SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After a prolific rainy season, the “rein-y” season seems to have kicked off this spring, and Californians are claiming their share of titles.

At the venerable Cactus Reining Classic, held March 22-26 at Westworld, major winners from the Golden State included Tom Foran in the Open Derby Level 2 and 3 and Non Pro Dana Avila in the Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 and 2 as well as Intermediate Non Pro.

This year, the event was pushed into late March, a move that didn’t slow down Temecula-based rider Avila. With her gelding Gunna Spook Ya, by Smart Spook and out of Gitty Annie Gun, by Gunner, Avila won the High Point Championships in Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 and 2, and Intermediate Non Pro.

“I opted not to show my horse in the Derby ,as my husband, Bob, and I felt he wasn’t quite as seasoned as the other Derby horses,” Dana said. “I ended up having a terrific show. As they say, winning is always fun.”

Once again, the $70,000-added Lucas Oil Open Derby, with 74 horses in the competition, did not disappoint the spectators. It took a 220.5 to place 15th and be in the money. When Arno Honstetter, of Scottsdale left the arena after his run on Gunnafoolya, by Gunnatrashya, owned by Marilyn Overgaard, with a smoking score of 226, the crowd thought they had seen their winner.

All American Horses

Menifee

(619) 572-3087

AllAmericanHorses.org

Consignment Horse Sales, Boarding, Training

This premier Riverside County equestrian facility offers more than 900 acres of private, fenced, gated acres for both trail, arena, cross-country and buggy driving, plus a lighted arena, one jumping arena, one dressage arena, one 45-foot round pen, one 90-foot round pen, a one-acre confidence and obstacle course, a one-acre open field jumping schooling course, a three-acre pasture, 1/2-acre paddocks, and an event-style 1/5-mile cross-country course. There is natural water onsite, as well as box stalls and corrals from 24’x24′ to 60’x80′ for your horse to enjoy. All American also offers consignment horse sales and training.

Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center
By Horse Play Rentals
Huntington Beach, CA
(714) 848-6565
HCPEC.com
Horse Play Rentals at Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center offers after school and summer horsemanship clinics for children age eight and older. The program focuses on basic horsemanship skills such as grooming, haltering, leading, saddling, bridling, and horse health. It provides instruction on Western riding and groundwork. Each day of the program is filled with learning, safety, and fun. The program will prepare students for more advanced riding lessons, how to care ?for their own horses someday, and/or participate in other aspects of the equine industry.

Horse Play Rentals also offers a five-week internship program. Please contact the office for the next scheduled dates. Students attending this program must be at least 14 years old; the program fee is $225 per student. Space is limited to five students per session. During the course of the program, students will learn how to safely handle horses, grooming tools and techniques, terminology, equine body language, Western and English tack, round penning, feed and medications, and how to handle emergency situations. They will also learn the Horse Play Rentals “Order of Conduct” (interaction with staff and customers, etc.) and more about being in the equine business. At the end of the Internship Program, students must pass both the skills and written examinations in order to begin an internship at HPR. Hours worked as an intern are unpaid. However, hours worked by HPR interns are redeemable for trail rides.

AGOURA HILLS — James Wyllie, a fabled Los Angeles equestrian educator, father, and grandfather, died March 16 in Agoura Hills at age 98.

Born March 2, 1919, in Lincoln, R.I, Wyllie’s remarkable teaching career spanned six decades. He continued to instruct students in the ways of the horse until shortly before he died. From preschoolers to senior citizens, Wyllie taught over 65,000 people to ride.

Wyllie taught courses at UCLA, Cal-Lutheran, and for 30 years at Malibu’s Pepperdine University, plus ongoing courses for Santa Monica College. He was firm but kind, principled but fun, and never stopped being curious about life.

Pat Parelli will be teaching a natural horsemanship clinic Southern California May 12-14 at the Ingalls Park Arena in Norco. This year celebrates 35 years of the Parelli Program, which teaches riders how to gain leadership with their horses, how to better communicate, and how to get the best results. Pat’s coaching focuses on safety, ethical treatment and effectiveness.

The Parelli program is for horses of all breeds — western, English, gaited horses or other types of riding. Pat is a master teacher who helps riders correctly develop a foundation so that horses accept additional training that leads toward specialization in a particular discipline. It’s the foundation to all disciplines and recreational riding. Pat helps people solve problems so that they can gain more enjoyment with their horses — and reduce accidents.

Equine dentistry has exploded over the past 10 to 15 years. When I was growing up, the veterinarian or the farrier would pull out a couple of hand floats or old rasps and grind down the sharp hooks that develop on the molars and premolars of horses’ teeth. Let’s have a look at the type of teeth horses have and why they need to be floated or filed down.

Horses have what are called hypsodont teeth. These teeth have a large “crown” or top portion of tooth that has enamel. Unlike us, where we have enamel on the outside of our crown only, horses have layers of enamel throughout the crown. This design is great for what horses are intended to eat. Horses are grazers that should be eating roughage for around eighteen hours a day. This roughage is very fibrous and can contain silica or other hard materials that are abrasive and wear down the tooth. Not only are these teeth stronger and able to take the abuse, but horses have what is termed “reserve crown”. This reserve crown is below the gum-line and continuously is erupting throughout the adult life of the horse until it runs out. Usually in their 20s or 30s, the reserve crown is exhausted, and whatever is left is what they have to work with.

Peter Petschenig gallops to a sweeping victory aboard Saint Quentin at the $40,000 Spring Classic II Grand Prix April 9 in San Juan Capistrano.

Amy McCool photo

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — The grassy knoll of the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano was filled with fans April 9, as Peter Petschenig galloped to a sweeping victory aboard Saint Quentin in an unbeatable time of 40.24 in the $40,000 Spring Classic III Grand Prix, presented by The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.

He topped Thirty-six horse and rider combinations who were trying to master a difficult track set by Puerto Rican FEI Course Designer Mauricio Garcia Ballesteros.

“He can be super fast,” Petschenig said of his 14-year-old partner of six years. “I tried to stay on the inside track, but I didn’t force it too hard because the other ones weren’t that extremely fast. Today was lucky.”

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Four weeks of riveting competition came to a close April 15 as the Blenheim Spring Classic IV wrapped up the 2017 Blenheim Spring Series. Part of the closing celebrations included the Veredus Leading Jumper Rider Awards, presented to the riders who accumulated the most points on their highest placing horses throughout the month-long series.

Michelle Parker took the jumper ring by storm during the of the Blenheim Spring Series and won the Veredus Leading Professional Jumper Rider Award. Her first place finish during the Spring Classic II in the $25,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix, plus another blue and other solid placings in the Spring Classic III Open Welcome and Speed Derby, put her squarely at the top of the professional leader board with an unbeatable total of 31 points.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Jim Ifko claimed the first place prize in the $50,000 Blenheim Spring Classic IV Grand Prix aboard Eventyre Farms Ltd.’s Un Diamant des Forets. In front of a full audience of fellow equestrians and local fans, Ifko delivered two swift, faultless rounds that secured him the win by over 2.5 seconds against five others in the jump-off. Robert Blanchette and his own Coupis picked up second place as the only other double clear finisher.

The exercises we’ll work on here are just the beginnings of the turnaround. Even if your horse really starts to get it, I don’t want you to even think about speed at this point. What you’re looking to establish is the turning cue, the basic footwork and smooth cadence. When he really learns the movement, adding the speed won’t be a problem; however, to try for speed before he’s confi dent with the movement can scare him, frustrate him and make him start to dread, rather than enjoy, his training.