Have you ever considered that the majority of horse trainers in the horse industry are male, while the majority of competitors in the youth and amateur ranks are female? Furthermore, why is it that NCEA programs seem to be solely made up of female riders? Are they?
Continue reading …It began as a hitch in the gelding’s get-along, so to speak. The nagging short step in his hind end persisted. Then, when he was put on a longe line in a circle, he demonstrated what horsemen describe as being “dead lame.” But when the 2007 AQHA gelding, Lopin For Hours, aka “Chevy,” straightened out, he would appear to be sound…
Continue reading …Throughout the centuries, spurs have been intertwined with humans and their unique relationship with horses. They have been buried with their owners or given as offerings to the gods. They have been bestowed as a high honor, and they have been the symbol of triumph. Even today, they continue to be a representation of status, culture, and achievement. Yet, every time a horseman straps on a pair of spurs, there is a fine line between effective communication tool and unintentional weapon.
Continue reading …Patty Vatterott knows horses. This hard-working professional horsewoman and owner of Sea Ridge Farms in Wellington, Florida, grew up on horseback, following her father’s footsteps into the Quarter Horse world. Rising through the youth, amateur, and professional ranks, Vatterott developed a keen eye for quality.
Continue reading …As a young woman, Susan Albertson was busy competing on the high school and amateur rodeo circuits in southern Colorado. If someone had told her then that her future family would someday be the owners and operators of one of the most well-known breeding and equine facilities in Texas, you’d probably have knocked her boots right off. But that’s exactly where her life would lead.
Continue reading …We all dream of that moment in the spotlight when all of the long nights, early mornings, miles traveled, and hours spent at the barn lead to being the last one standing in the arena. It’s a moment that keeps many of us going when we want to quit. In those tough moments, that dream is enough to push us to work a little bit longer, sleep a little bit less, and continue to put in the hours necessary to achieve victory. We imagine our horse having a neck ribbon fastened tight and the feeling of taking a victory lap in front of a cheering crowd.
Continue reading …The search for the right bit is an ancient one. Archeologists now speculate that humans probably became equestrians at least 6,000 years ago, and riders have spent the intervening millennia trying to figure out how best to communicate with their horses. Early bits were made of vastly diverse materials, such as animal horn, bone, wood, sinew, rawhide, and rope. The appearance of metal bits coincides with the Bronze and Iron Ages, roughly the time between the 8th and 14th centuries BC.
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