Blog : Equus Education

A Place to Vent Online – SIM/Roleplaying

May 28, 2007 by Christine Meunier 1 Comment

…the 21st century way to excite kids about horses…

My childhood horse loves were Jinny, Silver Brumby and Saddle club – the books, not the shows – and I’m sure previous generations fell in love with equines through Black Beauty and National Velvet.

There are so many “places” online that now fuel a horse obsession in the form of simulation games and roleplaying. For many, this is an easy “fix” for the horse obsessed who are without a horse. On Horseland you can create, breed, train and show practically any breed of horse. Those successful in the game are filthy rich (since when was it so common to be handed $10,000 to start investing in horses and over a short time accumulate 10’s or 100’s of millions?) and have horses with a high number of “points” from wins or places in shows.

…and all I want is a lousy $3 Million and a half dozen of my own broodmares… and some hacks, and carriages… and, I’m getting carried away!

http://www.equination.net – Equination.net (aka “EQ”) is an online virtual thoroughbred horse racing simulation game. In this game, each user (aka “stable”) has the ability to manage every aspect of their horses, which includes: purchasing/selling; claiming; breeding; training; racing; and much more.
This exciting and free ongoing game is family-safe and enjoyed by people of every age group from all over the world. With plenty of instructions throughout the game and technical assistance just a click away, users don’t even need any knowledge of horses or how horse racing works. (Though it is helpful) You can also play with either a basic account which is free, or a premium account, which you pay a certain amount each year and it gives you access to other goodies on the site, like the Race Viewer, where you can actually watch the races your horses run in.

http://www.equintium.com – Similar to Horseland.com. Buy, sell, breed and show horses.

http://www.howrse.com – Join us for free and play on Howrse, create your first horse or pony, choose his/her breed, coat, name and find out all his/her capacities. Look after him/her and make him/her the best. Then you will have the chance to become the best breeder!
Discover an entire world of horses in a fascinating game! You can also run an equestrian centre, but need to be at riding level 3, and you get that after 20 days of logging on.

Fancy “being” the horse? Consider roleplaying:

http://www.freewebs.com/lost-intentions – The Story:
Through the years, Lost Intentions has seen many come and go, leaving their prints within the ever growing book of legends. Sadly enough most of these have been forgotten for they hadn’t been passed from generation to generation as they once were. But never fear…

Your Role
Come and make your own life with your own horse, either go and live your normal equine life or make a carrie that hates other stallion. Rebel against all stallions, and when they come in to make trouble you give them a peice of your mind! Lost Intentions is for all Levels and is currently rated PG-13, and is filled with friendly people. PS. there are lead spots open as well!

http://www.freewebs.com/odina – RPG by Sharyn that “needs members, once I finish it, and I hope it’ll be really active. Set in the Australian High Country, age and breed have been abolished, as there will only be Brumby’s here. And also, who can remember how old their horse is and such? I can’t, so I’ve gotten rid of that. The only ‘ages’ we have are foal, young adult, and adult. All you have to do is remember what year your horse was born, if born in Odina. More stuff on the rules page.”

*thanks to Sharyn for these links!

“Horse’s comment on a car – ‘150 horsepower, big deal. I’d be impressed if it ran on hay.'”

tag: self education, roleplaying, racing, simulation games, shows, horse breeds

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What Could Be More Appealing?

May 27, 2007 by Christine Meunier 1 Comment

Three days in South Africa and I’ve been horse riding twice – all day Friday (beach to town to bush) and 10kms Sunday morning up the road. Rhino were pointed out to me and warthog and there’s promise of many more rides and scenery to come.

I had the joy of riding Top Deck – a roan/grey anglo arab gelding on Sunday morning and was riding with a young man who does endurance riding. The result: trotting 4kms or so before heading back at a walk (only cause my mount felt a bit sore, or I’m sure we would have continued at the same pace).

To keep up with the horse in front, Top Deck extended his trot beautifully or broke into a rocking horse canter which I could have sat to all day. What a gorgeous feeling!

Running a trail ride business is half of the package here. I’m learning a bit about the family’s real passion: endurance racing in South Africa.

A horse will start around the age of four and a half or older. If only four, they can start in 30km rides, but no more than this distance. There are 80, 120 and 200km rides. You can race an 80km competitively or can enter and run the first leg (30km) and if all’s well the next 30 and finally the last 20. You get no recognition of having competed, but do build up km’s for you and your horse.

At the end of each leg, a horse’s fitness is tested and if deemed fine by a vet, you can continue racing the next leg of the ride. Before the race, the Cardiac Recovery Index (CRI) or Ridgeway test is performed on the horses.

The essential element of this test is the horse is put through an exercise period of around 30 seconds followed by a similar rest period. The horse’s heart rate is then monitored a minute after the exercise starts to see if it’s heart rate has returned to normal – this being the heart rate that is taken before the test is started to establish a resting heart rate figure. The exercise is carried out at the trot and over 80 metres – 40 away from and 40 towards the vet.

There is no monetary value for endurance racing though some events have sponsors who provide prizes. However, most are taken part in for the recognition of kilometers for the horse and rider. There is of course also the sense of achievement through having trained up a horse to be fit enough to cover these distances at a trot or canter. If you love your time in the saddle and to be constantly moving, consider this form of horse riding!

“Riding is not a sport, it is a passion. If you do not share the passion, you do not know the sport, and therefore are wasting your time.”

tag: endurance riding, south africa

Your Hands, Their Feet

May 23, 2007 by Christine Meunier 1 Comment

I always thought farriery was the way to go – variety, good money, physically active – and then concluded equine dentistry was even more appealing. Yes, it was the money that persuaded me, how did you guess? However, I see some pros for farriery in that this business is easier to run on a smaller client base – your horse’s feet need doing every 2 months, unlike the teeth which are done annually, calling for more people to use you to be constantly in work.

Spending the majority of my short working life on studs, I’ve viewed many foals born with the most interesting looking legs. Sometimes it’s the vet’s job to fix problems; others the farrier can fix in various ways.

The legs are a focus over the first few months of a foal’s life as at this age, things can be adjusted to “encourage” growth in a different direction (correcting/minimising the problem).

For example – a foal that toes in – a farrier can rasp a little more off a particular side, encouraging extra growth on this side, pushing the foot in the opposite direction, straightening it out over time. The end result may not be a 100% correct horse, but can alleviate problems, make them more correct and therefore more appealing to buyers/less likely to receive stresses on their legs while in work.

In Victoria it’s pretty common for a farrier to charge around $50 to trim your horse’s feet (less, the more horses you have) and around $100 for a set of shoes all round. Now in a day one farrier can easily manage 20 horses. Say they were all done at the same place, all trims and therefore at a cheaper rate – $30 – this is still $600 for the day. And honestly, they can manage more, but 20 horses would be quite a demand on the body!

To become a farrier in Oz, you’re looking at a 3 year apprenticeship with what I’ve been told is an average income, but once you’ve invested this time over the short term, the wage is a lot more appealing.

Some Associations:
American Farriers Association:
http://www.americanfarriers.org/

Aust. Farriers and Blacksmiths Association:
http://www.afba.org.au/

New Zealand Farrier’s Association:
http://www.nzfarriers.co.nz/

Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association:
http://www.bwfa.net/

“Be wary of the horse with a sense of humour.” – Pam Brown

tag: farriery, job, apprenticeship

What Could Be More Appealing?

Your Hands, Their Feet

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