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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

August 2012

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK It’s Time To Be Responsible

Hollywood director Sam Peckinpah made a good living churning out incredibly violent films such as The Wild Bunch, as did Italian director Sergio Leone with the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood. The two took cinema to heretofore unheard of heights of carnage during their heyday in the 1960s and ‘70s. Today, on the violence scale, their work would be considered quaint, at best, compared to what we see in theaters and on video games. We believe the killings in a theater in Aurora, Colorado are a direct result of the desensitization of American By Steven Long entertainment. Whatever happened to the good, wholesome, movie where the bad guys were really bad but the film itself had redeeming qualities? Call us old fashioned, but it seems as if we as a nation have become course, immune to the unspeakable things we see depicted on screen but still recoil when they are acted out in real life. Yet we continue to ignore what Lincoln called in his First Inaugural Address, “the better angels of our nature.” Children certainly are doing nothing more than entertaining themselves as they sit in front of the computer, or TV screen, and watch carnage taking place before their eyes. The images on the video game or cartoon are disembodied, not real people dying before them by being shot, exploded, burned, or beheaded. However, scientific studies emerging in the media in the wake of the Aurora killings (as they always do after one of these events) demonstrate how children and even adults are desensitized by what they watch for hours on end on their screens. Common sense tells us this takes a toll, and in some susceptible minds, killing and maiming becomes meaningless – it doesn’t hurt the people killed because it doesn’t hurt the images on the screen. We don’t purport to be psychoanalysts but doesn’t common sense count for something? As a journalist I’ve spent a career hating censorship, and I still do. Government control of what we see and hear is just plain bad from any direction you come at it. But again and again we see violence where powerful weapons are used to destroy the fabric of people’s lives in acts that are very similar to the scenes we have seen on screen. Such was the case for former medical student James Holmes who acted out his fantasies during the screening of the new Batman film, “The Dark Night Rises.” It is a certainty that Hollywood won’t clean up its act and begin producing less violent fare. It is equally impossible to believe that moviegoers and game buyers will “vote with their feet” by boycotting such works. The market for this stuff is just too vast and appeals to a huge chunk of our population. An encouraging sign that perhaps game consumers are becoming less bloodthirsty than in the past is the incredible popularity of Angry Birds, a readily available app that can be bought cheaply and played on cellular phones. The game has gone through several generations of what appear to be a deep well of new editions. The destruction that takes place in Angry Birds is largely brick and mortar and the only things destroyed are evil pigs that have captured the birds’ nesting places. And oh yeah, the most powerful weapon the birds use is a big slingshot. But for those of us who want to see a good, well made, western with less graphic violence, the market is much, much, larger. Hollywood just needs to recognize we’re out there – waiting.

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10 HORSE BITES 14 PARELLI - Pat Parelli with Steven Long 16 Dream BIG & Believe - Kelly Kaminski 36 Whole Horsemansip - Dianne Lindig 40 TACK TALK - Lew Pewterbaugh 44 On The English Front - Cathy Strobel 46 Horse Sense - Dr. Jessica Jahiel 48 Tumors of the Eye - Lynn Criner, DVM 50 COWBOY CORNER - Jim Hubbard Cover Story:

20 Boardroom to Britches - Steven Long

Lifestyle: 26 Prepper Chicks - Margaret Pirtle 29 Food & Beverage - Rustic Rub Smothered Venison 30 Horse & Cattle Life Partners - Margaret Pirtle

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PUBLISHER Vicki Long

CORPORATE OFFICE 281-447-0772 281-591-1519 Fax Advertising@horsebackmagazine.com

EDITOR Steven Long NORTH TEXAS Mari Crabtree NATIONAL NEWS EDITOR 216-702-4520 Carrie Gobernatz Mari@horsebackmagazine.com LIFESTYLE EDITOR Margaret Pirtl NEW MEXICO BUREAU GULF COAST BUREAU 832-349-1427 Carol Holloway Laurie Hammer Horsebackmag@gmail.com 832-607-8264 Cell 505-315-7842 Carol@horsebackmagazine.com Goldenhorses7@hotmail.com EVENTS EDITOR Crystal Shell Leslie Greco 832-602-7929 Horsebackmag@gmail.com BRAZOS VALUE BUREAU Diane Holt 936-878-2678 Ranch 713-408-8114 Cell Diane@horsebackmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jim Hubbard, Steven Long, Vicki Long, Dianne Lindig, Roni Norquist, Pat Parelli, Lew Pewterbaugh, Cothy Strobel, Dr. Jessica Jahiel,Cory Johnson, Margaret Pirtle Volume 20, No 8. Horseback Magazine, P.O. Box 681397, Houston, TX 77268-1397, (281) 447-0772. The entire contents of the magazine are copyrighted August 2012 by Horseback Magazine. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Horseback Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other material unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Horseback Magazine is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or management. Subscription rate is $25.00 for one year.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Horseback Magazine, P.O. Box 681397, Houston, TX 77268-1397. Fax: (281) 893-1029 Email: news@horsebackmagazine.com

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

“Horse Bites is compiled from Press Releases sent to Horseback Magazine. Original reporting is done as circumstances warrant. Content is edited for length & style.”

Etbauers Enter Hall of Fame COLORADO SPRINGS, (PRCA). – When they started out, the Etbauer brothers – Robert, Billy and Dan – and their friend, Craig Latham, traveled together, sharing space in the truck and expenses to make sure everybody could afford to keep going down the road. They were the self-described “Band of Brothers.” Inseparable. Indomitable. And on ProRodeo Hall of Fame induction day it was just the same. With Billy Etbauer and Robert Etbauer, holders of a combined seven saddle bronc riding world championships, just starting their joint acceptance speech July 14, a tearful Billy asked brother Dan Etbauer and Latham to come stand with them on the dais in tribute to their shared journey. “There are different things that people are going to say of what they remember (about our careers),” Billy Etbauer said. “When Robert, Danny, Craig and I were all making the National Finals Rodeo together … to be able to rodeo with all of us for as long as we did, (that was special).” The Etbauers were joined in this class of seven inductees by the late three-time world champion rough stock cowboy Frank Schneider, threetime PRCA Bareback Horse of the

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Horse Bites - Con’t. on pg. 19

Year Khadafy Skoal, three-time NFR barrelman Jon Taylor, longtime rodeo administrator Hal Littrell and the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup, which has nine times been named the PRCA Rodeo Committee of the Year. Billy Etbauer, of Edmond, Okla., is the only man in ProRodeo history to surpass $3 million in career earnings in a single event – one of only three men to reach that milestone, period – and he holds the record for most Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications by a rough stock cowboy (21) and most overall round wins at the NFR (51).

Congress Reauthorizes Recreational Trails Program WASHINGTON, (American Horse Council) – On June 29, Congress passed and, on July 6, the president signed MAP-21 the multiyear national highway bill. The new law reauthorizes the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP) and allocates $85 million in annual funding for the program. RTP is important to recreational riders all over the country.

“We are happy Congress ultimately passed a new highway bill that reauthorizes RTP and guarantees RTP funds will be available for trail projects around the country for the next two years,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. Since its inception RTP has provided money for thousands of state and local trail projects across the country, including many that benefit equestrians. RTP provides funding directly to the states for recreational trails and trailrelated facilities for all recreational trail users. It is funded with a portion of the gas taxes paid into the Highway Trust

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

The Ambassador of “Yes” and the Cloverleaf Pattern Game By Pat Parelli with Steven Long

HORSEBACK MAGAZINE: I have seen you and Linda riding, and amazingly, stopping a horse without reins more times than I care to count. It is certainly not for the novice. I’m always amazed by the remarkable training and wonder just how long it takes before you and the horse have become so tuned to each other and you trust the animal so much that you put the reins aside. Most importantly, I marvel at how you get the horse to stop

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with nothing more than bodily or verbal commands. How do you do it? PAT PARELLI: When everybody gets into horses the first thing they are told is they’ve got to kick them to go, pull them to stop, and use the reins to turn. For the last 30 years I’ve been going around the world telling people that a horse is a creature of habit and a follower and if you make it a game and you use psychology to make things the horse’s idea, our ideas become their idea. HORSEBACK: Okay, so we play this game. What is it? PAT PARELLI:If you want to get a horse to really stop good, first you need to know that horses are pattern animals. We all know how well a horse stops when he gets next to the gate. We all know how straight a horse goes when he’s getting back to the barn (laughs). But he stops when he gets there, doesn’t he? We always think about horses being barn sour. Let’s think about them being barn sweet, or instead of being gate sour, being gate sweet. How about we use a little psychology? How about getting our horses to the spot where he wants to stop on

his own? HORSEBACK: Now that’s a special thought! PAT PARELLI: It’s easier than you think. I create a pattern called the cloverleaf. You’ll find the diagram in my book Natural Horsemanship by Pat Parelli. Basically, you trot or lope this pattern until the horse is asking you to stop. You become the ambassador of “yes.” Yes you can go, but you must go forward on this pattern. And when he starts asking you to stop, and you have to be conscious about it, you feel when they are starting to slow down, and you don’t let them slow down by the gate, you let them stop right in the center of the arena. HORSEBACK: Your arena sweet spot, to use a much overused term nowadays. PAT PARELLI: Right. And then you stay there a long time. If he decides to move his feet again then you take off and go to the left this time, when you went to the right the first time. You just keep moving forward on this program until finally he says, ‘Hey, don’t we get to stop here soon?’ HORSEBACK: That’s cool. Horses are really so intuitive they pick up things like this so quickly it’s amazing. PAT PARELLI: When you head toward that center, pretty soon he’ll not only stop, but he’ll turn better when you are turning him toward the desired spot. Horses are a lot like husbands. They like doing something, but they like doing nothing a whole lot better. So rely on psychology and rely on making it a fun little game we call the Cloverleaf Pattern Game. hB www.horsebackmagazine.com

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

“Seasoning a Horse, Trials & Tribulations”

used to break my colts myself, but now I send them off for thirty days or more and then get them back to ride. We got through the process of turning them out for a few months in the summer, then riding them in the fall, and so forth. I like to load them and take them to barrel races where they stay tied to the trailer, etc. Around the end of their three year old year and after being trail ridden out back on the ranch, I start them on the barrels.

I take them to barrel races, and ride around, exhibition them and eventually enter them in the competition. As anyone who competes knows there is a lot to see and get used to for a young horse. Little boys playing with their trucks or cars behind the second barrel, Mom’s pushing baby strollers and leading their horses, and the ever present horse eating plastic bags or cups that blow across the parking lot. So getting a horse seasoned to barrel races is one thing, seasoning for rodeo is another. The ground changes, the altitude changes, different arenas, fireworks, wagons, crowd noises, etc. Sometimes he will work and ignore everything and sometimes he’ll

embarrass the heck out of you and make you question what you are doing with this young horse that makes what seems to be a fool out of you! Sometimes it takes a few years to fully get a horse seasoned to rodeo. Seasoning is not for the faint of heart. Some get over it and some do not, which is why when you see the horses running at the NFR that have campaigned all year to get there, you know there is something special about them. My friend, Karly wanted to fill her permit and take a road trip over the 4th of July holiday and I needed to season my young horse a little more. He had run a few rodeos last summer, but then was injured, and after having time to heal I decided to take him on the trip. We entered the “Dakota” rodeo. I haven’t been to those before,

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but had been told it’s usually cool and can be kind of rainy. This year it couldn’t be any farther from the truth. It was hot, dry and the ground at one in Mobridge, SD was like a hard parking lot with a slick mud hole behind the second barrel. Belle Fourche was the best. Being in the Black Hills, it was nice, and it wasn’t so hot. That was the first one. We were in slack and fared pretty well against the top horses out there. Mobridge was the second rodeo, which I have already extolled on, then we went to Mandan, ND. This was the single most challenging time for me. Let me start out with my horse. Zoltan is six this year. We were up in the performance. Mandan takes place on a track more for cars and not horses. The stands are on one side and go way up like most tracks do. We got there early enough to ride in the arena during the day and then rest up until the rodeo started that night. We got ready and warmed up, etc. We were warned to be on the infield before the chuck wagon races. Zoltan felt great warming up. He was responsive and light. I was feeling pretty good. Then the chuck wagons came onto the track to warm up and all was lost. His mind was completely fixated on the horse eating things that were going back and forth. To add to the intensity of the situation, according to Zoltan, the committee stopped the rodeo to do a fundraising auction for someone. So as you can imagine we have chuck wagons with the “hey blah blah blah” sound of the auction that was going on in the arena. And “hey!” (We were so close to Canada that people actually really say that there) Let’s add in the all the fireworks people are shooting off all over town around us! I won’t even go into the Mounted Shooters warming up with us. Wow! This is seasoning 101, 102, 103 and so forth! Even the veteran horses were a little disturbed. After what seemed like an hour, the auction was finally over, the announcer turned the crowd’s attention to the chuck wagons on the track. A buzzer sounded and they www.horsebackmagazine.com

were off and running around the track. They made two laps, where Zolton kept a good eye on them. Finally it was over, immediately the truck carrying the barrels drove into the arena and the barrel race started. I couldn’t get my horse to settle down. I could feel that this wasn’t going to be good. I watched a few girls run and started to work my way toward the gate. Hmmm, we were going sideways, backwards, anyway but toward the gate. This was great! I kept urging him forward. A judge, whom I know asked if I was going to make it? Meaning, he was going to have to flag me out after a certain amount of time. Interesting since a Steer Wrestler can sit in the box and wait for the planets and the stars to align just right before nodding his head. I affirmed that I would get in the arena, a girl grabbed my bridle and started running toward the gate and off we went. My adrenaline was pumping and I pushed every step of the way to the first barrel, which is NOT how to ride this horse. You let him go freely to the first and push the rest of the way. I bumped my reins, cueing him to rate and turn. Running hard, he went

a few strides to the bucking chutes before responding and over turned back behind the barrel, missing it completely and then headed toward the second barrel on the wrong side of the first. He turned it ok, then had a really nice third (positive thinking!) and then ran back home toward the gate, where I proceeded to wave at the crowd, while the announcer said, “See folks! Even a World Champion can have a bad day!” I really had to use my 15 minute rule on this one. It’s humiliating, but it’s all part of the game. People wonder why a good, solid, finished, rodeo horse is so expensive! hB

Kelly Kaminski has twice won the WPRA World Barrel Racing Championship, and has also won the Reserve Championship twice at the National Finals Rodeo. This great American horsewoman continues to compete, hold clinics, and train worthy horses. She is currently accepting a limited number of horses for training. Kellykaminski.com

Lew explaining how to do a set of templates of your horses back to take saddle shopping. Lew Pewterbaugh • Bandera, TX (830) 328 0321 • (830) 522 6613 saddlerlew@ gmail.com • Available for individual or group saddle tting & clinics. Will gladly work with trainers, stables & other clinicians to help with saddle tting issues.

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Horse Bites - Con’t. from pg. 11

Fund by recreational off-highway vehicle users. “The recreational community had to fight to make sure RTP was in this highway bill. The original version of the bill would have removed dedicated funding for the program and some early drafts of the House bill did not even include RTP at all,” said AHC Legislative Director Ben Pendergrass. “We are tremendously grateful to the Members of Congress who supported RTP, particularly Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who were instrumental in preserving RTP.”

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Horse Bites - Con’t. on pg. 24

The new highway bill authorizes all highway programs, including RTP, until September 30, 2014.

Racing’s Biggest Loser Out of the Gate at Old Friends GEORGETOWN, KY (Old Friends) – Zippy Chippy is in the house! Zippy Chippy, racing’s biggest loser, will be spending the summer at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement center in Georgetown, KY. He is on loan from the organization’s satellite facility in Greenfield Center, N.Y.: Old Friends

at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division. Zippy arrived in Georgetown (along with his best buddy, Red Down South) courtesy of Salle Vans on Friday July 13 and will be staying through August. The now 21-year-old gelding is best known for losing 100 consecutive races. The horses are part of an Old Friends exchange that sent twotime Whitney Handicap winner Commentator to New York and brought Zippy to Kentucky. “This must be the worst trade since the Red Sox sent Babe Ruth to

August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Tune In, Drop Out, & Live Again

on the Back of a Horse by Steven Long

The late Harvard professor Dr. Timothy Leary was famed for his advice to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.” Many followed that advice in the ‘60s and ‘70s, some to their detriment. But others have different advice and it goes something like “stay in the game, move to the country, and get a horse.” And in a way, they too are dropping out of a bone crushing rat race that is often more like a snake pit than a job. Increasingly scores of busy professionals and executives are continuing the successful lives that brought them bulging pockets and worldly goods, but are doing it at a more leisurely pace in the bucolic setting of a home in the country. And they discovered that the person on the other end of a cell phone has no idea they are talking to a business executive who happens to be on the back of a horse.

obody worked at a faster pace than Houston’s Johnny Mancuso, president of Mancuso Harley Davidson. He set the world’s top fuel motorcycle speed record from a standing start at 221.52 mph in a quarter mile in 2002 and did it in 6.3 seconds.The Houston executive did that after winning two world championships in 1998. “In those days I didn’t want to be more than a 10 minute drive from a really good honkey tonk,” he remembers. All that began to change, albeit slowly when he bought 100 acres in southern Grimes County, Texas with a natural pond, and put a trailer house on

20 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

it and made infrequent trips up to the property. By 1995 he had bought a palomino Quarter Horse (the animal lived to age 30) but Mancuso was going to his Harley store daily, fighting the near legendary Houston traffic. “I liked the city, “he remembers. “I like the restaurants. I liked the fact you could get everything you want in the city. I had a great job. I had a great career, and I had a hobby that could support me. When I was drag racing I was deeply involved with the city, but after I sold out my racing team it got harder to be there.” Things had decidedly taken a turn for the better for Mancuso

when he began his unlikely climb toward being an executive. He was working as a Ford service technician but got fired for taking off too much time to race motorcycles. Suddenly on the way to the track he looked down at the ground, found a dime, and put it in his pocked as a good omen. He didn’t know the half of it. Mancuso wasn’t penniless. He had $600 in his checking account and was riding bikes with venture capitalist friend Johnny Thompson who suggested he start his own speed shop and offered to match him dollar for dollar to open the business if he would mortgage his tools and equipment. The wouldbe businessman turned his three www.horsebackmagazine.com

bedroom suburban home, with a double garage, and patio, into a Harley shop. The rest is history. Eventually the two bought a struggling dealership and were in the Harley business for real. “In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Harley exploded and nobody could keep up with the growth,” he remembers fondly. Johnny Mancuso grew up on Houston’s scrappy East Side, then moved to the more fashionable Bellaire with his parents. He remembered that as a kid, long before motorcycles came into his life his parents would take him to Houston’s Playland park to ride the Shetland Ponies. “When I was a kid I wanted to be a cowboy,” he remembers. In 1995 his former wife, who grew up with horses, got him to buy that palomino. Eventually, the two were cutting. But Mancuso was also working 10 hour days. It was no surprised that he liked the sport. “Cutting really caught my eye,” he says. He was finding that he wanted to be in the dealership less and less. At about the same time, Mancuso and his partner lightened their personal load by hiring Mancuso Harley General Manager Darryl Harris. Meanwhile he and his wife drifted into a very amicable parting (today they cut against each other in competition). The freedom of having someone to run the business gave Mancuso a blessing. He was able now to do what he wanted to do. The first thing was to put his race team on the market and allow whoever wanted to leave to seek other work. Now he began to spend a lot of time up there staying in a trailer he had put on the property. It was alone time. But it didn’t take long for Mancuso to fill his life with companionship. “She picked me up in the line at Luby’s Cafeteria,” he quips about his wife and constant companion, Jane, a Copperfield small animal www.horsebackmagazine.com

JOHNNY MANCUSO “When I was a kid I wanted to be a cowboy”

DON THOMAS “I could go to the post office and buy one stamp”

DIANE HOLT “I had to do it for my own sanity”

August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

veterinarian. The two were married the highest echelons of commercial five years ago in December nuptials. real estate in the Bayou City. He The couple shortly built a big house sat on the Real Estate Advisory on the land and the drop out from Council, a who’s who of developers the Houston rat race was complete. associated with the Greater Houston Today they are a constant fixture in Partnership, the fancy name the the cutting horse world. town’s chamber of commerce gives “Both of us are at a stage itself. For a guy who fought his way in our careers when we need real to the top of his game it just doesn’t finished horses,” he said. That means get any better than that. It is a fast the two are seeking to be elite paced billion dollar world where cutters. Their trainer is the famed only the very best survive. Barbara Shulte. They travel in a two horse living quarters trailer. While Jane was a natural on horseback, Johnny had old habits to break. “One of the most difficult things for motorcycle riders is that you should not lean into a turn on cutting horses,” he says. Mancuso still goes to the dealership three days a week primarily for PR purposes to shake hands, and meet and greet, and as for the ranch? “I try to run it like a business,” he Many executives are opting to trade says. “But it just doesn’t Sportscars & Watches for Trucks & have any income. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done. I’ve taught myself to operate a lot of things. He Thomas grew up in the tiny even built his own pipe fences at village of Lake Jackson living what the place – and he escaped the city. he calls “the Opie lifestyle” until “my dad moved us to Houston”. But the s Mancuso was escaping seed was always there to go back to from the city for good, a hard the country. driving Houston real estate After returning to Houston developer was thinking about it from the service, “I was selected in the back of his mind between to work in the commercial sales meetings with architects, investors, force of Coldwell Banker, and I say and contractors. selected, because it was elite.” Don Thomas had reached “It’s a tough business,” he

22 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

says. “You handle large amounts of investor’s money. It’s interesting, at least it was for me, and I did it for well over 30 years. You are judged by every deal you are doing and when that deal is done, it’s on to the next deal. It never got easy. When your primary purpose is turning money into money, it’s always a grind.” “I was a suit wearing commercial developer living with my wife in Houston’s Montrose (district),” “pouring lots of concrete and knocking down a lot of trees,” he remembers. But something Thomas enjoyed may have given him a hint of what was to come. “I always liked seeing open spaces and figuring out what I could do with them,” he says. But even the hard driving Don Thomas needed a weekend getaway. They found one in the tiny, idyllic, village of Fayetteville near LaGrange. “It started with a little place out in the country, he says. “We used to love to go up there on in their weekends and loved Spurs. the quietness. Quickly, he became enamored of small town life. “I could go to the post office and buy one stamp,” he laughs. “Did you ever do that in Houston, buy one stamp? We literally picked up and moved to Fayetteville with nothing planned.” He was still active in the Houston business community. He served as president of the Houston chapter of the National Association of Industrial Office Properties, worked with the “Partnership” – but www.horsebackmagazine.com

at the end of the week he went And sometimes from home to his country place. Along the back of that horse Thomas is the way he discovered a 979 acre directing his next project, the 737 tract of savannah near the Brazos acre Ranches of Comal. “Some six just outside Hempstead. It was to years after the first equine project become Thomas’ vision for The I am the development coordinator Ranches of Clear Creek. He would of the property near New Braunfels, again live his “Opie Lifestyle” if he the Ranches of Comal. Just last could get away with it. But he was summer we sold our cabin and still the visionary developer that had moved to a new home in The become famous in Houston circles Ranches of Clear Creek so I could for his inventiveness. He needed a embrace horse ownership to its hook, and for The Ranches, the hook was horses. “I knew nothing about horses,” he remembers. “It’s amazing what you can learn if you just shut up and listen.” Thomas brought experts (including Horseback Magazine) to a conference room at the headquarters of famed Houston developer Midway. There he sat and listened to everything he could about horses and their upkeep – both the upside and Dr. Jane Mancuso trades city traffic the downside. He congestion for a calm ride down quickly learned that when he was a quiet country lane. on the phone with a business associate or client, fullest. Our horses graze outside they didn’t know where he was. of our windows and I can simply Today he remembers that lesson. walk out and throw on a saddle “I’m sitting here in my home whenever the time allows and the office, looking at my pastures, mood hits, and it hits quite often.” looking at my horses, and when I hang up the phone I can go out and orseback’s Diane Holt get on one and go riding,” he says. admittedly left her uber And even speaking on a cell phone high pressure job in doing another deal, he could just broadcasting “For my own sanity.” as easily be on a horse as in a plush She was Director of Sales office in the city. for Infinity Broadcasting, a national

www.horsebackmagazine.com

chain of radio stations in which she had 170 account executives and nine managers reporting to her. She lived on an airplane, commuting to corporate headquarters from her home in Houston. The company owned 75 radio stations by the time of its merger and later absorption into CBS. After the merger the company continued to buy stations. “It burned me out,” Holt admits. She had never intended to be a high powered broadcasting executive. “I was working in a bank when a woman customer panicked because she had bounced 30 checks and I helped her,” Diane remembers. “She was a TV sales person and she got Diane an interview with a Pittsburgh radio station. Holt was hired and began her climb up the corporate ladder only to end up with Infinity in Houston. But it was time for her to get out. “I had to do it for my own sanity,” she says. “My dog was afraid of lighting and thunderstorms and I worried about leaving & her alone. My husband gave me the opportunity to work away from a high pressure job. “ Today, that work involves raising her purebred Paint horses, her husband’s Braunveih cattle, designing a world class horse playground, and living on 300 acres of Brazos River bottom. And oh yeah, keeping her hand in the ad game by selling space in Horseback Magazine. hB August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Horse Bites - Con’t. from pg. 19

the Yankees,” laughed Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. “Actually, Zippy, whose motto is ‘winners don’t always finish first,’ has a huge fan base here in Kentucky, and we’re all looking forward to having him with us in Georgetown. Owned and trained by Felix Monserrate, Zippy Chippy made headlines in the 1990s for his failure to make it to the winner’s circle in over 80 starts. In 2000, People magazine included him on its list of the year’s “Most Interesting Personalities.” Zippy’s continued losing streak and his ornery nature resulted in his being banned from most racetracks by the late ’90s, but he continued to run at the Three County Fair in Northampton, MA. It was there on April 10, 2004 that Zippy made his 100th start. Finishing dead last, it was to be his final trip around the oval.

Horse Bites - Con’t. on pg. 42

preparation, the Inaugural Brazos Valley Fair is less than 60 days from the first gate opening! The Brazos Valley Fair will be the first Fair of its kind in the Brazos Valley in over 50 years, and the first new Fair started in Texas in over 35 years. This new Fair will be a MidMajor, Regional Fair. Fair is to expand the number of days as the Fair and events associated with it grow.

Oregon Horse Tripping Exposed

By Laura Allen, Animal Law Coalition SEATTLE, (Animal Law Coalition) – Animal Law Coalition has released a video revealing horse tripping events still occur in Oregon, one of the few western states where the cruel practice remains legal. In the last legislative session a bill to ban horse tripping or horse roping in Oregon did not pass, in part, because legislators were Texas’ Brazos Valley to Host First New Fair in State in 35 Years told it no longer occurred in the state. Horse tripping involves riders BRYAN, Tx (Brazos County on horseback chasing a horse and causing Expo) – After many years of talks, the animal to flee. When the horse has planning and countless hours of reached full speed, a rider lassoes one of HorseBack_0712_7.5 x 4.88 7/18/12 11:50 AM Page 1

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the horse’s legs, then stops and pulls back on the rope, causing the horse to trip forward and smash full-force onto the ground. In other so-called horse roping practices, a horse is lassoed about the neck and the rope is then pulled down and taut, driving the animal’s head into the ground. Russ Mead, Animal Law Coalition’s General Counsel, saw the horse tripping and horse roping first hand at the Harney County Rodeo in Burns, Oregon on July 7, 2012. The organizers don’t even try to hide it. The grisly event was held at the county fairgrounds. Mead said, “You can hear the horses gasping, struggling, all the way outside of the arena. This is not a sport. This is animal cruelty, plain and simple.” Organizers of the rodeo tried to block Mead from photographing the horse tripping and roping. They tried to “block my view, and at one point, I was surrounded by ten people on horse back and taunted and threatened. One person tried to grab my camera.” Even so, Mead was able to obtain photographs showing

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Prepper Chicks Sexy, Fun and

by Margaret Pirtle

you are one of the few people who have never heard of Doomsday Preppers, or watched the television series on National Geographic, then you are lucky because you can view what millions of American’s are doing without being jaded by hype. It is easy to call those who have stocked years of groceries, or buried a bunker in the wilderness extreme and a little frightening in their beliefs that the world is about to turn up-side down. On the other hand, when did being prepared, having some extra food, medicine, and home supplies become out of the norm. It wasn’t that many moons ago that people canned food during the summer and had extra stocks of home supplies plus a few dollars in the cookie jar. They kept a gun for protection and their neighbors and communities rallied together to help each other in the event of an emergency. It’s time to take a new look at preparing and the practical reasons to do it. So we will turn to one of the experts at it, Lori Caraballo who is the owner of the website and network, Prepper Chicks, to get her advice on how to begin prepping.

26 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

Totally Prepared

Lori is a mother of five, works full time and is full of humor about ways to expand your pantry and gain control over unexpected situations. “I always tell people the first thing you should do is take a deep breath,” Lori said. “Then look at what you have right now, all around you and start from there.” Lori explained that the one thing that stops people from becoming selfsufficient is that it can seem overwhelming. You see or read about these people who have three years worth of food and then you look in your own pantry and you don’t even know what you are going to cook for dinner, much less for the next year. “Don’t plan for a year out, just take one week at a time,” she stated. ”Get one extra week of canned food and home supplies put back and then

when you can, add to that another week. Soon you will have a nice stock of extra food.” We all take for granted that the grocery is just down the road and it has everything you need. Hate to bust your bubble, but after speaking to store managers, your typical grocery carries only 3 days of stock. Just let a hurricane or snow storm www.horsebackmagazine.com

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head your way, and that fully stocked grocery store is nothing but empty shelves. Also when you are purchasing extra food, make sure it is what your family will eat. It doesn’t do any good to buy cans of green beans if your little Johnny only likes Mac and Cheese. Emergencies pop up at the worst times and the end result would be a whole lot worse if you also had nothing to eat. With food taken care of, we have to think about the most important thing that none of us can live without - water. “Use the roof of your barn, house or shed for run-off water collection,” Lori said. “Get a rain barrel and put it on the patio, find anything that is food safe that can hold water. You can only live three days without water so keep a few bottled gallons of water in your home at all times.” There are many products on the market that can purify water, even that dirty water running down the gutter. Purification tablets can be purchased at any store that carries camping equipment and are not expensive. We don’t have the diseases that other countries have from unsafe water, but if you don’t have the means to boil water, and you are without treated water, make sure you have a way to purify what water you can find. Charcoal and sand can be layered to create a filter for dirty water, but it won’t take out bacteria. Look around and see where the closest natural water supply to your home is and then plan from there. www.horsebackmagazine.com

gear list

Crank-up Radio • Crank it up when your electricity is down or you have no batteries.

LED Flashlight and Batteries • You can never have too many flashlights or batteries.

Hunting Knife • Good quality blade and made for wild game.

Lightweight Axe • Light enough to carry, yet strong enough to chop wood.

Paracord • So many uses for this simple cord, very strong and inexpensive.

Whistle/Compass • Don’t get lost without one.

First Aid Kit • Compact small kit that is suitable to your needs.

Water Treatment Tablets • A MUST have! Makes water suitable for drinking on the fly.

Water Bottle • Think Stainless Steel - or something that will last.

Duct Tape • You can build or fix anything with a roll of duct tape.

Outdoor Stove • One that can work with wood. Propane may be hard to find.

Survival Blanket • Definitely not chic, but in an emergency it’ll keep your warm.

Gun/Pepper Spray • Something to defend yourself with. If you aren’t comfortable with a gun, then consider pepper spray or a knife. August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Prepping is re-learning many of the skills that our grandparents used daily. In today’s world we take for granted that we will always have a home, car, gas, food, internet, safety and more. But that is a false assumption. Events like car accidents, floods, hurricanes, power outages, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, solar flares, financial disruption do happen. You can either be prepared, or not - it’s your choice. We have only touched on two of the main areas, but there is so much more. Try living in your home without a bathroom or shower. What will you do with a week worth of garbage if no one picks it up? Do you have medicine that you need on a regular basis and do you have any extra put back? If there is no electricity - how will you receive news of what is happening? If you can’t buy gas, how will you get to

a store? Just play a game of “What If ” with yourself and check out your own home to see what you can use. It might surprise you at the number of normal everyday supplies that can be converted into something you can use “just in case”. Prepping can be fun - it is a way of thinking about the future

and taking steps to make sure that you are ready for different events. You don’t have to be a person who worries about doomsday - but you can be the person who has answers when everyone else is asking. Be a prepper chick, a woman who is fun, outgoing, and ready for what life throws her way. hB

For more information on prepping, please visit Lori’s website at: www.prepperchicks.org

28 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

Check out these Websites to find information & products: www.sincedutch.wordpress.com - Weather/Earthquake/Sun Activity www.backwoodshome.com - Practical ideas for self-reliant living www.offgridsurvival.com - Blogs/Websites/ Products www.urbansurvivalsite.com - When disaster strikes in a city www.pleasanthillgrain.com - Emergency long term storage foods

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5-6 lbs venison (trimmed and 1/4” slices across the grain) 2 cans (14oz.) natural chicken stock 1 large bell pepper chopped 1 large white onion chopped 7-8 cloves of garlic (minced) 1-2 fresh jalapenos (minced) 2-28oz. cans whole roma tomatoes (course chop) 16 oz tomato sauce 1 small lemon (juice and pulp) rustic rub Course Seasoning Sea salt and pepper to taste 1/2 stick butter Olive oil

rustic rub is our course blend perfect for any wild game, brisket and steaks. rown venison in a large electric skillet on HIGH using 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 stick of butter, 2-3 tbsp of Rustic Rub and a light dusting of flour. Once the meat is browned and the gravy looks milky, add 1/2 the tomato sauce Cook down until this mixture gets thick and almost sticks to the pan. This method is what I call a “forced reduction” to lock in flavors. If too many liquids are added in the beginning it will just boil like soup. Next lower heat to medium and add vegetables, 1 can of stock, lemon juice, can tomatoes and 2-3 tbsp more seasoning. Cover and cook until liquid starts to reduce again then lower heat to lowest setting, add second can of stock, rest of tomato sauce and season to taste. I like to stir and check tenderness every 30 minutes until finished (2-3 hours). Serve over white rice and enjoy.

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The Longhorn is usually the first animal that comes to mind when folks think of Texas, he genesis of modern Texas is a panoramic saga that the partnership of the rugged longhorn steer, and the steady cow horse, made in the settling of the wild frontier. In the beginning it was just small herds of steers that were loosed near missions to feed the missionaries, mission Indians, and civilians. As the missions declined, private stockmen took their place and began to section off large tracts of land for the breed. Despite popular perceptions, East Texas, not the wide-open western plains, was

where the cattle industry in Texas began. Trails were cut through the coastal wilderness to the port of New Orleans and a cow which was worth $10 in Nacogdoches, could be sold for $45 at market. It was in this branching out of markets that the horse made its stand, as the custodian of the

30 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

cattle winding their way across the Texas frontier heading in search of buyers. Unfortunately for the longhorn, actually a Spanish import breed, the trails to market also carried a tick-born disease known as “Texas Fever” which made them unwelcome in

Missouri and Kansas. Along with the fever, came a desire for a more tender beef and as a result the longhorn fell out of favor with cattlemen. Far from the idea that every cowboy had a horse, the reality was that most cow herders did not own their own horse. A ‘string’ of cowponies were owned www.horsebackmagazine.com

but when partnered with a horse, then a true picture of what made the state great emerges... by the ranch and used by the herders for their trips along the trails. By the early 1900’s, new cattle breeds became the staple on most of the ranches and farms and trains replaced the cattle drives for market trips. But the change in breeds and the growth of ranches, did little to distract from the fact that cattle and horses dance a bovine ballet together. Even on today’s modern ranch, which has other options such as

ATV’s to track and move cattle, the horse still reigns supreme. Steve Holt, owner of the H20 Ranch in Washington, Texas is a top breeder of Braunvieh cattle. He stated it this way, “There is no substitute for a good horse. Where the terrain is difficult or you have a lot of brush and ravines, a horse www.horsebackmagazine.com

still is the best option for working the cattle. Yes, the ATV’s are easy and they don’t need hay or water, but there are times, when only a horse is suited for the task.” So the story of Texas and other western states is still being written by this partnership. It is a story of smooth gaits on a long

day and finding a lost calf - a story of pounding rocky ground and leading a herd down a winding slope. Together these animals have forged a legacy of strength and endurance that has painted a portrait under the wide blue skies of our heritage. hB August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

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“Every Rider is a Trainer: Maintaining Your Dream Horse”

n last month’s article, I discussed guidelines for finding your dream horse. Unfortunately, each of us also knows of someone who has obtained theirs, only to see its performance level diminish exponentially in the weeks or months that follow. If the horse is all it’s cracked up to be, and the initial test ride wasn’t just a pipe dream, what happened? Like it or not, every time you ride or handle a horse, you are making it better, making it worse, or helping it to maintain its current level of performance and behavior.

36 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

This is equally true for recreational and competitive riders. In order to maintain or develop your dream horse’s optimum level of performance, you must be more than a rider. You must be an effective rider-trainer, one who not only has great awareness and control of your own body, but who also understands horsemanship and the training process. You must be able to recognize balanced, athletic movement in your horse, and be able to consistently teach it and reinforce it, both from the ground and astride. For example: Avoid pulling your horse off-balance, forcing its weight into its forehand, or causing it to stiffen or throw its head up when asking it to move forward, slow down, stop, or back up, every time you are handling it from the ground. Instead, use appropriate body language, aids, and cues, (see my Sweat the Details article, Horseback Magazine Dec.

2010), to prepare your horse to respond to the impending request, and to encourage it to self-carry throughout the task requested. Consistently do the same when riding your horse. Over time, your horse will learn that it can rely on your consistent signals to help it use its body in a way that aids it to succeed at executing familiar skills or at learning new ones. As an effective rider-trainer, you must also understand the difference between aids and cues in the training process. Aids are basic and direct signals that a rider-trainer applies to influence the horse to bend a specific part of its body away from pressure, and/ or to travel a certain direction. Your hands, via the reins, your legs, and your posture, breath, and seat can all be used as aids in the ridingtraining process. Aids, not cues, are what typically are used to first train a riding horse, because they ask the horse

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to move all or part of its body away from pressure in a straight-forward way that is relatively easy for the horse to understand. On the other hand, cues are brief signals which are coupled with or derived from the aids used in training the horse.( “Neck reining” is an example of a cue.) Over time, a horse can learn to execute complex maneuvers, with little more than a cue to initiate them. However, when your horse needs help remembering or perfecting a skill, simply exaggerating a cue will not get the job done. Instead, a competent rider-trainer must refer back to the corresponding aids, originally used with the cue during the horse’s training, in order to get the desired response. For example, a well-trained horse does not learn to make a balanced, forward, bending turn just by having the outside rein, (“neck” rein), laid on its neck as a cue. Rather, the corresponding aids of the inside rein and the rider’s properly positioned legs, suppling the horse to the inside and driving it forward as the rider’s level shoulders rotate into the turn are

what actually guide the horse through the turn with balance and agility. Nevertheless, many a confused rider has pulled hard on an outside rein, thinking he or she will improve the horse’s quickness or agility through the turn. Instead, he or she has put their mount’s head in a figurative vice, pulling the outside corner of the horse’s mouth upward, causing it to twist outward at the poll, and to stiffen while throwing the horse’s weight too far to the inside. The horse performs poorly, and it loses trust and confidence in itself and in its rider. Imagine yourself in this same situation, reacting, not as described above, but rather referring back to the original aids which were associated with the neck rein cue. You pick up and squeeze your inside rein for a moment, use your properly positioned legs, (outside leg slightly back), and the turn of your shoulders to reshape your horse’s body in the direction of your turn, and to drive it smoothly forward in an upright, balanced turn with consistent forward momentum. You may even open your outside rein briefly, moving it away from the mid-

line of the horse’s body, thereby using it as an aid, rather than a cue, in order to maintain your horse’s direction and balance. Now, you and your horse not only execute a beautiful bending turn, but, your horse gains trust and confidence in you, not only as a friend, but as a competent leader and worthy partner. Your progress and success, as a horseman, depends upon your ability to understand the process of a horse’s training, and to consistently use good technique to reinforce your horse’s athletic movement, from the ground and astride. In the process, your horse gains self-confidence, the connection between the two of you deepens on both a psychological and a physical level, and your dream horse remains your dream horse. hB

Dianne can be reached at Hill Country Equestrian Lodge where she teaches Whole Horsemanship year-round. www.hillcountryequestlodge.com, or (830) 796-7950

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

“Continued Hot & Dry”

Horseback Magazine’s Saddle & Tack Editor

he Summer is continuing hot and dry, unlike past summers, wait, just like past summers. In continuing with my too hot to ride thoughts from last month, I thought I’d pass along some information non tack related. We were blessed with 2 inches of rain mid July, that really helped grass grow but caused a little mud for a few days. Good, right? Well, it seems horses hooves crack like the dry ground when they’ve been too dry for too long and the little cracks get bacteria in them and then there is the possibility of abscesses in the hoof. One of our horses was so bad, his leg swelled all the way to the stifle, and the skin split open at the hock. My vet said not to start antibiotics until the abscess broke out or it would encapsulate in the hoof. I soaked twice a day with Epsom salts and water as hot as I thought the horse could stand it, and the abscess broke out at the coronet band in just

three days. Immediate relief was evident in the way the horse walked, although there is still considerable swelling. I’m still hosing the leg twice a day and giving bute twice a day. Another horse isn’t showing symptoms as badly, but is definitely lame, so I’m not sure if the same deal is going on. ‘Just thought if you had a horse with sudden lameness to let you know to break out the Epsom salts. Now, let’s talk tack. I know everyone got busy after last month’s column and got everything cleaned and

oiled. I still have a long way to go. Too much tack, too little time. My oldest son retired from the Air Force July 6th, so I was in California for that ceremony. My brother died in Arkansas while I was there, so I went from California to Arkansas for that service. I’ve been working on a unique project in Austin that will soon be finished, and I’m hoping for a good payday on that project. Anyway, I haven’t seen too many saddles or done much in the way of saddle fitting this month, but I’ve been shopping eBay when I can. There have been some great vintage saddles on eBay at some really reasonable prices. Unfortunately I can’t buy any of them being as I am financially embarrassed, which seems to be all too common a condition these days. There was a fabulous D. Heye saddle from San Antonio that looked great and sold in the high 500’s. Terrific buy! There was a really nice Heiser that looked brand new

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after being around 80 years that went for around 800. A N. Porter saddle from the 40’s went for only 450.00. I mention these saddles for two reasons. One, there are some great buys out there on some really classic saddles. Two, if you’re in the western classic saddle business, prices suck! Like the car business or real estate, in a down economy, it’s a buyer’s market. I’ve never seen so many good saddles going so reasonably, and I’m an old fart that likes old things. I’d rather have an old house than a new one, an old saddle that fits my horse and my seat, an old fiddle that makes sweet music (if someone other than me is playing it), and I’d rather have an old Colt revolver than a new semi-automatic. If you’re into old saddles like I am and if you want to use them, the biggest challenge is finding one with a big enough seat for today’s larger people. The average seat size on a new saddle is probably 16”. Most of the older saddles were 14”. As Baxter Black says, “There weren’t no fluffy cowboys in the wild.” Plus, people were just smaller 80 years ago. When I was a kid, 6’ was considered tall, now, it’s average. So seat size is a factor when you look for an older saddle

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to use. The other factor is fit for your horse. Here you may be lucky. I find most of the older saddles fit today’s horses better than the new saddles, since most new saddles are too wide. That is the reason you see so many horses with white hairs on either side of their withers. Too many saddle manufacturers and saddle sellers still think you can pad up the difference, but it takes real skill to know how to wedge the pads and where to place the wedges. There is no cure-all pad. My favorite old Heiser form fitter fits many of the horses I’ve tried it on, and it would be considered semi-quarter horse bars. It’s almost impossible today to buy a good production saddle on semiquarter horse bars. Many of the saddle fittings I’ve done at ACTHA rides have shown just how popular that shape would be if it was available. I cannot think of a single instance where I found an issue with a saddle being too narrow. Obviously, if someone tried to put semi-quarter horse bars on a Norwegian Fjord, or a Haflinger, it would not work. On the other hand, trees with full quarter horse bars are generally too long for those

horses’ backs so you get a whole different set of problems. All in all, I love the older saddles from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. They’re not really quite antiques, they’re mostly well made(the not so well made ones aren’t around anymore). The leather was usually nicely tanned domestically ,I can think of a lot more reasons why I like them. If anyone sees something they like online, I would be glad to give my opinion as to the value, keeping in mind that you can’t actually see the real saddle until it’s shipped to you. I’ve had pretty good luck with eBay purchases, though. Check the sellers rating, and make sure you can return it if it’s not as represented. It’s a lot of fun shopping online auctions, and there are some great deals out there now. Have fun. Call me if you have questions. I switched phone service providers and the phone actually receives calls at the ranch now. Email is still an excellent way to communicate, and I try to answer emails every night. hB Bandera’s Lew Pewterbaugh has been called the most knowledgeable saddle and tack authority in the Southwest. For private fitting consultation call (830) 328-0321 or (830) 522-6613 or email: saddlerlew@gmail.com.

August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

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this cruel practice continues in Oregon. The horse tripping exposed in Burns follows the release in May of video showing the cruel practice occurred also at the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo in Southeastern Oregon. Mead summarized, “One person at the rodeo told me tripping horses is a ‘tradition’, a ‘part of the culture’. ‘Tradition’ and ‘culture’ are always used to justify practices we now know are wrong. Times change, and it’s time for horse tripping and horse roping to go the way of animal fighting. It’s time Oregon joined most other western states and banned this animal cruelty.” Oregon lawmakers are expected to take up the issue again in the next session. Contact Animal Law Coalition for information about how you can help ban horse tripping and roping. Also if you live in Oregon, send letters to your state legislators and the governor to urge them to take action to protect horses from this cruelty.

Washington Lobby Group Elects Former AQHA President WASHINGTON, (AHC) – Jim J. Shoemake, past President of the American Quarter Horse Association and senior partner in the St. Louis law firm of Guilfoil, Petzall & Shoemake, L.L.C., was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Horse Council (AHC) at the AHC’s annual meeting in Washington, DC on June 26. The AHC represents the horse industry before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies in Washington. Shoemake and his wife Rita own a farm near Farmington, Missouri and have been involved in breeding and raising registered American Quarter Horses for many years. He received his undergraduate degree from Washington University and is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Law. Shoemake is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lindenwood

42 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

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University, founded in 1827, and serves on the boards of a number of other charitable and not-for-profit entities, including the American Quarter Horse Association, the Urological Research Foundation, and the Missouri Quarter Horse Association. Shoemake succeeds Russell Williams, Vice Chairman of the United States Trotting Association. “We are very fortunate to have Jim as the Chair of the AHC,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. “His broad background in the horse industry, his legal skills, and his legislative experience when he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice will be great assets to the organization.” “I appreciate the confidence the AHC has shown in me by electing me chair. We have some difficult issues before Congress and several agencies, but we will continue to protect the horse industry,” said Shoemake. Dr. Jerry Black, past President

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of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, was elected AHC vice chair. Dr. Black received his undergraduate and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University. He is presently the Wagonhound Land and Livestock Chair and Director of Undergraduate Programs in Equine Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr. Black recently completed two terms on the Executive Committee of the National Cutting Horse Association. He also owns Valley Oak Ranch, a stallion station, with his wife Melinda. “Both Jim and Jerry have been AHC Trustees for some time. They know the issues the AHC must deal with and will step right into their new roles,” said Hickey. For more information on the American Horse Council and its mission, please visit its website at www.horsecouncil.org.

August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

he term horseman means so much more than someone who can ride. But what separates a horseman from a rider? Most horsemen started their pursuits as horse lovers. At some point in their lives, someone put them on a horse and the journey began. In the beginning it was undoubtedly the thrill of feeling that magnificent horse moving underneath them that made them want to come back for more. Some people are satisfied with simply riding horses. And some people instinctively go beyond that. Slowly, they learn how to communicate with the horse and develop a deeper understanding of these majestic animals. Often people come to me and ask how many lessons they need to learn how to ride. I always ask them what their goals are. Do they just want to go on trail rides with friends? Is the goal to compete? Are they planning on learning enough to keep a horse on their property for an occasional ride down the road? Do they want to become a trainer or an Olympic competitor? Defining your goals can help you begin to understand the journey you are embarking on. So what do you really need to know to be a horseman?

“What do you REALLY need to know” If you view riding as a simple activity, it’s acceptable to have someone hand you a well-trained horse that has been properly tacked up for you to ride. Then you can call yourself a rider. However, if you have any aspirations of learning about the sport or the animals, you really need to learn from the ground up. Catching a horse in a stall or in a pasture can sometimes be tricky.

Safety precautions need to be high on your list of priorities. Guarding your personal space when you are leading a horse, passing behind him without being kicked or keeping horses spaced safely apart are all necessary skills. Before you ride, grooming and picking the feet will give you a sense of what condition as well as frame of mind your horse is in. You should also be able to detect any recent injuries, shoeing issues or thrush problems he may be having. If any of these issues go undetected, you could do damage to your horse. Another benefit to doing your own grooming is that it’s also a good warm up for your own muscles before you ride. Tacking your horse is like packing your own parachute. If the equipment fails, you or your horse can get injured. You really need to know if something is wrong with it. If the saddle doesn’t fit right or if the bridle is improperly adjusted, you can cause your horse pain and he probably won’t want to work for you. If any of the leather is worn out or the stitching has rotted, the equipment could fall apart when you put pressure on it. Stirrup leathers, girths and reins have been known to break and cause serious safety issues. Learn to clean your tack afterwards. It can go a long way towards keeping

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your leather in good condition. Before you ride, you might need to lunge your horse. If he has spent a lot of time in his stall, he could have a surplus of energy and need to burn some off. You might have a question about soundness and it could help to watch him move before you ride to determine if he is okay. Lunging can help you learn a little more about what kind of mood he is in, too. Recognizing when a horse is having a physical problem can be critical to his good health. It could be a lameness issue, colic, viral or external temperature intolerance. Taking a temperature, pulse and respiration rate is just a start at monitoring the health of your horse. Administering first aid to an injured horse or recognizing that a horse has stopped sweating, is dropping his feed or that he is stumbling a lot are all essential to your horse’s wellbeing. If your goal is to keep your horse at home, you will need to learn about stable management. That

means you’ll need to know how to clean the stalls, inspect the fence lines and keep water sources, clean, full and accessible. You’ll have to keep a close eye on his weight and make adjustments slowly. Selecting appropriate feed and supplements will be up to you. Keeping an adequate supply of good quality hay can be a challenge. A good relationship with an experienced farrier is important and you’ll need to communicate with him about shoeing needs. The vet is another critical relationship that you will need to form. You should learn how to drive a trailer so you can take your horse to the vet for routine and emergency work. If you don’t have a trailer, make sure you have a good emergency vet that will come to you. Make sure you know what inoculations and health tests are required in your area. Keep everything up to date and your records accessible. The teeth will also need to be kept on a schedule for floating. After you make sure your

horse is properly cared for you’ll need to think about ground conditions, manure disposal, and insect and rodent control. A rider simply rides the horse. A horseman is someone who knows horses. If your highest expectation is to be a rider, take lessons somewhere. If you aspire to become a horseman, be prepared to spend time before and after your ride to learn from the ground up. If you want to own or lease a horse, surround yourself with horsemen who will help and guide you while you learn. Find a stable where the people there have the knowledge and desire to teach you how to take excellent care of your horse. Meanwhile, keep learning more about how to ride. Before you know it, you could find others seeking to learn from you, an accomplished horseman! hB

Cathy Strobel has over 30 years of experience as a trainer, judge and clinician she can be reached at Southern Breeze Eq. Ctr. at (281) 431-4868 or www.sbreeze.com

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Q&A

“Riding My Young Horse Right”

A: Q:

My horse – mostly Thoroughbred, onefourth Arabian - is almost four years old. I ride him mostly at walk and he is very good, nice and smooth and always obedient. My problem: I want to work in trot also, but he isn’t very good in trot. He pulls on my hands and leans his head forward. My instructor has told me to play with my hands a lot, pulling and releasing right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand. This will make him put his head in the right position and not pull on the bit, and then when his muscles develop he will stay in the right position. It does seem to work, but one of my friends says that this is “seesawing,” and that it’s bad riding. She has a different instructor. When I play with my reins all the time, my horse has a good neck position and a light mouth. When I don’t, he pulls and leans, and it’s more than the ideal five pounds of contact. But my friend is a really good, advanced rider so I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. How can I get my horse developed without playing with the bit? I want him to have an active mouth and a pretty neck!

46 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

First, remember that you’re working with a very young and immature horse. An “almost four”year-old is a three-year-old, still several years away from physical maturity. If you’re riding him very lightly, just a few times a week, you may be able to do it without damaging him - if he’s a small, compact horse. If he’s tall and leggy, you should take your training more slowly, and start his under-saddle work even later. Your horse’s mouth should be active, yes, but only quietly active - a gentle mouthing of the bit, showing a relaxed jaw and poll, is what you want. You can’t get this by playing with the reins - which, by the way, is not playing from your horse’s point of view! His perception is that you are constantly pulling and hurting his mouth. See-sawing the reins is never appropriate. It hurts the horse and forces him to tuck his head in toward his chest to get away from the pulling, and this won’t develop his muscles correctly. An appropriately active mouth will come only if the rider’s hands are still and quiet, there is light tension on the reins, and the horse can move the bit a little by moving its tongue and jaws. Contact is something that the horse – not the rider - has to determine and control. Let your horse tell you how much contact is comfortable and appropriate for him at each stage of training and development. He is very young, and should be worked quietly, at walk and trot, with a long, stretched neck. Your main concern should be teaching him to respond to your leg aids by stepping well forward from behind. You shouldn’t worry about his head and neck, except to be sure that they are both comfortable! Five pounds of contact is not ideal, it’s actually a very heavy, painful pressure on your horse’s mouth. If you want to keep a specific weight in mind, three ounces would be much

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Let your horse determine and tell you how much “contact” is comfortable and appropriate at each stage of his training better. If and when you can work your horse gently and steadily, keeping his hindquarters active, his back relaxed, and his neck long, whilst maintaining a consistent, quiet, steady, light tension on the reins, you and the horse will both be much happier. Your horse won’t be in pain, and you won’t have to worry that your chosen sport requires overdeveloped biceps! To help your horse develop, take him out in a field or on the trail, and do a lot of transitions, both between walk and trot, and within the walk and trot (longer strides, shorter strides). Don’t stay out too long, though - remember, you’re riding a baby. For arena work, twenty minutes at a time is plenty. In another year, when he is more mature, you can work for longer periods and focus on ring figures, especially on trot circles and trot spirals. This will help him engage his hindquarters, reach under and across with his hind legs, www.horsebackmagazine.com

and balance his weight without leaning on the forehand. Walkhalt transitions and good walk-trot and trot-walk transitions will also help him balance, and will start to prepare him for half-halts, which in turn will help him shift some weight to his hindquarters. The best advice I can give you is this: Don’t be in a hurry! At his age, the best aid to development would be turnout in a hilly pasture with other youngsters. I know that you want to ride your horse, and you can, but be patient - keep it slow and easy, and don’t ask for too much too soon. It’s not time yet to be thinking about keeping the horse in an outline; he hasn’t got the physical development or the understanding to sustain a rider-imposed outline! Your friend seems to have a good instructor who teaches correctly. Could that instructor come to your barn? If not, could you trailer your horse to your friend’s

barn for lessons? Your current instructor may be a nice person, but I am worried about her knowledge and her teaching skills. Based on your letter, you are being taught to ride front-to-back, see-sawing the bit to put your horse into a false frame. This is BAD RIDING, pure and simple. The long-term results will be a bad rider and a damaged, unsound horse. If she really wants you to see-saw, pull, and focus on the front end of your horse, then she isn’t the instructor for you – she cannot possibly teach you to ride and train correctly and compassionately. For your horse’s sake and your own, you’re going to need to find someone else to teach you. It sounds to me as if your friend’s instructor might be a good starting point. hB

Dr. Jessica Jahiel is the best selling author of Riding For The Rest Of Us. August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

“Eye Tumors”

our horse has a small growth at the corner of his eye that has been there for a few weeks, and you have treated it with everything available over the counter from the feed store but nothing seems to work to make it go away. You call your veterinarian out and the exam finds a mucopurulent discharge (pus indicating an infection) and blepharospasm – an involuntary closing of the eyelid. Evaluation of the growth leads your veterinarian to suspect squamous cell carcinoma of the third eyelid. Wow! Cancer! Now what do you do. Squamous cell carcinoma – SCCrepresents one of the most common malignant tumors of horses and is commonly found on the eye or ocular structures and on the genitalia of horses. Management of squamous cell carcinoma depends on many factors. Age of the horse, use of the horse as well as continued aftercare of initial therapy can determine what course of action is taken to treat the tumor. Not all owners have the time to continue treatment. Not all horses will easily allow treatment with out restraint and can become more difficult to treat over time. A biopsy is essential for diagnosis

48 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

prior to treatment. Not all lumps on the face or around the eye are squamous cell carcinoma so knowing what you are treating is the first thing to discover. Surgical excision is considered the primary treatment modality. This can then be followed up with cryosurgery or chemotherapy or both. In some cases where there is actual ocular involvement, the entire eye may need to be removed – this is termed an “enucleation.” Hold on to your hats, we are going to do some high school cell biology review. The chemotherapeutic drugs used commonly for squamous cell carcinoma are Cisplatin and 5-Flurouracil. Cisplatin is one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents on the market. It was first developed in the mid 19th century and is referred to as the “penicillin of cancer.” It works by damaging the DNA in the cells resulting in cell death. In horses cisplatin is used intra-lesionally which results in good concentration levels at the tumor site and generally only local tissue reactions versus side effects normally seen in intravenous applications in dogs which can include gastrointestinal upset and kidney disease. The use of 5-flurouracil topical cream aids in cancer treatment by preventing tumor growth through the inhibition of RNA synthesis. No RNA synthesis, no growth. Side

effects are generally local irritation and discomfort. Because squamous cell carcinoma is a slow growing tumor metastasis or spreading of tumor cells to the lymph nodes and then the rest of the body occurs in about 6% to 15% of the cases. Horse owners should be diligent in observing of signs of recurrence and be willing to have the horse examined promptly. Recent research over the past 5 years has found some other treatment options on the horizon. The use of piroxicam, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug that is a nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor has been advocated because of its ability to inhibit Cox-2 (cyclooxygenase 2) that have been documented in squamous cell carcinomas. Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme or biological molecule that is responsible for the formation of inflammatory products in the body. Squamous cell carcinomas have been found to have some Cox-2 expression. So your horse has a lump. Don’t waste precious time hoping the lump will go away. Squamous cell carcinoma is a slow growing tumor. Surgical removal can be curative, but not in all cases. Some will metastasize to bone or other organs and may cause problems anywhere from a week to a year after treatment. You and your veterinarian are the partnership that keeps your horse healthy. hB www.horsebackmagazine.com

Management of squamous cell carcinoma depends on many factors.

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

Flags!

owdy, welcome to Cowboy Corner. The rains came, thank you Lord. Last year I told the preacher that we’re payin’ you to make it rain, but must not be turnin’ it in. Well, he must have turned it in all at once. Not exactly the way we might like it, but we’ll always take an inch of rain and a new calf. Was workin’ on some flags the other day for a parade and thought I might share some things I have learned about carrying flags horseback in parades, grand entries, and drill exercises. Now I don’t know anything about drill teams, but the girls are fun to watch and really dress up the event. Had lots of friends over the years, on the Bellville (Texas) Cowgirls drill team. Think they always do a

great job, and have won some national competition awards. Back to the nuts and bolts of this flag carrying. Start with the flag. Have learned over the years that a 3’X5’ flag is about all anyone wants to carry horseback in a light wind. On a windy day, need to really think about the flag carrying, because if a flag gets away from a carrier in a parade with spectators, a wreck is on the way. In downtown areas with sky scrapers, strong winds can be a real problem. So, if strong winds exist, roll the flag around the pole and hold on. More about flags. Have found nylon flags to be best with no fringe around the edges. The fringe around the edges merely adds weight, but no benefit. The flags also need brass grommets at least 3/8” diameter, on the end of the side attaching to the pole. To attach the flag to the pole, nylon ties are hard to beat, strong and easy to use. If the ties are long enough, go around the pole through the flag grommet then through the tie latch. The wrap around the pole keeps the flag from slipping up and down the pole. One more tip, if you are going to leave the flag on the pole, need to come up with some sort of cover for the flag to keep it clean. A king size trash bag may be the answer, secured with a hay string. In all of the flag carrying horseback activity, the poles are the weak line. Almost 20 years ago I began assisting one of the Houston Livestock

Show and Rodeo sanctioned trail rides, Valley Lodge, with the flag handling. The group has always had a supply of beautiful, young, cowgirls to carry our American, Texas, and Valley Lodge flags in parades. Years ago, they used two piece wooden poles approximately 1” in diameter and 8’ long that were secured together with a metal ferrule. Each section was about 4 ‘ long, and when in use the carriers hand was about at the connecting point of the pole parts. The pole joint had lots of pressure from the flag on top, and the boot attached to the saddle stirrup on the bottom, and soon weakened. In a moderate wind the flags were hard to hold with a pole that was not rigid. After snooping around, looking for metal pole materials, I came up with ¾” aluminum conduit used in the electrical industry for harsh environments. The conduit comes in 10’ lengths, is strong, light in weight, no maintenance, and available. For flag attachment a ¼” hole can be drilled ½” from the top of the metal pole and a nylon tie used for the bottom of the flag. Tip: cut the pole 8’ to allow for carrying flat in the bed of your long wheel base pickup. Ornament attachment at the top of the pole is tricky, and is probably going to require some machining if the pole is to accept the threaded ornament. Think ornaments and two piece wooden poles need to stay inside and not horseback. Now, the boot which attaches to the stirrup leather, or stirrup, need to make sure that the boot will accept the diameter of the pole. Some solid wooden poles, in order to achieve strength, have diameters that are hard to insert into the flag boots. Wooden poles made from clothes poles used in closets sometimes are hard to use. About boots, be sure the boot is wide enough to accept the pole to be used and long enough to keep the pole secure while carried horseback. Think flags carried horseback really dress up a parade and most folks agree. Also, gives our young people a chance to participate and demonstrate their horseback skills. Happy Trails! hB

50 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012

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August 2012 - HORSEBACK MAGAZINE

52 HORSEBACK MAGAZINE - August 2012