December 15, 2009
Back on the first weekend of December, the quaint historic town of Lebanon, Ohio, held its annual horse-drawn Christmas parade. Despite the cold, nearly 150 turnouts paraded in front of the festival crowds.
CAA member Charlie Poppe sent us these photos (both taken by Nancy Bairnsfather of Lebanon, OH) from the festive day …
Charlie Poppe drove two of his new ponies in the 2009 Lebanon (OH) horse-drawn Christmas parade
CAA member Harold Barger driving a pair in the parade
December 11, 2009
This week’s participant in our Q&A interview series is Dale DeHaan, who is one of the CAA’s honorary directors …
Where do you live? Michigan
For those who don’t know you: How are you involved in the driving/carriage world? Pleasure driving
How long have you driving/collecting, etc.? Rode and drove as a boy then got back involved 25 years ago
Do you come from a driving/horsy family? No
If you have children, do they ride or drive? Both ride and drive, and our grandchildren are also interested
Are you a CAA member? My wife and I are life members
If you drive: What was your first equine? What do you drive now? A Morgan, and a Morgan
What type of carriage(s) do you drive/collect? I collect “light sporting” vehicles; we have about 25 in our collection.
Do you own/collect any antique vehicles? Do you have a favorite among your own collection? And have you attempted a carriage restoration by yourself or do you leave that to others? All the vehicles in my collection are antiques; my favorite is a Shooting Break by Kimball. Pretty much all of them have been restored by Ernie and Daryl Schwartz of Antique Carriage Restorations
What is the most interesting/far-flung place that your driving/collecting/interest has taken you? The CAA trip to Ebbs, Austria, for the World Singles Championship
Do you have a favorite carriage museum? Perhaps the Florida Carriage Museum in Weirsdale
Do you have a favorite carriage type, builder, era, etc.? Kimball, Studebaker, or Brewster … I really like the toe-board vehicles
Is there a particular era / time period / type of vehicle in history that you would enjoy traveling back to … and driving in? I was born 100 years too late!
Do you compete? I compete in pleasure shows
Do/did you ride or participate in other horse sports? No
What do you like best about driving as a hobby/sport? The people and the genteel nature of the sport
What spectator sports do you enjoy watching? Michigan State University basketball or football
What kind of car do you drive? Nissan Murano
Do you have any other pets? Barn cats
What is your favorite food/cuisine? Fish
What was the last movie you saw? Saw the play “Jersey Boys” in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and thought it was great
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas; I love the reason for the season
December 9, 2009
Today’s Wednesday, which we generally count as a day off from posting on the blog. But if you’re a CAA member (and we have your e-mail address on file), today’s the day you’ll receive your copy of The Spokesperson, the CAA’s weekly e-newsletter. Each week, we send news from the CAA office and from around the world of driving and horses.
The contents of this week’s e-newsletter: new CAA mousepads now available; CAA Driver Proficiency evaluations to be held in California, January 22-24; and what we’ve been up to in the CAA office.
Not receiving the newsletter? Would you like to?
If you’re a CAA member, just send us your e-mail address, and we’ll add it to our mailing list.
If you’re not a CAA member yet and would like more information about the association, click here: http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=2
As a bonus today …
Since you, our computer-savvy friends and CAA members, are our best audience for computer-related products … here’s our beautiful brand-new CAA mousepad:
a sample of our lovely new mousepads ... only $5 (plus shipping) in the CAA Gift Shop
Don’t you wish you had one on your computer desk right now? If you’d like to order one for yourself or as a gift, you can find them here: http://www.caaonline.com/shop_item.asp?key=601&TypeDesc=Gifts&CatDesc=Miscellaneous
December 8, 2009
I’m at a bit of a loss for words at the moment, so this will likely be a very short post.
The weather here has been quite cold … and today, it’s been raining most of the day. So I haven’t had a chance to get any photos of the progress on the WEG marathon obstacles. I have seen (from a distance), though, that “The Hedges” obstacle is growing. That’s the one that was featured here a few weeks ago with its posts still going in the ground. It now appears to have all of its posts, and it’s gaining some rails as well. I’ll have more pictures of the progress as soon as the weather cooperates.
And we’re now less than a week out till the files for the January issue of The Carriage Journal are due to be shipped to the printer. That’s obviously where I’m focused at the moment, and why I’m at a loss for things to talk about here. But, if you’re a CAA member, here’s some of what you can look forward to in the upcoming issue: proper (and fun) turnout for sleighs, the story of a Williamsburg coachmaker, the next installment in our “Road to the WEG” series, portable wicker fenders, and much more.
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you may remember my post on “Lexington’s other passion” … basketball. The Univ. of KY basketball is inching closer and closer to the mark of being the first team to record 2,000 wins. After last weekend’s phenomenal win against UNC, they now stand at 1,996 and counting. As I’ve said before, I know this isn’t horse- or driving-related, but it is most definitely a part of life in Lexington.
December 4, 2009
The next participant in our (sometimes weekly) interview series is David Saunders, a CAA member who is originally from England but who now lives here in the U.S.
Where do you live? Florida
For those who don’t know you: How are you involved in the driving/carriage world? Professional coachman and trainer, competitor, consultant
How long have you been driving, etc.? Forty years
Do you come from a driving/horsy family? Yes, my father was a whipper-in for the hunt, and my grandfather was master of hounds in Melton Mowbry
If you have children, do they ride or drive? Yes
Are you a CAA member? Yes; I’ve been a member for twenty years
What was your first driving equine? Cleveland Bay
What do you drive now? Morgans
What types of carriage(s) do you drive/collect? All types
What is the most interesting/far-flung place that your driving has taken you? Australia, Italy, Europe in general
Do you have a favorite carriage museum? The Royal Mews [at Buckingham Palace in London]
Do you have a favorite carriage type, builder, era, etc.? Coaches by Cowlet and Selby
Is there a particular era/time period/type of vehicle in history that you would enjoy traveling back to … and driving in? Chariots in ancient Egypt
What’s your favorite type of competition / class / CDE phase? CDE marathons
Do you ride or participate in other horse sports? Not any more
What do you like best about driving as a hobby/sport? Meeting other people
What spectator sports do you enjoy watching? Olympics
What car do you drive / what was your first car? A pickup truck, and a minivan
Do you have any other pets? We have four dogs, two cats, and three budgies
What is your favorite food/cuisine? Indian
What was the last movie you saw? 2012 … didn’t think much of it
What is your favorite holiday? New Year’s is my favorite because it means we can start again
The Slower Road 