The Long Ride......... A Review

Months ago I was asked to review a book, The Long Ride by Lucian Sparato Jr. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to do another review because I actually have one still brewing around in my head because I take the obligation so seriously. I just don't write unless the words match precisely how I feel. Sometimes it takes me a while to get there and I just didn't want another thing hanging over my head so I thought about it long and hard before I agreed. If it hadn't been for the subject  matter I probably wouldn't have but my curiosity got the best of me.

When the book arrived. I could hardly wait to get it out of the box. The idea that someone had ridden an Arabian horse across this country for any reason was intriguing to me, let alone doing it for a cause like the plight of the world's rain forests.

Once the book was out of the box I got goose  bumps just reading the jacket.  I must admit I wanted to saddle up and participate  in this adventure right then. I remember thinking I was getting ahead of myself, I hadn't even gotten past the introduction yet. I  wondered if the book was going to live up to the my reactions to the epic adventure this sounded like to me.

To be candid, I really didn't know what to expect. I had many questions about the "how's" and "why's" behind the project from the moment I was first asked to review this book. My mind raced with the possibilities of how such an adventure could happen and how it would be told. I was almost afraid to begin reading lest I be disappointed.

 I don't read books often these days because my vision is poor. It really has to be worth it to me to make such a commitment. I actually picked this book up  and put it down several times before I finally dove in, not wanting to burst the bubble of building anticipation.

Once I did get started I found The Long Ride passsionate and inspiring. Just as it had grabbed me by the heart just sitting in my lap, reading it added to its grasp.  Turning the pages and letting the epic journey wash over me transformed me from a debilitated woman on the couch into a captivated participant living each milestone,  suffering each trial and celebrating each triumph.

One man, three Arabian horses in the ultimate endurance ride from the Pacific to the Atlantic to bring attention to the plight of the rain forests and how that affects us all, how could it be anything but compelling, dramatic, and unpredictable? I found myself with my heart pounding and holding my breath on more than one occasion as the monumental journey unfolded before me.

In my life I have tended to tackle projects larger than anyone thought I could ever accomplish so I identified with the challenges facing the author. Details of his journey may be different from mine but the size of the obstacles and the feelings they triggered much the same. The more I read, the stronger a feeling of kinship grew.

Ever since I moved to this farm I have been aware of the importance of balancing the needs of nature and the needs of my business and my horses. With the changes in weather, both winter and summer, over the last couple of years, that awareness has definitely heightened. This  book offered me more insights into the changes I am seeing as well as refueled my desire to maintain my farm in an environmentally friendly way. 

There wasn't anything about this book that didn't work for me except maybe there could have been more of it. I could have read on for days if there had been more to read.  I loved the telling of the story, the pictures of the journey and the inclusion of press releases from the actual ride. I lived it all. It was a great read!


NOTE: I finished this book in a couple of days and wrote the review on my phone almost immediately. I sent it to myself as an email thinking I would post it when I was feeling better. Still waiting for that but decided I needed to get this done.

Unfortunately the images from the book that  I was sent to post with the review are not opening properly so I have no pics at this time. Hopefully I will update with those in a more timely manner.

Tribute.... M Jodee Snyder

Last night I lost a friend. I have known this day was coming and have been dreading it for at least a couple of years. As much as I am grateful she is finally at peace, I mourn her loss. There will never be another quite like her.

A kindred spirit,  M Jodee Snyder and I were connected by many things. There were commonalities in our backgrounds, our family life, and our love of Arabian horses. All of which formed a bond unlike any I have known.

Our lives had traveled  parallel rocky roads, the kind that either build character or  distinguish light, and Jodee had chosen character. Her integrity is what drew me to her. A refreshing model of ethics in a sea of self serving people, she helped me believe it was possible to be true to myself and the horses I love despite the politics around us.

A long time breeder of Arabian horses, Jodee was a vast resource on the things you cannot see on a pedigree or in a photograph. She introduced me to the Gamaar bloodlines that I have grown to love as deeply as she. Her involvement as a volunteer at the regional level and as a USEF steward, all the way to the national level, gave her a unique perspective which added to her  knowledge base. 

Freely sharing her experienced and her opinions, I relished our talks. She allowed me access to history before my involvement in the breed. People and horses only photographs in old magazines became real to me.  I heard stories of great courage, admirable ethics and dire consequences.


Jodee did not hold back. She shared it all, the good with the bad.  My time with her I will forever cherish.  She opened doors to a world I would have never known and helped forge the horsewoman I have become. She will be forever missed.

Teen Hero Saves Horses in Illinois Barn Fire

To read this story and for details to help out please look here. For the original story about the barn fire that I received early today.

God bless those who got involved and save some of these horses and those reaching out with support in this tragedy.

Arlene from Grey Horse Matters commented she had posted about this story as well. She has additional information so I've added this link to her post in case you would like additional information. I can't seem to get my links straightened out so here's the first story from the Arabian Horse Association. McHenry, IL Teen's Heroism in Violent Barn Fire Saves 25 Horses Long time Arabian horse trainer and judge, Richard Wright, was the victim of every horseman's nightmare on Wednesday when a fire broke out in his 64 stall, 25,000 square-foot barn near McHenry, IL. The five-alarm fire ripped through Black Tie Stable shortly after 5 p.m. With no hydrants in the vicinity, at least 21 fire departments were needed to help out, along with tankers, according to McHenry's Northwest Herald. Before the tankers arrived, however, 15 year-old Madison Wallraff pulled up to the property with her step-father and saw flames. After dialing 911, Wallraff ran into the barn and began pulling horses from their stalls. Returning to the blazing barn repeatedly, Wallraff, later joined by Shannon Weitzman, 21, pulled at least 25 horses to safety--a response that has horse owners everywhere calling Wallraff a hero. "Madison Wallraf is one brave young lady and some 25 horses, many of them Arabian's, are alive today because of her incredible bravery in the face of life threatening circumstances. I think I can safely speak for AHA's some 30,000 members in celebrating Madison's truly heroic efforts," says Lance Walters, Arabian Horse Association (AHA), president. "This act of selfless courage by Madison and fellow rescuer, Shannon Weitzman, with no concern for their personal safety, exemplifies the bond between the horse and the people who love them," added Walters. Seeing animals and members of their own community in need, many near McHenry jumped into action to support Wright and his clients by offering care for the surviving horses. Those not as close or without the means to help directly turned to the Internet to express their sympathy with donations to the Arabian Horsemen's Distress Fund (AHDF) at www.horsemensdistressfund.com. "It's amazing the scope and breadth of the people who want to help in these situations. Everybody cares, and they care in the same way," says Mary Trowbridge, an AHDF Board Member. "We didn't even really reach out, but the outpouring of support actually crashed our server for a short time," says Trowbridge. AHDF is accepting donations that can be earmarked directly toward the Richard Wright fire. According to the Northwest Herald, a total of 18 horses were lost in the fire and the cause of the fire is unknown and is not thought to be suspicious.

More Cutting........and My Thoughts on Halter.....

I watched the finals of the cutting and with the information I'd received in the comments and on my Facebook Page, I had a better idea of what I was looking for in the performance of the horse and rider teams. That made it more fun to watch and this time I had a clue which rides would be considered good before actually hearing the scores.

I've heard from people that with a good cutter, the rider just sits there and holds on but I can see where cow sense on the part of the rider is important. I remember when I watched a team penning event years ago if the rider didn't understand how a cow was going to respond to different types of pressure he/she was pretty much lost. Too much, too little and it could blow up in your face. All the cows would be in the pen and the rider would be sitting there wondering what happened. It was easy to see in the cutting the riders who understood the cows best could get the most from them.

I didn't get to watch all of the cutting finals. I've had problems on many occasions with the schedule and my time zone. Sometimes I remember I'm two hours behind and sometimes not. Then with the Mustang arena schedule not being set in stone, I somehow got tuned in too late and only got to see the last few riders so from there I was on to the Pavilion Arena and halter.

The new point scoring system for halter has caused ripples throughout the industry. In Scottsdale they refused to employ the new system at all and so those halter classes were not sanctioned by AHA. Championships at local shows don't require judges anymore and to be honest I can't even tell you how Daffodil handled them. At US Nationals there were complaints that the excitement was gone from the halter arena.

The US National Arabian Horse Show Commission made some changes to how they presented the halter this year trying to answer that complaint about excitement, I guess. I'm not sure what they did really helped all that much. I know I didn't particularly care for it.

I'd seen in the schedule that there were semi finals for some of the halter classes. I assumed that meant the horses would be judged in the semi final classes and then they'd be judged in the final classes, after all, if it's a class, judging is involved, wouldn't you think?

Well, that's not how it happened. I'd missed the semi finals of the futurity colts and fillies but I did tune in to see the finals for both classes. The arena lights were dimmed and a spotlight shined on each horse as it entered the arena. The announcer said something about the "thirty seconds" the crowd would have to see each horse as the handlers presented the individuals. The announcer also seemed to have script for some of the horses presented that he read as the spotlight shone on them. I don't remember the total number of fillies shown but it wasn't the entire class nor was it down to the top ten.

Once all the fillies were in the arena, they lined them up on both sides and gave the audience a chance to look at all of them together. Then the horses were excused from the ring and the top ten horses were called back in to be presented their awards. After that was accomplished the reserve champion was named followed by the champion.

There was no judging of the horses in what was called a "final" in the schedule. How it could be a final when the judging was actually done in the semi final, I don't know. It was really a presentation of the horses so the awards could be given. I don't know if the exhibitors were aware it would be like this but I sure wasn't. I thought I was going to get to see horses stand up and be shown.

I understand the "powers that be" feel with this scoring system that once the scores have been done, the judges are done. I guess they, and many judges, are concerned if the same judge adjudicates the horse twice at the same show that the scores won't match and since it's about conformation they probably should so the judges might look bad. However, I think it's entirely possible and even very likely that the horse won't stand up the same way twice and that can and probably would affect the scoring. The placement of one leg can affect the look of conformation. That's why we all struggle to get square shots of our horses, isn't it.

Obviously I am in the minority on this and once the score is done, that's it for the show. The result is, if the scores are posted during the class, everyone knows who won before the ribbons are awarded. That certainly does diminish the excitement surrounding halter classes and since halter can get pretty long and boring in big classes, I guess the show commission was right to worry about that. Boring has never been a draw for crowds or exhibitors and there is fear the new scoring system is really killing halter. All I know is I didn't really enjoy those classes. I didn't get to get a good look at each filly and that's what I'd tuned in to see. It was very disappointing.

The announcer told the crowd the hits on the website for the evening session were over 1 million. I wonder how many of those people out there thought the halter classes were exciting to watch being run this way. I suspect there will be more changes. I certainly hope so, anyway. This sure didn't do it for me.

Rhet is eligible for both the Canadian and US National Futurities next year. I was thinking about giving that a try but now I'm wondering if I should just save myself the money and stay home. What do you think?

What Am I Watching Now! Cutting Horses Over My Head

I've always wanted to watch cutting but have never gotten the opportunity. Many of the shows I attend don't have cutting available. The Region 5 All Arabian Horse Championships dropped those classes years ago when I was first getting started. There just don't seem to be enough Arabian horses participating in that division around here, at least that want to show breed shows.

Now that the rain is back and it's too wet for working horses outside, I headed back to my computer to see what's on the US National All Arabian Horse Show schedule and what do I see but cutting. The only problem is I know nothing about this sport. For once I am lost as to what the judges are looking for.

I looked up the Arabian Cutting Horse Association and got the criteria for the class. However, it was easy to see, just like all other disciplines, the finer points are not spelled out so boy do I have questions and I'm sure hoping some of my blogging friends have answers so I'll know what I'm looking at.

Is this sport scored like reining where you start at 70 and then plus or minus maneuvers?

If "performance is evaluated on the way the horse approaches and enters the herd" what is the ideal for that? Is there proper posture for the horse? Or does smooth and efficient apply?

Is it better to take out the closest cow? Or do you go into the thick of the herd to show skill? Do you score more for working more cows?

Are there specific moves you must do with the cow like they do in Working Cow Horse classes or do you just prove you have control?

When time is called and a cow has just been cut, why do the riders go ahead and work the cow a bit?

What is the job of those other riders?

Is there anything else I should know in watching this class?

Anyone who has answers, I'm all ears. I watched the section cuts today but there will be finals tomorrow so I'm going to get more chance to study this fun looking sport.

Tonight's agenda is the first cuts of the reined cow horse classes. I've seen those once before and I know a little bit about working cow so I won't be totally lost. I sure am enjoying this nationals feed and watching the working western...........

Surprise Sunshine, Lots of Puddles and Little Nationals Time

It was a glorious day here. We actually had blue sky and sunshine with temps making it into the 60s, not much for some places this time of year but for us above normal.

I was out early this morning making sure the mares all got turned out to enjoy the sun. Vee got some kind of hair up her b*tt and decided to kick the cr*p out of poor Hope who was running in amongst the trees trying to get some protection for Vee. I had to catch Hope and put her out in a different field to save her.

I swear those two mares have been tight ever since their days together at Boulder Knolls. Vee hadn't liked Hope before going to that place. In fact she had been pretty agressive toward Hope in the beginning because Dare preferred Hope's company to Vee's so Vee was jealous but with only the two of them at the boarding facility they'd become good friends. Today's incident is the first time Vee's old hostilities have surfaced. God only knows what brought it up but it's safe to say that Hope and Vee will no longer go out together here.

Once the mares were all turned out and I was sure there were going to be no more drama from the mares, I loaded up my horse trailer and headed for the park. I knew it was going to be wet there after all our rain but with this being the only dry day of the week, I figured I'd better work horses while I could.

I wore my Muck boots knowing it would be wet in the arena. I planned on long lining all three horses instead of riding them so the boots would help at least keep my feet dry. There was no hope of keeping my clothes or any of my equipment dry but then that's the way it goes sometimes, if I wanted to get horses worked I was going to have to take what I could get, wet or not.

The horses, on the other hand, were not so determined to get it done in the wet arena. The first two had more of a "hurry up and get this thing over with" kind of attitude instead of being thoughtful and cooperative and the third, that would be Legs, just plain thought working in the wet footing was beneath him. The horse refused to do anything but walk until I pulled the whip out of my pocket. Even then I had to prove I could reach him to get any results. It was not what I'd call a productive day. Unless of course, you think the horses making me sweat counts.

I'm back sitting at the computer tonight watching the finals for the half Arabian reiners with their amateur riders followed by the purebred reining horse championships. Boy, is there a big difference in the rides when you get down to the finals. They're definitely fun to watch but do make me think maybe I'm a little bit nuts wanting to ride reining.

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Nationals Go On..........as does the rain........Excuses for Trail Watching......

The rain is still pouring down despite predications it was going to break this afternoon so I'm still sitting at my computer watching the US National All Arabian Horse Show. At this point I'm getting a bit crabby not being able to ride but watching horse show sure beats doing housework.

The last two days I've watched mostly reining and trail classes. At least in those classes I can see most everything the judges see so I can get a better idea of what's really going on instead of wondering what might have happened beyond the camera's view.

The trail courses were designed by Lorne Robertson and I absolutely loved them. They made me want to get out there and show trail. I've already got a guilt complex about not ever taking the time to get serious about trail when I have the a horse that loves it just standing in my barn doing nothing so it's not much of a leap to want to bring Dandy out of the retirement he hates and let him do the thing he loves most.........if there was only more time in a day I might actually be able to accomplish.

For those quarter horse people that think the Arabian courses are designed to accommodate our "spooky" horses, you should have seen these puppies. I'm pretty sure they would have hung right in there with anything that's ever been done at the AQHA World. They were just darn cool.

The courses reminded me of a trail course with Mark many years ago. Mark was an awesome trail horse but it scared him to death and the Regional Championship Trail in Region 4 one year pushed him to his limits. We were supposed to lope into the ring but Mark saw all those white poles everywhere (and believe me they were everywhere) and the horse wheeled around and tried to gallop out the gate. While that might be another story for another day, these national courses really reminded me of that day and how much fun that course was to ride...........even if my horse wasn't ready for such things.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm up for a challenge. I like things tough so I have to work and use my brain as well as my skill and these courses fit right into that. They were complicated and tight and I'm going to be tracking Lorne down to see if I can get copies of them. I don't want to forget a single element so maybe I can practice them in the future. Who knows, I might actually get the time to show trail one of these years.

Trying to draw them for what was visible on the screen left much to be desired. My first day's attempts are pretty good except for the jogovers before the bridge that I could only guess at because clear view was blocked by elements of other obstacles and the added landscape. I could tell the flow of the obstacle had serpentine like qualities to it but I have no idea exactly how those poles were set. Also, I'm pretty sure there were elements in other obstacles not visible because of similiar obstructions.

I didn't even attempt to draw today's courses.By then I figured I should be able to track down the courses in one way or another and I could tell right off there were even more elements I couldn't see. Still I'm intrigued by what I could perceive was there.

As complicated as these courses were they had a great flow to them. Sometimes course designers get so caught up in making things tough they forget the components need to fit together in such a manner the horse can transition from one obstacle into another. That doesn't mean they need to be made easier, just that things need to be laid out in such a manner that the strides "fit" where they're supposed and there's "flow" into the next. That way a well trained horse can show off its talent while a not so trained horse will still be exposed.

To be continued..............

The Usual Discussion and a Little Varian Philosophy

Watching all these classes at the US Arabian National Horse Show brings to mind the usual things I think about whenever I watch horses work at horse shows. The comments on this post seem to be right in there along those lines.

It seems to be the usual nationals discussions that can be found on threads on most forums. There are the country horses that are really english pleasure horses to some, the hunter horses that are now made up of country english horses that wouldn't make it in that division, and we mustn't forget the western horses that are looking more and more like quarter horses in the way they move. Of course, there is the discussion about qualifications as well.

As long as I have been in this business there has been commentary about what is and isn't right about the show and the horses. It seems to me it comes down to that "human nature" thing. We're all different and we all have different ideas about what is right. The show committee has their idea of how it should be and right now they're the ones in charge so their ideas pretty much rule.

Whenever you put a group of people and horses this large together the entire continuum on the spectrum of horse training, breeding and such tend to be represented there. Some will be good. Some will be bad and a whole lot more will be in the middle. I don't think that part is ever going to change.

From what I can tell, all I can really do is watch to see what the judges like to see what their preferences are. For me, I'm trying to see whether the judges like the same things I'm looking for in my horses or not. If not, then I just won't show to those judges in the future. If it looks like they do, then maybe it's worth spending my money to see if I was right about their opinion.

The hard part about trying to figure this out watching on the live feed is the judges can see most of the ring while the feed only shows a narrow view of the ring. There's a lot of stuff going on in that ring out of sight of those of us on the other end of these computers so it really is hard to see why the judges are doing what they're doing. What it looks like they're doing and what they might really be doing can and are sometimes two totally different things.

Personally, I know several of the judges this year. To be honest, I probably really messed up not taking a hunter horse to show this year. I think that panel is suited to my style of riding and horse even though you probably couldn't tell that by what's making the cuts so far. I think I could have held my own out there given the chance but we'll never know because I'm sitting home here watching on my computer instead of riding at nationals.

Thinking about the discussion about what is and isn't right about the show and how horses are being shown reminds me of something I heard from Sheila Varian several years ago. Her comment was in regards to breeding standards but it certainly fits here. "Breed what you like," she said. "Don't be swayed by the opinions or pressure from others. If you do stay true to what you like, you'll get where you want to be in the long run."

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Computer Skills.........and Reining Dreams..........

Lots of rain again here today so I'm still parked in front of my computer watching the US All Arabian National Horse Show. Not that I needed an excuse but at least now my watching is guilt free.

Now that I've finally figured out how to put the feed up on full screen, I can actually tell some of the players now. I don't know how come I've never figured this out before but it sure does change how things look. Now if I could just figure out how to get two monitors hooked up so I could watch both the Ford Truck Arena and the Mustang Arena at the same time, I'd be in hog heaven...........or should that be horsie heaven????

I'd borrow Lindsay's laptop and try that but it looks like it has a virus. I don't want to be the one her computer totally dies on if it's going to crash. Not only that but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't give the thing up without a fight. Lindsay is addicted to Farmville on Facebook and feeding her own addictions are much more important than feeding her mother's. I think I need to talk to that kid and help her adjust her priorties just a wee bit......or maybe I should be bartering with all the the Farmville things my friends send me that I never use..........

For now I must be content switching back and forth between the two arenas on my computer. Luckily the schedule in the Mustang Arena is a bit odd with the reining and tractor drags. I've managed to miss only part of the Purebred Amateur Owner to Ride 40 & over Reining, which would be my class if I had a reiner and I only missed one section of the western pleasure I really wanted to watch. Not bad for being two time zones off and a bit computer illiterate.

I was watching the reining to see a friend of mine go but she wasn't in the rides I saw. I don't know if she's not there or if her ride was in one of the half dozen I missed but I did notice that the 40 & over riders are a bit more cautious than the younger riders. Looking at their rides made reining seem not quite so far out of my reach. That's probably a good thing. With a little inspiration I could actually get there, ya know........before I'm too old to do it anymore.....

Believe me, the wheels are turning. This reining thing is really trying to get underneath my skin. Watching those riders with their stage fright, slow spins and cautious fast circles reminded me you don't have to be perfect to go to nationals. You just have to qualify.

For some, that is the dream, just getting there. I see them every time I go. I've met some here at home over the years too. Their dreams never were to win once they got there, just to get to have the experience of showing there. To have earned the chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself for one brief moment...........how cool is that?

To be continued................

US All Arabian National Horse Show Starts Today

Today's the big day and I so wish I was ringside at least watching the classes but since I can't be there I'm going to have to settle for the Live Feed which just is NOT the same thing. Not only is the view restrictive but sometimes I think the gaits look odd on the feed. Funny how that happens when they look fine in the video. Must have something to do with the internet.

There was a rider down in section A of the half Arabian AAOTR (adult amateur owner to ride) park horses. I didn't see the actual wreck but the rider was flat out on her back and the saddle was sideways on the horse. The rider did get back up and finish her ride. Then somebody threw a shoe half way through the second direction. It was not a good day for the park horses who got a lot rattled by the disruptions in their normal routine in the ring. I felt sorry for the riders as many of their horses broke gait repeatedly but I guess that's what makes it a horse show. You never know what's going to happen.

Here's the link for the current schedule. and on the live feed they let you chose which arena you want to see. If you scroll down the page you'll find a link for each.

The Second Day........US Wins Gold Medal....and My Heart Skips a Beat

I'm not all that well versed in what can be found on my own tv. We have Comcast for cable and I still can't tell you what's there to watch other than the usual three standard networks ABC, NBC and CBS, I just don't know my way around the rest nor do I usually care most times other than not being able to get RFD-TV. When the broadcast schedule I downloaded from USEF stated Universal Sports Network as a place to watch some of the games, I was totally at a loss. Where could I find this stuff on my own television.

I decided to use my computer (DUH) to help me out and I found the Universal Sports Network is a part of NBC but it looks to me like it's more the web version. If it's available on my tv I'm still in the dark still I found this Viewers Guide for the World Equestrian Games. They'll have 60 hours of live streaming and I was going to get myself signed up but at $29.99 which is probably not bad for 60 hours all I could think of was the three bags of grain I could buy for that amount so I decided I'd pass the information on here for anyone who might like to see what they have to offer. The service is available worldwide so that's a good thing if other access isn't available.

Their site also features some slideshows that are free. They have pics from the first day of reining, opening ceremonies and then second day pics which include some endurance pics and more reining. There are a couple of shots of the horse that posted the highest reining score in the competition so far that are amazing. The pics have captions telling pertinent information like horse and rider names and country for which they are competing. Pretty cool stuff for those not educated in the who's who at that level, which would of course be good ole me.



You all know I am a died in the wool Arabian horse fan but I must tell you after watching Shawn Flarida's run this morning on RC Fancy Step, I could have that horse standing in my barn any day of the week. That is one mighty fancy horse and his go was so round and soft I was very, very impressed. The best scores of the day by far and I feel privileged to have seen it. That was the absolute prettiest back up I've ever seen, not that the rest of the ride wasn't equally awesome, cause it was, still I've never seen a horse back so perfectly...........be still my heart! (That would be the beautiful palomino horse pictured here!)



I also looked Shawn Flarida up online and found on his official website information on his personal trainer series. There's a brief sample clip that looks like good stuff. I love how soft his horse was in the pen today and the one on the clip is equally as soft. I may have to check this out. I would love some great video on reining. I have a hankering to go down that road but no access to trainers I'd trust with any of my horses or even along the line of lessons. I'm really hoping this guy might be just what I need. Now I have to figure out which horse to experiment with. If anyone has input on this, I'd love to hear what you think.

Back to the reining, if you didn't get to watch, the US team won the gold medal. These facts are from the Flarida site.

September 26, 2010 – The final two riders for Team USA helped put the the team on the top step of the podium today. Tom McCutcheon, riding Gunners Special Nite, rode to a 224 in the morning session. Just a few hours later, Shawn piloted RC Fancy Step to the high score of the games so far. Posting a 227, Shawn and RC put together an incredible run. The team posted scores of 220.5 and 223.5 on Saturday. Typically four member teams drop the lowest score, so Team USA posted a 674.5 and put up a 15 point lead over the Silver medalists. Belgium won the Silver and Italy earned the bronze.

We are looking forward to the Individual finals on Thursday. All four Team USA members qualified for this competition as well. USA-USA-USA! He not only trains soft horses but has a competent staff who is on top of things. That's pretty cool too!

I might add this was the first time that Belgium has medaled in this sport and the Italian team dropped from a silver at the last games to the bronze one this time out. The woman rider for the Belgium team had the closest score to Flarida on RC Fancy Step and she had a darn nice ride too and was the second highest scorer of the day.

I know I should be doing something with myself other than watching these games but I am compelled to watch. Getting the opportunity to see the best horses in the world compete just does something for my heart that I can't resist. I am a junky when it comes to good horses, that's all there is to it. Is anyone out there as crazy about this stuff as me.

Pictures I've posted from the games, I've been provided by AllTech along with the following email press release
USA Team Wins Third Consecutive Gold Medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™

Photo Caption: Shawn Flarida (USA) captured the individual first place ranking on RC Fancy Step at the Reining World Championships presented by John Deere at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

The USA team captured its third straight gold medal Sunday, this time on home turf. The Reining World Championships were presented by John Deere in the Alltech Arena as part of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

The Belgium team medaled in reining for the first time and took silver.

Italy, on the medal stand for the third time in World Equestrian Games’ history, secured third place.

Final Results- Reining
Individual - 1, RC Fancy Step (Shawn Flarida) USA 227.0; 2, Yellow Jersey (Stefano Massignan) ITA; Gunners Special Nite (Tom McCutcheon) USA, 224.0; 4, Mister Montana Nic (Craig Schmersal) USA; BA Reckless Chick (Bernard Fonck) BEL 223.5.
Teams - 1, USA 674.5; 2, Belgium 659.0; 3, Italy 655.5; 4, Austria 635.5; 5, Canada 652.5.
FULL RESULTS at www.alltechfeigames.com. /results

Audio interviews are available for free download via the link below:
Jeff Petska (chef d'equipe of USA. team – reining gold)
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access/client_zone/Jeff%20Petska%20-%20Chef%20US%20rein%2026-9.mp3

Jan Boogaerts (Belgian team – reining silver)
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access/client_zone/Jan%20Boogarts%20-%20BEL%20Rein%20Silver%2026-9.mp3

Copyright free photography is now available to download from the Alltech Web site at http://vip.alltech.com/pressbox/Pages/Photos2.aspx. This is a complimentary service provided by Alltech. Please note these images are for editorial use only and are copyright of Dirk Caremans.
Further news and details are at www.alltechfeigames.com. Also check out the FEI photo catalogue at www.fei.org.

Note to Editor:

Founded by Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech is a global animal health and nutrition company with 30 years’ experience in developing natural products that are scientifically proven to enhance animal health and performance. With more than 2300 employees in 120 countries, the company has developed a strong regional presence in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia. For further information, visit www.alltech.com.


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The First Day..........

While I have done other things today my focus has really been on the opening of the World Equestrian Games. I didn't get to watch the first session of reining this morning because I kept getting error messages that make me suspect their servers were overwhelmed by the initial response. I did, however, get to see the afternoon session. Yeah for me!!!!! Still I know that Sweden opened the games with the first ride in the reining competition. I learned that little tidbit in the opening ceremonies. I wish I'd taken some notes as the teams paraded into the arena because I probably missed some other good morsels of blog fodder. I do know that Poland sent a reining team............and only a reining team. .......whodda thunk.......... Have the cowboys taken over Europe?

The announcer, whose name has illuded me, has tickled my blogging fancy a bit. It was a bit confusing and a lot amusing listening to the European announcer talk reining during that event. My enjoyment carried over into the opening ceremonies.

Obviously European and well versed in the normal fare for these kinds of events his interpretations of things American, cowboy and reining have made me giggle at times. His commentary on reining in progress caught me a little off guard at first. I was not expecting to hear "canter" but I only did a small double take, and to his credit he only did it once or twice. Run downs as a description for small circles still has me shaking my head and since he does call the run down before the sliding stops just that, I am wondering if he's even realized he's using the same term for two different things.

It's OK! It just tickles me to hear the polished European voice complete with accent talking western dressage as he labelled it. Careful trying to back peddle a bit and still not dish the sport he went into a lengthy explantion of the comparisions to the sport he knows best. I couldn't help but giggle at all the dressage queens I've met over the years who would have been gritting their teeth and maybe even pulling their hair at their beloved, exclusive sport being help up against the good ole cowpokes if they'd heard it.

Maybe the world is making some changes after all. There was definitely respect in this man's voice as he described the skills of these horses and what kinds of things were bringing the highest scores.

In the opening ceremonies it was great to see Arabian horses given the credit they are due. Introduced as the oldest breed of horse and the horse upon which all other modern horse breeds are built. The Gift of the Desert - The Arabian Horse opened with a beautiful chesnut western pleasure horse ridden by Audrey Hart, I believe, and followed in by Arabian horses representing nearly every division of perfomance that Arabian horses do. There were few announcements of who the horses or riders were except for the mention of WN Knight Rider several times and his breeder, Wayne Newton. A presentation of the Gift of the Desert will be presented each day throughout the ALLTECH FEI World Equestrian Games.

Unfortunately I lost the feed a couple of times but I did get to see the dressage demonstation by ten beautiful Freisian horses. It was beautifully correographed and great fun to watch. Seeing things like that makes me think I might actually try dressage some day.

I missed the names of the cowboys doing the demonstation with the loose horses but that was pretty darn cool along with the Cowboy Dressage, which is definitely my style. If I could ever get lead changes down, I could do that stuff with Legs. The only thing he doesn't do that cowboy did is the changes like that and the deficiency is definitely mine and not Legs.

Stacy Westfall was amazing as always. More time was spent on the singer than Stacy but still any chance to see Stacy ride is a a real treat. I'd love to see her in person some day.

Oh, I must not forget the biggest laugh I got today from the announcer. It was during the parade of exhibitors when the huge US contingent entered with many wearing their...........Five gallon hats?? I need to get me one of those...............

Watch Arabians Live from WEG at 8:06 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25!

This text is from an email I received from AHA.

The Arabian Horse Association is pleased to announce that our very own Arabian horses will make their first appearance on the international stage in the Opening Ceremonies of the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games™ (WEG). Sept. 25. The event will air live on NBC from 7-9 p.m. CDT. AHA has just learned that the Arabians will go live at 8:06 p.m. Eastern Time. If your NBC affiliate is not carrying the Opening Ceremonies in your market, live coverage can also be see via the Internet at the United States Equestrian Federation Network at www.USEFNetwork.com, or Pay-Per-View coverage at www.FEITV.org.

A variety of owners and riders from well-known farms stretched all across the country will work together to put Arabians on display under the direction of Martha Murdock from Martha Murdock Stables in Versailles, Ky. Some of the costumes and tack used in the opening ceremonies are authentic historical pieces on loan from the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation. Arabians will then appear in daily demonstrations at the Equine Village, a central site at the Kentucky Horse Park that will house both exhibits from various equine organizations and a number of world-class equine demonstrations and other special events.

Solidare's Foal's First Outing

Normally I wait until a foal is five days old before any kind of turnout. Because the vision of newborns isn't all that good, I find waiting this time avoids problems with them running into wire fences or taking a swim in the creek or pond although newborn vision didn't deter Legend those years ago.



With the issues surrounding Solidare and her new foal, I didn't rush to put the two of them outside either. I was worried about the usual newborn antics feeling the first real freedom. Solidare would have difficulty trying to keep up and I sure didn't want any more damage done to her already compromised back legs.

The weather wasn't co-operating either. I didn't want to take any chances or either of them getting a cold. With this colt acting like a dummy foal and not really doing much but eating or sleeping at first, I didn't want to chance he might stumble into some kind of trouble because of his lack of interest in his surroundings. There were lots of things to consider.



As the colt got stronger and began acting more normal, I knew the day was getting closer when he would finally see outside that stall. Still I waited on weather and forming some kind of plan to deal with Solidare in case her baby made her frantic exploring his new world.

Our spring has been more like winter making our fields pretty muddy and slick. Solidare doesn't need slick with her issues either so inside they stayed until this last week.Finally we had enough of a break in the weather to dry things out enough to make the front field safe for Solidare and her colt.



I expected the colt might not want to step outside into the unfamiliar because I have had new foals refuse to leave the safety and comfort of their stalls. That was not the case with Solidare's colt, however. He didn't think much of the halter or lead rope but following his mom outside he didn't give a second thought. He was outside on the concrete pad in front of the stall in an instant and in another one he was following his mother into the grass. The only thing this colt was worried about was getting to far away from his mother.



True to his "dummy foal" status he did not race around acting like some kind of fool which most colts do on their first turn out. Solidare's colt was cautious and stuck close by his mom. There was no running around at all. Just quiet exploration within a foot of two of mom. He never did get any farther away from her than what you see in these pics.

Ambassador

I have been schooling my horses mostly at the Frontier Park in Graham since things went south with my former associate. The way the facility is laid out the arena is right across from the play area designated for small children.

Many times those kids are intrigued by seeing horses working in the arena. Sometimes they are even able to get their adult companions to bring them over to view the horses from a closer perspective.

Whenever I see that happening, I try to make my Arabian horses accessible to any children interested in getting up close and personal with them. It doesn't really matter which horse I might be working. All are appropriate ambassadors for the breed.

Since our weather has turned from the spring-like days of winter to our current winter-like days of spring, I haven't been able to work as many horses each day. Mostly I find myself working in between cloud bursts and even thunder storms to get the job done so many times I have had to focus just on Legs. Getting the horse finished is my top priority.

That means that Legs is left to carry the banner of ambassador alone. Not that he minds, the horse loves small children and even the attention of any adults who might wish to shower him with affection. He is a ham as well and sometimes shares a bit of his horsey brand of humor with them.

Mostly people come over when I am riding the horse. When I see they are determined to get close, I usually will take the horse over to the rail closed to the approaching people and invite them to come closer. I think Legs appreciates the brief respite from work as he stands soaking up all the attention he can get.

One day during the last week of April I noticed a woman and small child standing up on the small hill that overlooks the arena. I was untacking Legs after our workout. The woman was pointing in the direction of my horse trailer. Then I saw her lift the small child to get a better view.

The sky looked promising for a brief reprieve from the coming rain so I decided I would lead Legs over to our usual position inside the arena on the rail. As I approached with the horse, the woman and little boy moved closer down the hill. When I got right in front of them, I told her it was OK to come closer if the child would like to pet my horse.

The pair quickly responded by coming the rest of the way down the hill and joined us on the rail. It was obvious from the start this particular pair was familiar with horses. I learned the woman had been raised with them and her brother is a farrier.

The little boy,Jacob, stroked Legs in a manner that suggested he was familiar with what horses likes and don't likes too. By his size I think the child was somewhere close to 4 years old, yet he moved slowly and stroked only the muzzle, jowls or the side of the horse's neck. Legs was attentive to both the woman and the child standing quietly like the good ambassador he usually is.

During our visit, another older couple approached with two small children in tow asking if they could pet the horse too. The first pair excused themselves making room for the others to get closer. The man and 2 1/2 year old boy named Jake and maybe 4 year old girl, Alicia (I think), came up to the rail while the woman stood off to the side on the small bank of stairs that come down to the arena.

The little girl held a stuffed animal in her hands. It was made of that long scruffy looking fake fur that seems to be the trend. Legs was intrigued by what that thing could be trying examine it closely with his muzzle.

The little girl wasn't quite sure what to think of Legs trying to get close to her stuffed companion. She wasn't frightened of Legs but she didn't want her sniffing her prized toy either. She tried moving it away and Legs still pursued it with his nose. Finally I suggested she give it to the woman who wasn't standing close enough for Legs to reach it anymore.

While the little girl took the stuffed critter over to the woman, the little boy climbed up onto the fence and reached over and grabbed Legs by the head. He leaned into the horse's face with both arms stretched out around the horse's jowls laying his chest and head onto the front of Legs' face and squeezed a big bear hug. As he continued to lay on the stallion's face in that manner, he began kissing Legs on the bony part above his eye.

The stallion didn't move a muscle. He stood there quietly with his head down low and a soft look in his eye as this child continued to hug him in a way most horses never would have tolerated. Even when the child relinquished his hold, the horse did not try to pull away. He continued to stand with his head dropped to the child's level while this little boy explored with his little fingers every crevice of the stallion's face.

Now I know from personal experience how painful the exploration of my face can be by the probing fingers of a two year old. I know they don't mean to........but the little suckers pinch.........and the way I watched Jake's fingers work, I knew he was pinching Legs, yet Legs stood there quietly throughout the inspection.

The child explored every part of the stallion's face. He explored inside and outside the horse's ears and nostrils and more than once I saw stretched skin in those sensitive locations. Legs never flinched nor did his expression change. He was content to stand there for as long as the child wanted to be that close.

Legs and I stood there for a while visiting with these strangers. Eventually the woman came closer and spoke to me about her dream of owning a horse someday. In the course of our conversation she asked me why it was that I had chosen the Arabian horse as my breed of preference.

It seemed to me the fact she'd asked me this question at all suggested she didn't know much about horses. I'm pretty sure any "real" horse person would have understood the display she just witnessed with Legs and the two year old was indeed the answer to that question.

Instead I answered in terms I thought she might get. I told her how the Bedouins raised the Arabian horse in their tents right along with their families. How their selection process hadn't just included the characteristics of a great war horse but an individual that could be trust to live amongst the family. Over the years this selection created a horse with an affinity for a relationship with humans unlike any other horse breed on the planet.

I told her how some Arabian horses who have been raised with a particularly close bond with humans have been known to wither up and die if that bond was lost. It is this desire by the Arabian horse for a close personal connection with their human companions that speaks to me.

I don't know if Jake will remember this moment in the park but I know that I will never forget. Watching Legs with that small boy hugging on his face I knew I was witnessing the best of Bedouin breeding, a glimpse into the soul of a horse relinquishing himself to the will of a child. I was not surprised by the behavior of my stallion on that day only frustrated I didn't have a camera to capture the precious moment.

I've heard tales of the examination in a similar manner of the top ten halter stallions by a blind woman one year at the US Nationals although the woman was not said to have hugged any of the horses' heads. I've always known these horses are capable of such tenderness with humans and I've experienced some private moments with Arabian horses as emotional for me. I just never expected to witness such an event with a strange child in such a public place. What better ambassador for the breed could there be?

GS Khochise+++//.....a Tribute

The life of the great GS Khochise+++// (Khemosabi x Beau Cheri) ended today. While I don't know the details of his passing, I know he will be missed by the many people who love him. GS Khochise+++// was 29 this year.

GS Khochise+++// was the all time winningest son of the great Khemosabi. Not only did the horse have that distinction to his credit but he won more titles than any horse in history with a whooping 38 nationals titles and 71 regional titles. Those titles include 5 national champions and 7 reserve national championships as well as 28 regionals championships and 21 reserve regional championships.
The horse won in western pleasure, hunter pleasure, side saddle western, side saddle english, trail, show hack and halter.

As a breeding horse to date he has over 176 registered purebred foals and 97 half Arabian foals. To date there are a total of 89 registered purebred Arabian grandget of which my horse, Scandalous Legacy, is responsible for 25 of those with his sons and daughters. While I don't know if he had bred any mares this year, I know he bred and settled mares last year so I expect those numbers will go up.

This weekend I was contemplating future blog posts and it occurred to me I needed to do one about some of the really great horses I have known. In that category Khochise would easily be at the top of my list. I even thought over the things I would say.....funny how life works sometimes. Here I am no eulogizing the great horse.

I remember the day I first met this horse as I began my journey into horse ownership working as a groom to get my skills up at Feature Farm in Auburn, WA. The beautiful black bey horse with four white stockings, a star, stripe and snip was impressive even standing in the stall. His big kind eyes and quiet demeanor made him approachable to a newbie like me despite the fact he was a stallion. from that first glance, Khochise had my heart.

Khochise was one of only two stallions in that barn that I was allowed to handle. That privilege didn't come to me after years or months even of working. A few short weeks after my arrival I was bathing Khochise in preparation for his trip to the US Nationals that year.

The horse never so much as mumbled at another horse while in my care. He acted like a gelding taking care of the newbie older broad foolish enough to turn herself over as slave labor in exchange for a bit of knowledge and the opportunity to experience great horses like Khochise.

The horse's manners were so impeccable, he accomplished some things most would not believe possible with a stallion. There were times he was taken to a show and shown in an early class, which he usually won, brought home at the break to breed mares. Then he'd go back to the show that evening to show again. You could pretty much bet Khochise would win that class too. No one really knew the stallion had been home covering mares that day.

I think the only reason most people even knew he was a stallion was because they knew the horse on sight. He was such a striking horse there was no mistaking him for another. Khochise had fans all over the world just like his sire.The picture used in this post was a cover of The Arabian Horse World in 1995 and was the month of January "calendar shot" for the 1996 Arabian Horse World calendar. It is not the only cover that was done on Khochise either.

These incomparable manners are what have been my measure of how a stallion "should be." Right from the start I have expected the horses in my care to BE what Khochise has always been. Legs and his babies have never let me down always reflecting the impeccable behavior of Khochise, doing him proud.

My early experiences with this great stallion are what led me to breeding my mare, Scandalous, to him.
His kindness and beauty spoke to me and he has never let me down. I may have been a newbie back in those days but it was easy to see that Khochise was worthy of trusting with my dream.

I believe the horses I breed here are a fitting tribute to this great horse. I hope some day the rest of the world will know what Khochise has done here and that these horses will go out into the Arabian horse community and continue his legacy.

I will forever miss you Khochise!

Answers to Let's Talk Questions about Spooking Horses

Nuzzling Muzzles did a blog post Let's Talk where she addressed the subject of Arabian horses spooking. Because she owns and rides Arabians she gets told a lot her problem is the breed of horse. So she put a list of questions to her readers. Since the source of these questions is the misconception that Arabian horses are spookier than other horses, I told her I would post my answers to those questions here.


Have you ever experienced a non-Arabian horse spooking?

Yes, lots of them. In particular when I was working at an Arabian show barn we had some track thoroughbreds in for legging up because of problems with the pipes at the track. That month the TB's were there, I saw more spooking than the whole 3 years I worked at that farm with Arabians. Those horses were a wreck.......now I'm not saying it was because they were TBs but more it was what they hadn't been exposed to....but those suckers can spook BIG TIME! They made our Arabians and half-Arabians look like light weights.

What usually triggers spooking?

I think anything unfamiliar or unexpected can trigger spooking. Heck sometimes things like that spook me.
I find the biggest type spook happens when my horse is concentrating really hard (like during a training session) and something breaks that concentration. That something can be anything sudden or unexpected....a bird chirping, a branch falling in a distance, a kid throwing a rock....some little thing that wouldn't normally bother the horse, will startle it when it's concentrating resulting in a spook.


What are the ways in which you've experienced horse spooks? (i.e. jumping to the side, bolting, jumping straight up, puffing up, snorting, kicking out...)

Me, I've experienced all of these things mentioned.

Do you believe that spooking is really tied into breed?

Not me, it's an equine characteristic period. I think that each horse reacts differently based on how observant they are. A horse that goes around in a fog may not spook as much as a very observant horse. But you can bet when that unobservant horse does spook, it's gonna spook big. I've actually seen those quiet horses do worse things because no one knew they needed to be taught to listen through a spook.

Do you believe that spooking can be worked out of the genes through selective breeding?

Nope! I think it will always be there. It's one of nature's defenses for the horse. I do think that some horses are more reactive than others but I think that has more to do with their awareness and attentiveness to their surroundings. Just like I said above, even those horses will spook and the odds are it will be worse than the reactive horse because their humans have taken for granted the horse wouldn't spook.

Do you believe that spooking is connected to the handler's reactions?

Yes, sometimes I think spooking can be directly related to a handler's reactions. When a handler lacks confidence and expects things to go wrong, they will probably go wrong. The horse can sense that lack of confidence and so it will be looking for something to go wrong too. At the first sign of something irregular, that horse will spook because it is expecting to be frightened by something.

If a horse and handler are in a new situation and the handler is nervous, most certainly the horse will be too.......unless of course, it's a seasoned horse that has seen just about anything. My horse like that would be Dandy......he's about as bomb proof as any horse can get. He does not pick up tension from his handler.

Do you believe that spooking is tied in with fear associated with abuse from humans or other animals?

Sure, horses have great memories. If they've had a bad experience and it involved humans, they're going to suspect humans unless they have good experiences to counter it.

I once knew a stallion who had been known for his kind disposition at the Arabian show barn where I worked. The horse was sold and several years later discovered in bad shape and labelled as a man hater.

Fortunately for the horse, he was returned back to his former residence where it took him months to regain his trust. That horse spooked at everything......even though he'd lived there before. He was hyper vigilant trying to protect himself. Gradually the horse regained his trust in humans and became the same sweet kind horse he had been before he was so badly abused. The spookiness stopped.

One can only wonder what was done to this horse to turn him so dramatically against people. Yet even with that terrible experience, the horse was able to work through it and trust again.

Do you believe that spooking is a survival instinct?

Absolutely! and a darn good one!

Do you believe that horses learn to spook from their dam and other horses?

I know horses learn to be affected by their dam and other horses. I have seen it happen. I have a mare that teaches her foals to be afraid of humans because she doesn't particularly trust people due to the way she was raised.

Her foals are born bold brave horses that walk right up to you. In five days times she has them climbing the walls to get away from anyone who approaches. It takes a while to get them through that "spookiness" and that can't even be started until after they are weaned. The only exception to that would be my daughter, Lindsay, who has bonded with that mare and cleans stalls and feed. Lindsay can win the foals over easily because the mare isn't worried about Lindsay either.

But by time these horses come out the other side they are back to being the brave, bold horses they were born. They are not spooky or jumpy about much of anything. Sure they will spook at things, but they get it under control easily.

Percentage-wise, how much of spooking is nature and how much is nurture?

I think that is probably different from horse to horse. It just depends on the individual.

If you believe spooking is isolated to Arabians, what is your logic? (i.e. Generations of Arabian horses suffering through sand storms, miles of desert with no exposure to anything but sand somehow got into their bloodline so that they jump at every new object and sound...)

I was going to do a whole post on this subject but I can't remember where I read the information I wanted to share. Even without the reference, I'm going to repeat what it said because it really made sense to me.

The characteristic head of an Arabian horse's has a lot to do with it's sensitivity. The placement and size of the eyes allow the horse to see farther distances than other breeds. The shape and placement of the ears capture sound more efficiently making the Arabian able to hear sounds frp, farther away. Also the way the nostril flare wide when excited make for a keen sense of smell. All of these things together make for a horse who will recognize a threat much sooner than other breed. Hence, you have horses that appear to be spookier when in fact they are much more sensitive and observant.

Do you believe that a horse can be trained not to spook?

Nope, but I believe a horse can be trained to handle spooking in an appropriate manner. Although I do think you can teach a horse not to spook at some things., that's for sure with proper desensitization. Mine don't spook at all kinds of things other horses do because we work on many things right from when they are first born.

The Chuck Kraft Clinic - Killer Part 3

Do you believe that a horse can be taught to spook in place?

Yes, I have done this and will continue to do this. God bless John Lyons who got me started on this in the first place. I've built on what I learned from him and can usually come up with a fix for any horse I've had issues with.

How are some ways that you have taught horses not to spook or to spook in place?

I've done different things with different horses. But I think it all comes down to teaching the horse what is acceptable behavior when it spooks in any given situation.

In hand I want a horse to be mindful of my position, to maintain the box I allow the horse to occupy and to listen to me. In the saddle I want the horse to stay soft, not change gait and listen to me. I guess the listening part is important to me because I want the horse to learn that he can trust me. As long as he listens he will be safe.

Right now we are working with Legs and his spooking in the show ring. We started with him on ground work . We crash things or whatever to startle the horse in the first place. When he does spook he hits that bit hard and he teaches himself that's not a good thing. So he's learning that he needs to stay soft and listen when he spooks. Then things turn out ok.

I had to de-spook Scandalous as well. With her I used trail obstacles, lots of raised complicated poles. She learned quickly that getting scared and trying to escape only made things worse. When she listened and let me guide her through the problem, she came out ok.



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My Thoughts on Patrick Swayze, His Arabian Horses and Cancer

I don't know if you saw the interview that Barbara Walters did with Patrick Swayze last week. These videos are the five parts of that interview without commercial interruption.

I watched because I know that Patrick Swayze is an Arabian horse enthusiast. He was at the US Nationals one year when I was there. I never saw the star but did hear about the poor behavior of some of his fans hanging over the rail as he was riding his class and shooting pictures, not to mention all the screaming.

Swayze hasn't tried to show his own horses since. That somehow has made me feel connected to him. The thought of not being able to pursue one's passion seems to haunt me, so I can understand how it must feel to Patrick to have one of the things he loves most (acting) cause interference with another great love in his life........Arabian horses. I'd always hoped that maybe someday his fans would get wise and let the man live and maybe he'd get to show a horse again if that's what he wanted.

Then Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. Again, I felt a connection having battled demon cancer as it attacked my child. I hung onto my Arabian horses as a way to give me strength and get both of us through. I hoped that Swayze's Arabian horses were doing the same for him. Also I hoped he could find that same solice in their company that had been there for Lindsay and me.

When I heard that Barbara Walters was airing this special, I was immediately drawn to it..........as was Lindsay. I wanted to see how he is doing. I also wanted to get a glimpse of his Arabian horses wondering if they are helping him along this difficult journey. It didn't take long to get that answer.

There are clips of Patrick with his Arabian horses throughout this interview. He may not come right out and say Arabian horses are part of what's keeping him going but it is obvious by the prominence they play in this interview. For me the fact the horses are groomed to a tee with even their ears clipped says it was part of the plan the horses would be in the interview, it wasn't just happen stance. It tells me these horses are an integral part of their lives even now...........probably especially now would be a more appropriate to say. I'm glad the horses are there for both of them, Patrick and his wife.



I haven't really known much about Patrick Swayze other than some information about his horses and trainer.......you know the important horse stuff. After watching this interview I must say there's a lot of wisdom here as Patrick speaks about the quality of his life, what he's willing to do to stay alive and what's important to him.

"I'm not going to chase staying alive!" is a quote from Swayze that really struck me. I knew instantly what he was referring to. Chasing a cure was something we tried to avoid with Lindsay. I remember seeing parents so caught up in beating the cancer that their children had no time to live. The quality of their lives had long since been sacrificed for a cure. I didn't want that for my child and I sure wouldn't want it for me.




Patrick Swayze shows his strength with quotes like this "If it's about pain, I can deal with it" in referring to his fight. It's clear the fact he is still alive despite the odds is directly related to his attitude.



"We're all dying..........that makes me feel good from time to time........we're all dying, it's just a matter of when." says Swayze and he's right. It's not the thought of dying that will do you in, it's the fear of it. If we can accept that our life is limited and make the most of it, then we won't get lost in our fear and miss out on living.

Barbara Walters asked Partrick and his wife about their decision to renew their wedding vows this year. On a spur of the moment whim in four days they put together an intimate gathering on their ranch which Patrick described as " very Prince Charming and Snow White , I rode in on a snorting steed.........white stallion " as he spoke these words you could hear the significance of the horses to their commitment to each other and their lives. As Richard would say, "Good Stuff!"




There were statements along the way that told of Patrick's disillusionment with humanity. Maybe those things like fans robbing him of the ability to show his horses had contributed to that pain, but this new journey had brought a response neither he nor his wife had expected as the studio did the right thing and let Swayze do his new series despite his illness and the letters poured in from strangers lending their support, offering their comforting stories and prayers.

" It's amazing what ..what love can change and what courage love can breed in other people. " said Swayze as he said the studio doing the right thing and those letters of support have restored some of his faith in people after all.

When Barbara asked him how much time he had left one of his answers was "I plan on spending a lot of time on the back of a horse........back in the mountains.........." his message that he still has things to do before he is done with this life..........and those things involve horses.

Walters asked " Patrick, In your heart you're a cowboy"
His response was simple, "Yes, Mam........I am........just like my dad."

She also asked him if he thought about Ghost to which he replied. " Bigtime............ because the biggest line out of Ghost 'It's amazing Molly,.......... the love inside........... you take it with you.' "

I'm not really a Hollywood type person. I'm not real big on movies and I usually forget who starred in the ones I do see and like. I do, however, remember Patrick and Demi Moore from Ghost I will admit that when I first heard of Swayze's cancer I thought about that role and wondered if it would turn out to be prophetic. And I will always remember those particular lines.........I know they are true and they somehow make death not quite so scary to me.

Watching this interview with Barbara Walters and Patrick Swayze didn't quite turn out the way I had expected. Instead of just catching glimpses of some beautiful Arabian horses, I learned a lot about the man, his wife and their values.

Some, I know, think that this interview will do a lot for the Arabian horse and certainly Patrick Swayze has done that in the past. There was a clear message that Arabian horses are a huge part of the man's life. But for me the most powerful message of the interview is " It's amazing what ..what love can change and what courage love can breed in other people. "

This weekend Patrick Swayze was admitted to the hospital. He told reporters it was just precautionery to deal with pneumonia.

No one knows more than me what that can mean. It's not the cancer that kills most people it is the chemotherapy. It weakens the body and opens the door for things like pneumonia. I hope that Patrick Swayze gets to have that time in the saddle he was referring to.............I wish him many more hours in the saddle on the white Arabian stallion...........

Laura, in the comments provided this link for info on Patrick Swayze's Arabian Horses



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Twas the night before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the farm,
All the horses were sleeping, all safe, snug and warm.
The stockings were hung by the stall doors with care,
In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The horses were nestled all warm in their beds,
While visions of sweet treats danced through their heads.
The weanlings, the yearlings and even the twins,
The mares and stallions were dreaming of wins.

When out in the paddock there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
I dashed to the barnyard to see what I could see
There in the moonlight.....how could it be?

It wasn't St Nick....nor his reindeer
Not a sleigh nor an elf anywhere
Instead I could see in the moonlight
A new tradition that seemed so right

Up on the barn top all glistening and white
Was a magical horse in the crisp snowy night.
An Arabian horse with his head held aloof
Snorting and blowing up there on my roof.

Ears locked tight, his nostrils did flare
Black eyes bulging at all that was there
He looked like a vision all power and might
As he stood there surveying this farm in the night.

Flagging his tail and tossing his mane
Pawing the snow and blowing again!
Strapped to his back were bundles of red,
Filled with treats and toys for horses in their bed.

From the rooftop he bounded on down to the stalls
Leaving his presents for one and for all.
At each door he stopped and called out a name
Filled up the stocking and snorted again!

Heiress, Rhapsody, Dancer and Dare,
Legacy, Dandy, and of course..... Solidare
Andy and Pat, followed by Gypcy and Faye
Lucy, Faith, Lilly and Hope, who else could he say?

On to the twins, Trouble and Surprise
He's got to be finished before the sunrise!
Reflection and Rose, still more to see
Percy, Suede, Aana and Vee

In the next barn Echo, Scarlet, Louie and Tag
One more horse gets the gift from the bottom of the bag.
Before leaving the last barn, going into the night
This horse whirled around to check everything's right.

Twenty-eight horses, twenty-eight calls
Twenty-eight presents, no stockings too tall.
Each one filled clear up to the brim
Big ones and little ones, fat and thin.......

There were apples and carrots and peppermints too
Sweet things and cookies and toys to chew
A treat for the kitties, maybe MiKael, Lindsay and Dave
Of course the humans would have to behave!

Then tossing his head and whinnying a proud call
This magical Arabian blessed one and all
He leapt in the air, climbed through the sky
I couldn't believe it, this horse could fly!

Over the rooftops, then he circled the creek
Still I expected he'd land in a heap!
But he flew higher with no wings in sight
Springs on his hooves......could that be right?

Zig-zagging proudly up over my farm
Still snorting and blowing, it made my heart warm
I called his direction as he cantered out of sight
Merry Christmas to All and to all a good night!



I own a print of this artwork. The artist is Sprague.

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Special "Thanks" for Our Horses

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a young girl courage, if she chooses to grab a mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle or a computer, a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily; we know we've made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are people - which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday, but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car or tractor in "drive."

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences - if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn.

And, while some people think the horse "does all the work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it's not just about horses - it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion. In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place.

~ Author Unknown ~

Note: Considering how I'm feeling about now, I thought this post was appropriate. My feelings for Arabian horses are certainly what's getting me through these times!


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