HAT Chat Articles – June 2007
A
word from our President
Welcome to the 5th
Anniversary issue of the HAT Chat! A couple of years after the inception of the
Horseman’s Association of Texoma, the initial HAT Chat newsletter was published and has since played a vital
role in the identity and respectability of our organization.
As the messenger of equine
information throughout the Texoma area, HAT Chat
includes the latest news from HAT along with interesting articles, veterinary
and industry news, show and event flyers, show results, an extensive calendar
of events, a “bit” of humor, and the ever popular recipe of the month (the easy
way to identify an issue)! It is no
doubt one of the most affordable venues in the area to get the word out on your
stable, breeding operation, services or business with three levels of
sponsorship, the equine services directory, display ads, and classified ads.
Dedicated volunteers
distribute complimentary copies of the HAT Chat
throughout the area. If you don’t want
to miss an issue, paid subscriptions are available for a nominal fee with an
order form in each issue.
A HUGE Tip of the HAT goes
to our dedicated editor, Mike Bernier, who has been the “head wrangler, cook,
and dishwasher” since the very first issue!
HAT and its readers extend our gratitude to Mike for his never ending
hard work with attention to detail and to the Bernier family for allowing and
helping him to provide us with an informative and entertaining newsletter. Mike also serves as HAT’s show secretary,
webmaster, and PR guy – he’s a man of many HATs!!!
So sit back, relax, and enjoy
this anniversary issue of news and a bit of history! Then put on your boots, grab your hat, and
join us at our monthly meetings (in all honesty, boots and hats are optionalJ), free (yup, FREE!) Youth Clinic, Family
Riding/Schooling Evening, or trail ride held in conjunction with St. Jude’s
benefit ride. As always, we invite and
welcome your participation!!!
Happy
trails,
Special Anniversary Issue
This is our 5th
Anniversary issue of HAT Chat.
For this issue only, we’ve tossed out our usual Table of Contents; instead,
most of the articles you will find (except for Association and 4-H News) are
reprinted from previous issues over the last five years. Each article will list
the issue and date it was printed. And, be sure to look for the special
surprise inside. Enjoy!
HAT Youth Clinic June 9
Our 5th annual HAT
Youth Clinic will be held on June 9th at Loy Lake Arena in
Our 2007 Youth Scholarship
recipient has been chosen and will be announced at the clinic. We are proud to
offer this $500 scholarship, which benefits a Texoma-area high school senior
who has been involved with equestrian activities. This is our fourth
consecutive year to offer this award.
The activities begin at 9am.
Be sure to come out to the 2007 HAT Youth Clinic for a great day of learning
and fun!
Reminder: HAT “Family Riding/Schooling Days” on 3rd
Thursdays
We’d like to remind everyone
about our monthly riding days this summer at the
There is no charge to ride,
but donations toward the upkeep of the arena are appreciated. We look forward
to seeing you there!
We would like to give “a tip
of the HAT” to:
·
Gerry Snipes -
for offering her guidance and expertise at the Family/Riding Schooling Evening
·
Mick
·
Teddy Johnson -
for allowing HAT to use his arena for another Adult Horsemanship clinic when
Mother Nature decided we needed more rain
·
To Sheila Johnson
and Donna Franus for their extended efforts in organizing and communicating
details for the Adult Horsemanship clinics.
·
To all who
attended both the Adult Horsemanship clinics and the Family/Riding Schooling
Evening, and to TQHA for use of their arena
·
To “Trail Boss”
Mike Scully for handling the details of the HAT trail ride
Show Classes
Explained
by
(originally printed in the June 2004 issue)
Well, it is show season! For those of you new to the showing world, I
thought I would explain to you what to expect in the various classes.
First of all, classes are
usually categorized. “Open” classes are
open to any age or any level of experience of rider or horse – anyone can go in
them. All other types of classes are
restricted to an age group (like “adult” or “18 and under”), a level of
training for the rider (“Novice” usually being a rider who has not won 3 blue
ribbons), or a level of training for the horse (“Green” usually being a horse
in their first or second year of showing).
If you have a question about the “category” of class being offered, you
should always ask the show secretary.
English In Hand
classes are where your horse is shown with you standing on the ground holding
the horse’s lead in your hand. You may
need to walk or trot your horse. If your
horse is a year or older, he should be shown in a bridle with a snaffle
bit. The handler wears his/her show
clothing (helmet, coat, breeches, and boots) the same as for riding classes,
but horse should not be saddled. This
class is generally judged mostly on the conformation of the horse, however the
judge may weigh in “behavior,” “turnout” and “presence” as well as “movement.”
English Walk-Trot classes are where you ride your horse in the arena and follow the
judge’s commands (usually over a loudspeaker).
Generally, entrants walk and then trot one way around the arena, they
are then asked to change direction and they again are usually asked to walk and
then trot. Entrants then are asked to
come in to the middle of the arena and stand and line up facing the judge. The judge may ask the entrants to back their
horses one at a time.
English
classes are the same as the English Walk-Trot above, except that entrants are
usually asked to also canter in each direction.
In both these type of classes generally the overall impression of horse
and rider are judged.
Equitation
classes involve the halt, walk, trot, and canter, backing and maybe hand
gallop. Generally cones are set up and a
diagram is posted. The rider is given a
test involving changing directions and gaits.
The horse and rider are generally judged on their ability to do the test
accurately, the rider’s position, and the horse’s willingness to obey the
rider’s commands.
Hunter Hack
classes involve jumping over 2 jumps in a row, set up several strides
apart. Often the entrants walk, trot,
and canter both directions of the arena first, and then the jumps should be
cantered. Often the entrants are asked
to hand gallop after the jumps down the long side of the arena and then halt
and back. If the judge does not ask the
entrants to hand gallop, halt and back, then you should ask the judge if it is
expected. If you prefer to trot instead
of cantering the jumps, you should also ask the judge if it is
permissible. As a rule of thumb, if the
jumps are set up as “crossrails” (forming an X), it should be okay to trot, but
you should always ask. Again generally
the overall “impression” is judged.
Hunter Over Fences classes are where horses are cantered over a course of jumps – usually
8 to 10 of them. If the jumps are set up
as crossrails, it is generally okay to trot the course.
Good luck at the shows!!!!
Thanks for reading!J
Wear your ASTM/SEI certified helmet! A
list of all ASTM/SEI Certified Helmets can be found at : http://www.seinet.org/CPL/contents.htm
What Owning a Horse
Means to Me
by Corrie Mast
HAT Youth Essay Contest Winner
(originally printed in
the September 2003 issue)
To
me, owning a horse isn’t just having a pet to play with and ride. And like all other animals, it isn’t just a
toy to throw away when you get tired of playing with it. Having a horse means a lot of responsibility
and a lot of hard work. No matter what
happens to the horse you always have to be there for him.
I
learned this from Tempo, a horse that I was given a while back. He was hauled down from
I
was the one given the responsibility to doctor him and to follow the
veterinarian’s instructions, which included washing the leg and applying
medication, and in the advanced stages of his recovery, wrapping his leg,
letting it sit, and then exercise him for up to an hour or more daily. Not to mention the hour-long drive up to
where he was being boarded at the time.
All of this took about five to six hours a day no matter what the
circumstances were.
Not
only was I given the responsibility to doctor him, but I had to do odd-jobs for
people to pay for medication and feed. I
am home-schooled, so I had the advantage of having a lot of free time to do all
of this. I was committed, and I believe
that if I had not been, Tempo would not be alive today.
By
the time he was well enough to be ridden, I was still too heavy for him because
of his injury. Since his being ridden
was an essential part of his recovery, I thought it was in his best interest to
give him to Jean’s granddaughter who loves him very much and, with the help of
her mother, takes wonderful care of him.
I would not have given him to them if I doubted this even slightly. Even though I miss him, I know that he is in
good hands and with people who love him just as much as I did. I just hope that another horse will come
along that I can love just as much.
Not
only do I know that having a horse means responsibility, but I believe that is
also means partnership, trust, and a lasting relationship. Tempo was one of my best friends and a close
“family member.” I know that he trusted
me to help him get better, and he would willingly do whatever I asked of
him. I hope that someday I can build
that same bond with another horse.
It
is quite safe to say that I eat, sleep, breathe, and live for horses. I love horses with all my heart, I always
have and I always will. While some girls
my age might dream of being movie stars or music stars, I have always dreamed
of owning horses. I love to work with
and around horses – riding, feeding, grooming, and even cleaning up stalls! To me there is nothing more rewarding. I even earn money by grooming horses for
friends.
I
have been taking riding lessons for over a year now from a CHA instructor and I
am about to progress into English lessons.
I love to trail ride and now that I am going to take English lessons, I
would like to progress to Jumping.
My
father and I have been building a small barn for a horse when I get one. It was originally for Tempo, but he never got
to be kept in it before he was sent back to
So,
to conclude, I would like to say, that to me, owning a horse not only means a
physical, emotional, and financial responsibility, but it is also one of the
greatest privileges in the world.
Twister’s Twins
By Jenni Dougan
(originally printed in
the July 2002 issue)
It was 2:45 am on Tuesday,
May 8, 2001. I went out to check the
last two mares that were due to foal at any time. We had been watching and checking them
several times through the night for a week.
Our other two mares had foaled 2 & 3 weeks prior, and everything had
gone smoothly. We had our bay quarter
horse mare, Jazzy, in the pasture adjacent to our yard. The flashlight revealed a still pregnant
Jazzy. Our leopard appaloosa mare,
Twister, was in a lot adjacent to the barn.
We purchased Twister in November 2000.
She was in foal by Zippo’s Texas Dandy, also a leopard appaloosa.
With a flashlight, I found
her on the east side of the lot and she had a solid foal at her side. I ran back to the house and told my husband
Roger, “Twister had her baby.” While he
was getting dressed, I went back out to get a closer look. I kept seeing something white near a mesquite
bush across the lot, and thought it was paper or a bag the wind had blown up
and caught in the bush. I finally turned
the light on it, and realized it was another baby, a leopard app. I ran back to the house and I yelled to
Roger, “It’s a twin.” Knowing the
statistics of twins was not good, there was little chance of one surviving,
much less both of them.
We called our neighbor, Gary
Paddock, and asked him to help us at 3:00 am.
He was over in less than 10 minutes.
I called the vet and left a message with the answering service.
We got the mare and the solid
baby at her side into a stall.
Roger held the leopard foal
up to Twister, and he nursed briefly.
Roger then tried to milk the mare, rather unsuccessfully. By then it was 3:45 am, and I was on the way
back to the house when I remembered to check Jazzy, the quarter horse
mare. She had just foaled too. I yelled to Roger, “Another one on the
ground.”
Roger & Gary went to
catch that mare and foal to get them into another stall. Jazzy is such a sweet-natured horse, and this
was her second foal. She let Roger milk
her and supplied the appaloosa foal with colostrum through most of the day.
The vet did finally return
our call, and basically told my husband that is was a act of nature and to “let
nature take its course.” That left us to
conclude that there was nothing they could do.
We felt we had to try to keep him alive.
Sandy, a friend from Malone
Ranch in Aubrey, brought us some milk supplement, a nipple and bottle that
morning. We were able to supply the foal
with Jazzy’s milk most of the day, with the supplement following that. The foal had only nursed the mare a few times
briefly with assistance.
By evening, we turned Jazzy
and her filly out in the pasture. She
had been patient throughout the day but was becoming irritable. She had been an angel to give us what she
did. Now it was time for her to be alone
with her baby.
They say the first 72 hours
is very critical for survival. The 24 hr
watch had started. Ever since I found
the foal, I had prayed for the Lord to help us to keep the little guy
alive. He was listening.
Wednesday at noon, the stud
colt started having spasms. We did not
think he was going to make it. We
decided by that evening to let the mare and twin stud colt out. She was not used to being tied and here she
had been tied for two days, and was really getting irritable. We felt even if the foal survived, he would
not be strong enough to compete with his brother for mom’s milk. His brother had already shown aggression
towards him when he would get close to the mare. We both agreed to do what we could for the
foal.
We called the veterinarian
again and got him to come out. He was a
little surprised the foal was still alive.
He checked the foal over and explained that the spasms were caused by a
glich in his nervous system, probably from a lack of nutrition while
developing. He gave the stud colt an IV
with DMSO, antibiotics, and antacid. The
IV caused the foal’s breath to smell horrible.
You couldn’t stand him in your face for very long.
The next day, Thursday, the
vet returned around 3 pm and administered a second DMSO treatment. After the second treatment, the foal did not
have another spasm.
Roger and I took shifts,
where one of us was with him all the time.
Roger spent every night for a week in the stall next to him. I stayed through the day and checked on both
through the night. He seemed to get
stronger everyday. We were waiting to
see if he could get up by himself. He
could walk unassisted after some assistance in getting to his feet. Finally on Saturday around 1:00 pm, he got up
for the first time on his own. It was
like seeing your child take his first steps.
We continued to watch him very closely for a few more days.
Roger designed a bucket with
a nipple to hang on the wall for him to have access to milk continuously. He took to that very well. He is now close to 4 weeks old. We have borrowed a donkey for a companion and
to teach him to eat grass and feed. He
has learned to eat grass and foal pellets.
He is doing very well. We plan to
put him with the other foals when it is time to wean them, in hopes that he
will learn to be a horse.
The mare and other foal are
doing great also. We feel we have been
blessed with this little guy. It has
been an unforgettable experience.
Monthly
Poll
Last month we asked:
This month’s question: How
often do you worm your horses?
To vote in our monthly poll,
go to www.hat-texoma.org and scroll
down to “Monthly Poll” on the home page. The results of this month’s question
will be published in our next issue. Be sure to stop by and cast your vote!
Kids Corral
(originally printed in the July 2003 and May 2004 issues) Hi
Kids! With warmer weather these days, we like to get out to the barn and hang
out with our horses more. Guess what else likes to get out when it’s warm and
hang out with the horses?
Yep,
you guessed it - flies. Those pesky little things are everywhere, but they
especially like to hang out around the barn. There are all sorts of ways to get
rid of them, from fly sprays to window screens. We’re going to show you a way
that you can help! How? By making homemade fly traps you can hang up in the
barn. They’re really easy to make, and even easier to use (we’ll tell you how
to do that too).
VERY
IMPORTANT:
to make these traps, sharp scissors are needed. If you are not old enough to use
sharp scissors on your own, you MUST get your parents to help you. They might
even want to make some traps too!
Here’s
what you will need to make a fly trap:
Here’s
how to make a fly trap:
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4
Figure 5
That’s
it! Your fly trap is now ready to use –
just hang it up in the barn and start catching flies! When it gets full, just
take it down, throw it away…and then hang up another one!
How
does it work? Well, the flies smell the stinky stuff you put in the bottom of
the bottle, and fly in through the hole in the top of the trap to find out what
it is. The flies can go in pretty easily, but the hole is small enough that
most of them can’t figure out how to get back out again and they’re trapped.
See
ya next time!
Crazy Horse Laws: In
(originally printed in the January 2005 issue)
Did You Know…? (originally
printed in the October 2002 issue) Which of the following
vegetables can be harmful to horses: avocado, onion, potato, or tomato? The answer: ALL of them! If eaten in sufficient quantities, all of
these plants can be harmful or even fatal to horses. The leaves and fruit of
the Guatemalan avocado (not the Mexican smooth-skinned variety) have a
toxin that can cause swelling of the lips, mouth, and neck which can lead
first to respiratory distress, and eventually to congestive heart failure. Eating large
quantities of onions can cause Heinz body anemia, the same deadly illness
that comes from eating red maple leaves.
Eating a few wild onions that might come up in pasture grass,
however, will not cause this problem. Finally, potato and
tomato plants contain alkaloids that can affect the central nervous system
and lead to colic and diarrhea. Ripe
potatoes and tomatoes themselves are okay, but green, rotting, or sprouted
fruits also contain the alkaloids.
Saddlebound
4-H News
Updates from May 14th
2007 meeting:
Let's start with the fun
stuff:
Last night we met Judy Ann
and her horse Dusty. She is going to fit right in with our group of crazy horse
kids!!! Welcome!
We will be participating in
the 2007 Memorial Day Parade in
We nominated officers for the
2007-08 4-H year. If you go to http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/ this is the
Camping is allowed at
June 9th is the Youth Clinic
put on by HAT at the Loy Lake Arena. The clinic
is free for all youth. Everyone had a great time last year!
NEW INFO: June 16th David
Mitchell will do a clinic for our 4-H group on starting colts the gentle way.
Even if you don’t have any foals, you can use these techniques on your own
horses.
June 24 - 26 4-H County camp
- see the monthly newsletter for more info. If you have your volunteer hours in
and have been attending meetings this is another opportunity that the club pays
for.
Let’s see, that takes care of
every weekend from now until June 30th. We still need to reschedule the trail
ride/trash pick up too. Any suggestions??
Anyone interested in being
part of the TSC – “Out Here With Horses” June
23rd as a club? I heard last year it was a real success!
Did I miss anything??? Let me
know. Call me if you have any questions 214-789-2429.
Donna Franus
Saddlebound Manager
Breed
Spotlight
The Fell Pony
by
Shannon Albert
(originally printed in
the July 2003 issue)
The Fell Pony hails from
northern
Fells were commonly known as
a working pony. They were used for
plowing, pulling, transporting goods, carriage driving, and ‘deer stalking’, an
activity that required a steady, surefooted pack pony which would carry the
dead stag down the hills for the hunter.
The advent of the Industrial Revolution led to the Fell Pony being used to
transport iron ore once it had been excavated from the mines.
The Fell Pony today is used
for pleasure riding, endurance riding, competitive driving, showing, dressage,
jumping, shepherding, and farming. A
Fell Pony is capable of carrying a grown man all day with ease. They have legs and hooves like iron and
plenty of dense flat bone below the knee.
They are very strong, tireless, surefooted and thrifty. They are well known for their docile
temperament, and with proper training are considered perfect for the
disabled. Fell Ponies have the
reputation of being very easy to maintain.
They can work all day on a small ration and thrive where a more highly
bred equine would find it difficult to survive.
Fell Ponies are renowned for their ground-covering trot, thick leg
feathering and profuse mane and tail.
The lay of their shoulder makes them a comfortable long-distance riding
mount, and the depth of their girth and soundness of limb make them
trouble-free competitors for driving, jumping or dressage. The Queen of England’s personal riding mount
is a Fell Pony, and her husband, HM The Duke of Edinburgh drives a team of
Fells competitively.
The average height of a Fell
Pony is 13.2 hh, with the breed standard allowing them to be up to 14 hh. They come in four colors: black, the most
predominant; brown; bay; and the rare gray.
A star and/or a little white on or below the hind fetlock are
acceptable.
Globally there are less than
6,000 registered Fell Ponies. The
integrity and usefulness of the breed has come to light recently, and the population
in
Stonecreek Farm did much
research on many breeds before choosing the Fell Pony. After owning other breeds, and a serious
riding accident, the farm’s owner was searching for a hearty breed that the
entire family could ride, with beauty and a docile temperament. The farm shows their stock at local shows
occasionally, and most recently made the 3,000 mile round trip to Equine
Affaire in
If you are interested in learning
more about the Fell Pony, or would like to schedule a visit, you can contact
Stonecreek Farm by calling (903) 337-0255 or sending an e-mail to stonecreek.farm@thefellpony.com. Stonecreek also has a web site you can visit
online at www.thefellpony.com.
Robin Chouteau 5th in the ApHC!
(originally printed in the February 2006
issue)
Congratulations to HAT member Robin Chouteau, who
finished 2005 with a ranking of 5th in the ApHC National standings
for Non-Pro Novice Trail with her horse, Dreams Double Date. Way to go, Robin!
In Memoriam
(originally printed in
the July 2005 issue)
Several HAT members and other
friends of HAT have lost horses due to age or illness in recent months. We
would like to extend our deepest heartfelt sympathies to them, and hope that
they may take comfort in the following passage that was so kindly offered by
Debby Van Nurden:
“If you bury him in
this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when
you call ~ Come to you over the far, dim pastures of death, and down the
remembered paths to your side again. And though you ride other living horses
through life, they shall not shy at him, nor resent his coming. For he is yours
and he belongs there.
People may scoff at
you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no
nicker pitched too fine for insensitive ears. People who may never really love
a horse. Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from
them, and which is well worth knowing.
The one place to
bury a horse is in the heart of his mistress.”
-- Author Unknown
A Bit of Humor
Equestrian
Definitions, Parts 1-4
(originally printed in
the October-November-December 2005 and January 2006 issues)
Auction: A popular, social gathering where you can change a horse from a financial liability into a liquid asset.
Azoturia (Monday Morning Disease): a condition brought on by showing horses all weekend.
Symptoms include the feeling of dread at having to get out of bed on Mondays
and go to work.
Barn Sour:
An affliction common to horse people in northern climates during the winter
months. Trudging through deep snow, pushing wheelbarrows through snow and
beating out frozen water buckets tend to bring on this condition rapidly.
Big Name Trainer (also called Cult Leader): Horse owners follow them blindly, will gladly sell
their homes, spend their children’s college funds and their IRAs to support
them as they have a direct link to “The Most High Ones” (Judges).
Bog Spavin:
The feeling of panic when riding through a marshy area. Also used to refer to
horses who throw a fit at having to go through water puddles.
Bolt: to gulp
feed. Usually occurs with sandwiches at half-hour lunch breaks.
Bran: A
wheat by-product occasionally fed moistened to horses, most usually applied as
spackle or stucco on owner.
Colic: The
gastrointestinal result of eating at the food stands at horse shows.
Colt: What
your mare always gives you when you want a filly.
Contracted foot: The involuntary/instant reflex of curling one’s toes up just before a
horse steps on your foot.
Corn: small
callus growths formed from the continual wearing of cowboy boots.
Cribbing:
The vice of chewing your pencils while worrying as you figure the cost of next
year’s hay.
Drench: Term
used to describe the condition an owner is in after he administers mineral oil
to his horse.
Endurance ride:
The end result when your horse spooks and runs away with you in the woods.
Equitation:
The ability to keep a smile on your face and proper posture while your horse
tries to crow-hop, shy and buck his way around a show ring.
Feed:
Expensive substance utilized in the manufacture of large quantities of manure.
Fences:
Decorative perimeter structures built to give a horse something to chew on,
scratch against and jump over (also see Inbreeding).
Flea-bitten:
A condition of the lower extremities in horse owners who also own dogs and
cats.
Flies: The
excuse of choice a horse uses so he can kick you, buck you off or knock you
over - he cannot be punished.
Founder: 1.)
The discovery of your loose mare some miles from your farm, usually in a flower
bed or cornfield. Used as in, “Hey, honey, I found’er.” 2.) A condition that
happens to most people after Thanksgiving dinner.
Frog: Small
amphibious animal that emits a high-pitched squeal when stepped on.
Gallop: The
customary gait a horse chooses when returning to the barn.
Gates:
Wooden or metal structures built to amuse horses.
Girth Sores:
Painful swelling and abrasion made at the point of mid-section by fashionable
large western belt buckles.
Green Broke:
The color of the face of the person who has just gotten the training bill from
the Big Name Trainer.
Grooming:
The fine art of brushing the dirt from one’s horse and applying it to your own
body.
Grooms:
Heavy, stationary objects used at horse shows to hold down lawn chairs and show
bills. (also see Pit Crews)
Hay: A green
itchy material that collects between layers of clothing, especially in
unmentionable places.
Head Shy: A
reluctance to use the public restrooms at any horse event. Always applies to pit toilets.
Head Tosser:
A blonde-haired woman who wears fashion boots while working in the barn.
Heaves: The
act of unloading a truck full of hay.
Hobbles:
Describes the walking gait of a horse owner after his/her foot has been stepped
on by his/her horse.
Hock: The
financial condition that a horse owner goes into.
Hoof Pick:
Useful, curved metal tool utilized to remove hardened dog doo from the treads
of your tennis shoes.
Horse Trailer:
Expensive movable urinal for horses (and occasionally riders).
Horseshoes:
Expensive semi-circular projectiles that horses like to throw.
Inbreeding:
The breeding results of broken/inadequate pasture fencing.
Jumping: The
characteristic movement that an equine makes when given a vaccine or having his
hooves trimmed.
Lameness:
The condition of most riders after the first few rides each year; can be a
chronic condition in weekend riders.
Lead Rope: A
long apparatus instrumental in the administration of rope burns. Also used by
excited horses to take a handler for a drag.
Longeing: A
training method a horse uses on its owner with the purpose making the owner
spin in circles-rendering the owner dizzy and light-headed so that they get
sick and pass out, so the horse can go back to grazing.
Manure spreader: Horse trader.
Mosquitoes:
Radar equipped blood sucking insects that typically reach the size of small
birds.
Mustang: The
type of horse your husband would gladly trade your favorite one
for...preferably in a red convertible and V-8.
Overreaching:
A descriptive term used to explain the condition your credit cards are in by
the end of endurance/ show season.
Parasites:
Occasionally used to describe small children that get in your way when you work
in the barn. Many gather in swarms at horse shows.
Pinto: A
colorful (usually green) coat pattern found on a freshly washed and sparkling
clean grey horse that was left unattended in his stall for ten minutes.
Pit Crews:
Absolutely indispensable people occasionally noted for their ability to get
lost, be in the way, eat all the food, or be sleeping in the camper when you
finish a 100 mile ride.
Pony: The true
size of the stallion that you bred your mare to via transported semen that was
advertised as 15 hands tall.
Proud Flesh:
The external reproductive organs flaunted by a stallion when a horse of any
gender is present. Often displayed in halter classes.
Quarter Cracks:
The comments that most Arabian owners make about the people who own Quarter
Horses.
Quittor: A
term trainers have commonly used to refer to their clients who come to their
senses and pull horses out of their barns.
Race: What
your heart does when you see the vet bill.
Rasp: An
abrasive, long, flat metal tool used to remove excess skin from the knuckles.
Reins:
Break-away leather device used to tie horses with.
Ringworms: Spectators
who block your view and gather around the rail sides at horse shows.
Sacking out:
A condition caused by Sleeping Sickness (see below). The state of deep sleep a
mare owner will be in at the time a mare actually goes into labor and foals.
Saddle: An
expensive leather contraption manufactured to give the rider a false sense of
security. Comes in many styles, and all feature built-in ejector seats.
Saddle Sore:
The way the rider's bottom feels the morning after an endurance ride weekend.
Sleeping Sickness: A disease peculiar to mare owners while waiting for their mares to
foal. Caused by nights of lost sleep, symptoms include irritability, red baggy
eyes and a zombie-like waking state. Can last several weeks.
Splint: An
apparatus that can be applied to various body parts of a rider due to the
parting of the ways of a horse and his passenger.
Stall: What
your truck does on the way to a horse show, 150 miles from the closest town.
Tack Room: A
room where every item necessary to work with or train your horse has been put,
in a place which it cannot be found in less than 30 minutes.
Twisted Gut:
The feeling deep inside that most riders get before an endurance ride.
Versatility:
an owner’s ability to shovel manure, fix fences and chase down a loose horse in
one afternoon.
Vet Catalog:
An illustrated brochure provided to stable owners that features a wide array of
products that are currently out of stock or have been dropped from a company’s
inventory.
Weaving: The
movement a horse trailer makes while going down the road with a rambunctious
horse in it.
Whip Marks:
The tell-tale raised welts on the face of a rider, caused by the trail rider
directly in front of him/her letting a low hanging branch go. (Also caused by a
wet or dry horse tail across the face while cleaning hooves).
Windpuffs:
Stallion owners. Also applied to used car salesmen.
Withers: The
reason you’ll seldom see a man riding bareback.
Yearling:
The age at which all horses completely forget the things you taught them
previously.
Youngstock:
A general term used for all equines old enough to bite, kick or run you over,
but not yet old enough to dump you on the ground.
Zoo: The
typical atmosphere around most horse owner’s houses before a weekend excursion.
Author Unknown
Trainer’s Corner
No Such Thing As Good
Enough
By Sandy Holcomb
(originally printed in
the December 2002 issue)
If you really want to find
out how much you have left to learn, take a lesson from one who found out. Dr.
Thomas Ritter recently visited the North Texas area and gave a weekend clinic
in
Having had many conversations
with him prior to his arrival, I really thought I knew what to expect. I knew
he demanded a classical seat. I knew he expected obedience from the horse. However, I found myself completely
overwhelmed once we began my lessons. I entered the arena with my (less than
classical) seat on my green and (not-so-obedient) horse. I assumed he would
make concessions for our shortcomings and just work with what we could do. Not
the case at all. Dr. Ritter expects ALL of his students and ALL of their horses
to behave and conduct themselves as though they were riding a test at ALL
times. He wants the figures to be precise and exact. He wants the rider’s
position to be as good as the riders at the
The thing I found most
interesting about him was that he encouraged experimentation. Instructors are
always saying that every horse is different, but they never mention that every
day on the same horse is different. I have spent many years being taught the A,
B and C of asking for each transition, movement, etc. Dr. Ritter encouraged me
to experiment more. If my mare was not responding then try something different.
What works on one day might not be as effective the next day. The horse is a
constantly changing work in progress. It makes sense that a horse becomes more
or less sensitive to various stimuli over time. We all know that on a cold day
our horse might act differently than on a hot summer afternoon. But most of us
are told to just warm up longer or lunge first. Dr. Ritter teaches that horses
are not machines and you can’t just throw them into gear and expect the same
ride you got the day before. If your horse is stiff, maybe add some different
exercises, don’t just trot and canter longer. If your horse is distracted by
the tractor in a nearby field find something to work on that gets his attention
back on you. You should not tolerate disobediences of this sort. The horse must
understand that for one hour he needs to work and cooperate with his rider. Dr.
Ritter is by no means advocating that the rider should force the horse into
submission, but a rider should work with the horse to get the correct work
accomplished and not accept less.
The second thing that was
firmly implanted in my brain was that my position had to greatly improve if I
truly desired to climb the levels. Sure, I know my position isn’t that of a
Grand Prix rider but on the other hand, I have been told over and over that I
am a good rider by every instructor I’ve had over the years so I figured I must
not be too bad. Dr. Ritter wants his training level riders to sit a horse as
well as his GP riders. Again, there is no such thing as “good enough.” We have
all seen the pictures from the SRS of the riders in their perfect positions.
Klaus Balkenhol is another example of a rider with that perfect position. This
is what we should be achieving before we even think about riding upper level
movements. If we are not sitting properly, we are interfering with the horse
and that is intolerable. Since my position is a far cry from what was desired by
Dr. Ritter I have to admit that I really struggled with this throughout the
weekend. The thing is, he left me with a feeling that I could do it, that
everyone could do it, we just have to choose to make it a priority. So often we
are eager to brag about the latest thing we have taught our horse that we
completely neglect being taught ourselves.
So there I was, with all my
friends watching, being told over and over to make her round, raise her neck,
get her hind end under, don’t let her counter-flex, make her reach and all the
while I have to sit the trot (not allowed to post) very straight with a very
long leg, arms bent at the elbow, hands a few inches above the withers and
never, never let there be air under my seat, just like the riders at the SRS.
Of course I could never do more than a few of these things simultaneously but
Dr. Ritter never let up for a second. I had to keep trying. We couldn’t accept good enough. At the end of
the weekend I was more determined than ever to learn this sport. I have never
been so inspired and motivated by any other instructor.
The husband of a friend said
to me later “At least you know what you’re doing wrong, now you just have to
fix it.” Truer words were never spoken.
HAT Through The Years…
Ask The Vet
by Dr. Katie Hayes, DVM
(originally printed in
the April 2003 issue)
First Aid for Horses
First Aid Kit
Put the following in a sports
bag & keep it in your trailer:
Here are a few tips to help
you with some of the more common situations with horses requiring first aid:
Cuts
For cuts, stop the bleeding,
wash the wound, bandage with a moist dressing, and see about stitches. If the cut is bleeding, pack with
cotton and apply pressure for 10 minutes.
If the cut is on the leg or foot, wrap vet wrap tightly over the cotton
to stop the bleeding. If the
cut is not bleeding, wash with water to remove dirt, pack with Nitrofuracin
ointment on a 4x4 gauze, then wrap using 1) cotton, 2) gauze roll, and 3) vet
wrap. If the cut cannot be wrapped,
apply Nitrofuracin ointment or Vaseline to the cut to keep it moist. Do not apply purple spray
because this dries the wound and makes suturing difficult. Get the horse to a vet for suturing within 4
hours, and the earlier the better.
Tetanus Toxoid and Penicillin injections are needed.
Puncture
Wounds
Flush & wash the puncture
wound with water and soap. Squirt 2 cc
of Betadine deep into the puncture using a 3 cc syringe and repeating
daily. Tetanus Toxoid should be given
along with Penicillin injections.
Nail
in the Foot
Before removing the nail, make sure you have a syringe full of iodine and bandage material in hand. Remove the nail with pliers, squirt iodine in the nail hole, and cover it with cotton and vet wrap. This will keep the nail hole free of dirt when you put the foot down on the ground. Soak the foot twice a day in one cup Epsom salt to ½ bucket of water and re-bandage or put on ½ inner tube like a sock, taping with duct tape to keep the nail hole cle