Horseback Magazine January 2013

2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - January 2013 www.horsebackmagazine.com

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McKinney, tX972-562-3772

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San antonio, tX830-624-1177

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© 2012 Morton Buildings, Inc. All rights reserved. A listing of GC licenses available at mortonbuildings.com/licenses.aspx Reference Code 043

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AN-49f (0113)

For stable coverage that makes sense, pick a winner. PROPERTY COVERAGE • Residences • Barns • Hay & Grain • Farm Machinery • Farm Products & Supplies• Tack

LIABILITY COVERAGE• Care, Custody & Control • Riding Instruction • Clinics • Boarding Liability • Shows • Carriage & Buggy Rides • Hay & Sleigh Rides • Umbrella

LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE

One-stop shopping for your EQUINE

INSURANCESOLUTIONS

Horse Sense.

To learn more about American National’s Insurance for Equine Operations visit:

anpac.com | keyword: equine

Products and services may not be available in all states and eligibility requirements will apply. Personal and com-mercial lines insurance is issued by American National Property And Casualty Company (ANPAC®), its subsidiaries or a liates, including American National General Insurance Company, Paci c Property And Casualty Company (California), American National Lloyds Insurance Company (Texas), American National County Mutual Insurance Company (serviced by ANPAC®-Texas), and ANPAC® Louisiana Insurance Company (Louisiana). American National Property And Casualty Company is a subsidiary of American National Insurance Company. Life insurance and annuity products are issued by American National Insurance Company, Galveston, Texas.

20th Anniversary Special Issue January 2013 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 3AN-49f (0113)

For stable coverage that makes sense, pick a winner. PROPERTY COVERAGE • Residences • Barns • Hay & Grain • Farm Machinery • Farm Products & Supplies• Tack

LIABILITY COVERAGE• Care, Custody & Control • Riding Instruction • Clinics • Boarding Liability • Shows • Carriage & Buggy Rides • Hay & Sleigh Rides • Umbrella

LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE

One-stop shopping for your EQUINE

INSURANCESOLUTIONS

Horse Sense.

To learn more about American National’s Insurance for Equine Operations visit:

anpac.com | keyword: equine

Products and services may not be available in all states and eligibility requirements will apply. Personal and com-mercial lines insurance is issued by American National Property And Casualty Company (ANPAC®), its subsidiaries or a liates, including American National General Insurance Company, Paci c Property And Casualty Company (California), American National Lloyds Insurance Company (Texas), American National County Mutual Insurance Company (serviced by ANPAC®-Texas), and ANPAC® Louisiana Insurance Company (Louisiana). American National Property And Casualty Company is a subsidiary of American National Insurance Company. Life insurance and annuity products are issued by American National Insurance Company, Galveston, Texas.


©2012 Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC.

Feed your horse’s liFestyle, not its age.Now there’s NutritioN for every stage of seNior.

They may be the same age, but their nutritional needs couldn’t be any

more different. After all, walking around the pasture takes a different

amount of energy than running around it. That’s why we’ve developed two

distinctive senior feeds, based on more than 17 years of Purina senior

equine nutrition research: Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® for active

aging horses with good dental and digestive health, and Equine Senior®—

the most vet recommended senior horse feed*— for horses with problems

chewing and digesting.

To learn more about managing your senior horse’s nutritional needs, visit activestill.com.*Recommended by 4 out of 5 veterinarians.

ZIPPY

LESS ACTIVE,AND HAS TROUBLECHEWING HAY.

17NAME AGE

SENIOR NEEDS

ZIPPY Harley

more active, withgood dental health.


NAME AGE

SENIOR NEEDS

1717

15323-Southwest_Dealer_Horseback_121212.indd 1 12/13/12 10:41 AM

dealer name City state website email address phone no:Steinhauser's Alvin TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 388-0388

Angleton Feed & Supply Angleton TX www.damonfarmandranch.com [email protected] (979) 849-6661

Arcola Feed & Hardware Arcola TX www.arcolafeed.com [email protected] (281) 431-1014

�e Feed Station Austin TX www.jensfeedstation.com [email protected] (512) 301-7788

Bandera Ranch Store Bandera TX www.theranchstore.com [email protected] (830) 796-3342

Bastrop Feed & Supply Bastrop TX www.bastropfeed.com [email protected] (512) 321-3700

Moore's Feed and More Blanco TX (830) 833-1651

Wheeler's Feed & Out�tters Boerne TX www.wheelersfeed.com [email protected] (830) 249-2656

Steinhauser's Brookshire TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 934-2479

AG Mart Brownwood TX www.agmart.com [email protected] (325) 643-3636

Lonestar Ranch & Outdoors Cleburne TX www.lonestarranchandoutdoors.com [email protected] (817) 645-4325

Clifton Feed Clifton TX www.cliftonfeed.com [email protected] (254) 7675-3416

Conroe Feeders Supply Conroe TX www.feederssupplycompanies.com [email protected] (936) 756-5549

J & D Country Store Conroe TX (936) 756-7667

Damon Farm & Ranch Damon TX www.damonfarmandranch.com [email protected] (979) 742-3317

Chachere Feed Store Dayton TX www.chacherefeed.com [email protected] (936) 258-2670

Stockman Seed Feed and Fertilizer DeLeon TX [email protected] (254) 893-5149

Gulf Coast Equine & Pet Center Friendswood TX www.gulfcoastequinepet.com [email protected] (281) 482-7186

Ranchland Country Store Goldthwaite TX [email protected] (325) 648-2741Feed and Fertilizer

Maci Feed & Supply Hardin TX [email protected] (936) 298-9404

Steinhauser's Hempstead TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (979) 826-3273

Cypress Ace Hardware Houston TX www.cypressace.com [email protected] (281) 591-2443

Hieden Feed & Supply Houston TX (281) 444-1010

Sam Houston Feed & Supply Inc. Houston TX [email protected] (281) 591-2443

Herrmann Feed and Supply Lampasas TX [email protected] (512) 556-5212

Livingston Feed & Farm Supply Livingston TX [email protected] (936) 327-8853

Spring Creek Feed Center Magnolia TX www.springcreekfeed.net [email protected] (281) 252-5400

Steinhauser's Magnolia TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 356-2530

Needville Feed & Supply Needville TX www.needvillefeedandsupply.com (979) 793-6141

Steinhauser's Richmond TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (832) 595-9500

Fort Bend Feed & Farm Supply Rosenberg TX (281) 342-2452

Tibaldo's Feed & Supply Santa Fe TX [email protected] (409) 925-2735

Steinhauser's Sealy TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (979) 885-2967

D & D Feed & Supply Tomball TX [email protected] (281) 351-7144

Haney Feed & Farm Supply Waller TX www.haneyfeed.com [email protected] (936) 372-3652

King Feed & Hardware Wimberley TX www.kingfeedandhardware.com [email protected] (512) 847-2618

To find a Purina dealer near you, visit:horse.purinamills.com


20th Anniversary Special Issue January 2013 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 5

©2012 Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC.

Feed your horse’s liFestyle, not its age.Now there’s NutritioN for every stage of seNior.

They may be the same age, but their nutritional needs couldn’t be any

more different. After all, walking around the pasture takes a different

amount of energy than running around it. That’s why we’ve developed two

distinctive senior feeds, based on more than 17 years of Purina senior

equine nutrition research: Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® for active

aging horses with good dental and digestive health, and Equine Senior®—

the most vet recommended senior horse feed*— for horses with problems

chewing and digesting.

To learn more about managing your senior horse’s nutritional needs, visit activestill.com.*Recommended by 4 out of 5 veterinarians.

ZIPPY


17NAME AGE

SENIOR NEEDS

ZIPPY Harley

more active, withgood dental health.


NAME AGE

SENIOR NEEDS

1717


dealer name City state website email address phone no:Steinhauser's Alvin TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 388-0388

Angleton Feed & Supply Angleton TX www.damonfarmandranch.com [email protected] (979) 849-6661

Arcola Feed & Hardware Arcola TX www.arcolafeed.com [email protected] (281) 431-1014

�e Feed Station Austin TX www.jensfeedstation.com [email protected] (512) 301-7788

Bandera Ranch Store Bandera TX www.theranchstore.com [email protected] (830) 796-3342

Bastrop Feed & Supply Bastrop TX www.bastropfeed.com [email protected] (512) 321-3700

Moore's Feed and More Blanco TX (830) 833-1651

Wheeler's Feed & Out�tters Boerne TX www.wheelersfeed.com [email protected] (830) 249-2656

Steinhauser's Brookshire TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 934-2479

AG Mart Brownwood TX www.agmart.com [email protected] (325) 643-3636

Lonestar Ranch & Outdoors Cleburne TX www.lonestarranchandoutdoors.com [email protected] (817) 645-4325

Clifton Feed Clifton TX www.cliftonfeed.com [email protected] (254) 7675-3416

Conroe Feeders Supply Conroe TX www.feederssupplycompanies.com [email protected] (936) 756-5549

J & D Country Store Conroe TX (936) 756-7667

Damon Farm & Ranch Damon TX www.damonfarmandranch.com [email protected] (979) 742-3317

Chachere Feed Store Dayton TX www.chacherefeed.com [email protected] (936) 258-2670

Stockman Seed Feed and Fertilizer DeLeon TX [email protected] (254) 893-5149

Gulf Coast Equine & Pet Center Friendswood TX www.gulfcoastequinepet.com [email protected] (281) 482-7186

Ranchland Country Store Goldthwaite TX [email protected] (325) 648-2741Feed and Fertilizer

Maci Feed & Supply Hardin TX [email protected] (936) 298-9404

Steinhauser's Hempstead TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (979) 826-3273

Cypress Ace Hardware Houston TX www.cypressace.com [email protected] (281) 591-2443

Hieden Feed & Supply Houston TX (281) 444-1010

Sam Houston Feed & Supply Inc. Houston TX [email protected] (281) 591-2443

Herrmann Feed and Supply Lampasas TX [email protected] (512) 556-5212

Livingston Feed & Farm Supply Livingston TX [email protected] (936) 327-8853

Spring Creek Feed Center Magnolia TX www.springcreekfeed.net [email protected] (281) 252-5400

Steinhauser's Magnolia TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (281) 356-2530

Needville Feed & Supply Needville TX www.needvillefeedandsupply.com (979) 793-6141

Steinhauser's Richmond TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (832) 595-9500

Fort Bend Feed & Farm Supply Rosenberg TX (281) 342-2452

Tibaldo's Feed & Supply Santa Fe TX [email protected] (409) 925-2735

Steinhauser's Sealy TX www.steinhausers.com [email protected] (979) 885-2967

D & D Feed & Supply Tomball TX [email protected] (281) 351-7144

Haney Feed & Farm Supply Waller TX www.haneyfeed.com [email protected] (936) 372-3652

King Feed & Hardware Wimberley TX www.kingfeedandhardware.com [email protected] (512) 847-2618

To find a Purina dealer near you, visit:horse.purinamills.com



Triple Crown® is a registered trademark of Triple Crown Nutrition Inc., Wayzata, MN.

Triple Crown’s newest pelleted feed has the versatility to nourish your entire

stable. From foals to seniors and everything in between, it simplifies the feeding

of multiple horses of any age. TLC’s high fiber makes it a great stand-alone feed

and works just as well when hay and pasture are in good supply. Plus, you get all

the benefits and technology found in our other feeds, fixed formulas, probiotics,

organic minerals, yeast cultures and Equimix®. For more information or to find a

dealer near you, call us at 800-451-9916 or visit us at www.triplecrownfeed.com.

* Must present receipts dated between January 1st and March 31st

ENJoy a LIFETIME oF grEaT NuTrITIoN.

Buy Triple Crown TLC and Earn a FREE Triple Crown SiMPLE Feeder - a $625 value*

go to www.triplecrownfeed.com orcall 800-451-9916 for details.

TCN_4833_TLC_Horseback Mag_8.88x11.375.indd 1 12/18/12 2:50 PM


Triple Crown® is a registered trademark of Triple Crown Nutrition Inc., Wayzata, MN.

Triple Crown’s newest pelleted feed has the versatility to nourish your entire

stable. From foals to seniors and everything in between, it simplifies the feeding

of multiple horses of any age. TLC’s high fiber makes it a great stand-alone feed

and works just as well when hay and pasture are in good supply. Plus, you get all

the benefits and technology found in our other feeds, fixed formulas, probiotics,

organic minerals, yeast cultures and Equimix®. For more information or to find a

dealer near you, call us at 800-451-9916 or visit us at www.triplecrownfeed.com.

* Must present receipts dated between January 1st and March 31st

ENJoy a LIFETIME oF grEaT NuTrITIoN.

Buy Triple Crown TLC and Earn a FREE Triple Crown SiMPLE Feeder - a $625 value*

go to www.triplecrownfeed.com orcall 800-451-9916 for details.

TCN_4833_TLC_Horseback Mag_8.88x11.375.indd 1 12/18/12 2:50 PM


10 Horse Bites

12 Parelli

14 Dream BiG & Believe - Kelly Kaminski

38 Whole horsemansiP - Dianne Lindig

40 TACK TALK - Lew Pewterbaugh

42 on the enGlish Front - Cathy Strobel

44 horse sense - Dr. Jessica Jahiel 46 COWBOY CORNER - Jim Hubbard

PUBLISHERVicki Long

EDITORSteven Long

NATIONAL NEWS EDITORCarrie Gobernatz

LIFESTYLE EDITORMargaret Pirtle832-349-1427

[email protected]

EVENTS EDITOR Leslie Greco

ADVERTISING OFFICESCORPORATE OFFICE281-447-0772 281-591-1519 [email protected]

BRAZOS VALUE BUREAUDiane Holt936-878-2678 Ranch713-408-8114 [email protected]

GULF COAST BUREAUCarol Holloway832-607-8264 [email protected] [email protected]

Volume 20, No. 1 Horseback Magazine, P.O. Box 681397, Houston, TX 77268-1397, (281) 447-0772. The entire contents of the magazine are copyrighted January 2013 by Horseback Magazine. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Horseback Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other material unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Horseback Magazine is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or management. Subscription rate is $25.00 for one year.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Horseback Magazine, P.O. Box 681397, Houston, TX 77268-1397. Fax: (281) 893-1029

Email: [email protected] Phone: (281) 447-0772

January 2013FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

When what was to become Horseback Magazine had its humble beginnings, the first Chrysler Concorde rolled off a Detroit assembly line, Osama Bin Laden was still an obscure Muslim radical in The Sudan, the Chicago White Sox drafted the first woman in Major League Baseball, and Bill Clinton began his tumultuous eight year run in the White House. For the first ten years of its existence, the magazine was far from the product we produce today. It had its beginning as an adjunct to a radio program called “Horse Talk.” Its host,

Houston’s Jerry Thames, ever ready to make a sale, saw the opportunity to compliment the advertising revenue generated on the air with a companion product in print. The magazine, including its stories, was basically a catalog of ads. But its founder became weary of the constant fight of being on the phone making sales calls from the front seat of his GMC 2500 pick-up truck. He approached us about buying the magazine and the rest is history. From the very first issue under our control we determined the magazine would have absolute integrity. We’ve done a good job of maintaining those uncompromising standards. We have taken unpopular positions on issues of importance to horse owners and ourselves – sometimes to our detriment. Most importantly, we have assembled a stable of writers with national reputations for being among the top horsemen in the nation. For the better part of ten years Pat Parelli, and sometimes Linda, have produced our nationally recognized column on the training methods they fine tuned into Natural Horsemanship. World champion barrel racer Kelly Kaminski has shared tales of her wonderful life on the grueling professional rodeo circuit. Jessica Jahiel is the nation’s leading expert on holistic horsemanship. She has dispatched common sense advice in her widely read Q&A column almost from the day we took the reins of the magazine. Veteran horsewoman Cathy Strobel was a writer for what morphed into Horseback before we came along. She remains with us today and is recognized as one of the country’s most respected teachers of horsemanship. We discovered Lew Pewterbaugh when we walked into his fine Bandera, Texas saddle shop and accidentally learned he can write. The column is one of our most popular, and for our money, there’s not a more knowledgeable leather man in the country. Equestrians travel to Diane Lindig’s remote Hill Country Equestrian Lodge to spend time honing basic horsemanship skills in her arena and on the trail. Cory Johnson sent us a column once out of the clear blue. He was just a reader who believed he had what it takes to write for Horseback. He was right, and his humorous homespun stories of mishaps and misadventures have thoroughly entertained readers from the very beginning. Then there is Jim Hubbard. The longtime rancher and former CEO began writing his column about nuts, bolts, rope, buckets, and boards, more than ten years ago. A couple of years later after we began running his photo along with the column, people recognized him and began stopping him and asking him questions. Not too long ago it happened in West Texas, 600 miles from his home in the Brazos Bottom. Hubbard had become a celebrity of sorts. All of this has made Horseback the very special publication it is today. At the end of each month folks are hard put to find a copy left at the more than 700 locations where they can pick us up. We have expanded beyond Texas into Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. We say thank you to our readers, advertisers, creditors, printer, and distributor. Helping celebrate 20 years is a very special thing and we are very privileged to be part of it.

By Steven Long

staFF

Cover Story: 16 All the President’s Horses - Steven Long

Lifestyle & Feature:22 Moosepant Studio, Margaret Pirtle24 Rodeo Time Means Trailering, Margaret Pirtle28 Saving Serrafina, Riva England32 Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta Ride, Margaret Pirtle36 Book Review - Children’s Almanac, Margaret Pirtle

Seems Like it was Yesterday!

NORTH TEXASMari [email protected]

NEW MEXICO BUREAU Laurie Hammer505-315-7842 [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSJim Hubbard, Steven Long, Vicki Long, Dianne Lindig, Roni Norquist, Pat Parelli, Lew Pewterbaugh, Cathy Strobel, Dr. Jessica Jahiel, Cory Johnson, Margaret Pirtle

On the Cover: Horseback Covers through the years



Brazile Sets Half a Dozen More Records at NFR

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Trevor Brazile, jack of all (roping) trades, has the ProRodeo record for having the most records and he either broke or extended six more during his 10-day stint in Las Vegas for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. At the top of the list was his record seventh consecutive All-Around World Championship, which extended his record total to 10 and allowed him to break out of his tie with Jim Shoulders for most total world championships (17) by a multi-event cowboy. He also won a record seventh Wrangler NFR all-around gold buckle, breaking the deadlock he’d had with Ty Murray and Tom Ferguson. The $50,649 he won on his way to finishing third in the team roping heading world standings allowed him to extend his National Finals (NFR and National Finals Steer Roping) earnings record to $1,505,697 and his career earnings record to $4,598,002. Luke Branquinho’s win in the fourth go was the 21st NFR round win of his career, moving him past fellow four-time World Champion Ote Berry on the all-time list for his event and Cody Ohl won two rounds of the tie-down roping to extend his NFR event record to 44. World Champion Barrel Racer Mary Walker broke the NFR earnings record for her event with $146,941, surpassing Sherry Cervi’s old mark by $841.• On his way to a second consecutive gold buckle in tie-down roping, Tuf

Cooper fell just short of becoming the youngest cowboy in ProRodeo history to surpass $1 million in career earnings. His $108,464 at the Wrangler NFR brought his career total to $995,249, leaving him just $4,751 shy of the milestone entering next month’s National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver. ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Ty Murray holds the record, having reached $1 million over the

Fourth of July run in 1993 when he was 23 years, 9 months old; Cooper turns 23 on Jan. 31.• Of the seven cowboys who used the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to leverage themselves at least seven places higher in the standings, nobody helped themselves more than steer wrestler Bray Armes. The NFR rookie from Gruver, Texas, had three second-place results and two thirds on his way to finishing fourth in the average and earning $85,397.

“Horse Bites is compiled from Press Releases sent to Horseback Magazine. Original reporting is done as circumstances warrant.

Content is edited for length & style.”

That allowed him to jump all the way from 15th place to sixth, right behind his traveling partner, Dean Gorsuch,

in the final world standings. Fellow steer wrestler Les Shepperson of Midwest, Wyo., who ended up winning the average, moved from 11th to third

and bull rider Beau Schroeder of China, Texas, also a winner in the average, went from 12th to fourth. There were four cowboys who advanced seven positions during the rodeo, tie-down ropers Adam Gray of Seymour, Texas, (13th to sixth) and Bradley Bynum of Sterling City, Texas, (14th to seventh) and team roping partners Erich Rogers of Round Rock, Ariz., and Kory Koontz of Sudan, Texas, (12th to fifth).• Cody Teel (20 years, 6 months) became the youngest world champion bull rider since Bill Kornell won the title in 1963 as a 19-year-old rookie and the Kountze, Texas, cowboy did it in what amounted to a war of attrition. The bulls had a 72 percent buck-off rate for the

rodeo and nobody had qualified rides in more than five rounds, equaling an NFR low. There were only two qualified rides all week that didn’t earn a check and only two rounds that paid out to all six places. Nine of the 15 bull riders showed up on the injury report from the Justin S p o r t s m e d i c i n e team during the 10 days of the rodeo, a few of them with more than one injury.• Parity thy name is team roping. All of the top 14 team ropers in the world standings (both headers and heelers) earned at least $100,000 for


Horse Bites - Con’t. on pg. 27

“Chuckulator” NFR Stock Awards

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (PRCA) – Chuckulator, the great 8-year-old bay stallion bred by Sutton Rodeos Inc. out of Justin Boots and Midnight Star, was voted the top saddle bronc horse at the Dec. 6-15 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It marked the first time in eight years that a saddle bronc horse has won a PRCA Top Bucking Stock award, presented by Pendleton Whisky, and the Wrangler NFR honor in the same

the season. It is a record for the event and equals the season record for most number of cowboys earning at least $100,000 in a single event. Tie-down roping has had 14 guys in the 100K club three times (2009-11). Applications received prior to December 15 might be considered for awards prior to the deadline. Only shows being held from March 2013 through December 2013 will be considered for sponsorship.

year and just the seventh time in the 54-year history of the NFR. Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Cool Alley Dip was the last saddle bronc horse to sweep both awards in 2004, the year that Billy Etbauer equaled the NFR record of 93 points he had set on Cool Alley Dip the year before. There was no such record breaking with Chuckulator. He bucked off Cody Taton in the fifth round and Bradley Harter in the ninth to get the voters’ attention. The other Wrangler NFR


HORSEBACK MAGAZINE: What makes a horse totally uncontrollable in a “runaway” situation? We’ve all been there, and speaking personally, I had my first experience with that at the age of four. Believe it or not, I actually stayed on, surely through no skill of my own. I just grabbed the mane and leaned forward. The experience has stayed with me to this day.PAT PARELLI: Well, first of all, I want to congratulate the magazine for its 20 years. We’re glad to have been here, and Happy Anniversary. HORSEBACK: We’ve had a great partnership with you and Linda. Now let’s talk about stopping that runaway horse.PARELLI: Somebody asked me one time if I ever had a horse run off with me and I said, ‘No, I just rode him as fast as I could.’ Of course we all know that is one of the scariest feelings in the world. The horse is out of control. He is running as fast as he can, and no matter what we do it feels like the world is soon coming to an end. The older we get, the more we realize that the greater forces of gravity take over quicker, easier, and come up at us faster. HORSEBACK: In other words, the older we get, the harder that ground is and we don’t bounce back like we used to when we fall from a runaway horse.PARELLI: A horse running off is something that has probably plagued everybody who has ever ridden a horse, and when you get down to it the three biggest fears are a horse running off, getting bucked off, or having a horse rear over on you. But today we address the runaway horse. It usually happens out of self preservation. In

other words, the horse feels like its life is in danger and he can’t defend himself. A horse is a flight and fear animal, not a fight animal. HORSEBACK: Fight or flee, how many times have we had that pounded into us when we are talking about equine behavior.PARELLI: So, we saddle our horses up and get on them, kick

‘em to go, pull ‘em to stop, use the reins to turn. In the end, what we have to have is the horse acting like a partner. The real secret is, we have to know when not to get on a horse. We need to know how to control the horse in the saddle. We need to know that in order to control the horse we need to be able to bend them to the right and to the left. If we understand that by bending the horse’s neck, we can actually control the hind quarters.

HORSEBACK: Explain that for our readers.PARELLI: When a horse is afraid, a lot of things happen in a chain reaction. His hind legs get powerful and start pushing. In his emotions, and in his mind, he starts making decisions about whether he needs to survive or not. So when were in the saddle we need to be able to

bend the horse to a stop. This is something we should practice all the time when we are in the arena, or even when we are just out in the field. Practice a controlled bending stop. Don’t wait until it is too late. And the real answer is don’t get on a horse that is not prepared. Don’t get on a horse that has a reputation for running off. You can find out on the ground using the exercises we use in the Parelli program and making a partnership with the horse.

“When Fight or Flee Takes Control”

By Pat Parelli with Steven Long


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A couple of issues back, I began telling of my travels last spring. I ended that chapter on my arrival in

Pendleton, Oregon. I thought I would pick-up the story from there and continue. I had two clinics that were to be held at the Sorey Ranch. Wendy Sorey is one of my best friends in the world, so this was to be a work/visiting time for us. I was to have

a youth clinic starting on Wednesday and ending Friday (It was Spring Break), then immediately begin my adult clinic Friday after the youth clinic was finished. If you’ve ever taught school, you know how exhausting

it can be. I really focus on each student and their horse getting to know their personalities as a team. Usually, I take the day after a clinic to rest not only my body, but my voice as well. So when I had to start my second clinic two hours after the first ended, you can imagine how tough it was. Amazingly, my voice and body held up for both and I was able to teach. Little did I know, I would take away my own

life lesson from this clinic.I had my oldest student ever in Pendleton. Mona Margetts, from Richland Hills, Washington was 76 years young and a joy to be around. She had been a military wife, raising her children in various places around the country as duty called. Her daughter, Julie had shown horses in dressage and pleasure classes, when she was a young girl. Mona had hauled Julie and was a show mom, but never really got to ride like she dreamed of doing. I now had both in my clinic. When we began with horsemanship, I noticed as did everyone else, how nervous Mona was. OK she was terrified. She had a wide eyed look of horror and a death grip on her horn. Her horse was a bit of a handful for her since

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Kelly Kaminski has twice won the WPRA World Barrel Racing Championship, and has also won the Reserve Championship twice at the National Finals Rodeo. This great American horsewoman continues to compete, hold clinics, and train worthy

horses. She is currently accepting a limited number of horses for training.

www.Kellykaminski.com

he was feeling her nerves and was reacting to her lack of confidence. Thankfully, there was a horse she could borrow that was quiet and solid enough for her to continue the class. Confidence was what we needed to work on. She had the want too and the heart, just not the courage. We did several exercises to work on her confidence. The horse she was riding is one I would classify as a babysitter. She was the kind of horse that no matter how hard you tried to get her to run, a slow lope was all you would ever get. Her stride was long so she had that rocking chair feel. The entire class got involved in building Mona up. When we started the barrel racing part of the clinic, she was trotting the pattern with a look of paralyzing fear on her face, I pulled her aside, turned the microphone off and quietly asked if she was having fun? She didn’t respond. I then asked if this was what she wanted. She replied that it was. I explained that this horse was going to take care of her and was not going to run off. I took a deep breath, looked her in the eye and quietly said, “Ok then, relax and

grow a pair!” (yes, it was crude but sometimes you just have to break the ice!) With a sparkle in her eyes, she replied without missing a beat, “Well I guess I will have to get a bigger pair of jeans to fit them in!” From then on she was having fun! It was so uplifting to watch the process of this woman who had given her whole life to raising her children and taking her daughter to shows, finally let go of her fear a little at a time. She went from holding the horn and being terrified to confidently loping the pattern on the final run, with everyone cheering! I was there to teach, but I came away with a new lesson in life for myself. We all have something we are passionate about and want to do. Mona wanted to barrel race at 76 even though she never had. Life is a process of learning that never stops. Since that

time, I think about her every time I learn something new. When the clinic was over, I was planning to haul back down to Caldwell, Idaho to pick up my friend, Debbie who was going to help me drive the next leg to Indianapolis, Indiana. There was snow in the mountains and the pass I needed to drive through was closed, so I had to wait. I had to be there by Thursday. This delay gave me time to rest and reflect on what knowledge I had just gained in the game of life from a 76 year-old beginner barrel racer.Dream Big and Believe! ~Kelly


A big man, too

tired for his sixty-four years, rides a big black horse up a gentle slope out of a shallow river valley, pausing now and then to look back across the winter landscape of dead grasses and bare trees. The dull green of the live oaks only emphasizes the brownness of the late Texas fall. He and his familiar riding companion speak quietly, infrequently. The horses are breathing easy on the soft rise. The man has been accustomed to a big office, a big desk, dozens of telephones, hurrying underlings. Now he’s on horseback and nearly alone in a near-silent world. He wears rich man’s clothes, an expensive hat, a khaki western-cut suit, a famous Rolex watch; he sits on a beautiful saddle on a

pedigreed Tennessee Walking Horse. They reach the top of the rise and look back at the valley. The sun is low in the south at midday, reflecting suddenly off a car on the highway, a mile or so away, back across the muddy little river. He’s been to this spot with people known to the entire reading world,

and showed them this valley with pride, grinning like a child. His sidekick falls silent, knowing he will gaze out at the valley: up and downriver, and west to the distant horizon.

It’s autumn, and later than he thinks.

She is Jewell, the wife of his ranch

foreman: “He rode clear till—I think maybe

even—he rode in the fall there before he died.”

It’s the winter of 1972; by the end of January he will be gone.

Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson moved into their house at the newly-purchased LBJ Ranch in 1952, when he was a Senator and in his late forties. After having residences in Austin and Washington DC, for the first time they owned a parcel of land large enough to support a small cattle operation and to run a few pleasure mounts. For the next twenty-odd years, until his death in early 1973--through the excitement

By: Henry Mecredy


EDITOR’S NOTE:

One of the most important things about owning a magazine is having ambition, the ambition to make a significant contribution to history so it will be saved for future generations. We take that as a sacred responsibility. When we first took over what is now Horseback Magazine we assigned such a story to an old friend, Austin engineer, Henry Mecredy. He has a profound sense of history with deep family roots in the Texas Hill Country. Who better to research Lyndon B. Johnson as the Texas rancher he actually was. Nobody had ever written about LBJ’s relationship with horses. He tracked down old friends of the former president, and even found and interviewed the Secret Service agent who was at the ranch when Johnson died. Even 10 years after it was written, Mecredy’s piece remains the best feature story to ever run in Horseback. Enjoy.

LBJ at the Hill Country Ranch

Impromptu ride on NYPD Horse while campaigning



of a prominent Senate career and the incredible successes and traumas of the Sixties--Lyndon and Lady Bird returned time and again to their Hill Country home, literally to within a mile of his birthplace. The Ranch is a well-known Texas landmark, and a reflection of the Texas-born President who lived and died there. A combination of working cattle ranch, showplace, and hideaway, it supported a number of horses over the years who fulfilled similar multiple roles. President Johnson posed on horses, spontaneously jumped on them for publicity, and used them for Ranch work, but he also spent some of his most relaxing moments on horseback, wandering his cherished Pedernales River homestead. By 1953, Johnson had brought to the Ranch a horse he would ride for many years, a Tennessee Walker gelding named “Silver Jay.” Many family and publicity photographs of the era, as well as Mrs. Johnson’s home movies, show then-Senator Johnson posing or riding on this big white horse. But in the early Sixties, while Johnson was Vice-president,

Silver Jay was put down after breaking a hip. Silver Jay’s death prompted Johnson’s close friend, Governor Buford Ellington of Tennessee, to give him a five-year-old retired show horse, another Walker named “Lady B.” Lady B was a big black mare, with off socks, a near-rear stocking and a blaze. The people who rode Lady B for pleasure loved her (one said “she was a honey”); those who tried to use her for Ranch work were less enthusiastic. Lady B, with years of Walking Horse show training, did not respond to the control methods of rein and boot familiar to the Hill Country boys who worked Johnson’s cattle, and so acquired a reputation for balkiness. Moreover, not being trained with a lariat, she startled one cowboy by running away; dragging the small calf he had roped, as soon as he dismounted. (He reported that the calf “hit the ground every twenty feet” all the way to the barn, but was not seriously harmed.) Though Lyndon told his buddy Buford in one phone conversation, “You see where I

been ridin’ your Tennessee Walking Horse as a cow pony?” there appears to have been some wishful thinking involved. Besides his two favorites, Johnson owned other horses that lived at the Ranch. Prominent among these was Old Blue, controversial among the Ranch folk who disagree on the personality of the horse. He was given to Johnson by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce after a successful trick-riding career. Some Ranch staff felt he was much too opinionated to ride. Apparently Old Blue was able to change direction much faster than the Ranch boys, and seems to have taken some pleasure in doing so without warning. There is an unsubstantiated story that he threw one of the Ranch cowboys in front of Mrs. Johnson and a visiting dignitary. However, even Old Blue had his boosters, who said he was a wonderful cow horse. Old Blue and Lady B long survived the President; both died in the mid-Eighties after having been companions in old age. They are buried on the Ranch. In the later years of his

LBJ & Hubert Humphrey


Presidency and in his retirement, Johnson expanded his cattle operations to a large ranch in Mexico; along with the cattle he bought for this ranch came a big, beautiful gray horse named Silverfoot. This dramatic-looking animal was Johnson’s pleasure mount when he visited the Las Pampas hacienda.

Lyndon expressed a fear of overpopulating his land with horses, supporting his policy with one of the exaggerations for which he was famous: “He told me one time that…feeding horses is what broke his daddy, and be damned if it was going to break him,” said Melvin Sultemeier, one of several local boys

who worked the Ranch from time to time. (Actually a bust in cotton is what broke his daddy.) Jewell confirms this quote: “I knew his thought on horses was that they just ate a lot of grass and a lot of feed and they didn’t need a lot of them around the ranch.” Besides enjoying his Ranch


horses, Johnson was inclined to hop onto horses he spotted during public appearances. In a famous incident in Boston during the 1960 campaign, when LBJ was Jack Kennedy’s running mate, Johnson climbed on a policeman’s horse during a motorcade and waved his hat. In photographs of the stunt, the horse looks wall-eyed and skittish, and the Johnson grin looks a little bit forced, as though he were calculating the impact on the campaign of a runaway VP candidate. In the fall of 1964, near the height of his popularity as President—and undoubtedly with an eye on the November election--he attended the Oklahoma State Fair. The President’s activity diary, written by the staff, reports in fractured prose: “The President again boarded his car in the motorcade and drove the 4 blocks to the platform where he saw a horse before the platform and decided to mount it and wave and ride around to the sheer delight of the newspaper’s photogs and reporters. He dismounted and walked to the platform.” When Johnson won

reelection in his own right, he and his running mate Hubert Humphrey celebrated at the Ranch by posing for a famous photograph on horseback, waving cowboy hats. The President sits on Lady B while Humphrey is on El Rey, Jewell Malechek’s horse. This incident was a source of amusement for journalists as well as the affable Humphrey, who years later described his unease on horseback and his feeling of absurdity wearing Johnson’s oversize Western clothing. Of course, regardless of his personal pleasures associated with his horses, imagery was never absent from Johnson’s mind. His lavish barbecues on the north bank of the Pedernales became legendary. Their atmosphere was often enhanced by the presence of local boys on horseback, holding a small passel of cows to graze on the south bank just across from the guests, or crowding a herd through on a pretend cattle drive in a simulated, mythic Texas scene, choreographed by Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson’s biographers and associates all describe his craving for human company; he was famous for taking guests on mandatory sightseeing

expeditions around his domain. The self-absorption exhibited in these scenes was obvious. Yet his horseback rides were different. On his rides he would take along a conversation partner to be sure (often Jewell Malechek). But his riding companions were not people he needed to impress or manipulate. So while it may have stroked his Westerner, Rancher, Big Texan self-image, it also surely offered the peace and relaxation known to any horseman. Lacking press cameras and one-upmanship opportunities, these rides must have been genuinely relaxing for Johnson. Here he could ride quietly far from the din of his daily life, hearing only the wind soughing through the live oaks and mesquites; the calls of mourning doves and bob-white quail; the plodding hoof beats and snorting of the horses; the creaking of the saddles; and the quiet conversation of a riding partner with no role in the decisions of government. According to Jewell, “He loved to ride…he’d ride his Tennessee Walking Horse, and I have a horse, and usually we’d [ride] together.” According to the Johnson birth story, on the stormy dawn when Lyndon, the elder Johnsons’ first child, was born, his grandfather forded the swollen Pedernales on horseback to fetch a doctor. And then at the end there were horses. Mike Howard, the Secret Service agent and horseman who moved to the Ranch after Johnson’s retirement, was fetching hay for Lady B and Old Blue in his pickup when he received a call on the mobile phone, on January 22, 1973, to hurry to the President’s room. But when he arrived Johnson was already dead from his third heart attack. Johnson’s state funeral in Washington that week was led by the riderless horse, Black Jack. That animal was seared into the Nation’s memory during President Kennedy’s funeral fewer than ten years before, when few Americans had heard the word “Vietnam.” And in a fitting epilogue, one of Johnson’s last requests was fulfilled when the big horse from Mexico, Silverfoot, was brought across the border to the Ranch for grandson Lyn shortly after LBJ’s death.

hB

On the Campaigne Trail

20th Anniversary Special Issue January 2013 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 21 20th Anniversary Special Issue January 2013 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 21


From the close-up of an oil painted horse on canvas splashed

with shades of pink, yellow, and orange, to their riders, and native wildlife, beloved animals have proven to be an exciting and moving subject for painter Joanna Zeller Quentin. A native of Illinois, Jo began drawing animals as soon as she could hold a pencil. By the age of eleven she had completed her first portrait of a friend’s horse. During her teen age years, she continued drawing portraits of stable horses, blending the rider’s knowledge of anatomy, tack and equine behavior with her talent of paint and ink. As her skill was noticed through competitions and shows and her award winning images have appeared in magazines such as Chronicle of the Horse and Horses in Art. She also shows at the American Academy of Equine Art, LSU’s Annual Animal in Art International Juried show, The Classic/Draft Horse Classic and the Ex Arte Equinus IV painting division.

While horses are her main focus, her talent isn’t limited just to their magnificent form. While in college in Florida, she developed a love for the Gulf Coast region and the natural beauty of the flora and fauna. This led her to expand her painting and prints to other wildlife and avians. Joanna also uses her creative talent to help support various horse rescue groups across the country, especially those involved in rescuing and retraining off-the-track Thoroughbreds. She is a proud juried member of Artists United for Animal Rescue and holds a membership in the International Society of Equine Artists. C u r r e n t l y residing in Dallas with her husband, she is available for commissioned portraiture and illustration projects, as well as having a limited number of original painting and giclee reproductions. Her creative designed

HoofPRINTS notecard, with dressage, hunter/jumper and eventing disciplines are available at tack stores nationwide.

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After a hard day in the saddle a nice comfy bed in familiar sur-roundings is the best

gift you can give your tired mus-cles. Finding this treat is one of the issues faced by the modern equestrian competitor or casual rider. A horse trailer which also includes living quarters might be the answer to this problem. It eliminates the hassle or ex-pense of staying in hotels and allows you to transport your tack, horse and other essentials. It’s easy to see why the modern horse trailer with attached liv-ing quarters has become one of the hottest items for the eques-trian traveler. The size of your living quarters depends on whether your rig has a bumper hitch or goose neck, the latter being sizably larger, giving more free space for your com-fort. We know that horses have their own personality - as do their owners. So what sort of living quarters do you want in your horse trailer? Obviously a bed is a must, and you can sleep 2, 3, 4 or even more if desired. Again, the size of the trailer and the size of your wallet is the deciding factor. There are many brands of trailers on the market, some less, and some more expensive than others. What you need is a trailer dealer you can depend on to help you with the process of choosing what is right for your situation. Triple M Trailers of Tex-as is one of the top dealers in the country with wide selections of design options and extensive floor plans. Conveniently located off Interstate 20 in Canton, Bill McKinley

It’s Rodeo Time, Shouldn’t Your Horse Arrive in Style?

IT’S RODEOTIME!

By Margaret Pyrtle, Horseback Lifestyle Editor

has more than 30 years experience in not only trailers, but in farm and ranch sup-plies. This gives him the added value of understanding what horse people need. So let’s take a look at some of the options avail-able to you. • Sundowner Horizon, an all alu-minum trailer boasts a full bathroom and array of standard features for the comfort and safety of owners and horses. With five different models in the Horizon catalog, this trailer can bring many years of enjoy-ment to you and your family. Not a custom built trailer, this line from Sundowner is perfect for a home away from home dur-ing shows, events or trail rides. Complete with covered hay rack, LED strip lighting, under-manger storage area and room for up to four horses, this line fits the bill for use every weekend. The layout and planning of this

trailer respects the safety and durability for both the horse and its owner. With smooth double finishes, head and shoulder partitions, drop down face guards, recessed horse vents, and patted butt bar. Bill McKinley and family have tak-en another step to insure that your moving home and horse transport gives you the security you need on the road and a per-son to speak to immediately is available should any issue arise when you are out on the road. Beginning January 1, 2013, the McKinneys will offer a 24 hour- 365 day- a-year tech support with the purchase of a trailer. That means no matter where

you are, what time of the day or night, if you call with questions or a problem, a technician will be on the phone with you to answer your questions or guide you to a solution for your problem. Bill and his dealership family un-derstand that questions and problems never seem to occur when you are at home or in a situation that doesn’t require immediate attention. It is when you are out on a trail ride, or late at night when trying to unload horses, that a question or situation seems to appear. So with that in mind, a purchase from Triple M Trailers of Texas is like tak-ing a tech with you on the road, the trail or to an event at all times. • Lakota Trailers feature two dif-ferent categories of live-in trailers to choose from - the Charger and the Big Horn lines. • The Charger is a versatile, afford-able, rugged and lightweight trailer that

can provide years of durability and per-formance. It’s all aluminum framing with insulated walls and ceiling in your horse’s area, protects your favorite ride right down to the matted floors, pop-up vents, recessed lighting, rear light switches, gate spring and square drop down feed doors. In the liv-ing quarters you have a choice of layouts all with tongue and groove plywood floor,

solid hardwood oak cabinets, three burner range with hood, heating and cooling units, bedroom and jack knife sofa. For you enter-tainment after a long day, you may add en-tertainment packages including TV, DVD, CD and interior speakers. • The Big Horn is Lakota’s new luxury line trailer. This modern family friendly trailer features larger floor plans,

stunning interior decor, abundant storage, all with the rugged durability you expect in a trailer. For even the largest horse, the 7’10” exterior height gives your animal maximum head room and the removable dividers allow you to define the amount of space you need for each horse. For safety the escape door on the first stall, rounded cor-ners and full extruded slat makes for a com-


fortable ride through any terrain. Inside the expanded living space allows you and friends to spend time in comfort. From crown molding, to a bone colored double kitchen sink with oil rubbed bronze fix-tures, the Big Horn is horse travel at its best. Maybe this year is the time to find a trailer that fits your family, your

horses and your lifestyle. Time to forgo endless drab motel rooms, fast food joints, and trailers not inclined to give your horse a safe and comfortable ride. Both Sundowner and Lakota have trailers to fit any lifestyle and budget. Bill McKinley and his family know how to help you find the right trailer and price for you. Visit them today,

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Top Stock Awards went to Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage in the bareback riding – the second such award in three years – and to Powder River Rodeo’s Shepherd Hills Tested in the bull riding. Full Baggage was the 2011 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year and finished second to Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night in this year’s regular-season.

Horse Bites - Con’t. from pg. 11

FEI TV on the Go Application Launched for iPad and iPad Mini

LAUSANNE, (FEI) – The FEI launched its first application for iPad and iPad mini devices – FEI TV on the Go – as an extension to FEI TV, its official video service. The free app, available now has been developed to allow FEI TV subscribers to enjoy live coverage of the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions, events and Championships away from their computers. In addition to live coverage, FEI TV on the Go has been designed to create an exciting mobile experience for equestrian enthusiasts, giving users access to insightful selections of video-on-demand content from FEI TV, including pre- and post-competition reports, interviews with top riders and equestrian lifestyle magazine programming. The new app is packed with useful features, including an instantly-delivered FEI news feed with event previews, competition reports, latest rider rankings and other official FEI updates and FEI press releases. Users can also ensure they do not miss any action by adding events directly to the calendars on their devices, while a countdown clock indicates the time remaining to the next live broadcast. In addition, FEI TV on the Go comes integrated with the FEI’s Facebook and Twitter feed so that users can interact with the FEI and the international equestrian community on digital social media networks while using the app. FEI TV on the Go apps for iPhone and Android platforms are currently in development and will be launched in 2013.

Our Relationship with Blue-bonnet Equine Humane So-ciety (BEHS which is a non-profit organization stationed

out of College Station Texas) began in 2011 when My husband Aaron England Owner of England’s Versatile Horse-manship did a colt starting demonstra-tion with an non-started horse, for The Bluebonnet Expo. As soon as Aaron was done with his demonstration. Bluebonnet immediately asked him back for the fol-lowing year. I was really interested in be-coming part of Bluebonnet’s work, along with my Husband as the work they do for rescued horses was so amazing to us. I turned to the BEHS website, bluebon-netequine.org and I came across what is called “The Training Horse Challenge”. I got very excited and told Aaron that this was something I really wanted to do. I could be apart of the expo, and I could help give one of these special horses a real chance at a better life! Immediately I be-gan scanning through the horses listed that needed to be worked. I came across what looked like a grey thoroughbred filly named Serafina. My heart leapt with ex-citement at the sight of her as I was raised around thoroughbreds and I have a spe-cial love for the grays. Serafina is approxi-mately a two and a half to three year old filly that was part of a seizure by law en-forcement and brought to BEHS by court order, along with her Dam, Sire and brand new baby brother on Christmas Eve 2011. I was so excited to meet Serafina that I couldn’t sleep through the night,

thinking of what she and her little fam-ily had been through made me so deter-mined to help her. When I first met Serafina I thought, how anybody could have treated this beautiful mare so badly, and have her turn out so sweet. I could tell right away in my heart that we had an immediate connection. I hadn’t felt this way, the con-nection I mean, about a horse since I lost

my best friend Pretzel in 2008. I could tell however that she had absolutely no train-ing and that I would have my work cut out for me. I had only three months to get her looking FABULOUS and going well un-der a saddle! The first two months were all about getting her light and responsive through our program which teaches natu-ral horsemanship methods that encourage

Rescuing Serafina

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you to communicate with your horse in a language they can easily understand and accept. Our program is designed to build trust, respect, and confidence through a partnership. I knew that as young as Serafina was, I would have to get a strong commu-nication on the ground that would trans-form when I go on her back. She is a very calm and confident horse so I was able to do a lot of fun things with her, such as ly-ing her down on the ground, bowing, and walking around a multitude of different obstacles. I began finding myself becoming more and more attached to Serafina the closer we got to the challenge, and then finally our big day had come. She and I were both nervous and being put to the test along with many oth-er trainers and rescue horses. As we pulled into the expo center I kept thinking to myself, this could be my very last day with her, she could be adopted. I could feel my heart begin to crush inside my chest and a big knot well in the back of my throat. I finally began to realize that not only had I just trained this horse, I had fallen in love with her. Serafina had become a part of me and I a part of her. At that moment I knew it in my heart I could not give her up. I wanted to adopt her into our family! After talking to my Husband Aaron, he agreed that if no one adopted her by the end of the day, she could come home with us. I was thrilled, but we still had a job to do which was so much easier, knowing that she could be mine at the end of the day. We entered the arena and Serafina was a pure natural in front of the crowd. The routine we did for our free style demo

was meant to tell the story of Serafina and the countless other horses that have gone through neglect, abuse, and starvation. I wanted everyone to know that even the most tragic story can have a happy ending. The song I chose to use for our routine was “Rescue Me”; this can’t be the end of the story, By Kerri Roberts. It really said it all! As the day drew to a close all I cared about was Serafina, she had done so well, and you could see it in her eyes, an advocate trying to speak for all neglected horses. Serafina and I won first place in our class of “foster horse under saddle”. I was so proud of her. Then to my ultimate surprise I heard it, Serafina and I had won all around Grand Champion! I was ecstatic, and even more convinced that Serafina and I belonged together, and that we were meant to go out and spread her story! We really want to show people how spe-cial these horses can be when shown love, compassion, and training. People need to know that they can adopt a rescue horse and help them to tell their stories, and give them a happy ending too. Serafina did come home with me at the end of that very memorable day, with a little help from the very special people that run the adoptions at Bluebon-net. Serafina and I are together to this day, both our lives changed forever and with a bond stronger than any I have ever en-countered. We are planning to come back to the Bluebonnet Expo next year and re-ally show what one lucky horse and one lucky girl can accomplish together!

Happily Ever After, Riva & Serafina





An Arizona Official Centennial Event - Created, Organized and Hosted by Steve Shaw, author & historian

Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta Ride

One day shy of his thirty-fourth birthday, Wyatt Earp’s world spun uncontrollably around

him as he knelt in the backroom of Campbell and Hatch’s Saloon and Billiard Parlor, his arms wrapped tightly around his younger brother’s lifeless body. Moments before, while playing pool, two shots rang out, the upper window of the rear door “splintered by tongues of flame and spitting lead.” Morgan was hit by the first bullet, back-shot from unknown assailants that had waited patiently in the rear alley until close to midnight for their “kill shot.” The bullet shattered Morgan’s spine, bull-nosed through him and lodged in the thigh of a spectator. The second shot pierced the wall just inches from Wyatt’s head as he sat watching the game. The killers fled. Scarcely over two years earlier, in late 1879, the Earp’s had come to Tombstone to find their fortunes. Word of a silver strike by Ed Schieffelin brought fortune-hunters, boomers, soiled doves, speculators, and entrepreneurs to the Goose Flats area of Arizona Territory. The Earp’s were among the throng of many hoping for a sure thing and to get rich quick. What they found was murder, corruption and deceit among “a hodgepodge of shacks, adobes and tents” … a lawless town held in the grips of a loosely

organized assortment of unruly, bullying, oftentimes cattle rustling cow-boys. Persistent threats had been made

on the Earp’s lives, especially since the March 15th, 1881 Benson stage robbery, just north of Drew’s Station. With a desire to be elected sheriff, Wyatt’s furtive scheme of offering the Wells Fargo reward to Ike Clanton as incentive to aid in the capture of the outlaws eventually unhinged Ike. The situation worsened over time with Ike attempting to intimidate the Earp’s and Doc Holliday. The continued threats and resultant gunfight behind the OK Corral was just a harbinger for things to come for the Earp’s. With his hands soaked with Morgan’s blood, Wyatt had a decision to make. He realized it was only a matter of time before assassination attempts would be made upon himself and his friends, until they would suffer the same fate as Morgan. Outnumbered and outgunned, many men in the same situation would run, exit the country for greener pastures and seek a safe haven. But Wyatt had

sworn to Morgan he’d avenge his death - “to get even.” A promise he intended to keep. Some say Wyatt had an epiphany – and running was

not his game. Wyatt formed a posse of gunmen; honorable, dependable men not threatened by the perils that faced them … men willing to put themselves in great danger. He, Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, Texas Jack Vermillion, Turkey Creek Jack Johnson and Sherman McMasters formed the deadly coterie … first to escort Virgil and his wife Allie,

along with Morgan’s body, safely to the train station at Contention. There they learned Ike Clanton, Frank Stilwell and Billy Miller were waiting at the Tucson rail station to kill Virgil. Wyatt and his men traveled on to Tucson, where Clanton and Stilwell, shotguns in hand, were discovered quickly by the Earp’s. Stilwell was killed – his body riddled with bullets and buckshot. With the discovery of his body, newspapers across the country labeled Wyatt Earp’s action a vendetta, with a capital V, which became a major story in California newspapers. Armed with the knowledge of who exactly was responsible for Morgan’s death from a copy of the final verdict of the coroner’s jury, Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta Ride began in earnest with their next killing ; that of Florentio Cruz at Pete Spence’s woodcutting camp at South Pass. Wyatt’s Vendetta would continue and more blood would be spilled …………..



Not since Wyatt Earp and his posse’s bloody trail of retribution

has an organized group of horseback riders traced his ride of vengeance. This five-day historic horseback ride takes us to the Chiricahua, Dragoon and Whetstone Mountains, through the high country around Tombstone, visiting highlights and original sites of the Vendetta Ride such as: Pete Spence’s wood-cutting camp site where Wyatt and his posse gun-downed Florentio Cruz; Iron Springs, where Wyatt had a shoot-out with the Cow-boys and killed “Curly Bill” Brocius … or, wait … was the killing at Cottonwood Springs? You will be the judge of this controversy!;

along the San Pedro River where the town sites of Charleston, Fairbanks, and Contention were situated – all frequented by the cow-boys and Earp’s; Drew’s Station (the site where some say the “feud” truly began); plus, Johnny Ringo’s supposedly “haunted” gravesite and more – much more!This adventure into Wyatt Earp lore and Tombstone history includes well-trained horses matched to each individual’s riding abilities (this ride is suitable for all riding levels, from the novice to the advanced), full tack, wranglers, historians, three meals a day (sack lunches for saddlebags), and a few surprises.

Take Part in Wyatt Earp’s VEndETTa RidE!

Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta Ride isn’t the only Great American Adventure Ride awaiting you this year. Now you can ride where legends rode so get ready to saddle up and create the next great aventure.

Great American Adventures www.great-american-adventures.com

[email protected] 505-286-4585

• June 16-21, 2013: Butch Cassidy’s Rustler’s Rendezvous at Hole-in-the-Wall “a historic ride, plus two day cattle drive”Johnson County, Wyoming Territory

• June 19-23, 2013: Custer’s Ride to Glory“a historic ride, plus re-enactment participation”Little Bighorn, Montana Territory

• August 18-22, 2013: Jeremiah Johnson’s Wilderness Ride“a historic, scenic camping, mountain experience” Dubois to Gros Ventre, Wyoming Territory

• October 13-18, 2013:Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta RideTombstone Arizona Territory

• Nov 4-8, 2013:John Wayne’s Monument Valley Ride“a scenic ride into Western film history”

Steve Shaw is a member of Western Writers of America, Inc., and the Wild West History Association, has appeared

on the History Channel and as an historian for Biography’s Doc Holliday episode, is often cast as background on many film and television productions,

and is currently filming The Lone Ranger movie in New Mexico. His novel, Beyond

the Rio Grande, can be purchased on Amazon.com. Wyatt Earp was one of his

childhood heroes.



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Precision Joint Solution is an innovative supplement scientifically formulated to support and maintain the health of

your equine’s joints and connective tissue. Through extensive research and studies we have developed the most synergistic and cutting edge joint supplement out on the market today. Precision Joint Solutions key ingredients of BiovaPlex™ and Enzymes support the joints integrity. Decreasing inflammation, hindering cartilage breakdown and supporting healing are the foundation of this synergetic approach to joint health. BiovaPlex™ Natural Egg Membrane, is water soluble and rich in beneficial proteins that support the stability and flexibility of synovial joint integrity. Amazingly, egg membranes are made of the exact same ingredients as equine joints. In fact, egg membrane is one of the only substances on earth that naturally contains a range of constituents needed to rebuild cartilage and connective tissue, including key glycosaminoglycans like chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, as well as collagen and other proteins. The unique combination of so many joint health

nutrients in one natural ingredient is a key factor in Precision Joint Solution’s fast results. Serrapeptase Enzymes are used for their ability to reduce swelling and increase the speed of recovery. They also help the body to reduce inflammation, cleanse toxins and free radicals from soft tissue. When part of the body is harmed, fluids develop around the injury. Serrapeptase dilutes that fluid, making it easier for the fluid to disperse. It can also stop the discharge of animes, which give rise to pain. Proper mineralization is necessary for strong, healthy joints, tissue and bones. In today’s environment, our ground is depleted in the much needed minerals that support healthy bone structure. Without proper nutrients, the equine loses the strength and integrity of its bones, tissues and joints. Not only is it important to supply these nutrients, but to make sure that it can be absorbed and utilized. That’s why Precision Joint Solution uses only the best chelated ingredients to insure optimal absorption. The Founder of Precision Joint Solution, Cherie Hecht has had a passion for horses and their health since her first pony. This led her to a career of equine health and nutrition. It was Cherie’s unfailing desire to give her horses the best therapy and the best nutrition that led her to develop Precision

Joint Solution. I first began using Precision Joint

Therapy Supplement in 2011 on my wife’s horse. Her five year old sustained an injury during his third year while preparing for the 2009 NRHA Futurity. While this was very disappointing to us, the recovery was downright heartbreaking. We spent the next year rehabilitating him wondering if he would ever be sound again. We had two vets tell us this horse would never compete again. We began riding him again in early 2011, but were very selective how we trained him. He would begin many of his workouts stiff in his body and legs, and reluctant to work. That summer Cherie approached us with a new form of joint therapy supplement. I had used supplements in the past and had not seen any significant difference in the horses. I in fact had stopped using them all together. However, this horse had grown very close to our hearts, and we were willing to try anything. Within a couple of weeks I began to notice a difference in his workouts and in his overall attitude. Shortly after that we took him to his first show while on the supplement where my wife scored her very first plus one maneuver! After about two months he felt like the strong healthy three year old that I had remembered. Since then I have used Precision Joint Solution on other training horses with great results, as a therapy and a preventative.

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2012? From the release of The Hunger Games film to the United States debut of boy band One Direction, from quarter back Eli Manning to pop icon Justin Bieber, The World Almanac for Kids 2013 ( ages 8 and up: $13.99) chronicles the most notable people, places, and events of 2012 alongside of plenty of new, fascinating facts. On sale nationwide this annual bestseller is a homework helper, reference book, and entertaining read all in one.

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as presidential trivia and the 2012 election. “Must-Have Fashions, the “World’s Youngest Billionaires,” “Viral Video Stars,” and much, more. This book is also a valuable educational source, featuring tips on test prep, internet research, and even cloud computing. Meanwhile, vivid photos showcase the year’s most memorable headline in sports, movies, music and other must-know news.

This issue is a great way to both entertain as well as educate young readers, to get them excited about learning and interested in the world.

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Assessing Your Horse’s

Learning Style

Back in October, I wrote an article, describing how I had to adapt my old tried-and-true

lead change exercise, in order to accommodate my young mare, Nellie’s, way of learning. I described adding slanted ground poles over which she must travel, at each point at which I wanted her to change from one lead to the other. I describe further how I found, accidentally, that it was most natural for her to change from her left to her right lead, when her right was on the low end of the slanted pole, even when that meant changing to the lead nearest the rail, rather than away from it. Unlike other horses I have

trained, Nellie had a very hard time making the same change, (from left to right lead), toward the inside of the arena. I set about looking and listening for some answers, or clues, as to why. I wanted to know more about learning and the mind, in humans, and in horses. I watched an interview on Book TV with inventor, author, and futurist Ray Kurzweil, in which he spoke about his theory of how the mind learns, develops, and functions in mammals. He described layers of knowledge, laid down over time, via the brains’ ability to recognize and identify patterns. This could explain the increasing complexity of human knowledge, I thought, but what explains a horse’s ability to learn from a one-time

experience? Or its innate knowledge that it must get up and nurse within minutes, and run within hours of its birth? I went online, to find information on learning styles for humans, that I might then adapt and apply to training horses. Instead of finding one widely accepted theory or set of terms, I found many. One theory names just 3 learning styles- auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Another includes a list of opposing categories, such as sensory- intuitive, active- reflective, or sequential- global. One theory shows each style as being its own separate entity, while another displays them as overlapping sections on a pie chart. Go figure. The theories did agreed that humans learn in different ways. In fact, one theory says that no two humans learn in exactly the same way, and that learning is much more complex and nuanced than can be described by any set of individually defined categories. Instead, it describes “a continuum with one learning preference on the far left, and one on the far right”, and says that, while each individual has certain learning preferences, they are just that- preferences, not set-in-stone limitations that dictate how we are capable of learning. Furthermore, no two humans are a “pure” example of any one learning style, or, for that matter, personality. We can blend or combine our preferred learning style with others, and become better at those outside of our preferences. Considering the uniqueness of each human being and the complexity of the brain’s functioning, it makes sense that we would, in this way, each develop our own “best” way of learning. Since each horse is a unique individual, it makes sense that the same might be true for each of them. So how does this apply to horse training? Let’s take Nellie’s case of the lead-change exercise. I had noticed earlier in her training that, if she saw a reason to do what my aids were asking her to do, she was more relaxed and willing to do it. For instance, if I would wait until we were almost head-on into the arena fence before asking her for a change of lead, she would change quickly, without anticipating, tensing up or fighting my aids. Similarly, when she saw a bend in the trail, she would sometimes change leads on her own.

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In both cases, she saw a “reason” for changing leads. Yet, when I asked for a flying change without an obvious, (to her), reason to do so, she would anxiously try to push through my aids, even though I had methodically trained her to respond quietly to them. When I added the ground pole, with the inside end raised, and the outside end slanted down toward the arena fence, I gave her a reason to change leads toward the outside, lower end of the pole. In terms of one of the learning style theories listed above, Nellie is a “global” learner, more than a “sequential” learner. She wants to see the point or purpose, if you will, in what she is doing, rather than just executing each part of the task sequentially, simply because my aids have asked her to. So, I am learning to adapt my training style accordingly. I will link the global and sequential learning styles by coupling my sequential aids, with a global-purposed object or stimulus, such as the ground pole in the lead-change exercise. I’ll couple my aids with

an obvious bend in the trail for the same purpose, or work cattle on her, so she sees a reason to stop or change direction quickly when my aids tell her to. As she gains confidence in her new-found skills, I should be able to rely more on the just the aids that I’ve been coupling with the “global stimuli”. I’ll still use sequential training in certain situations, since

Nellie can also become better at learning outside of her preferred style. So how have Nellie’s flying changes of lead progressed, since my October article? I’m happy to say that, although she isn’t nailing every single one, her percentage of balanced, correct changes is increasing session by session. It hasn’t been the overnight, light-bulb-goes-on mastery of a skill that I sometimes see, but there has been gradual, consistent improvement. I’m sure someone has given these two styles of learning names, too, but I don’t know what they are!! Rather than worrying about labels,

I’m just going to continue to adapt and see what works as I go. Please email me your training questions, and Always, Remember to Enjoy the Ride!

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“A New Focus”

Horseback Magazine’s Saddle & Tack Editor

Once again, another year has rolled around, and despite the Mayan calendar, it looks like we’re going to have to

face it. I know that I have to focus on new ways of doing things, because the old ways just aren’t working anymore. I heard on the radio that Christmas shoppers seemed to lack joy this year. Duh? The economy is still in the tank, and I don’t look for it to get better. Since this is supposed to be about saddles and tack, I’ll try to avoid politics. There are plenty of “armchair quarterbacks” and people aren’t going to change their minds because of what I say anyway, unless, hopefully it is about saddles and tack. So, once again, it’s time to spread an old sheet out on the floor, bring your saddles and tack in from the barn or trailer, and get to cleaning and oiling. Let your leather warm up before working on it so it will be pliable, and start by wiping off dust and debris. Take your bridles completely apart, undoing buckles and ties, so that you can clean and oil inside the turn-backs and under the buckles and tongues. If you haven’t done this before, pay special attention to how they come apart, so you can put them back together correctly. You may want to just do one buckle at a time, so you don’t get confused. It’s easiest to just use a commercial liquid saddle soap in a spray bottle. They are mostly the same, so the brand doesn’t really

matter. I’ve always used Murphy Oil Soap, mixed about ¼ Murphy’s and ¾ warm water. I say this every year, but saddle soap is just soap - it’s not really a conditioner. After your leather is at least partially dry (and very clean), is when you apply your oil. Lots of people use olive oil, some use vegetable oil, some use peanut oil, I still prefer pure neatsfoot oil. Food grade oils are fine for softening and preserving the leather, but they tend to make rodents think they’re eating peanuts or corn when they’re gnawing your fine leather to pieces. If you don’t want to darken your leather, Kali Leather life is a protein conditioner that will not darken your leather, and it works well on some leathers. I still prefer neatsfoot oil, but I will use the protein conditioner on some saddles. When applying oil, do it sparingly! Too much oil does as much damage as too little. Leather is

kind of like a felt; lots of interlocking fibers. When under stress, these fibers tighten against each other and become stronger. When the leather is too dry for too long, the fibers “dry rot” and will tear under stress. When you put too much oil on the fibers, they slip and stretch and can pull apart. In addition, the excess oil will leach out to the surface, attract dust and dirt, and stain your clothing. Put the oil on dry. It will absorb into the leather, carrying the dust and dirt with it, also acting like a varnish that bonds the dirt to the surface of the leather. That is why you should never oil leather without a thorough cleaning. Rule of thumb for oiling; put a light coat of oil evenly over the leather, count to ten, if the leather has absorbed the oil, put on another light coat. Keep this up until the oil lays on top of the leather longer than ten seconds, wipe off the excess, and let the leather sit, preferably


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overnight. The next day, I like to put one more light coat, just to make sure. Then I go back to the beginning or first piece I did and start applying some kind of top coat. I still like “Blackrock Leather-n-Rich”, but to do it right requires a lot of elbow grease. It’s actually pretty much the same with any of the wax type products. They all need to be buffed. You can cheat on this step with a spray type wax like Fiebing’s Saddle Shine, but whatever you do, DON’T USE LACQUER! I know lots of old timers use “Saddle-Lac”, but it clogs the pores of the leather and prevents oil from being absorbed the next time you clean and oil your saddle. It may be fine with a real light coat, but my experience with it is that most people spray too heavy a coat on their saddles, without proper cleaning first, and they just seal the dirt to the leather, and the only way to clean and oil the saddle ever again is to strip it with a paint and lacquer stripper and start over. A side note, the lacquer stripper can eat your nylon stitching.

People have said that neatsfoot oil will do the same thing. Actually not true. What usually happens is dirt gets into the stitch holes cuts and abrades the stitching, then when you clean the saddle, the stitching starts coming out. You can soak thread in pure neatsfoot oil and it loses no strength. Neatsfoot oil compound, on the other hand, especially the cheap imported kind you get at the horse auctions for $5.00 a gallon, often contain as much as 90% reprocessed motor oil, a petroleum product, and it CAN weaken nylon stitching. The better brand names of neatsfoot oil compound contain vegetable or mineral oil and are pretty good, but tend to darken leather more than pure neatsfoot oil. By the way, for those of you who don’t know, pure neatsfoot oil is obtained by boiling the hooves of rendered animals. After you have cleaned and oiled and polished your equipment, put it on racks or hangers in a clean dry area. Your saddle should be stored on an appropriate saddle rack and covered with a cloth or saddle

cover. Sunlight will darken a light oiled saddle very quickly, as will fluorescent light. Your bridle and leather halters should be hung on a round peg approximating the horse’s poll. Hanging your bridles on a nail will put a kink in the leather and push the oil out to either side, and dry rot can ensue. I cut 2 to 3 inch wide chunks from a cedar postand nail them to the wall or to a board nailed to the wall for my bridle racks. They work great and look cool, too. Enjoy your cold days by the fire, and let the time spent cleaning and oiling your equipment give you a sense of accomplishment, knowing you’ve done your best to preserve your investment and ensure your safety.

Have a safe and happy New Year. Lew



Greatness is only found through humility and selflessness. It is a gift from God. I believe this man is on the right track. Greatness is about love, and love is patient, kind and never boastful. A great horseman has to have a true desire to communicate with the horse. He must want only what is best for the horse and can never push the horse faster than he is ready to learn. He has to take the time to observe the reactions of the horse to understand how he thinks. He has to have a sense of timing to introduce new concepts and understand the limits of what each horse can do. To be great is to be successful with compassion in your heart. No doubt

Recently, I received an email from a reader asking me for advice. He told me that at 42 years old, he had recently become

a professional horseman and wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to dressage. Most importantly, he wanted to know how to get from where he is now, to greatness. I thought for a bit about what he meant by greatness. Surely, he must mean someone who is notorious or has been recognized widely as a great horseman. Surely, he must mean someone who has won a gold medal at the Olympics or someone who is known around the globe as an amazing trainer and mentor to other horsemen. As I pondered his quest, I started asking riders what their idea of greatness is. I discovered that greatness means something a little different to everyone but there were some common threads. To my surprise and delight, no one mentioned fame, fortune or even notoriety as a qualifier for greatness. When I asked the man who posed the question what he thought it meant, he gave a long and insightful answer. He talked about how a great rider has to have a love for the horse to create the magic and harmony between them. The rider has to be an artist composing a picture derived from harmony with his horse. He must be spiritual in nature to maintain a dialogue that only the two can hear. The horse is never sacrificed in an attempt to achieve greatness by hurting or rushing him.

you have had numerous teachers in your life. I’m sure most of them were good but you probably had one or two who stood out in your mind as great. What was the difference? Think about it for a moment. I’ll bet it comes back to knowledge, passion and respect. A thorough understanding of the subject is a prerequisite in order to teach well. The great teachers are also innovative, passionate about what they are teaching and respectful of their students. They care about what the students get out of each session and encourage them to push their own limits. Great teachers don’t give up easily when someone has difficulty understanding something. They don’t degrade or inflict pain on someone for not understanding a concept. Instead, they look for other ways to clarify the lesson at hand and give them confidence to keep trying even when it is difficult. So how does one achieve greatness as a rider or trainer? It starts with loving horses and caring about their well-being. Think of the horse as your student that you are teaching and treat them with the same respect that you would show a person. You need to genuinely care about helping each person to achieve their goals as a rider and help them understand that you must make a horse want to do what it is asked to do. You can’t force a horse to perform by beating it into submission. Horses are sensitive animals with big hearts that can be broken down if not nurtured, much like people. A great horseman must be

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observant and recognize when the abilities of himself or his horse are at their current limitations. While we all have limits to our talents, never decide that you, your horse or your student can only go so far. I have been pleasantly surprised over and over by talent that surfaced and greatly surpassed what was expected from a horse or a rider. Every rider has to be willing to admit mistakes and learn from them. We all make mistakes and that’s okay. It’s an integral part of learning. However, it’s what you do with that mistake that allows you to blossom or causes you to wilt. Mistakes teach you what not to do. It’s up to you to understand why something doesn’t work and keep searching for ways to improve. Honest, self-examination makes you a better person so you can grow. We can never evolve as riders without meaningful, purposeful goals. Set some long-term goals and then break them down into short-term goals. Something as simple as breaking down the movements in the USEF dressage tests and forming a plan to master each one is a good place to start. Measure your progress at competitions to make sure you are going in the right direction. Your accomplishments will be the reward by themselves. You don’t need fame, fortune or public recognition to be great. You might be the only one who really knows how meaningful a small success was. Sometimes you are the only one who

Cathy Strobel has more than 30 years of experience as a trainer, judge and clinician she can be reached at Southern Breeze Eq. Ctr. at

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really needs to know. If you are improving as a rider, trainer or teacher and remain passionate and kind to the horses and riders, then you are well on your way to greatness. I have heard it said that some people achieve greatness while others have it thrust upon them. Most people don’t have it thrust upon them, but if you can put forth the effort to continually

strive for being the best you can possibly be and never lose sight of the joy you feel in your heart for what you are doing, then you are well on your way to greatness!

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Q&A“Training is Slow, Damage is Fast.”

Q: I have been going to horse camp for 3 years. Our English trainer is one of the best I have ever had. I know her

quite well. This year we had a new trainer who seemed fairly good at first. My horse was in tip-top shape, doing better than I have ever seen him. He was collected, using his haunches, had a lovely head set and was relaxed in my hands. It was a sight! The trainer wanted to get on him and (I thought) put him through his paces, but instead, got on and ripped his mouth off! Everyone asked her to get off and she just kept saying that the horse was hanging on the bit! He had a roller bit and if I’m not mistaken that prevents him from hanging. So after about 10 minutes she got off and my horse was in a heavy sweat and his mouth was very tender. He is now afraid to put his head down. When he does, he tightens up and becomes very stiff. I’m not sure how to get him to collect anymore. He is refusing to give me his head and it is such a pain to even have him down for a few seconds. I’m all out of ideas! He was coming along so nicely and blew the competition away in training levels. I need advice..

A: I changed your title: “Head-set problems” isn’t really the issue here. “Bad rider hurts

horse” would have been more accurate. Your horse was doing very well until you made one simple (and, unfortunately, big) mistake: Handing him over to an abusive rider. The “trainer” - and I’m putting the term in quotation marks because she was obviously not a trainer, let alone a horsewoman - may have been on your horse for only ten minutes, but she had enough time to do damage that may take you many months to repair. Good training takes time. Good training is a matter of educating the horse and developing its body and mind, whilst increasing its confidence and trust in the rider. Good training can’t be done in an instant, or with the help of coercive equipment or harsh methods. But, sad to say, bad training and abusive riding can have an effect very quickly - and that’s what you got. Horses don’t hang on the bit. Riders hang on to horses’

mouths, causing horses to push against the pain (as part of their natural instinct to run away), and it sounds as if that’s exactly what happened here. Abusive riders can pull and haul and rip away at horses’ mouths until the horses drop their backs and twist their necks, sometimes damaging muscles in the process, in an effort to escape the pain. When a horse finally can’t bear any contact with the bit, and puts its head straight up in the air (or tucks it into its chest) to avoid the contact, the abusive rider who caused this may say “Oh look how light the horse is now, he’s not hanging on the bit anymore.” But the horse never was hanging on the bit... and he hasn’t become “light”, but hurt and frightened. It sounds as though your horse is sore in the mouth and has probably sustained neck and back damage as a result of this episode. If you plan to keep him, I think you’d better forget about collection for the foreseeable future. Forget about showing until you’ve restored your horse’s body to health and soundness, and restored his

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hBDr. Jessica Jahiel is the best selling author of

Riding For The Rest Of Us.

mental relaxation and confidence in the rider. You’ll need to go back several steps, and work the horse very gently on a long rein, with the softest possible contact. Your horse may not be able to do any of this until the vet (at least) has been called out. Part of the reason your horse isn’t relaxing his back and neck is because he is frightened. Part of the reason is because he is hurt -- and he can’t do what you’re asking him to do. You’ll need to have your vet examine your horse closely. Explain exactly what happened, and have your vet check the horse for both obvious and less obvious injuries. Even a month or more of turnout may not be enough without some extra help. Your horse may need help from someone skilled at chiropractic, massage, or both. Your veterinarian can probably recommend someone. Sudden violent traumas can cause major muscle tension and cramping that pull bones out of alignment. When that happens, the horse won’t be physically able to relax and carry himself the way he did before, at least not until he’s had some help. Once he’s capable of normal movement and carriage, you’ll be able to start over at a much lower level, working on relaxation and rhythm

and nothing else for weeks (or months, depending on the severity of the injuries). And forever after, you’ll need to pay regular attention to the horse’s tight muscles and trigger points. It’s a hard lesson: Why to be careful about whom you allow to ride your horse, and why to be careful about what you allow someone to do with your horse. The person who caused this should be ashamed of herself, but (a) she probably isn’t,

and (b) even if she is, it won’t make any difference to your horse. In any case, if you allow someone to ride your horse, you are still responsible for the horse’s welfare and well-being. If the person is a bad or abusive rider, your responsibility is to get that person off your horse immediately – and “immediately” doesn’t mean “ten minutes later.” Horses can be badly damaged, physically and mentally, in that amount of time. I’m sorry that this happened; I hope that this “trainer” has been dismissed. You can’t control that, I know, but you can register a formal complaint with whomever hired this person. Please do that soon, before someone else’s horse gets hurt. There’s every chance that the owners/managers of the camp don’t actually condone or accept abuse, and would be horrified to know what their employee is doing. In the meantime, though, your first concern must be your horse. Get help and advice from your veterinarian, get additional

help if possible, and take the time it takes to get your horse back. You may not be able to show this season, but horses live a long time, and if you gradually restore your horse to health and comfort, you’ll be able to show him for many years to come.


Howdy, Happy Birthday, to Horseback Magazine! As mentioned last month, Horseback is now twenty years old and I have had the pleasure to have made half the ride. Maybe magazines are like fine spirits, the older the better. Folks, sit down, relax, and take a big sip of Horseback, you’ll love it. Last month told the story of how I got started with Texas Horse Talk as it became a monthly publication. That start was over 120 columns ago, what a ride! See folks every day that comment on “Cowboy Corner,” and that sure makes this ol’ cow boy feel like that the goal of sharing tips, and tricks, is working. Got into a conversation the other day about my columns and what I thought has proved popular over the years. Two things immediately came to mind. First is the hand washing deal. Have learned, over the years, that having the ability to wash your hands is a worthwhile convenience. I like to wash my hands before I put on my leather work gloves. Don’t like mud and grease in my gloves, and if the gloves are new, wet hands help the gloves form fit faster. After working with horses and cows, washing your hands is more than just a convenience. If illness or injury is part of the reason for handling livestock, washing and even disinfecting is a prudent practice. A little water or water mix is also a good cleaner for your glasses

we all seem to wear in summer and us ol’ folks all the time. To facilitate this hand washing use liquid laundry detergent jugs. I like to use the 150 oz. size with the built in handle and pouring spout. The jugs hold just over a gallon and are easy to handle. Additionally, different manufacturers use different colors so to have a detergent water mix, straight water, and disinfectant mix each jug can be a different color. Now all you have to do is to remember which jug of what is which color. If you don’t have a supply of 150 oz. jugs in different colors, go to the local laundry-mat and check the trash cans. When the jugs are thrown away empty have always found enough soap left to make a soap mix. Just add water, and using cold water, not hot, will reduce the soap suds. The second jug - all water for rinsing jug, is going to require a good washing with hot water to remove the detergent. Put the rinse in the soap jug and now we’re ready to wash and rinse.

For our disinfectant jug, like to rinse the jug really good, fill with a gallon of water, and about a cup of chlorine bleach. The bleach/water mix can be used on lots of things including your hands. After disinfecting remember to wash and rinse your hands thoroughly. The jugs are strong and easily carried in a plastic crate in the bed of my truck. The second tip which has been popular over the years is the homemade electrolyte mix for horses. In the summer when we are watching the “180 rule” the electrolyte mix can help horses deal with the heat and humidity. Remember the “180 rule” is watch carefully animals and people when the heat and humidity add to 180. The weather man talks about a heat index, which I can’t calculate, but I can still add. Watch for the mix this summer in the “Cowboy Corner”. Again, Happy Birthday to Horseback and wish for man

Happy Trails!

Reflections!

20th Anniversary Special Issue January2013 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 47


Documents

Horseback Magazine January 2013