Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Horse & Rider

Master Ranch Riding Improve your ranch-riding score by learning how to successfully ride over logs on page 54. After you’ve mastered ranch logs, teach your horse how to properly lengthen his stride for extended gaits that might be called for in the class with help from Laurel Walker Denton. Seniors Still Teaching Bald N Shiney has a new role as a senior horse: The important job of teaching a new generation what it takes to become a champion. Foaling Questions Is your mare too old to have a foal? Learn the answer in this month’s Whole Horse Q&A, then go online for your foaling checklist. Living With PPID See our PPID Q&A on page 42, then head to our Web site to see how your horse can continue to live…

LETTERS OF THE MONTH December Cover Praise I was so happy to see an Appaloosa on your December 2016 cover! _ ank you for the refreshing change! PHYLLIS RENNEBERG, Minnesota I’ve fallen in love with the idea of showing the rider on the magazine cover a_ er receiving the December 2016 issue. Until now it didn’t faze me that the “Rider” was missing on the cover of Horse&Rider. _ e partnership between a horse and rider is inseparable, and what a way to convey that message. I hope this idea continues in future issues. BOBBY OVED, Arizona E-mail your letters to HorseandRider@aimmedia.com. Or, send them to Horse&Rider, 5720 Flatiron Pkwy., Boulder, CO 80301. To be considered for publication, your submission must include your full name and your state. Published letters…

A Western dressage judges’ seminar will take place Feb. 8–9 in Denver, Colorado. Hosted by the Western Dressage Association of America and sanctioned by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the seminar is the required fi rst step in the process to obtain a USEF Western Dressage judging license. Participants will learn about a judge’s perception of gaits, impulsion, rider position, and seat in Western tack, among other objectives. Learn more by visiting http://bit.ly/wdaaseminar. TOMORROW’S EQUINE VETS $75,000 Scholarship awarded to fourth-year Iowa State University veterinary student Alaina Kringle of South Dakota, by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation. The scholarship is one of three sponsored by Quarter Horse breeder Penelope Knight’s Coyote Rock Ranch of Central Oregon. GALLOP POLL Old-Guy Challenges? We asked about the most daunting management problem you’ve…

A solid lead change has nothing to do with changing direction. It should be executed going forward on a straight line. But it’s human nature to change direction when you change leads—you’re loping to the le_ on the le_ lead, and when you want to change to the right lead, you steer your horse to the right. _is mindset causes your horse to drop his shoulder into the lead change and lean in the new direction, which doesn’t make for a lasting, good lead change over a horse’s career. That’s why my best lead-change drill is completed on a straight line in the middle of the arena. _ere are two prerequisites for this exercise: 1. Your horse must already have a start on changing leads. Your horse will struggle with…

RETIREMENT ISN’T ALWAYS the answer for everyone. Just like people, many horses enjoy having a job and staying busy well into their golden years. Just because your horse is reaching a certain age doesn’t mean that he can’t enjoy doing the same things younger horses are asked to do. Sometimes there are a few setbacks—things change with age—but as long as your horse is happy and healthy, there’s no reason to quit spending time in the saddle with him. He might even thrive from his continued sense of purpose. Here we’ll introduce you to six horses that are well into their golden years and share their stories of success in the show pen, becoming the perfect teachers, and the journey of returning from an injury. _ Artful Investment Barn name:…

I’M NOT EXACTLY LETTING THE HORSE OUT OF the barn when I tell you my heart melts when I meet senior horses. In case you don’t read this column regularly, I have two old guys in my barn: Old Paint (my kids’ horse) and Otis (my brother’s former calf roping horse). Both are pushing 30…or have summited that milestone. (We’re not exactly sure of Paint’s age.) With age comes wisdom, experience, patience—and a manure cart full of special concerns to keep in mind. Not to mention that ever-looming, heartbreaking question: Is it time? The Dark Days “_e time is near when I’ll see him struggle to get up or feel the ribs I could never imagine noticing before,” writes Tina Joyce in this month’s Your Stories (page 8) about her…

QMy daughter and I own a 19-year-old Morgan mare we’d like to breed. She’s in excellent overall health and produced her only foal at age 7. Is 19 too old to breed? Does it matter that she’s already had one foal? ALLISON RICH, Virginia AIt’s not uncommon or unreasonable for horse owners to wish to breed their senior mares, especially mares that have been in work. _e fact that your mare is in good overall health is encouraging. Potential broodmares should also be in good _esh (but not overweight), and maintained at that weight with good nutrition. Because your mare has previously had a foal, she’s now considered a barren mare. _is status, combined with her age, does put her at greater odds of not conceiving. When a _lly is…

Swapping out reins can be a frustrating and a time-consuming task. If you frequently have to change your reins before you can ride your horse, try using reins with slot ends, like this pair from Harris Leather and Silverworks ($37; harrisleather.com). Reins that have slot ends are designed to be fed through the ring on the end of a bit shank, allowing you to quickly change out your reins. Bonus: Slot-end reins don’t fl ip and require detangling when riding around. Jacket for Him Don’t forget about him this Valentine’s Day. Get him something he can wear almost every day at the barn or around town. With its adjustable cuffs that fi t around his gloves and warm lining, the Cinch print-bonded jacket is sharplooking and makes a great layering…

Chances are you either own a senior horse dealing with a condition known commonly as equine Cushing’s disease, or know someone who does. More accurately called pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), this disease affects many horses around the world. Here we’ll talk with Steve Grubbs, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, the equine technical manager for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., to get the latest facts about PPID. H&R: What exactly is PPID, and why the name change from equine Cushing’s disease? Dr. Grubbs: There’s Cushing’s disease in humans, in dogs, and in horses, and though there are some similarities among those, there are many key differences. When you look at the condition anatomically, it’s more precise and descriptive to call it pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in horses since it’s the pars intermedia portion…

Rode a parade horse! At the annual Lodi, California, parade 60 years ago, a kindly man hoisted me up to sit on his beautiful palomino. For that few minutes I felt the patient, easy breathing of my “first love.” Hooked ever since, I now own a cattle ranch and the excellent horses Sis Is Smart and Poco Cactus Kid. Linda Prentiss, Estralita Springs Ranch Co., California Raced the horses through the forest with a boy from school, then rode until late at night, to the top of the mountain. Sat and looked at the stars above and the twinkling lights of the town in the valley below. Carole Zundel, Idaho Galloped my intrepid pony mare under a tree as I reached up and grabbed a branch, as I’d seen my…

There comes a time when you have to let it all out. Pour your heart out on paper, not because anyone will ever read it, but because it’s the only way your heart can mend. Mend, to repair something that is broken or damaged. We must remember, though, some things can never be repaired to their original condition. As I write, my heart aches. I tell myself no one else can understand, can really get it. But deep within my soul, I know someone understands. Someone has felt this way. Certainly I’m not the _rst, nor will I be the last. There’s a heartache that’s not like others. I’m not comparing my imminent loss to that of losing a child or a close family member. _is loss is di_erent, but…

WE’D LOVE TO OWN Gotta Lota Good Details: 2008 APHA and PtHA gelding by A Good Zippo and out of Miss Black Ty Too, by Black Ty Only. Barn name: Woody. Owned and shown by: Brenda and Taylor Meckley of Redmond, Washington. Trained and shown by: Jeffery Gibbs of Collinsville, Texas. Reliable ride: “He’s the same every single day, and he’s always honest in the show pen,” Gibbs shares. “No matter how fresh he is, he’ll lope and jog great for you. And you never have to worry about his neck; he always wants to carry it really level.” On top of being one of the easier horses in the barn, Woody’s also known to be low maintenance at horse shows—not needing much longeing or riding to get ready. Family…

If you feel your saddle slide forward onto your horse’s shoulder while you’re riding, or if your cinch limits his elbow movement, consider trying a new cinch like the Shoulder-Relief Cinch from Total Saddle Fit. The cinch’s sides are cut back to better meet with your saddle’s billets to improve saddle fi t and keep your saddle in place. This allows your latigo to stay upright rather than angle forward. Another bonus: the cinch’s removable liner is easy to clean and can be swapped with neoprene, fl eece, or felt liners. More info: Starting at $139.95; totalsaddlefi t.com. Mash for Seniors Create an easy mash for your senior horse to enjoy during his meals this winter. Mix 5 cups of bran with a ½ cup of molasses. Depending on how…

Circling might seem like one of the most elementary exercises— really, who can’t travel a circle on their horse? _ e answer might surprise you. It’s one of the top things we spend time working on at our clinics and at home with our amateur and youth riders. Because most of them compete in all-around events, circling is important to each and every class they enter. Even barrel racers and reiners can bene_ t from this circling exercise. For this drill, use a bit your horse responds to well, whether a sna_ e or a shanked bit. Ride with two hands for the best body control. (You can advance to one-handed practice a_ er mastering it with two.) Begin at a walk, then pick it up to a working jog…

Aproperly fitted show halter ups the ante in your horse’s appearance and your control in both halter and showmanship classes. The horse shown here is a plain-headed cutting horse, but his halter fits perfectly, which enhances his features. The halter’s adjustment also allows a handler to effectively perform a judge’s requests. Every horse has a different size and shape to his head, so start with a halter in the correct size. Most show halters come in sizes for weanlings, 2-yearolds, mares, and full-size. Multiple adjustment points, including a buckle on each side and one under the jaw, help achieve a customized fit. Here are four key fit points to check when adjusting your horse’s show halter for the most professional presentation when you compete. Cheek length. The cheek pieces influence…

Iwas recently asked to evaluate a set of radiographs for a client purchasing a (very expensive) horse. “Everything is great,” the seller had told her. Needless to say, she and I were both surprised to see a large bone fragment right in the middle of the horse’s hock. Was the horse OK? Maybe. Did my client want to take the risk with her hardearned cash? No way. So why did the seller and her veterinarian think that chip was “no big deal,” yet my client and I felt differently? Radiographic findings aren’t always 100-percent accurate or predictable, and depending on whether you’re the seller, buyer, or simply an owner trying to make a decision about your horse’s future, your perspective might be different. In this article, I’ll explain why radiographs…