AQHA Sponsors Road to the Horse Remuda

In 2006, Stacy Westfall became the first woman to win the Road to the Horse Colt-Starting Championship.

The American Quarter Horse has long been a symbol of the American West and the spirit of the cowboy. AQHA will sponsor the remuda of the 2010 Road to the Horse world championship of colt starting, March 6-7 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Quarter Horse has been the chosen breed for Road to the Horse from its inception. As the world’s largest equine breed registry and member organization, AQHA promotes the versatility, athleticism and attitude of the Quarter Horse around the world.

Road to the Horse is unlike any other event in the equine or entertainment industry. It is the original colt-starting challenge. The two-day sold-out event matches three of the country’s best horse trainers and clinicians against one another as they train unstarted colts to ride in just a few short hours in front of a packed live audience and television cameras. Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrate the American Quarter Horse.

At the 2009 QuarterFest, Christy Landwehr of the Certified Horsemanship Association shows beginning riders exercises to get more comfortable in the saddle.

The American Quarter Horse party, QuarterFest, is a celebration of the American Quarter Horse breed and membership of the association. This year, the popular event will be held April 30 – May 2 at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

QuarterFest provides the opportunity to connect with other horse owners and enjoy exciting entertainment, including a Kentucky Derby party and a concert by Red Steagall, award-winning western musician and cowboy poet. Additionally, those who attend can bring their horses to participate in clinics led by the industry’s top professionals, whose goal is to help riders improve their relationship with their horses.

Practical and inexpensive, rope halters are a time-honored tradition for many horsemen and a wonderful training tool. Learn how to make yours today with AQHA’s FREE report, “How to Make a Rope Halter.”

Tickets

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Manage your horseback riding fear by staying in the moment.

Avoiding "future thinking" can help you stay in the moment and conquer your horseback riding fear.

By Jane Savoie

Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding.

After all, you’re dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you. In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they’ve survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they’re reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.

So what do you do about the fear that stops you from totally enjoying your riding and your horse?

First, understand that when you’re afraid, your mind isn’t in the present. It’s on what might happen in the future.

Then consider the fact that 99 percent of what you fear never happens. Why use up so much energy and emotion worrying about things that might happen but usually never do?

Here’s a quick tip to help you cope with horseback riding fear. Use it not only when you ride, but also for any other area in your life when you’re immobilized by fear.

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Horses teach people so that people can teach horses.

Once understanding has been established, everything becomes simple and possible.

From AQHA’s “Fundamentals of Horsemanship”

Equine ethology was born of a desire to help man in order to help the horse. This quest did not, however, require the invention of a new scientific field of the creation of a new discipline. It is simply a rediscovery of knowledge and experience accumulated over centuries and adapted to modern circumstances

The survival and evolution of the horse have depended on its ability to defend itself against predators. The gap between predator and prey still exists, and any relationship between man and horse that is unnatural must

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William Anson made a significant contribution to the Quarter Horse as one of the early historians of the breed.

Learn about one of the members of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

By Crystal Phares

The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo chronicles the lives of each Hall of Fame member. Learn a little bit about William Anson, who was inducted in 1986 and played a pivotal roll in the success of the Quarter Horse breed.

Born on April 17, 1872, in Stafford County, England, William Anson was the seventh son of the Second Earl of Litchfield. His mother, Lady Georgiana Louisa, was the oldest daughter of the First Duke of Abercorn. Anson’s manners were always pronounced; he was of English aristocracy and showed it, yet he was approachable and companionable.

As a supplier of horses to the English Army during the Boer War in Read the rest of this entry »

How to tell if your horse is paying attention to you.

Communication between horse and rider is very important.

By Dennis Brouse

One of the most important elements of effectively training your horse is communication. Whether you’re working with your horse in the round pen, riding on the trails or loading your horse in a trailer, it’s critical to have good communication with your horse – for both your safety and the horse’s. In order to communicate effectively, your horse needs to pay attention to you.

We’ve all seen horses who don’t pay attention to their owners. And there are all types of “not paying attention” behavior. Some horses “check out” mentally and won’t respond to your cues without a lot of work on your part. Others pay attention to everything else around them except you – carrying their head high, never looking at you and acting spooky about everything around them. And of course, there are horses that “snub” you – turn their rears toward you and ignore you completely. Read the rest of this entry »

These AQHA Horseback Riding Program members achieve the 5,000-hour level.

Sherri Ross and Gimme Sweet Luck (Photo courtesy of Sherri Ross)

From America’s Horse

Sherri Ross starts off nearly every new year the same way. She and friends from the Indiana Trail Riders Association roast a hog at Salmonie River State Forest in Indiana and spend New Year’s Day socializing, eating and, of course, trail riding.

“A day of trail riding is always fun; getting to see, talk and ride with friends and meet new people is always a good day,” Sherri says. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn about the importance of leaving no trace of you or your horse on the trail.

From the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics

Riding the trails with your horse, enjoying nature, can be a very rewarding experience. While it’s important to enjoy your trail ride, it’s also important to reduce the impact you and your horse have on the trail.

Here are some practices that will help ensure the trails will be around and enjoyed for generations to come:

Educate Yourself
Learn how to Leave No Trace wherever you go. Start by asking about local ecology and local minimum-impact practices and guidelines. Know the regulations and special concerns for the place you plan to visit. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn a little more about the history and importance of the horse wrangler.

By Jim Bret Campbell in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Along the cattle trails, a good wrangler was as important as the cook. Legendary writer J. Frank Dobie talked about the wrangler’s job in the December 1954 issues of the Journal.

In the border country, a band of saddle horses is still called a remuda – the Spanish term, the man in charge of them being the remudero. On the Plains and to the North, range people took over another Spanish word, “caballada,” and corrupted it into “cavyyard” or “cavy.”

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Learn how to get your horse to lower his head.

By Dennis Brouse

Whether you’re working with a colt or an experienced horse, getting him to lower his head is important for both your safety and the horse’s. Horses communicate mainly through body language. When a horse lowers his head, he’s telling you he’s relaxed and comfortable. When a horse’s head is up high, he’s saying, “I’m nervous and agitated.”

Before you begin teaching your horse to lower his head, it’s important to work with him in the round pen to establish leadership, respect and communication – the three critical foundations of all training.

Once you’ve established these three foundations, I recommend using a reward system to help your horse learn to lower his head.

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“America’s Funniest” just hasn’t hit cow country yet.

Illustration by Gabriel Trevizo.

By Baxter Black, D.V.M. in The American Quarter Horse Journal

It’s curious why more cows aren’t featured on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Maybe it’s because we cow guardians always have our hands full of hay forks, reins, twine cutters, squeeze chute handles, syringes or up the back of a cow! If the truth were known, you could stand in a pen or pasture full of cattle all day with your video recorder and see nothing more exciting than you would in a day room full of senior citizens after lunch.

See, cows are not like monkeys, puppies or bull riders who can always be counted on to show you some kind of bizarre body function, tail pulling or booger-related behavior. And yet, I cannot count the number of stories I’ve been told wherein the dull, cud-chomping, cloven-hoofed grazer has made a fool out of our Supermanic cowboy hero. Read the rest of this entry »

Horses can often have healing powers.

Kelli Hudgens demonstrates her riding abilities with a smile on one of her favorite mounts, Jessie's Scotch Bar.

By Julie Preble, AQHA Publications intern

A little girl runs through the playground playing tag with her friends. Eight years ago, Melanie Hudgens of Papillion, Nebraska, was only able to imagine that scene for her daughter.

Melanie’s daughter, Kelli, was born with Down syndrome. When Kelli was 4 years old, her physical therapists decided she no longer needed therapy because she was able to walk and move around her classroom.

Melanie disagreed.

“She could not run,” Melanie said. “She didn’t need to run in the school, but it would have been nice if she could have been outside running so that she could keep up with some of the other kids or at least participate in some of the activities that they were doing.”

Melanie’s mother had been volunteering at a therapeutic riding organization, and she suggested that Kelli try a horseback riding program. After finding a local program, Magic In Motion, Kelli found herself on a horse.

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