Premier CTR Organization Offering Free Memberships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Premier CTR Organization Offering Free Memberships

Sedalia, Colorado, USA - March 9, 2016 - For the first time in its 55-year history, the

North American Trail Ride Conference is offering free 2016 memberships to people who

have never been NATRC members.

Executive Administrator, Laurie DiNatale, explains, “We are a distance competitive trail

ride organization that values conditioned, sound, trail savvy horses that are a pleasure to

ride. We value light and balanced riding and encourage the good care of horses over the

distance and in camp. We want to share that with people.”

Camaraderie, fun, beautiful scenery, exhilaration, pride in accomplishment, confidence,

overcoming disappointments, stretching our abilities, and deepening partnerships with

our horses, are offshoots of the experience of riding in NATRC sanctioned competitions.

Says DiNatale, “There is nothing like miles to cement the bond between horse and

rider!”

As a non-profit educational and distance CTR (competitive trail ride) sanctioning

organization, NATRC education takes on many forms. The most unique of these is the

direct feedback to competitors of scores and comments on their veterinary and

horsemanship scorecards, which each rider receives at the close of a ride competition.

Other resources include clinics, a new competitor section on the website, mentoring new

competitors, informative articles in regional and national newsletters, an introductory

video, social media, and the soon to be published second edition of the “NATRC Rider’s

Manual, A Complete Guide to Competitive Trail Riding.”

For more information on the free membership offer, go to www.natrc.org.

Contact: Bev Roberts

matefey@gmail.com

870-420-3244

Horse riders have the “right stuff”, a German study suggests

Horse riding builds character and promotes social development, European research suggests.

A study commissioned by the German Equestrian Federation investigated what character elements were engendered through horse riding.

The study involved 411 riders aged 14 to 65, 91% of whom were women and 9% male.

For comparison, the researchers surveyed 402 non-riders who collectively met the same gender distribution, age and income bands of the riding group.

They all participated via an online tool.

Riders, it was found, were generally more determined, enthusiastic, structured and balanced than their non-riding counterparts. They also showed greater leadership, were more assertive and competitive, and demonstrated greater resilience.

“We have always been convinced of the positive impact of the horse on the development of children and adolescents, because it corresponds to our experiences and observations,” the federation’s secretary general, Soenke Lauterbach, said.

The federation commissioned the study because it wanted to find out if that anecdotal evidence was borne out in a study, he said.

Equestrian associations and clubs now had solid arguments on the personal character-building benefits of riding, he said.

The results, he said, were especially interesting for parents who wanted to find a meaningful sport for their children. Most parents wanted their children to follow a healthy pursuit that helped them develop as individuals.

Clear interpersonal differences were found between riders and non-riders.

“The close contact with the animal requires a high degree of empathy and sensitivity to the subtle body language of horses,” Lauterbach said.

“This especially benefits young people.

“The horse is not only a friend to whom they can tell their concerns and needs, but they can also learn from him ‘for life’.”

Why you should start out with a quiet horse, not a fixer-upper

A friend of mine recently bought a stock horse mare at the local horse sale. “I got a bargain,” he said. “She’s only seven years old and she goes great. Let me show you.” He rode the mare around and she danced and pranced and jigged and jogged and was very nervous and worried. She didn’t know how to relax. The fellow thought this was great. “She’s got plenty of go in her,” he told me. I didn’t answer.

I looked in the mare’s mouth. “Looks more like 17 than seven,” I told him.

“They said she was only seven,” he replied. Again, no comment from me.

“Have a ride and see what you think.” When I politely declined, he said “She’s gonna be great. You’ll see.”

The sad fact is, I’ve ridden hundreds of horses like this poor mare –horses who are worried and frightened every time anyone goes near them. I didn’t particularly want to ride another one. It gives me no pleasure to ride such horses.

There are thousands of horses like this mare, who’ve been badly handled and mistreated for years on end. These horses expect a bad experience every time they’re handled and ridden. They’ve never been taught to be relaxed and confident with people. All they’ve ever known is conflict and bad experiences.

Through no fault of their own, such horses make unreliable riding horses. Whenever something out of the ordinary happens, they expect trouble and immediately panic. Instead of stopping and thinking, they bolt or buck or pull back or kick or rear. This is very dangerous for an unsuspecting or novice rider. Let me repeat: Horses like this are dangerous.

Every day I receive emails and messages from people who have horses like this. People with the best intentions, who think they can ‘fix’ horses with these issues. Yes, every horse can be improved but you must always remember that no-one can erase a horse’s memory. No-one can make a horse forget the bad experiences he’s been through.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is well recognized these days. People who’ve been through traumatic experiences are affected for the rest of their lives. They never forget. And it’s exactly the same with horses who’ve been frightened. They’re affected for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of what anyone tells you, a horse four years or older who’s been frightened and mistreated and doesn’t trust people, can’t be made reliable. And the older the horse is, the more difficult the task of gaining his trust becomes.

I find it very worrying that so many inexperienced horse people think they can ‘fix’ a frightened, older horse. People with very little skill and experience go out of their way to find a mistreated horse and then wonder why they can’t overcome all the problems they encounter. The most worrying part of all this is that it’s very dangerous and they can be badly injured.

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It takes years of experience for a novice horseperson to develop the necessary skills to handle a frightened or mistreated horse. Nobody can give you that experience and nobody can give you a magic formula to ‘fix’ a horse.

When you buy a horse, your safety must be the first and foremost consideration. Don’t put yourself at risk by starting with a horse that’s too difficult for you. Find a quiet, safe, reliable horse to start with. People are injured, and worse, by horses every day. Please don’t be one of them.

Meanwhile, what happened to the mare that my friend bought at the sale? After about a month, he quietly sold her to another unsuspecting person. And so the problem continues, not only for the new owner but for the poor mare as well.

Neil Davies began training horses full-time in 1977. Over the next 15 years, he started more than a thousand horses under saddle and trained thousands of so-called ‘problem’ horses. [read more]

He is the author of Fear-free Horse Training – every step of the way.

Visit Neil’s website at www.fearfreehorsetraining.com.

Danamyte Explodes to Take Top NATRC Award

Sedalia, Colorado, USA - February 21, 2016 - Danamyte, a.k.a. Dana, a bay Arabian mare owned and ridden by Esther Diaguila of Havana, Florida was named the winner of the North American Trail Ride Conference’s (NATRC) highest award, the 2015 President’s Cup, at the National Convention held February 19-20, 2016 in Reno, NV.

The Cup is awarded to the high point horse in the nation. Proudly, Esther says, “Dana is an awesome little mare (only 14.2 h) but with a heart as big as all outdoors. She will go where I ask and do what I ask.” 

After purchasing Dana, it was touch and go as to whether or not Esther was even going to keep the filly. Dana was so laid back! As Esther explains, “We're talking full Arabian here. All the other Arabians I’ve owned were full of fire. Dana accepted all her ground training, saddling and mounted training so calmly, without a fuss. Perfect for competitive trail riding. I love it. She does have her moments and opinions. She is a mare, after all.”

In their quest for the Cup, they earned the numerous high point awards: Arabian, the Jim Menefee Memorial overall combined horse and horsemanship, lightweight horse, lightweight horsemanship, and lightweight team in their region. They took home a National Championship and the mare’s 1,000 mile award.

“I couldn't have accomplished all this without the help of my husband, Paul, and my many friends in NATRC. Paul and three others conspired to convince me that Dana and I could do it. We had a lot of fun, some horrendous rides, and even a few scary moments, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

A few of their memorable moments could be short stories in their own right. There was the Biltmore ride where she and Patty Lucas were 45 minutes behind the maximum completion time and galloped 16 miles to catch up. And, there was the time Esther watched in her rear view mirror as a fender and hubcap, torn off the trailer by a blowout, flew through the air at a police car behind them. Some moments were downright funny like finding dead minnows in a shower stall at a camp ground. The greatest moment was handing in her number at the last ride knowing Dana had earned the President’s Cup.

NATRC competitive trail rides are challenging, educational, and fun. They are open to all breeds and folks from all disciplines. The judges value the horses’ performance and the riders’ horsemanship. Riders are invited to see what they and their horses can achieve. www.natrc.org.

Dressage Training For The Trail Rider

By Cheryl Childs 

Many people will tell you that if you trail ride there would be absolute no reason for you to consider dressage training. They will tell you that you don't need to know anything about the concepts of dressage training like for  Rhythm, Relaxation, Connection, Impulsion, Straightness and Collection. They are wrong the  Pyramid Of Training that dressage riders use when training their horse most assuredly can be utilized by anyone wanting their horse to be relaxed, confidence and athletic on the trail.

Lets talk about a few of those training techniques on the Pyramid of Training and how they are effective training methods for trail horses.

Rhythm: Regularity of footfall that is maintained at all paces or gaits. Maintenance of a regular rhythm in all gaits gives the horse a solid foundation for training in any discipline.  Why would a trail horse need to have rhythm? If your horse has rhythm and balance in his gaits he will move down the trail more efficiently. A good steady rhythm in your horse's gait will allow regular and equal spacing between the steps your horse takes, which aids your horse when traveling over different terrain on the trail.

Relaxation: When we talk about relaxation we are referring to the horse being supple and having elasticity in his gait. A horse should be relaxed, supple, athletic and obedient when riding on trail. When your horse is supple he can move freely and gracefully down the trail which means a more pleasurable ride for you.

Impulsion: Impulsion is the movement of a horse when he is going forward with controlled power.  The power or  engine of a horse is in his hindquarters. If  you are on the trail and your horse is engaging his hindquarters he is moving far more efficiently down the trail for you.  Your horse is also more balanced and he can adjust to changing terrain on the trail much easier. If  he isn't putting on his all his weight on his front legs or as we put " he is not up on his forehand" he is less likely to become tired or injury himself.

Collection: Collection is increasing the impulsion of  horse. Collection is often referred to as "being on the bit", but it's asking the horse to round his frame and push of his hindquarters. If horse is rounding his back and is in frame he is moving better. The horse reaches in underneath himself engaging his hindquarters. Why should a trail horse collect you ask, well again your horse is moving more efficiently on the trail which is good for both horse and rider. Being able to collect your horse means he isn't just pounding up the trail beating his fore legs he is using his hindquarters. It also means you can slow his gaits down over some terrain or ask him to length his strides over other terrain. Some riders find it gives them more control if their horse becomes nervous on the trail and loses his  focus the rider can ask them to collect which will often result in regaining the horses focus.  The level of collections asked of your horse when trail riding is far easier to obtains and sustain than the collections ask for in a upper level dressage test.

This is of course is just a short and simplified discussion of the training methods. There would be far more to be discuss and far more to be learned about this method of training. If you are interested in learning more about how Dressage training may help make your horse  more confidence, pleasurable, safer and athletic please consider attending one of my clinics.

They Just Don't Get

Horses have been part of my life for 40 out of my 52 years, so one would think that after all those years people wouldn't say things like " well if you didn't have those horses" to me. How in the world do they not realize that horses are who I am for heaven sakes? That's right I'm a 52 year old  woman who couldn't imagine my life without horses in it. 

 No, I don't take many vacations to the Caribbean (if I could afford it) because I have horses, but I don't care. Yes, I have to live in the country instead in town, but that's fine with me if it means I can walk out my back door and hear those horses whinny at me every morning -that's what keeps me going. Sure there are times when I  have to leave a social event earlier than others do because I have to go home to feed the herd, not a problem for me - I enjoy taking care of those horses and some days it's all that gets me through my day. I know if you're not a horse person you don't understand this, but please just smile and accept it because it makes me happy. 

 I realize to some people horses are just a beast, but to me they are for more than just a beast. Horses have given me so much in life like confidence, courage, grace, patience, compassion and spirit. When I was in the 7th grade I was terrified to get up in front of the class and give an oral book report, but today I stand in the middle of an arena, with far more people watching than those in that 7th grade class, and conduct clinics at Horse Expos. My job today is standing up in front of people instructing, giving clinics, judging horse shows and speaking to groups of people with no fear whatsoever. I think horses helped me face difficult things in my life both now and when I was younger, but I didn't realize it then the way I do today. If it hadn't been for horses I probably wouldn't have become a writer. I think horses make me a better person and actually help me see things more clarity.

To me horses are very spiritual beings. I read a book  called Horses and the Mystical Path The Celtic Way of Expanding The Human Soul and in that book they talk about how horses have affected human lives throughout time. There were so many things in the book that made me say " yes that's how I feel," and made me feel connected to the Celtic people. For me horses connect me to my ancestors. 

When I'm training a horse I feel a connection to my Grandfather. Being around my horses often time makes me feel closer to family members that are no longer here with us. 

In conclusion I'm proud to be a unabashed horses enthuses who is looking forward to 40 more years of taking care of horses, riding horses, training horses and just having them in my life. Monica Dickens said it best. " If you have it, it's for life. It is disease which there is no cure. You go on riding even after they have to haul onto a comfortable wise old cob, with feet like inverted buckets and back like a fireside chair," If don't understand it I can never explain to you, but please never say to me  " if you didn't have horses".

by Cheryl Childs 
www.cherylchildstraining.com 


The word dressage comes from the French word dresser which means training. The training methods used in dressage develops, obedience, flexibility and balance horses which would apply to any disciplines and that is where Cross Training comes in.

Cross Training is using dressage training methods to train or improve your horse as well as your riding skills. No matter what type of riding you do, there is always a place for dressage training. Using dressage training techniques can help your horse become more relaxed, obedient, athletic and fun to ride. It can also help him have a longer more useful life. It will help you develop a happy well trained horse no matter what discipline you chose to ride or whether you trail ride or show your horse.

Crossing Training increases your communication with your horse and establishes a foundations which a horse can excel in any discipline. People from all different discipline have incorporate dressage into the training of their horse. Cross Training helps horses become more willing. Your horse will respond more enthusiastically to the your cues. It will help the rider to develop non-verbal language with their horse as well as invisible signals. You will find your horse will be a pleasure to ride,

Who is Crossing Training good for, well everyone. If you are a trail rider you will find your horse is more agile and more confidence and a pleasure to ride. You will find he has more stamina as well on the trail. Crossing Training is great for those showing their horse Western, Hunt Seat, Equitation just about any discipline, because it is a foundation for all those disciplines.  It will improve your horse's performance. Even riders who Barrel Race or do Endurance riding have found this method of training improves their horse's performance and attitude.Crossing Training should be a part of every horse's training program.

So many people think dressage is about riding a  dressage test on a very expensive horse while wearing a top hat and jodhpurs, but it is really just about a training method. Your horse doesn't have to be expensive, you don't have to wear jodhpurs and you don't have ride a test for your horse and you to benefit from the training methods of dressage.