Exploring horsemanship
by Stacey Sheley
Horsemanship is defined as the skill in caring for and managing horses. This includes all the various tasks one should know and know well when working with, being around, and handling horses on the ground. Often times this essential learning is left out of riding lessons in haste to ride. Skipping horsemanship is like having only seen cars on TV and then climbing in one for the first time and jumping on the freeway on your first day behind the wheel, or plopping someone into a foreign country to live after having only seen that land, culture, and language in movies.
Horsemanship is necessary for the future first-time horse owner and a great way to test the waters of solo horse ownership; that being if you are ready to lease, keep horses in your own backyard, and/or board a few friends' horses at your home. Owning a horse and horse keeping is complex, hard work yet very rewarding for the right people. Horsemanship classes are a great way for a potential owner to try it out without all the expense involved in home horse ownership. If you have already taken the leap into horse ownership and are feeling overwhelmed with your new horse, this is a perfect series of lessons to take to get your feet back under you. Sometimes you don’t always need to send your horse to a trainer, sometimes you just need a few pointers.
When learning horsemanship we will cover the basics of working with horses such as handling a horse from the ground, grooming, hoof picking, naming of the body parts, studying how horses think, why they behave the way the do, and learning how to use all of that information to problem solve issues with horse/human interactions.
Nutrition: There are several types of hay and it comes in various shapes and sizes. Some hay is better than others for some horses and some hay can be very detrimental for some horses. We will go over types of hay, cuttings, nutritional values of the types of hay, hay diseases, and how to recognize good hay versus poor-quality hay. There is more than one might think to hays.
Grains and their usage: Oats, corn, pellets, etc. The choices are overwhelming and varied. We will go over and sort out all the options with the most up-to-date information available.
Supplements: The supplements available for horses is nearly as varied as the supplements available for people at the health food store. We will sort through what nutrients are out there, what they do for the horse and how to best use them.
Basic Health Care: Worming, floating, farrier. The mystery of all these and more subjects related to basic yearly horse health maintenance will be covered.
Tack: learn the various types, care of, parts of, purposes, as well as how to use it and when to use additional pieces of equipment.
Working/Ground Work: this includes lunging, leading, horse-to-horse interactions when working and other things that may arise while handling horses from the ground.
Horses have their own language that mostly consists of body movements. Understanding these movements will help in keeping the handler, rider, horse, bystanders, and property safe.
If you are a beginner or have been away from horses for a long while, this step should not be skipped as the majority of the time spent around horses will be from the ground. I highly recommend, urge, and stress that the beginning rider, hopeful horse owner, new horse owner or "back into horses" people take horsemanship lessons. This portion of horseback riding, horse handling, and horse care should not be taken lightly.
When you choose to start your equine education with horsemanship you choose a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon. You will confidently recognize proper Vs, improper horse behavior, quality Vs, poor quality forage, proper use of equipment and tack, a comprehensive understanding of nutrition, supplements and routine healthcare. Whether you plan on becoming an Olympic pro or you want to keep horses as yard pets, horsemanship is your first and most important step into the horse world.
© 2010 by Stacey Sheley
Horsemanship is necessary for the future first-time horse owner and a great way to test the waters of solo horse ownership; that being if you are ready to lease, keep horses in your own backyard, and/or board a few friends' horses at your home. Owning a horse and horse keeping is complex, hard work yet very rewarding for the right people. Horsemanship classes are a great way for a potential owner to try it out without all the expense involved in home horse ownership. If you have already taken the leap into horse ownership and are feeling overwhelmed with your new horse, this is a perfect series of lessons to take to get your feet back under you. Sometimes you don’t always need to send your horse to a trainer, sometimes you just need a few pointers.
When learning horsemanship we will cover the basics of working with horses such as handling a horse from the ground, grooming, hoof picking, naming of the body parts, studying how horses think, why they behave the way the do, and learning how to use all of that information to problem solve issues with horse/human interactions.
Nutrition: There are several types of hay and it comes in various shapes and sizes. Some hay is better than others for some horses and some hay can be very detrimental for some horses. We will go over types of hay, cuttings, nutritional values of the types of hay, hay diseases, and how to recognize good hay versus poor-quality hay. There is more than one might think to hays.
Grains and their usage: Oats, corn, pellets, etc. The choices are overwhelming and varied. We will go over and sort out all the options with the most up-to-date information available.
Supplements: The supplements available for horses is nearly as varied as the supplements available for people at the health food store. We will sort through what nutrients are out there, what they do for the horse and how to best use them.
Basic Health Care: Worming, floating, farrier. The mystery of all these and more subjects related to basic yearly horse health maintenance will be covered.
Tack: learn the various types, care of, parts of, purposes, as well as how to use it and when to use additional pieces of equipment.
Working/Ground Work: this includes lunging, leading, horse-to-horse interactions when working and other things that may arise while handling horses from the ground.
Horses have their own language that mostly consists of body movements. Understanding these movements will help in keeping the handler, rider, horse, bystanders, and property safe.
If you are a beginner or have been away from horses for a long while, this step should not be skipped as the majority of the time spent around horses will be from the ground. I highly recommend, urge, and stress that the beginning rider, hopeful horse owner, new horse owner or "back into horses" people take horsemanship lessons. This portion of horseback riding, horse handling, and horse care should not be taken lightly.
When you choose to start your equine education with horsemanship you choose a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon. You will confidently recognize proper Vs, improper horse behavior, quality Vs, poor quality forage, proper use of equipment and tack, a comprehensive understanding of nutrition, supplements and routine healthcare. Whether you plan on becoming an Olympic pro or you want to keep horses as yard pets, horsemanship is your first and most important step into the horse world.
© 2010 by Stacey Sheley