This is a great example of how playful horses are naturally… and definitely the best alternative to watching the gory display of a bull fight.

Horse racing movies are not new, even those in which the horse is the primary theme. It is hard to think that an equestrian has not at least heard of if not watched countlessly as a child such movies as “The Black Stallion,” “Black Beauty,” (1994 or 1971) and “National Velvet“. One of the more recent, “Seabiscuit” left me terribly disappointed – not so much with the story line as it was built on the true story of Seabiscuit, but rather with the way it was filmed.

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Unlike Seabiscuit which was released by Universal, Disney has really outdone themselves on the filming style of Secretariat, with so many camera advantages that bring you up close and personal you really feel you are a part of the action. The biggest difference between these two movies? Probably that Otto Thorwarth who plays Ronnie Turcotte (Big Red’s jockey) is a real life jockey making his acting debut. Seabiscuit’s jockey was played by the actor Tobey Maguire, limiting how realistic the shots could be of him racing a horse. My good friend and jockey Frankie Lovato, Jr. was involved with the making of Seabiscuit where they employed the use of his Equicizer Mechanical Horse for many of the close up shots (and a big hello to Frankie if he’s reading this). I felt there was an advantage in their casting a genuine jockey for the role, and for making his debut Otto does not disappoint or overact his part.

The overall film reminded me of Disney’s older movies, some of their classics. Actually brought to mind “The Parent Trap” movie for some reason, likely the era that it replicated. It combines a great story line, humor, just enough drama and plenty of action to make for a great family film.

Diane Lane who plays the lead character and Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery Tweedy, found a place in my heart as a talented actress a long time ago and she certainly does not fail me in this role. Many other recognizable faces are found, including the always funny and usually quirky John Malkovich who plays Secretariat’s trainer, Lucien Laurin. If you watch Nip Tuck and True Blood you are certain to recognize a couple familiar faces as Dylan Walsh plays Penny’s husband and Nelsan Ellis as Eddie Sweat, Secretariat’s groom.

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I have never really known the story of Secretariat aside from his remarkable feat in winning the Triple Crown by an insurmountable lead at the Belmont Stakes in 1973. This film puts you right into the story and makes it grow on you, almost taking it personal. From the coin toss that determined Penny Chenery Tweedy would get Secretariat over a second foal born by the stallion Bold Ruler that same year, to the finish line at the Belmont, you are pulled in and kept thoroughly entertained.

Unlike many of the horse racing films I have watched, this one didn’t feel as though it was played up merely to entertain the uneducated public. There weren’t glorified scenes of having to calm a crazed animal down or show him who is boss, rather the story line stayed central and that made a big impression on me. I think that for other equestrians watching this movie that may also be a feature that stands out.

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Secretariat opens this Friday, October 8th (also my birthday!) in theaters. It is worth watching on the big screen for the great racing scenes and truly is a movie for both kids and adults alike.

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Never fear, I will be hosting my next radio show March 1, so be sure to tune in. And, don’t forget you can also call in as a guest, and if you pre-register on the site before the show you can also add to it’s flair by chatting along with us and even posting video and image media. A truly interactive experience!

Link : AIR Radio Channel

Random Wholly Whole Ness (written 02/10/2009)

Oh your breeze, drift my way please, every second of every deez.
Yes, yes it is mine part of mind.
I’ve even bought a bit of it just to remind.
Even if after all remembering is just much to much too kind.

I’ve grasped back into my hand, that week long bliss, of which I was much amiss in the missing of that kiss. I laugh thinking now, skipping in my rhyme of time trapped blind ness, mess. And happy ness, mess. Giggle.

Take my hand and feel the energy spin, through and through, like my soul is touching you. Always eyes, always looking, without looking, without gazing, without opening my lids or blinking. But tears still escape, I am not closed off from you, never, ever. For goodness sake, see this space?

Week won, or one, the one needed to be won. It was justified by the tide of perusive and wholly conclusive conductivity between two persons of lide. Yes it’s real, I made it up.

Wanting, not needing, desiring, holding, grasping, cradling. a dedication inside of knowing without the knowing that everyone else wants or thinks they need.

Bucolic Sleeplessness (written 02/17/2009)

good morning sunshine, do you know who makes the Star shine? after some decline it now sublime. runaway mind, stopped by a kitty napping indignantly upon a lap divine, a lap now wine, a lap all mine. would one dare label asinine?.. altruistically of heaven rhyme, to pair one line to ultimate crime, shut out the light. even hemmingway found himself a sweeter kind before departing although less a grace for me. sigh melodious pause in time. and they do turn left to no chance of Fates to forget about but by way of bravery in bucolic charm. somehow i was time to disarm…

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More Horse Videos From Erica K. Frei

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“Horses As A Whole – Ramblings”

…The horse world is not the only field where we dissect and divide into specialties, sub-specialties and a myriad of categories. Our entire modern civilization functions in just the same way. We look at our bodies as being suitable for this separation – if our shoulder hurts we do not link a connection to our feet with the pain.

For this reason, I propose a whole horse approach. I can believe that when the horse is healthy on the whole, that there is no reason he would resist, be inattentive, lethargic, anxious, aggressive, fearful, etc. These are the symptoms of a larger picture, which is often ignored or misunderstood. Too many “impossibilities” are proposed when it comes to the horse as a whole. When the horse has low energy, he is labeled as being lazy, dull, or disinterested. The question then becomes, “why?” What is it that is causing the low energy state?

Can the horse have similar tail bone injury issues as humans? What about their hyoid[1|2] bone(they do not have one)? If the nervous system is upset, the whole of the horse would feel it. Where then will the compensations show? How their diet is involved, for an animal made to eat grasses, but is fed grains? Gluten intolerance? What about chemical additives in grains, and even hay or pasture?

The horse’s craniosacral [1] rhythm? Connection between fixed organs, their inability for free visceral[1] pulse, and certain types of colic? More people are becoming aware of liver and kidney overload with feed. Mesentary[1] work? Physical imbalances in the horse? Poor muscle tone, poor posture? The violent force of rectal palpation, and it’s connection with difficult breeding, births, or behavior changes in mares? Behavior changes in mare in connection with the birth process? Sacrum alignment? What about the bone plates of the horse’s skull, do they also have a Sphenoid bone[1]? Fox cerebri? Cranial alignment, postural assessment? Changes in hooves caused by postural imbalances or compensations?

What are the top no-no’s when it comes to working with horses?

• No pulling – on the reins, on the halter, etc… leading into…
• No denting. The horse must be respected, we cannot change them by taking or giving, only by influencing them by our presence and actions. Note.. I don’t say “interactions” – let’s stay on the outside.
• Stronger does not mean faster. Strong legs do not mean go, they mean stop. Strong aids do not inspire the horse to intelligent responses, only reactions.
• Better out than in (I like that), if the horse is to react to something, always encourage an external response. Internal ‘stuffing’ causes disease – mental, emotional, physical.
• Never contain, compression creates pressure, that can be released either slowly like a pressure cooker, or suddenly – explosive.
• Resistance is a warning sign – moving past resistance damages. This is on all levels, physically the body breaks, mentally the mind breaks, emotionally the heart breaks.

• Pulling – what does pulling inspire? Give what we get, if we pull we get pulling in response. If we give, we are given to in response.
• Denting – if we dent we damage. Do we want to ride and train damaged horses?
• Strength – as above, give lightness, get lightness. We can never be as strong as the horse, so why try?
• Externalizing/Internalizing – when energy is compressed, it becomes pressurized and either explodes outwards or damages the container holding it together. If the horse’s body is used to contain this energy, the energy will either carry the body in an explosive manner, or damage the external structures holding it together.
• Resistance – falls along with the category of Denting. Resistance warns us that we are on the edge of denting. When we don’t explore with intelligent touch, our nerves never have a chance to warn us that we have met resistance until we’ve already moved into or past it. Careful, light exploration sensitizes our nerves, building our ability to recognize when we’ve met resistance and back off before denting the horse.

General : Force –

Force, a relative term, is so overused in today’s training of the horse. They are pushed, pulled, whipped, cranked, yanked, yelled at, kicked and in general, overstimulated.

According to Ardnt’s Nueurological Law ( Rudolph Arndt, German Psychiatrist, 1835-1900), “Weak stimuli excites physiological activity, moderately strong ones favor it, strong ones retard it, and very strong ones arrest it.” So, from weak to very strong, as the stimulation is increased, the physiological response decreases with the intensity applied. This is why strong force causes a horse to shut down, rather than exciting them into intelligent actions.