Fort Worth Stockyards

On Saturday July 24th we took a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the National Day of the American Cowboy. There was a crowd of about 8000 people who attended the festivities of the day that included a watermelon eating contest, a “Most worn out boots” contest, and a ribbon cutting for the new Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.

The atmosphere of the event was quite fun and took the opportunity to take the camera and play with getting some “different” kinds of photos. The long horned cattle are very impressive, local flair (costumed characters) along with all the overall setting of the Stockyards was too much for us to pass up.  If you schedule a visit to the Stockyards, you might also find “The Duke” riding around on a beautiful light bay horse, or you might find yourself in the middle of a gun fight.

We had a great time and will certainly be visiting the Stockyards again. Here is a sampling of photos that we took (click on the photo to see a larger view).

All of these photos were shot with a Canon 5D and a EF 24 – 105mm f4 IS lens (no flash). One of our favorite shots was taking the photos near the train from a very low angle (shoe top). While We didn’t get on the ground, it is fun to play with taking a photo from an unusual angle and seeing what you come up with (which is often quite stunning).

Thanks for stopping by,
The NickerTown Staff

Horse Photo Lighting

We’ve been taking photos for a summer camp the past few weeks and thought we would share a little information on our lighting setup and show an example. Before camp started, we wanted to be sure that the school horses would be ok with having their photos taken and not spook at the flash when fired. We played with a few different lighting setups before deciding on what we share below. We really wanted to do some nice photos for the kids during summer camp and wanted to make sure we kept safety in mind (which we do at all times around horses – especially where there are kids around horses). We tried some outdoor scenarios as well as some indoor configurations. We ended up settling on keeping the horses indoor – in the arena. The summer horse campers would tack up, and then lead their horse into the arena. We can then line the horses up and have them step up to the front of the line to have their photos taken. They can then lead the horses away and over to the instructors where they have their final tack checks and can mount. It really helps get through all of the horses and campers in the quickest, safest fashion.

This is one of the example photos we shot while preparing for summer camp. Each horse was brought in and photographed to see if any of them would have an issue with the flash guns (no problems at all).

This is the lighting setup we use to shoot the photos:

We’re still tweaking the light configuration, but we’ve been pretty happy with the results. Anyways, we hope you find this information helpful. We will try to give you some other options to use when taking photos of horses in the coming days. We want to provide you with some alternatives to taking really nice photos without the need of professional lighting (natural light or on camera flash).

Thanks for stopping by,
The NickerTown Staff'

May Photo Contest Winners

NickerTown is proud to announce the winner for the May Photo Contest. The Grand Prize winner is Stephanie Smith for her photo titled “Grey Draft Horse”. Stephanie selected a $25 Gift Card from Amazon.com for her prize and says about her photo - “This photo is of my neighbors draft horse.  He is so friendly and loves to "pose" for the camera.”

There were many fantastic photos submitted in May and as usual, it was difficult to choose a winner. You can see Stephanie’s photo; as well as the other finalists; in the winners gallery.

We hope you will join in the fun and add your photos. The June photo contest is underway and photos are being accepted.

Thanks for stopping by,
The NickerTown Staff

Fly Season

Fly season is upon us and we’ve taken a little time to gather some home made recipes for fly spray. Some of these recipes may work better than others and your mileage may vary. The claims made in the following recipes are provided for reference. If you have any doubt in using any of these recipes, always consult your Vet.

#1 – Homemade Fly Spray
This one is a favorite of mine!  I discovered it this summer through a friend.  She recommended it highly.  It has worked for everyone that has used it to date with no side effects, including on my own horses.  I also use it around the outside of our house and barn as a perimeter spray to control bugs and flies. Its safer and more effective than store-bought stuff and it smells better! (I have a 16month old daughter)

The only downfall of this concoction is that in "tough" fly country, it seems to last about 8-10 hours, but the price is right to make more!

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Mix equal parts in a spray bottle of the following:

1/3 Pine Sol of any scent (I like orange)
1/3 Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 Water

Shake well and apply liberally to your horse. Be careful around the head, eyes and any open wounds. If in doubt, do a patch test for sensitivity on your horse and/or consult your vet prior to application. Enjoy!

#2 – Fly Be Gone
15 oz water
5 oz commercial fly spray ( any brand)
5 oz vinegar
2 oz vegetable oil
2 oz green Dawn dish soap

#3 - Easy Fly Spray
Mix seven parts water with one part citronella as a fly spray. It's not oily either. Mix it four parts water to one part citronella during the worst of the fly season.

#4 - Internal Fly Repellant
If your horse is allergic to fly bites, try 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar on their grain once a day. This raises the blood acid level just enough to bother the flies, but it is completely healthy for the horse. It takes about one week to start seeing the effects. Several old timers have told me that they always put vinegar in their horse's drinking water during the summer to repel flies and mosquitoes.

#5 - Horse Insect Repellent Mix
1 oz. Citronella Oil
2 oz. Skin-So-Soft or Coat-So-Soft
1 Cup Cider Vinegar
1 cup Water

Mix in a 20 oz. spray bottle.

#6 - Fly Repellent
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup Avon Skin So Soft (Bath oil)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon eucalyptus oil

#7 - Avon Skin So Soft
Mix 3 parts water to 1 part Avon's skin-so-soft in a spray bottle.
Spray liberally on your horse. This also softens his coat.

#8 - Quick Fly Spray
18 oz white vinegar
2 Tbsp dish washing soap.
Mix in a 20 oz spray bottle and shake gently until well blended. You may add water to dilute.  Spray liberally on your horse

#9 – Easy Fly  Mixture
4 oz Skin So Soft
1 oz citronella oil
12 oz vinegar
12 oz water 

Mix all together and spray

You can also check out the commercial Fly Sprays at Jeffers Equine:
Fly Sprays 

We hope these recipes come in handy and work for you,
The NickerTown Staff

Common Horse Illnesses

We’ve created a new page (see the navigation on the right under Stories, Articles, & Resources) that provides some basic information on common horse illnesses and ailments. We hope you find some useful information on diseases.

Thanks for visiting,
The NickerTown Staff