People are always asking us about products we use: especially the kind of feed or supplements, tack, and training products. The following are all products we have used, found beneficial, and can recommend to others.

When my former trailer turned ten years old, three years ago, I started examining what was on the market and the innovations that have been developed since my last purchase.

After surveying all in the market place, I decided on a 3 horse bumper pull Sundowner 727.  Some of the features I really liked very much on this trailer were high on my priority list because of problems or accidents in my previous trailer.

I chose an aluminum trailer for the last two purchases because rust is not something I care to deal with. I have avoided fiber glass because of an incident that happened over a decade ago in a friends trailer. A crack in the fiberglass by the butt rope resulted in it pulling away from one side and banging my horse in the hocks all the way home from State Fair. Shipping boots protected him, but I would have preferred that that did not happen and would not consider fiber glass for that reason.

Other high priority considerations were the results of accidents in my previous model.

The Sundowner 727 is easier to pull and rides easier than my previous trailer, especially with only one horse aboard.  One of my horses got hurt on two occasions when he was traveling alone.  The first time he slid under the divider and broke the latch. He is an experienced parade horse that never had a problem when traveling with another horse.

The rubber matting lining the lower part of my last trailer was damaged by hauling an unhappy horse with shoes belonging to a friend. The rivets holding the matt at the bottom edge of the inside trailer was damaged slightly but enough to actually cut the outer edge of Tarifas hind hoof when he was riding alone on another occasion.   My horses are always barefoot, and it took over two months to grow out his hoof enough to be ridable. That happened four years ago and was the reason that I started trick training. . . . .  to keep Tarifa happy when he had to miss out on parades. Sundowners trailer lining is a strong material attached so that this problem can ever happen again.

I was really impressed with the wonderful lighting in the trailer for each horse station, the dressing room and tack room. The spot lights at the rear will be a big help for us removing lighted costumes in the dark after Christmas parades. . . . . . as well as loading and unloading our younger horses in the dark  before and after parades. This is a big improvement over the single light in the dressing room and trailer.

In my previous trailer I added one fan for the long trip in July to Milwaukee for the Great Circus Parade. It helped but the three circulating fans in our new trailer are so nice and assure that all three horses are comfortable in the hotter months of July when we sometimes travel to three parades in a row on the 4th of July.  

The window latches at the bottom are another feature that I like because I do not have to climb up to open them.

While I never had a problem of our doors opening on route, the escape and back door latches are far more secure than before and safer in the event of an accident . . . . I am glad that I have that arrangement  now instead.

The larger dressing room is a plus for storing our costumes, banners and other necessary items for parades.

I still need to step on a stool to open and close the ceiling vents, but then I am short.  The fans are very well made and keep our horses comfortable while traveling.

Over the years there are some days when we could use some shade waiting for the parade to start. On those occasions, it will be nice to roll out the canopy and rest a while out of the sun. I think the horses will also appreciate the 20-25 degrees difference that shade will provide in the July parades.  I am hopeful that it can offer some protection from light rain and snow on the occasions that we have to deal with that, as well.  I chose the cool pattern with running horses for the design on the canopy.

Sue and Paul Price and the salesperson Suzy are great people to deal with and were very helpful in customizing my new Sundowner 727 trailer to my special needs. We even added additional hitch rings so that three horses could be hitched either side and so that we can attach garlands and decorations for our trailer which is included in parades following our horses. The trailer is part of our unit in most parades and we have music playing from speakers atop the truck along with flags and other decorations.

I think the back door latches that secure the open door are more stable and wind proof than what was on my previous trailer. I have really come to appreciate how easy they are to secure and release when it is time to go.

The latches on the partitions separating horses also impressed me for being so easy to operate and secure. No need to fumble around here. I am glad to be done with the cables wrapping around to secure the partitions in my previous trailer.  The little wires break over time to stick out and cut your fingers. Sundowner has a great improvement in trailer design here. The push in partition for the end stall is also a great idea and makes for more space with young horses learning to load.

My old trailer did not come with a butt rope for the last stall.  I like the fact Sundowner has put one in for additional safety.

The swing- out saddle racks makes it more convenient to load and unload out heavy parade saddles.  One of my Billy Royal sterling saddles got ripped on the underside of the tree when it was pulled across the V shaped aluminum saddle holder covered with carpeting in my former trailer. Sundowner has a  plastic saddle holder that can not damage our expensive and heavy saddles.

We had a clothes rack installed to hold our costumes and there is a vent to keep cooler in the summer.  There is plenty of room to hold costumes and get dressed as well.

My husband has noticed the V shaped nose has made for better gas mileage which we all can appreciate theses days of rising prices.  As a former  GM automotive engineer George had a career that covered areas  of safety, tires, ride and handling vibrations, and other areas in developing Cadillac cars. I asked him to look at the trailers from an engineer point of view to find the safest smoothest ride. I looked at the trailers from the horses and a handler viewpoint. We both agreed that Sundowner was far ahead of other brands when we considered quality, safety, style, and the many features outlined above that are important to us!

I decided to remove sweat feed from our horses diet in order to cut the sugar content. Research has shown that as horses are living longer they are subject to Cushing Disease (like diabetes in humans) and also arthritis that may be inflamed by sugar and empty carbohydrates. I follow a low sugar diet myself and decided to follow a similar program for our horses.

Our horses that are over twelve years old are fed Kent Senior Pride Horse feed which is a pelleted feed designed for older horses. Our younger horses are fed Kent Dynasty which is 12% protein.

They all do very well on this plan with year around pasture and round bales of hay from November through April consisting of grass, timothy, and alphafa which last for five days before replacing.

Our horses are fond of Kent Rounders horse treats. I often soak the Rounders in hot water to make them break more easily to use as reinforcement rewards in training. The carrot flavor is a special favorite. For variety in training with reinforcements I add carrots sliced about as thick as a nickel, small slices of apples, seedless grapes cut in half or quarters, as well as a small handful of their pelleted feed.

When I first saw the Trail and Pleasure bridles and breast collars at the horse expo, I immediately ordered sets in red, white and blue to match our patriotic saddles. This colorful tack is made from BioThane, a urethane-coated nylon that is durable, easy to clean with a damp cloth and water, and it will not get stiff or crack when we do winter parades in the cold. I ordered the narrow ½ inch width so that it can fit and not show under our native costume halters when we do ethnic parades. I also ordered a white halter/bridle combo for Tarifa when he is ridden and then goes on to perform tricks for television cameras and presentations. The halter/bridle combo is very convenient--- just unsnap the cheek piece holding the bit, leaving the halter in tack. This model is a favorite of the trail riders too.

While SpookLess Sound Conditioning CDs are a recent introduction to the market place, I have used the principals of Habituation Training through Gradual Desensitization of scary sounds from the very beginning of my parade and imprint training. These great CDs are produced with the latest music producing technology from a Grammy winning company in Nashville, Tenn. I use these CDs in my training classes and clinics and will be demonstrating them whenever I am asked to talk about How Horses Learn and training procedures.  A limited supply will be available where ever I am asked to make presentations. SpookLess is a very effective training tool.

Click here for more information on the CDs, including length and the sound effects on each CD.

 

I started using a joint supplement for my senior horses in 2005 when I noticed they were not running  around as much in play and seemed to be the last ones in from pasture for grain.

 In consultation with my equine vet, I started using a liquid compound in a mixture of Glucosamine, Chrondroitin, MSM, and Hyaluronic Acid which resulted in an improvement. I take a similar human form of these nutrients to maintain good joint health. The disadvantage of the liquid supplement was that it was messy to use as a top dressing for grain and to clean the residue from the pails and feed tubs, I had to separate the horses at feeding time which took time out of a busy schedule, and it cost nearly $100 a month per horse.

I met the folks at Majesty at the North American Horse Spectacular Horse Expo in 2006 where I was conducting clinics on Despooking and Trick Training. I immediately liked the idea of the supplement in the form of a neat horse treat. Majesty has all the benefits of what I had been using and then some such as Yucca. It also is much more reasonable in cost.  My horses  loved the samples we came home with. I can even break them into smaller pieces to use as a reward when I am practicing new tricks with Tarifa.

My horses have been ridden in more than 400 parades the past fifteen years. It is important to me to keep them in optimum health now that they have reached teens up to twenty years of age. Most people do not think that my trick horse Tarifa is now twenty years old. He can keep up with the other horses in play and maintains his alpha status in the herd.  I think with good care and Majesty he will have many more good years to come doing tricks and riding in some of the largest parades in the country.