Charlotte's Giddy Up Gazette©
Everything For Riding Except the Horse!
Vol. 1 Issue 06 - July 2007
- Letter From the Equi-ditor
- Feature - Handling Heat and Humidity
- Product Spotlight: Nunn Finer No Slip Pad and Grated Stirrup Pads
- Little Known Dates
- Charlotte Goes West: Fabtron Lady Trail Flex
- Hope for Horses Equine Rescue
- Did You Know?
- A Bit on Saddles
- Proper Field Boot Lacing Technique
- Subscriber Specials
- Helpful Links
- Frequency and Feedback
Welcome to the July issue of Charlotte's Giddy Up Gazette©. Hopefully, you and your equine friends are surviving the heat, especially in the hotter parts of the country.
Heat happens to be the subject of this month's feature article, "Handling Heat and Humidity". Read up and learn a couple of tips that will help your horse keep his cool during
the summer months.
Beginning August 1st, online shopping will be even easier at Charlotte's. You asked for it and Charlotte's listened. Charlotte's will introduce FastTrak Checkout (FTC). No more
page after page to get through the checkout process. No more filling out one form after another. No more clicking continue... continue. With FastTrak Checkout (FTC), once you've created your account,
the checkout process is reduced to no more than 2 simple pages. From there your order goes right into processing. Security and Convenience come first
at Charlotte's eCatalog.
Many of you may have noticed that I donate a section of each newsletter to various horse causes. This month I focus on Hope for Horses Equine Rescue, Inc.
This organization and others like it exist for one reason. To keep the beautiful four legged animal we call the horse, healthy and living in a safe environment.
Too much abuse and neglect takes place within our industry. Can enough ever be said about that? I think not.
The people within these organizations are to be applauded for all the time, sweat, and money they pour into their causes.
A note of sadness touches us this month: R.I.P. Pendragon, and Who is Maximillian Sunflower?
It is with great sadness that the Charlotte’s Tomball staff announces the recent passing of dear friend and goodwill ambassador, Pendragon. “Penny”, a cream orange tabby, and his sister, Buckwheat, were found as young kittens by Tomball Charlotte’s store manager Debbie Guest, on a busy roadside east of Tomball, about 13 years ago. They were left there along with other siblings, who, sadly, did not survive the abandonment. Buckwheat reigned with Pendragon as co-mascot of the Tomball store until she passed away in 2003. Her position as co-greeter was filled by Secondhand Rose, adopted through a local shelter.
Penny’s departure has left some very big paw prints to fill.
A youngster with the lofty name of Maximillian Sunflower, (and large feet), has decided he is up to the task. Please stop by the Tomball store to meet the new boy, and suggest a “barn name” for him. Staff members have been trying out Sunny, Max, Kitty Boy, Sprout, Mister, PJ (for Penny Jr.), Bean, and many more. Your help is needed to find just the right nickname. If you cannot visit the store in person, study his photos here, and email your suggestion to the Tomball staff.
A reminder that all issues of the Giddy Up Gazette© are available online! Visit Charlotte's Saddlery website to review back issues or read the current issue.
Reading educates! Until next month.
Tim S. Raisbeck
Feature - Handling Heat and Humidity
Weathermen call it the "misery index" to indicate how heat and humidity work together
to make you feel sticky and gross in the dog days of summer. But does your horse feel just as miserable as you do in the steamy weather?
Scientific research involving Olympic-caliber equine athletes showed that high humidity does not begin to affect horses' cooling abilities adversely until
temperatures reach about 75 degrees. At lower temperatures, horses remain fairly comfortable, even when there is a lot of moisture in the air. But
when temperature and humidity climb together, horses are no longer able to cool themselves as effectively.
The horse is the only domestic animal that dissipates heat through body-wide sweating. The evaporation of sweat pulls the heat from blood and tissue
out through the skin. The amount of moisture in the air affects the rate of evaporation and thus the degree of relief your horse experiences.
In high-desert areas, where humidity is as low as 10 percent, evaporation is rapid, and sweating cools a horse quickly at high, as well as more
moderate, temperatures. At the other atmospheric extreme, 100 percent humidity, no evaporation occurs, leaving the sweating horse as hot as ever.
So just how does your horse feel on an 85-degree day with 90 percent humidity? You be the judge: With your exposed skin and higher surface-to-weight
ratio, your cooling capacities in hot, muggy weather are more efficient than your horse's. If you feel sticky and oppressed, your horse feels even worse.
You can minimize the misery with two simple precautions:
Body Clip Your Horse. Yes, break out the clippers before summer sets in and repeat whenever the hair grows to one-half inch or longer. Evaporation
takes place closer to the skin on the clipped coat, providing more relief than when it occurs on the end of a longer hair shaft.
Ride Him Wet. If you must work your horse on a hot, muggy day, skip the preride grooming. Instead, hose him off with cool water. The cool-water rinse
takes up body heat, delaying and suppressing the sweating response and conserving critical internal-water reserves and electrolytes. If your horse dries out
or starts to sweat heavily before the ride is over, douse him again. And fret not. Riding a clean, wet horse won't cause skin irritation under the tack.
To help post-ride cooling, repeatedly wet him down and scrape away the excess - and essential step, since water left pooled on the surface actually holds heat.
Product Spotlight: Nunn Finer No Slip Pad and Grated Stirrup Pads
These are 2 products that are little jewels for those that are already familiar with them and
would fit into the category "I wish I had thought of them".
The Nunn Finer No Slip Pad is a product for anyone who has ever had a saddle slip. Extremely durable, Place the pad directly on the horse's back and additional pad(s) over top. The saddle is held firmly in place.
Used in eventing, dressage, show jumping and western. Washable. In black. English Size: 18" x 23" $24.99 Western Size: 24" x 22" $29.99.
The Grated Stirrup Pads otherwise known as Cheese Grater Pads are a wonderful little invention made from a lightweight aluminum
that allow your feet a very secure grip in the irons. 3 sizes. Sold as a pair. $4.95
Both items are this month's subscriber specials listed below.
Mutt's Day
July 31. Dedicated to the mutts of the world. Honor the dogs that aren't just one breed. Annually, on July 31. For info: Terry Runion, 2461 E. Hale Street,
Mesa, AZ 85213. E mail: Terry Runion
Charlotte Goes West: Fabtron Lady Trail Flex
The Lady Trail Flex by Fabtron has a high cantle for more spinal support, a seat designed specifically for a women's body and a more
narrow front. Enhance the joy and comfort of riding with this lightweight Leather/Cordura combination.
Tree: Ralide® with Full-Quarter Horse Bars.
Horn: Pleasure Horn.
Seat: Extra-Padded Rough Out Seat, with 5" Cantle for spinal support and 1 1/2" Cheyenne Roll.
Rigging: Full Double Rigged. Stainless Steel Rigging Dees and Hardware.
Gullet: 7" Gullet Width.
Trim: Leather Pleasure Front, Cantle and Jockeys. Nylon Cordura® Fenders and Fleece-Lined Skirt. Leather padded Stirrups.
Leather Reinforced Nylon Stirrup Straps with "Quick Change" Buckles. Front and rear saddle strings.
Weight: Approx. 22 lbs.
Includes: Cinch, Flank Cinch, Off Billet and Tie Strap at no extra charge.
Price: $549
Bill Grace or Suzanne Gwyn for more info.
Hope for Horses Equine Rescue, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit rescue founded in 2002. To date we have placed over 350 horses. We have also placed about 30 dogs. Briefly, our mission is to encourage the public to stop horse abuse, to rehabilitate and find permanent, loving homes for neglected, abused, and unwanted equines, and to improve the lives of equines throughout the United States.
We have many wonderful horses and dogs available for adoption. For more information and to see their pictures, go to our website Hope for Horses Equine Rescue, Inc.. For the last few years, drought has caused hay to become scarce and very expensive and caused adoptions to slow down. We are still trying to recover from this situation. We are an all-volunteer organization and receive no government funding. Our existence depends solely on the generosity of donors such as you. All donations, large and small, are greatly appreciated. Please send your tax deductible donations to Hope for Horses Equine Rescue, 9381 County Road 470, Blue Ridge, TX 75424. Donations of hay and grain are also welcomed.
There are other ways you can help, too. In addition to donations and adoptions, Hope for Horses is affiliated with several other programs that will raise money for the rescue while you shop and travel. Here are the programs:
Kroger Share Card Program – Let us know if you shop at Kroger. E-mail us at Hope for Horses Fundraising so we can mail you the Kroger Share Card. Here’s how the Share Card Program works: 1. Each time you shop at Kroger, present the card to the checker before they ring up your order. 2. Ask the checker to "scan" the card. 3. Once this is done, your purchase amount is being recorded for Hope for Horses. A percentage of your purchase is then donated by Kroger to Hope for Horses.
GoodSearch – Every time you do an internet search you can raise money for Hope for Horses. Go to Good Search. Enter Hope for Horses Equine Rescue, then click “Verify” and make sure you choose the Hope for Horses in Blue Ridge, TX. Then do your internet search through this window. The site is powered by Yahoo! so you'll get the same quality search results that you’re used to. Every time you search, money goes to our rescue.
iGive.com – Shop for everyday items at the over 650 stores at the Mall at iGive.com, like Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, JCPenney, and Target. Up to 26% of each purchase is donated to Hope for Horses. Join now at iGive.com. Then, whenever you shop on the internet, make sure you access your chosen store through iGive.com’s mall. That way Hope for Horses will get a donation.
eScrip – This is a unique corporation that allows schools and non-profits more opportunities to earn much needed funds. eScrip includes many programs including vehicle donations, on-line mall, recycling, dining, and hotels. Register at eScrip and select Hope for Horses Equine Rescue as the organization you would like to support.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. Together, we can continue to help these horses.
What a Heart! The horse's heart, which is about the size of a soccer ball, can increase its blood-pumping capacity up to 10 times on demand. The heart of an elite equine athlete can beat up to 250 times per minute and pump as much as 84 gallons of blood in that time.
Just like shoes, a good fit on a saddle is most important. What we ask of our mounts requires
comfort for their backs so they are able to perform to the best of their ability. We at Charlotte's Saddlery are very interested in helping riders get a correct
saddle fit for their horses.
About 8 years ago I had a friend from the UK come to Fox Hunt with our group and she rode my best mount. Her comment to me was that the saddle was not the best fit
and that I could do better. My horse was difficult to fit because he was taller behind than at the withers, which is known as Croup High. After she fitted my horse
properly, I rode in the new saddle and was totally amazed! I felt perfectly balanced instead of feeling as if I was riding a bit downhill! She worked for a tack store
in the UK and promptly put me in touch with her saddler. I knew then that Charlotte's needed these saddles so that we could be able to fit horses with problematic
conformations as well as those with more normal types of conformation in order to provide more comfort and balance for them while being ridden.
You can see the Charlotte's Custom line of saddles on our website.
They are available in narrow to XXXX Wide trees with several types of leather from which to choose. We can shorten or lengthen a flap, change the width of the seat,
and also stitch in several different colors. But the most significant feature about these saddles is a modified/thoroughbred panel that fills up the area on either
side of the horse's wither, allowing the withers total freedom from pressure. Our saddler also is now designing a new close contact saddle and we will have it
available in our stores within the next two months.
Please take some time if you are saddle shopping to check out these saddles on our website.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to e mail me and I will be happy to look at your horse
or answer any questions that you might have.
Suzanne Gwyn
Charlotte's Saddlery
Proper Field Boot Lacing Technique
1. The lace is run diagonally (grey section) and emerges from the bottom left and the top right eyelets.
2. The top (blue) end of the lace is zig-zagged from the top set of eyelets down to the middle eyelets in a similar manner to the Shoe Shop Lacing.
3. The bottom (yellow) end of the lace is similarly zig-zagged from the bottom set of eyelets up to the middle eyelets.
With this lacing technique the sides come completely together, hiding all the angled underlying sections of shoelace.
A thank you to Ian Fieggen of Ian's Shoelace Site for this helpful tip. - Bringing you the fun, fashion & science of shoelaces
The Nunn Finer No Slip Pad is a product for anyone who has ever had a saddle slip. Extremely durable, Place the pad directly on the horse's back and additional pad(s) over top. The saddle is held firmly in place.
Used in eventing, dressage, show jumping and western. Washable. In black.
English Size: 18" x 23" Regular Price $24.99 Western Size: 24" x 22" Regular Price $29.99.
20% off Regular Price on one or more pads, Western or English.
The Grated Stirrup Pads otherwise known as Cheese Grater Pads are a wonderful little invention made from a lightweight aluminum
that allow your feet a very secure grip in the irons. 3 sizes. Sold as a pair. Regular Price $4.95
20% Off Regular Price on one or more pair.
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The Giddy Up Gazette© is usually mailed the first week of each month and offers special promotions and discounts from time to time. We understand your right to privacy. We will not abuse this privilege. Your feedback is important to us! Simply let us know of your concerns, questions or suggestions. Send us an email.