A Star is Born.
Monday, March 14 2011
For the first time in six weeks, trainers all over the West Coast are gratefully waking up without the assistance of an alarm clock. HITS Thermal wrapped yesterday as a great horse show should – with an exciting finale grand prix and top notch riders battling it out over a difficult course to the sounds of an enthusiastic crowd. Designed by Olaf Peterson, the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert drew 53 star studded entrants. But no one, not Rich Fellers, not Jill Humphrey, not Hap Hansen, not last year’s winner Jill Henselwood, could get the best of a certain blond haired girl with a pixie face. That was how I described Lucy Davis when I interviewed her less than one year ago, after she won her very first Grand Prix in Los Angeles. That article, which ran in Sidelines’ August 2010 issue (and is reproduced here for your reading pleasure,) introduced a promising young rider. I write about a lot of talented youngsters like her, but with changes in horses, college, and other roadblocks, only a few of them go on to make a bigger impact in the industry.
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
Subclinical
Monday, March 14 2011
They tell you in vet school, “For everything you miss for not knowing, you miss ten things for not looking”. It is by that axiom that I have strived to practice, and if there is a good side to my reputation, hopefully it is that I am thorough. hint hint... Just before coming south this winter, while still in the frozen tundra, I was asked to look at a 5 year old Fresian gelding. He had been starting to learn a little dressage, but having a hard time on his left lead. Ok, truth be told, it was nearly impossible to get him to canter on the left lead at all; even in the field he would only canter on his right lead. A couple of other vets had examined/ treated him, but he was unchanged.
- Published in Injecting Perspective, Z-Blogs
He’s The Man.
Friday, March 11 2011
It may have been all sunshine and Lamborghinis in Thermal yesterday, but in Palm Beach, dark and stormy clouds unleashed enough rain to cancel Thursday’s classes at WEF. Luckily, the highly anticipated Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* were beginning down the road at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center under a much appreciated covered arena.Purely a fan of dressage with no desire to ever pick it up myself (where these people find their endless tolerance for flatwork, I don’t know), I nonetheless can appreciate how very difficult it is. And beautiful. And fluid. And when performed correctly – harmonious. Steffen Peters traveled from California to prove as much with the great Ravel, scoring miles above the 2nd place finisher with 80.87% in the Grand Prix test. We can safely say that they’re the favorites heading into today’s Grand Prix Special and Freestyle classes….dontcha think?
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
You Can’t Live Your Life Scared
Wednesday, March 09 2011
“You can’t live your life scared”. The words of my first boss and mentor, Dan Flynn, resonate with me even today.
- Published in Injecting Perspective, Z-Blogs
What am I doing here?
Monday, March 07 2011
When I graduated vet school, a blog was something you’d mop up off the floor, if you asked most Americans. But having recently gotten on facebook, and after finally getting a phone with a camera (!), I decided to plunge into this multimedia thing full force
- Published in Injecting Perspective, Z-Blogs
Check out this FUGLY HORSE post!
Friday, March 04 2011
Even if you don’t breed, you gotta read this latest Best of Fugly Horse of the Day post, written by our alter-ego/kindred spirit on the west coast. It’s a great set of “10 Questions” with Fugly replies that zing at your third eye with the speed of a stray dart hurled in a rowdy sports bar! We think along parallel lines with this horseperson in many ways, but she’s got the brass to come right out and say this stuff !!! The truth often hurts. It can also set you free. As Meredith says on Grey’s Anatomy: But here’s the truth about the truth. It hurts
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
It’s That Time of Year Again- Cross Country Schooling
Tuesday, March 01 2011
At the beginning of last week I looked at my schedule and I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. I’ve started riding for Mark Todd a few days a week, I have my three horses, and I am also riding a few for Sam Albert who rode for Jamaica at the Olympics in Hong Kong. Needless to say, things have been a bit hectic! Also, somehow it is already the end of February and our season starts in a week! This means driving the horses a few days a week to the gallops to get them fit and taking them all cross country schooling. In England, because the majority of riders over here give their horses November and December off, most of the horses haven’t seen a ditch since September or October. This means cross-country schooling can be fairly entertaining. The problem is that most people wait too long to take their horses schooling because the weather is horrific and the ground is like a swamp. You keep telling yourself: “Oh I will just wait until next week and hopefully it will not be so wet.” Well, surprise surprise, the rain hasn’t stopped and the ground has been getting progressively worse. It is England after all! I am included in this optimistic group of people who think the ground may get better. Unfortunately, after waiting and waiting, I had to brave the bad ground and the pouring rain and chuck the horses into my trusty Roberta and get them out for some cross country. Funny enough, its seems everyone else had the same idea and when I took my horses out on Thursday there were around twenty lorries parked alongside the cross country field. This congestion can be explained by the fact that most cross-country places close when it’s this wet. The only place that stays open, rain or shine, is Boomerang
- Published in Onward, Upward, Z-Blogs