All Blog Posts (4,790)

Cider Ignored the Gap

Cider Ignored the Gap

Last Sunday I got to ride Cider for the first time in a month. It was good to see her again!

The night before there had been a wind storm with gusts strong enough to move the livestock panels that make up the ring. Shannon and Nancy had gotten the panels fixed except for the gate panel which had been…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on February 19, 2022 at 10:40am — No Comments

Ears Back

We're taught from the beginning with horses that when they lay their ears back it means they are mad. It's a threat of attack. We need to teach them to respect us if they have their ears back when they are with…
Continue

Added by Noche Miller on February 15, 2022 at 4:09pm — 1 Comment

We Forgot His Hay Again

We Forgot His Hay Again

When Sam brought MJ to the wash stall his legs were muddy. Sam got the warm water going and spent several minutes spraying the mud off all four legs, and there was a good bit of mud.

Then came the cleaning of the hooves, and in between all of this we FORGOT TO GIVE MJ HIS HAY!…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on February 12, 2022 at 10:26am — No Comments

Cause or Effect?

There are so many parts of the horses head that give us clues to their temperaments.
The chin and…
Continue

Added by Noche Miller on February 8, 2022 at 12:54pm — No Comments

A Subtle Change with Big Results

A Subtle Change with Big Results

I was lucky this week, I got my lesson on MJ. Those wonderful weeks of riding three times are long gone, and I just hope I can get back to that soon!

When I got to the stable Mary, the young lady who helps me groom and tack up MJ, brought him in to the wash stall while I got my Haas brushes…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on February 5, 2022 at 11:59am — No Comments

Whorls On Cattle

Whether choosing a steer to train or picking out a heifer or bull, we can gain clues to what they will be like by looking at the whorls on cattle’s head.

Whorls form in utero as the rest of the animal develops. When there is any abnormality in the cells, a whorl in the hair develops over it. As the brain forms, whorls develop where there is activity. Whorls on the outside of a cow give us a unique view to what is going on inside the cow. We can use them to judge temperament, health,…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on January 31, 2022 at 5:15pm — No Comments

Pectoral Whorls

All horses have them. A feathered whorl down each side of the chest above the front legs.
Usually the pectoral whorls are even. Either both reaching high into the chest or both short and compact. The breed, type, and…
Continue

Added by Noche Miller on January 24, 2022 at 12:21pm — No Comments

Winter

Winter

This year we are getting a REAL winter down here in the mid-southern part of NC.

It snowed last night, over an inch. The lows have been in the lower 20sF to the upper teens, with maybe one night a week approaching the freezing mark. Luckily for me that one night was Tuesday night this week, and that one night will be…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on January 22, 2022 at 11:32am — No Comments

The Oakley Diaries 51 - Another Hiatus

Another year, another hiatus until Spring.

This time, it's my hip. Last summer, the hip which has always been a little 'off' got very sore, so I went to a physio yet again, but this time the treatment has vastly improved things.

What I noticed was that when I did the treatment, the pain lessened, but when I got astride a horse, the pain came back with a vengeance. It's a pretty quick realization that if I want the hip to heal more, I'd best give riding a break, so no being on…

Continue

Added by B. G. Hearns on January 20, 2022 at 7:09am — 1 Comment

Neck Whorls

Lots of horses have whorls down the underside of their necks. Most of them are small enough that they don’t make a lot of difference. A small whorl will be a small spot in the neck where the neck will be straighter. There will be a little bit of extra muscling there.

As the whorls get bigger the effect they have will grow. Long whorls the length of the neck will make a major difference in how the horse carries the neck. What that difference will be depends on the type of whorl. There…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on January 17, 2022 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Donkey and Mule Whorls

Looking at the forehead whorls on horses is understood and there are fairly basic rules. High shows an extrovert. Low shows and introvert. That much is simple.

What happens when we start looking at some not so basic equines though?

Most mules and donkeys have low whorls. Those low whorls almost always have feathering. Does that mean that all donkeys and mules, I’ll call them long ears for ease of typing, are left brain introverts? Is there so little variation among…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on January 11, 2022 at 11:30am — No Comments

Simple Whorls

A single center whorl doesn’t tell us anything about the horses temperament, except that we can’t see any extreme’s from the whorl itself. It is neutral. That doesn’t mean that the horses temperament will be neutral.

Single whorls have a reputation for showing a quiet, dependable horse. That can be true, but isn’t a rule.

Instead when we see a sing;e center whorl we need to look at the rest of the head for clues to the temperament. Often the heads will show that, a simple,…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on January 4, 2022 at 3:37pm — No Comments

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

May this year be much better than the last two years for all of us.

Sorry for the break the last few weeks, my sons and their families visited for the holidays. I did get to ride, weather permitting, and I got all my riding lessons in.

Not…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on January 1, 2022 at 10:18am — 1 Comment

Sold at auction as a yearling, this horse sat in the feedlot until he was three. Luckily for him a loving family happened to drive by and spot him out there. They brought him home with them and he is…

Sold at auction as a yearling, this horse sat in the feedlot until he was three. Luckily for him a loving family happened to drive by and spot him out there. They brought him home with them and he is now living the good life.  The first two pictures are him immediately after leaving the feedlot. The rest are later, after he had time to settle in.

He has a single whorl perfectly centered between the eyes. This only shows us that we don’t see any extremes of temperament from the whorl.…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on December 14, 2021 at 5:32pm — No Comments

The Grey Mare

This mare has a single center whorl. That doesn't make her simple. A single center whorl only shows that we can't see any extremes of temperament from the whorl. It is still completely possible to see extremes from the head shape. Not that we see any extremes here, we also don't see anything boring and simple.

From the front we can't get a true reading of her eyes. This is why it's so important to remember that pictures are only a moment in time. If the horse is in a normal state that…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on December 12, 2021 at 7:31pm — No Comments

Musing About Grooming

Musing About Grooming

Fortunately we had rain this week and today, we have been in drought status so we need every drop of rain that falls. Of course it messes up my riding but we NEED this rain.

Lately I have been exploring the Haas brushes, researching all the descriptive blurbs the saddlers attach to their listings,…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on December 11, 2021 at 10:56am — No Comments

Bad Luck?

According to tradition some whorls are bad luck.

That is such a broad term. What exactly does it mean? How did someone decide such a thing?

I’m not one for superstition so I enjoy breaking it down and looking at possible causes for such superstition. One of the most famous whorls, and one of the easiest to break down is the shredded collar, a…

Continue

Added by Noche Miller on December 8, 2021 at 11:19am — No Comments

Whorl Bias

Every horse should be judged according to their own individual nature.
If we look at a horse’s…
Continue

Added by Noche Miller on December 4, 2021 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Should I film today?

I have no storage left on my camera which leads me to have to film on my phone for the vlog today. I may or may not film today. I am sorry that the vlog did not get posted yesterday like I promised. The camera data wiped out again and I can’t find any of it! I will film the day in the life vlog very soon!!!

Added by Lucy on November 28, 2021 at 11:59am — No Comments

One Day Better, One Day Worse

One Day Better, One Day Worse

Last Sunday it started off cold, but then Shannon was late picking me up so it was warmer when I rode Cider.

When we got to Shannon's horses' stable yard Cider was happily standing, untied, with all her Fenwick and BOT neck and rump rugs draped over her. In the confusion of getting everything…

Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on November 27, 2021 at 11:12am — No Comments

Monthly Archives

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

1999

The Rider Marketplace

International Horse News

Click Here for Barnmice Horse News

© 2024   Created by Barnmice Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service