HORSE MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER AND MORE!!!
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Topics in this issue:
1) Feature: Parents Rally!
2) Recommended products and services: Equine Partnership Retreats
3) Rally and rating tips: magnets
4) Questions and answers: hanging buckets, bits for ratings, formal
inspection cleanliness, and salivation
5) Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs: Horse Owners Field Guide to Toxic
Plants
6) Fun and educational websites: More on toxic plants
7) Featured rule: Tack adjustment
8) Free item exchange

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Feature: Parents rally!
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by Krista Powers, Carbon River PC parent (Northwest Region)

Where¹s my bridle? What is a body brush? Who¹s our stable manager? Sounds
like an ordinary rally morning; however, this time it was the parents
looking and asking the questions. Our Club recently held a Parent Mock
Dressage Rally and it was a great success!

Two months ago one of our members decided it would be fun to have the
parents ride and the kids be the judges. Thus, our parent rally was born.
We had a parent organizer come up with a list of jobs for the kids to do and
at one of our unmounted meetings they signed up to be HM Assistants,
scorekeepers, written test organizers, etc. We signed up 13 parents as
riders and voted whether we wanted to jump or do dressage. Dressage won out
because we had three of our dads who wanted to ride! We were given the
choice of riding Intro A, Intro B, or Training Level 1 tests.

The Thursday before our rally, at our unmounted lesson, our instructor went
over the kids¹ jobs, how to schedule the day, and judge ­ all of the basics
of what to do at a rally when you are on the other side of the fence.

We split into two teams, one of seven riders and one of six riders. We had
two other parents volunteer to be our stable managers. The morning of the
rally we unloaded our horses and set up our tack rooms all under the
watchful and helpful eyes of our kids. We had a rally briefing where we
were told what our day would consist of, what our numbers were, and what our
formal and ride times were. Fortunately, our rally started at 10:30 a.m.
There are some things us parents won¹t do (getting up at 5 for a fun
rally...no way)!

We had jog outs and helmet checks, formal inspections, rode a dressage test,
had a turn back inspection, equipment checks, and took a written test! You
should have seen us parents scramble. There was no room for a warm-up so we
went straight from our formals into our tests. One of our dads rode his
daughter¹s thoroughbred mare in his western saddle. To stay on course, since
he didn¹t know anything about dressage, he taped the test to the horn of his
saddle! We had another dad who wore his ski pants and a personalized t-shirt
that said, "Pony club judges are the most awesemust beutiust people and I am
not sucking up. P.S. the other team says you suck". We are still laughing
about that! The kids had the proper score sheets and judged us well -- too
well. They were tough.

While the kids began the scoring, we started up the BBQ. All of the
families shared in eating hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, and chips. We even
got birthday cake because it was one of our girl¹s 14th birthday! We sang a
raucous happy birthday to her, turning her face a bright red. Then the time
came when we were called out to the arena for the awards ceremony. We each
took our club banners and stood waiting with bated breath. The kids had
used the leftover ribbons from our show for awards. They also made
personalized awards, ³biggest smile,² ³cutest pony,² ³best written test
score (which by the way, went to one of our dads!).² One by one we walked
up and received our special award.

While the parents visited and ate the kids started an impromptu arena
Olympics. We had wheelbarrow races, three-legged race, potato sack, and
find your shoe in a pile. What fun to see our 22 members and their siblings
(and a few parents and grandparents) on foot in the arena playing games.
The day went well and we were all on our way home by 4:30. The kids seemed
a bit more efficient than us parents at running a rally!

By the end of the day, several of our parents commented on how much they
learned from the process. They were very impressed with how much our kids
have to do when they participate in a real rally. A parting comment from
one of our girls was, ³we have to do this at least once a year, maybe
twice!² I think they learned a lot too about what the HM judges and
volunteers do while they are riding and taking care of their business. It
was a super experience for all involved.

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Recommended products and services: Equine Partnership Retreats
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Here at Share-It Ranch, we have created something that has been my dream to
facilitate; Equine Partnership Retreats. We held our first experimental
retreat at the end of last summer. After that success, during spring break
of this year, we jumped in with both feet and held two full back to back
retreats.

The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the extent of lasting
transformations that I have been lucky enough to hear about and see for
myself. Not only the participants but also their families, friends, and
instructors have been telling us about the amazing successes the
participants continue to experience in their daily lives with horses. It
seems that whatever they got from the experience here, might have been the
missing piece that allowed all the other elements to fall into place.

Equine Partnership Retreats focus on teaching participants new ways to
relate to their horses. We start each day with body awareness exercises as
taught in Pilates and yoga training. After breakfast, we move out to the
picadero (a 36' square pen used extensively in Spain and Portugal) and try
out different ways of connecting with each horse. After lunch and craft
time, it's back out for connecting under saddle (or continued ground work
for those not ready to ride). The end of each day brings us time to come
back together and discuss insights from the day and to formulate goals for
the next day. The toughest part of the camp is convincing the participants
that they need to go home at the end. Not bad for a three day retreat!

Because each retreat is limited to 5 riders, we have scheduled several
coming up over this summer and into the fall. If you would like to
experience the work we're doing but live far enough away that it's not
practical to bring your own horse, you are welcome to borrow one of ours.

Since I work with a lot of Pony Clubbers, the participants tend to be in
their teenage years, but don't be jealous, our retreats are open to adults
as well!

Upcoming dates:

June 24-26 (full for riders but still open for auditors)
July 4-6 (2 riding spots open)
July 7-9 (2 riding spots open)
August 1-3 (3 riding spots open)
August 4-6 (5 riding spots open)
September 3-5 (5 riding spots open)
September 30- October 2 (5 riding spots open)

For more information or to reserve a riding or auditing spot, please contact
me at stormy@... .

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Rally and rating tips: Stall cards on trailers
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At a recent dressage rally in Southern California, someone had come up with
a great idea for attaching stall cards to trailers. Magnets! Some people
made hard or soft plastic sleeves with magnets on the back to slip the paper
stall cards into. Others just stuck magnets right on the edges of the stall
card paper. This will save the trailer owner from getting upset about tape
residue on their trailer. Of course magnets probably won't work on aluminum
skin trailers but I'm sure sooner or later someone will come up with a great
solution for that as well.

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Questions and answers
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Stormy,

I am constantly being asked what is legal to tie water buckets to trailers
at rallies. Some groups down here have the idea that only double ended
clips are legal and that they cannot use a stud chain type attachment. I
feel that anything that hangs the bucket safely can be used if it can be cut
away or undone if a horse gets caught in it, is OK.
Your thoughts please.

Thanks
Jill Watts, HMO, Southern California Region

Hi Jill,

There is no written requirement of specifically what buckets need to be hung
with or that that they need to have "breakaway" capabilities. The only
reference in the Horse Management Handbook is that flat back buckets need to
be hung by one point of attachment with a snap hook or hanger, and that
round buckets need to have two points of attachment (so they don't rock back
and forth as much). I have seen hangers be everything from dog collars, to
stud chains, to baling twine, to zip ties.

I feel very strongly that buckets (unless it's a clean muck bucket on the
ground for water) need to be hung so that their opening is above the point
of the horse's shoulder, and that they are breakaway at least equivalent to
the strength of a light-duty double ended bolt snap (please no unbreakable
nylon dog collars!) Even at a proper height, I have seen horses in stalls
or tied to trailers, rear up and get their feet caught in buckets. Most
times the bucket breaks free, or when it doesn't, the horse eventually
thrashes his way loose, but it's not a pretty sight either way.

The important thing for me to remember, is that I can't penalize if my
personal preferences aren't met because it isn't spelled out in the Horse
Management Handbook. I just use it as a teaching opportunity. In my
experience, stud chains with bolt snaps will breakaway as easily as a double
ended snap, but it's a much more expensive loss when it does break; $4-$12
versus 85¢. I've lost a couple nice stud chains that way, luckily I find
that I rarely need them for anything other than the occasional bucket holder
or gate fastener.

So to make a long story short, you are correct. Anything that hangs the
bucket safely can be used.

Hang 'em high,
Stormy

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Hi Stormy,

I have a bit question... at a rating is a D2 candidate allowed to use a GAG
bit?

Thank you
Lori Moreno, Ratings Coordinator, Deer Creek Pony Club

Hi Lori,

I don't think I'm capable of giving a short answer on the subject of bits.
At least I'll try to be concise!

For D, C, and higher ratings, the candidates must use bits that are in
compliance with the current USPC Eventing Rules for Saddlery and Bitting and
the Horse Management General Rule on Saddlery and Bitting. For ease of
finding these rules, I'll transcribe them below.

2004 USPC Eventing Rulebook (with 2005 addenda)

D level dressage test (and flat portion of D ratings):
Ds may use a snaffle, pelham or kimberwick bit. A noseband must be used
with the latter two bits. All bits must be smooth, with no twists.

C and above level dressage test (and flat portion of C and above ratings):
A snaffle made of metal, leather, rubber or plastic material is permitted
for all tests (see diagram 3a, page 34, 2004 USPC Eventing rulebook for
pictures of permitted bits.)

All levels cross-country and stadium jumping tests (and jumping portions of
all ratings):
The type of saddlery [including bits] is optional.... Reins must be
attached to the bit(s) or directly to the bridle. Gags or hackamores are
allowed.

2002 USPC Horse Management Handbook (with 2005 addenda)

Applies to all ratings and phases of testings:
Multiple attachment bits: All bits with more than one point of attachment
(i.e. gag, Pessoa, elevators) must have one rein attached so that the
snaffle action of the bit is in effect. If other bit actions are to be
used, two reins will be required. At the D level, converters will be
allowed on pelham bits. If the Pessoa type bit is used, a single rein may
be attached to the first or second ring. If a third or lower ring is used,
a second rein must be attached higher so that the snaffle action can be in
effect.

So, in answer to your question, at no rating can a person use a gag for the
flat portion of their rating (unless the reins are hooked directly to the
ring, making it a snaffle). At all levels gags are permitted for jumping as
long as they have a second rein on the snaffle ring.

Have a good rating!
Stormy

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Hi Stormy,

I was just reviewing the D1-D3 formal inspection sheet for our "formal
inspection practice" and I have a question. D3 it says under PONY, neatly
groomed (no sweat or dirt) and then it says well brushed on a separate line.
Is this where your efforts for actually grooming show through in that if you
wash a horse you may remove the sweat and dirt but it doesn't have the same
effect as being well groomed on the quality of coat etc?

For D1 the requirement is neatly brushed and then for D2 it is Well groomed
and then D3 is neatly groomed and well brushed. What is the difference if
any? What is the difference between neatly groomed and well groomed and
neatly brushed and well brushed?

Just curious,
Clair Spackman, DC Panache Pony Club

Hi Clair,

Actually, that's a very good question. The progression of pony cleanliness
for D1-C1 is shown below. The numbers following each section show the
minimum to maximum number of points the chief horse management judge can
deduct if the requirement isn't met.

D1:
Neatly brushed (0-5)
No loose shavings, burrs, etc., in mane or tail (0-5)

D2:
Clean (no obvious dirt) (0-5)
Well groomed (no obvious sweat) (0-3)
Eyes/nose/lips/dock wiped off (0-4)

D3:
Neatly groomed (no sweat or dirt) (0-3)
Well brushed (0-3)
Eyes/nose/lips/dock wiped off (0-4)

C1:
Well-groomed, reflecting regular care (no sweat or dirt, healthy coat) (0-3)
Little, if any, dandruff (0-2)
External areas around sheath/udder clean (0-2)
Eyes, nose lips, dock clean (0-2)
Mane and tail brushed (0-2)

If you total up all the points per rating (Rider/Pony/Tack) they will always
equal 40, the maximum number of inspection penalties any rider can have.
Because each section must total 40, sometimes the same item will be weighted
differently. For example, safe tack at the D1 level has a maximum of 10
penalties, while safe tack at D3 only has a maximum of 5 penalties.

My main clue about the differences between ambiguous words like "clean" and
"well groomed" are the words in parentheses. My own translation of the
different requirements are as follows:

D1's should have made an attempt to brush the pony, but if they happened to
miss some dried sweat or a few mud clumps, they're still at the standard.
They should have gotten all foreign material out of the mane and tail
although they don't necessarily have to have them properly brushed.

D2's should have caught all the obvious mud clumps and dried sweat marks,
but they won't necessarily have bathed the pony. There will often still be
dirt at the skin level. If there's really obvious dirt (or dried mud) then
that gets penalized in the "clean" box, and if there's dried sweat, it gets
penalized in the "well groomed" box. If it's something else (like dried
manure under the belly) I just take my best guess and would probably list it
under "clean" although it could go under "well groomed" instead. The most
frequent thing I penalize for at this level is when the D2 forgets to wipe
off the eyes, nose, lips, or dock. Most often, it's because they haven't
been taught at the club meetings that they need to wipe these off. By doing
practice formal inspections at a few regular meetings using these sheets, it
will better prepare the Pony Clubbers for rallies and ratings.

D3's should have bathed their pony. There should be very minimal, or no
dirt at the skin level, and they should have brushed the pony well after the
bath so the hair lies naturally. Again, the eyes, nose, lips, and dock
should have been wiped off. Obviously, even if something like "no loose
shavings, burrs, etc., in mane or tail" isn't specified at the D2 and D3
levels, they are still expected to meet this requirement. If a D3 had loose
shavings in his pony's tail, I'd probably penalize it under "well brushed"
although I have to be a little bit careful, because "mane and tail brushed"
doesn't start to be looked for until the C1 level.

C1 is the first level where you actually start evaluating the health and
quality of the horse's coat. This is where regular currying and good
nutrition start to pay off. This is also where you start to look for
dandruff (flakes of dead skin cells). Dandruff can have many causes and
remedies. Dandruff in the coat is often caused by an insufficient amount of
fats in the horse's diet, bathing too frequently with a strong soap, or not
enough currying massage to properly distribute the oils through the horse's
coat and stimulate the skin pores. Dandruff in the mane and tail seem to be
caused by the dead skin cells getting trapped in the long hairs. Weekly (or
more often before a rally or rating) shampooing with a dandruff shampoo
paying special attention to massaging the crest and tailbone will usually be
all it takes to stimulate the skin and free the trapped dandruff.

I'm sure that's more than you needed to know, but it may end up answering
someone else's question in the meantime.

Thanks for helping them practice,
Stormy

**********************************************

I am confused about German Silver bits, Aurigan, sweet iron, and other
copper alloy bits. How do we know they taste good to a horse? Oxidation
is a very strong reaction. Couldn't the salivation be a sign that the
bit tastes bad? I know if I put something copper in my mouth, I will
salivate, but it is because the copper tastes terrible. I used a KK bit
on my quarter horse once, and he salivated so much, the spit reached all
the way to the ground! I got the impression he really wanted to get the
thing out of his mouth. Is there any good scientific information on the
subject? Just curious.
Thanks.

Sue via the Internet

Hi Sue,

I totally agree with you. The only evidence we have that the copper alloy
bits "taste good" to the horse is anecdotal. The reason we want the horse
to salivate with a bit is so that their mouth isn't dry enough that the bit
causes friction rubs. Once this level of salivation is achieved, more
salivation isn't necessarily better, in fact, it can be worse. I will share
some evidence at the end.

Personally, I have never seen a horse that didn't salivate enough with a
neutral stainless steel bit although I'm sure there are horses who may not.
I watch more closely for lack of salivation with rubber, plastic or aluminum
bits, but again, I personally have never noticed a problem.

I'd like to share my own most recent anecdotal evidence. I have a horse in
training who started to strongly object to a mild oval mouth stainless steel
snaffle about a month after being started (as a 3 year old). He would not
want to be bridled, and then after that struggle, he would incessantly chew
and fuss with the bit throughout the ride. Luckily for both of us, just
before he turned, 4 while doing research for the bit video, I discovered the
Bitless Bridle. He excelled at going bitless but since I wanted to show him
in dressage, I knew I would have to put him back in some form of snaffle
eventually (or get those darned rules changed!). His owner bought him an
Eggbutt Aurigan KK Ultra which I put over the Bitless Bridle and used with a
second set of reins. Again, he objected at first but now, nearly two years
later, he is easy to bridle and holds the bit quietly in his mouth. I am
convinced that it wasn't so much the material of the bit, but the fact that
during the beginning of his training when I still needed to use a lot of
rein to steer and control him, he could find no relief from the bit. By
using the bit and the Bitless Bridle together, I could show him that the bit
wasn't meant to cause pain but to add an element of refinement.

Sprenger, the company responsible for producing original German Silver and
now Aurigan bits has the following to say on the subject. [Exerpted from
the booklet "Leading with Feeling" by Brigitten Schulte and Heinz Baumann.]

"In 1980 different materials were tested at the German Riding School. The
results found that horses with no mouth problems had no difficulty in
changing from a stainless steel to a German Silver bit. But when a German
Silver bit was replaced by a stainless steel bit the horse needed 2-3 days
to accept the new bit.

Then we tested both bits on horses with mouth problems and found that a lot
of horses using the German Silver bit began to chew and became relaxed.
This was a very positive reaction."

The next excerpt is from the same book but it is in regards to the metal
Aurigan.

"Horses seem to really like Aurigan. Oxidation gives off an odor and
Aurigan smells much stronger than German Silver bits, so much so that it is
noticeable to even the less sensitive human nose. Horses like this specific
pleasing smell and taste.

A series of tests were made. The results were even better than those
achieved with German Silver bits. Aurigan oxidizes very rapidly."

The tests they refer to in the last paragraph, were ones done in a climatic
chamber to test how quickly the metal oxidizes, not how well the horses
accept the bits.

Now here's the other side of the story. Dr. Robert Cook, FRCVS., PhD.,
Professor of Surgery Emeritus of Tufts University has done extensive
research about the effects of the bit on a horse. Dr. Cook is also
responsible for marketing the Bitless Bridle.

Author Pam Whitfield sums up some of Dr. Cooks findings as follows:

"Cook is ... the first to recognize that a bit sets up a physiological
conflict. Anything that is placed in the mouth, a body cavity dedicated to
digestion, triggers digestive system reflexes. Whether it be food or a
foreign body, it signals the horse to 'think eat'. Accordingly, it
stimulates relaxation, quiet breathing and salivation, together with
movement of the lips, tongue, soft palate and jaw. 'But now' he says "we
put the horse in motion, and we also signal the horse to 'think exercise.'
We are asking the horse to eat and exercise simultaneously, something that
nature never intended. For exercise, the horse needs to be energized;
breathe deeply; have a relatively dry mouth; and a stationary soft palate.
The respiratory pathway should be active and the digestive pathway passive.
But with a bit in its mouth, the horse is neurologically confused. It has
evolved to either graze or gallop, not both at the same time. No wonder that
racehorses choke under pressure ('flip their soft palates') and have
difficulty breathing". Cook sums up this contradiction with the maxim "To
put a bit in the mouth of a horse that is about to run, is akin to putting a
muzzle on a horse that is about to eat."

[See Whitfield's complete article here:
http://www.bitlessbridle.com/spotlight.html]

Dr. Cook himself writes: "Bit-induced salivation also disturbs respiration.
This is yet another manifestation of the physiological contraindication that
is invoked by expecting a horse to Œeat¹ and Œexercise¹ simultaneously.
Under these conditions, parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems are
both vying for dominance. Contrary to long-standing belief, horses at
exercise should have a relatively dry mouth (sympathetic dominance). Excess
quantities of saliva in the oropharynx might precipitate a true swallowing
movement or a laryngeal spasm as a result of saliva creeping into the
larynx. We are all aware that saliva is an irritant to the human laryngeal
mucosa. The horse has a larynx that is relatively unresponsive to physical
stimuli (e.g., the stomach tube) but perhaps it still responds to chemical
stimuli."

[See Cook's complete article here:
http://www.bitlessbridle.com/article6.html]

My best advice would be to observe your own horse closely and listen to what
he tells you. If your experience of using an Aurigan bit was excessive
saliva and the impression that he wanted it out of his mouth, then there you
have it.

Straight from the horse's mouth!
Stormy

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Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs! Horse Owners Field Guide to Toxic
Plants
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Horse Owner's Field Guide to Toxic Plants by Sandra Burger

This book is the one that I've seen Pony Club examiners using most often as
their own reference book when testing toxic plant sections.

A California reviewer from the amazon.com website writes:

This book is very valuable as a reference to a horse owner. The pictures are
good, and each entry contains a description of possible symptoms and
treatments (which I assume are correct). As a diagnostic, this book seems
very useful and something you should have around.

However, as a new pasture owner, I found it incredibly alarmist. So much so
that I almost wanted to take my horses back to the boarding stable so I
could stop worrying my pretty head about plants. Ha!

Practically every plant that has ever been known to harm a horse is listed,
which means that the book is overwhelming. Some of the toxicities are mild
and very uncommon, but the text is thick enough that it is difficult to
determine whether the plant is likely to be dangerous without close reading.
Clover is listed next to locoweed. In some cases, the plant listed is not
itself toxic, but it tends to attract toxic fungi, as in the case of fescue.
However, when reading the entries, they all have scary-sounding symptoms. It
is difficult to ascertain under even a close reading whether the plant in
question is really dangerous. There's a difference in my mind between "a
nibble will be a life-or-death situation" and "symptoms will disappear if
you remove the plant from the diet," and that difference is not readily
apparent in the listings.

This book would be much improved if plants that were especially dangerous -
plants that are acutely toxic in minute quantities and plants that are
especially likely to be eaten in toxic quantities - were more obviously
called out. I would love to have a quick icon at the top that tells me
"Deadly - remove from pasture using any means necessary" or "Potential
Problem" or "Not Likely to cause serious problems." This triage would allow
me as an owner to concentrate my first efforts on learning to identify and
eradicate the most dangerous plants, rather than being distracted by fescue
and clover.

I'm glad that plants that can but usually don't cause problems, like fescue
and clover, are listed. It's very useful when trying to diagnose a horse
that's not quite right, and if they were omitted, the horse owner might
incorrectly assume that the diet was not the issue. I would just like to see
them flagged differently or perhaps included in an appendix rather than
mixed in with the truly deadly plants that have no margin for error.

As it stands it is better as a reference for answering specific questions
than as a book you can just read through when contemplating several acres of
plants or potential plants.

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Fun and educational websites
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These are the best websites I've seen yet on toxic plants. They have enough
information to get you all the way through the HA rating. On the first
site, you can search toxic plants by alphabetical plant listing, toxicity
rating, species affected, or botanical type. For each toxic plant it lists
how toxic it is, which animals may be affected, what parts of the plant are
dangerous, what signs of toxicity you would see, as well as a photograph and
line drawing of each plant. The second site is from the University of
Cornell and has an exhaustive listing of poisonous plants including multiple
pictures of each plant. It also includes links to great questions and
answers about each plant.

http://vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/cover1.htm

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/index.html

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Links to more photographs of many toxic plants:

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/toxic/comlist.htm

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Article focusing on toxic plants in feeds.

http://horse.purinamills.com/bulletins/info_Plants.htm

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Another great article, especially focusing on specific symptoms of toxic
poisoning in a horse if they eat each plant.

http://www.whmentors.org/saf/poison.html

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Sometimes we just need to laugh at ourselves...found via the internet:

THE BACK YARD RIDER: Usually found wearing shorts and a sports bra in the
summer; flannel nightgown, muck boots, and down jacket in the winter.
Drives a Ford 150 filled with saddle blankets and dog hair. Most have
deformed toes from being stepped on while wearing flip-flops. Has a
two-horse bumper-pull trailer, but uses it for hay storage, as her horse
hasn't been off the farm in 6 years. Can install an electric fence, set a
gate, and roll a round bale, solo. Rode well and often when she used to
board her horse, 5 years ago. Took horse home to "save money" and has spent
about 50 grand on acreage, barn, fence, tractor, etc. Has two topics of
conversation- 1) How it's too hot/cold/wet/dry to ride. And 2) How she
may ride after she fixes the fence/digs drainage ditches/stacks 4 tons of
hay.


THE NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP DEVOTEE: Looks like a throwback from a Texas
ranch, despite the fact that he lives in the suburbs of New Jersey. Rope
coiled loosely in hand in case he needs to herd any of those kids on
roller-blades away from his F-350 dually in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Cowboy
hat strategically placed, and just dirty enough to look cool. Levi's are
well worn. "Lightning" is, of course, this natural horsemanship guy's
horse. Rescued from a bad home where he was never imprinted or broke in the
natural horsemanship way, he specialized in running down his owners at
feeding time, knocking children off his back on low-hanging branches, and
baring his teeth. The hospitalization tally for his previous handlers was
12, until he was sent to Round Pen Randy; after ten minutes in said pen, he
is now a totally broke horse, bowing to the crowd, and can put on his own
splint boots. (with R.P. Randy's trademark logo embossed on them) R.P.R.
says, of all this, "Well, shucks ma'am, tweren't nuthin'!" "It's simple
horsemanship." "With this special twirly flickitatin' rope ($17.95 plus
tax), you'll be round-pennin' like me in no time!"


THE ENDURANCE RIDER: Wears Lycra tights in wild neon colors. The shinier
the better, so the EMT's can find her body when her horse dumps her down a
ravine. Wears hiking shoes of some sort, and T-shirts she got for paying
$75 to complete another torturous ride. Her horse, Al Kamar Shazam, used to
be called "you bastard" until he found an owner almost as hyper as he is.
Shazam can spook at a blowing leaf, spin a 360, and not lose his big trot
rhythm or give an inch to the horse behind him. Has learned to eat, drink,
pee, and drop to his resting pulse rate on command. He has compiled 3,450
AERC miles; his rider compiled 3,445 (the missing five miles are the ones
when he raced down the trail without his rider after performing his
trademark 360. Over-heard frequently: "Anyone have Advil?" "Anyone got
some food? I think last year's Twinkies went bad." "For this pain I spend
money?" "Shazam, you bastard-it's just a leaf [thud]!"


THE HUNTER RIDER: Is slightly anorexic and trying her best to achieve the
conformation of a 17-year-old male in case she ever has a clinic with George
Morris. Field marks include greeny-beige breeches and a baseball cap when
schooling or mud colored coat and hardhat with dangling chin strap when
competing. Forks over about a grand a month to trainer for the privilege of
letting him/her "tune" up the horse, which consists of drilling the beast
until its going to put in five strides on a 60 foot line no matter WHAT she
does. Sold the Thoroughbred (and a collection of lunging equipment,
chambons, side reins) and bought a Warmblood. (bought a ladder and a LONG
set of spurs) Talks a lot about the horse's success in Florida without
exactly letting on that she herself has never been south of the Pennsylvania
line.


THE DRESSAGE QUEEN: Has her hair in an elegant ponytail and is wearing a
visor and gold earrings sporting a breed logo. A $100 dollar custom jumper
(also with breed logo) is worn over $300 dollar full-seat white breeches and
custom Koenigs. Her horse, "Leistergeidelsprundheim" ("Fleistergeidel" for
short) is a 17.3-hand warmblood who was bred to be a Grand Prix horse. The
Germans are still laughing hysterically, as he was bred to be a Grand Prix
JUMPER, but as he couldn't get out of his own way, they sold him to an
American. His rider fell in love with his lofty gaits, proud carriage, and
tremendous athleticism. She admires mostly while lunging. She lunges him a
lot, because she ! is not actually to keen to get up there and try to SIT
that trot. When she rides, it's not for long, because (while he looks FINE
to everyone else), she can tell that he is not as "through" and "supple" as
he should be, and gets off to call the chiropractor/massage
therapist/psychic, all of which is expensive, but he WILL be shown, and
shown right after he perfects (fill in the blank). The blank changes often
enough that the rider can avoid the stress of being beaten at Training 1 by
a Quarter Horse.


THE EVENTER: Is bent over from carrying three saddles, three bridles, three
bits, and three unrelated sets of clothing (four, if she is going to have to
do a trot up at a 3-Day) The hunched defensive posture is reinforced by
the anticipation of "a long one" a ditch and a wall, and from living in her
back protector. Perpetually broke because she pays THREE coaches ( a
Dressage Queen, a jumper rider, and her eventing guru, none of whom approve
of the other) and pay trailers/stabling/living expenses to go 600 miles to
events that are spread out over 5 days. She is smugly convinced that
Eventers are in fact the only people in the world who CAN ride (since
Dressage Queen's don't jump, the H/J crowd is to afraid to go OUT of a ring,
and the fox hunters-a related breed-don't have to deal with dressage judges)
. Hat cover on cross-country helmet is secured with a giant rubber band, so
she can look like her idol, Phillip. Her horse, (who has previously been
rejected as a race horse, a steeplechase horse-got ruled off for jumping
into the in field tailgating the crowd- a jumper, a fox hunter, and a polo
pony (no bit stops this thing) has two speeds: gallop and "no gallop" (also
known as stop 'n' dump) . Excels at over jumping into water, doing a head
first "tuck and roll" maneuver and exiting the complex ! (catch me if you
can!) before his rider slogs out of the pond. Often stops to lick the
Crisco off his legs before continuing gaily on to the merciless oxer jump
just ahead. Owner often threatens to sell, but as he has flunked out of
every other English-riding discipline, it will have to be to a barrel racer.

[Oh my! I'm a Back Yard Natural Eventing Dressage Queen!]

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Featured rule: Tack Adjustment
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2002 Horse Management Handbook page 12 section 5: Tack Adjustment

The USPC understands that Examiners/CHMJs/Instructors will make tack
adjustments concerning youth member's safety. When it is a matter of safety
to tighten a girth or adjusting stirrup length, do so and make sure the
child understands why it is being done.

When it is a matter of adjusting tack, which may affect the safety of the
situation or the child's control, this may only be done in consultation with
the child. You should discuss with the child the reasons for the adjusted
fit. Any adjustment must be made ONLY with an explanation as to why it
needs to be made, keeping in mind that there may be a valid safety reason
for an unusual adjustment ("My coach told me to," or "I always do this," are
not necessarily valid reasons). The final say, however, rests with the
CHMJ/Examiner/Instructor.

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Free item exchange
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**FREE**FREE**FREE**

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Submit your free horse-related items or services here. If you or your club
has items they are willing to pass along to a new family, this is a great
place to list them. Listings can come from any part of the country, or even
overseas!

Free items may include but are not limited to:

riding clothes
rally equipment
horse-related games and toys
tack and training equipment
blankets, wraps, halters
books or magazines
horse-related artwork
and of course...horses and ponies!

The recipient may be expected to handle any shipping costs.

Please provide a phone and/or email contact with each listing. Items will
be listed in the next HM Newsletter and will not be renewed unless an
additional email is sent asking for the listing to be continued.

So...clean out your tackroom and make room for more stuff!

To submit your items, simply reply to this email or write to:
stormy@... .

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Call for submissions
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Help make this newsletter the best it can be. Do you have any issues you'd
like to see addressed here? How about ideas for recommended products, books,
or videos? Want to submit your own article, or a question for the questions
and answers section? Send them to: stormy@... and I'll keep a log
of topics and articles for upcoming issues.