What better way to spotlight trails than do the one thing that can preserve them: Ride them?!

By Horsetrader staff

NORCO—It’s a Friday afternoon, and Mike Williams returns home to Fourth Street with his 16.1-hand Mustang gelding, Cowboy, after a day of what he loves most—trail riding.

This breezy January ride went 20 miles, a perfect distance to get Cowboy ready for an upcoming 300-mile journey that he and others have been planning for more than a year. The three-week trip, leaving Norco April 30 and arriving at Bishop May 21, will take Williams and co-riders Rebekah Wan and Ray Spence along urban routes out of Horsetown USA, up and beyond the Cajon Pass, across the Mojave Desert and ultimately into Owens Valley along the Eastern Sierra.

BURBANK—Each year, the California Reining Horse Association puts on “the show of shows” of the West Coast, and this year was no different when the CRHA Challenge lit up the Los Angeles Equestrian Center Oct. 24-28.

Southern California’s biggest reining competition drew top horses and riders from throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada. Coming away with special awards this year were Charmain Sauro, who rode Zins Rowdy Whiz to the CRHA Reiner of the Year Award; Rex Ross, recipient of the Rick Flathers Sportsmanship Award; Marilyn Scheffers, who rode Gunna Juice You to the Gatolotto Memorial Buckle; and Allison Williams who took home a trailer as well as the Rebecca Goss Memorial Trophy after the duo swept the CRHA and NRHA Rookie Level 2 events.
Setting this show apart from CRHA’s other shows is the number of aged events available to competitors.

Friday night saw tough competition in the Yellowstone Non Pro Derby. Kristen Booth swept the Level 4, 3, and 2 Non Pro Derby with a massive score of 149.5 aboard Kristin L Kutchuk’s Baby’s Got Blue Eyes. Brook Boyle, aboard Barbi and Michael Boyle’s Sunset Nite claimed second in the Level 4 and 3, only one point behind Booth. The Level 1 Non Pro Derby also saw big scores with Maria Danieli-Krueger taking the with with a score of 147 aboard Equestrian Properties’ Shining On Spooks.

WINTER

THE TRAUMA OF DECEMBER’S WILDFIRES—and subsequent mudslides a month later in some areas—was far from forgotten in communities from San Diego County to Central California. In many places, victim needs still outstripped supplies. But signs of recovery were appearing, slowly.
While the toll of the terrible trio—the Lilac Fire in Bonsall, Creek Fire in Los Angeles and Thomas Fire in Ventura County—was still being calculated, groups formed both formally and informally to mutually support and educate neighbors in respective communities.
Deer Springs Equestrian in San Marcos, a few miles due south of the Lilac Fire, conducted a two-hour equine microchip clinic on Jan. 13, where Dr. Emily Sandler of Pacific Coast Equine Veterinary Services microchipped and registered horses.
The local advocacy group, the Twin Oaks Valley Equestrian Association, sent out a comprehensive self-evacuation guide that could be a difference-maker in preparation for a future event. The guide is rooted in the Cal Fire Volunteers in Prevention campaign after the June 2008 Lightning Strike Fires in Tehama County.
In the area struck by the Creek Fire in Los Angeles, equestrians banded together to educate, plan and communicate using lessons learned from the Dec. 6 firestorm that devastated longtime equestrian centerpieces in their community like Middle Ranch and Gibson Ranch.
At Gibson Ranch, volunteers worked several months, lending skills and effort toward a common vision: the return of the horse ranch to normal.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Longtime Norco resident Audrey Pavia, an award-winning author and avid horsewoman, shares a slice of life in her beloved community by taking us on one of her favorite routes.

The sun is hanging low in the sky, and the gentle afternoon breeze has arrived. It’s time to saddle up my Spanish Mustang, Milagro, and go for a ride through Norco.

I step outside my back door and Milagro whinnies to me. He knows the drill. I saddle him up and lead him to the front yard. We pick up the trail right across the street from my house. That’s how easy it is to go riding in Norco.

We head south on the Hillside Avenue trail, passing an assortment of paddocks and driveways. Milagro takes a good look at a peacock perched on a fence in a nearby yard. He’s familiar with the flock of feral peacocks that live on this part of Hillside. He then glances up at a yard across the street, where a few alpacas, a miniature horse and two Haflingers are sharing their dinner. There’s always something interesting to see in Norco.

The trail curves and we are on Third Street, headed toward Norco High School. We cross third and walk along the narrow dirt shoulder skirting the high school football field. The field is quiet today, and we pass without incident, turning right on Second Street. This is the way we need to go if we want to pass our first landmark for the ride: Disney’s Circle D Ranch.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Los Angeles horsewoman Lynn Brown has been a leading activist for equestrians for decades, helping horse groups navigate unfamiliar terrain of municipal government when important issues arise. Most recently, she worked with friends to successfully oppose a land use proposal in the Burbank-Glendale area that, if passed, would have replaced a legacy stable with condominiums.

The adage, “you can’t fight City Hall,” is not true—you can! Some may try and find that the cards seem stacked against them, or that the opposition was better organized. I’d like to provide some suggestions that have worked—and now is the time. These days, preserving equestrian life in many communities requires that its horsepeople to take up the fight.

The first challenge is to be positive, to know you can make a difference. It’s not always easy. In our recent battle to preserve the Silver Spur Stables from being demolished and rebuilt as small-lot housing, the task at first seemed impossible. We tackled it anyway, and to our surprise, we won—the individual who had applied to Glendale City Council for a zoning change, suddenly after months of relentless opposition, withdrew his request. If he had been successful in obtaining the zoning change, it would spell the end of all the historic boarding barns and feed stores along Riverside Drive.

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—There’s deeply rooted tradition in the discipline of reined cow horse, and the horsemen and horsewomen preparing for fall aged events will surely abide by the time-honored techniques and practices that make this sport so beloved.

But innovation surrounds the events that showcase these horses, and no one has been more leading-edge than the National Stock Horse Association, which is moving its signature event from Paso Robles to Las Vegas this year.

South Point Hotel and Casino, designed and built with equestrians in mind, will host the 2018 NSHA Futurity, Derby and World’s Richest Stock Horse competition Aug. 21-26. It will be the first time this event, which began decades ago as a summer coming out party for trainers to show their 3-year-old prospects before the venerable National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, takes place outside California—the cradle of reined cow horse. The NRCHA moved its World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity to Fort Worth, Texas, last year.

BURBANK — Under a cloudless sky, the Reiner Shine horse show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on June 8-10 brought together some of Southern California’s best reining horses and riders.

The event, put on by the California Reining Horse Association, marked the second opportunity for competitors to qualify for the National Reining Horse Association Futurity later this year in Oklahoma.

Riding her Gunna Juice You, Marilyn Scheffers marked a 72.5 and swept the NRHA Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro classes in a Saturday highlight. Close on her heels with a 72 was Allison Williams riding her RickyCacInHollywood. Williams placed second behind Scheffers in the NRHA Non Pro.

TEMECULA — May has been marked on the calendar at Roy Rich’s barn since winter, and for good reason.
Last year, he enjoyed a record year that culminated in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Open Bridle Championship with Very Smart Luck (Very Smart Remedy x Gunna Be Lucky x Gunna Smoke). But just before the NRCHA Celebration of Champions in Fort Worth, Texas, the 7-year-old gelding underwent colic surgery and was forced to the sidelines until this month.

Very Smart Luck, owned by Rocking J Ranch, was acquired from Annie Reynolds as a yearling, and the pair’s success has been a testimony to the hard work, dedication and talent of the Temecula-based trainer.
We took an opportunity to talk to Roy between rides.

Roy, what sets last year apart for you?
It’s the first time that I’d won an Open Bridle year-end with SCCRHA, and it’s really the first big open bridle stuff that I’ve won. I’ve been second a few times in the local level and I’ve placed, but I’ve never had a real big win in the Open Bridle, so that’s a big accomplishment for me.

What does the NRCHA Open Bridle National Championship mean to you?
To win it, you have to show a lot and place. So it just means that the horse was a strong contender every time he showed. Consistency is hard to find in a horse that is shown a lot. Sometimes they get pretty smart in the show pen and other things like that. To have him just be “on it” everywhere we went last year was a big accomplishment.

THERMAL — The dust has settled from an ambitious 2018 HITS Desert Circuit, and the pinnacle prizes once again were pinned on Nayel Nassar, the 27-year-old Southern California-based rider who represents Egypt. Riding the 14-year-old Hannoverian Lordan, Nassar won HITS Coachella’s prestigious pair — the Longines $100,000 FEI on Feb. 11, and the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix March 18 — in a prodigious sweep for the record books.

“I’m really trying to preserve him as much as I can,” Nassar told reporters after the FEI win. “He’s had a couple of injuries and we have a long year ahead. I’m just stoked to have him and to have him come out so strong. He’s a trier and we know each other well, which helps with the little intricacies on course.”

In the AIG $1 Million, Nassar earned $350,000 for the win. Rowan Willis settled for runner-up with the 12-year-old Blue Movie, and in third was Paul O’Shea with Skara Glen’s Presence.
The top five was rounded out by Christian Heineking on NKH Caruso in fourth and Erynn Ballard with Fantast in fifth.

BURBANK — It’s the time of year when hopes are high and anticipation for the show season rises. For many Arabian and Half-Arabian competitors, it’s also the doorstep to the venerable Scottdale Arabian Show,so any schooling in a live arena is golden.

The Southern California Half-Arabian Association and the Arabian Horse Association of the San Fernando Valley conducted a golden opportunity Jan. 19-21 for both clubs’ members to meet whatever January objectives they have. The dual-qualifying show for Region 1 and Region 2 attracted a variety of barns from throughout the state, including several keen on this month’s 63rd Annual Scottsdale showdown Feb. 15-25. The Los Angeles Equestrian Center was buzzing with classes that included sport hroses, dressage, youth, amateur, trail, western dressage, and ranch horse pleasure. Special awards were issued for High Point Dressage Horse and High Score SPort Horse,and in addition to the previously mentioned regions, the event was a qualifying show for Pacific Slopes and the U.S.,Canadian and Sport Horse Nationals with AHA, USEF and USDF approvals.

MORE ONLINE: Http://bit.ly/1802_Arabians