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| Lady Aspen |
THE LOSS OF AN EQUINE COMPANION
March 31, 2010
Barb
Young, our Montrose photographer friend, sent this news about the death of her Welsh/TB pal, Lady Aspen. Just about two years
ago, I lost the best horse I ever owned, due to colic, so I can relate. I'm sure many others have their own great horses to
remember:
RIP, Lady Aspen:
Welsh/TB, ASPR First
Premium mare: 1995 - 2010
With a heavy heart I report the loss of my lovely pony, Lady Aspen.
She colicked badly and despite huge efforts by Dr. Becky Sondergard, just could not be saved. Aspen was one of
my best equine models, and my main riding horse. She carried me on many trail rides, cheerfully leaving the group,
bravely climbing up and down rough terrain, and then standing while I photographed. She helped me produce many award
winning and top selling photographs.
I fell in love with Aspen the first time I saw her in 2002,
and purchased her initially as a broodmare. She had a top scoring foal in 2004 by Wicked Courtjester, and then went
out on a breeding lease to a friend for a couple of years.. I started using her as a riding horse in 2007, and she’s
been not only my trail and photography horse, but also helped me pony the youngsters in their first jaunts out in the world.
I will miss her dreadfully.
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Click here to see photo gallery of Lady Aspen
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EQUESTRIAN MARKET SPRING SALE AND SWAP
March 22, 2010
April 1, 2 &
3 are the dates for the Equestrian Market's Annual Spring Tack and Saddle Swap.
The Equestrian Market is located at 1460 North Ave. Suite A., Grand Junction, Colo.
Phone: 970-241-1400.
For more information
on the sale, click below.
Click here to download sale information
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| Ramblin Mister V |
LOCAL STUD ADVERTISING
WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES
March 29, 2010
Ramblin
Mister V, an Arabian stallion and reining horse from Loma, has been selected as one of about 15 horses to be highlighted on
a poster for the World Equestrian Games, which are to be held this September in Kentucky.
Ramblin Mister V is owned by local farrier, Brian and Meliss Crandall of Ramblin Ranch in Loma. Brian is also a well-known
local farrier. He said they received word earlier this month that their stallion would be included on the poster -- although
not the photo shown here.
Congratulations to Brian and Melissa
and, of course, to Ramblin Mister V.
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| Wandering horses, TV video, San Diego Union Tribune |
BORDER CROSSERS CAUSE STAMPEDE
March 26, 2010
These immigrants were of
the equine variety, not human.
According to news reports from San
Diego, wild horses from Mexico may have crossed the border to the United States, mingled with some ranch horses and convinced
the domestic horses to go galloping through a suburban San Diego neighborhood.
At least that's the story from one of the ranch hands. Fortunately, no horses or humans were injured.
To read more, click on the link below.
San Diego Union Tribune story on runaway horses
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| Amigo in competition. Horse.com photo |
VIA CON DIOS, AMIGO
March 25
Here's a good news story that started out
very badly. Amigo, a 10-year-old endurance horse somehow managed to have a tree branch pierce his side, break two ribs and
puncture a lung. But veterinarians at the University of Tennessee have been treating him since then. Despite repeated fights
with infection, he is doing well and could be ready to go home in a couple of weeks.
To read more, click on the link below.
thehorse.com article on Amigo
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| Anky van Grunsven, a World Cup champion. Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI |
25 YEARS OF FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE
March 24, 2010
The
great Reiner Klimke is said to have been the inspiration for the World Cup Dressage series, after he performed a demonstration
ride set to the Olympic anthem at the 1984 Olympics. Since then, the series has led to many stunning performances, which I
can only say I've viewed on video. I would certainly like to attend in person at some point.
To read more about the 25th anniversary and the history of the series, click on the link below.
HorseChannel.com story on World Cup Dressage anniversary
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| Mounted shooting competition in Montana last year. MSA photo |
LEARN MOUNTED SHOOTING FROM THE CHAMPS
March 21, 2010
On
April 17 and 18 near Loma, current Mounted Shooters of America World Champions Brian and Paula Bausch will host a clinic.
It will be geared toward the new shooter but all abilities are welcome.
Come and learn the basics of horsemanship, gun handling, breaking your horse to gunfire and other distractions. Ammo
and balloons provided.
Pens are available on site and
there is plenty of dry camping. Cost is $250 for the two-day clinic.
Call Cheryl at 970-241-0273
to reserve a spot. To learn more about mounted shooting, click on the link below.
Mounted Shooters of America Web Site
WEEKEND ACTIVITIES
March 19, 2010
There's barrel racing competition taking
place at the Garfield County Fairgrounds in Rifle this Saturday and Sunday. Western Slope Team Penning is on the schedule
for Sunday at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. And the Four States Ag Expo, with a variety of equine events, gets
under way today and runs all weekend in Cortez. Click on the link below to learn more about the expo.
Four States Ag Expo Web site
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| Colorado being rescued by helicopter. AP photo |
COLORADO RESCUED IN ARIZONA
March 18, 2010
An 8-year-old horse named
Colorado, was rescued by helicopter Tuesday from a sandbar in the Gila River in Arizona, where he had been trapped for five
because of the unusually high waters in the Gila.
I'm not sure whether
this is an Anderson Sling, such as Dream Catcher Therapy Center in Olathe acquired last year to help with horse rescues in
this area, but it looks similar. The news article I read described it only as "a special sling used for livestock."
To read more, click on the link below.
Arizona Republic story on horse rescue
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| Buggs creates art while owner Carol Jensen assists. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photo. |
IS YOUR PONY THE NEXT PICASSO?
March 16, 2010
Join
the "interstpecies collaborative action art movement" by teaching your horse to paint. This Wisconsin woman did
just that, and her 13-year-old quarterhorse, a former barrel racer, doesn't get so bored in his stall during the winter.
To read more, click on the link below.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on painting horse
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THE RACE IS OFF
March 14, 2010
The big match race many people hoped
to see next month between Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and Breeder's Cup Champion Zenyatta — the two great fillies
— won't get to the starting gates, at least for now.
Both
mares ran Saturday, in separate races. Zenyatta looked as fantastic as ever, loping along at the back of the pack through
three-quarters of the race, then turning on the turbo and smoking the rest of the field down the stretch. But Rachel Alexandra
was beaten by almost a length against a small and not especially distinguished field. She hadn't been breezing well ahead
of the race, and her trainer said she is just not 100 percent.
You
can watch videos of both races at the ESPN link below, and read a longer story about why the match race is off at The New
York Times link.
New York Times article on Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta
ESPN videos from Saturday races
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WEEKEND DRESSAGE SHOW
March 12, 2010
After having its February show cancelled
due to bad weather, things look good for this weekend's Grand Valley Dressage Society "Spring Into Fun Schooling Show"
this Saturday and Sunday at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.
To
learn more and to view tentative ride times, click on the GVDS link below.
Grand Valley Dressage Society Web Site
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14-YEAR-OLD CHAMP ON 15-YEAR-OLD HORSE
March 12, 2010
Mesa Leavitt
is chasing barrel-racing titles and winning many of them, according to this story. She's 14 and her horse, Junior, is 15.
The pair are from Iowa.
I hadn't heard of them before I saw this,
but it's a neat story. To read more, click on the link below.
Montgomery Advertiser story on Mesa Leavitt
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| Horses at a sale in Springfield, Mo. Post-Dispatch photo |
MISSOURI SEEKING HORSE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
March 10, 2010
A
Missouri state lawmaker, with the backing of many folks in the horse industry, is pushing to have his state open the first
horse slaughterhouse in the country since 2007.
This article,
from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, is as detailed and balanced a look at the slaughterhouse question as I've seen lately. It
does a good job of getting information from both sides of the dispute.
To read it, clidk on the link below.
St. Louis Post Dispatch article on horse slaughter
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SPECIAL COLT CLINIC
March 9, 2010
"Rescued
horses often languish untrained, waiting for the day someone will adopt them; unschooled youngsters are particularly difficult
to place. At the Four States Ag Expo (March 18-21) Jason Patrick, internationally respected trainer and heritage rancher,
will change that outlook for ten youngsters; Jason and his full crew (Whispering Willows Ranch, Steamboat Springs) will spend
four days starting ten colts from two local rescue organizations. And instead of taking the colts one by one and working from
the ground, Jason will demonstrate a time-honored technique he uses to start about 200 head every year: in groups and from
the saddle. The event, called “Rescued to Ride,” will prepare the colts for adoption and spotlight the issue of
unwanted horses, but it will also give visitors the chance to see fine horsemanship and excellent training techniques in action."
This is from a press release on the Four States Ag Expo. To read more, click on the
link below.
Four States Ag Expo web site
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| Courtney King-Dye on Mythilus. Teri Miller photo |
INJURED OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN
March 8, 2010
Horses can be dangerous creatures, as
most of us know very well. And even the most experienced horse person can get caught in an unexpected wreck. A friend of mine,
a very experienced horsewoman, was knocked over and stepped on this past weekend by enthusiastic horses eager for treats as
she went to collect a horse in the pasture.
This sad news out
of Florida over the weekend confirms the dangers, even for top riders. U.S. Olympic dressage rider Courtney King-Dye was in
a coma after a fall over the weekend on a horse she was training.
According
to several news reports I saw, the horse did not explode or do anything intentionally nasty. He simply stepped on one hind
foot with the other when Courtney asked him to leg yield, lost his balance and fell. Read more at the link below.
horsetalk.co.nz stor on Courtney King-Dye
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| General Johnny B. Good. Horse of the Americas photo |
SPANISH COLONIAL HORSE MAY GET RECOGNITION IN ARIZONA
March 5, 2010
What
is the foundation stock for horses in the American West. One group of people in Arizona believes it is alive today in a breed
referred to as the colonial Spanish horse.
Certainly, the Spaniards
brought their horses to the new world in the 1500s and 1600s. And the Ute Indians of this region were among the first American
Indians to become mounted, after obtaining horses from the Spanish in New Mexico, possibly by the early 1600s.
But no one knows exactly what those horses looked like, how they were built, and
what other breeds may have been involved. Were they Andalusians? Crossbred with Arabians? That's why the Arizona effort to
recognize the colonial Spanish horse is meeting resistance from some other breed groups.
Below are links to a story in the Arizona Republic, and to the Web site for the Horse of the America's, which includes
colonial Spanish horses among its accepted breeds.
Arizona Republic article on Spanish colonial horse
Horse of the Americas Web Site
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FANTASY
LEAGUE FOR HORSE ENTHUSIASTS
March 4, 2010
This sounds interesting, but most of the horse folks I know don't have time to
devote to something like this.
It's a fantasy league that allows
you to select individual contestants from each of the eight disciplines that will be on display at the 2010 Alltech World
Equestrian Games in Kentucky this September.
To learn more,
click on the link below.
HorseChannel.com story on equine fantasy game
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| $2.3 million colt at Tuesday's sale. Blood Horse photo |
RECESSION OVER IN THE HORSE WORLD?
March 3, 2010
Well,
maybe if you happen to be buying or selling some of the most expensive racing-bred horses in the world.
Prices at Tuesday Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale of two-year-old Thoroughbreds
in training for racing were up 9.3 percent over the previous year. The average price for the 91 horses sold was $257,000,
and one unnamed colt brought $2.3 million.
In 2008 and 2009,
prices dropped significantly. But bidders Tuesday were apparently more ready to part with their money for good prospects.
To read more, click on the link below.
BloodHorse.com article on juvenile sale
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HAY BANK ON THE FRONT RANGE
March 1, 2010
A hay bank started recently on the Front
Range to assist horse owners who can't afford to feed their horses appears to be having some success, according to an article
in The Denver Post.
Read the full article at The Denver Post
link below. And check out the Hay Bank's web site below that.
Denver Post article on Hay Bank
The Hay Bank web site
