Police on two continents have proven yet again that riding horses while drunk is more likely to leave you standing in the dock than sitting in the saddle.



Police in the city of Cody, Wyoming, arrested a 28-year-old man for being drunk in public.



He was riding his white horse down a city street during a snowstorm and a passing motorist telephoned police because of concerns the rider and horse were a hazard in the conditions.



Police attended and when the…

Hi Guys,



You can help your stiff horse bend better by using benign antagonism. Remember, benign antagonism is just a training philosophy that allows you to custom design your program for each and every horse. It simply means that you kindly and quietly do the opposite of whatever your horse chooses to do on his own. For example, if your horse likes to carry his head too high, then you ride him "deep". If he likes to put his head on the ground, then you ride him "up". If your horse…

PRESS RELEASE 1/29/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



March 2009 - The Ontario Farrier's Association is proud to present:

“UNDERSTANDING EQUINE LAMENESS”



Ian McKinlay

Renowned equine lameness specialist, of Tenderhoof Solutions (www.tenderhoof.com)

and

Dr. Jeff Thomason (BA, MSc, PhD)

of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph



as guest speakers for the 29th OFA…

I don't think Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was thinking about working with horses when he initially wrote, "Love does not dominate; it cultivates." But the thought surely applies.

The horse in this week's painting is Confiado, a huge Andalusian stallion, who could easily dominate over his petite owner. But together they have cultivated a respectful, win-win relationship. You can read more about him on the Beautiful Horses of…

Hi Guys,



With a young horse, you do changes of canter lead through the trot. Around Second level, you do simple changes of lead. In a simple change, your horse goes from canter to walk and back to canter without any trot steps.



At Third level and above, you do flying changes. In a flying change, your horse stays in the canter and switches his lead during the moment of suspension, when all four feet are off the ground.



In this article, I'll go over a single…

What do a Presidential quote and an Andalusian have in common? They are both on the top of the free To Do List for the week of January 25, 2009. Print it for free and get a great start on a great week!
It's available on my blog....

Click here to go to Karen's blog.

Yesterday the Cdn Food Inspection Agency further tightened restrictions on equine imports to Canada. Not only are there more rigorous requirements for health certification for ALL horses (and continued restrictions on importing/transporting horses from Florida to Canada), but the import of either frozen or fresh semen, or equine embryos, will become increasingly difficult / costly effective Jan. 26.



Now people are making breeding plans, bidding on stallion auctions etc - and many…

Hello Everyone,

I have made my move to the country from the city and I must say the change has been long overdue. I sit at my desk every morning and look outside massive floor to ceiling windows to a view the city simply cannot offer. Billy's horses are in the paddock directly in my field of view looking very happy and healthy. Blue, the alpha thoroughbred takes a stab at Indy once and awhile...it's pretty funny to watch the two of them in their conversations.The scenery is absolutely…

Hi Guys,



First, let me define rhythm and tempo. I want to do this because lots of dressage riders use those terms interchangeably and they don't mean the same thing.



Rhythm - Regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot or canter. Regular rhythm is a priority for all work--whether or not you're riding a pure dressage horse. Movements and exercises should never be done at the expense of rhythm. Rhythm should always stay…

Next week's To Do List includes the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." I thought the painting I chose to accompany the quote was just right -- no not for that reason -- because the Paint seems to be really deep in thought about what really matters.





Click here to open…

Red Scarf Equestrian presents a behind-the-scenes Q&A with Olympian Ashley Holzer





1. How do they organize all the athletes before they march into the stadium? What is everyone doing?



Unfortunately we were not able to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing as our events were held a plane ride away in Hong Kong. I was very sad to have not participated in them. I was worried about…

Some horses are breathtakingly beautiful. This Friesan stallion, Mintse, is one of them. I first saw him at the World Friesian Extravaganza near Dayton, Ohio, in 2007. And I sort of followed him around for during the event. You should see him competing in Dressage! And you should see him in the Liberty class! And you should see him just walking from the barn to the arena surrounded by a crowd of fans!



When I decided to travel to Michigan…

So I had a pic of Ruthie in my pics. And apparently it's the new icon for when people forget to put their own picture. Yay! lol :)

We are always looking for new and inovated ways to keep kids and adults interacting with horses on all levels. What ways have you used that works? Remember, our goal is to promote the "good" side of the horse industry, by building horse lovers into horse owners one hoof print at a time!

Hi Guys,



You've probably heard lots of discussion about whether or not to work your dressage horse "deep." There are a variety of opinions on the matter. Some riders warm up and cool down their horses "long and low" to stretch and loosen the muscles. Others always school in a balance and frame appropriate to the level at which they are working; they never stretch their horses. Many trainers school in a deep frame only during the movements when the horse habitually comes above the…

Our cams are up and three of our stalls are filled. Our list of expectant girls and their suitors can be seen at http://www.mulligansrun.com/Expecting.php



We have in Shandy, Unforgettable and Sugar Baby



Unforgettable will be 300 days on 1/27/09 and 320 days on 2/18/09. Last she went 319 days and is a sneaky foaler - always during the day. This will be our first foal by her and Dream. We're excited to see what she…

Next week's To Do List includes a famous Will Rogers quote about horse racing.



And if you are a horse racing fan, you might enjoy this website dedicated to the Triple Crown Trail.

The painting is of Prepstress, a Thoroughbred mare, whose sire is is the famous Skip Away. Read more about Prepstress; her painting is part of my "Beautiful Horses of Ohio" series.…

Sara nominated her Paint horse, Hot Streak, for the Beautiful Horses of Michigan project writing, "She's a big girl but is truly a doll....Her beautiful coloring and wonderful talent catch attention from everyone -- in the showring and out." Sarah also told me that her 4-H club had voted Hot Streak the "prettiest horse," beating out 50 other horses.



You can see from the painting above, Hot Streak deserved that honor!



But…

McMINNVILLE, Tenn. – Jolene Solomon is beginning the new year with her life, her mule named Lou and little else. The Southern Standard in McMinnville reported Solomon had just finished eating supper on New Year's Day when Lou's braying and acting up got her attention.



Solomon, 63, who lived alone, stepped outside, she saw her house was on fire. She called 911 and as she waited for firefighters, her home and everything in it burned to the ground.



She said her father…

Capricorn - December 22 - January 19



Happy New Year dear Caps! This will be a stellar year for your

career,gather up your forces and get out there and meet as many people

as you can.

I see you travelling quite a bit this year as well, and even though

last year was a year of great distance travel, and you thought you

were due for some stay at the barn for much of this year, I am going

to have to burst…