My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, but 2018 involved so much angst — my accident, my mother breaking her hip, my father recovering from a fall, my stepfather’s illness — that I’m going to make an exception this year. I’m planning a better 2019 and I’m hoping that the universe will comply. My resolutions […]
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When I was in the rehab unit last February, a therapy dog came to visit twice a week. It was a beautiful standard Poodle, but by the time he reached me, he didn’t seem that interested in offering comfort; he just wanted to go home. If only I’d been in France. Then, maybe I could […]
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Some days you just have to watch people riding fast. The legendary “cliff ride” in the Man from Snow River (1982) still stands as the most impressive horse chase scene in the movies. While many people assumed the ride was faked, actor Tom Burlinson (Jim) has confirmed that he did the ride himself. Burlinson wasn’t […]
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A temporary committee charged with an urgent review of the FEI’s endurance rules has had its first in-person meeting at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Of course, this has been a long time in the making. Since 2014 there have been scandals in endurance racing revolving around catastrophic injuries and doping that have persisted. […]
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Six months after a serious head injury sustained in a fall from Cooley Rorkes Drift at Tattersalls CIC3*, Olympic rider Jonty Evans made it back into the saddle. Okay, the saddle was on a simulator, but to me this looks like an excellent (and safe way) to regain his strength and coordination. I wouldn’t mind […]
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Today was clear and wintery, a light coating of ice skimmed the pond and the ground was hard underneath Zelda’s hooves. The last of the geese stood on the thin film of ice, threatening to erupt into a whirling dervish of wings and honking, but managed to stay quiet, huddled together while we passed. Later, […]
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I love this flow chart from Auburn Agriculture. Intellectually, I know that most of the time, my horses could live just fine without their blankets. After all, they have access to shelter, I haven’t clipped them yet this year, and we feed plenty of hay. On dry nights, without wind, they would probably be just […]
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