Bay: A bay is one of the more common colors of horses.  Their are many, many different shades of bay.   They can be almostblack, to very light!  A bay is a horse with a brown body, and black mane and tale. They can often be confused with a buckskin. A buckskins body will be a tan color, and even though it is a shade of brown, they do not count as bay’s.  A bay may also have black markings called socks or stockings on their legs.  A buckskin may have this too.

<- Bay                                                                                                -> Buckskin

Palomino: Another great horse color is the Palomino.  The classic Palomino has a tan/ golden looking body with a white mane and tale.  They may also have white socks/ stockings. As I mentioned earlier there is also a chocolate palomino.   They are called chocolate palomino’s because their bodies are a chocolate color.  Their manes are a creamy white color.

<- Palomino                                                               Chocolate Palomino->

Paint:

A paint is a color, and a breed of horse together!  They are called paints because of their multicolored bodies.  If you look at them, it looks as if they have had one color splashed over another, making them look painted.   They can come in many colors.  They can be black and white, to tri-colored!

Stadium Jumping: Now you and your horse have shown your grace and skill in Dressage, your determination, bravery and heart on the Cross Country course, you have one more phase to complete.  Stadium Jumping.  This phase can be really fun, and is the favorite of many people.  The goal is to complete a course in the time allowed without stopping or hitting a rail.  The courses are in an arena and can be x rails, or very difficult spreads.  This all depends on the level you are riding at.  Usually there are many turns and the jumps are more colorful than you would see in the hunter/jumper ring.   This phase is more easily practiced. There are most likely many hunter/jumper schooling shows in your area and these are great practice for jumping in a ring.  Again, only do this with a coach, because it is jumping, and there will always be some danger involved in it.  If you have never jumped before then find a coach who can teach you from the ground up, literally!

Good luck with your Stadium Jumping, and the whole event!

Cross Country: This is the endurance section of the event.  This usually takes place on the second day of the event.  In this section, a horse and rider have to jump a series of jumps out in the open.  They must go up and down hills, jump ditches, jump up and down banks, and even jump into or out of water!  This is made harder by the fact that all the jumps are solid.  If your horse hits it they will not fall over, which makes this very dangerous!  You and your horse could fall if you are not careful!  This part can also be very fun!  You must be safe however.  You must always wear your protective vest and helmet.  This is fun but dangerous!  You can do this at all different levels, from x-rails to Olympic level events!  If you are interested always have a trainer!  This is for people at all levels to have fun, not get hurt!  For many people this is the best part of the event! Good luck with your Cross Country riding adventure!

Dressage: Dressage takes place on the first day.  This is all on the flat, and to many it may seem boring to learn.  In fact it is one of the most demanding parts of the event!  You and your horse must be working as a team.  You cannot force your pony to do good dressage.  The goal is to work together and be in complete harmony with your pony.  They judge on balance, precision, rhythm, and obedience. They are each “Move” is scored from 0-10, 10 is the highest.  Then, they subtract that from 100.  Thats the number they put on your score.  You want to lowest possible number on the top of your score.

Of course there are plenty of kids who do dressage.  That picture is of a very high level rider, but here are some of kids your age!

Good Luck with your Dressage!

theridinginstructor.net

also visit
Equine Now

How many horses does it take to change a light bulb?

Shetland: Give it to me, I’ll kill it and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Friesian: I would, but I can’t see where I’m going behind all this mane.

Morgan:   Me! Me! Pleeease let me!  I wanna do it! I’m gonna do it! I know how, really I do! Just watch!  I’ll rewire the barn after, too.

Haflinger: The thing I ate was a lightbulb?
for more go to Angela Dorsey

So how can you do this? The first thing to do would be to start asking anyone you know rides about it. They may let you come ride, or recommend a place where you can ride. Next, is to find a stable in your area. A great place to do this is horse-riding.net. Remember, Before doing anything, talk to your parents! They may not even know that you love horses that much!

After finding a good looking stable, call them and even visit, see if they are right for you! Another way to go would be to ask around a local tack shop, because they might know of some places that are not online.  After you have found the right place, start taking lessons there!

This is a great start into riding, and many stables may even offer some showing!  But, sometimes riding lessons can be expensive.  For some this may not be possible, but don’t give up!  If you are in that situation, then go talk to the barn owner. Many  will let kids work for lessons.  You may help other kids get ready, or clean stalls.  Then you can take lessons in return. This is a great option because you get to learn a lot about horses while your working.

Another option is Pony Club.  This is a great way to get a lot of good info about horses, and get access to some great instructors.  In many cases you will be able to borrow a horse from another family.  This is also great for kids that do own horses! Find out more at ponyclub.org.

4H is another program focused on young riders.  Whatever you do never stop trying to learn as much as you can about horses, knowledge can work wonders!  Good Luck!

1. In my opinion the best way to make your pony clean in a short time is to give him a bath. This will not get some stains off, but will get the dirt out and make his coat shine! You may not be able to do this if it’s too cold or there are other weather problems. I first start by getting, either half, or the whole pony wet. Then I put shampoo in a bucket and add a little warm water to make a bubbly mixture.

I then use a sponge and a scrubby to lather it all over the horse. You can also use a rubber curry comb to get the soap deep into the coat. After that you must rinse, this has to be very thorough or your pony’s skin will get itchy. If you would like to you can do the same thing with conditioner, but it’s not necessary.

To get my pony’s tail I take my shampoo bucket and add some more water. I then life it to soak the tail, as high up as I can. Try to scrub all the way to the base. Then rinse the tale out too! When you are all done, sweat scrape your pony to get the extra water off. (a sweat scraper is the long stick like thing below) After that towel his legs and body to make him dry faster!

2. Once your horse is bathed, you need to brush him, but before you do this try to get as much of the dirt out of your brushes as possible, you don’t want to put dirt back on him! You don’t really need to curry, but do body brush, and pay special attention to combing out the mane and tail.

3. If there are still stains on your horse, particularly a white or grey horse, I recommend using a stain remover. QuicGroom or Cowboy magic types. There are many different types and you should try different kinds to find out what works for you!

4. Now for the finishing touches. Clip any whiskers your pony may have. If you want to you could braid his main and/or tale. This section is based on what you are doing with your horse or pony. It is different for everyone. If you want to, after you have your horse saddled you can put some show sheen on. WARNING: Don’t do this before hand because you may get some on the saddle area and this may cause your saddle to slip! You will also want to “bang” or trim your pony’s tail. I will have instructions on these things individually later on.

I hope this helps you to get your horse all ready for your big event! Good Luck!