Cari Swanson

Vanessa Rides Tony the Pony

Vanessa enjoys a late summer afternoon ride on Tony after she rode Allez around the paddocks with me.  V is only 3 years old and already showing her talent and love of riding!

Beautiful Summer Day at Windrock

After a fun day hacking through the hunt trails, Mary, Wyatt, Lauren and I took a trip over to the Dutchess County Fair where we visited  cows, goats, sheep, pigs and other animals.  The birthing center had baby animals of many breeds.  We had the famous milk shakes and ate fair food until we were stuffed.  Wyatt won a giant banana that he gave to a little boy who was admiring it.  It was a fun day at the fair with unusually cool weather.  I have never experienced the fair with no sweat and humidity.

Jennifer Garner Bows Mr. T on the Set of Arthur

After several long days of hard work at Old Westbury Gardens on the set of the new film, Arthur, Jennifer Garner bows Mr. T to thank everyone for the successful hours of shooting the horse sequences.  Russell Brand and Jenn were excellent students, learning to work with Mr. T and trust him for each scene.  The entire cast and crew gave Rex and Mr. T a standing ovation at the completion of the day.

Dressage Clinic in NJ

Cari and Bond demonstrate many of the warm up exercises for the participants of the clinic in New Jersey last week.  Eight riders learned how to improve the quality of the horses gaits through a series of riding patterns to create better balance and rhythm.  Everyone improved and we look forward to seeing everyone again in October.

Bonding with your Horse

Fiona reads her book while Goldie grazes in the late afternoon.  Nothing could be better on a summer day than to spend time with your horse relaxing.

Mini Hop in Local Play

Mini was the star of a local play at a camp in Wingdale Sunday evening,

Lauren walked him on stage and handled him with finesse as the audience roared with delight.  The campers were so excited to meet Mini and many have never been close to a horse.

Kids Riding at Windrock Farm

Learning to ride is fun, especially at Windrock Farm when one of the trainers is the man who trained the horses for The Horse Whisperer.  Rex has a special gift teaching kids to be confident and accomplish goals they never dreamed of.  Here is Fiona standing on RJ’s four year old filly after a long hack at Wethersfield.

Working on the Set of Arthur

Cari and Rex working with Mr. T and Lizard on the set of Arthur in Long Island.  The weather held out for the filming to be a success.  Every scene had three cameras on to maximize the coverage for each set up.  The horses worked well and the actors progressively improved with their riding skills as the day progressed.  The film stars Jennifer Garner and Russell Brand.

Rearing Horses for Film

We have to rear Mr. T for an upcoming scene in a film with the two main actors on the horse.  To demonstrate how easy this is on a well schooled horse, we put a novice young rider behind Cari in the saddle and asked T to stand up.  He lifts up effortlessly and waits for Rex to let him down.  There will also be stunt doubles for the main actors if they are not comfortable with the scene.

Opening Night at Bard Summerscape

Bard Summerscape is like a rural version of the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It brings together visual and performing artists as both presenters and audience, creating a cultural center of gravity for the Hudson Valley.  Rex is visiting from California and met up with a colleague, David Straithearn.  They worked together on the film Temple Grandin.