equestretteHappy Turkey Day from Equestrette and the Nuggets! We hope everyone is enjoying a delicious feast with lots of family and friends. We are thankful for all the wonderful people and furry friends in our lives.
It is getting COLD and I do not like it one bit! Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica would be the perfect escape for a warm and relaxing time. Half Moon was built on a perfectly shaped crescent beach in the 1950’s by a group of wealthy individuals as an exclusive vacation resort for their families. They offer many activities including amazing ocean swimming on horseback – check out the video, it looks like it would be so much fun!
Check out the video HERE
It is extremely sad that way too many horses are getting injured and even dying on the streets of NYC. This holiday season let’s join the efforts to ban horse-drawn carriages.
The documentary BLINDERS shows the reality of how horrible the horse-drawn carriage industry in NYC really is. Many organizations including PETA have launched campaigns and bring attention to the problem. There’s even a very awesome solution which would maintain the historic and romantic feel of the tours while offering jobs to current workers of the horse carriage industry: New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) supports a legislation to phase-out horse carriages in NYC and replacing them with a fleet of vintage-replica electric cars – the 21st Century horseless carriage. NYCLASS and the ASPCA have pledged to find all 220 NYC carriage horses loving retirement homes and assure that no horse will be sent to slaughter. Everyone can help the horses and this cause: we can start by going HERE and by simply not supporting the horse carriage industry.
NY Times – Horse carriage collides with car
Horse collapses in Central Park due to heat exhaustion
NOTE – There is a lot of information on the horse-drawn carriage issue online, along with opposing points of view. Equestrette is our little space online where we express our individual thoughts. We respect everyone’s opinion, we encourage and will approve and reply to respectful comments only, regardless of differing points of view.
Estancia La Candelaria is a stunning luxury retreat I have been dreaming about. It is located 114.5 Km. outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The historic castle, designed by French architect Alberto Favre in 1894, will take you back in time whether you choose to stay in an opulent castle room, a rustic country-styled colonial room, a private bungalow at the edge of the woods or in the Dutch mill for the ultimate escape. Enjoy the fabulous cuisine, from traditional asados to creole and international recipes. For the horse lover, there is riding available as well as polo lessons, tennis, soccer, cycling and 18-hole golf course. This would definitely be a super vacation!
link: Estancia La Candelaria
It’s time for the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, KY! October 30 – November 4, the show offers $600,000 in prize money with a $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix. I so wish I could be there! But I will definitely be tuning into the USEF Network on November 3rd to catch the grand prix.
It’s that time of the year! Some of the world’s top riders travel to Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center to compete in one of the most prestigious indoor horse shows in the country. And it starts today! If you can’t make it to D.C. this week, then do like me and tune in to the USEF Network on Saturday October 27 for the WIHS Equitation Finals and President’s Cup Grand Prix!
Washington International Horse Show October 23-28, 2012
Laura Kraut will be at WIHS this year!
Temporary stalls in the streets of Washington, D.C.
Tim Grubb at the 1980 Washington International Horse Show
via WIHS
For the past couple years I’ve had the pleasure of visiting family in Bolivia, South America. Most of my family lives in Santa Cruz and La Paz. One of the things I like to do is visit the riding clubs, obviously because I myself ride horses, but also because of their history and sense of community centered around horses. The club in La Paz is where the riders in my family first learned to ride and it is one of my favorite places to visit in Bolivia. Club Hipico Los Sargentos is nestled in the mountains of La Paz, Bolivia. The club offers many different amenities such as horse-back riding, soccer, racquet ball, tennis, a shooting range and a gymnasium with various fitness classes. This year, on October 27th, the club is hosting the 2012 Campeonato Nacional, national show jumping championship. Clubs, riders, and horses from all over Bolivia will travel to La Paz to compete.
Here are some pictures from my visit in December:
The club house exterior
The interior of the club house and a view of the pool
View from the grand prix field
One of the private barns and the beautiful winding road leading up to it
The schooling horses waiting for their students
via LOS SARGENTOS and CHLS
The Pennsylvania National Horse Show starts today! Some of the best equestrian athletes travel to Harrisburg, PA to give it their all. Really wishing I was there to watch the amazing riders and horses perform. Watch live streaming of the events on the USEF Network.
Visit the PA National Horse Show’s Facebook page
Don’t miss the terrier races on October 15!
LINKS: PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL HORSE SHOW
PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center October 11-20, 2012
If you’ve ever read the book Misty of Chincoteague, you’ll want to make your way to Assateague island to visit the Chincoteague ponies. They are the cutest things ever. I’ve always wondered how the herds got there in the first place. Stories suggest that they arrived there by a spanish shipwreck in the mid 1700’s, and the ponies you see today are their descendants. How cool is that? The trip is a must!
Chincoteague ponies grazing
link CHINCOTEAGUE
The top horses in the country will make their way to the Capital Challenge Horse Show this week. The show runs from September 29 – October 7. If you can’t make it to the show, make sure to check out the live streaming to stay updated on the results.
make sure to “like” the Capital Challenge Horse Show on Facebook
Official 2012 Capital Challenge Horse Show poster
download the 2012 Capital Challenge Horse Show prize list