Why Every Horse Needs to be a Sales Horse

Many horse owners intend to keep their horse "forever." This is a wonderful intention, and I personally love to sell my horses to "forever" homes. But what happens when those plans go awry? They can and certainly do all the time: financial stress, a divorce, a move out of the country, sickness, or the death of the horse owner can leave the "forever horse" out of luck with no place to call home. The grieving family members (often of the "non-horseperson" variety) are left wondering what to do with this big, expensive, time-consuming animal.

Having a back-up plan for your horse is essential in the events of a catastrophe described above, but there is more you can do to ensure the best possible life for your horse: take time to place yourself into a prospective new owner's shoes. How can you make your horse more desirable to the kind of the owner you would like to see him go to if you couldn't take care of him anymore? You need to consider him or her as sales prospect. Here's a few tips for making the most of your horses value:

1) Keep a neatly organized binder with all your horses information, health cards, registries, show records, etc... in one place in the house and let the people close to you know about it and where to find it.

2) Do some quick and dirty research on the state of the horse market and draw some comparables (horses currently for sale that are close in age, height, breed, ability, health and experience to your horse). Try http://www.dreamhorse.com/, http://www.warmbloods-for-sale.com/, http://www.equinenow.com/ or similar websites. At least once a year, print some comparables and stick them in the binder.

3) Brainstorm about your horses best qualities and how you can showcase these in way that can be documented. If your horse is already showing regularly, you've got the show record. But even if you and your horse aren't the competitive type, think about doing something at least once a year that demonstrates to potential buyers that your horse was healthy, sane and happy. "He went, he did, he was good." Your horse will be more well-rounded and versatile if he gets off the farm every now and then. Competitive Trail Rides, clinics, small schooling shows in the discipline of your choice - any of these activities are great for documenting value.

4) Take a video or some pictures of your horse at least once a year. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should showcase the horses best abilities and be shot in a pleasant, well-lit location. A good stand-by location is a well-kept, green pasture with an uncluttered background on a sunny day with the photographer's back to the sun. Put the best picture(s) in the binder.

5) Keep up with the "little" things: mane-pulling (if it suits the breed), curry regularly for a shiny coat, trim up the fetlocks and keep the tail moisturized to encourage growth and keep breakage to a minimum. For geldings, regular sheath-cleaning is an often over-looked part of the grooming routine.

6) X-Rays: Depending on your horse's worth, you might consider getting a standard set of X-rays (3-view for lower legs and hooves, and hocks) every few years. With the digital machines, the vet can give you a disk or email you a file of the X-rays to keep on hand. In addition to tracking the health of the joints, you can see ahead of time if a blemish on the X-rays will affect your horses value in the event of a sale. X-ray interpretation is not a cut-and-dry thing, so always consider a second or third opinion in the case of a "doom-and-gloom" reading. Regular X-rays can also be helpful for your farrier.

7) Manners: Try to make sure your horse has the basic qualities of a "Good Citizen" or work to improve them. Ideally, he should respect the space of humans, tie, clip, load, cross tie quietly for grooming, tacking, a bath or the farrier, ride outdoors or in, hack out alone or with a group, and be able to be ridden safely in new environments (such as a show). Any behavioral or stable vices will reduce value!

Some portions of the above probably seem obvious, some are! But it's an important reminder not to take your horse for granted, since doing so will certainly make him seem less desirable if you or an unsuspecting family member suddenly has to find him a new home.

Good HorsePersons Picks for the 134th Kentucky Derby

Calling all Good HorsePeople! Now is the time to bone up on your racing repertoire...the Derby is less than a month away!

Every year, the Kentucky Derby (a racing tradition since 1875) attracts a crowd more than 150,000 strong to watch the Thoroughbreds battle it out on the track...millions more tune in on their television sets and computer screens. That's millions of people watching and admiring horses; many people who may never have actually patted a horse on a neck. What this means, for all of us HorsePeople, is that we are presented a unique opportunity to talk, talk, talk about our favorite animal and the respect that they deserve. This year, when you talk about the favorites and the odds, remember to talk about what can happen to these beautiful horses AFTER their racing career has ended. Bring attention to the cause that organizations like CANTER (Communication for the Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racers) are working so hard to further. Talk about how retrained racehorses make amazing and easy-going pleasure riding mounts, sport horses and companion horses. Show pictures of your off-the-track-thoroughbred or find one on CANTER's Horse Listings. Tell people to look you up on Facebook and check out your Horsebook! Or send them here to see pictures of Grande Finale, Parker's Way and Star Style on the sidebar - all three are retired racehorses.

Here's the Good HorsePerson's Picks for the Derby so far:
1) Big Brown: this gorgeous light bay colt by Boundary (Northern Dancer lines) has only raced three times! And all three times, he won with grace and good form. We admire the way this colt has been carefully and steadily brought back from problem quarter cracks last year. And we really admire BB's current trainer, Rick Dutrow, and his strategy of using work-outs instead of races to prepare for the Derby. Not only is it kinder for the horse (and so, a good example for the entire racing community) it's also the strategy Michael Matz used to prepare Barbaro when he won the Derby two years ago.

2) Pyro: Since two good showings in the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby, this dark bay grandson of A.P. Indy has topped favorite lists around the web.

3) War Pass: On the opposite end of the earnings spectrum than Big Brown (over 1.5 million), this grandson of Mr. Prospector was on the way to Derby undefeated before coming in last in the Tampa Bay Derby (he had won the six previous races). But the colt redeemed himself by fighting hard on Saturday, when he finished second in the Wood Memorial, even with three staples in his chin from a accidental cut he got while traveling the Thursday before. His trainer, Nick Zito, reports that he is proud of the effort.

Online betting and detailed coverage on the history, opinions and picks for the 2008 Kentucky Derby is available online at a reputable racebook.

A Death in the Family: What to do When A Horse Passes Away

Recently the Good HorsePerson received an email asking advice for helping a good friend mourn the loss of her long-time equine companion. While everyone grieves differently, here are a few thoughts about managing the death of an equine partner:

Since it's usually fairly difficult to arrange for a burial site for a horse, it may be appropriate to come up with other mementos to honor the memory and the partnership between horse and owner. You might consider saving a lock of mane or tail to create a piece of memorial jewelry or shadowboxing a pair of the horse's shoes.

Sometimes equine-specific sympathy cards can be found at local tack shops, but if not, Hoofprints.com has a selection of well-written cards to choose from. At the Hoofbeats In Heaven website, you can create a memorial webpage with photos to celebrate the story of horse and rider.

Washington State University offers some tips on how to support grieving pet owners.

Finally, here is a link to a Yahoo Group specifically for those people who are grieving the loss of their horse.

If you've come up with a unique horse memorial idea or have found another web resource, please leave a comment here to share with us all!

Ask the Farrier: Shoes for Jumping a Flat-Footed Horse?

In February, Elaine asked about the necessity of shoes for her flatfooted draft cross, which she intends to start jumping soon:

Farrier Arvin Reynolds answers:
When you start jumping a flat footed horse in a competitive way, especially out in the field where terrain can be rocky or otherwise unpredictable, shoes are a must to protect the soles. I would recommend full pads during show season or heavy training, for additional protection against bruising. Leather pads (as opposed to plastic) allow the hoof to breathe and reduces the potential for debilitating thrush build-up. Your farrier should inject a supportive material between the pad and the hoof to help keep dirt and debris from getting under the pad. I normally use Equipak CS.

Finally, you might consider asking your farrier to roll the toes of the shoes to facilitate break-over.

I'm not aware of any shoes marketed specifically for flat-footed horses at this time, however, the Rick Redding Roller Motion or "banana" shoe might be applicable here.

Good luck with your new horse!

Arvin Reynolds can be reached by phone at 703-895-4786 or email AGRShoeing@aol.com

photo courtesy of HorsePoint

Tips for Simpler Springtime Shedding

The days are getting longer and everything you own is covered in statically charged horse hair. It's almost Spring!

Here's a few tips for easier grooming and shedding during these hairy times:

• Make two passes with a long toothed rubber curry before using the shedding blade. The shedding blade will be able to get more hair if it's already loosened.

• Consider wearing a mask to cover your nose and mouth while shedding. You are a magnet for floating horse hair and when you're less busy wiping your face and groaning, you'll more likely to groom longer!

• When you're finished with the shedding blade, spray the whole horse down with a dry shampoo like Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover. Then do a rub down with a rag with a heavy nap. The shampoo with help reduce the dust and dander you stirred up with all the currying and your horse will feel less itchy. If the coat still looks dull (as most do while shedding out), finish with a spray of coat shine (like Showsheen or Vetroline Shine, not on saddle area) and rub in again, then brush out with a soft dandy brush.

• When it's warm enough, bathing can be a good shedding exercise. When the horse is lathered with soap, curry with a soft rubber mitt to loosen dead hair, then spray off with the hardest spray setting your horse can tolerate comfortably. Happy Shedding!

Horse Training Tips - Halting for Strength

Did you know one of the easiest strengthening exercises to do is as simple as halting? When done properly, working with halts can help your horse develop the muscles to carry himself in a lighter, more balanced frame under the rider. Here's a few tips to improve the quality of your halts:

• Minimize the Hand Aide. The more "help" you offer with the hand, the less likely the horse is to balance herself on her own. Let closing the hand be the last thing you do, and try to eliminate pulling back alltogether.



• Don't Rush the Halt - Abruptness is the enemy to a good halt. The horse should glide into stillness, not lurch. Try encouraging the horse to take a few smaller steps before halting, and visualize the hind legs taking one more step after the front legs have stopped.



• Make Sure Your Horse Accepts Your Legs. If you can't close your lower leg in without your horse leaping forward or tensing, you need to address this before halts can be productive. A really good halt starts with a steady closing leg (to gather the horse and keep his balance from shifting into your hand).



• Lift Against a Leaner: If your horse leans into the bit in the halt, stay back in the saddle and lift both hands by bending your arms at the elbow while closing the leg. When she backs off the bit, immediately lower your hands. Repeat many times.



• Repeat the mantra: Patience & Praise. Halts can take a long time to improve. Taking breaks by doing unrelated exercises in between the halting work will help ensure sure halts don't become a source of anxiety for your horse.

photo courtesy of Seven Oaks Farm

The "Bad Horse" List

Here's a cute webpage, good for a laugh, from www.jerseyguy.com Haven't we all wished our horses would make such promises....

Here's few choice selections from the page:
I will not poop in my water tub.
I will not poop in my feeder!
I promise not to swish my tail while my human is cleaning my back feet. I also promise not to choose that particular time to fulfill my basic needs.
I will not totally ignore the noise of the lunge whip and do my own thing on the lunge.
I will listen to my human on the lunge rather than see what's interesting at the other end of the school.
When being ridden bareback, I won't try to see how high I can get my bucks.

To read the whole thing CLICK HERE