O is for opportunities to make money. You can earn money training horses.  You can give horseback riding lessons.  You can do many different things to earn extra money with your horsemanship skills.

R is for responsibility. You cannot be a good horseman without responsibility.  Horses require work and daily care.  They need fresh water, hay, and feed.  They need minerals.  They need to be worked with and ridden.

S is for sensitizing or de-sensitizing depending on your horse. Cold-blooded horses need to be sensitized.  They need to get their feet moving.  On the other hand, hot-blooded horses need to be de-sensitized.  You need to know your horse.  This is an important part of a groundwork program.

E is for exercise. A person’s legs get great exercise riding a horse, especially his/her inner thighs.  Horseback riding can be a good workout for both horse and rider.  It can also be therapeutic.  After my mom had a terrible car accident, she was left with a badly broken femur.  Months later she was still having problems walking without a limp.  She began riding Ladd.  It helped stretch out her hip and thigh muscles.  Within a month she was walking normally.

M is for maintenance. You need to groom your horse.  Brushing your horse is a treat to your horse.  They like the attention and pampering.  It keeps their mane and tail untangled too.  Every six weeks horses need to have their feet trimmed.  Horses are a lot of work.

A is for animal science. As a horseman, it is important to learn the names of  the parts of your horse’s body.  Knowing what a wither or frog is helps you communicate well with other horseman and veterinarians.

N is for nurture. You need to take care of your horse’s needs.  They want to be your friend.  They enjoy the companionship.  Like any friendship, you need to nurture it.  Bring them a carrot occasionally.  Rub down their muscles.  Go visit with them for no real reason.  A good horse can be a man’s best friend.

S is for self-control. I am a hyper child.  When I get in a mood, I can drive people crazy.  When I am around horses, I have to control my behavior.  I cannot run around whooping loudly.  When I get upset with my horse, I cannot yell at it and hit it.  I cannot throw things at it.  I again demonstrate self-control.

H is for health. Horses need to be wormed and vaccinated.  If they get sick, then they need to see a veterinarian.  A healthy horse is a happy horse.

I is for information. I make a point to read and watch informational shows about horses.  I want to learn all that I can about them.  My favorite television program is Clinton Anderson’s program on RFD tv.  I also go to clinics, camps, and workshops throughout the year.

P is for play. All work and no play makes for a dull day.  The best part about horsemanship is having fun.  Riding horses is fun.  Going on trail rides is fun.  Teaching your horse tricks is fun.  Play! Play! Play!

I am enjoying an afternoon ride on Ladd.

Just like people, horses have different personalities.  Some are laid back and some are crazy.  Some are your good friends and some you just don’t get along with.  No horse is exactly the same.  We have eight horses on the ranch with eight different personalities.

Jessie was abused before we bought her.  She does not trust people very easily.  We have to work hard to earn her trust.  Clinton Anderson says to treat abused horses as if they were never abused.  Don’t let them be victims.  We are trying to treat her the same as our other horses, too.

Cheyenne is a small paint horse.  She is four years old.  She is a great horse.  Cheyenne is a hot-blooded mare who only wants to go and go fast.  She is very quick on her feet, especially her turns.  She neck reins like a pro.  Cheyenne is my dad’s favorite horse.

Shania is a cold-blooded horse.  I have been working with her.  I have done the human currycomb and round penned her.  She does well in an arena, but she is afraid of everything outside of the pen.  When you take her out into the pasture, she is really afraid of bushes and water.  When she crosses a creek, she likes to crow hop.  Once she knocked my grandma Cathey down.  We are trying to get her used to the scary things in the pasture.

Dolly is a 24-year old mare, who does not act her age.  She is very tall and big.  Like Shania, she does best in the arena.  My sister, Kyla, rides her in the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.  Dolly is very sweet, but she does not like crossing creeks.  Steve Prewitt spent a good part of one day working with Dolly in the creek.  Kyla is now excited because Dolly is walking up the creek instead of running and leaping like a deer.

Roxie is another big and tall mare.  She is huge, but she is injured.  She had a seeded toe in one hoof, which has been seen and treated by a veterinarian.  Then she got thrush in all four of her hooves.  She is having a time overcoming her feet problems.  Personality wise, Roxie is very laid back.  When we went to look at her, it was dark outside.  We rode her bareback with just a halter on.  She was not afraid of the shadows or of us.  She loves being out in the pasture on a trail ride.

Angus is a gelding.  He is a good horse, but can be a pain in the butt sometimes.  He tests his riders.  One day he will be perfect and the next you have to show him who is boss.  Other than that, Angus is fun to ride.  When he eats, he makes a huge mess.  He drops food all over the place.  My baby brothers are much better eaters than Angus.

Commander is another gelding.  I have already written a whole article about him called, “Commander.”  My PawPaw loves Commander because he is such a pleasure to ride.  He is very sweet and patient.  The whole time that my dad doctored his wounds he just stood there patiently.  My oldest brother, Clayton, has been riding Commander since Roxie is hurt.

Ladd is a 25-year old gelding and retired ranch horse.  My PawPaw loves Ladd and I do, too.  He is a cold-blooded horse now in his old age.  He is a great kid’s horse.  We even little my baby cousin Will and my baby brothers, Isaac and Andrew, ride him.  I ride Ladd in the Posse.  I trust Ladd.  He is the best horse in the whole world!

Now that you know our horses and can see how different they are.  Keep in mind that all horses are unique.  You have to find the right fit.  So when shopping around for a horse, see if your personality and the horse’s personality make a good match.

Steve and Me

Last Friday morning Steve Prewitt came to our ranch to work with our horses. Steve is a horse trainer in the Tomball area. We have bought horses from him and like the way he trains.

That morning we rode around our ranch trying to get the horses to respect us, used to going through creeks and walking over logs.  We also did ground work. I rode Ladd, Steve rode Angus and my Dad rode Cheyenne.  The horses acted good.

Later that day I learned how to hobble a horse.  We hobbled Commander.  We took Commander into our arena and put hobbles on his front feet.  We did this because we want Commander to stand still.

Commander acted fine.  He stood for 15 minutes.  Somehow the hobbles got loose and he slipped his feet out.  Because Commander had been so good we put him back in his pen.  Steve had to leave, but he will be back again tomorrow.  I cannot wait!