It’s Not the Stars That Matter, It’s the Stars That Matter
Saturday, January 28 2012
Just another Thursday night in Wellington. If only every dressage show included gold bikini-clad fire dancers, mermaids lounging about in an infinity pool, and chandelier ice sculptures. The organizers of the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach sure know how to attract a crowd, and the place was packed with all of the above, as well as a who’s who roster of dressage stars and their hangers-on last night at the…..exhibitor’s party. What, did you think I was talking about the competition?
- Published in Blogs, On the Line
1 of 27,000
Monday, January 23 2012
Attention horse world: A Thoroughbred racehorse was born yesterday in Kentucky. Rachel Alexandra's first foal was born at Stonestreet Farm in Lexington, KY While you ponder that momentous event and fawn over his famous pedigree (Curlin x Rachel Alexandra), stop and consider this: If this little guy doesn’t inherit his parents’ talent for speed, will he be looked after by good owners for the next 30-odd years of his life? Call me a downer, but the collective oohs and aahs and cute baby foal pictures that saturated social media feeds this morning were a reminder that only a small percentage of Thoroughbreds make it to the track, and an even smaller percentage become successful racehorses. What of the adorable foals just like Rachel Alexandra’s first colt, that don’t cut it? Without jumping into the dredges of the horse slaughter debate (that’s Lauren Gallops ‘ job), I give a nod to all the throwaway TBs of the racing industry that are somewhere out there right now. Many of them started life in a bed of thick straw on a beautiful Kentucky farm, too
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Year in Review, Part II
Thursday, December 22 2011
Don’t be fooled, On the Line’s perspective of the year in review is more People Magazine than New York Times , but oh what fun everyone haves indulging in a good issue of People . It’s ok, you can admit it too. These moments and events represent a very small but entertaining snapshot of our horse world during the last six months of 2011
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A Gloriously Good Read.
Thursday, October 13 2011
If you’re the kind of nerd who rewards yourself with a good book and a nice spot on the couch after a hectic work week, get ready to fire up your Kindle. Proceed immediately to Amazon.com and download Blaze of Glory, by m. garzon. Do not be swayed by the conventional title, the Young Adult label, or the very young child on the cover who has nothing at all to do with the actual story. Thanks to Horse Junkies United , On the Line discovered an addicting guilty pleasure of a novel last week with a level of steam and scandal that is way over the top –and oh so enjoyable to read
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Not Ridiculous At All.
Tuesday, October 11 2011
Just when walking the dog past multi-million dollar mansions inside a gated country club has started to feel quasi-normal, one is reminded once again how very surreal the winter equestrian capital of the world really is. And it’s not because of the pet zebra that my horse stares at every morning while hacking around Wellington.
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Big Money = Big Sport: An Exciting Day at the Pfizer Million
Monday, September 12 2011
The scene by the ingate was tense. The crowd lining the hill grew with riders and their connections as the class went on and rider after rider came away with one rail, two rails, six rails. When Duncan McFarlane, 21st to go, finally notched the first clear round, the crowd was overjoyed. As Duncan is based in Northern California, On the Line was especially overjoyed to see a hometown rider shine on the other side of the country in this incredibly difficult class
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Escape from Florida – Hunter Prix style
Sunday, September 11 2011
Late summer in Florida has been lovely (no, really), but this weekend, On the Line is enjoying an escape north, to a little 75-degree sunshine sans the humidity. Naturally, I’m at a horse show to watch a grand prix. It’s Pfizer Million weekend! The United States’ only $1,000,000 grand prix show jumping class made big waves when it debuted last year.
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Dressage Soul Sister: Found.
Tuesday, August 23 2011
From start to finish, reading the new novel The Dressage Chronicles by Karen McGoldrick, felt like sitting around a barn aisle somewhere with close friends and a closer adult beverage, gossiping for hours about horses and the crazy cool people who surround them. By the time I reached the last page of this book, a debut effort by dressage rider and trainer extraordinaire McGoldrick, this show jumper was ready to reach across the discipline divide and give her equestrian soul sister a fist pump.
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Grooms Unite!
Thursday, August 11 2011
I’ve shined boots that were not my own. I’ve cleaned the stalls of horses worth more money than I can ever hope to earn. I’ve swept the same aisle multiple times per day, and still suffered a disapproving stare for missing a single shaving along the way. Have you? If so you can relate to grooming. Being one, that is
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Dog Days at the NAYRJC
Friday, July 29 2011
The big news coming out of Kentucky should be all about the rounds, the rails and the leaders after day one of the 2011 Adequan FEI/North American Junior and Young Riders Championships. But these are the dog days of summer, and in Lexington, Kentucky, those days are stifling. At 97 degrees and high humidity, the juniors competing this weekend are battling each other, and the heat. Hunt coats were excused yesterday during Round 1 of the show jumping, but the heat didn’t stop Kaitlin Campbell of Zone 3, who led the day in the YR division, or Sydney Schulman, leader of the Junior division. Thanks to MacMillan Photography for sweating it out onsite at NAYRJC this week. They caught the opening ceremonies, the golf cart parade on Wednesday, and they’ll be there until the bitter (and hopefully cooler) end on Sunday
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