At the 1998 NCHA World Finals, Lindy Burch and Bet Yer Blue Boons marked a record score that still stands today.

Lindy Burch and Bet Yer Blue Boons

By Honi Roberts in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Lindy Burch is one superstitious cowgirl. After her best rides – and the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Famer has had her share – you won’t find her studying the videos or even taking a celebratory peek. She only watches rides where there are mistakes to study and lessons to learn. The best rides, she says, are memories to savor, like a bottle of good wine. She worries that watching them will tarnish the magic. But had she watched a replay of one 1998 cutting, she would not have been disappointed. Read the rest of this entry »

With good management, you can turn manure from a liability to an asset.

Manure from one horse is worth $150 in fertilizer per year.

Below are some tips from AQHA Educational Marketing Alliance Partner Country Living Association.

Manure is “black gold.” The manure from one horse is worth $150 in fertilizer per year. However, manure can also do harm if it is in the wrong place or not handled properly. Read the rest of this entry »

Attend the QuarterFest conservation seminar on Tread Lightly!

To create a society of good stewards, we must permeate an ethic of stewardship into the minds of all outdoor enthusiasts.

Tread Lightly, the newest AQHA alliance partner, promotes responsible outdoor recreation through ethics education and stewardship.

“Trail conservation is extremely important to AQHA and its members,” says Don Treadway Jr., AQHA executive vice president. “We are pleased to join Tread Lightly in preserving trails for future generations to be able to enjoy their American Quarter Horses and advocating education for everyone who uses our nation’s great outdoors.” Read the rest of this entry »

Even so, a visit to a guest ranch can still feed your horse “fix.”

Most ranches offer more than just head-to-tail trail rides for those that want it. Riders at Lost Valley Ranch lope across a meadow overlooked by the Sheep Rock Dome.

By Christine Hamilton in The American Quarter Horse Journal

What could be finer than a morning like this? Start with a breakfast of homemade pancakes, strong coffee and bacon. Then head down to the corral to saddle up a slick-haired ranch horse: sorrel, bay or buckskin, your pick. Set out on a trail loping across a meadow, splashing through a stream, climbing slopes of pine and aspen to catch a view of the backside of a 14,000-foot peak. Perfect.

That’s been part of what has attracted vacationers to guest “dude” ranches for decades now. In the last few years, however, ranches across the West have found their guests asking for more: They want a better communion with that sorrel, bay or buckskin carrying them through that scenery. Read the rest of this entry »

Being able to move briskly around your horse without provoking a reaction increases safety for him and for you.

Using various movements and rhythms around the horse will show him that these movements do not represent a threat.

From “AQHA’s Fundamentals of Horsemanship”

Start by stimulating a waving gesture that finishes with rubbing your horse. Reward his immobility by a moment of rest, and then begin to exaggerate movement around him, and finish each movement by stroking him. Run, jump, skip and stumble – and then caress him. Use all sorts of movements around the horse with rhythm, and he will ultimately understand that none of them represents a threat.

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AQHA sponsors the 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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »