And Another Budwesier Clydesdales Ad...

Here's another one that's pretty cool:

9/11 Budweiser Commercial

My contribution to 9/11 commemoration:



Apparently,this was only aired once on TV. Pretty cool, especially the draft horses.

Chasing Coyotes

Last evening I worked Max a bit- it was nice to get out when it's relatively cool and it's almost a full moon so there was plenty of light. As we were doing our usual routine, I spied a big coyote (well, bigger than the usual scrawny specimens that are live around the stables) on the track.

Naturally, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for Max and I to perfect our cavalry technique so I quickly kicked him up into a canter and the chase was on...of course the heaviest weapon I had at the moment was a dressage whip but I figured it would answer well enough for saber purposes.

The coyote took one look at us and took off through some underbrush next to the track. Quickly judging the ground to be safe enough, we lept off the track and plowed through the underbrush for a bit until we'd pinned the coyote in an area with stacks of lumber. We weren't able to close in because of all the lumber on the ground but he was definitely cut off from the wash, which is the coyotes' major access point onto the property.

The coyote then made a break for it and I quickly spurred Max to cut him off- unfortunately, the layout of the lumber required a long detour and Max isn't the fastest horse so the coyote was able to make a beeline for the wash. We still chased him for a bit just to hammer the lesson home to Mr. Coyote that it wasn't healthy to come up to the stables. :-)

Just to clarify, there was no chance that we would have actually come into contact with the coyote but I do like to use these opportunities to work Max and increase the rider/horse bond. In a way I suppose I got a little taste of fox hunting, something I wouldn't mind trying at some point although it makes me a bit nervous. I don't think Max would be an ideal fox hunter candidate but it's fun to dream a little. :-)

That definitely got the blood pumping for both of us and after wards, we walked some laps around the track to cool down. Max definitely earned his bucket. :-)

And Now for Some Art - Part III

The following portraits were done by the artist Albert Lynch (1851-1912) who was born in Lima, Peru but spend most of his years in France. These pictures definitely evoke the spirit of La Belle Epoch.


Huile - Why does this lady remind me of Etta Place (of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid fame)?

Portrait of Woman

Woman Walking Steps

A Summer Stroll

And Now for Some Art - Part II

Here's some more artwork of a more military nature nature. And yes, it combines three of my favorite things: The West, Horses and The Army.

Charles Schreyvogel (January 4, 1861-January 27, 1912) was a Western illustrator, probably not as well known today as Charles Russel and Frederick Remington although he was their contemporary. Ironically, he was born and raised in New York City and did most of his work there. His subject matter tended to be Indian Wars-related of a heroic nature.

While perhaps the subject matter is somewhat dated by today's standards, it still goes along way to depict two cultures in conflict and the fact that the West was a rough place and death ever-present, far removed from many of the policy-makers who set things in motion.

The Duel


My Bunkie



In Safe Hands



Breaking the Line


Saving the Lieutenant


The Slienced War Whoop

And Now for Some Art - Part I

OK, I've always liked equestrian-themed artwork. Here's one by an illustrator named Edmund Havell who worked during the mid to later 19th Century.

Cold War Memories: The Fulda Gap & Reforger

Some 30 years ago, the Fulda Gap (pictured below) was one of the major avenues of advance for any potential Soviet/Warsaw Pact invasion of Germany. Today it looks peaceful and it's located in the middle of Germany but back during the Cold War, it had the potential to be one of the most bloody battlefield in modern times. Defending "the Gap" was the 11th US Cavalry.

The 11th Armored Cavalry was considered expendible, its real mission to buy enough time for the rest of NATO and elements of the US V Corps directly to the rear to assemble fro mtheir far-flun garrisons and forma viable defensive line. Less charitably, the 11th Cavalry was condidered a speed bump for any Warsaw Pact advance. Either way, it was expected that the 11th Cavalry wouldn't survive more than 48 hours, at the outside.

Fulda Gap looking east.

Insignia of the 11th Armored Cavalry.

In an effort to provide timely reinforcements, the US created REFORGER (Return of Forces to German) where troops flown in from the US would merge up with pre-positioned equipment stored at various secure sites (aka POMCUS). Naturally the Soviets were well aware of the locations of the POMCUS sites so it's questionable how successful this would have been in a real war. To test things, every year from 1969 through 1993 NATO would put have a REFORGER Exercise. Below is a picture that was taken at one of the REFORGER exercises in the 1980s.