Ponies in the Fog

Arrow's nose

The weather has been incredibly gross lately. I think everyone is complaining about all the cold and wetness that is plaguing the entire country. Any motivation to ride in the freezing cold or bone chilling dampness is quickly lost when I head out to the barn just to feed my ponies! Plus I don't have an arena at my house and most of my riding is done in Deer Field or on the side of the hill of my front pasture so I have to be careful not to tear up my pasture and someone else's property! (Deer Field is located on the trail system my house is connected to so I have access to ride in it)

Ponies in the fog

But trying to look on the positive side of the less than ideal weather we've had- yesterday was foggy which meant pretty foggy picturesque views from my front porch! Of course horses being horses, they moved from the perfect silhouette shot as soon as I grabbed my camera and turned it on. Then as I was snapping a few pictures I realized my bigger zoom lens wasn't on my camera so I couldn't really snug up the shot to edit out dead space. Oh wells! It ended up working out just fine because all the ponies met me at the fence looking for treats! Sadly all my treats are at the barn and they would of followed me there thus canceling out the fun impromptu photo shoot! I might have to bring some cookies up here for a future photo shoot! Next time ponies, next time!

Finn poses for the camera

Ponies wish you all warm snuggles and a short winter (HA! We can only hope) I know my guys are waiting for the grass to grow back because hay only tastes so good for so long... and I'm tired of finding blankets pulled into the stall and peed on (Thanks Finn) because I forgot to move it from curious teeth... naughty pony :P

The Princess likes pictures too

Chimi the goofball!

2015- The Year of Doing

headed home from Deer Field

I have self proclaimed this year to be the Year of DOING!!!!! I have been trying to compete successfully since graduating college but job, money, horse, life, seems to get in the way. I know I'm very fortunate to have a horse because many of my horse friends growing up don't ride anymore due to babies, money, grad school, job, living location, etc. I started to get back into the swing of things with Gus but the past 2-ish years have totally thrown any competition dreams for a loop with new additions to my family (I got married in November!), general horse problems that seemed never ending, moving, changing jobs, new job having ZERO flexibility, planning the wedding, buying a house, moving again, and millions more excuses that just find a way to pile up and before you know it- it's been 2 years.

NO EXCUSES! DO IT!!!! That is the motto for My Year of Doing! My friend Em is going to be joining me in the YoD and hopefully getting some rides on Gus and helping me keep all the beasties at my farm in riding condition.

Em on Finn during the New Years Ride

So GOALS for this year (like all the other blogs out there- but it's a good thing to do!)

• go Beginner Novice with Chimi
• Fingers crossed we'll shoot out of the starting gate in April at this level. Chimi has felt great these past couple of weeks that I really feel we have a shot at BN this spring. But horses are horses.... we'll see where we are come April...
• Compete in some of the local hunter/jumper shows
• There are lots of fun local shows in this area. PSJ, BRHJA, and a great little series of schooling shows that are perfect for getting some experience under your belt. Also hoping to find myself at Tryon International  for some of the shows there. We'll just have to see how that goes- schooling shows are much more budget friendly but potentially for winning money at TIEC??? We'll see :)
• Get Marley going again
• Marley's had a string of bad luck since fall of 2013 and I have given her some time off, made some changes, and will hopefully get her up and going again sometime this year. 
• Become fitter and stronger
• joined Curves end of November (closest gym to my house- Jillian Michaels workouts there kick my a$$!!!!)
• Blog More
• I think I average about 3-4 posts a year? My internet is crappy so uploading pictures takes forever to Blogger and I flip around the internet while waiting and then I get distracted and don't have time to finish the post. I probably have more drafts than completed blog posts- whoops! Going to work on this....
• Go Fox hunting
• I grew up hunting and there are 2 fabulous hunts in this area. I need to make it a priority and actually go hunting!!! 
• Go Novice with Chimi
• This would be a fall goal vs. the spring season. Chimi just needs experience because height is no biggie for him. The main difference between BN and Novice really is the height of the jump and if he feels confident I really think we could make our Novice debut this fall. I don't know what/if any show experience he's had in the past, but I don't think it was much. But he's a clever guy and I know just getting him out will help with his show nerves :)
• Go on a lot of Hunter Paces
• I want a year end ribbon! I love ribbons!! But starting this quest when half a season has gone by... even if the ribbon doesn't happen these are great ways to get out and about and see things. Plus major fitness points! 1.5-2 hours, 6-9 miles of walk, trot and cantering- Heck yeah.
• LESSONS LESSONS LESSONS
• have started back with weekly lessons. There's a covered arena so even if the weather is crappy I know my lesson will still be on!! (unless it's super cold- I don't do super cold- like below freezing super cold. I live in the south- I don't do major cold!)

Who? Me?

Here's to the YEAR OF DOING!!!!!! May my Ponies be sound and happy, excess weight disappear, and all of my goals met/kept up! DOING IT!!!!

a winter ride

In which Chimi is Afraid of a Mini Horse

With fall in full swing and winter approaching way to quickly, I am getting back into the swing of things since I took some time off to plan my wedding, get married, and enjoy a fun little honeymoon! So now I'm faced with a pasture of fat, furry unfit ponies that are getting ready to head into winter. With predictions of this coming winter, and arctic air already finding it's way towards us in SC, I'm trying to get in as many rides in as I can!

Warm summer day trail rides of past....

So the other day in the cold (42* is cold for November in SC!) I took Chimi out for our first ride of our "Back to It" fitness program. We headed out to the woods for a pleasant trail ride (plus I don't really have a great area to ride at my house- the flattest part has a burn pile on it that was started by the previous owners and we keep needing to add stuff to it!)

I decided to go on the River Ride because it was fairly flat, good footing, and would be quick enough for me to get home before it got dark. So off I go on a fresh 17h Oldenburg who was excited to be out and about. Chimi enjoyed a good trot down the driveway and then we wiggled through the woods, down along the road and headed into the Small Field that would take us to the trail that follows the river. Well, the neighbors that live in the house by the river have 3 horses- 2 normal sized ones and a cute little mini named Prince. As it happened they were out walking/riding in the River Field which you can just sorta see from the entrance of the Small Field. Both the bay and the grey had riders and there were 2 people on the ground with one walking the Mini. Now to give you guys an idea how far away they were- I couldn't tell who was who. All I saw was 2 horses and 1 mini with some people on the ground. If I could guess how far away they were I'd say easily 1/4 of a mile as the crow flies. Again- note of importance THEY WERE FAR AWAY. Suddenly Chimi's head went straight up in the air and he stopped dead in his tracks and refused to move forward. I know that my horse has some unnatural fear of mini's but usually he doesn't freak out unless they're close. Prince was a QUARTER of a mile AWAY and walking the opposite direction of us! I did everything I could to get Chimi walking forward but all I got was a horse quickly descending into a full blown panic attack. Chimi was running backwards, hopping up, and shaking like a leaf. I knew I had to get out of there because I was by myself, the situation was only getting worse, and did not need to push the issue at that moment. Poor Chimi was so freaked out he couldn't even process that I was trying to walk out of the field (in some manner of control) that he just kept going backwards and looking around for the "Evil Munchkin". FINALLY after about 5-10ish minutes he blasts through the opening in the fence and we jog our way back the way we came. I let him open up into a controlled trot b/c he needed to get some distance between us and that "Thing".

REALLY Chimi??? They're so tiny!!!!

I finally get him calmed down and headed off towards the Grain Bins- the opposite way of the river and my intended plan! On our way to the grain bins we passed by my neighbors house and their 2 dogs were out. They started barking and jumped out from behind the trees to bark some more at us- Chimi could care less. He just kept walking. We head into the woods and up to the Hill Field with deer jumping through the woods getting away from us. Chimi ignores them. We then have a nice trot around the Hill Field , scaring even more deer, and Chimi just blasting around the field in a big trot enjoying himself. We head back into the woods and scare up even more deer and Chimi continues to ingnore them. I mean seriously- my horse is afraid of a MINI but doesn't even bat an eye at camouflaged deer and barking dogs leaping through trees????????? 

Fall leaves- somewhere in those woods are hundreds of deer!

We even spotted a 6 point buck and his doe-friend on our way home and it was like Chimi and the deer were good friends. We just walked by them and they watched us go by without taking off into the woods. I think Chimi did a little horsie wave as we went by. Heck I wonder if the buck comes and shares a blade or two of grass with Chimi at night. They could be sitting around at night talking about the weather for all I know!!!

Do you see the Buck? He's in the middle

But thinking on this- I'm glad my horse isn't bothered by the deer. There are so many that live near us that going on trail rides would be very difficult if he freaked out every time a deer jumped. I think we'll run into more deer around the area than we will miniature horses. But I do need to find him a mini friend so he can get over his fear!!!! My mom has a neighbor with a bunch of mini's.... Might be talking to her about keeping Chimi for a day!!!!! HA!

Between the ears 

The Fanciness that is Tryon International Equestrian Center

I'm really having difficulty starting this post- I keep flip flopping back and forth with my sentences- they go from HOLY HANDGRANADS BATMAN! LET ME TELL YOU.... to In my hometown, boring sounding sentence to follow.... because I can't find a nice happy medium to tell you about the new Tryon International Equestrian Center that is basically in my BACKYARD!

Grand Prix at TIEC

The same people that brought you the Wellington and WEF that you know today have come together to build TIEC. So needless to say it is TOP CLASS. It has been a huge deal in this area, lots of people are for it, and just as many are against it. So naturally when a facility creates so much buzz the entire town shows up for the inaugural Grand Prix held at the new show grounds.

So many people in the background :)

For the first 3 weeks in July, Tryon was filled with strangers from Florida, Aiken, and various other places.  Even though it is still under construction, the barns, 4 arenas, walkways, horse paths, golf cart paths, vendor area, REAL bathrooms with flushable toilets (!!!!) wash stalls, etc were in place for what looked like a successful outing for a "not quite open but still having a show" facility. I don't know how the numbers paired out, and truthfully I only saw the Grand Prix, but it created enough buzz that it was standing room only. And the best part was FREE BEER!!!! Usually you have to pay a flat fee for an open bar but this time (probably to win over the public) there was an open bar and ice cream social- so everyone could stay cool and get drunk hahaha!

I truly can not describe the facility in all it's glory- it is something that must be seen and experienced for yourself! Their website does a great job of giving you a taste of what is to come and there is a short video too. I hope that the new facility only brings good people, more jobs, and benefits Polk County instead of turning it into another Wellington where only the super wealthy can afford to live there. The future is unknown, but until then I'll continue to enjoy my cozy little house and the place that I love and call home.

Waiting for his ribbon

The Mountains

From Bay to Grey

Last year I was making plans with my little bay Connemara/TB cross. I was going to event him beginner novice, try to qualify for the Eventing Championships, and generally have fun with my cute little guy. But since change is inevitable, and plans don't always go accordingly, I find myself a year later with a exuberant grey OTTB mare that I'm trying to keep inside a dressage arena and not go advance speed around a BN cross country course!

schooling Gus through the water- April 2013

The grey ghost herself, Miss Marley- May 2013

I competed Gus at the FENCE HT in April, and we finished 4th overall. We would of been 2nd had Gus not been so in love with his friend Finn and looking everywhere but at the first jump on course, plus I wasn't riding him the way I needed to towards that jump, especially with him being an air head about his buddy. Even if the rail had stayed up and we did finish 2nd, I knew in my heart that Gus just wasn't all that jazzed up about jumping. He can jump, and is a cute little jumper, but his heart just isn't in it, and when the jumps get bigger it could become pretty dangerous. I've taken my share of falls from Gus because he wouldn't pick his feet up going over the jump. As my coach Annie says, he just doesn't have any self preservation and that can be very dangerous over bigger jumps. So I put some feelers out for Gus and ended up finding the perfect home for him. He is now trail riding and fox hunting with my mom's good friend Cyndi. She is a great rider who just wants to have fun and puts up with Gus's silly moments. Plus I get to see him every time I head to my parents' because he's boarding at their place! 

Gus is a cute jumper when he wants to be!!!

 With Gus now enjoying his life as a fat, happy, trail/fox hunting pony, the grey mare that I've been riding on and off for a while had a chance to step into the lime light and become my main focus. Previously I wrote a post about taking her XC schooling for her first time last fall, and then I took her to a Ralph Hill clinic back in January. She's such a cool OTTB with so much heart, but trying to keep her relaxed while riding her is like holding a ticking time bomb. If you "cut" the wrong wire you've got pieces flying everywhere, but there is very little difference between the right and wrong wire. To be fair to her, she's only been in consistent work for 3 months, and even that is a bit questionable b/c we've had sooooo much rain this summer!!!! Either way, Marley has been getting a lot of work and really is progressing, even if at times it feels like at a snail's pace.

This past weekend I decided to take her to her first event. We headed off to the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club Sizzling Summer Schooling Horse Trails (non recognized) for our first outing at Beginner Novice. Last year I won the event with Gus, but this year my goal was to stay in the dressage arena (no joke- this was real goal, not just a laugh!) and to stay in a controlled trot/canter in stadium and XC. I wasn't worried about time or jumping faults, or even what the final Dressage score would be. I just wanted to complete and not scare the living daylights out of the jump judges!

The end result- SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We stayed in the dressage ring, had a terrible score, but again considering I was worried about elimination, I could care less about the score.

Marley being calm...

submission- what?

ok, back to being good...ish

 Had a very green rail in stadium (not listening to a half halt to the 3rd jump on course which was a vertical with a downhill approach will do that to ya). We started to find our rhythm towards the end of the course, but we need to work on keeping a steady pace and not letting the momentum keep building jump after jump- gymnastics are going to be our life for a while!

weeeee!!!!! 

And to seal the deal, we had an amazing, mostly controlled, cross country round! She calmly cantered most of the jumps, and we came in closer to the optimum time instead of the speed time!

making the warmup jump look like a piece of cake

Overall we ended up in 6th place, I think out of 10 or 12, and I couldn't of been prouder! Technically we were last of everyone that completed, but that is not something I cared about at this event. Marley is still quite green, and is still learning the basics. We were nailed on submission and impulsion in the dressage which showed up in our stadium. But this horse has so much heart that I know I must take my time and do it right with her. There are no short cuts with this girl!!!!

Marley in her new pasture

she's such a pretty girl

Marley and her "gang"- Finn, Arrow, and Chimi

Rain Rain, Go or Stay?

yikes!

As I sit here typing away at my computer I keep glancing outside, hoping that the rain that is falling down steadily will either lessen up or stop. I had plans for today, but those plans, and basically all of next weeks plans have been postponed or canceled :(

Is the rain a blessing or a curse? 

I can't quite decide! I'm glad it's raining because living through a drought isn't a lot of fun, but is it raining more than necessary? It sure feels like it! Every time it rains, horse people face the facts: rain is needed to keep water levels high for the horses to drink, it helps the grass grow for the horses to eat, it cleans off our trucks and trailers that we might neglect in that department because whats the point if it's just going to get muddy again? But there are lots of drawbacks to it too. Grey horses turn a nice chestnutty red or a really dark black (depending on the type of soil you live on), blankets lose their original color (and you hope they are still waterproof!) shoe sucker mud comes out in full force, and doing basic barn chores just got a lot worse! Not to mention if you don't have a covered arena you are most likely sidelined until your footing dries out, after it stops raining for a few days!

That's a lot of mud!!
 http://hoofcare.blogspot.com/

The saving grace for the current rain storm is the temperature. Thank goodness it is warm enough outside (or at least where I am!) that you can stand being out there long enough to get all the stalls clean and set up again. There is nothing worse than a damp bone chilling cold that makes every part of your body numb and achey. The only way to warm back up after a day like that is an extremely hot shower and a cup of hot tea! 

There are other reasons that the rain is good. You know all those indoor things you should do but somehow get pushed to the back? The rain keeps you inside so you can get your work done! I have a list as long as my arm of things I should do but keeping coming up with ways to go out to the barn and ride my horse instead... So is today a good day to start on that list? Well I have an entire week of rain in the forecast to get everything done! Though I'm sure I'll be putting on my boots and trudging out to the barn to see my pony on a regular basis- because lets face it, not even rain can keep me inside for to long!!

Oh!! Another great reason to stay inside when it rains- YOUTUBE!!! There are sooooo many great videos out there (and really terrible ones). I'm sure you're familiar with Ed the Naughty Pony, if not- look it up! But I just stumbled across a really funny christmas themed clip! I know it's January, but this one is to good to not share!!! Just think of it as a Candlemas present to you guys ;) Thanks to this post on Hoof Blog for finding some cute videos!

So if it's raining where you are, maybe start on that long "for a rainy day" list, and when you need a good laugh, have an enjoyable moment watching youtube! Or a good horse movie :)

Polo-Cross-Train-In-G(rass)

One of the benifits of boarding at the farm where the pony club equipment is stored is the ability to borrow it when it just sits there looking at you day in and day out... Well ok when I say the equipment I really mean the Polocrosse mallets that are hanging in the tack room!!! Our club bought the mallets back when I was in high school because of Festival 2001 where we all came back totally in love with the game! We never got competitive with the game, but loved having the mallets around to tool about on our horses. Heck it's a great way to find out how quiet your horse is, because lets face it- only a certain horse is going to let you swing a stick around on it's back!

http://www.ezpolocrosse.com/

Lately I had been eyeing the mallets and wondering how Gus would do... So day 1) I grabbed the mallet and slowly introduced it and the ball to Gus. He was a saint! He probably was more interested in the grass  we were standing on then the stick I was holding in my hand- he didn't flinch a muscle. So next came the ball, at first he thought it might be edible and sniffed it for a few seconds and then realizing it was just a plastic lacrosse ball (the real polocrosse ball has been lost in the shuffle of moving between 3 barns) and he went back to snoozing. I rubbed the ball all over his face, shoulder, flank, etc. Then I started lightly tossing the ball at him to see how he would react it if accidentally hit him, again nothing- the only thing he did was reach for some mouthfulls of grass while I pelted him lightly with the ball. So obviously he's fine with the mallet and ball being in some sort of control, so the next step was to see how he would react with it in motion. I started swinging the mallet in large circles by his eyes and flanks, nothing, zero, nilche. Gus continued to stand there and look at me like I was some crazy person because he wasn't bothered at all by flying objects!!! Good sign Gus!!

http://www.ezpolocrosse.com/

Day 2) Ride time!!! I tacked up Gus today and took him out into the field to see how would react in "play" mode. I waved the mallet around and then tossed the ball straight out in front and VOILA! He did nothing. My horse was so game and awesome that I decided his next career should be as a polocrosse pony!!! He's a great height, obviously doesn't care about the ball and stick, he's top man in the field but doesn't usually bite or kick except in play, so he'd be aggressive but not dangerous (a plus for a polox pony) the only issue I foresee is speed. He's not the fastest horse in the world, and it does take an effort to make him go anywhere, but I think if he was playing a game he'd pick up the pace and get a little more excited. He's really handy and listens to your leg really well so today I didn't have any problems stopping and turning with one hand on the reins (another reason that I'm in love with his Dressage training!!!) The only problem we had today was ME!!! I couldn't pick up the ball for the life of me!!! Walk and sometimes at the trot I was ok, but every time we would canter right past the ball... Now to give myself some credit, and not take the total blame... we only had a lacrosse ball which is about half the size and much lighter than a polocrosse ball. Plus the grass was really tall and the mallet kept getting caught on the grass blades instead of being able to scoop up the ball. So word to the wise- there is a reason polo players and polocrosse players play on mowed fields!!!! Plus I lost the ball a couple of times and had to walk around looking for it- even with it being bright orange it was difficult to see if it was buried under a tall thick clump of grass!!!!

Now I just need to find some friends in the area to come over and play a game with us! And find a REAL polocrosse ball....  But if not I'll keep playing by myself because it really is a great way to cross train Gus. He has to listen to my leg cues, practice galloping forward and slowing down, and turning with balance- all good things that an eventer should know! So here we go- it's Polo-Crosse Training time!!!

Are Pictures Worth a Thousand Words??

Basically my entire life somehow revolves around horses (much to my grandparents chagrin) but I do have other hobbies, one of them is photography. Most of the time I feel like I get pretty lucky with a shot, as in not really sure why it turned out so well, but it did...luck. I see pictures of professional photographers and I can't help but drool. The way the capture the emotion just makes me want to fall out of my chair with yearning. If I could design the perfect life, I'd be a professional photographer that happens to ride horses. But since I have not quite found the niche of this so called "perfect life" I can continue dreaming and hopefully one day get there! So as a quest to become a better photographer I thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures from over the years. Some might have horses in them, but not all do- this is part of a "challenge" posted by a Chronicle of the Horse Forum poster to blog about something non horsey- so here goes my "challenge" :)

"An Irish Road Trip"

Ok so here is a picture I took back in the summer of 2008 when I was living in Galway Ireland. I had a student working visa that allowed me to work, live, and play for 5 months before coming back to the states. While I was there I met 3 Canadians, 1 Aussie, 3 Irish neighbors, and 1 Irish girl. Ok so I met more people than that, but these were the people that I hung out with basically the entire time. This picture is of my Canadian roommate, Liz, standing on top of the Cliffs of Moher.

Irish Road Signs- good luck if you don't have a map!!

Galway is seriously the best location for staying on the west side of Ireland because it is the most central to all the tourist sites. The Cliffs were an easy easy day trip from the city, and you can easily catch a tour bus that will run you to the cliffs and back, and stopping at various other attractions along The Burren.

The Burren- yes that's what the ground
 looks like, cracks and all!!

The "Coast Road" to the Cliffs

one of the Portal Tombs sprinkled across Ireland
A tourist attraction on the way to the Cliffs!

Aussie Susy waving from "the other side"

But this day Aussie Susy, Canadian Liz, and I took a little road trip with a rental car on loan (don't tell the rental car company!!) took off on one the few true blue days to go sightseeing. We had a great time hiking out past the sign that read "Do Not Go Past This Point" (because lets face it, the sign was only for legal reasons, everyone goes hiking past that point!!!)

plants along the cliffs

cute older couple enjoying the day

When we got fairly far the sky suddenly started to turn an ugly black so back towards the visitor center we went- and thank goodness for our perfect timing! Literally seconds from opening up the door into the visitor center (that looks like a little Hobbit home because it was built into the side of a hill) it started pouring and thundering!!! Now it does rain a lot in Ireland but RARELY does it thunder!!! So our gorgeous blue day was interrupted by a short thunderstorm, but on the drive back to Galway it allowed us to see some of the most amazing full rainbows... oh Ireland how I do miss you!!!

Rainbow on the way home

And even though this was suppose to be a horseless post I couldn't help myself- this is Ireland after all and horses are a part of the scenery!!! These two cuties were hanging out in a pasture right next to the coastal road we drove down! So naturally we stopped and took pictures :)

the lunar landscape that is The Burren in the background

This is Ireland- horses are a part of the scenery!

War Horse

"This one isn't just any old horse. There's a nobility in his eye, a regal serenity about him. Does he not personify all that men try to be and never can be? I tell you my friend, there's divinity in a horse, especially a horse like this."

~War Horse

There aren't many things that can make me cry, but the book War Horse by Michael Morpurgo had me wiping away tears as they filled my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I had to stop at moments just to blink away the foggy collection of tears so I could see the page and keep reading. I couldn't stop- I just had to know if he and Albert found each other. I won't give away the ending, but I will say the last chapter was where the tears fell freely down my face as I thought about what each of the characters in the book went through.

Being a horse enthusiast, when I hear the word "horse" my ears instantly perk up and I investigate. When I heard that there was a play based around a horse, I knew I wanted to see it. Sadly the play was only being performed in London so it would be a while before I'd be able to see it. Then when it opened in NY this past year and my hopes of seeing the play were coming closer to being a reality. And then when I heard that Steven Spielberg was making it into a movie the chance of seeing it in action was just a few months away. I know that the play is going to be different than the movie- but the story line remains the same. I will still be waiting to see the play and when I get the chance you can bet I'll be one of the first in line buying tickets for the play and movie!!! But me being me, I HAD to read the book. So a couple of days ago I downloaded it onto my Kindle, and lets just say it just took one really long night to finish the book.

The story is told from the point of view from Joey, the horse, so it has a bit of a Black Beauty feel to it. But instead of the other horses talking to Black Beauty, it is more like a self monologue of Joey's life. The human characters talk to Joey and their words come through as the only dialogue in the book, and the rest is what Joey sees and feels. But this book is more than a story about a boy and his horse, it is about War, and the costs of conflict. Joey travels to both sides of the War, and when he arrives on the German side and is put to work bringing the wounded from the front to the hospital he notes "I had see the same gray faces looking out from under their helmets somewhere before. All that was different were the uniforms-"(pg 69) Without getting into a political discussion about War (because this blog is about horses, not opinions) I just wanted to say, that no matter what side you're on there is another side. And it might just take the honest opinion of an unbiased horse to make you realize that. WWI was a bloody massacre because war strategy hadn't changed, but the weapons had. There are parts in the book that Joey lives through that paint this picture, and while being a children's book for ages 8-12- it doesn't go into extreme detail, but you can easily imagine what Joey saw.

So without giving away the entire book and rambling on forever and ever, I send you off with 2 clips- The War Horse trailer, and video of the puppets from the play- I'm still in awe over the life like mannerisms that the puppeteers bring to the horse

War Horse Puppet

War Horse Movie Trailer