Tacking Up and Mounting Up - Getting Ready to Ride a Horse

So, it's time for your very first horseback ride and you just can't wait to jump on that horse's back so you can gallop off into the sunset. However, before you ride off on your horse, you will need to tack him up and then you will need to figure out how to actually get up there.

When you tack up a horse, you should start by fastening his halter to the crossties before you do anything else. Once he is properly secured to the crossties, it is time to move on to the next step, using your body brush and your hoof pick. Lift up each foot and clean it to be sure that there are no pebbles lodged in the hoof. Then, brush your horse's back and sides to be sure that there is no dirt on his body. Once the horse is wearing a saddle blanket and saddle, even a little dirt can create sores on his back. These two simple grooming steps are extremely important, since they help you make sure that your horse is comfortable while you are riding him. After all, an unhappy or uncomfortable horse is not a safe horse.

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Reading a Horse's Body Language

If you've ever been the victim of an horse bite, you may think that the attack came out of nowhere. However, if you knew how to read an animal's body language, you would probably have seen one or two tell tale signals that may have enabled you to avoid being bitten. Just like other animals, horses have body language that can let us know whether they are feeling happy, sad or frightened. Reading your horse's body language can help you have a better relationship with him and may even help you avoid being injured.

One of the first things you should look at when you are trying to judge your horse's mood is his ears. A horse will move his ears forward, back or even to the sides depending on his mood. While his ear position alone won't always tell you exactly how he is feeling, when you combine the way he is holding his ears with the way he is arching his neck, twitching his tail and moving his feet, you will be able to find out exactly how he is feeling.

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How to pick a good Local Veterinarian

One of the most important decisions you will make in this process is choosing your veterinarian. If, like most of us with pets, you treat them like your child, his or her health and well being will be of utmost importance to you. You should be willing to spend some time in researching the subject and we would recommend visiting several practices before you make your decision. Ideally, you should conduct your research before you get your animal so that any of his health needs can be addressed immediately.

Pick a veterinarian who you feel comfortable with, and who answers your questions in full, completely and gives you answers you can understand. You don't need a vet who talks down to you, or acts like you're too dumb to understand what they're saying!

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