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Q-TALK FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2005 We’re pretty excited around here about the upcoming Regional Experiences. This new AQHA venture promises to be very exciting and will provide a place where you can meet others from your region as well as show your horse or just drop by and watch an AQHA Professional Horseman put on a clinic. AQHA wants to give you a chance to be a part of the Regional Experiences. The American Quarter Horse Journal is offering an amateur photography contest where photographers are asked to capture their Regional Experience and the spirit of these new events. There will be first- and second-place winners from each of the 10 Regional Experience shows, and the photos will be published in the Journal. And, best of all, it doesn’t cost anything to enter. For more information on the contest, plus the rules and entry forms, click here. 2006 Select World Qualifying Time Period Changes The qualifying time period for the 2006 Bayer Select World Show was recently changed at an AQHA Executive Committee meeting. Currently, for the 2005 Select Show, the period is from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005. The qualifying time period for 2006 will be June 1, 2005, to May 31, 2006. The points earned in June 2005, which is in both time periods, will count to both the 2005 and 2006 shows. America’s Horse Television Moves to TVG Beginning Sunday, “America’s Horse” will join the TVG Network as the anchor show for TVG’s expanded equine lifestyle programming. “America's Horse” is featured in a two-hour block on at 10 a.m. EDT Sundays. Besides a new show each week, “America’s Horse” will also rebroadcast some of its classics. This Sunday, it will feature the 1986 All-American Futurity from Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, in which American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductee Ronas Ryon won, as well as tips for buying a race horse. TVG also is producing a new series, "The Q Life," which recaps the racing highlights from the week and features the people and horses of the American Quarter Horse lifestyle. "The Q Life" begins in September and will air Sunday evenings. TVG has been an AQHA television partner, covering major American Quarter Horse racing events like the All American Futurity, MBNA America Challenge Championships, Champion of Champions, Los Alamitos Million and racing champion announcements. "America's Horse" becomes the first regularly scheduled non-racing, equestrian lifestyle program for the network. Additional equestrian lifestyle programming will debut in late 2005 or early 2006. TVG is available in 39 million homes through Dish (Channel 405) and DirecTV (Channel 602) satellite systems and a number of cable networks. Click here to learn more about TVG. IBHA Gateway and World Show to Move to Denver The International Buckskin Horse Association will move its Gateway and World Show from Columbia, Missouri, to Denver in 2006. The show will be at the National Western Complex. A contract was signed for 2006 and 2007. Not Just in America Australian cattlemen and horsemen are facing some of the same dilemmas that we face here in the United States. The Age in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, reports that the State Government will soon announce whether cattlemen can continue grazing cattle on the Alpine National Park. This is the same park that was featured in the iconic Australian film “Man From Snowy River.” Writer Melissa Marino highlights Bruce McCormack, a Quarter Horse owner and fifth-generation cattleman whose family has been turning cattle into the high country for 105 years. “McCormack says he can’t remember not saddling up with his family for the three-day muster in and out of the national park each year. “It’s not hard to see why he, and some 50 other families who still use the high country, want the Federal Government to grant heritage listing for their alpine grazing licenses. “For McCormack, it's ‘first up’ about a family tradition, but he says Australian culture and heritage is also at stake. “‘I just feel that we are part of history and we could be a protected part of history and (not) talked about in books in 100 years time,’ he says. “But there is, of course, another reason. Heritage listing would protect their licenses and lead to a clash with the State Government, should it decide not to renew their leases. “At issue are the last 63 seven-year licenses that expire in August. These permit almost 8,000 cattle into 310,000 hectares of the Alpine National Park for 16 weeks each summer.” If McCormack loses his grazing rights, he said he would probably expand his trail riding business, which features Quarter Horses. “But the trail rides may not continue through the Alpine National Park, although that would be legal. It just wouldn’t be the same without the cattle. “His wife Debra elaborates: ‘You’re taking people up there, showing people your backyard, and this is what you do. Instead, it would be this is what we used to do. It would be like a living museum.” The story is long but a very interesting read. THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005TheHorse.com reports that training young horses for jumping at six months of age is ineffective and unnecessary. A Dutch study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research reported that “the effect of specific jump training on young horses’ jumping technique was only short-term, and the research supports the common approach of waiting until age 3 before giving them specific jump training.” Lead author Susana Santamaría, D.V.M., Ph.D., and her colleagues at Utrecht University in the Netherlands established techniques for evaluating how foals jumped at six months to help predict their future jumping abilities in an earlier study. The 40 Dutch Warmbloods from the former study were used again in the current study. In the study, half of the horses had a conventional upbringing while the other half underwent 30 months of training, which included jumping. At age 4, all 40 were free jumped and evaluated again. Santamaría reported that the early training had a major effect on the horses' jumping techniques at that time. After this evaluation, all horses underwent a year of traditional training including jumping. At age 5, the horses were free jumped again. “No significant differences remained in any of the variables determining jumping technique between the experimental and control groups when performing submaximal free jumps,” Santamaria said. “It appears that the control horses had quickly learned to clear fences at a submaximal height just like the experimental horses. “There were no differences in the distribution of best and worst jumpers between groups, indicating that early training did not affect maximal jumping performance," she reported. "It can be concluded that early training for jumping has a short-term, but not a permanent, effect on jumping technique ... carefully controlled exercise at foal age may help in improving strength and resistance of the muscoskeletal tissues. Training for specific athletic performance at that age is futile.” NMSU Women Capture Top National Ranking
“As of today, we’re ranked No. 1,” NMSU coach Jim Dewey Brown said. The women’s team had to earn at least 50 points to claim the top ranking. They ended their weekend rodeo with 285 points, winning the regular season and qualifying a talented team that will compete for the national crown at the College National Finals Rodeo June 12-18 in Casper, Wyoming. It has been more than 20 years since a women’s team has gone this far. Brown said an NMSU women’s team captured the national championships in 1975 and 1976, and a team in the 1980s finished second one year. He attributes the success of the team to solid recruiting and multi-talented athletes. Brown said the team will practice for a few more weeks. Members will then practice on their own and continue to compete in other rodeos to hone their skills before the national finals. ‘Flicka’ Horse Deaths Ruled Accidental The Associated Press reports that the American Humane Association has ruled that the deaths of two horses last month during the filming of a remake of the 1943 film "My Friend Flicka" were unpreventable accidents On April 11, a Quarter Horse broke one of its back legs while cantering at the Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California. The horse was put down after a veterinarian determined the injury was untreatable. Another horse died April 25 when it broke its neck after breaking away from handlers and tripping on its lead rope at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in the San Fernando Valley, California. In a statement Tuesday, association spokeswoman Sara Spaulding said the fact that nothing could be done to save the horses "does not lessen our sadness." She said the group is reviewing additional restrictions on horse action and will "require an additional level of supervision when filming calls for intense animal action." The 20th Century Fox remake of "Flicka," which stars country singer Tim McGraw, is scheduled for release early next year. Out of the Goodness of Her Heart Veterinarian Tia Nelson writes in the Helena (Montana) Independent Record of how in March she came to possess a 2-year-old filly with a leg injury that nearly killed her. “No one knows how she hurt herself; she was found in her pasture with the wound. Although they wanted to keep her, her owners simply didn't have the ability to offer her the intensive care she would require. The husband had been sent to Iraq and the wife is here with three little kids and a full-time job. They made the heart-wrenching decision to put the filly down. “My partner and friend, Dr. Stephanie Byrket, had been caring for the filly. When she told me of the decision that had been made for the filly, I offered to take her. Neither of us like to put animals down although sometimes it is the most kind choice.” Nelson writes that she ended up with Savannah. With winter still going strong in Montana, she blanketed the horse, gave her medications for the pain and to prevent ulcers and started her on a good nutrition program. “She had not been handled much but she seemed to appreciate that we were trying to help her and stood quietly through all the work we did on her. She started to nicker when anyone showed up, looking for a treat of grain or pellets.” But as the weather warmed up and her recovery progressed, Savannah began to try and put more weight on her leg and walk around. Nelson wondered if she had made the right decision to keep the filly alive. “When she tried to walk, she could only walk in a circle around her wounded leg. She started to gnaw at her leg, which made it necessary to create a neck cradle so she couldn't reach the wound with her mouth. There was a 2-inch by 4-inch area of the wound where the bone was completely exposed. I wondered if she would recover. Meanwhile, her attitude stayed so pleasant and sweet I decided to continue her treatment. “My friend Louise Payne is a physical therapist who loves animals. I asked her for advice in Savannah's treatment and rehabilitation. She gave us some ideas for an exercise and stretching plan to keep as much mobility as we could in the filly's leg. I did therapeutic massage on her back, neck and legs to help reduce muscle pain and cramping. She truly seemed to enjoy the physical therapy sessions we created for her. “She started to learn to walk in a straight line. Sometimes, I sensed frustration in her face, but she is a determined little girl and really seems to want to live. After a few weeks, I noticed that she was moving all over the little pasture, rarely in the same place or position for very long. She follows Bo, my older gelding, everywhere. “Her eyes are bright and alert, and she's interested in all the activity around our place. She's filling out and getting a glossy, healthy, bright bay summer coat. Being scratched and petted is her favorite thing next to eating her high-protein pellets.” This week, Nelson removed Savannah’s neck cradle and said the filly’s formerly exposed bone has a good covering of granulation tissue. “Although the wound is still open, it doesn't appear to be bothering her. She gets around the pasture easily now, using her leg more and more. “She may never be a riding horse, but she is a survivor. And with her bloodlines, she can be an outstanding Quarter Horse broodmare. “There are months of healing ahead, but I am delighted to report that she is getting better and going to be fine.” WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2005AQHA Professional Horseman Bob Avila and Chics Magic Potion continue their winning streak, capturing the National Reined Cow Horse Association Hackamore Classic opening championship on Sunday. Avila rode the 2003 Snaffle Bit Futurity champion to win the title with a composite score of 437 (143.5,146.5,147) and collect an $11,000 paycheck. The pair also won the NRCHA Stakes on April 3. Chics Magic Potion, a son of Smart Chic Olena out of Remedys Magic Potion by Remedys Reply, is owned by Kenneth Banks. The open reserve championship went to 2005 World’s Greatest Horseman Jon Roeser on Heart Of A Fox, owned by Steve Twisselman and Roeser. Just one point behind Avila in the composite (146,146,144), Roeser earned $8,800 for the win. Polly Bremel won $7,410 for her first major win on Uno Smart Starlight. She marked 138 in the herd, 143 in the rein work and a scalding 150 in the cow work to reach a 431 composite to capture the non-pro title. Her homegrown mare is by Smart Little Pepinic and out of Shotgun Lizzy by Badger Starlight. An accountant by trade, Bremel has been steadily honing her skills and moving through the ranks in non-pro competition. She was also the Intermediate Non Pro Champion, good for another $2,925. Multiple non-pro champion Dema Paul claimed the reserve title on her 2004 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity champion Shiners Dulena. Her 427.5 composite earned $5,928. To view results of the Hackamore Classic, click here. Vesicular Stomatitis Detected in Arizona Vesicular stomatitis has been detected in a horse in Maricopa County, Arizona. Maricopa County is located in the south-central portion of the state and is home to Phoenix. The owner of the 5-year-old gelding reported that the animal was purchased about three weeks ago. Sores appeared in the horse's mouth in mid-April, and tests run at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the infection. Arizona was "spared" in the 2004 VS outbreak, when Texas had 15 cases, New Mexico had 80 and Colorado had 199. One premises in Grant County, New Mexico, remains quarantined where two horses are recovering from the viral blistering disease. Infected and susceptible animals remain under movement prohibition until at least 30 days after all lesions heal, and a state or federal regulatory veterinarian examines the livestock.
Prior to moving livestock from Arizona or New Mexico, check with the state of destination to ensure all VS testing and inspection requirements have been fulfilled. Reining’s Olympic Dream Is Alive and Well As the only western discipline approved for Federation Equestre Internationale competition, reining is on the threshold of Olympic inclusion. While the threshold won’t easily be traversed, reining received a substantial and encouraging boost when the FEI, during its 2005 FEI General Assembly April 5-10 in London, England, proposed recommending to the International Olympic Committee the addition of a fourth equestrian discipline for future Olympic competitions. In the framework of the discussions, the General Assembly agreed that the FEI would make every effort to include a fourth equestrian discipline within the Olympic Program. But reining is not the only discipline in the running. Endurance riding is also trying to get into the Olympics. The secretary general of FEI said the current Olympic equestrian program will be reviewed so that it remains dynamic, allows for better TV coverage and reflects the real status of all equestrian disciplines. NRCHA Futurity Horse Sale Accepting Consignments The National Reined Cow Horse Association Futurity Horse Sale is now accepting consignments for this year’s three-day sale in Reno, Nevada. Consignment forms are available online at www.dhauctions.com. Also online are schedules, entry information, entry forms, past results and the NRCHA Stallion Stakes Stallion List. TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2005 AQHA Professional Horseman Tim McQuay and his wife, Colleen, announced this weekend that they purchased Colonels Smoking Gun, or “Gunner.” The 12-year-old stallion arrived in Texas on Friday, where he will stand for the remainder of the 2005 season.
“We’re grateful to Kim and Debra Sloan for the opportunity to own this horse and wish them much success in their continuing horse ventures,” Tim said. The Sloans are also glad to see Gunner moving into the McQuay program. “Debra and I never thought we’d sell him, but Tim and Colleen made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Kim said. “Seriously, the McQuays are the only people we would consider selling him to because we know just how well they take care of their horses. If Gunner is not going to be here, I can’t think of a better place for him to be.” Born in 1993, by Colonel Four Freckle by Colonel Freckles and out of Katie Gun, Gunner was originally registered as a paint (APHA Colonelsmokingun) because excessive white made him ineligible for registration in the AQHA. When that rule was changed last year, he was given his AQHA registration papers. Tim said he has long wanted the opportunity to be involved with Gunner. “I’ve wanted to be a part of this stallion since I first saw him and have pursued – for the past two years – the chance to stand him or own him,” he said. Tim has already had success on Gunner get. He and Colleen bought Sorcerers Apprentice (a son of Gunner) as a 2-year-old and Tim finished sixth at the 2004 NRHA Futurity on him. Along with Gunner, the McQuays purchased from the Sloans 1994 NRHA Futurity reserve champion Mifillena (Smart Little Lena x Miss Freckles Last by Colonel Freckles) and 1996 NRHA World Champion Mr Gold Pine Jac (Hollywood Jac 86 x Miz Gold Pine by Great Pine), along with a group of broodmares that, in Tim’s words, "represent some of the very history of the NRHA.” The Sloans will continue to be involved in the reining business, with Kim riding and having trainers show horses and serving on the NRHA Executive Committee. Last weeek, the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the finding of vesicular stomatitis virus in horses at one premises in Grant County, N.M. This is the first confirmed case of vesicular stomatitis in the United States in 2005. Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease that primarily affects horses, cattle and swine. The disease has a wide host range and can occasionally infect sheep and goats. In affected livestock, VSV causes blister-like lesions to form in the mouth and on the dental pad, tongue, lips, nostrils, hooves, and teats. The blisters swell and break, leaving raw tissue that is so painful that infected animals generally refuse to eat and drink and show signs of lameness. Severe weight loss usually follows, and in dairy cows a severe drop in milk production commonly occurs. Affected dairy cattle can appear to be normal and will continue to eat about half of their feed intake. The affected premises has six horses and about 110 head of cattle. Only two horses are known to have clinical signs and none of the cattle are showing signs. All animals susceptible to vesicular stomatitis are being held on the premises. The last case of VS in the United States was confirmed in Colorado in December 2004. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Veterinary Services and the New Mexico Livestock Board will continue to monitor the situation and conduct response activities in an effort to minimize trade restrictions. For additional information on vesicular stomatitis, click here. Quarter Horse Still Going Strong at 36 Asbury (New Jersey) Park Press published a story Monday about what could be one of the oldest Quarter Horses around. Red Dugger (Whisker’s Bar x Cord Owens by Silver Cord Jr) was born in May 16, 1969, and has lived with his owner Debbie Benkert-Curtis since 1972, when she was 13. "He's got a lot of spunk," Benkert-Curtis told writer L.C. Rogers. "He's personable, and he's opinionated. If he doesn't want to do something, he won't do it. He's use to getting things his own way." Benkert-Curtis said she treasures her memories with “Dug”. “He was very good on the trail. We adapted to each other, and I grew to love him," she told Rogers. "When I was a kid, I took my boyfriends out to ride. They came and went, but Dugger is still here.
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