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AQHAAngling for Better Position Take a position close to the gate to give your horse the chance to take hold of the cow. Your location will help you “train” your cow in the fence work. By AQHA Professional Horseman Bozo Rogers with Larri Jo Starkey In the working cow horse, strategy can make the difference between handling your cow efficiently and letting her run down the rail without you. Everything starts with a little mental exercise. If you can think like the cow, you can be ready to handle whatever she throws your way. Opening Gambit The point of boxing is to teach the cow to honor your horse. To do that, you need to “train” the cow to move away from your horse when you’re in her eye. If you are halfway down the pen when you call for the cow, you give the cow time to come to you, and a bad cow will run by you. I like to sit about 50 feet from the end of the arena so that when the cow steps into the arena, the first thing she sees is me moving toward her. When she sees me, she’ll veer, forcing her to honor the horse before she does anything else. Slow Down to Go Fast: Part II Use Bryan Neubert's colt-starting techniques to get your ranch colt ready for the range. Cowboy, clinician and horseman Bryan Neubert shares his insight into starting ranch colts. By Bryan Neubert with Jim Bret Campbell in The American Quarter Horse Journal Mount Up Once I’m there, I don’t worry about trying to guide him much. I’ll let him adjust to the extra weight. I have a Cheyenne roll on the back of my saddle, and I’ll hold on to that in case he bucks. They almost never do if they are prepared up to this point. AQHA: Bo Winslow Returns to QuarterFest Bo Winslow serves some Dutch-oven peach cobbler to a 2009 QuarterFest participant. At QuarterFest 2010, clinician Bo Winslow explains everything you need to know for a back-country horseback camping trip. Bo Winslow, a clinic instructor with the Certified Horsemanship Association, will be featured April 30 at QuarterFest: A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Bo will provide information and advice for horsemen preparing for a backcountry camping trip. His clinics on April 30 include:
American Quarter Horse Association’s Youth World Cup Seeks VolunteersThe American Quarter Horse Journal, February 24, 2010 – Oklahoma City will host the 2010 Youth World Cup July 3-11, and the American Quarter Horse Association is calling on volunteers – two-legged and four-legged – to make the event a success. What began as a competition between Australian and U.S. youths more than two decades ago has evolved to include kids from a number of countries – 17 countries are expected for the 2010 Youth World Cup. Each Youth World Cup team consists of five American Quarter Horse Youth Association members plus a coach. The youth take part in eight days of educational seminars, riding and showmanship clinics, leadership training and competition. Alternate members of the teams attend the educational and leadership seminars. Each team draws a pool of six volunteered horses to use throughout the two-day competition. Each horse is ridden at least once in each class. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10364 Slinkys Fortune Stands Out in MagnoliaThe American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, February 11, 2010 – The super-consistent Slinkys Fortune, who has finished in the top two in each of his 13 starts, heads a full field of eight Louisiana-bred distance specialists over 870 yards in the $40,000 Magnolia Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Louisiana Downs. The Henry Padgett-owned and -trained Slinkys Fortune (Dashs Slinky-Chasing A Fortune by Six Fortunes) did not begin his racing career until 2008 as a 4-year-old, but he has made up for lost time by earning $152,765 while never finishing below second place. Slinkys Fortune returned after a three-month rest in the 870-yard Marathon Stakes on January 23 at Louisiana Downs. He made an impressive move going around his rivals to win by 2 lengths as the 13-10 favorite. That victory came against open company, so facing state-breds in the Magnolia Stakes may be a class drop for the impressive gelding. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10329 Varsity Competition Offers Horses a Second CareerThe American Quarter Horse Journal, February 18, 2010 – College equestrian programs depend on reliable horses, and no horses fit the bill like the American Quarter Horse. That’s certainly the case for the University of Georgia, which recently reclaimed its top spot in the bimonthly poll of Varsity Equestrian coaches, just months before the National Championships that will be held April 15-17, 2010, in Waco, Texas. Of the Georgia Bulldog horse herd, many are American Quarter Horses, said Georgia equestrian coach Meghan Boenig. Georgia athletes practice their riding skills on the horses, many of which have been donated to the university for equestrian competition. America’s Horse Daily: Which Tying-On Option Is Best for You?
By AQHA Professional Horseman Jay Holmes with Christine Hamilton in The American Quarter Horse Journal For a roper who is thinking about tying-on, here’s what Jay had to say on the subject. Tying-On Options
Comments: My wife, Rhonda, uses this quick release. It’s leather with a ring and a slot. You push the ring up through the slot and then push the tail through the ring. When it’s wrapped around a saddle horn, the tail end holds it on the horn. When there’s pressure put on that, it won’t come off the horn. But all you have to do is reach down and pull that tail, and it comes loose.
Comments: With the Hector Heeler, your rope goes in and around a little pin. It’s spring-loaded, and that holds it together. When you push that knob down, it releases. This is probably the most used to tie-on and probably the easiest to use, because all you have to do is push down on that metal piece.
Comments: With a (quick release), even if there is pressure on the rope, you can get this loose. With a horn knot, you have to ride your horse up so you have slack to loosen it. If you use this to heel, you want to leave a longer tail in the knot so you can use it to pull it off your horn. There’s nothing wrong with using a horn knot as long as your header knows you have it on your horn. When the steer gets stretched, it can’t go anywhere as long as the header holds it. You can ride up and loosen the rope and take it off. But if for some reason your header didn’t know you were tied on, and he faces and immediately turns his rope loose, and the steer takes off to the other end of the arena, there’s still pressure on the rope, and you’re stuck. I’ve never seen someone have to cut off a rope, but there’s a heck of a jerk on the heel horse and on the cow. My daughter, Morgan, uses a horn knot, but the only person I’ll let head for her is me. I take care of the issue of her getting it off that horn. Rope Length The ropes that people use to tie-on with are shorter, because you don’t need a 35-foot rope. The only reason we have 35-foot ropes out there is because we miss dallies, and we want another chance at it while that steer is still moving away, and we let that rope slide through our hand. Normally, if everything goes right and I dally, the other three coils are still in my hand. If something goes wrong and I have to slide more rope to get my dally, then I use the other part of that 35-foot rope. But if everything goes right, this is all the rope I’m going to have out anyway. So instead of having three coils in your hand when you dally, you have a loop and no coils when you’re tied-on. Exactly how long is by preference, but there should be no more than one coil in your hand. Never “Hard and Fast” If you’re out in the pasture, there are a lot of ways to tie-on: You can braid the end of your rope several ways or tie something like a half-hitch in it, tie a knot and pull it down on your saddle horn. But those ways don’t come off the saddle horn. You only do that when you don’t have any other options. You’re out in the woods or brush, and you need to rope something, and you’re not sure you can dally. You have to tie off the rope hard and fast. For a competition, it makes no sense – not when these safer options are available. American Quarter Horse Association Attend a Clinic with World-Renowned Trainer Stacy Westfall during QuarterFest
As the first woman to compete in and win Road to the Horse, Stacy Westfall is no stranger to the competition arena. Her love and passion for horses started at a very early age and has allowed her to enjoy much success in her career as a professional horsewoman. Just to name a few of her accomplishments, she was the National Reining Horse Association’s freestyle champion in 2003, when she competed with no bridle. She went undefeated for two years in major freestyle reining competitions, and in 2006, Stacy won the prestigious Road to the Horse colt-starting competition. Of her many feats, Stacy may be best known for her bridleless freestyle ride where she and a black American Quarter Horse, Whizards Baby Doll, aka “Roxy,” were named champion of the All American Quarter Horse Congress freestyle reining competition in 2006, making history with a score of 236. She dedicated the ride to her father, who had died days before her performance. The bareback and bridleless performance to the Tim McGraw song “Live Like You Were Dying” has inspired thousands. The video of this touching event went viral and caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. In 2008, Stacy was invited to be a guest on Ellen’s show. Stacy was able to share her feelings about the ride and her love for what she does as a professional horsewoman. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10263 Youth World Show Assistance Fund Returns in 2010The American Quarter Horse Journal, February 10, 2010 – The Fields Family Foundation and Jackson Land & Cattle Company will continue their support of the Youth World Show Assistance Fund. This will be the fifth year that the Youth World Show Assistance Fund will be available to members of AQHYA who need financial support to compete at the 2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship show. In the past four years, 240 AQHYA members have received financial support so they were able to attend and compete at the Built Ford Tough Youth World Show. The fund helps youth pay for travel and lodging expenses after they have qualified to compete at the show. Richard Fields of the Fields Family Foundation and Jackson Land & Cattle Company is happy to help today’s youth compete. He realizes the benefits from attending the Built Ford Tough Youth World Show are more than just youth accumulating titles and awards. “It gives me great pleasure to provide scholarships to young, aspiring riders through the AQHYA Youth World Show Assistance Program,” said Fields. “The children of today are our most precious resource, and Jackson Land & Cattle is pleased to continue to fund the Youth World Show Assistance Program.” To apply for the Jackson Land & Cattle Youth World Show Assistance Fund, youth need only to fill out an application. Applications are now being accepted, and forms must be in the AQHA offices by April 1, 2010. Requests for assistance can be mailed or faxed. Applications for this year’s event are available through youth advisers or can be downloaded from www.aqha.com/youth. AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines. American Quarter Horse Association AQHA Blames Non-Existent “Ban” for the Consequences of Its Own PolicyFebruary 5, 2010 – CHICAGO (EWA) – On February 4th the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) posted a release issued by the Animal Welfare Council (AWC) claiming that “experts” warned of current issues facing the horse industry if slaughter was ended. Reminiscent of past years, the AQHA is again promoting disinformation in the hope the American public will trust them for their good name. The refusal to address the excess breeding of horses over the years has caught up with slaughter proponents. Once again, they find themselves scrambling to find scapegoats for a problem they created. Driven by the quest for registration fees, the AQHA has promoted overbreeding for decades as they have built their ever expanding empire worldwide. The release revives the myth of the “unintended consequences” by claiming “experts” warned of a negative impact on horse welfare if slaughter was ended. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10142 |
