Ask Cari

Fox Hunting in Virginia is one of the most fun equestrian sports.  I have been out on hunts with my brother Jim and sister Elise galloping through the Virginia country in the fall.  Our grandparents were avid fox hunters in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and were such horse lovers that oats were tossed on them instead of rice at their wedding.  There are more images from the photo archives. We all grew up in a family of equestrians, born in the saddle.

Diego, 16 months, has a very special bond with Dash, the oldest Icelandic Sheepdog at the farm.

Fella was an appendix Quarter Horse, amazing horse who gave me the confidence to jump any obstacle anywhere.  He was an uber athlete who sailed over any jump effortlessly, we had a long partnership competing in the Junior Jumpers and Pony Club eventing through Prelim over 3 decades.  Visit here for more images from the photo archives.

What do Matt Damon, Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Tom Cruise, Jeremy Irons, Dakota Fanning, Richard Gere, Ann Hathaway, Kurt Russell and Penelope Cruz have in common??  Hint Send your answer by 11/15 to cari@cariswanson.com and if you are correct we will send you a tote bag with RJ’s signature hoof print logo

As a kid, Rex Peterson rode Trick horses and ponies–this one is Motor Scooter, performing at Rodeos and events across the country with his family.  Click here for more Photos from the archives.

Tuff, Tutt, Tazz and Monkey in California.  The field of “Blacks” are ready to be cast in their next film.

Lisa Houlgrave shooting on location at Windrock Farm with McCoy in the fields of soybeans.  Lisa specializes in portraits, weddings and fashion.

As a result of working in film for nearly 4 decades, Rex Peterson has designed several products to make horse training more efficient and safe. The Neck Rope designed and made by Rex Peterson can be used for many purposes, including ponying kids on their first few trail rides across country. It is important to get out of the arena as soon as possible for the rider as well as the horse. You can see in this video how easy it is to control the pony when he speeds up or wants to turn the wrong direction. This method allows the kid to feel the independence of riding while having a safety line for any errors.

Rex is a master of training horses to perform what many claim impossible.  He is one of the most sought after Horse Trainers in Hollywood known for delivering the shot.  While others may initially underbid him, they end up costing the Studios thousands of dollars when they do not perform the stunt.  Rex in known for performing without fail every time within a reasonable budget.  With a string of highly trained horses, he can handle any situation. Rex is highly regarded by many Directors,  Producers, Actors, Cameramen, and American Humane Officers for protecting them as well as the livestock.

Here you can see his mastery at work with his son Ryan Peterson prepping horses for a commercial film shoot.  The producers asked Rex to bring one trained horse he could rear under saddle for a scene with only 48 hours notice. Rex responded to the call with “no problem, what color do you want, I have a string of 19 to pull from”.   Of course when we arrived on set the scene was changed to have the horse led from the barn, rear, and run off at liberty.  Luckily Rex was prepared with two other mounts who were also trained to rear under saddle or at liberty so we had pick up horses on set to help accomplish the set up with no problem. Rex always shows up prepared and his motto is “Nothing is Impossible”.

Wash and dry the area and apply. You can bandage over this as well. The main thing is keeping the area soft and dry.

These amounts are approximate ratios-they do not need to be exact.

1 tube Lotramin (athlete’s foot cream) 1 tube hydrocortisone cream 1 tube triple antibiotic ointment aloe vera gel ( equal to 1 tube amount above) contents of 4-5 vitamin A capsules, vitamin D capsules, and Vitamin E capsules

Mix well and store in any type empty jar or plastic container.

Brownie ridden by Joa Sigsbee wins his first attempt at a judged trail ride at the NJ Horse Park.  He proves his willingness and athletic prowess by successfully maneuvering around many obstacles such as dragging an alligator behind him in the water obstacle, allowing his rider to lasso a steer, playing stick ball with a large excercise ball, walking through a curtain of rope, walking over a tarp and strange piece of material, being flagged from the ground and allowing Joa to mount and dismount in the middle of the course among many other strange and unusual obstacles.  He proved his willingness and kind attitude toward negotiating all of the tasks required, achieving the highest score of all the junior riders.  Check out the alligator water obstacle

Does your horse have perfect ground manners?  Does he listen to you and respond IMMEDIATELY to your request?  Is your horse happy in his work?  Do you cross train him to build up multiple muscle groups?  Does your horse stop on command in any situation?  If not, check out  solutions to common horse training solutions.

Pete Axthelm, who never saw a racetrack he did not wish to attend, glided across the typing turf.

“Secretariat generates a crackling tension and excitement wherever he goes,” Axthelm wrote. “Even in the kind of gray weather that shrouds lesser animals in anonymity, Secretariat’s muscular build identifies him immediately; his glowing reddish coat is a banner of health and rippling power. Magnificent enough at rest … when he accelerates … he produces a breathtaking explosion that leaves novices and hardened horsemen alike convinced that, for one of those moments that seldom occur in any sport, they have witnessed genuine greatness.”

Rex Peterson is the Horse Trainer on “Secretariat” currently filming on location.

Photo by Ken Regan-Camera Five

Lilah looks on as RJ performs behind her, brother Liam talks to McCoy, Lilah practices for the Kentucky Derby, their dad,Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick will have to pen a song inspired by their new companions.