Oh, you knew it was coming..."E" for equine or "H" for horses or "M" for Money-eating-farm animals,
but there really could be no Virginia country without horses.
In my experience, horses either make your heart do flip-flops or you could just-as-soon do without.
What is it about horses? There's a funny Dave Barry article here, that in typical Barry style explores the relationship between women, in particular, and horses. "Why is it," he says, "that women will forgive homicidal behavior in a horse, but be critical of a man when he leaves the toilet seat up?"
Archeologists first discovered the remains of the small fox-sized animal called Eohippus, in the Eocene rock formations of Wyoming in 1867. It is believed to have lived 50-55 million years ago. In 1931, another complete skeleton was found in Wyoming's Big Horn basin.
It was first believed that the evolution of the horse proceeded fairly directly from this multi-toed animal to the large hoofed animal we know as Equus.
As we have come to understand more about the phenomenon of how species evolve, scientists have become particularly interested in the complex development of the modern horse.
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| Miss Keller, winner of the Grade I.E.P Taylor at Woodbine, relaxes in her stall with her beloved stuffed bunny rabbit. |
We know now for example, that the horse took a much more varied path, becoming larger, then smaller, then larger again as the environment changed. Great diversity gave way to evolutionary bottlenecks and side branches that became extinct.
But none of that explains why we love them. This is the beautiful Zenyatta, the 17.2 hand powerhouse that some call the greatest female racehorse of all time. Born on April Fool's day in 2004, she would be quite a fantastic role model for any young woman. She is brave, she is confident, and she dances when she's happy.
In 2009, Zenyatta whipped the crowd at Santa Anita into a frenzy when she dashed from last place to first, beating an all-male field of international stars, to become the first filly ever to win the coveted Breeder's Cup classic. Her time was the second fastest in the Breeder's Cup 25-year history.
By 2010, with breathtaking grace and an enormous stride, she had won 19 consecutive races- more than any other race horse in the last century. Though she lost her second attempt at the Breeder's Cup by a nose, she still left people in awe. She was Vogue's woman of the year in 2010, and one of Oprah Winfrey's O magazine's "Most Influential Women of the Year."
Power, grace, beauty and an occasional beer.
Interestingly, even those who aren't crazy about horses, often love the warmth and elegant tradition of equestrian style.
Classic Hermes
Classic Martha.
Trunks traditionally used in the tack room, or for hauling gear to shows, look great as accent furniture,
and can often be customized however you like. These boxes are from McGuinn Farms. See more here.
A wall-mounted grooming box would be a fun substitute for a bathroom medicine cabinet.
Equestrian tack or stable fixtures add warm, masculine style to a room.
I could see this handsome mahogany blanket bar in a kitchen, or bath, or in a guest room to hold an extra quilt.
Charlotte Casiraghi, granddaughter of Grace Kelly, is on this month's cover of Town & Country in Gucci-designed riding gear. However, if you have always wanted to ride, there are ways to do it with much less expense.
Stop in at your local tack shop, they'll know about local clubs, who teaches lessons in your area, who has horses that they don't have time to exercise, who might be willing to trade rides for stall mucking or would offer a partial or even free lease.
I took lessons on someone else's horse for years, exercised horses at first for free, and then for a small fee, when owners went on vacation. I leased my first horse for the cost of shoes, feed and vet bills, and bought him a couple of years later when the owner moved.
If one wants to ride, there is always a way.
We think that country life is more a state of mind, than a state of, well... State.
Whether your home is the city, by the sea, in the mountains or Farm town, USA, country life is about how you approach living your day, how you feel about your home, and how you care for yourself and your neighbors.
Virginia Country Life from A-Z is a series inspired by our homes in Virginia. It's about some things and people we love, and some ideas for making your life a little more country- wherever you are.
Next post... F is for...
Images: 1. via Pinterest and www.fourthfloorwalkup.com 2. via Pinterest and www.thepapermulberry.blogspot.com 3. via Pinterest and www.greatbasinequine.com 4. via Pinterest and www.theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com 5. via pinterest and www.zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com 6. via Google 7. via www.pixasdaus.com 8. via www.agreer.tumblr.com 9.-10. via www.zenyattasbaby.com 11. Youtube.com 12.-15. via Pinterest 16. Ralph Lauren 17. www.mcguinnfarms.com 18. Hermes 19. Martha Stewart 20. www.diamondbarattadesign.com 21. pinterest via Jillian Schwartz 22.-26. www.mcguinnfarms.com 27-30. via pinterest
29 comments:
I am nuts for equestrian style in homes. I decorated my dining room with a horsey feel.
I am anxious for my youngest daughter to be old enough to ride.
Beautiful post, as always. I really love the "roots" portion of the post too.
I can't imagine looking out on God's countryside and being able to watch these beautiful animals in all of their beauty.
Thank you for sharing a way of life.
Happy Tuesday.
Teresa
xoxo
Favorite post ever! I love horses and watching the video of the race was so exciting. The rooms and horse images you've shared make my heart go flip-flop. Thanks for this.
Karen
What a truly lovely post! Enjoyed every single word and photograph! Amazing! Thank you!
wow.
my heart is flipping and flopping and pounding.
excellent 'horsie' post!
and i would know.
x
They look so cute in those little riding clothes! :) N.G.
Hi Phyllis, I know so many women who, for one reason or another gave up riding at some point in their lives and find their way back to it in their 40's, 50's 60's or later. I believe, like gardening, with all of the outdoors fresh air, bending, lifting, toting, grooming and riding, it's a great way to stay healthy, fit, happy--and sane! A hour or so at the barn and whatever was bothering me has just vanished! N.G.
Hi, thanks! There is something about a horse that appeals to women especially. Maybe it is because no matter how well-trained they are, they seem to reserve a wildness and freedom that can't be tamed away. I'll finish with a great training session where Bella has been so perfect, but as soon as I take her out to the pasture and remove her halter she shakes her head and dances away bucking and squealing! Sometimes I pause in my morning chores and just watch them. She'll run from one end of the pasture to the other, flat out as fast as she can, and you can tell she is totally jazzed by herself- just from the sheer joy of the speed and the power of her own muscles. N.G.
Thanks! So glad!
Hi Vickie! Thanks! I get so sucked into Pinterest, I spend WAY too much time looking at all of the great images uploaded by users. Horses are so engaging, and so clearly love humans. This horse slaughter business in the news really upsets me. I feel like we owe them so much more! N.G.
Hi Renee! Love the photos of your horse too! N.G.
Well, thank you for this posting (which was a great way of being introduced to your blog, five minutes after I "discovered" it).
Regarding your comment about some folks' cultivating an "equestrian style" as home-decor, when there's not a hooved-creature within fifty miles of the joint?.....
I spend a lot of each year in France (my partner's French, so this is one of those unavoidable marital obligations....I try not to complain too much about the situation). I've learned that one of the distinguishing/amusing features of a readily-identifiable class (as opposed to the long-established family-owners of Les Mesnils, who've genuinely been doing horses for 150 years) is affecting "horsey-set" accoutrments......even to the extent of building garages-disguised-as-fake-stables, or keeping heaps of riding boots in the front hallway of a Paris apartment (what is THAT about?). There's a great snootiness about being "English", particularly in regard to horses, and really (if you know much about England) having very little to do with anything/one actually English.
It's all rather grimly amusing, and of a piece with the belle-epoque industry barons who built spanking-new "chateaus" with faux "medieval" towers at each end.....and an "English park" out back.
For better or worse, I grew up around folks who raised and trained horses.....so my antennae always go up when I encounter the accoutrements without any of the accompanying dirt (to put the matter politely).
I expect you would, by the way, enjoy Sharon Santoni's (she's originally British) very-horsey blog, "My French Country Home". She and it are refreshingly delightful....unpretentious and quite lovely. She, her family, and her horses live in Normandy.....where it's always green, delphiniums flourish like weeds, and horses have very happy lives,
Sincerely,
david Terry
www.davidterryart.com
Hi, thanks for stopping by. Just read your comment on Winston, how great! Jennings is a KCS devotee for sure, and for Winston's part, he has so much energy, I'm not sure another dog could keep up with Jennings! Winston races back and forth following and sniffing and just has a grand time.
I think of equestrian style as good recruiting! Horses and country life really are a lifestyle and a mindset. Raising animals, digging in the dirt, growing things, knowing where one's food comes from, garden-to-table seasonal eating, being outdoors, connecting the quality of our air and water to the quality of our lives, seeing how we are interconnected with the earth around us, knowing your neighbors, having a sense of humor, praying for rain, making hay while the sun shines... all of these things are our heritage. All of us. They are in our DNA. We all have agrarian roots, it's just that many of us have forgotten, and become disconnected from it. I figure that if you have some tall boots lined up in your foyer, one day you might just decide to try them on. Then since you're got the boots on, you might as well go find a horse to ride. Once you're on a horse you might just look around and see how important it is to have beautiful green spaces outdoors in which to ride.... and so it goes. Sometimes craving a different lifestyle starts as plaid blankets and bridles on the wall, but you never know where that will lead! :)
Oh, you're right, of course. I hope my comment didn't sound too utterly acidic. Perhaps you know the famous photograph of ISANE-BEYOND-BELIF Zelda Fitzgerald...perched on a stack of steamer-trunks while wearing a tutu and lacing up her ballet slippers (she'd decided, at age 41, that she finally and desperately needed to become the ballerina that she'd always been destined-to-be). The final fact is that that thinking so made her feel better and got her to doing SOMEthing, at least.....which is always a blessing for most folks.
As a man who's recently been caught raucously hollering Bruce Springsteen songs in the shower, I'm probably the last person who's in a position to remark on anyone else's supposed delusions or pretensions.
What town/county are you folks in, if I can ask? I've spent half my life in Virginia....am, in fact, driving up to Albemarle county tomorrow for a short visit. And don't worry....I'm not a burglar; I don't have the concentration (or for that matter, a large enough car) for the profession.
----david terry
www.davidterryart.com
Hi, Oh not at all! In fact, I agree with you- houses that bear no relation to their surroundings or their occupants can feel vaguely depressing, if not surreal. Or at best, like a theme-park. I had to laugh because Jennings gives me a hard time if I have direct references to horses in my place- and I actually have one! Your notes are great fun, and I must say, your art is phenomenal! Wow. Jennings and I are both North of Charlottesville, but our favorite architect, Madison Spencer, and Bella's favorite vet lives there! That is such pretty country I hope you have a marvelous visit!
I just found your delightful blog! I was gratified to feel reinforced by your commnent women resume riding in their 50's as that is my intent this year much to the chagrin of my 14 year old son who thinks I am crazy. As soon as the little cherub goes off to college or embarks upon his life I hope to buy a bit of land and rescue a few horses and provide them a safe haven, my halycon days were those of my youth mucking out stalls in exchange for riding and just hanging out in the stable. Kind Regards, Sarah
Hi, I am our newest follower! Being from the Lexington, KY area where the "Horse is King" and Thoroughbred racing is in our veins, I naturally would love this post!! Beautifully done. I also enjoyed your tribute to yellow, just posted something similar on Saturday. Hope you will visit sometime! Have a blessed week, Lisa
I like your story, ok, i’ll bookmark this site and return here in next few days.
Fun post, and what a lovely set of eye candy you have assembled. Equestrian style is timeless, and such elegance. I am drawn to it still, and I haven't been on the back of a horse for forty years! Reggie
Fabulous post! Tears in my eyes watching Zenyatta win! Hope you are well and having a wonderful summer.
xxjoan
I just love that Dave Barry quote - oh so true, and men will never understand it. I told my husband when we got engaged that the horses were here before you, and should you choose to leave, they will be here after you. (fingers crossed he never does, of course). But the joy they bring us every day is hard to explain. Even though my show days are over, the therapeutic quality of a horse in unequivocal. Except maybe rivaled by my love affair with my english bulldog Wilma :)
Hi, I'm so glad you stopped by! Someone asked me once what is my favorite place to be, and I have to say, anywhere there are horses. Sometimes I just hang over the stall door and watch Bella eat hay (I wonder if she thinks that's weird?) because it is so relaxing to watch her contentedly munch. It is never too late to start or re-start something that you love!
Hi Lisa! I can't wait to stop over and see your post. So glad you stopped in!
Thank you!
Hi, thanks! Well, if you guys are ever in Virginia, we can get you back up there again!
Hi Joan, so great to hear from you. Zenyatta is breathtaking isn't she? Thank you, it has been a great summer. Hope yours has been good too. I took August off to find a new web host and re-work our website. I have missed checking in with everyone...so many blogs to catch up on come September!
Hi Bethany, did you click on the link? The article is hilarious. My farrier laughed when I told her that DB said that horses have feet made out of the same stuff as bowling balls. Please send us a picture of Wilma! N.G.
Wow, you got me awed by those equestrian tour. Love this new found inspiration.
Got my eye on your next posts.
Yes indeed, once horses are in your blood they never leave. In my youth I showed gaited saddlebreds and learning how to compete stood me in good stead the rest of my life. Donna Moore of Lexington Kentucky was my idle. She of blond hair and wild riding ways. Donna is still sending winners into the ring while I became a research scientist. The love of watching the 5 gaited championship classes has never left. It is thrilling to see all that style on the hoof.
I too like to hang my horse tack around. I have two Barnsby cutback show saddles "decorating" my living room now. Seeing them makes me feel connected to a world of excitement and I still enjoy that.
Thanks so much for your post and your love of horses. Ann
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