Twin View Farm

11/11/2024

Bob Avila showed a horse, Smokem Okie, owned by Alaskans, the Fritz family, to win the AQHA Super Horse title many years ago. It was the same year the Ag Pavilion was built at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer.

He will be missed. Sincere condolences to his family.

It’s a huge loss for the entire AQHA, NRHA, and NRCHA families to lose someone who contributed so much. Bob was a committed winner in every sense of the word– every detail was important to study, learn and master, and he expected the same from his friends. His ability and talent to train and show horses extended into all western arenas, and to this day, Bob is only person to win the NRCHA and NRHA Futurities, Multiple AQHA World Titles in Cutting, Reining & Cow Horse, the World's Greatest Horseman and Magnificent 7, as well as many others...
In every arena, he excelled. He was passionate about teaching and sharing his knowledge about horses, products, and personal perspectives with people from around the world. His store, books, videos, symposiums, articles, and relationships all served to share and evolve his horsemanship principles.
This is a very sad time for all of us and certainly a time for reflection to remember and honor what Bob contributed to our lives.
It was truly an honor to work for him, shaping my career around his exceptional style and talent with horses and business. I will forever be grateful, Thank you Bob.

11/07/2024

Last week was the first group ride here at Twin View Farm. It was nice to see some wonderful people and their trusty steeds having fun. Trail obstacles were set up to have some fun exploring. Huge thank you to Rebecka Paniwozik for putting this together.

The next group ride will be tomorrow from 7 pm - 9 pm. The overwhelming majority voted for 40 degree temperatures in the arena, so that will be what it is set at. The haul in fee is $25/horse. No charge for heat.

As of today the road in is down to dry pavement. Hope to see you here!

11/05/2024

In case anyone is looking.

11/04/2024

Sarah Gotschall will be at Twin View Farm today with her BEEMER. She has spots available starting at 4:30. If you haven’t heard of BEEMER yet, here is a short video. You can message her if you’re interested.

Sarah Gotschall

The BEMER Horse-Set has been proven to have a positive impact on your horse’s body. It strengthens your horse’s health in terms of prevention and promotes regeneration after illness. It improves suppleness during training or when preparing for competitions. It can also provide valuable support d...

11/03/2024

🚨 Exciting news for Quarter Horse owners! MyAQHA now features a Registration Certificate Manager!

Thanks to your feedback, you can now:
✅ View registration certificates for horses owned since 2019
✅ Request free copies for older horses
✅ Share certificates via email
✅ Update gelding status and mark horses as deceased

Access all these AQHA management tools at myAQHA.com. If you’re not a member yet, sign up at myaqha.com (https://myaqha.com/) to access these great features. 🐴 aqha.com/-/aqha-launches-new-features-for-american-quarter-horse-owners-within-myaqha?redirect=%2F

10/30/2024

Looking forward to 2025!

10/24/2024

Two friends have had their horses colic in the last two weeks. Be on alert, and always check their water. We keep something on hand here called Stop Whoa. Charlie Willis of CW Tack and Western Wear told me about this years ago. He used to keep it on hand. It has worked in numerous cases over the years for mild colic (when there isn’t a twist, obstruction or other more serious issue). And always call your vet, just in case.

As the weather changes we see a rise in colic cases. Knowing the signs and catching it early can be all the difference in the case of a colic. Some signs you may notice are:

🍁Repeated standing and laying down
🍁Kicking at their abdomen
🍁Repeated rolling and pawing
🍁Grunting, sweating and distended abdomen
🍁Rapid breathing and flared nostrils
🍁Parked out stance
🍁Disinterested in eating or drinking
🍁Lack of bowel movements
🍁Depression or appearing "zoned out"

If you notice any of these signs, its time to act fast. Contact your veterinarian immediately. Reach out to us at (480) 294-7403 or for after hours emergencies (480) 848-5240

10/24/2024

Our son, Seth was pretty young when we moved to TVF. Can you guess by the picture what he was helping me with? I was (still am) a messy painter, like Mom, like son.

This furry friend also came with us. Geraldine. We had two cats, Tom and Gerry. They were full grown litter mates we got from a man that had too many cats. They were mirror images of each other. Tom was the larger, but Geraldine was a spitfire. She used to stalk her brother and pick on him mercilessly. In the house he would hide behind the wash machine or dryer. Eventually he escaped and left our family, so Gerry was the only cat we brought to the farm. She was an amazing hunter, even bringing in squirrels, chose to stay at the barn most of the time, but would come to the house when she needed help. In the picture, you can see one of her ears had frostbite. She came to the house for awhile when this happened. There was one other time she came in. She had puncture wounds on her sides. At first I thought a dog had got ahold of her, then figured out it was probably an owl. We had a pair of great horned owls in the neighborhood back then. Either way, she had the fight in her to escape to the house. She would stay until she chose not to.

This picture of Gerry was taken by Marvin Slaughter. He boarded his mare, Pretty Girl, here for awhile. Not sure if it is appropriate to describe a man as sweet, but he certainly was.

10/23/2024

10/20/2024

Our instructor, Rebecka Paniwozik, posted this on her page and I thought it worth sharing.

Pastures, nonstructural carbohydrates, and frost 🌱🍂❄️

Because it is that season, I want to discuss horse pastures and nonstructural carbohydrates, specifically as they relate to the beginning and end of a grazing season. Let’s begin by breaking this down by each topic before we add them all together:

Nonstructural carbohydrates, often abbreviated as NSCs, are comprised of water soluble carbohydrates (simple sugars and fructans) and starch. This class of carbohydrates is an important source of energy for the horse and they are digested and absorbed in the foregut, leading to an increase in blood glucose and insulin. As a result, high levels of NSCs in the diet can be an issue for horses with metabolic concerns specifically related to insulin dysregulation such as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), Cushing’s (PPID), and laminitis/founder. While NSCs can be more consistent and documented in manufactured concentrates, more variation is observed in pasture or hay due to outside factors such as plant maturity, time of day, and weather conditions.

In pasture plants, NSCs are produced via photosynthesis, a process in which sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide generate glucose and oxygen. A separate but complementary process known as respiration is responsible for breaking down the glucose created during photosynthesis and releasing that energy for cellular use. As a result, increased photosynthesis leads to an accumulation of NSCs and increased cellular respiration leads to a decrease of NSCs. There are many weather conditions that can alter the balance between these processes in plants.

So how are these two factors connected to frost and the swing in temperatures observed in the spring and fall when horses are either being introduced to or removed from pasture? Well, when temperatures fall below 40°F, the enzymes involved in cellular respiration become significantly less active. And when temperatures fall below freezing, the enzymes can become denatured, stopping respiration altogether. This means low temperatures can lead to an accumulation of NSCs in the forage which can be problematic for grazing horses.

As a result, it is important to look at the nightly lows, and if these temperatures are sustained for more than a few hours, change your management practices accordingly, especially for glucose-sensitive horses. Furthermore, a hard frost occurs when temperatures drop below 28°F for more than four consecutive hours and will not only result in NSC accumulation but also marks the end of the growing season. While current recommendations allow grazing to resume 7 days following a hard frost, pastures require a minimum height of 3” to 4” going into the winter to support pasture productivity the following grazing season. Since grasses will no longer grow after a hard frost, continuing to graze can put undue stress on the pasture.

Additionally, sudden changes in the diet that would occur from removing horses from pasture abruptly, keeping horses on dried forage for 7 days, and then reintroducing horses to pasture, could lead to digestive upset or other health problems and the process will be time intensive for owners. When shifting the diet, even between different forages, it is critical to plan intentional transitions that allow the gut microbiota to sufficiently adapt. While the transition back to pasture can be accelerated in the fall compared to beginning grazing in the spring, it should still be done with care.

I hope this information is helpful as you make decisions on horse management and grazing this season!

- Dr. DeBoer

10/20/2024

Over the years, I’ve found this to be true.

10/18/2024

Ri had proven himself as a stallion by producing: I’m Right Grand, I’m Right Pretty, In The Right Spot (Harley Rose), and more. He performed under saddle earning points at his first time shown by Linda Hartman, was started by Stovall on cows and was break away roping here (Ri loved to back - he would literally run backwards), Ri cleared 2’6” the first time he was jumped by a friend of mine, and I had every confidence he was the all around horse we were striving for. So what happened?

Late June or early July of ‘92, Ri was sent to a trainer in Washington state that I knew & did business with in Alaska. Ri was to be boarded & trained while being marketed for sale. Later, that same summer, after finishing the show season in Alaska, I’m Right Grand was flown to the same trainer the end of August, also to be marketed for sale.

We put Twin View Farm for sale, Shack went to Saudi Arabia and I stayed behind to complete the sale. The Farm closed on October 16, 1992. Seth and I flew to Saudi to join Shack.

Communication from Saudi was a little difficult, with an 11 or 12 hour time difference (they don’t do daylight savings time) and phone calls were $1/minute, but we managed.

The trainer said there were a few people who wanted to breed to Ri, so I should think about keeping him until spring. I followed her suggestion, paid his AQHA Incentive Fund fee for the year and Washington state Stallion Futurity Nomination fee. Advertising (the pictures here) complete with professional photos paid for. Show fees for both horses on top of the normal vet and farrier care. Things were adding up fast.

I did not find out until months after paying for training, Ri was not being ridden, only fit for halter.

No offers to buy came in, no breeding contracts were forthcoming, so the trainer and I chose a sale to take Ri to. Two weeks before the sale, I was informed the trainer could not take him, but knew someone who could, Chuck Wolf, she had dealt with him in the past. I wasn’t happy, but not much I could do. The costs were adding up, so I chose not to put a minimum bid on him. That is how a $15,000. off the pasture yearling, after training in Alaska and seven months of training in Washington, on February 18, 1993 sold for $2,500. That was before the sale fee and handling fee.

According to AQHA records, Ri went on to finish his halter AQHA ROM (Register of Merit), shown in dally team roping-heading, dally team roping-heeling and tie-down roping.

I could have given these horses away in Alaska to the benefit of many and saved thousands. Don’t we all wish we had hindsight.

In December, Grand sold for $3500. AQHA records show the trainer as the owner, then the Don Avilla Estate, then a family who had a youth rider bought and showed him under saddle. Many years latter I was giving a tour of TVF and the lady mentioned she had once owned a horse from Alaska when she was in the L48. It turned out to be Grand.

Lots of lessons learned. That Ri didn’t go on to reach the potential I thought he had is my biggest regret. I’ve toyed with the idea of sending a horse to the L48 for training, I have one now that I think is worthy, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to.

Written contracts, being up front with your expectations, being able to check on your horse, or knowing someone near the trainer that could check for you, would be a couple of suggestions that come out of all of this.

10/18/2024

How did a c**t we paid $15,000. for as a yearling sell for $2,500. as an adult point earning performance horse, with multiple grand champions at halter and sire of a yearling who qualified for the AQHA World Show (by point earnings).

Under training with Linda Hartman, Ri went on to earn 1st Place in Jr. Western Pleasure in a class of 10, under Judge Margo Ball. Pete Kyle placed him 1st out of 12 in Hunter under Saddle and Al Dunning complimented Linda after judging him. That summer Ri earned three Weatern Pleasure points & two HUS points, with the previous year showing at halter he accumulated 12 halter points.

At the same time Linda was showing Ri, I was showing a yearling gelding he sired, I’m Right Grand. Grand was the only yearling gelding showing that year, so didn’t win any points for winning the class, but he went Grand Champion seven out of eight times shown to earn enough points that he qualified for the AQHA World Show.

Our goals for breeding horses in Alaska were being fulfilled, but our life was changing in dramatic ways. Shack was one of 250 people RIFT(reduction in force termination) from ARCO Alaska and we made the decision sell the Farm and go overseas. That meant selling everything.

The final chapter coming your way tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of Ri under saddle, we were video taping that year.

Picture of I’m Right Grand as a yearling. Even though he was the only one showing in his class all year, he was fit & polished like the Grand horse he was.

11/04/2023

Position is filled. Thank you all!

Looking for barn help, feeding horses, turning out, cleaning stalls and paddocks. Horse experience preferred (be able to halter and lead), and know the difference between grass hay and alfalfa. Must have reliable transportation. Roughly 2 to 2.5 hours/day. $11 during training, up to $15/hour when you can do the job on your own. When you can do the job efficiently and top quality, will go to $20/hour. Starts at 8 am, weekdays. We are located about a mile from Wasilla Walmart.

11/04/2023

Looking for barn help, feeding horses, turning out, cleaning stalls and paddocks. Horse experience preferred (be able to halter and lead), and know the difference between grass hay and alfalfa. Must have reliable transportation. Roughly 2 to 2.5 hours/day. $11 during training, up to $15/hour when you can do the job on your own. When you can do the job efficiently and top quality, will go to $20/hour. Starts at 8 am, weekdays. We are located about a mile from Wasilla Walmart.

07/12/2023

We will have openings here August 1st. Ride all winter with a great group of people. Rates are listed under services. Several stall/paddock options.

07/11/2023

07/10/2023

Missy is starting a new reiner 🤠