"What I do for a living....?"

I went to a holloween party, last night and didn't know very many people there. A man asked me (with his wife standing next to him), "what do you do (for a living)?"

I gave my standard answer, " I have a horse training facility and train horses". That said, he launches into a story of his brother who has race horses, and how many he had and how he buys them, races them and sells them...and on the story went. Fifteen minutes later I had heard about every rank, mean, ugly horse that his brother had, and he started to launch into a horror horse loading story (into a trailer).

I politely interrupted him and said, "I train DRESSAGE horses". Blank stares from both of them. I continued "it's an Olympic sport , believe it or not". More blank staring from both of them. "You know, its when the horse goes sideways, and twirls around in a circle and trots in place?".

The woman came out of her coma and smiled and said excitedly "yah yah, I 'seen that!"

The man continued his blank staring. I addressed him taking a different angle on the subject "Have you ever seen the Lipizzan Stallions - the white stallions?" (normally when I encounter these folks when I bring up the Lipizzans they snap back to our reality).

"Ya my neighbor had a white horse, used to come up to the fence so I could pet it!"

I gave up and changed the subject to what SHE did for a living, which was house cleaning!

New York Students Clean up this weekend!

Caity and Chester were Jr HIgh point Chmapions and Julie and Marvin took the Senior high point honors. Both girls trained very hard the past 5 weeks and Chester finished his season at summer camp to become Caity's exclusive show horse. Way to go girls!

What I learned during my time with Lipizzan Show.

Pictured is Neopolitano Primavera during one of the first shows that he was learning the Levade. This is a very balanced movement where the horse takes all the weight on the hind legs and balances there, ideally taking the soldier out of the enemy swords way. It takes a tremendous amount of strength and heart on the horses part, and I am trying to stay in perfect balance - not giving the rein or taking more tension on the rein, to help Neo maintain the levade.

This is a useful movement for body building the hind end muscles of the horse, but must not be used out of fear or anger for the horse. If the horse gets confused during half step excercises, he may rock back on the hind legs if he feels trapped in he bridle. The trick is to give the rein and push the horse forward a step or two, to regain his confidence through balance once again.

Fresians are Fun, Too!

Elvis performing the bow in the lipizzan show!

Sunrise Farms Sport Horses, Inc.: World Famous Lipizzaner Stallion Show

Sunrise Farms Sport Horses, Inc.: World Famous Lipizzaner Stallion Show: "Lipizzaner"

World Famous Lipizzaner Stallion Show

The past 6 weeks has been an unbelievable experience. The schedule is grueling but the horses are stoic and wonderful and it is immediately evident that they are truly 'war horses'. They frequently have 15 hour work days, many hours of which are schooling on a concrete floor, or standing tied to a hay string on a tie line back stage, standing in their tack during the 1.5 hour show doing whatever is asked of them at the moment - and everything is in collection. This collection is asked of them with out a warmup. The warmup is walking in a 10 meter circle , all 8 stallions back stage for (maybe) 8 minutes.

When the curtain opens, even the most scared horse on the squad lifts his shoulders as if to say silently "I am here and this is my job!" Yes, the rider still has to ride the stallion through the show and stay straight, engaged and on the aids, but the good riders always make it look to the audience as if this is the easiest job in the world.