December 18, 2008
Download a helpful brochure on taking correct pictures for your foal's registration certificate.
AQHA’s online registration system saves horse owners time and helps catch omissions that could delay the registration process.
Before you sit down to your computer, use this checklist to gather everything you’ll need.
December 17, 2008
I love taking closeup photos of the ponies. Their eyes, especially, are just the best. So, when the snow and icy temperatures came, and the horses’ manes were decorated with icicles, I figured it’d be a good chance to take some pretty wintery photos. Or, at least, it’d be a chance to see how well I could maneuver my camera wearing gloves (’cause they weren’t coming off!)
See? The tendrils of ice make Diego’s forelock look almost lacy. Pretty!
December 17, 2008
AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall
A big hello from me to you! As an AQHA customer service representative, I am asked hundreds of questions each day. It is a privilege and a joy to be able to provide the answers AQHA members need to assist them in their daily workings with their American Quarter Horses. I truly love what I do and the many horsemen and women I interact with on a daily basis. I am one of 22 members of the AQHA Customer Service Department. A constantly ringing phone is commonplace around here. We receive about 45,000 phone calls each month from customers just like you who have questions about AQHA or their American Quarter Horses. (That’s right, I said 45,000!) Read the rest of this entry »
December 17, 2008
Brianna Hogg and Brownie
This summer, the American Quarter Horse Foundation received a typewritten letter and $15 gift to equine research from 12-year-old Brianna Hogg of Burleson, Texas.
Here is her letter, an inspiration to all of us who love our horses and want to help the American Quarter Horse Foundation improve the lives of all horses.
December 16, 2008
Here to weigh in on the management of large horses with small hooves is Andrew Elsbree of Greenville, New York, president of the American Farriers Association and a certified journeyman farrier.
I have an 85 percent foundation-bred mare. Blue Valentine is on her registration papers.
She is a little less than 15 hands but is robust in her chest, neck and hips. She has very small feet.
What impact might this have on her, and should I take any special considerations in training, trail riding or hoof care?
Thanks,
Glenda Meredith
It’s important to keep plenty of foot on the horse and to always shoe that particular horse with plenty of support. Read the rest of this entry »
December 16, 2008
As the cow turns, your horse should draw back over his hocks and then turn with the cow.
Cutting horse trainer and clinician Bill Kirkwood trains amateur cutters out of his facility in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Follow his three-step system on how to become a rider instead of just a passenger the next time you make a deep cut. Read the rest of this entry »
December 12, 2008
Holly Clanahan
FROM MIDAIR – Lifting off from San Diego International Airport today, I felt a pang of regret. From the plane window, I could see the San Diego Bay, with its massive cruise ships and elegant sailboats. And the palm trees. I loove palm trees, because where you see those, you’re never going to see truly cold weather, which my thin-blooded self hates.
Reports from home are that snow is on the way. My elder-care horse is bundled up in her snuggly blanket, and the others are noshing on plenty of hay to generate body heat. There are no palm trees where I live.
I considered missing my flight home, purely on accident, of course. These things happen, and then it might take another day or two – or however long the snow sticks around – to find another flight home. Read the rest of this entry »
December 12, 2008
Sacreds Touch and Rita Crundwell at the 2008 AQHA World Show
The 2008 AQHA World Championship Show 2-year-old geldings class was a lot like a family reunion.
Two of the geldings were half brothers – both embryos out of two-time world champion mare Sacred Sierra, owned by Rita Crundwell. And a third qualifier, who didn’t attend the show, was a full brother to one of the competitors.
Sacreds Touch, by Mr Touchdown Kid, finished eighth in the class, while Hez Sacred, by MH Supremo, finished ninth. Sacreds Touch Too – a twin to Sacreds Touch – didn’t show. Rita showed him at the 2008 Bayer Select World Show, finishing third. Read the rest of this entry »
December 12, 2008
Professional's Choice Six-Pocket Ice Boots
By AQHA Corporate Partner Professional’s Choice
In a recent study conducted by DVM Magazine’s contributing veterinarian, Kenneth Marcella, various methods of cold therapy for horses were evaluated for effectiveness, from high-tech units costing up to $5,000 to simple buckets of cold water.
Of all the methods, it was concluded that old-fashioned ice was the most effective for cooling horses’ legs, as it sufficiently reduced temperature while others did not. The Professional’s Choice Ice Boot was found to be the most efficient way to administer ice to a horse’s legs. Read the rest of this entry »
December 11, 2008
A polished appearance can help you show off your horse.
By Christine Hamilton
Although judges are looking for the best horses and horsemen in a class, a polished and professional look completes a fine performance in the show ring like good china completes a gourmet meal.
AQHA Professional Horseman Holly Hover; Bobbi Pullin, wife of AQHA Professional Horseman Doug Pullin; and exhibitor Natalie Unger, a cosmetologist by trade, give their advice help you look your best the next time you step into the ring. Read the rest of this entry »
December 10, 2008
By AQHA Professional Horsewoman Carla Wennberg
Illustration by Jean Abernathey
If you’re maintaining rhythm, you’re maintaining a consistent cadence and pace in a gait. The cadence of a gait is the number of beats – like the three-beat lope or the two-beat jog. The pace is how fast you hear the beats.
The importance of rhythm and movement plays into a lot of different classes, not just horses that are judged on the rail – it’s important in reining, horsemanship, trail, everything. Read the rest of this entry »
December 9, 2008
Ever wonder what this expression means?
In her book, “Tips and Tidbits for the Horse Lover,” clinician, poet, author and versatile horsewoman Tena Bastian features interesting and entertaining facts and figures about the creature we all adore – the horse.
Hint, hint – her books make excellent gifts! Read the rest of this entry »
