http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:58:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en For the futurity, http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=73 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=73#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:58:36 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=73 I took a big swing and went for a home run…. I had a horse that could play pretty hard and it looked good, but we fumbled.

Oh well, we’ll play again in the derbies. But the good news is that I made the finals, and so did Sarah!

I have to say that having achieved the Million Dollar NRHA milestone made a difference: I really felt the freedom to try hard to win, take the risks, and accept the outcome. I’ll do it again. There’s more personal reward to approaching the show ring that way than playing safe. I know that if I’d backed off and played it safe, I probably would have ended up with a high enough score to make the top 10, but I wanted to try to win the whole thing.

Of course, I was lucky to have an owner who shares the same point of view!

We bought some nice horses that I’d seen before the sale. I wouldn’t be willing to take the risk in buying a horse that I hadn’t looked at carefully beforehand–the previews and demos can be deceiving. We got some good deals, too! But, while the economy is down, a good horse is always a good investment and they do hold their value.

We’re leaving Texas for New York tomorrow with several 2 year olds and I”m excited to create, build, and see what we can do.

The new facility of Santa Hall Ranch is almost finished… it’ll be exciting to move into our new facility, although I like everyone at the current barn and will miss seeing them every day. The good news is that there will be 3 major reining facilities within a mile or so of each other. Maybe we should change the name from
Campbell Hall to Whitesboro.

Let it Rein…Craig

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=73 “The Look” http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=68 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=68#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:07:22 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=68 Some readers have had questions about “the look” I’m after in a top prospect, or for that matter any age horse. As I mentioned the look is hard to find but easy to see. It’s that extra thing some have. One of the factors is movement. Are they cool movers? The best way to describe that is like a duck on the water. Legs doing all the work while everything above the water, or a horses belly, appears motionless. No wasted movement. Also neck carriage is important. Do they appear and show the position of being relaxed and confident? Usually low and soft. A pretty head and kind eye are good as well as ears that look like they are having fun. Tight tail carriage is a plus as well, giving the impression they are happy with what they are doing.

  These are a few quick tips. Obviously they would need to show the gifts of stopping, turning, and changing leads as well. I know you would think much of this can be trained and you’re right, yet it’s so much easier and less pressure to both horse and rider to train a horse to stop that can, to turn a horse that can, and to change leads on a horse that can. For the most part what I search for is a horse that basically just needs refinement. I really don’t need to buy a job…..I already have one. 
   I’m looking for separation. What about this horse would cause the judges to remember him? You want it to be good. In the end that “it” is strangely just a feeling I get. It’s a tingle. I get goose bumps. Is this a horse I would rather be on, or try to beat?
]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=68 At the Futurity… http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=70 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=70#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:06:55 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=70 The first go of the futurity is over. I’m happy about how my 2 horses showed against a lot of great horses. The judges are tough across the board. We’ve gotten used to seeing much higher scores in past years, but the horses competing this year in the open are very fancy, and certainly even though the scores are lower, the quality of the horses is just as strong as last year. I  think that we continue to see the quality of horses go up. 

I’m feeling great as I get ready for the second go. I’m not going to fall into the trap of trying to push my horses harder to please the judges. I suspect that some of the younger trainers, in particular, may be wondering “what do I need to do to get the judges to mark me?” They can get caught up in this mind game and overdo things, push the horse to hard.

I’m going to try to have good, clean goes in the second go-round and make it back to the finals.

Otherwise, we’ve been busy here, looking at 2 year olds (and finding some very nice ones!). We really had fun at the celebrity reining last night. It’s such a cool event and it’s great that it benefits Make A Wish.

My daughter, Sarah, shows on Tuesday with both of her horses, and I go again in the Open.

After the futurity, we’ll spend a few days here in Texas. I’m hoping to find someone to lease my ranch there. It’s a great training facility.

But I’m really looking forward to being back in New York. Here’s hoping for a white Christmas!

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=70 Still enjoying Texas… http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=65 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=65#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:18:43 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=65 …and we’ve been hitting the road a lot looking for 2-year-old prospects. It’s interesting that, despite the economy, it seems that good horses always bring money—despite what’s on the news, I haven’t seen any drop in the prices that sellers are asking for good 2 year olds.And I’ve been finding some very nice ones. Our reining breeding programs have evolved over the years, and I feel fortunate that I’ve been involved with reining long enough to have seen the quality of our horses increase dramatically–and to have the experience to able to spot the good ones!

Often, I think what separates a good horse from one that will be a contender to win the major futurities and derbies isn’t how well the horse performs maneuvers: these days, in the futurities and derbies, what separates the exceptional horse f rom the rest is just a look, how that horse carries himself. These exceptional horses are hard to find but easy to see.

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=65 Well this is what is new!!! http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=59 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=59#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:36:06 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=59 It is so much fun to be back in Texas!!!   Dave Williams came down with us and we have been having such a good time, riding looking at 2 year olds and, of course, playing catch!  Craig and Dave have been good friends for a long time; it has been so  much fun to spend this time with him.  Craig’s parents arrived a week ago.  We just said good-bye this morning…they will come back down to the NRHA Futurity. We had  a wonderful week:  Burdette (Craig’s dad) had a watchful eye on all the riding and helped so much!!!  Ellyn (Craig’s mom) is the BEST!!!   We cooked and cooked and… did I say cooked?…It’s something she does so well, oh and by the way, no recipes!!!  

We had a little WAY TO GO Million Dollar Rider party for Craig!  It was fun, a few close friends and of course family!  Too much fun!  Ellyn is helping me get the Futurity stalls ready…she is so good with decorating.  So, of course, I ask her to help me..we had lots of fun!  Come by our stalls and check out our work!!   Oh we made a trip to the Winstar Casino (about 5 miles north of Gainesville) last night…had so much fun. We are not big gamblers, we all took $20.00–  a couple of us left it there, but others came home with more…not that much, but I have to say my big win on the penny slots–$9.00–was fun!    We have not been up to the Casino in a year or so, and they do sponsor the Non Pro Futurity at the SWRHA Futurity, so we thought we should go support them!!!!   Well back to work,  it is going to be another beautiful day in Texas! 

 Let It Rein,
Lyn

   

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=59 Well, it’s officially official. http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=56 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=56#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:15:32 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=56  Got the call from NRHA that I’m a $1M rider! Time to reset for the next phase of my career.  

We are currently in Texas–and will be here until the futurity is over. We’re enjoying the good weather and the opportunity to ride outside. The horses are loving it. I’m feeling a new sense of commitment and purpose from them, important for the extra effort they will need for the NRHA Futurity. They’re still searching for a level of confidence and comfort at the new speeds. But I’ve “been there and done that” so many times that I’m quite sure they will get in the groove in time.

The Southwest Futurity was our last event before OKC. I would have liked to have better results, but it was a learning experience for both Sarah and me. Our horses are really broke but not ready for “red lining” yet. We rode into a hornet’s nest and got stung. There are a lot of good horses from down here going to the futurity this year, and they are ready. It’s time to step it up.

Jarred LeClaire won the open with a 226 and Mandy McQuay won the non pro with 222. There were lots of scores over 220. Congratulations to them!

I’m also taking the time to look around down here for our next group of futurity horses and will be seeing a bunch of them. Finished horses as well. If anyone needs something new, let us know. I know where to look and what to look for.

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=56 Breaking the Million Dollar Mark!!! http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=53 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=53#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:04:17 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=53 We arrived in Texas on Sunday night (October 12), We were enjoying a nice Sunday evening at our home in Texas and Craig says to me, “I think we should go to Lake Saint Louis this weekend” -  My first response was, “No way, get right back in the truck (having just traveled from New York, to the Congress, then on to Texas).”   But lucky for me my brain kicked in and I knew why he wanted to go, so I said, “ok lets go!“
    
We left for Saint Louis on Friday about noon and arrived about 9:00 p.m. We put the horses away, let them sit, and then rode. The show grounds were  beautiful place, and the people were wonderful.On

Saturday, we were so excited to reach our goal. We entered Friday Night Shiner (Sparky) in the $500 Added Open and the $300 added Novice Horse. Craig was  2nd in the Open and won the Novice Horse!  Afer the classes, I the math really quick, and we got a chuckle….Craig was now $60.60 away from the Million Dollar mark. 

I then went up and entered the futurity colts we brought to ride, as they were to be shown at Ardmore. Craig wasn’t willing to run the colts just to win money. So he pretty much used the class as a paid warm up and they were good, but we didn’t know where or if the colts placed. Craig went up to the office to get a total and see if we needed to enter the Novice Class again!  I was in the wash rack putting the futurity colts away (a place where I can be found most often).  He walks up to me and says…We DID It!  We jumped up and down hugged and kissed…right there in the wash rack!!!  Too Funny!   That was an amazing moment!  He was excited and relieved all at once!  He says to me well that game is over…time to start a new one!  He looks happy, relieved, and most of all relaxed!  Well we loaded up and traveled home to Texas, we arrived about 2:30 a.m. but funny enough we both were still wide awake!  Did not take long, that might have been the best night‘s sleep!

Thanks to all who have made this journey possible!  Owners, breeders and friends!

Let It Rein,
Lyn & Craig

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=53 Friday… http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=50 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=50#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:09:42 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=50 Today (Friday) I’m on my way to St. Louis for a reining this weekend. My goal is to earn the $600 that I need to pass the $1M mark. Plus, it’s a good place to show a couple of open horses, and there’s a small futurity. I can school before next weekend’s show at Ardmore.That will be a very competitive event, as always. It’s one of those shows where you can mark a 222 and not even make it to the finals. But it’s important to see how you play against everyone else. Every year, it seems like about 80% of the SWRHA finalists will be finalists in OKC.

Batman (Done Being Smart) is doing something a little different this week. He’s the won I won the Blainville futurity on and who was trying to be so good when he hit ground that wouldn’t support him at Congress (certainly not his fault!).  He was incredible schooling at Ardmore, and initially, I thought I would take him to Ardmore, but I’m probably going to hold off—I think he’s a really big gun for the Futurity.

So… he’s spending 10 days working cattle, for 2 reasons: 1) often, horses start to think that reining is hard…. But after some time working cattle, they decide things could be worse and reining is, by comparison, pretty simple. 2) working cattle is like a mind game and it keeps them really busy. Working with a horse can be like dealing with a creative kid: if you sit the kid in the corner and give him nothing to do, he’ll go nuts. But if you give him lots of projects and things to do, he’ll be happy. 

So Batman will be spending some time tracking cattle and doing all the reining moves we do—but he’ll do it in response to what amounts to a game being played with the cattle. He’ll have to stop and make turns, gallop and run, go slow and go fast—and it’ll really be good for his mind!

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=50 Meanwhile back at the ranch…. http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=45 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=45#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:54:56 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=45 This week, we rode outside on the track, which is 150 x 300 and set  in the middle of a big pasture so I can ride on it or off it. The horses really needed to get outside…. For the first couple of days, it was like I’d opened the gate and turned them l oose!Yesterday I rented the coliseum at Ardmore. I took a couple of the older horses to school and clean things up after being shown. I took the 3 year olds to build confidence and relaxation, so that they realize that every time they’re in the arena by themselves it’s not always a big deal. They’ve been shown 3 or 4 times each and, for the most part,  I rode them around quiet and relaxed, although I did ask them to do a few hard things.

I find this helps keep horses from anticipating what happens in the patterns, which are pretty predictable. Horses know that the same things happen in the center of the arena: there will be a lead change, speed up, and slow down. Sometimes, they try to be helpful and make decisions about what comes next on their own. Same thing=2 0about going down the sides. Unless you mix up what happens in a show pen situation, the horse can easily think that anytime we get on a straight line, they’re supposed to run. They forget that they’re supposed to run when y ou ask and otherwise, they’re supposed to wait.

I also always try to avoid the scenario I see often: a lot of the time, people ride quiet and relaxed at home and then, when they get to the show, they ask their horses to do a lot. The horse starts to think that the arena is a bad place to be.

]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=45 Home again… http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=42 http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=42#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:45:11 +0000 admin http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?p=42 It’s nice to be back in Texas. The weather is perfect, the track is dry, and the ranch looks beautiful. Sarah and BJ have done a super job. By the way, congratulations to BJ Avilla (Bob’s son) on placing reserve in the intermediate division of the NRCHA snaffle bit futurity in Reno.
I’m looking forward to galloping outside for a while. Either that or start taking vitamin D supplements. Haven’t seen much sun this year. Also can’t wait to fill up on Mexican food.The SWRHA futurity is next. I’ll be showing 2 for sure. Depends if I either sell something or buy another. Possibilities either way. We’ve had a lot of interest in our horses. It’s always satisfying to let one of our horses go on to help others with their goals.I hear the new ranch in NY is really coming along quickly now. It’ll be ready for stalls and mats soon, as well as the super ground inside and out.

I feel like I’m helping create a Disneyland for horses.

If anyone has suggestions for the facilities or would like to know what products and companies we are working with in the development….just ask, we’ll be glad to let you know.

Only the best will do. ]]> http://www.craigjohnsonreining.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=42