Oh, S**t Update (Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.)

While the laceration on my wrist has been healing nicely, the middle finger on my right hand continues to hurt.  This morning my surgeon told me that the finger is fractured in two places and that the tendon which extends the finger has been torn away from the bone.  This condition is called "mallet finger."

I'll be in a splint for about six weeks and believe me, since the finger has been straightened, it really hurts.  The surgeon said that if my wife has to dress the finger she has to be willing to hurt me to do it properly.  That should not be a problem for her.

So far a pretty expensive horsemanship clinic.

Dan James Interrupted

Not all stories have a happy ending and this may well be one of them.

How Rhonda got my name, I don't know, and for some reason I didn't ask.  She was looking for someone with experience to exercise her quarter horse mare, Gunny, while she was on vacation.  "Why?" I asked, "Is there something wrong with her?"  Rhonda explained that Gunny's right stifle joint was literally just bone against bone.  In fact, x-rays showed fusion of the femur and tibia with other visible issues.  The stifle joint is roughly equivalent to the human knee.  She didn't want to give up on her favorite horse in spite of its twenty three years, but both Rhonda and Gunny were running out of options.

While Gunny didn't put her entire weight on the leg for more than a few seconds, I could not have guessed the extent of her lameness.  On the other hand, abrasions, some fresh and others in various stages of healing, showed that there might be other issues with Gunny.  And there were.  Rhonda said that if Gunny were to lie down on her right side she could not get up.  The abrasions were remnants of the last time she had tried to pull herself up.  It had taken nine people and a Bobcat to get her to her feet.  All she ever needed, it seemed, was just a little boost, and then she could get to her feet on her own.

As it turned out there would be no need for me to exercise Gunny.  Rhonda had uncovered a stem-cell study being conducted by Dr. Bertone at Ohio State University's Galbreath Equine Center.  After a flurry of phone calls, shuffling of forms and x-rays sent to the doctor, the prognosis was not good.  Dr. Bertone said that Gunny's condition was one of, if not the worst condition of its type she had seen and doubted that stem-cell injections would help the horse.  The doctor added that she couldn't believe the horse was able to walk at all.   But Rhonda's love for her horse somehow overcame the doctor's clinical doubt, and with a lot of reservation she agreed to see Gunny and do an evaluation.

I agreed to trailer Gunny, who had not been in a trailer for years, to Columbus on Tuesday, June 3.  Despite bad roads, impossible traffic and multiple detours, we arrived at about four o'clock in the afternoon after a three hour drive, one that should have taken about an hour and a half.

Dr. Bertone did a brief physical exam of Gunny's stifle area, watched her walk several steps, and again said that it was unlikely that stem-cell injections would be of any help, and that the horse's condition was so serious that she might have to be put down.

Gunny's loss of muscle mass in the hindquarters is evident here.

Dr. Bertone, in white, evaluating Gunny.  Rhonda is holding the lead rope.

Dr. Bertone talking to Rhonda with her staff and two third year vet students in blue in the background.

While Rhonda talked to the doctor, I walked an impatient Gunny up and down one of the receiving area's aisles,  Whenever I needed a break from the boredom, Gunny would nudge my arm or paw the ground as if to say, "Come on mister, let's walk some more."  It's likely that Gunny is more comfortable when she moves than when she is forced to stand still and bear all of her weight on just three legs.  She probably becomes quite stiff and sore.

I heard the doctor tell Rhonda that Gunny would not qualify for the study, but perhaps the study sponsor might donate some cells.  Dr. Bertone added that if the horse had a bad reaction to the injections she might have to be put down anyway.

The decision was a difficult one, but Rhonda made it quickly. She opted to try and save her horse's life.  I led Gunny down a long aisle in the Equine Ward where a large clean stall with a thick layer of straw bedding and several flakes of alfalfa hay waited for her.

Rhonda tied her sweatshirt to the stall's sliding door so that the lame horse would have something to remember her by.  As we walked toward my truck, Gunny was already eating her alfalfa hay.  She seemed comfortable and not at all concerned.

On the drive back home, Rhonda asked if I thought she had made the right decision. "Without a doubt," I said, "Without a doubt."

The "Great White" waiting to take us home.

**** In the end Gunny did not qualify for the stem cell study.  The owner financed treatment, but sadly, in the fall of 2014, Gunny was euthanized.

Copyright, June 5, 2014 for by Loren Schumacher

All photos by the author

Hang In There

I know that I promised a new post by now, however in addition to the injury to my hand and arm, there has been a death in our family.

I have the first draft completed on the Dan James clinic.  I was able to take quite a few pictures so the post should be colorful.  The one picture that shows me actually doing something is a bit out of focus, but I'm going to use it anyway.   The new post will be delivered in two parts, with part one being published this weekend...I hope.  I have a lot of grass to cut!

There has been a surge of interest in this blog lately with views in places like Kuwait and Viet Nam, but most surprising is the number of views in the Ukraine.  I know there has been a lot of tension and uncertainty there, so I hope that taking a look at this blog gives the viewer(s) some pleasure.

So hang in there, a new post really is coming and soon.

Oh,S**t!

It's been said that if you work with horses long enough, you'll wind up in the emergency room of the nearest hospital.  The odds finally caught up to me yesterday, Saturday, May 10,  as I was loading my horse, Stormy, into our trailer.

Carol, my wife, was handling Stormy's head after I had lead her into the trailer.  As I put her butt-bar into its slot, Stormy tossed her head and unexpectedly jumped backwards, crushing my hand against the butt-bar padding.  The middle finger on my right hand took the brunt of the blow.  

With my hand free I danced across the driveway using every word of profanity I know, and then I saw my wrist!  The seam of the butt-bar's padding had deeply cut my wrist following the line of the bone just above my hand.  There was very little blood, but I thought I could see bone.

I rinsed the cut with cold water and my wife dressed it with gauze and tape while I turned a deathly white.  When I was no longer woozy,  I decided to go to Australian Dan James' clinic as planned. After all, the clinic cost more than $300.00, not to mention a new set of tires for the trailer.  

More than twelve hours after the accident I strolled into the emergency room and spent the next three hours meeting six different members of the hospital staff,  signing at least a half dozen "permission to treat" documents and cooling my heels for long periods.  When the doctor got around to suturing my wrist the anesthesia had worn off, but I let her have a go at it anyway.   The "bone" was actually a tendon and partially torn, necessitating a trip to a hand specialist sometime this week.  Meanwhile because of the splint and padding used I can't use a fork very well, and we'll see if I can wash my hair tonight.

The splint makes it appear that my arm is broken.

I am working on the next post about the Dan James clinic and hope to post it by this Sunday.  There will be quite a few pics and some interesting factoids about Dan.

Copyright, May 11, 2014 by Loren Schumacher

Photo, Copyright, May 10, 2014 by Carol A. Lang

Who's In Charge Here?

My horse, Stormy, was born in a bad mood.  I'd prove it to you if I could find the pictures I have of her standing by her mother with both ears pinned.  When I find them I'll post them.

As I've often mentioned, Stormy is a dominant mare.  When I bought her ten years ago she could not have been sweeter or more manageable, but the old adage of "green horse and green rider" being a bad combination proved itself, as it always does.

Stormy established herself as the alpha mare by herding Callie all over their pasture.  I, on the other hand, was a little more difficult for her because I didn't respond to her pinned ears; nudges; grunts; cold eyes or the love taps she delivered when the mood struck her.

In the world of the horse you are either a leader or a follower.  If you don't assume the role of herd leader then another horse will.  It is as simple as that and so it was with Stormy and me.

I had carried a 50# bag of feed nearly a quarter of a mile and after unlocking the pasture gate began trudging to our little red stable.  Always curious and hungry, Stormy trotted up with a purpose and began tearing at the bag.  I turned in a circle to my left to keep her away from the bag and as I did she let me have it, kicking me in the right knee.  When you've been kicked by a horse the world stops for a moment while you make sure that nothing has been broken or lacerated, or both.  Angry and hurt, I started chasing her and all the while screaming like a fool.  Having enough of my shenanigans, Stormy kicked me again.  Who's in charge here, I wondered?  Clearly it's not me.

Stormy and I have weathered many storms like the one we're waiting out in this picture.

I found the answer to a growing problem in the first chapter of Jessica Jahiel's book, The Horse Behavior Problem Solver.  "To ask a horse to respect your space, make yourself larger.  Inhale, lift your head and chest, square your shoulders, and raise your arms slightly from your sides."  According to Jessica you have to show a horse that you outrank him or her.

Soon after putting Callie and Stormy in their stalls for the night, I spent a few minutes in front of Stormy's stall pulling rank.  And do you know, it worked, it really did work.  I added a slightly deeper command voice and I could see her begin to chew and hang on every word and gesture.  Crazy, I know, but true.

Stormy never kicked me again.

Here is another picture from my collection of vintage cowboy photographs.  I am always amazed that these pictures have survived for more that a century.  This one is quite old, most likely taken before 1910.

One last gunfight.

I have never seen a candid picture like this one.  The rider in the background points a small bore pistol at his "friend," who has reined in his horse so abruptly that it throws its head up and, startled, shows the white of its left eye.  His rider is pointing an unseen weapon and the picture clearly shows that he is not smiling. 

Both riders wear "Montana Peak " hats, gauntlets with cuffs, and fancy 'glad rags" around their necks.  The rearmost rider wears a pair of "woolie" chaps and the other wears shotgun chaps with a little fringe near the pockets.  This well mounted and well dressed hand is also wearing a pair of boots to die for.  He is not riding a slick-fork kak, or saddle, which is a bit of a surprise.

I thought the telephone poles were a nice touch and by the number of insulators on the cross arms there was a lot of copper wire carrying current somewhere.

On May 10 and 11 I'll be attending a clinic with Dan James of Double Dan Horsemanship.  Dan is Australian and his methods are well respected, so much so, that he has worked extensively in the world of thoroughbreds.  More on all of that later.

Copyright, April 14, 2014 by Loren Schumacher

Stormy's photo by Loren Schumacher

Vintage photo from the author's collection.

Road To The Horse 2014

Mojo braced against Jonathan Field's touch.

There seemed to be less anticipation surrounding this year's Road To The Horse, arguably the world's premiere colt starting event.  There were no larger-than-life characters such as Clinton Anderson, Craig Cameron and Pat Parelli, or legends such as John Lyons.  Missing as well was the quiet excellence of three time RTTH winner, Chris Cox.  Yet the resulting contest was every bit as exciting as any in the previous ten year history of the Road To The Horse.

For the second year RTTH was held at the Kentucky Horse Park's Alltech Arena.  The park is a working horse farm of more than 1000 acres and is a museum and historical research facility as well.  Fabled horses such as the incomparable Cigar can be seen there.  The park is also home to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

This year's remuda was once more provided by the fabled Sixes Ranch (6666) of Guthrie, Texas.  The horses had all been halter broke, gelded, had their hooves trimmed and received necessary inoculations as yearlings and were then turned out for the next two years into a 5000 acre paddock.  Until they were shipped to Lexington, these three year old geldings had had contact with humans no more than 2 or 3 times.

Canadian Jonathan Field, who was competing in his second RTTH competition, is one of my favorite clinicians.  This year he chose a sensitive, skeptical and challenging horse, a chestnut that he named Mojo, " because he has a lot of it."  Field said he found Mojo to be "intelligent and a quick learner looking for leadership."  Mojo was more than a little sensitive about his flanks being touched, and that sensitivity would play a major role in Jonathan's third day performance.

Each clinician would spend about 90 minutes working with their colt on each of the contests first two days.  On day three after a one hour morning session each horse and rider team had a 40 minute segment in which they were required to complete a number of tests such as walk, trot and canter on both leads, back, mount and dismount as well as showing that all four feet could be picked up.  All of the clinicians used at least part of their 40 minutes to continue their mount's training and Field was no exception.

Jonathan and Mojo were on top of their game.  Cheers greeted them as they completed the required maneuvers and entered the obstacle course.  Twists, turns, rubs, squeezes, jumps and gates were all features of a course decorated like the Flintstone's Jellystone Park!  At the drag, Field was able to twirl a lasso over Mojo's head without problem.  But as he began to pull the drag his rope touched Mojo's flank, and when it did, we were treated to an impromptu rodeo of twists, kicks, and views of Mojo's belly as he bucked across the arena.  Field was thrown near the arena's concrete wall and for a moment it looked as though he would be drug.  Being drug is the one thing a rider fears above all else and nothing good ever comes of it.  Unhurt he jumped to his feet with the front of his white shirt now a deep red matching the arena's dirt floor.  Field remounted Mojo and finished the course, including the optional teeter-totter, to the roaring approval of the 8000 in attendance.

Oddly enough, during the selection process I mentioned to my wife that I thought #10, Mojo's hip number, might do well for Field.  Mojo showed a lack of fear, curiosity and even followed one of the other clinicians around as he made his selection.  Sorry about that, Jonathan.

Over the course of the three days each clinician gave a clinic and performed a mounted demonstration.  Field's Spanish Pole Dance astride his half-Arab horse, Quincy, to Metallica's, Nothing Else Matters, brought most to tears with its beauty and grace.  The power of this demonstration leaves you speechless and in awe of the trust and devotion Quincy and Field have for one another.  Quincy was given to Field after having six owners in the first seven years of his life.  He would bolt, rear and sometimes flip over backwards. It took someone like Jonathan Field to save Quincy's life and to give him a new one.  You can see them together on YouTube.  The video is Amazing Performance by Jonathan and his horse Quincy 2012.
You will love it.

Though he did not win the competition Jonathan was awarded the prestigious Jack Brainard Horsemanship Award.  The award is given to the competitor who best demonstrates the qualities of horsemanship and the horse and man relationship.  Brainard, who is more than 90 years old, provided a bit of levity when he introduced Field as, "Jonathan Winters," the famed comedian and actor.

Are your tired of Jonathan Field yet?  Last but not least, "Loren's Best Tee Shirt Award," also goes to Jonathan Field.  As a proud Canadian Johnathan's red tee shirts read, "The "eh" Team."  You gotta love it.

Johnathan Field trying to get Mojo to "join up."

Another of the contestants was Dan Steers, the other half of Double Dan Horsemanship.  Steers mans the Australian continent while Dan James, who choreographed much of this year's entertainment using his horse, "Swampy," concentrates his efforts in the United States.  Dan was pen-wrangler for Dan James in the 2013 event.  Like all of the contestants, Steers was business-like and not given to a lot of chit chat when questioned by color commentator, Richard Winters, 2009 Road To The Horse Champion.  Dan did display a bit of cheeky Australian humor to the audiences delight.

For the most part I think Dan's accomplishments with the horse he named "Ringer" were overlooked.  Why?  Because Ringer was curious and willing from the start though not without issues.

Dan really wanted to buy "Ringer" but mentioned that it would cost $35,000 to $40,000 to to ship him to Australia.  However one of Double Dan's interns, Shalise, purchased "Ringer."  I spoke to her by phone and she admits that the name, one that she doesn't care for, will stick.  She would have preferred something a little classier, she said, but Double Dan said they would have called the colt "Ringer" anyway.

Dan Steers setting up a "rub" for Ringer to pass through.

Dan Steers in the iconic RTTH standing pose.

Antoine Cloux of Geneva, Switzerland, had a difficult weekend with his colt.  He called his gelding #5, its hip number, and said about him, "He's cutting bred, but he looks at things and I don't want to take that away form him."

Until the finale, #5 showed little in the way of forward movement, but put on a Hereford calf during the freestyle demonstration he showed focus, energy and that much sought after forward movement.  In an email to me Antoine said, "...it's amazing what they can do for us if we just wait for them."  And on Sunday he proved the truth of that statement.

Antoine is the only European horseman to participate in the 2012 and 2013 Horseman's Re-Union and one of very few Europeans recognized internationally.

Here is a link to Antoine: www. antoinecloux.ch/philosophy  Also you can catch him on YouTube.  Watch The Horseman's Re-Union Day 2.  Johnathan Field appears on this video as well.

The "Wild Card" winner, Jim Anderson of Saskatchewan, Canada, emerged from a field of seven qualified and talented professional clinicians.  Jim, although unknown to me, is highly respected in reining as both a trainer and competitor.

His horse, whom he called "Smokey," is the only Grullo colt ever born on the Sixes ranch dating back to 1870.  To be a Grullo a horse must have black or brown legs, a head darker than its body, a distinct dorsal stripe and dark tips on its ears.  There are other possible markings but they are not required,  The Grullo's coloration represents the dun gene in a black horse.

Anderson proved his that his Wild Card win was no fluke by putting in a solid workmanlike performance.  Jim was the least verbal of all of the competitors.  His answers were short to the point of being disrespectful.  And while he may have needed a crash course in showmanship, he got the job done and was all smiles and more than willing to speak when he was named the 2014 Road To The Horse champion.  It was a hugely popular win as the dark horse/every man clinician bested his better known counterparts.

You can plainly see Smokey's dorsal stripe in this picture.

Jim mounted on Smokey

Another link you may enjoy:

www.jonathanfield.net/

This link provides a great video of the third day of competition:

/vimeo.com/89232340

Next years purse has been increased to $100,000.00 and better yet, three members of the audience will be chosen to participate with the clinicians on the floor of the arena.  You can imagine how much I'd like to be one of those selected.

Text and photos:  Copyright, March 27, 2014 by Loren R. Schumacher

I Hate Talented People, Don't You?

While I plod along like Ol' Dobbin pulling a plow, my wife, Carol, has pushed her artistic boundaries beyond  anything she could have imagined or hoped for.

Just a few years ago she set her sights on becoming a fabric artist, an art quilter to be more precise.  Art quilts are just that, pieces of art to be hung and exhibited.   Her reputation for quality and originality has grown.  She regularly exhibits in a local gallery; her work hangs in homes from Ohio to Florida; she has even had work appear in a national quilting magazine.  And she's made dolls that have been snatched up by a local collector.

This past Christmas she asked me to buy her an on-line art class originating in England.  Just three months ago she could not draw a bead on a target, but today, well, I'll let you be the judge.  These are four of a series of whimsical gift cards, and no, I'm not shilling for her.   They're are not horses, but I think you'll enjoy them anyway.

Oh, and by the way, I'm really proud of her.

My Favorite