Cavalor Best Mini-Series of 2017

December 27, 2017Kristen KovatchSponsored#CAVALOR, Best of 2017Leave a comment

These pieces packed a punch over several installments, and now we get to review them again to pick the best mini-series of 2017, presented by Cavalor!

Welcome to the 2017 Horse Nation Readers’ Choice Awards! For 2017, we’re giving readers the opportunity to look back at some of your favorite posts and articles from the past year and decide which of them deserves to win the ultimate year-end title.

For the Cavalor Best Mini-Series of 2017, we’re looking back at five mini-series that served up a great story over several installments, giving us plenty to read over the course of a few weeks, months or even spread out throughout the year. Check them out one more time and then vote in the poll below! Our Readers’ Choice Award winners will be announced on Friday, December 29.

The nominees are…

Barn From the Ground Up

American Storage Buildings delivers the 3 stall + run in shedrow. Photo by CJ Millar

“I am in the process of relocating to a new farm in New York that right now has literally nothing but a house and a shed and a whole lot of beautiful grass. It all sounds great — except there are no barns or fencing, so we’re starting from the ground up. I thought moving wouldn’t be so bad; I’ve done it before. And then I remembered last time I had three horses and was moving to an already built farm, barns and fencing included. That’s when the panic set in — you see, I am moving nine horses, seven cats and two dogs to a property that includes use of over 600 acres, with about 50-60 of that presently cleared and an immediate 30 to fence in.”

CJ Millar is living the dream and designing her own barn to house the nine horses under her care — but even with a lifetime of experience, the prospect of building from the ground up can still be totally daunting. In this series, CJ details every step of her process, from design to selecting building materials to move-in day.

I Survived George Morris

Photo by Anne Barry Webster

“Somehow, we made it up and down the little course a few times, although I will be the first to admit it wasn’t pretty. Finally, my mind conquered my body and on a trip down the bank South let out a few little hops and baby bucks and we parted ways. I decided to just chill there on the ground for a while as I caught my breath and came to the realization that now I was not only the girl who got stitches during a George Morris clinic, but now I was the girl who came off twice. Perfect.”

Meagan DeLisle’s equestrian bucket list has always included riding in a George Morris clinic in front of her idol, and when the opportunity came her way this fall she dove right in. She came away having an unforgettable experience — from the scar on her chin where she had to get stitches to the information and critique she learned from the master, as well as his unique words of inspiration.

Mustang Makeover, Family Edition

Photo by Biz Stamm

“I went out one cold January afternoon to meet Jessica, her son, Joe, and the two mustangs they’re training for the challenge. Jessica’s mustang is a 3-year-old pinto from the South Steens Herd Management Area (HMA) that she has named Hershey. He was incredibly difficult to handle in the holding area — so difficult that she was actually offered a redraw. Never one to turn down a challenge, Jessica decided to give him a shot.”

In this two-part mini-series, Biz Stamm follows a mother and son pair training mustangs for Oregon’s Mustang Makeover at the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo, helping to spotlight the versatility and ability of mustangs to be excellent family mounts in a competition format. Featuring both professional trainer Jessica and her youth competitor son Joe, follow the progress of the family’s mustangs.

Odysseo

Elise and her horses at liberty. Photo by Ilona Gerou.

“The audience was embraced and transported to wonder-filled worlds of birds and comets and carousels and waterfalls and human bodies rocketing and tumbling across the land, matching jump for jump with horses, elevated by the heartbeat drums and gallop of violins only to surrender to the siren-song voice of Valentina Spreca. Odysseo is a brief journey into the rhythms of humans and horses together and alone, in motion and at rest, where sometimes a horse just being a horse speaks the loudest.”

From the raising of the tent to show night, Candace Wade brings readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the traveling equine extravaganza Odysseo — and the experience only enhances the magic and majesty of the performance rather than diminishing it.

Saving Joey’s Sight

My brave boy showing off his lavage tubes. Warning, if you are faint of heart don’t watch one of these bad boys being inserted. The needle is HUMONGOUS. Photo by Dr. Martha Huck DVM

“‘Meagan, it’s not good,’ my coach said as I clutched my phone in my hand. ‘You need to call the vet to get the full details, but Joey has ulcers in both eyes and they’re pretty bad.’ My chest felt like someone had dropped a loaded horse trailer on top of it. What I thought was going to be a routine trip to the veterinarian for allergies had turned into my worst nightmare – my horse was hurt. I immediately began reliving the horror of when my previous horse Lance injured himself and the time and money it took for him to recover. Leg injuries I knew how to deal with; I had no clue what to expect with eyes.”

Meagan DeLisle’s beloved horse Joey fought a major battle this year against corneal ulcers. Meagan details the ins and outs of Joey’s individual case and everything she learned along the way — from veterinary information about the equine eye to the best way to care for this condition and how to budget for equine emergencies.

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