The 26^th Annual Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity, held annually at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore, Oklahoma, is well underway as the first section of the Billingsley Ford Open, Intermediate Open, Limited Open, and Open Level 1 Futurity began on Wednesday, October 27.

Currently at the top of the Open Futurity leader board is Craig Schmersal and Commanders Wishbone with a 221.5. Commanders Wishbone, by Commanders Nic out of Miss N The Waves, is owned by Sam D Ellis and Tina Ellis.

Sitting in second place in the Open division, and first in the Intermediate Open and Limited Open is Brett Stone and Smoking Whiz, owned by Silver Spurs Equine. Stone and Smoking Whiz, by Topsail Whiz out of Glendas A Smokingun, marked a 220.5 in the preliminary round.

With a 217, Jimmy Van Der Hoeven and Sparkling Bells lead the Open Level 1. Sparkling Bells, owned by Petra Zeitler, is by A Sparkling Vintage and out of Cowboys Belle Bar.

Competition continues on Thursday with the second set of the Billingsley Ford Open Futurity, beginning at 8am. The top 20 plus ties will advance to the clean-slate finals on Saturday, October 30.

All the action of the 2010 SWRHA Futurity can be seen via live feed, thanks to Waltenberry Productions. Just visit the SWRHA website at www.swrha.com and click on the live webcast link.

Built in 1937, the historic Hardy Murphy Coliseum has been a mainstay as an Ardmore tourist attraction. Primarily designed to host horse and livestock shows, recent renovations to the facility have given it the flexibility to host even more events. Along with the space upgrades that allow the facility to stall 500 horses, the addition of air conditioning provides Hardy Murphy with the competitive ability to attract national and regional events. The renovations have resulted in a premier competitive equine facility.

For more information on the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity, or to inquire about the SWRHA, please call 580-759-2572, or visit www.swrha.com.

The National Museum of the Morgan Horse (NMMH) is proud to announce its grand opening in Middlebury, Vermont, at 34 Main Street on Saturday evening, November 6, from 5-8 p.m.  The exhibit, “Representations of the Morgan Horse,” will feature nineteenth and twentieth century oil paintings and bronze sculptures from the museum collection.

Members of the museum council, Vermont dignitaries, and members of the American Morgan Horse Association and the American Morgan Horse Institute will be attending the event. Light refreshments will be served. We look forward to seeing you there!

Beginning November 1, the museum will be open Tuesday through Friday 10-5, and Saturday 11-4. Its  new address is 34 Main Street/P.O. Box 101, Middlebury, Vermont 05753; (802) 388-1639; morganmuseum@myfairpoint.net.

If your horse is going to spend winter outside, inside, or a combination of the two, you will need to work a little bit harder to keep your horse in healthy condition.  Make a plan of action based on your horse’s needs and shop early for supplies that you will need for the winter.

Your horse’s outside environment:

If your horse is going to be outside most of the winter, ensure there is access to a run-in shed/barn to provide shelter against wind, rain, or snow.

Your horse’s inside environment:

Prepare your barn now for what could be a long, cold winter.  Check the mats, footing and/or bedding in your stalls and outside runs. Check your water heaters and de-icers.  Insulate any faucets, hoses or faucets that are exposed to open air. Resist the temptation to close your barn up air-tight, good ventilation is important – even if you have to sacrifice a little bit of temperature to achieve it.

To blanket, or not to blanket:

If you will be riding and working your horse throughout the winter, you may or may not want to do some variation of body clipping.   Any horses that are clipped through the winter will require blanketing as the temperatures fall. 

Beware, horses get warm very easily.  If no one is around to remove blankets mid-day, as the temperatures warm up, do not blanket your horses during the day.  A sweaty horse in the winter is a prelude to a case of colic.  Check any blanketed horses daily for rubs and sores.  Make sure all blankets are 100% water proof.  A damp blanket may actually chill your horse rather than warm it.

Use a blanket with discretion and err on the larger side when buying one for your horse.

Tips for Winter Feeding

• Feed more hay and less grain, substitute two pounds of hay for every pound of grain you decrease in the horse’s daily ration to keep your horse warmer
• Encourage water consumption by offering warm water, or use insulated or heated buckets to keep water at a higher temperature (ideal water temperature is 45 to 65º F), to reduce incidence of impaction colic
• Add salt, mineral supplement or electrolytes to the feed to increase water consumption and reduce impaction colic risk
• Turn the horse out as much as possible, or provide adequate exercise to aid gut motility and prevent colic
• Feed hay off the ground or position the hay net below the horse’s head to aid in nasal and lung drainage and lessen incidence of respiratory problems
• Use a weight tape every 30-60 days to gauge your horses body condition.

An Arabian gelding named Al-Marah Don Quixote (AM Power Raid+++/ x AM Power The Star) was raffled off on Sunday, October 10, on the last day of the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games (WEG). Khloe Case, age 6, daughter of Kendall and Lori Case of Waverly, Ohio, won the gelding after kissing her raffle ticket and telling her mother she knew she’d win.

In addition to the new horse, Khloe won a saddle donated by Kentucky Horse Supply and Circle Y Saddlery, a six month supply of Succeed and 10 bags of Pennfield Feed donated by Brumfield Hay and Grain of Lexington, Ky. Professional Arabian horse trainer Martha Murdock of Martha Murdock Stables in Versailles, Ky., coordinated the Arabian horse activities during WEG.

The 7 year-old gelding was donated by Mrs. Bazy Tankersley of Al-Marah Arabians in Tucson, Ariz., the naming sponsor of the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington. Proceeds from the raffle go to youth programs at the nonprofit Arabian Horse Association (AHA), the official breed organization in Canada and the United States headquartered in Aurora, Colo.

“We’re grateful to Bazy Tankersley, Martha Murdock and all the sponsors that made this possible. Khloe has been taking riding lessons and has two very supportive parents. Khloe and Don Quixote will make an excellent pair,” says AHA President, Lance Walters.

“This horse could not have been won by a better person if you hand picked the winner. Khloe and her new Arabian horse will be an ambassador for our breed for many years to come,” adds AHA board member, Dave Daugherty.

Don Quixote underwent endurance training during the last three months in Norristown, Pa. The gelding was kept at Brumfield Hay and Grain in Lexington on October 8 – 10 where he was available for a “meet and greet” for individuals interested in buying a raffle ticket.

A total of 1,497 raffle tickets were sold. Each ticket purchaser received a Ride Arabians T-shirt and four issues of Modern Arabian Horse magazine.

Tankersley leads the United States in breeding Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses and has registered 2,714 foals during her breeding career. She has produced numerous national champions. Her son Mark Miller brought his Arabian Nights act from Kissimmee, Fl., for breed demonstrations during the last week of WEG.

Buy your next Arabian at MyHorseForSale.com

Economic factors have hit the equine industry hard over the last couple of years. However, good horses are still selling and quality mares are still being bred. Buyers and mare-owners are being more discriminating about their breeding choices than before. So it’s more important than ever to make your stallion stand out!

Statistics have shown & marketing experts agree; businesses who continue to advertise during a down economy emerge stronger and as industry leaders when the economy rebounds! And it looks like things are starting to rebound.

MyHorseForSale.com is doing even more to help promote your stallions.

In addition to our December – April monthly editions we will be sending out a Select Breeders e-newsletter promoting the off spring of your stallions.

The Stallion Edition will also be promoted on our affiliate sites, Email Blast Facebook Twitter Place Your Ad.

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The end of October means Arabian horses in Tulsa, Oklahoma. About 1,750 of the world’s finest Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian show horses will visit Expo Square, Oct. 22-30, 2010, for the U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals). U.S. Nationals is the flagship competition for the Arabian horse industry and is produced by the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, Colo.

The Show

The nine-day show is the grand finale of the Arabian horse national show season, which also includes Youth Nationals, Canadian Nationals and Sport Horse Nationals. U.S. Nationals hosts 134 classes across several disciplines, including English, mounted native costume, pleasure driving, reining, halter, working cow, hunter and western pleasure. In 2009, 2,789 entries from 45 states and six Canadian provinces made for great competition, filling each of the nine days.

There is a session beginning at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily, three arenas run simultaneously. The last two evenings of the show often offer the best of the best as competitors have worked all week to make their cuts and have the opportunity to show in class finals.

The Shopping

When they’re not in the ring, exhibitors and spectators can enjoy the U.S. Nationals Shopping Expo, located in the Exchange Center at Expo Square. The Shopping Expo offers 22,000 square feet of equine lifestyle vendors that offer everything from jewelry, tack and furniture, to small gifts and fine art. Vendors will be open for shopping on the east end of the Exchange Center starting on Oct. 18 from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. The entire Exchange Center will be open for business, Oct. 22-30 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Fashion Show

On Oct. 27, the public has a chance to see the best of what each Shopping Expo vendor has to offer at the AHA/Iron Horse Jeans U.S. Nationals Fashion Show, which will take place in the Exchange Center at 5 p.m. Come join the fun as U.S. National exhibitors don their favorite riding and lifestyle attire on the runway.

Judging Contest

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the nationally accredited Arabian Horse Youth Judging Contest where youth judging teams across three divisions: 4-H/FFA, Jr. AHA and Sr. AHA/Collegiate, practice to fill one of the most respected positions in our industry. The contest awards youth contestants over $10,000 in scholarships and prizes annually.

For Kids and Families of the Community

AHA will put on a program called Total Arabian Interaction and Learning (TAIL), Oct. 25. TAIL is designed specifically for kids who are unfamiliar with horses and would benefit from a behind the scenes tour of the show with a knowledgeable tour guide. Each tour lasts about two hours and will include the chance to meet an Arabian up-close-and-personal. To make a reservation for a tour, email Hilary Nixon at hilary.nixon@arabianhorses.org before Oct. 22.

Admission

Admission is free for the Ford Truck Arena, Mustang Arena and Shopping Expo for the duration of the show. Tickets are required for Oct. 28-30 in the Pavilion and can be purchased in the ticket office at the southwest corner of the Pavilion or at www.exposquare.com. General admission is $10, students and seniors are $7.50, kids 12 and under are free.

AHA is a major equine association serving 33,000 members across North America. It registers and maintains a database of more than one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses and administers approximately $3 million in annual prize money. AHA produces championship events, recognizes close to 600 Arabian horse shows and distance rides and provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership. For information about Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, call 303-696-4500, e-mail info@ArabianHorses.org or visit ArabianHorses.org

This week the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the H-2B program.

The H-2B program is used by members of the horse industry, principally horse trainers and owners who cannot find American workers to fill semi-skilled jobs at racetracks, horse shows, fairs and in similar non-agricultural activities.

Proposed Rule

The proposed rule would change the way wage rates are calculated for H-2B workers. While new rules governing the H-2B program went into effect January 18, 2009 no changes were made at that time to the manner in which the wage rate was calculated for H-2B workers.

The DOL has stated this proposed rule is in response to the August 30th ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that the current regulations governing the H-2B prevailing wage rate violate the Administrative Procedure Act.
Currently, employers are required to pay H-2B and American workers recruited in connection with an H-2B job application either the prevailing wage, the federal minimum wage, the state minimum wage or the local minimum wage whichever is highest. The proposed rule would make changes to the manner in which the prevailing wage is determined.

The proposed rule would base the prevailing wage on the highest of the following:

• Wages established under an agreed-upon collective bargaining agreement.
• A wage rate established under the Davis-Bacon Act or the Service Contract Act for that occupation in the area of intended employment.
• The arithmetic mean wage rate established by the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage survey for that occupation in the area of intended   employment.

The proposed rule removes use of a four-tier wage structure tied to skill levels that is currently an option for calculating the prevailing wage.  It also eliminates use of employer provided wage surveys.

Comments on the proposed rule are due on November 4th. The complete proposed rule can be found by visiting this link.

The American Horse Council is currently reviewing and determining the impact the proposed rule will have on the horse industry and will submit comments to the DOL.

If you have any questions please contact the AHC.

5 Tips for selling your horse in today’s economy.  It’s not has hard as you may think it is!

1) Keep your contact information current. We receive phone calls and emails every day from frustrated buyers because the seller has a typo in the email address or doesn’t answer their emails.

2) Include a phone number on your ad — many times buyers prefer to call instead of email, especially if a buyer is seriously interested in your horse!

3) Take clear photos of your horse standing, saddled and unsaddled as well as in action shots doing what he/she does best.  If your horse is a jumper, show him in a clean jump over fences. If he’s a reining horse, show that sliding stop! If you have a trail horse show them walking through water of on the trail.

4) Include a video with your ad.  Showing video of your horse keeps prospective buyers on your ad longer which increases your opportunity to sell your horse.   By creating a video and attaching it to your ad, buyers are able to see the horse in motion, and get a better sense of whether or not it would fit their needs.

5) Content (text about the horse) Make sure that your text information is accurate and true about the horse.  Highlight his/her good points. Make sure your photo tell the same story as your pictures.  If you have a Western pleasure horse.. make sure some of your photos show the horse in a western saddle.