Archive for the ‘Natural Horsemanship’ Category

This is Part 2 of a great article from  www.ustrailride.org. Some excellent tips & ideas.

ENJOY!

4.  Tips for camping with a horse:

Horse:

A horse is like camping with a three-year old child.  A horse does not help, does not work, demands constant attention, makes messes and will run away given half a chance and gets into trouble anyway possible.  You should learn to walk before running when camping with horse.  Go with an experienced group to a few places first before attempting it on your own. Read the rest of this entry »

This is PART 1 of a great article on from  www.ustrailride.org. Some excellent tips & ideas. Part 2 will be posted on Wednesday and will contain handy tips on camping with your horses…

ENJOY!

Trail Riding & Horse Camping Tips

 These tips have been assembled over time apply to trail riding and navigation are from the experiences of many riders, some of whom have been lost, cold and wet.

Tips for items to carry when riding trail riding a horse: 

We cannot predict when an emergency may occur when riding a horse.  The emergency could occur in the first mile or 20th mile.  The following general tips are intended for riders regardless of the length or duration of the planned ride. Read the rest of this entry »

Buntzen Lake Reservoir is one of the most popular BC Hydro recreation sites in the province & serves not only as a source of hydroelectric power but also as an attractive recreation area for public enjoyment.

Buntzen Lake’s amazing setting, adjacent hiking trails and cooling waters make it a popular destination year round.

Whether you are planning a short ride through a coastal lowland rain forest or a more adventurous ride into the surrounding mountains or a day of mountain biking, the Buntzen Lake area offers a trail to suit you. Read the rest of this entry »

QUICK RELEASE KNOT:

This is super important to learn, whether you are tie-ing your horse up inside the trailer on the way to the trails, or on a hitching post or tree on the trail. In the event that your horse panics, there is danger or for whatever reason, this is a knot you can release with one tug. There are several variations of the quick release knot, but the one below it  a fast and easy one to learn.

Since the easiest way to learn how to tie a knot is by looking at it, here are the 3 steps to tying a quick release knot…

Step 1. Loop the tail end of the lead rope over a hitching rail, around a sturdy post or through a tie ring. Let's call the end of the rope hooked to the horse A and the tail end of the rope B. Step 2. Pinch A and B together in your right hand. Step 3. With your left hand, make a loop with B. Step 4. Push the tail end of B around the pinched-together portions of A and B. Creating a second loop with the tail end of B, now pull the new loop through the original loop. Step 5. Tighten the knot by pulling on the end that hooks to the halter.

HIGH LINING

Should you decide to take your horse on an overnight camping trip, and you end up camping in a spot where there are no corrals, you will need to know how to highline (hightie) you horse. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the course of the month we will review both the trails & parks we’ve had the chance to ride at, as well as the ones we would still like to ride. Before we move on to the big trails though, let us not forget our own little Aldergrove Lake Park…

At the 2nd fork in the trail- Rock N Horse Trail

 ALDERGROVE LAKE PARK (264^th st & 8^th ave)

In my opinion this little park outperforms it size. The Rock N’ Horse Trail is about a 7 kms loop. The footing is crusher dust, perfect for barefoot horses, and the path is wide enough for Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you are riding local trails or in the back country, there are a few essential items you should ALWAYS have with you. One of the easiest ways to carry these items is in a saddle bag.

1  Cellphone– you should keep this on you and not on your horse, in case you get separated (ie fall off!)

2  Halter & lead rope– so that if you stop you can take off the bridle and allow your horse to graze. Also, this halter/rope combo can be used as a backup bridle should your bridle break.

3  A first aid kit is an essential piece of equipment to include. It should contain Read the rest of this entry »

This month we don’t have any one particular theme. Instead, I would like to celebrate & discuss all the reasons we love our horses, what they mean to us and the things we love to do with them.

Today I’d like to start by sharing a few poems & quotes written by horsemen & women around the world that express a little of the magic that our horses bring to our lives…

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
Friendship without envy,
Or beauty without vanity?
Here, where grace is served with muscle
And strength by gentleness confined
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday I will post part 1 of a wonderful 3 part article about a horse called Missy and her journey of recovery from severe founder/laminitis. So, as a related subject and very relevant to the season right now, I decided to post an article about… GRAZING MUZZLES, and the important role they can play in giving our founder prone horses a better, more natural life during these dangerous Spring months.

Many people have mixed feelings about grazing muzzles… Read the rest of this entry »

A note from Faye:

Natural Horsemanship is not just about riding without a bit…it is far bigger than that…Natural Horsemanship is a mindset, it is a new way of being with horses. It is developing a more natural & closer relationship with your horse. It also means exploring alternative therapies that can improve your horse’s quality of life…

Here is part 2 of ‘Yoga with Horses’ written by Linda Guanti

Now you might be thinking the same thing I was at this point. How can I possible have time to stretch myself, stretch my horse and groom and ride and do barn chores and…? Some details started to get left out…but some started to combine!

Time to pick the horse’s hoof out? Why not throw in a forward bend. That makes 4 forward bends if you do it for each hoof! How about brushing the legs? Why not side lung to the front, then to the back. That’s 2 of each when you go to each side of the horse. Girth’s all done up? Now time to stretch the horse’s legs forward. It’s a stretch in addition to smoothing the skin under the girth area! Want to give you horse a treat? Make him stretch his head to each side to reach it, or down to his chest or between his front legs. This also helps to prevent or deter bad manners. The horse learns Read the rest of this entry »

A note from Faye:

Natural Horsemanship is not just about riding without a bit…it is far bigger than that…Natural Horsmanship is a mindset, it is a new way of being with horses. It is developing a  more natural & closer relationship with your horse. It also means exploring alternative therapies that can imporove your horse’s quality of life…

“Yoga with Horses” written by Linda Guanti

Necessity is the mother of invention so They say. Who are They? I don’t know but I must agree in this case. Yoga with horses developed as more of a necessity then an inspiration. It grew in small and very gradual stages.  Firstly I was doing yoga regularly for my own benefit. Stretching, breathing, meditating, strengthening my own body, mind and soul. A chronic back injury was finally being tamed with a combination of Physiotherapy and Yoga. It not only helped my riding but many other aspects of my life too. As my riding abilities improved the athletic demands on my horse increased. My ongoing concern for his well-being made me wonder what I could do to help his body with the stresses of my demands. I realized that Read the rest of this entry »