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April 25, 2009

The “Twelve Apostles”, Coast Road, Victoria, Australia

 

What a crazy month!!  I had the honor of judging the Arabian National Championship show in Weribee Park, Victoria, Australia.  A fabulous show with some superb horses.  The following week, I judged the Arabian Show at Brigadoon, in Western Australia in the Swan Valley.

 

The international judges were treated to a wonderful tour along the justifiably famous Coast Road.  The scenery was extraordinary and the  rock formation of the “Twelve Apostles” was stunning. The hospitality of everyone I met in Australia was simply humbling. I stayed with a number of wonderful people in Victoria and Western Australia–always so much nicer to see the “real” Australia as opposed to hotel rooms.  I had great tour guides (Tess, you know who you are) and was able to re-visit friends from my last trip. Listening to the stories of the people who were affected by the fires in Victoria was devastating. It is impossible to comprehend the extent of the fires and how tragic the result. But the people are determined to rebuild and rise from the ashes. The indomitable Australian spirit.  

Kangaroo, Brigadoon, Western Australia    

 I am a wildlife nut, and Australia has some of the most unique wildlife on the planet.  Seeing a group of koalas in the wild was a real treat!!  There were four or five, high up in eucalyptus trees–most sleeping, but one eating and active.  Kangaroos were abundant, and the Aussies were tolerant of this Yank who wanted to stop and take a picture of every kangaroo I saw.  The birds are spectacular–sulphur-crested cockatoos, black cockatoos, galahs, brilliant parrots and parakeets.   An emu who nearly caused our car to crash in Exmouth, Western Australia and a huge bustard–the size of a stork.  I nearly scared an echidna (like a large hedgehog)  to death as it crossed the road–I rushed over and it ran off the side of the road and curled up into a defensive ball.  I left it in peace, but it was great to see one!!

Koala–Coast Road, Victoria  

Quokka–Rottnest Island, Western Australia

The wildlife highlight of the trip was the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. These huge sharks, which can be 30 ft. in length are very placid and feed only on plankton. They swim along the surface of the ocean, scooping up plankton as they move along. The two sharks we swam with were very tolerant and one was very interested in me and kept following me as I snorkeled.  You are not allowed to be too close or to be in front of it. However, the more I tried to get out of its way, the more it kept following. It was absolutely brilliant!!!!!   I want to go back right away and do it again! Great thanks to the Arabian Horse Society of Australia for the opportunity to judge the Nationals at Weribee Park and also the Western Australian Arabian Horse Association for the opportunity to judge their show at Brigadoon.  What a fantastic trip–and country–and horses–and people–and wildlife!!

February 4th, 2009

Went to help my friends at Parnell’s Irish Cobs with a demonstration at the Rolling Thunder Draft show a few weeks ago.  Watching those big 6-up and 8-up horse hitches is always amazing.  The ground shakes as these “big boys” trot by with nice action and a bit of flash.  The stands were packed out for both days.  Perhaps in this advanced age there is a yearning to go back to a time when transportation was a lot simpler and a good team of horses was a farmer’s biggest investment.

February 6, 2009

Breeding season starts soon!  Scottsdale show is just a week away–hope to see a lot of my international friends there! And enjoy some sun and a bit of fresh orange juice!

January 3, 2009 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Its hard to believe it is 2009!  Last year was an interesting year, and while times are hard for everyone, I prefer to be optimistic and look forward to the coming year!  Peeking over the wall and being open to new adventures!  Foaling season will start soon, and breeding season gets underway in February.  There is the Scottsdale show to look forward to–I really like watching the yearling classes to see what different bloodlines are producing.   In March it is off to Australia to judge shows in Victoria and Perth.  I love OZ and know I will see some great horses there.  I always have unexpected and delightful adventures whenever I’m there.  Can’t wait. 

December 19

   

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all best wishes for the New Year to all my friends and clients.For those in the southern hemisphere, welcome to summer!!! Meanwhile here, it has been snow and cold–as it should be for the beginning of winter!

 

Hard to believe it has been nearly two months since judging halter at the U.S. Arabian National Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a honor and delight to see the best horses in the country.The new halter scoring system was used for the first time at our National show, and it was a huge improvement over our previous system.

After a few hiccups with using PDA’s we reverted back to the scorecard and never looked back. The serious breeders in the audience really appreciated being able to score along with the judges and to see what the scores were after each horse.

Two things made this work really well. One was using the “exit the ring” protocol, whereby each horse showed individually. What a pleasure to be able to concentrate all of my attention on the one horse without a lot of distraction in the ring. It only took about 4 minutes per horse, and the trainers had a fresh horse for the whole time they showed. The horses looked better and showed better than they ever did under the old system. Furthermore, they were able to really show at the trot when they entered the ring, and those horses that could move, had a perfect opportunity to show off.

This style of showing is better for the horse, much more humane and was much better for the judges as well. The second thing that really made it work was having 5 judges and throwing out the high and low score. This kept any judge from unduly influencing the placings and insured that the best horse won the class. A running tally of the scores was posted in the paddock and there was a lot of good natured ribbing and competition between trainers as they watched to see who was coming in with the best scores.This really is a huge step forward in halter judging in America, and other breeds should take a look at what we are doing in the Arabian breed. For the first time, owners and breeders have feedback on their halter horses and judges have transparency in the decision making process. It is a win/win situation for everyone.

 

I couldn’t help but put this picture in–while I was in Uruguay in Punta del Este in September, I met up with this gorgeous bull seal. He was just hanging out on the boat slip. He had some slashes on his face. I suspect he was fighting over females with some other males. He was very tolerant of me, although I didn’t want to stress him out by going too close. What a magnificent guy!

     October 19

Uruguay–land of mate, gauchos, grilled meat and beautiful horses! An amazing country that should really have a higher profile than it does.I had a fabulous time judging Arabians at the 103rd Livestock Exposition in Montevideo. The quality of the Arabians was very high and the horses were very professionally presented.I was one of three international judges, the others were Jorge Concaro of Argentina and Leonardo Pinheiro of Brazil. We had a most enjoyable time judging, despite cold and windy conditions. It was hard to stay focused on the Arabian arena, however, as in the next arena, native criollo horses were being judged, and I was fascinated with them. The fact that they were ridden by gauchos didn’t hurt either

  After the show I was able to visit several farms, and came away very impressed by the quality of both the halter breeding programs and also the excellent Endurance horses being bred in Uruguay. There are no performance classes there, like we have in the U.S., but their horses were extremely functional as well as typey.  

 

There is no doubt that Uruguay is a growing force in the world arena of Arabian horses and is a country to watch–great things are happening there! A big thank you to Heber Viana and the Sociedad de Caballos Arabe del Uruguay for a fantastic experience! 

After Montevideo, it was on to Avare, Brazil for the Brazilian Arabian Breeder’s Cup.  This show was truly a breeder’s show, with exceptional quality from yearlings through the aged mares and stallions. The classes were deep and a pleasure to judge. There were five of judging at this show with myself, Alan Preston from Australia, Dr. Santoro from Italy, Marcello Borges from Brazil and Cathy Murphy-Wright, also from the U.S. We were quite close in our decisions, and the use of a score card allowed exhibitors and owners to know exactly what each judge liked when placing each horse. 

In addition to halter, this show had Western, English and Driving classes. I always know I am going to see superb Western horses when I judge in Brazil and this show had many excellent ones from which to choose.The halter horses could stand as Champions in any arena in the world, and in fact the Champion mare had been pinned Champion mare in the U.S. at the first Arabian World Breeder’s Cup in Las Vegas in 2007.

It was an extremely fun show from start to finish. A special highlight was visiting Haras Meia Lua owned by Lenita Perroy and seeing the legendary Ali Jamaal, who at age 25, looked half his age and was every inch a king. A very big thank you to Joao Sorvillo, Maria Helena Vidal, and everyone from the Associacao Brasileria Dos Criadores do Cavalo Arabe for a stellar show and wonderful time!

After Avare, it was off to Fazenda Barranco Alto in the Pantanal. After my first visit in April, I made a vow I would return again the next time I was in Brazil. Little did I know it would be less than six months before I was back! This ranch is my version of heaven on earth.It is home to an incredible array of wildlife and birds, and Lucas and Marina manage this working ranch in a way to insure that the wildlife will thrive.Last time I was there, it was the end of the wet season. This time it was the end of the dry season, and the difference was profound. The Rio Negro had retreated to a fraction of what it had been. There were young lambs in the fields, calves with the cows and birds and mammals nesting and denning with young before the rains return.

A giant anteater

My good friend, Jaede, after seeing the pictures of my first trip, asked to come for this one, and it was great to watch her experience the same astonishment and amazement that is normal when you arrive at the ranch. Jaede is an expert horsewoman as well, and spent some time working with a mare for Lucas and Marina that had been giving her former owner a hard time. The mare was kind and willing, but had “issues” and it was an education for all of us to watch Jaede work with her. The reward was time on the river in a canoe to see otters, fishing for piranha, riding through varied terrain, watching howler monkeys, hyacinth macaws, caiman and capybaras. This place is just plain addictive. I adore it and cannot get enough.

Neotropical otter

 

I was blessed to get to come once. Twice was extraordinary. Thank you Lucas, Marina, Letitia and Emelia! Note to self–see what can be done to make another trip to Brazil!

August 8, 2008

Last weekend I helped my friends at Parnell’s Irish Cobs with a display of their horses at the first Fort Collins Irish Festival. The horses were a big hit, especially with the kids. Temple Bar, a four month old colt who had never been off the farm, worked the crowd like a star.

 

Parnell’s Roisin, a stunning mare, surveys the kids vying for her attention

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July 30, 2008

I was able to cross something off my bucket list that I had wanted to do for many years. Snorkel with wild manatees. I went to central Florida and had an amazing time floating with these gentle animals. Manatees have no predators (except humans and motorboats) therefore they are very tolerant of humans floating with them. Those that do not want to interact will just swim away.

It was sad to see that every manatee we saw, from young calves on up have scars on their backs from boat propellers. Even in areas where it was posted to go at idle speed, I saw boats at high rates of speed, ignoring the manatees below them. These are one of the most unique mammals in North America yet it appears that boats have preference in the water as far as the law is concerned.

 

This young manatee was very active and inquisitive. Note the multiple scars on the back .

July 10, 2008

I recently went to a driving day held by our regional driving club. A great time was had by all. There was a cone course set up in the outdoor arena and an obstacle course in a hay field. There were Friesians, Appaloosa, miniatures, Irish cob and Morgans. Sadly I didn’t see any Arabians. Used to be that Arabians were widely used as driving horses. Driving is becoming more popular, especially with the older crowd as it is easier on the body than riding.

As the cost of gasoline continues to rise, having a driving horse in the barn might not be a bad idea!

May 15, 2008

The Horsin’ Around Saddle Club are a great group of people. A few years ago, I judged their show in Rapid City, South Dakota and had so much fun that when they asked me this year, I was delighted to go back. Judging open shows keeps me sharp on all breeds and is a challenge when you have Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Morgans, Arabians and Half-Arabians all in the same class! I was allowed to “talk” the classes this year, which I really like to do. I like to let the exhibitors and spectators in on how I selected the winners and why. I don’t ask them to agree with me, but want them to know what went into the decision making process

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The Black Hills of South Dakota are a special place. Here is a handsome fellow I met along the way.

April 30, 2008

 

I recently judged a show in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. This is a great area on the western side of the country and reminded me a lot of Colorado without mountains.. Very agricultural and lots of cattle. The city of Campo Grande has over 600,000 people, but feels like a small town. I really liked this part of Brazil. The quality of the horses was excellent. The champions could compete anywhere.

After the show, I headed for the Pantanal, an area I’ve wanted to visit for over 20 years. It is one of the most wildlife-rich areas of the planet. I stayed at the Fazenda Barranco Alto–a working ranch that takes only 9 people at a time. As it was the end of the wet season, the only way into the place was by air. Lucas and Marina treated me like family and I was agog at the amount of wildlife spotted each day. It was my version of heaven

. I have always loved the Nelore breed of cattle that are raised in Brazil. They came originally from India, and are bred for their heat tolerance and disease resistance.

Every day we saw a diverse array of wildlife, from capybara (the largest rodent in the world) to highly endangered Hyacinth Macaws. Howler monkeys, giant anteaters, tapir, jabiru storks. Amazing. The one species I really wanted to see was the giant Amazonian river otter and I wasn’t disappointed. Canoeing on the Rio Negro offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these huge, yet inquisitive otters. I am already scheming on how to get back to the Pantanal. I have only touched the tip of the wonder of this place. 

A young capybara. Their hair is usually dark, but the high salt content of the lakes bleach the coats blonde.

A family of rare Hyacinth Macaws.

Black caimans were abundant.