Showing posts with label Horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horse. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2011

Ideas to Increase the Membership in Horse Clubs

Horse clubs often help sponsor sporting events as a form of advertisement.

Flag this photo

Few events are as inspiring for horse lovers as a horse show. However, horse shows and the clubs and associations that put them on require a lot of money. The declining economy between 2009 and 2011 has caused some horse clubs to lose members because of the expenses that club membership and horse show competition require. Some horse clubs have responded with creative strategies to attract new members.

Related Searches: Membership Discounts

Some horse clubs have made the decision to offer discounted memberships to encourage new people to join. Other clubs have chosen to offer an all-inclusive package for families with children. Still others are offering credits toward membership if the applicant agrees to volunteer a certain number of hours at club events. Some horse clubs are offering youth show participants free stalls at competitions as an inducement to become involved.

Cross-Club Recruitment

Many horse clubs recruit new members at other clubs or associations with participants that have similar interests, such as 4-H clubs, sporting clubs that use horses, such as polo clubs, or steeplechase-goers. Members of ranchers' associations, cowboy clubs, historical re-enactment groups or preservation groups, such as those dedicated to the preservation of the wild mustang, are likely horse owners and therefore club prospects.

Community Exposure

Horse clubs often increase membership by increasing their visibility at community events. Horse clubs often participate in local parades and other outdoor events as a form of advertisement. Others participate in charity events, partially to bring attention to the club. Sometimes free media coverage can be had by sending a press release about a club event to the local newspaper or television station. Starting a club newsletter or establishing a website are alternative ways that horse clubs increase their exposure and their membership.

Cater to Newbies

Many horse clubs have increased their membership by making their clubs easier to join. Classes and competitions especially targeted to beginners, one-day or local competitions as opposed to lengthy shows for advanced competitors are several ways horse clubs are adding members. Some are offering new categories for competition and offering more and smaller prizes in competitions, so that more new members can win.

ReferencesGo Horse Show: Go Horse Show Asks...Indiana Appaloosa Horse Association: Exemplary Regional Horse Club AwardAldinga Bay Riding Club: Strategic PlanPhoto Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesRead Next:

Print this articleCommentsFollow eHowFollow

View the Original article

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Things to Know for Horse Judging

Horse judging relies on determining how well a horse conforms to certain functions.

Flag this photo

Horse judging is the process of evaluating horses in competitions. Horse judges look at a variety of factors when making their evaluations. Horse judging relies on the concept of conformation, which is the extent to which a horse conforms to a particular purpose, such as racing or pulling heavy weight. Five basic criteria are looked at when determining conformation.

Related Searches: Balance

Arguably the most important factor in horse judging is balance. Balance is how well a horse is put together; in other words, the overall quality of a horse's anatomy in relation to all of its component parts. Balance is typically judged by viewing the horse from the side at roughly 25 to 30 feet away from the horse.

Structure and Travel

Structure and travel looks at a horses legs and feet. Structure and travel are evaluated from the side and from the front and back. Horses are judged by the quality of the bone structure in their legs as well as the quality of their hooves.

Muscle

The muscle portion of a horse examination involves examining both the quantity and quality of a horse's muscle. Because a horse has a great deal of muscle over its entire body, this portion of the judging is done from a variety of view points, including side, front and back.

Quality

Quality is an area of horse judging that is not directly related to a horse's functional abilities. Quality factors include a horse's hair, for example. Additional factors include the quality of skin, the shortness and erectness of the ears and the location and prominence of the eyes.

Breed and Sex Characteristics

Breed and sex characteristics look at the differences between different types of horses and how well a particular horse conforms to its breed and sex. For example, stallions and geldings should have heads that appear masculine, while mares should have more feminine features. Additionally, certain breeds of horses, such as quarter horses, should be more muscular than others.

ReferencesUniversity of Kentucky: Horse Judging ManualExtension: What Are Some of the Basics of Horse JudgingPhoto Credit Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty ImagesRead Next:

Print this articleCommentsFollow eHowFollow

View the Original article

Monday, December 12, 2011

How to Rebuild a Troy-Bilt Horse Transmission

Print this articleA Troy-Bilt Horse is a garden tiller that allows you to cultivate soil. Over time, the transmission will begin to slip and prevent the tines from turning properly. Rebuilding the Horse transmission is challenging, if you are not mechanically inclined or know nothing about the mechanics of a transmission. Troy-Bilt does not sell a rebuild kit for the Horse transmission. However, you can order the parts individually, if you want to rebuild the component yourself.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ChallengingInstructions Things You'll NeedRatchet and socket setWrench setScrewdriver setPliers -- including snap-ring setDrain panTransmission fluidReplacement partsWooden blockTransmission parts manualSuggest Edits1

Rest the front of the engine on the wooden block or other support, so the tiller will not tip forward when you remove the tines. Place the PTO drive in the neutral position. Disengage the clutch and loosen the bolts that connect the tines to the transmission. Push upward on the back of the handles and pull on the tines. The tine assembly will pull away from the transmission.

2

Set the drain pan under the transmission, and loosen the bolt so the fluid will drain out of the compartment. Let the transmission fluid drain until it quits dripping.

3

Disconnect the transmission from the engine, linkage and frame. The drive wheels will detach with the transmission, once all bolts are removed. Remove the drive wheels by opening the snap rings that hold the wheel assembly to the drive shaft. Place the transmission in a location that will allow you access to the entire assembly.

4

Begin disassembling the transmission. Place each piece in the order of disassembly, so you'll know how to reassemble the transmission. Inspect each part as you remove it, and tag any damaged parts so you can order them from Troy-Bilt. All gasket, seals and damaged gears require replacement.

5

Once you have identified the parts that require replacement and purchased them from a Troy-Bilt supplier, you can begin to reassemble the transmission. Place each part back in place in the opposite order of removal, replacing the old damaged parts with the new ones. Ensure that each part is secured before inserting the next one.

6

Install the drive wheels, and attach the transmission back onto the engine and frame. Slide the tine assembly back onto the transmission, and secure it with the swing-out bolts you removed earlier. Remove the support block and add fluid to the transmission. A small amount of fluid seepage is expected, so do not let this worry you when you start the garden tiller.

Tips & Warnings

Lubricate each seal and bearing before inserting these component parts back into place.

Grease the wheels and tines after reassembling the components.

The Troy-Bilt Horse garden tiller transmission has more than 70 parts. Replace only the parts that are damaged, as well as the seals and gaskets.

Do not operate the garden tiller, if you have any leftover parts.

Suggest item

ReferencesParts Tree: Troy-Bilt Horse Transmission PartsTroy-Bilt: Horse Garden TillerTroy-Bilt: Horse Rear-Tine Tiller, Model 682 Garden TillerRead Next:

Print this articleCommentsFollow eHowFollow

View the Original article

Friday, December 9, 2011

How to Rebuild the Transmission in a Toro Wheel Horse

Many small tractors operate with a simple gear-box reduction style transmission.

Flag this photo

Purchased by The Toro Company from American Motors Corporation in 1986, Wheel Horse brand tractors are known for having a simple and reliable design. Engineered for longevity and low maintenance, Wheel Horse tractor transmissions are a manually operated single-ratio gear-box system that changes the speed, torque and directional output of the engine. Rebuilding a Toro Wheel Horse transmission is a straightforward procedure easily accomplished by most weekend mechanics in a single afternoon.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ModerateInstructions Things You'll NeedLong screwdriverWrenchesRubber malletClean clothsMasking tapeFelt-tipped marking penPaperReplacements gears and shaftsDrill1/8-inch drill bitHammerAwlSmall flat-head screwdriverBearing greaseReplacement bearingsReplacement bearing racesSocket wrench setNew transmission casing gasketsTorque wrenchSuggest Edits1

Place the transmission in low gear. Insert the shaft of a long screwdriver through the center of the U-shaped joint connecting the transmission to the driveshaft; remove the pinion nut from the driveshaft with a wrench.

2

Disconnect the transmission from the engine flywheel, the transmission housing from the engine block and the transmission from the transmission mount with the appropriate wrenches.

3

Set the transmission on a workbench. Remove the bolts connecting the cover at the front of the transmission with a wrench. Tap the cover with a rubber mallet until the cover comes loose from the transmission casing.

4

Wipe the grease from the ends of the gears and shafts with a cloth. Attach a piece of masking tape to each shaft and gear and write a number on each piece of tape with a felt-tipped pen. Draw a diagram, on a piece of paper, with the marking pen, referencing the position of each gear and shaft with the corresponding numbers written on the masking tape.

5

Remove the bolts connecting the transmission case sections with a wrench and separate the case sections with the rubber mallet. Work the gears and shafts free from the transmission casing with your hands.

6

Clean all surfaces of all gears, shafts and transmission casing sections with a clean, lint-free cloth. Thoroughly examine all moving parts for signs of wear. Obtain replacements for any worn parts, specific to your tractor, at a tractor supply store or online.

7

Drill a vertical hole, with a 1/8-inch drill bit, down through the side of the shaft bearing races on the inside of the transmission casing. Gently hammer an awl into the drilled hole until the race snaps off. Carefully work the race from the bearing socket with the tip of a small flat-head screwdriver and then remove the bearings with the screwdriver. Wipe the bearing sockets clean with a cloth.

8

Work fresh bearing grease into new shaft bearings with your fingers. Set the new bearings, with the domed side of the bearing facing the inside of the transmission, into the bearing shaft sockets with your fingers. Set a new bearing race over the bearings. Select a socket, from a socket wrench set, with the same outside diameter as the bearing race. Place the socket over the top of the races and tap the races into the holes with a hammer until the top of the races are flush with the inside surface of the transmission casing.

9

Install new gaskets on the transmission case sections and resemble the casing with the wrench. Remove the masking tape from the shaft and gears one at a time. Coat the shafts and gears thoroughly with bearing grease and reinstall the parts into the transmission, referring to the numbers and diagram as needed. Bolt the cover to end of the transmission with the wrench.

10

Reinstall the transmission on the tractor; reconnect the transmission to the transmission mount, driveshaft, engine flywheel and engine casing with a torque wrench set to 18 foot-pounds of torque.

ReferencesTractor Data: Wheel Horse Lawn Tractors by ModelYard and Garden Tractor Service Manual; Primedia Business MediaGarden Tractors: Deere, Cub Cadet, Wheel Horse and All the Rest, 1930s to Current; Oscar WillResourcesWheel Horse: Wheel Horse ManualsMy Wheel Horse: Restorations Techniques and How-To'sPhoto Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

Print this articleCommentsFollow eHowFollow

View the Original article