The first official meeting of Read, Ride, Reflect was held today, and I am really psyched!  I thought the discussion was excellent, the topics covered were diverse and productive, and a good time was had by all.

 

THe Library was a lovely location and seeing everyone was fun.  I especially enjoyed the community aspect of the club, having everyone together was a nice change from the private lessons I usually have with everyone.

 

I'm looking forward to the continued deepening of the group and the level of the discussion.

We in Northern Virginia had a major ice storm this week, and we are frozen in!  On this, the second day after the ice came, the crust is so hard that even th horses hooves don't punch down into it.  That's Hard!

 

Schools let out early on Tuesday and are cancelled through Friday.  I hope we get some above freezing weather soon so we can get the roads cleaned up!

 

I am getting in lots of reading stuck at home though.  I have read "The Birdie Book" and my newest "The Inner Horseman" disks I recieved a couple of weeks ago.  They are excellent as usual.  Look for my reviews in the "General Training" review section!

I read an article in the newspaper about a race where they run a group of horses (with their riders) against a group of human runners.  The article didn't specify the exact details of the race, but apparently this year, a human won. 

 

Well, if they really want to make this race fair, then the humans need to wear packs with weight equal to the average % bodyweight that the horses carry in tack and rider.  These packs should also be equiped with a speaker and a camera lense so the people in charge of them can tell them where and how to run.  The human racers should not be informed of the details of the race (path, distance, goal etc) they should simply have to do what their handler says.  This would be much closer to a fair race.

Welcome to my blog!  I have been working dilligantly on this webpage and I am very excited about the new opportunities it opens up.  I have recieved my demonstrator Fhoenix saddle so I am all ready to start helping horses and riders with saddle problems.

 

What I am most excited about in the opportunities with the book club and the expansion of the book reviews on the site to help people select worthwhile books to spend time with.

 

Books are amazing things, they transport the author through time.  To read books from hundreads of years ago and feel like the author knows you and horse is an amazing feeling.  Sadly, reading and study are not generally considered as a major part of learning to ride, and if it is included, often the books read lack depth and understanding, they are "pop-equitation" books of the 20th century.  The great books can be difficult to find and expensive, so I am hoping to provide some guidance.  If you want me to change the format of the book reviews or need more information on a particular book please contact me, I'm happy to help!