Category: Travel across the U.S. with HorseTail Legacy LLC Blog

Follow us as we travel across the U.S. with an American Quarter Horse named Irish. The journey will be a modern day version of the pioneers trek to discover this great country. What better way than to do it with America’s horse. Check in often to see all the great place we visit like National and State Parks as well as unique regional attraction.

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Ashley Villmow Professional Reining Horse Trainer, Gillette, WY

Ashley Villmow Professional Reining Horse Trainer

Gillette, WY

Irish and Ashley Villmow
Irish and Ashley Villmow

Ashley Villmow is a professional reining horse trainer located in Gillette, WY. Kluz Performance Horses has been in business since 2008. Ashley specializes in training reining and all-around show horses. I worked with Ashley for three days and focused on rollbacks, lead changes, backing up straight and practice patterns. As with each stop along my trip Ashley help build my knowledge base as a rider. Irish also helped teach her horse Augie that being next to a horse he doesn’t know isn’t so scary.

Rollback

Taking a page from Ashley’s cutting horse background she used her horse Augie to incentivize Irish to depart out of the rollback faster. We lined both horses up parallel to each other, then backed them up so they had their weight on their back end. Ashley would than roll Augie back toward me and lope off down the straight line. I would have to shadow her by rolling Irish back toward her and chase them down the straight line and stop. Doing this exercise really helped get Irish to snap out of his rollback and depart more quickly in the opposite direction.

Lead Change

For this exercise, I made a figure eight shape around the arena. Starting on the correct lead I loped around one end and then turned to cut across the center of the arena on a diagonal into the other circle on the counter canter at the opposite end of the arena. I would then continue around and across the center maintaining the counter canter. Once at the opposite side of the arena I would be back on the correct lead. As I turned to cross the arena again I would ask for the lead change on the straight line just before or after I passed center. Once the lead change was done I continued around the circle and stopped as I started the next diagonal line across center. This exercise allows you to work on lead changes without the horse starting to anticipate the change. Click this link to see video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btt6swO5Xec

Stretching

Two exercises that we did were more for me as a rider. One was to help stretch my lower back and the other was to help balance my weight evenly in my stirrups. Ashley had me place my free hand on Irish’s mane and slightly round over to stretch my lower back as I loped around. She regularly does this to help loosen her lower back to allow her to move in fluidly with the horse. The second was done by lifting my butt slightly out of the saddle and asking Irish to back up. This helps to keep you centered over the horse and prevents you from shifting your hips from side to side as you back up. The goal is to help the rider to have correct body position which helps the horse to back up straight. Click this link to see video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDQ1_ab9IPk

Backing up straight

Backing up straight seems like an easy thing to do but getting your horse to do it does take some practice. It is important to have your weight balanced and look straight ahead as you back up. If you are leaning it can cause your horse to back up crooked. Once you are sure you are straight, ask your horse to back up. If they are leaning off to one side continue to back them up but turn them in a circle in the opposite to the way they are leaning. After repeating this multiple times, your horse will begin to learn that staying straight is easier and start backing up straight more consistently.

Pattern Work

Anyone that shows reining horses knows they need to work on patterns. Ashley’s method for pattern work is to do modified combinations of reining horse and horsemanship patterns. You can combine multiple maneuvers into to short combinations to practice moving through a pattern. Doing this helps you think about pattern flow without constantly repeating the patterns that you have to do in the show pen.

While at Ashley’s’ I logged 8 hours toward the AQHA Horseback Riding Program. https://www.aqha.com/riding

I hope you enjoyed this post and please share the information with your friends.

While I was with Ashley Villmow I logged 6 hours toward my AQHA Riding Program Hours

https://www.aqha.com/trail-riding/programs/aqha-horseback-riding-program

Please visit the Kluz Preformance Horses website at http://kluzperformancehorses.com/ for more information about Ashley Villmow.

Check out more post by clicking on this link: https://horsetaillegacy.com/063o

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Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park Sign

Yellowstone National Park covers 3,468.4 square miles in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act that formally established the world’s first national park. It took the efforts of many explorers, writers and artists to convey the need to preserve the natural wonder of Yellowstone for the generations to come. The history of Yellowstone is preserved in the Albright Visitors Center near Mammoth Hot Springs and Fort Yellowstone.

 

The newly restored Albright Visitors Center has informative displays that chronicles the history of Yellowstone and the people that discovered the area and fought to preserve its beauty. The ongoing poaching and vandalism of the natural resources made it necessary for the US Army to take control of the park to restore order. Once the area was stabilized it was apparent that there was a need for an organization to manage the land and to educate the public about the national parks. So, President Woodrow Wilson passed the National Park Service Organic Act, thereby creating the National Park Service on August 25, 1916.

Also located in the Albright Visitors Center is a small habitat display of some of the animals that make Yellowstone National Park home.

Within the borders of Yellowstone is the largest concentration of mammals in the continental United States. The complex predator-prey relationship provides a link between climate change and ecological management of Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Wildlife Facts:

  • 67 different mammals live here, including many small mammals.
  • As of 2016, 690 grizzlies were estimated in Greater Yellowstone.
  • Black bears are common.
  • Gray wolves were restored in 1995. As of December 2016, there were at least 108 wolves living mostly in the park.
  • Wolverine and lynx, which require large expanses of undisturbed habitat, live here.
  • Seven native ungulate species—elk, mule deer, bison, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer—live here.
  • Nonnative mountain goats have colonized northern portions of the park.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/mammals.htm

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs terraces are located just past the historic buildings of Fort Yellowstone. The multihued travertine terraces are formed when the heated water from the deep volcanic activity dissolves the limestone and releases carbon dioxide along with calcium carbonate at the surface. The superheated water flows down the terraces created a glyncining sheen over the travertine. Within the pooling water thermophilic algae in shades of brown, orange, red and green flourish.

Undine Falls

Undine Falls
Undine Falls

A few miles past the hot springs is Undine Falls. The 60-foot three step water falls is fed by the Lave Creek. The falls can be easily seen from a short walking path just off the road. Undine is just one of the hundreds of water falls found throughout Yellowstone. All the water falls are fed by seven rivers that flow from the Continental Divide on their way to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico. As the water moves through the park it provides much needed water and habit for the inhabitants of Yellowstone.

Petrified Forest

Petrified Tree
Petrified Tree

Yellowstone National Park has one of the world’s largest petrified forests. Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago buried trees with ash. Over time the organic material of the trees was replaced by silica from the groundwater. The end result is what scientists call petrified wood. The shape of the trees are made up of almost solid quartz. One example of this is located in the northeast section of the park between Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley.

A visit to Yellowstone National Park is like submerging yourself into the wilderness. The combination of lush grasslands, tall trees, cascading waterfalls and volcanic activity makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the forces that formed the continent. The abundant wild life only adds to the magnificent beauty of Yellowstone. After a visit to Yellowstone it is easy to see why so many people strived to preserve its wildness and how it inspired the formation of the National Park Service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park

 

Check out more post by clicking on this link: https://horsetaillegacy.com/01m8

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Things to do in Idaho

Things to do in Idaho

The State Capital of Idaho

Idaho State Capitol Building
Idaho State Capitol Building

The capitol building for Idaho is located in Boise. The sandstone building’s architectural style is that of Renaissance Revival with a central dome raising 208 feet into the skyline. Architects John E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel designed the structure. The central section was the first portion to be built and was completed in 1912. The second phase was the building of the east and west wings to house the legislature and was completed in 1920. A major renovation and addition of two underground wings was completed in 2010.

 

 

The State Of Idaho Seal In Mosaic Tile
The State Of Idaho Seal
In Mosaic Tile

The garden level of the capitol building houses the legislature in the new underground wings. The center hall on this floor has a large mosaic inlay of the great seal of the state of Idaho designed by Emma Edwards Green in 1891. Idaho is the only state to have its seal designed by a woman. Surrounding the seal is an informative display that documents events in Idaho’s history. This includes the signing of a bill by President Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1863 creating the Idaho territory. Information about the early days in Idaho included the gold rush followed by an economy based in extracting natural resources. Idaho also addressed the importance of water rights early on and established the “first in time” were “first in right” as a basis for determining access to water. The 1980’s brought a change to the economy with the development of engineering and technology products becoming the main source of employment in Idaho.

 

Going up to the next levels in the capitol building you will see the inside of the central dome surrounded by multistory columns. Inside the dome are 13 larger stars to represent the original colonies and 43 smaller stars to represent Idaho status as the 43rd state in the union.  The columns are constructed of steel, brick and concrete and coated in scafliola, a faux marble technique using selenite, white animal glue, and pigments.

The house and senate chambers are located in the east and west wings off the central hall. The chambers ceilings each have a beautiful dome and a balcony for gallery seating.

Statuary Hall is on the top floor and has a rotating display of the state’s art collection. Two statues flank the opening of Statuary Hall, one is a plaster replica of the Winged Victory ca 1949. The statue was a gift to Idaho from Paris as a thank you to the U.S. for liberating France from Germany during World War II. The other statue is of George Washington mounted on a horse. Charles L. Ostner carved the gold glided statue from yellow pine in 1869.

Inside the hall are carvings made from the historic trees that were cut down during the renovation. Representative Max C. Black spearheaded the reuse project by gathering 50 carvers from around the state to contribute to the collection.

We enjoyed our visit to the Idaho state capitol building and are happy to say that it was the third capitol building we visited as we traveled across the U.S. Be sure to visit the Idaho State Capitol website to learn even more about the state and its capitol building. https://capitolcommission.idaho.gov/about/history.html

 

World Center for Birds of Prey

The Peregrine Fund was founded in 1970 to restore the Peregrine Falcon to the wild. Since that time the organization has expanded its focus to the conservation of raptors worldwide. Their mission includes restoring rare species through captive breeding and release programs, improving local conservation of habitat, conducting research, and environmental education.  Through the monitoring of a cornerstone species such as birds of prey the overall stability of the environment can be determined.

 

 

 

A visit to the centers’ indoor and outdoor exhibits brings you up close to many live birds of prey. The volunteers also bring the birds out of their enclosures during scheduled presentations so visitors can learn even more about the birds housed at the center.

There are also informative displays about the birds throughout the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center. Currently the largest captive and release breeding program for California Condors is located at the center. The information learned by this breeding program has been used to help other birds of prey like the Aplomaho Falcon to come back from near extinction.

Adjacent to the interpretive center is the Archives of Falconry. This building houses the most comprehensive English-language falconry library in the world. In addition to the library there are artifacts from ancient and modern falconry. The Sheikh Zayed Arab Heritage Wing depicts the importance of falconry in the lives of the nomadic Arab Bedouin. The World Center for Birds of Prey provides its visitor a truly remarkable look into the fantastic world of these magnificent birds.

Please visit the World Center for Birds of Preys’ website for even more information http://www.peregrinefund.org/visit

I hope you enjoyed this post about Idaho and will share it with your friends.

 

For more travel blogs from HorseTail Legacy LLC  https://horsetaillegacy.com/01m8

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Riding a Reining Horse with Jay Dee Anderson Professional Reining Horse Trainer Wilsall, MT

Jay Dee Anderson Wilsall, MT

Irish and Jay Dee Anderson
Irish and Jay Dee Anderson
Wilsall, MT

Jay Dee Anderson is a professional reining horse trainer located in Wilsall, Mt. During our stay with Jay Dee we worked on the turnaround, rollback, lead change, lead departures, large fast circles and stops. We also participated in our first all day reining horse clinic with seven other riders. Each day we warmed up by trotting small circles and collecting the horse up and making sure he was guiding well. After doing that in both directions we repeated it at the lope. Once the horse was warmed up and guiding well we would start working on our maneuvers.

Turnaround

Before you ask the horse to turnaround you need to work on collection. Jay Dee does this by walking a small circle. He pushes the horse’s hip into the circle with his outside leg. With two hands, he picks the reins up in a “V” shape and bends the horse’s neck to the inside of the circle. He uses his inside leg to prevent the horse from dropping into the circle or turning. This exercise helps pick the horse’s front end up and teaches them to turn without sticking their nose out. The more collected the horse is in the turnaround the easier it is for them to cross their legs over and turn smoothly.

Starting the turnaround. Jay Dee trains his horses to turnaround as soon as he lays the outside rein on their neck and kiss. He does this so that when anyone gets on the horse they don’t need to think about the turnaround, they just need to lay the outside neck rein and kiss and the horse will turn. In addition, he feels using your outside leg to start the turnaround often causes the horse to look in that direction instead of keeping their head looking in the direction of the turnaround. He keeps his outside leg next to the horse’s body but does not squeeze with it. If he needs more speed he will bump with the outside leg and kiss. To stop the turnaround, he says whoa and puts his hand down. He does not like to stop every turnaround, but likes to walk out into a small circle, this help keeps the horse from anticipating the shut off of the turnaround and work on collection. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/qtFdCeZz_6g

Rollback

We did two exercises to help improve the rollback and departure. The first was to back the horse up in a small circle. With the outside leg, we pushed the horse’s hip into the circle. At the same time, we pick up the reins with both hands and bend the horse’s head slightly to the outside. This exercise helps clear the hips and the shoulder in preparation for the rollback. Once you have done this and the horse is moving well ask the horse to rollback to the outside of the circle.

The next exercise for the rollback is done in the circle. Jay Dee lopes around in a circle and stops and rolls the horse back. This teaches the horse to roll completely around into their tracks and drive out in the other direction. Click this link to see video. https://youtu.be/CpgzCaQLp2o

Lead Changes

For a horse to do a lead change easily they need to be straight, collected and moving forward. This simple counter canter exercise helps you achieve all three. Jay Dee likes to counter canter a square at one end of the arena. Doing a square gives you four straight lines to use to change leads. The corners also allow you to practice squaring off your straight lines which you need to do to get a good rundown for the stop. Once he has done a number of squares he will ask the horse to lead change. Because you are riding in a square it also helps teach the horse to change leads and stay straight. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/2ZTneQSUrOc

Lead Departure and Building Speed in the Circle

For the lead departure Jay Dee picks up the reins and applies light pressure to the bit and asks the horse to lope off. After a few strides, he breaks the horse down to a walk and repeats the process. This teaches the horse to allow you to pick up on the reins and to keep their head down in the lead departure. The next step is pick up on the reins and increase the speed by kissing and bumping with your legs. This technique allows you to pick on the horse in the show pen to increase speed while remaining collected. Once he has the speed he wants he puts his hand down and bumps with his legs and kisses to speed the horse up if they start to slow down.Click this link to see video  https://youtu.be/yK2rGjiH84M

Run Down and Stop

Jay Dee likes to work on the run down and stop by doing a rectangle around the arena. The first step is to lope around the arena and make a small to medium size circle at the end of the arena. After doing that a few times he starts to build speed for the rundown and maintains that speed into the circle at the end of the arena. Once he has done this and the horse is straight and building well he will ask for the stop by saying whoa. The goal of the is exercise to prevent the horse from anticipating the stop and slowing down before you tell them to whoa. A good stop requires an increase in speed on a straight line with the last stride being your fastest.

Anderson Training Stables Sign

While I was with Jay Dee Anderson I logged 16 hours toward my AQHA Riding Program Hours

https://www.aqha.com/trail-riding/programs/aqha-horseback-riding-program

I hope you enjoyed all the training tips and videos from Jay Dee Anderson and feel free to share this with your friends.

Please visit Anderson Training Stables website at http://www.andersontrainingstables.com/

Check out more reining horse trainers by clicking this link: https://horsetaillegacy.com/063o

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Glacier National Park

Glacier National ParkGlacier National Park Sign

Glacier National Park is located in northern Montana on the board of the United States and Canada. Glacier was officially designated a National Park on May 11, 1910. As the name suggest the area was formed by the forces of advancing and retreating glaciers. The park is 1 million acres in size and is traversed by the Continental Divide. The elevations in Glacier creates ecosystems that range from prairie to tundra.

Glaciers are made up of ice, snow, water, rock and sediment that move under the influence of gravity. The land is carved into U-shaped valleys as the glaciers advance and retreat over time. As the ice melts, the rock and sediment left behind form moraines. The moraine serves to the trap the glacial water resulting in the formation of lakes. The largest lake is Lake McDonald. This lake is 9.4 miles long and 464 feet deep. The cold water in the lake supports very little plankton growth which results in incredibly clear water.

The water from Glacier National Park has far-reaching effects as it makes its way to the Pacific Ocean, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Triple Divide Peak marks the point at which the water’s path is determined. That is why this area is considered the apex of the North American continent.

The ecosystems of Glacier have stayed virtually unchanged over time. Almost all of the historically know plants and animals that have lived in the area remain. This unique habit provides researchers with an intact ecosystem to study as they determine the effect of climate change over time. The lack of pollutions allows them to detect the smallest changes that occur in the environment and helps to preserver this pristine beauty of Glacier.

Glacier has been attracting tourist since the early 1900’s. To accommodate the travelers the Lake McDonald Lodge was built along with many chalets throughout the park. By 1932 the Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed allowing people to go completely across the park by car. Until the road the only way to travel was by train, boat and trails.

We visited Glacier National Park in early May. Because the many of the roads were still snow-covered we were not able to travel the full length of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. By entering the western side of the park, we saw Lake McDonald and the Lodge. The clear waters of the lake reflected the majestic mountains surrounding it like a giant mirror. Than we drove around the outside of the park to eastern entrance and visited Two Medicine Lake and St. Mary’s Lake. Two Medicine Lake still had large pieces of ice floating on the surface which only served to remind you just how cold the water is. From the shores of St. Mary’s Lake, we could see to top of Triple Divide Peak of in the distance. The serenity surrounding these calm cold lakes and the snow-covered mountains entice you to sit and contemplate the beauty of the nature around you. Glacier National Park truly represents the wild America the park service strives to preserve.

Two Medicine Lake
Two Medicine Lake

https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)

For more travel blogs from HorseTail Legacy LLC  https://horsetaillegacy.com/01m8

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Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona and was officially designated a national park in 1919. The canyon was created after the uplift of the Colorado Plateau. This allowed the Colorado River to carve the one mile deep gorge that is the Grand Canyon. The forces of wind, water, erosion and active faults all contribute to the never-ending formation of the Grand Canyon.

The geologic wonder that is the Grand Canyon has 40 exposed and identified rock layers that make up the walls of the Grand Canyon. The hard Coconino Sandstone, the Red Wall Limestone that make up the wall and the dry climate all contribute to the rapid downcutting and slow widening of the canyon. The continuous force of the Colorado River as well as flash floods and violent thunder storms are what erodes the rock walls to create the canyon that exists today.

The Grand Canyon is so massive that it influences the weather in and around the area. The temperature gradients that are caused by the rough terrain and elevation changes affect the amount of solar heating and air circulation throughout the canyon. The lower elevations have the highest temperatures during the day but the rapid heat loss at night can cause the temperature to drop 30 degrees in one day.

The mere size of The Grand Canyon takes your breath away. I can see why it has drawn people to it for 10,000 years. The colors of the rock create amazing vistas that go on for as far as the eye can see. For the explorer, there is the lure of what the canyon will reveal. The adventure seekers can be challenged by trails and the rivers rapids. The Grand Canyon simply inspires. https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_National_Park

 

Williams, Arizona

While visiting the Grand Canyon National Park we stayed in Williams, AZ. This town was founded in 1901 and is also known as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon”. Williams is a cute little tourist town that celebrates the heyday of route 66. As you walk the streets the history of Route 66 is every were from the shops to the restaurants. Williams is also known as the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by I-40 on October 13, 1984. If you are a Route 66 fan Williams, AZ is a must see.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams,_Arizona

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Riding a Reining Horse with Patti Cusker Professional Reining Horse Trainer Missoula, MT

Patti Cusker Missoula, MT

Irish in Missoula, MT
Irish in Missoula, MT

We made a short stop with professional horse trainer Patti Cusker. The farm is located in a tranquil river valley just outside the city ofMissoula, MT. While we were there I worked on my turnaround and rollback. In addition, Irish was able to experience the native wild life as they meandered around the outdoor arena. I have to say he is really starting to just go with the flow when it comes to all the new sights and sounds.

The Turnaround

Patti’s approach to the turnaround it to ue the horse by turning your head in the direction she wants to turn, as well as opening her inside leg and putting pressure on the horse with her outside leg. She uses very light contact with the outside rein to start the turn and prefers to say whoa to stop the turn. The goal for teaching the horse to turn using more body and leg pressure is to be able to turnaround without pulling on the horse’s mouth. The overall result is a responsive horse with a very soft face.

For my turnaround, we worked on keeping my horse head position correct. He likes to turn his nose to the outside of the turn. When he does this, it hinders his ability to cross his front legs over in a smooth cadence. In keeping with Patti’s soft hand approach to training I would use my free hand to lightly pick up the inside rein and drop it to get his nose to straighten up. This is a soft movement just like tapping someone on the arm to get their attention. The end result was a smooth turnaround with more natural speed.

The Rollback

We started the rollback exercise by trotting a small circle next to the fence. Once you have done a few circles you want to stop your horse at about a 45-degree angle to the fence. The fence helps to direct the horse in the opposite direction. You ask for the rollback by looking in the direction you want to go and laying your inside rein on the horse’s neck. At the same time, you open your outside leg and push the horse through the rollback with your inside leg.

Patti likes to sit deep in the saddle and drive the rollback with her legs. She feels that if you pull too much with the reins it causes the horse to drag in the rollback. So, she likes to get light contact with the horse’s mouth when she asks for the rollback. The drive for the rollback comes from her seat and her inside leg. When you do a rollback, you need the horse to move their shoulders as well as their hips in the direction of the rollback. By maintaining a deep seat, you can stay balanced through the rollback and feel if the horse is engaging their hips to drive out of the rollback. If your horse doesn’t engage their hips you want to stop the forward motion and pick the horse up in the front end to move their shoulders and move their hips with your leg into a two track until their shoulders and hips are moving together. Than go back to the exercise and ask for the rollback again.

Please feel free to share this post with all your friends

While I was at Patti’s I logged 6.5 hours toward the AQHA Riding Program https://www.aqha.com/trail-riding/programs/aqha-horseback-riding-program

Check out more reining horse trainers by clicking this link: https://horsetaillegacy.com/063o

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Utah State Parks

Utah State Parks

Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum Cedar City, UT

The Iron Mission State park was started in 1973 as a way to preserve the history of the Mormons who settled in Cedar City. The need for iron in 1847 led to the colonization of the area in 1851. Within 10 months the area had a blast furnace and iron foundry up and running. The name of the park was changed to the Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum in 2009. The park now offers hands-on school programs, living history activities as well as artifact and historic building preservation.

One of the largest collections of horse drawn wagons and carriages is now housed in the museum. Most of the collection came from a private collector named Gronway Parry.

The hands-on aspect of this park makes it easy to submerge yourself into life on the frontier. There are pioneer cabins, 19th century printing presses, a 100-year old rug loom, horse drawn farm equipment, and a saw mill. There are also historic structures like the Hunter House. This house was the oldest remaining home in Cedar City. The George Wood cabin is the fifth oldest structure still standing in Utah.

The Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum is truly a great place to visit. The museum is well organized and engaging. http://www.frontierhomestead.org/

 

Dead Horse Point State Park Moab, UT

The mesa of Dead Horse Point State Park overlooks the Colorado River and provides views of Canyonlands National Park. The geology of the area has created the 2,000-foot-deep canyon that has been carved out of the ancient sand dunes and sedimentary rock, by wind and water. The park offers hiking and biking trails as well as an informative visitors center.

The plants and animals of the high desert are uniquely adapted to live in this harsh dry climate. The plants grow slowly and remain low to the ground. This helps plants to conserve the limited water and nutrients available to them. Most of the animals are nocturnal and have developed to thrive in this harsh environment over time.

According to legend the peninsula at the end of the mesa was used to corral wild Mustangs during the early 19th century. The horses were herded to the area and the cowboys would select the ones they wanted to keep. The unwanted horses were left to find their own way out. Many horses would die of thirst after they were trapped out on the narrow peninsula overlooking the Colorado River.

We enjoyed the beauty of Dead Horse Point State Park from the overlooks. We were able to see more of the Colorado River than we could from any of the national parks we visited. The natural landscape around the visitor’s center had many of the native plants along the pathways. Be sure to visit this park if you are in Moab, UT it is well worth the trip. https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/

For more travel blogs from HorseTail Legacy LLC  https://horsetaillegacy.com/01m8

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Arches National Park

Arches National Park

Arches National Park sign
Arches National Park

Arches National Park located in Moab, UT became a national park on November 12, 1971. Arches is part of the Colorado Plateau with elevations that range from 4,085 – 5,653 feet above sea level. This park boasts the most naturally occurring stone arches in the world at over 2,000. Many of the arches are only visible from the numerous trails that meander through the park. However, the arches are not the only amazing sights to see. There are many plants and animals that call Arches home. Some of the smallest organisms are the biggest contributors to keeping the dessert habitable.

The geology of the area is what allows the relatively rare rock formations to exist. The stone that makes up the arch is a combination of Entrada Sandstone which is very porous and the Carmel layer which is a mix of sand and clay making it much harder. Beneath the surface of all this rock is a thick layer of salt that created a bulging dome of rock. When the dome cracked, the rock formed a series of parallel lines much like fins on a fish. The fins of sandstone are now exposed to rain and wind that slowly erodes holes in the softer rock creating the magnificent arches we see today.

There are many plants that have adapted to the extremes of the high desert in Arches. Each is uniquely suited to the elevation and amount of water needed to survive. The cryptobiotic soil crust is a living ground cover that forms a foundation for the plants to grow in. This crust is made up of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, green algae, micofungi and bacteria. Together they form an intricate web of fibers that joins the soil particles together into a stable surface that is resistant to wind and water erosion. In addition to holding water and minerals in the soil the cyanobacteria in the crust converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form the plants can use.

Arches National Park was the last of the Big Five parks we visited in Utah. Visiting in April was a great time to see the park. The weather was comfortable and the plants were starting to bloom. Walking the trails that took you between enormous rock fins was truly a one of a kind experience. You can feel the wind blowing the fine sand through the gaps and really see how the forces of nature created these amazing natural stone arches.

For more information about Arches National Park visit https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm  or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arches_National_Park

I hope you enjoyed this post please feel free to share it with friends.

For more travel blogs from HorseTail Legacy LLC  https://horsetaillegacy.com/01m8

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How to Ride a Reining Horse with Mack Weaver Professional Reining Horse Trainer, Morgan, UT

Irish and Mack Weaver
Irish and Mack Weaver
Morgan, UT

Mack Weaver Morgan, UT

Mack Weaver is a professional reining horse trainer in Morgan, UT. While I was at Mack’s I worked on all the maneuvers that make up a reining pattern. Each lesson would build on the one from the day before. This approach allowed me to apply what I learned to the next set of maneuvers and to improve every aspect of my riding. Riding one handed was the biggest change for me. Mack believes that riding one handed allows you to find the holes in your riding faster. This was very true for me, but it also helped me make the transition from riding two handed to one handed. This post has more video links to watch, which I think helps explain things more than just reading about how to do it.

Circles

How to keep your horse on the circle when riding one handed. Start by keeping your hand in line with the center of the horse’s mane and keep your shoulders square. Look in the direction you want your horse to go. Your horse should stay on the path you are looking toward. If the horse leaves the circle to the outside you want to stop the horse and turn the horse around to the inside of the circle. Lope off, then cut the circle in half so that you get back to the spot the horse left the circle faster. Frequent repetition allows you to correct the horse in the trouble spot. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/7UGWl3dW5TY

Riding With Your Legs

Riding with your legs helps keep the horse balanced while they are loping the circle. Mack rides every stride of the lope. The way he does this is by kicking with his outside leg slightly before his inside leg.  Doing this helps keep the horse following the circle. If you kick with both legs at the same time you cause your horse to go straight, which will take the curve out of your circle. Click this link to see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfrP5rhdu34

Rein Control Video

https://youtu.be/zEua8RgiToU

Lead Changes

Mack believes that you have to practice lead changes to be able to feel comfortable doing them. The way he does this is by making the center line anywhere down the length of the arena that crosses the middle of the pen. Making the center a different place allows you to work on the lead change in such a way that the horse will not anticipate the lead change. He likes to set the horse up as he comes through center by picking up on the reins and getting the horse straight through center. Doing this on the correct lead and the counter canter over and over until the horse is relaxed with coming through center and has their body straight. Once they are relaxed he will ask for the lead change but he will continue in the same circle on the counter canter. Staying in the same circle helps prevent the horse from dropping into the opposite circle after the lead change. Click this link to see video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEua8RgiToU

Turnaround

On an older horse, Mack works a lot on their start. He wants the horse to move off the neck rein as soon as he lays it on their neck. If they don’t move than he will pull them around and stop and ask again until they start to respond to the neck rein as soon as they are asked. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/XIiWVo-81lA

Run Down and Stop

This exercise for the run down and stop helps keep the horse from running off after you turn the corner at the top of the pen. It also allows you to practice the maneuver without having to lope as much.  Start by walking half way across the top of the pen and loping off. Once you turn the corner for the run down you want to see if the horse is waiting on you to go to the stop. If not turn the horse into a small circle and stay there until you feel the horse is listening to you. Once the horse is, go to the top of the pen and walk across half way and lope off and try it again. If the horse is waiting on you for the run down go ahead and continue down the pen and stop. Wait at the end of the pen for a minute or so and walk across the pen half way and lope of and repeat the exercise.

Rein length is very important when it comes to getting a good stop. If your reins are too short the horse will not be able to drop their head and move as well in the stop. Short reins can cause you to pull on the horse’s face causing a jarring of bit in their mouth as well as stopping their forward motion. Mack likes to have a shorter rein around the top of the pen, but when he turns the corner for the run down he will shake out some rein so that the horse is on loose rein for the run down and stop. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/V6iMIxrpyq4

Rollback

There are four steps to think about when doing a rollback.

  1. The run down
  2. The stop
  3. The release – is after the stop and you allow the horse to stand up briefly and you release their face.
  4. The rollback – is when your hand, shoulders, and head all turn in the direction you want the horse to go.

As you turn around in the rollback you want to use your new outside leg to push the horse through the maneuver and lope off in the opposite direction. If the horse lays on your outside leg you want to turn them around a few times and then lope off in the opposite direction.

If your horse is slow departing after the rollback you can try this exercise to help your horse to move through the rollback and depart. Have someone pretend to be a cow. When you do this your horse’s head needs to stay even with the person as you travel up and down a parallel line to the person. The idea is to have your horse shadow the movements of the person. So, if the person backs up or turns or runs off you need to do the same thing with your horse. Click this link to see video https://youtu.be/lm2Ayg34OOo

While in Morgan, UT I logged 7.5  hours of riding time toward the AQHA riding program. https://www.aqha.com/trail-riding/programs/aqha-horseback-riding-program

Scenes from around the barn!

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For more information about Weaver Performance Horses click this link: http://www.weaverreining.com/

Check out more reining horse trainers by clicking this link: https://horsetaillegacy.com/063o