Horse Tack - Which Martingale Should I Use? By Lydia K Kelly

There are two basic types of martingales, the standing martingale and the running martingale. Depending on your discipline and your purpose, both have their place in your training repertoire.

Standing martingales are common in the hunter ring. They are legal for use over fences, but are not acceptable on the flat.

A standing martingale consists of a strap that leads from the noseband to the girth, held in place by a second strap that wraps around the neck. It is a passive aid, meaning that the rider has no active influence on its action.

If a horse lifts its head, or flips it into the air, the standing martingale will become tight, preventing the action. In the western world, a similar device is called a tie-down.

While the martingale prevents the horse from lifting its head too high, it does not tie the horse’s head down. This would in fact interfere with the horse while jumping, which would be foolish.

The theory is that the martingale prevents the horse from leaning on the rider’s hands while working. This may be true, but it is probably more because the horse winds up leaning on the martingale than because it stops the horse from leaning in the first place.

In the hunter ring, wearing a standing martingale is more of a fashion statement than a necessity. Most hunters who wear standing martingales would do fine without. Unfortunately, many riders have made a habit of using them, and many horses have developed bad habits because of them.

Running martingales are not legal in the hunter ring, but are common in the jumper ring. Instead of connecting to the noseband, a running martingale splits into two straps that end in rings. The reins are run through the rings so that the martingale can pull against each rein when the rein is tightened.

Running martingales are active aids. This is because the rider’s use of the reins activates the martingale. They should always be used with blocks on the reins to keep the rings from running up to the horse’s mouth where they could interfere with the bit.

Running martingales are great for helping to control strong horses. By directing the pull of the rein downwards, they add leverage to the rider’s aid, and force the horse to drop his head. Most horses who run away tend to stick their heads and necks straight out. By forcing the horse to drop his chin, you break his run so that he must slow down and begin to listen.

In the jumper ring many horses grow excited and tend to forget to pay attention to their riders. The running martingale allows the rider that extra little bit of leverage to regain their attention and keep the horse on course.

Racehorse riders often use a modified running martingale with a bib attached between the two parts of the martingale. The bib keeps the ring of the martingale even with each other, and allows the rider to apply even pressure on both reins.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=299034&ca=Pets

How a Horse Travels - Understanding Different Loading Styles By Lydia K Kelly

Horse trailers come in several different loading and shipping styles. Each style offers advantages and disadvantages to the owner and the horse. When purchasing a horse trailer it is important to consider which style best suits you and your horse.

Straight Load

This is the most common load style. In a straight load trailer, horses are brought in from the back and are tied side-by-side, facing the front of the trailer. There is usually a partition in the middle of the trailer, protecting the horses from banging into one another. Some straight loads have partitions to the ground, while others only have bars to separate the horses. You can also get partitions that separate the horses at the front of the trailer so that they cannot bite one another.

Because these are so common, most used trailers you will see for sale will be steel straight loads. Unfortunately, they may not be the best trailer for your needs. Studies on transporting horses have shown that facing straight ahead is in fact harder on a horse than traveling facing rearward or on an angle. Another disadvantage of straight loads is that most are designed to only allow horses to unload backwards, something many horses are uncomfortable with.

Slant Load

In recent years, the slant load trailer has become highly popular. Horses are loaded from the back of the trailer, and are squeezed into stalls with swinging dividers that hold them into a slant load position. Because of the angle at which the horses stand, there is usually a triangle-shaped cubby at the front of the trailer that is often converted into a tack room. There is also a space at the back that is not used, and may be converted into a small storage area. Many slant loads offer front unloading ramps so that the horses can get off more easily. This also makes it possible to take a horse off who was loaded at an earlier stage of the trip.

The slant load position is supposed to be far more comfortable to the horse when traveling. The increased space occupied by the horse in a slant load makes the trailer size larger than a straight load. If purchasing a steel trailer, this added length also needs to be considered as added weight. A three horse slant load is the same size as the average four horse straight load.

Head-to-Head

A common loading solution for show trailers, this configuration allows horses to be loaded so that half are facing to the front and half are facing to the back. The ramp is placed on the side of the trailer so that horses can walk straight on and off without difficulty. One big advantage of this style of trailer is that you can unload any one horse without disturbing the other horses, making it the perfect solution for horse shows.

The center space does add a bit of length, but can sometimes be used for an extra small horse or pony. The ramps are generally fairly steep, and need to have side panel to prevent a horse from falling off the side. Some horses are intimidated by this style of trailer at first, but most get used to it quite quickly.

Stock

Stock trailers are open concept. They are made up of one or more box stalls with a gate that splits the trailer in the middle. Horses can be tied so that they face forward, backward or are slant loaded. You can also ship horses loose in one of the box stalls.

Stock trailers are probably the most flexible trailers for shipping large numbers of horses. The do not offer the protection of dividers, but they do allow the horses to position themselves comfortably for the trip. They are also the safest way to ship mares and foals, or youngstock. Most stock trailers have rear step-ups, but some do come with ramps.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=298813&ca=Pets

What Types of Horse Trailers Are Out There? By Lydia K Kelly

If you are considering buying a horse trailer, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the wide selection available on the market. From front facing to slant load to stock trailers, everyone claims that their trailer is the best and will be perfect for your needs.

Before buying a trailer, you need to consider what you need it for. Will you be showing a lot? Are you traveling long distances? Do you need a space to keep your tack? Then you need to consider what types of horses you will be shipping. Are they large? Small? Will you be shipping many horses, or only one or two? Are the horses good buddies, or are they likely to be strangers? All of these things and more will make a difference as you select your trailer.

Horse trailers come in many loading styles. The traditional two-horse trailer is a rear-loading trailer where both horses stand facing forward with a partition of some sort between them. These trailers are practical for many horse owners, and are easy to find.

Another common style is the head to head trailer. This usually has a side loading ramp, and the horses are set up so that half are facing forward while the other half face backward. Sometimes there is room to fit a small horse or pony in the middle. Generally these are two to six-horse trailers.

Slant loads tend to need more length for less horses, but offer a position that makes traveling easier on the horses. The partitions can be rather snug, giving the horses less wiggle room. Generally the waste space at the front of the trailer is made into storage rooms, suitable for keeping your tack on the trip. The average slant load trailer for three horses is about the same size as a straight load trailer for four horses.

Stock trailers do not have any dividers between the horses, but are often split into two large box stalls. They allow the horses room to choose their own position as they travel. One disadvantage is that there is no protection keeping horses from hurting one another while in transit.

A more recent innovation is the two + one style of trailer. This type of trailer combines a two-horse straight load with a one horse box stall in front. This box stall is small, and can be used for tack and equipment if you do not want to load a horse in it.

Each style of trailer can be found in step up or ramp load. Steps ups can be useful for difficult loaders as there is not hollow-sounding ramp to travel on. Ramps are generally safer though, although steep ramps need to have side panels to keep horses from stepping off the side by accident.

Some trailers come with built in tack rooms, and even changing rooms. While they add length, these can be very useful if you show a lot, or don’t have extra room in your towing vehicle.

Finally, there are two primary types of hitch to consider. Bumper pull hitches are the most common, and can be used with a wide range of vehicles. They are great for smaller trailers, but not as secure for the bigger ones. Horse trailers should never be actually hooked onto a bumper – the hitch must be properly installed onto the frame of the towing vehicle.

Gooseneck hitches are more secure and are perfect for larger trailers. They also offer storage space in the neck, which can be useful if your trailer does not have a tack room. The problem with goosenecks is that you need a pick-up truck to pull them, and the hitch must be installed in the bed of your truck.

While you can find fifth-wheel hitches on horse trailers, they are uncommon.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=299030&ca=Pets

Horse Color Genetics - And All of the Other Colors (Part 3) By Lydia K Kelly

As we have previously discussed, horses have two basic color genes, black (B) and red (b). Bay horses happen because a special modifier gene called the agouti gene makes the black coat color fade into brown, leaving the points black. But this only covers the more basic colors. What about the others?

Each color is created by some form of modifying gene. These genes can be layered on top of each other, so that you can wind up with a buckskin horse that has pinto markings that fade to gray. To keep things simple we will look at several of the most common color modifiers one at a time.

A color modifier that is especially popular is the cream gene. This is the gene that causes horses to be buckskins or palominos. The cream gene is a dominant gene. Not only is it dominant, but it also expresses itself differently according to how many copies there are of the gene in a horse.

Let’s start with a chestnut horse. Genetically the horse is (bb), which give it the characteristic red color. Now let’s add a single copy of the cream gene. Now the horse is (bb Cc) which means that it is a diluted red color which is palomino. If you add a second copy of the cream gene (bb CC) the dilution is stronger and the horse is a cremello with pink skin and blue eyes.

When you add the cream gene to a bay horse you wind up with a buckskin. With a second copy of the cream gene the horse is a double dilute called a perlino. Blacks are affected a bit differently. A single copy of the cream gene makes a smoky black which visually shows very little difference to a regular black. However, when the cream gene is homozygous it expresses itself full strength and produces a creamy black.

Color breeders particularly covet the cremello or perlino horse for their breeding programs. This is because no matter what color of horse you breed to, the foal is guaranteed to express some form of the cream gene. This is why you will often see cremello stallions advertised with a 100% color guarantee.

Other genes that dilute the color of the coat include the champagne gene, the dun gene and the silver gene. A horse with the champagne gene can be “gold” (on chestnut), “amber” (on bay) or “classic” (on black). The dun gene causes the black stripe you sometimes see on horses’ backs. Silver horses have light colored manes and tails caused by a dilution of the expression of the black color, but not of the red/brown shades.

Another color modifier that is frequently seen is the roan gene. Like the cream gene, the roan gene is dominant. If a horse is not roan it cannot have a roan foal. A true roan will have fine white hairs throughout their coat with the exclusion of their face and legs. While they are often mistaken for grays, especially in the case of blue roans (roan on black) they do not fade the way a gray will over time.

An interesting fact about roans is that there is no such thing as a homozygous roan. This was first discovered when the conception rates of breedings where two roan horses were crossed together were decidedly lower than that of other horses. In fact there were 25% fewer live foals from these breedings. From this they were able to deduce that when an embryo carries two copies of the roan gene the combination is lethal and the embryo dies. If you take a look at the following chart, where (R) signifies the roan gene and (r) signifies no roan gene, you will see why the ratio of lethal foals was 25%.

(R) (r)
(R) (RR)
No foal (Rr)
roan
(r) (rR)
roan (rr)
plain

Now that we have been able to isolate the roan gene this has been proven in DNA studies.

Possibly the base of color breeders is the gray gene. This highly dominant gene will wash out any effects seen from other color modifiers. A horse with the gray gene is often born without any sign of graying. As it ages the gray begins to show. Some horses will grey following a “fleabitten” pattern while others have a “dapple” pattern. The two genes are different, but both have the same overall result. Eventually a gray horse will loose all color from their coats and will be white in color. Because they are born with dark skin these horses are not true whites, instead they are called grays.

There are many other color modifying genes. Some have been mapped out in DNA studies. Others are still a mystery. By studying the traits of each color gene you can have a reasonable way to guess what your foal may turn out like once it has arrived. Certainly there are still many aspects that will be unknown, but at least you can have a reasonably good idea of what color your baby could be.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=299041&ca=Pets