Cheers!
I have a lot of family visiting this week.  Welle and Wonder were asked to play the role of "Kid's Pony".  They both worked in super style.  Actually, I am a tad worried that Welle liked it a little too much.  Christopher, my sister's nine year old son wanted to ride first.  So once mounted I led her forward so he could experience the feel of the walk movement.  I had to slow her a bit as I saw his eyes pop out of his head at the start.  Welle has quiet a power walk.  But she quickly learned to lollygag.   Once balanced, we put her out on the lunge and trotted.  He sat and held on.  Early in the trot I told Welle to slow down a few more times until she was in a lazy jog.  She happily jogged for the next three kids' rides.  Then my sister, who rode all through her childhood, got on.  Welle offered her a lazy jog.  So then I ended up coaching Welle with the lunge whip to get her engines going.  But she told me clearly she liked the jogging thing....  humm.

Guess what I got for Christmas from my Mother....  She gave me the original oil painting in the photo below.  Sadly, the cheap camera and the flat screen of the computer do not do it justice AT ALL.  It is inspired from my farm:  the lane down to the bottom pasture, but with artistic liberty which really adds to the charm.  I suppose since the horse is not grey, it must be inspired by Welle.  The real three dimensional, deeply textured, rich in color, painting hanging on my wall looks so romantic and inspires you to wish you could stroll through the fresh snow in the trees and play with those fantastic shadows.  Sorry though, once again I say the photo doesn't really express those shadows to you.   However, if you ever come visit me and want to see it in person, please feel free to ask.  I would be more than happy to show it to you!  (And maybe some of her others. )  I Love it!

Some of you may be wondering if Ines got her "Christmas Pony."  No, she did not.  But she is tough and optimistic.  There is still Hope in the works...
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I also hope you will get a 2012 full of happiness, joy, wisdom, laughter, fun, friends, and family... and happy riding too.

Cheers!  I finally got some photos of Legacy from this year!  Legacy is Linda's thoroughbred mare who had her right eye removed prior to her dressage career with Linda.  They showed Training level this year.  In the top photo I like how Linda is carrying her hands close together and she has her eyes up.  I would love to see the mare have a more proud neck (poll up) and for Linda to be carrying herself more evenly.  The middle photo is most exciting for me.  It is a shot I want to compare directly with the bottom shot, which was taken last year.  It is very evident the huge improvement in the mare's muscling and topline development.  She also is showing much more impulsion ("lift") in her stride.  You can see that she is developing nicely into a horse with the power of a first level horse vs. a training level horse.  The frequent big scores they were awarded this year are tangible evidence the work was finally becoming easy.  The new sexy muscles were earned from diligent, thoughtful schooling and diet.  Notice the lumbar area behind the saddle is more filled out.  The hind legs and buttocks look thicker, rounder and the neck is more clearly defined by the triangle of muscles on top than the underneck muscle below.  When work of high standards becomes easy, it is time to show it.

I snapped some photos last night of Ines' lesson on Wonder (5 year old Hanoverian mare).  She has been taking a weekly lesson on her in order to stay prepared to meet her new pony... someday.  She did a great job.  We focused on quality of gaits using tiny transitions within the gait to address Wonder's suppleness and build power.  You can see in the photo where she is trotting away from the camera that she is developing a nice lengthening.  The evening light was beautiful and the rays of the setting sun played romantically on the lake, but it is not well captured by my cheap camera.  However, I think it captured the clay colored dirt on Wonder's round rump just fine. 

Cheers!
The schedule gets busy around Christmas time.  I am sneaking in shopping expeditions in between all the other things that are moving the hours of my life.  Both of my sons are in athletics and fill many evenings with their events,  weekends are dotted with uniquely holiday socializing, family is coming to visit, the lesson schedule remains steady, the gym is still calling me to a level of devotion that I submit with a grudge and there is a steady stream of emails and videos to be answered as Ines and her family are still searching for their Horse.  Boy it would be nice if it could be a "Christmas Pony".  There IS a diamond in the rough out there to be found.  While our search is still in progress I have been given the best kind of busy-ness of all:  I got a Christmas Pony (sort of)!  Sanibelle has returned to "school" at Karver's Creek!  Yes, her stall is once again filled with the large, grey, gentle giant.  Merry Christmas to Me!  We are getting ourselves re-acquainted and exploring the new surroundings.  Susan did a good job with her during my time off.  While careful not to take on any challenge too big to handle, Susan kept all the bases covered, the tune in the instrument, or the kettle warm.  However you want to put it, I feel that Sanibelle and I are just picking up where we left off, and soon to be ready to explore new territory in training, sound, happy and fit.... both of us. 
When I walk to the barn in the mornings, Winnie always whinnies to me.  If I lollygag around too long, she will paw and whinny at the gate till I bring her in for her workout. She used to whinny to me daily when I could not ride her for many months. I suffered guilt.  Now I enjoy her enthusiasm.   Formerly, I wondered if I would not be "able" the same again.  But every day things get better.  I walk into the barn and see my Christmas ponies every day now.  I know that I am able to be with them and to enjoy them again.  Sanibelle's return and my ability to enjoy horses again are the greatest
gifts. 
A couple days ago there was an adorable video posted of a young girl getting a  super cute pony for Christmas.  You could clearly see that the girl and the pony were both quite happy with the situation.  I wish more kids could experience the  great bond of a durable, long, partnership with a fantastic horse. 
I hope that we find Ines' pony soon.  I know he/she is out there, already existing in someone else's pasture.  And that person doesn't want him/her.   Probably, the horse knows it.  It can't be a great feeling.  Hopefully, this emptiness will be cured soon, and another Christmas pony will bring the right kind of joy into the life of a kid... and a horse. 

More photos from NC championships, 2011
First photo:  Amy, Susan, and Linda chatting.  Second:  Susan smiling atop Bella.  Third:  Watson smiling while executing renvers.

Photos below from Thanksgiving weekend 2011.  Although my Mom has retired from riding for many years, she got on Welle for a short ride this Thanksgiving day.  It was the first time ever on her back. The photo of me on Wonder is the first riding photo taken of me since the surgery.  We did nothing to brag about but have fun.  My son, Noah offered help and his usual skill at conversation and entertainment.

Obama has legislated the re-opening of slaughterhouses for horse meat for
human consumption in the US.  There is much controversy on this subject in
my local community of equestrians.  Some feel it is repulsive to slaughter
our friend equines and certainly uncivilized to eat them.  Others feel it
is a easier way to get rid of unwanted horses in this "desperate" economic times
and that the shipment of horses to neighboring countries for slaughter will be
replaced by a quicker, therefore less torturous trip just down the road. 

I feel we owe the species a debt of gratitude for their massive contribution
to our human civilization and I feel that this promotes a culture of
irresponsibility in horse owners.  Horses and dogs are two species highly
responsible for empowering the human race beyond our own facilities to become
the civilization that we are today.  We owe them respect and gratitude and
most of all, civility to their species.  It is my opinion that killing
horses for human consumption is ungrateful and irresponsible.   In
addition, since those horses are valued for weight, it puts our own large,
well-fed warmbloods at higher risk of theft.  The "short" trip to the
butcher vs. the long commute to Mexico is more dangerous in my
opinion.   It is possible, if a slaughterhouse is near enough, that
one of mine could be stolen and killed before I get out of bed in the early
hours of the morning.  If they had to haul a big ol' mare of mine to
Mexico, then I would perhaps have the chance to find her before they succeeded
in the kill.
It feels like we live in a culture where nothing is sacred and
humans don't owe anyone anything.  The counter argument stems around the
idea that unwanted horses are mistreated and neglected and those owners need and
deserve an easier route to rid themselves of the financial burden of the animal.
They also suggest that procreation of horses should be regulated more strictly
so there would not be so many cheap, unwanted ones.   And that a short
trip to the butcher is better than a long one. 
I agree that the
financial burden of horse ownership is great.  However, I believe that a
huge portion of the riders in our country, like me, have started our riding
careers on free/unwanted/un-needed ponies, ex-racehorses and the like.  If
the owners of the free ponies and ex-racehorses that we have loved and owned had
an easier route just down the road to rid themselves of the animal for the price
of its weight, I doubt I would have had the honor of knowing those excellent
creatures.  In addition, highly regulated breeding of horses would make
purchases prohibitively expensive for many.  The number one law of
economics is higher supply = cheaper and lower supply = more expensive.  My
successful FEI horse, who I intend to be my first partner to take me down the
Grand Prix centerline, was bred in the backyard of a one-time-only
breeder.  No other horses were ever produced.  However, Dianne, her
breeder, got the joy of her birth and youth and then I was able to afford to buy
her at a time in my life that I didn't have much.  The horses I looked at
born to successful, professional establishments were all out of my price range,
because it costs a lot to breed and birth a healthy horse.  Luckily, Dianne
wasn't pro, and I benefited in a lucky find that has changed my life in a very
happy way.  Unregulated breeding is good for a society that has individuals
with a culture of responsibility and hope.  It is our responsibility to be
those type of individuals and promote that within our peers.  My friends
and I have saved and placed many, many, many "unwanted" horses of all ages (up
to 30+).  As we speak, my old mare Favie (29y.o. in 2012) is happily
servicing a family who needed a babysitter to trail ride and pasture with a
child's pony.  She is sound only at the walk, after her "third" job
retirement.  They are very happy with her and could not have bought one to
serve them any better.  Many owners would have sold her to a butcher but I
am happy that a family is getting the continued privilege of her company. 
Let's promote a culture where we do not give up on old, unwanted,
expensive-to-keep horses.  It is a culture based on individual
responsibility that is most civilized.  That can never be legislated, but
good old fashioned peer pressure may help a lot.  It is not ok to slaughter
our partners in civilization, but it IS ok to share them with others for
free.  It takes effort.  It is also ok to humanly euthenize them in a
respectful way.  It is one mistake to keep a horse longer than you are
able, it is two mistakes to do that and then sell it to the slaughter
market. 
I am realistic.  I know that if Favie got kidnapped from
the field I would put less resources to finding her than if Welle got kidnapped
by the slaughter-poachers.  And if my sister got kidnapped by a far-distant
slave trade, I would put more resources into finding her than Welle.  I am
saying:  I am aware that there is a limit to our resources and
priorities.  However, I feel that an "easy" way to rid ourselves of
unwanted horses for HUMAN consumption is promoting a culture of
irresponsibility, ingratitude and disrespect.  Oh yeah, and its also
gross.


Soon, I will share with you some stories of the "free" horses in my
history.  They built me.  There are photos of three of them on this
website.





 
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