Taking the Left Turn - "Khadafy Skoal"

Taking the Left Turn
The AQHA shows SS Salty Dog as a 1983 blue roan gelding by Tom Micks by Micks Moon out of Steens Star by Steen Bob. A very respectable ranch horse/ performance horse pedigree. Breeding alone, Moon Deck and Three Bars on the top side, double Oklahoma Star with some Hancock on his dam’s side could have sent this good horse to the rodeo arena. His original owners/breeders, the Millers, may have had that in mind for this pretty colored athlete having raised some other really nice ranch and arena horses both before and since.
The AQHA records show no performance stats for him but he won 6 horse of the year titles and 34 major awards in 16 years of campaigning in his event. He went to the “world” all 16 of those years. A great performer, better known as Khadafy Skoal, SS Salty Dog decided early on in life he would rather work a different end of the arena than his pedigree said he should. His world show was the NFR. His talent was bucking, a bareback bronc specifically. A horse has to “qualify” to go to the NFR too, you know, they don’t let just any ole horse go.

Like all great horses he had the help of good connections. When the newly formed Powder River Rodeo Company bought a broncy saddle horse from a ranch hand of Miller Livestock it worked out really well for both.
Powder River Rodeo has done “okay” too. Hank Franzen after spending his lifetime competing in the rodeo arena started Powder River Rodeo Company in 1986. This family run business has gone on to earn 135 awards over the years.
After the past couple of blogs I have to quote this from an article written about this legendary horse’s final year on the road. It’s a fine example of how these people feel about their stock, their sport, and each other.
This was written in September of 2004 shortly before Khadafy’s final Wyoming performance.
Lori Franzen of the Wright (Wyoming)-based Power River Rodeo Company said Chad Vivian of Ashland, Mont., has drawn the 21-year-old horse for Sunday's round at Harold Jarrard Park. "It's going to be more than emotional," Franzen said. Lori said her most memorable moment from Khadafy Skoal's farewell tour so far was the 90-point ride Aladdin native Marvin Garrett scored at the Belle Fourche, S.D., rodeo over the Fourth of July weekend."Marvin's on the end of his career, too, and that was pretty tough. I just cried," Lori said. "I was crying and Marvin's brother Mark came over and gave me a hug and he was crying."
Khadafy Skoal was retired to their ranch after the 2004 NFR in December that year. He was going home to live the rest of his life on the Wyoming range much the same as he started it. Trivia for the day…..I read while researching this blog, at the high point of his career Khadafy Skoal was valued at $100,000. Another article stated he was still sound but the Franzens felt he had done everything asked of him and had earned his retirement. Although they are best known for a horse they bought, they raise most of their own rough stock from their Born to Buck Program. Miss Congeniality is horse of the year product of their program.
Several other performance bred horses have turned their considerable ability to rough stock end of the rodeo arena and achieved long successful careers. The number of older horses still competing should be an indicator how well these animals are cared for and handled. Anyone who has ever hauled horses knows what kind of skill, attention to detail, and care it takes to keep them healthy, competitive, and sound going down the road. Maintaining and finding good stock is both difficult and important for these businesses. The majority of long running PRCA stock contractors have at least some version of their own Born to Buck breeding program.
Cotton Rosser of Flying U Rodeo Company of Marysville, California, owned and campaigned another well bred AQHA horse in his rough stock string. The horse (a grandson of Three Bars) bucked as Classic Velvet, was bareback bronc of the year in 1981, hauled 17 years and retired sound. A long time breeder of his own horses, his breeding produced Buckskin Velvet, saddle bronc of the year for 1982. This long standing rodeo family has two generations both operating and competing in rodeo. They raise 80 percent of their horses.
Bar T Rodeo of Utah has been operating for more than 50 years. Their bucking stock breeding program has produced many good and some great horses. It’s safe to assume this stock is serious business for Bud Kerby. He invested $24,000 in the purchase of War Paint at the 2002 Wrangler NFR Bucking Horse and Bull sale. This is another family owned rodeo company in its second generation of operation.
Barnes Rodeo Company of Iowa is yet another rodeo contractor passing the 50 year mark in operation. Bob Barnes has had livestock at the NFR since its inception in 1959, was 1984 stock contractor of the year, was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall Fame in 1994. He owned Crystal Springs, saddle bronc of year for 1977, his bull T Bar with Terry Don West aboard set the record 94 score in Houston. Another Barnes bull, Smokeless Bow Tie, carried Wes Stevenson to a 93 point ride and the second highest bull riding score in history. Not bad for a contractor operating out of a state not traditionally known for its cowboy heritage.
Andrews Rodeo Company of Texas run by Sammy Andrews is a third generation company who has had great success in the bull riding event of rodeo. Their great bulls include Skoals Outlaw Willie, Cat Daddy, Fender Bender, and of course Bodacious. Bodacious was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999. When the great bull died in 2000 he was buried on the Andrews Ranch and Rodeo Houston donated a bucking chute head stone as a marker.
This is just a surface overview of some of the animals and people involved in rodeo. There are so many interesting stories behind the sponsor signs. The breeding programs, the stock, the people, and the specialty acts. It is impossible to scratch the surface in one column. I’ll come back to them from time to time.
I am particularly interested in the Born to Buck breeding programs. Livestock genetics and bloodlines interest me to begin with. Ones with an 80% rate of producing successful performers have to be doing something right in any discipline. Shoots the crap out of the theory these are ordinary animals tortured into performing.
As a matter of fact I feel it robs these great animals of their due respect as performers just as surely as saying Man O’ War was just a horse. Incidentally, Sipping Velvet traced back to Man O’ War. He was another bronc who bucked well into his old age and retired sound. He took the left turn, the road less traveled and the rest is rodeo history.

written by R.H1

One of The Good Ones

We've talked about spotlighting the good horses, so I'll start with mine.
I think he's a little unique because he's an example of how the auction system used to work and still could work if there weren't anti slaughter people screaming about the evils of the auctions and that horse traders are the devil themselves.
His name used to be Cocoa, and he came in with a string of 7 gaited horses with a dealer. The string was run through Sugarcreek auction on a Friday when they held one of their riding horse sales. I wasn't there, but my mother in law was. She came home telling me about this cute brown horse with an "apple butt" (she loves round horse butts:) that didn't sell. But I was looking for a palomino at the time.
The following week, I got a call from a friend of mine who also happens to be a horse dealer. C. had gotten a 16 hand palomino mare from the Sugarcreek sale, she was riding nice, and thought I'd like her. I'm not a mare person, but C. knew what I was looking for as far as temperament and ride, so off we went to try her out.
One of my favorite things about C. is her total honesty. If you see a horse at her place and ask how long she's had it, the answer you'll most likely get is "what time is it?". She's in the business of selling a horse, and hopefully getting repeat customers, and referrals, so she's not going to waste any time trying to rip you off, or lying about what she has there.
So, we tack up the mare, and ride her. I didn't really like her, and I was getting ready to head out when C. leads this cute little brown 15 hander by. I ask how long she's had him, and she gives the answer...."what time is it?".
Turns out he's the Sugarcreek gelding with the apple butt. And he was bought by C with the yellow mare who was also gaited. Something just clicks....and if you've had that happen with a horse, you know what I'm talking about. I tack him up, ride him, load him up, and take him home. My husband just shakes his head, saying, "that doesn't look like any palomino I've ever seen".
He doesn't look like a Cocoa to me, he's a gelding after all, and that seems like a girly name. He's a Rocky Mountain Tennessee Walker cross from what C was able to find out. Ridden by a little old man on the weekends.....aren't they all?:). He's a good age, 8 years old, and seems pretty laid back. He has a few quirks, but nothing I can't handle. And he has about the sweetest personality I've ever found in a horse.
He's 21 now, and still here with me. He's still about the sweetest guy in the barn, and anyone can ride him. He's still got his quirks, but so do I. I can't imagine life without him.
He is truly one of the good ones. This is the horse you can ground tie in the middle of a field and tack up. The horse you can handle from nose to tail and he won't do a thing. Stands for the farrier, loves a bath, loves attention, will try anything you ask him to do. And he's done a lot. He's trail ridden, done team penning, cattle sorting, barrel racing, keyhole, eventing, obstacle courses, taught newbie's to ride, even rode English a few times. He's the best horse I could have ever asked for.
I had been searching for 6 months for a Palomino, and would have probably found a horse I liked. Had this gelding not been bought by a dealer, gone to the sale in Sugarcreek, been bought by another dealer, I would have never found the horse that was truly meant for me. A horse I can say I love, and couldn't imagine being a better horse than he is.
Sometimes you just get lucky, and I was. But if the horses aren't there, you won't find them. The sale circuit offers a way for us to get to horses we wouldn't normally have access to. We need to keep the "good ones" in circulation.
Written By R.H2

Just an added note:
This post really says a lot about horse shopping too. Don’t set your mind on a certain color or you may just miss the opportunity to buy the best horse you have ever owned.
R.M.

Rodeo apologist? I think not....

there is nothing to defend or apologize for.

To Mr. Sherman, who was so kind as to leave comment and add a link to his newest article. We never apologized for the rodeo, there is nothing to apologize for. I did get a chuckle out of your article though, thanks for posting the link in our comment section. The conspiracy theory about court and criminal records was a lot of fun; I just love a good paranoid conspiracy theory.
Your remark in your article about us that “he won’t give his name”. First, so far, we are all women. Not that gender matters or plays any roll in a person’s stand on the issues in our equine and ag industry. Just thought since you like “facts” you would like to know that. Although I do believe we have stated that fact in our blog already. Secondly, with so many insane animal activists, animal rights groups, green peace, etc running around burning buildings down, releasing animals, killing animals, killing and threatening people, not many of us are all that thrilled about giving our real full names. Sorry I have a family, farm, livestock and other critters to think about and protect. I have not, however, REFUSED to give my name. I chose not to for the above mentioned reasons.
I suppose, as they say, bad publicity is better than no publicity. So THANK YOU for giving our blog a plug as well. So glad we could be of service to each other.
To All -
Isn’t it funny how we never hear of a pro-horse or pro-slaughter person burning down a PETA members garden, or a rodeo participant beheading a person on a public bus, or a restaurant owner killing dogs and putting the carcasses in a PETA members trash.
Yet those who support such behavior want to call the rodeo barbaric and abusive. Now there is some warped thinking!
We have some good posts coming up this week. I hope you all are enjoying and possibly learning from what we write, We have also had a couple of really good suggestions from readers for future topics. Thanks for sending those to me! We’re working on it.
Lets not forget to support those who are willing to go to bat for the equine and Ag industry! See my “lets show our support” at the top of the page. Thanks all, have a great day!!

R.M.

Steve Hindi- Shark? I say bottom feeder.....

We have an old saying in my part of the country: A man who lies to you once will lie as many times as you let him. Keep that in mind as we continue our discussion.

We all go through times in our lives when, for one reason or another, we evaluate what we stand for. Maybe return to things we thought we left behind. Interests we put on a back burner while life made other plans are renewed and we remember what they meant to us. Such is the case for me and rodeo.
The total lack of interest in Dually’s ordeal by PETA started this project. I am not a barrel racer by profession but the feel of good barrel horse shutting down to rate the barrel and leaving a tight corner is pretty far up there on my list of “reasons we raise nice horses” and even though I have no desire to ride one, I love to watch a good bronc work…..so I kind of got back to rodeo…….started researching some stock and stock contractors…….trying to find information on some great stockman and great bucking horses…….this led me to a new (new to me) friend and champion of our maligned and maltreated livestock.
STEVE HINDi:
Mentioned in this article pulled from the (you guessed it) Steve Hindi web site http://www.sharkonline.org/ . Writing for this blogspot has been a learning experience for me. I have learned to ALWAYS give the website who supplied in the information used in my opinions. I don’t want anyone to think I am making this up as I go. I suspect that’s true of some the head cases in this article but…………
This entry is made in response to a comment referring to another article “exposing" the horrors of rodeo originally titled Godless in Chicago, As in Rodeo Animals Haven’t Got a Prayer. The commenter on that article asked why, if rodeo cruelty existed in such common rampant style, why it was never documented on TV and in newspaper articles. Here’s the explanation.

The Corrupt Economics of Rodeo By Rob Sherman Chicago Now Blog

Rodeos buy lots of newspaper ads in the days before an event to promote the event to attract a crowd. There is a "professional courtesy" that says you don't mess with your advertisers or they won't be your advertisers any more.
Indeed, that's precisely why rodeos buy lots of newspaper and TV ads: Insurance against getting exposed for engaging in animal abuse for huge profits.
It's no different than why so many large corporations, such as Comcast, Commonwealth Edison, and unions, such as teachers unions and firefighter unions, "sponsor" incumbent legislators in Springfield (the capitol of Illinois for those of you who wrote in from elsewhere) with campaign contributions literally in the tens of thousands of dollars. They know that legislators have the power to end unfair policies and practices which unjustly enrich these groups and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars each year. They are simply, and literally, buying protection for their unfair practices.

So there you have it…… rodeo has everyone in the media on the take ……..Except our smiling friend(pictured above) Steve Hindi … And while the sport of rodeo has been buying off the media they have also been infiltrating charities with money to keep them and the communities they work within quiet too………

In addition, rodeos are often the vehicle used by major local charitable organizations as a fund-raiser event. The Wauconda Chamber of Commerce states, on page 11 of their June newsletter, that "The annual rodeo is the Chamber's largest fundraiser." If any newspaper were to criticize the Wauconda Rodeo as cruel and unnecessary, the charitable organization would complain.
Finally, most people, particularly most people in the rodeo audience and, quite frankly, most journalists, simply don't realize that rodeo is animal abuse for entertainment and profit. It never occurs to most people that what they regard as an entertaining and fun animal performance is actually animals squirming and writhing in agony from abuse and torture that has just occurred but been cleverly concealed from the audience, and that when the animals are racing across the arena, they actually are simply trying to run away to escape further mistreatment. That's why we need people like Steve Hindi and SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) to expose what's going on, for the eventual protection of animals, and to inform journalists like me so that I can inform you.

So Mr. Sherman ends his glowing although poorly informed tribute to this special man.
Did I mention researching this blog has been a learning experience for me?
Well it has. Here is what else I was able to learn about Steve Hindi….No comment from me…..I’ll just post a little……let you go visit the sites if you desire……..read a little or lot…..I think you can form an opinion……

This site goes into Steve Hindi’s personal life as well as the personal lives of several other prominent animal activists. http://www.theharryrowellfamily.org/stevehindi.htm . It is interesting reading if you feel the personalities and private lives of these people have bearing on their credibility and motives as I do.
This web site lets us in on the mind set of this man’s peers and supporters http://www.hedweb.com/polipris.htm Kind of an interesting list don’t you think???

Jacob Kenison
#06329-081 Yuma Unit
37900 N. 45th AVE, Dept. 1700
Phoenix AZ 85027-7004
*Sentenced for $300,000 arson damage caused to Tandy Leather store

Clinton Colby Ellerman
c/o Salt Lake County Jail
450 S. 300 E.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111-3207
USA
*Released minks from Holt Mink Ranch

McHenry County Jail
Attn: Inmate Steve Hindi
2200 N. Seminary Ave
Woodstock IL 60098
USA

*Steve Hindi - 6 month sentence for his activities against a hunt in Illinois state.

Ryan Z. Durfee BA03 c/o Oxbow Jail
Inmate Mail
3148 South 1100 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
84119
USA
*Sentenced to 1 year for arson
(do not send news clippings or other or other items or letter will be sent back)

Mark S. Klein AA45
c/o Oxbow Jail
Inmate Mail
3148 South 1100 West
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
*Sentenced to 1 year for arson attempt to McDonald's
(do not send news clippings or other items)
items or letter will be sent back)

Jason D. Troff
Section 9040
c/o S.L. County Jail
450 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3207
USA
*Sentenced for attempted arson against McDonald's

Rod Coronado
03895-000
FCI Unit SW
8901 South Wilmot Rd
Tucson AZ 8570
USA
*for publicizing ALF campaign to destroy the fur industry in the 80's \

Trev Poulson 9375
Housing Unit: Wasatch A West / 215
Utah State Prison
PO BOX 250
Draper, UT 84020
*Two year sentence for alleged fur farm mink liberation
The website authors are asking you to send help and correspondence to encourage these “martyrs”.

I’ll just leave you with Steve Hindi’s rendition of the Cowboy Prayer….His comments are in bold. Political debate, difference of opinion, or questioning the accuracy of one’s facts is one thing but demeaning an act of religious respect (whether you agree with context or not)…….well you be the judge…….

Our Heavenly Father,
We have paused in the midst of this Rodeo, mindful of you and all the blessings you've bestowed upon us.
Lordy yes! Where else could we get a deal like this? We get to wrap ourselves in the American flag, kick the living hell out of your creatures and still pretend to be fine Christians at cowboy church. Don't that beat all?
You see, Lord, there is no need for you to bless us with compassion for your creatures.
We pray Lord that you be with each of us and especially with the contestants in this arena as we pray that you will guide us in life's arena.
Guide us to ever more tame domesticated victims that we can taunt, maim, injure and kill in our fantasy of being little "John Waynes."
We don't ask you for any special favors Lord.
But of course, if you would let us get away with just a little more cruelty and corruption we'd be much obliged.
We don't ask that you always make it rain when we need it, nor do we ask that you always let the sun shine.
No sir. We just ask that you keep public officials corrupt enough to hand over tax dollars and have a blind eye to criminal abuse and let us get away with whatever we want. Can anyone spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y?
We don't always ask for the calf that runs straight, nor do we shun the one that won't lay.
Nah, we'll just kick the crap out of them to make 'em run like hell the next time.
We don't ask to draw round the chute fighting horse nor condemn the ride not bringing pay.
Nope. No need to condemn them because we can spike them, shock them, twist and rake their tails, and choke and drag them. We figure that if we nail 'em a few dozen times before they go out again, they'll buck just fine!
We just pray Lord that you help us, so we may live our lives in such a manner, that when it comes time to make that last ride to the country up there, where the water runs, cool, clear and deep and where the grass grows stirrup high, lush and green, that you will tell us, as our last Judge, that our entry fees are paid.
Oh yea, oh yea. Nothin' but rodeo up there in the heavens. Endless supplies of calves and steers and horses and bulls to harass and mutilate and shock and spur and spike. Glory be on high!
Amen.
And be sure to visit his website dealing with the sex slave trade (the use of the Brokeback Mountain theatre posters is a nice touch) http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000890

Warning: if you have any sentiment toward the western lifestyle or pride in the culture that gave us the root of stock horse breeds and the stock seat style of performance horsemanship as well as rodeo this website and the “literature” it contains may be very hard on your blood pressure. As most true “animal people” eventually do Mr. Hindi has indeed proven he is not an experienced horsemen of any sort……..I’ll let you form you own opinions on what sort of man he really is…….
I will get the great stock and stock contractors a little better next week……….I had to vent a little first……it makes it easier for me to be happier next time….

R.H1

They're Just Learning What We Already Know

and have known for a long time.......

I've been reading the past month or so about the "Sugarcreek Saves". A group of Anti Slaughter women have decided to try something different.....instead of showing up at the Pennsylvania Horse sale with Television cameras, or Newspaper reporters, and making a huge scene, they went to the auction house owner and did the unthinkable. They asked if they could buy out of his Kill Pen. And guess what? He said yes. Now, for the Anti crowd, this is highly unusual behavior. It lacks the required drama of going through the pens before the sale, dragging horses around, demanding already overworked vets and handlers attend to a few horses when they already are trying to handle hundreds. It lacks the calls to Law enforcement and Animal Cruelty Officers to get there and "DO SOMETHING NOW!!!!". And it lacks the calling out of the Auction House owner for the dirty rotten money grubbing bastard he really is for allowing all of the pain and suffering that has been inflicted upon these horses. It robs one of their seemingly required 15 minutes of fame. In short, it calls for a calm head, cooperation with "the other side", and a plan. And I applaud it wholeheartedly.It has also given some of the Anti Slaughter people involved a knowledge that most of the "pro slaughter" or "pro horse" people have known, and have been trying to tell them for some time now. You cannot save them all. I was very proud of the group of women who undertook this project. They went in, evaluated the horses, and stayed the course. There were requests from those donating funds to pull horses that were not sound, or were not safe, and God bless these women, they refused. they took the horses they deemed best suited for homes. They refused to pull horses to euthanise them, and spent the money they had on those with a future. Hard decisions, and tough women, I'm sure to make them in the face of the pressure to give in to the emotion that often accompanies many of the Anti saves.These women are now learning what we already know. There are not enough homes for all of the nice horses. And as hard as it is to turn away from the soft eye, or the beckoning nicker, common sense has it's very necessary place in these decisions. But we know that reality has to play into our decisions, and I am impressed with the women who undertook this save and dealt with the reality rather than give in to the fantasy. It's a hard call to make.And we know, as they are learning, the saving is the beginning of the journey, not the end. After the drama and the adrenaline of the "save" has worn off, we have the reality.....horses in need of homes. These women knew that you don't pull 20 if you only have placement for 5. Kudos to them for pulling only those they had Fosters and home offers for. They have gotten permission from the owner of the Auction House to buy as many as they can take on a weekly basis. They're working on a plan to have the cash in hand, and homes ready for the ones they buy. They don't know it, but they're a lot like those of us on the opposing side. They've gone into this with open eyes and clear heads, and done what they can. Great job girls, may you be an example that more on the Anti side follow. We're more alike than you know, and if we're ever at the sale at the same time, I'd be proud to shake your hands, or help load a horse or two.
R.H2

Consistency Or The Lack There Of:

Consistent….We all know what it means literally. Consistence is important in any industry. It may be more important in the livestock and horse industries than anywhere. Breeders strive to produce consistently good foal crops. Trainers use conditioning, repetitive cues, body positioning, and timing to promote automatic consistent response and performance in their pupils. Stockmen research consistent quality nutritional programs to insure growth, health, and optimum performance in their animals. It doesn’t matter whether the desired performance is meat production, reproduction, or in the case of the horse, actual under saddle performance, consistent husbandry is all important.
Consistent animal husbandry takes a great deal of investment, time, facilities, labor, education, and perhaps most importantly, personal responsibility. I have noticed a great deal of inconsistency going on in the “New Age Humane Morality Horse Culture Industry”. And yes, I do consider it an industry. The donation, distribution, administration allocation, and in general “we need your help in cash to help us” mentality has made this a lucrative profession for many. One thing sorely lacking is consistency.
Man trains wild horses to save their lives
written by: Heidi McGuire , Backpack Journalist
created: 11/1/2008 4:26:29 PM
Last updated: 11/2/2008 10:32:51 PM

"A mustang is not a horse that wants to sit in a stall all day. It's a horse that wants to be outdoors and wants to work," he said. The horses come first. "I'll feed them before I feed myself,"
"Once you figure out their different personalities you can start to train them," he said. This is considered the real deal on helping mustangs, This was written about the Three Strikes Mustang Ranch run by Jason Meduna in Alliance, Nebraska. His consistency and dedication to good horse husbandry lasted not even 6 months longer. The footage I saw/read would indicate Mr. Meduna has some very deep personal issues and these horses probably can’t stand a whole lot more “rescuing”. Considering the time it takes a horse to starve to death and from reading the local accounts of this man and his operation, it’s fairly safe to assume wheels of this monstrous neglect/abuse case where already in motion when this interview was given. Mr. Meduna was boasting and I am sure the anti-slaughter forums were patting him on the back but those 200 horses were already heading into the winter from hell. Nebraska is animal agriculture from the roots up yet it took a horse “rescuer” to put the largest case of animal neglect in state history on the books. Can this be called inconsistent?
Following the Three Strikes case leads us to another blaring example of inconsistency. When animal rights groups were writing about the death of a Harry Vold bronc at Cheyenne Frontier Days this July they seem to have completely forgotten how only 2 months earlier Frontier Park had housed the Three Strikes evacuees. "Strawberry Fudge" was a healthy exuberant 4 year old when she flipped over outside the bucking chute. She posed no health risk to anyone other than the rider she fell on and herself. It’s pretty safe to say she had run on productively managed range and was well fed her entire life.
The Three Strikes horses were carrying who knows what diseases. Meduna, himself, was copping a plea, saying they had some exotic ailment or poisoning, not starving, parasite ridden, and sand filled. They had been running on rangeland so decimated by the lack of management of their owner it may never recover. These death warmed over looking creatures were housed in the same pens which would in a very short time be housing the elite performance stock of Frontier Days. Those of us in the livestock industry know only too well how disease can be transmitted to the ground and fixtures in a facility. Would this be inconsistency?
PETA was contacted after the torture of the good barrel horse Dually in Fort Pierre. Interested? Not a chance. Rope a steer at Frontier Days and they’re all over that. Shock a bronc or bull that stalls in the chutes and that’s a big deal. Inconsistency????
The moral indiscretions of the author of a popular anti-slaughter humane treatment issue blog are quickly becoming common internet gossip fodder. True or not, doesn’t really matter. Another example of ‘do as I say not as I do’ is bouncing around the net. Credibility is being questioned and yet another humane issue paradox is on the way.
Meanwhile back at the ranch……. Mr. Meduna’s neighbors are caring for their stock same as they always have. Harry Vold has shipped the rest of his healthy, well fed stock on to the next rodeo. The ranches of the west prepare for the annual production sale season. Decades old traditions for most of these horse programs, yet they are being ridiculed by those who can’t ride on the same side of the fence for more than one issue or maintain structure in their own personal lives. How’s that for inconsistent logic?????
R.H.1

Conformation 2 - Balance

Balance is a key characteristic in any breed. To check for balance, I divide a horse's body into three sections: from poll to point of withers, from point of withers to loins, and from loins to point of buttocks. If these sections are equal in length and muscling, the horse has balance and evenly distributed muscling. I also want a horse's withers to be level with--or higher than--his hips for hindquarters propulsion.
As for correct structure, I look for properly aligned front legs; well-sloped pasterns; and well-angled, lowset hocks. When a horse possesses both balance and correct leg structure, his conformation meets the form-to-function standard. That means he should be a good mover and able to withstand demanding events without developing soundness problems.

This is a quote from a conformation clinic article written by Patti Carter. This same basic statement in one form or another is echoed by each professional asked to take part in the Horse & Rider/Practical Horseman conformation clinics. I agree with them completely. Most horsemen have list of conformation shortcomings they can or can’t forgive in a horse. As we move away from the generation of horsemen who not only needed an individual to go to the track, show ring, or rodeo arena on the weekends but could work for a living at home during the week we seem to be losing site of the importance of structural balance and how it relates to long term soundness in our horses.

This pretty colored filly is bred to go low and slow. She will most likely do that. She has an in style pedigree, great color, and virtually no shoulder. It ties into her back almost directly above her foreleg. She will absorb both her own weigh and her rider’s almost directly up through her leg bones. If this filly were squared up as she should be we could see how disproportioned her rear legs are when compared to her front. She looks as though she would “drive” her forelegs into the ground with every stride. Makes ‘em low and slow but also makes them unhandy and predisposed for front end problems. This filly is young and will even up some as she matures but the length of the leg bones doesn’t change all that much. Hence the ball park accuracy of the “string test” for mature height.
















This bay filly has the same basic shoulder/hip conformation as the first filly. In spite of the same straight, steep shoulder, forelegs, long back, and short hip she is better balanced. The first filly does have a better set of withers. The more even length of her front cannon bones as compared to the back places her knees and hocks roughly the same distance off the ground. The length of her forearm compared to the length of her gaskin is better also. We dealt with legs earlier but I have to come back to them here. She has upright long boned legs with the tendons tying into the knee very close to the cannon bone, this was referred to as tied in tendons and was considered a conformational fault when I was being schooled. Generally speaking, the closer to the ground a horse’s knees and hocks, the closer to the ground his center of gravity, the handier and more agile he is. She is a very fashionably bred and connected hunt seat filly.

Bob Loomis explains balance using the trapezoid. I learned this theory years ago as balance triangles. The principle is still the same. It uses the trapezoid to illustrate the importance of equal angles in the shoulder and hip connected with a short strong back.

The horse’s body is again divided into thirds. The first third is point of shoulder to elbow. Second third is point of elbow to point of stifle. Third is point of stifle to buttock. This is the bottom line. The poll to wither should be the same length, as the point of shoulder to the point of withers. The withers to the point of hip should be the same length as the neck, the shoulder to withers, and the hip to the buttock. This was explained to me as a 4-H kid (back when the wheel was square) was in the form of three equilateral triangles. There should be three equilateral triangles in a balanced horse, two upright and one inverted. The point of shoulder to the point of withers to center of the bottom line, the other upright triangle is the point of hip to the buttock to center of the bottom line. The inverted triangle’s point is formed at the center balance in the horse’s bottom line. Its two sides by the lines from point of wither to center of bottom line to the point of hip and it’s top by the length of the back from wither to hip. In my humble opinion the closer to the center of the bottom line (center of the horse) the horse carries the weight of his rider and his own center of balance the better he is going to “feel” to me.

The good legs we were looking for last time should be under this balanced body to make a horse with functionally correct conformation. The length of the total parts change from a 16.2 hand horse as opposed to a 14.2 horse but the correct proportional ratios stay the same.