Trainer’s Corner: Clayton Edsall
An open field turn done well is a credit maneuver and using a baby sitter in your arena to help your young horse become more accepting of cattle pushing on him will help build his confidence. Clayton Edsall of Oakdale, CA shares how he uses a baby sitter to his advantage. Cattle are herd animals and bringing in a large quiet cow or steer to sit in the center can serve as a magnet for the cattle he is using to train his colts on. Before Edsall works a horse on a cow, he ensures they are properly warmed upKeep On Reading!
Lyn Anderson A Lifetime of Learning
Madera, California trainer, Lyn Anderson, was hooked from that first moment she saw a cow horse at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, NV. At the time, Lyn was attending Cal Poly University where they had a sale program for their two-year-olds in training. “From that moment on, I knew that is what I was going to do and became a cow horse trainer!” Learning by watching everyone she could, Anderson started by working for some quarter horse people who did a bit of everything. It was there, Anderson knew “halter was something I would never be interested in.” SheKeep On Reading!
Member Spotlight – Mason Beal – Clovis, CA
Grateful for good lights in his arena, full-time student Mason Beal of Clovis, CA attends class during the day and rides before and after school. Studying Ag Business at Fresno State University, Beal is preparing his future to include becoming a cow horse trainer. From a young age Beal showed horses, as his dad originally competed in pleasure horses. “He thought that is how I should get into horses, I showed pleasure horses when I was 6, 7, 8 and then it got a little too slow for me after that” Beal said. Showing in the Youth 13 and underKeep On Reading!
Member Spotlight – Susan Reed Lane
Susan Reed Lane grew up loving everything equine so when she was first introduced to reined cow horses as an adult, she knew she had to pursue it. Susan started out sorting and team penning. When the sport folded in her area about 10 years ago, she really missed it and looked further afield. But no one within a three hour radius of her area competed in those events. (more…)Bit by Bit The Two-Rein and Bridle Progression with Phillip Ralls and Randy Paul
The pinnacle of cow horses is the bridle horse. “The bridle horse is the finished product,” Randy Paul said. Paul is an NRCHA $522,165 earner and has won $1 million in the NRHA. He is also a bit maker. He doesn’t have a website but his bits are a favorite among the cow horse community. “You’re training him when he is three to be a good horse when he’s 10,” Paul said. That foundation begins in the snaffle bit and ends with a bridle. To prepare the horse for the bridle stage the horse will usually compete in the two-reinKeep On Reading!
Member Spotlight – Carrey Gunderman – Elbert, CO
Carrey marking his first 70! Photo by: Performance Horse Photography Carrey Gunderman grew up in Wyoming and had a family friend who was a horse trainer. Gunderman thought reining was the coolest sport until that friend told him he had to check out reined cow horses. Gunderman did and he loved what he saw. Unfortunately, his friend passed away, so Gunderman put his cow horse dreams on the back burner for a few years. In 2011 he moved to Colorado where there are a handful of cow horse trainers. A farrier by trade, Gunderman shoes trainer Matt Koch’s horses andKeep On Reading!
Trainer’s Corner – Shane Steffen – Powell Butte, OR
Total Earnings: $420,916 Shane Steffen got into cow horses the year he got married. He had never even heard of cow horses until then. His sister-in-law had attended the Snaffle Bit Futurity in years past and invited the Steffens to come along. He thought it looked like a neat sport that he could try. He began working for some ranchers and then moved to Oregon to work for Rocky Marsh, a cow horse trainer that competed in the Snaffle Bit and other big shows. This allowed Steffen to get his feet wet and then he went on to work forKeep On Reading!
Bit by Bit: The Snaffle Bit & Hackamore Journey with Phillip Ralls & Randy Paul
The exquisite craftsmanship is evident in Randy Paul’s bits. There’s a reason an entire sport has developed from a bit. “The snaffle bit, for me, is probably one of the most important pieces of equipment we have. I start all my horses in a snaffle and I think my main purpose is layering that foundation on them. It’s a direct pull. When I teach a horse to be soft, get the foundation going, teach them how to follow their nose and keep their feet connected to their nose, it’s going to last them through every piece of equipment I putKeep On Reading!
Member Spotlight – Kelly Woodworth – Lakeview, OR
Kelly Woodworth was working for a ranch when he spied the NRCHA magazine they received. After seeing the pictures, it ignited his imagination. He saved his money and took a trip to California to take a job working for a cow horse trainer. The first trainer said he didn’t ride well enough. As he was driving into the next ranch he saw someone getting bucked off. They put him on the bucking horse, he stayed on and was hired. He later went to work for Walter Wright, Justin Wright’s father, for three and a half years. Then he went outKeep On Reading!
Trainer’s Corner – Jared Jones – Santa Maria, CA
Total Earnings: $220,086 Jared Jones grew up on a ranch in Idaho and has been riding since he could walk. His brother got into cow horses and Jones had always watched. At 22 he went to work for Clayton Edsall where he got some show experience. He then moved on to work for Justin Wright where he’s been for five and a half years. He also rides some of his own horses in training. His career highlight so far is making two horses back to the Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals last year and winning the Intermediate Derby in 2020.Keep On Reading!
Mapping Out The Mind Game with Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox and Spots Hottist at the Summer Spectacular in 2021 Developing mastery over the mind game in any sport is probably the hardest thing any competitor has to learn. So this month we bring you a story about a top cutting horse trainer, Jesse Lennox, who has developed a detailed system that has helped his success and may well help guide you to develop your own. At age 10 he was cleaning stalls, by 14 he was breaking in ponies and a few years later he turned a date into his first job training cutting horses. You could sayKeep On Reading!
Member Spotlight – Jessica Strayer – Myakka City, FL
Jessica and Billi Rey Photo By: Inflecture Photography/ Noah Fletcher Jessica Strayer attended horse camps as a kid, igniting a passion for life. She always wanted to do more than just trail riding and had dreams of competing in the show pen. A friend introduced her to reining as an adult but after a while she sought out something more thrilling and found the cow horse sport. Strayer turned her reiner into a cow horse and has been involved in the sport on and off for 11 years. Strayer recently bought a cow horse named Billi Rey and is excitedKeep On Reading!