For those of you who might think I don’t practice what I preach…. here is video footage from my event today in which I competed in my Aeron Riding Halter…..  yep, all three phases.  My rein breaks during my stadium round, but the halter worked well, and we finished with clear rounds in stadium and cross country to finish 8th in our division of 20.  My horse, Lily, 21 years young, was un-retired a few weeks ago as her sore feet are feeling much better now….!

Stadium Round:

Cross Country (mostly obstructed by trees):

Here’s some pics:

Here they are:  Mocha, Mojo, and Miracle,  corgle puppies out of MOC Merry, a lovely, petite tri-color beagle, by Squire, a fancy blond corgi.  Mocha (brown) and Miracle (black) are females, Mojo (pale brown) is a male. Up to date on all shots/worming. These puppies will make wonderful family pets. 

They have all been sold to wonderful, local friends of mine, so I am very happy, although I miss them terribly!!!!

If anyone comes across this wonderful little cart, PLEASE let me know… mine has just about given up the ghost, and I can’t find them anywhere.  I also have several friends and family who would love one….

They look like this:

They were formerly made by Republic Tool and Manufacturing, which was bought by Scotts.  I have contacted Scotts, and they said the carts went out of production about 10 years ago.  I am writing to Scotts to see if they will consider putting the carts back into production.  Meanwhile, my only hope is to find someplace that still has some sitting in inventory… they fold up and come in a box.

If you would like Scott’s to manufacture them again, write to them at: 

Scott’s Help Center

14111 Scottslawn Road

Marysville, OH 43041

You can also write to the division that used to make them:

Attn: Robert Domingez

42375 Remington Ave.

Temecula, CA 92590

(Robert will pass them along to his boss).  Thanks!!

Many people ask me about foxhunting, so I thought I’d talk a bit about it here for those who would like to learn more about what we do.

Firstly, and most importantly, contrary to what some might think, the point of the thing is not killing the fox!  In the old days, that was the case, but not any longer.  In the olden days, foxes were considered vermin by the farmers in rural england (and other countries) becasue they ate the farmer’s livestock and caused them trouble and financial hardship.  Foxhunting was started as a way of controlling the fox population.  Nowadays, that is not the case.  We don’t actually “hunt” the fox so much as chase them around for a while.  None of us out hunting actually wants the hounds to catch the fox, and in fact it is quite rare that this happens.

Many people have hunted for years and not been present for a kill.  I have been hunting on and off for over 30 years and have been present for ONE kill (the fox was sickly).  Normally, unless they are sick or injured, foxes are much faster and MUCH smarter than hounds.  Although it is the instinct of the hounds to hunt the fox, we aim to chase the fox around for a while, then leave him to be chased around another day.  And also, contrary to popular belief, the foxes are not tortured by all this chasing around; in fact, many really enjoy it.  It’s true!  Many times I have seen the fox run for a bit, and then slow down to give the hounds a chance to catch up.  When a fox really doesn’t feel like playing, he will simply go down his hole and that ’s the end of it… we leave them alone once they have “gone to ground.”  They are well aware that they can go to ground at any time and end the chase.  The fox is aware of the hounds and the riders from a long ways off, so it is up to him if he wants to play with us, or simply pop down his hole and wait till we are gone.

We are able to recognize many of the foxes since we chase the same ones over and over again…. they have their usual routes that they like to take, and occassionally they will change a normal route to throw the hounds off.  I have seen foxes run up a hill, and then sit down and watch the hounds trying to locate the scent.  When the hounds start to get close, the fox runs a bit further, and then turns around again to watch the action.  Some people have reported foxes who, if the hounds get off track, will double back to let the hounds have another chance to pick up the scent.  If ever the hounds are getting too close, the fox practices evasive maneuvres, such as running along the top of a fence line, or running into a creek, and then running straight up the creek so as to leave no scent behind.  Some of them can even climb trees.

I have seen hounds that were within yards of a fox, but because the scenting wasn’t good that day, lose the line.  Hounds hunt by scent, not by sight, so even if a hound sees a fox, he is not likely to chase it… he will follow his nose.  Most days we chase two or three or four different foxes, and then leave them alone to chase them another day.  It is so uncommon that a fox is killed, that many hounds will live their entire lives without ever catching one.  The hounds are trained to hunt them, but they are also trained to leave them alone once they go down into their holes.

If you talk to most people who foxhunt, we are all animal lovers, and especially dedicated to preserving open land.  Without land, there is no hunting, and we all love our sport.   We enjoy watching the hounds trying to work out the puzzle, and we love our horses and love to gallop around in the beautiful countryside and take in the fresh air.  A day’s hunting can encompass liesurely walks, fast gallops, jumping coops and other obstacles, riding through streams, across open land, and through woods. Many of us endeavor to keep open land open, and are dedicated to slowing the urbanization of our countryside.

Gone are the days when only the rich could afford to hunt; now anyone can, provided they have a suitable horse.  A foxhunter is a special horse;  not all horses can hunt.  Many people think that because we dress up in fancy breeches and coats that it’s a rich-person’s sport, and unfortunately that was the downfall of hunting in England; it became a class issue, and was banned by city people who do not understand what it is like to live in the country.  There are several reasons why most hunts adhere to the traditional dress.   1)  it is practical in many ways,  2)  it lends an air of tradition to our sport, and  3)  it increases the ‘pageantry’ and spectacle for those who see us or like to follow along on foot.  Yes, there are rules of etiquette and behavior, but many of those are based on safety and ensuring a good day’s sport.

The typical hunting day might go as follows:  you get up early and check that all of your eqiupment (tack, dress, etc.) is in order. Feed and groom horse, and check that he is sound and healthy and ready for the day’s sport.  Load the horse in the trailer (or hack to the meet), arriving with enough time to pay your capping fee (if you are not a member), tack up, and get your horse warmed up before setting off.  The huntsman (the guy in charge of controlling the hounds, and in a large part, responsible for the day’s sport) or the Master may make an announcement and greet the guests.  Then the huntsman will sound the horn and you are off.  At a spot where the huntsman deems it promising, he will give the signal, by voice or by horn, to let the hounds know it is time to work.  They will spread out and sniff the ground and the air in hopes of a nearby fox.  If they catch scent of one, the hounds will ’speak,’ and start to run in the direction of the fox’s path.  If one hound strikes (hits the scent trail), the rest of the hounds are supposed to ‘honor” (join with the lead hound who first hit the scent).  If the scent is strong, they will run fast together as a pack, speaking the whole way.  Now it is up to the field masters (the person or people in charge of the ‘field,’ or riders) to lead the people after the staff to follow the action.  This is when it can get a bit exciting, as the horses might have to gallop to keep up with the hounds, and jump coops if they need to cross fence lines.  The first field is the group who follows right after the staff and jump all the jumps.  The second field is the group who follows behind the first field, and only jumps small jumps, or goes through the gates.  The advantage of the first field is that they have a better chance of staying up with the action since they don’t have to wait to open and close gates, etc.

A rider following in either field should be able to walk, trot, canter and gallop with some confidence,  be able to stop the horse as needed, and stay in control at all times.  A good field hunter will be rate-able (his speed controlled by the rider) and be able to stand still at checks (stops) without dancing and prancing around.  A field hunter must never kick, especially a hound, as you will not be invited back. 

A good day might be anywhere from two to four hours, hopefully having had several good, exciting runs, and time to rest in between.  At the end of the day, we walk back to the trailers, make sure are horses have survived, and talk about what fun we all had.

If you have never tried foxhunting,  I would highly recommend it, especially if you are an adrenalin junkie like me!  All you need is a good horse and basic intermediate riding skills, and you can join in on the fun.  The best way to try it out is to rent or borrow a seasoned horse, one who knows what hunting is and will take care of you.  You will have to be invited by someone who hunts, or get permission directly from the Master(s).  The capping fee for the day can be anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on which hunt you go out with.  But I will warn you, you might get addicted!!

Here is another blogger with a good article about hunting in England today.

Here are a couple pics from this past weekend’s Equine Extravaganza in Richmond, VA.:

Aeron Mack in her booth at the Expo

Aeron Mack and John Lyons

For more information about the Equine Extravaganza, go to: http://www.equineextravaganza.com/

Okay, I just have to vent for a minute…. hey, it’s MY blog, and I can vent if I want to!

I’m used to people copying my ideas.  It happens all the time.  So many people are copying my halter invention, it’s not even funny.  There’s not a whole lot I can do about it; I’m not really the litigious type. But this latest “coincidence” has got me peeved!

As some of you are aware, I have been working on my “Flip That Horse!” video series for about a year. You can find lots of information about it here on my website, and you can see all the videos both here, and on YouTube.  Basically, the idea is: I rescue a horse in need of rescuing, put it in the round pen, re-train it, spruce it up, and try to find it a good home.  

About three months ago, I contacted the head of programming at RFD to pitch my idea. Never heard back from them.

Meanwhile, there is a certain well-known clinician who shall remain nameless (CA, you know who you are!) who has a show on RFD which shows him as he tours the country giving clinics to help people with their horses and demonstrating his training techniques.

 Today, I tuned into to RFD and saw his “new” show.  He  basically said: “Welcome to my new series in which I take a rescue horse, put it in the round pen, re-train it, spruce it up, and try to find it a good home.”  Sound familiar?

Apparently there is still some lingering confusion over the origins of my halter, made even more confusing by my former manufacturer, Tammy Miller of Tammy’s Rope Tack, who continues to claim to have invented them, and continues to sell them without my permission.

Allow me to set the record straight:

It all began in California in the early ’90s…. I was living in the San Jose area, and met a trainer named Deb Cooper who came to do a clinic at the barn where I taught riding and kept my horses. Deb is a fantastic trainer who was one of Pat Parelli’s first 5-star trainers, and was at the fore-front of the wildly popular Natural Horsemanship ‘movement.’   It was on this occassion that I purchased my very first rope halter and lead, which I still have and use today, some 15 years later!

Anyway, I learned from Deb how to ride, Parelli-style, in that halter and lead.  I rode the same way, by tying the lead around to the fiador knot to make reins, for many years.  However, over the years, and as my learning & experience progressed, I started to notice a few problems with riding in the halter…  mainly, once the lead was tied back to the fiador knot, the knot became very bulky and heavy, and tended to swing back and forth while riding.  I put up with it for quite a while, seeing no better alternative at the time.  Then, a few years ago, after I moved back to my home state of Virginia and started to get back into trail riding, I started looking for an alternative.  I tried lots of different things; side pulls, hackamores of various types and descriptions, bitless bridles, you name it.  I like the convenience of having the halter also function as the bridle, and the leadrope also function as the reins, but felt the Parelli-type design could be improved upon.

I started thinking about how it might be possible to get rid of the fiador knot altogether, and have rings instead to attach the reins to.  I got online, searched on every search engine there was, and found nothing that matched what I was thinking.  So, I contacted 3 or 4 halter manufacturers by email, one of whom was Tammy Miller.  I asked if she would be interested in developing a prototype of a halter I was designing. She said yes.  I sent her several drawings of what I had in mind, and she sent back the first prototype.  I rode in it a few times, made a few tweaks to the design. sizing, etc, and the Aeron Riding Halter was born!

After I started showing it to people, it seemed like there might be some interest in the halter, so I put one on ebay to see what would happen.  It sold.  I put another one on ebay.  It sold.  Soon, several tack shops were carrying them, and they were selling pretty regularly on ebay.  At this point I got online and checked to see if anyone had applied for a patent on the design.  No one had.  So, in February or this year, I applied for, and received, a Provisional Patent for the halter.

Meanwhile, my husband and I had noticed that Tammy was selling this halter on her website, and calling it “her new invention.”  I mentioned to her that I wasn’t thrilled about this, and right about the same time I received a letter from Tammy stating that she was cutting me out and was going to make and sell these halters on her own as her own invention.  She continues to sell them today, and continues to call them her own invention, and there lies the confusion!

I wish Tammy no ill will, but dishonesty is dishonesty, no matter how you slice it!  She now wants to be named as “Co-inventor” on the patent, presumably so she can continue to profit off of my original idea. I do not subscribe to her brand of business, and neither does my new manufacturer, Dawn, who is an honest person and a great halter maker and deserves the recognition of being my manufacturer!  Thanks, Dawn, for making great halters and continuing to help me offer this great product!

Dear Aeron,

Sorry to hear about the problems marketing the  “Aeron Riding Halter” .  My dad Robert Kearns problems were different in that he had spent about $350,000 getting patent protection. Designers ordered a copy of the patent for $0.50 and copied it. But thieves are thieves. I believe a much higher authority will judge them and I wouldn’t want to be on His wrong side. My dad couldn’t have suceeded as long as he did against twenty some auto makers without divine intervention.
Good Luck in your endeavors.
Universal Pictures is bringing out a movie about my dad’s journey in October “Flash of Genius”

-Dennis Kearns

If you have a horse that doesn’t like being wormed, try this:  get a large dose syringe, or an old wormer syringe that you’ve washed out, and fill it with applesauce.  Squirt the applesauce into the horse’s mouth just like you would do with wormer.  After two or three times (over a week or so), you will notice a BIG improvement in the horse’s attitude about “wormer!”   I use applesauce about every other time I “worm”, and now, when the horses see me coming with the wormer, they line up at the fence and literally put their mouths around the worming syringe and suck!

I am desperately trying to find a product called Derby Stain, which used to be made by Derby Products out of Redwood City, CA.  It is a leather stain and conditioner, and absolutely awesome for restoring old, dry leather and tack.

If anyone comes across this stuff, or knows where to get it, PLEASE let me know.  I would like to carry it in my Tack Shop as well.  I’ve searched online and called information, but no luck.

I will offer a reward of a free “Flip That Horse!” DVD if anyone can tell me where to get this stuff!!  Thanks!  : )

UPDATE:

Good news: I finally tracked this stuff down (it took months)…. the bad news: there are only 10 bottles left in existence, and I bought them all!  Mwa ha ha ha!

Do you have a horse that’s difficult to load?  Afraid of the trailer?  Check out my new DVD: “Trailer Loading the Difficult Loader.”  It will show you step-by-step a gentle, effective way to teach your horse to load in the trailer consistently and calmly.  Easy to understand and proven effective on any horse, this is the DVD that everyone should have in their arsenal. The step-by-step DVD is only $12.95 plus $2.50 S&H. To order, email me at: aeronmack@yahoo.com

For a sneak peek, I have posted the highlights of this training video on YouTube.  See for yourself how effective this gentle method is: