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

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

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 Scott Robinson

First off, I’d like to say a GREAT BIG  “THANKS!!!” to Mugwump Chronicles for reprinting my post on the history of the Appaloosa horse.  Welcome to all of Mugwump’s readers and thanks for all the comments that were posted regarding my article.  I had no idea that there were so many Appaloosa lovers on this scene – it’s nice to see my favorite breed well represented.  Please check out Mugwump Chronicles, if you haven’t already.  It’s a great source of training tips and information. 

One of the comments that was left on Mugwump’s site regarding my post was very intriguing.  Justaplainsam included a link to a site about a registered Quarter Horse stallion that has an Appaloosa blanket!  What?!?!?  It’s true – Reminic in Spots is a fully registered Quarter Horse stallion that has been parentage verified.  There is no question that this handsome fellow is all AQHA.  This discovery shocked and fascinated me.  I’d never heard of this happening before, so I started looking into it to see what might cause such an anomaly.  The information I found surprised me.

Reminic In Spots, Courtesy of YOR Appaloosa

When I started researching this topic I quickly came across the term “cropout.”  This term refers to a horse born to solid parents in a breed that typically does not exhibit excessive white or coat patterns, such as the Quarter Horse.  The cropout horse may have Appaloosa type coloring or Paint type coloring.  It is caused when one or both parents -although potentially solid colored – contributes a gene for color.  For those of us (like me!) that need a refresher on our genetics knowledge, an Appaloosa coat pattern will be expressed in offspring if the offspring has at least one dominant color gene from at least one parent.  Make sense?  In the case of Reminic, at least one of his parents must have had a color gene which was passed on to him.  Ba-da-bing – out pops a colored QH colt!  Surprise!  However shocking this may be, the information I discovered next was even more so.  Back in the day of the newly formed American Quarter Horse Association, these spotted foals occurred but could not be registered and were commonly sold as grade horses.  The Appaloosa Horse Club and American Paint Horse Association, which were also newly forming, began to allow these “undesireable” Quarter Horses to register with the breed association that they most closely represented.  As a result, some of the most highly influential Appaloosa sires in the history of the breed are actually spotted Quarter Horses born of two QH parents.  The list includes Colida, Joker B., Bright Eyes Brother, and Wapiti.  While these horses’ colorations were a surprise, and often a disappointment to their breeders, it is no mystery how they came to have color. 

Image courtesy of bankerssilvermoon, Flickr

Appaloosa spots are controlled by the Leopard complex, or Lp gene.  This gene produces different visual characteristics depending on the number and type of gene copies a horse has, ranging from striped hooves to full leopard spots.  The Leopard complex is complicated and well beyond the scope of this article, but further information can be found through The Appaloosa Project, a genetic study being undertaken to uncover the mysteries of the many Appaloosa coat patterns.  The important thing to remember is that not all horses with the Lp gene are loudly colored – sometimes they are solid with some mottling, sometimes they are a Varnish roan (easily confused with a true roan, which is allowable in the AQHA registry).  Varnish roans tend to continue roaning over time, often until they are nearly white.  It is entirely feasible that these subtly marked horses were registered as Quarter Horses as youngsters and went on to contribute their Lp gene to the gene pool, only to have it emerge generations later in a situation like Reminic’s.  In fact, many of these horses can be traced back to the breeding program of Coke Roberds, a Quarter Horse breeder who had a number of roan horses.  This article on Wapiti gives a thorough background on the breeding program of Coke Roberds.

Now that DNA testing and parentage verification are so readily available, horses like Reminic are able to register as fully papered Quarter Horses.  This discovery does inject a great deal of spark into the already hot topic of acceptable Appaloosa characteristics and registration.  It is also interesting to note that the ApHC has headed off any potential competition from colored QH stallions by disallowing breedings to any QH stallion exhibiting excessive white or undesireable QH traits (ApHC Handbook, Rule 204.B.2.a.1).  Hmmmmm…. kind of interesting, considering that those spots originated from some of our foundation stock years and years ago. 

Image courtesy of bankerssilvermoon, Flickr

Addressing the Great “Spur Stop” Debate

Imagine yourself in the arena, loping softly down the rail.  The announcer calls for the walk, and you……press your heels into your horse’s sides?  Thus begins the Great “Spur Stop” Debate.  The spur stop is a training technique that is commonly used in stock horse breeds and especially western pleasure events.  This technique allows the rider to bring the horse to a halt using only the rider’s spurs or heels.  Spurs are not necessary to perform this technique, although riders at this advanced level often use them. 

The most common misconception about using a spur stop is that it confuses the horse, as leg cues are used to encourage forward movement.  However, this idea is not entirely accurate, at least not in this context.  Riders use their legs to establish forward movement, yes, but seat and body position are also important.  And don’t forget that you should be able to control your horse’s lateral (sideways) movement with your legs as well.  Different cues mean different things and a highly trained horse can distinguish whether a cue indicates to move forward, move over, or stop.  Falsely believing that legs mean to go forward and hands mean to stop is where a lot of riders get into trouble. 

It is important to remember that essentially all movements that the horse performs require impulsion - defined as a driving force that provides forward motion.  Wait!  Forward motion?  At the stop? Yes, in a manner of speaking.  Think about it like this:  what happens when you pull back on your horse’s face (without applying leg aids)?  Chances are, he raises his head, hollows his back, and stiffens.  Keeping your legs on him when you pull back keeps him driving forward into the bit and staying soft and round.  The spur stop is merely an advancement of this technique, in that the hand motion is eliminated and the horse is taught to soften, round, and slow or stop using leg aids.  If you would like to see an example of a highly trained  horse that responds to seat and leg cues, check out this video.  The entire video is shot bridleless and demonstrates the spur stop a couple of times.

In recent years the spur stop has incited controversy, largely due to its misuse as a shortcut in western pleasure training.  Western pleasure, in my opinion, has devolved into an event that is more about strategy and slowness than about showcasing a smooth, relaxed, pleasurable horse.  As as result, some trainers have increasingly developed tools to give them an edge in the show ring.  The spur stop fits the bill – the perfect way to slow or stop your horse without using your hands (which is often impossible due to the ridiculously long rein length that horses are often shown with).  Riders will sometimes lope while using the spur stop at each stride to keep the horse extremely slow.  Opponents of the spur stop frequently refer to it as “riding the brake” in a western pleasure class as it results in a jerky, halting lope.  Recently some trainers (like western pleasure legend Cleve Wells) and judges have spoken out against misuse of the spur stop.  Organizations like the AQHA have come together to penalize undesireable traits of the western pleasure lope – at the top of the list?  The spur stop.  This policy has trickled down to other breeds and now the ApHC specifies in western pleasure classes to “lope with forward motion” in an attempt to eliminate the misuse of the technique. 

Critics claim that a horse with a spur stop will be a one-trick pony, and that serious injury could result to riders that attempt to ride a horse with a spur stop over jumps or in a barrel race.  This idea is ludicrous to me.  This training technique is advanced and generally speaking, only top level horses would be trained in this manner.  While versatility is great, the reality is that there are very VERY few top level western pleasure horses that also compete in barrel racing or over fences.  In fact, I can’t think of any.  I rode a horse with a spur stop for years and I did all-around events.  The spur stop, when used properly, is extremely useful in pattern classes and trail, as well as western pleasure.  When you are in a class of 50 National caliber trail horses and you can lope your horse into a 12 foot box and stop using only your seat and legs, you score big points.  Additionally, my horse was trained to drop his head with a particular type of leg pressure.  That was a handy technique if his attention was caught by something while we were waiting for our turn to ride a pattern, or when we approached a trail obstacle that he wasn’t paying attention to. 

My opinion?  I think there is a place in the show ring for the spur stop if it is used properly.  I completely disagree with the idea of riding a western pleasure class with your leg dug into your horse’s side so he doesn’t run off with you.  But I do think that having that round, square stop achieved so effortlessly (at least from an observer’s point of view) adds a level of pizzazz to a performance and might score you a second look with the judges.  Just for the record, I have shown many horses that were not spur stop trained, and I did equally well with each of them.  One of them was even a western pleasure horse! 

What is your stand on this topic?  Ever ridden a horse with a spur stop?  Let me know what you think!