COLORADO PASOS
A Chapter of the Great Western Paso Fino Horse Association____
August 1, 2005
2005 Mile High Classic
The 2005 Mile High Classic held in Denver, Colorado on July 15th, 16th & 17th was a gigantic success. Exhibitors from California to Florida, Arizona to the Canadian border gathered to enjoy the wonderful weather, beautiful scenery and friendliness that the West is known for. The fantastic horses and competitiveness of the classes added to the enjoyment of everyone that attended the show.
The wonderful show schedule that was designed by Show Chairs Denise Ireland and Suzie Tiller made the show easier and more enjoyable for all of the exhibitors. One show was begun on Friday evening and continued on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon all of the specialty classes and Bella Forma classes were held with all three judges. The remaining classes in the second show began on Sunday morning. This made for a very easy show for everyone and gave the exhibitors time to visit with friends they had not seen in a long time.
Saturday evening’s dinner and entertainment was the hit of the show. We were treated to performances of many of the great stallions in the area and their offspring as well as exhibitions of reining horses and costumed riders. Along with the wonderful food and great horses, we were treated to a dinner show put on by Suzie Tiller and Kelly Ireland. Everyone at this party won a gift ranging from t-shirts and jewelry to horse supplies.
High point winners at the show received their awards on Sunday afternoon. The Great Western High Point Youth is Melissa McIntosh from Penrose, Colorado. The High Point Mare is owned by Jo Moore. The High Point Amateur Owner is Mat Glover of Sedalia, Colorado. The High Point Trainer award went to Jimmie Quijano of Tucson, Arizona. We also want to congratulate Jimmie on being a brand new father. The High Point Youth of the Show is Darcy Trizzino. Steve Burgess and his mare Esmeralda de Tolima won the Best of the West Award. We want to thank all of the volunteers. We could have not done this show without you. We also want to thank Suzie Tiller and Denise Ireland. They worked endlessly to make sure that the show went smoothly and was enjoyable to everyone. And last but not least, we want to thank the exhibitors. You are the greatest.
Colorado Chapter of
Great Western
Officers
President
Albert Vega
5578 Antelope Rd., Rt. 3,
A-4
Pueblo, Colorado, 81008
(719) 382-6340
Secretary
Jean Radcliff
12 Reservoir Drive
Pueblo, Colorado 81005
(719) 566-1096
Treasurer
Carol Kuiper
14151 McClelland Road
Calhan, Colorado, 80808
(719) 347-2121
Advertising Rates
Non-members
Full Page $40.00
Half Page $25.00
Quarter Page $15.00
Classified ads $ 5.00
Members
Full Page $25.00
Half Page $15.00
Quarter Page $10.00
Classified ad – first one free
Second Classified $5.00
Please send your ads to:
Carol Kuiper
14151 McClelland Road
Calhan, CO. 80808
719-347-2121
Great Western Area Paso Fino
Youth Scholarship Foundation
The Great Western Area Paso Fino Youth Scholarship Foundation is proud to announce that we will be offering college scholarships to deserving Colorado Great Western Youth for the 2005-2006 school year. We have included an application in this newsletter.
The GWAPFYSF Board of Directors will be using the following criteria in determining eligibility for college scholarships.
1. Scholarships will be awarded to youth attending college. They will also be offered to youth representing Colorado Chapter of GWPFHA at international competitions.
2. At this time, scholarships will only be offered to youth in the Colorado Chapter of Great Western.
3. The youth must be an active member of the Colorado Chapter of Great Western at the time of application. They must be involved in working with horses.
4. The youth must have worked at a Youth Scholarship Foundation fundraiser or at a Great Western fundraiser within 2 years of applying for the scholarship.
5. There will be no more than one college scholarship and one Mundial scholarship awarded to each youth in their lifetime.
GREAT NEWS
The Colorado Chapter website is up and running. So far, the site has received over 700 hits. We plan on linking our site to other sites to increase our exposure. If you have not had a chance to pull up this site, do so today. I am sure you will be pleased with what Terry has done.
Remember, this is your site. Please use it. We are offering to put 2 sale ads with pictures or 3 sale ads without pictures for each member. Also photos of you and your horse doing fun stuff or of Great Western events would be greatly appreciated. The Site will have an updated calendar. So check it often to see which events are being offered.
The website address is www.coloradopasofinos.com. Please pull up this site and give Terry your input. There are links in the site to send in your information and to contact Terry.
2
A Surmountable Problem: the Perils of Near-Side Mounting.
By Corrine Fierkens, Certified Equine Touch™ Practitioner
Near-side mounting as a “rule” affects horse, rider, and saddle in a vicious cycle--each aspect being affected by and contributing to the next. Fortunately, the remedy can be found on the “far side” (of your horse).
Consider the saddle; I like to include a review of the saddle/s most commonly used with each horse that I work with. Over time I began to notice that even saddles of excellent quality and overall condition exhibited twisting in the tree. Was this subtle flaw factory made or a product of time and use? To satisfy my curiosity, I began a self- study of fresh from the factory saddles vs. used saddles. What I found confirmed that most high quality saddles come off the line with symmetry. Since the twisting of the trees that I observed was to the same direction 99% of the time, I concluded that it is the common habit of 99% of today’s riders causing this anomaly: Exclusively mounting from the near-side forcing the saddle to bear the brunt of the rider’s weight on one side over and over.
Saddles are not rigid steel, thankfully. They give, they breathe, and they stretch. Growing up, I was taught to rotate my stirrup leathers because the leather on the near side always stretched. Most saddles are made from the same supple materials as your leathers. Just as mounting from the same side changes your leathers, so does it change your saddles. Mounting from both sides will cause your saddle to break in more evenly. Also, mounting from both sides means you get to forego the task of rotating your leathers monthly!
Consider the horse. No matter how skilled you are with your mounting abilities, your horse must brace his/her body as you hoist yourself up and swing a leg over. It is this repeated bracing to one side that causes horses, in part, to develop unevenness in tone and tension. The fact that the saddle may be twisting over time also contributes to unevenness and soreness, and definitely affects your horse’s performance and mental and physical well-being.
Consider yourself, the rider. Near-side mounting and twisted saddles also affect your seat, balance and evenness. If you don’t believe it, try mounting from the off-side. You may find that your right leg is weaker, less developed, and finding/keeping your balance feels awkward. Repetitive motions on one side of the body will also put undue strain on your joints. As a Therapeutic Riding Instructor I have realized the value in challenging both sides of the body (and thus the brain) when riding. Off-side mounting is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Consider the reason for mounting from the horses’ near-side as a rule of thumb. “It’s always been that way,” is the only answer most of us can come up with. It’s true; it seems to have always been that way. But it started, like most cultural traditions, for a very practical reason. The word, “chivalry” originally referred to a man’s way with horses. If he was an outstanding horseman, he was said to be “chivalric”. Men with ability to ride and train horses well also happened to be gentlemanly; hence the crossover of the word to today’s definition. Another shining example of this kind of evolution is near sided mounting, also dating back to the times of knights and cavalrymen. Without a doubt these chivalric men were predominantly right handed. This meant they fought with sword in right hand, which meant they wore and drew their swords from their left hip, which meant that mounting a horse from the right side (swinging left leg and sword over) spelled trouble, and tradition was born. As each generation of riders strived to emulate the habits of the “masters” before them, near-sided mounting became part of the culture and lore of “correct” horsemanship. But as you can see, it no longer has any practical place in today’s horsemastership, regardless of discipline.
I recommend that you begin mounting from the off-side with caution. Don’t assume that well-trained horses who have been mounted from the same side their entire career will accept a rider on their right side without batting an eye. Go slowly; monitor their comfort levels. Get on and off repeatedly, until they exhibit some relaxation with the idea. In other words, treat it as if you’re getting on for the first time. To help a horse begin to adjust to the idea, start tacking up, leading, and blanketing, etc. from the off-side. You may find that this will help horses become even more “bomb proof” overall. It also helps break the predictable monotony of being handled and gives them food for thought. Furthermore, expect your horse to struggle with his/her balance as much as you search for yours when initially mounting from the off-side. You and your horse both will be using new muscles. If your horse/saddle have never been mounted from the off-side, I would also recommend that you mount off-side 75% of the time to begin to combat the unevenness in horse and equipment (and rider). You will need to think about it. I still have a habit of going for my horses’ near-sides. Mounting from off-side may always be a conscious effort for those of us who have worn such rut on the near-side. If you have any reservations about your safety in attempting this with your horse, enlist the help of a qualified trainer. Finally, I would of course encourage the use of mounting blocks as often as possible. Being able to mount from the ground is an important “survival” skill of riding, but no rider needs to put undue strain on her and her horse’s body daily to keep limber enough to do it. Practice ground mounts occasionally to be sure you can do it if you need to when the time comes.
While the perils of near side mounting are steep, you will find the benefits of adding off-side mounting to your routine a real leg-up against them. Perhaps the most chivalric thing we can do for our horses is embrace off-side mounting as part of our horsemastership “culture”.
Colorado Chapter of Great Western Paso Fino Horse Association
P & L Statement
July 31, 2005
Income
Balance Brought Forward 3/31/05 $1,985.03
T-shirts 427.47
Temp. Memberships 20.00
Youth Foundation donation 400.00
Balance $2,832.50
Expenses
Newsletter $ 51.73
Website 19.80
May Meeting 27.17
GWPFHA (temp. memberships) 20.00
T-shirts 455.90
Balance $ 574.60
Net Income $2,257.90
4
MAY 11, 2000 AT FANTASY PONEY FARM
By
Janis Smith
Why is it if you have a mare, you want to raise a foal? I guess the reasons vary with each individual. In my case, it was a challenge to see if I could get a Paso that “put that smile” on your face people get when they ride a Paso Fino. My best friend said, “Oh, you are hoping to get an “Up Grade”.
After three years of searching, a parcel of land came up for sale. My husband and I had a barn/indoor arena built. Then he welded all the pens and horse runs. I was his helper. (How our marriage survived that is another story.)
My mare, Favorita de Campion had good bloodlines. I needed to select a good stallion. I had seen and ridden Flint Oak Destiny when Doug Ford had him at stud at Tulsa. When we got my facilities finished, I contacted Doug Ford and found out Destiny was in Minnesota. Doug assured me I would get the “Up Grade” with Destiny. Roger and Sue Dunn were willing to ship semen so I could AI. I just had to learn to pull my horse trailer 35 miles to the Veterinary that had sonogram and did AI.
I started in April and had her checked. She was a few days from being ready. She came back in season in May and we ordered semen. She came back in season in June. When we checked her after 16 days, I got a sonogram of my baby. I was praying for a black filly with 4 white socks from a gray mare.
After 325 days, I knew the mare was getting close to foaling. It seemed like she had gotten really big. I had read all the “horror stories” on what could go wrong. I really love Favorita, so I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I started the 24-hour vigil. Vet told me she could leak milk, but she wouldn’t be ready till the nipple filled our and wasn’t flat. When the sun came up on the 329th day she was stringing milk, but the nipple was still flat. So, I left the barn and fixed breakfast for my husband.