Stolen Paint Horse Found After Year-Long Search

Maximum Reflections, better known as Max, was taken from his pasture in Flat Rock, Illinois, August 23, 2008, leaving Keith Caughran’s stepdaughter, Kaitlynn, devastated. Since that time, Caughran has done everything possible to help locate the horse, from buying a computer and learning to navigate the Internet, to offering his truck as a reward.
   A few days after Max’s theft, Caughran filed a report with Stolen Horse International on their web site, NetPosse.com. This is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to public education regarding stolen and missing horses, and assistance in recovering those horses. After a stolen horse is reported, a personal webpage is posted on NetPosse.com, allowing the public to quickly find contact information and learn of updates in a case. Then, a flyer is created and an IDAHO Alert, the equine version of an AMBER Alert, is issued. NetPosse volunteers network via the Internet with horse owners and equine communities to notify people about the stolen or missing horse.
    “We actively work around the clock and follow countless leads for the horses listed on the site,” says Debi Metcalfe, founder of the program. “That one call makes every moment of worry and wonder worth it for the horse owner and for our volunteers. This is why we do what we do.”
   A year ago, SHI issued a press release pleading for Max’s return in which Keith said, “Our family is just stunned. We cannot believe he is gone.” Kaitlynn said, “I cannot concentrate in school, focus on homework, watch TV or even go to sleep without thinking about him. He was my best friend and my whole life.”
   Since experiencing the loss of Max, the Caughran family never gave up hope that they would one day find Kaitlynn's. The family was at a horse show on Sunday when they received the call.
   “We were all crying,” Susan Caughran says. “We just couldn’t believe that after all this time we finally got the call we had been waiting for.”
   It turns out that Kim Gully of Springfield, Mo. bought Max about a month ago through an advertisement on Craigslist. Gully’s cousin saw a stolen horse flyer with a picture of Max this weekend at Farmfest, an event at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. Gully says she knew that buying a horse over the Internet had its risks, but she never dreamed that she was buying a stolen horse for her 7 year-old daughter MacKenzie. After a brief Internet search, Kim’s fears were confirmed as she found out the rest of the story about her daughter’s new horse.
   The Caughran family is so thrilled to be getting Max back that they are giving MacKenzie another horse as a replacement.
   “I always thought Max would be found. I personally never gave up and encouraged Susan and Keith to do the same, especially when there seemed to be no hope,” Metcalfe says. “As I would expect, Keith and Susan have a mixture of emotions. It has been 58 weeks and they never gave up, nor did Stolen Horse International.”
   However, Metcalfe points out that the Caughran’s aren’t the only victims in this case. The Gully’s are suffering, too, as they prepare to part with Max.
   It is estimated that thousands of horses go missing each year. But, with the help of volunteers through NetPosse.com, there is hope for other victims like the Caughran’s.
    NetPosse’s Executive Coordinator Angela Kirby says she was astounded to see the rodeo grounds in her hometown of Montgomery, Ala., plastered with Max’s flyers last March.
    “I am sometimes amazed by the outpouring of support victims receive from horse owners across the country, but it is so reassuring,” Kirby says. “We always tell these horse owners not to give up no matter how many days or weeks have passed.”
   To help reunite other families with their missing and stolen horses you can visit www.netposse.com. Anyone can print a flyer to post in areas like feed or tack stores, auction barns, restaurants or even convenience stores. You don’t have to be a horse owner to help.
 

 For more on Max and his homecoming, visit: http://netposse.com/stolenmissing/MaxIL stolenAug08.htm   

   You can contact Debi Metcalfe for more information at 704-484-2165, PO Box 1341 Shelby, NC 28151, stolenhorse@netposse.com.

Driftwood Horses

If you are a horse lover, you have probably received a mass e-mail featuring Heather Jansch’s artwork.  This talented sculptor/artist, located southwest of the United Kingdom, utilizes her fourteen acres of lush woodland to provide inspiration for her life-sized horse sculptures.

“I use landscape to create new things without restriction,” Jansch says. “It is an exciting ongoing sculptural project in its own right.”

After seeking the advice of international artist and teacher, Arthur Giadelli, Jansch was inspired to use her combined love of horses, the country and creating artwork with natural materials to develop a style that was truly her own. Jansch says the idea came “out of the blue, it came in on the tide.”

She uses driftwood her assistant collects from beaches, along with other wood from riverbanks, woodlands and generous local estates.

“Driftwood is often a mix of soft woods and so it is not always durable,” she says. “It is fine for small interior works, or for pieces that will be cast in bronze. If a piece is for exterior display, it needs to be made from dense hardwood like oak.”

She says each sculpture is different, and as a result, can require its own innovative means of construction. However, Jansch views the occasional complication as a blessing in disguise.

“My best work often comes when my creativity is stretched,” she says. “New challenges, experiments, possibilities and ideas are what keep me alive.”

The larger life-sized sculptures have a steel frame, which is coated in fiberglass, to help disguise the steel and stop the wood from slipping once it is first held into position for Jansch to see. Then, each piece of wood is tied with wire and screwed into the frame with stainless steel screws. Wood filler and stain conceals the metal screws and preserves the natural feel of the driftwood.

Jansch says that sometimes it can be difficult to utilize such a rigid material to recreate muscle tone and the curves of a horse’s conformation.

“It can be excruciatingly difficult,” Jansch says. “Especially when using oak, which I guess is why few people work this way, but I have many years of experience and a great assistant with good muscles and I use power tools.”

The hooves of the driftwood horses are made out of either recycled copper or lead. If someone intends to display a piece outside, Jansch recommends that it be treated annually with preservative, much as one would spray a garden fence.  

“I cannot say exactly how long they will last, but there are still Elizabethan timber frame houses standing,” she says.

While Jansch typically doesn’t create a sculpture with a certain breed in mind, many of her pieces do evoke an Arabian sensibility, with good reason.

“I keep Arabians; they are hardy and agile,” she says. “I ride badly and do not compete, but my horses are ridden barefoot and bitless.”

Jansch says she does not publicize her prices because there is great variation when it comes to the size and complexity of a piece. Currently, there is a waiting list for privately commissioned sculptures.

However, her gallery and sculpture garden are open to the public each year in September, when over a thousand plus visitors flock to the United Kingdom to have the opportunity to see the driftwood equines.

She also has a book available which utilizes a diary format to take the reader through a year in the life of an artist.

“The book is an intimate window into my creative life. It was a hugely enjoyable adventure that resulted in a book with a very handmade feel. In diary form, it takes the reader through a typical year richly illustrated with drawings and photos of my work in the stunning landscape that inspired them.”

While it is not yet available outside the United Kingdom, Jansch’s book can be purchased on her website, www.heatherjansch.com.

Cutting Horse Virgin

I went to my first cutting finals this evening at Silverado on the Brazos in Weatherford, Texas. Now I have to admit that despite my 13 some odd years of showing horses, I am definitely a cutting horse virgin. I know that it involves horses and cows, but beyond that, I have very little knowledge of this side of the horse world. However, from watching videos and speaking to a few top competitors I have learned a little something.

To begin, a horse and rider get two and a half minutes to exhibit their skill at separating two to three cows from the herd. Secondly, a run can be judged on criteria like correctness, eye appeal and amount of time actually spent cutting each cow. Thirdly, they compete for a whole lot more money than we do.(Meaning the pleasure horse industry in general) In fact, someone once told me that the cutting horse business is a close second to thoroughbred racing, when it comes to amount of money produced and transferred within the industry. I believe the figure reaches approximately $35 million in prize money given out per year. At the Brazos Bash this week, there will be $285,000 in added money up for grabs to those who can combine their superior skill and technique with some cooperative cows, a willing horse and a whole lot of luck.  Now when you divide that up per capita, per cow, per cut, there’s a lot at stake when entering the pen for those two and a half minutes, or 150 seconds, whichever way you look at it.

            But don’t be mistaken, it isn’t all about the money. On the contrary, even with a lot more at stake, the cutters seem to have developed much more camaraderie with each other than another other equine discipline I have been a part of. In fact, I felt more welcome there, than at some of the horse shows I have been going to for years. Now granted, this could be attributed to the fact that I enter their world as a spectator and not an exhibitor. However, my personal opinion is that they seem to have written the book on how to compete and (Gasp) socially interact with each other in a friendly manner.

Case in point, when a cutter goes to the herd to select his first cow, he/she has about four other riders in the pen serving as the “turn back” crew. Their job it is to help contain the rest of the herd, help the competitor locate his/her cow of choice and generally to give the competitor his/her best chance at performing successfully. Now, each competitor can select the people who will be in his/her turn back crew, but more often than not, these riders are competing in the same classes with each other. Therefore, the scenario is often that one person may complete their run and turn right back around and go in the pen to help their competitor as part of their turn back crew. That’s right people, I did say help their competitor. While this idea may seem foreign to some, it seems to be working quite well for the people in the cutting industry and might be something interesting we each could try implementing in our own respective disciplines.

Another observation is that cutters generally do not wear numbers. The order of go is often posted the day before and each rider and horse combination is announced as they enter the pen to work. Now, some people might think that this practice could increase the likelihood of judges playing politics, where the big name riders receive leniency or favoritism. However, there are two additional methods that are used to counteract the possibility of nepotism. First, cutting is a scored event, which serves to eliminate much of the objectivity in the first place. Second, judges sit high atop a white platform (an ivory tower if you will) each in his/her own little cubicle when the scoring takes place. At the end of each run, the judges’ scores are tabulated and immediately posted on a scoreboard. While no system is without its flaws, this procedure seems to keep most people happy.

One of the best parts is to watch these athletic equines crouch down on all fours and contort their bodies into seemingly impossible positions to prevent a cow from escaping back to their bovine buddies. It’s no wonder these animals are likened to being as “smooth as a cat.” Action photographs or slow motion video taken head on exhibit this view to the utmost. It’s truly incredible to see a horse rocked back with its hocks buried in the dirt ready to launch in either direction at any imperceptible movement of the cow.

            As far as results are concerned, tonight’s winner of the three year old open was Phil Rapp on Iced Out with a score of 220. Rapp’s check was for $17,500.00. Winning reserve was Clint Allen riding Chiefs Hawkeye with a 219. In the five and six year old open, Jason Clark on Wise Little Miss won and Paul Hansma with Cats Little Tank was reserve. Clark took home a check for $20,000.

            Be sure to stay tuned to receive updates from the Brazos Bash during this week. Who knows, maybe this die hard all-around competitor might add a new event to her repertoire…

Uncommon Courtesy

Okay everyone, this is less of an informational/interview type blog than it is a commentary on a trend I have been noticing at recent shows. For anyone who has been showing horses for a long time, or just beginning for that matter, the hectic and often stressful experience of trying to warm-up before a class is a familiar one. Especially when the time for western pleasure rolls around, the warm-up pen can be an intimidating place. It is often a daunting experience to round the corner to the arena, only to be assaulted by a barrage of sequins or an onslaught of rhinestones as riders lope toward each other in opposite directions, stopping, turning, spinning, backing and jerking. It’s enough to make your head spin.

            Now this is obviously something we can’t avoid, that is unless there were multiple warm-up pens all within equal distance to the show ring allowing for more than enough room for every exhibitor to prepare for their class. (If someone ever finds this magical show grounds please let me know) However, there are a few simple guidelines exhibitors can follow to help make the experience within the warm-up pen a much more positive, productive and safe one for all horses and riders involved.

            Depending on each person’s experience level, age of their horse and trainer’s instructions, everyone goes into those last five minutes before show time with different priorities in mind. This often results in a scene akin to that of a psychotic carousel with horses going left and right, having repeated near miss collisions. You know what I’m talking about, the kind where you swerve just in time, but can’t avoid sideswiping the other person with your stirrup? Now I’m not saying I have never been guilty of this offense myself, because I have. My trainer has repeatedly accused me of using my horse like a bulldozer. But, I think that as a self-professed occasional “bad driver,” I have come to realize the importance of paying attention to where I am going.

            As my trainer likes to say, or shout rather, “there’s no money on the ground, so look where you’re going,” or “even if you stare at its head long enough it’s not going to go where you want it to.”

            So, I thought I would share a few of my own tips which help to minimize the number of head on collisions my horse and I are involved in. First, it is unavoidable that people are going to travel in different directions when they don’t have an announcer to guide them. Therefore, whenever possible, I try to “go with the flow,” of traffic that is. If everyone is going to the right, follow suit. More often than not the majority of the pack will decide when it is time to change directions. And please, it doesn’t help the situation to scream at the top of your lungs that you plan to change directions. (I have actually encountered this on more than one occasion). Generally, it just makes people mad enough that they will continue going the same way just to spite you. However, there is nothing wrong with politely asking a few people to join you in changing directions so everyone else might follow your lead.

            Secondly, if you can reach out and touch fingertips with the person riding next to you, you are too close. There should be, at the very least, twice that distance between you and any other rider. I am aware that horses are pack animals and generally like other horses, but riding or passing someone that close is just asking for trouble. When in doubt, ride further away. This applies whether you are riding towards someone or traveling in the same direction. Unless your last name is Earnhardt you shouldn’t be passing that close.

            When it comes to the number of people packed into a warm-up pen, less is always more. Please use common sense to help you decide when you need to head up to the pen. Probably ten classes before is a little excessive. I always follow this rule; if your class is going in before mine, you have priority. That means for rail space, choice of direction, etc. But, I do expect people to give me the same courtesy as well.

            Now picture this scenario. Two riders are loping along on the rail in different directions as they get closer and closer, neither one is willing to relinquish their coveted rail spot.  Sometimes I just sit back and watch as people go around and around “playing chicken” with every person they meet. Now if we were riding in bumper cars this might be great fun. However, I don’t think any horse appreciates being jerked to a halt when it comes nose to nose with another animal just because both pilots are being stubborn. I generally try to follow the “every other time” rule. If I get off the rail for you once, then the next time around you should get off the rail for me. Obviously this isn’t a perfect solution, but it seems to help minimize the chances of being in a head on collision. There are a few exceptions though. Always get off the rail for children and novice riders. If someone is having that much trouble getting around the pen, don’t make matters worse by hogging the rail just because you can.

            Just think, if everyone followed these simple rules what a safer and less traumatic experience warming up before a class would be.