You're Too Scared To Enjoy The Ride You shouldn't feel like you're “walking on eggshells” just trying to get your 10-plus mover to relax while warming up on the flat. If your horse makes you nervous – or worse, questions your desire to want to ride at all… perhaps he's too much horse for you.
A shorter rider might find a narrow horse easier to ride whereas a bigger rider might feel top heavy and unbalanced on a narrow horse. Riding a horse that is too big for you places extra strain on your hip joints and muscles which makes it harder for you to absorb the movement of the horse.
When people wonder if they're too heavy for their horse, their main concern is weight. There is debate about this percentage, but the general rule is that a horse should carry no more than 20 percent of their weight.
Deb Bennett, PhD, founder of the Equine Studies Institute and an expert in the biomechanics of horses, has advised that the “Total weight of rider plus tack must not exceed 250 lbs. There is no horse alive, of any breed, any build, anywhere, that can go more than a few minutes with more weight on its back than this.
If you want to ride in upper-level competitions, it's not uncommon for horses to get an intense training session 6 days a week. However, if you just want to keep your horse in a healthy physical condition, riding your horse three times a week for at least 20 minutes at a time can help maintain a good level of health.
Never look a horse in the eye
You're only a predator if you intend to eat what you're looking at. Horses can easily tell the difference between a predator looking to eat and predator looking in curiosity and wonder. Horses do, however, struggle to understand the intention of a human who hides his eyes.
Horses prefer to be rubbed and stroked over being tickled or slapped, and they often don't want rubbing on sensitive areas like the flank, girth, belly, nose, ears, and legs.
Horses use body language to communicate with humans (and other horses), and one of the ways they do this is through touch. Nudging is a way for a horse to get your attention, which can signify affection or impatience.
In general, professionals recommend two acres for the first horse and an additional acre for each additional horse (e.g., five acres for four horses). And, of course, more land is always better depending on the foraging quality of your particular property (70% vegetative cover is recommended).
Horses take up a lot of your time, energy, worry and – yep, you guessed it – money. When you have a horse, you can't just pick up and get away for a spell. You'll have to make alternate arrangements with stabling, care and riding for the time that you're gone.
The number one trust builder is to be predictable by being consistent! Be consistent with your energy level, emotions, and how you show up around your horse. Stay consistent with your communication, always sending and receiving messages in the same way — a way that both you and your horse clearly understand.
Every time you move him out of your space, you emphasize your leadership and dominance in the herd of two. You should be leading from the left, so turn him toward the right to move him out of your space. To turn, simply look right, move your shoulders and guide hand to the right, and change the direction of your feet.
The most basic equine exercise is to connect with an untethered horse in a paddock. An Equest facilitator explained that the proper way to say hello to a horse is by gently extending your closed hand. The horse returns the greeting by touching your hand with its muzzle. Simple enough.
In the wild, horses are most scared of natural predators like lions, wolves, and alligators. Domesticated horses can be scared of any sound they haven't heard before, and it could be as innocent as the sounds of plastic bags, barking, or any suspicious noise in the wind.
Horses may stare at you when they want your attention. If you are distracted or out of reach, your horse may stare at you to get you to focus on them. If there's a barrier such as a fence between you and your horse, they may stare at you since they can't reach you to nudge you.
As a horse begins to age, their requirements change. The strenuous rides and exercise routine that were once easy to accomplish become more of a challenge. Each horse is unique in the rate at which they age. However, it's common to stop regularly riding your horse when they are between 20 to 25 years old.
Almost every horse benefits from an hour or two of daily human contact, assuming they're spent with a knowledgeable, humane individual.
Research has shown that horses require at least 8 to 10 hours of turnout per day, on good quality pasture, to achieve the minimum dry matter intake of 1% of their body weight.