This is kind of off topic from my usual excitement over creating an awesomely running horse farm using LaRaedo but today is a day about freedom and I am feeling free to talk about whatever.

I went for a walk today with my German Shepherd, Naiya, and had some ‘wonder’ moments. I have those moments a lot and it used to drive my kids crazy but it’s just me.

Funny thing about my dog and walks. She gets so excited at the mention of the word ‘walk’ that she follows me around the house until I get the leash and the ‘bag’. And then, we are about ten minutes into it and I am pulling her along saying ‘Let’s go, come on’. So I am not sure if she forgets that she really doesn’t like going for walks each time I say the word or not. Well she is ten years old so I guess I should give her some leeway.

But while I was walking, I came by a huge house, I mean it must have been worth $400 to $500K at minimum. From the front, it was gorgeous and then I noticed the backyard view. It overlooked the highest crime and drug haven mobile home park in the city. And I began to wonder…. why would some family decide to build a brand new house on a patch of land that had a view like that? Imagine having your outdoor Bar-B-Q’s and watching a drug transaction go on. I would love to go up and ask the home owner but that might be a bit crass. Maybe they got the land for dirt cheap and didn’t care what the view looked like. Maybe it was a constant reminder to the owner that once lived in a low income mobile home park of how appreciative it was to now be able to own a beautiful home such as this one. Not that mobile home parks are bad, some are absolutely gorgeous, but this one – not so much.


And then as I was walking by a grave yard all nicely manicured with all the fine tombstones, and got to wondering again. There were squirrels running around and birds chirping and thought where do all those squirrels and birds go when they die? It’s not like you see them laying around on the sidewalks or grass, maybe on the side of the road some times but that’s a different story. They are so neat and tidy about their transitions, aren’t they? They just go off somewhere and die; no one has a funeral for them and spends tons off money on caskets and tombstones. They just move on. We on the other hand like to take up lots of land that can never be used again except for the traditional resting place of the dead. Don’t get me wrong here, I mean my parents reside in a nice grave site not too far away and once in a great while I drop by to ‘say hello’ but it is just their physical memory and their spirit is with me everywhere. Maybe someday, the traditional grave site will go by the wayside to more meaningful methods of celebrating the death transition.

That’s my thoughts for today – how about yours?

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I had the opportunity to do a short, fun and totally impromptu interview with Dorothy Mueller at the 2010 Stallion Expo sponsored by the Michigan Horse Council in Lansing Michigan at the Michigan State Coliseum on March 13.

Dorothy has been involved with horses for many years. She is a Grand Prix trainer and exhibitor and demonstrates her talents at various expos and horse shows throughout the year. Ironwood Farm is a 20 acre park like training facility is located in Leonard, Michigan.

Included in this video is a brief demonstration of Dorothy’s skill in the discipline of dressage.

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I could watch videos like this one all day long. To me the discipline of dressage is simply elegant. To watch the rider and horse perform is like a graceful waltz between to beings that are tied together through a connection of the mind.

This is one of the many reasons why I love to watch horses perform in all the various disciplines. Although they are one of the largest animals to train; they appear so poised it is almost as though they are floating on air.

Do you have any favorite dressage videos that you would like to share with us?

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