RMBA News | Oct 20, 2023

We’re getting revved up with the Annual Membership meeting and Awards Banquet set for November
4 th , 2023. It is always one of the annual highlights to recognize the Year End Ranch Horse series award
winners, the Edgar Icenoggle Top Hand Award winner, and Stallion Service Auction sires.

Here at the Rocky Mountain Breeder’s Association (RMBA) we have a great association filled with
breeders, trainers, general members, and enthusiastic Ranch Horse exhibitors. There is always fun to be
had, regardless of which hat (or several) you wear within the organization.

The hard copy mailing for the banquet and Annual Meeting will be coming out shortly. You’ll find a few
changes to the membership form which include adding a “text alert” option. This is where you can
provide a textable number to get alerts about show entry deadlines, changes to schedules which may
even be weather-related, breaking news, and any disease or disaster alerts that are pertinent. Just one
more feature to provide members with the best possible experience through the RMBA.

You’ll also find our migration to sending out a monthly e-blast e-newsletter. This is exciting as we can do
more coverage of photos, featured events or person(s), and you’ll be able to share this with pertinent
individuals and/or organizations, and print off any pages of interest. This will expand the overall
marketing opportunities for members, too.

We always enjoy information through the amazing set of judges that are a part of the Ranch Horse
Competition series. Experienced horsemen and women with a wide scope of experience to draw on.
Familiar judge, Tye MacDonald of MacDonald Horse Training out of Belgrade, Montana, had some
informative tips for riders. As a seasoned trainer, judge, coach, and exhibitor the information can be
invaluable. With Tye’s permission, the RMBA is pleased to provide verbatim of Tye’s observations.

“I have done quite a bit of judging this year [2023] and have watched many people ride and seen the results in the performance of their horses. If I had to narrow my suggestions down to the most important one, I’d say to learn to ride without pushing with your seat. That’s just how I phrase it. I already know that trying to get details of a correct seat across to others is challenging. We take our physical limitations, our understandings, our experience, etc. along with us as we ride. In truth, developing our seat really takes a lifetime. That said, I’d like to suggest a few things.
The first thing is that you should ride on balance, not grip. If you are riding around, sit straight to the sky and scan your body for tension. If you take the tension out, you will have to rearrange your core to sit in the proper position. This is especially true while loping. Any part of your body can be a culprit, (Except your ears and forehead, they are not the culprit) so don’t miss anything.
Look level or above. Your horse’s head will NOT fall off if you don’t keep your eyes on it. Don’t look down.
Not even with your eyes. It should be mentioned that where you look can lead to tension, wherever there is tension, there your feel of the horse stops. Try that. Feel your seat, twist in the saddle and feel again.
Also looking down will do the same, you will only notice what you see, not what your body should be feeling.

So, now if you are relaxed and looking ahead you can begin to use yourself to your advantage. Of course, consider what discipline or different tasks and maneuvers within a discipline and change details accordingly. But here are the basics.

Relax your legs and use them to drive the horse forward. Some people use a squeeze, I prefer to set a soft cadence with my legs to drive the horse forward when appropriate. This has the effect of leaving the horses balance unchanged while moving the hindquarters ahead, so it makes collection possible. If you drive the horse forward by pushing your hips forward into the saddle, you are shoving the saddle into the withers (causing soreness and annoyance) and causing the balance of the horse to swing back and forth like a park swing.

Where the main effect of this comes into play is when we begin to rearrange the horses frame. As the horse advances, we hope to get the horses hindquarters to reach deeper under the horses while the front lifts and lightens. Sitting on our seat, upper body still and core arrange allows us to both drive with the hindquarters ahead and rearrange the body with our hands and legs. This is impossible with a moving body, thrusting seat or clamped legs.”

Thank You, Tye, for letting the RMBA publish your words.

Meanwhile, be sure to keep your eyes on your email inbox and regular mailbox. Not getting e-blasts? Check to make sure messages aren’t going to your ‘Spam’ folder. Confirm your email address is listed correctly or has been updated to reflect any change(s). You’ll be getting a “goodie” envelope with
relevant items for the Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. That includes your membership form with
filled in information. Please review the information for accuracy and make any additions or corrections.
All memberships paid currently are applied to your 2024 membership.

Visit the website at http://www.montanarmba.org and/or stop by our Facebook page at “Rocky Mountain
Breeders Association” for updates, association items, and industry news. Invite all your friends, too!

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