For those of you that are familiar with who Troy Brandenburg is…you will be so excited to read the following series that we are doing with him. For those of you that don’t know who Troy is…pay attention! Mr. Brandenburg is one of the best things to happen to the rodeo industry in a long time. He comes to the United States from Australia and I am sure if you asked a lot of the pro cowgirls and cowboys they would tell you that they are so glad he did. In 2006, Troy kept Brandie Halls famous horse Slim rockin and rollin in the NFR…I am sure some of you remember, she set an arena record that year! According to the December 2007 Barrel Horse News, Slim never ran on Bute…his secret weapon was Mr. Brandenburg and he is here to tell us all a little bit about what he does to keep our equine partners performing to the absolute BEST of their ablity……. On The Rodeo Road welcomes…………..Mr. Troy Brandenburg!!
Troy Brandenburg
Thank you so much for sitting down with OTRR and taking the time to answer some questions, first tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from?
I grew up in Queensland Australia. My family worked on the land. My dad was also a horseman. He was both a trainer & a jockey as well as all-round hand at rodeos. I started riding race horses when I was 14. I was a champion jockey by the time I was 16. I rode over a 1000 winners during my career. The Constraints of the life style were taking their toll so I went rodeoing, which lead me to where I am today.
Please tell us how you got in to equine body work? How did you get started?
Even though I was able to win a rookie team roping title, I found that I needed to get a job. I was rodeoing when I saw a man do some muscle work on a horse. I thought that was very interesting and liked the difference I saw in the horse after the session. There is a lot of chiropractic work in Australia but this was first time I had seen some one work on muscles. I thought it might be a good way to help my horse and pay some entry fees at the rodeos. So, I took some classes . I found this to be everything I wanted to do. I was watching anyone who worked on a horse and read a lot of books. I don’t know how many horses I did for free just to work out what I could do to help the horse. I was very lucky to be able to travel to the USA and Europe both watching & learning how people work on horses. This became my life – Do what I can to help the horse to do its best for us. I found that sometimes we miss the simple things with horses. When that happens BIGGER problems evolve. You have to find out the cause of the problem. If you DONT, the problem will come back. Some times that is not easy; but with a little COMMON SENSE, it’s amazing what we can find.
Please tell our fans about your work and about Brandenburg Equine Therapy
Brandenburg equine therapy is everything I believe in. I know that this sounds redundant but it is what I believe. I found that sometimes we miss the simple things with horses. When that happens BIGGER problems evolve. You have to find out the cause of the problem. If you DONT, the problem will come back. Some times that not easy but with a little COMMON SENSE it’s amazing what we can find. It’s about doing what I can to help the horse, to educate the owner about some of the little things that they can do to keep their horse competing, & most importantly keeping the horse healthy for a longer time. Any horse that we compete on will get sore. If they don’t, they are not trying. But horses will keep trying until the day they blow up . But if we would just use a little common horse sense, more than likely we could see the problems as they start to happen.
BRANDENBURG EQUINE Therapy is made up in two parts. The first part is the work I do on the horses .
The second part is a range of products that I believe in. I have sales & rentals of therapeutic equipment, soft ride boots, and a herb store that will be on my web site in the next week. It is about helping you help your horse. From years of trial and error, I have found that the most expensive does not equate to the best. This assortment of products that I have come up with, I have seen work. We are always available. Our phone is always on. If you have any questions, just call. We are open minded and even if it is not something we are currently carrying, we are willing to hear your thoughts & questions. We want to continue to learn and there is not a better way for us to do so, than to have you continually push us. After all, it is about what is best for your horse.
I read in the December 2007 issue of Barrel Horse News that you said a horse will give you a sign when something is “off” or not right. What signs can an owner/rider look for?
Keep it SIMPLE. Listen to you horse. Pay attention to the way he looks, eats, & moves. Look at the most obvious things. It is not always the big disasters we make them out to be. If you are saddling the horse and they lay their ears back..moving around, this is a sign. More times than not, I find its simply a dirty saddle pad that causes the back to get sore. I am not a big fan of some of the new saddle pads. Likewise, I feel the same about the cinch. I am not a fan of neoprene. I believe that the ole simple wool felt pad with a Navajo blanket is the way to go. Watch the way your horse walks. Your horses muscles & stride should be uniform on both sides. If your horse has a sudden change in his behavior then something must be going on.
Stay tuned………………much more to come with Troy. In the meantime click on his logo and visit his website!
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*photo credit 
On The Rodeo Road 
