Dream Horse Vacations

                Josephine, a great-granddaughter of the famous racehorse Seabiscuit, loses her mother days after her birth.  This is her inspiring true story that touches the hearts of the young and old alike.  Josephine is a moving tale for anyone who has lost someone they have loved but has succeeded in finding a new start and the courage to love again.  This read aloud book is perfect for young horse lovers or as a gift for someone in need of something special from a young filly who faces one of life’s great challenges with the heart of a champion. 

                The following week when we arrived at Ridgewood there was the hustle and bustle at the mare barn and we rode off thinking that by the time we came back in the afternoon there would be a new lil’ biscuit to see.  But we returned to an air of serious concern rather than joyous excitement and we maintained a respectful distance.  By dinner I heard that Lacy and her new foal were on their way to UC Davis.  A few days later the news arrived that my dear friend Jacqueline had lost Lacy and my heart strings tugged knowing that just the year before she had lost Bronze Sea’s mother.

                I was though not in the least surprised that Jacqueline put all of her own grief aside and put Josephine and that sweet foal’s needs ahead of her own.  The next time I saw Jacqueline she had that beautiful exhaustion of all new mothers who had been up all night nursing her newborn.   A few days later she brought Josephine home and relinquished her own role to Midnight  – I think only because Josephine could already run circles around her! 

                But this is the story of Josephine and the beautiful bond that develops between her and Midnight her new mother.  And as Midnight graciously steps into Lacy’s horseshoes she teaches Josephine that Lacy will always be in her life but one’s ability to love has no bounds.

                I now look forward to seeing Josephine on each visit to Seabiscuit’s home.  Under Jacqueline and Midnight’s care she has grown into a beautiful young lady.  But this enchanting book chronicles those first few precious weeks of her young life and is a rare gift to us all.

                                This delightful book can be purchased while touring Ridgewood Ranch, Seabiscuit’s home in Willits where Josephine is currently entertaining the guests racing around her pasture.  Or you may obtain a copy from The Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation at www.seabiscuitheritage.org .  The proceeds from the sale of this book support the Ridgewood T.R.A.I.L. Riders Association, a therapeutic riding program, and The Frank R. Howard Foundation raising funds for a new Howard Hospital in Willits.

Human to Horseman
A Journey of Discovery, Growth and Celebration
by Rick Lamb

               I met Rick Lamb in the fall of 2008 shortly after the publication of Human to Horseman.  For a week I observed Rick and Diana, his wife and producer, work and create what turned out to be two half -hour segments of The Horse Show.  I was continually impressed not only with the depth of knowledge and creativity from both of these gifted individuals but I had the pleasure of watching Rick as an interviewer.  A couple of questions written on a legal pad out of the camera’s view might begin the interview but his attentiveness to what was being said allowed the dialog to evolve.  Later reading Human to Horseman when I reached the very last chapter “The Journey Continues – Remembering what is Important”, I realized that these were not merely words to this horseman but truly principles that he had chosen to live and work by.

                To name just a few– keep learning, do not judge, be patient but productive, have confidence without arrogance, balance consistency and variety, work toward subtlety, be an open minded skeptic and recognize “good enough.”  Rick makes The Horse Show about the topic conveying the thought with Diana conveying the images.   Reading the book shortly after their visit, I felt I had a deeper understanding of how this journey from Human to Horseman was not only a personal journey but a journey that helped to develop the professional that I met. 

                On the fourth day of their visit we loaded ten Rocky Mountain Horses into the trailer and headed for the Pacific Ocean.  A quick stop at Starbucks and we were ready to begin the day’s ride.  Diana told me that she documents as much as 16 hours for each half hour segment of The Horse Show.  Having gaited back and forth (and back and forth) along the rugged Mendocino Coast for the camera, we were finally released from our appointed task and given the okay to go out and play.

                Rick rode a beautiful four year old mare.  Last Damn Tango in Paris has the wonderful temperament of a Rocky but is easily the most cautious and sensitive of our seventeen Rockies.  Being wise she always wanted one of the big guys to go first – just to make sure the way was safe.  But on this particular day our guest from the Arizona desert had a different agenda.  Leaving the camera behind Rick was no longer riding for the audience as he and Paris separated themselves off from the rest of the group and headed for the water’s edge.  I admit I lost track of time with the beautiful coast and good company but I did watch the two of them patiently confront the surf.  Edging forward and back showing great persistence the two of them toyed with the line in the sand until they were dancing in the waves. 

                I read Human to Horseman for a second time yesterday and once again engaged in a story not of one human but of many.   And the images of Rick and Paris playing in the Pacific skipped through my mind - my own private horse show.

                I consider Bayard Fox a friend although we have never met.  Long phone conversations exchanging news and ideas led him to send me a copy of his new book – truly a labor of love from the heart of this gentle man.

                Best known in the world of horses as the creator and owner of Equitours, Bayard has lived the world over, speaks five languages and seen more exotic sites from the back of a horse than many of us have ever imagined.  Thousands have experienced these faraway places through trips with Equitours while many more of us travel these lands in our dreams as we turn the pages of their catalog.

                This delightful thought led me to wonder where such a well traveled couple as Bayard and Mel Fox would call home?  What exotic location would they choose?  My question was quickly answered when I received Wind River Country and opened the cover to first discover the exquisite vistas captured by Claude Poulet.  Speaking only French, Monsieur Poulet created reflections of land formations, wildlife, the snow covered vistas and the people of this largely undiscovered area of the American West.  His good friend Bayard Fox then translated the visions that he painted with his camera from image to word giving us the rich history of this land and the people and animals who consider it home.

                Not having achieved the fame of its nearby neighbors Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, this hidden jewel of Wyoming is portrayed within the pages of this book capturing a true remaining bit of the Old West.  Pioneers and fur trappers, cowboys and Indians, ranchers and wildlife all share this vast and beautiful countryside.  The images capture the character of the land and the land in turn develops character in its inhabitants.  Beginning with the earliest time the geology shapes this area and then is inhabited by bison and other indigenous animals.  The fur trappers were followed by the pioneers sharing the Wind River Range and Wyoming’s highest peak with the Native Americans who still inhabit over two million acres of this vast wilderness.  Butch Cassidy, the Marlborough Man and The National Outdoor Leadership School reach out beyond its boundaries.   Today sportsmen and city slickers come to join the locals hosted first by the wild flowers of spring and departing after the last brilliant colors of Indian summer have faded.   Following the hustle and bustle of the warmer months is the quiet and solitude of winter defined by short days, bitter cold nights and the brilliant sun reflecting on the pristine snow.  The frosty silence is not broken by the skiers gliding through the terrain or a herd of elk foraging for food.  Perhaps only the cry of a wolf or the cracking of an ice formation disturbs this peace.

                The portrayal of this land and its people is aptly told with image and word.   The photographs provide the inspiration and the text demonstrates the knowledge and passion that only can be communicated by someone who has learned to call this vast and beautiful part of the world home.

               
               Some books you buy and they sit on your bedside table collecting dust, others you start and never finish and other books you give to a friend after an enjoyable read.  Then there are those books that you would not even lend to your best friend for a few hours – you just purchase a copy of it for their birthday knowing it is the perfect gift.  It seems like a generous thing to do…..but you know the real reason.  You just don’t want to share.

                This is the case with Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement written and illustrated by Susan E. Harris.  Written in 1993, this well written book explains the physics and mechanics of the anatomy of the horse and how the gaits and movement of the animal operate.  In short it provides an understanding of the horse’s movement and the best way for the horse and rider to develop that movement.  It illustrates and explains in a logical sequence the structure of the horse and the cycle of movement and then the book itself transitions into the different gaits.  The drawings done by the author depict good movement and poor movement so clearly that one cannot help an occasional “ah-ha” while reading this book.

                And then Ms. Harris covers the subject of balance.  First describing the inherent balance of the horse and its structure at different gaits but then with the added stress of the weight and balance of the rider and the animal’s desire to perform the movements requested by the rider.  Here the illustrations clearly show the rider’s center of gravity should be directly over the horse’s center of gravity.  The clarity in this last part of the necessity of the rider remaining relaxed and balanced so that the horse can move freely and allowing him to move you in balance with the swing of his legs as he strides forward.

                Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement is definitely one of the first books that any beginning rider should own to visually understand the movement of the horse they are riding.  From this initial introduction one will then continuously refer back to the carefully drawn illustrations and explanations to understand why one day’s ride is less than perfect and then as time progresses to see visually the changes and synergy that is achieved as the rider’s relaxed balance enhances the natural balance of the horse being ridden.  Beginning with some of the practical tips through the more advanced rider’s understanding of the anatomy of the horse, this book promises to have value for every level of rider and every discipline.  From one’s first ride onward this book will be continuously referred through until it is guaranteed to be tattered and threadbare.

               From tears to cheers Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul is comfort food providing all of the ingredients of a fine recipe.  Seven sections delectably offer the stock to inspire, heal, astonish, teach and help us overcome our fears and road blocks in life.  Short stories and antidotes of good times, bad times and sad times give the opportunity to read from cover to cover or to reach for a certain tale when the need arises.  Concocted by different chefs the common ingredient that makes each of these recipes a success is horses.   As with chicken soup perhaps one story has too much pepper - or not enough noodles – but the perfect story to lift one’ spirits is contained within the pages of this book.

                Like everyone else reading this book I, too, have a favorite story.  Having had the privilege to ride at Charles Howard’s Ridgewood Ranch in Willits amidst towering redwoods and on the same trails as his famous racehorse and to be a docent for The Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation, I cherished the recollections of her grandmother that Theresa Peluso shares of how that little racehorse kept Floss dreaming and full of hope when our country was gripped by The Great Depression.  I do not get up to Ridgewood Ranch as often as I would like.  Usually just for a special occasion like the unveiling of the Seabiscuit stamp last spring but each trip is a memorable occasion.  As a docent at first my own tours were comprised of the Seabiscuit tales taught to me by Tracy Livingston president of the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation, a true gentleman and a Seabiscuit fan extraordinaire.  With each tour I gave though I met people with their own special story about Ridgewood Ranch or that great race horse.   Now my story as I guide people through these historic buildings and vistas has grown to encompass Seabiscuit’s life, my own life and the lives of those who’s stories have touched my horse lover’s soul.   And like a true story teller I look forward to being able to pass on the story of Floss and the Biscuit to new listeners on my next trip to Willits.

                Perhaps the true inspiration in this book comes not from within its pages but the stories that each horse lover has within.  Putting the book down thoughts turn to a personal triumph, a private sorrow or a special time when an equine friend provided the guidance to help each of us achieve that special goal in life.