Keeping Horse Manes and Tails Beautiful

It’s a popular notion that the hair is a person’s crowning glory. If you spot someone in a crowd that may not be considered pretty by normal standards, a great hair cut and lustrous tresses can almost always sway a judgment. Gorgeous hair is a priceless asset, and the dozens of hair salons in every city are a testament to this. Keeping your horse’s mane and tail beautiful is one of the most important steps in having a gorgeous horse. The difference between a beautiful mane and tail and a scraggly, thin mane and tail can make as much difference in a horse’s beauty as a person’s attractiveness. The first step is to untangle the mess that often happens over winter. Start by untangling the hair and getting out all the dreadlocks. Don’t rush this process, as you don’t want to pull the hair out. Work your way through the matted mane and forelock first. Start at one end of the mane and work your way slowly down the mane untangling one section at a time. Saturate sections of the hair with any over the counter detangler. Choose a large tangle, and slowly apply the product and separate the tangles with your fingers. Start at the bottom of the tangle and work your way up to the roots. Work the product into the hair by using your fingers, and gently pull the hairs, a few strands at a time. Keep doing this until the knots and tangles get smaller and then are gone. Repeat the same process with the tail once you have the mane and forelock untangled. You should stand to one side while detangling their tails, so you avoid being kicked by the horse. Help them maintain a calm and relaxed attitude by patting them gently, and then slowly move your hands down their necks and sides until you get to the tail. Once their hair is free from tangles, it is now safe to brush their hair by using a stiff bristle hair brush. Never use a comb, which does nothing but pull hair out. Start brushing the bottom of the hair and then work your way up to the roots. Don’t use too much force, and make sure that you don’t stretch the hair while brushing. Try to brush as gentle and slowly as you can. Patience is the key to leaving the most amount of mane and tail possible. It takes a long time to grow, so you don’t want to pull out what you have already grown by rushing this important step. Beth Moore has been a leading authority on horse grooming and especially on growing long, thick manes and tails on horses for over 20 years. You can learn more about her methods and claim a free report on the benefits of owning gorgeous horses at http://tinyurl.com/amazingmanes

Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc.

My passion and motivation is, and always has been, animals. I have a non profit animal rescue Peace At Last Farms Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc. Since the farm and the animals are a full time job in itself I help support the rescue with online programs and we depend on donations. You are even welcome to sponsor one of the animals. All donations are appreciated and tax deductible.

I have a donation button available on my main webiste.

http://peaceatlast-yourcashflowcreator.com/aboutus.aspx

We are in need of regular monthly sponsorship. Every little bit helps. Even $20 a month goes a long way combined with the donations of others.

 There are dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, pot bellied pigs, a goat, horses, a parakeet and an umbrella cockatoo that currently reside here. All of these animals are abandoned and/or abused. I get the hard cases, the ones even other rescues were unable to care for so many are here to stay.

 These programs and peoples continued support is what gives these animals a chance for “Peace At Last.”

Wish List

Some items always needed here at the rescue:

Purina Equine Sr, Whole oats, Hay, Sand clear, pot bellied pig food, all stock, dog food, cat food and chicken feed, cat litter.

Other things we can always use:

Kiddy pools, feed and water dishes (low to ground), extra wood and tin, blankets in winter and any construction or fence materials (a piece here and there adds up to a new shelter).

http://peaceatlast.chipin.com/rescued-animal-fund

 

 

 I have a published article on one of the horses in my care. This article is something all women and anyone with a women in their life should read too, be it a mother, daughter, sister or wife. You may read it at

http://ezinearticles.com/?Micante—A-Story-of-a-PMU-Mare&id=1543217

 My main support program is Message Magic . A big thank you to Grant Andrews for such a wonderful program.

http://peaceatlast-yourcashflowcreator.com/messagemagic.aspx

 

If you’d like to see pictures of them you can see them here http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=330587011

It is public profile so anyone can view them. If you are on myspace you are also welcome to send an ivnite!

 This is a link to a video of my horses and some more of the horse and piggy videos too.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=39670947

Why Natural Horsemanship Training?

Common Misconceptions about Horse Training

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen or talked to people who have sent their horse off for 6 months of training and been dissatisfied with the results. Everyone seems to think if they send their horse away to a trainer like this they are going to get back this dream horse they can do anything with. Instead they bring the horse home, put them in the pasture, and sometime later they get the horse out and wonder why in the world they can not do anything with them.

The average person, and all the people I’m referring to above, simply sends their horse off for normal handling and riding. Not for show competition. This is totally unnecessary, expensive and does not give you the results you are looking for. Just because a horse will do things for a trainer does not mean they are going to do it for you. Nor, even if you get them home and they do, if you do not work with them on your own they will revert right back to the behaviors of before.

How I look at it….

When ever someone asks me how much it is per month for training I say “Well it depends, I look at it weekly, most times its something that can be worked out in less time than that.

How I go about it…

What I do is bring a horse in for a week and evaluate the horse, address the underlying causes for their behavior and work on building trust, respect, confidence and a willing partner. I then work with the owner and repeat the same process with them. People have to understand that just because their horse gains the above attributes with a trainer DOES NOT mean they are going to have them with the owner. The owner and horse need trust, respect, confidence and be willing partners to each other.

Why It Works….

Having a horse is a commitment. You need to constantly build on your repore and understanding of your horse. Most people do not know how to do that. They are not a car. Yet on that note, to put what I’m referring to in easier terms, what would happen if you never maintained your car? You didn’t check the oil? You didn’t give it a tune up? You didn’t fill it up with gas? Your car would no longer do the things you expected of it. Now think of a horse, that has its own mind to add to that.

How many of you watch RFD-TV? Do you have a favorite horse professional you like to watch? Say you went out and bought Magic, Diez or any number of horses that belongs to one of these professionals and bring them home only to stick them in the pasture and pour food to them every day. Then six months down the rode you decide to ride them. How cooperative do you think they are going to be? Or how responsive? How happy are they going to be? Not very…

 http://naturaladvantagehorsetraining.bravehost.com/

My profile picture…

People often ask me about my profile picture. Things like “is that your daughter?” or “why such an old picture?’ and such. Well here’s the story behind that picture.

That is a picture of me when I was 2 and a half years old on my pony Prince who was given to me at birth. Prince was 10 at the time. Little did anyone know what that gift would lead to.

You see, Prince is my inspiration. He was my teacher and friend. Prince taught me more than any book or teacher ever could. He taught me compassion, patience, honesty, loyalty, love, friendship, faith and well to many to even name. The biggest lesson of all was that all things are possible if you do not give up.

When I was 14 I headed to the pasture expecting to find Prince waiting at the gate as usual and he wasn’t there. I headed through the gate with a since of dread. I knew something was terribly wrong. With no sign of him in the front half I started running and as I got to the gate heading to the far back pasture I saw him grazing but even from the distance I could see something odd about his leg.

When I reached Prince I saw that his leg was broken. Badly broken. With his head down to graze mid shin of his leg was bent foward like and elbow rather than a knee. My life and his flashed before my eyes the moment I saw it. Why you ask?

This was in the 70’s and Prince was 24 years old at the time. I knew immediately what everyone would say. My parents called the vet and I waited with him. My heart was breaking and I was absolutely dieing inside. Prince would have no part of it. He nudged me and nearly pushed me over. This actually made me laugh. It also nudged me into determination. I was not giving up on him without a fight.

When the vet arrived I cried, begged, pleaded and demanded my course of action be listened to. The vet and my parents listened and they looked to the vet for his opinion. The vet, who I’d been raised up with and helped with all the animals when he was out on our calls looked at me, and then to Prince and back again for what seemed an eternity… He then turned to my parents and said “if anyone can get through this it’s the two of them.” and then looked at me and said, “come on, we’ve got work to do”. I buried him and Prince in the biggest hug! We set and cast Prince’s leg and the vet explained that it was up to me to keep watch and make sure it stayed clean and dry and to watch for any sign of decay.

I made a place for Prince in the garage and he stayed there while he had his cast on. Prince being Prince would not go potty in the garage so I had to take him on walks. I learned real fast not to stand on that side where the cast was too. When he walked he’d swing it out to the side and around and if you didn’t move you got whacked! We all signed his cast too and spoiled him absolutely rotten (as if he wasn’t already). So how did it all turn out?

To make a long story short, I had Prince until I was 28 years old. So as I said, he’s my inspiration and teacher and now you too know how many wonderful lessons this dear pony taught me and why this picture is so precious and important to me.

Dedicated to and in loving memory of Prince 1953-1991

Horse Feeding Guidelines-How To Understand Them

Due to the number of questions and concerns I field from horse owners unable to maintain weight on the horses I’ve written the following to explain feeding guidelines found on feed bags. Also, how to determine what amount your particular horse needs.

Typical Guidelines call for:

Recommended feeding amount is ½ to 1 pound of feed per 100 pound bodyweight.

Feeding amounts may be adjusted slightly to meet the needs of the horse.

Feeding amounts should be split into 2 or more feedings per day.

I.e. a 900 pound horse would need to be fed 4 ½ to 9 pounds per day.

Now comes the tricky part

I know you’ve all probably heard the terms “easy keeper” and “hard keeper”. What that boils down to is the metabolism and energy level of that particular horse. You also have to factor in the size of your horse. A taller horse will weigh more than a shorter or smaller horse. If you have a low energy low metabolism horse you’d go toward the low end. If you have high energy high metabolism horse you’d go toward the high end. The average person is not good at guessing the weight of their horse nor the proper weight their horse should be.

The best judge of your horse is you. If your horse is getting to heavy or losing weight look at the nutritional needs of your horse and see if they are within the guidelines. Use a body scoring chart to see if your horse is within optimum weight range.

I’ve had people with a small, average and large horse ask me why one is doing well, one is doing okay and one is losing weight. When I ask what they are feeding they answer “one scoop”. Here lies the problem.

Different feed weighs different amounts. Also, some people fill the scoop to different levels. You should scoop out your feed and weigh it. Find out exactly what you have been feeding. Then compare that to the guidelines.

In the example above an 800 pound horse, a 1000 pound horse and a 1200 pound horse were being fed 6 pounds of feed daily. It was the appropriate amount for the smaller horse but way to low for the others. The 1200 pound horse guidelines call for 6 to 12 pounds per day. I recommend splitting the difference and seeing how the horse does then increase or decrease according to body condition. If your horse is underweight go to the high end. Just remember, do it gradually and increase their feed no more than 1 pound per meal.

Quick Reference Table Chart

Horses weight ____________________Feed bag rec_______________________Amount to feed horse

800………………………………………… 4-8 pounds daily ……………………………………6 pounds per day

1000…………………………………….. 5-10 pounds daily…………………………………7-8 pounds per day

1200………………………………………6-12 pounds daily………………………………….. 9 pounds per day

This is based on an average horse. If your horse is high energy you go to the high side, low energy to the low side average you fall in the middle. Start out with the mid range and adjust accordingly.

Feeding Need To Knows

 

• An average horse can not utilize more than 5 pounds of feed at one meal. Anything more they are basically just pooping out without being able to utilize the nutrients. This is why feeding horses must be broken down into 2 or more feedings per day.
• In order to achieve the nutrient value on a bag of feed the horse has to consume the pounds required for their size and metabolism or their nutrients are falling short.
• Do not increase a horses feed ration more than 1 pound per meal over a course of a week..
• Do not change a horses feed without mixing it with the new feed for at least 7 to 10 days. Feed changes must be made gradually.
• Do not feed less hay than feed. If a horse is getting 6 pounds of feed they need a minimum of 6 pounds of hay.
• Typically, the average horse should consume 1 bag of feed and 2 bales of hay a week.

 

Conclusion

The best judge of your horse is you. Feed your horse according to their needs. Stop being of the “scoop” mind and get “pound” wise. Listen to your horse, they can tell you a lot. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from someone. If your horse doesn’t appear to be doing well to you they probably are not. Get in the habit of observing horses body condition. Rate horses based on a body condition scoring guide. Rate your horse and other horses. Get to know your horse and your horses individual needs.

Horses do not fit into a nice tidy package. They are as different as us in their nutritional needs. Obviously a 5 foot tall person is not going to have to eat as much as a 6 foot tall person to maintain their optimum weight. So goes it with horses. Also, we’ve all met that person with the high metabolism that seems to be able to eat anything they want and they stay skinny or the person that watches everything they eat and still gains weight. Again, so goes it with horses.

Melody Baum Peace At Last Farm & Feed Website http://peaceatlastfarmandfeed.bravehost.com Myspace http://www.myspace.com/peaceatlastfarmandfeed My animals health are important to me. That is why I strive to have the highest quality feeds and supplements available for them and my customers. As an extension of that quality service and dependability are of utmost importance to me. For more information, fun facts, forums, videos and more visit the above websites. Copyright © Melody Baum, All Rights Reserved You may reprint this articles AS LONG AS the entire article remains the same including this author resource box! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melody_Baum

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Natural Advantage Horse Training

Peace At Last Farm & Feed is also home to Natural Advantage Horse Training.

Ask how we can help you and your horse be naturally confident and respectful to each other and form a lasting partnership filled with fun.

The best way to a horses heart……

Is going naturally. Let me show you how to get the best from your horse. To many times we fight against nature. Learn how to go with nature and develop a relationship and confidence level for you and your horse like you always dreamed of.

For more information go to my main website and click on the training tab.

Rain Awareness

Horses have a tendency to not drink enough water when we are receiving rainy days. This can cause colic. For your horses health pay special attention to their water and how much they are consuming on rainy days. Make sure they have salt blocks available, use electrolyte supplements to increase water intake and be sure their water is cool, fresh and clean. I look at water like this…if it doesn’t look appealing to you it doesn’t look appealing to your horse.