More information on the new Cavaliere Program courses: Mounted Combat Playday An opportunity to put your skills to work. The term 'playday' usually denotes mounted games and other fun events on horseback in a semi-competitive format. This day will include informal competitions as well as opportunities to practice mounted games, sparring and horseback archery. Assistants…
Happy New Year! With our winter program hiatus the New Year is a great time to re-examine, refresh, and renew. As our program evolves, the needs of our students change, and we are continually nudging, tweaking and adjusting our courses. For this fifth (yes, fifth!) year of the Cavaliere Program we have some larger program…
Our equine friends at Red Colt wish you all peace, goodwill, and carrots in your stockings ... See you in 2015!
'No hoof, no horse,' goes the common saying, which indicates how vital hoof care is to the soundness of your horse. For this reason, in Horsemanship Level 3 and up, there is at least one lesson in the curriculum (and a section of the exam) devoted solely to the foot and farriery. For level 3…
Horsemanship Level 3: When to Call the Vet No matter how well your look after your horses the inevitable day will come when you encounter an accident or illness that requires a vet call. For Horsemanship Level 3 we want you to know: 10. When to call the vet; types of wounds and treatment Again,…
Horsemanship Level 3: Maintaining Good Health This is a continuation of last week's post on 9. Signs of good health, TPR, maintenance of health, signs of colic. Last week we looked at signs of health, including vital signs (temperature, respiration and pulse). This week's post focusses on keeping your horse healthy, which falls into two…
Horsemanship Level 3: Signs of Good Health Item 9 on the Horsemanship Level 3 checklist is: 9. Signs of good health, TPR, maintenance of health, signs of colic. This is a fairly large topic, so I'm breaking it into two posts. Today, we'll look at signs of health. There are many, but you'll only have…
Today as we remember those soldiers who have sacrificed their limbs and lives in war, remember also the horses, donkeys and mules who went with them. Over 8 million equines died in the first World War. The horse has been at our side through almost all the wars of human history. No other animal has…
Horsemanship Level 3: Coolout Procedures Just like you, your horse needs to cool down gradually after strenuous exercise to avoid stiffness. Unlike you, your horse, with his larger mass to surface area ratio, is especially prone to overheating. A very hot horse that isn't allowed to cool down properly could go into shock, colic, or…
Horsemanship Level 3 - Grooming For Horsemanship Levels 1 and 2 you needed to show how to use the basic grooming kit, which included the hoof pick, curry comb, dandy brush and body brush. For Level 3 you need to demonstrate: 7. Use and knowledge of full grooming kit First of all, to review your…
Horsemanship Level 3: Feeding Horses are creatures of habit and do best on a regular feed schedule. As a Level 3 Horseman you are expected to: 6. Know the feed schedule and amounts for your own horse. If you don't own or lease a horse, you should be prepared to answer questions about the schedule…
Horsemanship Level 3: Bits As well as knowing your own horse's tack, at level 3 you will need to: 5. Identify common bits and their uses You only need to know common English bits including snaffles, curbs and pelhams. However, it's good to recognize some Western bits as well, simply for familiarity. Snaffles Our school…
Horsemanship Level 3: Saddlery As a Level 2 Horseman you were asked to be able to tack up independently with properly adjusted tack. For the most part this entails doing up the girth and throatlatch to the holes that show the most wear on your horse's saddle. If everything else is straight and in the…
It's been a busy summer, but at last we have time to offer Open Barn again. Come out to Red Colt this Sunday, 28 September and take advantage of the horsey version of Open Floor. Groom a horse, do some sworplay, bring a bow and shoot the haystack, or get a practice ride in between…
Unless you plan to do all your equine activities within a few miles of your stable, you will eventually have to deal with trailering horses. For level 3 we don't expect you to demonstrate hauling, but we do want you to: Describe how to lead in and out of a trailer There are many videos…
Horsemanship 3 - Stall & Pasture The first thing you will be asked on the Level 3 practical test is to Describe good and bad features of a horse’s pasture & stall. You can read chapters 14 and 15 of the Manual of Horsemanship for an in depth look at desirable aspects of stables and…
We’re about halfway in our walk through the Blue Spur curriculum, and now it’s time to turn our attention back to Horsemanship. For the next couple of months the blog will look at the requirements for Horsemanship Level 3. Whereas Level 2 was simply a more in-depth version of the Level 1 topics, in Level…
As many of you know I recently attended the Rossfechten Symposium in Zwiebrücken, Germany. This four-day event brought together Mounted Combat practitioners and aspirants from all over Europe and even North America. Attendees hailed from Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, the USA, and Canada. The event was held at the…