No Posting yesterday...Was out half the night with my husband. Went to the airport and waited a while for my sister-in-law to fly in from Uganda. She went on a mission trip. I think her plane was late so we just circled around for an hour. Apparantly there is a "cell phone waiting lot" at the airport now. We also waited there for a half hour. Interesting little parking lot to wait because they don't let you wait parked by the doors or anything anymore. Your vehicle has to be constantly moving unless you're actually picking someone up.
Anyhow we went to Jims. I ate a few fried mushrooms. Yum! but Yuk! for my recent good eating habits. Then I ordered a Spanish Omelette. That was great but I must confess, I ate all of my refried beans that came with it. Bad girl! I know. To top it off, I didn't have time or even energy to do my workout yesterday.
When I got home from work, I changed, let the Marley out of his kennel to play with Kanala, went in and collapsed on the bed until my husband got home. I am beyond exhausted! I can't figure out why. I'm trying to eat right, drink lots of water and exercise. I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open for the last week!
Well back to work! Write more later.....
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
The History of Dressage
This information is available on the United States Dressage Federation website...
Visit www.usdf.org for more information
Dressage is one of the Olympic equestrian sports. The modern Olympics commenced in 1898 with equestrian events, and the “military test” first included in 1900 which evolved into the separate Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, and stadium jumping.
Horses have been used as mounts for the military since early history. As the horses had to be obedient and maneuverable, a system of training was developed, first documented in the writing of the Greek Xenophon. The system of training was built upon throughout the ages, with many well-known riding masters, military and civilian, writing books expounding their methods.
As the equine in the past centuries was used primarily by the military, it only stood to reason that a test of the military horse be the standard during the inception of the modern Olympics. The military test included obedience and maneuverability (or what would become dressage) and the ability to jump obstacles.
By 1912, the equestrian disciplines as we know them (dressage, jumping, and eventing) were included. However, the riders continued to be all male and predominantly military for a few decades. The United States Cavalry at Ft. Riley exchanged ideas and instructors with the schools in Europe and started the trend that brought dressage training not only to the military but to civilians in the United States.
After the US Cavalry was disbanded in 1948, the focus for dressage shifted from military to civilian competition and sport and began to gain momentum. Women as well as men became passionate about dressage and in 1952 the first women were allowed to compete in the Olympics. The growing enthusiasm for the sport, supported by increased access to knowledgeable military and foreign trainers, finally brought together 81 pioneers of dressage in 1973 to found the United States Dressage Federation.
Early Dressage Horses
Heavy horses carried the knights of the middle ages in full armor. As modes of warfare changed, the type of horse changed with it, giving way to the lighter horse used for the cavalry. The hot blooded breeds, such as the Arabian and Thoroughbred, were introduced to add swiftness and greater maneuverability to the cold blooded, heavy horses of the armored knights. The resulting “warmbloods” formed the basis for most of the breeds most commonly successful in dressage today.
Separate studbooks in principalities throughout Europe were maintained by the local lord or prince, with the result that many of these warmblood bloodlines can be traced back through a surprising number of generations. Arabian and Thoroughbred lines have continued to be used to further refine the warmblood that we know today: a leggier, elegant horse, sometimes with extravagant movement. These modern-day warmbloods predominate in international dressage competition.
Visit www.usdf.org for more information
Dressage is one of the Olympic equestrian sports. The modern Olympics commenced in 1898 with equestrian events, and the “military test” first included in 1900 which evolved into the separate Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, and stadium jumping.
Horses have been used as mounts for the military since early history. As the horses had to be obedient and maneuverable, a system of training was developed, first documented in the writing of the Greek Xenophon. The system of training was built upon throughout the ages, with many well-known riding masters, military and civilian, writing books expounding their methods.
As the equine in the past centuries was used primarily by the military, it only stood to reason that a test of the military horse be the standard during the inception of the modern Olympics. The military test included obedience and maneuverability (or what would become dressage) and the ability to jump obstacles.
By 1912, the equestrian disciplines as we know them (dressage, jumping, and eventing) were included. However, the riders continued to be all male and predominantly military for a few decades. The United States Cavalry at Ft. Riley exchanged ideas and instructors with the schools in Europe and started the trend that brought dressage training not only to the military but to civilians in the United States.
After the US Cavalry was disbanded in 1948, the focus for dressage shifted from military to civilian competition and sport and began to gain momentum. Women as well as men became passionate about dressage and in 1952 the first women were allowed to compete in the Olympics. The growing enthusiasm for the sport, supported by increased access to knowledgeable military and foreign trainers, finally brought together 81 pioneers of dressage in 1973 to found the United States Dressage Federation.
Early Dressage Horses
Heavy horses carried the knights of the middle ages in full armor. As modes of warfare changed, the type of horse changed with it, giving way to the lighter horse used for the cavalry. The hot blooded breeds, such as the Arabian and Thoroughbred, were introduced to add swiftness and greater maneuverability to the cold blooded, heavy horses of the armored knights. The resulting “warmbloods” formed the basis for most of the breeds most commonly successful in dressage today.
Separate studbooks in principalities throughout Europe were maintained by the local lord or prince, with the result that many of these warmblood bloodlines can be traced back through a surprising number of generations. Arabian and Thoroughbred lines have continued to be used to further refine the warmblood that we know today: a leggier, elegant horse, sometimes with extravagant movement. These modern-day warmbloods predominate in international dressage competition.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Difference between Warm, Hot and Cold Blooded Horses.
The horses’ organization into hot, warm and cold blood categories is related to their temper and the type of tasks they are supposed to accomplish. Such categorization does not refer to the horse’s blood temperature, which is the same within the wide range of horse breeds; it is actually meant to typify the breeds into two, or even three, different groups.
Hot Blood
Hot blood horses are light weighted, quick and hot-tempered animals. The Arab is possibly the best representative breed of this group. They are mostly used for races, although they also take part in many other sports. Hot-blooded horses have been developed in the Middle East, where breeding was heavily focused on the horses’ frame, elegance, pattern maintenance and velocity.
When it comes to their resistance, these horses are much more vulnerable to stormy weather, given that they are a lot more used to the desert and only feel comfortable in such areas. Hot-blooded horses have been a symbol of wealth and power for North African tribes in the past. They are still linked to sumptuousness nowadays, as they fit amongst the most expensive horses: they cannot be kept in the country and require for quite a lot of (daily) work.
Known for being the most intelligent, excitable and sensitive type, hot-blooded horses demand an experienced owner who understands them and knows how to handle and work on their fired-up personality.
Thoroughbreds are also classified into this category.
Did you know? Arabs have black pigmented skin under their coats of hair. This is to protect them from the desert heat.
Warmblood
This is a horse with at least 5 generations of recognized sport horse bloodlines and that has been inspected and registered by world-recognized breeding associations to excel in the sports of dressage and/or show jumping.
The Anglo-Saxons furthermore differentiate hot-blooded from warm-blooded (or mixed-race) horses, although in many other countries all the Arabic-influenced breeds are classified as hot-blooded. Warmblood horses have started to appear in Europe when the Arab breed got introduced in the West, somewhere in the XV or XVI century. Europeans started to use this to perfect their own local horse lines by crossing them with the cold-blooded ones.
Nevertheless, there currently are established warmblood breeds that don’t result from crosses/mixings, which is the case of the Oldenburg and the Hanoverian, amongst others. The German is actually one of the people that have worked on medium-sized horses the most. Still, most registered warmblood horses are accepted as resulting from mixed breeds in an effort to create the most adequate horse for the type of sports in which it is supposed to be on.
Mixed breed horses are mostly used in Olympic sports and indeed the majority of the champions’ horses are warmblooded ones. They have character traits from both the hot-blooded and the cold-blooded breeds and have their place in the middle of those when it comes to size and personality. Warmblood horses have a medium size and they are not as impulsive as the hot-blooded ones, but they are not so gentle and calm as the cold-blooded ones either.
Westphalian, Dutch, Holsteiner, Hannovarian, Trakhener (a lighter border-line hotblood breed), Oldenburg, Swedish and Selle Francais horses are all considered warmblood breeds.
Cold Blood
Cold-blooded horses are typically tall, heavy animals, such as the Shire, the Clydesdale or the Frisian. They have been predominantly developed to become very strong and resistant, being subsequently used in agriculture and traction-type tasks like goods transportation. Cold blood horses don’t usually participate in classic sports but instead enter size-specific competitions for them, such as cart races.
Cold-blooded horses were the medieval soldiers’ favourites for their strong nature, given that such soldiers needed very strong animals that would be capable of carrying their own heavy armour plus an armoured soldier upon them – hundreds of extra pounds. Their temper, however, stands very far from the hot-blooded horses’ excitable character. Cold blood horses match up to their classification by being gentle, serene and tolerant animals. They can handle quite well the most turbulent European weathers.
Some ponies can be seen as cold-blooded animals, although they don’t quite match the country-working horse concept. The classification results from the peaceful and friendly character that you may find in many ponies, which makes them perfect to spend time with children.
Hot Blood
Hot blood horses are light weighted, quick and hot-tempered animals. The Arab is possibly the best representative breed of this group. They are mostly used for races, although they also take part in many other sports. Hot-blooded horses have been developed in the Middle East, where breeding was heavily focused on the horses’ frame, elegance, pattern maintenance and velocity.
When it comes to their resistance, these horses are much more vulnerable to stormy weather, given that they are a lot more used to the desert and only feel comfortable in such areas. Hot-blooded horses have been a symbol of wealth and power for North African tribes in the past. They are still linked to sumptuousness nowadays, as they fit amongst the most expensive horses: they cannot be kept in the country and require for quite a lot of (daily) work.
Known for being the most intelligent, excitable and sensitive type, hot-blooded horses demand an experienced owner who understands them and knows how to handle and work on their fired-up personality.
Thoroughbreds are also classified into this category.
Did you know? Arabs have black pigmented skin under their coats of hair. This is to protect them from the desert heat.
Warmblood
This is a horse with at least 5 generations of recognized sport horse bloodlines and that has been inspected and registered by world-recognized breeding associations to excel in the sports of dressage and/or show jumping.
The Anglo-Saxons furthermore differentiate hot-blooded from warm-blooded (or mixed-race) horses, although in many other countries all the Arabic-influenced breeds are classified as hot-blooded. Warmblood horses have started to appear in Europe when the Arab breed got introduced in the West, somewhere in the XV or XVI century. Europeans started to use this to perfect their own local horse lines by crossing them with the cold-blooded ones.
Nevertheless, there currently are established warmblood breeds that don’t result from crosses/mixings, which is the case of the Oldenburg and the Hanoverian, amongst others. The German is actually one of the people that have worked on medium-sized horses the most. Still, most registered warmblood horses are accepted as resulting from mixed breeds in an effort to create the most adequate horse for the type of sports in which it is supposed to be on.
Mixed breed horses are mostly used in Olympic sports and indeed the majority of the champions’ horses are warmblooded ones. They have character traits from both the hot-blooded and the cold-blooded breeds and have their place in the middle of those when it comes to size and personality. Warmblood horses have a medium size and they are not as impulsive as the hot-blooded ones, but they are not so gentle and calm as the cold-blooded ones either.
Westphalian, Dutch, Holsteiner, Hannovarian, Trakhener (a lighter border-line hotblood breed), Oldenburg, Swedish and Selle Francais horses are all considered warmblood breeds.
Cold Blood
Cold-blooded horses are typically tall, heavy animals, such as the Shire, the Clydesdale or the Frisian. They have been predominantly developed to become very strong and resistant, being subsequently used in agriculture and traction-type tasks like goods transportation. Cold blood horses don’t usually participate in classic sports but instead enter size-specific competitions for them, such as cart races.
Cold-blooded horses were the medieval soldiers’ favourites for their strong nature, given that such soldiers needed very strong animals that would be capable of carrying their own heavy armour plus an armoured soldier upon them – hundreds of extra pounds. Their temper, however, stands very far from the hot-blooded horses’ excitable character. Cold blood horses match up to their classification by being gentle, serene and tolerant animals. They can handle quite well the most turbulent European weathers.
Some ponies can be seen as cold-blooded animals, although they don’t quite match the country-working horse concept. The classification results from the peaceful and friendly character that you may find in many ponies, which makes them perfect to spend time with children.
I'm Very Sore & Stiff Today!!!
Wow! I cannot believe how stiff I am today & how hungry I was! I ended up with a glass of milk, a Yoplait Lemon Cream Pie yogurt, and a spoonful or chopped bacon & eggs I cooked for my husbands sandwiches.
I managed to pull together a bunch of items & my parents house for this garage sale I'm going to try and have this coming weekend. I don't know if I can pull it off but I'll sure try! I have so much to sell & all of the proceeds go towards my horse fund. I have clothing, household items, maternity clothing, etc! This will be my first garage sale ever but I think it will go over well in our neighborhood. There are tons of garage sales, so there should be plenty of traffic!
Well enough about that.. More stories and ramblings to come soon. Picture: at work a couple months ago. Don't I look professional?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Progress Note
So today I was very tired. I can't believe how much sleep I did. I got up around 10. We went to bed around 11 last night so mind you how much sleep that is!!! I still felt like I needed more. I think it's just my body trying to adjust to the new eating habits and exercise. I don't know. I didn't do my P90X workouts today because while at a family gathering this afternoon we played volleyball for a good hour to hour and a half. I am/was exhausted and sweated like a man! I then had to help my parents pack, move, get rid of and go through my stuff still left at their house. So I feel confident I did enough calorie burning for the day. So far I have lost 5 1/2 pounds this last 2 weeks. I know I have my final check in on the 31st but just thought I'd update my "readers?" So far I have one follower. I have a feeling he is my only reader right now.
Well this is all for tonight. Above is a more recent photo, and here is a "skinny photo".
The Story of Moses...
Moses was a very special friend. He came to me in a peculiar way. In the fall of 2006, the doctor I was working for at the time had gone for a pedicure at lunch. When she arrived at her destination, she was going in and this tiny kitten was trying to go in to the spa with her. He must have been thirsty or hungry. The owner didn't want a cat in her office so the kitten go shooed away. As the doctor was finished and leaving, she noticed the kitten still hanging around. Knowing her husband wouldn't allow her to take in another animal, as she had many already, she quickly turned to go to her car. The kitten followed. The doctor hurried to get in her car and shut the door. She turned around to put her purse down on the passenger seat, and what did she find? The kitten snuck his way in and was sitting on the passenger seat looking at her as if saying "Where are we going, nice lady?" The doctor couldn't resist her stow-away so she drove to the office where she worked. This is where I come into the picture. When the doctor came back from lunch, she was calling out "Girls! Girls! come look!" We all ran to see what the racket was all about. Low and behold the doctor was holding this beautiful Orange and White Tabby with the most amazing green eyes. Playful, friendly and just eating up the attention! He was a boy. She asked who all could take him because she couldn't take him home. I quickly got on the phone with my husband and begged for a kitten. He already had a kitty when we got married, I didn't have one and always wanted an indoor kitty. Growing up I was only allowed fish in a tank in the house and outdoor pets, never indoor pets that didn't swim. Sure enough my dear husband said "Okay but you take care of him, not me!" So I called him Moses. Because he was found by a nice person who took him in and found him a good home. All he needed was to be in a basket. The doctor helped me have Moses's shots done, fixed and microchipped and I got to take him home in the next couple days. Moses scared our kitty we had already. Her name is Alezis. Tortoiseshell Calico. She is a small kitty but Moses was smaller and he flat made her mad. She is a jealous cat. She eventually got used to him, he grew, he chased her around all over the house. He even dragged her out of the kitty litter box once (that we know of). Just because. He didn't even have to use it.
Moses brought us bundles of joy, laughter and in the end tears of loss. I lost Moses on March 7, 2010 at the age of 3 1/2. He had a bladder dysfunction requiring a very expensive surgery which we could not afford. If the surgery was not performed he would have experienced a painful death and heart attack within the next night and I couldn't bear that. He went to sleep in my arms, I was the last thing he was looking at. This was and still is a sensitive part of my life.
Here we are 4 months later...and just yesterday I was going to the grocery store and saw this young family who had 3 kittens they were giving away. One was a beautiful Orange and White Tabby. He had markings almost identical to Moses. I asked what his name was, they said "Sparky" because he had put his paw in an outlet and had gotten electricuted. Wow! That sounds like the personality of my Moses as well! He was always into things. Always stealing small things like pens, highlighters, toothpicks, straws....He had a collection of all our missing items and his toys under the couch. It was like a GI Joe prisoner of war camp! I wanted so bad to take the kitten home but not a single beautiful similar kitty would replace the memories and joys I had with Moses. It's not the same. Plus my husband wouldn't have let me keep him. We have a Siberian Husky, a Yellow Lab and of course the old and cranky Alexis.
In the PHOTO above, That is Moses around age 1. I came home from work oneday and couldn't find him ANYWHERE!!!! Finally I was standing in the kitchen crying and I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, I looked towards that direction and found Moses sitting in the cupboard between the crackers and napkins or something. I had to take a picture. It's so cute. Taco Shells, Moses, pasta, crackers.....All part of a good pantry stock! :)
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