6 - Kentucky Derby (Louisville, KY)

21 - High Hope Steeple Chase (Lexington, KY)

25 - Kentucky High School Invitational Rodeo
May 25-28, 2006 at Kentucky Horse Park (Lexington, KY)

27 - POA 2006 Eastern Classic
May 27-29, 2006 at Hoosier Horse Park (Edinburgh, IN)

Recently Past events
(Archived for Links and 2007 info to come)

April

  1 - Hoosier Horse Fair (Indianapolis, Indiana)
  2 - Hoosier Horse Fair (Indianapolis, Indiana)
  6 - Equine Affaire (Columbus, OH)
  7 - Keeneland Spring Meet Begins (Lexington, KY)
       Equine Affaire (Columbus, OH)
  8 - Equine Affaire (Columbus, OH)
  9 - Equine Affaire (Columbus, OH)
21 - Midwest Horse Fair (Madison, WI)
22 - Midwest Horse Fair (Madison, WI)
23 - Midwest Horse Fair (Madison, WI)
27 - Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event (Lexington, KY)
28 - Minnesota Horse Expo (St. Paul, MN)
       Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event (Lexington, KY)
29 - Minnesota Horse Expo (St. Paul, MN)
       Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event (Lexington, KY)
30 - Minnesota Horse Expo (St. Paul, MN)
       Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event (Lexington, KY)

March

25 - Dubai World Cup (Dubai, UAE)
31 - Hoosier Horse Fair (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Akhal Tekes
Andalusian and Lusitano (IALHA)
American Paint Horse Assn. (APHA)
American Quarter Horse Assn. (AQHA)
American Warmblood Registry
American Warmblood Society (SportHorse)
Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC)
Arabian Horse Assoc. (AHA)
American Connemara Pony Society
Friesan Horse Assoc. of North America
Dutch Warmblood (NA/WPN)
American Hackney Horse Association
American Haflinger Registry.
American Hanoverian Society (AHS)
American Holsteiner Horse Assn.
Icelandic Horse Assocation of America
The Irish Draught Horse Society of N.A..
The Irish Draught Horse Society of G.B.
United States Lipizzan Registry
American Miniature Horse Assn (AMHA)
Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Assn.
The Morab Horse (NAMHA)
International Morab Horse BreedersAssn.
American Morgan Horse Assn.
Spanish Mustang
Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry
The Oldenburg Registry N.A.
Palomino Horse Breeders of America Inc.
Paso Fino Horse Assn. Inc. (PFHA)
American Association of Owners and Breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses
Pinto Horse Assn of America
The American Shetland Pony Club
American Shire Horse Association
Shire Horse Society UK
International Sport Horse Registry
Swedish Warmblood Assn of N.A.
The United States Trotting Association
Tennessee Walking Horse (TWHBEA)
Thoroughbred (The Jockey Club)
Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America
Wild Horse (BLM Adoption program)

I have a horse named Nick. He is a 5 year old Palomino Appaloosa. He’s really big, he stands almost 16 hands tall and weighs over 1,000 pounds.  He doesn’t have very many spots though, just a few little sprinkles on his back. Our family has also adopted a Thoroughbred, named Old West. She was once a race horse, but is now retired and living a life of luxury. Her favorite things to do are play in the field with her buddies and eat lots of hay. She’s the beautiful horse in the photo to the right. Isn’t she sweet? She and I are best buddies.

My mom and I built this website so that I can share my love of horses with you.  I’m sure there are a lot of other horse crazy kids out there, so I thought I should build a resource center online to teach you the basics. My mom will be posting news and information to the blog which is on the index page of this website.

My sister is an equestrian. She competes in 3-day events and show jumping competitions. She is also on a judging team and participates in 4-H.  She spends a lot of her time working with a trainer and taking care of her horse.  She’s an inspiration to me. She loves flying through the air on her horse. She’s loved horses since she was a young girl. (The picture to the left is my sister Nadia jumping Nick)

This website will be growing on a continuous basis. We plan to add more sections each month and hope to be a great source for kids and adults alike.

If you have any questions, please email me and I’ll do my best to help you out.  Also, if you have an equestrian related website, be sure to send it to me. I’ll add you to my links page.

Walk
The walk is a four beat gait.  The horse has 3 feet on the ground at all times, moving only one foot at a time.  Horses lift their hind leg, then their foreleg on the same side, then the remaining hind leg, then the foreleg on the same side.

Trot (Jog)
The trot is a two beat gait.  It is a diagonal gate in which the fore leg and the hind leg touch the ground at the same time.

Canter (Lope)
The canter is a three beat gate. The fore leg and the opposite hind leg strike the ground together and the other two legs strike separately. The beat can easily be counted as 1-2-3, 1-2-3. In this gait it’s important to make sure your horse is on the correct lead when turning. (We have a
bit of trouble with our own horse on this one, he likes to do what he wants to do! Typical.)

Gallop
The canter is a four beat gait.  The canter is similar to the canter, except the two paired legs land separately. Most likely, unless you’re an experience rider, you won’t do much galloping.

3-Day Eventing
Barrel Racing
Calf Roping
Combined Driving
Cutting 1
Dressage
Driving
Endurance Riding
English Pleasure 1
Equitation
Eventing
Field Hunter
Flat Racing
Fox Hunting
Gymkhana and Pony Club Games
Harness Racing
Horse Racing
Hunter
Pleasure Driving
Pleasure Riding
Pole Bending
Polo
Reining
Rodeo
Show Jumping
Side Saddle
Steeple Chasing
Steer Roping
Steer Wrestling
Team Roping
Trail Riding
Vaulting
Western Pleasure

Dream Horse - a great place to “window shop” for a horse. You can search by zip code, breed, discipline and more. One of the best sites on the Internet. My sister visits this site every day. My mom told her to stop because she only picks out horses that cost over $50,000 dollars. Yes, there are some very expensive horses for sale! (Horse Classified Advertisements)

Cherry Hill - She has written several very good books on horses and horsekeeping. This link will take you to a page full of articles and information which includes everything from buying your first horse to how to train them. (Articles & Information)

Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event - This is the event my sister is training for. It is going to take her a couple years, but she is determined to compete. The course at the Kentucky Horse Partk for the event is insane. The jumps are taller than my mom and my sister. To be honest, they’re quite scary. (Event: Lexington, Kentucky)

Kentucky Horse Park - My entire family loves going to the Kentucky Horse Park. We usually go there for 3-day events, but we also visit the park and see the many breeds of horses they have. It’s a great place to visit. (Attraction: Lexington, Kentucky)

Keeneland - The best race track in the world. My family and I go there several times each year. We also attend the Keeneland horse auctions. In November, my mom and sister went for the Breeding Stock sale and witnessed history in the making when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of Dubai, UAE paid $9,000,000 for a mare named Ashado.  The auctions are fun and crazy at the same time. The races are cool! We bet sometimes, but we always lose. My sister is the worst at picking the winners, my mom and I usually pick the opposite of whatever my sister chooses because her luck is that bad! *laugh* (Attraction: Lexington, Kentucky)

Stateline Tack - A great place to shop for your horse. You can buy everything from saddles to clothing. They are owned by PetsMart and some cities actually have Stateline Tack stores you can shop in. (Internet Shopping)

Dover Saddlery - The best place to buy English riding gear, saddles, clothing, boots and more. They also have a great catalog that you can sign up to receive. (Internet Shopping)

Smith Brothers - The place to buy Western show clothes, saddles and tack. They have a wonderful selection of items on their website. (Internet Shopping)

Dmoz: Equestrian - They currently have 11,891 in their directory related to the keyword Equestrian. If this isn’t enough to keep you busy, then I don’t know what to tell you. (Web Directory)

Action
The way a horse moves at various gaits.

Aged
A horse over 9 years old.

Azoturia
Cramping of a horse’s large muscles, also called "tying up".

Backyard horse
A horse that lives with its owner, not in a proper horse barn or stable.

Bale
A measurement of hay, equal to 10 "flakes".

Barn sour
A horse that doesn’t like to leave the barn or stable.

Behind the bit
When a horse places his head down to evade contact with the bit.

Bomb-proof
A horse that doesn’t spook.

Breeding stock
A mare or stallion that meets the eligibility requirements to be registered as a distinct breed.

Breeder
A person who breeds purebred horses for a living, or maybe as a hobby.

Bridle
The entire headpiece, the headstall, bit, chin strap, and reins, is called the bridle.

Broodmare
A female horse that is used strictly for breeding.

Buck
When a horse jumps upward and arches his back.

Cantor
Term used in English riding for a three beat gait. This is the same as a lope or slow gallop in Western discipline riding.

Colt
A male horse under 4 years old that has not been castrated.

Conditioned response
When a horse is trained to a stimulus the same way every time the animal confronts that stimulus.

Conformation
The overall structure of the horse. What is acceptable conformation depends on what you plan to do with the horse.

Dam
The mother of the horse.

Dapples
Round, colored markings on a horse’s coat.

D.V.M.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Easy keeper
A horse that easily keeps his weight.

Farrier
This is a blacksmith who does horse shoeing.

Filly
A female horse under 4 years old.

Flake
One tenth of a bale of hay.

Foal
A baby horse or pony still at its mother’s side.

Gallop
The fastest that a horse can run, a three-beat gait.

Gelding
A castrated male horse.

Groundwork
Lead rope and lunge-line training.

Gut sounds
The noises that can be heard from a horse’s stomach.

Gymkhana
Rodeo events made up of games such as pole bending and barrel racing.

Hand
This is the common way to measure horses. One hand is 4 inches, so a horse that is 15 hands is 60
inches tall.

Hard keeper
A horse whose weight is hard to maintain.

Headcollar
A British term for a halter.

In season
When a mare is in heat.

Jog
Western discipline term for a slow trot.

Lope
Western term for a three-beat gait, the same as cantor.

Mare
A female horse over 4 years old.

Martingale
A leather device used to control the position of a horse’s head.

Mule
The offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

Paddock
A large enclosure to hold a horse.

Pony
Breeds of small horses, under 14.2 hands tall.

Purebred
A horse that through generations of unmixed breeding, has and will produce the preferred physical characteristics of the breed.

Put down
Euthanasia, put to sleep.

Rails
The horizontal bars that make up a jump.

Rogue
A horse with a bad temper.

Saddle rack
Stand to hold your saddle when it’s not on a horse.

Sire
The father of a horse

Sound
This is the term to describe a healthy horse.

Stallion
A male horse over 4 years old that has not been castrated.

Stud book
This is a listing of breeding horses that is maintained by a registering organization.

Tack
Horse tack is all the gear that comes with owning a horse. The bridle, saddle, bit, girths, cinches, saddle pads, lead ropes, halters, whips, stirrup irons and stirrup leathers, horse boots, and most other horse things are tack.

Tie down
A Western term for a martingale, used to control the position of a horses head while riding.

Tree
The basic structure of a saddle, which is then covered with leather.

Trot
A two-beat gait.

Truck-in
A person who brings their own horse to riding lessons.

Turnout
When a horse is let out of its stall into a pasture or arena or corral.

Unsound
A horse with health problems or lameness.

V.M.D.
Veterinary Medical Doctor.

Weanling
A horse under one years old that has been weaned from his mother.

Yearling
A horse just approaching or just turning one years old.