He’s been referred to as a “boy wonder” after his big Kentucky Derby win on May 5^th at Churchill Downs Racecourse, and it is a wonder that in just six years he made it from Mexico, to Vancouver to California and into the start box and subsequently the winner’s circle, of one of the biggest horse races in the world.

The boy wonder, Mario Gutierrez, hails from Mexico, but called Canada, and more specifically, Hastings Racecourse, home for close to 5 years. Gutierrez moved to Vancouver in 2006 at the age of 19 to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful jockey. Back home in Mexico, he’d been riding race horses since he was 14 and while he’d won some races but he still struggled to carve out a career as a jockey. That is, until the day he met Glen Todd, a trainer at Hastings Racecourse, who spotted Gutierrez racing in Mexico and helped him apply for a work visa for Canada.

The now 25-year-old jockey soared across the Kentucky Derby finish line aboard the 15-1 long shot, I’ll Have Another. The three-year-old chestnut colt is owned by Canadian, Paul Reddam, and was purchased for a mere (in the racing world, that is) $11,000 US as a yearling. On May 5^th, the colt won $1.5 million US by rallying late down the homestretch to soar past the favourite of the field, Bodemeister, to win the Kentucky Derby. Gutierrez would have taken home about 10% (standard pay for a jockey) of the payday– not too shabby for a day’s ride!

This victory marks another achievement, the first time a rookie rider has ever won the illustrious Kentucky Derby.  Really it’s a feel-good, dream-come-true -story with the ultimate happy ending!  Plucked from the obscurity of small town track like Hastings, at first glance it seems like a fairy tale for  a jock to even get the opportunity to ride in a race like the Kentucky Derby, and then to win it!  Well, that seems straight from a Hollywood film of the Black Stallion, National Velvet ilk.

Hastings Racecourse is all abuzz about Gutierrez’s victory, and his recent appearance back at the track brought a surge of fans out to meet him and congratulate him on his victory. It’s pretty neat to see how this young athlete has brought so much attention to racing here in Canada and especially in Vancouver.

I grew up in Vancouver and absolutely LOVED going to the racetrack. Not to bet (I was too young when I still lived in Vancouver) but just to watch the horses, snap photos, take in and admire their amazing athleticism from beside the track rail. I never sat in the stands. Not when you could lean against the rail and be mere meters from the action! One time when I was in high school my mum, one of her friends and I went to the track for Mother’s Day. I took photos for a school assignment and the camera man who filmed each of the races noticed me and motioned me to join him up on his platform.

You’ll have a better view, he told me. I snapped away several rolls of film (yes, this was before the digital age) and felt like a bit of a VIP up in the booth with the fancy cameras!

Racing is a very controversial subject, especially in the horse world, and as always, we encourage discussion on our blog, but we wanted to highlight this young man’s story (and his horse’s!), his supreme achievement in the world of racing.

Be sure to watch the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, this Saturday, May 19^th to follow the continuing story of I’ll Have Another and our wonder boy, Mario Gutierrez. It’s been 34 years since a horse has won all three legs of the Triple Crown, but maybe, just maybe, Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another will continue to beat the odds.

Side note: the horse’s name, I’ll Have Another, doesn’t actually refer to alcoholic drinks, but rather a response the owner, Paul Reddam, says to his wife whenever she poses the question: “Do you want any more cookies?”

If you’d like to read more about his story, there’s a great article in the Globe and Mail that you can read here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/canadian-owned-ill-have-another-wins-kentucky-derby/article2424087/

–Cassidy

This is the new Nurtural Bitless English bridle. For more information on this bridle, you can visit their website at: http://www.nurturalhorse.com/

Okay, not the greatest photo, but hopefully you get the idea. These bridle competition numbers are beyond handy at a show. If you’re anything like me, I tend to crumple, stain and sometimes even lose my cardboard number at a show by the time I’m ready to actually attach it to my saddle pad. This handy dandy number system allows you to simply attach it to your bridle with its elastic band system, and then all you have to do is flip the numbers to insert whichever number you’ve been assigned for the show.

This is our new Ariat reversible belt. Perfect for shows and schooling because the one side is a little more dressy for the show ring, and the other more fun for schooling. It’s like two belts in one!

This is one of our HDR fancy, blingy brownbands. They are flying off the shelf so hurry in if this catches your eye!

Locally made stock ties made with the finest materials and in several different patterns. One of these will definitely class your dressage show outfit up. I just got one as a birthday present and I can’t wait to test it out at the Junebug Dressage show!

This is the Contender Neck Flexer, which are like elasticized draw reins.

New, locally made tack trunks now available at Greenhawk Vancouver Island. These are beautifully hand crafted and finished–an absolute necessity for the show season. They even have a rubberized top so if you need to stand on top of it (have we not all used our tack trunks as a mounting block before?!) you won’t be slipping and sliding on the surface!

Fun new saddle pads with smiley faces and polos with little monkeys on them! Brighten your spring (and your day) with these adorable items.

These stunning new bonnets are available in heaps of different colours and best of all, they match our new saddle pad colours…

…like so!

And more cute saddle pads!

New Grand Prix breeches with cool pockets!!

Yay! New Eqyss products are also now in. We love this line of grooming products. We now have the MicroTek spray and shampoo, as well as the Premier Rehydrant spray.

Well, that is just a taste of some of our new arrivals! We have an exciting announcement tomorrow regarding new boots we’ll be carrying so stay tuned!!

–Cassidy

Enjoy…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkK29D6NHQQ

I begin each and every road trip with a $2000 + bill from my mechanic. Having little faith in my vehicle, and even less in my mechanical abilities should something go wrong (truly a nightmare situation on the Coquihala loaded down with three or four horses) I always take my truck in for a check up prior to a major haul.  What I know about these check ups is that they will inevitably cost me at least $2000.  This time I got out of there for $1860 (having decided against some of the more minor repairs suggested) and left feeling luck was on my side and with an extra $140 burning a hole in my pocket.  Classic case of horse-girl logic.

This same logic propelled our cast of characters (Cassidy, Emily, myself, store dogs Karma and Ruckle and our trusty steeds, Q, Chase, and Zappa) towards the ferry where we had a quick team meeting in the line-up as to whose credit card was not maxed out and therefore could foot the bill to board the boat.  Headed for the hills outside Kamloops for a cross-country clinic we faced a 6 hour drive, and three days of cross-country jumping on horses that had:

1) Only jumped outside once since last fall (Chase);

2)  Barely jumped at all since last fall (Zappa); and

3) Hardly jumped at all in his entire life (Q). 

We also faced a strong possibility of riding in the side-ways driving snow for all three days, a fairly regular occurrence in the Kamloops hills in mid-April.  Applying horse-girls logic, we concluded it was a super plan without any obvious holes and charged forth undaunted armed with maxed out credit cards.  The dogs on the other hand were in their element, sprawling across the entire back-seat with Cassidy squishing her six foot frame into the little booster seat in the corner. The important thing to note here is that the dogs were comfortable.

Karma & Ruckle--Dogs on vacation! (They live really hard lives)

We arrived that afternoon at Johvale which is a great event site outside of Kamloops in Pritchard BC.  I had somehow glossed over the reality of this particular cross-country clinic which is a fabulous annual event organized by Horse Trials BC in terms of how it might look to Q.  Picture it – six cross-country clinics all running consecutively and each with 4 to 6 horses per group.  The property is literally a swarming anthill of cavorting, galloping, jumping horses.

Emily and Cassidy rode early the first morning and both horses and riders were grinning ear to ear.  There is nothing quite like hopping logs and galloping down hill and up dale to shake off a long winter in the arena.  Next it was Q’s turn. 

Emily and Chase enjoying a splash

Now here’s a well researched theory backed in science and tested countless times over for you to consider – sometimes things with horses don’t go exactly according to plan.  Or is that just me? Unfortunately, Q’s introduction to the water was one of those times.  Short of a shark attack, I’m not actually sure how the first foray into a water jump could have been any more traumatic for the poor little gaffer. After stepping into the water, a moment of panic overtook him and he ended up with his back feet up on the bank and out of the water and his front feet still in the water about 2 1/2 feet below.  This unbalanced him, causing him to tip over, and for the second time in recent memory, I was left sitting on the sidelines watching his beautiful grey tail bannering out behind as he galloped away from me.  He proceeded to circle the hundred acre property, introducing himself to all the other clinic groups and earning many admirers during his tour.  Apparently there are few scenes more spectacular than a galloping grey horse silhouetted on the horizon.

Q off for a self-led tour of the cross country course!

Luckily after this little mishap the blooper reel ran out of tape and by the end of the weekend Q was calmly trotting through the water, jumping ditches, logs, houses and most other obstacles in his path. 

Q figuring out that the water is shark-free

By this point, Emily and Cassidy’s jaws were aching from smiling, and their two horses Zappa and Chase looked to be Badminton bound. Very important to note, that the dogs had the weekend of their lives.

Q and Glynis mastering the ditch!

On the ferry ride home it was time to work out the expenses.  So we sat stinking up the buffet with a mountain of receipts piled in front of us.  Of course by this point in the weekend we were looking just divine in breeches and boot socks pulled up to our knees, gleefully oblivious to the strange looks from fellow ferry goers who were surely trying to work out if we were a troop of Swiss yodelers wearing new age lederhosen or just had very poor fashion sense.  

A ferry worker stopped at our table to ask how our weekend of riding had gone.  How did he know we were riders and not Swiss yodelers?  Was it the stench that gave us away?  More than likely it was the mountain of receipts.  We briefly filled him in on our weekend adventures.  His response….”That sounds expensive.”  Having added up the receipts we had to agree.  Yes cost-wise, similar to an all inclusive trip to Mexico.  But our own peculiar brand of logic prevailed again and provided us with a very strong case for vacationing in the Kamloops hills versus spending a week on the beach in Mexico. The dogs badly needed a holiday, and obviously we couldn’t have taken the dogs to Mexico. In fact we probably would have come home from Mexico with more dogs and then where on earth would Cassidy sit in the truck? And Q, well Q might have actually had a shark encounter and for sure wouldn’t have gone back in the water. 

Cassidy and Zappa after a hard day's work!

In addition, for the first time in five years of attending this clinic, it was not side-ways driving snow.  In fact it was sunny and almost warm, meaning we returned home with tans just like we had gone to Mexico.  Admittedly, our tan lines were not so sexy, but what man doesn’t love a nice dark glove line on a girl? 

 -Glynis

PS – If you are now rushing off to book a riding trip to Kamloops just for the hot tan lines, most of our “tan” washed off once we got home and showered : )

More on the whiplash later.  First let me back up a week or two. Q has been logging miles in the trailer preparing for his first show not by schooling circles and centerlines so much as by getting out and about to so many places we assumed by the time the LIEC dressage show rolled around he’d be an old campaigner.  What’s the old adage about assuming making an a** out of you and me?  As we have all learned over the years (and usually the hard way) this statement is never more true than when applied to horses.

 In the past week he had been to Sunridge Farm,Lochside Lane(x 3 – once for free jumping which was very exciting) and Duncan.  New day, new trailer ride, had become his motto.  So Sunday morning, packing up and leaving for the fairgrounds for the LIEC show did not seem like such a big deal.  He unloaded calmly, grazed quietly beside the arena and was fairly civilized to tack up.  So off to the warm-up ring we went with high expectations and startingly white breeches.

I’m really not sure what tipped him off….it could have been the new surroundings, it could have been the horses coming and going in the trailers, it could have been the dogs in the indoor, and it might have been me emerging from the tack room of my trailer dressed in a penguin suit.  Whatever it was, from the moment he entered the warm-up ring, Q thought he was back on the track and was ready to run as soon as he could rid himself of the penguin on top.  The first buck-slash-launch through the air caught me completely by surprise but I stayed on, mostly by jamming my left spur firmly in his side and gripping for dear life.  He answered the call of my left spur with great gusto….whaaaaat?? Buck higher?? OKAY!!  The second buck sent me waaay up in the air and off balance to the other side.  At which point there must have been a split second reprieve as I distinctly remember having time to think, if he doesn’t buck again I think I’ll be ok. There may have even been enough time for the spectators to get a little wager going.  Then came the third buck.  Sadly, anyone that laid money on me lost it all. 

Unencumbered by the penguin, Q was finally able to show what he was born and bred for, stretching out for a solo victory lap of the arena, grey tail bannering out behind him. Thankfully the Big Dressage Judge in the Sky must have been looking down on the fairgrounds right then, as Q’s display of athletic prowess was perfectly timed between rides, just as one horse had finished its test and before the next horse had entered the arena.  Although I’m sure no one appreciated (spectators aside) his wild shenanigans, at least it didn’t (or hopefully did not) ruin anyone’s test!

Down the Homestretch at the LIEC Dressage Show. (Thanks to Taylor Larsen for the photo)

As Leigh likes to say, he blew out all his demons and by the time we caught him he already had a calmer look in his eye.  I was quickly boosted up, and having got the monkey off his back and the demons out of his mind, he proceeded to behave impeccably, aside from a few rusty transitions and squiggley center lines.  I guess that’s the great thing about bailing in warm-up, there is basically no where else to go but up.

–Glynis

- horses

- high-speed polo action

- hot Argentinian polo players with great hair – slash - Ralph Lauren models

- heart-warming stories about horses and sport helping underpriviledged youth at risk

Enjoy!

The Sport of Kings: Polo

We’d love to hear (and see photos if possible, email them to us at vancouverisland@greenhawk.com or add them to our Facebook page) what you and your horse get up to this holiday weekend!!

Just a reminder that the store will be closed on Friday, April 6th and Sunday April 8th but open for regular store hours on Saturday, April 7th and Monday, April 9th.

As my Grandpa loved to say at this time of year,  have a Hoppy Easter!

–Cassidy

We are getting in lots of great spring apparel at the store (again if only the weather would hurry up and cooperate so we could wear it!)  And we are working on a new feature on our website so we will be able to get pictures of new items up a lot faster.  Hopefully that will be completed sometime next week, so please check back.

Speaking of our website, we just updated the Education section on our site with some information about the equine digestive system and stomach ulcers (.http://www.greenhawkvancouverisland.com/education.asp)  It seems ulcers are becoming a very common problem (perhaps not more common just more readily diagnosed as everyone is becoming more aware how common ulcers are and how detrimental to our horses’ health and performance they can be.)  I had to treat my horse for ulcers this winter and am completely amazed by the transformation in his appearance and muscle development post-treatment.  He started with a full course of Gastra-Guard perscribed through my vet and now I have him on the Succeed Digestive Paste and herbal ulcer treatment Omega Alpha Gastra-FX both of which we carry in the store.  Most of the information we have posted in our Education section is from the Succeed Digestive Solutions website (http://www.succeed-equine.com/) which if you are interested in equine digestion is an excellent source of information.

If you are showing this weekend…best of luck and lets hope for some sunshine!

~ Glynis

 First off, Q’s had a change of address.  Leigh and I moved him on March 1st to Grouse Nest Farm where Leigh keeps her other horse Billie.  At first I felt a little badly about moving him only one month after he had settled in so well at Bonita, but I needn’t have worried.  He made himself right at home at Grouse Nest.  He’s no dummy and it didn’t take him long to figure out that life is pretty sweet as the lone gelding in a three stall barn shared with two beautiful red-headed girls!  He took a little while longer to get acquainted with his other new neighbours, Mystery and Skye.  These two have their own adorable little housing complex on the other side of the farm.  Leigh took him over for his first meet and greet and it took him a few minutes and some loud snorting to get over the shock that these little horses never grew!  Now a big fan of the minis, he pulls towards their paddock for a daily visit.  

 In addition to “miniature horse”, another new word has been added to his vocabulary since moving to Grouse Nest Farm. “Bicycle.”  The farm is situated in Hunt Valley along  Lochside Trail.  Lochside is a veritable highway of bikes and the surrounding roads are prime racing/touring territory for teams and packs of bikers on the weekend.  Our first introduction to this strange whirring, two-wheeled, one-headed, masked monster was less than ideal.  Leigh and I had hacked Q and Billie up the road quite a ways and had just turned around to head for home.  Q had been exceptionally good and I was (in hind-sight) overly relaxed, reins on the buckle and not paying much attention when one of those strange creatures whooshed up behind us. It was like we were leaving the start gate except I almost did a backwards somersault off his hind-quarters.  Poor Q, first spooked by the bike, and then by my incredibly ungraceful attempts to regain my balance, my reins and some semblance of control.  We had just started to regain some composure when Billie and Leigh shot by us.  Poor Billie, he’s used to bikes but was totally terrified by Q’s reaction.  I’m not sure he knew what he was running from, but he sure didn’t want to risk getting left behind to find out! 

 I’m happy to report that since that first fateful encounter, Q has met more than a few bikes on the trail and the road and has stood his ground.  I just try to make sure to turn him towards the bike as he doesn’t really like things sneaking up behind him.  Fair enough really!

 As before, I will sign off with things Q has learned since our last installment:

1.   to canter through a bounce grid, and to jump a trot-in one-stride and two-stride
2.   to jump a scary green box
3.   to jump spooky coloured flowers
4.  that minis are horses too
5.  that bikes don’t bite
6.  that its better to turn around and face your fears (although that might have been my lesson!)  Speaking of lessons learned…. I have definitely discovered that grey horses in shedding season require their own set of saddle pads and their own brush kit!!

 And one last thing, CONGRATULATIONS to another New Stride TB Rescue Horse, Willie Ketchem (the best name ever!) who just found a wonderful new home in Victoria with Sarah Clark.  He looks to be destined for great things!

 ~ Glynis and Q

Common weaknesses that riders often experience are:

-unsecured seat

-weakened leg

-poor centre of gravity

-tilting the upper body or legs forward

Alignment is critical to good riding so establishing proper riding posture from the get-go is imperative to how effective you will be as a rider. Not only does good posture benefit your riding, it also helps to keep your body properly in line and functioning correctly. For example, if you don’t stand up straight and are always hunching your back, your muscles soon adopt to this posture and it becomes your body’s new “normal”; therefore, when you go to sit up straight in the saddle, you’re likely going to find it difficult because it may hurt or strain your back muscles because they’re not used to this posture.

Important area for the rider to pay special attention to are the hips and the core. With the hips, it’s important to work on increasing mobility. How many times has your riding instructor asked you to open your hip and either you a) can’t move your hip whatsoever or b) you think you’ve opened your hip only to have your instructor tell you nothing changed!

So, some basic things to keep in mind when it comes to muscles: if they are too tight, stretch them! If they are too weak, strengthen them! And yes, this means taking the time to actually work on your own body, whether it’s taking a yoga class or pilates, or hitting up the gym.

My favourite quote of the night was when Dr. Sargent said “Working your core gives you a sixpack. Working your six pack doesn’t give you a core!”

Your core is actually made up of much more than just your abdominal muscles. The core consists of the pelvic floor, the diaphragm and the transverse abdominus, so strengthening all parts of the core is going to much more beneficial to your riding than simply making those abs pop out on your belly!

We’re hoping to bring Dr. Sargent back once more for Part III of this Biomechanics series so stay tuned for more information. If you’d like to get in touch with Dr. Sargent you can visit her website: http://optimumstrides.ca/

–Cassidy