SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Grand prix jumping action at the Rancho Mission Viejo Horse Park will take a spring break after a seven-event series that showcased California’s grand prix talent.

The 2016 Blenheim EquiSports show season has departed Orange County for the Del Mar Horse Park, host of this month’s Ranch & Coast Classic and the $60,000 Grand Prix of California. Four veteran riders from the region — Michelle Parker, Susie Hutchison, Karl Cook and Lane Clarke — will hope to continue their winning ways established the last two months in Orange County.

Hutchison, named to the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in late March (California Horsetrader April 7 issue, “Show Jumping Hall adds Susie Hutchison”), has impressed all spring long on Ziedento, owned by St. Bride’s Farm, Brisbane, owned by Barbara Phillips, and SIG Firecracker. Her win on Ziedento in the Blenheim $25,000 Markel Insurance 1.40m Grand Prix against 37 other entries was a highlight.

LAKESIDE — Diana Cavender, a veteran of more than 50 parades since she joined the Escondido Mounted Posse six years ago, was killed April 23 when her horse spooked and fell, knocking her to the ground at the Lakeside Western Days Parade. The incident occured about 10:50 a.m. after the posse had concluded the parade, as Cavender and her horse were approaching a staging area. Emergency crews rushed her to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where she died at 5:41 p.m.

Anaheim Equestrian Center
Rancho Del Rio Stable
Anaheim
(714) 535-3510
www.ranchodelriostable.com
Anaheim Equestrian Center/Rancho Del Rio Stable continues to operate under the ownership of Jayne and Bob Jones. Bob Jones announced his retirement last year and Jayne will continue to operate the business that has been at this Anaheim location for more than 45 years. The centrally located boarding facility sits on just under seven acres and offers an on-site tack and feed store.

CHATSWORTH — Chatsworth equestrian community leader Mary Kaufman, a longtime president of ETI Corral 54, died unexpectedly March 24 on the second anniversary of the death of her favorite horse, Ace.

Kaufman, 68, who had endured a months-long battle with a troublesome hip replacement, also served of the board of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council and was chair of the equestrian committee and chief organizer of the Council’s annual Day of the Horse festival.

Kaufman was appointed by Councilman Mitch Englander to the Los Angeles Equestrian Advisory Committee and was active with the West Valley Volunteer Mounted Patrol. She hosted Mayors Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa, and Council Members Greig Smith and Englander and other dignitaries on horseback tours of Chatsworth’s hills and trails, promoting the need to preserve the rural environment.

The Equine Health & Pleasure Fair, sponsored by the Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council (FTDNC), is Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Orcas Park Equestrian Center. The entire community and equestrian friends are invited to share in this FREE, fun-filled event by riding on the trails at Hansen Dam, then continuing on your horse to the Fair! There will be lots of vendors, including L.A. Animal Services for micro-chipping/licensing of horses and dogs, horse-and-rider bling, BLM and other horse rescues, farriers and vets, various equine products, info booths from various equine-based organizations, political candidate booths, free food and drinks, free pony rides for the kids  — and much more!

Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  I wonder if he really knew how true that is.  Preventing disease is usually much easier on an animal, much more economical, and just a more favorable way to care for our animals.  Today I am answering two questions by discussing vaccinations and deworming, two common preventative medicine measures used by most horse owners.

First, let’s discuss vaccinations. A vaccine contains usually two parts, an antigen and an adjuvant. The antigen(s) is/are the disease or diseases you are vaccinating against. It can either be a killed piece of an organism or toxin, or it can be a living organism that is modified to be less pathogenic, or less likely to cause disease. The adjuvant is put in to stimulate the body to react to the antigen. Without it, the body’s response to the antigen would be minimal and would yield very little immunity to the disease.

These heartfelt memories between moms and daughters are being reprinted from the California Horsetrader archives this issue to celebrate Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8.

Keeping the pony dry…
I’m the mother, but I think I’ll share our story. I was 29, and my daughter, Elishia, was 7 when we first got into horses — and we got her first pony. He was a Shetland Pinto, about 11.1 hands (good thing my daughter was very small). We named him Oreo since he was black and white. We were new to horses, and this was our first small ranch. It was a stormy and rainy night after it had rained all day. We only had partial covers, so Oreo was soaking wet. I felt so badly because my daughter was feeling so bad about her pony. So, thinking I was doing a good thing for Oreo and my daughter, I brought little Oreo into my living room, in front of the fireplace.

Les gave us last issue a primer on developing your horse’s movement. Now we get into the details of Exercises 3 and 4.

The Brace Rein
Remember how you used your rein to move the horse’s shoulders? First making light contact for bend, then lifting your hand and moving over to direct the shoulders? Well the brace rein is the same concept, except rather than using it to move the horse’s shoulders, you’re just asking him to keep them out of the movement by just maintaining a slight bend with his neck. Whenever you are using the brace rein, you want to make sure that your other rein is way away from the horse’s neck.

HEY RAY! I sent my 5 yr old Thoroughbred gelding to a local trainer for 30 days to put some leg aids on him. Before he left, he didn’t know his leads but I could canter him in both directions with no problems. When I got him back I saw the trainer do leg yields and canter him on the correct leads but he seemed a little on the muscle and worried. I’ve had him at home for a month now and even though he doesn’t fight, he seems to lose his mind anytime I think of using my legs for anything. What happened? Can you help me? —Lisa Martinez, Scottsdale, Ariz