100 Mile Sliders Reining Club

Looking for a little CRUZ Control??

2012-01-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

ITS OFFICIAL!!
100 Mile Sliders proudly offer a TEAM CRUZ reining/horsemanship clinic, APRIL 14-15, 2012, at the beautiful FOOTHILLS EQUESTRAIN CENTER in 100 Mile House.

Marcel and Amie Cruz burst on the reining scene in BC in a big way last year, and are making their mark both in BC and internationally.
Here is their Bios taken from their website:

Marcelo Cruz started breaking horses as a young boy on his family's ranch in Brazil. Competing in several disciplines as a youth such as Classic Jumping and Manga-Larga gated ponies. At the age of 16, he attended his first reining clinic and was hooked. Over the years, he has studied under top class reining trainers including Casey Hinton, Pete Kyle and Pierre-Luc Phaneuf. Showing under the guidance of Phaneuf, Marcelo was the Limited Open and Rookie Professional circuit champion.

Amie Cruz started off her career in the hunter ring at the age of 8. In 2001 she developed an interest in reining and in 2003 she was offered the opportunity to work for Roberta McCarty where she achieved success in the show pen. Amie's resume also include top trainers Pete Kyle and Pierre-Luc Phaneuf. Amie excels in the coaching and training of riders and their horses, from a beginner level to the advanced non-pro competitor.

Check out the CRUZ CONTROL VIDEO LINK IN YOUTUBE, including this amazing 75 score run from last years WWC on CHICS LOADED GUN

WE ARE SORTING OUT PRICES AND DETAILS FOR THE CLINIC, BUT EXPECT TO FILL UP QUICKLY, SO PLEASE CONTACT MANDY (mpincott@live.com) TO BOOK YOUR SPOT! MORE DETAILS TO COME SOON!

Three Committed Sliders

2012-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

It was a COLD and BLUSTERY night last Sunday, but it didn't stop 3 girls and their horses. (It stopped me...I just went and took pictures-wrapped in Dawnna's horse fleecy :) )
Good job, girls-your dedication is admirable...

Tanya and Monty

Dawnna and Moke

Courtney and Dallas

West Coast Classic Wine Auction

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a message sent to all WCRA Members from our club president:

Hello WCRA members,

Show season is almost upon us and it's time to start getting the horses in shape and conditioned for all the big events and riding fun!

On that note it's also time to start thinking about fundraising for West Coast Classic July 13-15, 2012.

This show is the WCRA members show! It takes effort from every member to make this show succesful. Without your help, support, fundraising, ideas and entries this show is not possible.....and that would be a great loss to the BC reining industry. West Coast Classic has come by leaps and bounds and is BC's PREMIER reining event to attend.

You may remember the newly added WINE AUCTON.....a new fundraiser we did last year held in conjunction with the silent auction. The wine auction was a huge success and went over very well with excellent feedback. With such great results we decided to bring the wine auction back again for 2012!

**If we can collect 1 bottle of wine from every WCRA member, that would make this years wine auction another huge success!!**

The wine auction will be held as part of the 2012 silent auction at the West Coast Classic Location: Chilliwack Heritage Park ~ 44140 Luckakuck Way Chilliwack, BC. Bidding will be for individual collections of wine – not individual bottles
WHAT IS BEING AUCTIONED?
Two collections of wine :
Collection #1 ~ all wines in this collection valued at $25 and over
Collection #2 ~ all wines in this collection valued under $25

HOW TO DONATE BOTTLES:
*each bottle donated will have a tag attached identifying the donor – business cards are welcome.
*the price range of donated wines is up to the individual donor but no homemade wines can be accepted
*the WCRA West Coast Classic website will have a running tally of wine, total value & donors starting May 15th
*for those living out of town you can send us the name of the wine you would like to donate in your name, and applicable funds, and we will purchase the wine and add it to the collection or you can bring your wine to the show where bottles will be added to the wine collections until 10 a.m. Friday July 13, 2012
*the silent auction will commence at 11 a.m. Friday July 13, 2012
*all donors will be included on the website but only bottles received prior to July 8, 2012 can be guaranteed to be acknowledged on the website prior to the auction
*the silent auction will close on Sunday July 15, 2012 ~ exact time to be announced once show schedule is confirmed
*please call 250-819-1609 to arrange to drop off wine donations

HOW TO BID:
*As for all other silent auction items, you can make your bid in person on the bid sheets on the silent auction table
*Bidders must be 19 years of age or older

THE SMALL PRINT:
*The wine must be picked up, by the winner or his/her designate, at the show grounds prior to 4pm Sunday July 15, 2012
*No one under the age of 19 can bid on, or pick up, the wine collection

WE HOPE EVERYONE GETS ON BOARD AND HAS FUN WITH THIS
PLEASE DONATE & COLLECT BOTTLES FROM ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEGUES AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATES
~AND THEN~
GET A GROUP TOGETHER AND BID ON THE COLLECTIONS OR BID AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND START/ADD TO YOUR OWN WINE CELLAR!
~WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT OF THE WEST COAST CLASSIC~

Funds for wine donation purchases are payable to WCRA. Please mail to: WCC Wine Auction c/o Kim Stordahl Box 280 Pritchard, BC, V0E 2P0
For information or to drop off donations ~ call Kim @ 250-819-1609 or E-mail wcrareining@gmail.com

Looking for some great FREE REINING TIPS?

2012-01-20T14:16:00.000-08:00

Photos
Top-Screen shot from Wildwood Performance Horses Website
Bottom-taken from Wildwood Performance Horses Website

As we all are starting back in the saddle and gearing up for a new year, we are looking for new ideas, and inspiration. Check out Sharon Gates, of Wildwood Reining Horses for her free blog posts on Reining training tips. Sharon's straightforward explanations, photos and video clips make it very easy to follow along with her drills and techniques.
And best of all-Sharon is right in our own backyard, in lovely Hantzville, BC. Sharon annually hosts a reining clinic with world class reining trainer, Vern Sapergia.

Brad Giesbrect Reining Clinic

2012-01-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Thompson River Reiners (WCRA chapter), will be once again hosting a reining clinic this MARCH 24-25. You can contact WCRA president, Kim Stordhal for more details. This is the 3rd time the TTR's have brought Brad to town, and he is getting lots of repeat customers, so if you are interested, you should book your spot asap, as it will fill up fast. You can read more about Brad and his program at his website, BG Reiners.

We're on Facebook!

2012-01-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

OK everyone-you can now follow us on Facebook!! Check out the link for all the latest info, and to stay in touch. If you have photos or videos of club members doing stuff, please add them to our FB page-Mandy-would love to have your PG runs as well, as your Supreme video up there, and Nicole, some of Ronnie's pics from the BC summer games, as well as her trip back east would be fantastic...!!

Working Cow Horse or Working Horse COW?

2012-01-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Pictures: Screen Capture from You Tube clip

If you haven't seen this Youtube clip that's been floating around on FB the last few weeks, you gotta watch this. LOL! I think this cow has got this horse's number! Hilarious...

Not Really Reining Related but a feel good horse story...

2012-01-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

Picture: Erin Bolster and "Tank" (taken from the article link below)

I came across this article this summer from a Facebook post. Here is part of the article. To read the whole thing click on the article link.

That's how she went to work that day: a young but seasoned pro rider on a new, huge and spirited horse, unarmed in the wilderness with eight dudes.
"It was a pleasant ride until we came around a corner on the trail and my horse stopped firm and wouldn't move," Bolster said. "He never refuses to go, so that caught my attention quick."
But not fast enough to avoid the spike white-tailed deer that burst out of the brush and glanced off Tonk's left front shoulder.
As Tonk spun from the impact, Bolster saw a huge grizzly bear crashing through the forest right at the group in pursuit of the deer. Horses panicked and guests grabbed saddle horns for the ride of their lives.
"No amount of training could keep a horse from running from a 700-pound charging bear," she said.
Seven of the horses sensed the danger, peeled out and galloped back on the trail toward the barn.
But Scout bolted perpendicular to the trail into the timber, packing the 8-year-old boy.
"The deer peeled off and joined the horses sprinting down the trail," Bolster said. "So the bear just continued running right past me. I'm not sure the bear even knew the roles had changed, but now it was chasing a horse instead of a deer."
The grizzly was zeroed in on Scout and the boy - the isolated prey in the woods.
Adding to the drama, the boy's father, an experienced rider, could not convince his horse that it was a good plan to ride to his son's rescue.
"The last thing he saw over his shoulder as his horse ran away was the grizzly chasing his boy," Bolster said.
With the bear on Scout's heels, Tonk's instinct was to flee with the group of horses. But Tonk responded to Bolster's heels in his ribs as she spun the big fella around. They wheeled out of a 360 and bolted into the trees to wedge between the predator and the prey.
"The boy was bent over, feet out of the stirrups, clutching the saddle horn and the horse's neck," she said. "That kept him from hitting a tree limb.
"But all I could think about was the boy falling off in the path of that grizzly.
"I bent down, screamed and yelled, but the bear was growling and snarling and staying very focused on Scout.
"As it tried to circle back toward Scout, I realized I had to get Tonk to square off and face the bear. We had to get the bear to acknowledge us.
"We did. We got its attention - and the bear charged.
"So I charged at the bear."
Did she think twice about that?
"I had no hesitation, honestly," Bolster said. "Nothing in my body was going to let that little boy get hurt by that bear. That wasn't an option."
Tonk was on the same page.
***
With a ton of horse, boulder-size hooves and a fire-breathing blonde thundering at it, the bear came within about 10 feet before skittering off to the side.
But it quickly angled to make yet another stab at getting to Scout and the boy - who had just fallen to the ground.
"Tonk and I had to go at the bear a third time before we finally hazed him away," she said.
"The boy had landed in some beargrass and was OK. Scout was standing nearby."
Bolster gathered the boy up with her on Tonk, grabbed Scout's lead and trotted down the trail.
"The boy was in shock," she said. "I looked back and could see the bear had continued to go away through he woods, but I had another five or 10 minutes of riding before I got back with the group."
Not until she reunited with her riders - all OK and standing in various stages of confusion with their horses - did she start to shake.
"I looked at Tonk, and he was wet with sweat and shaking, too," she said.
She was especially concerned for the boy's father, who probably suffered the most terror in the ordeal.
"He was fine, and I got my biggest tip of the season," Bolster said. "My biggest hope is that the boy isn't discouraged from riding. This was a one-in-a-million event."

What an awesome story! Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw this link on David Letterman, who had also heard of the story and chose to interview her on his show. You gotta watch!

A little Inspiration?

2012-01-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

Picture: Smokin Chic Olena (taken from Horse Courses On Line)

Looking for a little inspiration to get out and start riding? Have a look at this you tube video of Craig Johnson and and his APHA horse Smokin Chic Olena at the World Equestrian Games, doing a bridleless Reining Demo..Poetry in motion!

Ranch Hand Competition Anyone?

2012-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

Picture: Casey Pierce and Gunners Little Fleet (taken from KCSTreining Center website)

The 100 Mile Sliders are in the process of trying to organize a Ranch hand competition, in conjuntion with the Annual Little Britches Rodeo, in 100 Mile House. Lots more details to follow, but in the meantime, check out this amazing run, with Casey Pierce, and her cool APHA gelding, Gunners Little Fleet
This run was from the 2010 EA Extreme Cowboy race...Awesome!

And to get you in the mood...

2012-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the latest issue of NRHA's You be the Judge? How would you score this circle maneuver?

We're back....and a look back on 2011

2012-01-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

WELCOME BACK everyone to a new year of reining excitement. I have been a little slow at getting organized for 2012, but I have a series of posts I plan to make to get everyone back in the mood for reining and the upcoming show season...so hold onto your hats cause here we go...!
First of all how about a recap of some of the exciting things that have happened to our core members in 2011...

Our president, Dawnna-

What a year! Dawnna, is literally embarking on a new life. Having finished course work in Kamloops, she was hired to work in both WL and 100 Mile hospitals. Along with that, she and her partner, Pat have moved in and are embarking on a life together. Everyone is commenting on how happy she looks, and we all wish her well in all her new endeavors. Dawnna continues to immerse herself in her horse pursuits, working with her young gelding, competitively barrel racing, and of course, focusing on reining. Her energy and enthusiasm are inspiring to us all. One of her hurdles she had to overcome this summer was a severe and traumatic injury to her barrel mare.

Despite the severity of the wounds, she has made a complete recovery and is back to chasing cans with a vengence!

Our Vice President, Tiffany

Tiffany's focus this summer was on wedding plans and she is now happily married into the Pincott family. Her wedding was about as picturesque as a cowboy wedding can be, including being carried to the alter by her reining horse!

How beautiful! We all wish Tiffany the best!

Our Clinic Organizer, Mandy

Mandy and her family welcomed a new addition, baby girl, Larah into their life. Sweet and healthy, and new baby sister to Kaylee! Congratulations!! We're looking forward to having Mandy back in the saddle again!

Our youth liason, Ronnie

Ronnie had a stellar year capping it off by being named to Team BC, to go back and compete in reining at the Canadian Equestrian Championships. It was an incredible opportunity, and the club was proud to support Ronnie, by presenting her with a cheque to help cover her costs. Well done, Ronnie! Ronnie has gone to school to become a vet assistant. We wish her all the best!

Club Member, Courtney

Courtney is one of our newer members, and after taking a clinic last year with trainer, Carl Woods, she made the decision to send her young horse, Dallas into training with Carl. Dallas is back home, and Courtney is thrilled with the results. She is looking forward to being an active member and continuing to learn about reining so that she may move forward with Dallas. We hope we can support you, Courtney!

Club member, Tanya

Not to be outdone, club member, Tanya, has recently announced her official engagement! I see another cowboy wedding in the Cariboo in the near future! Congratulations, Tanya!

We are all excited to start the new year, and welcome new members to join our close knit group as we work together to move forward in learning about reining, and supporting each other in our personal lives and our lives with our horses!
2012, here we come!

Canadian Horses Shine at the NRHA Derby

2011-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Photo: Jesse Beckley and Mizzen Wizzen (Photo taken from Google Images

The following info is taken from Western Horse Review's Facebook page.

In addition to Shawn Flarida riding a Canadian owned horse into the Open Finals at the NRHA Derby in Oklahoma City, Casey Deary and Elanachics, owned by Reinbow Ridge Equestrian of Schamberg, AB, Canada, have also made the Open Finals. Canadian trainer Jesse Beckley of Cranbrook, BC and Mizzen Whizzen (owned by Marilyn Copland of Victoria, BC) have made the Intermediate Open Finals. Good luck to all!

The Latest Update on EVH-1

2011-06-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here is an update from Western Horse Review, that is reporting on a Western Canadian veteranarian Conference call this morning (June 3rd).

In part, here is what they had to say regarding British Columbia...

"The update in British Columbia, from the Animal Health Centre laboratory (Ministry of Agriculture), indicated two positive nEHV-1 cases confirmed through the laboratory. These cases had either direct or indirect contact with horses that were at the Ogden, Utah competition.

It appears all of the cases and suspected cases remain in horses associated with the cutting horse industry.

All other disciplines outside of the cutting industry continue at this time to be considered low risk. The decision to cancel competitions and shows in other disciplines should be made in partnership with their associated veterinarian to develop a risk assessment of each situation. Any time we travel to a competition where there is mixing of horses from many locations there is a low risk of transmitting infectious diseases. Biosecurity measures should be followed. Excellent resources on biosecurity protocols for the equine community can be found on the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association website and the Alberta Equestrian Federation website.

The next conference call is scheduled for Wednesday June 8th, 2011. If any local veterinarians would like to participate they can contact the office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian for further information."

Friday Funny-Any Takers?

2011-06-03T09:03:00.001-07:00

"Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." – Pony Express advertisement

Not really reining related, but good for a Friday afternoon laugh. Have a great weekend everyone, and enjoy the sunshine!

Reining Seminar in Pitt Meadows

2011-05-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Reining Seminar-Pitt Meadows-June 11-9:30am til 3:30pm.
Lynda Smith lesson session along with West Coast Training and Horsemanship (Jim Greendyk). Cost $60 per horse & rider (extra horse + $20). Seminar includes a 3 hour mounted Reining lesson, lunch (BYOBeverages), Reining practice runs, critiqued by EC Reining Judge. Contact Lynda - msreining@shaw.ca or Jim - jim.greendyk@gmail.com

PGRHA Ride and Slide Entry Forms

2011-05-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Entry Forms are available on the PGRHA's website for "Ride N Slide 2011", taking place at the Prince George Fairgrounds, June 23rd to 26th. Entry deadline is Monday, June 6th, but I see that entries may also be emailed in the event of a postal strike.

Social Media comes unhinged...

2011-05-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

Recently a video has surfaced and has quickly made the rounds in the social media circuit, I believe it merits some discussion here. The video was made without permission of the videotaped parties, by an organization called Epona TV. According to Epona's website, "EPONA.tv is produced by seasoned equestrian journalists with a special interest in the sciences of biomechanics, learning theory, nutrition, behavior and management." However in this particular episode, I believe that they have behaved more along the lines of an animal rights activist group in the same class as PETA, in that they have used questionable tactics to “out” what they believe to be abusive treatment to animals, and then promote their ideas to sympathetic “animal lovers” who may or may not have background knowledge to make fair or realistic judgments on the material they are presented with. In this particular case, Epona taped the warm up sessions at the FEI World Reining final, and produced a video that they posted online, of reining trainer, Craig Schmersal, schooling his horse in the warm up pen. In their opinion, the video is proof of that fact that Craig is abusive to his horses, and that reining in general is poorly regulated for abusive treatment of the horses.

I have spent a lot of time reading comments on this video, both at the original source, as well as numerous other horse related social media sites, and am completely appalled at the comments, and general level of overall ignorance being displayed in these online environments.

First and foremost, let me say that I believe that this video does not show Craig in any way abusing this horse. He is a professional trainer on a very highly trained horse, at a world class competition, and he is simply doing his job, which is schooling his horse before he goes into a class. Period. Now I am not going to try and explain WHY I believe this is not abusive, because that is not the intent of my post. And, would I recommend that you run out to your backyard pony and start picking up on them like that? Of course not-it would be a recipe for disaster...

I have gleaned a number of comments from a variety of sites that I would like to include here. The first few are in support of Craig and I believe they all make some good points. These comments are few and far between in the 100’s of comments on this video that are out there. If you go looking for these comments, you may or may not find them. Why? Because those people who have posted this video are trying to do everything they can to damage Craig’s reputation, and the sport of reining in general, and are removing them as fast as they are posted. Please read on...

“These horses are the elite of their event and are capable of performing way above the average horse, If this is the worst example of abuse you can find in the sport, I think that the FEI and the NRHA are doing a great job monitoring for abuse and the trainers are doing a great job developing these athletes without abusive training. I am pretty sure that the riders hands and feel are way better than your observation skills. This horse is showing no signs of being abused.”

“I think people are reacting to what they think this feels like in their hands and to their horse, and I am sure if most people complaining tried this on their horse it would react like an abused horse. The trainer is not jerking, he is checking for resistance by picking his hand up.”

“After watching this video SEVERAL times and reading the varied comments I found myself unable to resist commenting. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING this trainer did should fall under the label "ABUSE". Did he school the horse? Yes! Could he be considered heavy handed by some? Maybe! But abusive or inhuman? Hell NO!! This man was simply schooling a horse-nothing inhumane.”

“I watch our horses work every day, and NO I am not seeing the downtrodden look that some of you are. We treat our horses with the utmost respect, and they have a quality of life most people would kill for. What I see here is an edited video used to inflame those who don't understand actual training as opposed to simply riding. Note the distinction here-“ACTUAL TRAINING AS OPPOSED TO SIMPLY RIDING!”

“Maybe to some he is heavy handed, but in general no he is not. This video is simply a product of the bleeding hearts who feel that you can achieve an international level competitor with a special stick, string, or whatever method you feel can convince your horse to do as you please.”

“I always find it funny when people pass judgment on a trainer or even a discipline, with which they do not have any involvement. All of us involved with reining, cutting, or working cowhorse know what it takes to get the job done. And we also know our horses get more pampering than most Beverly Hills house wives.”

“That horse has a life better than me and you. She lives in one of the nicest barns in the world with full time care, spa, vet, and a trainer that loves his job. She understands her job, which is why she has won over 100k in earnings. He does not ask anything that she is not capable of... “

“Anyone who competes at high levels of competition is aggressive, but his horse is well trained and knows her job...he is not abusive he is demanding...big difference.”

“This guy is training a show horse at a high level of competition.”

Now, here are some comments that I found typical of those in support of the video, and to me, display a blatant level of ignorance, that it is hard to believe! I have chosen NOT to post the 100’s of comments that threaten all kinds of abuse on to Craig and his family. They are easily found and are not worth my time or energy to post here: Note my comments in yellow…

“If this is what it takes to make a reining horse….geeze, I wonder how Stacy Westfall ever did it with NO BRIDLE and riding bareback…. and she didn’t have to use the wall to force a slide.” (Do they honestly believe, that Stacy just decided one day to climb on her horse bareback and perform a reining freestyle? Do they not understand how much TRAINING with (AGAST)-a saddle and bridle with a BIT went into this horse in order to be able to do this performance???)

Is that how they train horses to stop? Running them into walls with their head between their legs? Poor horse. (NO! That is NOT how they train horse to stop!! (NO they don’t “RUN THEM INTO THE WALL”! OMG!!)

When he was going backwards, I was thinking of that as a precursor to flipping over backwards. Then he almost ran into a wall! (ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!)

… oh and i just cannot get over the amazing skill of getting your horse to stop like that…. running her into a wall. poor thing hasn’t got a chance…( AGAIN-THESE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT!!)

And my favorites…

“And what’s with the giant bandage on her knee?”

or..

“And I forgot…how does he even justify riding her with her knee bandaged???!!! I mean he probably took it off during the performance, but still, looks like an injury waiting to be even more exacerbated” NOT… I so can’t be bothered to explain this…the ignorance is pathetic….

Here is my problem with all this…The MOTIVE with which this video was made, was to deliberately damage one person’s reputation by giving a highly edited glimpse of a situation that is easily misinterpreted by those who do not have the knowledge or background to understand the situation. I take HUGE offence to people passing judgment in this circumstance, and using this as their “soapbox” to cry abuse, and even more so, to use this as excuse to utter death threats and abuse onto an innocent party. It is disgusting and offensive.

A view of Reining from "the other side"

2011-05-28T11:12:00.002-07:00

I came across this article on the NRHA's blog, and felt it was worth posting here. It is an interesting perspective on reining vs the English 4 day eventing, by John Strassburger, Horse Journal Performance Editor

Excerpts from Strassburger’s blog at www.horse-journal.com

I spent last week at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, working in the Media Center, as I’ve done for the last five years, and I’ve come home with two observations after watching the reining competition, a new and very popular addition to the event.

More than 6,700 people came to watch the two nights of Reining, which isn’t that much compared to the 62,000 who came to watch the four days of eventing. Except that the Alltech Arena, where the Reining was held, can only hold about 5,000 fans, while the cross-country course can easily accommodate much more than the 29,000 fans who enjoyed that phase on Saturday.

It took 25 years for the three-day event to reach those numbers, after a lot of work to develop the competition into the truly spectacular event that it is and a great deal of (continuing) marketing and public relations. Reining’s debut, though, was basically sold out for the freestyle on Saturday night, and I suspect that people are going to have to buy those tickets early from now on.

Four event riders—2000 Olympic individual gold medalist David O’Connor; his wife, four-time Olympian Karen O’Connor; 2008 Olympic silver medalist Gina Miles; and Australian Hamish

Cargill—borrowed horses to ride in the freestyle, and afterwards they and some of us eventing press types pondered Reining’s appeal to the fans. We were impressed by the way the crowd’s enthusiastic cheering had created an electric atmosphere rarely seen in equestrian competition. “I think there is a lot we could learn from Reining,” said David, who’s been the USEF president since 2004 and has seen a few reining events.

The biggest topic we pondered was what we could borrow from Reining to increase the connection fans feel to the competition and to the competitors? Reining is presented more like a concert or a stage show than a serious competition. The announcer plays country music or beat-driven rock music during the gaps between competitors, and even during the FEI-sanctioned event on Friday night, every horse performed with music selected by the show manager at only a slightly lower volume. And on both nights the announcer introduced each horse and rider with a tone and excitement that was closer to a monster-truck show than a golf tournament.

As a result, the crowd did lots of cheering and screaming—before, during and after each ride.

These aspects showed in stark contrast to the dressage phase we’d watched (and Karen and Hamish had ridden in) on Thursday and Friday. There, the atmosphere was hushed, rather like a putting green, as the British-accented announcers serenely introduced the horses and riders, with no music playing.

Nevertheless, the fans in the Rolex Stadium—10,962 on Friday and 6,810 on Thursday—did cheer mightily at the end of each test, often seriously surprising the horses.

We weren’t quite sure what eventing (as well as the other two Olympic sports of show jumping and dressage) could borrow from Reining. A particular challenge is that international-caliber horses in these three disciplines are almost always high-octane horses who would become unhinged by pounding music and cheering during their tests. Plus, Reining’s atmosphere would be outrageous to many Europeans and to many dressage riders, European or American.

But why couldn’t show managers and announcers raise the bar and borrow from the managers and announcers of Reining and rodeo? Play low-volume music; tell the folks something interesting—with excitement—about the horses and riders. Anything to make it less like watching a chess match.

At events like Rolex Kentucky, the announcers always attempt to explain how the (dressage) horses achieve their scores, and riders analyze where they gained and lost points, to themselves and in response to journalists’ questions. The scores the judges give are a major point of focus for everyone, and riders often question or criticize those scores.

But in Reining, the scores seem to materialize out of thin air. I’ve probably covered or worked at half a dozen reining competitions, and I’ve yet to hear a reiner question or criticize a judge’s marks.

These differences are, I think, largely a matter of culture and personality, but they’re manifested in the different sports’ public presentation. After last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, there was tremendous debate about the relative merits and faults of a Spanish Andalusian who performed an expressive and hugely popular freestyle test—finishing to waves of cheering—but didn’t get a medal. Dressage purists, including the judges, pointed to technical deficiencies they saw, and analysis of the marks showed that the horse had scored clearly lower on the technical side than the medalists.

Meanwhile, others cried, “How can dressage ever be popular if the most engaging and popular performance doesn’t win, doesn’t even get a medal? People won’t watch what they don’t understand.”

In the Reining freestyle on Saturday night, the winner wasn’t the showiest or the funniest. His freestyle was done to a more melancholy song, and while beautiful, it didn’t have the same flavor as those done to more raucous music with showier choreography and costumes. And he did spin better and galloped faster than everybody else. I’d say that in the aftermath he got a bit overwhelmed by the eventing “celebrities” and by the two more entertaining performances, but I didn’t hear anyone complain that it was a blot on Reining’s reputation that he got the highest score.

I seem to be suggesting that those of us in the Olympic disciplines pay too much attention to the scores, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near that simple. How do you have a competition if you don’t keep score? You can’t—then it’s just a demonstration or a social event. But maybe we could make it just a bit more fun?

If these thoughts seem a bit scattered, it’s because they are. The atmosphere at the Reining freestyle is something I’ve only rarely experienced in 30 years of covering equine competitions. That it’s fun and popular and that we English disciplines should glean some sort of “take-away message” from that experience feels obvious, but it’s hard to figure out exactly what that message should be.

But I’d certainly pay good money to see a dressage freestyle with a horse is wearing an Afro wig and sunglasses and the rider wearing a psychedelic, thigh-length mini-dress and white go-go boots.

The National Reining Horse Association is not responsible for information contained in this posting. Please contact the author or submitting organization for further information, requests, or questions.

Love it! A Reining Shetland Pony!

2011-05-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Pictures (Screen captures from attached video, below)

Check it out. Here is a video of a shetland pony completing NRHA reining pattern 8. (Scroll down the page until you find"Fred Thomsson & Engla Gillstrom Steiner)
This is so cute, and once again is a good demonstration of the fact that ANY horse can do a reining pattern! And I LOVE the commentator!

Riverslide 2011 update

2011-05-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry to report this but Riverslide 2011 has been canceled. At this point, this is all the information I have. If you have sent in entries, I am sure they will either destroyed or returned to you. If I get more details I will post asap. I am personally VERY disappointed as it had been my goal to make this the only other show I planned to get Twister to this year, as it coincided with her time at the trainers. :(

UPDATE, May 30th
Here is a message from the WCRA president in regards to the cancellation:

To: All members From: Kim Stordahl
Re: Riverslide
Unfortunately due to the current situation in the horse industry with the EVH1 virus, Riverslide has been canceled. This is very disappointing to the host chapter, Thompson River Reiners, and to all WCRA members and show competitors; however it was the best decision for the show. Riverslide will be back again in 2012 with some new changes you are all sure to like.
The WCRA executive committee is working towards having a third qualifying show for the WCRA/NRHA affiliate series and will have more information soon. As soon as we get more information, details will be posted online on the WCRA website and sent out by email to WCRA members – stay tuned for these updates!
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the WCRA executive committee at wcrareining@gmail.com.
Thank you for your understanding.
Kim Stordahl WCRA President

Tom McCutcheon wins FEI Reining World Final

2011-05-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Picture: Tom McCutcheon riding Darlins Not Painted. Image taken from Tom McCutcheons website
The following article was taken form the Horse Channel

Set in a beautiful arena and in front of a capacity crowd, the 2011 FEI World Reining Final was an electric atmosphere at Bökebergs Gård, Sweden, just outside of Malmö. The best reining horses in the world contested the highly coveted title and Tom McCutcheon of the United States was flawless in his effort to the top of the podium.

Riding Darlins Not Painted to an extraordinary score of 229.5, McCutcheon - the double-Gold medalist at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games - added another Gold medal to his impressive resume and continues his dominance of international high-performance reining events. Darlins Not Painted is owned by Turnabout Farm.

In the Silver medal position, also from the U.S., Craig Schmersal aboard Miss Lil Addy Tude, owned by KC Performance Horses, gave the crowd a thrill with an incredible score of 227.5. Schmersal, showing on the mare at only the second FEI Reining event, had nothing but praise for his mount, and the attractive American Quarter Horse was one of the crowd favorites from the first horse inspection.

Rounding out the medals podium was the always-strong Bernard Fonck, representing Belgium and riding Great Sunburst. The pair earned a Bronze position for their effort and a score of 226.5. Great Sunburst is an American Quarter Horse and is owned by Manuel Bonzano of Italy.

In the restricted division, it was Rieky Young of The Netherlands in the Gold medal position riding Brady Chex, owned by Brady Bunch, with a score of 220. In Silver, Nico Hörmann of Germany aboard Custom Blackberry, owned by Riccardo Abati, turned in a solid score of 217.5. And in Bronze, Fenna Elzinga of Denmark rode her own Smoking Kills to a score of 216.5.

Long lines of excited fans queued up outside Bökeberg arena and the reining athletes did not disappoint. Spotless runs and precise maneuvers made the scores very high and the crowd rewarded each rider with jubilant praise. The event was declared a success by organizers and has received very positive feedback from attendees, athletes and sponsors. The people of Sweden made each and every visitor feel welcome, and the facilities, field of play and event planning were lauded by the top riders.

Reining is a sport born of the American West with maneuvers similar to those a working ranch horse might have been asked to perform on day-to-day tasks. Today, the sport has exploded around the world as the level of technical sophistication and horsemanship style has evolved into an intricate and beautiful display of power and finesse.

Now represented on six continents and in more than 40 nations, the sport of reining is an internationally approved event under the FEI, the international governing body for equestrian sport. The incredible success of the sport at the recent 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) gave Reining significant momentum for continued growth worldwide.

For full results and links to videos of the top runs, visit www.Malmo2011.com. For more information on the 2011 FEI Reining World Final, please contact Brad Ettleman of HorsePower, Inc., the official Organizing Committee, at Brad@HPowerInc.com or 720.982.3574.

Here is the Youtube link to the gold medal run. WOW!

EVH-1 Update

2011-05-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest update from Paton and Martin Veterinary Services, a well established and reputable Equine Veterinary Clinic, in the Lower Mainland, written May 19th.

As of this date we have now confirmed that the 1 horse in the Fraser Valley that attended the cutting horse competition in Ogden Utah has been tested and shown to be free of the EVH 1 virus. The horse has shown no signs of this disease. This horse has been in quarantine since the outbreak was first reported. None of the horses that might have initially contacted this horse has shown any sign of the disease.

We feel compelled to address the outrageous rumours and paranoia that has developed over this unfortunate outbreak. This disease has been confined to horses that attended or who had direct contact with the Ogden Cutting horse show. Only a few Quarter Horses who attended Ogden have developed symptoms and died, to our knowledge less than 10 from Washington to Texas. NONE IN B.C. There are very few horses that have been exposed to Ogden horses that have come down with symptoms.

There are 3 sick horses in the interior of B.C., all at a quarantined private stable. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE NO KNOWN CASES IN ANY HORSES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO QUARTER HORSES WHO ATTENDED OGDEN.

Virtually every horse over the age of 2 has been exposed to the Herpes virus. The neurological form of the disease has been present and diagnosed in B.C. on previous occasions over the last 30 years. Vaccinations are not effective in preventing this disease. Vaccination in the face of an outbreak or stressed horses is not advised. Any time horses are congregated and/or stressed there is risk of an outbreak of a contagious disease such as EHV 1. This disease is primarily spread by direct contact with an infected shedding horse. Direct and immediate contact with nasal secretions on tack, hands, clothing etc. could potentially spread the disease. The virus survives for only a very short time out of the horse. Drying and disinfectants kill virtually all viruses.

Our practice enforces strict biosecurity measures on all horses attending our hospital or that are under our care at all stables. This outbreak serves to sensitize horse owners as to the importance of maintaining good biosecurity measures when attending shows and when new horses come on to your property. Due to excellent compliance by the owners of the horses in B.C. who had horses at Ogden or exposed to Ogden horses, it appears that the spread of this problem in B.C. has been stopped.

West Coast Classic Entry Forms now available

2011-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Entry forms are now available for the WCRA's premiere event, West Coast Classic. You can download the entry form from the WCRA's website. Entry Fees must be postmarked by June 15th.
Volunteers and Sponsors are needed in order to make this show a success. So even if you aren't planning to show, what a great opportunity to get involved and learn more about the sport of reining from the ground level.

DONATE to the West Coast Classic Wine Auction ~ be part of the fun and help raise funds for the show
* each bottle donated will be tagged with the donor's name or business card
* members, friends & businesses are all encouraged to donate

Call Sharon 604 202-9131 to arrange for drop off in person at the WCC or with a sealed bid by mail as an individual or form a bidding group

BID on the wine collections:
(All wines and donors will be listed on the West Coast Classic website)

AUCTION ITEMS:
1. WINE COLLECTION #1 all wines valued at $25 or over
2. WINE COLLECTION #2 all wines valued at under $25

A SUCCESSFUL BIDDING GROUP could:
Place all of the bottles on a table and let each person choose one bottle in rotation or Get together & divide the bottles by:
* wine varietals and have wine tastings
* price range and have wine tastings
* countries and have theme dinners for each country
the options are endless!
For full details please visit the West Coast Classic website at www.wcra.info
BIDDERS MUST BE 19 OR OLDER

So how about it, Sliders?? Should we donate as a club a few bottles? Would members be interested in getting together to put forward a bid for one of the collections??

Fraser Valley Reining Club Schooling Show

2011-05-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Fraser Valley Reining Club is hosting a Reining Schooling Show on Sunday, June 6th. This is a great opportunity to practice a few patterns before the WCRA West Coast Classic. You can get more details reagrding the show at the Fraser Valley Reining Club's website.

2011-05-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest installment of "You Be The Judge". How would you score this stop/rollback?

Riverslide Update

2011-05-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Riverslide organizing committee met last night to discuss the fate of Riverslide in light of the EVH outbreak (See blog post below). The following is an e mail I received from Kim Stordhal, WCRA president, and Riverslide member, as to the outcome of that meeting.

Hi Bella,

We did meet and we are still planning to go ahead with the show as planned right now. We have decided that we will not be charging any late entry fees though. Anyone who sends in their entries before May 28th will be in the regular draw and anything received after May 28th will go at the bottom of the order of go but NO late entry fee will be charged. If you are coming though we ask that you let us know so we can ensure we have proper number of stalls available.

We are having another meeting closer to the show to discuss any new information that becomes available and how things progress regarding the EHV-1 virus ....but as of the moment we are going ahead as planned.

Hope we can see you there!!
Kim

2011-05-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to thank my viewers! Over the weekend the Sliders Blog passed the 10,000 views mark. Since I only started the count this past fall, that means all of those views have been in the last eight months!!
However, you are a quiet bunch! I rarely receive comments...which in my mind would make this blog truly successful. So I invite you, especially if you are a regular reader, to help make this blog a good place for people to "join the conversation". Start with this post by telling me who you are, what you like about the blog, what you would like to see more of, or any other tidbits of information you would like to share!

EVH OUTBREAK HITS BC

2011-05-16T12:27:00.001-07:00

I received the following email from Nicole this morning:

Dear Nicole,

Kamloops Large Animal Veterinary Clinic
May 14, 2011

This is a quick update on the EHV outbreak in North America. It has hit British Columbia. The best way to control this disease is to slow down horse movement. Rhino, EHV 1 or Equine Herpes Virus causes fever, decreased coordination, nasal discharge, urine dribbling, loss of tail tone, hind limb weakness, leaning against a wall or fence to maintain balance, lethargy, and the inability to rise.

Jennifer Jackson, DVM.

Kamloops Large Animal Veterinary Clinic

Equine Herpes Virus Confirmed in 2 Colorado Horses

The disease has been confirmed in 2 horses that came from the cutting horse show in Ogden, Utah. This is also the suspected cause of a illness in a horses that returned B.C. this week. NO horses in B.C. have died. It is recommended at this point that all horses that attended the cutting horse show in Ogden are quarantined at their home. All horses on those farms also need to stay home and have their temperatures taken twice daily. They should quarantine at home for 30 days.

EHV-1 is not transmissible to people; it can be a serious disease of horses that can cause respiratory distress, neurologic disease, and death. The most common way for EHV-1 to spread is by direct horse-to-horse contact. The virus can also spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing, and hands.

From what I understand, a ranch in Merrit has been quarantined. (UP DATE-I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING TO CONFIRM THIS-AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS NOT THE CASE-READ BELOW). The Riverslide committee is meeting tomorrow to decide the fate of Riverslide. I will keep you updated to any information I receive..

UPDATE- MAY 18th
HERE IS THE MOST UPDATED INFORMATION I CAN FIND IN REGARDS TO THE SITUATION IN BC. THIS IS TAKEN IN PART FROM WESTERN HORSE REVIEW: CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

"In British Columbia:

There are three confirmed cases in Vernon. These horses were at the Ogden show and all three have been contained and are being treated.

This posted by Paton & Martin Veterinary Services Ltd., Aldergrove, B.C.:

“First of all, there is no need to panic but we must be careful. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in contact with veterinarians in the area and the USA.

“There has been an outbreak of a neurological form of Herpes virus disease referred to as EHV 1. The outbreak is associated with horses that attended the recent Cutting Horse championship in OGDEN, Utah. This is a similar virus but different strain of what we refer to as “Rhino”. We vaccinate against the respiratory and abortion form. These vaccines do not protect against the neurological form. No vaccine in the market claims that is effective against the neurological form of the disease.

“Despite rumors to the contrary, following conversations with veterinary colleagues in the Province, it appears that the affected horses have been identified and are confined and quarantined in a single private stable in the Okanagan Valley. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE NO CASES IDENTIFIED SO FAR (May 16, 2011) IN THE FRASER VALLEY. The only horse in the Fraser Valley that was at Ogden, Utah is 9 days post-exposure and is showing no clinical signs.....

Here’s a selection of important information useful to the subject, and how it may affect your horses, and particularly, your traveling with horses at this time.

This is not an outbreak limited to cutting horses.

While one outbreak appears to have presented at the Ogden, Utah show, there is some information that at least one of the infected horses had already attended or passed through several Canadian equine venues. It is possible the virus was present in Alberta and possibly Saskatchewan before the Ogden show. Please remember, this is not confirmed. The point is, cross-contamination is certainly possible. Consider not only where your horses have been for the past 20 days, but also, who has been in contact with them, whether at an event, or at home.

The best preventative is common sense bio-security.

The virus is transmitted via direct and indirect contact, and to a lesser degree, through the air. Transmitting, or “shedding” the virus through respiratory channels is the most common, and generally lasts for seven to 10 days, but it can persist longer. If your horse has been in a high-risk situation, a 28 day isolation period is recommended by the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

(If your horse was present at the Ogden, Utah show, you should let your veterinarian know. And remember, while the disease is not reportable federally, it is in some provinces, such as Alberta.)

Don’t underestimate the power of indirect transmission such as nasal secretions left on equipment, tack, feed and other surfaces. The AAEP suggests it is “an important route of transmission of the virus. Indirect transmission occurs when infectious materials (nasal secretions, fluids from abortions etc.) are moved between infected and un-infected horses by people or fomites (inanimate objects).

Poor hygiene (such as lack of handwashing) and sharing of equipment are often responsible. People who have touched or otherwise come in contact with infected horses should change their clothes and thoroughly clean and disinfect their hands before handling other horses.”

Whatever event you’re planning on attending with your horses over the coming weeks keep in mind it has been suggested the virus can survive for up to 35 days, but only if it is an ideal environment.

Some trainer facilities, particularly those which had horses in Ogden have voluntarily imposed isolations on their own facility – no incoming/outgoing horses, no lessons – as a preventative measure. Considering the contagious nature of the virus, this is a pro-active course we should all appreciate.

What is the primary symptom?

Often preceding other signs is the presence of a fever. If you are concerned be sure to take your horse’s temperature twice a day. This is easily done with a rectal thermometer. If you need a refresher on how to do this, read here. The temperature of a normal horse is below 38.5°C (or 101.5°F). According to Moore Equine Veterinary Center, “It is best if you can keep a record of the rectal temperature trends in your horse. Most infected horses will only show mild respiratory signs including coughing and nasal discharge. Early signs of the neurological form of herpesvirus usually involve incoordination of the hind limbs, urine dribbling or being unable to urinate.”

Is there a vaccine?

While there are several vaccines against EHV available, none of them state any protection against the neurological form of EHV infection. Check with your veterinarian to determine the validity of booster vaccinations in your animal’s case.

We touched base with Ashley Whitehead at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to ask her some questions about the virus and what we can do to help prevent its prevalence in our midst.

There is some discussion that the cancelling of equine events for the next three weeks is in order. Is there wisdom in that, or is it overkill for the situation?

“The decision should be made with a risk assessment of the current situation. Any time we travel to a competition where there is mixing of horses from many locations there is a risk of transmitting infectious diseases. Many of us forget about this risk as we compete so regularly. At this time we don’t know the extent of the outbreak. Containing this virus is key to limiting the spread.”

The virus is carried airborne. How great of a distance do we need to worry about? Within coughing distance, or across the farmyard?

“The airborne aspect of virus is limited once it gets past the “coughing distance” but it can travel through ventilation as has been seen in previous outbreaks in veterinary teaching hospitals though this is a far less important method of transmission.”

Scenario: horse owner attended a horse show in a facility where two weeks prior, horses from a farm we now suspect was affected, were present. Should horse owner be concerned?

“Before answering I would ask a few more questions. My first questions would be: Are the “affected” horses confirmed EHV-1? Was there direct contact between the horses from the “affected” farm and your horses? Was there indirect contact (ie you or any object touched these horses, then touched your horse)? In most cases the answer to these questions will be no, but I would recommend monitoring rectal temperatures twice daily to watch for any signs of fever. Remember at this point only one horse has actually be confirmed positive with EHV-1 in Alberta and that horse has been quarantined appropriately. It is important to note that only a small portion of the horses that are exposed to the equine herpesvirus become neurologic. We are all concerned but at this point identifying any new cases (including horses that only get the respiratory form and horses that become neurologic) early and isolating them is key, so monitoring rectal temperatures is very important in any at risk horses.”

Thanks to Dr. Ashley Whitehead, instructor, Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, for assistance with this post. Thanks to Western Horse Review intern, Jesseca Johanson, and writer and blogger, Melissa Sword for their help with research.

Thanks to everyone else for checking in, I hope you find this information helpful.

Finally, please ensure you are not spreading misinformation during this time. It’s unfair, useless and can be detrimental to trainers and owners who are practicing due diligence.

RESOURCES:

EQUINE HERPES FACT SHEET

STATE OF IDAHO EQUINE HEALTH ALERT

MOORE EQUINE VETERINARY CENTRE LTD."

BAAAAAHHHHH!!

2011-05-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is brilliantly funny!! Have a look at this rider questioning a judge about her placing in a class...
Here's (in part) what the Fugly Blog had to say...I couldn't have said it any better...

"...They show up at a show with a horse they can’t ride, turned out in a manner that wouldn’t pass muster at 4-H. They are not in control; in fact, they are a hazard to other riders. They scoff at the idea that their horse needs professional training and instead brag that they are doing it all themselves because they have such a wonderful bond with their horse (who is running around on the wrong lead, bucking). Or they have exactly the trainer described in the video. And then, when they do not get a ribbon for exactly the reasons described in the video, they run around saying it’s all politics.
...when you show up unprepared, untrained, out of control and looking like the equine edition of People of Walmart, you are not going to get a ribbon, and it is not the judge’s fault. The judge is a horse professional and it’s true that not all judges are equally talented (duh!) and it may also be true that the judge may have some preferences that are not your trainer’s preferences or last week judge’s preferences. But this is the nature of the game you have freely chosen to participate in. If you do talk to the judge to get input on your ride, please be polite and respectful and don’t argue or try to defend yourself. You just paid this person to critique you — don’t make them sorry for doing their job. If your horse wins under every other judge, and this particular judge hated him, and you had the same ride you always do, and the same horses were in the class, hey, that sucks but sometimes those are the breaks. More likely, your horse or you truly weren’t as good today as the horses who took home the ribbons. If that is happening every time, and you truly don’t know why (and your trainer cannot tell you why except to cry “politics!”), it’s time to haul out discreetly for a lesson with another trainer or two and see if perhaps the flawed opinion stalling your show career is your trainer’s and not the judge’s. Sometimes even a very talented trainer can just plain miss something, or fail to find a way to explain something to you in a way that allows you to correct it.

So don’t be the person in the video — be a grown-up, accept the criticism you paid for, save your bitching for the truck on the way home if you must vent, and come on back and do it again and again. That’s the only way you ultimately start papering your wall with ribbons!"

Some Prince George Spring Slide candids

2011-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my more favorite pictures from the Spring Slide show. Due to the limitations of my camera and my level of knowledge, I don't get very good indoor pictures, especially if there is movement involved. Therefore, most of my good pictures are from the warm up pen!

There was a lot of testosterone flying around this weekend. Check out these fantastic studs. (And I'm talking about the horses). I think my next set of Stallion Spotlights should highlight some of the local talent we have right here in our backyard!

Gus Evangelopoulos and Drivin To Hollywood
Gus and his stud did well enough this weekend to pass the 30,000.00 in earnings mark!

Carl Woods and DS Boomin Enterprise (owned by Pam Fletcher)

Carl has shown this beautiful stud for a few years now and is always competitive in the open reining classes.

Marcelo Cruz and Spooks Starloena (owned by Ben Sawchuk)

Everyone was drooling over this gorgeous, talented stud sired by Smart Spook. I think he marked one of the highest scores of the weekend - a 75. (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this)

Amanda Self and Great Night Spook (owned by Swan lake Ranch)
Here is another beautiful Smart Spook son that is doing great things in the show pen

We traveled to the show with my trainer and long time friend, Sherri Thomson. Casandra works as Sherri's assistant at the shows, and along with Sherri's student Jessica, and Jessica's mom we all helped with barn chores,, tacking up etc, to make everything move along smoothly. Sherri was showing her newly acquired gelding, Chick N Starlight, along with her young prospect, Spooks Fantasy, and her mare, EPR Frisky Reminic. Here are some of my favorite shots of the team this weekend...

Casandra warms up EPR Frisky Reminic (Nikki)

Sherri and her gelding Chic N Starlight (Badger) (sired by Smart Chic Olena)

Casandra and Sherri in the warmup pen

Jessica and Dolly (Sherri's Border collie) watching the action in the warm up pen

Jessica and her gelding, Colorado Chrome (Joe)

They had a very successful weekend winning the Beginner Reiner Open class as a post entry, and placing in the top 3 in her other classes.

It was nice to see local 70 Miler, Barry Davies show up with his horse, "Rockin Bear Paw". Hopefully we 'll see more of Barry on our Thursday night rides, and at upcoming shows! Having just participated in a reining clinic with JP Forget, Barry was hoping to put some of his newfound knowledge to the test.

Overall, it was a great weekend. Prince George puts on an awesome show, and all of the organizers are friendly and accommodating. There are 2 more shows hosted by the PGRHA the next one being their Ride N Slide, June 23-26th.

Prince George Spring Slide Follow Up

2011-05-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures:
Top: Tiffany and Gypsy at Gus Evangelopoulos Clinic
Bottom: Casandra and Twister in the warm up pen

Unfortunately, I missed Tiffany and Mandy's classes, as they were done on Friday, and I started on Saturday, so I didn't get any pictures of them :( Sorry, ladies!
Once the professional proofs are up I will add a few shots to the blog.

Here is the press release for the Free Press and the Wolf Radio, re the Spring Slide.

Three members of the 100 Mile Sliders Reining Club traveled to Prince George this past weekend to participate in the Prince George Reining Associations, “Spring Slide 2011”. Competitors traveled from across British Columbia and Alberta to participate in the 4 day event that included classes in cutting, working cow horse and reining, for all levels of riders, from beginners to professionals.

The Sliders brought home some money and hardware, as Tiffany Vaughan won her Ranch Cutting class on her gelding Itty Bitty Gypsy, and Casandra Jakubiec placed third in the Beginner Horse Open Reining class, on her 4 year old mare, Gay Bars Major Twister. Although not in the money, Mandy Pincott, and her gelding, Rafter Dudes Chicado, had a respectable 7^th place finish in a tough class of 20 entries.

Next up for the Sliders is Riverslide, the first in the Western Canadian Reining Association’s high point series, to be held in Kamloops June 3^rd to 5^th.

The Sliders get together to ride at the Outriders grounds every Thursday, from 6:30 to 8:30. New members are always welcome.

New Videos to view

2011-05-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

CHECK IT OUT!!

Reiningtrainingonline.com has just released new training video's adding to nearly 100 RTO's library of reining training videos: Bobby Dykes- Trimming Horse, Ben Balow-Schooling Techniques, Tracer Gilson- Futurity Prospects, Casey Deary- working with 2 years olds', Craig Johnson-Ground Work before your ride,Tom Foran-importance of body position.

If you are a Sliders member you have full access to this site. Please contact me for password information!

Let the games begin...

2011-05-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

The trailers are packed, the horses are bathed, the patterns are studied, the silver is polished...

This weekend kicks off the beginning of the show season. For us reiners, we are headed to Prince George for the Spring Slide. The high school rodeo is in Williams Lake, and for those of us in 100 Mile, our local spring Outriders show should be well attended.

GOOD LUCK to everyone this weekend. Believe in all the hard work that you have put in to this point, and HAVE FUN!

For everyone traveling down the road, SAFE TRAVELS! Give yourself lots of time, and remember the complete trust your horse (that survives on his flight instinct), has put in you, to allow himself to be put into a little tin can, and then stand quietly while he hurtles down the highway at 100 km/hr!

Absolutley Priceless!

2011-05-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

(All Pictures are screen captures from the You Tube video-see link below)

This horse being a palomino is definitely not false advertising-he's solid gold!! Have a look at 5 year old Wyatt Deery and his reining horse Dun Dual. The future of reining is in good shape if this is the face of our up and coming youth! This video made my day!

2011-05-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Entry Forms for WCRA's Riverslide are now available on the WCRA website.

This show will be held again at Circle Creek Equestrian Center in Kamloops, and is part of the WCRA high point series. It is also a WCRA/NRHA Affiliate series qualifier show. There is a full slate of beginner modified classes, as well as NRHA non pro and open level classes. Entry deadline is MAY 17!

A Message From our WCRA President

2011-05-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

The following message is posted on the WCRA website, but due to the importance of it's contents,I thought I would share it here as well.
"April 21, 2011
Dear WCRA members,
I am writing this note to you, to bring to your attention the concern for reining shows in B.C. As you know Rockslide was cancelled this year due to another show being booked on the same weekend and the economy – the Rockslide show committee felt it was in their best interest to cancel. This is very unfortunate that we lost such a great show this year, but don’t worry....Rockslide will be back in 2012 with some changes that you are sure to like!
With all of this coming to light, it has come to our attention that West Coast Classic needs every members help and support to make it successful. The economy is taking a toll on sponsorship – sponsors are picking and choosing what they fund very wisely and unfortunately sponsorship is down this year. Without sponsors and volunteers this premier B.C. Reining event will not be able to continue on to be the show it has been and support itself....which could mean a much smaller West Coast Classic show, possibly no WCRA NRHA affiliate series, a smaller WCRA high point series and to attend a reining show of the same caliber you will have to travel out of province and that is something a lot of competitors just cannot or are not prepared to do. We hope that you feel the same way we do, and want to see this show continue for everyone to attend and enjoy.
In order to help West Coast Classic 2011 we are suggesting for every member to take the attached sponsorship package and if they can try and fundraise $100 for West Coast Classic. Do you have an accumulation of recyclable that you could return to the bottle depot, do you have an employer that would be interested in sponsoring and receiving advertising, or do you have some other fundraising ideas for this premier event? West Coast Classic is EVERY MEMBERS show, it is not a chapter show, it is not the executive’s show....it is WCRA’s show and that means we need everyone’s help to make this happen and to continue West Coast Classic the way it has been.
If you are able to help sponsor West Coast Classic or would like more information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you,
Kim Stordahl WCRA President"

So how about it Sliders? Any suggestions on how we can sponsor or support our parent organization?? Please post your comments or suggestions in the comments section below.

STALLION SPOTLIGHT # 4 CONQUISTADOR WHIZ

2011-05-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

(Pictures taken from Conquistador Whiz's website)

This past week, a new stud became a member of the Million Dollar Sire club. The following information is taken from the Conquistador Whiz website.

After the checks were cut for the 2011 National Reining Breeders Classic, Conquistador Whiz became NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Sire thanks to the performance of his offspring at the Katy, Texas show.

The sixteen-year-old Quarter Horse stallion is the 20th horse to make this milestone achievement. Conquistador Whiz, bred by Bob Loomis, came from the successful pairing of Loomis’ NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz and the Bueno Chex mare Sugarita Chex. This match produced the first-ever third generation NRHA Million Dollar Sire. Conquistador Whiz’s grandsire Topsail Cody became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 1998. His sire Topsail Whiz joined the ranks in 2001.

"Conquistador Whiz earned more than $100,000 in the NRHA show arena and was the 2000 NRHA Open Derby Champion, 2000 National Reining Breeders Classic Open Derby Champion, 2002 USET Festival of Champions USEF Reining Champion and 2002 World Equestrian Games Gold Medal Team member and Individual Silver Medalist. NRHA Corporate Partner Silver Spurs Equine purchased the sire from George Shifrin in 2008. Conquistador Whiz’s leading offspring include: KR Lil Conquistador ($401,027 NRHA LTE and NRHA Open Futurity Champion), Quistador ($112,945 NRHA LTE and 2010 Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic John Deere Level 4 Open Futurity Champion), JD Conquista Anna ($56,429 NRHA LTE and 2006 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion), Smart Dundee ($49,319 NRHA LTE and 2010 NRHA Futurity finalist in Open Levels 1-4) and Litn Up Conquistador ($49,105 NRHA LTE and Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion)."

Conquistador Whiz's 2011 breeding fee is 3500.00

Carmen Teixeria Reining/WP Clinic

2011-05-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

(Click on poster for larger view)
Carmen Teixeria will be conducting a Reining/Western Pleasure Clinic, June 11-12 in Kelowna, BC. For more information, you can contact Amanda at 250-763-8253, or e mail dodgegirl97@hotmail.com
The following information on Carmen is taken from her website.
Carmen has successfully shown & trained horses for the public for over 13 years in Reining & Western Pleasure. Having ridden with the legendary Bob Grimshaw for over 10 years before spending 1 1/2 as an assistant trainer to 2 Time World Champion (AQHA, NRCHA) Jason Grimshaw in Texas, where she showed & trained both reiners & working cowhorses, Carmen has now established herself as an accomplished trainer & coach here in BC for riders & horses of all skill levels. Her training program is upfront & honest & the horses are provided with the best care possible.
You can read more about Carmen and her accomplishments at her website, Teixeria Performance Stables

Lyle Lovett adds star power to reining event

2011-05-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

The article below was taken from the following site:

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/04/30/1725111/lovett-adds-star-power-to-reining.htm

PICTURE: Lyle Lovett riding Smart and Shiney, Photo by Pablo Alcala

At the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday night, a gutsy group of amateur reining riders competed against some of the top professionals in the sport in the 2011 Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup.

They held their own, and they said they loved the chance to ride with the best.

Four-time Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett said riding in the Alltech Arena was a thrill. This was the first year that reining was included in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

"I was here for the World Equestrian Games, and when I was invited to ride in the Rolex, nothing was keeping me from doing that," said Lovett, who rode his horse Smart and Shiney on the Ariat corporate team.

With a busy music schedule, Lovett said he doesn't get to ride "nearly enough. But I ride every chance I get." He performs a show in North Carolina on Saturday night.

Also on the team were Canadian rider Lisa Coulter, who rode in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, and Shawn Flarida, a member of the gold medal reining team at WEG. The Ariat Team finished fourth in the team competition.

Another amateur, Mandy McCutcheon, competes occasionally against pros, but not often against the likes of her husband, Tom McCutcheon, and her father, Tom McQuay, both of whom rode in Friday night's competition.

Both men were on the gold medal reining team at WEG.

With sassy charm, Mandy McCutcheon said of women competing against top-flight men, "Anything they can do, we can do better, right?" She finished fourth among the 20 contestants, riding Don Julio Whiz. She had ridden the horse only twice before, both times earlier this week.

Mandy was on the first-place Clark Oil team with her father and Sam Smith.

Flarida finished as the top individual rider, winning $50,000 in prize money. He rode KR Lil Conquistador, a horse with career earnings of $440,000.

Flarida, who lives outside of Dayton, Ohio, is one of reining's top money winners with $4 million in prize money in his career.

In a media conference after the awards ceremony, Tom McCutcheon said the publicity WEG brought reining has been a boost for the sport.

"We are growing and getting a new group of people interested in reining," he said.

In the audience Friday night were Gov. Steve Beshear and his wife, Jane, an accomplished rider who took a reining lesson last fall during WEG, and Wil James, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing's plant in Georgetown.

Reining results

Individual results, with rider, horse and score:

1 Shawn Flarida, KR Lil Conquistador 226.5

2 Craig Schmersal, Miss Lil Addy Tude 225.0

3 Craig Schmersal, Mister Montana Nic 224.5

4 Mandy McCutcheon, Don Julio Whiz 223.0

5 Tom McCutcheon, Chic Olena Starbuck222.5

6 Tim McQuay, Rudy Dun It 221.0

7 Casey Hinton, Play Dual Rey 220.5

8 Craig Schmersal, Dancer Nic 220.5

9 Shane Brown, Houston Shine 220.0

10 Mandy McCutcheon, Chexy Dunit 218.5

11 Sam Smith, Paid By Corona 218.0

12 Jose Vazquez, Wound By Juice 218.0

13 Mathew Palmer , Whale Of A Whiz 217.0

14 Lisa Coulter , Western Whiz 217.0

15 Pete Kyle, Whizs Bronze Star 215.5

16 Jared Leclair , Electric Code 215.0

17 Lisa Coulter, Hollywood Aces 215.0

18 Cynthia M. Bearden, High Roller Rooster214.5

19 Marilyn Farley, She Supreme Chic 209.5

20 Lyle Lovett, Smart And Shiney 207.5

Randy Ophus Reining Clinic

2011-04-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Pictures (All taken from Randy's web page)

Randy Ophus of Ophus Performance Horses in Vanderhoof, BC, will be coming to Williams Lake to do a reining clinic, June 11, 12th. Visit Randy's website for more information or to contact him about participating in this clinic.

Overcoming Obstacles

2011-04-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful clinic this past weekend, and those of us that participated came away with new knowledge and renewed commitment to continue to work on becoming better horsemen/women, and developing a positive relationship with our horses. This is the fourth clinic in 3 years that we, as a club have offered in the 100 Mile area. When talking with people, there always seems to be a lot of initial interest in participating in horsemanship clinics, and a level of excitement about bring outside talent to our small town. But once the plans are in place, the enthusiasm seems to wane....and the excuses start to come....my horse is out of shape, I"M out of shape, my trailer isn't working, I'm not good enough, MY horse isn't good enough, I can't afford it...you get the picture...
I have been pondering this for a while. Why do we put road blocks n our own way, and look for reasons to NOT participate? Is it a lack of confidence? Is it apathy? Is it the fear of the unknown?

I was reading an article by world renowned personal performance coach, Barbra Schultz, and I really liked what she had to say on the topic. The following is an exerpt from her article entitled "Arguing For Your Limitations":

"...Without disciplining ourselves to replace negative thoughts about feared outcomes with their positive counterparts (from all the physical details to the feeling of it), we get random to poor results. Our natural tendencies can be: · To see things as they were today, or were yesterday. · To actually ARGUE for our weaknesses by giving a million reasons why things won't get better. · To feel safe talking about future events as not working out because there is no failure if we never expect to succeed. · To blind ourselves of our own gifts and gorgeous personal potential as if we are deeply asleep to all the good in ourselves (and sometimes in our horses) ... someone needs to tell us to "Wake Up"! · To feel badly or frustrated or angry and then perpetuate a cycle of negativity until it becomes the way we think. But here's the great news. If you can relate to any of the above points, you CAN break out of those patterns and visualize an outcome you desire by telling a powerful story of your greatness. I know that might sound corny, but it is absolutely true for you and everyone. It's right there inside of you. It's your choice. It's up to you. Have fun with it! Friends and family can be supportive, but ultimately it's the story you tell about yourself and your horse that determines your future success."

Now how many of us have felt like that??
I give HUGE kudos to the individuals that could have SO EASILY found a good reason to "Argue for their Limitations" and not taken part in Gus's clinic this past weekend. Consider the following participant(s) that TOOK PART and were:
a) 5 months pregnant
b) hard of hearing (how do you work with a clinician when you can't hear what he is saying?)
c) recovering physically and emotionally from a serious fall off her horse
d) suffering from severe rhumatoid arthritis
e) financially strapped
f) needing a horse to ride because hers was lame
g) worried because she had never done arena riding before

So, if you have ever Argued for YOUR limitations, try to consider the alternative. As Barbara says you can break that pattern and visualize an outcome that will tell a story of you and your greatness!

The Reininthesun committee is bringing Barbara to the Armstrong Fairgrounds, May 14th and 15th. There are 30 spots available to attend-15 for reiners and 15 for cutters. Check out the web page for more information if you are ready to move past your (self imposed) limitations and tell a story about your greatness!

Gus Clinic Follow Up

2011-04-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we had the extreme good fortune to work with reining trainer and AQHA horseman, Gus Evangelopoulos, at the beautiful Easy Go ranch in Lac la Hache.

Gus was quickly able to hone in on each participants individual needs and work with each horse rider combination to help them achieve their goals for the weekend.

Nicola & Bart

Nicola brought Bart the first night in the hopes that Gus would be able to work with him to make him a more willing and responsive partner for her on the trail. By the time Gus was finished with him on Friday night, we were teasing Gus that Bart was ready to be his next reining horse prospect!! Under our noses, and almost without us realizing what was happening, Gus was able to get Bart into a willing frame of mind, going from being aggressive and pushy to being light and responsive. The next day, Nicola rode Bart and was able to get him into a walk, trot and lope on a loose rein, as well as picking up some riding tips from Gus.

Don and

Don came to the clinic hoping to build on his horsemanship skills. Gus was able to give him a few subtle tips that helped to transform his relationship with his mare, again, making her more light, willing and responsive. Don was impressed by how a few minor adjustments could make such a big difference in how his mare responded to him.

Val and

After watching Gus work with everyone on Friday, Val made the decision to come out and ride on Saturday. After recovering from a serious accident, Val was hoping to rebuild her confidence on the back of a horse. Gus was more than impressed with Val's courage, and reaffirmed that she is indeed a good rider and with a lot of skills and knowledge.

Casandra & Cee

Always happy to take the opportunity to ride with Gus, Casandra made the trip up from Kamloops and was more than happy to put a ride on "Cee", Don's young filly, that she put some time on last spring. Gus has been a strong supporter of Casandra over the years and she was glad to spend some quality "horse time" with him again.

Tanya and Monty

Tanya came to the clinic with the hopes of learning the skills to be able to get her gelding, Monty to pick up the correct lead going to the left. Her continued persistence paid off, and by the end of the weekend, she, most importantly, had the knowledge to be able to continue to work on Monty to help him become more consistent. Those of us on the ground were able to watch and learn as well, and will hopefully be able to support Tanya, as she continues to work with Monty.

Tiffany and Gypsy

Tiffany came to the clinic with her newly acquired gelding, Gypsy,which she hopes to show this year in reining and working cow. Gus reaffirmed for her that she "has a lot of horse". Her gelding is an incredible athlete with a big motor. Tiffany came away from the clinic with some tools to help keep him calm and quiet. We are all looking forward to seeing them in the show pen!!

Mandy & Frenchy

Mandy brought her up and coming 3 year old prospect looking for some tips and ideas to move forward with her training. Gus was impressed with the work that Mandy had accomplished so far with the filly, and was able to give Mandy some tools to help her to get to the next level with Frenchy.

Dawnna & Moke

Dawnna and Moke? Well, lets just say they had some "issues" to work through. Gus's belief that you face issues and work through them, ending up with a better partnership with your horse, proved to be a philosophy that we were all able to embrace by the end of the weekend. Dawnna and Moke persevered, and by Sunday, you could see that they are a going to be strong contenders in the show pen this season!

Bella & Chico

And that leaves..me. After realizing that my own horse Jewel was still lame and I was not going to be able to ride her, I was extremely grateful to the numerous individuals who made me offers of horses I could ride in her place. I ended up riding Chico, Mandy's lovely gelding. It turned out to be the right horse for me for the weekend. Being the perfect gentleman, Chico allowed me to focus on my own riding and horsemanship skills. Riding without a sturrip, and without rein contact, trying to find my balance, Chico never took a wrong step. I'm not quite ready for a bridleless, saddleless freestyle yet, but hopefully I came away with a better feel and a better seat, and as a result will be a more confident, balanced rider.

On behalf of all the participants, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gus for coming to the Cariboo, and sharing his skill and knowledge with us. We all came away with some new knowledge and skills and that is the ultimate accomplishment for any clinic.
For any of the participants, I would welcome your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below!
I would also like to thank Pete Mclennan for taking all the great pictures. I have CD's of ALL your pictures for each participant.

100 Mile Slilders proudly present a Gus Evangelopoulos Reining Clinic/Schooling Show

2011-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

There are still a few spots available for our upcoming Gus Evangelopoulos Reining/Horsemanship clinic, April 15/16 at Easy Go Ranch in Lac la Hache. Cost to Sliders members is 200.00 and 250.00 for non members. The clinic will be followed on Sunday with a beginner reining schooling show. No need for fancy gear, you can ride 2 handed in beginner reining patterns-no lead changes.
If you are unable to attend the clinic you can come out to participate in the schooling show, with 15.00 entry fee per class.
For more information or to book your spot in the clinic, please contact Mandy at 250-397-2960 or email at mpincott@live.com

STALLION SPOTLIGHT # 3-Colonels Smoking Gun (aka "Gunner)

2011-04-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

I couldn't do a stallion Spotlight without including at least one APHA stallion. "Gunner" made a name for himself in the APHA world before he hit the big time. He was double registered as an AQHA stud when the white rules were relaxed, and was registered with AQHA as Colonels Smoking Gun. It was there that he hit the big time taking the NRHA circuit by storm. The following information is taken from his website, where he currently stands at McQuay Stables, in Texas. Click on the image for a larger view. Note his 2011 stud fee: 8,500.00!!

This is another sire that has proven his worth by out producing himself. He puts his stamp on his babies that are often recognizable by their big white face, and "floppy" ears. Gunner was deaf, and despite this genetic flaw, which he frequently passes on to his offspring, his babies are still highly in demand in the reining world.

This is a You Tube Clip of Gunner in his semi final run at the USET semi finals.

We are lucky to have a Gunner son standing in our midst, as Jill Hamming of our WCRA Kamloops Chapter is currently standing BH Gunners Enterpriz, aka 'Rex", an own son of Gunner.

Jill and "Rex"

According to Jill's Facebook page, "Rex" is a proud father of 4 2011 fillies, all with the splashy paint color, passed down through those strong Gunner genes!! Be sure to look for Jill and Rex at all the WCRA/NRHA sanctioned shows!

Sliders Executive Change

2011-04-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

The 100 Mile Sliders would like to thank Randy Brodaway, for his service to the club as he will be stepping down as our Vice President. Randy has been instrumental in getting the Sliders started, and has been an active member since it's inception. We wish Randy all the best, and look forward to his ongoing involvement with the Sliders.

(Randy with cutting trainer Dale Shel, 2010 Horse Bazaar)

Tiffany Vaughn will step into the role of Vice President for the remainder of the 2011 year. Tiffany has also been involved with the Sliders from the beginning, and we look forward to having her take on a leadership role with the Sliders.

Tiffany and Sliders president, Dawnna, 100 Mile Horse Bazaar, 2010

Tiffany and Bandit, WCRA's 2009 "Riverslide"

For Sale

2011-04-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

PR DOUBLE EAGLE is a 1995 APHA reg. homozygous tobiano paint stallion. He has sired 50-50 colts and fillies, is sound and broke to ride. You can hand breed with him or field cover, he has had 100 % conception to date.

He is easy to catch , halter and work with. Offered with semi herd dispersal for sale, for more info or pics e-mail mailto:paintedrose@telus.net or call 250 397 2897

Test Your Juding Ability

2011-04-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest installment of "You Be the Judge". How would you score this spin??

Carl Woods Clinic Follow Up

2011-04-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

The success of the Carl Woods Clinic at Easy Go is easily seen, when he is already almost fully booked to come back on June 11-12th! Carl's easy going manner, and ability to focus in on the individual needs of each rider, is proving to be a winning combination. Many thanks to Easy Go Ranch for bringing Carl to the Cariboo! And a special thanks from me (to Easy Go) for giving me a stand in horse to ride, as my mare Jewel, has come up lame :(

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BOOK A SPOT IN CARL'S NEXT CLINIC AT EASY GO, CONTACT ELLIE AT 250-396-7556

Photos- My Apologies for the poor quality...My camera doesn't like indoor arenas...

Amber Crutchley and her lovely gelding...

Ellie checking out the flag

Kim McDonald, riding a mare brought up by Carl

Tina Chestnut, and Roo? (by Genuine Jeepers) getting some pointers from Carl.

Laura Sperling and her new mare, Gypsy

Rockslide Entry Forms Now Posted

2011-03-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

CANCELED...SEE BELOW...

Entry forms for ROCKSLIDE, the first in the WCRA's high point series shows are now available on the WCRA website. This show is always recognized for it's fun, relaxed and supportive atmosphere. There are new beginner classes slated for this year, a silent auction, and a full slate of NRHA classes. It's a long way for us folks upcountry to travel, so if anyone is planning to attend, why not get together and save on gas/ferry prices? Use the comment section below to connect with others...
ENTRY DEADLINE IS APRIL 27th

UPDATE...

We had our Peninsula Reining club Rockslide meeting.. and have decided to cancel Rockslide 2011.

We feel with the lack of riders coming this year, the Prince George show on the same weekend and the economy, it is in our best interest to do so.

We look forward to Rockslide 2012!

Thank you ,

Wilma Yule

Fraser Valley Reining Club Schooling Show

2011-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Fraser Valley Reining Club (WCRA Chapter) are holding a Reining Schooling Show, SUNDAY, APRIL 17 (the same day as our Sliders Schooling Show). Here is another opportunity to get out and try a reining pattern on your horse in a low stress environment, and at a low cost. You can download the class list from their newly revamped website.

PGRHA "Spring Slide" Entry Forms Now Available!

2011-03-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Entry forms can now be downloaded for the Prince George Reining Horse Association's first of 3 shows. ENTRY DEADLINE IS APRIL 20th. SPRING SLIDE 2011 has a full slate of NRHA classes, as well as beginner classes, and COW HORSE classes on the Thursday. Not many shows hold cow horse classes any more due to the expense involved, so if you are wanting to watch or show in a cow horse class this is an excellent opportunity!!

STALLION SPOTLIGHT # 2-SMART SPOOK

2011-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is the second in a series of stallion spot light posts that I will be making. Smart Spook is still competing, and his offspring are just starting to enter the show pen. There are a number of his babies in Western Canada, and we should start to see them in the upcoming show season. Like a true champion sire, his babies are showing his classic good looks and by all accounts he is passing on his amazing talent.

PICTURES: SMART SPOOK (Taken from Google Images)

The following information is taken from Smart Spooks Website, where he stands at the Sterling Ranch, in Pilot Point, Texas.

Smart Spook is the leading money earning son of NRHA Hall Of Fame Stallion, Smart Chic Olena, who has sired earners of over $10 Million in Reining, Cutting and Cowhorse.

Smart Spook's dam is Sugarplum Spook by Grays Starlight. She is the producer of 9 money earners, winning over $447,622 and 335 AQHA points. She is also the full sister to NCHA Open Superstakes Champion, A Little Starlight who has won $205,000.

Smart Spook has very strong performance genetics on both sides of his pedigree, as well as great conformation and attitude, making him one of the best qualified and most exciting performance stallions of the new millennium. During 2004 Smart Spook earned over $190,000 culminating in his winning the 2004 NRHA Open Futurity. In 2005 he became the first horse in history to win back to back, the NRHA Open Futurity and then the NRHA Open Derby and finished up his year winning the AQHA Junior Reining World Championship. Smart Spook is also the leading earner of FEI Reining money and is the winner of the Open and Restricted World Reining Masters Gold medals in 2007, 2008 and 2009. This incredible performance horse is still showing at selected events and his earnings are now in excess of $390,000.

Here is a You Tube clip of Smart Spook's futurity run

Smart Spooks, 2011 Breeding fee is a cool 5,000.00!!

Problems With Reining Horse Training Few People Understand

2011-03-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am on trainer Larry Trocha's e mail list and get regular mail outs from him on various topics. I particularly liked what he had to say in his last e mail, and thought it appropriate to share here. I have edited some of the total content but have included some of his most salient points here:

The last couple weeks, I've received a few emails and even a couple visits to my barn, from people wanting to get involved in reining competition.

Without exception, every one of these people were relying on the help of a horse trainer who had never competed in reining.

As a consequence, these folks are going to go terribly WRONG.

Unfortunately, the two who visited my barn, already had. Why?

Because they don't understand there is a whole boat-load of problems and pot-holes that are "reining" specific.And unless you have trained and competed in reining competition, you have NO IDEA what they are.What owners don't realize is that ignorance about this could literally RUIN their competition reining horse or reining prospect.

I'm not kidding. It's that serious.

If you plan on competing in a SPECIFIC event, you need a trainer with EXPERIENCE in that event.

Other wise, he's not going to know how to head-off potential problems.

Here is a partial list of things about reining horses that "non-reiners" simply don't know...

The more you show a reining horse, the WORSE he gets.

The horse gets worse because if he is even half-way intelligent, he will learn the reining pattern and begin to anticipate the maneuvers.

They'll usually start anticipating within just a few shows.

In the show arena, he'll get antsy when asked to stand still, knowing a spin or lead departure is coming.

He'll charge the run-down and SCOTCH the stop.

When executing circles, he'll drop his shoulder and try to change leads whenever he lopes across the center of the arena.

If this pattern anticipation isn't addressed and managed, it will get so bad the horse will become literally "un-showable".

This form of show ring anticipation is called "show smart".

If you are going to buy a trained reining horse, you better find out just how show smart he is or risk buying a reining horse that you can't get through a run.

I had an out-of-state customer who purchased a mare for $30,000. She was a good horse and could really win. However, the owner soon discovered she couldn't make it through a run clean, without three consecutive "schooling" runs prior to the "competition" run. (Throw away 3 entry fees before every run that actually counted)

If you plan on TRAINING a reining horse from scratch, you have to know how to manage the pit-falls to KEEP that horse from turning into something bad.

Below is another big misconception about reining horses.

THIS IS WHAT I HEAR PEOPLE SAY ALL THE TIME...

"I want to do reining but the horse I have now is too much of a DEAD-HEAD".

"I need to buy something with some get up and go".

When I hear that, I know that person has ZERO experience with reining horses.

They don't savvy a reining horse has to be able to go from a big, FAST circle... down to a small, SLOW circle... and he has to do it without the rider using much bit pressure. Only a quiet, laid-back kind of horse is going to do that. If the horse is "hot", once he gets running, he isn't going to want to slow down. Bottom line... you won't win anything.

Here's another point...

It is flat-out EASY to wake a quiet horse up. It is extremely DIFFICULT to slow a hot horse down. My suggestion to you... go with the naturally laid-back horse and learn how to wake him up.

HERE'S ANOTHER BIGGIE...

This one thing has ruined more non-pro reining horses than anything else I can think of. The culprit...

SPURRING THE HORSE THROUGH THE LEAD CHANGE.

When I was doing a lot of reining (I mostly show cutters now), I had quite a few non-pros. No matter how hard I tried to get those non-pros to trust their horse would change leads... they NEVER would trust him. They were so afraid of him not changing... they would use their spur and HARPOON the poor horse whenever a lead change was wanted. Do that at 3 or 4 shows in a row and at the 5th show... as soon as the horse realizes the lead change is coming... he'll grab his butt and CHARGE through the lead change like a freight train. Once the horse starts doing this, it's really tough to fix.

Okay, let's go over some more points SPECIFIC TO REINING.

In most cases, it's best to put the spin on your horse BEFORE you put the hard stop on him. If you don't, he'll be sucking back so much you'll have a tough time teaching him to cross-over in front. He'll be crossing under... banging his legs together and never learn to spin right.

FEW people understand just how SUPPLE and LIGHT a horse has to be to learn to rein. It is an absolute "must" and there is no getting around it. I see countless riders unknowingly TORTURE their horse trying to teach him to rein before he has any foundation. As a matter of fact, it's a common practice with many horse owners.

Here's my best advice...

Learn about training and horsemanship BEFORE you make all the common mistakes that make your horse's life miserable.

If you plan on training your horse for the performance events, learn how to do it right so you don't ruin him before you even get started.

SO-COMMENTS ANYONE?

I just took my 3 year old mare, Twister back to Sherri for training, for many of the reasons Larry has stated above.

Twister getting introduced to..Twister

Back to Work...

I am NOT a trainer, and I want her started right. I figure the best I can do, is to become as knowledgeable as possible and to become the best rider I can. I can only do that by working with trainers that TRAIN reining horses and compete at reining themselves. I feel fortunate to have a trainer I have worked with for years, and who I know and trust with my my animals. It is WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD!

I am SO PLEASED that we have a strong core group of dedicated and enthusiastic people in our club that WANT to learn and are WILLING to commit themselves both personally and financially by attending clinics and meeting regularly in a collegial and supportive manner.

So if you are a beginner, come out and take advantage of the collective knowledge of this dedicated group. We are all learning together, and becoming better and stronger as a result...And if you have the knowledge and skills to pass on, please leave your ego at the door, and come out and share!

100 Mile Horse Bazaar

2011-03-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

PICTURES:
TOP- Ellie putting Dodge into a spin...Nice crossover!
MIDDLE- Ellie-the "Queen" wave
BOTTOM- Sliders members hard at work behind the Sliders booth

Congratulations to Ellie Meinhert, of Easy Go Ranch, and 100 Mile Slider Member, for doing such a wonderful job of promoting the sport of reining, and promoting our Sliders Club, in a demo she did at the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar, with her great gelding "Dodge". Ellie had a fantastic season least year in the reining pen and is a great example of the quality of reining in 100 Mile.
Also a big thank you to all Sliders members who came out and manned the tack sale booth, and Sliders table at the Horse Bazaar. It is your commitment and passion to the club that makes us strong.

USED TACK SALE-UPDATE

2011-03-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Pictures:
Top: 100 Mile Sliders Booth at the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar
Bottom: Some of the items from our Used Tack Sale

A big thank you to everyone who donated items to our First Annual Used Tack Consignment Sale. The sale was held this past weekend in conjunction with the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar. We were more than pleased with the amount of quality items we amassed for the sale. We had many buyers and the end result was that we were able to sell a good amount of sale items. We are encouraged by our results and will offer the sale again, with the hope of making it bigger and better.
A special thank you to Sherri Thomson, who generously donated a large quantity of items to the clubs' sale, with all proceeds going directly to the club.

Our 5th Set of photo Contest Winners

2011-03-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks category was "HUMOROUS MOMENTS". Thanks to everyone who submitted pictures of your equine in their more "goofy" moments!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FOLLOWING WINNERS!!

FIRST AND PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD
SHARON GATES-"JUMP FOR JOY"

SECOND MANDY PINCOTT "COW HORSE JUMP"

THIRD CRYSTAL GRIER, "CUTE FACE"

Thanks to everyone for your submissions. You can view all the entries by viewing the contest Facebook site.

Be sure to check out the site for next weeks submissions for the contest. The category will be "Training Moments"

STALLION SPOTLIGHT-WIMPYS LITTLE STEP

2011-03-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Given the fact that spring is just around the corner (no, really...it is), and we will soon be seeing new foals out in the fields, I thought I would take the opportunity to showcase some of the reining industries hottest stallions that are currently dominating the world market and setting trends in the industry. Although most of us will never have the opportunity to own any of the get from these stallions, it is good practice to know which bloodlines are currently popular, and if you are in the market for breeding or buying, the closer up you can get these stallions on your papers, the more marketable and valuable your reining prospect is likely to be. The first stallion I chose to spotlight is:

WIMPYS LITTLE STEP

The following text is taken from Wimpys Little Step website:

"Wimpys Little Step is quite simply a reining phenomenon. During his three year old year, this bionic stallion captured the interest of the reining industry when he won both the 2002 AQHA Congress Open Reining Futurity and the 2002 NRHA Open Futurity with Shawn Flarida in the saddle. In doing so, Wimpys Little Step earned over $185,000. He is only the second horse to win both the Congress and NRHA Open Futurities."

In this clip, Shawn Flarida talks about his futurity run as well as his admiration for Wimpys Little Step

The true test of any stud horse is the ability to out produce himself. Wimpys Little Step has certainly proven his ability in the breeding pen.

"Just six short years later, the 9-year-old stallion was the NRHA's newest and youngest Million Dollar Sire.

Wimpys Little Step has stepped up in a big way and, in just his first year as a breeding horse, had sired six NRHA Futurity Open finalists, including a Futurity Champion. The stand-out's first foal crop produced 32 money-earning offspring, bringing in a combined $750,000+

Wimpys Little Step made history at this year’s Carolina Classic Derby, held May 13-16 in Williamston, N.C., when his offspring surpassed $2 million in NRHA earnings. The flashy palomino stallion joins eight of NRHA’s leading stallions as a Two Million Dollar Sire and is the youngest – by a margin of five years – to attain that status.

Wimpys Little Step is owned by Xtra Quarter Horses, Purcell, Oklahoma, and is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Nu Chex To Cash and out of Leolita Step."

Wimpys Little Step's 2011 Breeding fee is a cool 7,500.00!

Our 4th Set Of Photo Contest Winners!

2011-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks category was "FABULOUS FOALS". Thanks to everyone who submitted your fantastic baby pictures! It certainly got me excited about seeing this spring's new crop of babies!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FOLLOWING WINNERS!!

FIRST, CRYSTAL GRIER-MOTHER AND FOAL

SECOND-MANDY PINCOTT-NEW BORN FOAL

THIRD-SHARON GATES-MOTHER AND NEWBORN

PEOPLES CHOICE-THERE WAS A TIE!
LOUISE GARRARD-BABY MULE

SHARON GATES-BABY SLIDING STOP

Thanks to everyone again for all your wonderful submissions. To view all of the pictures in this category go here: Fabulous Foals

NEXT WEEKS CATEGORY IS-HUMOROUS MOMENTS
send us your best shots of your horses in their "goofy" moments!

Looking For a new horse trailer?

2011-03-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Check it out... FOR SALE:

2004 Trails West Goose Neck Weekender

2 Horse Angle Haul
Mid tack room
Brand new awning, new propane tank, good tires
Mint Condition
17,500.00

Contact Randy
250-395-5175

Industry Ethics-The Story of Guns and White Roses

2011-03-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

(ALL PICTURES ON THIS POST ARE TAKEN FROM ROSE'S BLOG OR FACEBOOK PAGE)

We had a Sliders meeting last night to discuss our upcoming tack sale at the horse bazaar and to nail down some details of our upcoming clinic/schooling show with Gus. In the ensuing conversation, the topic of unethical practices in the show industry, came up. It was an interesting discussion. The talk started around the practice of some people drugging their show horses at shows, and evolved into a general discussion about the ethics of the 3 year old futurities and what people will/have to do (trainers and owners alike) to get their babies ready to go into such high pressure situations. We also talked about the "throw away" mentality, that appears to be common in the quest for futurity prospects, and how young horses get pushed too soon too fast and end up blowing their minds and/or bodies, and are ruined for life.
This is such a huge topic, that I could go on at length, and the longer I stay involved in reining specifically and the horse industry in general, the more formed and (in) formed my opinions become. My "reality check" is a daily dose of the Fugly Horse Blog", which I have referred to a few times on this blog before. Her blog IS totally devoted to bad practice in the horse industry, and in my opinion her commentary is right on the mark. I would encourage anyone to spend some time reading her back posts, and some of the hundreds of comments most of her posts generate.
Instead, I thought I would write about one horse's story I have been following for 3 years. This is the story of Guns And White Roses, a sabino daughter of the famous GUNNER (Colonel's Smoking Gun), and out of an NRHA Money earning mare.
I first came across this story when I was perusing the sale ads on Reiners World, a sale web site devoted to selling reining horses. She was listed under the weanling page, and although I can't remember the exact wording it was something like this: "FOR SALE, DEAF, CONFORMATIONALLY CHALLENGED REINING PROSPECT". She was listed at a ridiculous high price (if I recall, over 10,000.00), and included this picture:

It was such a strange ad!! Was this some kind of joke?? I had to follow up. The owner had a link to her blog, and when I went there, this was the story:
She had been looking for a reining prospect from Gunner, specifically, a sabino filly, and had found the perfect candidate from a reputable breeder. The price was out of their budget at the time, but as a birthday surprise, her husband took the plunge, and bought the horse, and had her shipped. Although he bought her without seeing her in the flesh, these were some of the pictures that they were using to make their decision, and the dealers are noted for breeding some of the best reining horse blood lines in the industry.

As you can see there is no evidence of any conformation issues with this filly

Nor can you see any issues in this picture

BUT, conformationally challenged she was! It was a SEVERE case of equine lodorsis. When Rose stepped off the trailer, the new owners were horrified. Upon contacting the breeders, they were met with denial. She was going through a "Growth Phase", they were told, and the "reputable"breeders refused to buy her back. It was a hard lesson in "buyer beware". The family was devastated. All their dreams of a futurity prospect were doomed, and it appeared that their huge initial investment in this filly was unrecoverable. However, what was there to do? Rose, became "one of the family", and quickly won her way into their hearts.
I continued to follow Rose's life on the blog, and watched as the family chronicled her journey.

Here she is as a yearling filly-the Lodorsis still VERY apparent.

Despite her condition, it also became quickly apparent that Rose was a very special horse. Amazingly agile, given her condition, intelligent, and highly trainable, with a quirky personality, the family simply fell in love with her-despite her condition.
As Rose entered her 2 year old year, the family started to investigate if there would be any possibility of even getting her going under saddle. Rose was looking for a "Job" and they wanted to give her something constructive to do (instead of digging for gophers out in the field-a "Rose" quirk) ...maybe driving might be an option. Many consultations with trainers, vets and equine specialists later, they made a decision. They would see about starting Rose under saddle, and play it by ear, taking their cues from Rose herself. Since reining was the discipline for which she was bred, they started a search for a reining trainer that would consider taking Rose. After much searching (what professional reining trainer would take on such a prospect?), they hooked up with Canadian, Francois Gauthier, and the rest as it is said...is history. Rose took to her training like a duck to water. Here is a video of her show career debut. The run is by no means perfect, but pretty amazing considering all the facts!

In fact, she displayed so much talent, that Francois decided to take her to the NRHA 3 year old futurities last November.

WOW!! I got to tune in to see her run on the live feed, and it gave me goosebumps. She didn't win...didn't even place in the top, but it really didn't matter. Here was a horse, that, even by a lay person's standards, would NEVER have been given a chance to do what she had accomplished. This severe conformational flaw would have excluded her from ever being considered as a prospect by any professional in the reining industry, and yet here she was-competing against the top horses in the world, and holding her own.

So why this lengthy post about Rose?
I like this story. In an industry plagued by bad practice, it highlights the fact that there are people out there that still have their morals and integrity intact. That there are people that take their horse ownership seriously and responsibly, and are willing to do the best by their animals under ANY circumstances. That there are professional trainers that are willing to consider the best interests of the horses in their care, and that will work with the owners to help them achieve THEIR goals. AND, I like stories with happy endings...
After the futurities, guess what? The family took her back home-she's having a well deserved break, and will go back to Francois this spring to get ready for the upcoming show season. They are TRAIL RIDING her! and TURING HER OUT WITH OTHER HORSES!! Yes, Rose has a life-and a good one at that!! She is one of the lucky ones!
You can follow Rose's journey on her Face Book page or on her Blog

So if you have made it all the way through this post, now it's your turn. I would love your feedback on this story and your comments/experiences/stories on anything I have touched on in this post.

100 Mile Slilders proudly present a Gus Evangelopoulos Reining Clinic/Schooling Show

2011-03-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A LARGER VIEW

100 Mile Sliders will be hosting a 2 day reining clinic followed by a schooling show. The clinic will be Friday and Saturday, April 15-16, followed by a schooling show Sunday April 17. The event will be held at the beautiful Easy Go Ranch in Lac La Hache.
Our clinician this year is reining trainer and open level NRHA competitor, Gus Evangelopoulos.
The clinic will consist of a 90 minute semi private session (2-3 people/group) on both Friday and Saturday. The Sunday schooling show is geared for beginners with most classes consisting of modified WCRA patterns. Cost for the 2 day clinic plus schooling show is 200.00 for members and 250.00 for non members. There will be a 10.00 audit fee for the clinic. Riders may also choose to just enter the schooling show. Individual class fees of 12.00 (members) or 15.00 (non members) or 50.00 for the day.
For more information, or for application forms, contact Mandy Pincott (mpincott@live.com 250-397-2960) or Isabella MacQuarrie (isabella.macquarrie@sd27.bc.ca 250-397-7770)

Lynda Smith Becomes a Sanctioned Reining Judge!

2011-03-03T11:18:00.001-08:00

Photos:
Top: Lynda giving some advice at our Sliders clinic/schooling show April 2010
Bottom: Equine Canada's web site shot

This exerpt below was taken from Equine Canada's Web Site.
CONGRATULATIONS, Lynda!!
"Following the Reining Judges’ Clinic on January 27-28 at the Equine Canada Convention, Canadian Reining Committee (CRC) pleased to announce four new reining judges in Canada. The clinic was the first one offered by Equine Canada to accredit judges for sanctioned reining competitions. The course educated future judges in the scoring system for reining as adopted by Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The curriculum and testing protocols were developed in conjunction with The Reining Horse Association of Germany and were presented by Gary Yaghdjian and Bernie Hoeltzel.

The first reining recorded judges are Sherri Whitworth of Rockwood, ON; Lorraine Gilchrist of Asquith, SK; and Lynda Smith of Pitt Meadows, BC. Beth Hora of Moose Jaw, SK was granted senior status as she is also a National Reining Horse Association judge.

“It was integral to keep the level very high in accordance with the industry standard. Reining has the most intricate and transparent judging system with all score sheets posted for exhibitors to review at the conclusion of each class,” said Yaghdjian, who is also the chair of the CRC. “We are very pleased that the following candidates were successful in attaining the prerequisite 80 per cent passing grade. Congratulations to our new judges.”"

Clink on the Equine Canada link above to view the entire article.

Jesse Beckley Clinic in Vanderhoof

2011-02-22T11:41:00.001-08:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR AN ENLARGED VIEW

Thanks to Juanita who forwarded me this information about Jesse Beckley's clinic in Vanderhoof, May 14/15th. You can read more about Jesse Beckley at his website here.

SHARON GATES DOMINATES OUR PHOTO CONTEST!

2011-02-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: CATEGORY-HORSES AND (OTHER) PETS

TOP: FIRST PLACE, SHARON GATES
SECOND: 2ND PLACE, SHARON GATES
THIRD: 3RD PLACE, CRYSTAL GRIER
BOTTOM: PEOPLE'S CHOICE, SHARON GATES

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS IN OUR THIRD SUBMISSIONS TO OUR PHOTO CONTEST. Thank you to everyone who took the time to add pictures to the contest, and check out this week's entry for the category of BEAUTIFUL BABIES.
COME ON EVERYONE, GIVE SHARON SOME COMPETITION, AND GET YOUR ENTRIES IN BY FRIDAY!
WINNERS-PLEASE POST IN THE COMMENT SECTION UNDER THIS POST, AND TEL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTOS!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

2011-02-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS: CATEGORY CANDID SHOW SHOTS

TOP: FIRST PLACE, SHARON GATES
SECOND: 2ND PLACE, MANDY PINCOTT
THIRD: 3RD PLACE, LOUISE GARRARD
BOTTOM: PEOPLE'S CHOICE: CRYSTAL GRIER

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS IN OUR SECOND SUBMISSIONS TO OUR PHOTO CONTEST. Thank you to everyone who took the time to add pictures to the contest, and check out this week's entry for the category of Horses and Pets.
A minor rule change...Originally the contest rules stated that the contest was for WCRA members only. We will officially open the contest to anyone who stumbles across the contest, and/or whom you invite, in an attempt to draw more entries. So look through your photo files , find your favorites and upload them into the contest, or e mail them to me and I'll do it for you!
and.. invite your friends to submit as well.
WINNERS-PLEASE POST IN THE COMMENT SECTION UNDER THIS POST, AND TEL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTOS!!

Outriders to Host Jay O Jay

2011-02-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

PICTURES:
Top, Middle: Jay O Jay (taken from his website)
Bottom: Outriders Logo (screen capture from membership form)

The 100 Mile Outriders are hosting a horsemanship clinic May 28/29, in 100 Mile House. UPDATE: THESE CLINIC DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO JUNE 25-26th. Spots will be limited, and they are already booking. Cost $150 or less. More details to follow, but if you are interested you can contact Nancy Mcminn, at 250-456-2976 or e mail her at snirt6@gmail.com. You can read more about Jay O Jay and his clinics here. http://www.jayojay.com/HorseTraining/Clinics.htm

Looking For Something to Watch Other than the Superbowl on Sunday?

2011-02-03T11:52:00.001-08:00

How about tuning in to the live feed for the National Reined Cowhorse Celebration of Champions?
"At the NRCHA Celebration of Champions, the NRCHA World Championship Show presented by John Deere features the top horses and riders from each of the NRCHA's eight geographic regions competing for World Championship titles in twelve exciting events. In the World's Greatest Horseman, it is all about one horse, one rider and one very impressive title. In one bit, horses compete in four contests: herd work, rein work, steer stopping and cow work. The NRCHA Celebration of Champions also includes the Circle Y Ranch Derby for 4- and 5-year-old cow horses."

Making the Case for Instinct..or..."Bred for the Job"

2011-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Pictures: (Taken from You Tube..see link below)

I believe this is what is meant by a horse having "cow sense"!! I think it also makes the case for horses who love their "jobs". Watch this cool You Tube video of a horse at liberty "working the mechanical cow"!!. It kind of makes a cutting rider look like a passenger, doesn't it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZuSBF7Scck

Carl Woods At Easy Go Ranch

2011-01-25T10:40:00.001-08:00

Pictures
Top: Carl Woods (image taken from his website)
Bottom: Easy Go Logo from their website)

Book your spot now to have a one hour lesson with Carl, at Easy Go Ranch, in Lac La Hache, April 2-3rd and JUNE 11-12. Reining, Horsesmanship or Western pleasure. The cost is 50.00/lesson, and lunch will be provided for participants. Spectator fee of 10.00.Contact Ellie for more information, or to book your spot, at 250-396-7556.

Carl Woods Cow Horse Clinic

2011-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Carl Woods will be holding a Beginner Cow Horse Clinic, at the T6 Ranch in Penticton, March 19-20th. Entry fee for 2 days is 125.00!! What a deal!. Click on the poster above for an enlarged view, and for contact information.

Brandt Ranch Cutting Clinic

2011-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Brandt Ranch in Pritchard will be hosting a Bob Zirnhelt Cutting Clinic, March 12-13th, followed by a sorting on the Sunday afternoon. The Brandt ranch is the home of reining trainer, Amanda Self, and hosts a large number of performance related clinics, as well as regular riding nights with the WCRA Kamloops Reining Chapter.
Cost of the clinic is 200.00, with fresh cattle available. Limited spots available. Click on the link above for more information.

Attention all Cattle Penners!

2011-01-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)
I know we have some keen cattle penners and sorters in our group. Here is an event you may want to check out...Unfortunately, it falls on a busy weekend...Also the same weekend as the 100 Mile Bazaar, as well as the reining clinic at the Brandt Ranch..:(

CONGRATULATIONS!!

2011-01-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

PICTURES:
TOP: FIRST PLACE, Submitted by Ellie Meinert
MIDDLE: SECOND PLACE, Submitted by Sharon Gates
BOTTOM: THIRD PLACE, & PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD, Submitted by Leslie Bogula

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST SET OF PHOTO CONTEST ENTRIES!!
All in all we had 18 photos submitted. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE!

Check out next week's category "CANDID SHOW PHOTOS", and get your entries submitted either directly through the site or e mail them to me, and I will post them for you.

Horses At Liberty-Jean Francois Pignon

2011-01-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS (taken from Google Images)
Don't try this at home folks!!
Well ok, this isn't really a reining related post, but if you haven't seen this You Tube clip, it is worth your while to check it out! This is Jean Francois Pignon working with his herd of mares at liberty. A truly impressive display of horse and human trust!! Here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2erlljh0cg
If you are fluent in French, you can read more about him on his website

USED TACK SALE

2011-01-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

Got old tack taking up space in your horse trailer? bedroom? basement? Why not make some space by consigning it to our used tack sale! In conjunction with the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar, the 100 Mile Sliders will be having our first annual USED TACK CONSIGNMENT SALE, SATURDAY MARCH 26th, at the 105 ARENA on TATTON STATION ROAD. Items can be dropped off to any Slider executive member, or on the Friday prior to the sale at the 105 arena. There will be a 10% commission on all sold items.
Get there early on Saturday for the best deal! Sales on a first come, first served basis. Cash or cheque only.

Heee's Back! Vern Sapergia Is Coming Back to BC!

2011-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

PICTURES: Vern Sapergia Clinic 2010

Sharon Gates of Wildwood Performance Horses, will once again be hosting Vern Sapergia, for a 3 day clinic at her facility in beautiful Hanceville, BC. Clinic will take place May 27-29, and cost for participants is 560.00. View her website for more details (look under the "Events" link). Vern Sapergia, is a well recognized, and sought after reining clinician. Having just had a great year in 2010, being part of Canada's reining team at the World Equestrian Games, and participating in the NRHA's 2010 futurity in November, he is also one of the featured clinicians on Reining training Online. Here is a 6 minute promo video that Sharon put together with clips from last year's clinic

Reining Training Online

2011-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my prior post on the "Benefits of Membership", We have bought a 6 month membership to the online site, Reining Training On Line This site gives you access to over 50 videos from some of the top named reining trainers, and judges in the industry. More videos are being added regularly. Most of the clips are 5-7 minutes long, and are very informative.
Once you have paid for your membership you will be provided with a password to access the site. I would love to hear some feedback from anyone who has watched some of the videos-any that you liked in particular? any problems with connections? ( I have had better luck streaming with a good connection). Anyone interested in getting together to watch/discuss some of the videos together??

Kyle Weston Reining Clinic Prince George

2011-01-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

PICTURE: Kyle Weston (taken from Google images)

Kyle Weston is offering a reining clinic in Prince George FEBRUARY 12-13th. The cost is $300.00, and at this point I don't have any more details but will post as soon as I do. You can read about Kyle Weston here.

100 MILE SLIDERS 1st ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

2011-01-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our first annual photo contest
PLEASE READ ALL THE RULES BELOW:
1) THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO ANY WCRA MEMBER IN ANY CHAPTER
2) THERE ARE 12 CATEGORIES INCLUDING:
-WINTER
-HUMOROUS MOMENTS
-FOALS
-BEST REINING STOP
-CANDID SHOW SHOT
-HORSE/HUMAN BOND
-BEST HORSE EYE SHOT
-AUTUMN
-HORSES AND KIDS
-HORSES AND PETS
-TRAINING MOMENT
-BEST TACK

3) MEMBERS CAN SUBMIT UP TO 5 PHOTOS PER CATEGORY
4) A NEW CATEGORY WILL BE PRESENTED BI WEEKLY. MEMBERS MAY SUBMIT PHOTOS FROM THE MONDAY TO THE FRIDAY OF THAT WEEK. INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES WILL BE JUDGED THE FOLLOWING WEEK, AND WINNERS ANNOUNCED THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY. TOP 3 PRIZES (TO BE ANNOUNCED) WILL BE AWARDED IN EACH CATEGORY, WITH A GRAND PRIZE OVERALL WINNER AND RUNNER UP GRAND PRIZE WINNER. JUDGES WILL BE A PANEL OF 100 MILE SLIDERS MEMBERS.
5) EACH CATEGORY WILL HAVE A "PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD" AS WELL. MEMBERS MAY VOTE TWICE ON EACH PICTURE, INCLUDING THEIR OWN.
6) AMATURE PHOTOS ONLY PLEASE-NO PHOTOSHOP.
7) WINNING PHOTOS WILL BE INCLUDED IN A CALENDAR FOR 2012, AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.
WHEN SUBMITTING PHOTOS PLEASE:
-INCLUDE YOUR NAME, WHAT CHAPTER YOU BELONG TO, AND DETAILS ABOUT YOUR PHOTO-NAMES OF PEOPLE/ANIMALS, LOCATION, DATE, ETC.

FIRST SUBMISSIONS WILL BE MONDAY, JANUARY 10-14TH.
CATEGORY-WINTER
WINNER OF THIS CATEGORY WILL BE ANNOUNCED JANUARY 21ST.
You can make photo submissions, vote for your favorites and view contest details at the facebook group site: WCRA/SLIDERS 1st ANNUAL EQUINE PHOTO CONTEST
IF you have difficulty accessing this site, please email me and I will help get you there!!

NRHA Futurity Winning Run

2011-01-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed it...here is the link to Jordan Larson and "Spooks Gotta Whiz" final futurity run at the NRHA finals last month. There were so many incredible runs and having access to the live feed was awesome! Some of us (not mentioning any names) were glued to computer for many hours with our tongues hanging out!
Here you go...and a PAINT HORSE at that (2 years in a row now!!)
http://www.vimeo.com/17483294

100 MILE SLIDERS ANNUAL AGM

2011-01-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

PICTURES:
Top: Randy and John showing us their "good" side
2nd: Nicole, Ronnie and ..help me out, guys:( sorry, I'm so bad with names...)
3rd: Dawnna and Ellie
4th:Tiffany, Mandy and Ellie

The 100 Mile Sliders held their second annual AGM this December. Although we had a smaller turn out than we had hoped for, we still had a great meeting and were able to elect our new executive for 2011, and start planning for the new year. Some of the highlights of the night inclued a slide show celebrating some of the club's successes, as well as a discussion around plans for this year including possible clinics and shows, as well as creating a member access to "Reining Training Online" a website with hundreds of reining training and related videos, and plans for a Sliders sponsored photo contest-more details to follow!! After the meeting some of us came to Bella's for appies and more talk. We are very excited about 2011!

OUR NEXT MEETING IS PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, JANUARY 15TH AT THE RED ROCK CAFE IN 100 MILE, AT 12:00. We will be discussing clinicians we want to bring to 100 Mile, setting dates and discussing our planned used tack sale at the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar.

Congratulations to the following for taking on the the following leadership roles in our club:
President: Dawnna Monks
Vice President: Randy Broadaway
Secretary: Mandy Pincott
Treasurer: Nicolle Dupont
Youth Liason: Veronica Blatter
WCRA Contact and Blog/Media Liason: Isabella MacQuarrie

The Benefits of Membership

2011-01-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

As you are considering rejoining the Sliders again for the 2011 season I would like to point out some of the benefits of membership-not only with our club, but as a chapter of the Western Canadian reining Association.
As a chapter of the WCRA, we enjoy the following:
a) falling under their insurance coverage-therefore we as a chapter do not have to pay for our own insurance
b) the opportunity to compete in WCRA sanctioned reining shows at discounted rates, and are eligible for year end high point awards
c) being associated with the most recognizable reining association in western Canada gives our chapter credibility and exposure though our parent organization
As a member of the Sliders you enjoy the following:
a)an opportunity to build relationships with a dedicated and enthusiastic group of people excited about the sport of reining and motivated to learn more and promote the sport of reining in 100 Mile and surrounding communities
b) reduced fees to the membership in the WCRA
c) a group membership to "Reining Training Online"-a website with with hundreds of reining training videos. All members will be given a password to access the site. (a $156.00 6 month fee paid by the club)
d) reduced rates and priority access to any clinics and shows hosted by the sliders
e) the opportunity to ride together in a non judgmental and supportive atmosphere

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? GET YOUR WCRA AND SLIDERS APPLICATION COMPLETED TODAY! Forms are available from Bella (e mail at isabella.macquarrie@sd27.bc.ca or call 397-7770. (All members must also be members with Horse Council BC) Memberships are all due for renewal as of January 1st.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-03T15:12:00.001-08:00

Pictures
Dawwna winning Beginner A in Kamloops
Ellie showing her spinning form
Ronnie at BC Summer games
Mandy at our riding night
The sliders booth at the 100 Mile Horse Bazaar
Clinician Vern Sapergia
Bella at the Lynda Smith schooling show

Happy 2011!! The Sliders have had another successful year, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your contributions to the club. Some noteworthy accomplishments this year include.
1) Many members participated in reining competitions this year with postive results including our president, Dawnna winning the Beginner A Class in Riverslide, Ellie winning the Beginner Freestyle class in Prince George, and Ronnie winning at the BC Summer Games.
2) We held 2 very successful clinics in 100 Mile. Lynda Smith gave a 2 day clinic, as well as judged our first schooling show. In the fall we hosted a Clay Webster clinic, that was attended exclusively by Slider members. As well many members took advantage of other clinics and schooling shows, including clinics by Vern Saperiga, Carl Woods, and Amanda Self.
3) We hosted the 2nd annual 100 Mile Horse Bazaar as well as a dinner/auction, which were both successful fund raisers for the club.
4) Despite difficulty finding a consistent place to ride, we still managed to get together fairly regularly to ride in a fun, non-judgmental atmosphere, supporting each other in reaching our own personal riding goals.

I will begin to add regular posts to the blog as we gear up for the 2011 season, so get yr' boots and spurs on and let's go reining!

NRHA's Inside Reining

2010-11-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

Check out the online version of NRHA's Inside reining. You can watch full episodes online, as well as check out their "You Be the Judge" series, where you are asked to watch a maneouver and then score it, followed by the judge's score and reasoning. (see my prior post)

Tom McCutcheon's Gold Medal Run at WEG

2010-10-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

(Images taken from "Google Images")
Here is the gold medal individual run with Tom McCutcheon riding "Gunner's Special Night" at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Wow!!

Duane Latimer Wins Bronze at WEG

2010-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

(Taken from Equine Canada)

September, 30, 2010 — Duane Latimer of Bienfait, SK won the individual bronze medal today at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), which are being held in Lexington, KY September 25–October 10, 2010.

Latimer had a great run riding Dun Playin Tag, Lance Griffin’s Canadian-bred six-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, to a score of 222.5, securing the bronze medal finish.

“It feels great to do something for your country. Parts of our run were really, really good,” said Latimer, who just started working with Dun Playin Tag in April to prepare for WEG. “I thought my horse ran his large fast circles awesome, and he stopped great three times out of four. We stayed clean today, and he was very good.”

Shawna Sapergia of Cochrane, AB, and This Chics On Top, a seven-year-old bay Quarter Horse mare owned by Outrider Ranch Ltd, received a score of 218.5 to finish in eighth.

“My first stop was amazing and her back up was great. We had a little bobble in our second spin, but she was trying her absolute hardest out there. I don’t think I have ever run her that hard or asked that much of her before. She was there for me every step of the way,” said Sapergia.

The gold medal was won by American Tom McCutcheon riding Gunners Special Nite, and the silver medal went to Craig Schmersal, also of the United States, and Mister Montana Nic.

Here is the You tube clip of Duane's run

You Be The Judge

2010-10-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

NRHA's "Inside Reining" have produced a series of "You be the Judge" videos, where a they ask viewers to score a maneouver and then give the score and reasoning from an NRHA judge. Here is on link on a spin maneouver.

"You be the Judge-spin"

SLIDER SUCCESS!!

2010-07-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures-Cowgirl Creations-from Prince George

Top- Veronica Blatter

Middle-Elli Meinert

Bottom- Casandra Jakubiec

Some congrsatulations to some of our Slider members, who have seen success in the show pen this season.

Dawnna Monks-scored a 70, and won the Beginner A Class at WCRA "Riverslide in Kamloops. Dawnna continues to show at a rate that would make most people's head's spins, having success in literally every event she competes in! Barrels, gymkhannas, and reining. She is a true inspiration and a great role model as our club president.

Veronica Blatter- Ronnie has done well with her new horse, competing in the Prince George shows, as well as at Riverslide. She gets stronger with every class, and has now qualified for the BC Summer Games! Good luck, Ronnie!!

Elli Meinert- Ellie has also done well in the show pen this season, with 70 scores, as well as competing with her new 3 year old filly. Most recently, she won the Beginner Freestyle in Prince George, with her rendition of "YMCA"

Casandra Jakubiec- despite the fact that she underspun by a quarter turn, Casandra was really pleased with her freestyle performance on Jewel, getting her best score ever of 73, and plusing her stop. She continues to work as Sherri's Thomson's riding assistant at the shows.

Clay Webster coming to 100 Mile House!!

2010-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

(Picture-Clay Webster-taken from Clay's website)

100 Mile Sliders are proud to announce that we will be hosting a Clay Webster clinic, August 20-21st, at the beautiful Easy Go Ranch in Lac La Hache .

All spots are currently full, but if you are interested in participating, , please contact Tiffany Vaughn (tiffany-vaughan@hotmail.com, or Mandy Pincott (mpincott@live.com), to be put on a waiting list.

Clay Webster is one of Canada's premiere reining trainers, and he highly sought after for his popular clinics.

"Clay is a highly regarded clinician and speaker. He conducts several clinics each year and has been invited to teach his clinics at such prestigious equine extravanganzas as as the Mane Event in Chilliwack, BC, and Farmfair at Northlands Park, Edmonton, AB. He is an active competitor in horse shows of locals and international status."

Visit Clay's website to read more about his show success, and clinic program.

Follow Up to Brant Ranch Schooling Show

2010-04-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

PICTURES: (thanks, Nicole!!)

1. Ronnie and Peppy

2. Dawnna and Moke

3. Mandie and Chico

4. Tiffany and Bandit (I love this shot!! He's trying so hard!!)

On Sunday, Mandy, Dawnna, Tiffany and Veronica all made their way down to the Brandt Ranch in Pritchard for a reining schooling show. From what I hear, the girls had a great time, and Amanda was very helpful with feedback to the riders. Thanks to Nicole for providing me with the pictures.

Next weekend, a few of our members will be heading to Prince George for the first "big" show of the season, PGRHA SPRING SLIDE (see sidebar for link to show info). BEST OF LUCK!! Be sure to take lots of pictures so we can post them here, and let us know how it goes!!

Results from the National Reining Breeders Classic

2010-04-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

PICTURES: (taken from Google images)

TOP: Jesse Beckley and "Mizzen Wizzen

BOTTOM: Craig Schmersal and "Boom Shernic"

Here is the partial write up of the results of the National reining Breeders Classic, taken from "Reiner Magazine". Criag Schmersal scored a 228!! (That's a 76 score from 3 judges!!), to win the open level 4 class.!!

Congratulations to our Canadian rider, Jesse Beckley, of Cranbrook, BC, and his mount, Mizzen Wizzen, for placing 6th in the Limited Open Level 1 class.

"The house rocked during this year’s NRBC open finals, held Saturday night in the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, Katy, Texas as the top 31 open horse-and-rider pairs returned to run the crowd-pleasing Pattern 10.

Two Million Dollar Rider Craig Schmersal couldn’t have asked for a better set-up: his favorite pen, his favorite pattern and his favorite mount – Boom Shernic. He made the most of it by running hard in the large arena and scoring a 228 to win the 2010 NRBC Derby Level 4 Open Championship. The six-year-old stallion (Boomernic x She And Chic Dunit) is owned by the Boom Shernic Syndicate and added $75,000 to his lifetime earnings.

“He’s one of my all-time favorites and I’ve never had a horse that deserves to win more than him. I always say if they made me ride away on one horse, I’m taking him with me. He’s always been special for me.”"

You can watch Craig's full winning run on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcVohGp0BNc

RIVERSLIDE 2010

2010-04-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

PICTURES-FROM RIVERSLIDE 09'

1. Sherri Thomson and Niki

2. Casandra and Cowboy

3. Amanda Self

4. Tiffany and Bandit

5. Austin Selhof and Marv

Entry packages are now available for RIVERSLIDE. The second in the WCRA high point series reining shows. The show starts FRIDAY JUNE 4th and goes until SUNDAY JUNE 6th. ENTRY DEADLINE IS MAY 19th. Dawnna, Tiffany, Mandy, Casanda and I all showed last year at this show. The footing for reining is superb, there is a great atmosphere, and it is not to far away for us Cariboo reiners. There is a full slate of modified classes for us beginners, and on Saturday night, they are having a fun games/team competition, with proceeds going to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation! Sounds like fun!! How about a 100 Mile Sliders Team?? You girls who are also doing the barrels/gymkhana circuit should make for a pretty competitive team!!