John Hovde, AQHA Professional Horseman

11/22/2025

11/22/2025

Thought I would do it like the real bronc stompers. Get a saddle on, get on, let them buck! Oh nuts, I forgot to put a saddle on ?? No wonder I forgot to get on too!!

11/22/2025

Still kinda raining in the desert today!

11/21/2025

Copied.
I had a team roper come in last night for coggins on his horse to be prepared for the World Series of Roping event in Vegas next month. (Those of you ropers who have not yet got your coggins, you need to do that now regardless of where you live.). Because of the vesicular stomatitis from last month Arizona horses have specific regulations on them in going to Nevada. Generally health papers are good for 30 days but because of the VS the window has shortened to 7 days. We told all clients coming in for coggins that they would have to come back right before they left to have an exam done on their horse before getting their health papers because of the significantly shortened window due to there being a disease in the state.

Now because of the EHM Nevada has shortened the window to 5 days. Arizona has done the same for horses coming from Texas and Oklahoma. As I was drawing the blood on the team roping horse I told the owner that he would have other come back the day before he left so that we could write his health papers unlike other years when they were good for 30 days, they were now only good for 5 days. He went over the days in his head and then told me the day he was planning on leaving and made an appointment for the day before he going so that he had everything he needed in the right timing.

After our discussion on times and paper we started discussing the current issues. I am not saying what anyone should or should not do or feel in what I am about to write, I am just giving words to some thoughts that I have regarding what is happening in increasing frequency. The uproar on social media regarding horse transport and events is at an all time high over a serious disease but a disease that takes some very direct contact with the boogers of the sick horse and is not novel or new. Herpes is not one of those diseases that your horse can get just from being on the same property, there has to be direct transfer of snot or discharge from the affected or shedding horse to your horse. The disease is always out there and always has been, it is not new. What is becoming new is our readiness to give up our freedoms because of fear.

I discussed with the team roper that his horse that is turned out in a corral that is probably dirty and not cleaned daily and has never been given any special supplements or blanketed or treated in any special way has an immune system that is going to protect him and his potential of coming down with EHM is minimal. It is minimal because he gets to be a horse and he rides in an open trailer and is exposed to the elements and his immune system is trained and ready to protect him. I understand that horses are expensive but like anything, the more you protect them and the more you keep them from having to go through anything difficult or any sickness, the lower and lower their immune system gets and the more you set them up to succumb to diseases that are out there.

If you want to do what is best for your horse, let them be a horse. Purchase insurance on them and turn them out and let them get all shaggy and ugly and when they get a snotty nose let their body take care of it instead of rushing them to the vet for antibiotics. God made horses to weather all the weather. God made them to protect themselves from diseases. God made them to do do hard things but we humans too often get in the way and try to protect them too much and then we get disease outbreaks and they get sick because we have never allowed their immune systems to get strong, kind of like our two legged kids. We allow fear to control our lives and we want everything fixed and better right now instead of allowing nature to do it her way and by doing so we handicap ourselves and our animals.

I have no problem if anyone does not want to go to any equine event with their horse out of fear of disease but I do have a problem with people getting mad and trying to bully or shame or demean others who want to go and do fun things with their horses that they own. The masses that are calling for complete cessation of equine transport and events are ridiculous! Why are we so willing to give up our freedoms? Why is it that we want the government to control what we do with what we own? Why is it that we are so ready to give up our lives just because other people are freaked out? Horses die miserable horrible deaths every day from colic and neglect and other diseases, it is just part of horse ownership. EHM has always been out there and always will be and there will always be flairs ups from time to time. Are we going to stop having equine events because of what could happen?

My thoughts are be careful of what you demand others do with their property because you are afraid. If we keep seeking control over the masses out of fear instead of just being wise and doing what we feel is best for us and what belongs to us, one day we will have no freedoms and our grandchildren will grow up never knowing what freedom is! Is that really what you want? The more we give in to social media pressures and to the demands of the scared, the less of a future of freedom we leave for ourselves and our children!

If you are worried, you stay home. If someone else is not, who are you to judge and to demand that they live life in fear? Horses are personal property and EHM is a disease spread by direct contact with infected droplets so controlling all movement of horses is giving up our freedom of horse ownership not to mention just our freedom to live life as we want. Truth be told with the changing weather your horse has a greater chance of getting colic and suffering unto death that way than it does possibly coming down with EHM. Not minimizing the disease or the devastation of those going through it but everyone should not be punished because of a disease that is always out there.

If we willing give up more and more of our freedoms because of fear, one day it is going to be too late to change our minds.

11/19/2025

I have received phone calls, messages, texts and smoke signals from clients asking about what they should do regarding upcoming barrel racing and roping events in Arizona given the EHV outbreak in Texas.

*First and foremost, pay attention to your horse. If it isn't 100% DO NOT GO! Stressed or sick horses will be more susceptible to the virus.

*Monitor horses' temperatures twice daily.

*Watch for clinical signs such as fever, nasal discharge, cough, or neurological symptoms (e.g., ataxia, stumbling, inability to stand).

*Do NOT share equipment (buckets, tack, etc.).

*Sanitize hands, clothing, and equipment after handling different horses.

*Park away from other trailers.

**Do not hang out on your horse visiting with other women or men in large groups. Put your horse away and then go to the stands and visit.

*Isolate any symptomatic horses immediately and seek veterinary care.

EHV vaccines are available but are primarily for respiratory and abortive forms and are not considered effective for preventing the neurological disease (EHM), though they may reduce viral shedding.

If you are worried and your horse frequently gets sick, stay home. It is way better for your horse for you to be overly concerned and to miss an event than it is to go and have them get sick and possible succumb to herpes.

11/18/2025

This is so true!

Horses form long-lasting fear memories (with science to back it up)

One of the most misunderstood aspects of horse behavior is how strongly and permanently they retain fear-based experiences.
This isn’t a training myth — it’s a documented neurological reality.

Below is a clear explanation followed by references to actual studies and published research.

🧠 Horses have a highly reactive amygdala (fear center)

Horses evolved as prey animals, so their brains prioritize rapid detection of danger over logical reasoning.
The amygdala — the part of the brain that stores fear memories — is extremely active in horses.

Because of this:

A single frightening event can create a lifelong trigger

Horses learn fear much faster than they learn relaxation

Fear memories are more easily reactivated than “positive” memories

Horses remember where something happened, the smell, the sound, the surroundings

This makes horses incredible survivors, but sometimes difficult for humans to understand.

📌 Scientific Evidence & References

1️⃣ “One-Trial Learning” — McDonnell (University of Pennsylvania)

Dr. Sue McDonnell, the world-renowned equine behaviorist at UPenn, has documented that horses often learn fear responses in one single negative experience, known as one-trial learning.

📚 Reference:
McDonnell, S. (2003). The Equid Ethogram: A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior.

This means a single bad trailer-loading, a fall, a harsh reprimand, or a frightening vet procedure can create a long-lasting avoidance pattern.

2️⃣ Fear memories are stored in the amygdala and are “resistant to extinction.”

Alexandra Warren-Smith, PhD, and Paul McGreevy (University of Sydney) have published extensive research showing that fear conditioning in horses is extremely persistent and that the amygdala-driven memories are not easily overwritten.

📚 Reference:
McGreevy, P., & McLean, A. (2010). Equitation Science. Wiley-Blackwell.
Warren-Smith, A., & McGreevy, P. (2008). Journal of Veterinary Behavior.

Their research shows:

Horses remember fear faster and longer than positive reinforcement

Fear conditioning is “robust” and “highly resistant” to extinction

Negative experiences are stored with environmental context (location, handler, objects, sounds)

3️⃣ Horses retain fear memories for YEARS

A French study at the University of Rennes found that horses remember negative experiences in specific locations for at least 22 months with NO retraining in between.

📚 Reference:
Fureix, C., Pagès, M., et al. (2009). “Investigation of the long-term memory of fear in horses.” Animal Cognition.

Key findings:

Horses showed fear responses when returning to the same location

Even if nothing frightening happened again

Their heart rate increased before they reached the exact spot

This demonstrates durable, long-term fear memory encoding.

4️⃣ Horses remember human mistakes and handling errors

Dr. Carol Hall (Nottingham Trent University) has shown that horses associate specific handlers with:

stress

fear

restraint

harsh treatment

even months later.

📚 Reference:
Hall, C., Goodwin, D., et al. (2008). “Horse–human relationships: The effect of human emotional state and handling errors.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

This supports what trainers know:
Horses don’t forget how humans make them feel.

5️⃣ Horses store sensory-linked fear memories

A study in Physiology & Behavior found that horses remember fear not only visually but also through:

smell

sound

touch

📚 Reference:
Munkes, M. et al. (2018). “Sensory processing in horses.” Physiology & Behavior.

This explains why a horse who had a traumatic trailer event may panic simply at:

the clank of a trailer hitch

the smell of diesel

the sound of a ramp dropping

⭐ Why this matters for the public

People often think:

“He’s being stubborn.”

“She’s testing me.”

“He’s just being dramatic.”

“She should get over it by now.”

But science shows:

➡️ Horses are not misbehaving — they’re remembering.
➡️ Fear memories are a survival mechanism, not defiance.
➡️ Punishing fear only strengthens the fear.
➡️ Trust takes time; fear happens instantly.

This is why patient, low-stress, consistent handling is not just “nice” — it’s biologically necessary.

11/08/2025

Your horse deserves the best version of you. Buster & Sheryl McLaury - Horsemen and Clinicians

10/31/2025

Bout to head South. Been kinda lonesome this summer up North.
Hopefully more friends will come see me in Az. Got room, horses and humans