August 2016 - Just Horses

www.justhorses.net
25th Year • Issue 4 • August, 2016
INSIDE
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Family Affair by Ed McNelis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 4
Stand Still For Mounting by Clinton Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 8
Becoming The Leader by Julie Goodnight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 10
Joint Problems by Madison Seamans, MS DVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 14
Mastering the Balance Beam by Mark Bolender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 16
The Northwest’s Finest All-Breed Equine Publication.
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PERMIT #382
Just Horses
2
Around the Region
Date
Coming
Up
Be sure you mark these “don’t-miss”
events on your calendar!
in 201
6
Upcoming events
Event
Location
See Ad on Pg
Aug 9 - 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerome County Fair . . . . . . . . . . .Jerome, ID . . . . . . 12
Aug 10-17, 11, 12-14 . . . Stanton Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deary, ID . . . . . . . . . 8
Aug 18 - 20 . . . . . . . . . . . Cassia County Fair & Rodeo . . . . .Burley, ID . . . . . . . 10
August, 2016
Grounds
Caldwell, ID
One of the largest and
longest-running
annual
events in Canyon County,
drawing crowds in excess of
45,000 over 5 action-packed
nights. Listed among the
top 30 professional rodeos
AND Top 6 outdoor rodeos
in the nation, CNR features
some of the best professional cowboys, cowgirls and
animal athletes in the world
and is an annual stop on the
professional rodeo tour.
For more information,
go to: www.caldwellnightrodeo.com.
Experience the excitement, heritage, and culture
of NW Montana. With
115 years of tradition, the
NW Montana Fair & Rodeo comes alive each year
in August featuring three
nights of PRCA Rodeo action, huge concerts, carnival
rides galore, and great fair
food. Join in the fast paced
excitement of Relay Races
or the Demolition Derby.
For more information,
go to: http://www.pikespeakorbust.org/.
AUGUST 20 - 21
WILD WEIPPE RODEO
Rodeo Grounds
Aug 26 - 28 . . . . . . . . . . . Nevada Stallion Stakes . . . . . . . .Elko, NV . . . . . . . . . 12
AUGUST 16 – 21
Weippe, ID
CLACKAMAS COUNT Y
PLEASE – go to this
FAIR
&
RODEO
rodeo!!
They need people in
Aug 26 - Sept 5 . . . . . . . Elko County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elko, NV . . . . . . . . . 14
Clackamas County Event
the seats to continue anothCenter
er year! The past few years
Sept 3 - 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . PRQHBA Sale & Futurity . . . . . . .Broadus, MT . . . . . . 6
Canby, OR
they have struggled for auThe Clackamas County dience and participants.
Sept 4 - 5, 10 . . . . . . . . . . BLM Wild Horse Yearling Sale . . .Blackfoot, ID . . . . 16
Fair has been around for Don’t let another rodeo disover 100 years, and celebrat- appear from the NW caled its centennial birthday in endar! Let’s all make a trip
Sept 9 - 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . WYO Quarter Horse Sale . . . . . . .Thermopolis, WY . . 5
2006. Spectacular fun for to Weippe for the fun of a
everyone!
great rodeo, but also to show
Sept 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zollinger Quarter Horse Sale . . .Oakley, ID . . . . . . . . 7
For more information, support for this and all NW
go to: http://www.clacka- rodeos!
For information on how to get your event listed here,
call Just Horses, and ask for Jane, (208) 336-6707.
mas.us/fair/fair.html.
Two days of rodeo fun,
complete with a Cowboy
AUGUST 17 - 21
Breakfast, parade, and a
NW MONTANA FAIR &
dance with live music. This
AUGUST 13 – 20
stands this year will be a de- go to: www.wystatefair. RODEO
one even has events just for
Flathead
County
FairWYOMING STATE FAIR molition derby, Wyoming’s com.
the kids so bring the whole
grounds
& RODEO
ranch rodeo finals, profesfamily and don’t miss a minAUGUST 16 – 20
Kalispell, MT
Wyoming State Fair Park
sional bull riding, concerts
ute.
82nd ANNUAL
Douglas, WY
and a Professional RoCALDWELL NIGHT
2016 marks this event’s deo Cowboys Association
RODEO
104th celebration! Taking (PRCA) rodeo.
Caldwell Night Rodeo
For more information,
center stage in the grand-
Aug 26 - 28 . . . . . . . . . . . Down Under Horsemanship . . . .Eugene, OR . . . . . . . 3
SUBSCRIBE!
...to Just Horses today.
publisher/editor
Jane Henry Seil
[email protected]
marketing - sales
Tammy al Sammak
[email protected]
ad design
JaSon JacobSen
[email protected]
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The Northwest’s Finest All-breed Equine Publication
www.justhorses.net
distribution manager
mike Seil
[email protected]
bookkeeper/office manager
ceSley meTcalfe
[email protected]
Just Horses
233 W. State St., Suite E
PO Box 937
Eagle, ID 83616
tel 208.336.6707
fax 208.336.6752
www.justhorses.net
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and in guest articles do not necessarily
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its staff.
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Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Just Horses, the Northwest’s finest all-breed equine publication,
celebrating our 25th year. Like us on Facebook!
Just Horses
August, 2016
3
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Just Horses
4
Family Affair
By Ed McNelis
The 3rd day of July fell on
Sunday this year, thus it created
a three day weekend and Holiday.
July 4th is one of the most wonderful days of each year for America. This year seemed very special
and there were many heartfelt
testimonies given by our fellow
Americans regarding our freedoms and our wonderful country.
On July 3rd there were
Matched Races held at Emmett,
Idaho the home of Gem County
Fairgrounds.
Matched Races
have a deep history in our country dating back to Colonial days.
Matched Races were the foundation of current race programs held
at tracks across our country.
The Matched Races at Emmett were a festive occasion and
a family event. The grandstands
were full. The air was full of music. There were rides, entertainment, food, beverages and families. There were tents and sun
screens lining the track from the
grandstands to the barn area. The
barn area was full of owners, train-
ers, friends and families. It was a
festival.
Everyone was welcome. It
was wonderful to be engaged in
the activities and festivities. The
races were limited to two horses
each. They raced from a starting
gate and ended at the finish line
complete with a timer and camera.
The races were not the total focus
of the day, but a part of the activities of this festive occasion.
The Hispanic community
is becoming a huge part of the
equine community in our state
and region. Engaging them and
including them is important. This
could be seen the past two years
when the Idaho Horse Expo included Hispanic programs as part
of the quality entertainment of
that event.
Kudos goes to Gem County
and their Fair board for expanding the usage of their fairgrounds.
They understand how important
their fairground is to their communities, youth and life style.
Open spaces become more precious each day as we become more
urbanized.
Other areas of our state attract the Hispanic population.
Jerome and Homedale also hold
Matched Races and the festive
programs surrounding them. This
segment of our population has a
large economic impact.
The Hispanic population en-
August, 2016
joys equine activities and family
outings. They combine these activities and turn out in great numbers as families and individuals
of all ages. Each day, the culture
lines become more blurred and
these activities are appreciated and
enjoyed.
The involvement of the Hispanic population in the horse
industry has a huge and growing
impact. Their participation, ownership and purchases continue to
expand and become a more important part of the industry. We
only need to read and review sales
reports and equine activities to see
the large and growing participation
The majority of the individuals attending the Emmett program
were Hispanic. They welcomed us
with warm smiles and included us
in their activities and communications. We met many people that
we knew and enjoyed visiting with
them and meeting their family
and friends.
We were invited to a 4th of
July celebration the following day.
It was a wonderful event and the
food and family atmosphere were
wonderful.
While on a ranch in Eastern
Oregon, I worked with a Hispanic
fellow. He spoke limited English.
I spoke almost no Spanish. We set
out to teach each other our language. He learned more rapidly
Photo by Ed McNelis.
than I did because most of those
around him spoke English. He
was a good cook and I made sure
he had what he needed to prepare.
He had family and a home in
Mexico and he invited me to visit.
Every day I think about one Pearl
of Wisdom he left with me. “All
people are alike” he said to me. He
was very insightful.
Family is very important to
the Hispanic folks I know. They
spend quality time together as
family. Their family includes
the
sep
tem
abor Day
Hells
Canyon
Mule
Days
kend aft
e
e
e
w
rl
Plan To Attend The 36th Annual
friends and associates in a close
knit relationship. Everyone gets
included whether it is soccer,
Match Races, or family affairs.
Three of my grandparents
came from Ireland to America.
They came at a time when taverns
put up signs on their doors reading no dogs or Irishmen allowed.
It wasn’t long until the Irish assimilated into the population. The
Irish also loved family and good
horses. Perhaps horses are a common bond in all mankind.
9-10 ber
2016-11
Rated “E” for Everyone!
like uS
Mule sHow events & GaMes for all aGes
NoN-motorized parade • Sat. Night pit B-B-Q
ViNtiQueS Show • mule cliNicS • d.o. cook-off
cowBoy poetry gatheriNg • cowBoy church
VeNdorS/exhiBitS aNd weSterN art oN the greeN
featured teNNeSSee mule artiSt BoNNie ShieldS
Private treaty Mule sale
wallowa County fairgrounds
enterprise, oregon
SatuRday night concERt:
Country sinGer Joni HarMs
“LEt’S Put thE WEStERn Back in thE countRy”
experieNce a great time iN N.e. oregoN
hellS caNyoN mule dayS • po Box 50, eNterpriSe, or 97828
541-426-3271 • 541-263-0104
www.hellscanyonmuledays.com
www.justhorses.net
Just Horses
August, 2016
5
WYO Quarter Horse
16th AnnuAl September QuArter horSe SAle
Arena • Ranch Broke Gelding • Production Sale
SELLING 91 HEAD
SATURDAY, SEPT. 10th, 2016
Hot Springs County Fairgrounds
Thermopolis, WY
37 Broke Geldings
FRIDAY NIGHT, SEPT. 9th
PARADE OF GELDINGS & TWO YEAR OLDS 7 pm
23 Started Two Year Olds from the Bartlett Ranch
SALE DAY (Sept. 10th)
6 Yearlings, 25 Weanlings
PERFORMANCE PREVIEW 9 am
HORSES SELL AT 1 pm
Auctioneer: Ty Thompson
Mr Thirsty Boy
2014 Brown Gelding
Simply Stylish Asset
2014 black gelding
By ELS Scottish Nick,
one of 23 started two year
olds that sell.
By BR Best Asset,
5 months of riding by
sale time.
Boss Dutch Commander
2014 Sorrel Gelding
Mo Tee J Freckles
2011 gray gelding,
15.2H 1200#
By Royal Blue Gent, son
of Royals Diligents.
Great dispositon
Gorgeous and gentle;
started heading
Rebel Skeeter
2010 Blue Roan Gelding
14.3H 1100#
Stunning true blue roan.
Real people horse. Athletic,
smooth and gentle
Excellent heel horse; well
broke and gentle
Mr Blakburn Chex
2010 Buckskin Gelding
15H 1250#
Good Dreamin Deck
2011 Palomino Gelding
Using horse bred, great
traveler, gentle
For catalogs &
information,
contact:
Cupids First Playboy
2009 Bay Roan Gelding
15H 1225#
Bill & Carole Smith
P.O. Box 642
Thermopolis, WY 82443
Gorgeous, well mannered
and broke; super gentle;
trail ridden
H: 307-864-5671 C: 307-272-0593
FAX: 307-864-2537
EMAIL: [email protected]
See our ONLINE CATALOG at: www.wyohorses.com
www.justhorses.net
Just Horses
6
August, 2016
A Horse, Of Course
manager. Slim replies that he can
help.
“Look,” the guy says, “I’m fairly
new in the horse business, but I’m
no dummy. I know a good horse
when I see one. I have a sixth sense
about it. I do a little selling myself,
so I know there are prices, and there
are prices. Don’t try to show me
By Don Blazer
anything that is overpriced.”
Slim starts through the barn
When selling horses don’t talk
too much - let the customer tell you with the guy following, and I can
what is good or bad about the horse. hear the dude say, “I need a big
Just agree, and let the customer talk. horse, about 16 hands. It’s got to be
If you don’t violate the rule, you a man’s horse, all the way.”
All the time they are going stall
won’t ruin the sale.
I was shoeing a black mare for to stall I can hear the guy telling
Slim, and we’re doing a little jawin’ Slim what is wrong with each horse.
about the world and how we think Several have bad conformation;
it should be, when the mare jerks some are over-priced, etc., etc., and
her foot loose and nearly takes my so on. Slim isn’t saying anything.
I get done with the mare, and
kneecap off.
I would have given her a good lead her back to her stall, when the
schoolin’, but it hurts too bad to guy says, “Now, that’s a good lookbop her, so I sit and try to regain ing horse.”
Slim agrees with him and says,
my composure. Slim just shakes his
head and says, “She ain’t too much.” “But, she’s a bit overpriced.”
“I want to ride her,” the guy de“What is she?” I ask.
“A cranky, bad movin’, piece of mands. And in a few minutes he’s
trash, in my opinion,” replies Slim. aboard. It’s pretty easy to see the
“But there are those who never guy’s riding experience is limited as
he hasn’t caught on to the fact the
cared for my opinion.”
I had just got back to shoeing mare is wringing her tail and startthe mare when this fancy car pulls ing to rear. He thinks she is trying to
up and this urban-cowboy gets respond to his quick “cues”.
“This mare is all right,” he says.
out. He starts to complain about
Slim just smiles and nods in
the road, the dust and the heat. He
agreement.
finally says he wants to buy a good
Pretty soon the guy is telling
horse, and asks to see the stable
l
a
u
n
th An
9
3
Slim all about the mare, and Slim,
he just nods, says, “Yes, sir”, or “I
agree”, or “You’re right.”
“What’s the price?”
“Thirty-five hundred,” says
Slim real casual. I kind of gulp, because I know Slim would be elated
if he gets $1000 for her.
“That’s terrible,” replies the
buyer.
“You’re right,” agrees Slim.
“But I don’t think the owner will
take less.”
“Boy, I’ll tell you, you wouldn’t
be selling for me. You don’t even
know how to sell. Get on the phone
and make an offer of $2000. Not a
penny more. Tell the owner it’s cash
– now.”
Slim puts up a little argument
about how the owner might not
be home, and how he won’t come
down that low. Finally, after being
ordered by the guy to do as he’s told,
Slim shuffles to the office.
When Slim comes back he
says, “I can’t believe it. You bought
the horse for $2500.”
PRQHB
Sale & Futurity
I can’t believe it.
And the buyer smirks and
says, “I told you I know a little.”
And Slim just stays quiet and
nods.
Take the online course “The
Business of Making Money with
Horses”, written by Don Blazer.
Earn a certificate of completion.
Go to www.equinestudiesinstitute.com and work towards a
Professional Certification as Horse
Trainer, Riding Instructor or Stable
Manager.
Sale 1:00 P.M.
Sunday!
September 3rd & 4th – Broadus, MT.
Nice Gelding Sells!
3 yr. old Sells!
2016 Buckskin Colt Sells!
Selling 100 head of horses, including weanlings from the area’s
top producers, and a select number of ride horses, yearlings and broodmares!
Saturday, 9:00 am
2/3 yr. old futurity - $3,000 added
Versatility Competition – Saddle Awarded
Sunday, 9:00 am
Yearling Halter Sale Futurity - $10,000 added
Sale Preview Follows – SALE @ 1:00 PM
Call Us 406-427-5420 or 406-853-2843
[email protected] - online catolog www.prqhba.com
www.justhorses.net
Just Horses
August, 2016
7
ZOLLINGER
QUARTER HORSE RANCH
Always breeding for CONFORMATION, DISPOSITION, and PERFORMANCE
Where the “Leo
Legacy” Continues...
28thANNUAL PRODUCTION SALE
Saturday, September 10th 10:00 a.m.
1994 S. 100 E., Oakley, ID 83346
We are offering several
weanlings and started 2
& 3 year olds. 51 years of
breeding and 27 years
of production sales. We
owned the last sons of
Leo and Poco Tivio; later
adding sons of Shining Spark, High Brow
Cat, Peptoboonsmal,
Dash for Cash, Playgun,
Peppy San Badger and
Hollywood Dun it.
These horses are raised in the high desert country and mountains of Southern Idaho, developed to be
excellent working horses with great minds, conformation, and an abundance of color.
Offering 43 lots, 2 brood mares, and 6 saddle horses.
featuring:
JX LEO SUN UP
by Lad Loe X
Ashley Square by Dinner Flight
DOUBLE L BOON
by Peppy San Badger x
Maxi Lena by Doc Olena
POCO HOLLYWOOD
by Poco Ojos Grande by
Poco Bueno X Miss King Holly
SILVER PISTOL
by Playgun X
Barmaid Boon by Boon Bar
POCO BLACKBURN SMOKE by
Blackburn by
Poco Bueno
100% Foundation
STICKER PRICE
by Dry Spec A Pepper X
Spring Attraction by
HESA Commander
DYNAMO DUNIT
by Hollywood Dun It X
Positivio Lena by Doc O Lena
SHINERS WAR LEO
by Shining Spark X
Poco War Bird by War Leo
TIVIOS BUENO BARS
by Taylor Tivio by Poco Tivio X
Clubs Ole Rose by Poco Club
View, Bid and Buy at DVAuction.com.
For Catalogs and information call:
Jerry: (208) 670-3833
Linda: (208) 862-3402
EMAIL: [email protected]
www.zollingerquarterhorseranch.com
www.justhorses.net
Just Horses
8
August, 2016
Stand Still for Mounting:
An extra step to cure your horse’s fidgeting feet.
By Clinton Anderson
A horse that constantly moves around when
you try to slip your foot
in the stirrup is not only
frustrating, but potentially dangerous. A well
trained horse stands quietly while you mount and
waits for your cue to move
off once you’re situated in
the saddle.
People who have
trouble with their horses fidgeting when being
mounted share a similar
habit – they get on their
horses and instantly go
somewhere. Pretty soon,
the horse figures, “Why
wait for the rider to tell
me to move? I’ll just move
when she gets on me.
That’s what she’s going
to ask me to do anyway.”
Then he says to himself,
“Why wait for her to get
in the saddle? I’ll just start
moving when she brings
me next to the mounting
block.” Before long, the
horse won’t even stand
still next to the mounting block, or as soon as he
sees you raising your foot
to get in the saddle, he
starts walking forward.
Horses are great at
predicting our moves because we fall into habits and rarely change our
routines. Rather than inadvertently teaching your
horse a bad habit because
of your behavior, make
a slight change to your
normal mounting routine.
Once you’re in the saddle, instead of cueing the
horse to walk off, spend
a few minutes flexing his
head and neck.
Slide your hand down
one rein and then bring
it up to your hip. Wait
for the horse to give to
the pressure and to touch
your boot or jeans or the
stirrup with his nose. As
soon as he does, release
the rein. Then slide your
other hand down the opposite rein. Bring the rein
up to your hip and wait
for the horse to soften to
the pressure.
Not only is this exercise a quick way to get the
horse to check in with you
and to ask him to soften
to the bridle, but if you do Photo by Darrell Dodds.
it every time you mount
him, he’ll start to antici- ing that as soon as you needs to go somewhere,
pate it. Instead of think- sit down in the saddle he he’ll be thinking about
standing still and getting
soft. After a few repeti-
Stanton
Farms
www.stantonfarm.com
STANTON FARMS
HORSE TRIALS
August 12th-14th
USPC BIG SKY
MEGA RALLY
August 10th-17th
DRESSAGE
SCHOOLING SHOW
August 11th
tions of flexing his head
from side to side, then
you can cue him to move
forward.
CLICK TO BEGIN
INSPIRATION IS ONLY
A CLICK AWAY
See our website for more info.
Clinton Anderson’s award-winning
television show is now available anytime,
anywhere in the world. Watch up-to-date
episodes of Downunder Horsemanship
to receive the innovation, inspiration and
instruction you need to achieve your
horsemanship goals.
1371 Mica Mountain Rd
Deary, ID 83823
Contact: Sarah Stanton, (208) 877-1248
[email protected]
www.justhorses.net
WWW.DOWNUNDERHORSEMANSHIP.TV
Just Horses
August, 2016
9
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Just Horses
10
August, 2016
Becoming The Leader
By Julie Goodnight
I love when kids are interested
in riding. Most of the time the best
horses for learning are the lazy and
slow ones. Even if they are usually
well-behaved, these horses can
learn quickly that --when kids are
aboard-- they don’t have to stop,
go, turn, or do much of anything.
If youth riders want to move forward in the horse industry, they
need to learn how to be in charge-even when they are learning the
basics. Here’s some advice to help
your youth rider stop being frustrated, and start gaining control.
Question: I need advice for my
daughter and her horse. My
daughter is 10 years old and very
interested in riding. However she
lacks confidence in riding. Her
horse has come to figure this
out. Cheyenne is a very sweet
and gentle horse and a tab bit on
the lazy side. I would like to find
out information or suggestions
on how to teach my daughter to
win her horse’s respect and have
him respond to her commands.
When she asks him to walk he
refuses. He cocks his back leg and
stands there no matter what she
does. Also once she does get him
to move he begins to pull her in
the wrong direction and when she
tries to bring him back he resists
her. When I ride him he does perfectly. What can I do to help her?
She is very frustrated and so am I.
Answer: Horses are herd animals
and the social structure within the
herd is known as a “linear hierarchy.” The definition of a linear
hierarchy is that each individual
in the herd is either subordinate
to or dominant over every other
individual in the herd. Since this
is the only way that horses know
to act, it is also how they relate to
their human herd members. We
need to think of the horse and
its rider as a herd of two. So we
have a choice, we can either be the
dominant member (or the leader)
or the subordinate member (the
follower). There is no equality in a
horse herd.
Clearly, in the case of your
daughter’s horse, she is subordinate to the horse, while you are
dominant over the horse. The
horse has already made up his
mind that this is the way it is and
there have probably been countless little things that has lead the
horse to this conclusion. So how
do we change this? Well, I can
think of a few options.
Only your daughter will be
able to step forward and take the
leadership role with her horse. You
riding the horse will not affect
the relationship between horse
and daughter, as clearly the horse
does not question your authority.
I do not recommend that your
daughter take an aggressive approach (do this or else), because in
the situation where the rider has
a history of being subordinate, a
challenge could prompt the horse
to be fractious and start bucking
or worse. Instead, your daughter
needs to get inside the horse’s
mind and learn to control ALL of
his actions.
Becoming the Leader
First, your daughter will need
to make up her mind to resolve
this situation and accept the fact
that it may take some time. She
will need to have an assertive, but
patient attitude. I recommend that
she address the issue of respect on
the ground first. She needs to have
a sense of awareness of her horse
and she must take control of every move he makes. That means,
when he is tied to the hitch rail,
he should stand exactly where she
told him to. If he steps sideways or
back or forward, she should gently
but firmly put his feet exactly back
in the spot that she first asked him
to stand. The horse should learn to
respect her space and yield to it.
She should be able to walk,
trot and halt the horse at halter,
back him up and disengage his
hindquarters (make him cross his
hind legs). All of these are examples of controlling the horse’s
space and when the horse does
these things without question,
he is respecting her leadership
authority. Disengaging the hindquarters is really important both
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on the ground and mounted, because it forces the horse into a subordinate frame of mind. When his
hind legs are crossed, his number
one line of defense (flight) is taken
away from him, so subconsciously
he becomes more dependent.
Your daughter must learn to
only ask what she can enforce and
ALWAYS enforce what she asked
the horse to do. So for now, that
probably means backing up and
enforcing her control in areas
where she can be successful. So often, I see people ask something of
their horse, let’s say to turn right,
and the horse resists and refuses,
so the rider caves in and lets the
horse turn left.
The rider thinks that she is
winning because she got the horse
where she wanted it by circling
it all the way around to the left.
But the horse sees it differently.
He does not have the capability
to realize that the rider got him
where she wanted anyway. All
the horse knows is that he didn’t
want to turn right, he wanted to
go left and if he refuses, the rider
will cave into his wishes. To us
humans, these little battles seem
unimportant, but to the horse, the
littlest things have big meaning.
Every time the horse gets his
way, he scores a point and is further convinced in his mind that
he is in charge. It sounds like your
daughter’s horse has scored a lot of
points. What your daughter will
have to understand and commit to
is that she has a lot of points to
score, before she pulls ahead. She
needs to realize that the tiniest
things count toward this score: the
horse moving around at the hitching rail, not trotting on the lead
line, the horse taking a step toward
the person, the horse nudging the
person with his head, taking one
step off the rail in the arena, or not
going when asked. The rider that
is dominant and in control is the
one that controls every movement
the horse makes. The more she can
make this horse yield to her, the
more points she will score. But
start small and build up to the big
issues. If she can gain some respect
from the ground, it may be a little
easier for her.
To address the specific problem in the arena, your daughter
should look for the areas that
she is still in control and focus
on those and reward the horse
when he responds. If the horse is
balking, the issue is to get his feet
moving. Usually the easiest way to
do this is to turn him in a tight
circle (this has the added advantage of disengaging the hindquarters). Be sure to reward him when
he responds (even if he responds
reluctantly) and immediately take
control of the situation. How? As
soon as she gets the horse to move,
she should ask him to stop.
Why? By doing this she has
accomplished two things: she has
rewarded his response by asking
him to stop (which is what he
wanted to do), but more importantly she has taken control by
issuing a command and getting a
response. It does not matter that
the horse wanted to stop anyway,
because he stopped on her request,
not his. By successfully getting a
response to a command, she puts
the horse in a responsive frame of
mind. So, she will get the horse
to move (by turning a tight circle
if she has to) and once the horse
has taken a few steps, ask him to
Continued on page 11.
Just Horses
August, 2016
11
Continued from page 10.
Becoming…
stop and reward him with a pat
on the neck and leaving him alone
for a few minutes, then ask again.
Initially, when the horse has responded a few times, find a good
stopping point and put him away.
Gradually build on what she asks
the horse to do.
It is critical that once she has
asked something of the horse that
she insists upon his response. This
does not mean that you kick or hit
harder and harder, but that you
continue to apply the aids until
the horse responds. Sometimes
children do not have the strength
to keep legging the horse until he
moves, and the horse learns that
the rider will get tired and give up
before he does. If this is the case,
she might need a stick or spurs.
HOWEVER, use these artificial
aids with caution because this
could drive the dominant horse
to more drastic and fractious
responses. Whatever aids she is
using to make the horse go (and
it should be all of the aids), she
should continue to apply them
until the horse goes. Not necessarily harder and harder, but with
persistence. Eventually, the horse
will learn that the only way to
make that annoying action go
away is to move forward.
Treats Versus Training
A couple more thoughts, if
you or your daughter feed treats
to this horse, stop immediately.
Goodnight helps a youth rider, Abby, gain confidence and stop her horse, “Skippy,” from pulling the reins from her hands. . Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco
Chances are, the horse has become demanding and rude and
this has contributed to his dominance. When horses are subordinate (whether to you or another
herd member), they will always
yield to the space of the dominant individual. When people
feed treats, the horse learns to
move into the space of the person
and thus you are yielding to his
space, therefore he is dominant.
Every treat that is fed, reinforces
his dominance.
And now having said that,
I have one more thought that
seemingly contradicts what I just
said. There is a form of training
called “clicker training” that is
being used on horses although it
was originally developed to train
marine mammals. It uses a clicking device as reinforcement and
the first step is to make the horse
associate the clicker with positive
reinforcement (grain).
Then, just like in Pavlov’s
Response, every time the horse
hears the clicker, he associates it
with good thoughts (grain) and
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knows he is doing the right thing.
I have seen this training method
used specifically in the same situation that your daughter is in, with
good success. So it might be worth
looking into. You would have to
do the clicker training and then
would be able to use the clicker
to control the horse’s mind while
your daughter is up. The clicker
and grain reinforcer just gives the
horse a different motivation for
doing the right thing.
My personal preference
would be for your daughter to
establish herself as the leader
of their herd of two by doing the groundwork and gaining her horse’s respect. But the
clicker method might be worth
looking into. There’s an audio
MP3 on my Academy site
(www.tv.juliegoodnight.com)
called Building Confidence with
Horses. It gives a pre-ride meditation and some tips to help you
look at horses in a new light.
I hope that might help, too.
Julie Goodnight, Clinician and
Trainer.
Fillies • Geldings • Colts • Broodmares
Registered and Grade Horses out of Foundation Racing Stock.
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Just Horses
12
August, 2016
Misfit Farm Teaches Horsemanship and Therapeutic Riding
By Heather Smith Thomas
Therapeutic riding is a swiftly
growing activity that helps many
people with disabilities regain
strength and function or have an
opportunity to enjoy interacting
with horses. The instructors who
help with these programs are certified through PATH (the Professional Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship).
PATH International was
originally founded in 1969 as the
North American Riding for the
Handicapped Association (NARHA) to promote safe and effective therapeutic horseback riding
throughout the United States and
Canada. Today, PATH International has more than 850 member
centers and nearly 7,600 individual members in countries all over
the world. Their purpose is to help
and support more than the many
thousands of men, women and
children with special needs each
year through a variety of equineassisted activities and therapies
programs.
Though PATH began with
a focus on horseback riding as
a form of physical and mental
therapy, the organization and its
dedicated members have also developed many different equinerelated activities for therapeutic
purposes. These are collectively
known as equine-assisted activi-
ties and therapies (EAAT). Besides horseback riding, EAAT
also includes therapeutic carriage driving; interactive vaulting,
which is similar to gymnastics
on horseback; equine-facilitated
learning and mental health, which
use the horse as a partner in cognitive and behavioral therapy,
usually with the participation of
a licensed therapist; ground work
and stable management. PATH
International Equine Services for
Heroes uses a variety of EAAT
disciplines specifically to help war
veterans and military personnel.
Throughout the world, hundreds of thousands of individuals
with and without special needs
experience the rewarding benefits
of equine-assisted activities and
therapies. A physical, cognitive or
emotional special need does not
limit a person from interacting
with horses, and these interactions
can actually prove highly rewarding and healing. For instance,
experiencing the rhythmic motion of a horse can be very helpful.
Riding a horse moves the rider’s
body in a manner similar to a human gait, so riders with physical
needs often show improvement
in flexibility, balance and muscle
strength and gain strength and
function more readily than with
other forms of physical therapy.
Whether the person interacting with horses is a young child
with Down syndrome, an adult
recovering from a spinal cord injury, a senior citizen recovering
from a stroke or a teenager struggling with depression, research
shows that individuals of all ages
who participate in EAAT can experience physical and emotional
rewards. For individuals with
emotional challenges, the unique
relationship and special bond
formed with the horse can lead to
increased confidence, patience and
self-esteem.
A growing number of local
groups and small horse farms are
participating in therapeutic riding activities. For instance, Susan
Dudasik, the registered PATH
horsemanship instructor who
owns and runs Misfit Farm, has
helped with various therapeutic
riding programs over the years,
and currently she and her students at Misfit Farm assist some
physically challenged riders at her
facility. The past couple of years
she has included some demonstrations on therapeutic riding during
some “get acquainted with horses”
events hosted at the farm.
In one of these events two
of her students gave a grounddriving demonstration with two
horses, and then Stephanie Middlebrook, a young student who
has cerebral palsy, gave a demonstration leading a pony through
the in-hand trail course.
“We finished up that session
with Stephanie doing a therapeutic riding demonstration where
she was helped onto the horse – a
BLM mustang named Rawhide
that has been part of the Misfit
Farm riding program for several
years,” says Dudasik.
This old horse, now 27 years
old, is a perfect mount for inexperienced or handicapped riders because he is very calm, dependable
and wise. Anyone can lead or ride
him and he will willingly do what
is asked, while always taking good
care of that person. In this par-
KE S
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Photo courtesy of Heather Smith Thomas
ticular demonstration, Susan and
her crew showed the steps it takes
to get a physically challenged rider
onto a horse.
Once mounted, Stephanie
rode Rawhide through the trail
course and over the bridge. “We
need to have 3 people to get her on
the horse, and this demonstration
was to show why it takes so many
people to help with therapeutic
riding. The spectators could actually see what was involved for her
to get on that horse and be able to
ride. You need to have someone
holding the horse, one person on
the off side, and another person—
generally the instructor—on the
near side, to get her on and off the
horse and support her. Once she
got safely on, I led Rawhide a little
ways, then unclipped him from
the lead rope and she rode him
through all the trail obstacles,”
Dudasik explains.
“For her dismount, it was
about the same thing except that
when she comes off, instead of being able to bring her leg back, she
does the over-the-shoulder crest
dismount. So there is one point
where she is completely vulnerable
if the horse moves or she loses her
balance, so we need to have someone on the other side of the horse
to support her so she won’t topple
off that side. With this demonstration, people got to see what’s
involved. Even though a physically challenged person might be able
to ride very nicely independently,
it still takes several people to get
her on and off the horse.”
These demonstrations are educational, and often help get people interested in riding, or working with horses, or helping with
therapeutic riding. People who
enjoy horses can see the possibilities for doing things with horses,
or even having a career with
horses. “There is a new therapeutic center here in our town called
Gaitway, and thanks to our demonstration with Stephanie riding
Rawhide, they got a new volunteer
for their program. That makes us
feel good,” says Dudasik.
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Just Horses
August, 2016
13
Natural Treatments for Equine COPD
by Deborah Powell
Do you have a horse that has
allergies or any other type of respiratory issues?
Through ongoing research
with my business, Matrix Therapy
Products, we’re constantly looking for safe, natural, and effective
therapy options. Recently, we’ve
been focusing on equine lung
health, since respiratory issues are
so prevalent, especially for performance horses. Here are two natural
physical therapy options for treating equine COPD and other lung
conditions.
MicroCurrent Therapy
This led me to create the
Quick Guide for Treating Bleeders, which is based on the lung
treatments shared in my book
MicroCurrent for Horses. The goal
of this Quick Guide booklet is to
make it easy for people to start
treating their horses’ lungs for various respiratory conditions.
It’s impossible to name a more
valuable overall treatment that
you can give horses, even with the
steady stream of new products entering the market. MicroCurrent
(MCT) remains a classic that can
be counted on to help horses feel
better. This is because MCT can
benefit the entire horse and help a
multitude of conditions. The only
drawback to microcurrent is that
it takes a bit of willingness and
effort to do the therapy, but that
has become a whole lot easier with
new application methods.
A thoroughbred race horse
owner recently said, “I’m not too
bright but I get along with horses,
however I am not sure I can do microcurrent.”
Frustrated by all the other
things he had tried, he decided to
give it a go and purchased a basic
microcurrent device and the Matrix Silver Knit Back Pad electrode for sore backs. He has been
thrilled how much it has helped,
and he recently added the protocol for bleeders and COPD to his
regimen. Luckily he realized it was
NOT that intimating after all.
VibraVM Acoustic Percussor
Another option for naturally
and effectively treating equine
lung conditions, is with the specialized therapy tool called the
VibraVM. It is not nebulizer. The
VibraVM was initially designed
for horses (or other animals) with
more serious respiratory conditions such as heaves, or COPD.
Even horses with early onset of
exercised induced pulmonary
hemorrhage (EIPH or bleeders)
can often be helped.
One of the things I love about
the VibraVM - in addition to its
effectiveness - is the ease of use.
You simply hold the device up
to your horse’s nose, making it
easy to treat horses even if they’re
young, skittish, or fussy. Using two
programs the session takes up to
eight minutes.
Natural treatment using sound waves to clear the lungs and sinuses by liquefying then dislodging mucus and other secretions. Photo courtesy of Deborah Powell.
With both of these therapy
options, the VibraVM and MCT, a
huge benefit is that once you have
learned how to use the device you
can treat all of your horses and
treat for many years with the same
device. This really helps keep the
ongoing maintenance cost down,
which is always an important part
of equine health care.
Sandee Foster a barrel racer
and trainer recently started com-
bining Microcurrent therapy with
the VibraVM in one session on a
horse recovering from a past bout
of pneumonia with the blessing
of her veterinarian to see how it
might help. So far, she reports, the
mare is feeling better than ever
with less coughing and lots of
new found energy. She will follow
up with an endoscopic and ultra
sound exams to further measure
the mares progress.
With a horse’s performance
directly affected by respiratory
conditions, Microcurrent and
the VibraVM can be part of a
positive overall program for assistance in comfort and lung
maintenance that is drug free.
This can lead to improved health,
performance, and quality of life
for your horses.
Want to learn more about the
therapies? Visit therapyproducts.net
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Just Horses
14
August, 2016
Joint Problems: Not Just an Old Horse Thing
By Madison Seamans, MS DVM
“It must be arthritis”, was the
diagnosis for a nice dressage horse
I saw recently. I asked the owner
how the diagnosis was made and
was surprised to find that it was
determined by watching the horse
move. This presented me with a
challenge because I am not nearly
sharp enough to watch a horse
move and determine he has arthritis. It’s not a bad guess, and
sometimes an “educated guess” is
as good as we can do. However,
a more thorough exam is usually
a good idea.
The horse usually cannot tell
us where it hurts, so we start with
a good physical exam. Watching
the horse move will usually tell us
there is a problem, but localizing
the source of pain can be a challenge. Diagnostic nerve blocks,
commonly referred to as “blocking” are commonly used to determine the site of pain. This method uses local anesthetic, the type
most dentists use to numb your
jaw. If this improves the movement of the horse, BINGO! That’s
where it hurts. Imaging with Xray or ultrasound will usually help
to identify the pathology, which is
commonly osteoarthritis (OA).
The word “arthritis” is directly
from the Latin meaning disease
of the joint. In medical terms, the
suffix “itis” means inflammation
tendonitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis all
mean inflammation of the body
part in the front of the word. So
specifically, arthritis simply means
inflammation of the joint. As in
many medical things, it ain’t as
simple as it seems. The exact cause
for this debilitating condition remains elusive. It is interesting
that, although television ads and
the omniscient Dr. Google suggest
there are easy remedies for this
condition, methods for prevention
are not readily available. Part of
the problem is that the causes of
most arthritic conditions are unknown. Of course, a barbed-wire
exploratory surgery of the fetlock
presents an obvious source of one
of the most difficult wounds, those
that penetrate joints, thus resulting in “septic arthritis”. (More
lessons in Latin: “septic”, like the
tank of the same name, meaning
“to rot”)
Unfortunately, without knowing the cause of something, prevention is nearly impossible. If we
did not know the cause of pregnancy, birth control would be difficult. OK – bad example. Let’s
explore some popular ideas about
arthritis in horses:
1) Riding a horse too young
will cause arthritis. Starting race
horses at two years of age has
been a controversial issue among
horsemen and animal rights activists for a long time. Recently, a
study was released looking at bone
density in two groups of two year
old horses. The first group was
not worked, but lived in a pasture
for a year. The second group was
worked in the traditional method
of starting two year olds for the
race track. At the beginning of
the third year, the horses that had
been worked had markedly greater bone density than the group
that had been on pasture duty.
Increased bone density is associated with increased bone strength
and thus may be a factor in the
prevention of arthritis.
Interestingly, a study published last month illustrated microscopic injuries seen in young
race horses in training. This employed the use of a CT unit “cat
scan” capable of imaging microscopic fractures just below the
surface of carpal joints. Theoretically, these lesions can result in the
development of OA. However,
these findings do not address the
questions of how training effects
boney tissues in other groups of
horses. The typical endurance
horse will train for months before
competing in the first race. The
average racehorse, conversely, may
only train a few miles before racing, and it is the lack of training,
some contend, that leads to the
catastrophic injuries seen on racetracks.
2) Too much work will cause arthritis. The old adage “use it or
lose it” is appropriate for exercising horses and humans. Think of
the fellow working in an office
until he’s sixty and see if he can
keep up with the farm worker of
the same age. The horses I see in
practice least effected by arthritis
have been endurance horses and
working cow horses. The com-
2016 elko CoUnTy Fair
aUgUsT 26TH THrU sepTemBer 5TH
Working
CoW Horse
UsTrC Team
roping
Team ranCH
DoCToring
Horse raCing
Home arTs
Carnival &
paraDe Team
BranDing:
The rough appearance of the periosteum (outside of the bone) is a typical image of
osteoarthritis (OA). Photo courtesy of Madison Seamans, MS DVM.
mon thread here is work: the
harder they work, the longer they
stay sound. Conversely, the horses
that stay parked most of the time,
but get ridden hard occasionally
are the population most at risk for
musculoskeletal problems, including arthritis.
3) There are nutritional supplements that will treat and prevent
arthritis. The class of compounds
called “nutraceuticals” has been
around a long time. Most of
these supplements are harmless.
Evidence of the efficacy of these
products is often anecdotal and
most have not been proven beneficial in carefully controlled studies.
4) Arthritis is passed genetically.
This opens a whole new area of
discussion including extra-genetic
factors passed from mare to foal
during pregnancy and the age old
argument about genetics vs environment. The answer is “maybe”.
Many factors producing lameness
in horses may be related to conformation. For example, we ex-
pect large horses with small feet
to develop problems at some time
during their career. Is this passed
on genetically or was the horse fed
to grow too fast too soon? What
about foot care? Is the same large
horse forced into a small shoe? If
we neglect the feet, the length of
hoof alters the way the bones of
the lower limbs articulate. Will
this cause arthritis?
The exact cause of OA in
horses remains to be elucidated.
Treatments and preventative measures vary widely. Factors such as
the event in which the horse competes, his age, breed and environment can affect all aspects of care.
In addition, the competence of
trainers, farriers and veterinarians
in attendance to each horse cannot be ignored. The art of horsemanship hasn’t changed much
since Xenophon, about 2400 years
ago. The science, however, changes
every day. It is up to us to stay current on new knowledge that can
keep our horses healthier, longer.
Cornerstone Equine
Medical Service
Madison Seamans MS DVM
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All entry forms and a full list of
current nominated stallions to date, are available at:
208-365-4085
www.elkocountyfair.com
www.justhorses.net
[email protected]
Just Horses
August, 2016
15
Come to
Belesemo Arabians
the breeding source for “ doing” horses
Breeding Does Matter! Horses we have bred and / or sold have accomplished the following...
16 National AERC Titles & 14 National Sport Horse Titles, including:
AERC Mileage Champions • Pioneer Award Champion • AERC Best Condition Champion • AERC Husband/Wife Team Champions
AERC Jim Jones Champion • AHA 100 & 50 Mile Ride Winner • Tevis Top Ten • Wendell Robie Award Winner
Multiple Regional Mileage, Point and Best Condition Awards • U.S. National Sport Horses • Scottsdale Champion Sport Horses
Legion of Honor Winners • Legion of Merit Winners
Not to mention show ring wins in Western
Pleasure, English Pleasure, Driving, Halter,
Most Classic, Native Costume, Dressage,
3-day Eventing, as well as 22 Champion or
Reserve Idaho Arabian Breeder Futurity
titles and multiple AHA Regional Show wins.
If you are looking for a trail companion, please call or write. Our 2016 sales list is online.
Dirk & Kimberly Johnson
16730 Plum Rd
Caldwell, ID 83607
4-H Clubs of Idaho
State Office: (208) 885-6321
Eastern Idaho Paint Horse Club
Contact: Allan Watkins 5 (208) 24-6650
Ada County Sheriff’s Mounted Possettes
Asst. Drill Team Master: Maria Kilgo,
(208) 869-0340
www.acsmp.4t.com
EhCapa Bareback Riders
Contact: Brandi Horsley, (208) 440-6648
www.ehcapa.com
American Blazer Horse Association
(208) 461-1055
www.blazerhorse.com
Appaloosa Horse Club
ID State Office: (208) 882-5578
www.appaloosa.com
Arabian Nights Drill Team
Contact: Frank Kerbs, (208) 495-2162
Back Country Horsemen of Idaho
www.bchi.org
Black Canyon Riding Club
President: Evelyn Arreguy, (208) 365-6462
Boise Back Country Horsemen
President: Scott Nichols (208) 401 6459
Secretary: Sue Clarke (208) 362 3526
www.boisebch.org
Boise Pony Club
Contact: Linda Ferri, (208) 939-7106
[email protected]
boise.ponyclub.org
Boise Saddle & Jump Club
President: Jim Desmond, (208) 938-1270
www.boisesaddleandjumpclub.com
Boise Valley Cutting Horse Assoc.
Contact: Cathy Carpenter, (208) 861-9512
www.bvcha.com
Canyon County Cowgirls Drill Team, Inc.
Contacts: Fawn Pierce, (208) 412-1571
Canyon County Mounted Sheriff’s Posse
Contact: Marilyn Tucker, (208) 467-3077
Cowboy Mounted Shooting Assoc.
Contact: Bev Nicholson, (208) 869-3167
Des Arab Arabian Horse Assoc.
Contact: Lyn Kinney, (208) 365-7715
www.desarabhorse.com
Draft Riders
Contact: Angela Pugh, (208) 284-2157
Eagle Valley Riders
Contact: Linda Burnette, (208) 459-2608
208.459.4107 / Fax 208.459.8907
[email protected]
www.belesemo.com
1 Cor. 10:31b
Farriers of Idaho Guild
Contact: Charlie Zamagni, (208) 283-8586
www.farriersofidahoguild.com
Friends of the Mustang
Contact: Sabrina Amiedon, (208) 362-4345
Garden Valley Mustang Sallies
President: MaryJo Dawson (208) 954-0121
[email protected]
Gem State Rodeo Assoc.
Secretary: Rhonda Garlan, (208) 867-4934
www.gemstaterodeo.com
Gem State Stock Horse Assoc.
Contact: Nola Krahn, (208) 935-0709
www.snaffle-bit.com
Heartland Back Country Horsemen
President: Paul Kleint, (208) 325-8768
www.heartland-bch.org
Idaho Arabian Breeders Assoc.
Contact: Sheila Harmon, (208) 322-8474
Idaho Girls Rodeo Assoc.
President: Robin Ward, (208) 362-9050
www.igra.rodeoarena.net
Idaho Horse Board
(208) 788-7111
www.idahohorseboard.com
Idaho Horse Council
President: Steve Taylor (208) 465-5477
www.idahohorsecouncil.com
Idaho State POA Club
President: Bonnie Witt, (208) 365-2052
Idaho Thoroughbred Assoc.
Contact: Cheryl Keshian 375-5930
Office: (208) 375-5930
www.idahothoroughbred.org/
Idaho Youth Horse Council
Diane Tolley: (208) 378-8906
Idaho Hunter Jumper Assoc (IHJA)
Contact: Nancy Glick
[email protected]
Intermountain Appaloosa Horse Club
Secretary: Becky Cook, (208) 313-4271
www.iappaloosahorseclub.org
Idaho Junior Rodeo Assoc.
President: Emily Clemens, (208) 604-0131
www.idahojrrodeo.com
Intermountain Professional Rodeo
Secretary: Sherise Timothy (208) 220-4666
Idaho Miniature Horse Club
President: Maria Redinger (509) 544-4567
[email protected]
Idaho Mounted Orienteering
Secty: Evelyn Peterson, (208) 585-3948
Idaho Mustang Club
Contact: Becky McPheters, (208) 463-0656
Idaho Over the Hill Gang
Contact: Steve Hurley, (208) 221-4626
[email protected]
www.overthehillgang.com
Idaho Buckskin Breeders Assoc.
President: Norman Groehler, (208) 454-6484 Idaho Paint Horse Club
Secretary: Nola Krahn, (208) 935-0909
www.horsefavorites.com/IBBA/
Idaho Palomino Horse Breeders Assoc.
Idaho Cowboy Action Shooting
Contact: Sandy Durland, (208) 939-8824
Contact: John Nelson, (208) 288-4251
Idaho Quarter Horse Assoc.
www.idahocowboyaction.com
President: Claudia Halden, (208) 890.3811
Idaho Cowboys Assoc.
Race Office: (208) 365-3874
President: Aaron Marts, (208) 337-3064
www.idqha.com
www.icarodeo.com
Idaho Quarter Horse Youth Assoc.
Idaho Cutting Horse Assoc.
Contact: Tiffany Allen (208) 887-1997
Contact: Darcy Skaar, (208) 709-3544
www.idqha.com/Youth.htm
[email protected] www.idahocha.com
Idaho Reined Cow Horse Assoc.
Secretary: Paula Cook, (208)454-8407
Idaho Deaf Riding Club
www.idahoreinedcowhorse.com
Contact: Taylor De Croo, (208) 703-3228
[email protected]
Idaho Reining Horse Assoc.
Secretary: Joy Sinner, (208) 523-3891
Idaho Dressage & Eventing Assoc.
Contact: Kathleen Thomason, (208) 324-5129 www.idahoreining.com
Idaho State Horse Show Assoc.
Idaho Drill Team Assoc.
President: Paula Vanhoozer, (208) 288-1852 Magic Valley: Donna Tegelman, (208)
944-9415
Idaho Gem State Vaulters
Treas. Valley: Andrea Mowdy (208) 859-5748
www.ishsa.com
www.Idaho-Gem-State-Vaulters.org
ION Appaloosa Horse Club
President: Kim Johnson, [email protected]
Contact: Marilyn Tucker, (208) 467-3077
www.ionappaloosa.com
Just Horsin’ Around
Cindi Davis (208) 571-0816
www.meetup.co/Just-Horsin-Around
Kuna Kave Riding Club
Dave Limesand (208) 922-3541
[email protected]
Les Bois Dressage Club & Cmb Training
President: Nancy Roche, (208) 286-9724
Magic Valley Arabian Horse Assoc.
Secretary: Jan Peters, (208) 733-3731
Magic Valley Team Sorting Assoc.
Anne Blass (208) 404-6565
[email protected]
NW Paso Fino Horse Assoc.
Membership: Cindy Oswald (208) 683-6062
[email protected]
www.nwpfha.com
NW Professional Rodeo Assoc.
Secretary: Lori Newman (503) 829-8868
www.nwprorodeo.com
NW Spectacular O-Mok-See Assoc.
Contact: Jennifer Larson, (208) 392-2349
www.nwsoa.com
Southern Idaho Pinto Horse Assoc.
Area Director: Dixie Christensen
(208) 455-5272
Squaw Butte Back Country Horsemen
President: Marybeth Conger, (208) 369-0769
www.sbbchidaho.org
T.E.A.M. 4-H (Potlatch, ID)
Contact: Gary Johnson
[email protected]
Owyhee Nite Dazzlers
Contact: Debbie Kriegh (541) 372-5557
Ten Mile Riding Club
Contact: Becky McPheters, (208) 463-0656
www.tmrcboise.com
Owyhee Riding Club
Contact: Niki (208 965-7910
[email protected]
Tennessee Walking Horse Club
Contact: Sue Evangelho, (208) 861-6247
Payette Valley Riders
President: Dave Woolverton
[email protected]
www.payettevalleyriders.org
Professional Western Rodeo Assoc.
Office: (509) 884-1800
www.pro-west.net
Rawhiders: New Plymouth
Contact: Myrn Gosse, (208) 278-5592
Ride For Joy
Therapeutic Riding Program
for Special Needs Children
(208) 861-0879 www.rideforjoy.org
Treasure Valley Back Country Horsemen
President: Terry Burgess, (208) 585-6726
www.tvbch.com
Treasure Valley Paint Horse Club
President: Anne Gahley, (208) 286-7050
Treasure Valley Gunslingers
[email protected]
Treasure Valley Leather Slappers Drill Team
Contact: Janice Dykema, (208) 454-8045
www.tvlsdrillteam.com
Treasure Valley Model Horse Club
Contact: Bob Aiken, [email protected]
www.tvmhc.net
Rough Riders Drill Club
Drill Captain: Heather Ray , (208) 869-2155
www.roughridersdrill.org
Treasure Valley Whips Driving Club
Contact: Jan McEnroe, (208) 466-0133
www.treasurevalleywhips.org
Sawtooth Ranger Riding Club
President: Scott Wagner (208) 484-7263
Trot-On Carriage Driving Association
Contact: (208) 887-6838
[email protected]
Meridian Lions Rodeo
Contact: Doug Beehler, (208) 939-5747
www.meridianlions.org
Silver Spurs 4-H Club
Connie Evans, (208) 936-1014
www.silverspurs4H.com
Miss Rodeo Idaho
President: Sheri Arkoosh, (208) 965-5141
[email protected]
www.missrodeoidaho.com
Snake River Barrel Racing Assoc.
Contact: Holly Hoff, 365-5893
Western Idaho Morgan Horse
Contact: (208) 286-7333
Snake River Fox Hounds / Pony Club Idaho Falls
Contact: Tresa Mason, (208) 589-5659
National Barrel Horse Assoc.,Dist. 3
Contact: Bev Williams, (208) 922-5611
Snake River Reining Alliance
President: Scott Wagner (208) 484-7263
www.snakeriverreining.com
Western Riding Club
Contact: Myron Amsden, (208) 571-1878
www.westernridingclub.4t.com
North Idaho Draft Horse Assoc.
Tracy Holbrook (208) 596-5857
NW Barrel Racing Assoc.
ID Pres: Rhonda Livingstone (208) 263-8852
[email protected]
www.justhorses.net
(SWIT) S.W. Idaho Trail & Distance Riders
President: Beth Bivens, (208) 989-1069
Southern Comfort Gaited Horse Club
[email protected]
www.gaitedhorseclub.com
Welsh Pony & Cob Club of Idaho
Contact: Becky Smith, (208) 585-3384
Check out your club info on this
list and on www.justhorses.net.
Email updates and corrections to
[email protected].
Just Horses
16
August, 2016
Mastering the Balance Beam
By Mark Bolender, Unique Horsemanship
The exciting sports of Trail
Challenges and Mountain Trail are
based on real-life situations found
working on the ranch or on the trail.
Certain obstacles simulate these
working conditions, and can be used
to effectively train for these sports.
One important training obstacle is the balance beam. It simulates
some of the difficult log and bridge
crossings required to cross creeks or
ravines. And it’s a fantastic tool to
teach horses to focus, not only on
the crossing but on any task at hand.
The following is a good method to
begin training with a balance beam.
First, wrap your horse’s legs
to prevent injuries. It’s also ideal to
have two balance beams to work
with; one that’s low to the ground
and another that’s more elevated.
You should master the low balance
beam before you graduate to the elevated one. Also, before starting the
training, you must have the horse’s
respect. If you don’t, the horse will
try to push into your personal space,
(or your “Bolender Bubble.”) If this
happens, you must correct the behavior before proceeding.
Once you’ve determined your
space is respected, drive the horse
from the ground to the low balance
beam and have it inspect the obsta-
cle. Do not force the horse, but give
it all the time it needs to inspect,
smell, chew or even paw the beam
if it desires. Being curious creatures, most horses will place one
foot on the balance beam and then
take it off, then repeat the process.
You should apply gentle pressure
to the horse until it moves forward
and puts its foot back on the balance beam. Immediately stop all
movement to take the pressure off,
and let the horse “think it through.”
This method will appear slow at
first, but will pay dividends in the
end because it builds more boldness
and confidence than the method of
pushing the horse and forcing it to
comply with your request.
As the horse steps up with
both feet, make sure your lead rope
is loose. This is crucial because if the
horse doesn’t stand on the balance
beam on a loose lead rope then, in
its mind, the effort never happened.
So you must resist hanging onto the
lead rope. Depending on the horse,
placing both feet on the beam and
then removing them is normal, and
this may go on a number of times.
But once the horse has both feet on
the beam and appears quiet, it’s time
to apply pressure and ask it to step
up with its hind feet. Once again,
when the horse steps up with all
four feet, stop all pressure. Allow it
to stand on a loose lead rope before
moving on. At this point you will be
facing the horse.
Remember that in the horse’s
mind, the less you move your feet,
the more authority you have. Stay
quiet, calm, and show no emotions.
The horse will reward you by taking several baby steps. It may take
a day of two before the horse walks
completely over the balance beam
in a relaxed manner while “hunting
the trail.” When the horse has mastered the low balance beam from
the ground, then you can move to
the elevated balance beam. The steps
are the same - drive the horse to the
obstacle and allow it time to think
it through.
When the horse is comfortable
with walking across the elevated
beam then it’s time to ride. Some
horses act as if they’ve never seen
the low balance beam once you’re
mounted up. However, the steps are
the same as presenting the balance
beam from the ground. Have the
horse face it straight on and allow it
time to think it through. The horse
will probably put one foot up at first,
and then back off. Allow this to occur, but be persistent in asking the
horse to go forward. Once it steps
up on the balance beam, allow it the
privilege of smelling, chewing or
pawing the beam.
Most horses will simply step off
at this time. Do not turn the hose
around. Instead, back up the horse
and have it step up on the beam
again. Show no emotion or impatience, and do not become aggressive; that will defeat the propose of
building boldness and confidence in
the horse. Once the horse is willing
to step up quietly and walk on the
beam, simply look forward and walk.
At this point your job is done, and
the horse should walk quietly and
confidently, with a focused expression on both the low and elevated
balance beam.
Happy Trails and Bolender
Blessings!
Photo courtesy of Mark Bolender.
MARK BOLENDER
Creator of Mountain
Trail Challenge
and Founder of the IMTCA
Don’t Miss...
IMTCA sanctioned
Mountain Trail Challenge,
featuring Mark Bolender,
on RFD TV.
(Coming in 2016)
Bolender Horse Park
131 Crater View Dr, Silver Creek, WA 98585
360-269-6156
www.BolenderHorsePark.com
The BLM and the
University of Idaho
4-H Clubs showcase
trained wild horse
yearlings!
Come Celebrate America’s
Mustang with us!
240 E Frontage Rd N, Jerome, ID 83338
5
800-764-7473
SEPTEMBER 4
Celebrating
Idaho 4-H Club youth members to
compete in a trail challenge during the
Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot
SEPTEMBER 5
•
•
•
•
Idaho 4-H Club members to
participate in a freestyle performance
with their wild horse yearling
SEPTEMBER 10
Call Wild Horse Specialist
Kevin Lloyd at 208 879 6209 for more
information about adopting a wild
horse at the Eastern Idaho State Fair
Trail Challenge Association
Join Today! www.IMTCA.org
From Wild
to Mild
4-H trained Wild Horse
Yearlings Available for
Adoption during the Eastern
Idaho State Fair
4-H trained wild horse yearlings
available for adoption by competitive
bid; 3 p.m.
IMTCA - International Mountain
Bison tough gates
Panels
Fencing
Pipe ranging from 1/2”
to 48”
Years!
Save the Date!
August
12th
2016
UNIQUELY AMERICAN. UNIQUELY YOURS.
BLM.gov
or call 866.468.7826
Image by Rhonda Hole
www.justhorses.net
Come help us celebrate our five year
anniversary! There will be instructional
demonstrations, great food, and door
prizes!
August, 2016
Just Horses
www.justhorses.net
17
Just Horses
18
August, 2016
The Way of Horses
By Eleanor Blazer
Does your horse resemble a
Thelwell pony?
The amount of body fat you
think a horse should carry depends on the type of horse you
prefer.
A pampered pet may be pleasingly plump; while an event horse
will carry no added fat. Many
people will feel the event horse is
underweight, compared to their
vision of a healthy horse.
I get many calls from horse
owners wanting to widen a chest
or develop a large hip by trying to
increase calories. Feeding more
calories will not change the genetic type of a horse. If you want
a muscled short-coupled quarter
horse type, don’t buy a tall lean
Thoroughbred.
A body condition score chart
rates horses and ponies according to the amount of fat covering
their frame. A horse with a body
condition score of 1 is a walking
skeleton; a score of 9 is dangerously obese. An outline of the
chart can be see at: http://www.
thewayofhorses.com/body_condition_score_chart.html
After determining your horse
needs to lose weight, the process
is not as simple as decreasing the
feed. Nutrients must be provided
so the equine body can function
and repair. Meeting the nutrient
requirements without increasing
calories can be a challenge.
If the feeding directions on a
product states: “Feed at the rate of
1/2 (one half ) percent of the body
weight per day”, and you feed
less to lower calories, you are also
decreasing the minerals and vitamins.
There are many low-calorie
products on the market. These
commercial feeds provide protein,
vitamins, and minerals. A product
that is promoted as “low starch” or
as a “ration balancer” may be an
option. The goal is to lower nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC)
and fat in the diet, while providing
the needed minerals and vitamins.
In order to feed horses properly you need to invest in a scale.
Feeding horses by the scoop or
coffee can is not an accurate rate
of measurement. Not only does
the concentrate portion of the
diet need to be weighed, but the
hay portion needs to be weighed
as well.
On the average, horses need
one and a half (1 1/2%) to two
(2) percent of their body weight
every day in forage. This means
a 1,000-pound horse would need
a minimum of 15 pounds of good
quality digestible forage every day
to maintain good hind-gut function and some supportive nutrients. Divide the amount into several small meals throughout the
day. Weigh the amount of hay
being fed to a fat horse. Know the
quality of the hay by conducting a
forage test. The forage test will tell
you the calories, starch, water soluble carbohydrates, crude protein
and some minerals that are available in the hay. The forage test will
give you the tools needed to balance the feed ration. Visit http://
equi-analytical.com/ for information about testing your forage.
If your fat horse has access
to pasture a grazing muzzle may
help. Be sure the muzzle is the
break-away type. If the muzzle
attaches to the halter, be sure the
halter is also a break-away halter.
The muzzle will limit the amount
of grass the horse can consume.
If a grazing muzzle is not available, limiting the amount of time
spent on pasture is the next option. In some cases pasture may
be off-limits, as fresh forage is a
great method of putting weight on
horses, which you want to avoid.
Decreasing calories and implementing an exercise program
can help your horse get back into
shape, and avoid the diseases
caused by obesity. Consult your
veterinarian or an equine nutritionist for advice. Be sure to make
all feed changes gradually.
For information about caring
for and feeding horses take the
online courses “Stable Management” and “Nutrition for Maximum Performance” taught by
Eleanor Blazer. Earn certification or work toward a Bachelor of
Science degree in equine studies.
Go to www.horsecoursesonline.
com for more information. Visit
Eleanor’s web site at www.thewayofhorses.com
Business
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Learn More. Earn More. Be More.
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Just Horses
August, 2016
19
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August, 2016