Horseback Heaven

Is it essential to have a riding jacket

Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 by Greg in Horse Riding, Horses

Whether you are a seasoned equestrian or a  casual rider,  what clothing  you wear makes an impact on your riding, comfort and confidence. While purchasing your riding apparel, be it jackets, breeches or  riding boots  , extra care must be exercised. Comfort is the main criterion  while buying women’s riding jackets . If you are not comfortable in the jacket or riding boots you wear, it can  may   affect your performance.

Another thing to consider when  purchasing  riding jackets is the fitting. More than the appearance of the jacket, it is its fitting on the rider that decides the impression the rider makes on the onlookers. A  jacket that is to loose or too-tight   can make you look unprofessional and even affects your riding, whereas a jacket that fits properly  makes the rider look professional and stylish. Hence, while buying a jacket make sure you get one where there is plenty of space for hand and body movement. At the same time it should look as if itis custom  made for you.

Also, it is best to avoid riding jackets that are the cheapest you can buy,  these can wear out very quickly sometimes it better to get quality garments    . When it comes to women’s riding jackets,  qualilty and top brands are more important than cost  . Most often they will be a one time investment , and therefore you need to give more attention to quality and appearance than the price tag.

For riding jackets, there are many reputed brands like Georg Schumacher ,  Puffa , Equetech and John Whitaker  that provide jackets in different styles and designs. A good brand ensures durability and comfort. men’s riding jackets are available in different styles, such as with or without a velvet collar, regular pockets or zip pockets, light weight for summer or lined jackets for winter, etc. These are all available in different sizes and colours. Jackets made of windproof and waterproof fabric make riding comfortable in any weather. puffa   offers  riding jackets that change from season to season. There are many shops that can provide riding jackets. For best results, it is better to find one that has a lot of extra facilities like sizing charts, online ordering and home delivery, in addition to a vast range of jackets. For online shoppers, just giving size specifications and colour preferences can ensure delivery of products without having to depend on whether your particular preference is in stock.  webshops can provide you with a wide range of choices of brand, design and style, apart from that of size and colour. They will also be able to provide you with tips on the latest trends in jackets and other Horse Riding Apparel.

Is it time for new riding boots

Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010 by Greg in Horse Riding, Horses

 Autumn is always the best time to sort through  your  horse equipment , horse clothing , riding boots and riding equipment to check for damage, to see what needs to be cleaned, and tocreate a shopping list ï»¿ of necessities and fun new riding clothing . New styles have just arrived , making this the best possible time to put that shopping list and those organizational skills to use. Your equestrian apparel serves many functions and needs to be in the best possible condition to work properly. Riding equipment, tack, and horse clothing fall into the same category. Broken buckles, worn straps, and ill-fitting apparel must be replaced, enabling you to look, feel, and perform at your very best.

The lined or fleeced horse riding jodhpurs  that served you well through the cold winter months are now too heavy to be safe or functional for intensive training or on long trail rides. Safety and comfort are paramount any time you are riding. You can ensure that you have the necessary freedom of movement while maintaining close contact with your horse and still look sleek and stylish with this year’s latest  products . Difference Between Spring And Winter Riding

Winter means wearing lots of layers  , heavy jackets, lined gloves and boots, thick socks, turtleneck shirts and sweaters, and heavy horse riding breeches. As spring approaches, that wardrobe is no longer safe or functional. You can get overheated and you do not have the range of motion needed for more strenuous training sessions.

Riding in the spring frequently means longer rides , so comfort becomes more of an issue. While gloves are still needed, you don’t want the bulky linings that were necessary during winter. Lighter weight apparel, more suited to spring and summer, provide you with attractive fluidity of movement, especially with all the beautiful new styles that have just arrived. Your horse will appreciate a lighter weight blanket or stable sheet as well.

Look For New Spring Riding Clothing Arrivals

Nearly all of the major brands  ï»¿ have released their latest styles of breeches , boots , jackets , and horse clothing. Instead of making do with worn-out old clothing , you can take advantage of the latest spring sales on riding apparel and get some bargains .

Horse riding breeches now come in new materials and styles that take advantage of the latest in textile research, providing riders with improved breathability, increased comfort, and elegant details that will make you stand out from the crowd in and out of the show ring. Of course, the real purpose of well-designed breeches and jodhpurs is to protect your legs while maintaining clear communication between horse and rider. This year’s breeches look and function better than ever.

Free tips on horse training

Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 by Greg in Horse Riding, Horses

Horse training is a critical matter. Some individuals spend a complete lot of money just to get the most effective horse trainer in town. However what if you have no extra cash to spend and you need to train your horse? The following question can be what are the most effective horse training tips?

First, you must create a strong communication technique you can use. Since horses don’t understand the human language, you can start off by using single or easy words. Next you can couple those phrases with hand alerts and gestures. Repeat and reiterate so the horse can grasp the first classes that you are teaching. Like people, it is best to develop a kind of bond between each other. This manner, your horse can understand the message that you are placing across. Third, do not strain or put your horse below nerve-racking conditions. It’ll certainly cause a retort. Fourth, each horse is different. They have varying learning capabilities. Fifth, by no means power, whip, whirl, kick or strike your horse during training. You’ll certainly get an equally unfavourable reaction. Not solely that, your horse might simply surrender on studying, putting to waste your whole efforts. In the studying process, you need to also learn how to determine when your horse has a problem or if it doesn’t really feel well.

Coaching a horse is certainly not an easy task. It takes hard work, willpower, endurance and naturally you need to have the skill. Deal with your horse as a human being and act as a herd chief; these are surefire horse training tips that will lead to a successful learning.

In case you are looking or looking for horse training tips, there are a number of books and magazines obtainable out there today. There are even some that concentrates on instructing wild horses, horses used for racing, etc. The web can be a great venue for researching.

How To Properly Bridle A Horse

Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 by Greg in Horse Riding, Horses

Do you want to know how to correctly bridle your  equine ?

Bridling a horse is not as simple as it may appear. If you do something wrong, it may be damage the horse’s psyche. The rider may be affected or injured as well.

Before bridling a horse, you must be aware that there is an area in a horse’s mouth named the “interdental space”. It is an area with no teeth found on the lower and upper jaws. The area is between the back teeth, which are the “molars” and the front teeth, called “incisors”. The bit rests on the interdental space when the animal is bridled properly. Horse aficionados also call this area of bare gums particularly on the posterior jaw, bars.

The interdental space is also a spot where the horse owner or trainer can insert their thumb at the times when you want to ask the animal to open its mouth. An example of this is requesting the horse to accept the bit during the process of bridling.

Horse Bridling Tips

1. Tie up your equine in a comfortable place with a halter on. Do not have the animal tied solidly in case your horse has a habit of pulling back when scared. although the horse can be bridled without the halter on, it is still best to bridle the horse while his halter is in place until you understand the animal and his needs.

2. Stand on the near side of the animal, which is normally the left side, when mounting the bridle.

3. You may utilize schooling aids to make bridling easier for you. A running martingale may be used to keep the horse from throwing his head upwards. Drop nosebands can also assist in keep the horse’s mouth shut. Ideally you wont need this type of equipment as the horse will trust you.

4. Allow the horse to lower his head and make sure the bridle is untangled and ready to put on. Put your arm over the animal’s neck and hold the bridle loosely on the opposite side of the horse. Put the bridle on the lowest setting possible to make sure it can fit on any animals head comfortably, you can adjust it once it’s on the animal.

5. Now, remove the halter from his face. Then put it back on around the neck so the horse can’t wandering off.

6. Make sure that you can reach the top of the horse’s head. If that’s not possible, you can use a mounting block for that sole purpose.

7. With your right hand, take the top of the head stall. It is the tack fitting over the animal’s head. Then hold the bit with your finger and thumb so that it is stable. Introduce it to the horse’s mouth gently, placing a finger in the crack of his mouth to ask him to open it. A well trained horse should naturally open his mouth. If you have a cue or command to get the horse to open his mouth, use it.

8. Gently put the bit into the mouth. Never force it. When the bit is in place, slip the top part of the headstall over the horse’s ears.

9. The length of the face strap should be adjusted. Ideally, there ought to be one small wrinkle at the corner of your horse’s mouth. Make sure his forelock is pulled out of the straps and the straps aren’t tangled or busted.

10. Next is the adjustment of the chin strap if your headstall has one. Keep this loose as it is a tool for pressure.

11. Your left hand should hold both reins while undoing the halter with your other hand. When walking with the horse, make the animal value your space. Never tie an animal with the leather headstall reins.

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Pelham horse bits. The Snaffle and Curb combined.

Posted on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 by Greg in Horse Riding, Horses

Most horse bits follow the principle of either direct pressure or leverage pressure.  The Pelham bit offers in principle the best of both worlds.  However the Pelham is not necessarily having all your Christmases at once, and like all horse bit choices it requires some careful evaluation of what the problem actually is that you are trying to solve, and what type of bit or attribute of a bit might help address that problem.

Bascially horse bits are split into two main categories. Snaffles are what are called direct pressure bits where force is applied directly to the bit and on to the horse. Curbs bits are leverage bits where the force is applied via reins to cheek pieces that act as levers so a stronger horse can in theory be controlled by the same forces used with a Snaffle. It is much more preferable to think of the horse bit as a signaling mechanism rather than a controlling mechanism . In other words the horse does what you want him to do happily because he recognises the signal, and your training together has formed a strong contract between the two of you.  Considering the concept of signals therefore, sometimes one needs to switch to a stronger signaling mechanism for certain situations.  It may be that 99% of the time a Snaffle works just fine but just 1% of the time the extra leverage of a Curb would just bring the horse back on track.  

A common solution to this is to fit a double bridal such as a weymouth and bradoon, where the weymouth provides the Curb mechanism and the bradoon is the Snaffle part.  The bits are truly used independently so require a good degree of horsemanship to work with two sets of reins .

There can be an obvious problem here with the sheer amount of metal or rubber you are expecting the horse to comfortably accommodate in their mouth.  Do not go down the road of sourcing these two bits with very narrow wire mouthpieces just so they fit. This is potentially cruel. Don’t to it.  

The solution to this issue if offered by the Pelham bit . It provides in one neat package the features of a snaffle and a curb bit.  The familiar “99% of the time” signal of the snaffle can be achieved with one set of reins via the single mouth piece and the “1% of the time” stronger signalling achieved via the curb rein again via the single mouth piece.

All the features that one may look for in a snaffle and curb can be obtained in a pelham such as high port pelham, rubber or vulcanite mouth pieces or longer cheek lengths.  If you are looking to “upgrade” from a Snaffle try going for one similar to the Snaffle you are already successfully using .  Consider also going for a rubber mouth if not already doing so as you’ll be introducing the horse to curbing . However don’t necessarily expect the Pelham to work identically to the equivalent double bridal as the Pelham is a slight compromise. 

As usual we make our final point.  Apply a liberal amount of common sense when considering your need for something like the Pelham and the needs of the horse must be paramount according to its individual circumstances.  Build your skills first and don’t try and address lack of your own riding ability with a silver bullet horse bit!