Category Archives: Products/Services

Let the Horses Inspire You!

New York artist Mickey Paraskevas designed the 2009 WIHS Poster.

Washington, DC – April 28, 2010 – Let the horses inspire you! The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading indoor equestrian event in the U.S., is seeking original poster designs for its 52nd annual event, to be held Oct. 26-31, 2010, at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.  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. The deadline for entries is 4:00 P.M., Monday, May 31, 2010.

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Another Happy Horse Video Clip! by Jane Savoie

Wanna know what’s so cool about the Happy Horse course? People from all over the world have told me that it’s helped them sort out so many common problems quickly and easily.

See if any of these common problems sound familiar to you.
• You’re just plain confused and frustrated because trainers tell you what to do but don’t tell you HOW to do it.
• You can’t find anyone to explain things in a CLEAR, step-by-step, easy to understand training system.
• Sometimes you find training to be a struggle, exhausting, or a tug of war rather than a joyful process that creates a happy, athletic horse.
• You can’t get your horse consistently on the bit.
• You can’t afford to work with a trainer on a regular basis.
• You can’t find any decent trainers in your area.
• You can’t afford a fancy warmblood so you think training will be more difficult with your Quarter horse (Arabian, Haflinger, Friesian, Morgan, Saddlebred, Fjord, Thoroughbred, Draft Cross etc).

Do any of those issues sound like what you’re dealing with? Then the Happy Horse course was developed for you.

Continue reading Another Happy Horse Video Clip! by Jane Savoie

Chester Weber and Charles Owen Team Up to Put Helmet Safety in the Spotlight

Chester Weber wears a helmet cam on his Charles Owen helmet. Weber uses the helmet cam as a training tool and is a strong proponent of wearing a helmet for safety. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com)

Ocala, FL (April 27, 2010) – Helmets are the center stage topic in equestrian safety right now, and USEF Safety Committee member Chester Weber has turned his Charles Owen helmet into a box office hit! Safety really is a movie, thanks to a camera installed on Weber’s Charles Owen helmet.

Combined Driver Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion, uses his helmet camera as a training tool. “The helmet cam is a way to record the driver’s-eye view of a four-in-hand team. I use it as a training tool at home,” Weber said. “The helmet cam makes safety fun and acts as a training tool that can enhance future performances.”

When it comes to safety, Weber has always put his money where his mouth is. He and his team are long-time users of Charles Owen helmets, which provide safety and offer unparalleled comfort. “The importance of wearing helmets is in the spotlight right now, and as a driver I certainly recommend wearing helmets, especially in the marathon,” Weber said.

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Hollywood Documentary on John Henry Set to Debut

Photo (c) PixbySteve.com

Kentucky Horse Park Chosen for Theatrical Debut of Tribute to Two-Time Horse of the Year

LOS ANGELES (April 21, 2010) Open Sky Entertainment, in cooperation with Launchpad Releasing, is rolling out their new documentary film entitled “JOHN HENRY: A STEEL DRIVING RACEHORSE.”

The film about one of the most successful and beloved horses in U.S. horseracing history will make its theatrical debut on May 2nd at the Kentucky Horse Park.  The film will simultaneously be available to purchase on DVD at the film’s official Web site, www.johnhenrymovie.com, as well as several other major online retailers and retail chains to be announced.

There will be two shows in the theatre at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, one at 6pm and one 8pm on Sunday, May 2.  There will be special DVD give-aways at both shows.  Space is limited so the public is encouraged to immediately reserve tickets at tickets@johnhenrymovie.com.

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Eclipsed by Shadow | The Legend of the Great Horse ~ Book I of III, by John Royce

The following excerpt is supplied for publication with permission by the publisher, Micron Press, and the author, John Royce, to HorsesintheSouth.com and AHorseBlog.com

Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby,

to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire.

It is a grand passion.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Mrs. Bridgestone pointed to a portrait of a magnificent horse, head bowed, carrying a haughty rider in white. “That painting shows the stallion Bucephalus, one of the eminent Great Horses of history. When he was first presented to King Philip of Macedonia, no rider could mount him. The king’s own son was a boy about your age, and he called out—”

“I’m almost thirteen,” Meagan interrupted.

“Really, dear? Splendid.” Mrs. Bridgestone smiled at Jennifer. “They grow so quickly, don’t they? It seems my grandniece went from diapers to driving in the space of an afternoon. Well, to continue, when the King’s son saw the wonderful stallion being led away to be banished, he cried out, ‘What an excellent horse they have lost for lack of skill!’ Naturally the king was annoyed with his son’s manners. To teach a lesson the King had the horse brought back for his son to try what the others had failed.

Continue reading Eclipsed by Shadow | The Legend of the Great Horse ~ Book I of III, by John Royce

Equestrian Artist Moe Hahn Paints Chester Weber’s Four-In-Hand Horses during Live Oak Competition

Equestrian artist Moe Hahn works on a painting of the combined driving horses that are part of Chester Weber’s famous and award-winning four-in-hand team.
Equestrian artist Moe Hahn works on a painting of the combined driving horses that are part of Chester Weber’s famous and award-winning four-in-hand team.

Ocala, FL (April 6, 2010) – Equestrian artist Moe Hahn has captured in action the beautiful bay horses that make up eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion Chester Weber’s team. Hahn, who lives in Ocala, is a well-known artist who displays her work at the Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Stores in Ocala, Florida.

“I am painting Team Weber from a photo that I took last year during the Live Oak competition. I love the ambience of Live Oak and this year was great because Chester stopped by my booth and signed the painting,” Hahn said. “I started the painting about one month ago and have a few more months before it will be finished.”

Hahn has completed a sister piece to the one she is working on now, also taken from a photo she took at Live Oak. “I have been a vendor at Live Oak for the last five years. It’s the only one I do all year,” Hahn said. “Both paintings were taken from photos I took at the Hilton’s Haven obstacle at Live Oak.”

Continue reading Equestrian Artist Moe Hahn Paints Chester Weber’s Four-In-Hand Horses during Live Oak Competition

Let’s Dance – Classic Company to Debut Musical Freestyle Hunt Seat Equitation Championship

Olivia Hostetter and Cinzano ©Flashpoint Photography
Olivia Hostetter and Cinzano ©Flashpoint Photography

Conyers, GA — March 31, 2010 — Classic Company’s president Bob Bell announced the first ever Musical Freestyle Hunt Seat Equitation Championship will premiere at the upcoming Atlanta Summer Classics, June 16-27, in the former Olympic Grand Prix arena of the Georgia International Horse Park.

The idea came to Bell while outside a schooling ring on an off day of his show, sitting in a golf cart chatting on his phone the sound of a nearby stereo drifted over causing his attention to shift towards the horse and rider working over the fences to the beat of the music playing. “I saw the look of pure enjoyment on the rider’s face. Both horse and rider were having a great time with the music as a backdrop to their workout, so it started me on a quest to recreate that fun in our class offerings,” Bell mused.

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Black Stallion Show Coming to Kentucky Horse Park

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LEXINGTON, KY (March 23, 2010) The world famous Arabian Nights from Kissimmee, FL will bring The Black Stallion Show for a one-time only performance to the Kentucky Horse Park on Tuesday May 11 at 7pm in the new Indoor Arena.

The show features a variety of breeds performing rarely-seen liberty acts.  The Black Stallion from the Walter Farley classic will be among the highly trained horses that are included in the show.

World-class equine performer Clay Maier and his spectacular Friesians, now permanent members of the Kentucky Horse Park family, will also give a pre-program performance.

Admission is only $10.  Children age 6 and under will be admitted free of charge.

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Combined Driver Chester Weber Featured in World-Renowned Equestrian Photographer Gabriele Boiselle Calendar

Weber enjoying a quiet moment with his dog Steffi and equine partner Jamaica. (Photo courtesy of Archiv Boiselle/ Gabriele Boiselle)
Weber enjoying a quiet moment with his dog Steffi and equine partner Jamaica. (Photo courtesy of Archiv Boiselle/ Gabriele Boiselle)

Ocala, FL (January 22, 2010) – World-renowned equestrian photographer Gabriele Boiselle has captured the bond between Combined Driver Chester Weber and his animals, and the tender moment is being preserved in one of Boiselle’s 2010 calendars. The photo captures Chester Weber holding his wife’s Miniature Schnauzer, Steffi, standing with his equine partner Jamaica. The expressive photo appears in Boiselle’s 2010 Combined Driving (or Fahren, German for ‘four-in-hand’) calendar.

Boiselle has spent almost three decades traveling and photographing horses around the globe, sharing her images with her fans through calendars, books, DVDs, an online photo archive and live photoseminars. Her company, Edition Boiselle, is based in Speyer, Germany, near Frankfurt.

For 2010, Boiselle has created 24 different wall calendars, including the calendar featuring Weber and other combined drivers. “For many years I have personally been so fascinated by carriage driving and in particular by the four-in-hands that I actually traveled to the USA to take photographs at the special Live Oak competition,” Boiselle said, adding that each of the breathtaking pictures tells an individual story. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9969

If Animals Could Talk – by Ron Hevener

If-Animals-Could-TalkWinter’s aching fingers pinched my ears as I hurried to the barn. My toes, cozy and padded by woolen socks in a new pair of work boots, bent with each chunk of frozen mud beneath them and sent fluffy, mindless snow bouncing away on my path. A shepherd amid his flock of sheep, or a farmer in a cloud of white chickens, might have centered himself in such a universe. I was on my way to the horses that had become the center of my life.

Over the years, I had studied our purpose in the big picture. I had studied yoga and philosophy and had enjoyed the teachings of many interesting thinkers. I had traveled with them on their lecture circuits and to their book signings. I had been a guest in their homes, at their hotels and at their universities. Authors of books such as “Cosmic Consciousness”, “As a Man Thinketh” and “The Magic of Believing” became personal acquaintances or intellectual friends living through their works in my private library. Walter Russell, HH Swami Rama, Col. Arthur Burkes, and the like, were writers and observers of thought whom I was lucky enough to know and ask almost anything I could imagine. Thinking back, I usually wanted to know where I belonged in the grand scheme of things – and what meaningful purpose I was living for. I stopped asking those questions as time went by and life took its course. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9935