Epic of the western horse - Where did the western horse originate?

Any horse bred west of the Mississippi may be loosely described as a western horse. But the western horse as a distinguishable type belongs only to that line that sprang from the loins of the Spanish horse. The progenitors of the Spanish horse were brought to our shores by the Conquistadors & Spanish Cavaliers in the early 1500’s. the ancestors of the horses brought here by the Spaniards were bred on the vast windswept wasteland of North Africa. From them came the Spanish Barb horse ridden by the Moslems in their conquest of Spain.

The barbs as they were called were not Arabian horses, although they share the same lineage. Of the twelve thousand horsemen who followed Tarik into Spain only a handful were actually Arabs. The rest mainly Berbers with a thin sprinkling of Zenetes and the other North Africans would hardly have journeyed to Arabia for horse, when proud stud of their own were so abundantly available. Many records support the conclusion that the vast majority of Moslems rode Spanish barbs.

Descendants of these horses in the 16th century were brought into Mexico & Florida they then migrated to Texas and the great southwest, known as the Mustang horse, and into the Carolinas & Virginia, as the Chickasaw horse.

Today, the Mustang population is managed and protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Controversy surrounds the sharing of land and resources by the free ranging Mustangs with the livestock of the ranching industry, and also with the methods with which the federal government manages the wild population numbers.

The National Chickasaw Horse Association is presently located at Clarinda, Iowa, and members of this group are registering and developing a type of horse which closely conforms to the size, colorations and characteristics of the original Chickasaw Horse which made such a valuable contribution to Chickasaw and American History.

How to Prepare Your Horse For Riding - With a Western Saddle

Preparing your horse for riding, well there aren’t really in set guidelines to starting a young colt or filly. Every horse has id individual personality so you need to prepare yourself to work in that mind set. As a horseman you need to fit that particular horse to the situation and the circumstances. Remember those circumstances can change on a daily basis with a young horse. I’ll try to explain to you briefly how to prepare your horse for its first ride. These are some things that I do that work for me. Everyone has their own method.

1. Introduce your saddle pad to your horse. Make sure you do these things in a round pen with a halter and lead rope on. Offer the pad to your horse let him smell it. And look at it, get familiar with it. Then gently rub him all over with it. Rub it on his neck and back and on his over his hindquarters. Make sure you do this on both sides. What you do on one side of your horse you must do it on the other. Next after you feel your horse is comfortable begin to fling the pad on his back in a calm gentle steady rhythm, approach and retreat. When he is relaxed with this then lay the pad on his back and let him feel it I even walk him around with it a couple of steps then take it off rub him then put is back on. I do this a few times. This make take some time so don’t rush anything, be patient with your horse you don’t want to wreck what you have already accomplished on the ground.

2. Now its time to introduce the saddle. Make sure your saddle is set up cinches tied up correctly so they don’t fall and spook your horse. You want to make this an easy pleasurable experience for your horse. Again like with the pad present the saddle to your horse let him smell it see it etc… make sure the lead rope is in the cuff of your left arm saddle in the right. Now place the saddle gently on your horse in one swift move. Then retreat (take it off). Place the saddle on again then retreat. Stop for a minute and rub your horse to let him know every thing is ok. If your horse is moving then move or yield his hindquarters until he stands still. Once he’s relaxed then place the saddle on again.

3. Walk around to the right side of you horse and let the cinches down gently. Now walk back on the left side of your horse gently without being timid swiftly reach with your left hand and grab the cinch, don’t bend down looking for it unless you wanna bad migraine.
Now gently take your latigo and smoothly cinch your horse up in one swift gentle motion not too tight, but enough where the saddle wont fall off and roll under your horses belly
(a disaster waiting to happen). If you have a back cinch, gently cinch that up as well not too tight, but enough that he won’t get a hind leg caught in it the main function of the back cinch is to keep the saddle from moving up and down in the back. Remember to take your time and read your horse while doing this for any signs of hesitation.

4. Stand next to your horse after he’s saddle and let him soak in what happening, don’t be in a rush to move just yet let him get used to the weight of the saddle. Once you feel he’s relaxed lead him a few steps then stop. If he starts to buck quickly step out of the way and let him buck. Let him figure things out, when he’s stopped bucking gently walk over to him and rub him to let him know everything’s ok...

If you want to be a great Horseman or Woman learn how to get the best results out of your horse by building a solid foundation with your horse. Start learning today! Don’t put off til tomorrow what you can do right now!

Also view my article:
"How to train a yearling horse - Preparing a young horse for the saddle"

Horse Sense - Learn how to bond with your horse mentally “Think like a horse”

Horse, like people have many different personalities. Many like to think that a horse is reminiscent of its owner. I must say I find this to be very true from my own personal experience. I think that it is very important for a horse owner or future horse owner to know how to handle your horse or potential horse, and understand how a horse’s senses work.

Healthy horses have a very keen sense of smell. Your horse more than likely will have a craving for grain or apples for example. An apple doesn’t have much smell, but if you have one in your pocket your horse will definitely smell it and know exactly what pocket its in. He will probably be sniffing at your pocket and nudging you for it. If you’re out on a trail with your horse your horse can smell many things before you even notice them, such as hikers, deer, mountain bikers etc… sometimes I find that horse will snort at certain smells, to me this is kind of an alert

Along with smell horses also have a keen sense of hearing which they use in conjunction with the sense of smell. You will notice that your horse flicks its ears often sometimes pricking them forward and turning them to the side. This is an indication that your horse is paying attention to the sounds in the environment around him. This is a natural prey instinct. I also find that when horses prick their ears back towards you, they are paying attention to you and your cues as well. Horses use their ears to not only listen but to also talk to you. When a horse pricks his ears forward look at the direction they are pointing and you’ll find out what your horse is investigating. It could be another horse, coyote, hay truck etc… When you horse pens his ears, it’s usually an indication he’s angry, disgruntled, or upset.

A horse’s tail is another form of communication. A horse’s tailbone is actually and extension of its spine, but a horse can express himself through his tail. You can actually tell what a horse is thinking by the positioning of his tail. A relaxed horse usually lays his tail against his body in a natural manner. Sometimes a horse will hold its slightly out away from his body as a balancing mechanism while trotting or cantering. A scared horse tucks or clamps his tail to his body. A happy or excited horse lifts its tail high like a flag. And unhappy or irritated horse swishes his tail at you or another horse. Horses also use the tail to swat flies.

A horse has keen sight. The horse sees differently than people do. The horse’s eye has a different physical structure than the human eye. A horse will raise his head to focus on close objects and lower its head to see distant objects. In addition horses are also color blind. Due to the placement of the horse’s eye being on the sides of the head, he has lateral vision. Meaning he can see two separate images at the same time. It is a good idea when working with your horse, to work on both sides of your horse.

Horses also communicate by voice with other horses and by body language. If you watch horses in a pasture you will see this often. Horse will swish their tails at eat other when the want space. They will also kick at each other if another horse or human is too close. You will see horses push each other with their bodies when they want another horse to move or want to show dominance. Horses will also do this with humans and to my amazement many horse owners allow this. This is a definite no no, and needs correction.
By carefully observing your horses you will learn a lot about how to think like a horse.

How to Use Snaffle Bits - Why use a western horse bit?

I use a western horse bit for the same reason I use my spurs. To attain a more direct and defined response from the pressure I apply to my horse. to use a snaffle bit is similar to spurs because they are both used as motivational tools to get a response from your horse to make a certain change to a particular gait or a certain direction. When you apply pressure to the bit it is then transferred down to your horse’s mouth. When your horse makes the desired change then you immediately release that pressure. I have a saying “The quicker the release the faster the response” also meaning the quicker you release the pressure the faster your horse will understand what you are asking him to do.

Before introducing a Snaffle bit or western bit to my horse, I first teach my horse how to give to pressure in a rope halter though a lot of ground training. I apply pressure to each side of my horse by teaching him to bend also known as (flexion) and also yielding the hindquarters on the ground which simulates my one rein stop when I get in the saddle.

When I think my horse is ready to start as a 2 yr old. I use a personal method, which has worked great for me I’ll put on a side pull with a snaffle on it on my horses let them where it around for a bit. I turn them out in it in a round pen or something. I do this several times usually for a couple of days until I think they are comfortable with it in their mouth. This also gets them used to wearing a bridle and bit without freaking out every time you approach them with it. They associate the bridle and bit with playtime being turned out instead of work or something that’s going to harm them.

Now that my horse is comfortable, I do all the ground training I did with the rope halter except this time I’m going to do it with the snaffle bit
(please do this with a smooth western snaffle). Moving to the snaffle changes the pressure the horse feels, instead of applying pressure to the horses nose you’re now applying it to the mouth on each side of the cheek & on the bars of the mouth and tongue.(Caution your hands should be very light with this process).

My goal is to give my horse the idea that I can communicate to him with the snaffle bit through light pressure. I take baby steps with my horse & reward him for every little try to build confidence in my horse and assure him that he is doing the right thing.

How to train a yearling horse - Preparing a young horse for the saddle

Most people have no idea how to train a yearling horse or what to do with them. So they just practice getting them haltered maybe pick up the feet and then turn them out in pasture until they are 2 or 3 years old, then begin training. Well I look at that time in between as time wasted.

There are many things you can do such as teaching your yearling horse good basics on the ground. Though don’t make things into a big training session because a yearling is still young has to have time to develop physically and their attention span is usually a lil short. So I suggest working on the little things. Work him in the halter rope and ask him to bend and flex his neck, teach him to yield to pressure form the lead rope. Rub them all over in the stall or out in the open to get them comfortable with being handled. Also while in the stall, round pen or small area introduce your yearling to some equipment that he’ll have to wear in the next year or so. Introduce him to the saddle blanket and saddle pad. Rub it all over his body head, neck, back and hind quarters. Handle his legs and feet a lot he’ll need to be able to stand still an be handled at trimming time. Another good exercise is teaching him to ground tie. Place the lead rope on the ground under his neck and step back 2 or 3ft if he moves back him up a couple of steps then ground tie him again until he stands still and honors that rope on the ground. Also begin some trailer loading with him. Use some small obstacles outside for your yearling to walk over & jump over.

Use tarps, poles, I also like to use a makeshift 6'-10' wooden bridge to walk over. I also like to teach my yearlings to walk through water especially when it rains I use the rain puddles to train in. Teach your horse to lunge. Expose your yearling to all sorts of things, use your imagination, be creative. By the time your horse reaches two years old and its time to start riding he’ll be well prepared and you’ll sure be glad because it will make starting your horse under saddle so much easier and when you start riding, those things learned on the ground will relate to the saddle. This is how you train a yearling horse

Horse Snaffle Bit - Training Your Horse With This Type of Bit

The Horse snaffle bit is the training bit of choice when it comes to true horsemanship. I believe firmly in training your horse with this type of bit
To be honest you can use this bit for the rest of your horse’s life.

It can be used not only for training, but performance horse events, trail riding showing, etc…. This is the first bit I pick up when it comes to horse training. The design is really simple, its a mouth piece usually jointed in the middle and connected by two rings. Each side of the bit works works independently mostly on the corners of a horses mouth. It allows your horse to follow a simple and direct feel from the reins.

It has a one to one ratio meaning that one pound of pressure in your hands equals one pound of pressure being applied to your horses mouth. Unlike a 7 inch shank bit with a 7 to one ratio you’d be applying 7 pounds of pressure to your horse’s mouth, unless you know what you doing. To ride with something like that your hands must be very light & you must be very experienced. So basically you don’t need anything other than a snaffle unless you are an experienced hand or horseman. With a horse snaffle bit I like to use a half inch leather curb strap, not a curb chain. The strap is the to prevent pulling the bit through the horses mouth. It is also less severe than a curbed chain I actually never use a curb chain on any of my horses. I always use leather, I just think that leather is more natural and more comfortable to my horses.

King's Farrier Service - PBM II Proper Balance Movement

King A Lamadora,

Professional Farrier & Blacksmith

King passed away due to lung cancer 

April 3, 2010

King Lamadora was drawn to horses at the age 5. Born in San Francisco and raised on Maui, Mr. Lamadora was a paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) on the Kualoa Ranch on Oahu.

King has been specializing in skeletal and muscular alignment in horses with limb disparities for 25 years. He has personally mentored with the late Tony Gonzales, creator of Proper Balance Movement (PBM). King has devoted his entire career to teaching people how to look at the whole horse when assessing lameness issues and he offers practical solutions. King now carries the Proper Balance Movement into the next generation. His PBM II methods will provide a “total equine balance for the 21st Century”.

A master farrier with more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Lamadora traveled throughout the United States to assist other farriers and professionals in the horse industry with lameness problems and proper balance.

King is also my good friend & personal farrier. He has taught me (PBM) to further improve my quest for complete horsemanship. In order to be a great horseman, it is imperative that you learn about the horse hoof anatomy.

For consultation in lameness King can be reached at:King's Farrier Service, Daly City CA or by email at king@kinglamadora.com.

For more information visit King Lamadora's Website @ www.kinglamadora.com



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Horse moods emotions and behavior - Understand horse herd behavior

Like us humans, horses have their moods. They sometimes wake up on the wrong side of the stall. Sometimes they are excited. At times they are a lil tired or gloomy looking. Some days they are just down right lazy and don’t want to do anything. Other days they will in an irritated mood or in a very relaxing playful mood.

Once you have developed the ability to recognize your horses signals, the position of the ears, they way he holds his neck, eyes and nostrils, the way he swishes his tail. You’ll be able to tell what mood your horse is in. The way your horse act around other horses or when you pet him or when he is being groomed will also tell you a lot about your horses mood. For me personally I like to check my horse out in the stall and observe him a lil bit. I can usually tell what mood he’s in instantly. A lot of times his mood determines whether I’m going to ride him or not, or if I’m going work him hard or go easy on him, if we’re going riding on the trail or not, or whether or not I’m going to let my kids ride him.When you let your horse out of the stall and turn him out in the pasture, if he’s bucking kicking snorting, and farting, then you know he’s feeling great. If your horse moseys along when you turn him out and stands in a corner, then he could be not feeling very well or just tired.

Horses also have many different emotions they are fearful. They can be affectionate with other horses or humans, loving of their owners etc… They develop strong affections for one another and for people. You may have two horses that are inseparable, scratching each others back with their teeth, or penning their ears, neighing loudly across the barn or kicking when separated. When a horse’s owner is present he may rub his head on you, follow you out in the pasture, showing that he wants to be with you. He may also run and kick in the pasture or arena then run up to you and stop, showing he’s happy to see you. Horses are also sensitive to touch. We use this characteristic a lot when imprinting a foal or training.

There is so much to learn about a horse’s moods emotions and behaviors. I don’t think we will ever stop learning. Their moods change from day to day. I will say this again as I have in other articles, observe your horse as much as possible and you’ll be amazed at the bond you’ll create with your horse.



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Basic Ground Work for Horses - Made simple for wild horses & gentle horses

If you wanna be a good horse trainer & rider you’re gonna wanna start with basic ground work for your horses. My theory is whatever you do on the ground is what your gonna do in the saddle. Whatever you allow or teach your horse to do on the ground is what he’s gonna do when you’re in that saddle.

Start your basic ground work by desensitizing & sensitizing your horse.
Desensitizing your horse is basically taking the fear out of your horse. I like to think of it as finding the holes in my horse and filling them in so I wont have any issues. Kinda like checking your car tires to see if there are any leaks in them and filling them with air before you go on a long trip. Remember a horse isn’t broke unless you can control his mind and handle every part of his body. Some horses will be more sensitive than others in different parts of their bodies. Its a matter of being patient taking your time to cater to each horses needs differently to get the results you want. What you are looking for with basic ground work is for relaxation in your horse. Getting him to relax and build a trust with you. Getting your horse to allow you to touch him, follow your body language and yield to pressure so that you become one with your horse.

You’re gonna definitely need the right tools to start with. A rope halter with a 12foot lead line not a nylon halter because it allows your horse to lean on your hand and pull away from you easier and your horse can also break out of it. Next you need a handy stick long crop or whip & make your self a flag buy putting a plastic bag on the end of it. Introduce your horse to your equipment slowly but not too slow as if you are a predator, but be gentle. I like to let my horses smell my equipment then I gently rub them with it and take it away I call this approach and retreat. I do this on every part of their body. Face, legs, under the belly in between the legs etc…until they are so comfortable with it that the get bored. Anytime your horse gets a lil to frightened don’t be afraid to stop for a brief moment then start again. Keep doing this until he understands what you’re asking you’ll know when he understands, when he stands still instead of trying to run from your equipment. Lastly your safety comes first and foremost, but I strongly encourage you to stick with your horse! Don’t give up on him to soon. I see many people do this time and time again when there horse is having a problem and they never achieve anything. Remember you can always stop take a deep breath and then start again until you get what you want out of your horse. One last thing to remember is to know when to stop and call it a day. There is always tomorrow.

Do you really want a horse? - Pleasures of Owning a Horse

People across America have many reasons for wanting to own a horse, due to the many pleasures of horse ownership. Whether young or old, horses provide us with joyous, exciting, recreation. They can be the key that opens doors to lasting relationships, and helps to build long lasting friendships.

For the youth the horse has great educational value. Caring for a horse develops a sense of responsibility and satisfaction to their achievements. You will find great inner satisfaction in the developing relationship between you and your horse. As your horse stands by the fence or stall when you get home, waiting for you to stroke its mane, Or when you’re out on the trail riding after a long day at work or a nice Saturday morning becoming one with your horse.

It will not take long for you to figure out that your horse has a mind of its own and lots of personality. You’ll have to learn to use correction, rewards, praise, and rebuke to make your relationship with your horse more satisfying. After a while of much time spent you’ll discover the mind of the horse & the mind of humans are some what similar. You’ll also find as I have found, that theses lessons can be used in your relationships with people.
The pleasures of owning a horse is great therapy for the human soul and good exercise for the human body. You’ll also find the pleasures of horse ownership provide the opportunity to meet and make new horse loving friends

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When Buying a Horse for the First Time - Tips for Buying a Horse for Sale

If you are new to buying horse & considering purchasing a horse here are a few things to consider. The first thing you should do is Homework…Homework…Homework!
Find some books on horses and read…read…read. Then consult someone like a horse trainer or find a local boarding stable. Get as much info as you can. Do a lil riding & you can even lease a horse for a while to see if owning a horse is what you really want.

Rule number one for me when looking to purchase a horse is don’t buy solely for color!
As the ole saying goes “pretty is as pretty does”. Buying for color should be the last thing on your list. Second thing is to determine what will your use be for the horse? What kind of riding are you interested in? Trail riding, reining, barrel racing, western pleasure, showing, dressage etc.

Once you have determined what type of horse you want you then need to look for & consider the horse pedigree/bloodlines. Buying a horse can be a major investment. So I suggest getting a horse with some registration papers & good pedigree. I highly recommend this. In the event you decide to sell your horse you have better chance of selling it for a good re-sale value. With an unregistered horse odds are you won’t profit much. As the other ole saying goes “you get what you pay for”. It’s kind of like buying a Chevy versus a Ferrari. It is also best to consult with someone that knows horse pedigrees

Looking around on the internet is probably the best way now days to do horse searching.
When you do find a horse you are interested in go check it out and be sure to take a knowledgeable person with you if at all possible. Some basic things to look for in a horse are confirmation… does the horse look healthy, are the legs straight have the hooves been trimmed etc. Ask if the horse has had any health issues and is current on all its vaccinations. Request to see some paperwork from the vet. One thing that is very important to me when looking at a horse is the horse’s hooves & legs I like to see a nice big hoof and straight legs with no previous problems after all I’m going to be riding this thing last thing I need is a horse with bad hooves and leg problems. You’d be surprised how many people never consider this. The last tip I’ll give in this segment is top of the list of importance… Before you purchase any horse GET A VET CHECK! A preliminary exam before you purchase any horse & use your own vet.

Why my horse is so fearful? “The secret to the fearful horse”

The secret to the fearful horse is…. There is no secret!
It’s just a matter of understanding the nature of the horse. By nature horses are fearful creatures. Why? Because horses are prey animals not predators like lions, wolves, coyotes, etc. Horses are constantly looking out for anything that could potentially hurt or kill them which causes a flight or skittish behavior.

There are some ways to correct or contain this behavior in our domesticated horses.
The first thing you should do … for me personally it’s the most important thing is evaluating our behavior & body language. Are you a fearful person? What is your reaction when something scares your horse? Do you panic? Are you one of those that ask to have the tractor or water truck turned off because it scares your horse? If so shame on you.

If you do some or all of these things then you are creating most of the problem. The horse is already fearful by nature. You’re supposed to be the leader and guardian of the horse… the alpha. As I have explained before horses are also herd animals and the there has to be one leader in the herd. That leader protects and looks out for the predators so the others can feel safe, comfortable, eat & take care of the young colts in the pasture.
So in this case you are supposed to be the leader by protecting & making your horse feel safe by being confident. Let’s make this simple here… If you show fearful behavior then your horse will more than likely show the same behavior. I you show confidence and show no fear of the things around you then your horse will overtime become that way.

Here’s a tip when working with your fearful horse. Lets say your horse is scared of the tractor at the stable. Well instead of walking away from the tractor or asking that it be turned off stay right where you are. Your horse will probably want to get away but calmly stick with your horse until he/she stands still then gently rub your horse on the withers to reassure them that the tractor is not going to get them. Basically what you’re communicating to your horse is “If I’m not scared of the tractor then you shouldn’t be either” the next step overtime after your horse is comfortable standing is to then follow the tractor instead of walk away from it. You can use this method in different variations whenever you horse is fearful of something. Some things will take longer than others to get over, but the most important thing is to Check Your Energy and Body language!

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How to successfully lunge your horse

“Point… Ask… Tell”

How to lunge a horse, the very first important thing you must know is where your horse’s driveline is.

What is the driveline?
The driveline is the area from the top of the withers down to the shoulder & between the girth area of your horse. (You can use string or rope loosely tied around your horse’s neck to find it.

Why is the driveline so important?
It helps you to understand several things… Helps you understand whether you’re moving the front part of you horse or the rear part of you horse. I like to think of it like a car I can either engage front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. This also helps you determine which parts to move & how they move when wanting to accomplish certain exercises with your horse.

Tools: You need handy stick & a rope halter with about a 20ft rope. I recommend a rope halter because with a standard nylon halter horses tend to lean or pull on your hand & you basically have less control to correct them. With rope halters they have knots on them that are specifically placed to apply pressure to the pressure points on your horses face when they pull on your hand. You also have the ability to apply direct pressure by what I call “bumping the face”.

1. Start out about 6ft between you and your horse you should be at a distance where you can extend your arm and touch your horse’s neck with the stick.

2. Lets say you’re going to send your horse off the left with the rope in your left hand and stick in your right. The first thing you are going to do is get your horse’s attention
(eyes & ears on you) and then “POINT” to the direction you want you horse to go.

3 Next you’re going to “ASK” your horse to move off with your stick.
Now hold your stick up aimed at your horse’s neck. You’re going to move the front of the driveline (front wheel drive). Lightly & gently tap your horse on the neck 1 2 3 4.
If you horse is not responsive then apply a little more pressure Point and tap again
1 2 3 4.

4. Once your horse has moved off in the direction you have asked, you can now
“TELL” your horse to continue moving forward by engaging to rear of the driveline
(rear wheel drive) by tapping the air towards the hind quarters (horses butt) lol.

I see many people try to lunge their horses by engaging the hind end first which only causes your horse to move his hindquarters over and step towards you instead of away from you in the direction you want him to go.

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Think like a Horse!

Most of us get into horses without giving any thought to establishing a solid foundation with our horse. If there is going to be a relationship there must be a solid foundation... a starting point.

Well how do I establish a solid foundation you ask? Very simple... first you must recognize the fact that you are the human & your horse is the animal.

I see a lot of people get this basic concept of nature confused by relating to their horse as a human, this type of thinking is bound for problems from the start. Horses are herd animals which means they need a leader and there can only be one leader in the herd.

So in relation to your horse from the very beginning you must decide if you are going to establish yourself as the leader of the relationship or the follower.

Once you have your position established you must set physical boundaries with your horse meaning there has to be some rules in the relationship. How many times have you seen a 1200lb horse walking all over someone, pushing them around, not giving any respect the person or their space? Well that's a sign that there was never a solid foundation built from the start and that person is the follower and until the human mind changes its thinking there will never be a solid relationship we man is in control.

So here's a basic method and secret to horsemanship and horse training "Think Like A Horse!" go out and study some horses out in a pasture and find the leader of the herd. Study how they interact with each other. Then I suggest you go to your local book store or library and find some books about horse behavior!

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