Having Pain From Stirrups

Luis wrote in with the following question: "I'm 44 years old and ride about an hour, sometimes more, twice a week. After I ride I have substantial pain in the outside edges of my feet. It's got to be caused by the stirrups which are angled. I have seen stirrups being sold in catalogs that are more level. I was wondering if you have any experience or comments on these ergo-metrically balanced stirrups. Regards, Luis"



If I'm reading your e-mail right Luis, you are using standard stirrups which hang in an angled fashion - see the picture at top left - with the lower end of the stirrup closer to the horse's body.   By the way, I have to admit I had to look up the word "Ergo-metrically".

I would first make sure what is not causing your pain such as too short of length in the stirrups leathers, or even a foot problem like plantar fasciitis. Another problem for your feet may be a too narrow stirrup like an Oxbow which puts pressure on a small area of the foot. If you ride with just the balls of your feet in the stirrups then that may cause pain as well as you have the rest of your foot unsupported.

Pain on the outside of your foot may also be caused by how your legs are angled when you sit in the saddle. I think that the more your feet are pointed forwards, as opposed to being a little turned out, may increase the pressure on the outside of the foot as well.

Barring any of those reasons, you may want to try a canted stirrup. They don't work for me - I prefer a 5 inch Monel stirrup - but I know someone who routinely rides in a Crooked Stirrup and he swears by it, but I think he's using it because of past knee problems. The Crooked Stirrup levels the stirrup for the foot through lengthening the side of one of the stirrups.

There is another type of canted stirrup that I know about, this one is from Tucker Saddles called trail glide stirrup. This stirrup is canted by using a tapered bar that the stirrup leather goes around before hooking into the Blevins Buckle. I would like to hear about any solution that works for me. Safe Journey.

2013 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

My wife and I recently returned from our 13th trip to the annual Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Ruidoso is a mountain town about an hour Northeast of Alamogordo, New Mexico and located close to the Mescalero Apache Reservation. It's nice to get up into the Mountains and get a taste of cold mornings after a long hot summer.

We go as it's our anniversary and we were also celebrating my wife completing cancer treatment and literally getting back in the saddle. As you can tell from the photo, my wife is beautiful, and more important, healthy,....... and really likes Kettlecorn! 

The Symposium is a two and a half day gathering of horse people, western artists and vendors, horse events - reining competition, horse training and mule demonstrations, and the headline Chuck wagon cook off. The big draw for us has always been Craig Cameron's demonstrations where Craig works with any troubled or green horse that is brought to him.  The Craig Cameron booth offering high quality working gear, from halters, to hobbles, to bridles, bits and books, and saddles was jam packed as usual.  All of the gear is available at the Craig Cameron website, too.

With one of the horses brought to Craig this year it was a 2 year old filly that was barely halter broke,..if you consider halter broke to be just wearing a halter and not leading up, facing or giving to pressure.

Craig said up front that he was going to try and make this filly better off but it might take longer than the scheduled hour demonstration time since it was going to be up to the filly to be accepting and he wasn't going to rush her. Craig reminded us that his objective is to take the fear out of the horse.  He reminded us that if this filly was handled more since birth she would have been in a better place to begin with this morning.

He started with getting her to move her feet, disengage her back end when asked, giving to pressure, facing up on the lead line and desensitizing her with a rope and flag.  You could see the changes in the horse come and soon Craig had this filly wearing a bare back pad. While she continuously got better, she still had a little trouble being driven or moved around the round pen, so Craig brought in his big gray horse to help and give the filly someone to follow.



Once she got comfortable moving around the pen with the big Gray, Craig got her saddled and did the same. After a few spurts of bucking, see photo at left, she settled down nicely.

Through what turned out to be about a 90 minute session Craig gave the fily short breaks which calmed the young horse and gave her a chance to absorb and accept was Craig was asking of her.





Craig also worked the filly from horseback atop his big Gray giving the filly a chance to accept a person towering above her and used the Gray to get the filly to follow the feel on the lead rope, getting some lateral flexion, moving her feet and disengaging her back end. See photo at right.





At the end of the session the filly was ridden in the round pen by one of Craig's apprentices. That session changed that horse's life for the better. You could see it in her as she changed in the round pen and when she left the pen she was leading up just fine. A lot of fear went out of that young horse that morning as she began to trust humans.  I hope she never gets let down.

Pegasus Project - Horse Rescue

I became aware of another horse rescue group, God bless 'em, located in East Texas, about 70 miles east of Dallas.....The Pegasus Project. You can find the Pegasus Project page on Facebook and see pictures of their rescue and fostered horses.

The Pegasus Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of neglected, abandoned or abused horses in East Texas.

Pegasus says they are much more than a horse sanctuary. From their website: "We work closely with other animal welfare organizations to respond to horse cruelty complaints and conduct investigations and seizures of neglected and abused horses with the assistance of local law enforcement. We then take these horses into our program and bring them back to health. We dedicate our resources to rehabilitate, as well as retrain rescued horses, using natural and traditional horsemanship techniques, so that they may be adopted by carefully-screened, loving, forever homes. Each horse we place frees up space and allows us to conserve our precious resources and continue helping those horses most in need. For a few special-needs horses, The Pegasus Project will remain their life-long home."

"Care of neglected horses is expensive. Before we can transport them to our facility, rescued animals require veterinary care, blood tests, de-worming, and immunizations, expenses that can easily exceed $300 per seizure. All of our horses receive (at a minimum) bi-annual veterinary examinations and immunizations, annual dental care, as well as farrier care every 4-6 weeks. Routine horse care maintenance costs include the purchase of feed, hay, bedding, and any special-needs supplements. Typical monthly care is approximately $300 per month for a horse in fair condition. And then, of course, there are those expenses that arise with unexpected illnesses, injuries or emergency care. "

"There is good news in all of this. All of the horses we have rescued to date have been able to return to normal lives. Our equine residents are handled daily, taught ground manners, trained to trailer-load, stand tied and to stand for the farrier. Those horses broke to ride receive professional training to build a strong foundation. We strive to make each and every horse easy to handle and ready for adoption, ultimately becoming loving members of their new families, living long and fulfilling lives."

"The Pegasus Project, Inc. is an organization comprised of volunteers, united by their love of horses and their desire to alleviate suffering. We operate with the utmost efficiency on a modest budget. The Pegasus Project relies ENTIRELY on private donations. Currently 100% of donations goes directly to care and development of horses. "

As with all non-profit rescue organizations, Pegasus can use help in the way of donations - both money and supplies, volunteering, spreading the word, and fostering rescue horses. Pegasus accepts donations through their website via caredit card or pay pal or by check to: The Pegasus Project, Inc., P.O. Box 26, Ben Wheeler, TX 75754.

So please help if you can. It's easy enough to visit their web site, like them on Facebook and tell people about Pegasus.

Question on Saddle Fit for Riders

TCason wrote to ask these questions pertaining to Saddles. "Thanks for your site and for keeping it real and simple. I have a longhorn saddle that I bought from a friend of mine. I fear it may be too big for me as I feel like I bounce around alot. It has plastic slotted stirrups and are hard for me to get my feet into when I sit into the saddle. Can you give me a couple pointers on adjusting the saddle to see if I can make it more secure. Thanks."

I am familiar with Simco-Longhorn Saddles but I don't believe they ever came with plastic stirrups and I don't know what "slotted stirrups" are. There is nothing wrong with a Longhorn saddle, as long as it fits the horse and you.

As far as fitting you the rider, if the seat is too big for you, measured from the horn to the cantle, you will feel pretty loose in the saddle. Use a tape measure to measure from the inside of the horn where it meets the swell to the top of your cantle. I have a 32 inch waist and like a 15 inch seat. Years ago someone was trying to sell me a very nice Billy Cook 17 inch saddle and insisted that I try it out. I did and felt like a child sitting in an adults chair. I like to be able to generally place a fist between by body and the swell when I am sitting, that's about 3, maybe 4 inches. So I suggest you sit in your Longhorn saddle with your butt pushed into the base of the cantle and see how much room you have between your abdomen and the swell of the saddle. See picture at left.  This is a slick fork Wade saddle and I have get my fist between my lower abdomen and the swell/base of the horn.




The stirrups need to be adjusted so they are not to long or too short - I know that's easy to say. Too long of stirrups and you'll routinely having your feet come out of the stirrups. Too short of stirrups and you'll feel like your bouncing along. Heavier stirrups may help you keep your feet in them, providing them are adjusted right. I like 5 inch Monel Brass or steel covered wooden stirrups as they are wide and heavy.  The picture below is how I like to my adjustments.   While seated my knees are bent but not too much. When standing in the stirrups I have 4-5 inches between my butt and the base of the seat. You can use this as a guide, but some people will like their stirrups just a little longer, and some will like them just a little shorter.  Adjust your stirrups, ride in them, and adjust again as necessary is really the only way to do it.

  

When you say you have a hard time getting your feet into the stirrups when you mount - if you are talking about the stirrups being too narrower then you need wider stirrups. If your feet can't find the stirrups because they are laying flat against the horse then see the question, below, about training your stirrup leathers to stay twisted for easy access by your feet.


Jay wrote to ask " I have a saddle with the stirrups that are twisted out. I have been trying to figure out how to get the stirrups turned so they stay that stay that way to keep me from having to bend over and grab the stirrups so I can get my foot into it. Can you do a video or tell me how to get my stirrups turned? happy trails."

Usually stirrup leathers are turned as the saddle is being made by soaking the stirrups leathers in water, the manipulating them as needed, then using leather lacing around the turned stirrup leather to maintain that twist.

Most saddle fenders are riveted to the stirrup leather, and the adjustment buckle, usually a Blevins Buckle, is placed close enough to where the stirrup is to make it very difficult to get it (the stirrup leather turned) after the saddle is made.

Maybe your best bet will be to train your fenders and leathers to stay twisted by putting the saddle on a saddle rack, soaking the fender and stirrup leathers, then turning the stirrups and placing a 4 foot length of 2 x 4 inch board flat side down through the stirrups to keep them twisted as the leather drys.   See picture at right, you are looking at the off side from front to rear.

I am sure you have seen this before, or at least saw a saddle on a rack with a broomstick between the stirrups. The purpose is to train the fenders/leathers to stay twisted.

However. I think it works a lot better if the fenders and leathers are soaking wet and if you use a 2x4 instead of a broomstick which when placed will kinda over twist the stirrups and leathers so when the 2x4 is removed they will more assuredly stayed twisted. A small bucket of water and a horse hair brush to soak the fenders and stirrups leather works well. The picture at left is a different view of this process from the left side of the saddle from back to front.



You may have to do this wetting and drying process a couple times. And store your saddle with the 2x4 in place would probably be a good idea.  Let me know if it works for you. 

The Horse that saved Cpl Lopez

The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man...or woman. The following story was sent to me with the request to give it some more traction. This is yet another group standing up to help our wounded and traumatized veterans, and using horses to do so. The article below is from the website Indiegogo which is a fund raising site for good causes. If you go to the site and can't find the "The Horse That Save Cpl Lopez" article, then type Cpl Lopez in the search box and it should take you to it. The article below is directly from the website.




Today, right now, more active military are dying by their own hand than from the hostile actions of our enemies. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is largely responsible for this epidemic of suicides.

Trauma and Resiliency Resources, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, has provided on-line resources and referrals to NYC's First Responder community since the events of 9/11. TRR's Founder and Director has provided individual trauma treatment to first responders, warriors, veterans and their families as a private clinician since 9/11. Treating combat and line of duty traumas has saved lives and continues to do so.

In November, TRR's Warrior Camp® will host 12 active military combat veterans suffering from PTSD in a pilot program. They'll receive a regimen of proven 1:1 trauma treatments free of charge. One of these treatments is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. It's amazing to watch the connection made between human and horse and to see the healing begin. Please watch the video, you'll start to understand how quickly the healing can start. It's an amazing trauma treatment and we want more of our wounded warriors to be aware of it and benefit from it.

Our documentary will get out the word about Warrior Camp®, recruit warriors with combat trauma for 15 future Warrior Camps and raise funds so the mission of healing can continue -- and grow. It will be distributed to the U.S. Department of Defense, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, veteran organizations, community groups, Defense Centers of Excellence, corporations and the news media.

Your generosity can help Warrior Camp® save lives. And deliver a message of hope to our heroes and to the people who love them.

What We Need and What You Get

We are not a production company. We're primarily a media/creative services company. We are providing fundraising services and marketing support for this project at no cost. On the back end of the project we will be providing marketing services at no cost. We are hiring a cameraperson and sound person and renting equipment. Donations will cover two days' travel Chicago/New Hampshire for four people and their 5 days on location at Warrior Camp®. It will cover our out-of-pocket costs for 21 days of post production, DVD production duplication, packaging and postage. Additionally it will permit TRR to execute its own marketing program to recruit military combat veterans with PTSD for future camps and to solicit funds to continue and grow the free-to-attendees program. It will reimburse TRR for Indiegogo processing fees as well. If we are fortunate enough to exceed our goal, all extra funds will be used by TRR in support of warrior programs.

There are four perks for donors. A commemorative grey Warrior Camp tee, to the next level of donors, the tee and a copy of the final DVD. Individuals and companies donating at a specific level will be acknowledged on the DVD. The first three individuals who donate $2500 or more will have a portrait done by Chicago Artist, retired U.S. Navy MM Anton Mackey. If you happen to be a horse owner, it's a perk you can hang on your living room wall and enjoy for years.

The Impact

"Support our men and women in uniform" is a battle cry that too often doesn't deliver actual support. Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, children and neighbors and friends have survived IEDs and RPGs but are losing the way because of PTSD. We have to make them aware that there's hope. We have to make them aware that there are treatments that can restore their emotional health. We have to make them aware that this help is free. They have given so much. They answered when duty called. Now they're calling for our help. We have to answer.

Personally I've done projects like this before. I wrote and produced a video which helped raise $7.5M for the Archdiocese of Chicago's St. Mary's of the Lake Mundelein Seminary. We did a pro bono video for Heal Our Warriors out of Frankfort, Michigan. Our videos have helped clients raise funds for the USO and for various Wounded Warrior Rides to Recovery.

Other Ways You Can Help

Money's tight for everyone. And there are a lot of important causes worth your consideration. I hope you'll help us achieve these goals. At the very least, please share our information with others. Place it on your Facebook page. Tweet it to your friends. Email it to family. Let your company know what we're doing and see if they'll help. If you've read this far, you're wonderful. It's a lot of words. Please take the next step and help us out.

Ab Taylor, famed Border Patrol Tracker, Dies at 88

Ab Taylor, a plain-spoken Texan who became a legend in the arcane art of man-tracking during three decades with the U.S. Border Patrol and later taught children how to survive if they became lost in the wild, has died. He was 88. This article is by Tony Perry of the LA Times.com

Taylor became an expert on finding small signs of people's movements in his three decades with U.S. Border Patrol. A search for a lost boy prompted him to develop a guide for children on staying safe. Taylor, who had Alzheimer's disease, passed away  September 9th, 2013 in the community of Alpine in eastern San Diego County, his family said.

As he patrolled the rugged, unpopulated stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border, Taylor developed expertise in looking for the small signs — a broken twig, a small footprint, rocks out of place, patterns in the dust — that indicated the passage of immigrants trying to sneak into the United States.

Like other Border Patrol agents, Taylor referred to the daily hunt as The Game. While he never expressed any remorse for doing his job, he admitted admiration for immigrants trying to get to America and find jobs. "I can have the greatest empathy for the individual Mexican coming in and understand him and know about him," Taylor told a reporter for The Times in 1972 while spitting wads of chewing tobacco into the border dust. "Still, I don't have reservations about doing my job because I know that this country cannot possibly absorb all the poverty of Mexico."

The more difficult the chase, the greater the satisfaction, said Taylor, who spent most of his career assigned to the Southern California border. "The tougher he is to beat, the more you admire him," he said. "If you catch him down there a mile away from the border and blunder into him, there certainly is no satisfaction there. But if you track him from sun-up one day to sundown the next … then there's a great measure of satisfaction in beatin' him."

If he had respect for immigrants, he had scorn for the smugglers, particularly those who take money to transport immigrants to the Mexican side of the border and then abandon them to navigate the overland dangers by themselves. "Typically, the smuggler is greedy," Taylor said. "And typically he's a little bit cowardly. If he had a lot of guts, he'd be hauling narco."

After three decades with the Border Patrol, he retired in the late 1970s. An incident in 1981 changed Taylor's life and gave him a new passion: teaching children how to survive if they were lost in the forest or desert.

Taylor was one of hundreds of people who searched for a 9-year-old boy who had become separated from his family during a trip to Mt. Palomar north of San Diego. For four days, searchers scoured the forest, only to find the boy dead from exposure. Taylor would later say the failure to find Jimmy Beveridge was the biggest disappointment of his life.

After that bitter experience, Taylor was among those who founded the nonprofit Hug-a-Tree and Survive program, a guide for children on staying safe. Among the tips: Stay put, do not panic, and hold onto a tree for warmth. Taylor instructed parents as well, telling them to equip their kids with flashlights and large plastic bags to stave off the cold.

Taylor used his fame and media savvy to spread the message of survival. He gave lectures to schools and community groups. His slide presentation included pictures of his grandchildren. Albert Snow Taylor was born in San Angelo, Texas, on Nov. 24, 1924, the son of a small-town grocer. He worked on his uncle's farm and grandfather's ranch and served in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier in World War II.

Joining the Border Patrol after the war ended, Taylor found his true talent. In the days before trackers used high-tech methods, Taylor could discover small signs others missed, a skill called "sign cutting." He tracked innumerable immigrants and also helped capture killers and kidnappers and find lost children. Jimmy Beveridge was his only failed search, Taylor often told audiences, the pain evident in his voice.

In 1980, he served as a consultant on the movie Fundamentals of Mantracking: The Step by Step Method." Chapters included how to search for lost children, how to track animals, and how to track someone trying to evade capture.

In retirement, he noted with sadness the Border Patrol had shifted away from tracking. "They did away with everything I had spent my life building up," he told the Associated Press in 2001. Taylor is survived by his third wife, Lillian Beam Taylor; sons Kenneth and Stuart; and daughter Patti; along with three stepchildren, Rick, Kenny and Kevin Beam; and sisters Barbara Tolch and Marjorie Grubb.

West Nile Reminder and Trail Advice from a Reader

Scott wrote to Functional Horsemanship reminding us that West Nile Virus (WNV) is still prevalent in many parts of the country and in addition to annual WNV immunizations, insect repellent is another method to help keep your horse's protected and he added that insect repellent's for rider's are important as well, as people get WNV too.

I've seen one horse who was positive for WNV and it was hard to bear watching horse suffering, stumbling, head down, losing balance, and not eating. WNV in people is fairly rare and sometimes hard to diagnose. The Center for Disease Control says that 1 in 5 people who are infected with WNV will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Most people with this type of West Nile virus will recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months. Even fewer people will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis which is inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues. For both people and horses the treatment is to generally manage the symptoms.

I'd add that manure management and ensuring that standing water traps are emptied to take away mosquito breeding grounds is a good preventive practice. Here in West Texas where 8 inches a rain a year is the average, we recently received over 5 inches of rain in a week bringing mosquitos into areas where we usually don't see them. I sprayed insect killer daily on top of the loads of manure dumped into my dumpster, and used a daily application of Pyranha fly spray on my horses until everything dried out.

Another point Scott stressed was to ensure when you trail ride on public, or even private land, to make sure your know the rules for use. A group of riders can eliminate the use of land for other horses and riders by breaking rules. I like the Back Country Horsemen of America's theme which is to "Leave No Trace".  I occasionally run across some horse tracks from time to time who riders have no problem at all littering along their ride with Bud Light cans and bottles. I have a hard time believing that people who have no respect for the land have any respect for horses.

And while I have carried a gun all my adult life, for personal protection or in performance of my duties, and I certainly believe in the 2nd Amendment, if the land use rules for a trail ride included no firearms then I would respect that and wouldn't carry a gun, or more likely not ride at all. Scott reminds us to do our research so we don't trailer to some place only to discover regulations we were unprepared for.

Thanks Scott for your reminder and safe journey to you.

Sawtooth Saddle

I have received several questions on one of the saddle's that I am riding in some of the videos I post. So it gives me a chance to plug Sawtooth Saddle Company of Vernal, Utah.



The saddle in these pictures is called the Santa Fe and based on a design that dates back to 1838.  It's a slick fork with a hard seat, a minimal, rounded skirt and really a joy to ride.  It weighs right around 27 pounds which helped me decide on this saddle as I did not have a really lightweight saddle for long rides or heading up into the mountains. 

This saddle is double rigged and has big brass rings for the front and rear cinches, turned stirrup leathers with five inch Brass Monel stirrups. The horn is rawhide with a leather cap and large concho. This is not a saddle I would routinely rope, dally and drag calves on, let alone heavier cows. If I was going to use this saddle for that I would put a horn wrap on it or just use some rubber dally wraps temporarily to help preserve both the horn and my rope. This saddle came with a realy nice leather bound Mohair cinch. My wife now has that cinch and I am using a fleece lined cinch which is my preference. Many rider's don't like the way I rig my cinch with the knot through the strap but if you'll notice the knot it is set ahead of where my knee and leg are so it is not an issue on this saddle or type of rigging.  

The Breast Collar attachment D rings are high enough on the saddle so the breast collar can ride where it needs to, above the chest and below the neck in the cleft so it doesn't impede the horse's movement or breathing.   

This is a very well made saddle. Everything about it shows superior craftsmanship. A person couldn't go wrong with a Sawtooth Saddle if their checkbook would allow the purchase. Visit the Sawtooth site and see their selection.

Helping Your Horse with Accepting the Mounting Block

Probably due to a combination of short people buying tall horses and older people with declining physical abilities it seems like many people need mounting blocks to get up in the saddle. And before you write me any nasty comments, I'm one of those people I wrote about in the first sentence,...short and aging. But I have fairly short horses, certainly no taller than 15.1 hands high which makes for mounting much easy.

However, it is necessary for many people to be able to bring their horse over to a mounting aid. It's also pretty common for a horse to lead up to the mounting block and when the rider's climbs the block, the horse will drift out to a position that the rider cannot mount from. I have noticed this in trail type competitions and many of the horses resist the rider's attempts to pull him over to the mounting block. This could be because the horse is not used to, or accepting of the rider towering above them,......don't ask me why being in the saddle is different,...... or the horse may simply be not immediately accepting of the mounting block which is a new obstacles for them.

The good news is that getting your horse to close the gap and stand next to a mounting block why you gain the saddle is a pretty easy thing to get your horse comfortable with.

Be sure your horse is comfortable with the mounting block as an obstacle. Lead him up to it, give him the time he needs to accept it,……it may take 2 seconds, it may take 30 seconds, it doesn't matter because your horse is not on your schedule, you're actually on his, but the point is to get him to accept that it's not a threat.

Lead the horse up to the mounting block and position where you can mount. Even if the horse stands for you to mount in this position, the position you put him in, I would still go through the process of cueing him to move his feet until he is parallel to you (siding up to you) so you could mount safely. This will be useful when you go to use a mounting block he is not used to.

So try this,....lead the horse up so he is perpendicular (facing) the mounting mount. Get on the mounting block and bump the lead line in a upwards, rhythmic fashion until the horse moves his feet. As he moves, even on foot or even leans to or looks to be wanting to move a foot, stop bumping - this is the release. Then begin again. Every time the horse moves his feet, give him a release (quit bumping the lead line). It's okay, in my opinion, that the horse moves in the wrong direction initially because he is learning the cue to move his feet. That's all you are really trying to do, get him to move his feet. You can use a verbal cue as well such as "over".

Do this a couple times and you'll most likely have a horse that automatically sides up to you when you climb onto the mounting block. Then you may have the issue of getting him to wait on you to ask him to position up.

Finally, be sure you are following safe mounting procedures from the mounting block,......don't settle for having your horse close enough to make mounting possible,......your horse needs to be close enough to make mounting safe. Have ahold of the reins, shorten the reins on the side you are mounting on just in case your horse moves out or even bolts, you will be prepared to tip his head and disengage his back end to a stop. Sit in the saddle and find your off side stirrup. Having turned stirrups make this much easier so your foot automatically finds the stirrup. Hope this helps.

Horse Humor - Horse and Rider in Drive Through

Many people have seen this picture, reportedly taken at a Texas Whataburger, a State Institution by the way, but there was an actual account of a girl riding her horse through a McDonalds in England but was refused service as that McDonald's did not serve people on horses in this particular drive through.

So the woman dismounted and led her horse inside to order, where the horse "ended up doing his business on the floor" which is the polite British way of saying the horse pooped or otherwise dropped a load of manure.

A McDonald's spokeswoman said "the incident caused distress to customers and disruption for the restaurant, and the police issued the woman with a fixed penalty notice." She added: "The health and safety of our customers and staff is our top priority, and for this reason we are unable to serve pedestrians, bicycle riders or customers on horseback through the drive-thru."

Don't believe me, check it out here at the BBC News site.

If you are reading this you probably don't have a problem eating a biscuit with one hand and brushing a horse with the other. 

Horse Owners Preparing for Natural Disasters and Emergencies

This was sent to me with a request to share..."10 Rules to Live by in Evacuations with Horses from Wildfires or Natural Disasters". All good advice with the intent to get you to think what you would do in an emergency. My comments are in Italics.

1. TEACH YOUR HORSE TO LOAD (and tie)! And I mean ...immediately step into a trailer.
I have previously written and did a short video about blind fold training your horse which would be useful for moving them through some situations like fires.

2. Take at least one bale of hay and a BUCKET, you never know where your horse is going to end up.
Taking a water supply is a good idea as this will give you some time to find a water source as you re-locate. There are many options here with various space saving trailer water containers. I use 5 gallon military style plastic jugs and I always keep four of them full and loaded into my primary trailer and I have a collapible 55 gallon blivet for my truck which was intended to use to lay a wet line for grassfires, but could easily be a mobile water source for livestock. Having temporary panels or the ability to make a high-line to tie your horses to when you get some place safe would be something to consider.

3. No matter what, if you take your horses or not, MAKE SURE you take your proof of ownership/BRAND INSPECTIONS! This will help you prove the horses are yours later on! Photographs of your horses should work in non brand inspection areas.
I keep a file folder with all the vet records and current Coggins tests and Health Certificates on our horses. The new Coggins (EIA) test results will have profile photographs of the horse, as opposed to drawings, making recognition/identification/proof of ownership easier.

4. If you CANNOT TAKE your horse, TURN THEM LOOSE! They have great survival instincts, its better than dying in a locked barn.
I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where I have to turn my horses loose, then drive out to safety. I think that bringing your horses out by ponying them or hooking them into a pack string would be an option.

5. IF YOU TURN THEM LOOSE, write your phone number on them in some way! Spray paint/shoe polish, whatever you can find.
I never thought of this. Maybe a shoe tag with your contact info tied into their tail would work?

6. If you turn them loose TAKE THEIR HALTERS OFF! Imagine all the debris your horse is going to encounter! You don't want them caught on!
Speaking of halters, another thing to consider is ensuring halters and leads are close at hand if someone else has to evacuate your horses if you can't make it back to your property.

7. If you turn them loose, LOCK THEM OUT OF THEIR BARN/PEN/STALL/YARD. They WILL go back!

8. If you take your horse to an evacuation center, it is still a good idea to have your horse marked in some way. Sometimes evacuation centers have to evacuate!

9. If you take your horse in a trailer, PLEASE tie them if you safely can! I cannot count how many times we were evacuating and found a loose horse we needed to load with ours, if the horses are loose in the trailer that is a disaster waiting to happen.
I always keep a couple spare halters and a lariat iny my truck as well as in my trailer. I use a tie ring I developed to make it easy to hook and secure horses to D rings on trailer.

10. If your horse is in a large pasture area, cut the fence in corners and leave gates open! When horses can't find their way in smoke/debris they will follow fence lines.

For more info go the Colorado State University website and a printable Wildfire Preparedness for Horse Owners List.

Does Mecate Reins Affecting Balance of the Bit?

I received this question on the balance of a bit when using Mecate reins: "(I was) wondering about balance in the bit with one side having two weights of reins vs. the other with just a rein. Do you add a heavier knot/slobber strap on the side that doesn't have the get down rope?"

I'm sure there is a difference in weight coming off the bit ring or shank when using mecate reins, however I think it is pretty minimal and I don't think the balance is effected enough, as you will be using slobber straps so the weight of the slobber strap with the attached rein will be hanging off the bit ring or shank.

You asked if you can add a knot on the the off side to balance any weight difference. I don't see why not a knot (sorry couldn't resist that pun) but it is also common to see a shoo fly braided into the end of the mecate reins on the off side. On the picture of one of my horses with a snaffle bit, slober straps and a mectate eins, you see I have a little bit extra rope on the off side.
This wasn't done to balance the weight on the bit, it was for adjusting the entire mecate, from what I use for a continous rein and what length I like for the lead rope

As you use the mecate reins, the lead rope (or the get down rope portion) of the mecate rein will be suspended but secured at the free end, either to your saddle horn, through your belt, or coiled and tied to saddle strings. The lead rope (get down rope) should be loose (not taunt) so it should not be pulling on the bit.

The rider is going to handling the mecate reins therefore some of the weight on the reins is going to be taken up with this contact. Some of the weight of the bit is going to taken up by the horse's tongue as well. Again, I don't think balance this much of an issue. I cannot remember riding a horse in a mecate where the horse was verring to the left when loping on a loose rein.

Some people just don't like to use a mecate because of the additional rope (lead line portion) that they have to keep track of. An option here would be to ride with a small halter under the bridle with the halter lead line coiled and tied to the saddle strings. You could also use a get down rope that is tied fairly loosely around the horse's neck with the lead again coiled and tied to the saddle strings. Of course, this will negate one of the features of a mecate's lead tucked into your belt where if you come off the horse unexpectedly you would have a line to your horse to keep him from running off if he had a mind to. Just be sure to "S" roll your mecate lead or get down rope and tuck it into your belt so if you do come off your horse the rope will come out of your belt so you won't get drug if you can't get ahold of it quick enough.

Hopes this help. Safe Journey to you.

Questions on Childen's Horseback Riding Lessons

Susan sent an e-mail with the following question. "I found your website as I am researching everything about horses, as I know next to nothing about them. I have my 10 year old daughter taking horseback riding lessons, one hour twice a week. In three weeks she has not yet begun to ride a horse, all she is doing is cleaning horses. Do you have any guidelines or suggested sites for riding lessons, specifically lesson outlines?"

Hi Susan, I think by the time you read this your questions will have been resolved. I am assuming you did some research on your riding instructor such as talking to other parents or maybe you were directed to this instructor from a prior student. Maybe you can ask your daughter's instructor for a lesson guide or schedule. Or maybe better yet, just ask the instructor how you daughter is doing. Is she comfortable around horses? Is she absorbing the lessons she has been taught so far? And while she has not sat a horse yet, she should be learning a great deal about horse care, horse behavior, and above all, safety around horses. So, I don't necessarily think that it is too odd for a child, new to horses, not to ride right off the bat.

My wife, her name is Susan also, taught horsemanship to children for a number of years. We always said that she was not teaching riding, but teaching the next generation of horse owners. If your daughter's instructor is anything like my wife, then I would think that in three week's your daughter has probably been exposed to safety around horses, putting on and leading a horse in a halter, feed and water requirements and how to feed a horse, grooming a horse, cleaning hooves, horse anatomy, horse health issues, and probably been given a few demonstrations on how horses act and react to different things - all the while becoming more comfortable around horses.

I don't think there is a timeline set in stone for children. Maybe the riding instructor is reading your daughter like the instructor reads a horse, determining when being ready is. Having said that, I think your daughter will probably be horseback by the time you read this. And I just bet her first few rides are bareback or with a barepack pad. I would like to her back on how your daughter is doing.

Reader's Questions on Caring for Horse Feet

SimCat wrote in to ask "just how often (really) a horse's feet need to be cleaned."

For me, inspecting my horse's feet and cleaning them when necessary, is dependent upon the environment they are in. During the rainy season when they often stand in wet dirt, I'll inspect and clean them more often. Even in the dry parts of the year, which is most of the year here in West Texas, I reckon I do not go more than a week without picking up and looking at their feet.

We recently finished the "rainy season" here, recieving a total of about two inches of rain over a few weeks. Enough rain to make the corrals wet, some standing water and mud for several days in a row where I picked their feet sometimes every day and applied Kopertox is needed to combat the pre-thrush condition. Picking the feet exposing the bacteria to oxygen is usually enough to fight the pre-thrush condition, but sometimes one, maybe two treatments of Kopertox or Thrush Buster is necessary. 

I always look at the feet before riding to see if a shoe is loose or to look for any foot injuries. I do not clean the hooves prior to riding, instead allowing the dirt and manure packed into the hoove to help protect the hooves for that ride, but I always clean the feet after a ride and before I turn a horse back out.  

Tina wrote and asked "if I ever used plastic hoof packing to protect my horse's feet when riding in rough areas."

No Tina, I have not.  The horses I take into rough areas are wearing shoes.  I have had my horseshoer use a urethane product to fill the concave portion of the hoof, then a pad to keep it in place, then nailed on horsehoes to help dropping heel bulbs on one back leg, but I have never used this or other plastic or rubber products to cushion a horse's hooves for rocky or rough ground.  I suppose it could be or has been done.  But it's a lot of effort.  You have to ensure the hoof is dry and some people will use a heat gun or butane torch to do so.  Hoof boots may be a better solution and they would be re-useable for continued riding in the terrain you are concerned about.    You can find some examples of hoof boots at EasyCareInc.com
    

Jaguar spotted in the Southwest U.S.

New photographs show that a rare male jaguar apparently has been roaming in Southern Arizona mountains for at least nine months, indicating the animals are occasionally moving into their historic range from northern Mexico and into the American Southwest.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that remote cameras have photographed the big cat in five locations in the Santa Rita Mountains' eastern flank on seven occasions since October. Those photos were taken for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by University of Arizona cameras after a hunter gave state authorities a photo of a jaguar's tail that he took last September in the Santa Ritas.

The images were provided to the Star this week by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Federally financed remote cameras photographed the jaguar west of the proposed Rosemont Mine site in the mountains southeast of Tucson. It is the only jaguar known to live in the United States since the 15-year-old cat known as Macho B died in Arizona in March 2009.

The photographs come as federal wildlife officials consider designating more than 1,300 square miles in New Mexico and Arizona as critical habitat for the jaguar.

The proposed habitat would include parts of Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties in Arizona, and New Mexico's Hidalgo County.

While this habitat isn't as good for jaguars as what exists in Mexico, said Jean Calhoun, an assistant field supervisor in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Tucson office, "It's the best (jaguar) habitat we have."

Tim Snow, an Arizona Game and Fish Department nongame specialist, said the area where the photos were shot has prey for the jaguar like deer and javelina. But the new photos don't change the state Game and Fish's opposition to a jaguar critical habitat.

"That solitary male jaguar is no reason for critical habitat. We don't have any breeding pairs," said department spokesman Jim Paxon. "If that was critical habitat, we would still be doing the same thing that we are doing today. We are not harassing that jaguar or modifying normal activities there that are lawful today."

Michael Robinson of the environmental advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity, however, said a habitat is needed in American Southwest. "It's hard to see how an area with possibly the only jaguar living in the wild in the United States ... how that habitat would not be essential to recovery here," he said.

Warner Glenn, the author of Eyes of Fire, rancher, mountain lion hunter and conservationist, was the first to photograph a wild jaguar in 1996. Jaguars were thought to be gone from the Southwest until he saw a live one in the Peloncillos Mountains, near the New Mexico border with Mexico, on March 7, 1996.

In many ways, Warner’s photographs of a wild jaguar in 1996 were the spark for the last decade’s research, camera traps and conservation struggles over the jaguar; all lovers of these lovely cats owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Warner is on the Board of Directors of the Malpai Borderlands Group and has seen wild jaguars in the US twice.

“He did not run,” Mr. Glenn said. “He was not afraid of anything.” Later he estimated that the jaguar, by the look of his teeth, was eight or nine years old and weighed nearly 200 pounds. Mr. Glenn named the cat Border King.

Another jaguar is now being tracked and photographed in southern Arizona by Jack Childs, a rancher and lion hunter from Tucson. Mr. Childs first videotaped the animal, which he nicknamed Macho B, in August 1996 in the Baboquivari Mountains. It left the region that year but came back in 2004, where it now wanders along the border.

Tracking Questions from Readers

"When measuring stride length, do you go from the heel of one print to the heel or toe of the other print?"

I measure stride length from the toe of one print to the heel of the next. Using a stride stick, also called a tracking stick, I can mark the stride length I'm tracking and if I can't find the next sign easily, the arc that the stride stick makes from the toe of the previous track narrows down where to look for the next sign. My stride sticks are 1/2 inch oak dowels, 36 inches in length. You can make one in the field with any decently straight stick at least 18 inches in length.  You can mark measurements by making notches on the stick.


And what am I looking for? Any flattening, disturbance, regularity or color change.

Using a rubber band or a tight fitting rubber washer is a good way to mark the measurements on your stride stick.  With more rubber bands or washers, you can also measure and mark width in the ball of foot; heel width or length for broken heels or raised heels. Half inch rubber washers will last longer than rubber bands and are easier to move when changing measurements.

In the picture below it appears that I am measuring from heel to heel, but look for the black rubber washer on the stride stick. It is located at the top of the print in front of me (see arrow). The end of the stick now can create an arc so I know where the next stride should be.

It's six of one, half dozen of another if you measure heel to heel or toe to heel. I was taught, 30+ years ago, to measure from toe to heel so that's how I do it...........oh, and sorry for taking three paragraphs for a question that could have been answered in one sentence.




"Can you go into more detail about "Pressure releases" and why or how they are important to tracking?"

When an object such as a human foot or animal hoof hits the ground, it disturbs the ground. It may be so subtle as to be undetectable by the naked eye, but it can compress, or gouge, or leave a regularity such as pattern or a line not seen else where. Disturbed dirt and bruised vegetation can provide a color change to indicate passage.  This is the flattening, disturbance, color change or regularity I'm talking about.

As the foot or hoof pushes off to leave the ground, that release also impacts on the disturbance left behind,  much more so in softer ground than in rocky, hard ground. The weight, speed and angle of the foot or hoof leaving the ground also influences what that pressure release looks like, often providing a clue as to what the human or animal was doing.....increasing stride and therefore speed, jumping side ways, stopping abruptly, looking up, moving with a leg injury, and getting tired are some things you can often tell from reading a pressure release.

So to answer your question, reading pressure releases are not critical to being able to cut sign or track. It just gives you more insight to your target, it's condition and what it may be thinking or doing.  Just one of many factors to consider.

What to Look for in a New Horse

Kirk wrote in and asked: "Can you provide some tips or detail what you look for when 'shopping' for a new horse? Once gender, size, breed is determined, what do you specifically look for? Reason for asking, my first horse purchase was less that great, which taught me some great lessons. The horse has an incredible mind, but has limitations on his front end -that's for another question on another day."

Great question Kirk,...I don't know if I can begin do justice in answering it. One of the best places to get a really good young horse is the numerous ranch horse sales. Ranches such as the 6666, Pitchfork, Haythorn, Wagon Wheel, WYO, and a host of others will sell off geldings that they have been using (and training) to the public. These ain't your local sales barn horses. However, making to one of these sales may not be possible for most people. There are many production horse farms that breed for performance events such as reining, cutting, etc. So barring the option of buying from a ranch horse sale or from a large breeding operation, that leaves buying from a private owner or a small horse operation.

First question I'd get an answer to is what do I want to do with a new horse. Am I looking for just a trail -pleasure horse? Maybe a stout, solid horse that can take me up into the mountains for hunting and maybe packing? Is this going to be an arena roping horse? What you want this horse to do should not only impact on the size and chacteristics of what you are looking for, this horse but it's breed as well. Color is way down the line, but it's nice to get a good looking horse.  So I think purpose comes before gender, size and color.  

A Vet check on a prospective purchase and having your farrier look at the horse's feet are good things to do if they are available and if you can pay for it.  AVet check can reveal things like subtle chronic lameness or previous injuries doing a flexion test on the horse's legs.  Maybe you have a knowledgeable friend you can take along to look at prospects - a second set of eyes can help you make a better decision.

I had a Vet Check done on a roping horse prospect years ago.  The vet told me the horse has a heart murmur and he recommended against purchase.  I was convinced that the horse's problems were associated with a lack of nutrition, so against the Vet's advice I bought him.  One of the few times I kept my own counsel and it paid off.  That horse was Roy who I unfortunantly lost to a broken leg not too long ago.  He's the horse in the foreground of the picture above.

The second question I'd ask is why that person is selling the horse. Listen closely to what they say and don't say when you ask this question, and, unfortunantly you will have to read between the lines and take the answers with a grain of salt in most cases.

Some times you can get a great horse that was originally purchased for children who no longer ride, or the owner got too old or has physical problems that don't permit riding anymore....or in today's market, the owner can't afford to keep a horse anymore.

Visually when I looking at a horse I start looking at the overall conformation. What the general body score is. The head being proportionate to the body; not too long or short of neck; the neck not tying in to the chest way too low or too high; what the withers look like - they could be practically non-existant or of medium height or even really high; the length and straightness of the back. Does the overall look of the horse, including his teeth, match which what I am being told the age of the horse is.  Is there any evidence of previous injuries. 

I look at the front and back ends to see if the horse is too narrow based and if the horse looks to be knock kneed or bow legged. What does his hip and overall muscularity look like.

What does his feet look like? Is there too sharp or too narrow of an angle from pastern down the front of the hoof. If so, is this because he was trimmed too long in the toe or did the leave too much heel.

Dished or concaved hooves may be a sign of previous founder and therefore some internal hoof issues that may make him unsound for what you want him for. Is the hoof flaring at the bars? Does the hoof and frog appear to be balanced? What do the hoof walls look like? Are they really thin or do they have a healthy thickness. Sometimes, if a horse is on non-consistent and/or low quality feed the hooves will grow down from the cornorary band with ridges. Speaking of feed, poorly fed horses can be a lot different once they get regular, quality feed.

If everything else is acceptable on the horse except maybe feet in poorly maintained condition, sometimes conistent and good quality feed, and good farrier care, can fix that within 9-12 months. All these considerations is why sometimes paying a farrier to check out a prospect horse can pay off. There are some foot problems that can be migitated with good farrier care and can make that horse functional for you, but there is only so much even the best farrier can do and they can't fix conformational defects.

The owner should allow you work work the horse on a lunge line or in a round pen, and ride the horse. It would be a good idea to find out what Veternarian and Farrier have seen this horse and ask them what they think of this horse.

I would ask to see Vet records on this horse. Owners who don't regular vaccinate or worm their horses maybe be giving you a horse that is going to cause you problems real soon.  Having said all of the above, I like a stout, shorter horse in the height range of 14.3 to 15.1 hand high with a short back, and I prefer geldings that are bays or sorrels. 
Good luck to you Kirk. I'll leave you this little of bit of truth in humor.

Train or Ride Your Horse?

Shari wrote to me and said that she was riding with a small group of friends and someone in the group mentioned that is not always wise to train your horse, that sometimes it is better for the horse just to have an easy ride. Shari asked me if this is something I subscribe to and if so, do I have a schedule or recommended ratio of time of training to just riding time.

I don't differentiate riding and training,.....at least I don't think I do. I think that everytime we are with our horses it is some type of training, whether we are on the ground, leading them on a halter, or being on horseback. How can it not be?

Lets say you take your horse out for a short trail ride with no intent to do anything but just enjoy being horseback. Wouldn't you still correct your horse if need be? And if he doesn't need any correction, wouldn't you be reinforcing whatever he was doing right, be it stopping, or backing, or moving his hind or front end over, side passing, etc.

Maybe you don't have time to ride one day so you are just in your horse's pen asking him to move over while your pick manure,...asking him to back up as you throw feed, ....maybe you are askimg him to drop his head while you put on or remove a fly mask. This may all be things our horse does well but still has some element of training or reinforcing behavior.

I think that person you were riding with meant, more or less, that you have to be careful not to sour your horse, which I whole heartedly agree with.

Imagine a barrel racing horse that when out of his pen only does barrel patterns at full speed. Nobody could blame that horse for being a little sour and not be looking forward to coming out of the pen if all they did was run barrel patterns.

I knew a 20+ year old horse that was yanked out of his stall Friday and Saturdays nights to be trailed to local ropings where two young guys would get 8 or 10 runs each off the same horse. Then that horse would be trailer back to put in his stall for the next 5 days and the routine would start a over again. This was not a fair deal for this old horse. Pretty soon that horse associated getting in the trailer with the work that followed and became trailer resistant.

In fact, I would think that a change up of routine does a horse good. A trail ride for a hunter -jumper, team sorting for dressage horse, obstacle training for a roping horse, etc. Call it cross training, I think it all help those horses become better, safer horses.

Even when you do ride it doesn't mean that each and everytime you work that horse until he is all tired and sweated up. I think you can do good things for a horse's mind by stopping short as long as it's on a good note, even if it is a 10 minute ride, then put him up for the night. I think this gives that horse a release and keeps him fresh, both his body and mind. This can simply be pulling the horse from the stall and grooming him then putting him back.

There is nothing wrong with, and everything right with a easy trail ride, but it still offers many chances to re-inforce some aspect of training and behavior,....two tracking around obstacles, a turn on the forehand, walk to trot transitions, reacting to neck rein pressure......really about anything. You don't need to make it a big deal. I am not good enough to produce a finished horse in my lifetime, although I am sure as heck enjoying the journey (most of the time) as will continue to as long as I consider what's fair for my horses.

I hope this made some sense Shari. This was one of the harder things to articulate. I think you are thinking what's best for your horse so you'll do just fine. Safe journey to you.

4 Men, 13 Horses and 3,000 Miles - The Unbranded Project

If you haven't been keeping up with this incredible journey you are missing something you may never see again until the Unbranded Documentary Movie is produced.

This is a story of four amazing young men, Jonny Fitzsimons, Ben Thamer, Thomas Glover and Ben Masters and 13 Mustangs traveling 3,000 miles from Arizona through Montana and planning to arrive at the Canadian border in September. This is through some of the roughest terrain you can find. Currently they have covered about 2,000 miles of the planned 3,000.

You can follow this adventure and see the lessons they learn on the Unbranded Blog hosted by Western Horseman. The pictures are awesome. There is also a very good article on these men and their project in the May issue of Western Horseman.

The video below is a teaser on the movie project, Unbranded The Film.

Senate-Passed Farm Bill Excludes Veterinary Amendment

by Dr Ashley Morgan, Assistant Director, Governmental Relations Division, American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMA)

In early June, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act as Senate Amendment 1144 (SA 1144) to the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill. Though the amendment did not ultimately get included in the Senate’s final version of the Farm Bill , it did gain more attention among the senators, successfully garnering additional endorsements by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). On June 17, Sens. Moran and King reintroduced the bill as S. 1171.

The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act aims to amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to allow veterinarians to carry some medications—used for pain management, anesthesia or euthanasia—beyond their registered places of business. The Drug Enforcement Administration, which enforces the CSA, has called for a statutory change to fix the law, but until then, the agency continues to inform veterinarians in several states that they are not permitted to carry their controlled substances beyond their registered locations and are in violation of the law, leaving veterinarians concerned.

Adding to the confusion, AVMA learned that DEA’s Congressional Affairs Office had actively informed Congressional offices on Capitol Hill in May that the amendment was unnecessary. DEA purported that they already allow veterinarians to transport and dispense controlled substances wherever they need to within states within which the veterinarians are licensed. This message is a contradiction to what the AVMA, state veterinary medical associations and many practitioners have been told by the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control and DEA field offices. And, as recently as early May, DEA field offices have continued to inform veterinarians that they need to register farms where they want to dispense and administer controlled substances.

In addition, DEA’s Congressional Affairs Office has not clearly articulated to veterinarians how they should handle registering their controlled substances in states where they are licensed to practice, but do not have a principal place of business, such as a veterinarian who lives on the border of a state and may, in fact, practice in two states. This is an issue that requires clarification and remains of utmost importance to the

In response to DEA’s recent communications, AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division requested a meeting with the DEA in early June to clarify its stance on the issue, but the meeting has been denied. Similarly, U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) is joining with several other members of Congress in a request for information from the DEA on this issue.

Given the continued confusion as to how the CSA should be carried out, AVMA continues to support legislation that will remove all ambiguity and will provide better clarity to veterinarians who need to use controlled substances away from their principal places of business.

We ask that you remain engaged on this issue. Please contact your Representative and Senators in support of the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act (H.R. 1528 / S. 1171) if you have not done so already, and urge your colleagues and clients to do the same.