Gretchen Scott Designs

The weather was a bit rainy yesterday so we went shopping of course. Found these adorable clothes at a small boutique in Beaufort, Calypso Cottage.  Think we will be going back today to pick up a few.  These are really cute, summer resort clothes.  And we have an outing tonight at the Dunes Club so maybe some new togs are in order. 

Ironically, I bought one of these for my mother for her birthday this past spring, from the Caspari store in Charlottesville (see my earlier post about that).  But these Gretchen Scott designs are so cute, and very reasonable.  Take a peek at a few more:

I love coats:

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Beaufort by the Sea, Part One

Lovely, old, quaint Beaufort-by-the-Sea, is one of the best spots on the East Coast this time of year.  My family has been coming here my entire life and the area has changed a lot over the years.  It's a historic spot known for Blackbeard the Pirate, wild ponies (we have not seen them yet this visit), great seafood, fleets of huge yachts and sailbooats, quaint shops and much more. 

The old homes in Beaufort are lovely, most all are painted white and the most historic ones have a "plaque" placed on the front near the door, like this:



The plaque marks houses that are over 100 years old. 

Here are some photos of some of the older homes.  Most have been completely renovated and updated and bring a pretty penny, even today:



Vacation Vacation

We are off to the beach tomorrow. Hoping to beat the heat maybe a little bit by being on the water.  This is where we will be.

April went to camp today.  She will be in work while the rest of us take it easy. Will send periodic updates from the sandy shores of North Carolina. Asta la vista!

Hickstead - The British Jumping Derby Meeting

 

 The British Jumping Derby meeting or informally the Hickstead Derby is currently underway in the U.K.  It is an annual showjumping event held since 1962 at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead.  It is one of the premier events in the equestrian calendar.  It is a bit like the Grand National (the steeplechase) where it is not just the runners and riders that make the headlines but the course itself.  You won't find an event like this anywhere else in the world.  The jumps range from the 5'3" "Black Gate" to the Derby Bank which has a 10 ft. 6 in. drop with a 3 ft. 5 in. high gate before.  Need an athletic horse and a fearless rider.  This would make for an awesome road trip.

 

Off the Track Throughbreds (OTTB)

From time-to-time I find myself on the OTTB Internet sites, pining away at the thought of being able to give a great home to one of these horses.  Then I snap back to reality, knowing that I have three horses to care for already and hardly time to ride them on a regular basis.  But if I had more free time, I would gladly give one of my spare stalls to one of these darling horses.  Like this one, named Unknown Soldier (sorry the picture quality is not that good).  Go to New Vocations for more information and better photos:

Here is the information on this one.  And he is FREE, has to be picked up from Ohio to an approved home.

Soldier is light in the bridle, carries himself in a frame and is quiet for a 3 year old. Soldier has a rather shy personality which causes everyone in the barn to fuss over him and he will follow you around like a puppy dog. Soldier is currently out with 2 other geldings and, no surprise, is at the bottom of the pecking order. Soldier will be suitable for flat work with a possibility of lower level, recreational jumping next Spring.
Soldier is un-raced and has been off the track for approximately 2 months.  He is up to date on vaccinations and deworming and cribs in his stall. Soldier is by Lost Soldier out of Moonvain by High Brite.

Another great site is CANTER.  They have chapters all over the country.

This one is a stallion but is young enough to still be gelded and is the grandson of the famous Seattle Slew.  Lots of bling going on here.  This one is pretty enough to be a small hunter. Based in WV, $1000:



El Quixote is the quietest, best mannered horse in Michelle Winters' barn, not to mention the blingiest!  While he is a stallion he does not act like one - he is quiet with an excellent brain.  No cribbing, weaving or stall walking.  No biting or kicking.  Leads with shank clipped under chin.  No interest in mares.  Easy to ride.  Kids can handle this fellow.  Has been free jumped and ridden western.  Stands for clippers, loads easily.  No spook - 100% sound.

Owner can have Quixote gelded at buyers expense.  Or buy to breed - has several white spots throughout his coat (see pics) and also has the white sabino lower lip, good chance to pass along some color.  Measures 15.2 1/4."

Quixote is a Seattle Slew grandson (2S x 4D Seattle Slew), with Grey Dawn, Herbager, Far North, Hoist the Flag and other classic lines in his pedigree.

Pedigree:  http://www.pedigreequery.com/el+quixote

Pics   http://pets.webshots.com/album/580575773QyAKFL

Located at Mountaineer Park, zip 26050.  Priced at $1,000 - a good home is the main concern.

Contact owner Michelle Winters at (352) 653- 9261 (cell).

 

If nothing else, these are great organizations to support as they provide love and care to a lot of horses that might otherwise go to slaughter.  Check out CANTER and New Vocations for more information.

 

 

 

About the Weather

This about sums it all up..............

Entertaining at the Hampton Classic

The last big horse show of the summer, and one of the most prestigious ones, is the Hampton Classic.  The show is only a month away, and it marks the end of the "summer horse shows."  Hard to believe that we are almost in August.  Where has the summer gone? 

Horses come from all over but the biggest draw is not the equines but the social events.  It is one big party and if you want to do some real rubber necking, this is one of the best spots, at least in the horse show world.  New York converges on this little section of Long Island, at least for a few days. 

The horse show brings in more than 1500 horses, there are almost two acres of party tenting, five show rings, 70 shops and restaurants, all nestled in the farm fields of Bridgehampton. On the final Sunday there is a huge Grand Prix, where you can watch the best of the best in the jumper world. Too bad McLain Ward and Sapphire won't be around to win it again, but perhaps McLain has a horse ready to follow in the great chestnut mare's hoof steps.

There is a great event associated with the horse show in which you buy a table and decorate it.  The tables are amazing as you would expect.  As I love to entertain, it's interesting to see what the tables look like. Some have equine themes while others do not.  Take a peek at some of the tables from last year:

This is the Beach Acre Farm table.

Southampton Hospital Table

The Warren table

Wolffer Estates Table

Troffa/LaRosa Table

Sotheby's

Kramer Table

ASPCA Table

Fendi (wouldn't you like to have one of those bags?)

Bloomberg Table (Gotham North is Georgina's stable)

Bridgehampton Florist (one of my favorites)

Cohn/Pevaroff Table

Leat Table

Nicolock Table

Hermes Table

Rocafellow Table

Puris/Topper Table

If you are in this neighborhood in late August please make your way to this fun locale. Enjoy the heat!

Essex Crystal

Vintage equestrian jewelry sometimes finds itself under my Christmas tree.  These pieces are increasingly hard to find, at least in the U.S., seems to be plentiful but expensive in the U.K.  You may be asking what is Essex Crystal?

The lovely horse tie bar above is a good example.  Most of the jewelry was made in the late 1800's to early 1900's.    It is also referred to as "Reverse Crystal Jewelry."  A clear crystal is cut as a cabochon. A carving is made on the flat side like an intaglio, and painted wth a thin layer of mother of pearl to produce a three-dimensional effect.  Like most everything, you'll find varying degrees of quality.  But you will pay into the thousands for a nice piece.  The more detail, the higher the price. 

Here is a beautiful bracelet with a polo motif.  This one is 14K and appears to be very good quality.

This one is Cartier.  I can picture a lady in full sidesaddle attire wearing this as her stock pin.



This is 1910, a bit newer, probably not real gold:

Love these cufflinks, the detail is amazing.

Maybe your santa will go vintage this year!

Tack Trunks

I have always loved tack trunks, mostly the vinyl ones that people use to take to shows.  It is lovely to see them lined up in front of horses' stalls at shows with the owners' initials, in the stable colors.  This is what I am talking about:

You can order them in lots of colors, different monograms, with borders, covers, you name it.

You also see the wooden ones:

I like these, they would look great in my barn:

Here are some more options:

You can even take them inside as they used equestrian trunks in this office:



And for the kid who has everything, check this out, a Breyer horse barn, complete with tack trunks:

And if you need somewhere to keep all those ribbons you keep winning, try this:

Shutterfly Retires!

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum made the decision this week to retire her legendary Grand Prix mount, Shutterfly, after their win in the 1.55 class in Aachen (Germany) on Wednesday.  She wanted him to retire while he was still on top.  The fabulous gelding has been with Michaels-Beerbaum since he was six.  He is 18 I believe.  He does not like being around strangers, he dislikes getting the saddle put on and he definitely tries to avoid ceremonies so it was the first time he has been to a ceremony in nine years.  He has won more classes than most riders could ever dream of.  He has two World Cup Final wins as well as the European Championships and he was been to at least one Olympics.  He could beat McLain Ward's Sapphire, one of the few horses out there that can do this. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is an American who married into the illustrious Beerbaum family, equestrian royalty in Germany.  She has lived in Germany for many years and recently had her first child. 

He is a once in a lifetime horse, that is for sure.  Hope he enjoys his well earned retirement!