The very mention of the word “Colic” strikes fear in most horse owners and rightly so since 90% of all horse deaths are due to horse colic.Colic affects nearly 10% of the entire horse population, costing horse owners more than $115 million each year.
There's a remedy available called "Awesome Horse, Colic Remedy" which can save your horse and your investment!
Awesome Horse Colic can be safely administered anytime your horse displays colic symptoms. Since Awesome Horse Colic Remedy is derived from herbs, there are no side effects and you should never hesitate administering the remedy in the event you are not sure your horse has colic. In horses, abdominal pain can easily be mistaken as foaling, tying up or kidney/bladder problems in which case your horse could also derive a certain amount of health benefits.
What does Awesome Horse, Colic Remedy do?
Awesome Horse Colic Remedy dilates the blood vessels restoring blood flow in over 90 percent of horse colic cases. When blood flow is restored, all signs of shock will disappear. Restored blood flow in turn gets the gut moving therefore diminishing any chance of ileus. Whenever blood flow is constricted anywhere in the body, that part of the body starts to die, the length of time blood flow is restricted to the intestines determines the amount of damage toward the intestine's ability to function correctly again.
Awesome Horse Colic Remedy isn't real cheap at around $80 per kit, but then again the average vet charge for a visit and treatment for common colic is usually $200 - $300. Awesome Horse Colic Remedy can be stored indefinitely and should be kept in several places for quick and easy access in case of a horse colic emergency.
In the event your horse is not up and responding well within the first hour after you have administered Awesome Horse Colic Remedy, it is highly probable your horse has twisted gut and is amongst the 5 to 7 percent of colic cases requiring surgery each year. You will know to call your vet immediately.
Incidentally, the average cost of this surgical procedure tends to be $3000 - $7000. Studies show only 50 percent of horses ever leave the hospital after colic surgery.
Awesome Horse Colic Remedy can be purchased directly from here:
www.horsecolickit.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Hair Whorls and Temperament
HAIR WHORLS, also known as "cowlicks", or "wigworms" by some horsemen, are a patch of hair swirling in the opposite to the surrounding hair, every horse (and cattle) has at least one hair whorl located on their forehead.
Since the 1800's many horsemen and ranchers would determine a horse or cattle's temperament by the location of the hair whorl on the forehead. If it was high they tended to be more nervous or high strung, the lower the hair whorl, the more calm or docile they where. The observation that hair whorl patterns were related to temperament was first observed hundreds of years ago in Arabian horses which traditionally have higher placed hair whorls on the forehead.
I've personally used and relied on this observation or technique for over 30 years to determine a horse's general temperament, and it's always provided me with a relatively high degree of accuracy. Many people would look at me with uncertainty and that I was either just pulling their leg or it was something I just made up. Many people including scientists believed that these observations or theories by horsemen and cattle ranchers were pure rubbish and was just some old folk lore or wives tale. However I came across an article a few years ago where the Department of Animal Science at Colorado State University did a study on this and came to a conclusion that there was indeed a relation between the position of the hair whorl and the temperament in cattle and horses. The results of their study clearly showed that those with hair whorls above the eyes became significantly more agitated during restraint than those with hair whorls below the eyes.
Most horsemen that use this technique determine the ideal location for the hair whorl is "even" with the eyes, or just slightly above the top of the eyes. This usually means a more even tempered animal with just enough spirit. One that is too low can often mean they will be too docile or have a short attention span, which can sometimes even be to a degree where they appear to be lazy or less intelligent.
In most cattle and horses, the lean fine-boned, slender-bodied animals tend to have a nervous temperament and a high hair whorl. The heavy-boned, muscular animals are more likely to have a calm temperament and a lower hair whorl. A case example would be Arabian horses which are lean, reactive, fine-boned, spirited, and usually have a high hair whorl, whereas Draft horses are muscular and heavy boned with mostly calm temperaments and usually have a low hair whorl.
You will sometimes find horses that have a double hair whorl, I've worked with a few that had one that was high and one that was even with the eyes. My own personal observation and experience with these horses, is that they had dual temperaments, meaning one day they were just calm and sweet as can be to work with, and another day they acted flighty and high strung.
This is an article I originally wrote and submitted to the tips section over at the TheHitchingPost.net
Since the 1800's many horsemen and ranchers would determine a horse or cattle's temperament by the location of the hair whorl on the forehead. If it was high they tended to be more nervous or high strung, the lower the hair whorl, the more calm or docile they where. The observation that hair whorl patterns were related to temperament was first observed hundreds of years ago in Arabian horses which traditionally have higher placed hair whorls on the forehead.
I've personally used and relied on this observation or technique for over 30 years to determine a horse's general temperament, and it's always provided me with a relatively high degree of accuracy. Many people would look at me with uncertainty and that I was either just pulling their leg or it was something I just made up. Many people including scientists believed that these observations or theories by horsemen and cattle ranchers were pure rubbish and was just some old folk lore or wives tale. However I came across an article a few years ago where the Department of Animal Science at Colorado State University did a study on this and came to a conclusion that there was indeed a relation between the position of the hair whorl and the temperament in cattle and horses. The results of their study clearly showed that those with hair whorls above the eyes became significantly more agitated during restraint than those with hair whorls below the eyes.
Most horsemen that use this technique determine the ideal location for the hair whorl is "even" with the eyes, or just slightly above the top of the eyes. This usually means a more even tempered animal with just enough spirit. One that is too low can often mean they will be too docile or have a short attention span, which can sometimes even be to a degree where they appear to be lazy or less intelligent.
In most cattle and horses, the lean fine-boned, slender-bodied animals tend to have a nervous temperament and a high hair whorl. The heavy-boned, muscular animals are more likely to have a calm temperament and a lower hair whorl. A case example would be Arabian horses which are lean, reactive, fine-boned, spirited, and usually have a high hair whorl, whereas Draft horses are muscular and heavy boned with mostly calm temperaments and usually have a low hair whorl.
You will sometimes find horses that have a double hair whorl, I've worked with a few that had one that was high and one that was even with the eyes. My own personal observation and experience with these horses, is that they had dual temperaments, meaning one day they were just calm and sweet as can be to work with, and another day they acted flighty and high strung.
This is an article I originally wrote and submitted to the tips section over at the TheHitchingPost.net
Dating Site Reviews for Cowboys, Equestrian, Horse & Country People
There's endless sites that provide reviews on dating sites, but what I've found is the vast majority are nothing more than ad sites and/or affiliate sites that get a commission if you happen to click and join one of the sites. You're not getting a true honest evaluation of the sites, as I'm sure most reviewers have never really actually joined many of these sites. If you browse enough review sites you'll find the descriptions and reviews are nearly identical.
Here I'm going to provide reviews of a few dating sites that I've actually joined and tried and will give my own personal opinions of what I thought of each site. Now these are just my opinions and yours may differ, so check them all out for yourself.
EquestrianCupid.com
The name pretty much tells you what and who the site is for ... horse people seeking love! The site appears to have a large number of members, however I found the vast majority don't have a "Gold Membership" which could partly be because of their rather steep prices.
1 month for $29.95
3 months for $59.95
6 months for $95.95
12 months for $143.95
Most of their activity seems to be in their blogs because it's one of the few things free members can do.
I personally found the site's navigation clumsy and not very user friendly. It seems every time you click a link whether it's in search results or in a profile it opens up in a new window and before long you have a bunch of windows or tabs open, I found this real annoying and often gets you confused and lost.
They appear to have quite a few features, some good, others are a tad weak and clumsy to use. However, I didn't get to try many features as it's really restricted what you can do with a basic free membership. You can't even view a member's photo gallery, it keeps bouncing you to a page prompting you to upgrade to buy a gold membership. Now, I totally understand sites restricting free members from sending messages or even making posts on the site as this is a good means in keeping the spammers and scammers from pulling their crap, and is one of the advantages of joining a niche pay site, but they take it a bit too far and it almost makes you feel like they're being a bit too eager and pushy in trying to get you to whip out your wallet.
Like I said, they do appear to have a large database of members, however this is because they are a network of affiliate sites that share their databases. RiderCupid.com, RiderLove.com RiderMate.com, and HorseMatch.com are all affiliates of EquestrianCupid.com, which I personally find a bit deceptive. Some of the marketing tactics are bit questionable and almost offensive, there's a bunch of video ads for RiderMate.com on YouTube which seem more like ads for a porn site rather than a dating site for down to earth country people, here's just a few examples ...
RiderMate Video 1
RiderMater Video 2
RiderMate Video 3
RiderMate Video 4
FarmersOnly.com
Farmers Only is another major player in the country dating niche market, with a good number of active members. Upon first arriving at the site, the overall aesthetics and appearance of the site's design isn't very appealing and seems a tad amateurish, and it's not as feature rich compared to other sites in this class.
The features are pretty basic and typical of what you find on most generic dating sites. Although everything is fairly straight forward and easy to use and navigation is user friendly enough. The registration process is a tad lengthy, mostly because you're not prepared for all the questions and fields you have to fill out just to sign up. Personally I would prefer they shortened the sign up process and let the user fill in the more complex fields later on at their own leisure as some of them require time to think over.
Membership prices are a bit hard to find before signing up, but their prices are actually fairly reasonable.
1 Month $15.95
3 Months $29.95
6 Months $45.95
12 Months $59.95
If you prefer simplicity over aesthetics or features, and you're only interested in nothing more than searching profiles to find romance with country people, then Farmers Only is certainly worth checking out. They also have a free 3 day trial premium membership when you join which gives you the opportunity to evaluate the site before deciding to pay. Site is very basic but it's run above board, I didn't experience any real annoyances or deceptive tactics or trickery.
EquestrianSingles.com
They are one of the first original dating sites for equestrian singles and have developed a solid following over the years.
The site has a basic clean appearance and is fairly straight forward and easy to navigate and use. However, some of their technology and features appear to be a tad out dated. The member photo galleries is one feature that fell short for me, the large pop views are all pretty small and there's no thumbnail views to click to view the larger version, just text links that say photo 1, photo 2, etc.
Being a pay site I didn't really like all the advertising on the site, typically you only find ads being pushed at you on free sites.
Their prices are very reasonable, they advertise deals such as summer specials, although I've noticed they've been offering the exact same price deal continuously now for at least the last several years.
1 Month $19.95
3 Months (+ 3 Free Months) $29.95
6 Months(+ 6 Free Months) $39.95
Nothing real special as far as aesthetics or features go, but the site is fairly popular with an active member base, and overall the site has a decent layout making it easy to find your way around.
TheHitchingPost.net
This is a recent player to the scene. It's more of a hybrid dating and social networking site for cowboys, horse people, and country folks in general. In other words it's for anyone interested in horses or the country lifestyle regardless of marital status.
I found the layout and cowboy western theme appealing, and it's also very user friendly. It's a fairly robust site compared to the others, but once you get oriented you'll find it quite easy to navigate your way around and figure out how to use most of the features. There are help buttons strategically placed throughout various sections of the site that provides explanations, tips or instructions.
Photos can be public or private, private photos are only viewable to those you've added to your friends list, with optional photo rating and commenting.
The ability to save "multiple" custom searches I found to be nice feature. Most sites only allows you to save one default search based on the criteria you choose. Once you have saved searches, your selections are added to a menu box so they are readily available on both your home page and search result pages.
There's a "Top Friends List" on your home page which is handy feature and something you normally only see on large Social Networking sites. You can sort your friends and the top 10 are added to the list on your home page which also includes links to send them a message or a howdy. Howdy messages are similar to pre-formatted flirts or ice-breakers, which includes text and images.
You can include a Playlist.com music player in your profile which also shows up in the entertainment section of your home page so you have easy access to it as well. Country music fans will enjoy this site, besides the music playlist there's streaming radio, tons of music videos, country news, as well as a decent selection of wallpapers of music stars.
If zodiac compatibility is your thing they also have this integrated into the profiles. The system auto pairs members as you browse profiles. This appears to be a unique feature as I've never seen anything quite like it on any other site. Each pairing has a meter rating as well as a detailed reading.
Besides Blogs, there's also sections where members submit and share their favorite recipes and horse tips. The site provides quite a variety of things to do besides just browsing profiles.
The only criticism and downside I found is it's lack of members, but hopefully this will change over time as I feel it has the potential of being one of the top sites in this niche market. Right now they're offering free one year premium memberships, and all you have to do is upload and include at least one photo in your profile. Even if you decide to join one of the other sites it would be worth signing up to this one as well since it's not going to cost you anything. I personally like this site and hope it succeeds in getting more members TheHitchingPost.net
Here I'm going to provide reviews of a few dating sites that I've actually joined and tried and will give my own personal opinions of what I thought of each site. Now these are just my opinions and yours may differ, so check them all out for yourself.
EquestrianCupid.com
The name pretty much tells you what and who the site is for ... horse people seeking love! The site appears to have a large number of members, however I found the vast majority don't have a "Gold Membership" which could partly be because of their rather steep prices.
1 month for $29.95
3 months for $59.95
6 months for $95.95
12 months for $143.95
Most of their activity seems to be in their blogs because it's one of the few things free members can do.
I personally found the site's navigation clumsy and not very user friendly. It seems every time you click a link whether it's in search results or in a profile it opens up in a new window and before long you have a bunch of windows or tabs open, I found this real annoying and often gets you confused and lost.
They appear to have quite a few features, some good, others are a tad weak and clumsy to use. However, I didn't get to try many features as it's really restricted what you can do with a basic free membership. You can't even view a member's photo gallery, it keeps bouncing you to a page prompting you to upgrade to buy a gold membership. Now, I totally understand sites restricting free members from sending messages or even making posts on the site as this is a good means in keeping the spammers and scammers from pulling their crap, and is one of the advantages of joining a niche pay site, but they take it a bit too far and it almost makes you feel like they're being a bit too eager and pushy in trying to get you to whip out your wallet.
Like I said, they do appear to have a large database of members, however this is because they are a network of affiliate sites that share their databases. RiderCupid.com, RiderLove.com RiderMate.com, and HorseMatch.com are all affiliates of EquestrianCupid.com, which I personally find a bit deceptive. Some of the marketing tactics are bit questionable and almost offensive, there's a bunch of video ads for RiderMate.com on YouTube which seem more like ads for a porn site rather than a dating site for down to earth country people, here's just a few examples ...
RiderMate Video 1
RiderMater Video 2
RiderMate Video 3
RiderMate Video 4
FarmersOnly.com
Farmers Only is another major player in the country dating niche market, with a good number of active members. Upon first arriving at the site, the overall aesthetics and appearance of the site's design isn't very appealing and seems a tad amateurish, and it's not as feature rich compared to other sites in this class.
The features are pretty basic and typical of what you find on most generic dating sites. Although everything is fairly straight forward and easy to use and navigation is user friendly enough. The registration process is a tad lengthy, mostly because you're not prepared for all the questions and fields you have to fill out just to sign up. Personally I would prefer they shortened the sign up process and let the user fill in the more complex fields later on at their own leisure as some of them require time to think over.
Membership prices are a bit hard to find before signing up, but their prices are actually fairly reasonable.
1 Month $15.95
3 Months $29.95
6 Months $45.95
12 Months $59.95
If you prefer simplicity over aesthetics or features, and you're only interested in nothing more than searching profiles to find romance with country people, then Farmers Only is certainly worth checking out. They also have a free 3 day trial premium membership when you join which gives you the opportunity to evaluate the site before deciding to pay. Site is very basic but it's run above board, I didn't experience any real annoyances or deceptive tactics or trickery.
EquestrianSingles.com
They are one of the first original dating sites for equestrian singles and have developed a solid following over the years.
The site has a basic clean appearance and is fairly straight forward and easy to navigate and use. However, some of their technology and features appear to be a tad out dated. The member photo galleries is one feature that fell short for me, the large pop views are all pretty small and there's no thumbnail views to click to view the larger version, just text links that say photo 1, photo 2, etc.
Being a pay site I didn't really like all the advertising on the site, typically you only find ads being pushed at you on free sites.
Their prices are very reasonable, they advertise deals such as summer specials, although I've noticed they've been offering the exact same price deal continuously now for at least the last several years.
1 Month $19.95
3 Months (+ 3 Free Months) $29.95
6 Months(+ 6 Free Months) $39.95
Nothing real special as far as aesthetics or features go, but the site is fairly popular with an active member base, and overall the site has a decent layout making it easy to find your way around.
TheHitchingPost.net
This is a recent player to the scene. It's more of a hybrid dating and social networking site for cowboys, horse people, and country folks in general. In other words it's for anyone interested in horses or the country lifestyle regardless of marital status.
I found the layout and cowboy western theme appealing, and it's also very user friendly. It's a fairly robust site compared to the others, but once you get oriented you'll find it quite easy to navigate your way around and figure out how to use most of the features. There are help buttons strategically placed throughout various sections of the site that provides explanations, tips or instructions.
Photos can be public or private, private photos are only viewable to those you've added to your friends list, with optional photo rating and commenting.
The ability to save "multiple" custom searches I found to be nice feature. Most sites only allows you to save one default search based on the criteria you choose. Once you have saved searches, your selections are added to a menu box so they are readily available on both your home page and search result pages.
There's a "Top Friends List" on your home page which is handy feature and something you normally only see on large Social Networking sites. You can sort your friends and the top 10 are added to the list on your home page which also includes links to send them a message or a howdy. Howdy messages are similar to pre-formatted flirts or ice-breakers, which includes text and images.
You can include a Playlist.com music player in your profile which also shows up in the entertainment section of your home page so you have easy access to it as well. Country music fans will enjoy this site, besides the music playlist there's streaming radio, tons of music videos, country news, as well as a decent selection of wallpapers of music stars.
If zodiac compatibility is your thing they also have this integrated into the profiles. The system auto pairs members as you browse profiles. This appears to be a unique feature as I've never seen anything quite like it on any other site. Each pairing has a meter rating as well as a detailed reading.
Besides Blogs, there's also sections where members submit and share their favorite recipes and horse tips. The site provides quite a variety of things to do besides just browsing profiles.
The only criticism and downside I found is it's lack of members, but hopefully this will change over time as I feel it has the potential of being one of the top sites in this niche market. Right now they're offering free one year premium memberships, and all you have to do is upload and include at least one photo in your profile. Even if you decide to join one of the other sites it would be worth signing up to this one as well since it's not going to cost you anything. I personally like this site and hope it succeeds in getting more members TheHitchingPost.net
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Avoiding Legal Problems When Purchasing a Horse
In most jurisdictions when you acquire a horse you are buying it "As Is". It's your responsibility to have the horse examined by a veterinarian before you purchase it. You can't sue the seller if you discover any defects later on after you've purchased the horse. However, there are some conditions which can supersede the "As Is" provision of a contract. Such as, if the Seller breaches the contract or if you can prove that the Seller made false claims when advertising the horse. For example, the seller published that the horse does not have any vices. However, you find out that the horse does has vices which unquestionably existed before you purchased it. However, vices need to be rather major, such as bucking, rearing, kicking or is uncontrollable. You usually won't get far with petty or unreasonable vices, such as the horse doesn't come when I call him, or he spooks or panics when bouncing a beach ball off his head.
There are some essential things about purchase agreements that you should know when buying a horse. You need to be aware of what the agreement should contain and what your legal rights are.
Some common mistakes people make when purchasing a horse are:
1. Assuming that a Pre-Purchase Examination is Unnecessary. Whenever possible, an examination should be conducted by an independent veterinarian to ensure the horse is sound and healthy and has no pre-existing conditions.
2. Failing to Properly Observe The Horse. Aside from asking the seller numerous questions, have the seller ride the horse and closely observe the horse's movements, gait and how well he responds to the rider's commands. Ride the horse yourself and not only in an arena setting as horses sometimes act very differently when outside the safety of their comfort zone or in a setting or environment in which they're unfamiliar with.
3. No Written Sales Agreement, or one that's missing key elements and statements and/or is vague in nature.
If the seller's sales contract appears too vague and doesn't meet your requirements or standards you can always prepare your own and present it to the seller.
When preparing legal documents especially in the case of a sales agreement it's important that it's not one-sided or heavily favors either the Seller or Buyer because many jurisdictions won't recognize such contracts as being legally binding. Unless you have experience in drafting up such agreements, you'll either have to purchase a generic equine sales agreement or pay a lawyer that has some understanding of equine law to prepare one for you, which is typically expensive.
Some essential elements an equine sales contract should contain:
1. Full description of the horse.
2. The total price.
3. Terms of payment, including any down payments or deposits, installments if making payments, when the balance is due, and the date when buyer shall take actual possession of the horse.
4. Warranties and Conditions, which should include how long the buyer has to complete a vet exam, any and all terms or conditions in which refunds may apply, including if the buyer should have a case of buyer's remorse and decides to back out for no valid reason as set forth in the terms and conditions.
5. It should also contain an indemnification on behalf of the seller. There are INHERENT RISKS associated with owning, riding or being around horses, and one can not predict how a horse will react at any given time, nor can the seller be sure of the buyer's abilities to ride or handle a horse. Therefore, assuming no fraud or misrepresentation is present, the seller will want to be protected from legal action by the buyer.
The Hitching-Post.net offers a FREE "Equine Bill of Sale" document which is available to premium members in their "Horse Tips" section. The contract is a full 2 page legal size document that covers the basic essential elements that should meet the requirements of most sellers and buyers. It's available in popular formats such as PDF, DOC and RTF. Quality generic equine sales agreements are very difficult to find for free and typically cost $20 - $30 from equine legal sites. You can get a free premium membership at the Hitching-Post.net by just signing up and uploading a photo to your profile.
There are some essential things about purchase agreements that you should know when buying a horse. You need to be aware of what the agreement should contain and what your legal rights are.
Some common mistakes people make when purchasing a horse are:
1. Assuming that a Pre-Purchase Examination is Unnecessary. Whenever possible, an examination should be conducted by an independent veterinarian to ensure the horse is sound and healthy and has no pre-existing conditions.
2. Failing to Properly Observe The Horse. Aside from asking the seller numerous questions, have the seller ride the horse and closely observe the horse's movements, gait and how well he responds to the rider's commands. Ride the horse yourself and not only in an arena setting as horses sometimes act very differently when outside the safety of their comfort zone or in a setting or environment in which they're unfamiliar with.
3. No Written Sales Agreement, or one that's missing key elements and statements and/or is vague in nature.
If the seller's sales contract appears too vague and doesn't meet your requirements or standards you can always prepare your own and present it to the seller.
When preparing legal documents especially in the case of a sales agreement it's important that it's not one-sided or heavily favors either the Seller or Buyer because many jurisdictions won't recognize such contracts as being legally binding. Unless you have experience in drafting up such agreements, you'll either have to purchase a generic equine sales agreement or pay a lawyer that has some understanding of equine law to prepare one for you, which is typically expensive.
Some essential elements an equine sales contract should contain:
1. Full description of the horse.
2. The total price.
3. Terms of payment, including any down payments or deposits, installments if making payments, when the balance is due, and the date when buyer shall take actual possession of the horse.
4. Warranties and Conditions, which should include how long the buyer has to complete a vet exam, any and all terms or conditions in which refunds may apply, including if the buyer should have a case of buyer's remorse and decides to back out for no valid reason as set forth in the terms and conditions.
5. It should also contain an indemnification on behalf of the seller. There are INHERENT RISKS associated with owning, riding or being around horses, and one can not predict how a horse will react at any given time, nor can the seller be sure of the buyer's abilities to ride or handle a horse. Therefore, assuming no fraud or misrepresentation is present, the seller will want to be protected from legal action by the buyer.
The Hitching-Post.net offers a FREE "Equine Bill of Sale" document which is available to premium members in their "Horse Tips" section. The contract is a full 2 page legal size document that covers the basic essential elements that should meet the requirements of most sellers and buyers. It's available in popular formats such as PDF, DOC and RTF. Quality generic equine sales agreements are very difficult to find for free and typically cost $20 - $30 from equine legal sites. You can get a free premium membership at the Hitching-Post.net by just signing up and uploading a photo to your profile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)