Rate your mare’s girlish figure.

This condition scoring system will help you determine if your mare is in optimum breeding condition.

Moderately fleshy to fat mares cycle earlier in the year, have fewer cycles per conception, a higher pregnancy rate and maintain pregnancy more easily than thin mares.

A condition score of 5 or less in lactating mares means they don’t have enough stored fat to support reproduction. Mares in marginal or poor condition are less likely to breed successfully. Read the rest of this entry »

The Certified Horsemanship Association explains the proper English seat.

Illustration by Susan Harris

Compiled by Hailey Harroun

• The two-point position, also known as the half seat, is used to help develop balance and control with your legs.
• The two-point or half seat is achieved by bending forward at the hips, taking most of the weight in your ankles and heels. Your back is straight with your seat just off the saddle.
• Your hands should be in front of the horse’s shoulders and the reins should be shortened before going into this position.
• Be sure while in the half seat to keep your shoulders and back relaxed. In the beginning, you may place a hand on your horse’s neck or grasp a handful of mane to help you maintain your balance.
• The use of the half seat will help your balance and will strengthen your legs. It will help prepare you for posting and eventually jumping.
• Practice this at a halt or walk first.

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Be sure with these pre-ride checks from Step 1 of “AQHA’s Fundamentals of Horsemanship.”

You wouldn’t want to get on an airplane without knowing that someone had checked the fuel and made sure everything was in working order, right? It’s no different with a horse.

Once you’ve saddled up, there are two things you really shouldn’t do:

1. Get on without any preparation.
2. Turn your back and walk away from the horse, with him following.

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Go behind the scenes at the racetrack.

A racetrack is a business and is managed as such. Because of the pari-mutuel wagering system set up at all tracks, the track has no interest or stake in the outcome of a race. It is solely a venue to allow people to bet against each other on the horses. When bettors put money down on a race, the track takes a slice of the total money wagered, usually about 20 percent.  The remaining 80 percent is returned to bettors in the form of winnings. This percentage is much higher than those of state lotteries, which often remove 50 percent of the total money bet.

Races are regulated by stewards, who are officials hired by the track or the state racing commission to objectively view races and make sure no fouls are committed.

Get AQHA’s FREE report: Horse Handicapping 101.

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Use a rotation system to prevent overgrazing.

You rotate the tires on your car to get the best use of the tread. By implementing a rotational grazing system in your pasture, you’ll get more mileage out of your forages. Overgrazing a pasture stops root growth and diminishes the amount and quality of the grass. It can also result in soil erosion because the grass isn’t there to prevent the soil from being blown or washed away.

Subdivide large pastures into smaller grazing areas to restrict the amount of time an area is grazed, suggests Dr. Thomas Lenz, a veterinarian with AQHA Corporate Fort Dodge. Read the rest of this entry »

What you need to know to keep flies away from your horse.

House flies and stable flies have three prerequisites for successful completion of their life cycles: appropriate breeding materials, moisture and warmth, according to the Horse Industry Handbook. Read the rest of this entry »

Simulate competition at home to improve your nerves and your horse’s reactions.

Think about the way you practice with your horse. You probably ride with less intensity and face fewer negative consequences if you make a mistake. Use these tips when you practice, and they’ll translate better to your show-ring experience. Read the rest of this entry »

A tribute to the American Quarter Horse legacy.

When Bob Denhardt, in the 1930s, saw the need to track the pedigrees of a group of horses that were being referred to as Quarter Horses, he went first to the ranches. That’s where the good horses were. The result was the formation, in 1940, of the American Quarter Horse Association. Recognizing the importance of the ranches to the Association yet today, AQHA and corporate partner Bayer Animal Health came up with the Best Remuda Award. They wanted to honor the ranches for their horses. Fifteen ranches have been honored since the award’s inception in 1992. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn more about this important horse racing statistic.

A horse receives a speed index number every time he races at an AQHA-recognized track. Because each racetrack is different, race times vary a bit from track to track, and the speed index system was developed as a way to compare horses and races run at different tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

Make sure your horse’s halter fits correctly.

From AQHA Professional Horsewoman and Certified Horsemanship Association trainer Julie Goodnight

Photo courtesy of Julie Goodnight

Is your horse’s halter too snug or too loose? Does it hang down around his nose or squeeze his face, rubbing the hair away? Do you fit a rope halter the same as a web halter? How do you know if your horse’s halter fits or what size halter he should wear? These are all legitimate questions, and it is important to have a halter that fits your horse just right for his comfort and his safety.

Whether you use a rope, nylon or leather halter, the fit should be the same. The cheek rings of the web halter and the cheek knots of the rope halter should sit about one finger’s width below the bottom of the cheek bone. If the noseband gets much lower, it could cause damage to the sensitive cartilage of the nose. The noseband should not fit snugly, but should not be so loose that your horse could get a hoof caught when he scratches his face with his foot. You should have at least two fingers’ width between the noseband and your horse’s jaw.

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Whether you ride western or English, better balance will improve your ride.

Illustration by Jean Abernethy.

AQHA Professional Horsewoman Lynn Salvatori Palm explains that many riders exhibit “an overall stiffness,” which decreases their effective communication with their horses because they can’t truly synchronize with their horses’ motion.

Leaning forward and looking down also deter riders from having a great ride.

Maintaining balance is one of your most important responsibilities on the back of a horse.

Once you get into good balance, you have to keep practicing to maintain it, Lynn says. You have to keep yourself in good shape and continually assess yourself, no matter how advanced a rider you are. She suggests having someone take pictures of you while you’re riding.

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Protect your newborn foal from disease with these simple precautions.

A newborn foal’s navel is the road of choice used by disease- and infection-carrying organisms.

Put up a roadblock to these troublesome critters immediately after your foal is born by dipping its navel in 0.5 percent chlorhexidine diluted with water in a one-to-four solution. Repeat two to three times a day during the first few days of the foal’s life.

Avoid strong iodine solutions that are irritating, as they can cause tissue death and lead to other problems. Read the rest of this entry »