Rider Character Traits

through all these traits this rider made the olympic dream.

Ever wondered if you have what it takes to be a successful rider?? Well, let me tell you, its not easy to get to the top of this sport, But with the right qualities, you can make it BIG. One of the just have things a rider has, are the specific character traits, and that's what this post is all about.

PATIENCE- avoid those meltdowns!

INITIATIVE- do you make things happen or do you let them happen?

POSITIVE ATTITUDE-do you draw people to you, or drive them away?

ASSERTIVNESS- getting your own way (NICELY!) 

COURAGE- are you a lion pre-or Post Oz?

TRUE GRIT- PASSION, A STRONG WILL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL THOUGHNESS THAT PROPERELS YOU FORWARD.

WORK ETHIC- kick the couch potato habit!

COMPETITIVENESS- Winners love to win, and they hate to lose 

FOCUS- and not with your camera


DETAILED ORIENTATION- the positive side of nit picking ( to learn from tiny details and learn from them )

METICULOUS- look at those details!

PRACTICE!!!!!!!!- BE A METICULOUS RIDER, A GREAT RIDER, A HARD WORKING RIDER, NOT AN AVERAGE RIDER!!!!!

Quotes

This is a special edition post of this blog!!!  I'm posting quotes about horses that famous people have said. I hope you enjoy it!


1) He trots the air, the earth sings when he touches it- (William shakespeare)

2) There is something about the outside of the horse that is good for the outside of a man- (Winston churchill)

3)You cannot train a horse with shouts and expect it to obey by a whisper-(Dagobert D. Runes)

4)Kissed by sunlight embraced by open fields, the horse is the centre of beautiful things-(Anonymus)

5)Honor lies in the mane of  horse-(Herman Melville)

Thank you!!! please comment!!

Equestrian Attire

For those of you who are confused about what tack to wear while riding.... Here's the solution. I'm going to go through the different riding attire for each style of riding. English and Western. 

Western:

For the western type of riding you will need comfortable western riding clothes. The Different clothes you can wear vary from Huge belt buckles, Cowboy shirts to leather boots, to some plain jeans and a shirt. these give you the freedom to move around as usual to complete the task at hand and to express your personal style. The attire changes, Of course, If you are competing. For a show you'll use a show shirt or  a blouse, tucked in to some pair of neat jeans with a Western hat on your head. Your tack will be relatively the same ( except this time the tack will be clean and newly polished of course :D ) The shows might include; Reining, Roping and a Rodeo.


English:

Right. for the english style of riding, You will need Comfortable yet suitable riding clothes. These include the High riding boots (leather or rubber), Breeches ( Jodpurs) A Polo shirt ( although it can be a random shirt.) and A helmet. You can also choose to wear Gloves, A crop or whip, and spurs depending on the horse you're riding. The clothes don't change much for the shows, apart from Having to wear  WHITE breeches only, A riding suit and a show shirt (a chocker or a polo). Stating the obvious , you will be required to use a helmet in every competition. The tack is generally a Black bridle and saddle on top  a white saddle pad. The show might be; Show Jumping, Dressage ( In which you are required to use a top hat instead of a helmet) and Cross country, or a Hunter under saddle class all though there are many more.

Cross Country

Reining

Colours, Patterns and Markings

COLOURS, PATTERNS AND MARKINGS

hi, today I'm posting about Colours, Patterns and Markings different horses have. Horses sport a great variety of colours and unique markings. Each horse has its own marking an pattern. Here are some of the many Coat colours:

*Bay: It ranges from a light reddish brown to a dark almost black brown.

*Brown: The word "brown" is used to describe dark bays.

*Chestnut: A reddish colour with no black.The mane and Tail are generally the colour of the coat or lighter. There are a few variations in the colour.

*Grey: a horse with black skin but white or mixed dark and white hair.grey horses can be born in any colour and lighten as they age.

*Black: Black is a relatively uncommon, though not "rare". There are 2 types of black;fading black and non- fading black.

*Dun: Yellowish or tan coat with primitive markings.

*Roan: a colour that causes white hairs to be intermixed with the horses body colour. There are 3 types; Strawberry roan ( or red roan ), Blue roan and Bay roan.

*Palomino: a chestnut horse that has one dilution gene causing it to turn a golden colour with a flaxen( white ) mane and tail.

*Silver Dapple: Caused by a dilution gene that only acts upon black hair pigment, it lightens black body hair to a chocolate brown and the mane and tail to silver.

*White: One of the rarest colors, a white horse has white hair and fully or largely unpigmented (pink) skin. These horses are born white, with blue or brown eyes, and remain white for life.

There's also many different markings, like these:

Face markings:

*Bald Face or white face: a white blaze that spills over the sides of the face and usually over 1 or both eyes.

*Blaze: a wide white markings that runs from a horses face to its's nostrils.

*Race: a crooked strip

*Snip: a dab of white between a horses nostrils.

*Star: a Patch of white on the horse's forehead, between it's eyes.

*Strip or stripe: a skinny streak of white down a horse's face.

*White muzzle: no surprise there- its a white muzzle.

Leg markings:

* Coronet: a thin white band or stripe right where the hoof meets the leg.

*Ermine spots: Black or brown spots on a leg.

*Half stocking: white that reaches halfway up the lower leg.

*Heel: a dollop of white on the heel.

*Pastern: White that covers the pastern.

*Sock: White that reaches above the fetlock.
*Stocking: White that reaches the knee or hock.
*White crown: White on the front of the pastern.
*White leg: White that reaches the top of he leg.

Horse Artists

Sheri Gordon's Painting " Cadence "

This is one of Sheri Gordon's paintings called " Storm Chaser "

I know many of you have your fave  horsey artists, but today I am going to introduce you to 2 of my fave horse related artists....... say hello to:

SHERI GORDON!!!

Sheri gordon's " The grey "

Ebony and Ivory

Sheri was born and raised in the Saskatchewan prairies.  As a child she was always fond of animals and nature. Her favorite animals was the horse. She seeks to inspire the best in all her paintings. Her works looks realistic because of the variety of mediums she uses combined. for example; pastels, coloured pencils and oil paints. Her works are highly popular world wide, especially in North america. herself as an artist strives to create " Equestrian art for the dreamer. Sheri hopes to touch and find that special place in our souls where horses have and always been, Magic...

And now the second artist.....
KATE BLACK!!!!

Strength

Kate black has been a traditional artist for the past 18 years. Her main focuses have been, Horses, Fantasy and illusory landscapes. Kate is well known for the beauty of nature in her works capturing every aspect of it through her bold coloured palette and unique brush work. When you look a her work you find she has painted everything at that exact moment when everything else vanishes and you are left looking at the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, the pose, the colours, the movement. Many people believe she uses filters to make a photo look like a painting, But it's not true! Every painting is made from a sketch, then outlined and colour imposed we get the final result. 

"Cahir"

Her painting " New beginning" 

How to Pick your horse's hooves

Happy new year!!!! A new year means new chances! I'm going to give you the chance to  pick your horses hooves this year if you haven't already done so....

Step 1:
Make sure your horse is calm and settled down before you start picking his hooves. There is no point in asking him to stand on 3 legs when he is exited and jumpy.Tie him in the cross ties with a slip knot. Ad I have said before its better to chase your horse down than having get hurt because of a rope that wont untie.

Step 2:
Start on one side. Introduce yourself. Rub his shoulder softly and talk to him. Stand on one side and turn your body beside his shoulder to face his tail. be careful though, a horse may kick.

Step 3:
Run your hand down his leg and tap the back of its leg. This will give the horse a chance to realize what you are about to do and let him square up. If the other 3 legs are positioned to awkwardly he wont lift his leg in fear of falling.

Step 4:
Squeeze his leg above the fetlock if he did not raise his leg at the first command. Be patien and gentle, as this may take some convincing if the horse is not obliging.


Step 5:
Hold the hoof in one hand. This is better and more comfortable for the horse. If he tries to pull his foot down, gently lift the end of the hoof towards his elbow. Relax the pull right away if he responds.once the horse is standing calmly on 3 legs you can start removing stones and mud. NOTE TO RIDERS: NEVER PULL THE HORSE'S LEG OUT TOWARDS YOU, THIS WILL CAUSE SERIOUS PAIN TO THE HORSE, KEEP THE LEG IN ITS NATURAL PLACE!!!!

Step 6:
Start taking the dirt out from the heel to the toe. It is best to work this way to prevent damage to the heel and to yourself.

Step 7:
Remove any material from the frog (the squishy triangle in the middle of the hoof) with your hands, as this part is extremely sensitive full of blood supply and nerve endings.

Step 8:
 Check that the nails that hold the shoe in place haven't risen from position. If they have, see if the shoe is loose. If it is call a farrier instantly to replace it. Put the hoof down gently and repeat the process on all the remaining 3 legs.


Thank you for viewing my blog! Comment!