Here’s the main website: http://wildhorseeducation.org/

The True Horseman:

They say a good rider can hear his horse speak to him,
but a great rider can hear his horse whisper.
The years he’s given me.
Nobility without conceit.
Friendship without envy.
Beauty without vanity.
A loyalty without compromise.
I borrowed freedom when we rode.
The history of mankind and civilization rode with us.
His body took the weight of mine, and I was carried through.
I can still hear that whisper..

——-Seán Branigan (?)

Directed by Seán Branigan
Written by Sam Doyle and Seán Branigan
Produced by Andrew Freedman and Tanja Harney for Antidote Films
Music by Lennert Busch
Post-production by Screen Scene and Windmill Lane

“Donovan “Van” Ketzler, at 89 years old, is possibly the oldest veteran of the U.S. cavalry still riding!

“When he says, I’m finished riding, that’s when I start planning his funeral,” Jeff (his son) says. “That’s his life and has been from a very early age.”

I’ve known a number of people who rode horses well into their 90′s and a couple who made it past 100. Myself, I want to ride until it drop dead in the saddle. And if I can no longer ride, just shoot me and get it over with.

Ride to live, live to ride!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524590834253558&set=a.435070176538958.106773.435069133205729&type=1&theater

If you are looking into an equestrian sport that involves speed, thrills and is a tool for advancing your skills as a rider in general, then tent pegging is for you.

Teenager kicked in the head by a horse after jumping (http://www.riders4helmets.com)

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of riding with a helmet.

They worry about being sued if such an incident results in someone getting injured…

And, at the same time they let children under their care ride horses without helmets. Yet they worry about horses spooking and running over the children.

Well, I have a message for them and that is this: if you let small children ride without helmets, you are an idiot. A complete and total idiot who needs to take a time out to check reality.

I have a message for people who let children ride without helmets: Horses are like unloaded guns – they seem safe and harmless but they will kill someone every time.

I even see supposed ‘professionals’ and ‘experts’ let young children, without helmets, under their care ride horses. They are idiots. They worry about being sued for something but they never worry about their insurance never paying for damages to their own children’s skulls when a horse steps on it. That ‘perfectly trained’ dobbin can explode any time no matter how well ‘trained’ it is.

And this goes for adults too – wear a helmet. If you are too macho to not wear a helmet when riding, that’s your stupidity. Don’t inflict that stupidity upon children under your care. If you don’t wear a helmet and you get your head bashed in on a rock, then it’s your own fault and you suffer. What idiocy would motivate any person to let a child ride without a helmet?

I can’t say enough about the issue of helmets and taking advantage of every safety precaution available when riding horses. Especially when it concerns the safety of children.

I wear a helmet. I am safety oriented. By the same token, I ride a lot of horses that aren’t tame. I’ve had my life saved at least once because I was wearing a helmet while riding a horse. Once is all it takes.

The reason for this little rant is that someone complained about a horse spooking over a plastic bag that they left twisting in the wind. They complained about my horse spooking and that ‘someday’ one of their grandchildren could get hurt. Well, if you are so concerned about your grandchildren getting hurt by horses then why do you let them ride without helmets? That child’s hand that got stepped on could as well been his head.

This macho crap concerning helmets and cowboy hats has to stop. If you let a child ride without a helmet then you are guilty of child neglect. If you ride without a helmet, then you are just a stupid jackass.

“Horse owners who frequently travel out of state with their animals for horse shows and festivals can take advantage of a new agreement between Southern states that will eliminate the need to obtain monthly animal health certificates.

The agreement between Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia will allow horse owners to apply for an Equine Event Permit that will be good for up to six months in any of the listed states. Some states had reciprocal agreements in the past, but this is the first agreement of its kind in South.”

Read more: http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/equineevent.htm

A very enlightening take on spooky horses.