HRN’S HORSES IN THE MORNING Will Be Hosting an Exclusive Program from the Stables at Graceland in Memphis to Share Elvis’s Love of Horses.
June 7, 2011. Lexington, Kentucky, USA: The Horse Radio Network’s (HRN) morning show, HORSES IN THE MORNING, will broadcast LIVE from Elvis Presley’s stables at Graceland on Friday June 10, 2011 from 9:00 – 10:00 am Eastern at http://www.horsesinthemorning.com. This exclusive show will tell the story of the King of Rock and Roll’s love of horses. The show can also be heard on SmartPhones by following the Listen Live link on the website. A podcast version will be made available immediately after the show.
Joining Glenn the Geek will be co-host for the day, Rafael Valle, owner of one of the most popular Palomino’s today; Ivory Pal. They will be joined by Alene Alexander, the barn manager for Graceland since Elvis death in 1977 who will share stories of Elvis’s horses.
“I grew up listening to Elvis, so it is a thrill for the Horse Radio Network to be able to broadcast from his stables at Graceland. This is one of those rare opportunities where we can use the voice of radio to share the passion for horses from a legend whose memory will never fade,” says Glenn the Geek, Founder of the Horse Radio Network.
Washington, DC, June 7, 2011 – The Washington International has extended its deadline for submitting entries in the 2011 Poster Contest to July 31st at midnight. WIHS, the leading indoor equestrian event in the US, is seeking an original poster design for its 53rd annual event, to be held Oct. 25-30, 2011, at Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The six-day equine extravaganza features the country’s leading horses and riders in exciting jumping competition.
The poster contest is open to U.S.-based artists, both amateur and professional, 18 years or older. A maximum of three entries per artist will be accepted. There is no entry fee. Artists submit photos (prints or digital files) of their work (not slides, not original art). The work submitted must be original and may be in any medium suitable for duplicating on posters and souvenir merchandise.
Entries should be inspired by the WIHS and reflect an equestrian or horse theme. Artists also should consider the event’s longstanding ties to Washington, D.C.
Christina Jason and Renoir Z. Photos by Hoofclix and Mark Lehner.
June 6th, 2011~ Tryon, NC – The 2011 Tryon Summer Classic came to a close yesterday. The show took place at FENCE (Foothills Equestrian Nature Center) in beautiful Tryon, NC June 2-5. FENCE is an over 380 acre nature, education, and recreation facility nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Equus Events, Inc. handled the managing duties this week.
The Tryon Hounds were once again the show’s beneficiary and put on two fabulous parties during the event. On Friday evening the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby was held under the lights along with an Exhibitors’ Party in the VIP Tent sponsored by the Tryon Hounds. While exhibitors and spectators enjoyed cocktails and dinner, 16 horses and riders were prepping to compete in the National Hunter Derby. Joseph Carnicom of Toledo, OH designed the course which featured 4 height options and natural obstacles such as coups, brush boxes, split rail fencing and rustic logs. Christina Jason and Allison Mills Renoir Z came home victorious in the class with a first round score of 87 and a second round score of 85 which gave them a 189 two round total to take the win over Lisa Otto’s Duke Principe MF and rider Holli Adams. Christina rides for DFG Stables and Daniel and Cathy Geitner out of Aiken, SC. She handled most of the riding duties this week at the Tryon Summer Classic along with Cathy Geitner while Daniel was with clients at the Devon Horse Show. “The hospitality at this show is fantastic, the courses were great and Renoir Z really rose to the occasion!” Originally from Rochester, MI, the young professional now lives in Aiken, SC. “I already owe a lot of my accomplishments to Cathy and Daniel. They are both great horseman and I am privileged to learn from the best”.
Callan Solem was presented with the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award after placing second in the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon aboard VDL Torlando. Photo By: James Parker/The Book LLC.
Devon, PA – June 7, 2011 – With its home base just a few miles away in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Callan Solem Show Stables competed at the prestigious Devon Horse Show this past week. Professional rider Callan Solem showcased her two leading mounts under the lights in the historic Dixon Oval, during the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon. Solem placed second aboard VDL Torlando, and eighth with Magic Cruise. Following the Grand Prix ride for ribbons, Solem was pleased to be named the winner of the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award. “It has always been a goal of mine,” she said. “So many amazing riders have won it before; it certainly is an honor to win that award, it added to a very exciting week.”
Designer Olaf Peterson presented the country’s leading riders with a challenging grand prix course, but Solem had clear first rounds on both of her horses. She went in the first slot to show in the jump-off with VDL Torlando, and the duo paved the way with a second clear effort, which would eventually garner them the second place honors. Solem then tackled the track with Magic Cruise to score the eighth place award.
“It is such a great show and a really special place to do so well, so I was very happy,” commented Solem. “I think Olaf did a great job with the course, it was difficult but he got the result he wanted. VDL Torlando is just turning 11 years old, so he’s entering the prime of his life. I’ve had him since he was six and he has so much experience now; it’s fun to have developed him. He’s starting to go like a professional. He came out there and knew exactly what he needed to do, he felt very knowledgeable.”
NO SECRET SO CLOSE is the story of a the most unthinkable betrayal humanly possible — at only 24 years old, Claire Dorotik’s father has been murdered, her mother arrested, and now, in a sinister twist of fate, Claire’s mother points the finger at Claire, accusing her of killing her own father. Battling the feelings of loss, abandonment, terror, and dissociation, and also learning about them, Claire struggles to stay in her master’s program for psychotherapy. However, when Claire’s brothers also betray her and side with her mother, Claire is left all alone to care for the 18 horses she and her mother owned. As the story unfolds, what is revealed is the horses’ amazing capacity for empathy in the face of human trauma, and the almost psychic ability to provide the author with what had been taken from her. Arising from these horrifying circumstances, the most unthinkable heroes — the horses — show Claire that life is still worth living.
Excerpt #22 from NO SECRET SO CLOSE:
And we were different, he and I. My dad had been a high school football star in Texas at a time when injuries like dislocated shoulders were not a reason to stop playing. You just get back in the game. Running track in high school, a scratched cornea and a patch over my eye were not reason for me to miss practice either. I had no depth perception and would have to live with the name “Cyclops” that my teammates chided me with for years after, but you just get back in the game.
The name never mattered to me; I was the one with a dad who never missed a meet. The horses were my mother’s thing, but this was his. And he had high hopes for me. He’d check the paper every Sunday to see my state rankings. I was getting close, too. We’d both started watching the top ranked 400m high school female. “That Rachel Parish has got nothing on you,” he’d say. She was at 56.1 seconds, and he had clocked me at 56 flat in a relay. I told him that was a “clocker aided” time — the error of a proud father — but he insisted it was accurate. Actually, I should never have doubted him — he was meticulous in everything he did.
I guess that’s what growing up the youngest son of immigrant parents in Texas will do to a person. He never stopped proving himself. No one expected him to go to college, and he got a masters in engineering. They never expected him to leave Texas, even castigated him for it, but he moved out to Los Angeles. I guess I was proving myself, too, when one of my mother’s horses slipped and fell breaking my foot and shattering my ankle just six weeks before a major show, and I rode with the cast on. She insisted that they horses were ready, and didn’t need to prepare for the show. But showing up without preparing was not something my dad, or I, did.
While elaborating on Freud’s notion of denial, Robert Firestone was the first to describe what is now known as fantasy bonding. Fantasy bonding is characterized by the psychological adjustment made by children when enduring physical, psychological or sexual abuse, and involves idealization of the abuser, denial of the abuse, and pseudo-attachment to the abuser. Often, the primitive bond to the abuser is the only hope the child holds for the warmth or nurturance typically promised through human connection.
While the phenomenon of fantasy bonding is now well understood in the therapeutic community, what is much less understood is that of fantasy bonding in horse-human relationships. Under these circumstances, the adult is experiencing the same dynamic of abuse that would be expected in the parent-child relationship where fantasy bonding occurs. That is to say, that the person looks to the horse for comfort, care, nurturance, and warmth, just as a child would a parent. Yet the horse acts in ways that endanger the person. He may, for example, bite, kick, buck, or run off with his human companion. However, like a child who denies his caretaker’s abuse and forms a fantasy bond that allows him to disconnect from the abuse and foster the fantasy of a nurturing caregiver, the person who forms a fantasy bond with the horse also denies both the maltreatment by the horse, as well as, the potential for danger.
While the person’s friends, family, trainers and coaches may express concern for his/her welfare, the person will repeatedly deny the dangerous behavior of the horse and offer alternative explanations, such as, “He was just in pain,” or, “He was scared; that’s why he bit me.” Obviously, the deleterious effects of this sort of denial are evident in the often successive injuries the person may suffer.
Don Tango by Contango was the High Score Dressage Stallion at the 2011 KWPN Spring Stallion Performance Testing. Photo by Jacob Melissen
Coatesville, PA – Contango’s son Don Tango was awarded the High Score Dressage stallion at the 2011 KWPN Spring Stallion Performance Test. The handsome young stallion received 9s on rideability, temperament, self-carriage and balance during the testing. Don Tango became the fourth Approved Stallion by Iron Spring Farm’s Preferent stallion Contango, joining Citango, Maestro and Ravel. Contango, who won both the jumping and dressage portions of his own stallion testing, has become recognized as one of the most influential KWPN stallions of his generation.
“We were very excited about Don Tango’s success at the Stallion Testing. His sire was an exceptional horse to ride,” said his Contango’s owner and rider Mary Alice Malone. Contango and Mary Alice won 33 Grand Prix titles, including the prestigious Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon-CDI-W. Unfortunately Contango passed away in 2007, but he is still available to breeders via excellent quality frozen semen.
Don Tango received excellent scores at his stallion testing. His walk and canter each earned an 8, and his trot received an 8.5. In addition to his exceptional movement, the judges described Don Tango as a balanced stallion with a good temperament. Don Tango is out of Oronia Keur, who is by Jazz Preferent out of the Star mare Joyce, by Ulft Keur.
What’s with this weather? Oh my… we had a huge storm last night. The barn was flooded with water and our road got washed away. It was a loud and scary storm! Thankfully no one here was hurt.
After the storm I watched my two-legged friends examine the damage, and was struck by how well they were dealing with the emergency. Rather than getting upset or lamenting the losses, they moved forward and made a plan. They called for a tractor, ordered some gravel to fill in the washout in the road, and got out the shovels. I heard them say that this same storm system had spawned killer tornadoes all across the country, so this was nothing in comparison. While they were cleaning up the mess they talked about how grateful they were to be spared that kind of damage. They even stopped at one point and offered silent prayers and positive energy to those who were hurt or killed, and those who lost their homes.
Life is hazardous. There’s just no denying it. Bad things happen. Sometimes loved ones are taken from us way too early. Sometimes property is lost or destroyed. That just the way it is. Loss needs to be felt. Grief must be acknowledged and fully experienced. Denying it just postpones it.
John and Lisa Seger of Markel Insurance present the Markel/USEF 5-Year-Old Western Selection Trial championship ribbon to Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo (Photo courtesy of Genia Ply Photography).
Burbank, CA – Young dressage horses were the stars of the weekend in the historic and pastoral setting of the Flintridge Riding Club for Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J, May 26-29, 2011 in La Cañada-Flintridge, CA. As host of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial for the FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Championships in Verden (GER) and the final Pan American Games qualifying competition for Southern California, competitors made the most of the opportunity to try to earn scores worthy of securing an invitation to represent their country on an international stage.
In the Five-Year-Old division of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial, the standout performer was Sanceo, a brown Hanoverian stallion (San Remo x Rivera by Ramiro’s Son II, bred in Germany by Gerhard Dustmann) ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery of Thousand Oaks, CA, for owner Alice Womble-Heitman of Hempstead, TX. Winner of last fall’s California Dressage Society (CDS) Young Horse Futurity as a four year old, Sanceo impressed the judges to earn 8.12 in the Preliminary Test (40%) and 8.30 in the Final Test (60%) for an overall score of 8.23, the championship ribbon, and a possible ticket to Verden.
“This stallion is such an elegant and light type of horse,” noted judge Natalie Lamping (4* USA). “He’s just what we’re looking for in this division.”
West Grove, PA – At 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, a fire destroyed the barn Boyd Martin was renting from Phillip Dutton Eventing at True Prospect Farm. Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman and Ryan Wood – the first on the scene as they were sleeping in the apartment above the barn – began evacuating the 11 horses who were in the barn at the time of the fire. Six horses were lost in the fire and five horses were rescued and received or are receiving treatment at The University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. USEF extends thoughts and sympathies to Martin and his team during these tragic events. If you would like to make a donation to help Martin and his team, please click here.
