Blanket or not to Blanket, that is the question?

This is a topic that comes up amongst horse owners all the time and as far as I'm concerned ther is no definitive answer.  I think the only way to answer it is depends on your situation.  I personally don't blanket my horse, I believe going au naturel is the best way for me and my horse.   In southern ontario we have cold damp winters with lots of snow sleet and icy weather.  Horses need to get out of this weather so for me a large run in with fresh water, bedding and free access to hay and some room to run around is all he needs.  I don't show or do a lot of ring work in the winter and only ride during the day on weekends.  I try not to get my horse to sweaty but if I do I towel dry him and walk him out maybe tie him up inside the run in with a blanket on to help cool him out. When I am satisfied he won't get a chill I turn him loose to do as he pleases. 
     Now if I  did ring work 3-4 days a week and stalled my horse I may want to blanket and clip him.  This will save you a lot of time trying to cool out your horse. 
Bottom  line do what you have to do to keep your horse from being sweaty, wet and cold. Horses are equipped naturally to deal with this given the chance to reach appropriate shelter but if we take them way out of their natural element then we must intervene to the appropriate measure.
Barns are for people not animals.

My best riding tip. Look where you want to go.

Along with running a tack company I also give riding lessons.  I like to call the style of riding I teach "Real Life Riding". You see my lessons are a little different then most. I teach people to ride on their own horses at their facility.  By giving this sort of lesson I have the opportunity to see all sorts of riders and horses and various levels of skill and training.  I often get called by people who have been taken riding lessons at a stable for a year or two and finally have gone out and bought their own horse.  Most often they don't have a riding arena or ring to work in but just want to ride around their farm.  For some it is the first time riding a non school horse.  Now sometimes things work out great and the horse cooperates other times not so much.  I often end up getting up on the horse myself to see just how much the horse knows.  As long is the horse is safe it really doesn't matter how much it knows because I want to teach the rider to train their own horse.  This may sound like a lot to ask of some new riders but I always tell them every time you interact with your horse on the ground or in the saddle you are training them. 

I teach riders proper seat techniques and the usual walk trot canter ques but I also give tips on how to deal with a horse that wants to bold,rear, buck, bock or do the naughty things horses some times do.

Often I am giving a lesson out in a pasture with the nearest fence being 100metres away so the horse can pretty much go wherever it wants to go.  There are no arena walls or rails to help contain or direct the horse.  One of the most common complaints I hear is My horse won't go where I want him to go.  Often the rider is just going around aimlessly, a passenger for where the horse wants to take them.  My answer to this problem is simple, Look where you want to go.  Often people are looking down at their horse or have no idea where they want to ride too.  You will be amazed how easy it is to direct your horse by simply looking where you want to go.  If you don't believe me try this at home. With your horse walking a straight line quickly turn your head to the right ride towards a direction or object.  Be clear about where you want to go.  Now look and see which way your horse tips his nose I'll bet it is to the right.  Follow up with the appropriate que to drive the horse in that direction. You can practice this at all gaits and even use this to help your horse turn more quickly or even spin.

Riding a horse isn't that much  different than driving a car.  If you look at the telephone poll at the side of the road thats where your car will end up going.

Simple know where you want to go and look in that direction, your horse will do the rest. 

Hard to catch horses? Take the long way home.

This summer I was extremely busy and did not have as much time for riding as I'd have liked.  For a while I was getting on my horse maybe 2 times a month, not a lot of riding.  As the summer progressed I found it harder and harder to catch my usually very cooperative gelding.  He runs on about 20 acres of pasture with hills, creeks, gullies and trees; a perfect place to keep a horse. Unfortunately along with the ideal pasture comes a multitude of ways a horse can easily avoid being caught. 

So after a session where it took me 20 minutes to catch him I decided to take some time and work on this. 

I went out every day for three days straight with mints in hand and just sttod about 30 yards away. I didn't make eye contact just pretended to be playing with something in the grass. It wasn't long before my horse and the three other horses and 4 cows came wandering over.  Once my horse got within 5 yards I showed him a mint to draw him in( scotch mints seem popular).  As soon as he came up close enough I petted him gently and gave him a mint.  Now I know what you are thinking you shouldn't have to feed mints to have a horse do what you want, and I agree but I needed all the help I could get to help me reestablish the bond.

My horse really enjoyed it and I gave him another this time giving him lots of attention and rubbing along his neck. When he stood for it and clearly showed signs of liking it I stopped and walked away a few yards. 

As I had hoped he followed me at which time I scratched and gave him a mint.  After 10 minutes of this I turned and walked away, no riding no halter just left him wanting more.  I continued to do this for 3 days but this time without the mints just the rubbing and scratching.  It has been a month now and I no longer have problems catching my horse he just walks up looks for his rubbing and scratching and follows me in to the barn or I just jump on and ride him in. 

This problem of catching the horse was caused by me and my scrambling and anxiousness to get a ride in.  Horses have no time lines, if we just take our time and not rush horses you will be amazed how cooperative they can be.  I heard a saying I am not sure how it goes exactly but I think it was something like " the quickest way to get somewhere with a horse is often the long way".