Contest Winners

As with many other little girls, I was obsessed with horses. I was always straining to try and catch a glimpse of one in a passing trailer, pleading for the extra lap around the ring during a pony ride and desperate to ride or pet one whenever I could. And of course, it didn’t take long for me to begin begging for a horse of my own. Thanks to a continual stream of blessings, my parents, both of whom grew up in row houses in Baltimore City, were able to move to the country and raise their children in the wonderful environment the country provides. At age four I started riding lessons, and by age five my parents had fixed up a barn and created a facility for me to own my very own horse. It started with a little old “been around the block” welsh pony, and then on to a paint/draft/appaloosa mare, and eventually a little retired barrel racer Quarter Horse mare who I acquired when she was the spry age of twenty-eight. Each step up brought new adventures and, new doors were opened to allow me to quench my ever increasing thirst for anything horse related. By age twelve I was a rider built on the occasional lesson, galloping bareback through the fields and taking part in the local 4H shows. I caught the barrel racing bug and desperately sought my first “nice” horse with the potential and ability to allow me to realize this dream.

Sugar came into my life in 2002, when I was thirteen and she was seven. Her story, however, begins much earlier. As a weanling she was purchased by a family to raise and train for their daughter. Her youth coupled with her intelligence and natural demeanor, which on good days bordered on unpleasant and on bad days could be downright dangerous, lead to the creation of a disrespectful 7 year old monster who wasn’t broke and, if introduced to something she viewed as undesirable, would erupt in an explosive and often aggressive reaction. I met Sugar when she was purchased by a trainer I had worked with a few times. During her three months with him she was started under saddle, ran in to a fence sustaining a seven inch laceration to her neck, and while in stall rest for that she busted the top of her stall door off, tried and failed to jump out, and beat her back legs to a pulp. This lead to a complete halt in her riding. To say that her training was limited was being generous, but she was beautiful, spunky and affordable.

My parents, grandparents and I pitched in and bought Sugar. She failed her vet exam, had less than ideal confirmation and was basically the last thing that a relatively inexperienced 13 year old should have owned. But she was mine; her papers had MY name on them and to a horse crazy teenager that was heaven. On the contrary, the first two years that I owned Sugar can only be described as pure hell. You name a bad habit and she had it. She bucked, reared, bolted, bit, kicked, pulled back, wouldn’t load on the trailer, couldn’t be caught, was terribly barn sour, and fought everything and everyone. She broke every piece of tack and equipment I had, including my trailer and injured me more times than I can count. It was her against the world and she didn’t care who died. After one particularly explosive incident it was decided, or rather my mother finally put her foot down, and said she had to go before she killed me. She listed her for sale, but I had no idea how I could sell her or moreover, how I would sell her. My inexperience and her attitude were a volatile mix resulting in a complete lack of progression. I renewed my determination and latched on to her with the tenacity of a bull dog: I COULD make her my dream horse.

A few weeks after my mom listed Sugar for sale I headed off to a ranch to work as a wrangler for the summer and Sugar came with me. That summer was a turning point. Being ridden all day everyday changed her just enough for me to gain the upper hand. By the time that summer as over, she was no longer listed for sale. Dealing with Sugar had begun to give me the tools I needed to win our daily battles. In turn her behavior began to teach me. I began to not only think like her, but to outthink her. I learned to read her, to manage her behavior, to diffuse dangerous situations and if it came to it, to ride her through these outbursts. Over the next year I began to truly learn what a “broke” horse was and in doing so Sugar learned to give to the bit, to become supple, and to move her body how I asked her to move it. This was by no means the end of her outrageous behavior but now she began to show me something different: like a child who lashes out because they don’t know what proper treatment is, Sugar often tried to do as I wanted but many times it seemed she was a victim of her own desires. She could not mentally accept many obstacles because her own desire for self preservation, which was all she had for the first 7 years of her life, always stood in the way and she refused to relinquish complete control and trust.

Despite this, slowly but surely we made progress. I rode her every single day. There was no excuse for not climbing on Sugar. Once during a blizzard my father plowed a path around the field through two feet of snow so we could continue to work. To remedy her barn sour behavior I started feeding and unsaddling her out on the trail and leading her back while lugging my saddle. I did whatever I could with my limited knowledge and experience to try to work things out with her. Eventually I found an incredible instructor and through her tutelage, I started Sugar on barrels. And she was good at it – I can’t tell you what blessing that was after all this time! But barrel racing introduced the next batch of challenges: keeping her calm and quiet, dealing with her fear of chutes, arena fences, crowds, applause, announcers, loud music, bulls, indoors, etc. But Sugar taught me yet again. She taught me how to help her, and to work to overcome these barriers.

And Sugar also gave me something else. When I started hauling to barrel races I was often embarrassed by my old truck and trailer, my less than fancy equipment, and the occasional behavior of my horse. I rode by myself in the warm up areas and frequently wound up back at the trailer in tears because of the comments and treatment from some of the girls. I was afraid to hold my head up and look the other riders in the eye, and I was terrified to go into the arena. I felt so inferior to the other riders, with their fancy horses, expensive tack and huge rigs that I almost stopped going all together. But I had Sugar, and as hard as she tried I could not give up, if for nothing else than for her sake. She didn’t know that she didn’t have the fanciest rig to ride in or the prettiest saddle to wear, but she would go in the arena every time and give it her all. She did this for ME. That realization really woke me up and I began to rediscover why I did this: because it was what I loved to do. I began to smile because no matter how the day went, I was so blessed to have the opportunity to this! It was what I had dreamt of since I was a little girl and I was so lucky to be able to finally be there! I could hold my head up and talk with others because I was out having a great time with my horse, and I was learning. One of the most important things that I learned was who I didn’t want to be as a barrel racer. I think some of the biggest accomplishments occur outside of the arena and I never wanted to be like those girls I had experienced. Sugar showed me what really mattered and in return she got to “talk” to everyone who wanted to meet a horse. The crazy mare became the “horsey” that stood near the fence so spectators could pet her, and I don’t know how many chubby handfuls of grass she ate. Because, after all Sugar had given me, it was the least I could do to pass it on to others. After all, I knew only too well about the little girl who is desperate to pet the horse.

Over the next few years Sugar began to be successful in the barrel racing arena. We placed at some jackpots and won the Youth 4D at the Barrelnanza in Virginia. We eventually won the Horizon buckle (Rookie of the Year) at J Bar W Ranch’s summer jackpot series in 2007. It was undoubtedly the highlight of my equine career, if not the single greatest accomplishment of my life because of the work it represented. During this time I threw myself into maintaining Sugar as she consistently battled soundness problems, foot issues, tendon problems, etc. And through all of this I continued to learn and she continued to teach. I learned about abscesses and she taught me how to deal with a horse afraid of buckets, I learned how to wrap, and she taught me how to handle a horse afraid of wraps, I cold hosed and she taught me how to deal with a horse afraid of baths. Through everything, I learned and she taught. I learned that I had to take the best care of her that I could and that a horse must feel their absolute best in order to perform at their best.

And somehow, through all of this I became the alpha mare to Sugar. And she had become part of our equine family. She began to love and trust me. Or rather, because I started to earn her trust, she began to love me and perform for me. One of the greatest things Sugar taught me was that I could love her to death but until I had her respect she would not place my commands above her own desires. I really started to enjoy my time with her and she was finally fun to ride. We began to learn dressage together, as well as continuing to barrel race and she thrived. I was even able to let my mom ride her, and Sugar was able to teach her as well. Sugar began to interact and play a positive role at the barn, rather than act as an unpleasant liability. When my brother’s 4-H show cow prolapsed and died, we found the calf on the other side of the property in Sugar’s stall, with her standing guard at the door and refusing to leave her post. Upon further investigation we found a pair of shod hoof prints following a pair of tiny calf prints leading from the body of the cow to Sugar’s stall. This stood as a testament to what Sugar had done, and how she had “adopted” her little calf.

Sugar has become the queen bee at the barn and is loved by everyone for her dynamic personality, incredible intelligence and even her haughty attitude. She is better able to control her behavior and trusts me to do just about anything with her. I am her person and the only one she allows to do “scary” things to her such as worming, bathing, soaking, holding for the vet and farrier, etc. Sugar continued to improve as a barrel horse until June of 2008 when she tore her suspensory in her right hind at a barrel race. I was devastated, but Sugar, as always, continued to teach. I learned about treating leg injuries, and she stood and dealt with everything involved. I made the decision to retire her from barrel racing and maybe even riding at all pending the outcome of her injury. Yet throughout the course of her recovery Sugar continued to teach. This time instead of teaching the proper way to ask for a flying lead change or how to rate a barrel, she taught me about patience and taking care of something beyond its so called “usefulness.”

Currently, I have just begun to recondition her and the other day we had our first ride. At two months away from age fifteen and after over a year and a half off, Sugar still has the spunk and fire to her that I have yet to find in another horse. She will not return to barrel racing but I hope to continue to ride her lightly if her leg allows. We have come a long way from the determined thirteen year old with the wayward mare. I just celebrated my twenty first birthday and she will be fifteen on April 21^st. She has been with me through my teenage years, my first boyfriend and subsequent break up, and she played a significant role in molding me through the ups and downs of growing into a young woman. Sugar has influenced my employment (Ironically, I am currently employed with the trainer I purchased her from), my college degree choice (A double major in biology and psychology for animal behavior), and of course the hobby and lifestyle that has become a passion. After her injury I purchased a 4 year old Quarter Horse gelding to continue my barrel racing and riding career. I am able to use what I learned with Sugar to be the best rider and trainer I can be for him. And because of Sugar, I have learned to learn; to be attentive to him and his needs and to do the best by him that I can, in order to get the best out of him that I can.

Over the past year it has often come up that maybe I should find another home for Sugar being that I am a full time college student with limited financial means and it is not sensible for me to pay to keep a horse simply as a pet. But she is not just a pet. Sugar is a teacher and the best instructor I could have asked for. Not only did she teach me an astounding amount in the realm of horses, but I have also learned from Sugar the value of hard work, dedication, determination, patience, compassion, tenacity, and persistence. She’s my girl and she has found her forever home.

Unfortunately, as a full time college student who owns several horses it is not feasible for me to purchase a PHT blanket. However, one of my closest friends, who knows how much I would love to own one, recently purchased me the poll pack for my birthday and even that has just been incredible! I can’t believe how relaxed it makes Sugar and Gauve (the gelding I purchased). The other day Sugar wore it while the farrier was here, an event that is usually very stressful for her, and she actually fell asleep! It was incredible! I strive to take the absolute best care of my horses that I can and that includes working a great deal of hours at various jobs to be able to afford them, trading hours of work for the opportunity to learn from others, and constantly researching the best care for them. And it is unbelievably worth it. It has become abundantly evident through my research, interaction with others, as well as my own limited use, that PHT magnetic products are the best you can do by your horse. They seem to have the incredible results and undoubtable track record which is often lacking in many equine products today. A PHT blanket would be such a blessing in my horse program –both for Sugar, as a fifteen year old coming back from an injury and long lay up, and for her barrel racing replacement, a wiry six year old with a tendency towards ulcers and difficulty relaxing. I also would love to use it on Betty, my arthritic twenty-nine year old paint/draft/appaloosa I’ve had for sixteen years and Freckles, the twenty-five year old spitfire that carts me all over as a trick riding horse, but that’s another story. I apologize that this ended up so long, I didn’t intend to push 5 pages but since I cannot afford a PHT blanket, I will absolutely be willing to work for one.

Every horse has a story, this is Honeys story, it is my favorite.

     The silhouette of the tall wispy mare stood out in the isle with the November sun shining behind her. That was the only beautiful part of the image. The rest of the initial image was horrible she was bathed in sweat, eyes wild... she was being beaten with a riding crop for not standing still. When I asked the owner why they were doing this, I was tersely informed that she was just off the track and was scheduled to be in Ocala, FL in February and she needed to learn how to behave. Needless to say, the mare never made it to Ocala, but rather she was put in a ten by ten stall and forgotten, not exercised, not fed. I would feed her apples every time I went to the stable but her eyes never lost that wildness, that fear or mistrust. I found out in August that her owner had given up on her and she was in a trailer on the highway, headed for the kill pen. After making several phone calls, I rescued her alongside the road with semi trucks roaring by. I named her Honey. I made her a promise that no matter what happened in our life together I would never give up on her no matter what happened.   The next year with her, took all my patience, some blood, sweat and tears in order to gain her trust enough to climb on her 17 hand willowy frame. A year later she trusted me enough to soar over 3' jumps like she had wings. On the third year, we won almost every jumping show we entered.  The end of the third year I was approached by a well known paint horse breeder and was asked if I wanted to contract her out as a brood mare. I said yes, and the first baby was sold before it was conceived. Her foal was beautiful, tall like her and paint as well. I was informed that her next two future babies already had possible buyers too. She had become my jewel, my treasure.
     Then one March day, a week before the second breeding, everything changed in an instant. With a misstep in the slippery pasture, she went down. I saw it happen like it was in slow motion. She thrashed trying to get up but to no avail.  I ran to her, nothing was broken but she couldn't move her left side at all. The next twenty-hours I had several veterinarians and chiropractors out. The diagnosis from all of them was the same. She had torn all the nerves in her left shoulder as she slipped and she had the worse case of Radial Nerve Paralysis they had ever seen. The prognosis was not good. I was told that although she was not in pain, the muscles on the left side of her body would atrophy and that her front leg would lock up in several weeks and she would never be able to get up again. Their unanimous recommendation tore my heart apart...euthanasia. I told the last vet as he drove out of the driveway that I needed several days with her before I put her down.
     I knew that nerves regenerated in people, why couldn't they regenerate in a horse too? I got on-line and for the next several days I researched Radial Nerve Paralysis in Equines, there was little to no information, so I turned to human medicine as a model. I happened on an obscure article about magnetic therapy combined with massage on the injured area sped up nerve regeneration in carpal tunnel syndrome in humans.   This was the light in the darkness that I was looking for. I had to give her that chance that I had promised her long ago. That night I began massaging her whole body and for the next several months I was hopeful. Her left front leg although she could not put any weight on it, did not lock up. As the weeks progressed, her joints maintained flexibility allowing her to walk on three legs and lay down. A month into the injury, though, it seemed like she was giving up the fight. She was barely eating, her eyes were lackluster, she had become very thin due to the loss of the left sided muscle and she was moving around less and less. After talking to a friend about my desire to try magnetic therapy on Honey she loaned me her PHT magnetic blanket.  The results were almost instantaneous.  Within a week her appetite was back, her eyes were a little brighter and it seemed that she was moving better. I treated Honey with magnets for the next year. Her recovery milestones were subtle.   As the weeks and months went by the muscles in her left shoulder started looking more balanced, she started shifting her weight from the right front leg to the left front leg and her pronounced limp became less noticeable.
          Now three years after the accident, Honey defies what I was told that fateful day, that she would never walk again let alone stand. Her left shoulder muscle has almost completely returned to normal in size and shape. She walks with a slight limp but she is walking and sometimes she will even trot for a bit. The last great milestone was several weeks ago, she was able to bear weight on her bad left leg long enough to get her other feet trimmed.
     When I tell her story to people they ask me what I think was the contributing factor in her recovery. I say without hesitation it was the magnetic therapy. It was not a contributing factor, it saved her life. Honey had reached a plateau where she was not getting any better. I began the magnetic therapy with the PHT Blanket and within days her recovery sped up and advanced her to the point where she could bear weight on a leg that was never supposed to bear weight.  Although, Honey will never carry a rider, carry a foal, or soar like she has wings, she is a constant reminder to all who meet her that there are answers and therapies available to horse owners with injury cases where it seems there is no lifesaver. The daily use of magnetic therapy was her lifesaver.

Explination of Attached Photos
05-03-07 Three months after the injury, you can see that there is no left shoulder left and the look and her eyes have given up.

04-28-08 Three months after begining the magnetic therapy you can see that her left shoulder is coming back and she has gained weight.

07-16-08 x 2 Six months into the therapy. Even more muscle growth and weight gain and you can see her starting to put weight on her left front leg.

08-18-08 Normal weight and full extension of the left leg with weigh bearing.
Thanks,
Aimee Eggleston

Let me introduce you to Lily.

Lily is a 15.1 hh sorrel appendix qh mare. I happened upon her by chance. A friend heard I was looking for a step-up horse and she had also stumbled upon Lily by chance. When we met, I looked past the cribbing collar, past the scars from a nerving procedure that was supposed to stop cribbing, past the windpipe injury from another botched cribbing procedure, looked past the docked tail, and looked into the eyes of the sweetest mare I had ever seen. Standing beside her was a carbon copy filly that was three months old.

Lily came home with me and we had some real experiences getting to know each other, but within a week it was very clear that kids held a special place in her world. She could be trusted to carry my then 2 year old daughter around, could be trusted to let that same little girl and her cousin climb between her legs, tug on her ears, pull her lips, and she wouldn't even so much as bat an eye wrong when they were near.

Fast forward a few years, and this little mare really began to show how much love and compassion she had for kids. My son was born and he traveled to show after show with us. Lily loved that little boy so much that she would untie any knot to amble over to his stroller. With her big brown eyes closed and a huge sigh upon her lips, she would stand motionless while that little guy broke his first tooth chewing on her ear. He could pull on her lips, stick his little hands in her mouth and again she never ever allowed any harm to come to him.

We moved that summer to our new farm. And ended up taking in some project horses for a family member. One of those mares was a beatuiful but ornery paint mare. This mare had no love for humans or other horses either. And our children were sad that they could not go in the pasture with Mom at feed time and help do chores. The little boy was not yet walking a lot but he could crawl with amazing speed. And one day his dad set him down on a blanket in the yard while he helped Mom. Before either of them could take a breath the little guy had crawled to the pasture and was going under the fence. that rank paint mare saw him and made a beeline towards him with her ears flat back and a black look of hatred. Lily also saw the boy. Lily was terrified of that paint mare but this day she decided to stand up to the bully. Her boy needed her. She moved with lightening quick speed to the crawling infant. And when she reached him it was just
seconds before
the paint mare was there. She nickered to his mother to get a move on and get the boy while she placed her body over him. she took on that paint mare in the way that only a horse can, never raising a hoof to kick she told that other mare in no uncertain terms to back off. and while she was doing this, she was sidepassing over the boy so that he stayed directly under her body. It was only seconds but it seemed to last a lifetime. The mother arrived and grabbed the boy to safety. Lily went after that paint mare with everything she had and made sure she knew to never ever go after her children again.

Lily had been the mothers engagement ring but she proved herself to be a family gift. It didn't matter how excited she was to go to a show and run a set of barrels, if the children were nearby she was outwardly quiet and always watchful of them. She would come out of the arena from laying down a nice pattern with the mother and would then go right back in with one of the children aboard and would walk quietly and with great effort to take very careful steps. When the girl was old enough to not have to be lead through the pattern anymore, Lily taught her how to do that barrel pattern by coming to a stop and waiting for the girl to realize she had tried to turn the wrong side of the barrel or that she hadn't given her enough room to turn around it. Always at a walk no matter how hard the girl kicked for a trot. Lily knew she wasn't ready yet to trot.

Now, Lily is 21 years old. She still loves to run barrels. And she still loves her children and any other child that is around her. She had a hard life prior to her time with this family and she had some real trials to overcome while with this family. She was kicked in the face by antoher horse and almost died from a secondary infection from the broken bones in her face. She impact coliced and nearly died before the blockage passed. She has been treated for ulcers that had her quite ill. Yet, through all of this she has always remained her wonderful loving self. She loves nothing more than to stand near her humans and share that love and companionship.

She is not the fastest barrel horse, she is not the best competitive trail horse, nor is she a perfect Western Pleasure horse, but she is that one in a million horse that will give everything her all and do the best that she can. And all she ever asks in return is that her human companions give her the love and respect she deserves.

I think that Lily is a wonderful candidate for a PHT Magentic blanket. I have known about PHT products for years and have always wanted to get one for her. But it has always been the one thing that just never did get purchased as something else in life needed purchased more. She wears a knock-off brand and while it does help her aging body some, she and I both would love to see her body get some relief from a quality blanket. She is still running barrels and while age has slowed her down some she will continue to compete for as long as she desires to run.

Thank-you so much for letting me tell you about wonderful mare Lily and all of the joy that she has brought ot our lives over the past 11 years.

Stephanie Ogg
and Lil Daffy Dill aka Lily

Dear PHT Magnetics,

My name is Lauren and I am fifteen years old. I own a twelve year old buckskin Quarter Horse mare named Twister. I bought Twister two and a half years ago from an admired lady in our 4-H group. She had been running her for the summer, tuning her up for games. At the time, I was riding my 13.2 hand pony Figgy, but was sadly beginning to outgrow him. I test rode Twister a couple times at the 4-H game clinics we held at the local fairgrounds and really began to like her. She was fast (my main focus at the time), turned her barrels accurately and to my eyes a very pretty horse, when in reality she wasn’t. She had a big jug head and a mile long back, but I still dreamed of having her for my own.

In the fall of 2007, we bought Twister. I was very excited; she would be my first real barrel horse! In the spring of 2008, I practiced every chance I could, balancing homework with horse work. By the time show season rolled around, I thought I was all set to turn and burn. As it turns out, she had much more speed than I was used to on my Welsh Pony, but I never gave up. There were tough times, where I would make three or four decent runs out of ten, nevertheless I always kept trying and Twister always kept giving it her all.

I specifically remember one time when I was getting ready for the 4-H District Horse Show. I wanted to be as prepared as I could be for the upcoming show so we went up to the arena the night before to practice. When my sister Rachel and I got there, we set up the barrels as usual and got to work. I always get jittery the night before a big competition and Twister could feel that like an electric current. I was so nervous that we (mostly me) kept hitting the second barrel, which had always been a problem. I knocked it a few times, but didn’t want to end on a sour note. I finally made one smooth run and went to cool her down. As I was walking her, I noticed a few girls standing on the outside of the arena, laughing and giggling amongst themselves. About ten minutes later, Rachel came trotting up on Figgy and told me they were making fun of me. I will readily admit that I didn’t have the nicest clothes, the most expensive tack, or even the prettiest horse. What we did have was our teamwork even though we hadn’t perfected the pattern. The next day we made a phenomenal barrel run. We came up to the second barrel, hoping we wouldn‘t knock. She turned it like a pro and I was thrilled. We finished a full two seconds ahead of everyone in my age division. I’d like to tell you we won the trophy and I got to see the looks on the girls’ faces, but we didn’t. On the way to the third barrel I was in such disbelief that we had turned the second so well, that I lost my head and I ended up knocking. Even so, I will never forget that run. I can tell you that in spite of this setback, we came back to win pole bending. Attached is a photo of us turning that dreaded second barrel. I’ll never forget that day.

A short time later, we attended 4-H Horse Camp for four days, then went trail riding that weekend. It was a blast and probably the best time of my life! The next week, however, was a different story. I trooped out to the pasture Monday morning, halter in hand, for our workout. When she trotted up to the gate, I noticed an obvious head bob. Trying to keep it together, I lunged her both directions and saw she was especially lame going to the right. By the time I got into the house to call my mom, I was in full freak-out mode. I had already looked for external injuries, and had found nothing. Even at thirteen I knew whatever this was could be serious. From that day forward, it was a constant struggle. It became routine to go out in the morning to see if she was lame or not. Either I came in happy and hoping the unsoundness had gone away for good or it was water-works and emotions all over again. I missed countless horse shows over the summer, watching from the sidelines as Rachel made many amazing runs on Figgy. Finally, we took Twister to a world-renowned equine specialist for a thorough lameness exam. On that very same day of July 17^th, 2008 Twister was diagnosed with chronic “navicular.” Looking back now, I realize that a lot of our problems were most likely related to pain. My family and I have tried many different therapies including therapeutic shoeing, various supplements and medications, and lots of prayer. I hope no other fifteen year old ever has to learn about lameness and navicular like I have. During this struggle, I have learned many horses recover from this so called “heel pain” but Twister has yet to be one of them.

It has been two years now, and while she is better, there is still a lingering lameness on the right front. We are at the end of the road. When I look out into the pasture, I see potential just sitting, wasting away and that kills me. Our last option is to nerve her. I am torn over the idea because there are life threatening risks with the procedure but yet I want her pain to end. I saw your contest on Barrel Horse World and I never realized there was another therapy available. I found this treatment intriguing and did some research about magnets and how they help heal a wide variety of conditions. I am desperate for a recovery and if there is one last hope for Twister without surgery, I am willing to take it. I can only imagine how far we could go together. There hasn’t been a day since July that I haven’t wished Twister would recover. I’ve always had a dream of going to the National Finals Rodeo and I know we could do it, but she needs to be healthy and sound. I realize our story is a long one and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read it.

Sincerely,
Lauren Szenay

The story of my amazing horse, “Archie”.

Hello, my name is Sammy and I am 14. I have been riding all of my life, and when I was younger my parents always believed that I needed to become a better rider before I deserved a better or faster horse. So my mom coached me every day and eventually I became a good enough rider that I moved up from my first pony to bigger horses. I had a great horse named Sonny, who taught me a lot, but it was a huge effort to get him into a trot and he had absolutely no interest in going any faster. Then one day my mom and I took a road trip to Arizona with the horse trailer in tow to look at a few horses at a roping ranch. My mom picked out a little bay team roping gelding named Archie (who I affectionately refer to as “Snarch”), and we brought him home. For the first few months only my mom rode him and used him as a rope horse, and I continued to ride and improve on Sonny. Archie had some major trust issues, and he would not let anyone touch his ears. I was a little intimidated by Archie, because he was a very powerful horse and he had a lot of “go” to him. One day while I was saddling up Sonny after school, my mom convinced me to hop on Archie and ride him in the arena. She told me that I would be fine, so I climbed on. I only walked that day, but just riding Archie for those few minutes, I could feel that he would not do anything to try to hurt me, and we immediately bonded. I started riding Archie more frequently and soon it was every day. I will never forget the first day I showed Archie the barrel pattern. He had never seen a barrel before and acted like it was going to eat him, but after a minute or two of standing there he settled down, and his barrel training began. I am the only one who has ever ridden him on the barrel pattern. People told my parents to be careful, that he might be a little too much horsepower for me at the time and I was going to end up hurt, but my parents believed that I was a good enough rider to handle him and with lots of practice we could make a great team. I gave up all of the sports I played so that I could devote my time to our horses. I worked with Archie every day, and after 6 months, he let me rub his ears for the first time. That was one of the most rewarding times for me, because I was so happy to know that through the blood, sweat, and tears I had finally earned his trust. To this day, I am still the only one who can rub his ears.

Archie and I started out in the 4D and gradually worked our way up through the divisions. We struggled with consistency a lot through the first year, and we could never seem to get it right. We would get a stride past the first barrel, or I wouldn’t make him finish the third barrel. It seemed that as soon as I got half of the run right, the other half went wrong. I loved Archie, and he loved me, and I really think that is what got us through those times. Although I became frustrated with him when things were not going right, I always knew that those things were my fault, that he would never try to make mistakes like that, it must have been something I was doing. We got through it, and I think we, or at least I, came out better for it, because I think it really taught me that things don’t come easy and if you really want something you are going to have to work hard for it. Just as we were figuring out our consistency issues, my parents gave me the news that we would be moving to Kansas. As you can imagine, I was not at all happy about leaving the place I had grown up, my friends and everything I knew to move 1,000 miles away. The move and adjusting to my new home was definitely hard on me, but Archie remained a loyal and faithful friend. He never judged like the kids at school, and he honestly didn’t care if you weren’t wearing designer clothes when you saddled him up. When I had a bad day, I could always look forward to taking Archie for a ride when I got home and he was always happy to see me. He has done great for me in our new home, and I have made many barrel racing friends thanks to him.

In mid-2009 we were leading our district in season points. Archie had been running awesome and winning a lot, and then all of a sudden he started slowing down a little. He was still placing near the top, but he didn’t feel quite right to me and I knew him so well I knew something was wrong. Luckily there was a few week break where there were no barrel race’s or rodeo’s. I planned on giving Archie the time to rest, thinking maybe he was just tired and needing a break. Then I noticed him starting to be a little “off” on a front leg in when he ran in the pasture. We had his shoes pulled and re-set because they appeared to be starting to pinch his hoofs and we thought that was most likely the problem, but even after setting them extra wide and making sure his feet were not the problem he was still hobbling if he got above a walk. The vet then diagnosed it as a minor torn suspensory in his front leg. I still feel so bad that I ran Archie injured, but he never went lame or acted hurt or sore while he was running. The vet told me that if I took care of the leg, Archie had a very good chance of coming back to running. People were telling me to retire him, that he was too old to ever recover from an injury like that and he would not be able to run at high levels anymore due to his age. I didn’t want to give up that easily, and I knew Archie did not want to be retired, so I made sure the leg got the correct care. Even though thinking that Archie’s career as a barrel horse was possibly over was probably one of the most horrible experiences of my life, I think it gave me somewhat of a new outlook on racing. I am still very competitive and definitely want to do great and win, but now I know that even if I have a bad run I have at least one thing to be happy about; Archie is not hurt and we will have another chance to run. Even with Archie’s mid-season injury, we ended up winning the youth 1D saddle for our NBHA district against some of the toughest competition in the state, although most of the credit should go to Archie, not me. Later that year Archie also went on to run one of the fastest times in the youth at State Championships, and also run very well in the open. We have gotten offers to buy Archie, but he is not for sale, and he will never be. He will be the king of our pasture and boss of the other horses as long as he lives.

Archie is not getting any younger; he is going to be 16 years old next month. He has had a hard working life as a rope horse for the majority of his life before becoming a barrel horse, and he has been hauled thousands and thousands of miles, but he continues to do his best for me. Next year I hope to compete in some very competitive High School Rodeo’s, and also continue to attend barrel races most every weekend. Competing at high levels takes a toll on any horse, especially one of Archie’s age. When we go to 3-4 day barrel races and rodeos, I know by the second to last or last day Archie is definitely feeling his age and sore. I do all I can to keep him feeling as good as possible in these situations, like hosing his legs with cold water and wrapping them , stretching and walking him often, and making sure he is drinking right. I really think a magnetic blanket would help immensely. I have researched pretty much every therapeutic product for horses, and it seems magnets are the way to go. They just seem like the safest, most effective, and most trusted thing out there. I also think that a PHT blanket would help Archie because of I have heard people have had a lot of success with it calming horses down before a run, which I think would help Archie since he tends to get pretty “hot” before a race. I have looked at so many different magnetic brands, but I always seem to come back to the PHT. After the research I have done it just seems like the others have less powerful magnets, therefore not delivering therapy as deep as the PHT. I also like the fact that you can call the PHT office and they will patiently answer all of your questions. It actually seems like they care about your horses’ health and not just your money. Archie gives me the best he can every time he makes a run, I feel like he deserves the best care possible from me. He has definitely earned it in my mind.

My friends at school do not understand my bond with Archie. They don’t understand why I would rather save my money to buy things for my horses and pay entry fees than buy an iPhone like they have. What they don’t know is that Archie is my best friend, and none of them are ever as happy to see me as Archie is when I get home from school to find him standing at the gate and I walk over and give him a pat. They don’t know that Archie is the only friend who has always been loyal and provided me with a shoulder to cry on. Archie is my pride and joy, he means the world to me, and I know he loves me. We trust each other, and that makes him so special to me.

Archie has taught me so much as a rider, a horse owner, and a person. He has provided me with some of the best moments of my life, helped me through the tough times, and he is a horse with a heart of gold. I know that he will never stop loving his job, and I will do my best to keep him feeling good. Archie owes me nothing, and he is a once in a lifetime horse, there will never be another like him. I love him too much to ever see him run in pain, and I feel a PHT magnetic blanket would help keep him running at the top for me, while making sure he feels his best and has a long, healthy career. This year, I hope to do well at some of the larger Barrel Bash’s, the BBR Finals, and State Championships and next year possibly qualify for the National High School Rodeo Finals held in New Mexico. I would like Archie to be the one to take me there and share those memories with me, and I know that a PHT blanket would help him so much and it would be my way of saying “thank you” for everything he has given and continues to give me! Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity for me to tell you about my amazing horse, athlete, best friend, and forever champion, Archie.

Every horse person has big dreams and wants to win big. I am 11 and I have the same dreams to win big. We purchased Josie as a 2 year old, she is now 13. When she was 8, I started training her to be my rodeo horse. She was the first horse I ever trained, and I have now competed on Josie for five years. Over the five years we have went through a lot. We had many ups and downs. We have brought home several buckles and one saddle. At the beginning of the third year, she twisted her leg right before the rodeo season started. She was off for about a month and in that month I had to fall back on my sisters back up horse. The rodeos during that month, just were not the same without running Josie. That next year, Josie fractured her splint bone and was unable to run for the whole year. During her injury, I had to give her special care every day. The vet gave us instructions to keep the leg wrapped, put cold water on it, and apply an ointment to it. She also had an infection in the bone from an open wound and had to be given antibiotics and pain medicine. It would have been nice to have the PHT wraps to help her heal faster. After getting her healed up, Josie never ran the same that next year. I then decided that was the last year I could run her.

Since then she has been used as a trail horse for my mom and I still like to hop on her bareback every once in awhile. Josie has taught me a lot. She took me to my first Barrel Bash and my first rodeo. She is very important to me so I want to take the best care of her possible. I think the PHT Magnetics would be good to take the soreness out of her legs and back. Josie's front leg still bothers her at times and having the PHT wraps would help her feel better. This mare helped me achieve my first dreams of winning big so keeping her healthy is my top priority.