The Horse-Mask Guy

By Kitson

According to the website DCist, Jimmy Kruyne, "just wanted to brighten people's moods on a dark, doom-filled day" when Hurricane Sandy came to town. No, he wasn't delivering flowers or paying it forward in the nation's capital, he bared his chest, put on a horse-head mask and went jogging in 40 degrees of wet, wild and wind. He even managed to interrupt a live hurricane report and ended up on NBC news. Well done Jimmy! You me smile on a dreary day. Check out this blog account from the Washington Post.

Bye Bye WIHS

By Kitson

With Hurricane Sandy on the way in the nation's capital, riders and pit crews packed early yesterday, starting at 6 a.m. By 4:30 p.m. the 6th Street stalls were down without a horse in sight. around the corner on F Street, the stalls were up and nothing left but manure to be carted away in gigantic blue bins. 

Kate Middleton Will Learn To Ride

By Kitson

People magazine reports that Duchess of Cambridge wants to learn to ride a horse. Check it out here. If Lee Pearson ends up giving Kate Middleton lessons, perhaps we'll have an exclusive interview right here on the SweetFeed! Stayed tuned.

Hanna Powers: One Awesome Young Rider

By Kitson

For a long time I didn’t have my own pony. I was just the lesson kid. I constantly remember how lucky I am to get to ride in two places, on my amazing school team and on my awesome pony. I’m living a dream. I’m really lucky. ~ Hanna Powers

Last month I met a wonderful young rider named Hanna Powers. What a great girl –articulate, friendly, humble and a wonderful horse person. We did a little photo shoot, me taking pictures of Hanna and Arielle, one of the school horses she rides at the MadeiraSchool in McLean, VA. Afterwards, we sat in the barn for an interview. We talked horses, what else?

Horses in D.C.

By Eliza

It's WIHS time here in our nation's capital, and the newspaper this weekend has been full of horses.  The first was a big story about War Horse, which is at the Kennedy Center.  I would like to see the play, with its incredible horse puppets and relentlessly great reviews, but. . .

Miranda Lambert's Video. . .With A Beautiful Horse

Here's a look behind the scenes of Miranda Lambert's "Over You" video. . .it features not only Miranda herself, of course, but a very beautiful gray (non-horse people will see him as white) horse.  (The article says he used to be a circus performer.)  And I think you can even see in this photo that this is no I-just-took-a-riding-lesson singer here.  We have a horse person.

Horses and Hockey

My household--and hockey fans everywhere--are very disappointed about the NHL lockout that's going on right now.  Here's an article from the Times' Rail blog about Eddie Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach who is also a horseplayer.  An unusual way to bring the two together. . .

Bring Your Apples

By Kitson

Living in the nation's capital does have its perks. I'm not talking family photos with the Obamas or cherry blossoms in April, I mean Breakfast with the Mounted Police! For years,  the historic Washington International Horse Show (which happens downtown at the Verizon Center October 23 -28) has invited the mounted police from several local jurisdictions and their horses for breakfast. The menu? Coffee, donuts and lots of hay.

How Do Those Clydesdales Get To The Super Bowl?

You can find out here, in this video.  A great collection from the past fifteen years--training, working, and, of course. . .baby Clydes.

Goofy cartoon

Brooke & Jacuzzi

By Kitson

Brooke and Jacuzzi in 2009
Photos courtesy of Suzanne Meyers

In September - twist my arm - I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with a delightful 11-year old horse lover named Brooke. At age 9, Brooke tamed a wild mustang that she named Jacuzzi and won the youth division at the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeover Murfreesboro, TN, the youngest participant ever to win.She bought Jacuzzi with the money she won.