Winnie seems to know exactly what a horse needs.  She has an amazing knowledge of horses and how they should be trained.  She learned a lot of this from her Mom, but now, she’s learning in the experiences she has with new “problem” horse that comes her way.

You, too, can share Winnie’s horse knowledge right here!  Whether you’re brand new to horses or if you’re an experienced rider, the information on these pages will lead you further into the world of horse breeds, riding, training and sports!

Who doesn’t enjoy seeing a beautiful horse galloping across a field?  Have you ever gotten excited seeing a field of racehorses making the final turn, or a pony carrying a rider across jumps?  Have you ever thrilled to see a Quarter Horse make the final turn around a barrel and charge for home?

Horses are truly magnificent creatures, and Winnie knows just how special they are.  Her care for them helps her to understand their natures, to see how intelligent and sensitive they are.

Winnie knows that horses are very intelligent animals.  The horses she works with respond quickly to her gentle, caring training.  Did you know that horses could be trained to do hundreds of tricks?  Think about it, we humans ask horses to do numerous things that don’t come naturally, like being tied up, going into a horse trailer, wearing a saddle, or jumping over colorful fences.  It’s pretty clear that horses are smart!  In fact, with proper introduction and rewards for good behavior, horses can be trained to look like they’re talking, do circus tricks, or “count” using their hooves.

Like all other animals, though, some horses are naturally cleverer than others.  Each horse is an individual, with its own personality, appearance, and needs.  Some horses can figure out how to open stall doors and gate latches.  Many a farm owner has discovered his entire herd of horses wandering about freely because of that one clever horse that figured it all out!

Horses are herd animals.  That means they like the company of other horses.  If they are kept in isolation, horses will often crave the attention of humans.  However, just because they are driven to live with one another, horses don’t always live in peace.  In every herd, there is an established “pecking order,” a sort of hierarchy of horses that has one horse dominant and the rest of the herd falling in order behind him.  Generally, the lead horse can be detected because he can move anywhere he wants to.  He only has to look at another horse, maybe pin his ears back, and that horse will move away.  You can observe this at feeding time especially.  The dominant horse will make his way to the feed by “pushing” other horses away and asserting his dominance.  The other horses can only follow this lead horse, making sure to keep their distance!

We humans have to be careful and alert when handling horses in a herd.  We should strive to know which horse is the lead horse.  That way, we can know whether or not it’s safe to lead a horse by him or to feed a horse in his presence.

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