As a former ranch kid and a dedicated trail rider with 7,000 logged trail hours, I now ride in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. It is the largest City park in the world, with nearly 60 miles of horse trail.

It is a prized and unique feature of a huge city like L.A. to have this Park adjacent to centralized horse-keeping facilities. The Griffith Park system is overloaded and under budgeted, like most parks in the U.S. They deal with a wide variety of demands in the public’s usage of the park areas. The horse riders, a minority, have their own agenda to fulfill.

ENLIGHTENED SELF INTEREST
If it is a danger or nuisance to you, it will be for other riders also.
When I first started riding in Griffith Park, I noticed many things about

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Thirty-three horse-and-rider duos a demanding Leopoldo Palacios-designed course at the $35,000 Summer Classic II Grand Prix, held Aug. 21 at Rancho Mission Viejo Horse Park.

Only the first two on course — Lane Clarke aboard Bay Rose’s Nikko and Hannah Selleck riding the fiery mare, Tosca — were able to do so. After a battle of the sexes in the jump-off, the 21-year-old Selleck won with with a stellar double-clear ride.

The course was technical and demanded a careful, yet gutsy ride. A total of 17 obstacles, including three combinations and a water jump in a keep-up-the-pace allowed time of 87 seconds.

“This was a very tough national grand prix,” admitted Palacios. “I tried to challenge the group as much as possible.”

BURBANK – Nadine Tilley remembers the day she saw a baby colt in the snow at Mirasol Andalusians in Minnesota, owned by her friend, Barbara Berquist.

“I told her right there that I had first dibs if she ever decided to sell him,” says Nadine, owner of Tilley Andalusians in Hemet.

Two years later, she bought Amici BB, the handsome son of Escamillo. Now a 6-year old, he’s a good candidate to win a International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association Senior Grand National Stallion Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, in October.

HEY RAY: How do I stop my horse from pulling back and breaking halters?
–Laura Lane, Yuba City, Calif.

HEY LAURA: The good news is that there’s a simple way to handle this. The quick fix? Just stop tying your horse — and I guarantee he’ll never break another lead line or halter again. I know this sounds like a joke, but I’m completely sincere – let me explain a little further.

What I really mean is you need to stop tying your horse “solid”, (tied to anything fixed) until he understands and learns a few things first. Begin by holding your haltered horse in one hand and with your other hand try to unsettle him so that he startles and moves. You can accomplish this by waving your hand in front of his face, twirling the end of your lead line or even waving your hat or cap in front of him. It’s important that you keep a connection (continuous pressure) the whole time that your horse is moving. Continue to do whatever you were doing with your other hand

California’s largest tack store, Broken Horn Saddlery in Baldwin Park, is getting ready for its “don’t miss” event – the Third Annual Broken Horn Western Sale. If you’ve attended this spectacle, you understand that it’s not just a sale. In addition to up to 50 percent off “everything western”, there will be drawings every hour for boots, hats, jeans, shirts, reins, bridles, stable supplies, supplements – it’s amazing. To enter, you have dress western – “either a pair of Wrangler jeans, western boots, a western shirt, or a cowboy hat.” And this is the time to act if you’ve been thinking about buying a western saddle because Broken Horn will pay the sales tax! Plus, if the saddle is over $600, Broken Horn will provide a free saddle pad. Check out the centerfold ad for Broken Horn on pages 48-49 for all the details!