Must Read Horsey Articles of the Week

I don't generally do link compilations or anything, but I've read several fascinating articles lately and I'm nerding out a little, so fellow horse nerds, please join me.

photo by Jonathan Becker via Vanity Fair

1) How Champion-Pony Clones Have Transformed the Game of Polo

I think cloning is a little sketchy, but it's also an interesting emerging technology. It's banned by all major competitive equine organizations for fairly obvious and excellent reasons, whether you want to talk about the lack of genetic diversity or the ethical issues of cloning or the simple fact that we don't understand it well enough to do much with it.

Except polo.

Polo is a unique combination of filthy rich participants who don't blink at the 80k per clone price tag, high intensity sport that tests the endurance and durability of the animal, and horsemen who are invested in taking excellent care of their charges.

What will happen? What will we learn? I have no idea and I'm pretty excited this is going on.

photo by Skip Dickstein via Bloodhorse

2) Bode Miller Hopes to Strike Gold at Fair Hill

Whatever you think of the guy personally, no one can contest that he has competed at a very demanding sport at a very high level for a very long time and understands the demands that are put on an athlete. Again, he brings money to an admittedly already-rich sport, but what he's proposes is intruiging--instead of backtracking and loping and the occasional work, he thinks equine athletes would benefit from the same level of training that human athletes do.

Things like hill work. Sprints. Terrain.

Mixing things up to create a stronger athlete all around who stays sounder for longer.

I know there's pushback in the horse world against these methods on the logic that an equine athlete can't communicate and take care of itself the same way a human can, but as Bode points out, our monitoring abilities have improved drastically. With the money behind you to do it right (I suspect vets are making BANK on imaging here), this idea is super cool.

Will it work? Will it help rejuvenate racing? What can we learn here?

I want to know.

photo from Megan's blog.  used by permission.

3) Rider Fear

This is a comprehensive post by the blogosphere's own Megan at A Enter Spooking. As an adult ammy who struggle(s)(d) through my own fear issues, it was liberating to read through another approach that was both intelligent and articulate.

It's such a common issue, but it doesn't have to be the end of the line for nervous riders. I love this summation and I think it should be required reading for owners, riders, and trainers alike.

That's my list of fascinating reading for the time being. What else should I be looking at?

Tricks of the the Trade: Writing a Horse-y Blog

Courage is the best at blog tips

Every once in a while, I get an email from a new blogger, introducing themselves. (I love it. Keep sending them!) Not infrequently, they ask me what it takes to write a horse-y blog. It's an interesting topic that Lauren covered here, and it varies from person to person. Definitely read Lauren's post-she covers a lot of important points. Here's what I'd add to her post, though:

Main ideas:

The story of Courage

When I'm browsing a new blog, the #1 thing I'm looking for is a good story. Everyone has a story and I'd venture to say that most people have good ones. I want to see their story conveyed in their writing though. Where are they from? What are they moving towards? Do the characters catch me? It can be a sad story, a happy story, a fun story, or anything in between.

The blogger can battle the clock, the bank account, or their own limitations (or all of them). The story is the glue that sticks all the posts together and differentiates a blog from a training calendar. It's frequently the relationship between the blogger and their horse, but it can be other things.
Bloggers with great stories: Sweet Horse's Breath, Pony Express

The voice of SprinklerBandits

The biggest thing that makes a blog stand out is the voice it's told by. Writing a blog is about more than just good grammar and coherent (SHORT!!) paragraphs. It's about finding your voice in the horse world and learning to speak. This is something to pay particular attention to when you read back over your own posts (unless I'm the only weirdo who does that?).

Everyone has bad days, but if your tone is consistently whiny or entitled or cynical, I'm unlikely to add you in to my daily feed. A strong voice in a blog shows your personality and gives me a character to engage with.
Bloggers with great voice: Pia's Parade, Chasing the Dream

Focus on halters

In order to make a blog readable, it is important for the author to focus. Again, we all have days where everything is so right (or wrong) that we just do a massive brain dump, but in general, readers can track so much better if the blogger picks a topic and sticks with it for a post. Topics can be anything: that funny thing my horse did, how my show/lesson went, something I love (or hate!) about the horse industry or something else entirely. Focus helps the reader identify with the writer's ideas and respond.

A lack of focus makes it very hard for me as a reader to respond--I'm still thinking about the first thing you said and since then you said four other things.

Bloggers who focus: She Moved to Texas, We Are Flying Solo

Being honest about Cuna

Honesty is one thing a blog can't stand without. Horse bloggers are a unique group of hard working individuals. Sometimes it's awesome. Sometimes it's horrible. Instead of glossing over the ups and downs of life on four legs, embracing the raw honesty available on a blog is another way readers can connect with a blog. If you're knee-deep in road apples, you don't have to play it off as rainbows and unicorns. We're all vulnerable and we appreciate people who can admit it.

Bloggers who are honest: Dandyism, Poor Woman Showing

Those are my big must-haves. I read a lot of blogs, but the ones that consistently demonstrate these qualities are going to get my attention first because I've connected with them. Here are a couple other things that are less of a big deal, but still important to me as a reader:

Extras

Pictures!!! Pictures pictures pictures!!!! I love good original photographs. They don't have to be pro-quality. Heck, most shots on my blog are from my phone. I grew up with my Mom taking pictures roughly every 30 seconds, which I thought was really annoying. Now I probably take a picture every 15 seconds. I try to only share the best or funniest shots, but adding a picture can really make an entry pop. (Noted: I really can't stand pirated pro photos and random stock shots you didn't take. What is the point.) <-Yes, that could have been a question mark, but I'm not leaving room for discussion. Watch A Collection of Madcap Escapes to see someone who takes more pictures than me and uses a real camera and Suzanne for someone who doesn't steal pro photos.

Courage and Diva approve this message

Layout/readability/ease of use: If I go to your blog and your font/background color combo is completely unreadable or I have to click something to see the full post or your organization is super kitsch and doesn't make sense to me, the odds are that I'm not going to stay on your page. If that's your personal style, good for you. I like things simple and accessible.

Pages: If you have multiple horses or make frequent references to characters I can't remember or are drawing on a backstory I don't have any way of knowing, it is really helpful if you have some tabs I can click on to find out that information. Solid writing probably makes this a non-issue, but who doesn't want more places to put up cute horse pictures? I vote yes to tabs.

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, we read for ourselves. These are just my standards. The great thing about the blogging platform is that you can make it your own and express yourself any way you want to. I can't be the only one who's thought about this--what did I miss? What one thing keeps you reading?

Mad Cuna Love

In my early days with Cuna, I made a comment about just how amazing he was, and one of my favorite eventing blogs, Team Flying Solo, responded, "Now you're starting to understand Mad Solo Love."

What she meant was that crazy, all-consuming passion for an animal because of the incredible amount of trust the two of you have been able to develop. It seems almost silly, but the once you experience it, you know what I'm talking about.

Due to my Cuna fixation, I've noticed a trend among bloggers who have what seems like the same horse that I do. They're big, red, touchy, and OTTBs (and one QH). They aren't easy. They aren't everyone's ride. They wouldn't necessarily effect another rider the same way they do their own. Without further ado, I give you: THE CUNAS.

The original, the one that started it all:

http://www.picsofyou.com/

SOLO!!

I suspect all of you know him, but he's an opinionated red QH gelding who exceeded everyone's expectations and took the Team up the training level eventing.

He isn't an OTTB, but he's an exceptional guy. Full of sass, ready to work, and just the right horse for his owner.

She coined the term, "Mad Solo Love," which I interpret as "Mad Cuna Love". He's red. He's tough. He's everything an event horse could ever be.

That brings us to Cuna, logically.

You've all watched Cuna teach me the ways of a jumping rider. He took me from cross rails to our present awesome all by just being himself, day in and day out.

He's by turns goofy and noble, gentle and swashbuckling.

He's big, he's red, he doesn't bend, he hates dressage, and I think he is the best horse ever.




I'm not alone. There are more! Meet Amy and Steady, of Slow and Steady wins the race. I always liked Steady, but once I got Cuna, I began to understand what Amy was talking about. Like Cuna, Steady spent a long time at the track. Like Cuna, he's seen pretty much everything.

Like Cuna, he's big and long and hot.

Like Cuna, he gives Amy confidence and takes her places she couldn't imagine.

Like Cuna, he has his own silly meltdowns over ridiculous things that you just have to laugh at. 


Cuna, Steady, and Solo are part of a group of amazing red horses that make the world better just by their very existence.


I was impressed that there were three Cunas out there, but I've since began to realize there are more.

My first inkling was this handsome fellow, a giant red dude by the name of Charlie. He's big and stiff and generous and I just fell in love. His owner and I can laugh about the many skin ailments of our gelded princesses, their high standards of tack and care, and their incredible giving natures.

Charlie is taking his mom some pretty cool places. They finished out the year at novice and are getting ready for some fun adventures. Every time I read about Charlie, I feel like I'm really reading about Cuna. It makes me laugh, but it reminds me that other people can share our adventure.

But wait! There's more.

Meet Dandylonglegs. I stumbled across his blog one day and the more I read, the more I laughed. Why? He's big. He's red. He's an OTTB. He's opinionated, sensitive, and willing. He's stubborn and stiff and careful.

He's Cuna, just the young, green version. I love watching this pair progress because I feel like I'm watching Cuna's education. He's already an awesome horse, but I have a feeling he's only going to get better with age.

As if that wasn't enough, just a week or so later, I was introduced to another Charlie. The first time I saw a picture of him, I just started laughing.

His long neck. His straight back end. His cute little face. He was on the track a long time, but he just came off.

Lauren, his owner, started a blog for him, and I sure hope she sticks with it. He may be young and green, but I think we have another Cuna in the making.


So there you go! I adore my Cuna Matata, but don't give up just because you can't ever have him. There are other people out there with different versions at different ages. I love OTTBs anyways, and there is a very special place in my heart for this big, red, inflexible ones who take good care of their owners, regardless of their development stage. Their goofy devotion leaves their owners with no choice but to indulge in mad Cuna love. 

Did I miss anyone? Who else has had that horse that just suited you so perfectly that you knew you'd found the one?