Commodity Futures Trader

Posts Tagged ‘horses’

Is there such a thing as fail-safe fencing and gates? Maybe someday! In the meantime, there are certain steps you should take to make sure your horse not only remains in his enclosure, but remains there safely.

First of all, consider visibility. Your horse must be able to see his fencing, otherwise injuries are imminent. While your horse shouldn’t have any trouble seeing a wood or PVC fence, wire fences pose more of a problem. Colorful tape or ribbon tied to the fence every foot or so makes the horse aware of the fence.

Next, contemplate the peak of the fence. Fencing have to be excessive sufficient to deter the horse from going over, and low sufficient to deter him from going under. How excessive is high sufficient? About nostril excessive (the horse’s nose, that is!) should do it. When you’ve got a couple of horse in the enclosure, put it at the height of the tallest horse’s nose.

There are many different types of fencing to choose from, but electric, wood, and PVC are the most popular.

Electric fence is the most economical for horsemen on a budget. The most popular forms of electric fence for horses are galvanized wire, plastic-coated wire, 1/2-inch electric polytape, or 1 1/2-inch electric polytape. A good way to make wire fence visible to your horse is to tie brightly colored cloth on every strand every three feet or so. In addition to the wire you’ll need insulators, posts, hardware, and a charger. For about $200, you can buy everything you need to build a small electric fence corral.

Horse care is very involved. It requires keeping track of and preserving your horse’s health as well as its emotional, physical and mental well-being. You must utilize all the available information to care for your horse and keep your horse in good condition. Below are a few important parts of proper horse care.

Overall Health

There are a lot of important issues in horse health. For example, horses often need to drink up to 10 gallons of water a day. Also if a horse stands in its own feces all day, it can become very ill. Horses coats need to be cared for regularly. With all the things to consider in caring for your horse, it is best that you get most of your advice from your vet because they are the most attuned to your horse’s specifics.

Caring For Your Horse’s Hooves

Horse hooves need to be picked clean on a regular basis and also need to be inspected for any damage. Keeping clean, dry hooves is the best preventative measure against hoof fungus or any other impairing conditions that can occur with an unattended horse. Daily, or at least weekly, cleaning and inspections should suffice in dry or normal weather conditions and more often in severe weather.

Feeding Your Horse

To some, all horse saddles may have a tendency to look exactly the same. Of course, this is often the opinion of a novice, as all saddles for sale will have their unique differences. These differences are not limited to looks either.

After you take a saddle home and place it on your horse, you will notice right away that it has it’s own feel to it. And again once you yourself climb into the saddle, you will discover that your own body has a lot to with with how well the saddle works out. When you test a saddle, it’s a good idea to sit in it and go with your initial reaction to how you like it. But beyond that, what else should you look out for in a saddle?

All saddles for sale have some important things to think about:

The most important thing to consider is how the saddle fits your animal. The saddle’s fit should trump any other aspect that may be influencing your decision to purchase. A horse can be hurt and become upset by a saddle that does not fit correctly.

Additionally, it can create a severe hazard for the rider since the improper fit could make staying on the horse difficult. Clearly, both are situations best avoided. The best way to actually avoid this would be to take a proper measurement of the horse prior to purchasing the saddle.

Most saddles for sale have the same basic make-up. Looking at saddles can be a bit overwhelming when you don’t have any idea what you’re looking at. Once you learn the basics, you can shop both western and English saddles.

The Most Important Saddle Parts

You’d probably be better off knowing the names for some horse saddle parts when you’re shopping around. This knowledge of saddles can help your quality checking process. You don’t need to be an expert, but a basic understanding about saddles for sale will lend to a more intelligent purchase.

The “tree” is the trunk of the saddle, the foundation upon which everything else is built.

The “pommel” is the front bump on a saddle that holds you in from the front. Western saddles have horns connected to their pommel.

The “skirt” covers the area where the stirrups attach to the saddle. They are available in round and square. Round skirts cover less of the horse’s side.

The “seat” obviously is where the rider sits in the saddle.

The “cantle” is the back part of the saddle that is a little higher than the seat which holds the rider in the saddle from behind.

The “stirrups” are loops on either side of the horse where the rider puts his or her feet.

The “billets” are straps on the saddle which connect to the girth that is used to essentially tie the saddle to the horse’s back.