By: April Clay

Question:

There are some people, some fellow competitors, who try to ‘psyche me out’ sometimes.

They say these little comments to try and get me off my ride. I find this annoying, and worse yet, I sometimes fall for it!

How can I become mentally tough enough to deal with these kinds of people?
continue reading "The ‘Nasty’ Competitor Comment"

by John Lewis

Riding a half-halt correctly is vital for all levels of training and competition, yet for some reason large numbers of riders never seem to master it or realize its importance.

In most cases, they are confused about what the half-halt really is supposed to achieve and, to a greater extent, about the term itself, which is something of a contradiction.
continue reading "The Half-Halt made Easy"

The one-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games celebration was held on August 8 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui.

With a year to go, all equestrian venues are operating, and a test event with international riders is underway this week.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has invested more than HK$800 million ($108 million CAD) in building the venues for the equestrian events and supporting facilities within just 18 months.

At Sha Tin, recognized worldwide as a leading centre of equine sports, the venues have been built in less than two years, adopting the most innovative ideas and making optimum use of existing sports facilities.
continue reading "Hong Kong begins countdown to Olympic equestrian events"

By Bob Goddard

The sight of horses in places where horses are not normally seen can cause great excitement:

“Look, Mommy! A horse!”

“I see him honey. But I’m not sure he belongs in the mall. I think he’s lost.”

“Why Mommy?”

“Well sweetie, he’s taking the escalator to the second floor. That’s the automotive department.”

“Can I have one Mommy?”

While everyone knows that horses belong in the country, there are exceptions.
continue reading "Urban Riders & Big Macs"

by Carin Smith, DVM

Your horse leans into your hand as you scratch just below its ear. You laugh as the horse’s weight nearly pushes you over. When you finish the horse shakes its head for a few moments. Is it just your imagination, or has your horse been shaking its head more often lately?

Then you notice a bald spot below the ear where your horse has rubbed the hair off from scratching against the fence post. Your horse has always liked being scratched, but this time you wonder if something is bothering its ear. Could there be something inside the ear?
continue reading "Your horse’s ears in health and disease"

Have you seen Canadian reiners in the news?

Send the Communication’s Committee a note at rccommunications@shaw.ca.

Reining Canada Board of Directors

FEI Reining Stewards Course in Oklahoma City

The NRHA will be holding an FEI Stewards Course during the NRHA Futurity this fall. Deadline for application is October 29.

For more information on just what a reining steward does, check out the FEI’s (Federation Equestre Internationale) guide on the subject at horsesport.org/r/ PDFS/Reining_Stewards_Manual_3-13-07_000.pdf

Reining Stewards are used at the international level only. With more international events taking place around Canada, the need is increasing.
continue reading "Reining Canada: September 2007"

If you’re considering buying or selling a Quarter Horse this fall, you’ll want to hitch up at Farmfair International in Edmonton.

The Alberta Quarter Horse Breeder’s Group is again teaming up with Northlands to offer their Fall Select Sale during Farmfair International in early November. In 2007, the show is slated for Saturday, November 3 in the UFA main show hall at Northlands AgriCom. The horses are displayed earlier in the day for interested buyers.
continue reading "Fall Select Horse Sale returns to Farmfair"