Visits by the Perverts

It's a big world out there and there are all kinds of people. It might be twisted, but I thought this was very funny.

Someone in San Bernardino California was using Google to search for child pornography. Their IP address is 71.103.217.#. They typed "4yo sex pics" into Google and landed in Selina's horse advertisements (HERE)

Well, I wish the world didn't have people in it like that and I hope that they realize the wrongness of their perversion. Maybe seeing some good horses will bring them to their senses. May it be so.

Hinny Whisperer's Horse Training Bookstore

Wouldn't a good horse training book help you get through the next month of slush and mud? Couldn't you really enjoy paging through a lovely coffee table book on horses? Don't you need to start improving the fundamental relationship with your horse before you dig into this year's conditioning program?

Well The Hinny Whisperer's Horsetraining Bookstore is just the place to go. It's only a click away:

Hinny Whisperer's Horsetraining Bookstore

West Nile Season Approaching

Last year, I didn't really think about what it was going to cost to get my animals vaccinated, I just called my vet and made an appointment. The equines all got West Nile and all the encephalitis shots and the canines and felines got rabies shots. When he was done, he sat in his truck and calculated the bill while I went to get the checkbook.

"How much should I make this out for, Doc?"

"$653."

I was sure I didn't hear him correctly, but he repeated the same number the second time. It just wouldn't register in my brain. I asked him to check the decimal placement. He confirmed that it was really a three figured number. It hurt to write that check.

This year, I don't have a spare six-hundred-dollar-bill so I have been thinking about what to do. Most of the people I know with horses just don't bother getting them vaccinated. If they die, so be it. That's just not my style. I believe in vaccinations. This year, as wet as it is now, could be mosquito boom-times. Even last fall, they were dreadful until the frost took them out. I was glad they were vaccinated.

You can order West Nile vaccine over the internet. In looking at prices, if the only thing you wanted to do was West Nile, it would cost about $14 plus shipping. If you want to do the whole thing, you can go with the West Nile Innovator w/VEWT for about $19 plus shipping. Last year I paid about $40/equine. The savings is going to be significant.

Here is the link to Fort Dodge West Nile Vaccination page. You have to go to companies that sell their products to purchase the vaccines such as United Vet Equine, or HorseVaccines4Less. United is cheaper.

It would be wonderful if no horses in the Four Corners died of these diseases this year, but that is probably not realistic. I can make sure that at least mine are safe.

Antonio wants you to think about it: being safe

Dear Patricia,
How are you ? Would like to have news from you?

Last month we had some bad news here. I had contracted an English woman to be manager in our school and take care of the horses. She fell off from one of the colts in training and broke her pelvis and a vertebrae and had to stay in hospital for almost a month.

I´m always saying our safety in riding is the golden rule:

1. First rides always in the round pen.


2. Always use one rein bending the horse inside, disengaging and not letting him use hind legs or to go with the spine strait on, in a position where it is possible for him to run, jump, and buck at last.


3. Never jerk or pull hard on the reins, this directly induces him to buck.


4. In the begining, hold the mane or saddle with the free hand to prevent our upperbody and head from hitting the ground first. When we have to get out from the horse in an emergency, it is our feet that must leave first and go to the ground because our hand is keeping our body near the horse´s body -- exactly the same that we do in vaulting. This procedure keeps you out of danger.

Think about it. Please spread the warning, this could be very interesting for everyone.

How is your training? Please send news.

Best regards,
Antonio
Portugal

Horse Scam Alert: Code Red

ALERT!!

My site statistics tell me where people have been visiting from and yesterday we had a visit from Nigeria. Now, there could be some very sincere horse buyers from Nigeria, but, in fact, most internet scam seems to be done from that impoverished nation, so they were probably looking for people to con. I hope they haven't tried anything with you. Ryan's Rescues did report some funny business going on from advertising elsewhere, so the they aren't above scamming rescue farms.

Here is how the scam goes. They are in a hurry to buy the horse and they can't come look at it. They will send you a cashiers check (fake but looks real) to pay for the horse and the shipping, you are to cash it and pay the shipper when they come to get the horse. It takes your bank a few days to find out that the Nigerian cashier's check (or other distant place) is fake. The horse is gone and you have paid someone to haul it away.

I would not sell a horse to someone that can't come look at it or that I can't check out very carefully. If you think they are legit, and for some reason they can only send one check and you want to see what happens, tell them to send the money to the shipper and have them pay you in cash when they pick it up. It wouldn't hurt to take a photo of the guys hauling your horse off and get their license plate info if you have a bad feeling. Make sure you have the buyers home phone number too.

I bought a mule, sight-unseen, on the internet. Chester was in Minnesota and I was stuck in NM. I decided that I could trust the sellers (I had a vet from an adjacent county do a vet check) and I sent them a check that cleared before the shipping date. I paid the shippers separately. The sellers became good friends and we have kept in touch over the years. Positive things can happen, but better be alert when evil is afoot.

EBAY: Ttouch video set

Horse Training The Ttouch-AS SEEN ON TV
Item number: 160080071293

End time: Feb-05-07 15:50:07 PST
Cortez, Colorado

EBAY: Cowboy-made Headstall

Fancy Cowboy Headstall, Working Cowboy Made
Item number: 230085613002

End time: Feb-06-07 18:00:00 PST
Bloomfield, NM

EBAY: cavesson

Horse Size Lunge Halter
FREE SHIPPING NEVER USED
Item number: 120081762061

End time: Feb-10-07 08:28:27 PST
Showlow, Arizona

EBAY: Close Contact Saddle

Cliff Barnsby Close Contact English Saddle + Fittings!
Item number: 330083425747

End time: Feb-07-07 14:04:17 PST
Ribera, New Mexico

I have a saddle like this and I like it a lot except for when I am riding broncs.

EBAY: Snow Shovels

HEAVY DUTY SNOW REMOVAL PUSHER & SHOVEL COMBINATION
Item number: 320077704858



I've been scraping my front step with a dustpan.... it might be time to go snow shovel shopping.

Annie

Cassie Ramsey wasn't looking for a new horse when Annie happened to her, but what could she do?

Annie was there in the sale barn, ready to be shipped to slaughter with her mother. I've been through this one myself, so I know how it happens. I paid $3 for my foal back in 1972, I don't know what Annie brought that day last autumn, but soon enough, these foals are on their way to a new life. No mom to hide behind, they have to have pluck to survive, and with a little love and discipline, they become real "people-horses".






Cassie is ready to let Annie find her permanent home now. She's put her up for sale on the Four Corners Horse Trader. She's at ad Number 224. Sounds like Cassie is planning to take her to the Gymkhanna at Gosney's Arena this weekend. Maybe you want to bring a horse trailer with some extra room for Annie?

Quit Your Complainin'!

I was reading the Pioneers of the San Juan Country by Sarah Platt Decker. One of the articles is called "The Big Snow of 1884.

During the winter of 1883-84 in San Juan County there was a normal snowfall until the end of Jauary; the snow fell heavily and the D.&R.G. railroad into Silverton was blocked from February 4 until April 17, a period of 73 days.

I was working out of Chattanooga, a little camp of perhaps 20 cabins, on the north branch of Mineral Creek; I had horses and mules and I was hauling ore from the Congress mine at Red Mountain to the Walsh Smelter at Silverton. I hauled 450 tons in January altho the snow was five feet deep.

On the 2nd of February it began to snow in dead earnest, and snowed 20 days without let up. February 3rd was the last day the train got into Silverton, until the 17th of April. The whole country was covered deep with snow and slides were running. At Chattanooga the snow was 12 feet deep; we measured it. It got so deep we could no longer shovel the trail, so we dug a tunnel under the snow from our cabin to the barn in order to take care of the stock.

Around the 1st of March, after 30 days without a train, the situation was desperate for the people of Silverton, Howardsville, and Chattanooga; the mines had closed and all the men were in town. There were about 1,500 people in Silverton that winter. All fresh food was gone and practically nothing left but flour. Starvation was in sight for people and stock animals alike; and yet, only 15 miles down the Animas Canyon at Needleton station, there were three carloads of food, and two carloads of grain and hay, which had been run up from Durango as soon as the track was cleared that far. Couldn't get this into Silverton because of the snowslides north of Needleton. The telegraph wire had been down, but Sam Herr and others went down the Canyon on snowhoes and repaired the wire and put it up on forked sticks stuck in the snow.

From Durango, Cole Lydon, Division Superintendent for the D.&R.G., had 400 to 500 men working up the canyon to Needleton, digging the snow out with shovels. The men worked in groups, or in layers, you might say; the deeper they dug, as the go closer to the track, the more men it took to throw the snow up and off from the top of the cut.

Cole Lydon's men got the track cleared to Needleton about march 3rd or 4th and had run up the cars of supplies. When this news reached Silverton by wire, we men got together and decided it was up to us to bring grub to town at once, before hungry children starved to death. We had to break about eight miles of trail to get my stock down from Chattanooga, the best pair of snow horses in the world, and four mules. twenty-six men got their stock together, about 52 head in all.

At 6 a.m. of March 6, after breakfast of only bread and no coffee, we started for Needleton. We had no food for lunch except bread. Well, of course, we had some good whiskey. Some men had broken about 4.5 miles of trail the day before. Most of the stock were mules and they soon laid down on the job -- when they got tired they quit. So I had to take the lead with my two good horses, Bob and Bill, the best snow-fighters in the world. When they got tired they sank down in the snow and rested, then got up of their own accord and were ready to come again. They were a pair of sorrels. We broke the trail, following the railroad track tho' it was under 8 to 15 feet of snow, and where the snowslides were we had to work around them. We fought that 15 miles of snow for 18 hours.

Just before we reached Needleton, we came onto the Snowden slide; we looked around to see how we could best get over it, and up in the trees we saw a light, it looked like it was on top of the trees. We hollered, it was Sam Herr who answered, he had a lantern. He told us to go up and cross above the slide; railroad fellows had been shoveling and made a trail for us. We soon were in Needleton, at 12 minutes after 12, March 7.

Well, Cole Lydon had brought food and Sam Herr had a stack of beefsteaks three feet high in the section house kitchen; they stirred up the fire in the big range and we fried steaks aplenty. Snow was seven feet deep on the level at Needleton.

Herbert Smith, station agent at Silverton, had come along to check out the stuff and re-box it so we could pack it on the mules. Next morning some of the boys made up the packets and Hiram Herr and I did most of the loading on the animals. We got the 52 animals loaded and started back; I had two very big mules, could put 275 pounds on each of them. The pack train was strung out over more than two miles of awful trail; five head were loaded with beef, others with hogs, sugar, canned goods, hay, grain and other stuff. The men were afoot, except for Herbert Smith and George Bradford who had saddle horses. When we came in sight of town, men, woman and children came out to meet us.

Well, that story got me to quit feeling so sorry for myself about this mud. But... hey... it's not February 2nd yet.

The New Bookstore Feature

You might have noticed something new in the header..... we now have a bookstore through Amazon.Com.

You can click on the bookstore link in the header or just CLICK HERE

I will be adding books as I find them and I would appreciate hearing suggestions from readers about essential reading. If you love this region as much as I do, you will certainly have your own favorites!

Also, tell me if I have chosen any dogs. I tried to pick out ones with good ratings.

Which End of a Buffalo Gets Up First?

A great little book on history of the area, you can browse this book at google books or you could just buy it from Amazon and have it on your bookshelf.

Mountain men, Indians, homesteaders, prospectors, entrepreneurs and even animals come to life in these true stories of early Colorado. George Hubbard tells his stories with wit, humor and an understanding of human nature. Anyone with an interest in the West will appreciate these fascinating and insightful vignettes.

RUFF

I stumbled upon these lesson plans while looking for a quarter horse ranch in Chinle. Although written for 4th -7th graders, they are interesting and will really help you expand your Navajo horse vocabulary.

The lesson plans are sponsored by RUFF: Reservations Unwanted Four-Footed Friends on the DesertAnimalCompanion website

This is how they describe themselves:

R.U.F.F. is a not-for-profit coalition of teachers, students, volunteers, and pets... (as distinguished from animals), organized for establishing homes for the Reservations Unwanted Four-footed Friends. ( R.U.F.F.).

RUFF curriculum was developed and is copyrighted by Susan Fadler.

There are lots of lesson plans, but here are the horse related ones:

• History of the Horse


• Horses of Many Colors


• Indian Ponies


• What Makes a Horse a Horse

Gymkhanna at the Gosney Arena

This from Diane at Spring Creek Horse Rescue:

4CPHC is sponsoring a Gymkhanna @ the Gosney Arena Sun. Feb. 4th, 9-4 to support Spring Creek Horse Rescue.Lots of activitys, auction, lunch, come support a good cause, & have some fun!

The rescue is currently full with a waiting list & really needs your support!!!!!

Click for more info. So far there are no details on the SpringCreekHorseRescue.Org page.

Roping Horses Gearing Up

I'm starting to see the horsetrailers moving on the highway. It's time to get those roping horses ready for action.

Some roping news:
Canyonlands Championship February 23-25th in Moab

You can check out what's happening at McGee Park through this link:
Events There is lots of opportunity for practice!

Here's one item: April 26 - 29
Four Corners Classic USTRC Team Roping - McGee Park, #41 CR 5568, Between Farmington and Bloomfield. Over 1000 team ropers compete in three rounds for horse trailers, saddles and money. For more information call (505) 863-6701 or visit. www.ustrc.com

Ute Mountain

With their lands sequestered away from my normal roaming patterns, I have to remind myself that the Ute Mountain tribe are some of the most central (geographically) citizens of the Four Corners.

Legends of The Ute Mountain Utes

The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation was established in 1897 by the Weeminuche Band of Utes. The present day Reservation consists of over 597,000 acres and is located in Montezuma and La Plata Counties in southwestern Colorado, San Juan County in northwestern New Mexico, and also includes individually and tribal owned lands or allotments in Allen Canyon and White Mesa, Utah. Elevations range from 4,600 feet along the San Juan River to 9,977 feet on Sleeping Ute Mountain. The eastern half of the Reservation is characterized by a high mesa cut by the canyon of the Mancos River and numerous side canyons. The western half, with the exception of Sleeping Ute Mountain, is semi-desert and grassland.

The area is known as the Four Corners (where four states come together) and is rich in culture and history. There is the prehistory of “The Anasazi” the ancient ones, who lived here nearly 1000 years ago. They left the area long before the Ute Bands and the Plains Indians roamed the mountains and vast plains. Early Spanish priests and travelers introduced horses to the Ute people. There are historical chronicles of early settlers who came here to the lush and fertile Montezuma Valley instead of going further west. Historically, the Ute Nation roamed throughout Colorado, Utah and northern New Mexico in a hunter-gather society, moving with the seasons for the best hunting and harvesting. The Ute Bands were forced onto Reservations in the 1800’s.

Tribal enrolment of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is at 1,968 and the 2000 Census list 1,676 people living on the Reservation. The Tribe employs over 900 people in its enterprises and departmental programs. Others are employed in ranching operations throughout the Reservation. The unemployment rate is approximately 40%. Most of the people live in two communities on the Reservation, the Tribal Headquarter City of Towaoc with a population of about 1,097 and the smaller community of White Mesa with a population of approximately 277. Towaoc is as the base of Sleeping Ute Mountain, which resembles a sleeping Indian with his headdress to the north. Towaco is sixteen miles southwest of Cortez, Colorado and just over an hour north and west of Farmington, New Mexico. Within the Reservation, is the 125,000 acre Ute Mountain Tribal Park along a 25-mile stretch of the Mancos River, which was set aside by the Tribe to preserve remnants of the Hisatsinom Culture and is kept as a primitive area.

More info on the Ute Mountain:

• Wondering About the Varying Sizes of Native American Reservations in the Four Corners Region



• Sleeping Ute, Sacred Ute



• Chronology of the Ute tribe



• Map to Ute Mountain Rodeo Grounds (Rodeo in June)

I wasn't able to find anything about the horse-men and -women of the Ute Mountain tribe - let me know if you have any links to photos or stories, or maybe you have a story on the subject that you'd like to tell.... put it in an email and send it to me.

Global Endurance

I've been thinking that one of my mustangs would make a pretty good endurance racer. If the weather was just right and I had some time to spare, it might be worth hauling him over to spend some time with these folks:

Global Endurance Training Center

Can you imagine.....! Endurance riding lessons? Sounds like the way to get into it, rather than have to learn the hard way.

INFAMOUS RESIDENTS: Sundance Kid

Here is a fun website about an infamous Cortez ranchhand:
Butch and Sundance.

If you go to the Interactive Map, it looks crazy at first, but just start clicking on the red icons, I got a kick out of all the info they have packed in that map.


Here is another website on Harry incase you are intrigued.

For other local outlaw neighbors you might check The Outlaw Trail

Machine in the Desert

Chilton Williamson Jr. writes about an Easter Weekend horsecamping outing. He could have left the left the religious identities of the people out and told a universal story about horse riders vs. people with ATVs. It's a toss up as to whether Texans are more into ATVs than Utah folks....

The Machine in the Desert
Excerpt from
The Hundredth Meridian
A column by Chilton Williamson Jr.

Lucky Three Ranch

Meredith Hodges' ranch is up in Fort Collins so it's not really right here in the 4Corners. She's recently redesigned the webpages and if you have never visited them, it's worth the click. She is all about mule promotion, so she is my kind of person. You've probably seen her on RFD-TV.

Lucky Three Ranch

Here are the mule/donkey associations from this area listed on her website:

Western Pack Burro Association
Sue Conroe
11023 Hwy 291
719-539-3874
Salida CO 81201

Rocky Mountain Mule Association
236 East 8000 South
Sandy UT 84070

There used to be a Four Corners listing..... hmmmm.... did they get lost in the website revamp?

EBAY: Big saddle

Custom XL Saddle for Big Boys (or girls)
Item number: 270077960656
End time: Jan-17-07 09:31:26 PST
Item location: Ouray, CO, United States

Looks like they won't ship this saddle.

"FOR PICKUP ONLY! I am willing to arrange a meeting place within 50 miles. Please ask before bidding."

Thanks for letting me post the photo!

EBAY: Dressage Saddle

17" Keifer Aachen Dressage Saddle
Excellent Condition!
Item number: 130067334961
Location: Fruita, Colorado
End time: Jan-16-07 14:26:49 PST

She's got it as BUY NOW for $500 and her reserve price is $500, so I guess it is for sale for $500.

If you go research this brand, the correct spelling is Kieffer Aachen and it looks like these normally sell for about $700 used, so it's probably a good deal.

Thanks for letting me post the photo!

EBAY: Chaps and More Chaps

DocsOldWest is selling quite a few chaps on ebay. This is a link to a page with all of his ebay items. DOW is up in Creede.

DocsOldWest Chaps

Thanks for letting me use this photo! I chose this one from you various styles because it is most like the pair I wear. What I like about wearing chaps is that it really does keep you tighter in the saddle. But what I really need is a set of velcro chaps and saddle.

EBAY: horsetraining materials

Connie616, from Parachute, CO, is selling a bunch of stuff like training halters, training videos and DVDs. Instead of listing the items, here is a link to her page:

Connie616's Ebay items

Most of them are ending on the 15th, 17th, and 19th of Jan.

Thanks for letting me post the image!

Conquerers

While the book does not have favorable reviews, I enjoyed reading Chapter 26 Santa Fe, which is freely available from Equibooks. Or, you can click on the image above and buy it from Amazon, which will generate a few micro-cents for this blog.

Breed Your Own Lap Mule

Dan listed his Jack on the 4Corners Horse Trader. I am a mule-aholic (don't know when to quit) so I wrote him a note. He sent me some photos... actually a bunch of photos of really pretty mule babies, but there were two that I found especially pleasing.






Obviously, Jasper is no wild-ass honky-donkey! Dan says he puts his disposition on the mule, but the mare comes through loud and clear when it comes to shape, size, and color. I don't know if it's a special breed of lap-mules we see here, but I hope Dan gets a stouter chair before that little guy gets much bigger!

Thanks for sending the photos, Dan!

If anyone else wants a posting for their stud, send me something worth writing about.

Heading South to NE Arizona

Face it, most of the folks in the Four Corners live in Colorado. The second most live in New Mexico, but once you head west, you are getting to some wild and lonely country. I hadn't really given it much thought until I started worrying that maybe the lack of information about those states on this blog reflected my own personal bias. So, to make up for that, it was time to fire up the search engine and see what I was missing.

Yesterday, the focus was on SE Utah, today its time to explore NE Arizona. NE Arizona is like a black hole in that it is not public land. It's pretty empty but it's a separate sovereign nation, parceled out in allotments to it's citizens. As a nation, however, it is totally horse crazy. Everyone seems to own some horses and there is a cowboy culture of true horsemanship and endless rodeo.

TOURIST ACCESS POINTS:

• Horse Camping in the Canyon de Chelly


• Ron-D-View Pack Mule Trip into Canyon de Chelly - Chinle, Arizona
  DATES FOR 2007: MAY 4-7, MAY 8-11 $900 Per Person Chances are that Ron is already sold out for this year. His trips are extremely popular.

NAVAJO HORSEMANSHIP:

• Rodeo is Life


• Dine College Rodeo Program


• Coyotes Game best rodeo schedule I could find. Has 2007.


• Kayenta Rodeo Association Be sure to check out the little guy riding the ram!

NAVAJO CULTURE:

• Diné Bikeyah


• Discover Navajo

Then there is the extremely important Navajo Saddle Blanket:

Cowboys vs. Tourists

After reading this New York Times article, maybe I am not so hot to go over to Utah and ride horses after all.

New Feud on the Range: Cowman vs. Tourist

I grew up in Durango. My grandparents are all buried there. I remember before Purgatory was built, surviving the winter was tough, everyone was flat broke. My dad was a mechanic, and I remember one particularly bad week when his paycheck was a total of $5 because no one was getting their cars fixed. With skiing, a year-round tourist business brought a lot of prosperity.

I know what the pitfalls of tourism are firsthand. I had 13 cousins in Durango at one time, but now, they all moved off to less touristy communities, where land values are more realistic for the working people. My kin can't afford to live there, but I believe it's because they didn't see the economic opportunity in front of them.

I agree with the man in the article that a boom town full of tourists is better than a ghost-town full of ranchers and miners. Well, in most of this area, the point is moot, really. Erase the tourists from the picture, erase the ranchers, erase the "yuppie scum" newcomers (not my words - read the article) and you would still have a booming oil/gas economy. Such is life.

Women of the West Making a Difference

Rummaging through cyberspace, looking for info on SE Utah, I came across this nice piece from the June/July 1998 edition of the Zephyr about Heidi Redd.

Perhaps this independent thinking that mixes progressiveness with the conservative cowboy, and tempers the ardent environmentalist with caution adds to the intrigue of Heidi. She just doesn't, just won't, fit into a tidy identifying box.

Sounds like someone I'd like to meet.

SE Utah Trail Directory

Discover Moab has a nice four-page brochure for horseback riders in SE Utah. It has a heap of information and maps to the trails.

Moab Area Horseback Trails

Pick me up on your way over there if you have extra room in your horsetrailer.

Don't be stupid.

In the Journal of Emergency Nursing, there is a study of horse related accidents from a hospital in southwestern Colorado. Over the course of four years, there were 85 horse related accidents, which were analyzed.

Injuries were related to rider inexperience, equipment problems, or unpredictable horse behavior.

CONCLUSION: Thirty-eight percent of the horse-related injuries were preventable. All operators of the guest ranches and outfitters were receptive to hearing or reading the study information. It is hoped that raising awareness and providing suggestions related to the screening of riders, prevention of injuries, and safety measures may decrease the numbers of horse-related injuries.

This article serves as a reminder not to underestimate the value of experience when you put a greenhorn on your horse; greenhorns break easy. Think about your equipment and always proceed with caution as if your life depended on it.

Now, for something totally different

This isn't about horses, but it's an exciting perspective on this beautiful land that we live in. What if you could just fly the length of the San Juan River from above Pagosa Springs down to the Colorado River beyond Bluff?

This makes me want to go charter an airplane!!

San Juan River Magic

EBAY: Hitched Horsehair Bosal

RARE Texas Prison Hitched HorseHair 4 color Bosal n Bit
Item number: 150077908195
Location: Santa Fe
End time: Jan-14-07 19:15:00 PST

This item is really pretty and the description is worth reading even if you never thought about bosals. It's like a good country/western song, it's about horses, time, and prison.

EBAY: Australian Saddle

ausie saddle

old river golden trail
Item number: 160070729656
Location: Pagosa Springs
End time: Jan-12-07 09:29:47 PST

I love my Aussie saddles. This brand name is not familiar to me. If I was looking for a saddle, I would start searching for info on the brand. However, a quick check just told me that Google never heard of it either. They were making Aussies in Asia for the US market and selling them very cheap - this might be an Asian saddle?

The Amazing Andy Curry

Lamar resident, Andy Curry, is known to anyone who has ever searched for information on Horse Training using Google or any of the other search engines. He seems to have thousands of webpages and links everywhere. Bewildered cyber-users are left asking, "What's up with this guy?"

At first I was put off by his hard-sell approach and his puffy way of describing his products, but on further reflection, I decided that Andy was not just an okay guy trying to make a living, but he is actually doing a really cool thing that is good for the community. Now, don't get me wrong; I don't know anything about his horse training methods though I have been receiving his newsletter for a year. It's never more than a come-on to get you to fork over some cash for any info of real value, but, here is the thing, the people he is promoting are the good horsetrainers from the Rocky Mountain region- good trainers that have little to no national recognition - unassuming people like Jim Rea and Paul Esh. He calls them the Superstars of Horsetraining. His videos and other products are more expensive than my pocket book allows, so I can't really review the product, but anything that keeps money in the local economy is a positive thing for all of us.

I'm not going to put a link here.... just google "Andy Curry" and horse and you will find him.

Four Corners Equine Academy

If I didn't have to be where I am, here is where I would be:

Welcome to Colorado's newest college level equine academy.Our mission is to educate students in balanced riding, harmonious training, and current equine science.

The classical riding and training principles taught and practiced at the academy can and are applied to all equestrian disciplines: English, Western, Pleasure, Sport, and Show. This well rounded education prepares our graduates for outstanding careers in the equine industry. Students also enjoy the unique experience of working with Lipizzan, Andalusian, and Iberian Sporthorses.

FCEA has the great fortune to call Weaselskin Equestrian Center home. This multi-purpose facility is located on 104 beautiful acres just south of scenic Durango, Colorado. A 100 x 200 indoor and full sized outdoor dressage arena are just some of the amenities. There are show jumping, derby and cross-country courses for all levels of riders. Students may also ride over 300 adjacent acres of Pinon/Juniper woods and mesas. The class room, modern laboratory, and shower equiped restrooms were constructed in 2004.

Check out their websites:
Four Corners Equine Academy
Equine Study at Fort Lewis

Trail of the Month

TrailCentral.com is meant for bikers, perhaps, but, it looks like a great resouce for horseriders as well. The August Edition was about the San Juan Mountains. June was the Telegraph Trail, just outside of Durango.


The links to the extra photos are worth clicking.

EBAY: Small leather show halter

5 way adjustable leather show halter yearling/sm horse

Item number: 330070533053
In Bloomfield, NM

End time: Jan-07-07 21:00:00 PST

This would look so good on one of my donkeys!!

EBAY: Gaited Horse Show Bit

GAITED HORSE SHOW BIT - INTERCHANGEABLE BIT
Item number: 320066915719

In Dolores, Colorado

Ending: Jan-04-07 11:51:33 PST

I would not use a bit with 10 inch shanks, but these must work for some people.

4 Corners Wild Horses

Here is some info on the wild horse herds in the 4 Corners Area. The herd name links will take you to the BLM or USFS webpages. The roundup dates will give you an idea of when to think about adopting a new mustang.

Colorado

Spring Creek: No scheduled roundup

Little Bookcliffs: Roundup scheduled in August

Naturita Ridge All horses previously removed by BLM

New Mexico
Jicarilla: Round up scheduled in July to September

None of the statistics showed that wild burro populations are managed by the government in the 4 Corners. There is an interesting history of the burro eradication efforts at Bandelier National Monument on the Bandelier History webpage. Be sure to read to the end as the story has some high drama, cowboy shenanigans and fake burros.

EBAY: Parelli course materials

Pat Parelli's Savvy Level 2-Harmony

Item number: 270075207921

End time: Jan-04-07 12:59:03 PST

You could own your very own set of Parelli horsemanship course materials if you win this bid. Love him or hate him, Parelli is one of the most well known 4 Corners Horsemen.

EBAY: Gaited horse/mule english saddle

TENNESSEE WALER GAITED MULE ENGLISH SADDLE - VERY NICE

Item number: 320066904839

End time: Jan-04-07 11:09:22 PST

Right now the high bid is only $75. The roughout seat looks a bit iffy, but otherwise a very attractive piece of tack.

Canyon Lands Natural History Association

If you can't ride the high country of the San Juan Mts., right now, you might want to check out this website.

Their calendar is to die for.

Canyon Lands Natural History Association

Ute Horses

Once I start noticing links about certain things, I can't help but find related links on the same theme. This link is about the relationship between Utes and their horses.

UTE HORSE by Christina Bailey

It mentions that the Utes traded their children for horses at times. They also captured the women and children of nearby tribes to trade for horses - that is what was happening down in my neigborhood and why the Navajos built the defensive pueblito structures that are so picturesquely situated on rocky points in the Dinetah.

The Historical Dimension: Navajo Peoples

The story of the 4 Corners is really a story of successive occupations by peoples who try to eke out a living in this beautiful landscape. Three Native American groups are prominent in the history of these lands: the Utes, the Navajos, and the Anasazi (or proto-pueblo people).

Here is a wonderful link to a page about Navajo history from the state of Utah.

Understanding the history of the area adds a fascinating dimension to the back country experience of the Four Corners. You cannot help but stumble upon petroglyphs, ruins, and artifacts that abound in the area. Remember to treat them with respect.

San Juan Mountains Association

The San Juan Mountains Association has some interesting horse projects you would like. They are helping monitor the wild horses north of Dolores, they need help packing in trail maintence tools and supplies for some of their trail projects, and they are looking for photos and stories about good trails in the San Juan Mountains. They have many non-horse related things going on as well... like the WildFlower Identification class in February.

Link to Main Site:

Link to their current news

Link to their Wild Horse Page