Quarter Horses and Dressage?

Why can't quarter horses do dressage?  They can!  Read the linked blog post from "Behind the Bit" (November 16, 2008)   I just love this blog and encourage you to swing over and take a look at it.

My 14.2 QH Oberon is not really built for competitive dressage, but really, the cues of a well-trained western horse are very similar.

Sebastian, my Friesian Sport horse is now owned by James and Kate Cooler.  The "fit" is much more appropriate as he is very young and big and I am just getting back into horses after over 20 years of being away.  I will still follow Sebastian very closely on this blog as I board Oberon with James & Kate Cooler at Fiore Farms.

The above horse is a five year old gelding and is located in Williamsport, Maryland.  I travelled up there to see him and really liked his calm demeanor and what Catie, the trainer, has done with him.  His Dreamhorse ad is here:  Noah .  As I stated above, I have decided to wait on purchasing another horse for a variety of reasons, but I will keep my eye on Noah and Catie.

If you are interested in Quarter Horses and dressage, here is another article.

Intrigued by Dressage?   an article from "America's Horse Daily"

and excerpt from Lynn Palm "Dressage is a simple word that sounds complicated, but it’s not. It’s a French word that means ‘training.’ If you say natural horsemanship, natural training, that’s what it’s all about. It’s achievable, because it promotes correct horsemanship. Horsemanship means riding well, and your goal is that you’re always trying to bring out the best in your horse.”


and ... :The Quarter Horses’ typical easygoing temperament makes them a great breed for dressage. And while they may not have the natural suspension or the enormous strides of a warmblood, that makes them easier to ride."

I'm addicted to my iPhone's camera!

This photo was taken with my iPhone and a texture applied from a free app.   Hope you are all enjoying your weekend with your horses.  (My blog header for this month is also from my iPhone.)

Oberon is still recovering (NICELY) from the kicks he got on his back legs.  We are walking and gently flexing him and so far his range of motion and flexibility are excellent.

Sebastian has some pretty exciting news coming up, and I will share that with you sometime this week!

Oberon's L-A-Z-Y day!

An Award Winning Cinema-photographer/Director I am NOT!  Lazy days here and Oberon is still recuperating from his leg injury.  The vet says three - four more weeks of walking.  

Kate & James Cooler of Cooler Horsemanship

Kate Cooler riding Sebastian in her dressage saddle for the first time (or maybe second).  Sebastian turns four in June.  I think this was the first time I saw her canter him as well.  This was almost a month ago, I think, and he is coming along nicely.  His forward movement and coordination are getting better and better!  He has even been out on a number of trails and is very level headed and confident.

James with a client's horse ... do you like his new chaps?  And I always wonder ... HOW does his hat stay so white?  Cooler Horsemanship

Kate on Handsome Sebastian.  

Dressage vs. Western Video

Just a fun video ...two awesome horses.   What is FUN is half way through the riders switch horses.

Horses... there is always something!

This is my friend's newborn, Casimiro WW, and his mother, Wrosie.  All the photos here on this post were taken and texture applied with my iPhone.  I love the spontaneity this device offers - not perfect photos, but fun ones.  :)

Above is a photo of my daughter riding Oberon.  He has actually been hurt the past month with kicks to his hind legs from Sebastian (below).  The pecking order has changed and I hope this will not happen again.  I had an ultrasound and x-ray done as the swelling had stopped receding and he started to limp (for one day). The good news is the ligaments and tendons all look great and NO bones broken, but now we need to keep him moving (slowly) and heel so no scar tissue builds up.  My daughters are so light weight that I didn't think it would hurt Oberon to have them ride him bareback (and he hasn't limped for a couple of weeks now)

Below is my "bad" boy Sebastian.  He really is a sweetheart and normally they are the BEST of friends.

"Harnessed Speed" a poem

Historical Racetracks and Harness Horses HERE

Harnessed Speed

We'd often see

a cloud of dust

rise and linger

upon the horizon,

knew father's fine pacer

was sweeping

the winding road

back towards our farm.

He'd arrive

eyes a-twinkle,

hair askance,

us eagerly awaiting

the buggy switch.

Head back into town

proudly, sedately steer

the Pierce Arrow

down Main Street;

no matter our urging

for speed. We knew

Race Street paralleled,

but the early morning's action

wasn't for young ladies.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, July 17, 2012

Here is my great grandfather (my grandmother back row, left) with his four girls in perhaps ... a Pierce Arrow?

Most cities and towns have a "Main Street", but back in the day, many had a "Race Street" and/or "Trotter's Alley" as well.

This poem is loosely based upon my Grandfather, Herbert Hutchins.  (How I wish I had a photo of him with his fine horses!  I do have a few of  him with his plow horses, but not his pacers).  My grandmother said he loved his horses and was one of the first to purchase a car.

I do not know what kind of horse he had, and whether he had a pacer or a trotter.  If he owned a Standardbred, here is a little history on them:  The name originated because the early trotters (pacers would not come into favor until much later) were required to reach a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed.  The mile is still the standard distance covered in nearly every harness race.

The first Standardbred races were contested along long roads, with men challenging their friends to     see who had the swifter steed.  Often the streets of major cities were cleared and races conducted.  That's why so many American cities have a "Race Street".

If you are interested, HERE is a link with some nice old photos of historical racetracks and harness horses.

This post is linked with and a response to  "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads "Kerry's Wednesday Challenge - On the Road"