How to Care for Horse After Riding

After a ride or a training session, it is important for your horse's safety and health to go through a series of tasks. These tasks also signal to the horse that the work is done for the day.

1. Cool the horse down. As with any exerciser, the horse needs to let his muscles cool down. Dismount and walk the horse around for a bit. The horse should be breathing regularly and starting to feel cooler to the touch before returning to the pen or stable.

2. Let the air in. Loosen the horse's saddle by loosening the cinch, which works similar to a belt buckle. Once back at the stable, you can take off the cinch, saddle and bridle.

3. Provide water. Give your horse access to fresh, cool water after a workout.

4. Consider grooming. Although not universally done, it's a good idea to brush your horse out after a training session. The area covered by the saddle may be sweaty, and if you allow the sweat to dry on the coat it may leave residue behind and attract dirt.

5. Never put your Horse Hot in the stall.

Read More

How to Choose Horse Riding Boots

If you are one who loves to ride horses, you probably know how important it is to have the right kind of equipment. That equipment includes the right type of riding boot for the kind of horse riding you do.



1 Keep in mind that the type of horse riding boots you choose should be determined by the kind of riding you're going to be doing. Horse riding boots come in many different styles and heights. Some boots are tall, reaching up to the knee. Some are mid-calf and some boots are cut just slightly higher than a tennis shoe or sneaker.

2 Choose a tall, close-fitting boot if you are going to ride English-style or in a formal horse show. The fit on this type of boot should reach up to your Knee ( or slightly below) and "hug" your leg. Many riders prefer a back zippered boot in this type because it's easier to get on and off.

                                                      
3 Look for Western style of horse riding boot if you are going to ride in events such as barrel racing or other types of Western riding. This boot is usually about mid-calf and doesn't fit as snugly as the English horse riding boots.

4 Find an all-terrain type of boot that is made of treated leather if you are planning to do mountain horseback riding or any type of trail riding. All-terrain boot come in a different heights and they resist dirt and water.

5 Pick a low-cut type of boot for casual riding. Choose one that has a back zipper and fit your foot snugly, but comfortably. This type gives great foot stability and is a good choice for boots when you are just riding horses for pleasure.

Read More

How to Dress for English Riding

Like other sports, riding horses is easier and safer when the rider wears apparel and gear designed to protect him from injuries. A fall from a horse can occur at a speed of 20 to 30 miles per hour so not only should horse riding apparel be functional, it should protect the rider.

1 Choose your headgear by riding discipline or strictly for safety's sake. Beginning riders should wear a trail helmet at all times. English show riders wear helmets disguised under cloth caps. Western rodeo participants usually forego the helmet and wear a cowboy hat, despite the fact that it will not protect them from a head impact.

2 Select a tight-fitting shirt and tuck it into your pants. Long shirttails can catch on portions of the saddle, become entangled in the reins or snag on stable latches. Cotton fabric is cool and comfortable. In addition, long sleeved shirts with fitted cuffs protect your arms from sunburn and insect bites.

3 Pull on those long pants before mounting your horse. Even in swelteringly hot weather, shorts are inappropriate riding apparel. Your legs can easily chaff from the coarse sweaty hair on the horse's side. Boot-cut jeans fit into the top of riding boots and English riding apparel includes breeches that fit snugly around your calves. Baggy pants, like shirts, are not advisable.

4 Try on as many riding boots as needed until you find a pair that fits like a glove. Whether you choose a Western or English style boot, you will be safer. The heel of a riding boot is designed to prevent your foot from slipping too far into the stirrup and it will allow your foot to slip out should you fall. Avoid wearing tennis shoes when riding.

5  Remove any dangling jewelry or large rings when riding. Small stud earrings are permissible but loose jewelry can become entangled in the reins or on stable apparatus. In addition, large rings may catch on portions of the saddle, the reins or stable latches and, once caught, the momentum of a moving horse may unseat you or severe a finger.

Read More

How to Tack Up any Horse

Tie up your horse in cross-ties, a single tie or tie the lead rope to a railing to keep your horse from wandering away.

2 Groom your horse in preparation for a ride.

3 Place protective boots or wraps on horse's legs.

4 Saddle up the horse.

5 Put on schooling aids such as a running martingale or drop noseband.

6 Untie the horse's halter and remove from horse's face.

7 Replace halter around horse's neck to keep him from wandering off.

8 Stand on near (left) side of horse and place right hand over horse's head and gently press downward to get horse to drop his head.

9 Hold bit in left hand while separating the bit from the reins with your fingers.

10 Hold the bit to the horse's mouth. A well trained horse should open his mouth. Give the "Open" command. If your horse won't open his mouth, slip your right thumb in between the lips and gums at the back of the mouth. There are no teeth there. If you wiggle your thumb, your horse should open his mouth.

11 Gently slip the bit into the horse's mouth. Don't force the bit.

12 Gently slip the headstall over the horses ears and buckle latch of throat strap.

13 Thread reins through running martingale loops if you are using one.

14 Check to make sure everything is attached and properly fitted.

15 Ride and have fun!

Read More

How to ride English style

Riding a horse is fun and great exercise. There are many ways to ride, and this article will give you some tips on how to explore the Art of English riding

1 Riding a horse English style is challenging, fun, and fantastic exercise that will tone your muscles and increase your ability to balance. Unlike the Western or Australian saddle, the English saddle has very little to "keep you in the seat", and you will rely on your own sense of balance and your own leg muscles to keep you seated. The English saddle does not have a horn, and consists of a form fitting saddle that hugs your rear end and thighs, while allowing you the additional security of stirrups. Besides this, you are on your own!

2 To ride English, you must sit erect and maintain excellent posture. Direct your weight into your seat and channel the energy of your movement down your thighs and into the balls of your feet, which will be resting in your stirrups. The shoulder, hip, and heel should form a perfectly straight line. Knees are slightly bent, and toes are directed inward while the heel is pressed down. Expect to be quite sore the first few times you ride in an English saddle, as it makes you bend your leg in the opposite fashion you think it should go.



3 Using your reins while riding English is also very different from Western style riding. You do not "neck" rein, but use both hands on the reins independently - sometimes this is called "plow reining". But the art of proper English reining is not coarse in the least. The reins are delicately handled to communicate fine instructions to the horse through an English bit - such as the Pelham or the Snaffle. All of the Dressage schools in the world ride English style.

4 When trotting in an English saddle, one is taught to "post" at the trot. This is another major difference from other forms of riding, and means that the thighs are used to "lift" the seat out of the saddle as the outside shoulder rises up in the horses gait. This uses the natural motion of the horse to help raise you up, and also allows you to ride this gait in a smoother fashion than trying to "sit" the trot.

5 Having a professional instructor through all this makes learning infinitely easier, and your learning curve much shorter. Take the time to explore some local farms and ask for referrals to riding instructors who teach English. Whether you travel to their farm, or they come to yours, it is well worth the time and the money to have the assistance of a highly qualified trainer.

Read More

How to Bridle a Horse

Put your horse in a halter while you prepare to bridle her.

Use cross-ties, a single tie down, or tie the lead line to a post to keep your horse in place. Attach cross-ties to the side rings of the halter.

Attach a single tie down to the ring at the throat of the halter.

Stand on the near (left) side of the horse when putting on the bridle.

Put on a running martingale (helps to keep horse from throwing its head up), drop noseband (helps keep horse's mouth closed) or any other schooling aids.

Check to make sure all other tack is adjusted properly. The cinch should be snug and the back cinch (if you're using one) should be attached.

Remove halter from face and replace around neck to prevent horse from wandering off. 

Place your right hand on top of the horse's head. (Use a mounting block if you can't reach.) With your wrist between the horse's ears and your fingers facing the nose, press gently downward to get the horse to drop its head.    

Grab the top of the headstall (the piece that fits over the horse's head) with your right hand. Separate the mouthpiece (the piece that actually goes in the horse's mouth) from the reins and hold it to the horse's lips. A trained horse should automatically open its mouth. Ask the horse to "Open."

Slip the bit gently into the horse's mouth. Don't force. Once the bit is in place, slip the top part of the headstall over the horse's ears.

Adjust the length of the face strap so there are one or two wrinkles in the skin at the corner of the horse's mouth.

Adjust the chin strap (if your headstall has one). You should be able to fit two fingers between the horse's throat and the strap when the horse's head is facing forward.

Hold both reins in your left hand while undoing the halter with your right hand. When walking with the horse, keep the horse on your right side and hold the reins in your right hand.

Warning and Tips

If you can't reach the top of your horse's head, either stand on a mounting block or slip the mouthpiece inside the horse's mouth and then gently lower your horse's head to fit the headstall.

If your horse fights having the bit put in its mouth, have your horse's teeth checked. Horses' teeth continually grow; the mouthpiece may be rubbing against a tooth.

If your horse refuses to open its mouth, hold the mouthpiece in your left hand and slip the thumb of your right hand into the left side of your horse's mouth, where the lips meet. There are no teeth back there. Wiggle your thumb in the horse's mouth; this may coax the animal to open wide.

Headstalls come with or without chin straps. The headstall either will have one or two ear loops, or will have a brow band that fits across the forehead and a strap that goes over the head behind the ears.

Be careful with a horse's ears when you are putting on the headstall. Horses' ears are sensitive and many do not like their ears touched.

Make sure the mouthpiece you use does not pinch the side of the horse's mouth.

Never force a mouthpiece into a horse's mouth. Allow the horse a few seconds to position the mouthpiece in its mouth.

Read More

Hillside Stable

Hillside Stable LLC is located on 37 acres of land in Glastonbury, CT. Hillside offers a wide assortment of equine services; full & rough board, horseback riding lessons, horse transportation, summer day camps for kids, horses available for lease and sale, pony parties, pony rides and more. Hillside Stable consist of a 30 stall barn, with high ceilings and wide aisle ways, large indoor and outdoor arenas, round pen, office/lounge, miles of trails, all day turnout, and more.

Full Board = $500 per month!

Rough Board = $300 per month!

Training Board (In addition to one of the boarding options above)

Partial Training = $150.00 per month

Full Training = $300.00 per month

Read More

The best of natural

Hi People

           This morning I have left with my wife and kid to this wonderful place that we call home. The place hold up to 34 horse, it's wonderful went you see other people in there working with theirs horse. What a good feeling its that.  People have arrive little by little to work with the horse and we was their working along this wonderful people. They feeding each horse and take them outside so they can go out to the pat. I sow my wife working with 1 of the horse by the name of tigger. She was doing wonderful  braids in this horse. After all this my and son took a long walk into the trails that are next to the barn. This it's a wonderful, gourges trails, and woofing area following by a cool stream of water. The hold trails cover a area around 2 miles plus you will be surround by natural. You will be able to make the perfect bond with your horse. 

Read More