WYNNEWOOD, Okla. — The reined cow horse world lost one of its greatest champions May 22 when Topsails Rien Maker, the only three-time winner of the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s “World’s Greatest Horseman” competition, died of kidney failure at the ranch of his longtime trainer and co-owner, Russell Dilday.

The 17-year-old stallion was a popular favorite in the reined cow horse community, and the pairing with the gutsy, colorful Dilday made for a memorable record-setting run of aged events over the last decade.

His wins are NRCHA Hall of Fame material — the three World’s Greatest titles, two National Stock Horse Association World’s Richest Stock Horse crowns, NRCHA National Championships — and other accomplishments that speak of an ability to close the biggest of deals. Not to just compete at the highest level, but to finish on top.

USET photo

USET photo

Susie Hutchison was recently elected to the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.  The official induction ceremony will take place on the East Coast during the Devon Horse Show in June, but Blenheim EquiSports will honor her on the West Coast before the home crowd on June 12, at the end of the Blenheim June Series Week I Grand Prix.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to promote the sport of show jumping and to memorialize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport.

Already  in the Hunter Hall of Fame in 2015, alongside her longtime mentor and partner Jimmy Williams, and her famous hunter mount Best Bet, Hutchison is one of the infamous ‘Rat Pack’ that all rode with Williams.  Names such as Hap Hansen, Robert Ridland, Mason Phelps, Rob Gage, Mary Chapot and Hutchison lessoned with Williams at the Flintridge Riding Club in the 1960s.

TEMECULA — Springtime in Southern California wine country is hard to beat for a horse show venue, and the Southern California Reined Cow Horse Association struck up a winner the weekend of May 19-22 when it hosted the inaugural Jimmy Flores, Sr. Derby at Casner’s Ranch.

The four-day event included the club’s popular Non Pro Triple Crown and a full slate of NRCHA and AQHA classes on Sunday, making for a big draw and a huge success. Numbers pleased SCRCHA President Christy McSweeny, especially in the Derby Open (21 entries), the Triple Crown (37) and the final day’s horse show (110).

“We had a really good show,” said McSweeny, who found the open slot in the show schedule when the Arizona Reined Cow Horse Association moved its Sherri Gilkerson Memorial event to Arizona. “Everybody was happy. The schedule was really good because the open riders got to be done with their horses and their event before the non pro riders went, so everybody was able to have their trainers there to help them. There were no conflicts.”

Show season is in full swing, and with the recent outbreaks of various infectious diseases, owners and trainers are concerned about how  to participate without our animals getting sick in the process. While you cannot guarantee that no animal will get sick while traveling to and competing in the show ring, there are some steps that can be taken to minimize the risk.

The University of California – Davis Annual Production Sale coming on June 18 will include weanlings, yearlings, 2-year olds and several broodmares that have been worked with and trained by the program’s foal managers. They have been trained for parades, the farrier, hot walker, round pen, clippers — and even saddle-broke.  Folks in the program like to emphasize that their yearlings “are better trained than most people’s 3-year olds!”  Whether you are looking for a Quarter Horse or an Azteca, the UC Davis Horse Barn is a great source. As always, “the proof is in the progeny!”

WOODSIDE — The heightened atmosphere of the Horse Park at Woodside’s Grand Prix arena, with crowds packed all around, gave the competitors in the Preliminary Challenge divisions at the Spring Event at Woodside the feeling of the “Preliminary Olympics”.

Only a one-tenth of a point separated the top two in the Preliminary Challenge Horse division heading into show jumping. Busy California-based British rider James Alliston held second, third, ninth and eleventh places after cross country. A clear round by Alliston on Sophie Hulme’s Thomascourt Cooley sealed the win on 28.7 penalties after overnight leader En Vogue, owned by Ruth Bley, and ridden by Kimmy Steinbuch, had two rails down.

Last issue, Les demonstrated use of a light brace rein to keep shoulders out of the way. Now, let’s work on turns on the forehand.

Start by walking along the fence. Pick a point to stop the horse and then make a very light contact with your inside (away from the fence) rein while you reach back with your fence-side leg and push or bump your horse’s hip around. You’re creating energy with your leg to push the hip, and your brace rein contact will lightly block him from pushing through with his shoulder. With the fence in front of him you don’t give your horse any other options but to move his hip. Do this exercise repeatedly (it’s called a turn on the forehand) both directions. Start by just asking for a step at a time and then increase the number of steps as your horse’s responses get more consistent. Remember to keep life in your reins and leg as you ask for this exercise.

HEY RAY! I was working with my 4-year-old Mustang mare, “Cowgirl,” and tried to get her to go over a “teeter-totter” obstacle. She would walk around it, but as soon as I would try to get her to step onto it, she refused. I tried going over the side of it, and the most she would do is jump it and mess around. I stayed out there for a long time, and it didn’t help. How can I fix this? —Jacky Hare, Silverado, Calif.

Christine Traurig, in her second year as the USEF Young Horse Coach, seeks to further develop the Young Horse Program and supports the riders, owners and breeders in the U.S. Traurig also encourages communication on the progress of the Young Horse Program, as she oversees horses and riders preparing for the World Breeding Championships in Holland as well as those preparing for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Finals in Illinois.

For more than 30 years, Traurig has been a successful rider and trainer of young horses. She was born on her parent’s farm in Altenbuecken, Germany, near Verden where they bred, raised and prepared Hanoverians for the Verden Hanoverian Elite Auction.