Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Horse & Rider

FOR RIDERS, HEALTH resolutions and commitments to taking better care of our bodies usually come at the beginning of the year. (Which just happens to be when I’m writing this column and struggling with my own attempts to eat healthier, exercise more often, and get my body in shape for a return to the saddle.) But for our horses, those lifestyle changes and adjustments come a few months later, as spring riding approaches. The promise of moving out of winter brings various health situations and opportunities for our horses not unlike the ones we address in our New Year resolutions—lose weight, get in shape, and work on whole-body health. Here are a few similarities I see. THE WEIGHT GAME Horses and humans tend to put on some extra…cushion…over the winter.…

TRAVEL Texas WHERE Houston, Texas WHAT Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo WHEN February 27– March 18 Rodeo (and More!) Houston A two-word moniker simply can’t do justice to the breadth of entertainment, horsepower, and Western culture offered by Rodeo Houston, aka the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For more than 80 years, the event has evolved to offer something for literally everyone. Horse show? Got it. Livestock exhibition? You bet—they even call it the biggest in the world. Rodeo? Of course! Country-music concerts? Every night after the rodeo.…

Do you ride your horse forward? If not, that’s a problem, because you must go forward before you can do anything else. I train many disciplines, and a goal for them all is getting the horse’s hind leg moving up underneath him. This kind of “forward” has nothing to do with speed—it’s all about hind-end engagement. Timid riders often hesitate to push for that engagement. The feeling of impulsion it creates scares them. They worry their horse might get out of control, the way a truck driver going downhill worries when he’s not sure of his brakes. With this exercise, you’ll learn not to fear going forward. In a repeating sequence, you’ll go forward, then apply your horse’s “brakes,” then move forward again with energy until you feel completely confident…

Kubota BX80 Series Tractors Some farm chores—such as carrying bales, mowing, and arena grooming—require a little extra help. More compact than a full-sized tractor and billed as easier to operate, Kubota’s BX80 Series of sub-compact diesel tractors might be just the ticket. The series consists of four models: BX1880, BX2380, BX2680, and BX23S, with rugged and fuel-efficient 3-cylinder Kubota engines that provide enough muscle for many types of jobs. These versatile tractors in Kubota’s trademark orange also sport improved comfort features, such as a high-backed reclining seat and a tilt steering wheel. Designed to maneuver handily in tight spaces, their small size makes them easier on turf, as well. Generous ground clearance is another advantage. Notable in the BX80 Series are easier attachment systems for a wide range of front…

FISH! BOTH OF us enjoyed fishing, but long, steep hikes to mountain lakes lowered our fun factor. Wouldn’t horses make fishing easier? Why hike six miles to a pristine mountain lake if we could ride? So we decided to buy a couple of horses and a horse trailer and put a scare into those elusive lake trout. Little did we know horses would change our lifestyle, flatten our pocketbook, and propel us into a world full of amazing adventures. Horses have, without a doubt, enriched our lives in ways we never could’ve imagined. First, horses were to be a tool, but they became our family. Lady Luck and our guardian angels played a big part in our early years with horses. Fortunately, we inadvertently purchased tried-and-true mounts; they both possessed…

Last year, more than 2.5 million people set foot on the NRG Park grounds to take in all that Rodeo Houston has to offer. The unique tournament-style rodeo, called the Super Series, runs 19 rounds and awards $50,000 to the winner of each event. An invitation-only Super Shootout puts competitors on teams of eight contestants. You’ll find horses of all breeds and disciplines competing in the horse show as cutters, mounted shooters, and ranch sorters mingle with mules, donkeys, Quarter Horses, and Paints. Major music acts take the stage each night, but shows sell out fast, so get your tickets early. 33K The Facts Number of volunteers it takes to pull off the 20-day event. Don’t Miss This explore. Your budding agriculturalist won’t want to miss 1. AGVENTURE, featuring many species…

Before you can perform a turn with speed that rivals a reining horse, you must start with the basics of shoulder and hip control, and allow your horse to build confidence in himself as he crosses one foot in front of the other. Here I’ll show you my steps to starting a young horse in a turnaround. As you begin to teach your young horse how to turn for the first time, ride in a snaffle bit, using two hands. Two-handed riding gives you more control and allows you to steer your horse in the direction he needs to go—aka direct reining. As your horse’s guide improves, and he becomes more comfortable moving his feet in the pivot, you can progress to riding one-handed in a shanked bit. One Before…

I FOLLOW the rulebook when evaluating horses as a judge. I look for overall balance, structural correctness, breed and sex characteristics, and volume and tone of muscling. I then relate those traits to how each would enhance or limit a horse’s usefulness. A horse can appear a beauty in color and a few traits, but the core components of balance and correct structure are what make a good athlete and performer or lead to lack of performance or unsoundness. I look for horses that overall make the best performers and for the structure that backs that up. Halter classes should reward the horses with the best form to function. In judging these young mares, for example, I’ve assessed their topline-to-underline ratios. Studies and experience support that a shorter back (measured…

You’ve heard the word “titer” come up in conversations in your barn, at the feed store, or on the Internet. Could your vaccination decisions really come down to a simple blood test? You’ve heard this test will tell you whether your horse is protected from various diseases. And if he’s protected, does he really need a vaccination? Unfortunately, the answer may be more complicated than you think. While blood titers do give you some information about your horse’s immunity, they don’t tell you everything. A “high titer” against a specific disease doesn’t always provide a black-and-white answer about whether you should vaccinate or not. Add to that the expense of running titers compared with the expense of simply vaccinating, and practicality also enters the equation. In this article, I’ll explain…

If you went to the Kentucky Derby, would you bet big on the long shot? Or would you take the sure thing? Your choice can mean the difference between winning—or losing—big or minimizing your risk along with your possible profit. The same holds true when buying and selling prospects—that is, horses younger than 2 years old. A yearling represents the big gamble with more unknown variables and chances for “what if this goes wrong?” The older the prospect is, the fewer unknowns there are, making that horse a less risky investment. No matter the horse’s age, I consider his look/presence, breeding, attitude/disposition, and movement. I’ll break down what these traits indicate and which are more likely to be sure things or complete unknowns in yearlings and 2-year-olds. This will arm…

All Around 5 Star Saddle Pad For the special demands of trail riding, 5 Star Equine Products offers its best-selling All Around Saddle Pad with a Flex Fit wither option. Crafted from moisture-wicking, easy-to-clean, 100% pure-wool felt, the pad stabilizes the saddle and boasts no break-in time with no heat buildup, and no need to double-pad. The Flex Fit design, with its cutback gullet area, eliminates the pressure over the withers often seen with traditional pads, freeing up the shoulder and making sore withers and backs a thing of the past. The result, according to 5 Star Equine, is no more stops to readjust the saddle and pad—and a happier, more comfortable horse. Handmade in the USA, this 30-by-30-inch square-skirted pad features wear leathers for protection and durability. The pad…

The Collector: Robin Frid Denton, Texas The quality in craftsmanship and the vibrant color combinations are what originally caught Robin Frid’s eye when he purchased his first Golden West saddle blanket. Fast-forward 20 years, and Frid now has more than 50 of the rainbow-hued show blankets in his care—all custom-made to showcase a horse and rider’s individual style when they’re in the show pen. There’s one show blanket that stands out among the rest. The fourth blanket from the left, on the bottom row, holds special significance to Frid because it was the show blanket he used when Quarter Horse stallion Investing Wisely recorded a 230.5 in junior Western riding—a benchmark that stood for 15 years as the highest score earned in that event at the American Quarter Horse Association World Show.…