Horse Skillathon

If a horse’s ears are pointed forward its attention is where?

the front

What are the three things that ears pointed back on a horse can indicate?

its focus is back at the rider, its showing aggression or is drowsy

If a horse has one ear back and one ear forward its attention is what?

split

what are the rules for safe handlings?

\-approach slow and steady

\-always be prepared

\-tie horse with a secure knot that can be untied quickly

\-never walk under a horses neck

\-keep distance from the hind feet

\-establish patterns for the day and good and bad behavior

describe the vision of a horse:

can see best with objects beside, focus on objects directly ahead but cannot see well from behind.

what knot should be used to tie to the horse’s neck

bowline knot

what knot should be used to tie a horse to a tie post

a quick release knot

Name the parts of a western saddle

1. Gullet; 2. Horn; 3. Pommel; 4. Swell; 5. Seat; 6. Cantle; 7. Rear Jockey; 8. Concho; 9. Saddle Strings; 10. Fender; 11. Rear Cinch Strap; 12. Stirrup; 13. Long Latigo; 14. Cinch; 15. Short Latigo; 16. Seat Jockey; 17. Latigo Keeper

name parts of an english saddle

\

name parts of a western bridle

1\. browband; 2. headstall; 3. Throatlatch; 4. Rein; 5. Curb Bit; 6. Cheek Piece; 7. Curb chain

name the parts of a english bridle

1. Crownpiece; 2. Throatlatch; 3. Cheek Piece; 4. Reins; 5. Snaffle Bit; 6. Cavesson (Noseband); 7. Browband

basic seat names

western (stock), hunter, saddle seat, dressage, and easy gaited

four basic aids to riding

the hands, the seat, the legs, and the voice

what are hands used for as riding aids?

direct the horse head and shoulders, release when horse responds, firm hard pull as punishment,

what are seats or weights used for riding aids?

push horse forward or bend horse laterally

what are legs used for riding aids?

move horse forward, back, or laterally, light cues,

what are voice cues used for in riding aids?

use as little as possible, needs reinforcement from other cues,

How are easy-gaited horses ridden?

with a modified saddle seat style, use a bridle with a curb type bit and single rein

what are showmanship classes judged on:

appearance of animal, appearance of exhibitor and tack, presentation and performance of the horse in the ring

How should a western horse be posed

legs squarely under the horse

how should a saddle seat horse be posed

rear legs back so top of croup is level, front legs should still be square

how should a hunter horse be posed

posed square in front with one rear leg slightly ahead of the other

what should be used to groom a horses body

curry comb

what are the five essential types of nutrients

water, energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals

how many gallons of water can a horse drink per day

12 to 20 gallons

what is the cheapest source of basic nutrients

pasture and hays

what are concentrates

feeds that by weight are relatively high in nutrients and low in fiber

what are common grains used in concentrates

corn and oats

how much should horses consume in dry feed every day

2% of their body weight

grain is substituted for dry feed because of what?

when horses are asked to levels of work

how much of a horses diet should be forage

at least 1/2

how much grain is too much grain for a horse?

more than 0.5% of their body weight per feeding

what should horses have access to at all times for nutrition?

clean water, trace mineralized salt, and forage

What are the horse types?

stock horses, hunter horses, three gaited and five gaited pleasure horses, easy-gaited horses, racing horses, pony, draft

what breeds are stock horses usually?

American Quarter Horse, American Paints, Appaloosas, Buckskins, Palominos, Arabians, and Morgans

What were stock horses used for and how are they used now?

were used for working livestock on ranches and short distance racing, now they are used for show or pleasure horses

What are hunter horses usually used for?

jumping, cross country riding and dressage

what breeds are hunter horses usually?

Trakehners, hanoverians, holsteiners, oldenburgs, and thoroughbreds

what are 3 and 5 gaited horses used for?

shown under saddle seat tack as saddle seat pleasure, park pleasure, country pleasure, and fine harness horses

what breeds are 3 and 5 gaited horses usually?

Arabians, morgans, American saddlebreeds

what are easy gaited horses used for?

pleasure and trail riding

what breed are easy gaited horses usually?

Tennessee walking horse, missouri fox trotter, rocky mountain horse, kentucky mountain saddle horse, mountain pleasure horse, paso fino, peruvian paso

What breed are racing horses?

Thoroughbreds, standardbreds and quarter horses

Common pony breeds

shetland, wlsh, hackney, pony of the americas, and quarter pony

what were draft horses used for?

farming and transport frieght across nation

Common draft horse breeds

Belgian, Percheron, Clydesdale, Shire, and Suffolk

what is a breed character

characteristics of a breed that distinguish it from other breeds

what is a breed standard

standard of excellence set up by a breed association for its breed

what is a breed type

characteristics comonly accepted as ideal for a particular breed

what is a breeder

owner of a dam at the time of breeding

what is cold clooded

animal with draft horse breedng

what is a crossbred animal

a horse with purebred parents of different breeds

what is a family

group of animals within a breed trace directly to a common ancestor

what is a grade animal

a horse that has one purebred parent and one parent of unknown ancestry. Not able to be registered with any breed registry org

what is hot blooded

a horse with eastern or oriental blood (non draft)

what is a pedigree

written record of ancestry of an animal

what is performance registry

record book in which performance of animals is recorded

what is a purebred animal

individual horse whose parents are recorded int he same registry assoc

what is a registered animal

individual horse whose parent sare recorded and is itself recorded

what is a registration certifcate

written record of ancestry of animal

what is a stud book

book of record published by breed registry assoc

what is warm blood

a horse that is mix or light and draft horse breeding

\`what are the basic coat colors

Bay, Black, Brown (seal brown), Chestnut/sorrel, white

How to distinguish a bay?

always has black points such as manes and tails

how to distinguish a brown horse

mixture of dark brown or black hairs with lighter brown hairs on the face, flank and underline, mane and tail are always dark

Difference between chestnut and sorrel?

chestnuts are darker while sorrel are lighter shades

Is a white horse that has some black hairs still considered a white horse?

No, it is no longer a true white horse

What are five variations of coat colors?

dun (buckskin), gray, palomino, pinto, and roan

What causes the body color to become diluted?

THe D gene

What are diluted sorrels called?

red dun or claybank duns (yellow body with red points)

What are diluted bays called?

duns (yellow body black points) (or buckskin)

what are diluted blacks called?

grullo (grey body with black points)

What markings does the D gene have?

a dorsal strip or zebra stripes on legs and dark marking called a cross

Describe steel gray and flea bitten gray coats

steel gray: lots of black but not all

flea bitten gray: small flecks of color within the gray

Describe a palomino horse.

golden body color with white mane and tail, no black points

How to identify a pinto/paint horse

White on upper legs or body, outside rectangular area of the face as outlines by the ears, eres and nostrils

what are the three terms to describe pinto horses

tobiano, overo, tovero

What are roan horses?

carries white hairs intermingled with base colors, nonuniform coloration, the head, mane, tail and lower legs are usually a solid color

what is the normal temperature of a horse?

99\.5F to 101.5F

Where is the temperature of a horse taken?

through the rectum

What are some internal factors that increase a horse’s temperature?

disease, illness, or pain

what are some external factors that increase a horse’s temperature?

hot weather, exercise and excitement

At what temperature does a horse need veterinary care?

106F

What is the normal heart rate of a horse?

28 to 40 bpm

Where to take pulse of a horse with and without a stethoscope

directly behind elbow with stethoscope

or press fingers under jaw without stethoscope

What is a normal respiration rate for a horse?

16 breaths per minute

What causes a high respiration rate?

stress of any kind

what is inversion?

when the respiration rate is higher than the heart rate

How can you tell a horse is dehydrated?

hold a tent of skin and let go, it should go down in 2 seconds if normal, if not then horse in dehydrated

What can mucous membranes on a horse tell you about the health of the horse?

red gums, nostrils or conjunctiva of the eye says the horse is very sick, if they are white then the horse is anemic or shocked, if they’re blue then there are circulatory problems, pink is normal

how many times a day does a horse defecate and urinate?

once every two hours and three to four times a day respectively

What is colic?

any kind of abdominal pain due to digestive disturbance in a horse

What are some causes of colic?

over consumption of grain or rich pasture, sudden changes in feed, and parasites

What are some types of colic?

Gas colic, impaction colic, and torsion colic

What is gas colic?

over production of gas in the intestines, tissue stretched uncomfortably

What is impaction colic?

intestines being blocked in some way, dehydration and over consumption of feed

What is torsion colic?

twist in the intestines, very dangerous

What is laminitis?

inflammation of the laminae of the foot

What is founder?

rotation of coffin bone within hoof capsule

What are the types of founder and its causes?

grass founder: overconsumption of grain or young pasture

road founder: repeated exercise on a hard surface

post parturient founder: uterine infection due to the retained placenta in a mare who foaled