Keeping your horse happy and healthy pays off!

From left are silver medalist Craig Schmersal, USA; gold medalist Tom McCutcheon, USA; and bronze medalist Duane Latiner, Canada.

All week, U.S. reiner Tom McCutcheon has been trying to keep his mount, Gunners Special Nite, fresh and happy. Thursday afternoon, the 6-year-old American Quarter Horse stallion returned the favor by turning in a score of 228 in the individual finals at the FEI World Reining Championship presented by John Deere, held as part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It was enough to earn the gold medal by a margin of five points.

“I knew he was pretty special tonight,” McCutcheon said. “I felt pressure, for sure, because (I) wanted to do him justice. He’s a great little horse. … I didn’t do a whole lot with him between the team medal and this one. I just wanted to keep him happy and fresh and go have a run.”

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U.S. team member Tom McCutcheon schooling Gunners Special Nite before the individual finals.

Learn more about the 21 amazing horses competing in today’s reining individual finals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

At the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, 21 horses will be compete today in the reining individual finals.

Of the horses, 16 qualified during the team competition, and 5 more were added from the second qualifying round. Find your favorite horse and rider team, and check out some of the titles they have won in the past.

Sixteen qualified during the team competition:

• RC Fancy Step ridden by Shawn Flarida, USA
  2004 AQHA stallion (Wimpys Little Step-Sonita Wilson by Doc Wilson)
  2010 USEF National Championship reining gold medalist
  2009 NRHA Derby open champion
  2007 All-American Quarter Horse Congress reining futurity champion
  $343,802 in NRHA lifetime earnings
• Read the rest of this entry »

Shock-wave therapy is helping horses heal quicker from various injuries.

Shock wave therapy can help horses with problems like bowed tendons.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the second in a two-part series. Want to review Part 1?

There are three ways shock waves are produced in the body of the machine. The first is electromagnetic, which is similar to a stereo speaker. Electricity goes through two different membranes that repel each other, pushing the fluid. The second method is piezoelectric, which uses piezo crystals. When electricity runs through the crystals, they expand rapidly, creating the wave. The final, and most popular, method is electrohydraulic, which uses a spark gap that creates a small vaporization of fluid. The bubble expands and collapses, starting the wave. Read the rest of this entry »

NBC extends its coverage of the World Equestrian Games.

If you can’t make it to Lexington, Kentucky, for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the next best thing is watching it from the comfort of your living room. You can now catch even more action from the World Equestrian Games. NBC Sports has added two hours to its existing scheduled coverage on Sunday, October 3. Catch coverage from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT and from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT.

The expanded coverage will feature expanded coverage of dressage, eventing and reining’s individual finals, so you can see more of the world’s top American Quarter Horses sliding and spinning their way into the history books. NBC is the place to find more American Quarter Horse action and more World Equestrian Games coverage. AQHA is an official sponsor of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the official breed sponsor of reining.

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Horses need travel agents, vaccinations and blood tests before heading overseas.

Shipping your horse overseas doesn't have to be a hassle.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the second in a two part series. Need to review Part 1?

Vaccines and Blood Tests

Irmgaard accepts four new quarantine horses every two weeks. “As soon as a horse arrives, we call USDA to let them know we are beginning quarantine here,” she says. “The state veterinarian inspects each horse and checks the health papers and Coggins.” Read the rest of this entry »

A “second-chance” competition allows five more riders into Thursday’s individual finals at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Lee Rutter, left, and Doug Allen were first and second in today's qualifying round for the individual reining finals at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

By Holly Clanahan of America’s Horse

Great Britain dominated the second individual qualifying round at the FEI World Reining Championship presented by John Deere, held Tuesday at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The top qualifying score of 217.5 went to Great Britain’s Lee Rutter riding Setting Off Sparks, while his countryman Doug Allen with Don Julio Whiz had the second highest score of 216.5.

Twenty horses had been given this second chance at qualifying for Thursday’s individual finals. Sixteen horse and rider teams had already qualified by posting high marks during the team reining competition.

Other riders qualifying Tuesday included Frederik Thomsson of Sweden, marking the first time his country has ever sent a rider to the individual finals. Australia’s Warren Backhouse and the Netherlands’ Hubertus Heule rounded out the qualifiers.

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Use a few basic principles about writing a business plan to prepare your race wagering plan.

Business plans may be long and drawn out or short and to the point. If it is a personal business plan and no shareholders are involved, then the simpler the better.

If we use a few basic principles about writing a business plan to prepare our “wagering plan,” we can have a disciplined approach to wagering that might help us have the time of our lives.

History

Most business plans start off with a history of the business or an explanation of what motivated the founder to start this business.

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Rules and qualifications for the AQHA Rookie of the Year award.

AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall

AQHA has several award programs that benefit new exhibitors. The Justin Rookie of the Year award is a favorite of mine.

The Justin Rookie of the Year award program requires a little strategy. You only get one shot at it, so if you are new at showing AQHA, read on to see how you can get your hands on the prize!

The Justin Rookie of the Year Award is available to amateur and youth competitors, and is split into the following divisions, according to age, and split again by state/province. Read the rest of this entry »

Vaulting isn’t riding. It’s dancing on the back of a moving horse. And there’s nothing else like it.

Dusti Hausman practices vaulting on her American Quarter Horse.

By Dusti Hausman in America’s Horse

Eight years ago, I was in gymnastics, and I was also showing horses. I liked both sports, but I wasn’t in love with them. They weren’t challenging enough, I guess.

My dad wanted me to take a riding lesson at a place about 15 minutes from our house. I wasn’t really excited about the lesson, but I went anyway. That’s when I discovered that the people at that barn also gave vaulting lessons. It was so cool. I even got to try vaulting that day. During my first ride, I got to kneel on a cantering horse. I was hooked. Read the rest of this entry »

I got to take a Quarter Horse for a spin – literally – at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

By Katie Navarra

Watching Saturday’s Round 2 of the Team Reining competition at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games was exhilarating. It was thrilling not only to watch some of the world’s most accomplished horse and rider teams compete, but also because I knew a few hours after the event, I would have the opportunity to “Ride a Reiner,” too, in an event sponsored by the National Reining Horse Association, an AQHA alliance partner.

The rides, available to anyone at the games with a bit of riding experience, are being held in the John Deere Reining Arena, which is also where AQHA is offering test rides to anyone – even those who’ve never been on a horse before. Both options use American Quarter Horses as the mounts.

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Big Ass Fans’ products are helping out with hot and cool temperatures at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Question:

I read in Ask An Expert a few weeks ago that Big Ass Fans donated fans for use in the facilities at the World Equestrian Games. With the weather in Lexington still possibly hitting the 90s, how are the fans helping the horses and people at the event?

Answer:

We’re seeing a good mix of weather from the 60s to the 90s. The fans are certainly helping with air movement within the tents – especially as the afternoons progress and the population within increases. On hot days the fans paired with open tent flaps help to offset heat gain, offering a cooling effect. Read the rest of this entry »

AQHA Professional Horseman Richard Shrake helps you develop a better relationship with your horse in this four-part series.

We all want to become better riders, improving our rhythm, form, confidence and so much more. AQHA Professional Horseman Richard Shrake gets you started in the right direction toward a better relationship with your horse in AQHA’s FREE Riding Lessons with Richard Shrake report.

In this amazing free report, Richard explains how riding a horse uses skills you already know, citing examples from golf, tennis and more.

Richard explains:

• The importance of rhythm
• Why timing is crucial to good riding
• How precision and form work together to create a well-rounded rider
• Confidence-building techniques
• Breathing exercises
• Plus all kinds of great drills and courses to help solidify your newfound techniques

Richard offers lots of rich, heartwarming examples within the Riding Lessons with Richard Shrake report.

“Megan has a brand-new horse, and she’s having trouble bonding with him. She’s starting to lose interest in riding,” Richard says. “Megan needs to realize that this horse needs to be like a best friend. She can’t blame him for his reactionary, sensitive attitude. She needs to find a way to make him a good friend – someone she’d like to be around all the time.”

Richard suggests a steady routine to help Megan with her situation:

• Catch your horse’s eye
• Release endorphins – the “feel good” hormones in every animal; in a horse, you can rub his ears, poll and cheeks
• Halter your horse
• Get your horse in “herd mode”

Learn more about these techniques now by downloading your FREE copy of Riding Lessons with Richard Shrake.

Do you know what it means when your horse lifts his head, hollows his back and gets stiff? Richard explains, “This means your horse is protectign himself, the same as  you would if someone walked up and hit you with a hard punch. Your horse is saying, ‘Whoops, you just smacked me before you told me what you were going to do.’ ” In this report, Richard shows you how to watch for signs from  your horse that you’re moving too fast for him. He shows you how to slow down your hands and rhythm to make your horse more comfortable and less sensitive.

In his section explaining the importance of rhythm, Richard says, “If you stand relaxed with one arm in the air and stomp your foot, you can feel the energy flow all the way from your foot to your fingertips. But if you stand with your jaw clenched and stomp your foot, the vibration ends at your tight jaw. If you have that same rigidity in your body, you’ll interrupt the rhythm from your horse’s gaits.”

Download Riding Lessons with Richard Shrake to learn the next step in improving your rhythm.