EQUINE MIDTERMS PT1

• Foundation gait​

• Four - beat gait where each foot hits the ground independently​

• Pattern of this gait maybe as follows:​

right hind, right front, left hind, left front or ​

right front, left hind, left front right hind

Walk

• Two - beat diagonal gait where the legs work in paired diagonals​

• Pattern of this gait maybe as follows:​

right hind and left front then left hind and right ​

front or​

left hind and right front then right hind and left ​

front​

Trot

• Three-beat gait where one pair of feet strike the ​

ground simultaneously and the other two feet ​

land independently​

• Right or left lead​

Right lead: left hind, right hind and left front ​

then right front​

Left lead: right hind, left hind and right front ​

then left front​

• Horses on right lead when circling to the right and left lead when circling to the left ​

Canter

• Appears to be only a faster but actually a different ​

gait containing four beats​

• Also has a right and left lead​

Left lead: right hind, left hind, right front, left ​

front​

Right lead: left hind, right hind, left front, right ​

front

Gallop (Run)

a. Running walk​

b. Slow gait​

c. Pace​

d. Rack​

Natural to specific breeds of horses (gaited horses):​

Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox Trot, five- ​

gaited American Saddlebred Horse: animated walk, ​

trot, slow gait, rack and canter; Standardbred Horse ​

driven in harness racing and compete as ​

trotters (2-beat diagonal) or pacers (2-beat lateral

Artificial Gaits

• The fast ground-covering walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse​

• It is an artificial gait that is faster than the normal walk​

The horse moves with a gliding motion as the hind leg oversteps the forefoot print by 12-18 inches or more​

Running Walk​

• This four beat lateral gait is also known as the stepping pace. ​

• In this gait, the horse performs a broken pace, with the hind and front leg on the same side leaving the ground and landing at slightly different times.​

• The slow gait is performed by the five-gaited Saddlebred

Slow Gait​

• A lateral two-beat gait in which the right front and rear feet hit the ground in unison and the left front and rear feet hit the ground in unison​

• There is a swaying from right to left when the horse paces

Pace

• A snappy four-beat gait in which the joints of the legs are highly flexed​

• The forelegs are lifted upward to produce a flashy effect​

• This is an artificial gait, whereas the walk, trot, pace, gallop and canter are natural gaits​

• The rack is popular in the show-ring for speed and animation

Rack

• A Four-beat gait ​

• Each of the four feet strike the ground separately from the other

Walk

• A rapid, diagonal, two-beat gait in which the right front and left rear feet hit the ground in unison, and the left front and right rear feet hit the ground in unison​

• The horse travels straight without swaying sideways when trotting

Trot

• A fast three-beat gait​

• Depending on the lead, the two diagonal legs hit the ground at the same time​

• The other hind leg and foreleg hitting at different times

Canter

• The fastest gait with four beats​

Gallop

• For healthier and more attractive coats​

• To avoid chafing and rubbing of dirt and other materials which can cause sores​

• To prevent dirt into horse tack​

• For handler to check for injuries and good way to gain trust of the animal​

Grooming

round tool with short teeth made of plastic or stiff rubber​

- used to loosen dirt, hair and other detritus​

- stimulates skin to produce natural oils​

Curry comb

stiff-bristled brush used to remove dirt, hair and other materials stirred up by the curry ​

- best quality brushes made up of stiff natural brushes such as rice stems and plastic bristled dandy brushes​

Dandy brush

soft-bristled brush which removes fine particles and dust​

- natural brushes made up of boar bristles and soft, synthetic fibers like human hairbrushes​

Body brush

Soft face brush

horses with short, pulled manes combed with wide-toothed plastic or metal comb​

- horse tails and long manes maybe finger- combed or brushed with dandy brush or body brush or suitable human hairbrush​

Mane brush or comb

metal or plastic tool to remove excess liquid from the horse’s coat​

Sweat or water scraper

terry towel cloth or other types of cloth​

- sometimes called stable rubber​

Towel or grooming rag/rub rag

clipping short “bridle paths” behind the ears where a few inches of mane is removed to help bridle lay more neatly​

- also at the fetlock where extra hair can collect undesired amounts of mud and dirt​

Electric clippers/scissors

often applied to horse after grooming​

Insect repellent or fly spray

• iece of equipment or accessory equipped on horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals​

• Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, breastplates​

• Equipping horse referred to as tacking up​

Horse Tack​

seats for the rider​

- fastened on the horse’s back by means of a girth (English) or cinch (US) which goes around at point about 4 inches behind forelegs​

Saddles

support for the rider’s feet that hang down on either side of the saddle​

- provides stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to potential for rider’s feet to get stuck in them​

Stirrups

bridles, hackamores, halters, headcollars​

- strapped around the horse’s head for control and communication with the animal​

a. Halters – halter (US), headcollar (BI) consists of noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse’s head and allows it to be led or tied​

- lead rope separate, 6-10 ft for leading and tying or up to 25 ft for leading pack horses or grazing​

- stallions may have chain attached to the lead rope and placed over the nose or under the jaw to increase control provided by halter​

Headgears

have a bit attached to reins, used for riding or driving horses​

Bridles

cavesson style nose band, reins buckled to one another​

- little adornment or flashy hardware​

English bridles

– no noseband and made of thin leather​

- have long separated split reins or shorter closer reins​

- often adorned with silver or other decorative features​

Eastern bridles

English type that uses 2 bits in the mouth (snuffle and curb)

Double bridles

headgears utilizes heavy noseband rather than a bit​

- more often used to train young horses, in Western riding​

- Spanish word jaquina​

- Western riding, endurance riding, English riding disciplines such as show jumping​

Hackamores

special type of halter or noseband for longeing a horse​

Longeing cavesson (UK lungeing)

is an activity of having a horse walk, trot and/or canter in a large circle around a handler at the end of a rope that is 25-30 ft. long, for training and exercise​

longeing

leather straps or ropes attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider’s or driver’s hands​

- means by which horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse’s head​

Reins

device placed in a horse’s mouth, kept on the horse’s head by means of a headstall​

- mouthpiece does not rest on the teeth but on the gums or the bars of the horse’s mouth in the ​interdental space between the front incisors and the front of the back molars​

- style of bit appropriate for horse’s needs, fitted properly and be as comfortable as possible​

Bits

1. Curb bit​

2. Snaffle bit​

3. Pelham bit​

4. Weymouth or double bridle bit​

Basic Styles of Bit

1. Direct pressive bit – snaffle bits​

2. Leverage bits – curb bits​

Two Categories of Bits

act with direct pressure on the tongue and lips​

- have a single jointed mouth piece and act with a nutcracker effect on the bars, tongue and roof of the mouth​

- any bit that operates only on direct pressure is snaffle bit​

Snaffle bits

have shanks coming off the mouthpiece to create leverage that applies to the poll, chin groove and mouth, in category of curb bits​

- any bit that works off of leverage is curb bit regardless if solid or jointed​

Leverage bits

sets of devices and straps that attaches a horse to a cart, carriage, sledge or any other load​

Harness

1. Breast strap​

2. Collar and hanes​

Types of Harness

has a wide leather strap going horizontally across the horse’s breast, attached to the traces and then to the load (for lighter load)​

Breast strap

harness has collar around the neck with wood or metal hanes in the collar​

- traces attached from hanes to load (for heavy draft work)​

Collar and Hanes

- breastplates, breastcollars or breastgirths attached to front of saddle, cross the horse’s chest and have the strap run between the horse’s front legs and attaches to the girth -> keeps the saddle from sliding back or sideways​

- safety equipment for English riding activities such as show jumping, polo, fox hunting and in Western riding events such as rodeo​

Breastplates and martingales

piece of equipment to prevent the horse from raising its head too high​

- prevents horse from avoiding rider commands or to keep horse from tossing its head high and hard enough to smack its rider in the face​

- attached to center chest ring of breastplate or attached by 2 straps: one that goes around the neck and one that attaches to the girth with the martingale beginning at point where neck and girth straps intersect​

Martingales

1. German martingale or Market Harborouh​

2. Irish martingale​

3. . Running martingale – adds leverage to the bit​

   4. Standing martingale – one strap runs from girth to chest or attaches to noseband of bridle​

Types of Martingale

• Horses evolved to live in prairie grasslands and covered long distances undeterred by artificial barriers -> accidents​

• Smaller areas needs more visible and substantial space​

• Unlike ancient horsemen who were limited to sticks and stones to enclose their horses, we benefit from a wide variety of traditional and modern materials from which to choose. ​

• Unfortunately, despite over years of development, there's still no ideal fence for every horse-keeping purpose. Each fence choice involves balancing safety concerns with aesthetics, cost, and maintenance.​

FENCES

Building codes ultimately determine fencing requirements but some general rules of thumb apply nearly everywhere.

1. Field fences should be 54 to 60 inches above ground level. Go with a 5-feet minimum height where fences abut highways or anywhere that an escaped horse can flee your premises.​

2. Six feet is the safe minimum height for stall runs and paddocks. ​

3. At bottom, an opening of 8 to 12 inches will keep feet and legs from getting trapped, and also prevent foals​

   from rolling under the fence. Fence openings should be either large enough that a hoof, leg, or even the head can't become trapped, or very small (no more than 3 inches by 3 inches) to prevent a hoof from getting through.​

   4. To maintain tension, most wire fences require triangular shaped bracing at the corners and at intervals of about 1/8 mile. The acute angles formed by brace wires represent entrapment hazards if the horse can reach them; good design (such as boards used in corners to block access) can prevent injury, even death.​

   5. Visibility, especially with wire fencing, is too often overlooked. While a white plank fence of wood or PVC is easily seen by horses, wires can almost be invisible when

   6. a horse panics. Improve visibility to wire fences by adding a top rail of wood; PVC; or durable white vinyl fence ribbon, either standard or electrified. This makes a wire fence more visible and also deters horses from reaching over the fence to graze. ​

   7. Regardless of fence material and design, one of your goals should be to present a smooth side to the horses. Exposed posts can injure a horse that runs down the fence line. In such cases, using an electric fence wire to create a psychological as well as a physical barrier offers a safe solution.​

7. Corners also present problems, especially if you plan to pasture horses that don't get along well. Any corner can create an entrapment situation where one horse is bullied. The problem is especially bad when the corner angle is acute (90 degrees or less). Some solutions include corners that curve. This requires placing wire fence barriers on the outside of the posts, but this is less of a problem in corners than it is along straight runs. Another solution is to affix planks across corners to block access.​

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Horse Fence Safety​

1. Should be safe and adequate – horses allowed as much outside, free exercise as much as possible​

2. Should be sturdy especially when horses lean or rub against it​

3. Should be at least 5 ft high – foals and miniature horses Ponies should be discouraged from rolling or getting caught underneath the fence​

Characteristic of a Good Fence

Types of Fencing

• Barbed wire often used but the most dangerous fencing material even in large pastures​

• Can cause severe injuries and lasting scars​

• Wire fences can be supported by strand of electric fence​

• At least 4-5 strands for proper security -> kept tight and must be visible -> add top rail of wood​

Wire

Made of synthetic materials with fine wires interwoven throughout with plastic posts -> visible and inexpensive fence​Good for dividing grazing area but not as boundary fence​

• Comes as wire, rope or webbing –> carries mild shock but does not cause injury to animals and people ​

• Inexpensive and easy to install but if electricity fails, easily broken -> excellent temporary fence to keep horses away from fencing​

• In residential areas warning should be posted​

Electric fence

• Classic form, either painted as planks or natural round rails​

• One of the safest -> best option for small paddocks, pens, corrals and pastures​Expensive, high maintenance, not completely without safety concerns -> splinter, nails, lacerations​

Wood

More expensive, safer, low maintenance

Wood-like synthetics

• Combined with top rail, pipe or wood​

• Reasonably safe but should be kept tight -> cannot be easily cut by humans​

• Less expensive than wood or pipe ​

Cable

• Fairly safe, most expensive, low-maintenance and strong​

• Will not break but potential injury​

• Most suitable for small areas

Metal pipes

• Brick or fieldstone​

• High visibility, durability, strength, safety​

• Expensive -> labor and takes longer to build

Solid masonry fence

• Can be indoor or outdoor or both​

• Type dictated by use of horse on day-to-day basis and preference of owner​

• Unless adequate pasture for horse all the time, housing must restrict access to pasture​

• Horses must be protected from inclement weather​

HOUSING

1. Safety – electricity, doors, floors, fires​

2. Location​

3. Climate​

4. Zoning​

5. Water​

6. Ventilation​

7. Feed storage​

8. Tack storage ​

9. Financial cost​

Considerations when Designing Barns​

• ideal for horses being ridden or used everyday​

• buildings either barns or stables​

• requires considerable amount of daily labor for manure removal -> horse generates approx. 15​lbs or 6.8 kg of manure and several gallons of urine each day​

  • single story barns best options since cheaper to build and maintain​

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Indoor Housing

1. Miniature horse – 6x8 ft​

2. Ponies and small horses under 900 lbs – 10x10 ft stalls or if more room 10x12 ft or 12x12 ft​

3. Riding horses 900 to 1100 lbs – 12x12 ft​

4. Warmblood or small draft – 12x14 ft to 14x14 ft​

5. Large draft horse – 16x16 ft ​

6. Foaling stalls – at least twice the size of a single stall for that size of the horse​

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Recommended Size for Box Stalls

• 5-6 x 8-10 ft stalls​

• where horse is tied forward with a chain or a rope -> horse can also stand loose with 2 chains across the open end​

• draft horses usually kept in standing stalls​

• not as comfortable -> use rubber mats to provide cushioning for the legs and use less bedding​

• horse can spend 22 hours per day in stall

Standing Stalls

Indoor Housing

• most costly but all around most comfortable choice for housing horses​

• classic horse barn has stalls along the sides and a wide center aisle, a tack room and storage for feed and hay​

• box stalls at least 8 ft high, 10 x 10 ft, with 4-ft wide door​

• center aisle should be wide enough for 2 grooms and 2 horses to pass each other ​

Horse Barn/Stall

• good to use if you want to maintain horses in open air while providing protection from inclement weather​

• used to house a group of horses that get along well with each other​

Open-sided or free-stall housing

similar to box stalls in a row but doors are open to the outdoors​ most doors are Dutch doors, split to allow the top half to be left open for ventilation purposes -> works best in mild climate

Open Shed Rows

• dirt floors cannot be washed down​

• wood floors overtime will rot due to urine and manure​

• concrete hard on horse’s legs, should be covered with rubber mat and deep layer of bedding​

Barn Floors

one of the cheapest and most commonly available​

- easy to dispose of and provides good drainage​

straw

more readily available than straw but cost rise when housing market falls ​

c. hemp – easily obtainable and reasonably priced in some countries​

wood products is most economical in areas where lumber is processed​

highly effective but only for a few stalls​

- not economical purchase for a large barn​

peat moss

shredded paper/cardboard

in areas near beer breweriesgood, affordable bedding material

rice hulls

use less bedding

stall mats

• easier to work in a well-lighted barn and there will be fewer flies​

• windows and skylights provide natural lights but be careful they do not let in unrelenting summer sun​

Lighting

• given fresh and clean everyday​

Ventilation​

• open and fresh air​

Feed and Water Supply

Tack Room

• also medicine room​

• keep grains and feeds in a closed container​

• not accessible to vermins​

Feeds Room

• lower construction cost and less labor cost when it comes to cleaning​

• feed horses at least 150 meters away from barn to cut back on manure ​

• horses fight less for feed in an open area​

Outdoor Housing

• three-sided building in a horse pasture that provides protection from wind, rain and snow​

• horses must be able to access the shelter, water trough and feed bins at will​

• ideal is 12 x 12 ft space for each horse, 12 x 24 ft for every two horses​

• with open front, consider prevailing wind and position the building’s opening away from the wind -> utilize existing wind breaks such as trees and other buildings​easy access to building to bring in water, feed or vehicle​

• elevated level to allow water to flow away from building ​

• easy access to building to bring in water, feed or vehicle​

• elevated level to allow water to flow away from building ​

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Run-in shelter

• positioned whenever needed, relocated for summer shade, warmth when cold and shifted in cases of seasonal flooding​

• very inexpensive shelter option that can be pre-built or reconstructed on-site​

• not good choice for areas prone to severe windstorms​

• minimum of 10 x 10 ft, 12 x 12 ft better​

Portable Shed

1.Gauze and leg wraps

2. Cold packs​

3. Duct tape​

4. Thermometer​

5. Stethoscope​

6. Scissors, forceps, tweezers​

7. Flashlight​

8. Twitch​

9. Pliers and cutters​

10. Splint materials​

11. Wound scrub and ointment​

12. Isopropyl​

13. Poultice​

14. Epsom salt​

15. Clinch cutter and shoe puller​

16. Syringes​

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Medicine and Supplies

   

Horse Barn/Stall​

Open Sided or Free-stall Housing​

Open Shed Rows​

Run-in Shelter​

Portable shed​