Indholdsfortegnelse for Bonus Issue 2023 i Horse & Rider

TRAVEL Franklin, Tennessee WHAT Extreme Mustang Makeover WHEN June 22–24, 2023 Discover the Magic of Mustangs Make your way down to Franklin, Tennessee, to watch selected trainers showcase their previously untouched mustang in a variety of events. The Extreme Mustang Makeover is dedicated to demonstrating the versatility and trainability of the American mustang. It’s produced by the Mustang Heritage Foundation (mustangheritagefoundation.org) in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse & Burro Program. TRAVEL Tennessee Gallop down to Tennessee to witness the beauty and versatility of the American mustang in action. After trainers are selected for the event, they pick up their untouched mustang in March, from a BLM corral. These mares and geldings are usually between 4 and 7, and trainers have around 100 days to work their magic…

1 Comprehensive Comfort When you plan to spend all day in the saddle, it’s imperative not to overlook your foot comfort. Look to the Pinto VenTEK 360° ($239.95; ariat.com) for a boot that offers comfort both in and out of the saddle. As the temperatures start to rise, you’ll be thankful for the mesh panels on the boot shaft that keep your feet cool in the hot summer months. 2. For All Terrain Whether you’re heading to the mountains or riding in the plains, reach for the Terrain helmet. This helmet is the definition of safe and comfortable with Mips technology for protection from every angle, vents for maximum airflow, and a head-liner that dissipates sweat. $170; troxelhelmets.com. 3. Breathable Breeches Made for Western riders, these bootcut denim breeches offer…

Anytime you show, it’s crucial to think about what you’ll do and how you’ll do it ahead of your class, no matter the event. But ranch riding might require even more strategy and planning simply because there aren’t any markers in the pen and the execution of the pattern is up to your interpretation. Strategizing and planning ahead of time allows you to determine the best way to lay out your pattern, show your horse’s strengths, avoid any weaknesses, and present a pattern the judges won’t forget. Here are my six tips for your preparation process anytime you compete in ranch riding. If you show in other events, try these out and see how they work for you, too. Tip 1: Think Outside the Drawing The patterns themselves are just…

Improvement comes from hard work and outside pressure, but those two things could also be what drives your child away from riding if they’re not mindfully implemented. Just as we do with our horses, a parent or trainer must know when to push and when to pull back to keep the child from resenting riding—or even abandoning it altogether. In my experience working with young riders, I’ve learned how to “read the room,” so to speak. I work to understand the child’s level of maturity, what’s going on at school and at home, and what they truly want out of riding, paired with their age. Then I can start to identify when to push them and when to cut some slack. Age and Maturity I have a 4-year-old girl riding…

There’s a scene in the famous movie Seabiscuit where trainer Tom Smith is tending to an injured horse, and says, “You don’t throw away a whole life, just because he’s banged up a little.” When Looking Rey, aka ‘Leroy,’ entered the lives of Mike and Kris Stevens they didn’t know what lay in store. As Leroy’s journey started to unfold, his owners and team embodied the meaning of that quote, doing everything in their power to give Leroy what he needed, and let the horse see through a lens of his own. Literally. Welcome Home Standing 15.1 hands, Leroy is a stout, handsome horse. The 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was purchased by Mike and Kris as a late 5-year-old. The Stevens have been in the sport of cutting for decades…

Treatments Because OCD lesions are the most common cause of bog spavin, arthroscopic surgery is the most common treatment. Most OCD surgeries are very successful and result in a sound, functional, and even athletic horse post-surgery. Traumas to the hock that may also cause bog spavin can be a harder to treat. Once the source and the affected tissues are identified, treatment is often anti-inflammatories and controlled exercise. This may mean stall rest, but it may also be small-area turnout. A bandage may help minimize long-term stretch of the joint, but the hock is a very difficult area to bandage. If you aren’t confident in your bandaging skills, do not bandage this area as it could cause more harm if done improperly. Fluid in Joints Bog spavin is fluid in…

Your older horse is down. He’s irritated and in pain. You think it’s colic. You take him for a walk, administer medication. Nothing works. He’s still in pain and your worry is growing. Now what? Call the vet. It’s likely strangulation colic, and it must be treated now. What’s a lipoma? A lipoma is a benign, fatty tumor that grows inside the body. The lumps themselves aren’t cancerous, and are generally harmless and painless. In humans, the cause of lipomas is unknown; however, they often appear after an injury, and there's thought that there might be a genetic component. They show up in humans and horses of all size and body condition, from thin to overweight so while it is fatty tissue, diet and overall fitness don’t seem to be…

Some people might disagree, but I think the art of leading has greatly diminished in recent history. When I was a young man, we learned to lead our horses ahead of us. We had some bad horses in those days that would try to bite you or get after you, so you had to lead your horse in the “safe zone,” walking with your horse beside you. This way, if one of those tough horses came after you, you could put your arm out to push him away and protect yourself. Today, we generally have much better trained horses overall, which might make leading seem like a miniscule part of your horsemanship. Maybe you’re too busy thinking about what’s coming next as you lead your horse to the arena or…

THIS IS A VERY NICE CLASS of performance geldings. Whether the class is halter or performance halter, the first things I look for are overall balance and correctness. I’ll be judging these geldings on the four categories of balance, structural correctness, breed and sex characteristics, and muscling, and assess each horse’s positive and negative traits within those categories. General attractiveness helps, too, as some horses have a natural presence that stands out. I like to see soft eyes and well-set ears, even in geldings, as their heads are an indication of their overall quality and trainability. Overall balance and correct structure can benefit athleticism and help a horse stay sound. Each of the geldings in this class appears to be a good candidate for a successful performance career. Gelding C…

you should know / horse&rider ondemand Be Part of the Fan Zone Do you love Quarter Horses and their versatility? Join the American Quarter Horse Association’s new Fan Zone to receive exclusive content including newsletters, e-books, downloadable charts, information on famous AQHA horses, history, helpful resources, and more. Find more info at aqha.com/fanzone. On Tap For OnDemand Get training tips and horsekeeping advice from the industry’s top professionals. ➞ Ranch Horse Clinic Cody Crow does a ranch horse clinic at the Arabian Horse Assocation Ranch Horse Championships, and we film the entire day so you can learn from home. ➞ Live Events New to OnDemand: You can now stream the finals of some of the industry’s top reining, reined cow horse, cutting, and ranch horse championship shows! ➞ Groundwork Fundamentals…

In today’s horse market, there are multiple ways to find a potential prospect—private sale, online auction, in-person auction, and through a third-party sale site. But how do you know you’re buying the one? Whether you’re able to put hands on a prospect or only evaluating from afar, advice and tips from National Reined Cow Horse Association Million Dollar Rider Clayton Edsall and National Reining Horse Association three-time Open Futurity Champion Casey Deary can help you make the most educated decision for the horse you’ll take to the show pen. It isn’t easy to find a unicorn in the vast number of horses for sale and, unfortunately, not even being at the top of a trainer’s game ensures a champion. However, Deary says it all comes down to focus, budget, and…

It was hot at our Montana home, a stifling summer heat. We wanted to take our horses, Jake and Cody, and ride somewhere with cool, shaded trails. We wanted a camping area with corrals, water for the horses, horse water, and, if we were lucky, electricity and showers! Thirty miles west of Bend, Oregon, at an elevation of 5,100 feet, Quinn Meadow Horse Camp fit the bill. This camp is located between Devils Lake and Elk Lake in Deschutes National Forest, which spans 1.8 million acres just east of the Cascade Mountain Range. Surrounded by fragrant pine trees and the gorgeous South Sister Mountain towering nearby, this clean, picturesque camp met most of our wish list. There was no electricity and no shower house, but the primitive outhouse was extremely…

Would you like to improve your relationship with your horse? Understanding a bit about how horses respond to human interaction and different training methods can improve our relationships with them and strengthen the likelihood that they’ll perform behaviors that we’ve requested of them. It’s possible, too, that if we smile while we’re working with them, they’ll respond even more favorably. If that sounds far-fetched, we’ll back it up with a study that indicates that horses can indeed recognize human facial expressions and that they prefer a smile to a scowl. First, though, we’ll look at negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement training methods, and how you can use both in formulating the best course for your horse’s training. Negative Reinforcement Negative reinforcement is a training method that can help teach a…