Horses For Dummies (For Dummies (Pets))

features New Full-color Photos And Online Resources Train, Care For, And Have Fun With Your Horse If You're Crazy About Horses, This Hands-on Guide Is All You Need To Giddy Up And Go. Featuring Updates On Breeds, Boarding, Nutrition, Equipment, Training, And Riding, As Well As New Information On Various Equine Conditions, This Resource Shows You How To Keep Your Horse Happy - And Take Your Riding Skills To The Next Level. Discover How To * Select The Right Horse For You * Feed, Groom, And Handle Your Horse * Recognize Common Horse Ailments * Have Fun In The Saddle * Get Involved In Equestrian Competitions library Journal horse Lovers Will Flock To This Volume, Which Is Chock Full Of Down-to-earth, Practical Advice. While Much Of The Information Would Be Useful To Anyone Involved With Horses, This Book Is Really For The Prospective Horse Owner Who Is Just Starting Out. The Novice Will Find The Book Easy To Use, As Each Chapter Stands On Its Own As A Source Of Information About A Specific Aspect Of Horse Ownership. Users Can Refer To The Topic They Need, And Important Sections Are Marked With Icons Indicating Tip, Warning, And Remember. There Is Even An Indicator For Technical Stuff That The Beginner May Not Need To Know. The Book's Coauthors Are A Veterinarian And An Editor Of An Equine Magazine, Respectively, And Both Are Well Versed In The Intricacies Of Horse Ownership. They Are Careful To Point Out Matters Of Protocol, Those Things That Are Always Done A Certain Way In The Horse World, Though Often For No Apparent Reason. A Worthwhile Purchase For Public Libraries.--deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll., Rochester, Ny Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. Horses For Dummies, 2nd Edition 3 About the Authors 5 Dedication 7 Authors’ Acknowledgments 7 Contents at a Glance 9 Table of Contents 11 Introduction 19 About This Book 20 Conventions Used in This Book 20 What You’re Not to Read 21 Foolish Assumptions 21 How This Book Is Organized 21 Icons Used in This Book 23 Where to Go from Here 24 Part I: Beginning with Horse Basics 25 Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Horses 27 Looking at a Horse’s Build and Mind 27 Checking Out Various Horse Breeds 28 Making a Match with the Perfect Horse 29 Taking Great Care of Your Horse 31 Riding Your Horse Safely and Easily 34 Chapter 2: Understanding Horses from Head to Hoof 37 Horse Talk: Describing Horses Correctly 38 Mind Games: Getting into the Horse Psyche 45 Do You Trust Me? Developing Bonds Between Horses and Humans 54 Chapter 3: Perusing Popular Horse Breeds 59 Picking the Best Breed for You 59 Meeting the Top Ten Horse Breeds 61 Going Beyond the Top Ten 68 Part II: Selecting a Horse and the Stuff that Goes with Him 77 Chapter 4: Preparing to Make Your Purchase 79 Finding Out Why You Want a Horse 79 Considering a Horse’s Traits 91 Investigating Horse Insurance 97 Finding Expert Help 99 Chapter 5: Making the Big Buy 103 Enlisting an Expert to Help You Shop 103 Knowing Where to Find a Horse 105 Deciding On the Perfect Horse for You 112 Embarking on Your Horse-Shopping Journey 115 Bringing Your Horse Home 123 Chapter 6: Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment 125 Let the Shopping Begin: Figuring Out Where to Buy Equine Equipment 125 Have a Seat: Saddles and Related Accessories 126 Tack It Up: Other Riding Requirements 136 Ground Work: Horse-Care Items 143 Playing Dress-Up: Horse Clothes 147 Looking Good: Your Own Riding Wear 151 Chapter 7: Housing Your Horse Comfortably 157 Away from Home: Boarding Stables 158 Staying Close: Having a Home Stable 163 Setting Up Backyard Accommodations 166 Making Room for Work and Play 170 Part III: Taking Care of Your Horse 173 Chapter 8: Establishing an Everyday Routine 175 Handling Your Horse’s Hunger and Thirst 175 Taking Care of Other Maintenance Tasks 181 Chapter 9: Keeping Your Horse Clean and Pretty 185 Getting Down to Business: Grooming Basics 185 Scrub-a-Dub: Bathing Your Horse 194 Carefully Clipping Your Hairy Equine 200 Chapter 10: Preventing Equine Health Problems 207 The Doctor Is In: How a Vet Helps Your Horse 207 If the Shoe Fits: The Work of a Farrier 211 In Control: Understanding Your Role in Preventive Care 213 Chapter 11: Examining and Treating Equine Health Troubles 215 Tracking Symptoms (and Recognizing an Emergency) 216 Understanding Common Health Problems 218 Getting a Grip on Leg Woes 232 Taking Care of Horse Wounds 237 Putting Together a First-Rate First-Aid Kit 240 Coping with Euthanasia 241 Chapter 12: Giving Up Your Horse 243 Beware of Killer Buyers 243 Figuring Out if You Need to Move On 244 Looking at Options for Your Old Friend 246 Part IV: Handling Your Horse with Ease 251 Chapter 13: Working with Your Horse from the Ground 253 Establishing the Right Manners 253 Approaching Your Horse in the Stall or Pasture 255 All Strapped In: Haltering Your Horse 257 On the Ropes: Leading Your Horse 258 In Knots: Tying Your Horse 260 Circle Around: Longeing Your Horse 263 Handling Problems from the Ground 267 Chapter 14: Selecting a Riding Discipline 275 Scoping Out the Most Popular Ways to Ride 275 Getting the Scoop on Other Cool Riding Styles 283 Chapter 15: Getting Ready Before You Mount 287 Putting On a Saddle and Accessories 287 Bridling Your Horse with Ease 293 Chapter 16: Taking Control in the Saddle 295 Preparing Yourself Mentally 295 Taking Riding Lessons First 296 Getting Into Riding Shape 298 Swinging Up and Onto Your Horse 300 Focusing on Riding Fundamentals 302 Delving Into Post-Ride Details 308 Catching Tricks that Naughty Horses Play 310 Chapter 17: Staying Safe on (and around) Your Horse 315 Dressing the Right Way 315 Protecting Yourself on the Ground 317 Being Secure in the Saddle 321 Chapter 18: Competing on Horseback 327 Keeping Traditions in Hunt Seat 327 Performing Precisely in Dressage 328 Being Flashy in Saddle Seat 329 Working with Special Skills in Western 329 Educating Yourself at Breed Shows 335 Enjoying the Great Outdoors at Trail Competitions 337 Getting a Leg Up on Jumping Competitions 339 Checking Out Combined Training 340 Steering Yourself Toward Competitive Driving 341 Chapter 19: Riding for the Fun of It 343 Riding the Trails 343 Strutting Your Stuff in Parades 346 Joining a Drill Team 347 Reliving the Past in Reenactments 349 Having a Horsy Vacation 351 Part V: The Part of Tens 355 Chapter 20: Ten Horse Myths 357 Horses Are Dumb 357 Horses Will Run Toward a Fire 358 Horses Don’t Sleep Lying Down 358 Horses Hate People 358 Horses Are Aloof 358 Horses Vocalize a Lot, Just Like in the Movies 359 Horses Are Always Healthy 359 They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? 359 Old Horses Go Off to the Glue Factory 360 A Broken Leg Equals a Death Sentence for a Horse 360 Chapter 21: Ten Great Movies about Horses 361 Black Beauty 361 The Black Stallion 362 The Black Stallion Returns 362 Hidalgo 362 The Horse Whisperer 363 The Man from Snowy River 363 My Friend Flicka 363 National Velvet 364 Run, Appaloosa, Run 364 Seabiscuit 364 Appendix: Equine Resources 365 Breed Registries 365 Educational Organizations 366 Equine Rescue Groups 366 Equine Equipment 367 Equine Slaughter Information 367 Equine Retirement Facilities 368 Pet Loss Hotlines 368 Activity Organizations 368 Other Equine Organizations 369 Horse Information Web Sites 369 Horse Publications 370 Recommended Reading 370 Index 371 4. 3 million Americans ride recreationally and 1. 9 million own horses. For those who love to ride and want to own, this is the perfect guide. It explains what's entailed in ownership-from choosing a horse and tack to feeding, grooming, stabling, and health care-and gives people the know-how they need to have more fun on the trail and in the ring. Offers advice on buying, riding, and caring for a horse and examining horse appearance and behavior; provides background on the human/horse relationship; evaluates the pros and cons of horse ownership; and discusses equipment, apparel, grooming, veterinary care, the mount and dismount, competitions, and other related topics Written by a horse expert and a veterinarian, this manual provides information on buying, caring for, and training a horse, including advice on how to ride properly and a listing of different equine breeds found around the world. Original. 15,000 first printing. The ever-popular guide to horse ownership-over 100,000 copies sold-now fully revised and updated4.3 million Americans ride recreationally and 1.9 million own horses. For those who love to ride and want to own, this is the perfect guide