Mustang Million-2013

I recently returned from a phenomenal event in Ft. Worth, Texas.  It was called The Mustang Million.

I was looking for an excuse to take a trip back to the Dallas area to visit my friend, Kim, and other friends I had made during my six year stay.  I ran across an article in Western Horseman about last year's winner of  The Extreme Mustang Makeover.  The article mentioned that the event for 2013 was renamed The Mustang Million and it was taking place at the Will Roger's Coliseum in Ft. Worth the week of September 16-22, 2013.  I immediately called Kim to see if those dates worked for her to have me come for a visit.  She said "Absolutely!" and I purchased my ticket and anxiously awaited the day of my flight.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation started the Extreme Mustang Makeover a few years ago.  The premise of the makeover was to take 100 mustangs, and give them to 100 trainers for a 100 days.  At the end of the 100 days of training the mustangs would be brought to Ft. Worth for a competition.  There were different levels of competitors from youth to amateur and professional trainers.

The mission of the The Mustang Heritage Foundation is this.  The Mustang Heritage Foundation, in cooperation with the BLM, created the Extreme Mustang Makeover. The Extreme Mustang Makeover is an exciting national wild horse training event created to show the beauty, versatility and train-ability of these amazing animals currently in holding facilities. This event gives the public a unique opportunity to see the results of wild horses becoming trained mounts and companions.

I was living in the Dallas area the first year the Makeover was held.  I went to the event not knowing what to expect.  I love to watch most anything that involves horses and engages the new more gentle and kind techniques that trainers are using these days.  The training on these mustangs was amazing and the results astonishing.

That first year, I was so impressed with the results that some of the mustangs revealed in essentially three months of training, that I was immediately hooked on the event.  Since that first inaugural event, The Extreme Mustang Makeover has grown exponentially.

This year,  The newly named Mustang Million promised to exceed all expectations and it did!  The trainers and their mustangs competed in a week long show.  The top competitors kept moving up to the next round and it all culminated with the top 15 competing on Saturday.

Prize money was paid to the top contestants of each preliminary class.  Then, the top 15 were each awarded a substantial monetary prize relative to their place finish Saturday night.  The overall winner was given $200,000 plus a brand new truck and  championship saddle and buckle.  The total amount awarded throughout the week of competition was over $1 million dollars, thus the new name.


By the end of the weekend we all had our favorites and the top 5 were so close, it was anybody's guess who would come out the winner.  I would recommend this event to any horse lover looking for an unforgettable and amazing excursion!

Man 'O War Memorial at The Kentucky Horse Park

As I think about all the things I want to make sure my friends see when we are at the Kentucky Horse Park, the Man O' War Memorial is at the top of the list. There is a ring of plants and flowerbeds around his bronze statue. As you walk around, there are several tablets that tell the story of Man O' War. They tell about his undefeated record, but the most memorable one for me, is the story of his one loss. He got boxed in by another horse and jockey, which by the account I read, was absolutely on purpose. But, the thing I remember wasn't that he lost, but the jockey that beat him regretted his part in it. He knew he had helped ruin the record of the obvious King of the Sport. As devastating as I know it must have been for Man O' War's team at the time, I hope they were able to realize that that one unfortunate race did not sully his accomplishments in the history books. This is an amazing rare footage of the great Man O' War, so beautiful! Next time I'll share some other highlights of my first visit to the Kentucky Horse Park. Until then, Naturally, Susan

Getting Started Interview with Pat Parelli

Pat Parelli discusses the history of Parelli Natural Horsemanship and introduces his new educational DVD, Get Started, with 5-Star Parelli Professional Neil Pye. The "Get Started" DVD focuses on Pats philosophies and the first 3 primary games of his world famous Seven Games and how they apply to solving everyday problems. Learn more about Natural Horsemanship at www.naturalhorsemanshipinfo.com

Tail Wagging Dog Meets School Bus

This isn't my usual horsey story, but it was so heartwarming I just had to tell it.

I was driving down a busy road after stopping in to see how my new saddle is coming along at the saddle maker's shop. (more on this exciting event later:)

A school bus was stopped to let students off.  I was coming from the opposite direction, so I could see the front of the bus as I waited.

The bus door was open and an adorable brown lab was standing with his front paws on the step.  His tail was wagging so hard, he shook from his elbows back, so cute.

When "his girl" stepped off the bus, he was so elated, he could not stop wiggling. He jumped up and down and all around her, wagging every step.

I was a little worried when I first saw him that he might get hit on the busy road, but he was so focused on the girl, he was never more than a foot away from her.

It just warmed my heart, as they walked down her driveway, well she walked he floated with happiness, I drove on after the bus stop sign folded in.  I was smiling like a goof, but it just made me happy :)

Hope y'all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, I know I did.

Life   is   Good  :)

Naturally,
Susan

Annie playing with my grandson

Sweet Twixie

and Annie and Twix
(my special canine greeters)

Idaho Horse Expo Featuring Chris Cox

Wow! What a great weekend over in Nampa at the Idaho Horse Expo!  The organizers really did a fantastic job with all of the presenters and demonstrations in addition to a wide array of vendors.
I was fortunate enough to be working in the Chris Cox Horsemanship Booth and it was set up right next to the main arena, so I was able to watch all the arena events.  Chris did six demonstrations and all were incredible.  He started with a Ground Manners clinic Friday morning, then a Natural Headset clinic that evening, one of the horses in this clinic was used later in the drill team and we could all see the improvement.  I hope the young owner continues with Chris’s techniques, if she does, her horse will thank her.
Saturday morning Chris gave a presentation on Building Rider Confidence.  This was a real crowd pleaser.  The two ladies who volunteered for the clinic were great sports and listened to everything Chris said.  They were very coachable and both were loping confidently by the end of the session.  Saturday afternoon’s clinic was Colt Starting and Chris was given a big 3 year old bay roan filly to work with.  She was challenging, but with his tried and true strategies, she settled down to the crowd, was paying close attention to Chris and he saddled, mounted and rode her loping around the arena at the end of the session.  It is always inspiring to watch Chris work with colts.
Sunday found Chris giving a demonstration on how to use Mechanical Devices to train your horses.  Cattle are very expensive, so if you can teach a horse to track a cow using a 4-wheeler and a roping sled, it will save on using up those costly cattle while training the basics of cow work.  One of the gals from the Confidence clinic rode her horse and was chasing the dummy cow as Chris talked her through proper position and speed.  She was grinning from ear to ear, I think she gained a boatful of confidence this weekend.  Chris’s final demonstration was Refining the Performance Horse.  He worked with riders who each had a different maneuver that they wanted to perfect…slide stops, spins, natural head sets.  It was a great demonstration.
In addition to the featured horseman Chris Cox, several other local and nearby trainers and horsemen and women gave very informational and enjoyable demonstrations.  The crowd was appreciative of all of their efforts.
Alice Trindle gave several presentations both in the arena and round pen on horseback and even out on the lawn with a group of folks learning good riding position without horses.  She is a very good teacher and I could see the people listening to her were really grasping the ideas she was sharing.
Local trainer Shannon Allison also gave several demonstrations throughout the weekend.  I most enjoyed watching him as one of the participants in Chris’s Performance Horse clinic.  Shannon was riding a young mare that was really not understanding where she should be carrying her head.  With Chris coaching, Shannon was able to make a major breakthrough with this nice young horse and she relaxed into Shannon’s hands and he was one happy trainer.  I know he was very grateful for the lesson from Chris, and I am positive he will take what he learned and pass it on to not only the horses he trains but also their owners.
Henry Nable, Dee Craig, Julia Bell and Jeff Spencer also gave presentations.
The crowd was further entertained by the Southern Comfort Gaited Riding Group who showed the versatility of the gaited horse with several of their members showing off what their own horses could do.  It was very enlightening to me, I have never done much with gaited horses and enjoyed watching them.
Another fun presentation was the Stallions on Parade.  There was a beautiful liver chestnut Blazer Stallion, Tonka’s Legacy, that was very flashy and fun to watch.  Judge Boon was a blue roan Quarter Horse stud that showed off his reining moves with style.
Each evening after the last Chris Cox demonstration, Idaho’s Best Queens would lead a grand entry and would honor our flag with the multi-talented announcer, Hal, singing the National Anthem.
Eh Capa Bareback Riding group would perform with their horses bareback and bridleless.  We were also entertained by two riding drill teams, the Leather Slappers and the Posse-ettes.
On Friday evening, the 2012 Breed Challenge was awesome. This was an entertaining and fun competition with ten registered purebred horses all performing in the main arena.  The breeds were judged on their willingness to execute certain maneuvers and the smoothness of each as it pertained to that breed.   Movements to included but were not limited to: Walk, Trot, Canter, Back, Side Pass, Pivot on Forehand , Pivot on Hindquarters .  Riders were given the opportunity to show their horse individually, also.
One event that I wasn’t able to watch was the 2012 Supreme Cowboy Race.  It was held outside in the Esther Simplot Eventing Arena at the Idaho Horse Park.  Contestants were judged on challenges including water obstacles, vertical jumps, livestock, trail obstacles, rope work and much more.  Although the race is a timed event, each obstacle was judged based on the horse’s confidence and athletic ability, and the skill and horsemanship of the rider.  I spoke with one of the participants and she said it was a great competition and everyone had a good time.
All in all, I think the 2012 Idaho Horse Expo was an amazing success.  I’ll be back next year for sure!
To find out what Natural Horsemanship Events are going on around the country, check out my Events Calendar
Naturally,
Susan

Why Does My Horse Cough at the Beginning of Each Ride?

May 23, 2012 By Susan 1 Comment (Edit)

I usually start my ride routine with some suppling exercises, flex left, right and vertical. Then I will walk a couple of times around the arena or pasture perimeter, working on stops, turns and backups without reins. Then I move on to walk trot transitions and then some long trotting.

By this time, Bonus, my 10 year old Thoroughbred gelding is going well and listening to me.
As soon as I start to canter, he will cough two or three times, regardless of the weather or surroundings. He then settles in to our ride with no further signs of respiratory troubles, until the next time I saddle up and move into the canter.

I’ve gotten used to this routine, but each time wonder, “Is this something I should be worrying about?” My daughter is an Equine Veterinarian and when I asked her about it, she told me that if Bonus shows no other signs of illness and has no difficulty breathing as he works, this “warm-up” cough is just a natural reaction to the initiation of exercise.

The technical explanation of a cough is this: when receptors in the pharynx and trachea are irritated by pollen, dust or even just fresh air, those receptors cause the following to happen: 1)The horse inhales and the larynx closes, locking air in the respiratory tract. 2) The muscles in the abdomen contract, air pressure increases in the lungs, the larynx reopens and the air rushes out, carrying any irritants with it. That rush of expelled air is the sound you hear.

Warm-up coughs often occur when excess mucus accumulates behind the larynx. Hairlike structures called cilia that line the esophagus continuously move mucus upward, but once it reaches the larynx, it has no place to go. When a horse begins to exercise, he breathes more deeply, so he may cough to clear mucus from his airways. Some horses naturally produce more mucus than others, so for them, a cough or two at the beginning of a ride is just normal.

Even if this is your horse’s regular routine, don’t stop listening for subtle changes in his cough.  Unusual or prolonged coughing can be a sign of respiratory illness, and if his normal hacks grow louder or more frequent, you’ll want to talk to your veterinarian about it.

If you have a problem or concern with your horse, leave a comment below and I’ll “Ask My Vet” for you, it is so handy to have a Horse Doctor in the family
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Bonus Loves the Water

June 21, 2012 By Susan Leave a Comment (Edit)

Bonus playing in the neighbor's pond

My friend Shawn, from Eagle Hardware Farm and Ranch, posted this tidbit of information this morning and it was very timely since I was writing my blog about Bonus’ love of playing in the water.

“Did you know a bored horse may pass the time by blowing bubbles in his bucket or flipping his nose on the surface of the trough, splashing anyone who happens by. In summer, horses with access to natural bodies of water make the most of it, pawing, rolling and wallowing in shallow spots, enjoying the cool water and the respite from insects. More adventurous horses will actually swim through deeper bodies of water. All horses are natural swimmers when rider-less; they simply dog-paddle along, with noses held high, “blowing” rhythmically as they swim.”

When we lived in Northeast Texas, our neighbors had a great pond or stock tank as they call them in Texas, that their kids played and fished in. They were generous enough to allow me to let Bonus, my thoroughbred gelding swim and play in the pond too.

The first time I took him to the pond, I just sent him in, there was absolutely no hesitation on his part. It is HOT in Texas in the summertime, he just splashed right in. He immediately tried to roll. He didn’t realize the pond was deeper than he was,and when he laid down to roll his head went under the water. He got up shaking the water from his ears and then tried it again 2 or 3 times, he really wanted to roll in the water, he just didn’t want his head to go under.

He then continued to splash and play until he was sufficiently cooled off. He leisurely walked back home, grazing and dripping and very content.

Fast forward two years. We have moved to Idaho, no pond in the pasture, and a pretty warm evening. My husband and I were out setting pipe to irrigate the pastures. Bonus was wanting to play with something, anything!

First he picked up a rubber feed tub and flipped it up the air a few times. Then he moved to a big rubber feeder that was in his corral.

He tried to pick this big trough up and flip it like he did the small tub but it was hard for him to get a good grip with his teeth. So then, he decided he should put both feet in and try pawing at it.
I had forgotten how much he loved to play in the water so I filled it with water for him. He was so happy, if a horse had a smile, his would have been from ear to ear! He continued to paw and splash and stick his nose as far under the water as it would go.

When I used this trough for water in Texas, I had to put it up on another feeder to keep it out of his play zone. When it was on the ground he played and splashed until it was empty every time I filled it up. Since that was his water source, I couldn’t let him spill it all the time. But here in Idaho, he has automatic waterers that are situated in a way that he can’t make them toys for his entertainment.

So, from now on the old rubber water trough is his water park.

Happy Splashing Bonus!