Just Some Tips:

Just some tips:

Through the years, I have been continually learning by working with horses and people. I have always believed that every horse and every human can teach you something. Some of these things may make your life safer, some may just be good things to know if you’re in the business. A few tips I’ve found worth sharing:

·         Never bridle your horse and leave your halter tied to the fence. I see this all the time! All it takes is someone riding by and getting their leg or the horse’s leg caught and all kinds of bad things can happen!

·         Take the time to hang your bridles up nicely. Tack cost a lot! It only takes a few extra seconds to hang your bridles correctly so that your leather reins don’t develop a twist in them.

·         Always step your horse forward after you cinch them and before you step on. Again, it only takes a few seconds and it may save you from hitting the ground in case the cinch pinched.

·         Brush the horse where the saddle/cinch goes FIRST. I’ve seen people at home, not even at a show, spend 30 minutes brushing the mane and tail and they forget to brush where the front and back cinches go. You can easily sore your horse up if you leave dirt or debris in the cinch areas.

·         Don’t let your horse walk off when you’re mounting. It’s all fine and dandy until you’re on a Labor Day trail ride and you’ve stepped off on the side of a hill to use the restroom, and it’s time to get back on and he keeps moving. Now the behavior that you have let continually slide at home is really getting on your nerves! Not to mention placing you and the horse in danger of getting hurt.

·         When tying a horse up, don’t tie him on a long lead. It’s just a matter of time before it scratches its face or starts to paw with its head down and gets its leg over the lead rope, and then you have a wreck. It could also wander down the hitching rail and become entangled with another horse.

Most people have horses because they are a hobby and find enjoyment in them. Pay attention to the little things, you may find that it makes the big things more enjoyable!