Alberta Equest

Over the weekend I was really lucky to be able to experience The Mane Event in Red Deer, Alberta for the first time in my life.   For those unfamiliar with The Mane Event, it is essentially a giant Horse Expo.   It features many, many vendors in a booth-fair format, various clinics of all different disciplines, exciting entertainment, breed demo’s, a trainers challenge and so much more.   Months ago, 3 great friends/clients and I decided to adventure some 7-hours south in pursuit of a fun-filled ladies weekend.   We’re safely home, surely exhausted, and all of our heads are spinning with the wealth of information we received over the 3 days.   Naturally, we gravitated towards the English Clinics which were put on by Jeff Campf (Hunters and Jumpers) and Diane Creech (Dressage).   We also took in many presentations such as Overcoming Fear in the Saddle, Horse Biomechanics, Equine Bodywork, Schleese Saddlery, and got to attend a Q & A with Jeff as well...

"V" is a 16.2+ 2009 Jockey Club mare by Finality out of a Dixieland Brass mare. She was given to my close friend from her previous employer, who represented Canada at the 1996 Olympics in 3-Day Eventing and continually produces and trains horses to the CCI*3+ with hopes of making it back to the Olympics. V was a potential Olympic hopeful, but unfortunately sustained a suspensory injury that ended her career at that level of riding despite over a year of attempted rehab with some of the best vets available. While i'm sure it was a tough decision as she *really* liked the mare and regularly joked "don't you know you're a red-headed TB mare?!", it wasn't feesible to hang onto her, as she will never likely return to that level of riding again, though she is likely sound for lower level/basic riding and will hopefully be a lovely broodmare. My friend is going through a very transitional stage in her life and is not prepared to do much with her at this t...

While I have an update coming on my horses, I will save that for another day.  In the mean time,  BLOG HOP TIME! Stay Patient and Trust Your Journey As Equestrians, we invest a lot in our expensive habit regardless if we are ammy's just trying to get through the day with one leg on either side of the horse, or professionals riding 5+ head per day.  Everything costs money, and it adds up quick.  Our expenses are often spread out which lessens the blow, but at the end of the day it's still an expensive investment. We often discuss our reoccurring or random expenses, but what about the items we buy that last 1-10 years? I realize it varies daily depending on what you're doing, what the season is, etc.  But on an average ride this time of year, what's your worth ? Though i'm not really riding right now, I will pretend I am. Right now, it's evidently still Winter despite the Calendar saying otherwise.  I go out to catch Kidd to go for a ...