My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Going into today’s cross-country course at Burghley, riders were already talking about how tough the course would be. That proved to be correct. Out of 64 starters, just 33 made it through the finish flags; 22 added no jumping faults; and only one horse and rider combo — Piggy French on Vanir Kamira — made […]
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After a long summer of growing out his hoof, Freedom finally is back under saddle. I’m taking it easy right now, mostly walking him. Or at least walking him as much as he will tolerate. It’s just as well that the “live” version of the featured photo doesn’t show all the head tossing or jigging […]
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Almost every day one of the wonderful drawings from artist Charlie Mackesy pops up in my Instagram feed. The wisdom of the animals as they guide the boy through his life and insecurities often reflects things in my own life. I’m not one for inspirational sayings (normally), but I do love these. In many respects […]
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Seven horses in Massachusetts have been euthanized this month after testing positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), and four people have contracted the virus, one of whom has died. Unlike humans, horses can be vaccinated against the virus — none of the horses that died in Massachusetts this year had received vaccinations. My vet is […]
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My stepfather died a little more than a month ago. When going through some old family photos, I came across one of my favorite — a picture of him and my mother decked out to attend the Royal Ascot. While the UK is home to some of the most prestigious horse racing events in the […]
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“The Burning Man people took all our ketamine, so we’ll have to settle for this herbal crap.” Okay, I’ve never had any interest in ketamine. The most I will cop to is using Sore No More on my aching muscles. I have also repurposed the doxy I got for my horse for one of my […]
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Yesterday when I got to the barn, I didn’t see Freedom in his field. Usually, when I whistle he comes running, especially if it’s near mealtime, but there was no sign of him. He wasn’t in the run in shed. He wasn’t behind the run in shed. I grabbed his halter and walked down to […]
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At 5:30 a.m., after riding 100 miles over 16 hours and 12 minutes, 18-year-old Sanoma Blakely, riding RA Ares Bey, a 10 year old Arabian gelding, raced for the win against three-time Tevis winner, Jeremy Reynolds. Over the last six miles, the two leapfrogged over each other into the lead, and in the end she […]
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