Video: Niiiiice Save
9 seconds of pure awesome.
Usually in the equestrian world when we say that someone had a nice save, we mean that they fought the powers of gravity and physics to remain in the saddle despite every force in the world working against them. In this case, however, the rider and horse did indeed part ways — but she never touched the ground. It’s trainer David Bustillos of Durango Farms in California that gets all the credit here:
(Note: must be logged in to Facebook to view.)
Hey man, nice save. And kudos to that rider for sticking on as long as she did, because that looked like no fun at all.
Go riding!
Horses in Art: ‘Still Water’ by Nic Fiddian-Green
Learn more about this eyecatching work!
Going Dutch: On Tennessee Walkers, ‘Big Lick’ and Equine PTSD
Candace Wade speaks with Dutch Henry, an equine author, advocate for equine rehabilitation and critic of the Tennessee Walking Horse “Big Lick” show industry.
Diaries of a Polo Bum: It Ain’t About The Trophies
Amanda reflects on the cost and gain of playing polo. (more…)
A Comic to Kick Off Your Week
Need a little comic relief for your Monday? You’ll get a kick out of Kellie Lewis’ latest comic!
KickyBrand.com is an online horse lovers site currently selling clothing, greeting cards and stickers. It also routinely publishes a cartoon strip by Kellie Lewis that has a little bit of kick to it.
‘Oh Crap’ Monday
Here’s our latest batch of reader-submitted photos and videos!
SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Equinox 365 Q&A
Have you heard of SmartPak’s Equinox 365 program? We’re sharing a Q&A session about this program courtesy of the SmartPak blog.
Kentucky Performance Products: Transitioning the OTTB, Part I
Introducing a new six-part article series from Kentucky Performance Products to help horse owners prepare for the various challenges of transitioning an off-track Thoroughbred!
The 7 People You Meet at the Feed Store
Akin to the equestrian’s bar.
Which ‘Orange is the New Black’ Character is Your Horse?
I get Crazy Eyes EVERY TIME.
Best of Craigslist, Volume 44
In today’s edition: a serious price drop, a mare with her own rulebook and a work-wanted ad like none other.
Best of Craigslist (and Facebook, and equine advertising sites … we don’t discriminate) is a constant treasure trove of the fascinating, the bizarre and the tragically misspelled. We gather the best that the internet has to offer and package it up in one neat post for your reading enjoyment.
We’ll kick things off with this ad from Halle: “I honestly can’t decide if this one’s a joke or not … ”
We can’t tell either. What we do know, however, is that this is one serious price drop — grab that bargain while it’s hot, people! From Jill:
We do love ads with plenty of description, as well as an illustrative photo that shows us conformation. Like, you know, this one, from Halle:
Hey, this seller’s being plenty honest! From Jill:
This list of rules is pretty hysterical, but at the end of the day we have to admit that Princess Cam sounds like our kind of girl, and we hope she finds a good home. From Sara:
Cam is a 16hh, 10 year old Standardbred that is moody, has a flair for the dramatics and hates the term “Primadonna” as she prefers the title of “Princess Cam”.
Rules of Royalty & Things To Know:
1. Princess Cam expects her subjects to fawn over her every move, if she rolls in the dirt she expects to hear applause at the size of her dust cloud. If she graces you with her presence, give her a treat for her to enjoy while she gazes at you in disdain. Sour Skittles and flavored Oatmeal are her favorites.
2.If she asks to be groomed she ONLY allows her black and pink bedazzled princess brush to be used on her luxurious grulla coat. When it comes to her pedicures, she is a willing subject but if a peasant dares to handle her roughly she will remind them of their status with a judicious kick of frightening speed and power. Princess Cam will also fart in the face of those who waste her time with hoof picking as she believes her royal hooves stay naturally clean.
3.Princess Cam is gifted with natural athleticism and speed. She frequently shows her god given gifts by running from one end of the pasture to the other while breaking the sound barrier. If in a jovial mood she will perform airs above ground, especially in the presence of tiny birds that fly out unexpectedly.
4. Princess Cam is a big supporter of state parks and promoting conservation. Trail rides through the various local state parks are her favorite physical activity…second to fighting crime.
If your kingdom is currently in need of a bold ruler that will quell all opposition and potential barnyard uprisings, please text 8-six-five-765-four-3-three-six.
So you found enlightenment and the true path — we’re all about that, and we’re happy for you! But we’re not entirely sure what it has to do with your work-wanted ad … from Mandy:
And we’ll close out this week with a little Facebook humor — because we know we’ve enjoyed plenty of “thoroughbreads” in Best of Craigslist before. From Jill:
Readers, if you run across an “interesting” ad in your Internet wanderings, send it our way! Email the link to [email protected]. Who knows – maybe you’ll help connect a horse with a safe, loving home. Go Riding.
Photo Challenge: Top 10 Funniest Horse Faces
Whether you happened to catch them at a bad moment or they’re particularly good at making bizarre facial expressions, these 10 reader-submitted horses take the cake for funny photos.
Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Turning for Home
Each Friday, Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization doing good work in the horse world. Today, we recognize Turning for Home, an OTTB placement group based at Parx Racing.
Fantasy Farm Thursday: Modern Mexican Gem with An Aquatic Twist!
An equine wading pool. I literally can’t even.
Friday Flicks: ‘The Caravan’
This week we look at a documentary covering a five-month, 2,500 mile journey across America. (more…)
Video: Horse Riding Horse is So Meta
The creepy horse mask will never not be sinister and unsettling, but we’ve got to hand it to this reader for creative application.
Photo Challenge: 20 Reader-Submitted Equine Funny Faces (Preliminary Round)
We received so many good entries for this week’s photo challenge that we decided to exhibit them in two rounds! Today, we’re taking a look at the honorable mentions in the preliminary round.
When Water Babies and Barn Rats Collide
Also important: Extremely patient horses.
Thursday Video: Trail Obstacle Course is Smooth as Silk
Open the gate, walk the bridge, jump the sofa… Jump the SOFA?!
Watch Kelly Marks of Intelligent Horsemanship make short work of a TREC obstacle demo with her trusty partner, The Pie: (Note: must be logged into Facebook to view this video)
They make it look so easy!
TREC, also known as “Le TREC,” is a three-phase sport that tests the skills and confidence of horses and their handlers over various terrains and obstacles. Like extreme trail challenges and versatility ranch horse competitions, TREC (short for “Techniques de Rondonee Equestre de Competition”) participants are judged on the successful completion of obstacles, though part of what makes TREC unique among trail competitions is that riders also compete in two other phases of orienteering (planning and navigating their route) and controlling the paces (demonstrating the horses’ obedience in certain gaits in a designated area, similar to the dressage phase in eventing)
Riders and teams are not eliminated for failure to perform parts of the competition; they instead receive lower scores. This makes TREC a novice-friendly event that horses and riders of many levels can enjoy.
For more information on Kelly Marks and her work with internationally-renowned trainer and clinician Monty Roberts, visit the Intelligent Horsemanship website.
Go riding!