Barrel racing is a tough sport for both rider and horse. Barrel horses are athletes who need to be in very good condition to race barrels. A horse that is not in good condition and started on barrels may ache and associate the pain with running barrels. This can lead to problems that are difficult to correct.

If you plan to start a horse in barrels or are getting an experienced horse back into shape, start with his conditioning before putting him into the barrel pattern. The long trot and the slow trot are the two best ways to get a horse into top condition. These steps will build muscle and lung capacity, allowing the horse to perform better and not run out of breath after a race. Part of getting your horse in shape is developing his lung capacity and stamina. Having an exercise program for your horse is the best way to monitor what exercise your horse is getting. This makes it easier to add or remove parts of the program depending on the condition and needs of the program.

Find a good, safe place to exercise your horse. An arena is good because of the cushion of dirt or sand, but it can get very boring for both you and your horse. If you have a large lawn, you can do most of your exercise there. Dirt roads without stones are good for this because the scenery is not as repetitive. Make sure you don’t exercise your horse on ground that is too hard, such as roads, concrete, or icy ground. Always put protective boots on your horse’s legs before riding to protect his legs from injury.

To get your barrel horse into shape, you need to work up to riding it six to eight miles three or four days a week. These days should consist of warming up with a walk, long trot and slow canter. At first, you should walk more and slowly take your walking time and add it to your jogging and jogging segments. After walking half a mile, alternate long jogs and slow jogs for half a mile. Do this for a week and then add another half mile. It can take months to reach the full six or eight miles, but getting a horse into top condition takes time and patience. Of course, if your horse is in good shape before you start the program, you can add mileage faster.

On days that you are not following the exercise program, you should exercise your horse lightly or in a round pen. Allow your horse at least one day off each week to rest and relax. Leave it in a grass to run freely or lie down. This allows your muscles to continue working, but at their own natural rate. This also allows you to relax and not get bored with the exercise program.

After following this program for about 90 days, you should see a huge improvement in your horse’s condition and stamina. He is almost at peak performance of him at this point. He can now add a sprint to his exercise schedule on a weekday. He starts with a walk and a jog to warm up and stretch his muscles. Ask your horse to run about 250 yards. Ask him for as much speed as he gives you, allowing him to run as fast as he can. Slowly bring it down to a gallop, trot, and then walk. Walk until his breathing is even and he has cooled down. This does not need to be done more than once a week. If you are racing your horse in a barrel race almost every weekend, you can skip this part of the training.

Once you start competing regularly, this rigorous exercise program can be reduced to a maintenance program. If you’re competing almost every weekend, you can cut the workout down to 45 minutes of walking, jogging, and jogging three or four days a week. Always make sure you give your horse at least one day off a week and don’t ride hard every day. Horses get bored with routine and may start to misbehave. Remember not to overwork it the day or the day before a competition.

Application cover letters are written in response to a known vacancy

These are 1) a letter in response to a known job opening, 2) a letter inquiring about potential openings, and 3) a networking letter requesting help with a job search. An application letter is sent along with the resume that will provide additional information about the applicant’s skills and qualifications that are relevant to the job applied for. The letter of application provides the prospective employer with an opportunity to note the applicant’s specific skills, experience, and achievements. If well written, this type of letter can encourage the employer to form a good opinion of the applicant. It is a misconception of most applicants that the application cover letter is not as important as the resume. This is incorrect and CL is, in fact, the first submission from the applicant that the prospective employer will read.

The application cover letter is just as important as the resume itself. Since it lends itself to the first impression of the applicant, it is imperative that you write an effective application letter to make a good impression. This can be achieved by highlighting how your skills match the desired skills needed to do the job. All cover letters have a common goal: grab the reader’s attention and get the reviewer to call the applicant in for an interview. How is this goal achieved? There are some basic rules when it comes to writing a proper cover letter.

1. The resume has to be impressive as CL says. This is important as the content and cover letter must be accompanied by an excellent resume.

2. The format used for the cover letter will depend on the type of job applied for.

3. A good application cover letter should not only address the applicant’s capabilities, but also align them with the job requirements mentioned in the advertisements.

4. Make your application letter unique. Most applicants will go online and download a sample cover letter and not change anything to make it more personal. A cover letter that is not personalized will not be effective.

5. The opening statement must be strong. Instead of placing the ID position in the left corner of the letter, you can center it and express it clearly.

6. The letter should convey to the reader that the applicant is competent, courteous, and confident.

7. Be brief. The letter should not be longer than four paragraphs. You should explain why he is interested in the job and why you think he is the best person for the job. Be positive and convey your enthusiasm for the job, and finally provide information on how you can be contacted for an interview.

To make your application cover letter effective, use positive and professional language. Avoid the use of clichés and slang words, but don’t be too formal. Don’t try to impress your employer by using unnecessary long words. Do not use the word “I” more than three or four times. Knowing information about the company or organization you are applying to will help you better convey your skills and qualifications. Proofread the letter to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors.

I have attended grilling contests, mixed and matched spices and dressings, and tasted the so-called “Best” winners. Honestly, few have lived up to its billing. While attending a barbecue contest last summer, I spoke with three competitors who cooked their Tri-tip roasts differently. The first group smoked theirs in a hanging smoker. When served, the temperature was 135 and weird. The sauce has a mixture of ketchup. The first rule of thumb is…

TEMPERATURE; You need to achieve a light pink in the middle and completely finished around the outside. To accomplish this, I pull my Tri-Tip to 138 degrees. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes and it will reach a temperature of 10 degrees. Remember, 140 is rare, 150 medium, 160 good. A properly made Tri-Tip is chewy and lacks taste and flavor.

The second competitor called his entry “Santa Fe style”. They used a Santa Fe style rub on the meat. They also had a special red tree bark to smoke the last 10 minutes that was supposed to give the meat a special flavor. What I found was very little flavor from the rub and no additional special flavor from the crust. Boring and bland!

PREPARATION: I have found little to no difference using countless rubs on the Tri-Tip. Remember that you are cooking a roast. If you really want to impart flavor, use a wet marinade. You have a thick piece of beef and you need penetration. Try to marinate for at least 24 hours with strong flavors to develop character and flavor profile. You can add your spices to the marinade.

The final contender and winner for this BBQ Tri-Tip award was a local winery, whose chef did little to no prep, but creatively hid his travel tip in a brioche bun with some homemade hot sauce. I thought it was smart, but far from showing off the meat product. He hid it!

BUILD CHARACTER AND FLAVOR: The meat must be marinated to develop a rich flavor. The longer the better, but try overnight. Brown the outside of the roast first to help form a char and crust. If you have a little layer of fat, this will help build a nice crust. A total of 5 to 10 minutes on direct heat when you are lighting the coals should be enough. Once the browning is complete, pass it through the grill and smoke indirectly. Use chips and chunks and a mix of hickory, apple, cherry or other fruit. Hickory for its spicy signature and fruity wood for its smooth flavor. Watch your temperature and keep it around 138 degrees. Sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting ENJOY!

Basic Real Estate Statistics Explained

Let’s define some of the basic real estate statistics that are released regularly. For this, we will use a real estate market, located in Hood County, Texas. Even more granular, we will use the single-family numbers for homes in Granbury Tx, a small town of about 8,000 residents that has seen substantial real estate growth in the last 12 months. When reviewing real estate statistics, it’s important to use a set of numbers large enough to be consistent, yet granular enough to tell your story.

The statistics we will be referring to are true and accurate for the year discussed, but are used to define the real estate statistic itself.

We have chosen Granbury Tx as our example because the growth of the local real estate market makes the static stand out.

Whenever you’re evaluating statistics, especially in real estate, the source of the numbers is extremely important. In most cases, the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) provides the most accurate numbers when it comes to real estate. This is because they have all the listings for all the local real estate brokers in their database. For the sake of explanation of the data, we will analyze the figures for home sales in Granbury Tx, directly from the MLS. These numbers are meant to give an example of how to read the stats themselves. Whenever you’re evaluating real estate numbers, it’s important to pay close attention to how the numbers are compiled. In this case, we will use ONLY single-family properties in the City of Granbury.

Basic Real Estate Statistics

• number of sales – This one is self explanatory. It is simply the number of single-family homes sold in a particular month. As of January 2015, they had 51 single-family homes sold. One thing to pay attention to when looking at this stat is that they are using the date of the contract or the day the property actually closed. These two dates are usually 30-60 days apart, so it’s critical that you know which one you’re referring to. Also, many of the houses that are calculated, if you are using the “under contract” number, they may not close! In our example, we are using the number of houses that actually closed. In January 2016 they had an increase of more than 49%, bringing the total to 77 from 51. Very rarely do you see growth of that level.
• Sales volume – Sales volume is simply the total dollar amount spent on single-family homes within that month. Again, when reviewing this statistic, it’s important to keep the property types consistent. If you are comparing two areas to see which has grown the most and you include vacant land in the number for one area, you should include it in the other as well. As mentioned above, our examples only include single-family properties. With Number of Sales looking at units, you would expect Sales Volume to increase appropriately, but in this case, it increased even more than units (by percentage). Total sales volume for single-family homes in Granbury in January 2016 was $15,191,500 compared to the January 2015 figure of $9,281,915. That’s an increase of more than 63%. Because sales volume increased at a higher rate than the number of units, this reflects that average home sales were much higher in 2016 than in 2015.
• Months of Inventory – This is a commonly referred to statistic when examining a real estate market. This statistic refers to the current rate of sales, how long it will take to sell through the existing level of inventory. This reflects the supply and demand of the market. In our example, in January 2015 the inventory level was 9 months and in January 2016 it had dropped to 6 months. That’s a 33% drop in available inventory! This means that if you are looking to buy a home in Granbury Tx, it will be a little more difficult in 2016 as there is less inventory available to purchase.
• Average days to sell – This statistic simply refers to the time it takes to contract single-family properties. Don’t let “sell” confuse you. To accurately display active home demand, you really want to track how long you’ve been “under contract.” The process of obtaining final lender approval, insurance, and reaching a closing can vary based on a variety of factors. In January 2015, the median days to sell was 88. That number dropped by more than 30% to 61. Again, this tells you that if you’re looking for homes in Granbury TX, you better get their offers quickly as the most desirable. houses go fast!
• Average price – This statistic can be derived in several ways. We will use it in its crudest form and it will simply be the median home price. sold out within that month. Be careful when looking at this statistic in print anywhere, as how the user defines the sale date may vary. It goes without saying that the median price can be used for active homes for sale or for homes that have sold. The average price of ACTIVE homes for sale is generally a pretty useless number, as you can list a home for any price, with no chance of it ever selling. Many homes listed for sale are priced unrealistically, so the average price of active homes for sale can fluctuate dramatically and provide little market insight. You’ll want to look at the median price of SOLD homes. In January 2015, the median home sale was $181,998 and it jumped to $199,888 in the same month in 2016. This is an increase of almost 10%. This is not a number that really counts the increase in home values ​​across the board, but simply of the houses sold in that month, what was the average.
• Half price – The average home sales price can be skewed by a variety of factors. All it takes is a $5 million home sale to throw up those numbers. To get a better look at the overall increase in value, it may be best to look at the median selling price. The median selling price takes the number that is perfectly in the middle. For example, if you have 11 houses that you are using in your statistic, you would take the sales price of the sixth. This leaves 5 houses sold higher and 5 houses sold lower. In this case, they are quite close as the average sales price increase from January 2015 to 2016 was 9.69%. This shows that we did not have the average price too skewed due to an extremely large or extremely small sale.

There are hundreds of ways to look at the same numbers, when referring to real estate, so be very careful to read the fine print on exactly what numbers they are using. When making comparisons, you want to be absolutely sure that they are both referring to the same property types, dates, etc. As the old saying goes… there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

$20 may not sound like much, but it could potentially turn into a million dollars in no time. In the world of investing and compounding, even a humble $20 bill can be a seed capital account that will grow to gigantic proportions. When your money earns interest on interest, you can see some truly magical things begin to happen.

Return speed is just as important. Let’s take our $20 bill for example, can you think of ways to turn that $20 into $40? If you could double your result every time for 17 times, you would have over $1.3 million dollars by the time you are on your 17th trade.

Have you thought about how to double your $20 dollars? In fact, it would be very easy and I don’t think there is a reader considering this who doesn’t have some ideas on how to double a $20 dollar bill into $40. But how would you double $650,000, which is the 16th transaction or step? ?

If you could double $20 by investing it. In other words, buying something for $20 and getting $40 back when you sell it back can do so at higher levels as well. The main difference will be the speed of your returns. Doubling $20 would not only be easy, it wouldn’t take long. Maybe you could even find an opportunity and sell it in a day. If you were to double $650,000 you would need to find something like a house or a business and that takes time to buy and time to sell but you could still do it. Also, you couldn’t possibly do 100% on a single transaction in real estate, maybe in one tranche you could do 3 for 30% transactions. But it is doable.

Following Microsoft’s launch of its new Cyber ​​Crime Center, now would be a good time to discuss the need for such a center and why the future of the Internet looks bleak without it and similar labs.

In a nutshell, the center is a multi-disciplinary task force that has been assigned the unenviable task of providing high-level policing against cybercrime or nipping criminal activity in the bud. Security engineers, digital forensics experts, and lawyers are working together to stop alarming trends including cyber fraud, cyber extortion, and cyber bullying.

Let’s take a look at why this Center was established and the main reasons why, if left unchecked, cybercrime could threaten the foundation of the Internet and the widespread communication it has brought us.

1. Temptation. As the years go by, more and more people are on the Internet. It provides a fast and international way of communication. As more people see that they can “hide” behind your device, the greater the temptation to try something criminal. It’s very easy to lie to someone when you can’t see them. This is a recipe for disaster.

2. Trust. The more people who have been duped through Internet crime, the more likely the average person will start to stay away. This is not what those who are developing viable and up-to-date technologies want to see. However, as is often the case, the few (but increasingly) ruin it for the many.

3. Hack mania. The culture of “hacking” has become a competitive nightmare. The so-called “smart” culture has become a race to be the smartest. This doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Hacking, in many cases, is nothing more than a low-level curiosity.

4. Laws that cannot be updated. The Internet started about 30 years ago. It was the wild west. It’s still the wild west. Technology moved beyond existing laws. Basically, there were no laws for anything like the Internet. Legislators have tried to address this, but when you fall behind, it’s very difficult to catch up in this type of game.

5. No deterrence. For example, it might seem like fun to a 12-year-old to waste time hacking into bank information or stealing money from credit cards. He rides his bike home from school. Get’s on his laptop at home and does his thing. So he steals money from a 6-year-old retired grandmother, who lives thousands of miles away, secretly thinking, “Wow, so easy and who’s going to catch me?” reality of her transgression because she lives in a virtual world. Until something is done to force a return to a world of reality, it is clear that this type of offense may become the norm rather than the exception. These people have not only taken away the livelihood of others, they have made a complete mess of one of the greatest discoveries on this planet.

The Internet is a beautiful tool, when used correctly. Hopefully the Cyber ​​Crime unit can help curb unwanted activity, and we’ll all have a safe Internet experience for a long time to come.

HAS question of power It is the second book in the series. the chronicles of fire by Suzy Wright. preceded by Fire’s LordEast Question offers some answers in this volume, but hides several more in a sequel to come. If you want to take a trip to a fantasy land, full of adventure and romance, start the journey of the chronicles of fire. This book is just a technical stop on this fantastic journey.

While it is preferable that you read the first volume, the second volume is also strong enough to stand on its own. Before landing in Susi Wright’s fantasy realm, she equips him with a map and a crash course in Gaian philosophy, so he’ll have a sense of direction once he arrives. It is refreshing to note the abundance of female characters in the book. Some of them are present from the first volume, while others are presented now. They are quite intriguing and portray different visions of the Ideal Woman.

Humans cohabit the planet with Gaians and other fantastical races. Gaians are humanoids with superior perceptive powers and a few more magical tricks up their sleeves. However, there are also physical characteristics specific to Gaians, they have light-colored hair and eyes with a mystical glow that never fails to go unnoticed. New times find these two races living together in the safety of an Alliance and nurturing a new hybrid race, which proves to surpass the parents.

Early on, we follow one of the most promising young Gaian warriors, Xandor, on his quest to find and rescue other members of his race. His journey will result in finding and adding valuable members to his clan and to his life as well. Thus, the characters that inhabit the series emerge quickly. The tension in the air that they all breed forces the hand of their leader, Luminor, the Fire Lord, to act against a great evil that threatens to suffocate the new world order. And so they ride into battle against an unknown enemy fueled by an insatiable hunger for power.

HAS question of power is, without a doubt, a great book for young adults who love fantasy novels. The story is well written and the plot is easy to follow, it goes perfectly with the scent of spring. All in all, it is a refreshing read for people of all ages.

Tired of facing the same old cultural obstacles to innovation in your organization? Wouldn’t it be nice to see the light from the other side through them?

If you crave that kind of relief, you’ll appreciate it. restructuring organizations, a great book by Bolman and Deal that I recently used to teach an Organizational Behavior course at Portland State University. From a comprehensive review of organizational behavior studies and theories, these people have discovered four themes, or frameworks, from which organizational behaviors and challenges can be better understood. Each framework provides a different perspective, and each leads to different insights into the causes and potential opportunities.

The four frames are:

• Structural – Organization as a factory
• Political – Organization like jungle
• Human Resources – Family organization
• symbolic – Organization as theater

There is a whole book full of wisdom that goes with the frameworks. But you can see from just this little tidbit that applying metaphors to what’s going on in your team, department, or company makes you think in new ways.

Your organization’s prevailing culture likely supports thinking and acting from a single framework, and that’s the box you’re in. The most effective leaders break out of the box by being able to invoke whichever of the four frameworks provides the best understanding and influencing strategies for the current situation. That kind of balance is rare in organizations, but it can be developed.

The Bolman and Deal frameworks do not have an implicit sequence, but resonate with the four sequential activities that make up the reciprocal model, a creative process model that I use in my leadership development work. The sequence adds value because it shows the way out of the box. Here are the four creative process activities, in order, that go with the Bolman and Deal frameworks:

1. Structural framework – challenge activity (develops quality)
2. Political framework – Produce activity (develops ability)
3. Human Resources Framework – Appreciate activity (develops commitment)
4. Symbolic framework – Explore activity (develops curiosity)

If you can identify what your organization’s current default framework is, then the path to a more adaptive culture can begin by using the next framework in sequence to inform your analysis and guide your planning. And you can start down that path by engaging in the activity of the creative process associated with the following chart.

So, for example, if you determine that your organization defaults to the Symbolic framework (organization as theater), then the output would be the Structural framework (organization as factory) and the activity to perform would be the Challenge activity (keeping potential options in check). tall). to the vote in order to choose one to run).

Many organizations eventually realize that the default framework they are working within is no longer useful. Unfortunately, their approach at that point is usually to recast themselves into a different default framework and stay there until it stops working for them. So every few years there is a restructuring that uses a lot of organizational energy and loses a lot of valuable organizational memory. With that strategy, the underlying problem, the lack of balance, is never addressed.

I don’t think that’s the best use of an organization’s resources. It would be more effective for an organization to develop the ability to execute all four frameworks more smoothly as each situation requires. The Creative Process offers practical guidance for doing just that. I encourage you to check out the white paper to get an idea of ​​how it might apply to your work situation. And then, of course, I encourage you to give it a try. If you do, let me know how it goes.

iPad vs Laptops – This is an issue that users have been grappling with ever since the first iPad was released in 2010. One of the biggest questions going around is whether an iPad can replace the laptop. There are several tech blogs that break down the pros and cons of the iPad vs. laptop to give users a clear view of what each does well. It has been more than a year since the launch of the iPad and the dilemma surrounding the iPad vs laptop has yet to be resolved. But has there been any change? Well, as many tech blogs report, users have adapted to tablets quite easily. Apple sold more than 14 million iPad units in 2010 and is aiming for 40 million units in 2011. This obviously indicates the huge popularity of iPad tablets among users.

Most tech blogs address the iPad vs. laptop, discussing the pros and cons of each. Here, we’ll look at how the suitability of each of the devices changes with the type of job you use it for or the type of user you are.

iPad vs laptop: which is better for the casual user?

iPads are great for performing simple computing tasks. These simple tasks that you can easily do on a laptop or desktop become more personal when done on a tablet. If you’re a casual user who intends to scan news sites, check emails, read e-books, do some social networking, or just surf the net lying on your couch, nothing could be better than the iPad.

Not only that, the iPad is also becoming popular as a game console. Although people were a bit nervous about using touch screen controls to play the game, they have now gotten used to it.

So you’ll see that you don’t really need a laptop if this is all you want to do.

iPad vs laptop: which is better for the professional user?

When the iPad was launched, the idea that was circulating in various technology blogs was that the iPad was intended for content consumption rather than content creation. This more or less sums up the functionality of the devices in question.

Simple content creation is becoming possible on the iPad, but to create advanced content, you still have to rely on the laptop.

If you’re a writer, you certainly can’t work on the iPad. Of course, many will argue that writers can use the Bluetooth keyboard. But the question is if you have to add a keyword, you might as well use a laptop. Also, sites like WordPress are not optimized for tablets.

If you’re thinking of professional-level photo editing, the iPad certainly won’t be of any help, at least not in its current form. By having a touch screen interface, the iPad has the potential to offer advanced photo editing options, but that will take some time.

Photoforge 2, which claims to be Photoshop’s iOS counterpart, is a far cry from what Photoshop allows its users to achieve.

Unique elements required for a service-based business to rank well in search engines.

While large multinational companies employ SEO strategies to gain customers and clients from all over the world, a small business dealing only with clients in their geographic region only wants local leads.

This article looks at what you should have in your SEO strategy if you’re one of those smaller businesses and you’re trying to gain visibility with local customers.

1. Your website

Take a look at their website and see if you can tell where their business is located and who they serve.

Your target area should be prominently featured in your home page copy, your contact page, as well as in the footer. You can even incorporate it into your business name or URL.

The idea is, of course, to make sure that when someone comes to your website looking for what you offer, they are also told that you provide services in their area.

Put these terms in your META data as well. Make a difference when it comes to reaching local customers by conducting searches specific to your city or business service area. Also, when creating individual pages for each service you provide, include the locations served in the headlines and copy.

2.Google My Business

If you haven’t already, you need to create a Gmail account for yourself, so you can easily sign in to all Google apps and products.

Google My Business is one of those freely available tools that puts your business on Google Maps, and if Google sees the right signs, it will also show up at the top of local results. Local ranking results are those results you’ll see when Google has understood that your search query is specific to a location.

Try typing ‘plumbers near me’ into Google and you’ll probably see some ads and some localized listings before you see organic search results. This could be 1-3 ads or 3-4 local listings depending on how competitive the market is.

Those local listings are valuable to your business and by creating and verifying your business with Google, you will have at least started the steps necessary to appear in those local listings.

Once you have the account, fill in as much as you can. Provide photos and use your service and location keywords in the description and anywhere else you see a real opportunity.

3.Local quotes

Local citations are when your business is listed in local directories. You will probably only need to do this once and it is very easy.

Simply search for your location with the word ‘directories’ after it. There are some obvious ones like Yelp, but you can also find some niche directories for your location and service.

Never pay for these as Google will have already flagged those paid directories when they review your site. Paying for links or citations will always hurt your ranking efforts.

4.Reviews

When it comes to local customers, reviews are gold. They are testimonials that other potential customers can trust. Soliciting them from previous clients is totally fine; however, falsifying them is not.

Don’t have them log into their Gmail account from their computer to leave a review or Google will see that all your reviews come from the same IP address and the reviews won’t help your ranking.

There are plenty of other things you can do as well, but those 4 points are basic to any local SEO strategy, and if you’re a service-based business, you’ll need them to get the right traffic.

Of course, if you’re looking to really dominate the ranking results and make sure you have a solid strategy in place, you’ll want to hire someone who provides professional search engine optimization. They can take things further and actively maintain the necessary efforts to let Google know that they provide what they do, where they do it, while spending their time providing their service!