Don't Forget the Dogs!

I am so excited for the weekend because I get to go on a fox-hunt.  Fo those who have never ben it is a blast.  Basically you get dressed up in traditional attire and you follow a hunt master and dogs.  In the United States you don't actually kill the animal you hunt...its just a fun chase and you call the dogs off. 

Every horses rider should try it at least once in their riding career. for more information on hunting visit http://www.mfha.com/abfo.htm

*image from http://www.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=76133&articletypeld=0

Top Reiners

This is a great video that gives you a good idea of some of the elements of reining which I mentioned in a earlier post. The riders in this video are some of the top riders in the nation. The clips are from the 2007 NRHA Derby open finals.

Barbaro - Blaze of Glory

I found this video very well done and it shows off one of our generation's great racehorses.

Sprinting for the Win!

Horse racing is one of America's favorite sports.  I personally love to go to the races and cheer on the horse I picked to win.  When I choose a horse to place I like to look at their racing history; which gives you an insight on how the horse runs.  It is always fun to bet on the underdog and watch them win the race.  

In the United States there are two dominant styles of track racing....Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse. The Thoroughbreds are a longer leaner breed that normally runs an average of a mile.  

The Quarter Horse is faster, but they only race for about a 1/4 mile.  They are a shorter stockier breed, so they can not sprint as far. 

* the photo is from horse-racing-fixture.com

Precision is everything!

After writing about reining I realized how much reining is just the Dressage of the western discipline.Dressage is a beautiful sport; its kind of like ballet for horses. I trained in Dressage for three years and it was the best thing for me.  It gave me better control over my horse, I had a better seat, and it helped to balance my horse.  Even if you are a hunter or jumper this is a skill I would definitely want to train in.  

* picture from www.horsehowsbythebay.com/dressage.htm

These are a few things to make you laugh.  Sadly some of the stuff has actually happened to me.

The Amazing Dressage Test

(For horses unsuitable to become ANYTHING)

by: Joanna MacDonald et al

1. A --- enter at ordinary serpentine. 

2. C --- Stop dead. Stare in horror at judge and shy left. Continue at ordinary working gallop.

3.  E --- Stagger letf 20 or 15 or 22 meters in diameter circle or pear shape or five pointed star. avoid excessive cross of legs.

4. K --- Begin to halt.

Z --- Keep trying.

F --- You can do it

B --- Pulley rein. Give up.  Continue at "out of hand" gallop.

5. H --- Regain right stirrup. Continue at ordinary trot. Bouncing.

6. MXK --- Change rein, free walk, loose reins. Remove horse from judge's luncheon able. Ask judge for a leg up. Jump back into ring.

7. Z --- Turn down center line. Halt. Grin. Burst into tears.

Leave areana at free walk on long reins, loose language.

Everyone Loves Slides

Reining.....

This is a discipline that hits close to my heart.  Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to ride in the free style

 reining.

First of all those who don't know what reining is I will enlighten you some.  Reining is a western event that is normally set to a pattern. There are 8 movements in every pattern.

1. Circles - there are two speeds of circles...a large fast and a small slow.
2. Flying Lead Changes - this is when the horse switches directions and without breaking gait they change which foot strikes out first.
3. Run Downs - this leads up to the slide.
4. Sliding Stop - the horse will "sit down" and literally slide to a stop.
5. Back up - the horse must back 10 feet in a straight line.
6. Roll Back - after a stop the horse will turn 180 degrees and lope off.
7. Spins/Turnarounds - the horse will pivot 360 degrees multiple times.
8. Pause/Hesitate - the horse must settle before moving on to the next movement.

Free style is so much fun because you can show your individualism.  In free style you create your own pattern, set it to music and dress you and your horse in costume.

*photo from www.wired4music.com/micheal_bishop_bio.htm