info on horses

Question
Hello, I have loved horses form the age of 3 and now that I'm in college I have to write a speech on something that has changed my life or something that will tell about myself so I chose horses but now I'm stuck and can thank of any thing to write could you help me?
Thank you,
Amber Holmes

Answer
hi Amber,
a good set up for your essay should start with the how you feel about horses and what makes them special. also include how the horse has changed your life. then you can go into how horses have helped other people and what they have overcome. such as disabled children doing therapeutic riding. next you can go into more detail of what horses have done for you. give good details of how you felt and how the horse felt while riding it. tell in your essay how you have always loved them and maybe want to purchase one some day. go into detail of how your take care of a horse and how you bond with them. such as grooming them,riding them, bathing them, and so on. you could even go into detail of how horses bravely took us to war and carried the famous explorers on their back up and down mountains. i cant really tell you what to write but i can give you an example essay. i wrote this for my school. its not really up to college standards but at least its an example =)

 Research Paper Report

  Many people think training horses is an easy job.  I how ever disagree. Working with horses is challenging and dangerous. not everyone can learn the skills it takes to deal with these animals. basic care is hard enough work. training them and riding them takes muscle and brains.when caring for horses you need to know at least basic knowledge of the animal and how to care for them if they get sick. You also need to know how to keep control over them at all times. You need to know how the horses brain works and how they act in their natural habitat. Simple tasks require alot of thought and skill.

  First you need to know basic cautions while around horses. Horses can and will bite,kick, rear, and buck. while walking a horse you stand on the left side of them. to many people around a horse can make it nervous and act up.people fallowing a horse should walk ahead of it and to the side. That way if the horse decides to bolt you wont get ran over.when you go to walk around it you should either go back at least 6 feet or go close to the horse and move your hand along its quarters so it knows your there. while grooming a horse always keep one hand on him and brush him with the other. when you go to pick up it's feet get close to the horses side and run your hand down it's leg then lean against him. the horse will shift his weight and pick up it's leg. as you clean out it;it's hoof you make a V shape. this is because the horse has a V shape piece of hard skin in the middle called a frog. keeping your horse clean is the key to a healthy coat and beautiful mane and tail.

  basic medical knowledge is a must. horses can get injured no matter what you do. weather there in their pen, being led,hauled, or ridden accidents can and will happen. handlers should know how to wrap the horses legs, take care of cuts, and know about common sicknesses all horses can get. to wrap a horses leg you start at the top of their cannon bone. you place the end of the wrap on the side and wrap it around snugly. to make the wrap tighter when you are doing this you pull it when your in the front of the leg not the back. a tight bandage can cause then tendons to move in an uncomfortable area and can cut off circulation. this will do more harm then good. many horses will get hot tendons or bow them. a horse can get a cut anywhere on its body. they should all be cleaned out and examined. if the cut is big enough it will required stitches. if not an antibacterial ointment should be applied and left open. they should be cleaned regularly and disinfected. horses can get sick just like humans. many common diseases are the cold, cough, allergies, and colic. there are many medicines you can give to the horse for these. Colic however requires a vets assistance. Colic can simply be defined as abdominal pain. it can be caused by to much grain, a major change in feed, to much exercise, and dirty water. if you know the early symptoms then it can be prevented fast and the horse will be ok. Colic is the number one cause of equine death though. to many people are to late to see the symptoms or don't have the knowledge of the sickness.

  Now that you have been briefly informed on basic care we will get into training. this is the most important part of dealing with a horse. training required all the skills you know. no horse will train the same. you have to have two or three different ways to train a horse for one thing. you start out with your basic training. this is being lead and handled on the ground. when your horse has good ground manners you move to the round pen. here you teach the horse to walk, trot, and canter on voice command. when your horse learns this then you move to putting a surcingle on him and a bridle. this teaches the horse to have a bit in his mouth and a strap around his belly. next you move to a saddle. theres more weight on the horses back and the cinch should be tighter. once your horse is used to this you take draw reins and connect them from the saddle to the bit. they help get the horse to break at the poll and collect themselves. when your horse is fine with this it is time to back them. you start out jumping up and down by their side. doing this on both sides is a must, it teaches the horse to have people on both sides of him and can be mounted by either side. next you put your foot in the stirrup and bounce up and down. it is very important you have another person help you with this. backing a horse can be extremely dangerous. over the horse is fine with this you pull yourself up and lay across the horses back. that way if he spooks you wont get caught in the stirrups, you can easily slide off without getting injured.next is to sit in the saddle. make sure you always praise your horse for anything and everything he does right.

  The next step in the round pen is riding the horse in it. at first have a person lead you around the pen. when the horse is comfortable with a rider on his back the assistant can stand in the middle and lounge the horse with the rider. at this point the horse is still on a long rope for safety. next the horse will be taken of the line and ridden around by himself. making the horse walk trot and canter in the round pen safely is required before leaving the pen. while you are off the line it is the right moment to teach the horse how to rein. switching different directions will help the horse learn what you want. the horse should turn left when you pull left, turn right when you pull right, and stop when you pull back. Whoa is the most important training you will ever do on a horse.

  Now that the horse is comfortable with being ridden it is time to move to a bigger pen, the arena. here you will ride the horse and practice the same training methods you were before. you work on rein training, leg pressure, and whoa. you will also help teach the horse to pick up it;'it's proper leads while cantering. to help do this you ride figure eights, circles, and continuously change directions. depending on what your horses is bred to do will be the next step in training. if you have a western pleasure horse then you will work on getting complete collectiveness and smoothness in their gaits. if you have a horse bred to work cows then you would introduce them to the cows. there are many types of competitions and all require alot of training on the horse and riders part. teams will spend years training for one event.

  Horse training as you can see is a very difficult and hard work. not every person is cut out for the job. some people such as myself are lucky and get to grow up with horses and learn about them. others are not so lucky and can only dream about them and learn about them from what is only in the books. different trainers are used for different farms. English riding and western riding are very different. depending on what style you want to do will require different training techniques. basic training and care however is always the same. if you are interested in becoming a horse trainer but have no experience in it, try taking riding lessons first. your instructor will help you learn basic knowledge and care for the horse. as you ride horses you get a feeling for them and figure out what they need. reading books is a majore benefactor as well. in them you can learn about sicknesses, training, and feeding.the more you know the better. if you already ride horses and have knowledge of how to train a horse, look around and farm close by to see if they need help. even if your just grooming a horse it will teach you more techniques and let you see how it is to work in a stable.

   I have been lucky enough to have a natural talent with horses. at seventeen i have gained as much knowledge as a thirty year old trainer. many people at my age have not had the opportunities i have. i started out working as an assistant trainer with Gary Johnson. there i trained welsh ponies and Canadian horses to pull carts. I worked there for almost two years before moving on to a better job. i then worked for Donnie Bricker. he is a world champion horseman for reining, working cows, and cutting. this was a very different work style then i was used to. with my age he felt i was not mentally ready for the stress of working in a show barn. i worked there for two long months and im glad to say i don't work there any more. the stress was very high but it was even higher with a rude boss. after that i was given a chance to work with race horses. this was a very good job and i was very happy to have the opportunity to work there. together me and my boss trains 20 racehorses that no one else could handle. after working for her for a year we both felt it was time to go our separate ways. i was ready to go back to western horses and she was ready to cut back on horses. horse racing is a very fast beat business. i enjoyed it but i was also glad to get out of it.

  Horse training is not the highest paying job there is. many trainers cant make a name for them selves and don't have that well of a thriving business. running a ranch os hard work and takes alot of money. for the trainers that do get there name out there like donnie bricker, doug o'neil, pat parellie, and martha josey make a good profit off if it. it is easier to work for someone else as a trainer then to have your own business in it. you get paid to train and have no other expenses but your own. business owners have higher expenses and spent most of their money on the farm.basice trainer make anywhere from sixteen thousand to thirtythree thousand a year. it's a tuff job to have and you have alot of responsibility. i love working with horses and i encourage any person who loves horses and training to go for it. you never know if you can succeed in it until you try. know your stuff and be honest with yourself about your level of experience. this will keep you and the horses safe.


good luck with your essay. if you could i would like to read it when your done. =)
amanda groff