Archive for the "Training" Category
Droid Commercial with Tye
Rex received a last minute call from a production company in LA to bring horse to a commercial for Verizon. Originally they requested a horse to rear under saddle and then gallop off into the desert. When we arrived on set, the director decided he wanted something entirely different. Tye was the Directors pick of the 3 horses Rex brought including Tuff and Copper. You can see in the final commercial his performance is nothing like the original story board. Fortunately the client loved the look and result of the cowboy being knocked to the ground. After the first couple takes I think Tye thought he was supposed to knock the cowboy to the ground, so with each new take he gave it more drama and gusto. Rex and his son Ryan, worked Tye from the ground while I rode a pick up horse with another outrider so that after e we could bring Tye back to the set after each take. Special effects had some difficulty blowing up the explosives, with several duds and a few times of only a black cloud which created a wall so that Tye ran the wrong direction, circling back behind camera to his stablemates. It was a long hot day in the desert, but in the end everyone was thrilled with the result you see here.
Silver and The Lone Ranger
I am fascinated with the history of horses in films and have been researching the horses used in The Lone Ranger. Recently I came across the following from a beautiful book Hollywood Hoofbeats by Petrine Mitchem.
The Lone Ranger began as a radio serial in 1933. The famous fictional partnership between the masked hero and his “fiery horse with the speed of light” began when the Lone Ranger saved Silver, a wild white stallion from a buffalo attack. Clayton Moore portrayed the Lone Ranger in the television series that debuted in 1949. His trademark cry “Hi Yo Silver!” preceded wild gallops in defense of good. The original Silver, formerly White Cloud, was a Tennessee Walker standing 17 hands tall. The twelve year old even-tempered Silver was a natural picture horse.
A second Silver was purchased as a four-year-old in 1949. He was half Arabian and half Saddlebred. He was extremely high strung and required the magic touch of Glenn Randall, Sr. who trained the horse until 1952. Silver number two was used to double the original in the action scenes, often performing the signature Randall famous near vertical rear.
Zenyatta -A Super Horse
I could not believe the power and beauty of this mare running in the Breeders Cup. I found this video of her on youtube that will give you the feel of what it is like to ride her with her mane flying in the wind. Notice how relaxed she is with her ears flopping. Enjoy a unique experience from the back of this outstanding athlete.
Treating Scratches on Your Horse
Wash and dry the area and apply. You can bandage over this as well. The main thing is keeping the area soft and dry.
These amounts are approximate ratios-they do not need to be exact.
1 tube Lotramin (athlete’s foot cream)
1 tube hydrocortisone cream
1 tube triple antibiotic ointment
aloe vera gel ( equal to 1 tube amount above)
contents of 4-5 vitamin A capsules, vitamin D capsules, and Vitamin E capsules
Mix well and store in any type empty jar or plastic container.
Brownie Wins NJ Horse Park Judged Trail Ride
Brownie ridden by Joa Sigsbee wins his first attempt at a judged trail ride at the NJ Horse Park. He proves his willingness and athletic prowess by successfully maneuvering around many obstacles such as dragging an alligator behind him in the water obstacle, allowing his rider to lasso a steer, playing stick ball with a large excercise ball, walking through a curtain of rope, walking over a tarp and strange piece of material, being flagged from the ground and allowing Joa to mount and dismount in the middle of the course among many other strange and unusual obstacles. He proved his willingness and kind attitude toward negotiating all of the tasks required, achieving the highest score of all the junior riders. Check out the alligator water obstacle
Horse Training Tips
Does your horse have perfect ground manners? Does he listen to you and respond IMMEDIATELY to your request? Is your horse happy in his work? Do you cross train him to build up multiple muscle groups? Does your horse stop on command in any situation? If not, check out solutions to common horse training solutions.
Jonathan Groff Rides with the Centaur
A “Taking Woodstock” reunion at Windrock Farm, Jonathan Groff (Michael Lang) and LuAnn Claps, the make-up artist from Taking Woodstock visit for an autumn ride. Jonathan had not been on a horse since the day of shooting him riding RJ in the mud field on the set. LuAnn loved Allez who was a perfect gentleman.
What is a Judged Trail Ride?
Last weekend we took a drive to the New Jersey Horse Park to compete in a Judged Trail Ride. We were lucky to stay with our friends Sandy and Ryan Gaum who live nearby.
This event was held at the New Jersey Horse Park on the cross country course with 15 stations where we were judged on how we accomplished the task at hand. Most of the stations were comprised of situations you may encounter on a trail ride such as jumping over a fallen tree, walking over a tarp, walking over a bridge that moves, dismounting and flagging your horse, roping a calf, walking by scary obstacles etc…. Nearly one hundred horses showed up for the annual event, including english and western riders.
I rode Black Gold, RJ’s 3 year old filly who has barely a month of training and she finished an astonishing fourth place! Nothing seemed to phase her as she tackled each obstacle and situation with patience and grace. Joa rode Brownie and Lauren rode Peadar who also performed very well.
This was such a fun event to take any horse to, I would encourage everyone to participate in a Judged Trail Ride with their horse to test their skills and training of their horse. It is also a wonderful experience for any horse to get out in an atmosphere with lots of activity.