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I recently returned from a short winter break, during which I went to Texas with some girlfriends to attend the Fort Worth Stock Show. Our main interest was Mustang Magic and Mustang Champions. We had a friend competing in both and it was so fun to cheer him on. Matt and I are big Mustang fans and are always happy to talk about them—or see competitions featuring them.
Mustang Magic was a three-day competition with 16 horses and their trainers, who each had 100 days to take them all the way from wild to the Fort Worth Will Rogers Arena. It is simply amazing to see what these mustangs are willing to do for their trainers and how bonded they are with them.
Mustang Champions was an invitational. Eight top trainers from across the country were invited to bring any mustang of their choosing and compete in a freestyle competition for $50,000 in prize money—all to showcase Mustangs and their trainability and versatility. Here’s a video of the winning freestyle, and we’ve posted more photos and videos on the Horses for Clean Water Facebook page.
When I’m not off on an adventure, I’ve been dealing with an unusually snowy and cold winter for our area of Idaho. If you’re anything like me, you’re not a winter person, so I thought I’d offer up three tools to help you weather the Winter Doldrums.
First, we’ve got this month’s featured article, which covers ideas shared by trainers for things we can do with our horses when it’s too cold to ride.
Second, the HCW library of resources, which includes printable PDF tip sheets and classes on a variety of horse keeping topics. There’s no better way to make the most of a snowy day than by learning something that will help you better care for your horses and property. From choosing the right round pen to creating a small-scale trail course, there are lots of things you can start planning now that will keep you entertained over the remainder of the winter months—and get you ready for spring once it shows up!
Finally, I wanted to share my reading list. Thanks to some downtime after meniscus surgery last fall and listening to Audible while working out at our local rec center, I have enjoyed reading even more books than usual lately. I’ve compiled a list of my favorites, which you can see here.
And if winter has you dreaming of fun summer adventures with your horses, don’t forget that southwest Idaho has some fantastic places to ride and explore. Our Sweet Pepper Ranch horse motel has RV/LQ plug-ins and a beautiful glamping tent, making us a great place to stay while you make good use of the local trails. Contact me to make arrangements—we’ll keep the light on for you!
Alayne
