just like…
Please join us in welcoming Red Colt's new resident caretakers, Elise Marquis and Graham Dube! Elise and Graham moved in at the end of April, and we are thrilled to have them join our team. Over the past year there has been a fair amount of upheaval at the barn with co-op members pulling in…
With buzz in the air about breeding Flavie, we thought we'd make this week's blog all about babies. Did you know? A newborn horse is called a foal. Female young horses are known as fillies, and male young horses are known as colts. Adult females are mares and adults males are stallions -- or geldings…
As many of you know, Flavie has been the cornerstone of our Mounted Combat program. Solid, dependable, and bombproof, she carries our most timid beginners and our heaviest riders, with a trot that's heaven to sit. She's a pro at lessons, horseback archery, mounted games, and sparring, able to turn on the speed or the…
Horsemanship Level 4: Conditioning pt I The checklist item for Level 4 conditioning read: 7. Work vs. exercise. Warm-up and cooling out, reasons why. This week we will examine fitness, work, and excercise, and then look at warm-up and cool-down next week. Condition Along with his conformation, your horse's condition determines the type of activities…
Horsemanship Level 4: Identifying Lameness When you deepen your study of conformation you will begin to look at its effects on a horse's movement, which can tell you much about its ability, soundness, and scope. For Level 4 Horsemanship, we ask you to begin sharpening your eye by identifying unsoundness and distinguishing which leg is…
Read More... from Conformation and Unsoundness: Pick a Leg, Any Leg
Horsemanship Level 4: Conformation & Unsoundness pt II Previously we looked at types of horses, their differing builds and their abilities. This week we'll examine general conformation, and what to look for when assessing any horse. Over centuries of domestication, selective breeding has created the variety of breeds and types we looked at in the…
March is heading out like a lamb, leaving us with lovely riding weather and double the opportunities to get in the saddle. Starting this week we will be running extra series of Riding & Horsemanship on Saturday afternoons from 4pm onwards, while the current Sunday series continues through April 17th. In addition there is a…
Horsemanship Level 4: Conformation & Unsoundness pt I Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but good conformation is a matter of physics. A horse that is well-built for his job will stay sound and perform better than one that has poor conformation. For Level 4 we want you to be able to…
Horsemanship Level 4: Foot and Shoeing pt II For the first part of this topic we looked at the external structures of the foot and their functions. This week we'll address the pros and cons of leaving a horse barefoot versus shod, and when to shoe or re-shoe. Horseshoes in History Millions of years of…
Congratulations to all the participants who have just finished the 5- and 6-week Mounted Combat, Riding, and Horsemanship classes. Everyone who was present on Sunday completed least one part of their assessments. Kaleigh, Ari, François, Alicia, Viktoria, and Brad were tested on riding, horsemanship or both; Brad, François, Kevin, Melissa, Christian, Karissa, and Stephanie all…
Horsemanship Level 4: Foot and Shoeing pt I For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost ... This proverb cautioning us to attend to detail continues to the loss of the battle, but as horse-keepers we don't need to follow the butterfly effect any further. The old…
Horsemanship Level 4: Feeding (pt II) Last week we looked at the nine rules of good feeding as part of your Feeding topic for Level 4. This week we'll cover: Common grains, concentrates & processing methods. Own routine & ration. In an ideal situation a horse is able to get all the food it needs…