Horse Pasture Next to Gun Club

Anonymous sent a question on your post “Exposing Your Horse to Gunfire – Part III”,....”I am in need of advice. I live in the country but my home is next door to a gun club (and) the pasture is 500 yards from the club. I have not purchased a horse as of yet. But I am getting one. How do I desensitize from the loud noises from the gunfire?”

It’s good of you to think of your horse. I would think that 500 yards away is a decent enough distance for rifle shots, even from big bores, to not scare any horse.

One time I started a horse out on gun fire by taking him closer and closer to a Army rifle range where troops where conducting basic rifle marksmanship. I approached within about 50 yards of the firing line where the crack of the rounds being fired was still pretty mild. My horse was very alert but not really anxious about the noise, so rifle fire at 500 yards may not even concern a horse after he hears it once or twice.

These days when I start a horse on gun fire, I’ll throw some hay in the feeder then I’ll fire black powder blanks into the ground from about 25 yards away. At first they will alert to each shot, but soon ignore the sound and give the feed all their attention. Having the range nearby, you may actually have a training opportunity if you can take your horse towards the sound of gunfire and get him sacked out on that.

I would be more concerned about the principle direction of fire of the gun club or potential ricochets, which would be rare. And, while it is an unalienable American right to own and bear firearms, it is up to the individual to use any firearm in a responsible manner, which is not always the case.

I would also be sure that it would be near impossible for my horse to get out of his pen or corral and end up in the impact area of otherwise down range from the gun club.

I used to manage a large horse stables on a military post next to an airfield where every year an air show was held. Imagine all sorts of aircraft, from the Blue Angels to lumbering cargo aircraft flying over head, to sonic booms and crushing jet engine noises, to low levels approaches to the airfield......all the horses quickly became sacked out and I think it made for better horses.

In fact one day, as an Army Range Rider heading into the Mountains with two other Range Riders to check on the Mule Deer Population, a large cargo helicopter on a training flight saw us and decided to hover over us. Imagine an object the size of a school bus and making a hell of a racket hovering thirty feet above your horse. Being sacked out on all sorts of aircraft made a difference that day.

Army Scout - John Colter

I was taken to task by Jumpin Johnny on the post about Army Scout Jim Bridger. Johnny wrote: “Jim Bridger was a consummate liar. The Yellowstone area was first discovered and explored by John Colter. It was known for many years as "Colter's Hell". Colter was intrigued by accounts of the area when the Lewis & Clarke expedition he was a member of in 1806 skirted the area to the north on their trip west. Colter returned immediately to investigate after the expedition returned to the St. Louis area in 1807. Jim Bridger is the only person to say he "discovered" Yellowstone ... and it was a lie that seems to persist today.”

Johnny you are right that John Colter first explored the Yellowstone in 1806 soon after he was released from his duties as a scout and hunter from the Lewis & Clarke expedition. From 1806 to 1812 (a six year time span) Colter went back and forth between the West and civilization in St Louis. He enlisted in the Army for the War of 1812, dying as a soldier from disease. John Colter is mostly well known for “Colter’s Run” where he was captured by Blackfeet, given a chance to run, and he was able to escape covering some 200 miles until he reached safety. Jim Bridger on the other hand spent over 40 years in the West, scouting, guiding, surveying and mapping not just for the Army but for gold miners, wagon trains, railroads and even the Pony Express, as short lived as it was.

I am not taking anything away from Colter. His escape from the Blackfeet is legendary. I had planned on writing a post about him as well. But I am prone not to judge historical features too closely as all we know of them is through the fog of time.

John Colter (1774?-1813) - An American trapper and guide, Colter was born in Augusta County , Virginia about 1774. Sometime around 1780, Colter's family moved to Kentucky near present-day Maysville. In 1803, Colter enlisted in the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a private and during the expedition, Colter was considered to be one of the best hunters and scouts in the group.

As the expedition was returning to St. Louis, Missouri in 1806, Colter met up with two trappers, Forest Hancock and Joseph Dickson, who were headed to the Yellowstone River. Colter was granted a discharge and join them heading into the Yellowstone country.

After this expedition Colter hired on to guide trappers from the Missouri Fur Company taking them into Big Horn River country. This expedition lead to the establishment of Fort Raymond on the Yellowstone River.

In October, 1807, Colter was sent out to linkup with Indian tribes in their winter encampments to negotiate Missouri Fur Company trapping and intent to trade with the Indians. Colter is thought to have traveled traveled by himself crossing the Wind River Mountains, the Teton Range, and was probably the first white man to see Jackson's Hole and Yellowstone Lake. About six months later, in 1808, Colter described this trip alerting other white men on the Yellowstone country and the hot springs.

Later in 1808, Colter joined another trapping expedition in Montana where he and another trapper named John Potts were wounded in a fight with Blackfoot warriors. About a year later another fight with Blackfeet resulted in Potts being killed and Colter captured. This was the start of colter's famous run where the Blackfeet stripped Colter and set him free so they could have sport chasing him.

Colter evaded the Indians, reportedly killing one Indian brave, successfully escaping and covering some 200 miles over the next 11 days until he made it back to Fort Raymond, albeit half dead.

History finds Colter guiding trappers again in 1810, surviving attacks from Blackfeet and probably Crow as well. Reportedly Colter provided much information to William Clarke for Clarke's development of maps.

Colter married and in 1812 enlisted in the Army during the War of 1812. He is known to have enlisted and fought under the name, Nathan Boone, and subsequently died from disease.

Here's where the Colter story takes a strange twist. Colter's wife, Sallie, receiving his body but unable to bury him for some reason, apparently kept his body in a cabin on their farm in Missouri where it remained until 1926 where his bones were found, linked to Colter by possessions with his name on it, and buried at a site over looking the Missouri River.

Bit or a Hackamore

AshSnapClick asked on question on the FH YouTube channel which I'll have to answer here due to length restraints on YouTube replies. "Re: Bosals and Hackamores: Does a hackamore give you the same amount of control a bit would? My boy doesn't like the bit but he's also kind of a trouble maker. I would love to switch over for him to be happier but I also don't want to give him an opportunity to take advantage of me."

AshSnapClick, I would try to find out why your horse doesn't like the bit. It usually is a process of elimination. Often when we change from one bit to another, or from a hackamore to a bit or vice versa, we are often trying to treat the symptoms rather than the problem(s).

But assuming you are riding in a fairly benign bit like a snaffle, or broken bit with small shanks, or a grazing type bit, there are many reasons why the horse is uncomfortable, including:

~ Bit seated too deep. Check for more than just one wrinkle in the corners of the mouth which may indicate bit seated too deep. I like the bit touching the corners of the mouth without any wrinkle.
~ Wolf teeth still in, or coming in, or other teeth problems that make carrying a bit painful.
~ Rider too quick or harsh with their hands. The horse maybe expecting or anticipating pain or discomfort with every slight change of tension with the reins.
~ The horse hasn't been afforded the opportunity to learn to carry the bit.

In addition to eliminating the possible reasons outlined above, if the horse has not been taught to give to pressure by getting a timely release from that pressure, then you are going to see problems that may lead you to believe he is fighting you. This would be a very common reason.

There are seven places of pressure on the horse's head that we can use to get a response:

~ pressure on the tongue, bars of the mouth, and corners of the mouth all coming directly from the bit....I am calling this three separate places of pressure. 
~ pressure on the roof of the mouth - using a bit with a high port called a spade bit.  Some horseman will spend years getting a horse trained for a spade bit and it should be used only by very experienced horseman......for a novice to use this bit would be like giving a razor knife to a two year old baby.     
~ pressure under the jaw from using a curb chain or curb strap - comes into play when using a shanked bit.
~ pressure on the nose or side of the nose - such as using a halter, bosal (hackamore) or even a noseband.
~ pressure on the poll- the portion of the neck just behind the ears, that allows the horses head to swivel and bend, usually comes into play with a shanked bit.

Using a Hackamore really only gives you pressure on the horse's nose or sides of his nose. There are different diameter bosals or nose bands in a hackamore, and different material as well, usually either rawhide or rope. The smaller the diameter, the more pressure. The material of the bosal (rope or rawhide usually) and it's finish or smoothness can enhance that pressure if it is of a rough finish. The hackamore is not something I would go to, first off, just because the horse is hard to control in a bit. I think I would first try figuring out why he is hard to control and uncomfortable in a snaffle.

Hope this helps. Let me know what you figure out. Safe Journey.

Update on Starving Horses

Growing up, my Pa gave me some good advice, "Don't argue with an idiot", unfortunantly I'm gonna ignore that and respond to a couple comments dropped under the post "Starving Horses in El Paso Texas" which I wrote on February 3rd. And like I've written before, I am not against the slaughter of horses,...I'm just against the inhumane treatment of horses.

Anonymous left two comment's on the post "Starving Horses in El Paso Texas " and they are the text in BOLD TYPE FACE....someone told me this means he is shouting. Similar ranting, also in bold type face and using similar verbiage, appeared under on-line news articles about these starving horses. I'm going to re-post Anonymous' comments with my followup comments and that will be the end of it. I will not longer allow these horse abusers to post any comments to stand more than momentarily.

The good news is that after public scrutiny the horses are now being provided some care. Horse Rescue people in and around El Paso County are monitoring this situation.

Anonymous: U.S.D.A DR.WEESE, RAMOS D.V.M,TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE AGREED THE HORSES ARE SKINNY AND MALNOURISHED. THEY ALL AGREED THE PROBLEM STARTED ELSEWHERE AND NOT AT THE MH RANCH. AND,EXTENSION PEOPLE FOR TEX A&M AND NEW MEXICO STATE REPORTED FORAGE IS ADEQUATE AND REASONABLY GOOD FOR CATTLE. THE VETS AGREED, THE FORAGE IS GREAT FOR HORSES IN THIS CONDITION.

FH: No one is saying the problem of malnourished horses started at the MH Ranch - it was just getting worse there and that's what brought passers by to alert horse rescue people and the County Sheriffs Department. Dr Weese of the U.S.D.A. never said the forage was adequate. The pasture, if you can call it that where the horses are, is nothing but mesquite, cresote and some chamisa. If the horses were moved up on top of the Mesa there would be better forage with what blue grama and indian rice grass there is up there, but still unsufficient for that number of horses.

Anonymous: THESE HORSES WERE REJECTED AT THE EL PASO AND MEXICAN BORDER DUE TO THEIR POOR CONDITION.A FEW EXAMPLES, PREGNANT MARES, SKINNY HORSES AND MALNOURISHED HORSES. THE REPS FROM THE BORDER GAVE 45 HORSES TO THE RANCH. ALL 45 HORSES WERE GOING TO THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE.THE MEAT WOULD BE SHIPPED TO EUROPE AND JAPAN FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. TWO MEXICAN-AMERICAN MEN GAVE THE RANCH 35 HORSES TO THE RANCH.ALL THESE HORSES HAD NO HOME AFTER THEY WERE REJECTED FROM THE BORDER.MH RANCHES TOOK THE HORSES. MH RANCHES WANTED TO GIVE THE HORSES A SECOND CHANCE. OUT OF HIS POCKET, HE PAID FOR ALL MEDS,SALT,HAY,SUPPLEMENTS,VET BILLS,CITY WATER AND MOLASSES TUBS.

OUT OF 80 HORSES, 6 DIED TO STARVATION SYNDROME AND 1 DIED FROM A UNTREATABLE CONDITION . THE 45 HORSES WERE AT THE BORDER HOLDING PEN FOR OVER 3 DAYS AND FEED ALFALFA. FEEDING ALFALFA TO THESE HORSES IN STARVATION MODE , NOT GOOD! FATAL FOR HORSES THAT HAVE BEEN STARVED FROM PREVIOUS OWNERS AND GO INTO STARVATION SYNDROME. THEY HAD NO CHANCE BY THE TIME THEY REACHED THIS RANCH. THIS IS A SLOW PROCESS FOR THE HORSES TO RECOVER.THEY HAVE FRESH WATER, MINERALS, SALT AND MOLASSES TUBS. THESE HORSES LOOK GOOD.THE MH RANCHES ARE NOW SELLING THE HEALTHY HORSES TO THE PUBLIC.SOME OF THE SOUND AND BROKE HORSES WILL GO TO TRAIL RIDE BUSINESSES IN NEW MEXICO AND TEX..SOME OF THE WILD HORSES WILL BE SOLD TO RANCH RODEOS.AND, YES, THERE WILL BE HORSES GOING TO THE SALE BARN.

FH: U.S.D.A. Doc Weese got involved, not because of the violation of Texas Revised Code 42.09 (Animal Cruelty) but because of the inter-state movement of horses not only without health certificates, but the movement of horses who had strangles, which is contagious. It is a slow process bringing horses back to health,....what was slower, was the process of getting feed and water out to these horses when they were first turned out at the ranch, when the original idea of taking them to Mexico for slaughter became an non-option.

Anonymous: SHOWING AERIAL FOOTAGE OF THESE DEAD HORSES ARE FOR SHOCK VALUE FOR TV AND WEB VIEWERS. GET THE FACTS BEFORE YOU START POINTING FINGERS. ANIMAL ACTIVIST, AVERY AND SAGE AND SOMMERS DID NOT DO A COMPLETE INVESTIGATION ON THIS MATTER. THE TAHC TOURED THE RANCH ON THE 13TH AND EVALUATED ALL THE HORSES AND GAVE THE RANCH A RELEASE TO CONTINUE BUSINESS AS USUAL. I BELIEVE, MS. SAGE, AVERY AND SOMMERS ARE MISLEADING THE VIEWERS.THIS IS NOT DISNEYLAND, THE
STARVED HORSES FROM PREVIOUS OWNERS NEED 4 TO 6 MONTHS OR MORE TO GET WELL. SAGE, AVERY,SOMMERS AND STARR WANT RESULTS IN A SNAP OF THE FINGERS..NOT REALISTIC GOALS. AVERY SHOULD KNOW ITS A SLOW PROCESS, SHE HAD A FEW HORSES DIE ON HER IN THE SAME CONDITION..SHAME ON HER TO POINT FINGERS! GET THE FACTS, BEFORE YOU JUDGE.

FH: From your earlier comments under the on-line news articles, you claim that the law was violated flying over the ranch taking pictures of the horses. But someone must have explained to you the "right to be, right to see" doctrine. Now you claim the aerial photos are just for shock value. No, it was for investigative and evidentiary reasons. The Sheriffs Department, as fine an organization as they are, are not trained in animal abuse investigation and that came straight from the Sheriff. Besides, the County is not interested in confiscating these horses as the costs for transport, vet care and feed would be enormous. They just want this problem to go away. 300,000 non-horse owning tax payers would be pretty mad.

Diane Avery has been saving horses for a long, long time. She has taken in horses in terrible condition and may have lost one or two. She is well respected for her efforts. Any failure of horses to survive under her are the fault of those who neglected those horses before she took them in.

It is true that there is now some feed, stock tanks with water and salt blocks out for the horses,...too bad it took the negatively publicity to force that to happen. Glad someone paid for those brand new stock tanks.

Anonymous: TO GET THE REAL STORY. Read: THE EL PASO TIMES AND EL PASO INC. ISSUED ON THE 11TH OF FEB. EL PASO TIMES, TITLE: 2ND CHANCE FOR HORSES.THEY BOTH HAD ACCESS TO THE RANCH AND TOURED THE WHOLE RANCH. KFOX14 DID NOT TOUR THE WHOLE RANCH. KFOX STAYED AT THE HEADQUARTERS FOR 99% OF THE TIME. EL PASO TIMES AND EL PASO INC. LOOKED AT COGGINS, MEDICAL REPORTS, INTERVIEWED THE VET.,VIEWED THE HORSES AND GOT THE FACTS FROM THE OTHER DOCTORS AND SPECIALISTS. MS. AVERY AND MS. SAGE HAVE A HISTORY IN EL PASO FOR NOT GETTING THE FACTS.

FH: I did read the follow up article in the El Paso Times, from February 11th. It was a feel good article and not very good investigative journalism as it only contained the story from the MH ranch perspective. It looks to me as an attempt to mitigate the bad publicity of horse abuse. I have over 7,000 readers a month on this site, so your comments seemed oriented towards mitigation of the exposure from my first article. This is probably the same reason a lawyer and another gentleman (and I use that word loosely) claiming to represent the ranch owners have visited a least one feed store and tried to intimidate the owners. As far as you’re derisive comments concerning Diane Avery, Constable Angie Sommers, and Doctor Starr, you either don't know them or are straight up lying. They are all well thought of and have very favorable reputations in the area horse community. Can't say that about horse abusers.....nobody has much use for them.

Cowboy Humor, or Why We Shoot Deer

An old partner of mine, still riding and working cows at 70 years old sent me this and explained that he almost wet his britches reading this,....so be forewarned.

I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up - 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope.

The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope, and then received an education.

The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no Chance.

That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.

A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual.

Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I
managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand.....kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.

Did you know that deer bite?

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ...... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts. The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly.. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it.

While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp ... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal - like a horse - strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.

This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down..

Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away.

So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope ... to sort of even the odds!! All these events are true so help me ... An Educated Rancher.

Trail Riding Competition

Most horse people know about the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) and the “competitive rides” that ACTHA affiliates conduct. If you think you are put off by the competition aspect, I don;t think you will be so inclined with ACTHA as these are very low key events where you go on a trail ride of six miles or so with a group of other horses and riders and at every mile marker you have an “obstacle” to complete with your horse. These obstacle could be simply backing in a circle, side passing a short distance, opening a gate, riding over poles laid across the ground or other simply demonstrations of your horsemanship and your horse’s abilities.

On the plus side these events bring people together, share horsemanship and camaraderie, and the horses are probably grateful for a nice slow benign ride. Really, if you have been thinking about trailering to an ACTHA event – then go. The only downside really is the entry costs and sometimes a facility fee charged by the hosting ranch. But you spend that much eating supper out once a week.

Another like event is a Trails and Trials challenge that an area Horseman’s Association holds twice a year. Much like ACTHA rides with obstacles to test you and your horse, these Trails and Trials Challenge do not cover the distance than an ACTHA ride will, but offer more challenging obstacles.

My wife and I rode in one recently, at the Issacks Ranch outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico in the shadow of the Organ Mountains – simply a beautiful place. Some of the obstacles we faced were: entering a knee deep pond to open, go through, and close a gate; cross a bridge over a water obstacle; back uphill; dismount and lead your horse over a couple jumps; remount then throw a loop on a roping dummy; side pass over logs arrayed in a “Z” pattern; a little more challenging because of the one obstacles after another format.  The picture at right is my wife on her big Sorrel Gelding Charlie.  Charlie is not the bravest horse in the world, but he does well since my wife gives him time to accept things and he knows he'll get a fair deal with her.  The obstacles he is looking at is a couple of old horse blankets laying in a frame they had to step over.  Suprisingly several horses had issues with these blankets due to the smell.  Charlie is alert, but relaxed - note the loose reins.  After maybe 10-15 seconds my wife asked Charlie to move forward across the obstacle.       

These types of events is a way many horse clubs or associations could generate more interest in trail riding. I was happy to see some young people participating and one in a particular, a young cowboy riding a two year old mare who really impressed me with the time he took with this horse and how his horse responded.

Guiding Starbuck

If you want to follow an interesting and educational story then tune in to a site called Guiding Starbuck.

This site documents the journey of a young lady in Spain, calling herself a novice, who decided to train her three year old green filly herself using natural horsemanship, classic European techniques and what she explains has “an ever-growing sense of wonder”.

It's a pleasure to see young people with a good head on their shoulders as well as it is to see good horsemanship in foreign places. In fact, I once thought about visiting Europe, but the problem is there are too many foreigners who don't speak American!

Pausing to Learn

Aaron wrote,....you told me words to the effect to put time between each obstacle so the horse can calm down, can you say it again and why?

Aaron, I can't remember exactly what I said but I'm sure it was in the context of this: lets say you take a horse up to an obstacle, not letting him back up or away, but cue him forward and push him over an obstacle. You may not really be achieving much especially when you immediately take him away onto another obstacle that causes anxiety or frightens him. I think you run the risk of over stimulating the horse. He may just be learning that he was justified having that anxiety.

Instead try taking him up to an obstacle, don’t let him give to his anxiety but don't increase it either by pushing him closer until he is ready. When he is ready, he'll look ready,.....body will feel less tense, head will drop, eye's will blink, ears will go from straight forward to moving around. If you talk to him an ear will turn back to you and he’ll look away interested in other things,....you’ll see and feel it. Then you can move him forward and repeat,...pretty soon he’ll be touching the obstacles with his nose and relaxing. Now here’s an important part – give him time to absorb that lesson, the lesson on learning to think rather than just reacting. Give the horse a break and he will learn. This is pressure release just a different kind of it.

After all I think the idea is not to get him over or through the obstacle just for the sake of completing an obstacle, because if he does it scared he won’t be learning much from it, nor will he be better for it. In fact, he may be worse for it. Instead, I'd be looking to allow the horse to learn that he can think through a scary situation and not have to just relax.

To give you an example of what not to do, years ago I was riding a horse back from the round pen, just after the Sun went down. On the way back to the barn, I detoured to a large water puddle thinking I’d get my horse to walk through it. Well, he didn’t. I was in a hurry and I made several mistakes: 1 – trying to teach a horse anything without having the time to see it through, and 2 – trying to push him ahead through that water puddle before he was ready to move forward. That puddle could have looked like a hole to China to him for all I knew. I didn’t give him any chance to get used to the idea. All I did was increase his anxiety and prove to him he needed to be scared. I just pushed him forward until he jumped the puddle. Even though nobody was watching I embarrassed myself and more importantly took some of that trust away between me and him.

I should have not attempted to cross that large water puddle unless I hard to time to work on it. I should have made it his idea to move forward, to and through the puddle, and given him the time to do so. Lastly if I would have done that, I should have paused to let his mind slow down and absorb that obstacle, then do it a few more times to build his comfort level and make him a more confident, braver horse. Kinda of a long answer Aaron, but hope it works for you.

Meet the Burrowing Owl

I was riding one of my horses, Junior, when I heard this squeaking sound. I stopped and started looking around then spotted a Burrowing Owl sitting in a Mesquite Bush. Every time the Burrowing Owl would squeak he (or she) would rise up then sit back down. These owls are a small species often with a body length of only around ten inches but have long legs presumably to help protect them from larger birds of prey.

Burrowing owl nests are basically holes in the ground. Often they build their burrows next to construction sites or other populated areas. They hatch their young around early or middle spring. I have rode up on Burrowing Owl nests before to have an owl fly off from the ground and land in a bush twenty yards away or so to get my attention on them and not the nest they left.

These little guys are about the neatest things you can watch. Burrowing owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

As I turned toward this owl and carefully walked up to him, he hopped to the ground. There was dark, turned up ground near his feet which I suspected was the burrow. I did not get any closer as I didn’t want to spook him, but I was able to shoot this short video on me and Junior’s encounter with this Burrowing Owl. Sorry for the poor quality, but I couldn’t even see the dog gone camera screen due to the Sun.

Bolting Warmblood

Auri wrote: Hi, I have a 16.3 hand Dutch Warmblood gelding with a bad habit of taking off that he learned from his previous owner (I was not aware of the problem). I have tried every form of ground training and there is some improvement but he will still take off occasionally. He is dangerous and one time left me with a broken jaw. From that time he also tore a lesion in his deep flexor tendon and is currently healing. Is there anything else I can do to help him?”

Hi Auri. I like the way you are asking if there is anything you can do to help your horse. A bolting horse can be dangerous, especially one as big as your Warmblood. You don’t say how old your Warmblood is, nor how long you have had him, nor how your jaw was broken. I am assuming that he is doing this both while you are leading him on the ground as well as in the saddle. He needs to learn that he has to be respectful of your space. I like to use a good quality rope halter, such as from Double Diamond or Craig Cameron, with a tied on lead line. This allows a quick jerk on the lead line to be transmitted and felt by the horse on his nose and somewhat on his poll. Your timing has to be right on this. Using a 12 or 14 foot lead line allows you to bring the end of the lead line with the leather popper around your body with the off hand to remind your horse to respect your space if he is leading up too close.

You had the good idea is to re-start your horse. I think this is always a good idea for new horses. Relearning ground training, teaching the horse good ground manners,.....that you are the leader and he needs to respect you. You have done this and say he still has the bolting problem. I am assuming you are riding him in a bit. Have you ruled out any teeth problems like erupting wolf teeth? Are you using too harsh of a bit? Does it seem like he bolts after fighting you or bracing against the bit? I can't help but think of a dressage rider I knew who would ride their horse on the trail, in a benign bit like a O ring snaffle, but would always be in contact that horse's mouth, causing that horse alot of anxiety since he couldn't do anything to get away from the bit pressure but to try and run away.

A horse bolting is sometimes caused by a buildup of fear until the horse thinks he has to run away. Sometimes a horse just has to bolt and run just to figure out that he doesn’t have to. I think sometimes it does more good to let them bolt, and when they want to slowdown, make them continue to run if it’s safe to do so.

If the horse is spooking (from an object) rather than bolting from pent up fear rather than a particular object, I would take him back to the object that set him off. In both situations you have to go at his pace, if you make him approach a scary object faster than he is comfortable with, or if you get onto him or try and lock him down when he bolts, in his mind his fear is justified.

Sorry I couldn't be of much help. Good luck and Safe Journey.

The Cowboy and His Best Friends

I was sent this gem from four different people in the same week, so it must be good. You may have seen in across your e-mail net as well, but here it is again for all of you with gray in your hair or mustache and who still shed tears over the loss of a horse or dog. I'd like to think I'd act the same way as the Cowboy in this story..........

An old cowboy was riding his trusty horse followed by his faithful dog along an unfamiliar road.

The man was enjoying the new scenery, when he suddenly remembered dying, and realized that the dog beside him had been dead for years, as had his horse.  Confused, he wondered what was happening, and where the trail was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall that looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch topped by a golden letter "H" that glowed in the sunlight.

Standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like gold.

He rode toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. Parched and tired out by his journey, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

As the gate began to open, the cowboy asked, 'Can I bring my partners, too?'

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The cowboy thought for a moment, then turned back to the road and continued riding, his dog trotting by his side.

After another long ride, at the top of another hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a ranch gate that looked as if it had never been closed. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me,' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Sure, there's a pump right over there. Help yourself.'

'How about my friends here?' the traveler gestured to the dog and his horse.

'Of course! They look thirsty, too,' said the man.

The trio went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with buckets beside it. The traveler filled a cup and the buckets with wonderfully cool water and took a long drink, as did his horse and dog.

When they were full, he walked back to the man who was still standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'That's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the glitzy, gold street and fake pearly gates? That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you angry when they use your name like that?'

'Not at all. Actually, we're happy they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Hard to Turn Horse

Joan wrote me asking what could be the problem on her horse who doesn’t turn very well. She mentioned that she rides him in a snaffle bit with short ends which I took to mean a broken bit with shanks. A snaffle bit with shanks is not called a snaffle. It is a broken leverage bit. No matter, as it should not matter a great deal in what she is riding him in,....halter, snaffle, leverage bit or hackamore. I am assuming that Joan wants to just get the horse to turn in a smooth manner and is not trying a turn on the forehand or trying to get her horse to turn on his back end like a roll back.

If you are turning your horse from a stand still or while at the walk or jog and the horse exhibits a slowdown, or turns seemingly off balance or with short choppy steps, it is most likely that you are either 1 – trying to turn his head by pulling on a direct rein straight back, giving the horse a confusing signal – he doesn't know if you want him to slow, stop, back or a combination of that.....or 2 – the outside rein, or the rein opposite to the turn is taunt giving the same confusing signals. You could be doing both.

In the photo at left, I am trying to turn (pull) my horse's head around for a turn to the right. The position of his head, starting to break at the poll with his nose beginning to drop without turning his nose to the right is showing me that this signal is confusing to him (does that over weight idiot on my back want me to back or what?).

The photo to the right, while an exaggeration, where I hold the rein away from his neck and away from my body, is a better cue or signal to tip my horses head to the right to begin a turn to the right. While the rein may appear taunt, like I'm pulling his head over, I am not.  He is beginning to give to that pressure as the cue is understandable to him.  The opposite rein (meaning the left or outside rein) cannot be taunt or otherwise this is also confusing to him.

It is very common to maintain too much contact in the horse’s mouth or in other words,.....your reins are too tight. Even if your horse is not throwing his head up, a too tight of rein may be the cause for a horse slowing his momentum especially in a turn. No offense to dressage riders, but they ride always in contact with the horses mouth. This does not translate very well to riding him on the trail and turning, or going up/down hill especially. In fact, going up hill and pulling on his head could your horse to come over.

Joan, I’d like you to try this. Consider the reins not just connected to the horse’s mouth/head, but also to his feet. Using the reins, such as a direct rein, not also affects the head but also the feet and the weight transfer of the horse.  In the first part of the video below, you see me demonstrating a tight rein – notice how my horse’s weight transfer from the front feet (where most of the weight is carried) to the back end.

I also demonstrate trying to turn the horse on tight reins, then I demonstrate a turn using loose reins. When you are using a direct rein, try tipping his head in the direct of the turn by pulling the rein to the outside away from your body. In fact, before you try turning your horse into the opposite direction, try just to tip his head as lightly as you can by holding the direct rein out at a 45 degree angle. I think you'll see a difference. The idea in western riding is to ride with loose reins,......as little contact as you can get away with, or only as much contact as you need.

Starving Horses in El Paso Texas

I can take a lot of things, but one thing I can't take is people not providing a fair life to a horse. That, in my book, means adequate food, water, shelter and humane handling. I happen to live in El Paso County which has the reputation of being one of the least friendly counties in the United States for the fair treatment of animals. The latest event being more than 60 horses starving on a ranch east of El Paso.

EL PASO, Texas, 30 January 2012. KVIA News Article. More than 60 horses are in danger of starving at a ranch in the eastern part of El Paso County.  According to animal activists, the number is dwindling as they claim two more horses died in the past several days.

“They need to be removed immediately,” said Dr. Amy Starr who says she put a horse down on the ranch last week. “It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, it’s yesterday.”

I happen to know Doc Starr. She is my vet and a family friend. You will find no better person or Vet.

Sources tell ABC-7 they used a personal aircraft to perform a flyover and saw two additional horse carcasses. A similar flyover was performed with a helicopter last week where video was obtained that video showed a carcass in the desert about five miles north of Cattleman’s Ranch in Fabens.

The ABC-7 I-team drove to the area where activists claimed the horses were dying. Walking up a dirt road horses could be seen along the road with ribs protruding from their bodies. Photographs were taken, and shown to Starr who hasn’t been on the ranch since the day she was called by law enforcement to the scene. She seemed shocked at the pictures she saw.

“If they continue on that way one by one they’re going to die,” said Starr.

Not a lot of information has been released from the investigation that was launched by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. Last week a news release stated that a veterinarian observed some of the horses and that they appeared to be in good condition, although they were skinny. That release came out a few days after Starr says she had to put down a horse on the same property.

According to the Sheriff’s Office news release, nearly 65 horses reside on the land. The horses were originally from Dona Ana County and were meant to be shipped to Mexico where they were to be slaughtered. Instead, the horses were in such bad condition they weren’t allowed in the country, and they were shipped to their current home in El Paso county where a hold order was placed on them. Activists claim they’re no better off, a thought Dr. Starr seems to agree with.

“Those conditions are not fit for cattle, much less a horse,” said Starr.

But a veterinarian with the Sheriff’s Office says the horses have water, salt blocks and molasses. Starr doesn’t deny that, but says it doesn’t make sense given the state of the horses that she has seen, or the pictures we obtained.

The Vet mentioned by the Sheriffs Office is Doc Weese of the U.S.D.A. I know him as well but cannot think that he has seen all or some of these horses, as he simply knows better. He has either seen the better conditioned horses of this herd or is getting his information second hand.

She (Doc Starr) also admits she has never been involved with a case where animals need to be removed from a property. Usually, she helps rehabilitate animals later on in the process, but after seeing what she has she says as a veterinarian she’s certain of one thing: that the remaining horses on the ranch need help, and quickly.


Watch the video with Diane of Rancho Allegre talk about this case.
Animal Advocates: Lack of seizure order keeping malnourished...

Latest news on these starving horses,....

EPSO closes animal abuse investigation, EL PASO CO., Texas — By Lauren Rozyla, KFOX News.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) has closed an animal abuse investigation involving more than 65 allegedly starving horses on a Far East El Paso County property. However tonight, animal advocates and neighbors said they were shocked by the news.

"They have no food, no water," Vicky Placencia, who lives three miles down the road from the horses, told KFOX14.

Animal Advocates Diane Avery and Marilee Sage, who have followed this case closely, are calling this one of the worst cases of horse abuse they've seen locally.

The El Paso County Attorney's Office has confirmed they have found no criminal reason to continue prosecuting this case, according to Elhiu Dominguez, the office's spokesman. He issued this to KFOX14:

"The Sheriff's Office has told us the investigators did not find evidence warranting a seizure. Whether or not they'd call it a "closed case," that is a question for the Sheriff's [Office]. However we were told the investigation was concluded and that they will not further investigate this case unless they receive a new, credible complaint."

However, KFOX14 has obtained video showing carcasses littering the property, and horses in various stages of starving.

When KFOX14 arrived on the property on Thursday, about one week after the official launch of the investigation, we found horses wandering freely along the property, drifting into the road. In some cases, we could see ribs on some select horses.

KFOX14 tried to find the manager of this property for comment, but there was no apparent building, contact number or way of reaching anyone in any official capacity.


I have written before about the Horse Slaughter issue. I can sum up my feelings by saying you either give a horse a fair life or you end that life in a humane manner. But the people who starve and mistreat horses certainly have much less humanity than the misguided animal rights advocates who lobby for the non-slaughter of horses. There simply has to be a way, necessarily meaning a market, for unwanted horses to be humanely put down.

Some of these horses on this ranch in East El Paso County are obviously very sick and in really poor body condition,...several look to be in fair condition, for now, as well. However, as Diane Avery points out in the video interview, nothing can be done for the sicker and poorer horses until the El Paso County Sheriff issues a seizure order. As the second article states, the EPSO considers this investigation closed. I am asking readers to send an e-mail to the addresses listed below to ask El Paso County officials to immediately re-look the issue and take necessary steps including seizure of the at risk horses and possibly citing the owner in violation of Texas Penal Code Section 42.09 Cruelty to Live Stock Animal (a)(2), which is "intentionally or knowingly failing to provide reasonable and necessary food, water, or care for a livestock animal in the person's custody." Please be courteous in your e-mail as anger and insults won't push the County to re-look these horses.


El Paso County Sheriffs Office, Sheriff Wiles:
     epsheriff@epcounty.com

El Paso County Commissioners Court:
     commissioner1@epcounty.com
     commissioner2@epcounty.com
     commissioner3@epcounty.com
     commissioner4@epcounty.com

El Paso County Judge:
     countyjudge@epcounty.com

Good Horsemanship

I was watching Julie Goodnight the other night (on RFD TV) as she was helping one of her student-instructors get a horse sacked out on opening gates, and I heard Julie say words to the effect that it had been awhile since she (Julie) last attended a clinic. Then she explained that she likes to attend other trainer's clinics to keep herself from getting stale, and that she believes a person can and should learn from everyone. I wonder if Julie knew how important it was for her to say that as it shows not only a humble approach to her horsemanship, but it highlights the most basic of often forgotten requirements to continue evolving your horsemanship, and that is keep an open mind.

We all have our favorite trainers. They are our favorite because they have a way of presenting the concepts or the how's to do something that gets through to us. We have all probably seen students who's redundant reply to an instructor or clinician is "Yeah, but..." as they try to explain why they aren't listening to the instruction. If you follow Julie Goodnight's advice to continue to seek knowledge, and be the best student you can, you can not only expedite your journey to becoming a horseman but it will most likely save (some) pain and suffering along the way.

In the interest of passing information on notable trainers, I ran across a gent named Ross Jacobs in the Eclectic Horseman magazine edition #63, Jan-Feb 2012. Interesting article on this Australian based horse trainer. Ross maintains a pretty good website and horse owners may want to look it up. Instructional videos are available (at a cost) but there is other free information as well,....if you can do the translation, as they ain't exactly speaking American down there. Ross Jacobs is below at left.
www.goodhorsemanship.com.au

If you haven't heard of Eclectic Horseman magazine, you can see what they have to offer at http://eclectic-horseman.com//

Training a Long Yearling

Megan wrote: "My husband and I recently got back into horses and bought a Palomino mare in foal two years ago and last year she dropped a beautiful filly. This May she will be two years old. Some friends of ours are telling us that since she is now considered two years old it is okay to saddle break her. Although we are anxious to have another riding horse I am concerned about ruining her. What are your ideas on when you should start breaking a horse? Anything you can tell us would be appreciated."

Megan, your filly is considered a long yearling, coming two this year. While the horse racing industry races non-mature horses in this category, it doesn’t mean it is in the horse’s best interest. I'm sure not to make any racing trainers and owners happy with the statement, and to be sure, the majority of people in the racing industry are straight up and provide excellent care for their horses, but I think this practice of putting physical stress on non-mature horses is not in their best interests. I think horses are raced young, before they are physically and mentally prepared well enough, because there is pressure on turning a profit after years of expense counting the brood mare carrying the foal. Well, I'm getting off track here,...the subject is basically how old is old enough to saddle break a horse. Anyway, good for you that you are concerned with your filly. Be patient and you can have a good horse for decades to come.

I am assuming your filly is halter broke now and actually breaking or gentling your filly has already began if you have handled her and petted on her as this is all good for the horse. You can continue handling her, training her to lead up correctly, getting her used to pressure and release, teaching her to back, lunging her, accepting a paste wormer tube, blanketing her, handling her feet and making her safe for a shoer to trim, and getting her to stand quiet, and, possibly ponying her with the mare are all steps in my mind that lead up to and make her safer to saddle break.

I think it is generally safe (for the horse) to be introduced to the saddle at, or around the two year mark. I don’t suggest that you are out riding her mile after mile, but to get her broke and gentled to the saddle, give her a short ride or two a week, then when she is three years old she ought to be physically and mentally mature enough to handle an increased riding schedule even though she may not be physically mature even then.

Many ranches follow this formula......Breaking the horse to the saddle at two years old and putting some schooling on the horse. Then turning out for the late fall and winter, then come spring the horse is used as part of a Cowboy's cavvy (work string).

This is just my opinion. Others may think different. If you are considerable of the horse as you are patient then you'll be fine. Safe Journey to you and your horse.

Josh Armstrong Clinic

This past weekend we hosted a invitation only Josh Armstrong Clinic at our Red Bird Ranch with six participating riders......Josh Armstrong and Betty, a happy student, at left. Few in the Horse world and nobody in the reining world has not heard of Josh Armstrong and Armstrong Equine Services of La Mesa, New Mexico. Josh is a Top 10 Finisher at both the NRHA and Congress Reining Futurities, and a European National Champion Reiner. He is an author and has made a horsemanship video — The First Dimension — available for purchase at his website. Armstrong Equine Services offers training, boarding, breeding, temporary stays and foals for sale. Among their set of Stallions is the well known Von Reminic.

Josh spent three hours in the arena teaching, demonstrating and explaining how to get a better stop on your horse; walk to trot, walk to trot to lope, and walk to lope transitions; rollbacks and doubling. He spent time individually with each rider helping them on their weakest points. One of his strong points is the calm, common sense way he presents the hows and whys. One of the riders had a pretty high strung Roan Mare. Josh took extra time to help this mare, driving her around (see picture at left), help her find a place where she could accept the pressure and find a release.

As much educational as the clinic was, there was a some funny moments, highlighted when we tied the horses up to have lunch and the Roan mare Josh was working mistook a plastic horse statute as a servicing stud, moved over and stuck her hind end in his face.

Anybody in the greater El Paso, Texas - Las Cruces, New Mexico area would be well served to attend a Josh Armstrong clinic or visit any of the events Armstrong Equine Services hosts at their ranch in La Mesa, New Mexico. It's really a pleasure to watch Josh ride bridleless, getting sliding stops and spins off of his performance horses. In fact, Josh has got to be doing what he does because of his love for it, because he certainly ain't making alot of money with the inexpensive fees he charges.

Fieldcraft - Fire Starting

Another field craft skill a back country trail rider or packer needs to have is to be able to build a fire. It’s pretty easy to build a fire when there is no wind or rain lashing your face, but when you’re soaking wet and the wind is honking it’s a different matter. If you are out a long ways from any civilization and get caught in a gully washer then your horse goes lame, getting out of the rain and building a fire may keep you alive if the weather turns cold. Even in moderate temperatures a person can lose enough body heat to become a hypothermia casualty. Another good use for a fire is to signal any rescue crews looking for you. If you are riding with a partner and they fall or get hurt, keeping them warm is in order to push off shock.

I always carry a magnesium fire starter in my saddle bags. It takes up very little room and is much easier for me to light a fire compared to a store bought butane lighter, especially without burning your fingers in the process. Besides the plastic housing on a butane lighter can break and leave you without fuel. Lint from your dryer rolled into a ball and carried with your magnesium starter is a great aid to catching sparks and starting that first little flame.

If you forget the lint, maybe you can locate a bird’s nest to use, although bird feathers don’t catch very well – you may have to remove all the accumulated junk from the nest to leave just the dried grass. Some ticking from your socks, vest or coat will usually also work as a tinder as well.

Building the fire in a hole helps protect it from the wind until it gets going good. Be sure to stack all the kindling, twigs and bigger than twigs, branches and logs nearby so you can feed the fire to a point where it will sustain itself before you go looking for more wood.

There are other things you can do such as building the fire against an embankment, dirt mound or rock wall to help reflect heat. Ensure you have adequate ventilation if you build a fire in a semi–full enclosed space like a cave. Safe Journey and safe fires.

Horse Won't Stand Still

Sam wrote....”I have a quarter horse that I have ridden for 9 years, since he was a 2 year old. Lately I have been attending ACTHA rides. He is calm on the trail and calm during the obstacles, but impatient while waiting for the other riders to complete their obstacle. I took some criticism for circling him last weekend, when he was tossing his head, fighting me and wanted to move on. He even squealed a little. I see this as kind of a spoiled brat behavior and I am not sure how to deal with it. I admittedly did not ride him a lot this year, but he has these moods where he is impatient and might even nip at me when I am leading him. I am considering a vet workup but I think if pain were his issue he would not only act this way when standing still under saddle. Thoughts on how to deal with this?”

Hey Sam, thanks for writing,….actually a problem with the horse not standing still when asked is more common than you would think. Some times it’s feed related. Some times it’s a pain or discomfort issue with the horse relating to bad saddle fit or a physical problem with their hooves or back or instance. A vet check is a good idea, especially if you suspect something.

It is more likely to be a problem that may be alleviated with a lot of wet saddle blankets, or time in the saddle, and, standing tied for awhile to have him teach himself patience. I am not talking about using a snugging post for hours on end,….. I’m simply saying having him tied for 30 minutes is not an unreasonable way to begin and you can go from there.

He may be simply a little buddy sour thinking his herd is moving on without him. I wouldn’t let the criticism bother you. I would think the ACTHA judges are there to judge how you and your horse negotiate an obstacle and not any pre-obstacle schooling of your horse. Of course, if you are standing close to other horses and riders, it is really annoying to have your horse moving around pushing into our horses. But, circling a horse in small circles, or moving his hind end around quickly then offering him a chance to stand still (pressure and release) is a common way to handle a horse who can’t stand still.

If you don't ride him a lot, say only once a week, I think you would see a big difference in his handle by adding a couple of short sessions each week.

Cowboy Humor - Jackpot Roping

One of my old friends called me the other day telling me he was putting on a jackpot roping and was asking me to enter.

I told him that I hadn't team roped in years and didn't think I had the time.

He then told me that it was a charity roping for handicapped kids who were blind.

I said "Handicapped kids? Are you kidding me? Then sign me up. This is one I have a chance at winning!"

Mecate with a Snaffle Bit

Denise asked I'm interested in riding with a mecate reins on a snaffle and am unsure how to do so. I like the idea of having a integral lead rope.”

Denise, thanks for your question. I’ll answer it mostly with pictures and a short video. This question has cropped up several times in the past few weeks. I attribute it to more people interested in trail riding and the popularity of the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA). The Mecate, also called McCarthy reins due to the Anglo pronunciation of the Spanish word, is one continuous rein, usually 20-24 feet long, made from either yacht line (braided rope) or a horse hair rope. When used with a Bosal, the Mecate reins are connected to the Bosal just above the Heel knot. Sometimes a Bosal and Mecate will be one piece where the Mecate is braided into the Bosal.

When a Mecate is used with a snaffle bit, it is common to use slobber straps to connect the reins to the ring of the snaffle. The slobber straps are pieces of leather that connect the reins to the bit. Like the picture to the left showing the off side slobber strap and how I secured the end of the Mecate to it. If you tie your Mecate to the slobber straps in this manner make sure you leave enough tail of the rope and point it downward.

A friend of ours, Arden, was looking for a Mecate so I took a 21 foot length of half inch braided rope, braided a leather popper in one end and wrapped some waxed flat thread around the rope where the center of the reins would be for a eight foot continuous rein.

The running end of the Mecate is looped through the near side slobber strap then you half hitch the Mecate so that the remaining length, in this case about 11 feet, runs downward. The near side is where you would adjust the length of the reins to suit yourself. The remaining 11 feet is now a get down rope. To keep it out of the way until you need it, you can clove hitch it to the horn, which is not my preferred way,....you can coil it and tie it to the near side saddle strings. Or, a traditional method it to get a bit near the end of the rope and tuck it under your belt. That is the bit of the remaining Mecate is pushed underneath your belt from bottom to top. If you came off your horse (it happens) you would have a rope to keep your horse from running away. If the horse ran away before you could get ahold of the rope, it would feed out from under your belt keeping you from being drug.

Anyway, Denise, I hope this video and post helps you rig and be safe with your Mecate.