Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Horse & Rider

WHERE Grangeville, Idaho WHAT ApHC Chief Joseph Trail Ride WHEN July 23–27 Each year, the Chief Joseph Trail Ride retraces a different 100 miles or so of the 1877 “flight to freedom” of the Nez Perce Indians. This year’s ride winds through Idaho’s White Bird Battlefield southwest of Grangeville. White Bird was the opening battle of the war between the Nez Perce and the United States Army; the struggle ended more than 1,500 miles later with Chief Joseph’s surrender in Montana’s Bear Paw Mountains. Sponsored by the Appaloosa Horse Club, this historic ride is open only to registered Appaloosas (whose name stems from the Palouse River running through the heart of Nez Perce country, where the resident Indians—actually Nimíipuu or “Nee-Me-Poo”—selectively bred their colorful horses). Non-riders can visit the campsite on…

★ There are many pros to using slow feeders. They can stop cross-contamination of hay and bedding, so you’re not tossing good hay when you clean stalls; can reduce stall boredom by keeping horses busy eating; and slow the pace of eating so there’s always forage in your horse’s stomach, preventing gastric ulcers. The Forager Slow Feeder, shown here ($349; haygain.us), uses a click-and-secure system for effortless filling of hay, and the metal ring on the outside acts as a gauge so you can see how much forage remains in your feeder.…

A SMOOTH BACKUP is something all riders strive for, no matter your discipline. A horse that lets you capture his face, willingly rounds his back, collects himself, and steps backward is much more enjoyable to ride than one that lifts his head, hollows his back, and fights you every step of the way. Here I’ll explain how to teach your horse to back for any need, whether in reining, horsemanship, or on the trail. There are a few things you definitely don’t want when your horse backs. The first thing that turns me off about a horse’s backup is intimidation—the horse looks scared and “overdone,” with his nose tucked back to his chest and a fearful expression. A hollow back that doesn’t engage his whole body isn’t pleasing to the…

Do you get nervous before competing at an event? Most people do. Fortunately, there’s a way not only to calm your horse-show jitters, but also to prepare you to perform your very best. To give that blue-ribbon effort, you must call up a state of mind, body, and emotion that enables you to be calm, focused, and confident. And energized! This means you’re eager to perform, with just the right amount of muscle tension to be ready but not tense, and able to access the skills you’ve worked so hard to achieve. In other words, you must be in the zone. What puts you there? A mental ritual you’ve practiced in advance until it’s second nature. Then, when you do it right before your class, you feel that calm, clear,…

“How much of X is my horse getting in his daily ration?” To answer that question correctly, you must decipher measures like percent and parts per million—and that requires math! Here’s a guide to the most common calculations you’ll face when reading a feed tag: percent, parts per million, international units per pound, and milligrams per pound. PERCENTAGE (%) Commonly used for: Protein; fat; fiber; and macro minerals including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. What it means: The amount in proportion to 100 (for example 1 cent is 1 percent of a dollar). Your horse’s requirements are expressed either as a percent of the total diet or in a specific amount per day. Do the math: To calculate how much a percent really is, move the decimal two places to…

FUN ON FACEBOOK What are your riding fears? We asked our Facebook fans; here are a few answers. Brenda Hebl I’m afraid of bees stinging my horse while I’m riding! Shannon Wright I’m a little afraid of cantering, because I tend to go fast, and my balance needs to be better. Alicia Kottre Repeating my back fracture from a fall or kick. Rebecca Baughman Not being able to ride because of age or poor health. Karen Nunes I’m afraid of riding down steep hills. Tori Green Having a rotational fall. Nothing is scarier than a horse landing on top of me. Glenda Odle Falling off. Especially if my horse spooks or bucks. To sound off on all topics related to your Western horse life, “like” Horse&Rider on Facebook, where we…

Don’t Miss This explore. Learn about the Nez Perce Indians at the 1. Historical Museum at St. Gertrude in nearby Cottonwood, or check out Grangeville’s very own amazing 2. Columbian Mammoth Exhibit. eat. Grab great coffee and snacks at the 3. Crema Café in Grangeville. For homecooked fare, try 4. The Backroads Diner in Kooskia. Find craft beer and the famous Waffle Iron Chicken Sandwich at Kamiah’s 5. Clearwater Brewing Co., where Fridays are open-mic night for comedy, poetry, and story-telling. do. Watch a parade and join the street games and dancing at 6. Kooskia Days, July 27–28. For horseback riding, boat tours, and more, try 7. Whitebird Summit Lodge & Ranch right in Grangeville. ‘Elegant, Active, Durable’ Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame described the Nez Perce horses…

1. Savvy Feeder A grate floats on top of the hay and lowers as your horse eats to help slow down eating and reduce the chance of ingesting sand, manure, or rocks. $299; savvyfeeder.com. 2. Hay Bag This bag is easy to fill and holds two to three flakes of hay. The top flap closes to keep your horse from pulling hay out of the top. $41.99; equibrand.com. 3. Bale Barn Easily covers a large round bale or multiple square bales and helps keep hay dry and contained in one area. $850; balebarns.com.…

Once your horse is trained to do the rollback (covered in the June issue’s installment of Winning Insights), you need to keep that maneuver solid and polished. But it’s not easy. Schooling rollbacks over and over leads to anticipation, which deteriorates the quality of your horse’s maneuver. It can also cause your horse to drop his shoulder into the turn, making him U-turn because he’s unable to elevate his front end and get all the way around to go the other direction. For those reasons, I suggest schooling rollbacks like you show them—precise, but not too often. Here are my five step-by-step tips for success. One I stop flat-footed—that means a complete stop, with all four feet on the ground—before I even think about the rollback. I sometimes back my…

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME since I’ve smiled like this from the back of a horse. I’ve felt plenty of emotions during my quest for a high-point buckle from my local riding association. Frustration at my perpetual inability to pick up a right lead. Anxiety over memorizing reining patterns. Satisfaction over a decent showmanship class. But I’ve never experienced the unbridled joy that’s causing the massive ear-to-ear grin currently taking over my face. The grin is warranted; I’ve just galloped hell-for-leather—on a handy Missouri Fox Trotter gelding named Riley—through a shallow pond, sprays of water drenching me head to toe and flaxen mane whipping into my face. Living out this quintessential cowgirl tableau, it’s impossible not to smile. It’s not my first or only smile of the day. Thanks to…

✓ Establish a feeding routine. Feed time raises horses’ anxieties, but when they know precisely what to expect from you, it helps alleviate anxiety and aggression. Be sure anyone else who feeds knows the routine, too. ✓ Think things through and take your time at every feeding. Many accidents happen when people rush and take shortcuts. ✓ If possible, feed from outside the horses’ enclosure. Your chances of being hurt are much higher if you’re in among hungry animals as they jostle for position. ✓ Place piles of hay or feeders at least 10 feet apart, and always provide an extra (e.g., five piles of hay for four horses). ✓ If you remove or tie aggressors or remove subordinates for feeding, do so well before offering feed, as the sound…

Reiner to Ranch Rider Looking to add another class to your horse’s skill set? Bud Lyon breaks down the differences between reining and ranch riding maneuvers and how you can prepare your reining horse for ranch riding. Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. When you have horses, you’ll also have feed sacks…lots of feed sacks. Rather than toss them in the trash when you’re done with them, we’ve come up with 50 ways to put your used feed sacks to work. ‘Go back to basics in a snaffle, soften your hand and leg cues, and give your horse a big reward to overcome his resistance and ratchet up his responsiveness.’—Bob Avila in “Get a Better Response,” online this month. Dangerous Diets Avoid making the wrong feed choices for your horse and learn the…

You know what it’s like to ride a horse that acts up, is a spook, or is generally high-maintenance on the trail. Having the right horse can make or break your experience. While any horse can become a trail horse, I’ve found that ranch horses have many transferable skills that make for an easy transition to trail riding. Here I’ll share the attributes that make ranch horses the ideal trail partners. I’ll first explain the circumstances of a ranch horse’s job that conditioned him for the trail, and then I’ll give pointers to help you look for a prospect. I’ll also share training and lifestyle tips to help him transition. Built-in Versatility A ranch horse puts in long hours as a full-time job. To survive the workload, he learns to…

INGREDIENTS “Should I feed my horse MasterPerform Complete or Go Glow Equine?” my client asks me. Honestly, I have no idea. I typically respond, “Let me see the label,” and then I start to sweat. Because feed labels are probably one of the most complicated, hard-to-understand, tiniest pieces of paper on the planet! I’m here to help you understand the basics behind deciphering feed labels. I’ll tell you what’s required to appear on a label by law, what those listings mean, and how to make the basic calculations to determine what’s really in the bag. With this information, you’ll be able to decide which feed is most likely to meet your horse’s needs. ANATOMY OF A FEED TAG Feed tags are considered legal documents and are regulated by both federal…

Transitions ultimately separate the best horses from the rest in the ranch riding class. Every exhibitor walks, trot, lopes, and extends their horses’ gaits. So, the judge must focus on how horses enter and exit each gait—transitions—to determine placings. It only makes sense that your focus should lie here, too. I grew up working cattle, both in the feed yards and on the free range, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the saddle speeding up, slowing down, and extending my horse’s stride. Here, I’ll cover six concepts to keep in mind when perfecting transitions at home and when you’re showing to a judge. Cultivate a Soft Horse I ask all my students, “Which horse wins almost every class?” It’s usually the softest horse—the one with the least amount…