In the second part of this blog, we will be continuing our discussion on how to properly care for your horse's mane and tail. 

Hello, trail friends! Welcome back to the blog! We are thrilled you decided to come pay another visit to our blogs and continue to learn more about the care and maintenance that your horse's mane and tail requires. The end of October is right around the corner, so make sure you come and learn more about the history of our beautiful trails and the land we are connected to. There might even be a ghost story or two lurking in the shadows waiting to be told! Make sure to schedule your rides with us ahead of time and get ready for the best horseback riding trail in Charleston! We can't wait to see you soon! 

As we mentioned in our last blog, caring for your horse's mane and tail comes with a huge responsibility. This is just one of the multitude of things you need to take care of and care for when it comes to owning a single horse. We urge you to remember this when thinking about purchasing your very first horse or perhaps even your second. Every horse deserves every moment of meticulous and well-planned care as the next. We hope that you take these two blogs and every blog dedicated to the care of your horse to heart. We want both you and your horse to have an incredible life together. Please remember too that a horse is going to be a full life commitment, many of them live to be 20 years of age if not older. They will need your constant love, support, and care for every single one of those years! So, let's hop back into the barn and talk more about the care and maintenance of our beautiful horse's manes and tails! 

• Braiding

The last tip for mane and tail care in our last blog talked about how to wash, how frequently to wash, and the best ways to wash your horse's tails and manes. One of the most important things you can do for your horse once both tail and mane have been properly washed, dried, and brushed is to braid them. This isn't just a fashion choice or for show purposes, although beautiful braids do help with both of those things. A good braid goes far beyond just looks. While a horse with a braided mane and tail does look stunning, it does more than just leave your horse looking pretty out on the field. Braiding helps keep your horse's mane and tails clean and helps prevent them from snagging, ripping, matting, or breaking. Also, according to US Equestrian, it protects the mane and tail from bleaching out in the sun, causing severe damage and change to their look and presentation. US Equestrian does recommend that you start with a loose braid at the base of both the hair of the mane and tail and grow into a tighter braid as you move down each section of hair. This helps relieve tension on the hair and from pulling on the roots. For the mane, you will separate the hair into one to two-inch sections and braid each section. For the tail, you traditionally only have one long braid, but you can do multiple if you so choose. Braids can also help keep your horses cool in hotter months, keeping the hair away from their skin and removing the extra weight it can cause off their bodies. You can secure the braids with either a rubber band or electrical tape, it is your choice. Either option won't tangle in your horse's mane or tail between cleanings. 
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• Frequency

We've mentioned a couple of times that to keep your horse looking and feeling its best, a consistent regime of care is necessary. This doesn't mean you should be washing, drying, and braiding their mane and tails every day. It's recommended by US Equestrian to wash and braid every 14 to 19 days. When it comes to spraying your horse's coats down, that will be done much more frequently but should be done and met with the same amount of importance, care, and dedication that you give to your horse's mane's and tails. All the tools you use for grooming your horse's manes and tails should be clean and up to date. If they're getting rusty and old, please replace them. After you use them, clean them, and leave them to dry for their next use. It is also recommended by Horse and Rider to use all-natural products. The more natural they are, the less likely they are to harm or strip the hair and the more likely to help nourish and care for your horse's mane and tail. Also, just like you do in training and daily care, be consistent in the bathing process. Once you find a system that works well for you and your horse, consistently stick with it and repeat it with every wash! Also, don't let your horse's manes and tails grow too long. You don't want them stepping on their manes and tails or allow them to become a danger to them. you want them to look great, but you also want them to freely be able to train, live happily, ride well, and do all of their tricks and maneuvers without harming themselves or their hair. 

Keeping your horse healthy, clean, and looking gorgeous is a multi-staged approach. It does take time and dedication that every horse deserves. Just caring for their mains and tails is complex, don't forget about every other aspect of caring for them too! This needs to be considered when you are thinking about buying a horse of your own, can you handle this kind of responsibility? Of course, as fellow horse lovers, you know they are worth the time and care and to look and feel their best, always! We hope this how-to guide was helpful, and we look forward to seeing you on the trails very soon! If you have any questions about the care of your horse between now our next blog, don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to help you care for your horses as best as possible. Until next time, stay safe and stay hopeful everyone!

There are so many incredibly fun, highly skilled, and exciting sports and events that take place on horseback. Some of these fun sports have been going on for centuries and are apart of certain cultures and backgrounds, while others are no longer played. But in each of them, there is excitement, skill, and a sense of grandeur that is so fun to learn about.

Happy New Year, Lowcountry! We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, and are so excited to kick 2020 into gear. The weather has been so warm these last few weeks, that we hope you start your new year off with a fun and exciting trail ride with us! For those of you who have visited us recently, have you been inspired by your visit that you've become a little curious about what else you can do on horseback beyond trail rides?  You've come to the right place! This week's blog and in the next few blogs to follow, we are going to be talking about the many fun, challenging, and unique sports that can be played on horseback.

Each of these sports we will be discussing over the next few blogs will challenge you in more ways than one. They're fun to watch and exciting to learn. Some take years to master with multiple skills needed to succeed, while others aren't played anymore. If you're here with us in the Lowcountry or are from areas close (in NC, TN, KY), this is a great area to expand your knowledge and explore the world of equestrian sports!

In this blog, we will be discussing some of the more unique and interesting equestrian sports. Each has their own special traits, tactics, and skills needed to excel and do so safely. Some you can still see in competition today while others are just for show. Maybe you've heard or seen some of these sports before, and maybe you'll learn a thing or two today!

Jousting!
That's right! Forget about Medieval Times for a second, and think back to when this was not just the days of yore. When princes and kings ruled the lands and were fighting for the fair princesses' hand. In its heyday this wasn't a sport found at the Renaissance festival or at themed dinner shows, it was a way of life! Jousting was an actual mid-evil sport that was very popular and needed for the training of knights and soldiers. The way it works is that two opponents on horseback wield long poles called lances (that are 6-7 feet long!) with blunted tips on their ends. Dressed in full armor, they ride full speed at one another on a specially made course that is about 110-220 yards long separated by a fence right down the middle part of the field. There is a rider on either side of the fence. The goal of each ride is to knock your opponent off of their horse before you get knocked off. If the riders make it to the end of the course without either falling off, they turn around and start again until someone is eventually knocked off. The sport was originally created to train for battle and warfare, Soldiers would learn what it would feel like to get hit or clash with someone else while wearing a full suit of armor while going very fast. Even during its height, it was also a sport for fun during celebrations, not just for training. Today it is seen in historical reenactments, renaissance fairs, and the ever classic Medieval Times dinner show. It is considered to be an extinct sport and has been for over three centuries.

Cowboy Mounted Shooting
This sport is one of the newest equestrian sports out there, despite its name. It was created in the late 1990's and is a sport for those well versed in horseback riding and shooting. Also know as mounted shooting, this very disciplined sport involves shooting at still targets while riding a horse. As of 2015, the United States is the only place this sport is still played. Each course this sport is played on is specifically designed for each race, and balloons are used as the targets. The goal is to get through the course as quickly and perfectly as possible while shooting as many balloons as you can. Each rider is timed, and each target missed and part of the track not ridden correctly are points that are added to your time. The riders with the lowest time at the end of the race wins. Riders use old fashioned western style single-action revolvers to strike the balloons, and the guns are filled with blanks. Both men and women can play and compete in this sport.

Mounted Horseback Archery
To be efficient at this sport, you need to be well versed in two skills - riding and archery. You need to be able to do both at the same time to succeed. The skills used in this sport are used for mounted hunting around the world. Those to first use these techniques were European nomads during mid-evil times, and the most famous to use it were Japanese Samurai called Yabusame. The objective of the sport is for the rider to ride without reigns on a 90 m course while shooting arrows at different targets that are placed at different distances. This sport takes a different kind of skill than most normal horseback riding or equestrian sports. It is almost harder than riding bareback, as your hands will be used to work the bow and arrow. The guidance of the horse and actual skill of riding will be left to your legs and body. The sport continues to be very popular today, especially here in the United States. Many riding clubs offer classes and courses to learn, and there are competitions held across the country.

How excited are you to come to visit us now? One trail ride could lead to you becoming the next best show rider, a career in show business, or just learning how to show off some very exciting skills. We will see you next time for the next round of equestrian sports blogs. Until then, come visit us for a ride and have a happy new year!