Recreation & Lifestyle
Welcome to Recreation & Lifestyle, which includes leisure riding and other aspects of the equestrian lifestyle for you and your horse loving friends and family.
Looking for the perfect present? See the Gifts & Jewelry section. Redecorating? Find a Painting, Photograph or Sculpture in the Artwork section. Need to check out a movie or crawl up with a good book or magazine? See our Entertainment section where you will find and Books, Movies, Games, and Magazines. And don't forget about Fine Art in some specialty Museums that might surprise you.
Looking for love or a trail buddy? Riding Partners is the spot to seek other riders who share your passion. Find a place to ride with that special person in our Trail Riding section and if you need more time away, take a look at Vacations. Want to know about the next horse show or special event? Don’t miss it! Dates and locations are included in the Calendar of Events for Recreation & Lifestyle.
Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!
by Patricia N. Saffran
The third annual Rolex Central Park Horse Show was held at the Wollman Rink from September 21st to 25th under the aegis of founder Mark Bellissimo, and CEO of the International Equestrian Group. Once again the functional rink was utterly transformed into a magical place. Attending the show for the first time, Barry Lewis, architectural historian and co-host of the PBS A Walk Through Central Park, was impressed by the transformation. He said, “The use of artificial ivy covering the structure of the bleachers transforms the space into a bower.” There were classes for the duration of the show for various age groups in different disciplines. The following are some highlights:
On September 21, the exquisite Arabian horses, presented by the Arabian Horse Association and Aljassimya Farms, competed in a variety of classes, including Arabian Western Pleasure, Arabian Country English Pleasure and halter classes. Some of the classes featured a professional and amateur riding the same horse.
Read more: A Must See for Every Horse Lover, The Rolex Central Park Horse Show!
by Lisa Thomas
I have lots of clients who own, run or want to own horse boarding facilities in the wine country. They are a unique breed and what fascinates me is how very different they all are. Each operation is quite different, they all have their own market positioning and way they do business. It's a little like real estate... lots of agents, with lots of different ways of doing business, each potentially successful in their own way. So what is the attraction of owning a horse business? And the secret to success? Here's my view, based on seeing how a lot of these operations are run...
It's a Service Business - make no mistake. Providing horse care and the facilities for people to ride or enjoy their horses is a service. That means that making the client feel happy is the secret to keeping them as clients. Good service is something people pay for. Making something cheap is almost always going to mean that you don't do much for them.
The nice thing about boarding businesses is that there is a market for everything from the basic DIY boarding... i.e. Do It Yourself... to the full service DUP 'Drive up Darling, your horse is saddled & waiting' and everything in between. At the lower end you provide a safely fenced pasture and water and the owners provide the care. At the upper end, you are the all inclusive resort vacation site with full service, 3-4 times daily feeding, supplements, spraying, rugging up, holding for farriers, medicating, tack cleaning... take this as far as you'd like to go service. Find your market and be clear about your service offering. This is the secret to making a profit, not just income.
Movie review by Patricia N. Saffran
Dark Horse won the World Cinema Documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival 2015. The film is currently being screened in theaters around the US and a non-US format is offered on Amazon. It is beautifully made and is a joy to watch.
Read more: "Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance" Film Review
"What if horses were given a choice? Would they let us ride them?”
The touching story of horse trainer Elsa Sinclair is told in her movie "Taming Wild" where she traveled to find an untouched Mustang, a mare which was totally wild, and patiently created a bond with her. Elsa used no saddles, no bridles, no whips, and no food for bribes to see if a wild horse would choose to be ridden. Elsa speaks with Equine Info Exchange and shares her remarkable journey of respect, patience and love with her Mustang mare named Myrnah.
Written by: Susan Stafford. Excerpted from Volume 1 of the "Horse Tales for the Soul" series.
Many years ago - about 4 B.C. (Before Children), to be exact - my husband and I had a Big Adventure. After years of city living, we had just purchased our first home in the country, a run-down cottage in the middle of a swamp on a dead-end road. The basement was constantly under water (we cheerfully called it our indoor swimming pool), the septic system was always backing up and the mosquitoes were so ravenous that we could have benefited from regular blood transfusions. We were often without power, got snowed in every winter, and the roof leaked. But the place was ours, and it was heaven. To satisfy a lifelong dream, we bought a couple of horses to complete the picture. Now, knowing very little about horses at the time, we just scooped up the first likely prospects that came along. Luckily, my little black gelding, Buck, was trustworthy and quiet most of the time. His only major flaw was that he was an escape artist. There was not a stall latch designed that could keep him in.
There was, of course, the unfortunate incident when Buck let himself and his barn mates out one night, then proceeded to the neighbor’s stable to release all their horses as well. The police informed us in the morning that the small herd of hoodlums had been terrorizing the surrounding farms and frightening motorists all night long. They implied that “the black one” appeared to be the ringleader. It was all very embarrassing - much like the authorities showing up at your door to tell you that your teenage son had been caught joyriding in a stolen car.
by Marion E. Altieri, for Equine Info Exchange, Oct 2015
If the name Buddy Ebsen brings to mind only two of his characters—Jed Clampett and Barnaby Jones—then you don’t know Ebsen, at all. Or one important part of the legacy the gentleman left behind, in the hearts and actions of three of his beloved equestrian daughters.
Hollywood legend, Buddy Ebsen, got his start in show biz, dancing and singing with his sister in New York City. Soon he found himself tearing up the dance floor and singing for none other than Flo Ziegfield, himself—and from there, to a fat contract with MGM and the great musicals which brightened the otherwise-dreary 1930s.
So you didn’t know that Mr. Ebsen had serious acting, singing and dancing chops—you probably didn’t know that he loved riding horses; owned a ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains; had six daughters—and passed on his love for horses to at least three of his girls.
Read more: Three Ebsen Sisters + Horses = A Legacy for the Ages
