Buckaroo Texan Blog

If you are nervous, think about this ole Cowboy saying:  Just keep the horse between you and the ground- one leg on either side and your mind in the middle-  BUSTER MCLAURY

Attending a horsemanship clinic in October in Texas is like attending a clinic in March.  You have to be prepared for any kind of weather.  This past weekend was an example, in the other extreme of the roping clinic I did a few weeks ago.

This clinic started with warm windy weather as we arrived and settled in for the night.  I feed my horses and gave them Essentials in their feed.  As usual before a outing, I had fed these two horses essentials for several days to enhance their immune system and to be sure the stomach had plenty of probiotics for easier digestion under stress. 

Friday morning we woke up to lots of wind and very warm temperatures, climbing well into the 90’s by afternoon.  I gave the horses essentials and XanGo juice in their feed.  I also added a bit of magnesium supplement and Eleviv.    These products work to reduce inflammation, and support natural vigor and balance. We got thru the day with the horses feeling great.  My more nervous horse, Rojo, who has had metabolic issues in the past, got thru the day with his body well supported nutritionally to keep his nerves, muscles and all systems in good working order.    He was able to stay focused and handle the situations well.  

 Friday night a norther with rain moved in, howling rain, thunder, lots of lightning and a 40 degree temperature drop made for a miserable morning for the horses.  Saturday morning found the horses wet and shivering.  I gave them hay to warm them up and waited for the rain to let up to feed them grain and supplements.    The workouts later in the day proved good for both horses.  They warmed up, dried off, ate well and enjoyed their lessons.  Rojo has a harder time staying with me in these conditions, but came thru.  Knowing his past, I was very glad to have paid close attention to his nutritional needs before this event. 

(Photo by Carol Akers)Sunday was very cool with misty rain and light showers. Rain gear was in order.  The ground was not as slick as Saturday so we rode out in the pasture.  It was a  misty October day that was refreshing to man and beast alike after the brutal heat of the summer.   I loaded the horses a couple hours before leaving to let them dry off in the trailer before heading home.  The weather was closing in with more rain, so I wanted the horses to be mostly dry in the stock type trailer I have for the 4 hour trip home.  The horses had a few carrots when I stopped for fuel.   They were glad to be home and have hay and their grain when we arrived home mid evening.    Just paying attention to a few small details for the horses and myself probably prevented colic or colds for any of us.

This past weekend, I attended a Horsemanship Clinic with Buster McLaury in Paducah, Texas located in the Texas Panhandle.    We had warm wind, cold rain, sun, fog and fantastic cloud formations.  No arena, just panhandle pasture for this clinic.

Buster is a cowboy that studied for years with Ray Hunt.  He is a darn good cowboy poet, knows the cowboy ways, but is also and foremost, a fine horseman.  As you study, learn and ride with Buster you can feel the presence of Ray Hunt.

 I took two young horses to ride with Buster, for the experience and one in particular that has had problems of coping with riding around other horses.   As we discussed the background of my sorrel gelding, Rojo, Buster reminded us of a saying of Ray’s “ A horse learns what he lives and lives what he learns”.   I had heard this phrase before but on this troubled young horse it really hit home.   The bad experiences he has had is what he had learned, so we had to understand his living what he learned and try to gain his confidence that living and riding around other horses could be a good experience.  We were able to set up some situations that he could be exposed to and allowed me help him with moving his feet, directing him, show him he could move to a comfortable spot and use his energy in a productive way.  This allowed him to gain some confidence and ride the rest of the session a lot more relaxed than he ever had around other horses.

 Rojos’ session on Saturday was after a cold rain, he was shaking, tight in the tail, tight in the flank, stomach and his mouth.  Buster had me direct him with a lot of ground work to get to his  mind.  To work in such a way that he was out of trouble if he stayed focused on me.   The ground was slick in spots and for this horse, just staying even with yesterday was big progress.  I was able to build a new depth of closeness between Rojo and I, a deeper confidence, that is so easy to destroy if a person is not aware and responsible.

We worked out in the pasture bending our horses so they could go straight.  A horse needs to be balanced, straight even if he is making an arc with his path or a straight line.  The rider needs to direct the horse with an idea and know that idea before he asks the horse to move a foot. We broke down our exercises to realize and actually feel when were getting the horse soft and working on his mind.  As we got the horses prepared to move out or stop, we prepared.  We felt of him, felt for him and then we felt together. 

We directed our horses to better their stops, backing up hills, bringing the hind and the front, hobbling, roping, and transitions.  We asked for the slightest try and got great results by remembering we were really working with their minds. Sometimes you get to the horses’ feet through his mind and sometimes you get to his mind through his feet.

A group of us Buckaroos planned a Ranch Roping clinic for the end of September, thinking the weather would be cooler.   We have had some almost fall days here in drought stricken Texas and we were expecting a nice cool weekend of weather in the high 80’s or low 90’s.   At my ranch I had had quite a few mornings in the 50’s and even in the 40’s so the horses were actually starting to fuzz up just a bit.

I took precautions in case the temperatures got hotter than expected.  I gave my horse XanGo juice in his feed the night before and also put some in water bottles for us both to sip on during the two day clinic.   Four days before the clinic I gave my horse a pack of essentials everyday, instead of every couple of days, to build up his system with the probiotics and algae.     I also  took carrots, oranges and apples for us to snack on.

Saturday of the clinic, the temperature soared to 99.  I kept a bucket of water in the shade to offer to my horse every time we were between working cattle or taking a break.  He also got a carrot every time I offered him water.  He also got several slices of an orange a couple times in the afternoon and I ate some too.

Sunday, the temperature reached 105 by the time we were done. I think my horse drank close to 15 gals just during the day and I had at least 8 20 oz bottles of water.!   We both had a pack of Essentials to start  the day.  I mixed XanGo juice in his morning feed, and gave him a small amount of hay .  We both had water, oranges, apples and carrots during the day.  I kept my bandana wet with ice cubes rolled up inside during the afternoon.  It was so hot, the water in the bandana did not drip much, just evaporated.   My horse trailered home just fine.  I knew he was very well hydrated before leaving the clinic site for the ride home and he got his evening meal after dark. The  temperature already had dropped into the 80’s.  My horse and I had a very enjoyable clinic and stayed comfortable.    Really paying attention to our mental,  physical and biological well being sure pays off with bouncy health that snaps back easy after stressful events!

On September 10, 2011 I attended another Ranch Horse Versatility Show.  I took my trusty steed Mr. Qien Sabe 501, aka Button for my mount for the day.   We entered all five events.   It was a test to see how many skills were really honed between us, due to not getting to work any cattle since July, when I had to sell all my cows.  Also, the extremely hot weather had made our workouts very slow and easy paced. 

The day was to be a bit milder than the last show, only range in the mid 90’s for temperature highs.   The morning started out nice and the trailer ride was going good except about 30 miles from the show, I heard a big pop, looked in the rear view mirror and trailer tire was flying in all directions.  The force was with me as I was able to find a tire place and get back on the road in 30 minutes.  I got signed up and entered my first class Ranch Cutting without any warm up.   We placed 4^th.

 The next class was Working Ranch Horse and we had a really smooth run.  Button was really soft, really eyeing the cow and we ended up 2^nd.

The Ranch Trail class had 2 lead changes, dragging double post in a circle, roping a barrel, loping and trotting through a box, carrying a sack of leaves, dismounting and picking up the off fore foot and the near hind foot.  We placed 1^st.

The Ranch Riding class is generally Button’s least favorite.  After working cattle and going through obstacles I think he thinks, “What is the point of walking, trotting and loping around this arena some more”.  He was a trooper and was just right with me on all my cues.  I was able to stay very consistent and very easy to give subtle cues mostly with my body and legs.   We placed 1^st.

 The Halter class is not always a good class for my little bay, but our consistent work with being supple and working towards carrying collection more and more paid off.  His whole presence is a different horse than he was a year ago.   We placed 1st.  After the scores were tallied we were Ranch Horse Versatility Champion, this day.  

I was asked what I thought was contributing to our continued success at Ranch Horse Versatility.   I owe a lot of gratitude and thanks to my mentor Buck Brannaman for the continuing development of my horsemanship skills.  I appreciate the support and guidance from professional farriers Kate and Sam Gooding, also great friends.  My friend and holistic veterinarian Madalyn Ward, who had been a guiding force in directing my horses and myself to better health and well being.

Photos by Carol Akers.

This past Saturday and Sunday, I attended a Ranch Roping Clinic at the ranch of Jeff and Liz Spooner in Gatesville, Texas.   We had a good group of eight.  Most of the group already knew each other and had some roping skills, and we had a few new friends  trying out this style of roping.   We got started Saturday morning with practicing throwing loops at the dummies and helped each other with our form and techniques for the various throws.   We moved on to throwing loops horseback.  Several of the participants were riding young horses or restarted horses, so everyone looked out for each other to give the youngsters plenty of challenge but in way to let them learn at their own pace.  

In the afternoon , we  mounted up and headed to the pasture to bring in the cattle.  We worked as a team, with the cow boss giving directions on how to bring the cattle in.  Every time we headed to the pasture, we changed who the cow boss was.  This was a bit of  a challenge for a few of the group.  It was good mental practice.  Not only were you responsible for you and your horse and your job, everyone else’s too. 

We brought in the cattle to a round pen, two of the participants would sort out 2 or three head and then turn the rest back out.   We then spent time with one or two riders throwing break away shots.   After a few participants practiced throwing breakaway loops with discussion on strategy, a team would come into the pen with either metal or rawhide Hondas and  work to head and heal and take the calf down.  Then a ground crew would come in the finish getting the topes on the legs of the calf, clear the area and then the two ropers would let the cow up.  Then we headed to the pasture to gather again and sort out  fresh cattle to rope.

The following day we worked on our horsemanship, handling the rope, did some drills to work on our dallying smoothness, and stretched some ropes.   The day was getting really hot, so we emphasized watching the expression of ourselves and the horses to move the cattle gently and slowly to not over heat them.  We discussed positioning of the horse to work the cattle by watching there eyes and feeling for the flight zone of the cattle.  Staying just out side of the flight zone allowed us to move the cattle very softly and quietly to most anyplace  we needed them.  This roping part was done just with our breakaways to lessen the stress on the cattle on the hot day.  We all learned a lot from each other, our horses really enjoyed their jobs, and  everyone came away with heighten skills and a real feel of working cattle slowly really gets the job done fast.

I have two roan geldings that live  in the west pasture. They  have been turned out for the last 4 years.  They come into the water lot everyday and get a handout and are around just long enough to know they are ok.  One is 11 years old, the other is 8 years old.   The 11 year old was ridden alot by me during his three, four and 5 year old years and then  ridden a few times the next 2 years.   The 8 year old was started and ridden about 4 or 5 times  as a three year old and then turned out. 

 I got the two boys up yesterday afternoon to work with them and check them out.   Due to the drought, I may need to find a different home for them.  They both came right to me and I had no trouble approaching them with halter to be caught.  I lead the 11 year old into a big pen and checked him out with my flag and lariat rope.   He was big eyed and looking alot but let down real quick.  His backup was super soft, he remembered his leadbys, rope around his middle to prepare for the cinch, changing eyes.   I could see some areas in him that with a little work will be better. His balance and movement with better direction from me got better as we went along.  With the improvement of my technique over the years, I could spot these little things that I overlooked years ago.  I could see what I settled for years ago, but even in this first session I could start to improve upon his balance and placing of his feet and do less to get more.   The 8 year old, was the same,  he showed me what he knew from years ago, areas in him were better than the 11 year old, here again  I had a better technique when I started him, but we could improve on it, today, after all these years.   I was so proud of the boys, it was such a fantastic moment,  I had tears in my eyes.  It was so heart warming to  see that  horsemanship with quality, really, really does last.     That is all these two horses have known.

The other afternoon I was bringing in the fillies.  A three year old, a two year old and a yearling, all sorrels.  I call them the “red ladies”.   The yearling, Summer, saw me coming to call them into their pen for the night from the pasture.  She was the first to come up to me.  We met at the gate and an opportunity presented itself to work on a little confidence between the two of us.   I reached out to pet and scratch her, which she reached for me, to accept.  I needed her to go on through the gate and come with me.  I suggested she rock back on her hind and get balanced by touching her chest and having my hand every so slightly on her nose to discourage forward movement.  As she started to balanced herself and lifted throughout her body to send energy unto her hindquarters, I took my hand from her chest.  I moved my hand from her nose and directed at her eye to cross over a step to her right.   I could see that she was a bit confused so I stepped in front of her and she followed me to the right with the nicest easiest cross over step you could ask for.  I had to smile to myself, for a change I set it up and let the horse find it, just let it happen.   I catch myself supporting and directing a horse entirely through a maneuver.  Forgetting to let go and let it happen, until it has happened.   It is before what happens, happens, as Ray Hunt would say, that makes all the difference to the horse.   You can never really get a feel of a horse until you begin to know why things happened for the good or for the bad.   Release is so important, but that timing makes the release mean something to the horse.  But before a release will mean something, the horse needs to be in balance within himself so that he is prepared to make a step or maneuver that has some quality to it.  It is when you feel the horse about to make a move in the direction you asked that you release.  It may be right, it may be sort of right, or it may not be anything like you had in mind but it was a try.  That timed release allows him do it on his own, search and learn, and it means something to him and helps him to connect with you more and more each time that happens.  You can develop a feel with a foal or yearling, long before you think about riding.  Always keeping in mind balance, timing and feel, in very short sessions with these youngsters, can help them have the confidence to go on their first ride like it was their tenth ride.

The 2012 Legacy of Legends event is being planned and the dates are set.  Mark you calendars and start making plans to attend this fantastic event.  The next event will be held February 3-5, 2012 at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center in las Vegas, Nevada.     Go to www.alegacyoflegends.com for more information and details as they come available.   I attended last years’ event and I have made my plans to attend this event.        Photo by: Heather Hafleigh

Guest Post by Dr. Madalyn Ward

Horse Health Care in Heat and Humidity

Horses have difficulty dealing with dry heat, but they have even more
difficulty coping with the combination of heat and humidity. Part of
the reason is that horses can cool off in dry heat through the
evaporation of sweat, but in humid weather sweat just serves to
insulate your horse, making him even hotter. Plus, some horses have
trouble sweating (anhydrosis) during humid weather, which means they
have no way to cool off at all.

Is Your Horse Too Hot and Humid?
Luckily, there are simple ways that you can help your horse stay cool
during hot humid weather. During these weather conditions, the first
thing to do is to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI):
simply add the air temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) to the
percentage of humidity.

For instance, if the air temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the
humidity is 60 percent, the THI is 140. When the THI reaches about
150, your horse may have difficulty cooling off. At a THI of 180, you
should not work your horse and you should take active steps to keep
him cool.

Another method to check whether your horse is getting too hot during
humid weather is to take his temperature. A horse’s normal temperature
range is between 99.5 and 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and can reach 103
and 104 degrees during workouts. If your horse’s temperature reaches
105, he is danger of being overheated and can suffer chronic or
permanent damage. Above 105 degrees, your horse will be suffering from
heatstroke and will need immediate veterinary attention.

5 -Ways to Keep Your Horse Cool in Heat and Humidity
Good horse health care during hot humid weather is neither complicated
nor difficult. You just need to be proactive. Here are 5 steps you can
take to keep your horse cool and comfortable.

1. Offer Plenty of Cool Water
Like people, most horses prefer to drink cool tasty water on hot humid
days. For a horse that means having access to plenty of cool (shaded)
water in deep buckets or troughs. In hot weather many horses want to
drink deeply. Drinking plenty of cool water will help your horse stay
cool. A horse at rest will drink 10 gallons or more per day, while a
horse in work can drink twice as much. Avoid automatic waterers, which
only allow horses to sip rather than gulp water. Plus, water from
these automatic devices tend to taste like chlorine, which many horses
dislike.

2. Provide Well-Ventilated Shade
Most horses can cope with hot humid weather in their natural
environment, but stalled horses can often become overheated due to
poor ventilation. To keep these horses cool, provide ventilation with
strong fans. Adding misters that spray droplets of water can also keep
confined horses cool. For pastured horses, offer well-ventilated
run-in sheds if trees are not available for shade.

3. Cool Your Horse Before and After Workouts
Horses in training should be kept as cool as possible before, during,
and after workouts. Before starting a training session, you may want
to hose down your horse with cool water. Keep training sessions short
and to-the-point, as horses worked at higher intensity over a short
period of time are less likely to overheat than horses worked at low
intensity over a long period of time. Finally, wash your horse down
after his workout. Be sure to scrape off excess water after his bath
since water can act as an insulator if left on his skin. Don’t bathe
horses who have trouble sweating (anhydrosis). Instead, sponge these
horses with air-temperature water mixed with a liniment like Sore No
More. This practice also helps horses who are prone to heat rashes.

4. Provide the Right Horse Feed
Don’t feed a lot of hay during hot humid weather since the digestive
process can make your horse feel even hotter. Instead, consider
cutting back on grass hay and adding a flake of alfalfa. In addition,
you can keep your horse’s gut healthy and functioning with probiotics
such as Acidophilus and Bifidus from Simplexity Health, or Pro-Bi.
Offer daily electrolytes in the morning feed if your horse is in work.
Finally, consider adding cooling foods such as blue-green algae,
apples, citrus foods, barley grass, fresh peppermint, lemon balm, or
cilantro.

5. Consider Your Horse’s Fitness and Environment
Horses who are fit and well-conditioned usually adapt to hot humid
weather more easily than horses who are out of shape. In addition,
horses who live in constantly warm climates are also more adaptable to
this kind of weather than horses who live in climates with extreme
seasonal changes. Take these factors into consideration when deciding
how much heat and humidity your horse can stand before his health is
adversely affected.