Equestrian Tales

I have read an article from the www.igha.org about Star. Maybe you are wondering who Star is. Star is a one of the horses purchased and “saved” by HorseAid from her killer buyer’s trailer. With the misfortunes experienced by this horse, Star still was able to live her last days happy with her new found family, HorseAid volunteers.

Most of her life, she was in pain because of the deformity (twisted foreleg) she has in her foreleg caused by an accident. The good thing here is, despite the sufferings she experienced with humans, she still have a compassion for them.

Since I was a child, I am used to seeing beautiful horses in the television, books, movies, etc. Even when I get older, I still see well-groomed horses with proper posture and good stature. Little did I know that there are also abused horses or those who were not well taken care of.

It is sad to see malnourished and abused horses. It is good that there are some organizations who are devoted in helping these horses. Thank you for these people who dedicate their lives in saving horses’ lives. Visit www.igha.org and you will learn more about these abused horses.

I was able to encounter an article dated last April 30, 2008. The article was titled: The Ride of a Lifetime in Wadi Rum. The British Horse Society started its fundraising of riding horses during the year 2000. Successfully, until now, this fundraising riding challenge is being continued. In fact, next year there will be another BHS Bedouin Riding Challenge from March 28 to April 5 of 2009.

There were many horse riders involved, professionals and even non-professionals. They traveled approximately 125km. They were able to raise �23,000 for BHS Welfare. How amazing isn’t it? You were able to have fun and adventure the same time, you were able to help.

Source: www.equestrian.co.uk

The most awaited 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is nearly coming. There are different sports events and one of these is Equestrian. There are 41 countries that were qualified to participate based on the qualification procedures in each discipline.

There will be three disciplines wherein the 41 countries will be competing: Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing. I am sure this will be a very exciting game for the equestrians representing their own country. There will be a Team category and an Individual category. I can just imagine the tension and the excitement that the audience will have during this competitions.

For those countries who failed to be qualified in this season, try next time. It will definitely be more exciting.

From the previous blog entry about Thomas and his instructor Philpin, we can see a great student-instructor relationship. Philpin is so supportive with Thomas believing that he can become successful in his own way.

According to Philpin, “Watching the confidence in their own ability is one of the most rewarding parts of the program,” Obviously, for an instructor who witnessed his student knowing the basics and now going on his own, is a very great reward. Indeed a priceless one. Through this riding therapy, Thomas’ skills also served as a priceless reward for his parents. Visit www.jsonline.com for more info about Thomas

I saw an amazing article about a 14-year old boy named Thomas. His mental ability is not that compatible with his age. His parents discovered that he has Asperger’s syndrome which is a form of autism. Despite Thomas’ illness, he was still able to develop his personality. He learned a lot from his instructor, Philpin who used to facilitate therapeutic riding programs at the YMCA. Activities which involve horses like grooming, feeding, riding, and training help improve the focus and discipline of children with this illness such as autism. In Thomas’ case, being an equestrian helped him a lot to be more confident, disciplined, and focused.

There are many different kinds of clubs available in every place around the globe. Through joining with these clubs, you can meet more people with the same interest and hobby like you have. This will certainly help you to reach your dream especially if you are still an amateur equestrian. Do not be shy. In fact, these clubs will feel more grateful to know that there are people who would want to involve with this activities. For sure, your knowledge and skills will grow more. Try to search in www.dir.yahoo.com and you will see how many clubs you can choose from.

If you are an active equestrian, if you are interested to learn more about riding horses and some activities related to these, it is good for you to be involved with different clubs or organization about equestrian.

If you are involved in an organization or club, it will be your advantage especially during competitions. Aside from having an automatic support, you will have a competitive advantage because the styles, techniques or strategies that you can apply are different with those who weren’t trained enough or exposed with experienced people in the clubs. You will have a greater chance of winning and learning at the same time.