Morning Dew Musings

My dew laced weather vane

A low mist hung in the corn under a lilac and rose pink sky this morning before the sun dawned.  The birds and the crickets were singing as I sipped a cup of Mocha Java, contemplating the day.  "Iowa," I mused.  "You can be so bewitching...Ouch!  Bloody Hell!"  Mosquitoes were biting chunks out of me.  That is how it goes: get too sentimental about Iowa and it bites you in the ass.  Literally.

Dawn is starting to sleep in as the kids go back to school.  Heavy dew drips from the corn and the infernal heat of summer is only an ember most days.  All the signs that Villa Louis Carriage Classic is right around the corner.

With the strength and conditioning phase of training over, Don Pecos and I are working on elasticity and form.  This is the most difficult part of the training curriculum, but also the most rewarding. I must convince the horse to repackage his strength from stamina into performance.  While Don Pecos never complains, he just 'pretends' that he doesn't 'get' it, perhaps with the hope that I will give up or the season will end.  But I know he has it inside.  I just have to get it out in two weeks for the show.  And before winter wraps us in her long, cold embrace.

Oh, Iowa...

Kind Regards,
Michelle Blackler
Serendipity
www.hossbiz.com
Serendipity is an Accidental Sagacity Corporation company.

Worth 1000 Words

Theresa Burns and her four in hand in front of the Villa Louis.  Photo: Lori Schoenhard

 As preparations for Villa Louis Carriage Classic come quickly, thinking about organizing photographs of your turnout are probably not on the list.  This year, I am having Lori Schoenhard concentrate on my turnout.  Her photos are really lovely and her perspective differs from the established horse show photographers in that she looks for the picture to tell a story, rather than an overview of the turnout.  It is just nice to have a different angle.

The Picnic Class at Villa Louis Carriage Classic.  Photo by Lori Schoenhard

 Lori grew up in Prairie du Chien and worked summers at the Villa Louis.  For the last few years she has attended the show with her camera and taken some really memorable shots.  "It would be nice to actually get to meet the people I'm photographing," she told me recently.

Lucy, Don Pecos and I in the workout section of the Picnic Class at Villa Louis Carriage Classic.  Photo by Lori Schoenhard

 So, here is your chance to have a personal photographer 'follow' your turnout at the show.  Lori can be reached through her website: http://lorischoenhardphotography.com/ Or view more of her Villa Louis Carriage Classic photos at: http://lorischoenhard.zenfolio.com/villa-louis-carriage-classic-2010

Blanket for Two: the Picnic Class at Villa Louis Carriage Classic.  Photo by Lori Schoenhard

Looking forward to seeing all our friends at the Villa Louis Carriage Classic, September 9,10,11th, 2011!

Kind Regards, Michelle Blackler
Serendipity
www.hossbiz.com
Serendipity is an Accidental Sagacity Corporation company