Napoleonic Elvis?

OK, I'm kind of reaching on this one but for some reason the French General Joachim Murat has always reminded me of a Napoleonic Era version of Elvis Presley...maybe it's the flamboyant lifestyle, the loss of excess or who knows what (or perhaps the glitzy outfits and high collars)...and like Elvis, he died in the prime of life...

Old School Jumping - Cavalry Style

Can't recall where I got these from but here's a couple of pictures of a US Cavalryman jumping. The seat is definitely NOT Caprilli-influenced...

Cheeseboro Canyon

Last May, a friend and I went for a long trail ride at Cheeseboro Canyon, an area just to the North of Ahmanson Ranch. Here's what few pictures I just found:

Heading up the trail.

My compadre and his horse Tike (short for Ticonderoga).

The trailhead.

On the Trail - Ahmanson Ranch II

I just found some pictures from when a ride a took at Ahmanson Ranch in July 2010:

Looking Northeast towards the North San Fernando Valley- we're almost back to the trailhead.

Another view of the North San Fernando Valley.

Out in the middle somewhere. Compared to last weekend, the grass was bone dry.

Heading down the main trail. At this point, it hadn't rained for awhile.

Another view travelling down the central main trail. It was overcast and relatively cool (and not too humid) the day we rode.

Max on a Roll...

And for something different...Max relaxing after a long trail ride...

The Eagle - Synopsis

This is a brief description from an upcoming movie entitled "The Eagle":

The Eagle A Focus Features Film Synopsis

The movie is supposed to be based on the book "Eagle of the Ninth" by Rosemary Sutcliff, a book that I originally read in 7th grade and immediately fell in love with. Hopefully, they won't pile on the PC crap...

And here's a trailer from the movie:

Roman Cavalry I

OK, now that you've seen the Sassanid Cataphract in the last post, here's what the Romans had to initially go up against it:

Needless to say, it didn't take long before the Romans created their own to match it. The above image is a typical auxiliary cavalryman circa 1st Century AD. Here's another view:

Now admittedly, these are reenactor/living history recreations and thus, there's potential for error but I think it gives a pretty good idea (But I'm not wild about the tie-down in the second picture). More later! :-)