Horse Training DVDs

So you’ve got a love of the outdoors, you’ve taken some riding lessons and now you want to buy a horse. Just like any other animal you’re bringing into your life, this is a serious undertaking. However, because horses are not a household pet, there are unique considerations when buying one.
Here are some tips to help you find a horse that is right for you.
Education
Educate yourself on all things related to horses. Read as much as you can but also be around them as much as possible. Volunteer at a stable and see what taking care of a horse is really like. Take extensive riding lessons. Learn how to recognize a horse’s disposition and temperament. Also, talk to people in the horse community by going to horse shows. Talk to trainers and vets to truly understand the magnitude of what you are about to undertake. Can you afford to make the time and money commitment of being a horse owner?
Know Yourself
You have educated yourself on the responsibilities of being a horse owner and you have decided to go ahead with this venture. The next step is to make a list of what you are looking for in a horse.
What type of riding do you enjoy? Would you prefer a calm horse or a horse with a lot of spirit? Decide on a breed, age, size and gender that is the right combination for you. Your exposure from riding lessons and being around stables will come in handy when making this decision. However, for a first time horse buyer, it is probably best to stick with geldings and mares.
Expenses
At the beginning, there will be a lot of upfront expenses ‘ the actual cost of the horse along with tack and supplies. Next, you will need to calculate the monthly expenses. Monthly expenses could be from boarding cost or maybe you’re keeping the horse on your own property. If you plan on keeping the horse on your own property, estimate the cost for feed, hay, bedding and general upkeep. Also, don’t forget the housing repairs for fences and stable. And then there are other reoccurring bills such as vet bills, farrier bills, and other maintenance costs. You should have a good idea in your mind after talking to people in the horse community.
Stick With the Plan
You’ve done your homework by educating yourself. You’ve created a checklist of what you’re looking for in a horse. You’ve also calculated that you can afford to keep a horse. The horse you’re looking for might not come instantly but don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. The important thing in purchasing a horse is just to stick with the plan!

Tags: Buying A Horse, Horse Care, Horse Care Tips, Horse Expenses, Horse Supplies
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The horse has been, over the ages, variously a symbol of: courage, strength, speed (swifter than eagles), the passage of time and human life, pride (get on your high horse), death (Book of Revelation, horses of The Apocalypse), and war (sacred to and sacrificed to Mars).
In the Bible, persons with military rank were generally mounted on horses – those without rank very seldom; and the association of horses with war is frequent.
A white horse signified conquest and victory and was a good omen. In medieval days (chivalry) a white horse also signified innocence and chastity.
The ancients attributed special sanctity to a vow taken on horseback – one that could not be violated.
The horse was frequently the emblem of the sun, symbolizing creative life and giving solemnity and fruitfulness to the marriage vows. The Ruler of the Day – the Sun – was drawn in his chariot by celestial horses in his daily journey across the skies. The Dawn (The Goddess Aurora) was called the “White Horse” and had Pegasus as her steed after he had disposed of his earthly rider.
To the ancient Norsemen and the Romans (Diana) the horse was also similarly associated with the moon – drawing that god’s chariot across the skies.
The horseshoe in mythology represented the crescent moon. Nailed on doorways it was deemed to ward off witchcraft, the evil eye and Satan. It is still, today, a symbol of good luck. Attached to a wall or doorway, the open end should be up, otherwise “the luck will run out”.
Horses disturbed and restless in the morning and with their manes and tails tangled and twisted are supposed, according to old English legend, to have been ridden in the night by the pixies.
Superstitions about color include these: A good horse is never a bad color.
ONE white leg, buy him.
TWO white legs, try him.
THREE white legs, send him far away. (Sell him to your foes)
FOUR white legs, keep him not a day. (Feed him to the crows)
(He’s sure to cause you woes) The Hungarians and Spanish believe all black horses are lucky – the French think the reverse.
There is an Irish superstition that a pure white horse – when ridden by the owner – confers upon him the special gift of advising how to cure physical ailments.
The White Horse – The Saxon King Alfred in the ninth century had carved in a precipitous chalk cliff on the Berkshire Downs in England an enormous white horse, 374 feet long and 120 feet high, to commemorate his victory over the Danes at Ashdown. It is still visible today. The “Tale Horse of the Saxons”, in varied forms, is found in the coat of arms of several British Regiments, of noble houses descended from the Saxons and in the ensign of Kent.
The Trojan Horse – The Trojan Horse is well known to all who have read Greek history. This was the tremendous image of a mare, built of wooden planks, concealing a group of Greek soldiers. The Trojans were led to believe that this was a peace offering to the goddess Minerva by the Greeks as they ostensibly abandoned their ten year siege of Troy and sailed home.
The stratagem worked. The Trojans opened their gates and widened the gap in their walls to take in the wooden mare (and its soldiers). The Greeks, under Ulysses, returned from their nearby island hideout – and Troy fell!
According to legend, Troy – built by Neptune who was the god of horses as well as the sea – was taken three times and each time a horse was the cause of its downfall. First, when the Trojan king refused a promised reward of six sacred horses to Hercules for the rescue of his daughter; second, the Greek’s wooden mare (The Trojan Horse) and third, when a Greek horse stood in the gates, preventing the Trojans from shutting them against their enemies!
The horse has indeed figured in many superstitions and fables!

Tags: Free Horse Training, Horse Fence, Horse Supplies
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