deviantART: Newest Horse Competition Photography

Icelandic Horse competition

Sun, 19 May 2013 05:53:26 PDT

Olympus E-410 + 40-150mm

Horse

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:13:07 PDT

my pony of competitions.
his name: Royal Petit Gautier

Competitor

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:52:45 PDT

From Behind

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:44:02 PDT

A lovely horse I spotted some time back at a dressage competition.
I love the colors

Drafting horse power!

Tue, 14 May 2013 03:54:14 PDT

I totally love this photo I took at a huge event here nearby~!

[125] The Fifth of the Month

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:57:50 PDT

And as we all know... it's a rather special day. Important even, depending on who you ask. It's not 'just another day'. Another fifth day of the month. And just another fifth month of the year. You know what I'm talking about, the fifth of May, or as some people who likely have no idea what the words they're using mean, it's colloquially called Cinco de Mayo... You know what 'that' means for today right? Yep, it means that since it's Sunday, you're going to have a lot more drinking in Churches than you'd normally see... >.> Really, it seems like a silly excuse to drink used by people who 'typically' have a hair more sense... but I may be biased here. (Used to drink, gave it up, and now I get to sit on my "High Horse" and frown down at people who haven't become as 'Enlightened'. <.< )

I 'tried' to use today to do some more catch up writing, but ended up browsing the competitions across dA. I'd never considered the idea that there might be a 'benefit' to working on random competitions, but I enjoy the opportunities to stretch my creative legs (Fingers?) and theoretically gaining a limited amount of exposure. That last benefit has not manifested... but I have brought out some interesting stories that I would otherwise not have written. So it's been a win as far as I'm concerned. (Emptier Posts... I'm catching up though...)

[Photo Observation] Sooo... I found this little statue at the Newman Center... and I thought it was creepy / cool enough to get a shot of. I wasn't happy with 'any' of the shots I took, but looking at this one again, and realizing that the focus is primarily on the hands, I realize that I like it a bit more than I did initially. I think I would have liked the angle to have been a little more 'direct' and less 'offset' as it is.

365 Challenge Gallery: [link]

Previous: Next:

competition with Libra

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:51:10 PDT

Side Ways

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:28:32 PDT

Warmblood in a dressage competition

LOOK

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:14:23 PDT

Warm up

Thu, 09 May 2013 03:33:12 PDT

Frrom Grand prix-competitions at GRS, Sweden.

Horse

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:38:38 PDT

Teamwork

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:11:01 PDT

This photo is kinda emotional actually. It's my sister and her pony Elthon, which left a few days ago, since she has grown to tall for him, so now he has a new home - and a new rider. I took this picture at their last competition together and I think it's really nice. (:

Equestrian Competition 2012

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:30:49 PDT

Country Boy -RIP 2013
I actually were lookin on my photos, and i found this:
Some days ago Country passed away, and still schock everyone. Such a cute, prettie and good horse he was...
But well. I think he deserve to be recognized (a little more, because i always says i liked him, but well.) on this photo on my account, so i will submit it... yes... There will be no more Country for us on Competitions or on Dragones... It would be really strange...

Rest in Peace Country, we love you (:

© Cattarb

western horse sport cutting 02

Sat, 04 May 2013 14:18:29 PDT

cutting competition in my hometown ^^

western horse sport cutting 01

Sat, 04 May 2013 14:10:05 PDT

cutting competition in my hometown ^^

The Run Down

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:03:37 PDT

I don't know why but I really like this picture...... I think its the horses eye.

Gallop

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:03:55 PDT

FB: [link]
Web: [link]

Dressage

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:41:23 PDT

4 year olds gait competition,the third best horse.

portrait

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:05:56 PDT

the jumper

Wed, 01 May 2013 03:48:09 PDT

Cowboy Mounted Shooting

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:00:29 PDT

Taken with a Sony A65

Turdus migratorius

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:01:21 PDT

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius), also known as the Robin or Common Robin, is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family. The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. According to some sources, the American Robin ranks behind only the Red-winged Blackbird (and just ahead of the introduced European Starling) as the most abundant, extant land bird in North America. It has seven subspecies, but only T. m. confinis in the southwest is particularly distinctive, with pale gray-brown underparts.
The American Robin is active mostly during the day and assembles in large flocks at night. Its diet consists of invertebrates (such as beetle grubs, earthworms, and caterpillars), fruits and berries. It is one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning to its summer range from its winter range. Its nest consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials. It is among the first birds to sing at dawn, and its song consists of several discrete units that are repeated.
The adult robin is preyed upon by hawks, cats and larger snakes, but when feeding in flocks, it can be vigilant and watch other birds for reactions to predators. Brown-headed Cowbirds lay eggs in robin nests (see brood parasite), but robins usually reject the cowbird eggs.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1766 by Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae as Turdus migratorius. The binomial name derives from two Latin words: Turdus, 'thrush,' and migratorius from migrare 'to go.' The term robin for this species has been recorded since at least 1703. There are about 65 species of medium to large thrushes in the genus Turdus, characterized by rounded heads, longish pointed wings, and usually melodious songs. A study of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicates that the American Robin is not part of the Central/South American clade of Turdus thrushes; instead it shows genetic similarities to the Kurrichane Thrush, T. libonyanus, and the Olive Thrush, T. olivaceus, both African species. This conflicts with a 2007 DNA study of 60 of 65 Turdus species which places the American Robin's closest relative as the Rufous-collared Robin (T. rufitorques) of Central America. Though having distinct plumage, the two species are similar in vocalization and behavior. Beyond this, it lies in a small group of four species of otherwise Central American distribution, suggesting it recently spread northwards into North America.
Seven subspecies of American Robin are recognized. These subspecies intergrade and are only weakly defined.
T. m. migratorius, the nominate subspecies, breeds in the US and Canada, other than down the west coast, to the edge of the tundra from Alaska and northern Canada east to New England and then south to Maryland, North Carolina and northwest Virginia. It winters in southern coastal Alaska, southern Canada, most of the US, Bermuda, the Bahamas and eastern Mexico.
T. m. nigrideus breeds from coastal northern Quebec to Labrador and Newfoundland and winters from southern Newfoundland south through most of the eastern US states to southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and northern Georgia. It is uniformly darker or blackish on the head, with a dark gray back. The underparts are slightly more red than those of the nominate subspecies.
T. m. achrusterus breeds from southern Oklahoma east to Maryland and western Virginia and south to northern Florida and the Gulf states. It winters through much of the southern part of the breeding range. It is smaller than the nominate subspecies. The black feathers of the forehead and crown have pale gray tips. The underparts are paler than those of the nominate subspecies.
T. m. caurinus breeds in southeast Alaska through coastal British Columbia to Washington and northwest Oregon. It winters from southwest British Columbia south to central and southern California and east to northern Idaho. It is very slightly smaller than the nominate subspecies and very dark-headed. The white on the tips of the outer two tail feathers is restricted.
T. m. propinquus breeds from southeast British Columbia, southern Alberta, southwest Saskatchewan south to southern California and northern Baja California. It winters throughout much of the southern breeding range and south to Baja California. It is the same size as or slightly larger than nominate T. m. migratorius, but paler and tinged more heavily brownish-gray. It has very little white on the tip of the outermost tail feather. Some birds, probably females, lack almost any red below. Males are usually darker and may show pale or whitish sides to the head.
T. m. confinis breeds above 1000 meters (3300 ft) in the highlands of southern Baja California. This form is particularly distinctive, with pale gray-brown underparts. It is relatively small, and the palest subspecies, with uniform pale gray-brown on the head, face and upperparts. It usually lacks any white spots to the tips of the outer tail feathers, which have white edges. It is sometimes classed as a separate species, the San Lucas Robin, but the American Ornithologists' Union regards it as only a subspecies, albeit in a different group from the other races.
T. m. phillipsi is resident in Mexico south to central Oaxaca. It is slightly smaller than propinquus but has a larger bill; the male's underparts are less brick-red than the nominate subspecies, and have a rustier tone.

Description

The nominate subspecies of the American Robin is 23 to 28 cm (9.1 to 11 in) long with a wingspan ranging from 31 to 41 cm (12 to 16 in), with similar size ranges across all races. The species averages about 77 g (2.7 oz) in weight, with males ranging from 72 to 94 g (2.5 to 3.3 oz) and females ranging from 59 to 91 g (2.1 to 3.2 oz).[12][13] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 11.5 to 14.5 cm (4.5 to 5.7 in), the culmen is 1.8 to 2.2 cm (0.71 to 0.87 in) and the tarsus is 2.9 to 3.3 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in).[14] The head varies from jet black to gray, with white eye arcs and white supercilia. The throat is white with black streaks, and the belly and undertail coverts are white. The Robin has a brown back and a reddish-orange breast, varying from a rich red maroon to peachy orange. The bill is mainly yellow with a variably dark tip, the dusky area becoming more extensive in winter, and the legs and feet are brown.
The sexes are similar, but the female tends to be duller than the male, with a brown tint to the head, brown upperparts and less bright underparts. However, some birds cannot be safely sexed on plumage alone. The juvenile is paler in color than the adult male and has dark spots on its breast, and whitish wing coverts. First-year birds are not easily distinguishable from adults, but they tend to be duller, and a small percentage retains a few juvenile wing coverts or other feathers.

Distribution and habitat

This bird breeds throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada southward to northern Florida and Mexico. While Robins occasionally overwinter in the northern part of the United States and southern Canada, most migrate to winter south of Canada from Florida and the Gulf Coast to central Mexico, as well as along the Pacific Coast. Most depart south by the end of August and begin to return north in February and March (exact dates vary with latitude and climate). Despite being depicted in the film Mary Poppins "feathering its nest" in London, this species is actually a rare vagrant to western Europe, where the majority of records, more than 20, have been in Britain. In autumn 2003, migration was displaced eastwards leading to massive movements through the eastern US, and presumably this is what led to no fewer than three American Robins being found in Britain, with two attempting to overwinter in 2003–2004, although one was taken by a Sparrowhawk. The most recent sighting in Britain occurred in January 2007.
This species has also occurred as a vagrant to Greenland, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Belize. Vagrants to Europe, where identified to subspecies, are nominate T. m. migratorius, but the Greenland birds also included T. m. nigrideus, and some of the southern overshots may have been T. m. achrusterus.
The American Robin's breeding habitat is woodland and more open farmland and urban areas. It becomes less common as a breeder in the southernmost part of the Deep South of the United States, and there prefers large shade trees on lawns.[22] Its winter habitat is similar but includes more open areas.

Conservation status

The American Robin has an extensive range, estimated at 16 million square kilometers (6 million square miles), and a large population of about 320 million individuals. The species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations), and is therefore evaluated as Least Concern. At one point, the bird was killed for its meat, but it is now protected throughout its range in the United States by the Migratory Bird Act.
Birds in central California of the subspecies propinquus are considered to be still increasing their range, and this is probably the case elsewhere in the U.S.A.

Disease

The American Robin is a known reservoir (carrier) for West Nile virus. While crows and jays are often the first noticed deaths in an area with West Nile virus, the American Robin is suspected to be a key host, and holds a larger responsibility for the transmission of the virus to humans. This is because while crows and jays die quickly from the virus, the American Robin survives the virus longer, hence spreading it to more mosquitoes, which then transmit the virus to humans and other species.

Behavior

The American Robin is active mostly during the day, and on its winter grounds it assembles in large flocks at night to roost in trees in secluded swamps or dense vegetation. The flocks break up during the day when the birds feed on fruits and berries in smaller groups. During the summer, the American Robin defends a breeding territory and is less social.

Diet

The American Robin's diet generally consists of around 40 percent invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars and grasshoppers, and 60 percent wild and cultivated fruits and berries. They will flock to fermented Pyracantha berries, and in sufficient quantities will exhibit intoxicated behavior such as falling over while walking. It forages primarily on the ground for soft-bodied invertebrates, and finds worms by sight, pouncing on them and then pulling them up. Nestlings are fed mainly on worms and other soft-bodied animal prey. In some areas, Robins, particularly of the coastal race T. m. caurinus will feed on beaches, taking insects and small mollusks.
The Robin uses auditory, visual, olfactory and possibly vibrotactile cues to ﬁnd prey, but vision is the predominant mode of prey detection. It is frequently seen running across lawns, picking up earthworms and its running and stopping behavior is a distinguishing characteristic. It hunts visually, and it also has the ability to hunt by hearing. Experiments have discovered that it can find worms underground by simply using its listening skills. It typically will take several short hops and then cock its head left, right or forward as a means to detect movement of its prey. In urban areas, robins will gather in numbers soon after lawns are mowed or where sprinklers are in use.

Threats

Juvenile Robins and eggs are preyed upon by squirrels, snakes, and some birds, such as Blue Jays, Common Grackles, American Crows and Common Ravens. Adults are primarily taken by hawks, cats and larger snakes, although when feeding in flocks, the American Robin is able to remain vigilant and watch other flock members for reactions to predators.
The American Robin is known to be a rejecter of cowbird eggs, so brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird is rare. Even when it occurs, the parasite's chick does not normally survive to fledging. In a study of 105 juvenile Robins, 77.1% were infected with one or more species of endoparasite, with Syngamus species the most commonly encountered, found in 57.1% of the birds.

Breeding

The American Robin begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer range. It is one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs, and normally has two to three broods per breeding season, which lasts from April to July.
The nest is most commonly located 1.5–4.5 meters (5–15 ft) above the ground in a dense bush or in a fork between two tree branches, and is built by the female alone. The outer foundation consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers. This is lined with smeared mud and cushioned with fine grass or other soft materials. A new nest is built for each brood, and in northern areas the first clutch is usually placed in an evergreen tree or shrub while later broods are placed in deciduous trees. The American Robin does not shy away from nesting close to human habitation.

A clutch consists of three to five light blue eggs, and is incubated by the female alone. The eggs hatch after 14 days, and the chicks leave the nest a further two weeks later. The altricial chicks are naked and have their eyes closed for the first few days after hatching. While the chicks are still young, the mother broods them continuously. When they are older, the mother will brood them only at night or during bad weather.
The chicks are fed worms, insects, and berries. Waste accumulation does not occur in the nest because adults collect and take it away. Chicks are fed, and then raise tails for elimination of waste, a solid white clump that is collected by a parent prior to flying off. All chicks in the brood leave the nest within two days of each other. Even after leaving the nest, the juveniles will follow their parents around and beg food from them. Juveniles become capable of sustained flight two weeks after fledging.

The adult male and female both are active in protecting and feeding the fledged chicks until they learn to forage on their own. The adult Robin gives alarm calls and dive-bombs predators, including domestic cats, dogs and humans that come near the young birds. The fledglings are able to fly short distances after leaving the nest. The wings of juvenile birds develop rapidly, and it only takes a couple of weeks for them to become proficient at flying. The cryptically colored young birds perch in bushes or trees for protection from predators.
Bird banders have found that only 25% of young Robins survive the first year. The longest known lifespan in the wild of an American Robin is 14 years; the average lifespan is about 2 years.

Vocalization

The male American Robin, as with many thrushes, has a complex and almost continuous song. Its song is commonly described as a cheerily carol, made up of discrete units, often repeated, and spliced together into a string with brief pauses in between. The song varies regionally, and its style varies by time of day. The song period is from early March in California to late July or early August; some birds, particularly in the east, sing occasionally into September or later. The American Robin is often among the first songbirds singing as dawn rises or hours before, and last as evening sets in. It usually sings from a high perch in a tree. The song of T. m. confinis is weaker than that of the nominate subspecies, and lacks any clear notes.

In addition to its song, the American Robin has a number of calls used for communicating specific information. When a ground predator approaches but does not directly threaten, Robins will make a PEEK!! tut tut tut tut... warning call, often preceded by an explosive seeech each-each-each. When a nest or Robin is being directly threatened, another he-he-he-he call is used, which sounds like a horse's whinny. Even during nesting season, when Robins exhibit mostly competitive and territorial behavior, they may still band together to drive away a predator.

In culture

The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was also depicted on the 1986 Birds of Canada series Canadian $2 note, but this note has since been withdrawn.
Robin's egg blue is a color named after the bird's eggs.
The American Robin has a place in Native American mythology. The story of how the robin got its red breast by fanning the dying flames of a campfire to save a Native American man and a boy is similar to those that surround the European Robin. The Tlingit people of Northwestern North America held it to be a culture-hero created by Raven to please the people with its song. One of the Houses of the Raven Tribe from the Nisga'a Nation holds the Robin as a House Crest.
The Peace Bridge robins were a family of American robins that attracted minor publicity in the mid-1930s for their prominent nest on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario.
The Robin is considered a symbol of spring. A well-known example is a poem by Emily Dickinson, "I Dreaded That First Robin So". Among other 19th-century poems about the first robin of spring is "The First Robin" by Dr. William H. Drummond, which according to the author's wife is based on a Quebec superstition that whoever sees the first robin of spring will have good luck.
American popular songs featuring this bird include "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)", written by Harry M. Woods and a hit for Al Jolson and others, and "Rockin' Robin", written by Roger Thomas and a hit for Bobby Day and others.
Although the comic-book superhero Robin was inspired by an N. C. Wyeth illustration of Robin Hood, a later version had his mother nicknaming him Robin because he was born on the first day of spring. His red shirt suggests the bird's red breast.

Flying Dutchman

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:20:01 PDT

Had a competition with my boy "Flying Dutchman" and my Mare "Zobia Bella"
coming 2nd in 1.20m with Zobia
2nd in 1.25m with Dutch

annnddd....

1st in the 1.35m with Dutch against all those incredibly talented and professional riders *.* I'm still in shock...

I love these two so much...
I don't think anyone will ever be able to understand how lucky I feel that I have been able to experience this kind of incredible bond more than once in my life, for those of you who think that there is no hope after the love of your life dies... Think again. ♥

Making a video which I will link as soon as it is up for anyone who wants to see

DO NOT STEAL
(c) Me

My medal

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:12:59 PDT

I came 2nd in a horse riding competition so I won this shiny silver medal

2nd rosette

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:10:59 PDT

I came 2nd in a horse riding competition at the Unicorn Centre, England.

:*

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:14:11 PDT

2 ponies at competition

Roderick :3

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:16:00 PDT

Just a nice pic of a competition

Decoration

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:11:09 PDT

Socks

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:57:40 PDT

Hi! So I just got back from my trip to Florida and finished uploading all the pictures, yay!!! While I was in Florida I got to ride this amazing horse named, Socks, and he was awesome! I must say that he had a funny personality though. I guess you could say he's competitive but lazy! He wouldn't go when I asked him to, so we'd usually be last, but once the others started, he would race to the front and gallop by the others!!! It was so fun and I hope I can ride him again one day!!!

2

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:49:45 PDT

Jokris

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:48:02 PDT

1st

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:46:34 PDT

My love

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:51:31 PDT

My horsie <3

Please help me to get a tattoo from her. Go to this site ([link]) and click "like" - it is bottom left. If you don't see a picture from link, please go to tab "suosituimmat" and find this picture. If I will win this competition I will get a tattoo from my picture.

Thanks to everyone, you will make my day!

Apollo's Flirtation (Campbell Horse Show)

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:41:12 PDT

The mare Apollo's Flirtation, at the Campbell University equestrian competition.

Dressage Girls

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:17:38 PDT

~ A friend of my and her pony at a dressage competition a long time ago

Lady, my mum's horse

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:26:20 PDT

age: 14
name: lady
height: 17.2hh
personality: mature but sometimes cheeky and over excitable.
riding? hunting, hacking, lessons and competitions/shows.

Z (58 Of 75)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:02:03 PDT

Summer 2012

Blanket

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:52:55 PDT

$50,000 Grand Prix

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:50:35 PDT

Taken at Orangeville fairgrounds

Oxer

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:08:04 PDT

Summer 2012

Showjumper

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:06:57 PDT

Summer 2012

Ma (44 Of 44)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:47:38 PDT

Grand Prix 2012

Reeeach!

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:46:01 PDT

Summer 2012

Showjumping

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:44:00 PDT

Summer 2012

Wagers 1

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:35:05 PDT

NO THIS IS NOT A STOCK IMAGE. DO NOT USE

I was digging through my computers old pictures and i ran into one of the first pictures i had ever taken of my boy.
Name: Wagers
Age: 11-ish
Gender: It
Breed: Quarter x Paint, although he's convinced he's an Arabian xD

Wagers and I compete in Cattle Sorting. In our first competition, he got me up to 11th place. In our second, he won me a whopping 205 bucks with a first place win. He grew up on a cattle ranch, owned by my grandpa. Unfortunately for my grandpa, his horse and i kinda bonded, and now he's mine, haha.

He's helped through everything in life and i am very blessed to have him. I cant thank him enough for all he's done for me. He's the reason i got into horses to begin with. He's taught me many many things about courage and simply how to let loose and have fun. I love you, bud

You're probably wondering where the wound came from.. He was rolling in the corral and caught his leg on one of the split bars. That cut took FOREVER to heal and he still has a little scar from it. He still gets touchy when we touch that spot because he remembers all the painful medicine, haha xD

i would take the little date thing off the bottom, but that's the day i finally took him home

CJHA Show 3

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:00:52 PDT

Please DO NOT use work that is not yours.

CJHA Show 2

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:58:07 PDT

Please DO NOT use work that is not yours.

Pablo Indoor Brabant

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:34:09 PDT

I've been to Indoor Brabant a few weekends ago. I didn't go on the tribune like last year, this year I was allowed to join the competition with Pablo! In Holland we have selection competitions in Dressage and Jumping. Every regio has a lot of area-selection (donno what else to say..). I live in North-Brabant (Noord-Brabant in Dutch xD) and rode the selections of Den Bosch. Thats is a very heavy one but my ponyclub competes in that area-selection. I was allowed to go to the Regio-Championships of North-Brabant with jumping.
My pony Pablo is a D-pony (he's 1.47m) and we jump in the Z. There is just one higher national level of jumping in Holland. The D-Z (D-pony, level Z) is 1.10m-1.20m high. On the Region Championships of Brabant the first 5 of the D-Z were qualified for the National Championships. The first 12 of the D-Z were qualified for Indoor Brabant. I ended 11th with Pablo! We could have done better but he had some problems with the saddle, it didn't fit well anymore. That gave him some back pain. It was nearly over at the Region Championships and I had a new saddle (first new saddle ever!)

So I qualified for Indoor Brabant... I remember very, very well that I was on the tribune last year saying; "One day, I wanna ride here! No matter when, just one day!" (well looks like that if i gotta translate it to English xD) And my mom answered with "Dream on, dream on." I rubbed it in pretty much that she was wrong xD Through I gotta say I never expected things would go so fast!

But okay. I think you can understand me being incredible nervous? So yeah, I slept like hell.... Couldn't be more awake on the competition (thx adrenaline!) While warming up (between tons and tons of stands and shops...) a lot of people I know came to wish me luck --why would that make me more nervous?!--
As I went in the ring, I saw a short glimp of the banner (spandoek) four people of my ponyclub made. OMG OMG OMG!! They even said something about me having a bunch of supporters I heard as I was finished, at least I didn't hear it xD xD
So I ended up with a clear round, and a HUGE applouse after it xD -my supporters- At least I wasnt fast enough to get in the top 5, those would go on to the Winning Round. BUT HELL I WAS HAPPY!!! I made a clear round, something what several riders which rode here about 3 times did not make! And everybody was proud at me too! I was so happy with Pablo! The photo shows me jumping Jump 8 (yeah, I still know the course....) And on the background you can see the West-Tribune, where most of my supporters sat xD

~~I was btw riding with my new ANIMO Riding Jacket and my new ANIMO riding pants, and yes; Im broke now!~~

This is NO stock photo! Please do NOT use this photo without permission! If you want to use ASK me!

Toscato and I

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:15:46 PDT

Taken at Ronchin, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, during our last competition. Here's Toscato, my favorite, a 6 years old horse. It has been taken by my mother, but she just cannot shoot correctly so I had to do a looooot of manipulations to get this result.
All rights are deserved.
_

Tous droits réservés.

Canon 550EOS - Objectif : Sigma 75-300 (Focus manuel/Handmade focusing)

Huzara Bis

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:12:56 PDT

Taken at Ronchin, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, during our last competition. Here's Huzara, I've already posted a picture of her. Lovely horse...
All rights are deserved.
_

Tous droits réservés.

Canon 550EOS - Objectif : Sigma 75-300 (Focus manuel/Handmade focusing)

Toscato Bis

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 10:45:55 PDT

Taken at Ronchin, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, during our last competition. Here's Toscato, my favorite, a 6 years old horse. Love him...!
All rights are deserved.
_

Tous droits réservés.

Canon 550EOS - Objectif : Sigma 75-300 (Focus manuel/Handmade focusing)

Toscato

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 10:40:34 PDT

Beautiful Sorrow

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:13:56 PDT

Missy looked a little sad when we saddled her up today.

We went out to the 4H fairgrounds and I rode for about three hours. I discovered the beauty of trotting (something I had always despised) and actually got her to collect a good lope. However, she will no longer pick up her right lead. I pushed her quite a bit; she had always made us fall out of it several times to finally pick it up.

It's not a problem, really. We've started investing more of our time into gaming. Today we ran barrels several times, once bringing to about twenty seconds, which is quite good with a pretty lazy horse :3 She only activates and gets competitive when there are other horses around.

180.

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:16:30 PDT

Shot in the Haras National d'Hennebont, France.

Dappled Grey

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:18:58 PDT

^{A children's dressage competition we were invited to watch while I was in Holland. They allowed me to photograph over half of it, provided I didn't use flash, so I was happy to click the shutter button for pretty much the whole morning.
Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland.
Canon 7D.

Others}

Groentenjumping 14

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:18:50 PDT

This photo is taken by a Jumping Competition close to my home

This photo is NOT a stock photo en may not be used without without my WRITTEN permission.

Young Rider

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:51:27 PDT

Torridon and ? (Filly foel)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:13:48 PDT

Taken today at the Cotebrook shire horse centre, the mare being Torridon with her as yet unnamed filly. The centre has yet to name the youngster, holding a competition which i think ends next month to name her

Most Amazing Soldan

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:59:39 PDT

Soldán <3 The horse I have loved scince the first time I layed my eyes on him. He is always a tad sad, though when you ride him he often gets happy, if he trusts you. He is very very sensetive, I don't need a bridle of reins to ride him, he will stop and turn only on my balance.

This photo of me and him is taken while we did a little competition. A bit like a scare challenge. We call it an agility course. We had to do a little maze, get of a small jump, put on lipstick in trot... well that kind of stuff We did pretty well, until we had to do pushball, sad enough Soldán got pretty scared of it, and even though he pushed it once of twice, the last time he spooked out, and jumped away. Which did get me stressed, which made him even more stressed... so sensetive for even my feelings So he troted through the arena a few rounds, while I had lost my stirrups. I almost fell of, which costed me pretty many points. After that we didn't try the push ball anymore. And when I was relaxed enough we ended the full course, so he did amazing, even though I made some stupid mistakes. He is very forgiving... he just can't handle stress. In the end we came in 16th out of 20... not very good, but I am proud of this most amazing pony none the less!

Sad enough Soldán is for sale... His owner bought him to go and do high sports with him, but he just can't handle the stress, neither is he good enough to do so. No one (except for me) has shown interest in him yet, his built is aweful for an icelandic horse ( he is way to big, his neck is too large, his butt doesn't fit the rest of his body and his back is slightly too long...). So his outside isn't the best, and he isn't a great tolter (yet). But man oh man, if I didn't have to go to Italy for half a year, I would have bought this amazing boy right away!

Photo (C) me
Model = me

Show Jumping 13.06.2009

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 11:56:01 PDT

Photo from local show jumping competitions.

Horse: Orzeł
Rider: Maria Kaczor