Ask Cari

Dash is uninterested in playing with Loki, 11 weeks old, full of energy!

Little Red, an 8 week old puppy found Ryan at the Purina Feed Event at Eastern Hay last week where he decided to adopt Ryan.  Here he is learning to allez onto the post.  Red is super smart and has integrated into the Icelandic herd of dogs at Windrock Farm.  He will soon be traveling to California with Ryan.

Santa brought Milo to Ava this year, what a cute puppy, he is a Puggle, for more info visit http://www.puggle.org/  Milo is super smart and has impeccable manners.

Of course I know Secretariat died in 1989 at the young age of 19 from complications with laminitis.  Rex Peterson will have his horse Harbor Mist, who portrays Secretariat and his mother, Somethingroyal in the upcoming Disney film “Secretariat” (2010) at Windrock Farm December 5 to meet his fans.  Harbor Mist is also the main horse in “Dreamer”. (2005)

Rex will perform with Harbor Mist at Windrock Farm, December 5 at 1:00pmm

contact Windrock Farm for directions

Secretariat was the Muhamad Ali of racehorses, a brash and charismatic champ and the breakaway winner of the 1973 Triple Crown. In 21 career starts, the big chestnut stallion finished first 16 times and earned a total of $1,316,808. He set a track record of 1:59 2/5 in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, and won the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, by an astonishing 31 lengths. After his three-year-old season he was retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky.

Diego, 16 months, has a very special bond with Dash, the oldest Icelandic Sheepdog at the farm.

Rex Peterson learned from the greatest horse trainer Hollywood has ever scene, Glenn Randall, Sr. the man who trained the Triggers for Roy Rogers, the horses for Ben-Hur, the last Rex for Gene Autry and many others.    Rex knew he had to learn from this master of horses.  Upon arrival at Glenn’s ranch with several rogue horses he was given a memorable lesson of mannering a horse quickly and efficiently.  Glenn watched Rex rope the horse to catch them, disgusted, he quietly stepped over and  began to whip break the horse in less than an hour, teaching each horse to obediently follow him around the arena.  This was a life changing moment as Rex realized he must study with this Master.  Many people came and went, but Rex stayed the longest.  Glenn would sit in his swivel chair barking commands, not allowing any dialogue while training, but open to discuss any of his methods and techniques at the end of the day.  To this day Rex claims he knows only a fraction of the knowledge Glenn possessed.

Currently Rex is developing a TV program for RFD-TV and is continues to work on films.  Take advantage of the rare opportunity to train with Rex in a clinic at Windrock Farm, contact Cari to schedule a session.  There has never been a horse Rex could not improve.

It’s high season for Christmas and holiday shopping. During this holiday season Windrock Farm is offering the first three of Rex Peterson’s Horse Wisdom training videos. Through Christmas we’re offering a 20% discount if you buy two full sets of the video series—or more. Also, we are offering free shipping on all products through Christmas–unless you need your shipping expedited.

Visit www.swansonpetersonproductions.com to buy yours today. You can also place an order by calling Cari at 914.456.3155.

If you want to add a high quality burlap bag with RJ’s hoof print, call Cari to let her know.

Jim Breitinger, Windrock West–Arizona and California

Summertime at Windrock Farm, the kids have a blast driving the golf cart, playing baseball, riding the ponies, and playing assorted other games with each other.  The weather has been perfect with an occasional summer storm blowing through to cool the air.  Wyatt takes the wheel to give is friends a tour of the farm.

The Millbrook Horse Trials took place last weekend where Joa rode Kestrel in the Junior Novice Division to finish 13th.  Following her progress over the weekend was her entourage of her fans from Windrock Farm with the Comet, Cupid, Dash and Freja.

The most recent clinic featured many different breeds of horses with a range of issues to deal with.  Here is Duende, an Andalusian Stallion with Rex working on finding the Spanish walk in him.  It seemed logical that someone had trained him to do this years ago, but along the way he stopped performing it.  Rex worked with him and found the movement quickly.

Rex also worked on loading horses in their trailers, teaching horses to bow,  worked with horses that spooked and started several young horses under saddle.  If you are interested in attending an upcoming clinic with your horse, contact cari@cariswanson.com for new dates.

Joa Sigsbee jumping Kestrel at the recent Horse Trials at Fitches Corner in Millbrook, New York.  The weekend was beautiful with the largest turnout in the 15 years of the event. Kestrel was a star galloping across country on a beautiful day.

Clinic participant Chris meets his idol, Rex Peterson at Windrock Farm.  Here he is standing in front of RJ’s stall, the star stunt horse from Hidalgo.  Contact cari@cariswanson.com for details of the next clinic

Saddle by Rudy Mudra
Don King was born August 19, 1923, in Douglas, Wyoming, on the North Platte River about 100 miles north of Laramie. His father, Archie King, was a cowboy and itinerant ranch hand who traveled all over the Western United States. By the age of 14, King was beginning to support himself doing odd jobs on ranches and at rodeos, and trying to learn to tool leather in his spare time. Within a year, he was selling and trading belts, wallets, and various small gear of his own making. “Cowboys always trade,” King said. “I traded for pants, shirts, hats, spurs, anything. Sometimes I ended up with nothing.”

For years, King worked in saddle shops and on ranches in California, Montana, and Arizona before returning to Wyoming, where, in 1946, he married and settled in the town of Sheridan. There, he became an apprentice to his friend Rudy Mudra, an expert saddle maker, doing piecework and assisting in the building of saddles for the local cowboys. Later, King was able to acquire his own 200-acre ranch, where for several years he raised cattle and horses while working only part-time at the leather trade.

In 1957, King devoted himself full-time to saddlemaking and leather tooling, focusing primarily on highly ornamental trophy saddles, which are given as prizes in rodeo competitions. He developed his own style of tooling, characterized by wild roses with a distinctive shape (as though they were viewed from a 45-degree angle), arranged in complex, scroll-like patterns of interlocking circles.

King became known for his impeccable craftsmanship and incredible precision that were demonstrated in the making of what is now known as the “Sheridan-style” saddle, a type of saddle he is credited with almost single-handedly developing. The Sheridan-style saddle is, in its general form, a classic high plains roping saddle: short, square skirts; a low cantle with a broad Cheyenne roll; large swells and a prominent horn; small side jockeys; and relatively narrow fenders that are at a 90-degree angle to the skirt. King was one of several saddle makers who were responsible for the increasing popularity of this saddle, although its most distinctive element is the characteristic wild rose tooling he created. In addition, King used unusually deep stamping to give greater three-dimensional depth to his tooling and relied more heavily on the swivel knife to emphasize the lines of detail more than the shading.

By the late 1950s, King had established his reputation among ranchers and rodeo cowboys. Sheridan, where he lived, had been a center of the cattle industry since the late nineteenth century and has supported numerous leather workers and saddle makers. King’s apprentices have included a number of top-notch saddle makers, including Billy Gardner, Chester Hape, and Bob Douglas. His sons, Bruce, Bill, Bob, and John, have all become accomplished leather toolers.

Over the years, King’s saddles have been acquired by working cowboys and celebrities alike, such as Queen Elizabeth, Ronald Reagan, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He has made trophy (prize) saddles for virtually every rodeo event, working regularly to meet the needs of the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association). His work has been exhibited widely in museums and festivals, such as the Edward-Dean Museum of Decorative Arts (Cherry Valley, California), the Nicolaysen Art Museum (Casper, Wyoming), and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (Colorado Springs).

Photo by Esther-Grace Simson

Last weekend, Rex returned to Windrock Farm to teach a clinic on how to improve the communication with your horse. Rex worked with several young horses to improve the connection and balance, two horses were backed for the first time and two horses with spooking issues. He also tuned up his best stunt horse, RJ May 15-18 for another clinic, contact cari@cariswanson.com for availability.

Eventing is a fun sport comprised of three phases– dressage, cross country and show jumping. Preparation is key to success and each team of horse/rider also needs a ground crew of support to assist in grooming, checking equipment, supplying water. Generally the support team consists of loyal parents, trainers and friends. Here is the crew for Joa and Kestrel, Cupid, Comet and Freja handled by the Mom, the most important element of support.

Icelandic Sheepdogs love the water

Summer is not the same without Wyatt coming for a visit from LA. Travelling across the country from California to New York to visit his cousins Dash and Blitzen. We had a fun week of dogs, baseball, antiquing, corn, riding the famous stallion, RJ, learning to drive the golf cart, collecting eggs from the chickens and eating fresh produce from the farmers market.

Dash enjoying a weekend at the Saratoga Racetrack. Here he is waiting for Joa to ride her class so he can return to the stable for a drink of water and some shade.