Good Morning Eventing Nation! Are you cold yet? I am, after the arctic chill that set in yesterday. I looked at the weather forecast and even our Florida bound friends had blustery temperatures in the forties yesterday. I don’t mind the cold so much as the violent winds like the ones we had yesterday. There’s nothing worse than riding in the cold and getting hit with those huge gusts of wind that cut straight through you, seemingly lowering your body temperature by about ten degrees in the process. But the good news is that warmer weather is on it’s way, and should have arrived in most places on the east by Thursday. So at least we have that to look forward to on this mellow Wednesday in January.
Mary King has been serving in some ribbon cutting ceremonies recently, most recently for the opening of a small veterinary clinic in the far Northeast part of England. I’ve met Mary only once and very briefly at that, but I watched and followed her constantly growing up. She strikes me as one of the nicest, most gracious, and most genuine people in Eventing, which is probably why she gets called up so often for different charity functions and ribbon cuttings, and generously attends many of them. [Mary King]
Have you seen War Horse yet? Have you wondered how Joey jumped into the trench? Would you like to see behind the scenes to the making of War Horse? Would you like me to stop asking you questions? Well here is your answer:
“For the scene where the horse jumps into the trench, this involved separate shots of two different horses: one ran from point A to point B across the flat part of the ‘trench’ set, and right when that horse ran past the camera mark, the second horse was cued to run from the widest part of the bottom of the trench up a custom-built, wide ‘stairs-like’ ramp and over the other side of the trench; finally, one of the horses was cued to lay down in the trench bottom and then get right back up. This was all edited together to look like one motion.” Read this article for the rest of the stunt explanations from War Horse. [Equisearch]
Buy the Horse, not the Illusion. That’s the title of this great article written by the mother of an eventer, and what a great one it is. She writes of how her most expensive purchase for her daughter turned out to be the least suitable, and it was largely because of the illusion presented from the sellers, and a case of the buyer falling victim to shelf appeal. The horse selling business is just that, selling, so buyers always have to be wary do their best to steer clear from the worst of the less-than-truthful sellers, and buy the horse that is physically and mentally sound, and ready for the job you’re intending. [Horsetalk]
Tami Hoag, who alternates between a career as a Grand Prix Dressage rider while maintaining an accomplished writing career as a New York Times Bestselling Author, has just headed on tour for her latest Thriller novel release, Down The Darkest Road. I hadn’t heard of Tami now before but her story is pretty intriguing. The first stop on her tour is Wellington, so if you are down there now, be sure to check her out! [COTH]
That’s all for now, Eventing Nation. Have a great Wednesday, I’ll see you soon!
