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Let me count the ways. I blog about it. I sign petitions for “racinos” to beef up purses and breeders supplements. When I do get to go to the track, I eat all my meals there and shop in the gift shop, too.
Plus, I recently spent 40 minutes answering questions for a telephone survey about sports with the sole purpose of promoting horse racing on TV.
Because the only sports I watch on TV with any regularity involve horses.
And, daggone it – I wanted to be heard.
Tags: corporate sponsorship of sports, equestrian sports, equestrian sports on TV, horse racing, racinos, telephone surveys
Courtyard at Rokeby with monument to the farm's European champion Mill Ridge/Photo by Rhonda Lane
We’ve had a lunch break at Middleburg’s Red Horse Tavern, and now we’re refueled for a busy afternoon.
This is the second post in my series about a recent trip to take the Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour, an annual fundraiser held to benefit the Trinity Episcopal Church of Upperville, just down the road a piece from Middleburg.
We have cheese to sample, hounds to pet and more adventure to go – so let’s get started.
Tags: beagling, Civil War re-enactment, Peace and Plenty at Bollingbrook, Red Horse Tavern, Rokeby, Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour
Christine prepares Nigel for his next rider/Photo by Rhonda Lane
We’re going to interrupt our trip to Virginia Hunt Country (oh, believe me – there’s lots more) to take a little side trip to a place closer to home.
We’re going to visit The Kids Barn, the Southington, CT, beginner rider barn where I volunteer.
Tags: childrens riding lesson, Connecticut beginner lesson barn, Connecticut pony camp, family fun in Connecticut, Misty, riding lessons for pre-schoolers, Southington CT, The Kids Barn at Pleasant View
The Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour is fun for the whole family/Photo by Rhonda Lane
A pack of happy hounds. Civil War re-enactors playing the fiddle from horseback. A cheese tasting. Horses swimming in a special indoor pool.
That’s a minor sampling of what we saw on the Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour, which has been an annual fundraiser for an Upperville church for the past fifty years.
This post will be the first in a series about my recent trip to northern Virginia.
Tags: Heronwood Farm, Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension (MARE) Center, Northen Virginia Swim Center, Virginia Hunt Country Stable Tour
Just a heads-up: the below link to the book is an affiliate link. In other words, if you buy the book, I receive a compensation. If you would prefer to purchase the book elsewhere, that’s fine, too.
Journalist and human rights activist Rupert Isaacson knew something was up from the way a horse behaved around his young autistic son.
What began as a bond between a neighbor’s mare and a troubled little boy turned into a family trip through Mongolia on horseback. Documentary filmmakers joined them in a group determined to take young Rowan to Mongol and Siberian shamans for healing.
The Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal His Son
is the chronicle of their journey. The book will inspire you, shock you, make you laugh and leave you in wonder.
Tags: autism, equine assisted healing, healing, Rupert Isaacson, shamanism, The Horse Boy
Not from this year's TC races © Wingbeats551 | Dreamstime.com
We’ve had a lot of company lately.
Although things have slowed down now since the Triple Crown races have finished, we’ve had a lot of drop-in visitors in the past six weeks.
Our stats here have paralleled TV ratings, although our numbers are nowhere near as high.
Still, which race do you think drew the most people to their TVs? Let alone prompted Internet surfers drop by here?
Tags: 2009 Kentucky Derby, 2009 Kentucky Derby coverage ratings, 2009 Preakness Stakes ratings, Kentucky Derby
Police horses from an unidentified city/© Tinka | Dreamstime.com
It’s ten-til-midnight for the Boston Police Department’s Mounted Unit.
The City Council will decide on the police department’s budget at the end of this month. (June.)
A few weeks are all the time supporters have to sway councillors. Reports say that they’re looking for a show of support, good reasons to keep the unit and funding.
Later in this post, I’ll link to the various efforts to save the unit.
But, as both an aspiring crime fiction writer and a horse lover, I thought I’d look into the tactical advantages of a city having a mounted police unit.
Come to find out, the unit might actually save Boston money.
Tags: Boston Mounted Police, Mint for Mounts, mounted police, police horses, tactical advantages of mounted police units
A view of Manhattan while en route to Brooklyn/Photo by Rhonda Lane
Just in case you haven’t gotten enough Belmont material, we’ve got a whole lot of stuff for you, so you can geek out on The Big Race.
From traditions to history, settle in and take a look.
Tags: Belmont Breeze recipe, Belmont Stakes, Belmont Stakes traditions
Video interview with Calvin Borel, courtesy ESPN, conducted after The 2009 Preakness Stakes.
This year, we’ve got one athlete who might possibly win all three races of the American Triple Crown. Except he’s got two legs instead of four.
If he wins, he should get some title for that. So what’s it called when a jockey wins the Triple Crown races on two different horses? A hat trick?
But I’ve got a treat for you from some other bloggers. Some great feature stories about about Calvin Borel.
Tags: 2009 Belmont Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Calvin Borel, Maryjean Wall, Mine That Bird
© Vidok | Dreamstime.com
It’s almost time to gather the white carnations and sing “New York, New York.” The 2009 Belmont Stakes is this week.
Even though there’s no Triple Crown at stake this year, this is still a big year. Calvin Borel is taking a shot at being the first jockey to win all the Triple Crown races for the year.
Now – where can we watch it all on TV?
Tags: 2009 Belmont Stakes, Belmont Stakes on TV, Belmont Stakes TV coverage, ESPN coverage of Belmont Stakes
