Tag Archives: equine
Travel Toronto: Equine in Clay
At every art museum I visit, I look for the animals. Dogs, cats and yes, horses – these are the pieces I’m drawn to because, I guess, everyone wants to see replicated that which they admire the most. I also love clay, glass, and pottery – any ceramics really. So why I waited so long […]
Medicine Cards, Merlot and Horses
From a deck of Medicine Cards, I pulled a snake as my totem animal. The snake represents transmutation. Now, I need to figure out what that means. I’m at Silver Willow Farms, not far from my home, participating in the ‘Medicine Cards and Merlot’ painting workshop. (Yes, with wine). Silver Willow Farms is a private […]
Travel Ontario: Cowboy Up while horseback riding in Caledon, Ontario
I had the nerve to do it: I signed up for the ‘Cowboy Up’ two-hour trail ride and lunch option at Rawhide Adventures Inc. It’s a cattle ranch and trail riding operation along the conservation lands of the Bruce Trail in Mulmur, Ontario about 60 minutes from Toronto. Approximately 110 heads of grass-feed cattle roam […]
Horse Sense: Equine Assisted Therapy Part I
When I’m on a horse, the world disappears. Unless, I’m trail riding when travelling – then the scenery around me intensifies. There’s no better way to be in the moment. When riding, it’s about you, your horse, staying balanced (literally) and breathing. Frequently. Horses are intuitive animals. As herd members, they are highly in-tuned to […]
Guest Post: Horses As Pets – Why Not??
Whenever or however you have a positive experience with a horse, it’s a good thing. I wish I had the land and resources to rescue horses to ride, or not. Horse pets. Awesome idea. I hope it catches on… Here’s a guest post from another WordPress site called “Listen to your Horse” by Jini Patel […]
Travel: Georgetown, Ontario. Winter Trails and (Not So) Little Dipper
The night Little Dipper was born, his namesake constellation shone brightest in the sky. Or that’s the story my guide tells me as I ride the peppy eleven-year-old Arabian known as Little Dipper, or Dip to his friends. Really, his mother was named Star, and the stable wanted to keep the constellation theme. His lineage […]
What was awesome in 2015? Top Six Horse Pics of Horsetrotting 2015
Last year at this time, I was thinking about the next year and all the places I’d like to ride. This year, I’m reflecting on the past 12 months and all the fun I’d already had. Here’s a list of the top six pics I loved from last year. Some are because I love the […]
Travel (Toronto): The Royal Rocks Part II: Eventing Jumping Finals
I’m not sure if Indoor Eventing is my favourite equestrian event. Riders race through a jumping course designed to resemble outdoor obstacles – water features, platform jumps, and wide pie-shaped blocks of gravel – at breakneck speeds. And the risk of breaking necks (and legs) seems high too … too high for my taste, anyway. […]
Toronto, Ontario Royal Fun Part I: Canadian Show Jumping Championships … and Plenty of Horse Love
Another year at the Royal! Once again I was there opening weekend celebrating the best of Canadian show jumping. Jill Henselwood took home the $100,000 Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championship title November 7, 2015 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 2015 in Toronto, Ontario. After round one Friday, she was leading the event with a […]
Travel Rockton, Ontario: World’s [Greatest Horseshow] Fair
Fall is fleeting. Figures it’s my favourite season. Cool, crisp and country – country fairs that is and every year I attend one (or two) in Southern Ontario because, let’s face it, they’re very similar… except for the horses. Clearly, country fair and horse show combos are the way to go. I figured if I was gioing […]
Travel Brant County, Ontario: Riding a Horse of a Different Gait
We’re trotting up hill and I’m bouncing out of this Western saddle like popcorn on Nashville summer asphalt. Good thing it’s for a short time, just long enough for the horses to gain momentum up the inclines along this local hunt club trail. I didn’t know either were here – this trail-riding operator or these […]
Metamora, Michigan: Living and Breathing Horses and a touch of France
Metaphorically, Metamora, Michigan is a one-horse town. Literally, it’s the small town at the centre of Michigan’s horse country. “If you love horses, you have to stop at Metamora,” almost everyone in Rochester, Michigan said when I visited last spring for the Rochester Writers Conference. So I did. Who would have thought I’d discover a […]
Travel: Door County, Wisconsin. Who knew Paso Finos Float?
Today we’re riding in the morning and a large group has already gone out ahead of us. Chica barely reacts to Winston’s antics as he spooks off the path several times and leads the trail with uncertainty. She does however compete with him at a trot overtaking him easily, likely because he’s not a comfortable leader preferring to walk beside side her rather than in front.
Travel, Ontario: Upper Canada Village Canadian Horse Naming Contest!
Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario has a new purebred Canadian Horse Foal. In celebration of 350 years of the Canadian Horse (the country’s national horse) residents of Ontario can name him.
Here’s the criteria: the name has to begin with ‘C’ – a stipulation of the Canadian Livestock Registry for all purebred Canadian Horses born in 2015. Of course, it also has to be appropriate for a horse, setting and use by handlers.
Travel, Caledon, Ontario: Pan Am Equestrian Games Jumping Preliminaries
At the jumping preliminaries, 30 out of 50 riders from South and North America sailed over the Canada-themed course fault-free and within the 80-second time allowance. They will move to the first qualifying round today, with a score of zero, both as individuals and teams.
Travel, Caledon, Ontario: PanAm Equestrian Eventing Silver
Lead by ‘Captain Canada,’ the legendary Ian Millar, the Canadian Eventing Team took third place at the PanAm Games with a score of 163 overall after three days of dressage, cross-country and jumping. The U.S. won the gold with a score of 133 and not far behind was the impressive Brazilian team with a score of 140.70.
Travel, Toronto, Ontario: Disappointing Equestrian Facility at PanAm Games
Toronto, Canada is not a city full of rip-off tourist attractions and that’s part of its charm.
Or it was … until the PanAm Games came to town. What a racket – a least that’s how I feel about the Equestrian Games in Caledon, a small town east of Toronto.
Travel, Calgary, Alberta: Stampede opens today. Meet the rescue horses.
The 2015 Calgary Stampede opens today with horse (and some dog and donkey) events running throughout the fairgrounds in Calgary, Alberta until July 12. What you might not know is many of the horses participating in events are rescues.
Global Travel for Horse Lovers 