| Riding Attire, Horse-Care Tips and Prep for Riding |
From "Family Outdoors"
episode FAO-103 |
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Riding Attire Learning to ride can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, but it requires a number of safety considerations. One safety-related factor to consider is proper riding attire. Before you go out on the trail, make certain you have the proper clothing. - The most important safety item is a riding helmet. All stables require the use of helmets (figure A), and most provide them with horse rental. If you decide to take up riding as a serious endeavor, you'll want to purchase your own helmet.
- Long pants are important as they provide a barrier between you and the horse; jeans are ideal. A long-sleeved shirt is a good idea also.
- Wear a sturdy boot of some kind. Boots with a heel (figure B) prevent your foot from slipping through the stirrup, and boots are safer that lightweight shoes or sneakers when you're around horses and stables.
Preparing the Horse for Riding There are a number of procedures that are necessary to prepare the horse before riding. These include proper inspection, grooming, bridling and saddling of the horse. Proper grooming is important for the care and health of the horse and should be practiced regularly like a ritual. Keep in mind that horses are easily frightened and should be handled with caution and respect. Once you've become accustomed to being around them, you'll develop a sense of how to put the horse -- and yourself -- at ease by being calm and deliberate in your actions. Grooming allows you to gain familiarity with the horse, and vice versa, in order to establish a relationship of mutual trust. -
Safety Alert: When horses become frightened or agitated, one of their defense behaviors is to kick backward with their hind feet. This can deliver a powerful blow and cause severe injury. Avoid standing directly behind a horse, and never make sudden movements or loud noises around a horse -- especially if you are standing near the horse's back end. It's a good idea to make certain there is adult supervision whenever a child is grooming or saddling a horse.
Brushing and grooming should be done regularly -- and before each ride -- to remove dirt, burrs and loose hair (figure C). It also provides an opportunity to inspect the horse thoroughly to look for any cuts or injuries that might have occurred in the stall or pasture. Show horses are groomed meticulously to enhance their appearance for competition, but proper grooming is essential for any well-maintained horse. Tools for grooming may include a curry comb, a mane-and-tail comb, a stiff brush for loosening dirt and hair and a soft brush for finishing. Conditioners and hoof-treatments are sometimes used as well.
Hoof-cleaning is important to remove stones or pebbles from beneath the hoof. The underside of a horse's hoof has a soft, fleshy center, which can become injured by hard objects that become lodged beneath the foot. The underside of the hoof should also be cleared of mud and caked-on dirt (figure D) to prevent foot infections from developing. A hoof pick or stiff-bristled hoof brush is used for this purpose. - Tip: It may seem impossible to get a several-hundred-pound horse to lift his foot for cleaning, but there's a technique to it: Facing toward the back of the horse, and keeping both feet planted firmly on the ground, bend down and gently squeeze the tendons on the back of the horse's lower leg. This causes the horse to shift his weight to the opposite side and allow the foot to be lifted. As long as you keep the foot supported, most horses will remain calm during the hoof-cleaning process. Always remain alert, however, so that you can move out of the way if the horse should get spooked.
Saddling. The saddle blanket provides a soft barrier between the saddle and the horse (figure E) to prevent the leather saddle from injuring or wearing on the horse's skin. With the horse tied securely, slowly and gently place the blanket across the swayed portion of the horse's back, where the saddle will rest (figure F). The saddle is made to rest just behind the horse's withers (the raised bump at the forward end of the horse's back, just above the shoulders). Make certain that the saddle is properly placed and balanced and is not askew or resting too far forward or back. Saddle placement is essentially the same whether you're using a Western or an English saddle (figure G). Once the saddle is in place, it's cinched securely around the horse like a belt (figure H) so the saddle won't slip or fall off. On an English-style saddle, this securing strap is called the girth (figure I). - Tip: Saddle-experienced horses have a clever trick for ensuring that the cinch-strap is fastened loosely: they take a deep breath and hold it while the strap is being tightened, thus expanding the midsection so that when they breathe freely again, the strap will become loose. To counter this trick, a second tightening of the cinch is generally required just before mounting for a ride.
Bridling. To prepare for bridling, the horse's halter must be removed. Loop a lead rope around the horse's neck so that he won't be tempted to escape before the bridle is put on. Carefully feed the metal bit portion of the bridle into the horse's mouth while lifting the leather strap over the head and ears (figure J). The portions that slip over the ears hold the bridle in place. Some bridles have a chin-strap that must be fastened once the bridle is on. English-style bridles have a noseband (figure K) that helps secure the bridle in place and provide more control. - Tip: Some horses are less than completely cooperative when it's time to place a cold metal bit in their mouth. You can coax a horse to open its teeth and take the bit by gently inserting your thumb at the corner of the mouth. Just inside the corner of the mouth there are no teeth -- only soft gums. "Tickling" the gums in this spot while holding the bit against the front of the horse's mouth will usually yield good results.
RESOURCES :
American Horse Shows Association (AHSA)
4047 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511-8483
Phone: 859-258-2472
Fax: 859-231-6662
Web site: www.soccer.org
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP) Web-site -- horseback riding
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP) is an informational Web site about outdoor activities.
Below is the link to their section on horseback riding.
Web site: www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/horsebak
Complete Idiot's Guide to Horseback Riding
Model: 0028639332
Author: Jaheil Jessica, Ph.D.
Macmillan / Alpha Books
Website: www.macmillan.com
The Handbook of Riding Essentials
Model: 0060155175
Author: Francois Lemaire De Ruffieu
HarperCollins
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-207-7000
Fax: 212-207-7145
Cottonwood Riding Club
Cottonwood Riding Club was featured in DIY Family Outdoors episode on horseback riding.
Web site: www.cottonwoodridingclub.com
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