Horse Care For Beginners

Just as you mature, so does your horse. But don’t under-rate him. He’s probably been a great companion for you, possibly for many years, and he deserves your continuing love and attention. I was asked the other day what I considered to be “old” for horse. My brief answer was “any horse of twenty years or more”. When you think about it, a horse of 20, in human terms, would make him around 60 year.

I have trained and bred Arabian horses for over twenty years and have developed my skills through the guidance and philosophies of some of the greatest ‘natural horseman’ of their day. I have been influenced by such greats as Monty Roberts, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. I only endorse techniques in horse training that comply with the philosophy that ‘violence is never the answer’.

My first horse. I was in my early 50’s when I first started riding. I was full enthusiasm and keen to get really involved. I’d just bought a 10 acre property with lush pasture and so had plenty of space to keep a horse. The fencing was excellent as the property had formerly been a deer farm and was fenced accordingly. So I decided to buy a horse.

This is my story about how I went about changing a racehorse, actually a steeplechaser, into a horse that felt comfortable about being used solely for pleasure riding, primarily trail riding.

While horse parasites may be out of sight, they do extensive damage internally. Parasites can steal nutrients from your horse and cause gastrointestinal irritation.While horse parasites may be out of sight, they do extensive damage internally. Parasites can steal nutrients from your horse and cause gastrointestinal irritation.

What are the benefits of horse lunging?
Lunging your horse is one method of teaching him that you’re the pack leader and to understand and respect your instructions to him through your body language, with the assistance of a lunge whip, and well as your verbal commands.
Even in the later stages of your horse training and riding, lunging is a very affective method of using up excess energy prior to your mounted ride should you horse be ‘full of spirit’! But be sure you don’t overdo it prior to your ride. Ten minutes covering a short ‘walk’, a short ‘trot’, and possibly a short ‘canter’. Possibly five minutes in both directions.
When you are just too busy to get the ride you want, a period horse lunging is a great way to to provide exercise for your horse, which ideally he should be getting every day.

Given the opportunity of owning a Percheron horse, or a horse with strong Percheron genetic signs (i.e. a Percheron cross), I’d say, based on my experience, “go for it”! I’m possibly slightly biased in my opinion of the breed as, of the three horses I’ve owned my Percheron/thoroughbred cross, Midnight (“Middie”) stands out as my absolute favourite and a horse I truly came to love.