the leadline - natrc region 1 · sec: sherry lindley (530) 432-6513 [email protected] june 16-17...

The Leadline Fall / Winter 2011

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In This Issue.…

TheLeadline

Fall / Winter 2011

The Voice of NATRC Region 1 Competitive Trail Riding

www.natrcregion1.org

The Region One Board of Directors welcomes you all into a new year, anew ride season. We’re starting off with an exciting national / regionalconvention. Region 2 is hosting NATRC’s National Convention in conjunctionwith the AERC convention in Reno March 8-12. The NATRC National Boardof Directors meeting will be on Thursday, March 8. Guests are welcome toattend. AERC has lined up an excellent slate of speakers on Friday andSaturday. NATRC is hosting the music and dancing Friday evening. NATRC’snational awards banquet will be Saturday evening, and our Region 1 awardsbreakfast will be Sunday morning. The huge and wonderful vendor tradeshow on Friday and Saturday is always a highlight at AERC’s convention.Watch for National Convention information in Hoof Print and onwww.natrc.org. A registration form for our awards breakfast is included in thisissue and will be posted on our own website, www.natrcregion1.org.

We’re excited that two of our favorite rides are returning this year, Ft. Ordin Monterey and Georgetown. If you aren’t planning to compete, both of theserides as well as any of our other rides will have plenty of volunteer opportuni-ties for you. This is a great way for you to be involved and give something backto the sport that has given so much to you. Our great rides don’t “just happen.”They are a real labor of love and take a true team effort. These teams havepositions open for ride secretaries, pre-ride timers and trail markers, qualifiedsafety riders, point riders, riders to take down post-ride ribbons, P&R teams,ride timers, raffle organizers, meal chairmen, cooks, awards chairmen,judges’ secretaries, point checkers after the ride, camp set-up and clean-up.Figure out which of these jobs has your name on it, contact any of the R1 BODor the individual ride manager, and come join us for a wonderful weekend ofproductive camping.

Be sure to renew your membership, pick up your reins (literally orfiguratively), and Come Ride With Us.

Your R1 BOD,

Linda Thomason, Phil Young, Jim Ferris, Angie Meroshnekoff,Steve Meroshnekoff, Stephanie Swain,

Gene Boicelli, Laura Harvey, and Jamie Dieterich

Message From theRegion 1 Board of Directors

From Your Editor 2

Reg. 1 BOD Vacancies 3

To All Swanton Riders 3

Tentative Ride Schedule 3

NBOD Meeting Report 4

NATRC Nat’l Convention 5

Award Sponsors Needed 5

The WHY of In-Hand Presentations 6

2011 Region 1 Point Standings 7

Awards BreakfastRegistration 8

Ride Results 9

Saddle Pads 10

How Many Horses… 13

2012 Raffle Information 14

NATRC Membership Form 15

ELECTION RESULTSPhil Young was elected as your

Alternate National Boardrepresentative.

Thanks for voting!


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Region One Board of DirectorsChairman:

(530) 283-3221 [email protected]

Board Treasurer &Alt. Nat’l BOD:Phil Young

(530) 432-6513 [email protected]

Recording Secretary:Stephanie Swain

(707) 528-2775 [email protected] Secretary:

Linda Thomason(510) 651-9470 [email protected]

National BOD Rep.:Jamie Dieterich

(530) 836-1075 [email protected] BOD Rep.:

Jim Ferris

Regional Board Member:Laura Harvey

(916) 689-1631 [email protected] Board Member:

Gene Boicelli(925) 672-649 [email protected]

Regional Board Member:Steve Meroshnekoff

(707) 743-9973 [email protected] Board Member:

Angie Meroshnekoff(707) 743-9973 [email protected]

CommitteesRegion One Points & Membership

Jim Ferris(530) 432-6513 [email protected]

Wonder Worker RecruitmentSteve Meroshnekoff

(707) 743-9973 [email protected] Leadline Editor

Laurie Knuutila(907) 378-9190 [email protected]

Publicity / OutreachLinda Thomason

(510) 651-9470 [email protected]/Clinic Coordinator

Jamie Dieterich(530) 836-1075 [email protected]

HistorianKathy Nixon

(530) 283-9336Trails Advocacy Rep.

Judy Etheridge(925) 862-0232 [email protected]

National NATRC Exec. AdministratorLaurie DiNatale

(303) 688-1677 [email protected] Print Editor

Kelly Carper [email protected]

NATRC Home Page: www.NATRC.orgCTR Listserve info: [email protected]

See www.natrc.org for National Board,Committees, and Secretaries

Linda Thomason(510) 651-9470 [email protected]

From Your Editor . . .Because of space constraints

in the print edition of the Leadline,I have had to suspend putting in mytwo cents worth for the last fewissues. But with the launch of theexpanded on-line version, I canonce again send you my greetingsand fill you in on a few things goingon in my world.

My goal with this expandedissue is to be able to provide youwith more information and articlesthat I hope will prove helpful in yourendeavours to compete in NATRCrides. There is so much informationout there to sort through, so I’mworking on doing a little of that foryou. I hope you like my choices.Your input is always welcome.

With this expanded issue,there is also more room for ridestories and photos. This is whereyou come in. I can’t write storiesabout rides I haven’t attended, soI’m relying on you for that. Youwere there, you had an experience,and you can write it down. Don’tworry about your sentence struc-ture, grammar, or any of that. Be-tween myself and the team whohelps me put this newsletter to-gether, we can make you soundlike an English language major! So

send me your stories about all thegreat rides you’ve attended, or in-teresting experiences you’ve hadon the trail. Did you read AngieMeroshnekoff’s article on the Re-gion 1 website about finding a lakein the desert? A simple story abouta simple thing, but I loved it, andI’m sure others will love your sto-ries too!

Winter has arrived here in theFar North, but I’m continuing to ridemy furry critters. Just the other dayI had a great ride through thesnowy woods on my five year oldmare. The breeze kicked up andthe snow was falling from the treesin great white cascades. My ever-curious mare was fascinated by itall and when we emerged from thewoods, we looked like an abomina-ble snow person/horse! That’s heron a slightly warmer day in thephoto below.

That’s it for now, but pleaseremember that this is YOUR news-letter, not mine, and I’m relying onyou for input. Don’t let me down!

I’m planning on seeing every-one in Reno in March. Until then…

Laurie KnuutilaFairbanks, Alaska

Laurie Knuutila and Rowdy’s Ribbons N Lace,a registered Half Arabian mare. Photo taken October 2011

Photo by Tony Knuutila


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Tis the season to be a jolly goodBoard Member!!

Actually, Christmas is over. Howev-er, our upcoming Region 1 meeting/awards breakfast in Reno is wherecurrent Region 1 members get tovote to fill the two Region 1 Boardseats that will be available. Ordinar-ily, anyone wishing to be nominatedto run for one of those 3-year seatsneeds to submit a short résumé tothe R1 Recording Secretary (Steph-anie Swain) prior to January 1. How-ever, because it makes more senseto distribute this issue in January inorder to include all the latest infor-mation, the deadline for submittingrésumés has been extended until

January 31st. Stephanie’s contactinformation is in the Roster and inthis issue.

The health of our organization re-quires the regular addition of newfaces to the BOD to get new energyand ideas. If you would like to giveback to our sport and could considerdevoting some time and energy toparticipating in its management(there are only 4 regular meetingseach year), please consider submit-ting your résumé for consideration.Santa will put you on his good list fornext year!!

Region 1 Board of Directors Vacancies

May 5 Mt. Diablo Clayton, CA “B” O/N/CP Ellen Pofcher (925) 672-3733 [email protected] Sec: Mary Christopherson (925) 252-0269 [email protected]

May 19 Hoof Trek Ft. Ord, CA “B” O/N/CP Donna Stidolph (831) 427-3646 [email protected] Sec: Betty Young (530) 283-3221 [email protected]

June 2 Cowboy Camp Williams, CA “B” O/N/CP Jean Armer (530) 755-8301 [email protected] Sec: Sherry Lindley (530) 432-6513 [email protected]

June 16-17 Round Valley Regional Park Brentwood, CA “A” O/CP; “B” N LIMIT 45Gene Boicelli (925) 672-6491 [email protected]

Sec: TBA

July 21-22 Bald Mountain Butt Busters Wasilla, AK “A” O/CP; “B” N Stefanie Bergman (907) 350-4046 [email protected] Sec: Jenny Daniels (907) 315-3307 [email protected]

July 21 Georgetown NATRC Georgetown, CA “B” O/N/CP Laura Harvey (916) 689-1631 [email protected] Sec: TBA

Aug 18-19 Jackson Forest Ft. Bragg “A” O/CP; “B” N Steve Meroshnekoff (707) 743-9973 [email protected] Sec: Maria Pilgrim (707) 795-8163 [email protected]

Region 1 2012 Tentative Ride Schedule

TO ALL THOSE WHO EVERRODE SWANTON!!

My request in the last issue ofLeadline for stories and memories ofEmma McCrary and the Swanton Rideapparently fell on mostly deaf ears. Ihave only received write-ups from eightpeople!! I know how much Emma andher wonderful ride meant to 35 years ofriders, so why aren’t more of you shar-ing those memories? Write-ups can beshort or long, funny or touching, frommany years ago or of more recent vin-tage. But without enough content, therecan’t be a booklet.

PLEASE sit down and put yourthoughts on paper and send them tome. I realize everyone is in the midst ofholiday preparations so I have extend-ed the deadline to Feb. 1st. Pleaseemail them to [email protected] orsnail mail to Betty Young, 674 La PorteRoad, Quincy CA, 95971.

Having a booklet of memorieswould be one small way to acknowl-edge Emma’s contributions over allthose years.


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The National BOD Meeting was heldin Denver, CO November 12, 2011. Ja-mie Dieterich and Jim Ferris attended torepresent Region 1. Phil Young is thenewly elected Alternate.

Business of NATRC: In the wordsof Elaine Swiss, R4, NATRC Treasurer,we continue to face significant financialchallenges. Those challenges affectnearly every aspect of our organization.Our shortfall as of the end of Septemberwas $12,000.

Key factors:� Although our membership numbershave remained about the same, incomefrom memberships is up slightly from lastyear due to the increase in dues.� Ride revenues (rider fees) are downbecause ride attendance in every region,except Region 5, was down. Ride atten-dance is more important to our overallfinancial health than is membership. Weknow at a regional level that ride atten-dance is critical to ride managers.� Every year each Region definestheir own revenue goals for the new yearbased on number of rides, number ofcompetitors, and numbers of members.Region 1’s goal for a 1% growth was tohave 7 rides in 2011, 31 competitors perride, and 155 members. We exceeded ourmembership goal but fell short on the oth-ers.� Elaine single-handedly has contract-ed $9500 from 17 vendors this year. Thisfigure could be even more if she had justone more person helping her.� The Machu Picchu Raffle income isover $3000 and showing a profit.� Donations are down.What can you do to help?� Renew your membership; get afriend to join� Compete in a ride; get a friend to ridewith you

� Help secure national sponsors; thereare many just waiting to be asked� Buy raffle tickets (contact yourNBOD representatives or go towww.natrc.org)� Make an unrestricted donation toNATRC� Tell your family that when you die,you would like donations to go to NATRC� Think about a donation to NATRC inyour estate plan

Partnering (mutual promotion) withother organizations is a way to potentiallyincrease rider numbers. There are co-marketing possibilities with AERC, Rideand Tie, non-profit Trail Trial/Challengeorganizations (ETI (R2), CSHA (R1) andTTC (R4) to name just a few), 4-H, FFA,Pony Clubs and all breed associations.

Laurie DiNatale, our Executive Ad-ministrator, offered to decrease her hoursand salary. The BOD agreed that a na-tional organization needs a national of-fice, and that this was not a good place tomake cuts.

Hoof Print/ Media Advisory: HoofPrint is our second largest expense. Wehave solicited bids for design and printingfor 2012. We are making a transition touse our electronic media more efficiently.More content will be on the website anddistributed through E-News. For 2012,the print version will still be available onrequest. In 2013, the print version willbe available by paid subscription.

Sanction Report: Patsy Conner: 49rides in 2011, + 4 canceled (50 in 2010)

Marketing/ Publicity: Bev Roberts:Free publicity in 18 publications, websitesand radio shows from articles membershave submitted and from our own pressreleases. There are 527 subscribers onE-News. All regions have a Facebookpage.

Drug Testing: Jerry Weil, DVM: Nopositive drug tests in 2011.

Trail Advocacy: Erin Glassmanrepresented NATRC at the SoutheasternEquestrian Trail Conference and hasmade several contacts on our behalf.

Judges Committee: Boyd Emond,DVM, R3 was approved as a judge.Horsemanship Co-Chair, Patsy Conner,has added a mentoring process to thehorsemanship judge apprenticeship. R3will be testing the use of an electronicscorecard.

Rule Changes Passed: (1) Ridersmust use a saddle and headgear withattached reins. (2) The final wordingfor the penalty phase for the new drugrule was passed.

Safety Committee: Larry Gould:Several education programs are launch-ing in 2012 under Larry's leadership, in-cluding Safety Chair letters that PattiHicks (R4) is distributing for each ride,plus a 20-minute Power Point Safety sem-inar on safety riders that is available for allregional conventions. Please contact Ja-mie Dieterich for details.

2011 National Convention will beheld in Reno, NV March 8-11, 2012 inconjunction with AERC. See details inHoof Print and at www.natrc.org. Thetheme is “It Takes Two.”

Old Business: GoTo Webinar: Jimwill distribute materials to all NBOD mem-bers that will help educate users to bestuse this media.

Respectfully submitted,

Jamie DieterichR1 Ride Coordinator, National BOD,

Information and Education CommitteeJudges Committee, Media AdvisoryBoard, and Policies and Procedures

Highlights From the NationalBoard of Directors Meeting

November 2011

THE LEADLINE is the official publication of Region One of the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC). The Leadline is published three timesper year and mailed or emailed to all NATRC Region One members. It is available by subscription to non-Region One members at $8 per year. Issuescontain updated information from Region One committees, ride results, point standings, minutes of board meetings, and the current Region One rideschedule. Send subscription requests and payments (made out to NATRC Region One) to Phil Young, 674 La Porte Rd, Quincy, CA 95971.Contributions are welcome and may be sent to Laurie Knuutila, 455 Ream Lane, Fairbanks, AK or email to [email protected]. NATRC RegionOne and The Leadline do not necessarily endorse or support the opinions expressed in printed articles or advertisements. The Editor reserves the rightto edit material as necessary. No letters to the Editor will be printed if not signed. NATRC and the staff of The Leadline are not responsible for errors

Deadlines:Spring issue -Submission: April 15; Publication: May 1Summer issue –Submission: August 1; Publication: Aug. 15Fall/Winter issue –Submission: Dec 15; Publication: Jan. 1

Advertising rates per issue:Full page—$40

Half page—$20 Quarter page—$10

Classified ads are free to Region One members in good standing, one per issue, up to 30 words. Ads may be emailed, or hard copies mailed to theEditor can be scanned as submitted. Send ads to the Editor and make checks payable to NATRC Region One.


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Thursday, March 8 NATRC National Board of Directors Meeting. Guests welcome.

Fri., Sat, March 9, 10 Huge, wonderful trade show.Free admission. Educational

speakers. Requires advanceregistration.

Sat., March 10 – eve. NATRC National Awards Banquet

Sun., March 11 – morn. Region 1 Awards Breakfast

NATRC Student Loan Program

Student loans are available up to$5,000 per person /year, at the discre-tion of the NATRC National Board ofDirectors, after proper application hasbeen submitted. Preference will be giv-en to a full-time student who has been amember of NATRC or whose family hasbeen an active member for at leastthree years. Consideration will also begiven to a student or a student’s familywho has been an active member ofNATRC for less than three years butmore than six months.

For more details and an applica-tion, please go to www.natrc.org.

Award Sponsors NeededYear-End awards are just around the

corner with the 2012 Region 1 AwardsBreakfast in Reno coming up. Pleaseconsider supporting your region by spon-soring an Award. Your donations help R1to continue giving high quality Year-Endawards.

The cost of sponsoring an award is:

§ $100 for a First place Horse or Horse-manship for each of the 7 classes (atotal of 14 awards). These awardstypically consist of a high qualityblanket for the horse and a jacket forthe rider, or something equivalent.

§ $50 per class for ribbons, Horse orHorsemanship. A total of 14 ribbonsets.

§ Classes available for sponsorship are:Open HWT, Open LWT, Open JR,Novice HWT, Novice LWT, NoviceJR & Competitive Pleasure.

§ $65 for a Special Memorial award.These include: Bob Smith perpetualaward (High Point First YearNovice/CP horse); Fran & Carol Du-port Memorial award (High PointFirst Year Open horse); Pat ErsepkeMemorial Award (High Point NoviceHorse/Rider Combination); and theMax Barmettler Region 1 Lifetime

award (Outstanding service to Re-gion 1).

Any other donations in the amount ofyour choice will, of course, be gratefullyaccepted. You might even consider get-ting together with someone to sponsor aclass or memorial award together. Con-tact Betty Young at 530-283-3221 formore information or to reserve a particularaward. Mail your donations, specifyingyour first and second choice of awardsthat you wish to sponsor to: Phil Young,674 La Porte Road, Quincy, CA 95971.

Thank you in advance for your sup-port of Region 1.

Condolences

Tom Kasovich, a longtime memberof Region 1 and helper at so manyrides, passed away on November 19.Tom loved playing golf, gardening,cooking, reading--most of all-spendingtime with his family, his dogs, and al-though he didn't ride, he enjoyed caringfor the horses, especially feeding themapples and carrots. Tom made it possi-ble for his wife Nancy to pursue her lifewith horses, whether judging or com-peting, supporting her in every way.

Linda Thomason’s mother, FayeTrejo, lost her battle with pancreaticcancer in December. Linda cared forher right up to the end.

Our hearts go out to both Nancyand Linda.


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TheWHYOf

In-HandPresentations

By Laurie Knuutila

When participating in acompetitive trail ride,

competitors may lose points on theirhorsemanship cards because of theway they present their horses in-handto the veterinary judge. So I thought thata discussion of the WHY’s of the in-hand presentation might be in order tohelp riders understand more clearlywhy they lose those points.

There may be a notion amongsome riders that they cannot do well atthe in-hand presentation because theyare not “showmen” and are not interest-ed in “showing off” their horse. But thein-hand presentation is less about“showing” and more about safety andpresenting your horse to his best ad-vantage. During the in-hand presenta-tion, the horsemanship judge isobserving how safely and effectively thehorse is presented to the vet. An effec-tive presentation is one in which thehandler presents the horse in such away as to make it easy for the vet judgeto determine the horse’s condition andsoundness. The “showman” part is de-termined by how much the handlercares about the impression the horsemakes on the judge. So let’s get into theWHY’s.

Why not stand directly in front ofyour horse during the vet exam?Safety. If the horse should bolt forward,you would be stepped on, possiblyknocked down.

Why keep your lead line figure eightfashion in your hand? Safety. If yourhorse pulls away from you, your handwill not be trapped in loops of line andpossibly crushed.

Why stay on the same side of thehorse as the vet judge? Safety. You

are better able to prevent the horsefrom stepping on the vet judge if youstay on the same side. This same prin-ciple also applies to your farrier and vetwhen you are at home.

Why turn your horse away from youwhen preparing to trot out for thevet? Safety. You are less likely to getstepped on when you are pushing thehorse away from you, rather than pull-ing him toward you.

Why keep two hands on your leadline at all times? Safety. If the horsejerks away from you and you only haveone hand on the line, there is now aloose horse running rampant throughcamp.

Why trot away from the vet judge ina straight line? Effective presentation.It’s much easier for the vet judge toobserve your horse’s movement whenhe’s being trotted straight away and notweaving left and right or moving at anangle to the judge.

When trotting out, why keep someslack in your lead line? Effective pre-sentation. If you keep tension on yourhorse’s head while attempting to trothim in-hand, you can actually make himappear lame.

Why not look back at your horsewhile trying to get him to trot? Safetyand effective presentation. You reallyneed to be looking where you are goingto avoid tripping. Looking back at thehorse will cause him to hesitate andpossibly not trot at all. If you look whereyou are going and expect him to followyou, more often than not, he will. Asmartly trotting horse is what the judgeneeds to see to determine soundness.

Why keep the horse’s head next toyour shoulder while trotting out?Safety and effective presentation.Keeping him up beside you will preventyou from being stepped on. And keep-ing him beside you will allow the vetjudge to observe how the horse movesand not how you move. If he’s directlybehind you, all the vet will see is youand not him.

Why stop your horse before begin-ning your circles? Safety. A momen-

tary halt will allow you to prepare bothyourself and your horse to start the cir-cles.

Why make big circles instead ofsmall ones? Effective presentation.Small circles can make even a soundhorse look lame. Large circles will allowthe horse to move out better and givethe judge a better look.

Why stop your horse (even if onlymomentarily) when changing direc-tion? Safety and effective presentation.Allowing the horse to suddenly spinaround at the end of a lunge line and gothe opposite direction is hard on thehorse’s legs. Stopping him before al-lowing him to go the opposite directionprotects those valuable legs and keepsyou in control of your horse’s actions.

Why stop several feet away from thevet judge when trotting back tohim/her? Safety. The vet judge reallyfrowns upon being run over or eventhinking that he/she is about to be runover.

There is much more to the in-hand presentation than simply “show-ing” your horse. Presenting him safelyand effectively begins with training andpractice at home. You can’t expect himto know what it is you want him to do atthe ride if you haven’t schooled him onit at home. It is absolutely necessary toschool and practice these “boring” skillsat home. Safe horse handling should, inreality, be practiced every time you han-dle your horse. Presenting your horsesafely and effectively to the vet judge isthe first (and arguably the most impor-tant) phase of doing a ride. Without avet check, a horse cannot start the ride,and an effective presentation makes iteasier for the vet judge to determinethat your horse is well-behaved, soundand fit to do the distance.


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Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts. Mls 1st Yr Pl Rider Pts Mls

1 OM El Shakeeb Dream / Arab Dillard, Joe 46 120 1 Dillard, Ashley 46 120

2 La Paloma Dream / Arab Dillard, Ashley 34 120 * 2 Dillard, Joe 34 120

3 Lady Tigers Hysyn / Grad Schlerf, Haley 17 60 3 Schlerf, Haley 20 60

4 MJ Abiad Amir / Arab Ferris, Jim 16 60 4 Lieberknecht, Kay 19 80

5 Lakota / Grad Lieberknecht, Kay 14 80 * 5 Ferris, Jim 16 60

6 Huck Finn / Grad Frey, Ute S. 4 40 * 6 Frey, Ute S. 9 40

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts. Mls 1st Yr Pl. Rider Pts Mls

1 Blue Camel / Grade Brown, Doug 18 60 * 1 Harvey, Laura 17 80

2 Tango Sierra / M-FX Harvey, Laura 15 80 2 Pimentel, Joe 9 40

3 Laarkin / Arab Brown, Tammy 12 40 3 Berlitz, Barbara 8 40

3 Tuscany / H-Ar Berlitz, Barbara 12 40 * 3 Brown, Tammy 8 40

5 Kodi / Grade Pimentel, Joe 10 40 *


1 Sierra Sunshine / Arab Stidolph, Donna 27 100 1 Stidolph, Donna 20 100

2 SC Tecka / Arab York, Debbie 9 40 * 2 York, Debbie 9 40


1 Kaylee / H-Ar Johnson, Carlie 15 80 1 Johnson, Carlie 20 80

2 Barash, Ace 6 40


1 Take-A-Walkaloosa / Appy Hess, Lucie 22 180 * 1 Hess, Lucie 23 180

2 Stealth Knight / H-Ar Boicelli, Vicki 19 120 2 Boicelli, Vicki 15 120

3 Tura Lura / Othr Cannon, Linda 12 120 3 Cannon, Linda 14 120


1 Desert Reinbeau / Must Meroshnekoff, Angela 26 150 1 Meroshnekoff, Angela 17 150

2 Pimentel, Michelle 8 60

2011 Region 1 Year End Point StandingsThe results listed below are preliminary. If you have any questions or note any errors, please contact Jim Ferris at 530-432-6513 or [email protected].

Competitive Pleasure - Horse

Novice Heavyweight - Horse

Novice Lightweight - Horse

Novice Junior - Horse

Open Heavyweight - Horse

Open Lightweight - Horse

Competitive Pleasure - Rider

Novice Heavyweight - Rider

Novice Lightweight - Rider

Novice Junior - Rider

Open Heavyweight - Rider

Open Lightweight - Rider

continued on next page . . .


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Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 La Paloma Dream / Arab Dillard, Ashley 801 OM El Shakeeb Dream / Arab Dillard, Joe 803 Lakota / Grad Lieberknecht, Kay 33

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 Tango Sierra / M-FX Harvey, Laura 32

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 Sierra Sunshine / Arab Stidolph, Donna 47

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 Kaylee / H-Ar Johnson, Carlie 35

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 Take-A-Walkloosa / Appy Hess, Lucie 452 Stealth Knight / H-Ar Boicelli, Vicki 34

Pl. Horse / Breed Rider Pts.1 Desert Reinbeau / Must Meroshnekoff, Angela 43

2011 Region 1 Year End Point Standings - Con’tCompetitive Pleasure - Combined

Novice Heavyweight - Combined

Novice Lightweight - Combined

Novice Junior - Combined

Open Heavyweight - Combined

Open Lightweight - Combined

Region 1 Awards BreakfastRegistration Form

8:30 A.M. Sunday, March 11, 2012Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Reno, Nevada

Breakfast includes: Scrambled eggs, served with ham, breakfast potatoes, assorted pastries,orange juice, coffee, decaf and tea.

NAME___________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________________________________________________________

PHONE__________________________________________________________________________________________

EMAIL:___________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL GUESTS:______________________________________________________________________________

_________ @ $17/each ____________

TOTAL: $____________

Please send your R1 Breakfast Awards Registration to Phil Young, 674 La Porte Rd., Quincy, CA 95971.

Must be received by March 1, 2012Full convention registration will be in the Winter Hoof Print. Watch www.natrc.org for updated information.

Get NATRC E-NewsNATRC E-News is the official elec-

tronic communication channel of our or-ganization. E-News is asubscriber-based electronic marketingsoftware from Constant Contact.

With E-News, you can receiveelectronic announcements on upcomingNATRC rides and clinics, new sponsorsand special offers, NATRC promotionsand contests, and general NATRC infor-mation including details on rules changesand proposals as well as regional andnational Board minutes in a timely man-ner by subscribing now.

To begin receiving NATRC E-News, simply go to the NATRC website(http://www.natrc.org), click on“Join/Renew” along the top, then select“Join NATRC E-News.” After you aredirected to the E-News sign-up page, youcan choose to receive a variety of differ-ent types of announcements.

If you would like to send NATRCinformation to all subscribers or just spe-cific regions, contact Bev Roberts([email protected]) or the National of-fice ([email protected]) for help to putyour announcement on the officialNATRC electronic communication chan-nel.


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Ride ResultsResults not official until posted at www.natrc.org

Jackson Forest A8/20-21/2011 Region 1-CAA-O/N/CP Total Riders: 14Chair: Steve MerosnekoffJudges: Carol Meschter, DVM, Jamie DieterichNovice Sweepstakes: Sierra Sunshine/Stidolph, Donna-97Open Sweepstakes:

Desert Reinbeau/Meroshnekoff, Angie-98

Open Heavyweight1/1 Take-A-Walkaloosa/Hess, Lucie2/2 Tura Lura/Cannon, Linda

Open Lightweight1/1 Desert Reinbeau/Meroshnekoff, Angie

Novice Heavyweight1/1 Tango Sierra/Harvey, Laura

Novice Lightweight1/1 Sierra Sunshine/Stidolph, Donna2/2 Garnet/Powers, Alexis

Novice Junior1/2 Sugs Hot Links/Nelson, Jodie2/1 Kaylee/Johnson, Karlie

Competitive Pleasure1/4 OM El Shakeeb Dream/Dillard, Joe2/2 MJ Abiad Amir/Ferris, Jim3/1 La Paloma Dream/Dillard, Ashley4/3 Kamiko/Thurman, Ariel5/5 Sarafina/Nelson, Caitlin6/6 Gentleman Jac/Armer, Jean

Jackson Forest B8/20/2011 Region 1-CAB-N Total Riders: 3Chair: Steve MerosnekoffJudges: Carol Meschter, DVM, Jamie DieterichNovice Sweepstakes: Blue Camel/Brown, Doug -97

Novice Heavyweight1/DO Rider Blue Camel/Brown, Doug2/1 Laarkin/Brown, Tammy3/DO Rider Thee Vandal/Ostrowski, Stephanie

WA State Horse Park & Ride A9/10-11/11 Region 1-WAA-O/N/CP Total Riders: 4Chair: Kathryn LewandowskyJudges: Ron Stuber, DVM, Lory WallsNovice Sweepstakes: Cirocco/Clark, Denise-90Open Sweepstakes: SA Seraphim/

Podeszwik, Barbara-99

Open Heavyweight1/1 Take-A-Walkaloosa/Hess, Lucie

Open Lightweight1/1 SA Seraphim/Podeszwik, Barbara

Open Junior1/1 Wajiih El Nefous/Lehnert, Stella

Novice Lightweight1/1 Cirocco/Clark, Denise

WA State Horse Park & Ride B9/10/11 Region 1-WAB-O/N/CP Total Riders: 4Chair: Kathryn LewandowskyJudges: Ron Stuber, DVM, Lory WallsNo Novice Sweepstakes

Novice LightweightDQ Ultimate Kingston/Hopp, Janell

Competitive Pleasure1/1 Psyniprty/Talbot, Barb2/2 SA Fair Dinkum/Mahoney, Lynn

Cowboy Camp9/24/2011 Region One-CAB-O/N/CP Total Riders: 26Chair: Jean ArmerJudges: Leroy Burnham DVM, Karel WaughNovice Sweepstakes: Sierra Sunshine/

Stidolph, Donna-100Open Sweepstakes: Desert Reinbeau/

Meroshnekoff, Angie-100

Open Heavyweight1/2 Stealth Knight/Boicelli, Victoria2/1 Take-A-Walkaloosa/Hess, Lucie3/3 Amiaborr/Boicelli, Gene

Open Lightweight1/1 Desert Reinbeau/Meroshnekoff, Angie2/2 Marilyn/Pimentel, Michelle3/3 Kamiko/Thurman, Ariel

Novice Heavyweight1/DO Blue Camel/Brown, Doug2/1 Kodi/Pimentel, Joe3/2 Tango Sierra/Harvey, Laura4/3 Diamond H Shalako/

Vovchuk, VirginiaP Laarkin/Brown, Tammy

Novice Lightweight1/1 Sierra Sunshine/Stidolph, Donna2/2 SC Tecka/York, Debbie

Novice Junior1/2 Garnet/Diaz, Sonya2/5 Royal Prancer/Barash, Emma3/3 Rosemarie's Dream/

Szupello, Sierra4/1 Kaylee/Johnson, Carlie5/4 Sugs Hot Lynx/Nelson, Jodie

Competitive Pleasure1/4 SQR Pearl Moon/Whittall, Zoe2/2 OM El Shakeeb Dream/Dillard, Joe3/3 La Paloma Dream/Dillard, Ashley4/1 Lady Tigers Hysyn/Schlerf, Haley5/ Lakota 5/Lieberknecht, Kay6/6 Thee Vandal/Ostrowski, Stephanie /5 Huck Finn/Frey, Ute MJ Abiad Amir/Ferris, Jim


10

Saddle Pads and What Manufacturers Don’t Tell You!

Marketing of saddle pads has be-come big business. All one has to do ismake a web search and you will findover 15 pages of manufacturers. Eachpad company puts various marketingemphasis on their products. Emphasisranges from comfort, fit, durability, easeof cleaning, cooling, compression pro-tection, performance, close contact,blood flow to animal’s back and the listgoes on. Pad manufacturers “bias” theirmarketing labels to sell pads—bottomline! For instance, one manufactureruses the term “wool like” on their label;another very expensive blanket/padcombination has the symbol used bythe American Wool Council on the wearleather and yet close examination of theitem shows it has a synthetic backedfleece, open cell foamed backed innercore and wool blend weave on top;another uses technical flattery - ...twolayers of air cells and ultra shock foamcore producing lock down effect thateliminates slippage… Therapeutic isanother big leader such as open cellmedical memory foam, medical felt and… increase oxygen, energy, and mus-cle recovery. And all of the claims ofbeing 100% wool only cloud the market-ing hype.

Another glaring example of manu-facturers of foam pads contradictingthemselves is when they were inter-viewed for an article for Equestrian Re-tailer, July 2004, Vol. 7, No. 2. Theygive their bias on the benefits of neo-prene products and then later state,“Manufacturers advise riders and train-ers not to leave neoprene pads on hors-es for long periods of time because theybuild heat and moisture.” And thismakes no difference whether the pad isperforated or waffled. It is impossible tochannel air as they like to make onebelieve.

You can see that with catchy termsa saddle pad purchaser can easily bemisled when trying to find the best com-pression protection, wicking and dura-bility possible for their horse. Hopefullywe can help you to understand some ofthe physical properties of pad materialssimply by looking and feeling the pad’ssurface and knowing where to find cor-rect information.

Saddle FitBefore addressing the aspects of

saddle pad materials one cannot overemphasize the importance of good sad-dle fit. If the saddle does not fit correct-ly, soring will take place. Additionalpadding is only a temporary fix and willnot solve the problem. In most instanc-es if you are having problems with apad staying in place you have to take ahard look at how the tree in your saddlefits the conformation of your horse. Be-cause of expense, it is not practical tobe changing saddles all the time so it isthen necessary to find correct pad ma-terial that will stay in place, providemaximized compression protection andcooling.

Saddle Pad HistoryHistorically, saddle pads ranged

from animal hides, to woven animalhair, to crude felts, to exotic linens, towoven blankets and today’s modernindustrial materials. Old timers remem-ber the hair, felts and blankets. Notmuch thought was given to saddle fitand if a horse became sore many ridersadded another layer and cinched a littletighter. It is important to remember thatwhen ranchers used horses on a regu-lar basis the horses were changed of-ten, so soring was never a majorconcern.

It appears that the 1960’s began theera of synthetics. Dr. Robert Miller,DVM and noted author commented thatearly in his California practice in the60’s, some of his clients started com-plaining about white spots and withersoring which had not occurred previ-ously. Then one day he happened tospot an advertisement in a magazinefor foam pads. Further investigation re-vealed his clients had switched to thenew pads. Most of the early foams wereclosed cell mattress or seating typematerials never intended for compres-sion protection with severe impact.

It has not been until the last 20 yearsand the desire for perfection in saddlefit to enhance performance that muchthought was given to saddle pads. Butas popularity of recreational riding andshowing gained momentum more effortwas put into the study of saddle fit andrelated accessories. Dr. Joyce Harman,

DVM, an equine specialist, has spentthe last fifteen years studying saddle fit.Dr. Harman wanted to know how saddlefit affected performance and what con-stituted good fit. However, as she stud-ied saddle fit she realized the need toalso assess what impact pad materialhad on saddle fit results. Her new bookdiscusses findings with English stylesaddle fit and what to look for with padmaterials. At some future date her find-ings on Western saddles will be avail-able.

MaterialsThe primary materials used in sad-

dle pads today are open and closed cellfoams, synthetic felts, needled felts,pressed industrial felts, woven blan-kets, gel packs, synthetic cloth, and airbladders. What is interesting about allof these materials is NOT ONE of themwas ever originally designed to be usedas a saddle pad.

Foams are petroleum and rubberbased materials designed for soundproofing and impact resistance for theautomotive and aerospace industries.Felts were used for bedding, bearingcushions, lubrication wicks, soundproofing and cushioning in the sameindustries. Gel packs and air-bladdermaterials were designed for severe im-pact blows and mild weight distributionsfor auto racing, mattress industry andfootball helmets. Within the last 15years another material, known as TackyTack was developed as shelving mate-rial for the food industry. Memory foamis another product that has just recentlycropped up and is nothing more than atight-grained open cell foam with lowcompression rating used in the mat-tress industry where impact applica-tions are limited.

Now one would think that thesewould provide exactly what would beneeded for saddle pad materials. May-be and maybe not, but first a moredetailed description of each.

Foam pads consist of two types ofmaterials: 1. Closed cell – cellular rub-ber [neoprene] and 2. Open cell – poly-urethane. There is also a closed cell,cross-linked polyethylene foam, but it isseldom used in pads.



11

Close inspection will reveal that theclosed cell foam has a very tight finegrain. Whereas, the open cell foam hassmall holes and a grainy look generally.The closed cell foam normally has amore elastic and smoother feel. Thereare of course exceptions to these de-scriptions, but we are generally refer-ring to what is used in saddle padconstruction. Color is normally black,white or gray.

With either of these foams it reallydoes not matter if you know the differ-ence because the compression ratingsare about the same. Neither has wick-ing ability and both trap heat. If it is opencell foam used as filler just rememberthat compression protection is extreme-ly poor. Closed cell foams tend to sendpressure points through to the horse’sback, but can be supportive if under aheavy saddle. Open cell foams will bot-tom out but do not interfere with saddlefit by being too thick.

Gel Pak Pads are simply heavy milvinyl/plastic bladders that are filled witha non-hardening gel material. The intentbehind development of this product sys-tem was to find a material base thatwould lessen severe impact from asharp force. In other words it wouldgradually give with the impact. Evalua-tion of this material when used in saddlepads works fine when used for only ashort time period (30 minutes). But withany movement after that period of timethey will bottom out. This leaves nocompression protection below any pres-sure points that might exist in a saddle.This happens because the gel ispushed aside.

The other major down-side to padswith gel paks is the plastic bladder as ittraps heat and has zero wicking ability.These Gel Paks are normally bondedbetween other synthetic products. Andeven if they were bonded with a bettergrade of felt no real benefit is gainedbecause compression protection is nobetter than the felt by itself and it addsunnecessary weight.

Air bladders or air cell pad materialsimply are different forms of creating anair mattress. They will conform to con-formation of animal and saddle bars,but they are harder to keep in placebecause of constant ripple effect, like inan air mattress or waterbed. They willwork with limited riding (30-45 minutes)but for a hard days work they trap heat.Air can have very limited compression

protection because of the bottoming outeffect similar to Gel Pak pads. Air alsobecomes quite hard under the pressureof the saddle, and though it gives aneven surface the pressures are higherthan most other materials. Most ofthese types of pads have to be bondedwith some other synthetic material andthose that are not are very tacky whensweaty. Manufacturers try and convinceyou that airflow keeps them cool underthe saddle. Again this is not possiblewith a saddle that fits correctly.

In the felting world there are twotypes of felt: 1. Needled felt and 2.Pressed industrial felt. Generally mostsynthetic felts are needled. “Needled”simply means it is made with heat,steam and vibrating pressure from nee-dles that lock the fibers over the top ofeach other. “Pressed industrial” felt ismade by heat, steam and oscillatingpressure that locks the wool fibers to-gether by sticking fibers to each other.In this case fibers are able to lock toeach other because of the outer surfacestructure of each individual fiber. It re-quires a separate technical article toshow why this process works.

Needled felts are easy to spot. Theyhave horizontal and vertical holes even-ly spaced on both sides of the felt. Be-cause of high concentrations ofsynthetic material in them they are gen-erally shiny, slippery and not soft feel-ing. Their color ranges varies fromblack, to dark grays, to motile grays withlots of color thread showing, to white,such as medical hospital felt. Most neo-prene pads with colored felt on them are100% synthetic or needled felt with highconcentrations of synthetic material anda cloth cover. Another clue is that whenyou see felt pads sewn around the edg-es or another material sewn on top, youcan bet it is a synthetic or needled felt,because they will not hold together withmuch use without this sewing effort.

Manufacturing costs of these padsare substantially less due to cheapercosts in synthetic materials. But fromthe retail point of view when you com-pare the cost of synthetic pads there isnot much price difference.

Pressed industrial felts (PIF) do nothave the holes. They are softer totouch, much more supple and depend-ing on grade have no shiny syntheticmaterial. Color ranges are dark gray tooff white in the natural state, but with thebetter grades of PIF one can find all

other dyed color spectrums. Color nor-mally gives you clues as to the actualvirgin wool content and grade of felt.The more virgin wool in the felt, thelighter the color is. The same is true fortouch. The more virgin wool content, thesofter the feel will be when touching.

There are about 15 grade specifica-tion numbers utilized by the felting in-dustry. Most saddle pad makers use anF15 grade. This F15 felt has a darkgray, almost a charcoal look. It contains55% maximum virgin wool and 45%reworked wool content. This felt is usedsolely as a pad and/or bonded with oneof the foams. (Note: Reworked woolcomes from yarn previously processedfor some other application, normally inthe garment industry, and has beenblended with synthetics. Felters use it tocontrol density, consistency in thick-ness and cost. The synthetics can thenend up being as high as 20% in anygiven pad. So color is the only clue abuyer has to tell whether or not the feltis really 100% wool as labeled.

(EXCEPTION) There is a companythat uses F11 and F10 grade wool felt.The F11 felt has 92% minimum virginwool and 8% reworked content. TheF11 is very light gray, very soft, smoothfinish and very supple. The F10 felt has98% virgin wool content, and 2% re-worked wool. The F10 is a crème whiteand very soft with a smooth finish.These felts are dyed with a vegetablebased dye to come in a variety of colors,red, blue, hunter green, brown, black,etc. The exceptional features of thesefelts make it very easy to visually tellthem apart.

So what difference does it makewhen someone wants a wool felt padand why would they look for a F10 orF11 felt as opposed to a F15 felt. Inter-national Felting Standards shows thatthe F11 felt has a compression rating of6 psi and 200 psi tensile strength asopposed to compression rating of 2 psiand 75 psi tensile strength for the F15.Additionally, based on research fromFelt Manufacturers Council of America,the higher the virgin wool content of thefelt, the better the wicking ability is. Soif you really want a pad with superiorrating find the company with the F11and F10 felt.

What To Look For In A Pad!The most important of all the pad

attributes to look for is compressioncontinued on next page . . .


12

protection and cooling. How does thepurchaser know whether the manufac-turers label and claims are true? An-swer: They don’t without carefulinvestigation and lots of costly trial anderror in purchasing pads.

CoolingWhen we look at all the research

done over the years with exercise phys-iology and anatomy for humans andequines, we know that the mechanismsfor cooling during activity are sweatingand breathing. To prevent over heatingduring exertion the body must receiveairflow or some means of water internal-ly or externally for cooling to take place.So let us apply this knowledge to saddlefit and cooling.

When a saddle is fitting correctly, thebars of the saddle tree should conformevenly to the natural conformation ofthe back. And there should be a flair orrocker at the front and back of the barsto allow the shoulders and loins free-dom from pressure. The saddle makerthen adds leather skirting to the top anda wool sheepskin or synthetic fleecematerial to the bottom. Very few sad-dles today have natural sheepskin onthe underside unless it is specificallyrequested. Assuming this material hasbeen fitted and placed correctly the sad-dle should conform to the horse’s backfor a nice fit. The logical question to askthen is how can cooling take place un-der a saddle if it fits closely to the back?Answer: It cannot without the support ofmaterial that will wick the sweat, whichis the primary heat-carrying agent.

Common Sense TimeClosed cell foams and synthetic

based materials will not wick. Try mop-ping up five gallons of water with aneoprene or synthetic pad. So a goodquestion to ask oneself is, “If my saddleis fitting correctly and no air flow orwater can penetrate between back andsaddle, how can I cool the saddle backarea with a neoprene or synthetic pad?”Answer: Not Possible! Another goodquestion to ask is “Would I wear plasticor foam underwear or socks?” Answer:Not on your life! The argument that asweaty back lubricates and is good forthe animal is shear ignorance.

There are quite a number of manu-facturers that contend their air-channelsand waffle-type foams cool. This is sim-ply not true because the animal hair,skin and fat layers push into holes in the

material. This can easily be seenthrough close examination of the backafter using one of these types of pads.Again, always remember the tight fitsaddle concept.Other points to consider are that whenany foam-based pad becomes wet fromsweat they also become sticky or slick.When this happens the animal hair andskin is constantly being pulled orstretched creating the frictional heatwhich can create gall points and sores.

The only true method of cooling is byusing a pad material that will wick. Intoday’s equine market the only two ma-terials are wool or cotton. Wool is thewinner here. It will absorb up to 3 timesits weight in water, cotton will only ab-sorb its initial weight, and wool hascompression protection six times that ofcomparable thickness of cotton.No official data really exists on the attri-butes of various materials on its abilitiesto cool.

Recently we took a trip to the HellRoaring Wilderness area in Montana.As a part of the trip we wanted to obtainactual data about cooling with varioustypes of pad materials. We purposelyused a saddle that was extremely muchtoo narrow in the front, knowing it wouldpinch and rock on the huge, flat backeddraft/Quarter Horse cross horses andmules.

The trip into camp was 21 miles.Once at camp we did numerous dayrides that amounted to 3-6 hours at astretch.In order to secure a range of data wetook rest temperatures of each animalbefore starting each ride, while riding,cinched at rest (lunch break and fishing– one hour) after exertion and at end ofday just before unsaddling.

Trip Data:Digital read out temperatures were

taken at the tightest point of the shoul-der and saddle. At rest the readingsconsistently ranged from 98.5-99 de-grees. During exertion the felt padsstayed consistently at these same tem-peratures, but the F15 felt generally rana degree higher than the F11. Duringexertion the neoprene, neoprene-feltpads, synthetic fleece and Tacky Tacused with a blanket were always 3 de-grees hotter, and after one hour duringlunch breaks these pads never cooleddown. Finally, at the end of a day’s ridethe temperatures initially establishedhad not changed.

The pads represented materialsfrom some of the major known manu-factures that the outfitter had been ex-perimenting with in an attempt to findpad material that would cool to preventgalling, have superior compression pro-tection and longevity. Some of the padshe had been trying were CowboyChoice-Closed Cell Foam/Felt, Wran-gler 20x- Closed Cell Foam/SyntheticTop, Justin-Closed Cell Foam,Equibrand-Closed Cell Foam/Felt Top,Reinsman- Tacky Tac Bottom, Synthet-ic Top, Toklok-Needled Felt, Slone-F15,5 Star- F11, Tacky Tac – Tacky Tac w/Blanket Cover, and Coolback-SyntheticFleece. This seems like a lot of brands,but one has to realize that on any giventrip as many as 45 head of mules andhorses can be saddled or packed. Plusthis outfitter had been searching foryears to find a pad that would assist incompression protection and cooling.

The findings were exactly as wesuspected. Open and closed cell foams,layered felt foams; synthetic felts andfleeces did NOT cool and trapped heat.Temperatures were significantly higher.The felt pads were the only materialsthat kept consistently lower tempera-tures. In one case with one of the solidneoprene pads one horse’s back wasso tender after use that it could not beused for two days.

The data speaks for itself and weonly mention the name brands becauseout of these, Slone and 5 Star were hisonly wool felts. The rest of the padswere all neoprene or neoprene/felt com-bination pads (synthetic or F15 felt tops)and synthetic fleece.

Compression ProtectionCompression protection with pad

materials is easily measurable and is adirect function of tensile strength andrebound resistance in terms of poundsper square inch. The chart below repre-sents data taken directly from the Amer-ican Materials and Testing Institute,International Felting Standards, Auto-mobile Testing Institute and materialmanufacturers.Data:Felt /Foam Grades Compression Rat-ing (PSI) Tensile Strength (PSI)F10 Felt 8.0 psi 225F11 Felt 6.0 psi 200F15 Felt 2.0 psi 75Open Cell Foam 2.0 psi 75Closed Cell Foam 2.0 psi 40



13

Memory Cell Foam 1.5 psi or less 40Tacky Tac 1.5 psi or less N/ASynthetic Fleece 1.0 psi N/A(Note: These are the foams and feltstypically used for saddle pad materials.)Gel Paks and Air Bladders measure-ments at “bottom out points” are gener-ally 1.5-2.00 or less and because of thematerial flexibility it is hard to get accu-rate ratings. Tensile strength is not anissue because it is normally bonded orsandwiched with some othermaterial(s).

Conclusion:Good ol’ common sense really

needs to prevail with saddle padding.Remember - First if the “shoe don’t fit,the shoe still won’t fit with lots of socks.”If the saddle doesn’t fit, no padding inthe world will solve the problem. In factadditional padding can, in many cases,shift the problem elsewhere or createadditional cinching and soring. It alsomust be pointed out that with a goodcustom saddle, thinner padding can bethe answer.

Over the long haul with or withoutgood saddle fit, high quality wool felt

materials are the best bet. If your intentis to only ride for 30-45 minutes andactivity will be minimal; likely no harmwill be done using foam, tacky or neo-prene material, but can be very uncom-fortable to the animal.Bottom line is if you spend $5000 for ahorse, $3000 for saddle and $60 for apad something is not computing. If youwouldn’t wear the material on a hot orcold day WHY in the world do you thinkit would be good for them?

Points to Ponder:· If the saddles don’t fit they can

push pads out the back.· A saddle tree may be warped if

it pushes the pad out the backand to the side.

· If you wouldn’t wear that stufffor underpants or socks whyput it on the animal!

· Synthetic pads have the high-est profit margin for makers.

· Sweat pouring off a back is likeyou standing on ice with tennisshoes on a hill!

· Do you like having bandagespulled off your hairy arms? So

how do you think tacky materialfeels to an animal?

· Wool felt pads are easilycleaned!

· Synthetic fleeced saddle skirt-ing is slick and will presentproblems with most pads.

· Don’t be fooled by PatentPending in advertising.

· Synthetic foams are not UVlight resistant and break down.

· Synthetic foams break downfrom heat and salts of the ani-mal.

· Fire or strong acids are the onlything that will harm wool.

· All pads will contract andspread disease when notcleaned if infection exists.

· Pinch pads with thumb and fin-gers. If you can feel the otherdigit it likely has bad compres-sion protection.

· Buy for function first, thenlooks.

· Don’t be fooled by gimmickterms and pictures.

· Ask construction specificationsof retailer and manufacturer.

Thoroughbred: Who ME?? Do WHAT?I'm scared of light bulbs! I'm outtahere!

Arabian: I changed it an hour ago.C'mon you guys - catch up!

Quarter Horse: Put all the bulbs in a penand tell me which one you want.

Standardbred: Oh for Pete's Sake, giveme the darn bulb and let's be donewith it.

Shetland: Give it to me. I'll kill it and wewon't have to worry about it any-more.

Friesian: I would, but I can't see whereI'm going from behind all this mane.

Belgian: Put the Shetland on my back,maybe he can reach it then.

Warmblood: Is the 2nd Level InstructionPacket in English? Doesn't anyonerealize that I was sold for $75K as ayearling, but only because myhocks are bad, otherwise I would beworth $100K? I am NOT changinglightbulbs. Make the TB get backhere and do it.

Morgan: Me! Me! Me! Pleeease let me! Iwanna do it! I'm gonna do it! I know

how, really I do! Just watch! I'll re-wire the barn after, too.

Appaloosa: Ya'll are a bunch of losers.We don't need to change the light-bulb, I ain't scared of the dark. Andsomeone make that darn Morganstop jumping up and down before Idouble barrel him.

Haflinger: That thing I ate was a light-bulb?

Mustang: Lightbulb? Let's go on a trailride, instead. And camp. Out in theopen like REAL horses.

Lipizzaner: Hah, amateurs. I will changethe lightbulb. Not only that, but I willdo it while standing on my hind legsand balancing it on my nose, afterwhich I will perform seven flyinglead changes in a row and a capri-ole. Can you do that? Huh? Huh?Didn't think so.

Miniature: I bet you think I can't do it justcause I'm small. You know whatthat is? It's sizeism!

Akhal Teke: I will only change it if it's myowner's lightbulb and no one elsehas ever touched it.

Andalusian: I will delegate the changingof the lightbulb to my personalgroom after he finishes shampooingmy mane and cleaning my saddle,but only on the condition that it ischanged for a soft blue or greenbulb, which reflects better off mycoat while I exhibit my astonishinggaits.

Cleveland Bay: I'm busy. Make thewhipper-in and the hounds do it.

Saddlebred: My ears are up already,please, please get the lightbulbaway from me! I'm ready to show,really, I promise I'll win!

Paint: Put all the lightbulbs in a pen, tellme which one you want, and myowner will bet you twenty bucks Ican get it before the quarter horse.

POA: I'm not changing it. I'm the one whokicked the old one and broke it inthe first place, remember? Now,excuse me, I have a grain room tobreak into.

Grade Horse: Guys? Um, guys? I hopeyou don't mind, but I went aheadand changed it while you were allarguing.

How Many Horses Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb??


14

MACHU PICCHULodge-to-Lodge

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Proceeds benefitNATRC educationalactivities.

2012Raffle

Select from these2012 ride dates:

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Experience the archeologicalwonders, history and naturalbeauty of Peru on horseback.Prize includes a voucher of upto $1,000 to apply to air fare.Total value $4,000.

For ride information:contact Mark & TheresaSmith, North AmericanMLP Equestrian Repre-sentatives, at [email protected],916-769-7701.


15

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16

The LeadlinePhil Young674 La Porte RdQuincy, CA 95971

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the leadline - natrc region 1 · sec: sherry lindley (530) 432-6513 [email protected] june 16-17...

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