Innehållsförteckning för Winter 2019 från Horse & Rider

For this Winter 2019 issue, I got to try something new. It’s the end of the year, and here I am, throwing a curve ball at you with a new department. It’s no secret to our staff or to our avid online readers that I’m a mama. It’s really what defines me these days, as much as horses once did before I had my daughter three years ago. Times have changed, and instead of spending my nights on the back of a whole herd of 2- and 3-year-old colts, I push my daughter on her swing until my arm aches and cook macaroni and cheese and judge the time passing each weekend by how many times I’ve heard Elsa sing “Let It Go.” But when we aren’t watching “Frozen,” we’re…

Don’t Miss This explore. While you’re at the horse show capital of the world, be sure to visit the 1. National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum where you can see some of the best saddlemaking, bits, spurs, silversmithing, and rawhide braiding during the Traditional Cowboy Arts Exhibitation. Or discover Bricktown from a different perspective by cruising around in a historically themed water taxi ride with 2. Bricktown Water Taxi. eat. Before the Futurity finals start, head over to 3. Hall’s Pizza Kitchen for a couple of slices of homemade pizza. And don’t forget to grab a delicious salted caramel chocolate chip cookie for dessert! Or for perfectly crafted cocktails and live music visit 4. The Jones Assembly. do. Find your next show mount, or sit back and grab a drink…

The challenge of how to prevent ulcers in horses is an ongoing concern. Most horses that develop ulcers are under stress, whether that be from performance pressures, confinement, or unnatural feeding patterns. Here, we’ll tell you how best to reduce the stressors that can lead to ulcers. A healthy routine. Ulcers are more prevalent in domestic horses than in wild ones. That doesn’t mean we must turn our horses out and never use them again, but it does suggest we do all we can to provide a healthful regimen for them. That means as much turnout as possible, ideally with pasture mates for socializing. If practicable, avoid stalling your horse, as research indicates stall confinement alone can lead to the development of ulcers in some horses. If you compete, consider…

Before you can establish a good relationship with your horse in the saddle, you must take time to work with him on the ground. This round-pen exercise teaches your horse to listen to your body language and stay out of your personal space unless you invite him in. I like to use this drill on horses who tend to stand too close to me, or tend to push me around on the ground. Understand Boundaries The idea behind this groundwork exercise is to help your horse understand boundaries and help you develop a relationship with him. While it might be as innocent as your horse trying to get in your personal space because he knows you have treats, teaching your horse to stay out of your personal space is a…

At 18 years old, most kids are carefree, and their biggest worry is trying to figure out what they want to do after high school. But for Sami Bayless of Lockwood, Missouri, the only thing on her mind was being able to get in the saddle again. On June 6, 2018, Bayless’ life would change forever. What started out as an average morning for the teenager changed drastically after Bayless was done with her morning barn chores and headed to work. During her morning commute, Bayless would end up in a life-threatening, head-on car accident that left her with a broken femur, a broken tibia and fibula in the left leg, a broken kneecap and femur fracture in the right leg, vertebrae fractures, and spinal cord damage. Bayless, who doesn’t…

Now is the time to plan for spring rides. Spring is a beautiful time of year in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The days are warming, but still cool. Wildflowers blanket the region. One of the first to bloom is the small, purple pasque flower, South Dakota’s state bloom. Also watch for fairybells, longspur violet, and lanceleaf bluebells. Early explorers described this region as a “true oasis in a wide and dreary desert.” And what an amazing oasis it is. Rugged rock formations and cool canyons are interspersed with greenery-draped gulches and verdant meadows. Ponderosa pines blanket large, undulating hills giving them a dark-green, almost black appearance. Within the 1.2-million-acre Black Hills National Forest, you’ll find nearly 600 miles of riding trails in varied terrain. History marched loudly here,…

The yellow school bus chugs along down the dirt road, followed by puffs of dust that turn a hazy amber in the balmy South Carolina air. Its young occupants press their eager faces into the window glass and mouth hello to the menagerie of animals they see en route to the barn. Hello, goats! Hello, cows! Hello, birds! The bus pulls to a stop in front of the weathered wood stables of Georgetown Equestrian Center, home to Hugs for Horses Therapeutic Riding, and the children—ages 3 to 5— clamber out and make their way to the barn. Waiting to mount up, the children chatter with excitement at the prospect of riding their favorite horse— sometimes Sally, sometimes Nestle, sometimes Liam. For some, the name of their favorite “Hugs” horse is…

I’VE BEEN SHOWING QUARTER HORSES ALL MY LIFE. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to succeed with horses. My first event, at just 6 years of age, was the local county 4-H show. Roanie, my mount, was a big, unregistered ranch horse, with a head the size of a fishing boat and the scars of living and working on the ranch all over his blue-roan hide. We were a team, though, and devoted to each other. Roanie took his job—taking good care of me—seriously. Together we gathered cattle on the short days, and I learned to lope in a circle (probably not on the correct lead). Our first class was unregistered aged geldings at halter; other classes followed, and Roanie wound up the Reserve Champion…

#HORSELIFEIRL ktclinebell This nice filly is a good reminder of why I love starting youngsters under saddle. #horsetraining #horselifeirl Tag your Instagram photos #HorseLifeIRL (In Real Life) for a chance to see your post here! FUN ON FACEBOOK We asked the question,"Would You Choose Conformation Over Training in Horse?" Here's what a few of our fans had to say. Arlene Lini Kelemen There's no such thing as flawless conformation or training. You ride the horse you've got today and make the best of it. Sarah Jenkinson You can train a horse and get a lot of pleasure from doing so and build a great relationship. You can’t alter bad conformation. Ashley Yurkovic A horse's training can be developed over time; you can’t change conformation. Conformation can make training harder and…

Fusion of the two lower joints of a horse’s hock can be a remedy for moderate to severe osteoarthritis (where arthritic changes have damaged the cartilage such that bone-on-bone contact is causing the horse pain). Fusion occurs when the juncture between the ends of two bones transforms from a mobile joint into a stable bony bridge, immobilizing that part of the hock. The joints in the lower hock naturally have minimal movement, which means their fusion can potentially relieve pain without inhibiting the horse’s stride. Fusion sometimes occurs naturally, but more often is the result of a surgical or chemical process (see box). If your horse suffers from hock arthritis, consult your veterinarian about options. A Boot of Support Therapeutic hock boots (as above, from Back on Track) with neoprene…

How do you encourage your horse to walk out? By bumping with both your legs? That’s the norm in our Western disciplines—we use both legs at the same time, rhythmically, to urge our horses to extend the walk. But there’s a better way. And it’s something you’ll want to learn in order to produce a winning ranch riding walk, extend the walk on request in a Western pleasure or horsemanship class, or just enjoy a nice day’s ride out on the trail. The better way? To use your legs in an alternating pattern. Specifically, you cue with your right leg to influence your horse’s right hind leg, then with your left to influence his left hind. Timing is critical. I’ll explain that plus everything else you need to know to…

I EVALUATE FOR CONFORMATION using the four categories of balance, structure, sex characteristics, and muscling. Age and gender affect some of those categories, and geldings should still show good breed characteristics in addition to being structurally correct. From a functional standpoint, a horse should display balance and correctness to do a job and stay sound. Muscling needs to be adequate for the job, as well. When I first look at a class after watching them track, overall attractiveness stands out. With a trained eye, the horses that qualify as attractive at first glance are usually those with a good combination of balance, correctness, characteristics, and muscling. Once I examine them in detail, those traits often hold true. A poorly balanced or structurally incorrect horse, even if appealing through the head…

IN 2009, the gelding Well Armed streaked past the finish line in what was then the world’s richest Thoroughbred race—The Grade 1 Dubai World Cup. The 6-year-old bay, owned by WinStar Stable, would race one more time before retiring. Today, you can sometimes see the tall bay gelding under Western tack being ridden around the Rafter C Ranch in Flower Mound, Texas, by owner Bill Casner. Both look comfortable in their attire, and the now-16-year-old gelding seems to be loving his new life. During his career on the track, Well Armed earned more than $5,000,000, but now he’s a cow pony. It’s one of the more amazing racehorse-to-ranch-horse stories. “He was a pretty special racehorse,” Casner says of the gelding. “I’ll probably never own another like him in my lifetime.”…

Rancher 5 Star Saddle Pad Sometimes you need a little something extra to protect your horse’s back during ranch work or extended excursions. But who wants to double-pad or do a lot of cinching? 5 Star Equine comes to the rescue with the Rancher 5 Star Saddle Pad, handmade in the USA. Specially engineered for roping and other ranch activities—as well as those long trail rides we all love—it is designed to be used alone. The pad’s extra-thick 1-1/8" wool eliminates the need for double padding while reducing cinching. The Rancher is 100% pure wool without any synthetic materials—the better to wick away sweat and remove excess heat from under the saddle. Available in four different sizes (30" W x 28" L, 30" W x 30" L, 32" W x…

The Collector: Nichole Chirico Littleton, Colorado The Collection: Chirico’s National Finals Rodeo belt buckle collection started just months after she was born, thanks to her grandparents Don and Mary Morgan, who were avid NFR fans and fellow horse lovers. Each year, Chirico received a different kid-sized Hesston buckle from her grandparents, leaving her with 10 buckles that proudly sit on display in her house and help remind her of the fond memories she had visiting her grandparents’ farm each weekend and riding any horse she could swing her leg over as a young kid. “The one that’s most special to me is the large buckle in the middle,” Chirico shares. “That buckle was my grandfather’s, and when he passed away, my aunt, Betty, was kind enough to give it to…

Absorbine Win-A-Day Thanks to the Brad Barkemeyer Win-A-Day Clinic presented by Absorbine and Horse&Rider, Jeremy Spivey got to invite nine of his roping buddies to join him in a full-day clinic with Brad Barkemeyer in Fort Lupton, Colorado, this summer. The group worked on basic horsemanship skills in the morning and upped their game in the team roping arena in the afternoon. Look for the full story in our Spring issue, and be sure to visit our Facebook page to see weekly training videos from the clinic. AAEP FOUNDATION GRANTS 731K Amount in grants approved by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation for programs and projects committed to improving the welfare of horses (aaepfoundation.org). Equitana Is Coming! The behemoth of equestrian trade fairs and exhibitions—Equitana—will be revived in the…

TRAVEL Oklahoma WHERE Oklahoma City WHAT National Reining Horse Association Futurity WHEN November 28–December 7, 2019 Reining’s Premiere Event Starting Thanksgiving Day, reining enthusiasts from around the world head to Oklahoma City for 10 days to watch reining’s premiere event as open riders compete on some of the top 3-year-olds in the country in hopes of claiming the NRHA Futurity Champion title and taking home $150,000. During the Futurity finals, the Jim Norick Arena is packed with eager fans cheering as their favorite horse-and-rider teams come running into the arena. And on top of an exciting finals (whether it’s the non pro or the open), reining fans can also enjoy watching some of their favorite trainers and clinicians compete in the $20,000-added invitational freestyle event. Or head over to the…

Too often, I talk to parents who are heavily involved in horses, whose kids aren’t interested in horses at all. I don’t know if their kids never get the opportunity because their parents are too busy with their own horses, but at our house, we try to make our time with our horses something we do as a family, and something that stays fun. Taking it slow Our kids were brought up around horses every day. A lot of what we do horseback is ranch work, but we don’t want to make it hard for the kids right away. We don’t ask too much of them and get them to where they resent the horses and the work involved. We started by ponying Slade on easy rides through the pasture…

“Habituation prevents us from seeing that some of our actions and techniques are counter to our responsibility of protecting the horse and its dignity, the animal that is the very reason we entered the industry.”James C. Heird, PhD “The American Quarter Horse has been good to each of us. Let’s make sure we are good to it in return.” With that plea, James C. Heird, PhD, concluded his talk at the 2009 American Quarter Horse Association Judges Conference in Dallas, Texas. During the talk, titled “Do Right by the Horse,” he explained the concept of “habituation,” a phenomenon where we stop responding to something we’ve grown accustomed to. “Habituation prevents us from seeing that some of our actions and techniques are counter to our responsibility of protecting the horse and…

Anticipation comes from repetition. When you school a maneuver, like a flying lead change, over and over in the same place, it teaches your horse to anticipate what’s next. Even a seasoned show horse—who isn’t over-schooled—gets to know his job so well that he might attempt to do the pattern on autopilot. In either case, when your horse anticipates a maneuver, he’s ignoring your cues and thinking for himself. When your horse is paying attention to you at home, he’ll carry that habit to the show pen, even when you’re both surrounded by distractions—whether it’s the crowd, other horses, or the loudspeaker shouting draws. This will translate to fewer penalties—and when your horse’s full attention on you, it gives you the opportunity to receive additional points that could make all…

Though horses aren’t fanged carnivores, they can inflict catastrophic bites with powerful jaws and teeth designed for tearing hardy vegetation. In the wild, horses use their teeth for survival in many ways, including fighting. By contrast, domestic horses must learn that using teeth to inflict harm is unacceptable. For horse owners, a biting horse is a liability—dangerous to you, other people, and other horses. Here, we’ll look at how horses use their teeth, why they bite, how to keep yourself safe, and ways to change the behavior of a horse that bites. Biting in the Wild Horses living in the wild use their teeth for grazing, interacting within a herd, and dealing with outsiders and predators. Most biting is done by stallions, directed at other stallions to keep them from…

On September 15, 2018, we received a call about a horse that had been abandoned on thousands of acres of arid scrubland in New Mexico. The reporting party had been observing the sorrel mare for several months and it was becoming clear that she was doing poorly. After seeing the pictures the reporting party texted us, we knew we had to find the horse as quickly as possible. With her xylophone ribs and jutting hipbones, the situation had escalated to an emergency. We had a lot of country to cover, so it took us a few nerve-wracking days to find the mare. We didn’t know if she’d survive that long. We found her running with a small band of horses and she looked even worse than in the photos. She…