Long Beach Mounted Police all-Palomino troup, Tournament of Roses Parade, 2009. Photo: "Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses Archives".
What horse lover hasn’t marveled over the all-Palomino horse troupe in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade? Prancing golden horses in shining silver-encrusted saddles, their riders bedecked in colorful costumes and waving red, white, and blue American flags; it’s a sight to stir anyone’s patriotic sentiments. Me, I just drooled over the horses, trying to decide which would be the fanciest mount for my own dream parade.
The stuff of horsey dreams for decades, the Long Beach Mounted Police’s (LBMP) all-Palomino troupe rode in their first Tournament of Roses (ToR) Parade in 1948; they’re still going strong in their 62nd year of parading,
Their first year, 1948. Photo: "Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses Archives"
with the LBMP celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2010.
Carla Routt, granddaughter of troupe co-founder Jack Turner and the first female member and female president
of the LBMP, says the all-volunteer riders are really ambassadors for the LBMP and the city of Long Beach.
“We often travel to different events, presenting gifts from the Long Beach Police to various governments. We’ve been in the Eisenhower and Nixon Inaugural Parades, and have traveled extensively throughout North and South America,” she says. The troupe also provides an average of 8,000 hours of annual service at charitable events and functions, and has a scholarship program for deserving young equine-science candidates. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9600
16th November, 2009 – Fierce winds and testing going challenged entries at Cheltenham’s Open meeting, reputedly the most important venue in the first half the National Hunt season in England. Each of the 3 days presented a feature race, the highlight being the highly competitive ‘Paddy Power Gold Cup’ which has been a high point in the racing calendar since 1960.
SURPRISINGLY, the Irish, with their impressive winning record at the Cheltenham Festival in March, had not won the Paddy Power Gold Cup or its equivalent for almost three decades but this year the Edward O’Grady trained ‘Tranquil Sea’ cast adrift his 15 rivals before the home straight to the sheer delight of the crowd. Jubilant jockey Andrew McNamara couldn’t hide his joy when the well backed 11-2 favourite came home four and a half lengths in front of ‘Poquelin’, with ‘Hold Em’ third and ‘Ballyfitz’ fourth. The seven year old bay travelled comfortably throughout the two and a half mile race to scoop the lion’s share of the £150,000 prize fund. More reasons to celebrate followed when two hundred people in the Club Enclosure took advantage of a full £30 ticket refund, promised to them if the Irish won the big race.
Friday’s hugely popular Countryside Raceday with its traditional country fair atmosphere featured the unique Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase – a course combining hedges, banks and timber rails over a distance just short of four miles. Irish horses have dominated this race in recent times, this running being no exception. Favourite ‘Garde Champetre’ powered home to an outstanding success when given a confident ride by jockey Nina Carberry, beating stablemate ‘Headsontheground’. Sporting the well known green and gold colours of legendary gambler JP McManus and trained by Enda Bolger, ‘Garde Champetre’ follows in the footsteps of four times winner (2004 – 07) ‘Spotthedifference’, owned and trained by the same duo. Although ‘Garde Champetre’ may now return to Cheltenham for the cross-country race next month, he is not expected to run in the Grand National in April. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=8878
Jamaica, the 2008 USEF Farnam Platform Horse of the Year, spent his year as an ambassador for the United States Equestrian Federation.
Ocala, FL (November 16, 2009) – Jamaica, Chester Weber’s combined driving horse, captured the nation’s attention last year when he won the most prestigious horse title in the country and became the 2008 USEF Farnam Platform Horse of the Year. As the Horse of the Year, Jamaica served as an ambassador for the USEF, making public appearances, promoting rescue organizations and horse adoption and taking part in a variety of charities.
Jamaica’s rags to riches story began in Belgium when he was rescued from a slaughterhouse. He then famously became part of Weber’s record-breaking international Four-In-Hand Combined Driving team. Now 18 years old, Jamaica has been a member of all seven of Weber’s National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving National Championship teams.
While Jamaica’s story captivated the nation, his role as USEF ambassador also earned him a fan following. “Jamaica’s story really meant a lot to a lot of people, and whether we were at shows or at home, fans would bring him presents and carrots and place them in front of his stall and ask to pose for photos with him,” Weber said. “His journey has been pretty unbelievable and I am certainly glad to have been part of it.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=8874
Hi everyone. A lot of you have been asking me about how I begin to diagram a pattern or how I start to memorize a test.
I start with these blank arena diagrams. I find them useful for a number of things.
1. Memorizing regulation tests.
2. Learning the exact geometry of the arena.
3. Learning my exact tangent points for movements such as circles and serpentines.
4. Drawing my tests from beginning to end.
5. Drawing each movement according to where the judges are judging (this way I know when the judge begins judging a new movement).
6. Showing a student where a movement begins and ends exactly.
7. Mapping out individual movements when I start to create choreography for a freestyle.
8. Looking at the pattern from beginning to end of a new freestyle, to see if I have used the arena wisely.
9. Checking to see if I have included all required movements for a competitive freestyle.
10. Mapping out each movement of a new freestyle so my clients and students have something to study that is very visual.
11. Checking to see if I have been inventive with the pattern.
12. Checking to see if my movements are equally used from the left and the right.
…and many more!
So I though I would give these diagrams to you guys for your use. Feel free to print them off and use them any time you want, and while you are on my site, sign up for the newsletter if you have not already! You will automatically get the link for the diagrams in the welcome letter of my newsletter, so you don’t have to go looking for it! Ruth
Several of you have asked me if there’s any value in counter-flexing your horse while in true canter so I’d like to discuss that here.
1. Generally, you want to flex your horse in the direction of the canter lead he’s on. That goes for true canter as well as counter canter. So if you’re cantering on left lead, position his head so you just barely see his left eye and/or nostril.
This is the modern version of Dressage showing the 'competition trot' with the front leg overextended and not parallel with the hind leg, plus the horse's head is behind the vertical. Notice the horse's rump high and not rounded - the horse is on his forehand and cannot make use of his backend for thrust. He is being ridden from front to back instead of back to front as in Classical Dressage. He may have been trained using hyperflexion (roll kur) techniques.
October 26, 2009 – The FEI is aware of the video filmed at the FEI World Cup Dressage qualifier at Odense (DEN) and posted on YouTube by Epona TV at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hIXGiV4N4k. FEI’s main concern has always been and will always be the welfare of the horse. We are taking the issues raised in the video and in the comments made by members of the public on social media and by email very seriously and have opened a full investigation. The conclusions of this investigation will be made public in due course.
Please read Dr. Gerd Heushmann’s book “Tug of War” and see his DVD “If Horses Could Speak” about the dangers of using this method of training and the long term effects of forcing horses to be hand ridden, ridden incorrectly from front to back which is is SUPPOSED TO BE as in Classical Dressage – from back to front, and pushing young horses into doing Dressage levels at too young an age before they have completely developed. I had posted that I interviewed him last week and will be posting more on this in the very near future. Click below to purhcase his book and DVD.
“The FEI held a successful seminar on Hyperflexion in 2006. There has been no change in the scientific evidence since that review. There are no known clinical side effects specifically arising from the use of Hyperflexion. However, there are concerns for the horses’ well-being if the technique is not practised correctly. The FEI does not permit excessive or prolonged Hyperflexion in any equestrian sport, and has a strict stewarding program to protect the performance horse in all disciplines.”
“The FEI regulates international competition principally. Also through its work it seeks to educate riders, trainers and judges thru their NFs how to deal with issues which have a bearing on the welfare of the horse. Where there is a specific training issue which brings the welfare of the horse into question it is for the NF to legislate at National level. At international competition level it is for the FEI to act. Through the ongoing training of stewards and all officials we seek to develop peoples understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable training techniques.”
British Horse Society chairman Patrick Print has since written to HRH Princess Haya requesting the FEI launch a second investigation into the practise of hyperflexion.
Print’s letter reads: “The concerns so widely expressed are reasonable and therefore deserving of an urgent two-part investigation: first, an inquiry into the treatment of this particular horse on this particular occasion; and, second, a broader inquiry into the ethics and consequences of hyperflexion. In this second aspect The British Horse Society stands ready to assist the FEI in any way it can.”
Forums are rife with angered comment on the topic and several facebook groups have been set up in condemnation of rollkur.
The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center used the Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to purchase Cinderella.
Loxahatchee, FL – October, 27, 2009 – Each year the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation awards grants to non-profit organizations that provide services to individuals living with paralysis. This year the Foundation is proud to announce Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center’s Horses for Heroes Program as one of the 145 recipients, receiving $5,000 in aid.
Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center will use the grant to help those living with paralysis become active members in everyday life. Cinderella is an elegant seven-year-old Quarter Horse, and she was purchased for the VTRC programs though a grant provided by the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
“After receiving the grant we looked high and low for the perfect horse and finally the proverbial glass “horse” shoe fit,” noted VTRC Founder and Executive Director Ruth Menor. “Cinderella (we call her Cinder for short) stepped on to VTRC property with inquisitive yet accepting eyes, and quickly made friends with her new equine family. At 14.2 hands, she is the perfect size for both kids and many adults and is currently being used for a handful of lead line and independent lessons.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=8674
Dr Gerd Heuschmann, (www.gerdheuschmann.com) a veterinarian and well known dressage rider/trainer, author of the book “Tug of War” and the DVD “If Horses Could Speak” is coming to St Augustine for a book signing, lecture and two day riding clinic, October 29 through November 1st, 2009.
No charge for being a guest at the book signing, lecture is $50, riding (which includes Dr Heuschmann riding your horse) is $250, and auditing both days and lecture $125. If you wish to audit only the cost will be $80 for both days, $45 for one day.
Dr. Heuschmann was trained as a Bereiter (master rider) in Germany before qualifying for veterinary study at Munich University. There he specialized in equine orthopedics for two years before accepting a post as the head of the breeding department at the German Equestrian Federation. Dr. Heuschmann is a founding member of “Xenophon”, an organization dedicated to “fighting hard against serious mistakes in equestrian sports”. He is the author of the “Tug of War” and the DVD “If Horses Could Speak” which is the basis for his world-wide lectures.
By describing the basic anatomy and physiology of the horse, Dr. Heuschmann identifies widely-used incorrect training methods- especially in dressage- that can undermine a horse’s health and well being and offers the rider solutions that do not cause pain or fail to respect the mental habits and physiological needs of the horse. His dynamic teaching on the biomechanics of correct riding and proper training result in the horse’s improved mental and physical condition.
BOOK SIGNING
Thursday October 29, 2009
5pm-7pm
The Gift Horse
716 Orange Ave N
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
(904) 529-8225 www.thegifthorse.us
LECTURE
Friday October 30, 2009
7pm
Comfort Suites at the World Golf Village�
475 Commerce Lake Dr.
Saint Augustine, FL, US, 32095
Phone: (904) 940-9500
RIDING CLINIC
Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, 2009
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Two Son Farm
8050 CR-208
St. Augustine, Florida 32092
Phone: (904) 759-4390 www.twosonfarm.com
Mary Simons of ReRun Thoroughbred charity asked Jamaica and his teammate Rolex to help raise money for charity by painting masterpieces known as “Moneighs.” (Photo courtesy of ReRun, Inc)
Ocala, FL (October 26, 2009) – Jamaica, the 2008 USEF Horse of the Year and member of Chester Weber’s seven-time National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving team, has taken his role as an equine ambassador seriously throughout the past year. Jamaica recently received his most colorful request ever, when the ReRun Thoroughbred charity asked Jamaica and his teammate Rolex to help raise money for charity by painting masterpieces known as “Moneighs.”
Never ones to say neigh, Jamaica and Rolex painted their works of art for ReRun’s Moneigh collection, which will be auctioned off on eBay to raise money for ReRun. The name Moneigh is derived from the name of the famous artist and the sound a horse makes.
ReRun’s Mary Simons visited Live Oak Stud in Ocala to assist Jamaica and Rolex with their paintings and was thrilled with the beautiful bay Dutch Warmbloods. “They were stunning animals and my favorites so far,” Simons said. “I had heard that sometimes Jamaica wasn’t so friendly, but he was very warm, kind and professional. He and Rolex both did their paintings with red and white paint and signed them with a black hoof print.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=8642
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