SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES    

Winter can be pretty long in Colorado. Back in the 60,s we had no indoor facilities to ride in so we either did not ride or bundled up for short rides.. Once there was a hint of spring I was anxious to get up the mountains just, west of our home.

I taught school and was excited about the upcoming spring break. Warm sunny days were more prominent lately so we planned a trail ride up the canyon to the Lymon Linger ranch. My younger brother was a ranch hand there and got us permission to enjoy a real private area to ride in. The ranch stretches from the foothills west of Berthoud up through the mountains of the Saint Verain and the Rocky Mountain canyon to Estes Park. about 30 miles wide and 40 miles long.

Since school was out my two nephews 12 and 8 wanted to go along as well as a family friends daughter who was 12. We loaded our four horses, saddles, a lunch and drinks into our four horse trailer and we were off. It was a beautiful sunny morning but we still needed light jackets as Colorado mountain mornings can be a little chilly. We set off from the ranch headquarters with warm sun bearing down on us. What beautiful trails. We enjoyed the fresh smell of pines and even saw a few wild flowers breaking through the forest floor.

Even though the kids we young they were accomplished riders and we all had experienced horses. Everyone was enjoying our adventure. In the midst of all the splendor and beauty God had to offer us that day we were briefly joined on the trail by a great horned owl silently swooping down on us as a reminder that we were in his domain. Around lunch time we came upon a line shack and decided that would make a great lunch stop. While we were eating I noticed a very drastic change in the sky. Knowing how quickly Colorado weather could change I told the kids to finish up their lunch it was time to head back. Within minutes we were mounted up and headed back to the ranch house. I estimated we had rode at least three or four hours before we had stopped for lunch. This meant we were in for a challenge if we were to beat the approaching weather

The sky did not appear to have that much good weather left for us. The sky darkened more by the minute. I set a fast return pace but could feel we were in trouble.The temperature was dropping rapidly. Suddenly, big flakes of wet spring snow began to fall..  None of us were  dressed for this event...

Sill at least two hours from our starting point all I could do was give the kids a pep talk and tell them the ranch was just over the next hill. nope not there . well it must be just around the next bend. Wrong again.The kids were not dealing well with our situation. My youngest nephew said his legs were frozen to the horse, which come to find out actually were. The young girl’s long hair hung in icicle dreadlocks that clanked as she bounced along. My older nephew had gone still and silent totally silent, he was in complete panic mode.

The snow was rapidly accumulating. Visibility was limited. Temperature continued to drop. We were in a bad situation.

The snow was now about six to eight inches deep. Suddenly we topped a hill and we could make out a faint glow at the bottom of the hill.  A sigh a relief . We had made it back the the ranch. We had survived the spring blizzard! We put our horses in the barn and went into the ranch house to thaw out. It was quite an ordeal one I am not sure it is one I would like to repeat.  As soon as the snow melted we were planning our next mountain trail adventure!

+dave conklin +Lois Conklin 

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial day. A day in which we find ourselves free of the daily grind. Many of us are off of work or out of school. This allows us to enjoy the company of our friends and family while doing the things that we love. Many will find themselves at a bbq or a ballgame. Some will find themselves trail riding or showing horses. What ever it might be that you find yourself doing be sure to pause for a moment and allow the memory of the people who made these freedoms possible to creep into your conscience. Although these people have left our earthly realm their memories remain with the families they left behind. It is with the highest honor we should hold not only the soldiers who have fallen but the parents, partners, & children of the same who now have a soldier sized hole in their lives that can never be filled. Our thoughts and prayers should ever remain with them but unfortunately the business of daily life cannot lend itself to the constant thought of what we should be most thankful for. So it is my hope this Memorial Day we all can find a fleeting moment to quietly remember those who have unselfishly made the ultimate sacrifice.

Trail Prerperations

Being organized and prepared always pays off.
Things to think about when prepping for a trail ride:
When I road a made sure I was in a good saddle that had nice saddle strings on both sides, front and back. I made use of these by tying my rope with the right front saddle string. On the left front was my canteen always full. A cool drink of water is always welcomed on the trail. My saddle bags as always were on the back with my slicker on top.
The right side of my saddle bag was filled with snacks (for me & Oaky), my rasp (small one),  & a pair of small hoof nippers. These items can come in handy when you are a long way from the farrier. The left side was a medicine bag was full of fly spray, Liniment & vet wrap for those unavoidable & imminent injuries that accompany horses. As for me,  I packed bandaids and some cream ointment.

I always liked heavy leather covered stirrups that way I didn't have to worry about my feet slipping. I wore short shanked spurs with a small rowl as these worked best with my horse Oaky. I used a rubber spur tie down on my spurs in addition to my spur straps which were plain heavy harness leather. I preferred to use a tie down for the bridal as well. As a precautionary measure my horse always wore bell boots and had non slip shoes.

When we would find a quite place to stop in a meadow or by a river Oaky and I would always share the snacks that were packed, building trust and comraderie (more on that later)
Those were the minimum things I made sure to have on a day ride.

Here is a link to some essential trail gear
-Dave Conklin

Product Spotlight - Underwoods Horse Medicine

UNDERWOODS HORSE MEDICINE is truly a remarkable product.  It heals wounds from
the inside preventing proud flesh and minimal scaring. It is easy to use. Most horses don't
mind being doctored with UNDERWOODS. Simply place a sprayer in the bottle, shake it well
and saturate the wound with the UNDERWOODS solution. Now take BAKING POWDER avaiable at any
grocery store and throw it on  the wound completely covering the entire area. Repeat this
twice daily for the first week. After the first week doctor the wound once a day until it heals.
Don't worry about the appearance on the wound as it heals. It will become very crusty looking.
Leave it alone and contuinue doctoring the area. Don't clean off the build up. When the wound
has healed from the inside out the crust will come off on its own. You will be left with the
best possible outcome for the wound.

Check it out here

Product Spotlight - GastroEase

Let's face it. No horse was evolved to stand in a stall. But when it's not possible to give your performance horse access to the open range, we can help. By utilizing equine-specific probiotics and gastric resource agents, GastroEase EQ™ addresses all of your horse's gastrointestinal issues with one effective formula. And just like that, your horse's most critical system has the comfort it needs.

Use GastroEase™ alone or with PPIs to support speedy healing of injured gastric tissue.

Feed GastroEase™ daily to support gastric lining health.

Gastric Lining Support

For the horse, the act of chewing and swallowing produces large quantities of saliva that has a basic ph

level. His stomach produces a constant flow of acid, which is essential to begin nutrient breakdown. But

when stalled horses are allowed spans of 6-8 hours between feedings, un-buffered acid builds up and

bathes the horse’s stomach lining, irritating his exposed gastric tissues and creating conditions that can

produce gastric discomfort and ulcers. Various medications, forced exercise and stress also contribute

to ulceration of the horse’s gastric tissue.

GastroEase EQ™ helps buffer excess stomach acid, and soothes and comforts the stomach lining by

supporting the body’s own efforts to provide constant protection and healing where causative factors

are at work. GastroEase EQ™ works at various levels of the epithelial and mucosa lining, supporting

the body’s efforts to heal and prevent ulcers.

Severe Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome  is best diagnosed and prescribed for by a veterinarian.

High-grade squamous ulcers are often treated with a proton pump inhibitor, which works by limiting

or shutting off the production of stomach acid.  PPIs require hours or days to take effect, but offer a

medically proven treatment for epithelial gastric ulcers. Unfortunately, proton pump inhibitors are not

effective for mucosal ulcers that occur in the duodenum and back. The ingredients in GastroEase

EQ™ soothe and support gastric and intestinal tissue.

The very effect of the proton pump inhibitor lowering the stomach acid may inhibit the digestion of

protein and fiber, which is required for thorough gastric lining healing. As these undigested nutrients

are passed back to the hind gut, they can create excessive fermentation which increases the potential

for gas colic. Some undigested nutrients can be absorbed into the hind gut lining ,causing inflammation

and setting up chronic colitis. Ingredients in GastroEase EQ™ support complete gastric and hind

gut digestion during PPI therapy, and help control undesirable hind gut acidosis.

Digestive Enhancement Function
The Science of GastroEase EQ™

Simply stated, the horse’s stomach can be thought of as the beginning point for turning vegetative

matter into absorbable ”slurry” (ingesta) that can be further processed and utilized as it moves through

the intestines. Passing through the intestines at just the right pace, the slurry is further digested by

specific enzymes and fermentation that break it down into smaller and smaller units until they can be

absorbed through the healthy intestinal walls. The walls of the intestine are populated by billions of

“friendly” bacteria. These bacteria are the flora that support digestion and surround and protect the

absorption-enhancing structures in the mucosa.

The vital balance of the flora of the equine intestine is quite fragile and is easily disrupted by stress,

dehydration, medication, antibiotic therapy, grain overload, disease and environmental factors. When

such an upset occurs, unfriendly pathogenic organisms quickly begin to overgrow the flora and severe

gastrointestinal issues can appear. E coli, clostridia, salmonella and other pathogens can create

conditions ranging from mild diarrhea to life threatening GI disease. Nothing is more disheartening than

treating a horse suffering from ongoing GI issues.

Daily feeding of GastroEase EQ™ brings healthy probiotic organisms to the flora to constantly

rejuvenate the mucosa and prevent overgrowth by pathogens. The Digestive Enhancement Function

also provides a very aggressive level of prebiotics, which provide nutrition to beneficial flora but are

deadly to pathogens.

Necessary enzymes, amino acids and digestive enhancing yeast, included in each daily feeding of

GastroEase EQ™, supports optimum hind gut digestion.

Your performance horse will quickly reflect the benefits of complete spectrum of GastroEase EQ™!

Gastric Lining Support Digestive Enhancement Function

• Buffers excess stomach acid.

• Quickly soothes and comforts the GI lining.

• Supports regeneration of damaged

gastric  tissue, works well with proton pump

inhibitors.

• Supports continued tissue healing after PPI

treatment.

• Supports prevention of gastric lining flare-

ups in horses with recurring symptoms.

• Supports healthy gastrointestinal mucosa

to prevent ulcers.

• POWERFUL Probiotic and Prebiotic

supports healthy gut flora and inhibits the

growth of G.I. pathogens.

• Supports complete digestion of nutrients.

• Supports a thrifty, bloomy appearance.

• Controls the metabolism of sugars,

reducing undesirable sugar peaks and

creating quieter athletes.

• Significantly supports the equine immune

system for healthier horses.

*  Inhibits hindgut over- acidity or “acidosis”

which may contribute to endotoxemia

generated laminitis.

* Helps control transient and persistent

diarrheas

Find the Callie #pug

Check out our #facebook page each and every month to see the latest contest we have for the ApHC! This month it's find Callie #pug our unofficial mascot!
See the contest here

Memorial Day Special

Good news! Dave is taking a page from Dolly Parton's book and working 9 to 5 on Monday! Come by on #memorialday wearing red white and blue to save 10 percent off your purchase!

ApHC Custom made Appaloosa 75th Anniversary Saddle

Win a Custom made Appaloosa 75th Anniversary Saddle for $25 a custom saddle could be yours! Vista the link here and enter. Single tickets are $25 or get 5 for $100! Act soon though tickets are limited to $100. The drawing will take place on the Final day of the 2013 Appaloosa National Show.

Launching Soon!

Coming soon a new line of quality tack. We are proud to introduce our very own line of tack,  Three Horse Brand. Three Horse Brand is high end quality tack that is priced economically. Featuring Craig & Wickett and Herman Oak Leather these products are a tremendous value. We will be unveiling them at the #Pinto World Show in Tulsa June 10th.