March 19, 2009
From AQHA corporate partner Merial
Traveling, training and showing horses can all cause stress, and potentially, ulcers.
One result from these stressors may be Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), a disease prevalent across all breeds, disciplines and ages.
In fact, EGUS can develop quickly, sometimes in as little as five days. Read the rest of this entry »
March 18, 2009
The American Association of Equine Practitioners offers great advice for this mare owner. AAEP is an AQHA educational marketing alliance partner.
After a mare foals, how long will it be before she can be ridden again? And how long should I wait to breed her again? I have a 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare that foaled recently with no problems.
As for breeding the mare, it depends on your goals for her and her offspring. In many disciplines, Thoroughbred racing as an example, you want the foals born early in the year because of age and racing guidelines. In many instances, people will attempt to breed back a mare on her foal heat. Read the rest of this entry »
March 18, 2009
When we asked America's Horse Daily readers to vote on their favorite cover, this one won hands down and will appear on the May issue. More than 1,100 of you voted!
Actually, we’ve got two winners. The first is the photo with the alert, happy horse and rider, with a crystal blue sky and the painted hills of Palo Duro Canyon in the background (See the other finalists). And the second winner is photographer Lynda Harris, a longtime AQHA member and avid trail rider from Canyon, Texas.
Lynda took the winning photo of Kris Graef and her horse, Mongo Lad – better known as “Bojangles” – during the 2008 canyon trails class taught by Kris’ husband, Brent. The class, which teaches ways to train your horse on the trails, will be featured in the May issue of America’s Horse, AQHA’s member publication.
“I think I looked up and saw that background and hurriedly got that picture snapped,” Lynda says. It was a completely candid moment, and because Lynda only got one frame of Kris and “Bo,” she surmises that they must have moved off shortly after the photo was taken. Read the rest of this entry »
March 18, 2009
Practice at home to improve your reining at the shows.
From The American Quarter Horse Journal
AQHA Professional Horseman Jason Grimshaw of Calgary, Alberta, performs four steps before he enters the show arena.
“I do this routine at home in training, too,” Jason says. “If you keep the same pattern at home and away from home, your horse will recognize this as his comfort zone.”
Jason’s Four Steps
1. I start out by walking a circle to the right. I make sure the horse follows his nose and that his shoulders follow his neck. I make sure there is a nice arc and that the horse isn’t leaning anywhere. Read the rest of this entry »
March 17, 2009
Joe Works looks over newly made hitches at B&W Trailer Hitches in Humboldt, Kansas.
From the stock market tumbling almost daily to unemployment rising to families struggling to keep their homes. It’s just depressing. However, NBC Nightly News earlier this month decided to add a little bit of good news into the daily news.
Anchor Brian Williams started a new segment, “Making a Difference,” which every weekday evening highlights some of the good things people are doing during these tough economic times.
Monday evening, I was watching the news when Brian introduced “Making a Difference” and was surprised to hear how AQHA Corporate Partner B&W Trailer Hitches is giving back to its hometown of Humboldt, Kansas.
“Tonight we’re featuring a man who has decided to do more work even though his business has hit a slump. His story tonight from NBC’s Kevin Tibbles.” Read the rest of this entry »
March 17, 2009
Remember to stay in 'your space' from the ear back to the wither to get the best out of your horse.
By Jason Smith with The American Quarter Horse Journal Editor Christine Hamilton
Whether you call it “shouldering in,” “crowding the handler” or “falling into you,” it’s a habit that needs to be stopped. Listen to what Jason has to say about teaching your horse to respect your personal space.
The Right Place to Learn
When you have a horse that’s shouldering in on you, you can’t correct it at the horse show. It needs to be worked on at home.
The first time you work with a horse, you need to be in a confined area like an arena or a fenced-in pen, especially with a young animal. Read the rest of this entry »
March 16, 2009
Clipping your horse doesn't have to be a challenge.
From our friends at Andis
Dana Boyd-Miller has been a professional horsewoman for more than 25 years. With a long list of equine specialties, she is highly sought after for her talent as a master body clipper, and she works on some of the country’s best show ponies, hunters and jumpers.
Here she offers advice to America’s Horse Daily readers:
Start With Trimming
Trimming is different than body clipping and a lot less overwhelming. Common areas that are trimmed are the whiskers, bridle path, ears, jaw line and lower legs. Read the rest of this entry »
March 13, 2009
From AQHA Corporate Partner Merial
Breeding season can be a stressful time for owners and horses alike.
While horse owners are hustling to prepare facilities, the broodmares may be just as tense. Especially for young and maiden mares, the stress from being trailered to new facilities and being separated from herd mates may lead to stomach ulcers.
“Young mares and maiden mares may have trouble with stomach ulcers. Read the rest of this entry »
March 12, 2009
Admit it. Horse people have a sense of humor that is best described as, well, warped.
Case in point: I recently received an e-mail from a co-worker, who had found some lyrics on an online forum. Sung to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” it was an ode to sheath-cleaning. Another one – on the same topic – is sung to the tune of “Hello Mother, Hello Father.” They’re maybe a bit too descriptive to recite here, but they left me rolling on the floor laughing.
So imagine the chuckle I got upon seeing the “Time to go to the barn” clock. It was conceived by Gina Keesling, a horsewoman who owns Farriers’ Greeting Cards and HoofPrints.com, where she offers a heaping helping of fun gifts. The art is by Lesley Bruce, and really, it’s just too good to keep to myself. (Hint: To find the clock on Gina’s Web site, click the “horse manure” link. Seriously. She obviously has the horse-person sense of humor!) Read the rest of this entry »
March 12, 2009
I was there to gather some training stories and write about March to the Arch.
Trainer Craig Miller of Foristell, Missouri, went as a Playboy Bunny this year for the ladies western pleasure event at March to the Arch. Photo provided by GoHorseShow.com.
I knew the show benefited cancer victims and was growing in popularity. What I didn’t realize was how much fun it was.
Not only did the four-day show offer the standard AQHA classes, it also threw a big party that featured a charity auction as well as a class unlike anything I’d seen before: male trainers and exhibitors dressing up as women for the “ladies’ western pleasure.” Needless to say, I had a blast. Read the rest of this entry »
March 12, 2009
Given proper care and exercise, a horse with PSSM can go on to lead a productive life.
From The American Quarter Horse Journal with contributions from Kristin Syverson
At AQHA’s cloning forum Friday, March 6, Sharon Spier, an epidemiologist at the University of California-Davis discussed genetic disorders found in American Quarter Horses (order your copy of the “Cloning Forum” dvd if you missed it).
While HYPP has been a hot topic in the industry, disorders like GBED and PSSM have received less play, even though they are believed to affect a larger percentage of the Quarter Horse population.
GBED and PSSM are both related to glycogen storage in the body. Glycogen is a form of sugar stored by cells in our bodies to provide fuel and is essential in life. Read the rest of this entry »
March 11, 2009
In the May issue of America’s Horse magazine, you’ll find a story with tips on how to train your horse on the trails. It’s based on a class taught by AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef on the trails of the Texas Panhandle. There’s just one problem: These canyon trails provided so much great scenery and the class so much quality interaction between horses and their riders … we couldn’t pick just one photo to put on the cover. So we’re calling in help — from you! We’re letting America’s Horse Daily readers select the next cover. Which one do you like? Read the rest of this entry »