Tip o' the Hat to Professional's Choice

Here's a little piece of industry news that may not seem to affect you directly, but that nevertheless has implications for us all.

Dal Scott, owner and founder of Professional's Choice Sports Medicine, Inc., has moved a large part of the company's manufacturing back to the US from China, in order to save American jobs and bring quality control back closer to home. He's invested in new computerized equipment that improves productivity enough to make this possible without raising his retail prices and without laying off any workers here at home.

(You may be familiar with some of the products Dal's company makes, including protective legwear,  saddle pads, cinches, Bob Avila's bit line, and other items.)

I've met Dal on several occasions, and his decision to buck the Made In China trend doesn't surprise me. He's an innovator, an independent thinker, and someone who puts a high value on loyalty and "doing the right thing." His company was one of the first major supporters of therapeutic riding (through sponsorship of NAHRA). He puts his money where his heart is.

Now, if we could just figure out a way to make more company owners like him....you go, Dal!

Beware of Buying Stolen Hobby Horse Apparel

I'm sorry to report this news:

Hobby Horse Clothing Company, owned by the delightfully creative and one-of-a-kind Suzi Vliestra, was the victim of a devastating burglary over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. (The photo is of Suzi with her little boy, Joe--and only makes a point that the thieves really hit a family, not some faceless warehouse where no one would miss what was taken.)

The perps broke into the Hobby warehouse and made off with $250,000 worth of just-delivered show chaps and Limited Edition show blouses. The thieves took garments only--no computer equipment or other items of value.

It's realistic to believe that these items were taken for their resale value. So as a heads up:

If you run across deals on brand-new Hobby Horse apparel that sound too good to pass up, you could be looking at stolen goods. Check the Hobby Horse site for updates on the styles that were stolen, and to pass on any leads or tips that might help Suzi on the road to recovery from this loss. The case is assigned to the detective bureau of the Chino (California) Police Department, 909-591-9860. 

This is a clear case of bad things happening to good people! 

June's H&R Now Coming Your Way

We've already started getting mail about the latest issue of Horse&Rider, so I'm excited to show you the cover and see what you think about the article lineup.

I learned a lot, personally, from the story on what we might call "extreme equine dentistry." The trailer-backing how-to has come in handy, too. It was contributed by Lynn Palm, who meets lots of reluctant trailer-backer-uppers at her clinics.

Lots of fun reading about various breeds, plus a whole lot more. And, an Arabian on the cover.

Hope you enjoy!

You Write the Caption, Round 2

We'll start this round off with the caption contributed by my friend Patty B:

"Think outside the spot!"

What's your caption?

Off Topic: Elk Tracks!

Our little piece of Idaho sits right along a wildlife corridor that goes from the river canyons south of us to the timbered mountain area to our north.

Some mornings, I look out the kitchen window and see an elk herd.

Other times, all I get to see are the herd's tracks, traced out in a newly planted field.

The elk are definitely heading north now, as I've been seeing them grazing in the evenings, just below the timber line to our north.

Captured Outside the BACK Door!

Spring's been late coming to these parts this year, but the last couple of mornings have been about as lovely as spring mornings get.

That big long sprawl of a house is home to Juli, Ed, Squeaker, Button and Ranger. I took the picture on a walk back from the barn.

This domain is also one of the inner sanctums of Horse&Rider, whose heartbeat I monitor from the kitchen table most days.

Gone to the Dog: Ranger

You know, I think we all deserve to slide off into the weekend with a smile.

Cue Ed's birthday dog, T.L. (The Lone) Ranger. Something about that dog makes him always good for a grin!

 

Caught on Camera, Outside the Front Door

Our house is sited such that most of the horse pasture is visible right out the front door.  A couple of the ol' ponies happened to be within camera range, so I captured 'em.

The roan is Corky, and the bay is Lightning Bug. They're the furloughed outfitter horses purchased last fall by friends.

As you can see, they both wintered well...and for kicks, I'll throw in a photo of them at hard at work in their previous career.

Would you guess that Corky is almost 30 years old? That is one hardy little mustang! 

How Smitty Is Coming Along So Far

Here's a little look at how Smitty, the '09 Appaloosa I'm buying, is coming along in development.

One photo is at 10 days, and the other one is at five weeks.

He's begun to shed the baby fur around his eyes and muzzle, and the new hair is dark chestnut, like that of the dam.

I still don't know exactly when I'll be able to meet Smitty in person. He's in North Dakota, while I'm in Idaho.

But if Contrast is mental vitamin C, then Anticipation is mental vitamin A--and we all know that the mental vitamins are good for you.

Radio Brings It Alive: Al Dunning's May H&R Article

"Now that's an article. In fact, it's one of the best ones I've read in H&R in a long time. I've already re-read it three times and have started incorporting the tips into my training."

That's what one reader had to say about Al Dunning's "From Rails to Trails" article in the May 2009 issue of Horse&Rider.

And it turns out he's not alone in his enthusiasm, because the article also caught the attention of a radio show that'll feature Al as its guest this weekend. (More on that in a bit.)

In this feature, Al--who's best known as a show trainer and competitor--makes a case for why every horse, even a show horse, needs to be trail-ridden as a form of cross-training. Al (shown here, taking a colt out for a desert ride near his Arizona ranch) also provides smart tips and guidelines for incorporating non-arena work into a horse's training program.

I spoke yesterday with Ernie Rodina, the host for Better Horses Radio. He found Al's article so interesting that he invited Al on the show to interview him about it.

The result will air this Saturday and Sunday on stations included in the Better Horses Radio network (listed at the Web site). But if you aren't in those areas, you still can listen to the interview starting next week, when it'll be archived at the site and available through Web-based radio.

Meanwhile, you can listen to Ernie's previous interviews via that same archive function.

Off Topic: Granny-Brag Moment

You know how grandmas are when they get new photos of the grandchild--shameless!

Seeing as how I live almost 1,200 miles from my grandson, Jacob, a photo is as close to a Mother's Day visit as I was going to get with him this year.

And seeing as how this blog is the closest thing I have to a photo album (to be whipped out any time the G-kid topic comes up)...here he is! (insert appropriate synonym for "adorable").

Are You Showing a Horse This Year?

As a point of curiosity, I'm wondering if you have any plans to show your horse(s) this year.

If you do, how about sharing a few details--about your steed, your goals, your level of play, and so forth? You'd be giving me a vicarious chance to live the arena rider's life.

For one reason or another, the last couple of years have not been showing-friendly ones for me. And now that I've squared my shoulders to take on a new job, this year's going to be a show-pen wash as well.

But, I do have a new horse with potential to do yearling classes next year...so don't count me out of the game just yet!

Happy Unconditional-Love Day to Us All

To me, Mother's Day isn't just about moms.

It is, in the bigger picture, an homage to unconditional love.

We don't get that from very many sources, very many times, throughout the course of life.

But we know it when we see it, and it does feel good to celebrate it.

So, Happy Mother's Day to us all!

Today's Topic: The Principle of Contrast

My idea of a living death (and I guess that's why they call it prison) would be to exist in unending sameness. To have nothing but one beige day after another, with no change to experience or even look forward to...shudder, don't even want to think about it.

Nope, from my list of the essential mental vitamins, vitamin C, for Contrast, is the one I order in the BIG jar. With the mega-dose tablets.

The big deal about contrast, you see, is that it heightens appreciation while it feeds the senses.

White never seems so fresh as it does after you've been wearing black all winter.

Steady work can seem like play to someone released from the stress of unemployment.

A tiny cabin can feel utterly charming compared to a huge rambling house--and vice versa.

A decrepit but steady old gelding seems like the loveliest horse on earth after 20 minutes spent dealing with a yearling stud colt.

A Saturday a.m. sleep-in is all that much more delicious after a workweek of rising at O-Dark-30.

See what I mean? That vitamin C...gotta have it.

As for the blue trailer:

Some may look at it as a sad comparison with the glorious new ones all around it.

I see it as the close first cousin to the trailer I hauled with when I first began showing on my own, as an adult, without assistance from my parents.

And from that point of view, Ol' Blue is as glorious a set of horse wheels as any that ever rolled.

Because the real contrast is with having nothing, and being forced to stay home from the party.

Any personal examples of mental vitamin C that you'd care to share?

 

Re-Ride: Taking the Reins (Again) at Horse&Rider

With the official press release having gone out today, I'm ready to share the word here about my having been named editor and associate publisher for Horse&Rider.

It is and isn't a new job for me...I was the magazine's editor in chief through the first half of the 1990s.

But considering life's ever-accelerating rate of change, that seems long ago and far away in many respects. (Hard to believe for some, I'm sure, but digital communication barely even existed, and cell phones were the size of a loaf of bread.) I'll have a new learning curve, no doubt.

Should still be an awesome ride, though.

Because for anyone with any inkling to do what it is I do, Horse&Rider is one awesome pony to get to be ridin' and guidin'!

 

More From Murfreesboro/QuarterFest

Yesterday had so much activity that by the time I got back to The Castle (which is what I have taken to calling the living-quarters trailer I'm staying at during QuarterFest), I was too pooped to post! So I'm catching back up with you this morning.

I have a partner in crime on this trip, with Horse&Rider's associate publisher Rick Swan from Scottsdale, Arizona. Rick is with the magazine's ad-sale team, knows everyone (or so it seems), and is some of the best "up for anything" company a person could ask for. He's

in the peach-colored shirt, standing with Extravaganza performer Tommie Turvey (on the roan horse).

Tommie's part of the Extravaganza with Pokerjoe, an amazingly trained horse,  brought the house down every night. It's one of those things you really have to see to believe...I'm mystified as to how he gets that horse to lie flat on its back and stretch single legs straight up in the air on cue (among other things).

The gal toting the saddle is Team H&R's Julie Goodnight from Salida, Colorado. At this event, Julie gets my personal award as the hardest-working woman in show business. She's been conducting clinic sessions all weekend. Her mic'd voice was the first one I heard yesterday morning over the P.A., and the last one I heard before the evening Extravaganza began. The folks who bought clinic passes to ride with her at QuarterFest are definitely getting their money's worth.

I love anything having to do with driving horses, so was quite drawn to the stagecoach pulled by six matched black Quarter Horses. The biggest hitch I've ever gotten to drive was four horses, and that was challenging enough at a walk out in the open. So it must be something to drive SIX horses in a hitch, at a gallop in an arena! (I wouldn't have minded riding in the stagecoach, either.)

For one of those personal rock-star episodes you wish your mother got to witness, I was headlined at the AQHA booth, where I got to meet H&R readers and talk about careers in the equine industry. I even signed some autographs! (Blushing the entire time, I'm sure.)

Today, I may finally get a chance to attend some of the horse camping and trail-related presentations. I'm glad I made arrangements to be at QuarterFest the entire three days, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get all the way through the program!

 

 

Activities for QuarterFest Kids

Beyond the many things for adults to learn, see, and do, QuarterFest also has a whole activity center for children.

There's been a steady stream of kids lined up today for Quarter Horse test rides on horses furnished by area AQHA members. Each eager child gets a horse, a helmet, and an "spotter"  to stay close to the horse's head for added control if needed.

The Breyer horse center includes model horses that kids can paint to their own design. I got a kick out of watching how the children painted on the colors and markings of their future dream horses!

 

QuarterFest Scenes & Moments

Yesterday, I was too busy doing other things at QuarterFest to be able to visit the vendor booths. But I made up for that this morning, and have two shopping bags of gifts and other goodies to show for it.

It wouldn't be hard to come home from this event as a completely glitzed-out "kowgirl." Or as a well-dressed cowGUY, for that matter. Thanks to such AQHA partners as Wrangler and Justin, the latest styles in jeans, shirts, and boots are just as much a part of the shopping experience as the statement-making bling for us gals.

One of the most interesting people at QuarterFest is Sgt. Josh Forbess. He's the blue-shirted rider on the left of the shot with the two mounted cowboys. A member of our armed forces, Josh is still following the long road to recovery after surviving a fiery helicopter crash in Iraq. He was on fire when pulled from the chopper and has undergone nearly 20 operations on his head and face since then. Now an advocate for therapeutic riding the U.S. Army's Ft. Campbell,  he was part of last night's Extravaganza show that helped raised money for America's Horse Cares (which supports therapeutic riding). Josh joined us for dinner the first night we were here and shared his story with us.

Hat's off to you, man.

The Walk of Fame houses horses from the Extravaganza--one of which is Blue Jeans, the gray horse Miley Cyrus rode in her "Hannah Montana" movie. He's had a steady stream of visitors.

If there were a Walk of Fame here for humans, Bob Avila (in coral shirt, next to palomino horse) would certainly be on it. The champion trainer and member of Team H&R was just getting ready to go in the arena for a clinic session this morning when I snapped the photo of him talking to one of the many folks eager to see him here.

Day 2, Ready to See and Do More at QuarterFest

There's honestly so much happening at AQHA's birthday-bash event in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that I didn't begin to see or do it all yesterday. So I'll have plenty of exploring to do yet today.

Of course, that means I will have to tear myself away from the luxury of the living-quarters Sundowner trailer I'm staying in on the grounds. Right now, I'm kicked back on the tooled-leather-look sofa, sipping a cup of French roast coffee brewed right here in my borrowed weekend castle, listening to some Nashville sound on the FM stereo and cozying up against the sound of rain on the roof.

Ah yes, the rain...just no getting around it, and for better or worse, a whopping rain event is visiting middle Tennessee at the same time as QuarterFest. This is no big deal to someone who lives in the Northwest, however--you just dress accordingly and go on about your day. The event organizers here are coping just as readily.

In fact, when I was at the AQHA booth yesterday to meet and talk with prospective journalists, I caught a glimpse of the "in case of rain" manifesto that had been prepared ahead of time. The outdoor clinics have been moved to indoor venues, and with the size of the coliseum complex and other under-cover areas, not much of a beat's been missed.

Thanks to Trailer Center USA of Nashville...

...I get to stay in this unbelievably cool Sundowner living-quarters trailer while at AQHA's QuarterFest. (Anybody can stay at a hotel, right? Nothing new to try out or report about that.)

It took about 10 seconds for me to fall completely in love with this form of horse-lover's accommodation. You hear people say that some LQ trailers are nicer than their houses--and that would apply to this 8013 model from the Sundowner Signature Series. It DOES have amenities that my house does not have. (Remote-control air conditioning??? A fully developed motif, right down to the cabinet knobs? I wish!)

I'll share a few photos, just so you can get the idea of what my special digs for the weekend are like.

"Splendid" would be a good one-word description.

Checking in from QuarterFest, Day One

I just got to the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, TN, for AQHA's QuarterFest. And haven't been able to get 10 feet without bumping into an old friend, someone I've shown horses with, or someone I've been wanting to meet. Like a reunion, with celebrity guests!

Last night, I had a great evening catching up with and having dinner with Bob Avila and his wife Dana. As usual, we trotted out a few favorite recollections from our 20+ years of showing and working on articles together, and just covering "industry talk" in general. Bob is giving clinics here at  QuarterFest and will be performing in the evening Extravaganzas tonight and tomorrow.

Now, I'm going to go check out the Quarter Horse test-ride area and the Walk of Fame's celebrity horses.

Ya know what? It's a kick to feel kid-like horse excitement again when you're 50+ years old!