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Bonnie Martin - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Bonnie Martin and her husband Gregg own Gemara Farm Foxtrotters in Barnesville, GA. Bonnie is a retired school teacher who spends most of her time these days practicing natural horsemanship with their nine fox trotters and coaching others in natural horsemanship. Whenever there is time, a trail ride is always welcome.
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- Stay Out Of A Rut With Your Horse
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] Here are some ways to keep your horse interested in what you are doing and happy to see you coming. You will also end up with a much more versatile horse.
- Ride Smarter and Safer
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] There are several easy things that a rider can do to ensure a safer ride. Some involve homework and pre-ride checks, others involve riding gear and clothing. Prepare yourself for a successful fun ride instead of a disaster.
- A Different Way Of Thinking About Things May Help With Your Horse
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] Sometimes a different way of looking at and thinking about things can make a big difference in outcomes. Instructions I'd been given in traditional riding lessons may work better with a different explanation even though they may look the same to an observer. Words can also affect our attitudes both for the better or for the worse.
- Something Fun To Do With Your Horse
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] The more different things we can find to do with our horses, the more fun we can have with them. The horses also enjoy having variety in their lives. The old west is for the most part gone, but some of the traditions of the vaqueros live on and can be experienced by horse people willing to invest some time in training to get their horses responsive. This is not speed so much as it is true communication and a partnership between horse and rider.
- If You Ride, You Are a Trainer
[Pets:Horses] Horse problems can be solved with training, but not just training the horse! It needs to be a two-fold situation where horse and rider are both getting help.
- Why Your Horse's Go Should Equal His Whoa and How to Accomplish It
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] It's not much fun to ride with others whose horses can't match yours in speed. There is no reason why different breeds and speeds of horses can't be ridden together if riders take the time to make sure their horses have speed control established as part of their training.
- Why Did My Horse Do That?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] Shying from butterflies or refusing to get on a trailer....why do horses act so silly? Can't they understand that there's no danger? Begin to see the world through the horse's eyes and learn how you can help them over some of their hangups.
- Sad, But True Horse Boo Boos
[Pets:Horses] If you have horses, you are going to have some things happen that you'd rather not have experienced. Here are some rather common mistakes and suggestions to avoid them.
- Get a Better Whoa Without a Bigger Bit
[Recreation-and-Sports:Equestrian] You can get a better stop from your without having to buy a more severe bit by learning some cues and timing techniques that will help your horse understand what you want it to do. You won't have to use pain and leverage to force it to stop.
- Are You Sneaking Rides on Your Horse?
[Pets:Horses] Many folks who like to ride have the attitude that all they need to do is slap a saddle and bridle on a horse, get on and go, and that the ride will be wonderful. Sometimes it turns out that way, but often not. "Passenger" types of riders are at the mercy of their horse who may or may not be capable of being in control and taking care of its rider as well as itself. There are way too many stories of mishaps that should have never happened had the riders been aware of what was coming and did something before it happened to avoid a bad situation.
- How To Safely Help Your Horse Over Fear of Scary Things
[Pets:Horses] This article shares some reasons horses are scared of many things. It gives people some strategies for building confidence and trust in horses so they can take the scary things in stride.
- Traveling? Don't Bring Home Unwanted Souvenirs
[Home-Improvement:Cleaning-Tips-and-Tools] International travel as well as laws regulating the use of potent insesticides have led to a problem that has not been around in the U.S. since WWII--bedbugs. Learn how to protect yourself and your home from this hard-to-control pest that causes a lot of misery as well as draining your wallet if you end up with them.
- Barns Really Are for People, Not Horses
[Pets:Horses] Marble floor in the entry foyer, a bronze statue of a horse as the central focal point, tongue and groove wooden walls (some covered with mirrors), hanging baskets of ferns above polished brass railings, and an indoor swimming pool off to a room on the side. This article explores the needs of horse housing versus what people think horses need.
- Please Don't Say JUST a Trail Horse
[Pets:Horses] There seems to be a feeling among many, that trail riding doesn't require as much training from a horse/rider combination as things like showing, dressage, cutting, etc. This article explains how a trail horse does need training specialized to what it needs to know.
- How Slowing Down Speeds Up Horse Training
[Pets:Horses] How many of us have witnessed someone so in tune with their horse that they make difficult things look easy? Many of us have probably gone home to try the same with our horse and become frustrated at our lack of success.
- My Slow Road to Horsemanship
[Pets:Horses] I've never claimed to be a quick learner, but you think thirty years of studying would be enough. That's how long I'd had horses when I finally got around to discovering Natural Horsemanship. That's when the learning really began.
- My Favorite Way To Teach A Horse To Tie
[Pets:Horses] Horses that don't give to pressure are accidents waiting for a place to happen when they are tied up. Learning how to teach your horse to give to pressure will also make more than just tying better for your horse.
- How a Quick Pre Ride Check Can Save You a Wild Ride
[Pets:Horses] I remember from years past many trail rides on cool mornings where the activities seemed more like a rodeo event than an enjoyable trail ride. There were high-headed horses snorting, moving around as the riders tried to mount, and even bucking before or after the mounting. I can recall some of my own flying mounts on a horse anxious to go and recall some riders getting frustrated, scared, and even giving up the idea of a ride before ever getting started.
- A Bit About Bits
[Pets:Horses] Take a peek around any long-time horse owner's tack room, and you'll probably see a wide assortment of different bits that are either gathering dust or still being used. Many people have more bits that they have horses. Look in any tack catalog, and you will see even more choices, frequently pages of bits devoted to English and/or Western styles of riding. There are bits for sale that carry the name and endorsement of well-known riders/trainers who supposedly either developed the bit style or use it, and wannabes in that style of riding often rush to buy such a bit in hopes that it will work wonders for them with their horse.
- Misconceptions About Horses
[Pets:Horses] For those of us who grew up years ago without but desperately wanting a horse, a lot of fantasy and dreams colored our idea of what having a horse would be like. Many of us grew up on the standard fiction fare of books like The Black Stallion, television shows like My Friend Flicka or Mr. Ed, and the once-popular weekly westerns like Roy Rogers. In those scenarios, the horses were always very well behaved, kind, attached to their humans, and ever so willing to comply with every request as well as sometimes even protect their human. They would come running when called, and were more interested in their human than grass.
- Pictures Sell or Do Not Sell Horses
[Pets:Horses] In this day of internet commerce, many people buy and sell horses sight unseen. I have done both several times with success. But have you ever wondered why that wonderful horse you have advertised hasn't sold even after you sent photos or video to prospective buyers? You know he or she is a great horse. You've seen him out in the pasture strutting his stuff. You know he handles well, has correct conformation, good legs and feet, and a wonderful disposition. If it's a riding horse, you know that he can and will do whatever is expected without fuss and in a stylish way. In addition, he positively gleams in the sunlight when he is clean. To top it off, you have him priced reasonably.
- A Missouri Fox WHAT?
[Pets:Horses] I got my first Missouri Fox Trotter in 1994 when they were not very common in the South. When he was ready for training, I knew I needed some help because I had never worked with a gaited horse before. At the time, I was taking lessons with a trainer/instructor who uses a lot of dressage basics. I asked Sandi Forester if she would help me with my gelding. "A Missouri Fox WHAT?" was her response. Therein began her education about fox trotters and we worked through the training together. The dressage basics were wonderful in creating a soft, supple, yet easy-riding horse. As we progressed with our skills, we began doing breed demonstrations to get the well-kept secret of this breed out to the public.
- Pet Peeves in Horse Dealings
[Pets:Horses] This article explores mistakes people make both buying and selling horses and riding and training them.
- Horses and Natural Horsemanship, a "No-Brainer" for Recovery
[Pets:Horses] Less than a year after a delicate twenty-two hour, two-part surgery for a benign brain tumor on my brain stem, I went from barely being able to move even with the aid of a walker to being back with my Missouri Fox Trotters practicing Natural Horsemanship and coaching others.
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