Hardwearing Leather Cowboy Hats For Everyday Fashion

Posted on 23. Dec, 2009 by Ned Dagostino in Horse Riding Gear and Accessories

Cowboy hats are back in fashion and everyone just loves them! They bring back memories of a lifestyle that made America the great nation it is today. Hardworking, rugged outdoorsmen who battled the elements on a daily basis. The hat they wore was their only protection from sun, rain, sleet, snow, and dusty winds. No wonder it was tough, as tough as they were. And the toughest of them all is the leather cowboy hat. The lifestyle has all but disappeared but the leather cowboy hat remains, a silent witness to the resilience of those nation-builders. The leather cowboy hat is as tough as ever, and has its own handsome looks. They are hard wearing, yet easy on the head, so you can wear one comfortably all day.

Folks living in the Wild West required a hat which would provide them with reliable weather protection from sun, rain, and hot, dusty winds – and which did not require any maintenance. They chose leather as the material for the hat because the other materials available then were just not up to handling all-weather usage. Leather was tough, and weather proof. Natural leather is permeable, it breathes. So the leather cowboy hat kept perspiration from building up on the wearer’s scalp even though he was working all day in the unbearable heat of the Mojave. Leather comes in a wide variety of natural shades: from almost white to almost jet. This degree of comfort with protection with good looks was unmatchable by hats of other materials, the closest competition coming from straw and felt hats.

Felt and straw cowboy hats are very popular but leather cowboy hats have a charisma all their own. This puts them above the other varieties of cowboy hats. Leather cowboy hats are the choice and pick of the elite, the celebrities who set the trends for today’s fashion.

Another reason for leather’s dominance is that it is extremely durable in all sorts of weather, and that’s why leather cowboy hats are reliable and effective protection for the wearer in the severest of environmental conditions. Straw is very good and light, but its lightness is its very weakness! It cannot last one season in the rain or snow, and as for the sun, the sunlight and its heat easily pass through the straw weave and affect the wearer’s head! Felt cowboy hats afford much better protection from the weather than straw cowboy hats. But they are hard to maintain. They deform easily when wet, and are prone to breaking up with rough handling. Besides many wearers complain that a felt cowboy hat feels like a cardboard hat! The bottom line is that leather cowboy hats are well worth the high price tag that they come with.

Maintenance is a very critical issue for cowboy hats. The wearer does not have the convenience of taking time off to clean and care for his hat. A leather cowboy hat is virtually maintenance-free. You just shake the dust off whenever you put it on or take it off. When the grime begins to show, you just have to wipe it off with a soft moist cloth. If you happen to have access to a good quality leather cleaning solution, all the better. In case your leather cowboy hat gets drenched, you just let it sit in the shade, out of the breeze, and dry out naturally. But that’s about all the maintenance a leather cowboy hat requires.

A leather cleaner is recommended for getting grime out of the grain of the leather cowboy hat. Choose a high quality cleaner which is formulated to maintain the natural oils in the leather itself. The natural oils prolong the leather’s life and hence, the hat’s life. Ask a reliable vendor of high quality leather wear about the best leather cleaner for your hat. Always make it a point to test the cleaner on a hidden patch, before using it on the whole hat.

You may want to get your leather cowboy hat cleaned by a professional cleaning service. Many stores carrying high quality leatherwear provide this service. Store away your leather cowboy hat if you are not going to wear it for some time. Storing it in a cool place away from strong heat and light sources, and away from direct sunlight, will prevent it from losing its shape and color.

Leather cowboy hats are very high-priced when compared to straw and felt cowboy hats. The initial expense is offset by the great good looks of the leather cowboy hat. Secondly, they are very durable, and will easily last a lifetime. Become the cynosure of all eyes – wear a handsome leather cowboy hat!

You’ll see great deals on all the top name brands including Resistol and Stetson cowboy hats when you go to www.DiscountCowboyHats.net. Whether you are looking for leather, felt or straw cowboy hats, we’ll let you know where to look get a excellent hat at an affordable price.

Signs and Treatment of Cushings Disease

Posted on 16. Dec, 2009 by Doug Stewart in Horse Diseases and Ailments

Cushing’s disease occurs in various animals (e.g. dogs, horses, people), although the symptoms in horses are different than the symptoms in other animals (e.g. in dogs it results in hair loss whereas in horses it results in greater hair growth). When the disease occurs in horses, it is known as Equine Cushings Disease (or ECD).

ECD is the result of excessive steroid production by the adrenal glands. This is caused by the pituitary gland producing too much hormones and thus over-stimulating the adrenals, which is usually the result of either tumor growth on the pituitary or age-related growth of the pituitary gland itself. Both changes of the pituitary are age-related, so ECD is most common in older horses (over 15 years) but has been found in horses as young as seven.

The nature and cause of the disease itself was first explained by Harvey Cushing, an American brain surgeon, in’21. Consequently, the disease is named after him.

The symptoms of cushings disease vary somewhat from horse to horse, with the more common symptoms including: – Changes to the coat. It may become longer and curly. It may not be shed in Spring. In some cases the color becomes lighter. – Increased sweating. This is often due to the coat become longer and thicker, and retention of the winter coat into summer. – Weight loss despite increased appetite and food consumption. Changes to the body shape, with loss of muscle in back and neck, and development of pendulous abdomen. – General depression, loss of coat shine, horse looks ill. – Development of diabetes and a resulting increase in water consumption. This can be difficult to detect with pastured horses, but with stabled horses one may notice an abnormal amount of urine (or soiled bedding) in its box. – Development of laminitis. The most common cause of normal laminitis is carbohydrate overload due to eating spring grass, whereas ECD-caused laminitis is more frequent in autumn and winter since ECD is worse when the days are shorter (this is because the pineal gland is light-sensitive and as daylight decreases it stimulates the pituitary gland). – Immune system declines, leaving the horse more prone to infections and slower to heal from external injuries. – The depressions above the eyes fill in. These depressions are most evident when a horse is chewing, but gradually fill in with fat in ECD horses.

Any of these symptoms can be caused by a variety of illnesses other than ECD. Consequently, blood and urine tests are normally used to confirm that the cause is ECD (e.g. by measuring hormone levels and hormone response levels) and to rule out other possible diseases. Studies have shown that many horses with ECD are either not diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed (the symptoms are incorrectly attributed to a different disease), with the result that they do not receive appropriate treatment.

Unfortunately it is not possible to cure ECD. However, one can slow the disease by the use of medication to reduce hormone production to normal levels. Note that some of these medications have strong side effects, so appropriate testing and control is required to prevent secondary illnesses (e.g. liver disease).

Since ECD and produce other illnesses, such as diabetes and laminitis, one needs to watch for symptoms of these related problems and treat promptly before they become serious.

One should also maintain the horse’s quality of life by treating any symptoms which make it uncomfortable. For example, if the heavier coat results in the horse becoming too warm, one should clip the coat in spring or summer.

Dr. Douglas Stewart is the author of Cushings Disease in Horses and owner of Horses for Sale

categories: cushing,cushings,disease,horse,horses,equine,pets

Trained versus Untrained Horses

Posted on 11. Dec, 2009 by Doug Stewart in Train a Horse

When looking to buy a horse, one of the first decisions is whether to get one which is untrained, partly trained, or fully trained. Most people, especially if it is there first horse, will be better off getting a horse which is already trained for whatever they intend to use if for. For example, if one intends to use the horse for basic riding it should already be trained for riding, whereas if you are using it for show jumping, it should already be trained in show jumping.

Buying an untrained horse or partly trained horse is less expensive (at least, at first) than a fully trained horse. It also offers you the opportunity to participate in its training, with the trainer of your choice. However, there are a few important risks with this approach:

- Cost of Training. The cost of training depends on individual circumstances and is hard to estimate, but it is under-estimated far more often than over-estimated. Aside from the direct trainer costs, unless the trainer comes to you, there are the additional costs of either stabling the horse with the trainer, or transporting the horse to the trainer for each lesson. Many people find that by the time the horse is fully trained to the level they require, it would have been cheaper to have bought an already trained horse.

- Accidents. Accidents can easily occur during training, even with a good trainer. These may result in vet costs or worse.

- Incorrect Training. Some trainers are not as good as others. In addition, many trainers will rush training or under-estimate the amount required, to get the contract at an acceptable price. This may result in an incompletely or incorrectly trained horse.

- Feel of the Horse. Two horses, with the exact same training, will feel differently to a rider due to the individual characteristics (build, personality, movement) of the horse. With an already trained horse, one can ride it before buying to know exactly how it feels, whereas with an untrained horse one can only guess what it will feel like after training.

- Health Evaluation. Part of the pre-purchase health checks is to ride the horse and to watch it carefully as it is being ridden in each gait. These particular checks cannot be done with an untrained horse.

Due to these considerations, buying untrained (or partly trained) horse can be both more expensive and more risky than buying a fully trained horse.

Unless you are a professional trainer (or working under the close supervision of one), you should not train a horse yourself. Otherwise there is the risk that the horse will acquire bad behaviors or habits, which can be difficult and expensive to correct.

You should also be wary of buying a partly trained horse based on the seller’s commitment to fully train it. Having made the sale, many sellers will rush the training and cut corners, in order to minimize their costs and receive payment as soon as possible. One should only make a purchase commitment when the horse is fully trained and you have ridden it to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the result.

As an experienced professional and owner of Horses for Sale, Doug Stewart has written this article based on his personal experience.