Mounted Ministries

02/21/2025

Very thought provoking and something I have become more aware of and changed over the years.

Horses are not born understanding what a pat, or even our petting, means. They have absolutely no idea that this is to bring them pleasure, or that it means we are pleased with them.

When we humans stop and think about this, it is something of a lightbulb moment.

We pat our horses for our own enjoyment, nothing more. Our love spills over and so, we reach for them. We pat.

I’ve learned that wild—or any highly-reactive—horses will be startled by such a thing and sadly, to get along in this world, they are expected to accept it. To submit. In nature, horses will understand a stroking, a little rub or a neck or tummy scratch, for they do this for themselves and with other horses.

They absolutely understand a little squeeze of comfort along the crest of the neck.

When they are fully relaxed, our horses will simply stand with their heads in a level position, exhaling with a sigh and then, breathing evenly. Knowing this, I’d venture to say that when we want to show our horses that we are pleased with their response to our demands, probably the kindest and sanest thing to do is to simply relieve them of the burden of our asking!

We might also relax, sigh and breathe evenly, ourselves to show the level of our relationship and understanding.

A little rub on the neck or a scratch, along with a kind word, will feel natural to a horse and therefore, is easily understood. I’m just saying that we might want to start choosing a touch that is not needing to be endured, or figured out.

The whole notion of kinship—of 'speaking' the equine language—is something to think about, the next time we yearn to say ‘thanks and well done’ to our good friend and teacher, the horse.

Here I was, once upon a time on the late, great Cisco, doing the very thing that no longer feels right. I'm not saying that I was in any way meaning to be thoughtless, or heavy-handed... patting her just feels cruder than I would now like to be. This good horse certainly deserved my sensitivity, in light of the quiet beauty of this shared moment.

I will always remember it.

But what is horsemanship, I ask, if not for allowing us the space to change our minds?

Photo: Bar U Ranch.

02/20/2025

Harley’s our quidder 😆

You gotta be quidding me!

Have you ever seen these clumps around the pasture or in the stall? These are call quids! The term defined as “a lump of something chewable”, the presence of these unchewed hay or grass clumps indicates potential dental problems for your horse. Most often seen in middle aged to older horses, the common dental causes for this can include alignment/occlusal abnormalities, fractured or missing molars and sharp enamel points. Horses that quid are at a higher risk for secondary complications such an esophageal obstruction or “choke” due abnormal or incomplete chewing.

Does your horse quid? If so, call Tryon Equine Hospital at 828-894-6065 and schedule a comprehensive dental exam today!

02/20/2025

Our last lesson we just covered all of these aspects of having “educated hands”.
Well written!!

There are so many aspects of a rider having educated hands...
1.) The rider's hand must be independent from the movements of their seat. The hand must be able to be still in space so that as the rider posts up and down the hand does not move with the body.
2.) The hand must be stable so that when the horse pulls the hand is strong and does not give, but when the horse gives even a millimeter the hand does not recoil, but stays in it's original position.
3.) The hand must also follow so that there is a steady but soft connection that follows the head nods of the horse in walk and canter.
4.) The hand must follow so that if the horse asks to stretch that the rider can follow the stretch to the ground without losing the connection.
5.) The rider must have the feel to know when wiggling a finger or increasing the contact will break lose any tension from the jaw, or redirect the horse's attention. Or when raising or opening the hand will help the balance.
6.) But the rider must also refrain from being busy.
7.) The ideal contact is light, but during the learning curve a light rein often means there is static in the line and that the horse feels a slight jerk as the uneducated hands go from float to contact.
8.) A rein aid may ask the horse to change the movement of his feet, to change the balance of his weight distribution, or the position of his head and neck and the rider must be tactful enough to communicate clearly through actions of all of her aids which of these she wants.
9.) The rider must be able to use her seat, weight, and leg aids to ride her horse to her hand to ask the horse to stretch forwards or down, to fill out the outside rein, or to bring his haunches towards and under his forehand
10.) The educated rider needs to be able to use her hands equally as the inside or outside rein so that both direction are even and so she can use her inside rein in concert with the outside rein, or rein of opposition.

Students working on various aspects of having good hands ❤️

02/19/2025

Interesting how much the bones move.

02/13/2025

UPDATE: Found hay. Thank you!!

Mounted Ministries is ISO round bales (fescue) We feed 10 horses THREE round bales PER WEEK.
Thank you!

02/08/2025

It’s great to be independent but there is no shame in asking for help if/when we need it. And boy have we needed it this past month. 🙂

02/08/2025

Trust is everything. Buster & Sheryl McLaury - Horsemen and Clinicians

02/02/2025

01/12/2025

Following the leader, the leader, the leader. Admit it, you just sang that. 😆

01/10/2025

Enjoy the snow!!

01/04/2025

FUN FACT FRIDAY!

Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal, and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee