SIMI VALLEY – NRHA Million Dollar Rider and NRCHA World’s Great Horseman Randy Paul started a new chapter in his brilliant career March 1 when he moved into Bob and Laura Day’s Day Creek Ranch in Simi Valley.

Paul, who has trained non pro Laura Day and a variety of her horses in recent years including NRBC finalist Easy Slider, will focus on both reining and reined cow horse at the 260-acre Day Creek facility, which also is the home of eventing trainer Michelle Emmermann and hunter-jumper trainer Stacie Ryan.

“I am happy to be here,” said Paul, the 2009 NRCHA World’s Greatest winner on Smokeelan. “I enjoy it. Laura and her gang here are fun to be around, and I think we’re going to have a lot of success.”

Kimberly Ann Jackson
(818) 522-0536
www.KimberlyAnnJackson.com

Kimberly Ann Jackson serves Southern California with natural barefoot hoof care services. Most good ideas are simple – soundness, health, longevity. This tried and true work is founded on the hoof conformation and wear patterns of wild horses. It is also informed by the latest cutting edge science of the hoof. This astonishingly successful synergy brings hoof health to our domestic horses.

“This is the ideal method of hoof care because it has a unique and abundant wealth of benefits,” says Kimberly, whose clients repeatedly report that their horses have better balance, larger and freer strides and soundness – often where they have not had any in quite some time. Many clients appreciate her kindness with their horses, as respect for the horse is paramount.

Kimberly has been certified by the AANHCP and Liberated Horsemanship, two internationally recognized Hoof Care Institutions. She worked for five years with Jaime Jackson, the originator of this method, in his personal trim practice and the AANHCP, and has been practicing Natural Barefoot Hoof Care since 2003.

The horses she works with are from a broad range of disciplines — dressage, school horses, trail, endurance, rodeo, pleasure and more. She welcomes your most challenging hoof conditions such as laminitis, club foot and run-under heels. “It is most rewarding to see these horses sound out and thrive!” she says.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — He led the victory gallop in Del Mar a month ago on Calavda, and wins today on La Fleur 4.

On yet another great day in Southern California, a small but stellar group of international competitors took on the challenge presented by world-renowned course designer Linda Allen in the $30,000 June Classic I Grand Prix, sponsored by St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. Previous to this event, Hannah Heidegger dominated the final qualifier for the 2013 North American Junior & Young Rider Championships and young professional Nick Haness continued his prowess in the CashCall Mortgage Futurity series.

Join Big Horse Feed and Mercantile in Temecula on Friday and Saturday, June 28-29, as the store celebrates its 15th Annual Anniversary Sale! Come early and take advantage of super savings and great deals on items and products for you, your family, your horses and your pets — all in one location! The first 100 customers each day receive a free Big Horse grain scoop with fun giveaways, and there will also be hourly drawings each day for many great prizes. And don’t forget to enter Big Horse’s free drawing for a $200 gift certificate! More than just a feed store, Big Horse provides a variety of products for a wide range of riding and driving disciplines, combined with friendly service. Known for its eclectic combination of equestrian, outdoor and lifestyle living retail products, Big Horse has become a “destination location” for the public of all ages! For more info, see the ad on page 3, and call (951) 676-2544.

45th in a series
After reviewing fundamentals of spins in the last issue, we’re ready to start the turn-around.

So how do we start to teach the turnaround? We start by walking in a circle about 10 feet in diameter. You want to use your circle to establish the correct bend, so bring your circle down to where your horse’s spine is bent evenly and you can just see the corner of the horse’s eye.

Now let’s stop here and think about the difference between this forward circle and the turnaround. In the turnaround, we will want to maintain the same bend and the same cadence (or rhythm), at least at this level. We want the front legs to keep moving, we want the outside back leg to keep moving, but we just want to slow down, or even stop, the forward movement of the inside hind leg. And to do that you’ll just want to check a little with your outside rein while you keep driving with your legs, and making sure the inside rein maintains the bend. As I’ll describe, when I first start to ask the horse to step across, I’ll open up my inside leg to help him understand what I want, but as he gets better at it, there are a lot of times I will ride into the turn with both legs on him.

When you’re ready to turn (or, at least, to ask for a crossover step or two), you’ll start in your circle and then ask your horse to spiral down by keeping the bend with the inside rein, drawing (pulling back) a little with the outside rein, pushing with the outside leg and opening up the inside leg. We’re loading, by restricting him with the rein and pushing with the leg, and then unloading, by taking off the inside leg and showing him that that’s where we want the energy to go. As soon as you feel one crossover step, release any pressure on your outside rein, change legs, and let him walk forward into the circle, or lateral flexion, that we started with. You want to try to maintain your bend the whole time by with just a light touch when you need it, with your inside rein.

Sounds simple, right? Well, let’s go back and talk about each element because I want you to understand why they’re important and how they work together. Plus, I want you to be able to visualize what you are looking for before you try it on your horse. First, the bend is critical. As you ask for the crossover step, you need to make sure that you’re not letting the head get out of position. If you lose any softness in his head and neck, abort the turn and go back to getting that component correct. The horse’s bend is just critical to the turnaround. Also, if the horse is leaning on your inside rein at all, don’t attempt any crossover steps. You can actually create this problem yourself if you don’t use your outside leg all the way back in the hip position. Applying pressure in the front or middle positions will make the horse think you want him to arc around that leg – and he’ll want to bend the wrong way!

EDITOR’S NOTE: More with Les is a regular California Horsetrader column. Les Vogt has won more than 15 World Championships, including two wins at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. Although Les still rides and occasionally shows, his focus is giving clinics around the world and developing products for the performance horseman. To learn more about Les and to see his clinic schedule, visit: www.lesvogt.com

DEL MAR – Equidae will present four half-hour performances during the San Diego County Fair on June 22-23 with shows at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily at the San Diego Arena behind the Del Mar Arena.