TEMECULA — With $20,000 in added money and the region’s top competition, the Southern California Reined Cow Horse Association put on another marvelous springtime event, the Jimmy Flores, Sr. Derby and Non Pro Triple Crown.

The four-day show May 18-21 included two full slates of horse show classes.

In the Open Derby, Nicolas Barthelemy shined on Manuel Rojo’s WRS Shiney Diamond, outdistancing reserve champions Shadd Parkingson on Hannes Winkler’s Cattin Downtown and Tucker Robinson on San Juan Ranch’s SJR Oaks Natasha. The win paid a winner’s share of $2,560, with the riders in the two-three split taking home $1,792 each.

Dr. Kent Fowler of the California Department of Food and Agriculture returned to Los Angeles April 17 to address horse owners about the Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) , a health threat that became intimately familiar to the area after an outbreak last fall. The “all-clear” was issued months ago, but knowledge of the virus’s detection, treatment and mitigation are invaluable going forward wherever horses reside. Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is the designation given to a horse showing neurologic dysfunction caused by the EHV-1 virus.

Sandra Bentien wowed the judges aboard her Gotta Twist It Up,then celebrated with her posse the Non Pro Derby Level 4 Championship at the 2017 Rein for the Roses.

John O’Hara photo

ELK GROVE – Good weather, good times and above all, good competition, added up to a highly successful 2017 Rein For The Roses May 4-7 at Brookside Equestrian Park.

Members and horses started prepping and showing in 90 degree temperature. However in the classic Brookside micro climate, the days cooled off and we were lovely. Host Bill Madden of Brookside greeted reiners with new sand footing in the warm-up arena – a one-of-a-kind warm-up arena for reiners in Northern California.

“It brings us back to Brookside every year,” said JoAnn Campas, President of the West Coast Reining Horse Association – the largest affiliate in the National Reining Horse Association. “Bill always does his best to provide the best warm-up and show conditions possible. The Sugar Shack is also new at Brookside. What a welcome treat right in the center of the action, providing all sorts of espresso concoctions. “

Richard Spooner and Cristallo soar to victory in the $60,000 Grand Prix of California, held May 13 at Showpark.

capturedmomentphoto.com photo

DEL MAR — The Master of Faster turned on the heat with his equine partner of 15 years to clinch the $60,000 Grand Prix of California, presented by Equ Lifestyle Boutique. The unstoppable duo, known as Richard Spooner and Cristallo, executed a flawless jump-off in 33.75, less than .04 seconds faster than the previous leaders, Vani Khosla and Billy Mexico. Relegated to a well-deserved second by a show jumping veteran, Khosla earned her second impressive grand prix red ribbon for the week.

DEL MAR — Jumping off last in the $25,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix as well as the $5,000 Interactive Mortgage U25 Series Qualifier, 19-year-old Hannah Heidegger and Di Caprio RV topped a field of 62 entries to claim the win in both classes. Vani Khosla and Billy Mexico finished in a close second in the Markel Insurance Grand Prix, with Heidegger beating her time by just 0.05 seconds. Both emerging stars train with Meadow Grove Farm.

If you’re in the mood to shop for the cutest clothes, jewelry, boots, and hats on the planet, then just don’t save the date, tear the Big Horse Feed and Mercantile ad out of this magazine and put it on the fridge. Friday and Saturday, June 23-24, marks Big Horse’s 19th Annual Anniversary Sale, and you’re in for some real deals. Hailed as the go-to event of the year, you’ll find savings in nearly every department and have the opportunity to talk directly with manufacturer reps of some of your favorite products, meet up with friends and have a great time. Home décor? Got it! English and western riding gear and helmets? Got it! Saddles and tack? Got it! Handbags and purses? Got it! And the fun just doesn’t stop there. The first 100 customers each day will receive a free gift — there will be hourly drawings for great prizes, and you can enter to win the grand prize drawing of a $200 gift card. As you’re heading out the door, don’t forget to grab the ad on the fridge! With it, you’ll receive a 30 percent discount on one of your favorite items with a $50 purchase (exclusions apply). See you at Big Horse for sizzling summer savings for you, your home, horse and hound!

Skill is not always something innate. It is also a product of actions and intensive practice. According to the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, research shows that individuals we regard as prodigies reached their level of status by amassing about 10,000 hours or more of practice. What separates a top performer or competitor from another is the amount of work they have committed to develop their ability.

If you want to cultivate your talent and overcome plateaus, you need to take action and develop a technique to strengthen the way you train. The adage “practice makes perfect” isn’t accurate. “Perfect practice makes perfect” is more precise. Targeting areas for improvement while in the saddle will enhance your abilities and take you to new heights. Your ability isn’t controlled by genes; it’s controlled by your dedication to put in the time it takes to achieve your goal. Practice with a purpose to get better. Horsemen at the top of their game work substantially harder than everyone else. We are in a hurry to acquire skills, but I can assure you, there is no shortcut. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

On the Fence—Extending the Turn
Here’s something to try after you’ve been getting the crossover steps for a couple of weeks. Once you’re gett ing those three steps or four steps, you’re basically doing half a turn. So here’s a way to help the horse finish off the turn. Set yourself up just like you did for the last exercise, but this time what we’re going to do is start by turning your horse away from the fence and then let the fence finish the turn. But your horse is about six or more feet long, so how is that horse going to go through that little three-foot hole? Well, he’ll have to squat down behind to draw down, and he’ll have to be bent. So start turning away from the fence, get your first three steps, keep your bend and keep driving your horse. The fence will take care of the next three steps. You can do this in a corner too, and it’s a really good trick.

Rebecca Drake and her One Red Mist take control on their way to the 50K Amateur title at the El Rancho Spring Classic in Rancho Murieta April 27-30.

John O’Hara photo

RANCHO MURIETA — The El Rancho Cutting Horse Association, an NCHA Affiliate, prides itself on promoting one of the last outdoor cuttings on the West Coast. Competitors come from all over the Western U.S. to compete at one of the premier cutting facilities.

This year’s event paid out a $102,000 to competitors. With over 761 entries, the facility was packed with athletes, horses and excited spectators. The exhibitors and their horses enjoyed beautiful spring weather in ranging from 70 to 80 degrees.

Carol Ward and crew go to great lengths to make the event a fun-filled show, with hosted exhibitor’s party, pancake breakfast and more.

A unique and inspirational component to this popular cutting results in the West Coast Equine Foundation receiving net proceeds from the event.  The Foundation is a charitable organization that supports a variety of equine related organizations including; college scholarships and grants to youth organizations that provide, therapeutic riding and support to 4-H and other equine related youth organizations.

Next up for the association will be the El Rancho Futurity and Mercuria World Series, Sept. 8-17.

MORE ONLINE: http://www.elranchofuturity.com

Insurance. It has become commonplace in today’s society. It has even been legislated into our lives with automobile insurance and health insurance. The idea behind insurance is that many people make small payments into a large pot so that those who need the money for the insured occurrence get a payout for said occurrence.

Well, like almost anything you would like to insure, our pets have insurance available. This includes horses. As medicine advances, it also becomes more expensive. Our pets have newer surgical techniques, advanced imaging modalities, even cutting-edge treatments. All of these things cost more and more money. Society’s view of how we feel and to what lengths we will go for our pets has changed greatly. The length to which we will go to save an animal’s life means we will most likely be spending more money on our animals. Let’s take a peek at what is available to us to help mitigate the higher costs of equine ownership and also protecting the investment we make in these animals.