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The Stall Street Journal: April 2010
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Friday, April 23, 2010. When I moved to California as a young trainer, my initial concern was not how I would make a living but instead that there was something funny in the drinking water. Whatever substance or chemical it might be, it had the same effect on every novice equestrian: filling them with the belief that, with a little effort, they would end up in the Olympics. So it goes with The Art of the Bruised Eg...
jecballou.blogspot.com
The Stall Street Journal: May 2010
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Monday, May 3, 2010. The ultimate unfairness of this learning curve surfaces when a student has the opportunity to watch a trainer ride in graceful effortless harmony. It will appear that the trainer is sitting atop the horse doing. Where is the flailing? The pinched up, frustrated facial expressions? If only our horse would give us a smooth trot to sit. And what pleases the human mind more? Just moments after thin...
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The Stall Street Journal: An Outfit Defines the Person
http://jecballou.blogspot.com/2011/10/outfit-defines-person.html
The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Monday, October 10, 2011. An Outfit Defines the Person. An outfit I have often pondered is the Western riding outfit. Assuming I would never in my English riding career wear such a thing unless for a Halloween party, I have frequently stared at cowgirls in their fringe-laden, blingy get-ups and wondered how practical any of that could be. At shows, we English riders change back into street clothes as soon as our cl...
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The Stall Street Journal: March 2012
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Thursday, March 8, 2012. Who Said this Would be Easy? After greeting a group of cyclists with a hearty "Good morning! While my heart monitor beeped rapidly, I admitted inwardly that I had become. He called out on his way to tackle more miles, the pursuit that brought this man so much solace. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). Promote Your Page Too. Santa Cruz, CA. Professional starving artist, ardent philosopher, and dili...
jecballou.blogspot.com
The Stall Street Journal: Merry Christmas, Tree
http://jecballou.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-tree.html
The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Friday, December 23, 2011. Merry Christmas, Tree. My favorite Christmas tree remains the one that got away. In spite of what seemed like the truncation of a merry holiday season to this 11-year old standing mid-shin in a snowbank, the event did imprint me with a critical lesson. That lesson, gentle reader, was the spooky nature of horses. On all sides. Not too bushy, not too lean. We train horses for a. It was exac...
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The Stall Street Journal: August 2010
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Monday, August 30, 2010. A Room of One's Own. Equestrians occupy all walks of life and financial hierarchy, a love of fine steeds being the glue that joins us all in the same social category. Staying in their homes allows me to experience the vast differences among this eclectic group, which - as I stated above- means I never know what I'm in for. It ranks as one my grumpier and least productive teaching days.
jecballou.blogspot.com
The Stall Street Journal: October 2011
http://jecballou.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html
The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Monday, October 10, 2011. An Outfit Defines the Person. An outfit I have often pondered is the Western riding outfit. Assuming I would never in my English riding career wear such a thing unless for a Halloween party, I have frequently stared at cowgirls in their fringe-laden, blingy get-ups and wondered how practical any of that could be. At shows, we English riders change back into street clothes as soon as our cl...
jecballou.blogspot.com
The Stall Street Journal: October 2010
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Did you mean that Literally? Some day, neuroscientists will discover that cultivating affection for animals causes us to speak in euphemisms. As soon as the heart warms, brain function changes somewhere in the speech and communication center. Thereafter, we speak about the object of our affection with adjectives that employ liberties with the truth. Wednesday, October 20, 2010. My stude...
jecballou.blogspot.com
The Stall Street Journal: November 2010
http://jecballou.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html
The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Monday, November 29, 2010. Who Said Anything About Equitation? Saturday, I found myself on the latter. "Gordy" is an off-the-racetrack Arabian whose primary gear is GO! My friend and colleague rode up beside me as the trail widened to a jeep road. He glanced over briefly. "Everything okay? He asked. I nodded in my best attempt at bluffing. I didn't want him- or anyone- assuming that I, a potentially sissy dressage ...
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The Stall Street Journal: December 2010
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The Stall Street Journal. Witty musings from a horse trainer about a not-so-sane industry. Sunday, December 19, 2010. Are you Going to Answer That? Strangely enough, my love-to-hate relationship with mobile phones began to taper off last week right as a student of mine reached into her pocket, mid-lesson, to retrieve a text message. Right then, my loathsome feelings for these gadgets lessened. Give me a moment to explain this lack of logic. This brief peace was soon interrupted, though. Jec- no, no, no!
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