I am very glad that I had the opportunity to show as much as I did last year, but I am equally grateful that my schedule is not so hectic as it was in 2001. I have to admit though that I do miss going to the shows! The camaraderie of the people who show in reining is just great; they are so supportive and helpful, the group is a lot of fun to hang out with at shows.

In fact, I am thinking of going to the Prince George Ride N Slide at the end of June - to watch, and to help with the show committee, but not to ride. As much as I know it will pain me to watch and not have a horse there, I also feel that competing with Tori this early in our training will be setting us up for a bad experience.

Until I get over my desires to compete and win, I don’t want to take her into the show pen. I have to be able to show her with absolutely NO pressure on her - because I know that she won’t hold up to that pressure yet. Once I am ready to start showing her, I will have to start very carefully with schooling shows, and make a lot of zero pressure runs before we actually venture into a class to compete.

I am hoping to take her to the schooling show in Smithers on June 9 for that very reason - just to get the two of us into “The Show Pen”, without worrying about actually showing her. I feel that I can do that in Smithers, where I am comfortable. I may not be able to do it in Prince George with all of those other good reiners there! It’s amazing how easy it is to get psyched out at a competition - and the pressure you put on yourself can be unbearable.

Photo credit: Chris Hassell

Anyone who has competed a lot, or who has worked with a sports psychologist (like Peter Usher, if you’ve ever been lucky enough to take one of his seminars), knows that the actual competition is about 90-95% mental. While you spend all your preparation time getting ready physically, working on strength and skills, when you compete, most of your focus needs to be on the mental aspects of the game you have chosen.

This is true of runners, ball players, race car drivers; team sports or individual tests; and of course equestrian events. Of course, we do have the added challenge of managing another living, breathing partner in the equation! It is our mental preparation though that allows us to work with that horse, whether they are having a bad day or a good day.

By preparing ahead of time in the reining maneuvres, I can get my horse closer and closer to being ready for competition. However, with Tori, she also needs to learn to take pressure. That is where it can become very difficult - she is a very sensitive horse and she is quick to react in fear when things become too much.

Next week I’ll use an example to try and explain what I mean.
Till then, happy riding!
~ Kristi :)

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We also have a short video clip of one of the barrel races - ( 720 KB download )

Reduce, reuse and recycle - that seems to be a good motto these days with our economy in a downhill spiral. This handy bridle hanger not only saves you money, but it is safe for your leather tack and has the added bonus of reducing the garbage that you throw into the landfill!

Take a piece of 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 lumber, about 7 inches in length for each bridle you wish to hang. You can reuse old lumber you scrounge up around the yard, recycle a piece of broken fence board (be sure to clean up the sharp edges first), or start with a new piece of wood.

Take one empty tuna fish can per bridle (170 g size works well, also consider using salmon tins or water chestnut cans). Place the can bottom side up on a hard surface (we recommend something wooden that won’t matter if it gets scratched). Hold the nail (a 2 1/2” to 3” long nail works best) at the center of the tin can and give it a good tap with a hammer. The nail should pop neatly through the bottom of the can without embedding itself in your hard surface.

Once the nail is partway through the can, place the can on the wooden board where you would like it to go (leave 3” between cans to allow your bridle some space to hang freely). Now simply pound the nail in until the can is snugly affixed to the board - be careful not to hammer past that point as you will crush the bottom of the can.

Once you have all your tin cans affixed in this manner, you can choose to use it as is, or you can paint the whole hanger in colours of your choice. Spray paint is available at most hardware stores. The tuna cans also look nice without paint and should last a while without rusting.

Use screws or nails to attach the hanger to a wall where it will be convenient and safe (out of reach of horse’s teeth is a good idea!). Ensure that you leave room below the hanger for your long reins to hang properly. The round shape of the tin cans is far better for your leather tack than hanging bridles on nails (which many of us are guilty of!).

Voila! Other than eating the tuna fish, this project takes only a few minutes from start to finish.

The Silver Dilution
Have you ever seen the term “Silver Dapple” used in an ad for a horse and wondered what it meant? If so you are not alone! Silver Dapple is a dilute gene that is often misunderstood and occurs in a very limited number of breeds. The breeds it is most common in are American Shetlands, Miniature Horses, Icelandic Horses, Rocky Mountain Horses, Missouri Foxtrotters, and Silver Dapple has been recently documented in Morgans.

History Of Silver
The Silver dilution was first documented in the late 1800’s in American Shetlands. The first identified Silver was a mare named Trot, #31 in the American Shetland Pony Club studbook. Trot was a light shade of Silver that could easily be mistaken for gray except that Silvers do not fade to white as they age like a gray. This is the shade that gave this dilute the name Silver Dapple.

Characteristics of Silver Dilutes
Silver Dapple is a dilute gene at the “Z” allele. Silver is an incomplete dominant because it only effects black pigment and never red (chestnut, sorrel). On a Silver dilute horse the black mane and tail are diluted to nearly white with a center core of “silver” hairs. These silver hairs vary in shade from nearly black to a light charcoal and are most heavily concentrated in the forelock and at the tip of the tail. Many Silvers will progressively get more dark mane and tail hairs as they age. Silver can be carried and not expressed on chestnut, sorrel or palomino horses.

Silver Dapple or silver dilute black The black body of a horse is a diluted and usually exhibits very prominent dapples. Body shade can vary from a very dark chocolate to a shade that is sometimes mistaken for gray yet does not progressively fade as gray does. Silver dilute blacks (traditionally called Silver Dapple) are generally born a very matte gray.

Silver Bay (sometimes mislabeled “red silver”) and Silver Buckskin (sometimes mislabeled “yellow silver”) On a bay or buckskin horse the points (ear rims, black legs) are diluted and the body color stays the same. Points will range in color from a dark charcoal to a light chocolate. One of the telltale signs that a sorrel or palomino looking foal is indeed a silver dilute is dark ear rims.

Silver Dapple Smoky Black This shade of Silver appears as a basically brown animal in breeds like the American Shetland and Miniature Horse. The Silver Dapple Smoky Black horse will have a mane and tail that are nearly the same shade as its body. The brown appearing coat will sometimes have faint dapples and often look as though it has gold highlights.

Silver is also known to effect horses that are Dun dilutes or Classic Roan. It is not known at this time how a combination of Silver and Champagne will appear. Pictures of some shades of silver can be seen at www.equinecolor.com on the Dilute page under Silver.

There are some examples of silver on the Photos Page

Northern BC Horse is sponsored by local businesses who support equine sports in our area including:

• Baerental Ranch
• Burns Lake Building Supplies
• Griffin Crick Ranch
• Hoskins Ford
• Northern Horse Supply
• Ridennoure Paint Horses
• The Tack Store

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