The Exhibitor - Winter Issue: February 2010

When Margaret Go’s children need care, sometimes the biggest challenge is getting from their West Houston home to a world-class pediatric hospital.

By giving to the Heal Sick Children Campaign at Texas Children’s Hospital, you give families like the Gos peace of mind—and a way to avoid traffic when the health of their children is at stake. That’s because your donation will help build Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a brand new facility bringing superb care for childhood illnesses and injuries to one of Houston’s fastest growing communities.

It’s part of the largest expansion in our history and one that will help us provide unsurpassed health care to more and more patient families in West Houston.

W W W . H E A L S I C K C H I L D E N . O R G

Featured Articles

3www.gswec.com The Exhibitor - Winter Issue 2010

Departments

gsec reportFacilities Manager

By Sean Brown

Money MattersFinancial Pundits Can be

Hazardous to Your Wealth

By Michael F. Booker

Winter 2010

patrick rodes is Mr. VersatilityTexas Horseman Takes his Trades Nationwide

By Alexandra Beckstett

sMall ponies Making a profound iMpactMiniature Horses go to Work for Special Needs Community

By Kathy Sanders

12

5

20

10

6

Message froM texas children’s hospitalBecause Children Are Not Small Adults

By Travis McClain

C O N T E N T S

horseMan’s profileRussell Frey: Quality Over Quantity

getting to know... Renowned Quarter Horse Trainer Nancy Cahill

16

24

artist bioMelissa Kohout

30

equine coluMnWhat is Natural Horsemanship?

By Bill Robertson

26

great southwest photo gallery

17

4 Official Publication of the Great Southwest Equestrian Center

on the coVerOil Painting by Melissa Kohout

Great Southwest Equestrian Center2501 South Mason Road Katy, Texas 77450 Phone: 281.578. 7669 Fax: 281.578.6651

www.gswec.com

Marketing DirectorElise Beckstett [email protected] 281.543.1910

EditorAlexandra Beckstett [email protected] 281.543.6198

Design/LayoutSuzy [email protected] 971.678.3694

Advisory Board

The Exhibitor is published 4 times a year. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed herein are those of the experts consulted and do not necessarily represent the opions of the editors, advisory board or marketing director of Great Southwest Equestrian Center. The information in this publication is for educational purposes only.

service•integrity•passion

Nancy CahillJoan CantrellKate GibsonHollis Grace

Marilyn KulifayColleen McQuayChristian Rogge

December and January have been some of the busiest in terms of construction and changes to the facility. As you

walk around the grounds, you will notice a distinct difference in the look and feel of Great Southwest.

The most significant change is the addition of Otto Sport as the official arena footing provider for Great Southwest Equestrian Center. The massive effort in the outdoor arena area to get the first ring completed was immense. This state-of-the-art footing has been used for Olympic competitions as well as being the official footing for the World Equestrian Games and the Kentucky Horse Park. The outdoor area also has new viewing areas, judges’ stands, and a striking new appearance that will be expanded upon over time. Improvements will continue during the summer and winter months when horses are not competing.

The upstairs Arena Club is also under renovation. A new stairway from the Main Arena, along with the new interior, will make

it a great place for horse show events as well as a great resource for the local community. We are excited to have a grand opening and naming ceremony for the Club during the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. Look for more information during March.

City View Catering has taken over the food service for the facility. They have extensive experience in concessions as well as event catering. We are excited to add their creativity and expertise.

Many of you have shared your ideas and comments and we welcome the feedback. Fill out our new Customer Service Survey, available both in the horse show office and online at GSWEC.com. Let us hear from you!

We are excited to start the 2010 show season with many enhancements. We hope you enjoy your horse show experience!

sean brownFacilities Manager

T H E G S E C R E P O R T

If you are not receiving the GSEC monthly e-newsletter, be sure to send us your email address. The newsletter includes the latest news from the center, announcements and a special column, Cookie’s Corner.

Go online to www.GSWEC.com to fill out the contact form, or send your email address to [email protected].


Patrick Rodes is Mr. VersatilityShow management, judging, and course designing are all in a day’s work for Patrick Rodes.

By Alexandra Beckstett

A glimpse at patrick rodes’ resume reveals the Texas horseman wears many hats. But he traded in his riding helmet years ago to run Southbound Show

Management, judge some of the most prestigious equestrian events, and design courses at horse shows around the country. Oh, and every once in a while he finds the time to go fishing.

This juggling act of a career, however, is what keeps Rodes showing up ringside day after day, coast to coast. “If I had to do the same thing each week I would get burned out,” he said. “Doing all three — judging, course designing, and show management — keeps them fresh.”

Rodes was born into an equestrian household outside Louisville, Ky., where he grew up riding with respected hunter trainer Rick Fancher. He headed south to attend Jacksonville University in Florida, and there he continued his pursuit of equestrian excellence under the tutelage of trainers Don Stewart and Christina Schlusemeyer. It wasn’t long, however, before the Lone Star State beckoned.

A little place called Las Colinas Equestrian Center in Irving was getting its start as a premier Texas horse show facility. Rodes was hired as the general manager in 1985 — a move that would jump start his show management career.


Patrick and his wife, Jana, share their All-Around Farm in Argyle with a menagerie of dogs, horses, and wildlife. Photos courtesy of Patrick Rodes

After five years getting his feet wet at Las Colinas, Rodes established Southbound Show Management, the horse show production company that runs nearly 20 events yearly from Texas and the Gulf state area to North Carolina and Tennessee. Rodes has nurtured and developed the company whose name is now associated with some of the most well-run and reputable horse shows in the country. The trick? Dependable staff and good people skills.

“One thing I’ve learned over years, and it’s one of the main things, is to hire good people,” said Rodes. “If you put good people in spots and they learn their job that’s half the battle.”

The other half of the battle may very well be building a reputation for a quality horse show, particularly with the growing number of top-notch events Southbound Show Management has to compete with. Horse show exhibitors have grown to expect a high level of quality — and let’s face it, we can be hard to please.

“Patrick is very even tempered and doesn’t seem to get rattled by any adverse situations,” noted Andrew Ellis, manager of the North Carolina Horse Park as well as Great Southwest’s Pin Oak Horse Show. “He’s pleasant to be around and always amusing and entertaining to work with.”

Added Magnolia, Tx., based hunter trainer Peter Pletcher, “Patrick puts on great horse shows. It’s nice to have a show manager who you can talk to at any time and never feel threatened.”

“I try to be fair, pleasing, and accommodating with everyone, which is the hard part. But the good thing about show management is I only have to deal with people for a week and then I can go home!” Rodes said with a laugh.

Home for the versatile yet easy-going Rodes is the aptly-named All Around Farm. He and his wife, Jana, have resided on the 54-acre Argyle, Tx., property for 18 years alongside a menagerie of dogs, horses, and wildlife. When the equestrian couple is not jetting around the country to horse shows, they tend to 25 head of show hunters, broodmares, young horses, and retirees as well as blue-blooded French bulldogs, dalmations, dachshunds, and corgies. And that’s not counting the miniature ponies, llamas, and zebras that also call All Around home.

While Jana does most of the breaking, training, and showing of their horses, Rodes still enjoys hopping on horseback every now and then to get his riding fix.

Continued on p. 8


“Patrick’s a good course designer, coach, trainer, a good judge, and to find a good horse show manager that brings all those aspects to the table is hard to find and invaluable,” — Andrew Ellis

Patrick Rodes put his creativity to work co-designing the inaugural USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals course alongside Bobby Murphy this past August. (below)

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Beckstett

when he’s not the boss…In between running and managing his own events, Rodes is employed by other shows to design courses and judge classes. He received both his “R” rated judge and course designer cards with the United States Equestrian Federation while working at Las Colinas and has since been associated with some of the most prestigious events in the country. Admittedly, his favorite is the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in Virginia, with its historic atmosphere and oak tree dotted show rings.

“Where ever I am, whatever I’m doing, when the quality is good it makes the job so much easier,” he said. “For example, when you can judge really good horses it’s like it’s not even a job.”

Throw in Rodes’ American Quarter Horse Association specialty judge’s card for hunt seat classes and there’s little he hasn’t done within the hunter/jumper discipline. He notched a “first” this past August, however, when he had the exceptional honor of co-designing the inaugural ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals course with young talent Bobby Murphy.

Although Rodes has designed courses everywhere from the Washington International Horse Show to the Hunter Spectacular at Palm Beach, Fla., the Derby Finals allowed him to exercise an unusual amount of creativity.


Rodes and Murphy were given free rein to explore the grounds of Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park, where the finals were held, and draw inspiration from elements of the facility’s famed cross-country course.

“It was great to come up with ideas that would be fun and resemble the hunt field,” he said. “The Horse Park was nice enough to let us use fences from the three-day course.”

Incorporating such obstacles as the Rolex Three-Day’s squirrel tails and wooden ducks into the design, Rodes and Murphy’s course received rave reviews from competitors and spectators alike. Although the Derby Finals course was a new challenge, Rodes followed a design strategy he’s found success with throughout the years.

“I start with a rough course on paper and then I go back and put some concepts such as options into it,” he said. “I typically start with something I know would hopefully flow well first — that’s the main goal — and put some different ideas into it.”

Rodes may have course designing down to a science, but he’s still hesitant to pick a favorite day job — and maybe it’s for the best.

“Patrick’s a good course designer, coach, trainer, a good judge, and to find a good horse show manager that brings all those aspects to the table is hard to find and invaluable,” said Ellis.

Regardless the level of horse show or whether Rodes happens to be the boss that day or the employee, he brings with him a unmatched enthusiasm for horse sport and the capacity to handle whatever is thrown his way.


“...he brings with him a unmatched enthusiasm for horse sport and the capacity to handle whatever is thrown his way.”

Nancy CahillMadisonville, tx., native nancy cahill is a nationally renowned quarter horse trainer, competitor, and western riding instructor. she has trained multiple american quarter horse association world and congress champions, coached the united states team for the youth quarter horse world cup, and was honored in 1996 as the aqha professional horsewoman of the year. she has passed her knowledge on to decades of students through one-on-one training, do-it-yourself videos, and a variety of clinics. she recently took some time to talk to The Exhibitor about her career and training philosophies.

Question: How did you first become involved with horses?

Answer: Well my parents were not horse people, but they had this little girl who was nutsabout horses. All the horse figurines, horse things — if it said horse on it, it was right down my alley. In first grade my mother started taking me to Houston [from our home in Texas City] every Saturday for riding lessons where I actually learned to ride English first. As a natural progression I got my first horse when I was in the fourth grade. When my daddy decided I really was crazy about horses he got me a better horse, then a little better horse.

Q: How did you make training and teaching your career?

A: While I was still tenth grade, a man asked me to teach his two little girls how to ride, and so that’s where it started. Then I started riding a horse for him and by the time I went to college I took about ten head to school with me. It just snowballed from there.At school at Texas A&M I met my husband, Bubba Cahill, who was laying up racehorses at the time. When we got out of college we worked for several people, kept riding horses, and kept evolving until we bought our place in Madisonville where we’ve been for 30 years.

Q: you have coached the u.s. team for the youth quarter horse world cup ten times, winning all but one. What has that experience been like?

A: It’s not a paying job, but it’s wonderful. It’s the closest thing to getting kids that age — under 18 — to the Olympics, because you have 10 or 12 countries there. The kids get to interact with each other, learn about different cultures, and make lifelong friends from different countries when they may have never been out of their state. It would be pretty hard to give [coaching the team] up.

Q: what was the inspiration behind your series of do-it-yourself western horsemanship and competitive trail videos?


G E T T I N G T O K N O W . . .

Photo © Shane Rux Photography


A: I put about four years of work into six videos for people with no trainer or who can’t train with me personally. It actually started out as a book but I decided a video would be much easier and more helpful. It turned into such a good idea and I had great feedback from people in places I didn’t even know had horses. Like one woman who said, “Okay, I live off the coast of Maine and obviously there are no horse trainers up here.” People have said to me that I am easy to understand, logical, and have kept them from getting hurt, kept the horse from getting scared. So there were a lot of people that I did help with those videos.

Q: Can you summarize a bit of your training philosophy?

A: First of all you’ve got to keep the rider safe, secondly keep the horse safe. And after that you try to understand why a horse will do the things you ask and why he won’t. Horses are individuals just like people; they don’t all learn the same and they don’t all learn at the same speed. And patience is the biggest thing that people lack. Everyone wants instant gratification, and so do I — if I plant flowers around the house I want them blooming today. Horses give you a giant reality check because they’re like teaching three-year-old children. What you have in mind is a good thing for them, but they have other thoughts about that!

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of doing clinics and teaching others?

A: Well I’m lucky because I get to teach people who want to learn. I have a lot of students, both at home and very far away, which is the reason I started doing clinics. It’s just so gratifying when students are trying so hard to be better horsemen, to get along, and to make the ride more fun and enjoyable for both the horse and the rider.

Q: What would you consider your greatest personal achievement?

A: I’ve raised great kids, both my own and others. If you’re going to really have influence over people that ride, particularly kids, you really are a part of shaping their character. And I have to say, I’ve got some students that are 45 years old that I’ve been helping for a long, long time. And every one of them is an outstanding citizen. Those horses kept them so busy they didn’t have time to get in trouble. My own kids are two of the greatest you could ever have, but then there’s that little thumbprint you leave on others that you can say, “You know, I was a part of raising that kid.”

Q: What other interests do you have or enjoy doing in your spare time?

A: You know I’ve never really met a horse person who has other interests besides horses. I don’t know if we’re normal or everybody else is. The two weeks I’ve ever had off in my life were last week. And where did I go? To the biggest Quarter Horse ranch in Australia to help them out with a dispersal sale. Other people might go to Australia for a vacation! But I do enjoy spending time with my new grandchild. I will put stuff down because she’s very demanding, of course, at 11 months. She’s got lots of horse stuff: rocking horses, bouncy horses … she doesn’t have a chance.

Q: What’s on the horizon for you in the coming year(s)?

A: I just keep rocking along, trying to make people better than they were last year.

By Kathy Sanders

Emily never had any friends. She was an angry young woman who had great difficulty getting along with anyone outside

her immediate family. Emily wanted a job, but had neither the work skills nor the social skills to find work. Even if she found a job, she likely would not be able to keep it because of her terrible disposition and know-it-all attitude.

Emily is autistic. While her intellectual ability is above MR (mental retardation) range, she has many deficits caused by this neurological disorder that prevent her from leading a normal life. To complicate matters, Emily was also stricken with cancer as a child. While cancer-free now, she tires easily and does not have the stamina needed to work full-time in the community. She had become depressed and her


family didn’t know what more they could do for her.

Then Emily’s parents learned about a very special place that could possibly provide their daughter with the necessary training and on-going support to help her become employable. They discovered New Danville, a community designed for mentally-challenged adults who are higher functioning, located in Willis, Tx. New Danville is unique in that it offers job training, educational opportunities, recreational activities, housing, and transportation. After much coaxing and bribing, Emily finally agreed to visit New Danville. However, her parents warned the staff there that Emily was resisting and did not want to come. More than likely, she would not

Small Ponies Making a Profound Impact

her heart was full of hope, because maybe, just maybe, they had finally found that special place Emily needed to help her become a happy, productive, and contributing citizen.

New Danville’s miniature horse therapy program was inspired by an article about a service miniature horse that visited patients in an East Coast hospital. Upon further research, New Danville’s founders discovered that miniature horses make excellent service animals to people with disabilities. Because of the mini’s small size, disabled people are not as intimidated by them as they may be by normal-sized horses. Also, because horses do not have fleas or dander, most people are not allergic to them. Inspired by the loving stories that miniature horse owners provided and

Continued on p. 14

last the day and would demand to be picked up by her mother.

Emily arrived at New Danville at the appointed time. Even though she had a stern look on her face, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, and would not make eye contact with anyone, she was greeted warmly by New Danville’s staff and “wranglers.” Wranglers

are other disabled adults who come to New Danville’s day programs to learn a variety of skills that help them to become as independent as their disabilities will allow.

One of New Danville’s programs that sets the community apart from other organizations that provide services for people with disabilities is its Miniature Horse therapy. Proven to be very beneficial for individuals with disabilities, trainees who choose to work in this program learn basic care for miniature horses and donkeys such as feeding, grooming, cleaning and maintaining stalls and pastures, and working arenas. In addition to daily care, trainees also have the opportunity to participate in annual parades and other community events.

Because Emily has a great love for animals, her mother suggested she enroll in New Danville’s miniature horse therapy program. When Emily entered the facility’s 3,600-square-foot barn, she immediately gravitated to “Punkin,” a 6-year-old chestnut gelding acquired from the Poor Clares monastery in Brenham, Tx. After a few enjoyable hours of grooming, cleaning hooves, exercising, feeding, and loving on Punkin, Emily was sold on New Danville. When her mother came by later in the day to check on her, she was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find Emily smiling and proudly boasting that she had ‘adopted’ Punkin as her mini. Her mother’s eyes filled with joy and


A New Danville resident gains skills and confidence by grooming and loving on one of the miniature ponies in the therapy program.

“Inspired by the loving stories that miniature horse owners provided and how much joy and laughter these little wonders give, New Danville’s one-of-a-kind program was born.”

how much joy and laughter these little wonders give, New Danville’s one-of-a-kind program was born.

With cash donations, New Danville’s first threeminiature horses were purchased from the nuns at Poor Clare Monastery. With the minis’ purpose in mind, Sister Angela hand-selected Punkin, Skipper (a beautiful chocolate gelding), and Gandalf (a wild little roan gelding). Following Sister Angela’s instructions for feeding and shoeing, the minis were brought to their new home in Willis.

The program’s miniature horses have since helped those who need help the most: people who are depressed, have self doubt, or are outcasts because they look different from others who do not have disabilities. Just the simple maneuver of stroking an animal’s head and helping to provide its daily care

M o r e I n f o r m a t i o nFor more information about New Danville please contact Kathy Sanders at 936-344-6200 or [email protected] or visit www.newdanville.org.

The diminutive size of miniature horses make them much less intimidating and easier to work with than their 16-hand counterparts.


New Danville has been selected

to be the beneficiary of the 2010

Spring Gathering Horse Show.

can lift a person’s spirit and provide the self-confidence and skills needed to become productive and self-reliant.

New Danville is currently being developed on 42 acres in Willis in north Montgomery County. It is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization for people like Emily — those who have mild intellectual and developmental disabilities ("IDD"). At New Danville, adults with IDD can receive the training and support needed to learn a job skill, work in a community, and grow emotionally and spiritually within their peer group.

Emily is now a productive member of society. After completing New Danville’s pre-vocational and vocational curriculums, she was hired as an animal tech at an upscale pet resort in Magnolia, Tx. Some of her duties include playing with the dogs during ‘doggie day care,’ cuddling them before the resort closes for the evening, playing fetch, and escorting them to the front when their owners arrive. Emily loves her job, but occasionally still needs New Danville’s support to help her cope with the stresses of competitive employment in the workplace and to reinforce appropriate social skills. Her family couldn’t be more pleased with her success.

In addition to her part-time job at the pet resort, Emily balances her life by continuing to attend New Danville three days a week. She still loves on Punkin, but now helps take care of the other minis too. Furthermore, she has friends. Emily is happy, productive, and increasingly more self-reliant. And that is what New Danville and its miniature horse therapy program is all about.

We are proud to announce OTTO Sport International

The OffIcIal arena fOOTIng PrOvIder

For Great Southwest Equestrian Center

Otto Sport- und Reitplatz GmbH of Germany will be the official footing supplier of Great Southwest’s arenas. The patented OTTO Perforated Mats and meticulously blended footing mixture boast high water permeability, outstanding concussion

absorption, and non-slip properties to protect horses to the fullest.

Otto Sport is a family-run company with more than 25 years experience in arena construction. The company has provided more than 5,000 installations in arenas throughout the world, including the stadiums and arenas at the Kentucky Horse

Park, host of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Russell Frey Quality Over Quantityname: Russell Freyage: 49hometown: Grew up outside Buffalo, N.Y., currently resides in Fulshear, Tx.profession: Owner and trainer of Elysian Fields, Inc. with Kari Martinpersonal achievements: Winning multiple championships at “Indoors,” producing ribbon winners at equitation finals and the United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year awards, and training students on the Young Riders and Prix des States teams. training philosophy: “No two horses are the same; they may have some similar traits, but each is as different and unique as people are.”

Texas transplant Russell Frey has spent decades working in large show and sale barns where he’s found plenty of success and a wealth of experience. His equestrian career got its start when, at ago 19, he began working for Don Stewart’s stable in Ocala, Fla., which at any given time housed 40 to 70 horses in competition and training. There Frey learned about all aspects of the business, from mucking stalls and grooming to riding, teaching, and management. He also was able to nurture his love for working with young horses and developed a great passion for teaching.

After eight years in Ocala Frey branched out to run his own large establishment in Chicago and later work privately for Burt and Diana Firestone in Virginia. When he moved his horse business to Argyle, Tx., in 2003, however, he devised a new plan: To develop a program that thrived on quality, not quantity. He has since rejected the adage that everything’s bigger in Texas, successfully keeping Elysian Fields at a size where every horse and rider receives the personal attention necessary to produce the best partnership possible.

With around 15 horses in training, Frey has been able to give each rider the individual attention he or she deserves and as a result garner better results in the show ring. He takes the time to figure out what makes each horse tick and places great emphasis on basic horse care.

This manageable number of horses also allows Frey to pursue another interest: Judging. He tries to judge three or four horse shows each year to maintain a current perspective on the industry and to get a feel of how different events are run.

Upon relocating to Fulshear in 2008 and joining forces with Kari Martin of Texas Sporthorses, Frey has furthered his success both in and out of the show ring. This past fall he rode Inside Scoop, a former jumper with mere months of hunter experience to the grand green hunter championship at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg. He and Martin then made their joint business permanent when they wed Dec. 12. Frey now looks forward not only to another exciting year with his students, horses, and wife, but to judging the prestigious Devon Horse Show in May 2010.

It looks like his master plan is working out just fine.


H O R S E M A N ’ S P R O F I L E

Photo © Al Cook-www.acphotovideo.com/equine

Photo GALLERy

Great SouthweSt equeStrian Center

E leven-year-old shannon probably isn’t aware that the limb she broke at school highlights the need for a full service

children’s hospital in West Houston — but it does.

Shannon lives in Katy, an area where the pediatric population has been exploding since 2000; an area where broken bones and many other childhood injuries and conditions need pediatric expertise. Taking care of West Houston families like Shannon’s is exactly what the leaders of Texas Children’s Hospital had in mind when they envisioned the West Campus, scheduled to open its first phase in fall 2010.

Shannon is an active, straight-A student in the sixth grade; she plays soccer, swims, rides her bike, and is fairly adventurous on the school playground.


Because Children Are Not Small AdultsBy Travis McClain

Just last May, her adventurous spirit got her into trouble. According to her identical twin sister, Summer, Shannon was trying to do a “new trick” on the monkey bars. And when she fell off, she ended up seriously breaking her arm in two places.

“Both girls are not afraid of trying anything physical,” said Shannon’s mother, Sharon Moffett. “That’s probably because they have three older brothers who are all active in sports like football, basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, and track.”

An ambulance took Shannon to the emergency room of a local hospital

where doctors determined she had a Monteggia variant fracture

in her elbow bone or ulna of the forearm. This type of

fracture is marked by a dislocation of the radial

head of the bone within the elbow joint. In other

words, it’s not easily repaired.

And the doctors at the local hospital

“dr. phillips was wonderful. but as a parent, i had to wonder how much more quickly shannon might have been treated if we didn’t have to come all the way into the texas Medical center...” - Sharon Moffett

T E X A S C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I T A L

knew it. They told Moffett that Shannon would require surgery — and that the best place for that surgery was at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“After we waited about five hours at our local hospital, we had to get in another ambulance to ride to Texas Children’s Hospital,” explained Moffett. “I remember saying, ‘I’m sorry that Shannon has to get in another ambulance, but if we have to go somewhere, I’m glad it’s Texas Children’s. I feel better going there.’ ”

William A. Phillips, M.D., chief of Texas Children’s Orthopedic Center, took Shannon into surgery at 3 a.m., almost 14 hours after her injury had occurred. “While this is a common fracture, the skeletal system of a child is radically different from that of an adult, and Shannon’s injury was quite severe. This made operating on her an especially delicate matter,” said Phillips.

Fortunately, he was able to repair the fracture in her forearm, and her elbow returned to the correct position on its own, ensuring the active youngster would have normal mobility once fully healed.

“Dr. Phillips was wonderful. But as a parent, I had to wonder how much more quickly Shannon might have been treated if we didn’t have to come all the way into the Texas Medical Center,” said Moffett.

Her concern is one the new Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus intends to address beginning in 2010.

kids’ emergency care … right in the neighborhood

“We spent many months studying the demographics and population growth projections for the greater Houston areas for the next decades before deciding to expand in West Houston,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, Texas Children’s vice president responsible for


West Campus planning and development. “Access to pediatric subspecialty care in

this region remains limited. Currently, approximately 30 percent of patients

using the hospital’s main campus are from the

West Houston area. This

means that many families

are forced to commute more

than 50 miles each way to obtain

specialty care for their children.”

Located on a 55-acre tract near Barker

Cypress Road off I-10, Texas Children’s Hospital

West Campus will be one of the most comprehensive

suburban children’s hospitals in the nation, including the David and Mary Wolff Emergency Center — the area’s only dedicated pediatric emergency center where children like Shannon can be assessed and quickly admitted for treatment by experts in the care of children.

“Physicians at the Gordon Emergency Center at Texas Children’s main campus treat approximately 80,000 children each year, and of those, more than 14,000 are admitted to the hospital for additional treatment,” stated Joan Shook, M.D., chief of emergency medicine and director of the emergency department. “We currently see many children from West Houston. It is a long trip for those families. This will allow us to treat a significant portion of our patient population in their own community. It just makes sense to be there.”

Just as at the medical center campus, West Campus emergency center physicians will have a specialty in emergency medicine with board certification in pediatrics or pediatric emergency medicine. The emergency center, which will open in spring 2011, will be open

Continued on p. 22


24 hours a day, seven days a week, with full-time physician and nursing coverage from day one. It will have state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, communication systems (PACS), computerized bedside registration, time-saving lab testing procedures, and a centralized communications center.

In addition to the emergency center, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus will offer a broad range of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services — including orthopedic surgery, with experts of the same caliber as Phillips.

“Most suburban hospitals are not equipped to take on pediatric orthopedic cases, and there

is a high likelihood that an orthopedic surgeon at a local hospital has limited

experience operating on children. Furthermore, some hospitals aren’t

comfortable admitting children under age 12,” said Phillips.

He and the orthopedic team already see many

patients like Shannon who are referred to the hospital

from suburban areas. In addition to treatment for these kinds of

fractures and other acute injuries, the orthopedic service will provide West

Houston families with renowned pediatric expertise in treating chronic orthopedic abnormalities, neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophies, and spine problems such as scoliosis.

Continued on p. 23

“...the new hospital campus will enable children and their families in West Houston to have convenient access to the same quality of care available at Texas Children’s in the medical center. “


back to her old tricks

Despite having a pin placed in her arm and having to wear a cast for a month, Shannon has suffered no lasting effects

from her fall off the monkey bars. She was even able to attend summer camp.

“As soon as she got her cast off, she went to camp where she participated in activities like

cheerleading, horseback riding, and archery — the pin that remained in her arm didn’t slow her

down at all,” said Moffett. “Dr. Phillips gave me his card to give to the camp nurse and said to

have her call him personally if Shannon had any problems at all. I really appreciated that, and it helped me feel more at ease

with sending her on to camp.”

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus will build on the successes of the community clinics and neighborhood

initiatives the hospital already operates in the area. More importantly, the new hospital campus will enable children and their

families in West Houston to have convenient access to the same quality of care available at Texas Children’s in the medical center.

“With five active children, it will be a comfort to me knowing a hospital as reputable as Texas Children’s is just down the street,” added Moffett.

The Exhibitor is the official publication of the Center and is published 4 times per year. It is distributed free at the Center at all onsite events as well as at a limited number of other equestrian and community events.

Magazine ad rates 1x 2x 3x 4xFull page (Color) $1,000 $900 $800 $700

Full page (Black and White) $700 $630 $560 $490

½ page (Black and White) $400 $360 $320 $280

¼ page (Black and White) $275 $245 $215 $185

Business card (Black and White) $100 $90 $80 $70

Dining Guide/website (Text & Logo Only) $150 $125

Advertise in the Next Issue of The Exhibitor Magazine

Contact our Marketing Director, Elise Beckstett281-543-1910 or [email protected] for more information and to request a media kit.

Financial Pundits Can Be Hazardous to your WealthBy Michael F. Booker

“How could I have been so mistaken as to have trusted the experts?” — John F. Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs debacle

pundit: Noun. A person who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

This definition has never been more accurate. But there is a special kind of pundit, a financial pundit. For this type of pundit I would be inclined to add the following phrase to the above definition: “and is almost never right about financial markets and their movements.” Never in history have there been more Financial Pundits in our midst than now. And in my opinion, never have they been so wrong! Some recent examples:

David Tice, chief equity strategist for bear markets for Federated Investors told Kiplinger’s, prior to 2009, “The S&P 500 index could easily fall to 450 or so … Investors should be selling equities and conserving cash.” The S&P 500 apparently didn’t hear Tice and blew through 1,100 in 2009. So, to put it in perspective, had Tice been correct, the S&P 500 would have gone from about 881 at the beginning of 2009 to 450 resulting in a loss of 48.9%. Instead, the S&P 500 made 26.5%!

So, if you had $1,000,000 invested in the S&P 500 and sold out your position to cash to avoid Tice’s predicted coming loss, you would have missed out on the gain of $265,000. Ouch! Isolated incident by one really wrong analyst? Sadly, no.

Bob Rodriguez and Tom Atteberry of First Pacific Advisors confidently predicted, “The upturn won’t come until 2010 and when it does, it will look very sluggish and lethargic.” Wrong. When the S&P 500 posted its 26.5% return for 2009, it was not just a good market performance — it was one of the greatest on record.

Nouriel Roubini, famous market watcher, predicted “a further 15% – 20% downside risk for global and U. S. stocks.” Nope. Didn’t happen. There are many more examples of pundits missing the boat, but you get the idea. And if the “experts” talked you into selling your stocks, causing you to miss out on the historic bull market of 2009, read on.

“The Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by experts.” — Murray Cohen Predicting the market is a concept that has been proliferated by the professional investment community as an effective marketing tool to prospective clients. In fact, William Bernstein, famous portfolio theorist, has said, “The investment professional knows he or she doesn’t know, but their livelihood depends on appearing to know.” Overwhelming evidence demonstrates convincingly that markets are not predictable. Yet, the pundits keep trying to do just that.A well-regarded study by Richard Woodward and Jess Chua, professors at the University of Calgary, focused on the last 54 years of market performance. Over this period, they cite that the market advanced in 36 years, broke even in three years, and declined in just 15. Thus, the odds are almost three to one against the investor when their money is in cash instead of stocks.

The professors concluded that investing in the market long-term works better than market


M O N E Y M A T T E R S


timing, because the gains from being in stocks far outweigh the losses incurred in bear markets. For market timing to actually outperform the buy-and-hold strategy, the market timer must call the market direction, in a very precise manner, 70% of the time. No one has ever accomplished this over a meaningful time frame.

In another study, Professor H. Negat Seybun of the University of Michigan found that 95% of significant market gains over the 30 year period from the mid-1960s through the mid-1990s came on just 90 of 7,500 trading days. If you happened to miss those 90 days, just over 1% of the total, the spectacular gains investors experienced over the period would have been nonexistent.

So if no one, especially the pundits, can predict markets, what is an investor to do? Here are the Do’s and Don’ts:

1. Don’t try to predict the market. If you tried to in 2008 or 2009, you already know that markets cannot be predicted.

2. Diversify. But it isn’t just the avoidance of putting all of your eggs in one basket — you must choose the right baskets! Choose asset classes that are not highly correlated to one another — ones that don’t walk in lock step. Do not use individual stocks for “multi-basket” investing. Use low expense mutual funds.

3. Don’t listen to the “Noise.” Unfortunately, pundits get lots of media exposure. This leads to a lot of confusion and anxiety for investors due to the variety of opinions they have. And they seem so authoritative (see definition, Pundit). When this anxiety gets to fever pitch, investors tend to make their worst investment decisions. Make it your personal mission not to be one of them.

4. Make a plan and stick to it. Of course, make adjustments to your plan along the way, but don’t scrap it altogether just because some talking head says the market is going to decline tomorrow. And if the going gets tough, don’t panic — you have a plan!

5. Consider engaging an investment advisor. I know this sounds a bit self serving, but you should consider hiring one. Your financial health is just as important as your physical health, right? Sometimes you don’t know you are sick until the doctor completes an exam and makes treatment recommendations. Have an investment advisor perform a financial exam and make recommendations. If you still have difficulty filtering out the noise, ongoing management of your money can be a viable option too. Maybe it’s time to let a trained professional worry about your portfolio.

Good luck out there!

a b o u t t h e a u t h o rMichael F. Booker, CFP®, ChFC, CFS, BCAA, is president of Financial Synergies Asset Management, Inc. in Houston. He was named by Worth magazine as one of America’s Top Financial Advisors (1996-1999, 2001, 2002), listed as one of the “Ten Most Dependable Wealth Managers” in Texas Monthly magazine (2006-2009), and has been featured as a guest speaker on national and locals shows including Biz Radio’s “Money Smart” and Fox network’s “Fox on Money.”

By Bill Robertson

So often the question is asked, “What is natural horsemanship?” Is it really just Robert Redford kneeling down in

a pasture connecting on some metaphysical level with the horse?

Much has been written to define this organic and gentle way of handling our equine friends. The late Bill Dorrance, who was still roping at 92, along with his brother, Tom Dorrance, was credited with starting the natural horsemanship movement across the world. He once stated, “It’s so simple, it’s hard.”


The truth is that natural horsemanship is just about thinking like a horse. It’s easier said than done, however, because we as humans are direct line thinkers and very goal oriented. Horses, on the other hand, are “in the moment” thinkers — highly perceptive to changes in people, places, and things as a result of their natural prey animal instincts. We as humans are the predators, and we typically approach our horses as a predator would without giving it a second thought. One of the key aspects of natural horsemanship is to reverse this predator-prey perception.

E Q U I N E C O L U M N

What Is Natural Horsemanship

Through the core concepts of pressure and release we must ask permission to approach or saddle a horse, recognize when permission is given, and learn to understand the horse’s language and hierarchy. As much as humans love to anthropomorphize, assuming that praise and treats are what a horse wants, the reality is that the horse is a born follower with a herd mentality, and what he wants is a leader.

To become an effective leader and work toward a relationship of respect with your horse, you must develop “feel.” Feel may be the most difficult concept to effectuate, yet the most rewarding that you ever achieve. There are two types of feel: Indirect, where a horse reacts to a human’s presence without the person having physical contact; and Direct, which is the horse’s response to the physical connection you have with him through a bridle, halter, hand, or any other form of contact.

Wrote Bill Dorrance in True Horsemanship Through Feel, the book he co-authored with Leslie Desmond, “When effectively applied, either direct or indirect feel from a person can influence the horse’s mind and body to match up with the person’s plan (or intent) of how they want that horse to be doing things for them. Using feel, a person can shape the horse’s desire to stay with them, and they can determine the horse’s direction and speed and frame of mind when they want him to move.”

Through patience and recognizing the subtleties of communication with your horse, you can experience the near-perfect and harmonious partnership of natural horsemanship.


Great Southwest Equestrian Center

wishes to thank a special vendor

for their exceptional support

throughout 2009!

ThE SADDLE ShoP, INC.english tack and apparel

[email protected]


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CO-AUTHOR WITH THE LATE BILL DORRANCE OF TRUE HORSEMANSHIP THROUGH FEEL

LESLIE DESMONDFebruary 4, 5, 6 & 7, 2010

With

Join Leslie Desmond, international horsemanship coach and protégé of the legendary Bill Dorrance, at Deitra and Bill Robertson’s Early Morning Farm in Hempstead, Tx. Leslie will work with five or six horses to demonstrate “feel and release” and how it differs from “pressure and release” when handling and riding horses. Auditors are welcome and can register at Leslie’s Web site, www.LeslieDesmond.com.

For further information contact Deitra Robertson:Cell: 832-642-6789 | [email protected]


FEBRuARy• Feb 3-7 GSEC Winter Series I USEF “AA” Show

Pauline Cook, 281-579-1272 • Feb 6-7 Texas American Saddle Horse Show

Barbara Simpson, 281-682-9106 • Feb 10-14 GSEC Winter Series II USEF “AA” Show

Pauline Cook, 281-579-1272 • Feb 20-21 Greater Houston Quarter Horse Show

Ava Urbanovsky, 281-351-2700 • Feb 25-28 Britannia Farm AQHA Winter Classic

Pauline Cook, 281-579-1272 • Feb 27-28 Warm Up #1 TRHA & NRHA Approved

Dave Archer, 281-239-8971

Spring Horse Shows2010

SAvE ThE TREES!Help make Great Southwest greener! Go online to get your prize list and find out more about events at the Center.

If you want one mailed to you contact us at www.gwswec.com or 281-578-7669.

www.gswec.com

MARCh• March 6-7 Freestyle Farm Frostbite Dressage Show

Christy Raisbeck, 281-346-2289 • March 8 HLS&R Horse Judging Contest

Joel Cowley, 832-667-1100 • March 11-14 GSEC Spring Warm Up USEF “A” Show

Pauline Cook, 281-579-1272 • March 12-14 Greater Houston Miniature Horse Club

Nancy Grizzaffi, 979-732-3230 • March 17-28 65th Pin Oak Charity USEF “AA” Show

Lynn Walsh/Roxanne Cook 713-621-6290 • Mar 30-Apr 4 Spring Gathering USEF “AA” Show

Pauline Cook, 281-579-1272

BECoME A ShoW SPoNSoR!Contact our Marketing Director, Elise Beckstett, 281-543-1910 or [email protected]

Photo Courtesy of Norine Johnson

Melissa Kohout

Born in the west Texas town of Stamford, Melissa

Kohout’s artistic inclinations began in the first grade. Her illustrations covered her Big Chief tablets and, later on, her book reports, but they always centered on her beloved theme of horses.

Kohout entered college as a Presidential Scholar at William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri. Her Texas ties tugged at her heartstrings, however, and she returned home to finish school at the University of Texas, Austin, with high honors and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Kohout’s art has since been represented in galleries in Austin, Houston, and Los Angeles and has graced the covers of magazines such as Texas Thoroughbred, The Longhorn Scene, and The Chronicle of the Horse. She has also appeared on both CNN Headline News and Hollywood Tonight to discuss her cattle-themed Western art.

Collectors of Kohout’s original works include not only trainers and riders from around the country, but also politicians, actors, and others who admire her work.

C O V E R A R T I S T B I O

MANy THANkS To All oF Great Southwest Equestrian Center’s competitors, supporters & fans.

YOU

Topline InkEquestrian Journal

Magazine devoted to the dressage & Sporthorse rider

www.TopLineInk.com

ThANK


Imagine

Presented by

March 17- April 4, 2010Great Southwest Equestrian Center - Katy, TexasUSEF AA, Level Four USEF Jumpers, YJAC Qualifiers,

WCHR Event, THJA A, NAL/WIHS, USEF Heritage Competition

$300,000 in Prize Money.World Class Competition.

Outstanding Southern Hospitality.

pinoak.org

$30,000 Pin Oak Grand Prix, presented by Houston Area Audi Dealers

Week I $30,000 Nordic Lights Farm Grand Prix

II

$30,000 Spring Gathering Grand PrixIII

The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show is a 501 ( c ) 3 entity, benefiting The Ronald McDonald House of Houston and Texas Children’s Hospital.

pinoak.org713.621.6290

$15,000 Chronicle of the Horse, USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Valobra Jewlery and Antiques

“First Recognized USEF Heritage Show in the USA”

$15,000 Chronicle of the Horse, USHJA International Hunter Derby,

New! “AA” Hunter featuring Jr/AO’s

go to pinoak.org for our 2010 prizelist.

The Exhibitor - Winter Issue: February 2010

Documents

official footing

hospitalbecause children

world equestrian games

margaret gos children

west houston home

superb care

brand new facility

outdoor arena area