Mica brought us loyal companionship for nearly 2 decades. Having a living plant to memorialize him gives his life some dignity, as he did indeed bring some good to the world.
If your animals could talk, what would they say?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Our vet sent us a plant to memorialize Mica!
Mica brought us loyal companionship for nearly 2 decades. Having a living plant to memorialize him gives his life some dignity, as he did indeed bring some good to the world.
Mica
Mica always had something to say. Not tonight. He is gone. He is no more.
I hope you are waiting for me in heaven, Mica.
I hope you are waiting for me in heaven, Mica.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Mica took a one way trip to the vet
We took Mica to the vet after 2 weeks of watching him suffer. While he waited for the vet; he looked into our eyes lovingly, and purred. We were blessed with 19 years with him. Until just recently, he was playful.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
ESPN listed Secretariat 35th of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century
ESPN listed Secretariat 35th of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century, the highest of three non-humans on the list (the other two were also racehorses: Man o' War at 84th and Citation at 97th ).
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Secretariat (horse) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, who in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby (1:59 2/5), and the Belmont Stakes (2:24)—records that still stand today.
Secretariat was sired by Bold Ruler (a grandson of Nearco) and foaled to Somethingroyal. He was foaled at Meadow Farm in Caroline County, Virginia. Like the equally famous horse Man o' War, Secretariat was a large chestnut colt and was given the same nickname, "Big Red."
Owned by Penny Chenery (aka Penny Tweedy), he was trained by Lucien Laurin and mainly ridden by fellow Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte, along with apprentice jockey Paul Feliciano (first two races), and veteran Eddie Maple (last race). He raced in Penny Chenery's Meadow Stable's blue and white checkered colors and his groom was Eddie Sweat. Secretariat stood approximately 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) tall, and weighed 1,175 pounds (533 kg), with a 75 inch girth, in his racing prime.
Secretariat Entertains Despite Flaws
| | Print | |
| Written by Eric Egan |
| Saturday, 09 October 2010 22:30 |
 Secretariat,
directed by Randall Wallace, opens with Secretariat's owner, Penny
Chenery, quoting a Bible verse from Job. In the verse, God speaks of the
horse in vivid language that evokes images of power and majesty. He
describes His creation as a proud and haughty beast whose stride
“swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage” and whose neck is
“clothed with thunder.” One could be forgiven for assuming that God was
speaking of one horse in particular. With a stride that swallowed the
ground at a gluttonous 25 feet and a neck that one Time reporter compared to a buffalo's, no horse epitomizes equinity quite like Secretariat.In 1973, Secretariat became the first horse in 25 years to win the much-coveted Triple Crown of horse racing and simultaneously achieved two still-standing track records and a still-standing world record. He won the final race of the Crown, the Belmont Stakes, by a whopping 31 lengths. It should come as no surprise that a film should eventually be made about the thoroughbred's exploits. The only surprise should be that it has taken this long. Secretariat is as much the story of Penny Chenery as it is of the horse that captured the imagination of a nation. The story begins with the unexpected death of Chenery's mother. Christopher Chenery, Penny's father, is all but a shell of his former self as a result of his dementia. Chenery's husband and brother pressure her to sell the farm, but Chenery has plans of her own. She intends to save the ailing Meadow Stables and make it the racing operation that her father had always dreamt it could be. Through a combination of a little luck and a little breeding theory, Chenery obtains ownership to the offspring of a mare named Something Royal and a stallion named Bold Ruler. The result of that union turns out to be a spirited young foal that, over the course of the film, develops into the finest equine to ever touch its hooves to turf. The film's opening and subject matter mean that the film, like Secretariat, sets very high expectations for itself. For the most part, Secretariat lives up to these expectations but it does have its flaws. The performances are all wonderful, which should come as no surprise considering the stable of tested talent that Wallace has in his employ. The film portrays Chenery as a woman who not only dares to chase her own dreams at a time when a housewife's dreams were expected to vary little from her husband's, but decides to chase a dream that is considered a domain of men. In the early 70s, women were not warmly received in the realm of The Sport of Kings. Lane successfully captures the essence of a woman whose fire and spirit rival that of the chestnut thoroughbred that she owns and yet retains her femininity. At no point does Lane's Chenery come off as cutthroat. John Malkovich definitely steals the show with his portrayal of Secretariat's outlandish French Canadian trainer, Lucien Laurin. Laurin is described at one point in the film as dressing “like Super Fly” with his brightly colored and clashing attire. This makes for some pretty entertaining outfits and provides the film with much-needed comic relief. Without Malkovich's acerbic and pessimistic Laurin, the film would simply be too sweet. And though Laurin is pessimistic, Malkovich ensures that he is always charming. The flaws that keep Secretariat from living up to the potential suggested by the film's opening and subject matter stem from an issue with pacing. The reason that I was immediately drawn in by the film's opening is, in part, because I was fully expecting to feel the thunder of Secretariat's hooves pounding the track beneath his 1,100 pound frame and witness the awe-inspiring grace of a running machine swallow ground in copious amounts of slow motion. I was expecting to bask in the glory of the horse that seems to fit God's own example of his race. Unfortunately, Wallace never allows the camera to linger long enough on Secretariat. There are moments that capture Secretariat's awesome power, to be sure, but they are too fleeting. Just as we begin to feel the hot breath emanating from the beast's burning belly and just as we begin to feel the thunderous power with which Secretariat's hooves beat the earth, Wallace cuts away. The film should have borrowed its rhythm from the horse's gait and the pulse-pounding excitement of the race. Instead, the film's rhythm feels borrowed from all too many Disney films that have come before it, and the film suffers a little as a result. This being standard Disney fare, most of the supporting cast learn from Chenery's unwavering passion. The moments of epiphany, unfortunately, fall a little flat. In one instance, Chenery's husband, beleaguered for most of the film by his wife's insistence on being anything other than a model housewife, finally learns to "believe," in that generic sort of way that Disney characters usually do. As he tenderly caresses his wife's cheek at a pre-race ball, he informs her that she has taught everyone so much and that he too has learned something. Then he dances with his daughter while Penny looks on warmly, leaving us to wonder if what Mrs. Chenery taught her husband was not how to believe, but how to dance with his daughter. There is something missing in basic film syntax. A nice, pithy line full of wisdom accentuating his epiphany would have made for a much more inspiring scene. Another instance of an avoidable mistake comes as Chenery is delivering an inspiring speech. Wallace, best known for penning the script of Braveheart, inexplicably focuses on Lane's back. Note to film makers: An actress' performance is far more effective if the audience can see her face. It is little things like this that keep Secretariat from reaching its full potential. Yet, for all its drawbacks, Secretariat still manages to carry the spirit like a half-ton wave of muscle and sinew carries a diminutive jock wire-to-wire. Secretariat is good, clean entertainment for the whole family, and while it may lack Secretariat's astronomically large, 22-pound heart it's still more than worth your time. |
Pickens buys half-million acres for horses
Horsetalk
- Oct 09, 2010
- 3 hours ago
Madeleine
Pickens has bought a 14000-acre Nevada ranch, with grazing rights on a
further 540000 acres, as her dream of a sanctuary for the 34000 wild horses
Secretariat owner Chenery attending film premiere
 |
| Penny Chenery |
The Colorado woman who owned 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat says actress Diane Lane does a good job capturing her mannerisms and way of speaking in the upcoming movie "Secretariat."
Penny Chenery of Boulder plans to attend the Hollywood premiere of the film Thursday.
Chenery and about 100 of her friends and family members saw the movie in a private showing in Boulder earlier this month. She tells the Camera newspaper that she liked the film "very much." The 88-year-old Chenery is an extra in it.
Chenery raised her children in the Denver area before moving to Kentucky in 1972, according to her daughter. Chenery returned to Colorado in 2003 to be closer to her children.
___
Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/
Friday, October 8, 2010
Check out the video: Secretariat Press Conference...it rocks!
I think you will enjoy this video of a press conference.Thursday, October 7, 2010
Follow me to Flickr for some more photos of Rusty Spurs/ Renew Therapeutic Riding
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| The gathering room. |
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| Renew Therapeutic Riding Center |
Renew Therapeutic Riding Center focuses on ability over disability - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel
When I lived in Holland, Michigan, I boarded horses at a lovely barn called Stoney Creek. Now, nearly 20 years later, it has been refreshed and rededicated to be a therapeutic riding center.
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