EQUINE DENTIST: Horses need dentists too! At least once a year, some horses require to have the equine dentist “float” his teeth. This removes sharp edges so that he can chew his food properly and be comfortable with the bit.

Service the trailer at least once a year. Check the brakes, tires, tire pressure and all hitch welds and bolts carefully. Make certain that the floor is solid. Practice driving, backing and turning. Practice using the mirrors. Mirror use is difficult to learn and of utmost importance. With proper mirror use however, you can easily back your trailer into a space only a few inches larger than it is.

BUYING YOUR HORSE: When buying a horse be aware that what you see during the purchasing meeting with the horse — is what you will have when you take him home. He is most likely on his best behavior at the barns and paddocks where he lives, so when you remove him to take him to your place you are likely to get worse behavior not better. Unless you are a very experience rider with some good horse sense, you should purchase an older, settled horse for a first mount and then as you improve get a younger more spirited one.

Horse Hair Analysis is a very useful tool to find the realistic needs of your horse. The hair is a long term record of the horse’s nutritional health and the analysis will tell the most accurate story as to what your particular horse needs… or what he is getting too much of — especially if he is ingesting some sort of toxic substance.

TRAILERS and TRAILERING: For most people learning to trailer your horse is mandatory. If you are fortunate to purchase a place far out in the rural un-populated areas, especially if you purchase property on a long dirt road or network of such roads — you may be able to do a lot of riding without trailering. You will still likely want to have a trailer eventually, so that you can take your horse to a trainer, pick up another horse, or take your horse to join a friend for a ride.

Watch for conformation (shape and bodily proportion) in the horse; which can be learned from books and then there is Attitude — this is the same as for humans. If the horse has a bad attitude it’s hardly worth owning at any cost. The horse should be checked perhaps even x-rayed by a Veterinarian. This is called Vetting a horse; done in a pre-purchase exam. This usually costs about $300 to $500. A lot of lameness can’t be seen with the eye and will only show up with strenuous training, or during work or competition — just when you can’t afford it.

Before you take your horse for a first trailer ride; you should ride in the back of the trailer, while someone else drives the truck, so that you can experience the cornering and braking calamities that the horse will experience. Some folks put leg wraps on their horses when trailering to help protect the horse more from accidental braking, cornering, or bumping.

Take your horse about 50 feet from the trailer and do some groundwork which keeps the horse in constant motion. Move the front, hindquarter, ask for some backing up. You can even do some lunging. Then calmly walk your horse up to the trailer. Two notes about actually getting the horse into the trailer.

Tags: Horses