The Amazing Horses
"The iconic wild mustang is pure Americana, symbolizing unbridled freedom, power, determination, and the Wild West. Our wildness resonates deep within all of us, and is essential to our whole - we would be amiss without it. American icons speak to our greater good and collective well-being by way of bridging divides and bringing stakeholders together in a new light."
horses are a amazing part of life. They help to heal people physicaly and mentally.they are the light to many young and old people. Throughout history horses have been used for ranching farming and even pulling heavy loads like trolleys!
These wonderful animals are miracle workers to our planet and to our race but, there dying out slowly! We dont want to hurt these bueatiful animals.
Horses are known for sports like western riding such as, barel racing poles, bull rinding and much more. barrel racing is for horses and riders who have control, your goal is to round three barrels whitout knocking them down fast and timely but it has to be clean or you wont look good doing it.
below: A women and horse rounding a barrel in a practice arena.
But if you arent wild then you need a quieter sport like dressage (English riding). Dressage is when the rider and horse work together to wow the judges with a gorgeous performance. But not only are they judging you on how you look but how well horse and rider work together.But...dressage is a rich sport, so you need alot of money.I mean a good dressage saddle is 3,540 dollars! If thats just the saddle imagine how much the horse, bridle, traning, lessons, and, equipment is (and thats only a few things you need :0)!
below: A rider and horse in a dressage competition.
Now lets talk about the four basic gaits, walk, trot, canter, and, gallop.
Walking is, well, walking. It's a four beat gait. The legs on one side take the turns moving forward, then the legs on the other side move. Simple right? Kinda, If the horse's legs don't hit the ground in a working order, it won't be a walk. More like an unorganized mess. But if it makes the clippity clop then HAY you got it, you're walking!
Troting is a little faster than a walk. Its a two beat gait like "trit-trot-trit-trot"When a horse is troting only two feet touch the ground at the same time instead of three. The horses legs move foward in diagonal pairs- front left with rear right, then, front right with rear left.
Canter is alot faster than a walk and pretty to. Its a three beat gait, like tump,thump,thump.So a rear hoof hits the ground-thump-, then the other rear hoof and the front hoof that is diagonally oppisite it hits the ground-thump-Finally the other front oof hits the ground for the sound of thump thump thump. "A three beat gait yay"-Tamia
Gallop. Want to break from the canter to somthing faster? Then its time for a gallop. This gait is mostly used for racehorses (because its fast of course! I mean do want to race at a walk or trot? No!!!). the gallop is a four beat gait, each of the horses hoofs take turns hitting the ground. So if the left rear hoof lands first,the next hoof will be the right rear, then the left front, then the right front- So.... A zig-zag /\/\/\. Then all four legs are quickly gathered under its body while the horse hurtles foward. "That seems complicated!"-Tamia
And thats the four basic gaits.Well the walk is to slow for me and the gallop seems to fast so i'll stick to trot and canter!;)
What about the body parts of a horse? How can i ride if i dont know what this hair on the horses neck is?! :(
Well i can fix that, they hair on the horses neck is a mane and the hair on it bottom is its "pony tail" (Get it ;)?) And the horses nose is called a muzzle and the front legs are called forearms and, and.....Well you probaly dont get a thing that i am saying....Sooooo i'll show you this diagram...
Cool, huh? Well, knowing a horse's body is just as important as knowing yours, especially if you're going to ride. If you don't know the horses inside and out, it may be hard to figure out why he/she is whining at times. To know their body will help you know when they're hurt, crippled, or even if they sprained a bone. But i'd still call your local vet just in case.;)
Well thats the outside......What about the inside?
what about a horse's nature...Well most of the horses i've met and seen are playful,wild,sneaky,and,mischievous exspecially mischievous!
But all horse's are different and act different as well.Thats why in competition riders use coloered ribbons to tell other riders things about that horse.
Red ribbons signify a horse is a kicker. This means any other riders should be careful not to crowd the horse, especially from behind. This is the most common color of tail ribbon and thus is the best understood. Often people choose to use a red ribbon if a horse is green or inexperienced because other riders are more likely to understand the meaning.
A yellow (think caution) ribbon says this horse is a stallion. Because stallions should only be handled by adults, and can be unpredictable at times, stallion owners will sometimes use a blue ribbon in his tail to warn off other riders. This is particularly important if you have a mare. It is unfair to a stallion's rider to ride your mare too close to a stallion in the ring, especially if she is in season. The stallion can be the best behaved boy out there, but having an in season mare close by will distract him. In the worst case scenario, you could cause a serious accident by bringing your mare too close to a stallion. Caution is always sensible when seeing a horse with a yellow ribbon in his tail.
A green ribbon means a horse is inexperienced and likely to misbehave. This is suitable for young horses or for horses who are particularly spooky in nature. If you see a horse with a green ribbon in his tail, approach him with caution. Give him space when riding near him, and be sure to keep an eye on him when in the ring. A green horse may spook or otherwise misbehave in unexpected ways. Some people have used a red ribbon for this as well.
White ribbons signify a horse is for sale. Because it can be difficult to successfully advertise at a show, using a white ribbon is an excellent way to show that your horse is for sale. That way prospective buyers can see him perform, and know they can approach you if interested.
And pink means that the horse is a moody mare and I kick!
Now its time for my faveorite one...The wild mustang.
Wild mustangs are purely goergous creatures (well to me) And i want to save them because there being captured and taken to slaughter houses! I truely do not want them to die out before i ride one or...Ever...
Mustangs are descendants of the spanish horse's were brought to the America by Spanish explorers from the 16th century. The name was inspired the Spanish word mustengo, which means "stray horse". "Awsome, mustingo...uh i dont think i said that right... mustango. :| I'll stick to mustang. ;)" -Tamia
Below: A herd of wild mustangs galloping through a open feild.
Below: A herd of wild mustangs troting together.
Mustangs travel in herds with a mare as lead.The stallions often fight over her but the winner gets the mare,and that goes for the hole herd.And foals are disciplined by the stallions.
well i guess thats all you need start galloping.But please get as much information about horses as you can.You can never have to much horse sense now can you ;)! And remember...
RIDE FREELY!!
P.s. Cool or not cool?
Article by:
Tamia Alana Finnerud
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