I got to ride three times this week. 

Mia was an angel, since Debbie had a cantering lesson in the main ring I rode in the other ring with two girls exercising their horses.  Mia was so good, she stayed at the walk each and every time the horses galloped (yes, gallop, not a canter) past her, she did not flinch when the horses were galloping towards her.  Her whole attitude was--“I’m in my thirties, I don’t need to run around any more!”   I was sort of limited with…

Hey bloggers,

This week is an exciting week because it is the start of the 2012 London Olympic Games. This is the third time London has hosted the Olympic Games and what an amazing place to have the Olympics, especially for all the equine events. A fun fact--> Did you know that equestrian sports made its summer olympics debut in Paris, France at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Shortly after, the equestrian sports disappeared until 1912 but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games…

Equestrians from 40 countries on six continents – 78 women and 122 men – will take part in the Olympic Eventing, Dressage, and Jumping events which begin on Saturday 28 July with Eventing Dressage and finish on 9 August with Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle to Music.

One of the first things to know about horses is that they are prey animals. Simply put, that means that other animals eat them, and their natural instinct and only defense is to flee. Prey animals usually have wide set eyes as an early defense system.

Humans are predators, like mountain lions and wolves. Our…

My British Dressage magazine arrived just in time to give me some essential info on what is involved at London's Greenwich Park during the Equestrian events.  Here are some fascinating figures:

6 tonnes of horse manure per day is anticipated.

10,000 tonnes of arena surface, including warm up arenas and walk ways have been laid down on top of wooden decking that is placed on a steel frame supported by thousands of height-adjustable steel legs to allow for the undulating…

I have the opposite turnout problem that most have.  I have a beautiful 3 acre field that my 29 year old mare doesn't want to graze in.  She has been at my new home/barn since November and she just cannot get settled there.  She prefers to spend the days in her stall eating hay and will only graze intermittently and then is compelled to go back to the stall.  This mare has been on 24 hour turnout for at least the last 12 years of her life.  She lives with her companion of 4+ years a Shetland…

Elite Equestrian magazine is proud to announce that we are growing.

We are increasing our size to a standard 8.5 x 11 magazine, produced 6 times a year.

Starting with our winter / December issue. www.eliteequestrian.us

In appreciation of our associates and their support we are please to extend our 

5x8 rate card prices for our new size.

www.eliteequestrian.us 

Still…

The recent dry and drought like weather has turned the stable where I ride into a giant dustbowl. After an afternoon in the saddle, I’m covered head to toe in dust, especially my boots. I love my riding boots too; I hate to see them get so dirty. My instructor tells me that dirty boots are a sign that you are doing something right. I just think they are too nice to be so dirty.

I’ve been searching for a few ways to keep them clean and in good condition. However, I never realized there…

A friend of mine just adopted a dog called Bobo that was rescued from a hoarding situation.  He was one of 16 dogs being kept in a basement, belonging to an elderly couple, and when the husband died, animal control was called in to find homes for the dogs.  Bobo we think is a Siberian Husky/lab cross, and he has one blue eye and one brown eye.  He arrived at the house a month or so after being rescued, but he had to leave the dog he was used to living with, so of course he is insecure and…

Hey equine bloggers,

The summer is flying by at a fast rate and so is everyone's show season. With seasons at the mid way point, many of you are thinking of upgrading your horses to the next level as we approach the second half of the season. With that in mind, you want to make sure you are wearing the proper equipment to ensure your safety on x-country. Many riders are wearing multiple styles of air vests, which have proven to be extremely beneficial if you were to dismount your…

July 30 I'll be on the night flight to London to see the Dressage at the Olympics. This is my first Olympic visit and I could not be more excited. It is also very appropriate that the location is London. London is where I met a horse for the first time in my life.  It was the year of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation and I was three . Yes , dear reader, now you know that I am in the 'aged' category.  My grandmother's house in London, where we were staying, was on a narrow quiet street and…

In the last two weeks I’ve only ridden three times, instead of six times.  Car repairs, seeing my grandson, jury duty for my husband, just one thing after another interfering with my riding, plus I have been working with a new bit.  Of course the universe does not cooperate perfectly when I want to try out a new bit, this is normal for me, at least it happened once before. 

Since the horses I ride had been “voting” for the Mullen mouth snaffle, and then “voting” for…

Amazing Breeze

Amazing Breeze is a sweet 3 year old mare who has never been raced. She is a lovely, quiet mare that will be suitable for any discipline. Breeze currently stands at 15.3hh and has been working well under saddle.…

King Rush is a handsome 16.3hh bay gelding. He had a year off from work where he lived his life grazing in a large field. King is now currently back in work under saddle and is becoming stronger by the day. He is ridden at walk, trot and canter with ease. Would be suitable as a hack/pleasure horse.…

I’m going to be blunt about sports bras- not trying to offend anyone, (or exclude either of my male readers.) If you work with horses, or dogs for that matter, you should probably be wearing one. The good news is that they have…

So, I wrote last that Miss Muffin moved barns at the beginning of June and was doing well.  Last night my trainer was out to ride her, I'd been telling her how great she'd been (with the exception of our last lesson when her tootsies were much too long).  She was skeptical, and Maggie is never the horse you really want to ride at the end of the day.  But, she was magnificent last night, I mean she rode awhile and asked if I'd drugged her (she was joking).  She actually ended her ride early…

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we asked the horse what they would like to do?  Just imagine if they really had a choice in life, My first riding teacher was a lady named  Pamela Goodwin and she was on the Irish showjumping team.  It was her that said to me "imagine what you want the horse to do and they will do it for you".  She also said "let the horse pick their job and they will always do well".  I have never forgotten those words and have lived by them all my life, maybe it's the…