Likes of the Week

Can it really be the last week of summer? Apparently. Among

other things, we\’re busy preparing Wee for her first cutting show. It\’s a bit of a crash course at this point, as so much of her time was devoted to 4H over the summer, and I\’ve been busy for the past two weeks helping Teenager settle in for her first year of university studies in Arizona.

While I was away these arrived for Wee. The absolute sweetest of little-girl chaps. All flowers and swirls and just a hint of tomboy, succinctly Wee. She loves them, and Christmas has definitely come early for her at the log house. Fashioned by Heather Baumgartner of HB Leather, these are Canadian-made and perfectly gorgeous.

I have so much to post about, we have a lot going on at the magazine this fall, but for now, in these last few days of summer holidays, just sharing some links and videos you might be interested in.

If you\’ve been following the Tennessee Walking Horse soring controversy, you\’ll know it\’s at a significant and intense head this week, as the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the equivalent of the World Show for the breed, is ongoing at Shelbyville, Tennessee. On one side, the trainers and breeders who desire the public to understand this is not as prevalent as activists such as the Humane Society of America – which released a damning undercover film on YouTube earlier this year on soring – maintain it is. Many say soring is widespread and commonplace, others state it\’s the work of a few greedy industry players. One of the better articles I\’ve found on the crackdown in the walking horse industry here. The video accompanying the piece is worthwhile too.

Holding in the genre of controversy, I\’m still marvelling over blogger Cami Ryan\’s excellent essay, Dear Pam, challenging the motivations of PETA spokesperson, Pamela Anderson. Straight shooting, and I like it.

One of the surprises we have for you readers this fall concerns photography, hence we\’ve been doing a lot of research regarding the subject. I came across this and it made me yearn for a western-photography themed workshop with a parallel degree of yummy.

Something I loved discovering just lately – the Days Inn in Brandon, Manitoba  now sports western artwork in 15 of their executive suites, but not the usual uninspiring bought-at-a-box-store drudgery, but the real mccoy – Shannon Lawlor prints. Kudo\’s to managers Dave and Melody Brooks for showcasing our western heritage and treating all of us who might be passing through with a gorgeous visual. I\’m looking forward to checking these walls out!

Finally, another video, this one the trailer for Wild Horse, Wild Ride, has been receiving some great reviews and awards. Looking forward to seeing it.

Thanks for tuning in and have a great long weekend.