Wellington, FL – July 26, 2010 – Equestrian Sport Productions congratulates the winner of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) Artist Contest, Julie Chapman, of Huson, MT. This year’s contest received a record number of entries, and the panel was delighted to review numerous pieces of outstanding artwork.
Chapman, of Huson, MT, began her artistic endeavors when she was a child, and has always been enthralled with horses. “I’ve been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil – and it was horses that I drew first and always, as I’ve had a love affair with all things equine my entire life,” Chapman noted of her passion for horses and equestrian sports.
Chapman’s beautiful use of oils and portrayal of colors eventually won the panel’s vote. These skills earned Chapman several prizes, including $500 in prize money, a complimentary 10’x10′ vendor space for two weeks during the 2011 FTI WEF, an e-blast announcing her as the winner, a featured article in the 2011 FTI WEF program guide, and a one week art show in the foyer of the International Club at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. “I’m delighted!” Chapman exclaimed of her success in the competition. Chapman will be available for consultations during the 2011 FTI WEF, exact dates to be determined.
June 12, 2010 – Despite the ‘wild, woolly West’ nature of online and social or interactive media, AHP member Lisa Kemp has successfully navigated her way into a prestigious public relations (PR) award in the New Media category, winning a Silver Trumpet Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC), the Midwest’s largest communications industry trade association.
Although Lisa’s entry was the only equine-related PR campaign, she successfully competed against some heavy hitters in the global marketplace; other winners in the New Media category included large consumer companies such as Kraft, Sara Lee, and Allstate, in addition to some of Chicago’s largest advertising and PR firms.
“I think getting this award is great because every time horses are in the public eye, it becomes an opportunity for us to get the word out about how wonderful they are and invite others to participate, which strengthens our industry,” says Lisa. “It’s also great for horse business owners, since it shows we can compete on the same playing field as the big guys when it comes to marketing and PR, thanks to technology and new media.”
International rider and trainer Dr. Cesar Parra and Furst Fabio. Parra is being sponsored by Your Health 321, LLC. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Packer)
Whitehouse Station, NY – Your Health 321, LLC, independent distributors for a company specializing in adult stem cell nutrition, providing optimal health and superior performance for horses, is pleased to announce they are a sponsor of Dr. Cesar Parra, international dressage rider, trainer and instructor. Parra was one of Colombia’s top international riders before becoming a US citizen in 2008.
Parra’s recent win on Dr. Lori Washton’s 13-year-old KWPN gelding Olympia at the Prix St. Georges with a score of 71.789 and the Intermediaire-I with a score of 71.000 percent has put Olympia’s ranking at number one for the FEI small tour. Parra and his team are very excited to have been invited to attend Gladstone Championship in August, with hopes of qualifying to represent the US at the Pan American Games held in Mexico next year. On another note, Grandioso scored in the 70% in the Intermediaire II and Whoopie Gold won her 2nd level test 1 with a big score of 76% with Nadine Buberl riding.
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 😀
Hendersonville, NC — Shakira do Jacare, the brilliant 14-year-old Brazilian bred chestnut mare owned by Sarah Owen and Muny Sunk Stables, officially retired from the sport of show jumping in an emotional ceremony during the 2010 Atlanta Summer Classics.
Dubbed the “Queen of Speed” by her competitors, Shakira’s presence alone at many a grand prix was enough to rattle the nerves of most seasoned jumpers. However, this mare’s story begins with Longwood Equestrian Center’s owner and professional rider Sergio Campos. Shakira was bred by Campos at his family’s ranch in Campo Grande, Brazil. She is the offspring of his champion stallion Primo, who died tragically in a barn accident in 1997. “She [Shakira] was very tough to break; it took a lot longer than most normal horses. I remember when she was a 3-year-old she jumped out of one of the paddocks… over 6 foot tall fencing! She always showed signs of being a Champion.” Campos shared then added with a laugh, “When we imported her to the US she had an accident loading onto the airplane and got 20 stitches in her rump. She missed that plane and arrived 2 weeks later, proving both her headstrong nature and resilience.” A handy mare, known for her speed and turn-of-hoof, Shakira helped Campos lead the victory gallop in four Grand Prixs during their debut in 2005 as well as numerous mini prixs and Welcome Stakes throughout the Southeast. Over the next few years the number of wins only grew, but fate’s crossroad lay just ahead.
LEXINGTON, KY — 87 Days to Go — Big Ass Fans, an international company that designs and engineers industrial, commercial and residential large, slow-speed fans has been named the Official Fan Sponsor for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
As the Official Sponsor, Big Ass Fans will provide their cooling technology to many locations at the Games including the Tradeshow Pavilion and the Eventing Cross Country Course. The Games will feature world championships in eight equestrian sports at the Kentucky Horse Park from September 25 through October 10.
“Quality fans are crucial to create a comfortable environment for staff, spectators, and our human and equine athletes at the Games,” said Terry Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing for the World Games 2010 Foundation. “Big Ass Fans is the perfect company to accomplish this task and their technologies will be valued during the 2010 Games.”
Brewster, New York – May 18, 2010 – Pegasus Therapeutic Riding’s Pegasus Farm chapter announced today that The Rider’s Closet program, developed by Georgina Bloomberg, will now be based out of Pegasus Therapeutic Riding’s Pegasus Farm chapter in Brewster, NY. The program originated four years ago, when Bloomberg wanted to donate her lightly used show clothing to a good cause, but was not sure where to start. The Rider’s Closet began as an endeavor to provide a place where all equestrians could donate their clothing so that other riders who may not be able to purchase their own riding attire and equipment could take advantage of these otherwise expensive items that had been outgrown, but were still in good condition.
Thus far, The Rider’s Closet has already proven to be of great value to a variety of programs, including, but not limited to a number of intercollegiate riding teams. While The Rider’s Closet has been growing, so has Bloomberg’s equestrian career. Over the last few years, the demand has risen, and with Bloomberg traveling to various equestrian competitions around the world, she wanted to move The Rider’s Closet from a home-based operation, to a new home where it could get more attention. “I’m really excited about this move,” said Bloomberg. “It is a great situation for both the Rider’s Closet and the Pegasus Therapeutic Riding program. They have a first class program, one that I’ve been really impressed with over the years. I think the move will benefit a lot of equestrians on a number of different levels.”
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!
America’s Horse, May 11, 2010 – America’s Horse in Art returns to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in August, and a painting by renowned western artist Wayne Baize will be the signature piece for the third annual art show.
The public is invited to the America’s Horse in Art opening, which will take place Saturday, August 14. Many of the talented artists will be at the opening and available to discuss the inspiration for their art work. The opening will be 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum and will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
America’s Horse in Art: The Horse That Settled the West show and sale will continue through November 13 in the Scharbauer Gallery in the museum.
