Making Plans With Horses
Friday, August 19 2011
Rule number one don’t make plans with horses. Rule number two, definitely don’t make plans with chestnut mares
- Published in Onward, Upward, Z-Blogs
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
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
CEqE Help: “Who, Me?”
Friday, August 05 2011
Continuing Equestrian Education (CEqE) – chapter 5: When it’s time to CEqE help: Let’s face it, we’re DIY about lots of stuff related to writing and riding, but when we need help, sooner or later we ask for it. One of those moments took place his morning when Landgate Lord Peter, aka “you little s**t!” decided that it was all well and good to walk onto the two-horse ramp-load trailer, but when Bryan McDonald at The Fine Equine Stables (where our pony lives and where we spend a fair portion of our days, having changed from night person to morning person to accommodate said purebred Connemara to beat the heat and deerflies that prevail by 8 a.m…) decided to switch our trailer practice to the big (as in huge) trailer with the step-up, Mr. Minimal spoke up loud & clear: nuh uh, no way – fuhgeddit! There was hay on the floor, so never mind the treats (hay-extender pellets) in our pocket, and the little bucket of Connemara Crunch – a great low-sugar horse feed for easy keepers, whatever the breed, which he loves. We make the approach and jump up, but our darling pony stops, looks at us, looks at the hay on the floor in front of his nose and says essentially, in that word-less but eloquent non-verbal way in which animals, especially smart equine, communicate: who? me? nuh uh, no way – fuhgeddit! Just one of the many eloquent expressions by which Landgate Lord Peter communicates non-verbally.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Isabelle Leibler of Region 8 Awarded Freestyle Dressage Gold After Storm Temporarily Suspends Competition
Sunday, July 31 2011
Lexington, KY - It was a stormy afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park for part of the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championship at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, but storms could not dampen the brilliance of the dressage being performed. Competition was suspended at approximately 3:30 p.m. when a thunder and lightning storm passed through the area, knocking out electricity at the Rolex Stadium. But thanks to the quick work of the Organizing Committee and Kentucky Horse Park staff, the show soon resumed. The Young Rider division was intensly competitive, punctuated by the last rider’s flawless freestyle. Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 representing Region 8 were rewarded for their brilliant test with a score of 74.00%, which earned the pair the Individual Gold medal
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Winners Circle Roundup from Horse Shows by the Bay
Sunday, July 24 2011
Brian Shook & Courage 68 winning the $30,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City @ Horse Shows by the Bay, Series I.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
CEqE 201 – Getting On With It
Sunday, July 10 2011
Well, sooner or later every rider buys a ‘cheap’ piece of real estate and we’re no exception. We were in a jumping lesson on Saturday (only yesterday, seems more like a week, but we’ve got our nose back to the wordsmithing grindstone and time takes its own line…) and Lord Peter was acting spooky – noticeably so, compared to his relatively calm demeanor for the past three months, truth to tell. Later we realized that the last time he was on this sort of sensory alert (stallion on the lookout for danger to his herd) was last summer when… oops, getting our tongue over the bit in terms of this anecdote
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Test Event Photos
Friday, July 08 2011
It wasn’t perfect but it was definitely a great experience for Bree and I. Her are some photos with lots of comments to follow!
- Published in Onward, Upward, Z-Blogs
Young Entry
Thursday, July 07 2011
A pack of eight and a half couple (children, not hounds) met on the kennel lawn early mornings this past week to learn the basics of Foxhunting. Led by the Huntsman and the Whip, the pack learned basic hunting etiquette, how to avoid accidents in the field (holes, slippery roads and wire fences) and the language of the hunting horn in the classroom, improving their riding cross-country and over jumps in mounted sessions. Riding abilities and reasons for loving the sport ranged widely but the group was united in its enthusiasm. Cheshire campers are introduced to Ivan Dowling, Huntsman, and Stephanie Boyer, Whip, at the Kennels. "Aunt Wendy" ("Grandmom" to one camper) ably led the group through introduction to the staff and hounds, supported by a large contingent of volunteers from the community. Ivan Dowling, Huntsman, talked about the hounds before releasing them from the kennels onto the lawn.
The Right Thing to Do
Tuesday, July 05 2011
Everyone is a little different. Some want to be there to lend a helping hand, perhaps because they think it’s going to be harder for me than for them, or because they don’t want to be an inconvenience
- Published in Injecting Perspective, Z-Blogs
CEqE – From May to Now
Tuesday, July 05 2011
CEqE rocks at The Fine Equine in Amissville, VA! Bet you thought that we (Lord Peter and yours truly) had gone to ground in turns of our Continuing Equestrian Education. Oh no no no! We’d been up to our ears in the spring fever of deadlines, trying to eke out a living and, of course, when it came to work, Peter got pushed to the bottom of the list. But not anymore: our pony is our priority, and we’re working on getting to the barn by 8:30 or earlier (method to our madness, more on early mornings in due course)
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs