Horses

The Spanish walk is a movement where the horse walks forward lifting his front legs in large, high, proud steps. Baroque breeds like Andalusians and Lippizaners are noted for the movement, but any...

The piaffe is a trot-like movement that a horse performs on the spot, and looks like a dance. A competition-quality piaffe takes years of training and strengthening for the horse to lower his...

A bowed tendon refers to either a sprain or tearing of one or both of the flexor tendons that sit on the back of your horse's lower leg. Properly wrapping a bowed tendon is extremely important in...

Even the toughest equine athlete can be sidelined by a strained tendon. Most suspensory injuries are caused by overexertion, resulting in pain, stiffness, swelling, and often lameness. If the...

Reining is an equestrian sport that requires the horse to perform sliding stops, circles at different speeds and sizes, spins, flying changes and rollbacks in one of the 10 patterns developed by...

Leg injuries in horses can be considered a veterinary emergency; therefore, responsible horse owners need to learn how to apply a pressure bandage to their animal to stabilize the leg prior to the...

Dull horses, those that move slothfully when being ridden or are slow to respond to driving aids such as your legs, spurs or crop, are referred to as "behind the leg" by dressage riders. The key...

The horse's legs are its life. Nature has designed the horse to be entirely dependent on its legs and feet to escape, and--in essence--survive. If an injury or damage happens to a horse's leg's or...

Most horse owners don't realize their horse has an abscess until it "blows out" or the horse comes up lame. Abscesses typically run a predictable course. Caused by a puncture wounds and small...

If you are a fan of dressage, jumping, Western riding or reining, you know the signature of a well-trained horse by a smoothly executed lead change. A rider with subtle cues can direct her horse...

The horse can weigh over 1,200 pounds and run at speeds of 35 mph and greater. Its size and strength make it one of the more overwhelming and majestic of the animals we have domesticated for our...

Horses range in temperament, from spirited to bombproof. This can come from breeding, training or natural personality. The easiest horse to ride is the lazy horse. With a lazy horse, you don't...

This article explains in detail how to train a crooked or thug horse how to canter on the correct lead.

Getting a horse's foot up when he wants it to stay down requires using your inferior weight and your superior intelligence to force the horse off his foot. Victory can be yours if you follow these...

Knowing how to properly wrap a stable wrap is an essential part of horse ownership. From swelling to protection to wound management, wrapping will prove useful time and again.

The old-time cowboys said it right, "No hooves, no horse!" Without sound legs and healthy hooves, your horse doesn't have "a leg" to stand on. Much has been written about...

The old-time cowboys said it right, "No hooves, no horse!" Without sound legs and healthy hooves, your horse doesn't have "a leg" to stand on. Much has been written about...

You want your horse to be comfortable and safe in his stable blanket. It is easy to get the proper fit with a little attention to detail. An improper fitting blanket will cause wither and shoulder...

Learning how to hold a horse’s foot is very important. You must first be able to hold a horses foot before you can attempt to care for the hooves themselves. Horses should be trained to give...

This is about how to take care of a young horse that has contracted tendons in their back legs. How it is diagnosed and the steps need to ensure your horse grows up healthy and strong.

Shin splints, also known as bucked shins, in horses are considered an expensive problem. The cost is less related to the treatment, and more related to losing out on valuable training time and/or...

Picking up the horse's hoof the way you normally would will make the hind leg stretch easier. Learn more tips for the hind leg horse stretch from a certified equine sports massage practitioner in...

For the hind leg horse stretch it is important to let the horse tell you where to move. Learn more about the hind leg horse stretch with tips from a certified equine sports massage practitioner...

Horse lovers everywhere prefer neck reining because it gives the rider advantages while in the saddle. Not only does it make the rider look fancy and like an expert rider, it also gives him or her...

Hoof care and cleaning for your horse is crucial. Here is how to pick up a front hoof safely and quietly, so you can provide a good cleaning.

As large as they are, horses have teeny-tiny feet. The feet bear extraordinary amounts of weight and even though those hooves look hard, they're actually composed of mostly soft tissues. To keep...

Many people use Polo bandages incorrectly when wrapping their horse's legs. Use this guide to correctly wrap and support your horse's legs.

Part of being an effective rider is having proper equitation. Equitation is the rider's form when they are mounted on their horse. When you are properly seated on your horse, there should be a...

Foals are impressionable creatures. Like small children, they can be influenced for good or ill for the rest of their lives by the treatment you give them as youngsters. Teaching a foal how to...

When working your horse, it is a good idea to put some sort of protection on the animal's legs. This is especially important when doing anything strenuous like jumping or dressage, but any horse...

Upward transitions are extremely important in horseback riding, and describe the transition from a slower gait to a faster one. For example, if you want your horse to move from a walk to a trot,...

Learn how to mount and dismount a horse in this free video on horse riding and training.

The leg yield is the simplest lateral movement that a rider can perform on horseback, and is often an introduction to advanced dressage movement. In the leg yield, the horse moves both forward and...

A shipping bandage will help protect a horse's lower legs while traveling in a trailer, in case the horse steps on himself or strikes his legs against the trailer. Knowing how to apply one is...

Horses want to please their riders and they generally try to be obedient. Most often, a horse that doesn't respond to commands simply doesn't understand what his rider wants, which is why it is...

Horses are very agile and athletic animals. Besides the movements normally seen like running or walking forward, horses can move backwards and even sideways. Teaching your horse to sidepass is not...

Many people find picking up a horse's hooves scary, as they are afraid of getting kicked or stepped on; however, cleaning and inspecting the hooves and shoes is an essential part of grooming your...

In an emergency, an experienced rider can make a horse fall to prevent a even worse accident. The fall can be dangerous to the horse and to the rider, making it important to try every other option...

Every dressage rider knows that in order to present a fluid dressage test their horse has to bend around the rider’s inside leg when the rider rides around circles, corners and curves. In order...

Wraps are used on horses for many different reasons: protection, support and wound recovery. There are many different theories about wrapping a horse’s leg, such as the type wraps and the...

Although horses are heavy animals, picking up their feet can be relatively easy if the horse has good ground manners. Being able to do this is necessary to maintain your horse’s feet by picking...

Horses benefit from stretching prior to exercise. Even a horse that does not train intensely or compete in equestrian sports might have to carry a rider on his back for long distances on a trail...

There are many times in a horse person's life when it is essential to know how to do a quick and effective lameness check, from assessing a horse at an auction to seeing if your horse at home...

Most horses when sore will be sore on a fore leg. This is because horses carry more weight on their front end then hind and thus it is more prone to injuries. Because of this we look for the...

Every year there are several standardbred yearling sales across the country. Standardbreds are used for harness racing, with the horses either race pacing or trotting. Many buy them as yearlings...

If a horse injures a leg seriously it might be necessary for you to stabilize the leg and control bleeding until the vet arrives. A pressure bandage is a good way to accomplish this. A pressure...

The ability to correctly wrap your horse's legs can help soothe existing leg problems and even prevent new ones. However, leg wraps applied incorrectly can lead to serious injury, so it is best to...

Even if you don't have time to fully groom your horse every day, you should always make time to pick out or clean his hooves daily. Something as simple as a small rock, or as dangerous as a piece...

The leg yield is one of the easiest lateral exercises for a horse to do. While walking forward, the horse moves to the side by crossing his legs and keeping his body straight. The leg yield lays...

Trotting or jogging your horse is a faster pace than walking and will allow you to cover a lot more ground. In the trot the horse will pick up and land one front foot and the diagonal hind foot at...