Esophageal obstruction is a risk for some horses.

Improper chewing in older horses with poor teeth or in young horses with erupting teeth increases the risk of choke.

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

Most horses’ grain or feed intake increases as weather temperatures decrease. Along with the increased feed intake, their risk of developing esophageal obstruction also increases. Esophageal obstruction, commonly called “choke,” occurs when anything a horse eats becomes lodged in his esophagus rather than moving freely into the stomach.

Nature designed horses to spend 14-18 hours a day grazing. Their digestive systems are designed to gradually take in small amounts of high-fiber grass, which is usually high in water. The problem with domestic horses is that they are usually fed concentrated feeds once or twice a day. Read the rest of this entry »

Two-time World Show all-around amateur horse Zippos Ace of Spades loses battle with laminitis.

Nicole and "Ace" won the all-around amateur title at the 2008 AQHA World Championship Show; they are pictured with AQHA Professional Horseman Brad Kearns and his wife, Valerie.

By Christine Hamilton of The American Quarter Horse Journal

The Barnes family of Northbrook, Illinois, said goodbye to its longtime equine family member, Zippos Ace Of Spades, on February 5. “Ace,” a two-time AQHA World Championship Show Sooner All-Around Amateur horse, was euthanized due to complications from laminitis. Read the rest of this entry »

Duchess was a queen around our place.

Duchess in October 2009

I stroked her supine burgundy-bay neck, gently running my hand over the haircoat that lay the wrong way, running from withers to poll. No one had ever told her it was supposed to go the other way.

Just like no one had ever told her that horses weren’t supposed to live to be 40. Or that they weren’t supposed to die the day after Valentine’s Day, with three children peering out the window and preemptively mourning the loss of their “grandma horse.”

She had been my mom’s horse, having outlived her owner by almost 14 years. Taking care of her — with three meals a day of senior feed gruel, a pink blanket to stave off the cold, a fan in the summertime and plenty of wither scritches in between — had been a way to honor my mom, to say thanks for all she had done for me. After all, it was she who bequeathed to me my love of horses, the thing that has become my therapy and my life.

Duchess was one of our first horses, the one we bought nearly 30 years ago from a low-end auction before we knew you weren’t really supposed to do that. If I remember correctly, we paid $650 for her, at a time when “good” horses were going for much more than that. She turned out to be golden. She was a gaited horse of unknown origin, and when our 4-H horse club went trail riding, Duchess and my mom were right there, gliding over the ground beside me and my Quarter Horse.

Read the rest of this entry »

Decide which option is best for you when tying-on.

With a horn knot, you have to ride your horse up so you have slack to loosen it. If you use this to heel, you want to leave a longer tail in the knot so you can use it to pull it off your horn.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Jay Holmes with Christine Hamilton in The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the last of a two-part series. Need to review Part 1?

For a roper who is thinking about tying-on, here’s what Jay had to say on the subject. Read the rest of this entry »

The Certified Horsemanship Association helps sort out a disagreement about the two-point position.

Question:

When in the two-point position, your hip and heel are meant to be in line and your shoulder and knee are meant to be in line. I was wondering if your toe is also meant to be in line with your shoulder and knee?

My mother and I have been talking about it, and she believes that it’s not meant to be in line, but I think it is! Can you please help us sort out this creative disagreement? It would be amazingly helpful.

– Caitlin

Read the rest of this entry »

Being able to move briskly around your horse without provoking a reaction increases safety for him and for you.

Using various movements and rhythms around the horse will show him that these movements do not represent a threat.

From “AQHA’s Fundamentals of Horsemanship”

Start by stimulating a waving gesture that finishes with rubbing your horse. Reward his immobility by a moment of rest, and then begin to exaggerate movement around him, and finish each movement by stroking him. Run, jump, skip and stumble – and then caress him. Use all sorts of movements around the horse with rhythm, and he will ultimately understand that none of them represents a threat.

Read the rest of this entry »

Parents Night Out

Two-Bits is excited to tell you about the Parent Night Out activity at the Amarillo Museum of Art!

Have you enrolled?  Spaces are filling up fast!
Cost is $20 per night for first child; $15 for additional children. Limited spaces available. Advance registration required.

Just contact Ande at (806) 378-4392 at the American Quarter Horse Association for more information!

February Lineup

February 12 — Amarillo Museum of Art
February 19 — Panhandle Plains Museum
February 26 — American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame

Space in Art

Two Bits made a worksheet on space in art. You should start by checking it out. It will explain a lot of the things that are coming up next.

Now that you understand background, middle ground and foreground, you can create an art piece incorporating space into a composition.

On a large piece of paper in watercolor, make the environment that an American Quarter Horse would live in. Some examples are a race track, a barn, a pasture, etc.

When that has dried you can design the middle ground.  From some sort of paper, cut out objects that will be glued onto the background. For example, a fence or a tree.

Crazy about horses? Test your knowledge with AQHA’s Junior Master Horseman program. You can even earn certificates!

Now for the foreground, with crayons, markers or colored pencils, color an American Quarter Horse that Two Bits has provided. Cut this out and it can be glued to your paper as well. Don’t be afraid to overlap your middle ground somewhat. As a matter of fact, you should! This will provide your picture with space.

Now you can sit back and admire your new piece of artwork!

Don’t forget to register for Nights at the Museums soon!  There will be tons of fun activities just like this one!

Two Bits is enjoying seeing how many people are fans of AQHYA. But he’s asking for more!

Meghan Collier and "Joni"

Do you remember your first horse show?  How about your first ride or even your first rodeo?  Share the experience with us by visiting our Facebook fan page! Spread the word!

Here’s a story from Meghan Collier, who lives in White Deer, Texas, about her first horse show:

“When I was 4 years old, my mom loaded our two-horse trailer with my gray Quarter Horse mare, Joni.

“We were headed for Amarillo, where there was an open show going on. The only class I was in was lead-line, but I thought that was boring, so my mom let me enter in the pee wee walk trot class.

“I was so excited, because I loved riding my horse, I could hardly contain myself.”

Crazy about horses? Test your knowledge with AQHA’s Junior Master Horseman program. You can even earn certificates!

“When I went into the arena, there were eleven other horses in there, all with older riders, and I got kind of scared. But Joni didn’t notice, because she was ready to do her job. She took every cue I gave her, and she carried me through my very first competitive class.

“When we lined up in the center of the arena, they placed six kids. I wasn’t worried I wouldn’t hear my name called, but when I heard my name for sixth place, I felt as if it were first.

“When we got back to the trailer, I gave Joni a huge pile of hay to munch on, since she obviously didn’t want the ribbon. It almost seemed like she knew she was perfect.”

Does Meghan’s story remind you of your first ride?  Tell us!  Just become a fan of our Facebook page to join in the discussion and share you story with other fans of AQHYA.

Create the best environment for a mare that is ready to foal.

According to Dr. Ben Espy, it is a very rare and special occurrence for you to see a mare have a foal.

By Andrea Caudill in the Q-Racing section of The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the third in a four-part series. Need to review Part 1 or Part 2?

Foaling

1. It Happens Fast. “I think what people need to realize is how rapid and athletic an event it is,” Dr. Ben Espy says. “It is very violent and very fast. A normal foaling will only last 15 minutes. Typically, if a foal doesn’t come out vaginally within about 20 or 30 minutes, it is dead. On rare occasions, you may have a dystocia (difficult birth) and get the foal out in about 45 minutes, but that is very rare.”
2. Keep a Low Profile. It is important to remember that mares have some ability to delay birth until they feel safe. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Facebook fans divulge some of the funniest, off-the-wall treats their horses love.

Apparently, our horses like more than just oats and hay!

AQHA is proud to have 35,000 Facebook fans who interact with us every day.

We love being able to answer questions about AQHA business, announce important information, explain some of the member benefits you might be missing out on, share photos and more.

But every now and then, we like to be silly.

We asked our fans, “What’s your Quarter Horse’s favorite off-the-wall treat?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Get the details on how you can help return your injured horse back to his original level with this procedure.

According to Dr. Travis Meredith, using stem cells gives you the maximum opportunity to return the horse to its original level.

By Carolyn Heinze in The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the last of a two part series. Need to review Part 1?

Vet-Stem Inc., based in Poway, California, extracts stem cells from the fatty tissue under the horse’s tail. The tissue is processed at the company’s lab and then sent back to the veterinarian who injects the stem cells directly into the site of the injury. Currently, Vet-Stem treats tendon and ligament injuries.

Dr. Travis Meredith at Vet-Stem touts this treatment because it calls upon the animal’s own healing capacities. Read the rest of this entry »

The queen of bling takes a few moments to decide what to wear.

Pamela Britton-Baer goes through the process of achieving that pro look that will give you the confidence to enter the show ring.

By Pamela Britton-Baer in The American Quarter Horse Journal

I’m the queen of bling. Trust me folks, I’ve been wearing rhinestone-studded belts for nigh on 30 years, long before Kippy came along. Liberace has nothing on me. Elton John’s glasses are tame. And that guy who created the BeDazzler? He’s my hero.

So it’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that when I made the transition from the hunter world to the Quarter Horse circuit, one of the classes I most wanted to learn was showmanship. Not because I thought it looked fun – although it did. No. I wanted to do it because of the clothes. Read the rest of this entry »