Wayne County Life

On Wednesday, August 12, noted “From Wild to Mild” American Mustang trainers Emma and Jack Minteer of Rose Hill Ranch, Naples, NY, will present “Dueling Mustangs” set to music in their 11am and 2pm presentations. The audience will be encouraged to cheer them on as they ‘one-up’ each other, showing more and more of what their horses can do through the partnership built between horse and trainer.

The Minteers are known for turning the wild horses of the American West into trusted equine companions and competitors in just 100 days. Jack, who enjoyed a 30 plus-year bullriding career, now competes in the Mustang Magic Competition and Reined Cow Horse events. Emma is known for making the top 10 finals in four of four Extreme Mustang Makeovers. The Minteers have a special touch with starting young horses, training performance mounts, and retraining problem horses of all breeds and riding styles using Natural Horsemanship techniques and gentle traditional training methods.

“We will be sharing our passion for the Mustang horse and letting people know there are 50,000 of these animals in holding facilities waiting to be adopted,” Emma says. 

Information from the Mustang Heritage Foundation will be available at the Empire Farm Days Equine Center on Wednesday.

On Thursday, August 13, veterinarian Dr. Kelly Neale of Bolton Veterinary Services, Stanley, NY, will present “Best Practices for Draft Horse Care,” especially focused for farmers who rely on heavy horses for farming, logging, and family transportation, and those who compete with draft horses in harness or under saddle.

Dr. Neale will line drive one of her own draft horses and present how to score equine body condition. She will cover the vaccinations that horses that never leave the farm should receive, feed requirements specific to draft horses, and how to recognize the muscle disease known as PSSM in a draft horse that may act lazy.

Dr. Neale will also talk about heat stress, common hoof problems in big horses, why treatment dosages are different for draft animals, and how to treat Cushing’s Disease, shivers, and laminitis.

“Draft horses are a unique type of equine with breeds from the light heavy Haflinger horse to the big Belgians, Percherons and Clydesdales. Their size alone poses specific challenges for owners. The Empire Farm Days Equine Seminars on Thursday will focus on ways to take the best care possible of these giants of the horse world,” says Dr. Neale.

A New York State native, Dr. Neale earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Keuka College and holds her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts. After working four years as part of The Country Vet team in Canandaigua, NY, she opened her own mobile veterinary service earlier this year.