Abuse to Win

I have been keeping up with the soring issue within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry and have no idea how people are capable of purposefully inflicting pain on a horse for personal gain. This issue is important to me because I own a 6-year-old Tennessee Walker and cannot imagine him having a life of abuse for a ribbon and money.

For those of you who might not be familiar with soring, this is what it is: The practice of inflicting pain on a horse’s forelegs to induce a higher-action gait. There are several kinds of chemical substances that are used to accomplish this like diesel fuel, mustard oil, kerosene, salicylic acid and others. The purpose of doing this is to achieve the “Big Lick” gait used in the show ring which is an exaggeration of the gaits the horse performs naturally. Personally, I see no beauty in this. It is artificial and unnatural, and I do not agree with the several inches of pads used to shoe the horse with because this is another avenue used for abuse. The flat-shod TWH on the other hand is pure beauty, elegance, and grace. Why would someone manipulate something that is the foundation of the breed to produce a fake series of movements?

I am disturbed by the fact that some people will do anything to win – even compromise the existence of a creature that supports their cruel habit. If the desired goal can’t be achieved through hard work and practice, it seems logical to get out of the profession. Not everyone is meant to be a horse trainer. When a “trainer” or owner is willing to hurt the horse to win in the show ring, what else do these horses have to endure?

Soring has been illegal since 1970 with the Horse Protection Act but until offenders are severely punished it will still be widespread. Welfare and industry officials issue numerous citations every year and are using more sophisticated methods of detecting soring and improper shoeing. In 2006, the USDA became a lot more involved to crack down on such offenders and there are other equine organizations banning together to help stop this unethical practice.

This is a huge issue that will need the cooperation of the owners, breeders, trainers and judges and will not be corrected overnight. These horses have been bred to move with these thick pads to produce the exaggerated gaits that win in the show ring. Millions of dollars have been invested in these horses and will require the cooperation of the key players in the industry to become eradicated.

Beyond this, in other breeds of horses there are practices of abuse to win. These offenders are on the same level of the people who sore the TWH which deserves punishment and in my opinion, banishment from all competition FOREVER. There are several organizations that believe soring is inexcusable. I belong to the National Walking Horse Association. http://www.nwha.com – National Walking Horse Association

Saddle's Done with a Side of Hurricane

So my Flex2 saddle is finally done! The saddle was finished Thursday and my birthday was Friday so it was perfect timing. Despite my sheer excitement and the fact that I was unable to focus for the rest of the afternoon, I was only able to squeeze in a short ride. My little one is teething so sometimes he doesn't go down for the night right away and it's already getting dark sooner. When I got Copper all tacked up, I stood back and looked at what a gorgeous boy I have with the beautifully crafted saddle and headstall. Now I need a new saddle pad...and a new girth...and new bell boots.

When I climbed up in the saddle, it was awesome! I know I have a perfect fit for Copper, which was the whole point of me getting a new saddle, and now I do for me as well. It already feels broken in and I love the close contact. Now if I can get to ride for more than 5 minutes this week I'll be doing good! I'm not too hopeful with the hurricane rolling in.

With Hurricane Dolly getting ready to come ashore, I have made some preparations for Copper. Normally he is out in the pasture all the time even if we get a shower because that's where he is the happiest. I have learned he gets upset if he is in a stall for very long, but I know even he will like some shelter from the wind and rain if it comes our way. He has a stall that's about 15' x 15' and open on one side so he shouldn't feel too claustrophobic. I put him in there last night for about an hour so he could get used to it and after he tested the gate, he decided it wasn't so bad and went about munching his hay. For the morning feeding, he didn't want to leave! So, I'm content that he likes it. Looks like we are in for just rain which I am looking forward to - we desperately need it.

Does anybody out there have some helpful hints to get your horse ready for the storm?

Mules and Saddles-A Whole Different Fit

Used to be that fitting saddles on mules was all about addressing their straight backs. Because mules are increasing in value, especially those used for trail riding, the quality of the mare being bred has dramatically improved. In years past, is was not the highest quality mare, or the best donkey jack, that was used to produce mules. These days, many good Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, and draft mares are used. Together with the improvement in jacks, mules have better conformation, way of going, and attitude. For saddle makers, there is increasing demand to fit these better mules.
Though most modern mules continue to have very straight backs, especially when compared to horses, the substance and widths of their bodies has increased. Good horse saddles with standard trees will have a curved bars to accommodate the typical curve of the horse back. This style of tree will ride high center on a mule, and will rock. A mule tree needs to be much flatter in the bar, and the saddle design needs to allow for a raised backbone conformation-usually seen in very straight backs.
Because of the better mares being crossed, wider trees are also in demand. The Quarter Horse and draft type crosses will usually require a wide tree.
Circle Y has found that our Flex2 saddles will address the fit of the mule very successfully. Because of the nature of the flexible bars of the Flex2 saddle which conforms to the curve of the animal's back when girthed down, it will fit the mule's straight back. The skirts are channel fit, so that the middle if the saddle is open, giving room for the raised spine. Most Flex2 styles are available in regular and wide width trees.
More mules are being seen with a curve to the back and in these cases, horse saddles can be used. The Flex2 saddles will conform to the horse types just as well. The Flex2 can be a useful fit for owners with both mules and horses of all types. to see the selection of Circle Y Flex2 saddles, please visit www.circley.com .

Monty

Last week for the July 4th holiday I went north see my sister and her family. I finally got to see my brother-in-law's Paint gelding, Monty. He's 15 years old, about 15ish hands and is stout. He had been used in a feed lot and for cow work most of his life but surprisingly is not nearly as seasoned as you would think. And, all that work and no play had taught him to be hard to catch with a general sour attitude towards being ridden. My BIL has been working the Pat Parelli horsemanship method with him and I have so say Monty is respectful and tries to figure out what is being asked of him.

I think one of the keys to any successful horsemanship method is patience. My BIL has taken Monty back to basics working on groundwork, desensitizing, and is trying to create a new attitude towards being saddled and ridden. He is making huge strides in trust and respect on the ground which will translate under saddle. I noticed Monty's general personality is kinda jumpy and nervous. That may be just the way he is wired, but as long as Monty continues to look to his leader for guidance my BIL will soon have a willing partner that is a pleasure to be around.

Dara

First Things First

Copper and I are a little out of place down here in south Texas in the land of Quarter horses. I hauled him into town last night for our first lesson with Anne, and we were working around barrel racers and a girl practicing Western Pleasure. The way I need to ride Copper is different than riding a Quarter horse, especially now since he is still relatively untrained in the proper ways of a Walking Horse. I feel encouraged by the information that Anne has and can’t wait to practice what I learned last night this weekend.

Anne has an easy going, but all-business style of teaching. I like how she takes the time to explain things and gives me little demonstrations on what I need to do with my legs and hands. She gave gentle reminders when I was doing something wrong and that was exactly what I needed. We worked on circles for bending, the flat walk, his head set, and the final lesson was parking out. Overall Copper caught on quickly and my legs were Jell-O by the time we were finished. :)


Copper has also been doing a lot better about getting in the trailer. Most of the time he hops right in, but he will still do the put his front legs in and stand there thing. Then I back him out, walk him around and then he will hop up in there. Stinker.

I am really excited that my Flex2 Trail has been put into work. It should be done in a few weeks and I can hardly wait! This is the first brand new saddle I have ever had. I have changed up some things on it like the conchos and tooling pattern. I also ordered the coordinating headstall so I will be completely outfitted in matching gear. It’s been awhile since I had a completely matching rig.

I am getting ready for vacation next week. The saddle and tack departments shut down for a week at July 4th and at Christmas. We run a skeleton crew in Customer Service and Shipping, but the rest of the office can take off if they choose. I’m out for the week and headed north to see some family.


Happy July 4th!
Dara

Great Horses and New Endeavors

Hi, I'm Amy. It's my first time blogging, so here's a little about me-

I have been with Circle Y for 14 years...that makes me sound old...but I actually just turned the big 3-0 this year. I started working here part time through high school and college on the production floor, spent a few years in quality control, and now my major focus is product design and marketing. I have a degree from Texas A&M University in Animal Science-Equine science, and even though I am not working directly with horses on a daily basis, I get to put my horse knowledge to good use here at Circle Y.

I have lived in Texas all my life, am married, and have two little girls, ages 3 years and 8 months. Being a mother is one of the most fun, rewarding things I have done. The big challenge is balancing work, spending time with your kids (when you don't want to miss a second), and doing the things you love to do, like ride!

I have two Quarter Horses. My old gelding, Boomerang, is 24 years old this year. I've had him since I was 12. He is the kind of horse that everyone should be lucky enough to grow up on...makes you feel like you can do anything! I grew up roping with my Dad, and Boomerang was my solid head horse-he knew his job and I just had to concentrate on the steer. He's retired now, due to unsoundness. The drawback of having a great once in a lifetime horse-they only come along once in a lifetime AND you tend to compare every other horse against them. Which brings us to horse #2, Fancy. My uncle bought her and later gave her to me. So I've had her for 4 years, but between two pregnancies she hasn't been ridden consistently. For a while, I was disappointed in our relationship-we just weren't "clicking". I even started looking for a different horse. But as soon as I stopped telling myself "she's no Boomerang", our relationship blossomed! Lesson learned: If I want another great horse, I've got to accept Fancy as the individual she is, and put in the time to build our trust in each other.

My friend Dawn is trying to turn us into barrel racers! I have barrel raced ONE TIME (I ran Dawn's horse when she was pregnant and couldn't compete), and Fancy is new to barrel racing too, so we're learning together. So far we've just done slow pattern work. It's fun! Working at Circle Y, I test ride a lot of different saddles-for research and development, to investigate a problem on a repair saddle, etc. Since I've never barrel raced before, I needed a barrel saddle. Right now I'm riding the Xtreme PerformanceTM Studded Croc Barrel-http://www.circley.com/catalog10.shtml. It's the saddle Kelly Kaminski is riding, too (she's on our Team of Champions). The Xtreme PerformanceTM series have some very unique features. So it's fun when I'm riding and people ask about the saddle and I can let them take it for a test ride. So far everyone thinks it's really comfortable. After a ride last week, I noticed the stirrup leather positioner was broken (its a new feature that lets you adjust how far back your fenders can swing-barrel racers don't want their legs to get too far behind them and throw them off balance, so the positioner is an adjustable strap that holds your fenders right where you want them). Mike, our design engineer, fixed it and we are making a design change to use biothane (a super strong synthetic) instead of leather. That's how product improvements are made!

Dawn and I are riding tonight so she can tune up for a barrel race on Sunday. Fancy and I might haul with her, just to ride around and get used to the competition atmosphere. If I get brave, I may do an exhibition run. I'll let you know how that goes next time...

Amy

Welcome!

So this is the first post to many upcoming insights into Circle Y. I am the graphic designer, take pictures of saddles and tack, and do all kinds of stuff in between. I am a native born Okie but moved to Texas about 3 years ago with my husband after graduating from Oklahoma State. I love working here and being in the horse industry without mucking a trillion stalls everyday! We do a ton of stuff in the Marketing/Design department and there really is never a dull moment.

I own a 6-year-old Tennessee Walker gelding named Copper. I have had him since he was 10-months-old and despite the long ownership time, he is not as broke as you would think. I just started riding him after a year and a half off because I was pregnant and then the winter was here with those terribly short days. Plus, I had a new little one to take care of and devote all my attention to! But now that summer is here, we are on track to make leaps and bounds in our partnership. He is my trail horse and my goal is for him to be sturdy, reliable, and capable of doing lots of things that a proper trail horse should do.

This past weekend Copper and I went on a local trail ride. We rode with the Marketing and Design Manager here, Amy, and her mare. Amy is a great rider and her horse is a sturdy mount so that was a great companion for Copper. He has been kinda spooky in the past and we have been working on that. To my delight, Copper did great. He had a couple of minor spooks but nothing serious. I was so proud of him!

In addition to my horse having a great learning experience, I had the pleasure of riding a Tucker Trail saddle. We also make this brand which I was unfamiliar with until I started working here. Let me tell you, I am a believer of the Gel-Cush! I have a Flex2 on order but I am riding a Tucker because I sold the saddle I did have. It didn't fit Copper well now that he has matured. It's truly notable how much difference your gear makes in the performance of your horse! But, that's a whole new discussion.

See ya,
Dara