Horse Blog

One week ago I was in Louisville, Kentucky, fulfilling another lifelong dream by attending the Kentucky Derby. I think there are many ways of dividing the world into two kinds of people (e.g., the people who think there are two kinds of people, and the people who don’t), and a major bifurcation is between those who are horse people and those who aren’t. I’m definitely a horse person. I took dressage and equitation riding lessons with my niece, Morgan, and dream of having my own horse if my life wasn’t...

At 72, Willie Nelson has traded in his cowboy boots for dreadlocks on the upcoming album, Country Man. I am really interested to see how it sounds. However, I just don't think it can work well. It's hard to play country music your whole life and then make a sudden stylistic shift. We'll see. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing him as Uncle Jesse in the upcoming Dukes of Hazzard film.

Another envelope in the mail today...full of Kentucky Derby Chips. There are two more I need to get, the $100 Palms and the $100 Trump Plaza. The Hard Rock NCV is still a pipe dream but I'm sure I'll get one eventually.

Down the road to Spring Mountain State park we went. Arriving at the park there were none of the signs one might expect guiding participants as to where to go. We made assumptions and headed for where the horse trailers were. Although no signs announced the fact, we were also supposed to assume we needed to register on-site even with our pre-registration.

The method he was to use to cover the crazy-quilt of subcultures exploding into the consciousness of mainstream American news was gonzo journalism. Gonzo journalism, the crazed admixture of fact and fabrication for which Thompson will always be remembered, is a literary response to modernity as surely as James Joyce’s dense word collages or William S. Burrough’s crazed cut-ups and grew out of his frustration with capturing challenging times. Most call the above-mentioned piece in Scanlan’s Monthly on the Kentucky Derby in June of ’70 the...

So, I went to the aforementioned party. It was "Girl's Nite In" at Trousseau in West Village. Trousseau is, in my humble opinion, the best lingerie store in Dallas. They specialize in exquisite European lingerie in brands like Le Mystere. If you or anyone you know is newly engaged, they have the most gorgeous bridal lingerie and sweats. In addition to the lingerie, they also have these beautiful cowboy hats with tiaras on them by SmartHats.

Whew. Preakness yesterday left me sunburnt, exhausted, and about $50 poorer.

I actually avoided drinking, which I know is totally not in the spirit of Preakness, but if you've ever seen the port-a-potties there, you'll understand that I did what had to be done. I managed to only go once in the entire day, and that was enough for me. One of the port-a-potties had just been knocked over when I got up there and I overheard someone saying that he saw a girl come out covered in shit. Seriously, that's the stuff nightmares are made of. Mark then told us a story of someone being knocked over in a port-a-potty that fell over...

“Some have even wondered whether Google is a window into the mind of God, since it monitors, reflects and records the preoccupations and questions of mankind, God’s finest creation. This peculiar notion means that last week God was thinking, in order of priority, about Mother’s Day, the Kentucky Derby, Orlando Bloom, Paula Abdul and the new Xbox 360. He also thinks about Himself a great deal, but mostly He thinks about sex.”

So someone went to the Turf Club here in Philly and placed a $1 bet on the superfecta for the Kentucky Derby, and won $875,000. The paper said that they have not come forward to claim it yet, but “experts” say that the person is probably consulting legal advice to work out a financial plan. Right, I think that whoever won it is still partying and visiting the Hummer dealership. What is funny is that Steve’s office is right by the Turf Club and he likes to bet on horses. For a minute I thought it might be him that won the money, but then I got an email from him just now telling me to get back on the stick and update the blog so I figure that he’s at work, or just emailing me from his Blackberry at the bar across the street from the Hummer dealership.

The Valley of Gwangi What can I say. I love Dinosaurs, I love cowboys. I love this movie. It has been and always will be one of my favorites, and it's resisted the Hollywood remake bug for a good long time now. Surprising, considering how many best and favorites lists this movie inhabits.

You’d think the Preakness would be enough for him but no this horse insists on having his own rap album as well!

Co-Sponsor of H.RES.231: Recognizing and celebrating the life and accomplishments of the great African American jockey Jimmy “Wink” Winkfield and the significant contributions and excellence of other African American jockeys and trainers in the sport of horse racing and the history of the Kentucky Derby.

LA Times writer Scott Timberg travels to Twentynine Palms to appraise the eats and drinks in the desert.

Not surprisingly Timberg takes a shine to cowboy bar Pappy & Harriet’s:

New Rule: This year, instead of running a new Kentucky Derby, Kentucky must just show an old one. No one will know the difference. They’ve been showing the same NASCAR race since 1994, and no one seems to mind.

It is my last evening in Bangkok and I am making my way through a shopping list of supplies for my next “outpost”: Contact lenses, prescription medications, film, batteries, and the blue ostrich leather cowboy boots I had custom made (a temporary lapse of sanity). I’ve been told that everything electronic or computer-related can be found in one place, at Pentip Plaza. So, having learned the hard way that taking a taxi in Bangkok means traveling at the speed of an inchworm in an air-conditioned capsule with thousands of others doing...

After finishing a poor third in last weekend's Preakness race at Pimlico, Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo announced today that he was entering rehab and thanked his fans for their support and prayers.

Hardin first cut a notch on his six shooter when he was a teenager. Talk about your teen angst! His brother practiced law in Comanche and in 1874, John came to town to celebrate his 21st birthday. Lore has it that John, his brother, Joe and some cousins were first at the horse races, then went to get a cool one at the Jack Wright Saloon. Deputy Webb, from nearby Brown County, came into the saloon and John killed him with a single gunshot. The nice cousins then followed suit, and pumped a few more bullet holes into the former Texas Ranger. An angry...

So a little over an hour more I see this ‘vaquero’ (cowboy) walking towards me (cowboy boots, tighter jeans, plaid shirt, jean jacket and black cowboy hat). Now David had mentioned before that for these kinds of concerts everyone wears there cowboy outfits but I hadn’t really taken him seriously, seeing that no boys that I know in America (especially not in Dickinson!) would be caught dead dressed as a cowboy, except maybe for Halloween. But not only was David dressed like that but all his friends and pretty much everyone and their mother at the concert was too.

Typically, I prefer sporthorses of any breed with the conformation, sanity and soundness to be versatile enough for the three phases of eventing, in addition to any other equestrian activity that catches my interest (hunter paces, broom polo, gymkhana, even driving). The type of Arabs I’ve seen round these parts are typically saddleseat or english pleasure type that go in the roundy-round classes at horse shows and fairs.

We left the beach around 5:00 and headed back to "Happy Valley" for the horse races. This was the first time I've ever been to a horse race, and it was really quite cool. There were tons of people there, although at times the downpoor of rain herded them to cover from the beer vendors at random intervals. I didn't win, but didn't bet much anyways...definitely a place worth returning to. The strangest thing is that I heard my name being called out, "Brady! Brady!". I turned to see one of my classmates from the University of Waterloo! What a crazy...

On a bright note, Katanga's owners watched me ride and were very pleased. Jacque wants me to start saving my money immediately so I can begin going to horse shows and showing him in the amateur divisions. A new job I told them. First I get a new job and then I can start thinking about competing again.

Gosh how the time flies! It is a beautiful Sunday here after having temperatures in the 90’s yesterday. We went to a Preakness party and I actually won a little money on the race. (Go, Afleet Alex, go!)

Incase you missed today’s Preakness accident - here is a clip:

Remember how we used to compare notes on the Triple Crown? We just finished watching The Preakness. A few weeks ago at The Kentucky Derby a horse named Giacomo won with a 50 to 1 odds. Unfortunately, he didn’t win today. A horse named Afleet Alex won. He almost didn’t with a near fall a couple of hundred yards from the finish. But he caught himself and with agility, speed and a big heart…he won!

Saturday, we went to the Houston Rodeo. We parked downtown and took the Metro to Reliant Stadium, the Metro what an experience. First some weird guy tells us we can sit on his lap and then the guy in the chair behind him starts yelling at him. So we finally make it to the rodeo grounds and we walked around the carnival side. We ventured into the arts and crafts side only to be let down. Finally we made it into Reliant Stadium, very nice, we were able to get to our seats in time to see all of the Championship events. The end that we were sitting on was the side where the steer wrestling started so the bull riding was at the other end and could only really see what was happening on the big TV's. I still think the bull riding is the coolest thing to watch. Finally, the rodeo was over and Clint Black came out. Now talk about an entrance, riding out to the stage on a horse. That was 10 times better than Jewel's I need help walking in the dirt entrance to the San Antonio Rodeo 2 years ago. Clint Black put on a hell of a show, I definitely recomend seeing him. By the time we got back to Sam's car we were both pretty tired so of course we rented movies. We saw both Raising Helen (good) and Raise Your Voice (ehh), yes both movies had "raise" in the title and both had John Corbett in them, not intentional.

In the Tyrolean mountain regions of Germany a small draft breed was developed over the centuries. The Haflinger horse is still in active service, both in Europe and the USA. Mennonites and Amish favor the breed and are now the main supplier of breeding stock. The Haflinger suits their style of farming, with small fields and plentiful time to do them justice.

I first encountered a Haflinger while on a ride with a former friend, Lisa Murphy, and her daughter. I was impressed with the stocky and muscular frame of the beast. Lisa said that the horse was one of her favorites. It seemed to be very even-tempered and friendly. It couldn’t gallop as fast as the other horses present on the ride, but trotted well and was amiable.

When trying to pick the winner of the Preakness, it's impossible -- and foolish -- to ignore the results of the Kentucky Derby. After all, the race was just two weeks ago, and 10 Derby horses are running in the Preakness. Add to that the fact that, of the four new shooters in the Preakness, three�appear to have no shot at winning the race, and you have something nearly resembling a re-run -- on paper, at least.

Like a well-trained pet, Star can shake hands, roll over and play dead. He can also run like the wind and wear a saddle with style. Star is one of the champions of a rare equine breed developed in Appalachia at a time when people needed horses that were sure-footed enough to cross steep trails, brawny enough to pull a plow and gentle enough to give rides to children on lazy Sunday afternoons.

Now the mountain pleasure horse is becoming a favorite with trail riders nationwide, selling for as much as $150,000.

Deputy Mayor Crystal Crawford accepted the most gifts among the five City Council members last year, according to financial disclosure statements filed with the city clerk.

Crawford declared gifts totaling $1,375, including four tickets to the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Trials at the Del Mar Fairgrounds worth $300 from a horse show producer in San Juan Capistrano, and two tickets worth $138 to the Cavalia Horse Show at the fairgrounds from the show's organizers.

In the first race of the coveted trio - Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes - Giacomo provided the second-biggest upset in the history of the Kentucky Derby, winning as a 50-1 longshot.

The partnership in team roping calls for two exceptionally talented horsemen, but University of Arizona cowboy Rene G. Rodriguez says a larger team has enabled him to make it to the 56th College National Finals Rodeo.

The former Cholla High School athlete will compete in team roping at the finals in Casper, Wyo., from June 12-18.

"This has been a difficult year and I've had a lot of help," said Rodriguez, ranked No. 20 in his event nationally. Rodriguez, who rides header, qualified for the national finals by placing second in the Grand Canyon Region. Luke Lancaster of Central Arizona College won.

"I rode at a stable called Camelot Stables which was located in Mr. Scrushy's stables on what is now Marin Road," Bowdre said. "As a result of riding in that stable, I got to know his daughter Melissa, and also his ex-wife, Karen Brooks, who rode there."

Later in the transcript she said:

"I am quite fond of Melissa. I think she is a wonderful, wonderful girl and have always enjoyed my conversations with her."

Moments later she recalled meeting Scrushy in person.

"I probably met him two or three times as a result of him attending horse shows with Melissa," she said "Every time, I had to be reintroduced to him."

Just back from a few wonderful days in the great wet north. I didn’t have many moments where boredom got me into trouble, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t skulk around my mother’s basement, trying on her ridiculous cowboy hats in front of the bathroom mirror. Shh, don’t tell her. I was especially taken with the powder-blue-feather-festooned one. I may have had it on backwards.

If the government tells you it’s running a thoroughbred in the Kentucky Derby, and you notice that this horse’s ears are unusually large, there is a natural inclination to wonder if it is, in fact, a mule. You can’t help but start checking its teeth. I think the whole WMD thing got the press looking a lot more closely at ears, and teeth, and various other anatomical anomolies…

I’ve got a conspiracy theory. Everynight for the past week I’ve gone for walks near the beach at night and I have seen a huge truck with one of those horse trailers; but I can’t tell whether it’s horses or not and it appears every night so far. It’s some sort of smuggling operation or something, who needs to transport so many horses every single day. Or it might be the NDP’s secret campaign to actually win the elections somehow (Har). Anyway it doesnt matter who wins, the winner is either gonna be liberals or...

I am also happy to tell you that emergency vets at fancy horse shows aren't nearly as expensive as you might think.

The license allows California-based Youbet.com to accept online bets on horse races around the country from Washingtonians and requires the company to give the state's horse racing industry a cut of each bet. The company had been illegally taking roughly $12 million a year in bets from state residents, according to the commission.

This versatility enables H&M to take more fashion risks. On its website, the retailer is touting a Western look for the spring, including rolled-up jeans and cowboy boots. Its latest line of swimwear contains 1970s-inspired sleeveless tops with palm trees and pastel colors.

Charros are Mexican cowboys. In the past Mexican cowboys were skilled ranchers. Today, charros show off their bronco riding and roping skills at Mexican rodeos or ‘charreada’ as entertainment.

Wade Boggs injured himself while pulling on his cowboy boots

I love vampire stories. I love westerns. But I don’t read many vampire and western romances even though vampires and cowboys are sooooo sexy. Why not? Because I can’t tolerate the lack of grit in the novels I’ve read.

New England Equine Medical Surgery Center is being opened by three doctors who currently work at the Rochester Equine Center, which is closing.

Wherein HBO boxing announcer and Huffington Post newbie blogger, Jim Lampley, explains how they fixed Saturday's Kentucky Derby right under your noses.

CNN/SportsIllustrated: "The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority is reviewing advertisements worn by at least four Kentucky Derby jockeys that were not approved by Churchill Downs."

Such stories are what the Kentucky Derby is all about. It's a gunfight. You cram 20+ horses on a track built for 10 or 12 and see who can shove through to the front the fastest without breaking any rules (and getting caught). And as for the incredulous "How did it happen," where have you been for the past 130 years?

For Discussion: It has been remarked that there will never again be a .400 hitter in baseball because of the rise of relief pitchers. Similarly, it has been suggested that there will never again be a Triple Crown winner because owners of distance horses bypass the Kentucky Derby to keep their entries fresh for the longer Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

This story was inspired by Saturday’s running of the Kentucky Derby:

Shoewawa (Shoe blog): Cellulite Busting Shoes, Anna Sui Cowboy Boots, Ugly Shoes Of The Week

As if George Steinbrenner's Yankees losing all those games wasn't enough, the Yankee principal owner had to endure another loss yesterday at the Kentucky Derby. Steinbrenner's horse Bellamy Road was the 5-2 favorite and looked a shoe-in for victory. Yet, much like the Yankees, Bellamy Road lost to the 50-1 long shot, Giacomo. Giacomo is the 2nd biggest long shot to win in Kentucky Derby history after Donerail in 1913 who paid $184.90 for a $2 bet (Giacomo paid $102.60).

In honor of Kentucky Derby week, I'd like to nominate this post on the true Mint Julep from cookiesinheaven. I'm not from the South but I don't entirely buy into the if-you-aren't-from-here-you-can't-make-one mentality so as a cocktail drinker from Chicago I'm always interested in a good recipe!