Horses and Horseback riding

Introduction

After watching eight hours of television, you look in the mirror and discover that you've become a couch potato! You turn to your friend Smiley Sam for help. He tells you that in order to reverse this horrible process, you must find a hobby, the sooner the better. You log on to the internet and start searching. Sam suggests that your first stop should be horseback riding. Sam always did like horses.

Howdy Partner!!

Okey dokey, before actually heading out to the corral, you'll need to know some of the horsey basics. First, you'll need to know how horses have evolved and how they became domesticated. Then you might be interested in the many different breeds. Be sure to check out where they came from, size and what they are primarily used for. You might also like to know what colors they are, in case you want a palomino like Trigger, and how to identify them by their color and markings. Since you don't want to become saddle sore (that means being sore from riding), you'll want to look at the different paces or gaits that horses can perform and how comfortable each one is for the rider. The last thing you'll need to know before going out and getting on your horse of choice, are some basic riding tips that will protect both of you.

After looking at all of the information, your job will be to write a paper on what you've learned. You'll need to explain how horses have evolved over time, different activities that horses are used for, and list several riding tips and why they are important. You will also have to pick your perfect horse. Tell why you picked the breed (size, use, etc.), color and some background on that breed (where it came from, etc). In addition to your paper, you will also need to create a picture of your dream horse using collage, drawing or painting. See ya at the corral!

Resources

• Legacy of the Horse has the hisory of the horse and its domestication.
  
• Breeds by Continent has descriptions of breeds by their location.
  
• Breeds and History offers short descriptions on different breeds.
  
• Gaits and Parts of the Horse shows the different gaits of the horse and detailed pictures about the parts of a horse.
  
• Riding Tips lists ten basic riding tips for beginning riders.
  
• Games, stories and Info has games and stories related to horse information.
  

Saddle Up!

Steps to getting in the saddle:

1. Visit Legacy of the Horse.
   1. Click on The First Horses. Know the major changes between each evolution of the horse.
   2. Visit The Domestication of the Horse. Look up how humans originally used horses and how those ways have changed over time.
2. Go to Breeds by Continent and Breeds and History.
   1. Select a couple of different breeds and look at the information on them.
   2. Select one of these breeds for further research for your paper. Popular ones include the American Quarter Horse, Arabian and Clydesdale.
   3. Look at the history of your breed and different characteristics including color, size and uses.
3. Next visit Gaits and Parts of the Horse.
   1. Enter the tutorial and comlete sections on Horse colors and markings, Parts of the horse , and Gaits and riding postures.
   2. Complete the worksheet questions for these sections and use the color/markings information when describing your dream horse.
4. Visit the Riding Tips site.
   1. For each of the riding tips, list reasons for having these rules.
   2. Try to create some horse rules of your own and tell why these are important.
5. After all areas have been viewed and tasks have been completed, you can visit the Games, Stories and Info site. This has a lot of fun activities to help you learn more about horses.

Activity Tips

When looking at the different sites, it is helpful to take notes on topics you might want to include in your paper. Some things to include in it are:

• Discuss some of the evolutionary changes of the horse.
• How did humans originally use horses, and how do we use them today?
• Identify one breed of horse for your research paper. Include where it came from, specific characteristics and uses.
• After completing the worksheet on colors and markings, create a picture of your dream horse using those terms and any medium you choose.
• Formulate reasons for the riding tips given and create some of your own.

Conclusion

Now that you've had the chance to explore the wonderful world of horses, you are ready to ride off into the sunset. To continue on your way to ending "couch potato syndrome," visit the other webquests or internet sites on different hobbies. Good luck and Happy Trails!

"God forbid that I shall go to any heaven in which there are no horses." --R. Cunninham Graham

© 2000 Kasha Schultz