Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2020 i Horse & Rider

Here in Northern Colorado, I spend most of my time in the saddle in a well-groomed arena, working on perfect circles, collection, softness, and a good stop. I do my best to get out of the arena as much as I can, but for the most part, that’s relegated to long-trotting around some sandy pastures and listening to podcasts or audiobooks just to keep my horses fit and my mind sharp. But each fall, I get an escape from the day-to-day grind of magazine production and barrel racer land, and I get a chance to remind myself exactly what it is this horse life is all about. I married into a ranching family five years ago, and the Shaffers are lucky enough to summer their cattle in the Wind River…

Ration balancers—everyone’s heard of them, but have you fully considered whether one might be the right option for your horse? They’re a different kind of commercial feed, useful in ways that standard formulations can’t match, especially for horses that tend to gain too much weight or get “hot” on regular feeds. Let’s take a look. Ration Balancers Demystified First, let’s consider what ration balancers aren’t. They aren’t complete feeds, which contain high levels of crude fiber (because they’re intended to be fed in place of hay or other forage, thus why they’re called “complete”—nothing else is needed). Ration balancers also aren’t so-called performance feeds, which are designed to satisfy the extra calorie needs of heavily exercising horses. No, ration balancers are meant to provide nutritional balance to a horse’s normal…

Learn a little more about herd work from world champion trainer Brad Barkemeyer. In a reined cow horse competition, there are three components a horse and rider must compete in. The herd work, reined work, and fence work. The basic fundamentals of herd work are to enter a herd of cattle, cut one out from the herd, and work it for an appropriate amount of time while keeping it away from the rest of the herd. You’ll have 2 1/2 minutes to work up to three cows, and in that time the judge will assess the form and quality of your horse while working the cow. Keeping Calm Before you even approach the herd, it’s important to take a deep breath and relax. While it’s easy to have your adrenaline…

Improve your horse’s walk, his overall balance, and your cueing finesse with this fun and interesting exercise. I’m going to share a simple little exercise that can bring big benefits to you and your horse. I call it the “Old Man Walk” because it involves improving your horse’s balance by getting him to walk as slowly and deliberately as possible, alternating that with periods of extended walk or jog. I teach it in all my clinics because it’s a great starting point—you don’t have to be an accomplished rider to master it beautifully. It gets my students exploring their horses’ footfalls and paying close attention to their own cueing, and it has no negative side effects. Sound interesting? Let’s look at why you might want to try such an unusual…

Whether you plan to bring your own horses and your living quarters to explore mountains and wilderness on your own or prefer to be pampered at a local guest ranch where you can enjoy a variety of horse-related activities, there’s something for everyone in Dubois, Wyoming. GETTING THERE We traveled with our living-quarters trailer and our two geldings, Cody and Jake, to check out the riding opportunities around Dubois. One place that was high on our list to experience was the Double Cabin Campground in Sho-shone National Forest. We heard this was as close as you could get to a real wilderness adventure without having to pack into one. From the town of Dubois, it’s 24 miles of dirt roads on mountainous terrain to the campsite and trailhead at Double…

SETTING GOALS is a lifelong obsession of mine. There’s always been the next horse show to look forward to. Then March 2020 happened. Immediately after the biggest Arizona Quarter Horse Association Sun Circuit on record, our world shut down. Every event, every show, everything was canceled due to COVID-19. Most of us thought it would be short lived; we all know now that was not the case. Some of my forward-thinking peers jumped into the void and started virtual horse shows online. It took a while for me to see the value in these newfangled events, as it was all a bit overwhelming. Yet the participation was huge, so obviously people were craving a way to show off their winning runs…or was it more than that? Soon I was asked…

The Right Farrier We live in a time when advances in hoof-care technology are providing us with ever more options for correcting problems and enhancing foot health. One thing that hasn’t changed? The importance of your hoof-care professional. For anything that’s nailed, glued, or otherwise affixed to your horse’s feet, the competency of your farrier is all important. An ideal trim—one that leaves the foot balanced and level—is the essential starting point, followed by knowledge of how to affix the footwear in question. For tips on finding and keeping a good professional, see the box at far right. Groundbreaking Shoe The new SoftRider performance shoe incorporates polymers that simulate actual hoof tissue and mimic the function of the frog for maximum shock absorption. By centering the horse’s weight in the…

Baby Boots  1. Go beyond fashion with boots perfect for your little one. Shea Baby Boots have leather soles that aren’t only asthetically pleasing, they allow your little buckaroo’s foot to move comfortably while acting as a protective barrier. For a little cowgirl, the pink and yellow sunflower boots (LEFT) will make her feel like the barn princess she is. If you’re buying for a cowboy and want a classic cowboy-boot look (RIGHT), check out these boots featuring red barns. $49.99; sheababy.com. Unique gifts for the whole family. 2. Luxury Blanket Add a splash of color to your living-quarters trailer or cozy up next to a fire this winter with this beautiful Sedona throw blanket. Large enough for two people, this blanket is the ideal gift for a couple…

The half-halt, while most commonly used in dressage training, is also a great tool for your Western horse to have. It can help with self-carriage and movement and can even be used to help with collection. The purpose behind a half-halt is to redistribute your horse’s weight from front to back—almost creating a slight squat as he engages his hind end—by using your hands and legs. And when done correctly, will be a very subtle move. Here I’ll show you, through series of trot-walk-trot transitions, how your horse can learn to anticipate that when you close your fingers, you want him to “sit” just slightly, and then use your legs to push him back up into a forward trot. 1. Get the ‘Sit’ Before your horse can do a half-halt,…

Evaluate and place these prospective reining geldings. Then see how your choices compare to our expert judge’s. AS A JUDGE, UNDERSTANDING A horse’s balance and structure—and how they relate to performance—is critical. The conformation ideal is supposed to maintain breed standards, but that always goes back to balance and structure and how those factors affect soundness, longevity, and performance. As I assess these three prospective reining horses, I’m looking for qualities that’ll help them be useful and stay sound. With this class of geldings, as stock breed rulebooks stipulate, I look first for overall balance, then structural correctness. I also look for muscle definition and volume, as that’s the source of power for reining maneuvers. I then apply each horse’s attributes to what I know is required of a useful…

Your gelding started acting a little bit uncomfortable just over an hour ago. By the time your vet arrived, the poor horse was in a full-blown sweat, pawing violently and throwing himself down in the barn aisle no matter how hard you tried to keep him on his feet. Even after IV sedation and a dose of pain medication, he was still uncomfortable. The look on your vet’s face told you everything you needed to know. Her next question confirmed your greatest fear. “Is he a candidate for colic surgery?” There’s nothing more stressful than a severely colicky horse. And if your horse needs surgery to correct his colic, there’s no other option that’ll save his life. To make things even scarier, time can make the difference between a successful…

Dogs and horses may be the typical stars of most animal-assisted therapy programs, but at the Latham Centers residential program for adults with disabilities, it’s donkeys who are changing lives. The Massachusetts-based organization provides care and support for those with complex special needs and specializes in serving adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)—a genetic disorder that can cause developmental disabilities, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and an insatiable appetite that can lead to obesity. These challenges require individuals with PWS to constantly exercise remarkable self-control in order to lead healthy, positive lives. In 2008, Latham Centers discovered an unlikely ally for those with PWS: miniature donkeys. Dr. Janice Forster, a renowned neuropsychiatrist and expert in PWS treatment, suggested the idea to Latham Centers based on the success of donkey-assisted therapy programs in Germany. Within…

Arizona's Legacy Horses Sell Strong Despite the pandemic this year, the annual Legacy Ranch Horse Sale on September 19 in Prescott, Arizona, attracted record crowds. The highest sale was a 4-year-old palomino roan that sold to Straight A Cattle for $27,500. The second highest sale was a 6-year-old sorrel gelding that sold for $25,000. GALLOP POLL 90% of H&R poll respondents say their horses “often” or “sometimes” bully one another. New Way of Diagnosing PPID Equine researchers and mathematicians have joined forces to develop a method for diagnosing PPID (also known as Cushing’s Disease) in horses year-round. Read more about it here: bit.ly/equusppid. ‘Taylor Sheridan offered to pay each of the 19 open hackamore finalists $13,244 each—the same amount that was awarded for first place.’…NRCHA on a Yellowstone sign that presented…

TRAVEL Florida WHERE Altoona WHAT Warm-Weather Getaway WHEN Year-Round Avoid the colder temperatures and head south for the winter to stay at Fiddler’s Green RV Ranch. Choose to stay in one the villas or take advantage of the ranch’s 26 full-hookup sites to sleep in your living quarters. To make this the perfect getaway destination for trail-rider enthusiasts, the ranch also offers horse facilities that include both paddock and stall options. Days at Fiddler’s Green RV Ranch are what you make them out to be. With no daily planned activities, you’re welcome to explore the hundreds of miles of horse-friendly trails located in the Ocala National Forrest (located right next to the ranch) at your own pace, and can even take your horse for a swim at the local lake…

Because stallions are usually kept only for breeding purposes, many horse owners have no experience with them or their sex-linked behaviors. And we certainly don’t expect male displays from our geldings, having had them castrated in large part to eliminate those very behaviors. But geldings do sometimes act like stallions, and it can cause inconvenience, frustration, and even injury to themselves and others. Here we’ll look at some specific behaviors natural to stallions but not expected or wanted in a gelding. We’ll also give you some tips on how to manage or eliminate stallion-like behavior in geldings. → What Causes ‘Studdy’ Behavior? When we castrate a male horse, we remove his testes, the source of the male hormone testosterone. Unfortunately, though, some of the greatest effects of testosterone occur long…

April Freeland’s show career was just beginning, but before she could get a true taste for competition it quickly came to an end. As she was going into the show pen at her second horse show, she felt something was off with her horse Gota Rolex On Mpulse and decided a visit from the vet would be necessary to see what was going on. The vet check went from bad to worse when it was decided they would need to do an MRI on “Benji.” That was when April was delivered the bad news and found out that her horse had navicular disease and would probably never make it back to the show pen again, leaving April without any idea on how she would ever get to own or show…