mallet's Blog

Well, I guess it was inevitable.  I leased a horse today.  I didn't lease just any horse, I leased Jenkins.  He is an awesome, smart, athletic thoroughbred/ quarterhorse cross I rode all winter. We spent the winter of 2007-2008 cooped up together in an indoor ring.  But, twice in the last month we have been on trail rides together.  This afternoon sealed the deal.  I was on the trail with three other riders and horses.  When some cows came at us, two of those riders ended up in the mud.  Their horses threw them.  I can't say Jenkins was completely calm when all of the other horses started freaking out... but he was pretty good.  He backed into an electrical fence, gave himself a good jolt and still didn't dump me.  He scared me and himself... but we made it back to the barn together.  His grace under pressure convinced me he was the horse for me.  I wrote a check for our first month together as soon as I had his saddle off.  Now I can go riding every day if I choose.  I think that will surely make me a better horseman.  I'm going to post some pictures of Jenkins in my photo section.  Check em out!

Well, most of the snow is gone. I was beginning to think winter would never end.  And, I should point out there remains more snow than needed on the rolling landscape of Fredonia, Wisconsin.  Still, Jenkins and I embarked on our first trail ride today.  It was a perfect day to ride.  The warm, spring sun was high in the Wisconsin sky when my instructor, Bernadette, and I hit the trail.  For some reason, Bernadette chose to ride a difficult horse named Chex.  He was a colossal pain in the butt!  He was bucking and rearing and refusing to walk through water.  You name it.  But my guy, Jenkins, was perfect.  He calmly walked through deep snow and moving streams.  He didn't flinch when a blue heron flew out of the scrub grass and soared overhead.  When a big cow ran at us along the fence line, nothing.  Of course, Chex made up for Jenkins.  He was giving Bernadette a terrible time.  It was a test of wills.  Eventually, Bernadette got him calmed down.  It helped for us to canter up a few hills.  A few times, when Chex refused to go forward, Jenkins and I took the lead and Chex was willing to follow.  I think I am going to go ahead and lease Jenkins.  He is just a perfect horse for me.  He is gigantic, smart and loves to run.  I think an hour or two on the trail in the morning before work will be the perfect start to the day.  I'll get some pictures of him soon and post them on my blog.  

It has been a long, cold, brutal Wisconsin winter.  Finally, tomorrow morning I am slated to get Jenkins all tacked up for a long trail ride.  There is still quite a bit of snow along the fence lines here at Appy Orse Acres, so we probably won't be able to gallop and canter much. Still, it will be great to be out of the indoor ring.  My big chestnut buddy, Jenkins, and I have been cooped up in the indoor ring since the start of December.  I can't wait to see how the big boy reacts to a quail launching out of the scrub grass or a deer in his path.  I was on a quarter horse in Delaware once named Chance.  Chance saw a big doe run out onto the trail and decided we needed to catch her.  It was nuts.  There is this doe jumping over bushes and fences and we're just cantering along behind her looking for a way to pull up beside her.  Thank god she disappeared before I was called upon to jump a six foot fence.  As it was, a sustained three minute gallop was enough to get my blood flowing.  At any rate, not sure what to expect from Jenkins on the trail.  He is normally a very calm horse.  But he loves to run and jump and takes very little encouragement to really start flying around the ring in his characteristic wide, sweeping circles.  He gets nervous when he hears ice melting and sliding off of the metal roof above the ring.  But I think he is just very smart and wants to see what is happening.  When we are outside, there won't be any unexplained noises.  He'll be able to see it all.  Horses are curious and want to find out what's happening.  I suspect Jenkins will like the trail as much as I do.  I can't wait to go, go, go.

That heading isn't entirely accurate. I haven't been out of the saddle for more than a week or two over the past two plus years. I ride whenever there is an opportunity to ride. Sometimes it is in a controlled setting with a well-trained horse. Sometimes it is in more of a free for all setting with a horse fresh off the track at Philadelphia Park and a large enough ring to enable any headstrong thoroughbred to scare the daylights out of a gutsy but inexperienced rider. But now I have again taken a few weeks off from riding. First we had a bone-chilling cold snap that made the trail between the barn and the indoor ring entirely too treacherous to walk a 13-hundred pound quarterhorse/thoroughbred from the barn to the unheated ring. It has been a brutal winter here in Wisconsin. Then, I got back in the ring with my favorite horse, Jenkins, and managed to drive us both into the rail at high speed. Jenkins was fine. He positioned himself so that my ankle took the full impact of the post as we cantered by. My foot was twisted around completely backwards for a moment, stretching all of my ligaments beyond their usual tolerances. Ouch. That would have led to a mere one week layoff, but then I needed to go to Philadelphia to see my folks. So, once again, I went two weeks without riding. So on Sunday, when I saddled Jenkins up, I feared a rocky ride. Jenkins is very smart and somewhat headstrong. If he is in a rebellious mood, he can be a handful. Fortunately, he was great on Sunday. Even better, my instructor attributed this great control and execution to me. I'm not convinced I can take credit for that. Jenkins is a very well-trained horse who knows what he is supposed to do. Our lesson went great. We cantered, staying in the corners and cutting across the ring when asked,. We broke down into a trot and then resumed the canter to clear a series of three jumps. The whole time, I felt very much in control of this horse. What;'s more, he doesn't mind. Jenkins enjoys the grooming and peppermints routine that precedes our lesson and loves the peppermint and untacking that takes place afterwards.

I grew up as an Eagles fan.  I have rooted for them for as long as I can remember.  Therefore, it is in my DNA to hate the New York Football Giants.  I have always disliked the smug way certain New York fans talk about their teams, whether it be the Yankees or the Giants.  That said, I couldn't help but love tonight's underdog victory by the Giants.  Manning was the very essence of grace under pressure.  The New York defense was nothing short of dominating.  They quieted an even more annoyingly smug set of Patriot's fans.  I'm tired of hearing Mercury Morris talk smack whenever a team rivals the 1972 Dolphins winning record, but tonight's victory makes me feel like there really is some justice in the world of sports.  A heavily favored team caught cheating early in the season was beaten like rented mules by a team that worked honestly and put the concept of team above everything else.  I put "conflicted fan" at the top of this post.  The reality is that I'm not conflicted at all.  The second best team in the NFC East was ultimately the best team in the NFL.  I'm not going to become a Giants fan, but I'm happy things turned out the way they did.  I might feel differently if I was home on the East coast watching Delaware County guys don Giants jerseys, but I live in Wisconsin now.  There aren't enough New York fans here to make me hate New York teams.  A once scared kid named Eli has a ring now and I think that is okay.  I never would have predicted Eli would have a ring before Donovan.  Groan.  Okay, gonna end this post before I change my mind.  Maybe I really am conflicted.

I've moved to a new stable in Wisconsin. I was out walking the wolf on a recent fall morning when I ran into a woman walking her dog. We talked about our dogs for awhile when she said she had to get going because she was "going riding." I asked her where she rode, and she told me about a place called Appy Orse Acres. She described a place where the horses all live outdoors and are very happy and healthy animals.

So last weekend, on a 15 degree Wisconsin winter afternoon, I took my first lesson at Appy Orse Acres. The instructor, Bernadette, paired me up with a big (16.3) hands horse named Jenkins. At first blush, he didn't impress me as a particularly handsome fellow. I had been spoiled by riding a retired thoroughbred racehorse since October. But Jenkins grew on me quickly. Because he spends his nights out in a rolling pasture, he has a thick chestnut coat. It wasn't until I began brushing that coat, that I realized how solid he is. Though very stocky, Jenkins is all muscle.

Jenkins is also very expressive. As I walked him from the barn to the indoor arena in a driving snowstorm, the big horse actually turned his head toward me and made a face. It was a "what on earth are we doing?" face. We were both freezing our tails off as we pressed on through the blowing snow. I had to really pull him at one point until he saw the open door to the arena, at which point he started pulling me.

Jenkins turned out to be a very good horse. And, Bernadette is clearly a very good instructor. He trotted very nicely and cantered faster than my buddy the thoroughbred. Within 30 minutes we were jumping.

At any rate, I think I'm going to stay with Jenkins and Bernadette. There are rolling hills and trails where we can ride in the summer. And there are a lot of good horses at Appy Orse Acres.

Now that I'm in Wisconsin, I'm having a hard time picking a likely Derby entrant from the local MidAtlantic tracks.  Double Down Vinman still has a lot to prove.  Since I don't get to hang around the backside or watch morning workouts at the track anymore, I don't have as many good leads.  I'm looking back fondly on the days when I had good information.  Last year I looked fairly smart during Derby week:

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I have to tell you, it ain't a great name for a horse.  But Richard is a great horse.  I rode the old boy again this morning.  He shows his age in some small ways... when you hold his feet up for a long time while using a hoof pick he sometimes gets tired... but when you ride him, you would think he is seven years old not 23.  This morning, I was working on maintaining the canter with Richard.  I have a tendency to favor my right leg when I'm in the saddle.  As a result, my left leg gets into the horse more than the right.  So then the horse drifts right.  We were cantering along the edges of the ring this morning to the point where my right leg was rubbing against the wood.  That'll make you realize you are doing something wrong.  But old Richard is so good, he just looks back at me as if to say "well if you want to rub against the walls, I can do that."  He just follows orders.  You press him too much with the left leg and he will surely move right.  Today was a good lesson.  We were in the indoor ring and did a lot of cantering and a lot of jumping.  My instructor, Marnie Reynolds, is very good at explaining each step of the jump.  Richard clearly loves to jump.  I know I'm supposed to be paying attention to my leg and my seat,  but it is so much fun to point the old boy toward the jump and just feel him come to life beneath me.  He sails over the jump and canters away perfectly.  I have no idea if I was doing things right, but with Richard it almost doesn't matter.  I may have mentioned in this blog before that Richard has been successful at everything he's tried.  He was a winning racehorse.  Then he was a champion show jumper.  Then he won a Circle of Honor award as the Nation's best lesson horse.  Now he is riding around with a dopey anchorman in the irons and making me look good.   I've moved up in the world.  Richard has not.   But Marnie did pay me a nice compliment today.  She says I don't get discouraged and I always try.  I'll take that.  I may not be a natural athlete on horseback, but I keep trying.  And, the horses like me.  

I'll be the first to admit that I've rarely met a horse I didn't like. But today I rode the most terrific horse I've ever been on. I was at a place called HIdden Talent Farm in Jackson Wisconsin. Marnie Reynolds, the owner of the stable, put me on a retired thoroughbred racehorse named Richard. Nobody knows what his racing name was because the tattoo on his gums is completely unreadable. Jockey club was of no help to Marnie. But his racing career is unimportant now. He won a Gold Circle Award (I think that's what its called) as the best lesson horse in the nation. He has also competed at the top levels in show jumping and dressage. The point is this: the horse is amazingly well trained. He was absolutely push button. I asked for a canter and got one from a dead stop immediately. He trotted perfectly. He jumped like a seasoned athlete. He made me look like I know what I'm doing. He is really awesome and made me feel the same way. The best thing was the way he fit me. He is a full 17 hands tall and just a rippled mass of equine muscle. The amazing thing is that he looks like a 7 year old who could still be racing on the track. But he is 23 years old. He's been around for exactly half of my life. It was a great morning. It was a great way to clear my head before my first day on the anchor desk here in Milwaukee. That went well too. But the high point of my day was surely meeting Richard in the ring at Hidden Talent Farm. I'm going to ride him again next week. I'll try to get some pictures at some point and post them here on my blog.

I've actually started working in Wisconsin now.  My first story was about a horse (big surprise). It was about a granddaughter of the great Seattle Slew who was nearly slaughtered before being rescued by a Milwaukee Animal Charity "Animal Fairy Charities."  Here is a link to my story: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/10260587.html

As many as 50-thousand horses were slaughtered in America last year.  Now horses are being shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. 

Local colt Hard Spun finally defeated his nemesis Street Sense in the Kentucky Cup Classic today.  It was a perfect race for the Kentucky Derby runner-up.  Mario Pino took Hard Spun right to the front out of the gate on the speed-favoring polytrack surface.  The Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, was a stalking second.  But the early fractions were slow, so Hard Spun had a lot of gas in the tank when Street Sense made a run at him at the top of the stretch.  The Delaware Park Colt held off the Kentucky Derby winner. It was an awesome race.  I got an email from Hard Spun's owner, Rick Porter this evening.  Rick was thrilled by the race!  The next race for both talented three-year-olds will be the Breeders Cup Classic.  But neither horse is likely to be favored.  4 year old colt Lawyer Ron will be the likely favorite in the race for the title of Horse of the Year.  Lawyer Ron had an impressive 3 year old season at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas before losing badly to Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby.  But he is a very talented colt who has really come into his own as a 4 year old under the stewardship of leading trainer Todd Pletcher.  I'm not sure either of the top three year olds has a chance against this guy.  But if Hard Spun wins, I think he has to be Horse of the Year.  And, if he beats Curlin and Street Sense in the process, he also has to be considered for Three Year Old Champion.  What a comeback story that would be after his hard-fought losses on the Triple Crown Trail. 

I bought a place in Wisconsin and was out there this week to take care of the inspection and other housekeeping issues.  But I also drove up into horse country to find a place to ride.  I visited a few different stables.  I was just sort of stumbling around out there when I happened into a woman's driveway,  She didn't have a horse farm but, as luck would have it, she does own a horse.  She told me about the farm where she boards her horse: Hidden Talent Farm.  I drove out there and met a delightful woman named Marnie Reynolds.  She has a converted dairy farm with an indoor ring, an outdoor ring and lots of corn fields to gallop in when the corn isn't growing.  Marnie struck me as a no-nonsense horsewoman.  She was much more reasonably priced than any of the snobbier places nearby.  I decided I will ride at her farm when we settle in Wisconsin.  In the meantime, I'm trying to jam in as much riding as I can before I leave town.  I went to Catherine Larose's farm in South Jersey last week and went for a long trail ride with her.  She was riding a retired racehorse named Billy.  I was on a gigantic Belgian mare.  Catherine is a trainer and knows not to just put a guy on a thoroughbred racehorse.  She wanted to see if I knew how to ride a horse before she plopped me on the back of Billy. But now she says I can come out and gallop Billy on her track before I leave town.  I think I'll take her up on that.  Meantime, I'm going out to Ashford this afternoon to ride The Great Zucchini (maybe the last time).  Jessica and I are going to take the horses down on the bike path for what may be our final Friday trail ride together.  I always looked forward to those rides at the end of a stressful week.  As I am now temporarily unemployed (I start at WTMJ in Ocotober) this stress is gone.

Well, I may not be as fearless as I was before knocking myself silly by falling off of Radcliffe, but I am back at it.  I've jumped the last three Saturdays and taken a couple of trail rides in Delaware too.  My Saturday classes have all been with The Great Zucchini.  He earned that name by being exactly what the name implies: GREAT!  He is kind, athletic, confident and a pleasure to ride.  My first Saturday jumping, we trotted up to the first crossties and he stopped.  I was apparently sending him a signal to do so.  But we doubled back and then sailed over that jump and three others.  It was as if he knew I was scared and wanted to give me a moment to collect myself.  Today we had a solo lesson with Nina at Ashford.  It was fun.  We worked on cantering from a walk and trotting in circles.  Then we did a few jumps.  It was hotter than blue blazes in the ring, though.  I always wear my vest now.  It may protect me from breaking any ribs, but I sometimes think I am going to melt into a pile of goo because it is so, so hot!  On Thursday, I had a great ride on my second favorite quarter horse, Good Girl.  She is a very forward filly based at Carousel Park in Delaware.  It was the first time I had taken her out on the trail.  I had heard she can be a little skittish out there.  But she was great with me.  She is a very forward horse.  We had a nice, very forward ride together.  We jumped over some of the jumps they have set up out on the trail.  Its odd jumping a quarter horse like Good Girl.  She, like most quarter horses, is built downhill.  Its a funny feeling when you know you are keeping your shoulders back, but feel like you are tilted forward as you clear the jump.  But you have to love a horse who looks just like Rags to Riches (the filly that won the Belmont Stakes this year).  Good Girl has the same markings on her pretty face.  Of course, she doesn't have that spectacular uphill, thoroughbred body.  But she is a lovely creature.  I'm going to try and post some pictures of Zucchini on my blog so everybody can see the outstanding pinto that I gush about here on my blog!

I think I have about bounced back from my fall off Radcliffe.  That was back on June 30th.  I've only been back on a horse once since then.  I took a nice long trail ride with my buddy, Chance, at Carousel Park in Delaware.  Chance is a very kind quarter horse.  He loves to canter and gallop.  It was good to be back in the saddle with such a dependable steed.  Later this morning, I'll be returning to Ashford Farms in Lafayette Hill for a class with Christine.  I asked if I could ride Radcliffe (the horse who threw me).  But, they are going to have me ride Zucchini.  That is probably for the best.  Zucchini is a very good horse.  A pinto, he loves to do what is asked of him.  I like him best on the trail, but he has always been very kind in the ring.  He sometimes fights a rider on jumping an obstacle, but gives in easily when he remembers the rider has a pocket full of peppermints for after the lesson.  Zucchini is the horse who stared down a pit bull on the trail at Valley Green when I was sure I was going to be launched into the stratosphere.  He is one cool customer!

Almost a year and a half into my riding career, and it finally happened.  I bounced off of Radcliffe and into the dirt today.  My bell is still ringing as I write this post.  I was warned before the lesson that Radcliffe was acting a little looney.  He has been testing people.  But I was willing to ride that big, black and beautiful draft mix despite him feeling his oats.  I figured he would be more fun to ride like that than when he is being lazy (which happens a lot).  At any rate, Radcliffe was in a lesson before mine, so I had to go to the other ring and retrieve him.  When his 9am rider released him to me,  Radcliffe thought I was going to take him to the barn.  He fought me the whole way to the other ring.  I walked him by his reins, but had to push my shoulder into him to keep from being overpowered.  Still, once we got in the ring, he allowed me to adjust my stirrups and stood still when I hopped aboard.

Christine had us trotting, doing some cantering and also doing some dressage type stuff at the start of the lesson.  Radcliffe is so big, he gains ground easily on the other horses.  My biggest challenge was finding an open space in the ring and keeping him there.  He was alternating between going a little to fast and going way too slow.  But we managed to do most of what was asked of us.

Then we started jumping.  One thing about Radcliffe: He loves to jump!  So this part of the lesson was a relief to me.  We cleared a number of jumps together.  The only problem I was having was Radcliffe wanting to go faster than we were supposed to.  Then we started doing three cross-rail jumps followed by a sweeping turn and two more jumps.  Radcliffe did the first three beautifully every time.  He even handled the turn pretty well and the first of the final two jumps.  But then he kept ducking off of that last jump, throwing his head down and cantering sideways.  I probably should have seen it coming.  When Christine told Radcliffe and me to focus on those last two jumps we had repeated problems.  We'd clear the first, balk at the second and then loop around and clear the second.  But then on my final attempt, we cleared the first and went crazy sidways again.  I remember feeling my foot come out of the stirrup as I went off of Radcliffe's right side.  There was a moment of relief.  I have always feared being dragged by the stirrups like Red Pollard in the movie Seabiscuit.  I don't remember anything else.  The other riders told me there was a loud thud when I dropped headfirst onto the ground.  Next thing, I was sitting up in the ring feeling like I was going to throw up. 

The ambulance guys and police were great.  They wanted to take me to Chestnut Hill hospital.  I considered it, but then decided I'd have my wife come and get me.  They were pretty certain I got a concussion.  Hours later, as I sit here with a sold headache and remaining dizzyness, I'm in not position to dispute their diagnosis.  It was scarey incident, but I'm largely relieved that my first fall didn't involve any broken bones.  Right now, I really want to take a nap but am told I might want to wait a little while before I close my eyes.