Rocky Mountain Horse Expo: March 9-12

A great way to get geared up for spring riding and competing is the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo.

Hosted this Friday through Monday at Denver's National Western Complex, this event has everything a horse person could ask for -- including clinics, art, shopping and competitions.

The clinics are a great learning experience for every level of horse person. This year's featured clinician, Julie Goodnight, is a Colorado local but is known nationwide as the Horse Master and has her own show on RFD-TV.

Other clinics include cattle working with Jeff and Gerrie Barnes, working obstacles with Debbie Bibb, an introduction to three-day eventing, starting your horse over fences and improving your horsemanship.

The expo also features an art show and craft fair as well as an extensive trade show. Riders can spend hours just wandering this area to find all sorts of tack, clothing, supplies and decorations.

Those who want to watch the horses will have many opportunities at the expo. All of the clinicians will work with several riders, but you can sign up to “Ride with an Expert” next year by visiting the website.

A miniature horse and pony show will be held all three days. The “Mane Event” on Friday and Saturday nights will feature reining, dressage, vaulting and other exciting riding which shows off both horse and rider.

While the expo brings together many excellent horse people, it also is hosting the Holistic Horse Fair and many related clinics. As with holistic health care for humans, many of the ideas of holistic horsemanship are not founded in reality or science. While some of their methods or ideas may be harmless, many are not and could lead to injury or death of rider or horse. If you choose to participate in these clinics, please be cautious when applying any of these ideas and use common sense. If something sounds dangerous or if you do not know what is in the supplements you are giving your horse, ask your veterinarian or trainer, or avoid that activity.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo!

Cross Country Schooling Opportunities

As spring approaches, it's time to start schooling and getting yourself and your horse ready for the show season.

The Front Range provides many opportunities for cross-country schooling. Each course offers a unique combination of jumps, terrain and atmosphere.

Lory State Park 

Lory, located west of Fort Collins, has a great variety of trails and conditioning opportunities as well as a wide variety of cross-country jumps. The course was originally built to host recognized events, so jumps range from beginner novice through prelim. It has been many years since these events were held at the park, so many of the jumps are not well maintained. Colorado State University's English riding club has been doing maintenance on the jumps, however, so plenty of schooling opportunities remain.

Before jumping, please inspect the jumps as well as the approach and landing because there may be hazards both on the ground and on the jump. The jumps are scattered throughout the south valley, so some great opportunities can be found by simply taking some time to wander around.

Lory State Park charges a parking fee unless you have a Colorado State Parks pass.

Windy Wyoming at Wyoming Territorial Prison Park

Installed a few years ago at the park in Laramie and still under construction, this cross-country course is only open on specific days throughout the year. Riders will need to contact the Windy Wyoming Eventing Club for more information.

A fee is charged for schooling and use of the park grounds. All the jumps are safe and up to competition standard because the park hosts several schooling shows and an annual recognized event. Full courses through preliminary level are featured.

With a wide variety of jumps and more coming soon, this course will evolve into a great place to both school and compete.

Spring Gulch

Located just south of Colorado Highway 470 in Littleton, this park is a great place for beginners and introducing horses to the next level of jumps. The jumps and terrain here are friendly and inviting and promote confidence for both horse and rider.

Several schooling shows and recognized events are held here, many of which support the local pony club and young riders' groups. A parking fee is charged unless you have a Colorado State Parks pass.

Tomora Training Center

Located on the west side of Greeley, this course is easy to access from U.S. Highway 34. To school here, you must sign up for lessons with the trainer on site. The farm hosts several events and schooling shows each year, so schooling here is great preparation for those shows. An expansive schooling area is featured, and some unique jumps are great practice for your horse and rider.

Remember to never school cross country alone. Always school with your trainer and wear your helmet, vest and boots. Enjoy schooling, and good luck at your shows this year!

Spring into action with rider fitness

Guess what? It's almost spring - and with spring comes the start of a new show season.

Have you slacked off this winter? Are your breeches and boots getting a bit tight? Or are you just looking to be more fit and more competitive this show season? In any case, it's time to start an exercise program for both you and your horse.

The keys to getting back into shape are simple and apply to rider and horse alike:

• Don’t push yourself too hard. This can lead to injury, which can put you even further behind on getting into shape for show season.

• Create a plan you can stick to and which challenges your mind and body. If you or your horse get bored with a program, you won’t be able to stick to it.

• Incorporate a variety of exercises so that you work all of your muscle groups and continually challenge your muscles.

• Most importantly, have fun!

Every rider will work a bit differently. Some prefer group efforts or going to the gym. Others prefer to work at home on their own. Find what works for you.

Local tack stores such as Jax Farm and Ranch and Happy Horse have a library of books on rider fitness and getting your horse into shape. Remember that you not only need to do work on yourself and your horse, but also with both of you working together.

Those old exercises your instructor made you do, the ones you thought were torture, actually are great for getting both rider and steed into shape:

Try working without stirrups, especially at the trot. Slowly extend the amount of time you trot and post without stirrups to increase your strength and balance while your horse gets a cardio workout.

Spending time in your two-point position will not only strengthen your legs but also allow your horse to pick up its back, strengthen its abdominal and back muscles, work on extended gaits and do some stretching.

Ask your riding instructor or a friend to give you lunge-line lessons so that you can work on your balance and strength without interfering with the horse.

Another great way to get into riding shape is to incorporate some yoga or pilates into your fitness plan. Julie Leiken of Boulder has a great program designed to use pilates instruction to improve riding and communication between horse and rider. She offers clinics, group and private lessons both in dressage and pilates.

Good luck meeting your fitness goals!

Bobcat Ridge: A hidden paradise

Just south of Masonville off County Road 27 is a great natural area ideal for horseback riding. Bobcat Ridge has miles of trails and sweeping views of the valley and mountains.

A well-maintained parking lot with room for eight horse trailers greets visitors. The parking area is a loop with horse-trailer parking at the end for easy in-and-out access. A  trough and running water are available for horses.

The trails are all well marked, but riders need to be careful to stay on those designated for horses. The horse trail heads out from the south side of the parking lot and parallels the foot and bike trail. These trails rejoin at “the shelter,” a covered picnic area with informational signs.

Here, the valley loop branches. Follow it through the valley and toward a historic cabin, or follow it west and stop at the cabin on the loop back. Following the valley loop west, head south on the Eden Valley trail or north on the Valley Loop. The Ginny Trail continues west, but is not open to horses. The western branch of the Valley Loop winds along the edge of the hills, providing varied scenery and terrain.

The only horse access to Mahoney Park is via the DR Trail, which branches off the northern end of the Valley Loop. The loop turns east across the valley, then heads back south. A short trail branches off the loop and gives access to a bathroom and picnic area near the cabin. Both these areas provide hitching posts for horses. Be careful to follow the horse part of the Valley Loop, as it winds through the valley bottom and back to the parking lot.

The trails are well maintained, and the Valley Loop provides a nice afternoon walk or a great opportunity for conditioning and schooling. Some of the trails connect to national forest and private property, so equestrians need to be careful where they ride.

Happy Trails!

Trailering: How to fix and Prevent Issues

Many horses have problems with trailers. Whether they don’t load, don’t stand, don’t unload or will only load in certain trailers, these issues make moving a horse a nightmare.

Trailering issues can keep you from moving the horse to a new stable, going on trail rides or going to shows. They even can be a matter of life and death if the horse needs to get to a veterinarian.

Many people think in the short term -- "How do I get my horse in the trailer right now?" -- but fixing trailering issues is a long-term project which is only made more difficult by many short-term fixes.

Ideally a horse will be trained in how to load and trailer properly when young, and future issues will be prevented by making trailering a good experience for the horse and making the horse trailer a safe place for it. If your horse was not lucky enough to have a good trainer when learning how to trailer, it will need your patience and understanding to become a good traveler.

In the short term: How to load your horse:

• Plan ahead.
• Have all of the supplies you will need ready.
• Lunge line
• Whip
• Rope halter
• Multiple people
• Hay, grain or treats
• Have trailer attached to the truck and ready for horses.
• Trailer does not have to be cleaned.
• The smell of other horses may comfort your horse and make the loading process easier.
• If your horse is used to a hay bag, having that ready in the front may also make loading more appealing.
• Make the trailer as open and inviting as possible.
• Open windows so the horses have light and air.
• Open all doors.
• Walk, facing forward, with your horse.
• Walk with purpose.
• Don’t expect problems, but be prepared for the horse to not enter the trailer.
• Stay calm, trying to keep the horse quiet.
• Loading should not be stressful for you or the horse.
• The person leading the horse should keep forward pressure on the halter if the horse is not walking forward.
• When the horse is moving forward, pressure should be released as a reward.
• Rope halters provide a sharper pressure to move forward and can be that extra incentive for the horse to listen to you.
• Know your horse.
• Know what sort of stimulus will help the horse and what will be detrimental to the situation.
• If the horse responds well to whips, use that to encourage it to step into the trailer.
• If the horse does not like whips and tends to get excited or scared, do not bring out the whip; use the lunge line.
• Make sure experienced horse people are there to help you
• Plan for this process to take a while.

Once you have your horse loaded, reward it. Give hay, grain, treats, praise or to whatever your horse responds best so that getting on the trailer is a good experience.

In the long term: How to have a horse that loads and trailers consistently:

Having a long-term strategy means you won’t have to have a fight every time you take your horse someplace. Taking several steps can get this accomplished.

• First: Make the trailer a safe place for the horse.
• Load the horse at home.
• Don’t drive anywhere.
• Unload after a short period.
• Have the horse eat its dinner or grain in the trailer.
• Load and unload several times.
• Second: After the horse loads at home consistently:
• Go for short rides.
• Only unload at home.
• The horse will realize it always comes home.
• Make the rides pleasant for the animal.
• Third: Short excursions.
• Go to trails or shows that are close to home.
• Make the experience short and pleasant.
• Avoid difficult rides or stressful shows.
• Fourth: Preventing problems.
• Keeping a hay bag in the trailer will make the horse much happier about being there.
• Drive quietly, brake early and turn slowly, giving the horse time to brace for maneuvers.
• Trailer often.
• The more that trailering is part of a horse’s routine, the less likely you are to have problems.

Stay patient. Good luck!

Devil's Backbone: Gorgeous Scenery and Endless Trails

Distinctive rock formations on a ridge above the trail give the Devil's Backbone tract its name and provide beautiful and unique scenery for horseback riders.

This Larimer County Open Space area is just off U.S. 34 on the west edge of Loveland. Its parking lot has plenty of room for trailers but can be crowded on weekends.

The trail takes off from the west end of the parking lot and into a small ravine. Following the signs, the horse trail goes next to a set of stairs made for hikers and goes through a ditch rather than over the pedestrian bridges. The trail then winds through a valley offering gorgeous views of the Devil’s Backbone rock formation. The valley trail goes for a few miles, then crosses the valley and heads up a hill. This hill gets a bit rocky and steep, so make sure your horse has strong feet or good shoes. The views from the top of the hill stretch for miles and make the climb worth it.

Snow on the ground makes for some slick spots from both ice and mud, but the trail is very rideable in winter otherwise. The valley creates a bit of a wind tunnel, so it's advisable to dress for wind and colder temperatures. As the snow melts on warmer days, this is a perfect place on which to enjoy the sunshine because the trail stays on the eastern side of the mountain for several miles.

The Devil's Backbone trail holds endless possibilities, since it can be followed to the Rimrock open space, then through Horsetooth Mountain Park and into Lory State Park. The ride from the Devil’s Backbone trailhead to Lory's visitor center is about 15 miles. This can be a great day ride if you pack a lunch. Many other options along the trail can provide any length of ride desired.

Time for New Year's resolutions

Happy New Year!

For equestrians, it's time for resolutions and figuring out how to make this year better than last. This is a great opportunity to analyze where you and your horse are and what you can do to make your relationship better.

Your resolutions will depend on what level you and your horse have reached and what sort of riding you do. When you make a resolution, make sure it is achievable within the year for both you and your horse. Break the resolution into smaller goals to hit throughout the year so that you can measure your progress and feel you are sticking to the plan. Set up ways to remind yourself of these goals throughout the year.

My goal this year is to ride new trails -- so my small goals are to ride one new trail each month and blog about it. To achieve this, I will need to do research to find new trails in the areas I ride often, as well as finding new areas.

There will be some obstacles to achieving this goal. I will probably need to drive farther than usual to find these areas and may be disappointed in some of the places I find. I am prepared for these issues, however, and know that the reward of learning how to research and find new trails will make up for the disappointments.

Other goals for you and your horse may be:

• Going to more shows. Set a number of shows you want to attend this year, and spend some time looking at show calendars and planning which shows you want to see or participate in.
• Trying a new type of show. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do an endurance race, compete at a three-day event or try a working cow-horse event. You should pick a show, probably toward the end of summer. This will give you enough time to train for the competition, and will be during your horse’s peak fitness since most people ride more during summer.
• Getting over a fear or problem. Does your horse have trailering problems, doesn’t tie well or has a fear of clippers? Getting over these issues takes time and practice. To achieve these goals, set aside time every day or every week to work on a small aspect of the problem. Plan to have a lot of patience and work with your trainer to get tips, ideas and help with getting your horse over these issues.
• Fitness goals. Want to do a 100-mile ride by summer's end? Want to be able to ride a full hour without stirrups? Break these into smaller steps, and set weekly or monthly goals to work toward. Set up rewards for achieving these smaller steps so you keep closing in on the bigger goal.

Set your goals, write them on a calendar and hold yourself to them. Remember, making a resolution is about changing a small aspect of your life for the year. It takes commitment and resolve to achieve these goals, so make sure they're what you truly want to do.

Good luck in 2012!