Barnwood Stables

07/04/2025

06/30/2025

Good read..

When the Tide Shifts: Reflecting on Teton Ridge’s Exit

There’s been no shortage of chatter across the horse world these last few days. The announcement that Teton Ridge is stepping away from the Western performance horse industry has lit up social media, and not in the most graceful way.

Comments swirl with criticism. People are outraged. “They raised prices!” “They made horses unaffordable!” “They weren’t in it for the right reasons!” But let’s pause and be real for a moment—how many of those same people would hesitate to cash a five- or six-figure check if it was handed to them for their horse? Not many. Because the truth is, horses are worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for them on any given day. And if that day just happens to be your lucky one, and the stars align for you to sell a horse at three or four times what it’s “worth”—good for you.

We talk a lot in this industry about wanting more recognition. More spotlight. More money. More shows. More media coverage. But folks—those things don’t happen on good intentions alone. They take investment. And not the kind of investment that comes from fundraisers or benefit auctions. We’re talking serious, corporate-level capital to rent major arenas and produce world class events. That’s uncomfortable for some. It’s new. It’s different. And yes, sometimes it looks like a marketing department with a vision that doesn’t align with what we’ve always done. But guess what? That’s what it takes to shift the needle.

It’s easy to forget that behind the logos and livestreams, there were real people working at Teton Ridge who love horses just like we do. People we’ve personally worked close with here at WhoaZone. People who gave up weekends, mornings, and meals to do right by the animals and the industry. That’s not corporate. That’s heart. Remember the real people, trainers, and their families that were part of this project. They too are dealing with it all. Comfortable? No. But, they were a huge part of our industry climbing the latter and being the faces of cowboy culture to people that may have not known our world existed. That's a big deal.

It is disappointing. No doubt. Many of us hoped for a longer run, a deeper impact, a broader future. But at the end of the day, this is business. And like all businesses, sometimes things pivot. Sometimes a vision doesn’t pan out the way it looked on paper or was envisioned in advertisements.

And now comes the dispersal. The TR9 horses are headed to the sale ring, and once again, there’s controversy. “The sale will skew the market.” “These horses will bring too much.” Or, “they’ll bring too little.” Take your pick. But the truth is—they should bring big numbers. These horses are black-type, blue-blooded athletes. They are the kinds of horses people dream of owning. And for someone out there, that dream just became a possibility. We will see people posting: “I bought my unicorn today.” That’s the magic. That’s the full-circle moment. And it matters.

So let’s take a breath. Let’s find the good. Let’s remember that innovation often comes with growing pains. New money will come and go, tides will rise and fall. The essence of cowboy culture isn't gong to change at the grass roots - for the love of the horse. But if we stay stuck in a cycle of cynicism, questioning, and contradiction—we will never get to where we say we want to go.

We can’t have it both ways. If we want more eyes on our sport, more money flowing in, and more spotlight for the horses and sport we claim to love—then we have to be open to growth, even when it’s messy, different, or challenging. Because change is coming either way.

The question is: are we going to complain about it, or are we going to ride the wave to the future?

I will tell you one thing we will be at The American Performance Horseman July 19th cheering our favorite horse and rider teams at the top of our lungs and supporting those that worked so hard to earn that stage.

☮️ 💕🦄
- Skye

WzEquine.com

06/29/2025

Interesting discussion on lasix

It’s that time of year again… I’m starting to get all the calls about 🅻🅰🆂🅸🆇: (Let me preface this with I AM NOT A VET, and if you have any questions, you should reach out to your vet!)

We have had horses that were TERRIBLE in the alley and 4-5 runs on Lasix will walk right in.

Anxiety? Blowing off the third barrel? Quit running home? Getting progressively slower?

We personally run EVERY horse on Lasix. It’s cheap. It’s easy. We supplement with electrolytes, Red Hot Equine Aminos and knock on wood, I’ve had zero bleeders. We have also confirmed this scoping at shows randomly. Make sure to read the labels on your electrolytes, more often that not, it is not a true electrolyte supplement. There is no regulation on equine supplements. Do your research here too.

Fun fact: Most vets believe up to 90% of horses bleed at some point after a run. (edit: not every horse bleeds, but up to 90% of horses can bleed at some point once in their lives)

If you see the tiniest, microscopic speck of blood, it’s automatically a “10” on the 1-10 scale. That means you NEVER SEE 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9!

You will not know scoping a day after unless it was really bad... the body will reabsorb most of the blood. Sometimes if it’s chronic, you’ll be able to see scar tissue.

At the end of the day, a horse will not want to go in and run because they are basically drowning. I cannot imagine ever wanting my horse to feel that way, so I make every competitive run on Lasix.

Now the timing… I run everything 4 hours out. We also pull water. Studies have shown that if you do not pull water, horses can clear 95% of the medication in 4 hours. Which means in 4 hours, only 5% remains and you might as well not given it. Studies have also shown the optimum time is 4 hours, so 4 hours is better than 3, but 5 hours is about the same as 4.

I give it IV, but I have had horses bad to give shots too I have given in mouth or given pills. Not as effective in my opinion; but better than nothing.

Every medication has risks, but lasix is also used in people for edema in heart failure, liver diseases and kidney failure. Every medication has risks. Discuss this with your vet if you have questions.

NO ALTERNATIVE is proven to help stop bleeders. If you have concerns, I suggest you get educated. I too used to believe that running a horse on lasix was a bad thing… and then I got to reading, and I have discussed lasix with ten+ top performance vets. I see a lot of horses that could really benefit from lasix and I talk about a lot of controversial topics on this page. I am happy to answer any questions about my own program, but again, I AM NOT A VET, and I give lasix under direction of a vet.

I am fortune to be able to work all over the country and I do understand there are a lot of vets that are a little behind the times with performance horses. Encourage them to do research too. It is a very normal and common thing in Texas.

If you tell me 5cc is “a lot” I’m going to ask you where you got your pharmaceutical degree from. I’m not sure why in barrel racing any amount is alot, because it depends on how the medication is compounded. If you are using “lasix” brand, I suggest you read up on their suggested dosages, etc. and talk with your vet.

Here is a post from one of our followers, showing the effects on a horse that was bleeding that showed no signs. 😞 https://www.facebook.com/1003238209/posts/10222016841862454/?d=n

06/28/2025

Soak and shade!

💧 𝗔𝗧𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗔 1996: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆, 30 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗽.

In preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics the equestrian world was braced for a serious welfare threat for horses in addition to its altitude:
🌡️ 34°C heat
💦 60%+ humidity

Thanks to the groundbreaking work of Dr David Marlin the Games went ahead safely. His research revolutionised our understanding of equine thermoregulation - horses cool by the latent heat of evaporation. Sweat scrapers should have become a relic of the past.

💡 The science was clear:
• Soak with water
• Leave it on
• Let airflow do the work

𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗴𝘀. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲.

Now, 30 years on, the UK is facing the same conditions. This week:
🌡️ Temperatures of 30–32°C
💦 Humidity exceeding 50%—pushing heat stress thresholds

Atlanta 1996 isn’t a historical case study. It’s modern climate reality.

And yet, incredibly—some veterinary practices are still promoting sponging and scraping. If they haven’t updated their advice in 30 years

It’s 2025. The climate has changed, but the science still stands. It’s time the advice caught up.