Tag Archives: Florida

A Month Long Editorial, Based on Weather & Photos of a Hawk in Our Birdbath

One of our resident hawks taking a bath in our birdbath during the heatwave.
One of our resident hawks taking a bath in our birdbath during the heatwave.

As I was going to post a new editorial back on June 15th about not having any rain and  it being 100 degrees in the shade and bam, we start getting almost daily thunderstorms!  We had been averaging 110 heat index at the first of June, which was very oppressive to go outside to do work, much less ride. I was having to water my garden twice a day which was taking up to 2 hrs or more a day, hence I got behind in web work.  My beans (or so I thought) and tomatoes are mostly done until I plant again in August, so I should have a reprieve in the harvesting soon. We have a small pool which has been invaluable to being out in this heat.

I’m in the AC a large part of the day, so my body isn’t accustomed to the heat like it is. I go out in the evening to work usually, but that is when my husband, Jerry, goes to our J-30 sailboat so I don’t have his help then… bummer.  My son is here and he is in charge of cleaning paddocks, feeding horses when Jerry isn’t around, watering other plants around house and doing horse’s feet when I haven’t, plus he is my associate editor so he is kept busy much of the day adding articles. This leaves me to the other yard work that I may want done that my husband doesn’t think is necessary (he hates it, other than mowing with the riding mower). Both of them get bothered by flies more than I do – I have darker skin and I guess it helps in repelling them.  I did have to spray myself and horses a lot at the beginning of June when the yellow flies were so bad, but they have died off or it’s because we got the fly predators and stepped up using the Natural Pet Vet Bug Check (HorsesintheSouth is an affiliate). The flies aren’t as bad now and I can deal with a couple of yellow flies landing on me as I harvest the garden.

Since the week-long rains at the end of June, I’ve had a second blooming of beans – these are the ones that weren’t doing as well as they were in a shadier area, but that is what probably helped them to reproduce being out of the blaring sun. And, I have a whole bunch of cherry tomatoes blooming and some volunteer tomato plants from last year’s cherry tomatoes that had been plowed under but came back up in different places, are producing. They are so good. I leave them in a bowl next to where I make my yerba-mate tea in the morning and I end up eating a handful while I wait for the tea to steep.

Now my website design work for the redesign for the SuncoastBedding.com site is getting in full swing, so another thing to keep me from riding or working on my own website. It never ends, does it?  Plus the grass keeps growing more from all of the rain. I use our weed-whipper and push mower which ends up ‘killing’ my arm the next day.  Even using the riding mower gets my left arm that had the shoulder replacement. If I would just do this stuff every day, my muscles wouldn’t atrophy so soon, lol.

I got some cool pictures of our resident hawk taking a bath in our birdbath, plus my husband, Jerry, did a video and put it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHVy0ov1kao (there are evidently a lot of YouTube videos of hawks taking baths…;P). These pictures were taken with my Sony digital camera with a 70-250 macro lens through my husband’s office window through the screen, but I think they still turned out really cool.

We aren’t sure if these are 2 different hawks taking a bath as in the blog gallery, you can see 1 of the hawks ‘screaming’ for the other one maybe? In the gallery you will see a hawk standing on our grapevine pole and we aren’t sure if that is a different hawk or the 1st hawk (if there is 2 of them – can anyone tell by their feathers?)

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Anyway, I will be offering a summer/July 4th birthday (mine :D) special for advertising on our website/newsletter and I have a new sales person, Linda Bourdow to assist me. You may contact her at mktg@horsesinthesouth.com.

Watch for the July newsletter – it’s coming too. We are using a new Email Service Provider (ESP), so I still have to finish designing it; I may just send out something now and let my programmer finish the design. We are using MailChimp and is isn’t as easy to use as Constant Contact (requires that you know some html and design), but it isn’t blocked by spam filters as easily as CC is. Info is on our Sales/Special page. As usual you will get a killer deal.

It’s weird, but we are actually cooler here than in the northern states with them being in the triple digits (bummer for the Queen of England’s visit to the UN since she was last here in 1957).  But, it’s starting to heat up again and will be in the usual mid-nineties this week, sigh…

If you are a Farmville addict like I have become, join me at http://www.facebook.com/TeriRehkopf.HorsesintheSouth, then request to be my neighbor on FV. Also be sure to join my Fan page at http://www.facebook.com/HorsesintheSouth. The TeriRehkopf.HorsesintheSouth FB account is a 2nd FB account. My 1st account is already almost at the 5,000 FB friends limit, so I had to start a new account to accept new friends and add new FV neighbors as this one is at the 300 neighbors limit.  Geesh, Farmville is such a ‘time-suction’, but it is also very ‘feng shui’ like. I love their graphics. If only web design was this easy!  I swear I going to write a blog about my journey to the addiction on Farmville and seeing so many horse people Facebook friends being in the same boat as me or worse!  When I get to this, I’ll post some hints on how to get leveled-up. I love the horses that FV adds for us horse fanatics. They really have recognized our market in that respect 😀

NFHJA and FCHJA Hunter Jumper Equitation Schooling Horse Show Is Last Weekend in May

NFHJA logo

NFHJA (North Florida Hunter Jumper Association) and FCHJA (First Coast Hunter JumperAssociation) will be again sharing a horse show weekend in May. FCHJA will be Saturday, May 29th and NFHJA will be Sunday, May 30th.  We hope everyone will do their best to exhibit at both shows.  It is sure to be an affordable weekend and great practice for all before the brutal heat of the summer hits!  Many exciting things are in store for exhibitors who participate in both shows this weekend: very special High Point prizes, drawings, awards and even a cookout.  We are very thankful for our sponsors: The Gift Horse, the title sponsor of the weekend, The Riding Habit, Feedin’ Time, Horses in the South & Casual Creation Photography, whose combined efforts made this very special weekend possible.  Please be sure to read the prize list carefully and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Both shows are NFHJA & FCHJA sanctioned.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

NFHJA-ENTRY-MAY2010

NFHJA-SPRING-CIRCUIT-MAY2010

NFHJA-scheduleMay2010

NFHJA wishes to thank the generous sponsors of:

THE GIFT HORSE NFHJA MAY SCHOOLING SHOW Sunday May 30, 2010

Where Every Horse & Rider Has A Special Gift

The Gift Horse

Sponsors: The Gift Horse, The Riding Habit,  Feedin’ Time,  Casual Creation Photography and HorsesintheSouth.com

NFHJA Also wishes to thank our friends at FCHJA, Nancy Wines & Patty Runk for their cooperation, hard work and dedication!!

The Gift Horse NFHJA May Schooling Show

Where Every Horse & Rider Has A Special Gift

Sunday, May 30, 2010
FCHJA Sanctioned

Following the FCHJA May Schooling Show
Saturday, May 29th
Clay County Agricultural Center – Green Cove Springs, Florida

PRE-ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2010. ALL STALLS MUST BE PRE-PAYED OR RESERVED BY CREDIT CARD TO GUARANTEE RESERVATION. PLEASE MAIL pre-entries to NFHJA, Post Office Box 24031, Jacksonville, FL 32241. Post entries will be charged a late fee of $10.00 per entry.  Entries close: FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2010. A $12.00 schooling fee will be charged per entry. There is no schooling fee for Walk, Walk/Trot or Lead Line. Stalls are available for $30 & MUST BE PREPAID. STALLS RESERVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE OF ENTRIES WILL BE $40 IF AVAILABLE.

The Gift Horse High Point Awards

The Highpoint Horse/Rider of the following Divisions will be awarded on Sunday at the conclusion of the Show. Horse/Rider must have competed at both the NFHJA show on Sunday & the FCHJA show on Saturday to be eligible to win.

Pony Hunter/Schooling Pony Hunter/Children’s Pony Hunter

Amateur Owner/Adult Amateur Hunter

Baby Green/Low Working Hunter

Junior/Children’s Hunter

Stepping Stone Hunter

Pre-Children’s Hunter

Beginner Rider/Beginner Hunter

Intermediate Hunter

Short Stirrup Hunter

Pleasure Horse/Pony

Pre-Adult Hunter

Cross Bars

Walk/Trot

Walk

Novice Jumper

Hopeful Hunter

Low Children’s/Adult Jumper

High Children’s Adult Jumper

Junior/AO Jumper

The Riding Habit “Good Habits” Awards

Best Groomed Horse/Pony

High Point Hunter

The Gift Horse Giveaways

$100 Drawing for all Trainers

$100 Drawing for all Exhibitors

Drawing for the Barn with the most Entries

“Green” Drawing for all Riders 12 & Under

“Silver” Drawing for all Riders 45 & Over

The Feedin’ Time Cookout

Saturday, May 29th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Under the Pavillion between the outdoor Hunter Rings.  Come feed your horse sized appetite at a cookout with hotdogs and refreshments after showing all day!

NO NFHJA SCHOOLNG FEES!!!!

For Exhibitors that participate in the FCHJA show on Saturday, May 29th

Chubby the Horse Goes to the Horse and Hounds for His 21st Birthday

Chubby

Chubby the Horse’s Birthday party occurred here at the Horse and Hounds in Ocala today. Chuck Waters wanted to buy Chubby a beer for his 21st birthday so he planned a little surprise birthday party for Chubby at the local watering hole. Chubby enjoyed his bucket of Killian’s Red and his special birthday cake. Chubby and Chuckie have been together for 17 years, longer than any of the other 5000 or so horses Chuckie has owned over the years!

Susan Benson

Somerset SportArt for Waterworks Farm

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Canadian Four-In-Hand Driver Deb Laderoute Wins Arenus’s EQUILITE Performance & Conditioning Award at Live Oak Competition

Deb Laderoute, a Four-In-Hand Combined Driver from Canada, won Arenus’s EQUILITE Performance & Conditioning Award at the 2010 Live Oak International Competition. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com)

Ocala, FL (May 4, 2010)  – Four-In-Hand Combined Driver Deb Laderoute, who will represent Canada in the 2010 World Equestrian Games, drove away with Arenus’s EQUILITE Performance & Conditioning Award during the recent Live Oak International Competition in Ocala, Florida. Laderoute and her team were awarded EQUILITE brand products from award sponsor Arenus, makers of animal health products and supplement blends including STEADFAST joint health, ASSURE digestive aid and SORE NO-MORE liniment.

“All of the teams competing at Live Oak were amazing, but our team of judges picked Deb because they thought her team was exceptional,” said Arenus representative Stacey Small, creator of the EQUILITE line of products.  “It was a very exciting competition, and awarding Deb with a tote bag filled with our award-winning natural animal health and herbal blend products was just the icing on the cake.”

Continue reading Canadian Four-In-Hand Driver Deb Laderoute Wins Arenus’s EQUILITE Performance & Conditioning Award at Live Oak Competition

Florida Governor Signs Youth Equestrian Helmet Law

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed a bill that mandates the use of protective helmets by young equestrians when riding on public property or roads.

The law applies to children age 16 and younger who are:

  • Riding on a public roadway or right-of-way;
  • Riding on a public equestrian trail, public equestrian trail, public park, public preserve, or public school site:
  • Riding on any other publicly owned or controlled property.

Helmets must meet the current standards of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)DSCF0015 for protective headgear. 

It does not apply to children under age 16 who are riding while:

  • Practicing for, riding to or from, or competing or performing in, shows or events such as rodeos and parades where helmets are not historically a part of the or event;
  • Riding on privately owned land even if the land is occasionally separated by a public road or right-of-way that must be crossed;
  • Engaged in an agricultural practice or pursuit.

The legislation, known as Nicole’s Law, is named after Nicole Hornstein, a 12 year-old girl from Loxahatchee who died in 2006 after falling from a horse.  Nicole’s parents and two sisters attended yesterday’s bill signing ceremony at Hamlin Park in Loxahatchee. 

 FYI now in stock TIPPERARY Equestrian Helmets at Two Time Tack & Feed (these are the best! TR)
Alma Height
7420 Rosco Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32256
904-262-7574
twoxtack@aol.com