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NSC Spring Show
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The Northern Saddle Club Spring Show in Smithers is the big event this coming weekend. This is usually the largest of the NSC Shows (though nowhere near rivalling the expansive BV Exhibition in August). The Spring Show welcomes riders from Prince George through Terrace and Kitimat and is a great venue for horses and riders to stretch their legs after a long winter.
Show Secretary Samantha Schneider has worked hard to put out a packed program, and the schedule runs something like this:
Friday
5 pm - Halter and Showmanship classes in Indoor Arena
- followed by a Groom Auction
- followed by a limited entry Liberty Class
The Liberty Class is an exciting one to watch with horses being allowed to run free for 2 minutes to the entrant's choice of music. They may encourage the horse to move around and show off its action and movement. After the time is up, they have 1 minute to catch the horse again.
Saturday
8 am - Western Performance Division in Main Arena
8 am - Dressage Division in Dressage Ring
10 am - English Performance Division in Main Arena
10 am - Trail Division in Outer Field
2 pm - Reining Division in Main Arena
2 pm - Hunter Division in Hunt Field
Sunday
8 am - Jumper Division in Hunt Field
8 am - Gymkhana Division in Main Arena
12 pm - Driving Division in Driving Ring
Friday night should be a crowd pleaser with the Groom Auction and Liberty class. The auction is intended as a fund raiser, where people donate their services for the weekend and riders can buy them to act as a groom, stall mucker, etc.
Saturday is packed with rail classes, if a somewhat boring day for spectators. Trail and Reining are usually worth watching for a bit, as are some of the Hunters.
Sunday is the active day - Gymkhana is ever a crowd pleaser, speed events seem to draw the spectators. The fast paced Jumper division is also a bit more popular than the more sedate Hunters. With a Hoof N Woof (class with dogs and horses jumping for a combined time) early in the morning, people should be out and about to watch!
So it's an action-packed, fun-filled weekend for area equestrians. Maybe we'll see you at the show! |
| 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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Past articles are all available in the
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Other ropes and ties
Now that we've looked in depth at lead rope options, a few different types of ties and ropes are also used for various reasons.
Longelines are a handy piece of equipment in most any barn. From a main training tool to a handy way to let a fresh horse work off steam, a longeline can be found in most horse owner's kits. Like lead ropes, they come in a variety of materials, lengths, and with different hardware. Most feature a swivel snap or a separate swivel connector to allow for easier untangling of the line.
A person may choose to tether a horse out on grass to allow a chance to graze in an unfenced area, maybe at home on the lawn or at a show where you couldn't let him run free. A tether should be made from a cotton rope or a nylon rope covered with a length of garden horse to protect the horse from rope burns. A longeline also works well but if made of flat nylon it can cause serious burns if the horse gets tangled.
Cross-ties are most often used in an alleyway for grooming and tacking up or for vet or farrier procedures. Cross-ties keep the horse relatively immobile, while not allowing them to crowd up against a wall or fence. You'll also find cross-ties in some wash racks. Horses should be introduced carefully to a cross-tie as the feeling of not being able to move their heads may panic some horses. A cross-tie rope (or chain as some people use) should be long enough to reach the side ring of the horse's halter, with a corresponding one on the opposite wall.
Trailer ties are usually a fairly standard length and are used, well, for tying in the trailer! Instead of using your lead rope to tie your horse with, the trailer tie presents a handy, ready-made, correct length rope, usually with a panic snap at one end. I also sometimes transfer my ties to the outside of the trailer as well for tying safely at events.
Panic snaps, or quick release snaps as they are correctly called, are handy and safe for trailering and also for cross-tying, or if you suspect a horse will get into a wreck. If you tether your horse, I also recommend using a quick release snap in case your horse gets into trouble on his long line. The panic snap consists of a hinged clip whose loose end is placed inside a sleeve to close it. Pulling down on the sleeve immediately releases the clip - even if the horse has his weight on it. Most other clips cannot be undone if the horse is pulling back or has his weight on it.
And thus ends the articles on ropes!
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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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We update the Events Page regularly - so be sure to check often.
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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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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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On the road again...
We talked recently (see May 8 and May 15 issues) about feeding and watering your horse while travelling to events, but what about where to keep your horse? While horse shows generally offer pens or stalls, more relaxed venues such as rodeos and team pennings may not.
Here are some other methods for keeping your horse at an event. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which I'll try to cover here. Please note that a horse can get seriously hurt in most of these situations if he is unfamiliar with ropes being wrapped around his legs, so please use caution if trying any of the methods.
Hobbles - Hobbles generally consist of a single strap wrapped in a figure 8 around the horse's forelegs or two cuffs joined by a short length of chain. The idea is to restrict the movement of the horse by not allowing him to move his front legs too far apart - the horse sort of shuffles along as he grazes. A horse should be introduced to hobbles carefully by an experienced handler before turning him loose with them. A horse should not be left overnight hobbled at a show grounds as they can still get into trouble (like wandering through other people's campsites!).
A horse can also learn to run in hobbles - they start by lunging forward and build up speed - if they misstep they can have a serious wreck. However, hobbles do allow a horse to graze relatively freely, giving them more access than a tie rope, and as long as a horse is being monitored from time to time they are nice to use.
Drop lead - Some horses can be trusted to ground tie if left to graze with their lead rope dropped on the ground. If they step on the dragging rope, they'll usually stop. However, horses learn quickly to carry their heads off to one side and leave the area! Like hobbles, a drop rope should not be used in certain areas or overnight, as it can become tangled or the horse could just leave the area altogether. It is a great method for allowing the horse a short snack immediately after finishing your event, but before you put him away for the night.
Picket rope - A picket rope is extremely handy for several horses from the same place. A long rope is stretched between two anchor points - two trailers, or a truck and a tree, for examples. The horses are then tied to either side of the picket rope as they would normally be tied. Because of the droop in the picket rope, the horses can graze the immediate area, reach a hay pile and a water bucket, and can even lie down. However, they must be calm enough not to panic if they get a foot over the rope, or all of the horses could end up badly tangled.
Next week, more ways of keeping your equine companion contained at an event.
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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