OTTBs can make excellent hunter/jumpers, but we usually hear about them being stars in eventing – especially in the blogging world. That’s part of what makes L. Williams’ Carlos at Viva Carlos so special. He’s an opinionated OTTB that has success in the hunter, jumper, and equitation ring and egads of personality to boot! What is his/her registered name? Ugh.. do I have to. It’s so ugly… Senor Prospector D: Lineage? His family tree is full of assholes.. Mr. Prospector…
A shared fear of Ikea meatballs isn’t the only thing Simon and I have in common… We’re both tattooed! While he went for the uber conservative “only shows it when he’s feeling frisky” look, mine is a bit more out in the open – on the top of my left foot. I choose my left foot because my left side has always been my strongest side, and his too coincidentally. That’s my only tattoo, but I would love to get…
When I was in Wellington, I mentioned to my friend that I wanted to get a figure 8 bridle for Simon to school in. “Why?” She exclaimed, “Your horse is a good boy. He doesn’t open up his mouth!” I didn’t exactly have a good answer, because my horse is a good boy and doesn’t open up his mouth. I realized the reason I wanted a figure 8 bridle is because they look cool and jumpery. I think a lot…
I’d like to introduce a new segment over here simply called the OTTB Spotlight! I bet you could connect the dots based on the name alone, but I will be featuring different former track horses on this blog and what they’re doing in their current life. Besides, who doesn’t love a good ‘ol OTTB? Today’s spotlight is Viper, who you may recognize from some of my blog posts around here. Viper is owned by an adult amateur at my barn, and…
My favorite place to shoot at major horse shows like WEF isn’t the big grand prixs or even the hunter derby… It’s the warm up ring. Sure, there’s no huge action there usually but I feel like the warm up ring is the pulse and the life of the horse show. Sure, there’s a lot of waiting (and hurrying!) but those dull moments look thoughtful and peaceful to me as a photographer.
Some girls dream about Cinderella’s castle, but I dreamed of ponies and a beautiful barn to keep them in. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was dreaming of Grand Prix Village in Wellington, Florida. This large loop right next to the horse show grounds holds the prettiest hunter/jumper barns I’ve ever seen. Imagine a neighborhood in the burbs, but instead of houses they’re horse farms. Not wide and expansive like in Kentucky, but condensed and beautiful. Each…
Going to keep today’s post to mostly images. Went to the barn last night expecting to see my horse looking good and ready to start tack walking, and he was quite lame again. I’m really upset, worried and frustrated. Going to call a new vet out to get a full work up done so I can get some answers, but if you could send out some positive vibes for Simon I would really appreciate it. For now, lots of Grand…
From so someone showing at the local circuit who’s had a progressing trend toward hunter snobbery, I spend a lot of time pouring over tack catalogs and equestrian style blogs. In those venues, there’s a lot of emphasis on higher priced goods being the best possible thing you can buy for the show ring. A lot of times that’s true, but I noticed a lot of trends at WEF that showed me that sometimes simple is better. Navy Braids I’ve…