The winner at a barrel race isn’t solely the run with the fastest possible time. Today’s barrel racing competitions include five divisions, with placings for each one. The fastest time of all is first place in 1D. A half-second slower time is first place in 2D, and so on. This ...

Generally, when people picture Western riding, they tend to imagine rodeo events, reining, or cow classes, all of which are usually fast-paced, explosive and electrifying. But there are other Western sports that showcase a horse’s quiet disposition and smooth way of traveling. The most popular of these is Western pleasure. ...

To compete in reining or working cow horse competitions, your horse will need to turn quickly in response to your cues. In reining, the move is a “turnaround,” or spin—the horse moves forward around a pivot foot and continues the move until directed to stop. For cow horse classes, your ...

Few places in America are as beautiful, mystical, and rich with history as the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Named from the Lakota words Páha Sapá, which mean “hills that are black,” the hills are made up of pine-covered prominences rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. They appear ...

“Free your wardrobe, unleash your closet, stick your neck out, and tie one on!” This is the opening statement from Fringe Scarves founder Jodi Weishaar Hendrickson’s manual The Fringe: How to Tie Book. Published in 2023, this 58-page guide showcases nearly 40 ways to wrap, knot and tie a wild ...

A fast-stopping horse sliding into a cloud of dust is an icon for western riding. Horses in reining classes stop with sliders on their back hooves to accentuate downward transitions. In cow horse classes, the horse’s stop blocks the cow’s motion—compounding the action as arena dirt flies. Photo by Heidi ...

Now celebrating its 104th year, the Greeley Stampede is a top-20 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association ProRodeo series event. Drawing the best rodeo athletes from around the country for exciting rodeo competition, the Greeley Stampede’s 12-day event serves up fun for over 220,000 attendees annually. Ready to check out this year’s ...

An excerpt from Never Trust A Sneaky Pony: And Other Things They Didn’t Teach Me in Vet School by Madison Seamans, M.S., DVM. Transporting horses is the source of some fear and anxiety among us, and I find it very interesting how many horses who may otherwise be pretty solid ...