I am now using Twitter to enhance SC-Horse.com, at least, that is my intention!
At this point, at the beginning of each week I will post the upcoming events for the coming weekend.
Whenever new content is added, it will be mentioned on Twitter.
If you have a Twitter account I encourage you to follow SCHorsecom. This will be a great way to be notified of new classified ads, stables and much much more!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Global Warming
The Earth has always gone climate changes and in my opinion the Earth has managed to do this without human help.
So now we (humans) are causing Global Warming. Interesting fact is that global temperatures have not risen since 2001. The temperature has stayed the same have actually dropped. Hmmm, about a decade of holding steady or DROPPING.
You hear about the melting glaciers but do you hear about the ones that are GROWING?
So we (USA) are not pondering the Cap & Trade bill to curb Global Warming. This will raise our energy prices 3x to 4x what we are paying now. Manufacturing will not be able to afford to do business in this country and will move to countries like India and Chine, who started last week during the G8 conference that they have no intention of doing any more to combat Global Warming. So in the end, we destroy out economy further than it already is and the pollution globally will be the same or worse than it is currently.
And so we go............
So now we (humans) are causing Global Warming. Interesting fact is that global temperatures have not risen since 2001. The temperature has stayed the same have actually dropped. Hmmm, about a decade of holding steady or DROPPING.
You hear about the melting glaciers but do you hear about the ones that are GROWING?
So we (USA) are not pondering the Cap & Trade bill to curb Global Warming. This will raise our energy prices 3x to 4x what we are paying now. Manufacturing will not be able to afford to do business in this country and will move to countries like India and Chine, who started last week during the G8 conference that they have no intention of doing any more to combat Global Warming. So in the end, we destroy out economy further than it already is and the pollution globally will be the same or worse than it is currently.
And so we go............
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
It was better when Elvis died!
Why's that?
There were no 24 hour news channels. The national news was presented at 6:30 PM and they only had 30 minutes so they did not dwell on speculation, just the facts. Once the facts were presented on to the next story, DONE!
This, there were morning news programs that digged deeper, however, those shows are designed for people that spend about 15 minutes to catch up on the news and other happenings and off they go for another fun filled day!
With Michael Jackson, too much repetition of speculation. I even saw headlines today stating this is our Princess Diana. Hmmmmmm. He WAS a very talented individual. WAS being the keyword. In the later years he was not a person that I would want to be an inspiration to anyone, if anything, he was a case study of what NOT to be.
It is quite amusing who we choose to be our idols! Truth be known, in the end, Elvis wasn't much of an IDOL type person either and was quite washed up!
Just my thoughts and yes, has nothing to do with horses!
There were no 24 hour news channels. The national news was presented at 6:30 PM and they only had 30 minutes so they did not dwell on speculation, just the facts. Once the facts were presented on to the next story, DONE!
This, there were morning news programs that digged deeper, however, those shows are designed for people that spend about 15 minutes to catch up on the news and other happenings and off they go for another fun filled day!
With Michael Jackson, too much repetition of speculation. I even saw headlines today stating this is our Princess Diana. Hmmmmmm. He WAS a very talented individual. WAS being the keyword. In the later years he was not a person that I would want to be an inspiration to anyone, if anything, he was a case study of what NOT to be.
It is quite amusing who we choose to be our idols! Truth be known, in the end, Elvis wasn't much of an IDOL type person either and was quite washed up!
Just my thoughts and yes, has nothing to do with horses!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Additional Services from SC-Horse.com
I am now offering the following services in addition to what is traditionally on SC-Horse.com.
Equine Related Website or Page
Last year the SaltBlock Gazette
ran an article on ways to promote your equestrian business. One of the top things mention was an internet presence.
SC-Horse.com can create a totally functional website for you or you can simply have a page which is hosted right off of the SC-Horse.com website.
Check out www.bearcreekstables.net to see a fully functional website by SC-Horse.com!
eMail Account
Need an new email address or just tired of what you are using. You can have a yourname@sc-horse.com address! There is NO advertising attached to emails! All email is virus checked!
Trail Mapping
Do you have horse trails but no maps? SC-Horse.com can map your trails!
For more details on these services please click on the SC-Horse.com logo at the bottom of the SC-Horse.com home page!
Equine Related Website or Page
Last year the SaltBlock Gazette
ran an article on ways to promote your equestrian business. One of the top things mention was an internet presence.SC-Horse.com can create a totally functional website for you or you can simply have a page which is hosted right off of the SC-Horse.com website.
Check out www.bearcreekstables.net to see a fully functional website by SC-Horse.com!
eMail Account
Need an new email address or just tired of what you are using. You can have a yourname@sc-horse.com address! There is NO advertising attached to emails! All email is virus checked!
Trail Mapping
Do you have horse trails but no maps? SC-Horse.com can map your trails!
For more details on these services please click on the SC-Horse.com logo at the bottom of the SC-Horse.com home page!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Horse Shows
My favorite horse events are the timed events such as barrel racing and pole bending. Why? Because they are not subject to horse politics and opinions of individuals who tend to favor the people they know. With timed events, it is what it is.
My first experience with a horse show was at The Egyptian Event at the Kentucky Horse Park. In one of the events a VERY young boy was halter showing. He was a crowd favorite and he won. However, the horse he had could have done it's thing without the young boy. Come to find out, he won the previous year. In the end, the question must be raised, did the best horse and person combination win. The general concenus was, "NO!"
On the final night of the show it was all about the stallions. The final night was broadcast live on Saudi Arabian TV. There was a Saudi Arabian prince who had his horses being shown, and if his horses were entered, they won. The very final event was between 3 stallions. Once from Texas and two that the Saudi prince owned. I am no expert when it comes to such things and from what I saw it was between the Texas horse and ONE of the prince's horse. As you notice I emphasis ONE of the prince's horses. His second horse was totally of control and performed horribly. However, the prince's horses came in 1st and 2nd with the Texas horse coming in 3rd. It was all about politics and giving the Saudia Aranian TV audience what they wanted. SO VERY SAD!
All of this of course is very apparent at the local South Carolina shows as well. Local judges tend to favor the local kids that they know. Visiting kids are at a huge disadvantage. It can be quite apparent when the announcers make a big deal, as the kids are competing in the arena, about how great the local kids are looking and say nothing when the the visitors are competing. These arenas need to remember the visitors are spending money and time hauling their horses to their shows and paying for the classes as well as paying for their concessions. If they are not treated fairly, guess what, they ain't coming back, your reputation for such tactics will spread and your revenue will drop.
My brother-in-law recently attended a Hunter/Jumper show where his daughter was competing. He actually stood next to judges who would go gaw gaw over the local kids and when the visiting kids were competing, they would not even watch and spent the time having conversations on topics not even related to horses. UNACCECTABLE
In the end, this does no good for the kids. The kids that win that shouldn't have start to get the attitude that they are better than they are and this will slow their improvement. The kids that deserve to win get fed up and QUIT. Not all facilities host competitions so not everyone has the advantage of being on the home turf.
If you experience and witness bad judging behavior you need to inform the people running that show and explain if this is the type of show they run, then you will not be back and you will share your view with others. I have seen new show circuits start in South Carolina because of the unfair judging that is going on.
Once concept might be to doing judging like a high school band competition. Judges feel out juding forms which have different captions for what they are judging. They may comments on the forms. They could make audio tapes where they comment on the individuals performance as it takes place. With a band, the goal is to get feedback on how you are doing. You have your band directors opinion, but this gives another perspective. It is a tool for improvement. I believe people go to horse shows for the fun of competition and to learn. What better way to learn than to hear some comments from the judges. A summary of all scores should also be posted for review by all.
This is just my 2 cents and my solution would not solve the issue but I think it would help. There is politics in band competions as well.
Let me know your thoughts, LEAVE A COMMENT!
My first experience with a horse show was at The Egyptian Event at the Kentucky Horse Park. In one of the events a VERY young boy was halter showing. He was a crowd favorite and he won. However, the horse he had could have done it's thing without the young boy. Come to find out, he won the previous year. In the end, the question must be raised, did the best horse and person combination win. The general concenus was, "NO!"
On the final night of the show it was all about the stallions. The final night was broadcast live on Saudi Arabian TV. There was a Saudi Arabian prince who had his horses being shown, and if his horses were entered, they won. The very final event was between 3 stallions. Once from Texas and two that the Saudi prince owned. I am no expert when it comes to such things and from what I saw it was between the Texas horse and ONE of the prince's horse. As you notice I emphasis ONE of the prince's horses. His second horse was totally of control and performed horribly. However, the prince's horses came in 1st and 2nd with the Texas horse coming in 3rd. It was all about politics and giving the Saudia Aranian TV audience what they wanted. SO VERY SAD!
All of this of course is very apparent at the local South Carolina shows as well. Local judges tend to favor the local kids that they know. Visiting kids are at a huge disadvantage. It can be quite apparent when the announcers make a big deal, as the kids are competing in the arena, about how great the local kids are looking and say nothing when the the visitors are competing. These arenas need to remember the visitors are spending money and time hauling their horses to their shows and paying for the classes as well as paying for their concessions. If they are not treated fairly, guess what, they ain't coming back, your reputation for such tactics will spread and your revenue will drop.
My brother-in-law recently attended a Hunter/Jumper show where his daughter was competing. He actually stood next to judges who would go gaw gaw over the local kids and when the visiting kids were competing, they would not even watch and spent the time having conversations on topics not even related to horses. UNACCECTABLE
In the end, this does no good for the kids. The kids that win that shouldn't have start to get the attitude that they are better than they are and this will slow their improvement. The kids that deserve to win get fed up and QUIT. Not all facilities host competitions so not everyone has the advantage of being on the home turf.
If you experience and witness bad judging behavior you need to inform the people running that show and explain if this is the type of show they run, then you will not be back and you will share your view with others. I have seen new show circuits start in South Carolina because of the unfair judging that is going on.
Once concept might be to doing judging like a high school band competition. Judges feel out juding forms which have different captions for what they are judging. They may comments on the forms. They could make audio tapes where they comment on the individuals performance as it takes place. With a band, the goal is to get feedback on how you are doing. You have your band directors opinion, but this gives another perspective. It is a tool for improvement. I believe people go to horse shows for the fun of competition and to learn. What better way to learn than to hear some comments from the judges. A summary of all scores should also be posted for review by all.
This is just my 2 cents and my solution would not solve the issue but I think it would help. There is politics in band competions as well.
Let me know your thoughts, LEAVE A COMMENT!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Waxhaw Tack Exhange
The Waxhaw Tack Exchange is located in Waxhaw, NC just across the SC border just south of Charlotte.
I visited the store for the first time May 16, 2009 and had a great time. The Prendergast that runs the operation were great down to earth people.
My wife had discovered this place on the web http://www.waxhawtackexchange.com/ some time ago and we finally had the chance to check it out. From a saddle perspective, they have a a tone of english saddles and a few western. I have been looking for a western stlye endurance saddle and I actually found one. It was a used saddle which is what I wanted. The really nice thing is they allow you to take the saddle home, NO CHARGE, and test it out to make sure it works with you and your horse. You have 48 hours before you have to return it or purchase it. Since my was used, I called in and made an offer on what I wanted to pay. A day later, they called back and informed me the offer was accepted and I OKed the charge. This is a great way of doing business!
Anyway, it is worth checking out if you have some time and are in the area.
HINT: If you are coming up I-77 from Columbia, once you are in the Blythewood area get off I-77 and take HWY 21. For the most part it is 55 MPH and is a beautiful drive with little traffic. And if you come up on a slow vehicle, there are plenty of LONG STRAIGHT areas where you can easily pass!
I visited the store for the first time May 16, 2009 and had a great time. The Prendergast that runs the operation were great down to earth people.
My wife had discovered this place on the web http://www.waxhawtackexchange.com/ some time ago and we finally had the chance to check it out. From a saddle perspective, they have a a tone of english saddles and a few western. I have been looking for a western stlye endurance saddle and I actually found one. It was a used saddle which is what I wanted. The really nice thing is they allow you to take the saddle home, NO CHARGE, and test it out to make sure it works with you and your horse. You have 48 hours before you have to return it or purchase it. Since my was used, I called in and made an offer on what I wanted to pay. A day later, they called back and informed me the offer was accepted and I OKed the charge. This is a great way of doing business!
Anyway, it is worth checking out if you have some time and are in the area.
HINT: If you are coming up I-77 from Columbia, once you are in the Blythewood area get off I-77 and take HWY 21. For the most part it is 55 MPH and is a beautiful drive with little traffic. And if you come up on a slow vehicle, there are plenty of LONG STRAIGHT areas where you can easily pass!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
SC-Horse.com Reference Page
I have started a new page here on SC-Horse.com call the Reference Page. This will grow to be a one stop shop when you are searching for valuable information in regards to horses. What I envision is having sections as follows:
So what started this? Hmmm, being around horse people who make some pretty interesting statements about horses which I am not sold on. So I do some research and learn the truth. So I am starting with Myths!
If you have any suggestions for various sections, not mentioned above, and/or suggested links for specific areas, please send them my way! schorse@sc-horse.com
- Health
- Nutrition
- Training
So what started this? Hmmm, being around horse people who make some pretty interesting statements about horses which I am not sold on. So I do some research and learn the truth. So I am starting with Myths!
If you have any suggestions for various sections, not mentioned above, and/or suggested links for specific areas, please send them my way! schorse@sc-horse.com
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hitchcock Woods
This past weekend what was suppose to be 9 people and 9 horses headed to Hitchcock Woods ended up being 3 people and 3 horses. The 3 of us that went LOVED it and we are making sure the other 6 know it!
It is truly a fabulous place to take your horses and have a really great ride. I will not go into any detail here since you can read the details in the Trail Review I did.
Our day was VERY peacefull as we saw very few other people, either on horseback or on foot. Have no clue what a typical weekend is like at Hitchcock, but we felt like we pretty much had the place to ourselves and the weather could not have been better!
It is truly a fabulous place to take your horses and have a really great ride. I will not go into any detail here since you can read the details in the Trail Review I did.
Our day was VERY peacefull as we saw very few other people, either on horseback or on foot. Have no clue what a typical weekend is like at Hitchcock, but we felt like we pretty much had the place to ourselves and the weather could not have been better!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Off to Hitchcock Woods
This weekend a few of us will be heading to Hitchcock Woods in Aiken with our horses to check out their trails. None of us have ever been there, but we have heard great things about the trails.
This will be the conclusion of a really hectic two weeks of work. Last weekend, March 14 & 15 we had horrible weather so there basically was no horse time. However, I also had to work that Saturday so it was nice to look out the windows and see it raining, otherwise I would have looked out and be hating life as I would have much rather been riding Fancy.
Check out the trail reviews next week to see my thoughts and opinions on the Hitchcock Woods trails.
This will be the conclusion of a really hectic two weeks of work. Last weekend, March 14 & 15 we had horrible weather so there basically was no horse time. However, I also had to work that Saturday so it was nice to look out the windows and see it raining, otherwise I would have looked out and be hating life as I would have much rather been riding Fancy.
Check out the trail reviews next week to see my thoughts and opinions on the Hitchcock Woods trails.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Natural High
Sometime back in January I had a rare opportunity to ride Fancy alone. I love riding Fancy in different situations as she behaves differently. If there are a bunch of horses and she is in the lead, she becomes responsible and even with spurs she can be hard to even get into a trot. Of course, there are a couple areas where she can go into a full gallop and in those situations there is no hesitation. If there are but a couple horses tagging along, she is more apt to do a more spirited ride.
The most fun, is when it is just the two of us alone. It takes very little prodding (no spurs) to get her going however I want her to go. I need to state as well, that when I have determined it is time to slow down she will respond quickly and do as I ask.
On this January day my wife had a sewing customer to meet on a Friday afternoon, so I headed to the barn by myself. There are some young girls who apparently leave think I am their leader as I can lead some fun rides. However, on this day, my goal was to get Fancy tacked and ready to go and get the Hell out of Dodge before anyone had a chance to slow me down. I barely made! I was also on a mission as my barn had just moved to a new location and I am mapping (GPSing) all the trails and the main trail had yet to be mapped. Since it was a longer trail and daylight is a precious thing this time of year, we were on a mission!
The ride was the most spirited Fancy and I had ever done. At our old barn, there was only so much you could do on 30 acres. Now we had 450 acres with long areas suited for cantering and galloping. Plenty of room for Fancy to exercise the Foundation Quarter Horse in her that her daddy gave to her. There is a part of the main trail called Paul's Hill because it is the perfect place for Fancy and Paul to take off. I need to measure the distance of this area to see if it is a quarter mile as when we get to the end she is quite willing to slow it down.
When the ride was over, I was high, just from the thrill of the ride. This feeling lasted pretty much through the weekend as I kept reliving just how great it was. Through any issues that my wife have in life, and there are always issues in living your life, we have always found that a visit with the horses takes the edge off. Some of my greatest thinking comes on the back of Fancy!
If life is stressing you out, you need to spend more time with your horse. I love any ride I go on whether it is just my wife and I or there are 10 horses following me. But there will also be something special with just Fancy and I taking off by ourselves into the woods. It is rare, but I cherish it those rare times when they occur. Perhaps it isn't the wisest thing to do, taking off by yourself on a horse, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. You only live once and we may as well enjoy as much of as possible.
The most fun, is when it is just the two of us alone. It takes very little prodding (no spurs) to get her going however I want her to go. I need to state as well, that when I have determined it is time to slow down she will respond quickly and do as I ask.
On this January day my wife had a sewing customer to meet on a Friday afternoon, so I headed to the barn by myself. There are some young girls who apparently leave think I am their leader as I can lead some fun rides. However, on this day, my goal was to get Fancy tacked and ready to go and get the Hell out of Dodge before anyone had a chance to slow me down. I barely made! I was also on a mission as my barn had just moved to a new location and I am mapping (GPSing) all the trails and the main trail had yet to be mapped. Since it was a longer trail and daylight is a precious thing this time of year, we were on a mission!
The ride was the most spirited Fancy and I had ever done. At our old barn, there was only so much you could do on 30 acres. Now we had 450 acres with long areas suited for cantering and galloping. Plenty of room for Fancy to exercise the Foundation Quarter Horse in her that her daddy gave to her. There is a part of the main trail called Paul's Hill because it is the perfect place for Fancy and Paul to take off. I need to measure the distance of this area to see if it is a quarter mile as when we get to the end she is quite willing to slow it down.
When the ride was over, I was high, just from the thrill of the ride. This feeling lasted pretty much through the weekend as I kept reliving just how great it was. Through any issues that my wife have in life, and there are always issues in living your life, we have always found that a visit with the horses takes the edge off. Some of my greatest thinking comes on the back of Fancy!
If life is stressing you out, you need to spend more time with your horse. I love any ride I go on whether it is just my wife and I or there are 10 horses following me. But there will also be something special with just Fancy and I taking off by ourselves into the woods. It is rare, but I cherish it those rare times when they occur. Perhaps it isn't the wisest thing to do, taking off by yourself on a horse, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. You only live once and we may as well enjoy as much of as possible.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Happy New Year
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
My company decided to shut down for 2 weeks and I had a forced vacation. In the end, I was thankful for this as the place where I board my horses lost it's lease. So I spent 2 weeks tearing down shelters and moving horses to a new place.
Apparently the property owner has issues, his issues are many. He gave us until Feb 1 to get out and started turning off water, power and sending eviction notices. Thus, I pushed to get out by the 1st of January to get away from this guy. The fact that every single horse owner moved their horse to the new facility should say something about the people running the business. The property owner, so we hear, assumed they would leave and he would bring someone else in to run the horse bu sines. Kinda hard to do when there are ZERO horses left. It is really amazing the antics and lies one person can produce all the while proclaiming they are devoted Christians. Simply amazing!
Anyway, going from a 30 ace place to a 450 acre place is awesome, so in the end, all is good!
I have started monthly feature on the home page of SC-Horse.com. This will be for you all to write an article about a local equestrian group and get some extra attention. I will take submissions, and they will be posted in the order that I receive them. So, I am looking for 11 submissions to finish out 2009!
Take care and I hope your 2009 is blissful!
Paul
My company decided to shut down for 2 weeks and I had a forced vacation. In the end, I was thankful for this as the place where I board my horses lost it's lease. So I spent 2 weeks tearing down shelters and moving horses to a new place.
Apparently the property owner has issues, his issues are many. He gave us until Feb 1 to get out and started turning off water, power and sending eviction notices. Thus, I pushed to get out by the 1st of January to get away from this guy. The fact that every single horse owner moved their horse to the new facility should say something about the people running the business. The property owner, so we hear, assumed they would leave and he would bring someone else in to run the horse bu sines. Kinda hard to do when there are ZERO horses left. It is really amazing the antics and lies one person can produce all the while proclaiming they are devoted Christians. Simply amazing!
Anyway, going from a 30 ace place to a 450 acre place is awesome, so in the end, all is good!
I have started monthly feature on the home page of SC-Horse.com. This will be for you all to write an article about a local equestrian group and get some extra attention. I will take submissions, and they will be posted in the order that I receive them. So, I am looking for 11 submissions to finish out 2009!
Take care and I hope your 2009 is blissful!
Paul
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