Although live twin foals are a rare and exciting occurrence, they are not something to hope for.

By Lindsay Domer in America’s Horse

Teseres was 8 when she was bred for the first time in 1997. She had been successful in the show ring in New Zealand, and her owner, Sarah Clarke, wanted nothing more than to breed her beloved mare.

Sarah bred Teseres and had her checked with ultrasound twice to ensure that she would produce a single healthy foal. The sonograms showed no signs of abnormality, and Sarah counted the days until the birth of her beautiful foal.

Ten days past her due date, Teseres delivered a stillborn foal in the middle of the night and retained her placenta. When Sarah discovered the dead foal the next morning, she was not only disappointed by the loss of the foal, but she also feared for the safety of her mare. She called her veterinarian, and to Sarah’s surprise, he delivered a second stillborn foal and had to manually remove the placenta, because Teseres was no longer having contractions.

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Nip hoof problems in the bud before they negatively affect your horse’s health.

From AQHA Educational Marketing Alliance Partner Country Living Association

Caring for your horses and their unique needs is important to their health and well-being. Horse hoof issues are more common than one may think and should be properly addressed before they negatively affect the health of your horse. Below are four common hoof problems:

1. Abscess – An abscess is an infection of the sensitive tissue of the foot. As a result, your horse might suffer from varying degrees of lameness, depending on the severity. Symptoms include the hoof being hot and an increased pulse. Once the abscess begins to drain, lameness usually subsides. Abscesses are most commonly found with hoof testers. Read the rest of this entry »

In a highly competitive class, showmanship winners are much more than mechanically correct.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

It has become the catwalk of the horse show world. While western pleasure might have the most glitz and glamour, showmanship has the most attitude and style.

Exhibitors come out on top when they appeal not only to the critical eye – in terms of mechanics – but also to the more artistic eye – showing confidence, poise and flair. Showmanship can no longer be judged strictly on the correctness of a pattern; the competition has become much too tough for that.

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Join AQHA for the 2010 Judges Seminar at North Carolina State University.

Call AQHA or go online to start making plans for the seminar and novice test, January 7-9, 2010, in Cary, North Carolina, where you can learn about the latest judging techniques, review new and updated rules, and ask questions of industry professionals representing all show segments.

Registration fee is $250. Register by December 9, 2009. All exhibitors from novice to professional are welcome to attend this informative, educational seminar. Enroll now.

Other seminars hosted by North Carolina State University:

• NCSU Introductory-Level Horse Judging Short Course
• Ring Steward Program
• NCSU Open Horse Show Judges Certification Clinic
• NCSU Advanced-Level Horse Judging Short Course

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Ronnie and Vickie Kent lose AQHA Select world champion Ill Be RV Radical a month after trailer accident.

The 2009 Select trail world champion Ill Be RV Radical (ridden by Ronnie Kent) succumbed to laminitis recovering from trailer accident injuries.

“Time ran out on us,” Ronnie Kent said, simply. “We tried to get that bad leg better, but her good leg went out on her. If we had just a few more days, it would have been OK.”

In the end, it was founder that ended his 2009 Select trail world champion Ill Be RV Radical’s struggle to overcome injuries she sustained in a trailer accident on September 12. “BeBe” survived the accident 40 miles east of El Paso that killed her half brother, 2009 Select showmanship world champion Wonit Ona RV Version.

Fresh from the Bayer Select World Championship Show, Ronnie and Vickie Kent were hauling their homebred horses to Santa Read the rest of this entry »

There’s more to Reno than casinos and nearby Lake Tahoe.

Despite his battle with cancer, Greg Ward won the 1998 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity on Reminics Pep. Greg died two months after the win.

There’s also the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity every fall. But this premiere horse event wasn’t always in “The Biggest Little City in the World.”

And there are few horse shows that capture the attention and respect among devotees as does this premiere event.

In its history, the futurity has grown from a stock horse show organized, managed and staged by a handful of volunteers to a world class event that has become one of the horse industry’s ultimate spectator shows.

The first futurity in 1970 featured just 27 entries that arrived at the California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento to vie for top honors. The performance lasted two days and produced a tie for first place between Bobby Ingersoll on Leocita Chex, owned by Fritz Strain, and Les Vogt on Wrong Key, owned by Fred Mungia.

Again in Sacramento, the 1971 Futurity drew 45 entries for three days of competition. It was an encouraging increase in numbers, dampened only by the rainy weather. Ken Sutton, owner and rider of Royal Cutter, emerged victorious and distinguished himself as the only non-pro rider ever to win the futurity. Les Vogt, riding Bob Chex for owners Marabito and Mungia, was reserve.

In 1972, the futurity moved to the Lyttle Cow Palace in Santa Rosa, California, where a covered arena gave some protection from the elements. Despite the rain, more spectators than ever huddled in the grandstand to watch 72 Read the rest of this entry »

You can manage your horse’s manure in an environmentally friendly way, even on a small farm.

Question:

I want to keep my four-acre horse farm as environmentally green as possible. How do I manage my horses’ manure to leave the least impact on the environment?

Answer:

America’s Horse Daily turned to AQHA Educational Marketing Alliance Partner Country Living Association for the answer.

To manage stockpiled manure on small farms, abide by good practice rules to keep nuisance and environmental issues to a minimum. Here are Read the rest of this entry »

Learn the correct way to approach your horse in the field.

By Dennis Brouse

I’ve worked with and been around thousands of horses over the years – different breeds and different temperaments. And while each horse has its own personality, they all have one very important thing in common. How you approach them makes all the difference in the world in whether they “invite you in” or turn away from you. Read the rest of this entry »

Two youth art contests join forces to bring the American Quarter Horse out of the arena and onto the walls.

One of last year's art contest submissions from an Amarillo student.

AQHYA and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame are proud to announce the merging of the Two Bits for Your Brain and AQHYA youth art shows and contests. In previous years, the two contests were held separately; 2009 ushers in a year where artwork from youth members will hang directly beside work from Amarillo area youth.

The Hall of Fame is now accepting entries for the contest. It is open to students in grades 6 through 12 and to AQHYA members.

The deadline to enter is November 9, 2009.

The categories are as follows:

• Category I Middle School

• Category II High School

• Category III American Quarter Horse Youth Association

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The technology and implications of choosing the gender of your foal.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

At Moondrift Farm in Fort Collins, Colorado, equine specialist Allison Lindsey does more than choose the parents of future foals. She decides whether those foals will be colts or fillies.

Moondrift’s parent company, the international genetics firm XY Inc., specializes in sex selection research in non-human mammals and is applying the techniques at Moondrift’s 50 acres. XY Inc. Allison and her team perfect techniques to produce the desired gender using a “MoFlo” – a flow cytometer that sorts X- and Y-bearing sperm – and artificial insemination of both fresh and frozen semen.

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Learn how to treat and manage the pain of arthritis in your horse.

By Dr. Thomas R. Lenz for The American Quarter Horse Journal

As the weather is turning colder, I notice that my 29-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding and I are sharing the same problem first thing in the morning – stiff joints and a touch of arthritis.

The aging process brings on some inevitable changes in horses, like in us, and one of the most common is arthritis. It has been estimated that 20 percent of the horses in the United States are older than 15, and most can expect to live well into their 30s or beyond. Older horses are subject to a number of health conditions, including a shift in nutritional requirements, that must be managed, but the development of arthritis is one of the most serious.

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Take a look at the most popular FREE reports on Daily right now.

The weather is getting colder, and you’re probably spending more time inside. Download and print out some of our FREE reports to learn more about your favorite animal – the American Quarter Horse.

Here are the top-10 most downloadable reports on Daily:

1. How to Tie a Lead Rope: Learn how to tie your horse safely.
2. Riding Lessons with Richard Shrake: Learn how you can have a better relationship with your horse with these Tips from AQHA Professional Horseman Richard Shrake.
3. How to Make a Rope Halter: Follow these easy steps to create your own knotted rope halter for your horse. Read the rest of this entry »