Due to the extensive time I spent travelling, I didn’t have time to write an editorial this week. I will say I had a super time at my dad’s wedding - met a whole lot of people I’ll never see again, but it was fun anyway!

I’m off today (Tuesday) for the vet clinic with Tori - wish us luck! I’ll tell you what’s happening with her next week.
I’d like to share some more horse-keeping tips with our readers - if you can think of tips, no matter how small they seem to you - please send them to me.

Photo credit: Chris Hassell

It’s amazing how many things we just do, without thinking about it - and people who are new to horses may never learn these shortcuts and helpful hints unless we share our knowledge. (for that matter, lots of tips are new to more experienced horse people too!)

Until next week, I hope you are finding time to ride! Winter is coming!
~ Kristi :)

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Of course, on Saturday, the classes everyone awaits are the two Liberty classes held in the Indoor Arena. People start arriving an hour early for this class, or more, in order to find seats! The intermission time before the classes started at 7:30 pm was taken up with Erin and Prinz again performing the costume kur, and the presentation of several of the high point awards previously mentioned.

Margaret Maltby stayed late to judge, and the Purebred Arabian Liberty was won by the beautiful stallion Sargeant’s Desert Spirit, owned by Holly Pottinger. Buffy MacLeod’s mare Desperado’s Dezirae came in a close second. The All Breed Liberty class was won - for the third year in a row - by none other than Tulpenprinz! If you have never watched Prinz in a Liberty class, you had best start planning on being at the Fair next year, on Saturday night in the Indoor Arena! Holly Pottinger won second place with Driftwood Mahogany, and 3rd, 5th and 6th places were all awarded to members of the High family (needless to say, Bill was pretty excited!).

On Sunday, things tend to be a bit more low key. Kerry Walton and Jill Yonge started at 8 am, with Kerry in the Main Ring scoring the Leadline Trail classes and Jill overseeing the Hunter classes.

You may remember my mentioning that the Yearling Leadline Trail winner was none other than Karisma! Shilah Ferster won the Two Year Old class with her young stallion Marlboro Man.

And now for the Champion and Reserve winners from each halter breed division.
- Registered Ponies - Champion: Northern Nite Sky (Holly Pottinger), Reserve: Secret’s Peek-Abu (Bill High).
- Unregistered Ponies - Champion: Mystique (Chita Foote), Reserve: Roxy (Tressa High)
- Registered/Part Bred Morgans - Champion: Slocan TNT (Cindy Jeffery), Reserve: Gweek Trypiphany (Hayla Jeffery)
- Part-Bred Arabians - Champion: Razmataz (Reka Schippers) Reserve: Solar Spice (Chrystal Blackett)
- Purebred Arabians - Champion: Desperado’s Dezirae (Buffy MacLeod), Reserve: Able Khreation (Bibs Dallaire)
- Sport Horses - Champion: Weltana (Sherry Kirsch), Reserve: Jadar Ravin’ (Dave Evans)
- Unregistered Horses - Champion: Winston (Heather Marko), Reserve: Joey (Tania Bergmann)
- Other Registered Breeds - Champion: Du Coteau Dynamo Kincadia (Debbie Gardner), Reserve: Woodmont Utile Kostka (Tony Gardner)
- Appaloosas - Champion: Wap A Top (Mel Stokes), Reserve: Blended Covergirl (Deanna Reimer)
- Paint Horses - Champion: She Can Spin Too (Kelly Park), Reserve: Ebony’s Mitee Cowboy (Kelly Hassell)
- Quarter Horses - Champion: Dee Bars Dee Zire (Faye Mapletoft), Reserve: Brennas Dun It Again (Chris Hassell)

To rid yourself of mosquitoes is the most effective way of reducing any mosquito born virus. An added bonus is that you eliminate all that scratching! This week is full of good ideas for eliminating mosquitoes and their habitats in your area.

Drain all standing water in your area. This means tip over those rain filled buckets, dig ditches to allow for drainage of boggy areas (especially near your barn or corrals), and store tires without rims under cover. If you use a tire feeder, chances are it may be a perfect mosquito breeding ground - either cut away more of the bottom rim, or consider bleaching it on a regular basis to kill the mosquito larvae.

Clean troughs frequently, at least once a month (usually more often if you can spare the water) tip them over and scrub out the slime. Refill with fresh, clean water. If you use a stock waterer, scrub the bowls out and tip the top over at least twice to flush the dirty water out. You can also look into goldfish as an effective method of controlling algae buildup.

If your horses water at a creek, try eliminating puddles by fencing to create just one spot where they may drink. Use gravel to build up that area, to prevent big muddy holes where water can sit.

If your horses are in barns and turned out for part of the day or night, try to avoid turnout at dusk or dawn, as the mosquitoes seem to congregate the heaviest at these times. For instance, you may wish to turn your horse out just before you head off to work, when the sun is drying the dew off the grass, and then put your horse back in before the evening cools off. Or, if the flies are extremely bad during the day, you may wish to turn your horse out after dark, last thing before you go to bed, and to put him in as soon as you get up in the morning.

Find good flysprays and use them frequently, especially right before turnout. Don’t forget to fill the tail with a good dose of flyspray before turnout too - this can help the horse to rid himself of his own pests as he flicks his tail at the buzzing insects. Consider equipping your barn with a fly mister to kill unwanted flying pests - it can be expensive but worth it compared to the loss of a special horse. Check at your local hardware stores for innovative solutions to insect problems.

You can also use smudge fires to help reduce insect problems. However, any time you are using fire you must be careful! A sudden wind can sweep through and carry burning ash to haystacks, sawdust piles, and so on, with costly or even deadly results.

Flysheets may help, but aren’t completely effective against biting insects - especially as they don’t cover the neck and head where bugs like to nibble. Some flysheets are now being sold with added neck and head covers, and these may help to reduce - but not eliminate - mosquito bites. Remember too that any type of “clothing” may encourage black fly bites, right where the material touches the horse. This can cause more harm than good if the horse rubs repeatedly to scratch those bites, not to mention wearing out your horse’s jammies.

Fortunately for us here in the north country, once the first frosts have hit, the mosquito problem usually disappears. However, this is good information for use during bug season next year - you now have a few months to prepare.

Back to the West Nile Virus next week!

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

Do you have a horse or equipment to sell? Want to buy a horse or equipment? Check the Free Classified Ads.