Dec/Jan 2010 – Volume 1 Issue 6

www.HorsenAroundTheRiver.com – Page 1

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hard to Catch horsesWritten by Rick Gore

Catching horses and trailer loadingseem to be two of the biggest prob-lems for lots of horse owners. I get

asked all the time, why won’t my horse letme catch him? My first advice is “Stop try-ing to catch him”. A horse knows what isgoing to happen before it happens. This isbecause their life depends on it. If they getcaught not paying attention, they are dead,eaten or seriously wounded (which meanscertain death). Horses have to know whatis happening around them or they die. It isthat simple for the horse and is veryinstinctive. I have a few videos on hard tocatch horses on youtube:

By not trying to catch a horse, a horsewill not try to get away from being caught.You can still catch him, it may take a littlelonger, but remember, “The slow way isthe fast way with horses.” So by justapproaching your horse to pet them, to sayhello, to bring them a treat, you tell thehorse you are not trying to catch them, sothey do not react to being caught. A horsewill not run from someone who is not chas-ing or putting pressure on them. So if yougo after a horse with a purpose of catchinghim, go straight to his head, and onlyapproach your horse when you catch him,it will not take him long for him to figureout what you are up to. If you were a horse,you would know this and would not want toget caught either.

So how do you hide this idea of catch-ing your horse from your horse? It is not

easy. Since horses are the king of observa-tion and don’t miss much, you really haveto use your horse sense. You don’t want tolook at the head, don’t reach out with yourhands, don’t sneak up and don’t talk. Youreally need to understand pressure,release and driveline. You have to thinkthat you are approaching your horse onlyto say hello and to rub his withers. Byfocusing on that you will not telegraphyour intention to catch the horse. So yourobjective is to pet the horse at the withers,not to catch him. If you think that you arefooling the horse and you try to only pethim when the real intent is catching him,he will know it and you will fail. You cannothide your intentions from a horse. “Horseskeep you honest.”

Now, that information will only get youso far. You still have to be aware of pres-sure and release. Anytime you approach ahorse, even just to pet it or bring it a treat,you need to move as if you are the Alphaand you understand horse language. Byknowing when to put pressure on andwhen to release pressure, you communi-cate with your horse and your horse knowsthat you talk horse. You make the horseknow your intentions and you make thehorse feel that you are not a threat. Whenyou see birds, deer, rabbits or other ani-mals hanging out with horses, you don’tsee horses caring or reacting to them.They know these things are not threats andare not trying to catch them or hurt them.Horses do not know this about you untilyou tell them. You tell them this with your

body language. You read the horse andknow when he is getting nervous, so youknow when to release pressure. If yourhorse tries to leave, you need to know howto move in front of the driveline, justenough to stop his forward movement. Themore you control the horse’s movement,by anticipating what he is going to do, themore you tell the horse you control himand he will have less incentive to moveaway from you.

Release is the key to any horse han-dling. Knowing when to release is timing.Knowing how much to release is felt.Understanding this is critical if you want tobe successful with horses. Whether it isrelease of bit pressure, release of leg pres-sure, release of drive pressure, knowingwhen and how much will enable you to getgreat results from any horse you workwith.

So for the hard to catch horses, thesmart ones, you need to be smarter. Don’tthink catch and don’t chase them. Simplyunderstand how horses talk, how theycommunicate, be like the horse and joinup with your horse. If you can communi-cate that you are the herd leader and youare higher, then you horse will alwaysallow you to approach him, just don’t tryand catch him.

I have lots of information about “theHorse” on my web site.�

____________________

“It’s never the horse’s fault.”For more information please visit my website:

www.thinklikeahorse.org

Page 2 – Horse ‘n Around the River

vet wrap

For advertising information, call (928) 399-0738or email info@horsenaroundtheriver.com

12 Issues Per Year are hand delivered and/or mailedfrom Kingman, AZ

On Staff...Kay Pierce – Sales & Distribution (928) 399-0738

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© 2010 Horse ‘n Around the River. All rights reserved. Reproduction inwhole or part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressedherein are those of the advertisers/writers and do not necessarily reflectthe opinions or policy of Horse ‘n Around the River newspaper or it’sowners. Horse ‘n Around the River Newspaper is not liable for any dam-ages beyond the cost of the advertisement for any error or omissionsthat may occur. In addition, the advertiser and/or it's agency agree toindemnify Horse ‘n Around the River and it's owners against any loss,damages or expenses resulting from the unauthorized use, by the adver-tiser, or any name, photograph, sketch or words which may be protect-ed by copyright or trademark law. Horse ‘n Around the River Newspaperreserves the right to refuse any advertising not relevant to the concept ofthe publication and the interest of its readership. Advertiser is solelyresponsible for the contents of the advertisements and for compliancewith any laws regulating such advertising.

hhoo rrssee ‘‘nn aa rroouunn ddtthhee rriivveerr ©©

Photo provided by Dr. Robin Waldron

laminitisFounder

Written byDr. Robin W. Waldron, DVMManzanita Animal Hospital

Laminitis / founder is a patho-logical condition of the foot. Itmanifests by soreness of the

sole, increased heat in the foot,sweating, a throbbing digitalpulse, reluctance to move, shiftingweight to the back feet, and lyingdown. The front feet are mostaffected, however, one foot may beaffected, or all four feet may beaffected.

The causes of laminitis/founder are numerous. Roadfounder is thought to be the resultof excessive concussion. Mostfounder cases are caused byexcessive carbohydrate intake.This can be from accidental grainfeeding, or from over feeding ingeneral.

Laminitis/founder can resultsecondarily from trauma or injury,necessitating abnormal weightbearing on the opposing leg.Laminitis/founder may also resultsecondary to disease such asretained placenta, colic, orPotomac Horse Fever.

The cascade of events in thefoot often starts from the gut withthe absorption of toxins from bac-teria. These toxins cause histamineand prostaglandin release whichcauses inflammation in the foot.Ischemia (lack of blood flow)occurs in the foot and the interdig-itating lamina of the horny wall(hoof) and soft tissue beneath sep-arate causing the pedal bone torotate downward.

The treatments forlaminitis/founder are many andvarious. The important things tokeep in mind are that each horseshould be treated individuallyaccording to the horse’s symptomsand response to therapy, and thatchanges in the therapy should beinstituted when responses are notsatisfactory.

Most therapies are aimed atdecreasing toxin absorption,decreasing the inflammation in thefoot, increasing the circulation inthe foot and making the horsecomfortable. A good working rela-tionship between your veterinari-an and farrier is important toachieve a satisfactory outcome.

Laminitis/founder is a treat-able disease, but not necessarily acurable disease. Many horses canreturn to reasonable function butmay never return to their previousathletic performance. Prompt vet-erinary care, farrier care, and acommitted owner can result in acomfortable useable horse. �

____________________

Dr. Robin W. Waldron, DVMManzanita Animal Hospital

(928) 753-6138

Afavorite tradition of holiday dining atHarrah’s Laughlin Casino & Hotel willcontinue this year on Sat., Dec. 25, 2010

with special menus appealing to everyone’staste.

Delectable Christmas holiday meals willbe offered at the Range Steakhouse, BeachCafe and the award-winning Fresh MarketSquare Buffet.

The Range Steakhouse offers a holidaydinner starting with a choice of Caesar orRange house salads followed by a delectableentrée of grilled halibut topped with spicymango salsa served with coconut sticky riceand lemongrass slaw. A dessert speciallyprepared by the Range pastry chef completesthe delicious meal. The special RangeSteakhouse holiday dinner is $45 plus tax aperson. The regular Range Steakhouse menuwill also be available. The dining hours forChristmas at the Range Steakhouse are 5 p.m.

– 9 p.m. For reservations at the RangeSteakhouse, call (702) 298-6832.

For a hearty meal served in a casualatmosphere, the Beach Café offers a specialChristmas offering for $14.99 plus tax a per-son. Diners will enjoy a choice of slicedturkey breast and thigh meat topped withturkey gravy served with traditional sagedressing, marshmallow baked yams, mashedpotatoes and pecan green beans, or slicedhoney glazed ham served with green beansand marshmallow baked yams. Both entreesare served with Hawaiian sweet bread dinnerrolls and tossed green salad. Dessert choice ofpumpkin pie or pecan pie completes themeal. The 24-hour Beach Café will continueto offer its regular menu serving the holidaymenu only from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. ChristmasDay.

In addition to the extensive menu offeredat the Fresh Market Square Buffet, there willalso be delectable Christmas fare to pleaseevery palate. Diners will find slow roastedturkey, cherry-glazed bone in ham, slow roast-ed prime rib with au jus and roasted top roundof beef, carved to order, along with orange-

glazed roasted chicken, pork loin with applecognac sauce and merlot braised beef ribs.Seafood offerings feature New England clamchowder, seven seas soup, Cajun fried catfish,grilled salmon with scampi sauce, gingerorange peel and eat shrimp, and sea bass.

An assortment of trimmings includes hol-iday favorites such as menudo and butternutsquash soups, green bean casserole, sweetpotatoes with banana caramel, bacon andcheddar scalloped potatoes, rice pilaf, tradi-tional apple sausage stuffing, baby redmashed potatoes and gravy, and assortedsautéed vegetables. A variety of saladsinclude Asian chicken salad, Waldorf saladand ambrosia salad.

Enjoy an array of tempting desserts suchas pumpkin, apple, pecan and cherry pies,cranberry apple cobbler, cheesecake, breadpudding, carrot and German chocolate cakesand assorted cakes and tarts. The specialChristmas menu items will be served from 8a.m. till closing in the Fresh Market SquareBuffet for $16.99 plus tax a person.

For more information on Christmas spe-cials call (702) 298-4600. �

Festive holiday dining atharrah’s laughlin

Photo provided by Mary Iozzo Photo provided by Mary Iozzo

have Fun but Keep it safe

Look Up Not Down

www.HorsenAroundTheRiver.com – Page 3

I placed my nearly new Circle Y saddleon consignment at K Bar M Feed Store in

Yucca and it sold in two weeks!!– Karen Buzzell

advertisers testimonial

Written byMary H. Iozzo – Iozzo Shoeing

This month I’d like to share a story withyou about a horse I met while shoe-ing in 1996. I had originally met this

beautiful stallion in 1991. At that time I hadconsidered breeding a really nice marethat I owned. The horse’s owner was arather angry older man, who was standingthe stallion in a very large barn. When Iwent to view him the owner would not allowme to remove the horse from his stall. Heswore at me when I tried to view him indaylight, so I left the premises. I never didbreed the mare, as I was unable to locateanother suitable stallion.

Then in the summer of 1996 I wascalled to that same barn to do some farrierwork. I went to the stall where the stallionhad been years before and found that hewas still there. I put a rope on him and tookhim out of the stall. He walked with me tothe end of the barn where there was a hitchrail to tie him. He carried himself like aking, very smart, strong and wonderful. Iknew then that he was the one I wouldbreed to my mare.

I had him vet checked, but they doubt-ed that he would successfully breed as hehad not covered any mares in a long timewith any success. He also had an injury to ashoulder that rendered him lame for anykind of performance. I was unconcernedthat his confirmation was not perfect, as hewas as stunning a horse as I had seen in avery long time. He had a nice quiet way

about him despite some apparent roughhandling at some time in his past.

I took him home on my birthday in1996 and stood him for the next ten years.He produced some great horses duringthat time, a few who are still here on myproperty today. My good friends now ownsome, and others have been sold all overthe USA. Many times people told me thatthis wonderful stallion was too hot, thatthere was too much blood running in himfor him to produce good horses. Despitetheir negative opinion of him this stallionproduced offspring of all talents, from showhorses to barrel horses, jumping horsesand trail. All the people that have ownedone have loved them. They were beautiful,intelligent and highly trainable.

Cash was definitely one of the bestChristmas/Birthday presents that I haveever had. He made me aware of what greatstallions can produce. I thank you Cash foryour greatness that I was privileged to wit-ness daily, and the many horses you siredfor me, all so wonderful and talented.

So my words of advice to anyone con-sidering a stallion to breed to or own, if youhave to bend down to see if the horse is astallion, don’t breed to him. A true stallionwill be apparent by his regal presence, hisgrace and his magnificence. �

____________________

Mary Iozzo – Iozzo ShoeingHorse Shoeing • Riding Lessons • Horse Training928-727-4881 • Email: mryiozzo@yahoo.com

GOLDEN VALLEY HORSE PROPERTYEASY ACCESS TO HWY 68

Immaculate ground set home. 1944 s.f.3 bedrooms, 2 baths with a two car garage.Tape and texture walls, center island kitchen,vaulted ceilings, family room with built infireplace and 43" built in Phillips TV, insidelaundry, master has adjacent sitting room.Property is landscaped with shade trees,auto irrigation, fenced, dog run and a solarpowered automatic gate. Large covered backpatio 40x12ft.Cement walkways all around

home. Beautiful front and back mountain viewsCall Cathy Taylor • 928-530-9107

www.cathymtaylor.comRealty Executives Mohave

PERFECT FOR YOUR DUDE RANCH30 acre horse ranch with 2 wells & 6 bedroom, 6bath tri level home. Upstairs over 4,000 s.f with in-law quarters with complete kitchen, dining, living

room, 2 bedrooms & full bath. Full basement perfectfor game room! Upper & lower level have full accessto full size pool, spa, wet-bar, patio, pool bath, view,sitting patios, horseshoe court, large comm. utilityfarm building with downstairs offices, storage bath,12 stall boarding stables & 5 corrals with stalls.

Home has new roof & septic tank. Property includeshired hand separate mobile liv quarters.Cathy M. Taylor • 928-530-9107

www.cathymtaylor.comRealty Executives, Mohave

COZY HOME ON 1.10 ACRES2 br, 2 ba mobile with nice big kitchen, split

bedrooms, RV parking or horse stable.Near Hwy 68. Make an offer!!!

Kris Stokes-Eads • (928) 279-2770SoldBuyKris@citlink.net

Realty Executives, Mohave

160 ACRES for sale • $149,900Located North East of the Kingman airport.

Great for horses, four wheelers, and all your “toys”.Corner of Jan and N. Donald Dr. Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

2 PARCELS, 12.6 ACRES EACHHorse property located on N. Stockton Hill Rd. Each

parcel priced at $59,900. Seller will may carry.Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

18 ACRES IN WIKIEUPLOWERED TO $14,000

Great for horses, four wheelers & all you huntingenthusiasts. Seller also has 5 acres in Silver Springs

for a low $4,900. Make an offer on both.Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

4 BDRM MANUF. HOME ON5.85 HORSE ACRES • $58,000

Just 5 miles from Kingman, off Stockton Hill Rd onBanister St. Owner may carry.

Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

LARGE, SPACIOUS, DOUBLE WIDEON 2 acres • $114,900

Covered patio, carport, kennel and seacontainer included in sale. Horse property .

Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

RANCH HOME ON 5 ACRE • $585,000Located at the base of Hualapai Mountains.Surrounded by BLM and private lands.

Bring Your horses!Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

PRIVACY ON 38 ACRES • $625,000Southwestern custom design in/out, in ground pool,

hot tub, panoramic views.Ann White • (928) 727-3564Realty Executives, Mohave

160+/- ACRE PARADISE!Heavily treed, meadows, hilltop panoramic views.Your own ranch or hunting preserve. Secluded, buteasy to get to! Terms available. Only $600 an acre.

Borders Government land on two sides.928-637-2675

www.jakesoldwestproperties.com

HORSE LOVERS DREAMCOMMERCIALLY ZONED

Just off black top road, Bridge Canyon HillsSeligman, AZ On 2.91 acres, An immaculate 3/2custom built Manufactured Home. With 2x6

construction & numerous upgrades. Fantastic horse

set up, fenced & cross fenced, 2 hitching rails &12x20 run-in shed, 2 storage sheds, Many extraamenities. Offered Below Market at $97,500.00

928-637-2675www.jakesoldwestproperties.com

2.35 ACRE HORSE PROP. • $16,000Location! Location Location!! This property sitshigh on the southwest end of Golden Valley.Owner may carry with good down payment.

Land has power, on water haul.Chere Davis • 928-864-6444

www.kingmanhomelistings.comRealty Executives Mohave

1.34 ACRE HORSE PROPERTYGolden Valley residential/agricultural

lot next to it 1.01 acre lot. Both $19,500 ea. Ownermay carry with good down payment.Power 400 ft & water to prop line.Chere Davis • 928-864-6444

www.kingmanhomelistings.comRealty Executives Mohave

$25,000 FOR 1/2 ACRE IN HOMES ONLYCRYSTAL SPRINGS ESTATES

Underground utilities and paved streets inpreferred area in Golden Valley AZ. 20 minutesto Casinos and river recreation area. Panoramic

views no homes across the street. PrimeLocation. MLS# 832829

Chere Davis • 928-864-6444www.kingmanhomelistings.com

Realty Executives Mohave

Julie McNeary Photo Provided by Julie McNeary

this wasn'tin the

brochure

real estate Junction

HolidayHangover

Written by Julie McNearyof the Purple Rose Ranch

Well we made it through Thanks -giving, Christmas is aroundthe corner and we are still

gorging ourselves on all the leftovers.All of us who have horses try to treatthem special on the holidays. Extratreats, little acts of kindness, but reallythey don’t care. All they care about isgetting their food that day and runningin the sun.... well when you think aboutit, it’s just like us humans.

Since moving to the ranch a lot haschanged. No electricity, we are onSolar, so that means not being extrava-gant with the decorations. In Californiamy husband would decorate everythingthat didn’t move, even the dog slept withone eye open. We had cars lined up onour street to see the lights of our house.Now it’s a few lights around the porchand we can still see the stars. We’vedropped the commercialism and I makegifts with a Western flavor. What is moreimportant is that we have a tradition ofinviting people for Christmas dinnerthat have no relatives out here and theyalways know when to come becausewhen dinner is ready at my house thesmoke alarm goes off guiding them to aunique meal.

Simple is better, gone are the dayswhen my husband wanted a 12 foot treeunder our 8 foot ceiling, easy to spot thehunchback angel on the top. Gone is thesurprise of our Christmas ambienceturning into darkness because of blownfuses. Gone is the German Shepardsized polar bear he bought that growledand moved when people approached.“Mr. Christmas” is not going nuts any-more, he’s not buying decorations to fillBuckingham Palace for our little 1700sq. ft. house. Christmas is about good-will toward men, and remembering thatchild in the manger, not wondering ifyour friends and family will like theirgifts or you’re going to get what youwant. Let’s get back to basics where giftsaren’t given to placate society, wherelight displays are not a competition andwe appreciate the stars provided by theMAN upstairs, just like the stars thatdecorated the sky over that little childborn so long ago. So, here’s wishing youall a Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear! �

____________________

Written by Julie McNearyE-mail: purpleroseranch@hughes.net

Page 4 – Horse ‘n Around the River

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an inten-tion to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parent in legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will notknowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our Readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain o discrimination call HUD tollfree at 1-800-669-9777. This toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

realtors testimonialI just want to let you know how pleased I am with my advertising in “Horse ‘n Around the River”. As a Realtor,

my clients depend on me to advertise their property and reach as many potential home and property buyers as pos-sible. Not only do I receive calls from the paper ad, I also receive calls from the web site ad. Thank you for invitingme to advertise in your paper. The price is affordable and the response is wonderful.

– Ann L. White, Realtor, Realty Executives, Mohave

Written by Rick Gore

Riding is the art of keeping a horse betweenyou and the ground. This is done with someluck, a good seat, balance, good equipment

and of course a good Horse (Is there any otherkind?). I see riders fall off horses all the time andthen hear later that the horse threw the person off.I guess saying you got thrown and blaming thehorse is easier than saying, I lost my balance, I wasnot paying attention, I got too relaxed or just, it wasmy fault and I fell off. I used to hear expressionsabout, “Riding between the reins” and “Keepingthe horse between your legs”, I used to think thiswas just some clever way that old good riderstalked about riding. It wasn’t, it was like manythings with horses, and you don’t really under-stand it until you experience it. For some goodold Cowboy sayings that apply to understandinghorses visit www.thinklikeahorse.org/index-16.html

I am by no means a perfect rider and thereare many out there can make me look like a rook-ie. However, I can stay in a saddle, I can commu-nicate to a horse, I am said to have a good seat andI have many hours of time in the saddle. Time inthe saddle is key, in my opinion, to making you agood rider. If you are a weekend warrior, ride anhour every few days or just on the weekends, thenit will take many many years for you to really learnto ride. Owning horses and riding horses is alifestyle and not a hobby. Unless you fully engulfyourself into the equine, you will probably not everget really good at horses or riding. You may ask,surely not everyone that wins awards and medals

spend all their time with a horse or in a saddle. Iwould say most of them probably do. Can some-one learn to ride and become good by just takinglessons? People can learn how the horse wastrained, what cues were used to train it and then betaught to give those cues. In this case the horse iscarrying the rider. This person will not be able tofix issues, will not able to refine the horse’s move-ment, will not be helping the horse and may nevertruly understand what it takes from the horse togive them what they are getting.

Ride Time is the key. Some say that onlyperfect practice is beneficial. I say all practiceand contact with horses helps you in some way.Even if you ride badly, spending time in the saddlehelps. If you just sit in a saddle it helps. Just get-ting on and off the saddle, helps you get better inthe saddle. Any time you spend time in the sad-dle, you train your balance, you use muscles thatincrease your balance, you improve your balance,you gain confidence, you feel more comfortable inthe saddle and all of this transforms into makingyou a better rider. Every time you fall off a horseyou get better! Yep, just like when you learn toski, you fall a lot and each time you learn how notto repeat the thing that made you fall last time.Soon you are not falling as much. No difference inriding horses. Experience makes you better, theonly way to get experience is to “DO IT.” You canget some help from a trainer, you can get lots ofhelp from others that don’t know much and youcan watch videos until your DVD wears out, butwhen it comes down to it, “Ride Time” is the bestteacher. But Rick, I am busy, I have a life, I havekids, I have responsibilities, I just don’t have the

time, bla, bla, bla, either you want it or you don’t.It is very frustrating to see people always lookingfor short cuts with horses, there are not any andevery time a person tries “the horse pays for it.”Spend time with your horse and spend time in thesaddle, there is no better way to learn how to ride.

With that said, I will try and give some tipsthat may help you understand riding a little bitbetter, but without doing this, practicing this andspending time in the saddle experiencing this,what I say is nothing more than some talk from me.When riding your horse, your goal is to be neutral.Neutral is “stay out of the way of the horse”. Rideand concentrate on staying out of the way, stayneutral in balance, don’t lean, don’t lean forward,don’t lean back and don’t lean to the sides. ButRick, I thought you were supposed to lean backwhen you stop. That is correct, when you want tosend a cue to stop you lean back and or shift yourweight back. Stopping is not riding. When rid-ing, you stay neutral. If you can’t sit on a horsebareback you do not have balance. If you need amounting block to mount a horse you probablydon’t have good balance or strength. I do knowsome old cowboys that have gotten long in thetooth and their body is just not able to jump onto asaddle to mount, so they use a block. They stillhave balance from years of experience of riding.The people I am referring to is the people that areoverweight, unfit, lack coordination, don’t exerciseand have little or no leg muscles and then thinkthey can ride. Riding takes balance and the abil-ity to keep your balance while the thing (thehorse) is moving under you. By being able to stay

ride time Fixes most allso Called horse problems

– Ride Time Continued on Page 6

www.HorsenAroundTheRiver.com – Page 5

(Hoof Beats – Continued on Page 6)

Written byKingman Powerhouse Kiwanis

In August, 2008 – just three weeks after mov-ing to Kingman, Johnna Elwood gave birth toher fourth child, Jayson, at Kingman

Regional Medical Center. Initially, everythingseemed fine. The pregnancy was full-term withno complications. However, the first timeJohnna nursed Jayson, she realized somethingwas wrong. Upon closer examination, it wasdiscovered that the roof of his mouth was miss-ing and he had Pierre Ribin Sequence – a con-dition that will affect him for the rest of his life.

Jayson was rushed to Phoenix Children’sHospital where he spent the next nine monthsundergoing numerous surgeries. Johnna andher husband, Mike, had to spread their timebetween their three children still in Kingman –Cierra, 11; Zachary, 9; and MaDawna, 6; andbaby Jayson in Phoenix, traveling back andforth with a much traveled van that had no air

conditioning and was in need of some repair.The Ronald McDonald house in Phoenixbecame their second home. Fortunately, Jaysonwas able to come home in 2009, but still need-ed to be brought back to Phoenix Children’sHospital frequently for follow-up visits andmore surgeries.

Recently, the Kingman PowerhouseKiwanis heard about the family and the seriousfinancial problems they were experiencing.Their only vehicle had no air conditioning andthe radiator was shot. Research showed that itwas going to cost over $1,000 to temporarilyrepair the vehicle. That’s when other mem-bers of the community stepped in to help out.ATR Towing in Kingman donated a vehicle thathad been given to them in lieu of the towingbill. The vehicle needed two tires, whichKiwanis purchased. The inside only had twofront seats so Kingman Pic-A-Part donated twobench seats that fit in the vehicle.

The car was extremely dirty and Clean

Xtreme Mobile auto detailing came out anddetailed the car including shampooing thecarpets. Allen’s Ironwork and Weldinginstalled the new tires, and initiated the dona-tion of the van. Flawless Auto Glass provideda discount on a new windshield, which KevinSchleeter, President of Kingman PowerhouseKiwanis paid for personally along with a newbattery. Kerri Kuns, of KGMN Radio, tookcharge of the communicating between all thedonators.

The Elwood family is extremely gratefulto all of the businesses and individuals whocame together to help them in their time ofneed. Attached are pictures of the van and themajority of the donators who helped.

Kingman Powerhouse Kiwanis meetsevery Wednesday from 12 to 1:00 p.m. at theGolden Corral on Stockton Hill Road. For moreinformation about this non-profit, communityorganization, contact Kevin Schleeter at928/377-9993. �

Kiwanis helps Family in need

Photo provided by Kingman Powerhouse Kiwanis

Ken Walker of ATR Towing; Kevin Schleeter, President of Kingman Powerhouse Kiwanis; Johnna, Jayson and Mike Elwood; Kerri and Allen Kuns.

readers testimonialHi- I'm enjoying your publication. Looking forward to more local articles. I really enjoyed reading about Miss Broody. I saw her at the fair

and wondered what her story was. What an inspiration. I also read the article about barefoot being a crippling thing. I see lots of shoeless horses doing just fine. A friend of mine competed in the

jumping at the county fair show this year and went Reserve Ch. on a "performance barefoot" horse and lots of people are doing endurance rid-ing with hoof boots. I guess this article was a warning about using unqualified hoof care people but doesn't give any credence to the "qualified"barefoot professionals. It seems to lump them all into the "dangerous" category. Why it doesn't warn against unqualified "fly by night shoe nailtackers" I am not sure. The author calls the natural hoof care practitioners "con artists". But really gives no evidence, just anecdotal referenceswhich assume all trimmers trim all horses the same and expect all horses to perform on all surfaces the same. I doubt this is true. Why are easyboots getting so popular? Perhaps you will run an article from another viewpoint in the future. I am not qualified to write one but could suggesta source if you wish.

Again, I am glad to see your publication and look forward to a greater variety of content. Perhaps news about the 4-h horse events, region-al shows (Las Vegas horse shows), a listing of competitions within 3 hour radius. Just some thoughts.

– Happy Trails Rebecca Maguire

hoof beatsHorse Sense

Neededfor Winter Care

Written by Andrea Smith

When I took on older and moregentle horses for the kids atour equestrian center, I didn't

take into consideration the endless carethat would be required to go into theirupkeep. Especially that several of themwere over twenty-years old, and twothat were over thirty. That's right thirty!

Fortunately, the previous ownerswere able to give me much insight totheir care during all seasons. What Ididn't realize at first was how many dif-ferent diets were required for each oneof our elder residents and individualcare.

For the milder climates duringSpring and Fall, that didn't last morethan a month, I got a reprieve from pay-ing high feed and hay bills. A hay drive,and prices of $5.00/7.00 a bale had setus up nicely for the upcoming months ofwinter, that I knew would skyrocketwhen diesel prices went up during win-ter months.

Being a farm girl from Pennsyl-vania, and understanding some of theinfrastructure of what makes "agribusi-ness" tick, I've never been one tobegrudge the farms and ranches theirjust dues. Including the rising price ofhay and feed this time of year.

And one bad season of inclementweather and all bets are off. Don'texpect hay and feed prices to ever sta-bilize in a fluctuating economy or withunpredictable weather patterns that wehave certainly experienced in theseparts. High winds, brutal heat and unex-pected freezes all affect the pricing ofhay and feed at your feed store or ranchor farm.

In addition to the hay and feedmarket we horse owners have to keepvigilant watch over the weather pat-terns as well. Just last week when those"expert" weather people were tellingus about how warm our winter wasgoing to be, it got freezing.Temperatures dropped to all-time lowsthat I personally, haven't seen here thisearly-on and usually not until February!

For many of us, the freezing tem-peratures sent us racing to get blanketsand straw for our hoofed friends. Inaddition to preparation for their stallsor holding areas and throwing blanketson them to keep them warm, manyhorse owners have added additionalsupplements to their horses' diets.

If you’re a novice like I am in caringfor multiple horses, it is best to consultyour veterinarian to find out what yourhorses's needs will be during the coldmonths. Especially where diets are con-cerned. Various feeds may be requiredfor different horses and your horsesdiet may change during winter months.

Many equestrian owners andexperts in the industry agree that everyhorse has individual needs, especially,older horses. What is good for onehorse may not be for another.

There are several excellent eques-trian veterinarians in the County whospecialize in horse care and can adviseyou to what is best for your horse's indi-vidual needs.

The ASPCA, located in New York, isused to below-freezing temperaturesand winters that are problematic forpets and their owners. They recom-mend that Owners "winterize" pets theway you do your car! Said a spokesper-son for the agency.

Most horse experts and veterinar-ians advise that one of the most impor-tant things to remember in preparingyour horse for winter is keeping yourhorse in a warm and dry area either in a

Page 6 – Horse ‘n Around the River

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barn or enclosure that can provide ade-

quate heat for the horse. Hay or shavings

are good insulators for providing warmth

for your horse.

Some horses like my Lady, prefer

standing outside in the snow or rain, even

though I went to the expense and trouble

of providing her with a warm stall with dry

hay at a boarding facility. If your horse is

one that enjoys the outside elements, they

still need a dry and warm area to retreat to,

especially at night when temperatures

drop.

Veterinarians also recommend foot

and hoof care regularly for horses during

all seasons. Sharp ice and hidden objects

beneath snow and slippery mud can dam-

age the foot and hoof area of your horse

and regular seasonal checkups with your

farrier can head off any problems when

sudden and bad weather hits the area.

Winter can be enjoyed by both horse

and owner if certain considerations are

taken to provide your horse with safety

and health measures for their care during

the winter months. As most horse enthusi-

asts, experts and veterinarians who spe-

cialize in equestrian care would agree,

"prevention is the best medicine." �

____________________

ANDREA SMITH is a freelance journalist inMohave County and contributor to Horse n'Around the River. She is the Director/Owner ofthe Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Facility, inMohave Valley, and welcomes all suggestionsand comments from her equestrian friends andhorse enthusiasts in the area:

Email: azswriteon@hotmail.com

hoof beats (Continued from Page 5)

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readers testimonialAfter I read a current issue of Horse ‘n Around the River I was left impressed with all the good articles especial-

ly the one entitled “The Shoeless Experiment Cripples Horses”. This writing helped me better realize that commonhorse sense people continue to roam the range. Thank God! Doug Butler from Nebraska had more “useful” informa-tion in one short story than a reader can usually find in many full blown publications. In his article, the paragraphbeginning with “Our society is rejecting science and eduction as a whole”, hits home. Incompetence and misinfor-mation is rampant among our contemporary population and publications. Case in point, thirty years ago I was big,dumb and happy. I owned a year old morgan gelding named Dallas. My horse was almost lamed by a tinhorn shoejockey who goated me into getting my little friend shod incorrectly and much to early for a young colt. Yes, I sure canrelate to Mr. Butlers thinking. Horse ‘n Around the River has more useful information in 8 pages of print than othernewspapers have in their whole publication. Your honest, direct and to the point. Keep up the good press.

– Sincerely yours, George Robsen

neutral in the saddle, you stay out of the horse’sway. You allow the horse to carry you with theleast amount of effort. You make his job easierand you learn how he moves when you are not inthe way. If you don’t do this, you are so busykeeping your balance that you confuse the horse,make the horse work harder and make the horseuncomfortable when you are on him. So don’tcompensate for the horse, don’t try and help thehorse and don’t interfere with the horse. Work onyourself and your horse will get better. If youdon’t learn how to stay out of the way of the horseyou will create future problems, so learn to be neu-tral, learn to stay out of the horse’s way and learnto be balanced in the saddle. You learn this bydoing it! Ride time!

The more you ride and the more horses youride, the more you will be able to tell the differ-ence between a horse that can carry himself welland it will help you carry yourself better. At thebeginning you will not know the difference. To bewell carried by horse is a good feeling. To help ahorse you must make yourself a good load and aneasy load to carry. You can’t do this if you arepulling and using the reins for balance, if you areusing the stirrups for balance, if you are hangingonto the saddle for balance. As you get betteryou will learn to use all things a little and nothingalone! This is really important. The reins alonedo not stop a horse, the bit does not stop a horse,your seat position does not stop a horse, your legsdo not stop a horse, your voice commands do stopa horse, a fence does not stop a horse, and yourwhip does not stop a horse. Communication tothe horse and the horse wanting to comply stops ahorse. Some of these together may work, but in

my experience if a horse wants to run more thanhe wants to stop, he will run. Not because he ismean, not because he is stubborn, not because heis a bad horse, he is just simply a horse and has notbeen taught to stop. So like balance, not onething gives it to you. You should use the stirrupslightly, the saddle lightly, your leg muscles, youcenter of balance, you seat, your head, your shoul-ders, your back, your position of your arms (notyour arms pulling on the reins), your knees actinglike shock absorbers, your core strength, all of thiswill help give you better balance and help keepyou neutral. Using all of these takes time to learnso it becomes natural, until it becomes uncon-scious, over time you will not have to think about it,it will just happen. But to get you to that point, youneed to “Do it,” you need to spend time in the sad-dle to learn it and practice it. You need “Ridetime.”

Anyone can stand around and say “Keep yourheels down,” “Sit up straight,” “Don’t look down,”“Relax your back,” “Use your legs,” “Look whereyou are going,” “Use your seat,” “Don’t lean,”“Keep your hands still,” “Stop pulling on the reins,”“Relax,” “Don’t bounce in the saddle,” “Move withyour horse,” “Find your rhythm,” “Keep your handssoft,” “Get off the bit,” “Get on the bit,” “Stop pick-ing at your horse,” “Feel your horse’s beat,” so ifyou are trying to think about this, you are not rid-ing. Most will tell you that you should have astraight line from your ear, shoulder, hip andankles. If you have to think about this it is hard tomake it happen, it will happen when you are notthinking about it, if you ride enough to feel it, tolearn it, to feel how it does not feel right when youdon’t do it. All of these words may help, but you

have to experience it to recognize the significanceof it. You need to learn this by doing it. Ridetime!

I mentioned shock absorbers earlier. This ismuscles working and it takes training andstrength. Your shoulders cannot help you stay inthe saddle, per say. Your seat is made soft andsecure by being relaxed and not tense. Your feetand ankles, your knees, and your legs and hips allworking together can help reduce movement andabsorb shock. So by using your ankles, knees and hips, you control your bounce up and downand forward and back. You use these to stop some movement and then to create other move-ment (impulsion). By using these correctly you

ride time (Continued from Page 4)

Rick Gore Photo provided by Rick Gore

– Ride Time Continued on Page 8

www.HorsenAroundTheRiver.com – Page 7

Written by Jayne HansonToday’s News Herald

Alocal 63-year-old cowboy will saddleup with his 18-year-old son to ridehorseback through 11 states across

America in June to honor wounded U.S. mili-tary veterans.

Jef Keegan, a five-year resident of LakeHavasu City, said he anticipates beginningthe trek in Virginia. The endurance rideshould take him and his son about fivemonths.

The path they have chosen is theAmerican Discovery Trail, the nation’s firstcoast-to-coast non-motorized trail, accord-ing to the ADT website. The trail’s terrainincludes the Appalachian Mountains of West

Virginia, the states of Ohio, Illinois, Iowa,Nebraska, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado,the states of Utah and Nevada ending in SanFrancisco.

The Keegans will travel with about sixhorses and plan to camp each night alongthe trail.

“Our horses are like part of the family,”Keegan said.

The trip is to help raise awareness forWounded Warriors and to empower thosewounded in battle, Keegan said. Keegan, aretired U.S. Marine Corps combat medic andsurgical first assist, spent 28 years in the mil-itary — 22 of them as a Marine.

“I’ve seen (soldiers) when they’re hurtand I have helped put them back togetheragain,” Keegan said. “I am hoping to one day

have a therapy riding project for the wound-

ed vets.”

During the ride, Keegan said the terrain

west of the Rockies poses the biggest chal-

lenge for the duo. The area will be a new

adventure for the father-and-son team

because neither has traveled there by horse-

back.

The trip will be documented with pho-

tos and video footage from a donated helmet

camera that will be mounted to Keegan’s

cowboy hat.

“Feed for the six horses, cowboy

rations, monthly veterinarian checks for the

horses and new horseshoes every eight

weeks is another looming challenge.”

Keegan said.�

ride for the woundedHavasu Cowboy to Ride Horseback

Across US to Honor Veterans

Cowboy Jef Keegan rides Famous Moments, his 7-year-old Spanish Arab horse, in a dirt lot at the intersection of Havasupai Boulevard and North Acoma Boulevard Sunday.Famous Moments is one of six horses that will be ridden during the cross-county endurance ride, set to begin in June in Virginia.

Photos provided by Jayne Hanson/News-Herald

TO HELP SPONSOR THE CROSS-COUNTRY RIDE IN HONOR OF WOUNDED VETERANSMAIL DONATIONS TO FREEDOM FOUNDATION LAKE HAVASU COAST-TO-COAST TRAIL RIDER

P.O. BOX 2015LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZ. 86405

ANY EXTRA MONEY RAISED AFTER TRIP EXPENSES WILL BE GIVEN TO WOUNDED WARRIORS

SSOO LLDD !!

Page 8 – Horse ‘n Around the River

Two Feet, Inc.

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For More Information on Equine Massage or toSchedule an Appointment, call KIMI LOCKE at:

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www.twofeetequinemassage.vpweb.comEquine massage is not veterinary medicine. It is advised that you always

consult with your veterinarian for injuries prior to equine massage.

HATR

“For if you forgive

other people when they

sin against you, your

heavenly Father will

also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive

others their sins, your

Father will not forgive

your sins.”(Matthew 6:14–15, NIV)

one nationunder God

help the horse carry you and make yourselfappear lighter and easier to carry and give goodsignals/cues to the horse. You use these to stopyour shoulders and arms from bouncing up anddown and all around. Just like a horse running onthe wrong lead, it is hard on the horse, you bounc-ing in the saddle because you don’t know how touse your body and balance is hard on you andhard on the horse. By not using your shockabsorbers correctly you harden the jars and blowsto the horse’s back and your back. The horsepays for his mistakes and pays for your mistakesand then pays again when he is blamed for both.

You can visit my Bad Horsemanship page onmy site with many examples of how horses pay:www.thinklikeahorse.org/index-8.html

I hear lots of people tell people to use theirlegs. If you don’t have balance, if you don’t knowhow to control your reins softly, if you don’t havemuch “ride time”, then trying to use your legs isjust one more thing to confuse you and the horse.Legs help communicate with the horse, but it hasto be done without throwing you off balance, with-out you getting confused and having to think aboutit. When you try to do too much, you make the sit-uation worse and you confuse the horse. I can nothelp a person round pen a horse if they don’t knowhow to lead a horse. I can not help a person usetheir legs if they don’t have balance and rein con-trol. I can’t teach rein control if the person has notgot balance down. Legs are additional cues to thehorse, but if your horse is confused with your lackof balance and your lack of consistency of reinusage, confusing him more with legs will onlymake it worse.

I have lots of videos on youtube that also dis-cuss this: www.youtube.com/user/horseaware-ness

I say this a lot, 80% of all horse owners arewomen, and 75% of new horse owners get OUT ofhorses in the first year. New horse owners want toget a “baby” (a young untrained horse), want toteach it themselves, want to learn with the horse,all BAD! Green riders with green horses = hurtriders and people getting out of horses. It is a

bad combo and no matter how much you tellsomeone this, they all know they are different andthey can do it and they can make it work, it won’thappen to them, and they will be careful, theyknow the risk……….. “And they get hurt and getout of horses and the horse gets blamed”. Thestatistics are out there, they grow every year and ifyou go to any clinic you will see bright eyedwomen with their dream of owning and trainingtheir own horse coming true. Then go to any barnand you will women getting dragged, thrown, withslings on, wearing helmets to keep them safe andriding with fear and insecurity. They will ride inenclosed areas where it is safe and making theirhorse arena sour, barn sour, or other names theywant to pin on a horse. This is done by men too, itis just now predominately women. Had I beenwriting this 25 years ago about, I would be talkingabout men beating and abusing horses to getthem to listen and blaming the horse and whenthey got hurt I would be saying good for the horse.When someone gets hurt trying, it is sad andunfortunate, but when someone gets hurt beingbrutal to a horse, I say, good for the horse.

I love horses, but they are very “DANGER-OUS” in the wrong hands. Don’t underestimatethe gravity of this statement. They will kill them-selves if they are scared and trapped or think theycan get away. It is their nature. So people wantto wear a plastic helmet and feel safe. A helmetwill not stop your neck or back from getting broke.It will not stop you from breaking a hip or leg. Itwill not help keep you in the saddle or stop yourfrom being dragged with a foot in the stirrup whenyou fall off. A helmet gives a false since of secu-rity and causes people to do things they would notnormally do without a helmet, because they FEELsafe. This is bad when it comes to horses. Ahorse does not care if your head is protected or ifyou ride him in a Styrofoam body suit. If he getsnervous, scared or feels you are not in control andyou are putting his safety in jeopardy, he will takecharge and react. And when he does it will bewith extreme force and strength and you and yoursafety will be of no consideration to him. But

Rick, I have heard lots of stories where a horse hassaved a person and protected a fallen rider. It isthe rare exception and people want to see thingsin their own way and it may be different than itactually happened. I can bring a horse a carrotand hay every day and the horse will be happy tosee me and allow me to feed him, but let me tryand get this horse to move or put this horse in afear situation and I assure you, the last thing in thishorse’s mind is that I have given him carrots andfeed. As the horse threw his rider into a tree orbarbed wire fence, the rider thinks, “why wouldyou do this, I treat you so good”, the horse thinks “Ican run faster and save myself now with lessweight”.

So why do I talk about dangerous horseswhen I am talking about riding. They are so con-nected it is not responsible to talk about one with-out the other. Riding a horse is dangerous, this iswhy it is probably so fulfilling and gives such a joyand a since of wholeness. Joining with a horse issomething special. It is risky and does not comecheap or without time and sacrifice. The problemis being human; we want things now, fast and with-out sacrifice. Well, I think you can either sacrificenow and learn to ride and understand the horse, oryou can sacrifice later and get hurt, maimed orkilled by taking short cuts. If you take the time ittakes, it takes less time. The slow way is the fastway with horses. Ride time is the best teacher forlearning to ride and the horse is best teacher ofthe horse.

If I said it once, I’ll say it a thousand times,ride your horse, spend time with your horse andlearn about the horse. Knowledge about thehorse is the best gift you can give to your horse,second only to time. If you spend enough time,knowledge will come and the horse will teachyou.�

____________________

“It’s never the horse’s fault.”For more information please visit my website:

www.thinklikeahorse.org

ride time (Continued from Page 6)