Spurring Discussions: Posting/Promoting Photos
I found this yesterday on Facebook:
The comment I circled hit me. To me, this is similar to the argument about not posting pictures of people riding bikes without helmets (at the risk of influencing children, etc…) But my other immediate thought is that most newbie riders, getting on a horse, are not going to be in a hurry to rear up and replicate this image. Many first-timers are terrified. Another commenter later on commented also how bad rearing like this is for the horse in general.
I know how I really feel about this, but I thought this could “spur” a great discussion. (Pun intended.)
So…
Should these sorts of photos be spread, promoted and encouraged? Or do we leave it up to the discernment of the viewer?
Tell me your opinion in the comments!
Read MoreThe Horse-Human Connection
What is it about horses that draws people in? More specifically – what is it about horses that appeals to most every little girl?
For those few fortunately little girls that convince their daddies to buy them a pony, it can change the course of their life and their dreams. (But, daddies, don’t be fooled: it won’t keep your little girl from dating boys. In some cases, that plan can backfire.)
ReadWriteWeb (a tech blog) wrote about “Horses on the Internet” and measured the level of interest vs. internet sensations (specifically a twitter handle called “Horse_ebooks” that has somehow captivated people). It also compares internet “coverage” of dogs and cats vs. horses. It says, “…the human-horse relationship is unique. It encourages empathic understand in a way that relationships with dogs and cats do not.”
Horses are a unique blend of pet and work animals. Though the latter role is less prominent (especially depending on the part of country in which you reside), it still exists.
In my life, horses are a hobby and a form of escape and therapy. Organizations such as the Northwest Therapeutic Riding Center in Bellingham, Wash., meet the need of horses healing minds and bodies.
When you own horses (and live and interact with those who live inside city limits) you inevitably get the “You own a horse? That’s so cool!” followed by the inquiries if they can go meet or see your horse. Nothing tickles me more than exposing people to the wonders of horses and observing the fascination and unease around such magnificent animals.
Case in point: my little sister-in-law (whom I love and adore!) She’d never really seen or interacted with horses until I came along. So I was thrilled to take her out to meet my horse and show here the ropes. (Pun intended.)
I’ve seen her delight and joy each time we visit my horse. She loves visiting with our dogs and other animals, but there is something different and deeper with the horse.
That horse-human connection that we can’t quite define.
Why do you think horses and humans are inexplicably linked?
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The Life, The Legend, the Dog I Never Really Knew Much About
When I saw the shiny, hard-cover book at Barnes and Noble entitled, “Rin Tin Tin: The Life and The Legend,” I was pretty much a goner. A beautiful dog, born in the trenches of WWI that became a movie icon for decades? Count me in.
I’d heard the name “Rin Tin Tin” before, but aside from the fact that the dog was a German Shepherd, that was about all I knew.
But this dog brought animal actors to the center stage, in a time where the film industry had barely begun to grow. This dog spurred a rise in the popularity of the breed so vast, the breed ended up as the 5th or 6th most popular breed fifty years after his first appearance in the silent films of the 20s and 30s.
Until the end of World War II, dogs and horses were workers, not household pets. They served in wars, served in the villages, served on the farms. The idea of a “pet” didn’t fully develop until populations began moving from the country to the city in droves.
At the start of World War II, America actively recruited dogs to serve. Families donated their pets, received a certificate and a thanks from the government, and often times received their dog back if the dog didn’t pass basic requirements. (I’m pretty sure my dogs wouldn’t have qualified—not when they’d be more interested in playing tug-of-war than racing across a battlefield.)
Dogs served as messengers, cadaver dogs and a host of more dangerous purposes. German Shepherds, developed at the end of the 1800s as a working breed, became the official dog of the German Army in World War I. The popularity spread and over the years continued the role of police dog.
The story of Rin Tin Tin goes beyond one singular dog. There were ten Rin Tin Tins in all (and continue to be) and many breeders continue the lineage. He influenced movies, children and a time in American history when crowds turned to theaters and then televisions. Apart from the entertainment aspect, the dog’s role in society reached even further. He transformed the future of an entire breed that even collies couldn’t achieve through Lassie.
But there hasn’t been another like him. Another animal actor (yes, they are actors and deserve the title as such) with such influence and reach and such a following. Are we too inundated with these technologies that a single star can’t hold our attention? Or was there simply something about Rin Tin Tin, the heroic “Wonder Dog” that captured generations upon generations of admiration?
What are your thoughts?
Read MoreBehind my instinctive, unreasoning love of horses
When I introduce myself, I say in this order, “I’m a writer, social media coordinator and a horse lover.”
The order of how I list these things is skewed. The horses came first. Then the writing, and then social media as my current day job.
Horses have been a huge part of my life. I can’t explain what it was that drew me to them in the first place. As Lady Ann Blunt says, it is an inborn love, instinctive and unreasoning. In the same family, my mother and I were the only horse lovers. My sister (same upbringing and same blood) had no real interest in them. Now, she detests them.
In a conversation the other day, I relayed how big horses have been in my life—from my rodeo queen days to my current fiction writing. A woman beside me shrugged and said, “I was raised with horses my whole life and I never cared for them the way you do. They didn’t affect me that way.”
That stung a bit. I know the woman didn’t mean to—it is a perfectly innocent statement. But I wondered suddenly if something was wrong with me. Why is it that my childhood and teen years showing and riding affected me so?
Am I just strange?
The more I thought about it, the more I wondered.
Why do some people react so differently?
I worked my whole life to earn the right to ride and own horses. I got my first job at age twelve scooping poop at a local stables to help pay for my own horse. I was held to expectations and chores that my siblings weren’t.
That is the difference between my devotion to horses and why they affected me differently, more deeply.
I love what my friend and fellow horse-junkie Melissa Bauer-Herzog said, “I also believe that like cat and dog people, some are horse people and some are not.”
That really nails the issue on the hand, I think. Some people click. Some people are as devoted to horses as prior generations. Some people don’t want anything to do with them. Some people have simply cleaned one too many stalls for their taste.
What are your theories?
Read MoreWhat a tiny, itty-bitty world it is
(Please note, I didn’t title this: “It’s a small world…” because I’d have that song stuck in my head all day. Well, too late…)
As I’ve waded through the edits on my latest novel, I’ve spent hours researching the rich history of Polish Arabians (even discovering my own horses’ ancestry). You know the story behind this novel – Witez II and his incredible journey during WWII and under Nazi occupation.
Throughout this process, there have been a series of silly coincidences. From discovering my horse is of Polish descent to finding a woman from Poland within a historical fiction writing loop I’m a part of. (She was able to double check my use of Polish—a very handy resource!)
Then, came the biggest of all.
A woman at church (and our church is not that big) mentioned she’d grown up with horses her whole life and that her mother has been a long-time breeder of horses. She was dedicated in preserving the lineage and knew everything about the bloodlines and history…
I asked what kind of horses.
“Polish Arabians.”
I could hardly contain myself. There aren’t a lot of people out there with pure Polish lines. There certainly aren’t too many in the Pacific Northwest, much less a few miles from my residence.
A sample entry from the Polish Stud Book.
I spent a wonderful afternoon with the woman on her beautiful farm, surrounded by broodmares and stallions that took my breath away (even with their fuzzy winter coats.)
We spoke history, bloodlines, stallions and mares. Imports, breeders, famous Generals, other historians. She gave me a copy of her digital archive of Polish Stud Books (a record of the mares and stallions from Poland for years.)
In.cred.i.ble. My mind is still buzzing.
It’s a small world, after all.
Read MoreHow Horses Changed Me, Defined Me
My first horse, Whiskey Rose.
Horses defined me long before I was even born. As a child, my mother was a horse owner and my father…sometimes was forced to clean his sister’s horse’s stall. (One of my favorite family stories is of him getting frustrated at having to clean the stall and slamming the metal pitchfork into the ground – and into his foot.)
After I was born, it was pony rides, horse figurines, horse books and everything My Little Pony.
Nothing has changed in 25 years, really.
My first horse, Whiskey Rose.
When I was twelve, I found my first horse waiting in the driveway after I returned from a two-week vacation with a good friend. What a spectacular homecoming. This horse would be my obsession, my teacher, my inspiration, and eventually…my nemesis.
Yes, as any horse owner will tell you, each horse has a unique personality and some are more difficult than others. Some personalities simply clash. And some horses are certainly spawn from the depths of hell. I digress…
My middle school years were fraught with girl drama and all sorts of growing pains. I retreated into myself and my horse. I found sanctuary in working at barns and absorbing all the horse knowledge I possibly could. I met good people, joined some fun groups and overcame many fears. I’m not sure I’d be the person I am today if I hadn’t had my horse to turn to in the days where my best friends rejected me. Depression never seemed to hold on for long when my horse was always waiting with a welcoming nicker.
I had purpose. I had a passion.
That passion spilled into my other passions: reading and writing.
I began concocting novels about brave and beautiful horse trainers and the handsome men they wooed. From there, my writing career progressed.
Into high school and college, the horse-centered life continued. I spent two years as a rodeo queen. Looking back, I never would have entered a beauty pageant. Never. The rodeo queen pageants were different. Your talent was riding. And I was a fair enough rider to earn two titles. Those years taught me about public relations and self-presentation. And hairspray.
My writing career waned in my college years as I pursued my journalism degree. This was a different kind of writing. I did an internship at a business journal, where I swore to the editor (who called me the Cowgirl) that I’d work horses into the paper in some way. I did. I snooped out a decent story about horse businesses and even a scandal or two. Horses shaped the reporter I’d become.
Horses took my writing to a new level as I joined the American Horse Publications and was awarded their 2007 Student Award. I was flown out to their national conference and networked with hundreds of magazine editors and more. I was playing with the big boys.
After graduating, I’d get married, buy a house and get my first real job. My horse would stay at my parent’s house, since I lived in the city limits.
It was then I began my fiction career. For real, this time. I joined writer’s groups, entered contests and even signed with an agent. The heart of all my writing and novel ideas? I’ll give you two guesses, but you’ll only need one.
Horses gave me refuge. Direction. Purpose.
They also gave me a cache of stories and hard-learned lessons. This, is simply the beginning.
Was there something/someone who defined your life?
Read MoreConnect with me
