Appaloosa Del Valle

Horse Riding and Racing

Categories: Welcome | March 8th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

Horse racing is a sport related to the equestrian world. It usually consists of a horse racing jockey in a place specially prepared for this purpose, called racetrack. This sport has existed throughout history and today is closely related to betting and gambling.

The history of horse racing has its origins in prehistory, among the nomadic tribes of Central Asia who domesticated horses about 4,500 years before Christ. Horse racing has been an organized sport that has evolved in all major civilizations from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. These races, popular today were once were held in the first Olympics in Greece. The Romans later adopted the activity. The more modern races have their origin in the twelfth century, when English knights returned from the Crusades with Arab horses. It is estimated that became truly professional sports around the year 1700.

Attendees can go to the racetrack to watch the races and place bets, which happen in an entertaining way about every thirty minutes. Horse riding and racing involves many other activities such as horse racing preparation (through practice by the riders and horses), as well as specialized veterinarians in the field, blacksmiths and all the staff needed to run the show.
There are also businesses and equestrian-related activities that move a lot of money, such as horse breeding and training. Such businesses generate constant economic activity as it is possible to find horses bred and sold for thousands and millions of dollars.

The Shetland Pony

Categories: Welcome | March 4th, 2012 | by Johannica | no comments

While we obviously consider the Appaloosa the perfect horse, they may not suit everyone. For those looking for something smaller, the Shetland pony might be an ideal choice. These ponies have an official maximum height of 10.2 hands (107”) at the withers, will thrive on a very basic diet and are highly intelligent, making them perfect for those on a budget who want a small horse, especially for children, and who want a multi-purpose horse – Shetland’s can be ridden, driven or used as pack animals.

The Shetland pony is named for the remote Shetland Isles, part of Scotland, but until the 15^th century, part of Norway. The Shetland pony was probably developed from a variety of breeds introduced to the islands by the Norse from the east and celts from the south west. The harsh climate of the Shetland islands and scarce food developed the ponies into extremely hardy animals.

Shetland ponies were first used for pulling carts, carrying peat, coal and other items, and ploughing farm land. Then, as the Industrial Revolution increased the need for coal in the mid-19th century, thousands of Shetland ponies travelled to mainland Britain to be used as pit ponies, working underground hauling coal, often for their entire (and often short) lives. Coal mines in the eastern United States also imported some of these animals. The last pony mine in the United States closed in 1971.

Today, Shetland ponies are ridden by children and are shown by both children and adults at horse shows. They are used and shown in harness driving classes as well as for pleasure driving outside of the show ring. Shetlands are ridden by small children at horse shows, in riding schools and for pleasure. They are seen working in commercial settings such as fairs or carnivals to provide short rides for visitors. They are also seen at petting zoos and sometimes are used for therapeutic horseback riding purposes. In the United Kingdom, Shetlands are also featured in the Shetland Pony Grand National, galloping around a race course with young jockeys.

The Birth of a Foal

Categories: Welcome | February 29th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

A mare’s pregnancy lasts about 315 to 365 days, so that on average a foal develops inside the womb for a period of 340 days.

The clearest sign that labor is about to happen is the enlargement of the udder. You will observe that vulva has swollen and from the udder comes out a thick, clear discharge. It is advisable to place the mare in a stall with plenty of straw and comfort when the moment for delivery arrives.

Interestingly, the mare usually gives birth easily and during the night time. First, a bag of amniotic fluid breaks and then the body of the animal appears followed by the head. When possible, clean the mucus from the nose of the foal so that it can breathe easier.

A healthy foal usually gets up and starts to drink milk just a few hours after birth.
To attend the mare during birth, remember to wash your hands or wear gloves to prevent infection.

If the mare shows signs of pain, discomfort or fails to give birth to the foal, resort immediately to the vet.

Horse Mouthpieces: Use and Care

Categories: Welcome | February 28th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

The special anatomy of the horse’s mouth allows us to place a mouthpiece (also called a bit), a control system that if well placed; it does not hurt the animal, while allowing a perfect control by the person riding it.

A properly fitted mouthpiece, do not hit the animal’s teeth. It is very important to select a correct bit because of it will depend both both the comfort and the safety of the person riding the horse. It must also definitely be the right size for the horse’s mouth. Although this can be like an obvious observation, some people still do not know that one mouthpiece may very well be appropriate for one horse but extremely uncomfortable for another.

Another important issue to consider is the adjustment of the mouthpiece, because if it tightened too hard, it can cause anxiety for the horse or if placed in a loose manner, it will be difficult to control the animal. A good bit along with proper technique and a well-trained horse can create the perfect environment in order to have control over the movement and behavior of the animal.

As mentioned above, the mouthpiece is a very personal element for each horse, one that must be carefully chosen depending on the characteristics of each animal. It is worth to note that problems may arise with its use, however in this blog will help you learn how to detect and deal with them. For example, if you find wound or cuts at the horse’s mouth, make sure the size is correct. Or, if the horse constantly shakes his head while riding, make sure the mouthpiece is properly adjusted. If by any means you are not sure if the horse is safe or if the bit is placed properly, contact a professional for advice.

Equine Therapy

Categories: Welcome | February 18th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

Equine therapy dates back to 458-377 BC At that time, Hippocrates (known as the Father of Medicine) mentioned in one of his famous books that the rhythm of the horse movement is healthy for anyone riding the animal and recommended it to his patients (even those with terminals illnesses) because he was sure that through this activity not only could be improved the person’s physical health but also his or her mood. Today, this method is very well known.

Equine therapy uses the horse as a natural tool for physical, mental and social health and is achieved through interaction between a person, the horse and the therapist, resulting in improvement, enjoyment and learning.

Great contributions can be transmitted by the horse to the patient through his back and his movements, for example:

- Body heat to the pelvic area and legs.

- Conveys the rhythmic drive for the spine to the head.

- Transmits a movement pattern equivalent to the physiological pattern of human walking. A series of three-dimensional rhythmic movements such as forward and backward, raising, lowering, displacement are recorded in the brain and eventually helping the person´s overall welfare.

Ancient Domestic Horses

Categories: Welcome | February 17th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

The oldest domesticated horses were originally used as means of transportation and a source of milk, according to recent studies by an international team of archaeologists who were devoted to investigating the beginnings of horse domestication and its early impacts on society.

Researchers from several U.S. museums (including the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh) and the Universities of Exeter and Bristol (UK), in Kazakhstan discovered evidence supporting the hypothesis that areas with herds of horses east of the Ural Mountains contributed greatly to the creation of two neighboring cultures, the Botai in northern and central Kazakhstan, and Tersek in the west. These civilizations had domesticated animals such as horse food purposes, human transport or as pack animals to carry materials through long distances.

Following this new study, archaeologists now believe that the domestication of horses may have begun in Kazakhstan about 5,500 years ago, about 1,000 years earlier than most people think.

The research team used various techniques to discover that the horses supplied meat and milk, also to show that domestic horses differed from the wild in the same region.

With equine domestication, important social and economic advances took place such as the introduction of transportation, communications and food production methods.

Equine Coat

Categories: Welcome | February 17th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

A horse’s body is usually covered with hair almost entirely, except for areas such as the mouth, the underside of the tail, the genitals and the inside of the legs. Hair throughout the horse’s body or on its coat can differ in in terms of quality, length and density.

In the different parts of the horse’s body can be found forms of hair different from each other. For example, the hair of the body, born at the top of the neck (the mane) is relatively thick and the hair that grows inside the ears is soft. Hairs implanted on the nose and lips are generally coarse and scarce. All of them together serve to define the horse’s coat by its coloration, while characteristics in terms of quantity, density and texture tend to be typical of each individual breed.

It is rare to find a horse with curly hair on its body. While body hair of this animal is usually straight, it is normal for some horses with wavy bristles on the tail.

A horse’s body hair is usually oriented from top to bottom and front to back. It is common that some swirls and coat supplements give importance to the identity of each individual animal.

Colic Basics: Sand Colic, Signs and Remedies

Categories: Welcome | February 6th, 2012 | by Ana | no comments

Colics are the most common medical ailment in the horse. Over the past 25 years there have been great advances in both the prevention and treatment of equine colic. Improvements in deworming products and schedules, equine dentistry, and management practices have helped to reduce the number of serious cases. As a matter of fact, advances in veterinary science and the development of new drugs and surgical techniques have helped to improve the survival rate for horses suffering with this disease. Still today, statistics in the United States indicate that each year 10-11% of the horse population suffers from this disease. One of the causes of this illness is the ingestion of sand which can be serious threat to certain horses.

Horses ingest sand either through eating hay or grain from the ground or grazing. Soil generally contains a certain amount of sand, which occurs from finely divided rock. In fact, soils not only contain sand, but also include silt which is an even finer particle of rock and/or gravel. The silt, sand and gravel ingested by horses must travel through their digestive system and are removed within the feces. This process irritates their digestive system or accumulates causing problems such as impaired mobility, reduced absorption of water and nutrients. If the accumulation of sand continues the resultant digestive upset will eventually lead to diarrhea and eventually colic. Even more troubling is that clearance of the sand from the large colon, where most sand accumulates, requires adequate gastrointestinal motility.

The signs of sand accumulation in horses can include difficulty in maintaining weight, diarrhea and colic. Since none of these conditions are exclusive to a sand accumulation problem, the best idea would be consult a horse care professional in order to avoid mistaking the problem with other similar medical conditions.

Ten Years in the Making, Nez Perce Documentary Nears Completion

Categories: Welcome | February 5th, 2012 | by Johannica | no comments

Janet Kern, a white Scots-woman, sat among a gathering of 300 tribe members at a Nez Perce reservation in Spokane, Washington. The repressed laughter finally erupted when Janet realized that “walk in backwards” meant reverse order, not walking to your seat backwards. That no one had pointed this out to her as she tried to find her way to her seat, only served to emphasize what Janet already knew, the “reverence and wonderful sense of humor that the Nez Perce possessed.

Janet Kern is a documentary film-maker who is on the verge of completing her film on the Nez Perce, to be titled “Horse Tribe”. Because of funding issues and regular story-line changes, the film has been 10 years in the making. The film takes as its subject matter, the story of how the modern Nez Perce got back the horses that were central to their culture, after losing everything during the war with the United States.

According to Kern, the Nez Perce have always had a “romantic affiliation” with the Appaloosa horse. The film tells the story of Rudy Shebala, a Navajo who married into the Nez Perce and created a new breed of horses, known as the “Sik’een,” or “The Nez Perce horse. The crossbreed created a more narrow kind of horse, easier to ride and grip. As a part of breeding horses, Shebala also created the Nez Perce horse registry, a systematic way to register horses and keep track of which horses are owned, along with how they are bred. Shabala is “a charismatic, sometimes temperamental, and brilliant horseman,” Kern said. “He was very much the driving force behind the energy and success of the horse program. But he succumbed to his personal demons and got a DUI,” said Kern.

Without Shabala the drive behind the project stalled, and the tribe considered selling some horses at auction. However, a group of rebels set most of the horses loose on remote tribal land. “It’s a 21st century story about an ancient culture,” she said. Kern hopes the broadcast of the film will draw attention and support for the Nez Perce registry.

Smithsonian Museum Shows Exhibition Devoted to Native Americans and the Horse

Categories: Welcome | February 2nd, 2012 | by Johannica | no comments

Smithsonian Museum Shows Exhibition Devoted to Native Americans and the Horse

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C is presenting an exhibition devoted to the story of the relationship between Native peoples and horses. Native peoples have traditionally regarded the animals in our lives as fellow creatures with which a common destiny is shared. When American Indians encountered horses—which some tribes call the Horse Nation—they found an ally, inspiring and useful in times of peace, and intrepid in times of war. Horses transformed Native life and became a central part of many tribal cultures.

By the 1800s, American Indian horsemanship was legendary, and the survival of many Native peoples, especially on the Great Plains, depended on horses. Native peoples paid homage to horses by incorporating them into their cultural and spiritual lives, and by creating art that honored the bravery and grace of the horse. The glory days of the horse culture were brilliant but brief, lasting just over a century. The bond between American Indians and the Horse Nation, however, has remained strong through the generations. The horse originated in the Americas more than 40 million years ago. After spreading to Asia and Europe, it became extinct in its homeland. In 1493, the horse returned to the Western Hemisphere when Columbus brought a herd of 25 on his second voyage. Back in the Americas, its native environment, the horse flourished.

The Spanish used the horse as an instrument of warfare and control. But as soon as horses came into Indian hands, Native peoples began to weave a close relationship with the Horse Nation. By the late 1700s, virtually every tribe in the West was mounted. Horses strengthened Native communities and helped in the fight for Indian lands. Horses revolutionised Native life and became an integral part of tribal cultures, honoured in objects, stories, songs, and ceremonies. Horses changed methods of hunting and warfare, modes of travel, lifestyles, and standards of wealth and prestige. Native peoples became expert in fabricating horse gear for hunt and for war. Along the way, they transformed utilitarian equipment into a unique level of art.

New ideas in design and ornament circulated through Native trade routes from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest. Some Native groups acquired Spanish-style gear, or copied it, with modifications based on local materials and personal taste. A lively trade in bridle bits and other metal parts sprang up. But for the most part, Native craftsmen made their own: saddles, bridles, cinches, whips, and ropes. Blending a variety of influences—Spanish saddles, eastern beadwork, traditions of family and tribal identity—Native artists created a rich new visual art form. As the Indian Wars came to an end, American Indians struggled to settle and preserve the small territories that the U.S. government called reservations. Horses, which had become so central to their culture, were largely forbidden. The big herds were destroyed.

The exhibition opened last October, and remains on view through January 2013. Obviously, the Nez Perce Indians and their famed Appaloosa horses feature strongly throughout the exhibition.