Jumping For Joy!
May 6, 2012
cldrake
Barrels: Going Around, Not Over
On Tuesday, May 1, Raven and I entered into our first official BRWNY event as members. Our strategy of keeping it slow and planning out our every stride went out the window when I decided to just go for it. It was wonderful being surrounded by new friends and horses all night long and we didn’t do half bad, for English girls. We’re still learning the western ropes but check out how we did on the barrel racers of western New York website below.
http://brwny.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/May_1_Open.121204245.pdf
Boot Culture, A Personal Favorite
photo credit: Joanna Pinneo
It’s almost the end of another semester in western New York but that doesn’t mean my horse culture involvement is coming to a halt. I’ve been becoming quite the cowgirl.
Horses aside, cowboy/cowgirl boots are a culture within itself here in WNY. You don’t need to ride to own a pair of these beauties but you do need a little dough in the bank. The sweet smell of leather resonates through western New York like the wonderful stench of horse manure cloaks a damp field in the early hours of morning. They’re colorful, wild, daring and they’re a necessity for every “cowgirl.” The heavy price tag should be considered, especially when thinking long term. Most of these gems are hand crafted and 100 percent genuine leather. Some of the pricier boots sport alligator skin and snake skin, which is debatable if they are longer lasting.
Hundreds of years ago, as long as horses have been domesticated, people protected their legs with animal hides. They’d wrap their calves and feet and away they went, bareback across our world. “Wherever there’s a footprint, there’s a hoof print right beside it”-Flicka (love that quote). In an article by National Geographic Traveler it said, “The Mexican vaquero tradition helped shape the development of the boot that 19th-century Anglo cowboys wore while herding the cattle across the central and western states.” The article went on to say that early cowboys wore flat, round-toed boots sometimes recycled from Civil War uniforms. A higher heel was introduced a few decades later to help secure their feet in the stirrups a little better. It wasn’t until the 1870s that the basic cowboy boot we know today came into existence. Boot makers opened up workshops across our country’s western states, primarily in Texas. Embroidery, skins, hand crafting designs and bright colors were on the rise in popularity and creation by the 1920s when boot makers starting getting competitive. The cowboy boot craze trickled across the country, leaving us western New Yorkers with the ravishing “boot.”
So where is everyone getting these colorful creations? For those of you that went to the 2012 Equine Affaire this year, or plan on going, plan to boot shop. Bargaining is big at these fairs so don’t be afraid to kick that price down, it’s worth a try right? I, unfortunately didn’t have any luck at the Equine Affaire with finding a pair. I was pretty overwhelmed and to be honest, I didn’t really know what I was looking for. My sister, a city kind of girl, fell head over heels for the country way of life, including the footwear. She traveled to New Mexico not too long ago and bought a pair of boots, well a couple of pairs. Old Gringos seems to be her favorite due to the comfort factor. Ariat is another choice of boot. While the looks of these two brands of boots can be similar, it really comes down to what people prefer. I’ve always been an ariat kind of girl even though I’ve owned a pair of leather cowgirl boots. Ariat is an equestrian boot, clothing and product line that lasts forever. I swear by it’s durability and for years, I’ve been wearing their high English riding boots and low English boots- not one tear or thread out of place. On average, a pair of cowgirl boots will run you about two hundred bucks. The lowest I’ve seen for mid calf boots with embellishment has been around the 150 mark. I’m taking my sweet time picking out a pair I’ll have for the next…decade. Below I have listed some favorite sites. Enjoy!
www.ariat.com
www.bootbarn.com
www.rods.com
photo credit: Joe Duty
The Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby may only last about two minutes but if you’re anything of a horse lover you’ll be with your pick through his or her every stride. It’s pretty amazing, especially before the race, to see the horses prance their way to the starting gate next to their lead ponies. I always envied the reporters on the lead ponies, getting the chance to speak with the jockeys before they try to make history- what a dream job. Horses aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but there is something to be said about the crowd these glimmering athletes get before a big race or before anything for that matter. Like I’ve said before, the horse world is pretty under wraps so seeing how much time, energy and bonding that goes into the sport is most of the time belittled. Just like any other sport, horseback riding is a lifestyle. Some people spend more money on their horses than they ever have on their home or even their children’s education. A jumper will spend nearly two days prepping the appearance of their horse, let alone the work outs and practice they’ve been doing for months or even years. A barrel racer will replay the pattern in their head, practice by day and dream about it by night. The eventer and dressage athlete will do the same, spending hours and money on workouts and feed. Millions, if not billions of dollars are poured into the sport of riding every year.
A two minute race means two million dollars by Kentucky Derby standards.
Let’s put this into perspective for just a second. According to horsecouncil.org, American Horse Council, the national industry has a 3.5 billion impact on the Kentucky economy when the multiplier effect of spending by industry suppliers and employees is taken into account…off-site spending of spectators would result in an even higher figure. For New York, 152,000 New Yorkers are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees, and volunteers. Even more participate as spectators. The national industry has a $2.4 billion impact on the New York economy. It’s fair to say, from a horse owners perspective, that horses can cost a whole lot more than what they bring in but said like a horse owner, it’s all worth it.
I guess others can agree with me seeing as though our horse hero, Barbaro, the horse that won the Derby back in 2006, received the highest treatment a horse can get after his injury. In 2006 he ran in the Preakness Stakes and shattered his leg in twenty places but owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson didn’t give up on their “moment of the year” crowd pleaser. I remember watching the race that year and weeping along with the rest of the nation as witnessed the accident in the golden dust. This video is a “must see” on how the nation’s heart broke because of a horse.
The Kentucky Derby has been known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” and “The Run for the Roses.” It is the first in the Triple Crown Series. Since we have only five days left, take a peek at stats and the horses since there have been more added to the list. Right click and click “open in a new tab.” Thanks for reading!
- Alpha
- Bodemeister
- Creative Cause
- Daddy Long Legs
- Daddy Nose Best
- Done Talking
- Dullahan
- El Padrino
- Gemologist
- Hansen
- I’ll Have Another
- Liaison
- Mark Valeski
- Optimizer
- Prospective
- Rousing Sermon
- Sabercat
- Take Charge Indy
- Trinniberg
- Union Rags
- Went The Day Well
That Cowboy Swag
We see them. The boys a little past the legal drinking age, the ones with tan skin and farmers tans, rough hands and tattered boots. They know how to ride a horse and they’re allowed to look messy because they can, but what about their southern drawl? Especially when we’re in western New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania?
Courtesy of a fellow blogger
Right above you’ll see a picture of the famous John Wayne, famous American actor, producer and director who has arguably been one of the classic American idols since his image of the cowboy first began in the early 1900s. I did a little snooping around Google and found that people from all over the country were talking, more like ranting, about how mad they were that George Bush had a southern drawl. He’s from Texas right? Wrong, he’s from the New England area actually, so what was he doing giving those speeches with a southern accent? It’s argued on multiple Google search pages such as blogs and Answers pages that he could have simply picked up the southern drawl but it is true? Or was this baseball team, all American boy trying to convey an all American message? Our leaders should be cowboys right? The ones that run on horse back to a fight an army, the ones that have the right to own and carry a gun and for the purpose of this blog post, the right to talk like a true American Idol.
Western New York boys seem to have the same idea. The drawl is exactly what classifies a young man as a “true cowboy.” They have to fit the part if they want to barrel race and climb aboard wild beast to put on a good show, it’s as simple as that. I asked Kaylin Conti what she thought about this southern twang. “It mostly depends where people are from. I think it’s real for the most part. It’s just like any other accent but then there are definitely people who just like to sound southern so they will talk with the southern drawl and then there is me and I will use the word ‘yall’ just because it’s easier,” said Kaylin.
It’s been said from numerous rodeo goers and western New York natives that these boys are simply, “playing the part.” I guess we’ll let them get away with it.
photo credit: Sarah Jean, fellow blogger
And, for giving me your time, you’ve earned yourself a listen….here’s one for the cowboys
Kissing and Telling
I never knew what a “kiss” was before I did it tonight. In horse language it’s the noise you make when you squeeze your lips together and squeak, like you’re giving the motion a sound. Us English riders from south east New York don’t know about this “kiss” and it’s many uses, especially in western New York.
This “kiss” serves as a cue, mainly for training a horse to lope (faster than a trot but not a full gallop). It’s actually one of the key training components in Building Your Dream Horse Charles Wilhelm Ultimate Foundation Training by Charles Wilhelm. In the book it says that in order to associate cue with behavior there must be reward. The kiss merely ends when the horse breaks into a lope, sounds easy enough right?
Tonight when I went to the weekly BRWNY (barrel racers of western New York) I saw how common the term really is. One woman said that her horse responded to the “kiss” when other people on other horses did it. Lori Conti, of Starlight Falls Ranch said that one time she was simply saying good bye to her daughter and made the kiss sound over the phone. It sent her horse running. Who would have thought our horses are actually listening to us after all? I became well acquainted with the “kiss” while aboard Kaylin Conti’s pony, Leyna. I’ve been riding her mainly to get her exercising but she’s been helping me learn to do barrels. Doing barrels on my horse Raven is wonderful but it’s something like…the blind leading the blind? All in all, Leyna knows the barrel pattern and it helps me help her.
One “kiss” and she gave me a whole other gear when we rounded the barrels in a mad dash around the ring. One more thing learned about western New York horse culture: COWGIRLS KNOW HOW TO KISS.
Leyna
Stop The Presses & Hold Your Horses!!!!
Because all of you dear readers are so near and dear to my heart, you had to be some of the firsts to know….
I DID IT! I GOT ON MY HORSE FROM THE GROUND PEOPLE! April 18 must have been my lucky day because I didn’t have a different strategy and I didn’t even plan on trying, I just brought Raven outside and jumped on her. I missed the first time but nailed it the second time by doing the old fashion “swing up.” I placed my hands over Raven’s neck, with the reins in hand and just threw my upper body over her whithers. I was able to get my foot on top of her back and then use my arms and right leg to pull myself up! Yes! Success! A few minutes later my confidence got the best of me and I attempted to get on a horse that’s about 17 hands, much bigger than my 14 hand girl, and that too was a success. I’m calling April 18 my lucky day.
the swing up in action, thanks to Lori Conti for getting this on camera!
A moment of triumph!
After all, it’s the little things that keep us going right?
A Day In Review: 2012 Equine Affaire Columbus, Ohio
“Rerouting” could be the perfect word to describe my road trip to Columbus, Ohio from Fredonia, New York. With my college friend and my elderly father, our trip was to say the least, something I’ll laugh about for quite some time. Caught in conversation, we found ourselves about twenty miles from the highway we should have been on but crisis was averted when we got back on track, well, sort of. Construction seems to be a prevalent activity in the Columbus area, especially surrounding the fairgrounds where the equine affaire was held. Without boring you with a lengthy story, I’ll just say that each trip to and from the fair was an adventure within itself.
Freisans, Halfliners, Icelantics, Arabians, buckskins, thoroughbreds and minis found their way into the arena without a hitch on the night of the horsemanship performance, “Fantasia.” I managed to crawl up to the ring after the show and get my boot signed by a man who, with his horses, displayed the perfect example of horsemanship leading his three other horses around the ring without halters or leads. He also served as the comic relief for the night as he rode and told the audience about his work and his horses (along with their personalities). Take a look, he’s been on my blog before.
From a shoppers perspective, the Ohio Equine Affaire was as impressive as the Massachusetts Equine Fair. I noticed a lot of the same stuff everywhere I went. Oddly, most of the shopping was done in one massive building, which can be a little exhausting and overwhelming- not the best merchandizing technique but they did have a lot to see and buy. The building was organized into rows that were numbered in the middle of each aisle and without really stopping at each vendor, it took me about 3 to 4 hours to see everything. I prefer the style and organization of the Massachusetts Equine Affaire mainly because the buildings (about 5 buildings) are separated by product. One building will have more human stuff like clothes and jewelry and another will have brushes and equipment and another will have tack and big equipment so on and so on. Going from building to building is a nice change of pace for your eyes and takes you away from the overwhelming feeling you get from shopping non stop and brushing past hundreds of horse lovers.
Overall, the weekend was a success and the Pfizer Fantasia show was lively and breath taking. Raven lucked out with some goodies and so did I, coming home with a chocolate brown jacket for riding. I would definitely go back to the Ohio Fair, next time with a better map and a fold up chair.
I would have liked to bring this beauty home!
Can I Get Some Bling Over Here?
Western New York has already shown me another side of riding, there’s no question. Raven and I are enjoying our stay at the StarlightFalls Ranch in Fredonia, NY trail riding and enjoying the grape lined fields that take up a majority of the open space here. I have to admit it’s hard not to go back to my English saddle but I’ve been doing a pretty good job of balancing out my English and Western riding. However, as we crawl closer to summer, I’ve noticed a trend I’m pretty jealous of, painted tack. It’s everywhere.
Lori Conti, owner of Starlight, showed off her newly painted bridle and stirrups last week, a blue green design with clear glitter paint covering it for protection and a little more bling. It was beautiful. She said that she baked the bridle and stirrups just like a couple cookies right in the oven! The same day, another rider came, saddle in hand with glitz and glam on hers as well. I imagine that after some time the design would wear and it’d be time for the whole process to be redone but how neat. I had to get to the bottom of this painted tack story and see what I’ve been missing.
“I have never painted tack but I do love the way it looks and I would like to try it someday…I think that it is a new trend. What I see alot at rodeo is tack with bling!” said daughter, Kaylin Conti. Bling? Did she say bling? All I’ve ever done to look good in a show ring is spend the entire day before it cleaning my tack until my hands were numb and still getting yelled at for it not being clean the day of the show. Not fun, but I do love the classic look of leather and plush white saddle pads. I asked Kaylin if people buy the tack with bling already on it or if they do it themselves and she said, “both.” She linked me a fellow facebooker and I glanced over some of her designs to see that this talent and hobby is rewarding in more ways than one. People will pay good money for this painted tack, if you’re good and this women seems to have hit the big time with her talent. Here are some of her photos of happy customers and designs! You can add to thousands of likes by checking out her page on Facebook by typing in the search bar: Ashleys Conchos & More
It was then that I found this website: www.sadieshandpaintedtack.com. Go on check it out! The photos speak for themselves but these beauties sure come at a cost. They do everything from belts to halters, bridles, saddles and more. I have copied the link from their testimonials page http://www.sadieshandpaintedtack.com/testimonials.html so if you’re interested here’s another place to keep up with the latest bling and add to your collection.
I don’t think my English tack will be seeing any bling for quite some time but that won’t stop me from checking out some blinged out cowgirl boots this weekend at the Equine Affaire in Ohio! If you have some painted tack that you’re proud of, share it here!
