Kristen Kovatch

Thursday Vid: ‘Truck People’ Dodge Ram Commercial

Kristen Kovatch, , Leave a comment
If you watched the Kentucky Derby or Preakness Stakes, you might have spotted the latest Dodge Ram commercial, “Truck People.”

We have to hand it to the marketing team at Dodge — they’ve put two and two together and realized that horse people are in fact truck people. Who else makes the most out of their trucks, from hauling horses to equipment to feed? That’s the premise behind the latest Dodge Ram commercial, with a special focus on the Kentucky Derby (Ram is the official truck of the Run for the Roses).

Whether you’re raising blue-blooded Thoroughbreds or just looking for a truck to get you and horses to the local showgrounds and back, there’s certainly something to love about this commercial.

Go horse people, go truck people, and go riding!

World Equestrian Brands Girth Cam

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Here’s an unusual perspective: check out this video, filmed from a rear-facing camera attached to the girth!

Yes, this point of view does make the horse’s hinds look like a pair of running chicken legs, and yes, you may feel slightly nauseous until you adjust to this perspective … but once you get those new sensations out of the way, this is a pretty cool angle to watch! Hang on for the ride as this horse and rider trot and canter over a few jumps.

Definitely something different to start off your Wednesday!

Go riding!

Tuesday Video: Horse Animation by the Layers

Kristen Kovatch, , Leave a comment
Here’s a little something different for your Tuesday morning: Watch this 3D horse become animated, one piece at a time!

Animated horses have come a long way from the hand-drawn cartoons of yesterday. Watch this 3D rendering of a horse come “alive” one step at a time until it runs across the screen about as realistic as can be!

From the video description:

I created this animation as a way to demonstrate the technique of layering animation to create a realistic run cycle for a horse.

Most of my students knew pose to pose, and straight through animation styles, and the basics of keyframe animation. Yet they were unfamiliar with this layered animation method, and I thought this would aid in showing them step by step how it works.

As always, I look at reference footage to study the type movement I am trying to create with the animation. I also familiarize myself with the character rig thoroughly before proceeding.

The horse run is based on a 12 frame cycle: first starting with the main parts of the body and head, then proceeding to the legs, animating one, then copying and offsetting to its mirror, adding secondary animation and adding further refinements when viewing through a front facing camera.

Pretty cool stuff! Go riding!

Kentucky Performance Products: Fructan Overload

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What is fructan overload? Our friends at Kentucky Performance Products share an educational infographic.

15-140-600px-What-is-Fructan-Overload

Article written by KPP staff.

Copyright (C) 2015 Kentucky Performance Products, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC: No more guesswork. No more worries. With hundreds of different supplements on the market today, trying to pick the right one for your horse can be frustrating and worrisome. Let your veterinarian and Wiser Concepts® supplements ease the uncertainty. As a team, you and your vet will choose the Wiser Concepts supplement that best meets your horse’s needs. Wiser Concepts supplements are available only through your veterinarian. Learn more at KPPvet.com.

Equestrian Time Warp: Horse Show Edition

Kristen KovatchLeave a comment
Flickr/Five Furlongs/CC

Flickr/Five Furlongs/CC

Doesn’t it seem like there’s some sort of spell on the clock when you’re with your horse, talking about your horse or doing something for your horse’s benefit? You swear it’s only been a few minutes, but when you check the clock, the entire afternoon has slipped away. We’re exploring this strange phenomenon in a series of Equestrian Time Warps: last time, we visited the tack shop. Today, we’re headed to the horse show.

4:30 AM: *smacks bedside table in general proximity to beeping phone alarm*

4:33 AM: *sits bolt upright, suddenly remembering why the alarm is set so early*

4:34 AM: But you know what, it’s only a schooling show … no rush, right?

4:35 AM: *snoooooore*

4:39 AM: *blindly reaches for phone to turn off the snooze alarm* Who is texting me this early in the morning? “Are you up?” Yes, Show Buddy, I am. Sheesh. The show doesn’t start until 8.

4:45 AM: So pleased that I remembered to lay out my clothes last night.

4:46 AM: And so pleased to discover the cat has been sleeping on them all night long.

4:54 AM: I get extra-credit for finding the lint roller that early in the morning. And I’m only 9 minutes late! Show Buddy, stop texting me, I’m on my way to the barn right now.

5:18 AM: Gooooood morning Prancer! I see you slept in poop again. That’s so helpful for show morning.

5:29 AM: There, that looks much better. My show breeches have now perhaps seen better days, however.

5:35 AM: Ok, eat up, Prancer! We have a big day ahead of us.

5:36 AM: You want to check the trailer tack room again, Show Buddy? I’m sure we have everything, we packed it last night.

5:38 AM: Oh, no, you’re right … a bridle would have been a good thing to pack.

5:39 AM: There, now do we have everything?

5:52 AM: Horses are loaded, pre-show playlist is rocking this truck, and we are headed to a horse show!

5:55 AM: Heck yes, we’re stopping at Dunkin Donuts first. We’ve got loads of time.

6:01 AM: Do you think we’ll fit through the drive-thru?

6:02 AM: I WAS JUST KIDDING. Sheesh.

6:11 AM: Now we’re ready to horse show.

6:28 AM: I could have sworn this show grounds was only 20 minutes from home. Does this look familiar to you?

6:29 AM: … because I really don’t want to have to turn this bumper-pull around.

6:30 AM: Yes, I know the warm-up hunter is the first class.

6:31 AM: IT’S BEEN FOREVER AND I STILL DON’T SEE THE SHOW GROUNDS AND WE ARE GOING TO MISS ALL OF THE CLASSES.

6:32 AM: Oh, there it is. That was agonizing.

6:36 AM: Yes! The perfect parking spot on the hill over the show ring so we can watch all the action.

6:37 AM: … oh right, this is also the furthest spot away from the water spigot. Oh well, guess we’re hiking those buckets today.

6:38 AM: No, we got this. You hang up the hay nets, I’ll go fill the buckets, and then you can tack up and I’ll go do our entries.

6:45 AM: Oh man, my show breeches had just started to dry from this morning.

6:49 AM: That was the heaviest walk of my life! You’re welcome, beautiful horses, drink up all of the water.

6:50 AM: Yikes, the show starts at 8, right? Maybe we should go warm up first, and then do our entries.

6:51 AM: You’re right, that IS an excellent plan.

7:02 AM: All tacked up, got my tall boots on, time to go and warm up, Prancer!

7:03 AM: OMG, this schooling ring is a circus. LEFT to LEFT, people!

7:10 AM: Hey, pony kid … you’re tailgating. Scram.

7:11 AM: Hey, pony kid, your pony BITES!

7:12 AM: Sorry, Prancer.

7:37 AM: Hey Show Buddy! Yeah, Prancer feels great. We’re going to head back up to the trailer.

7:38 AM: What entries?

7:39 AM: Oh yeah, those entries. Okay, I’ll hold Star and Prancer, and you can run in there real fast.

7:42 AM: Hey! You two get along fine at home.

7:45 AM: Huh, Show Buddy is frantically waving me down. Boys, fight nicely, we have to get over to the line outside the office.

7:46 AM: Yeah, Show Buddy, I know entries close ten minutes before the class … stay in line, we’ll make it!

7:48 AM: Is she actually bribing that trainer to let her skip ahead in line?

7:51 AM: I can’t believe you did that! But hey, our entries our in. Nice work. And the first class is in a few minutes, so I guess we should just stay down here at the ring.

7:53 AM: Oh, you are right, we did leave our show coats up at the trailer. No, it’s okay, I’ll just run.

7:57 AM: Okay *gasp* here you go *wheeze* I made it back in time.

7:59 AM: What did the announcer just say?

8:00 AM: Oh, they pushed the start time back by half an hour. Go figure …

Thursday Video: Mama Knows Best

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“I said DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS.”

Reader Addie Wetteland sent us this video of two-and-a-half week old “Derby,” who is just dying to play with Bug. As Addie tried to get her twin sister Katie on Bug lined up in front of the barn for a photo, Derby’s mother Ellie had other ideas. After all, mama knows best:

Too cute! Some day Derby will be going for his own rides, we’re sure. In the meantime, listen to your mothers, and go riding.