horserush

Why are our clinics unique?

Andrew’s farrier career has covered the whole spectrum of hoofcare for horses. Since discovering the many benefits of the “Barefoot Option”, his business has evolved from traditional master farrier to specialist barefoot trimmer….quite a journey and he has truly seen the hoof from all sides!

He has studied in depth the theories of world leaders in equine hoofcare and has developed over many years his own method that works for Australian conditions.

Not only has Andrew worked “down under” thousands of horses, he has a strong network with leading equine vets and equine body workers as well as Australia’s other leading barefoot trimmers. This adds up to a huge “database” of experience on which to draw.

What will you learn?

-Theory behind growing healthy hooves

- Hoof function and operation

- Parameters of the physiologically correct hoof

- Landmarks to establish the correct framework

- A recipe for basic maintenance trimming (practice first on cadaver legs, then trim your own horse)

- Safe use of trimming tools

- Safe handling of horses while trimming

- How to make a hard job easier

Who are these clinics for?

Horse owners who want to take charge of their own horse’s hoofcare; whether they actually want to trim themselves, or just learn the parameters of healthy feet so they can make informed decisions about their horses.

Cost: Victorian Clinics: Full participants $132 Auditors $66 GST inclusive.

Interstate Clinics P.O.A.

Bookings: Prior booking is essential

PH 03 57734306 or email:

mayfieldf@bigpond.com

If you would like to host your own clinic -anywhere in Australia- please give us a call.

Sponsored By: Equethy Accreditied instuctor teaching humane methods. Advocated by the Australian Hoof Care Association. www.equethy.com

EquineXpo 2005 proudly sponsored by The Horse Hospital held at Ascot Racecourse in Western Australia on the 18 – 20 March was a tremendous success, with over 6,500 people attending this inaugural event for the state. Never before in WA had this many companies from the equine industry united under the one roof with a multitude of displays, seminars and demonstrations taking place to create the expo’s motto “Everything for the Horse Enthusiast”. With 70 trade stands, 2 seminar areas, 2 horse arenas and the most stunning venue imaginable, it was a horse lovers heaven for 3 days.

The team from Horse Rush TV attended and were most popular with stunning demonstrations given each day by Guy McLean and Manolo Mendez that kept the crowds enthralled and wanting more. It was the first time Guy McLean has been to WA and judging by the reaction of the audience it won’t be his last, with his cool style and amazing horsemanship skills he easily won over the horse he was working with and the crowd within minutes. Guys’ style is one of creating a partnership with your horse and gaining it’s trust so that the two of you can work together in a safe and calm manner no matter what the situation. And of course no display would be complete without Guy lying his trusty new steed down on the ground and then wrapping him up in tarpaulin, head and all, without the horse even batting an eyelid. He then finished off by standing on his horse’s back and cracking those stock whips, not bad for someone who only met the horse 30 minutes prior to the demo!

Manolo Mendez also has the knack to draw a crowd and made the training of a dressage horse to do piaffe and passage look very easy. Manolo has the ability to communicate with not only the horse, but to the audience as well in an easy to understand way that even those who are not dressage orientated can relate to. Many people who do not know anything about dressage were glued to his presentation and amazed at how his methods worked within a short amount of time. Most comments afterwards were about how he respected the horse and it’s well being and that no force was used to gain the results he required and the effectiveness of his training. It is a treat to have people of this level willing to share their training methods and horsemanship skills and how they can be related back to any horse from any discipline.

Other special guests were Stuart Tinney and Heath Ryan who were brought over by Nature Vet for the expo. Both riders did ridden demonstrations each day in their own unique styles and were available throughout the event to chat and sign autographs. Stuart did a Master Class on Jump Training and Heath did an entertaining display that explained the Basic’s of Dressage in a fun and easy to learn manner. These two Australian icon’s in the industry really love to share their knowledge and are so passionate, they are such great ambassadors for the sport, it was a pleasure and a privilege to have them involved with the expo.

Other attractions that proved to be popular was the Mixed Breed Parade that showcased over 14 different horse breeds ranging from the Miniature through to the Clydesdale, A Parade of Champions that featured local racing hero's Rogan Josh and Village Kid and a special appearance by Sonja Johnson on Ringwould Jaguar, WA’s Eventing dynamic duo. Seminars by Colleen Kelly, Dan Guerrera, Maureen Rogers, Dr Michael Bascombe, Lex Wills, Ian Wharton, Dr John Kohnke, Dr Keith Phillips and The Australian Equine Veterinary Association all proved to be well received and appreciated.

Fashion Parades, Charity Auctions and demonstrations on float loading, horse dentistry, saddle fitting and barefoot trimming were also among the assortment of things on offer for visitors to the event.

Overall feedback from both exhibitors and visitors to the event has been extremely positive and we look forward to making EquineXpo a regular fixture on the WA equine calendar. So don’t miss it next year, EquineXpo 2006 will be held on the 17^th – 19^th March at Belmont Racecourse, for enquiries on how to exhibit contact Emma on 08 9409 6666.

Popular equine lifestyle television program, “Horse Rush”, recently joined forces with equine learning centre, West Rock Farm, to provide a weekend education expo that focused on providing innovative solutions to problems that most horse owners face at some time. Horse Rush, which is now playing to wide audiences in USA and will shortly go national in Australia on the cable networks, also used the occasion to film a DVD, that will be available for purchase from the end of April.

While Victoria’s mysterious Hanging Rock, only 50 minutes from Melbourne, is the backdrop for West Rock Farm and the expo, there is nothing mysterious or ethereal about the goings on there.

The 2-day Expo program covered topics such as the benefits of bare hoof trimming, Cranio Sacral treatment, muscle and chiropractic treatment for better performance, natural feeding, whole of mouth dentistry, training that promotes calmness and proper muscle development and even a look at physiotherapy programs for bringing horses back to fitness after injury. The presenters consisted of some of Australia’s most respected in their field with internationals from the U.S.A., Denmark and New Zealand.

You can now have the chance to enjoy the wonderful Expo program in the comfort of your own living room. This informative DVD features trainers, Guy McLean and Manolo Mendez, respected equine health practitioners Dan Guerra (USA), Maureen Rogers (USA), Geoff Culverwell (NZ), Alistair Brooks, Dr. Tony Hanegraaf, Richard Weis, Antoinette Foster, Daren James and many more, in an equine education feast you will want to watch again and again.

Well I have been asked to do a wrap up from the Website guys and please excuse my spelling. Where do I begin...

For some insane reason Joe and I had an urgent appointment until 3pm on the day before the Expo. We desperately needed to escape by 3pm to pick up Emma and Allan CEO's to the EquineXpo in Perth WA as they where one of our VIP guests. After having a back up plan if we didn't make it to the airport (could you imagine leaving them stranded) we had organised a car to pick them up.

I drop Joe off to help my mum clean up our house as we have guests staying everywhere there is room. Finally I manage to arrange for some of our guests to stay on location at West Rock Farm. Thank you girls...

Arrive at airport pick up Emma & Allan and head for West Rock Farm. Tents need to be set up, stock dropped off and a million things need to be finished. There is a gale force wind and the worst weather I have seen in a long time. Not a good sign.

Get home from the set-up. Have 5 hours sleep great.. It's still blowing a gale and Oh my god is that hail I see outside??? Please let it stop by morning.

Arrive at West Rock to total turmoil. Horse floats, food, presenters, helpers, everyone is everywhere, where do I start...It's freezing and raining not good. As expected the turnout is small. The worst part is I feel for the presenters as I really wanted them to have a great audience to present too. All I can do is hope Sunday is a better day.

Joe and the team are exhausted from filming in the rain all day. The boys are fantastic as always. They all look tired and wet. Colleen and Leanne aren't feeling any better and just about the time where I feel like crying as my favourite Ariat's have enough water to fix our drought, Dan's notes go flying in the hail across the paddock. I take off after them thinking it's not that bad look at Dan teaching in the hail. That's all that matters Passion!!!

That had to be the highlight of the Expo for me. Seeing Dan teaching in the Hail and Maureen Rodgers sitting amongst the crowd for support. To all of those who sat there through that demo in the hail you are all legends and I thank you from the bottom of my heart..

It's 8pm and I'm very late for an important date. Its funny how time flies when your feeding and rugging horses. Colleen and Joe rush out to announce to Leanne and I that everyone has arrived for the dinner and we must go and get changed as we are both covered in Mud.. Yippee at least the dinner is packed, it has stopped raining and the fire is on...

I open the curtain to the Marquee to the funniest sight I have seen in a long time. Manolo and Maureen Rodgers from the USA embraced in a Salsa like dance in the middle of the party and everyone laughing and clapping at the floor show. It looked like a comedy act that could have been in movie. I haven't laughed like that in a while...

At least everyone is having a great time. The Party is in full swing and I have to work the floor and make sure all the presenters are okay after the terrible weather. Thank god the camera's are not there to capture the evidence...

David Highlands FM, Charisa, Joe & Ray from Charary Quarter Horse Stud at the dinner.

I am informed by one of my guests that the car park area is pitch black and they can't find their car. I set off with a torch and Lyn that works at West Rock Farm to turn the light on. Who turned it off... I wonder????

Joe, Emma, Allan and the boys finally arrive home for 4 hours sleep. I figure there will be allot of headaches in the morning. I realise I have not seen 1 demonstration or presenter all day... and everyone thinks I get to do what I like.. I don't think so. I make a promise to see as many presenters as I can Sunday.

Arrive back at West Rock. It's a much better day the hail and rain has stopped. There seem to be more people here today. Thank you all for coming to learn from the best in the world.

The highlight of the day is seeing Carlos's student Jenny get back on her horse after a long time resulting from a fall and losing her confidence with her horse. I sure know that feeling and I reward Jenny for her courage. I couldn't have gone through something like that in front of an audience. I wish Jenny and Doc all the very best.

I also enjoy the Stock horse presentation by Quamby Stock horse stud. Just for the fact that it's nice to see a father and his sons ride together and enjoy horses like they do. I hope to have a family like that one day myself. Good on you guys.

I am also fortunate to watch a Dr Tony do chiropractic stuff on a horse. That demonstration was fantastic. If you have ever been to a chiropractor yourself which I have, it can be a bit scary when they manipulate your head area. It was interesting to watch the horses reaction after the manipulation. Same as mine. Shocked then relieved when he realised he was still alive and actually felt better.

Officially the program has finished. Unofficially we are still going. Allistar Brooks is answering questions and teaching people about the pressure points on the horse. The boys are still filming poor things and I start packing up the equipment in the main arena with Guy's help.

Where's the hospital someone's hurt...Joe and Guy start mucking around trying to rope a large speaker. Manolo spots them and comes over to show them how it's done. There's a bit of name calling amongst the boys, (all in fun), the next thing we see is Manolo and Joe rolling around on the grass and Manolo's finger gets dislocated. Well we hope it's not broken.....Someone call Katie (Manolo's wife) were all in big trouble now.....

Manolo's going to be okay. Joe is feeling really guilty and even though Manolo got hurt, round 1 goes to Manolo as he had Joe pinned down for a while. Joe, Emma, Allan, Sam, Pat and I head to Joe's dads house for a big dinner.

We still haven't slept catching up all night with Emma & Allan before they head back to Perth. We prepare to drop them off at the airport. I'm actually going to miss them. Well I guess Joe and I will have to visit WA more often now.

Well I hope that gives you guys and inside view of my version of our first Expo. Next time the prices will be very affordable and we hope to have many more fabulous presenters.

A big thankyou once again to all our presenters, volunteers, students who participated with presenters and brought their horses, our friends, Horse Rush Team, Colleen, Leanne & West Rock Staff and our families. We could not have done it without you all.

A special thankyou to all of you who attended and sat through the worst weather Melbourne has had in a long time. The entire city was flooded. Thankyou for supporting the talented presenters that support us.

My last thank you is to all the horses. Well what can I say except you guys will always be the stars of the show.

Dan Guerrera is a registered Master Farrier who graduated out of the Kentucky Horseshoeing School. He believes that through a proper regime of trimming to the individual needs of the hoof, the horse will be able to bear its weight correctly, enhancing its ability to correct and heal naturally.

Maureen is the founder of Equine Cranio Sacral Workshops and travels internationally for teaching, lectures and private consultations and works in conjunction with veterinarians, equine dentists, trainers, physiotherapists and horse owners throughout the USA and is the author of several articles in national and international publications.

Morton has been competing internationally since 1987, has competed at the Sole and Sydney Olympics, the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm and many other events in Europe. He trains riders in Germany, Italy and England and has four mares that he breeds with from his farm in Denmark

Any person responsible for the welfare of horses should acquire maximum possible expertise, because the well-being and usefulness of horses depend on the skill and attitude of the individuals who manage them. Assistance or advice on management of horses can be obtained from veterinarians or other qualified advisers. - RIRDC