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The Unstoppable Kylie Myers

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2020 Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Lady in Waiting

It started with the revival of a long ago dream, and culminated with a crown. On June 8, 2019, Kylie Myers was crowned as the 2020 Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Lady in Waiting. That means that, beginning on Jan. 1, 2020, Myers will become Oklahoma’s first lady of rodeo, representing the state, the sport, and the western way of life across the country. Her reign will then culminate in December at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, where she’ll compete for the title of Miss Rodeo America.

Myers was born in Moore, Okla., attending Southmoore High School, where she graduated in 2015.

She grew up splitting her time between her mom’s home in Moore, and her father and grandmother’s land just south of Oklahoma City near Newcastle. “My mom has always lived in the city, but my dad and grandma had a place on the river,” Myers explained. “My Granny and dad live on opposite parts of the same property.  We ran a small herd of cattle and at one time we had about 150 head of goats.”

Myers’ Granny, Kathy Bogart, grew up on a dairy farm in Arkansas but had never done much with horses. “They’d occasionally go check cattle, but most of the time they just used a four-wheeler or something,” Myers shared. “When she was older, she decided she wanted to join a drill team, so she bought a horse and joined the Canadian Valley Rangerettes. I think that was back in 2001.”

Bogart fostered Kylie’s love of horses. “She got me on a horse before I could actually sit up by myself. I don’t remember learning how to ride, it’s just what I’ve always done. It’s been my safe-haven,” she said.

Along with showing at local horse shows, Myers began riding with the drill team herself, riding for both the Freedom Riders 4H drill team as well as the Canadian Valley Rangerettes.

Myer’s drill team coach for the Freedom Riders 4H Drill Team was a lady named Betty Baker, who fostered not only her riders’ ability with a horse, but also their talent for public speaking. “I remember we would have impromptu speeches in the middle of drill practice. She would say someone’s name and you’d have to give a two minute speech. We would pull topics out of the hat and you’d have to have a speech over that topic for the next drill practice,” she said.

It was while performing with the drill teams at local rodeos that the spark of a new dream ignited. “I decided I really wanted to run barrels because it looked so fun,” she said.

The young cowgirl commandeered her grandmother’s drill team horse, teaching it the pattern. When she was about 10 years old, her father and grandma purchased a pair of horses. “They bought them out of a lot, and they hadn’t been touched in quite some time. The horse my grandma wound up taking was scared of his shadow. You could hardly get a bridle on him, but he was really, really sweet,” she said.

Kathy and Kylie were the only ones who rode “Sam,” and they quickly recognized the horse’s quick feet would be an asset in barrel racing. “He was cow horse bred with Two Eyed Jack, Zan Par Bar and Poco Bueno breeding. I played around at the house here and there. We hated each other for a while, and then one day I was running him in Chickasha at a youth rodeo. We won that day, and ever since then if we had a decent pattern and didn’t hit a barrel, we were going to place,” she said. “Sam is still around, and just living the retired life now.”

She also competed at rodeo royalty competitions and was crowned Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Princess in 2009.

Myers played some sports in junior high, but rodeo took precedence. Unfortunately, some extenuating circumstances caused her to stop rodeoing her sophomore year. Soon, she threw herself into work. “When I graduated, I started riding more here and there, but not competitively. The same week I graduated high school I moved out and got a full time job and went to school part time,” she said. Myers attended Moore Norman Technology Center to be certified as an Advanced Unlicensed Assistant. She completed the program in 2016.

Following completion of the AUA program, Myers began pursuing an Associate’s degree at Oklahoma City Community College for journalism and broadcasting with a focus on public relations. She’s been on the Dean’s honor roll since she started college in 2016. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to wok in health care for 20 years, and I like working with people, not just those who are sick, so I changed to public relations. I am hoping at some point I can use that to facilitate medical mission trips to other countries,” she explained.

Back in 2017, Myers had a lifechanging moment. “That year I really discovered my faith. It was not something that was widely practiced in my family. Although we believed in God, we didn’t go to church every week. It was never something I knew for myself on a deeper level,” she said. “I got baptized in March of this year. For the past year it’s just been me figuring out who I am as a person, and it’s been a really awesome experience.”

Rodeo Royalty

The decision to compete for a title was unexpected. Although she had been actively involved with the Oklahoma Rodeo Pageant Council as a volunteer for several years after holding the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Princess title, she hadn’t considered running herself. “Volunteering for the Pageants Council was a great experience and a good opportunity for me to do what I love and see the girls go on. I just didn’t think it was for me,” she said.

In 2018, she had a change of heart. “I wanted the platform and I had people that meant a lot to me tell me I had a lot of things other people needed to know about, and that it was something I should think about,” she said. “When I was little, I wanted to be Miss Rodeo Oklahoma and Miss Rodeo America, but then it changed because I just really loved the rodeo atmosphere as a competitor. Once I got older and learned for myself what the pageants really meant, it changed, and that dream came back.”

The decision was made, and within 28 days it was time to compete. “I had to borrow a wardrobe because I had nothing,” she said with a laugh.

Saint Jo, Texas, had opened up their rodeo pageant to Oklahomans, and proudly presents the winner with a $2,500 scholarship each year. “I found out about it right after the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma pageant, so I went ahead and applied. I won that, and so I was able to compete for Miss Rodeo Oklahoma,” she said.

“From the time I was 18 until just this past Friday, which was my last day at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, I’ve done lots of work. I used to average about 70 hours a week at three different jobs,” she admitted. “Being a rodeo queen has an age limit, and working doesn’t, so when I decided I wanted to be serious about running for a queen title, I decided to slow down on the work and focus on school and the rodeo queen competition. That’s where I am, now.”

With the title of Miss Saint Jo Rodeo Queen earned in August 2018, Myers began to prepare for the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Pageant which would be held in June of 2019. When the time came, she traveled to Woodward, Okla., for the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Scholarship Pageant. “I’m 100 percent sure that the rodeo queen pageants create strong women because they teach you so much,” Myers said.

Read more about Kylie and the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma pageant in the August issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch magazine.

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Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Older Horses

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As horses age, their nutritional needs change significantly, necessitating careful adjustments in diet and management to maintain their health and quality of life. Older horses, often categorized as seniors around the age of 20, may face a variety of age-related challenges, including decreased digestive efficiency, dental issues, and metabolic disorders, all of which require tailored nutritional strategies.

Challenges and Considerations for Senior Horses

One of the primary challenges in feeding older horses is their reduced ability to digest and absorb nutrients. As horses age, their digestive systems become less efficient at processing essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This decline can lead to conditions such as muscle loss, weight loss, and decreased immunity, making it crucial to adjust their diets to meet these changing needs.

Dental health is another significant concern. Many senior horses experience dental issues, such as worn or missing teeth, which can impede their ability to chew and digest forage effectively. For these horses, switching to a senior complete feed—formulated to be highly digestible and to meet all of the horse’s nutritional needs—can be beneficial. These feeds are designed to replace forage entirely when necessary, ensuring that even horses with severe dental problems can still receive a balanced diet.

Management Strategies

In addition to dietary changes, proper management practices are essential for the well-being of senior horses. Regular veterinary check-ups are critical to monitor their health and detect any early signs of age-related diseases. Common conditions like Cushing’s disease and metabolic syndrome can have a significant impact on a horse’s nutritional requirements. For example, horses with metabolic disorders may need a diet low in sugars and starches to prevent spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels.

Moreover, older horses often require adjustments in their living conditions to reduce stress. As they age, horses may become more sensitive to changes in their environment, such as temperature fluctuations or alterations in their social groups. Ensuring a stable, comfortable environment with gradual changes can help mitigate stress and maintain their overall health.

Feeding Recommendations

When designing a diet for an older horse, it’s important to consider factors such as body weight, activity level, and specific health conditions. Senior horses typically require a diet rich in easily digestible fiber, with added fats and proteins to compensate for their decreased digestive efficiency. Probiotics and prebiotics can also play a role in supporting gut health and improving nutrient absorption.

It’s essential to avoid feeding dusty or moldy hay, as older horses are more susceptible to respiratory issues and gastrointestinal problems. Soaking hay before feeding can help reduce dust and make it easier to chew for horses with dental issues. Additionally, complete feeds that incorporate all necessary nutrients can be an excellent option for horses that can no longer consume enough forage.

Caring for an older horse requires a holistic approach that combines tailored nutrition, careful management, and regular veterinary care. By understanding and addressing the unique needs of senior horses, owners can help their equine companions age gracefully and maintain a good quality of life. Every horse is an individual, so working closely with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist to develop a personalized care plan is essential for ensuring their long-term health.

For more detailed information on managing the nutritional needs of older horses, you can refer to resources such as OSU Extension, The Horse, Florida IFAS, and The Open Sanctuary Project​.

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.

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Trailer Safety Checklist

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By Janis Blackwell

As the season arrives to gear up for participation in your equine event of choice, one thing remains a constant for all horse owners. That constant is our responsibility to insure the safety of our horses by being diligent to maintain the integrity of the trailers in which we haul them. There are a number of things that can be dangerous both inside and outside of your trailer. Whether you traveled all winter long or whether your trailer sat unused or was used very little through the cold weather months, at least once a year your trailer is due a thorough going over. So here we go with a checklist that will help you insure a happy and safe trip for you and your equine partner.

  1. A sound floor is absolutely imperative. Whether your floor is aluminum, steel or wood, it should be cleaned regularly after use to preserve it. Urine and manure will erode and weaken all types of floors. Even rubber mats will not prevent erosion of your floor. (Maintenance tip: remove mats and wash aluminum floors often to prevent erosion.)
  2. Especially check wooden floors for rotten boards. Immediately replace questionable flooring before hauling. (Maintenance tip: For wood, remove mats and wash out manure and debris. Coat wooden floor in a cheap motor oil. Allow to sit in hot summer weather until the oil soaks in. Be careful—floor will be slippery until oil cures into the wood. This treatment yearly will preserve a wooden floor for much longer than normal as it repels urine and protects the wood).
  1. Keep the interior and exterior washed to enable you to check for rusted out places, leaks, etc.
  2. Have a professional check your brakes at least once yearly to be sure they are operating properly.
  3. Be sure tires are inflated to the proper air pressure, and check the inside of each tire for hidden unusual wear that could cause a blowout. Replace worn tires before leaving home.
  4. Wheel bearings must be checked and packed at least once a year. This should be done even if the trailer has been rarely used since the last time the wheel bearings were packed. In fact, trailer maintenance professionals say that sitting stationary and unused is even worse for the bearings.  Improper care and maintenance of wheel bearings can cause a wheel to seize up and actually twist off while in use. Use a horse trailer professional for this maintenance task.
  5. Axles should be checked for bowing. A bent or bowed axle can cause excessive tire wear and damage wheel bearings.
  6. There should be no more than two inches in height difference from the front of the trailer to the back. More difference than that causes the bulk of weight of the trailer and its contents to ride mostly on the rear axle causing it to bow and wear on both tires and wheel bearings.
  7. Another critical part of the trailer to keep an eye on are the butt chain or bar and the back door. The butt chain or bar should be firmly attached to the wall and its keeper and should always be latched. The door should have a strong secure latch with a pin to insure it stays latched while in motion.
  8. Finally, but certainly not of least importance is a thorough check of the trailer hitch including ball and coupling. Keep the ball well greased. Periodically, check to see that the ball is still securely tightened and the latch on the coupling is working properly.

These few critical safety check points can save you money, stress and the wellbeing of your horse. Until next time, happy trails and safe traveling.

This article was originally published in the April 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

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History of the Horseshoe Part 2

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By Laci Jones

With the saying, “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” Lee Liles, owner of the National Museum of Horse Shoeing Tools and Hall of Honor said the same could be said about the horseshoe.

“Nothing is really new in a horseshoe,” he explained. “It just seems to be a revolving circle.”

While the horseshoe has not changed, Liles said the title of the horseshoe specialist has. At some point over time, the horseshoer took on the name “farrier,” he added.

Certification

Horseshoers in the late 19th century needed to have a certificate issued by the Master Horseshoers National Protective Association. Liles said the association was like a union. If someone was caught without being a licensed member, they could be fined $400.

The color of the certificates wa­­­­­s different each year, making the certificates easy to identify when entering the blacksmith’s shop.

Other countries like Canada and Germany also required certification. Horseshoers in London in 1909 needed to carry a certificate with them at all times. The certificate was signed by the queen, Liles explained.

Mid-Century Trends

In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, all horses had heel caulks on their horseshoes.

“I can remember back in the 1960s we had a shoe we called ‘The Cowboy Shoe,’” he added. The Cowboy Shoe was beveled out on the inside to help shed dirt. Liles said a good cow pony on rough terrain requires a tougher shoe.

“If it weren’t for a horseshoer moving up [in rough country] there would never have been good cattle country,” he said. “He kept the horses sound from being on the rocks.”

He remembered when owners could get away with just trimming their ranch horses in the 1960s. “Getting into the 1970s, you had to put shoes on ranch horses,” Liles added. “Their feet weren’t as strong because the breeding changed their feet a lot.”

The Horse

“The life of a horseshoer is very short,” Liles explained, “especially this day and time more so than the old days.”

To give a time-life-history of the horse, 24 million horses were in the United States in 1915. By 1950, they were down to two million. Farmers began working with tractors and the workhorse phased out, he added. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, horses became luxury items, Liles explained. Owners used horses more on ranches and started horse shows and events.

“In 1965, there was a shortage of horseshoers because most were cavalry horseshoers or taught by somebody who was in the cavalry,” he added. Those horseshoers retired by the 1960s, and there was a need for horseshoeing schools.

Z-Bar Shoe

“Our shoe industry has changed dramatically since 1979,” Liles explained. “We’ve got so may good horseshoes on the market today that you hardly need a forge to heat them up to shape them.”

Liles said the industry now has front and rears in the patterns, which has changed horseshoeing. The Z-Bar shoe may have been patented in 1900 in New Orleans, but the shoe has become more popular in recent years. “It’s popular in our horseshoeing contests,” Liles explained.

The Z-Bar shoe is used on horses that have a bad quarter crack, he added. The shoe relieves the pressure and lets the swelling go down, and the bar distributes the weight in the foot. This is the only patent I ever seen south of the Mason-Dixon Line,” he added.

Current Trends

“Just in the last few years, we’re seeing horseshoes with multiple nail holes,” Liles added. “That is more than we’ve ever had.”

For 200 years in the United States, horseshoes have always had eight nail holes in the shoe. Now, 10 to 16 nail holes are in a shoe. “That’s a dramatic change,” Liles explained. “It gives [farriers] more of an option to where they can rotate the nails around if the foot gets bad, so it’s not a bad deal.”

Shoeing horses on the front end and not the back end is trending in the show horse industry, he explained. When asked why this is trending, Liles said one person started winning, and everybody started thinking it would help them win.

“It’s not always necessary to shoe the back end of a horse,” he said. “Most of the weight on a horse is carried from the front end with the weight of the horse’s neck and the cowboy.”

Marvin Beeman, DVM and educator for the American Colt Horse Association, told Liles how a horse farrier shoes a ranch horse depends on the biographical areas in which they live in.

“If you change your horse from one environment to another environment, it will actually change the growth pattern of the horse’s foot and start a groove around his foot,” Liles explained. “When you change that horse’s environment, the horseshoer can actually read it in his foot.

“That’s hard for a lot of people to imagine, but when you bring a horse from the east coast to the west coast, that’s a dramatic change for that horse.”

Different Materials

Liles said using different materials is a current trend among horse farriers. In the early days of horseshoeing, farriers used wrought iron. Today, most horseshoes are made using plain steel. However, the show horse industry uses a lot of aluminum and titanium.

“A pair of heavy walking horse shoes can cost $5,000,” Liles explained, “but it’s made out of tungsten.”

Plastic and rubber shoes have also become popular in recent years. Amish horses used on roads have horseshoes made of Borium. Borium is a texture that keeps the shoe from wearing out, but it can also have a negative impact on the road.

“If you drive around in Amish or Mennonite country and see a dip in the road, it’s from a horse going down the road,” Liles explained. “A lot of states like Pennsylvania and Ohio have funded projects trying to come up with a traction device horseshoe that will not hurt their asphalt and highways as bad.”

Glue-on shoes have come along after he was an active horse farrier. The dairy industry uses the glue-on shoes more than anybody, he added. Cattle are on water and concrete, and they can have a tremendous problem with foot rot. Liles said proper nutrition can help combat this disease.

“I’ve never seen many horse’s feet that I couldn’t nail a shoe on,” Liles said, “but, I see where they help a lot of horses today.”

To learn more about the history of the horseshoe, visit www.horseshoeingmuseum.com.

This article was originally posted in the August 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

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