H Is For Horses By: Taylor Kelly

American Paint Horse The American paint horse is one of the most beautiful horses you can spot. A paint has both charestics of western stock horse and a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coats. Some of their most common coats are, black, bay, brown, chestnut, somel and obviously white. Paints can be used in reining and western pleasure. They are also sometimes used in English show jumping. APHA (American paint horse association) is one of the largest breed registry's in North America. So I guess you could say, some people really like their paints.

Barrel Racing First held in Texas and originated for women, here comes, barrel racing. While men roped and rode bulls and broncos, women competed in barrel racing. Nowadays, its one of the most popular event competitions and is in almost every rodeo. The way it is held is, there are 3 barrels in a clover leaf pattern that you must weave around, if you finish with the lowest time, you win!

Colic Did you know its physically impossible for a horse to throw up? That’s what colic is, when a horse has to throw up but can’t. This is normally cause by a change of diet, parasites, or a lack of roughage. In most cases it results in the horses death. If you react fast to it, the horse can be treated and saved from a veterinarian.

Draft Horse From pulling wagons to showing, here are draft horses. These horses are one of the tallest and strongest breads in the world. Draft horses are seen doing farm labor such as, plowing and hulling wagons. They can weigh up to 2000 pounds and can reach up to 16-19 hands high, now that’s big!

English Riding If you’ve ever seen a English horse show you’ve probably noticed its more fancy then other horse shows right? Well that’s because the shows included in English riding are quite classy. English riding consist of, dressage, endurance, eventing, horse racing, polo, show jumping, polo Crosse and many others events. In the USA and Canada there are two broad categories of English riding, hunt seat and saddle seat. Now enough about that, jump on through the rest of the book.

Foal A lot of people call these baby horses but they are actually called foals. A foal is a newborn horse of either gender. A foal is born after 11 months but can stand up within one hour of birth. Not just that they can trot within a few hours and gallop by the next day! They gain up to three pounds a day and already have 90% as long as legs as an adult humans legs. After ten days of nursing from their mother, they can finally eat solid foods. As you probably already know foals can’t be ridden or else you could break their back but, you can start their basic training. Which consist of, halter breaking, grooming, hoof trimming, horse blankets, trailers and leading them around. After one year they are called a yearling, then when they hit 2-4 they are called filly (girl horse) and colt (boy horse). Then after that they become a mare or stallion.

Green Broke If you’ve ever owned a horse, you’re most likely to know what green broke is. If you don’t, here are the basics. Green broke is when a horse is barley trained or they have recently accepted their rider. This means they are fairly difficult to ride with out them knowing any patterns or commands. Yes, you may ride them, but I'm warning you now, its not easy!

Horse Racing If you like gambling and horses, this might just be the perfect time to stop and read. Horse racing is an ancient equestrian sport including of two or more jokeys. There is a set distance which you and your horse have to run and try to finish in first place. Its most likely to be a flat race, but some do add jumps or other obstacles. If you have attended one of these races, you’ve probably seen that its pretty fancy. That’s because it is associated with gambling. The last thing you should know about horse racing is, the only horses that may join in these races are purebreds. Mainly quarter horses and thoroughbreds. I bet you didn’t know that?

In-Hand You’re probably used to riding horses in horse shows right? Well in-hand horse shows are the opposite! Instead of riding them, you get to lead them around. If you have attended one of these shows then you’ve probably seen a appaloosa, quarter or paint horse being shown. This show is judged by movement, which is 60% showmanship and skill and the other 40% is grooming. So if you don’t like riding horses, try this horse show! You never know, you might just love it!

Jockey Now that you’ve learned about horse racing, you might as well learn about the jockeys that ride in them. Jockeys are the people that ride in horse races, if they get nominated by their horse trainers. The weight limit is 108-126 pounds. This is a crazy life threatening sport since you are sitting up and forward in the saddle, the horse could spook and buck you off. If you happen to get bucked off you can get trampled by the other horses which can cause serious damage. Would you be willing to risk your life just for a race?

Kur Dressage You’ve probably heard of dressage competitions right? Well there are many different types of dressage, such as, kur dressage. These types of competitions are very fun to watch because you not only get to see a horse, you get to see them dancing! Okay well obviously horses can’t actually dance but during kur dressage they play music that suits the horses personality and movement. When the music is played the horses and its rider do a choreographed dance together. The way you can score points is by your technical execution and artistic presentation. How can it get any better? Two of your favorite things combined in one, music and horses! That’s awesome!

Lame Lame, a very costly and painful health problem for horses. A horse can become lame from a various of different reasons such as, infections, traumatic injuries, diseases and damage to the hoof, bone, joints and their soft tissue. When a horse is lame they can not be ridden as it will cause more damage and pain for the horse. Most horses that become lame are race horses and sport horses. So if you have a race horse or sport horse, make sure you keep an eye on their health just in case.

Mare As humans women are easier to handle then men, and it goes the same way for horses. Mares are female horses that are over the age of three. Mares are the horses used for breeding. Like I had said before, mares are much easier to handle then stallions. Mares can be used in every equestrian sport and for breeding. So if you're deciding on what type of gender you want, mares are a perfect choice!

Napping Napping, no not like the ones you take everyday, this one is slightly different. Napping is when a horse is very disobedient and refuses to move forward. This can lead your horse to buck and kick. Now I bet you’re not tired anymore?

On The Bridle On the bridle is when a horse is in a race but kept at a very steady speed and tight rein for the horse to avoid tiring off at the beginning of the race. When the horse is sprinting to the finish, the rider usually allows the horse to run with the reins loose, which is actually called off the bridle. Now you should never get confused with off the bridle and on the bridle.

Pole Bending Pole bending, another very fast race yet extremely fun competition. Pole bending is a timed event where you weave threw six poles. It is one of the most popular parts in a high school rodeo. The main horses you will see entering this competition are, paints and appaloosas, they are two very fast breeds of horses which is great for this show. The pattern can be a little confusing at the beginning but its pretty easy, you run past all 6 poles then, weave through them going back down and back up again. When you completed that all you have to do is run on the side of them out to the finish.

Quarter Horse Largest breed registry in the world and most popular horse in the USA, these are quarter horses. Quarter horses are known for racing, ranch work and their performance in rodeos since they excel in sprinting short distances. They are also very well suited for western events that include live cattle. You might also see these horses in some English disciplines. They are definitely worth the thousands of quarters you spend on them!

Rearing If you’ve watched western styled movies before you’ve probably seen a horse stand on its two hind legs right? That’s called rearing. When a horses rears its most likely caused by fright, excited, disobedient or pain. This is very dangerous! If a horse rears when you are on them you can fall from substantial heights. And if the horse where to fall backwards they could land on top of you which would most likely result in death. But not just to you, to the horse as well. Even if you are on the ground when a horse rears it is still very dangerous. If you are on the ground and a horse rears they can strike with its front two hooves and escape from the person holding them. One cool thing about rearing is that you can train you horse to rear while you are on them and its not dangerous at all! Well maybe a little.

Stallion You’ve probably heard of or seen these horses in movies or real life, but if you haven’t here are some facts all about stallions. A stallion is a very muscular horse that has not been gelded . And just like you may have seen in the movies they can be prone to aggressive behavior, mostly towards other stallions. Other then movies you can see these horses in horse racing, horse shows, and also, international Olympic competitions. Now that’s defiantly a sight to see.

Thoroughbred If you are looking for a purebred racing horse, this might just be the one for you. Thoroughbred horses are best know for their agility, speed and spirit. Their most common colors that you’ve probably seen are, bay, brown, chestnut, black and gray. They can reach up to 15.2-17 hands high. Other then racing you can catch these horses in show jumping, dressage, polo and fox hunting. Now that’s a catch!

Unsound Unsound, no that doesn’t mean when a horse is quiet, although we all wish they would be sometimes, this Is quite different. When a horse is unsound is usually means that they have hoof, leg or some other health issue that can make them become lame at times. This can limit the horses ability to finish their job which can cause for you not to be able to ride the horse. So if you are considering buying a horse that is unsound, be prepared as you might not be able to ride them.

Vanner Draft horses aren’t the only powerful horses, there is also a vanner. A Vanner is a extremely powerful horse that you see doing light draught work or pulling a commercial van. Now that would be quite the sight to see!

Western Riding If you watch western styled movies then you’ve probably seen western riding included in it. There are tons of different types of western competitive events such as, western pleasure, reining, cutting, team penning, trail class, halter and many others. During western riding you’re obviously using a western saddle. The difference between a western saddle and English saddle is that there's no horn on English saddle. There are many other differences to but, that’s the main none everyone recognizing. Now continue on and ride through the rest of the book!

Xilingol Horse Xilingol horse, who knew a breed could start with the letter x? Xilingol horses are usually lightly colored and come in all solid colors. Their most common colors are bay, gray, white, chestnut, black and brown. Their highest heights reach up to 15.2 hands. Although they are manly used for draft purposes, they can be used just for riding as well.

Yearling As humans we would call this a toddler, but in horse terms its called a yearling. A yearling is around the age of one to two. Just like when we were toddlers, they are full of energy and kind of wreck-less. At this age they aren’t really mature yet but people do start their training. Although you are able to start their training they are still to young to be a breeding stock. Even though they can be crazy, yearlings are definitely a joy to have around and can make any bad day better or worse!

Zweibrucker Zweibrucker, a very uncommon yet beautiful horse. A zweibrucker is a elegant large framed warm-blooded German horse. At the age of 3 they can reach up to 15.3-16.3 hands high! Their common colors are, bay, chestnut, gray and black. They are mainly used for dressage, show jumping, eventing and show hunters. Now that you’ve read this whole book about horses, you might as well go buy one!