Of Dogs and Horses

My Reinert Review

2011-07-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

If you have not started following Natalie Keller Reinert on twitter (@nataliegallops) or her blog
( http://retiredracehorseblog.wordpress.com) then you are missing out on a truly talented and knowledgeable author. The last fiction I read that captured both the inter-personal and horse-human connections surrounding race horses was Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven. Check her out on Smashwords.com/profile/view/nkreinert for the work reviewed below. Most of her available equine-centric writing is available for free download so take advantage of this opportunity and support a talented writer!

The Head and Not the Heart & Horse-Famous

Natallie Reinert explores the idea that so many horse-people find themselves wondering at some point or another, "Can I live without horses?" Through The Head and Not the Heart and Horse-Famous, readers glimpse characters in different stages of asking and answering what their lives would be like without equine company. Reinert does not sugar-coat horse ownership in either story, but instead exposes her readers to both the small, intimate details of horse husbandry, like bedding depth, as well as the exhaustion that comes from keeping a strict routine for the horse's sake.

One need not personally know what a hayfork feels like in their grip, or the way one's leg feels when set correctly for the trot, to appreciate these stories. Reinert conveys enough about those feelings, and like a good science fiction writer, for the horse world to a normal person is a foreign land, she introduces readers to the particulars as the story calls for more information. Though, if you do have these experiences to draw from the stories seem more rewarding.

In The Head and Not the Heart, we meet a young woman experiencing a quarter life crisis that revolves around the all-important question, “Can I live without horses?” She discovers her answer while visiting Brooklyn, NY with the help of two very different equines and one stuffed animal head.

Horse-Famous explores an obsessive response to the thematic question of whether or not the main character can live without horses. Where The Head and Not the Heart may be considered uplifting in so far as the characters progress, this short story glimpses the resignation of the main character to her passion for equines and the highly ritualized English school of horsemanship. Reinert creates a scarred, sympathetic character with skeletons in her barn.

Expendable

Natalie Reinert truly brings her writing talent to bear in this short, almost minimalist piece that takes place in the Aqueduct backstretch. Strong feeling went into this story and the reader is made to feel strong emotion about the glimpse of backstretch life at a notoriously tough track (any track that races during those winters has to be tough). No extra word stayed in this story. It gets to the point and remains just as vivid as necessary. As in her other writing, readers witness the good and the ugly of keeping horses. In this story the reader meets those who honor the domestication contract and those who do not.

Breeders' Cup Classic 2010

2010-12-13T08:27:00.007-06:00

Nicolas and I went down to the saddling paddock to watch the horses receive their final primping before entering the post parade. Zenyatta put on quite a show. She pawed her way down the tunnel into the paddock. She wore her dress sheet like a boxer wears a robe, which only made her jigging more like that of a prize fighter. The monster mare Zenyatta knew it was time to work.

Despite her awesome presence, I just could not completely discount some ofthe other horses in the field. Reasonable arguments for Paddy O'Prado, Quality Road, Blame were made. I even had an emotional desire for Cool Coalman to at least show. Zenyatta faced other actual graded stakes winners. All year she'd only run against a handful of mares and fillies and in the Ladies Secret, Switch made Zenyatta work for her win. What a great race!

Nicholas and I bet $10 on Zenyatta to show and quickly cloimbed the stairs to our poached seats. We could see the final turn and finish line well. The sun began sinking below the horizon and the track lights lit up the dirt, transforming Churchill's main track into center stage for the most anticipated race of the year.

It was magnificent watching Zenyatta follow her formula: hang back then start picking off horses as she comes around the final turn. The crowd, all of us cheered her on, past each horse, and we all believed she would even pass Blame. But she didn't. His head crossed moments before hers and we all fell quiet after a collective gasp.

Photo from ESPN Sports

Well hello, blog!

2010-09-14T18:59:00.003-05:00

I can't believe its been almost a year since I wrote anything here. Let's re-cap.

I called Regalo's life-long vet back in Oxford and he recommended the multi-day deworming. After MONTHS of feeding him (a horse that used to get fat just looking at spring grass) 8lbs of senior feed to maintain a thin layer of fat over his ribs, he began to gain weight. The deworming worked. Lesson learned: get a second opinion.

Nicholas now takes lessons and rides which ever horse his teacher allows him to ride. He rode and worked with a quarter horse mare who'd been used as a broodmare for a while. She fussed a bit, but never showed a spiteful disposition, just a general "but I don't wanna!" Confetti, this mare, sold a few weeks back. She now belongs to a 13 year old. Now Nicholas rides a nice quarter horse gelding named Sultan. Like Confetti, he's a flea bitten gray. I'm not sure Nicholas likes him as much and I know Regalo doesn't like Sultan as much as Confetti.

The owner of Harris Heights now has some extra help getting maintenance done as well as a new riding companion. Trail rides occur more often and over many paths that he's mowed, which makes the going easier and allows for a faster pace in many places. Everyone seems to ride more now.

We have a new greyhound! I cannot believe I didn't post this! I'll have to make one just for her. She's the baby and sometimes a bitch in every meaning of the word. The boys let her get away with everything. Wait til you see her!

This blog is back on!

New Routine

2009-10-31T10:06:00.002-05:00

I met another vet from the practice my barn mates employ. This vet owns the vet practice and I like him a lot more than the new, young vet that came out to give Regalo his yearly shots. As glad as I am to know this man, I'm not very happy that I needed to meet him.

Regalo's been losing weight at least since the beginning of October. I wormed him on the 3rd, but he still looked a bit skinny and his coat looked a little dull. I wormed him again around the 15th, this time with Equimax. After a week with no change despite significant increase in food prior and during the post second deworming week, I took a fecal sample to the vet clinic. It came back clean. So, why is my horse, who was always an easy keeper, now losing weight so fast despite grain, pasture, and recently hay?

The vet floated Regalo's teeth, but they're not the main culprit. It seems that Regalo, aged only 13, is indeed aging. His small intestine does not absorb nutrients as well anymore. Blood work confirmed that he does not have liver or kidney problems. The vet mentioned looking out for signs of Cushing's, but I truly hope that is not the case.

New Routine:
Equine Senior twice a day
Stalled at night with night feed and hay (water of course)
Fed and turned out in the morning

I'm the morning care giver since work prohibits me from consistently coming out at night to feed. I don't like stalling him, but there are some good things. For instance, he can eat hay without being run off by one of the pushy ponies in his pasture.

Hopefully he'll show some improvement in the next month and I can post before and after pictures. Some other good news: I can and should ride him now, even before he gains back his weight. This makes sense, but the vet confirmed that riding will help keep him in shape. If the rain holds off I will ride him tomorrow.

Endorsed

2009-10-20T09:06:00.003-05:00

Apparently Jatamer had a career as a model. He doesn't like to talk about it.

Unleashed!

2009-10-17T18:42:00.003-05:00

Chorni's behavior and attentiveness to our commands has improved since he and Nicholas started obedience lessons. I'm hoping my schedule will allow me to take Jatamer next semester, but this is really a side note. As many of you know, greyhounds are an ancient breed that do one thing very, very well, and that is chase and kill small animals. Because of this deeply inbred drive they must be kept leashed unless fenced or coarsed. In fact, even when coarsing the hunters normally do not "slip" greyhounds until they spot prey. We live in the city and while we have a fenced back yard and walk our dogs frequently, Jatamer's never been able to just run around off leash like Chorni. The boarding facility where Regalo lives has nice diamond wire fencing around the perimeter of the pastures. Today we decided to try Jatamer off leash in Regalo's pasture.

I felt like we were on a family road trip. We loaded got the explorer ready for the dogs, loaded the dogs, got the dog toy, Jatamer's basket muzzle, and finally set off for the barn. Why the basket muzzle? Remember the thing about greyhounds being good at chasing and killing small animals? That includes barn cats and sometimes even very small dogs (though he completely respected a chiuauah that lived with us for two days). He's comfortable with it since he raced with this type of muzzle and its a simple, cheap precaution against him hurting someone else's animal. Though he wore it most of the time at the barn, he never really seemed to need it.

Before letting him run around in the slippery mud we let him run around a nice flat, sandy arena where he happily zoomed a bit. Then we took him into Regalo's pasture. Things went well partially because most of the horses were on the other side of the hill from the pasture entrance. Regalo came after some calling and brought two of his buddies, who fortunately moved away when waved off and did not mind having dogs around. Chorni even helped me keep one away from Regalo and backed off when I told him to do so. I was very proud of both dog and hound today! As a side note, Regalo is great with dogs and now even seems to like the cats.

New Mounts

2009-06-21T15:20:00.002-05:00

Nicholas and I finally started taking lessons. We've had one so far. After riding informally for 10 years or so I recently found that I do almost everything incorrectly. Joy! Nicholas posts much better than I do right now. He's more relaxed and does not automatically crouch into fetal position when the horse speeds up. I now have an excuse to spend more time in the saddle. Unfortunately, that time must be spent with another horse. All right, so riding different horses is actually a good thing. I just enjoy riding Regalo a lot more.

Since moving to Harris Heights I've become more confident and more assertive. Regalo pushed me around before and riding always involved a fight. Now everything is easy. He ground ties, he usually (still working on this) picks up the pace when I ask for it, he generally doesn't fight me much anymore. He'll still try to go to the barn instead of in the arena after a ride around the perimeter, but his resistance is very mild and very short. Riding Regalo is fun again. After some practice and a few more lessons perhaps I'll find riding other (non-gaited) horses fun as well.

Fly Like an Eagle

2009-06-06T17:57:00.004-05:00

I saw Summer Bird at the Arkansas Derby. In the saddling paddock I stood right in front of Old Fashioned, my favorite for the race, and his trainer Larry Jones. When the horses began leaving the paddock I watched Summer Bird. "Wow, that horse is built well!", first came to mind as I watched him leave the paddock. I almost put money on him, but decided not to, after all, nothing in the Form suggested I should. He looked great though.

Summer Bird ran last most of the race, but then moved up to finish third. He did not look spent at the end and I hoped to see him run a longer race. Today, my wish came true. Summer Bird won the Belmont today. Perhaps the blinkers did help him focus, but I believe he likes distance period. Perhaps the owners will see fit to try him on turf.

I apologize for the poor quality, it was taken on a cell phone. Old Fashioned and his trainer Larry Jones and assistant trainer stand in the foreground. In the back left corner you can see Summer Bird ( I believe that is him) coming around. I'm sorry that I do not have a better picture of him that day.

New Blog Title

2009-05-31T19:17:00.003-05:00

OK, I'm finally ready to start the new home front blog, but I cannot come up with a good name. HELP!!! Suggestions, please!

Some quick facts:

Our house is about 80 years old
None of the doorknobs work inside the house
We're in Belhaven Heights
Our house still has sash weights, none of the doors fit perfectly in the door ways, and our bathroom is completely "rigged" right now.

The Pants

2009-05-31T16:02:00.002-05:00

I've made a deal with myself that if I return to a size 6 (pants) then I can buy a new pair of good, possibly plaid, breeches for my birthday. Without conscientiously trying, I've managed to shave off a couple inches this past week. I credit work, walking my dogs, and a mostly vegetarian diet. None of these things will change in the next week, and hopefully progress will continue.

This weekend I added running. Walk breaks help me run a decent distance, which is fine for now. I really want to run, not injure my joints trying to go too far too fast. A new pair of running shoes hinges on an up coming 5k. Nicholas will run a half marathon that day, but he runs half half marathons most days.

Friday and Saturday I took off from the barn. Friday I worked until 6:30pm and just did not want to make the drive. Saturday Nicholas and I enjoyed being urban. We walked the dogs, bought him new running shoes, ate at a local restaurant, discovered a furniture store with modern design, visited a local art gallery/store, and visited the Raoul Dufy exhibit. Saturday was fantastic! Today I'll head back out to the barn and ride.

Winter Coat

2009-05-25T19:44:00.007-05:00

Italian Greyhound sporting an Outdoor coat.
Our house is finally coming together. A month ago I said I'd start a house blog, and I have not yet. Perhaps once the railing is installed this Tuesday I'll finally get to it! By then we'll have many before and after photos of the exterior and interior.

Nicholas and I took our first riding lesson this weekend. He posts better than I do for a mix of reasons, but mostly, I've really only ever ridden a gaited horse and learned a lot of bad habits. Good thing I have a bit more time to practice!

Chorni and Jatamer now get along quite well. Every so often a scuffle erupts, but the atmosphere remains clam. I've bought them each dog beds, plus they have the couch. Come fall/winter, I'll buy Jatamer a coat. Now, I'm not one for dressing up animals, but when it comes to keeping an animal warm that is different! I've found this great website and fancy the Outdoor coat. Totally cute, right? Who wouldn't want a sight hound???

Is Regalo getting fat?

2009-05-15T14:50:00.008-05:00

My time in the saddle went down and the grass came up the last two weeks. Now I worry that Regalo may be putting on weight, which raises his risk for laminitis. His back bone does not have a lot of fat covering and his ribs are "visible", but each has a nice layer of fat over it.

The above pictures show Regalo a few weeks ago. You can kind of see what I mean about the ribs in the second picture. Now, for more recent photos.

Off to ride. I really want to keep him in good shape this year and not have to use a grazing muzzle or stall to keep him off the grass and on his feet!

A Workable Peace

2009-05-15T14:04:00.010-05:00

Lower tension now exists between Chorni and Jatamer. Chorni still feels the need to attach Jatamer when Jatamer receives prolonged attention and when Jatamer disses Chorni somehow (really not always sure what sets Chorni off). I do know, that the last spar actually included Jatamer standing his ground instead of running away. Perhaps this is a good thing? Fortunately the outbursts are fewer and separated in time more than originally.

Nicholas and the boys in our neighborhood park. They get along great outside!

Raging Band of Ninnies!

2009-05-10T19:43:00.004-05:00

Horse racing in America is down and has been going that direction for years. Even this year, Bloodhorse reported that betting for the Kentucky Derby, perhaps the best known thoroughbred race in the U.S., reported lower than average betting this year. So, one has to wonder why the NTRA and people like Zayat of Zayat stables act as if they want the whole industry to fail.

NTRA.com reports that: “People are concerned that it would not be for the good of the sport,” Zayat said. “Nobody wants a situation like we had last year with .”

Eight Belles' tragic death had absolutely NOTHING to do with her being a filly! Don't believe me? Why then, did Zarkava kick the boys' asses in Europe? Zenyatta probably could have done the same in the states. Rachel Alexandra is healthy, fast and game. Why do people want her to only compete against fillies? Honestly, no colts this year have impressed me. She is the ONLY action happening in three year olds this year. Every colt I liked wound up either injured before the Kentucky Derby, or no where to be seen at the finish line. Rachel Alexandra could take and should run in the Preakness against the field that showed so poorly in the Kentucky Derby.

At least Mine That Bird's connections are honest about their intentions for wanting to bump Rachel Alexandra: “I just want my rider back,” said Allen, referring to jockey ’s decision to ride Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness rather than Mine That Bird.

Thoroughbreds used to be hardier, they used to run long, and they used to run co-ed. Shouldn't the fillies, later to become brood mares, be fast as well?

LET RACHEL ALEXANDRA RUN!

UPDATE

Zayat came back to his senses.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/50705/zayat-reconsiders-wont-keep-rachel-out

The Boys

2009-05-07T12:59:00.002-05:00

Ah, the boys finally seem to accept one another. Last night they actually shared the couch without prompts from people. Daily walks and some forced interaction are finally starting to pay off. Pictures to come once I retrieve my camera from the derby party location.

Taboo vs. Logic

2009-05-03T22:28:00.003-05:00

We humans, especially U.S. residents it seems, cannot decide what to think about the species we live among. Humans are animals. We, like all species, have unique characteristics. Our brain is our most unique characteristic because it allows us to be generalists. Unlike most species we did not evolve to do any one thing really well other than think. We're problem solvers, though at time we only seem to create problems for ourselves. Our species aligned, symbiotically with animal species we now consider domesticated. We use their specialties and in return we ensure their offspring continue. Some people, like the president of the Humane Society believe that all domestic animals are enslaved. I really have to question his logic when I see cattlemen driving out in the bitter cold, risking their health, to feed their herds.

Neolithic (first farmers) peoples in Europe buried dogs in similar fashion to humans. Obviously a bond existed between the people and their domestic dogs. During the European Iron Age people only consumed domestic animals. In some areas, such as Iron Age Germany, Gaul, and Great Britain, horses were rarely consumed, but neither did their burials resemble those of people. However, cattle were eaten, but some cattle met their end as part of a ceremony and their flesh escaped consumption by people. Sometimes, people ate people.

We humans think logically, but often develop "morals", "beliefs", and "feelings" that can over-power logic. The complex relationship between emotion and logic haunts our species throughout time. Currently this complex relationship seems strained by our society's confusion about how humans and animals interact or should interact.
Some people call for animals to be given rights. Others point out that other animals species, at least domestic species, are property. Our U.S. legal system largely derived from England's Common Law and under that I believe wild animals also fall into the category of property (the King's deer...). Quite frankly, I'm comfortable with the fact that I own my dogs and my horse. I am comfortable buying a piece of a slaughtered animal at the store or restaurant. But all societies have food taboos.
England outlawed eating horse in the Medieval period through the Roman Catholic Church. But then, the church limited the amount of meat people could eat period and then several holidays arose that allowed for the consumption of meat as celebration. Our modern U.S. taboo on horse no doubt extends from this Medieval mandate. Can we really, as a society, say that it is OK to slaughter some animals and not others based on the "humane" argument? I don't think so, because it is not logical, but emotional and subjective.

What I can, and do argue is that our modern slaughter methods and the general separation of U.S. residents from the food they eventually eat need to change. I like eating meat. I do not like the way it is raised and slaughtered for the most part in our country. Meat is the flesh of a once living animal that lived and died to be eaten. But somehow, feedlots and mechanized slaughterhouses (that horribly mistreat workers) doesn't seem like the right way to produce meat. Sadly, unlike Michael Pollan, I do not think I could slaughter my own boar, but I'd like to know a butcher. I want the slaughter to be personal and fast without large hooks on conveyors or automatic blades to cut the neck. I want the same for horse slaughter. Truthfully, it does turn my stomach to think about eating horse, but some people enjoy it. Horses weigh a great deal and can provide a great deal of meat. Let's face it, not every horse can be someone's pet and then what really separates them from cattle other than our sentiment? Do people really think it better for a horse to be euthenized and burried/rendered than to feed another living thing?
What about the hunter/jumpers that don't make the grade and get whacked for insurance money? Are those deaths really more acceptable than slaughter?
After all of the species of horse that ever roamed earth, only two still exist: Equus ferus przewalski and Equus ferus caballus. Guess which one is not close to extinction? That's correct the one we ride, breed, and even eat. Cattle have a similar story as a species. No wild cattle exist anymore, only the domestic species survive. Domestication seems to be a good survival plan for all involved, even if we humans eat members of the other species. Our desire to do so ensures their continuation. People need to understand this two way street known as domestication and realize that their package of boneless, skinless chicken used to have feathers and a beak.

Scratched!

2009-05-02T14:24:00.001-05:00

Well, my Kentucky Derby fave just got scratched this morning. I applaud the connections for holding him back this race. Hopefully the horse will recover and perhaps we'll see him in the more important Breeder's Cup Classic.

Derby Day

2009-05-02T11:00:00.002-05:00

Today is May 2, Kentucky Derby day. Amazing how this once local race now captivates a whole nation and even a few other countries (Ireland, Dubai, Arabia, Japan).

This morning the track listed as muddy. My two favorites thus far are I Want Revenge and Frisian Fire. Both horses proved leading up to the Kentucky Derby that they like dirt. Pioneer of the Nile may also be a good horse, but he's only ever run on poly. Will he like dirt? Will he like mud? I Want Revenge won the Wood Memorial on a very sloppy track with a bad start and green jockey. With all of that, the horse still won his first time out on dirt.

Many heart touching stories abound, but there is one people need to be wary of this year. General Quarters' owner Mr. McCarthy claimed a good horse for $20,000, but he takes much too much credit for the horse's improvement. A trainer in Florida named Miller helped the horse overcome thrush and some psychological issues that ultimately led to the General Quarter's upsetting win in the Sam Davis Stakes race (gr. II). General Quarters suffers from the same problem as Big Brown: Jerks for connections.

In lighter news, we're having a derby party at my barn (well, the owner's house). I'll be preparing a mint julep cake for the occasion. Our hostess hails from Kentucky so the mint julep drinks should be as authentic as possible. We're also going to have a hat contest. I'm not even trying to win that. I haven't had time to shop for a good hat this year. Perhaps next year! Sadly, though this party is among horse people, Nicholas and I will probably know more about TB racing and the field today than anyone else attending. Ah, but so it goes...

This weekend is going to the dogs!

2009-04-24T14:47:00.004-05:00

Nicholas and I finally decided to apply to adopt a greyhound. Our OTTG currently lives at the Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option. Saturday we'll leave, with Chorni, for West Memphis to pick out our greyhound. I'm very happy that they let people bring existing dogs to make sure everyone gets along well enough. None of the dogs are spayed or neutered yet, so some changes may occur after surgery.

This Saturday we decide which dog we want, and then a week or two later (after spay/neuter, heart worm test, blood work, etc) we bring the dog home! I'm a little sad that I can't leave with the new family member immediately, but I realize this process probably makes transitions easier for the dogs. I already purchased two dog beds today from work today. Chorni just now received a bed because in the past he slept on our bed or the couch. We put bed blocks under our bed to raise it and now Chorni doesn't like joining us. He and the greyhound now have thier own beds, plus the couch.

Bloodhorse published an interesting article on the fate of thoroughbred racing with regard to animal rights activists (the crazies). I personally love the idea of adoption programs, but the NTRA and the governing body for greyhound racing really need to promote racing. If race tracks close then what happens to all of these animals bred to race? Do the animal rights activists really think domestication is slavery? That domestication really involves humans lording over animals and animals being forced to live with us?! Anyone who thinks this seriously needs to read Budiansky, Jane Smiley, Michael Pollan, and Sandra Olsen to name a few of the many wonderful authors who discuss that domestication consits of a two lane street.

Nicholas and I are extremely excited about adopting our second dog. We enjoy racing and look forward to participating/supporting the racing industry by doing more than just wagering and tuning in (when possible).

WaHOO!

2009-04-16T16:39:00.003-05:00

Nicholas is now an official baby lawyer. Before today I considered him a fetal lawyer. Hopefully the LA bar will go just as easily for him.

Today, I also learned that I will be teaching a course at Millsaps. I'll teach a "Core 2" course and create the content. So, what should theme to use? According to my check list it must not be Eurocentric, and that's difficult at the moment if I want to focus on human-animal relationships. Most of my sources only consider the Western world. Any ideas folks?

Another general topic, one that I'm very familiar with at this point, is feasting. Feasting is my fall-back topic.

Off to celebrate soon. Celebratory trail ride this weekend ;)

Races, doo dah, doo dah...

2009-04-15T21:15:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Nicholas and I visited his grandmother and went to the Arkansas Derby. Oaklawn's track and viewing area deceive the eye. At any given spot one may only see a hundred people or so, but then you remember that you're seeing that many people near any given spot for half of a mile! Attendance totaled over 55,000. The large attendance this past season at Oaklawn allowed the track to do what most tracks can't right now: raise purses. Nicholas and I postulate that their suceess is in part due to their live race season. Unlike some tracks now, Oaklawn's live racing takes place between set dates instead of attempting to last year round. Therefore, Oaklawn is better able to focus on making their season a fantastic one.

Nicholas and I arrived early to the track, around 7:30AM. Two dollar entrance tickets started selling at 10AM, so why the early arrival? Four dollar and fifty cent tickets for reserved seats weren't sold until 10AM and only 200 remained. The rest of the reserved seats sold out by January 1, 2009 after going on sale in October 2008. Arkansas Derby Day is kind of a big deal.
We ended up far enough in line to buy our general entrance tickets before the gates to the inside ticket office opened. The doors to the building opened and we all dashed inside, past ushers warning us to slow down. I didn't even realize I was running until I heard the usher. I certainly had not planned on running! We race fans raced one another for coveted seats to watch the Arkansas Derby.

We watched all of the races before the derby. About three races before the derby familiar names like Asmussen started appearing in the Form. Fortunately the race right before the derby show cased locally bred horses and I skipped it to watch Old Fashioned and his field saddle and stretch. Nicholas is still working on removing a photo of me in front of Larry Jones and Old Fashioned in the saddling area (OK, I'm not in the saddling area proper, but still...). I wished I'd brought a sign that said "We *heart* Old Fashioned and Larry Jones." I met a woman with her young daughter who also waited to see Old Fashioned. They new the assistant trainer and she proudly showed me photos from the barn. Needless to say I envied them! Turns out Old Fashioned sleeps a lot (probably more now that he's injured) and behaves himself around children.

The race saddened us. We had money on Papa Clem, but as a show or place, not to win. I didn't put any money on no. 7, Summer Bird, but I did like the look of him in the saddling paddock and seriously considered putting a show bet on him (he did show). Old Fashioned led from gate to 1/16 pole, and even when Papa Clem made his move, Old Fashioned dug down and dueled, but just couldn't reclaim first. Old Fashioned ran an extremely first fraction at 22+ seconds. Too fast. Perhaps his injury occured while dueling toward the finish, or perhaps he just ran himself out at the beginning of the race. Wise and well written commentary can always be found at Bloodhorse.com. I have a hunch that it happened in his dig for a duel toward the end because he dug in, but then backed off before the finish.

We netted a loss that day, but considering what we spent on food, tickets, and entertainment (betting), I don't think the costs unreasonable. If you're ever in Hot Springs, AR in the early spring do yourself a favor and catch a race or two, and a Reuben.

The Horse Biz

2009-04-03T10:07:00.002-05:00

I am now employed in the horse industry. Monday I start work with the non-profit RideABILITY therapeutic riding center. When I visited Harris Heights to make sure I wanted board Regalo there, I met Christy, the founder and leader of this wonderful program. I mentioned that I needed a job and after talking, we set up an interview. I'll learn my full job description Monday, but it will include some PR, volunteer scheduling, and becoming NAHRA certified.

I'm also extremely excited about the community courses Millsaps offers. Classes include working in the garden, fitness, modern languages, to Mississippi artists and architecture! I plan on taking one of the gardening classes. Our yard desperately needs help! The previous owners did not pay much attention to it.

Peruvian Pasos and Paso Finos

2009-03-30T09:47:00.008-05:00

This past weekend the Deep South Peruvian Paso Association held a show in Jackson, MS at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center, which is a few blocks from my home. Peruvian Paso share a common history with Paso Finos, but the breeds differ in certain aspects. The most obvious is their movement. While both execute an ambling 4-beat gait inherited from the Jennet (which existed either as an actual breed or a type), the Peruvian Paso paddles with its front legs. The front feet are supposed to land straight, but move to the outsides when in the air. The Peruvian Paso gait also extends strides to go as far as possible with fewer steps. This movement is quite the opposite from the Paso Fino Fino gait, in which the horse moves its feet rapidly with very slow forward motion. Please see Wikipedia article for indepth information on gaits.

I shot the first two videos on my digital camera, which lacked in memory so the clips are short. These videos are also my first attempts at filming. I promise to get better! The third video is from Youtube and demonstrates the Fino gait performed by some Paso Fino horses (not all are capable of collecting this much).

Now for some similarities...
Both breeds are very smooth thanks to their Jennet ancestors and both breeds exhibit good endurance thanks to their Barb ancestry. Spaniards brought horses to America. Some settled in Colombia and Puerto Rico early on in colonization. Later expeditions brought Spanish horses to Peru. Selective breeding for comfortable travel over Latin America's terrain resulted in several breeds including the Paso Fino (Puerto Rico and Colombia) and Peruvian Paso (Peru). According to the Paso Fino Horse Association's website Paso Finos developed in northern Latin American countries other than Puerto Rico and Colombia, however most of the Paso Finos imported to the U.S. came, and still come, from Colombia and Puerto Rico. Peruvian Pasos developed their unique gait only in Peru.

While researching this post, I stumbled across several different South American horse breeds. Not all of them posses a smooth Jennet derived gait, but they all seem very interesting.

The New Barn

2009-03-24T09:34:00.006-05:00

Regalo is now living at Harris Heights farm, which located between Pearl and Flowood. It is a bit of a drive from downtown Jackson and you pass Whitfield, the mental health facility, MDOT, a prison, and a training center for state troopers.

I had doubts about the barn initially. Arriving soon after a few days of rain did not help, nor does lack of stall availability or lack of cover in the pastures. Other boarders assure me their horses do fine in the large paddocks and their horses do seem to be healthy.

Originally I thought Reglao would have a stall, but when I spoke to the owner she informed me that she only had one empty stall and it is for full board (I can't afford right now), but that I could use it until someone wanting full board came along. Then I spoke with some of the other boarders who only have pasture board and decided to go with that plan since Regalo needs to be out most of the time anyway.
He is adjusting well. When we turned him out with his new mates no one kicked and no one bit, so things went relatively smoothly. The goats posed an obstacle the first week. Goats stink and apparently look scary to horses at first. Regalo calmed down around them enough to ride this weekend. Sadly, it does not look as though the weather will allow for much more riding this week. I think the only people who dislike mud more than the military are equestrians.

Nicholas and I have high hopes for our stay at Harris Heights. The owner gives lessons and is supposed to be a good teacher. Fox hunting and other riding opportunities are rumored to be well within reach here. Once we close on the house we can start scheduling our lessons.

It is that time of year again...

2009-03-19T15:58:00.007-05:00

I miss Bavaria. Every spring, I miss Bavaria. I miss the helles, I miss the Amt and watching the horses. I miss walking the beautiful countryside looking for evidence of past human habitation. I always found it fascinating that modern equestrians could keep their horses in a stable that originally housed cavalry. How cool! Archaeology took me to Bavaria, but I found myself just as interested in watching the goings on of the stable below my room. Ah, I even miss the loud, fat young woman and her fat little yappy dachshund. The pair truly represent the case of like owner like dog.
This is a view from my room of the stable yard. The archaeology offices occupied the upper two floors of the main stable building. Normally people parked their SUVs and large horse vans (think large RV looking things) here as well. I admit being surprised at the number of SUVs.

Looking straight out the window I could watch people work in the outdoor arena. The building in the background I believe is an indoor arena. Further to the left is a smaller indoor used for vaulting.

I visited Landshut twice, once in late winter and once in the spring. I saw this handsome gray walking both times. I never saw his owner (the man seemed like an owner and not a groom) ride and finally determined that the horse may be recovering from some lameness.
Many artifacts littered the Amt. Here are a pair of Roman horse shoes recovered from an excavation near Landshut. Like most horse equipment, horse shoes have changed very little over the past centuries.
These stairs once allowed horses to travel down the steep path from the medieval castle to the city. Now the stairs are only traveled by tourists.

Along the trail to the zoo and other periphery castle grounds, which I often "ran", are viewing areas. These bows in the trail allow all who wish, to view the city as it spreads out below.
Beautiful.

New Old House, New Barn, New City

2009-03-11T14:21:00.002-05:00

Originally I wanted to write this post after I'd taken some pictures, but alas you will have to wait for pictures. I am currently mooching off someone's wifi while my internet is being installed by the cable company. No, I don't think I'm a bad person for mooching. If you don't lock your wifi, you've made it free as in beer.

Saga best describes the drama of this move. Two Saturdays ago we were supposed to move in, but the crazy woman living here decided she did not want to leave at the end of February like she previously agreed to do. "Eviction" got banted about and finally we moved into the house this past Saturday. In the mean time we stayed with our realtor's gracious partner for three nights and then went to a dog friendly hotel for the two remaining days. Only Friday did we know for certain we'd be moving into this house.
Now we have the normal stresses of moving: unpacking boxes, organizing, utilities, etc. Soon we will close on the house. The owner is allowing us to rent until we close, which will be next week sometime.

During my week as a homeless person I found a barn to board Regalo. The Barn is nice and the owner's philosophy is certainly something I can get behind. Until I find employment Regalo will be out in a pasture 24/7. Fortunately the weather for all of next week is forecasted as clear and warm. I am very excited about not only getting Regalo there, but also getting Nicholas out there! Hopefully we can start our weekly lessons soon.

Jackson, MS is an interesting city. I'll have more to post on it later, but for now here are some highlights: surprising architecture, lots of trees, many activities, cold beer (even on Sunday).

What is going on inside that head of yours?

2009-02-20T12:07:00.003-06:00

Turns out that horses remember a lot. The Horse reports that research on three horses shows the capacity for horses not only to read LCD screens, but also for long term memory. Obviously, larger samples will be tested in the future. As exciting as this research is, it can't be too surprising to those of us that have owned horses for many years.
As Jane Smiley points out in her book "A Year at the Races", horses are remarkable considering what we ask of them. Many performance horses spend most of their day in a stall, are asked to work for an hour, and in the end become better jumpers, dressage horses, etc. No one would expect a person to perfect anything with that little amount of training. Yet, we ask it of horses and they generally deliver. If a horse's memory were not capable of holding information long term then training would be useless. What occurs "in the now" as Cesar Milan says, is important because that creates a new memory, but a horse's reaction will partially form from past experience. This is why building up good experiences and good rides are so important in the horse-human relationship.

The Dog on Barn

2009-02-19T11:23:00.005-06:00

Previously I mentioned that Chorni used to go after horses' noses like a frisbee. Along with his new found healthy respect for equids, he's also figured out that they can't chase him through the fence. I've noticed that he is still very playful around the other horses, but settles down quickly when around Regalo. He'll run circles around us while we ride, but doesn't really try to interact. The younger horses, especially the two fillies are very playful with Chorni and they often end up chasing one another. Since the horses often start out chasing the dog, I'm convinced it is a big game for all. However, like any good sport, I play ref and brake it up if things get too rowdy.
The other day horses were brought in by my stable mates and tied while their stalls were cleaned. Dogs, horses, and wheelbarrows crowded the opposite end of the barn from Regalo's stall. Every now and then I'd hear one girl chastise the dogs for growling over hoof trimmings, so I called Chorni down to me and told him to stay. I too was cleaning the stall and couldn't see exactly where Chorni was and had assumed he went to rejoin the action. Pride filled me when I exited the stall to find Chorni laying down in the isle by the stall.

Chorni likes to follow around his humans. This does not mean that he sits by our sides calmly and quietly. No, he will run up and play king of the manure pile with other dogs or, as this picture shows, loosen the shavings for you. He absolutely loves running around and on top of the shavings. Yesterday he just sat poised on top of the pile looking out upon the fields across the drive until it was time to go back in the barn. Not every day is super hero day.

Perhaps the barn is so fun for Chorni because he lives in town. He is a pampered pup, though we do our best to treat him like a dog and not a person. In town he goes for walks on a leash and may get to say hello to a few dogs on our walks, but there is no dog park for him to enjoy with other canines. The barn is his dog park (he gets to play with my stable mates' dogs) and he gets to run around and roll, swim, etc. with abandon. It is much a release for him as for his owner. We still enjoy our walks about town. The jingle of his leash will bring him to one's side even if he is out running around the country side. I surmize that he has the best of both worlds. A nice compfy house to live in, a town with lots of scents and ever changing sites, and finally a country home where he can run around and interact with large, funny looking dogs.

Belated Valentine's Post

2009-02-14T14:40:00.004-06:00

I spent the morning and early afternoon grooming and riding Regalo along with the other fun chores of feeding and stall refreshing (out with dirty shavings, in with new shavings, hay and water...its like a hotel room). I have to say it was all really relaxing. Chorni came out with me and enjoyed a swim in the nearby creek followed by a nice roll in the outdoor arena sand. Just think, later he will be curled up on my couch!

Despite being called chores, all of these activities are enjoyable and part of owning a horse on a budget (you gotta roll up your sleeves...and pants). Some of these daily chores will be left to other people at Regalo's new home for two reasons: the barn will not be very close to our house and second, I won't have hours to spend at the barn every day like I do now. I want to be able to do most of the daily things myself, but I also want to know that if I can't visit a day or two someone else will feed him. The real question is, will I be able to relinquish control comfortably? Will I trust the barn personnel to care for my horse like I've been caring for him? Sadly, these are questions I have to deal with soon as well because Regalo is not moving the same week we're moving.

Signs of Spring

2009-02-10T10:26:00.002-06:00

I realize that technically February is a winter month. That fact seemed strange this weekend as we enjoyed temperatures well into the 60s and lows around 45 degrees (Fahrenheit of course). My perennial bulbs are coming up in front of the apartment, the Japanese Magnolia has buds waiting to unfurl, a small rose bush near the street is already beginning to open. February is a winter month and despite our recent warm weather the cold will soon return. Snow or freezing rain (more likely) is not uncommon in April. Warm weather will come and stay by the end of April, barring any cold snaps. Grass is beginning to grow in the pastures, which is good since the last round bale has just been put out in the main pasture.

Forgotten Legacies

2009-02-08T14:47:00.006-06:00

Until I recently flipped through one of the many racing books my husband checked out from the library I had never known or even thought about the existence of black jockeys. Today many jockeys are Hispanic if they belong to any minority. A few exceptions exist, but one thing is blatant, when it comes to racing under saddle in America there is a dearth of black riders. In fact, there almost seems to be an absence of black America from the thoroughbred track now. This absence starkly contrasts the ethnic makeup of tracks during the early 20th century. So, what happened?

In order to really understand what happened I plan on using historical publications and first hand interviews from tracks that I am able to visit. This will not be a short series or a fast series of posts. However, posts on this subject will be edited well and hopefully not too far apart. I plan for the series to run through this spring and summer. At the end we may have an ethnography or an ethnohistorical document. Please feel free to comment or suggest names of people to contact.

Don't forget the dog!

2009-02-06T16:29:00.002-06:00

The dog part of this blog is lacking, which is sad because Chorni (my adorable lab mix) makes trips to the barn better. Chorni did not always make the trips enjoyable. The first few times I took him to see Regalo he was young and small so I worried about him being stepped on. Then after we moved Regalo to the barn where he's living now, Chorni's instincts overcame him. Chorni began leaping in the air as if chasing a Frisbee, except he tried to snip the horses' noses. Luckily the only horse he ever drew blood from was Regalo and that was a tiny nick. That was also when the muzzle came into our lives. But, what really cured Chorni from this instinct was a kick from Regalo and then a similar experience with one of the larger geldings. Chorni has since developed a healthy fear of equines.

I've read that horses can tell the difference among each other and recognize that other equids are not horses. When two mules first arrived at the barn, not only did Regalo charge them every chance he got, Chorni barked and pointed them. He never attempted to harass them. Perhaps he some how knew they kick harder? Whatever the reason, I was surprised.

Living with Livestock

2009-02-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

Every now and then you read people lamenting the fact that younger people only want to ride their horses and not take care of them. Usually video games and computers and sometimes technology in general are blamed for this behavior. As someone who is just out of college, enjoys video games and computers, and has spent more hours mucking manure than riding, I'd like to set the record straight. What my fellow bloggers are missing is that it is not young people with their video games, it is urban and suburban people of all ages that never think about where their food comes from, much less that their large pet is indeed an animal.

How many people today stop to consider what their chicken breast salad looked like before the greens were harvested and the chicken butchered? People are so removed from their food sources that they do not perceive of animals as animals and instead try to make their pets into people. Many episodes of The Dog Whisperer feature dogs that are treated like people, up to and including being dressed. Yes, all humans are animals, but not animals are human. Despite the fact that domestic animals are hard wired to live closely with us, they have different needs than humans.

Then there is a distinction between livestock and pets. Livestock are generally food animals. Sure, some like sheep and cattle might provide more than just food, but eventually they may be eaten. Horses are in a strange position between livestock and pets. They are pets because we do not eat them and we use them for sport and pleasure. However, they are livestock because they do not live with us and traditionally reside with the animals we do eat. Much of their lives are spent, like other livestock, out of sight of most people. Unlike our dogs and cats who will whine and paw when they need food or exercise, horses do not follow the majority of the people home and cannot pester them until they are fed.

I believe it is the basic ignorance about our food supply that causes people, especially those that don't own the horses, to neglect their needs. It is not video games or computers. If anything, technology does more good than harm for horses' well being (diagnostics, nutritious food, vaccines, etc). No, it is peoples' general lack of understanding and separation from all livestock that leads to the lazy and poor keeping of horses. Granted, if a child is not instructed properly they have little chance of doing things properly and that is where a teacher is is more likely to step forward than an ignorant parent.

Heirloom Breed

2009-02-01T14:55:00.003-06:00

Wednesday was my last veterinarian visit from Dr. Sutherland. He's been Regalo's vet for 12 of Regalo's 13 years. Dr. Sutherland is a great vet both from a professional stand point and personal stand point. He always took the time to get out an illustration and explain to me exactly how my horse was injured and what his body was doing and why the medicine would help. Dr. Sutherland owns a mustang stallion, a distant cousin to my Paso Fino, which meant that the vet knew how hardy my horse really is. I've saved much time and money by not worrying over things a TB owner may have to worry about, because anytime I'd start to worry Dr. Sutherland would remind me what was really necessary and best for Regalo. So, here's to you Dr. Sutherland. We will miss working with you.

Regalo during summer '08.

Paso Finos are really an heirloom breed in the since a vegetable variety would be considered and heirloom. I've never had to do more than trim Regalo's hooves. In fact, the PFHA limits shoes to 6oz. Regalo is an "easy keeper", espcially in the summer, which means we have had to combat laminitis a few times. Being an easy keeper is good becuase feed costs stay low, but can be bad when very good pasture is available and steps aren't taken to keep weight under control. I've known one Paso to succumb to the metabolic disease. Paso Finos have a lot of endurance and strength and a smooth gait for their riders. Unfortunately, their versatility is not widely known because the breed association focuses on the gaits instead of promoting the breeds usefulness outside the show ring. Paso Finos have a lot of personality, a lot of energy, and a lot of heart that can be used for equestrian activities like working cattle. I think their agility and natural inclination for competition would make them suitable polo ponies, but I haven't found anyone who uses them for the sport. Yes, our little gaited horses are tough, flashy, and versatile.

A Departure into Architecture

2009-01-27T18:47:00.002-06:00

Horse barns are very much like bicycles in that they're form is very functional. Generally barns or stables, are constructed with a large box, which contains spaces for storage of horses and humans, feed and tack, and usually hay and shavings. Several variations on this theme exist. Differences in natural available materials dictate whether a barn is wood or stone or a mix. However, newer stables are sometimes made from cheaper, more fire resistant metal.

Now, what if we could refine the form more and create a stable more efficient at not only holding horses, but with a feeling of openness while still being protective against the elements. In other words, a way to combine these designs with the traditional large rectangle with smaller boxes inside. Can it be done?

A General History

2009-01-20T12:38:00.005-06:00

Palio races may come from the chariot races held by Romans, however historians are unsure (Tobey 2005:64). In Medieval and Renaissance Italy Palio races celebrated both religious holidays and significant events in a city's history. For instance, the Palio di Siena(August race) is the Palio of the Assunta and first ran in the 1230s. Most Renaissance Palii took a straight course or alla lunga (Tobey 2005: 65). A few races changed to alla tondo, or round courses. In both instances the course involved important city streets and public spaces.

(lieludalis.wordpress.com/category/travel/)

The prize for winning these races consisted of a banner for which the races are named, palio, and prestige. Breed and age did not seem to matter as long as the horse ran quickly. All of these horses belonged to noblemen. Palli were the stages for Italian nobility to contest one another in public, link themselves to their Roman forebears, and motivation to create and continue diplomatic relations with foreign horse breeders (Tobey 2005).

Update

2009-01-18T13:16:00.002-06:00

I know some of you are waiting with baited breath for the next palio post, but you will have to wait a little longer. Today is just a barn update.

Regalo is still doing well. He seems to be enjoying the warmer weather. The last few days were very cold and rather miserable. Temperature highs are fore casted into the the 50s today. Regalo really wanted to gait around today, but Nicholas and I both managed to keep him at a walking pace.

We're hoping to move into the Gayden house in February and close in early March. Hopefully during that time we can find Regalo a new home as well. I've almost decided to focus on Paso Fino farms that board and train. I'm just not sure I want to immerse myself into the breed association, but I think that ultimately Regalo could use a breed specific trainer. I certainly need some guidance and lessons! The almost in this decision comes from my desire to pursue more English style equestrian techniques and to pursue them with Nicholas. Nicholas decided that polo would be a good way improve his riding skills. Unfortunately, Paso Fino breeders don't normally play polo, at least not in the States. Therefore, I will also consider non breed specific, primarily English, boarding stables.

Dogs
Aside from our desire and plan to adopt a Greyhoud, it seems we may end up with two other black dogs. I'm referring to my uncle's two lab mix dogs that currently reside with my dad. Four dogs seem to be a bit much at the moment. Nicholas is very excited about putting in a dog door that opens only for dogs wearing the RFID tags that match. As long as I don't wake up to a Raccoon or Opossum in my laundry room I'm in favor of the dog door.

The Palio

2009-01-15T14:53:00.010-06:00

Most equestrian publications demonize the traditional Italian race known as the Palio for its high equine casualty rate. However, what few bother to report is that the Siena Palio, the race most discussed is one of many that used to be held in Italy. Though some horses become fatally injured, especially while making the sharp turn through the Piazza del Campo, which must be done three times.
This image from www.tseworld.com/.../palio-di-siena.php shows the Piazza del Campo that must be run three times in order to finish the Palio di Siena.

Naturally, this tragic outcome in 1986 photographed
by National Geographic,is not ideal. Sadly it is not uncommon either.

Not all Palio races were this demanding or bloody. In the next few posts I hope to illuminate the rich history of Palio racing and its influences upon modern equestrian bloodlines.

Making a Move

2009-01-14T15:22:00.002-06:00

Regalo is moving better. We're up to 15 minutes in the saddle every other day or every two days. Hopefully I'll have him up to 30 minutes under saddle before he moves to Jackson. I rode him outside this morning with his fleece quarter sheet. He seemed to appreciate it. He also doesn't seem to mind the fact that he has to keep at a walk.

Today Nicholas and I met Dr. Meredith and his lady friend (wife?) Ashley. They keep the two mules, which are really sweet animals. The Doc seems like a smart man who has made many many good choices in life.

Connections

2008-12-12T12:42:00.002-06:00

Despite being a southern woman, I am seriously lacking in my networking skills. I like to think I've improved the last few years, but that will be put to the test in a few months when I move. Fortunately several of our friends are also taking jobs in Jackson though they won't be moving until later in the spring. Two recent events reassure me that opportunities to network will be available.

Last night I went to a group gym class with my mom and I surprisingly knew many of the people. I also met some new people. Perhaps being a member at a gym in Jackson will offer the same networking opportunity.

Horses are proving to be much more than a personal hobby. This morning I went to the grocery store after the barn and the woman checking me out noticed the boots and asked if I'd been to the barn already. A complete stranger, but a horse-owning stranger recognized my tell-tale signs of horse ownership. She and I started talking and in the end I gave her my farrier's number. It really made my day and hopefully I'll see her again and perhaps I can introduce her to some acquaintances of mine that show. Jackson has a much larger equestrian community and I'm hoping that it will have more sane people and a little less drama than the community in Oxford. Yet again, another great opportunity to meet people.

Euthanasia

2008-12-09T17:04:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, before this long, cold, wet month started my family and I met together with the sole purpose of killing our old family dog. We made an appointment to euthanize her and we drove her to the vet clinic, a place she always loved to visit, and we returned with her body to my parents house to bury her.

Though I have had pets since a very young age, mostly cats, I have never euthanized an animal. Bones our adopted tom cat (yes, we neutered him) died, along with many neighborhood pets, from anit-freeze left out with hotdogs by an angry neighbor. Callie died from internal injuries caused by a dog bite. She was very fat and slow and did not climb a tree like the other cats the day our neighbor's dog got out of the fence and past our other neighbor trying to mow the dog's yard. In all fairness, Callie did sit next to their fence and taunt them.
Then there were the gerbils. They died from a mysterious disease transmitted from the flying squirrel I fostered thanks to our cat Rowdy. Sadly, Whitey, a female cat we got around the same time we took in Callie died recently from kidney failure and old age. She and Callie both left us with many wonderful stories. Rowdy's brother Shyby recently died as well from complications with diabetes. These last two pets died at the respectable ages of 20 and 15.

Trixie, my very first dog, my babysitter, my self-esteem on the square, she died at 14 from euthanasia. Her arthritis was horrible, her kidneys were failing, her weight was going because she had a hard time eating, and over all she suffered and she ceased to be the big-hearted, energetic dog we knew for so many years. How odd it is, that the dog lying on the floor can go from beloved childhood pet to empty, dead corpse in the matter of seconds. I never wanted to be away from a dead animal so desperately. I'm sad to say that I'm glad the vet clinic quickly wraps your pet's corpse and delivers it to you as a sanitary and obscure package.

Moving Too Fast

2008-12-05T21:02:00.003-06:00

Regalo is back on Bute and back in a paddock alone. It turns out Nicholas and I were too zealous in our plan to help Regalo loose weight and become a better mount. He now has very sore forelegs and will require at least two weeks of rest from riding. Unfortunately, his rest is not as quiet as I'd like because here are two mules in the paddock next to him. I recently read about horses reacting to equids that are either not horses or horses behaving oddly (like gaiting) in Jane Smiley's "A Year at the Races." Regalo hates the mules, or seems to hate them. I'm sure the charging and racing the mules is not good for his legs, even on soggy pasture.

Nicholas found this interesting product:

I think this is very clever and seriously wonder why no one else sells one.

Racing

2008-11-17T10:29:00.008-06:00

Photo Courtesy Livia Sundin "Curlin winning Dubai World Cup as if it was a breeze workout."

I love horse racing. I admit I like to bet, and I do fairly well. However, the betting is just an extra layer to the already intriguing process leading up to the race. Years of decisions lead to a race horse being bred, born, sold, trained, and finally raced - if it makes it through the process.

Curlin successfully fulfilled those steps and raced very well. He will soon stand at stud, hopefully with Jesse Jackson as his full owner. What a marvelous horse Curlin has been to watch. I hope he is a successful stud. Photos courtesy of Cathrine Elliot.

Steeplechase recently delivered a marvelous show as well with Good Night Shirt.

Good Night Shirt's sire, Concern, is what I'd call a bargain sire. He doesn't have a lot of the popular bloodlines and he stands in Oklahoma, both of which lower his stud fee. However, over half of his racing crop are winners. Concern is a powerfully built TB and Breeder's Cup Classic winner. You can breed to him for the price of $2500. What a great way to get good, old blood in your foal crop.

It is a full-blown Obsession

2008-11-04T10:07:00.003-06:00

Regalo is back in his stall and on bute for his right hind leg. He has six days left and hopefully he will be doing much better by the end of his ten day stall rest with bute period. I'm beginning to think poor footing may be a culprit. He never seemed sore after trail rides, but usually had problems after indoor arena work. The arena floor (not my design) is clay/sand mix on top of the ground, so it is deep. Once Regalo recovers I plan to avoid the indoor arena, which means riding before it gets dark. I guess we'll be sticking to the trails.

The Bloodhorse announced that because TB sales are low this year they, through their sister site The Horse, will be placing TBs with good homes for free. I hate to see the TB industry down, but I really hope it goes on long enough for us to take advantage of it. We're moving to a city that has a large equestrian community with plenty of trainers and teachers. I know realistically we probably should get a house first, replace Nicholas's old Ford Explorer, adopt a greyhound, take lessons for several months, AND then buy or adopt a horse for Nicholas. On the plus side, if we manage to adopt a young TB then Nicholas can continue to take riding lessons and be prepared for when the horse is through with the first stages of training. Or if we buy an older horse then he can help Nicholas learn.

Later I may have to inflict you all with a post on horse domestication. I'll spare you for now.

All Hail Our New Overlords, Google!

2008-10-23T22:11:00.004-05:00

Cell phones are very important in order to remain connected this day in age. My parents bought a cell phone for me to use when I turned 16 so that if something happened at the barn I could call for help. Unfortunately, Cellular South's coverage fell short at that particular barn.

My current cell phone is a Razor and AT&T provides the service. I'm looking forward to my contract expiring. Android, the Google open source cell phone software and the accompanying applications look awesome. One of my personal favorite applications is the bar code reader. I had a similar idea one day while shopping. I'd recently downloaded Bookburro and loved how simple it made finding cheap books. If only, I thought, I had something like that at stores! Well, thanks to Android, you can.

Paso Fino Critique

2008-10-22T10:28:00.003-05:00

I recently went to a horse show in New Albany, MS. This particular horse show tried to cater to everyone. Classes ranged from halter, hunt, to gymkhana. It was fun! I met two people and their Paso Finos along with a young woman and her Peruvian Paso Fino. If you're unclear about these gaited horses please go to Youtube and run a search. You'll be surprised and hopefull amused.

Since that show I've been trying to plug myself back into the Paso Fino Horse Association shows or at least find some schedules. Like any large national program the PFHA contains regional groups as well including the Deep South and Tennessee Valley. Unfortunately, no one seems to have their stuff together. All the events posted have come and gone and no future events are listed. How do they expect to attract new members? I'm sad to say that the PFHA and its regional clubs seem to be discouraging new blood rather than inviting people to see why their breed is so wonderful and fascinating.

Jobs, Saddles, and Heart

2008-10-15T13:44:00.002-05:00

I interviewed for a job as a manager's personal assistant. She seems nice and it would be good, busy, well paid work. I've also completed my application to the Oxford School District to be a Non-certified Substitute Teacher. That would be really awesome as I'd prefer to teach than do CRM in all honesty. Something about not spending my life in a hotel room...

I bought a new saddle today. I'm extremely excited! It is a Wintec close contact saddle with the Cair system and the Easy Change gullet system and is completely synthetic. I appreciate the snob factor of leather, but leather can be very difficult and time consuming to maintain. Perhaps later in life it will be worth it. Nicholas and I already discussed the very real possibility of us collecting interesting saddles.

The racing community is all a buzz with the retirement of Evening Attire. Evening Attire is a 10 year old gelding who is finally leaving the track for good. All of this news about older race horses and reading "Horse Heaven" from Jane Smiley really leads me to fantasize about having a farm that retrained and redirected retired race horses. Of course, I couldn't just do TBs, I'd have to include the Standardbreds as well. Perhaps one day.

Fall

2008-10-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

Fall is for horses. There is no better time of the year, weather wise, to enjoy an equine activity. The temperature is neither stifling hot nor shivering cold. Trees change color and provide a beautiful landscape against the often gray sky background. Horses and humans alike seem to revel in being outside with such welcoming weather. Soon the temperatures will become too cold to enjoy being out for long. Every rider experiences this painful reminder when dismounting on a cold winter day. Here, it often rains during the winter making riding that much more unpleasant and cold.

Yesterday Regalo and I had a really good ride around one of the outdoor paddocks. When I turned him out, I realized I had ridden by myself with few to no problems. I felt good.

Nicholas and I have our eyes set on going to the Mardi Gras Marathon. I'll be doing the half marathon. Luckily NOLA is flat and from everything I've read the races usually produce fast times. I'm beginning my training Monday. This week is for cleaning and job hunting.

Let the Chips Fall

2008-09-06T12:19:00.003-05:00

Nicholas and I both played well at poker last night, but I was beat by a pair of Jacks to my pair of threes. Nicholas, however, won and took $90 home. Yay! Will he have new shoes with it? Who's to say?

Going for a Walk

2008-09-05T18:20:00.000-05:00

Dr. Sutherland gave the green light for working Regalo again. I'm starting him on some ground work to get him used to moving and giving in to pressure. Unfortunately, the day he went lame was the day he finally figured out lunging. He seems to have forgotten it. So, today Nicholas walked the horse and I acted as a center pole. Maybe tomorrow Regalo will remember how to lunge.

Next order of duty: find Nicholas some boots.

Friendly Competition

2008-09-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Family makes great team mates. Currently I am in a fantasy football league with Nicholas's family. I enjoyed the draft and find that having a fantasy team gives me new desired outcomes for NFL teams. I will definitely be watching more football.

One of the gyms in Oxford is offering a "Biggest Loser" team challenge. Mom's a member of this gym, so I'm trying to get a team together with her and some of her fellow gym members. Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know any girls that a) need to lose weight or b) aren't Turner Center members. Brook needs to gain some weight (I suggest she do so by eating) and anyone I know trying to lose weight or just reshape their body is already paying for the Turner Center on campus.

You Opinion Please

2008-09-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

I really need and want to start doing weight lifting again. However, the only free weights I own are a few sets of dumb bells. There is just no substitute for a gym. The question is, in what town should I join a gym? Normally, I am in Laurel (right outside of Hattiesburg) four days a week. The hotel does have a treadmill that I use two or three days a week. The survey could last all of September. In Oxford my only option is to run outside, which is unpleasant when it rains. I normally go to Oxford on the weekends.

That is the situation. What say you?

Refugees

2008-08-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

I did not go to the coast to celebrate Gustav with blender drinks. Instead I came to Oxford to be home and help Nicholas with his paper work. My grandparents are also up. Fortunately they left Saturday before all the traffic chaos started Sunday. I'm really enjoying them being here. I think my wedding three years ago was the last time they came to Oxford.

Grandma is helping me learn how to sew using the machine Johnette gave me. Grandma is very complimentary of the machine. I think I've found a new hobby. While sewing will not be what I wanted it to be (me with a sewing nook in the office), I think it will be good to do after work. My first project will be a dog bed, which is actually a big pillow cover with Velcro glued to close one end. That way it can be washed separate from the foam filler. It will also be simple. Then I will try and tackle knitting. Perhaps one day I will be a textile queen.

Gustav

2008-08-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

Hurricanes are more than anything else a nuisance. Hopefully it won't cut into work too much next week. Labor Day will make it shorter than normal to begin with.

I miss my family (both human and bestial) and at the same time I enjoy the job enough to consider it for the next year. PM on a resume would be nice whether for obtaining a new job or entering a PhD program. Is it worth the time away from my family? How much better would this week have been if I could be home to walk the dog or otherwise help Nicholas?

The peppy little Fit is doing well. It is rated for 34mpg highway, but I got a little more than that on my trip down Sunday. Ironically, this attribute makes me want to drive the vehicle more often. It's Amazon Prime all over again. Fortunately I've restrained myself.

I'm reading a very interesting book that Nicholas picked up from the library about animal domestication. The author proposes interesting ideas about domestication, almost analogous to those proposed by Mann in 1491, except instead of human groups given agency, other animal species are given agency. This author approaches from a biological background and subtly reminds the reader that the relationship between human and domesticated organisms is a relationship among animals and plants. Humans are, after all, animals despite above average cognizance. Thanks for the book, Nick!

An Automotive Journey

2008-08-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened in the last few days. I finished my first full week of CRM work. It kicked my ass. This weekend I was exhausted. This last week provided information and experience about how to do my job and about how to pack to make one comfortable. Unfortunately, Nicholas cannot fit into my suitcase.

My travels will at least be safer now. Saturday Nicholas and I went out and test drove every hatchback
Next we test drove a Toyota Matrix and a Yaris hatchback. The Matrix and Vibe are the same cars, though Toyota played down that fact as much as Pontiac boasted. Its OK, but very heavy and a bit boring. Very appliance like. The Yaris felt cheap and almost disposable. Again, the salesman, though young, was good.

Then on to the Nissan dealership that only seemed to have one salesman. He was not actively bad, but very busy. We test drove the Nissan Versa. The Versa is the best car I test drove in Oxford. However, it felt a bit cheap and the engine struggled to take off.

Finally Nicholas and I regrouped at home to check online inventories to decide whether to visit Tupelo or Memphis. Memphis won out with a larger Mazda 3 population and the only Honda Fits to be found. In Memphis we experienced the best and worst of automotive dealers.
The Mazda 3 S is a fun car to drive in both automatic with tip or stick. I really liked it. However, our salesman and the whole dealership in fact grasped defeat from the jaws of victory. A shameful act of "I can't let you leave until you speak to my manager", hide the key game, and an offer of only $500 for the Mercury combined with Nicholas being crabby from hunger and general irritation led to a blow up. We left, a bit loudly thanks to Nicholas and that was that. Sad really, one of the best cars of the day and the WORST sales people ever.

After the Mazda debacle we began to settle on the idea of our Memphis expedition being just exploratory. We made our way to the Volvo dealership in search of V70 Rs. The salesman was very helpful and showed us the one used V70 on the lot. He was very nice and did a good job. Next we ventured to Honda. Ah, little did we know the outcome. Elliot, our salesman was VERY good at his job. We told him we wanted to see the Fit, he suggested the Scion briefly but once I made it clear we had not interest he immediately showed us the Fit. There was a used Honda Fit just traded in recently so it was still dirty. Looking back, perhaps they hadn't planned on buying that day either. It was a 2007 with 20,ooomiles, automatic transmission, and a few extras like an MP3 player jack and cruise. It was nice, but not too exciting. Next we drove a new 2008 stripper with standard transmission. The price was much, much lower. It does lack cruise and the jack. But, the jack can be added I'm sure as the hole exists for the jack and the buttons are on the stereo panel. This is the little Honda Fit we ended up buying. The decision to buy that night didn't come until we talked to the finance man and he showed us that we would only have to finance $12,500. How can you turn that down? Really? When you need a reliable vehicle? It is very cute, compact, fuel efficient, fun to drive, and roomy inside. Cavernous almost. I will post pictures soon.

CRM

2008-08-18T17:23:00.000-05:00

My job does include sun screen, poison ivy blocker, screens, shovels, hats, orange vests, and if one wishes, snake chaps. It also involves hotels five nights a week and long drives home on the weekend. To make it all worth while I have some plans to help my pay checks go as far as possible.

I've been shopping and am hoping to eat healthy and avoid eating out. CRM is going to be fat camp, except I'm going to be paid to go. Think I'm kidding?
Every day I will spend 4-8 hours walking, digging, and screening for at least a mile. Then I will run on the treadmill in the hotel. To top this all off, I'm going to be making my own meals in my room with only healthy ingredients available. See, its like fat camp. If I follow my fat camp plan then I can save money and get in better shape.

Health Insurance

2008-07-28T15:27:00.001-05:00

Living in Mississippi sucks when one is trying to buy health insurance. We don't get the cool BCBS plans that Georgia has for young, healthy people. And, apparently our state also does not mandate that contraceptive be covered like every other prescription drug. Therefore, the wonderful Assurant plan that I found, that does cover prescription drugs, will not cover my contraceptive pills. Does this sound contradictory to anyone else?

In a state that has one of the highest rates of teen and single mother pregnancies, our state has not mandated that health insurance cover contraceptive. People wonder why problems like teen pregnancy and single mother pregnancy is so prevalent. Here's a good example! Combine the health insurance mandates, or lack there of, with the abstinence only sex education and you have most of your answer. O.K. in all fairness, I know that the public health clinics will give contraceptives for free or close to it.

M.A.

2008-07-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

Friday I got my thesis copies signed and turned in to both the graduate school and the department. My wonderful adviser told me he had major issues with my thesis and to basically never ask him for a letter of recommendation to a PhD. program. Well, fine. I'm rather proud of my thesis and Dr. Johnson was not only congratulatory, but also gave me a few leads on archaeology jobs and insisted that I put him as a reference. I'm afraid this means that once again, my dad was right. Perhaps I should have done a Southeastern thesis. I'm glad I did an Old World thesis, though. I enjoyed the subject and became very interested in zooarchaeology. Overall I don't think I'll have many regrets later.

Now that I'm done, I'm applying for CRM jobs, exercising, reading for pleasure, etc. It's rather nice once one accepts the dirt-poor part. This weekend Nicholas and I are going to visit his family. Though we can't bring the dog, we are really looking forward to the trip. I think we could both use a change of scenery.

UpDate:
Scratch the applying for jobs. I just received a job offer that I'm definitely going to take unless something else I just can't refuse comes up in the next week. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned!

Operation Application

2008-07-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

Today I will email my revised and hopefully perfect thesis to Dr. Murray. Then it will be off to apply to everything I haven't already mailed a resume. I hoped to do all this Monday, but revisions always take longer than one thinks they will.

Radiographs

2008-07-17T14:51:00.000-05:00

The vet came and examined Regalo's leg again. After feeling for signs of soft tissue damage he began to think it might be a problem with the joint itself. X-rays were taken. Regalo stood still and only tried to step on the film plate twice. I think the second time he actually tried to swat a fly. The x-ray machine looked a lot like a geophysical instrument, which if you think about it they are similar. Both geophysical equipment and a portable x-ray machine are designed to produce images from within a matrix consisting of more than air. Both are portable as well. Oh, and I think both are also of British manufacture. The ports for the cables were plastic like on the EM and Res. Very British military.

Now I'm just waiting to hear back.

And....I've heard back. Good news.
Regalo's bones are beautiful! No problems. So, it seems that he just has some fluid build up around the joint. The joint, btw, is on the rear right leg where the proximal phalanx and the 3rd Metatarsal meet. It was very cool to see my horse's bones in the x-rays. I mean, I'm sad I had to have them done, but to go from looking at drawings, very good drawing, but drawings all the same, to looking at an actual image of my horse's bones was just cool.
There are four options available that range in aggressiveness. Since the lameness is not bad we are going to take the least aggressive path first. If the lameness and swelling do increase we'll start going through the more aggressive treatment options.
Option #1 Feed joint supplement (containing Vitamin C, MSM, Glucosamine, and Hylaluronic Acid) and turn out 1/2 on, 1/2 off.
Option #2 Use surpass
Option #3 Do a steroid sweat
Option #4 Take a sample of joint fluid (painful) and check for bacteria and inject antibiotics - Ironically this could CAUSE an infection.

Luckily, whatever it is is not going to be chronic. As the vet said, just a pain in the ass for a couple months.

The Light and The Tunnel

2008-07-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Regalo is still lame. He was put back on Bute Thursday. He's not responding to it at all. This Thursday I'm supposed to lower the dose, but what's the point of giving it if he's not responding to it? The vet will be back Wednesday and I plan on having him come out and either give shots and look at the joint, or just do internal imaging. I'm not sure what technology he has available. At this point I am beginning to worry about other ailments coming up due to stall rest. Luckily nothing has come up yet, but the longer he's stalled the greater the risk.

I plan on finishing my thesis today. I have one small section to re-write and then its on to a lot of small stuff. July 25th is the deadline, but I've been told that we can get a small extension in the event Dr. Murray is not around to sign the cover sheet. I really want this to be done in July for two reasons: 1) I don't want to pay for another semester. 2) I want to be graduated completely when I visit my inlaws.

Resumes are out and I'm still waiting to hear about the library job. They're interviewing the last candidate today. Tomorrow I plan on papering the town with applications and my resume. I desperately need a job. The thing with the horse above is not going to be cheap. I guess this counts as another reason I want to be done with my thesis. So I can work and not stress about not working on the thesis. Ah, life is grand.

Hidden Deals at Home Depot

2008-06-30T09:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday was very productive. We rearranged the living room and organized a closet. Our trip to Home Depot turned out to be a great decision. We went for shelving and found that plus a 5 X 8 jute rug. The rug has a black cloth border with a tear about the size of a quarter. The manager woman could not find the rug in the computer so she priced it at $20. That's right, we bought a 5 X 8 jute rug for $20! The rug is the finishing touch for the living room. Will post picture soon.

Guns don't kill people, but they help. - Eddie Izzard

2008-06-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

It is nice to know that if I ever move to Washington D.C. I can take my Walther P.P. While I don't shoot it very often and I desperately hope I will never have a need to use it on a person, I like owning it. It is a nicely designed little hand gun and it is the kind James Bond carried in Dr. No. Mine was actually issued at one point. The detective's number is written on the box. I not only own a nice piece of engineering but also a piece of history. Shouldn't everyone have such an opportunity?

The only place I can shoot it now is at my parents' house. The public gun range in the national forest has been bull dozed and is not closed. This means that there is no public gun range in North Mississippi, which really is a shame because not everyone who enjoys firearms as a hobby owns land on which they can target practice. I hope another public shooting space is created.

Motivation?

2008-06-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

Is it wrong that I am considering taking up tennis because of the clothes?

I mean, how can any woman resist this?
(Available at Champion)

Jam Time

2008-06-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

Blackberries are ripening. Most of the ones I have access to are along a picturesque creek near the barn. This season brings many beautiful and tasty reasons to go outdoors during the early morning or the late afternoon.
During the day one can harvest blackberries to make into jam or to simply snack upon. In my case, I hope to see one of the beavers that lives in the creek. The shady trees also obscure any view of the beaver dam. On the fringes of the sun's rise and fall different animals can be found, almost as if there is a shift change or a scene change on stage. At dusk the barn swallows settle into their nests while brown bats fly about eating a bountiful meal of insects lured in by street lamps. Frogs and crickets replace mocking birds. Coyotes replace domestic dogs. And the whole transition occurs when there is only enough light to silhouette the new characters against the dimming flame of the summer sunset.

Consignment Stores

2008-06-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

Jackson, MS, specifically Fondren, has one of the best vintage/consignment stores I've ever visited. Nicholas always finds a VERY marked down Brooks Brothers polo shirt. This past weekend I racked up with three pairs of Banana Republic Pants and a dress. The pants all have to be hemmed, but the dress is a petite!

Let me contrast this shopping experience with the mall and Ann Taylor Loft. I did try on some cute things at ATL, but when I went to the fitting room Nicholas was told by the sales associate to sit in the shoe area. They have NO seating near the dressing rooms for men! I can't believe it. Perhaps this is strange, but I really enjoy shopping with Nicholas and I trust his opinion. Plus, I have to question the frequency with which women come out of dressing rooms unclothed. Anyone? ATL received no money from us that day.

In the end, I just have to say, "thank you woman who sold your banana republic clothes to the Orange Peel in my size!"

Dumped

2008-06-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

I'm still shaking. If dog fighting weren't illegal I could just walk away with a clean conscience, but that's not the case. Today there was a fully articulated dog skeleton on my parents' road. It had been pulled from a black trash bag that originally hid the carcass. On my way home I stopped next to it, trying to see if it had any holes that might be attributed to a gunshot. It was then that the head still had most of its flesh. I could clearly see it was a pitbull type. Yes, I know there is no pitbull breed, nor do I think they make inherently bad family pets. But, it does make it more likely that this animal is the loser of a dog fight. Unfortunately it is all circumstantial and even if I could prove it was from a dog fight, so what? There is no clue as to who dumped it. I'll lay out the circumstances anyway:

1) county road - dead end- no houses for first few meters
2) dumped in black plastic trash bag
3) pitbull type

Some one obviously did not want to be seen dumping this animal. My parents' road has long been used for illicit actions such as drug dealing because it is a dead end and so sparsely populated. Not to mention it is close to a neighborhood that used to be very sketchy. Don't worry, I'm not saying people living on the road are in any danger. Anyway, to make matters more interesting one should also know that in the dog fighting world people advertise their fighting dogs by walking them. The dogs are status symbols and to increase the manliness are walked on chains instead of cloth or leather leashes. There are young men living on the connecting county road that walk bitbull type dogs. I can't recall with certainty their leash material. Could these men be the culprits? I doubt they fight the dogs on that road, but I do believe they keep and eventually dump them on these roads. I wish I knew enough to examine the remains.

Speak!

2008-06-23T12:07:00.001-05:00

In America we deal with various opinions better than many countries including our western friends across the pond. Instead of censoring speech, we encourage more speech. Our legal system is thoughtful enough to realize that the best way to fight bad speech is more speech.

George Carlin's comedy represented the spirit of more speech is better. Who will be the next comedian to drag out the "sacred cows" of our culture and force us to examine them?

It is all relative.

2008-06-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

I am about to say something very unpopular. Pets are legally considered property in the United States. Like most property, we have laws both at the federal and state level to regulate this form of property. These regulations are not rights. Animals do not have rights. They are not that most special of animal known as human. Have you ever seen the show Family Guy? In one episode Brian, the family dog, attempts to defend himself at trial and after making an eloquent speech the judges look at one another and all realize that the trial should not be held. Brian, a dog, has no rights in the court room because he is property. This scene plays on the famous Dred Scott case.

I don't think animals should be ill-treated. However, I don't have a problem with slaughtering animals for food or using them for sport. I have issues with the way animals are slaughtered and processed in the U.S., but as far as species go I realize its a cultural preference or decision. Dog is a regular meat in many Asian countries. Horse is popular in Europe. Though I may never consume horse or dog because of my culturally dictated interaction with them, that does not give me the right to stop others from eating these animals. Horse slaughter is a controversial issue in the U.S. Our country and our culture traditionally uses horse for transportation, sport, and even companionship. We have a large number of unwanted horses that do not fill the above roles. What is wrong with slaughtering these horses? Why not accept, even embrace it and keep horse slaughter from becoming as horrific as modern cattle processing plants?

Another horse related issue in the U.S. is horse tripping. It is a Mexican rodeo event. I'm not exactly sure of the traditional purpose for the event. It seems as useless as bull riding. Most information about it on the interwebs is anti-horse tripping and is also down right xenophobic. As long as the horses are not stolen and there is no state law against the event, then it is legal. It is a cultural practice. Think what the hindus must make of our slaughter of cattle! I don't believe that means we should stop.

Animals are property. They should be treated well and killed humanely in my opinion, but I can't own all of them. Cultures are different and you are a sad human if you can't handle that fact. Chances are you're also an American. The U.S. is kind of a melting pot, but people often forget that ethnicity is made stronger by encountering people who are different. Immigrants may cling more heavily to traditional events such as cock fighting or horse tripping when they first arrive because it is familiar. By the way, if you want to read a great piece on cock fighting, pick up Clifford Geertz's "The Interpretation of Cultures." It may help you as a westerner understand that there is often more than what's going on between the cocks.

I am a huge fan of rescue groups, conservation societies (particularly Ducks Unlimited), race track adoption agencies and groups that help humans live with other animals.

Jackson, MS

2008-06-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

The first few days I was in Jackson I hated the city. Jackson's roads are awful! I couldn't find anything and it was hot. However, since getting Nicholas settled into his apartment at the one apartment complex that will lease for a month, my mind has changed. Sure, parts of down town Jackson look bombed out or the perfect place to shoot Omega Man II. But, money is coming back into down town Jackson.
The Neighborhood Nicholas is staying in has a mix of various multi-family units and old subdivisions. Most people do have fences and or gates, but it really seems safe. Nicholas is in Belhaven Heights. If you continue walking away from downtown and across Fortification St. you enter Belhaven. Both of these neighborhoods have wonderful mid-century houses along with some older and a few newer. Both neighborhoods not only sport beautiful architecture, but also big trees that shade the yards and sidewalks. The best part about these neighborhoods is that you can buy a house for about $100,000 less than in Oxford. Not to mention Jackson is apparently the apex for Paso Fino farms in Mississippi. Who knew?
If Nicholas gets a job in Jackson next year maybe I can get a job as an instructor at one of the many colleges in and around Jackson and get help schooling Regalo. I have definitely warmed to Jackson, MS.

2008-05-03T20:49:00.000-05:00

As you probably guessed by the name of this blog, I own a horse and a dog. My horse is pure-bred. He is a Columbian Paso Fino born and bred in Pulaski, MS. I won him, that's right, I won him in a raffle, in 1997 at a Deep South Paso Fino show in Tueplo, MS. Four raffle tickets totally $8, plus the $150 it cost to trailer him to Oxford is all that was paid for this Colt. Two weeks later he was a gelding.

My dog is a mutt that I adopted from the Lafayette County Humane Society (that is not very humane). His name is Chorni, which is "black" in Russian and he is indeed black. Chorni is very much a part of our pack.

With that said, I am biased about the place of horses and dogs in human society. However, the archaeological, ethnographic and historic data back me up. Throughout prehistory, history, and even now (though with more emphasis on breed) that horses are social signifiers. The Romans had an equites class and Caesar reports that the Celts also had a social class based upon horse owners. His report is supported by the earlier Hallstatt tumuli that contained two-wheeled chariots and four-wheeled wagons. The chariots are known to have been pulled by horses as in other areas of the Old World.
In Africa, as late as the 1970s horses signified chiefs in Ghana. Native Americans adopted horsemanship after the Spanish arrived in the Americas with horses. Some North Americans even adopted equestrian rituals that involved bits so heavy that if the horse refused any request of the reins their lower jaw would be broken.
Today, we have show horses and race horses that win their owners and trainers glory and money. The battle field is no longer the place where we ask horses to give it their all. Instead we breed and train them to give us their all on the track and in the show ring. Because we ask them for all and it sometimes it results in their demise we feel guilty. Barbaro and now Eight Belles are examples of the heart these animals have to give and the frailty that can result. The guilt people like me feel about the death of horses never directly witnessed (at the track, only on tv) comes from our complicity in asking the horses to give their all. They do. They give their lives to please us.

That is why humans, dogs and horses are often given similar burial treatment from the Neolithic period to modern times.
Miranda Green - Animals in Celtic Life and Myth
Tierney (1960)
Jack Goody - Cooking, Cuisine, and Class
Sharyn O'Day et al - Behaviour Behind Bones

Derby Day: Unnecessary Carnage

2008-05-03T19:20:00.000-05:00

The 134th running of the Kentucky Derby hosted a full field. Twenty horses began and finished the race. My horse to win was the extraordinary filly Eight Belles. The three year old filly ran well and fast, finishing second beating out eighteen stallions. Unfortunately, after her triumphant place finish she suffered compound fractures in both front legs. Within minutes of proving she could beat the boys, she was euthenized.

According to an interview with the AP Gabriel Saez, "She started galloping funny period. I tried to pull her up period. That's when she went down."

In the horse racing business you work with brittle animals. Thoroughbred is a very old breed that has been bred for one thing over the centuries: speed. They have brittle bones and are very domestic animals. When not handled properly, as I suspect Eight Belles was by her jockey Gabriel Saez, they break. If he had either knocked her to the ground or not forced her to pull up she may still be alive. After all, that's what happened to Barbaro in the Preakness. His jockey knocked him down and the veterinarians did manage to save his leg, but founder or laminitis caused him to be euthenized. Would Eight Belles still be alive with a more experienced jockey? I personally think she would be.

R.I.P Eight Belles, you were a wonderful, wonderful race horse and I'm sure could have been a hell of a brood mare.

Graduating

2008-04-28T13:16:00.000-05:00

I will not be technically done on May 10th when I walk across stage. My adviser waited until my second draft of my analytical chapter to inform me that I need much more data. This information came much too late to finish and defend in time. However, I will finish this summer. My new deadline is June. After much disappointment and self-loathing I've embraced the situation and look forward to summer in Oxford writing and defending a thesis that can only improve.

Green Fields

2008-04-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

You know you are a horse owner when the first word that comes to mind when looking over lush green fields is "founder." This summer I'm hoping to avoid laminitis or "founder." I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to do this, but I really want to have a lameness-free and illness-free summer for once.

Many of the people at my barn left. Most of the people that left were high maintenance and complained about any and everything when they weren't shipping their horses down to Mississippi State Veterinary Hospital. I will miss Snickers the pony and his owners. They were very nice.
Hopefully the new boarders will be nice and not as uptight as the bunch that just left. In the mean time the barn and the pastures are quite empty.

Embracing the Stereotype

2008-04-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

The other day I flagged down my neighbor Betsy and asked her to fill me in on some gossip. During my news brief, the subject of a local, year-round farmer's market came up. It turns out that this place that used to be a run-down, seedy farmer's market is now a nice, low-budget local grocery store.

The Farmer's Market is on North Lamar, just past Dee's Tires. They have vegetables, tea, spices, grains, pickled peppers made by the Amish, honey and sorghum, cheeses, fruit, everything to make an authentic Mexican meal except a Mexican grandma, most everything for an authentic Asian meal, and organic pork. Oh, and it doesn't have the eco-snob price tag. It's all very cheap.

The sad part is that its been open for four years. For four years they've been around and I haven't even realized the change that occurred to that farmer's market. I'm looking forward to making up for lost time! We can't buy everything we need there, but I certainly won't be going to Wal-Mart anytime soon. With the permanent Farmer's Market and Kroger in town, I can purchase food without losing my soul.

I'm looking forward to hosting a "Made in Mississippi" dinner party sometime in the near future. Unfortunately Lazy Magnolia has not yet licensined a brewery in Oxford, so we can't truly have a "Made in Lafayette County" dinner party. Toast, Mississippi!

Post Graduation To Do List

2008-04-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

I am looking forward to working after graduation. I have many ideas on how to use the free time I will have after work that normally goes to writing papers now. A few things on my list are not new, but others are quite adventurous.

Spend more time at the barnRun farther
Sew a skirt or dress with fabric inspired by this website
Learn to knit (I really want to create something with the beautiful wool yarns available.)
Work on my Classics vase paper (Ok, maybe I can do this academia thing.)
Be more involved in my community
Ride my bike more (this will offset trips to the barn)
Read the books I own so I can buy more
Start a book club
Finally start the beer club
Apply to a PhD program

Playing with the Big Boys

2008-03-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

For over six weeks now I've been following a workout plan designed to make a girl stronger, and hopefully a little more svelte. Its really a fun plan that involves dumbbells and barbells weighing more than 5 pounds. It is a great way to relieve stress. I always feel more relaxed and confident when I leave the gym. Apparently it is also doing some good. Monday a girl approached me in between exercises and told me that I looked a lot better than when I first started and asked if I had lost a lot of weight. She continued saying that she has a hard time consistently going to the gym (I don't think I had ever seen her before). I told her I hoped she found something she liked. She said "thanks" and told me that I was an inspiration for being so consistent. That whole encounter really made my day.

Well, I can't say that I've lost weight, but I am stronger and my muscle definition is a lot better. If anyone wants a good weight program, I highly recommend "New Rules of Lifting" either for women or just the original, by Lou Schuler. From what I understand there is not much difference.

I Saw the Light

2008-03-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

It is almost April and I think I may actually be graduating in May. Monday I'll find out more about my chances. I have a draft of my thesis done and am waiting to hear comments. I'm hoping to send it on to my other readers by Monday as well.

What will I do when I graduate? I will find employment either in my field or around town. Oxford is populated by overeducated laborers and perhaps I can join their ranks. If I find myself living in New Orleans I may have better prospects of getting a job in my field. I think I'd like to teach, but I want to work a bit before I go back for my PhD. The student loans need to be decreased before I take out more. It seems that Oxford will be my home for a little longer, and I'm O.K. with that.

Happy to be here

2008-03-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

This week reminded me that I'm very happy to be where I am and to have the people that I do in my life. My family is great and since I've gotten older conversations have also become more open. My husband and his family are wonderful. They are supportive, nice, interesting, and most importantly, not prying. The Greene family really does make it easy to love them.

I now have two bars to find respite and a cold drink with a warm welcome. My neighborhood coffee shop is welcoming with familiar greetings as warm as their coffee. My apartment is one of the oldest in Oxford and though it has two bedrooms, it is tiny, but in a cozy way. The apartment complex's atmosphere is very live and let live, especially with our apartment manager frequenting the same watering holes we do. Speaking of watering holes, my horse is at a barn where the horse owners are characters, but most are nice enough.

Oxford is now my town now. This week an old acquaintance visited and reminded me that my life is much better now that past unhealthy relationships are over.

Mississippi Primary

2008-03-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

I voted in the Mississippi Primary yesterday. I only voted in the presidential primary and I voted for Hillary Clinton. Why?, you might ask. Because I am a republican by necessity not by choice, and I think Hillary Clinton is less of a threat than Barack Obama. Don't get me wrong, my decision is not based on race or gender, but on economics and it's not that the republicans have a perfect plan, they just have the better plan. I voted not to make a statement by voting for Ron Paul, but to chose the democrat candidate I want to see win the nomination. Mississippi still went to Obama over all, but Hillary received a few delegates.

It Fits

2008-02-24T13:56:00.000-06:00

Have you ever purchased or received something that fit your life so perfectly that it felt old and familiar even though you it just appeared in your life? I recently experienced this sensation with my Asus Eee PC. It probably does run Doom, but it doesn't do much more than surf the web and allow for basic work programs through Open Office and other Linux programs. Oh, and did I mention it is tiny? The screen is seven inches, but it does have a full keyboard, a touch pad and a mouse bar. I love it's compactness, its battery life and the fact that it has a flash drive instead of a hard drive. The Eee really does feel as if I've always had it. So while the excitement of a new computer faded early, the warm feeling one has towards a trusty tool perhaps came more qickly than with other machines.

Doing Sport

2008-02-22T12:09:00.000-06:00

I am very German in my approach to physical fitness. I don't mean to recall Nazi era footage of young people using medicine balls. No, I'm referring to a contemporary practice. A modern example of German sport is seen in bicycling. Germans ride bicycles two different ways, either for transportation, or for sport. Low, single speed bikes with fenders carry people around town in stylish street clothes. Sleek road bikes carry people dressed in their favorite tour team colors complete with aerodynamic helmets and skin tight bicycle tights across the country highways.

Well, when I set out to exercise I set out for sport. You will rarely see me at the gym or on my road bike wearing natural fibers or street clothes. For me its not just about having the right tools for the job, its also about comfort. Modern synthetic sports clothes are created through several R and D test sessions. Because of this they wick away sweat, keep you cool and don't chaff. The Germans really have something with their sport uniform. I suppose this should be unsurprising considering the culture's love of form following function as seen in their superb cars.

Prost!

2008-02-21T11:55:00.000-06:00

My archaeological fieldwork has taken me to the Mississippi Delta, north Mississippi, and Bavaria Germany. One thing all these destinations have in common is an appreciation of beer. Or perhaps its just that archaeologists appreciate beer. After all, is there a better way to cool of from a long day of carefully shaving thin layers of Mississippi dirt or walking long transects across vast, unevenly plowed Bavarian field? As the wise Kudzu Kings once sang, "I love beer..." It is in this spirit that I'm helping to set up a beer club. I have a feeling that it will also become a bastardized student anthropology club.

Back in the Saddle

2008-02-19T11:47:00.000-06:00

Sunday I rode again for the first time since my fall. We rode inside to stay out of the strong wind. Regalo did really well, which means he didn't get frustrated and responded to all of my cues. His performance reflects on mine and since he did well that means I relayed my signals correctly.

Regalo spends much of his time like a horse is designed to spend time - in the pasture. Unfortunately with all of the rain we've had lately he's looking a bit shabby. Nicholas described him as the horse equivalent of a hobo. Obviously this must be fixed. I will try and post before and after pictures. Regalo really does clean up nicely.

An Early Stop

2008-02-14T19:11:00.000-06:00

I often refer to my Paso Fino gelding as my 800lb dog. The thing is horses aren't as connected to people as dogs. I'm sure there are folks that would argue, but hear me out. Horses are a bit too large to have in your house and around people during everyday activities in urban environments. Horses are not carnivores and therefore unlike dogs do not share our hunting instincts. Despite these differences horses have proven very useful throughout history and today they are pets, police, and sport teammates.

Regalo is a typical Paso Fino. He's around 14 hands high with a short back, thick hocks, mane and tail for days, thick crest on his neck, and lots of brio. He's 12 now, but most people think he's younger than 10. Pasos, like a lot of less tampered with breeds, mature slower than say a Thoroughbred. Regalo is normally sure-footed and hard to spook. However, a couple weeks ago I rode him when it was windy and I was nervous. Wind, a nervous rider, and a smart horse that doesn't want to be ridden that afternoon leads to a very exciting ride. On the way back to the barn Regalo decided he was done. He bucked twice (this is a new move for him...he used to not be able to get both back legs up at once) and I stayed on, but then I leaned forward hoping to hang on for a quick ride straight to the barn. What I got was a third buck combined with a sideways move to the left. I landed to the right on my backside. Regalo ran to the barn.
Two weeks later I still can't do all of my gym exercises due to the pain in my lower, lower back. I should note here that I'm not seriously injured, just really bruised and that the incident was as much my fault as the horse's. Plus, in the world of equestrian sports, everyone falls or is thrown at least once. In the eleven years I've owned Regalo, I've only left his back early three times now. Not too bad in my opinion.

An Afternoon in the Park

2008-02-12T14:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Chorni and I went to Avent Park and met a group of people who had the same idea I did. They brought their dogs to the park to let them run off leash on the baseball field. After some through-the-fence introductions, Chorni went in and played quite well with these three strange dogs. I was overjoyed! This incident convinced me that when Chorni and any other dog he meets can sniff each other, they will get along. Chorni still needs some more socializing, but I think this play group is a good start.