The top equine experts grace the stages and arenas of Horse Expo Pomona each year, and this year’s line-up may be the best ever. One ticket price gets you access to unlimited learning, whether you’re a competitor looking for an edge or a recreational rider looking for insight into your human-horse relationship.

Clinton Anderson
Born and raised in Australia, Clinton grew up with a love of horses, and by the age of 15, was apprenticing with the best trainers in the country. In 1997, Clinton came to the U.S. where he continued pursuing his passion for horses by apprenticing under some of America’s greatest trainers, teaching clinics and competing. Today, Clinton shares the Method all across the country and regularly hosts horsemanship clinics at his facility in Stephenville, Texas. He works hard to educate horse owners on how to be safe and effective while enjoying their horses. His training method is instructional, inspiring and innovative.

Craig Cameron
A native Texan, Craig Cameron, one of the original clinicians, is on the road more than 44 weeks a year covering 80,000 miles demonstrating the style of horsemanship he has perfected in the last 23 years. Called the “public defender of the horse,” Craig dedicates himself to those who educate their horses by first educating themselves. At an age where most have long since retired the thought of starting colts, Craig Cameron known as “The Cowboy’s Clinician,” starts hundreds of horses each year; plus his four-day clinics held at his ranches in Bluff Dale, Texas, and Lincoln, New Mexico blend education with entertainment.

Adeptus Nutrition, Inc.
866-233-7887
adeptusnutrition.com
BOOTH 9133
San Diego-based Adeptus Nutrition, Inc., a provider of quality nutritional supplements, was founded in 2000 by PhD equine nutritionist and physiologist Dr. Colleen Wilson.  The advanced products offered by Adeptus encompass not only every nutritional need that your horses might have, but also products for your dog, cat – and even you! Dr. Wilson has the educational background combined with horse industry experience to effectively formulate supplements that work and satisfy practical needs.  Only digestible and proven active ingredients are used in Adeptus products, so your horses and pets can absorb and utilize the ingredients.  Consumers get their money’s worth with Adeptus products! Dr. Wilson and her knowledgeable staff are available to work out an effective and nutritionally correct feeding program.  Check out the Adeptus Nutrition Facebook page and sign up for free monthly newsletters from Dr. Wilson.

Big Mare™
909-908-6649
BigMare.com
BOOTH 7309
Big Mare™ skin, wound and hoof care products have it all. With its innovative new Controlled Delivery System (CDS), these solutions offer more than the “singular dimensional” benefits of micro-encapsulation by delivering a smaller molecule deeper into the skin. These combined actives working together offer time released benefits for round the clock healing. Available for both equine and canine, these anti bacterial and anti fungal formulas are available in a Body Wash, All Purpose Skin Solution, Wound Lotion, Thrush Spray and White Line Gel. Ask your store today for Big Mare™. It heals, prevents and maintains healthy skin and hoofs. Because you care…Big Mare™. Dealer inquiries welcome.

A growing number of equestrians are taking up arms, as shooting on horseback continues to attract new competitors to its ranks.
Lured by the challenge and the camaraderie, memberships are swelling in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association — especially in California and the birthplace of CMSA, Arizona, where the Arizona Mounted Shooters Association has three January events to start 2016.

With names like Roy Rogers Rangers and the Tombstone Ghost Riders, how can anyone resist a peek at this fast-action sport that requires horsemanship — and a special horse.

After last weekend’s New Year’s Shoot put on by the Tombstone Ghost Riders at Livery Stable in Tombstone, AMSA events will include a Jan. 15 competition at the American Quarter Horse Association Sun Circuit in Westworld, and a three-way Border Wars comeptition Jan. 22-24 at the beautiful Horseshoe Park facility in Queen Queek. Last year, the ACMSA conducted 19 shoots. Five California-based, CMSA-sanctioned clubs are gearing up, too, including the Nuevo-based Roy Rogers Rangers and the Norco-based SoCal CMSA.

Arizona Cowboy Mounted Shooting Assn.
www.acmsa.com
ACMSA is the oldest mounted shooting club and first affiliate to our parent organization CMSA (CMSA.com). The club is dedicated to growing the sport of mounted shooting, and its members helped to develop the Royce Anderson Family Arena, the world’s first Mounted Shooting Center at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Ariz.

This past season the ACMSA organized and held 19 shoots, including big events such as AQHA’s Sun Circuit at West World, Southwest Regional Championships and Arizona State Championships at Horseshoe Park in Queen Creek, as well as at the Arizona Game and Fish Expo at the Ben Avery venue. The group also showcased mounted shooting at Banner Ironwood Medical Center’s Roots n’ Boots event at Horseshoe Park, and at the Flagstaff Pro Rodeo.

I’m not a veterinarian, but I have learned post-ride care over the years from some very experienced veterinarians and top endurance riders. I’ve carefully observed what long-term successful riders have done with their horses that enable those horses to compete year after year.
Keeping my horses sound and able to have long careers is more important to me than having one horse with a few brilliant performances but then is never seen again. Good post-ride care can nip a potential problem in the bud before it becomes a big deal.

Winter evokes thoughts of those Currier and Ives prints of sleighs, dashing through the snow with jingle bells through cold and snowy days or moonlit nights. Bells on bobtails ring isn’t just a quaint phrase. Bells in driving were historically important. In medieval times small bells were used to scare away the evil spirits from contact with your plow horse, lest he become ill and the family perish because he couldn’t work the fields. Bells come in all tones, shapes and sizes from small and “tinkly”, to medium and throaty, to large, loud and low sounding. The sound of bells, especially the medium-sized ones, travels quite a ways over a snowy field. They let you know that another sleigh or vehicle might be around the blind bend in the road or forest. Bells may be strung on leather straps with just a few bells, or a long strand of numerous bells. They were functional as well as fashionable. Saddle chimes, another type, are on a decorative framework that attaches to the harness saddle. This type of bell was typically used on freighting teams. Bells may also be attached to the shafts of your carriage.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Polo Association, American Warmblood Registry, North American Shortpony Registry, Missouri Quarter Horse Association, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and South Carolina Horse Councils, Pal-O-Mine Equine Center and the Virginia Horse Center Foundation are the latest organizations to endorse the American Horse Council’s (AHC) Welfare Code of Practice, the AHC announced last month.

If you own horses, you need to be aware of some problems that arise when you have too much rain in a short period of time.

Arena mud.

Katie Wise photo

Wet pastures are ruined by horses’ hooves, so it is very possible that you will have more weeds than grass when the rain stops. If you have an overcrowded field, your pastures will probably be ruined, and you may need to feed your horses hay year-round. Also, without the competition of lush grass, you may end up with some poisonous plants in your pasture, and since horses are browsers, when they don’t have a lot of grass to eat they may start eating those plants.

Horses that like to “horse around” can run, slip, and risk bowing a tendon, popping a splint, or even falling down and hurting themselves. Of course, these injuries can occur at any time, but when the ground is slippery, the chances for these injuries increase. Slippery slopes and horses, especially young and rambunctious horses, are never a good combination.

Here are some tips to help keep your horses safe during rainy springs and other rainy periods:

BARCELONA, Spain — Lucy Davis of Los Angeles and her four teammates wrapped up a week’s effort with a fourth-place finish Sept. 26 at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final.

Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team quartet of Lauren Hough, Reed Kessler, Laura Kraut, and Beezie Madden had a strong performance in a tough round against some of the world’s best combinations to finish in fourth place on 12 faults.

“It was a very difficult, but brilliant course. It was exactly what you would expect at the Final,” said Ridland. “It’s the highest level of sport with great countries competing here. We knew it was going to be tough when we walked it.”

PASADENA — Cowboy, a Quarter Horse gelding his trainer calls the best kind of horse you’ll ever find, has left his 18-year career as a Los Angeles Police Department Mounted Patrol horse to begin a new venture at a therapeutic riding program.

He was one of 32 horses in the mounted unit in the Metropolitan Division of the LAPD, a serious law enforcement group that primarily works in large crowds, dignitary protection and the issuance of search warrants. He joins another recent LAPD retiree, Shadow, at the MACH 1: Moving A Child Higher program, where he’ll soak up the attention of affectionate youngsters who are overcoming disabilities. He’ll eventually be part of a Wounded Warrior program, too, where he’ll help re-acclimate veterans into society.

Cowboy, retired LAPD

KCAL9 photo

“He’s a very exceptional horse,” said officer Joe Willey, a 25-year veteran who has been on the mounted unit 20 years – the last 11 as head trainer.”Dead-broke. Quiet. And tested in the field.”
The 18-year veteran has literally carried officers through high crime areas in Venice Beach, Hollywood and Skid Row. When a Laker celebration turned violent and cars were flipped, Cowboy was there, on duty. His even temperament and patient mind earned him selection as one of Willey’s instruction horses for recruits, who have no experience.