2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
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For stable coverage that makes sense, pick a winner. PROPERTY COVERAGE Residences Barns Hay & Grain Farm Machinery Farm Products & Supplies Tack
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Publishers - Cont. on pg.45
Columns: 8 Horse Bites
10 Emotional Behaviors & Triggers - Linda Parelli
12 Ride-N-Sync - Terry Myers
24 Tack Talk - Lew Pewterbaugh
26 On the English Front - Cathy Strobel
32 Hoof N Horse - Jaime Jackson
46 Cowboy Corner - Jim Hubbard
PUBLISHER EDITORVicki Long Steven Long
NATIONAL NEWS EDITORCarrie Gobernatz
LIFESTYLE EDITORMargaret Pirtle832-349-1427
EVENTS EDITOR Leslie Greco
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(281) 447-0772 Phone & (281) 893-1029 [email protected]
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NORTH TEXASMari Crabtree - (216) [email protected]
NEW MEXICO BUREAULaurie Hammer - (505)315-7842 [email protected]
Volume 22, No. 6 Horseback Magazine, P.O. Box 681397, Houston, TX 77268-1397, (281) 447-0772. The entire contents of the magazine are copyrighted June 2015 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
June 2015FROM THE EDITORS DESK
Without a doubt, scores of horses have been injured on the trail, their injuries compounded by a rider who was not prepared for the worst. Every time you take your horse for a ride of more than a mile, its wise to pack the
saddlebag with some minor essentials such as the hoof pick, so take a moment and think of what first-aid is all about. Hopefully, if you are going out on a trail, you know that at least one person in your party is carrying a saddlebag. In it, there should be a basic first-aid kit. That kit should always be kept up to date, and kept with your saddles and tack so it wont be forgotten during the excitement of packing and saddling for a ride. First-aid kits are readily available for both horses and humans. A basic kit should include adhesive tape, different sized bandages, scissors without pointed ends, repellant to keep flies away from open wounds, a flashlight, gauze pads, and an equine thermometer - bearing in mind that a horses body temperature is slightly elevated from your own, ranging from between 99 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Also keep on hand some antibiotic ointment, a stop watch for measuring pulse and respiration so you can tell your vet when you finally get to him, or he or she gets to you. And cutters are essential if your horse is tangled in fencing or wire. At camp, or even in your saddlebag, you should have a clean towel. You will also need a bucket in camp for cleaning the wound. Equine first aid experts say to make sure the clean buckets are used only for first aid, not for watering the animals, otherwise you risk infection. I have never known a horse that isnt accident prone. In fact, I strongly believe they are the most accident prone of all Gods critters. Lets be honest here, horses are big, and dumb. Theres no sugar coating that fact no matter
By Steven Long
Staff
Lifestyle & Real Estate:38 Realtor Roundup40 ACTHA & 4H -
First Aid on the Trail
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSJim Hubbard, Steven Long, Vicki Long, Roni Norquist, Linda Parelli,
Kelsey Hellmann, Lew Pewterbaugh, Cathy Strobel, Cory Johnson, Margaret Pirtle, Jaime Jackson
On the Cover: Horses are spiritual creatures!
Cover Story:14 Balancing the Equine Athlete - Jessica Lynn
18 Horses: Heaven on Earth - Vicki Long
22 Calling All Healthy Horses - Juliet Getty Ph.D.
www.horsebackmagazine.com June 2015 2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 5
BALANCING THE EQUINE ATHLETE FROM WITHIN
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To learn more about the importance of a balanced immune system for the health of your horse, please visit us at www.smoothrunequine.com or call 888.711.6218.
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6 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
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A Stable of Knowledge. Th ey dont have Ph.D.s aft er their names, but theyre valuable partners in every aspect of Purina equine research. From palatability studies to growth and development analysis and exercise physiology, our carefully tended horses faithfully support our nutritionists and veterinarians. Th anks to Mick, Flash, PJ, Teddy and 68 other loyal equine coworkers, we develop the worlds leading feeds for horses of all ages and lifestyles. At Purina Equine Research Farm, our horses make a diff erence for your horse.
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LOUISIANASerios Feed and Seed
Bossier City, LA 318-746-8559
Atlas Feed Mills, Inc.Breaux Bridge, LA 337-332-1466
G & H Seed Co. Inc.Crowley, LA 337-783-7762
Southern Feed & SupplyDeridder, LA 337-462-3333
Thomas Nursery and FeedFarmerville, LA 318-368-2425
Chastant Brothers, Inc.Lafayette, LA 337-234-2351
Ranch Outlet LLCLafayette, LA 337-235-2163
Currie & Son Feed & Garden Lake Charles, LA 337-433-2111
Bayou Roberts CoopLeCompte, LA 318-445-3108
Family Farm & GardenMany, LA 318-256-3167
Rocking RoosterMinden, LA 318-382-1400
Valley Farmers CoopNatchitoches, LA 318-352-6426
T & S Milling, Inc.New Iberia, LA 337-365-7007
Austin AgPineville, LA 318-466-9538
Landry Feed Store, Inc.Rayne, LA 337-334-4224
Tommy Feed Store and MoreRuston, LA 318-255-4095
Pauls Farm and Garden SupplyShreveport, LA 318-425-2222
Slagle MallSlagle, LA 337-239-7611
Taylors Feed and Farm SupplySpringhill, LA 318-539-5818
Joyces Farm & Home SupplySt. Martinsville, LA 337-342-2615
DeSoto Town & CountryStonewall, LA 318-925-0998
Fletchers Feed & Farm SupplySulphur, LA 337-527-6610
Thibodeaux Feeds, Inc. Thibodeaux, LA 337-898-1829
Crawfish CenterVille Platte, LA 337-363-4502
Vinton Feed Store Inc.Vinton, LA 337-589-3260
S and J Farm and FeedWest Monroe, LA 318-388-5858
SullivansWinnsboro, LA 318-435-3104
NEW MEXICOCircle S Feed
Carlsbad, NM 575-885-8369
Bunks FeedHobbs, NM 575-397-1228
OKLAHOMAAgriProducts
Ardmore, OK 580-223-7355
TEXASJohnson Feed and Western Wear
Alpine, TX 432-837-5792
Angleton Feed & Supply Co., LLCAngleton, TX 979-849-6661
Arcola Feed & HardwareArcola, TX 281-431-1014
Lab Supply/ArgyleArgyle, TX 940-241-2444
Adams FeedArlington, TX 817-548-8661
Geddie FeedAthens, TX 903-583-721
D&L Feed & HomeAubrey, TX 940-365-3129
The Feed StationAustin, TX 512-301-7788
Bandera Ranch StoreBandera, TX 830-796-3342
Bastrop Feed and SupplyBastrop, TX 512-321-3700
Bay City FeedBay City, TX 979- 245-2712
Sams Western Store, Inc.Beaumont, TX 409-842-2625
Bear Creek - BellsBells, TX 972-965 -4900
Linseisens Feed & Supply-BellvilleBellville, TX 979- 865-3602
Belton Feed & SupplyBelton, TX 254-939-3636
Howard County FeedBig Spring, TX 432-267-6411
Wheelers Feed and OutfittersBoerne, TX 830-249-2656
Fannin AgBonham, TX 903-583-7121
Berend Brothers-BowieBowie, TX 940-872-5131
Brenham Produce Co.Brenham, TX 979-836-3523
Brazos Feed & Supply, Inc.Bryan, TX 979-779-1766
Producers Coop Assn - BryanBryan, TX 979-778-6000
Davis Feed & Fertilizer, Inc.Buffalo, Centerville, TX 903-322-4316
Hooper FeedCarthage, TX 903-694-9499
Bernardo Farm & Ranch SupplyCat Spring, TX 979- 732-5161
D&L Farm & Home - CelinaCelina, TX 972-382-1197
Boles FeedCenter, TX 936-598-3061
Silvers Pet & FeedCibolo, TX 210-566-8020
Ricks Farm and HomeClarksville, TX 903-427-3395
Lonestar Ranch & OutdoorsCleburne, TX 817-645-4325
Close Quarters Feed & Pet SupplyCollege Station, TX 979- 690-3333
Conroe Feeders SupplyConroe, TX 936-441-5549
J&D Country StoreConroe, TX 936-756-7667
Lone Star Country StoreCorpus Christi, TX 361- 387-2668
Smith General StoreCorsicana, TX 903-874-1372
DeWitt ProducersCuero, TX 361-275-3441
Aggie FeedDallas, TX 214-391-3595
FeedersDallas, TX 972-224-5559
PasturasDallas, TX 214-563-9875
Damon Farm & RanchDamon, TX 979 742-3317
Chachere Feed Store, Inc.Dayton, TX 936-258-2670
AgVantage Farm & RanchDecatur, TX 940-627-2312
Del Rio Feed and SupplyDel Rio, TX 830-775-5090
Stockmans Seed & FertilizerDeLeon, TX 254-734-5088
D&L DentonDenton, TX 940-891-0100
Martin Farm and RanchEdinburg, TX 956-383-4949
United Ag-El Campo, Edna, Eagle LakeEl Campo, TX 979-543-7756
Elgin General StoreElgin, TX 512-285-3210
Potts Feed Store, Inc.Emory, Quitman, TX 903-473-2249
Capps True Value Hardware & AgFairfield, TX 903-389-4504
Farmersville FeedFarmersville, TX 972-784-7261
Noonday FeedFlint, TX 903-561-5622
Pecos County FeedFort Stockton, TX 432-336-6877
M and M FarmSupply Inc.Franklin, Cameron, TX 979-828-3516
Lochte Feed and General StoreFredericksburg, TX 830-997-2256
Gulf Coast Equine and Pet CenterFriendswood, TX 281-482-7186
William Gin & GrainFrost, TX 903-682-2611
Marshall GrainFt. Worth, TX 817-536-5636
Rendon FeedFt. Worth, TX 817-561-1935
D&L Farm & Home - GainesvilleGainesville, TX 940-612-1210
Ganado Feed & MoreGanado, TX 361-771-2401
Coryell Feed & SupplyGatesville, TX 254-865-6315
Georgetown Farm SupplyGeorgetown, TX 512-930-4054
Giddings Ranch & Pet CenterGiddings, TX 979-542-3188
Goliad FeedGoliad, TX 361- 645-3266
E-Barr FeedsGonzales, TX 830- 672-6515
J&N FeedGraham, TX 940-549-4631
Arrow Feed & Ranch SupplyGranbury, TX 817-573-8808
SteinhausersGreater Houston Area, TX 979-885-2967
S&S Ag CenterGroesbeck, TX 254-729-8008
Helena ChemicalHallettsville, TX 361- 798-3296
Watson Ranch & Farm SupplyHamilton, TX 254-386-3717
Maci Feed Hardin, Texas, TX 936-298-9404
Lubianskis Hedwig, TX 210-667-1145
MummesHondo, TX 830-426-3313
Hieden FeedHouston, TX 281-444-1010
Sam Houston Feed and SupplyHouston, TX 281-591-2443
Cypress ACE Hardware & FeedHouston, TX 281-469-8020
Huntsville Farm SupplyHuntsville, TX 936-295-3961
Lindemann StoreIndustry, TX 979-357-2121
Farm and Ranch SupplyIsidro, TX 956-481-3346
H-Brand FeedJacksboro, TX 940-567-3794
Odiorne Feed & Ranch SupplyJohnson City, TX 830-868-4579
Cordell Farm and RanchKaufman, TX 972-932-2164
McDonnell Feed Keller, TX 817-431-3551
Tractor City Country StoreKenedy, TX 830- 583-2017
Kerrville Ranch and PetKerrville, TX 830-895-5800
Hoffpauirs Ranch & SupplyLampasas, TX 512-556-5444
Laredo Country StoreLaredo, TX (956) 722-7500
LaVernia Country StoreLaVernia, TX 830-779-2600
Hill Country FeedLeander, TX 512-259-1658
Bear Creek StoreLeonard, TX 903-587-0385
Lexington Farm & FeedLexington, TX 979-773-2782
Livingston Feed & Farm SupplyLivingston, TX 936-327-8853
Smith SupplyLockhart, TX 512-398-3785
Jakes Feed and Animal CenterLongview, TX 903-663-3139
Lufkin FarmLufkin, TX 936-634-7414
Luling Feed & SupplyLuling, TX 830-875-5423
Mabank FeedMabank, TX 903-887-1771
Standley Feed and Seed, Inc.Madisonville, Iola, Normangee, TX
936-348-5272
Spring Creek Feed CenterMagnolia, TX 281-252-5400
Mansfield FeedMansfield, TX 817-473-1137
Watson Feed StoreMart, TX 254-876-2501
McGregor General StoreMcGregor, TX 254-840-3224
D&L AgMartMcKinney, TX 972-562-9995
Midlothian Feed and SupplyMidlothian, TX 972-775-1005
Walden Farm & Ranch Supply - Millsap
Millsap, TX 940-682-4667
Walden Farm & Ranch Supply - Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, TX 940-325-8500
Scotts CrossingMurchison, TX 903-469-3122
Boles FeedNacogdoches, TX 936-564-2671
Middle GNaples, TX 903-575-1869
Needville Feed and SupplyNeedville, TX 979-793-6141
New Braunfels Feed and SupplyNew Braunfels, TX 830-625-7250
Berend Brothers-OlneyOlney, TX 940-564-5674
Engledow Farm & Ranch SupplyPalestine, TX 903-723-3210
Big Country Farm CenterParis, TX 903-785-8372
Reeves County FeedPecos, TX 432-447-2149
Wells BrosPlano, TX 972-424-8516
Neuhaus & Co.Raymondville, TX 956-689-2481
Anderson AgRefugio, TX 361-526-5018
Rockdale General StoreRockdale, TX 512-446-6100
Round Top Farm & RanchRound Top, TX 979-249-5666
Eagle Hardward Farm & RanchRoyse City, TX 972-635-7878
Holt Ranch & FeedRoyse City, TX 972-365-3695
Sabinal GrainSabinal, TX 830-988-2215
Mummes San Antonio, TX 830-980-4924
D&L Farm & Home - SangerSanger, TX 940-458-0111
Tibaldos Feed & SupplySanta Fe, TX 409-925-2735
American FeedSeagoville, TX 972-287-5984
Producers Coop-SeguinSeguin, TX 830-379-1750
D&D Farm & RanchSeguin, TX 830-379-7340
Berans Agri-CenterShiner, TX 361- 594-3395
Somerville Farm & RanchSomerville, TX 979-596-2224
Springtown FeedSpringtown, TX 817-220-7656
Allied AgStonewall, TX 830-644-2411
Taylor FeedTaylor, TX 512-365-9436
Temple Feed & SupplyTemple, TX 254-778-7975
Three Rivers CoopThree Rivers, TX 361-786-3242
D&D Feed and SupplyTomball, TX 281-351-7144
Texas Farm StoreUvalde, TX 830-278-3713
Northside Ranch, Pet & GardenVictoria, TX 361-573-5000
Waco Brazos Feed & SupplyWaco, TX 254-756-6687
B&S Farm & Home CenterWaco, TX 254-752-0777
Bar None Country StoreWaco, TX 254-848-9112
Haneys Feed and SupplyWaller, TX 936-931-2469
Ark Country StoreWaxahachie, TX 972-937-8860
Walden Farm & Ranch Supply - Weatherford
Weatherford, TX 817-598-0043
Wharton Feed & SupplyWharton, TX 979-532-8533
Berend Brothers-Wichita FallsWichita Falls, TX 940-723-2736
Walkers Farm & Ranch SupplyWillis, TX 936-856-6446
King Feed and HardwareWimberly, TX 512-847-2618
Berend BrothersWindthorst, TX 940-423-6223
Tri County EnterpriseWinnsboro, TX 903-342-3586
Poole FeedWylie, TX 469-323-7814
Yoakum Grain, IncYoakum, TX 361-293-3521
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8 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
Horse Bites is compiled from Press Releases sent to Horseback Magazine. Original reporting is done as circumstances warrant.
Content is edited for length & style.
ACTHA Host Support Team Member Joins the Equestrian Medical Safety Associa-
tions Board of Directors
Spicewood Texas-Fellow non-profits, ACTHA and the Equestrian Medical Safety Association (EMSA) are pleased to announce the addition of Selena Lucas of West Virginia to their Board of Directors. Ms. Lucas is a member of the ACTHA Host Support Team, an ACTHA Ride Host, a certified AC-THA judge and a certified Canine and Equine Sports Massage Therapist. A long time equestrian who has ridden over twenty breeds of horses Ms. Lu-cas is an active member of many dif-ferent breed organizations, riding as-
Horsebites - Cont. on pg. 28
sociations and horse councils. Her show experiences range from plea-sure classes including saddle seat to in-hand classes, trail competitions and parades. Ms. Lucas, a long time advocate for safety in all equine ac-tivities, including halter classes, is thrilled and thankful to be allowed to serve on the EMSA board as they work to improve the safety of the entire equine industry.
EMSA President Dr. Debbie Stanitski is delighted with Ms. Lucas coming on board and said, EMSA is trying hard to envelope other disci-plines in the improvement of equine safety, not just the disciplines of Eventing and Driving. With Ms. Lu-cas vast experiences in other disci-plines and riding for pleasure she will add perspective and insight to our mis-sion. ACTHA President Robin Til-ghman states, EMSA couldnt have picked a better person to help them as they work to educate the public about all aspects of equine safety. ACTHA has been fortunate over the years to have Selena as she advocates for safety
at our events, now she will be able to help EMSA with her experience. EMSA, the Equestrian Medi-cal Safety Association is a 501c (3) tax-exempt volunteer organization dedicated to the safety of persons in all equestrian activities through edu-cation, research and providing infor-
mation resources.
National Reining Horse Association An-nounces the Addition of the Classic Equine
4D Reining Competition at the 2015 NRHA Derby
Oklahoma City, Okla., The National Reining Horse Association is proud to announce the addition of the Clas-sic Equine 4D Reining competition for exhibitors entered in the Youth, Novice Horse Non Pro, Amateur and Green Reiner classes on June 21 at the 2015 NRHA Derby. Exhibitors com-peting in these classes at the NRHA Derby can enter the 4D portion for an additional $20 by noon, June 20. The 4D portion will be run concurrently during those classes. The 4D jackpot method is a new innovative concept in the reining world, and was first introduced at the 2012 NRHA Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth. Were so excited to bring this concept to the NRHA Derby. It not only allows NRHA to test a widely
Selena Lucas joins ACTHA & EMSA
Board of Directors
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10 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
Emotional Behaviors& Triggers
By Linda Parelli, Photos by Coco (at Emotional Fitness Super Clinic in City of Industry, CA.)
When we have difficulty with horses, its in-teresting how quick people are to call them crazy, lazy, stubborn, unpredict-able, bad, and some other words we cannot print here! What I want you to think about is not so much what your horse is doing, but WHY. Why do horses buck, bite, kick, strike, charge, and rear? First we have to realize that these are natural herd behaviors for horses, and can be observed in their every-day lives. And there are only two reasons for them: dominance or defense (fear). In the horses world, they need to establish a pecking order, and thats all about who moves who. This is how dominance is determined. He or she who is the smartest, fastest, bravest, and strongest will be the leader. The more dominant horse will move other horses away from food, water, and other horses, and will use all the techniques I mentioned above in an assertive and sometimes aggressive way. The more submissive horse will exhibit these same behaviors but in a different way because its self-defense, and usually if they are trapped and cannot get away. And this will also occur in the presence of humans. How do you know which is which? The more confident, domi-nant horse is calm, and tends to be pushy. They have a tendency to move you with their nose, push you with their shoulder, drag you where they want to go, and fight with you when you assert yourself. They are
more inclined to bite, strike, or charge than to turn and kick; as Pat Parelli would say, The front end is more dangerous than the back! The more submissive horse
is the opposite. There is more ten-sion, shyness, and evasion evident in their body language, and they are more inclined to escape, and to turn and kick if restrained or cornered. Lets add in here the emo-tional quotient. Fear is, of course, a powerful emotion, and a lot of negative behaviors come from fear, even in dominant horses who ex-hibit the fear of submission. This is because horses are prey animals and they default to fear in the presence of predators, which is why it is so important to build a bond based on mutual trust, respect, and under-standing. We need to teach horses to make sense of pressure, or we will bring out negative behaviors because of fear, tension, frustra-tion and even anger. Lets look at body language and triggers for these emo-tions. Of course there can be some overlap in these behaviors, but this will give you a good insight as to what might be going on and help inform your best approach.
FEAR Body Lan-guage: shying, spook-ing, bolting, running away, wide eyes and nostrils, high head, flicking ears, sharply pricked ears, ears out to the side and tilted head, excessive sweat-
ing, clamped tail, rearing, explosive bucking. Triggers: The two main triggers are predatory behavior and feeling trapped. Predatory behavior comes from, well, predators (dogs, wolves, lions and us humans), so horses are always on the lookout for signs of danger: sneaking or chasing; rustling or moving grasses, bushes and leaves; sudden noises or move-ments; aggression; and heightened energy. Horses are flight-from-fear animals, so they avoid anything that feels like a trap. In the human envi-ronment, this can be in the form of stables, trailers, stocks, chutes, being tied, restraint from a halter, rope, bridle (and of course draw reins, tight nosebands, martingales, etc.), and even the girth.
TENSION Body Language: Tight
General...
www.horsebackmagazine.com June 2015 2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 11
back, choppy stride, elevated head, tight tail, tight lips, tight ears, ears back, chomping mouth, sweating in odd places, braciness, pranc-ing, squeaky belly (the noise you often hear in geldings that is said to emanate from the sheath area, but is produced by a tight belly), elevated heart rate, low tolerance. Triggers: Think of tension as the first stage of fear. Horses get tense when they are confused, pressured, forced, held back, or sup-pressed when training both on the ground and riding.
FRUSTRATION Body Language: Head tossing, head shaking, grinding teeth, tongue displacements, frothy mouth, open mouth, switching tail, ears back/pinned, bucking, refus-ing to go forward, low tolerance, weaving, lip-popping and other stall vices. Triggers: Frustration arises in horses when they cant find com-fort. Whats important to horses is safety, comfort, and play, in that order. After a horse gets over its
initial fear of humans, seeking com-fort becomes a primary driver. For example, a horse in fear mode seems oblivious to pain or the annoy-ance of flies, but once they feel safe they will react more to a fly landing on them and causing them to feel uncomfortable. This is why pres-sure and release is an effective way to train a horse. You create a kind of discomfort by applying pressure with your leg, seat or hand and re-moving the pressure when the horse responds in the desired way. Good trainers have a clear picture of what they are trying to get the horse to do, and have excellent timing of re-lease in order to let the horse know hes moving in the right direction. The problem with people is that we get emotional too. When the horse starts having trouble, it can trigger our own fears or frus-tration, and that takes us down a troublesome path. There is no way we can help a horse when we are not calm, confident and clear-headed. The Parelli Program teaches you to become more mentally and emotionally fit and educated with
horses, and it also shows you how to overcome emotional issues with horses by teaching you how to read them and do what they need. This is so important because when things are going wrong, people put on more pressure, instead of less. They react instead of think. Ultimately, you need to know techniques, but more im-portantly, you need to know more about the mental/emotional nature of horses so you can keep them calm, connected and responsive. I encourage you to train your horse using behavioral psychology; it will change your horses life, not to men-tion yours. Never have a bad horse day again!
Resources:Parelli Levels Program (a step-by-step guide to training your horse through behavioral psychology)Horsenality (The breakthrough study of horse profiling, behavioral tendencies, and strategies)Emotional Fitness Super Clin-ics with Linda Parelli & Dr. Jenny Susser
12 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
Over the past few months we have been reviewing the im-portance of rider body posi-tion. This month we will dis-cuss the shoulders, arms and hands. The riders shoulders should be open and even. If the rider pinches the shoulders together in the front or collapses the chest, the shoulders will roll down, shifting weight forward and the riders seat bones will lock down. I hope you are starting to realize that all of the pieces of the puz-zle work together and one problem can cause a cascading effect on other parts of the body. Open shoulders will allow the riders back to be straighter while pinched shoulders will throw weight on the horses front end. The riders shoulders should always be square with the horses shoul-der. This month we have a good ex-ercise for you to try. Ride your horse at a trot in an arena. Count your horses foot beats and notice his cadence and move-ment. Try to determine if he sounds heavier on a front leg. Now pick up your inside arm (the arm closest to the inside of the circle). Hold your arm straight out in front of you and continue to ride at a trot for several laps around the arena. As soon as you pick up your arm, your horse will elevate his front end allowing his front end to be lighter. The horses inside front leg will no longer stab the ground and his shoulders will be more even. He will also drive better in the hind end. The front end has to be light and out of the way so the horse can come through in the hind end. Now lower your arm and see if you and your horse can maintain the lightness in the front end. If not, pick up your arm and continue to practice until you can maintain the same feeling with-out your arm held up. Reverse and try the other direction. Is one direction more
difficult for you? Dont forget all of the other pieces to the puzzle as you try this new exercise. Riders are sometimes taught to ride with their elbows at their sides and to pick up the reins by only bending at the el-bow. This method causes the shoulders to twist and for the rider to lean slightly forward out of the correct position. As you are reading this article, keep your elbows at your sides and pick up your hands. Now try picking up
your hands by using your whole arm and shoulder. Lifting from the shoulder will encourage your body to stay within the correct position and your horse will move more balanced. Also riding with hands forward with elbow opened and out of your side will help you to be lighter with your hands. Simply put, hold your arms out like you are airing out your arm pits! An easy way for english riders to determine correct hand position is to do the following. While in the saddle, put
your hands in front of the saddle on your horses withers. Now pick up your hands. Your thumbs will be pointing at 10:00 and 2:00, if you extended a line from each of your thumbs they would cross in an X. Hold your hands only high enough that you could draw a straight line from your elbow to the bit. That should be the cor-rect position of your arms and hands. Many Western riders will start with a proper hand position but then turn their hand over with the palm up and move the hand to the side of the saddle horn when they are trying to turn their horse. When the hand holding the reins moves in this way, the riders shoulder will drop down and the hips will slide to the side. For the Western rider holding split reins in one hand, try this exercise for the starting position for your hands and arms. Try holding the reins in one hand directly in front of the saddle horn. To turn your horse to the left, dont pull back but pick up your hand and move it up in a V to-wards the left shoulder, picking up your whole arm. Then go back to the neutral
Rider Body PositionArms & Legs
Training Tips..
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Terry Myers is a national clinician and champion horse trainer with a depth of
knowledge developed from over 45 years in the horse industry. Myers has been a popular clinician at multiple expos in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about Myers Ride-
In-Sync methods as well as clinic and training services/products available, visit Myers at
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position at the bottom of the V (hand still in front of the saddle horn). Try turning to the right by picking up your whole arm toward the right. Once perfected, I think you will be surprised at how little you re-ally need to move your hand, because the horse feels the movement in your arm and shoulder. Proper arm and shoulder posi-tion are a few more pieces of the puzzle that help create that partnership with our horse which we all want. Hopefully
with this and the previous few months articles about body position have helped you understand all the different ways that your body position helps or hinders your horse. Work on a few pieces of the puzzle at a time, to build the total picture of a balanced rider.
Questions about this or any of our articles can be emailed to us at [email protected].
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Most of todays perfor-mance and competi-tion horses are for the most part bred along specific dam and sire lines for the sports they compete in to theoreti-cally have the edge in competi-tion, be it barrels, reining, cutting, endurance, dressage or racing. Coupling that with years of con-ditioning and hard work one hopes to have a winner. However, when it comes to getting an edge on the competition the key is the health of your horse, which ultimately is de-rived from a healthy digestive tract. To achieve digestive health your equine athlete needs to be provid-ed with the highest potency pre & pro-biotics along with digestive en-zymes. This combination promotes and maintains microbial balance within the intestine, helping him be the best that he can be. Most of the feeds on the market today are moving in the direction of natural, no sugar, no molasses, and no GMO corn or soy, trying to respond to the equine owners needs for todays horse. Owners and trainers over the years have added oils thinking they will give their horse energy, when energy really comes from having a healthy functioning digestive tract that is balanced in its microbial popula-tions so that it can absorb and uti-lize all of the energy provided in hay and other feedstuffs (which for ex-ample may be rich in the Omegas).
Balancing the Equine Athlete from the
Inside OutBy Jessica Lynn, Smooth Run Equine
Its no secret that probiotics are good for your horses gut, but did you know they are also loaded with other benefits too? These include supporting the immune system, re-ducing inflammation, preventing diarrhea, and helping to prevent gas and some types of impaction colic. Another far too common source of digestive disturbance can be starch and/or sugar overload,
which can come from grazing on rich spring grass, eating a diet too high in sugars (including grains), or adding oil from GMO crops to bucket feed. All of these things can disrupt beneficial microbials, caus-ing partial die-off of good gut bac-teria, which raises acidity in the gut and alters the natural pH balance. The result is massive destruction of the normal micro-flora which can inhibit the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients essential to not only good health, but to be in top form for competition as well. Unfortunately, the micro-flora/microbial balance in a horses gut can be upset much faster than it can be restored. Beneficial intestinal bacteria can be depleted or destroyed and the pH of their environment severely altered by many situations, although the effects may not show up immediately. Your horse may just seem a bit off with no explana-tion and you may think nothing has changed, but your horse is not able to digest his feed and convert it to the energy he needs to compete. Lets look at your horse
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from the inside: When a horse starts grinding food with his teeth, his mouth releases enzymes, and thus begins that mouthfuls ap-proximately 75 to 100 foot jour-ney through the digestive tract. The food mixes with digestive juices as it enters the stomach, where digestive enzymes and billions of microbials begin their work. Although a horses stomach is relatively small com-pared to his size, it is tasked with initiating the breakdown of nutri-ents using digestive enzymes and stomach acids; very little absorption takes place here. Soluble carbohy-drates, along with minerals, fats and proteins, are absorbed in the small intestine. Insoluble carbohydrates that are not so easily digested, as well as any undigested soluble car-bohydrates, then pass to the cecum, or the fermentative vat, before moving into the large intestine. A variety of live microbials that live in the cecum break down the remain-ing nutrients into viable, usable forms among these are absorbable
volatile fatty acids which the horse uses for energy and nutrients.
What is MICROBIAL DIGESTION?
Microbial digestion is the break-down of organic material such as hay and grass, and especially con-centrated bag feedstuffs, by micro-bial organisms. It is the basic func-tion of the horses large intestine, and can be seriously damaged by prolonged or heavy dosing with an-tibiotics or sulfonamides & other drugs. The population of beneficial live microorganisms in the cecum remains relatively stable under normal conditions. As long as a horse is never stressed, never needs to be chemically wormed, is never vaccinated, never has a change in feed, and never needs antibiotics, then the balance should remain un-altered. However, as we all know, horses do experience stressful events, may need antibiotics or worming on occasion, and do have feed chang-
es with the seasons and each load of hay. Without a strong army of beneficial intestinal bacteria, food moving through the digestive tract is not fermented properly, and some remains undigested. When it hits the gastrointestinal tract, this undigested food may lead to colic, bloat, impactions or laminitis, and increase the possibility of develop-ing food-related allergic conditions. A combination of select bacteria (microbials/probiotics), at approxi-mately 10-20 billion or more CFUs (colony forming units) per serving/ scoop, along with digestive enzymes and yeast, will help support and maintain a healthy digestive tract in your equine athlete, giving them more stamina and energy. If your horse is heavily competing or train-ing then the higher dose would be recommended.
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cultures with digestive enzymes is an art, and if you can find a prod-uct that also includes natural vita-mins C, E and D, minerals includ-ing zinc and copper, colostrum and extracted beta glucan from mushrooms, then you have found an excellent product. In her Nutrition as Ther-apy course, Dr. Eleanor Kellon quotes Dr. Scott Weese, DVM, the closest thing there is to an expert on veterinary probiotics and equine GI tract diseases, ..at minimum, a microbial feed addi-tive needs between 10 and 20 bil-lion live CFUs per serving size, minimum, to have any effect in a horse. Dr. Juliet Getty, PhD in Equine Nutrition concurs that
the guaranteed CFUs have to be in the billions not the millions. Dr. Joyce Harman of Harmany Equine Clinic from Virginia has been an advocate of probiotics for horses for a long while, and she is now also advocating mushroom beta glucan as an immune modulator per her recent article 10 Herbs for Your Horse in which she states Excit-ing research with immune system & cancer treatment support has been done with this mushroom or its ex-tracts. The beta D-glucans appear to stimulate immunity for a broad spectrum of conditions. Extracts of the D fraction can be obtained in glycerin, which is palatable to many species. There are only a couple products on the market that contain the pre-biotics, pro-biotics, beta glucans, and added natural vitamins and minerals and have been on the market for more than 15 years. Do
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Jessica Lynn writes articles for various national and international horse
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California, and a distributor for Smooth Run Equine. Jessica has been involved in alternative health care, herbs, homeopathy, alternative health and nutrition for almost 40 years. Contact Jessica via e-mail at [email protected] or phone 951-514-9700. Her web site is: www.earthsongranch.
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Searching the web for famous horse quotes, I found this one that got me thinking how much spending time with horses has really been the big-gest catalyst in my personal spiri-tual journey: The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire. - Sharon Ralls Lemon. While I was raised by an atheist father, as a small child I always knew there was a power greater than us and longed to find a spiritual home for my soul. I was born in Salt Lake City Utah, so I hail from Mormon stock. But my father went to work for Con-oco, and we left Utah and our heri-tage behind, and I grew up in Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma, and finally when I was in the eighth grade we settled in Houston Texas. Had we stayed in Utah, I am sure I would to this day be a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). It would have been a good life as they are wonderful peo-ple, but I was to take a long path to finding my spiritual home. Even though my father did not believe in God (at the end of his life he had found his own spiritual-
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ity), when I was a child he never imposed his atheist beliefs on me. In my heart I was always a Christian, and I was allowed to attend every Christian church under the sun with friends and acquaintances. In col-lege most of my friends were Catho-lic, and consequently I would go to mass quite frequently with them. In all the Christian churches I attended growing up, one day I walked into Unity Church of Chris-tianity in Houston, and knew I was home. Not only had I visited church-es in my quest for God as a youth, but I was an avid reader of books on spirituality, and in their book store was just about every book I had read on the subject of finding spiri-tuality, so I knew I was home. Unitys philosophy is God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present, all wisdom. , and that Jesus expressed his di-vine potential and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our Way Shower. Im not writing about my so-journ into my beliefs to proselytize, as I believe there is no one way to God or spirituality and we are all on our own paths, but simply as an ex-
By: Vicki Long
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planation for why I write this article, and why it is true for me. The Bible tells us to be still and know I am God. To be still to me means to quiet the incessant voices in our heads about the past, or the future, and just be in the now. It is the easiest for me when I am with horses. Anne Shrago, of Equine Essence, Inc. writes in her article Horses: A Spiritual Prescription for Women ....that Horses live in the here and now and do not worry about the past or the future. Horses have a contentment and peace that we desire in our lives. Learning to be present with our horses allows us to experience this contentment and peace. Being present de-em-phasizes our worries about what has happened in the past and increases our awareness that the past is his-tory. Being present also diminish-es our worries about future events that are possibly out of our control. When considering the future, posi-tive and forward moving questions we can ask ourselves are what do we want to happen, what do we want to do and where do we want to be and we can learn to abolish negative thoughts. This was so profound for me because when I am with horses it
is the only time I can totally divorce the negative and scary events of my thoughts about my past and my future, and I am just there, simply being in the moment and sharing space with them, and feeling the Di-vine. Ms. Shrago further writes, Being present is an ability to go with the flow of nature. Learning to go with the flow with our horses will expand our openness without pre-determined expectations. The abil-ity to flow with nature in the present is a basic principle of classical Tao-ism. As our openness grows, we are receptive to new possibilities, new ideas, new experiences and new ways of viewing the world. Learning to live in the present alongside our horse allows our empathy to grow and expels narrow-mindedness. The peace we obtain from the contentment of being present is the foundation of connectedness, compassion and relationship en-hancement. An inner state of calm and well-being enhances our seren-ity and diminishes anger, violence and worry. Horses teach us to be aware, assess a situation, find a so-lution and go back to just being in the present. Horses teach us that living in the moment bring us peace, se-
renity and connection.Those words truly capture the es-sence of what I personally feel be-ing with horses. There are some that feel horses can be angels on earth as Allen and Linda Anderson in their book Angel Horses: Divine Mes-sengers of Hope write: Time and again, they [horses] serve as an-gelic messengers when humans are under duress. If people can still the chattering of minds and ignore so-cial, intellectual, and cultural restric-tions about what is and is not pos-sible, horses speak to them with astonishing clarity. Steven Brooks in his book Working with Angels: Flowing With God in the Supernatural: writes An interesting similarity between horses and angels is that they will bond only with those they know. A horse will only bond with someone it trusts. ... When a horse bonds with its owner, there is mutual respect and cooperation. Bonding requires patience because it takes time and is an ongoing process. Bonding re-quires spending quality time togeth-er, especially in a non-working en-vironment where demands are not made. The best way to bond with a horse is simply to hang out together and have fun getting to know each
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other. A horse will bond when it can sense unconditional love. ... Just as horses will bond only with those they know, so will angels only work in harmony to the greatest extent with those who respect their pres-ence and with those who are sensi-tive to the Holy Spirit. In his book Zen Mind, Zen Horse: The Science and Spiritual-ity of Working with Horses. Dr. Al-lan J. Hamilton that we were fortu-nate enough to interview last year writes: Horses connect with our souls -- the part of us that links us to everything. Horses. offer us a unique opportunity to see our-selves in divine mirrors, reflecting back the chi we give off in our own emotions, to show ourselves in the moment. Horses react to what lies in our hearts, not in our heads. He also states: They are perfect teachers because they uncover your real motivation. They tell you when youre wholeheartedly com-mitted or faking it, when youre making a sacred vow or just pay-ing lip service. Horses see whats holding you back. And when you find the courage to confront those shortcomings, horses will always reward you with a way to overcome them. In their Book Angel Horses Allen and Linda Anderson write Horses are sensitive to everything and everyone around them. This makes them both receptors and messengers for God, Divine Spirit, the Sacred, or whatever you want to call the love that flows through all creation. Perhaps because they are prey animals, horses have had to learn to tune in to the slightest changes in their inner worlds and outer environments ... If you are ever in doubt about the direction to take in your life, and you need a second opinion, you couldnt do better than to listen to a horses ad-vice. And what has been my horses advice? That life is good in the here and now, and not in the past nor in the future. When I am with her time stands still, I am at peace breathing in her essence, her love, and her wisdom.
Due to some life circumstances I have not spent enough time with my horse that I keep at a wonderful boarding barn, but I am going to try
harder to get out there because it is getting difficult to just let go and let God that we like to say in Unity.
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We know youre out there. Horses who are enjoying life. Horses who are brimming with health strong muscles, shiny coats, hard hooves, good digestion, normal metabolism, strong immune function just plain healthy! How do you do it? What is it about your care and feeding that allows you to enjoy such wellbeing? Were always searching for answers. Our typical ap-proach is to study sick horses. But that only helps us to under-stand the disease. We look at fat horses to understand fat horses. We look at horses with pain, metabolic problems, and di-gestive ailments to understand those who are experiencing the same hardships. While such re-search is worthwhile, wouldnt it also make sense to evaluate fit, hearty horses so we can strive to make our own horses be more like them? Shouldnt we be looking at what healthy horses experience? Heres what a healthy horse would say to you: My owner doesnt stuff me with excess calories. Obesity is a real problem and it comes from piling on the calories, combined with lack of physical activity. Forage is the staple of my diet and is steadily flowing throughout my entire gastroin-
testinal tract. Pounds and pounds of concentrated feeds would shorten my life. I dont get fat during the winter. If I were living in a natural set-ting, feed would be sparse during the winter months. I would graze continually, but I would not have as many calories, so I wouldnt become overweight. Then, when the spring grasses come, I would enjoy them without the risk of developing laminitis because my body has not been unnaturally put in a state of insulin resistance (through too much body fat). My owner feeds me all the quality, varied forages I want, and only enough concentrates to meet my needs. Stress is not in my daily life. I can eat when I want to and not rely on my owners schedule for-age (preferably fresh grasses) is available to me all throughout the day and night. My owners under-
stand my need to graze, roam, socialize, and eat a variety of plants. I have companionship to protect me against threats (real and perceived), which calms me down and permits me to truly rest. I dont get ulcers, and I dont get laminitis. I dont colic, and I am easy to get along with. You see, the hormonal response to stress is capable of doing terrible things to my body Im more likely to de-velop infections, allergies, and skin disorders. Im more likely
to become insulin resistant. Free radicals are produced, potentially damaging every tissue in my body including my brain, blood vessels, hooves, eyes, skin, and digestive tract. Instead, I am allowed to self-regulate my intake of grasses according to my own instincts. If you have any doubt about my need for forage flowing through my digestive tract at all times, educate yourself about how my digestive system works. And, oh, by the way, I am not forced to wear contraptions that inhibit my natural way of living. My immune system is strong. Be-sides living a life the way nature intended, my owner fills in the nutritional gaps that occur when I am fed dead grass (hay) by giving me the proper vitamins and min-erals I need to stay healthy. I also get omega 3s and Im fed a vari-ety of protein sources to supply a large enough amino acid pool so my body can produce and repair
CALLING ALL HEALTHY HORSES! What's your
secret?By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.
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tissues, keep my blood proteins where they need to be, and allow me to naturally fight off disease. I am allowed to move. You might enjoy sitting in a small space for hours at a time, but we horses do not like cozy places I need to run away from that gust of wind or bolt of lightning. I am in fear for my life when I cannot move. The stress (though I may not show it) is real and takes its toll on my health. Furthermore, stand-ing in one place wreaks havoc on my body. If I must be kept con-fined, my owner makes sure I get plenty of exercise every day ex-ercise keeps my digestive system healthy and without it, I develop ulcers and colic. My hooves be-come weak and thin, my joints deteriorate, and my overall natu-ral healing ability is diminished. And lets not forget becoming overweight exercise not only burns calories, but it makes my cells more receptive to insulin, allowing my body to burn fat. As I age, my needs are met. My creaky joints do best when my muscles are strong. My owner en-courages me to move and feeds me enough quality protein, vi-tamin C, and omega 3s to slow down the progression of arthritis. My teeth are cared for and my owner checks my blood for proper kidney and liver function. Since saliva production diminishes as I age, my food is moist so I can chew better, and Im always per-mitted to eat at ground level to
avoid choking. My diet is varied and nutritious. Eating the same thing day in and day out, even if it is nutritious, can lead to nutritional imbalanc-es. My owner gives me variety! A pasture that is thick with one type of grass is not going to keep me healthy. I need different types of grasses, lots of weeds, bushes, berries, flowers, and trees I need choices. I can judge what I need when Im given much to choose from.
Keep it simple Now youve heard it from the Healthy Horse himself. We are so busy micromanaging our horses lives and their diets that we have forgotten the basics: Fresh air, water, companionship, freedom
to move, and fresh grasses and plants. The ideal is a pasture with plenty of variety where all you need to add is water and salt. Most of us do not have this amount of land to offer our horses, and must rely on hay. Choose a mixed grass hay, but realize that hay basical-ly provides forage for a healthy digestive tract; it is missing so many key nutrients that you must also feed a good vitamin/mineral supplement, a source of omega 3 fatty acids, and may need to im-prove the protein quality by add-ing other protein sources. Your horse will thank you. And you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving your horse a lifetime of vibrant health.
Information on Consultations: http://gettyequinenutrition.biz
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Tack Care...Explaining the
Bulkless 3 Way Rigging
Horseback Magazines Saddle & Tack Editor
You dont see them much anymore, but several years ago, when Monte Foreman was riding the wave that the round pen gurus are currently riding, bulkless three way rigging was pretty common. Unless you are familiar with this type of rigging, you are likely to say, What the-----! Well, it really isnt that difficult. Slim Fallis was the originator of the balanced ride saddle, as far as I know. Monte Foreman did a lot of study and filmed a lot of riders, and decided that people needed to shift their weight more forward so that the horse could use his hind quarters more effectively. He talked Fallis into letting him use the Balanced Ride concept, and licensed the manufacturing of the Monte Foreman Balanced Ride saddle to various mass production saddle makers over the ensuing years. One of the unique features of the Monte Foreman Balanced Ride saddle was the bulkless three way inskirt rigging. The particular saddle shown in this article is not a balanced ride saddle, but does have the same bulkless three way rigging. This saddle was made by Circle Y in the early 80s. Circle Y was one of the producers of the Monte Foreman Balanced Ride saddle, if my memory serves me correctly, about 1973 to about 1976. Tex Tan was the first I remember making the Monte Foreman Balanced Ride saddle starting about 1970. Crates made the saddles for a while, and after Monte Foreman died, his son tried to get more production by having Saddlesmith do them, but the wave had crashed by then. Anyway, the correct way to use the rigging is to start with the latigo in the back slot. The latigo comes down to the girth, then up to the center hole, through and back down to the girth, and then up to the unreinforced slot in the front of the skirt. The front slot is just a latigo hanger like on a regular saddle, and should have no strain on it. The strain is all on the higher hole in the center. This is not only doubled leather, but there is a piece of rawhide that goes from the back slot, between the skirt layers surrounding the high slot. This adequately reinforces the high center slot. The latigo is thus fanned out, eliminating bulk under your legs. I guess having seen this rigging for so long that it seems perfectly logical, but its amazing how many people have no idea how to properly rig this arrangement, so for those of you who may have one of these old saddles, this is how you do it. It is a pretty satisfactory rigging for pleasure riding and reining. I sure wouldnt want to rope a big old steer with my rope tied hard and fast with this rig.
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 1
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I bought a like new Tex Tan Monte Foreman Balanced Ride saddle several years ago. Saddles of that period were typically low cantled, and without much swell to the fork. My first ride in it, I got bucked off and broke my back. Never rode it again. It was an interesting time in saddle making and riding science. Monte Foreman was certainly trying to find a better way to ride. Now we have moved the saddles back off the shoulders and moved our center of balance farther back on the horse. I think its right to get off the shoulder, but the horses best weight carrying ability is right behind the withers. Saddle bronc riders set their saddle way forward to get in that sweet spot right behind the wither. I wish I knew how to tell how much the tree affects the shoulder movement when the shoulder is rotating under the tree. Obviously we are still evolving, but its good that we continue to try and find the best ways to do things. Im thinking of different tree designs, but I always come back to thinking about wheels. No matter how many ways we try to design a wheel, the end result is it has got to be round. So many times in doing saddle fittings I find the old saddles still work better than a lot of the newer saddles. Hmmmm.
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26 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
Youre absolutely right, honey. Welcome to summertime! Now lets have a reality talk. Theres no getting around the heat for at least a couple of months each year. So what do you do about it? The way I see it, you have two choices. You can stop riding and let your horse have a long va-cation or you can develop some strategies for dealing with the heat. Personally, I feel that life without riding is like life without sunshine. I dont think I could last for 4 months without the feeling of a horse underneath me. Therefore, I thought I would share some tips on dealing with the heat to keep both you and your horse safe. As with anyone who participates in out-door sports, learn the signs of heatstroke. The signs to watch for in people are diz-ziness, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, headache, profuse sweating followed by no sweat, and a bright red face that turns white around the nose and mouth. The signs of heatstroke in a horse are similar. You may see the horse stumbling or staggering. He may sweat profusely and then stop sweating. His pulse and respiration will be extreme-ly higher than normal and his gums could turn pale. He might refuse to go forward or act colicy. Because work-ing muscles significantly increase the amount of heat a body produces, the internal temperature of the horse can
rise to dangerous levels very quickly if not carefully monitored in a hot en-vironment. When overheating, blood will be carried closer to the skins sur-face and sweat is produced by the body to help dispel the heat through evapo-ration. If there is no sweat produced (a condition called anhydrosis) the body could end up in a life threatening heat stroke episode requiring urgent vet care. You will also find the respiration increases significantly when the horse is overheating. The breathing helps to disperse some of the heat by bringing cooler air in and letting hotter air out of his body. Lets talk about some ways
to prevent heat stroke. To fight the heat, there is the obvious tip; ride early in the morn-ing or late in the evening. Peak heat is
typically between 3 and 5 PM in the summertime. The coolest time to ride is in the morning before the sun starts heating things up too much. The next best time to ride is after 7 PM when the shadows are getting long and the tem-perature begins to drop. If you must ride in the hotter part of the day, seek shade. Covered arenas are a God-send but if there is no available covered arena, ride where there is as much shade as possible. If
you are trail riding, ride through a for-est instead of the beach. Keep an ample supply of fresh, clean water available to your horse and allow him to drink as often as he would like during your workout. I like to keep a water trough filled with fresh water in each of my arenas. Dont forget to drink plenty of water yourself. Keep in mind however, neither of you should drink large quantities of water all at once as it can cause a stomachache or colic. Instead, drink small amounts fre-quently to stay hydrated. Supply mineral salt blocks in the stall or pasture to encourage your horse drink and add electrolytes to his feed or water when he sweats to replen-ish them. Make sure your horse has plenty of shade and fresh water in his
pasture. A fan in his stall can also help tremendously too. Know how to check the vital signs on a horse. The respiration rate is the most obvious sign to check when your horse is hot. At rest, the normal rate is 8 12 breaths per minute (BPM). Periodi-cally during your workout, stop your horse and count how many breaths he takes in 15 seconds. Then multiply that number by four to find his respiration rate. You can expect his rate to increase to over 40 BPM during heavy exercise. When his breaths are in excess of 60 BPM, you can be sure that his heart rate has risen significantly. It would also be wise to assume that he is experiencing stress on his body at this point so take a few minutes to cool him down a bit. When your horse is hot, allow him to walk, prefer-
ably in the shade. Do not stand him still when he is breathing hard because he needs the frogs in his feet to help pump the blood back up through his body. A horses heart is small and the volume of blood flowing through him is great. Standing him still when he is stressed from heat could cause heart failure. Watch for sweating. If you no-tice an absence of sweat when he is very hot, you need to create artificial sweat. I like to keep a hose by the arena and
English...
Im So Hot!
www.horsebackmagazine.com June 2015 2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 27
stop periodically to rinse the legs, neck, shoulders and haunches to help cool the horse when he must be worked in the heat. Make sure you scrape the water off if you are in a humid climate so the wa-ter doesnt insulate him. It needs to be able to evaporate to cool him down. Monitor his breathing fre-quently. When you are finished riding, pay close attention to how quickly and easily he cools down. If he has difficulty, make sure you get him in the shade, rinse him, walk him, and rinse him again. Standing him briefly in front of a fan when he is wet will also be a great help in reducing the heat in his body. This process of rinsing, walking and standing in front of a fan can be repeat-ed until his vital signs are approaching normal. Be sure to check him carefully before returning him to his stall and re-member to never feed a horse when he is hot. Wearing light colored clothes and a cool pack of sorts around your neck can help keep you cooler when you ride, also. There are a few varieties of bandanas or neck straps filled with gel packs kept in the freezer or helmets de-signed to hold cool packs that can help
with your own body temperature when you ride. Check your local sports stores, tack shops and horse supply catalogues for the latest on such items. I even know a woman who made a cool pack for her horses neck. She used a v-neck t-shirt to slip over his head. Then she sewed pockets into it to fit gel packs kept in her freezer and used Velcro to close the pockets. She tells me it makes a huge difference in his energy level and ability to cool down in the summer heat. If you or your horse is still struggling with the heat, take the op-portunity to slow things down and work on some details that have been a problem for you. You might try work-ing transitions. Practice walk to halt, walk to trot, walk to canter, canter to walk, trot to halt, et cetera. If you want to jump, try trotting into a low jump and canter away from it on a particu-lar lead. Walk briefly after each jump. Practice keeping your horse in a spe-cific frame in each gait. Try introduc-ing strange objects slowly to your horse that you could encounter in your disci-pline that might spook him under nor-mal circumstances. Be careful to watch his reaction so you dont over challenge
him. If your focus is dressage, practice the lateral movements at a walk or start working on a new or challenging movement at the walk to teach your horse the balance. Im sure you can come up with a variety of slower exercises to work on in order to continue riding during the hot months without endangering you or your horse. You can even give yourself a break and just go for a shady trail ride somewhere. Just be sure that you take water for yourself and have a supply of water for your horse along the way or keep it brief enough that he doesnt dehydrate while you are out. Summertime can be physical-ly challenging for both you and your horse. But with careful planning, at-tention to heatstroke prevention, and a little imagination, both you and your horse can still enjoy your time together and stick with a training regimen.
Cathy Strobel has over 30 years of experience as a trainer, judge and clinician and can be reached at Southern Breeze Equestrian Center at (281)
431-4868 or www.sbreeze.com
28 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
Horsebites - Cont. from pg.8
popular concept in the barrel racing industry, but also gives riders a chance to win better paychecks. We are always looking for innovative ways to make Reining more and more appealing to those not already in our sport and we think this is an excellent direction to grow the sport of reining, said Shi-anne Megel, NRHA Director of Events & Affiliates. A 4D styled competition is a four-division scoring system (1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D) with the highest score being declared as the 1D winner. The highest score determines the winning score of the three other divisions. This spreads winnings across four competi-tive levels, based on the level of com-petition that day and without the need for pre-determined class eligibility. This format doesnt require in depth knowledge of class rules and may serve to be a great tool to welcome new competitors to the sport. The division breaks are deter-mined using the highest score as fol-lows: 2D marker is the highest score minus 3 points, 3D marker is the highest score minus 6 points, and 4D marker is the highest score minus 12 points. The score closest to the divi-sion marker without going over is the division winner. The 4D reining is slated to run concurrently with the Youth, Novice Horse Non Pro, AQHA/APHA Ama-teur, and Green Reiner classes. Exhibi-tors must enter a concurrent class to be eligible to enter the 4D Reining, and the entry fee is only $20. Entry forms and conditions for the 4D are available at nrhaderby.com. The 2015 NRHA Derby will be held June 20 27 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. Thousands of spectators, exhibitors and horses attend the event each year with their eye on the most talented and beautiful reining horses in the world, plus approximately $1 million in cash, prizes and nominator incentives awarded there. Updated Derby Condi-tions for 2015 as well as a schedule and list of host hotels are available now at nrhaderby.com
Gardy Bloemers Strikes a Balance as a Competitive Dressage Rider and
Financial Advisor
Wellington, FL - For most amateur equestrians, riding is an escape and a stress reliever from everyday life, with few similarities to their professional lives. This is not the case for dres-sage rider Gardy Bloemers, a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist, who cur-rently competes her horse, Crusedor, at Third Level. Bloemers is a successful finan-cial advisor for a leading wealth man-agement firm, and the relationship between the challenges of her career mirror many of the requirements of being a successful dressage competi-tor. Dressage is a sport known for its precision, attention to detail and com-plexity, and her role as Senior Finan-cial Advisor providing holistic finan-cial planning and advisory services to families and privately held businesses demands the same qualities for suc-cess. The parallels between navigat-ing the financial industry and riding a dressage test go beyond the basic ele-ments of the sport. Dressage demands curiosity, focus, adjustability as well as patience. Similarly a financial advisor must also exhibit these same qualities. Throughout her career in financial ser-vices, Bloemers recognized that focus, determination and hard work were some of the key ingredients to becom-ing a successful professional. How-ever, it wasnt until she began to train more seriously as a dressage rider that she realized the connection between her passions, and specifically, how suc-cess in one contributed directly to suc-cess in the other and vice versa. Following her graduation from college and then business school, Bloemers worked in management po-sitions in reinsurance, wealth manage-ment and venture capital, living and working in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. During this time she also began her dressage pursuits. When I started riding dressage, I was interest-ed to figure out how to do the move-ments, how to fit them together and then to display this in the show ring Bloemers said. I realized it takes tre-mendous dedication and hard work to make riding look graceful and ef-fortless, and it was the first time I re-ally felt challenged when riding. This combination of visual beauty and high
level of difficulty drew me into the sport. As in her professional life, Bloemers finds it rewarding to advance the horse through its training from one level to the next. Developing and implementing a financial plan requires finding the right approach for each client and adjusting that as a clients needs evolve. A rider also has to work to find the right general approach to working with a specific horse and to be able to demonstrate flexibility to make changes to this whether in training or in the immediacy of the show ring. As she became more involved in the world of dressage, Bloemers realized the positive impact of devel-oping an ongoing, meaningful partner-ship with her horse. It is so impor-tant to know your horse, just as it is essential to know your clients. If you dont know your clients sufficiently, you will not be able to make a differ-ence in their financial lives, Bloemers explains. The way to understand your client is to ask questions and to listen to the answers; it sounds simple but too many advisors are not willing to take the time to have regular, meaning-ful dialogues. Since riding is a team effort, you get insights into improving a part-nership, Bloemers said. In business, my success is dependent upon devel-oping strong partnerships with my cli-ents, and I believe that my understand-ing of how to do this when riding has sharpened my ability to create profes-sional partnerships with both my col-leagues and my clients. Bloemers work has always been her top priority, yet finding time to integrate riding into her busy sched-ule is imperative to her. Working to-wards mastering dressage through practice and competition motivates her to focus on success in all aspects of her life, and to find new ways to uti-lize the same dedication and attention to detail that is required in her profes-sion. To constantly strive for ex-cellence in a completely different set-ting - the dressage competition arena - makes me focus on achievement at all times, Bloemers said. Im a per-fectionist at work and in the ring, and I believe riding makes me a more pa-
Horsebites - Cont. on pg.30
Horsebites...
www.horsebackmagazine.com June 2015 2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 29
Visit: www.CAQHA.com for High Point Rules & More Info!Questions? [email protected]
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30 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 2 June 2015 www.horsebackmagazine.com
tient professional. Perfection does not happen overnight, if it happens at all. However, patience and tenacity do pay off. The symbiotic relationship be-tween Bloemers role in the financial industry and in dressage competition has helped her maximize her success in both arenas. As Bloemers continues to develop her riding skills, she finds even more crossover between these two aspects of her life and how one strengthens the other. Riding allows me to clear my thoughts through focus, Bloemers said. Staying fresh and having an open mind is key to being a successful pro-fessional. I think I would go stir-crazy if I didnt ride and probably drive my husband crazy as well. It keeps me fit, keeps my brain fit and is just so incred-ibly rewarding.
D.C.s Cutest Sport is on the Road to the Washington
International Horse Show
WASHINGTON - The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is pleased to announce the wildly popu-lar WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship Series, presented by Charles Owen, will be off and running again in 2015. The entertaining event features pint-sized jockeys in colorful silks racing the cutest, fluffiest Shet-land Ponies to the cheers of spectators of all ages. The first stop in the series was the historic Devon Horse Show and Country Fair in Devon, Pa., May 24 and May 25, and it will conclude with the finals at WIHS in October at Veri-zon Center in Washington, D.C. Introduced in 2013 and ex-panded last year, the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase races, dubbed D.C.s newest--and cutest--sport by Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post, are run like professional racing events with a bugler, race caller and photo finish, but in miniature--the jockeys are youngsters from seven to 14 mounted on traditional Shetland Ponies racing over a course of mini-hurdles The Devon races are archived
on WIHS.org. Weve had an overwhelming response to the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Series, said WIHS Exec-utive Director Bridget Love Meehan. Its been so much fun to create and build a fresh, fun and exciting event for spectators of all ages. Pony racing is also a great way for kids to get into equestrian sports. Not too many peo-ple know that Kent Farrington, one of the worlds top-ranked show jumpers and a frequent competitor at Washing-ton, used to race ponies! Well-established in the United Kingdom, pony racing is growing in popularity in the U.S., thanks in part to Maryland-based U.S. Pony Racing, LLC (USPR), organizer of the WIHS exhibition series, which runs flat and jumping pony races at events through-out the region, including at Pimlico. Before entering the USPR program, ponies are evaluated for their suitability and every child is fully prepared for race day. We dont want [the ponies] to be little race horses, we want them to be good ponies that kids can ride, said Regina Welsh, USPR founder and director. We want well-rounded kids and well-rounded po-nies. Ongoing sponsor Charles Owen is no newcomer to pony racing. The Wrexham-based helmet maker has been a significant supporter of pony racing in the U.K. since 2005. Charles Owen is delighted to continue its support of the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Cham-pionship Series, said Roy Burek, Managing Director of Charles Owen. With our long association with pony racing in the U.K., were especially ex-cited to be a part of its growth in the U.S. Devon and Washington offer an ideal showcase for this sport and we encourage equestrians and non-eques-trians alike to come out to experience and enjoy it. The 57th annual Washington International Horse Show will be held October 20-25, 2015, at Verizon Cen-ter in Washington, D.C. For more in-formation, please visit wihs.org.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Awards High School Graduation Gift of
More Than $7.5 Million to Texas Students
Houston-Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo awarded more than $7.5 million in scholarships to Texas high school graduates at a banquet held Wednesday, May 20 in NRG Center, where the organizations annual event previously showcased thousands of animals in March. Among the 423 scholars, near-ly 200 winners will be the first in their families to attend a college or univer-sity, and more than 120 of them are the first in their families to graduate high school. Education opens the door to opportunity, and we are humbled that our scholarships provide the key to that door, said Joel Cowley, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It is extremely rewarding for our organization, including 32,000 volunteers, to support young Texans who value learning enough to want to continue their education. The 423 scholarship recipients will attend 30 Texas colleges and uni-versities in the fall using funds from the Shows scholarship programs, totaling $7,569,000. Scholarships are awarded to students who meet the program requirements as well as demonstrate academic potential, leadership and fi-nancial need. All recipients also must attend a Texas college or university. The Show awarded 238 Met-ropolitan, 114 Opportunity, 30 Ex-hibitor, 16 Hildebrand, 15 School Art, five Technical, and five Military schol-arships to students from 58 school dis-tricts. Metropolitan and Opportunity scholarships are awarded to students within Harris County, plus students living in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgom-ery and Waller counties. With additional commitments this spring and summer to Area Go Texan, Texas 4-H and FFA, and oth-er Show scholarship programs, more than 750 students will start college this fall with more than $12.98 million in scholarships from the Show. These scholarships make up more than half of the Houston Live-stock Show and Rodeos annual com-mitment of more than $24 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show
Horsebites - Cont. from pg.28
Horsebites...
www.horsebackmagazine.com June 2015 2 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE 31
exhibitors, School Art participants and other educational programs in 2015. For more information on the Shows educational support, visit http://www.rodeohouston.com/AboutUs/Educa-tionalSupport.aspx.
Vita Flex Victory Team Member Todd
Minikus Pilots Four Horses to the Win at Kentucky Spring Horse Shows
Lexington, Kentucky - Vita Flex Vic-tory Team member Todd Minikus jumped to first place on not just one but three horses at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on May 6-10. On May 15 in the Kentucky Spring Classic, Minikus won the $20,000 1.45m Bluegrass Classic on a fourth horse. He claimed victories aboard well-known mount Quality Girl, young horses Con Capilot and Maharaja Del Juncal, and Oldenburg gelding Cordo-nos. Vita Flex, a leading equine supple-ment brand with products designed to help horses carry their riders to vic-tory, is proud to congratulate Minikus
on his successes. The victories in Ken-tucky came as no surprise to specta-tors, as seasoned competitor Minikus has already been extremely successful earlier this year in Wellington, Flori-das Winter Equestrian Festival and in the Longines Global Champions Tour of Miami Beach. Minikus opened the Ken-tucky Spring Horse Show by winning on a new mount Plum Creek Hol-low Farms 12-year-old Westphalian stallion Con Capilot in the $5,000 1.45m Open Jumper Class. Maharaja Del Juncal, a young horse owned by Two Swans Farms, finished first in the Six-Year-Old Jumpers. Quality Girl, owned by the Quality Group, bested the competition in the $25,000 Blue-grass Classic. Quality Girl, a 12-year-old Oldenburg mare (Quidams Rubin x Dobrock), has been ridden by Minikus for the past three years. The pair have enjoyed much success, including win-ning the 2014 Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties, NY. Qual-ity Girl was also named Horse of the Year last year. At the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Minikus and Quality Girl
were one of only three clear rounds and blazed through the jump-off to beat the starting field of 37 combina-tions with a time of 33.609 seconds. The victory earned the pair valuable points for the USEF/Rolex Show Jumping Rankings. During the Kentucky Spring Classic, Minikus and Cordonos (Lorda-nos x Tin Rocco), owned by Matthew de Grande, raced to first place in the $20,000 1.45m Bluegrass Classic. Of the forty-seven riders who competed in the speed class, only eleven cleared Bernardo Cabrals course. Minikus and Cordonoss time of 60.766 put them ahead of closest contender Shane Sweetnam and Beluga. The Vita Flex Victory Team rider Todd Minikus credits a well-planned training program comple-mented by conscientious nutrition and supplements from Vita Flex as helping achieve such success in show jumping. The fine line between good and great is paying attention to your horses, Minikus explains. To be able to feel that power and speed and athleticism
Horsebites - Cont. on pg.36
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