The only donkey in NYC

We learned that the Claremont Riding Academy is being closed...

"Claremont Riding Academy, the last riding stable in Manhattan, is located at 175 West 89th Street in New York City. Built in 1892, and a National Historical Site, Claremont is a regular attraction for horsey tourists.
Claremont is a very sophisticated yet homey environment. This unusual multistory barn, its floors connected by ramps, houses its horses in individual stalls in the basement and on the second floor. There is an indoor riding ring, but it is quite small and obstructed by posts.
Claremont gives riding lessons and will rent horses to experienced riders to ride on the bridle paths in Central Park. There are jumping, dressage, group and private lessons. There are about 15-20 instructors.
The location of the stable makes for an unusual experience in the equestrian world: riding in heavy traffic. The stable is not in Central Park itself, but a block and a half away. Getting to the park requires riding a horse on Manhattan streets, mixed in with the regular traffic, and crossing Central Park West.
Claremont is closing for business according to the New York Post on 4/29/07"

Ahem.. we once visited the CRA and took a short tour. In the basement lives a donkey. Well, he lived there then. I got to meet him. I thought, "this has got to be the only Donkey in NYC".

Apparently it is not uncommon to house donkeys, goats etc along with the horses, or "stock", as a companion for those long, lonely, and dark nights in the barn.

So, this post if for him (im terrible with names). The last donkey in NYC. Farewell.

hunted,haunted

we fell off of the wagon. the wagon wasnt so bad. now i am going to go and get stuff to make breakfast because i woke up remembering what it was like to sleep over at my grandparents place, and i want it to be that way for April today.

the name of this blog shares the same name of a song that our friends in the band Print wrote. very fitting for this morning (afternoon). if you have the time, seek them out. they are fantastic. wait, this blog i supposed to be about us right?

we saw a photo of a kitten standing next to a microphone last night. it looked like our cat Wednesday. when we got her from the pound she was little and got very sick the day after we brought her home. she barely made it. much like the rest of us. anyway, April had to give her shots with this big needle in her neck because she was so dehydrated. much like the rest of us. here is a photo of her. she is the best.

Monkey riding a dog

April and I talk about this lots. This is pretty common at a rodeo. I haven't seen it live yet. April has. She seems to be less obsessed with it than I am. There are tons of video clips all over showing these little guys in action. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I didnt take this photo.

SXSW Tour

Black Horse is back from a killer tour down to SXSW where we barely escaped a post Vice Party balcony fiasco DUI trap, saw Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price kick out the country jams under the Texas sky, played with some great bands, and then toured up through the midwest and back to Brooklyn.
We'll be spending the summer playing the East Coast and preparing for our first album, The Black Arts of Black Horse, to come out this fall. Expect a substantial US tour to follow.
Mona Superhero will be doing the album art. Google her. She is insanely talented. Or talented and insane. Both actually.
In the meantime, we have posted several tracks from the album, as well as a little ditty we did for our friend Brian for The Funhouse Compilation, on our myspace site www.myspace.com/blackhorse . Brian is a kickass dj on KEXP's Sonic Reducer, and books the Funhouse, which is one of the most fun and deafening venues in Seattle. The track is up on the myspace page for download, for all of you that want a little piece of this for yourself.
Our most sincere thanks to all of our friends that put us up while we were on the road, helped with shows, and drank with us. Without you being on the road is just not the same. Without you we would merely be truckers. And to all of the bands we played with and the people who came to our shows, we are glad we could entertain you momentarily. If you liked it, let someone you love know.
Here's a gem of a billboard we spotted in Tulsa. Commentary courtesy of yours truly.....

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Thad Sand.

About

Black Horse is a two-piece rock band backed by a drum machine. Black Horse is April Goettle singing and playing guitar with A.P. Schroder (The Building Press) who also is playing guitar, singing, and programming snare, crash, and kick. Black Horse is Godflesh at 45 rpm with PJ Harvey sitting in. Black Horse is an 80's dance party on gold flake paint at 4 a.m. Black Horse is sex in the bathroom with someone you met a couple of hours ago. Black Horse is a band from Brooklyn, New York.