Month: August 2009

Ok. So maybe fall isn’t 100% here but I was sooooooo excited this morning when I was able to don my new Mountain Horse jacket to prep for riding! I haven’t had (don’t ask me how I went without it) a waterproof jacket for several years now but Chris at Equestrian Collection and the folks at English Riding Supply hooked me up with two amazing Mountain Horse jackets. They are functional and fashionable. I know as soon as it gets way cold I’ll be ready for summer again but I’m so looking forward to snuggling in these jackets and getting beyond this awful southern humid summer season! Whew! Nice job on the polos to eh? Oh and we can’t forget the awesome Devonwood cap! I sooooo miss my Pacific Northwest horsey friends!

So there’s been lots of controversy talk on the horse forums lately about Dutch rider Edward Gal and his tremendous mount Totalias with of course so many complaints about the Dutch system of movement. To each his own I say but I can’t express how excited I am about training first hand with Anky and studying this system like it was my Master’s Degree because quite frankly, to me it is my Master’s Degree in riding.

What I’ve been working on learning physically (after years of being told “rock them back” with the reins while driving with the legs) from this system is the very elementary concept of the brakes and the gas, the whoa and the go, and never using them together. That the mystical half halt should moreso be a fantasy term and that you work the brakes and gas so well together that your half halt (if you must use that term) comes from there.

If with all this training and working on myself I’m able to get this kind of sit with my mare then I can’t wait to see what professional world class lessons can help us achieve together. This is a great mare, no doubt. When I bought her she was honestly, completely confirmed in walk, trot, canter with excellent leg yields and a decent shoulder-in. We started all over from the ground up with the Dutch style (as best as I could of course) and well… just look at the push in those soon to be elongated and plumped up muscles of her hind end!

I’m pretty excited about this! Chris with Equestrian Collections was kind enough to connect me with the fabulous folks as English Riding Supply and they are sending me an ANKY Dressage Saddle to ride in! To top it off, and this is where the giveaway comes in, Chris at Equestrian Collections is the donor of the giveaway saddle! They are so awesome and this is a really great promotion! Equestrian Collections is going to be publishing another way to enter the sweepstakes on Monday so I’ll blog about that here as well.

Equestrian Collections, English Riding Supply and HorseGirlTV teamed up to giveaway an ANKY Remy Carriat Dressage Saddle. We’ll be announcing the winner on February 28th so remember to Tune in. Tack up. with us here at HorseGirlTV for the winner announcement! We just sent a Tweet today about the finalists selection so if you’re already following up on Twitter then you already know! Submit finalist selection entry to Team HorseGirlTV for the drawing in March by filling out the form online at http://team.horsegirltv.com.

This FREE, brand new ANKY Dressage Saddle is valued at $2800.00!

Any taxes are the responsibility of the winner. The decision of the judges is final. The winner will be announced on here and on Equestrian Collections sometime in March so remember to check back!

This contest is void where prohibited by law. If we have a winner located outside the US, they will pay shipping of the saddle.

Best of luck to you all in this awesome give away! A big thanks goes to Chris at Equestrian Collections (http://equestriancollections.com) for putting this all together AND more importantly providing the give away saddle! Thanks for your support EC! As I always say, thanks for watching HorseGirlTV and we’ll see you next time!

Tune in. Tack up.

Angelea and Team HorseGirlTV!

SOOOOO much has happened in the last 4 days. I had that rough long weekend (SEE previous blog) followed up with the final scramble to get everything ready for this weeks shoot with Jessica Burkhart. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock this last year, Jessica is the hot tween author of the brilliantly written Canterwood Crest series.

Yes and for the existing fans, I’m on Team Eric but please do keep in mind I just finished “Behind the Bit” so I might not be hip to the vibe of the newer releases and we all know how fickle our little academy friends can be. Whew!

So Jessica flew down on Tuesday and I had a BLAST chatting with her, picking her brain about writing and writers and just talking world views. She’s such a smart and talented gal.

Wednesday morning was the shoot and we set indoors as it was just too darn hot to step out into that humidity. The interview was smashing and I think we really captured some great content to inspire young and old riders alike to live their dreams, try hard and become a success. Jessica has a wonderful story to share and it was fabulous to capture it for HorseGirlTV. We’ll be launching this webisode on the 15th of October so look out for it.

We also have 8, yes count em EIGHT, autographed copies (Thanks Jessica!!!) from the series to give away to HorseGirlTV viewers. If you haven’t already joined the team, go to http://team.horsegirltv.com and join for free to participate in the drawing.

Now for a fun photographic step through yesterdays events just let the mouse scroll…

Setting up and checking audio (yes Picollo helps when he can):


Post shoot “Hey are you still awake up there?”:


Cleaning up Miss C for her author photo shoot:


Awwww, cute pict:


And a little touch of wacky:

Al·lit·er·a·tion Pronunciation: ə-ˌli-tə-ˈrā-shən noun circa 1624 : the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables

Well there is your literary lesson (again with the alliteration) for the day. My weekend was easily summed up in the alliterated blog title with homage to @equichord and @stressagequeen). Let’s see the tractor broke, part of a tree fell on the fence and tore it down, the arena was completely flooded, and that was just farm related topics. It’s interesting how things seem to come crashing down all at the same time. I remember my grandmother, RIP, used to say that bad things happen in threes well gosh grandma, we’re talking multiplication theory right now. But seriously, what else can you do but laugh when things seem so down otherwise you’ll just cry your eyes out which of course we all do time and again. Ex always says (taken from his wise mother of course) that you have the choice each day to be happy and it truly is a choice.

In the last three years (pre-launch anniversary coming up this labor day, thanks @novatago) I’ve dedicated my time to new media development in hopes to revolutionize production in the equine industry by creating what I hope will be an educational and entertaining series about horses and horse people. I’ve been fortunate enough to talk with amazingly talented Olympians, humble cowboys, top FEI Reiners , police officers who create the bond with the community through love of equine, fabulous foxhunting families (alliteration abounds!) and so many more. The HorseGirlTV series has lent me the opportunity to go to The Netherlands to train with the best dressage rider on the planet, Anky van Grunsven and I’m looking forward to doing a few fun interviews with amazing international riding talents like Joyce Heuitink and staples in the industry like Ralph Stübben of Stübben Saddles.

Being that this is the horse world where ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is considered subjective I’ve come under fire. Some serious fire these last few years! I’ve been called every name in the book by anti-foxhunters. Seriously, EVERY name – including some UK insults that were new to me. I’ve been accused of hurting my horse with the riding system I choose to study. I’ve been called a suck up to cops. I’ve been slammed because I haven’t done anti-slaughter or anti-racing webisodes. I’ve even been chastised for how I wrap standing wraps and bandages. Wait one darn tooting minute! No one told me by trying to revolutionize the horse world I would need some seriously thick skin. Again, I just have to laugh it off.

What’s the lesson here? The lesson I am still learning from a lifetime of horses, over a decade in IT & new media with the last three years specialized in horse lovers is not too surprisingly, Buddhist in nature. If you focus on the positive and try to help others with what you’re doing not solely focusing on self then no matter what anyone says to you or how they feel about what you’ve produced, you’ve done your best to put out positive vibes to the universe and that’ll somehow come back to you. How has it come back to me? I am hopelessly and utterly in love with the man of my dreams who I never believed existed and has been the best partner anyone could ask for these last three years. I have the cutest paralyzed doxy on the planet and a incredibly fun to watch weimaraner pup. I get to ride a highly talented mare who gives her all even if I don’t ask for it all that well and who’s going to become even more of a moving machine with Anky’s expert lessons. I receive the NICEST emails from folks who tell me how they have bonded as a family through my series. People who said they continue to learn and be inspired by the show. Young riders who are so excited I virtually connected them to an Olympian by asking a question they requested answered. AND overall… I have a fabulous fan-base for the series that leads the way in quality online equine entertainment for the whole family.

Just remember like Ex’s mom says, you have the choice everyday to be happy. It’s a conscious decision. Now… go out there, grab a tiger by the tail and take on the world!

This was too cute not to post and share!

[youtube width=”640″ height=”364″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcVLXAipCII[/youtube]

The ever abundant, yet often ominous working student position is sometimes a precarious road to travel. It’s a road that could teach you the ins and outs of the horse world, general horse care and even riding. It could establish you for the long term in your community as an equestrian professional or even lead you on a path to the Olympics whether that be riding, judging, coaching, grooming or even the promotional aspects working in media. Let’s be honest here. The horse world is an interesting place to take up residence and is never short on wild tales, huge success or massive failure stories as controversies abound. So what about the young rider or passionate horse person wanting to learn more about the equestrian lifestyle? Whether you’re interested in just learning about horses and how to ride or have aspirations fueled to drive you to the international riders circles, beginning that path as a working student is a fabulous way out of the starting gate.

Watch your local book stands for the rest of this blog! Details to follow!