BRAVERYBRAVERYMOUNTED ARCHERY ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS (MA3)MOUNTED ARCHERY ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS (MA3)

HARMONYHARMONYJEFF WILSON COWBOY DRESSAGEJEFF WILSON COWBOY DRESSAGE

Photo by Mark J Barrett

INTUITIONINTUITIONBARBRA SCHULTEBARBRA SCHULTE

the Gypsy Vanner HorseSociety was founded byDennis Thompson and hislate wife Cindy Cindy and Idid not discover Gypsyhorses we discovered abreed of horse developed byBritish Irish Gypsies aspecific looking horse nowcalled a Vanner Dennis

GypsyGypsyGoLDGoLD

DroghedaGold

Rein Photography

We Ride Sportand TrailMagazine An adventurecommunity serving thehorse rider farm andtrail dog wwwwerideus

Each issue contains news and information about avariety of ride associations breed spotlightsequine charities or non-profits and so much more

Rein Photography

We Ride Sportand TrailMagazine An adventurecommunity serving thehorse rider farm andtrail dog wwwwerideus

Each issue contains news and information about avariety of ride associations breed spotlightsequine charities or non-profits and so much more

EDITORLaurie Harris CO-EDITORJen Wenzel

AUTHORSJeff WilsonNancy SlaterTanja Romanazzi PhDBrandy Von Holten PHOTOGRAPHERLeesa Wright akaRambling Cowgirl ART amp LAYOUTLaurie Harris CONTRIBUTINGPHOTOGRAPHERSRein PhotographyAponi

VISIT OURWEBSITE gt wwwsportandtrailcom

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLESBarbra SchulteCarole HerderLeesa WrightVon Holten Ranch MOMounted Archery Associationof the AmericasAmerican Paso Fino HorseAssociationWE UnitedDennis Thompson

CONTACTPartners Clubs ampAssociationsinfowerideus Equine non-profit or charitystoriesjensportandtrailhorse Marketing amp Sponsorslauriewerideus

ITS FREE TOITS FREE TOBECOME A PARTNERBECOME A PARTNERRide Associations Clubs or GroupsRide Associations Clubs or GroupsOur mission is to support the equineOur mission is to support the equineindustry by forming a cooperative ofindustry by forming a cooperative ofequine event holders of all sports andequine event holders of all sports anddisciplines Our objective is to increasedisciplines Our objective is to increasepublic awareness and provide resourcespublic awareness and provide resourcesand tools to aid and enhance ride programsand tools to aid and enhance ride programsalready in place Partners enjoy prominentalready in place Partners enjoy prominentrecognition on our website and mayrecognition on our website and maycontribute monthly articles to ourcontribute monthly articles to ourmagazine and blogmagazine and blog INCREASE MEMBERSHIP AND RIDE ATTENDANCEINCREASE MEMBERSHIP AND RIDE ATTENDANCELearn more about the Partner program byLearn more about the Partner program bycontacting us at contacting us at infowerideusinfowerideus

Rein Photography

36associations6 MA3 Mounted Archery Association of America

34 PASO FINO American Paso Fino Horse Association

36 WE UNITED Working Equitation

the roundpen

12 JEFF WILSON harmony

16 LEESA WRIGHT stonemans raid

18 CAROLE HERDER trust

26 BARBRA SCHULTE intuition

28 BRANDY VON HOLTEN judges on a pedestal

44 TANJA ROMANAZZIPhD free range stabling

gypsy gold FEATURE ARTICLE

20Gypsy King 1992 - 2015Photo by Gabrielle Boiselle

Nancy Slater is a Parelli Professional who hasdedicated her life to making the world a betterplace for horses and the people who love themHer self-less passion for educating kids as wellas demonstrating how a real partnership with yourhorse can lead to competitive success is whatmakes Nancy stand out We could not be moreproud to be represented by Nancy as she helpsus to teach horse riders trainers and owners touse love language and leadership to reach theirgoals with horses Thank you Nancy

Pat and Linda Parelli

30

6

Horses treating PTSD

40 NEW FREEDOM FARM By Jen Wenzel

30 LEADING FOR SUCCESS By Nancy Slater

44

12

You Cant Do-Si-Do to Heavy MetalYou Cant Do-Si-Do to Heavy MetalRein PhotographyRein Photography

Many herds do not use their run-in sheds

6 Sport and Trail Magazine

Mounted ArcheryMounted ArcheryAssociation ofAssociation ofthe Americasthe AmericasBy Joey Ogburn and Diana TroykBy Joey Ogburn and Diana Troyk ANCIENT HISTORYANCIENT HISTORY1000-800 years ago the horse bow and arrow combined1000-800 years ago the horse bow and arrow combinedforever Throughout history Horse Archery has traveledforever Throughout history Horse Archery has traveledthrough Asia Europe and finally into the Americas As farthrough Asia Europe and finally into the Americas As farback as Genghis Khan the thumb release has been a methodback as Genghis Khan the thumb release has been a methodof shooting arrows with speed Being one of the newestof shooting arrows with speed Being one of the newestcountries to be involved in this ancient tradition it is thecountries to be involved in this ancient tradition it is themain style of horse archery practiced and taught by themain style of horse archery practiced and taught by theMounted Horse Archery Association of the AmericasMounted Horse Archery Association of the Americas(MA3)(MA3) Native American Indians hunted and fought with a longNative American Indians hunted and fought with a longbow however when the Spanish introduced the horsebow however when the Spanish introduced the horsethings began to change rapidly The horse propelled thethings began to change rapidly The horse propelled theNative American Indian first into hunting and then as warsNative American Indian first into hunting and then as warswithin tribes and the arrival of the white man grew morewithin tribes and the arrival of the white man grew morehostile shooting off the back of a horse just becamehostile shooting off the back of a horse just becamenatural Several of the plains tribes became very adeptnatural Several of the plains tribes became very adeptsuch as the Comanche being known as the rulers of thesuch as the Comanche being known as the rulers of theGreat Plains in the 1800rsquos but also known as the Lords ofGreat Plains in the 1800rsquos but also known as the Lords ofthe Southern Plainsthe Southern Plains They were renown for their horsemanship and could rideThey were renown for their horsemanship and could ridefaster and father than almost anyone They could do tricksfaster and father than almost anyone They could do trickson horseback such as shooting underneath their horsersquoson horseback such as shooting underneath their horsersquosnecks They were known to be the fiercest warriors in Northnecks They were known to be the fiercest warriors in NorthAmerica also being known as the largest hunting empireAmerica also being known as the largest hunting empirein the history of the continentin the history of the continent They developed the famous War Wheel where they wouldThey developed the famous War Wheel where they wouldride down upon a wagon train in two circles joining eachride down upon a wagon train in two circles joining eachother and therefore shooting many arrows similar to aother and therefore shooting many arrows similar to aGatling gunGatling gun There are many stories of them hanging onto the side ofThere are many stories of them hanging onto the side oftheir war ponies to escape the enemy then popping uptheir war ponies to escape the enemy then popping upand shooting their arrows at those on the groundand shooting their arrows at those on the groundHistorians say that the white man would have been pushedHistorians say that the white man would have been pushedback to the East if not for the repeating rifle The Siouxback to the East if not for the repeating rifle The Siouxwere the Lords of the Northwere the Lords of the North

continued gt

MA3 PresidentDiana Troyk

In 2005 MA3In 2005 MA3became thebecame thefirst and onlyfirst and onlyHorse ArcheryHorse ArcheryClub in the USClub in the USat the timeat the time

MA3 Board of DirectorMA3 Board of DirectorMembership JoeyMembership JoeyOgburnOgburn Photo by Jason BeattyPhoto by Jason Beatty

Today this ancient sport made a come back inthe US in about 1999 when a group of David GreyJaap and Kay Koppedrayer David and MegBeshey and Lukas Novotny They held the firsthorse archery instruction in 1999 with KassaiLajos from Hungary as the trainer In 2000 theycame up with an idea of an International ArcheryEvent that would include training in horsebackarchery at the Festival at Ft Dodge Iowa This isimportant as it was the 1st organized effort inmodern times to introduce amp train participantsin horseback archery Kassai trained horsearchers from 1999 1o 2001 In 2001 the secondevent was called the IHAF International HorseArchery Festival In 2002 Lukas took over training with the helpof Dana Hotko Lukas was head trainer from 2003amp 2005 In 2005 Lukas and David Grey beganthe footwork for the official Mounted Archery ofthe Americas Association Inc or MA3 Becomingofficial in 2005 MA3 became the first and onlyHorse Archery club in the US The first US International Competition was heldin Bend OR in 2010 organized by HolmNeumann It was a great success and hosted nine

International countries Since then MA3 hasgrown exponently throughout many states in theUS

We do teach the ancient styleof the Mongols with the thumbrelease and no shelf horsebows Training facilities are more redolent and able tointroduce our archery style to the general publicThese include specialized events to peak localinterests Our very passionate and dedicatedhorse archers are reaching out to our communitiesto get the youth involved motivated and reachgoals of their untapped potentials Stimulating our horse lovers and youth is our goalto build character and self esteem in those thatyearn for a more challenging bond with theirhorse thus enriching our youthrsquos heritage of pastculture and skills used for survival Initiating apurpose to motivate them in a fast yet gracefulstrong and spirited sport will help with their

continued gt

Samantha Edgar JuniorDivision MA3

Beesh LotspeichFirst woman to winoverall InternationalCompetition on US soil Photo by Bill Edgar

trong and spirited sport will help with their mentaltrong and spirited sport will help with their mentaland physical health also Their performance is a self-and physical health also Their performance is a self-lifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andlifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andthis extends to the encouragement of others to dothis extends to the encouragement of others to dowell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friendswell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friends

A competition a bonding with yourA competition a bonding with yourhorse learning new riding andhorse learning new riding andshooting skills every day dressingshooting skills every day dressingin costumes and making best friendsin costumes and making best friendsaround the world is the soul foodaround the world is the soul foodthat keeps Horse Archery alivethat keeps Horse Archery alive Our hope is to open the doors of opportunity andOur hope is to open the doors of opportunity andeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingone with your horse just as the kings intended in anone with your horse just as the kings intended in anera of the long forgotten pastera of the long forgotten past Sharing ideas and building friendships across theSharing ideas and building friendships across theglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andpromoting goodwillpromoting goodwill Last but not least horse archers across the US are ableLast but not least horse archers across the US are ableto take advantage of venues supported byto take advantage of venues supported bycompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such ascompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such asour very own our very own Military Warrior VetrsquosMilitary Warrior Vetrsquos Having Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsHaving Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenis the true warrior spirit in each one of usis the true warrior spirit in each one of us

We are honored and so thankful to Grand Master Kimand all his staff for including every one of us here to bepart of history in this years first Martial Arts Mastershipsand WHAFrsquos most honored home of Horse Archery inSocho Korea

GET YOUR BRAVE ON MA3 offers the chance to be a part of acommunity building friendships andcreating opportunities for growth as aperson and an athlete This excitingsport allows riders to experience whatit is like to navigate a horse reinlessthrough the course while shootingarrow after arrow Come visit us at our next competitionevent or clinic For lessons or competitions contactJoey Ogburn 602-400-0826 joeyogburnhotmailcom Diana Troyk 414-617-3843magicdi69coxnet Website wwwmountedarcheryorg

Photo by JasonBeatty

In 2005 MA3In 2005 MA3became thebecame thefirst and onlyfirst and onlyHorse ArcheryHorse ArcheryClub in the USClub in the USat the timeat the time

MA3 Board of DirectorMA3 Board of DirectorMembership JoeyMembership JoeyOgburnOgburn Photo by Jason BeattyPhoto by Jason Beatty

Today this ancient sport made a come back inthe US in about 1999 when a group of David GreyJaap and Kay Koppedrayer David and MegBeshey and Lukas Novotny They held the firsthorse archery instruction in 1999 with KassaiLajos from Hungary as the trainer In 2000 theycame up with an idea of an International ArcheryEvent that would include training in horsebackarchery at the Festival at Ft Dodge Iowa This isimportant as it was the 1st organized effort inmodern times to introduce amp train participantsin horseback archery Kassai trained horsearchers from 1999 1o 2001 In 2001 the secondevent was called the IHAF International HorseArchery Festival In 2002 Lukas took over training with the helpof Dana Hotko Lukas was head trainer from 2003amp 2005 In 2005 Lukas and David Grey beganthe footwork for the official Mounted Archery ofthe Americas Association Inc or MA3 Becomingofficial in 2005 MA3 became the first and onlyHorse Archery club in the US The first US International Competition was heldin Bend OR in 2010 organized by HolmNeumann It was a great success and hosted nine

International countries Since then MA3 hasgrown exponently throughout many states in theUS

We do teach the ancient styleof the Mongols with the thumbrelease and no shelf horsebows Training facilities are more redolent and able tointroduce our archery style to the general publicThese include specialized events to peak localinterests Our very passionate and dedicatedhorse archers are reaching out to our communitiesto get the youth involved motivated and reachgoals of their untapped potentials Stimulating our horse lovers and youth is our goalto build character and self esteem in those thatyearn for a more challenging bond with theirhorse thus enriching our youthrsquos heritage of pastculture and skills used for survival Initiating apurpose to motivate them in a fast yet gracefulstrong and spirited sport will help with their

continued gt

Samantha Edgar JuniorDivision MA3

Beesh LotspeichFirst woman to winoverall InternationalCompetition on US soil Photo by Bill Edgar

trong and spirited sport will help with their mentaltrong and spirited sport will help with their mentaland physical health also Their performance is a self-and physical health also Their performance is a self-lifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andlifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andthis extends to the encouragement of others to dothis extends to the encouragement of others to dowell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friendswell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friends

A competition a bonding with yourA competition a bonding with yourhorse learning new riding andhorse learning new riding andshooting skills every day dressingshooting skills every day dressingin costumes and making best friendsin costumes and making best friendsaround the world is the soul foodaround the world is the soul foodthat keeps Horse Archery alivethat keeps Horse Archery alive Our hope is to open the doors of opportunity andOur hope is to open the doors of opportunity andeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingone with your horse just as the kings intended in anone with your horse just as the kings intended in anera of the long forgotten pastera of the long forgotten past Sharing ideas and building friendships across theSharing ideas and building friendships across theglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andpromoting goodwillpromoting goodwill Last but not least horse archers across the US are ableLast but not least horse archers across the US are ableto take advantage of venues supported byto take advantage of venues supported bycompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such ascompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such asour very own our very own Military Warrior VetrsquosMilitary Warrior Vetrsquos Having Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsHaving Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenis the true warrior spirit in each one of usis the true warrior spirit in each one of us

We are honored and so thankful to Grand Master Kimand all his staff for including every one of us here to bepart of history in this years first Martial Arts Mastershipsand WHAFrsquos most honored home of Horse Archery inSocho Korea

GET YOUR BRAVE ON MA3 offers the chance to be a part of acommunity building friendships andcreating opportunities for growth as aperson and an athlete This excitingsport allows riders to experience whatit is like to navigate a horse reinlessthrough the course while shootingarrow after arrow Come visit us at our next competitionevent or clinic For lessons or competitions contactJoey Ogburn 602-400-0826 joeyogburnhotmailcom Diana Troyk 414-617-3843magicdi69coxnet Website wwwmountedarcheryorg

Photo by JasonBeatty

Today this ancient sport made a come back inthe US in about 1999 when a group of David GreyJaap and Kay Koppedrayer David and MegBeshey and Lukas Novotny They held the firsthorse archery instruction in 1999 with KassaiLajos from Hungary as the trainer In 2000 theycame up with an idea of an International ArcheryEvent that would include training in horsebackarchery at the Festival at Ft Dodge Iowa This isimportant as it was the 1st organized effort inmodern times to introduce amp train participantsin horseback archery Kassai trained horsearchers from 1999 1o 2001 In 2001 the secondevent was called the IHAF International HorseArchery Festival In 2002 Lukas took over training with the helpof Dana Hotko Lukas was head trainer from 2003amp 2005 In 2005 Lukas and David Grey beganthe footwork for the official Mounted Archery ofthe Americas Association Inc or MA3 Becomingofficial in 2005 MA3 became the first and onlyHorse Archery club in the US The first US International Competition was heldin Bend OR in 2010 organized by HolmNeumann It was a great success and hosted nine

International countries Since then MA3 hasgrown exponently throughout many states in theUS

We do teach the ancient styleof the Mongols with the thumbrelease and no shelf horsebows Training facilities are more redolent and able tointroduce our archery style to the general publicThese include specialized events to peak localinterests Our very passionate and dedicatedhorse archers are reaching out to our communitiesto get the youth involved motivated and reachgoals of their untapped potentials Stimulating our horse lovers and youth is our goalto build character and self esteem in those thatyearn for a more challenging bond with theirhorse thus enriching our youthrsquos heritage of pastculture and skills used for survival Initiating apurpose to motivate them in a fast yet gracefulstrong and spirited sport will help with their

continued gt

Samantha Edgar JuniorDivision MA3

Beesh LotspeichFirst woman to winoverall InternationalCompetition on US soil Photo by Bill Edgar

trong and spirited sport will help with their mentaltrong and spirited sport will help with their mentaland physical health also Their performance is a self-and physical health also Their performance is a self-lifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andlifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andthis extends to the encouragement of others to dothis extends to the encouragement of others to dowell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friendswell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friends

A competition a bonding with yourA competition a bonding with yourhorse learning new riding andhorse learning new riding andshooting skills every day dressingshooting skills every day dressingin costumes and making best friendsin costumes and making best friendsaround the world is the soul foodaround the world is the soul foodthat keeps Horse Archery alivethat keeps Horse Archery alive Our hope is to open the doors of opportunity andOur hope is to open the doors of opportunity andeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingone with your horse just as the kings intended in anone with your horse just as the kings intended in anera of the long forgotten pastera of the long forgotten past Sharing ideas and building friendships across theSharing ideas and building friendships across theglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andpromoting goodwillpromoting goodwill Last but not least horse archers across the US are ableLast but not least horse archers across the US are ableto take advantage of venues supported byto take advantage of venues supported bycompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such ascompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such asour very own our very own Military Warrior VetrsquosMilitary Warrior Vetrsquos Having Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsHaving Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenis the true warrior spirit in each one of usis the true warrior spirit in each one of us

We are honored and so thankful to Grand Master Kimand all his staff for including every one of us here to bepart of history in this years first Martial Arts Mastershipsand WHAFrsquos most honored home of Horse Archery inSocho Korea

GET YOUR BRAVE ON MA3 offers the chance to be a part of acommunity building friendships andcreating opportunities for growth as aperson and an athlete This excitingsport allows riders to experience whatit is like to navigate a horse reinlessthrough the course while shootingarrow after arrow Come visit us at our next competitionevent or clinic For lessons or competitions contactJoey Ogburn 602-400-0826 joeyogburnhotmailcom Diana Troyk 414-617-3843magicdi69coxnet Website wwwmountedarcheryorg

Photo by JasonBeatty

Beesh LotspeichFirst woman to winoverall InternationalCompetition on US soil Photo by Bill Edgar

trong and spirited sport will help with their mentaltrong and spirited sport will help with their mentaland physical health also Their performance is a self-and physical health also Their performance is a self-lifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andlifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andthis extends to the encouragement of others to dothis extends to the encouragement of others to dowell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friendswell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friends

A competition a bonding with yourA competition a bonding with yourhorse learning new riding andhorse learning new riding andshooting skills every day dressingshooting skills every day dressingin costumes and making best friendsin costumes and making best friendsaround the world is the soul foodaround the world is the soul foodthat keeps Horse Archery alivethat keeps Horse Archery alive Our hope is to open the doors of opportunity andOur hope is to open the doors of opportunity andeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingone with your horse just as the kings intended in anone with your horse just as the kings intended in anera of the long forgotten pastera of the long forgotten past Sharing ideas and building friendships across theSharing ideas and building friendships across theglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andpromoting goodwillpromoting goodwill Last but not least horse archers across the US are ableLast but not least horse archers across the US are ableto take advantage of venues supported byto take advantage of venues supported bycompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such ascompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such asour very own our very own Military Warrior VetrsquosMilitary Warrior Vetrsquos Having Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsHaving Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenis the true warrior spirit in each one of usis the true warrior spirit in each one of us

We are honored and so thankful to Grand Master Kimand all his staff for including every one of us here to bepart of history in this years first Martial Arts Mastershipsand WHAFrsquos most honored home of Horse Archery inSocho Korea

GET YOUR BRAVE ON MA3 offers the chance to be a part of acommunity building friendships andcreating opportunities for growth as aperson and an athlete This excitingsport allows riders to experience whatit is like to navigate a horse reinlessthrough the course while shootingarrow after arrow Come visit us at our next competitionevent or clinic For lessons or competitions contactJoey Ogburn 602-400-0826 joeyogburnhotmailcom Diana Troyk 414-617-3843magicdi69coxnet Website wwwmountedarcheryorg

Photo by JasonBeatty

trong and spirited sport will help with their mentaltrong and spirited sport will help with their mentaland physical health also Their performance is a self-and physical health also Their performance is a self-lifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andlifting appreciation of the goals one can reach andthis extends to the encouragement of others to dothis extends to the encouragement of others to dowell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friendswell also The next best thing is to cheer on your friends

A competition a bonding with yourA competition a bonding with yourhorse learning new riding andhorse learning new riding andshooting skills every day dressingshooting skills every day dressingin costumes and making best friendsin costumes and making best friendsaround the world is the soul foodaround the world is the soul foodthat keeps Horse Archery alivethat keeps Horse Archery alive Our hope is to open the doors of opportunity andOur hope is to open the doors of opportunity andeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingeducation to the ancient and graceful art of becomingone with your horse just as the kings intended in anone with your horse just as the kings intended in anera of the long forgotten pastera of the long forgotten past Sharing ideas and building friendships across theSharing ideas and building friendships across theglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andglobe is a highlight of traveling internationally andpromoting goodwillpromoting goodwill Last but not least horse archers across the US are ableLast but not least horse archers across the US are ableto take advantage of venues supported byto take advantage of venues supported bycompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such ascompetitions to hold fundraisers for charities such asour very own our very own Military Warrior VetrsquosMilitary Warrior Vetrsquos Having Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsHaving Horse Archery in the first Martial ArtsMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundMasterships is an honor to all horse archers aroundthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe world Our gratefulness for all the hard work andthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenthe heartfelt goodwill by so many to make this happenis the true warrior spirit in each one of usis the true warrior spirit in each one of us

We are honored and so thankful to Grand Master Kimand all his staff for including every one of us here to bepart of history in this years first Martial Arts Mastershipsand WHAFrsquos most honored home of Horse Archery inSocho Korea

GET YOUR BRAVE ON MA3 offers the chance to be a part of acommunity building friendships andcreating opportunities for growth as aperson and an athlete This excitingsport allows riders to experience whatit is like to navigate a horse reinlessthrough the course while shootingarrow after arrow Come visit us at our next competitionevent or clinic For lessons or competitions contactJoey Ogburn 602-400-0826 joeyogburnhotmailcom Diana Troyk 414-617-3843magicdi69coxnet Website wwwmountedarcheryorg

Photo by JasonBeatty

HARMONY What makes small things growWhat makes small things growbut the lack of it makes greatbut the lack of it makes greatthings decaythings decay Irsquoll give you a hint When you combine all theIrsquoll give you a hint When you combine all theschools of riding all the books onschools of riding all the books onhorsemanship and all the teachings of all thehorsemanship and all the teachings of all the

riding masters over the centuries what is theriding masters over the centuries what is thekey to horsemanship that would find them allkey to horsemanship that would find them allin harmonious agreement What is that onein harmonious agreement What is that onesingle chord that elusive strum that once yousingle chord that elusive strum that once youhave struck you rave for more OK give uphave struck you rave for more OK give upThe answer is harmony which is simply findingThe answer is harmony which is simply findingunity between yourself and your horseunity between yourself and your horse

Rein Photography

12 Sport and Trail Magazine

You Canrsquot Do-Si-Do to Heavy Metal

continued gt

I recently took my musical instruments to thestring doctor (called a Luthier) He was truly thatsage holed up in the tower (hidden away in theback of the top floor in a three story victorian ona random side street side door stair access only)On his wall were posted his accolades garneredfor creating beautiful instruments Theseachievements recognized the sum of all the partsmdashcarefully touched shaped and placed togetherto produce the best harmonious sound Yes myinstruments hummed with harmony after he

touched them I told everyone they got a massage Harmony puts a (dramatic musical buildup beginshere) bead on how well you have shaped yourrelationship with your horse characterized by alack of conflict Whatrsquos your level and expectation of success(Irsquom turninrsquo up the treble and adding a tension-filled bass here)

Irsquom gonna ask this question as honestly as Ineed to be Can you conduct a harmoniousride with your horse (cymbal smash)Harmony should resonate through horse andrider as they merge as one It means bringingbalance to a riderrsquos seatmdashget outta the horsersquoswaymdashand bringing thoroughness to a horsersquosmovementmdashcarry the rider in a more effectiveway Riders need to learn to not ride againstand block the horsersquos natural rhythm throughthe gaits but ride with the movement That isthe path Simon amp Garfunkel to harmonyAchieving unity at the walk trot canter jogand lope Finding balance through the sidepass half pass rein back and pivots so thattwo move as one You gotta spice up thoserefrains somehow Recently I had a Morgan gelding in for trainingHe was truly the smartest horse I have evertrained He had plenty of sass to go along withhis brains too which he absolutely used totrain whoever was riding him He had beento different trainers who could never get aword in edgewise Hersquos that adolescent punkwith a strut a fast-moving strong-minded kidwho would deem himself worthy to sit in theprincipalrsquos seat in the office for detention ifhe could get away with it His frustrated ownerhad been through his games long enough Shepromenaded him down to me by his ear withvery angry eyebrowshellip So I rode him like an oddball rap interludeWow did this horse have talenthellipandadrenaline Every move was so exaggeratedhe shoulda been in a rock balladUnfortunately it was the wrong kind of energyfor a riding horse This is the kid who bringsthe rock band to the square dance ldquoWhat isthis boy wersquore supposed to be promenadinrsquoour hips tordquo ldquoHey hey hey go go gordquo every gait was a drumfill and a guitar splash as he gathered himselfin pure self-glee His canter depart more of alaunch forward had no collection or steering

attached to it but it was big time rock rsquon rollHis trot had as much suspension in it as hecould muster which was really quiteimpressive except once he settled into it itwas exceedingly short choppy and changedspeeds a hundred times in a minute I laughedout loud ldquoWho could ride this in any kind ofharmonyrdquo I thought The answer was ldquoNoone You aintrsquo hip-hoprdquo What would you do if you owned this horseHow would you bring harmony home with youand apply it to this horse You certainlycouldnrsquot buy it on Amazon with just one clickThe boiled down guitar-rift here is to findharmony within each gait and that is calledrhythm So looking at rhythm it is defined asldquofreedom and regularity of gaitsrdquo What doesthat mean Irsquom not gonna dubstep around thebush with you it means your horse does nothave a short choppy stride It means yourhorse doesnrsquot change the speed or tempo onehundred times in a minute But how does onebring harmony to raggedy gaits and turn theminto riches in motion (And how do you turnhip hop into jazz)

When every ride is a cavalrycharge into battle even therocks and trees seem to vibratewith emotion Thatrsquos what my initial training sessions feltlike as I rode my young steed through the hillsldquoThis symphony needs to change tempo a bitrdquowere the only thoughts I had time for with thisyounginrsquo I put a stop payment on his realitycheck though This would-be shooting star hada big learning curve with me in the month Ispent with him learning that relationshipsexist together in cooperation in partnershipand that between horse and rider a pleasingcombination of movement is formedhellipand yeshe graduated with a new melody

14 Sport and Trail Magazine Continued on page 17

copy Rein Photography

I deal a lot withI deal a lot withhorses that arehorses that arecompletely out ofcompletely out ofsync with theirsync with theirowners Horse andowners Horse andrider rhythms arerider rhythms aredissident and offdissident and offkey (Itrsquos why rockkey (Itrsquos why rockbands break up) bands break up)

Story and Photos byStory and Photos byLeesa WrightLeesa Wright

Stonemans RaidStonemans Raid

On March 251865 Union GeneralGeorge Stoneman led 6000Cavalryman from Tennessee Into Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia todisrupt the Confederate supply lines destroy mines andironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury NC Stonemanstruck first at Boone on March 29 1865 then they wentinto Virginia On the morning of April 12 1865 the peopleof Salisbury NC awoke at first light to the distant soundsof exploding artillery shells that announced Stonemansdreaded raiders had at last reached their doorsteps Thisis just days after Robert E Lees surrender at Appomattoxbut due to lack of communication this went unknown Stoneman entered Salisbury NC burning public buildingsand the deserted prison camp As artillery and rifle firefilled the air in the distance could be heard trains headingwest and south Stoman was not going to be denied anotherescaping train Stoneman ordered troops to stop the fleeingtrain Right now you are wondering what this has to do withhorses Well everything

16 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

You Canrsquot Do-Si-Do to Heavy Metal

continued gt

I recently took my musical instruments to thestring doctor (called a Luthier) He was truly thatsage holed up in the tower (hidden away in theback of the top floor in a three story victorian ona random side street side door stair access only)On his wall were posted his accolades garneredfor creating beautiful instruments Theseachievements recognized the sum of all the partsmdashcarefully touched shaped and placed togetherto produce the best harmonious sound Yes myinstruments hummed with harmony after he

touched them I told everyone they got a massage Harmony puts a (dramatic musical buildup beginshere) bead on how well you have shaped yourrelationship with your horse characterized by alack of conflict Whatrsquos your level and expectation of success(Irsquom turninrsquo up the treble and adding a tension-filled bass here)

Irsquom gonna ask this question as honestly as Ineed to be Can you conduct a harmoniousride with your horse (cymbal smash)Harmony should resonate through horse andrider as they merge as one It means bringingbalance to a riderrsquos seatmdashget outta the horsersquoswaymdashand bringing thoroughness to a horsersquosmovementmdashcarry the rider in a more effectiveway Riders need to learn to not ride againstand block the horsersquos natural rhythm throughthe gaits but ride with the movement That isthe path Simon amp Garfunkel to harmonyAchieving unity at the walk trot canter jogand lope Finding balance through the sidepass half pass rein back and pivots so thattwo move as one You gotta spice up thoserefrains somehow Recently I had a Morgan gelding in for trainingHe was truly the smartest horse I have evertrained He had plenty of sass to go along withhis brains too which he absolutely used totrain whoever was riding him He had beento different trainers who could never get aword in edgewise Hersquos that adolescent punkwith a strut a fast-moving strong-minded kidwho would deem himself worthy to sit in theprincipalrsquos seat in the office for detention ifhe could get away with it His frustrated ownerhad been through his games long enough Shepromenaded him down to me by his ear withvery angry eyebrowshellip So I rode him like an oddball rap interludeWow did this horse have talenthellipandadrenaline Every move was so exaggeratedhe shoulda been in a rock balladUnfortunately it was the wrong kind of energyfor a riding horse This is the kid who bringsthe rock band to the square dance ldquoWhat isthis boy wersquore supposed to be promenadinrsquoour hips tordquo ldquoHey hey hey go go gordquo every gait was a drumfill and a guitar splash as he gathered himselfin pure self-glee His canter depart more of alaunch forward had no collection or steering

attached to it but it was big time rock rsquon rollHis trot had as much suspension in it as hecould muster which was really quiteimpressive except once he settled into it itwas exceedingly short choppy and changedspeeds a hundred times in a minute I laughedout loud ldquoWho could ride this in any kind ofharmonyrdquo I thought The answer was ldquoNoone You aintrsquo hip-hoprdquo What would you do if you owned this horseHow would you bring harmony home with youand apply it to this horse You certainlycouldnrsquot buy it on Amazon with just one clickThe boiled down guitar-rift here is to findharmony within each gait and that is calledrhythm So looking at rhythm it is defined asldquofreedom and regularity of gaitsrdquo What doesthat mean Irsquom not gonna dubstep around thebush with you it means your horse does nothave a short choppy stride It means yourhorse doesnrsquot change the speed or tempo onehundred times in a minute But how does onebring harmony to raggedy gaits and turn theminto riches in motion (And how do you turnhip hop into jazz)

When every ride is a cavalrycharge into battle even therocks and trees seem to vibratewith emotion Thatrsquos what my initial training sessions feltlike as I rode my young steed through the hillsldquoThis symphony needs to change tempo a bitrdquowere the only thoughts I had time for with thisyounginrsquo I put a stop payment on his realitycheck though This would-be shooting star hada big learning curve with me in the month Ispent with him learning that relationshipsexist together in cooperation in partnershipand that between horse and rider a pleasingcombination of movement is formedhellipand yeshe graduated with a new melody

14 Sport and Trail Magazine Continued on page 17

copy Rein Photography

I deal a lot withI deal a lot withhorses that arehorses that arecompletely out ofcompletely out ofsync with theirsync with theirowners Horse andowners Horse andrider rhythms arerider rhythms aredissident and offdissident and offkey (Itrsquos why rockkey (Itrsquos why rockbands break up) bands break up)

Story and Photos byStory and Photos byLeesa WrightLeesa Wright

Stonemans RaidStonemans Raid

On March 251865 Union GeneralGeorge Stoneman led 6000Cavalryman from Tennessee Into Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia todisrupt the Confederate supply lines destroy mines andironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury NC Stonemanstruck first at Boone on March 29 1865 then they wentinto Virginia On the morning of April 12 1865 the peopleof Salisbury NC awoke at first light to the distant soundsof exploding artillery shells that announced Stonemansdreaded raiders had at last reached their doorsteps Thisis just days after Robert E Lees surrender at Appomattoxbut due to lack of communication this went unknown Stoneman entered Salisbury NC burning public buildingsand the deserted prison camp As artillery and rifle firefilled the air in the distance could be heard trains headingwest and south Stoman was not going to be denied anotherescaping train Stoneman ordered troops to stop the fleeingtrain Right now you are wondering what this has to do withhorses Well everything

16 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

Irsquom gonna ask this question as honestly as Ineed to be Can you conduct a harmoniousride with your horse (cymbal smash)Harmony should resonate through horse andrider as they merge as one It means bringingbalance to a riderrsquos seatmdashget outta the horsersquoswaymdashand bringing thoroughness to a horsersquosmovementmdashcarry the rider in a more effectiveway Riders need to learn to not ride againstand block the horsersquos natural rhythm throughthe gaits but ride with the movement That isthe path Simon amp Garfunkel to harmonyAchieving unity at the walk trot canter jogand lope Finding balance through the sidepass half pass rein back and pivots so thattwo move as one You gotta spice up thoserefrains somehow Recently I had a Morgan gelding in for trainingHe was truly the smartest horse I have evertrained He had plenty of sass to go along withhis brains too which he absolutely used totrain whoever was riding him He had beento different trainers who could never get aword in edgewise Hersquos that adolescent punkwith a strut a fast-moving strong-minded kidwho would deem himself worthy to sit in theprincipalrsquos seat in the office for detention ifhe could get away with it His frustrated ownerhad been through his games long enough Shepromenaded him down to me by his ear withvery angry eyebrowshellip So I rode him like an oddball rap interludeWow did this horse have talenthellipandadrenaline Every move was so exaggeratedhe shoulda been in a rock balladUnfortunately it was the wrong kind of energyfor a riding horse This is the kid who bringsthe rock band to the square dance ldquoWhat isthis boy wersquore supposed to be promenadinrsquoour hips tordquo ldquoHey hey hey go go gordquo every gait was a drumfill and a guitar splash as he gathered himselfin pure self-glee His canter depart more of alaunch forward had no collection or steering

attached to it but it was big time rock rsquon rollHis trot had as much suspension in it as hecould muster which was really quiteimpressive except once he settled into it itwas exceedingly short choppy and changedspeeds a hundred times in a minute I laughedout loud ldquoWho could ride this in any kind ofharmonyrdquo I thought The answer was ldquoNoone You aintrsquo hip-hoprdquo What would you do if you owned this horseHow would you bring harmony home with youand apply it to this horse You certainlycouldnrsquot buy it on Amazon with just one clickThe boiled down guitar-rift here is to findharmony within each gait and that is calledrhythm So looking at rhythm it is defined asldquofreedom and regularity of gaitsrdquo What doesthat mean Irsquom not gonna dubstep around thebush with you it means your horse does nothave a short choppy stride It means yourhorse doesnrsquot change the speed or tempo onehundred times in a minute But how does onebring harmony to raggedy gaits and turn theminto riches in motion (And how do you turnhip hop into jazz)

When every ride is a cavalrycharge into battle even therocks and trees seem to vibratewith emotion Thatrsquos what my initial training sessions feltlike as I rode my young steed through the hillsldquoThis symphony needs to change tempo a bitrdquowere the only thoughts I had time for with thisyounginrsquo I put a stop payment on his realitycheck though This would-be shooting star hada big learning curve with me in the month Ispent with him learning that relationshipsexist together in cooperation in partnershipand that between horse and rider a pleasingcombination of movement is formedhellipand yeshe graduated with a new melody

14 Sport and Trail Magazine Continued on page 17

copy Rein Photography

I deal a lot withI deal a lot withhorses that arehorses that arecompletely out ofcompletely out ofsync with theirsync with theirowners Horse andowners Horse andrider rhythms arerider rhythms aredissident and offdissident and offkey (Itrsquos why rockkey (Itrsquos why rockbands break up) bands break up)

Story and Photos byStory and Photos byLeesa WrightLeesa Wright

Stonemans RaidStonemans Raid

On March 251865 Union GeneralGeorge Stoneman led 6000Cavalryman from Tennessee Into Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia todisrupt the Confederate supply lines destroy mines andironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury NC Stonemanstruck first at Boone on March 29 1865 then they wentinto Virginia On the morning of April 12 1865 the peopleof Salisbury NC awoke at first light to the distant soundsof exploding artillery shells that announced Stonemansdreaded raiders had at last reached their doorsteps Thisis just days after Robert E Lees surrender at Appomattoxbut due to lack of communication this went unknown Stoneman entered Salisbury NC burning public buildingsand the deserted prison camp As artillery and rifle firefilled the air in the distance could be heard trains headingwest and south Stoman was not going to be denied anotherescaping train Stoneman ordered troops to stop the fleeingtrain Right now you are wondering what this has to do withhorses Well everything

16 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

copy Rein Photography

I deal a lot withI deal a lot withhorses that arehorses that arecompletely out ofcompletely out ofsync with theirsync with theirowners Horse andowners Horse andrider rhythms arerider rhythms aredissident and offdissident and offkey (Itrsquos why rockkey (Itrsquos why rockbands break up) bands break up)

Story and Photos byStory and Photos byLeesa WrightLeesa Wright

Stonemans RaidStonemans Raid

On March 251865 Union GeneralGeorge Stoneman led 6000Cavalryman from Tennessee Into Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia todisrupt the Confederate supply lines destroy mines andironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury NC Stonemanstruck first at Boone on March 29 1865 then they wentinto Virginia On the morning of April 12 1865 the peopleof Salisbury NC awoke at first light to the distant soundsof exploding artillery shells that announced Stonemansdreaded raiders had at last reached their doorsteps Thisis just days after Robert E Lees surrender at Appomattoxbut due to lack of communication this went unknown Stoneman entered Salisbury NC burning public buildingsand the deserted prison camp As artillery and rifle firefilled the air in the distance could be heard trains headingwest and south Stoman was not going to be denied anotherescaping train Stoneman ordered troops to stop the fleeingtrain Right now you are wondering what this has to do withhorses Well everything

16 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

Story and Photos byStory and Photos byLeesa WrightLeesa Wright

Stonemans RaidStonemans Raid

On March 251865 Union GeneralGeorge Stoneman led 6000Cavalryman from Tennessee Into Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia todisrupt the Confederate supply lines destroy mines andironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury NC Stonemanstruck first at Boone on March 29 1865 then they wentinto Virginia On the morning of April 12 1865 the peopleof Salisbury NC awoke at first light to the distant soundsof exploding artillery shells that announced Stonemansdreaded raiders had at last reached their doorsteps Thisis just days after Robert E Lees surrender at Appomattoxbut due to lack of communication this went unknown Stoneman entered Salisbury NC burning public buildingsand the deserted prison camp As artillery and rifle firefilled the air in the distance could be heard trains headingwest and south Stoman was not going to be denied anotherescaping train Stoneman ordered troops to stop the fleeingtrain Right now you are wondering what this has to do withhorses Well everything

16 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

Continued from pg 14 Jeff Wilson Harmony

he graduated with a new melody Creatingrhythm in your horse may seem as main-streamas listening to the oldies station but so what ifitrsquos disco (I know yoursquore pleading for an encore)True harmony in your riding horse depends onfinding rhythm (Here comes the key changeinto the repeat chorus) Harmony first means that the horse knows andtrusts you as the brains of the whole operationand has confidence in knowing what its job issupposed to be Secondly to achieve harmonywithin each movement you must be able toestablish a communication through the reinsto your horse Harmony is directly linked toyour ability to bring flexion How about yourseat Can you communicate to your horsethrough it Loosening the body of your horsewill bring softness to your hands Donrsquot worrythe warts off the frog lsquobout it you can learn itbut you aint gonna get a guest appearance fromDolly I have a nine year old nephew whose bright faceglows with imagination when listening to thefamous Black Stallion series being read to himat bedtime it inspired me to start rereadingthem They are brilliant and written in such asimple way Unfortunately (brace yourselves)pure love for your horse wonrsquot bring harmonyonly wet saddle blankets do If yer gonna danceya gotta pay the fiddler (Hey look Cherrsquoscominrsquo back out with the band)

I have been training horses for over 30 yearsand value the western horse lifestyle in myapproach to training Giving clinics andseminars on how to reach your full potentialwith your horse through the trainingfoundation of Cowboy Dressage makes mehappier than a speckled pup under a wagonwith his tongue hanginrsquo out wwwcompetitivetrailhorsecom

Think about it Stonemans troops could neverhave run that train down with out a horse TheCivil War as a whole would have been a wholelot different if it were not for the horse In the time of the Civil War the Calvary and theArtillery were dependent upon their horses inbattle The Calvary rode their horses and thefield artillery used them to pull the cannonsHorses were as much a target as the soldiersBoth soldiers and horses were subject todisease There was also a lack of food and verypoor living conditions as well as little or nomedical care Horses today have a very different life Peoplehave horses for recreation show racingtraditional work rodeos and some even do CivilWar reenactments Whats a Civil War ReenactmentA Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreatethe appearance of a particular battle or otherevent associated with the Civil War byreenactors or living historians There is a way to see this history first hand andfeel you are reliving history On the weekendof August 26-27 2016 I went to the NCTransportation Museums Civil War weekend inSpencer NC That weekend they did areenactment of Stonemans Raid throughSalisbury This featured a train you could rideCivil War music dresses from that time soldiersfrom both sides in uniform camps you couldwalk through and of course HORSES I was able to ride the train with many otherpeople and a few reenactors I was able to lookout the window and watch the cavalry troopsgallop along side the train and exchange gunfirewith troops and folks riding the train In thefield one could observe cannon and rifle fire I was amazed by the training of these horsesnot to mention their willing hard work ethicRunning down a train full of people and havingguns fired off their backs hearing cannons gooff and horses charging the field Its a thrillingway to experience history and appreciate morethe role our horses have played in building theworld we live in today

17 Sport and Trail Magazine

BAREFOOT BAREFOOT BOOTED BOOTEDampamp

Trust the belief that someoneor something is reliable goodhonest and will not harm you A trust is something committed or entrusted to onersquos care for safekeeping So do you trust yourhorse Does your horse trust you

I have seen my share of fine horses over theyears and as I get a little older I find it can takeme longer to trust (humans and horses) Thefearlessness of my youth is depleting and whileI would prefer not to have a lsquoplodrsquo for a horseI do prefer a horse I can trust So what does thatmean That he wonrsquot bolt or buck or step on mytoes That he will come when called and standstill to be tacked up for the trail Most of thisis about good training but above all there is anelement of trust in the relationship But howcan you ask so much of them without returningthe favour Can your horse trust you Will youlook after him care for him and do the best forhim Can he trust that you will show up and bethe same person you were yesterday Can herely on you for consistency graciousnessgenerosity Are you kind and fair Do you trustnature to look after his feet and his diet and hisbody Honestly I think trust takes time it hasto be earned and proven but this can only bedone through an open doorway the allowanceof mistakes and support through thechallenges

Trust your HorseEasy ways of building trust are throughgrooming massage and simply just spendingtime together Always be gentle picking outhooves putting on tack and mounting

By Carole HerderPresidentCavallo Horse amp Rider

Carole Herder has a genuinepassion to help educate horseowners She speaks on herbelief that caring for horsersquoshoofs naturally and keepingthem barefoot is best Caroledesigned and developed therange of Cavallo Boots to meetthe needs of the world widehoof boot market Caroles background is inholistic and alternative healthcare She coauthored the bookThe Cavallo Barefoot Trim andmost recently authored theinternational best sellerThere Are No Horseshoes inHeaven Learn more aboutCaroles book gtgt

If a situation is uncomfortable for either of yoube firm without being harsh and remember itrsquosok to back down until you are both ready ndash safetyfirst Routine can build confidence and trust ina horse as can creating the right space forlearning Let him know whatrsquos coming nextDonrsquot give your horse an opportunity not to havefaith in you A final lesson on trust Never inflictpain or compromise your horsersquos well-beingUse Cavallo hoof boots instead of nailing metalinto their hoofs Trust nature and trust barefoothealth Let nature be We donrsquot need to improveupon the miraculous structure that hassupported equiss for over 50000000 yearsCavallo is here to support you and your horse

President of Cavallo Horse amp Rider IncAuthor and Inventor

18 Sport and Trail Magazine

Enzo amp SergioOwned by Bob Smith Cavallino Ranch

20 Sport and Trail Magazine

The history of the Gypsy Vanner horse and thefarm Gypsy Gold begins when Dennis Thompsonand his late wife Cindy spotted an unusual andgorgeous black and white stallion standing in afield in England They soon found themselves inan odyssey so extraordinary that their lives wouldbe changed forever Amazed at the horses look the Thompsonrsquosinquired and learned that the stallion belongedto a traveler ( Gypsy) and to add to their intriguehe had a band of mares who looked just like thestallion that he kept hidden The stallions name was The Log The Thompsonrsquoswere soon introduced to The Logrsquos owner whoinvited them to his caravan They soon entereda caravan site ( a Gypsy camp) It was there that they glimpsed the passion thisman felt for his special horse He told them hehad mares forty miles from there that his brotherdidnrsquot even know where they were and he toldthem where they could see hundreds of coloredhorses but none as good as his Through the mans invitation the Thompsonrsquosbecame the first Americanrsquos to ever attend theworldrsquos oldest Gypsy horse fair named Appleby

By Dennis ThompsonPhotography by Mark J Barrett

Continued gt

Interestingly Appleby Horse Fair isover three centuries old ldquoCall me after you go there theman continued ldquotell me if you findone as good as mine Dont forgetto call merdquo was his endingproclamation The Thompsonrsquos never did see onequite as good as his at Appleby butthey documented contactinformation for every Gypsy whobought or sold a quality lookinghorse and then devoted the nextfour calendar years tounderstanding British Gypsies andtheir horses The breed they discovered wasinspired by two stallions SonnyMays and The Coal Horse soon afterWorld War II The goal they discovered was tocreate a small Shire the largesthorse in the world with morefeather ( leg hair) more color anda sweeter head (more refined thana Shire) The Vanner Horse is theresult of their effort and is a body

type breed not a color breed Clydesdale Shire Dales Pony andFriesian (the original) make up thebreeds core genetics Today the Vanner breed is knownfor its ldquoGolden Retriever withhoovesrdquo disposition and is used forriding jumping and driving In 1995 when the Thompsonrsquosdiscovered one special horse allhorses raised by British Gypsieswere called coloured horses orcoloured cobs There was norecognition of a breed and in 199580 of their coloured horses wereraised for the restaurant businessin Belgium Holland and France The Thompsonrsquos came tounderstand the difference anduncovered the vision genetics andcommitment that developed aspecific looking horse the GypsiesVanner Horse Throughout their research the Log(the first horse) remained one of thebest

CUSHTI BOK

It took years to buy The Logand when the ownerhanded him over he saidldquoCushti Bokrdquo That same year theThompsonrsquos received aChristmas card from aGypsy couple and all itsaid was Cushti BokWords that mean ldquoGoodLuckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies On Easter Sunday 1997The Log stepped hooveson American soil andofficially became CushtiBok GV00001F the firstselectively bred horse inthe world developed byBritishIrish Gypsies to berecognized and registeredas a breed Deep and careful thoughtwent into naming theVanner Horse The choicewas between RomanyHorse and Gypsy VannerHorse When asked tochoose British Gypsybreeders chose GypsyVanner Horse ldquoGypsyrdquo for the diverseand colorful people whohad a vision to create theirperfect caravan horse andldquovannerrdquo ldquoa horse suitableto pull a caravanrdquo in theEnglish ChambersDictionary Vannerspulled all freight in GreatBritain before the adventof combustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horse istherefore a Gypsiescaravan horse or Vannerfor short

DollyDennis Thompson Gypsy Gold Farm

Continued on PG 24 gt

continued gt

Means ldquoGood Luckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies

Cindy discovers Cushti Bok in England

Vanners pulled allfreightin Great Britainbefore the advent ofcombustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horseis therefore a Gypsyscaravan horse

Or Vanner for short

Itrsquos not often one has theopportunity to discover ahorse then go on tointroduce that uniqueanimal to the world andestablish it as arecognized breed Yet thatis precisely the journeythat Dennis and CindyThompson of OcalaFlorida made with theGypsy Vanner Horse

GG Versace DennisThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

The Thompsonrsquos discoveredthat only one place did the wordGypsy become an umbrella termlike the word American and thatis Great Britain Ireland TheRomanies are one type of Gypsyresponsible for the breedsdevelopment so Romany Horsewould have excluded two out ofthree types of Gypsiesresponsible for the breedsdevelopment in Great Britain Dennis Thompson explains thefascinating details of BritishIrish Gypsies in his Gypsy Goldfarm tourrsquos in Ocala Florida TheGypsy Gold tour is 1 in Ocalaand 19 of 712 Things to do inCentral Florida for Trip Advisor

On November 24 1996 Bat andDolly stepped hooves onAmerican soil and theThompsonrsquos founded the GypsyVanner Horse Society The GVHSis the first registry in the worldfor a breed of horse developedby BritishIrish Gypsies RUNNING GYPSY GOLD Dennis Thompson ErinMahoney and Gabriel Gonzalezrun Gypsy Gold with the help ofvolunteers Gypsy Goldrsquosbeautiful adorable offspring aresold throughout the world

Horse lovers and horse ownersanxious to learn about and seethis beautiful new breed visitGypsy Gold weekly On anormal day Gabriel deliversfeed and huge bales of alfalfato the various paddocksVolunteers groom horses paintfences and perform varioustasks During breeding seasonstallions are paired with maresto create new generations

MULE MOMMYS Gypsy Vanner offspring areavailable through natural birthor through Gypsy Goldrsquosinnovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carryGypsy Vanner embryos to termA mulersquos reproductive cycle isvery similar to a marersquos but theylack the biological inability tobecome naturally pregnant Itmade sense to DennisThompson if the parts workthey could receive a baby andhe was right Mules makewonderful mothers You maywell arrive for a tour and beintroduced to newborn foalsfrom Vanner mares or MuleMomrsquos Sleep is a premium as DennisErin and Gabriel take turnsstaying with the mares tointroduce foals to their newworld when delivery times areclose

LUCK AND DESTINY As the first Americans to attendAppleby Horse Fair Dennis andCindy sat on Fair Hill whereGypsies have gathered for overthree centuries A fortunetellerapproached and read Cindyrsquospalm She said ldquoYou have beenhanded a gift and with this gift

BB King Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

The history of the Gypsy Vanner horse and thefarm Gypsy Gold begins when Dennis Thompsonand his late wife Cindy spotted an unusual andgorgeous black and white stallion standing in afield in England They soon found themselves inan odyssey so extraordinary that their lives wouldbe changed forever Amazed at the horses look the Thompsonrsquosinquired and learned that the stallion belongedto a traveler ( Gypsy) and to add to their intriguehe had a band of mares who looked just like thestallion that he kept hidden The stallions name was The Log The Thompsonrsquoswere soon introduced to The Logrsquos owner whoinvited them to his caravan They soon entereda caravan site ( a Gypsy camp) It was there that they glimpsed the passion thisman felt for his special horse He told them hehad mares forty miles from there that his brotherdidnrsquot even know where they were and he toldthem where they could see hundreds of coloredhorses but none as good as his Through the mans invitation the Thompsonrsquosbecame the first Americanrsquos to ever attend theworldrsquos oldest Gypsy horse fair named Appleby

By Dennis ThompsonPhotography by Mark J Barrett

Continued gt

Interestingly Appleby Horse Fair isover three centuries old ldquoCall me after you go there theman continued ldquotell me if you findone as good as mine Dont forgetto call merdquo was his endingproclamation The Thompsonrsquos never did see onequite as good as his at Appleby butthey documented contactinformation for every Gypsy whobought or sold a quality lookinghorse and then devoted the nextfour calendar years tounderstanding British Gypsies andtheir horses The breed they discovered wasinspired by two stallions SonnyMays and The Coal Horse soon afterWorld War II The goal they discovered was tocreate a small Shire the largesthorse in the world with morefeather ( leg hair) more color anda sweeter head (more refined thana Shire) The Vanner Horse is theresult of their effort and is a body

type breed not a color breed Clydesdale Shire Dales Pony andFriesian (the original) make up thebreeds core genetics Today the Vanner breed is knownfor its ldquoGolden Retriever withhoovesrdquo disposition and is used forriding jumping and driving In 1995 when the Thompsonrsquosdiscovered one special horse allhorses raised by British Gypsieswere called coloured horses orcoloured cobs There was norecognition of a breed and in 199580 of their coloured horses wereraised for the restaurant businessin Belgium Holland and France The Thompsonrsquos came tounderstand the difference anduncovered the vision genetics andcommitment that developed aspecific looking horse the GypsiesVanner Horse Throughout their research the Log(the first horse) remained one of thebest

CUSHTI BOK

It took years to buy The Logand when the ownerhanded him over he saidldquoCushti Bokrdquo That same year theThompsonrsquos received aChristmas card from aGypsy couple and all itsaid was Cushti BokWords that mean ldquoGoodLuckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies On Easter Sunday 1997The Log stepped hooveson American soil andofficially became CushtiBok GV00001F the firstselectively bred horse inthe world developed byBritishIrish Gypsies to berecognized and registeredas a breed Deep and careful thoughtwent into naming theVanner Horse The choicewas between RomanyHorse and Gypsy VannerHorse When asked tochoose British Gypsybreeders chose GypsyVanner Horse ldquoGypsyrdquo for the diverseand colorful people whohad a vision to create theirperfect caravan horse andldquovannerrdquo ldquoa horse suitableto pull a caravanrdquo in theEnglish ChambersDictionary Vannerspulled all freight in GreatBritain before the adventof combustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horse istherefore a Gypsiescaravan horse or Vannerfor short

DollyDennis Thompson Gypsy Gold Farm

Continued on PG 24 gt

continued gt

Means ldquoGood Luckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies

Cindy discovers Cushti Bok in England

Vanners pulled allfreightin Great Britainbefore the advent ofcombustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horseis therefore a Gypsyscaravan horse

Or Vanner for short

Itrsquos not often one has theopportunity to discover ahorse then go on tointroduce that uniqueanimal to the world andestablish it as arecognized breed Yet thatis precisely the journeythat Dennis and CindyThompson of OcalaFlorida made with theGypsy Vanner Horse

GG Versace DennisThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

The Thompsonrsquos discoveredthat only one place did the wordGypsy become an umbrella termlike the word American and thatis Great Britain Ireland TheRomanies are one type of Gypsyresponsible for the breedsdevelopment so Romany Horsewould have excluded two out ofthree types of Gypsiesresponsible for the breedsdevelopment in Great Britain Dennis Thompson explains thefascinating details of BritishIrish Gypsies in his Gypsy Goldfarm tourrsquos in Ocala Florida TheGypsy Gold tour is 1 in Ocalaand 19 of 712 Things to do inCentral Florida for Trip Advisor

On November 24 1996 Bat andDolly stepped hooves onAmerican soil and theThompsonrsquos founded the GypsyVanner Horse Society The GVHSis the first registry in the worldfor a breed of horse developedby BritishIrish Gypsies RUNNING GYPSY GOLD Dennis Thompson ErinMahoney and Gabriel Gonzalezrun Gypsy Gold with the help ofvolunteers Gypsy Goldrsquosbeautiful adorable offspring aresold throughout the world

Horse lovers and horse ownersanxious to learn about and seethis beautiful new breed visitGypsy Gold weekly On anormal day Gabriel deliversfeed and huge bales of alfalfato the various paddocksVolunteers groom horses paintfences and perform varioustasks During breeding seasonstallions are paired with maresto create new generations

MULE MOMMYS Gypsy Vanner offspring areavailable through natural birthor through Gypsy Goldrsquosinnovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carryGypsy Vanner embryos to termA mulersquos reproductive cycle isvery similar to a marersquos but theylack the biological inability tobecome naturally pregnant Itmade sense to DennisThompson if the parts workthey could receive a baby andhe was right Mules makewonderful mothers You maywell arrive for a tour and beintroduced to newborn foalsfrom Vanner mares or MuleMomrsquos Sleep is a premium as DennisErin and Gabriel take turnsstaying with the mares tointroduce foals to their newworld when delivery times areclose

LUCK AND DESTINY As the first Americans to attendAppleby Horse Fair Dennis andCindy sat on Fair Hill whereGypsies have gathered for overthree centuries A fortunetellerapproached and read Cindyrsquospalm She said ldquoYou have beenhanded a gift and with this gift

BB King Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

Interestingly Appleby Horse Fair isover three centuries old ldquoCall me after you go there theman continued ldquotell me if you findone as good as mine Dont forgetto call merdquo was his endingproclamation The Thompsonrsquos never did see onequite as good as his at Appleby butthey documented contactinformation for every Gypsy whobought or sold a quality lookinghorse and then devoted the nextfour calendar years tounderstanding British Gypsies andtheir horses The breed they discovered wasinspired by two stallions SonnyMays and The Coal Horse soon afterWorld War II The goal they discovered was tocreate a small Shire the largesthorse in the world with morefeather ( leg hair) more color anda sweeter head (more refined thana Shire) The Vanner Horse is theresult of their effort and is a body

type breed not a color breed Clydesdale Shire Dales Pony andFriesian (the original) make up thebreeds core genetics Today the Vanner breed is knownfor its ldquoGolden Retriever withhoovesrdquo disposition and is used forriding jumping and driving In 1995 when the Thompsonrsquosdiscovered one special horse allhorses raised by British Gypsieswere called coloured horses orcoloured cobs There was norecognition of a breed and in 199580 of their coloured horses wereraised for the restaurant businessin Belgium Holland and France The Thompsonrsquos came tounderstand the difference anduncovered the vision genetics andcommitment that developed aspecific looking horse the GypsiesVanner Horse Throughout their research the Log(the first horse) remained one of thebest

CUSHTI BOK

It took years to buy The Logand when the ownerhanded him over he saidldquoCushti Bokrdquo That same year theThompsonrsquos received aChristmas card from aGypsy couple and all itsaid was Cushti BokWords that mean ldquoGoodLuckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies On Easter Sunday 1997The Log stepped hooveson American soil andofficially became CushtiBok GV00001F the firstselectively bred horse inthe world developed byBritishIrish Gypsies to berecognized and registeredas a breed Deep and careful thoughtwent into naming theVanner Horse The choicewas between RomanyHorse and Gypsy VannerHorse When asked tochoose British Gypsybreeders chose GypsyVanner Horse ldquoGypsyrdquo for the diverseand colorful people whohad a vision to create theirperfect caravan horse andldquovannerrdquo ldquoa horse suitableto pull a caravanrdquo in theEnglish ChambersDictionary Vannerspulled all freight in GreatBritain before the adventof combustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horse istherefore a Gypsiescaravan horse or Vannerfor short

DollyDennis Thompson Gypsy Gold Farm

Continued on PG 24 gt

continued gt

Means ldquoGood Luckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies

Cindy discovers Cushti Bok in England

Vanners pulled allfreightin Great Britainbefore the advent ofcombustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horseis therefore a Gypsyscaravan horse

Or Vanner for short

Itrsquos not often one has theopportunity to discover ahorse then go on tointroduce that uniqueanimal to the world andestablish it as arecognized breed Yet thatis precisely the journeythat Dennis and CindyThompson of OcalaFlorida made with theGypsy Vanner Horse

GG Versace DennisThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

The Thompsonrsquos discoveredthat only one place did the wordGypsy become an umbrella termlike the word American and thatis Great Britain Ireland TheRomanies are one type of Gypsyresponsible for the breedsdevelopment so Romany Horsewould have excluded two out ofthree types of Gypsiesresponsible for the breedsdevelopment in Great Britain Dennis Thompson explains thefascinating details of BritishIrish Gypsies in his Gypsy Goldfarm tourrsquos in Ocala Florida TheGypsy Gold tour is 1 in Ocalaand 19 of 712 Things to do inCentral Florida for Trip Advisor

On November 24 1996 Bat andDolly stepped hooves onAmerican soil and theThompsonrsquos founded the GypsyVanner Horse Society The GVHSis the first registry in the worldfor a breed of horse developedby BritishIrish Gypsies RUNNING GYPSY GOLD Dennis Thompson ErinMahoney and Gabriel Gonzalezrun Gypsy Gold with the help ofvolunteers Gypsy Goldrsquosbeautiful adorable offspring aresold throughout the world

Horse lovers and horse ownersanxious to learn about and seethis beautiful new breed visitGypsy Gold weekly On anormal day Gabriel deliversfeed and huge bales of alfalfato the various paddocksVolunteers groom horses paintfences and perform varioustasks During breeding seasonstallions are paired with maresto create new generations

MULE MOMMYS Gypsy Vanner offspring areavailable through natural birthor through Gypsy Goldrsquosinnovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carryGypsy Vanner embryos to termA mulersquos reproductive cycle isvery similar to a marersquos but theylack the biological inability tobecome naturally pregnant Itmade sense to DennisThompson if the parts workthey could receive a baby andhe was right Mules makewonderful mothers You maywell arrive for a tour and beintroduced to newborn foalsfrom Vanner mares or MuleMomrsquos Sleep is a premium as DennisErin and Gabriel take turnsstaying with the mares tointroduce foals to their newworld when delivery times areclose

LUCK AND DESTINY As the first Americans to attendAppleby Horse Fair Dennis andCindy sat on Fair Hill whereGypsies have gathered for overthree centuries A fortunetellerapproached and read Cindyrsquospalm She said ldquoYou have beenhanded a gift and with this gift

BB King Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

continued gt

Means ldquoGood Luckrdquo in the Romanylanguage of Gypsies

Cindy discovers Cushti Bok in England

Vanners pulled allfreightin Great Britainbefore the advent ofcombustable enginersquosA Gypsy Vanner Horseis therefore a Gypsyscaravan horse

Or Vanner for short

Itrsquos not often one has theopportunity to discover ahorse then go on tointroduce that uniqueanimal to the world andestablish it as arecognized breed Yet thatis precisely the journeythat Dennis and CindyThompson of OcalaFlorida made with theGypsy Vanner Horse

GG Versace DennisThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

The Thompsonrsquos discoveredthat only one place did the wordGypsy become an umbrella termlike the word American and thatis Great Britain Ireland TheRomanies are one type of Gypsyresponsible for the breedsdevelopment so Romany Horsewould have excluded two out ofthree types of Gypsiesresponsible for the breedsdevelopment in Great Britain Dennis Thompson explains thefascinating details of BritishIrish Gypsies in his Gypsy Goldfarm tourrsquos in Ocala Florida TheGypsy Gold tour is 1 in Ocalaand 19 of 712 Things to do inCentral Florida for Trip Advisor

On November 24 1996 Bat andDolly stepped hooves onAmerican soil and theThompsonrsquos founded the GypsyVanner Horse Society The GVHSis the first registry in the worldfor a breed of horse developedby BritishIrish Gypsies RUNNING GYPSY GOLD Dennis Thompson ErinMahoney and Gabriel Gonzalezrun Gypsy Gold with the help ofvolunteers Gypsy Goldrsquosbeautiful adorable offspring aresold throughout the world

Horse lovers and horse ownersanxious to learn about and seethis beautiful new breed visitGypsy Gold weekly On anormal day Gabriel deliversfeed and huge bales of alfalfato the various paddocksVolunteers groom horses paintfences and perform varioustasks During breeding seasonstallions are paired with maresto create new generations

MULE MOMMYS Gypsy Vanner offspring areavailable through natural birthor through Gypsy Goldrsquosinnovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carryGypsy Vanner embryos to termA mulersquos reproductive cycle isvery similar to a marersquos but theylack the biological inability tobecome naturally pregnant Itmade sense to DennisThompson if the parts workthey could receive a baby andhe was right Mules makewonderful mothers You maywell arrive for a tour and beintroduced to newborn foalsfrom Vanner mares or MuleMomrsquos Sleep is a premium as DennisErin and Gabriel take turnsstaying with the mares tointroduce foals to their newworld when delivery times areclose

LUCK AND DESTINY As the first Americans to attendAppleby Horse Fair Dennis andCindy sat on Fair Hill whereGypsies have gathered for overthree centuries A fortunetellerapproached and read Cindyrsquospalm She said ldquoYou have beenhanded a gift and with this gift

BB King Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

The Thompsonrsquos discoveredthat only one place did the wordGypsy become an umbrella termlike the word American and thatis Great Britain Ireland TheRomanies are one type of Gypsyresponsible for the breedsdevelopment so Romany Horsewould have excluded two out ofthree types of Gypsiesresponsible for the breedsdevelopment in Great Britain Dennis Thompson explains thefascinating details of BritishIrish Gypsies in his Gypsy Goldfarm tourrsquos in Ocala Florida TheGypsy Gold tour is 1 in Ocalaand 19 of 712 Things to do inCentral Florida for Trip Advisor

On November 24 1996 Bat andDolly stepped hooves onAmerican soil and theThompsonrsquos founded the GypsyVanner Horse Society The GVHSis the first registry in the worldfor a breed of horse developedby BritishIrish Gypsies RUNNING GYPSY GOLD Dennis Thompson ErinMahoney and Gabriel Gonzalezrun Gypsy Gold with the help ofvolunteers Gypsy Goldrsquosbeautiful adorable offspring aresold throughout the world

Horse lovers and horse ownersanxious to learn about and seethis beautiful new breed visitGypsy Gold weekly On anormal day Gabriel deliversfeed and huge bales of alfalfato the various paddocksVolunteers groom horses paintfences and perform varioustasks During breeding seasonstallions are paired with maresto create new generations

MULE MOMMYS Gypsy Vanner offspring areavailable through natural birthor through Gypsy Goldrsquosinnovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carryGypsy Vanner embryos to termA mulersquos reproductive cycle isvery similar to a marersquos but theylack the biological inability tobecome naturally pregnant Itmade sense to DennisThompson if the parts workthey could receive a baby andhe was right Mules makewonderful mothers You maywell arrive for a tour and beintroduced to newborn foalsfrom Vanner mares or MuleMomrsquos Sleep is a premium as DennisErin and Gabriel take turnsstaying with the mares tointroduce foals to their newworld when delivery times areclose

LUCK AND DESTINY As the first Americans to attendAppleby Horse Fair Dennis andCindy sat on Fair Hill whereGypsies have gathered for overthree centuries A fortunetellerapproached and read Cindyrsquospalm She said ldquoYou have beenhanded a gift and with this gift

BB King Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

Gypsy Vanner offspring are available through naturalbirth or through Gypsy Goldrsquos innovative Mule Momsprogram in which mules carry Gypsy Vanner embryosto term

Continued gt

GG Vercase Dennis ThompsonGypsy Gold Farm

handed a gift and with this gift you can help a lotof peoplerdquo The fortuneteller gave Cindy a luckycharm and seemed to float across the field as shedeparted Cindy carried that lucky charm in aspecial pouch the rest of her life

THE VIKING TRAIL At Gypsy Gold Fair Hill is where the first and mostfamous Gypsy Vanner Horses are laid to rest On772014 The Log Cushti Bok the horse whostarted it all was laid to rest on Fair Hill Special grave markers with laser images of eachhorse buried will compliment QR codersquos onbenches allowing visitors to truly experience thefirst and famous horses buried on Fair Hill On the other side of Fair Hill is the entrance to TheViking Trail Cindy was Norwegian so the one-milewalking trail will honor her and begins just overthe top of Fair Hill When you walk a Viking Trail ldquoyou must leave oneprejudice behind and take at least one new ideawith yourdquo

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

In time Vannerrsquos trained as therapy drivinghorses will pull colorful carts on The Viking Trailat Gypsy Gold Therersquos ldquoa deep sense of responsibility to thebreed and to the people who created itrdquo Dennissays and that is what he believes makes GypsyGold such a special place ldquoWe somehow knew on the plane ride homeafter meeting The Log that a life-changingexperience was in front of us Luck and destiny are central to Gypsy cultureand both were at play the day we saw a magicalhorse in a distant field and truly discoveredGypsy Gold Visit wwwGypsyGoldcom or like Gypsy GoldHorse Farm on Facebook and receive educationalposts daily

26 Sport and Trail Magazine

DroghedaGold DennisThompson -Gypsy GoldFarm

BB King

POWER OFPOWER OFYOURYOURINTUITIONINTUITIONBy Barbra SchulteBy Barbra Schulte Do you believe in intuition Do you follow your ldquogutDo you believe in intuition Do you follow your ldquogutfeelingsrdquofeelingsrdquo Paying attention to your thoughts and followingPaying attention to your thoughts and followingwhere they lead is something some people live bywhere they lead is something some people live byOthers either donrsquot subscribe to the validity of anOthers either donrsquot subscribe to the validity of aninner voice or they simply ignore it because theyinner voice or they simply ignore it because theydonrsquot trust its ideas Therersquos no way to know fordonrsquot trust its ideas Therersquos no way to know forsure if those urges are ldquorightrdquosure if those urges are ldquorightrdquo

I personally believe our intuitiveI personally believe our intuitivethoughts beckon us to move in athoughts beckon us to move in acertain direction Other times wecertain direction Other times wemay feel comfortable ormay feel comfortable oruncomfortable reactions touncomfortable reactions tosomething without knowingsomething without knowingwhywhy I look at intuition as a personal and powerfulI look at intuition as a personal and powerfulinternal guidance system Perhaps itrsquos God leadinginternal guidance system Perhaps itrsquos God leadingus hellip perhaps itrsquos part of how we are wired naturallyus hellip perhaps itrsquos part of how we are wired naturallyhellip Irsquom not sure I just know I try to pay close attentionhellip Irsquom not sure I just know I try to pay close attentionto my inner voiceto my inner voice Do I always go in direction that feels right for meDo I always go in direction that feels right for meSometimes yes Sometimes no It takes courageSometimes yes Sometimes no It takes courageand trust It can be tough if the intuition beckonsand trust It can be tough if the intuition beckonsfor a change that is unknown There is never anfor a change that is unknown There is never anabsolute ldquorightrdquo that applies to every personabsolute ldquorightrdquo that applies to every personregarding choices Itrsquos all so personal Thatrsquos whereregarding choices Itrsquos all so personal Thatrsquos whereyour intuition comes in to help you decide whatrsquosyour intuition comes in to help you decide whatrsquosright for youright for you I received a note from a woman Joan whorsquos aI received a note from a woman Joan whorsquos amember of our website Her words inspired me tomember of our website Her words inspired me topay more attention to my intuition and I thoughtpay more attention to my intuition and I thought

Professional CuttingHorse Trainer PersonalPerformance CoachAuthor Clinician andEquine Consultant In2012 Barbra wasinducted into theNational Cowgirl Hall ofFame

ldquoI started as an older rider with no experienceand needed a different training approachthan a young kid would I didnrsquot have muchtime to practice with a job and family so Ididnrsquot get enough repetition to developskillful habits It was hard to find a goodtrainer who knew the correct technical skillsthemselves and who could teach you in apatient and positive way The mental and emotional side wouldinterfere with the technical skills because Ihad a lot of fear and anxiety and mentallywasnrsquot sure what I should be thinking duringriding I also had a major horse accident whichreally set me back But I learned how to focus and trust my gutfirst over what was being said to me from theoutside I also learned to take my personalpower and be responsible for my own safetyI learned to listen to what my inner voicesaid I didnrsquot have a good awareness of myenergy and I didnrsquot have good emotional andenergetic agility I was a more dominant bigpersonality and my horse was an alpha whomade sure he let me know about my highpressured approach He was a good teacheronce I realized what he was saying to me inhis actions Having good awareness and knowing whatI didnrsquot know helped me to take the rightactions to be more successful with my horserdquo ~Joan Starkowsky

The

RESPECT THE JUDGEFor some organizations judges must takerigorous tests or go through certificationprocesses Some judges have extensive equineknowledge that you may not be aware of Youshould address them with marsquoam or sir shaketheir hand and thank them for judging A judgehas agreed to put themselves in a position to beanalyzed and scrutinized when they had to makea decision in a split second In todayrsquos world oftechnology you are able to go back and pick apartyour competition and review everything with afine toothed comb A judge is not given thatopportunity ACCEPT YOUR PLACEMENTNobody wants to hear that they lost butultimately there is only one first place Talkingnegatively about your placement is not going tochange it Sometimes you just need to grin andbear it Sometimes you need to step back andtake what they say to heart and try to grow This

is particularly important when dealing withyoung competitors Try not to let them hear youcomplain about the judging Set a good example JUDGES ARE HUMANEven with all the experience in the world andcertifications mistakes are going to happen Thisis not the time to glorify yourself for finding themistake it is time to handle it and move on Youshould address this in a humble manner and notover verbalize the mistake I can tell you that thejudge will be completely upset if they made amistake ASK HOW YOU CAN IMPROVEOnce you have asked a judge how to improveyou should listen Do not use this as a time todebate their decision Remember each judge hasa different set of experiences which will result inthem having different opinions You maydisagree with what the judge tells you butremember it is only one perspective

By Brandy Von HoltenBrandy is a ranch owner horsewomaninstructor competitor judge equestrianevent host a wedding host a black belt inmartial arts as well as a former biologyteacher ranging from college to middleschool for 11 years She is driven ambitiousand confident She is a gifted activitymagnet people simply are drawn to her andwant to be apart of anything she has goingon If they arent there theyre wishing theywere

My husband David and I put our last name on our businessthus we try to go above and beyond in every aspect of theevents we put on at our ranch From ribbons to t-shirtsleather products fliers judges you name it and we haveput hours into our selection This brings me to a topic Ifeel very passionate about putting the judge back on thepedestal Here are a few key points to ponder

28 Sport and Trail Magazine

Visit the Von HoltenRanch website at wwwvonholtenranchcom

DRESS THE PARTIn subjective competition you should alwaysdress the part Think about it this way a judgehas given up time from their family receivedtraining put themselves on the line by judgingand then you show up in a t shirt By dressingthe part your outward appearance matches thehours of training you have put in It says ldquoIrsquomhere to compete and best showcase myselfrdquoYou donrsquot have to have expensive clothing butyour clothes need to be ironed cleaned andtucked in Plus this will make you feel betterand in turn help you compete better Dress forsuccess TRUE PURPOSE OF COMPETITIONThe true purpose of competition is to satisfyourselves during our quest for self-improvement A competition is just meant tohelp us gauge our growth A one day singlecompetition does not define who you are or thequality of your equine It is literally just a snapshot Maybe we need to reassess how muchemphasis we put on competitions ribbons andbuckles Competitors think success will bring themhappiness but that is completely out of orderHappiness will bring you success Focus on thepositive aspects of competition and success willfind you It is not the winning of titles that weare working on it is the relationship we formwith our equine that is the greatest reward A

judge is needed to award you that first placeranking you are trying to achieve in the futurebut between now and that moment you mustput the judge back on the pedestal If you spendtoo much time fighting against them are youreally going to value their opinion when theysay you are number one

Photo by LeesaWright

Photo by LeesaWright

Visit the Von HoltenRanch website at wwwvonholtenranchcom

DRESS THE PARTIn subjective competition you should alwaysdress the part Think about it this way a judgehas given up time from their family receivedtraining put themselves on the line by judgingand then you show up in a t shirt By dressingthe part your outward appearance matches thehours of training you have put in It says ldquoIrsquomhere to compete and best showcase myselfrdquoYou donrsquot have to have expensive clothing butyour clothes need to be ironed cleaned andtucked in Plus this will make you feel betterand in turn help you compete better Dress forsuccess TRUE PURPOSE OF COMPETITIONThe true purpose of competition is to satisfyourselves during our quest for self-improvement A competition is just meant tohelp us gauge our growth A one day singlecompetition does not define who you are or thequality of your equine It is literally just a snapshot Maybe we need to reassess how muchemphasis we put on competitions ribbons andbuckles Competitors think success will bring themhappiness but that is completely out of orderHappiness will bring you success Focus on thepositive aspects of competition and success willfind you It is not the winning of titles that weare working on it is the relationship we formwith our equine that is the greatest reward A

judge is needed to award you that first placeranking you are trying to achieve in the futurebut between now and that moment you mustput the judge back on the pedestal If you spendtoo much time fighting against them are youreally going to value their opinion when theysay you are number one

Photo by LeesaWright

Photo by LeesaWright

Horse Behavior SpecialistLicensed 2 Star Parelli Professionalwwwnancyslatercom

Yield to me From the moment a foal is born it is hard wiredto push and will continue to push until taughtnot to When I brought home a young rescue horse yearsago it became evident that she had neverlearned this She was taken off her mama earlyand not socialized with other horsesUnfavorable behavior resulted and she pushedand pulled heavily on the young lady who wasattempting to use her for 4H The result was anunwanted difficult horse who neededleadership and dedication to help her become agreat horse Most people give upwhen push comes to shove Most people are not trainers They buy a horsethat they expect to carry them throughoutwhatever endeavor they choose whetherrecreational or competitive A lot of horses dojust fine But sometimes the horse misses out ongood mama parenting andor human partneringtraining When that happens especially with ahorse with a dominant personality we end upwith a horse we cant even lead from point A toPoint B without a struggle But if we learn some basic horse training skillswe can keep from getting frustrated or hurtand prevent having to sell the horse Teach your horse to yield to poll pressure Youwill do this by putting on pressure in smallincrements with your fingertips First rub your

horse gently between his ears near the halterThen start to press with your fingers slowly untilthe horse lowers his head a little releasing thepressure immediately when he does Rub himgently in that spot as if youre erasing the touchRepeat this until his head readily lowers withyour touch Some horses will put their head up or pull awaytrying to shake you off that spot Without beingaggressive hang in there with your horsedrifting with him until he relaxes and licks hislips Licking and chewing means he is processingour request so pause and allow him a moment

30 Sport and Trail Magazine

NANCY ON FACEBOOK gt

Ever tried leading your horse from thebarn to the mounting block and it feelslike youre dragging a 1000 pound chairthrough the sand

As prey animals horses are born to push against pressure A coltwill see what boundaries are laid before him testing flexing andbending them until his mama makes him aware of the truth

a moment to do so When he is finished processingrub him then begin again One ofthe beautiful things about horsesis there are plenty of do-oversallowed in training them The goalis for him to be relaxed and tryingto comply I see a lot of horses that make noapologies for dragging theirowners around They love to grabgrass and engage in a tug of warThe easiest way to get your horsesnose to lift up and come to you isto disengage the hindquarters Puta steady feel on the leadrope nota heavy pull then while stayingsafely out of the kick zone lookwith intention at the horses hipUsing a training stick start tappingthe air above your horses hip withrhythm If he continues to notmove then start tapping his hipuntil he steps his back legs overand away He might try to stepforward so be ready to lift theleadrope and wiggle it up anddown As you communicate to himto yield his hind end and not stepforward suddenly his nose eyesand ears will be on you Pet himRepeat this exercise until hewilling lifts his head from eatinggrass without you having to lift

Continued gt

your stick at all Some horses are more sensitive than others andwont need a lot of pressure but others will beharder to convince Always start off politely with asmile Anger has no place with horses Emotionswill only get in the way of your progress Simplyfollow through with patience and pressure untilyour horse tries to comply Then thank him with asincere rub Remember that he is your friend yourejust nipping him like his mama would Leading is understanding and respondingappropriately to poll pressure Always get yourhorses attention with your intention to gosomewhere Be aware and kind as you put a gentlefeel on the rope If he comes do not pull on him Ifhe does not come along with a suggested feel thenyou can add some pressure at his hip to encouragethat nose to come along Everything in incrementsalways releasing all pressure you have on yourhorse when he tries to make you happy Have a purpose to your steps go somewhere withcommitment If you are hesitant he will lose focusand begin to eat grass again He might decide thathe would rather hang at the barn with the otherhorses Doesnt matter A horse will follow a strongleader Remember there is a pecking order in everyherd You fall somewhere in that pecking orderCommunicate like a horse because then your horsewill understand that you are not being mean to himyou are only asking for respect as one higher up onthe pecking order A horse is like water in that he will always pick thepath of least resistance Water will always flowdownhill and a horse will give in when he sees howeasy it is to comply with our wishes Your horsewill at one time or another play you Horses are init to win itNatural Horsemanship skills will get youto where you can have fun playing and winningtheir game Horses instinctively look for leadership within theherd A foal follows his mama everywhere evenafter she nips him for being pushy People arealways amazed after they have become effectivewith pressure and their horse ends up even morebonded to them and following them around Understanding communication and assertivenesswill lead you to success

The American Paso Fino horse is quickly becomingthe choice of riders who want to enjoy hours ofcomfort in the saddle The Paso Finorsquos incrediblestamina willing disposition versatility andnatural smooth 4-beat gait makes the AmericanPaso Fino the ultimate trail horse The American Paso Fino Horse Association (APFHA) is excitedto announce our partnership with Top Trail in implementing atrail program to recognize and reward the original and currentlyfastest growing sector of our breed our trail horses and ridersThe APFHA Trail Program is called ldquoMiles of Smilesrdquo This namecomes from the immediate reaction (smiles) that newcomersand veteran Paso Fino riders alike share as soon as the gracefuland exciting gait comes to life underneath the rider and forthe miles and miles of trails discovered on the backs of ourPaso Fino horses The Top Trail Program compliments TheAmerican Paso Fino Horse Association and adds a uniqueopportunity for our members to work towards titles and awardswhile showcasing our breed on the trail Both Miles of Smilesand Top Trail recognize horses and riders based on verifiablemiles ridden Trail miles are recorded uploaded and verifiedusing a GPS device or smart phone app

MILES OF SMILES PROGRAMThe American Paso Fino Horse Associationrsquos Miles of SmilesTop Trail Program officially launches October 1 2016 APFHAand Top Trail current members riding APFHA registered horsescan sign up to compete in this last quarter of 2016 Top Trailchallenges while learning the ins and outs of the program andhow to navigate the system No exclusive annual APFHA awardswill be awarded during this time however members will beginaccumulating horse and rider miles towards lifetimeachievement titles with APFHA Beginning January 1 2017APFHA members and horses will start riding for annual horseand rider high mileage awards while continuing to add miles tohorse and rider lifetime achievement titles APFHA memberswill be able to login to the trail program website page and checkthe APFHA trail program membersrsquo rankings The Miles of SmilesTrail Program will run each year from January 1st throughDecember 31st APFHA members and horses are also eligibleto compete in the national Top Trail Challenges offered by TopTrail independent of APFHA awards Essentially horses andriders double their chances of awards by being involved in theMiles of SmilesTop Trail partnership

Triana owner of AES has been supplyingPaso Fino owners with quality tack andsupplies since 2013 Javier and his familyhave been involved with the Paso Finohorse for 85 years He also works withhelping animals in need in Columbia andthe US ldquoAffordable Equine Suppliers is honouredto be a sponsor of the APFHA Miles ofSmiles Trail Programrdquo states Javier TrianaldquoWe wish to help showcase the versatilityof the Paso Fino breed by promoting andrewarding its abilities on the trailrdquo

The APFHA would like towelcome Affordable EquineSuppliers as the officialsponsor of the 2017 AnnualHigh Mileage Horses Javier

Top Trail is a GPSbased onlinemileage programcreated for thetrail horse andrider to upload

trails ridden set riding goals accumulatemiles and create your very own trail record The program recognizes participatingriders and horses quarterly monthly andannually with Top Trail honours These aresponsored challenges with awards to begiven to the top riders and horses at theconclusion of each period

By Irene Claypool

34 Sport and Trail Magazine

The history of horseback riding isintegral to our history Open Trailrsquos goal is to provide the largestrepository of horse trails in the USand arm organizations that maintainand advocate for horse trails withessential data to fight for ourNational Treasures - The Open TrailOpen Trail was developed by J R Hullbecause no other trail site had a wayto create interactive trail maps of ourfavourite riding trails and mostimportantly a way to share them withother riders Learn more athttpwwwopentrailus

Top Trail tallies your milesautomatically when you upload yourtrails Watch your trail milesaccumulate and know where yourank amongst other Top Trailparticipants from all over the USMember trails can be shared withothers or kept private Itrsquos up to youRide a lot or ride a little it doesnrsquotmatter - what is important is thatyoursquore tracking the miles on trail forboth you and your horse whilecontributing to the repository of trailson the Open Trail website From Troy Lynn Norris ManagingPartner Top Trail ldquoWe are excitedto host the American Paso Fino HorseAssociationrsquos trail program on the TopTrail format and wish to extend awarm welcome to all We lookforward to the partnership and theopportunity it will provide membersto showcase their amazing horsesrdquo Learn more athttpwwwtoptrailhorsenet

Paso Fino mare Peca dePaso Fino mare Peca deLos Robles on the trailLos Robles on the trail Photo courtesyPhoto courtesyTrademark FarmsTrademark Farms

wwwAmericanPasoFinocom

The South Point Hotel Casino andSpa in Las Vegas Nevada was onceagain home to the third annualAndalusian World Cup (AWC) all-breed WEIAUSA Working Equitationcompetition sponsored by Haras DosCavaleiros from Magnolia TexasThis exciting competition took placefrom September 22-24 2016 andincluded competitors in theAdvanced Intermediate and Novicelevels with both Open and Amateurdivisions for the two lower levels The event began on Thursday withall 33 competitors completing theirDressage trial under the watchfuleye of Portuguese WorkingEquitation judge Rui Rosado Fridaybrought the Ease of Handling trialwhere participants worked their waythrough 12 obstacles beingevaluated on the precision andquality with which they performedSaturday morningrsquos Speed trial wasthe highlight of the competition formost spectators with enthusiasticcrowds cheering the riders throughthe 14 obstacles on the course Californian Amanda Latta and herpony Prince Charming took homeChampion honors in the NoviceAmateur class while Bob Lawsonalso from California won ReserveChampion on his Lusitano BurladeroThe Novice Open class with a purse

Working Equitation Returns to the Bright Lightsof Las Vegas

of $500 was won by Joao Andre Goncalvez on the LusitanoHercules DC who traveled from Texas to compete ReserveChampion Novice Open with a purse of $300 went to Arizonacompetitor Reta Conner riding the muleThesebootsweremade4lopin The final cash prize in theNovice Open class $200 went to Oregon competitor JulieAlonzo on her Andalusian mare CDC Memoria

At the Intermediate level the Amateur class was won byCalifornian Anne Nanej and her Lusitano Orio while WendyDinnerstein who divides her time between Arizona andWashington state and her American Bashkir Curly Horse LittleBo Dandy won the Reserve Championship Carlos Carneirotraveled from California to win the Champion IntermediateOpen class with a purse of $650 on the Lusitano Engaccediloowned by Sierra Nevada Lusitanos while Tiago Ernesto camein Reserve Champion winning $400 on the Haras DosCavaleiros owned Lusitano Funcho The third place purse of$250 was taken home by Arizona competitor Tammy Williams

The AWC Working Equitation eventrsquos youngestcompetitor Summer Star

36 Sport and Trail Magazine

wwwweunitedus

Tiago Ernesto and Xaveco InteragroAdvanced Reserve Champions

$250 was taken home by Arizona competitor TammyWilliams on her Lusitano Davidoff DC Carlos Carneiro also won Champion in the AdvancedLevel Open class taking home $900 this time on theLusitano Baco while Tiago Ernesto took home theReserve Champion title and $700 in prize money onthe Lusitano Xaveco Interagro Arizona rider RetaConner took home $550 for her third-place Advancedlevel finish on her warmblood Winner

In keeping with the spirit of Las Vegas AndalusianWorld also ran a random draw of all competitors toselect the winner of a beautiful imported prize saddledonated by specialty tack vendor Iberian ConnectionThis yearrsquos saddle winner was Miguel Undabarrenaof Arizona

For more information about the event readers areencouraged to visit event organizerrsquos website wwwandalusianworldcomawc or by phone805-467-7325 We hope to see even more competitors from acrossthe United States at next yearrsquos AWC event

Tiago Ernesto and Funcho IntermediateOpen Reserve Champions

Bob Lawson and Burladero Novice AmateurReserve Champions

Amanda Latta and Prince Charming NoviceAmateur Champions

Carlos Carneiro and Engaccedilo IntermediateOpen Champions

Reta Conner andThesebootsweremade4lopin NoviceOpen Reserve Champions

ADVANCED LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Carlos Carneiro Baco 1 3 2 1 Tiago Ernesto Xaveco Interagro 3 2 1 2 Reta Conner Winner 5 1 5 3 Carlos Carneiro Andiamo 2005 2 4 6 4 Lisa Harding Carbon 4 5 7 5 Robin Bond Xander 6 7 3 6 Roy Pelkey Flashy Freddy 8 6 4 7 Miguel Undabarrena Miguel Al Vida 9 8 8 8 Jane Renner Wildwych Pecadillo 6 0 0 9 INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS OPEN

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Carlos Carneiro Engaco 1 2 3 1 Tiago Ernesto Funcho 2 3 2 2 Tammy Williams Davidoff DC 3 4 1 3 Chris Stanko Tanino Interagro 7 5 4 4 Reta Conner Galante CR 4 1 0 5 Cassandra Adams Arjen 5 0 5 6 Lauren Gueswell Smart Uno Olena 6 0 6 7 Diane Wieser Afrodite 9 0 0 8 Morgan Wagner Endo the Blind 8 0 0 9 INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS AMATEUR

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Anne Nanej Orio 1 1 1 1 Wendy Dinnerstein Little Bo Dandy 2 2 2 2 NOVICE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS OPEN

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Joao Andre Goncalvez Hercules DC 1 1 2 1 Reta Conner Thesebootsweremade4lopin 2 2 4 2 Julie Alonzo CDC Memoria 5 3 1 3 Cassandra Adams Willem II Van Din Maylendad 2 0 5 4 Sheri Prucka Little Miss Muffett 6 0 3 5 Robin Bond Nobleza ADP 4 0 6 6 Colleen Clement Viento De Montana 7 4 0 7 Summer Star Reina Amboina 8 0 8 8 Jody Sauer Majestad Del C 0 0 7 9 NOVICE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS AMATEUR

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Amanda Latta Prince Charming 2 1 1 1 Bob Lawson Burladero 3 2 3 2 Angie Zabritski Cats Dunnit Good 1 0 2 3 Karin Hansen Padre 4 0 4 4

40 Sport and Trail Magazine

By Jen Wenzel Quite often it is the individuals who have literallywalked in the shoes of those struggling who arebest suited to help those in need Such is the caseat New Freedom Farm a 501 c 3 dedicated tohelping veterans and their families who havewillingly served our county and now suffer fromthe effects of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) New Freedom Farm founder Lois Dawn Fritz is oneof those individuals the one who has personallywalked the walk with PTSD A Navy veteran Loisrsquobattle with PTSD began more than eight years agoWhile Lois willingly shares her own story of adownward spiral triggered by death theunexpected move of her son a health crisis andmore death this is more than the story of oneindividuals battle with PTSD but rather the storyof Loisrsquo healing with horses and the vision to helpothers do the same

Lois began her healing with horsesas a result of an insightful therapistthat suggested to Lois she dosomething she always wanted to dobut never had the chancehellipown ahorse

Paralyzed by fear Loisrsquo journey took a number ofyears with her biggest break through happeningjust two years ago Unable to go anywhere inpublic without her husband Mitch Lois decidedto attend a competitive trail event With Mitchunexpectedly unable to attend Lois decided shewould attempt to go with an acquaintance Thatevent followed by the tragic drowning of hercousin and her nineteen-year-old daughter in akayaking accident on the Delaware River was thecatalyst that would change her and Mitchrsquos life Itwas that week when Lois decided life was tooshort not to follow her dream of having a safehaven for humans and horses Prior to startingNew Freedom Farm and while still living in NewJersey Lois and Mitch had 5 horses including 4rescues two of which were BLM mustangs anAppendix and a Tennessee Walker In September 2015 Lois and Mitch found the farmof their dreams in southwest Virginia They signedthe contract and waited for what seemed likeeternity to close on their piece of heaven A leapof faith was required They went to the closingwith $1700 in their checking account Always able to work while suffering from PSTDLois went on a deferred retirement in Novemberfrom the local prosecutorrsquos office where sheserved as a forensic nurse investigator and begana new career as a hospital based forensic nurseexaminer at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospitalnear their new farm in Buchanan VA

New FreedomNew Freedom

In March 2016 Loisrsquo first pregnant slaughterbound mare arrived at the farm and this is howNew Freedom Farm earned its name Thanks toLois and Mitch this mare now named Mabelinehad received the gift of a ldquonew freedomrdquo andthrough their horses they hoped that humanswho are hurting will experience a ldquonew freedomrdquoby visiting New Freedom Farm The rescued maregave birth to a lovely filly that they named LadyLiberty A heavily bred Tennessee Walking Horse savedfrom a kill pen in Pennsylvania came to NewFreedom Farm via Gerdarsquos Animal Aid in Vermont

them ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silver

She was originally to be a foster but is nowofficially part of New Freedom Farm LrsquoOreal wasthe name Lois chose for her She was a completematch to Mabeline so now New Freedom Farmhas their own ldquoCovergirlsrdquo Thirty-three days laterLrsquoOreal gave birth to Silver Justice named afterGerda Silver founder of Gerdarsquos Animal Aid

After a near constant watch Silver Justice wasborn when Lois went into the house for two hoursone morning only to come out and find abeautiful dry standing nursing filly

On July 1 2016 New Freedom Farm was grantedtheir official nonprofit 501 c 3 status Receivingthe confirmation letter from the IRS was just asexciting to Lois as getting her Masters in NursingWithout wasting a minute Lois pulled her firstslaughter bound mare with a colt at her side fromthe kill auction circuit on July 7 2016 She hadposted her intentions on NFFrsquos Facebook pageearly in the morning of seeing the pair on theline and within 3 hours had the funds to pull

Dedicated to helping veterans and theirDedicated to helping veterans and theirfamilies who have willingly served ourfamilies who have willingly served ourcounty and now suffer from the effectscounty and now suffer from the effectsof PTSD of PTSD

them ship them to the farm and have the vetthem ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrivalcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromThe pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing theMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silvertheme established by Lady Liberty and SilverJustice The colt was unable to nurse because theJustice The colt was unable to nurse because themare was so malnourished she had stoppedmare was so malnourished she had stoppedproducing milk With some medical interventionproducing milk With some medical interventionthey were able to induce her milk productionthey were able to induce her milk productionwithin a couple of days As of this writing Marthawithin a couple of days As of this writing MarthaWashington is gaining weight and George isWashington is gaining weight and George isgrowing strongergrowing stronger Since Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenSince Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenfortunate enough to have pulled two minis fromfortunate enough to have pulled two minis froma kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themea kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thelast permanent equines to reside at the farm untillast permanent equines to reside at the farm untilthey have more capacity The two minis are athey have more capacity The two minis are awork in progress neither appearing to have beenwork in progress neither appearing to have beenhandled much but they both seem to really likehandled much but they both seem to really likechildren who visit New Freedom Farmchildren who visit New Freedom Farm In August New Freedom Farm welcomed its firstIn August New Freedom Farm welcomed its first

official group of veterans from the local VAofficial group of veterans from the local VAhospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viahad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viaword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmis that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm ais that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm aplace for healing humans but it is also a placeplace for healing humans but it is also a placededicated to providing a safe haven for its equinededicated to providing a safe haven for its equineresidents Like many of the veterans they serveresidents Like many of the veterans they serveNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledsituations Having been abandoned to an auctionsituations Having been abandoned to an auctioncircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofcircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withtheir journey makes their program unique Thetheir journey makes their program unique Thesensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andsensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andtruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytrusting otherstrusting others On average 20 of veterans returning from IraqOn average 20 of veterans returning from Iraqand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USveterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22veterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22per day something NFF hopes to help change per day something NFF hopes to help change

A Veteran enjoys aA Veteran enjoys amoment of peace with themoment of peace with thehorseshorses

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

ADVANCED LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Carlos Carneiro Baco 1 3 2 1 Tiago Ernesto Xaveco Interagro 3 2 1 2 Reta Conner Winner 5 1 5 3 Carlos Carneiro Andiamo 2005 2 4 6 4 Lisa Harding Carbon 4 5 7 5 Robin Bond Xander 6 7 3 6 Roy Pelkey Flashy Freddy 8 6 4 7 Miguel Undabarrena Miguel Al Vida 9 8 8 8 Jane Renner Wildwych Pecadillo 6 0 0 9 INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS OPEN

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Carlos Carneiro Engaco 1 2 3 1 Tiago Ernesto Funcho 2 3 2 2 Tammy Williams Davidoff DC 3 4 1 3 Chris Stanko Tanino Interagro 7 5 4 4 Reta Conner Galante CR 4 1 0 5 Cassandra Adams Arjen 5 0 5 6 Lauren Gueswell Smart Uno Olena 6 0 6 7 Diane Wieser Afrodite 9 0 0 8 Morgan Wagner Endo the Blind 8 0 0 9 INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS AMATEUR

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Anne Nanej Orio 1 1 1 1 Wendy Dinnerstein Little Bo Dandy 2 2 2 2 NOVICE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS OPEN

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Joao Andre Goncalvez Hercules DC 1 1 2 1 Reta Conner Thesebootsweremade4lopin 2 2 4 2 Julie Alonzo CDC Memoria 5 3 1 3 Cassandra Adams Willem II Van Din Maylendad 2 0 5 4 Sheri Prucka Little Miss Muffett 6 0 3 5 Robin Bond Nobleza ADP 4 0 6 6 Colleen Clement Viento De Montana 7 4 0 7 Summer Star Reina Amboina 8 0 8 8 Jody Sauer Majestad Del C 0 0 7 9 NOVICE LEVEL ANDALUSIAN WORLD CUP WORKING EQUITATION RESULTS AMATEUR

RIDER HORSE PLACINGS

DRESSAGE EASE OF HANDLING SPEED OVERALL

Amanda Latta Prince Charming 2 1 1 1 Bob Lawson Burladero 3 2 3 2 Angie Zabritski Cats Dunnit Good 1 0 2 3 Karin Hansen Padre 4 0 4 4

40 Sport and Trail Magazine

By Jen Wenzel Quite often it is the individuals who have literallywalked in the shoes of those struggling who arebest suited to help those in need Such is the caseat New Freedom Farm a 501 c 3 dedicated tohelping veterans and their families who havewillingly served our county and now suffer fromthe effects of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) New Freedom Farm founder Lois Dawn Fritz is oneof those individuals the one who has personallywalked the walk with PTSD A Navy veteran Loisrsquobattle with PTSD began more than eight years agoWhile Lois willingly shares her own story of adownward spiral triggered by death theunexpected move of her son a health crisis andmore death this is more than the story of oneindividuals battle with PTSD but rather the storyof Loisrsquo healing with horses and the vision to helpothers do the same

Lois began her healing with horsesas a result of an insightful therapistthat suggested to Lois she dosomething she always wanted to dobut never had the chancehellipown ahorse

Paralyzed by fear Loisrsquo journey took a number ofyears with her biggest break through happeningjust two years ago Unable to go anywhere inpublic without her husband Mitch Lois decidedto attend a competitive trail event With Mitchunexpectedly unable to attend Lois decided shewould attempt to go with an acquaintance Thatevent followed by the tragic drowning of hercousin and her nineteen-year-old daughter in akayaking accident on the Delaware River was thecatalyst that would change her and Mitchrsquos life Itwas that week when Lois decided life was tooshort not to follow her dream of having a safehaven for humans and horses Prior to startingNew Freedom Farm and while still living in NewJersey Lois and Mitch had 5 horses including 4rescues two of which were BLM mustangs anAppendix and a Tennessee Walker In September 2015 Lois and Mitch found the farmof their dreams in southwest Virginia They signedthe contract and waited for what seemed likeeternity to close on their piece of heaven A leapof faith was required They went to the closingwith $1700 in their checking account Always able to work while suffering from PSTDLois went on a deferred retirement in Novemberfrom the local prosecutorrsquos office where sheserved as a forensic nurse investigator and begana new career as a hospital based forensic nurseexaminer at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospitalnear their new farm in Buchanan VA

New FreedomNew Freedom

In March 2016 Loisrsquo first pregnant slaughterbound mare arrived at the farm and this is howNew Freedom Farm earned its name Thanks toLois and Mitch this mare now named Mabelinehad received the gift of a ldquonew freedomrdquo andthrough their horses they hoped that humanswho are hurting will experience a ldquonew freedomrdquoby visiting New Freedom Farm The rescued maregave birth to a lovely filly that they named LadyLiberty A heavily bred Tennessee Walking Horse savedfrom a kill pen in Pennsylvania came to NewFreedom Farm via Gerdarsquos Animal Aid in Vermont

them ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silver

She was originally to be a foster but is nowofficially part of New Freedom Farm LrsquoOreal wasthe name Lois chose for her She was a completematch to Mabeline so now New Freedom Farmhas their own ldquoCovergirlsrdquo Thirty-three days laterLrsquoOreal gave birth to Silver Justice named afterGerda Silver founder of Gerdarsquos Animal Aid

After a near constant watch Silver Justice wasborn when Lois went into the house for two hoursone morning only to come out and find abeautiful dry standing nursing filly

On July 1 2016 New Freedom Farm was grantedtheir official nonprofit 501 c 3 status Receivingthe confirmation letter from the IRS was just asexciting to Lois as getting her Masters in NursingWithout wasting a minute Lois pulled her firstslaughter bound mare with a colt at her side fromthe kill auction circuit on July 7 2016 She hadposted her intentions on NFFrsquos Facebook pageearly in the morning of seeing the pair on theline and within 3 hours had the funds to pull

Dedicated to helping veterans and theirDedicated to helping veterans and theirfamilies who have willingly served ourfamilies who have willingly served ourcounty and now suffer from the effectscounty and now suffer from the effectsof PTSD of PTSD

them ship them to the farm and have the vetthem ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrivalcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromThe pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing theMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silvertheme established by Lady Liberty and SilverJustice The colt was unable to nurse because theJustice The colt was unable to nurse because themare was so malnourished she had stoppedmare was so malnourished she had stoppedproducing milk With some medical interventionproducing milk With some medical interventionthey were able to induce her milk productionthey were able to induce her milk productionwithin a couple of days As of this writing Marthawithin a couple of days As of this writing MarthaWashington is gaining weight and George isWashington is gaining weight and George isgrowing strongergrowing stronger Since Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenSince Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenfortunate enough to have pulled two minis fromfortunate enough to have pulled two minis froma kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themea kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thelast permanent equines to reside at the farm untillast permanent equines to reside at the farm untilthey have more capacity The two minis are athey have more capacity The two minis are awork in progress neither appearing to have beenwork in progress neither appearing to have beenhandled much but they both seem to really likehandled much but they both seem to really likechildren who visit New Freedom Farmchildren who visit New Freedom Farm In August New Freedom Farm welcomed its firstIn August New Freedom Farm welcomed its first

official group of veterans from the local VAofficial group of veterans from the local VAhospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viahad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viaword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmis that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm ais that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm aplace for healing humans but it is also a placeplace for healing humans but it is also a placededicated to providing a safe haven for its equinededicated to providing a safe haven for its equineresidents Like many of the veterans they serveresidents Like many of the veterans they serveNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledsituations Having been abandoned to an auctionsituations Having been abandoned to an auctioncircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofcircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withtheir journey makes their program unique Thetheir journey makes their program unique Thesensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andsensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andtruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytrusting otherstrusting others On average 20 of veterans returning from IraqOn average 20 of veterans returning from Iraqand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USveterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22veterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22per day something NFF hopes to help change per day something NFF hopes to help change

A Veteran enjoys aA Veteran enjoys amoment of peace with themoment of peace with thehorseshorses

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

40 Sport and Trail Magazine

By Jen Wenzel Quite often it is the individuals who have literallywalked in the shoes of those struggling who arebest suited to help those in need Such is the caseat New Freedom Farm a 501 c 3 dedicated tohelping veterans and their families who havewillingly served our county and now suffer fromthe effects of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) New Freedom Farm founder Lois Dawn Fritz is oneof those individuals the one who has personallywalked the walk with PTSD A Navy veteran Loisrsquobattle with PTSD began more than eight years agoWhile Lois willingly shares her own story of adownward spiral triggered by death theunexpected move of her son a health crisis andmore death this is more than the story of oneindividuals battle with PTSD but rather the storyof Loisrsquo healing with horses and the vision to helpothers do the same

Lois began her healing with horsesas a result of an insightful therapistthat suggested to Lois she dosomething she always wanted to dobut never had the chancehellipown ahorse

Paralyzed by fear Loisrsquo journey took a number ofyears with her biggest break through happeningjust two years ago Unable to go anywhere inpublic without her husband Mitch Lois decidedto attend a competitive trail event With Mitchunexpectedly unable to attend Lois decided shewould attempt to go with an acquaintance Thatevent followed by the tragic drowning of hercousin and her nineteen-year-old daughter in akayaking accident on the Delaware River was thecatalyst that would change her and Mitchrsquos life Itwas that week when Lois decided life was tooshort not to follow her dream of having a safehaven for humans and horses Prior to startingNew Freedom Farm and while still living in NewJersey Lois and Mitch had 5 horses including 4rescues two of which were BLM mustangs anAppendix and a Tennessee Walker In September 2015 Lois and Mitch found the farmof their dreams in southwest Virginia They signedthe contract and waited for what seemed likeeternity to close on their piece of heaven A leapof faith was required They went to the closingwith $1700 in their checking account Always able to work while suffering from PSTDLois went on a deferred retirement in Novemberfrom the local prosecutorrsquos office where sheserved as a forensic nurse investigator and begana new career as a hospital based forensic nurseexaminer at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospitalnear their new farm in Buchanan VA

New FreedomNew Freedom

In March 2016 Loisrsquo first pregnant slaughterbound mare arrived at the farm and this is howNew Freedom Farm earned its name Thanks toLois and Mitch this mare now named Mabelinehad received the gift of a ldquonew freedomrdquo andthrough their horses they hoped that humanswho are hurting will experience a ldquonew freedomrdquoby visiting New Freedom Farm The rescued maregave birth to a lovely filly that they named LadyLiberty A heavily bred Tennessee Walking Horse savedfrom a kill pen in Pennsylvania came to NewFreedom Farm via Gerdarsquos Animal Aid in Vermont

them ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silver

She was originally to be a foster but is nowofficially part of New Freedom Farm LrsquoOreal wasthe name Lois chose for her She was a completematch to Mabeline so now New Freedom Farmhas their own ldquoCovergirlsrdquo Thirty-three days laterLrsquoOreal gave birth to Silver Justice named afterGerda Silver founder of Gerdarsquos Animal Aid

After a near constant watch Silver Justice wasborn when Lois went into the house for two hoursone morning only to come out and find abeautiful dry standing nursing filly

On July 1 2016 New Freedom Farm was grantedtheir official nonprofit 501 c 3 status Receivingthe confirmation letter from the IRS was just asexciting to Lois as getting her Masters in NursingWithout wasting a minute Lois pulled her firstslaughter bound mare with a colt at her side fromthe kill auction circuit on July 7 2016 She hadposted her intentions on NFFrsquos Facebook pageearly in the morning of seeing the pair on theline and within 3 hours had the funds to pull

Dedicated to helping veterans and theirDedicated to helping veterans and theirfamilies who have willingly served ourfamilies who have willingly served ourcounty and now suffer from the effectscounty and now suffer from the effectsof PTSD of PTSD

them ship them to the farm and have the vetthem ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrivalcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromThe pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing theMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silvertheme established by Lady Liberty and SilverJustice The colt was unable to nurse because theJustice The colt was unable to nurse because themare was so malnourished she had stoppedmare was so malnourished she had stoppedproducing milk With some medical interventionproducing milk With some medical interventionthey were able to induce her milk productionthey were able to induce her milk productionwithin a couple of days As of this writing Marthawithin a couple of days As of this writing MarthaWashington is gaining weight and George isWashington is gaining weight and George isgrowing strongergrowing stronger Since Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenSince Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenfortunate enough to have pulled two minis fromfortunate enough to have pulled two minis froma kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themea kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thelast permanent equines to reside at the farm untillast permanent equines to reside at the farm untilthey have more capacity The two minis are athey have more capacity The two minis are awork in progress neither appearing to have beenwork in progress neither appearing to have beenhandled much but they both seem to really likehandled much but they both seem to really likechildren who visit New Freedom Farmchildren who visit New Freedom Farm In August New Freedom Farm welcomed its firstIn August New Freedom Farm welcomed its first

official group of veterans from the local VAofficial group of veterans from the local VAhospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viahad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viaword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmis that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm ais that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm aplace for healing humans but it is also a placeplace for healing humans but it is also a placededicated to providing a safe haven for its equinededicated to providing a safe haven for its equineresidents Like many of the veterans they serveresidents Like many of the veterans they serveNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledsituations Having been abandoned to an auctionsituations Having been abandoned to an auctioncircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofcircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withtheir journey makes their program unique Thetheir journey makes their program unique Thesensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andsensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andtruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytrusting otherstrusting others On average 20 of veterans returning from IraqOn average 20 of veterans returning from Iraqand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USveterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22veterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22per day something NFF hopes to help change per day something NFF hopes to help change

A Veteran enjoys aA Veteran enjoys amoment of peace with themoment of peace with thehorseshorses

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

In March 2016 Loisrsquo first pregnant slaughterbound mare arrived at the farm and this is howNew Freedom Farm earned its name Thanks toLois and Mitch this mare now named Mabelinehad received the gift of a ldquonew freedomrdquo andthrough their horses they hoped that humanswho are hurting will experience a ldquonew freedomrdquoby visiting New Freedom Farm The rescued maregave birth to a lovely filly that they named LadyLiberty A heavily bred Tennessee Walking Horse savedfrom a kill pen in Pennsylvania came to NewFreedom Farm via Gerdarsquos Animal Aid in Vermont

them ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silver

She was originally to be a foster but is nowofficially part of New Freedom Farm LrsquoOreal wasthe name Lois chose for her She was a completematch to Mabeline so now New Freedom Farmhas their own ldquoCovergirlsrdquo Thirty-three days laterLrsquoOreal gave birth to Silver Justice named afterGerda Silver founder of Gerdarsquos Animal Aid

After a near constant watch Silver Justice wasborn when Lois went into the house for two hoursone morning only to come out and find abeautiful dry standing nursing filly

On July 1 2016 New Freedom Farm was grantedtheir official nonprofit 501 c 3 status Receivingthe confirmation letter from the IRS was just asexciting to Lois as getting her Masters in NursingWithout wasting a minute Lois pulled her firstslaughter bound mare with a colt at her side fromthe kill auction circuit on July 7 2016 She hadposted her intentions on NFFrsquos Facebook pageearly in the morning of seeing the pair on theline and within 3 hours had the funds to pull

Dedicated to helping veterans and theirDedicated to helping veterans and theirfamilies who have willingly served ourfamilies who have willingly served ourcounty and now suffer from the effectscounty and now suffer from the effectsof PTSD of PTSD

them ship them to the farm and have the vetthem ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrivalcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromThe pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing theMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silvertheme established by Lady Liberty and SilverJustice The colt was unable to nurse because theJustice The colt was unable to nurse because themare was so malnourished she had stoppedmare was so malnourished she had stoppedproducing milk With some medical interventionproducing milk With some medical interventionthey were able to induce her milk productionthey were able to induce her milk productionwithin a couple of days As of this writing Marthawithin a couple of days As of this writing MarthaWashington is gaining weight and George isWashington is gaining weight and George isgrowing strongergrowing stronger Since Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenSince Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenfortunate enough to have pulled two minis fromfortunate enough to have pulled two minis froma kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themea kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thelast permanent equines to reside at the farm untillast permanent equines to reside at the farm untilthey have more capacity The two minis are athey have more capacity The two minis are awork in progress neither appearing to have beenwork in progress neither appearing to have beenhandled much but they both seem to really likehandled much but they both seem to really likechildren who visit New Freedom Farmchildren who visit New Freedom Farm In August New Freedom Farm welcomed its firstIn August New Freedom Farm welcomed its first

official group of veterans from the local VAofficial group of veterans from the local VAhospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viahad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viaword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmis that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm ais that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm aplace for healing humans but it is also a placeplace for healing humans but it is also a placededicated to providing a safe haven for its equinededicated to providing a safe haven for its equineresidents Like many of the veterans they serveresidents Like many of the veterans they serveNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledsituations Having been abandoned to an auctionsituations Having been abandoned to an auctioncircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofcircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withtheir journey makes their program unique Thetheir journey makes their program unique Thesensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andsensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andtruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytrusting otherstrusting others On average 20 of veterans returning from IraqOn average 20 of veterans returning from Iraqand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USveterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22veterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22per day something NFF hopes to help change per day something NFF hopes to help change

A Veteran enjoys aA Veteran enjoys amoment of peace with themoment of peace with thehorseshorses

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

them ship them to the farm and have the vetthem ship them to the farm and have the vetcheck them on arrivalcheck them on arrival The pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromThe pair arrived safely at New Freedom Farm fromLouisiana and the primary donor named themLouisiana and the primary donor named themMartha and George Washington continuing theMartha and George Washington continuing thetheme established by Lady Liberty and Silvertheme established by Lady Liberty and SilverJustice The colt was unable to nurse because theJustice The colt was unable to nurse because themare was so malnourished she had stoppedmare was so malnourished she had stoppedproducing milk With some medical interventionproducing milk With some medical interventionthey were able to induce her milk productionthey were able to induce her milk productionwithin a couple of days As of this writing Marthawithin a couple of days As of this writing MarthaWashington is gaining weight and George isWashington is gaining weight and George isgrowing strongergrowing stronger Since Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenSince Martha and Georgersquos arrival NFF has beenfortunate enough to have pulled two minis fromfortunate enough to have pulled two minis froma kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themea kill pen in Bastrop LA The naming themecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thecontinued with Patriot and Lincoln becoming thelast permanent equines to reside at the farm untillast permanent equines to reside at the farm untilthey have more capacity The two minis are athey have more capacity The two minis are awork in progress neither appearing to have beenwork in progress neither appearing to have beenhandled much but they both seem to really likehandled much but they both seem to really likechildren who visit New Freedom Farmchildren who visit New Freedom Farm In August New Freedom Farm welcomed its firstIn August New Freedom Farm welcomed its first

official group of veterans from the local VAofficial group of veterans from the local VAhospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshospital Prior to this veterans and their familieshad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viahad been visiting NFF on a one to one basis viaword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughword of mouth referral ldquoHealing Humans throughHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inHorsesrdquo is NFFrsquos free offering to assist those inneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmneed Central to the idea of New Freedom Farmis that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm ais that it is a ldquosanctuaryrdquo Not only is the farm aplace for healing humans but it is also a placeplace for healing humans but it is also a placededicated to providing a safe haven for its equinededicated to providing a safe haven for its equineresidents Like many of the veterans they serveresidents Like many of the veterans they serveNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledNFFrsquos horses have come to them from stress filledsituations Having been abandoned to an auctionsituations Having been abandoned to an auctioncircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofcircuit that often delivers them to the hands ofldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairldquokiller buyersrdquo these animals have seen their fairshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesshare of fear and trauma That is why NFF believesit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withit is the essence of ldquothe horserdquo combined withtheir journey makes their program unique Thetheir journey makes their program unique Thesensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andsensitivity of the horse delivers an honesty andtruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytruth for the Veteran who is experiencing difficultytrusting otherstrusting others On average 20 of veterans returning from IraqOn average 20 of veterans returning from Iraqand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromand Afghanistan and 30 of veterans fromVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USVietnam have been diagnosed with PTSD USveterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22veterans commit suicide on an average rate of 22per day something NFF hopes to help change per day something NFF hopes to help change

A Veteran enjoys aA Veteran enjoys amoment of peace with themoment of peace with thehorseshorses

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

wwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVAwwwfacebookcomNewFreedomFarmVA

Studies have shown thatinteracting with an animal suchas a horse can be very helpfuland calming to those sufferingfrom PTSD and Lois can testifyto that first hand Many PTSDTBI veterans experiencefeelings of isolation or arewithdrawn Visiting with thehorses at NFF help with theisolation communication trustand social skills The farm offersPTSD sufferers the opportunityto participate in anunstructured environment atwhatever level of involvementworks for them On October 8 2016 NewFreedom Farm will host their

official ribbon cutting ceremonyand open house from 10 am to3 pm Plans include a specialpatriotic opening ceremonyflag raising benediction livemusic vendors silent auction asouthern barbeque lunch and aperformance and coltfillydemonstration by AmeliaEfland Future plans for Lois Mitch andNew Freedom Farm includefocusing on horses in needparticularly slaughter-boundmares and advancing theirdream of establishing a morecomprehensive equine therapyprogram

For more information on NewFor more information on NewFreedom Farm visit theirFreedom Farm visit theirwebsite at wwwwebsite at wwwnewfreedomfarmnetnewfreedomfarmnet

To reach Lois email her atTo reach Lois email her atnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcomnewfreedomfarm2016gmailcom

Lois husband Mitchat the farm

FREE RANGE STABLINGTHE RUN-IN SHED DILEMMA

Inadequate footing Many horses like to usesheds strewn with bedding as a toilet Which iswhy some stable owners opt for rubber matswith no bedding Some horses will happily liedown on these many others however wonrsquotespecially if they are unfamiliar Spreading alittle sawdust on top to familiarise the horses isoften helpful Insufficient size According to animal protectionguidelines the minimum recommended size in

44 Sport and Trail Magazine

In my own experience and according to feedbackI have received from other stable owners manyherds do not use their run-in sheds for lyingdown What are the causes What can you doabout it Do you need to do anything at all Horses are creatures of the steppe They donrsquotbuild themselves caves there instead theyspend the night outdoors They generally chooseplaces with an unimpeded view allowing them

to spot potentialpredators in time In badweather they choose asheltered location inwarm weather theyprefer airy spaces Theground should be moreor less dry slip-proof andmalleable Apart fromone or two watchers thehorses prefer to lie downtogether maintainingspaces between eachother the size of whichmay vary depending onrank and friendshipstatus

Various reasons why horses may not use theirrun-in shed for lying down The view is obstructed There may be only twonarrow exits or entrances which may also becurtained off with strips of PVC The horsesdonrsquot feel safe inside the shed Insufficient means of escape This may be thecase for example if the shed is at the end ofa narrow cul-de-sac or if the structure is deeprather than wide The horses will not be ableto leave quickly enough in case of danger andthis makes them uneasy

free range stabling sheds do not lead to idealresults During main rest periods the high-ranking horses will lie down leaving no adequatespace for the low-ranking horses In a well-functioning herd the low-ranking horses maywell enter the shelter during different times (wehave observed this behaviour in our groupsseveral times) On the other hand they may wellnot lie down at all preferring to stand near thehigh-ranking horses This can also be frequentlyobserved particularly when there are notenough dominant leaders in the herd so that theherd members do not feel sufficiently safe Horses donrsquot have to lie down daily If they gofor several days without lying down this is

Planning a free range stableinvolves a wealth ofopportunities for creatingnew wildlife habitats It is somuch nicer for horses to livein a healthy environment withbuzzing bees and singingbirds and any amount of silentlittle inhabitants peeking outfrom behind a blade of grass

If this has aroused yourcuriosity and you would liketo construct your own free

range stable for your horsesTanja Romanazzi PhD will behappy to support you withideas and suggestions DrRomaniazzi offers individualfree range stablingconsultation as well as anentire range of books andebooks on a number of topics

Tanja Romanazzi PhD

If you create an effective rest area like thisyoursquoll notice your horses (even the high-ranking ones) preferring that to the shedThey simply arenrsquot cave-dwellers and anoutdoor spot will always afford them a betterview and better escape routes ConclusionOf course the point of this article is not thatyou donrsquot need run-in sheds at all On thecontrary you should always try to make thesheds as horse-friendly as possible Yourhorses need them during longer rainyperiods and to protect them from insects

normal behaviour But these periods should not lasttoo long Horses can sleep standing up but the so-called REM phases which are presumably necessaryfor optimal regeneration can only be achieved lyingdown What can you doYou should try to make any improvements you canfor example creating another entrance to the shedor choosing a different bedding or perhaps movingthe fence or adding dividers But if your shed is really just too small most peoplewonrsquot be able to just build another one And if yoursquorelacking a dominant leader you canrsquot just conjure oneup on of thin air In this case it can be very helpfulto create good outdoor rest areas This should offer an unobstructed view and escaperoutes and should be sheltered from the wind Andhalfway dry soil is an essential requirement So youwill need a surface where the water drains offldquoperfectlyrdquo This might be a natural spot at the edgeof a forest where the trees will provide the requiredshelter An added advantage here is the ldquoleafbeddingrdquo But you can also create a spot in themeadow using a wind screen plastic grids and woodchip or sand footings

Two surfaces are covered with a green compost andwood chip bedding In front of the shed however arethe former stall paddocks with good water drainageand a sandy footing To judge by the impressions onthe ground the horses prefer to sleep in these areas

However adding goodoutdoor rest areas is offar more value to yourhorses than many wouldsuppose Moreoverlarge outdoor rest areasare generally easier toconstruct for moststable owners than anideal shed would be

Books by DrRomanazzi

Planning a free range stableinvolves a wealth ofopportunities for creatingnew wildlife habitats It is somuch nicer for horses to livein a healthy environment withbuzzing bees and singingbirds and any amount of silentlittle inhabitants peeking outfrom behind a blade of grass

If this has aroused yourcuriosity and you would liketo construct your own free

range stable for your horsesTanja Romanazzi PhD will behappy to support you withideas and suggestions DrRomaniazzi offers individualfree range stablingconsultation as well as anentire range of books andebooks on a number of topics

Tanja Romanazzi PhD

If you create an effective rest area like thisyoursquoll notice your horses (even the high-ranking ones) preferring that to the shedThey simply arenrsquot cave-dwellers and anoutdoor spot will always afford them a betterview and better escape routes ConclusionOf course the point of this article is not thatyou donrsquot need run-in sheds at all On thecontrary you should always try to make thesheds as horse-friendly as possible Yourhorses need them during longer rainyperiods and to protect them from insects

normal behaviour But these periods should not lasttoo long Horses can sleep standing up but the so-called REM phases which are presumably necessaryfor optimal regeneration can only be achieved lyingdown What can you doYou should try to make any improvements you canfor example creating another entrance to the shedor choosing a different bedding or perhaps movingthe fence or adding dividers But if your shed is really just too small most peoplewonrsquot be able to just build another one And if yoursquorelacking a dominant leader you canrsquot just conjure oneup on of thin air In this case it can be very helpfulto create good outdoor rest areas This should offer an unobstructed view and escaperoutes and should be sheltered from the wind Andhalfway dry soil is an essential requirement So youwill need a surface where the water drains offldquoperfectlyrdquo This might be a natural spot at the edgeof a forest where the trees will provide the requiredshelter An added advantage here is the ldquoleafbeddingrdquo But you can also create a spot in themeadow using a wind screen plastic grids and woodchip or sand footings

Two surfaces are covered with a green compost andwood chip bedding In front of the shed however arethe former stall paddocks with good water drainageand a sandy footing To judge by the impressions onthe ground the horses prefer to sleep in these areas

However adding goodoutdoor rest areas is offar more value to yourhorses than many wouldsuppose Moreoverlarge outdoor rest areasare generally easier toconstruct for moststable owners than anideal shed would be

Books by DrRomanazzi