• Film live footage of my sister and I interacting with her horse.
• Organize photos I’d like to use (I have many photos, I just need to narrow it down)
• Decide what language I am going to use. I think that I would be better off using a voice-over rather than text boxes because I think it will set the mood for the scenes and the  viewer will hear my tone.
• Write text boxes or voice-over dialog
• I need to interview my mother and then see if it fits into the film.
• Find parallel images (i.e. my outfit in the show ring vs. at home, me in the ring vs. out of the show ring)

Concerns/Questions:

• That my film depends too much on photos
• If I use text boxes my language will be too wordy and my film will rely on the text boxes rather than the images
• I am not sure what I should film exactly. Should I film my sister and I riding on my horse double? Should I show me leading her on her horse? Grooming her horse? Cleaning tack? Playing/fooling around without horses to show our love for one another?
• What questions should I ask my mother?
• What music should I use? I think I want to use some kind of music, but I don’t know if any song goes to the theme. Maybe I should just use a song that does not have words? And what scenes shouldn’t have any sound?
• How do I show how I feel and how I changed without necessarily saying it?

Any suggestions would be great! I feel like I have a lot to do before Thursday and don’t know how I will get it done. I think by the end of today’s class (Tuesday) I need to have everything planned out.

        Before this class I never realized that there was more to my story than what I saw. Throughout my life all I have known is horses and I knew that I always did it with my mother, but I guess I never realized how much I depended on my mother being there with my horse and I. I am trying to understand how I got were I am with horses and why my mother, my younger sister, and I are so close because of them. I would like to believe that we would be as close as we are today without horses, but the truth is I don’t believe we would be. I understand that horses brought my mother and I together, and horses have helped shape who I am today, but I didn’t know until recent investigation that it was the birth of my little sister that was the turning point in how I looked at horses. I know many people in my class think that I should investigate the relationship between my mother and I more, but I think that the birth of my sister and my relationship with her is huge and of great importance. Once my sister was born my relationship with my mother changed as well as my relationship with horses. I know longer compete in horse competitions, rather I am training my little sister (5 years of age) to compete in horse competitions. My question now, however, is why did I give up showing horses to help my little sister “train?” Why did I stop competing when my sister was much too young to even know what horses were. When I gave up competing my sister referred to all four legged animals as “horses,” which many children do, however, they usually refer to them as “dogs” or “cats,” depending on what animals they  are familiar with. I know that I love horses, that I love my mother, but what do the two have to do with each other?  After contemplating these questions I think that I started to stop competing because my mother could no longer participate and interact as she once did. After having my sister she stopped going as much because it is hard, considering a horse show usually lasts about eight hours and it takes the whole day before to prepare; bathing the horse, shaving the horse, cleaning out the horse trailer, cleaning my tack (i.e. saddle, bridal, halter, boots, etc). However, instead of being jealous of my younger sister I loved her like a mother would, and to this day she means more to me than a lot of people. I cannot imagine her not in my life and she is the reason why I see horses forever in my future, but maybe that’s because I some day want to give my own children what I had. I guess I never realized I had so many questions.

Part II: Defining Moments

Well to me the obvious shift was when my sister was born. I was eightteen years old and just graduating highschool when my mother informed me I was going to be a big sister. All I could think was “big sister?? WHAT??? Dad is having a baby? With who? How?” To me it made no sense at all, and I have no idea to this day why I thought it was my dad, and not my mom. But anyways, I am getting off track. When my mother was pregnant she still did all the horse shows with me, and I loved it. I was amazed that she was due in two weeks, as big as a house (meant in the nicest way possible), and still bringing me to horse shows. Two weeks before she was due I was bringing my horse to a fair for a week for fun with a few friends. This was always the best show for me because it was exciting and fun, even though it was tough work; had to be to the fair by 6 a.m. to feed the horse, clean the stalls, and if my horse rolled in his own poop (let’s hope not) we had to bathe him; then it was time for 6 hours of competition’s/classes, and then we had to feed him, clean his stall again, and pick up our area so it was presentable to people visiting the fair grounds. My mom was incredible, but once my sister was born she stopped going as much. I still did it compete for about a year, however, the big difference was I had to do it by myself, and all that work alone is too exhausting. I stopped going. I stopped competing. The birth of my sister and the fact that I stopped showing is the shift in my mind.

The results of this shift include the fact that I stopped showing and that I am now, five years later, interesting in taking my little sister to horse shows and preparing her for them. I also now ride my horse in trails rather than in the show ring. I also just love going to my moms every other day to help my little sister with her new pony. It is so rejuvenating to do little tasks with my sister and her pony; at this age it isn’t about training hours on end, it is more about getting used to horses, getting on and riding them for only ten minutes or so, and I love doing this with her. I even love riding double with her (both of us on my horse) and taking her around a huge hay field for a ten minute ride where we just walk. She enjoys this so much, especially because she thinks she is controlling my horse, when in fact she is just a passenger.  Another effect of this shift is the fact that my mother as a deeper respect for me and sees me as a more mature adult; she thinks it’s odd that a 23 year old wants to come out of her way to spend time with her and her younger sister, but what she doesn’t she is how much I love this. Well I guess she sees this, or else why would I do it?

Part III: Insight & Discovery

        I feel like I am going to be repeating myself in this section. I think well writing this treatment I discovered things that I had never thought about, and now I am just going to recite them. Now I know that I will always love horses for what they have given me; stronger relationships, a sense of peace, a sense of growth as a person. I think that I think of horses as a guide; they helped develop my relationship with my mother and they helped strengthen my relationship with my younger sister. Horses also are a way for me to relieve myself; instead of getting a massage I go for a long trail ride on my horse because that is now what I enjoy about horses. I no longer love being inside the horse ring, but I love guiding my sister into it.  I now enjoy riding my horse with no witnesses, no judges, but I like to see how well my sister does being judged. I loved my mother guiding me, but now I guide my sister. I am sure that many outsiders think I am crazy, but this is why I am who I am; if not, it is a huge influence in my life.

        I would like my audience to learn how horses can influence our lives; how I am a better sister, daughter due to horses; and how much work goes into horses (and how doing this work with others strengthens relationships). I would like to show the transition of me inside the show ring to a person on the outside of the show ring. I used to show, then I took a “break,” and now I am helping my sister and putting her in the show ring. If anyone has suggestions how to improve this I would appreciate it. I think though it could come together as a full circle, and some how I could try to emphasize the relationships established throughout the process. I think by doing this/showing this viewers will not just think of horse racing, gymkhana, equestrian, but rather they will see horses in real life and how they help shape/influence real people.

I know a lot of information about horses but this website on unusual facts about horses came to a surprise to me.

I also found this website on fun facts about horses. This sight talked about Arabians as well, which is the type of horse I have. Also, the fact about horses not being able to see directly in-front of their noses is an important fact to remember: this is why many people think horses intentionally bite them rather than the carrot, but the truth is they think you are the carrot! Be careful if you ever feed a horse at a fair or game farm!

Surprising, non-literal image:

I decided to put a picture of the woods in this blog because I love to take my horse for long trail rides through words that are much similar to this image.

Video on Arabian Horses:

I thought this video might provide some insight on the kind of horse I am used to dealing with. My horse, Rusty, is a purebred Arabian Horse. Some key words you might want to know before watching this film are a hand is equal to 4 inches, which is how horses are measured for height. And a bay horse is a horse that is brown with black markings (legs, mane, tail, etc).

What I thought was interesting

I thought it was interesting to read how Arabian horses were used to improve other breeds, including Thoroughbreds, which are the horses seen at Saratoga. I thought it was also interesting to read facts on horses, many I knew but some surprised me. After doing a little bit of research I asked myself, “how can this all help me?” Especially when I don’t know if I even care to mention facts about horses throughout my film, besides some that I did know. I also thought about the video on Arabian horses, and I think I learned from the film more of what i don’t want to do. I think it was a nice summary of what it means to be an Arabian horse and provided me with some factual information, but I don’t want to bore my audience. I want to tell the audience about my personal experiences with horses by showing them, not just telling them. I do want to have some text slides, but I don’t want my film to depend on them completly.

• My first horse and my first time in the show ring when I was 8.
• Getting my new horse who I still have today when I was 10.
• My parents getting a divorce and having to clean stalls and feed horses to help pay our rent.
• Training my new horse, Rusty, and getting thrown off all the time.
• First time showing my horse and having people tell my mother she was crazy for buying me such a “wild beast.”
• Two years later winning competitions.
• Showing with my mom’s help for 7 more years.
• The birth of my little sister and how my mom backed away from the scene and I realized I only liked doing horse shows with her there.
• Myself telling my mom and friends that I was no longer going to do horse shows and how upset they were.
• 4 years later bringing my little sister to her first horse show and doing for her what my mom used to do for me.
• The hour long trail rides my horse and I take now, rather than competing in horse shows.

Ideas for filming:

• Film myself giving my sister a horse lesson.
• Show a clip from riding my horse (actually filming well I am riding him), shooting between his ears (perhaps in the woods?)

Ideas for representing indelible moments:

• Photos of my riding in horse competions
• Photos of my mom and I cleaning stalls for rent
• Photos of my mom and I at horse shows

Ideas for sensory details:

• Sounds of beating horse hooves
• Sounds horses make
• Dirty things you have to do, and emphasize on the dirt and grim

Editing:

• Not too sure, maybe I could do a Montage..but slow it down and put some text slides in at crucial moments.

Another suggestion was to show how it brought me and my mother closer. Again, this I think is difficult to show. My mother and I were always close but due to hard times (parents divorce) and financial problems we had to stick together and I had to take on my more responsibilities.

A few people suggested I use funny videos or pictures. I most certainly have many pictures I can use, but the question is what ones do I use?  I think many people have great suggestions.

Concerns:

• How to bring outsiders in
• What story should I narrow in on? The “breaking out of shell?” The mother/daughter relationship? The dirty jobs? Teaching my little sister how to ride and the change of being the younger rider looking up to the mother for guidance, to be the older rider guiding/teaching the younger sister?
• What “live” footage should I use?

Hopes:

• To show the viewers a new glimpse into the horse culture.
• Get the viewers to understand my passion for horses
• Show the importance of horses in my life

New Ideas:

• Maybe I could start off by showing myself competing in horse shows and then the drastic change that took place after the birth of my sister. After my sister was born (when I was 18 and graduating from highschool) I stopped showing my horse as much and now five years later and am getting into the horse shows again, but I am taking her. In a way, I have taken on my mothers role and doing with my little sister what my mother used to do with me.

Questions that I am going to attempt to answer:

• Why horses are important to me
• What it means to take care of a horse and the hard work that goes into it
• How my relationship changed with my horse after the birth of my sister

This topic is important to me because I believe it is what helped me “snap out of my shell.” This was the one thing that helped shape who I am today. My riding horses/taking care of horses I feel like I have become a stronger, more independent adult. When my mother first divorced my dad I cleaned horse stalls and took care of horses to help  pay my mothers rent. Yes, this was difficult for an 11 year old but I loved it. When my mother and I were more financially stable we were able to take our own horses and move away and as a result we started getting into more competitive horse shows. My mother loved doing this with me and we became very close. Every summer we did competition and I competed against other riders and she was my “groom,” meaning she cleaned my horse and I and made us “presentable” before each and every class/competition.

Questions I have:

When people think about “horse people” many terms come to mind including dirty, “country people,” stuck-up, etc. I always feel like some people think I am “out there” when I talk about owning horses because it isn’t that common. I also think that many people will not understand what I am talking about, but I am going to try and explain everything. For example, I will not have “show names” said without explanation, but I feel like some things people will not understand. Many people do not realize that horses are bathed like dogs, or groomed like dogs, so this might need explaining. I also do not know what questions people might have about riding/raising horses. I am used to the “horse world,” and think that many people find it to be bizarre.

As an outsider I would like to show people how horses are easy to get along with, and how they usually understand humans and relate to us more than dogs do Many dog owners think that their dogs relate to them, but surprisingly I think horses understand us better than dogs to and believe me, I have raised many dogs.  I would also like to show people how horses and the life associated with horses is not all glamour and “clean.” Raising horses is usually more difficult than people think and takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

The second video I found was a little more comical and showed a talk show hosts, Chelsea Lately’s, first time ridding a horse and the experience she went through. Granted her language is a little vulgar and her humor a little skewed, I believe by watching this video the viewer was able to gather what she smelled at the horse barn (i.e. “poop”), and what she felt like when she was on top of the horse. Like I said, however, her descriptions are a little odd but I believe she is being honest. The first time many people ride a horse they do not find it to be comfortable because they are too tense and do not go with the flow of the horse.

I am not sure if I did this assignment correctly, so any feedback would be helpful! Thank you!!

This summer I plan on taking 10 credits here at Saint Rose over the next few months so that I can student teach in the Fall. However, I still plan on doing a lot of things besides homework, working, and chasing children around a house. A few things I have already planned/organized to some extent include:

• Mountain Jam at Hunter Mountain
• Allman Brothers concert and other concerts at SPAC
• Bronx Zoo ( I have never been there and I promised my five year old sister I’d take her)
• A week to Martha’s Vineyard before student teaching

I love festivals and being outdoors. I also am teaching my little sister how to ride; she is five so it is incredibly interesting and I love every moment. Yesterday we just bought a little pony, Snowflake, so that she has one to call her own. I have two horses, Rusty and Spanky, and now with permission from my little sister I can have them back. Yesterday she so kindly informed me that, “you can have Rusty back once I get Snowflake.” Oh how little kids make me laugh. They are the cutest things ever and my boyfriend sometimes gets a little jealous of all the time I spend with the little kids. You see, if I am not with him or working I am with my nieces and nephews or my best friends’ baby, Ryan. I cannot get enough of them! And sometimes this upsets my boyfriend, which is cute in my mind.

My family is the most important thing in my life, and second comes my education. If it were not for my family I do not know where I would be today. My family is very large, actually many joke and call us the Brady bunch because my mom had three children before she meet my stepfather, and he had two children as well, and then they had one together. So in total that makes three girls and three boys. I guess we are the mixed-up Brady Bunch, but I love every minute I get to spend with them.

Right now I am really into cooking and I found this great book and have now become in love with my slow-cooker, at least this love my boyfriend cannot get jealous of because he benefits from it too! If you ever want to cook something but don’t have all day, you just throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker before you go to school or work and when you come home you have a great meal prepared!

Anyways, that is me in a nutshell; I love my family, I have a hectic summer schedule, yet I try to enjoy my summers!  I am postive that I bored you and that you learned more about me than you care to know, but I hope to get to know all of you more throughout the completion of this course.

practice link

class website