18 Saddles stolen from LA!

18 High Performance Saddles Stolen in the Night

PLEASE HELP !!!
THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ANY OF US!!!

18 High Performance Saddles Stolen in the night
Meadow Grove Training Stables
(Middle Ranch Boarding Facility)
Lake View Terrace, California

Sometime after 8 pm on Friday, November 26 ,
thieves broke into the Meadow Grove tack room and stole 18 saddles:
8 Antares
5 Amerigo
1 CWD
1 Devoucoux

All saddles had names plates on them so there will be holes where they were removed.... AND most of these saddles will have identifying numbers stamped on them.

Obviously they will try to sell them somewhere.....

NOW IS WHEN THE HUNTER JUMPER COMMUNITY UNITES TOGETHER
TO PROTECT EACH OTHER..

If you have ANY information of any kind
  call iJump at 714-797-1404 

If we can't stop them they will hit again and it could be ANYONE's tack room.

Pretty aggressive of them to go to the middle of the Middle Ranch training facility and break in.

SOMEONE READING THIS MUST KNOW SOMETHING.....

Copied from SoCal Equine!

Drugging in the hunter/jumper world

As a new rider to the hunter/jumper ring I have been exposed to an old tradition that I morally oppose.  I am speaking about drugging in horses.

I was raised that equestrian sports are a team sport.  It is between you and your horse's bond that create a great competition and show your skill set as a person and animal.  But trainers and riders alike are constantly trying to push the limits and are using drugs to do this.  They are replacing skills and patience with Ace, Bute, and Depo, with no second glance of what side-effects can occur in the animal we put so much trust in.

We must remember that if we wanted an easy hoby we would take up yoga, or art (not the talented art, but the ones that people just take trash and put it in a pile and call it art...if that is a hobby I have "Art" in my kitchen that my dog likes to sneak into and criticize) Horses are a living creature that require respect and work.  When giving a sedative like Ace, we cause the horse to have a "Drunk" effect.  Next time you are drunk, try jumping over an obstacle at a sprint.  Do you look pretty doing this?  Do you feel like crap and want to vomit?

With the winter months upon us, the colder weather brings hotter horses.  This is when we are more tempted to drug our four legged friends.  We must remain patient and find ways to make time for them to run free and receive the exercise they desperately need.  You would not drug your child who is locked in the house for 4 days, why would you your horse?

Rain Rain Rots hooves away!

I live in Southern California, it is constantly sunny and almost too dry to live in!  Once a year though, we have a downpour of rain and this causes more issues than I can say in the equestrian world!  Not only do the rings, trails, and stables flood causing it to be near imposable to ride for 3 days after a storm.  It also creates it to be a perfect environment for the wonderful world of Thrush! 

Thrush is like athletes foot for horses, donkeys, and any hoofed animals.   It will slowly eat away at the hooves and is a pain in the butt to get rid of!  Once you feel it is going away, somehow it rains again and your horse is standing in a wet stall for the night! 

There are some simple easy ways to get rid of and prevent thrush in your beloved animal!  Before you try any of these remedies, make sure that you use a hoof pick and clean out your hooves at least twice a day!  (I do it as often as possible since I jump my horses and hoof health is vital!...plus, how would you like walking around with wet socks on running a marathon!) Hoof Pick With Brush Assorted Colors.

One simple remedy to stop Thrush, is the store bought type.  You can go to your local Tack Store and purchase some Thrush Buster, 2 oz.  This works great on thrush but also has a tendency to dye your hands and clothes!  So always sport latex gloves!  This works on mild Thrush and can be used often but not daily.  It can dry out the hooves and this will cause issues down the road. 

You can also soak your hooves in a mixture of granulated sugar and iodine.  It is a perfect remedy for a horse whose hoof is super bad (they start to smell!).  You can purchase a hoof soaker bag, which tend to be expensive, or you can use a gauze and ducktape bandage.  Pack the sugardine in the hoof and cover with gauze (4x4 works great) quickly cover with ducktape (I make a square grid with the tape about 5"x5") and secure with another piece.  Be sure not to get the top of the hoof or the skin.  This can cause irritation. Leave the bandage on overnight, and in the morning pick out the hoofes. 

A preventative procedure is to mix water and bleach into a squirt bottle.  Once your horses hooves are picked, then spray the hoof and frog area.  Make sure that the hoof is saturated but that no bleach is pooled in the stall or crossties.  This can be done about once a week, to prevent drying out. 

There are other preventions and cures for Thrush, but just remember to keep your horses hoofes clean and dry throughout the rain and you will have a smooth ride. 

An intro into the world of riding in Los Angeles

I have always loved horses, I have ridden them for years when I was a child.  I was prob one of the craziest kids to get on a horse since the invention of Sugar!  Nothing got between my horses and me...till college and financial independence.

Once I dropped out of College because of personal reasons, riding adventures became few and far between.  The $45 lessons became unreasonably high and I never saw riding in my near future again.  I moved to Los Angeles about a year later and realized that I could never own a horse unless I moved out of state.  Heartbroken, I took on a job and continued my life out in Los Angeles.  

Along came a boy.... (he wound up being a screwup, but at 23 I didn't know better)  I moved to South Bay with him and was left alone in the house for weeks at a time.  One day I was driving to attempt to go to the store, and took a wrong turn.  The turn lead me to what looked like Small Town USA, but with trees and paths.  I was in awe that something so wonderful was hidden in the busy county of LA.   I took one more turn to get out of the town and find home, and I turned into a stable!  It was a horse town!  Nuzzled in South Bay was a perfect city that only dreams could make up.  I was home.

As quickly as I could, I looked up a trainer on the hill and found a barn close to home. She threw me on a horse, expecting me to be rusty, and I was...but she had faith in me.  Within months, I was jumping for the first time in my life!  I was happy again!!  I found a barn with wonderful girls (a few youngster boys that were adorable) and horses!!!

After a few months, my boss approached me, I was getting a raise!  I was stoked!  I could afford a horse for the first time in my life!  I was so excited!!!  My trainer and I were on the lookout!