Adelina as a yearling, 2010 - named in honor of Congressman Grijalva's granddaughter (the filly is the granddaughter of Blue Sioux & Red Raven)
Updated News
Dear Friends of Cloud and the Mustangs;
Our apologies, Congressman Grijalva represents Arizona’s 7th District in the U.S House of Representatives, not New Mexico. Congressman Grijalva has always been a great friend of wild horses and burros, and we sincerely thank him for introducing the House Legislation below which honors Cloud and all wild horses and burros. We encourage you to contact Representative Grijalva, thanking him for his support of all mustangs and burros with legislation that costs the taxpayers nothing, but does much to encourage their protection on our western landscapes.
Lauren Barwick judged the Special Olympics Equestrian Games in Tampa, Florida, recently and said the event “put a smile on her face.” (Photo courtesy of Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center)
Tampa, FL (May 27, 2011) – Canadian Para-Equestrian Team member Lauren Barwick, a paraplegic who won Gold and Silver Medals in the Beijing Paralympics in 2008, recently spent the weekend in Tampa, Florida, serving as a judge for the Special Olympics Equestrian Games. Barwick, a Four Star Parelli Instructor and a Senior Protégé in the Mastery program at Linda and Pat Parelli’s Natural Horsemanship Program, said the weekend was not only inspiring for her but “put a big smile on my face.”
Barwick, who broke her back in an accident and is paralyzed from the waist down, said she was impressed with the talent and skills of the riders. “As a Parelli student and Instructor I was pleased with the level of horsemanship and the behavior of the horses,” Barwick said. “If only mainstream competitive horses could present themselves as well! My favorite entry was a young man who was riding a mule. The mule was great and had such an awesome expression; I would have taken him home if I could have.”
Barwick stayed busy during the Special Olympics, judging four dressage classes on Friday, three showmanship and 23 equitation classes on Saturday. “The horses all were presented great and the riders all looked wonderful, from their shined boots, riding jackets, black helmets or cowboy hats,” she said. “I’m very grateful that there are programs and people who are committed to such a great cause.”
Debbie McDonald and Lendon Gray are back in conversation to share some helpful training advice and offer sharp observations on typical challenges for dressage riders. Take a listen right here.
Dressage Radio Episode 105 – Show Notes and Links:
Reims, France – The USEF European Young Rider Tour continued its successful trip through Europe with another second-place finish in the Nations Cup at CSIOY Reims. Runners-up in Belgium the previous weekend, the Young Riders continued their successful European effort.
Catherine Pasmore led off the U.S. team, rebounding from a 13-fault first round on My Boy to improve to eight faults in round two. Karen Polle rode With Wings in the second position to a six-fault effort in the first round but only picked up one time fault in round two. Reed Kessler had the best result, jumping two double clear rounds on Onisha which kept the momentum going and then Jessica Springsteen picked up a time fault in each round – but also added a rail in the second round on Vornado van den Hoendrik. The 16-fault effort left the team second behind the Netherlands who finished on nine faults.
Katie Prudent served as Chef d’Equipe.
Thursday was an extremely successful day for the U.S. riders in preparation for the Nations Cup. Catherine Pasmore won convincingly on Van David in CSIO YR PX Conseil General de la Marne over her two teammates, Karen Polle on With Wings, who was second, and Jessica Springsteen on Cincinatti La Silla who was third. Reed Kessler and Onisha finished seventh, Richard Neal on Transmission was ninth and Pasmore was 10th on her second horse My Boy.
In the CSIO Juniors 1.25m Meg O’Mara was third with Smeagle.
The Dutch team won the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA) today. L to R: Eric van der Vleuten, Harrie Smolders, Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens, Jeroen Dubbeldam and Gerco Schroder. Photo: FEI/Bruno di Lorenzo.
Rome (ITA), 27 May 2011 – The Netherlands secured a convincing victory in the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series in Rome (ITA) today where the Belgians were runners-up ahead of the Irish in third.
This was only the second time for a Dutch side to come out on top at the Piazza di Siena, and two of today’s team – Jeroen Dubbeldam and Eric van der Vleuten – were also on the winning side back in 2004. The smoothness of their success was such that anchorman Dubbeldam did not have to return to the arena in round two because the result was already decided, and the Dutch now go to the next leg at St Gallen (SUI) next Friday lying third on the leaderboard, while the Belgians are in second and the Irish retain the driving seat.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Giovanni Bussu’s 12-fence track provided plenty of food for thought, with faults evenly spread but the open water proving the bogey of the day.
The French were in charge at the half-way stage, counting just two time faults when both Penelope Leprevost (Mylord Carthago HN) and Simon Delestre (Couletto) missed the 80-second time limit in otherwise faultless runs, and anchorman Michel Robert (Kellemoi de Pepita) went clear. The Belgians were next in line carrying five while the USA was in third carrying eight. The Dutch and British were lying joint-fourth with nine faults apiece but the Irish had already accumulated 13, so seemed unlikely to repeat their spectacular win at the opening leg in La Baule two weeks ago.
Cloud on day of his birth with his Palomino mother. Photos copyright (C) The Cloud Foundation.
Help us celebrate Cloud’s 16th!
Dear Friends of Cloud and our Freedom Fund horses;
As many of you may or may not know, Cloud’s birthday is fast approaching! On May 29th, he will celebrate his “Sweet 16th.” It’s hard to believe that so much time has elapsed since I first saw him totter out of the trees with his mother! He has endured a lot over the years – harsh winters, predation, three helicopter roundups, bait trapping, and the loss of many members of his family. But he has survived and is still one of the top stallions in the Pryor Mountains, just like his father, Raven, was years earlier, and like his son, Bolder, is today. We hope you’ll take the time to wish him a “Happy Birthday” this Sunday!
Sierra in the Pryors with a young foal
On a separate, less celebratory note, our sweet Freedom Fund mare, Sierra, was injured and is now at the vet’s office in Billings. A tiny, quarter-sized puncture wound just above her hoof slowly turned infectious, and Sierra began limping. She had an operation two weeks ago to clean out the infected area, but she will need a second operation in order to clean out necrotic cartilage. She’s a smart girl and has been very calm throughout the whole experience. The vet techs are in love with her, and have taught her how to lead and to stay calm while the veterinarian changes her bandages. We’re very proud of how she is handling all this. As you can imagine, the cost for her treatment is quite high.
New Zealand’s Rising Star Katie McVean has been following in her father’s footsteps in the international arena and former USET rider Melanie Smith unfolds the USHJA Emerging Athlete Program. Tune in right here.
It’s British Invasion Week on the show as we welcome Horse & Hound and also hear from Chatsworth World Cup winner Emily Baldwin. Plus Kit Houghton tells us what’s behind the new multi-media website, Visions of the Horse. Tune in to hear the all-British episode…
Eventing Radio Episode 143 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:
IT’S ALL EYES ON THE IRISH IN ROME by Louise Parkes
Larkhill Cruiser – Cian O'connor (IRL) - A member of the winning team. Copyright: Christoph Bricot/FEI
Rome, 26 May 2011 – The Irish team are hot favourites to win the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series in Rome (ITA) tomorrow, but they got the worst of the draw today and so will be first into the ring as the action gets underway in the stunning surroundings of the Piazza di Siena. A total of nine teams will line out in this leg of the elite eight-nation tournament, as the host country makes a guest appearance on home turf.
The order-of-go for tomorrow’s competition is as follows: 1, Ireland; 2, France; 3, USA; 4, The Netherlands; 5, Denmark; 6, Germany; 7, Italy; 8, Great Britain; 9, Belgium.
PROSPECTS Discussing team prospects this evening, Belgian Chef d’Equipe, Philipp Guerdat, said that “everyone has a chance, but the Irish are very strong because they have been winning everywhere!” Robert Splaine’s side stormed to victory in the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup in La Baule, France two weeks ago, and then another Irish selection topped the podium at the FEI Promotional League in Copenhagen, Denmark a week later. It seems they are the hottest team in town.
Plus How Totilas Impacts Modern Breeding, the Road to Grand Prix with Idocus, and Other Hot Topics
Cor Loeffen and Steffen Peters answered questions about identifying talented horses. Photo by Monica Sakurai.
Sutherlin, OR – If your goal is to breed, own or ride the next Ravel, Totilas, Judgement ISF, Idocus, or Popeye K, the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting added to your inspiration. With insights from Olympic medalist Steffen Peters and renowned breeder and KWPN judge Cor Loeffen, along with networking with some of the world’s biggest and best KWPN horse breeders, the event was the largest in recent years. Two hundred enthusiastic equestrians gathered in Visalia, California to discuss and debate the best way to produce and manage superstar equines.
Longtime breeder, Scot Tolman of Spofford, NH, attends the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting in search of adding even more knowledge to his 20-plus years of breeding Dutch horses. “The breeders lead the KWPN; it’s an evolving studbook. Ravel and Totilas are shaping the breeding of dressage horses,” he says. “As breeders, we must be aware of what is happening in sport and [understand] what [qualities] stallions are producing.”
Conversations throughout the meeting always turned to particular stallion and mare lines and the traits they are known for producing. Scot referenced Jazz. Although the stallion has produced 40 Grand Prix horses, Jazz is often recognized only for producing hot temperaments. Scot continues, “Sometimes people hyper-focus on one trait. You can’t knock down horses because of one trait. You have to grasp the big picture.”
