Summers in the south can be brutal for not only you, but for the animals you ride and haul. Those of us who compete with horses in some form or fashion know how important it is for the horse to be at its best in order to perform well. It is our duty as owners to make sure that they are as comfortable as possible in the heat while at home and on the road.

Preparation for a show begins at home, so let’s talk about care at home to battle heat. When visiting with professional horsewoman, Nancy Cahill, she expressed several things she does in order to keep her horses in top summer form.

Keeping them cool during schooling sessions
“For those of us in the South, we do the least amount of training in the summer,” Cahill said. “People in the North get less done in the winter. It’s what I call the “Texas opposite’.”

Riding schedules change during the summer months. Cahill said that they ride very early during the summer, and do not ride in the heat of the day. Riding in the heat takes a toll on the horses and it is hard on the riders as well.

Cahill also explained the importance of picking battles during the summer months, meaning save your horse’s energy for the important things.

“You have to save your horse,” she explained. “Do as little as possible before you work on your objectives for the day.”

The greatest importance on keeping a horse safe during the summer is allowing them to cool down during a work out. Never, ever let them overheat or get out of breath.

“When your horse gets hot, take them and let them sit in the shade and rest,” Cahill said. “You can’t walk a horse cool in Texas. You have to let them stand to cool down and air up.”

You never want to go so far as to let them get the ‘thumps’. This describes the situation where the horse is breathing very hard and very fast from being overworked. The danger in overheating and getting the ‘thumps’ is the possibility of causing anhydrosis, or the inability to sweat. This condition is quite common in equine athletes. Once a horse become anhydrodic, constant measures must be taken to protect them from overheating in the future. Cahill gave a recommendation of One AC to aid in controlling the negative effects of anhydrosis in the horse.

“If we have a hard time getting a horse to cool down, we will stick them in front of a big fan and let the air blow on them,” Cahill said. “With that oxygen blowing in their face, they will usually cool off in about five minutes.”

Keeping cool in the stall
Horses get hot in the barn stalls down here in Texas and the southern states. Offer your horse all the water it can drink. Electrolytes are a good addition to regular drinking water to replenish what is used up during a workout, much like Gatorade does for us. Electrolytes can be added to water or feed. In Cahill’s barn, horses go on electrolytes as soon as the weather starts getting warm.

Fans are a nice addition to a stall and to the aisleways. Simple box fans serve their purpose well when bungied to the grill and allowed to blow air into the stall. Cahill described her method of fanning a stall. She said she uses a 2” x 6” board behind a fan to angle it slightly to allow air to direct down.

“The fans need to be turned a bit toward the stall’s ground to blow the air up,” she said. “The bottoms of those stalls get so hot, so you need to tip the fan to cool off that bottom air.”

Keeping cool at the show
When you get to a show, get yourself organized as quickly as possible and get your horses out of the hot trailer. The stalling may not be ideal and airy, but it will likely be cooler than the trailer. Getting your horses out and to a cooler place will keep them less stressed.

Make the best of your stalling situation and come prepared. Bring your box fans and extension cords. Get those things up and running when you bed your stalls so your horses will have a cool place to go. Put at least one fan up per stall, or two if you possibly can.

Bring your electrolytes to add as a supplement like you do at home. Keep plenty of water in front of them. Take breaks during the day while competing to offer your horse water. If you have a finicky drinker on the road, Cahill advised to add a little Gatorade to the water at home and keep up that routine at a show. The horse will never know the difference in water when it is flavored like they are used to it.

When it’s hot and supper time comes around, you may discover you also have a finicky eater on the road. Cahill advised to entice them to eat by putting in a little sweet feed into their normal ration to make it more flavorful, once again, reducing the stress of going off feed.

Worth the extra effort
It does take some extra time and effort to keep your horses cool during these awfully hot southern summers, but it is obvious that they appreciate it. It is surprising how much better your horses will perform when they are kept comfortable and unstressed. When we do our part, they will do theirs.

About the Contributor: Nancy Cahill has been a professional horse trainer, instructor and clinician for over 35 years. She has won AQHA World Championship titles, trained numerous World Champions, and coached the U.S. Team for the Youth Quarter Horse World Cup. To learn more about Nancy, read tips, and view her selection of horsemanship, western riding, and trail tapes, visit www.nancycahill.com.

Concentration:
Working Quarter Horses

Bloodlines:
Scottish
Skips Ego
Skipper W

Mission: "To breed and raise Versatile Quarter Horses that will do everything we ask and do it all well!"

Location: Bruneau, ID

RanchForeman Member Since: 2004

Preparing yourself and your horse for a show/show season can be a little unnerving if you allow it to become that way. Through my experience of showing horses over the years, the most important keys are to get organized and stay prepared. The further out that you can prepare, the better off you are.

Have a Game Plan
Make sure that you have a game plan, even a year out. I like to sit down at the beginning of each year and make a list of goals that I would like to achieve that year, and then research what it will take to accomplish those goals. You need to look at rules and regulations for each particular association that you will be competing with. For instance, if your goal is to qualify a horse for the AQHA World Show, you need to know when the qualifying season (the period of time that you will have to earn points over the year) is and how many points that you will need in your specific events. Look at a schedule and a map of where the shows are in your area, and try to hit the ones that are reasonable in size and distance. For instance, you don’t want to drive all over the country for a ½ point when there are larger shows in your area that you could gain more points.

Prepare to be at a show
Before you even start packing, make a list of what all that you will need at the show...for horses and yourself! *Remember, the goal is to be prepared* You want to be able to go to the show, unload, set up…and do so with the least amount of stress on you and your animals. I like to load the truck and trailer the day before I leave, so that I can add things before we leave that I might have previously overlooked. There are a lot of things to remember, and each person’s list is going to be slightly different. Things I try to always have on hand: several extension cords (varying lengths), fans, duct tape, bungee cords, zip ties, hose (for wash rack and stalls).

Getting your horses settled in
When you arrive at the show, the first thing to do is getting the stalls and horses situated. Now I do realize that the goal when you are at a show is to have good ride, not to have the prettiest stall. However, I also know that when everything is in order around me, I feel less stressed and I can focus on what I need to: my horse (and not… ‘Where the heck are the wire cutters? Pitchfork? Fly spray? Show pad? Bridle? etc.?’).

Take care of paperwork and get familiar with the grounds
After your horses are bedded and taken care of, you need to make a trip to the show office. Again, having all of your papers that you will need (this includes knowing ahead of time what papers are needed for what shows, i.e.-health certificates, association cards, papers, coggins, etc.). Complete your needed paperwork there and find out if and what the riding schedules are at that show. Some shows may have certain times that particular arenas are open for you to ride in. You will need to figure out where you will be showing, and where you feel like you would be able to get the best riding time in while you are at that particular show.

Riding schedules
Remember: It is not a social event if you are there to show. Your #1 focus and priority needs to be your horse(s). You may find out that the best time for you to ride is from 1am-5am in Barn ‘A’, that you will be showing in. If this is the case, it could be very busy in Barn ‘A’ at this time. Make sure that you think out what you need to accomplish during your ride at that time. If your horse needs to be ‘loped down’ before you can get to working on what you need to, go to Barn ‘B’ if it is open and less crowded, until you are ready to go over to Barn ‘A’ and work on specific maneuvers.

Feed schedules
Feeding schedules need to be maintained like they are at home. At the show, I personally don’t like to feed my horses late. I think it is unfair for them to be standing in their stalls, watching and hearing all the other horses at the show eating breakfast or dinner, while I am at the hotel lying in bed. Typically when this happens, you will arrive to some mad mouths to feed…and ‘mad’ is not something I want crossing their mind the day I am showing.

Get the game-day plan together
Plan the day(s) you are at the show accordingly. You need to know as close to possible what time you might be showing. Have numbers in correct places (on shirt or pad) before hand. Check over bridles and saddles that everything is assembled and working properly. Make sure to allow yourself enough time here to get yourself and your horse ready. If you will be riding your horses before, allow enough time to wash, let them dry and relax some before you have to saddle back up and warm-up before you show. Have someone there who will be able to help you with ‘last minute things’ and ‘finishing touches’. This needs to be someone that is horse-savvy enough to help and not hinder. Someone who can carry your essentials to the back gate and is willing to do whatever needs to be done before you go in. Lastly: You do not want to be rushed and scattered…if you are before you go in to compete, it usually shows in your ride.

Take care of yourself
Your #2 focus and priority is you. You must be able to have your horses and yourself in the best condition that you can be in. Therefore, if you are riding from 1am – 5 am, you will probably need to get some sleep during the day. Take care of yourself while you are at the show, make sure you eat and sleep as good as possible. Horse shows are one of the best places in the world to get sick, which isn’t always conducive to being your most productive. Take care of yourself so that you can be your best.

Have confidence in your abilities
Mental aspects of showing also play a big part in showing and competing. Do not change your riding and training program when you get to the horse show. If it works for you at home, it will work for you there. Don’t let yourself start watching what other people are doing and change what you are doing. You also don’t want all other things (stress, drama, etc.) going on in your life ‘clouding’ your mind when you are getting ready to show. You need a clear mind, so that you can focus on the task at hand: showing your horse. When you get on your horse it is not about all the stresses that this world puts on you, it’s about you and your horse – remember that. Enjoy it! If you think back, that’s why most of us ride horses…because we love it! Get out there and have fun - It is about having the best ride on that particular horse on that particular day that you can have. A good friend always tells me, “It always feels worse than it looks!”’

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

About the author: Alicia Howard is an independent consultant in the horse industry. Alicia won the National Reining Horse Association’s Rookie of the Year in 2005. She has a lifetime’s worth of experience with horses, including training, coaching and showing. Alicia is a graduate of Texas A & M University with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and Master’s in Equine Exercise Physiology. She will be showing her reiner, Fitz Fritz, at the AQHA World Show in November 2006.

In the business world, all executives carry a briefcase. And when I picture this person in my mind, I think of someone in a nice suit and tie with a dress shirt and shiny shoes. I too am a business professional, not in the New York City sense, but still a business professional. Within our industry, the horse industry, we have to find unique ways to make our professionalism have that rustic style that goes with what we do. That is why this month’s Connoisseur’s Corner gives a rundown on having a custom leather briefcase made.

I had the fortunate opportunity to visit a while with Trophy Tack’s Shop Manager and saddlemaker, Corey Storck. He took me through the process of ordering the perfect piece to take to your business meetings and presentations, or simply something with pizzazz to case your horse papers.

Storck said to start with picking the style you like. With several styles to choose from, decide what you plan on doing with the piece and go from there. There is the fold over-style, which has the leather flap that closes over the top and buckles to the front; the portfolio-style which is similar to a portfolio that zips all the way around with handles at the top - either hard handles or fold-down handles; and there is your classic hard briefcase that locks.

“Most people know what they want, but if they don’t, the person needs to decide what they will carry,” Storck said. “The fixed and folding handle (portfolio-style) are lighter duty briefcases and work well for paperwork. The fold-over briefcase can take more stress and are good for books and even laptops.”

Once you know what style you want to carry, you will need to pick your tooling pattern. Usually, you should have samples from which to choose. The more ornate tooling patterns will be designs such as oak leaf, acorn, California, etc. Geometric patterns are less ornate and will be designs like the basketstamp or wafflestamp. There are many patterns to pick from and many combinations as well. Names, initials or brands are also options when deciding on decoration.

Tooling Patterns #1
Tooling Patterns #2

Along with decoration comes silverwork. This is an option that can add a lot of bling to a piece, tastefully of course. With some makers, you will have the option of having custom silverwork made for your piece. Others you may have to supply it. Most of the briefcases will come with the standard buckles and fitting or the option of upgrading to custom made buckles, conchos or plates for their piece.

Silver Examples #1
Silver Examples #2

“We have an individual that does all our custom silverwork,” Storck said. “This is really a nice way to fix it up a little more.”

Once all the decisions are made, a price is discussed. When talking with Storck, he told me that you will have an average base price and you can go up or down from there. Most fully-tooled fold-over briefcases run about $900. Fixed handle portfolio styles run around $650. Doing things such as adding silver will increase your price, or reducing the amount of tooling will decrease the price.

I think that when you spend the money and time to have a piece custom made just for you, you need to feel completely confident that you are going to be happy with it, so I asked Storck about a guarantee.

“If our customer is not satisfied, we redo it,” Storck said. “It’s our product and we know it is important to our customer so we guarantee that they are satisfied.”

Unfortunately that is not always the case, so be sure and address the satisfaction guarantee when placing your order with a maker.

When the design is decided and the payment is made, the waiting begins. Yes, this is the part no one likes, but for a custom briefcase from Trophy Tack you can expect to have it in your hands eight to ten weeks after your order is placed. From wherever you may have your piece made, enjoy it when you get it. It always a pleasure knowing you are the only one in the world with a briefcase that looks like your custom piece!

Photo: Custom fully tooled fold-over briefcase with custom silver from Trophy Tack. Price as pictured - $1300.00.
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About Trophy Tack: Trophy Tack is a saddle and tack shop located in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. They have been creating custom-made, hand-crafted items since 1980. For more information contact Trophy Tack at (800) 876-0340 or visit them at www.trophytack.com

Bachman Quarter Horses of Bruneau, is located in southwest Idaho, in a small ranching community in the Bruneau River Valley near the Bruneau Canyon and the Bruneau Sand Dunes. The ranch is run by Frank and Cindy Bachman. Good using Quarter Horses is their specialty.

The Bachman Quarter Horse’s stallion is Ted Scott (Scudder Tom X Fancie Scotti Lace) a double great-grandson of the Wiescamp stallion Scottish. Purchased in 1998, the buckskin dun stallion is pleasing the Bachmans with his foals.

Horses are raised in their natural environment traveling through rough canyon trails, sagebrush, rocks and creeks. Horses spend summers on the high desert at Clover Crossing and spend winters in the Bruneau Valley.

Each February, the ranch sells well-started, three-year-old horses in the annual Colyer Hereford/Angus Bull Sale.

The mission at Bachman Quarter Horses is "To breed and raise Versatile Quarter Horses that will do everything we ask and do it all well!"