Cross Country Rider Reaches Washington

Photo taken in Brownsville, Washington, May 2009.

Pretty incredible stuff. This woman is travelling across the United States with her two horses and dog. Amazing.

Check it out at the link below.

http://www.endeofthetrail.com/Current.html

Right now she's somewhere between Carson and Battle Ground.

Cool.

Ray Hunt

I am a fan of natural horsemanship. I don't think it's the only method of training that works nor do I adhere to all the pratices of NH. But, my horses and I have really benefited from the foundation of NH which has essentially taught us how to communicate with one another.

If you're a fan of NH then you've probably heard the name Ray Hunt mentioned in more than a few clinics and workshops. He's known to to be the father of NH.

Ray passed away on March 12th and I couldn't let his passing go without a little note.

Although I wasn't lucky enough to have been to one of his clinics, I see his hand of influence on so many of the trainers that are out there now. His methods of patience, softness and respect resound with so many of us that struggle to make ourselves and our horses better creatures.

Ray was a big support of the theraputic riding programs and thus the family is requesting that donations be made to the Ray Hunt Memorial fund which supports programs dedicated to horseback riding for people with disabilities.

Here's a snippet from his website:

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Ray Hunt Memorial Fund
administered by the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association. It will be used
solely in support of programs dedicated to horseback riding for people with
disabilities. Ray was impressed by how the horses were able to impact
people with disabilities in such dynamic ways and this program really meant a
lot to him. All donations are tax deductible. For more information
on CATRA please go the website: catra.net or contact Ben Nolt 717 – 649 – 9822. Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association, Inc. is a Not-For-Profit Organization
Recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
CATRA, PO Box 339
Grantville, PA. 17028-0339

I'm thankful for people like Ray that dedicate their lives to passing their knowledge and experience to those of us that wait to soak it up.

And, my horses are thankful too!

"I Ride"

Someone forwarded this to me and I found it inspiring and so true. I thought I would post it here. I'm not sure who wrote it ... but would like to give credit where credit is due. If anyone knows who the author is, please let me know and I'll post it here.

I ride

That seems like such a simple statement. However, as many women who ride know, it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability.

I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.

The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness.' It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness.' It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride.

I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trailhead somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog, and I ride.

I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust. Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.

I consider the simple statement; I ride.

I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment.

Still I ride.

No matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt.

I ride.

And I feel better for doing so. The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the Prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.

I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch.. We haul 40ft rigs. We back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait, and doctor.

Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.

Now you are there.

I ride.

Northwest Horse Forum

I got an email today announcing a new horse forum that's starting up in the Seattle area but could potentially reach all through the NW.

It sounds like a great site. Here are the details:

This is a place where horse owners and riders in the Pacific Northwest can connect with each other to talk about everything from locating good hay to finding a riding partner or someone to share a trailer ride. This also is a place where you can talk about competitions and events. This is an opportunity for horse riders to create their own online community as they wish. Folks also can add their own photos with their post.

To register, please go to www.seattletimes.com and click near the top right side of the page at "Your account." Your ID name will be the name you want shown on the posts.

After you register, you'll immediately get an e-mail confirmation. When that shows up, you'll need to confirm your registration on the link sent to you.

Here's the link to the forum: www.seattletimes.com/horseforum

When you get to the forum, you'll need to Login there at the upper right.

The process is pretty quick.

It's great to see more sites and activities for horse enthusiasts in the NW. So ... I'll see ya'll over there!

Equine Massage

I read this interesting on HorseCity.com and thought I'd cross post here. Any excuse to get closer to my horse is a good one and what better way than incorporating a bit of equine massage?

Anyway, check out the article. It's a good one.

Incorporating Massage Therapy
Into Everyday Horse Care
By Bethany Willis
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2008

When you hit your knee on something what's the first thing you do? Put your hand on it and massage it right? Of course, because your natural instinct is to stabilize that injury and provide it some comfort. The same thing applies to your horse. From the highest level performer to the pasture pet, each horse can benefit from the use of massage ..... Read more

Commercial Packers

This was recently posted on BCHW by Lori and I'm cross posting here as there's great information in this well written article.

Happy Trails!

I've posted some photos from a recent pack trip into the Pasayten Wilderness on the Yahoo website at http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/BCHW/ . If you live in WA and have not ever been there: DO IT! There is a reason it is so popular for stock users. The most populated areas are that way for a reason: the scenery is spectacular!

Now:
This message is to those who are not one of 'them', as most trail riders today are not. 'THEM: one who heads into the middle of the mountains for days on end, pack stock in tow, with no plans to return to their trailer/camper at the end of each ride. Note: if personal hygiene is REALLY high on your list of 'must haves' then you can quit reading now....8-)

Maybe you don't have the pack equipment and/or no pack horse? Not enough knowledge to make sure your trip is going to be worry free (excluding weather, trail conditions, etc. of course)? Or maybe you feel like it takes too much pre-planning and work? Well, that's me. In a 'previous life' I packed all over the place, several times a year. In my current life - not! And then I finally discovered the Joys of Hiring a Packer! An old dog CAN learn new tricks....

For the uninitiated, here is how one version (my favorite) works:
1. Me, my horse & friends all show up at the trailhead with our personal duffle, place it on the ground and head up the trail to the camp site.
2. Pretty soon, here come the packer and all his mules with all our stuff and the camping gear. Which HE sets up while I sit on my rear and read a book and drink an Adult Beverage.
3. But best of all, along comes the camp cook with all the food that SHE organized, purchased and packed and COOKS! While I again sit on my rear and read a book and drink an Adult Beverage.

Is this more expensive than doing everything yourself? Sure. But for those that do not have the experience or resources to do it SAFELY themselves it's sure much less stressful! Stress can be bad for your blood pressure and can add lines to your face...... And hey - I'M WORTH IT! Having a pro - with their experienced animals - deal with everything involved results in fewer things that can and do go wrong on pack trips. Been there, done that.....

If you've ever wanted to get back into the high country for several days on end and NOT COOK, then this is the way to go. Packers also offer Drop Camps. This is where you assemble all your personal items, your own camping and cooking equipment and food and the packer packs it in for you and then returns to pack it out when your trip is done.

For more info on commercial packers in WA check out the Washington Outfitters and Guides Assn. http://www.woga. org/ . If you want to go out of state then the WOGA website has a list of other state organizations too. Or many of them are at some of the first of the year Sportsman's Shows where you can meet them in person. Decide where you want to ride and then contact them and get references. If you want to ride your own horse (make sure it is in shape and experienced! The wrong horse can be a real pain for you and can easily ruin your trip. It may be a better - and safer - idea to use one of the packers horses in some cases) make sure you ask if they allow them and what the conditions to do so are.

Now get with some friends or family and start planning a memorable pack trip for next summer!

Lori

PS: I even
got to meet Cheryl from the BCHW Yahoo Group on my trip! She was one
of the many with some good ideas for Adult Beverages on pack trips.

37-yr-old Horse & an Endurance Race

Article from thehorse.com
by: Marsha Hayes

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12530

Elmer Bandit, 37-year-old half-Arabian gelding, completed the Spotted Rump Ride Competitive Trail Event at Greensfelder Equestrian Park near St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 16 to boost his lifetime mileage to 20,420. Saddlebred Wing Tempo holds the current mileage record with 20,710 miles.

Elmer finished second in the Open Lightweight Division. Weight divisions are based on the weight the horse carries over the 60-mile, two-day event. Owner Mary Anna Wood of Independence, Mo., consistently weighs in (with tack) at around 150 lbs, well below the 189 lb limit for the Lightweight Division.

Elmer and owner Mary Anna Wood at a ride earlier this year. A half-Arabian named Jac Natalie took first place in Elmer's division. She was born the year Elmer turned 28. Jac Natalie, with owner Jackie Hathorn aboard, traveled the 60 miles of trail with Elmer. During parts of the competition, the mare had to canter to keep pace with tough gray gelding.
"Elmer has a 'turbo trot,' " explained Wood. Tracked using GPS technology, Elmer's "turbo trot" averages 11.7 mph.

Part of the course sent competitors through trail jump course. Although not required, Elmer took one of the jumps just for fun. He ended the ride just as strong, out-walking several gaited horses on the hilly terrain during the last two miles Sunday.

Veterinary Judge Lucy Hirsch, DVM, of Smithville, Mo., pronounced Elmer sound Sunday afternoon at the event's final vetting procedure.

"This is one of the toughest rides of this region--very hilly and very rocky," noted Hirsch.
Elmer is scheduled to compete again Aug. 30 at the Nebraska National Forest CTR near Halsey, Neb.

Busy Weekend

I heard on the news today that the upcoming weekend is historically one of the busiest of the year. It must be that everyone is itching to get out before school starts up again.

After doing a quick check of our Horse Calendar, I can see that's true in our world as well. There are poker rides, fun rides, game days, barrel races, camp-outs, festivals and more. It's a truly a horse extravaganza!

I love the possibilities though. I plan to partake in as many of the events as possible so that I can get my horse fix. The weather last week was a very clear reminder of what's to come this winter. Best to get out enjoy as much of the awesomeness as possible before we're all stuck inside.

I hope that you all get a chance to get out and enjoy some of the fun events this weekend. If you do, drop us a note and tell us about them!

Clark County Horse Calendar

Happy trails!

Trailer Emergency Kit

I just read this article in Horse Illustrated and thought I would pass it along. It contains some great tips and a list of things all of us should have in our horse trailers in case of emergency.

Sometimes it's hard to take time out to prepare for an emergency, but accidents happen and when they do, you'll be happy you had items on hand to get you through it.

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/trailer-emergency-kit.aspx

You're never too old ...

Do you know what I love about watching the equestrian portion of the Olympics? It's one of the only sports in the Olympic games where age and experience are considered benefits.

I mean, in gymnastics if there's a 16-yr-old competing, the commentators often say that she's old for the sport and most likely this is the end of her Olympic career. Really? Wow.

But, yesterday as I was watching the jumping portion of the equestrian games, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 60 year old man making his Olympic debut. The commentators stated that age and experience are considered benefits in equesterian sports. It's about darn time!

In addition, there's a 67 year old man on the Japanese equestrian team.

I find that amazing and I love hearing things like that.

It makes me feel like a spring chicken and gosh-darn-it ... if a 67-year-old man can go out there and ride his heart out at the Olympics ... well ... then at 31 I should be able to get my horse out on a trail ride occasionally!

Yeah!

But maybe I'll do it tomorrow.

Now, off to watch more Olympics.

Happy trails!

Horse Catalogs & Websites

Hi, my name is Wendy and I'm a horse magazine and website addict.

I can spend hours looking through magazines, catalogs, and websites thinking of all the things I must have. Once I find things I "must have", I then spend time confirming the reasons I "must have" them, put them in my cart and then - once the purchase is becoming a reality - I don't complete the transaction. I'm sure these companies hate me for dragging down their conversion rates!

Anyway, here are just a few of the sites that I love to poke around. There are some great deals here and if nothing else they offer a great way to waste some time!

• My Little Tack Shop
• Back in the Saddle
• Jeffers Equine
• Valley Vet Supply
• Dover Saddlery
• Country Supply
• State Line Tack
• Big D's Tack
• Horse Tack Co.

So what websites do you go to when you need a horsey fix?

Olympic Videos

In case you've missed any of the coverage, here's a link to view the latest and greatest videos from NBC.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/rss/sport=eq/video/index.xml

Too Hot to Trot

Here's an interesting video that was found on the Wall Street Journal site. It talks about how the teams keep the horses cool in the hot and humid Hong Kong weather.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid86195573/bclid1481452986/bctid1723493488

AQHA Youth Worlds

You can watch the AQHA Youth World Championships online!

Check out: http://www.aqha.com/youth/activities/yws/ywsschedule_working.html. Click the "Live Webcast" link in the upper left.

The webcast is available through today only.

Horse "Poop" Vacuum

This is just too funny not to post ... I can see a lot of uses for this nifty little horse poop vacuum actually. Stall cleaning would be a breeze!

Greystone Vacuums

Nifty Little Tool

I found this Velcro cleaner tool not too long ago and LOVE IT! It's great for cleaning any kind of Velcro but I especially like it for use on my SMBs.


It's really small and flips closed so I can tuck it in my tack box and not worry about it until I need it.

http://stores.healthyasahorse.net/Detail.bok?no=210

Shipping a Horse to China

Have you ever gotten nervous trailering your horse to Rock Creek or Kalama Horse Camp? I'll admit it ... I have!

So imagine what it must be like to transport your horse to China for the Olympics. These multi-million dollar horses are transported 1/2 way around the world, and then expected to perform in top form.

PRI Internationals The World had a great radio program about this very topic (Aug. 1st - about 42:45 mins into the program for the GeoQuiz).

219 horses from 48 countries make their way to Hong Kong for these Olympic events. So what exactly does it take not only to get the horses to China but to keep these horses comfortable and in top shape? Did you know this process starts at least 67 days prior to the Olympics?

To find out more information, take a listen for yourself. It's truly an amazing undertaking.

Olympic Blogs

Here are a few blogs that might be interesting to check out for more information on the equestrian events.

EVENTING:
Becky Holder - http://www.holdereventteam.com/

Max Corcoran for OCT - http://special.equisearch.com/blog/maxcorcoran/
Greg Tryon for Team Tryon - http://teamtryon.blogspot.com/
Phillip Dutton - http://phillipdutton.com/cms/

CANADIAN
Kerri McGregor. She's the Assistant Team Manager to Mike Gallagher for the entire Canadian contingent
http://kerrimcgregor.wordpress.com/

GENERAL
Brian O'Connor is the announcer of the equestrian events - http://special.equisearch.com/blog/brianoconnor/

SHOW JUMPING
Beezie Madden - http://teamusa.usatoday.com/bmadden/

DRESSAGE
Debbie McDonald- http://special.equisearch.com/blog/debbiemcdonald/

USEF: Brian Soseby's blog: http://www.usef.org/TeamUSA/Blog1.aspx

Joanie Morris' blog (nothing there yet!): http://www.usef.org/TeamUSA/Blog2.aspx

GBR:Mary King (eventing), Tim Stockdale (showjumping), and Jane Gregory (dressage) all blog here for Horse and Hound.

And Team GBR Equestrian leader Will Connell provides interesting behind-the-scenes stuff here on the Team GBR website.

Kerri McGregor http://kerrimcgregor.wordpress.com/

http://www.horsehero.com/ - Interesting info

Equestrian Olympic Schedule

Jody did a bit of footwork and sent over additional information on the Olympics. There's some good stuff here ... including a detailed schedule!

Day by day listing of the events
http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/index.html

Page full of still pictures
http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/photos/index.html

Listing by sport
http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv_and_online_listings/index.html

Choose equestrian in ‘by sport’ drop down menu and it will give what is shown when. Or, choose ‘tv listing’ in the box toward the upper left and you can enter your TV source and it will show you the stations cover the Olympics.

This page has some information and news items. They also list the teams by country and offer a bit of information about each team.
http://www.fei.org/olympics/Pages/default.aspx

Thehorse.com has a link with an RSS feed.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12274&source=rss

And, finally, here's a breakdown of the play dates/times from Thehorse.com.

Date: Program--Time (EST) on Channel

Aug. 9: 3-Day: Dressage--2:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on USA

Aug. 11: 3-Day: Cross- Country--6:00pm-8:00pm OXYGEN

Aug. 12: 3-Day: Stadium Team Gold Medal Final--6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN

Aug. 13: Dressage--6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN

Aug. 14: Dressage Team Gold Medal Final--6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN

Aug. 15: Show Jumping--6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN

Aug. 16: Dressage Individual--5:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. MSNBC

Aug. 17: Show Jumping Team Gold Medal Final 1st Round--10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m on NBC

Aug. 18: Show Jumping Team Gold Medal Final Round--6:00pm-8:00 p.m. OXYGEN

Aug. 19: Dressage Individual Gold Medal Final--6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on OXYGEN

Aug. 21: Show Jumping Individual Gold Medal Final--10:00am-1:00 pm

Another link to schedule:
http://www.hkjc.org.cn/eng/equestrian/calendar.asp

Olympics Equestrian Coverage

I thought this was interesting. I'll be watching for sure!

__________________________________

USET Foundation Lauds NBC's Decision to Stream Olympics Live on Web

Gladstone, NJ - July 30, 2008 - The 2008 Summer Olympics marks the first time equestrian enthusiasts will get to watch the competition in Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping from start-to-finish, thanks to NBC's decision to stream 2,200 hours of live coverage of 25 sports at http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/index.html.

__________________________________

The Olympics start on Aug. 8th and a complete schedule can be found at the site above.