Merry Christmas & New Blog Reminder

Merry Christmas!  I can't believe that Christmas is already here.  My how time flies.   Cristino, our little cowboy is six months old already. This is our Christmas card for the Riding Academy this year.  He is wearing his "trophy buckle" fringed pants.  I didn't have a hat for him, but thought it might be a bit too much.  He can't upstage Santa right?

I also wanted to remind my readers that the blog has moved.  You can access it at deannacastro.com and subscribe to the feed HERE.  I am posting on My new Professional Horse Blogazine on a daily basis.  I'm still learning the whole wordpress thing, but I'm learning more every day.  I will try and post over here on the "old blog" once and awhile so that my subscribers to only this blog don't forget about me.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy (Belated) Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year!

Deanna

The Site Is Moving - Please Update Your Bookmarks!

This post today will be the last post here on this site, the site is moving to deannacastro.com please update your bookmarks!

It will be the same information, just with a new location.  I hope you all enjoy the new look and site :)

Deanna

Clip Of The Week - Men Doing Dressage

I thought I was the only one who did this kind of stuff...

October Blog Contest - Winners

Congratulations to blog readers Zahi and Kenley the winners of the October Blog Contest!  

They will each receive a copy  the book Wild Horses by million selling author - Jenny Oldfield.

I am currently working on my next book review to be followed by another contest so stay tuned for more details...

Deanna

You Can't Feel What You Don't Touch

For me as a riding instructor, one of the most difficult things to teach a rider is to feel the horse.  The reason it is so difficult is because as you are learning to ride, your legs are not where they should be, softly on the side of the horse.  

*Note: It's quite natural and common to have to learn to develop correct leg position, as it would be unnatural to automatically have perfect leg position when you are learning to ride.

If your legs are away from the horse's sides, you won't feel it when he takes a step.  The horse will actually have to walk into your leg before you feel him.  

Here is an easy exercise you can do to improve your leg strength, position, and feel:

• Take your feet out of the stirrups.
  
• Keep your heels down with your toes pointed slightly out.
• Wrap your legs around your horse with your entire leg all the way down to your heel (depending on the length of your leg, some tall riders legs may extend past the horse's sides and won't be able to keep the heel next to the horse) while maintaining complete contact with your horse's sides.
• Hold your legs in that position and focus on feeling each step the horse takes.

After a while, if you are doing it correctly your legs should begin to burn.  If your legs don't burn, you probably are not doing the exercise correctly.

There are of course times that your leg will be away from your horse's sides, but if you never put your leg next to your horse's side you won't be able to feel him.

It's kind of like looking a piece of fabric, pointing at it and not touching it and then expecting to know what it feels like.  It's impossible to feel what you don't touch.

Deanna

Stable Scoop Episode 13 - Horse Photography

This episode of Stable Scoop is definitely for me!  I don't know about the rest of ya'll but I take the worlds worst horse photo's.  I can make the best looking horse look squatty.   Hopefully now I will have some better looking pictures ;)

Enjoy this weeks episode,

Deanna

This episode of the Stable Scoop Radio Show is brought to you by the Horse Radio Network.
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Everyone is a photographer at heart. Listen in as we speak with the world's leading horse photographers to find out their secrets. Glenn the Geek and Helena B. learn the top 12 tricks to taking a better horse photo and we take a look at the best cameras for Holiday Gifts. What a fun show this is!

Stable Scoop Episode 13 - Show Notes and Links:

• Hosts: Glenn the Geek and Helena B.


• Co-Host: Carien Schippers is one of the leading horse photographers in the county and founder of the Equine Photographers Network. Carien lives in upstate New York and her websites are imagequine.com & horsedrivephotos.com.


• Guest: Scott K. Trees from Trees Media is one of the world's best equine photographers. He is in demand around the world but took a minute to share some of his secrets with us.


• Guest: Tom Mahan of Porters Cameras give us some great camera gift recommendations for this Holiday Season.


• Here are the top 12 things that the guests agree make a better horse photo. To get more detail on each of the items, take a listen to the show.
  
  
  
  • Read the manual and understand your camera.
  
  
  • Take the camera out of automatic mode.
  
  
  • Best lens for good horse photos is 80/200 or 70/200.
  
  
  • Shoot at the end of the lens, further away from the subject zoomed in.
  
  
  • Timing is critical for action horse shots. Learn when to snap the picture.
  
  
  • Patience, patience and patience.
  
  
  • Learn how horses move.
  
  
  • Framing - eliminate horizontal line in your image.
  
  
  • Take picture of a horse from heart level.
  
  
  • The best light for horse photography is early morning or late afternoon.
  
  
  • Shadows are your friend.
  
  
  • When the horse is done - it's done!
  
  
  
  


• Porter's camera pick's for this holiday season. Follow the links and get those gifts today:

Lower Price Point:

Canon PowerShot SX110 IS Digital Camera - $279.00

Medium Price Point:

Nikon D60 Digital SLR w/18-55mm f3.5-5.6G
Vibration Reduction Lens - $599.00

The Really Nice One: (This baby will get you brownie points!)

Nikon D700 Digital SLR - $2,999.00

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This Week In Horse Blogs

What a week we've had.  We have been up, down, on the edge of our seats, and now we know who our next president will be.  I have high hopes for President Elect Obama as does the rest of the country.  In the beginning I wasn't so sure of this mans capability, after all what did we know about him? But I am starting to firmly believe he can do a great job.

As I made my way with Cristino and the Pug to the polls to vote I kept thinking "You might be a redneck if  you take your dog along to babysit as you vote".  I put the baby in the stroller, the pug in the basket of the stroller and headed off to church to cast my vote.  No lines, no waiting,  and no baby sitter except for the dog who stayed with the baby just outside the curtain (they were both in arms reach of course) just hours before one of the most historic moments of our time.  

I really was the only person there voting.  The pastor was there and so were the other church folk who run the polling place, so bringing down the baby and Pugsly made their day I'm sure.  The only thing that may have been more redneck of me would have been if the three of us rode in on a horse.

Anyway, here are some really cool blog posts I read this week.

Enjoy!

Welcome Home, Brego - The Eventing Percheron

I Am The Goldilocks Of The Horse World - Adventures of A Horse Crazed Mind 

Skywatch Friday - Two Opposing Views - The 7MSN Ranch

Blind Horses Trust Makes Anything Possible - Behind The Bit

It's November, and the Pasture Party's Over - Juli Thorson's Horse Talk