What Every Horse Should Know by Cherry Hill now in Italian

The best selling book by Cherry Hill “What Every Horse Should Know”

has just been released in Italian 2017

 

 

To see a complete list of books by Cherry Hill and all of the translations, visit her Chronology page.

 

Paula

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I can’t seem to sit the lope very well

I ride a 7 year old Quarter Horse, she is very choppy naturally. So loping her hurts me. I tend to go all over the place. I know that she is in the right lead. My body is painting the saddle just in a very painful way by me raising 4 inches out of my saddle. I’m going into rodeo soon and I need to get this lope better. How can I fix this?
Breanne

HI Breanne,

Start by making sure you are applying the aids correctly and sitting the lope correctly – even with a horse with a rough gait, it will help things be more comfortable.

You can read all about that here on this blog or on my website. In either place use the search tools for canter or lope and you will find many articles. Here for example is one on this blog

Sitting the Canter or Lope

 

For more information refer to

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Horse Won’t Go !!

Hi. My problem is, i can get this gelding to move out.. NICELY, in the beginning? He’s 6-10yrs. old. BUT, he ACT’S like he’s a BABY in this WORLD! I can get a good ride from him for about 1hr. then he’s HAD ENOUGH! He WON’T GO ant FURTHER! But, if we are HEADING HOME.. well he’s AWESOME! I have a HACKAMORE I use, verses a BIT? Either way.. the same RESULT’S?? He has SHOE’S, he’s been INJECTED for WORM’S? A FRIEND said his TEETH NEEDED FLOATING, cause he DOES THROUGH his HEAD? I had his EAR’S CLEANED. The SADDLE is light, and I weigh about.. 180lbs. H’s a fairly BIG GELDING. to ME he look’s like he MAY have SOME MUSTANG?? Even when I ride with another person, he FALL’S BEHIND?? Im FEEDING him, ALFALFA in the a.m. and OAT HAY in the EVENING? He WAS on GRAIN, BUT, I DIDN’T feel he NEEDED the X-TRA, cause he’s DOESN’T have that GRAIN NEED?? He has NEVER URINATED during ANY RIDE’S. I’ve had this HORSE at a RANCH, at that TIME.. ONLY MEN could him to REALLY MOVE.. UP & DOWN
hill’s like a HURRICANE! BUT, as soon as ANY FEMALE mounted.. NOTHING!! So, I read a note by Keith Hodsen, about CONSISTENCE, so I brought him home? And began OUR TRUST from EACH OTHER.. and NOW they CAN’T BELIEVE I’VE got him to go as FAR as we have?? Can YOU HELP?? Thank YOU for YOUR TIME. Paula

Hello Paula,

Because you use a lot of question marks, it seems you have a list of questions. Because you use a lot of CAPITAL LETTERS I’m not sure exactly what topic you want me to talk about. 

If you answer these questions, perhaps I can help.

Is this horse your horse?

Do you work with him every day?

Do other people ride the horse on a regular basis?

Do you care for your horse at home?

What is your one question?

If your question is how to make the horse move forward, I’ve answered that question a number of times already in this blog and on my website.

To find the answer on this blog, in the right hand column, there is a blank box with a SEARCH button under it. Type in the word forward and the search will produce those articles asking how to make a horse go forward.

On my website, www.horsekeeping.com there is a large group of articles called the Horse Information Roundup where you can do the same thing with the search button on top of the page.

I recommend you read this book.

http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse-articles.htm

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Aged Arabian Gelding has Rough Canter

Hi Cherry,

Thanks for your great website! I lease an aged (18?) purebred Arabian gelding as a trail horse.  (He’s an ex endurance horse, now semi retired) Boy is lovely, forward moving and full of personality. I am thinking of buying him off his owner, however his canter is quite rough and hurts my back. Is there any way of changing this gait in an aged horse, or should I simply accept he is what he is?

Thanks heaps! Melissa (Australia)

Hi Melissa,

You can always “teach old dogs new tricks” but at 18 and with the wear and tear of his previous life, Boy’s rough canter might be a result of arthritis more than training. Perhaps he has lost flexion in some part of his body, lumbar/loin area, hocks, stifle………I first am targeting the areas at the rear of the horse that are usually responsible for a smooth, flowing canter. But the problem could also be in the front end – wear and tear (arthritis) in the pasterns, fetlocks and knees.

I’d suggest asking your veterinarian to give the horse a specific pre-purchase exam – that is, one that would evaluate his movement and to determine if he is suffering from arthritis or another lameness or unsoundness that causes his rough movement.

Here are some related articles on my website:

The Pre-Purchase Contract

Unsoundness

Veterinary Tests and Exams

Horse for Sale: How to Buy a Horse or Sell the One You Have

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Horse Won’t Move – Please Help

My horse, Takoda, is a paint/halflinger. before my first walk trot show this year he would stop on a dime, and do everything i asked! but now that i moved up to novice, when ever i stop after we are done working, he wont move. i try to turn him, i used a crop and he dident seem to care! so in the end i HAVE to get off and pull him!  i can have someone pull him or smack him but he just wont listen! I was told to turn him around, to keep him moving and i do but when im done he just stands there! i mean i dont ride him that often cause i have other things to! but he just wont listen to ME! when ever I  have my sister get on him hes fine! but as soon as i get back on, NOTHING!
Im geting so mad! what should i do? please help! Cathryn

Hello Cathryn,

Do you take riding lessons or work regularly with a qualified horse trainer? If not, it would be a good idea to pursue one or both of those avenues to get some “hands on” help with you and your horse. Whenever someone says a horse used to be good and now is not so good AND when my sister rides he is fine but as soon as I get back on, there are problems, well you can see where that leads us. Add to that the fact that you are getting mad, well, it clearly shows that you would benefit from a qualified instructor’s help. Perhaps you can find one through your local 4-H, Pony Club or Horseman’s Association.

If you don’t know of an instructor, you could contact The American Riding Instructors Association, known as ARIA.

When you get to the website, in the left hand column there is a link to help you find an instructor in your area.

There is something you are doing with your mind and body language that is interfering with you becoming an effective rider. A good riding instructor will be able to identify what is occurring and help you over come that so your horse gets the message that it is not only OK but desirable for him to move forward.

I’ve answered a similar question recently Horse Won’t Move Forward which should give you some good ideas.

And visit my Horse Information Roundup where you can find all sorts of helpful articles on riding and training.

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Questions about Riding my Sway Back Mare

My mare, who is 30 years old, but acts like she’s about 20 years younger, loves to be ridden and loves to run up the hills. She has so much energy that she’s hard to keep at a walk especially out on trails, and in the field. She wants to be in the lead and doesn’t like being in the rear or even in the middle of the group. She’s also forgotten how to WHOA when told. So I’m constantly pulling on her to stop (never used to have to do that). I can deal with all that, after all she’s 30! Do horses after a certain age forget things? But, my problem is keeping the saddle and pads in place. They’re always slipping no matter how much I tighten the girth. I also use a breast collar on her. I thought that would help keep the saddle in place. Any suggestion?  Mary

Hi Mary,

Your question reads like a story about aging horses and saddle fit.

When a horse’s back begins to drop (sway) it is almost impossible to keep the saddle up near the vicinity of the withers. Instead, gravity and the rider’s weight cause the saddle to slip down the slope created by the prominent withers (the peak) and the now lower back.

Even if you tighten and re-tighten the cinch, the tendency will be for the saddle and you to slip rearward and settle down in the valley of the horse’s sagging topline.

You’ve tried the logical solution – use a breast collar to HOLD the saddle forward. But alas that just causes extreme pressure on the horse’s chest and shoulders as the weight of the saddle and rider pull against them as the saddle tries to slip back.

Which brings me to the change in behavior in your horse. You say you always have to keep pulling on her to stop her or slow her down now – you didn’t have to do that in the past. That’s because when a horse has back pain from pressure and/or an ill-fitting saddle and when a horse is thrown off balance because of tight tack and pressure, the horse might instinctively do one of several things.

Buck like heck to get rid of the saddle and pain, rub or roll to get the saddle off, or as many trained horses will do, move fast and tense. Part of your mare’s exuberance might be due to her being full of energy, but in so many cases, quick, tense movement is associated with pain and imbalance.

So the solution to everything is finding a saddle that fits. This is something you will need to do locally so that the expert saddle fitter can see your horse in person. Once you get a saddle to fit your mare, you might be surprised to see how you will be able to ride with a looser cinch, how much more comfortable your mare will be and how she will resume her normal gaits.

If you care to reply with the state or area you live in, perhaps someone will write in suggesting a saddle fit expert in your area.

Read more articles on tack and riding here on my Horse Information Roundup.

Best of luck,

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Nervous While Loping and Gait Terminology

Dear Cherry,

I’ve just started loping recently and when i do i feel like im gonna fall out of the saddle, and it makes me nervous. And sometimes i find it more difficult to steer my horse. Do you have any tips on this? And also what’s the differences between loping, cantering and galloping?

Desirae

Hi Desirae,

Your nervousness when loping is a common anxiety with new riders. I’ve answered similar questions on this blog.

To search for topics, just type the subject in the search box (there is one at the top of the page and one in the right hand column) and click on Search.

For example, entering loping, you will find the following articles:

Overcoming the Fear of Loping

Aids for the Canter or Lope and Sitting the Canter or Lope

Overcoming the Fear of Loping (another rider, another reply)

Here are  the difference in the terms you ask about.

The canter and lope are both a three-beat gait with the following foot fall pattern:

1.         initiating hind leg or outside hind

2.         the diagonal pair or inside hind and outside foreleg

3.         leading foreleg or inside foreleg

4.         regrouping of legs or a moment of suspension.

If the initiating hind leg is the left, the diagonal pair will consist of the right hind and the left front, the leading foreleg will be the right front and the horse will be on the right lead.  When observing a horse on the right lead from the side, his right legs will reach farther forward than his left legs.  The right hind will reach under his belly farther than the left hind; the right front will reach out in front of his body farther than the left front.  When turning to the right, normally the horse should be on the right lead.

The canter has an alternating rolling and floating feeling to it.  The energy rolls from rear to front, then during a moment of suspension, the horse gathers his legs up underneath himself to get organized for the next set of leg movements.  The rider seems to glide for a moment until the initiating hind lands and begins the cycle again.

Canter is the term generally used to describe the gait of an English horse.

Lope is the term associated with a Western horse and is a relaxed version of the canter with less rein contact and a lower overall body carriage.

An extended canter or lope (sometime called a “run”) is a canter/lope with a long, strong stride, head and neck reaching forward.  The extended canter/run has maximum ground coverage per stride while retaining the tempo of the ordinary canter/lope.

There should be no increase in the rhythm of the hoofbeats from a canter/lope to an extended canter/run  – just an increase in reach. There should not be a shift into the gallop.

The gallop occurs when the horse increases tempo AND length of stride so is maximally extended at full speed. It is a 4 beat gait because the diagonal pair work separately.

The term hand gallop is often called for in the hunter show ring.  In many cases what is really desired is an extended canter.

RELATED TERMS

Disunited is when a horse is on one lead in front and another behind.  Also called cross-leaded.  This is very rough to ride.

Counter-cantering is cantering on the “outside” lead on purpose as a means of developing obedience, strength, balance, and suppleness.  If counter-cantering on a circle to the right, the horse would be on the left lead and he would be flexed left.

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