Reader Photo of the Week

An offering from Tracey Westbury -

Thanks for sharing your mustang experiences with us, Tracey!

Send your horse photos to editor@nwhorsesource.com to be considered for our Reader Photo of the Week.

A Fond Farewell

by the NWHS staff

For those of you who haven't heard, NWHS staff member Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey is riding off into the sunset. Okay, not really, but she's moving on to other opportunities, and we wish her the best. This means that those of you who have regular contact with her for your advertising needs will now be working directly with NWHS owner/publisher Karen Pickering, and the rest of the NWHS staff. For now, other staff members will fill in for her blog posts, but we're hoping to have some exciting guest bloggers here in the near future!

Please join us in wishing "K.C." the best of luck in her new endeavors.

Letter from a Reader and Rider

As a follow-up to Karen Pickering's post last week about the NWRCHA Show in Lynden, here's a letter from a reader who was at the show. Congratulations on your win, Bill!

Hi Karen,

We met on Sunday night for the photo session at the Lynden NWRCHA Show. 

I wish to sincerely thank you and The Northwest Horse Source Magazine for sponsoring buckles in  The Beginning Reining and Beginning Boxing Classes at the Lynden Show last weekend. The buckles are gorgeous and it was an honor to win them.  Learning Reining and Cow Horse has been, and continues to be,  a truly humbling and challenging experience. It can be pretty lonely in that arena.  I have received considerable help and coaching from a number of people and in particular, recently I have been working with Jeff Parish.  He has really helped my confidence and understanding of the sport. As a result, my horse Smoke ( All about Jason) and I are working better as a team. 

Once again thank you for sponsoring the two classes and I hope to see you at another show. 

Best regards, 

Bill 

W. V. ( Bill) Rempel

Regional Director

Vancouver Real Estate

Reader Photo of the Week

Anonymous submission

Have a horse/pony/mule/donkey photo you'd like to share? Send it to Editor@nwhorsesource.com.

First Show of the Season

by Karen Pickering

Whew…what a weekend. I’m glad it’s done, but the Northwest Reined Cow Horse Association show was a fabulous experience! The Northwest Horse Source sponsored the Beginning Boxing and Beginning Reining buckles for this show, and the NRCHA really supported all the beginners who came out to ride.

My horse and I did much better than I expected for our first time out. Friday started off beautiful and sunny, but the weather went downhill fast. We were pretty cold for most of the weekend, but the company made up for the chill. The group of us from Coastal Equine had a fantastic time cheering each other on, helping each other get ready and calming each other's nerves.

My tension level was at an all time high, but my mare, April, was fine and handled everything like an old pro. She helped me push past the fear and make the run happen. A big thank you to Allison, my trainer, for taking care of everything and coaching me through this experience. April and I started lessons with her in November of last year, took mid-December to mid-January off and were back in the saddle and training on February first—not much time for the huge strides Allison got out of April and me! We’re hoping to box cows before the end of the season.

I invite you to watch the short video of our first pattern (below). It's nothing spectacular, but we got out there and gave it a shot. My goal was to get at least one lead change and keep my horse quiet and in the bridle. I certainly have much to work on, but a journey begins one step at a time. 

If I can do this so can you! 

Come See Us in Albany

by Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey

I hope everyone had a nice St. Patrick’s Day and enjoyed being part Irish, even if it was only for the one day!

If you’re headed for Albany, OR and the NW Horse Fair & Expo to view the clinics, Extreme Mustang Challenge, Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race and shop with the vendors, be sure to stop by the NWHS booth, located next to B&V Enterprise’s booth. If you visit between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Friday, you can meet Tracy Westbury, one of our feature writers. Visit with her about her adventures with mustangs and the Mustang Challenge!

For the rest of us not going to Albany this year, the weather report calls for sunshine and warmer weather Saturday and Sunday so get out of the house and ride!

Minor Glitch in the Events Calendar

We at NWHS would like to thank all of you who have been posting your events to our events calendar! For those of you who have recently added events or are thinking about doing so, please note that there is a minor glitch in the system at the moment. After adding your event, you may receive two emails: one that lets you know the event will be published as soon as it's approved in the system, and another with a link that asks you to log in to approve the event. Our tech people are working on the glitch, but in the meantime please ignore the email with the login. Our calendar administrator will process and approve the event; you do not need to log in or approve anything. 

If you find any other glitches in the system, please email info@nwhorsesource so we can take care of them.

Thanks!

The NWHS Staff

In Memory of Ray Hunt

Instead of the usual reader photo of the week, we at NWHS would like to take a moment to remember Ray Hunt, who was a huge influence on so many of today's horse people. He will be missed.

Ray Hunt was born August 31, 1929 in Paul Idaho to parents Joel Eugene Hunt and Zua Stella Shangle Hunt.  The family moved to Mountain Home, Idaho in 1933.  Ray attended Mountain Home schools and worked with his father on the family farm.  Ray married Millie Randall in 1948.  In 1950 they moved to the Battle Mountain, Nevada area where Ray worked as a cowboy for the T Lazy S ranch.  In 1955 the family moved to California.  Ray continued working with horses becoming famous the world over for his pioneering methods.  Ray married Carolyn Lord in 1980 at Georgetown Lake, Montana.  The clinics grew to epic proportions with Ray helping people and horses both domestically and internationally.  Ray often earned recognition for his achievements including the Top Hand Award, being inducted in to the California Reined Cow Horse Hall of Fame in 2004 and being named the first Western Horseman of the Year in 2005.

Ray passed away March 12, 2009 in Denton, Texas after a long and courageous battle with COPD.  Ray is survived by his wife Carolyn and daughters Geri Van Norman of Tuscarora Nevada, Kathy Hunt of Salinas California, Elaine Black of Homedale Idaho and Julie Ristau of Kodiak Alaska, and sons Joel Hunt of Bruneau Idaho and Preston Lord of Mountain Home Idaho, eighteen grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.  Ray was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, two sisters, 1 grandson and 1 great grandson.

A memorial and celebration of Ray’s life will be held March 21, 2009 at the Oak Valley Ranch in Era, Texas at 1:00 p.m.  Open to the public.

A memorial and celebration will be held March 28, 2009 in Mountain Home, Idaho with the time and venue to be determined.  Please check back here for updates.  Open to the public.

A memorial and celebration will be held in Australia with details to follow.  

Please contact Bill Geddes

(Brookfield) Tarooma

(07) 4628 3257

For those that would like to send cards please do so at the following address:

Carolyn Hunt

9698 E Hwy 20

Mountain Home, ID  83647

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Ray Hunt Memorial Fund administered by the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association. It will be used solely in support of programs dedicated to horseback riding for people with disabilities.  Ray was impressed by how the horses were able to impact people with disabilities in such dynamic ways and this program really meant a lot to him.  All donations are tax deductible.  For more information on CATRA please go the website:  catra.net or contact Ben Nolt 717 – 649 – 9822.  Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association, Inc. is a Not-For-Profit Organization Recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

NWHS Rides!

It's a little quiet around the office today as our publisher, Karen Pickering, and our Customer Service Manager, Karyn "K.C." Cowdrey are both off showing their horses.  Karen is at the NWRCHA show in Lynden, WA, along with On the Plus Side columnist Allison Trimble. If you haven't been following Karen's progress as she prepares her American Quarter Horse mare, April, to compete, catch up in our article archives with Part 1 and Part 2 of her training adventures with Allison.

KC is at the Windy Tides Open Schooling Show with her young gelding, Emmerson.  Browse through previous posts on this blog if you want to hear about KC and Emmerson's previous adventures, and check back here next week for updates on how our ladies did in both shows!

Don't forget to check out our events calendar if you're looking for "horsey" activities this weekend. We've had some last-minute additions, so click here to find out what's happening in your area!

What's Happening This Weekend?

I hope everyone is keeping warm! It's difficult to believe that spring is almost here when it’s 19 degrees outside. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend that is equine-related, check out some of these events:

Barb Apple is hosting a Tom Nagle clinic and body workshop at her HorsePlay Ranch in Roy, WA  Friday the 13th – Sunday the 15th.  For more info visit www.barbapple.com.

Jonathan Field has a clinic Friday, March 13th – Monday the 16th in Victoria, BC.  For more info visit www.jonathanfield.net.

Montana Horses, Inc. is hosting a "Wrangler School" in Three Forks, MT Saturday March 14th – Sunday March 22nd. For more info visit www.montanahorses.com.

Hawkview Ranch in Bend, OR is hosting a Hoof Care Clinic on Saturday, March 14th. For more info contact tequila@ykwc.net.

Do you know of some other equestrian fun occurring this weekend?  Share the information with us by posting to our events calendar, then drop a note in the comments below to let everyone know where to look! If the events above aren't enough to tempt you, check out the full events calendar. 

In the meantime, keep warm and put the sunshine and extra hour of daylight to good use as you get out and ride!

Reader Photo of the Week

Weston in the snow

Submitted by the Lewis family

Submit your Reader Photo of the Week to editor@nwhorsesource.com.

Spring ahead!

Yup, that’s right—it’s already the time of the year to set your clocks one hour ahead with the start of daylight savings time. It's happening this Sunday, March 8th, at 2:00 a.m.

So what to do with that extra hour of daylight after you get home from work or school?  Personally, I’ll be spending more time outside with my coming 3-year-old, working on ground driving lessons. I have a friend’s coming 2-year-old that is in dire need of ground work as well.  Having an extra hour of daylight in the evening will enable me to accomplish both of those tasks, so I guess it also means the end of the winter habit of coming home and parking myself in front of the PC or TV because it’s too dark outside to get anything done.

While we’re adjusting our clocks forward, this is a good time to double check our vaccination schedules and make sure we’re on target for getting our horses' West Nile Virus vaccinations handled before things warm up much and the mosquitoes start making their presence known.  It’s also a great time to schedule an annual trailer inspection and make sure your floors are solid with no signs of rot, your tires are in good shape, your brakes are working well and all of your running lights are good to go.

Daylight savings time means more time outside and more hours in the saddle. I, for one, am thrilled to see it coming, even if it means I lose an hour of sleep this weekend.

Upcoming events in the Northwest for March

by Karyn "KC" Cowdrey

I love a great bargain, and if you don’t mind standing in longish lines, check out the Snohomish 4-H club’s annual horse tack sale on Sunday March 8 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA.

The following weekend, you can check out the Windy Tides Open Schooling show, March 14 & 15 at the same Evergreen State Fairgrounds, or you can go a bit further north to the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, WA and check out the NW Reined Cowhorse show.  If you go to Windy Tides, you might see me and my young gelding, Emmerson, as we compete. If you go to Lynden, be sure to look up our publisher, Karen Pickering, and her horse, April, as they debut in the cow horse pen!

March 19-March 22 brings the opportunity to attend clinics and shop until you drop as well as meet Karen Pickering at the NWHS booth down in Albany, OR at the NW Horse Fair & Expo. The fair is the largest event of its kind in the Northwest!

If you know of any fun equine events to share with our readers, be sure to add them to our events calendar.

In the meantime, get out and ride!

Keep Your Horses Safe and Healthy

With all of the spring storms occurring across the country, we decided to take a brief break from our Reader Photo of the Week this week in order to remind everyone to plan ahead to keep your animals safe and healthy, no matter what the weather.

The March issue is at the stands and features an in-depth article from Alayne Blickle on the seven steps to prepare your farm and yourself to handle disaster with your animals, including proper identification to reunite you with your horses if you get separated, what to keep in your emergency kit, and ideas to work with friends, family and neighbors to be as prepared as possible for whatever might come.

Check out our online edition for even more tips in the Online Exclusives section.