December 2009 Blog Posts (111)

Clinic with Gary Marsolais

Gary and I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know about our upcoming clinic on January 23, 2010 from 9am - 5pm. (Snow date Feb. 13/10)

Gary will be taking a maximum of 5 horse/rider combinations. Each horse will be ridden and assessed by Gary and their rider will receive individual instruction from Gary. Along with learning from your session, you will be able to watch and learn from every horse and rider.

Your horse will be provided with a large box stall,… Continue

Added by Kerri Morden-Marsolais on December 31, 2009 at 3:02pm — No Comments

Afresh...bring on 2010

Christmas days are not easy for me, being away from my family takes its toll at this time of year. However, I can safely say the 2009 was good for me and I spent a lovely few days with Rick and his family in Cheshire who made me feel very welcomed. Lots of delicious food and probably a stone more later I am back in London and it's days away from New Year...

The Trees

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being… Continue

Added by Wiola Grabowska on December 30, 2009 at 6:54pm — No Comments

Different Philosophies?

The other day on a blog, http://theridinginstructor.net, I wrote a post about boarding contracts. It was triggered by a recent situation where my daughter took over care at a small boarding stable here, when the owners went out of town. A horse went head to tail down (seizure) and remained that way for at least 8 1/2 to 9 hours. The horse owners refused to get a vet for the horse. The stable owner had no board contract, and the vets will not touch a… Continue

Added by Barbara Ellin Fox on December 30, 2009 at 3:25pm — 3 Comments

Once You Arrive At The Show You'll Need...

If you’re thinking 2010 might be the year to go to a recognized USDF/USEF dressage show, then here’s what you need to have.

I’ve made a list for you of what you’ll need for documentation

once you arrive at the competition grounds.

Just filling out the entries before the show can feel like you’re

Submitting government documents with the paper trail being long and… Continue

Added by Colette Sossaman on December 30, 2009 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

Saddle Fit and Blisters

I have had a client who questioned the appearance of blisters after riding, which then disappear again after about 20 minutes. I suggest the following might be happening. The spinal vertebrae have three processes. Between the spinal processes, you will find the spinal dorsal ligament system . There should never be any pressure on the spinal vertebral processes, however, if you have a saddle which has a too… Continue

Added by Jochen Schleese on December 30, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

Mommy Rides Pixie

My mom turned 70 the end of November. She's still an avid horsewoman and an active rider and driver. I've had Pixie at the indoor arena since Thanksgiving weekend and she is now nicely going. 6-weeks green but solid thanks to Heather's training (I'm getting too old to bounce! plus I needed a break from riding after the intense summer).

I asked my mommy if she wanted to ride her pony before I sell it or ship it to the H/J sales barn as soon as a pony stall frees up. So she came down… Continue

Added by Diana on December 29, 2009 at 9:15am — No Comments

Avatar tops Christmas box office in US and Canada

The estimated $278m (174m) in weekend ticket sales broke the previous record of $253m (158m) set in July 2008, the weekend The Dark Knight was released.

Sci-fi epic Avatar took $75m (47m) in its second weekend, according to early studio estimates.

Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and It's Complicated all enjoyed strong… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 28, 2009 at 7:29pm — No Comments

Ride Fit 1-2-3: Making Sure Your Barn Chores Aren't Causing You Postural Problems in the Saddle

Hello and Happy New Year!

I had a great question recently posted to my page about the effect of barn chores on your body, as a rider. Lorel's question about barn choring is actually quite common, so she gave permission for me to post her question here in the blog so that others could benefit.

Lorel's Question:

Hi Heather, I struggle with a problem which I am sure many other riders have. I am employed working with horses then do farmwork when I get home so I have… Continue

Added by Heather Sansom at Equifitt.com on December 28, 2009 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

Paige Presents: This Week in Horse History - December 28th Through January 3rd

December 28th Through January 3rd

December 29, 1945 – The record for the slowest winning time for a steeplechase race was set by a horse named Never Mind II. Never Mind refused the fourth fence during a two mile steeplechase and his jockey, assuming they were defeated, returned the horse to the paddock. The jockey was then informed that every other horse in the race had either fallen or been disqualified. On learning this, the jockey brought Never Mind II back out to the field… Continue

Added by Paige Cerulli on December 28, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Time to Pick a Drug Plan

As the year comes to a close, so does the open-enrollment period for Medicare prescription-drug plans.

The deadline to make changes to Medicare drug plans is Dec. 31, except for people who qualify for a special enrollment period like those in a low-income subsidy program.

Generally, there are two types of drug plans to choose from: a stand-alone prescription-drug plan if… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 28, 2009 at 10:24am — No Comments

Motivation from Moshi

The first "installment" of: Motivation from Moshi with a side dish of Inspiration from Indy comes out this Tuesday. Make sure you're signed up for the free newsletter at www.janesavoie.com so you'll be sure to see it!

Added by Jane Savoie on December 28, 2009 at 7:23am — No Comments

U.S. Flights Face Delays Due to Storms, More Security

Christmas weekend air traffic is experiencing delays of 15 to 90 minutes, some major U.S. airlines and the government said, due to far-flung winter storms and an alleged terrorist attack on a trans-Atlantic flight.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines are waiving some flight-change fees for passengers in areas affected by bad weather hitting the U.S. Midwest and New… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 27, 2009 at 6:23pm — No Comments

Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew 'killed' in Tehran clashes

At least eight Iranian protesters were reported to have been shot dead in Tehran today — including a nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi — during the fiercest protests in the capital since the immediate aftermath of June’s hotly disputed presidential election.

The shootings mean that the confrontation between the so-called Green movement and… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 27, 2009 at 3:48pm — No Comments

Bomb Suspect's Teacher, Family Dismayed, Shocked

A Nigerian man who tried and failed to blow up a plane over Detroit ''sneaked'' into his native country the day before his botched Christmas Day attempt, leaving his father shocked and regretful, Nigeria's information minister said Sunday.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili told reporters Sunday that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab passed through Nigeria for only one day before attempting to blow… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 27, 2009 at 1:14pm — No Comments

The End of the Year

Ah, the last week of the year. Since I won't get to ride this week, I decided to reflect on this past year.

I went to my calender and counted all the horses I rode and all the times I rode this past year. I had a pretty good year, I went over my goal of averaging at least one ride a week, though some weeks I did not ride at all. All together I rode 80 times.

I also achieved my goal of riding more horses, I got up on 6 different horses this year, though on three of them I… Continue

Added by Jackie Cochran on December 27, 2009 at 12:16pm — No Comments

Ivana Trump `kicked off plane after four-letter outburst at children`

Ivana Trump has been kicked off an aeroplane after allegedly screaming obscenities at children.

Police physically escorted the 60-year-old ex-wife of billionaire Donald Trump off the aircraft after being alerted to the foul-mouthed outburst by the pilot.

It is claimed the four-times married socialite, on the New York-bound Delta Airlines flight at Palm Beach… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 27, 2009 at 10:47am — No Comments

Airline suspect is Nigeria banker's son

A Nigerian who has been detained in Detroit after trying to ignite an explosive device on a U.S. passenger plane is the son of a prominent former banker, a family member told on Saturday.

The 23-year-old man, believed to be linked to al Qaeda militants, is in custody in the United States after being overpowered by passengers and crew as the Christmas Day flight approached… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 26, 2009 at 3:39pm — No Comments

Dutch Passenger Hurls Into Action to Stop Alleged Terrorist on Plane

A Dutch airline passenger told The Post how he leapt into action when an alleged Muslim terrorist tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner packed with 300 people just moments before landing.

Chaos erupted as alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23, tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device strapped to his body.

"Suddenly, we hear a bang. It sounded… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 26, 2009 at 12:24pm — No Comments

NORAD Successfully Tracks Santa Claus

NORAD Sucessfully Tracks Santa Claus Last night a crew of volunteers at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) successfully tracked Santa over the span of 31 hours as he crossed the globe at speeds up to 2,326,413 miles per hour. Considering that the speed of sound is 768 miles per hour, it is safe to say that Santa’s sleigh is fast.

Rudolph and his fellow reindeer…

Continue

Added by bloglist on December 26, 2009 at 5:52am — No Comments

What's Open On Christmas: Store Returns, Sales

It's Christmas Day and you have that last shopping itch but unfortunately most big stores are closed today.

No fears: a handful of retailers have unlocked their doors today and plenty of stores are hosting online-only sales Christmas Day trying to get shoppers -- maybe those unhappy with their gifts -- to spend a little more this holiday season.

First… Continue

Added by bloglist on December 25, 2009 at 5:34pm — No Comments