My sweet boy, Finley, posing at Jeff and Emily Beshear’s, Brickland Farm
As horse people, we naturally love animals. Most of us are, in fact, addicted to animals. We take in horses that we shouldn’t, we collect dogs off the streets, and we have thirty cats to take care of mouse problems and keep our feet warm at night. However, next to the horses, it is the dogs that really make me happy. I love walking down the aisle at an event and thinking,”Oh, Becky is here because there is Scrappy.” Many times I feel that the dogs that belong to us horse people are just as well known as the horses. Dogs bring good humor when we desperately need (or sometimes don’t need it) it and they provide a good place to bury our tears after a bad day.
For those of you that know me, you know I love to talk about my dog. I love him more than life itself. Eventually, I am going to do an all dog post. But for now, EN readers, tell me about your dog and how he/she makes your day just that much better!
Denny Emerson has written a great article on finding and making time to ride. So many of us have lives outside of the horses. Day jobs, families, and other obligations can make it hard to get out there and fit the riding in. Denny discusses this. He first says that it is important to find the right horse. We must have a horse that is suitable to what our plans and goals are. Secondly, we must find the time to ride and make it happen. Denny talks about “hard core riders,” “medium core riders,” and “three-quarter core riders.” No matter where you fit in, there is a way to continue riding. [Finding and Making the Time]
Get your guard donkey! In Nambia, donkey’s are being used to guard livestock from the cheetahs. By putting one donkey per herd of cattle, farmers have found their cattle to be fully protected. The donkey’s are fierce enough to scare the cheetahs off. However, more than one donkey and the cattle get ignored. Who knew donkey’s were so fierce yet so social? [Get your donkey]
“I don’t know where to begin; the last week has been the most amazing experience. I could not have dreamt it up to be any better. It is one thing to ride for your country but it is an entirely different thing to win a gold medal with a team for which you have so much respect.” These are the words of Shannon Lilley after he first US team experience. Without a doubt, this was probably one of the greatest weeks of Shannon’s life. In her final blog entry, Shannon recaps her week in Mexico. From good dressage scores to clean jumping rounds, this was a fantastic week for all. A week that was made all that much better by a great team bond. [Road to the Pan Ams]
Kitty King had a fantastic weekend at the Le Lion young horse championships in France. Horse and Hound gives a nice recap of the top riders. King says that her mare, Zidante, is “very trainable, has nice paces and does an accurate test, staying forward without getting tense. She loves jumping and didn’t find the cross-country here at all tricky — she was looking for all the fences with her ears pricked.” [King wins]
During my days at Buck Davidson’s, I learned about an awesome product called Horse Quencher. Now, a few years later, Horse Quencher seems to be hugely popular in so many barns. This year at the Pan Ams, Buck, along with Hawley Bennett were competing. Both riders are huge believers and supports of Horse Quencher. Neither of these riders could have had that kind of success in Mexico (or in general) without happy, hydrated horses. Hydrated horses means better performance! So EN readers, if you haven’t tried Horse Quencher, you are missing out. Get on it. EN loves Horse Quencher and you should too. For more information, please check out and “Like” their Facebook page, HERE.
Pau CCI**** flashback…
Happy Wednesday. Go Eventing.
