We had some unexpected company last week.

Our horses spend the winter in a brushy pasture on a bend in the Missouri River. It’s a nice place for shelter and they come in for hay and grain almost every day. The Missouri River is covered with ice right now, as well as a layer of snow over the ice. Usually there are several air holes (open water holes) in the area, but there must be some changes in the current this year because the river is frozen solid from bank to bank right now.

Last week we got a call from some folks on the other side of the river. They were missing some horses and suspected that they might have tried to cross the river on the ice. Sure enough, the missing ones showed up with our horses and had to be trailered home (about 30 miles by road and bridge) after their little half mile river crossing.

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Great Falls, Montana hosts the Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo every January as the best Montana cowboys and cowgirls compete for circuit event championships. It’s not an event for the faint of heart.

Along with the normal thrills and excitement of rodeo, you add the quirks of Montana weather. In the past 5 years of attending this rodeo, I remember one year that was so cold (mid forty below) that the hotel parking lot was full of diesel pickups running all night so they didn’t freeze up. Our room was on an outside wall and we were almost sick on diesel fumes by morning.

Another year was snowy and icy, with the roads hazardous to travel. A couple of other years were almost like spring, with temperatures above 30 degrees. Today I drove 8 hours on roads covered with freezing rain and black ice to get here….travel speeds were around 35 mph much of the way. I’m just glad I wasn’t one of the contestants pulling a horse trailer on those roads. Forecasts call for colder temps, more snow and continued bad roads throughout the weekend as people will head back home again.

The amazing thing is that those cowboys and cowgirls who qualified will all be here ready to compete at the 2009 Montana PRCA Circuit Finals tomorrow night. And not just the contestants will be here - rodeo committee members from across the state, judges, timers, officials and fans will all be present despite the weather.

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Lindsay Sears shared the limelight with her horse, Martha, as the pair won the 2008 barrel racing title in Las Vegas at the NFR this past weekend. Martha and Lindsay clinched the title in Round 8 by moving far enough ahead to secure the title. The good mare challenged the arena record several times during the week and won the hearts of many in the audience with her efforts.

The YouTube video below shows Lindsay and Martha making a run in 13.56 seconds during the 7th performance.

Just search for “Martha” and “barrel racing” on the internet and stories and comments abound from people who have seen her compete throughout the year.

Martha makes you feel good just watching her run. What a horse!

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The Farm Bureau Equine Seminar had a Horse Lameness panel speak briefly about diagnosing lameness in horses, and then answer audience questions on specific lameness issues. The panel consisted of Dr. Sarah Schreiber, her husband Dr. Mark Schreiber , and Beth Blevins.

Ms. Blevins stated that she almost always starts by checking the horse’s hooves when lameness is an issue, since 95% of lameness comes from hoof problems. Also, moving the horse at a trot in a circle will help identify which leg or foot is affected since the legs on the inside of the circle get the most stress. Sometimes it can be helpful to actually video the horse as it trots in a circle, and then play the video back, at slower speeds if possible, to better observe the problem.

Another method of diagnostics mentioned by Dr. Sarah Schreiber included flexing muscles and joints for a short period of time and then noticing if it affects the horse’s lameness. If so, they know to zero in on that particular area.

Dr. Mark Schreiber said that it is impractical to use radiographs or X-rays as a diagnostic tool before isolating the area that is the problem because of the expense, and because of the fact that they might turn up irregularities that were not actually causing the problem. Isolating the lameness area is the first step and then they can move on to x-rays or ultasound. X-rays are more for bone and joint problems, while ultrasound will do a better job with soft tissue problems.

The panel ansered questions from the audience afterwards. Many of the questions involved correct shoeing, natural balance shoeing, and types of shoes. Dr. Sarah Schreiber took a common sense approach to the shoeing questions, stating that she had seen cases where many different types of shoeing and shoes were successful, but that it depended a lot on the individual horse, their conformation, type of use, etc. as to what would be successful.

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The Montana Farm Bureau hosted a seminar in Billings, MT as part of their annual convention. The seminar covered equine issues, including horse dentistry, lameness, and horse marketing.

Dr. Sarah Schreiber, co-owner with her husband Dr. Mark Schreiber of the Moxey-Schreiber Veterinary Clinic in Sheridan, WY, spoke about different problems she has addressed with horses’ teeth and illustrated her remarks with slides of the teeth. Dr. Schreiber said that one of the most common problems that they see is “points” on the teeth, which are literally sharp points that form on the edges of teeth from uneven grinding as the horse chews. If left untreated these points can cause sores in the mouth of the horse, which then can cause problems with holding the bit (performance) and eventually cause them to lose condition (health). Points can be removed fairly easily by hand floating, and this can be done by a veterinarian on the ranch.

More serious and also more difficult to treat, are “hooks” which are larger long teeth that need to be either cut off or ground down with a power float. Dr. Schreiber credits the power float with saving the lives of older horses that would not be able to withstand the stress of being anesthetized to fix the hooks. Power floating is normally done at the vet clinic, but the horse can remain standing and does not need anesthetic.

She recommends that prospective horse owners check a horse’s mouth before purchasing, because defects such as “parrot mouth” can add a lot to their horse health issues and consequently their vet bill over the life of the horse. In her experience, a horse’s genetic makeup can also affect their teeth since some breeds seem to have more problems than others. She stated that she’s seen a lot of miniature horses with poor teeth, and mules seem to have good teeth.

It’s a good idea after age 10 or 11 to have a horse’s teeth checked every year to 2 years, but it varies a lot with each individual horse. Dr. Schreiber said watching a horse’s condition and habits can indicate a prospective problem before it becomes serious.

Dr. Sarah Schreiber and Dr. Mark Schreiber are pictured after the seminar answering questions for members of the audience.

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Several years ago my dear younger sister gave me a cap for Christmas. It was a denim color with Boss Mare across the front. I think there was just a little bit of attitude in the selection of this particular gift, but I have gotten the biggest kick out of wearing it over the past years.

Why? Because every time I wear it I think of some of the Boss Mares I have known in the past. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, it is the highest mare in the pecking order of the horse herd. A stallion will be the “boss” of the herd, but he leaves much of the direction and management up to the Boss Mare. She is usually in the lead as they travel and what she says goes!

Even in a small group of horses with just geldings and mares, there will usually be a boss mare that is either the most dominant member of the group or who attaches to the dominant gelding.

A few years ago we had a boss mare called P.K. She was dominant even as a younger horse, but by the time she was older she had every horse on the place convinced that she was in charge. She got the best feed, walked through the gate when she wanted, and the other horses cleared a path when she came by. Human logic would suggest that other horses would avoid P.K. in order to keep from getting in the way of her wrath, but horses know the value of the herd and having a strong leader.

One time we put her in the corral by herself and left the other horses loose in the pasture. After a day the outside group had still not gone out to graze. Through nickers and squeals from inside the pen, she had convinced them all to stay with her and I’m convinced that she threatened their lives if they even considered leaving. We couldn’t even drive those horses away from the corral when she was “talking” to them. They only left after we loaded P.K. in the trailer and took her away for a day of trail riding.

Anyway, I enjoy my “Boss Mare” cap and the best part is - Nobody questions me when I wear it!!

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Have you ever stopped to think about all the behind-the-scenes support people it takes to put on a rodeo? There are many hours of rodeo committee preparation before the event, and during the rodeo itself a lot of people are putting in their time making sure the rodeo runs smoothly.

For instance, the grand entry may involve horseback riders carrying sponsor flags. They had to get themselves and, often, their horses to the rodeo, practice the grand entry, warm up and groom their horses, and be available for flag runs before and during the rodeo. The video below shows sponsor flags being presented after the recent NILE rodeo in Billings MT.

Of course we expect the contestants to be there. But the pickup men have to be available to pull the cowboys off the bucking horses, and to get the stock out of the arena. They wait quietly for their turn to work.

Chute help works both ends of the arena, helping with the rough stock and the timed events and making sure that the cowboys have a fair chance. Even in the barrel race, you will find helpers raking the ground between barrel runs to keep the arena smooth and fast.

These are just a few of the support people for the rodeo. Each community has a core group of helpers that they call on to make sure the event runs smoothly. Look around next time you are at a rodeo and see if you can spot some of them. And if you do, be sure and tell them thank you. Most of them are volunteering their time and efforts.

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What a difference a year makes! Last year when Dickinson ND cowboy, Dusty Hausauer, competed in the saddle bronc riding at the 2007 NILE rodeo, he didn’t know if he would be competing at the NFR or not. He was in the 15th position at the time, but had the possibility of being bumped down during the final tour rodeo. Billy Etbauer ended up winning the 15th slot, and Dusty stayed home from Vegas last year.

This year Dusty has qualified in 8th place in the saddle bronc riding for his first NFR rodeo in Las Vegas, as well as leading the saddle bronc event going into the Canadian championships. For those of you who don’t know Dusty personally, you might not notice him right away. He’s soft-spoken, polite, and has a quiet way of moving. You might find him talking to a group of little kids as he signs autographs out back. He’s only 26, but his talent has drawn attention from competitors and rodeo personnel (and fans) in the last few years.

Dusty had a good NILE this year, to start him off in good shape for the 2009 rodeo season. Friday night he scored 84 points on a good ride on Sankey Rodeo’s horse, Blanco Canyon.

Keep an eye on Dusty Hausauer. Those who follow saddle bronc riding say he has the talent to be a World Champion. It’s going to be fun to watch him get there.

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2012 Olympic equine events are likely to be held at London’s Greenwich Park, following positive findings by a government study hired to look into the situation. The proposed site of the 3 equine events, dressage, jumping, and eventing, has been the subject of much controversy by opponents of the plan who are concerned about possible damage to the historic gardens. The Olympic organizing committee has countered by promising to repair any damages and minimize disruption to the Park.

However, opponents feel that the four mile course which winds through much of the Greenwich Park’s historic flower gardens will require many flower gardens and shrubs to be moved, and possibly irreparably damaged. The 350 year old chestnut trees lining the park will probably have to be pruned in order for the riders to gallop through them. Comments have been made questioning the wisdom of substantially pruning these old trees when signs currently in the Park offer criminal charges to chestnut-pickers.

Also affected by the Equestrian events will be the Park’s boating pond which will be turned into a water jump. Other locations which have been suggested for the Olympic Equestrian events include Woolwich Common, Windsor Park, and Blenheim Palace. Greenwich Park is apparently considered to be the most cost-effective.

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It’s a long way from the badlands of North Dakota to the Devon Horse Show ground in Devon, Pennsylvania, but the Nokota horse breed proved itself a winner. The following excerpt was taken from the USEF industry news. You can read the entire story here.

“Throughout the day in the Dixon Oval, the main arena at the Devon Horse Show grounds, a total of 31 individual breed classes were held. While a number of Warmblood registries showed a strong presence, less traditional breeds were also in the arena in large numbers. New this year were the Nokota horses, a Native American breed derived from the last surviving wild horses in the Little Missouri badlands of North Dakota, and their ancestors include early Native American as well as frontier ranch horses. With the Nokota Horse Conservancy celebrating its 10th anniversary, a growing presence in Pennsylvania and Nokota horses showing their talents in the dressage arena, the Nokota Horse has sparked interest. Kathryn Jones and her two-year-old Nokota filly Little Miss Ouri bested the other four entries in the class. The ponies—Oldenburg Sport Ponies, American Sport Ponies, and Weser-Ems, a German pony used mainly for dressage and showing for the first time at Dressage at Devon—stood up against the big guys.”

The Nokota horse has been receiving more attention lately. The following video was from the Parade of Breeds at the Kentucky Horse Park earlier this summer.

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