EC 360 Blog Has Moved!

  










     If you haven't already heard, my EC 360 blog has moved to www.equinechronicle.com. While my time here at Blog Spot has been fun, it is time to move on to bigger and better things. (Actually, this was just a temporary location until construction on the new website was complete.)
     Because there have been a few questions about the new website, I thought I would provide a short summary. Along with my new blog, you can go to equinechronicle.com to view daily news articles, the latest magazine articles, video interviews, polls and photo galleries.
     In this new fully interactive website, you can stay updated with breaking, business and world news about the equine industry. The lifestyle section contains information about the latest travel information, style watch and party coverage. Riding and training contains the latest training tips and an ask the professional section. The health category is a one stop shop for everything related to equine care, rider health, vet advice, feeding and a foal gestation calculator. Arts and entertainment features our equine artist of the month, horse in film and tv, supernatural stories, book reviews and poetry. The community section provides products and service reviews, discussion topics, education, advice and profiles. Club and show news is where you can read about upcoming shows, association news and view show results.
     The Equine Chronicle will still be maintaining our Facebook fan page, where you can go to look at more photo galleries, view the latest show results and follow links to the latest news posted on the EC website.
     We hope you enjoy the new website. If you have any questions, comments, news tips or ideas for new articles, please email me at b.bevis@equinechronicle.com

An Apology to Horse Show Mom's Everywhere

            I have decided that although I am a seasoned competitor when it comes to showing horses, I fail miserably when it comes to being a spectator. After watching my boyfriend compete at the NCHA Futurity a week ago, I’ve discovered that I haven’t been giving horse show mom’s everywhere nearly enough credit. 

Our barn mother’s are always talking about how stressful and nerve-wracking it is to sit up in the stands and watch their kids compete. I always assumed this was true, but obviously I have never witnessed it first hand (since I’m normally in the middle of the arena when this is taking place). However, after having to sit through a first go, second go, semi-finals and finals of the Non-pro, I have to say that being on the sidelines is excruciating. 

When I first decided to go down to Fort Worth to be a supportive girlfriend, I thought it would a nice change of pace. Since the majority of my time at horse shows is spent competing, I thought that being able to relax a little and watch someone else might be fun. I was wrong.

Now don’t misunderstand, it was very exciting to be able to watch and learn about an equestrian discipline so different from my own. That is until it was my boyfriend’s turn to compete. My friends sitting beside me laughed as they watched a typically calm, levelheaded competitor turn into an anxiety-ridden mess.

I was perfectly fine, until the person before him began their run. As he walked to the herd, my heart was beating so hard that I could practically see it thumping beneath my shirt. Along with wringing my hands until they were raw and neurotically chipping at my finger nail polish, I probably looked liked the typical obsessive horse show mother.

I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath until he finished his run, 2 and ½ minutes later, and I felt unusually lightheaded. During this time, I also managed to mutilate the poor Styrofoam cup I was holding until all that was left was a sad, little pile of fluffy bits.

My own mother thought this was hilarious and very appropriate payback for her having to stand on the sidelines and watch me throughout the years. So to all of those horse show mothers out there, I am sorry for severely underestimating the difficulty and importance of your role as a spectator. I also have a question to ask. Does it ever get easier?

Finals First-timer Wins $250,000 with Record-Breaking Score

        

       At last night’s NCHA Open Futurity Finals, Tony Piggott and Rockin W swept the field with a huge score of 229 points. This score ties for the all-time Futurity record with a 229 that was marked by Royal Fletch in 2000. Owner Alice Walton of Rockin W Ranch, accepted the winner’s check for $250,000 and the prestigious Fort Worth Cup.
       Rockin W is a fourth generation Walton Ranch bred stallion by legendary producer Dual Rey and out of 2004 NCHA Horse of the Year Boon San Kitty. This was Piggott’s first time in the NCHA Open Finals.
       Earlier in the week, Piggott rode Rockin W to a fourth place finish in the John Deere Open Finals earning $15,946. At the conclusion of the Futurity, Piggott took home a pair of checks worth more than double his previous career earnings. He actually rode the horse for the first time just two weeks before the Futurity began. Piggott was the catch-rider chosen for Rockin W because the horse’s trainer Gary Gonsalves opted to ride two of his other mounts.
       Only four other horses, in addition to Rockin W and Royal Fletch have scored a 226 or higher in the Open Finals of the NCHA Futurity: High Brow CD with 226 in 2007, Oh Cay Felix with 227 in 2006, Highbrow Supercat with 226.5 in 2005 and One Smart Lookin Cat with 226 in 2003.

The Principles of Body Isolation

            I recently read an interesting article recently about the importance of learning how to isolate different parts of your body while riding. Truthfully, I almost passed it by because of the title, Roping: In Your Mind’s Eye, by Jody Reynolds. Not that there is anything wrong with roping, it just isn’t my discipline of choice. However, after reading the piece, it became obvious that the principles of body isolation can be applied to any equestrian sport.

Before David Avery became the AQHA director of international affairs, he was a Professional Horseman in Roswell, New Mexico. He taught that by isolating different parts of your body, you can deliver different messages to your horse. One way to do this is by altering the position of your seat.

The three different seat positions consist of the “on” position, when the pelvic area is against the seat of the saddle, the “in front” position, when the pubic bone is against the seat of the saddle, and the “behind” position, when the gluteus is against the seat of the saddle. Obviously, if you compete in an event like hunter under saddle, you will ride with much more of a forward seat than if you compete in an event like western pleasure. However, Avery says that regardless of the discipline, every rider can benefit from practicing these three positions to increase their range of motion.

Avery also taught how to isolate the seven different segments of the leg.

1.Upper-third thigh – Where the gluteus ties into the groin area, also where the hip and femur attach.

2. Middle-third thigh – The large, fleshy portion of the thigh. You can squeeze and release together or independently to direct the horse and encourage or control impulsion.

3. Lower-third thigh – Where the knee connects to the lower part of the leg. Many beginners will often grip with the lower thigh to stay on, which causes their horse to speed up. 

4.Upper-third calf – Just below the knee. The amount of pressure determines the type of reaction to a cue.

5. Middle-third calf – The large, fleshy portion of the lower leg. This area controls diagonal direction and forward impulsion.

6. Lower-third calf – Where the ankle attaches to the foot.

7.Spur – An extension of the heel.

While at first glance this may seem a bit complicated, just being aware of the different segments of your legs may give you a little insight into how you communicate with your horse. Try thinking about this the next time you're out for a ride.