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Online Viewing Quiz
- Name the location of the Bliley family's adventure?
- True or False? The motto at the ranch is "Arrive as a guest, return as a friend."
- Where did the family practice saddling and riding the horses before they ventured out into the Allegheny National Forest? A. a stable B. an open field C. a corral
- What is the name of the tack or equipment used by the rider to direct the horse?
- True or False? A horseback rider pulls back on the reigns to tell the horse to go.
- Which direction should the horseback rider lean when the horse is climbing up a hill? Down a hill?
- True or False? To direct the horse either to the left or to the right, the rider should loudly shout the direction he or she would like to go.
Answers
Show/Hide
- The Bliley family went horseback riding at the Hickory Creek Wilderness Ranch located in Tidioute, Pennsylvania.
- True. The Hickory Creek Ranch encourages families to horseback ride, camp or attend a western rodeo together.
- A. a corral. The family practiced proper saddling techniques, mounting, dismounting and riding in the safety of a corral.
- The bridle is the name of the tack used by the rider to direct the horse. There are many different styles and parts to a bridle.
- False. By slightly pulling back on the reigns the rider will tell the horse to stop. If the rider then pulls harder on the reigns the horse will go backwards. The horse will move forward, if the rider gently squeezes his or her legs around the horses middle or girth. To make the horse move faster, the rider must squeeze harder or make a slight kick with his or her legs.
- The horseback rider should always lean forward when a horse is climbing up a hill and lean back when the horse is climbing down a hill.
- False. Horses have excellent hearing and do not like loud, sudden noises. The rider can pull the reigns in the direction that he or she would like the horse to go.
History
PA Academic Standards - 8.1.3
The connection between man and horse can be traced back to the Ice Age. Cave paintings from prehistoric man show wild horses being hunted and used for food. No one knows the first time the horse was domesticated or bred and tamed. Historians believe it was somewhere around 2500 B.C. From that time on, the bond between man and horse has been very strong. Using a historical book about horses or by researching this topic on the Internet, see if you can answer the following questions.
- How did the earliest civilizations use horses to advance themselves?
- Once man mastered the skill of horseback riding, how do you think the horse was most often used?
- Name the military concept that was created after people began using horses in battles?
- The Greeks valued horsemanship and actually included what type of sporting events in the very first Olympic games in the Eighth Century B.C.?
- In the 16th century, who were the first explorers to introduce horses to North and South America?
- The Native Americans used horses as an important part of their culture. Can you list some of the ways American Indians used horses?
- During the American Revolution the American Calvary was formed. Can you name some of the wars in which the American Calvary played an important role?
- How did the cowboys in the "wild west" use horses?
- Can you name the earliest mail delivery service? How did the mail get transported across the country?
- The invention of the automobile reduced the need for horses as transportation and as a means for pulling plows on farms. Because the horse is no longer a part of the modern workday, do you think the number of horses has grown or decreased in the United States from the 1900's?
- Can you name some of the uses for horses today?
Answers
Show/Hide
- The earliest civilizations used horses as beasts of burden to carry, pull and transport objects.
- Once man learned to ride the horse, the horse became a very important mode of transportation.
- Calvary's were created when armies skillfully rode horses into battle.
- The ancient Greeks included horse racing and other horse sports in the first Olympic games.
- The Spanish Conquistadors introduced horses to the Americas and the horses helped in the settlement of the New World.
- The Native Americans became expert riders and used horses for hunting, warfare and as pack animals.
- The American Calvary used mounted troops in the Mexican War, the Civil War and the Indian War. The American Calvary was not disbanded (or no longer used) until World War II.
- Cowboys used horses to heard cattle across the country.
- The Pony Express was the first mail delivery service in the country. The mail was carried by: you guessed it, horses or ponies.
- Surprisingly, the number of horses has actually grown in the United States since the 1900's.
- Today, horses are used for recreation, sport, farming, by ranchers, the military and some police forces.
Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening
PA Academic Standards - 1.4.3 A
Throughout the Outdoor Family Adventures episode you may have heard the term "equestrian". Equestrian describes a horsemen or events related to horseback riding. There are two styles of horseback riding: English and Western. English-style riding is used for many equestrian events including riding over jumps and through a series of difficult maneuvers. To test their skills, riders enter competitions. The Olympic games have equestrian competitions that are performed using the English style riding. The western-style riding is use by ranch workers to drive cattle and in rodeo competitions. The family in the Outdoor Family Adventures episode was taught western-style riding techniques. The two riding styles also use different tack, saddles and clothing for riding. Using books from the library or by researching online, find information on both styles of riding. Read about the different activities that use either the English or western riding style. If you have never ridden a horse, try to imagine yourself riding in an English-style jumping competition or as a rodeo competitor. Now write a poem or short story about your ride. Include a detailed description of the people, places and things that surround you. Share your poem or story with your family, teachers and friends. You never know, it just might inspire someone to take you on a real horseback riding adventure!
Science & Technology
PA Academic Standards - 3.3.4 A & 3.1.4 C
Although you are still in grade school, it is never too early to start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. You probably have been asked this question many times before. If the thought of working with and caring for animals has ever crossed your mind, you may be interested in veterinary medicine. Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine dealing with the study, prevention and treatment of animal diseases. A veterinarian is a doctor for animals. Just like your doctor, a veterinarian spends many years studying and learning how to care for his or her patients. One of the very first things a veterinarian must learn is the similarities and differences of animals' bodies. See if you can identify the different parts of a horse, just like a veterinarian would.
- The part of a horse's body in front of the saddle.
- The part of a horse's body behind the saddle
- The part of a horse's body between the forearms (front legs) and the loins.
- The long hair on top of a horse's head that hangs in front of the ears.
- The hair along the top of a horse's neck extending from behind the ears to the withers.
- The highest part of a horse's back; the area at the base of the neck.
- The left side of a horse's body. A rider usually mounts and dismounts from this side.
- forelock
- withers
- hindquarters
- barrel
- near side
- forehand
- mane
Answers
Show/Hide
- f-forehand
- c-hindquarters
- d-barrel
- a-forelock
- g-mane
- b-withers
- e-near side
A veterinarian would also need to study the different patterns that regularly occur and reoccur in animals due to hereditary. Here are some of the most common names for the different color patterns on horses. See if you can identify the correct name for each color pattern. (During the OFA horseback riding episode, Mrs. Bliley said she always dreamed of riding on an Appaloosa. Do you know the pattern on an Appaloosa horse?)
True or False?
- A Black horse is the only color pattern where the horse is the same color all over its body?
- A Brown or Bay horse has a brown or reddish brown body with a black mane, tail and legs.
- A Chestnut horse has a brown coat, usually with reddish highlights and the mane and tail can be lighter brown. Chestnuts are also known as Sorrel.
- Gray horses are actually born white and then they turn gray.
- The difference between a Dun and a Buckskin horse is the black stripe running the length of its spine on a tan coat.
- A Palomino is a golden horse with a light mane and tail and no dark markings.
- The Pinto's coloring is large patches of white, brown or black. It is also called Paint.
- Roan horses have one basic color mixed with black.
- An Appaloosa can be both covered with different patterns of spots or a solid color.
Answers
Show/Hide
- False. The Albino breed is a completely white horse.
- True.
- True.
- False. Gray horses are born brown or black and then they turn gray.
- True.
- True.
- True.
- False. Roan horses have one basic color mixed with white.
- True.
Mathmatics
PA Academic Standards - 2.2.3 B & C
A horse is measured from its hoofs to its withers. Horses are measured in hands. A hand is equal to four inches or about ten centimeters. The measuring is done with a special stick called a horse measuring standard, which is held upright next to the horse with a horizontal arm reaching across the withers.
See if you can calculate the measurement in inches and centimeters for the following breeds:
- A Clydesdale is an average of 17 hands high.
- A Thoroughbred has an average range of 15 to 17 hands high.
- An Arabian has an average range of 14 to 15 hands high.
- A Selle Francais has an average range of 15.3 to 16.2 hands high.
Learn Even More About Horseback Riding
American Riding Instructor Association
Telephone# (603) 875-4000
National 4-H Council
Telephone# (301) 961-2959
The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.
www.usef.org
United States Pony Club
www.ponyclub.org
American Horse Council
Telephone # (202) 296-4031
Resources Used
Horses and Horsemanship by Paula Rodenas, published by Random House Inc. copyright date 1997.
Improve Your Riding Skills by Carolyn Henderson published by DK Publishing copyright date 1999.
Horseback Riding in Action by Kate Calder, published by Crabtree Publishing Company copyright date 2001.
A Basic Guide to Equestrian by The U.S. Olympic Committee, published by Gareth Stevens Publishing Group, copyright date 2001.
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