National Cutting Horse Association Days a Family Friendly Event
Sunday, June 06, 2010 at 18:18 | 
Written by Marla Smith | 
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| Rufus McPeak |
The organizer of the event, Rufus McPeak (Dresden, TN) stated that he is proud of the fact that so many good riders and their family members came to participate and enjoy the event.
Horse Lover staff was there for the $10,000 Novice class which is a class for trainers. Trainer Zeke Entz of Collierville, Tennessee, won the class with a score of 75. Entz was aboard another owner’s horse, Rebecca Rey a six-year- old mare out of Dual Rey. Entz also rode his own horse in the class. When asked how he could be objective riding for another owner, Entz stated that many times winning depends on the "gods of luck." He added that you just do your best and "it all shakes out."
Entz explained that the winning score in cutting is the highest score. He further explained the judges’ score sheet and how the points are earned for run content such as courage, degree of difficulty, and time worked, among several others.
Zeke Entz focused on his run
Zeke and Rebecca Rey in action
Joey Patterson of Notasulga, Alabama won the High Point Non Pro for the weekend aboard Haidas CD.
Trainer Entz can be reached at Entz Cutting Horses 901-861-2847. For more information on cutting horse shows visit the NCHA Website at the following web address: http://www.nchacutting.com/. For information on cutting horse shows in Middle Tennessee visit the following website: www.cmcha.com .
Last Updated (Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 15:43)
Volunteer Ranch Horse Show Showcases Many Talented Riders and HorsesSunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:41 | Written by Marla Smith | |
The Volunteer Ranch Horse Association show held May 21-23, 2010 at the Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, TN showcased many talented riders and horses during the three-day event.
President Marvin Butler (Lebanon, TN) said the entries and memberships in the Volunteer Ranch Horse Association have grown by several hundred over the three years of the Associations’ existence.
 VolRHA President Marvin Butler
The Volunteer Ranch Horse Association is an affiliate of the American Ranch Horse Association which was organized seven years ago. Butler stated that the fee structure for memberships and showing is very reasonable and that the points earned in the shows can also count toward various AQHA and APHA points and programs. Butler added that the caliber of horses has improved so much that early on there were only a few horses that were really talented, but now there are only a few that are not talented. Butler is very proud and appreciative of the VolRHA program and its growth over the last few years.
 Butler and Horse Lovers' Marla Smith
 Lindsey Conti (Wentzville, MO) and her mare Willow Deelivery won the Confirmation class for mares 3 and over.
 CO-OP's Equine Specialist Kim Smith, Marvin Butler and Marla Smith
 Judges Eddie Smith and Billy Prather
Visit the Volunteer Ranch Horse Website ( http://www.vrha.net/ ) for more information about their shows. Visit the American Ranch Horse Association at http://www.americanranchhorse.net/ .
Last Updated (Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 08:42) Marie Lloyd: Successful Horse WomanSunday, May 16, 2010 at 15:36 | Written by Marla Smith | |
Welcome to the first in our series of articles aboutSuccessful horsewomen in Middle Tennessee!Just attend a show at Clearview Horse Farm in Shelbyville, Tennessee and you will immediately feel that you are in a very horse and people friendly place. The shows are well-organized and run smoothly, but if a change is needed, it happens. No stodginess here. If the horses and the riders need a change in the class order, it happens. Some might think this isn’t quite best practice, but as a horsewoman myself, I know that common sense simply has to prevail with horses, and it certainly does with Clearview’s Marie Lloyd.
When you attend a Clearview show, you might find Marie showing in one of the classes or she might be the announcer for the day. Another time she might be helping another horseperson with a problem or just helping folks find the two portable rest rooms at the end of the arena.
Marie the Announcer  When I read over Marie’s answers to the interview questions I had sent her to think about, I immediately realized that she had put her thoughts about horses into actions. She feels empathy for the rest of us because she has been just where we are in the show ring or other places in the horse world.
I don’t have my list of horse women ranked or even completed, but Marie Lloyd would appear on anyone’s successful horsewomen list in not only Middle Tennessee, but in all of Tennessee and maybe a little beyond.
Initially, I had plans to use the interview questions to write a human interest article, but I cannot improve on Marie’s own expressions and memories about her horse experiences. Being an American, I cannot bring to life Marie’s reflections about England, her native country. Her reflections bring forth images in my mind of the best of the British writers we studied in school. For these reasons, I decided to present the article in Q and A format.
So dear readers enjoy and celebrate one of Middle Tennessee’s successful horsewomen! Q. How old were you when you got your first horse or pony?
A. I was around 12 years old when I got my first pony. My parents were not in the least bit horsey. My father played golf, my mother liked figure skating, and from an early age, I was obsessed with horses and all things furry.
Year after year I begged my father for my own horse, but we lived in a town, and really I should have been quite content with a puppy they got me instead. Eventually, however, my father realized that this obsession was not going to leave me. He enrolled me in a riding school where I spent most of my weekends learning how to ride. Holidays were spent at pony camp. My father found a horse that was “free to a good home”. The deal breaker being that this horse was roaming the fields of Wales on a 200 acre field that was filled with cows. If I could catch her, I could keep her.
We went to Wales. This mare truly looked wild. She was a muddy grey, covered in burghs and with a matted mane and tail. She was severely underweight, and as she saw us approach, took off for the nearest wood. My parents and the farmer took off for the nearest pub, saying that if I could catch her by the time they had finished dinner, she was truly mine.
I was never more determined in my life. It was cold and wet. I had lost my shoes that were sucked off in the mud within 15 minutes of being in the field. I had pockets full of sugar cubes and apple pieces. This mare was not in the least bit interested. The biting wind chilled me to the bone, but my determination overpowered all my physical shortcomings. At one point, through sheer exhaustion, I lay down in the field looking up to the grey roaming clouds, and asked God for help. I really believed that I was meant to save this mare and she and I would be the “bestest” of friends and the only horse I would ever have the opportunity to call my own in the whole world. I was in tears of frustration.
Lying there, with tears streaming down my face, I felt a movement near me. The mare had come to see what I was doing. She was curious as to why our game of hide and seek was over or something. I opened one eye and didn’t breathe for a full 5 minutes. I was just shocked that I was looking into her big brown eyes and she appeared to be sniffing me. Very carefully, I pulled an apple piece from my pocket, and still lying down, opened my hand up to her really carefully. In what seemed like an eternity, I carefully sat up, and talked to her in a really low quiet voice, feeding her sugar cubes. She let me touch her. By the time my parents and the farmer came back to the field, I had a rope round her neck and she was following me to the gate. We loaded her up in the farmer’s trailer and he delivered her to the pony school for us.
Q. How would you describe your first horse? A. Under all the mud and mess, the vet told us she was probably an Arab mix, about 14 years old. She had had a foal, and apart from the fact she was underweight and needed a good worming and a healthy diet, she was reasonably healthy. After a good bath she turned out to be a speckled grey.
Q. What was one of your early successes? A. Getting Blanche, as I called her, healthy and well, and then getting the courage to saddle her up and ride her was an early success. Everyone from the pony school was aghast at what my unhorsey dad had done: buy me a wild, unknown horse.
But I ignored their comments and hid them from my dad, as he was so proud he had made me so happy! Luckily Blanch was a good natured mare and forward going. We had bonded through her healing process.
Q. What were some of your early failures? A. In England, practically everyone who rides, jumps or does equitation which leads to dressage. But most everybody show jumps. I jumped everything in sight. Point and go. I would jump a hedge rather than get off and open a gate.
This, however, was not really the right training for the show jumping arena. Total humiliation followed when I realized that though Blanche didn’t mind jumping natural obstacles out in the countryside, in the show jumping arena, faced with white poles, red boxes and all sorts of colored obstacles, she had a fit and stopped in front of each and every one. I tumbled off over her neck onto a stack of red plastic bricks.
Q. What really hooked you on pursuing your equestrian interests? A. In between all my proper jobs in England, I always came back to horses as my love and favorite pastime. I went to clinics, watched the professionals train, and learned everything I could. I realized that to do it properly, you have to have the right horse for your event of choice. That the horse is bred for the event and possesses good confirmation is crucial. Having the right training program is vital for the horse as well as the rider. If you want to show properly and be reasonably competitive, even as an amateur, your horse is an athlete and has to be treated like one.
As I progressed over the years, I had to leave the world of show jumping. My family got sick and tired of picking me up from the hospital after another wreck in the show field!
I had to have a major re- think, and after eight months in a wheel chair, I had plenty of time to do it. I sold my warm bloods to various girlfriends and looked around for a milder form of riding style. On a holiday in the USA, I rode a correctly trained western horse for the first time. I was hooked. This horse was a reiner. And so another journey started. Riding reiners in England is rather a small world, as the quarter horse community there is tiny. But I did my research and found that one of the most respected women in reining is actually English and owns a ranch in Texas and a farm in Bodiam, Sussex. This was the Sternberg family. I called them up, and drove down to see them and bought my first quarter horse from them. They were incredibly kind and generous with their time and were very patient with me in my new learning curve.
The horse I bought from them was obviously a reiner and a great all around show horse called Eldorado Rey. I still have him; I brought him to America with me when I bought my farm. He taught me a lot, and though retired from the show world, he still helps teach beginners the art of riding a good western trained horse. He is 18 now.
 Marie aboard Agatha. The pair had just scored a 68 on a dressage test !
Q. What motivated you to open your arena and farm?
A. There are many women out there like me, wanting to ride, and not really knowing what discipline they want to do. I felt it would be great to have a place with all breeds where people could come and try different horses and styles before they make the big commitment of buying a horse. Q. You have many successful shows. What makes your farm successful? A. I think because I have tried my hand at most events in the horse world and have ridden most breeds, I have a great overview of what each discipline and event requires. I am familiar with what a trainer needs and how to help the non pros and the beginners.
The participants get ready to compete in the Egg and Spoon class at the April 3 Clearview Fun Show!
 We really try to help folks who come here as much as we can. Jed Dixon shows he's determined not to spill a drop of water from his glass during a 2009 fun show!
 I know what its like to drive for eight hours going to a show, getting lost in the dark, and being at a strange place for the first time. I understand being a nervous amateur and you can’t find the toilets or the wash racks. Then you find that the shavings office is closed and they tell you are not allowed to bring your own. Things like that annoy me, so I have tried to make my place friendlier for competitors.
 Marie aboard reiner Justin Sparks One final note from Horse Lover Magazine: One of the competitors at a recent show at Clearview talked freely about the friendly atmosphere there. His compliment and smiling face were a true testament that Marie is a successful horsewoman. You can visit the Clearview Farm Website at the following web address: http://www.clearviewhorsefarm.com/
Last Updated (Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 08:43) Lucky 7 Quarter Horse Show SuccessfulMonday, May 10, 2010 at 07:27 | Written by Marla Smith | |
The Lucky 7 Quarter Horse Show held at the Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro was another well-organized and well-run event held at the coliseum. Dr. Patrick Kayser and his staff put together a polished equine affair. Horselover’s staff was there for the Amateur Equitation Over Fences class. The horses in the class were capable and beautiful, as well as very tall and slim (Much different from our Sierra who is beautiful but has to watch her figure!).
Quarter Horse shows are usually well-attended with gifted horses and riders showing. This show was no different. What struck Horselover staff is that Miller Coliseum is really making a name for itself by sponsoring and/or booking horse shows for all breeds and disciplines and running the shows very well.
Dr. Patrick Kayser Shanna Miller Marketing Staff
  The facility itself is very functional, has plenty of stall space, and has plenty of rest rooms that are easily accessible for the humans in attendance. All these amenities speak well for the facility staff, for MTSU, and for the City of Murfreesboro as an equine force, not only in the state of Tennessee, but also for regional equine events.
Alexandra Hruz aboard Acaanvincingleaguer
 Sarah Elder aboard Chabot
 Amy Bartholomew aboard Cruisin on Wheels
 Dr. Kayser can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 615-494-8849. Shanna Miller can be reached at 615-494-8879. Last Updated (Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 08:54) |
