I have had a lifetime experience with horses. Although I do not rememeber my first time riding, I do know that I love it with a passion. I have been riding most of my life, but I did not start jumping untill I was 7. I loved it and it became my life. Everyday after getting off the bus i would go start to the barn and ride my Fat Albert, Spike for short. Over the years I have grown to love horses and if I do not always get to ride them I will always have the memories in my heart.

Horses/ponies eat a very basic diet unless they have health problems. They will usually eat a pellet or grain twice a day they also have supplements given to them in their pellet based on what they are used for. Horses/ponies also eat a lot of hay and will be put out almost every day to graze on grass. Many owners will give their horses/ponies treats such as carrots, mints, and stud muffins. Fresh buckets of water should be put in the horse’s/ponie’s stale. Some owners may choose to put a salt lick to promote good hydration.

Unlike in other sports horseback riding has more then first second and third. The places go all the way to ninth. Each place has a different color ribbon.

First is blue

Second is Red

Third is Yellow

Fourth is white

Fifth is pink

Sixth is green

Seventh is purple

Eighth brown

Ninth is gray

Tenth is pale blue

The horse/pony have 4 different gaits; walk, trot, canter and gallop. The walk is a 4 beat and speed of the walk is about 4 mph.

The trot is a 2 beat gait and goes about an average of 8 mph. The trot is like a slow jog.

The canter is a 3-beat gait the canter is fastert then the trot and slower then the gallop.

The gallop is like the canter but much faster and the 3-beat canter changes to a 4-beat gait.

(you can see the gallop in motion just click the link below)

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Muybridge_race_horse_animated.gif)

When riding a horse/pony you usually use tack. There are (in my opinion) 2 main pieces of tack: the saddle and bridle. The saddle is put on the withers of the horse. There are a pair of stirrups located on both sides of the saddle which you put your feet in.

 The English Saddle

(http://www.equusite.com/articles/basics/images/basicsEnglishSaddle.jpg)

The Western Saddle

(http://www.equusite.com/articles/basics/images/basicsWesternSaddle.jpg)

The bridle is leather and has a bit which the reigns are connected to. The bridle is used to steer the horse/pony.

When praticing at your barn, you usually can wear jeans and a t-shirt/polo but in the show ring this is unexceptable. For example in the Hunter Jumper show ring you would wear breeches, belt, tall boots, a show dress shirt with rat cacther (collar), and a show jacket. Also, an approved helmet is required and most people choose to wear black leather gloves.

Before riding you must, and I mean must groom your horse. When grooming your horse there are four basic steps.

1. Curry Brush your horse. You want to do this in circles.

2. Brush your horse off with a soft bristle brush. Go with the hair.

3. Then you need to hoof pick your horse’s feet, this is very important.

4. Fly spray your horse. You don’t need your horse getting distracted by flies.

After riding (depending on the climate) you will usually hose your horse off.

1. First spray your horse’s legs down.

2. You will slowly work your way up to the body.

3. Next, try to hose your horse’s face off. Some horses have big problems with the water in their face. If they do just sponge their face off.

4. Then, dry them off with a sweat scrapper and dry their legs down with a dry towel getting the access water off.

5. Lastly, fly spray your horse so they don’t get irritated by flies.

 Of course you can go into a lot more depth then this but, the above are the basics.

This is a couple of rounds at the Charlotte Classic and it is amazing the ability that these horses have.

I am dedicating this blog to Shalimar. Shalimar was an Arabic horse who my mother learned to ride on and who was an amazing friend to my grandmother. She lived for 39 years of which she devoted her life to hard work. Shalimar was loved by many and was more than an amazing horse, she was a friend to all, especially my grandmother. We will miss you and will always hold you in our hearts. R.I.P.

Pony Breeds:

• American Shetland, see Shetland pony

• American Walking Pony

• Ariegeois pony or Ariègeois

• Assateague Pony, see Chincoteague Pony

• Asturian pony

• Australian Pony, also known as Australian Riding Pony

• Avelignese Pony

• Bali Pony

• Bardigiano Pony

• Bashkir Pony

• Basque Pony

• Basuto pony, also spelled Basotho pony

• Batak Pony

• Belgian Riding Pony

• Bhutia Pony, also spelled Bhotia Pony

• Bhirum Pony

• Boer Pony

• Bosnian Pony

• British Riding Pony, see Riding Pony

• Burmese Pony

• Carpathian Pony

• Caspian pony

• Cheju pony

• Chincoteague Pony

• Chinese Guoxia

• Connemara pony

• Dales Pony

• Dartmoor pony

• Dulmen pony

• Eriskay pony

• Exmoor pony

• Falabella, see Falabella (horse) in horse section

• Faroe pony

• Fell Pony

• French Saddle Pony

• Galician pony

• Garrano

• German Reitpony

• Gotland Pony

• Gǔo-xìa pony, see Chinese Guoxia

• Hackney pony

• Highland Pony

• Hokkaido Pony

• Hucul Pony

• Icelandic pony, see Icelandic horse in horse section

• Java Pony

• Kazakh Pony

• Kerry bog pony

• Kirdi Pony

• Latvian Snow Pony

• Landais Pony

• Lundy Pony

• Manchurian Pony

• Manipuri Pony

• Merens Pony

• Miniature horse, see horse section

• Misaki

• New Forest Pony

• Newfoundland pony

• Nigerian Pony

• Noma pony

• Nooitgedacht pony

• Northlands Pony

• Ob pony

• Peneia

• Pindos Pony

• Poney Mousseye

• Pony of the Americas

• Pottok

• Quarter pony

• Riding Pony

• Sable Island Pony

• Sandalwood Pony

• Sardinian Pony

• Shetland pony

• Skogsruss, see Gotland Pony

• Skyros Pony

• Spiti Pony

• Sumba and Sumbawa Pony

• Tibetan Pony

• Timor Pony

• Virginia highlander

• Viatka

• Welara

• Welsh pony

• Welsh mountain pony (Section A), see Welsh pony

• Welsh pony (Section B), see Welsh pony

• Welsh pony of cob type (Section C), see Welsh pony

• Western Sudan pony

• Yakut Pony

• Zaniskari pony

• Zemaituka, also known as Zhumd

My Favorite.

Welsh Pony.

Horse Breeds:

• Abaco Barb, see Barb (horse)

• Abtenauer

• Aegidienberger

• Akhal-Teke

• Albanian (horse)

• Altai (horse)

• Alter Real

• American Cream Draft

• American Paint Horse

• American Quarter Horse

• American Saddlebred

• American Spotted Paso

• American Warmblood

• Andalusian horse

• Andravida (horse)

• Anglo-Arabian

• Anglo-Kabarda

• Appaloosa

• “Appendix,” see American Quarter Horse

• Arappaloosa

• Arabian horse

• Ardennes (horse), or Ardennais

• Argentine Criollo, see Criollo (horse)

• Asturcon

• Australian Brumby, see Brumby

• Australian Stock Horse

• Auxois

• Azores (horse)

• Azteca (horse)

• Baise (horse)

• Balearic (horse)

• Balikun (horse)

• Baluchi (horse)

• Ban-ei

• Banker Horse

• Barb (horse)

• Bashkir Curly

• Bavarian Warmblood

• Belgian (horse)

• Belgian Warmblood (includes Belgian Half-blood)

• Black Forest Horse

• Boulonnais (breed of horses)

• Brabant, see Belgian (horse)

• Brandenburger

• Brazilian Sport Horse (Brasileiro de Hipismo)

• Breton (horse), or Trait Breton

• Brumby

• Budyonny (horse) or Budenny

• Buohai (horse)

• Buryat (horse)

• Byelorussian Harness

• Calabrese (horse)

• Camargue (horse)

• Campolina

• Canadian Horse

• Canadian Cutting Horse

• Cape Horse

• Carolina Marsh Tacky

• Carthusian horse

• Chilean Horse

• Chilote Horse

• Cleveland Bay

• Clydesdale (horse)

• Colonial Spanish

• Colorado Ranger

• Comtois (horse)

• Criollo (horse)

• Danish Warmblood

• Deliboz

• Dole Trotter or Dole Gudbrandsdal

• Don, see Russian Don

• Dutch Warmblood

• East Bulgarian

• East Friesian (horse)

• Falabella (horse)

• Faroese or Faroe horse, see Faroe pony in pony section

• Finnish horse

• Fleuve

• Fjord horse also called Norwegian Fjord Horse

• Florida Cracker Horse

• Fouta or Foutanké

• Frederiksborg

• Freiberger

• Friesian horse

• Galiceno or Galiceño

• Gelderland (horse)

• Groningen Horse

• Gypsy Vanner horse

• Hackney (horse)

• Haflinger (horse)

• Hanoverian (horse)

• Heck horse

• Hispano (horse)

• Holsteiner, also called Holstein

• Hungarian Warmblood

• Icelandic horse

• Indian Half-Bred

• Iomud

• Irish Draught, also spelled Irish Draft

• Irish Horse or Irish Sport Horse

• Italian Heavy Draft

• Jutland (horse)

• Kabarda (horse), also known as Kabardian or Kabardin

• Karabakh horse

• Karabair

• Kathiawari

• Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse

• Kiger Mustang

• Kisber Felver

• Kladruber

• Kinsky-horse

• Knabstrup

• Konik

• Kustanair

• Latvian Harness Horse

• Lipizzan or Lipizzaner

• Lithuanian Heavy Draught

• Lokai

• Lusitano

• Lyngshest, see Nordlandshest/ Lyngshest

• Malapolski

• Mangalarga Marchador and Mangalarga

• Maremmana

• Marwari (horse)

• M’Bayar

• Messara

• Mezőhegyesi sport-horse (sportló), see Hungarian Warmblood

• Mongolian Horse

• Metis Trotter, see Russian Trotter

• Miniature horse

• Missouri Fox Trotter

• Morab

• Morgan horse

• Mustang (horse)

• Murakoz horse or Muraközi ló (Hungary)

• Murgese

• National Show Horse

• Nez Perce Horse

• Nokota horse

• Nordlandshest/ Lyngshest

• Noriker horse, also called Pinzgauer

• North Swedish Horse

• Norwegian Fjord, see Fjord horse

• Novokirghiz

• Oldenburg (horse), also spelled Oldenburgh

• Orlov trotter

• Paso Fino

• Percheron

• Peruvian Paso, sometimes called Peruvian Stepping Horse

• Pleven (horse)

• Polish Draft

• Przewalski’s Horse, also known as Takhi, Mongolian Wild Horse or Asian Wild Horse

• Qatgani

• Quarab

• Quarter Horse, see American Quarter Horse

• Racking horse

• Rhenish-German Cold-Blood

• Rocky Mountain Horse

• Russian Don

• Russian Heavy Draft

• Russian Trotter

• Saddlebred, see American Saddlebred

• Salerno (horse)

• San Fratello (horse)

• Sardinian (horse), also known as Sardinian Anglo-Arab

• Selle Francais, also spelled Selle Francaise

• Shire horse

• Shagya Arabian

• Sorraia

• Spanish Mustang

• Spanish Tarpan, see Sorraia

• Spotted Saddle horse

• Sokolsky horse

• Soviet Heavy Draft

• Standardbred

• Suffolk Punch

• Swedish Ardennes

• Swedish Warmblood

• Swiss Warmblood

• Syrian (horse)

• Tawleed

• Tennessee walker

• Tersk

• Thoroughbred

• Tinker horse, see Gypsy Vanner horse

• Tiger Horse

• Tori (horse)

• Trait Du Nord

• Trakehner

• Ukrainian Riding Horse

• Vlaamperd

• Vladimir Heavy Draft

• Waler horse, also known as Waler or Australian Waler

• Walkaloosa

• Warmblood, see “Types of horses” below, or individual warmblood breed articles

• Welsh Cob (Section D), see Welsh pony

• Westphalian (horse)

• Wielkopolski

• Württemberger or Württemberg

• Xilingol horse

• Yili horse

• Zhemaichu also known as Zhmudka

My Favorites:

Appaloosa, Arabian, American Quarter Horse, Paint

(in order)

(http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=63219&rendTypeId=4)

Horses have 205 bones.

(http://www.michigan-horse.com/images/anatomy-of-horse.jpg)

Horses have many different body parts but one of the most important is their hooves. Bood is sent through their body by the hooves.

Some of the main competitie sports are: 

1. Dressage: is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics.

2. Endurance Racing: a test of durability to see how long the horse and rider can go.

3. Eventing: a competition where you are judged on your total score from a day of dressage, stadium jumping an d cross country.

4. Reining: is a western ridingg competition for horses where the riderss guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops.

5. Show jumping: also known as “stadium jumping” or “jumpers,” is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters and equitation.

6. Tent Pegging: is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

7. Vaulting: is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback, and like these disciplines, it is both an art and a highly competitive sport.

8. Polo: is a team sport played outdoor on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Riders score by driving a white wooden or plastic ball (size 3-3,5 inches, weight 4,25-4,75 ounces) into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet.

9. Horse Racing: an equestrian sport that varies upon the race, where horses are raced

10. Combined Driving: is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving.

11. Rodeo: was originally the vaqueros’ (“cowboys”) procedure for gathering up cattle for various purposes such as moving them to new pastures or to slaughter (matanza).

The beggining of horseback riding is very argumentative because we do not have the exact dates in which horses were first ridden. Although the first recorded time a horse was ridden was during war, they were used for chariots and etc.. But basically people started riding horses about 5000 years ago.