Howdy Folks,
Wow, what a
place! What a show! What a man! That's pretty much how I feel about this way
too exciting trip! Over the past seven weeks David Lichman has been touring the
country to help raise money for organizations. He calls the tour, "Horses
Helping Humans." His tour included nine cities in the US and Canada, the
one nearest us was Asheville NC at the Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore was built
by the George Vanderbilt family in the 1890's and is a stunning place to see.
If you get the chance to visit, we highly recommend it. Robbie and I enjoyed a
driving tour of the grounds before leaving for home Saturday afternoon. We even
had lunch in the Stable Restaurant.
 |
| The Biltmore |
But, of course
the reason for our trip was to see David Lichman, Parelli 5 Star trainer, and
his musical extravaganza with his personal horses, Thirteen, Julio and Scotty.
And to hear our dear friend Mary Ann Kennedy perform.
 |
| We didn't get any photos of Mary Ann singing, sorry, but here we are together Saturday morning - Check out her website (HERE) - Be sure to buy her Cds - |
For Robbie and me
it was a 6 hour drive, and I will tell you worth every minute! When we arrived
we enjoyed dinner with a few Facebook friends before the show, another
excellent thing about this trip. It was great to meet in person, Martha, Diane, Beth
and Cinda (Martha's putting together a program to help At-Risk youths based on my novel, and thanks to David we finally meet in person!) ... Gosh there was so much wonderfulness about this trip.
This tour was
first given birth by David's dream to ride and play with his own horses on
Marblehead beach in MA, where he grew up, a long way from Sacramento CA. The
plan grew to include stops along the way to visit friends he'd not seen in
years while raising money for helping hand organizations. You can read more
about those details here – BENEFIT TOUR - HORSES HELPING HUMANS
I know I'm
rambling a bit with this blog, but holy cow it's not often so much
wonderfulness is jam-packed into two days!
 |
| Thirteen, Scotty, Julio and David playing |
Friday night
David, Thirteen, Julio and Scotty thrilled us all with graceful, stunning and
beautiful riding, playing, dancing, and a few tricks under the lights to Mary
Ann's beautiful voice ... Well, until the lights went out … But they finished by
headlight, cell phone and flashlight! Which really added an extra touch of
beauty to the magnificent show! Especially the way the limited light played on
Julio as he and David danced the closing number in a breathtaking example of
how riding to music helps you bond with your horse. This was just after David
shot an arrow through a balloon while riding Julio with no tack at a cantor.
After the show some us gathered under the big tent and visited, introduced each
other to new friends and said howdy to friends we don't see nearly often
enough. It was so great to meet friends we've only known on Facebook!
 |
| Julio, Scotty and Thirteen marching together |
Saturday morning
we gathered again at the tent for coffee, doughnuts, and more visiting. Then
David opened the day with a get-to-know-you question and answer session that
was fully loaded with questions, answers, very useful information, laughs and
surprises too.
David's vast knowledge, humor and kindness helped us all learn
as much in that hour as most instructors impart in a week-long course.
 |
| David demonstrating his gentle guidence |
Then it was time
for those bringing horses to David's clinic to enter the ring. Robbie and I
joined friends in chairs lining the ring to watch the fun. And what fun
everyone and every horse had! The morning's session was ground work helping
folks and their horses transition from games and working together on line
to at-liberty fun. I watched intrigued as David helped each participant master
the little things that had eluded them. Horses softened and gained confidence,
so did their people! It was a beautiful ballet!
 |
| Mary Ann, Adale (now renamed TEMPO) and David chatting about what a sweet man Tempo is. |
Another great
thing happened too. One of the horses there, a sweet Paso named Andale was
looking for a new home, and Mary Ann gave him one. Watching those two together,
it was as if they'd been friends for years. I was quite smitten with him too,
and his big heart, and if Mary Ann had not offered her love and care, Kessy may
have gotten a herd mate.
When it was time
for Robbie and me to head for home saying goodbye was tough. There was so much
fun yet to come under David's watchful eye and guidance. Get-togethers like
this don't happen all the time and we are sure thrilled we could be part of
this one!
Gitty Up ~ Dutch
Henry
