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Walking in a Winter Wonderland Too cold to ride? Too much snow and the earth is frozen! Hey you can enjoy time with your horse friends by not riding. Maybe you and your horse can go for a walk! It is good exercise for both of you and can help everyone keep in shape for the following spring. Be careful of the cold, your horse has a nice warm winter coat or may wear a blanket, but you need to dress in layers and have a good pair of waterproof boots and warm socks to keep your toes warm. |
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Horse Connection Rewards Program
All points for 2008 were due January 15, 2009. Thank you for sending them in, results in the Spring newsletter coming to your mail box in April 2009.
TEAM CHA Membership Renewals
You are getting this online newsletter because you are a current TEAM CHA youth member or were one in 2008. The spring issue coming to your mail boxes will only go to those that have renewed for 2009, so please contact us today at office@CHA-ahse.org to make sure you have turned in your renewal.
CHA International Conference
Remember it is only $45 a day for a student to attend the CHA Conference being held October 8 - 11, 2009 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Register Today! http://www.CHA-ahse.org/conferences.htm
Why Do ...?
Why do horses let Horses are pretty big animals compared to humans. If they really wanted to they could get us off their backs pretty quickly, so why don't they? Horses see people as dominate herd mates. Horses like to be around other horses, in the wild they live in herds with a horse leader who shows them where water is and when to run from danger. Horses are good a figuring out who is in charge and a horse raised on a farm has learned that people are the ones in charge. When you start with a young horse and teach them that you are in charge of where his feet and body goes then when they get bigger the horse will submit to the dominate animal - the person. Horses trained for riding learn that humans like to climb on their backs and go for a ride. Since humans are in charge of their whole world the horse decides that this is okay. Now we all know that some horses do not like to be ridden and these guys can still work for humans in the rodeo. |
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To Find a Certified Riding Instructor |
Why do some horses foam at
the mouth When a horse is working hard and you see foaming around the mouth then you will know that the horse is happy in his job. As a horse works he carries the bit in his mouth, and when he is holding his head in the right position, the bit rests in a comfortable place on the bars of his mouth and the saliva glands work. The wet mouth will also tell you that the horse and rider are working as a team and that the horse is listening to the rider's cues through the reins. Horses that are upset and are not carrying their heads in the right position are said to have a dry mouth. However, some horses foam more than others, so check with your riding instructor to see what is right for your horse. |
Why do horses get a swayback when they get old? When horses get old the muscles that hold up their bellies begin to weaken. The horse's abdomen begins to sag taking the back along with it, but the withers will stay in place. Hip bones will stay in place as well so you will get the "U" shape. Horses with a slight swayback can still be ridden with the proper fitting saddle and pads. If the horse's belly is hanging down to his knees then the horse should no longer work and would be happy turned out with this buddies. |
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Why do horses have Horses need all this space for their teeth to grind their food into the smallest parts possible. A horse has two types of teeth; the incisors are in the front of the mouth. Their job is to pull grass and feed stuff into their mouths. Then there are a long set of molars on either side of the mouth that go way back in the mouth to grind down all the food. The space in between these two sets of teeth is called the bars and this is where your bit rests in the horse's mouth. |
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Careers with Clothes for You and For the Horses |
Do you like to look good, well groomed and put together? Think about a career designing clothes for people who ride and love horses. In the world of showing horses different events require people to wear different styles of outfits. You could be one of those people who design these outfits. Also consider a career designing clothes for everyday use. Clothes that would work in the barn would be different then the ones you would wear in the show ring. And what about horse clothes? Saddle pads and blankets have many different styles and designs. Some one had to make the first one right? And also consider being a person who cleans and repairs blankets. Horses are pretty hard on their clothes so someone needs to keep these repaired and ready to use. Why not you?
What do you call Water is very important for all living things. Horses and people need water all the time to keep their insides working in any type of weather. In the winter, water buckets and troughs can freeze so that the horse cannot get a drink. Tank heaters and heated buckets can be a good idea, but since they need electricity be careful how they are used. Make sure the horse can not pull the plug out of the wall and never let the tank go dry. The tank heaters that sit on the bottom need to be covered with water or they may "burn up" if they are plugged in without water. You need to check water buckets at least twice a day since a horse can drink from 10 to 30 gallons a day. In the cold weather they might not drink as much, but it is still needed to keep their food moving along their gut. You can help out the older horses who don't like the cold water as much by feeding beet pulp or alfalfa cubes soaked in warm water. The horses like to slurp this up and they will get the moisture they need. |
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PUZZLES
:: Click here to download this issue's Puzzles & Games, as PDF.
What is A Horse Breed?
One of Charles R. Knight'''s interpretations of Eohippus
All horses are members of the Family Equus. The term "Breed" describes a group of animals who share specific characteristics such as body type, coat color an so on. Each breed has a common ancestor, so they have a similar genetic makeup. A person who studies who these traits are passed on to other horses is called a "Geneticist". There are natural and artificial breeds.
A natural breed are animals that have changed through natural selection, they have developed traits that help them survive where they live.For example a Pottock pony will grow long whiskers on its top lip to protect them from the prickly plants they live off of in the winter.
An artificial breed has been developed by man for different jobs, such as racing, jumping or work in the show ring. Many horse and pony breeds have been crossed with other types to produce animals for both driving and riding. The Halflinger pony breed is shown both under saddle and pulling a cart.
Breed societies keep stud books to make such to regulate the blood line. A stud is a male horse that has not been fixed, and they pass along many of their trait to their offspring. These stud books keep records of size, conformation (which means who a horse is put together) action (who the horse moves) and some times color.
There are also different "blood types" to classify horses, they are said to be hot, cold or warm. A hot blooded horse is like and Arabian which came from the deserts. They can have high energy and thin skin and coats. The cold blooded horse came from Northern Europe is looks like the heavy draft breeds. They are big and strong with an easy going personality.The Warm blooded horses are a cross between these other two. An example would be the Trakehner.
So many of the horse breeds we work with today have been bred to do specific jobs over the years. If you would like to learn to jump fences then it would be a good idea to do some homework and find a horse that has been bred for this job.
Copyright Certified Horsemanship Association, 2007 - All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue expressly forbidden without written permission of the publisher/editor: Certified Horsemanship Association, 4037 Iron Works Parkway Suite 180, Lexington, KY 40511, 859-259-3399.
TeamCHA is published four times a year by the Certified Horsemanship Association, Lexington, KY (2 printed and 2 electronic issues). TeamCHA accepts submissions of manuscripts, photographs and drawings or an exclusive basis. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Submission does not guarantee publication. Materials cannot be returned unless accompanied by a SASE. Products and advertising included in TeamCHA do not constitute endorsement by CHA, its board of directors, the newsletter or its staff or specific products or information provided by the manufacturers.
CHA MISSION: The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education throughout the horse industry. CHA serves leaders, instructors and riding program directors for youth associations, clubs, riding stables, camps, colleges and recreational programs with instructor and trail guide certification. CHA also publishes industry standards for group riding programs, accredits riding program facilities and provides the most comprehensive variety of program resources for instructional and recreational riding programs.