It’s expo time

By SUSAN DUDASIK, Ag Weekly correspondent, taken from Farm & Ranch Guide

SALMON, ID – This year’s equine expo season kicks-off on February 17th – 19th with the Washington State Horse Expo in Vancouver, WA and the Wild West Winterfest in Bozeman, MT.

A great crowd pleaser, trail clinics and competitions are becoming standard events at most of the equine expos.

The Washington event features several nationally and regionally known clinicians including Steve Rother, Craig Cameron, Craig Stevens, Allison Trimble, Barb Apple, Rick Brighton and Kyle Kellmer. There will be breed demonstrations, seminars and vendor booths. Members of the North West Western Dressage Association (NWWD) will join the Andalusian and Friesian horses from Feather Dance Entertainment, and clinician, Steve Rother for the Saturday evening Equine Extravaganza Show. Craig Cameron will also host his Extreme Cowboy Race. There will be performances by the Warm Beach Vaulters and the Back Country Horsemen of Washington will set up camp to share their “Leave No Trace” program.

Bozeman’s Wild West Winterfest will host an 1840’s Western Rendezvous Encampment with activities and demonstrations as well as an all-breed horse sale, Battle of the Trail Horse, work horse and driving competitions, a Draft Horse Pulling contest and skijoring.

Three expos are scheduled for March, beginning with the Utah Horse Expo in South Jordan, UT and the Denver Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver, CO on March 9th-11th and the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo in Albany, OR on the 22th – 25th. The Utah expo, hosted by the Utah Horse Council, showcases the state’s equine industry with educational booths featuring organizations and commercial interests, seminars and entertaining equine demonstrations. As well as the fourth annual Trainers’ Challenge in which trainers are assigned unbroken 2-year-old colts and given 60 days to work with the horses then demonstrate how well they go.

Julie Goodnight will be the featured clinician at the Denver expo, hosted by the Colorado Horse Council. In 2008 Goodnight was named Equine Affaire’s Exceptional Equestrian Educator. Over twenty clinicians are scheduled to appear, including: Jane Savoie, one of the most recognized names in dressage, Susan E. Harris, who’s trained horses and riders for numerous competitive disciplines, Charles Wilhelm, whose unique training approach enables owners to safely train their own horses, and Mark Bolender, considered by many as the country’s leading expert in the sport of Extreme Trail, Mountain Trail, and Competitive Trail. This expo offers clinicians in a variety of disciplines such as: Debbi Bibb, one of only a handful of women to become a certified outfitter from the Pikes Peak Outtfitter’s School and a certified John Lyons trainer, Larry Whitesell, a renowned gaited horseman who combines classical dressage and natural horsemanship principals to the gaited horse, and Yossi Martonovich, who with his wife, own, and coach the Golden Gate Vaulters, one of the most successful vaulting clubs in the country. Being held in conjunction with the expo is the Holistic Horse Fair featuring numerous speakers and informational booths on holistic topics. Other activities are still in the planning stages, so check their website for more information.

On March 22nd – 25th, folks are invited to “Celebrate the Spirit of the Horse,” at the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo in Albany, OR. Headliner clinicians, will be “America’s Most Trusted Horseman,” John Lyons and Julie Goodnight. Other clinicians include: Jan Ebeling discussing dressage, Linda Andrisani focusing on hunter/jumpers, Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer presenting Gaited Horsemanship and Marvin Pierce with his working cow dogs. Aside from the standard expo activities of vendor booths, breed demonstrations and seminars, this expo hosts an All-Breed Challenge, a timed and judged event where riders of different disciplines and breeds test their skills as they maneuver through an obstacle course requiring various horsemanship skills. Participant applications are currently being accepted for this event and other activities at the expo. Check out their website for details.

In April, it’s down to the Idaho Horse Park in Nampa on the 20th -22nd for the Idaho Horse Expo presented by the Idaho Horse Council. Still in the planning stages, this event will headline clinician Chris Cox, the host of his own TV show, “Chris Cox Horsemanship”, on RFD -TV. Tentative competitive events include a breed challenge, ranch rodeo, and supreme cowboy race.

Other up-coming expos are the Big Wyoming Horse Expo in Douglas on April 29th – May 1st, the Backcountry Horseman Horse Expo, at the Missoula Horse Park in Missoula, MT on May 19th, and the Western States Horse Expo on June 8th-10th in Sacramento, CA. 

Many of the expos are still in their planning stages and need volunteers to help with various aspects of the event, as well as horses and riders to participate in different clinics and activities. Visit the event’s website for more information.

2012 EXPO DATES:
Feb 17-19 Washington State Horse Expo, Vancouver, WA.  www.WaStateHorseExpo.com or call 360-746-8569
Feb 18-19 Wild West Winterfest, Gallatin County Fairgrounds  Bozeman, MT. Call 406-582-3270.
Mar. 9-11 The 2012 Utah Horse Expo in South Jordan, UT. For more information call 801-627-6471 or visit the Utah Horse Council website at www.utahhorsecouncil.com  (Check website)
Mar. 9-11 The 2012 Denver Rocky Mountain Horse Expo Denver, CO http://www.rockymountainhorseexpo.com
Mar 22-25  Northwest Horse Fair and Expo, Albany, OR www.equinepromotions.net  or call 765-655-2107.
April 20-22 Idaho Horse Expo, Idaho Horse Park in Nampa, ID.  For event information, call 208-465-5477 or visit the website at www.Idahohorsecouncil.com.
April 29-May 1 Big Wyoming Horse Expo at the Wyoming State Fair Indoor Equine Center in Douglas. Call 307-266-4922 or 307-358-3862 for details.
May 19  Backcountry horseman Horse Expo, Missoula Horse Park, Missoula, MT. www.missoulaequestrianpark.org
June 8-10  Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, California www.horsexpo.com or call (800) 352-2411.

Sportswoman of the Year: Barrel Racer Britany Fleck

Lou Babiarz, Tribune Sports Editor, story from Farm & Ranch Guide

When Britany Fleck describes her first trip to the National Finals Rodeo, the adjectives flow – stressful, nerve-racking, at times discouraging.

And she can’t wait to go back.

 “It was a really great experience,” Fleck said. “I’m glad I got to live my dream.”

For becoming the first North Dakota cowgirl to qualify for the NFR – rodeo’s premier event – Fleck has been chosen as the Bismarck Tribune’s Sportswoman of the Year.

Fleck tops an impressive list of finalists that includes Brianna Flynn (Bismarck hockey; Century softball and golf); Maddy Gendreau (Bismarck hockey, St. Mary’s soccer); Jessica Herauf (Dickinson track, volleyball and basketball); A.J. Jacobs (Century volleyball, basketball and track); Kayln Schneider (Linton-HMB volleyball, basketball, track); Melissa Walker (U-Mary track); and Dakota Wolf (U-Mary cross country).

For Fleck, who had to finish among the top 15 in the barrel racing world rankings to qualify for the NFR, getting to compete on the big stage in Las Vegas was a thrill.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “You don’t really understand it until you’re there. I had watched it on TV, but the arena is bigger and the people are louder. It’s a whole different experience.”

The NFR didn’t go exactly as Fleck had hoped. She ended up taking 13th in the average standings and finishing 14th in the world rankings.

But Fleck improved as the 10-day event went on.

She even finished in the money in the seventh round, placing sixth to win $2,884.62.

“I always wanted to be there, but to actually pull a check was great,” Fleck said. “I was kind of disappointed that it took until the seventh round, but it was exciting.”

Fleck wasn’t the only one who had to deal with the stress. The NFR presented a very different environment than her horse, Dasher Dude – a.k.a. Rootie – was accustomed to.

On the first night, the riders were tightly squeezed into a holding pen as nearby another group of horses prepared for a flag presentation.

“Rootie doesn’t like flags,” Fleck said. “She got worked up. Then a chuck wagon went by. As she got more nervous, she got me more nervous.”

The riders had to come down a long runway which added another level of difficulty to the proceedings.

“The first barrel was blind. You couldn’t see it until you got in the arena,” Fleck said. “You went right from the dark into the bright lights and loud noise.”

Fleck hit her first barrel, drawing a five-second penalty. For the first several nights, it didn’t get any better.

She hit a barrel in each of the first four rounds, never finishing better than 12th.

“At that point, it was so difficult,” Fleck said. “I’ve had a lot of bad rodeos, but when you do, you get to leave that place and you don’t have to go back until next year. This time it was 10 rodeos in the same place. It was kind of discouraging.”

But before the fifth round Fleck had an experience that helped put her struggles in perspective. She was one of many NFR competitors who participated in the PRCA Exceptional Rodeo for special needs children.

“I was paired with a boy who had been blind since he was born,” Fleck said. “He got to ride and get on the horse. It was a great experience. … I realized that hitting a barrel isn’t that bad.”

As Fleck’s mindset improved, so did Rootie’s physical condition. Fleck said the mare had been a little bit muscle sore from the trip.

She got a horse chiropractor to massage Rootie, which helped loosen everything up. Fleck also exercised Rootie through the barrels, getting them both more comfortable with the course.

The work paid off. Each of Fleck’s next four rounds were clean. It all culminated in the seventh round, when Fleck’s time of 13.99 was good enough for a sixth-place finish.

Now that she’s had her first taste of the NFR, Fleck can’t wait to get another.

“It was so rewarding after all the time and money I put into this,” Fleck said. “I would love to get back.”

2012 Alltech National Horse Show Set for Oct. 31 – Nov. 4

[Lexington, KY] – Following an amazingly successful debut this year, the second edition of the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, is set for October 31 through November 4, 2012. The show will once again be held at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.
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The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, closed with great excitement, receiving unanimous approval from the horse show community. The Show was watched by thousands of attendees, in addition to nearly half a million viewers online through the Alltech Ag Network.
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More than 560 horses and 350 riders from nine countries, including nine Olympic veterans, competed this year, and according to Mason Phelps, Jr., the president of the National Horse Show Association, next year’s show will build on the excitement of the 2011 debut.

 “We couldn’t have been happier with our first year effort in Kentucky. But, that being said, we are already working on a bigger and better event for next year,” he said. “We expect bigger prize money; we’ve already added an extra competition day and the American Saddlebreds will return to the Alltech National Horse Show next year. So we are very excited about what lies ahead.”
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The Show’s debut this year will go down in the record books as one of the most successful in the history of equestrian events in the United States.
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“The Alltech Arena is an ideal location for the Alltech National Horse Show, it is perfect for all the horsemen and horses, and it really captured the feel of Madison Square Garden,” noted legendary horseman George Morris after attending this year’s show. “The Alltech National Horse Show has brought back class, something that has been lacking in horse shows today.”
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“It’s been fantastic. It’s been amazing. It’s been wonderful,” agreed Alltech president and founder Dr. Pearse Lyons. “This inaugural event was a good beginning, but it was only the beginning. This show will continue to grow and next time around the city of Lexington will embrace this show more and we, in fact, will go all out to create a super experience for all who attend.”
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“We hope that everyone will mark their calendars for next year,” added Phelps. “With what we learned during our first year, I can promise you that the Alltech National Horse Show in 2012 will prove to be an amazing event.”
-Ends-
Notes to the Editor:

About Alltech
Founded by Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech is a global animal health and nutrition company with more than 31 years’ experience in developing natural products that are scientifically proven to enhance animal health and performance. With more than 2650 employees in 128 countries, the company has developed a strong regional presence in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia.  For further information, visit www.alltech.com. For media assets, visit www.alltech.com/press.

Universities Connect Equine Industry Professionals with Resources and Opportunities

Multi-state conference will foster rural equine business development in the North Central Region

EAST LANSING, Mich – Equine business professionals in the North Central Region of the United States are invited to a dynamic, multi-state conference where they will be connected with land grant universities, industry professionals and other valuable resources.

In an effort to keep equine businesses a vital part of our rural communities, the Equine Business Conference will provide horse industry professionals with information and resources on liability, business finance, marketing and insurance for equine businesses.

Hosted by Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska and Iowa State University, this one-day conference will be offered on Saturday, February 25, 2012 in four locations – East Lansing, Michigan; St. Paul, Minnesota; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Ames, Iowa. At each location, participants will hear from a “live” industry expert and will see broadcasts of presenters from the other three locations.  Topics will include:
-Equine Insurance: Using Insurance to Protect Your Horse, Yourself, and Your Equine Business Investment
Wade Ellerbrook, Licensed Real Estate Broker, Insurance Broker and Appraiser
-Law: Legal Liability and Contracts,
Julie Fershtman, Attorney, Foster Swift Collins & Smith, P.C.
-Taxes and Finance: Structuring Your Horse Business to Succeed in the Future
Tina Barrett, Executive Director, Nebraska Farm Business
-Promotion, Marketing and Advertising: Tips on Social Media and Low- and No-Cost Promotion Terry Schroeder, C.O.O., Reichert Celebration, Inc.

Advance online registration is required. The registration fee is $30. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Funded in part by a grant from the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, the Equine Business Conference is a collaborative effort between My Horse University and eXtension/horses.

Equine industry professionals are also encouraged to join the Equine Business Network (EBN) community on Facebook and Twitter. Through partnerships with eXtension/horses and My Horse University, EBN offers an array of free online resources including webcasts that are based out of the participating land grand universities. The Equine Business will present a free Webcast on January 10, 2012 at 7PM ET. The Webcast, “Find Your Dream Job in the US Horse Industry,” will be presented by university equine educators from across the country and will give a broad overview of the US horse industry and the careers that support it. Registration is available online.

Those horses get just like the people what owns ‘em

By Terri Jo Bek, Professor, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

Jo Bek

I grew up with a dad that thought if a child wanted a horse then he or she should have one. My grandad on mom’s side spent most Junes as I grew up hauling horses to town so everyone could ride in the local rodeo parade. My dad also arranged for kids to have horses to ride in the rodeo parade. The ironic part of the parade situation was the fact that grandad actually participated in only one parade when I was about two years-old. He drove a team of mules and a box wagon, while the neighbor did blacksmithing in the back of the wagon. My dad never rode in the parade until my daughter was 4 years old and he took her on my brother’s buckskin horse, “Bucky.” He couldn’t get over how everyone was yelling and hollering at him and taking pictures. He said, “They act like they’ve never seen me on a horse.” To which we replied, “They’ve never seen you in the rodeo parade on a horse.” Amazing what grandparents will do for the grandkids.

The parade was held in conjunction with the PRCA rodeo held each year on the first full weekend in June in Strong City, Kansas. It started at the park in Cottonwood Falls, went to Strong City and ended on the north side of Strong City at the rodeo grounds. It used to be quite large. They would have as many as 500 horses, various floats and old vehicles. Fort Riley would send its mounted color guard and we’d had the Navy and Marine bands at different times.

A couple of incidents concerning the parade stand out in my memory. Dad found out that a couple of my cousins wanted to ride the year I was an eighth-grader. He volunteered my services to supervise the entire operation. My grandad volunteered to bring more parade-broke horses to town. In the midst of all this my sister, who has Down Syndrome, decided that she also wished to participate. Every time we asked her if she was sure she was going to ride the entire distance, she assured us that she was. We gathered at the park and got everyone situated. Cousin Steve would ride a half-shetland colt we had that Dad was positive would be fine even though he’d never been in a parade. Sister Vicki would ride Grandad’s brown horse, Tick. We were pretty sure that if he was put into the parade with his reins up, he’d walk the route, turn around and return to the pick-up spot in Strong City where Grandad waited for us each year. Cousin Doug was pretty small and hadn’t had a great deal of experience riding so we put him behind me on grandad’s horse, Drifter. Grandad hung around and hung around to make sure everyone was going to be all right in the parade. He finally got into his truck and drove away. I could still see the taillights of his vehicle when my sister turned to me and said, “I don’t want to ride Tick anymore.” Those of you who have been around Downs children are laughing, because you all know that once they make up their mind there is no way to change it. You have to take a completely different route that they might find acceptable.

I took a deep breath and asked Doug if he would be willing to ride Tick. He readily agreed. The hard part came when I said a silent prayer and asked Vick if she’d be willing to ride behind me on Drifter. She looked around and I think since she couldn’t see Grandad, she decided it was going to be her best choice. She smiled at me and said, “Course I will!” I got off my horse, made the switches and had “thoughts” of my father.

I was feeling pretty smug by the time we’d made it through three quarters of the parade. We passed my grandad and came face to face with the railroad tracks in Strong City. The colt came to a screeching halt and decided that railroad tracks were not in his repertoire of things that are safe. No amount of kicking, clucking, and threatening with the reins on his behind caused him to move forward. I knew that Drifter had been used whenever we needed to physically push steers forward, so I got behind the colt. Drifter put his shoulder into the colt’s rear end and shoved him across the tracks.
Grandad was watching and he thought the whole episode was fairly humorous.
He loaded all of us up and took us home after the parade.

Later, I had a little visit with my father and “suggested” the next time he volunteered horses for people to ride in the parade, he could just supervise the operation himself.

The other parade episode involved my brother Jess. He had bone cancer when he was a senior in high school and underwent 18 months of chemotherapy. One of the chemo schedules ended on the Saturday of the rodeo parade. I went with mother to pick him up at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. He informed me when he got into the car that I was to deliver him to the gate of the park in Cottonwood Falls in time to ride in the parade with his friend, Merl Green. It was about 160 miles to get home. My goal was to get him there without acquiring too many speeding tickets. We put mom in the back of her large Chrysler car and Jess rode shotgun. Mom’s car had a slight vibration at an accelerated speed, so every time she felt the vibration she would make comments like, “I think this car is trying to get its wings out!” and “I’m not paying any fines you all get!” I came to a rather abrupt stop in front of the park gate where Merl was grinning and waiting on one of Dad’s horses. He had Jess’s horse and Jess’s Olathe boots. Mom and I went on to the main street in Cottonwood to watch the parade.

Just as I was sitting down by my grandmother she asked, “Where is Jess?” to which I replied as I looked up the street, “There he is right there.” He and Merl waved at us as they rode by.

I’m sure that if Dad and Grandad were still around they’d be happy to provide anyone a mount if they needed one for the parade as long as neither one of them had to ride in it.

1,000 Days to Go Celebration – New Brand and Vision Unveiled for the Alltech® FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy

[Caen, FRANCE] – The new brand and vision for the Alltech® FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 was launched in the host city of Caen by the French minister for sports, Mr. David Douillet, Mrs. Marie-Jeanne Gobert, vice president of the Basse-Normandie regional council and representatives from title sponsor, Alltech. The announcement was made in the auditorium of the Beaux-Arts museum and will be marked with 1,000 days to go on Monday, November 28, 2011 to the opening ceremony of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy.

Commenting on this milestone event, president of Alltech Dr. Pearse Lyons said, “Reaching 1,000 days to go gives us an opportunity to celebrate the world championships of equestrian sport recognizing athletes performing at their peak. Alltech is a leader in animal nutrition so it’s natural for us to ally with the FEI. This sport is rooted in a long established relationship between man and nature, and mirrors our values, as well as those of our customers and partners. Over the next 1,000 days we will work closely with the organizers and are confident that the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 will be a spectacular success and will deliver a lasting legacy for the region of Normandy and for future generations. It is an exciting time for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ as eight nations recently submitted formal expressions of interest to host the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018. We are very proud to be the title sponsor of this prestigious event and to be associated with its success.”

The new brand is based on the bond between man and horse – the respectful relationship – and includes an apple blossom pattern, one of the region’s most recognized agricultural symbols, and the word ‘Normandy’ – the host region of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014.

The modern emblem showcasing the relationship between the horse and human symbolizes the energy of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014, the speed and agility experienced at the world championships and its ability to reach out and inspire people all over the world.

The core color of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 is green, a color that holds great significance in Normandy as an agricultural region and also with Alltech, a natural animal health and nutrition company who for 20 years have served the agricultural community in France and in Normandy. In addition, white is used as a key color to reinforce the freshness of the green. White also represents the values of fairness and transparency at the heart of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 and these are the core values of Alltech’s brand.

To celebrate, the Normandy 2014 Organizing Committee have marked the 1,000 days to go milestone with the commissioning of a totem pole made up of three obstacle bars pointing up towards the sky. This will be erected in the stadium Michel d’Ornano and it will house a solar powered countdown clock. In addition, an equestrian themed event will take place this weekend on Caen’s Saint-Pierre main street, Rue Saint-Pierre. The street will be branded with the new identity, park benches will be turned into hurdles and the horses of the merry-go-round and lampposts will be wearing the official colors.

1,000 footprints and horseshoe prints will invite visitors and the people of Caen on a journey to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy. Free tickets for children to have a ride on the merry-go-round will be given out and origami flyers will transform into horses featuring the new logo and brand.

The new brand is the result of more than six months of collaboration between the Normandy 2014 Organizing Committee, FEI, Alltech and Whitestone International.
View the brand and watch the animation by clicking here.

Building a Western Foundation

By Brian Reed

Just days after throwing my cap in the air and closing the final chapter of
my high school career, I found myself cruising down a two-lane highway bound
for a local working man’s rodeo. I was not thrilled to be spending my first
post-graduation Friday stuck on bleachers surrounded by men in tight jeans,
but I recognized my role as moral supporter for a friend who was trying to
fulfill a dream. I kept the thoughts of the lake and the ladies to myself as
the mile markers flew past.

Alone in the bleachers, surrounded by an array of low-brimmed straw hats, I
sat listening for a last name that I had known so long that it could have
been my own. Too scared to go to the concessions or bathroom for fear of
missing my friend’s star moment, I waited, becoming more irritated each time
a name was called that I did not recognize. For years my friend had been
talking about becoming a bull rider but I always blew his excessive
fantasizing off as a need to fuel his ego. Now I sat shocked, toying with
ideas of how I would break it to his family if something tragic happened
during this irrational show of bravado.

I recognized him immediately as he climbed into the shoot. Not once did his
body give the slightest hint of fear as he climbed on the back of the bull.
Only when the people around him had to show him how to tighten his cinch did
a look of defeat slide across his face. That look quickly vanished as the
ring hand pulled open the gate and the bull was free to let loose his anger.
I watched, hands clenched in prayer, as the bull twisted and jumped. My
friend slid forward and back, hand flying loosely in the air. It lasted only
a few seconds and he was thrown to the side, quick to leap up the fence. He
stood there smiling and alive. Realizing I was the only one out of my seat,
I sat back down and continued to watch him walk out of the arena. Men he did
not know shook his hand and patted his back. His pride was beaming with each
step. I saw then that I was not there to help a friend fulfill a dream; I
was there to help him secure an identity.

Looking down at my boots and belt buckle, last name inscribed, a thought
occurred to me: What gave me the right to wear the hat, boots, and belt of a
cowboy? I had always considered myself a country boy, I grew up in a small
town where my dad taught me how to hunt, fish and fix an engine. But my
family didn’t own any form of livestock. I had ridden a horse only half a
dozen times. My nearest association to being a cowboy was a family of
relative farmers (a longstanding debate itself). It occurred to me that
night that my identity had no foundation. It was at that moment I decided to
find out what gave someone the right to be called a cowboy.

As a soon-to-be freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I was free
to explore the possibilities of a new identity. In the weeks leading up to
my departure, I besieged myself with questions from the night of the rodeo.
Who do I say I am? The thought of being a small-town country boy wasn’t bad,
but I wanted more. I have always considered cowboys the greatest gesture of
American patriotism. Men and women who earn an honest living from the land,
who live up to the greatest of the Christian virtues, and who disregard mere
possessions for what is right. That’s what I wanted for the cornerstone of
my foundation, and I knew for the sake of identity that I couldn’t be a
fake.

My search led me to a club meeting of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
rodeo team. For a person consciously seeking a designation, walking into a
room of people with a clear sense of identity can be more intimidating than
speaking to a crowd of hundreds. I wandered around the room, quick to pick
up a refreshment for the sake of something to do, begging for a reason not
to leave. I found my reason in a young woman who stood alone in a corner
looking just as awkward. I stood next to her. In a full room, two awkward
people in a corner is always better than one. Still feeling the weight of
being “new” I didn’t say a word to her. After a few minutes she introduced
herself. Feeling a little ashamed in my lack of courtesy, I began asking the
regular college questions. Where are you from? What is your major? Do you
like your roommate? I tried profusely to keep the conversation as generic as
possible because I didn’t want to explain to her that I really didn’t have a
good reason to be at a college rodeo meeting. But it was from this first
awkward experience that I made a life-long friend and got my first glimpse
into the authentic cowboy culture.

This picture was snapped after the wild horse race. I'm on the right.

I learned that night, after divulging my secret to my new friend, that being
a cowboy is a lot like being rich. She explained how it’s easier for a poor
person to enter the “moneyed” class than an outsider to enter the world of
western traditions. People born in that world have their tools and pathways
already laid out. Her insight reminded me of a middle school conversation I
had with my mother about buying a horse. I’m sure you can imagine how
quickly that dream was shattered. Our conversation continued to derail my
hopes. I found out that most of the young men and women in the room came
from ranching backgrounds. They were mutton busting while learning to walk.
I left that night feeling defeated. I never went to another meeting or
attended a practice. Realizing I did not have the background to be a cowboy,
my search took a step in the wrong direction.

Since I wasn’t going to become a cowboy by buckin’ into the college rodeo
scene, I looked for another solution. I was going to become a ranch hand.
Riding the ranges, counting fence posts, alone, rounding up cattle. It was a
long shot, but divine intervention came my sophomore year from an ad in the
campus newspaper, the Daily Nebraskan. I applied for the job. Whether it was
mere luck or because I had promised to work Husker game days, I’m not sure,
but the job was mine.

A half-mile drive outside the Lincoln city limits is a dream world. Houses
with enough rooms to be apartment complexes sit on fifty or sixty-acre lots.
It is the place where church goers take their Sunday afternoon drives to see
if they can sneak a peek inside the fortified compounds.

I drove past a gate that identified the owner as a doctor. Standing at the
end of the lane was a man dressed to the nines in a suit and tie, extenuated
with cowboy boots and a hat. He offered me a cup of coffee and began
explaining that it had always been his dream to own a ranch. With his extra
acreage he was going to fulfill his dream. Being a doctor he had a work
schedule that required strenuous hours and the need to travel often, so it
was going to be my job to oversee things. At that moment two things crossed
my mind: First, whether like the doctor, I could just buy my way into being
a cowboy, and second, I had absolutely no idea how to take care of a herd of
cows.

For three months my life felt justified. Lucky for me the doctor managed the
whole operation. I just had to follow his daily orders consisting of feed
patterns, building fence, and making hay runs to a local vendor. The entire
semester I walked with my head held high in my boots and hat. Glad to tell
people that Saturday I would be on the “ranch” instead of at the game. But
the validity that I felt did not last long.

When I was a senior in high school my father told me to pick a profession
that I could be proud of because it becomes a part of how we define
ourselves.  I felt the reality of that statement the day the doctor told me
he was selling the herd because it was not what he dreamt. Standing there
shaking my head in understanding I remember wanting to yell, “Make the work
part of your dream.” That herd of cows was never officially mine. I found a
lot of purpose in building fences and giving shots, but I left my new
identity the moment I drove out of the gate.

I have written many chapters and partaken in many adventures in my search to
become western, but none of them had an impact more profound than the night
I tried to tame a wild horse. I’m not sure if my friends were looking out
for my best interests or tired of my excessive banter to become a cowboy,
but a close college friend offered me an opportunity to actually partake in
his hometown rodeo. I thought this was the answer to all my prayers.
Flashbacks of my high school friend walking out of the arena flooded my
mind. The molds of the last experiences always melted away; I hoped this
time it would finally stick.

The night plays out in my mind like a flawed circus performance. We were in
teams of three competing against the clock. The first guy, who is on a
horse, has to catch a rope connected to a wild horse, dally the rope and
hold the horse steady while guy number two saddles the horse and guy number
three rides the horse to the finish line. It seemed fairly straight forward,
which calmed my nerves just enough to not throw-up as I rode into the area.
I can tell you for sure that the scenes from movies where time slows down
can happen. Trotting through the gate, looking at the crowd‹I don’t remember
hearing a thing, or exactly what I was thinking at the moment. What I do
remember is an announcer yelling, “Let’s go!” and my world going from zero
to sixty in a split second. How the rope for the horse got in my hand, I’m
still not sure. Maybe luck, quick reflexes‹or as I like to think‹skills of
an actual cowboy, but I’m still not sure. However it happened, it was the
only good thing to come out of the experience. Within seconds of dallying
the rope things started to go wrong. My inexperience led me to only dallying
a couple of times, leaving slack in the rope for the horse to buck and jerk.
I wrestled with the horse and tried to bring it closer so I could wrap the
rope a few more times, but I wasn’t making any ground; the rope was still
too long for my partners to saddle. In a rash decision to take out slack I
drove my horse toward the unbroken. In the maneuver I gained some ground but
it also drove the other horse to run circles around my horse.

The pain was excruciating. The circling horse wrapped the rope around my
waist, squeezing me like an empty ketchup bottle. I tried turning my horse
to undo the twist, but I couldn’t get the rope over my horse’s head. In a
split second decision I undallyied the rope and watched as the horse dashed
across the arena.
In the moments riding out of the gate, seeing my friends standing holding
the saddle, my insides felt as wild as the horse I just let go. My hopes of
getting a ticket into that life were ripped out of my hands along with the
rope

Since graduating from college I have moved on from my dreams of being a
cowboy and created a strong foundation in my religion and career. A part of
me will always want to be the cowboy I dreamed of as a child. Until I’m
movin’ my own cattle or movin’ from rodeo to rodeo, l will feel like a fake
when I put on the boots, buckle, and hat, but I believe that is a testament
to the culture. It is an exclusive breed and no matter the size of your
truck, how intricate your boots, or how loud you play your music, only those
who rope, ride and live the life should call themselves cowboys.

This is a picture of my grandfather teaching me how to drive a tractor. I've never felt like my farming heritage justified my right to wear the boots and hat of a cowboy.

Omaha native Brooke Cudmore jumps her way to team bronze at the 2011 Adequan
FEI North American Junior Young Riders’ Championships

by Kim MacMillan, MacMillan Photography & Media Services

Brooke Cudmore’s first trip to the 2011 Adequan FEI North American Junior
Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC), presented by Gotham North, paid off
with a junior jumper team bronze medal. Held at the Kentucky Horse Park in
Lexington, KY, the last week of July, the championships include competition
for junior and young riders ages 14 – 21 in dressage, endurance, eventing,
reining and show jumping. Future plans are for para dressage and vaulting to
become part of the NAJYRC competition over the next few years.

Brooke Cudmore riding Ocelot in the 2011 Adequan FEI North American Junior Young Rider's Championships where they earned a team bronze medal in junior jumpers. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

Cudmore combined with three riders from United States Equestrian Federation
(USEF) Zone 1 to form a Zone1/6 Team when she arrived at the NAJYRC and the
combination proved to be successful earning bronze for all four riders. The
sole jumper representative from USEF Zone 6 (which encompasses Iowa,
Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin) and the only
competitor in any discipline from Nebraska at the 2011 NAJYRC, the
17-year-old Cudmore enjoyed the experience and her first trip to Kentucky.
“Kentucky and the Horse Park were beautiful and the park was huge – much
bigger than I expected. I loved the new outdoor stadium. The arena footing
and everything was maintained very well.”

Cudmore’s partner was Ocelot, a 16-year-old bay Holsteiner stallion by Ocean
II, out of Miss Loving, bred by Joan Irvine Smith’s The Oaks farm in
California, and owned by Brooke’s mother and father, Karen and Blair
Cudmore, who own and operate Heartland Farm in Omaha, a hunter-jumper
training stable. The Cudmores also have a large farm in Iowa where they
breed and raise sport horses.

Ocelot came to Heartland Farm from California as a two-year-old and Karen
started him under saddle and competed him through the Grand Prix jumper
ranks. After Ocelot had some time off to recover from bruised heels, Brooke
took over the ride. Besides the young rider competition, she and Ocelot have
done junior jumpers and also a few Grand Prix competitions. “He’s just the
coolest horse,” said Brooke, who added that Ocelot’s favorite treat is
bananas.

With two equestrian professional parents, Brooke learned to ride at a very
young age, starting with hunter ponies and moving into the jumper ring as
she got older. She rides for her parent’s farm and plans to do some business
classes at the local community college, but ultimately wants to be a
professional rider. Currently she is actively competing with five horses.

When not riding, she enjoys hanging out with her friends. She plans to
compete again next year at the NAJYRC and hopes to recruit some other Zone 6
riders so that they can field a team exclusively from their zone.

“I learned a lot being on a Junior Team. It’s not just about you; it’s about
everyone on the team and about being consistent over the five days of
competition. It was a blast and I’m super happy I competed,” she concluded.

To see a complete list of results from all five disciplines or to learn how
to qualify to compete at the 2012 FEI North American Junior Young Riders’
Championships, go to www.youngriders.org or www.usef.org.

LIFEFORCE Supplement a Strong Force Behind the Alltech National Horse Show

Article Courtesy of Alltech

[Lexington, KY] – LIFEFORCE has been named the Official Equine Supplement of the Alltech National Horse Show coming to the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park November 2-6.
LIFEFORCE™ is a daily, natural nutritional supplement designed for all horses at every stage of life, whether they are breeding, pleasure, or performance animals. Daily supplementation helps create an ideal digestive environment to promote overall nutrient absorption, support immune function, and optimize overall performance.
“The five active ingredients in LIFEFORCE have all been demonstrated to be effective through peer-reviewed research done on horses,” said Steve Elliott, global equine director at Alltech. “Following the successful 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games this past October in Kentucky, Alltech is committed to its support of the equestrian sport. We are honored to be involved in the Alltech National Horse Show with LIFEFORCE as the Official Equine Supplement.”
“LIFEFORCE is one of the great products offered by Alltech. It is a supplement that is well reviewed and well received in the equestrian community,” noted Mason Phelps, Jr., president of the Alltech National Horse Show. “We’re glad they are on board as our Official Equine Supplement. For those that don’t know about all of the good that LIFEFORCE does, the Alltech National Horse Show provides the perfect venue for an introduction to this excellent product.”?
LIFEFORCE is the first of several supplements to come from the Alltech Equine Advantage Series as Alltech becomes more aware of new challenges in the equine industry where their 31 years of research can provide natural solutions to these challenges.
LIFEFORCE is offering a promotion of 30% off all online orders from Nov 1 – 30 and all orders placed at the LIFEFORCE booth during the Alltech National Horse Show from Nov 2 – 6. Orders placed onsite at the Alltech National Horse Show will have free shipping within North America available.  To take advantage of the 30% off discount during the month of November, use the promotional code ‘ANHS’.
Tickets for the Alltech National Horse Show, ranging from $10-$30, are on sale and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Fifty percent of each ticket sold benefits select local and national charities. Parking at the Kentucky Horse Park is free during the event. For more information about the Alltech National Horse Show, visit www.nhs2011.org.
For more information about the Alltech National Horse Show, visit www.nhs2011.org.

Youths From Nebraska “dive into” Nationals

By Sylvia Rogan

The 19th Annual Arabian Horse Association Youth Nationals took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, July 23-30, where several competitors from Nebraska competed; I was one of them. The theme of the National show was “under the sea,” and this theme could be seen throughout the show in multiple ways. The Youth Convention occurred on Friday morning and afternoon and all of their activities stuck with the theme. Later in the week, there was a parade of regions (There are eighteen regions in the United States and Canada that the Arabian Horse Association recognizes.) Not all of the regions participated, but the ones who did really showed their stuff. The regions that participated could decorate golf carts to the theme of “under the sea” and many golf carts stuck out. The winning golf cart was Region 12, who created a “Nessie the Sea Monster,” consisting of two golf carts, a lot of paper mache and green duct tape.

Over 1,000 competitors competed at this year’s Nationals and many were newcomers. One in particular was Natasha Arritt of Omaha, Nebraska. Natasha shows FF Azzon, a bay purebred Arabian who shows western pleasure, horsemanship and showmanship. I caught up with Natasha and asked her a couple of questions about her first Nationals experience.

Natasha Arritt and FF Azzon in Showmanship / Photo by Sylvia Rogan

Saddle Up: As it was your first year competing at the Arabian Horse Association’s Youth Nationals, what were your goals?
Natasha Arritt: My goal was to try to make every ride my best ride. I knew  that this was all new to Azzon and me, and I also wanted to have a fun and  relaxed show.

SU: What is your favorite class to compete in and why?
NA: Western Pleasure. It lets me relax as a rider and focus more on making  the horse look perfect.

SU: Were there any fun activities that you attended while you were at the National Championships?
NA: I attended the golf cart parade and I saw all of the regions present their carts that they had decorated together. They were really awesome.  Maybe in years to come I will participate in my region’s decoration process.  I also attended the ice cream social, where I had an ice cream and talked  with my friends. I mean, what is better than FREE ice cream??

SU: Finally, what advice would you give youth exhibitors competing at their  first Nationals?
NA: Prepare and practice a lot. It makes you confident in riding and helps  you relax.

Opposite of Natasha, a veteran competitor of the Youth National  Championships is Nikki Novak. Nikki is from Unadilla, Nebraska, and is a  recent graduate of high school. She has been showing against me ever since I can remember and she is also a great friend. Nikki’s main partner is MA Ice Breaker+/, a half-Arabian hunter horse that is a standout in the show ring.  This year Nikki competed with MA Ice Breaker+/ in Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure, Hunter Seat Equitation and Showmanship. In a huge class at thirty six with all sorts of hunter equitation riders, Nikki had to make it through two rounds just to make it to the final class. Out of sixteen competitors in the final round, Nikki took home a Top Ten, which believe me, is a great honor. In a different competition, Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure, Nikki competed with MA Ice Breaker+/ against fifty other horses and riders. MA Ice Breaker+/ definitely stands out in the crowd. He is a big and bold liver  chestnut who has a huge heart, and it showed. Nikki also took home a Top Ten in this class. This was Nikki’s last year as a youth rider and she will now move up to the 18-39 age division where she will be competing as an amateur.

I also competed at the 19th Annual Youth National Championships with two of  my wonderful horses, Heritage Bey Kat and CP Merritt+//. Heritage Bey Kat, or “Kat,” and I competed in a number of classes. These included Half-Arabian Country English Pleasure, Show Hack (which has similar gaits as dressage but is shown on the rail of the arena, see picture), Mounted Native Costume, and Saddle Seat Equitation. We competed against sixty other competitors in Country English Pleasure, twelve others in Mounted Native Costume, thirty seven in Show Hack, and thirty two in Saddle Seat Equitation. Let’s just say it was a bundle of fun!

Sylvia Rogan and Heritage Bey Kat in Show Hack competition

The other horse I showed was CP Merritt+//. I have been with this horse since 2004 and I know him so well, he could be called my best friend. Merritt and I competed in Show Hack and dressage. This was my first year of doing dressage with Merritt, so we were not shooting for anything more than a good score. There were thirty-five competitors in our Training Level 14-17 class and the entire class lasted for six hours, test after test. After a very monotonous time of waiting and waiting for my dressage time to arrive, it was time. Merritt and I unfortunately did not make the Top Ten, but we had a fun time and a good ride in the process! My horse “Kat” and I received two Top Tens in Half-Arabian Mounted Native Costume, and at the end of the show I was very proud of my horses.

Youth Nationals is always a fun event to attend and compete at. Whether it is your first time, last time, or somewhere in the middle, you should always be grateful for the opportunities at hand. Nebraska riders did well considering the big competition this year, and we will always be willing to represent our state any year.

Until next year, live long and prosper.