Social Media, Explained

Needless to say, when talking about Dappled Grey, I get the question a lot: "What IS social media, anyway?" You'll understand, then, why I was very excited when Mashable's marketing director Marta Kagan put together this engaging and convincing case for social media that is viewable in about TWO MINUTES. (Way better than a 250 page Master's thesis, eh?) Thanks, Marta! What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later View more documents from Marta Kagan. An old friend and I recently remarked on a similar theme across our two very different career paths - always being slightly ahead of...

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'Warmbloods Today': Liz Cornell's Must-Read Magazine

Even though we run a blog, we will always love print magazines. Warmbloods Today is a full color, bi-monthly magazine that aims to connect Warmblood sport horse owners, riders, trainers, and breeders. Publisher/editor Liz Cornell is a lifelong horsewoman, one sharp equine entrepreneur, and has her finger on the pulse of today's Warmblood sport horse industry.

Grand Prix Mashup!

What do you get when you combine a girl with a Flip Mino HD, a guy with a penchant for mashup DJ tracks (this one is Steinski), and a Sunday afternoon at a horse show? A Grand Prix mashup, what else?! Country Classic 2009 - Grand Prix from Dappled Grey on Vimeo For those who have been curious about the performance of the Flip, this video is another example of "straight out of the pocket" shots from the rail at an outdoor horse show. (On a rather grey day, I might add.) For those who may have expected this year's...

Dappled Grey Interview on Horse Radio Network

I recently had the fantastic opportunity to talk about the Dappled Grey blog on the Horse Radio Network show "The Stable Scoop." The Stable Scoop is a weekly online radio show (a "podcast from the paddock") that covers a broad range of horse news and stories. The show's hosts, Glenn and Helena, are passionate about bridging the worlds of technology and horses and, last week, put together a great show featuring 10 very diverse Twitter users from the horse world. Click on the player below for the audio of my interview or you can listen to the full episode here....

Sport Horse Blogging on Safari (4)

Dappled Grey's "Top Sites" as displayed by Safari 4 Things are definitely buzzing a little faster here at Dappled Grey after Sunday's purchase of a brand new 13" MacBook Pro! The arrival of the MBP coincides with the retirement of my beloved 12" PowerBook G4, a proven legend in the Apple laptop bloodlines. Rest assured, in this Mac-loving household, the PowerBook will receive a retirement ceremony fit for a Triple Crown champion and be turned out to greener pastures to live out the rest of its days unperturbed by the restless demands of a sport horse blogger. I could rave...

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Olympic Medalist Clinics

During June/July, the Pacific Northwest will be positively glowing as five legendary Olympic medalists from three different sport horse disciplines will be teaching clinics in the region. All of these riders are luminaries in their respective disciplines and well known for giving back to their sport through educational opportunities. Event Camp with David & Karen O'Connor and Amy Tryon June 16 - 21 Beginner Novice through Advanced level @Rebecca Farms, Kalispell, MT Presented by Four Star Equine Joe Fargis Clinic June 30 - July 1 Sections at 3', 3'6", and 4' on the Grass Grand Prix Field (weather permitting) Hosted...

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Sport Horses and the Social Web

The growing role of social media in business and non profit marketing is all over the news these days. This index, put together by Interactive Insights Group, presents an extensive list of websites providing examples of corporate and non-profit social media in action. So where does the sport horse industry fit in with this trend? The answer is evolving nearly every day, as new users experiment with new ways to reach new audiences using the social Web. Dappled Grey recently wrote about the growing number of Horse Tweets, individuals and businesses in the sport horse industry who are using twitter...

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Reflections on Riding and Jumping by William Steinkraus

William Steinkraus aboard the legendary Snowbound Do you other riders out there have a favorite horse book? My bible is a well-worn copy of William Steinkraus' "Reflections on Riding and Jumping: Winning Techniques for Serious Riders." I have often used this book a a reference manual on technical questions - setting up cavaletti exercises, bitting, or schooling lead changes with a young horse. Other times, it has been a source of inspiration after down days or those bleak stretches when things just aren't clicking with a particular horse. Steinkraus presents useful aphorisms, stunning photos of some of the most winning...

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by William Steinkraus"

Horse Tweets?

Dappled Grey (@dappledgrey) has been having a great time playing in the proverbial sandbox of social networking known as twitter. There's a lot of interesting "horsey" talk going on, with recent conversation trends emerging around sport horse events such as the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, and the Preakness.

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USEF "Club Equestrian" Video Contest

Have I been living under a rock (or maybe just spending too much time in the barn)? I just recently discovered Club Equestrian, a community website presented by the United States Equestrian Federation. The website has many interesting and useful features - video interviews with USEF and other top riders, footage from major competitions, several blogs, a discussion board, event calendar, and more. During April, Club Equestrian hosted a video contest titled "Tell Us A Horse Story," sponsored by High Line Outfitters. Entries close on April 20, but the submissions are great fun to watch and you can vote your...

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