Online horse sales sites: Get creative!

Table 'o Contents: Seller tips; Buyer Tips; Breeder tips/bloodline searching; Comparison of search sites

I'm not looking for a horse -- couldn't afford another -- but I have to admit I miss the fun of searching now that I have Riley (pictured left at age 3 weeks). Every week or so I pop onto warmbloods-for-sale.com and peruse the horses for sale. Chalk it up to the power of the Internet and the many horse buying-search tools (dreamhorse.com, horsetopia.com, equine.com). With these wonderful tools you can find specify all the traits of your dream-horse down to the last detail. But if you don't search online sales sites, here are some semi-creative search tips.

If you've never explored the Advanced Search capabilities of online horse sale sites, take a few moments now to look at Equine.com's Advanced Search screen. You'll notice some nifty options for slicing and dicing your search that have a variety of uses -- for sellers, buyers, breeders, and window-shoppers...

Tips for sellers
Use Equine.com (or some other site) to run "comps" on your horse. See what other sellers are asking for similar horses in your region. In Equine.com you can specify age, breed, sex, height, location, discipline, training/show experience, bloodlines, and other attributes. Try this:

1. Enter your horse's characteristics--age, height, show experience, sex, discipline, etc.
2. Limit results to your general geographic area (e.g., 150-200 miles from your location).
3. As you review the results:
• Note the asking price -- is it significantly different from your horse's price?
• How long has each horse been for sale? Some of those ads are 6 months old or more.
• If you're asking more for your horse, how is she/he different? You may want to revise your ad to emphasize those strengths; or, if you're having trouble selling your horse, consider if the asking price is competitive in your geographic area.

Writer's block?
Some sellers get writer's block when it comes to describing their horse. Do you have trouble crafting ads?

• Do a search for horses with your sale horse's characteristics and see how they are described. Use wording/phrases you like, and you might get some ideas for selling points.
• Are you selling a cribber? A high-strung horse? A horse with some issues? Run a keyword search on the vice or issue to see how other sellers describe their horse's vice or problem.

Tips for buyers
Most horse buyers get pretty savvy in searching for the horse of their dreams. But here are a few suggestions.

• If you're going to look at a horse that is several hours away, do a search within 20-30 miles of that horse's zip code. Perhaps you could find some other horses to see in the area.
• If you find a horse you like, look for other horses for sale by the owner. Travelling to look at several horses is a better use of your time.
• If you particularly like a horse -- for example, one you've seen at local shows -- find out his/her bloodlines. You can do a bloodlines search on sire/grandsire to find horses that may have the same qualities you like.
• Okay, I've been known to do some evil stealthing. If you find a horse you like, search other online sales sites for the horse name (or, if the name is unusual enough, just google it).
• Sometimes there are discrepancies in the info in the ads--like the price! This can work in your favor (quote the cheapest price you find when you call).
• Sometimes other descriptive information will vary--things you wouldn't expect, like the height of a ten year old horse.
• You might just find a critical piece of info, as I once did. A friend of mine was looking at an OTTB from a thorougbred reseller. I found an old ad from about four months before (some sites retain SOLD listings). In this ad, the horse's original owner/trainer listed some significant, permanent soundness issues not mentioned by the current seller, and the asking price was under $1,000. The second seller's price was outrageous in light of the ad we discovered, and the horse was unsuitable for hard work.

Tips for breeders/Bloodline searches
If you are interested in certain bloodlines -- as a breeder, or as an owner -- search the "stallion of interest" on equine.com or other sites...

• If you're a breeder considering a stallion for your mare, note how many babies are already on the market. Are they selling fast? The more there are, and the more unsold, the tougher it might be to sell the foal.
• What are the babies like, and are their traits marketable? How tall are they, and what temperament is listed (usually assigned a number 1-10).
• What's the price range for the babies?
• Look at conformation shots. What does he pass on to his offspring?
• Review any pix/video. Does he cross well with TBs? Warmbloods? Particular bloodlines?
• If he has offspring under saddle, look for any that are for sale. What's their competition record? Of course you can also check USDF and other web sites to find this information.
• If you're just interested in bloodlines or your horse's bloodlines, it can be fun to look for your horse's kin online too.

Comparison of horse sale sites
You can look at my Online Horse Sales Ads Comparison Chart, or read a summary below...

Equine.com is a large, popular site with great features overall: flexible geographic searching (breakdown by city, zip code, geographic region); lots of options for searching bloodlines (select generation, sire, dam, damsire, etc); a means of limiting results by prospect, trained, or competed; and by a category called attributes (certain types of awards/recognition). What it lacks is a keyword search and a means of searching by horseid.

Agdirect has a number of unique features, including a bloodlines search that lets you look for certain bloodline crosses (specific sire and dam). You can search by secondar breed, by months of professional training and by search by farm/contact. You can sort results by a number of criteria, including horse height, name, age, temperament, or distance.

Warmbloods-for-sale.com is a specialized, smaller database. It's a wonderful tool for the warmblood afficianado, and it offers a keyword search of the description field. It's search features have some limitations -- the only geographic limiter is state and you can't select more than one state. There is no way to exclude sold horses in a search. There is no means of searching by level of training, you can only search height in whole hands (16, 17, etc.) and the bloodlines search supports only keyword in sire. The price ranges are limited.

Horsetopia's database is an unknown size and the database seems to be geared toward the pleasure/low-end market. It has a healthy set of search capabilities including keyword search and secondary breed search.

Dreamhorse.com supports a bloodline keyword search with limit to generation, and there are checkboxes to limit to gaited only and warmbloods only. It's Year Foaled search allows the shopper to separate weanlings and yearlings. Dreamhorse offers a missing horse search, a search by secondary breed, and you can exclude breeds.

Horsepartystallions: Serious Eye Candy

Calling all stallion-watchers! Check out horsepartystallions on youtube.com. It's a British company that brokers some top dressage and jumping stallions, and they have 122 stallion videos. I'm quite fond of Sunny Boy myself...

Sunny Boy Stallion (Sandro Hit/Fantastico)

Helmet companies: Delving into derbies

I've been wondering when helmet companies would take a stab at providing derbies and top hats that are protective headgear. Here are some, although they aren't geared toward dressage. I give Troxel a lot of credit for their efforts in making an ASTM compliant derby for saddleseat riders. It looks cute on this attractive kid -- I fear I would look like a giant cartoon character, but I'll try it if they make a dressage version. Go to derbyhelmet.com if you want more information.






There is another one to the right (vew it at Stoney Creek Tack. It looks a bit more real-life to me, I'm guessing it's for the adult male saddle-seat rider.

I rather like the traditional ASTM helmet that looks like a big puffy hunt cap. I don't think helmets are going to make any of us look like movie stars, but they do make us look SMART. Good luck Troxel, hope you find new markets for your products -- like dressage riders!

Horses as investments: Emotional and financial

The horse to the left is Abdullah, who lived to a ripe old age of 30. Many venerable old racers and sport horses have enjoyed a long life. But 2008 is not a good year to be an equine athlete. It's only June yet many of our best and brightest have crossed the rainbow bridge well before their time. Eight Belles, Frodo, Quiet Man, Teddy, Tigger Too, Task Master. A little further back in time, Le Samurai, Eight St. James Street, and Barbaro left us.

When an elite sport horse is injured
I've been thinking about high value horses -- six figures or more -- and what happens when one catastrophically injured. Often the horse has several owners, or a syndicate, and a significant amount of money is at stake. Add the vets, the insurance companies, and public opinion, and the need to make a decision in crisis. Add to that, a love for the animal, and it must seem like a nightmare. Barbaro's owners had mortality insurance, but not major medical. Euthanization would have been both justified and in their financial interest -- but they are affluent. They had the luxury of paying out of their own pocket, and bless them for their gallant efforts to save him. But for most owners of elite sport horses, insurance companies, along with the veterinarian, will advise the owner. If the owner wants to file a valid claim, this advice must be followed.

Insurance for elite sport horses
I did some research on insuring high value animals. It isn't so different from how modestly valued horses are handled. Here is what I learned....

Lloyds of London was the first company to insure a sport horse in 1965, for full mortality. These days, horses can be insured for any number of things -- mortality, fertility, surgical, loss of use, major medical, and travel accidents, to name a few. I'll look only at full mortality and for loss of use. Full mortality premiums for elite animals (think Barbaro) might be as much as 5-10% of the value of the animal. Teddy was rumored to be insured for a million dollars, and Barbaro was insured for a reported 40-50 million. The premium for a million dollar policy would be $50-100,000/year, and for 50 million, a premium of 5 million a year. Loss of use coverage is geared toward loss of use by accident -- illness or degenerative conditions aren't covered. The premium is around 2-3% of the insured value, but the payout is only 50-60% of the animal's insured value. In practice, elite racehorses and other elite athletes are seldom covered for loss of use as it is so risky. "It's just not good business," said an insurance agent in one article.

Can they even get insurance?
Frankly I'm surprised that racehorses and eventing horses can even get insurance. But I guess they can. Premiums are also higher for certain kinds of sports--although steeplechasers are generally worth less than racehorses, steeplechasing premiums are three times higher than that of flat racers because of the greater risk of injury.

Insuring high value sport animals is not a big money maker for insurance companies, and availability of insurance fluctuates. When a large claim is paid out -- such as when the racing stallion Alydar died in his stall-- premiums tend to rise in response. Sometimes for a while after these incidents, it is not possible to get a policy. A Wall Street Journal article reported that insurance companies may start looking at bloodlines before they insure animals. Apparently the Northern Dancer line has had more than its share of injuries, and in the future it may be more costly to insure his offspring. I was surprised to read this -- so MANY race horses have Northern Dancer blood. Many sport horse owners cannot afford the premiums, so they "self insure," which I think translates roughly to "eat the loss."

Making a claim
There have been lamentable cases of insurance fraud involving show horses at the highest levels of sport. Whenever possible, insurance companies carefully monitor/supervise the treatment of the injured animals. For any insurance claim to be valid, most companies require advance notification and prior permission for treatment/euthanasia except under the most extreme conditions. In fact they want to be notified of any health issues requiring attention, and claims have been denied because the owners failed to report even minor injuries/conditions.

With a catastrophically injured horse, treatment decisions merit extreme scrutiny. As harsh as it seems, a severely injured sport horse may be worth more dead than alive. To minimize the chance of fraud, the insurance company may wish to seek a second opinion before a horse is euthanized. In this case, the veterinarian's opinion is critical to looking after the welfare of the horse. The American Association of Equine Practitioners has established guidelines that state the justification for euthanasia should be based solely on medical, not economic considerations, regardless of the age, sex or potential value of a horse. Four criteria are given to help make this determination:

• Is the condition chronic and incurable?
• Has the immediate condition a hopeless prognosis for life?
• Is the horse a hazard to himself or his handlers?
• Will the horse require continuous medication for the relief of pain for the remainder of his life?

For high value animals, insurance companies require a full post mortem to be done on every horse during a mortality claim, within a certain time frame, and if a horse has been injured at the racetrack, no less than two veterinarians must be present to officially confirm that a horse has been humanely destroyed due to necessity (a horse being in severe untreatable pain or imminent death due to untreatable injuries).

What I learned
I'll admit here that when I first learned of Teddy's death, a little part of me wondered if his injury really warranted euthanasia. Is it possible he could have recovered? Could the financial pressures have influenced the decision to end Teddy's life? I ask this question at a general level (I don't know any of the parties involved). And I can imagine how difficult and awful the situation must have been, and the injury struck me as a possible grey area where perhaps either treatment or euthanasia could be advocated. After reading what I've read about insurance, I feel that there are checks and balances that protect the welfare of the horse.


Equine insurance explained from the USEA

Horse insurance is scrutinized from the Wall Street Journal

Equine insurers yet to adapt from Left at the gate blog

Barbaro and Eight Belles shared an ancestor

Lloyds goes for gold at Cheltenham from Lloyds Web page

Race horse coverage is a long shot from Rough Notes, Oct. 2006

Equinely Inclined: Mentions BTB!

The Canadian newscast, Equinely-Inclined, mentions Behind the Bit in its June 5 podcast. Harvey gets some airtime! Well, they say his name anyway. You can download this episode; the commentators are easy to listen to (those Canadian accents!). Wish they had an equivalent in the U.S.!

The picture to the left is kind of unrelated, just thought it was cute...

Notes from A Private Stable

Years ago a friend gave me an old de-accessioned library book called Private Stable. Published in 1903, this stable management reference offers information and advice to the affluent stable owner. I've been perusing it at my leisure. While I've highlighted some unusual practices here, the care and management of horses has not changed as much as I thought. Here are a few things that I found quaint, surprising, informative, amusing, or whatever...

From the Spanish Inquisition?
"Boots are made on two general principles, one as a protective and one as preventative." Guess this would fall under "preventative," huh? I assume it is designed to "train" the horse not to move in such a way that he intereferes or clips himself. If I were the horse, I think I'd pretty much give up on moving at all, period. The author has no shortage of opinions but is strangely silent on the use of this device.

Singeing: They did this in the barn?
Has anyone heard of the practice of singeing?

"Stable men have long been in the habit of singeing away the long, loose hair which grows about the jaws, through, neck, belly, and quarters of horses that have been much exposed to the cold; a flame is applied and the hair is allowed to blaze for a moment, then it is extinguished by drawing a hand or a damp cloth..."

I can see why this one didn't stand the test of time. I'm glad we've stopped setting our horses on fire. Good decision there.

---

On horsewomen

"The task of personally conducting the management of a stable is one that a lady is advised not to undertake even with a good servant in charge. If a lady desires to maintain a stable, she will find it to her advantage to place the supervision of it in the hands some relative, even though he lacks experience in such matters."

The author goes on to suggest that no stable hand would accept direction from a mere female. So better to enlist the help of an incompetent male than to try to manage your own stable.

The author also speaks of the qualities of a ladies' riding horse. Rearing, he writes, is an "unpardonable error" in a lady's riding, horse:

"..because when he is in the act of coming up, it is almost impossible for her to lower her hands and through her weight forward, like a man can do, or to jump off to get clear of danger."

At first it seems an indictment of the riding abilities of women (and not the first in this book), but then I read the section about sidesaddles. The female rider cannot mount or dismount without the assistance of a groom, and the process described was rather elaborate. What a hindrance -- like Ginger Rogers learning to dance backward in heels. Many lady writers in the book are quoted saying how difficult to fit and uncomfortable many of these saddles are. If they're going to be handicapped in almost every sphere of the Victorian/Edwardian life, at least they got to whine about it.

---

On grooming
There was a big section on personal grooming for stable and carriage hands. The breeches to the left are white, and all leather. Geesh.

The entire grooming section made me feel guilty. In talking about the qualities of a good groom, the author stresses that grooming is "hard work" and offers a rule of thumb that the daily grooming should take a minimum of 45 minutes. Ouch. I can't remember the last time I spent that long, except if you count those occasions when Harv is totally encrusted in mud. He also asserts that a sign of a poor groom is one that does not have his tools at the ready. He pokes fun at the incompetent groom who can be seen "searching amidst the straw for a currycomb." I stopped reading at this point and made a note to organize my tack box.

Old horses
"Another great mistake is made by many persons in considering that old horses should be indulged by an extra allowance of rest... The incentive of such a practice is amiable, but it is a mistaken one. Old horses cannot bear entire rest; exercise is life to them, it keeps their vital functions going; and limbs that regular and daily exercise keep pliant, become stiff and rigid by continued absence of motion. Young horses, on the contrary, require considerable length of comparative rest to recover from unusual exertion. They have not been long enough accustomed to it..."

Hear that Harv?

Conclusion
What is most amazing about this book is that 90% of the book is perfectly applicable today. The equipment, the grooming supplies, the basic horse care are pretty much the same. The beauty of the animals depicted in the photo plates, and the excellence in conformation was remarkable. I even learned a few things -- for example, did you know there was more than one type of straw (barley, rye, oat) and that rye or wheat straw is best? And that the average horse will need 100 lbs of sawdust a week? This book was well worth reading, for fun, for information, and for a sense of the history of the horse.

Dressage, jumper, or soccer prospect?

Found this video through stumbleupon.com and tracked it down to the Virginia-based Fairview Horse Center (FHC). You have to watch this horse -- what a hoot! His name is Fescoe, and his soccer moves lend a whole new meaning to the phrase "sport horse."

FHC bred this lovely youngster (Nevada/Shadow of the Nightxx), who was a yearling at the time this video was captured. He was later sold to Shari Goodwin. Look how light on his feet he is, and what a personality! FHC stands two stallions, Nevada and Oliver, and their offspring have placed well at Devon and elsewhere.

Now Shadowrider has shared video of her yearling Missouri Foxtrotter with HIS yellow ball. He's definitely got the moves!



And Tropical Storm shared these AWESOME videos of her soccer star. Check out the defensive strategies in Arion and FIFA #2 (which I put just below this text)...

Arion and FIFA #2


Arion and FIFA

Quaterback baby vids and pix!

VIDEOS

Also see full list of Qback babies...

Hengstfohlen v. Quaterback x StPrSt v. Don Vino


PICTURES (courtesy of Judy Yancey and Cookie Originals, photographer)
Hope I got the names correct!

Qcredit


Quincara

Quinelise

Qwetzl

Musical Freestyles on the Interstate

Skip to my freestyle music/music videos

The other day someone invited me to a musical freestyle clinic. I politely declined. Not that I'm not interested. I just love musical freestyles, and I do them all the time.

In my car.

I have a bunch of CD mixes that will one day be edited my  ultimate freestyle(s). In the meantime, I play them in my car and perform fantasy freestyles while cruising the highways of Pennsylvania. In my interstate freestyles, Riley is confirmed grand prix. Harv performs only occasionally, and to great fanfare -- the Tony Bennett of the horse world. We don't go above fourth level. He's 21, after all.

The Freestyle Music
I have a hip hop freestyle, a Prince and the Revolution freestyle, a Phantom of the Opera freestyle (I can't believe no one has used this music), an 80's rock freestyle, and a Motown freestyle. Here's a quick list of the music videos of my faves...

Disclaimer: These choices may or may not work with actual horse gaits. It's not a problem with interstate freestyle, at any rate.

My all time favorite choice!

• Phantom of the Opera theme (this is the all passage freestyle)
• Music of the night from Phantom (walk, extended walk at start, pick up canter during "close your eyes..." lyrics)
• Pink Cadillac by Bruce Springsteen (trot work, extended trot during "pink cadillac, brushed velvet seat...")
• Word Up by Cameo (just super, super, super)
• Kiss by Prince (piaffe, tempi changes, canter work and tempi changes)
• Little Red Corvette by Prince (trot work, extended trot)
• We'll be together by Sting (passage, extended trot, trot)
• If I ever lose my faith in you Sting (extended trot during refrain)
• Can't take my eyes off of you by Frankie Valli (extended trot during instrumental)
• Lady Marmalade by Pink, Christina Aguilera, and others (video is pretty campy; trot and canter work)
• Mambo #5 by Lou Bega (trot)
• Family Affair by Mary J. Blige (trot, passage)
• Once upon a dream from Sleeping Beauty (I know, it's a stretch -- canter work?)
• I know my love by the Chieftains and the Corrs (kind of hopeless for a freestyle, but I'd attempt canterwork, esp. after the "what shall i do" lyrics)

Coming soon! A riding helmet that dials 911

Helmets are not only getting safer, they're getting smarter! A New Zealand horse magazine reports that an engineering student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a motorcycle helmet that wirelessly calls for help in the event of --and this is my new favorite phrase -- "traumatic deceleration." The Wireless Impact Guardian, or WIG, signals for help when its sensors detect an impact. The wearer need take no action. In fact, he the helmet is designed to work when the wearer is unconscious. This innovation could help save the lives of thousands of motorcycle riders and the technology can easily be adapted to horseback riding helmets. The helmet includes:

• an accelerometor to detect impact/trauma
  
• a wireless device to call for help
  
• a GPS system to indicate your location
  
• a beeping device and timer (if you turn off the beeper after an accident, the helmet is deactivated
  

For those of us who ride alone, this could provide some piece of mind. I'd also like one that beeps when I tilt my head down--or maybe a voice with a thick German accent says "Why are you looking down???! Look where you are going!"

Read the full article

Forget heart -- does your horse have the spleen to win?

This is a digested version of an already short article Horse Science: What Makes a Kentucky Derby Winner By Bjorn Carey, LiveScience.com
Dr. Kenneth McKeever, researcher at Rutgers University, and Dr. Eric Birks of the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered physiological adaptations that help horses run faster. These are summarized below:

• First of all, horses breathe only through their nostrils, which are situated on their snout so that they are not exposed to dust. Breathing through the mouth would make them prone to inhaling dust.
  
  
• Horses at a gallop only inhale as they are bringing their legs forward. This helps them expand their lungs fully, without pressure/interference from their large gut. If the horse inhaled as his legs are landing, the forward pressure from the gut would limit lung capacity. A side effect of this fact is the theory that the longer a horse's stride, the greater the capacity to inhale
  
  
• When the horse starts its gallop, the hind leg muscles clamp down on the spleen -- a relatively large organ in the horse's rump -- "like a bagpipe and squeeze all that extra blood into the circulation system," says McKeever. The blood takes extra oxygen to the muscles, and the beneficial effects last for about an hour after exercise.
  
  
• When the spleen does its thing, the horse's blood gets a lot thicker, which would significantly affect some animals --- but not the horse. Their hearts are larger and far more powerful than other animals

But it is notable that the researchers maintain that having this knowledge does not make us any better able to predict race winners. McKeevy reflects on his experience observing and testing horses, and he feels that the desire to run may be the most important trait of all. Some horses just want to go. I guess the heart is more important than the spleen after all....

Is your horse fit? Cardiac recovery index

Have you ever wondered if your horse is fit enough to handle his exercise regimen? Do you worry after an intense ride if you overdid it? Are you sometimes unsure how environmental conditions (heat, humidity) are affecting your horse? The cardiac recovery index is used at vet checkpoints in distance rides to assess if a horse is overly stressed or fatigued. It's a simple test and might help riders evaluate their horse's fitness and work program.

What is needed
You can do the test during or after a workout. The test requires a stethoscope; a flat, comfortable trotting surface 125 feet long; and a stopwatch or watch with a second hand.

The procedure
How to do the test:

1. Take the horse's heart rate. Place the stethoscope just above the elbow on the chest wall. Start a stopwatch and count the heartbeats up to fifteen seconds. Multiply the number by four to calculate the number of heartbeats per minute. The average resting heartbeat will be 30-40 per minute, but if your horse has been exercising it will be higher, of course.
   
2. Reset the stopwatch. Start the stopwatch again as you trot the horse up and down the 125 foot (38 meter) path (total distance 250 feet or 76 meters).
   
3. You'll finish in under a minute. Wait with the horse until one minute has elapsed since you started trotting.
   
4. Immediately take the heart rate again.
   
5. Compare the heartrate before and after the trotwork.
   • If the "after" heart rate is equal to or lower than the "before" heart rate, your horse is fit to continue.
   • If the heart rate is 4 beats/minute higher, the horse is not fully recovered. Repeat the test in 10 minutes.
     
   • If the heart rate is 8 beats/minute higher, the horse is not fit enough for the workout. Repeat the test in 30 minutes if the horse's heart rate is still elevated, call it a day and monitor your horse carefully.

Causes of a false reading
Possible causes of a higher reading could be excitement/fear, injury, or heat stress/dehydration. A few tips to try if your horse's results seem artificially high. Try to remove distractions such as other horses, noise, and fearful situations. Do not let the horse eat while taking the pulse. Encourage the horse lower his head in a relaxed position (not thrown up). Pat or stroke the horse, and take a deep breath yourself. Sometimes the horse anticipates he'll need to trot again. Use body language to relax your horse and let him know there is no more work.

RESOURCES
Understanding the cardiac recovery index from HorseJunction

Resting and recovery heart rate fom distanceriding.org

CRI Cardiac recovery index from South Eastern Distance Riders Association

CRI: Appropriate and Inappropiate Use from Endurance Riders of Alberta

Don't make me come back there! Trailercams, part 3

Trailer Trepidation
Everyone has a friend, or a friend of a friend, with a trailer horror story. Thanks, I don't need to hear about it. I certainly don't need a picture (My Lord, who took that picture on the right? ). My imagination is plenty good enough to envision all the different ways horses can get frightened, stuck, injured, flipped, and impaled while traveling. I know why so many horse's don't want to load -- because they're sensible! No, I don't want my horse hurtling through space at 60 miles and hour in an unpadded metal box.

But if you wanna go to Devon (or anywhere)...
You gotta trailer. The first time Riley trailered with the divider, he was two years old. As we pulled away from the barn, I was close to hyperventilating -- would've given my eyeteeth to have a trailer cam. He was fine. Even so, I've hinted to my hauler that it would be a handy thing to have. He claims not to know much about trailer cams, so I offered to do some research. So I've compiled some info, and next time he trailers me I'll leave my little product review on the dashboard. Here's what I found out.


Trailercams
Trailercams sound simple to set up, and who wouldn't want one? They are not that expensive; they allow you to monitor your horses (video and audio); some do double-duty with hitching up and backing up; and some can be set up in the barn when you're not travelling.


Direct- or hard-wired systems
Direct cabling is the most reliable setup; there is little or nothing to interfere with transmission. A video monitor is mounted in the cab of the truck, and a cable connects the monitor to the camera in the trailer. The system can be black and white or color w/infrared (to see in the dark).

The components are as follows:

• The video monitor is is powered either by lithium battery pack, by 220 volt adaptor, or more commonly by the cigarette adaptor (12 volt DC).
• A 20' cable runs from the monitor through a the "access hole" in the truck, along the frame to the hitch site, where it ends in a weatherproof connector.
• The camera is mounted in the trailer and usually it gets its power from the monitor cable. If not, it is wired into the lighting system for power.
• The camera has a 30' cable that runs to the hitch via an access panel or doorway.
• The cable from the camera attaches to the cable coming from the truck.

When you itch the trailer, just connect the cables, and you're set to go. A hard-wired system will run about $500-600 depending on options (color, BW, infrared, monitor quality/size, durability, etc).

Wireless systems
The wireless solution eliminates the need for wires that run from the trailer to the truck. However, wireless systems are prone to outside interference. Instead of cables, a wireless transmitter and receiver are used to send the video and audio data. The monitor in the truck cab will have a built-in or standalone receiver, and like the hard-wired solution it will require a power source. The camera mounted in the trailer has a cable that connects to a 2.4 ghz transmitter that is affixed to the exterior of the trailer. The camera and transmitter usually receive power by tying into the lighting system of the trailer. A wireless system will run $700-800.

A few points to consider:

• You can use your laptop rather than buying a monitor for additional capabilities and cost savings. The camera, cable, and video capture card will run about $350.
• I quoted pricing from "turnkey" vendors. If you buy the components and set them up yourself, you might get by more cheaply. The dealers provide purchase and setup support, warranties, and other services that are helpful to the trailercam newbie.
• Some of these systems are so easily dismantled and set up that you can use them in the for other purposes, such as in the barn. If you select a system to meet the needs of both environments (specifically the transmitter/receiver specs), your system can do double duty.
• Some of these systems can be configured as a backup mirror or to assist in hitching up.

A SAMPLING OF COMPANIES

Horse trailer cameras from Riverwind Supply

Saddlebrook barn and trailer cams

Trailercameras.com

horsetrailermonitor.com

Ranchcams

SmartPak's trailer monitoring system

And another Quaterback (not U.S. born)

This one is six months old. See all babies in the original post...

Equine wine: great wines for horse folks

I can't vouch for the taste. But the artwork is lovely.

Barncams on the Web: Part 2

In the last article I covered how to set up a basic barncam for home viewing. In this one I'll cover setting up a barncam for Web access. Barn webcams are popular among breeders, who like having the extra pairs of eyes --sometimes thousands of eyes -- on their ready-to-foal moms. Hovering horse moms such as myself dream of being able to check on their horse from work. And if you need a good personal safety rationale for your spouse/SO, here's a compelling story.

Equipment needed to set up a wireless barncam on the Web
If you happen to have a high speed network at your barn, you'll just need a streaming IP camera connected to your barn's network. But who has a high speed network in their barn???

If you're a regular old mortal and you want to set a wireless cam system up for Web viewing, here is what you need. You need:

• a camera mounted in the stall (don't skimp on quality here)
• a 2.4 Ghz transmitter mounted somewhere on the barn (and a place to plug it into power). Mounting the transmitter and/or antenna outside is recommended
• a cable (50-150 foot is typical) that runs from the camera to the transmitter

In your house, there are some additional requirements -- things not needed in the standard system covered in the first article. You need:

• a receiver that connects to the computer
• a computer with a video capture card
• an Internet connection
• a streaming service like marestare.com ($15/month)
  

Getting your barn cam on the net
As mentioned above, you'll need to buy a video capture card and subscribe to a video streaming service. Cards come with software that may or may not be compatible with your video streaming service, so check with the streaming service to see what card/software they recommend. Cards can be installed inside the computer or purchased as an external device attached via a USB connection. Marestare.com will sell you the card and software. Marestare.com also provides you with a Web page displaying your cam video or you can embed the cam video on your own Web site. You can restsrict access to viewing your barncam if you wish.

To summarize, a typical wireless web-capable system might run:

• Cam, transmitter, receiver system: $500 (color, wireless, 1000 foot range).
• Video capture card and software $70
• Marestare.com $180 for one year subscription (Internet connection is assumed here)
• High speed Internet connection

TOTAL: $750 plus cost of Internet connection


Below is a schematic of the equipment...

Other streaming services
In addition to marestare.com, which was one of the first, there are many communities online although mare stare isthe biggest. Sites like Foalcam.com (horse), criacam.com (alpaca) and BarnCam.de (international) all allow people to watch each others animals live over the web. There is a site foalcall.com that lets viewers contact the owner by text message or email when a mare shows signs of foaling, etc.

How would you put a 20 stall boarding barn on the Web?
I posed this question to Bill Theil of Saddlebrook Barncams. You never know, maybe he'll have an answer I can pitch to my barn owner, right? His answer is:

The cheapest way to put 20 cameras on the web would to have a fast internet connection at the barn and then wire each camera to a computer using the capture cards and upload it from that computer. There are capture cards with multiple inputs so that all cards could go to one computer. So four things are needed: Cameras, capture cards, a computer connected to the Internet and the stream hosting. An easier way would be to buy streaming IP cameras and connect them to the barn network. Then capture cards and computer would not be needed. Examples of these cameras are at http://www.madcitybarhop.com/

A SAMPLING BARNCAM COMPANIES

Riverwind surveillance supply

Saddlebrook barncams

AVTechsolutions

More Quaterback foals!

This spring I compiled a list of some Quaterback foal videos (original post here). Well, there are more available now (thanks to all of the breeders for sharing footage of these lovely babies). I'll add these videos to the original list, but here they are!!!

Four foals


Quaterback/Schwadroneur/May

Big brother is watching: Barncams Part 1

There are several parts to this series: This article introduces consumer "surveillance" technology as it applies to barns and horses. Hardwired and wireless barncam setups are described. Part 2 will cover putting your barncam on the Web (allowing you, and others, to monitor your horse from anywhere!). Part 3 will cover trailercams.

Have you ever wished you could monitor your horse via the Internet? Me too. It's not just practical for foaling -- horses can get themselves in trouble, getting caught, or cast, colicking, choking, all of those nightmare scenarios that cross our minds when we're the first to enter the barn in the morning. As a boarder, I can't really install a webcam without getting buy-in and using the property owner's Internet resources. Kind of a tough sell, don't you think? But hope springs eternal, so I did some research. This will be a multipart series. Part 1 covers basic barncam technology...

ABOUT BARNCAM TECHNOLOGY

Direct- or hard-wired solutions
A hard or direct wired solution will provide the best picture and reliability. Basically, you need to do the following things:

1. Mount the camera in the barn stall and plug it into a power source.
2. Decide how you'll run the cable. You'll need a really long video cable--long enough to run from the barn to your house. Unless you plan to use it on an occasional/temporary basis, you'll need to find a permanent means of running the cable. For example, you can use PVC pipe to bury the cable in the ground.
3. Connect the cable to the camera in your barn and run it to your house. You can use a flat jumper cable to go under a window or door.
4. Connect the cable to the video/audio input of your TV or VCR.

As you might guess, running the cable is the biggest challenge, and depending on the distance from house to barn and other environmental conditions, it may not be feasible.

Wireless solutions
Wireless solutions solve the practical issues of running cable. The camera runs to a transmitter that is mounted on the barn. The transmitter sends data wirelessly to a receiver at the house. No cables, but wireless transmission has drawbacks too:

• Wireless is subject to interference from
• buildings (metal, stone, brick, etc.)
• building materials such as foil backed insulation, vinyl-coated aluminum, or tempered glass
• microwaves, wireless routers, and 2.4 GHz cordless phones
• trees, weather, etc.
• The picture quality may not compare to wired solutions
• Wireless requires that you place the equipment in line of sight (LOS) from the home to the barn. The transmitter and/or antenna may have to be mounted on the outside of the barn or near a window. The receiver might need to sit at a window of the house.

Did I mention line of sight?
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. Of the transmitter and receiver that is. This is the single most important factor in making wireless work. Wireless transmitters can be standard strength (400-500 foot range) or more high powered for longer distances. High power transmitters are supposed to transmit for miles, but practically speaking, about 3000 feet is typical. Antennas may help with signal strength. If you don't know the distance from barn to home, find your property on Google Earth and use the tools to measure the distance. Analyze your property for possible sources of interference before you buy.

The equipment setup
So here is the setup for a wireless system.

• The camera, which may require a power source, is mounted in the stall.
  A 50-150 foot cable runs from the camera to a transmitter, which is likely mounted near a window or outside the barn. The transmitter requires a power source and should be weatherproof.
  At your house, ideally in line of sight from the barn, you should have a receiver set up. The receiver needs a power source.
• The receiver (pictured right) connects via cable to your TV, computer, laptop, or VCR.
• When everything is connected, configured, and powered up, you should be able to monitor your horse from your house.

Cameras
I won't go into this too much, suffice to say that cam options are varied: wide-angle, color or BW, infrared (work in darkness), with or without audio, high or low resolution, etc. Don't skimp here, get the highest quality and highest resolution you can afford. A 480 line resolution is recommended. Note that in dark conditions, most color cams will revert to BW to maintain image quality.

Pricing for barncam system
To buy a wireless system from one of the "turnkey sellers," the prices will run something like this:

• You'll pay about $350 for a black and white barncam and wireless system with a range of 500 feet.
• A more powerful transmitter (up to 1000 feet) and a color camera will put you at $500-$600.
• Add a long range weatherproof transmitter (up to 3000 feet) for another $100-$150
• Infrared (night vision) capability is another $100.
  

BARNCAM FAQ

What are the most common mistakes people make in buying/setting up a system?
The most common mistakes are not getting the proper camera for your situation. Most people have metal sided barns, or barns with metal roofs. Standard cheaper systems will not work with these types of barns. The main reason people might be dissatisfied with a system is that the cheaper systems use low quality cameras and low power wireless transmitters which are not made for use in the barn. Systems should have all steel housings, high powered transmitters, wide angle lenses and audio. They should be made specifically for barns/farms. (THANKS to Bill Thiel, Saddlebrook Barncams, for this answer).

Aside from the lower cost, why would I want a black and white system?
Black and white systems may provide a better quality picture overall and will produce pictures in lower light conditions than color systems.

What kinds of materials can interfere with a signal?
Metal barns, metal roofs on barns, tempered glass, vinyl coated aluminum siding, insulation with foil backing, thick trees, and metal blinds.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different frequencies?
As the frequencies increase quality of transmission increases. However, as frequencies increase accuracy of delivery becomes more critical. While the higher frequencies offer higher quality, reliable delivery of the signal will depend more on good placement of the components. (THANKS to Bill Thiel, Saddlebrook Barncams, for this answer).

Can I record to a VCR from a wireless system?
Yes. The RCA plugs go into your television set are the same type used in VCRs and DVD players and recorders. You can connect directly to a VCR or DVD recorder to record transmissions.

What is infrared?
IR is infrared and allows the camera to operate in total darkness. Infrared pictures are always in black and white even if the camera shows color during daylight conditions.

What frequencies will operate wireless camera systems?
Wireless cameras are available in 900 Mhz, 1.2Ghz and 2.4Ghz frequencies. Systems that operate at 5.8 Ghz are now becoming available.

What are some of the companies that provide barncam solutions?
In preparing this article I talked to Riverwind Surveillance Supply and Saddlebrook Barncams. While I didn't purchase from them, they were terrific -- responsive and knowledgable, but also willing to educate. You only have to look at their web sites to see they really like their work and know their stuff. Smartpak Equine sells a barncam and they've always had good customer service. Other companies are out there, and they may be fine. But there are many of them and none really stood out like Saddlebrook and River Wind. You can also assemble your own system, and it might be cheaper. Do your homework and make sure you know the equipment to avoid disappointments, or you'll end up doing it over and there goes the cost savings!

Coming up...
In the next part of the series, I'll cover the dream-scenario of working horse moms -- monitoring your horse via the web.

Dressage versus jumper conformation

This spring I attended a breeding seminar that featured a panel discussion with prominent warmblood breeders in our region. One of the breeders in the panel challenged the prevailing philosophy of breeding specialization. These days, many breeders develop and market their horses for one discipline, typically either dressage or jumping. This panelist advocated the return to breeding "all-rounders," and she promoted her program as a successful example.

Both dressage and jumping require a superior equine athlete at the highest level of competition. In the not-too-distant-past of warmblood breeding, stallions such as Grundstein (above left) have produced horses that excelled in both disciplines. So what's the reasoning behind specialization? Well, the research suggests that while there are many commonalities in the conformation of the two types of competitors, there are also some critical differences.

Show jumping conformation traits
I'll be honest. Front end conformation has always baffled me, so this little bit of research helped my understanding of this aspect of conformation. The horse's entire foreleg should be thought of as one unit because the bones cannot move independently of one another. I'll talk mainly about the shoulder (scapula), humerus, and radius. See the picture of the gray below for reference.

For jumpers, there is no one correct configuration of the scapula, humerus, and radius. The critical conformation issue is, can the horse lift his knees high and out of the way? A successful jumper can have a shoulder that is either upright or laid back, but usually it is more the former than the latter. The scapula and humerus should be an open or steep angle (90° or greater, see photo of the bay below), and the point of shoulder -- where the humerus and scapula meet-- is fairly high up toward the neck. A long shoulder with a more upright angle offers a greater range of motion, because the scapula can rotate further backwards. This way it is easy for them to get their knees up.

The best jumpers usually have a long humerus. A long humerus generally means the horse will have a long stride and the ability to move the legs away from the rib cage, which helps make for a scopey jumper. In contrast, a more horizontal humerus or a shorter humerus will result in a shorter, choppier stride. A horizontally placed humerus also puts the leg farther under the horse, which makes it harder to get the front legs out of the way of the jump.

Balou du Rouet, show jumper stallion:
Note joint angles and how they fold up over a jump

The hindquarters provide the power, and the joint angles are critical in creating the upward trajectory. The point of hip to the point of buttock to the stifle should form an equilateral triangle. These are more closed angles than are seen in a dressage horse, and permit a greater coiling and release of energy. In a jumper, it is critical that the stifle be low and out of the way. The lower the stifle, the greater the scope (height and width the horse can jump), and the longer his stride will be. Hock angles for a jumper tend to be more closed. Again, this provides for more coiling and springing action. A show jumper tends to have a long neck, set fairly high, to assist with balance over the top of a fence. Their balance overall is usually level or slightly uphill.

DRESSAGE
A dressage horse needs to have a lot of forward reach from the shoulder -- out rather than up. A laid back shoulder provides the freedom to extend the forelegs. It is also desirable in dressage because it places the wither farther back, and thus puts the rider further back, over the horse's center of gravity. As with jumpers, dressage horses should have a long humerus. This increases the horse's ability to move the elbow away from the torso either toward the front or to the side, as in a half-pass. In a dressage horse, a long forearm will help to make the uphill build that is so critical to dressage. Extra length in the forearm and shorter cannon bones are advantageous for height and soundness.

Both the jumper and the dressage horse will need a high neck set. The dressage horse tends to havea shorter, more upright neck than the jumper -- the neck rises out of the withers at an angle that is close to 45 degrees. A long neck is not needed as a counterbalance (e.g., over the top of the fence), and it can actually make for a more difficult ride. While a longish neck is undeniably beautiful, it is not necessary, and horses can use a long neck to evade the aids.

The hindquarters are similar to the jumping horse overall. A critical feature for both dressage and jumping horses is to have the lumbosacral (LS) joint directly over the point of hip. This maximizes the power of the hind leg by making the most of the LS region's rotation. The LSJ is the only point of the vertebral column that allows significant amounts of flexion and extension. Dressage horses tend to have a longer femur (point of buttock to stifle) and shorter, more level ilium (point of hip to point of
buttocks) when compared to jumpers; their hip angles form a "7" where the downward stroke is the femur. They have a more open angle from ilium to femur, and while the stifle should be low, this is not as critical for the dressage horse. Dressage horses will tend to to have a straighter hock, as it will require less effort to close the joint angles and collect.

Having read all this, I understand the rationale. But there are so many other factors aside from conformation and athletic ability -- most notably temperament. I keep these things in mind, but try not to get to fixated on one aspect of an animal. Horses have a tendency to prove us and all of our theories wrong!


RESOURCES

Functional conformation from JW Equine
Really interesting Webliography of conformation traits for eventing, show jumpers, and dressage.

Specialization for riding horses (article on jumping/dressage specialization from the KWPN)

Sport horse conformation and the breeder from The Horse Magazine

Desirable conformation traits in the dressage horse

Conformation of the dressage horse from Dressage Unlimited (clinic report)

Dressage conformation illustration

Interview with Paul Schockomole from The Horse Magazine of New Zealand

Which thoroughbred best fits my needs? from Equisearch

"It's just like The Truman Show"

The other day an acquaintance walked by while I was photographing the crack in Riley's hoof (weekly photos to monitor changes). She jokingly remarked that Riley's life "is like The Truman Show!" She's exaggerating only slightly about my camera-wielding ways.

The picture to the left is a still image from the Devon video footage I took last week--can't resist pointing out the positive DAP in this anemic hunter jog (see my DAP article for more info). You've probably guessed that this is YET ANOTHER entry about Devon--in this case, the entire 6 minute video of the highlights of the Devon hunter breed show class, 2 year old non-TB geldings/colts. Riley is number 142, handled by the woman in a gray suit (first horse you see). If you want to see only the highlights, here are some to fast forward to:

• At 5:00 to 5:42 is the horse that should have won the class IMHO, Legazcy. I wouldn't want to own him, but he has a real presence. Can't believe he is two.
  
• Age appropriate horses I liked. At 4:43, a nice gray; at 3:23, a nice dressage type.
  
• At 2:18, the guy in the cowboy hat is Ray Francis, and the winner of the class.
  
• Riley's trot at 5:47.
  

Applying hoof-polish before the class.
Thanks to Bob for capturing my big blue behind!

Harvey gets older: Thinking of the future

This is some personal commentary on a tough topic, planning for the loss of your horse. Feel free to Skip to resources.

Last weekend, at a local horse show, Harv and I rode in a couple of training level tests. On the left is a video still from our training test 4. Our scores sort of tanked, but Harv received compliments and remarks about his youthful appearance. He is rotund, pretty well muscled, and he moves fluidly for an old geezer. At 21, Harvey Is just now starting to show a few signs of age. His wither is a bit more prominent, and the muscling of his topline has dropped. But that’s about it.

Harv should go on for a long time. But one day he will pass away. The thing about horses is, when you consider our lifespan, and theirs, the chances are we’re going to outlive them. My hope is that Harv will go peacefully, at home, surrounded by people who love him.

Years ago, a friend of mine had to make the decision to put her horse down. It went on longer than it should have. I remember her delaying the decision, saying "I'm just not ready to say goodbye." It sounds morbid, but horse owners need to prepare emotionally and practically for the eventuality of loss. There are resources to help horse owners cope with the death of a large animal – from the drugs, to the veterinary consultation, to the disposal of the body. I’ve compiled a few. Please feel free to add any you may know of...

RESOURCES

Books
Euthanasia of horses Ontario Ministry of Agriculture

Bereavement
National pet loss support hotlines compiled by Cornell U
Hoofbeats in Heaven
Do Horses Grieve? From TB Times
Grieving the loss of a friend from TB Times
Coping with your horse’s death from Equisearch.com
Dealing with the death of a horse from Jessica Jahiel
Managing grief responses from DVM magazine
Coping with loss of your horse

Making the decision
Euthanasia: Helping you make the right decision from Liphook Equine Hospital
Older horses: The final decision from The Horse Magazine
Time to say goodbye from The Horse Magazine
Equine Euthanasia An Adult Responsibility from Suite101.com
Euthanasia: Guidance for a difficult decision from AAEP
Tough Decisions—Saying Goodbye from ruralheritage.com
Euthanasia from The Horse Magazine (informing owners and involving them in the decision to euthanize)
Euthanasia: What you need to know about putting a horse down from horseinfo.com

Practical matters
Horse burial services news item from Columbia University
After goodbye from The Horse Magazine
Preparing for the final farewell UK Horse and Hound
Emergency euthanasia of horses from UC Davis
Horse euthanasia procedures from Equine Protection Network
When your horse dies from Bay Area Equestrian Network

COTH POSTS
Euthanizing: Home or hospital
How much does it cost to euthanize a horse?
Cost of euthanasia
Non-emergency euthanasia considerations
Methods of euthanasia: discussion please