Doing Things Right, Doing Things Wrong?

For the second time in the last few days I am not exactly going to post in the manner which my readers are accustomed to here. Yes, I admit, this post will be a slight bit snarky and sarcastic in delivery. That said, and with apologies in advance, we shall begin.

Okay, here it is. A picture is worth 1000 words, right? And, naturally, we can tell exactly what lead to the image being taken simply by viewing the picture? We know exactly how, what, where, when and why? This is just incredibly offensive, I realize, but here goes...witness the abuse for yourselves:

What I fail to understand is this ~ a photograph is one moment in time. Now, many of us judge things by the pictures we see, but really, how much do we know without being there, being involved and understanding all the facts surrounding any one, singular photograph?

As has been stated previously, there is only so much we can possibly know about the details of any particular photograph without being there. If we are going to attack based on a picture, we need more background (unless ~ yes, there are a couple of caveats ~ something obviously and noticeably dangerous is going on, there is obvious abuse or something similar). There is just no way, shape or form most of us can possibly know for certain what preceded or followed the taking of any photograph unless we were present at it's taking.

When the afore-posted picture was initially ripped apart on the Fugly Horse of the Day blog in the comments section, this is what I posted in response to that attack:

I actually use a bitting rig during groundwork (bitting & longeing), and, of course, use the bitting harness itself for longline/ground driving work. Funny thing is, the picture being bitched about was from a very quick impromptu photo session as the sun was starting to set...and the horse is in a double bridle ~ I never bit my horses (nor longline them) in the double! Sigh. :)

Perhaps in light of the existence of this photograph, and its presence on my website, I should retract the part about "never" bitting my horses in the double bridle. Here is photographic PROOF that I did, after all!! Shame on me.

Herein lies the rub, do any of the few who took offense to this singular picture on my website actually know anything about my training program? My horses? My clients' horses? How all of the above are trained? No. Are they present for the day-to-day training sessions on any horse I work, ride or have in training? Indeed not. Have any of them, at any time, seen me work, school, ride or show a horse? Have they any clue whatsoever about things that go on here, or how any of my horses, or my clients' horses, are worked, schooled, ridden or shown? Naturally, the answer to that is also a resounding no.

So there you have it, such a horribly abusive picture, from my very own website, offered up for public consumption and critique. But to be fair, the only way in which you are allowed to critique this photo is if you have firsthand knowledge of what fantastical horror the horse endured in order to capture that one moment in time. Right? Right. ;)

Have a GREAT day!!

~SFTS

We Made The News Again!!

In a VERY GOOD way!

Pictured in today's newspaper was the lovely Half-Arabian Palomino filly I have been showing all year for a client, there was a very nice mention of our most recent show ring victories and my exciting debut in the "Ask The Trainer" column.

You know, there is nothing better than being able to join in and enjoy the success of others, particularly those who have spent a lifetime working hard to get where they are. Most of my clients are those sort of people, who spend many years and many dollars (which they often do not have to spend lightly or loosely) to get where they want to be in the show ring ~ and just in harmony with their horses, period.

I have spent my life working for the benefit of horses and their owners, to help them and aid in clearing paths to success for each horse and rider team. Nothing beats the pride of watching a pair you have nurtured come along, through tough times and difficulties, to shine in the show ring or excel in whatever endeavor they chose.

That is what I dedicated my life to three decades ago.

To have the endeavors and successes of those wonderful clients with their phenomenal horses lauded by third parties is not merely icing on the cake. They are not only being recognized by me, but by our peers in the show ring and in the community. I raise my glass to them and tip my hat. Cheers!! You done good!!

While I am not a rich woman, nor have ever desired to be, I have wealth beyond measure in my relationships.

Today I dedicate this blog to all the countless clients who have been so incredible over all these years, to the wonderful members of this equestrian community we live in and to my peers that are always so supportive of all that we do. There is no greater or finer group of human beings than you.

~SFTS

What In Hell Were You Thinking?

I began this blog back in July as a happy, positive place to exchange equestrian ideas, talk about horses and generally enjoy ourselves. That is what I have wanted from day one, and as the rules were laid out in the beginning, this blog was never to become a flamefest, a place for arguing or anything other than an enjoyable experience.

During that time, when this blog was begun, I had already been engaging in some not-so-nice exchanges with a few very ugly people on several different blogs, which is what cemented my decision to begin this one. Having good, educational discussions was paramount to making this blog a success, and I have tried to follow that high road.

Sometimes it is not so easy, particularly pertaining to the fact that certain individuals are still making nasty, snide comments about me, about my clients, about my business and other equally absurd things.

But, I have tried. Until today.

***DISCLAIMER***

This is not going to be a nice blog entry. Nor will it be a regular feature of this blog, to travel in this direction. But, sometimes what needs to be done, needs to be done.

That said and out of the way, I will begin:

* * * * * * * *

I received your little "package" today, Christine Tally. Thank you SO much for making sure it went into the hands of my landlord, who passed it directly to my husband. That was sarcasm in case you happened to miss it.

Some time ago I figured out that you had already hacked into my email address. How nice of you to hack into not one, but TWO email addresses. Were you aware of that being a Federal crime? A felony?

This is now being pursued by the Sheriff's Department as well as the FBI as a cyber crime.

* * * * * * * *

Loyal readers, thank you for sitting through this with me. This certainly is NOT what I had in mind for my blog, nor is it what I envisioned having to deal with today.

To those who are aiding and abetting this individual, or those who, like Dena Joy Rodacker of Minnesota, who are accomplices in this crime, or who received illicitly accessed emails from my accounts as well as those who received any information from Christine Tally in any way related to me, my family and my business by illicit means due to Mrs Tally's theft of our personal paperwork, and to those who have threatened to extort us in relation to the above, do not be surprised by a telephone call or personal visit from law enforcement.

What goes around, comes around.

Tomorrow, it's back to horses.

~SFTS

As Promised, Show Results!

On September 20th the Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association held their final High Point Series show for the year.

A student of mine brought home unanimous first places under both judges in Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter, Walk/Trot-Leadline Showmanship 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Equitation 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Pleasure 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Country Pleasure 10 & Under and Walk/Trot Western Horsemanship 10 & Under. She was second under both judges in Youth Halter 17 & Under, Youth Showmanship 17 & Under, Walk/Trot Western Country Pleasure and Walk/Trot Trail 10 & Under. The only class where she had trouble was in the Western Pleasure class, where she was fourth under both judges.

In addition, Alyssa won her Daily High Point Walk/Trot English 10 & Under and Walk/Trot Western 10 & Under unanimously...plus she wrapped up her Year End High Point Championship in Walk/Trot English 10 & Under and Reserve Championship in Walk/Trot Western 10 & Under!! This has been a circuit that's had VERY tough competition all year, with a thriving W/T division and we all could not be more thrilled!

On October 3rd the Sun Country Horsemen's Association held their final High Point Series show for the year as well.

I have been competing with a yearling palomino filly owned by a client, and we brought home a unanimous first in the Late Yearlings/Foals of 2008 class (along with wrapping up our Year End High Point Championship in that division), placed second and fifth in the Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter class (wrapping up our Year End High Point Reserve Championship in that division) and she won the Yearling Longeline Futurity Championship unanimously!!

Then, the student who was showing was 3rd/3rd in the Arabian & Half-Arabian Halter, 1st/2nd in the Youth Halter, won the Youth Showmanship unanimously, placed 1st/3rd in the Walk/Trot Pleasure, 1st/2nd in the Walk/Trot Equitation and 1st/2nd in the Walk/Trot Country Pleasure, bringing home the Daily High Point for the Walk/Trot 12 & Under division (this student is not going for YEHP at this show) ~ Western and English are combined here for the W/T, she showed Hunt seat English.

We are anxiously awaiting the Year End Awards Banquets for both Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association in Apple Valley and Sun Country Horsemen's Association in Hesperia!!

~SFTS

Getting it right...

What a week!!

Okay, lets hope to get this right this time, now that Fall is starting to settle in ~ with a post as close to every day as I can manage.

I will have results of the Sun Country Horsemen's Association show from October 3rd tomorrow, and I've got a plethora of topics to cover in the coming days, weeks, months.

Until then, stay warm and dry!!

~SFTS

Post for Thursday, October 1st ~ What To Use On Your Horse?

This topic is about after the horse is clipped, bathed, clean and at the showgrounds when you're getting ready to enter the ring. For the sake of conversation, we have unloaded the horses off the trailer, pulled sheets or blankets and are in the process of grooming.

I have a great many things on my list of "gotta have's" for show ring finishing touches. One of them is Absorbine Super Shine hoof polish, used after cleaning with a damp rag and buffing, followed by using Ultra Hoof Enhancer spray.

Next I'll follow up a good, healthy brushing with a light spray of Ultra, Pepi or Grand Champion. These oil based sprays are NOT recommended for dusty showgrounds where the wind blows consistently, or for daylong shows where you're unable to wash the horse off between classes, because they attract dirt like mad.

Mane care depends on the horse, with Hunter seat English horses being braided, and stock breed horses being banded (which I'll do at home after preliminary pulling, followed up by trimming once the mane is banded). Pretty much the same goes for tails, minus the banding. Our Arabians (aside from those braided by necessity for the Hunter, Dressage and Sport Horse divisions) are mandated to have long, natural manes and tails. Sometimes a light spraying of Grand Champion, but again, like the coat, manes and tails will get full of dirt quickly, so it's best to avoid these products unless you have a means to wash the horse every so often throughout the day. ;)

Other than the actual braiding and banding itself, that's pretty much it. In future installments, I'll cover those topics as well. Happy showing!!

~SFTS

Post for Wednesday, September 30th ~ Getting Your Tack and Show Clothes Ready

Oooops, I did it again. By the time I got in from the barn last night, too tired to post on the blog, so here we are again belated. Sorry!! :)

This time around we're discussing getting ready for the big day, horse show day, by making sure everything other than your horse is clean, prepared and all set to be packed up.

For me, I have certain products I use on my tack, just like I do on my horses. My mainstay is Lexol, but Ko Cho Line, Horsemen's One Step and Oakwood are other favorites. First I want the leather clean, and that means using a good cleaner and really getting down into the tooling on Western saddles, for instance. That can be a tough order, let me tell you! I use a fairly stiff toothbrush and several soft rags, which do the job well. Then it's time to condition the leather, leaving it soft and supple.

If you need to rejuvenate, darken or supple up your leather, Neatsfoot Oil is the ticket ~ soaking will produce the best results, but you must remember to wipe off the excess oil, then clean + condition as usual or risk staining both your horse and your show clothes. For my Western saddle suede seats, as well as suede chaps, I really like the KIWI Suede & Nubuck cleaner.

Moving on, I wash my bits in an anti-bacterial dish soap, followed by rinsing them well and both towel and air drying fully before beginning the polishing process. For stainless and chrome, I use English Custom Polish's products. Expensive, but worth it. On my silver, my preference is Hagerty's Silversmith Spray. Been using it for many years, and it's still the best. Lightly spraying on a soft rag, wipe the silver, let it dry and then buff it, your silver will gleam like never before.

Another essential is ensuring your show clothes are clean, pressed and ready to roll. If you need to have anything dry cleaned, get them in long before you need to be packing!! Depending on the item of clothing, I will either hand wash in Woolite or machine wash on the "gentle" cycle, and hang to dry. Remember, this includes your boots (which need to be cleaned and polished ~ I use KIWI Parade Gloss) and your hats (which I will take to the dry cleaner, too)! Investing in a good hat cleaning sponge as well as a higher end lint roller is a must, too.

Make sure everything is spic and span, up to and including your horse's blankets and other horsewear, so that you'll arrive at the big event looking like you belong.

~SFTS