Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Horse & Rider

AS A WRITER, I LOOK FOR INSPIRATION EVERY-where. I’ve been doing this for 19 years, so sometimes it takes more work than expected, but I can usually find something to inspire me to keep moving forward in my work. It’s the same thing as a rider. After spending many years in the saddle, it’s equally important to look for new ways to stay motivated. Both require an open mind and a willingness to try new things. You might’ve noticed something a little different on our cover this month—for the first time in many issues, we’ve included a rider. And she happens to be barrel racer Fallon Taylor, wearing tie-dye, sparkly fringe, and a crystal-encrusted helmet. If that’s not being openminded and willing to try new things, I don’t know what…

QA dominant mare I’ve owned for four years recently charged and tried to bite the neck of a person retrieving another horse from their shared field. She’s now in a small pen near the gate to the field, but still she wants to bite people bringing other horses in. I’ve worked with her in the smaller pen; she did well until the other mares moved away, then became aggressive toward me. She’s good under saddle, so what’s now making her dangerous? AMANDA REERS, Pennsylvania AA thorough veterinary exam is always warranted in cases of a horse’s sudden behavior change. Various medical conditions, including ovarian tumors, can cause a mare to become aggressive. If there’s no physical cause, your mare may’ve made an association between the appearance of people coming to…

For days you have to walk through snow and mud to catch your horse, stay dry with the Reign Supreme tall boot from The Original Muck Boot Company ($179.99; muckbootcompany.com). The Reign Supreme boot is a great solution for comfort around the barn. It’s waterproof, lined with fleece, and keeps your feet warm up to 20 degrees below zero. You’ll appreciate not sliding around when you’re walking, thanks to the gripping horizontal tread. And they work great outside the barn, too. Throw these boots on while you run errands or head to the local tack shop. The Horse Holster Looking for a stylish way to ride with your phone and store other personal belongings? The Horse Holster is designed to keep your phone safe while you’re riding and comes in…

Many people misunderstand the purpose of a running martingale for the Western horse. It’s not to trap or confine a horse’s head. The purpose is to use the weight of the rings and the leather fork attached to them to offer a quicker release to a horse when he responds to rein cues, as well as help the horse flex at the poll. When you release your rein pressure, the martingale weighs down the reins, getting the release signal to the horse sooner. As with all tack, getting the most out of a martingale relies on how the setup is made, correct adjustment, and proper use. I’ll discuss those points here. Leather Is Best I prefer a leather running martingale. I’ve used them made of all kinds of materials—nylon, cord,…

Clients often ask why I wear clogs to work. “So I can only go in mud that’s less than ankle deep,” I explain. I learned this tactic soon after I walked into a muddy paddock wearing very mud-appropriate boots to vaccinate a horse. The mud was so deep it sucked those boots right off my feet. “No more,” I thought. “Off with the rubber boots, and on with the clogs.” Now the horses have to come to me instead. In this article, I’ll discuss the most important mudmanagement tips I’ve learned during my years in equine practice. From facility design to maintenance strategies, I’ll tell you what to do and how to do it. If you follow my lead, you’ll be that much closer to a mud-free horse life. TOP…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Shaken Spirit In “Setbacks & Comebacks” (From the Editor, November 2016), Editor Jennifer Paulson detailed her son’s first bucking experience and overcoming his shaken spirit. I found myself in a similar situation with a new horse. After 4 months of bliss, I noticed some changes. Spooking at nothing, resistance. I couldn’t see any obvious lameness or pain issues, and neither did my trainer. On the day of the fateful ride, he didn’t want to move into a jog; I had to press.Then I asked for a lope and ended up on the ground. It happened so fast, and it was such a fierce buck, that it left me confused—and out of breath. It had been 24 years since I had hit the dirt, and I just…

Details: 2005 AQHA stallion by Invitation Only and out of Zippo By Moonlight, by Zippo Pine Bar. Barn name: T.I. Owned and shown by: Leslie Lange of Greeley, Colorado. True all-arounder: T.I. holds AQHA superiors in Western pleasure, Western riding, trail, and ranch riding, and he’s been the honor-roll Western riding champion. He also has points in barrels, poles, and roping events. “I’ve toyed with the idea of showing him in green hunter under saddle and having him shown in the heeling,” Lange says about T.I.’s versatility. Back to their roots: “I first started showing in the ranch riding because it looked like fun. I grew up on a ranch; it brought me back to where I started,” Lange shares. “But the more we competed in it, the more I…

The arc and counter-arc play key roles in accurately positioning your horse around every barrel. We have an easy drill you can practice to refine your accuracy. Here, we’ll outline the drill, plus discuss ways you can work on your rein management and riding position while practicing with or schooling your horse. You don’t need any special equipment to execute this drill; simply outfit your horse in the bit you use to compete. Don’t forget his protective legwear to prevent lower-leg injuries, because your horse will cross his legs over many times in the perfect execution of this movement. Work on this at the walk first, and then advance to the trot once you refine your and your horse’s skills. Once you’ve mastered it at a walk and a trot,…

Margo Ball Ball holds judge’s cards with the Paint, Quarter Horse, and Palomino breed associations and NSBA, as well as with the National Reining, National Reined Cow Horse, and World Conformation Horse Associations. From her Ball’s Quarter Horses in Fort Collins, Colorado, Ball breeds all-around horses; trains Quarter Horses for halter, Western pleasure, and ranch riding; and shows in NRHA and AQHA reining events. She’s trained and shown horses to multiple AQHA championships and superior event titles in halter and performance, as well as to PHBA and IBHA world championships. She also coaches a select group of amateur competitors Iwant good overall balance and structural correctness. A horse’s shoulders should be long and well-laid-back and complement well-sloped hips of equally adequate length. He should have a short, strong topline; good…

PASTERN DERMATITIS (scratches, mud fever) What it is: Microorganisms (a mix of bacteria and fungi) invade the irritated skin of your horse’s lower legs, causing inflammation, swelling, and scabs. At best, pastern dermatitis can cause your horse significant discomfort and be very difficult to treat. At worst, it can lead to a systemic infection. Your horse can develop a fever and go off his feed. And chronic, painful limb swelling may result. What to do: If your horse must be turned out in mud, the most important thing you can do is to groom his legs carefully every day and watch for red skin or scabs that can be early signs of pastern dermatitis. Treatment usually requires a combination of antimicrobials and anti-inflammatory medications. In the early stages, this means…

Custom chaps maker Betsy Tuckey owns Horsewares Custom Chaps, based in Liberty, Kentucky, and she’s an AQHA Professional Horsewoman and judge. She knows the “fit” riders need to achieve when buying a new pair of chaps. Here are her tips. “Fit is not universal for men and women,” Tuckey states. “For women, the waistband should rest high on her natural waist and fit smoothly across the front with no gap in the front or sides. It’s important to have the fringe edge of the chaps leg come up the back of the leg and meet at the center of the back, at the concho. It’s the most finished look, and the most flattering. “Conversely, for the men,” she continues, “the chaps ride a bit lower, ideally at mid-waist. Two conchos,…

It was four in the morning. I was anxious and couldn’t sleep. Had I packed everything I needed? What if I miss my flight? What if I don’t do well? What if I randomly slip and fall in the ring? I was to travel from Wisconsin to Raleigh, North Carolina, to show my friend’s Morab stallion in the 2015 Arabian Sport Horse Nationals. The logistics were daunting. I’d recently started a job as a medi-cal laboratory technician. But because I’d been injured four weeks prior while showing in a yearling halter class, I’d spent a week with my arm in a sling, resting my sprained shoulder while I tried to learn my new job one-handed. Then, just days after I was freed from the sling, my friend Wendy Konichek sent…

LONG BEFORE WE WERE LIKING, sharing, and retweeting them on social media, horse trainers and clinicians were sharing humorous quips and inspirational quotes in lessons, at clinics, and in day-to-day conversations. The best ones start as off-the-cuff remarks that become axioms that form their training programs and shape the way they communicate with amateur and youth riders. Here we’ve compiled some of the best short-form advice, inspiration, and insight we heard this year. These quotes come from photo shoots we’ve produced, clinics we’ve attended, interviews we’ve conducted, and conversations we’ve had with many of the trainers and clinicians you’ve learned from in H&R in 2016. We hope they inspire you to try new things, achieve your goals, and enjoy your horse life for the rest of this year and into…

TRAIL IS A DANCE that requires rhythm and connection. Every good dancer has a choreographer, and the same can be said for trail exhibitors. I may be best known as a trail-course designer, but I’m also the choreographer and dance instructor. It’s my job to teach you how to gain rhythm and use it to connect with one of my courses. My goal is to get people to participate in trail classes. I want you to love trail and learn how to continuously improve. To do that, I construct engaging courses that challenge riders, make them think, and (sometimes) make them laugh. My approach to designing some of the world’s toughest courses carries over to the way I approach my clinics—I want to give you a new perspective on how…