Basics on Horse Blankets

Basics on Horse Blankets

Winter is almost over! Do your horse blankets need some attention? Might those turnout sheets need a bit of mending? Is it too soon to launder those horse rugs?

Here are the basics on Horse Blankets.

Horse Blankets 101: Guide to equine cold-weather apparel

Photo copyrighted by Nickers and Ink. Buckling up the facts on horse blankets Are horse blankets really necessary in cold weather? When does a horse...
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Horse blankets 101: Do you need to blanket your horse for cold weather?

Horse blanketing is an individual choice, depending upon stabling circumstances, equine breeds, equestrian preferences and other factors. Horses...
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Horse blankets 101: How can you choose a blanket for your horse?

Tack shops and online equestrian supply shops offer countless cold-weather and all-weather apparel options for horses. Veritably, a horse-loving...
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 Horse blankets 101: What care does a horse blanket need?

Photo copyrighted by Nickers and Ink. Although horse blankets traditionally were made exclusively of wool and wool blends, these equine garments may...
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Horse blankets 101: What features are most important in a horse blanket?

Photo copyrighted by Nickers and Ink. Tack store displays, equine supply catalogs and online horse product shops feature seemingly unlimited choices...
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Horse blankets 101: How do you measure your horse for a horse blanket?

Photo copyrighted by Nickers and Ink. Horse blankets may look like giant bathrobes, draped on equines in the stable or the pasture. But sophisticated...
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By the way ...
What's the best end-of-season deal you have found on horse blankets this year? Got any great leads on horse blanket bargains? (Leave a comment with a link to your fine horse blanket find!)

Holey Moley - What Horsemanship

Holey Moley - What Horsemanship

Watch this equestrian! This video shows champion horseman Pedro Valentes Torres and Oxidado, his grey Lusitano stallion (from the Xaqueiro bloodline), performing a working equitation speed test in Beja, Portugal in April of 2008.

This exercise includes all of the working gaits, as well as elements of jumping, trail classes, dressage, reining and more - with gates, flowers, fences, bridges, poles, barrels and plenty of other obstacles.

Pedro Valentes Torres has been Portuguese National, European and World champion in working equitation.



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Horsing Around: What's Wrong With This Picture?

Horsing Around: What's Wrong With This Picture?

Photo by Charles Edward (2009)

Creative Commons Licensing

Wikipedia Commons

Gee, where do we begin? A horse tied on a city sidewalk? The 10-minute limit? Liquor customers only?

How would you caption this photo?

Happy Hug an Equestrian Day

Happy Hug an Equestrian Day

No one seems to know where it started (or, in fact, where it might lead) – but today is Hug an Equestrian Day. This happy horsey holiday may add a little mirth to midwinter melancholy. So get on out there and hug a horse lover. Better yet, go hug a horse!

 

 (Photos copyrighted by Nickers and Ink.)

Friday Flash-55 (55 words)

Easy Street Prompts ("on the hoof")

Camera Critters 

Lens Day Challenge ("eyes") 

Photo Hunt ("cuddly")

Wordless Wednesday 

Dressage Clinics We'd Like to See ...

Dressage Clinics We'd Like to See ...

Here are a couple of dressage horses that seem almost - well - human.

Watch the expressions of the horses, the execution of the gaits, the rhythm of the half-halt, the rider's synchronization with the horse during the flying lead change and more.

It's almost as if the horses can read the riders' minds. Perhaps, in this case, they can.

Photo by Nick - GNU Free Documentation License

Wikipedia Commons

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(Video source unknown.)

Dust Off Those High School Varsity Letter Jackets!

Dust Off Those High School Varsity Letter Jackets!

Gee, is it too late for a long-ago high schooler to apply?

The USEF is offering high school varsity letters in equestrian sports to high schoolers (including home schoolers) who participate and compete actively in equestrian pursuits.

Here's the story:

High School Equestrians may earn USEF varsity letters

High school students who participate actively in equestrian sports in the United States may now apply for varsity letters in their sport. The ...
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Got a letter jacket? The USEF varsity letters and pins can be added to any existing varsity letter jacket. How cool is that?

Now ... what did I do with my old letter jacket?