The influence of Doc Bar through his progeny and their offspring is carried on.

According to trainer Shorty Freeman, you can’t measure the size of a horse’s heart in hands.

By Cathy Dixon in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Unquestionably, Doc Bar was more than just another pretty horse. His conformation, passed on to his offspring, allowed them to be the performers they were and are. To view the Doc Bar future, let’s take a look at Doc O’Lena, one of his foals.

Read the rest of this entry »

The new series in The American Quarter Horse Journal will give amateurs a professional perspective on their show-ring skills.

Laura Stevens and her mare, Didya Notice Me

Amateurs who want an expert opinion on their show-ring skills sometimes wonder where to turn.

The American Quarter Horse Journal, the leading American Quarter Horse industry publication, wants to help amateurs by offering them the chance to get advice from an AQHA Professional Horseman.

The series debuted February 1, 2010, with a story in the February issue of the Journal and an accompanying video on America’s Horse TV on the How-To channel.

In the first episode, now available, amateur Laura Stevens of Canyon, Texas, is featured with her mare, Didya Notice Me, in a western pleasure class. Stevens has questions about how to ride her horse more effectively, and AQHA Professional Horseman David Dellin answers those questions. Dellin suggests exercises to help Stevens prepare her horse for the show ring and offers advice on presentation for a more competitive ride. Read the rest of this entry »

Property insurance protects you from unforeseen events – as long as you’ve bought the right policy.

In most cases, the insurance companies that write homeowner’s insurance do not extend their liability coverage to cover the ownership of horses.

By Carolyn Heinze in The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the first of a two-part series.

If you’ve financed your home, chances are your bank mandated that you purchase property insurance. While this insurance protects you from unfortunate events such as fire, theft and accidents – such as someone injuring themselves on the premises and then filing a lawsuit against you – it doesn’t necessarily extend to incidents involving your horses. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve reached 50,000 fans, so everybody wins!

Thanks for helping us reach 50,000 Facebook fans! Now go shopping with promo code AQHAFAN!

There’s no question that AQHA fans are up for any challenge!

We presented a contest at the first of March: Reach 50,000 fans on AQHA’s Facebook fan page by the end of the month to win your chance at 16 awesome prizes.

Ahead of schedule, our fan base reached 50,000 by Friday, March 26.

So, as promised, every single fan gets 10 percent off Read the rest of this entry »

Some practical advice for controlling buildup on your gelding or stallion’s sheath.

Question:

I am concerned about the abnormal smegma buildup on my 17-year-old gelding’s sheath. Since we purchased him, we have noticed that when he extends, there is crusty buildup all over him. We began cleaning him and have been doing so about once a month for the past three years because within four weeks, he is crusty and dirty again. We use a particular brand of sheath cleaner about every six months and use regular Vaseline or baby oil in between because we do not want to use harsh cleaners each time and so often.

Everything I have read says that you do not clean them this much and nothing I have read tells me why this horse has this abnormal buildup. We think he may be proud cut, but could that have anything to do with it?

There is also a raised red area on the sheath. What might this be? Could it have something to do with the buildup?

Answer:

The amount of what we call normal smegma varies greatly from horse to horse. Not only does the amount vary but the quality/texture of the smegma will vary as well. Some horses will have dry and scaly smegma residue on their penis shaft while many others will have moist and sometimes offensive-smelling smegma in their prepuce and on the penis. Read the rest of this entry »

Lend a hand in conserving quality trails for future generations.

Trail conservation can provide you with a quality trail experience and is the right thing to do for future generations.

Spring weather brings warm days that are perfect for you and your horse to go trail riding. But many riders are left scratching their heads about where they can ride.

Maybe you are one of those riders, and maybe you know of a trail that, with a little work, would be perfect. If so, check out the AQHA Stewards for Trails, Education and Partnerships (STEP) program, sponsored by Tractor Supply Co.

You can submit project proposals to www.ridegreen.aqha.com to be reviewed by AQHA, Tractor Supply Co. the Equine Land Conservation Resource and the National Forest Service. Read the rest of this entry »

Ready, Set… Shoot!

Two Bits

Action shots are hard to catch, but they are priceless when you get them right. As with everything, there are tricks. It helps to understand what you’re watching.

If it’s a show ring event you’re trying to capture, the hours you spend standing there watching riders approach the jumps will you help you feel the rhythm, anticipate when the horse will arrive at a certain point, and know how he’ll be looking.

Studying horse magazines will give you an idea of typical shots and classic moments in different equine sports.

For events where an important moment is certain to take place at one particular point- a jump, a barrel, a slide area in a reining event or a letter in a dressage arena – you can pre-focus your camera. The instruction manual will tell you how.

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

There are standard shots in action photography that work well. The trot, for instance, is best shot when the front foot nearest you reaches forward. It takes practice to see this. Watch that foot as the horse approaches, and count his hoof beats: one-two, one-two, establishing “two” as the beat which that front foot reaches forward. Click on “two,” when the horse is directly in front of you.

Now that you know all of Two Bits’ photography secrets, get out there and get to practicing!

In breeding, sometimes Mother Nature knows best.

The Lapkes think their pasture breeding program with their show stallions has actually made them better competitors.

By Jennifer Horton in The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the second of a three-part series. Need to review Part 1?

The Lapke operation starts foaling the first of April, so the mares and stallions are turned out in the pasture around the middle of April. The stallions are pulled from the pastures around the Fourth of July. Babies are weaned on sale day, the first of August, so as not to stress them before the sale. Read the rest of this entry »

When curiosity could kill the horse.

Image from Wikipedia Commons, posted by user Korall.

Zen, my 4-year-old mare that I’m bringing along, has the most amazing sense of curiosity. She’s inquisitive and eager to learn — qualities you love to find in a horse. Except for yesterday, when it could have proved disastrous.

It unfolded around lunch time, when I went to check on the barking dogs (who are penned), expecting to find a barn-cat tussle. Instead, I found a raccoon, nestled up by the water tank in the horse pasture. He didn’t run away, but just hunkered down to watch me. Human voices didn’t send him skittering away, either.  When he finally did walk off, he was slow and unsure in his movements. Of course, anything could have been wrong with him, but my mind was flashing one word: RABIES.

I called Chad, asking him to come bearing arms. As I’ve talked about here before, we hate killing anything, but a potentially rabid animal? That’s an automatic trip to raccoon heaven. I shut the two mares, Zen and Sooner, out of that section of pasture and began going over them, making sure they hadn’t tussled with the varmit. When I found the raccoon, the horses were nowhere near it — but I didn’t know how long it had been there, either.

Sooner got the first inspection. She’s such a beautiful mare, I could stare at her for hours. So I admired her feminine-but-muscular form as I walked around her, grumbled briefly about all the sorrel hair that’s shedding off in insane quantities, and then pronounced her OK. No scratches or any other signs that she might have had any contact with the ‘coon.

Read the rest of this entry »

New genome technology provides clues to what causes certain diseases in horses.

Breeders will be able to use this technology to produce horses that don’t carry these diseases.

By Denise Steffanus in The American Quarter Horse Journal

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

Dr. N. Edward Robinson, director of the equine pulmonary laboratory at Michigan State University, is using knowledge gained from the genome project to investigate airway disease.

Robinson says one of the exciting features of the technology is that the genome-wide approach often provides clues to what is causing the disease.

“Things that you may never have thought of,” he says. “We’re all focused very much in the heaves world on Read the rest of this entry »

With the support of the Youth World Show Assistance Fund, AQHYA members are able to see their dreams become a reality.

Samantha Jostes and Colonels Sugar Chic at the 2006 Built Ford Tough Youth World Show. Photo by Waltenberry.

By Kayla Kelley of The American Quarter Horse Journal

The Youth World Show Assistance Fund was established in 2005, allowing a larger number of deserving young riders to realize their dreams at the big show. In the past four years, with the assistance of this program, 240 American Quarter Horse Youth Association members have received financial support enabling them to travel, attend and compete in the Built Ford Tough Youth World Championship Show. Read the rest of this entry »

This special-run model is yet another reason to attend the American Quarter Horse party in Murfreesboro, Tennesse.

Made specially for QuarterFest: Smokin Hot Chic

We hope you’re planning to attend the 2010 QuarterFest, April 30 – May 2, at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

It’ll be filled with incredible demonstrations, clinics, seminars, shopping, contests, trail riding, great entertainment and much more.

But in case you need one more convincing reason to make the trip, Read the rest of this entry »