A look at the potential and pitfalls of using frozen semen for horse breeding.
By Dr. Dickson D. Varner
Dr. Dickson D. Varner is a professor and the Pin Oak Stud Chair of Stallion Reproductive Studies at Texas A&M University.
Cryopreservation implies subjecting cells or tissues to an extremely low temperature in an effort to slow or stop biological activity. The storage temperature is typically -196 C (-321 F), the temperature of liquid nitrogen. When sperm are stored at this temperature, they are literally “suspended in time” in hopes that, once thawed, the sperm will be capable of fertilization.
As metabolism is essentially nil, some project that frozen sperm may be stored effectively for centuries. Read the rest of this entry »
You selected the cover of the October America's Horse.
The votes are in, and we have a winner! Visitors to America's Horse Daily have chosen Earl Kuhn's “A Fresh Mount” as the cover for the October America's Horse magazine.
In order to see “A Fresh Mount” in print, you'll need to make sure your AQHA membership is current! Also in the October issue, you won't want to miss these stories with an international flair: A
merican Quarter Horses who make a living trail riding in Israel; an upcoming PBS documentary on the traditions of escaramuza; and a synopsis of American Quarter Horse activities around the world.
Today, roughly 17 percent of American Quarter Horses are older than 20 years of age (equivalent to about 61 years in human years). There are several reasons that horses are living longer, with the most obvious being improved nutrition, veterinary and farrier care.
However, the change in how people use their horses has also played a role. As most horses have moved from primarily work animals to recreational animals, they have experienced fewer injuries and less stress. I personally had a good Quarter Horse gelding that was still athletic and being ridden by our grandchildren until he died suddenly of a ruptured aneurism at 33 (93 in human years).
Keylee Sayler, AQHA's international intern, and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls horsemanship clinic team finished teaching the final clinic of the summer in Prestranek, Slovenia.
Taylor Silloway from the UW-RF team helping Tajda Horvat. Photo by Larisa Bukovec.
Zdravo!
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls and I just finished teaching the final AQHA international horsemanship camp of the summer in Prestranek, Slovenia, at Posestvo Grad Prestranek. This camp went wonderfully and was a great way to end the summer. This was the first year Slovenia has held an AQHA horsemanship camp.
Guess That Horse will be back next Wednesday at 1 p.m. CDT.
Congratulations to Eileen for being the first person to correctly identify Kasey Quixote!
Kasey Quixote was a 1979 bay mare by Doc Quixote and out of a Commander King mare. She was bred by Barbara and Paul Crumpler of Wichita Falls, Texas. She competed in the National Cutting Horse Association through 1983 and won almost $7000 in cutting horse events.
Think you can guess a horse’s identity by its picture, points or pedigree? Then try your hand at today’s Guess That Horse contest, sponsored by Quarter Horse Outfitters! Read the rest of this entry »
Summer is horse show season in the American Quarter Horse industry, and with weekend shows all over the country every week, along with the Regional Championships, the Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Show and the Adequan Select World Show, it’s easy to see that showing horses is a big part of our industry. And it has been since the very beginning. Most of you probably know that when AQHA started registering horses, No. 1 was reserved for the horse who was named grand champion stallion at the 1941 Fort Worth Stock Show. That, of course, was Wimpy P-1.
But in every type of competition, and horse shows are no exception, a lot of time is spent writing rules. That’s why it’s kind of fun sometimes to look back at some of the events when there weren’t so many rules. Or at least when the rules were different from what they are today. Read the rest of this entry »
Follow these easy steps to create your own knotted rope halter for horses.
Practical and inexpensive, rope halters are a time-honored tradition for many horsemen and a wonderful training tool.
Two experts at Columbia Basin Knot Company shared with The American Quarter Horse Journal their 34-step process for making a quality homemade rope halter. In our How to Make a Rope Halter report, each step includes a full-color photo to help guide you through the process.
Here's Step 1 of creating your very own rope halter:
When tying halters for the first time, use 22 to 25 feet of rope. Once you become proficient, you can make a halter with about 20 feet of rope. Take your piece of rope and fold it in half. At the center point, tie a simple overhand knot. Snug the knot up. Then to the left of the knot, tie another simple overhand knot. Now you have two simple overhand knots. The knots should be 11 inches from the middle of one knot to the middle of the other knot. Adjust the knots until they are 11 inches apart, and tighten them up. Then take the rope and fold it with the two overhand knots together.
In this valuable report, you'll master the fiador knot and understand how to cut and whip the rope with a soldering iron or rope cutting gun.
Making your own rope halter will be a rewarding experience. We look forward to hearing how this free report helped you enjoy your horses just a little more! Be sure to use the comments feature to let us kn
“I have tied rope halters for years. In those years, we have seen several methods of doing it. Some of those methods were very crude! These directions are very much the same as mine, plainly stated and simple to follow.
Now when someone wants me to teach them, I can say 'Go to americashorsedaily.com, and download the free instructions.' Good job!”
Neva Christensen
Good luck making your own rope halter!
Download the How To Make a Rope Halter report for FREE!
Slowing and shortening the stride is important in anything from equitation to horsemanship. You see it especially in reining, where horses have to go from a fast circle to a slow, collected circle. It takes a lot of balance and training to accomplish that without pulling on the reins.
When you want to slow and shorten a horse’s stride, there are a few things you have to think about. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to loading troubles, practice controlling your horse's feet.
Question:
My horse has never been a problem to load. He has started something new. He walks in, and before I can tie him and move past him to close the divider, he decides he's leaving and pulls back. He can't get loose because of the panic snap. Then, if I untie him, he bolts backwards out of the trailer. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't understand why he's doing this.
Growing up, the closest I got to riding lessons was when Dad put me on the back of some of the younger, green-broke horses he was too big to get on himself.
Recently, I mentioned offhand that it might be interesting to try riding English. My boss said, “If I arrange a lesson, do you think you could turn the experience into a story?”
Regular dental examinations are important to your horse’s health. Photo courtesy of Pfizer Animal Health.
For the overall well-being of your American Quarter Horses, routine dental careis important. Along with comprehensive dental exams, knowing the signs of when your horse is experiencing problems is just as vital.
Catching equine dental problems early is a central part of oral health. You may see indications of issues including dropping of feed while chewing, nasal discharge, foul-smelling breath, weight loss and facial swellings that call for immediate attention.1 Also, you may see clear signs of pain or irritation in your horse, such asfighting the bitor tossing his or her head– or possibly no visible signs at all. Early detection of these potential problems allows for faster intervention, which will hopefully minimize the impact of the problem over the lifetime of your companion.1Read the rest of this entry »
