The Sitting Trot

Today I'm going to address the problem most beginner riders face. A lot of people had trouble with it, including me. This problem is the sitting trot. I know how hard the sit trot can be- trust me, I went through enough troubles with it. 

Pic from http://www.yourhorse.co.uk

Sit trotting is when a rider rides a trotting horse without posting. In other words, the rider just sits on the horse. Sounds easy, right? Nope. Not at all. When a horse trots, its back goes up and down while its diagonal pairs of legs move forwards and backwards. This makes the sitting trot a bit like sitting on a jackhammer if you can't do it properly as the horse's movement forces you to go up an down as well.
As I said before, I had a big problem with the sitting trot. At my first stable, I was taught the sitting trot very briefly, in like 10 minutes. To make things worse, I was taught WRONG. When you sit trot, you're supposed to relax and let your back and ankles absorb the horse's motion. Instead, I was taught to cling with my legs to keep me on. I looked horrible doing it, I had no control over the horse, my feet kept coming out of my stirrups, and whenever I rode sensitive horses they would go faster and faster as they responded to my unintentional leg aids, making it even harder for me to stay on.
It was only when I moved to my new stable that I realised it was wrong. I was put in the experienced lesson, which suited me fine, except whenever we were required to sit trot, I would bounce around like an idiot, causing people to stare at me and making myself embarrassed. 
I've overcome my problem now by doing the following things:

• RELAXING and BREATHING. This is actually a lot harder than it sounds. If you concentrate too much or over anticipate the sit trot, you'll tense up, causing you to bounce even more. So really- just calm down and don't think about it too much- just sit.
• Putting weight into your feet and sitting deep. Doing this sort of anchors you down into the saddle and helps you keep your seat.
•  Sitting on your seat bones- think of it as sitting on the back pocket of your jeans.
• Leaning back slightly. I know your instructors all tell you about your line of balance and how you should have a straight line from your ear-shoulder-hip-heel, but it actually helps me sit better by leaning back. 
• Try and absorb the motion with your heels and your back. Riders with a very good sit trot don't move their but at all- instead they move their back to absorb the movement.

There are some exercises you can do to improve your sit trot. Some are:

• Riding stirrup-less- it helps improve your balance and seat
• Put a napkin on the saddle and sit on it. If you bounce, the napkin will blow away as there is no weight to keep it down. Sit trot for 15 minutes straight. Every time the napkin blows away, tell yourself you have to do ten pushups. This will help motivate you to keep your but down.
• Take some lunge lessons so you don't have to concentrate on steering the horse. Instead concentrate on your seat- concentrate on doing all the things I said above.

Sitting trot takes a lot of time and practice, but yes, it IS necessary. In advanced dressage tests, riders are only allowed to sit trot, not rise. In your trot to canter transitions it is much easier to do it from a sit trot so you can use your seat to urge the horse into a canter. Also, if you're ever thinking about swapping styles to western you need to know how to sit trot as westerns riders rise trot.
Good luck, guys. I hope your journey to learning the sit trot is easier than mine!

Rachel.

Hunter Jumping and Show Jumping- Difference??

Hey guys I know I haven't posted anything in AGES, almost like a month. And I'm sorry, I've just been MEGA busy. I've had tests, projects, homework, a piano exam, a dance concert, heaps of horse riding, and possible horse leasing deals. Yes- it has been a busy month.
As you probably know, show jumping is when a horse jumps poles and stuff, like this:

Pic from http://www.zimbio.com

But you may have also heard of hunter jumping, and it basically looks exactly the same. So what is the difference?
The basics of it is the same- people on horses ride a course and go over jumps. The main difference is how the course is ridden and how it is judged.
Show jumping is about how fast you can get around the course without knocking any poles down. There's a time limit and if you're outside the time limit you get faults. You also get faults if you knock any poles down and if your horse refuses (stops in front of the jump) or misses a jump. The person with the least faults at the end of the competition with the best time wins.
Hunter jumping is judged very differently. The judges don't care about time- they care about how nice you and your horse look over jumps, your horse's movements, the number of strides your horse takes between fences, etc. Like show jumping, it matters if you knock a pole but as I said before the time you take doesn't really matter.

So anyway, that's my post for the day- I hoped you learned something :)

Rachel.

Horse riding- who how what when where why?

So now you know more about horses, you probably want to start riding, right? If you do, you might be wondering how to start. That's what this post is all about- helping you start horse riding!
So first things first: Who's going?
Obviously you are, but if you want you can bring a family member or friend along too! The first time I went horse riding, I went with a friend from school. However if you don't want to do this, it's completely fine! You'll develop heaps of friends when you horse ride- I know I have! 

How?
This might not seem important, but it really is. If you have a driving license, you'll be able to drive yourself there and back. But if you don't, it's probably going to be your parents who end up taking you. You have to remember that while your having fun, it's THEIR time you're taking up. Also, who's paying for it?  Horse riding is a very expensive activity so make sure you don't take it for granted that someone's paying for you to go!

What?
I suggest starting with a few private lessons to learn all the basics. Then after you can confidently walk, trot and maybe canter I suggest you start some group lessons. These are what I do and I think they're much more fun cause you get to ride with your friends. In your group lessons you can work on things like jumping, dressage and maybe cross country or bareback!

When?
I suggest going once a week, but to start off you may want to just go a few times in the holidays to make sure you like it. Horse riding isn't for everyone! But if you do enjoy horse riding, you should start going regularly so you don't forget what you've learned over time. 

Where?
Check on the internet - it isn't very hard! All you have it do is type in "Horse riding in (your city/town/suburb here)". You can ask your friends for recommendations if they horse ride too. If you live in Sydney Australia, I can give you some recommendations:
Kurnell Boarding Stables and Riding School: Where I am currently riding- they have great instructors and horses.
Darkes Forest- For less serious riders, Saddle Club at Darkes Forest is great, they meet up once a month and work on different things like jumping, dressage, etc.
Otford Farm- They hold awesome camps here, where you stay and sleepover for 5 days and 4 nights. You have the same horse for the whole 5 days and you are grouped according to your ability. 
Eastside Riding Academy- I have never rode here myself but I have some friends who do and they love it here. The JRC (Junior Riding Club) is great to learn theory and improve your riding.

Why?
Horse riding is enjoyable, fun and a great way to spend your time. I find it better than other sports as it's not just your ability that affects your riding, but how you understand and bond with your horse. 

That's all, I guess :) I hope this helped and that you start riding soon, if you haven't already! 

Rachel.

Horse Anatomy

It'll be a quick post today but I'll post another one VERY soon, either later today or tomorrow :) Today I'm going to talk about horse anatomy.
Why do you need to know about horse anatomy? Well if you look at some things online you may see some references you may not understand. What is a hock? The withers? The barrel? You'll find out now.

Credit to http://spiritto.blogspot.com.au

It would be hard to make a lengthy discussion on horse anatomy, so if you follow the link below, there's an accurate picture with labels. The picture is NOT MINE, it belongs to Everything Dream Horse, so I'd like to give credit to them. Everyone should go check out their website for horse Halloween ideas, information on horse markings and more!
Follow the link to find out about horse anatomy:
http://www.everything-dream-horse.com/support-files/anatomy-horse-k.pdf

Rachel

Grooming a horse

You should groom a horse before and after you ride it, so it's important to know how to do it properly. To groom a horse you'll need:

• a Rubber curry comb (DO NOT get this mixed up with a metal curry comb. Metal curry combs are used for cleaning out the body brush, not for using on the horse)
• A Dandy Brush
• A Body Brush
• A hoof pick
• A metal Mane comb

First thing to use is your curry comb. The curry comb stage is like a massage for your horse and it warms up all its muscles. You brush your horse in circular motions on its belly. DO NOT use it on any bony areas on your horse, including its legs, withers, and face.

Next up is your dandy brush. A dandy brush has hard bristles and is used to get all the dirt, mud and dust off your horse. You use this on your horse in flicking motions to make sure you get all the dust off. Dandy brushes can also be used to brush out a horse's tail. You can use this anywhere on your horse except the face.

The body brush is used to make your horse shine! Use it in soft strokes to make your horses hair gleam. You can use it anywhere, even on the face because it has soft bristles.

A hoof pick is used to clean out a horse's hoof and make sure there are no sticks or rocks in it. It is hard to explain it well in writing, so I attached a video that will give you a much better explanation. Everyone should subscribe to aokamins11 if you have youtube- she makes very good videos!

Lastly use your metal mane comb to get the knots out of your horse's mane and if necessary pull or plait it.

And that is how you groom a horse! But if you are inexperienced, please check with your instructor before grooming your horse to make sure you're doing it right. Next time it'll be horse anatomy :)

Rachel.

Horse Movies

In the last holidays, I went on a marathon. I went to Video Ezy and rented all the horse movies I could find. And I watched all of them. And all of them were awesome. So now I tell you about the horse movies I watched and rate them :)

Secretariat:
I LOVED this movie. The last race was so suspenseful but I won't say anything so I won't spoil it for you. I think this one is my favourite horse movie out of them all. I rate this movie ♥♥♥♥♥ Five hearts :)

Secretariat, pic from http://thecia.com.au/

Spirit: Stallion of  the Cimarron
When I got this movie, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a cartoon, after all, and was in the "Young Children" section. But still, even though I was ten years too old for the movie, I still loved it. It was told from the horses point of view, and even when there wasn't narration you could still tell exactly what he was feeling. I rate this movie Five Hearts ♥♥♥♥♥

Spirit, pic from http://www.freecartoons.us

Dreamer:
This movie was really great and inspirational, about a family with not a lot of money healing a mare with a broken leg so she could race again. I rate this movie Five Hearts ♥♥♥♥♥

Dreamer, pic from http://en.wikipedia.org/

The Horse Whisperer:
A great horse movie for older people (it's rated M). It had a bit of drama and romance too, which I liked, and it's about a young girl who loses her leg, her best friend, and almost loses her horse in a car accident. I rate this movie Four Hearts ♥♥♥♥

the horse whisperer, pic from http://www.makefive.com/

Moondance Alexander:
One of the few horse movies where the main character is a teenager and a good rider. I rate this movie Four Hearts ♥♥♥♥

moondance alexander, pic from http://www.milodecruz.com/

Seabiscuit:
I love the story of Seabiscuit, a young horse who nobody wanted who ended up being a star in the right hands. It's about two broken beings healing eachother. I rate this movie Four Hearts ♥♥♥♥

Seabiscuit, pic from http://www.impawards.com/

Flicka 1:
Flicka is a great movie, and to make it better it's based on a book I love "My Friend Flicka" by Mary O'hara. It was a tad bit unrealistic but I still liked it so I rate it Four Hearts ♥♥♥♥

flicka, picture from http://img.neoseeker.com/

Flicka 2:
This movie has almost no connection to the first one, meaning all the characters are different. It was even more unrealistic then the first movie. For example, people say that the horse (Flicka) is loco, but when Carrie, the main character who has never been on a horse before, rides her, she doesn't act up at all. Also, after riding horses for about a week, Carrie can canter and back a horse up, which should take most people about a year of riding to learn to do. Still, it was an alright movie so I rate it Three Hearts ♥♥♥

http://horsezone.com.au/

These were all good movies so I recommend you renting them all, especially the ♥♥♥♥♥ ones. Next time I'll do a post about grooming horses, so make sure you don't miss it!

Rachel.

Basic Horse Equipment

A few weeks ago I did a post about riding equipment. But this time, we're going to talk about the horse's equipment. This will be pretty basic stuff, I might do a more detailed post about things later, but now its just to give you a basic idea if you don't know these things already. I tried to make it as simple as possible but sorry if you don't understand.

Rugs:
Rugs keep the horse warm and dry in cold weather. There are different types of rugs designed for different weather- while winter rugs are waterproof and thicker to help keep your horse warm in cold weather, summer rugs are lighter and are made of a breathable material that mostly ensure that a horse can stay dry if there is a light shower or that a horse's coat doesn't get bleached by the sun.

A winter rug, picture from http://www.replayclassifieds.com.au/

 
Bridle:
A bridle is the headpiece put on a horse when someone is riding it. It is connected to reins and a bit which helps you control the horse and tell the horse what to do and where to go. Some people also use hackamores, or bitless bridles. For more detailed information on bridles, go to http://www.goodrider.net/popup/lessons/ready/bridles.html

A standard bridle, picture from http://www.goodrider.net/

Saddle: A saddle goes on a horse's back and is what you sit on when you horse ride. It is attached to a girth (which goes around the horse's belly and stops the saddle from falling off) and stirrups (which your feet go in when you horse ride) and sometimes some other things such as breastplates or martingales. For more information on saddles go to http://www.goodrider.net/popup/lessons/ready/saddles.html

A basic English saddle, picture from http://tbnranch.com/

Saddle Blanket/pad: A saddle blanket is a rug that is put underneath the saddle and cushions the horse's back so the saddle doesn't rub against it. They are usually rectangular in shape but there is also a type of saddle blanket called a numnah which is in the shape of a saddle.

A standard saddle pad, picture from http://www.perrisleather.com/

Numnahs, picture from http://www.kileysequestrian.co.uk/

Halter/Headcollar: This is another headpiece but it is not usually used while riding, it is just used when you are leading a horse. It is attached to a lead rope that you use to lead the horse. 

Headcollar and lead rope, picture from http://www.yourhorse.co.uk//

Boots: These protect a horse's legs when are exercising or jumping. There are many different kinds such us splint boots, fetlock boots and bell boots.

Bell boots, picture from https://www.mikeswesternsuppliers.com/

Fetlock boots, picture from http://patchesequestrian.co.uk/

Splint boots, picture from http://www.tack24.de/

That's all for now :)

Rachel.

How much do you love horses?

Hey guys, its been a while! And I apologize for not posting anything sooner. You see, I was at horse riding camp and they give you no free time around that place. Even if I did have free time, there wasn't any internet connection.
Anyway, I was in the mood for something fun, so I created a horse quiz! Here it is:

How much do you love horses?

1) You are driving in the car with your family when you see some grazing horses. You
a) Shout "LOOK! A PONY!!" and eagerly watch the horse until it is out of sight.
b) Look at the horse for a few moments and admire it. If you do anything more your brother will tease you about it and you don't like to be embarrassed.
c) Glance at the horse before turning back to your video game. You're so close to a high score and nothing can distract you.

2) You break a minor bone in your leg and cannot horse ride until it has healed. You
a) Force your dad to drive you to your equestrian center every week to see what people in your lesson are learning. You shout out a few tips to your friends and when the lesson's over you pat the horses until your dad threatens to drag you home.
b) Read some horse books and count down the days until you can ride again
c) Text your friends about the unfairness of it all and wonder how much better everyone will be than you when you start riding again.

3) You've been riding for about 5 years now and are an experienced rider, but your parents still wont let you get a horse. You
a) Still dream about it! Flip through magazines and point out the horses you would buy before surfing the internet and picking equipment for your imaginary horse.
b) Argue with your parents about it for a while before dropping the subject and accepting that a horse is something you cannot have at the moment. That doesn't mean you can't get one when you're older, though!
c) Understand your parent's situation and be grateful that you are able to have lessons.

4) Pillow pets are 50% off! You buy
a) The horse, obviously!
b) The unicorn! You've always loved this mythical creature and this one's pink, your favourite colour!
c) Think about it for a while before choosing the dog. It looks exactly like your real dog!

5) What would you rather do?
a) Muck out a stall. At least you'd be near horses!
b) Clean out the tack room.
c) Clean your room. It's getting messy and you keep losing things.

6) You fall off a horse but your not hurt- just a bit breathless from your fall. You
a) Get straight back on! 
b) Sit down for a moment before getting back on in the last ten minutes of the lesson
c) Go straight home. It was humiliating to fall and you don't want to be further embarrassed if you do something else wrong.

7) Your friends are watching a dressage competition on TV and tell you that its boring and all the horse does is trot around in circles. You
a) Tell your friends they're wrong- the horse does much more than just trot in circles. You enthusiastically point out all the different movements the horse is doing- half-passes, piaffes, flying changes, etc.
b) Are insulted, but you don't tell your friends. Dressage is what you specialize in and it hurts when someone calls it boring, but your friends are important to you see you keep your mouth shut.
c) Tell your friends that they're right- dressage is boring, which is why you do showjumping instead.
8) If you could do whatever you wanted for a day you would
a) Go horse riding!
b) Go to see a horse show with your friends
c) Read a book
9)  Party time! It's your birthday party and you can watch any movie you want! You choose
a) Dreamer- best horse movie ever!
b) The horse whisperer- horses, drama and romance all in one movie!
c) St Trinians- My friends don't like horses, so we all agreed on this hilarious film!
10) If you could get any horse in the world, what breed would you get?
a) I don't care about breeds- its the personality that counts! And besides, I'm happy with any horse as long as I have one!
b) A brumby or mustang, or some type of wild horse. Even when they're tamed, their spirit can never be broken!
c) Something flashy, like an Arabian, so I can show them off to my friends and win competitions!

Mostly As: You are a true horse lover, and nothing can change that! You'd do anything just to be around horses, even if it means doing the dirty jobs like mucking out! To you, nothing is more important than horse riding and spending time with horses. They are your passion, your inspiration and your dream.
Mostly Bs: You love horses and love being around them, reading about them, and would probably love to own one, but your friends are considerably more important to you and you don't want horses to be part of your career. They will always be your hobby, just not your job.  
Mostly Cs: You like horses and enjoy riding them, but again, you wouldn't want to turn it into a career. To you, horse riding is fun, but something you'll probably drop later on in your life.  


So that's my quiz! I hope you like it guys :) But please take note that the results are ASSUMPTIONS. For example, if you got mostly b's, it does not necessarily mean that the results apply to you. Same with the other results. The quiz was purely for fun.
Anyway, my next post will be about horse equipment, but until then!

Rachel.

       

Signs of Colic

Colic is a very serious horse sickness that can kill a horse. It is necessary to know all about it if you're going to own a horse, lease a horse, or even just be around one. 
Basically colic is a stomach ache. It doesn't sound to bad yet does it? But it gets worse. Like I mentioned in one of my first posts, horses cannot vomit, so they can't get whatever bad thing they ate out of their system. The stomach ache gets worse and worse and soon the horse is in a lot of pain. So what does it do? It rolls. This is a horses way of trying to relieve the pain of the stomach ache, but really it just makes things worse. If the horse rolls too much, it can twist its intestines, and this is where the lethal part comes in. If this happens and a vet cannot attend to the horse in time, it can die.
So how do we know if a horse has colic? These are all the signs that can tell us (thanks, wiki!) The underlined ones are the most obvious signs and the ones that you should generally watch out for.

A horse's digestive system, pic from http://www.stophorsecolic.com/

• Pawing and/or scraping
• Stretching
• Frequent attempts to urinate
• Flank watching: turning of the head to watch the stomach and/or hind quarters
• Biting/nipping/kicking the stomach
• Pacing
• Repeated flehmen response
• Repeated lying down and rising
• Rolling
• Groaning
• Bruxism
• Excess salivation and sweat
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased fecal output
• Increased pulse rate
• Dark mucous membranes

What should you do if your horse has colic? Don't panic- if your horse really does have colic, you need to be calm for both yourself and the horse. Don't give yourself a scare if your horse is rolling- horses normally roll once and a while- it's just violent rolling you have to watch out for.

If you are sure or even if you're just half sure your horse has colic, call the vet. Even if your horse doesn't end up having colic, what would you rather? A dead horse or a vet bill?

DONT let your horse roll. Either tie him up tightly, walk him around to keep him moving and on his feet or let him lie down but not roll while you wait for the vet. Once the vet comes they can handle the rest but its important you call them as soon as possible otherwise it is much more difficult to take care of. Sometimes colic goes away by itself but call the vet just in case.

I've known horses that've had colic and its a scary experience. None of them had a serious case and twisted their intestines but it was frightening all the same- it's lethal, after all. However, if you remember the things in bold and watch out for all the symptoms then you and your horses should all be fine :)

Rachel.

Happy Fathers Days even if you're 13 year old girl like me :P

Happy Father's Day guys!! 
Everyone is probably busy baking things for their dad's and being nice, but what about your horses? They deserve something too! Remember most horses have to work for us every day, just like your parents. So here are a bunch of horse cookie recipes I found. I'll just put up the link cause there are so many recipes and There isn't really any point of just copying them onto my blog.

Go here for heaps of different horse treat recipes :

http://www.sherlockfarms.com/horsetreats.htm

http://infynitie.tripod.com/Horses/treats.htm

http://www.simplypets.com/pet-recipes/Horse/Treat

http://www.poky.net/xena/argo/recipes.html



Those should be enough to feed your horse for a lifetime :D I hope your horse enjoys them just as much as my Dad enjoyed the brownies I made for him!!

Rachel

Types of Riding

There are different types of riders out there and they all do different things. I'm going to list some types of riding and provide basic information about them so even before you start riding you have a small understanding of what type you'd like to do.

English Riding

English riding is the more popular style around Australia and can include dressage, show jumping, eventing, polo, endurance riding, horse racing, and more. English riders rise trot more than they sit trot and they hold the reins in both hands.

Dressage a form of English riding, picture from http://www.localriding.com/

Show jumping, a form of English riding, picture from http://www.thejoyofhorses.com/

Western Riding

Western Riding was developed for people working on a ranch. Riders will often be seen holding the reins in one hand (your less dominant hand) and holding a lariat in their other hand and sit trotting instead of posting. Some styles of western riding include reining, trail classes, cutting, roping, barrel racing and more.

Barrel racing, a form of Western riding, picture from http://www.rvrahinton.com/

Cutting, a form of Western riding where you herd cows away from a group, pic. from http://www.tiffanyhillsouth.com

Pleasure Riding

Pleasure riding is for the rider's personal enjoyment. Trail riding/hacking is a form of pleasure riding where ride on natural outdoor trails.

Trail riding, picture from http://ccrstables.com/

Me getting back from a trail ride.

Those are the basics of riding styles. Maybe another time I'll go into more detail about them but not right now.

Rachel.

Equipment

So now that you know more about horses you're probably thinking "When can I start riding?" But hold your horses (do you like my pun?) Before you go riding you'll need to do a bit of research about riding schools in your area. Also think- who's going to take you? Do you have enough time to take up a new hobby?
But you also need to think about equipment. Almost all riding schools provide helmets you can rent for no extra price and some even have boots that you can borrow. However, if you start doing regular lessons it is best to buy your own things.

Clothes:

When riding, you should wear long pants and a t-shirt (preferably a collared shirt). You can wear jeans, but it is good to wear jodhpurs because the denim on the jeans can leave rashes on your skin after long hours of riding.

Jodhpurs, riding pants made of soft material that are comfortable to ride in. I'd take a picture of my pairs but they're sort of old :) these ones are much better. picture from http://www.bytimbaker.com/

Helmets

Helmets are essential when riding horses. Like really. They can stop you getting seriously injured or even dying. It's very important to wear a helmet at all times. Even some dressage riders have started wearing helmets instead of the usual top hats. Remember, if you fall off a horse or your helmet gets damaged, always buy a new one.

The nicer looking helmets look like this, but there are much cheaper ones that have just as good quality. picture from http://www.thornhillusa.com/

 Boots  

You can wear any type of boots when you go horse riding, but its best to get some proper horse riding boots. There are two types of boots: Short, pull-on jodhpur boots, and long boots. Long boots are usually black and may look nicer, but they are also more expensive then jodhpur boots. Jodphur boots are short, leather and can be either black or brown. They're are the boots I own.

Jodhpur boots, picture from http://www.tacksales.co.uk/

Long boots, picture from http://www.tacksales.co.uk/

Half Chaps

Chaps are optional but they help you grip your horse better and to stop the saddle from pinching your leg. They are also a substitute for tall boots and you boot them over your jodhpur boots. I own a pair of chaps and I love them so I recommend them.

Half Chaps, picture from http://www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk/

Gloves

I like wearing gloves when I'm riding because some reins really hurt your hands. Also they make you look classier :)

Horse riding gloves, picture from http://www.zambora-int.com/

Crop

Crops are optional and I'd advise you not to use it all the time as some horses don't need a crop and you should get along just fine with your natural aids (seat, legs, etc.) However, if you do use a crop, I just want to be clear that a crop is to ENHANCE your natural aids, not substitute them.

Horse riding crop, http://www.kaboodle.com/

If you start riding regularly, you should at least own a pair of jodhpurs, a helmet and boots. All the rest is mostly optional.

Rachel.

Horse Colours Part II

Hey guys I'm back and this time I kept my promise. I'm gonna get straight to the point cause I don't have that much time and there a still a LOT of colours I haven't talked about.

Paint:

Paint horses have a coat with two or more colours, one of them being white and the other being brown, black, red or gold. They have patches or patterns on their coats. The two main types of paint horses are tobiano and overo. Overo paint horses are a colour with white splotches, and tobiano paint horses are white with coloured splotches. I personally like tobainos better but that's just me :)

Overo and Tobiano Paint Horses, picture from the American Paint Horse Association

Pinto:

A pinto horse is mainly the same as a paint horse, except a paint horse is a breed (the American Paint Horse), while a pinto horse doesn’t have to be a particular breed.

Pinto Horse, picture from http://www.michaelwincott.org/

 Flaxen Chestnut:

A chestnut horse with a flaxen mane and tail.

Flaxen Chestnut Horse, picture from http://www.morgancolors.com/

Liver Chestnut:

Liver chestnuts (also called dark chestnuts) are a browny dark-reddish colour. They have very dark red hair with smaller amounts of lighter red hair (eg. on the legs)

A Liver Chestnut Horse, picture from http://www.bloomfieldfarm.com.au/

Palomino

Palomino horses have a golden or creamy coloured coat with a white mane or tail. (can look similar to flaxen chestnuts, except palominos are lighter and their coat is more of a creamy shade as opposed to the more red shade of chestnuts)

A Palomino Horse, picture from http://www.typesofhorses.info/

Roan

A roan horse has a coat with white hairs mixed in with other colour hairs. The most common type of roans are blue roans (black hairs mixed with white hairs) and red roans (Chestnut hairs mixed with white hairs, they are also called strawberry roans) but there can be other colours mixed with the white as well and it is still considered a roan.

Red roan, picture from http://www.equine-world.co.uk/

Blue roan, picture from http://www.horseforum.com/

Appaloosa

Appaloosas are horses with spots on their coats. There are three types: a blanket appaloosa, a leopard appaloosa and a snowflake appaloosa.
Leopard appaloosas are white with coloured spots all over their body (these can vary in size)

Leopard Appaloosas, http://horses.mediarift.com/

Blanket Appaloosas have a white area around the hip area but it can also go further up the horse's back. There are coloured spots on the blanket which are the same colour as the base colour.

A blanket appaloosa, picture from http://www.richardbealblog.com/

Lastly there are snowflake appaloosas who have small spots are flecks on their body.

A snowflake appaloosa, picture from http://horses.mediarift.com/

Duns and Buckskin

Duns and buckskins are often mixed up but they are two very different colours. They both have a coat that can range from a gold to a tan to a sandy colour, and they both have black points with a black mane and tail (like a bay horse). However, dun horses have distinctive markings that buckskins don't. Buckskins and duns also have different genes (I'm pretty sure buckskins have a cream colour gene while duns don't, but don't quote me on that)
1. The dorsal stripe. A dorsal stripe is a dark stripe that runs up a horse's back, however not all horses with dorsal stripes are duns.

dorsal stripe, picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/

2. Zebra stripes. A dun will have zebra stripes that are most commonly on their legs, but can also be on their withers or behind their ears.

Zebra stripes on a dun horse's legs, http://uthappytrails.blogspot.com.au/

A dun horse, picture from http://www.crownzquarterhorses.net/

Buckskin horse, picture from http://arkoiscute.deviantart.com/

Those are all the well-known colours, but remember, there are many more uncommon colours!

Rachel.