Cavallo has partnered with BOABH, as seen on RFD TV, for many years and the team at Cavallo are proud to call Tom and Pat Seay and all the BOABH team as friends. Cavallo hoof boots are the Official Hoof Boots of BOABH. In September this year they will be airing their 1000th episode which is going to be a major celebration and YOU are invited. As part of this milestone BOABH want to list EVERY rider and horse that has been part of their wonderful journey. Please take the time to read this letter to be sure you don’t miss out on the celebration!

Dear Friends of Cavallo Horse & Rider and Best of America by Horseback:

We will be announcing in a few days, a grand celebration trail ride!! We are at our 1,000th airing of our television show and want to use this very special occasion to celebrate all of our trail riders!! The “Tribute to the Trail Rider” event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio in cooperation with the Cuyahoga County Chapter of the Ohio Horsemen’s Council this September!

We are trying to contact every trail rider that has ever ridden with Best of America by Horseback over the years. Information from previous rides that was stored in our computer was lost due to a major storm a few years ago, resulting in a loss of many of our contacts and records. Therefore, we are asking for your help as we work to make the most complete list possible of every rider that has ridden with Best of America by Horseback. We wish to honor all these riders during this celebration by listing their names and their horse’s name in our keepsake magazine.

Please contact us to make sure we have you and your horse listed. Also, if you know of folks that were with us, especially in the early years, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this information with them and ask them to contact us as well. It does not have to be just the trail riders; we want to include all the dedicated volunteers or out rider at each event.

I am often asked of all the hundreds of places I have traveled around the world or the beautiful places I have ridden, which are the best? The truth is that it took me several years to fully realize that it was not the place itself as much as the people I was blessed to meet and ride with. These people I have had the privilege of meeting come to mind more often and mean so much to me.

I trust you will ride with me once more, perhaps at Crow Mountain in Alabama in June; Leatherwood Mountains in North Carolina or the Flying R Ranch in Missouri this fall. Or maybe it will be one of the Virginia State Parks or perhaps you can come to my home next week for the “Gathering at the Farm” event. Wherever you can join us, please know how much I truly love being with my viewers and fellow riders. I am so honored to ride with each of you and welcome every opportunity to do so.

Please contact us at 540-829-9555 or email tom@bestofamericabyhorseback.com to ensure your name is included in this very special “Tribute to the Trail Rider!”

TomSeay

Best of America by Horseback
“America’s Premier Trail Riding Television Show”
www.bestofamericabyhorseback.com

Watch weekly on the RFD-TV channel
Fridays at 12:30 pm ET & 10:30 pm ET
Sundays at midnight ET

It was an unseasonably cool spring afternoon; the sun was just dipping behind the western slopes as I drove down the narrow winding driveway that led to Joe Camp’s secluded Tennessee farmhouse.  As I rounded the bend by the old barn, I spotted Joe and Kathleen sitting in the corral.  They waved me over.  We exchanged handshakes and hugs and I took a seat in the chair between them as Joe fed Saffron, the BLM mustang they had adopted just a few weeks earlier.  She came to them as a pregnant mare who was supposed to foal in May, but apparently she didn’t get the memo.  Three days after arriving at her new Tennessee home in March, she surprised Joe and Kathleen with a brand new baby girl which they named Firestorm…Stormy for short.

Stormy was all over us as Saffron took hay from Joe’s hand.  Stormy nibbled at the pieces of hay that her mama dropped on my knee, and then she turned away for a butt rub.  I couldn’t help but think back three years before to that e-mail from Joe with those awful words “Malachi’s dead”. That’s all it said.  Noelle and Malachi were the first attempt at the wild mustang foaling experiment while Joe and Kathleen were still in California.  A freak accident put an end to that and broke Joe’s heart.  I wasn’t sure he would get over that experience, but here we were with a new baby and a new start.

Kathleen said, “You know where your room is”, and having visited before I climbed the stairs of the two story house and took the room on the right.  Benji followed close behind.

Joe’s house sits in a three sided bowl of sorts.  On three sides, everything is almost straight up.  Early in the morning those hills are alive with life.  The horses share their slanted pastures with deer and turkeys while groundhogs wander around the barn.  I’m an early riser so I sat in a rocker drinking my coffee and watched the age-old spring ritual as two male rabbits “danced” with each other over the affections of a female.  You couldn’t call it fighting because all they did was jump back and forth over each other’s backs.  This went on for quite some time.  All the while, Kathleen’s big fat cat kept eyeing my lap like she thought it would be a good place for a nap.  Nope.

Kathleen headed off to school, and I joined Joe at the barn for his morning session with Saffron and Stormy.  It was a very cool morning…and windy.  The horses were smelling things that we could not understand…things that millions of years of evolution have honed their instincts to be ready to run at the slightest sound or movement.

Joe said, “I’ll work with her a little later”, and he went off to feed the rest of the horses.

You’ve heard their names: Cash, Mouse, Mariah, Pocket….

I consider myself lucky that I’ve been able to become a part of Joe Camp’s world.  He’s a very successful movie director/producer, author and a great friend with a passion for horses and people.  We traveled completely different paths in getting to our destinations in the world of horses, but we’ve ended up with some of the same conclusions.  My journey started very early in life doing things “the way it had always been done just because that’s the way it’s always been done”.  After many years of observing horses and having them tell me “we prefer it this way”, I changed my ideas over time.  Joe, on the other hand, came into the horse world rather late in life, knowing virtually nothing.  He immediately started asking questions.  The conclusions he has drawn from his questions will lead to better lives for horses all over the world.  I know my horses are better off for the decisions I’ve made on their behalf.  Joe and I think alike about a lot of things…not everything, but most things.  We’re getting there.

My biggest regret is that it took me almost 60 years to find Joe Camp.

Vaughn Wilson is the author of the splendid and beautiful book: Tell Me About that Horse, chock full of warm stories, beautiful photographs and oil paintings by Vaughn.

http://www.tellmeaboutthathorse.com/

Do you think going on a ski trip is a bit of an effort?  I sure do!

You somehow manage to get up to a ski hill with your skis in tow, hope you have all the gear you need for any type of extreme condition. You struggle into your gear, schlepping polls and doing the Neanderthal trudge to the lift, unsuccessfully trying to be comfortable in your ski boots which flex about as much as a metal horse shoe. Then you stand in line to take a crispy cold passage up a lift that blows wind in your face icing your already rigid nasal hairs.

And then, in all its glory the first run presents itself and you begin with ecstatic glee to revel in the rewards of all your efforts. The day brings all the pleasure you anticipated. Your eyes glass over with bright excitement and a perma-smile imprints your face. You are full of life. You are invigorated. Your blood is pumping. Your heart is pounding. Your muscles ache in that fabulous way that lets you know you are making effort. Your commitment has paid off and you revel in it!

We do it because we love it. But it requires commitment.

Now here’s the comparison to freeing our horses from the confines of metal shoes. Why do we question this archaic practice? Because we love our horses and we know it’s the right thing to do. But in order to enjoy the rewards – this too requires commitment. We must have appropriate terrain, proper trimming, good hydration, social environment and adequate movement. We must understand the basic function of hoof mechanism and use protection for the soles when riding our horses.  It may all seem cumbersome, just like the ski preparation, but the rewards are there. And it too is glorious. When you get it right it’s like skiing that mountain. Health is established, well being is apparent and the exhilaration of riding with complete protection with Cavallo hoof boots is evident in your horse’s stride. At one with your equine companion, confident in the comfort you provide for him, the wind breezing through your hair and no frozen nostrils!

For all your hoof boot questions answered, please click here to sign up to receive your free downloadable booklet.

We live and work in the semi tropical rainforest off the coast of western Canada. This is cougar country – our horse’s ultimate predator.  They hide high in the evergreen branches and stalk with stealthy menacing intent. You’ll only see them when it’s too late. When riding out in the forest, we must have acute awareness of these crafty felines as well as momma bears with cubs. We wear bells and talk boisterously and when I’m alone I sing – loud. I really don’t want any surprises and neither do these dangerous beastly beauties. Rolling along it occurs to me from time to time just how vulnerable our horses are with their already dubious defenses compromised by captivity.  They are like a big welcoming meal for their adversaries.  They can’t run because they are fenced in and they can’t hide because they are too big. So what happens? Well they probably just live with fear for survival at some point every day. Of course, we too represent the predator. Eyes at the front of the head, lots of teeth, direct movements and a “let’s get ‘er done” attitude. It’s just our nature. And it’s just their nature. And in many ways they are at quite opposite ends of the range of desired behavior. We want them to do things at our bidding and we can’t understand when they don’t relate to our way of thinking.

Then along comes someone who speaks their language – the language of equis and with a little help from this ‘guy’, we can gain our horse’s trust, help them forget their low placement in the food chain and provide for them a leader they can trust to guide them to safety.    Enter Guy MacLean, one of my favorite Australians (and I’m now racking up quite a few). If he can get these horses to understand him in this environment, he is simply making it clear that he is the safety net, the herd leader and the head of the food chain.  Click here to check out a super fun video by Guy MacLean! And don’t ride out without the safety and protection of your Cavallo hoof boots!

Another way Simple boots help horses do their jobs!

I had to write and tell you that the Cavallo bridge saddle pad is the best thing I’ve done for my older horse. I noticed a remarkable difference on the first ride!   It was obvious he had a lot more comfort wearing this pad. Thanks for designing such a great product!

It’s true. Domestic horses and wild horses are genetically precisely the same. The horses in our back yard are really wild horses in captivity. Just like a baby tiger would be, even though his mom, grand mom, and triple-great grand mom were all born in captivity. That baby’s genetics are still the same as those beasts roaming the African jungles. The scientific fact, we discovered, is that it takes between 5000 and 10,000 years to even begin to change the base genetics of any species.

Which means the horses in our back yard have been programmed for millions and millions of years to live in wide open spaces where they can see predators coming, eat small bits of grass forage around the clock up to 18 to 20 hours a day, move 8-20 miles a day, on bare feet that can flex with each step to circulate blood within the hoof capsules, live with multiple horses for safety and security, and even balance their own diets if provided with enough choices to do so.

Who knew?

Obviously not us when we acquired our first horses, nor the experienced experts who were advising us with, This is the way it’s always been done! Our guys and girls all lived in a manner diametrically opposed to what their genetics were calling for. They lived in tiny little stalls where they could move at best 800 steps in a 24-hour day as opposed to the 8-20 miles a day their genetics called for. And we ultimately discovered that such a huge differential was not just affecting physical structure, it was affecting their digestion, their breathing, the health of their feet, and thereby immensely affecting their stress levels which, as medical science has finally come to realize, substantially affects all of their health. Their diet was mostly sugar in a bag, which we discovered is the absolute worst thing one can feed a horse, especially a confined one. Molasses is part of virtually every packaged feed in existence. Every grain in the same bag turns to sugar the instant it gets inside the horse. And, as mentioned above, horses are genetically programmed to eat grass forage (real grass or grass hay), little bits at a time, up to 18-20 hours a day. The horse’s hind gut is programmed to release digestive acid around the clock. Acid that digests grass hay (not sugar, not alfalfa, not pellets, not carrots, just grass hay). When that grass forage is not dribbling into the hind gut on a regular basis the acid has nothing to work on but the insides of the horse itself! Unlike humans whose digestive acid turns on and off depending upon whether food is present, the horse’s digestive acid never stops. So the grass forage needs to be there. Free-choice. Around the clock.

And then there’s the herd. We discovered that a horse in a stall who cannot commune with other horses gains yet another level of stress to endure. The purpose of the herd for a prey animal is safety and security. Being with other like animals is quite literally a safety net. There are more eyes to see trouble coming. And usually the dominant member of the group is also the number one watchdog. Being deprived of that comfort, at some level, breeds huge amounts of stress.

And please don’t ever let anyone tell you that horses should never eat green grass. Recently there have been a few voices out there claiming just that because the wild horses they studied were in an arid area of the Great Basin. But such a remark is scientifically incorrect. Horses have only been in the Great Basin for approximately 300 years. The wild horse evolved for those millions and millions of years in the American west from Texas through the Great Plains’ grasslands to the San Joaquin Valley and northward to the grasses of the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Horses are born to eat grass. Just be sure that when yours do, like in the wild, there are plenty of unfertilized native grass choices as well as other choices like weeds, brambles, berries, and trees so they can balance their own sugars which they are genetically capable of doing.

But as I mentioned earlier, we knew none of this a mere five years ago when we made the big leap into horses without a single clue. Maybe it helped, as they say, to come in with a clean plate. No baggage. No knowledge. Just an obsessive and compulsive urge to offer our new family members the very best life that we could. That urge-turned-insane-quest not only culminated in our herd living a life very close to the one they were genetically programmed to live, it spawned our first two books, The Soul of a Horse – Life Lessons from the Herd, a best seller thank you so much, and The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues, which together have changed the lives of thousands of horses and people all across the planet, for which Kathleen and I will be eternally grateful. Thankfully they are also humorous books. When you start where we started and really push the envelope there’s going to be a lot of stumbling around, a bunch of wrong turns, botched efforts, and, yes, stooopid mistakes. But, the trip has been so worth it and we are ever grateful to God for the opportunity to help make this planet a little better than we found it.

Which is why we needed to know all this. Our horses were born to be wild and we needed to know why. And what we should do about it. Cash, Mouse, Noelle, Mariah, Pocket, and Skeeter tell us how grateful they are everyday of our lives, and I can promise you there is no better feeling on earth. 

Read more on The Soul of a Horse website

Joe Camp is the author of the national best seller The Soul of a Horse – Life Lessons from the Herd, The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues and his new series of eBook Nuggets from the Soul of a Horse. He is also the creator of the canine superstar Benji and the writer-director of all five Benji movies.

At the foundation of any great footwear product, for humans or horses, is a strong durable well made sole. Eric Chiu is Cavallo’s trusted authority in this area. In fact, he and Greg have worked together for over 15 years. At that time it was on world renown Doc Martens in the Industrial Footwear area. Eric’s amazing company supplies high performance quality outsoles to not only Cavallo but to Wolverine, Caterpillar and another equine connection who we all know – Ariat.

We wrap up our China trip with a nice long visit with Eric and Jane. He makes the best coffee in China and they are a fundamental facet to ensuring that you get the quality you have come to trust in Cavallo hoof boots. They are not just suppliers. They are partners, who take a genuine interest and pride in being components of this global revolution. They are not just producing widgets. They are producing soles of boots that are the horse’s ticket to unprecedented comfort and protection. Saving horses with Cavallo Hoof Boots.

Carole & Jane Chen in the factory inspecting soles and slugs.

Carole & Eric going over development of something new and REALLY BIG for Cavallo.

An unseasonal chill swept through all activities on our most recent trip to China, until we started loading this 40 foot container. One 20 footer destined for Europe, one for the USA – these 2 metal boxes spell relief for thousands of horses freeing them of metal shoes. It’s amazing that in every little box of boots, one horse is destined to experience revolutionary comfort and protection for their hoofs – without harmful effects. Liberated from the jarring constraint of metal, healthy hoofs are on the way.

It was great to be there and share the feeling of accomplishment. Everybody pitching in including our factory managers, Greg and myself.

It’s not only Greg and I who are family, but the factory manager is the brother of the office manager and husband of the factory supervisor, who’s cousin is the pattern maker.  If that weren’t enough family connections to keep the environment warm and uplifting, many afternoons Shana may visit to be coddled by adoring staff, and often naps peacefully in her rocker.

What a team!