If you’ve ever shown a horse, especially in a pattern class, you’ve probably wondered what the judges were looking for and thinking as the competitors came through the class. In this month’s Journal, 2004 AQHYA World Championship Show judges tell you just that.

Field Editor Christine Hamilton asked judges of showmanship, horsemanship, trail, hunt seat equitation and equitation over fences to remark on the patterns from last year’s finals. And their comments were very insightful. The judges gave an overview of each pattern class, the pattern’s hot spots and their pet peeves from the class.

Although the comments are from youth classes, I still think many amateur exhibitors will get a lot out of this article. For example, in the trail pattern, judge Charlene Carter commented that “if a mistake is made, a rider hs absolutely got to forget that error and move on to the next part of the course. Maintain a sweeping and dynamic flow to gain extra credit. It is possible to overcome a mistake, if you make a sparkling recovery on the remainder of the course.”

In the pet peeves for the equitation over fences pattern, judge Stephanie Lynn said: “I don’t like a rider that doesn’t have a good release over the top of the fence, either no release or too much release. If you don’t have any release, they you run the risk of hitting your horse in the mouth over the top of the jump. If you have too much release, then you end up crawling up the horse’s neck too far. If there is a bad landing, you’re not in a position to ride that; you’re ahead of the month.”

In the showmanship pattern, exhibitors were asked to execute a half-turn to the left and line up. Judge Mark Sheridan commented in the “hot spots” of the evaluation that he’s “not a fan of left turns, but if the pattern calls for it, you need to pivot off the left hind foot. If you’re turning right, pivot off the right hind.”

This training article is just one of the many in this month’s Journal. Others include makeup tips for exhibitors, taking proper care of neck sweats and ownership rules for amateur and youth riders, just to name a few.

You can read these stories online but you have to be a Journal subscriber. And you can subscribe for only $25 online. Then you’ll have immediate access to these stories plus archived stories from past Journals. And, best of all, we’ll deliver a copy of the Journal to your mailbox every month.

Anthrax Confirmed in Texas County

Two ranches in Sutton County, Texas, have laboratory-confirmed cases of anthrax in horses, deer and cattle, and laboratory results are pending for several other sites in the county, where livestock and deer losses have been reported.

Although this bacterial disease occurs almost yearly in this region of the state, cases have not been confirmed within Sutton County for more than 20 years. Typically, outbreaks are in Val Verde, Edwards, Kinney and Uvalde counties, but on rare occasions, cases have been confirmed as far south as Starr County, said Thurman Fancher, D.V.M., director of Area 6 (West Texas) for the Texas Animal Health Commission.

“Anthrax is under-reported, because many ranchers in this area automatically dispose of carcasses and vaccinate livestock when they find dead animals that are bloated or bloody – common signs of the disease,” Fancher said. “Anthrax is a reportable disease, however, and it’s important to know when an outbreak occurs, so other ranchers can be notified to vaccinate.”

Fancher explained that it is common to see death losses in one pasture, but not across the fence. However, all livestock in an infected area should be vaccinated, to prevent potential losses.

“Anthrax is an ancient disease that occurs worldwide. The first reports in livestock date back to 1500 BC,” Fancher said. “When an infected animal dies, the ground becomes contaminated with the spores of Bacillus anthracis bacteria, unless the carcass and soil are purified with a very hot fire. Even though spores do not multiply or spread underground, they can lie dormant in soil for decades, awaiting the perfect combination of weather and soil conditions to become vegetative. Animals then are exposed to the disease when they eat grass contaminated with the bacteria.”

TAHC regulations require that the affected animal’s bedding, its carcass, and nearby manure be burned with wood, diesel or gasoline (tires and oil create too much pollution), to cleanse the ground. Do not open carcasses. If there is a burn ban in the area, contact the TAHC Area 6 office in Lampasas, Texas, at (800) 658-6642 for disposal information.

Livestock on the premises must then be vaccinated and held under quarantine for a short time, to ensure any anthrax-exposed animals are not moved from the premises. Laboratory tests, conducted by the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, are needed to confirm infection, and suspected cases should be reported to private veterinary practitioners or the TAHC’s headquarters in Austin at (800) 550-8242.

Anyone handling or burning carcasses, or vaccinating livestock against anthrax should wear long sleeves and gloves. Exposure can cause a black sore that requires medical attention and antibiotics. General sanitation procedures should be followed after handling livestock, and equipment used on the animals should be disinfected. Pets should be kept from dead carcasses or bones of dead animals, which may pose a disease risk. Healthy animals should be moved from anthrax-contaminated areas.

“By the time the area’s hunting season begins, the cooler weather brings an outbreak to a close,” Fancher said. “If, after an outing, you develop an unusual sore, see your physician for treatment.”

Actions that should be taken during an anthrax outbreak:

1. Properly dispose of animal carcasses by burning to prevent exposure to other animals, such as predators or dogs. Remove healthy livestock from the area.
2. Vaccinate livestock if cases occur in the surrounding areas. Because the anthrax vaccine is a “live” vaccine, it should not be administered concurrently with antibiotics. Vaccinated animals are to be withheld from slaughter for two months.
3. Restrict movement of livestock from an affected premise until animals can develop immunity through vaccination.

Preparations Underway for FEI World Reining Masters

Europeans are getting ready for their first FEI World Reining Masters, which is September 22-25 at the Palasturla facility in Manerbio, Italy. The inaugural Reining Masters was during the 2004 National Reining Horse Association Futurity in Oklahoma City.

Once again the finals of the Reining Masters, which is presented by the Arcese Group, will offer a $75,000 open and a $25,000 restricted division. The first is open to all riders, while the restricted division is only open to those countries who did not qualify for the finals at the 2002 World Equestrian Games. Therefore the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and Germany will only be able to compete in the open division and will be allowed to send two riders. All other countries are eligible to compete with one qualified rider.

An update on countries that have already qualified riders for the 2005 World Reining Masters finals and information regarding those countries that are still in the process of holding CRI qualifiers will be released soon. With 15 countries expected to participate, the final date for qualification is August 28, and the deadline for entry submission is August 29.

Quarter Horse Stolen at Rodeo

Jason Schultz of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that police are searching for a 20-year-old Quarter Horse that was stolen Tuesday during the 61^st annual Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale, Arkansas.

Rand Selle, who works for the Stace Smith Pro Rodeo Co. of Athens, Texas, said he checked on the company’s horses around 1 a.m. and “Badger” was there at the time. Selle believes he was stolen between 1 and 6 a.m

Selle estimates the horse is worth about $20,000. The gelding is gray and has an arrow brand and the letter “S” on his left shoulder. But because of his color, Selle said Badger’s brands only show up when he’s wet.

— Tonya Ratliff-Garrison