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Hey Ted all wet and soggy here in Washington not to much riding going on here! Miss you guys

Western WA. wet as usual with the occasional freeze. not so bad if you have a roof lol

up here in Lebec at the Tejon ranch we are dry

COLD IN LUBBOCK

Here by elko, NV it got -21 the other night.... But we are still riding 🙂

Hey Ted are you or Tucker giving any non pro lessons?

Rained in So Calif last night, looks like it may clear up now..

snow and cold in NY

2 foot of snow and 25 degrees in Glenwood, Wa , its great if you have a tough one they get tired quick 🙂

Good here in Pixley

Wet here in south Texas. More rain coming next week.

Cold and frozen in nevada

Wet.

cold, frozen, with snow.... here in Eastern Oregon, hoping for an early spring 😉

Cold & snowy, outdoor pens are frozen or slick. They've been rolling up fences here on the cropground, so you can ride in any direction farther than you'd care to, Iowa's version of open rangeland. Cold but good for colts and getting the stink off of arena horses!

west of frankfurt/germany: NASTY! Foggy and chilly and like martin said: YUCK, too... uaaargh 🙁

Hey Ted here in Central Nebraska actually is a pretty nice 40 degree day but ground is frozen and I'm a fair weather rider now enjoyed seeing you almost a year ago now sure miss Ojai Valley.

Soggie in NE Texas!!

20 below mornings this week in Saratoga, wy. But good snow on the ground for traction.

35 AND SNOW!! A LITTLE SLICKERY!

Rained all morning just east of San Francisco, but the sun has come out now and it is beginning to warm up a little.

Cold and snowy up here in Northeast Oregon.

Louisiana and Alabama is the same. Monsoon season!

Not good until may or June 2013. Lol

Cold high in the low 30's

Sounds to me like you're on the right track!

Couldn't agree more! I had lost my motivation this year until I started lessons with a good trainer that rides well and shows well. Amazing what that does for your motivation!!

thank you

A big motivator for me is watching the best guys ride the best horses. Bieng around good horsemen who are consistant with their horsemanship in all areas of horse training as well as being good teachers keeps me on track to be in the showpen.

Congratulations Cady! Loved your story.

Congrat Cady!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my story!

These are fabulous! I hope it's ok to share!!

gotta love epic tales of show pen nudity and profanity!

These are just what I needed today..thanks for sharing.

Awesome! I've been there with the nudity & profanity...it's immensely funnier happening to someone else!! TIP: Take your snap front shirt to a seamstress and have her put a separating zipper along the inside :))

These are awesome. This is the kind of stuff I like to read on FB. thanks for the posting Ted.

Hard to beat that one !!!!

Gigi--don't you have some good ones?

So funny! Thanks for running these right before the new show season!

To Funny!

Went to an NRHA show in Rancho, It was a run in pattern. My horse was a big stopper, so I was pumped. Well, we ran in and did our first rollback, and my snap front shirt came unsnapped! I was riding a 3 year old, so he was still in a snaffle. I put reins in one hand on the way to the next stop, trying to get my shirt back together. No luck. Great 2nd stop, and roll back, so I gave up trying to fix my wardrobe malfunction.. By the time I was done with the pattern, my shirt was all the way around my elbows, flapping in the wind. On my way out the gate, I was greeted by Mike Boyle and Chris Kozlowski... Mike gave me a funny little smile and said 'nice run'... Chris on the other hand could barely hold his laughter in as he informed my that 'the least I coulda done was wear victoria's secret'! I won the class that day, so it was still a great experience. I don't wear snap fronts to show in any more, and I threatened the photographer with serious injury if the proofs ever ended up on the internet!

When I put my show shirt on that morning I must have thought something like, 'this show shirt would look really cute if only my boobs were bigger,' It must have been something like that that convinced me to stuff silicone 'boob enhancers' inserts into my bra. After I arrived at the cutting and had loped a few laps in the warm up pen, I noticed all the horses ahead of me were jumping sideways, spooking at some foreign object lying in the sand. "What the hell is that?" everyone was asking as their horses snorted at the ground. On my way passed, I glanced down to find that the object causing all the commotion was none other than my fake boob lying in the sand! After I confessed to a friend that I had an idea what this strange object might be, she couldn't wait to share the news with everyone at the show. Meanwhile, when it was my turn to cut, I wasn't surprised when my corner help made comments like, "Your horse is leaning a little on the right, maybe you should un stuff that side too!"

Sooo hysterical. All of these!

a friend of mine was competing in a reining event and during the last stop and run down her hat came off, as i was helping the person on the gate i thought i would do her a favour and get her hat so she didnt have to get off the horse, anyway i was facing away from the judges and as i bent down to pick up her hat, the seem of my pants split right down the middle, i tell you my face has never been redder and it wasnt planned either

I was in a reality show last feb called Project Cowboy,my experience is more Cutting than Reining, and my Horse had never even been to a Show before. We did good, made it to tha Finals, but I know I blew my Spins... bad!, now I'll hafta watch it on RFD-TV this Feb and cringe... its been in tha back of my mind all year, how bad it must look, especially fer my Horse... My Spins suck....c):~)

I agree wholeheartedly. Without legal plants in the US, many are suffering!

Sorry Ted but we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. My veterinarian who teaches at Cornell University Veterinary School feels that there was never sufficient evidence that the equipment used for stunning horses worked the way it does for cattle. As an MD I also feel the studies done on Bute and other meds used on horses are too concerning to take the medical risk involved in serving horse meat to people or even to dogs.

Slaughter means more suffering for horses and also probably for any human consuming them.

it all makes alot of sense in theory ted but the part where they are loaded into trailers stuffed in like sardines then treate less than humanely when they arrive at the slaughter isn't so good. so i guess if the people could act responsibly in transporting and handling before hand it wouldn't be so bad an idea.

I totally adree with Ted. We bought 3 horses very cheap last Seotember. The only reason I bought them was, because I felt sorry for them. They were starving, one of them could barely walk, and it took me months to get him in condition to work with him. But it wasn't even bad intentions from the previous ownner. He had so many horses and cattle, and used to make his own hay, but with no hay last year and feed prices skyrocketing, there was nothing he could do! Yes, trailering is probably stressful, but still better than literally starving to death.

We absolutely need horse slaughter in the US. This is the only way we can regulate and make a more humane process of it. I completely agree with what a PETA representive said not long ago--can't quote it word-for-word, but it was to this effect: "The ban on horse slaughter has only increased the suffering it was meant to prevent." As for concerns about the use of bute/other meds; why can't we regulate medications before slaughter like we do in the beef industry? As things are today, by the time most horses are sent to slaughter they have had such a complete lack of care that they will have hardly had money spent on them for feed, let alone for medication. We all love, appreciate, and (many of us) make our living with horses. That is obviously why this is such a heated debate. No one wants to see them suffer, and that is why we need to process these unwanted horses within our borders.

Talk about stress,Horses are being slaughtered in Mexico right now! and they are being trucked there from the U.S.Where we have no control over the way they are processed.We have to be real about this,its a necessity,we can do a better job with less stress,less trucking.No one is raising horses for slaughter,theres no profit in it.Horses are personal property and live stock.They need to be managed as the owner see's fit.

I am for the reopening of the slaughterhouses, mainy for the sake of the horse industry as a whole. My horses won't end up there, but it would be better to open them up here than to ship them to Mexico where they have no regulations. There needs to be a bottom dollar to the maret & the killer buyers used to set that bottom dollar. Now there is none & horses aren't worth anything unless someone wants it.There are horses being turned loose all around here to fend for themselves & end up starving or getting hit by cars. The slaughterhouse is a humane way to end a horses life when done properly & their meat can be used to feed dogs or even starving people. IMO

It takes a brave person to stand up for what they know to be true. Its an uphill battle that can only work out when all horse professionals stand united for the good of the industry and the good of the horses. Thank you Ted for being a great example! being

Ted, its a fantastic thing to have the support of exceptional horsemen and women in this venture. I'm very please to be engaged with the United Horse and International Equine Business Association. Dave, Sue, Mindy and the crew have made great strides, on our behalf, ensuring the welfare and long legacy of horses in North America. This is all about the sustainability of one of North America's greatest passions, our horses and choices.

The US absolutely needs to reopen its equine processing plants! Without them horses who would have otherwise been destroyed humanely are being left to starve. The BLM is finding hundreds of branded horses turned out onto lands already overgrazed by mustangs. If you think they are inhumane, how humane is starvation?

The US needs to look into the breeding and selling of horses, there is a reason there are too many.PEOPLE keep breeding them. If you stop some of the wholesale breeding practices then maybe you could lesson the load.I lived in ORegon when the last slaugter house was there.You cannot leave your horses in the field anywhere around it for fear that your horses would be taken into the slaughterhouse.O and they dont just kill the old and crippled, horsemeat they like is young and tender, two year old quarterhorses. For all those that think it is quite HUMANE to kill them they need to take a trip to a cow slaughter house in the US the inhumane way we kill our cows and pigs and chickens is rampant.They will do the same to the horses, and horses are taught to TRUST humans. THis is a travesty on all sides.The so called Professional horseman just want to be able to drive their prices higher.They still want to breed with no care what happens to that foal in its life. They are killing horses all over the place.It will not stop.And until we have a better way to make people responsible for what they bring into the world this is going to happen..The blood of the horses well stain you as anyone who loves horses does not want to see the return of the killing plants.. I have owned horses for over 50 years.NOT ONE will ever see a slaughterhouse.

@ Deserta Southwest.You are spreading propaganda.No slaughter house has ever taken horses out of pastures,thats stealing live stock.Thats a crime! As for the owners that you claim raise too many horses,no matter how many are how few a person has,some horses are not suitable for sale to the general public,because of soundness,mental and or phisical.It is that owners responsibilty to determine this,and it is there RIGHT to dispose of an unfit animal.Instead of tourturing these animals by making them endure the haul to Mexico,where there killing techniqs are butal,We here in the U.S. need to do our on dirty work.

amen. i agree Tom.

With hay prices skyrocketing too many people can't afford to feed their horses and how many people can afford a "pasture pet"? I agree we need to open plants here, 50,000 plus horses being hauled to Mexico every year is a wake up call. And yes more breeders need to wake up too, I quit standing my old stud years ago after I rescued two of his babies. Back yard breeders and Big ranches alike need to be more responsible.

@ Phyllis Pantone.Well said,Lets do so with out destroying our rights.

@ Tom..I LIVED four miles from there that is not propaganda that is what happens. I hate to inform you but it did and does happen.There needs to be a way to stop all KILLING of horses.I have been to Juarez.THat is butchery at its worst.However I also have been to commercial slaughterhouses here in the states.IT is NOT HUMANE and it has been proven to be cruel and inhumane. The society at large needs to be responsible for the horses they create as to the whole sale breeding of tons of horses in a depressed economy.The very people that make their "living from" horses. They breed and turn out babies not caring where and to whom they go to.I am stating a FACT. that we as a country overbreed every animal in our control only for money. Horses should not BE TRANPORTED out of country to be killed for the money. THey should be regulated and the breeders are the start.As if they are NOT breeding wantonly then maybe some of the excess stock is not going to be there. ALL breeders need to be aware and need to stop the wholesale breeding of every stud and every mare just because it has blood lines to be a "great" horse.How many times I have seen blooded stock die in a slaughterhouse??Too many to count. I lived down the road from the ORegon slaughterhouse. There is criminals at every level when it is only for the money . They did take horses out of pastures. many times.. I have seen it and lived it. The horse theft is rampant even today..but at least it is not as bad as it once was. and if you cant afford hay then you should not be owning a horse.

O and dont forget the wholsale slaughter of PMU foals. again only for MONEY.

Wake up and smell the coffee. we are making the problem. ANd Killing is the only way some stupid people think of solving it..I always love when they say..o its only the old and crippled and starved and unwanted horses.. They have never been to a slaughterhouse. I have. saw it with my own eyes.

@ Deserta Southwest:I see you are a dog trainer,what do you think dogs eat? Horses are not stolen from pastures by slaughter houses.If you can prove that horses are bing taken wrongfully then go to the authorities. As for all the breeders you claim should not be in business that is your opinoin.Here in the U.S. we have rights,all people,including you.Maybe they think you have to many dogs.There are so many dogs and cats euthanized every day here in the U.S. why can't you save them? The reson why is that the're to many.If you want to blame breeders of animals,go a head.But i have to ask you ,what about the mustangs that breed at will and double there population every three years? We all own them! The goverment is the largest horse breeder in the country!Your insults will solve nothing.

well said well said.

Yes, we need horse slaughter in the US. It should be regulated so that horses are treated humanely, there are plenty of people that love horses so shouldn't be that difficult to oversee. It would be nice to not need horse slaughter but even if breeding became regulated so only perfect horses were born what do we do about the excess horses now?

*IF* horse slaughter is an inevitability, then I agree that processing plants should be opened in the United States. It is my fervent hope that they can be sufficiently policed to prevent the atrocities which I have seen firsthand and which are indelibly etched in my mind. (thank you , horse trader parents) However, I am most concerned about the notion that the plants necessarily will meet the valid need of a place to dispose of ill, unwanted, crippled horses. From my view they mostly will serve the needs of those who over breed and who need new blood coming in the pipeline on a regular basis in order to support their business interests. I will always remember that last AQHA show I attended. I was sitting one row in front of one of my lifelong horse training hero’s who shall remain nameless at a regional pleasure futurity. A real mover and shaker in industry. He was lamenting the lack of kill facilities so that they could clean up the backlog of aged show horses and make room for the younger horses in the show pen which offered better incentive fund payouts. Finished horses were a drag to his business and training endeavors and as a whole should be “shipped” to make room. Simply, there is a lot of heartless ugly in the horse business. And, it is because of the ugliness I am opposed to opening of slaughter plants unless they are highly regulated. My concern is that if we can’t manage to police metal thieves who think nothing of carving up a valuable bronze, how we will regulate the bottom feeder in the horse industry who will think even less of pulling that fat happy backyard and well loved horse out of the pen for a quick $500. And do not think it won’t happen, I can think of five horses in my neighborhood that met that very fate because kill prices were up and these gentle saddle horses represented an easy way to fill up a truck. Bottom line, this isn’t about neglected horses finding an end to their suffering. That is simply a result of a horrible economy. This is about an industry that has failed miserably to bring the younger generation into the fold as potential horse owners. Horses, for the most part are no longer cool. But we have kept breeding them like they are.

I agree there should be horse slaughter in America. There are other countries that eat horse meat as readily as we eat cattle meat. It should be as humane as possible, as any other animal slaughter should be. I know most "horse slaughter buyers" let people buy any before they are shipped off so there would be another place to pick up decent horses for a decent price.

Transport to and handling at the slaughter plants should monitored and guidelines set to ensure the least possible amount of stress to the animals (horses, cattle, pigs, etc.). The necessity of slaughter plants are a sad reality, and when properly regulated need not be as painful and miserable as slowly starving to death out in a field somewhere.

I'm like you, I like some size and bone, and of course a proven pedigree. Those horses like that can handle it and stay more sound over time.

I'm with you on this & I also think heart trumps all with a reined cow horse.

Agree size & bone. But I like a horse with a lot of grit & heart!

My trainer says he'll take try over talent everytime.

I'M WITH YOU. ADD BRAINS AND CURIOUSITY TO PEDIGREE AND TRY.

Darn right, Sean. We sure like them to stay sound.

Low neck-low tail-low hocks------but a high back.