DMT Bosal Hack

Do You You Know How To Fit A Hackamore?

DMT Bosal HackWe know proper hackamore fit is important for correct function, but it can be a challenge to get the necessary information to learn how one should fit. To confuse things even more, there is a huge variety of hackamores available to riders.

FaceOfAConquistador

How to Build a Long-Lasting Reining Horse

FaceOfAConquistadorMy first Futurity with Face Of A ConquistadorThe Futurity season is my favorite time of year — we get to see a new group of future show horses and watch them for the first time. My philosophy for showing my Futurity horses for the first time is equivalent to taking my kids to school in first grade — I expect them to behave and perform their maneuvers the same as they do at home.

calves

Branding

Livestock branding has been a practice for Texas cattlemen since the late 1800s. My in-laws have branded their cattle for five generations. Currently we run an “E” brand, which stands for my mother-in-law’s name, Eugenia. Several times a year we round up new calves and run them through the squeeze shoot/calf table. The calf table makes the process less stressful on all of us, especially because it’s usually just two of us doing the work. That and a good set of sorting pens to separate the calves from their mamas and we rarely have much trouble.
elvis-ron-pietrafeso

Touring with the King

elvis-ron-pietrafesoElvis (upper left) in 1975, dressed in Denver police captain's attire to camouflage him when they took him to dinner. Pictured with Elvis are Captain Jerry Kennedy (top right), Bob Cantwell (lower left) and Detective Ron Pietrafeso (lower right). • Courtesy of Ron PietrafesoBefore Ron Pietrafeso hit the open road with his family – wife Adrienne and daughters Nicole, Jessica and Gianna – on the weekend cutting circuit, he used to roll with the King himself. Pietrafeso, then a Denver police officer, met Elvis Presley while working an extra security gig in Colorado. The Colorado cop and the singer from Tupelo, Mississippi, quickly became friends.

CS NRHADerby

Craig’s Spin on Derby Red Tape

CS NRHADerbyCraig Schmersal at the NRHA DerbyI just returned home from the NRHA Derby, where I showed FS Taris Walla Whiz to an ancillary Open class championship and Redhot Walla to 8th in the Level 4 Open Derby. Both of these horses are owned by Tim Anderson. He has been a longtime customer for me, and I am so happy we had such great success this week!

rosa-adult

Meant To Be

rosa-adultA twist of fate brought Aces Especial Peppy and I back together.Some things you can only chalk up to fate. Such was the case with my 3-year-old Quarter Horse mare, Aces Especial Peppy.

Minecraft1

Cutting Digital Cows

Minecraft1Millie Joe's desktop showing her digitally created cutting arena.

When traveling between horse shows, there can be a lot of down time. And when you’re hauling your kids along with horses, keeping everyone entertained and occupied can sometimes be a challenge. But 12-year-old Millie Joe Rosenberg has found an interesting way to occupy her time in the car. She creates cutting horse arenas online.

DMT tyinghalter

Have You Ever Had a Horse Pull Back in a Rope Halter?

DMT tyinghalterThe rope halter should be tied with a sheet bend knot. When tying a sheet bend it’s easy to incorrectly make the knot above the halter loop instead of below. If your horse pulls back, you won’t be able to untie this type of knot. With a correctly tied sheet bend, like the one shown in the video, if your horse pulls back while tied you should be able to get the knot untied.

whatawave schmersal

Craig Schmersal’s Trip to Italy

whatawave schmersal

I just returned home from judging a show in Italy and doing a clinic afterwards. My last trip to Italy was several years ago when I did several clinics for Belgium and Italy.

DMT slidinggagbit

Can A Sliding Gag Bit Be A Good Training Tool For Any Discipline?

DMT slidinggagbit

Have you ever wondered how or why a sliding gag bit works? When the reins on a sliding gag are used to redirect a horse, the pressure from that pull is distributed simultaneously in 2 places: on the mouth from the sliding gag bit as the mouthpiece rises (slides on the shanks) and the bit rises (slides on the cords), and on the poll from the pressure of the headstall crown piece as the bit rises.