letters
...to the editor
CELEBRITY ON THE TR IL I have had several people ask me where they
can buy trailBLAZER locally, and also had the local Rural King manager ask if he could get it to sell. In a surreal moment, I was riding through a part of the Shawnee [National Forest] and pulled up to say hello to a group of riders on gaited horses that must have been celebrating a birthday, as demonstrated by the party hats and balloons on the horses. They also had noisemakers. One of them said, “Hey, isn’t that Keith from trailBLAZER? We should get an autograph!” Kinda fun! Keith Kibler, Illinois
Editor’s note: Having one’s photo on the cover of a national magazine does have its rewards, eh? (See the April issue cover photo of Keith and Sandy. If you see them in the Shawnee, say hello.)
RIDE MY HORSE FOREVER I just fi nished reading, for the second time,
cover to cover, the January feature “I Want to Ride My Horse Forever.” I have shared this spe- cial issue with so many people, and I know many
“TAKE TRICKS TO TR IL” SAVES LIVES I have been following your “Take Tricks to
have subscribed as a result. It is the fi nest, most well organized guide I have ever read regarding the best care of your horse, whether they are youngsters or oldsters. You hit on every category that truly does help your horse achieve longev- ity. I know I will read it over and over again for years to come, to refresh and remind me of how much I can contribute to my horse’s wellbeing. Samuel Bailey, California
Editor’s note: T ank you, Samuel, for being such a wonderful steward of your horses. It’s also good to know the magazine also enjoys “longevity.” That is our goal: to produce magazines that continue educating for years ahead.
the Trail” column for the past two years, and what brilliant training techniques they are. I like very much that they relate how the things you teach your horse at home can be lifesaving on the trail. I had such an experience. I had taught my horse to lie down, and stay and wait till I asked him to get up. Well, one day on the trail a covey of quail came fl ying out of the brush and my horse reacted by whirling around on a very narrow trail. He caught his feet in very loose shale rock, and was about to go over the edge with me still on his back. I used the word STAY, and in the midst of
chaos, he stopped in his tracks and waited for me. I was shaking and scared, but I just kept tell- ing him to “stay,” and not move his feet. Please, I prayed, please don’t move. I still get tears in my eyes when I remember that moment, because I kept saying soſt ly to him to “stay,” and he never moved, even though he was breathing hard and his body was shaking. I gently stepped off , though there was barely
enough room to do so, and clumsily got the reins over his head, and when I assessed the situation, I was able to fi gure out the best way for him to get back up onto the trail. I was riding alone, and I do believe if he had panicked, both he and I would be at the bot om of the canyon dead. If you teach your horses these basic com-
mands of stay, step over, etc., your horse has the ability to follow your directions in a crisis on the trail. I love every part of trailBLAZER, but I love the Tricks series the most. Shirley Rockwell, Colorado
GREAT GETAWAYS T is year my family decided that instead
of fl ying international, we would stay and ride places in the USA. My favorite section of trail- BLAZER is where you give reviews of really unique dude ranches and bed and breakfasts. So far we have booked two one-week vacations at two of them from seeing them in the magazine. My only wish is that you would have 10x more places to ride! Love the excellence of your magazine both in the writing and in the visual design. Simply brilliant. Carla Drysdale, Tennessee
Editor’s note: Thanks for the kind words, Carla. We hope you’ll enjoy your Great Getaways this year and send us a postcard!
8 | June 2013 •
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