More Training for the Trail Horse

I was recently asked to bring a horse to a park to support a Law Enforcement Agency picnic. Many of the agents and mission support personnel had young children so they thought horse back rides and the inevitable picture taking would be a good draw for the picnic.

I easily said yes as this would give me a good chance to sack one of my horses out on all sorts of fearful things.

So on a Sunday late morning I arrived with Junior and rode him around the park seeing all sorts of things new to him: a rappelling tower with a group of people climbing and rappelling; baby strollers; volleyball courts with flapping boundary tape; picnic tables and canopies; a jumping balloon shaped like a castle complete with some screaming curtain climbers jumping around like wild banshees,..and all was good until we encountered a large bag sticking out from a pile of saw dust that had yet to be spread.

That flapping bag was the only thing that bothered my horse but it only took a minute or two to get him to drop his head onto it and when it was all said and over with I had him backing into it with the bag getting wrapped around a leg and he was okay with it.

Then it was time to let the kids pet, rub on and sit in the saddle on Junior for short ground led rides. With their parents there to confirm it was their child and to give permission, I ended up putting about 50 kids on Junior back for short rides and pictures taking.

In between groups of kids petting on Junior and wanting to ride him, Junior grazed on the park grass which he has only seen a half dozen times in the last 5 or 6 years. At the end of day I think I had just a little bit better of a horse, and a bunch of happy kids and their parents had pictures to prove it.

Accepting and Learning v Desensitization

Haironhide, now that's a great on-line name.  I once knew a pair of chaps named that.  Anyway Haironhide wrote and said that his horse doesn't seem to be getting better at accepting obstacles such as trash bags flapping around inside of trash cans or a tire laying on the ground. Haironhide also commented that he had been reading that too much desensitization can be bad for a horse.

I think it is theoretically possible to desensitize a horse too much, but I can't say I've ever seen it,....even something close to it.  While I know of some top hand horse trainers who have said they don't like the term "desensitizing", I think Haironhide hit on a better understanding of what we are trying to do with our horses when he mentioned the word "acceptance".

When you horse get's accepting of something when he previously was showing anxiety or reluctance, then that horse is learning to think rather than just react. I wrote back to Haironhide and said when faced with a scary object and a scary person his back jabbing him in the side with spurs, if a horse is forced to approach or go to or by that scary object, it does not mean he is accepting it.

For all we know that horse may think the rider is pushing him past, then away from the object because it is a danger. But in any event it was not a positive learning experience for that horse. It was surviving as opposed to learning.  One of my many faults that I continue to try to correct is to not be in such a big hurry, and to use a pause to help the horse learn.  And what he is learning is that he can think a situation.  I think this is diferent than becoming desensitized to it.

In the picture above I took Junior up to a pen full of Alpacas who he had never seen up close before.  You can see by his head set and ears forward that he had some concern about these strange looking, long necked creatures.  I asked Junior to step forward and when he was real uncomfortable, I allowed him to stop.  When his body language showed me his concern for these Alpacas was reduced, I asked him forward again.  This only takes a few minutes, if it takes that long.  But if it took longer than that, it's still worth it,..... letting your horse learn that he can figure things out,...learning that he doesn't always have to spook or bolt first then think secondly.        

More Cowboy Humor - Get Off the Carousel

My apologies if this offends anyone. We all probably know someone who comes to mind when you read the card below. Some of the toughest and best hands I know drink themselves into a shorter life which is unfortunate.   But, they know what they are doing and approach life with more humor than most.  I just hope most of you can get a chuckle at this.

Feeding Bran Mashes

Cindy M wrote to me and asked: "Hello! Just read the Bran Mash article and was wondering if you give this bran mash to them instead of a meal? in between meals? We are pretty new to the horse world, but already have way too much experience with colic. Wondering if this might help. Thanks for the info."

Hey Cindy, thanks for writing. Giving your horse a bran in a mash is not necessarily a colic treatment, such as when they are exhibiting colic symptoms.  But it may be one of the things you should consider overall for your horse's health, particularly digestive help, and as a preventative measure for colic particular if you keep you horse in a sandy area and your horse may consume sand when it is picking up hay off the ground,....hence the name sand colic.

I give a weekly bran mash as one of my preventative measures for sand colic and for general digestive health. I use a little bit of molasses and corn oil to help the taste and I sometimes include a couple scoops of Sand Clear. I feed it an addition to regular feedings, usually equal time between feedings.

One of the best sources for Horse Nutrition is the book, Equine Clinical Nutrition, by Lon D. Lewis, Williams & Wilkins, 1995. This books states "While some people feed wheat bran to help with digestive health and a colic preventative, Bran has no laxative effect nor soften stools (manure) in horses, and that there is no evidence either way that bran mash can help prevent colic." As much respect as I have for Lewis’ work, I will remain one of those people who think a weekly bran mash is a probably a good idea.

Some people say that using corn oil is counter productive when mixing it with bran or any Psyllium product. I don't see that, especially with the small amounts of corn oil I use. Other people won't use molasses as it may spike the horses blood sugar,..again, I use very small amounts.

Bran is actually the ground up outer layer of a kernel of grain. Most bran available at feed stores is wheat bran or rice bran. The different being that rice bran has a much higher fat content and can more easily go rancid. Bran is a low density feed at about half or less the weight compared to the same volume of grains such as oats or corn. So the same volume of bran compared to its grain counterpart provides only half the digestible energy.

If I'm working a horse pretty hard or have to use him two pretty long days in a row, I may feed him a bran mash each day for it's energy value. Again, with just a small amount of corn oil and molasses to make it a little more palatable to the horse.   

Given the same weight (not volume) Wheat Bran actually provides slightly more digestible energy than Alfalfa, Grass Hay or Beet Pulp, but is actually lower in percentage of crude fiber.  But Wheat Bran is not something you can use to replace Alfalfa and Grass Hay.


Another thing you may consider doing is tuning in SmartPak's Webinar's on Horse Health issues.  SmartPak is a equine supplement distributor, and more than a distributor, as they customize supplement packets based on owner and horse needs.    

This Thursday, September 13th, SmartPak is hosting two Colic Prevention Live Webinars,...one at noon to 1pm the other at 7 to 8 pm.   This is advertised as a free one hour live webinar on Colic Prevention including smart tips to reduce your horse’s risk presented by Dr. Lydia Gray, Medical Director and Jessica Normand, Senior Director - SmartSupplements™ at SmartPak.

I use a pelleted feed product called Patriot from ADM Alliance Nutrition.  What I like about ADM is their motto is "Forage First".  ADM proclaims horses are classified as non-ruminant herbivores, with digestive tracts designed to best utilize good-quality forages....and that research shows that feeding programs relying too heavily on cereal grains, with limited forage, often result in health and performance problems.

ADM has a very good website with horse nutritional information and information on their seminars. You may want to bookmark this site and refer to the very good ADM articles on Horse Health issues.

I hope this helps Cindy,...Safe Journey. 

Horses Healing Children

Still with a sad heart from losing my old friend Roy who often was the first horse many children were introduced to and who brought a great deal of joy to these children, I read an article on how horses were helping heal children who were victims of abuse. The fact that the outside horses are good for the insides of people are no surprise to us,....still good to read about horses healing humans.

The core of the article is below, with the original article here.

Strawberry is the horse that bonded with one victim and helped launch Marley's Mission. The novel approach taken at a place called Marley's Mission is a rare insight into how abuse victims begin to recover from the most horrible of suffering. Marley's Mission may turn out to save kids who might otherwise have nowhere to turn.

The story begins with tragedy. In July 2009, a 5-year-old girl was brutally attacked in her home by a complete stranger. The man had attended a family picnic, introducing himself as the friend of a family friend, and he entered the girl's room after she had gone to sleep. Then he savagely raped the little girl, leaving her with her severe injuries. Her parents, completely distraught, took their daughter, left their home and never came back. The rapist, named Felix Montoya, was eventually sent to prison. But the girl's fate was potentially much worse.

Her parents tried intensive therapy of all kinds – talk therapy, art therapy, everything. Nothing worked. Even the best psychologists have trouble getting children to describe their feelings, especially when those feelings are so unbearable. So the therapist of this little girl, a woman named Ann Cook, began to think of other ways to get her to share her feelings. The girl loved a guinea pig, named Marley. And that led to another idea that changed not only the girl's life, but the lives of more than 160 other victims.

Press coverage of the assault and conviction drew an outpouring of sympathy and money. The family moved into a new house and bought their daughter a present: a horse named Strawberry. And soon something changed in the girl. She spent hours around the horse, petting him, feeding him and just walking around with him. The horse became a companion. And then a minor miracle took place.

Slowly, the girl began to speak. She talked about what she thought was going on in the horse's mind. And in doing so, the girl began to share what was buried inside her heart.

That proved to be the seed of a cause, started by the girl's mother, April Loposky. She teamed up with Gene Talerico, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted Montoya, and Cook, the therapist, to start a horse farm dedicated to helping victims of child abuse.

"You get to have a conversation about the horse with the child," Talerico says. "Instead of talking in first person, now we're saying, well, the horse is behaving this way because of this. The [children] superimpose their struggles on the horse. The horse's struggle becomes their struggles."

One year to the day after the rape, Marley's Mission opened. "We wanted it to go from a day of hurt to a day of hope," Talerico says.

That is what's happened. Marley's Mission was named "Best New Charity" in 2011.

"The strength of survivors was crucial," says Talerico. "It allows people to be buoyed by the courage of others. There are more people inquiring as to what we do and how we do it. When this was on the forefront and people were saying, ‘No more, this is no longer a secret,' the ripple effect of that is incredible."

Marley's Mission now has six therapists, 10 horses and four equine specialists. It serves approximately 80 children, at no cost to their families. On a typical Saturday morning, there are up to a dozen kids at the farm. There is no riding for the children, who are ages 5 to 18. Instead, they walk with the horse and care for the animal while both the therapist and an ever-present equine expert look on.

For one boy we'll refer to as "Vale," Marley's Mission has been life-changing. He was abused between the ages of 6 and 8, and he faced all kinds of hurdles to recovery, including an eating disorder. But Vale says he felt comfortable almost right away with one of the horses, named Lacy, and as soon as he got into the car for the ride home after visiting Marley's Mission last year, he turned to his mom and said, "I'm hungry."

Marley's Mission has used horses to build a connection with child-abuse victims. "The connection I had with that one horse was really awesome," Vale says. "I felt like I really got to know her. I didn't feel like it was just an animal. They really have a sense of how they affect people. They understand how the people are feeling. Around children, they have to be safer about where they are stepping. They can't actually understand ‘I'm sad today,' but they can tell by the way you act."

Vale is now 15, and he says he's "a lot better." He returned to the farm this summer to help out. He says Marley's Mission has not only allowed him to be more comfortable with his own feelings, but also to better express himself to other people.

The hard work of therapy shouldn't be diminished here; survivors of these heinous crimes will work to overcome their pasts as long as they live. But for victims and families, the idea that there is something that can be done to make a child feel better is the most reassuring feeling imaginable. When asked if equine therapy really works, Talerico is almost gleeful. "I've spend two decades doing this stuff," he says. "The successes of this kind of therapy are remarkable."

Marley's Mission is moving to a newer, bigger farm. Plans are to open it on the fourth anniversary of that unspeakable 2009 crime. The new land will be closer to the center of the state, to help children from a wider span of Pennsylvania.

And most importantly, the little girl who was raped that night is still healing. Talerico remembers seeing her in the hospital after the attack, desperately wondering what could possibly be done for a child so young and so hurt. He remembers the look on her face, but also the design on her hospital gown. It had unicorns and horses. "I guess it was fate," he says.

Go to Marley's Mission and donate if you're of a mind to.

The Best Horse, His Name was Roy

Around the winter of 2001, I first met Roy when I went to take a look at several other horses.  As I got out of my truck I noticed a Bay colored horse around 15 hh, at least a hundred pounds under fed, looking at me.  As I walked up to the pens with the owner, this horse who I came to call Roy softly nickered at me.  The owner pointed to the other horses and said "these are the horses I was telling you about." I replied "I ain't interested in them, I'm interested in this one" pointing to Roy. 

 

The owner said "I wasn't planning on selling him, but I'm willing to talk."  The owner was a horse trader who cut corners on his horse care and was on the verge of abusing his stock.  He was in a mood to get out of the horse business, so I ended up cuting a deal with him. As I was leaving I noticed a stack of moldy alfafa near the pens.  I pointed that out to him and said "I'm buying that horse so don't be feeding him that moldy hay, in fact don't feed that to any of your horses".

 

The next day I brought a Vet out to check him over.  The Vet told me that Roy had a bad left knee and a heart mumur.  The Vet actually said, "I wouldn't buy him."  But I decided to anyway.  Roy was an excellent looking horse conformationally wise, was the right size,...most importantly he has a kind eye.  I took the chance that his only problems were nutrition based and having the right owner. 

 

The day after that the Vet called me to tell me he responsded to a colic call on the horse I was going buy.  I immediately drove out to the barn and found out that Roy had been moved to another barn down the road.  I drove over to that barn and talked to the manager and told him that I would appreciate it he only fed grass hay to Roy until the next day when I could pick him up.   

 

A day later the owner sent his wife out to complete the transaction, money for horse, then I moved Roy into quaratine at the facility I managed.  Near as we could figure we was about 17 to 18 years old then. 

 

Good care, mostly from my wife, using good quality grass and afalfa hay, a small amount of calf manna and corn oil each day, and alittle Red Cell, plus a good shoer brought Roy into good condition within a couple months.   

He was a pleasure to ride, having a slow jog that you could fall asleep on.  I was pleased to find out that he was broke to a rope, so I used him for a couple seasons as a team roping horse.  He wasn't the biggest, nor fastest horse in any arena, but I have no doubt he had the biggest heart. 

 

My daughter also rode him in gymkhana's doing barrels, pole bending, flag racing and goat tying.  She also took him on trail rides and despite his age she and Roy kept up with the other horses in our game of brush popping.   That's my daughter on Roy from several years ago in the below photo.

        

 

Roy just did as you asked of him, and never had any quit at all.  In fact, a couple times I was caught on him in hail storms,....doesn't say much about my weather forecasting abilities, but the fact that he stayed calm with marble sized hail hitting him in the head say's alot about him.  One time I had to take my vest off and cover his face, leading him blind until the hail ceased. 

 

Also had him in a couple dust storms that came out of nowhere.  He just put his head down and continued on, taking me back to the barn.  Roy became the leader in my herd helping to raise a yearling paint gelding teaching him how to be a horse and teaching other horses their manners. 

 

My wife, before she was my wife, used Roy for several years teaching horsemanship to dozens of children and a couple of adults.  Roy would carry those children on his back like he was toting an expensive crystal vase. Those children, some of whom are now grown, continue to call my wife and ask about Roy.  I have long thought that my wife just might have married me to get partial ownership of Roy.   

 

On the 4th of July 2005 My wife called me when I was on duty to tell me Roy was three legged lame.  Subsequent X-rays showed that Roy broke a coffin bone wing in his back right hoof.  The Vet said as old as he was, it would not heal.  We tried anyway, and using one of the best shoers around with bar shoes, Roy became sound again.  

 

By this time, Roy was regulated to a lesson horse but was always at the gate of the corral asking to be ridden.  I have used him in several videos and was riding him more and more getting him ready for the fall and winter.

 

I would sometimes sit out by my geldings corral just to watch the horses interact,...thinking maybe if I pay attention I could learn something.  I would see Roy playing the biting game with another horse.  Once that other horse extended his head and neck and had most of his weight on his front end, Roy would quickly spin placing his butt to the other horse then back him into at speeds I could never get him to back when I was on his back.   He also developed a close friendship with my wife's big gelding, Charlie, and they would stand together swatting flies or scrubbing each others' withers. 

 

More often or not Roy would hear me coming for morning feeding and come running and bucking across the corral to make sure he was fed first.  

 

This past Sunday when riding back to the back gate on the property, I yelled Roy's name.  He responded with his bellowing call telling the other horses where he was at.  I told my wife that Roy's call was my favorite sound in the world and it would be a sad day when he was no longer around for me to hear.  Little did I know that day would be the very next day when I found Roy laying down in the corral, bleeding heavily with a compound fracture of his right front leg.  We had a Vet put him down shortly after that and I buried him that morning.

 

I wanted to write about him last night,......just couldn't do it. I lost more than the best horse yesterday, I lost my friend.          

   

Common Bad and Dangerous Habits on the Trail

I received an e-mail from a person, who name I will not use, asking for me to write a post about bad and dangerous habits on the trail. "Dear Functional Horsemanship, could you write an article about bad and dangerous things riders do when trail riding? I enjoy riding and several of us usually ride on weekends, however occasionally some of the riders, some of the original group and some of the new riders, make the ride less enjoyable because they are not so careful with their horses and are not considering others. Thanks, I'd like to print what you say and give it to them, but I know I won't. Please do not use my name too."

Considering the other riders and their horses is the key. I think that riders in a group should ride considering the comfort and skill level of the least experienced rider and the greenest horse. And on the other hand, green riders and/or green horses should choose their trail mates carefully and with knowledge that they may slow up or restrict the ride somewhat.

We all probably know people that we would rather not ride with, if not for their personality then for their trail manners. I used to work with an individual who was prone to letting the reins drap over his horse’s neck while he played with a cell phone, a radio or whatever and his horse would routinely bump into others. Over a period of just a couple years this individual was thrown or became unseated twice, breaking ribs the first time and a femur the second time. I am saying this not because of his bad horsemanship, but his general inattentiveness that posed safety risks to himself and others. So another bad trail habit is a rider that is a danger to him or herself, potentially leaving the group with a casualty to care.

And while I’m writing about this character,….one time I was trying to get down a steep embankment to stop and checkout a truck and cattle trailer who were not scheduled to be in a grazing unit. I told my partner let me choose a path, give me some room and follow me down. I chose a path that I thought he and his horse could handle. Well follow me down he did, ……..right on my horse's butt, but he couldn't rate his horse and ran into me almost causing a major wreck. So, the bad habit here is not controlling your horse, riding too close or up into another horse. Good way to get kicked,….by both the horse and the other rider!

It is no surprise that horses have a herd mentality and sometimes see increased separation as something to worry about. It is the responsibility of the rider behind not to run up into or crowd the horse in front. If the horse in front is prone to kicking then it should be wearing a red ribbon and that rider should mention this horse's kicking trait at the beginning of the ride to all.

Secondly, if you have buddy sour horse in your group be considerate of riding off and causing that horse anxiety and possibly increasing danger to the rider. Sure there needs to be a minimum level for a horse and rider for the trail, but often the trail is a good training ground for green horses and riders. If you accept that horse and rider with your group on the trail, then I would think it is implied that there is responsibility to all horses and riders as well.

If a green rider and horse has to stop for any reason, it be courteous for the others, or at least some of the others to stop and wait.  A green horse stopping by himself and seeing the herd leave may become anxious and hard to control for a green rider.  And if the inexperienced rider allows that anxious horse to catch up   at his own speed, regardless of the rider, than that horse is learning some bad habits, one of which is letting him buy into that anxiety that he is in danger and has to catch up.  If a green horse is like this then maybe the best thing to do is to not set him up for failure by leaving him behind.   It might be easier to teach that horse to think and be brave on easier to acheive things rather than to be seemed to be left behind on the trail.  It would also be the responsbility of the green rider to ask the others to wait.

Another common bad habit is for a rider in a group to suddenly lope off and possibly spooking other horses, or to run up on a group unexpectedly. It would be good manners to ask the group if they mind you loping off. One way would be for the group to stop and let the rider walk off a ways, then lope away. In fact we do this quite a bit and call it leap frogging. It’s good training for the horse who stays behind so when you ask him for a jog or a lope, it gives you a chance to rate him and get him used to those cues, as opposed to running full out to catch up.

One more hard to put up with habit is for a rider, whose horse cannot stand still, to be close to others when everyone is stopped, then his horse is constantly moving around pushing into other riders and their horses.  Have you ever seen one rider's horse standing right next to another horse, turning into the other horse and getting his head through the other horses reins?  
For more advanced riders riding in a less experienced group, you can still have an enjoyable ride by working on communication between you and your horse,…..work on lightening your cues,…..get in back of the group and work on two tracking,….jogging circles,…..walking collected,....or whatever.  The list of what you can do is basically endless.  This can turn a boring ride into a good training session. 

A lot of problems can be alleviated up front by the group agreeing on how they are going to ride. I guess that’s called communication, between humans and horses, and humans and humans.   Of course, there are also non-verbal communications, like those looks my wife gives me, which makes me want to be in Central America or some other place far away. Safe Trails. 

Cowboy Humor - Bottle Refunds

A Texan, a Californian, and a Nevadan were out riding their horses, when the Nevadan pulled out a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale took a long draw, then another, and then suddenly threw it into the air, pulled out his gun and shot the bottle in midair.

The Californian looked at the Nevadan and said, "What are you doing? That was a perfectly good bottle of beer!! The Nevadan replied, "We make that beer in Nevada,...there's plenty of it and bottles are cheap.

A while later, not wanted to be outdone, the Californian pulled out a bottle of champagne, took a few sips, threw the half full champagne bottle into the air, pulled out his gun, and shot it in midair.

The Nevadan couldn't believe this and said "What did you that for? That was an expensive bottle of champagne!! The Californian replied, "In California there is plenty of champagne and bottles are cheap."

A while later, the Texan pulled out a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 sipping whiskey.  He opened it, took a sip, took another sip, then chugged the rest. He then put the bottle back in his saddlebag, pulled out his gun, turned, and shot the Californian.

The shocked Nevadan said "Why in the world did you do that?" The Texan replied, "Well, in Texas we have plenty of Californians and bottles are worth a nickel."

Managing Mecate Reins

I received many e-mails about riding with Mecate's. I'm chalking that up to the new found popularity of trail riding and the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA). There is no mystery to Mecate's, they are simply one piece or continuous reins which some know as roping reins, although they have a built in lead or get down rope.  It is more common now to see Mecate's made from rope, such as yacht braid, as opposed to the traditional horse hair.

When asked me how to hold the reins I am not trying to be a smart aleck when I reply "pretty much the same as you would any one piece reins." At this stage of my life I believe that making things simple is usually the best way to do most things. And if thats makes me a simpleton, then so be it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure my wife refers to me as "the simpleton" who resides in her house.

Anyway, I shot a couple of short videos to demonstrate how I hold and manage Mecate reins which I make out of 7/16ths inch or 1/2 inch dimater yacht braid or rapelling rope. I tend to use about a seven and one half foot long reins, counting the slobber straps.  I hold the reins together in one hand, with about a 14 to 18 inch loop of excess reins, and my hand generally down, knuckles up and palm pointing towards the horn of the saddle. This is what is comfortable and works for me.

I think a common mistake is to have the reins too long where your hand or hands have too much reins to manage and you could run out of room trying to make contact through the bit. In the video below, I'm riding Roy, my old team roping horse, who I like to talk about because he's such a good horse. Twenty eight years old now and having overcome a broken broken coffin bone on a back foot, he's pretty much been a children's and novice horse for the past 8 years. So now I ride him gently and ask little of him.

General George Crook - Indian Warfighter

Born 1828 and died 1890, General George Crook was considered the Army's greatest Indian fighter. It is by no coincidence that he maximized use of Indian Scouts, particularly members of the particular Indian Nation he was fighting.

General Crook earned his reputation as a relentless enemy of the Indians however personally he had a healthy respect for Indian culture and was in turn respected by the Indians.

Crook graduated from West Point in 1852 and spent the next several years in California and Oregon fighting Indians. It was here he first not only developed his expertise in irregular warfare but learned how to integrate scouts and local volunteers into his military campaign plans.

In 1861 the outbreak of the Civil War brought Crook back to the east where he participated in battles, most notably the Second Battle of Bull Run and Chickamauga. After the war, Crook was assigned back to the West and against Indian tribes again,....this time fighting the Paiute. Because of his successes, Crook was assigned to pacify the Arizona Territory where beginning in 1871 he fought Apache attempts to stay off designated reservations.

It is here in the Apache campaign that Crook's reputation soared, being relentless and successfully integrating Apache and White Scouts (notably Al Seiber and Tom Horn) into his hunts for Apaches renegades.  Crook became to be known by the Apache as "Gray Wolf" and for his honest treatment of the Apache during capture and negotiations.  Honest meaning honest like a horse because you knew what to expect from Crook.

 In 1875 General Crook was transferred to the Northern Plains first to protect and remove Gold miners who illegally entered the Black Hills to prospect and subsequently incurred Indian attacks by the Lakota (Sioux).

In 1876, he led one of several columns against Sitting Bull's Lakota and Cheyenne bands, however be forced to retreat at the Battle of Rosebud while Custer's 7th Cavalry unit was essentially wiped out.

In 1882 Crook again returned to Arizona to go after Chiricahua Apaches who had fled the reservation. This band was led by Geronimo, who conducted a very serious guerilla campaign against the white settlers.

In 1886, General Crook was replaced by General Nelson Miles, a man with little respect for the Apache or Indians for that matter. General Miles finally captured Geronimo and exiled him to an internment camp in Florida.

The campaign against Geronimo and the Chiricahua was Crook's last military campaign. He ended his career being an advocate for the Indian Nations and lobbying for fair treatment for his former enemies until he died in 1890.


 

West Texas Dust Devils

And to think I used to chase Dust Devils on Horseback. I think I'll now stick to chasing the occasional coyote instead as a recent Dust Devil went through my property picking up a set of bleachers and throwing them into the round pen.

The bleachers are heavy enough to easily be a two man carry so I have some new found respect for the power of these mini-size tornados. The bleachers didn't quite make it over the panels so I was left with the job of straigthening the panels and connectors.

When it was all said and done, I had to remove one panel that was damaged too much. Anyway, don't ride into a Dust Devil. Maybe I'm the only person who didn't know that.

How Much Pressure?

Judy R wrote and asked a very good question: "When I am asking my horse to do something using pressure often she ignores me then until I guess the pressures builds and she blows up. An example if trying to teach her to side pass. I'll try to push her over with my leg as I have been taught using the ask, ask then demand with more pressure and tapping her with my leg and boot (I don't wear spurs). I do have to hold her to keep her from moving forward. With other things like trailer loading where sometimes I need to tap on her back legs with a lunge stick to get her to move forward she does fine without freaking out. I'm trying to figure it out but getting totally frustrated. Any insight?"

I know that frustration Judy. With your side pass example it's hard to answer that without watching you and your mare. I would go back to ground work and get your mare to move her front end and back end over independently of each other, and for her to do it well and when asked without a big deal, before you ask her to start side passing. It may also help to incorporate a reason for your side pass like moving to or away from a gate or fence.

When in the saddle, and asking for a side pass, make sure you don't keep your inside leg (leg that is in the direction of the movement) on her which would make her feel blocked in and want to move forward. It helps to tip and hold her head slightly outside as you use your outside leg to ask her to move over. You could also be leaning in one direction which normally makes the horse move in the opposite direction,.....even then there are some horses who may want to move to square up or move into the weight. The ground work first should help.  And make sure your timing is good, so when you get a try from her, you immediately release the pressure.

Your bigger question seems to be "how much pressure is too much"? I am not from the school of making your horse doing something, because forcing her to do something when is extremely anxious is counter productive.

 I think that any pressure that creates more anxiety in general and certainly more anxiety without any positive changes in your horse, are too much. You know your horses better than anyone, so I suggest being a good student to learn when that anxiety is too much which would make acceptance and learning difficult or impossible,....then back off before you get there.  Make sure you reward her slightest try, again with an immediate release of pressure and give her a pause, as pauses will help her relax and that’s a place where they learn. Then build on that. Hope to hear back from you on what you learn is working for you. Safe Journey. 

My Horse Daily - Good Source of Information

Unknown to me until now there is another good on-line source of horse information called My Horse Daily  From the website's "who are we page" it say's: The editors of the country’s greatest horse magazines (EQUUS, Horse & Rider, Spin to Win Rodeo, The Trail Rider, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, American Cowboy and Horse Journal) now bring you MyHorseDaily, a new online community for horse lovers like you!

From training your young horse to caring for a senior horse in his golden years, MyHorseDaily editors bring you tips from top horse trainers, veterinary how-tos, horse care advice (and everything in between) to support you with your horse, whether you ride English or Western, for a living or just for fun.

My Horse Daily offers free downable guides such as the "How to Help Your Horse Survive Colic" pictured at top, and others such as "Learning About Laminitis", "Diagnosing and Treating Lameness", "Deworming Your Horse" and more. I liked their site, maybe you will.  Safe Journey. 

Heat Injuries: Don't Become a Heat Casualty

With a recent scare on dehydration and noticing that it is very common to people to ride miles in the summer heat with carrying water, I thought an article on Heat Injuries may be appropriate.  

Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that may occur after you've been exposed to high temperatures and/or direct Sun and become dehydrated. The dehydration and loss of electrolytes can bring on signs excessive thirst, weakness, dizziness, headache, and even loss of consciousness. The imbalance of lack of electrolytes may also include symptoms of muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Detection of impending heat exhaustion can include lack of urinating for several hours, usually 4 or more hours and a dark colored urine when you do urinate. You may have profuse sweating and a rapid heartbeat. One way to check is after sitting down for several minutes when rapidly standing up you get dizzy and your heart rate goes up 10 or more beats per minute.

 People with Heat Exhaustion need to get out of the heat and/or Sun immediately and get some fluids into their system. Water and electrolytes drinks are best. Stay away from alcohol, soda pop and those drinks with a high sugar content. If you have extra water, sponging water on the dehydrated person can help cool them through evaporation.

 If you get heat exhaustion and don’t reverse it, through fluid intake, then you surely get Heat Stroke, which is a very serious heat injury and a medical emergency. Heat stroke can cause damage to the brain due to the high body core temperature and will usually affect older people faster.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke may include super elevated core body temperature (above 105 degrees Fahrenheit); fainting; severe headache; hot, dry reddish skin; muscle cramps and/or weakness; nausea and/or vomiting; confusion and disorientation; seizures and unconsciousness.

Treatment is essentially the same as for heat exhaustion, but people with heat stroke are medical emergencies. Get them out of the Sun and heat, apply fluids – internally to re-hydrate and externally to provide evaporative cooling. If you can get ice then the application of ice packs on the body where major blood vessels are close to the surface of the skin (arm pits, groin and neck) can help reduce core body temperature.

 If you become a heat casualty, and are fortunate enough to recover, you’ll be more susceptible to a subsequent heat injury.  

Prevention of heat injuries.

Stay Hydrated – a person should be drinking about one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. That requirements may double with activity in the heat. If you add in the factor of being in the Sun, like for a long ride in the Summer, evaporation of fluids will increase your water needs. The average person who sleeps seven hours wakes up in a somewhat dehydrated state. If that person go out to feed horses, drinks some coffee,…then maybe has some breakfast before he saddles up and ride exacerbates that dehydrated status unless they drink plenty of water after waking. Drinking coffee (or soda or tea) which is a diuretic, increases the body's need for water. So ensure you are drinking water, and plenty of it.  

Protect exposed parts of your skin from the Sun. Skin that is exposed to the Sun require the body to take fluids, that are vital to blood volume and organ function, to send to the damaged skin. You’ll also lose body fluids faster from skin exposed to the Sun.  

Buddy system and mandatory drink rule. Riding with two or more people obviously makes sense, but the buddy system is about looking after someone. Checking to ensure they drink enough water. Be cognizant of signs of heat exhaustion in that person. The mandatory drink rule is where one person in a group keeps track of elapsed time and announces when it is time to drink. Military and law enforcement units use this concept.

SO drink plenty of water, protect exposed parts of the skin, and, watch for signs of an heat injury. If you don’t do it for yourself, then do it for your horse,...... cause if something happens to you, who is doing to take care of your horse?

Straight Alfalfa Diet Okay?

Daniel62 wrote about feeding horse, ”I saw your videos on feeding horses, and am still confused. Is it okay to feed only alfalfa to my horse? Will I need to use other supplements?”

Alfalfa is common and available, and most people in non-pasture situations feed it for the convenience. Some people who have their horses on pasture, which is usually grass or grass mixes providing 10 to 14% protein, will also supplement with alfalfa, usually around 18 to 22% protein, so the horses will get a higher concentration of protein and calcium in their daily diet. Most horses don't need such a high level of protein and can do well on a grass hay only diet. However, if you are working your horse quite a bit, then I think added protein to the diet would probably be a good idea.

There are many people feeding a straight alfalfa diet to their horses. I choose to feed a 50-50 mix of alfalfa and grass hay and sometimes that ratio goes to 60-40 alfalfa-grass hay. Some feed a combination of alfalfa and grass, like I do, to better balance the calcium-phosphorous ratio. My priority in feeding alfalfa-grass mix is to reduce the amount of protein the horse is getting and also what I think is, reducing associated gut problems. I think horses on a straight alfalfa diet are more prone to gut problems and colic. I don't think it's a greatly increased chance, but a increased chance nonetheless. Having said that I know many horses on a straight alfalfa diet that do okay, and rarely will you need to supplement with the exception of maybe a salt block.

I just think the more natural you keep your horses, the better they will do. I also feed a small amount of Patriot 14, a 14% pelleted feed from ADM, to my horses but in small amounts. I do this for two reasons,    1 – as a means to introduce supplements, and 2 – to keep them and their guts used to this pelleted feed so when I need to give them more of it, extended rides, packing trips or whatever, I can do so more safely.

I do use supplements. Currently I use hoof supplement on one horse, a joint supplement on another and a periodic Sand Clear supplement regimen on all my horses. Basically, I think the more natural you can keep your horse, the better off he is going to be. And I think that changes in their diet should be made gradually over time in order for the horse and his digestive system to get used to it. You should be monitoring your horse's body condition, performance and tolerance to the feeds and make adjustments slowly.  Good luck and safe journey.

  

The Brave Little Roper

In yesterday's El Paso Times newspaper there was an article titled: Ropin' Hope: Clint boy fights rare disease

The article describes Jackson Godwin, an 8 year old young man from Clint, Texas, as something of a magician with a rope -- riding his horse, all little boy, all little cowboy, roping anything that moves, roping the wind -- joyfully roping a big handful of life.

Now he is trying to rope the biggest challenge of his young life,....you see Jackson started having headaches, then came the terrible diagnosis of a brain tumor. After surgery in Fort Worth to remove the brain tumor, Jackson is now in Houston under going a special radiation treatment at M.D. Anderson Hospital.

But every chance he gets, he drops a line in the water -- trying to catch some fish. He loves to fish -- almost as much as he loves to ride and rope. "Jackson is doing real well," said his mother, Janelle Godwin. "He's undergoing proton radiation treatment. It's only been in use four years. It's primarily used on brain tumors."

Ultimately, Jackson was diagnosed with melanoma of the central nervous system -- something so rare that only four known cases exist in the world. Jackson is the only child with it. "He's an amazing little man. He can sure ride a horse. He's won three saddles and around 16 buckles for his roping. And he loves to fish".........."But probably what he is best at is riding and roping,....he can sure ride a horse, that's for sure. He went to Sweetwater,Texas, and won over more than a hundred other little boys.

The days dwindle down as Jackson Godwin hopes to return to his life as cowboy and athlete and church worker and student. In the meantime, his wants and needs are simple enough. He wants three things. "I want to fish and fish and fish and fish. I want a border collie dog. And I want a new roping horse."  Chuckling, Jackson's Mom says, "He's fishing and we got the border collie taken care of Sunday. Now we just need the horse."

Everybody can help by going to the Ropin Hope Facebook page and the Follow Jackson's Bracelets Facebook page Add him as your friend and shoot him a message of encouragement and tell him his is in your prayers.

The Legend or Myth of Frank Hopkins

Marti asked "I don't know if you have seen the movie Hildago about the endurance racer in the old west. A couple of the ladies I ride with on weekends, one is a former  endurance rider, were telling me that it is all false. Do you have an opinion about Hidalgo?"

Hi Marti, the man in question was Frank T. Hopkins. I'll leave it to you to determine how much, if any, of the legend of Hopkins and his primary horse, Hildago is true. The movie was certainly made for entertainment not as a historical docu-drama.

It does not surprise me that endurance riders don't believe any of the Hopkins legend.  The Long Riders Guild which describe themselves an association of equestrian explorers, is a world wide organization and probably the most vocal group when it comes to calling Frank Hopkins a complete fraud. In fact, it looks to me they are vehemently anti-Hopkins. They have a tab on their website titled "The Hildago Hoax" with 30+ articles to convince readers why Hopkins was, in their words, a charlatan.

In a counter to Hopkins supporters, the Long Rider's Guild state that (most) of these authors did not do good enough research into Hopkins and his alleged endurance racing. Yet to be fair, most of the articles and links in the "Hildago Hoax" are written ny newspapers, educators and magazines from the non-horse world and it makes one think how much research they did.

One of the anti-Hopkins claims is that there are no photographs of Hopkins ever on horseback and no one exists to verify his claims. Yet on the Hopkins website, there are several!? This is the Frank T Hopkins website, sponsored by the Horse of the Americas registry and the Institute of Range and the American Mustang (IRAM), which are obviously Hopkins (and Hildago) believers and supporters.

On this website are some articles accredited to Hopkins, which support at the least the claims that he was very knowledgeable about horses, and particularly knowledgeable and supportive of the Mustang breed.

I remember when the movie came out and I mentioned I was taking my then 10 year old daughter to see it, a cowboy buddy of mine about had a fit telling me it was nonsense and I was wasting my time. I replied that "I did not have to believe in Santy Claus to put up a dang Christmas tree!"

Another one of the "false claims", in fact of the major claims by the anti-Hopkins crowd is concerning the long distance "Ocean of Fire" race in the Middle East. The majority of the movie "Hildago" was over this alleged race. There is a principal Arab Newspaper called "The Arab Times" which refuted these races. And why wouldn't they if Hopkins raced in one and won it?

In October 1993, I was in Taif, Saudi Arabia doing some work for the Crown Prince, HRH Abdullah bin Aziz al Saud, who is now the Saudi King. Taif is on the western escarpment at about 5,000 feet elevation, over looking Mecca and Medina on the coastal plains. I was invited to a Royal horse and camel race. We arrived just before the camel race and as the horse race had just started. One of the Saudi National Guard  Captains told me, words to the effect that the horse race was a "far race" and we "would not know the winner for several days".

So Marti, the bottom line in my book, is that there is as much credible evidence that Frank Hopkins was as least somewhat legit as there is that he was somewhat of a fraud.  Most of the writings surrounding Old West personalities,....gun fighters, lawmen, outlaws and soldiers,....took a lot of liberty in writing and publishing those stories.  You are going to have to make up your own mind on Frank Hopkins......if he was a liar or legend.  Regardless of either, his writings show that he knew horses.  Good luck and safe journey.

Horses Stopping to Eat

I received an e-mail from Lacy in California who wrote ”I have a rescue horse that I am hoping can be a dressage horse. I got him after he was rehabilitated. When I walk him he pulls away to eat things on the ground. I have to pull very hard to get him to stop. A couple other boarders tell me not to let him do that and to never let him eat when he is saddled or I am in the saddle. I guess because he’ll stop to eat when I am in the saddle. I don’t know how to stop him from doing this. Do you have any ideas?

Hey Lacy. This is actually another common trait for horses. We insist on keeping them in pens and feeding them a couple times a day when they are born with the instinct to eat (graze) most of the day. I always say “horses only think about one thing – food, but they think about it in two ways – where to get it and how not to become it.” So your horse is only doing what he is, by nature, is inclined to do and what you are letting him do.

To be very frank, when you are leading him and he stops to graze – this is your fault. As you know what his tendency is, you have to be ready for him to stop and try to graze. Don’t let him stop, keep him moving. When he pulls his head away or down to the ground, rather than you trying to pull on a 1,000+ lb animal, instead give him a couple of sharp, quick bumps on the halter lead. I would also use a verbal que as well. I use a verbal que to warn the horse he is doing something wrong.  It is the disrespect or the lack of your horse seeing you as the leader that you have to fix.  

I haven't seen much, if any, of a horse with a rider, ever stop on his own accord and start feeding. I do see, all the time, riders who stop their horses, the horse drops his head to investigate if there is anything worth eating on the ground.

There are some people who think that horses under saddle, with you in it, should not graze at all – they consider this a bad habit. I think that if you control it, it can work for you and the horse. I routinely position my horse over clump of grass (however sparse it is here in West Texas), ensure he is standing quiet, then give him a head down cue so he knows it okay to graze. If I’m on the trail for many hours I think that a occasional source of food in their gut is probably a good thing.

There are also some horsemen who think that when you feed your horse, you should leave him alone. This is something I also think differently about. I routinely pick hooves, brush or just rub on my horses when they are feeding. Sometimes I ask them to back off their feed so I can put a fly mask on.  I think this is all good. I think it helps gentle them at a time when they feel safe and content.

Carrying Handguns on Horseback

Trailblazervi asked: "Would you please address the handgun which you have holstered. Would that be a good choice and can it be carried on the horse rather than on your person?"

I now carry or have carried several handguns when horseback. When I was an Army Range Rider I carried a Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum revolver in a cross draw holster as well as when the Agency changed to one standard handgun I carried a Beretta Model 92 semi-automatic 9mm in a strong side holster. Both holsters were carried on 2 1/4 River Belt.

These days when I'm horseback I normally carry a Ruger Vaquero .45 Long Colt Single Action Revolver which is the handgun in the bottom of the picture at top. Going clockwise from the Ruger are the S&W Model 686 and a Beretta Single Action in .357 Magnum. The most common belt I use today is a canvas and leather cartridge belt and I wear it with the buckle in my back so the cartridge loops are in my front for easy access. I'll carry .45 Long Colt 250 grain lead cartridges, .45 LC snakeshot and usually 6 rounds or so for the rifle I am carrying. Some days I carry blank cartridges if I was planning on doing some gun training on my horse.

Cross draw holsters are seldom used today outside of competition where the ease to grip, draw and re-holster the gun are desired. Other than wearing a holster on your belt, another option is to wear a shoulder holster. There are several excellent makers out there, the two that come to mind are El Paso Saddlery and Classic Old West Styles, both based out of El Paso, Texas. The picture to the left is a shoulder rig from El Paso Saddlery called the Doc Holiday Rig.

Another option is a Pommel Bag. I have never used a Pommel Bag and probably never will as I carry a lariat and a canteen around over the horn of and hanging on the swell of my saddles. El Paso Saddlery not only makes a Pommel Bag with one or two holsters (see picture at right), but also makes saddle bag holsters, although these may be harder to access especially when riding at any speed. Pommel bags, or carrying holters around the swell of the saddle, were prevelent in the Civil War which was the first war that the U.S. was involved in that used large units of Cavalry. Pommel Bags allowed soldiers to carry several handguns, for close in fighting on horseback, because re-loading black powder revolvers took too much time. 

I have seen Craig Cameron carry a flap holster secured to his saddle on the right hand side where the cantle meets the skirt. These seems like a good rig. The flap holster protects much of the gun from dirt and debris. I am not sure how Craig Cameron secures the holster to the saddle, maybe with a saddle screw through where you would normally find one in that saddle position.





I prefer to carry a handgun on my body, but I'm sure either the Pommel Bag or Flap holster would be viable for you.  Most makers can provide a holster for any common handgun you have.  Good luck and let me know what you decide on. Safe Journey.

Fly Management: Spalding Fly Predators

Anonymous left a new comment on a previous post on answering questions on Fly Spray and Gun Training."The fly predators are not predators at all. They are little wasp that lay eggs in the fly larva and kill the larva before they hatch out. I started using them for the first time early this spring and get a new shipment every four weeks. So far we have not had much of a fly problem. I think I can notice an increase in flies toward the end of the four weeks and a decrease in flies about a week after we put the wasp out. I am considering moving the shipments up to every three weeks. Not too scientific, just reporting what I see."

 

Everyone I have talked to has had very good results using the Spalding Fly Predators. They come in a one time order or an automatically shipped order based on your interval for use and number of horses you have. I guess number of horses you have is an easier way to calculate the amount of Fly Predators as opposed to the amount of manure your horses produce.



Spalding produces a free Equine Fly Control Cuide on their website. The link to this free guide is here, Spalding Equine Fly Control Guide 2012.


While Spalding advertises that "Fly Predators have helped keep flies to a minimum without pesticides for hundreds of thousands of customers over the past 35 years. They're the smart way to avoid Fly Season. Simply sprinkle them near all manure areas every four weeks during spring and summer. It just takes a few minutes and you’ve done your fly control for the month." Spalding will also advise that a complete fly program includes conventional fly traps,...."No single trap will catch every kind of pest fly. Most horse owners will usually need three different traps; Odor and Sticky Traps for House Flies and Biting Stable Fly Traps (stinky, sticky and stable) and each type should be put in a different place."