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Monthly Archives: August 2011

Nathan and the National Anthem-HORSE SHOW!

Nathan Granner sings National Anthem at Fox Trotter Horse Show

Sing it OUT!

A mother’s dream come true.  Nathan, my wondrous son, sang at the Kansas City Regional Fox Trotter Horse Association Annual Horse show.  (I  knew you would want to know what KCRFTHA stood for!)

Nathan Granner rides Velvet in the historic Longview Horsepark arena

Nathan Granner has been all over the world singing.  He’s one of The American Tenors.  He is famous and loved by everyone who knows him and has heard him give a concert.  He’s been featured on PBS. The American Tenor Concert filmed at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood was shown all over the USA and Nathan was usually on the air helping stations raise money.

That and more!  He is an Operatic Tenor.  He’s humble and much fun.  He’s an animal lover and makes a loyal friend. He’ll do anything he can for you.  I know all this because he’s my son and I’ve watched him grow from a lovable young kid into a lovable young man…and then we discovered that God gave him this amazing voice.  Look him up on Facebook.  Look him up at www.nathangranner.com.

Nathan rode Velvet into the arena behind the flag horses. Velvet is famous too. She took him in that arena at a fox trot.  Look at  her stride it out.  Velvet is a multiple World Grand Champion in the Missouri Fox Trotter Youth Versatility events. She is also the only Missouri Fox Trotter that attained Level 3 in the Parelli levels. She’s been seen by around 18,000 people as she was in the Parelli USA tour events with Jennifer and Tony Vaught.  She’s done it all.

She carried Nathan into the arena, strutting her fox trotter Stuff.  Nathan dismounted and sang the National Anthem with those low and high notes that everyone longs to hear. The crowd simultaneously broke out in goose bumps. There must have been a million goose bumps at the historic Longview Horse Park that Saturday night.  Loula Long Combs would have been proud.  I bet she heard Nathan and saw all those fox trotters in the arena that Saturday night!

Bring em in at the Fox Trot sez Nathan!!!

Nathan and Velvet

Pre Show Day Ride – Not

Came home from work early today, of course I got to work a little late, so it all balances out.  I was determined to ride tonight and get a little practice in before the horse show tomorrow.

Since it’s pre-show time, my saddles and bridles have to be shined up. Can’t have dust and dirt showing in the show ring ya know.  So last night, after I rode, I drug two saddles into the house.  I got one and a half saddles cleaned up and one bridle.  Yee Haw

When I got home, I got my favorite stirrups off the saddle that is currently in the trailer and switched stirrups to my favorite saddle which happens to be the one with bright shiny turquoise beads. Those beads on my saddle match my necklace!  But I digress.  I cleaned up my favorite saddle and decided to get Nova into the trailer, drive to the house and pick up my saddle and bridle.  It’s senseless to drag a saddle and bridle to the barn if the truck is going to be driving past the house.

So, I got Nova and went to Pine Dell.

As I got out of the truck, I realized that I had no saddle and my favorite bridle is missing too.

Oh, by the way, as I drove to Pine Dell, my truck was missing.  Actually, I could see and feel my truck the entire time, but the motor was missing. The last time this happened far from home, the truck spark plug exploded out of the engine. Did I tell you that story?  The trip to Ava..300 miles is coming up soon and my heart starts accelerating at the thought of an exploding engine on a two lane highway with no shoulders.

I digress.

I decided to ride Nova bareback.  Even though it’s a hot day and my black pants will melt into her body, I was going to do that.  I got my spare bridle. Something bothered me about that bridle, but it looked fine.

Nova and I played at liberty in the round pend and in the arena.  I decided she wasn’t going to shoot off and leave my body in the dirt behind.  I went to put the bridle on and noticed the bit is in backwards. That’s what I noticed the last time I was going to use that bit and haven’t yet fixed it.

I went home in disgust.  I have lot’s of pre show stuff to do anyway.  Nova was thankful.

Pray that I get the saddles and bridles into the trailer before I go to the horse show. Pray that I don’t forget Nova and Velvet.

OLS

After the 5 hour clinic today, I came home and died in the recliner. All my muscles died, my eyes died,my smile died, my bright red hair died.
After a couple hours of dead, the coroner decided I was still alive and made me move out of the recliner.
Five hours of riding after taking the long heat wave off…. Lordy

I had my condition diagnosed after this happened.  It a disease and it’s called

OLD LADY SYNDROME

OLS can be semi-cured with naps.

Gaited Horse and Versatility Clinic

Missouri Fox Trotters came out in droves today to help people learn the smooth signature gaits of the breed.  We had two beginners ride two World Grand Champion horses to really find out how to get the horses to do the flat foot walk and fox trot.  Nichole Copple has taken Velvet and Dusty through the World Celebration Fox Trotter Horse show and won the two youth World Grand Championships in Versatility and Ranch Horse. So Dusty and Velvet got to help people new to the breed learn to see and feel what the gaits are.

That’s pretty darn cool.  In addition, I had Nova, Tony had Diva and Jenny had Slinger there. We all got to whip around the arena while the students watched.  We had a little contest with the students trying to name that gait! That was fun and Nova and I got to show off quite a bit.  Later we got to show off our canter too.

We had a Rocky Mountain horse in the clinic.  His and his rider cantered in an arena for the very first time. That was cool to watch the process. Turns out, he has a really really nice canter.  The rider to remain nameless is my riding buddy, so we’ll be trying to canter in the arena in the future!

Additionally, we had an Andalusian horse, half and full Arabians and a paint horse.  Gaited and non-gaited horses had a great time.

After our arena time, we went up to the 40 acres and played with the obstacles on the playground. We ended the day with a simple trail pattern that involved figure 8’s, going thru a “car wash”, backing the “L” and going thru a gate.

You really get your money’s worth in a clinic with Tony and Jenny Vaught! We were scheduled to have a three hour clinic starting at 8:00am.  When I got off Nova and managed to walk again, the time was 1:30. Since I have been off riding for more than a month of horrid heat days, this was a long day of riding!

Nova and I had the best time.  She did everything I asked and mostly she was looking quite sexy!

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