Stay safe on the trails!

Trail riding is one of the most rewarding and relaxing activities you can do with a horse. It gets you both out of the arena, experiencing new sights, and breaks up a monotonous training routine. But it is not without its dangers.

AQHA’s FREE Trail Safety Tips report will keep you and your Quarter Horse out of harm’s way when you’re on the trail.

Experts on three different areas of trail riding offer tips and advice on how to better enjoy trail riding while keeping your horse’s health and the environment in mind.

Veterinarian Rick Hill discusses how to deal with emergencies on the trail such as cuts, thrown shoes, colic and infection.

“You are not going to take the same things for a one-hour trip like you would if you were going to be gone for three or four days. It’s going to depend on how long a ride is, and how far you are going to be away, the more you are going to want to be able to handle anything you might be facing,” Dr. Hill says.

Hoof care is extremely important when you are trekking out in the open, and Doug Butler, professor of equine sciences at Colorado State University and renowned farrier, has advice to keep things moving smoothly.

“One thing all trail riders are concerned with is what to do if their horse throws a shoe while on the trail,” Doug notes.

The FREE Trail Safety Tips report guides you through your options for shoeing your horse so he can negotiate the trail better.

Finally, we must protect our precious wilderness areas so that future generations can enjoy them as we have. Mark DeGregorio of the Rocky Mountain National Park explains minimal impact trail riding, more commonly known as “Leave No Trace.”

“What we mean by minimal impact is you are going to try to do your best to have the least impact you can on that land,” Mark says.

Learn helpful tips for leaving your favorite trails as beautiful as when you found them.

Mark sums up his thoughts on minimal impact with a quote he calls the horseman’s creed, ‘When I go into the back country, I will leave only hoofprints, take only memories.”

This report is a must-have for all trail riders. Download, print and share it today!

How to be prepared for and deal with a horse affected by HYPP.

Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis is a serious muscle deficiency in horses that causes muscle twitching, weakness and more.

Learn all about this dominant genetic disease in AQHA’s FREE HYPP Survival Guide report.

In 1996, AQHA designated HYPP a genetic defect and undesirable trait. Two years later, the Association added that all Impressive-descendent foals born after January 1, 1998, were required to be tested for the disease, with the results placed on the registration certificate. Since 2007, any horses tested as H/H are not accepted for registration with AQHA. Find out why in the HYPP Survival Guide.

Also in this detailed report,  you’ll learn:

• Definitions of HYPP’s three designations: H/H, N/H, and N/N.

• Symptoms of HYPP

• Prevention tips

• Signs of an attack and what to do to keep your horse safe

• Feeding suggestions for HYPP-positive horses

• How to test your horse for HYPP

The most-common symptoms of HYPP include muscle tremors, weakness, muscle cramping, yawning, depression, an inability to relax the muscles, sweating, prolapse of the third eyelid, noisy breathing and/or abnormal sounds or whinnies.

HYPP cases usually start with muscle weakness and prolapse of the third eyelid, sweating and minor tremors most commonly in the flank, neck and shoulders.

More severe attacks can involve severe weakness, high heart and respitory rate, staggering, dog sitting and collapse. In its most extreme form, HYPP can lead to collapse and death, usually from a heart attack or respiratory failure.

Be prepared for situations involving HYPP-positive horses by downloading the HYPP Survival Guide today. This FREE report will give you the knowledge to identify symptoms and react accordingly to a horse experiencing an attack. You’ll also learn steps to preventing HYPP attacks, such as stopping frequently on road trips to give your horses a break and reduce their stress levels.

How to get your bosal out of the tack trunk and into use.

If you’re like many horsemen, you have a bosal in the tack room but made the mistake of untying the mecate line while adjusting it to your horse. Now, the bosal is lying there, useless, because you don’t know how to tie the mecate safely and correctly.

AQHA is here to the rescue with our free Tying the Mecate report. In this handy, downloadable report, you’ll get easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions from AQHA Professional Horseman Patrick Hooks.

Patrick gives you some funny anecdotal advice on why people struggle with the process of tying the mecate. Then he dives into a nine-step process that he learned years ago from a 90-year-old man who definitely remembered how to do it right.

Steps for Tying a Mecate

1. Begin by turning your bosal just as though you were looking up at your horse. The hanger will be turned down, and the hanger tie will be to your right.
2. Place the tail of your mecate up through the cheeks of the bosal and leave a short tail hanging just over the heel knot of the bosal.

Get the rest of the steps in AQHA’s Tying the Mecate FREE report! Colorful photos will guide you each step of the way.

Once you know how to correctly tie the mecate, you can start using your bosal for all kinds of horse riding and training endeavors. Good luck, and leave us comments about your success tying a mecate on your own!

The wooden rocking horseshoe is helping many horses survive laminitis.

Laminitis is a medical emergency that, unfortunately, many horses are subjected to.

What is laminitis, exactly?

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, laminitis results from the disruption (constant, intermittent or short-term) of blood flow to the sensitive and insensitive laminae. These laminae structures within the foot secure the coffin bone (the wedge-shaped bone within the foot) to the hoof wall. Inflammation often permanently weakens the laminae and interferes with the wall/bone bond. In severe cases, the bone and the hoof wall can separate. In these situations, the coffin bone may rotate within the foot, be displaced downward, “sink” and eventually penetrate the sole. Laminitis can affect one or all feet, but it is most often seen in the front feet concurrently.

The terms “laminitis” and “founder” are used interchangeably. However, founder usually refers to a chronic (long-term) condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone. Acute laminitis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden initial attack, including pain and inflammation of the laminae.

Luckily, there are a few options to help ease the suffering for horses with laminitis. Learn about one, the wooden rocking horseshoe, in AQHA’s FREE report, Laminitis Treatment.

In Laminitis Treatment, Dr. Micheal Steward, a veterinarian in Shawnee, Oklahoma, explains how he finds success with placing wooden shoes on laminitic horses. The shoes, he says, help support the hoof and help it heal.

You’ll also get a detailed explanation, including diagrams, of exactly how laminitis affects a horse’s foot and leg.

In Laminitis Treatment, you’ll hear a first-hand story about how Dr. Steward’s technique took a critically ill horse and gave him renewed life:

When ‘Tooter’ Kiser took his good ranch horse, Pepperoani Wolf, to Dr. Steward, the little red roan gelding could barely walk off the trailer. But by the time Dr. Steward and a farrier finished with him, “I led that horse out of that X-ray room and he hit that concrete and gravel, and he just gave a little. It was like he was already 95-percent better,” Tooter says.

Get the full details on how Pepperoani went from almost being euthanized to returning to the ranch as a full-time helper.

Plus, get other tips for keeping horses with laminitis comfortable and happy.

Download your free copy of Laminitis Treatment today, and share it with your friends!

This insect-borne equine disease is a late-summer danger across North America.

Can you spot the signs of Potomac horse fever? Do you know how this devastating disease is contracted? Learn everything you need to do about Potomac horse fever in AQHA’s FREE report, Potomac Horse Fever.

Potomac horse fever gained notoriety when an outbreak shook the Potomac River region of Maryland in 1979. Transmitted by an insect fector, Potomac horse fever results in intestinal distress that can lead to death in up to 30 percent of cases. Potomac horse fever has been identified in 43 states, three Canadian provinces, South America and Europe.

What can you do to help your horse avoid this dangerous and uncomfortable disease?

Download your copy of Potomac Horse Fever today and arm yourself with knowledge that will help your horse stay healthy.

Many horses suffer fever at some point in their lives. But did you know that the first indicator of Potomac horse fever is a fever ranging from 102 to 107 that comes and goes? There are many other symptoms you can watch out for, including dehydration, depression and swelling of certain body parts.

If left untreated, Potomac horse fever can send a horse into shock and ultimately death. Other ailments caused by Potomac horse fever are laminitis and abortion in pregnant mares.

In the FREE Potomac Horse Fever report, you’ll learn:

• Exactly what Potomac horse fever is

• How horses contract it

• Symptoms to look for

• Treatment options

• Prevention tips

• And more

This five-page, full-color report also contains a personal story of one family who fought to save their beloved  horse that was infected with Potomac horse fever while on a trail ride.

Fast facts about Potomac horse fever:

• Caused by the bacteria Neorickettsia risticci
• Most commonly occurs from July through October
• Treatments include antibiotics, fluid and electrolyte replacement therapy and NSAIDs for pain relief
• A vaccine is available
• The greatest cause of death associated with PHF is secondary laminitis and subsequent complications

Get your free copy of Potomac Horse Fever for the full story.

Get the full story on this all-around hand with a passion for Quarter Horses.

Stan Immenschuh knew his own mind, but his favorite thing was working on the minds of horses.

“The thing that I got the most kick out of, and gave me the most satisfaction, was working with the cutting horses,” he says. “You get them broke and everything, and when you first start working them on cattle and they first start watching, putting their ears on them and making the moves, that’s more fun than anything, more than showing or anything else.”

Get the full, colorful story of Stan and his adventures with Quarter Horses in AQHA’s FREE report, Stan Immenschuh: All-Around Hand. Download your copy today!

Stan has a number of stories of working cattle a-horseback.

Here’s one:

“Jimmy Williams was a real good friend of mine,” he says. “I learned a lot from him. Jimmy was a great horse show guy. He had a stable in San Diego County and was training cutting horses. . . . Jimmy and I used to trade out: He’d come out and work cattle on the ranch I was on, the Ivanhoe Ranch in El Cajon, and I’d haul down to his stable.

“He taught me most of the stuff that I learned back then – how to use the war bridle and a bunch of different things. And just being around him, I picked up all kinds of little things, like you’ve got to give a horse time. I was real lucky to get hooked up with Jimmy, because he eventually ended up with hunters and jumpers in at a riding stable in Pasadena, but he couldn’t keep cattle there. He had some good horses and he sent them down to me to work cows on.

“Some of his owners were big in Hollywood, like Larry Lansburgh, the guy that made movies – I broke a Driftwood filly for him, and I rode some other horses for him and other people who were Jimmy’s customers. In those days, a bunch of Hollywood people had horses.

Get even more stories about racing, roping, rodeo, western pleasure, wartime hardships and more in AQHA’s FREE Stan Immenschuh: All-Around Hand report!

“One of the horses that Larry Lansburgh owned and Jimmy sent to me was going to be used in a movie that they made about a cow horse that became a jumping horse, ‘The Horse With The Flying Tail’ (Disney, 1960),” Stan recalls. “Larry Lansburgh owned the horse and Jimmy trained him in a crash course in jumping.

“Larry was interested in cow horses, too, so he sent him down to me to work cattle on. The horse was a double in the movie. They didn’t really want me to make a cutting horse, but just wanted me to get him to where he would work a cow. I was just getting him started working cows a little bit. I had an arena with a hogwire fence with a couple of rails of old boards, one old board on top and one in the middle.

“I was going across the arena on the horse, and something clicked in that horse’s mind when he got to that fence – that he’d better jump it – and he went up, went right down and smashed everything down, hung me over the post like a wet rag. He wasn’t hurt but I was, broke some ribs and got banged up pretty good.”

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.

This free report teaches you old-time manners.

Paula Cole once asked the very astute question: where have all the cowboys gone? Today’s ropers, ranchers and cattle enthusiasts are more likely to be investment bankers than professional hands. As the ranching population ages and rural youth move to cities, true cowboys are becoming a rare find.

While the natural horsemanship revolution has revitalized the horse-training methods of the old west, what has become of rules for cowboy etiquette?

Cowboy etiquette is defined as proper range conduct when working livestock, with an emphasis on respect and safety. Just as it is important for a cowboy to know how to work around his horse, he must know how to work with his team.

AQHA’s Cowboy Etiquette report, brought to you by America’s Horse, is the perfect guide for aspiring and professional cowboys. This fun and useful guide will help everyone learn how to manage the chaos of a working ranch.

The Cowboy Etiquette report lays out the rules of the ranch, which are generally set in stone, such as:

• When cattle are being sorted outside, hold the herd together in a group. Don’t start sorting without being asked.

• Never assume a position. The “cowboy way” is to say: “I’ll do any job that needs doing.” Be willing to do the job that needs to be done, but don’t take on a task you are not qualified for. When moving cattle, ride drag – that’s located at the back of the herd. Don’t promote yourself to wing or lead.

• Don’t criticize a man’s horse, cattle or dog.

The guide includes a special section for ropers. Learn how you can make the ground crew’s job easier and safer.

• All roper’s go through dry spells, but if you are simply not getting calves, you need to let someone else rope. And always control your temper. Too often, ropers who are not roping well will get frustrated and blame their horses.

• Keep the herd quiet. Don’t get stubborn about getting a particular calf. Rope the one that’s handy.

Download the Cowboy Etiquette report today and impress your crew with your knowledge of old-time manners.

Ease aboard your horse with a homemade mounting block.

It’s always nice to have a leg up when you’re ready to get in the saddle. But there are many times when an able-bodied, strong-backed volunteer just isn’t available to give you a boost onto your horse.

AQHA consulted a woodworking expert for a homemade mounting block that can become a staple of your barn aisle or arena for years to come.

Download the easy directions in our FREE How to Build a Mounting Block report!

This homemade mounting block has a simple supply list and is the perfect project for beginners.

Make this mounting block your next 4-H project, or give the plans to the teenagers at your barn to keep them busy! Best of all, this mounting block is easily personalized with paint and decorations. What better gift to give your horse-loving friends than a homemade mounting block embellished with their name, horse brand, favorite horse club, equestrian team, whatever!

“As the director of a therapeutic riding center, we find our ramp and also a mounting block to be very necessary items. Even my able riders are asked to use the mounting block, as it is easier on our horses’ backs. I can’t imagine living without these very effective tools!”

Leslie

We know you’ll enjoy making this mounting block. Be sure to share your stories of how your new mounting block made your life a little easier and your ride a little more enjoyable!

Training your foal to accept a halter doesn’t have to be a struggle.

Training your own foal is a truly special experience, but not one to be taken lightly. His first experiences will affect the way he looks at the world for the rest of his life. Halter breaking a foal will be his first experience learning to respect you, to give to pressure and to handle new experiences. You need to make sure it is done right the first time. Thankfully, the AQHA’s Halter Breaking Your Foal report will guide you through the process.

Learn how siblings Tom, Wayne and Margo Ball of Ball’s Quarter Horses use old fashion horsemanship in their halter breaking: approaching it with patience, an earned trust and the belief that every foal is an individual.

Tom and Margo say their halter breaking program might take one day or three weeks, and they might spend more time on different steps with different foals. They might start a foal at 30 days old, or they might wait longer; it all depends on the personality and needs of each foal.

In this program you will learn the essential steps to train a sane, well-mannered horse.

In Step 1, you will learn how to tell when your foal is ready for halter breaking.

“We wait until our babies are ready to break,” said Wayne. “We don’t want to fight with them.”

Trying to halter break a foal before he is ready can traumatize him and make training more difficult down the road. So make sure your foal is prepared.

The Halter Breaking Your Foal report also discusses:

• The best way to fit a halter for your foal.

• Strategies for your foal’s first time wearing the halter.

• How to introduce the lead rope.

• Techniques for leading your foal.

• Sacking out your foal for the first time.

Finally, Tom and Margo will guide you through teaching your foal to stand tied. This process can be very scary and dangerous for your foal if not done properly, so make sure that you have the advice of these experts.

The Halter Breaking Your Foal report is essential for all breeders, foal owners, 4-H groups and anyone else who is interested in training young horses. Download it today!

Barn-aisle exercises with AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef.

Do rainy days have you chanting “Rain, rain, go away”?

Wet, chilly spring days don’t always provide the most advantageous riding time, but don’t just stay inside and veg; get some training time in – inside the barn.

AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef of Canyon, Texas, offered some valuable barn-aisle exercises in the January-February 2009 issue of America’s Horse. Now, he’s providing other groundwork exercises that will help your horse relax, be more supple and trust you more. Still more flexion exercises can help improve your canter departs and lead changes.

Who could say no to that?

And here’s the even better question: Who could say no to that kind of expert training advice – if it’s free and if it comes packaged with the set of exercises that appeared in a previous issue of America’s Horse?

Download the FREE Barn-Aisle Exercises report, including both sets of exercises. You can print them out and take them to the barn aisle with you.

Brent and other AQHA Professional Horsemen and women are valued partners in AQHA’s educational efforts. We all are committed to helping horse enthusiasts become better horsemen.

“Barn Dance” by Brent Graef provides ideas to make down time, like a rainy or stormy day, productive. Brent instructs on one of the most often misunderstood, misused skills of horsemanship: Understanding where a horse’s feet are. I enjoyed his explanation of how he concentrates on one front foot, how to recognize the instant it leaves the ground so you can capture the exact moment you need to achieve – speed up, slow down, go sideways or even backwards.

“Brent’s mention of “soft hands,” to squeeze and lift the lead rope when asking the horse to make a change in that step, is such a very subtle signal, which allows the horse the space and dignity to move its body where/how you want it.

“How many people never learn to know where the horse’s feet are? Many people give a signal at any random time and expect the horse to provide the correct position that they are asking for, not realizing that it takes coordination on the part of the horse to make four feet perform correctly and do what they have been asked to do.”

Maret Watson
Alberta, Canada

Keeping your horse from being fat will help her avoid a number of problems.

We hear everyday about ways to tweak our diet and exercise programs to combat human obesity. But did you know that studies are beginning to show that obesity is becoming a growing problem with horses as well? AQHA’s FREE Chubby Horses report examines some of the findings of a study done by the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.

“This study documented that this is an extremely important problem in horses that is has been under-reported,” says Dr. Craig Thatcher, a professor who was involved in the study.

Not surprisingly, the No. 1 recommendation is diet and exercise.

Other topics included in this report are:

• Equine metabolic syndrome
• Conditions resulting from EMS
• EMS and Cushing’s connection
• How to manage EMS
• Possible management procedures and medications for EMS

University of Tennessee equine metabolic syndrome researcher Dr. Nicholas Frank breaks down three different components that horses can suffer from as a result from EMS: obesity, laminitis and insulin resistance. Of these three, laminitis can prove to be fatal in horses as it has delivered the final blow for greats like Secretariat and, more recently, Barbero. Find out how these three conditions can impact your horse in the Chubby Horses report.

Dr. Dianne McFarlane of Oklahoma State University also weights in on equine Cushing’s disease. Chubby Horses goes in depth on some of the first signs of Cushing’s disease, so you will be able to spot it quickly and be able to control the onset of this disease, which is comparable to Parkinson’s disease in humans.

“Horses with EMS appear to be predisposed to equine Cushing’s disease,” says Dr. Frank. “The key thing is, because it seems these horses (EMS horses) do transition into Cushing’s, is to be ready to recognize the clinical signs of Cushing’s. And this is going to be potentially at an earlier age than we traditionally think about looking of the disorder.”

The Chubby Horses report lays out three different management plans to combat EMS as prescribed by Dr. Frank. Whether you have an obese horse with insulin resistance, a nonobese horse with fatty deposits or a severely affected horse of either category experiencing laminitis, find out how to get your horse back on the right track. Dr. Frank further explains how you can expand upon a good management system with supplements to bring your horse to a healthy weight and away from any further complications that can come from obesity.