Catch-All Catch Up

Wednesday May 2 2012

A busy week!

There was the Owyhee Tough Sucker II where I got to ride Jose, and I wore a helmet cam, stalking Steph and Rhett like the paparazzi, as Rhett went for his 6000 miles. I made a video of the vetting in on Friday, and Steph made a video of loop 1 of the ride and you can see them both here on Endurance.net.

Right after that it was off to the forest in eastern Washington where I helped with spotted owl research. That's on my resume in a past life, and I still jump at the chance to do it occasionally. The above photo is a new spotted owl known as Orange-With-Black-Dots-Left that we found and banded there last year. He and his mate raised two young. We didn't find any owls at the same place this time, but hiking around their territory, I felt they were there, somewhere. 

Now I'm home long enough to hug my horse and repack, then I'm off to the Idaho Writers and Readers Rendezvous in Boise over the weekend. Adventure author Tim Cahill (one of my favorites) is the one of the keynote speakers.

It's the same weekend that the Kentucky Derby will be run. Really, I'm not much interested in racing anymore since Zenyatta retired, (OK, except for Black Caviar), and I won't see the Derby anyway, but I'm mildly interested in the Parma, Idaho-raised horse, 50-1 Rousing Sermon, and one of the favorites, Creative Cause. He's trained by Mike Harrington, who was the veterinarian for our barn at Longacres in Washington 20 years ago when I was a groom. I won't be leaving any of the lectures to watch the Derby, but it'll be something to watch a replay of when I get home.

13 Days and Counting

Sunday September 27 2009

With 13 days left until my Special Appearance at Judeen's Art Studio and Gallery in Paducah, Kentucky, on October 10th, here is today's sampling of The Equestrian Vagabond photos.



Sunset on Downpatrick racecourse in Northern Ireland. These horses were training on the track after the day's races.


Nothing better than a good roll in soft sand - Oreana, Idaho


Sun - Oreana, Idaho


Snow - Oreana, Idaho


Sun and snow - Bridgeport, California


Do Not Try This At Home - Oreana, Idaho


Stormy in the sunset - Bridgeport, California


That's 292 hours, 60 minutes, 17 seconds left...

No time to pack yet, because it's time to get ready for our 5-day Owyhee Canyonlands endurance ride!

18 Days and Counting...

Tuesday September 22 2009

A few more photos to whet your appetite for the appearance of The Equestrian Vagabond, at Judeen's Art Studio and Gallery, in Paducah, Kentucky, on October 10th - on my way to the Kentucky Cup World Equestrian Games Endurance Pre-Ride in Lexington on October 14th...


CARRY SWIFTLY
An endurance rider and horse on the North Island of New Zealand


CHISELED
A beautiful Andalusian in a show in Portugal


DOOBIE
An awesome ride in the Egyptian desert on my friend Maryanne's horse Doobie


MORNING GALLOP
Connie, galloping Sissy early on a foggy morning at Emerald Downs in Washington


SANDWICH
Little guy, with his big bodyguards. I wonder if he was a movie star or something? They never left his side. He looked pretty smug.


HORSE LAUGH
That's Stormy (The Most Beautiful Horse On The Planet), who else, laughing at all of this.

That's 414 hours, 04 minutes, and 11 seconds left.

24 Days and Counting Down...

Wednesday, September 16 2009

That's 563 hours, 11 minutes and 33 seconds, until The Equestrian Vagabond's Special Appearance, on Saturday October 10th, in Paducah, Kentucky, at Judeen's Art Studio and Gallery, where my photography and artwork will be featured.


My agent has been busy sending out press releases to local, and not-so-local media in Kentucky, like this one at IListPaducah.com:

"Saturday, October 10
Merri Melde: The Equestrian Vagabond
Judeen’s Art Studio and Gallery
720 Harrison St
Paducah, KY
3:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The multiple award-winning equine photographer and writer Merri Melde, The Equestrian Vagabond, will be making a special appearance at Judeen's Art Studio on this Second Saturday in LowerTown. Stop by and visit with the world-travelling Equestrian Vagabond, be entertained by her stories and enjoy her photographs.


Merri has travelled the world in pursuit of horse adventures — hanging out, photographing and riding with Princes and Shaikhas, a Countess, a King or two and Mere Mortals. (She reports the Mere Mortals are the most fun.)

Merri has been behind the lens shooting horses since 1986, from Kentucky to California, Texas to Washington and from Northern Ireland to Germany, Bangkok and Cairo. Her photos and stories have appeared in magazines around the world, magazine covers, books and phone book covers. Currently she is on assignment in Kentucky, covering the Endurance pre-ride for the 2010 World Equestrian Games."

Isn't it a hoot?

My appearance and photography show happens to coincide, as it says, with the Kentucky Cup - the endurance pre-ride for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington on October 14th at the Kentucky Horse Park, which I will be covering for Endurance.net. If you're in the area on the 10th, stop by Paducah and Judeen's Art Studio and Gallery, and I'll tell you some tall horse tales... like the time I got to ride a Lord of the Rings horse...


If you are awaiting news on my SPECIAL APPEARANCE, blog entries featuring some of my photos will appear periodically during the next month.

Meanwhile - back to wrap-up coverage of last weekend's AERC National Championships for endurance, and onward to cover the Virginia City 100 this weekend in Virginia City, Nevada. (A ride I completed in 2002!)

(Oh - and make that 561 hours, 40 minutes, and 59 seconds, and counting...)

Derby Kin

Monday May 4 2009

How about that Kentucky Derby?

Small time horse hauls in from New Mexico (where?), sneaks along the rail, passes all the horses from the top blue blood stables around the world as if they were standing still, blows them away, and wins his share of a $2.1 million dollar purse.

My very retired Thoroughbred Stormy is a small time horse from Washington (where?). Of course, the biggest thing he ran in was a $25,000 claiming race, and the biggest purse was about $20,000.

They are related you know, the now-famous Mine That Bird and Stormy. Stormy's grandfather was Mr Prospector, who was Mine That Bird's great grandfather. Stormy's great grandfather was Northern Dancer, who was Mine That Bird's great great grandfather. That makes them, what, 22nd and 33rd cousins or something?

They've both got some great Classic horses in their pedigrees, including Triple Crown winners (Stormy has Count Fleet - 1943; Mine that Bird has Gallant Fox - 1930). Wandering through both pedigrees is like... wide-eyed strolling through historic Thoroughbred racing barns, seeing familiar famous horse heads peering out of stalls.

But of course, Stormy never had Classic races on his horizon. Nor does he care. His partially royal Thoroughbred pedigree means nothing to him. He's an Owyhee horse now: 200 acres of high desert country to run in (or more like walk), dirt and sand to roll in (no more fancy grooming for him), magazine covers to pose for, America's Next Top (Equine) Model shape to get into, and grass and hay to eat.

But you can still catch a glimpse of him now and then, briefly reliving his glory days on the track when he leads the herd thundering down the canyon and up to the house, galloping in first under the wire.