Lefty starts school today. I hope he and his teacher slept well last night. His seasoned instructor, Monty, should not be suffering from a stomach tied in knots or a clenched jaw from worrying about the new student occupying Stall No. 1 on the left side of the aisle.
Monty won't have too much trouble memorizing his name either. The vet technician the other day said to forget all that stuff about Ravenwood Mokadot and just wrote "Lefty" on the form.
Ravenwood Mokadot might get announced at shows a few times if Lefty turns out to be a nice little Western horse and if someone decides to ride him in a show.
Western Pleasure and Bombproof Behavioral Science are his double majors at the Monty Collison (not to be confused with COLLISION) College of Equine Education.
When he graduates from his preliminary training stint next month, I'm hoping that other family members will enjoy riding Lefty when I take off down the road on Lily.
When he graduates from his preliminary training stint next month, I'm hoping that other family members will enjoy riding Lefty when I take off down the road on Lily.
Debbie loves our little, plump, kind-hearted guy so I have a feeling she'll climb on him a time or two, and probably Annie whenever she comes home for visits.
While Lefty's at school, I'll probably keep riding Heather and giving her more experience under saddle.
Haven't had the phone ringing off the hook this weekend after the Nickel's Worth ad to sell her. In fact, the only response I've received came from the lady who used to caretake the place where Heather was born. She recognized her by the description in the ad and told me she used to refer to Heather as her "little fairy princess."
My attitude is that if the "little fairy princess" is meant to stay here, she'll stay. If the right person comes along with a nice home and a knowledgeable kind hand with horses, she may go. We'll just have to see what's in the cards.
Speaking of horses, I'm a member of and equine freelance writers' newsgroup, and my in-box with comments from newsgroup members has been busier than usual lately.
I'm usually a day late and a dollar short on tuning in to what's going on in a lot of the world around me, and when I tuned in to their half-dozen or so notes per hour this weekend, I realized they were sharing news about something rather magnificent in the horse world.
It's called the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and it's a lot like soccer's World Cup. Every four years these games occur somewhere in the world, and this year they're in Kentucky. I copied a news release from Saturday's opener, and I'll be paying closer attention to those emails for the next two weeks.
These writers come from all over the world, and they're there to cover the huge event at the Kentucky Horse Park. They also have the inside scoop on a lot of what's happening behind the scenes too. For example, the notes began to fly when a participant in the opening ceremony fell off his horse just outside the arena.
Seems he's a well-known and well-loved cowboy dressage specialist. He suffered a heart attack and then ruptured his spleen in the fall. The last I read from the equine freelancers, he's not out of the woods, but, according to those who know him, he's a fighter.
Below is the opening ceremony news release which gives highlights about the event for anyone who's interested in following it on TV or for those who have the means and time to actually attend. You can learn more about WEG by visiting the website at http://www.alltechfeigames.com/.
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Games open with inspiring ceremony
Staff Writer
The first day of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games came to a close Sept. 25 with a total attendance of 23,081 and an opening ceremony unlike any other.
Spectators packed the stands of the Rolex Stadium, which was transformed from an already impressive arena into a decorated stage with dozens of lights and spectacular performers.
The ceremony did not disappoint with hundreds of talented equestrians, singers, dancers and an orchestra all coming together to showcase the horse, Kentucky and the United States.
Forty different acts were featured in the opening ceremony each adding something special. From a Thoroughbred race reenactment to Western roping and riding, audience members were able to see the versatility of the horse. Audience members also saw exciting drill teams, a legendary quadrille performed by Friesian horses and a Mardi Gras-style parade.
The entire ceremony, directed and produced by Dr. Everett McCorvey, was choreographed visually and musically. Singers and musicians at the ceremony included Kentuckian Wynonna Judd; opera stars Denyce Graves, Cynthia Lawrence and Ronan Tynan; Sarah Lee Guthrie; Cherryholmes; and Jazz at Lincoln Center among other notables.
Equestrian entertainers included Culver Academies, Mario Contreras, Stacy Westfall, Tommie Turvey, Dan James, Vince Bruce, the California Cowgirls, Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls, Eitan Beth-Halachmy and more.
Governor Steve Beshear, Mayor Jim Newberry and FEI President HRH Princess Haya all spoke during the ceremony. World-renowned boxing legend, humanitarian and Kentucky native Muhammad Ali also made a special apperance.
If you missed the opening ceremony, don’t worry, there are 15 more days of competition at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.Click here to purchase tickets now.
About the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games:
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are the world championships of eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
About the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games:
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are the world championships of eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
The Games are held every four years and this will be the first occurrence in the United States. Tickets to the 2010 Games are still available and can be purchased at www.alltechfeigames.com/tickets, at www.ticketmaster.com, through the Ticketmaster hotline at 1-800-745-3000, or at your local Ticketmaster outlet.
The Games will be broadcast on NBC Sports, which marks the largest commitment to network coverage of equestrian sport in U.S. television history.
The Games will be broadcast on NBC Sports, which marks the largest commitment to network coverage of equestrian sport in U.S. television history.
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