Fit and Placement of the Bosal

I received an e-mail from Abrahim who asked about fitting a Bosal. " Dear Sir, I am wondering if you could give me some information when using a Hackamore on a horse how the nose band should be (placed) and is it supposed to be a tight fit. "

That's a great question Abrahim, but I'm going to address it as 1 - fit of the nose band (Bosal) and 2 - placement of the Bosal, as I think it's two different things. For instance on fit, the Bosal has to have some movement in it, but not much. If you have a Bosal that is only making contact on the top of the horse's nose with Bosal's nose buttons, then all the weight and pressure of that Bosal is impacting at this location.

Consider a Bosal that forms to the horse's nose and upper jaw - this is likely more comfortable for the horse to carry.  This is going to be more oval shaped than round shaped.

Most of the movement of the Bosal is between the horse's jaw and the heel knot where your mecate is tied to. You should have 2 or 3 fingers width here so that the Bosal heel knot can move backwards then drop forward back into place when released.  The picture at left shows two fingers of space between the heel knot and tied on mecate when the Bosal is in a relaxed or forward position.  One less wrap of the mecate or an extra wrap of the mecate above the heel knot can add to or reduce this space.

And placement is important, as if you have the Bosal too low on the nose it can hurt the softer nose cartilage just ahead of the nostrils. A rough placement for the Bosal is to look for the horse's nose bone as it starts to taper towards the nostrils. Find where the nose bone is not longer visible and place the Bosal up a couple, maybe three, finger widths to start. I'd be concerned with fitting the Bosal lower than this.  The picture at left shows two finger widths above the spot where the nose bone tapers to a "V". 

The Bosal's fit, or what you are asking about as "tightness", is that the nose band portion of the Bosal's nose button puts pressure on nerves on the top and sides of the horse's nose. The Bosal should not have to be "opened" or pulled apart as it is placed onto the horse. This would be in effect squeezing the nose.

The Bosal can't be round or loose, or otherwise have a sloppy fit on the horse's nose either. A loose fitting Bosal will put too much pressure on the top of the nose and make signaling harder for lateral work.  The picture at right shows a pretty decent fit as I just slide the bosal onto the horse's nose.  I was scratching Junior behind his ear so he would stand still for a photo. 

I use a block to shape a Bosal, see the picture at right. I'll coat the rawhide Bosal with Rawhide cream then tie the Bosal around the shaping block. You can buy Bosal shaping blocks from various makers, or you can make your own custom block to shape a Bosal for the intended horse. Most quality Bosals come shaped pretty well. They should be oval shaped as opposed to round. Again, I recommend shaping the Bosal to the horse you are going to use it on.  The Bosal being shaped at right is for a horse with a wider nose.     

I think it may be a good idea if you ride often with a Bosal to use several different correctly fitting Bosals. What some people refer to as a "loping Hackamore", which is a braided soft rope Bosal, could be used to change up the feel for the horse, give him a break, and ensure you are not consistently putting pressure on the same spot.

The diamater of the Bosal will have something to do with the amount if pressure you are placing on the nose. Generally, without regard to the material or roughness of the Bosal, the thinner a Bosal is the more pressure it can exert. However, a heavy or weighty, thicker Bosal can also put pressure on the horse's nose just when he carries it.

Some people may be tempted to believe that since you have nothing in the horse's mouth, it will be hard to hurt him riding with a Bosal. This is not true. An ill fitting Bosal, with play at the sides (side buttons) will sore up a horse's nose pretty quick.  A improperly placed Bosal, where it is too low on the horse's nose can damage the horse's nose.  I would also suggest inspecting your Horse's nose visibly and with your fingers to check for soreness.  And I imagine with harsh used buildup on the nose bone could occur.

A Bosal that is not taken care off, such as being dried out or having some of the rawhide braids gets loose and warped, can also sore up a horse's nose. Granted, some rawhide cream on a quality Bosal will keep this from happening and I have only seen rawhide strands warp or turn on cheap Bosals.  I have bought most of my Bosal's from Big Bend Saddlery or Craig Cameron's Double Horn Store.  I still run my finger around the Bosal, especially the inside that makes contact with the horse, from time to time to check for roughness.  

And lastly, quick and heavy hands can make any Bosal, or bit, or even a halter into an abusive tool.

I'm sorry Abrahim if you got more of an answer than you sought, but like my wife will tell you, I don't use 8 words when I can use 30. 

Natural Feeding For Horses

I was recently asked by U.K. based author and consultant, Alexandra Wesker, MSc, to review her new book "Natural Feeding For Horses - Discover Roughage Based Feeding for the Physical and Emotional Health of Your Horse".

Ms. Wesker writes that she had a hard time as a Equine Nutritional Consultant in finding a book to recommend to her clients, so she decided to write the book she was looking for. The result? A thoughtful, well researched and written book that will make a positive impact on horses as it makes it's way into the hands of horse owners. This book can be used by new horse owners who just want a basic understanding of horses, digestion and feeds, as well as the old experienced hands who want to delve into formulas for developing a feeding program based on their horse's size, breed, activity level, and considering the digestible energy and nutritional vales of feeds.

What is Natural Feeding? In a nutshell, it's feeding a roughage (hay) based diet and feeding in a manner like nature, including horse's eating off ground level. Alexandra addresses this in detail and why this is very important. Like many people, I have used several different types of feeders and was happy to find large plastic milk crate type boxes so I could feed my horses at ground level, which is how they are designed to eat, as well as keep the feed off the ground to minimize the ingestion of sand.

But this book is more than that. I liked the section of the book discussing various grasses such as Orchard, Timothy, Bermuda, the various Fescues, Brome, Blue Grass, Ryegrass and others, and the charts on the nutritional value of hays.

Others will appreciate the Suggested Diets chapter. Ms. Wesker follows up with many examples of horses, their breed and activity, and feeding examples. So, if you have ever been confused about determining the digestible energy content of the feed you provide your horses, or what level your horse needs based on it's activity and size, then this book and it's easy to understand formulas will help as she walks the reader through determining activity levels, required feed level, designing feeding programs, and information on safely replacing feeds with cereals.  She advocates about consistency in the feeding program and the necessity of making changes gradually.

The last thing I would like to say if that Alexandra recognizes the emotional or mental health aspect of horses and advocates horses being able to move, obtain overhead cover and not be kept in solitary conditions - which I appreciate as I see way too many horses who are viewed and treated as tools or objects and not living, thinking and feeling creatures. Stabling a horse, by itself, in a small stall, no matter how good your feeding program is, is akin to mental/emotional abuse. Those conditions alone are likely to cause behavior and digestive problems. It is my wish that all horses could be given a fair deal by their owners and a continuing education in horses and their care is the road towards that.

Buy the book, you won't regret it.   You can also check out Alexandra's website: Natural Feeding For Horses.

You can order a copy of Natural Feeding for Horses through Amazon.com

Tack Tip - Crusty Cinch Latigos

Here's a short tack tip on storing your cinch latigos (cinch straps) so they remain more pliable. Of course, we should be cleaning and treating our saddles and tack. But sometimes we (or maybe just me) are neglectful of our tack or the environmental conditions just get ahead of us.

I usually use a diluted mix of household dish detergent and a rag to clean my saddles and gear. Sometimes I'll need to use a dish brush on my gear as well to get the sand and dust out of the crevices.  Don't tell my wife I use dish brushes - I've been blaming the dog when dish brushes disappear from the sink.

Then I apply 100% Neat's Foot Oil to all the leather. On my latigos, this will keep them all soft and pliable.  But I also use this technique in the photos below to secure cinch straps, both on saddles I routinely use and those I have stored for longer periods of time.

Careful as you might be, sometimes the latigo drags in the dirt and combined with salt from the horse sweating, a cinch latigo may get stiff and crusty. So for the last 15 years or so, I have been in the habit of tying up most of my latigos in the manner shown below. It pretty much works to keep the latigo flexible and easy to weave though the cinch D ring and saddle D ring.

In the photos above:  Step one - I loop the latigo through the D ring twice, like you would to situate the latigo for easy pulling out and running through the cinch D ring.  Step 2 and Step 3 - I wrap the running end of the latigo around section looped through the D ring, and Step 4 - I stick the end of the latigo through the bottom.



This helps keep the latigo from getting loose and catching on something, or dragging in the dirt, and the whole process of bending and wrapping the latigo helps debris fall away from it, and keeps it pliable.  This is also a good way to store a  cinch strap on a saddle that may be put up for a while.  

Horse Pulls Lead through Tie Ring

Bob wrote me about using my Functional Tie Ring. "I bought one of your tie rings and I like it. My horse who has broke two halter lead snaps in the past, tried to pull back once and got a slow release like you said. However, now he pulls back slowly and pulls the lead through the tie ring. How do I train him not to do this?"

Thanks for buying one of the Functional Tie Rings, Bob. I'm glad it worked for you getting your horse to understand he doesn't need to pull back to get a release. They often have to do something once in order to figure out that they didn't need to do it in the first place - that's the whole deal behind tie rings that give a slower friction enhanced release when horses pull back.

You are not going to be able to train your horse not to pull back gradually and pull the lead through the tie ring.  He's just intelligent enough to have figured it out.  What you can do is to make it more difficult for him to do so. 

When horse's pull back from being hard tied, the pressure of the halter strap, or rope on a rope halter, across their poll (behind the ears) generates a lot of pressure which causes the horse to panic and pull back harder usually breaking the snap on a lead rope. Once a horse pulls back on a lead that is looped through a tie ring and gets a release, albeit slowed because of the friction of the lead rope running through the tie ring, he usually figures out that he doesn't have to pull back, but occasionally a horse learns he can pull slowly and run that lead all the way through the tie ring.  I marvel at their ability to figure out things like this and opening gate latches, etc. 

I had a horse tied to a Functional Tie Ring using a extra long lead line, maybe 18 feet long, and he pulled slowly and continued pulling slowly while turning on his back end and the result was that he wrapped that extra long lead line around his body a few times.  When I saw him all wrapped up but standing still, I wasn't put out my mistake so much as I was happy he just stood there.  It was a good thing that I had sacked him out on ropes across the legs and haunches.

So now I routinely take the running end of the lead line and wrap it a couple of times around the lead rope from the tie ring to the halter, if I am walking away from the horse for any significant amount of time out of my ability to see him. This adds friction to the release. That friction can be a little or a lot based on the type and diameter of lead rope you are using and how many times you wrap it. I generally wrap the running end twice using 1/2 inch yacht braid lead ropes, if I'm going to be bout of sight of a tied horse for a bit. 

   In the pictures above, at left, is a lead rope looped correctly through the Functional Tie Ring - the running end is on the left and the right end of the lead rope is tied to the horse's halter. If the horse pulls back, he'll get a nice release based on the friction of the rope sliding through the tie ring.   In the picture above at right, the running end of the lead rope has been looped around the horse end twice to create that greater or harder friction if the horse pulled back. In both pictures the excess running end of the lead rope is just looped over a rounded hook on the trailer - it just keeps it off the ground.  Hope this helps Bob.  Safe Journey.

Spurs, or Not

Kayne wrote to ask about wearing and using spurs and those people who are vocal against spurs: " I occasionally ride with a woman, as part of a larger group, who is very much anti-spur. I get tired of hearing it but I don't have a prepared counter argument that I can articulate well enough. She say's that no one can achieve the highest levels of horsemanship riding with spurs, and if you knew how much the horse hated spurs you would never ride with them. I just think it how the individual uses the spurs that if the difference. I am interested in hearing your opinion. Thanks."


I think you are right on the mark Kayne saying it's how the individual uses the tool, in this case the spur.  If I'm riding in a Hackamore, I am occasionally asked if I am against bits. I always reply "No, I'm not at all against bits, just how some people use them."  Same with spurs.  Really, the same with any tool.

Horses are very sensitive to touch that's why to see them swish flies with their tails, so it stands to reason that they will very much feel a sharp object being stuck into their sides, but that's not how you use spurs.  But even though horses are very sensitive to touch, many horses will need more than just a touch with your leg or heel.  So, I think that if you are good with spurs you can be lighter and more subtle with your leg cues, as a spur allows you to just touch a horse's barrel to get a response as opposed to banging on a  horse with your legs and heels.  We've all seen that type of rider.  And that type would be picking themselves up off the ground if they banged on a horse while wearing spurs.

In the photos below, I'm use a short shanked spur with a rounded 10 point rowel.  Short shanked because the heels on my short legs are not too far off the horse's barrel.  People with longer legs, hanging further away from the horse's barrel, may need a longer shanked spur in order to touch the horse's barrel.   

In the series of photos above, from Left - I have my leg "in neutral", just normal contact or otherwise hanging straight down.  In the Middle photo I am starting to apply contact with the inside of my lower leg, heel and then spur - just rolling the spur into the horse's barrel if he did not move off of my leg.  This should be a subtle movement.  In the picture at Right, the horse's has given to that pressure moving his hind end away. You can tell by the different light in the photo and the horse's front left leg stepping forward. 

I can't really tell you want to say to the lady who is anti-spur. She probably doesn't like guns either because of the way some people use them.

Question on Hoof Rot

Justin wrote to ask about rot in his horse's hooves. "Hi. What is the best thing to do (about) the rotten smell coming out of my horse's hoofs? Not all of them smell bad, all the time but I'm thinking I need to do something."

Hey Justin, the smell is from a condition called Thrush, or it could be a pre-Thrush condition - meaning if left untreated it could turn into thrush. Thrush is caused by an anaerobic organism, meaning an organism that thrives without air. Air is the enemy of thrush, and sometimes cleaning out the rot to expose to the air will get rid of it for a time.

If left un-checked, Thrush can eat away the surface of the hoof - the part you see when you clean the feet as well as the softer frog - the spongy V shaped portion of the hoof. Hooves degraded from Thrush can actually lame up a horse, but I haven't seen this except for only the most egregious of neglect cases.

In the photo of the hoof at left you can see the white powdery material in the V crevice of the frog and the sole.  The black substance is thrush developing and it will be stinky.  Not as bad as my boot socks, but not smelling good in any case.  Pick the debris and manure out with a hoof pick and as you are scrapping much of the rot should come out too.

The biggest environmental factor for horses getting thrush is manure in the stalls. Removing manure, raking the stall and cleaning the feet can keep your horse(s) relatively Thrush free. Horses will generally clean their own hooves to some degree as they move around and their hooves hit the ground, expand and contract, and the process of their feet hitting the ground can often dislodge manure and it will drop away. If moving on hard or rocky ground, that ground can also chip away at material left in the hoof. However, the manure and wet soil can get lodges in the crevice of the frog and sole and then requires someone to pull it away using a hoof pick.

Good, routine farrier care is important for sound feet including any considering any comments and recommendations from your shoer/trimmer about Thrush in their hooves. Did you farrier say something to you about cleaning the feet more often? 

When you get that nasty Thrush smell and see evidence of black, decaying sole or frog, there are several things you can do to treat the hoof after cleaning it. There are commercial products to treat Thrush like Kopertox, Thrush Buster, No Thrush and many others. You can also use common household bleach or iodine. I use Kopertox for the most part. I don't use it that much, and when I do really only one application is necessary.

Kopertox's active ingredient is a diluted form of Copper Naphthenate, and as other commercial Thrush treatments, Kopertox tends to dry out the hoof. I try not to use Kopertox at least a week before my shoer comes so the feet aren't as hard as Superman's kneecap and therefore hard to trim with a hoof knife.  I live in the desert where you would think the feet wouldn't get Thrush because of the dryness, but we have our rainy seasons and it doesn't take long for wet soil and the Thrush organism present in the soil to make it's arrival on the hoof and particularly in the clefs of the frog. Checking your horse's feet once a day isn't too often. 

Groundwork - These Basics Are Under Rated

I'm seeing many people riding horses that are not broke to lead effectively. I see riders competing on, or just pleasure riding on horses that are distracted, can't stand still, or are pushy when in hand. Some are doing pretty well in competition on these horses, but in the more severe cases these horses are barely manageable on the ground and when in the saddle the rider is just a passenger averting bad things because the horse may be marginally directional and stopping only because the horse gets tired on someone pulling on his mouth. Some of these horses are older, have grown dead mouthed and usually have seen many different owners, while others are young horses that just have some holes in their education. For sure, some of these handlers are riding horses that I wouldn't ride,....until I got those problems pretty much fixed.

Saying your horse just has a lot energy or saying that he's a natural leader isn't the reason he is taking control. And just because a horse is the lead horse in your herd doesn’t mean he is a brave horse. Horses usually take control because they are fearful. And in a leadership vacuum, the horse will look out for himself, basically assuming that leadership position. You just can't let him be the leader in the two animal herd consisting of him and you.

I learned the lesson, over and over, that just because a horse is rideable doesn't mean he has ground manners. The funny thing is that I am likely not finished re-learning that lesson. One solution is to start new horses over, from the beginning, rather than try to fix holes in their behavior as they crop up and become a problem.

I had a client bring me a horse the other day and as I walked up to the horse and rider, who was in the saddle, I noticed the horse was distracted. The rider was using a snaffle bit and was in contact with the horse, who feet wouldn't stop moving. The horse then pushed through the bit and tried to walk over the top of me. I said to the rider "I was about to ask you what your issues are with him, but he just told me. Can you dismount and lead him in hand to the round pen?"

That horse didn't lead much better. Walking past or into the handler; not stopping when the handler stopped; and when the handler got the horse stopped moving forward, the horse's feet wouldn't stop moving sideways nor would his head. These are what the FBI calls a clue - an indicator that the horse doesn't have ground manners, nor broke to lead.

Some clinicians will say that if a horse is truly broke to lead, you can lead or send him anywhere,....through a gate, down into a hole, or into a trailer. And that horse won't have his head on a swivel nor trying to eat off the ground all the time. Nor will a horse who is really broke to lead be pulling the lead rope through the handler's hands. You can have a safe horse and not be perfect on the ground, but I certainly want a horse to lead correctly and give to pressure of the lead line.

Leading correctly means not running over the handler or even getting into his space; not be distracted but focused on the handler for the most part. The horse should be able to stand still on a loose lead when asked. When leading in hand the horse should maintain his position where the handler wants him, usually just off the right shoulder a couple feet to the side and to the rear, and maintain the handler's pace when being led in hand's, whether that pace is at a crawl, or a fast walk, or even a jog. I'd want any horse that I was fixing to ride to be sound in these things. If they aren't then trouble is just ahead.

When the horse is distracted, like in the picture at left, he should be directed back to the handler. I don't make a federal case out of it, but if a horse is looking somewhere else instead of on me, I'll bump his head back to where he has two eyes on the me.

  Usually after the third or fourth time that you have to correct a horse's lack of attention, the horse will figure this out and as you go to bump his head over, as soon as the weight on the lead line is different, he'll correct himself - then you know you are making progress.

Again, I don’t make federal cases of him getting distracted momentarily, but you just can't allow him to tune you out to check something out whenever he wants to.

When the horse is stopped the handler should be able to move about without the horse leaving until there is a signal on the lead line. He should simply stand still on a loose lead and not move until you direct him using that lead. If he tries to walk up on you, you get his attention then back him off and make an offer to him to stand still again. This is something you likely have to do over and over, but the horse will get it.  The picture, above left, shows a horse standing quiet on a loose lead.  As I change the weight and therefore pressure on the lead, above right, the horse begins to follow that lead moving towards me. 

When you lead he needs to stay in position, some people like that position right at their right elbow, some like it a step or two back, regardless of where you want your horse positioned when you lead him, when you stop, the horse needs to stop and stand still until directed someplace else. If your paces changes, his needs to change as well. As you are walking him out, if he start to move ahead of you, a bump on the lead line downward or to the read should be a signal to him to mind his pace and position.  The picture above left shows the horse leading correctly on a loose lead.  The picture above right shows my hand moving back on the lead to bump him back into position.    

You should be able to pickup the lead in the direction you want the horse to move and the horse should move off and move of quietly. Like if you open a gate and want the horse to move through it by himself , you should be able to pickup on the lead in that direction and he should walk off.   The picture above left shows he horse quietly moving around me a walk following the lead. If his head becomes oriented outside that arc, I will lightly bump his head back into position slightly tipped to the inside.  You should be able to pickup the lead and pull his head towards you to get him stopped and facing up.  This may require a pull (not a jerk) in the beginning, but as you horse gets softer to the feel of that lead, he'll get softer and more responsive to reacting to that pressure and facing up.  If the horse begins to walk towards you without you asking him to, I don't make a big deal out of it, I just correct him, give him chance to think about it, then ask him to approach me. 

Of course these are all very basic things, but I continue to get surprised at people are riding horses who aren't schooled in these basics.  Many of these people ride much better than I ever will, but I think fixing these holes in their horses will make a better horse and save the some problems down the road.    Safe Journey.  
  

Craig Cameron at the 2015 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

If you haven't heard of Craig Cameron then you are likely living on an island in the Pacific Ocean, probably dodging head hunters. Craig Cameron, of course, is a Texas based clinician who travels tens of thousands of miles each year helping people with their horse, or rather, helping horses with their people through clinics - which he also hosts on his ranch in Central Texas. He has probably been the biggest influence on me and my journey developing my horsemanship.

Craig, sometimes called the "Cowboy Clinician" because of his rodeo and ranching roots, has a way of communicating to people where it is practical, helping people understand how horses react, think and learn all of which is necessary to help people communicate with their horses.

This year at the 2015 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium, Craig and his son, Cole, brought in a 3 year old Red Roan and demonstrated putting a handle on a horse that was well along in his development. Talking and demonstrating how he works a young horse to give to pressure and being able to control the horse's back end, barrel and front end independently of each, Craig shows us what is possible with a young horse and more importantly putting a solid foundation on a horse in as low as stressful manner as possible. And I would say that most of the people watching Craig Cameron don't ride as well broke as horse as that 3 year old.

Craig likes to say that our most important job is to take the fear out of the horse. He goes on to say that he didn't always treat horses with respect, but I would say that he is more than making up for it now using his Cowboying background to connect to people teaching them that there is better way to work horses. The picture at left is Craig explaining how he approaches working with horses while his son puts the 3 year old Red Roan through his paces.

It's easy to see a horse giving to physical pressure like a bump on a lead rope or using the reins to tip the head in one direction or another, or, getting a horse to begin collection by dropping his nose and putting his forehead perpendicular to the ground. However, Craig also reminds us to consider the mental pressure that develops in horses and the body language and behavior that gives us an idea of how that is affecting the horse. The little Red Roan never had a troubled expression on his face the entire time.

If you get a chance, it would be worth your time and money to go see or ride with Craig Cameron, and you can also watch him on RFD-TV a couple of times a week. Safe Journey.

Cowboy Humor - My Wife is Missing

A husband went to the Sheriff’s department to report that his wife was missing.

Husband: My wife is missing. She went shopping yesterday and has not come home.

Sergeant: What is her height?

Husband: Gee, I’m not sure. A little over five-feet tall.

Sergeant: Weight?

Husband: Don’t know. Not slim, not really fat.

Sergeant: Color of eyes?

Husband: Never noticed.

Sergeant: Color of hair?

Husband: Changes a couple times a year. Maybe dark brown.

Sergeant: What was she wearing?

Husband: Could have been a skirt or shorts. I don’t remember exactly.

Sergeant: What kind of car did she go in?

Husband: She went in my truck.

Sergeant: What kind of truck was it?

Husband: Brand new Silver 2015 Ford F-350 Super Duty 4x4 King Ranch edition with 6.7 litre V-8 Turbo Diesel engine and automatic transmission. It goes into the shop next week for a Ranch Hand brush guard with 12,000 lb. electric Warn winch and a custom headache rack. It has Brown leather custom seats and after market floor mats with the logo "Don't Mess With Texas". In the cab I have a 21-channel CB radio, six cup holders, and four power outlets. In the glove compartment resides my collection of George Strait, Garth Brooks and Ian Tyson CDs. The truck has a Goose Neck hitch in the bed, and bumper pull trailering package. On all four corners there are BF Goodrich 285/75R16 Load Range E All Terrain tires. There's a small scratch on the passenger door where my wife was careless with her wedding ring. At this point the husband started choking up.

Sergeant: Don’t worry buddy. We’ll find your truck.

ACTHA Arena Obstacle Challenge Results 26 Sept 2015

This past weekend saw us hosting an Arena Obstacle Challenge (AOC) under the sponsorship and guidelines of the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA). We had 14 riders sign up to compete, relatively small by national ACTHA standards, but par for ACTHA participation in the West Texas/Southern New Mexico area.  This event was a benefit for the Perfect Harmony Horse Rescue and Sanctuary.

Division Winners (see photo below).  Open Division: Luanne Santiago, Competitive Pleasure Division: Marianne Bailey tied with her daughter Jessica Bailey, but had more pluses, so Marianne took home the Blue Ribbon and the first place Plaque.  Competitive Novice Division: Terri Rutter. Scout Division: Angela Beltran-Flores.   Additionally, each of my judges, Vicki Maly and Arden Evans each gave out a custom hoof pick to the rider who made the biggest positive impression on them.  Luanne Santiago and Dan Bailey, riding a huge Percheron, won the hoof picks.

We obtained great national and local level prize support from sponsors including Smart Pak, Hoof Wraps, Camel Bak, Noble Outfitters, Eclectic Horseman magazine, and Sanctuary Leather, while we had great local sponsorship including Alamo Automotive, Riders Tack and Feed, Diamond Bar V Horseshoeing, Leonard Benally and Chaff Haye. The donated prizes allowed us to put $1,300 worth of prizes back into the hands of competitors.   

The obstacle course consisted of the following obstacles:

Trot Weave - weave between six cones placed 7.5 feet apart, turn and repeat.

Stop and Back - stop your horse on a spot and back in a straight line for a distance determine by your competitive division.

Drag - retrieve a rope off the fence and drag an orange bag of cans about 25 fee.  Open Division had to also back their horse while dragging the bag.

360 Degree Turn - riders entered a 6' x 6' square box and executed a 360 degree turn; Open had to also turn 360 in the opposite direction as well.

Slicker - riders had to retrieve a slicker from the fence and run their horses necks and hips with the slicker.

Gate - open, go through and re-latch a 10' gate.

Cowboy Curtain - or what ACTHA calls the Vine Simulator. Riders rode through the rope curtain and Open Division had to back their horses through it.

Circle Trot - riders trotted around a 35 foot circle, enter the circle and exit at the trot going the opposite direction.

ACTHA competitors and their horses are judged per obstacle on a 10 point per rider and 10 point per horse system.  The bottom line on ACTHA competitions, be they Competitive Trail Challenges or AOC's is that you expose your horse to more training opportunities, some of which you may not think of, continuing to build that brave, safe trail horse.  And as it is with horses, some were great at dragging a loud, clanking bag but fearful of a yellow slicker handing on the fence, and vice versa. 

My objective for the chosen obstacles was to balance the pure horsemanship tasks with prop related obstacles. In the video below, I am doing the Rider's Brief explaining the negotiation of each obstacle.

Prior to the AOC, I held a short clinic on backing your horse in an arc and extending that to a circle and figure 8. As well as a competitive strategy on jogging into the obstacle, stopping and immediatley backing to get momentum for the backing in an arc as most ACTHA obstacles give you 60 seconds to complete an obstacle and time can be ate up pretty quick on the Figure 8 Backing when you are in deep sand or with traffic cones placed far apart.

The competitors and their horses also had 30 minutes or so to warmup on my fixed obstacle course which included single and two level Bridges, Cones for backing in arcs, Two Step platform, Narrow Figure Z path, Nerf Bar obstacles and a heavy Rope Curtain.
     

The Polite Horse

Everybody likes a polite horse. Nobody likes to feed a pushy or aggressive horse. When someone writes me on what to do when their horses are aggressive or crowding at feeding time, I just say "don't feed them when they are pushy or impolite, you are just teaching them that this behavior is okay.  You need to back them off."    I will eventually find, in the local area, a feed aggressive horse that someone wants helps with and do a better article on how to correct, but until then this article will have to do to address the requests I get on horses that are pushy during feedings.

We've all likely seen horses try to herd people with an arm full of hay or try to take hay out of the person's hands when they are heading to a feed bin. There is nothing cute about that, it is potentially dangerous behavior. Excuses like "well, he's very hungry", or "he feels comfortable enough to eat out of my arms", are just that excuses.  You are doing a disservice to your horses when you allow this.   

I know several people who no longer allow horses to be boarded at their places, sometimes because the part time owners would often unwittingly teach their horses bad behaviors which manifested especially at feeding times.

I used to have a boarder, even though we fed that horse twice a day, would often give the horse treats by hand and allowed their horse to push on them looking for treats. Well, to make a long story shorter, one day that horse about ran me over when I was feeding one morning, so from then on I made that horse go to the other end of the pen before I dropped the feed into the feeder. In the beginning when I sent her to the other end of the pen, she would try to inch closer to me (and the feed) so I would have to drive her back to the far end.

Also in the beginning once I dropped the feed into the feeder, this horse would try to come in before I allowed her to, so I would have to drive her away.  I did this with just my body language and voice, but sometimes a flag works well. Horses are used to be driven away by other horses with subtle body languages, sometimes just a look, and other times something more pronounced like another horse pointing his head and pinning his ears. I found that horses learn very fast that polite behavior at feedings is expected, after all they want to eat.

Another example is the horse in the video below. The very same day I brought him home I went into his pen to feed him. He was in the end of the pen and I thought someone did a good job at teaching him some feeding manners, so I turned my back on him to place the feed and that son of a gun came up behind me and pushed him away with his head. I turned quick to address this and the horse spun and tried to jump out of the pen getting his front legs momentarily caught over the corner before he fell back. He stayed in the corner, so I dropped the feed, but he still wary of me he would not approach the feed until I walked away.

For the next week or so he would stay away until I dropped the feed and walked away. Then one day I had my back to him when pouring grain into a bucket on the ground and that horse put his head between my legs trying to eat. We were underneath an overhead cover too, so all I could do was quietly step away to keep him from spooking and raising his head therefore driving me into the roof.

From then on out, I always make my horses back a couple steps up before I drop feed and not let me come in until I allow them.

There are several horse people out there that advocate just setting things up so you can throw feed without any, what they sometimes call, dramatics. These people advocate minimal handling or bothering of the horses during feedings. I think just a little opposite. I think you should be able to control your horse during feedings, including brushing him or rubbing on him when he is eating. If the horse pins his ears, I'll just move him off, wait on him to show some understanding, then let him back in. I don't think my horses are worse off for this. To the contrary, I think it makes a more gentled horse.

The horse in the video below is pretty much good at backing off, usually without my asking him to, and not coming to the feed bin until I ask him to or walk away. This also translates well to a horse in hand (on a lead rope).   Maybe your hands are busy at the moment and you can't give a signal on the lead rope or mecate lead for the horse to back, so getting them good at backing under voice is a good tool to have.

Horse Abuse

I would reckon that 100% of the people reading this site get as sad and angry as I do when we hear about horse abuse. I did not put up with boarders using abusive training methods or otherwise neglecting basic care for their horses when I ran a large horse barn years ago. Nor today when I am out of the public stables business, do I sit still when notified of horse abuse cases, which most commonly are not providing adequate feed, water or hoof care.

I am angry not only at horse owners who insist of owning horses but do not provide adequate care, but get angry as well as county officials who fail to correct the situation. My wife is even worse. She gets so livid at abusive owners and 'do nothing' county officials, that I worry about her getting arrested when confronting either. I think it makes her perpetually sad as it does me. I have known a couple ladies in the animal rescue business, who eventually moved out of the area as they just could no longer reconcile the daily disappointments in what mankind does to animals. ......I think we'll all be judged some day, by our Maker, who will hold us to account for how we treated his creatures.  I figure they are just on loan to us.

There are many layers to the problem and potential solutions. From the Law Enforcement side, lack of resources is often the biggest restriction to having a robust animal abuse investigative arm. Everything from irate parents complaining about speeders, to DUI checkpoints, to anti-gang task forces all eat up LE resources, often leaving only a animal abuse investigator who often does not have citation, emergency confiscation or arrest authority. Then adding a lack of knowledge with the abuse investigators pertaining to horses and other livestock, and lack of stiff enough penalties to serve as a deterrent, all conspire to be obstacles to safeguard animals at risk.

Almost 2 years ago the property abutting part of my North property line began development of a horse facility. Two rail pipe fencing, a metal barn capable of holding large quantities of hay and equipment, and the beginning construction of a row of thirteen 10' x 10' cinder block stalls (which remain to this day half finished). Soon after, four horses in good body score condition were turned loose onto that property - a sorrel brood mare and her yearling colt, a bay mare, and a black and white paint gelding. Within a week we had a good idea on what type of horse owner this was, who was actually just allowed to use the property and did not have any ownership part of the property.

For the first several weeks, these horses were not fed.  Instead just eating the weeds on the property. Two 30 gallon barrels were on site for water, but the owner had to bring water in by tanker truck as he apparently could not pay the $75 quarterly water bill for county water. When the weeds ran out, they had to bring hay in. And a nice old man, who did not speak any English, was hired to care for the horses. He would routinely ask us for water as the absent owner failed to contract for it to be brought in. And we would often tell the old man that the horses were getting skinny and lack of feed would impact bad on the growing colt. Then we learned that the absent owner would often fail to send money or arrange delivery of feed as well. Eventually the old man quit as he was not getting paid nor could he stand to see the animals in such condition.

The property accumulated junk - rebar, broken cinder blocks, steel pipe, angle irons pieces, etc. We advised the owner about the threat to the horses and ended up treating one of the horse who sustained a bad cut on her hocks because the owner refused to call a Vet. My wife ended up dressing and cleaning that wound daily until it healed. We also worked one of their horses through a case of colic.

Aside from that, my wife and I ensured that these horses did not go for very long with water and some grass hay. We also called the County Animal Control several times to respond when the owner would be absent for several days at a time. The Animal Control Officer, despite our pointing out how low those horses scored on the Body Condition Scale, using the Henneke System Equine Body Condition Scoring System, developed by Don R. Henneke, PhD of Tarleton State, University of Texas, 1983. The Animal Control Officer would just tell us, "they look good to me. Call me when they get worse."

We had no problem making repeat calls to Animal Control which eventually led to the owner moving his horses to an open field, where he built a temporary fence around more cinder block stalls. A few people would call us about those horses, we would go down and check them out, and call animal control to investigate. Many times there was no water on the property in stock tanks or otherwise, and horses continue to lose weight.

The last time was a few days ago. There were only two horses on that property now. We think at least one of the died and the gelding was likely sold.  My wife was crying as she called me to described the condition of these horses. The Bay More, a really nice horse and the one who had the hock injury, is in the picture at right. This picture was taken after the horse drank two 17 quart buckets of water helping to expand her barrel and make her appear just a little better.  The sorrel colt is actually now a two year old, coming three this spring - and still looks like a yearling to me. He is the horse in the photo at the top of this article - what do you think? Anyway, my wife filled up two 17 quart buckets with water for the horses which they promptly drank dry, then she filled them up again and they drank them dry one more time. I called Animal Control and the Sheriffs Office at 10.00 am in the morning and they finally responded at 5.00 pm.

We spent an hour explaining to the deputies about our history of reporting on these animals, lack of a county solution, how to body score a horse, what would constitute fair care, necessary hoof care, the lack of water, lack of feed, and tell tale lack of manure which indicated the horses were eating their own manure - little of that they were producing.

We coordinated for a local rescue to take the horses, providing a confiscation order could be obtained that the deputies assured me was being worked. But we learned the next day that the owner, after being contacted by Law Enforcement, brought in hay and water and assured the deputies that the horses would be taken care of. We were informed that the abuse case was dropped.

Law Enforcement may have dropped it, but we aren't letting it go. We'll be checking on these horses weekly and calling Animal Control and the Sheriffs Office as needed. I think what efforts that man and society makes to correct animal abuse is a snapshot into our collective morale health as a people. Again, well be held accountable.

Safe Journey. 

Lets Talk About West Nile Virus Again

We all should be pretty grateful for all the rain this year, breaking the drought in much of the affected areas, however with all the rain Texas and other western states have had this year so far, Mosquitos are a larger potential problem than in the recent past. And with Mosquitos come the threat of West Nile Virus, a viral disease transmitted from mosquitos to horses, and from mosquitos to people as well. Horses are pretty susceptible to West Nile, more so than people. Humans who are at risk are usually those who are already immunological weakened. There are still some misperceptions on West Nile such as "an infected horse can infect another horse", and no this is not the case. Only infected mosquitos can infect a horse.

West Nile attacks the nervous system and can cause brain and spinal infection or inflammation. A horse will appear to be drunk - lack of coordination in movement and loss of balance. Other symptoms can be: extreme lethargy; lack of appetite; and, dullness in the eye and other signs of depression such as head pressing on a stall wall or post.

There are other diseases, such as Encephalitis (Venezuelan, Eastern or Western) whose symptoms can mimic West Nile. Only with a blood test can you be sure, and then only supportive care for the symptoms can be done.

A few years ago, when I was running a large horse stables, a boarder brought in a horse and while in quarantine the horse started showing signs of lethargy, dullness, loss of appetite and severe loss of coordination and balance in movement - staggering when trying to turn around. A blood test confirmed West Nile. A week later the horse was pretty sound and was absent all symptoms, although the owner decided to sell the horse anyway. I found a buyer for him and transported the horse to a good home with several young boys who were even able to rope off of this horse.

There are several things a horse owner in a mosquito area can do to minimize risk to his horses. Even though I live in an area without mosquitos, I often trailer 15 miles away, close to the Rio Grande, where mosquitos are present, so the West Nile vaccination is part of my routine April or spring series of immunizations for my horses. In the first few years of the West Nile outbreak it was common for horses to receive an initial shot with a booster a few weeks later.

Taking care to drain or remove sources of stagnant water will help reduce breeding grounds for mosquitos. On most properties you would be amazed at the number of items capable of holding water that would attract mosquitos. Store empty buckets upside down. Open trash cans or dumpsters (without lids) could use a couple drain holes at the bottom to reduce collecting water. At the stables I managed years ago, I would spray insect killer on the manure pit, in-between dumpings, to help reduce chances of mosquitos. Fly spray, not insect killer, can help keep a horse protected as well, although I try to limit my use of fly spray on horses to a minimum. It seems that whenever I use fly spray I can't help but spray myself and go on about the day with the taste in my mouth. I guess that just goes along with me never being accused of having acute coordination.

Anyway, If you have any questions on whether you should vaccinate your horses against West Nile, talk to your Vet. Most Vet's would approach it from the side of caution and urge a West Nile vaccination, but it gives you peace of mind to inoculate your horses, even though the immunization won't keep your horse from getting West Nile, it just give him a better chance of making through the disease if he becomes symptomatic.

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has reported West Nile present in Harris County (Houston) and Tarrant County (Dallas) and even El Paso County (El Paso) had a human death from West Nile, so it is not necessarily only the really humid areas, or areas close to water sources that are primarily the WNV threat areas.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA- APHIS) keeps track of animal diseases. The map below is the nationwide cases of West Nile Virus from last year. A complete list of counties in the U.S. where West Nile has been confirmed can be accessed here:

Fixing a Bad Side Pass - By Slowing Down

Jerry wrote to me asking a question on how to fix a bad side pass, and it could have been me writing the same question to someone else. Jerry said his horse used to side pass well, but now is getting worse on side passing. I've found myself in several situations getting worse on things that my horse and I normally did okay. That is a deliberate use of the word 'okay' as opposed to say 'did well'. What I first try when things are getting sloppy, is to slow down and try to execute step by step, ensuring that I'm particular with my cues, and it helps to give the horse time to think between applyingthose cues as well.

Understanding the "why" anything is getting sloppy or getting worse is important. Horses will often begin to anticipate the rider. Sometimes it's because they are getting dull or the work we're asking them to do it repetitive,.....sometimes we as riders are not keeping the horse with us, ....and it's possible that our cues are what's becoming sloppy or in other words, we are not being particular enough in how we ask the horse to move his feet.

And I don't discount the power of the horse wanting to go back to his pen or to his buddies, either. This is actually pretty common, especially at the gate, to have an horse anticipate and to demonstrate a barn sour attitude. You may have to correct this first, or find a place to practice side passes that minimizes this.

Sometimes it's because we have conditioned the horse to do something quickly ,...like side pass quickly to a gate. And it's easy to tell as you end up having to ask for horse to step backward (or forwards) because you ended up side passing at an angle - or looking like a leg yield. Like I said, I started getting lax on side passing to open gates as well, so I just slowed my horse down. Asking for one step at a time. If he got in a hurry and took two or more steps when I asked for one, I would just ride him forward in a circle, position him up and begin again.

When I'm asking a horse for a side pass, say to the left, I'll use my outside or right rein to keep his head pretty straight, use my left rein to open or lift his shoulder without turning his nose, and use my outside leg (right leg) to contact his barrel to cue him to move to the left. My left leg is totally off the horse. When asking the horse to just give me one step, I try to be really particular about taking all life out of the reins and take my outside leg off of the horse as the horse is completing that step or just before he plants the lagging (the second) crossing foot.

In any event, slowing down, be precise with your cues is going to make it clearer to the horse what you are asking him to do. 

Wildlands Fires Devastate the West

Nothing puts fear into ranchers more so than the thought an out of control fire racing across the grasslands towards their cattle, horses and homes. But this is what is going on in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Northern California. Map of current fires from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service at left.

I received this from a friend: "The fires are so bad half of Idaho is on fire half of Washington is on fire and I don't even know about Montana. Everybody's eyes are burning, throats are raspy and even the animals are suffering. I pray for all those that have lost so much, and for all the fire fighters that are fighting the fires. I hope this all ends soon."

Tom Moates, wrote a piece titled "Wildfire at Martin Black's Place" posted on Eclectic Horseman on-line, about the Soda Fire which was located Southwest of Boise, Idaho. At 285,361 acres burned, it was the largest wildfire in the country. Now thanskfully it isreported to be 95% contained.  Click on the link above which will take you to Tom's article on Eclectic Horseman.  Martin Black, a well known clinician, should be familiar to you. The Soda fire went across his property as well.   The good news is that his horse's survived - barely. Others did not fare so well.  Twenty Seven Wild Horses in the Hardtrigger Herd Management Area reportedly perished.  While the extent of the loses will not be known for awhile, ranchers have certainly lost cattle and use of grazing areas as it will take time for the grass to come back. See map, below right, from the Idaho Statesman showing the extent of the Soda fire.

The Idaho Statesman reports that many of the ranchers believe that the Soda Fire would not have grown to the size it did, nor would have done the damage it did if the BLM's range management practices would not have cut back on grazing. The lack of allowed grazing created the available fuel for the fire to grow.

There are a lot of misperceptions about ranchers grazing their herds of public land, but the facts are:

~ Ranchers pay the government to lease grazing units.  In Southern New Mexico I've seen the BLM lease a Grazing Unit for $18 an Animal Unit Month and that makes it hard for a cow operation to even sustain itself let alone make a profit;
~ Ranchers are much better stewards of the land than bureaucrats will ever be as they live on it or next to it and they need it. 
~ And, under grazing creates conditions for devastating fires.

In any event there are ranchers and families that have lost their livelihood. If you would like to help out with goods, services or a monetary donation, you can go to the Owyhee Cattlemen’s Association website or you can write a check and mail it to Owyhee Cattleman’s Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 400, Marsing, ID 83639.

Army Horse Hurt in Caisson Accident

This article will be felt by most people, especially by those who have had the opportunity to see a solemn military funeral where a flag draped casket is transported to the grave site on a horse drawn wagon, called a Caisson.  But anyone can appreciated a horse being hurt serving man, especially since no horse, ever, deserved to be hurt. 

These Caisson Platoon soldiers, soldiers who do this final duty for a fallen service member, put an incredibly amount of attention to detail to their assigned duties. It just gives you a sick feeling when you think any part of that team (soldier or horse) would be injured presenting the final honors. 

When a Soldier is seriously injured we typically ask thoughts and prayers. Unfortunately, the "Soldier" badly hurt this week is a horse.  Connelly, one of caisson horses at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, received multiple injuries this past Monday. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Here is the release from U.S. Army North - Caisson Horse Battles Injuries After Life Threatening Incident

SAN ANTONIO - A five-year-old caisson horse is battling serious injuries after an incident Monday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

“We will make sure we do everything we can to give this horse a fighting chance,” said 1LT Jeremy Kuykendall, Military Funeral Honors Platoon Leader. “He’s got big character and big heart and a strong resolve.”

Connelly, alongside three other horses, was pulling a caisson when a horse in the rear of the formation became frightened for unknown reasons. As the startled horses began to run, Connelly reared in a valiant effort to not crush his rider who had fallen off.

The rider, SGT Travis Dubay, suffered a leg injury but is expected to make a full recovery.

Connelly, however, was dragged for more than 200 yards as the other horses continued to sprint.

He sustained deep abrasions to several areas of his body resulting in multiple exposed joints.

Connelly is being treated at Retama Equine Hospital in Selma, Texas, where a number of military and civilian personnel are caring for him.

His treatment includes measures to reduce swelling, lessen the risk of infection, and advanced measures for him to regrow missing tissue.

This article from the US Army North page on Facebook

Equi-Sure Supplement for Horses

I have had Equi-Sure on hand after watching a segment on it in the Craig Cameron program on RFD-TV. Craig interviewed the makers of Equi-Sure and they recounted multiple cases where they believed administration of 10cc of Equi-Sure reduced or eliminated colic symptoms in horses. Craig also had a positive experience with Equi-Sure which had convinced him of it's value.

Even though Craig talked about the positive experience he had with Equi-Sure, I did not want to write about it until I also had a personal experience, but I was grateful not to have to use it (who wants a sick horse!), but that changed the other night.

  A few nights ago, I had a reason to use it on one of my horses around 10:00 at night as he was wringing his tail, kicking at his stomach, pawing the ground and laying down. I checked for gut sounds and he had them on all four quadrants, but they were loud and gurgling. He had a normal amount of manure and he passed gas a couple times when I was assessing him. I figured he had a bout of gas colic.

I then gave him 10cc of Equi-Sure. In about 15 minutes he appeared back to normal.

I checked on him about 45 minutes later, and then again another hour later, and he still looked normal, so I went to sleep thankful for not having to call the Vet so late. I can't say for sure if Equi-Sure had anything to do with his shedding his discomfort, and I wonder about the hours the horses are out of our sight and how many times they get distress which resolves itself, but from now on I'll always have a bottle of Equi-Sure on hand.

Equi-Sure advertises that their supplement is all-natural product not only for routine use to increase overall health but also for horses during periods of stress such as gastric stress and colic, and to reduce symptoms of ulcers. They also say that Equi-Sure increases appetite and water consumption.

Equi-Sure also states that the ingredients form an antibacterial cleanse that naturally breaks down bacteria in a horse’s stomach. Go to the website and read more.

A 250ml bottles, which provides twenty five 10ml doses is $70, which I figured was pretty cheap insurance to have on hand. You have to call the toll free line to order - (800) 254-0179 and where you can ask further questions.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis Positive in East Texas

My Vet just sent me this Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) notice, so I thought I would pass it on. The TAHC recently received confirmation from the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) of Texas horses testing positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The infected horses are located in: Newton, Orange, Liberty, Jasper and Jefferson counties. To date, there are a total of five positive EEE cases in East Texas.

TAHC officials remind equine owners to consult with their private veterinary practitioner regarding vaccinating their horses against mosquito-borne illnesses such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), and West Nile Virus.

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease of all equine species. Infected horses may suddenly die or show progressive central nervous system disorders. Symptoms may include unsteadiness, erratic behavior and a marked loss of coordination. The death rate for animals infected with EEE is 75-100%.

Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) is a viral disease that mainly affects horses; mosquitoes primarily transmit this disease. Similar to EEE, WEE is characterized by central nervous system dysfunction. About 20 to 50% of horses infected with WEE die.

Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) is a viral disease that affects horses and causes illness in humans. It has not been seen in the United States for many years (however, a recent outbreak of VEE occurred in Mexico). Mosquitoes most often transmit the disease after the insects have acquired the virus from birds and rodents. Humans also are susceptible when bitten by an infected mosquito, but direct horse-to-horse or horse-to-human transmission is very rare. Symptoms in horses vary widely, but all result from the degeneration of the brain. Early signs include fever, depression and appetite loss. The mortality rate for VEE is 40 to 80%.

"Vaccines are available for neurologic diseases such as EEE and WEE. As part of routine equine health care, we strongly recommend that equine owners consult with their local veterinarian to discuss an appropriate vaccination program to protect their horses against mosquito-borne diseases such as these," said Dr. Andy Schwartz, TAHC Assistant Executive Director.

For more information on mosquito borne diseases visit the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

For information on TVMDL's equine neurologic disease testing, visit the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory site, or call 888-646-5623.

Founded in 1893, the Texas Animal Health Commission works to protect the health of all Texas livestock, including: cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats, equine animals and exotic livestock.

Square Pen Work for Horses

I have been keeping my geldings in a 70x130 foot corral with a 12x32 foot pen in case I needed to separate one of the horses to heal an injury or whatever reason. I decided to reconfigure this arrangement so that each horse has it's own pen, so I have been building rectangle pens, 25x45 feet each.

After I had three of these pens configured and waiting on the boys to start the overhead covers, I got it into my head to ride in one of the pens as the square corners offered something different from my round pen or the oval arena.

I was mildly surprised by the amount of things we could work on in a square or rectangle pen. I started on trotting to a corner to work on not allowing the horse to anticipate stopping or slowing down and we practiced backing straight using the rail as a guide.

Then we worked on trotting into a corner then making a turn on the back end (turn on the haunches) pointing the horse to the next corner. At this point we are off the rail by a few feet. Then trotting to the next corner and doing a turn on the fore hand, swinging the back end towards the rail, putting us up against the rail.

We continued this until on one of the turns, either on the fore hand or haunches, you could turn in the opposite direction, then repeat the pattern, albeit in the opposite direction. There are many other things you can do, such as stopping further away from a corner and making an 180 degree turn, again either on the fore hand or haunches, putting you going into the opposite direction. Doubling on the fence is another good drill. Also using the fence as a obstacle to practice side passes. You can do the same exercises in an arena, but in most cases we tend to stay off the arena fence. The diagram below just shows a few things you can do in a square or rectangle pen. The diagram below is just a couple things that you can do.

In the video below, hopefully I can give some of you an better idea, than just a diagram, for working a horse, especially young horses, in a square or rectangle pen.