Horselife Launches New Western Line of Bitless and Treeless Saddles and Bridles

The wait is finally over I have finally launched my new line of western style bitless bridles and treeless saddles.  It has been a year in the making and I am proud of the new products I have created.  For those of you who are not familiar with my brand of Bitless and Treeless tack here is a quick product overview:

Horselife Western Trail Boss Treeless Saddle Size 16 inch with Girth

The Western “Trail Boss” has been crafted to the highest quality, with you and your horses comfort and safety in mind.

Why ride Treeless?

There is no shortage of information about treeless saddles and the benefits and features they offer to horse and rider but I will try to summarize it up for you in one word “Comfort”. When I mean comfort I mean for both you and your horse.

Every horse’s back and every person’s body is different. It can be very hard to find a saddle that will fit your horse and your body type. Because these saddles do not have a tree (usually trees are made of wood fibreglass or steel) they are able to conform and bend to the shape of both the horse and rider. The more you use it the more it has that “Fits Like A Glove” feel. It is like having a custom made saddle for you and your horse. The benefits of this comfort can also been seen in the way you and your horse perform. The flexibility of a treeless saddle allows you and your horse to move more freely and not be inhibited by a stiff tree. You and your horse will move more naturally, free to find your seat easier then in a treed saddle.

Over time we all start to change shape, including our horses. Unlike a conventional treed saddle a HorseLife treeless will change with you both, this keeps you from having to add or take away pads so the saddle fits your horse.

With Treeless saddles sizing is not a big an issue, the flexibility of the saddle allows for many different size bottoms to fit in it, If you opt for a bigger size it just means you have a little more playing room then a smaller saddle.

The Trail Boss is designed for those interested in a multi purpose saddle suitable for the trail to barrel racing. The Trail Boss is crafted with the following specifications:

Beautiful hand tooled rich Brown leather.

Black suede seat for better traction

Lots of Concho and D rings .

Size 16” Western saddle sizing

Lofty fleece underlay

 Reinforced Leather /Nylon fenders for added strength and longevity.

 Weight about 20lbs

$500.00 available on ebay.com

HorseLife Western Bitless Bridle

What makes the Horselife brand different then other Bitless Bridles out there are the Rolled Leather Cheek pieces. The Rolled Leather Cheek pieces release and slide easily, helping to send a clear precise signal to your horse similar to the feel of a Pressure Rope Halter. The cheek pieces gently hug your horse while at the same time applying nose and poll pressure. You don’t have to worry about applying rein pressure and not have the cheek pieces release after you stop engaging the rein.

The noseband is padded for your horses utmost comfort. Some say the "Hugging" affect actually helps calm your horse.

I have experimented with many bits over the years on some very strong horses and I can say that the Horselife Bitless Bridle actually seemed to calm and even eliminate that annoying head action horses do to evade bits. Similar bridles retail for around $180.00 to over $200.00.

Do yourself and your horse a favour and try riding with a Horselife Bitless Bridle, your horse will thank you.

My cost $80.00 available on ebay.ca

Thanks for looking.

 I also have a free saddle trial offer and sell locally so if you are interested email me and we can set up a saddle trial

Thanks

Steve Wawryk

http://www.horselife.ca/

 email horselife@execulink.com

Cold Weather Winter Horse check list.

Winter has arrived early in some parts of Canada this year. A few weeks back Alberta was hit with a snow storm and have been experiencing cold weather the last little while.  In Ontario we have dodged tthe dreaded "S" word but like it or not it is coming.  Here are a few things I like to do with my horse so he is prepared going into the winter.

Give your horse a thorough look over.

Is he in good weight? You shouldn't be seeing any ribs but just barely feel them if you run your hand over the rib cage.  If your horse is a hard keeper try to fatten them up a bit going into the colder weather.

Is his coat coming in? By now your horse should be well on it's way to getting their woolies. If the coat doesn't look like it is coming in as good as it should be take steps to address this now.  A winter blanket or a nutritional problem may be the answer.

I ride my horse barefoot, I have for years but if you shoe your horse and don't plan on doing a lot of hard riding I suggest pulling the shoes and trimming the feet.  I believe a horse is better off barefoot in the winter.  I feel they have better traction and removing shoes allows the hoof to grow out and expand.

Give your horse a good grooming, it helps to release oils and promotes a healthy coat.  It also allows you to examine your horse closely. 

Everyones favorite job, clean the sheath.  Remember to use a very mild soap or a sheath cleaner.  I sell one called Equiderma, it works great and is very gentle.

Remember to stay UTD on vaccinations.

Most importantly start planning activites to do with your horse throughout the winter.

 I 'll talk a bit more about what to do around the barn to get ready for winter in my next post.

thanks

Steve Wawryk

Camping with Horses what do I need.

So you decided to go camping with your horses But not quite sure what you need.  When your camping space is usually limited so you can only bring  the essentials.  Here is a check list I like to go through before I take my horse camping.

Camping Horse Gear List

• saddle bridle and pad.

extra lead and halter( I am assuming you will have a lead and halter on your horse when you load him in the trailer)

• 2 water buckets, hoof pick, 2 brushes, fly spray wound ointment.

(If you have big bottles of fly spray and ointment buy some smaller containers for travelling, I like two buckets because they are handy to pack your grooming supplies in and they make lugging water back and forth a lot easier.)

• A good knife or toolzall( carry this on you at all times, you never know when you need it)
• Hay and/ or water if you are going to a place that won't provide these things.
• Baler twine (This can be used for tying water buckets up, making tie rings for the trailer, or something to hang wet saddle blankets off of.)
• Make sure all your tack is in good working order before you go, You don't want a gear malfunction out on the trail.
• If you are picketting hobbling or corraling your horses make sure it is packed and in good order.
• Pliers, hammer and a few horseshoe nails. ( you can always use a hammer and pliers when you are camping a will work in a pinch if you need to pull a shoe or tack one back on.

This is just a quick check list to make sure you will be able to safely camp with your horse.  I would love to hear from others on things they like to take so please reply with any other tips or items you like to take.
Steve Wawryk

Geocaching on horseback. Take the challenge.

While on vacation this summer I was introduced to Geocaching by my wife and kids.  I think the reason my wife got into it was two fold one she works in the field of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and loves to try out the latest in GPS technology and two it was another way to keep the boys entertained. 

For those of you who haven't heard of geocaching is a high tech came of hide and seek. With the help of a GPS you search for caches that have been hidden throughout the world.  A cache is usually a small container with a little trinket inside.  When you find the cache you record your name and time of the find on a piece of paper inside of it.  You can take the trinkit but must replace it with something else.

It is very interesting to see all the different people before you who have found the cache.  I was surprised to hear that there are about one million caches around the world.  You can find and post cahes and the global position on a website http://www.geocaching.com/.

My challenge is for horse people who enjoy trail riding to take on the challenge and start geocaching along some of the more popular horse trails in your area.  I think it would help add a little excitement to your trail rides and may end up taking you to some pretty interesting places.
 Google (geocaching horseback) to find out more info.
Thanks
Steve Wawryk

Camping with Horses.

For years me and my friend have been talking about going camping with the horses.  Two weeks ago we finally got it together; we packed up the old truck camper and horses and headed to a place called Whinny Acres in Priceville Ontario.  Whinny Acres taylors to all sorts of equestrian campers.  They have bunk houses available for rent, tenting and hydro and water hookups for those with living quarters.  You can put your horse up in the barn or keep them close by your site with an outdoor stall.

We arrived around 7pm, just enough time to setup camp and get the horses settled before dark. The rest of the night was spent chatting with fellow campers and enjoying the roar of a warm fire and a few cold beers.

We awoke Saturday moring to find a pretty heavy frost on the ground and the horses comfortably munching on hay.  A big breakfast a cup of coffee and we were ready to hit the trail.

Whinny Acres offers a variety of rides from 2 hour rides on their beautiful vast wooded property up to an 8 hour self guided trip to Black Lake.  Being the adventureous type we opted to go out on our own and take on the 8 hour ride.  With map in hand we headed out looking forward to the day ahead.  It wasn't long before we encountered challeging log bridges and steep rocky inclines.  Our ride took us through old growth forests, hay fields and groomed paths.  In some spots of the forest the trail got so narrow I had to take my feet out of the stirrups and lift my knees way up to keep them from getting knocked off by the huge spruce trees we rode between.  Several times we got off and walked our horses to save their bare feet and stretch out our old knees.  We even had time for a quick lunch and a drink before we started heading back home.
 By the time we got back to the campsite we were all exhausted.  We put the horses up fired up the steaks and cracked the cooler for another enjoyable night chatting with some of the other campers.  Next morning we squeezed in a 2 hour ride and headed home.  All in all a great weekend.  If you ever wanted to camp with your horses I would recommend giving Whinny Acres a call nice facilites great trails and really nice people.

Happy Trails

Steve Wawryk

http://www.whinnyacres.com/

Picking the right boarding stable. Meeting your needs.

The other day I talked about finding the right boarding stable that will meet not only your horses needs but also cater to your wants.  I'd like to continue with that today.  I touched on the importance of price, location and ammenities today I want to talk about the staff and the services they provide.

It is very important that you trust the people responsible for looking after your horse, Are they knowledgeable about horses, do they have a good reputation in the horse community.  Ask around and see what others have to say about the stable.  Secondly is the staff accommodating or are they very rigid in the running of the business.  I can understand and respect the need for rules and business hours but  situations arise that may call for some flexibility.  Will they allow you to come in early to prep your horse for a show, can you buy a bale for that road trip you are planning , can I park my horse trailer for free, little things like that mean a lot. 

Liking the people that run and work at the stable is also important.  Do they make you feel welcomed when you show up or do they make you feel like an intruder.  Do they go out of their way to keep the barn lively and fun or is it the same thing day in and day out.  I have been to some places that  feel like you are walking into a church the atmosphere is so somber.  For me riding is about having fun.  Everytime I get on a horse no matter what the horse I want it to be fun.  The stable atmosphere is a big part of that equation so be sure you find a stable that has like minded people with similar interests.  Odds are you will make some new friends and find a riding buddy to tag along with.

Remember you are paying for a service and it is not unreasonable to expect what you are paying for. 
thanks
Steve Wawryk