During one of the last rounds, with seconds separating riders, winner Karl Slezak with Fernhill Wishes deked right instead of arching left toward jump #14 shorting the distance (and time) to jump 15, clearing it at a 45-degree approach barely lining him up for the final fence – which he also cleared. Those seconds saved secured him the $6000 first place prize.
Beth Underhill and Count Me In won the Royal Horse Show 2019 Henry Equestrian Canadian Championship in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And that’s awesome.
Fall fairs are in full swing when the leaves start to fall, but for me the season doesn’t begin until the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show begins. Why? Horse shows – both English and Western – are a focus! Now (2019) it’s 179th year, The Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show in Simcoe, Ontario, […]
Several of the riders including Beth Underhill and Jordon Coyle competed in back-to-back events at Ottawa’s Wesley Clover Parks on July 21, 2019 though they didn’t plan in that way. The International Grand Prix (see our coverage here) was reschedule for Sunday after being cancelled on Saturday due to extreme heat.
Jonathon Millar took home the grand prize at Sunday’s CS13 $134,000 FEI Grand Prix in Ottawa, Ontario. Twenty-seven riders participated in the international event that was rescheduled from Saturday, thanks to excessive heat. It was an incredible weekend for many reasons, not the least of which was the world class equestrian competitions filling Ottawa’s […]
Anytime I can combine dogs and horses (and even a cat or two), it’s a good day. July 13, 2019 was a good day – welcome to the 12th annual Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue Open House/fun day fundraiser. Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue (WHHR) in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada is well known among regional horse people, first […]
Sheila Burns is the founder, proprietor and driving force behind The PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary, a registered charity on her family residence. This animal sanctuary is open to the public Thursdays and Sundays, 1 to 4 pm or by appointment.
More than an hour in a Building Six full of horse stalls and a small sand arena and I’m no where near bored. Few things make me happier than the smell of a barn, hay and yes, horses. One thing’s clear: I need to get back in a saddle. So, this week I’m planning some […]
Meet Brook – a remarkably charming dapple-grey Percheron at Mountsberg Conservation Area in Halton region, Ontario. That’s right, farm horses at a conservation site – a site with horse-drawn carriages through the ‘sugar bush.’ Only today, the carriage ride was pulled by a tractor and the Percheron team of Brook, Sally and Judy were left […]
Today, horse racing Hall of Famer Silver Charm celebrates his 25th birthday at Old Friends thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky. (I got to meet Silver Charm in the fur when I visited Kentucky – check it out). Silver Charm’s birthday is a significant milestone for several reasons: Thoroughbreds generally have shorter lifespans thanks to […]
Living without access to horses sounds bleak, yet I’ve been taking a bit of a break this year after my lesson barn closed and I spent a year writing about horse rescues. Learning what too often happens to these animals after an (almost) lifetime of service can damper the romantic perception of the equine barn. […]
Saturday’s event (after The Indoor Eventing Event) was round two (and three) of a competition that started the night before and saw Nicole Walker riding Falco van Spieveld in the lead. Falco van Spieveld is a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.
Let’s hear it for the girls. Women dominated Saturday night at Toronto’s 96th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Horse Show. November 2, 2018 was the night of both the second round of the Indoor Eventing Championships and The Canadian Show Jumping Finals. First, the Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge 2018: 10 top US and Canadian riders participated […]
‘Downtown,’ essentially Main and Market Streets, Mackinac looks like the film set of a wild west movie but with draft horses pulling multi-seat carts (the $5 shuttle from the ferry terminal to hotels) and no gun-wielding cowboys.
Victorian style carriages pull up in the u-shaped driveway (no need for parking lots) in front of hotels like the Mission Point Resort and individuals who’ve booked private tours around the island – like me – climb aboard.
Country fall fairs are in full swing and what better place to indulge a deep-fried guilty pleasure and see many horses – sometimes. Farm animals definitely, but some fairs have more room for horse events than others.
The Tyron Equestrian Center and Tyron Resort in North Carolina is the most impressive equestrian facility I’ve visited yet – it’s what I expected the Caledon Centre in Ontario (that hosted the Pan Am games a few years ago) to look like, or at least close to it. Nothing I’ve visited yet, comes close to […]
I’ve taken a bit of a break from riding for while, or at least writing about it. But it’s time, as they say, to get back in the saddle again – figuratively and literally. I’ll be starting lessons again this fall at a new barn (stay tuned…) and I’m back to writing about great horse […]
With a glass of sangria in hand, apron tied tight and an easel, paint and brushes set up in front of me. I’m ready to paint a horse. A picture of a horse – specifically, an abstract horse.
The first week of May and my thoughts turn to Kentucky – specifically Lexington. Lexington might not be home to the Derby, but it’s likely home to the next Derby winner. Many thoroughbred breeding farms dot the Lexington landscape, and many are open for public tours, by appointment. How to tour Saxony Farms Thoroughbred Farm […]
Global Travel for Horse Lovers 