TERA Fall 2014

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The Official Newsletter of the Texas Endurance Riders Association www.texasenduranceriders.org www.aerccentralregion.org T E X A S E N D U R A N C E R I D E R S A S S O C I A T I O N TERA T E X A S E N D U R A N C E R I D E R S A S S O C I A T I O N TERA Volume 14, Issue 3 Fall 2014

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Transcript of TERA Fall 2014

Page 1: TERA Fall 2014

The Official Newsletter of theTexas Endurance Riders Association

www.texasenduranceriders.orgwww.aerccentralregion.org

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Volume 14, Issue 3Fall 2014

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In This Issue:

Ride Calendar - p2

TERA Officers Elections - p3

Editor’s Musings - p3

AERC National Championship Results - p5

TERA 2014 Year End Awards- p5

Reminiscing Through the Rides- p6-7

Nominee Bios - p8

Riding a Spooky Horse- p9, p11

Just To Finish - p10

Attention! - p11

Trot Out - p12

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Trail Markers is published Quarterly in January, April, July, and October.

It is distributed solely to members of the Texas Endurance Riders Association, and

is comprised of both their input and the opinion of the editor, neither of which

represent the organization’s views or official stance. Of course, if there is no input from

members, then you’re pretty much stuck with the editor’s opinions. Which don’t amount to much, really, but they can sometimes make interesting reading. Other times … well, the

term “bird cage liner” comes to mind.

Advertising rates are as follows (these are for black and white. Call or email for color rates):Full page - $80Half page - $551/4 page - $32Business Card - $22These are one time rates. Contact Todd for yearly rates.

We are also offering a classified section free to TERA members. Non-TERA members -.50¢ a word.

Deadline for the next issue isJan. 14th, 2015.

Wanna be published? Get it in!

Cover photo: John Nowellhttp://www.remuda.smugmug.com

2014-15 TERA Sponsored RidesOff-Road Warrior

Nov 15-16 2014 Trace Trails Athens, TX

Jamie Lemon281-732-0629

[email protected]

Lake Somerville ShuffleFeb 14th 2015

Lake Somerville State ParkCaryne Edwards830-660-5552

[email protected]

Heart of the HillsFeb 28 - Mar 1 2015

Hill Country State National AreaEron Howell

[email protected]

Shanghai Trails I & IIMar 28-29 2015

Pierce Ranch, Pierce TXCindy Kovalchuk

[email protected]

Racing StripesApr 11-12 2015

Priefert Ranch, Mt Pleasant, TXKhristin Seymore

903-563-6639 [email protected]

Spirit of TexasApr 25 2015

LBJ National GrasslandsSelena Copeland

[email protected]

Llano EstacadoJune 5-7 2015

Lake Meredith, TXDoug Blashill806-358-3834

[email protected]

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President Vickie Roden

373 Langston Ln.McKinney, TX 75069

[email protected]

Vice-President David Fant

3901 North Possum Walk Rd.Kennard, TX 75847

[email protected]

Secretary Sylvia Fant

3901 North Possum Walk Rd.Kennard, TX 75847

[email protected]

Treasurer Robin Howze

845 Wilson Rd.Waxahachie, TX 75165

[email protected]

Education Director Valerie Bixler3598 CR 406

McKinney, TX 75071214-514-3618

[email protected]

Publicity & Awards Director Khristin Seymore

PO Box 559Daingerfield, TX 75638

[email protected]

Membership Director Hope Finan

1560 Rogers Hill Rd.Waco, TX 76705254-339-0012

[email protected]

Ride Manager Director Caryne Edwards

311 Hunters Creek Dr.New Braunfels,TX 78132

[email protected]

2014 Board of Directors

Editor, Todd Hezeau7259 CR 3223 Lone Oak, TX 75453

469.261.8733 [email protected]

The Editor’s Musings...

Howdy folks, Ahhhh, finally, cooler air has trickled in and fall in Texas has arrived. Fall also brings in the end of the 2014 season, which means it will be time to renew your membership with TERA as well as AERC. We are also at that time where we will be electing some new officers, so, you should have already received your ballots, I know I received mine already, so please vote. I look forward to seeing everybody at the fall rides.

See you on the trail...Safe Riding,Todd

T.E.R.A. OFFICER ELECTIONSA GREAT WAY TO SERVE YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS . . .

... is to serve on the Board of Directors. The officer positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are up for election this Fall. The two-year term will begin December 1, with the new ride year.

The candidates are as follows:

President - Vickie RodenVice-President - David FantVice President - Caryne EdwardsSecretary - John Nowell (See bio on page 8)Treasurer - Russell Betts (See bio on page 8)

Ballots have been mailed with a return envelope provided or you can give your ballot to any Board member at or before the Off Road Warrior ride on November 15th. For more information, please see the TERA website http://texasendur-anceriders.org/Officers2014ElectionB.html or Contact Vickie Roden at 972-978-0072 or [email protected].

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100 MILE RESULTS11 Starters - 5 Finishers

Place Name 1st Lisa Green2nd Vickie Roden3rd Gunnar Frank4th Alanna Frank5th Bettina Koehn

Best Condition - Amana Tabi ridden by Lisa Green

50 MILE RESULTS28 Starters - 21 Finishers7 pulls - lameness

Place Name Ride Time1st Windsor Mundy 3:45 Featherweight Champion2nd Cameron Holzer 3:45 Lightweight Champion3rd Alisija Granger 3:484th Meghan Dunn 3:555th Verena Stock 3:586th Charlotte Baca 4:117th Gunnar Frank 4:11 Heavyweight Champion8th Claude Brewer 4:159th Joe Reilly 4:2910th Alanna Frank 4:2911th Tracy Kelly 5:2512th Jennifer Noblin 5:2513th Ragan Kelly 5:2514th Deb Dickson 5:3115th Judith Dabis 5:3116th Peter Hommertzheim 7:0617th Ross Carrie 7:14 Middleweight Champion18th Tammy Lessig 7:1419th Alexis Jones 7:5020th Monica Chapman 7:50Completion Miles Only - Cindy Kovalchuk

High Vet Score - Grace ridden by Windsor MundyBest Condition - Gunnar Frank

The TERA awards for 2014 will be given out at the Central Region Convention in January, 2015. The Board of

Directors requests that members submit their nominations for the subjective awards by December 1, 2014.

There is a list of the awards and previous winners on the website-texasenduranceriders.org.Nominations

may be submitted to any board member. Contact information for each of them is on the website. Many of

you have volunteered at TERA rides this year. Please turn in your hours so that we can also recognize you

at the convention. There is a tab in the menu on the website titles “Volunteers”. Click on it and submit your

information so that we have time to tally everything. Help us recognize deserving individuals by sending in

those nominations!

TERA 2014 Awards

AERC NationalChampionships Results

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6 Photos courtesy: John Nowell http://www.remuda.smugmug.com

Wacky Waco WideOct 4th and 5thCBar Stables Vally Mills, TX

Reminiscing Through the Rides

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Reminiscing Through the Rides

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My name is Russell Betts. I came to riding in my mid 30’s in England, where I did dressage, show jumping and fox hunting. I got bored one weekend when I had been sent to Houston on assignment for work, and wound up at Cypress Trails. There, I met Darolyn, and first learned about the wild and wonderful sport of Endurance riding. Until I rode at Cypress Trails, I thought riding for more than a few hours sounded crazy. Needless to say, after one weekend I was hooked, and through the sport I met my wonderful wife Debbie. We have both had many, many great times at all the rides in Texas together. I would now like to give something back to the sport I enjoy so much by standing for the post of Treasurer for TERA. As for qualifications, in my day job I run large IT projects, handling the budgets for them, Which should allow me to keep the accounts for TERA, which Robin Howse has carefully managed for the past couple of years, in great order.

Russell Betts

For the last several years, it has been my pleasure to serve as the ride photographer for most of the TERA rides. In that time, I have become acquainted with most of you TERA members and formed warm friendships with many, and I have come to love this sport as much as those of you who ride do. To me, this is an amazing group: we come from all walks of life, from many socioeconomic backgrounds and professions, with a wide diversity of ages and riding experiences; yet we are united with the love of our horses, placing their welfare above our own, and the spirit of healthy and enjoyable competition. It would be an honor and privilege to serve as TERA’s Secretary and contribute what talents I may have to growing this sport and ensuring its future success.

John Nowell

Nominee for your TERA Treasurer

Nominee for your TERA Secretary

For a very long time, between 25 and 30 years, I have looked at T.E.R.A. as being a significant part of my family of choice, as opposed to the family we all inherit by birth and marriage As the sport of endurance grew, so did T.E.R.A. During this time it became apparent that the humble and loose structure of the club did not have mechanisms that could deal with the expectations of riders or ride managers in regards to an ability to insure the very best chance of a T.E.R.A. sponsored ride offering a well managed event with consistent levels of management and structure from one ride to the other. I had the good fortune to serve as Vice-President during this time, and I believe the lessons learned and the experience gained in helping to develop what T.E.R.A. was to become provide me with the insight to help with the maintenance and growth of the mature T.E.R.A. we all know and love – and to remember what it took to achieve that level of maturity. From previous years of service I am aware of the benefits of that T.E.R.A. provides to member riders and more importantly what T.E.R.A. riders provide to the sport.

David Fant

Nominee for your TERA Vice President

Dear T.E.R.A. board members, and T.E.R.A. members, I would like to nominate myself for the officer position of Vice President of T.E.R.A. Thirteen years as an endurance and LD rider, as well as a ride manager, assistant Ride Manager, volunteer, and this past year as RM director have prepared me for the role of V.P. My position of charge nurse in Critical Care and fill-in for the house supervisor at my hospital has provided me the ability to keep my finger “on the pulse” of the big picture and what’s best for the whole. I believe I’m open- minded, listen to other’s needs, pay attention to detail, and am willing to research and seek other’s advice when difficult decisions need to be made. I love this sport and feel that I have time to dedicate to this role. It would be my honor to serve TERA as well as TERA’s president in whatever way that I’m needed to the best of my ability. Please feel free to call/email me for any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration,

Caryne Edwards • M30698 • TERA 262

Nominee for your TERA Vice President

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Staying on a spooky horse requires both good riding technique and the right mental attitude. That said, you should still accept the fact that if you ride you are going to come off at some time. It is not a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN. What really matters next is how bad it is and how well you manage your comeback. Ideally you want to train your horse to become less spooky, but you have to be able to stay on before you can actually train the horse. Falling off not only sets the rider back physically and mentally, it usually sets the horse back in his training and can make him even more likely to spook. Also, keep in mind that if the horse is way too much for you to be able to stay on then you should consider working with a trainer or finding the horse a new home. If you are riding a horse that is a challenge for you, it is normal to feel apprehension. If you have had a bad spill from that horse, it is normal to feel fear. It is common for me to feel some level of fear until the pain from the last fall goes away. For others the fear lasts much longer. I have ridden for over 40 years and the first time I felt fear after a fall was about 10 years ago after I had been laid up for 2 months. My horse had been bucking so high that the rider behind me said she could see the underside of his belly. I couldn’t believe the fear when I went to get back on, it made me feel like a beginner. I was also upsetting my horse after Hank had just put 2 months of training on him. While I was riding, Hank started yelling instructions at me so much that I finally lost my temper and yelled back at him. The fear disappeared instantly and did not come back. I was also suddenly in control and “riding the horse”. I’ve also seen Hank do that to other people when they were about to have a wreck and doing all the wrong things. He learned that technique when he led men into combat in Vietnam. Humans only have one strong emotion at a time, so in an emergency you can replace fear with anger or replace fear of the situation or the horse to fear of the instructor. If you can think that fast and have a commanding loud voice, you may be able to help a friend in trouble. A much more pleasant, but much slower method of replacing the emotion of fear is to replace it with calmness and confidence. Anytime (not just when riding) you start thinking about all the bad things that could happen, replace it with an image of having a good ride on your relaxed horse. Visualization does work. You also need to make sure

you continue breathing slow and steady and riding without tension. When you hold your breath you create tension in your body. Your horse will pick up on any tension you have and start looking for the source of your fear, which in his mind lies behind the nearest bush or rock. So, your goal is to ride with muscle tone, but not tension at all times. If your horse tenses up or spooks causing you to hold your breath, give a big sigh that your horse can hear and think of relaxing all your muscles while you sigh. Then look down the trail and breathe normally. Your horse will follow your lead. The sigh tells him “glad that’s over, it was nothing after all”. Try to be aware of any tension creeping into your body while you ride. If you have an injury, it is common for the muscles to tighten up around it as you exercise. When you feel tension, tense that muscle even more and then release it – let it go limp for a moment. Initially, faking calmness through visualization, breathing and muscle relaxation techniques will help lead you in the right direction and will also help your horse. If you are riding with a fearful friend that is riding a safe horse, have her follow behind you and engage her in a conversation that has nothing to do with falling off, scary horseback rides, etc. such as the grand kids, a vacation coming up or anything pleasant. The more she concentrates on the conversation, the more she will relax and before you know it the ride is over, giving her a successful ride that will boost her confidence. The other attitude you need to instill in yourself is “I will stay on, no matter what!” When your horse does a major spook, do whatever it takes to get your butt back in the saddle, shorten the reins to stop the movement, press the balls of your feet down in the stirrups, grab the pommel or the mane, hook your ankle on the cantle as you sail out of the saddle, while you are thinking I will stay on! We had a soldier do an individual one-week clinic with us. He came off 2 days in a row. After we explained that part to him, he said “Oh, just like in combat – you repeat to yourself – “I will live” and you do, if you think “I am going to die”, you probably won’t make it”. Since then, he has not come off in 2 years. If you start looking for a good place to land, you are coming off for sure. If you do come off – instantly let go of the reins. If you hold onto the reins, you can throw the horse off balance causing him to fall on you or step on you and the wreck suddenly becomes much worse.

If your horse has been leaping or spinning out from under you and you are hitting the ground before you even know what is happening then your mind is not 100% on the horse. All horses will give you a warning that they are about to spook, but it may only be a 1 second warning. When you have a very quick spooky horse, you need to have your mind focused 100% on the task at hand. Women are really good at multi-tasking, but this is not the time. If you are having a conversation with your friend or thinking about your to-do list, then when your horse spooks it takes 1 second to stop thinking about that and another second to refocus to “now”, but unfortunately with some horses it only takes 1 second to go flying off and hit the ground. Learn to concentrate on just your horse and the task at hand and warn your friends that you will not be able to talk to them while you are in the lead. There are some horses that you will always have to be mentally 100% every time you are on. Another way to create tension in your body is too focus your sight on the trail too much creating a type of tunnel vision. You need to ride with what is termed “soft eyes”. When you have soft eyes you can keep your head turned in the direction of the trail, see the trail with about 50% of your sight and also be aware of both sides of the trail. You will feel the tension release out of your face, your jaw and the rest of your body. You will also be able to make a mental note of the upcoming scary logs, plastic bags, etc. without looking at them. If you have trail-focus-tunnel vision, you will spot the scary object out of the corner of your eye and turn your head to look at it. Your head weighs about 7 lbs and your horse can feel you turn your head even if the rest of your body doesn’t turn. He will then look at it too and possibly react badly. If you spot something with soft eyes, don’t react or turn your head, continue breathing and posting the same, your horse might not notice it. You can also slow to a walk and pick up the pace when you are past the object. If he does spook, then you can follow up with a confident cheerful voice “oh that is just a plastic bag, we aren’t afraid of that, lets trot”. Remember horses listen carefully to the tone of your voice. Keeping it quiet and cheerful will let a fearful horse know that you are not afraid, so he doesn’t need to be either. Shrieking “WHOA!” never works with a bolting or spooking horse.

RIDING THE SPOOKY HORSEBy Selena Copeland

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She slowly placed one foot in front of the other. Concentrating. One step. Two steps. How much longer could she keep this up? It was hot. Sweat dripped from her, soaking her clothes. She was dog tired and miles from anywhere. How much farther? Concentrate. Another step, then another. Her water was empty, and she had not seen another living soul for hours. What had she been thinking? She had been a fool to think that she could do this. She was tired, discouraged, and so thirsty that at the last cactus she had passed she had seriously considered attacking it to see if she really could get water from it. They did in the movies, right? How hard could it be? However, with no knife or anything sharp and with her luck she would end up looking like a pin cushion. She turned and looked at her partner. He too, was struggling. She reached out to wipe the sweat off his face. Unlike her he could not put words to his wants, but she could tell what he felt just the same. Was he blaming her for being stuck out here in the desert with very little water? If anything happened to him she would never forgive herself. He pricked his ears and nuzzled her as if he was saying everything was going to be just fine. He was her best friend, her constant companion in this endeavor. Together they could get through this. She believed they were on the right trail to find civilization again and she was leading her beloved horse to give him a break, and herself a break. Her body felt like it was going to break and fall into pieces. She had saddle rubs in places she did not even want to think about. She had already spent more than 10 hours on his back, and her body was complaining loudly about those hours. The sun was starting to lower in the west. Shadows were beginning to lengthen, and thankfully the temperature was also starting to cool down as well. If only a breeze would come up. She looked around her hopefully, but nothing was stirring. The cooler temperature was helping her frame of mind. Maybe they could do this. Surely it could not be much farther. Her feet were starting to blister from the time spent in the stirrups and the time spent

walking. She shaded her eyes and strained to see ahead of her, but

the horizon just shimmered with the heat waves coming off the ground. Her mount took the opportunity to shake himself all over like a wet dog. Thankfully he had done that while she was on the ground. There was nothing worse than being on top of him during those moments. Her feet were calling her bad names, so she tightened up his girth, and proceeded to remount him. He actually pranced around when she got back as if to say, “Let’s finish this.” He willingly went into a slow ground eating trot when she asked. Now to make sure they were still on the right trail. She wondered if anyone else was out here in this vast expanse of land. As far as she could see were miles and miles of nothing but cactus, rocks, and small shrubs. How could anything survive in a place like this? If she had anything to say about it she would be back home with a nice cool drink in her hand before long, and get her friend and companion a bath and a tasty supper. He had done everything she asked of him today. Her heart swelled with pride at the thought of what he had given her. What she had asked of him he had done, without complaining or questioning. Who could ask for such a loyal friend? He had crossed streams, and navigated gullies. She knew he had to be tired, but he was still giving her his all. Before they started this journey this morning while he was still fresh he had behaved sensibly while all the other horses had been wired, dancing around like popcorn in a popper. Now they were the last ones out here. Everyone else had already passed them, and they were probably already relaxing in their air conditioned quarters. She again shaded her eyes again against the lowering sun to see ahead of her. Surely it could not be much farther. Her mount was still steadily eating up ground with his slow trot. Forty six plus miles were behind them. There should be only a few miles to go. Fifty miles in one day?! Her friends had told her she was crazy, and that she was going to “kill her horse”. Surely no sane person should WANT to spend so much time on the back of a horse, and that it was not healthy. They did not understand the hours they had spent working for this day. Days and weeks and hours spent in the saddle so they could accomplish this feat that very

few people on the planet would try. Call them crazy, but the bond with her horse that those hours in the saddle had created was so strong. That bond was something that she could not explain with words. A feeling that they were one and that they could do anything as long as they were together. He was her four legged heart and in him rested her hopes and her dreams. Things she did not share with any human. He understood her and accepted her in ways no human being would ever understand. The minutes ticked away as they worked together as one. Suddenly his ears pricked forward, and he let loose a loud nicker. She perked up and looked forward to the horizon. There it was! In the distance she could see the grove of trees that signaled that they were almost home. They had done it! Her mount started picking up speed as he realized that his horsey friends and his supper were waiting ahead. Her breath caught in a jerk as she realized they WERE going to finish! Tears started to prick her eyes at the thought of everything they had accomplished today. Were they going to win? Not in the eyes of the world. She was probably coming in last, but to her that did not matter. She had set a goal, and both of them together had risen to the challenge. To her, when she crossed that finish line that was approaching rapidly, they were both winners. She could see her friends and her crew waiting for her. Her mount asked to canter, and she let him go. They were going to finish this thing in style. Her heart felt like it was going to explode with the pride she had for her mount. The tears started to flow unchecked. Cheers from her friends who had been waiting for her to finish met her ears. A few more strides and they flew across the finish line. They had finished. They had overcome all the struggles and obstacles of the day. As she slowed her mount down her friends rushed to her with water for her and her horse. As they were approaching she leaned down and gave her best friend a hug. Her tears mixed with the sweat on his neck as he turned and nuzzled her foot. He was her heart and soul and together, they could do anything.

Just To Finish

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Having the right attitude is a good start, but true confidence can only come from feeling in good balance and know-ing you can ride the horse. Riding tech-niques for the spooky horse start with having a good seat and tack that won’t fail you. If you have a horse that likes to spin and you have a tendency to fall off to the side, please get a saddle that fits the horse, stays in place and is not tree-less. Treeless saddles have a tendency to slip to the side when the rider is flung off balance by a spinning horse. If the sad-dle has slipped to the side you are toast. Breast collars are helpful too. They are not just for going uphill. Try this riding position on the ground: feet flat on the floor, legs horse width apart, keep your torso vertical, slowly bend your knees until you can no longer see your toes. Let your elbows hang at your side, bend your elbow until your hands are in front of you, slightly lower than your elbow, make a fist thumbs up, fingers curled in-ward, the back of your hand in line with your arm. This is the best riding position. In martial arts it is called the immovable horseback-riding stance. From that po-sition try squatting lower (stirrups too short – hunt seat position), which causes you to have to lean forward, feel the ten-sion in your back. Try leaning back and feel the tension again. This position will give you good balance without muscle tension. Next, sit on the horse in the same position. If you can see your toes, your lower leg is too far forward. You should be able to feel your seat bones touching the saddle, if you lean forward too much your seat bones point behind you, if you slouch or lean back, your seat bones point forward. If you ride with a short stirrup and lean forward you are more likely to go right over your horses

head if they slam to a stop. If you are leaning back when he bolts or spins, you will be behind the motion and won’t be able to stay with him. The feel of your leg on the horse should feel like you are giving him a hug. If you grip him (common with fearful riders), he will decide you are afraid and he should be also. Fearful horses (even runaways) prefer constant soft leg contact from the rider, they need a confident leader and they need to know their leader is there for them all the time. If your calves are already on the horse then all you have to do is give them a light squeeze to go for-ward, if your calves are off the horse it feels like a kick when you ask them to go forward. Fearful or sensitive horses pre-fer a squeeze to a kick. Kicking startles them and puts them on edge. Your feet should be flat in the stirrup. If your heels are down it creates tension in the lower leg and can cause the lower leg to slide forward when posting. If your heels are up, you either have too long of a stirrup or you need to post with a forward mo-tion instead of up and down. At the walk if you have the right amount of leg con-tact, your legs will not swing back and forth, they will move with the horse. You will feel the belly swing left and right under the body. You can feel tension in the horse’s gut and the heartbeat when they are afraid – often seconds before the spook. Riding completely relaxed with no leg contact and getting dumped at the walk in a lightning quick spin is pretty embarrassing! You should have the same amount of leg contact pressure at the canter as you do at the walk. Your body will be more relaxed if you can learn to sit the canter quietly in an upright posi-tion, without the torso swaying forward and backward. It will also help the horse

to remain relaxed in the canter. If your seat is going up and down in the saddle instead of staying put, you are either not moving your hips correctly with the mo-tion or your core muscles are not strong enough. You should then either 2-point or stand in your stirrups for the canter or take lessons to learn how to stay sitting. Riding the spooky horse in a 2-point seat is precarious because you are already out of the saddle, similar to having your horse spook while you are at the top of the posting trot.

We ride 90% of the time with light rein contact. With constant light rein contact and your mind 100% focused on the moment, you can stop a horse quickly just by making a fist and can often stop the spin or the sideways leap before it begins. Most spooky horses look left & right for monsters instead of at the trail. With light contact, you can refocus their attention to the trail with one light squeeze from your opposite hand. Also, insecure horses feel more secure with constant contact and feedback from their rider through both the hugging legs and the light contact with the bit. You should also learn how to lower your horses head while riding. Lowering the horse’s head will calm a nervous horse and release tension. Most of us know that lowering the head in the vet check will drop the pulse. It also relaxes the horse and drops the pulse while you are riding.

Wear a helmet, have a riding partner and remember the most important thought – I WILL STAY ON! Remember too that the definition of Courage is the ability to proceed in spite of fear and danger.

Attention All TERA & OCER MembersWe need some input from you guys for the upcoming Central Region Convention in January. Book it on your calen-

dar now!! Jan 17th in Denison, TX.

What we need from you:

1. Pictures of your dogs at the rides. Pictures can be taken elsewhere but the dog MUST have attended a TERA ride in 2014.

2. Pictures of YOU at work, along with a job title. If possible have a shot taken of you doing an actual job (typing, changing oil in car, etc).

3. Pictures of you or your horse at rides! If you have a really good shot please send it in.

4. Any quotes or words of wisdom you would like to share. No more than 2-3 sentences please.

Send to Todd Hezeau at [email protected] or Kerry Lowrey at [email protected].

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Fall 2014

Texas Endurance Riders Association

%Hope Finan1560 Rogers Hill Rd.Waco, TX 76705

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Trot Out

Photo: John Nowell http://www.remuda.smugmug.com

AAHHHHHHH HaHaHa, Doc, stop it, that tickles!

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• Lightweight, durable designs begin at 14 lbs complete

• Six models cover virtually any riding discipline; trees also available for extra wide horses and mules

• High-quality, best value: prices begin at $1349

• Try before you buy; ask about our demo program

Specialized Saddles www.specia l izedsa ddles.com

Contact John Nowell, Regional Distributor, for more information [email protected]

(972) 672-8250