May 2008 Paddock Paper

Northern New Mexico Horsemen's Association

President’s Message
At this time of year we all are looking forward to being horseback and enjoying the great summers here in Northern New Mexico. It is also the time of year for the young people to get out of school. I picked up my copy of Horseman’s Voice and felt a great deal of pride! On the cover was a young horsewoman well known to all of us in NNMHA. Kelli Younker, now a senior at New Mexico State University, adorned many of our shows as she was growing up. Four years ago we awarded her our scholarship. Now here she is a team captain for the NCAA varsity equestrian riding team. So, take pride in our association when you see these young horsemen continuing their love for horses and making something of themselves. Kelli will always be “One of Ours”. We congratulate her and her family for making us proud to have helped in even a small way.

Eldon

 

Meeting Minutes and Announcements

  • Saturday May 10th we will have a work day at the NNMHA grounds beginning at 10:00. Please bring tools to repair stalls. If we’re not finished by noon we will have a pizza lunch.
  • Equine Evacuation and Rescue will have a meeting on May 12th at Santa Fe Posse headquarters (next to Chavez Center) to update the plan. Forms are available for anyone interested in signing up as a transporter or to volunteer at the NNMHA grounds for evacuations.
  • There will be a Dressage Show on June 8th at the NNMHA grounds. Arena volunteers are needed.
  • We will be renting stalls for the Rodeo de Santa Fe. Volunteers are needed for all days of the Rodeo, June 24 – 28.
  • There will be NO JUNE MEETING.
  • Eldon is assisting in pre-planning of the Equine Evacuation Plan for the Four Corners area.
  • Eldon and Karen have been asked to be on the review group for new state regulations for the Horse Shelter.
  • Eldon is working with Area 3 Agriculture Security Planning and is attending the all day meetings to write the plan. He is staying involved because equine evacuation is not a high priority. Mostly the group has been working on events related to terrorism.
  • The Board has approved Nick Martinez as a Life Member. Nick replaced the office trailer roof and has been a valuable support to the Association.
  • The tractor that we use on the grounds will not start. Eldon will be looking into getting it looked at by a mechanic or possibly trading it in for a more reliable one. If not fixed or replaced we may need to rent one to take care of the arena for the upcoming events.
  • The scholarship deadline is coming up but may need to be extended since we have not received any applicants. Applicants for the $500 scholarship must be related to the horse community.
  • Our first Open Horse Show of the year will be on Sunday, June 15 at the NNMHA grounds. Arena and office volunteers are needed. Let Susan Stanke know if you can help. The theme of the show will be Parade of Horses and there will be an exhibition of various breeds at lunchtime.
  • The Horseman’s Voice wants to do an article on the NNMHA 60th anniversary. If anyone knows previous members who can give info for the article please let Eldon know.
  • Sandy Benson was recognized for her years of dedicated service as Vice President of the Association. Sandy will be presented a pair of personalized spurs at the May meeting.
  • Board Meetings are open to the general membership and are the second Wednesday of the month at the Plaza Southside Cafe.


April Speaker – Extreme Mustang Makeover Contest: Thrills and Spills
Roeliff Annon participated in the Extreme Mustang Makeover Contest and won 11th place out of 100 trainers selected to train wild mustangs. Horses are assigned to their trainers by computer. The trainers have 90 days to train them. then show them at the event. Roeliff believes mustangs are a vital part of our roots. His goal is to make them gentle so they can be productive in the world.

Working with mustangs is different from working with domestic horses because the trainer can’t take anything for granted. Domestic horses have bonded with people and are not usually threatened by them; you have to earn a mustang’s friendship. Domestic horses will tolerate our mistakes but a wild horse may not, so you must approach the horse knowing that. Mustangs are more reactive to human’s reactions. You have to change to meet the horse’s needs. It’s important to not do things to make the horse fearful, that you will have to work out later.

The three day competition includes hand work, trail course and freestyle. After the competition the horses are adopted. Roeliff’s mustang, “Nick”, was a 7 year old. He was very head shy and didn’t want to be touched. Roeliff used food to initiate the bonding process. He got the horse moving as soon as possible to develop the bond more quickly. Roeliff’s brother also works with mustangs and recommended developing a routine with the horse that could be done anywhere. The routine that Roeliff developed was to train the horse to keep his head low and soft wherever they were. This kept “Nick” more relaxed and helped him succeed at the competition.

Roeliff is planning to participate in the 2008 competition which will be held in Fort Worth on September 18-21. He shared the following information regarding adopting mustangs:
• Adoption is a serious commitment that may not pay the dividends that you want.
• Training mustangs takes time.
• Working with wild horses can be very dangerous…
• But it is also a lot of fun.


Ridge Riders
Following is the list of upcoming rides:
5/17 — Dixon Apple Orchard (Cochiti Canyon)
6/7 — Pecos Wilderness Cave Creek
7/19 — Ski Basin Windsor Trail
8/16 — Tesuque Area
9/13 — Rio Grande Gorge
10/18 — Aspen Vista
We usually leave the NNMHA grounds at 9:00 a.m. and caravan to our destination. For more information, contact Matt Guenther at guenthmn@yahoo.com 424-0148


Calendar of Events
Monthly meetings are held the last Wednesday of the month (excluding September and December) at the Plaza South Side Café, 3011 Cerrillos Rd. at 7 p.m. Speaker begins at 7:30 p.m. Good idea to get there by 6:30 if having dinner. For more info contact Eldon or Betsy.

May 28 – Greg Gillespie and Rachel Knorr from The Feed Bin will talk about types of feed and what to consider when selecting a feed. Greg is the manager of the Feed Bin. Rachel has her BA in Equine Science and her masters in Agricultural Education and is a Ranch-Way “feed specialist” and will be the main presenter.

June 25 – No meeting

July 30 – Ruth Bourgeois from the Equine Spirit Sanctuary in Taos will come speak to us about the sanctuary’s programs. ESS began in 2005, but has recently moved to the facility previously used by Dr. Thal. They are working on starting a Therapeutic Riding program this summer and also offer other clinics and programs with the emphasis to be on education and promoting responsible horse ownership, with an overall goal to reduce the need for horse rescue altogether.

August 27 – Speaker TBA

September 24 – No meeting

October 29 – Doug Thal, DVM – Conformation basics as they relate to function – Dr. Thal will discuss the basics of conformation as it relates to lameness and performance. Many breed characteristics have deviated from what is most functional and compatible with soundness. It is important to recognize the basics of sound conformation.

November 26 – Speaker TBA

 

Update on the Proposed Caja del Rio Trail Head and Trails Project
Go to Caja Trails Project to find out the latest on work being done.

 

Other Equine Activities
Be sure to check out the Other Activities Around Town webpage for more fun events to attend.

 

Classifieds
Check out our Classifieds page for boarding opportunities, tack, horses and services.