HorseProblems Tips and Tricks Page

by
 John O'Leary
Horseman

 © 2003

A lot of these are inventions of mine Tested on thousands of horses over 35 years.

PONY CLUB

• Don't let your horse drink out of the common horse trough. Yuk.....warts, colds.......
• If you mother is a "Mother from Hell" in other words, she is riding through her child, try to change her behavior as it will cost you ribbons in the future.
• Most Pony Club instructors' are part time people. If you want to advance, seek outside Accredited Instructors'
• Don't ever agree to do "Around the World" It is dangerous, negligent and just plain stupid.

INSTRUCTION

Seek out a top Jumping Competitor for Show Jumping and Cross Country lessons but a top Dressage Competitor for flat work lessons.

SAWDUST

Go to the smaller saw mills or joinery works and you can get it for nothing. Open topped horse float is the best as you can drive straight under the loading hopper.

SAFETY BOOTS

• Always wear elastic sided, smooth soled riding boots when riding.
• Too big is better than too small.
• Buy boots with a substantial heel to stop your foot sliding through the stirrup iron and you getting possible dragged and killed.
• Short boots are far safer than long boots. They come off easier if you get hung up.

LONG REINING

Long Reining of the breaker or the green horse does not put a good mouth on a  horse.

SIDE REINS

Using side reins on breakers, green horses or horses that are not established in some form of collection, ruins their mouths. I mean basically any horse beneath Elementary Dressage.

STIRRUP IRONS

• Never use stirrup irons that are too large
• Stirrup rubbers are dangerous imho
• Kids should have stirrups that their foot can never fall right through. (There is an Australian invention called "Toe stoppers" that solves this problem.

BUYING A HORSE FLOAT?

• Tow bar A-Frames that are open are horse killers waiting to happen. If you own a float like that cover it in with sheet steel, aluminum or mesh. If you are looking at a new float with the open tow frame, give that brand a miss and give the designer the hint not to be negligent to horses.
• Don't buy a float with the right angle steel rod that fixes the back ramp shut. These are highly dangerous.

SHOEING

If you are one of the many people who pay good money for agistment but don't ride their horse, why shoe it? Save yourself a bundle and do your horse's hooves a big favor. Leave the shoes off.

BUILDING AN ARENA OR ROUND YARD?

• Set the posts about 7 degrees leaning outwards to protect your legs when you ride. Just cut a triangular piece of wood that has one side at 7 degrees. Sit it against the post so that the other side is at 90 degrees to the ground with a spirit level held against it at the same time. Each post will then be the same.

FENCING?

• Creosote posts are far stronger and have a far longer life span than permapine
• Horses eat permapine and the arsenic therein, just like beavers eat trees through. I have also seen white ant's eat them and they split in no time flat.

STAR DROPPER

• Star droppers kill horses.

GENERAL

• Don't ever wrap the reins around your wrist whilst riding. If you fall of you could get dragged and killed.
• Don't ever wrap a lead rope around your wrist or upper arm when you catch a horse.
• Don't ever hold the reins in your teeth unless you want possible 'flying teeth'
• Don't let the bridle reins hang on the ground and don't tie a horse up with them. (Unless totally trained to tie up) Possible broken bridle, broken jaw of horse.
• If a horse goes to urinate whilst you are riding, stand up in the stirrups and take your weight off it's back until it has finished.
• If you ride up to a waters edge and your horse starts pawing the water, be ready for a swim if you don't move your horse out of there.
• If you cannot get on your horse, put the horse down hill, in a creek, hole, dip or stand on a log, rock, anthill etc. You can also lower your near side stirrup and re-adjust when mounted.
• Don't ever lead your horse through a narrow gate unless the gate is swung away from you. Otherwise you can possible have your horse rush through and get jammed between the gate and the post, knocking down the hip bone.
• Don't ever stop to talk with your horse on an ant hill.
• If you are trotting or cantering whilst trail riding and you see a snake immediately in front of you, don't attempt to stop, kick your horse on hard and gallop over it. The snake has far less chance to bite the horse and very little chance of getting poison in.
• If a dog goes to chase your horse, always face the dog up, spur your horse and attempt to attack the dog. Never steer away.

More added regularly

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