Erin's Homepage

Hello. I'm Erin. I am twelve years old, and I LOVE horses!

This page is to teach you more about horses.

You're the alttext here horse lover to come here since May 23, 1997.

THE HISTORY OF HORSES

Originally, horses evolved from the Hyracothrium. This was a small leaf eating mammal about the size of a fox. The Hyracothrium had four toes on each forefoot and three on its hind feet. But today's horses are much larger and have only a single toe protected by a hoof.

This is a horse hoof today.

GROOMING A HORSE

The following are tools for grooming a horse:

First, use the rubber currycomb by rubbing it in small circles ()on the horse's neck, sides, back, hind quarters, and chest. Do not use the currycomb on the legs or head. The rubber currycomb is used to loosen hair and dirt from the horse's coat.

The stiff brush is used to brush away all the hair and dirt that the currycomb loosened up. To use it, you brush it heavily in the direction in which the horses fur is growing. Only use this brush in the area you used the currycomb. Again, do not brush the legs or face with the stiff brush.

Next is the soft brush. This brush is used all over the horses body, including the legs and face. When you brush the face, the horse will automatically close its eyes, so you won't have to worry about getting dirt in them.

The mane and tail comb is used to get tangles out of the mane and tail. It is also used to brush bedding out of the mane and tail. When brushing the mane, the horse will not feel it if you pull there mane, so you don't have to be as gentle as you would with a human's hair. On the tail, however, you must be careful and gentle.

Last but not least is the hoofpick. It is used to clean the hooves of your horse before and after riding. You use the pick side to pick out big chunks of dirt, mud, and rocks from the hooves. The brush side is used to brush out smaller pieces after you are finished with the actual pick.

During the summer, you might want to use fly spray. This is a spray-on liquid that will help keep flies away from the horse. It is especially useful so the horse does not become irritated while you are riding. Simply squirt it a few times on your horse's legs.

HORSE TACK

'Tack' is the equipment used to ride a horse (saddles, bits, etc.).

Here are drawings and descriptions of horse tack, for English and western riding:

ENGLISH TACK

The English pad is placed on the horse after it has been groomed. It keeps the horse from getting sores from the saddle sliding on its back.

The English saddle is placed on top of the pad. It is secured on with the girth, a buckle-on piece of leather. The girth has elastic on one end so you can stretch it up one more notch before you ride. The girth goes under the belly to hold the saddle in place.

For English riding, the last thing you will need is the English bridle. This is a harness slipped over the horse's head with a metal bar at the bottom. This is called a bit, and is slipped into the horse's mouth. The English bridle has two buckles; one under the neck and another around the nose. There is a loop near the top for the horse's ears.

WESTERN TACK

The Western pad is placed on the horse's back. As in the English pad, it protects the horse's back from the saddle. However, it is a different shape than the English pad.

The Western saddle is much different than the English saddle; however, you still use it the same way. It is much larger than the English saddle. Instead of a pommel, there is a large horn in the front. There is no girth, for it is already attached to the saddle. It buckles underneath the horse's belly.

For Western-style riders, the last thing you will need is the Western bridle. It is similar to the English bridle in use, but it has no throatlatch or noseband. Also, often times at the top, there will only be a loop for one ear.

WESTERN AND ENGLISH RIGING

A lot of people think there is not a big difference in English and Western riding. Some people think the only big difference is the tack. But, they are two totally different styles of riding, and many things are different. Of course, there's the tack that's different, and they are made that way for a purpose. In English riding, you hold the reins with two hands, and keep them very short. In Western, you hold them with your left hand, and keep your right hand on your leg. Also, in English you adjust the stirrups before you ride. In Western, they stay the same length. You may choose different girth sizes easily for the different horses that you ride in English. Usually the girth stay on the Western saddles because you tie them on differently and can adjust the size as you tie. The style of riding is very different, as well as the tack. In English, you post, go into 2-point, and jump. Posting is when you rise up and down in your saddle. 2-point means to raise your rear out of the saddle, and stand in the stirrups. Jumping is just as it sounds. While trotting or cantering, you can have your horse go over a jump. This is an example of a cross rail,which is a type of jump: In Western riding, you don't post, jump, or go into 2-point. Well, actually you do stand up in your stirrups, but it's not quite the same as 2-point. The clothing that you wear for either style is also different. Here is a show English riding outfit:

And Here is one for western:
Western riding outfit

COLOR-A-HORSE

In this section you will find a link to a black and white picture of a horse. (Just click on the picture.) Print it out and you can color it!
B&W picture of a horse Go to it!