A Chat With Horse Photographer Sue Stickle

By Kitson

In this fantastic image, Sue catches gold-medal event rider Stuart Tinney at the World Equestrian Games in 2010

For years Sue Stickle’s fantastic photos have given a lot of wow-factor to articles I’ve written for horse magazines. Recently I blogged about my article in this month’s Dressage Today, which ended up as the February 2012 cover – I’m guessing  – largely because of Sue’s beautiful image of Tuny Page demonstrating a booming extended trot on her Grand Prix mare, Alina.

Miranda Lambert's Horses

I take quite a bit of ribbing from my friends about being a bit disconnected when it comes to popular culture. Here, however, I am, taking an interest in Miranda Lambert, of whom I am a fan. Of course, I admit that I am taking interest in her offstage life because it involves. . .horses.

She says she has three horses (one is named Zeus, a fact which propelled her even higher in my estimation), and is learning to barrel race. Click here for the story.

Dog Bites Man; or, Man Buys Horse At Car Auction

By Eliza

A New York man went to a car auction and came home with. . .a horse. I have been to plenty of horse auctions, and there can often be random tack or even trailers up for auction as well, but I have never heard of a horse at a car auction before. Peter Vitulli, who knows his Thoroughbreds, bought Sheza Heartbreaker for $16,000. Here is all I have seen of the story, but I might need to find out more. . .

Whip Rules

By Eliza

One of the toughest parts about inviting a novitiate to join you when watching horse racing in particular, but any horse sport in general, is the whips. "Why do you hit horses?" It's an excellent question, and it's something that Great Britain is beginning to regulate. Racing expert Ray Paulick wrote an in-depth and interesting piece about England's rules here.

Helping Haitian horses

By Eliza

A small group went to Haiti last week to help Haitian veterinarians help horses and ponies. In Haiti, many of these are working animals. I am particularly excited about this story because Javier Donatelli, the equine veterinarian who went with the group, has long taken care of my horses. Dr. Donatelli estimates that the team treated 200 horses in Port-au-Prince. Click here for the Washington Post's story on the trip.

Valentine's Day post up at Raceday 360

By Eliza

Ever wonder about racehorses with Valentine in their names or who would give his wife a horse for a Valentine's Day gift? Check out my Outrider column over on www.raceday360.com and find out. Happy Valentine's Day.

Pony Valentines

 By Kitson

The horses of HBO's "Luck"

By Eliza

Just read this interesting Daily Racing Form article about how the horses in HBO's racetrack series Luck are chosen and trained to be television stars. The show has been in the news because two horses have had to be put down, but this article moves beyond that sad fact to discuss details of filming, such as the ways in which trainers prepared horses to be filmed. (Waving a white towel in front of horse-actors in the gate mimicked close-up cameras, and each horse received a grade of A to F on how he dealt with like challenges.)

Kind of like an audition.

Click here to read.

Rest in Peace, Roxy

By Kitson

I feel like Stacy Westfall and I are old friends, even though we've only met by phone and email over the years. When I talked to her last month, she kept to her promise that she'd have time to do a quick interview for a story I was working on, even if it meant sitting in her car for 20 minutes after dark at the grocery store. She needed supplies to make lunches for her boys lunches in the morning. I tried to be brief.

Sleigh Ride

By Kitson

On a ski trip in Pennsylvania this weekend, mother nature treated us to six inches of snow. The fluffy precipitation made for great skiiing, but as the first snowflakes started to fall, my mind (naturally) turned to sleigh riding.

Superbowl Budweiser "Prohibition" Commercial

By Eliza

I was just downstairs watching the Superbowl with my ten-year-old son--I am admittedly not much of a football fan--and he was explaining things to me. I was sort of glazing over when this commercial came on. I am always happy to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, as all of us horse people are, but this one spoke to me especially.