Horse Training DVDs

While trying to contain a tragic accident site on Long Island last month where a horse trailers became disconnected from its truck, rescue workers felt woefully inadequate trying to handle the injured and dying horses. Clearly, they had no experience with the large animals, and some were moved to tears when explaining how helpless they felt.

To remedy such situations and to prepare rescue workers for handling horses in emergency situations, the Connecticut Horse Council initiated the Horse911 project—a series of workshops geared toward teaching Connecticut’s firefighters about basic horse-handling techniques while promoting fire prevention and preparedness among barn owners.

According to a recent article in Connecticut’s Journal Enquirer, more than 70 firefighters from six Connecticut firehouses attended a recent three-hour workshop on saving horses from barn fires. With the help of accomplished horsepeople, firefighters learned how to approach, halter and lead nervous horses amid the noise and bright lights emanating from the fire trucks.

Facilitators described horse behavior and anatomy so that firefighters would have an understanding about how a horse is affected by smoke inhalation or in its reluctance to flee a burning barn. The workshop facilitators hope that the training will help firefighters feel comfortable handling horses in situations other than barn fires such as loose horses or in the event of a trailer accident.

The Horse911 project is conducted in partnership with the Connecticut Horse Council, the Career Fire Chief’s Association, the Connecticut State Fire Academy and the Connecticut Animal Response Team. In addition to providing firefighter training, the Connecticut Horse Council also offers seminars in fire prevention and emergency response for horse and barn owners. At the request of a barn owner, the council can also arrange for an area fire chief’s inspection of a local barn to further fire prevention safety procedures and practices.

The Connecticut Horse Council began in 1969 to defeat proposed legislation that would have banned the use of bits and spurs. Since then, the group has been involved in all areas relevant to horse industries in Connecticut. The council’s motto is “Horsemen United in Leadership, Service and Education.”

Considering the spate of trailer and loose horse accidents across the nation, Connecticut has the right idea in getting its area firefighters more horse savvy. One would hope that more horse associations across the nation find example in Connecticut’s Horse Council’s initiatives.

Tags: Equine Forum, Horse Articles, Horse Trailers, Horses For Sale
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Aluminum horse trailers have taken the horse world by storm. In fact, some aluminum horse trailers don’t even look aluminum, but their underlying frame is. Is it worth it to pay the extra money for aluminum or will good ole’ steel do for you?
Aluminum horse trailers are popular because they are light and easy to haul. In most cases this is great, especially when it comes to yor gas mileage, but in some cases this can be a weakness. Not all aluminum trailers are created equally and some are weaker than others. Be careful when choosing aluminum without finding out what will happen if your horse were to give the side of the trailer a really good kick. Some of the less expensive and weaker trailers will dent and tear easily depending on the blow or multiple blows they receive. This can lead to shearing and tearing which can do major damage to a horse if it were to catch its hoof or brush against the tear.
In some cases the weight factor of the trailer is falsely advertised. Depending on the model of the trailer, the floor of the trailer may reinforced with additional aluminum. This can lead to the aluminum trailer weighing just as much as a similar steel trailer. You also need to be certain that you check the welds on the trailer as these can be difficult to fix once broken.
Steel trailers have their downfalls as well. Depending on the trailer, these trailers can be exceptionally heavy and with horses in the back your gas budget is going to run thin. They are also prone to rust, although many manufacturers have worked on several different sealants that are preventing rust more and more as technology increases. Steel trailers are also durable and easy to fix. Sure they might dent when your horse lays into kicking in it as he impatiently waits to get out of the trailer, but chances that the actual trailer is going to tear are minimal. The cost of steel trailers have also gone down. The galvanized steel, powder-coated steel and galvanized steel has become relatively inexpensive and rust has almost completely been eliminated.
When it comes down to which trailer is better than the other, it comes down to what you are willing to pay and what disadvantages you are willing to live with. An aluminum trailer is going to cost more, but you are able to save in fuel while a steel trailer is strong and easier to repair.
You will need to take into consideration the type of hitching point you would like, either a bumper pull from a rear mounted trailer hitch from your tow vehicle. Or a goose neck or fifth wheel mount that attaches within the bed for a greater load tolerance and improved handling and turning.
There are many additional questions that we answer on our equine forum and in our article base.
For more great trailer and equine information visit our links in our bio reference to help with further questions.

Tags: Equine Information, Equine Training, Horse Equipment, Horse Trailers, Horse Training
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If you are considering buying a horse trailer, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the wide selection available on the market. From front facing to slant load to stock trailers, everyone claims that their trailer is the best and will be perfect for your needs.
Before buying a trailer, you need to consider what you need it for. Will you be showing a lot? Are you traveling long distances? Do you need a space to keep your tack? Then you need to consider what types of horses you will be shipping. Are they large? Small? Will you be shipping many horses, or only one or two? Are the horses good buddies, or are they likely to be strangers? All of these things and more will make a difference as you select your trailer.
Horse trailers come in many loading styles. The traditional two-horse trailer is a rear-loading trailer where both horses stand facing forward with a partition of some sort between them. These trailers are practical for many horse owners, and are easy to find.
Another common style is the head to head trailer. This usually has a side loading ramp, and the horses are set up so that half are facing forward while the other half face backward. Sometimes there is room to fit a small horse or pony in the middle. Generally these are two to six-horse trailers.
Slant loads tend to need more length for less horses, but offer a position that makes traveling easier on the horses. The partitions can be rather snug, giving the horses less wiggle room. Generally the waste space at the front of the trailer is made into storage rooms, suitable for keeping your tack on the trip. The average slant load trailer for three horses is about the same size as a straight load trailer for four horses.
Stock trailers do not have any dividers between the horses, but are often split into two large box stalls. They allow the horses room to choose their own position as they travel. One disadvantage is that there is no protection keeping horses from hurting one another while in transit.
A more recent innovation is the two + one style of trailer. This type of trailer combines a two-horse straight load with a one horse box stall in front. This box stall is small, and can be used for tack and equipment if you do not want to load a horse in it.
Each style of trailer can be found in step up or ramp load. Steps ups can be useful for difficult loaders as there is not hollow-sounding ramp to travel on. Ramps are generally safer though, although steep ramps need to have side panels to keep horses from stepping off the side by accident.
Some trailers come with built in tack rooms, and even changing rooms. While they add length, these can be very useful if you show a lot, or don’t have extra room in your towing vehicle.
Finally, there are two primary types of hitch to consider. Bumper pull hitches are the most common, and can be used with a wide range of vehicles. They are great for smaller trailers, but not as secure for the bigger ones. Horse trailers should never be actually hooked onto a bumper – the hitch must be properly installed onto the frame of the towing vehicle.
Gooseneck hitches are more secure and are perfect for larger trailers. They also offer storage space in the neck, which can be useful if your trailer does not have a tack room. The problem with goosenecks is that you need a pick-up truck to pull them, and the hitch must be installed in the bed of your truck.
While you can find fifth-wheel hitches on horse trailers, they are uncommon.

Tags: Horse, Horse Saddles, Horse Trailers, Horses, Saddles, Trailers
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As we have previously discussed, horses have two basic color genes, black (B) and red (b). Bay horses happen because a special modifier gene called the agouti gene makes the black coat color fade into brown, leaving the points black. But this only covers the more basic colors. What about the others?
Each color is created by some form of modifying gene. These genes can be layered on top of each other, so that you can wind up with a buckskin horse that has pinto markings that fade to gray. To keep things simple we will look at several of the most common color modifiers one at a time.
A color modifier that is especially popular is the cream gene. This is the gene that causes horses to be buckskins or palominos. The cream gene is a dominant gene. Not only is it dominant, but it also expresses itself differently according to how many copies there are of the gene in a horse.
Let’s start with a chestnut horse. Genetically the horse is (bb), which give it the characteristic red color. Now let’s add a single copy of the cream gene. Now the horse is (bb Cc) which means that it is a diluted red color which is palomino. If you add a second copy of the cream gene (bb CC) the dilution is stronger and the horse is a cremello with pink skin and blue eyes.
When you add the cream gene to a bay horse you wind up with a buckskin. With a second copy of the cream gene the horse is a double dilute called a perlino. Blacks are affected a bit differently. A single copy of the cream gene makes a smoky black which visually shows very little difference to a regular black. However, when the cream gene is homozygous it expresses itself full strength and produces a creamy black.
Color breeders particularly covet the cremello or perlino horse for their breeding programs. This is because no matter what color of horse you breed to, the foal is guaranteed to express some form of the cream gene. This is why you will often see cremello stallions advertised with a 100% color guarantee.
Other genes that dilute the color of the coat include the champagne gene, the dun gene and the silver gene. A horse with the champagne gene can be “gold” (on chestnut), “amber” (on bay) or “classic” (on black). The dun gene causes the black stripe you sometimes see on horses’ backs. Silver horses have light colored manes and tails caused by a dilution of the expression of the black color, but not of the red/brown shades.
Another color modifier that is frequently seen is the roan gene. Like the cream gene, the roan gene is dominant. If a horse is not roan it cannot have a roan foal. A true roan will have fine white hairs throughout their coat with the exclusion of their face and legs. While they are often mistaken for grays, especially in the case of blue roans (roan on black) they do not fade the way a gray will over time.
An interesting fact about roans is that there is no such thing as a homozygous roan. This was first discovered when the conception rates of breedings where two roan horses were crossed together were decidedly lower than that of other horses. In fact there were 25% fewer live foals from these breedings. From this they were able to deduce that when an embryo carries two copies of the roan gene the combination is lethal and the embryo dies. If you take a look at the following chart, where (R) signifies the roan gene and (r) signifies no roan gene, you will see why the ratio of lethal foals was 25%.
(R) (r)
(R) (RR)
No foal (Rr)
roan
(r) (rR)
roan (rr)
plain
Now that we have been able to isolate the roan gene this has been proven in DNA studies.
Possibly the base of color breeders is the gray gene. This highly dominant gene will wash out any effects seen from other color modifiers. A horse with the gray gene is often born without any sign of graying. As it ages the gray begins to show. Some horses will grey following a “fleabitten” pattern while others have a “dapple” pattern. The two genes are different, but both have the same overall result. Eventually a gray horse will loose all color from their coats and will be white in color. Because they are born with dark skin these horses are not true whites, instead they are called grays.
There are many other color modifying genes. Some have been mapped out in DNA studies. Others are still a mystery. By studying the traits of each color gene you can have a reasonable way to guess what your foal may turn out like once it has arrived. Certainly there are still many aspects that will be unknown, but at least you can have a reasonably good idea of what color your baby could be.

Tags: Horse, Horse Saddles, Horse Trailers, Horses, Saddles, Trailers
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It is not uncommon for someone used to horse shows and fancy facilities to wonder why so many horse people still use old-fashioned stock trailers for their animals. With so many options available for slant load, rear facing, and other combinations of trailers, why would anyone want something as simple as an open-concept stock trailer?
Depending on your purpose, stock trailers have many advantages over stalled trailers.
Large Farms
Sometimes a large farm needs to ship large numbers of horses at a time. Most stalled trailers have a limited number of spaces for horses, usually 2-4 animals. Stock trailers have the advantage that you can ship large numbers of horses in the space that stalled trailers waste with their rigid set-ups. If you leave the center divider open, a 20′ stock trailer can comfortably manage 5-6 full sized horses, loaded on a slant. The same sized slant load trailer would likely only manage 4 horses.
Breeders
Young horses should not be tied when they are shipped. Likewise, when shipping a broodmare with a foal, the mare is best left loose with the foal so that she is better able to avoid stepping on it. With a stock trailer, there is room for two large box stalls, in which one or more horses can be shipped loose. This is also the safest way to ship a horse who is injured or ill.
Farmers
Stock trailers not only suit horses, but can also be used for many other kinds of animals. If a farmer has another type of animal that might need to be shipped, it is to his advantage to have a trailer that can be used for more than one species. If cleaned out, a stock trailer can also be used to ship equipment.
Large Horses
Some large horses tend to be claustrophobic when presented with a tight trailer. With large stalls, and loads of room, stock trailers are ideal for drafts. While you can’t squeeze as many in at once, you can often ship 4 big horses comfortably in a 20′ stock trailer, while most stalled trailers would need to be custom fitted to manage drafts.
Ponies
It is easy enough to ship ponies in any type of trailer, but stock trailers do have some advantages. You can fit quite a few ponies comfortably into a single stall of a stock trailer. With two-horse stock trailers on the market, a pony breeder could easily get away with a smaller trailer that could still ship several ponies. Larger stock trailers leave plenty of room to ship carts, harnesses and other equipment.
Show Horses
If you have a show horse and ship out to big shows on a regular basis, there are some wonderful advantages to a stock trailer. As long as you don’t have too many horses on board, it is easy to convert one section of your trailer into a box stall. This gives your horse a place to relax in when he is not expected to be out in the ring. You can even let him hang around without a halter on, if he is prone to breaking them. The stall also makes the perfect place for grooming and tacking up your horse. No more fears of having an escapee as you remove the halter in order to bridle you horse. He can be all dressed and ready to go before you even open the trailer door. This is particularly useful if you are showing a stallion.
As you can see, stock trailers offer some unique advantages to the horse owner. While they may not be the fanciest trailers on the road, they are safe, they allow the horse the freedom to choose the best position for balance on the trip, and they offer a range of alternative uses. So the next time you see a big stock trailer pull into the show ground, consider that the owner might not just be some hillbilly cowpoke, but might in fact have one of the nicest rides in town.

Tags: Horse, Horse Saddles, Horse Trailers, Horses, Saddles, Trailers
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Horse trailers come in several different loading and shipping styles. Each style offers advantages and disadvantages to the owner and the horse. When purchasing a horse trailer it is important to consider which style best suits you and your horse.
Straight Load
This is the most common load style. In a straight load trailer, horses are brought in from the back and are tied side-by-side, facing the front of the trailer. There is usually a partition in the middle of the trailer, protecting the horses from banging into one another. Some straight loads have partitions to the ground, while others only have bars to separate the horses. You can also get partitions that separate the horses at the front of the trailer so that they cannot bite one another.
Because these are so common, most used trailers you will see for sale will be steel straight loads. Unfortunately, they may not be the best trailer for your needs. Studies on transporting horses have shown that facing straight ahead is in fact harder on a horse than traveling facing rearward or on an angle. Another disadvantage of straight loads is that most are designed to only allow horses to unload backwards, something many horses are uncomfortable with.
Slant Load
In recent years, the slant load trailer has become highly popular. Horses are loaded from the back of the trailer, and are squeezed into stalls with swinging dividers that hold them into a slant load position. Because of the angle at which the horses stand, there is usually a triangle-shaped cubby at the front of the trailer that is often converted into a tack room. There is also a space at the back that is not used, and may be converted into a small storage area. Many slant loads offer front unloading ramps so that the horses can get off more easily. This also makes it possible to take a horse off who was loaded at an earlier stage of the trip.
The slant load position is supposed to be far more comfortable to the horse when traveling. The increased space occupied by the horse in a slant load makes the trailer size larger than a straight load. If purchasing a steel trailer, this added length also needs to be considered as added weight. A three horse slant load is the same size as the average four horse straight load.
Head-to-Head
A common loading solution for show trailers, this configuration allows horses to be loaded so that half are facing to the front and half are facing to the back. The ramp is placed on the side of the trailer so that horses can walk straight on and off without difficulty. One big advantage of this style of trailer is that you can unload any one horse without disturbing the other horses, making it the perfect solution for horse shows.
The center space does add a bit of length, but can sometimes be used for an extra small horse or pony. The ramps are generally fairly steep, and need to have side panel to prevent a horse from falling off the side. Some horses are intimidated by this style of trailer at first, but most get used to it quite quickly.
Stock
Stock trailers are open concept. They are made up of one or more box stalls with a gate that splits the trailer in the middle. Horses can be tied so that they face forward, backward or are slant loaded. You can also ship horses loose in one of the box stalls.
Stock trailers are probably the most flexible trailers for shipping large numbers of horses. The do not offer the protection of dividers, but they do allow the horses to position themselves comfortably for the trip. They are also the safest way to ship mares and foals, or youngstock. Most stock trailers have rear step-ups, but some do come with ramps.

Tags: Horse, Horse Saddles, Horse Trailers, Horses, Saddles, Trailers
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If you have been riding for any length of time, you will have seen it. A rider is struggling with her headstrong horse, and the coach steps up and suggests trying a stronger bit. The coach comes out with a twisted snaffle, or even a kimberwick, and soon the rider is back to work, hauling away on the poor horse’s mouth. Certainly the horse starts to listen a bit more, but it is clear that he is unhappy with his situation.
Of course, there are situations where a horse needs a stronger bit. But how do you know when it is time to upgrade, or whether instead you need to go back to square one?
Most of the time riders decide to upgrade their bit because their horse won’t listen to them. They are tired of hauling away on his face, and would rather make it easier on themselves by stepping things up a notch. Unfortunately this does not solve the problem, and soon the horse becomes dead to the new bit, and once again needs an upgrade.
If you have gotten stuck in this pattern of bit abuse, don’t despair. It can still be fixed. A hard-mouthed horse is very much the product of its rider, but given time, the problems can be retrained. You need to drop back to a mild bit, and start from square one, teaching your horse the basics of listening to your aids.
But sometimes the problem is not a lack of training, or a rider who has hard hands. Sometimes a well trained horse becomes strong in the bridle and will not listen to the rider, no matter what he is told.
In situations like this, an upgrade may be the right solution. But what kind of upgrade do you need? Sometimes the solution is not to move to a harsher bit, but to a bit that acts differently that what you have been using. Perhaps you need to catch your horse’s attention, and get his mind back on work.
If you have been riding with a snaffle, perhaps it is time to try a Pelham. In the right hands, a Pelham can be a gentle bit. Using two sets of reins, the curb can be barely touched at all, leaving the majority of the action mild. For a well trained horse with a skilled rider, a Pelham can become power steering and power brakes.
Sometimes it helps to add some leverage. Gag bits and elevator bits do just that. Both can be quite severe if abused, but with a light touch, each has its benefits.
Other horses just need a break from a bit, and do better with a hackamore. While the action is very different, hackamores offer a new way to communicate with your horse while riding.
So, if your horse is getting too wound up to listen well, despite a good track record and excellent training, try playing with a few different types of bits to see what works best. You might find that he will work well on the flat with nothing more than his usual snaffle, but needs the gag when out on a hack. Or perhaps he just won’t take that bent line without the power steering from a Pelham.
Upgrading your bit is an advanced training move, not a solution to a pulling problem. If a coach blindly suggests bitting up, consider that you just might need to do a bit more basic training first. Upgrading your bit without a solid foundation is a recipe for disaster, not a quick fix.

Tags: Horse, Horse Saddles, Horse Trailers, Horses, Saddles, Trailers
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