Category Archives: Articles

Quito and Colette an up-date!

One of the best thing about breeding Morgans is when our horses find wonderful owners!  Colette and Quito are great together and it is so nice of Colette to keep us updated as to how they are doing.  Below are some of her photos and text:

Quito just arrived at his new home and has to be isolated from the herd for a while.  Colette purchased a jolly ball for him but it took him about 5 minuted to flatten it..hahaha

Trail pony extraordinaire!  He  is such a little trooper…he will follow or lead, he will look at scary stuff but doesn’t overreact.  He is very trusting.

Wants to help with the barn chores!

Late fall trail ride…taking advantage of the nice weather.

Thank you Colette!!!

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Merriewold Morgans International Morgan Horse Photo Contest

To all our Friends, Fellow Photographers and Morgan Lovers….
The Merriewold website is in the middle of a massive move and we are unable to host our annual Photo Contest in 2016.  The “gallery” software where all of our photos are stored and displayed is now defunct and we are moving to One Drive cloud based display and storage.
PLEASE keep taking those amazing photos and we will see you in 2017 for the 7th (almost) annual Morgan Horse Photo Contest!!!

2011 First Place Winner, Swish by Carol Dombrowsky          2010 First Place Winner, Spencer and Cassie by Pat Prouty

2015 First Place Winner, Rain Koko's Gigolo by Claudia Kunne          2012 First Place Winner, Gotcha by Michele Meijer

2014 First Place Winner, Come Fly With Me by Paola Anderson          2013 First Place Winner, Black Beautiful Baroque by Michele Meijer

The 6 First Place Winners 2010-2015

You can visit all the contest albums, BUT we are still in the process of adding back all the titles that were deleted  in the transfer….please be patient.
To go  to the new Merriewold Gallery  CLICK HERE

 

 

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2015 MWM Photo Contest Finalists!

Merriewold MorgansMerriewold would like to express our thanks to everyone that participated in this year’s contest.  The event is always great fun for us and the number of entries grows every year!  We had 189 this year – up from 164 in 2014.  Participants were from 5 countries – USA, Canada, Australia, Germany and Sweden, and  31 states.

This year’s Judge, Susan Derr Drake, took the time to write a few comments for each of the top four winning images.
AND THE WINNERS ARE….
(click on images to enlarge)

MWM

Rain Koko's Gigolo
Rain Koko’s Gigolo

First Place:  Rain Koko’s Gigolo
by Claudia Kunne

“The photographic excellence of Rain Koko’s Gigolo also captures the Morgan horse’s classic characteristics of a compact, muscular but refined build with a long and well-muscled croup, laid back shoulders with a well-arched neck and expressive head. This photo was taken at that perfect moment in time when the stunning animated motion was stopped in focus and the horse seems to look right through you as the nostrils take in all that you are. The backlighting of the mane, tail and body give texture and shape to their inherent beauty. Wow!”

Colours of Australia
Colours of Australia

Second Place:  Colours of Australia
by Michele Meijer

“In stride with natural animation, in nature’s picturesque setting, with a rainbow of colors throughout, while capturing the bold beauty of the Morgan horse, puts this photo at the top of the list. You can feel their strength, elastic freedom and the essence of versatility to do anything for which the Morgan is famous.  Compositionally, the strong ‘Golden Ratio’ really works combined with the sharp focus of the subject. Stunning!”

Big Ridge Lippitt Robin
Big Ridge Lippitt Robin

Third Place:  Big Ridge Lippitt Robin by Alex Whitfield

“A wonderful quality of the Morgan horse is it’s ability to connect lovingly to people, as seen in this very powerful photo.  The horse emotionally and physically touches the heart center while the young one provides the space to soak up all that the horse has to offer. The knowing eye patiently waits for whatever may come next.  Perhaps this is the ultimate joy and why we engage with them.  Love!”

Man Meeting Morgans
Man Meeting Morgans

Fourth Place:  Man Meeting Morgans by Monica Hammond

“Compositionally our eyes softly and continuously move circularly within the photo as though spiraling to a deeper connection between the three with each round. Trust, curiosity and reaching out to engage with each other, so classic of the Morgan horse, exudes from all three. The man kneeling below eye level reflects the trust back to the horses, especially the one feeling safe enough to stay down. The black and white aspect enhances the serenity felt.  Aww…some!”

Honorable Mentions alphabetic order: (Hover for Title)
(click on image for Gallery view and photographer’s name)

“It was such an honor to view this year’s 189 beautiful photos.  Each and every photo has a unique quality gifting the observer.  Thank you to Merriewold for providing the opportunity to share such beautiful and heart touching moments of the Morgan horse for us all.”
~  Susan Derr Drake

MWMWe would also like to share some Tips from the Judge:

1.   Get a dust-proof, weather-proof, kick-proof camera case and keep your camera with you and shoot, shoot, shoot.

2.   When photographing horses that you want to reduce distortion because of  their large size;   you can take the photo from as far away as possible and  zoom in with the longest lens.  You can also photograph them from the ¾ to full side position rather than straight in front.  Or, you may want that unusual  artistic shot from the front or back with great distortion to emphasize a  particular trait.  Be creative and try many possibilities.

3.  Notice your foregrounds and backgrounds.  Move so that the background   does not distract from the subject (like a pole out of a head) or move so that  the background frames the subject (like trees on either side) or so that the  roads, fences or rivers lead to the subject.

4.  The eyes are the windows to the soul.  Make sure they are in the light and are in focus for a more expressive photo.

5.  Timing is everything.  The position of legs, ears, tail and head can make a  goodphoto great.

6.   Allow your feelings to guide you to the perfect place, composition, and timing of clicking the shutter.   When you press the button you feel ‘that’s it!’.   You  know it is the shot before you even look at it.   And be ok with shooting hundreds of photos to get the ‘one’.  Their contrast contributes to your richer appreciation of the ‘one’.   Have fun!
MWMTo view all the Photos from the 2015 Merriewold Morgans International Morgan Horse Photo Contest,   CLICK HERE

Another contest comes to an end,  congratulations not only to the winners but to everyone that participated!   Until next year,  keep those cameras out and clicking,  Happy Photo Shooting!

Diana Wold
Jackie Brittain

 

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Crystal Energy Healing for Horses, by Allison Robbins

 

Allison and crystal healingMaybe the vet has told you that there is nothing more he/she can do to help, or natural horsemanship techniques aren’t working out as well as you had hoped.  When the things we’ve already tried aren’t producing results, searching for a new solution makes sense.  The question that follows is…”What else can I do for my horse?”

Some people look into alternative options which can mean some very old ideas.  Healing with crystals is an art form that’s thousands of years old and is known to have been practiced by ancient Egyptians, American Indian shaman, as well as many indigenous tribes around the world. Crystals are powerful tools.  Each one has a specific chemical composition which gives it a consistent vibration
like that of a musical note.  It’s the frequency of this energy that is
helpful to bring the body back into balance and promote the self-healing process.  Examples of crystals would be stones often used in jewelry such as rose quartz, amethyst, calcite, diamond, peridot, tourmaline, turquoise, as well as countless others.

Healing crystalsHorses are treated for a variety of reasons from illness & injury to
behavioral problems.  While working with crystals, I combine learned  technical knowledge with the intuitive practices of spiritual healing,  shamanic techniques, and animal communication.  Healing for animals and humans is a very similar process as both have an aura or energy field that relates to mind, body, & spirit, surrounding the physical body.  It’s within this energy field that the cause of  ‘dis-ease’ is addressed.  Quite often when I am working with an animal the owner also receives healing, especially in situations that take place between the horse and rider.  Healing is not a substitute for veterinary care it is meant to be used along side medical treatment thus making it a complementary therapy.  The purpose is to promote well-being and speed up the recovery process.

What happens during a session?  After discussing the clients needs, I
prepare by attuning to act as a conduit for spiritual energy.  It’s
important to have the consent of the animal so I always ask if they would like my help.  I’ve occasionally encountered animals who did not want help, but it’s very rare.  In such cases I can work with the owner to address things from the human side but I do not interfere with the animal.

Healing energy fieldThe next step is to intuitively assess the the energy field and find
which areas need to be rebalanced.  It’s from the assessment that I choose which crystals would be harmonious for treating the condition.  Two different animals could have the same condition but a deferent cause.  It’s the cause that I am addressing with my choice of crystals and techniques.  Crystals are placed around the horse and then activated by my intention to provide healing.  While a horse receives healing he or she will usually start to show signs of deep relaxation.  As energy blockages are being released, you will  frequently see them lick and chew, give a deep sigh, and or eliminate waste.  How deep the horse goes into the state of relaxation depends on his nature.  Some are quite comfortable with treatment but I have often found that highly strung animals take a bit longer to relax or will take shorter amounts of healing at first.  The effects of the healing sometimes take a while to process but generally
have a long lasting effect.

To give you a better idea of how people have used healing for their
horses, the following are examples of cases that I’ve worked on.

Medical cases:

Allison workingI’ve treated many horses that were suffering from colic.  One was in the care of a vet for 10 days and about to be euthanized when I worked with her.  She had a crystal healing and within an hour her problem had been alleviated.  Both the owner and the vet were thrilled to have her on the mend.

Marcella is a standardbred race horse who was preforming, and behaving very poorly.  She was found to have ulcers in her mouth.  I gave her healing and the vet addressed the dental problems that were troubling her.  She was back to work in a short time and doing very we’ll after that.

A paint horse had and injury to her hind leg.  It was swollen and she had trouble walking. The day after receiving healing the swelling subsided significantly and within a couple of days she was sound again.

Crystals healing broodmareBrood mares:

I have done healing on mares who were preparing to conceive so the mare would settle, and the pregnancy would go more smoothly.  One mare had treatment because she slipped her first foal late term and they wanted to help her have a successful second pregnancy. She delivered a healthy foal the following year.

I have also been asked to work with a nervous surrogate mare.  They wanted to help calm her and communicate to her that she would be separated from the friend she shared a paddock with for a while,  but would return after the baby was born.  That situation went really well, as both mare and foal were happy and healthy.

Crystal energy healing for horse and rider.Horse & Rider:

An English New Forrest pony had a habit of dumping his rider on the ground.  Each time his rider was injured he would be turned out to pasture for months at a time.  He was started at four years old and at nine years he was almost unrideable.  She had the vet examine him but they didn’t find any physical condition or injury that would lead to this behavior.   She hired a new trainer to help resolve the problem - and after a few rides, the trainer brought me in to help.  While I was working with the pony, his owner perceived the energy that he was receiving.  It turned out she is a Raki practitioner (another type of energy healing) and very sensitive to subtle energies.  After treatment, he started to make significant  progress. Several months later, she felt that the training had stalled and she was having trouble feeling safe on him.  So then, they both had healing.  I worked with her in separate healing sessions.  She felt that the crystal healing had helped her release deep feelings of guilt about situations in her family life that tied into her not feeling worthy of enjoying her horse.  From the time of that release, things really picked up for both of them.  He went on to be enjoyed as an all-around horse and in recent years he occasionally enters
competitions with other riders.  He is very happily still  with his owner.

A man who has an andalusian stallion was having trouble with confidence while riding his horse.  We did some healing work and he felt much more secure in his abilities.  This lead him to ride more often and thoroughly enjoy his horse.  He felt this confidence carry over into other areas of his life.

A trotting race horse was being retrained into a riding horse.  Our first session was to prepare him for his move from his original home in Austria to his new stable in Switzerland.  He had always been a poor traveler and would lose significant amounts of weight in the trailer, so the healing was to help prepare him to travel.  Later, I helped work with them on a practical level to teach him to canter, first on a lunge line, then under saddle.  Over time this same horse would come up with all kinds of drama and physical injuries when his owner was experiencing too much stress in her life.  It was interesting to watch his patterns in relation to her life and to help her learn to manage the stress.  These two have a very close relationship and many adventures together.

Crystal healing for horsesNew home:

Horses can take time adjusting to a new home – not to mention, a new country.  I have worked with horses who arrived from South America or New Zealand during English summer with a full winter coat.  These horses are known to frequently under-perform the first season that they arrive.  Healing helps them to adapt more quickly.

My story

Allison and crystal healing

My love of horses began with my first ride at 9 years old.  As a junior I competed in equation,  followed by combined training on the college riding team, and for the last 10 years it’s been playing and training polo ponies.   I believe the experience of owning, caring for, and competing with so many horses has given me a very deep understanding of the dynamics between horse and rider.   I’ve always been sensitive, but before  working as a healing practitioner for others, I completed a 2 year diploma  course at the Vibrational Healing Foundation (London), followed by another 2 years of advanced training.  I am accredited with the British Allience
of Healing Organizations.  If you would like more information about healing you can have a look at my website for The Equestrian Healing Service.

Allison Robbins

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