Sunday Stills: Texture

Back deck:

Door mat on the deck:

Rock with moss:

Rusty chrome:

The Country Classic 2009

Horse shows have been affected by the current recession...including The Country Classic. This particular competition has had its past struggles, but the show must go on!

The Country Classic was downsized considerably this year. Usually it is a social event as well as a horse show, and it encourages the non-horse population to join the hunter/jumper set for a weekend in the country. Regrettably, this year the social aspect was eliminated. But we can hope all the amenities will return in the future. After all, this show was resurrected from death and has gone on to thrive.

For horse folks, the most painful loss was that of the Grand Prix Ring where "The Log" resides. The huge turf pasture requires a lot of tender loving care to prepare it for the show, and this year it was just too much for the budget.

But The Country Classic did have all the usual hunter/jumper sights.

The warm up area maze:

Intense riders, young and old:

Flying pigtails in the pony hunter ring:

A wide assortment of show dogs (and I don't mean AKC):

And of course, the Horse Show Parent:

Connecting on Facebook

Or not.

Em and I both have Facebook pages. She responsibly has her page protected. But sheesh! Did we have a time locating each other to become "Friends."

Finally! We are now officially "Friends" and I got to view her awesome photos from Australia.

Not to discredit Em and her artistic abilities...but Queensland makes it easy to get fantastic photos. I have one I took in 1984 where the water is an aqua color that looks absolutely fake.

Anyway -- I need all the friends I can get. I'm glad my First Reader and I are further connected via the mysterious Internet ethers.

New Boarding Stable in Area

So...it seems a new boarding stable has opened close to home. Actually, an existing barn under new management. So I visited the web site out of curiosity.

Now, Phantom is a charter boarder at CEC. He's been there since before the covered arena was built, and he seems happy as a clam, and I have no issues with the management or fellow boarders. So I'm not looking to move him. But when a stable opens up just a couple of miles from home, one checks it out.

The web site doesn't make it clear who owns the facility. Are they horse people, or investment dabblers?

The trainer/barn manager seems to be a young woman initiating her career. She mentions working with some area trainers who have good reputations, but doesn't indicate how long she was associated with these folks. One weekend clinic? A few months? A year or more? The web site has pictures of the trainer riding dressage (a couple of which raise questions with me) but apparently she also trains hunter/jumpers.

Everyone has to begin somewhere, but I don't recognize the trainer's name from area show results. If I was to move my horse to a barn for the purposes of training, I would like to know that the trainer is active locally in my preferred equine pursuit.

The full-care board is less than I'm paying now for apparently very similar care. But my current barn uses a reputable hay broker who has ironclad sources in eastern Oregon. And the owners of CEC have years of experience with horses and have demonstrated that the welfare of the horses is priority number one. Since I've never before heard of the trainer/manager, and don't know who actually owns the facility, there isn't much data on which to base a decision.

Boarder Genevieve and I have talked about the horrors of barn shopping. She was dependent on non-horsey family members to locate a boarding stable before she returned to the area. "It has fences and a barn" was sufficient for the family member. But for those of us who care about our horses, there's much more than that to consider when locating a facility. There are sooo many variables when barn shopping! Basic safety, knowledgeable and responsible caregivers, activities offered, and the intangibles -- that " gut feeling" that it's the right or wrong fit for owner and horse.

However, I am happy to see yet another horse facility open up in the burbs. Our local Chamber of Commerce has taken an interest in the regional horse "industry" and hopes to promote the area as an equine recreation destination. Few people realize how much horse folks and related businesses contribute to the economy.

So I wish the new boarding stable well. One never knows what the future has in store, so the more stables to choose from, the better. I am very fortunate that there are several good boarding stables at various price points in the vicinity.

Even though Phantom and I are happy where we are.

Sunday Stills: Wild Flowers

I don't know if the flowers are "wild" or "feral," but these are the blooms I captured.

I liked the yellow against the red of the barn:

These "daisies" are rampant in the round pen (where the following were located) as well as the winter paddocks:

These were growing near the parked horse trailers:

The horses eat Queen Anne's Lace and it amazingly improves their breath, like eating a mint.

Bath Day

Another hot day in the Valley. Hot for this temperate region, that is. So I debated as to whether I would ride and decided it was an excellent day for a bath. Generally, when I give Phantom a bath, I get one too. Trying to scrub his mane somehow always ends up with me getting doused. So here are a couple of pics of the Goober Boy drying out after a brief stint in the wash rack.

I got brave and brought my new Canon out to the barn for the latest Sunday Stills challenge. Stay tuned for the results.

In an attempt to get accustomed to the camera, I took pony pictures. But how exciting can a grazing horse be? Tried some inside photos of Finn on the longe line, but they didn't turn out. *sigh* Too much movement and not enough light.

Still figuring out the Canon program, but discovered I can play with the downloaded photos using the Kodak EasyShare software that I'm familiar with (with which I'm familiar?). So I made some edits and added a few more pics to my Flickr site.

Hmmm

After a couple of e-mails back and forth with Dover, it seems the mailing address mixup was a key entry error. Of course, the poor entry operator doesn't have the opportunity to defend him- or herself.

I've been assured that the remainder of my order will be delivered to my correct PO Box address. Hope so. Can't always be sure that the recipient with the same last name is known by the customer who actually placed the order.

Computers and computer programs are great as long as they work. But when they hiccup, it seems like it takes an act of Congress to get things cleared up. Having been on both sides of computer hiccups....