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August 6, 2007
Volume 3, Number 15

Hello, Friends! 

I hope that all of you are doing well and enjoying the summer. I would have gotten this letter out to you quicker, but spent Sunday riding with my boys. Matthew, our youngest, never has really felt comfortable around the horses, and I never pushed it. Well yesterday, he said he wanted me to saddle up his pony, Libby, and wow did he have fun. He actually was able to trot and canter her around before the day was over. The bottom line is that we had a blast Sunday afternoon.

Last weekend, we had Western Music singers, Belinda Gail and Curly Musgrave back with us. They did concerts and events for Brummel Farm Service in Garnett, Reyer’s Country Store in Strong City, KS, and Bluestem Farm & Ranch in Emporia. We topped off the weekend with an old fashioned barbeque and get together at Silkville Ranch in Williamsburg. Then on Monday, I had the opportunity with my son, Brent, to help gather bulls from the pasture. What a great time!

Some important events coming up that you won’t want to miss are:
1. The Linn County Rodeo; Mound City, KS.; Aug. 10 & 11th.
2. Ranch Horse Competition; DBarS Equine Center; Trimble, Mo.; Aug.18th; (See details in Calendar section below.)
3. The Kansas Reining Horse Assn. Sunflower Slide in Topeka, KS.; Aug.24, 25th, & 26th.
4. The Great Ariat Slide Zone; Friday Aug.31st; Tulsa Expo Square; Tulsa, Oklahoma.; 6:30 pm.
5. Mid America Equine Summer End Sale: Aug.31st; Tulsa Expo Square; Tulsa, Oklahoma 10:00am.
6. 30th Anniversary of The Last Cattle Drive; Sept.4th & 5th; Dickinson Ranch; Gorham, KS.

These are just a few great events coming up. So make sure you check out the Calendar section inside this edition.

Our Fall Edition of Better Horses Network is coming up soon. If you are interested in advertising, call Anna Newman at 866/655-7100 or Connie Rodina at 785/418-2615.  Deadline is Aug. 15th.

Make sure you check out our Radio Show, Better Horses Radio. You can go to www.betterhorsesradio.com and find out the nearest station to you. Or check out our shows in the archives.

I would like to keep writing, but my two sons want me to saddle up their horses. So I better let you go for now, so I can make sure I do my best to keep my boys hooked on horses.

Happy Trails!

Ernie

World's Tallest Horse

The following is from one of our customers in Athens, TN who feeds Strategy.  They are in the process of having the Guinness Book of World Records people certify that their three-year-old Shire filly, Tina, is the World's Tallest Horse.  No doubt her genetic potential for growth was benefited by the nutrition in Strategy!   Click Here to view story details and picture.

Calendar of Events:

August

September

October

The Better Horses Radio Show continues to grow!  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      6:00am - 7:00am           KLUP    930 am - San Antonio, TX

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

             

For rates and placement information,
please click here. 

For rates and placement information,
please click here


NEED SOME HORSE PROPERTY?

Need some horse property or know of an individual looking for real estate?  Click on our Classified Ad box above and then scroll down to our section entitled Real Estate - General.  Luke and Ed Matyak have three properties listed that may be of interest to you.  (You can access picture and details about property in each ad.)

Visit our Classifieds often to check for new listings.
 

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!

Horse Management Tips

Saddle Pad Performance Evaluation
By Kansas State University

Horse enthusiasts may have read the latest saddle pad advertisement from Professional's Choice Sports Medicine Products that has been running in many equine publications.  For additional information and to learn what Professional's Choice advertisement fails to mention, Click Here.

Kids and Horses
By Stephanie McAlexander
Training at Seven Oaks Ranch

The relationship between a child and a horse can be a friendship they cherish forever, or one they wish they could forget. Shaping that relationship is a responsibility of the parent. Choosing the right horse, riding program, and professional are important to making a child’s horse experience memorable.
When choosing a horse for your child, keep in mind your child’s personality. A horse and rider have to compliment each other to become a team. For example, you would not want to put a child who might be afraid with a fearful horse. A more stubborn horse needs a child who is willing to keep trying. Talk with your child about the kind of horse they wish to have, and know what you are willing to let them do. Being on the same page before you begin looking for a horse will help avoid heartache down the road.

Enrolling in a good riding program can help you child to have a good experience with horses as well. There are many programs out there, from 4-H to Pony Club. There are show circuits and saddle clubs who trail ride, as well as those who specialize in speed events. Research though word of mouth, the internet, your local feed store, or boarding facility can be very helpful in finding a program that works for you.

Last but not least, find a professional to help your child if possible. Keep in mind that you are pairing a 1,000lb horse with a mind of its own with a 100 or less pound child. Horses learn trough repetition, and if they learn to do dangerous things like kick or bite, your child could be injured. Sometimes weekly lessons are enough to keep things in order, but you may need to put the horse with the professional for a tune up if things get to be above your child’s skill level. Some people feel that putting the horse with a professional means the child is not learning to do things themselves, but sometimes to teach a child something means that the horse needs to be on a different level. A good trainer also trains the owner to work with the horse correctly.

By choosing the correct horse, riding program and professional, your child will have a friendship to last a lifetime. I know that I cherish the horses that took care of me as I grew up!

Horsey Treat Recipe

Try this special treat for your favorite horse . . .
 
 Whinny Bars

2 cups oats
3/4 cup grain
3 cups bran
1 cup molasses (may have to adjust depending on how sweet your grain is)
 
Mix oats, grain and bran together (use a bucket).  Drizzle in molasses while mixing with your hands.  You're looking for a consistency a little thinner than play-doh.  Place dollops (about half a handful) on a cookie sheet and bake at 375o for about ten minutes.  Watch carefully--these bars have a tendency to burn.  They never get completely hard, but they will store nicely. 
 
Another option is to spread the mixture in a pan and bake it like bars.  It can be a little difficult to get out of the pan, though, so be sure to grease the pan first.  (This recipe will make a lot -- so adjust according to your needs.)

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Timely Reminder

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!”

Useful Websites For Horse Owners:

Questions & Comments:

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

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Contact Information:

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:

Better Horses Network
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St. Louis, MO  63132

Happy Trails Everyone!

Ernie Rodina

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