Talk about an All-Rounder!

A few days ago I posted the WEG X-country helmetcam footage of Peter Atkins and Henry Jota Hampton (aka Henny). It was a wild ride, but they did great on this looong, scary course. They were 24th in the final standings, not too shabby!

And you can see from the dressage photo that they're a striking and elegant pair in the dressage ring.


More recently Henny competed in the Myopia Hunt / Putnam Boston Jumper Classic -- um, in the lead line class.

Here's the scoop from Peter...

"We headed down to Hamilton for the Myopia Hunt / Putnam Boston Jumper Classic this weekend. Owen rode Henny in the lead line, they won of course!!! So did the other kids. He was of course the crowd favorite and Henny was best behaved of all the ponies."

Talk about an all-rounder!

Rollkur en dressur? Google breaks the language barrier?

We dressage enthusiasts are total Europhiles, and the Dutch and the Germans are the masters of dressage. So I figured we should find out what the riders of  Germany and the Netherlands think  about the hot dressage topics. To this end I searched online forums in those countries. I found a lot of information. Well, shoot. I don't know either language.

Google to the rescue! 
I used the Google online translator so we can glean wisdom from Dutch/German dressage riders -- what are they saying about the critical dressage topics of the day? Google translations to the rescue!



ABOUT TOTILAS

Wow, the pictures of Totilas can occur one goosebumps!

 The horse [Totilas] gave speeches at the European championships on his own.

ABOUT ROLLKUR

I would not want to turn my head against my anatomy so down.

The attitude of horse and rider do not always have to write home about.  

ABOUT ANKY

 Anky outside the hands of the white picket fences regularly see are somewhere between her ears. Then I thought to myself: if I put a picture of it bucks I get paid twice as hard.

Talk about broken English...

Happy Halloween! No wonder horses spook

No good deed goes unpunished

As a barn worker I'm often asked to do things not part of my regular job -- usually they're small things, and I don't mind. But at times it seems no good deed goes unpunished.

All time worst incident
A year or so ago I was asked to watch a rehab horse on small paddock turnout. I took it seriously. In fact, during my break I parked my car on the grass adjacent to the field so I could watch him while I ate lunch. Normally I eat in the barn's heated lounge.

Turns out, a friend of the horse owner's noticed my car was not in the lot, and texted the owner that I was AWOL while her horse was turned out. The owner was very upset and confronted me. She didn't believe my explanation, or she wanted to believe the her friend instead of me (I suspect the latter). 

Most recent incident
I do barn work at several farms. A horse at a one barn, Buzz,  got kicked in the chest. It swelled pretty badly, and formed a hematoma, which was draining.  His owner Sue asked to turn him out in a paddock, bring him in and clean/ treat Buzz's chest injury with topical medicine, and dose him with meds. It was a one time favor to do at the end of the day.

In the days right after the injury Buzz was wearing a muzzle to prevent him from biting the wound, but at this point the wound was ten days old.  Sue  had been out to see Buzz earlier that day, and had left the muzzle off. Hours later I did my thing with Buzz and returned him to his stall, sans muzzle. Frankly I didn't give this any thought. Sue had left it off, so I left it off too...

Unmuzzled rage
Apparently I was supposed to put on the muzzle. Buzz chewed on his wound and it got inflamed. The next day, the barn manager called about a big note on the board:  "BUZZ'S CHEST IS RE-INFECTED BECAUSE SOMEONE LEFT OFF HIS MUZZLE." I told her what happened, and she seemed to understand. I figured she spoke to Sue. But when I saw Sue a week later she was livid.  Apparently she had left the muzzle off  to give Buzz a break from wearing it. It's true that I knew Buzz had been wearing a muzzle at one point, and immediately after the injury I knew he was supposed to wear it. The fact was, the owner had left it off, for hours, and I didn't realize I was supposed to handle him differently.

Sue did most of the talking, but when I tried to explain -- defend myself really -- she walked away. I go to that barn once a week, and for the past few weeks Sue's been giving me the silent treatment. As far as Sue goes, it looks like it's game over.

I know from my own experience -- when my horse is injured, I'm obsessed, and  I assume others are as aware of his care as I am.  Sue and I had talked about Buzz's injury in the past, but I wasn't involved in his care at the time, and didn't commit it to memory. From her perspective, I was careless and injured her horse. From my perspective she didn't give clear instructions.


The moral of the story...
The moral is, when you get help with your horse care: Write it down. Post a sign. Keep it simple. Don't assume.

Am I feeding horses or competing in Top Chef????

I've done it myself -- left super-detailed instructions not only on what to feed, but how to feed it. When someone leaves instructions that contain the word "frappe" I think I'm done with barn work!

This is a note that was left for me at one point in the distant past.

Two issues:

• Why is Succeed the exception? I guess the key to following notes like this is not to question the exceptions, or you'll go down the meandering path of possible motives. Too confusing. Just do it.
• Does Sam's Succeed get added to beet pulp AFTER the water? Or is it not added to the beet pulp at all?

Truth is, I didn't lose too much sleep over it, I just followed the clear parts to the letter and did what seemed logical on the unclear parts.

Riley's and I go matchy matchy

Okay, if you've watched the endless footage of Riley, you know his Mattes saddle pad is terracotta  -- and I have to admit I'm infatuated with that color.  It looks great on him, and for a shade of orange it isn't awful on me.

So what do you think happened when I ran across these terracotta Uggs?

• Find a pair on sale (1/2 price!).
• Sell current Uggs (chocolate Bailey) and a pair of unused shipping boots on Ebay
• Snap up the sale pair.
• Hope it's not a scam.

Finding a pair was not easy--it is a color from their spring line, now discontinued. Never heard of the company selling the half price pair and they also sell pet food. Weird but I'm desperate. I have a checking account just for "marginal online purchases" at the recommendation of my banking rep.

Update: They've arrived and they are goorrgeous! I was afraid they'd be too orange but they really are the perfect fall color.

Riley has a great day under saddle -- Video

This may be my favorite video yet. Forward, forward forward! And correctly round for the most part. If this video doesn't work or is not displaying well, try the Youtube video.

Fantasy food for equestrians (of course it involves chocolate!)

Imagine you have been tasked with developing gourmet confections and baked goods with horse themes for a) humans and b) horses. What would you do? Someone I know is musing on this and here are the ideas I had for her...

• Haybale. Petit fours, slightly oversized and oblong, coated with toasted coconut to look like hay bales, with icing or licorice twine.
• Grain bucket. Tiny milk chocolate buckets filled with  granola that's been lightly pulsed in the food processor.
• Jolly Balls. Milk chocolate jolly-balls filled with liqueur.
• Hoofprints in the snow. White meringe cookies (snow) with a hoofprint made of oreo crumbles stamped on top.
• Mineral salt block (himalayan). Made with rock candy!
• Swedish fish-style curry combs. Think gummy bear curry combs.

Obviously those are for humans. For horses I'm drawing a blank, I'm thinking of a takeoff on the traditional sugar cube, pressing the sugar (maybe with a little maple?) into shapes of carrots and apples, maybe airbrushed with color.

What ideas do you have?

Padre Part V: Follow Padre on Facebook!

Well, you guys now know everything I know about Padre. If you want to track his progress, here's his Facebook page. Make sure to "like" him!

Stacey Kimmel likes

Padre'

Create your Like Badge

Riley and me, the video

I my second post-Devon ride, Riley was a little pokey. Bob was on hand to video - footage to last for all Eternity and for all of  the Internet masses.  The pressure was on. I was hell bent on getting a lot of movement.

Problem is, I meant his movement.  Not mine.

Movin' and a shakin'
This is the bad habit that emerges -- or worsens --  when I'm trying to create energy. It's called the jelly belly. It's called rider working harder than horse. It's called Settle Down Up There! Riley doesn't look half bad, although I think he'd appreciate a little steadier hand.  I know what I need to do. Tighten that core! Lengthen that leg. Steady with the outside rein!!!!

American Mustang story: How Padre came East Part IV

This is part IV of the story of Padre -- Patti's account of how she got Padre. I'm interspersing the story with pix taken of Padre's foray into different disciplines. 

In Patti's words...
Padre was adopted through the Palomino Valley, Nevada BLM facility by Dr. Rick Redden of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Kentucky. You can check out his website for information on the Wild Horse hoof study he was doing with the BLM, it is really interesting.

Doc acquired Padre' as part of his hoof research. He bred Padre to domestic horses with hoof abnormalities to find out if Padre's good genetics could help the foals to have better hoof quality. I took a few horses to Doc's place who had navicular disease and Doc would let us go see the Mustangs. I had seen them in the wild as a child but had never been as close to them as we could get. They were amazing being still wild but they were also kind having always been treated well by Doc.

I use to joke with Doc that if he ever decided he didn't have time or wanted to see what they could really do that I would love the chance to work with one. A couple of months went by after my last visit and his assistant called me to ask if I wanted Padre'. I immediately said yes and have been thrilled ever since.

I know how lucky I am and stopped through to see Doc on the way home from Devon. He knew what we had been up to since I send him e-mails and videos every couple of months. He told me he was glad Padre' found the perfect home and that we had "done good". It meant a lot to me to take Padre' back to see Doc and to know he is proud of what we are doing together.

Stacey's note
While Padre has been primarily a dressage horse, he has done some stints in other disciplines as you can see from the photos. Patti mentions buying the cowboy hat for the western show, right. I just love Padre's face in the photo. What a wonderful find he is.

Peter Atkins and Henny at WEG: The helmetcam!

Peter Atkins has published his helmetcam video of the WEG cross country course, riding his Selle Francais, Henny (Henry Jota Hampton). Amazing footage -- with a little blip at 10:50 minutes that stopped my heart:

I believe they placed 24th overall?

Bob and I support this Peter and Henny -- Bob just loves Henny, and he admires Peter's obvious regard for his horse. I even created my own cell ringtone from the audio of the Rolex helmetcam ride. For our monthly membership donation to RunHennyRun, we get a special version of this video, with stop action and commentary from Peter. It is both fascinating and educational. You can support Peter and Henny too, at http://www.runhennyrun.com/.

Boot sock review: Celeste Stein boot sock for the socks obsessed

Ovation Zocks

Equine Couture

I love socks. A lot. And I especially love the thin boot riding socks. Here are two thin sock companies you may know -- on the left is the popular Ovation Zocks socks (Dover Saddlery, lots of others) for around $8 each.

On the right is the Equine Couture line (from Equestrian Collections) which are slightly cheaper singly, and they come packaged in a set of four for $17 on Amazon.com.

Sox Trot

If you frequent boutiques, you may have run across Sox Trot (on left). They're available at Smartpak equine too. They're nice, I think the patterns are classy. They are not quite as long, but they feel butter-soft.

If you are truly a lover of colorful, fun, distinctive socks, you absolutely must know about the sock company I recommend...

    My Boot Sock Pick: Celeste Stein
Ladies, ladies, ladies. It isn't just the selection of colors and patterns, its the customization! Celeste Stein does socks to order.

You choose the pattern and also the style of sock. CS has socks offer childrens, 18" and 20" knee highs,  thigh-highs, tights, and leggings in hundreds of  distinctive designs. Prices range from $11 for knee highs to $23 for leggings --  comparable to the other companies. See the Celeste Stein Web site and their samples of almost 1,000 designs. choices.

Up and coming

At Dressage at Devon, I met the family that is selling a line of socks for equestrians that includes horse themed designs and more abstract designs. They only had samples at their booth but I bought 2 pair that I should be receiving any day. They were about $12 each.

Padre's dressage journey Part III: includes a video!

In my first post on Padre, the American Mustang dressage horse, I talked about his Devon breed show win. But he is schooling third level dressage. I'd like to let Patti speak for herself on Padre as much as possible.

I asked her:  What are Padre's challenges in developing as a dressage horse? What does he do easily? What challenges you as a trainer?

Patti's response
Padre's biggest challenges in being a dressage horse are no different than any other horses. He is able to do everything I ask and he learns quickly and easily. His favorite thing is flying Changes. As a trainer my biggest challenge is to listen to him. He lets me know when I have confused him by halting. He will turn around and look at me like he is saying "I Don't Understand". As a trainer I try to give 100% of myself to Padre and to my students. It is hard to be positive all the time and I know that Padre' is sensitive to my emotions so if I am having a rough day I will groom him or free lunge instead of giving him less than 100%. I have a bond with him that is unlike anything I have ever had with any horse. I have a great deal of respect for him, his intelligence and athleticism.

Now,  here is video footage of Padre and Patti!

Secretariat: A review

Yep, I went to see Secretariat. Everyone I talked to loved it, and it truly is a feel-good movie -- you know, like Hollywood used to make? Any more it seems like gratuitous, gross-out violence has become the movie industry norm.  Thanks Disney for your 'new' radical approach to movie-making, and simply telling a good story.

Anyway, I did like the movie, but here are a few random observations...

• John Malkovich, whom I love, is badly miscast as Secretariat's trainer. He would have been great in the role, but he just ain't convincing as a French Canadian. I knew people in my high school French class who could have spewed out more convincing French dialogue.
• Diane Lane appeared to be channeling Laura Petrie from the Dick Van Dyke show. Being a huge Mary Tyler Moore/Laura Petrie fan, I was delighted.
• The horse that played Secretariat (not running) was also badly miscast. Short-necked, unmuscled, oh-so-manageable, blah. No look of eagles, energy, or what track people describe as "class." Honestly, Harv on a windy day could have done better. The original Secretariat was one of a kind. Short of making him a cartoon, or claymation, not sure what can be done about that.
• A few too many "I shall overcome" speeches from Penny. 

The best moment...
Which makes up for any nit-picky comments I can make... Penny is beset by tax issues, and her scheme for syndicating Secretariat fails. She walks out of the barn, sees the grooms batheing the horses. What she does next is something that all of us who love horses will instantly understand. It was the best moment of the movie, and that scene alone was worth my $10 ticket.

Blogging WEG Part II: the LFL WEG blogs

The image on the right is from Nan Rawlings WEG blog, Wegcentral.com. It's a great shot, isn't it?

My second observation on the LFL blogs
One of the reasons I was so keen on the Live from Lexington contest was that I figured the winning bloggers would be given some special opportunities -- behind the scenes access,  special inside scoop, or at least media credentials. I don't see any evidence of that, and they didn't even have tickets to cover some events going on while they were there.

 The WEG bloggers are basically spectators -- and at  least the average spectator could take  pix/video. My sister went to WEG and she had more celeb face time than the bloggers. She met Jane Savoie and some horse whisperer guy whose name I can't recall. She was even invited to bring her horse as a trainee/subject for an upcoming whisperer seminar.  Hamish and Dave got to meet and chat with Anky VG.

In closing....
Even as a contest "loser" I was happy for the finalists and figured Live from Lexington would be something special. Purina had identified the blogger talent, and of course there is the pageantry and visual spectacle of WEG. But it seemed like after the competition concluded, Purina lost interest, or funding, or something. No schedule of interviews?  No media creds?  Not even a visually appealing blog environment? I hope the bloggers enjoyed themselves -- and from what I've read it seems like they did. Perhaps opportunities will come to them from elsewhere.

Purina, what was on your mind when you took this on? What were your goals? Maybe it would have been better off just making the  contest a Trip to WEG giveaway.

Riley and me: Second lesson post-Devon

In the  month before Devon, I didn't ride Riley -- thought it best he had consistent rides with one person. Last Saturday I had my second lesson "post-Devon," and Bob videotaped.

Here are stills from the videos. I am happy with these images. In the right in particular, there is toe, knee, hip, shoulder alignment. In both pix my hands are within the acceptable range. In both pix Riley is relatively happy and his outline is decent, maybe a little twisted at the poll.

Does it mean I'm riding well?

Heh, heh.  It means I looked hard to capture stills from my video that I wouldn't be embarrassed to share :-). Truth-revealing video coming up...

Padre Part II: Will the next Breyer horse model have a neck ribbon?

I dream of a neck ribbon for Riley. This picture pretty much captures the essence of that dream, doesn't it? It's just perfect, and it brought tears to my eyes.

Looking at this photo, I can see the next Breyer model now!!!!

Patti's reflections on Devon...
I am proud that my unconventional Dressage horse and I were able to show many people that you can achieve your goals on any type of horse by working hard and following the training pyramid.

I also need to thank the people who have supported Padre’ and I through our Dressage journey.

• Jerry and Sandi Grossi who own Wayfarer Farm where Padre’ and I train
• Andre’ Huefler my amazing trainer without whom I could not achieve my goals
• My friends, parents and students who all came to Madison to see us
• Our sponsors; Horse and Pony Tack and Acorn Insurance and Swan Studios for providing the video we submitted to Steffen. 

Dressage is seen as an individual sport but without a great support team you can only get so far.

Laura Goldman: The post Games followup :-)

"A lot of people think disabled people ride like a sack of potatoes."

                  Laura Goldman 

This is a lady that doesn't mince words :-).

I'm just in awe of Laura Goldman (LG). LG is the para dressage rider who I learned of through Sheri "Dressagemom.com" Israel. Sheri interviewed LG this summer as she prepped to go to the World Equestrian Games, and a number of us blogged about her last month.

Thought I'd do a post-WEG followup! At WEG, LG  gave a number of gracious, charming interviews that highlighted the importance of para dressage as a sport. Congrats to Laura on her great performance overall and particularly her score of 69.9% and her fourth place finish in the Individual Championship Test.

If you haven't smiled lately, read the LG interviews -- they're a hoot!

clipped from www.horsechannel.com

“I thought it was OK. I tried to be accurate,” said Laura. “I hope my ride will help our team. This horse is fantastic and my coach is wonderful! This horse is going to get a whole bag of carrots when I get back the barn.

“I hope this sport grows in this country and I hope we get as good as the Europeans. I know that we can do it.”

“I know Laura was nervous,” said Chef d’ Equipe Missy Ransehousen. “But I think she did a great job!”

When I first started riding, there were many trainers who said it wasn’t going to happen,” admitted Laura. “It was difficult to get people to work with me outside of therapy. A lot of people think disabled people ride like a sack of potatoes and it’s just not true.

I found a trainer who treated me like the rest of the folks. She said ‘If you can trot around the arena twice, I’ll coach you.’ Well, I trotted around six times!”

Laura has only been riding JD since the end of May.

clipped from www.equestrian.com.my

America's Laura Goldman courageously controlled her nerve to slot into third. "I've got to tell you, I was scared!" said the US rider afterwards. "I'm amazed at myself. It's because my horse is fantastic, without him I couldn't do it. And my coach is really on the ball. I hope the sport grows in this this country and we get as strong as the Europeans" she added, now bursting with confidence.

clipped from www.usef.org

Laura Goldman and Trudy Phillips' Carlingford JD were next in the ring for the U.S. On the strength of a precisely ridden test and well-shaped circles and serpentines, the pair scored a 68.706% in the Grade Ia team test, earning an individual third place finish.

"I amazed myself," said Goldman. "This horse is fantastic. Without all these folks with the para movement I couldn't have done it."

clipped from www.horsechannel.com

“I did what I had to do to keep myself from falling off,” says Goldman, who for years has been in a therapeutic riding program. “I stayed on and I finished the test.” Staying on was not easy as her mount, Trudy Phillip’s striking 11-year-old black and white skewbald Irish Sport Horse gelding, Carlingford JD, opted to finish the test at a trot instead of the prescribed walking pace.

“He’s Irish,” said Goldman, “and he has a mind of his own.” When he’s not competing in para, JD is a Prix St. Georges-level dressage horse.

Goldman also took time to explain some special equipment she uses to ride JD. Para-riders are allowed to use “dispensation aids” to help them perform the movements required in a dressage test. “I use a neck brace,” she explained, “as well as a neck strap that I can grab if necessary, and I have something in my boots for extra support.” She also had custom ladder-shaped reins that help her grip with limited hand strength.

An American Mustang at Devon 2010

The Dressage at Devon Web site invites us to be part of the magic. Well,  this year at Devon we were part of history too.
 
"Shocker at Devon"
Padre, a ten year old American Mustang stallion, cleaned up. He won the 4 year old and up stallion class and he was Reserve Champion stallion overall. He competed against Holsteiners. Hanoverians. Oldenburgs.  And he kicked equine butt. Padre is not only the first American Mustang to compete at Devon, he went home with a neck ribbon :-) Congrats to his owner/handler, Patti Gruber at Wayfarer Farms in Illinois.

Oh, and if you think I'm overstating the accomplishment, Dressage-news.com reports on Padre's win, and the article is entitled "Shocker at Devon."The photo below is from that article, courtesy of Hoofprint images.

I'm still kicking myself for not going to Devon on the day he competed. I simply didn't know. Aaargh! I read up on his background (e.g.,  this news article) and contacted Patti a week or so after Devon. She was happy to share photos, videos, and insights she has as the Padre's owner/trainer.

 And he's not just a pretty face...
Padre was adopted through the Bureau of Land Management adoption program (Palimino Valley, Nevada) as a yearling.  Patti acquired him as a seven year old, saw his dressage potential, and  brought him along herself with help from  trainer Bereiter Huefler and others.

Did I mention that Padre is schooling third level? No matter what breed you're talking about, in my book that's a big freakin' deal. Padre and Patti were also selected from hundreds of applicants to be a demo rider for a Steffan Peters clinic held at the Midwest Horse Fair In Madison, Wisconsin. Below left is a photo from that experience. They have done some schooling shows competing a first level, with a high score of 74.3%.

What was the reaction at Devon?
In a news article in the Sept 17 Daily Herald, Devon CEO Lori Kaminsky was quoted as saying that mustangs "aren't built for the sport" and that they're "flighty."  I  think her remarks were taken waaay out of context. LK participates on the COTH bulletin boards, and she's pretty savvy. I have a hard time reconciling those statements with someone of her reputation and character.

 To follow up, though, I asked Patti about her Dressage at Devon experience, and this is her response...

Everyone at Devon was wonderfully supportive and excited to have Padre there.  The president [Ed. that would be Lori Kamnisky] and a gentleman from the board of directors personally thanked us for attending.  Other competitors were really supportive and his new "fans" cheered as we trotted by the grandstands each time.  I had a lot of questions about what type of horse he was and everyone was surprised to learn he is a Mustang born in the wild.  All the feedback was positive.  I could not have asked for a better reception and experience.

This is one of my favorite stories EVER. I just love that an attractive horse with good, pure gaits--but without the European bloodlines--can excel at Devon. I'll be sharing more pix, more of my interview with Patti, and a video of Padre, in the near future.

Blogging about the Games: Part I

Now that WEG is over, I thought I'd share some observations on the Purina Live from Lexington WEG blogging competition and the blogs. Recall that I applied, but  was not selected to be a Purina WEG blogger. You may remember that I received feedback that I was in the top ten, but was not a semi-finalist because my entry did not include a video.  The Purina rep told me a video wasn't necessary. It turned out the judges required it.

Guess what's missing from the Live from Lexington blogging?
Video. Or frankly, images of any sort. In June, Purina provided the blogger semi-finalists with a flip cam and a netbook. Yet apparently the Purina WEG bloggers were told they could not use videos or images taken of the show grounds or the competition. The lack of video was a WEG rule, but one that few bloggers followed, judging from the popular WEG blogs. I don't know why photos were forbidden.

As a result of this rule, the Live from Lexington blogs text -- just text -- literally lines of small type (at least on my browser).

Compare that, to what I consider to be the epitome of WEG video blogging -- Hamish and Dave, the Aussie WEG video bloggers whose fun posts went viral...





The Purina Live from Lexington writing was good -- but the lack of any visuals was a big hindrance -- and one of two things that kept this from being an over the top blog destination. What was the second thing? See Part II.

Devon's "Sick Gear" Award ;-)

Awesome.  Sick.  Fly. 

May I offer an opinion? Teen slang belongs with teens!  I think these words sound ridiculous coming from adults. So when I refer to the "sick gear" at Devon, it's with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Lots of riders wore helmets at this year's Devon. Helmet-wise, this rider decided to "go big or go home" Love the bling. The saddle pad says Legacy Farms, Lars Petersen's barn. This might be Melissa Taylor, and the horse might be Blue Hors Succes. Not sure, the bridle number doesn't match anything in the Devon book. At any rate, another upper level rider is wearing a helmet. Good for her...

The saddle pad says Legacy Farm, which is Lars Petersen and Melissa Taylor. It might be Melissa Taylor, can't say for sure. But how nice to see "big names" sporting helmets.

My favorite blog post EVER!!!!

I'll use my Saturday post to herald an article that will likely be my FAVORITE BLOG POST EVER. I'm so pleased, and think that you will be too. Make sure to stop by my blog next week, Oct 12 after 4pm. It's on a topic near and dear to me.

What a good boy! Photo from BHCP show

Photographer Lisa Tannehill took this photo of Riley and trainer at our first recognized show at Bucks County Horse Park. All of Lisa's pix were outstanding and her prices were oh-so-reasonable.

 The only thing I would change about this photo is that it would be me in the saddle ;-).

There is progress on that front -- in our post-Devon schedule, I'm riding him twice a week: once in a lesson, and as long as the weather holds out we'll go for a walk outside once a week too.  If I can get Bob to video tomorrow, I'll share some footage.

Think Smartpaks are expensive? Part II

First a math disclaimer: The figures from my Smartpak post had a math error (shocker). I overstated the costs of getting all three supplements from Smartpak, charging $7.95X3=$23.85 instead of the flat $7.95 fee. 

Anyway, in my last post I found that Smartpak packs cost the same, or they're cheaper, than buckets from other companies. When you're calculating costs for supplements, the key factor seems to be shipping costs.

Shipping: The not-so-hidden costs
My last post showed that s we don't pay extra for the convenience and value of Smartpak packaging. Instead, shipping costs seem to determine how Smartpak will compare to other options (e.g., Dover, Valley Vet, etc). For a single supplement, companies that offer good deals on shipping might have a cost advantage over Smartpaks. Highly concentrated supplements, such as Farrier's Formula Double Strength, can be shipped more cheaply because they weigh less, and becuase you order less often, shipping costs go down.  But wait! Here are some other considerations...

• Do you use more than one supplement? If you use more than one supplement, the Smartpak's flat rate shipping rate will offer a big cost advantage over ordering multiple buckets.
• Barn Buddies. The barn buddies shipping program reduces shipping costs dramatically, because costs are shared among boarders.  
• Coupons. Go to Google.com, type "smartpak coupon," and use one of the free shipping coupon codes.
• Fresh monthly shipments. Is your feed room controlled for moisture/heat? Are buckets properly sealed between feedings? Supplement quality can degrade in poor environmental conditions. Smartpaks keep things sealed and your monthly shipments ensure the product doesn't degrade.

So, when it comes to supplements, that's the scoop!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Who 'dat? My second favorite four-year-old at Devon, 2010

When I was doing the breed show thing a few years ago I saw a lot of 2006 babies (Riley's same age cohorts). A few really stood out, and I like to keep up with their progress  and what they're doing. One of the "wow factor" babies was bred at Rolling Stone Farm in Slatington PA. By Sandro Hit out of EM Rhussia (Rotspon),  I believe he was sold  in utero.  The new owner must be living under a lucky star :-), or else she's just savvy about bloodlines.

 What's so cool about him?

• He is a stallion  -- this year he was licensed by the American Hanoverian Society.
• The owner is an amateur rider, and she rides this horse herself. She was one of few amateur riders  at the young horse championships in Illinois. 
• His temperament (as evidenced from his show performances) seems very  unstallion-like!

Here he is doing the four year old test at Devon on Friday. It was chilly, windy, and rainy, yet look at this solid, steady, lovely ride (if you can't view youtube, click here for Vimeo version).







The judges at Devon were complimentary and especially appreciated the steadiness of his contact in the bridle. He got an 8.2 overall I think.

Think Smartpaks are expensive? Part I

The other day, someone on Facebook commented that Smartpaks are so expensive.  My first response was "Hey, what's your time worth?" But then I wondered, are they really more expensive? If so, how much?  I decided to attempt some math (gulp) to answer this question.

The cost analysis
I've talked about the benefits of Smartpak (e.g., convenience, dose control, ease feeding) in other blog posts, so this post will focus on costs. For this comparison I chose three representative supplements that are  popular, reputable, and widely available: Cosequin powder, Farrier's Formula, and Grand Complete. To get costs for the supplement by-the-bucket purchases I selected Valley Vet. Why? Because in a previous blog post on online horse product suppliers I found them to be the cheapest source of many equestrian items.  Comparing Smartpak to a traditionally pricey  source (e.g.,  Dover Saddlery) would be too easy.

About the chart
The chart below shows cost per serving  and cost per day (including shipping costs) for these three supplements purchased from:

• Valley Vet by the bucket
• Smartpak by the bucket
• Smartpak by the pack

If you can't read the tiny print, click here to see the Google spreadsheet.

Comparison of  costs: Valley Vet vs. Smartpak Buckets vs. Smartpak Packs

Smartpak buckets vs Valley Vet buckets
First, look  at per serving costs. Smartpak provides a per-serving cost on all of it's products but I added in shipping to that cost. After adjusting for shipping and servings per bucket...

• Smartpak buckets from Grand Complete and Farrier's Formula are cheaper by about 25 cents. 
• Valley Vet is offering free shipping for Cosequin Equine Powder right now, so it is cheaper by 10 cents/serving than Smartpak at this time.

Valley Vet buckets vs Smartpak packs
Next, compare Valley Vet buckets to the value-added sealed Smartpak packets. Here's the big surprise:

• Grand Meadows Complete in Smartpak packs is more than 30 cents cheaper per serving than Valley Vet buckets.  
• For Cosequin Equine Powder, Smartpak packs cost only 1 penny more per day, even though Valley Vet is running a special (free shipping). 
• For the Farrier's Formula the Smartpaks are about 6 cents cheaper per day.

 For someone buying all three supplements, Smartpak is significantly cheaper (by almost 40 cents per day). I did similar comparisons across a few other supplements to make sure these weren't flukes. My conclusion:  many, if not most supplements cost the same, or even less, in Smartpaks.

What is the most significant factor determining cost? I have a few more observations which I'll share in Part II.

Heather Blitz and Paragon warm up: Ten great things!

 The video of the warmup of Heather and Paragon is below.  I won't be offended if you skip down to watch :-). Here are, IMHO, ten great things about HB and her horse...

1. Helmet. Need I say more?
2. 35 minute warmup. I saw a lot of riders out there drilling their horses for well over an hour before their ride. Heather's ride time was at 4:12 and at 3:30 there was no sign of her. I actually asked the steward if she'd scratched. She came out about five minutes later. 
3. Paragon's lean elegance is so different from the old-style warmbloods.  His build reminds me of  those old paintings of Eclipse.  Look at the walk footage -- does it not remind you of a thoroughbred?
4. Paragon's floppy ears and unfussy mouth.
5. Brown saddle!!!!
6. Black patent leather bridle with crystal browband. Not too matchy-matchy, but plenty of bling.
7. No arguments. This was such a polite warmup. 
8. No whip! At least I don't see one, either in warmup or in the ring. 
9. Rider relaxation. The steward called Heather over because her bridle number was wrong. It was perhaps 10 minutes before her ride, and she spent the time sorting out the problem ringside. Who wouldn't have been a little tense about the last minute hassle? But Heather was pleasant and jovial, you'd never have known she was at a competition. 
10. Elevated poll.

Heather Blitz and Paragon, Devon 2010

Here is their first ride, which scored in the low 70s for a first place in Prix St. Georges.  Did you notice the helmet [jumps excitedly]? I ran after her after she exited the ring after this ride, and got to hear her comments, directed at someone she knew at ringside, not me. Heather's remarks: "He felt really electric! I think the weights of my tails were hitting him on the back, and that gave him something extra."

This video is better quality but sometimes the playback is jerky. If you have problems, here's the Youtube.com link to this video.

"Almost" only counts in horse shows: A TB almost does dressage at WEG

Last month Britain's Laura Bechtolscheimer, the third-ranked dressage rider in the world, rode her mount Andretti H to win the 2010 National Championships. Their score of 78.55% is aaaawwwffuully close to the scores Bechtolscheimer achieved with her top mount Mistral Hojris prior to WEG (I think her high score was 81%). Last week at WEG she got three silver medals at WEG with Mistral and a personal best score of 85%.

But this is about Andretti. He stayed "across the pond," but if Mistral had not been able to perform he was in the wings as  the backup horse.

A coverup? ;-)
Here's a word about Andretti's breeding. In the show programs and on the scoreboard, Andretti H is referred to as Hann for Hanoverian; Hanoverian by Arking XX, where XX indicates thoroughbred; or sometimes just German bred. Humpf! For the record, he's 7/8 thoroughbred (see pedigree). Here's a nice video...

His gaits are really QUITE NICE. Andretti was an accomplished international Grand Prix competitor before Laura bought him.

Parsival's elimination: Hints and allegations

I suspect most of us have heard/read about Parzival and Adelinde Cornelissen's elimination at WEG. There's a lot of buzz about whether there was abuse in the warmup ring. Frankly I kind of doubt it, and from what I've read impartial observers did not observe blood in the warmup or the first part of the test. There's a lot of hardware in the mouth of a grand prix horse.

This video (have you seen it already?) shows how late in the test the elimination occurred. I had thought she was stopped toward the beginning. They were doing so well! Watching them leave the ring I had tears in my eyes. The rider is gracious in her acceptance of the judge's verdict. A big thumbs up for that kind of sportsmanship.