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.
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by Katrina Elsken
ST. CLOUD — Have you ever wanted to experience a real cattle drive? Plans are underway for the Great Florida Cattle Drive in 2021.
In December 2021, a group of Florida cow hunters will spend a week herding approximately 1,000 cattle from Deseret Ranch in St. Cloud, zigzagging on a trail for about 60 miles to Kenansville. The trek will take seven days and go through areas of the state that are still in their natural state, or as close as anything gets to it in Florida. Cattle drives do not move quickly; The herd will cover about 10 to 12 miles a day. It will take two to three days just to get off the Deseret Ranch, which covers more than 300,000 acres and spans three counties.
Anyone can go, so long as you have a horse to ride or a horse or mule drawn wagon to ride in. Those who plan to go are advised to start early on conditioning their horses and themselves for the physical demands of the trail. “We want to offer this adventure to as many people as possible,” said Doyle Conner Jr., of the Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee. The camping will be primitive, just as it was for those on historic cattle drives. However, unlike the cracker cowboys who ate whatever game they could hunt along the way, or made do with beans and jerky, participants won’t have to worry about bringing, catching or cooking their own food. Three meals a day will be provided for the participants. Hay and grain will be transported to each night’s campsite for the horses. Water will also be provided for humans, equines and bovines.
The Noel Asmar Group wins award for new eco-friendly athleisure line made from recycled plastic.
Surrey, BC (September 30, 2019) – The Noel Asmar Group, the successful lifestyle brand behind Asmar Equestrian, Noel Asmar Uniforms and Pedicurebowls.com, is this year’s winner of the ISPA Innovation of the Year Award for its first ever line of eco-friendly athleisure uniforms made from recycled plastic. Presented annually by the International SPA Association (ISPA) to deserving members, the Innovate Awards are designed to recognize members who lead the way with groundbreaking initiatives that advance the spa industry.
Known for her pioneering designs, founder Noel Asmar has been designing uniforms, which she defines quite simply as fashionable garment options to simplify your life, enabling you to save time and money, for over 17 years. She is credited with creating the first designer spa uniform in 2002 and since then, has been the recipient of numerous awards for her innovations in the spa and wellness and equestrian industries, including an award for “Most Innovative Rider Clothing of the Year” for her popular All Weather Rider Jacket from the British Equestrian Trade Association. Her designs have been featured in top publications like Vogue and Bazaar and today, Asmar and her team service thousands of professionals in spa, wellness and equestrian sport - from the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons Resorts and Spas, to the Canadian Equestrian team.
Read more: Asmar Equestrian Founder Wins Award for Innovation
by Mark Felton
“The efforts to rescue the Lipizzaners would end with battle-weary American GIs standing shoulder-to-shoulder with German troops to fight a common enemy – the Waffen-SS.”
IT WAS APRIL 28, 1945.The war in Europe was just days away from ending when one of the strangest episodes of the entire conflict played out along the German-Czechoslovakian border. More than 350 American GIs had just fought their way through enemy lines to reach the town of Hostau.
The settlement, which was still in the hands of a detachment of Wehrmacht soldiers, was home to some remarkably valuable treasure: several hundred prized Lipizzaner horses. The famous and extremely rare animals, which had been seized by the Third Reich as part of a bizarre wartime livestock breeding program, were now in the path of the advancing Red Army where they faced almost certain destruction.
Fearing for the horses’ lives, the German officer in charge of the stud farm sent word to the Americans that he and his men would surrender en masse if the U.S. Army promised to get the beasts out of harm’s way. A cavalry unit in Patton’s Third Army leapt at the chance to save the legendary Lipizzaners.
The mission, which was dubbed Operation Cowboy, would see U.S. troops, along with a motley collection of liberated Allied POWs, a bona fide Cossack aristocrat and a platoon of turn-coat German soldiers race the clock to drive a herd of priceless horses to safety, all the while fighting off attacks by a legion of crack troops from the Waffen-SS bent on their destruction.
This unbelievable true-story was the inspiration for "Ghost Riders," a new non-fiction book by author and historian Mark Felton. Here, Felton himself takes us through the story.
When the shooting died away the snowy field was littered with dead and dying Waffen-SS soldiers. American GIs quickly reloaded their weapons.
Huddled inside their positions with them was a strange group of comrades. German Wehrmacht soldiers cradled Mauser rifles, while fur-hatted Russian Cossacks grinned fiercely through their beards as British and Polish ex-POWs stared grimly ahead. Leading this curious coalition that found itself in action near the Czechoslovakian town of Hostau was a tall, strikingly handsome U.S. Army captain by the name of Thomas M. Stewart.
by Louise Dando
Everybody knows it would be very handy if your parents had an unlimited supply of cash to fund your passion. Well, this the case for these very lucky riders. Each of these women compete in their own right and successfully, however it must have helped a little that their Dad’s were millionaires!
It seems particularly on the US show jumping circuit, there are a fair few riders surnames you will immediately recognise as their dads are famous. Saying that though after researching a bit about these women, I must say despite their vast wealth they all do seem to have a genuine passion and love for horses.
Here is my list of riders that have famous parents…
1. Jessica Springsteen
Daughter of Bruce Springsteen, Jessica started riding when she was 5 years old when they her family moved to a horse farm. Jessica is now a very successful showjumper competing at the top level of competition. She is currently a member of the ‘Miami Celtics’ on the Longines Global Champions Tour.
by Emily Riden
Hannah’s no-nonsense attitude and the passion with which she approaches her equestrian career can likely be attributed to her parents, actors Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack. She fell in love with horses at an early age and became an accomplished competitor at the grand prix level. In 2010, she founded Descanso Farm, fueled by her desire to produce high-quality horses in the U.S. As conversation with Hannah Selleck moves seamlessly from stories and laughs about her first pony and early riding years to earnest insight into her career, it’s easy to feel instantly at home in the discussion.
Her genuine and welcoming demeanor, coupled with a clear passion for the horses that she has built her life around, give the sense that you could be speaking with any fellow horse-crazy barn mate—only this is Hannah, a grand prix competitor who also happens to run her own successful boutique breeding operation. She’s also definitely the barn mate you would want to turn to for riding advice and business tips—and probably fitness and style pointers as well.
by Kevin Cox
It would all start with a list.
A few days before we'd leave, it would be on my father's dresser. "Q Tips, Listerine, pens, socks, underwear...", and on and on it went. One would think he was Jimmy Hoffa going away for a stretch, but in reality, it was how he would prepare for our two night excursion to Saratoga year after year. Obviously, normative society doesn't feel compelled to itemize the most trivial minutia for a 48 hour pass to nirvana, but this wasn't just any Saratoga fan. This was the uuber fan. The greatest Saratoga fan outside of that one in your family...or your co workers' family...or maybe your neighbor... You get the idea.
We'd shove off at 5:15 in the morning. A time that didn't work for me then, and works even less for me know. He, on the other hand, was as bright eyed and bushy tailed as whatever bushy tailed is supposed to mean. We'd roll into town too early to check in, but that was okay, because we'd go right to the Spa City diner for breakfast. Traditions, you know. After breakfast, while I'd be playing a video game or two in the now abandoned entranceway, he'd be at the table performing origami with his brand new Racing Form. Ripping out the tracks not needed, ( Simulcast ? What's that?? ) then re-folding it so it fit perfectly into the back pants of his shorts pocket. ( Which of course were accessorized with matching hush puppies, because isn't that what fathers do ? )
We'd then check into the best kept secret in town -- the Brentwood motel. Located a horseshoe's throw from the seven furlong chute, and across the street from some breakfast joint which is now the hot spot to go after the races---assuming of course, that you don't want to hear what someone six inches away from you is saying. He would take me to watch the horses enter the starting gate in the morning. It wasn't our place to venture farther than that, you know, but that was okay, because that was the world to an 8 year old.
Read more: Happy Birthday Bijou: On Saratoga's Closing Day, Remembering Traditions with My Parents
by Shya Beth
When asked how Fernanda Garza knows that she has the perfect shot, she answers simply: “Because it takes my breath away, and it makes me feel the way that I felt in the moment when I was photographing the horse.” It’s easy to see the passion, dedication to excellence and years of skillful practice that Fernanda has put into her photography through each and every image that she takes. Much more than just clicking away on her camera, Fernanda creates her sublime images by going over every detail to perfection, carefully crafting a unique visual experience through every image for each over her viewers.
Born and raised Monterrey, Mexico, Fernanda has grown up in a creative family, and as soon as her father gifted her a camera she was hooked. Spending a large amount of her childhood behind the lens, Fernanda developed a keen interest for photography - particularly around horses.
August 20, 2019 Mongolia - In an extraordinary, seven-day demonstration of horsemanship, fortitude and navigational skill, the USA’s Robert (Bob) Long, 70, became the oldest winner of the 1,000km Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race, today at 11.03am Mongolian time.
In doing so he battled the weather gods, who threw everything they had at our brave crazy riders, from torrential rain to burning sun and then freezing temperatures, and harsh terrain. All on the back of semi-wild, tough-as-teak Mongolian horses, who like to start the day by bucking their riders off just to show who’s boss.
Cowboy Bob, who is from Cheyenne, Wyoming but now lives in Boise, Idaho, completed the 1,000km race by changing horses 28 times. At each horse station the small, tough, semi-wild Mongolian horses are carefully checked over by vets, and all Bob’s horses vetted cleanly throughout the race, meaning he received no veterinary time-penalties. Plenty of the 2019 riders received medical treatment for “minor” injuries, such as a broken nose, concussion and dehydration, but not Bob, whose solo adventure across the steppe has been one of the most impressive performances seen in the history of the Derby.
Read more: The USA's Bob Long, 70, Wins the 2019 Mongol Derby
by Brittany Falkers
A Washington horse rescue came together to make a 10-year-old horse trainer's dream come true.
WHITE SALMON, Wash. — Karington Mershon is quite the little cowgirl, but there is nothing small about her love for horses. At just 10 years old she is a bonafide horse trainer.
"You can tell them anything and they won't judge you. They're like a best friend," Karington said.
Though Mershon had been riding horses since before she could walk, she had not trained a horse before she met Mochi. She saw something special in her.
“I liked her from the beginning,” she said. “Because she was aggressive, yes, but I could see it in her that she could be sweet.”
Mochi was rescued from deplorable conditions in Hood River before she came to Mershon through Silent Wave Horse Rescue. It is an area non-profit that saves abused, neglected and slaughter-bound equines before readying them for adoption.
This article originally appeared in it's entirety on KGW8 from Portland Oregon and this excerpt is published here with permission.
Find more interesting stories in our section on Recreation & Lifestyle.
by Michelle Holling-Brooks
“Nick” was a veteran. Tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered, his personality and attitude was over-the-top sarcastic. When we first met him, the energy that traveled in front of him was aggressive and explosive. It was as if he had a fortress of walls, traps, and land mines built around his emotional self, and nobody was going to get close to him. If Nick had come with a sign around his neck, it would have said, “Enter at your own risk, if you dare! I challenge you, bring it!”
Nick called and asked to set up a farm tour. He had heard about our program from a friend of a friend. His wife threatened to leave him if he didn’t try to get help for his rage and suicidal ideations. He came into our office on a mission. I don’t know if it was conscious or not, but the message seemed clear to us: “I’m here to try to shock you with my past, overwhelm you with my current issues, and get you to leave me alone and let me walk back out without signing up for your program.”
- The Tale of Tails of Iceland
- American-Israeli equestrian becomes fashion icon on her way to the Olympics
- An Unlikely Adventurer- An Excerpt from Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman’s Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia
- One Way to Mend a Broken Heart
- Fylicia Barr Wins Jersey Fresh CCI4*-L with $500 Craigslist Mare
- Horse Walks into Erie-area Ballroom to Fulfill Make-A-Wish Request
- Kentucky Photo Gallery, Vol 2 - Land Rover Three-Day Event, New Vocations Open Barn & BBQ, and Horse Industry Safety Summit
- Kentucky Photo Gallery - Churchill Downs, Keeneland Racecourse, Old Friends
- A Desert Flight VIP Experience at Longines Masters of New York
- History is Made at the Second Annual Longines Masters New York
