November 2009
Documentary: Most of the raw footage on our documentary on the Corolla
off site breeding has been shot and the film is in editing now. We should have a 1/2 day of filming left to do and then the
voice over will be added in. Joe Davenport, of Richmond, Virginia is working diligently on the footage.
Isle of Wight Fair: For three
days in September my riders and I conducted clinics and demonstrations on our techniques of taming wild horses and starting
colts. We show cased Mokete, the first pure Corolla to be born of the offsite breeding program.
2009 Big Ride: After spending the summer conditioning horses and
riders we set out on September 26 to complete our first fifty mile ride in one day. KC who had only been riding about two
months completed twenty miles on Sampson, a formerly wild Corolla Spanish mustang. Sarah Lin, age 8, rode 38 miles on Croatoan,
a wild Corolla stallion that we tamed and trained, and Brenna took her Chinco-stang, Medicine Iron,48 miles. I rode my 13
hand Shackleford Spanish Mustang fifty miles. Sixteen of us rode on the first day. On Sunday, many riders did not go out because
of church obligations. The rest of us rode another 25 miles on Sunday to complete a weekend of hard riding.
Awards: Jacob, Sarah Lin, and
Amanda each received the Buckaroo Award from the Horse of the Americas Registry in recognition of the hours they put
in the saddle while riding Colonial Spanish horses. We were delighted to learn that Jacob's horse, Uncle Harley, was named
HOA Pleasure Trail Horse of the Year. We were very gratified to receive the Carol Stone Ambassador Award for our efforts to
preserve, promote and protect Colonial Spanish Mustangs, specifically the Corolla Spanish mustangs.
Terri and Jordan completed their first out of state trail ride on November 2 and 3 and showed a lot
of people what our well trained American Indian Horses were capable of.
Training Update: Lydia, Emily, Danielle, Rebecca, and Amanda have had
a very successful month of training and now have Ice as a regular in the woods, with Crazy Bear, Rain-in-the-Face, and Roxie
all taking their first riders great while being ridden in the round pen.
New Riders: Our number of adult riders is steadily growing as Richard,
Beth, Kristen, and Lisa have now all ridden in the woods. LB and Emily W. are my two newest little riders.
New Programs: We have recently
began a series of night-time rides. It is hard to imagine how much fun it is to trot an athletic, well trained must through
the woods trails in pitch darkness.
Coming Up--
November
14, Program on Corollas to be presented at the Carrollton Library
November 21, Horse and Hound Expo with a demonstration in the round pen at noon.
Dec 12, Smithfield Christmas Parade
March 2010 Lecture on Horses in the Early Southern Colonies
Stay current with all of the news coming from the region's
most exciting riding instructional program by following our blog, Mill Swamp Indian Horse Views.
