Better Horses Network - Vol 4, Number 2

I am towards the end of wrapping up the 2008 Stallion Edition and getting it to press. If you don’t have a subscription, you can go to www.betterhorsesnetwork.com and subscribe right on line.

I hope that you can join us for the 5th Annual Horseman’s Priority Conference that is scheduled for Feb. 2nd & 3rd at the Kansas ExpoCentre in Topeka, KS. Information is in the "Calendar of Events" section of this newsletter.

We have a lot of neat events coming up in February through this Spring. We have a week of HOW featuring “Bits & Bitting” with Dale Myler. They will begin with a Bitting Clinic on Feb.17th in the Leavenworth, KS area and end up with another Bitting Clinic on Saturday, Feb. 23rd at the Holland Arena in Bucyrus, KS. You can go to our website at www.betterhorsesnetwork.com by the end of this week and get more information about the week of clinics.

I found out last week that “The Extreme Cowboy Race with Craig Cameron” will be coming back this Spring, March 25th & 26th, and bringing the TV crew with them. They will be filming an episode to be shown this fall. This event will be opened to the public! For information about this be watching the calendar on www.betterhorsesnetwork.com and an ad will be coming out in the Electronic Newsletter before long.

You won’t want to miss the Shawn Flarida & Brent Wright Reining Clinic coming to Louisburg, Kansas on May 31st and June 1. This two-day clinic will be held at the beautiful Eby Ranch located just 3.5 miles south of Louisburg. The clinic cost is $500 per rider and $75/auditor and is limited to 20 riders. We have not even advertised, and already 5 rider spots are spoken for. Also on Friday night, May 30th, Purina will hold a great HOW event at this facility with Shawn and Brent along with Rebecca Rigdon, a high level Dressage Trainer and Exhibitor. This will be a great event and you won’t want to miss it! Any questions, either e-mail me or give me a call at 785/418-6047.

With grain products and feed prices going to record highs, there is not a better time than now to feed as efficient as possible. With Purina Horse Feeds, we have a product that can fit your operation. It is not what it cost per bag, but what it costs you to feed per head/day. We appreciate those of you who are feeding Purina feeds -- and for those of you who are not, we would love a chance to work with you. Let me know if I can be of help.

February

Feb. 2-3 5^th ANNUAL HORSEMAN'S PRIORITY CLINIC, Kansas Expo Centre, RR Domer Livestock Arena, Topeka, KS. A great learning and fellowship time. Bring your horse for a weekend of fellowship, education, good riding and good food! Starts Saturday 10:00 a.m. Open riding on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. For more information, call Ernie Rodina at (785) 418-6047 or Terri DeLouche (660) 441-1697.
Click Here to view/print detailed flyer.
Feb. 17 DALE MYLER BITTING CLINIC, Purina Horse Owner's Workshop, Leavenworth, KS. (More details later)
Feb. 23 DALE MYLER BITTING CLINIC, Purina Horse Owner's Workshop, Holland Arena, Bucyrus, KS (More details later)

Feb. 29 - Mar. 2 EQUIFEST OF KANSAS 2008, Wichita Kansas Coliseum. Note that the dates have changed and this event will be held a week later than originally announced. (Unfortunately, these new dates create a conflict for Craig Cameron, so he will not be able to appear.) This event, a celebration of horses, is now in its 11^th year and will feature world-class clinicians from all over the U.S. For more details, Click Here to view detailed flyer.

March

Mar. 25-26 EXTREME COWBOY RACE WITH CRAIG CAMERON; Open to public. (More details later)

May

May 2-4 FIRST ANNUAL SPRING DREAM RIDE IN THE FLINT HILLS, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. If you are interested in joining us for this great weekend, call Suzan Barnes at the Grand Central Hotel in Cottonwood Falls at (620) 273-6763.
May 30 PURINA HORSE OWNER'S WORKSHOP, Eby Ranch, Louisburg, KS. Shawn Flarida, Brent Wright and Rebecca Rigdon, high level Dressage Trainer and Exhibitor. For more information, e-mail Ernie Rodina at erodina@landolakes.com or call (785) 418-6047. (More details later)
May 31-June 1 SHAWN FLARIDA & BRENT WRIGHT REINING CLINIC, Eby Ranch, Louisburg, KS. $500/rider and $75/auditor (limited to 20 riders).

The Better Horses Radio Show

            Tune in to one of the stations airing our show:

                Saturday    9:00am - 10:00am         KMDO 1600 am - Fort Scott, KS
                Saturday    4:00pm - 5:00pm          KFRM   550 am - Clay Center/Salina/Wichita, KS
                Sunday      6:00am - 7:00am           KTPK   106.9 am - (Country Legends) Topeka, KS
                Sunday      6:30am - 7:30am           KFEQ   680 am - St. Joe, MO
                Sunday      9:00am - 10:00am         KDKD 95.3 fm - Clinton, MO
                Sunday      4:00pm - 5:00pm          KOFO  1220 am - Ottawa, KS
                Sunday      4:00pm - 5:00pm           KTJJ    98.5 fm - Farmington, MO

PLUS . . . we've gone cross-country with the Better Horses Network!
WOCA - Ocala, FL WLEG - Lexington, KY

LISTING EVENTS IN OUR NEWSLETTER -- If you are an organization or business who would like to list your event in our Calendar Section, click on the Event Listings box above for rates. Then contact Jo Ann Riggs at e-mail address listed with your request.

CLASSIFIED AD LISTING -- If you are interested in a Classified Ad listing, click on the Classified Ad box above. Rates and placement information is located directly below the box. Simply click on "please click here." Be sure to check our Classifieds each newsletter as ads are changing all the time.

NEW CATEGORY FOR WEBSITES -- Due to many requests for website listings, we have a new section in our Classified Ads called WEB LINKS. Check this section from time to time as we add website links that may be of interest to you. Enter our Classified Ads and click on Web Links, then click on the name listed and you will be taken directly to that party's website.

Our subscriber list has grown to over 8,600+ recipients -- almost entirely horse-owning households!
Our ad and event services are a great way to reach those people!

Maintaining a horse in a stall on a regular basis is a lot of work, and keeping their stalls dry is even harder. For years, we used the typical big bags of compressed shavings for our stalls. Last summer, though, we decided to try some new products like the corn cob bedding and wood-pellets rather than the typical shavings. I have found that both of these products work very well in absorbing moisture and keeping the stalls dryer in wet weather. They work well alone, or you can use them in areas of the stall that seem to have more moisture.

So, if this wet and snowy weather is causing you struggles in keeping your stalls dry—don’t be afraid to try some of the new products out there. They can often be very beneficial.

p.s. And Ernie adds this additional 2 cents tip: If you happen to be cleaning your stalls in below-freezing weather, ALWAYS empty the wheel barrel, and never leave it with manure overnight!

Chargers Crunchies

Try this winter-time treat for your favorite horse – can be made into cookies or cut into brownie-type servings . . .

Ingredients:
3 cups pelleted horse grain
(soaked in 3-4 cups of water until mush, 1-2 hours)
1 cup bran or cornmeal or alfalfa meal
1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tblsp. salt
2-4 cups flour

Mix all ingredients except flour. Then add flour (or oatmeal) 1 cup at a time until mixture is very doughy. Take a softball size amount of dough and roll out on a floured surface until ½ inch thick. (If you are looking for wheat-free, use cornmeal or oat flour.)

Use cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Decorate or top with cracked corn, crimped oats or crushed peppermint. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 325^o until dry. For the more time-constrained, place in large shallow brownie pan or large cookie sheet, decorate, score and bake.

As we journey through life, whether we realize it or not, a personal marketing plan is a key factor in guiding us to where we want to be. Without it, we're like that wild mustang who's put into the starting gate with a bunch of trained race horses. When the gun sounds, the gates open and the race begins. The mustang breaks into the lead and then heads for the wide open spaces instead of pursuing the goal, which is to cross the finish line.

So many people today bolt out of the gates with great ideas and then head for those wide open spaces. They zig here and zag there with more great ideas, however, never reaching the finish line, not bringing their ideas to fruition.

To avoid a zig-zag approach in taking our ideas, products and services to the market, we've got to put into action a marketing strategy that's imaginative, doable and one producing measurable, profitable results if we want to win the race. It's not complicated; however, it does require focus, effort and persistence.

- Charley Green

To read a little more about Charley, Click Here. To go to Charley's website, Click Here.

Remember, if you have a friend or neighbor who would enjoy receiving our twice-a-month Better Horses Network electronic newsletter . . . sign them up on the registration form provided on the Better Horses Network web-site.

When it comes to Equine Research, Purina Mills is the company that can say . .

“WE FEED OUR FEED TO OUR HORSES, BEFORE WE ASK YOU TO FEED IT TO YOURS!”

We at Better Horses Network would love to hear any questions, comments or suggestions you might have, and we are always looking for items to add to this publication. To contact us, please send an e-mail to Ernie.Rodina@agbusinessmail.net.

For placement of stallions in the Stallion Corral section, please contact Connie at the following e-mail address: Connie.Rodina@agbusinessmail.net. For Classified Ad placement, please send an e-mail to JoAnn at JoAnn.Riggs@agbusinessmail.net

Be sure that you don't miss a single issue of the Better Horses Network E-Newsletter! Please add Ernie.Rodina@agbusinessmail.net to your address book, especially if you are a Yahoo!, America Online or Hotmail user. This will help ensure you'll receive all deliveries from us in a timely and consistent manner.

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To submit any information you would like us to consider for publication on our website, in the printed publication or on this newsletter, e-mail your information to associate editor, Joann.Riggs@agbusinessmail.net Also, we are always interested in hearing your ideas about the value of this newsletter or whether you have any problems downloading or viewing this document.

If you are not currently receiving our printed publication of Better Horses Network and would like to be on our mailing list, please send your check in the amount of $10.00 payable to Better Horses Network and mail to Better Horses Network, PO Box 722, Ottawa, KS 66067. OR . . . go to our website at BetterHorsesNetwork.com and click on "Registration Center." You will be guided through the easy process of paying for your subscription on-line through PayPal. Either way, you will be a subscriber and will receive five issues of our Better Horses Network magazine mailed directly to your home. ( If you don't want to receive it in the mail, you can always pick up a free copy at your local participating Purina Dealer or other distribution points, but your subscription will assure timely delivery directly to your home.)

Remember, if you have additional e-mail addresses of friends or contacts that you would like to add to our electronic newsletter subscriber list, see section above entitled "Add-A-Friend" to get them on our e-mail mailing list -- or you can always contact Ernie.Rodina@agbusinessmail.net or surface mail to:

Calendar of Events	Timely Reminder	Useful Web Sites For Horse Owners	Questions & Comments	Contact Information
	Classified Ads	Past Issues	Stallion Showcase


For rates and placement information, please click here.		For rates and placement information, please click here

Jan. 25-26 18th ANNUAL EQUESTRIAN EDUCATION EVENT, Midway Expo Center, Columbia, MO. Vendors may call now for contracts. Call (800) 313-3327. Click Here for more details. Click Here to view flyer with more details.

Jan. 25-26 18^th ANNUAL EQUESTRIAN EDUCATION EVENT, Midway Expo Center, Columbia, MO. Vendors may call now for contracts. Call (800) 313-3327.
Click Here for more details. Click Here to view flyer with more details.