Beth and I went to Stock show yesterday, Friday the 18th. We had a blast!!
We got there around 12:00pm and went straight to find some food. There were plenty of vendors to browse through and wish for fun stuff to take home. If you’re looking for a good deal at stock show though, don’t, while some of the booths do have “sales” going on, you’re going to be hard pressed to find real deals. Most of the products prices are boosted then put on sale, and there’s no competition for lower prices. So if you are wanting buy something fun, bring money. While browsing I did find some decent prices on some decent products. At one booth that sold Western home furnishings I found some Melamine dishware, a plate set with a bronc rider that was only $20.00 and a salad bowl set with the same image that was only $ 30.00. They were very cute, but the salesman wasn’t very nice. Since I wasn’t a big spender, I really wasn’t worth his time. Beth and I both bought belts, one for myself, and one for Beth’s husband. Both were very well priced. Mine was a simple black brushed leather with silver brads and a stamped tongue and buckle flap, it needs a better buckle, but I only paid $40.00 for it. At the Official NWSS souvenir booth I was able to pick up a neat water bottle for only $10.00. It sports a blue metallic case with a cool mouth spout that is totally spill proof! You have to suck on the top to get liquid out of it. So, you can find nice things for ok prices, just not a lot of deals.
Beth and I went to go watch the $10,000 Gamblers Choice Jumpers, but before that we were treated to many jumping classes that kept the excitement going all day long. There were beautiful horses and very talented riders. No spills thank goodness, but lots of thrills.
Photo by Naked Eye Photography - Sheila Johnson
Of course the highlight was the Gamblers Choice. If you’ve never seen it, it consists of a number of jumps set up out in the arena at various heights, and with not distinguished course. Each jump is numbered with a point amount ranging from 40 to 110 points, depending on the difficulty and height of the jump. The rider must determine their own course and in a predetermined amount of time, you must jump as many jumps as possible to rack up as many points as you possibly can. You may only jump each obstacle no more than twice. If you knock a jump down you may not jump it again, and if you have only jumped it once, you loose the chance to earn those points again. In the end the person with the most points in the least amount of time wins. But before it’s over, they have one more chance at another 200 points, & to earn that, they must clear a 5 foot fence. If they knock it down though, they deduct 200 points from their previous total.
There were a lot of edge of your seat thrills during this competition, and everyone had a blast.
If you haven’t been to the Stock Show before, you have 8 more days of thrilling competitions to attend. I urge you to go and experience a thrill of a lifetime. I have been going since I was a little girl, I won’t say how long that has been, but suffice it to say that I remember meeting Chris LeDoux when he was still selling tapes out of the back of his pick up and Reba’s concert was free!
If you want to go check out the action online before you head out, go to www.nwss.com or www.nationalwestern.com Good luck and we'll see ya there!
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I wanted to give everyone a list of what businesses there are here in the valley. If I have missed someone, or if contact info is not correct, please let me know right away so I can change it.
Sheila
Feed & Supply–
Martin Feed – 395-4044 15415 CR 306 BV 81211
Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply – 539-2767 201 E. Rainbow Dr Salida 81201
Vets –
Peaks Veterinary Service – 395-6250 19677 Hwy 285 Nathrop 81236
Cottonwood Veterinary Service 395-8900 104 Isabel Ct. BV 81211
Mtn. Shadows 539-2533 9171 W. Hwy 50 Salida 81201
Saddlery & Harness –
Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply – 539-2767 201 E. Rainbow Dr Salida 81201
Mike Brazil – 539-4198
Woolly Bear Trading Co. - 19410 US Highway 285 Nathrop, Colorado 81236 395-8228
Ranches & Trainers –
Double Aught Quarter Horses 395-0500 - 27985 CR 301, BV 81211
Julie Goodnight Riding School 530-0531 7622 CR 253 Salida 81201
Boarding –
Double Aught 395-050027985 CR 301, BV 81211
Julie Goodnight Riding School 530-0531 7622 CR 253 Salida 81201
Victory Hill Training Center -530-0938 9423 W Hwy 50 Salida 81201
Doolittle Ranch - 530-8315
Arenas –
Rusty & Leslie Harrison - 6250 19677 Hwy 285 Nathrop 81236
Adobe Arena – Kaess – 539-3519 Hwy 285 Salida 81201
Chaffee County Fairgrounds – 539-6151 10165 CR 120 Salida 81201
Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds – Rodeo Rd, BV 81211
Doolittle Ranch – 530-8315
Horseshoers –
Andrew Null – Tumbleweed Farrier Svc. – 239-0483 – Salida - 81201
Harry Hansen –Salida - 539-5499
Horse Trailer Deals/Repair
Morning Star Auto - 1425 E. Street Salida, CO 81201 - 539-9399
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Jumping & Eventing trainer John Staples will have his first clinic at Leslie Harrison's arena on Thursday, January 17th from 10:00 on. His lessons are approximately 45 minutes and they can be either privates ($65) or group ($55 each). You can do anything from a completely flat lesson to one with cavaletti to more of a jumping/gymnastics lesson. So, don't feel like you have to be competing in eventing to do these lessons.
Please email Heide Anderson @ heide@townofbreckenridge.com or call her @ 970.389.3357 if you want to do a lesson and whether you want to be in a group or do a private. If you prefer a group lesson, let me know the level of you and your horse and what type of lesson you'd prefer. For those of us that are not currently boarding a horse at Leslie's barn, there will be a $10 arena fee.
John is from Wichita and has started coming to Colorado to give lessons to Jim Moore's former students since Jim moved to Virginia. John has been coming for one to two weeks each month to give lessons at Stellar Stables in Parker and Ken Caryl Equestrian Center in Jefferson County. He has ridden at the advanced level and has coached students from beginner up to advanced levels. He is a Level III certified USEA (United States Eventing Association) instructor, and is interested in ramping up the instructor certification program here in Colorado. The people that I've spoken with about him have had nothing but really positive things to say about his teaching style and communication. He is actually thinking about moving to Colorado because of the possible client base here.
In any event, you can read more about him and his coaching/instruction at http://www.windermerestables.com/
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An acquaintance of mine called home at 9:00 at night to find out where the vets office was. The phone was then given to me to discuss the problem with his dog.
As he told me what was going on I asked how long this "lump" had been there. I was told about a week. It started out the size of his thumb and over the last 2 days turned into the size of a grapefruit!
As it turns out the dog went into surgery to remove a hardend abcess.
This inceident got me to thinking about how many people wait until the last possible minute to take their animals to the vet, and some dont take them at all.
When I worked at the local vet clinic it was one of the biggest complaints we had. It was extreamly typical for an owner to wait at least a week or more before bring in the suffering animal to get treatment.
One of the causes of this was money related, but it seemed that the worst cause was just plain stupidity!
You love your animals, thats why you have them, right? So why not take care of them? If you dont know how, there are ways to find that information out. You need to go to a local vet, its free to talk to your vet, or a very minimal charge for a full consultation, but trust me it is worth it. Talk to neighbrors, or other animal owners. Trainers, farriers, or riders, go to the library, or if your reading this, look on the internet while your logged on! Talk to someone at the feed store.
There is alot of work to keeping horses, and until you know what your doing,(which you never stop learning how), you need to make sure that you keep a proffesionals phone number handy, they wont mind helping you out if it means the welfare of the horse!
Just having a place where your horse can get out of the weather and a pen doesn't mean you are properly taking care of them. They must have a clean and injury free area to be in that is big enough to get proper exercise and not be injured. Also, you need to make sure that your feeders and waterers are safe and appropriately made for what you are using them for. Old bathtubs, or 55 gallon garbage cans do not make good waters or feeders! They can be very hazardous.
There are plenty of avenues by which you can get a multitude of information about how to care for your animals.
Keep your horse or other pets away from the vets office by taking the time to properly research the type of pet and how to properly care for the animal BEFORE you buy it.
Don't wait to long to take them in to see the vet, when in doubt, call your vet to see if you need to bring them in or if there is something you can do at home. You may not think its serious, but your vet paid thousands of dollars on the education to know, not think!
Veterinarians in Buena Vista and Salida
Large animal - -
Peak Vet Service - Leslie Harrison 3956250
Cottonwood Vet Services - Joel Stahlecker 395-8900
Mountian Shadows - Kit Riff 539-2533
Small Animal - -
Cottonwood Vet Service - Joel Stahlecker 395-8900
Buena Vista Vet Clinic - Greg Kettering 395-8239
Best Friends Mobile Vet Service Beth Ritchie - 395-0968
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Well, Christmas is over!
I hope you all had a peaceful and generous one. I most certainly did. We went to the families, had gifts, breakfast and naps, a HUGE dinner, and then, of course, went snow plowing for a couple hours! I am so thankful for to be able to be a part of such an awesome extended family.
It is so beautiful here in Buena Vista right now. There is so much snow! We had a gorgeous white Christmas, with a call for more on the way. Everyone is adapting well. All the woodland animals, and of course the horses seem to be weathering the storms and chill great.
I am planning on taking the horse out in the next couple days to do some skijoring around the neighborhood again this year! Everyone seemed to enjoy watching me last year with my big grey, so now I am going to try it with Princess. Maybe if she settles into it well, I'll extend our trip out further. There is plenty of snow on the roads that I shouldn't have much of a problem getting around. So maybe you'll see me out and about, if you get up by Crossman, keep an eye out for me, (either on the road, or in a ditch)!
Check out this awesome video of Nate Bowers of Bowers Farm in Fort Collins, Colorado that I found on the internet!
http://www.bowersfarm.com/skijoring.htm
Please remember that you need to be an experienced horseman to try this, or don't do it at all, you should have someone to accompany you as well, & a helmet and other body protection should always be used.
See ya next week, everyone keep warm and give the horses an extra oatmeal cookie!
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