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Non-chemical fly control
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| Fly masks are handy and are great for housefly types that congregate around the eyes (this is what we dealt with primarily on Vancouver Island) but up here we have blackflies and other small biting insects. These can get inside a fly mask and then have free rein.
Fly masks can also cause corneal abrasions if a horse tries to rub his eyes with one on (especially if one of those blackflies got underneath it!) so you need to check them daily (many people remove them at night when the bugs are less active). They do cut down on visibility, so some people prefer not to leave them on in the dark, but they can be used on a light-sensitive horse to help shade his eyes.
You can also make an eye-protecting fly mask by adding a cloth fringe to a browband fastened to a halter. The strips of cloth should be about 1/2" wide and about 8-12" long (varies with head size) and can be attached with pins, snaps, or even sewn directly onto the browband. The fringes shake as the horse moves its head, brushing off the flies.
If you prefer not to leave a halter on your horse, use an old leather headstall and only use the crownpiece, throatlatch and browband (no cheekpieces). The leather should break if the horse becomes caught on anything.
I keep my show horses wearing sheets all summer, truthfully more to keep them clean than anything, but sheets have two added advantages. They help cut down on coat-fading UV rays (very important if your horse has a rich colour like palomino or black), and better yet, regular turn-out sheets and fly sheets help to prevent flies from landing on your horse's body. The straps and the sheet itself moving cut down on a lot of the bites (especially on the chest), though the bugs will still get into the sheath or udder area and under the forearms
Provide your horse with shelter, or if you can, stall him during the day. Blackflies are worst during the morning, afternoon and evening hours - daylight. If you turn your horse out on his pasture during the night, all he has to combat is mosquitoes (especially bad at dusk). Keeping your horse inside during the day also prevents coat fade from bright sunlight, and sunburn if your horse is photo-sensitive (ie, horses with lots of pink skin, especially those with an alsike toxicity condition).
Next week we'll go over some other fly management tips. |
| If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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| Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including:
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Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible...
...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com
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If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page.
Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.
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Past articles are all available in the
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Lakes District Fall Fair Team Penning
The Lakes District Cattle Penning Association holds a big team penning competition each year in conjunction with the Lakes District Fall Fair. The Fair is held at the Eagle Creek Stampede Grounds, and the penning takes place in the rodeo arena.
Teams of riders should be coming from as far south as Quesnel and even Williams Lake, and as far west as Smithers and Telkwa to take their chances on the herds of numbered cows. We expect a good turnout as usual for this competition, which features buckles and payouts to the winning teams.
Our announcer this year is Grant Giesbrecht, who has been involved with the penning club for a few years. He and his wife do pen occasionally, but this year he will be sitting in the announcer's stand presiding over us riders. It is very useful to have someone running things that is familiar with the way the competition works.
Something that Grant will be careful to announce often is our sponsors. For as little as $100, a business or individual can 'buy' a cow number. That means that each time that number (0 through 9) is drawn in that class, the sponsor's name is announced. Because most classes have more than 10 teams (often 20 or more!) a sponsorship can be announced at least twice per go-round, and there are four go-rounds throughout the weekend - excellent advertising!
Classes being held are the Open, #10, #7, #5 and this year a new Beginner's class is being held. This Beginner's class will be made up of teams of riders that are in their first year of team penning - if you would like to try penning but never had the opportunity before, come on out! If you enter alone, the show organizers will put you on a team.
Numbered classes are made up from the total of the riders' rating numbers. Each team penner has a rating based on their previous experience in cattle penning. The highest rating LDCPA has is a #5. A #5 is a person who has done extremely well in the past, who has won lots of money and prizes at all levels, and for the most part is a very aggressive team penner. A #4 is usually similarly experienced but with maybe a few less winnings. Medium level penners are #3's, they can be counted on to get the job done at most levels, but maybe not as fast as the #4's and #5's. Those that have started and are doing okay are #2's, and new penners and most juniors are all rated as #1's.
So to give you an example, a #5, #4 and a #1 can team up in the #10 Class. They can't ride together in the #7 Class, but they could also enter the Open if they felt up to it. That same #4 and #1 can drop the #5 and pick up a #2 to get into the #7 Class though, and this is often what happens so that two of the people on the team stay the same.
By sticking with one partner on several teams, you get to know each other better. You learn who is stronger in different positions and who does certain things better. You discover what each other can do and you come to know instinctively what they are doing. It is this kind of teaming up that makes the higher level team penners as good as they are.
So if you want to see some fun and exciting cattle penning action on August 19 & 20, pop on over to the Eagle Creek Grounds on Saturday at 10 am and then again after the 4-H auction, or on Sunday at 10 am and again approximately 1:30 pm (afternoon start-up time will vary depending on the number of teams - we're taking an hour-long lunch break for the horses, riders and cattle).
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| If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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New to Showing Series
Tack and outfit
Now I am no expert when it comes to shows, as mostly I show locally and don't follow the big trends. I also show a lot in team penning, gymkhana, and reining, where the 'proper dress code' doesn't always come into play. If you find fault with anything I've written here, PLEASE write in to us (email jim@hiway16.com as I'm still away) and explain so we can set the record straight for our other readers. Thank you!
Riding english, you should be showing with the following tack and outfit:
Horse: English saddle, white fleece numnah (that form fitted saddle pad for english saddles), english bridle with complete with cavesson (noseband) and joined reins, a snaffle or kimberwicke bit (most judges prefer that you don't use a pelham). Note that boots or wraps may be worn by the horse only in jumpers and cross-country eventing. The horse ought to have his mane braided but this is often overlooked at small shows.
Rider: Jodphurs (preferred colours are lighter but most riders avoid white for obvious reasons!), tall english riding boots, approved riding helmet with harness, white blouse with stock pin, and dark coloured english riding jacket (usually navy or black). Rather than spending a fortune your first time out, try substituting stretch material pants (not denim!) and a dress jacket from the local thrift store to cover a plain long-sleeved blouse.
Riding western, you should be showing with the following tack and outfit:
Horse - Western saddle, saddle pad or blanket (often colour-coordinated with rider's outfit), western bridle, bit and split reins (horses 5 and under may be ridden two handed with a snaffle or bosal, all horses over 5 years must be ridden one handed in a curb bit). Boots may be worn by the horse only in gymkhana, reining, and cattle events (team penning, etc).
Rider - Long-sleeved button-down shirt (no keyholes or other spots where skin is showing - though these shirts are usually passed at small shows, they aren't legal in breed competitions), western jeans that fit over your boot, cowboy boots (lace ups or pointy toes), cowboy hat or riding helmet (helmets are allowed in western classes as safety comes first). Optional items for small shows (which may be mandatory at bigger or breed shows - read the rules!) include chaps, necktie or bolo tie, vest, belt & buckle. Jeans may be any colour but blue in most shows, unless you are wearing chaps over your blue jeans. Big-time show people advise starching a crisp line in your jeans but I have yet to do so!
In all disciplines, watch for trends that are doing well in the show pen - if a certain type of movement, breed, silver, outfit, colour, etc is doing well, it might not hurt to mimic that trend if you can, but be forewarned that following trends can be very expensive! It is also not a way of guaranteeing your horse will win if he is not going as well as the others, or if your riding is still needing improvement, but it can help you stand out in a crowd of mostly equal competitors and say 'Hey! I KNOW what I'm doing!'. When you are new to showing, following trends is far less important that preparing your self and your horse as best as possible for the whole experience.
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse.
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This doesn't mean you have lost ground on his training, in fact, chances are good he might pick the right answer sooner tomorrow when allowed to come back to it. If we change the way we are asking, suddenly the horse has no idea once again what we want - we need to decide what the cue will be and stick with it. The key in training really seems to be consistency.
