I was checking my analytics today and I noticed that I have recently gotten a large number of hits on search terms involving the western horse trainer Cleve Wells.  I became curious as to why he is suddenly such a hot topic and began to search around.  I was set on my heels by what I found.   This trainer, one that has been referred to as “a legend” on this very blog, was involved in a horrific horse abuse case a couple of years ago.  I was shocked and saddened to read about this.  I had absolutely no idea that any of this had taken place and I’m still a bit numb about it.  

I don’t know enough about what happened with this case to form an educated opinion.  I am finding out about it now, more than two years after everything happened.  What I do know is that there are some very nasty photos depicting the alleged abuse that can be found online.  I do know that the Professional Horsemen’s Council saw evidence to justify removing Cleve from the Association.  I also know that the AQHA saw fit to suspend him for one year, instate indefinite probation, and fine him $10,000.  Collectively, this seems like a lot of smoke, and where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. 

The flip side of this story is that I have to reconcile the photos and articles I’ve seen regarding this matter with the man I knew.  Anyone that knows me or my family knows we love our horses.  We would never intentionally put any of them at a training facility where they would be mistreated in any way.  Cleve Wells trained and showed our stallion back in 1990 and 1991, and I can say with the utmost confidence that this horse was not mistreated while he was in that training program.  The horse we got back was never spur shy or bit shy, had no scars or evidence of trauma, and he still had a heck of a lot of fight left in him.  He did not have the personality of a horse that had been forced to submit, either mentally or physically.  The praises I’ve sung for Cleve Wells have been based upon those experiences – the genuinely nice guy with a boatload of talent that took our little Appaloosa and nurtured his abilities.  It makes me sick to think that a man this gifted with horses sold out for a paycheck, which is certainly how it appears on the surface. 

There are two sides to every story, as there clearly must be in this case.  The NSBA chose not to suspend Cleve’s membership and I could find no evidence that the animal cruelty case that was pending had a criminal outcome.  Cleve has opted not to speak on the matter, as far as I can tell.  His training business seems to be thriving and his website announces that he has several horses for sale in the $25K to $125K range.  This seems to indicate that he still has supporters out there, at least to some degree.

I have opted to remove the posts in which I promoted his training techniques and called him a legend.  He may have been a legend at one time, maybe even still is, but I do not feel qualified to pass judgement enough to defend or recommend him to anyone at this point.  It certainly sounds like the Cleve that I knew is not the same person that has created this brand that we see today. 

If you would like to read more about this situation, please see the following links, or those in the text above.

Professional Horsemen’s Council response

AQHA response

A few weeks back I heard about a terrible vehicle accident involving a horse trailer in Ohio.  The truck’s front tire failed and caused the vehicle to strike a tree and overturn.  This sort of story is a nightmare for any traveling horse owner.  I used to be the primary driver of our rig for many years and the responsibility of those 11 lives (6 horses, 3 family members, and 2 dogs) is a huge weight to bear.  The fear of crashes like the one I mentioned is a great reminder to keep vehicles in good operating condition and stay on top of preventative maintenance.  We always kept our records in order, vehicle registration and insurance information in a handy spot.  However, one thing we DIDN’T ever do was create ICE (In Case of Emergency) information for any of our animals.  The article that I read about the accident mentioned this topic and it’s a great idea.  We often create ICE for ourselves and our family members – why NOT our horses?  If we are incapacitated or killed in a vehicular accident, what would happen to our animals?  The following are some great tips on creating ICE, taken from the article on TheHorse.com:

• Include each horse’s age, breed, and sex and a current photo of each
• Vaccination records, health information, health certificates, Coggins tests
• Descriptions of health conditions and list of medications used to treat them
• Contact information for horse owners, haulers, and an “at home” contact in case of emergencies
• Power of attorney – this is a big one I’d never thought of.  This legal document allows a third party to make decisions regarding the care of the horse, in the event that the owner is incapacitated in the accident. 

We always kept a zippered 3-ring binder in our horse trailer with a packet for each horse:  original registration papers, Coggins test, health certificate, transfer of ownership all enclosed in a clear plastic protector.   It would have been easy to add the ICE information to each packet.   Make sure the binder is clearly marked so that anyone looking for information could easily find it and it’s best to keep in an easily accessible location. 

No one wants to imagine a worst case scenario with their horses.  However, those of us that have hauled enough miles will usually experience or know of someone who has experienced a tragic accident.  Offhand, I can think of 4 separate incidents of horsemen I know being involved in horrible accidents on their way to or from shows.  It happens.  And it’s a great idea for horse owners to be prepared for that possibility.  Even if you don’t haul your horses, it’s likely that you drive with your dogs in your car and this great idea applies to them too!  You can put ICE in your cell phone – just tag the name ICE horse or dog.  There are forms and more information available to download at us rider.com.

Happy – and safe – travels!

John Lyons discusses collection of the horse at Equine Affaire 2010

John Lyons is a well known clinician and horse trainer, especially in the western stock horse world.  He has been active in the horse show community for many, many years and has won numerous accolades and awards for his riding and teaching abilities.  I was very excited to see the number of John Lyons clinics offered at the Equine Affaire this year.  His “U-Pick” system of training provides a number of exercises geared toward a particular goal and the rider can choose which exercises appeal to and work for each horse.  In addition, each exercise has a few variations that can provide varying levels of challenge as the horse progresses.  There were a number of Lyons clinics I was interested in seeing, including ones for developing better control, controlling speed, and improved stopping.  The first one we made it to was the speed control clinic. 

The arena was packed with spectators, and seating was tough to find.  We were lucky to have some folks offer us their seats as they left and we got front row.  The one hour and fifteen minute clinic began with John coming out and talking a bit about his experience and then introducing the three men that were on horses riding around the arena.  It turns out that they were not “students” as in most clinics we watched – they were John’s two sons Josh and Michael, and a man that began the Lyons training certification many years ago.  John proceeded to talk about the unnatural manner in which we ask horses to remain collected and illustrated his points with a horse he led around as he spoke.  During the entire monologue, his two sons were mounted on horses and were riding around the arena behind him doing their own things.  It sort of looked like a warm up arena at a show, with John Lyons wandering around in the midle with a microphone.  To say it was a bit distracting would be an understatement. 

Finally John mounted up and the exercises for speed control began.  The first one he chose to talk about was doing a directional change – as you walk around the arena and your horse increases speed, stop and do a 180 degree turn and walk off in the other direction.  Each time your horse speeds up, change direction.  Simple enough, right?  Well, it felt like he spent fifteen minutes discussing this exercise, how to increase the difficulty (change gait), or include variety (turn on forehand versus hind).  The whole time he talked, his sons were riding around the arena doing their own thing – reining spins, loping, lead changing.  Finally he finished and moved on to Exercise #2, one of Josh’s choosing.  Unfortunately, Josh did not have a microphone and so John had to translate everything he said to the audience.  This one involved spiraling off into smaller circles if the horse speeds up; however there was some confusion as to how the exercise began.  At one point John seemed to be indicating that the rider should hum to the horse to slow it down.  I found the lack of microphone to be particularly troublesome, as Josh would lope off to demonstrate the exercise, but the audience was unable to have it narrated as it happened.  Once again, the other son was off doing his own thing, adding to the chaos.  I also felt that John wasn’t clearly explaining his techniques to the audience.  Maybe someone that has completed his video series would have understood him better, but I found instructions such as “Move his tail back” unclear and confusing.  This scene repeated for the first four exercises, but eventually I felt that the clinic was not serving the purpose I’d hoped it would and we left. 

In summary, this clinic was not well organized.  All three riders should have had microphones, or at the very least, the one demonstrating the exercises should have been narrating.  All the riders should have been demonstrating the exercises being discussed or they should have been waiting quietly for their turn, in my opinion.  All the activity had the effect of appearing chaotic and was a distraction to the exercises at hand.  Finally, I felt that the demonstration was very commercial.  In his defense, I had that same feeling at several of the clinics we went to and it’s a feeling I don’t recall having had at previous Affaires.  There was a lot of self promotion of the Lyons name and product line, and I felt that took away from the point of the clinic.  I would have liked to see students participate and learn the exercises with the audience, so we could grasp what issues the horses may come up with.  The exercises were that were provided were useful, albeit a bit basic for my own riding level, but a good refresher.  All in all, there was some good information there but I had higher expectations from a clinician of his caliber.

I left the balmy warmth of Florida  and arrived in Columbus, Ohio last Thursday to a dreary, cold day.  My dad had somehow managed to time his arrival by car (he traveled from his worksite in North Carolina) to meet me at the airport and we headed immediately off to the Ohio Expo Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds to commence the horsing around.  Thursday was the day that Sharon Camarillo was doing a series of clinics on improving barrel racing horsemanship, and I was desperately hoping to make it in time to watch some of them.  Fate was once again on our side and we managed to get to the Fairgrounds, find parking, purchase our tickets, and make our way down the long, long stretch to the Cooper Arena just as the announcer finished his introductions.  Perfect timing! 

Food vendors lined the streets at Equine Affaire

 Thus began our four day weekend filled with clinics, seminars, shopping, and visiting with old friends.  As I’ve mentioned before, Columbus was a frequent horse haunt for my family when we lived in Pittsburgh.  The Quarter Horse Congress, as well as the Equine Affaire, were regular yearly trips where we stocked up on items we needed for the barn.  You can literally find anything horse related you could possibly want at these events.  As soon as we stepped through the gates, I was right back there.  The long road lined with food vendors welcomed us to the event, and the sights and smells continued to draw us further in.  It didn’t take long for us to find the vendor behind one of our fondest memories – the cinnamon bun stand!  I can still remember savoring a warm, gooey cinnamon bun while watching a class at the Congress or even while relaxing after one of my own classes during the years we had the App Nationals there. 

Young riders perfect their technique

Once we made it past the food vendors, the fun really began.  There were clinics and seminars going on simulataneously in no less than eight arenas at a time.  The hardest part was choosing just one to watch.  Throughout the weekend, we caught clinics taught by Sharon Camarillo, John Lyons, and Tommy Garland and presentations on caring for senior horses and equine photography among other things.  There was an entire building devoted to representing various breeds of horse and  I enjoyed wandering through and learning about some horses I’d never seen or heard of before.  The trade show was spread over several different buildings and was just as expected – exhausting and exhilerating.  Any horse person would probably agree that the smell of a tack store is one of the defining aromas in the horse world.  This trade show was no exception – the rich leather, the tang of fly spray, the heady pine shavings.  I was in horsey heaven.  One of the things I love so much about Equine Affaire’s trade show is that it caters to horsepeople, not stock horse people or horse show people.  You can wander through tack stores with draft halters big enough for an adult to step through and peruse the tiny, glittery headstalls that are designed for the always adorable Minis.  Every breed, every discipline, and every horse person is represented there; and for someone like me, that means an awful lot to observe and learn about our four legged friends and the people who love them. 

Wood carving was just one of the crafts on display

Over the next week or so, I’m going to share with you some of the tips and tricks I learned in the clinics, talk about some of the cool new products I saw, and discuss the super exciting Extreme Cowboy Race that we watched.  That spawned some fantasies about a career change for Tiny and I, it looked like so much fun!  In addition, I will be sharing a lot about the BlogPaws convention that was being held simulataneously at the nearby Westin hotel on my other site, The Slobber Dog.  All in all, this was a fun and productive weekend and I’m so glad my dad and I had the opportunity to attend.

A while back, I was doing some reading on equine color genetics when I came across information about the silver dapple gene.  I’m always interested in learning new things and when I started to read about this dilution gene, I immediately perked up.  The silver dilution gene acts on black points of the body and lightens them to varying degrees.  This can be expressed as either “black silvers” (white mane/tail, seal brown body, often dappled) or “bay silvers” (chocolate body, silver mane/tail that is darker at the roots, mottled silver legs).  I believe that Tiny may have the bay silver gene, which would explain her unusually light-colored legs and the silver in her mane. 

As I continued learning about the intricacies of equine coat color genetics, I discovered that the silver dapple gene is sometimes associated with ASD – Anterior Segment Dysgenesis.  ASD is an abnormal development of the eye and can result in impaired vision.  ASD is not restricted to horses with the silver dapple gene, but it is thought that there is a connection between the two conditions.  Horses are born with ASD – it is a congenital condition with varying degrees of severity.  There are several signs that a horse has ASD:  a ”pop-eyed” appearance, cysts, cataracts, or abnormal dilation of the pupil.  The retina is also occasionally affected.    So what should you do if you suspect your horse might be affected?  First, have him examined by an equine opthalmologist that has the necessary diagnostic equipment.  It is important to remember that ASD is not progressive and does not result in blindness, and that most affected horses continue to have normal vision throughout their lives. 

Further Reading:

A missense mutation in PMEL17 is associated with the Silver coat color in the horse.  2006.   Brunberg, et al.

http://www.horse-genetics.com/silver-dapple.html

http://www.silverequine.com/

http://old.cvm.msu.edu/research/mregl/asd.htm

Gulf Coast Quarter Horse show in Tampa, Florida

Recession?  What recession?  At least that’s how it appeared to this first time visitor to the Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show series held at the Florida State Fairgrounds.  The Gold Coast is part of the Winter Quarter Horse Circuit, consisting of the Gold Coast, Gulf Coast, and Fox Lea Winter show series.  TWENTY AQHA shows held between December 27, 2009 and January 17, 2010!  Talk about a horse lover’s dream! 

Trainer Rob Meneely taking a break from warming up his mount.

I stopped by the show this year to check it out as I’d never before gone.  Not knowing what to expect, I was shocked when I pulled into the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.  Row upon row of horse trailers, trucks, and cars.  Numerous vendor trailers displaying their wares; western attire laden with enormous crystals sparkling in the sun, saddle pads in all the colors of the rainbow, horse tail extensions bundled together like a wigmaker’s dream.  Horses and exhibitors in various stages of preparation meandered through the golf carts, dogs, and spectators.   I couldn’t believe the magnitude of the activity taking place.  Trainers admitted that entries were down in comparison to previous years, but this was by far the biggest horse show I’d ever been to in Florida.  Shows were run on a two day system – Day 1 consisted of hunter events (over fences and flat), cattle classes, and trail.  Day 2 was halter, western pleasure/horsemanship, western riding, and trail.  Each show repeated 3 times for the circuit, so exhibitors were alternating daily between hunter and western events.  Numerous awards were given out including overall high points for various divisions for the combined circuits, high points for individual circuits, and circuit awards to the top two in each class for each circuit.  Fees were steep though, with all day fees and office fees priced per judge, and drug testing fees priced per circuit.  An amateur showing one horse in the all around (typically at least 5 classes) would incur over $350 in entry fees, plus an additional $200 stall fee just for the Gold Coast.  These costs would repeat for the Gulf Coast and Fox Lea series and don’t include feed, bedding, trainer’s fees, etc.  As you can imagine, this resulted in an elite level of exhibitors and horses being presented.  The very best Quarter Horse trainers, exhibitors, and judges were in attendance and it was fun to observe and learn for the day.  Exhibitors were courteous and gracious and I saw no poor sportsmanship or mistreatment of horses while I was there. 

Vendors line the streets at the horse show

I enjoyed wandering between the main show arena where the western pleasure was being held, and the indoor trail course where horse and rider expertly navigated a series of obstacles, including a gate, bridge, and multiple lope- and trot-overs.  Outdoor practice areas were filled with hunters bounding over fences and western riders effortlessly changing leads.  Spurs jingled and it was Christmas for me all over again!  I was like a kid in a candy store, not knowing which way to turn next.  I spent the whole day there and would have gone back the next if I had been able.  If you enjoy horse shows, especially stock breeds, and are even slightly close to the central Florida area, I would recommend putting this event on your calendar for next year.  It’s a great place to meet people, see horses, and stock up on supplies, and you can even make a vacation of it.  Maybe I’ll see you there in 2011!

Scenes from the Gold Cost QH show

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit:  this might sound lame.  Winter Wonderland?  But indulge me for a second here.  Christmas is the ONLY time I miss the cold and snowy north and the holidays bring back many memories of playtime in the snow.  There is something to be said about a little icicle magic adding to the ambience of the holiday season.  With that being said, we’re a little lacking in the snow and ice department here, although we did just have a wicked cold front blow through a few days ago.   These newly cold temperatures provided the perfect backdrop for hunting down holiday cheer.  On Saturday night, a group of friends went for a walk in nearby Crane’s Roost Park that was beautifully decorated for the holidays.  The path wound around a large lake lit by festive lights and peppered with families and couples enjoying the fresh, brisk air.  After we were thoroughly frozen (ok, maybe it was only me that was frozen!) we drove to a nearby neighborhood that was brilliantly decorated for the season.  We walked among the homes admiring both the traditional and the more unique decor.  I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Christmas hippo in a tutu before!  Sometimes it’s hard to find the Christmas spirit when you are surrounded by palm trees in balmy 80 degree temperatures.  But surrounded by millions of blinking lights and festive tunes, you can almost pretend it’s a winter wonderland after all.

As I write about the festivities that surround me, I am reminded of my own little yearly tradition that I started about ten years ago.  Every year around the holidays, I select a charity whose cause resonates with me and I support that charity.  Sometimes I might support financially, sometimes I volunteer.  One year I even adopted my extra special Goober Head.  To me, the holiday season is above all about giving to others so I hope you don’t mind if I share some of my favorite organizations from years past.

Neo Rescue, Inc. ~  This great charity finds homes for unwanted Neos.  Many people don’t realize how many unwanted Neos (and mastiffs in general) there are out there.  These dogs are expensive and messy and huge and can be hard to manage for uneducated owners.  Many of them suffer from numerous health conditions and often require surgeries before they can be adopted.  In this rough economy, rescues like this one are suffering.  This is actually the rescue that I got Grady through six years ago.  They have a lot fewer dogs now, and I imagine the likely reason for that is lack of funds and lack of foster homes.  There is a great shopping boutique on the website, so donaters have the option of purchasing dog related items that provide a referral fee to the rescue.

Pet Rescue by Judy ~ This is a local rescue organization and this woman has worked tirelessly for years to help the animals.  I have witnessed her struggle to continue rescuing animals after city ordinances forced her to disperse her fostered dogs.  Until recently, she has relied solely on foster homes and volunteers to keep her operation running.  She now has a permanent home in central Florida but is relying on donations to keep up her rescue efforts.  This is one charity I really like supporting, because it really helps our local homeless pets. 

Stirrups N Strides Therapeutic Riding ~ This organization hits close to home because this is another great local group that not only rehomes retired or unwanted horses, but also provides riding instruction to handicapped riders.  I am intimately familiar with this program, because my sister has been a rider on their show team for many years.  This is another group of people that sacrifice a lot of time and money to help others and could really use monetary donations, used tack and clothing, or volunteers. 

I know that many of us (myself included) are struggling financially this year.  Don’t let finances inhibit your charitable nature.  If you can’t afford to donate to your own favorite charity, be creative!  Pick up trash along the road, volunteer at a local animal shelter, help an elderly woman to her car with her groceries.  The important thing is to give freely to someone in need, without expecting anything in return.  This is the best holiday gift you can give!  Enjoy this kick-off to the week of festivities!

Several months ago I wrote a post on the young Quarter Horse stallion Reminic In Spots and his distinctive (some would say “Appaloosa”) coloring.  His owner, Vicki Johnson, was kind enough to recently send me a link to their website, which features information on the unusual occurrences of Appaloosa coloring in the Quarter Horse.  They have some great info on other horses with similar characteristics and they have a brief video of their young stallion in his early training days.  He looks to be quite talented already and is slated to be shown in reined cowhorse events during the next show season.  If you’d like to see this attractive boy in action or are interested in breeding to him or learning more about his pedigree, check out his webpage.

Quarter Horse stallion Reminic In Spots, courtesy of Vicki Johnson

Image courtesy of Kissimmee - The Heart of Florida

I haven’t been doing very well at keeping up with my ever increasing list of podcasts and only recently caught an old episode of the Stable Scoop podcast from the Horse Radio Network.  (I’m sorry, any show with the lyrics “sit on down and laugh ’til you poop” in the theme song is well worth listening to, in my opinion!)  If you haven’t yet caught any of the podcasts on the Network, you should check them out.  They have several shows that are informative and entertaining. 

The episode I heard recently featured Darley Newman, the host, creator, and producer of Equitrekking.  Equitrekking is a TV series that explores world travel destinations with a focus on horses.  This Emmy winning show has featured destinations throughout the United States and Europe, and even as remote and exotic as Jordan and Belize.  Each episode features a destination that Darley explores on horseback.  She samples the culture, the food, and the ambiance of each locale, often with the aid of a horse breed native to the country.  For example, in Iceland, Darley treks through lava fields aboard the Icelandic horse and educates viewers about the history of the breed and the culture of the country. 

So why is Darley Newman my new idol?  Because she has combined my two absolute favorite topics, travel and horses, into one fascinating and educational experience to share with others.  Why do I not have this creativity and forethought, I wonder?  I can imagine nothing better than to travel the world enjoying horses of all breeds.  I wonder if she needs an assistant?  Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks Darley just might be the coolest chick to walk the 21st century so far.  She has been featured in several publications, including the Washington Post and The Denver Post.  As if an incredibly successful TV show isn’t enough, she has also authored a coffee table book on her travels, writes columns for horse magazines and an e-newsletter, and maintains a personal blog and company website detailing her travel experiences.

I’ve just decided: when I grow up, I want to be Darley Newman.

I posted a few weeks ago on the topic of the Patrik Kittel video that has ignited controversy about hyperflexion, rollkur, and questionable training techniques.  I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by the response I received to this post and felt that an update was in order as there have been some recent developments.  Although Billie has continued to do a stellar job of covering the controversy on Camera-Obscura, there are a few things I want to address here.

First off, I received many informative and helpful comments on the post and want to thank all the readers who offered insight or opinion.  Of particular interest, Billie provided some evidence that Kittel has a history of abusive training practices at shows and on more than one occasion has been found using inappropriately fitted tack on horses bearing sores or even bleeding from the mouth.  Camera Obscura has all the up-to-date information, or if you want to go directly to the article look here.  Kim, at EHTT, put a link to a great informational site on her blog as well.  Check out Dressage Disgrace for a number of excellent articles on the topic of rollkur, including a scientific report on how the position affects a horse’s breathing.

This issue does not seem to be losing much steam and the FEI released a statement on the topic on November 17th.  Unfortunately, it does not appear as though any aggressive action will be taken to put a stop to this practice.  While the FEI claims concern for horse welfare, no concrete action to stop these training methods is being proposed.  Responsibility for preventing rollkur has been placed upon ring stewards at shows who, by numerous accounts, are often ignored or verbally abused by riders.  November 23rd brought a statement from the USDF disparaging the use of hyperflexion; once again, no firm stand was taken and no suggestion was provided for ensuring a stop to the practice.  So far, a lot of very politically correct double talk and no satisfactory action.  As a community, equestrians need to keep the pressure on these organizations to step up and enact change.  One great idea Billie offers is to stop supporting sponsors of those riders that use rollkur:  check the link for her suggestions on companies to avoid.

It is critical to inform these companies, and any others you choose not to support, WHY you no longer support them.  Someone is going to have to start taking financial hits to get people to take notice.  Most importantly, don’t get frustrated or give up.  Remember the Butterfly Effect:  the flapping wings of the tiniest butterfly can create a ripple effect with far reaching consequences.  Be that butterfly.

Image courtesy of Matt Rudge