Blogs

So, in my “spare time” I volunteer for a local organization that awards scholarships to high school seniors. In the last 12 months their functions and benefits raised over $21,000 to give in scholarships. This was announced at the annual voting luncheon for the next years board. As my luck and wardrobe would have it, the theme was Breakfast At Tiffany’s and when I heard a few gals were going all out dressing up, I pulled my little feather hat, satin gloves and velvet out hiding! They are a great group of women doing lots of good for local kids and supporting the community AND they throw a fabulous voting luncheon to boot! This is me and three other “Audrey’s” who dressed the part for the event. Too cute!

A typical training session at my farm is followed by a Vet Lin & water rub down, some light massage of chest, back and loin with a relaxing hand walk. Today’s post training routine has a high tech anti-sweat sheet added to the mix. I’m trying out a Draper Equine Therapy Anti-Sweat Sheet from my friend Kat. The fit is perfect. The material oh so supple and I’m looking forward to seeing how well it washes in a week or so! They are really cool people and I’m hoping to get them down here to the farm for an interview and future webisode in June! Check them out online at http://www.drapertherapies.com

Driving home from picking up the horse box in Knoxville, TN yesterday and seeing the inside stall area it did cross my mind, how on earth would my mare fit in there as she is a pretty big horse. Well, after training today and a nice liniment sponge bath she just walked right in. She fits!!! We hung out for a bit inside until she relaxed then she casually back out and returned to her box in the barn for some lunch. What a good horse!

Thanks Brenderup. I can’t wait to shoot this piece and go over all the kewl features of this tranporter!!!

HorseGirlTV proudly promotes Bluhorse Polos and Trail Rider was kind enough to publish a bit about the polos. They are super fit for equestrian bodies (especially in the shoulders and waist). The folks at Bluhorse couldn’t be nicer and more giving to the industry so it was a great shout out!

You can check them out online at HorseGirlTV’s store shop.horsegirltv.com or go directly to Bluhorse Clothing bluhorseclothing.com! And of course you can check out Trail Rider through their parent company MyHorse myhorse.com!

An otherwise quiet morning at the farm, watering the arena, feeding the horses and prepping for a morning ride was quickly halted when Zita and I walked back up to the house this morning only to notice the koi pond water slushing about WITH a red and back serpent attacking the koi. A long day and longer story later, the snake is still around as I found it while mowing this afternoon and he/she slithered UNDER the deck! I’m just being cautious cause it looked like a viper and NC is known for a plethora of venomous snakes!

I’ve since drained the koi pond with the help of a local fireman (thanks HVFD!!!!), given the remaining 6 out of the former 7 koi to the neighbors who have also said they would take the pond itself and just brought me 2.5 dozen fresh eggs!!

The dogs, horses and myself are unscathed by the whole thing although I’m still a bit shaken from a snake being sooooo close to the house!

Tomorrow?.. returning the 150′ of contractor hose I purchased yesterday that just happens to be the same color as the snake! Gotta love Lowes easy return policy for instances like this!

Here’s a picture of the snake…

This should really just be a tweet but Zita stopped to smell the roses this morning and it was pretty darn cute. Now it’s the regular weekend trip to Lowes, final farm functional stuff, riding and back inside for more webisode work! I’ve started journalizing my rides with a great new iPhone app. Check them out if you get a chance as they are desktop (even for you odd PC folks!), web and iPhone friendly and it’s great to synch between the three! They are at http://evernote.com/ and I think it’s 100% free altho I haven’t published that many notes yet.

So back to the topic… here’s Zita stopping to smell the roses this morning!

It’s back to the farm and immediately back to work of course. Thanks for the reality check Frank & CeCe! “Things slowing down after World Cup.” Seriously…. what was I thinking?!?! LOL!

Let’s see it was digitizing and editing suite stuff at the top of the week locked behind the illumated iMac screen for hours on end, riding my amazing mare and getting her back into form in the afternoons, more editing suite stuff after dark, sleep and back up to start all over again.

Yesterday I’d had enough of computer land and took a break to paint our front gate. Green to red which should match the roof to the barn quite well. Let’s see tho, I painted the gate, my arms and my shirt too! Still, not to bad for a non-pro I must admit!

Below in process:



This morning. Yup, it looks nice in the light of day too!

I had a GREAT time with the girls in Vegas. We went to see Le Rêve the last night in town and it was in true Cirque Du Soliel style, fabulous!



The World Cup was super! I got to finally meet a few of the shows sponsors and talk shop. Latigo Equestrian dressed me in the most stylish riding apparel for my interview with Debbie McDonald. Watching the warm-up, of course, was the best part and it was just terrific to get to see the most talented riders our world has to offer  in one location. To venture into unPolicitially Correct territory, I honestly think Isabel was robbed of the title but it’s really hard to say. Her kur was steady, classic and technically correct while Stefan took a few risks, offered a more modern artistic feel but had two serious mis-steps. Oh well. I’m not an “O” judge. And of course, Anky and Painted were the most talented moving pair! Ok, back down off my un PC soap box.

Bye, bye World Cup and I’m looking forward to getting home to my dogs and pony!

A birthday gift that changed my life – Cameron Leigh Mosher

I was about to turn 10 years old, hardly a life changing event, but a gift I was about to receive has forever changed mine. My mom asked me if I would like horseback riding lessons, rather than the latest toy that was featured on Saturday morning cartoons. I asked her â how many lessons, and what do I get when the lessons are over?â She replied, â six, and the joy of the experience.â Typical mom response right?

The lessons began early November of 1998 and were held on Saturday mornings â no one had said anything about giving up Saturday morning cartoons. What kind of gift was this? Twelve kids showed up for the first lesson and we didnâ t even get on a horse, it was all about basic grooming and how to saddle them. So far, I wasnâ t convinced this was for me. However, on the way home from the barn my mom and I stopped at a garage sale and we found a beautiful riding helmet and boots that I â would grow into.â I secretly thought to myself that my mom was getting a little ahead of herself, but I thought I would at least now look the part.

As the weeks went by the weather got colder and the class thinned out considerably. It was now down to me and five other girls; and by the last two lessons only Anna and I remained. The temperature outside was 10 degrees, and not much warmer in the arena, but I didnâ t even notice as I thrived on this once a week; one hour gift.

I was able to convince my parents to continue my lessons; now twice a week. Of course, like every girl I sprinkled hints of a horse would make a great present. They just laughed at me and the thought. My mom said I needed to see first hand how much horse ownership involved and volunteered me to work at the barn 2 days a week. The only pay I would receive was a free lesson once a month and the opportunity to win the coveted â Student Worker of the Monthâ award. No trophy, no ribbon, just a chance to win another free lesson. I worked my butt off â I swept the barn, I tacked the horses before lessons and more importantly learned to care for something more important than myself. I won that awardâ ¦. alot. Along with riding, that first job enabled me to help the vets that came out, see farriers work their craft and learned to love every part of horseback riding.

Eventually, I got my wish and my parents bought me a horse; a thoroughbred too slow for the track. Dante, is an amazing animal and we have done well together as a team. He has also gotten me through some tough times; serious illnesses with both of my parents and typical teenage angst. Naturally, it wasnâ t because of any sage advice he could give, but it was knowing Dante was there and needed to be cared for.

After nine years of riding my room is packed with proof of my riding prowess â ribbons, medals and trophies. But the biggest source of pride I have from riding is now earning a living by teaching others to ride at the Danada Equestrian Center. How many people do you know that can say a birthday gift from their childhood taught them responsibility, fun, a sport and a paycheck? Now thatâ s a gift that keeps on giving.

Here are a few horses in Las Vegas yet not here for world cup! 😉