“How to Make Your Horse Happy” - Script

Video / Audio
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7 / Fade in to long shot of barn
Cut to B roll shots: Fences
Horse long shot
Horse close up
Pan stalls
Close up of saddle
Shots from the HTU tack room / Fade in music
VO: Just like humans, horses have preferences too. Today we will look at basic grooming and tacking procedures, to see how YOU can make your horse happy and comfortable before going for a ride.
8 / Cut to interview
Super: Professional Horseman - Joel McQuagge
Interview style shot/side angle view of neck up / Joel speaks about the importance of proper tacking of your horse for both comfort and safety.
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10 / Super: Step 1: Grooming before tacking
Dissolve to medium shot of brush box / VO: Before tacking your horse, it’s important to get all of the debris off of him. This helps with comfort and cleanliness.
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14 / Super: Hoof cleaning
Long shot of the hoof cleaning
Cut into the hand and the hoof while cleaning
Medium shot of hoof cleaning
Cut in to frog area
(point to frog with finger) / The first step in the grooming process is to use the hoof pick to clean the horse’s feet.
You want to make sure that all of the dirt and debris is cleaned out of this area, the frog area. This is to help prevent objects, like stones or sticks, from creating bruises on the hoof.
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18 / Super: Brushing
Long shot on brushing
Medium shot on brushing
Close ups on brushing
Close up on flanks
(point to flank and hair growth directions) / VO: Now let’s look at how to brush the horse. You want to start with a stiff bristled brush to loosen the dirt and hair in the coat.
Make sure you brush in the direction that the horse’s hair grows. Brushing the opposite way is very uncomfortable for the horse.
Pay close attention to the flank area where the hair grows in a different pattern.
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20 / Long shot on the brushing process
Close up to brushing on the legs and face / VO: The next step is to use a soft bristled brush to remove the finer particles of dirt from the horse.
You should use a softer brush to remove the dirt from the face and legs.
Dissolve to the Step 2
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25 / Super: Step 2: Saddle Pad Placement
Medium Shot of Saddle Pad (when its hanging on the saddle rack)
Close up of saddle pad adjustments
(point to withers)
Long shot of placing the saddle pad on the horse
Cut in to the hands (right before adjusting saddle pad)
Super: CORRECT in white font
Medium shot of sliding saddle pad forward
Super: INCORRECT in red font / VO: The saddle pad is used to absorb sweat, cushion the saddle and protect the horse’s back.
It’s really important to adjust the saddle pad so that it fits comfortably on the horse’s withers. This is the withers area.
Here is the correct way to put the pad on the horse. Stand on the left side of the horse and lay the pad down gently.
Place the top of the pad on the horse’s withers and slide it backwards to achieve the perfect fit.
Try not to put it too far back and then slide it forward. This rubs the horse’s hair in the wrong direction and can be very uncomfortable for him when you are riding.
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29 / Long shot of horse with pad on back
Medium shots of bad saddle pad placement too far forward and too far back. Super: INCORRECT in red font
Medium shot of saddle pad
Close up of hands adjusting / VO: You want to make sure the saddle pad is in the right position because the placement of the saddle pad will guide where the saddle sits.
This saddle pad is placed too far forward.
This saddle pad is placed too far back.
It’s always better to adjust the saddle pad and make sure it is correct before attempting to put on the saddle.
Dissolve to Step 3
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33 / Super: Step 3: Saddle Placement
Long shot of placing the saddle on the horse the right ways
Medium shot adjusting saddle pad and saddle
Close up of saddle position on shoulder and withers (run hand down shoulder)
Medium shot of saddle placed correctly on horse’s back,
Super: CORRECT in white font / VO: Here’s how to place the saddle on the horse correctly. Using the saddle pad as a guide, place the saddle on top of the horse’s back.
You want to make sure that the saddle is placed behind the shoulders. To do this, run your hand down the shoulder and make sure your saddle is not pinching or sitting too far forward.
Placing the saddle behind the shoulders allows the horse to move freely and comfortably while being ridden.
34 / Medium shot of incorrect saddle placement
Super: INCORRECT in red font / VO: In this view, the saddle is placed too far forward and on top of the shoulders. This will inhibit movement and restrict the horse’s overall reach from his shoulder while traveling.
Dissolve to Step 4
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39 / Step 4: How to buckle or tie the front cinch
Medium shot of horse with saddle on and cinch hanging
Close up shot of buckling the cinch
Close up shot of tying the cinch
Super close up shot of cinch tied
(tie cinch and tighten tie)
Close up shot of correct cinch tightness
Super: CORRECT in white font
Close up shot of incorrect cinch tightness
Super: INCORRECT in red font / VO: There are two ways to cinch the saddle. Usually it is the rider’s preference. One way is not necessarily better than the other.
One way is to buckle the cinch. This is done by running your latigo down through the cinch ring, back up and through the front rigging ring and back down to the cinch ring again. To tighten, pull up on the latigo and insert the buckle pin into the respected hole in the latigo. Finally, run the remaining length of the latigo through the latigo keeper on the saddle.
The other way is to tie the cinch. This is done by running your latigo down from the saddle, through the cinch ring, back up to the front saddle rigging, back down to the cinch ring again, and back up through the front of the saddle rigging again.
To tie, run the latigo out the back to the left, across the front of the latigo, in through the back of the saddle rigging and back down and under the crossed portion of latigo. To tighten, pull up on your latigo and push the latigo slack through the tie on front dee ring rigging like this.
The cinch should be snug but not too tight.
When there are wrinkles in the horses skin and the horse appears uncomfortable the cinch is too tight.
Dissolve to Step 5
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43 / Step 5: Bridling
Medium shot of horse chest forward
(put pressure on poll to lower horse’s head)
Medium shot of horse being bridled from left side angle
Medium shot of horse being bridled correctly
Super: CORRECT in white font
Medium shot of horse being bridled incorrectly
Super: INCORRECT in red font / To put the bridle on, we ask the horse to lower its head by putting slight pressure on the poll. Once a horse yield to this pressure and gives us his head we can put the bridle on.
To put the bridle on stand on the left side of the horse. Place your right arm over the horse’s head between his ears. Grab the top of the bridle known as the headstall or crown in your right hand and split your figures across the width of the bit with your left hand.
Slide the entire bridle upward and insert the bit into the horse’s mouth by putting pressure on the outside corners of his mouth. As the horse opens his mouth, let him take the bit and pull the headstall further upward. Push each ear forward and under the headstall.
Some people try to put on the bridle bit first and forget to pull up on the headstall simultaneously. If you push the bridle into the horse’s mouth rather then let him take it on his own, the horse will throw his head back and resist being bridled.
Dissolve to Step 6
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47 / Step 6: Make sure the bit is fitted properly
Close shot of bridled horse head
Supper-close shot of mouth with bit and half of upper nose
(put fingers below cheek pieces and point to wrinkles in corner of mouth)
Super: CORRECT in white font
Super close shot of mouth with bit and half of upper nose
Super: INCORRECT in red font
Super close shot of mouth with bit and half of upper nose
Super: INCORRECT in red font / VO: The bridle should fit the horse properly with no loose parts. The bit should sit comfortably in the horse’s mouth on the bit seat.
To make sure the bit is fit properly and sitting comfortably in the horses mouth check if the bridle is adjusted correctly for the size of the horse’s head. A general rule is being able to put a few fingers under the cheek pieces of the bridle and that there is only one or two winkles in the corner of the horse’s mouth.
This bridle is too tight in the cheek pieces and the bit is sitting to high. There are too many wrinkles.
This bridle is too loose in the cheek pieces and the bit is too low. The bit will bang on the horse’s teeth.
Dissolve to Conclusion
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49 / Person walks tacked horse down barn and out the door dressed ready to ride
B-roll images with credits in text over images / Fade in music in background
VO: Once your horse is groomed and properly fitted in his tack, he’s ready to ride. Remember that a comfortable horse is a happy horse. If you tack your horse so that he is able to move freely in his stride and comfortable under the saddle, you as the rider will be more successful in everything you do with your horse.
Music
Music fade out