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Last update (10-26-2004)
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| Grazing horse | Palominos at horse show | New Zealand Horse - I'm a cutie! | |
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Horses are wonderful pets. They can't live indoors with you like cats and dogs, but you can ride them. They are more expensive to take care of. Vet bills, farrier bills, stable fees, grain and equipment are necessary expenses when owning a horse. But horses have friendly, comical personalities and they are fun to ride. | ||
| Riding horse in Vermont | |||
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| Horses jumping over fences during competition. What a lot of fun! | |
| Horses like to walk. Walking is a slow gait. When they speed up to the trot, the ride gets bumpy. The rider has to learn to post. Posting in rising up and down in the saddle so the bumpiness doesn't bother you or the horse. A good rider will post with very quiet hands. That way the horse doesn't feel a sharp painful jerk on his soft mouth. Going even faster is fun! At the canter, the horse is really moving, and the wind is blowing in your face. The ride is a lot smoother too. Cantering is fun to do before jumping. Jumping over a fence is like flying. The rider has to be still and lean forward so that the horse can stretch his neck over the jump. Galloping is the fastest gait that a horse can do. |  |
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| Horses rearing | |||
| Horses like to eat grass and clover in the fields. In the barn, they are given grain which is very nutritious but fattening. Grain is very good for them, but don't let them eat too much. For snacks, horses like apples, carrots and sugar cubes. When you feed a horse, remember to open your hand flat, and keep your thumb down. Horses have flat teeth for eating grass, but being bitten can still hurt. Be careful! | |||
Tally ho!
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| Horse and hounds | The foxhunter |
Foxhunting is a sport that began in England. The farmers were really angry with the foxes for killing their chickens and other farm animals. The foxhunters would ride on horses and follow a pack of hounds until the dogs picked up the scent and the chase began. The riders would race through fields and woods until the fox went into a hole. In England, they dig up the fox and kill it, to protect their farm animals. In America, the fox is not killed, only chased. That way they can chase him another day! Foxhunting was President George Washington's favorite sport. In fact, when Congress members of the 18th century heard the hounds barking, many of them would leave, run to their horses and ride away.
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Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. |
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| Preparing for dressage competition | Horse competing in dressage phase of event |
Dressage is an equestrian sport that involves intricate figures and transitions in a large ring with lettered markers on the outer rail. These letters tell the rider when to make transitions between walk, trot and canter. In international competitions, the rider wears a top hat, a coat with tails and long
stirrups. This classical kind of riding is good for all horses because it makes them supple and they learn to listen to their rider. In fact, the word dressage
means 'training' in French! The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria is famous for its classical training of Lipizzan stallions. In 1912, dressage became an
Olympic event.
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| Female jockey | Running in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs |
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