This week’s challenge is to photograph things that start with the letter “B” and I could have gone forever with this one!  Just a few of my many selections…..

A water bucket waiting to be scrubbed

A brush and a bottle of fly spray

Bridles...well, technically headstalls, but I loved the photo

A braided tail

Bits for sale at the tack store

A pair of boots just waiting for a rider

 Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

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.

Image courtesy of KateMonkey

You got it folks!  April’s Carnival of the Horse is going to be held right here at From The Horse’s Back!  This is my first time hosting, so everyone please submit a post.  Let’s make this a great carnival (especially so Kim lets me host again!) 

Click on this link to submit your post.  You can even send in more than one, if you like!  And remember to check back on April 1st to see all the great posts that are submitted.  You just might find your next favorite blog!

Once again, it’s time for Thankful Thursday! I hope this post inspires you to consider the things in your life that you are grateful for. If you have a blog, consider posting about it there and link back here. If you don’t have a blog, please feel welcome to comment here on what you are grateful for in your own life. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, then just take a few moments to reflect on all that you have. If you’d like to tag other bloggers that participate, feel free to do that.

Just one drop can change everything…

Photo courtesy of maddogmarquis, Photobucket

Back in October ’09 I did a series of Thankful Thursday posts titled “Nostalgia” (you can read them here, here, and here).  I guess I’m feeling a bit sentimental again, because this week I have been thinking a lot about someone who made a big impact on my life many years ago.  He was the man that I credit with developing that competitive fire in me and showing me the fun and social side of horse shows. 

I don’t even remember how my family came to be involved with “Vern,” but I remember our first business meeting with him back in 1990 at a little restaurant in Ohio.  He agreed to bring his burgeoning training operation to the brand new horse farm that my parents were building in southwestern PA.  In a sense we started off together, although Vern had been an assistant trainer for several years and was involved with some very high profile people in the Appaloosa world.  Vern was really the one that steered my family, and me especially, into the national and world arenas of competition.  He was the one that found Tyler for me, the white wonder horse that made me fall in love with riding.  He was the one that brought Icy and Seeker to our show string – two equally dynamic, well known, and talented horses that my sister and I were very fortunate to have the opportunity to show.  I could even thank him for Tiny – because he was the one that chose Super (her dam) to be my very first game horse.  Vern introduced my family to so many people and because of him we got extremely involved in the horse show world.  We became active members of the Appaloosa Pleasure Horse Association, regional Appaloosa clubs, and 4H.  One of my favorite memories was when he and my parents brainstormed and created this incredibly huge Appaloosa show for the now-defunct Pennsylvania Appaloosa Association.  They had jackpot barrels and pleasure classes with money added, sponsors, you name it.  Back in the early 90′s it was quite a feat for a regional club to have such a successful show.  I truly believe that Vern was the catalyst that took us from casual horse lovers to serious and actively involved competitors, and he got the whole family involved in some fashion.  He even spearheaded an effort to have challenged riders classes added to show lists at all the shows so that disabled riders like my youngest sister could be involved too.

We spent five very exciting and productive years with Vern before he moved on to other things.  I wish I could say that I’ve kept in touch with him over the years, but as so often happens we have drifted away to separate lives.  I recently met up with an old friend of his at the Quarter Horse show in Tampa and he told me that Vern is healthy and happy and has a beautiful farm in the Pittsburgh area where he continues to coach youth riders and maintains a successful breeding operation.   I hope to reestablish contact with Vern, if for no other reason than to thank him for being such a great trainer, coach, and friend to me and all of my family during our formative years in the Appaloosa business.

Happy Thursday to all and please visit these other sites that frequently participate in Thankful Thursday:

Akal Ranch, Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch, The Pony Expression, and Tired Dog Ranch.

Liz posted this video today on her site, Equine Ink.  The horse actually FELL OUT of a moving trailer and somehow managed to survive.  A fellow driver caught the action and videotaped it.   It is heartbreaking to watch them try to load the horse back onto a trailer to get medical care.   It is like my worst nightmare come to life. 

Have any of you had a bad hauling experience?  Touch wood, I have been relatively fortunate given the amount of hauling that I’ve done.  We’ve had a couple of close calls, but nothing like this ever before.  I hope they do a follow up on this to determine exactly what caused this unfortunate incident. 

Thanks to Liz for posting on this story!

A couple of weeks ago, Emma and I enjoyed a long trail ride on a lazy Sunday.  I know I’ve done a few virtual trail rides now, but this ride was one for the books.  We looped through the woods and rode down to the lake to let the girls (well, Abby, anyway) enjoy the water a bit.  Much to our surprise, as we approached the lake we noticed many vultures lurking around the water’s edge.  What, we wondered, could be going on?

Well, we never did discover “what was going on”  but there were hundreds of dead fish littering the beach.  I guess Tiny had the right idea wanting to stay as far as possible away from this water body!  For a brief moment, I forgot we were at the sandy shore of a lake in central Florida.  It looked like some rocky Atlantic beach from somewhere up north.  Well, at least until the smell brought me back to the present day and place…..

After we’d had our fill of eau de deadfish, we began meandering back home via the country road.  We were chatting amiably and our lazy girls were focused on putting one foot in front of the other and aiming straight toward home when we had another surprise.  This handsome fellow beckoned us over to say hi!

He and a couple of his buddies live just down the street from the barn and I’m sure we’ve passed him many, many times on our rides.  Never before has he initiated contact with us.  We wandered over to let the girls say hi and things got even more weird!

This little guy had no fear of us or the horses!  His buddies weren’t so sure and kept their distance, but this brave soul came straight over to visit.  Apparently he thought Tiny was pretty cute, and it didn’t take long for him to make his move!

Tiny received her very first bovine sMOOch!  Actually this was one of many, as the boy took quite a shine to my girl.  Not to be outdone, Abby moved in for her turn.  And the little man did not disappoint….

I bet his name is Romeo or Casanova – he has obviously done this before!

What? You want one too?

After we visited with Romeo for a bit we headed home – the girls refreshed from our break and Emma and I having a giggle over the interspecies love story!  

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

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is called “Textures.”  Hope you enjoy my selections!

One of the most familiar and comforting textures of the horse world: a bale of hay.

Intricate knots in a rope cross tie.

The well-worn leather of a favorite headstall

Woven western saddlepads come in a variety of colors and patterns.

The leather of a broken-in saddle molds to the rider perfectly.

Check out Sunday Stills for other entries, as well as Laughing Orca Ranch, The Skoog Farm Journal, All Horse Stuff, and Baba Yaga’s Mirror,  all of whom frequently participate in the challenge.

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