Recreation & Lifestyle
Welcome to Recreation & Lifestyle, which includes leisure riding and other aspects of the equestrian lifestyle for you and your horse loving friends and family.
Looking for the perfect present? See the Gifts & Jewelry section. Redecorating? Find a Painting, Photograph or Sculpture in the Artwork section. Need to check out a movie or crawl up with a good book or magazine? See our Entertainment section where you will find and Books, Movies, Games, and Magazines. And don't forget about Fine Art in some specialty Museums that might surprise you.
Looking for love or a trail buddy? Riding Partners is the spot to seek other riders who share your passion. Find a place to ride with that special person in our Trail Riding section and if you need more time away, take a look at Vacations. Want to know about the next horse show or special event? Don’t miss it! Dates and locations are included in the Calendar of Events for Recreation & Lifestyle.
Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!
By Van Hargis
Some of the most successful people I’ve met are the Henry Fords of the world. For a particular project in college, I studied Henry Ford, who is credited with the concept of the mass production of automobiles. Now, Henry Ford was not known as a “book smart” guy. He was very brilliant in understanding mechanics, engineering, and processes, even though his only formal education was in bookkeeping. However, when Ford was releasing a new product or making corporate changes or whatever the case may be, he would hold press conferences. Snide reporters would occasionally poke fun at Mr. Ford by asking questions to which they figured he probably wouldn’t know the answers. One day he put a stop to that practice when he said to one such rude reporter, “Young man, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I have over one hundred people that work for me that do. Next question.”
In my humble opinion, this was a brilliant response from Mr. Ford. It said that he was done with responding to petty, irrelevant questions. Most importantly it said that he understood the purpose of roles. It was not his role to know everything. He trusted others in his company to know things. Mr. Ford was smart enough to know his job and allow other people to do their jobs. Together they formed a stronger team. Of course, as the leader of the company he is ultimately accountable and responsible for every employee’s actions, failures, and successes. Leaders must have great commitment while also having great trust in those around them.
The same can be applied to horsemanship. In order for me to be a good horseman, I must know I can’t do the horse’s job. I’ve only got two legs. There’s no way for me to move around nearly as well, with as much strength and athleticism, as a horse can. I could never pull a plow as well or as efficiently as a horse. I could not carry a passenger as easily as a horse. I could not cut a cow from a herd as effectively as a horse. I could not go over the jumps that horses do. I could not run the races that horses run. These things and countless others are strengths of the horse. God blessed horses with size, speed, strength, stamina, and the intelligence to be trained.
So, what strengths do we have? Among many more, one of our best strengths is the ability to think and use logic, which we do much better than the horse. I frequently say that God blessed horses with a brain the size of our fist, but God blessed humans with a brain the size of both our fists. What that tells me is maybe we can use our strengths to teach the horse to use his strengths—and together we can achieve remarkable things as a team. To do so takes trust, courage, discipline, self-confidence, and faith.
There are certainly a number of riding disciplines, with some aiming to master a certain few for an amateur event and others needing to nail them all, given that they’re an aspiring professional horse person. Additionally, horse lovers tend to follow the latest news in the equestrian world and find out various aspects of a horse’s behavior and health. Essentially, whatever your link to horses is, there is a wealth of information available.
In the modern world in particular, horse enthusiasts certainly aren’t short on resources thanks to the rise of the internet. One notable area in the online environment where information is shared on a consistent basis is through the form of websites and blogs, with former riders offering an insight into a past life and horse enthusiasts sharing the latest developments on owning their first-ever horse. For some, horse racing is a particular favorite, too, with sites dedicated to horse racing tips providing a real insight into the sport in Australia ahead of placing a bet on one of the major events on the racing calendar. Put simply, whatever horse-related activity piques your interest, there is most definitely a website or a blog out there that will tickle your fancy.
In order to provide you with some additional content to help manage your horse or to become a professional rider in the future, let’s take a look at some of the must-read websites and blogs for horse lovers.
HorseyCounsel
Featuring interesting articles for aspiring equestrians about the responsibilities of an owner around horse care, horse gear, and any equipment related to horse riding, HorseyCounsel provides an informative dive into modern-day equestrian news and views. Created by Louise Richards in 2020, the site offers fresh and intriguing takes on a comprehensive selection of subjects in this area.
Horse and Rider
For UK-based readers who enjoy horses, Horse and Rider is a go-to magazine. In fact, it’s officially the UK’s best-selling monthly publication that focuses on a variety of facets within this particular category, although most people subscribe to Horse and Rider for the fascinating interviews with top riders, trainers, vets, and behaviorists. For people who are passionate about horses, Horse and Rider is a solid choice.
We were so glad we attended the recent EQUINE AFFAIRE at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, this past weekend.
Connecting with old friends, meeting new ones and finding all kinds of exciting new products and services kept us busy! As you can see from the photo gallery below, we were everywhere. It was beyond entertaining to be with so many like minded people who love horses and mingle with many of the foremost trainers, coaches, competitors, judges, and experts in the horse industry. There was real excitement in the air!
Do you like shopping? Whoa! It was a great experience, with a wealth of equine and equestrian products available in the largest horse-related trade shows in the nation.
Not only can you buy great equine products, but you can also actually buy a horse! Or, find the ideal stallion for your mare. Maybe you want recommendations about a good boarding or training facility. The Equine Affaire makes it all come together.
by HEIDI HATCH | KUTV
FIELDING, Utah (KUTV) — A horse has returned home after eight years of being lost and running with wild mustangs.Shane Adams lost his horse, Mongo, while camping in Utah’s West Desert. Just this week, the two were reunited. Early on a spring morning, when there was still snow on the ground, Mongo made a run for it. The horse was tied up outside Adams' tent, but not tight enough. A herd of wild mustangs ran past the camp and Mongo took off with his newfound friends. Adams scrambled out of his tent in a state of half undress and tried to stop the horse, but he was too late.
Impossible or not, Adams was not about to give up on Mongo and traveled from his home in northern Utah to the West Desert every weekend for three years in search of his trusty friend. He bought everything he could think of to scope out and safely get Mongo back home.
Read more: Lost horse returns home after running with wild mustangs for 8 years in northern Utah
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2022, encouraged me to collectivize my thoughts on my life. Born in 1935, I was the son of a father who believed violence was the answer to raising a child. The CAT Scan and the MRI in 1981 revealed a massive number of fractures which were identified as happening prior to the age of puberty.
While there was much violence in my life, I was fortunate to grow up in the presence of horses. There was no question in my mind that I was to be a competition rider of these wonderful animals and I was further fortunate enough to win 11 world championships from their backs.
A grammar schoolteacher knew my father and encouraged me to stop blaming him and to simply go forward with the goals of my life in a non-violent fashion. Sister Agnes Patricia, a Notre Dame nun, encouraged me to get the best education possible. She suggested that my major should be ‘behavioral sciences’ for which I now have two doctorates.
At the age of four, I won my first competition and was contracted to become a stunt child because at that time three out of five movies included a horse and a child. I grew to love my horses and I struck a horse for the last time in 1949. It was at the insistence of my father but never to be a training method after that incident.
As a teenager my work included time with American Mustangs, and it was those fragile flight animals that I discovered they could communicate with me, and I could communicate with them. The horses, along with wild deer, trained me to use this language and refrain from any violence in the training process. These concepts established my goals for life.
In 1965 a wealthy individual who came to California from New York decided that I should move my equine work to the world of Thoroughbred racing. I had completed my first university work in PTSD for returning Korean veterans. My racehorses took up these principles and earned dozens of championships in that discipline.
My wife, Patricia (Pat) helped immensely to raise our family, accept foster children, and assisted me with the design and operation of the Thoroughbred farm for more than 50 years. It was on that farm that an open house caused two articles to be published in US magazines. These articles explored my work of training racehorses in the absence of violence.
It was divine intervention that caused these articles to end up on the desk of Queen Elizabeth II, whom, along with me, believed that horses could be trained in the absence of violence. I had already made inroads in South America and in 2005, my daughter and I visited Shelbyville, Tennessee which was the home of Tennessee Walking horse.
Marty Irby was the manager of a massive Tennessee Walking horse operation there. He saw my work and brought an end of his acceptance of violence in the world of the Tennessee Walking horse. Marty moved to Washington, D.C. to influence legislation removing the violence from these wonderful horses and broadened his spectrum to include all disciplines.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II read the two articles and dispatched horse manager, Sir John Miller, to travel to California and view the non-violent work, I was responsible for. Sir John came to us and saw my training with untrained Thoroughbreds to report back to Her Majesty. A date was set, and Pat and I were to travel.
When we arrived at Windsor Castle there were 23 untrained horses waiting for us in the fields immediately in front of the Queen’s windows. I was admonished not to go near the horses and, Pat and I were to go with Sir John Miller to his home near Oxford. All of this was on Saturday afternoon and training was to start on Monday morning.
We present this article as we remember the history of Queen Elizabeth II and her love of horses. This article was originally published on MontyRoberts.com and is published here with permission.
August 31, 2020: For only the second occasion in history that the British Crown has awarded certificates for influential equine protection work, this recognition follows the acknowledgment of eight horsemen and women the Queen recognized in 2012. The Royal Family had planned to recognize this additional group in-person at Buckingham Palace, but the gathering and in-person presentation were postponed to a later date due to world events surrounding COVID-19.
Monty Roberts, founder of Join-Up® International and world renowned horse trainer, enlisted his Legacy Strategist, daughter Debbie Roberts Loucks to assist him with naming a stellar group of individuals who have worked tirelessly to learn and carry on the gentle and effective concepts that Queen Elizabeth witnessed in 1989 when Roberts demonstrated Join-Up and the introduction of the first saddle and rider to a young filly owned by the Queen’s mother.
Recognizing the value of Join-Up, Queen Elizabeth encouraged Roberts to demonstrate and train more horsepersons in these methods, setting him on a life’s mission that continues today, ‘to leave the world a better place for horses and for people, too’.
The recipients are:
Andreas Jacobs
for his extraordinary efforts to reduce violence in the training of horses by adopting Monty Roberts’ concepts and initiativesAnn Marie Marek
for her extraordinary efforts to assist veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress through Monty Roberts’ concepts and initiatives
Data from recent years indicates that more people than ever are playing video games these days. According to USA Today, about 227 million Americans were playing video games as of the middle of 2021. That’s about two-thirds of people in the U.S., with many seeking out games specifically for stress relief and escapism amidst the pandemic.
With that many people now involved in gaming, we’re betting that a lot of people from the equestrian world have made the leap as well –– and that many are likely seeking out games that tap into their horse-related interests. So, to support this fun little hobby, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best and most convenient horse-related video games you can play right at your computer.
My Riding Stables: Life With Horses
If you’re passionate about horse care in a broad sense, and you want a game through which you can simulate it, My Riding Stables: Life With Horses is the title for you. Available on major consoles now for a few years, the game can also be accessed via Steam online and played right in your browser window. And once you’re in, you’ll be tasked with running a stud farm –– raising horses, training them to ride, and setting up a sort of stables-slash-school. Plus, as a review at Go Nintendo points out, there are some extras enjoy –– like horse races and mini games (such as hoof cleaning and massage).
Read more: The Best Horse-Related Games To Play On Your Computer
by Marion Altieri
CAPTAIN is a wonderful social services organization that serves many good people in Saratoga County, New York, every year. Their main fund-raiser is an annual Gala, which we on the Committee dubbed, An Unbridled Affair because the Gala happened every Summer during the Saratoga (Thoroughbred) race meet. In 2014, I was still on the Committee, and suggested that we honor Mucho Macho Man and Wise Dan, two of the sport’s biggest equine stars. Both equines are millionaire rock stars, with thousands of devoted fans. No doubt, many of those fans would be thrilled to attend the Gala, and schmooze with the horses’ human connections.
Of course we’d invited all the connections of both Horses. Patti and Dean Reeves, Mucho Macho Man’s Owners, were so gracious. (They attended: came early, stayed for the whole shebang and tore up the dance floor. The Reeves own Reeves Young, a major Georgia construction company. That’s their business, but their horses are their shared passion.)
Moton Fink a Chicago-area businessman, was a savvy investor—but his most rewarding moves came when he began his career as a Thoroughbred breeder and owner. Introduced to the sport when he was young, he found his greatest joys in the barns and at the track rails at the beloved Arlington Park. Mr. Fink was so delighted about our plan to fête his Champion that he bought an entire table for his crew. He told Trainer, Charles LoPresti and his team, so they’d know to wear their best-bibs-and-tuckers. (God bless him, Mr. Fink gave our regional social services organization the same support he’d given the Eclipse Awards’ planners.)
We’d mailed invitations to Mr. Fink and to Mr. LoPresti at the only address we had for them. Time went by, and two days before the Gala, we’d still not received any RSVPs from Wise Dan’s people who were in Saratoga. (We surmised that, since Mr. Fink had bought a table, doing the formal RSVP wasn’t necessary. Not an unreasonable assumption, but we needed to know things, like meal choices – any vegans in the crowd? – etc.)
Read more: Wise Dan: Hall of Famer Made by Love, Built for Speed
By Chad Oldfather
Ada was born in Minneapolis, but we moved to Oklahoma City when she was nearly two so that I could begin a career as a law school professor. Her twin sisters Audrey and Laura arrived not long after, and I often describe the change in terms of a hockey analogy: Lea and I went from being on the power play to being shorthanded. It was a busy time.
So, it’s no surprise that we can’t pin down the precise moment when Fate put us on the path to the barn. Was it the time, when we still lived in the Twin Cities, that we’d gone to the Wisconsin State Fair and walked through the horse barn? We paused to look in a few of the stalls, me lifting Ada high enough for her to see, getting her close but remaining mindful of the signs asking us not to touch the horses. Something about that moment led me, for the first time in my life, to pause to appreciate the majesty of these animals, and even to remark on it to Lea. I’m not generally one to get mystical, but it was a remarkable coincidence…if that’s what it was.
Read more: How Horse-Crazy Was Born - an Excerpt from "A Man Walks Into a Barn"
- Travels through America the Beautiful! Part 1
- Good from the Beginning - An excerpt from Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew's First Champion
- Women and Horses: Why We Love Them - an excerpt from "Riders of a Certain Age"
- After A Frightening Wreck, Errol Spence Jr. Turns to Horses to Find Peace
- The Four Best Books About Horses
- Three Stories of the King & Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Heartwarming Tale Of Blanche: First Grief, Then Good Fortune
- Three Ways to Find Your Way - An Excerpt from "The Gates to Brilliance"
- In Their Eyes - Book Excerpt from Land of the Horses
- Equine Affaire 2021