Vol 1 No 2

Letter from the Editor

Dear Western States Members,

The first sanctioned show of 2026, the Ranch Spectacular, is in the rear-view mirror. The results are in this issue.

Lots of (good) changes in the newly formed Western States VRHA. Our rulebook has been updated and will continue to evolve as questions/issues arise. If a competitor shows in Walk/Trot in Western States, can they lope in other organization’s shows? Read on. The Dry All Around is a competitor favorite. Can a Dry AA rider ride in one cattle class at a Western States show? Check out the rule. Also, in this issue, you will learn about the new point calculating system and the why behind it.

Since the merger of several organizations into one, there is a newly formed board of directors. Each month “Winning With Western States” will introduce at least one of the directors. This month meet Board member Cady Schroeder and Coordinator Stacey Anderson. .

Do our emotions effect how our horses behave? Some of the answers in “Can Horses Really Detect Fear.”

Back 2 Basics results will be in our March newsletter. Guess what else happens in March? Cinch Up Productions WSVRHA show in Morgan Hill! Details will be up on our web site wsvrha.org soon.

Does getting those lead changes, clean cuts, or seamless trail patterns sometimes seem like climbing Mt Everest? Our quote of the month comes from the first man to climb that mountain. He speaks of “accomplishing great things.” Others have “climbed” the lead change/clean cut/seamless trail pattern Everests. Let’s join all of them in accomplishing extraordinary things!

Dawn Poston
Editor

Send comments, concerns, & ideas to JumperDawn@aol.com

Ranch Spectacular

Corning Results

Kudos to the brave souls who attended the first WSVRHA show of the year during a wet and stormy weekend. Competitors are a hearty bunch, doing what horse people do, and the show was very successful. Congrats to Lawrence Show Management for a well-run show!

Congratulations to our first champions for the 2026 WSVRHA show year.

Meet Board Member Cady Shroeder

Membership/Secretary/Points

Hi, I’m Cady Schroeder, Western States secretary and membership coordinator. Lassen County California is where my hubby and I call home. I am retired and ride as an Amateur. I have been showing in Versatility Ranch Horse for over ten years and love it and the wonderful people that I have met through showing. Hope to meet all of you at the wonderful shows that Western States has on the calendar this year.

Introducing Stacey Anderson

Sponsorship/Social Event Coordinator

I was born and raised in Fort Bragg Ca were my husband and I raised our two boys and currently reside. The past 15 years I have owned a work and western store, where we offered many services to our community. The store gave me flexibility to raise our boys and their busy lifestyle. My spare time was spent at the racetrack/ showing and raising cattle/ 4-H and FFA events and more. What little time I had I squeezed in my horses. All of this wouldn’t be possible without our family-owned logging business. We have over 90 employees and do must all in house. Anderson Logging is what I owe many of my thanks to for allowing me to chase my dreams. Because Fort Bragg is so isolated we decided to chase one more crazy dream and buy a ranch in Woodland, where I can shorten my drives to and from shows. I’m also fortunate enough to have an indoor arena that I can play with my ponies year-round. We have two shows on the calendar this year maybe you can join us at one.

I grew up riding enjoying trail rides, playdays and barrel racing, nothing fancy or formal until I broke my back. My husband bought me an old show horse to help build back my confidence, he did just that and more. That little horse opened the doors to VRH world. That was the building block to me finding Isaac my current partner, who will soon be enjoying an easier lifestyle, as I build a new relationship with my two younger horses.

As you can see my wheels are always turning and I’m involved in a wide variety of events and activities. I will bring my energy and diverse experience to this organization with the hope of growing our membership, making it a fun and inviting association and where we can keep doing great things

Horses May Smell Human Fear and React Accordingly, Study Finds

by Andy Jardat

If you were scared the first time you went horseback riding, you were likely told not to show your fear, as it would also spook the horse. Now, there’s new research to back this up — and it explains how the animals pick up on the emotion. In a recent study, researchers found that when horses smelled sweat from scared people, they limited their interaction with humans and were more fearful themselves.

To figure this out, the team used cotton pads to collect underarm odor swabs while participants watched scary or joyful videos. They found that horses that smelled samples from the fear group startled more easily and were less likely to touch people or approach unfamiliar objects than those that smelled samples from the joy group. “The fearful odors from humans amplify the reactions of horses,” lead author Plotine Jardat told CNN. “The significance is that horses can smell how we feel, even if they can’t hear or see us.”

So what’s to be done if you’re a new or nervous rider? While you can’t always control the smells you emit, you can try to “focus on relaxing, so you can ride calmly and without fear,” co-author Léa Lansade said. It’s also possible that other emotions — like sadness and disgust — rub off on horses as well, which the researchers plan on looking into next. “Even if [horses] don’t feel these emotions precisely, they could smell differences from humans who feel these emotions, and it could mean something for them,” Jardat said.

Can Dry All Around Competitors Work Cattle?

Surprisingly the answer is yes! To provide a step toward the Cattle All Around, our rules provide a means for a competitor to compete in one of the two cattle classes-Ranch Cutting or Ranch Cow Horse. From the WSVRHA Rulebook:

Horse/rider combinations entered in the Dry All-Around competition may enter either the ranch cutting or the ranch cow work as a learning step toward entering the All-Around with Cattle competition and are encouraged to do so. Entry into both the ranch cutting and the ranch cow work at the same show will be considered as an entry into the All-Around with Cattle competition and will not be eligible for the Dry All-Around competition at that show.

We are hopeful that this will make the transition into cattle classes a little easier for our competitors. Take a clinic and enter one class, we’ll all be cheering for you.

Walk/Trot Info

Question Answered

One of our members asked if they could lope in another organization and still retain their eligibility for Walk/Trot in Western States. The answer is yes. The purpose of the W/T is to help competitors become comfortable in the show pen, and if they want to, ultimately lope. If they walk/trot in Western States and lope in another organization, we feel that is getting them closer to their goal of loping in Western States. We’re here to make it easy to show, not throw up roadblocks!

New Means of Points Calculation

Why Do You Care?

We’ve all hung around after a show waiting for the show results. Why has it always taken so long? Well, the Western States program for points computation is quirky and complicated (words you never want to hear when looking at a horse.) With a new year, a new merged organization, we’re adopting a new way (to us) of tallying points at the end of a show. We’re ditching the quirky and complicated old ride and will be using the system used by AQHA and many other organizations. Both Jessica Lawrence and Harlee Burtschi have used this program for a very long time.

No more waiting into the cold darkness. Within minutes of the last score sheet being turned in and at the touch of a button the results will be calculated and ready to be shared.

Now if that isn’t good news, I don’t know what is!

Quote of the Month