Offer…part one of two

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Training

≈ 5 Comments

I was able to extend you a wonderful offer last Saturday and I have to thank Alex Brown for his generosity.  I don’t have another offer that can compare but I’m still thinking about offers today…the kind of offers that horses make.

The most obvious example is horses offering us their hooves to pick. Personally, I like to pick all four hooves from the near side (racetrack style), and it’s what I ask of the horses whose feet I have to pick.  I’ve found that, even if a horse is used to being on cross ties and having someone walk around him to pick up each hoof, a horse new to me will usually pick up my routine pretty quickly and start offering hooves in the order I want them.

It’s so much more pleasant to be able to accept the offer of a horse’s hoof in your hand than it is to demand it, don’t you think?  I always find it surprising when I watch people grab a horse’s lower leg or try to yank a hoof off the ground or squeeze their fingers down the cannon bone, just to get a horse to lift its foot.  Certainly, you have to do what you have do if a horse won’t help you out.  The problem is when the horse is never given the chance to offer the behavior, so the offer can’t be appreciated by the person sharing his company.

That’s a truism that clicker trainers know very well, because clicker-trained horses offer up behaviors all the time.

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Barbaro holiday book offer for my readers and an interview with the author

10 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in How to Spend Your Money, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

I met Alex Brown this fall over a saddle stand.  Well, actually, I was on it and he was sitting nearby.  I was trying out used Tad Coffin close contact saddles at Beval’s in New Canaan and he was signing copies of his new book, “Greatness and Goodness:  Barbaro and his Legacy.”

I can be overly focused when I’m concentrating, so I didn’t notice Alex sitting nearby until I said something to the manager about how I had tried a Tad on my second-to-last Thoroughbred and how Tad told me he was the rare horse his saddle wouldn’t fit.  It must have been the word “Thoroughbred” that interrupted Alex from his book signing to to talk to me, and once we started…

Although Alex didn’t know me, I knew him or of him I should say.  He’s originally from Cheshire, England and now makes his home in Pennsylvania. He’s worked in racing for 20 years, and covered the Triple Crown for The New York Times.  His website is an incredible hub for horse lovers, with Alex’s insightful writings, a discussion board, racing news, and great links.

Alex’s website is also the home of Fans of Barbaro (FOB), which has raised more than $1.4 million and saved more than 3700 horses.  He’s now offered to raise a little more, and help save a few more horses, by offering to donate 10% from the sale of each book to my favorite Thoroughbred rescue organizations — ReRun and CANTER — when you place your order through alexbrownracing.com and mention my blog (reflectionsonriding.wordpress.com).  He’s signing every book, too.

Isn’t Alex a sweetheart?  He’s also fun to talk to, as you’ll see from my interview with him:

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Horses in the house

08 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

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The show house, that is.

I’m a follower of Jennifer Boles’ marvelous blog, The Peak of Chic, Musings on Stylish Living.  This despite the fact that I proudly display the sign “Horsework before Housework” in the Victorian cottage that’s part of my farm.

As a counterpoint to my horse habit, back in the ’90s, I restored period houses professionally.  I share Jennifer’s love of the English Country House and her love of charm, that attribute so ill-adapted to the Age of Vulgarity in which we live.

But I must put my tear-kissed, embroidered handkerchief away and get back to the topic at hand:  horses!

There they were, the other day, on Jennifer’s blog!  She kindly agreed to let me share them with you.  It seems horses are a chic theme in the Maison de Luxe show house that just opened in Beverly Hills.  Here are some snapshots, courtesy of Jennifer:

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How to spend your money – auction antiques and jewelry

07 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in How to Spend Your Money

≈ 1 Comment

I know, I know, I keep suggesting new ways for you to spend your money, but I have to let you know about this opportunity right away, because it’s time-sensitive.  And because, even if I can’t afford to bid on these exceptional items from Moran’s (I did buy those white Pikeur breeches after all), maybe you can, and maybe you’ll fall in love with one of the treasures on the block next week.

Here’s my favorite:

This unmarked Chinese stone sculpture (Lot #1151) is 16″H x 18.5″W x 6″D, and is in the catalog with an estimate of $700/900.  There is no date attribution but it’s nice to know that less-than-successful attempts to control pushy horses is nothing new.

As an antique and vintage horse jewelry dealer, I’d love to have this piece for my own collection:

It’s a signed Tiffany & Co, yellow enamel with rubies and diamonds (Lot #1160).   It’s not mint — a few rubies show minor chipping — so the estimate is $4000/6000 (putting it well beyond the furthest reaches of my inventory). Breeders and anyone who has owned horses that like to rear, as I have, is sure to love this piece.  It would make an amazing gift for someone you adore…even if that someone is yourself.

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Too big for my breeches

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Attire

≈ 4 Comments

Have you gone shopping for new breeches recently?

I have.  And because I was looking for something a bit unusual — white breeches with knee patches — I thought I’d have the best luck shopping online.

Just finding a pair of white breeches with knee patches was an exercise in detective work, as white breeches with full seats are the dressage choice.

Not to be daunted, I compulsively, as is my wont, tracked down all the white breeches with knee patches that existed on my side of the oceans.

I eliminated all white breeches of lightweight fabric, discarding the idea of wearing a “body shaper” or what we used to call “girdle” underneath them.  I also discarded any “low rise” breeches, which we used to call “hip huggers,” and which completely justifies why I rejected them.

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How to spend your money – the Spursuader

05 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in How to Spend Your Money

≈ 3 Comments

Unlike the McSpur I wrote about last week, the trademarked Spursuader is a real spur.  It may not be subtle in its design, but according to its inventor Linda Hauck, it is subtle in action.

As you can see, as a fashion accessory, it’s a failure, but then, as I said before, a spur is not a fashion accessory.

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McSpur

03 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Attire, Equitation, Language

≈ 6 Comments

I have to applaud George Morris for hanging in there, and attempting to uphold the best standards of equitation and horsemanship.

But just like that little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, when George is good, he is very good and when he is bad, he is horrid.

I have to confess that I don’t know why I read his Jumping Clinic every month in Practical Horseman, since he says the same things over and over again. Perhaps it’s to experience the satisfaction of seeing him atone for the crest release he promoted for intermediate riders for so many years.  Now, it seems that every month, he suggests the automatic release for the rider with a strong, stable leg.  For more on the automatic vs. crest release, see this post.

If you live long enough, and you were good enough at what you do, and you also remain in the public eye, you get to be a legend.  George qualifies.  So people, in general, turn a blind eye or give him a free pass when he calls the riders in front of him “dumbbells.”

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