Warming up and Cooling Down with your Horse

It's important to properly warm up and cool down
ito correctly condition your horses for competitions

At the start of any riding session with you horse it is important to spend a few minutes doing some warm up exercises, and this should be followed by a cool down at the end. Warm up and cool down should not be limited to schooling or jumping sessions in the arena, but to any riding activity – even going out for a hack. Just jumping onto your horse and cantering around can put him at risk of injury, as the muscles and joints will not have had time to loosen off.

Cooling a horse off and allowing him to stretch out his neck and back muscles can help to prevent the build up of lactic acid in the muscles. Research shows that a high level of lactate eventually prohibits the muscle fibers from contracting, which in turn leads to fatigue, painful cramping and strains on ligaments and tendons. Cooling down will also allow the horse’s heart and respiration rate to return to normal. Relaxing and walking the horse at the end of any ride should become a habit that is a pleasant, positive experience, preparing him for the transition from exercise to rest. It should also benefits the rider as well.

Always divide your ride into three elements – warm up, activity and cool down. And don’t forget to warm up yourself too! This can be done unmounted if necessary and will help to increase blood flow, circulation and flexibility. Simple stretches, bends and walking or gentle jogging can all help to make you a more effective rider.

The older a horse is, the more warm up and cool down will be necessary, and although walking on a long loose rein for 20 to 25 minutes may seem a little dull at times it will be appreciated and is ultimately much better than paying for a veterinary surgeon to visit because your horse has gone lame.

During the cold winter months, you should increase your warm-up time by five to ten minutes as the colder temperatures mean it takes longer for muscles to adapt. All horses vary in how much warm up is needed in order for them to perform well, and you can learn a lot by visiting shows and observing the routines developed by top riders. Warming up for competitions can be somewhat experimental at first, as you will need to discover the best way to prepare your horse to perform at his best in the arena.

Warm up and cool down can be done at varying paces of walk, but allow the horse periods when he stretches deep and down as if he is looking for the contact. Walk in large circles, serpentines and around the edge of the arena in different directions. The aim is to warm up and cool down - not to allow your horse to nod off to sleep! Suppling exercises, including circles and neck bends can also be performed during the cool down period. Gentle leg yielding, while working the horse ’long and low,’ is an effective way to stretch the back and hindquarters.

Easter gift Ideas from Tic Tac Equestrian

It's fast approaching Easter and although we're fairly convinced your horses and ponies aren't aware of the story of Jesus - if we're wrong and you have somehow happened to teach them, then we would be very impressed indeed! - Easter Time is not only a religious holiday for some, but also signals the arrival of Spring - properly this time!

Although we are rumoured to be destined for a continuous cold snap until further into May, there's no reason why we shouldn't make the most of this bank holiday weekend and celebrate this time with our loved ones - and that goes double for the horses!

In lieu of Horsey Easter Eggs, we have a wide range of Treats, Accessories and Fun Gift Ideas over at TicTac Equestrian.com to see this Easter Weekend in, in style; just what you need to get through this last little cold snap, then we are one step closer to summer, and loooooong, warm treks into the countryside! Well, fingers crossed eh?!

Do you want to find out more about horses and live in or around the Crieff, Perthshire area, make sure that you check out Crieff Hydro Hotel's very own Riding Centre, set within 900 acres of beautiful Perthshire countryside at the foot of the Knock of Crieff, the Crieff Hydro Riding Centre boasts a unique setting for horsey lovers. Check out the official Hydro Riding Website for more information- http://hydroriding.com/.

Horse Passports not effective enough

More work needs to be done to track horses
 properly says RSPCA

The recent supermarket Horse Meat Scandal has rocked the Equestrian Community. As more stringent measures are being called for in an attempt to monitor the illegal and inhumane treatment of Horses for the food trade, animal rights charity RSPCA says it is concerned about the usefulness of the horse passport system, which aims to keep track of horses for disease control.
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It has found that three quarters of the horses they take in do not have passports and are not microchipped, which is a legal requirement.
A lack of enforcement means that owners don't keep passports updated.

This makes it much more difficult to track down those responsible if there are concerns about horses' welfare.

RSPCA equine co-ordinator Cathy Hyde, said:  "The passport system is failing and a shocking 75 per cent of horses coming into RSPCA care are not microchipped. 

"Horses can change hands for a small amount of money and end up in the hands of irresponsible owners and traders."
They are calling on the Government to take the issue more seriously.

To rug or not to rug - advice on winter horse rugs

For a great selection of rugs,
check out the Tic Tac Equestrian store

Horse rugs form an essential part of proper modern horse care, and a lot of thought needs to go into deciding when and on what occasions to use different types of rugs. However, this doesn't need to be confusing and does not take long to get into a useful routine. 

To help you with this area of horse care, we've compiled a series of helpful tips, highlighting notable differences between all common rug types and when or when not to use them: 

Turnout Rugs

A horse turnout rug is generally used throughout all seasons (with the exception of the middle of summer) to keep the horse warm and dry out in the pasture. Of course, horses are naturally built to withstand winter weather by growing thick coats and as a result, they have the ability to stay warm in the winter without the use of turnout rug, if they aren't clipped. However, many horse owners tend to use rugs anyway.

Winter Turnout rugs

Throughout the winter, you will likley need a turnout rug that is much thicker; one which is both windproof and waterproof to keep your horse warm in all conditions. For a full selection of winter rugs, feel free to visit the Tic Tac store.

Spring/Summer rugs

On milder days, your choice of horse rug will need to be less thick, as there is less need for maintaining a horse's body heat. Many rugs that fall into this category are generally just meant to keep off summer showers and breezes although some of these, which have extra layers underneath, can still be used in the winter.

Stable blankets are also an essential piece of horse equipment to ensure comfort, care and protection throughout the winter months and as the name suggests, they are designed primarily to be used in the stable to keep the horse warm. Stable horse rugs are generally not waterproof, however, these can be used underneath a turnout rug to increase warmth.

As for other types of horse rugs, fly sheets help to keep off flies in the summer which can cause irritation or even lead to potentially serious diseases in horses. Whereas Show Rugs are used to protect a horse’s coat before a horse show to ensure that you don’t have to do any extra grooming.

Valentines Day for Horses

Love conquers all, even in horses!

Love conquers all they say, but this isn't just the case with humans. As any horse-owner and us here at Tic Tac Equestrian knows fine well; the mutual love and respect felt between horses and their owners can be just as important. Of course horses can't celebrate Valentine's Day in the same way we can, but we can guarantee you they feel the love! 

So as a salute and a loving sign of affection to our beloved four-legged pals, we've decided to feature a few of what we consider to be some of the best pieces of poetry, not only about horses but about love itself!

We hope you enjoy and make sure you get your Valentine's preparations under way in good time to show your loved ones just how much you care!

Love Poem by Paul Zimmer

Four Horses by David Whyte

The Love Chase by James Sheridan Knowles

Just a Horse - Jess Schwarcz