Holly Hudspeth and Last Monarch: Road to the WEGs

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Guest Writers, Eventing Nation

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From Holly:

Hello Everyone!


Well I am fresh off a solid run at Richland Park, and for those of you who have never been there, the place is AMAZING! Let me back up and fill you in on what Screwball (aka Stewie) and I have been up to. Basically, it is lessons with Oded and Katie, traveling all over the place, packing and re-packing my suitcase, and somehow managing a personal life and business! Many of the short listed riders and I went to the Culpeper jumper show after a few days of dressage/sj lessons in Middleburg. We met up with Katie there who walked courses, warmed all of us up, and watched us in the ring. I absolutely LOVE Katie because there is no room for silly mistakes. She is a perfectionist, and when she says do six in a line, she means six! Katie has also changed my position a bit by having me sit lighter in the saddle and making it a priority to come to the jumps more in control. It definitely has worked to my benefit that she really likes Stewie, but she does not allow him to come sideways through the turns. (A Stewie speciality I might add) Anyway, Culpeper went great and I was pumped for Richland!

Oded has some super ideas for Stewie and I, and our lessons have been going well. Before my test, Oded, Mark and I agreed that I needed to really ride through any tension I may encounter in the ring. Oded said, "use today as a school and push him very forward throughout the test." I thought, hold on, I am at Richland, not a schooling show! Although I want nothing more than to only improve my scores, I was willing to give it a try. I will admit the test felt rushed and quick, but Stewie was very obedient. Both Oded and Mark were happy with my efforts, but being the competitor that I am, I was disappointed with my score. The new ideas are great, but I am going to focus on those points this winter, and at SPHT ( I am doing a CT) and the AEC's, I am going get back into my comfort zone.

After dressage was over and I quit sulking, I was so excited to tackle the xc course! I knew I was going to go quick because I wanted a good round with speed before I had to do it at the AEC'c. And of course my amazing little horse did not disappoint!!! He jumped his heart out and skipped around the big track well inside the time. Jumping Stewie around an advanced track is honestly one of the most thrilling things I do. His foot work, turning abilities, and speed are almost dangerous. I feel like a teenager with the keys to the fastest sports car on the planet. I wish everyone could experience what I get to ride xc, it is so thrilling!

Show jumping went well too. Stewie was a jumping bean and should have been clean if his idiot mother had steadied for the 5 strides between fences 5 and 6. As I came out of the ring Katie said, "I said that was a STEADY FIVE!!! That was totally your fault!" Again, she is a very disciplined coach, and was completely right about it being my mistake. Although we did not finish as high up in the placings as I had hoped, Stewie came out of the competition great, and his trot up and his quick USEF vet check Sunday afternoon went perfect. It is now to SPHT for a combined test, then the AEC's. Stewie and I cannot wait to rock it in GA!

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How To Keep Riding In College

By will.groom.for.food. on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Random

At some point most of us have an intermission of sorts in our riding careers, or at the very least a minor "hiccup" where we are horseless for a time. For many, this happens during college or during our debut into the "real world." (I still haven't discovered what constitutes the "real world.") Below are some ideas to keep you in the irons and prevent you from going crazy.

1. Be ridiculously amazing and have a bunch of sponsors. This way, you'll always have lots of horses and money. And friends.

2. Ok, so the first one didn't really pan out, but that's why we have enablers, like parents. Just promise to keep a 3.3 2.75 GPA and they'll pay for your precious pony to attend college with you!

3. Well, studying is hard and your Underwater Basket Weaving professor hated you for no explainable reason, so scratch plan two. But that intercollegiate riding team always sounded like fun, right?

4. Who knew that riding new horses at every show wasn't a blast? Or that you have to be reasonably responsible and attend meetings...whoops. That's okay, you've got friends that have horses, especially greenies that need to be ridden.

5. So trying to drag the 4 year old away from his friends and into the barn was more work than actually riding. Settling to be the exercise-rider-while-owner-is-on-a-ridiculously-expensive-vacation isn't looking so bad now, is it?

6. Be an Equine Major.

How have you managed college, or any horseless time period in your life? Wearing my tall boots around and pretending I have something to ride can only placate me for so long. And its getting me weird looks at the grocery store.  

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Good news Tuesday

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes
I am very pleased to report that I have gotten word from the Loudoun horse trials secretary that the rider who was airlifted from Loundoun was released from the hospital Monday night.  Brittany suffered at least one cracked rib, a concussion, and other bumps and bruises in a rotational fall at an intermediate double bench combination on Sunday at Loundoun.  She was airlifted from the event after she reported painful breathing.  Considering the nature of the fall, it is a relief that she was released so quickly and all of Eventing Nation wishes her a speedy recovery.  
Will.groom.for.food will be handling our afternoon post and we will have Holly Hudspeth's guest blog from Richland later this evening.  Until then, here's to keeping our fingers crossed for a quiet afternoon of eventing news.  Go eventing.
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Change is the only constant

By Annie Yeager on , Filed Under Eventing Nation

There's an old proverb that says, "Change is the only constant." I was thinking recently about all the changes Eventing has seen through the years. The more serious and definitely the most discussed ones involve changes of course design, the change from the long format to short format, and consequently the different type of horse one needs to be competitive in the age of the short format. So after some heavy research on the COTH forums, I've come up with a few more.

The dress for eventing has evolved from virtually no safety equipment to some pretty high tech gear. Some of which is now even starting to make an appearance in the dressage ring! Head protection has evolved from absolutely none to the heavily tested and approved helmets we wear today. When helmet use did start to become popular a few decades ago, it was really only velvet hunt caps without harnesses that were worn. Eventually the famed Caliente skullcap came along and offered slightly more protection, but only slightly. Although we eventers generally leave it to the show hunters to be the fashionistas, our sport has witnessed some pretty  untrendy fashions as well. Rugby shirts used to be the shirts of choice for the cross-country phase. They came in many different color combinations that could be coordinated with one's cross-country colors. There were flared breeches, then there were rust-colored breeches. Today, both would be on most people's "Things-to-toss-or-give-to-Goodwill" list!

 

The famous Three-Day Events of past decades like Ledyard, Blue Ridge, and more recently Radnor have been discontinued; along with countless other small, family run horse trials. It needs not mentioning that Bruce Davidson's gold medal performance at the 1974 World Championships at Burghley in England gave the United States the right to host the next World Championships. They took place four years later at the Kentucky Horse Park, where Bruce brought home the gold medal for the second time. The Kentucky Horse Park has a legacy that goes far beyond the Rolex Kentucky Four Star that we all know today.

The famous You Tube videos that feature riders coming unstuck on the backside of a fence and clinging to the side of their horses' until they made it past the penalty zone flags were also from a different time. By doing so, one could avoid the penalties for a fall and afford the video cameras some very interesting footage. Fall in the zone, 60 penalties.  Make it past  and all it costs you is the time it takes to climb back in the saddle in and carry on.  Most women that competed in Three-Day Events had to carry weight pads under their saddles to meet the 165 lb minimum weight requirement. After cross-country riders had to "weigh-in" with their saddles and weight pads to make sure they met the minimum requirement.

 

In one Chronicle thread, Denny Emerson wrote about how he felt at the 1973 Ledyard Three Day Event. "I was trotting on roads and tracks on Victor Dakin after steeplechase at Appleton Farm, and getting close to Ledyard Farm for the first big International Three-Day in the US, Ledyard `73, and hearing the roar of the crowd as some rider sped around x-c.  I was thinking "what the f--- am I doing here?", scared out of my mind, but too committed to back out now."

I think he summed up the changes to Eventing best by later stating, "I have a hunch that the kids who are experiencing today's events, fresh, excited, and keen, will look back on the early two thousands as "the good old days", just as I do the 60s or 70s or 80s. I don't think it's worse, only different, and just as meaningful as ever. That fear I felt at Ledyard 34 years ago, some kid is feeling today going prelim or intermediate for the first time, just as poignant and intense as ever. I'm going to try to figure out how to make this new deal work, and not get into the "in my day" any more than I can help it."

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Event, Hunt, Pony Club 12yo 16.0 gelding

By Leslie on , Filed Under Area 2, b) $5,000-$15,000, Sport Horse Nation and , ,
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Description: "Goya" is a solid Novice horse.  He is an excellent jumper who has a great work ethic.  He has also hunted extensively with Elkridge-Harford.  He has done Pony Club and is adaptable to many different situations.


Adjectives: Athletic, Quiet, Uncomplicated

Price: Category B ($5,000-$15,000)
Location: Oxford, PA
Contact: Sally Cousins   610 324 6628   sallycousins@aol.com
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Steph Rhodes-Bosch Road to the WEGs, Chapter 4

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Guest Writers, Eventing Nation

One of the first things Steph did after winning the advanced at Richland and then driving home to Virginia all night was sit down and write her EN guest blog.  We appreciate the dedication Steph!  Please visit Steph's site to learn more about her and be sure to check out her fundraising opportunities.  The road to the WEGs is, if nothing else, expensive.  Thanks for writing this Steph and thank you for reading.

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From Steph:

This past weekend, Ollie and I took another step forward in our fall season at the Richland Park Horse Trials in Michigan. This was my first time at this event, and it was well worth the 11 hour drive! I drove up overnight on Tuesday with Rebecca Howard, mostly so that we could have lessons on Tuesday morning with David while still giving our horses all day Wednesday to rest and recover from the trip. We figured that we spend most nights staring at the ceiling thinking about our dressage tests anyways.... so we might as well just drive!! 
 
Ollie travelled well, as always, and felt very good in our pre-ride on Thurdsday morning. Our test wasn't until late in the day, so I got on him about 10 am to see what sorts of things I would need to focus on for our final warmup. We had some serious dressage bootcamp with David in the week leading up to the competition, and I felt like we were a lot better for it technically, but there's still a lot of improvement to be had as we get comfortable. I was pretty pleased with my test, but as usual felt like there was more to be shown, and I was very happy with our score of 31.7. I'm going to use the next 10 days to work towards squeezing out an even better test at the AEC's! 
 
I was very excited to see that the  cross country course looked like a fun, galloping ride around. After our quiet jump around the Intermediate at Waredaca two weeks ago, it was a very good next step! Not super huge, and not a ton of technical stuff, but a great chance for us to practice the exercises and also to practice jumping out of a bit of a faster rhythm. Ollie is usually very quiet in the start box, but on Saturday he was ready to get on with it and really peeled out of there!! The first jump was quite close to the start, so we jumped that and the second a little quietly before getting up to speed for the third fence. I don't really know why, but apparently quite a few horses landed hard into the first water at fence 5, and Ollie definitely joined them! He felt nice and soft going up over the hedge, but he must have gotten a little too vertical as he came down. As a result, we kind of went splat and ended up with an extra stride before the boathouse. Luckily for us, Ollie is a really powerful jumper, so he had no trouble with the big effort out, even though it wasn't the best ride through! After that, though, it was pretty smooth sailing!! The advanced horse trials did the two star route through the second water, which was a water to water 5 stride to a hedge on a steep mound, and then four strides out over an angled brush. I think that was probably my favorite line of the whole course, he was just so rideable and confident through there... made it feel so easy! Jon had asked me what I thought about the approach to the sunken road in the woods, and I had said I thought it would be a little spooky for horses that went that way, but I thought Ollie would just nicely back himself off and be fine. Well, I dont even think he was concerned about the change in scene at all!! He galloped straight into the woods, and I actually had to work quite hard to get his canter back as we wove our way through the trees to the first element.... which he drew to right away! Overall, I think that he felt like his usual cross country machine self, and we didn't have any trouble making the time even with our quiet first two fences. 
 
But, all did not go exactly as planned. At some point through the course we lost our Left front wheel (shoe), and I was really concerned that I was going to have to work really hard to make that foot feel better after galloping around on it barefoot. Luckily, he wasn't sensitive to the hoof testers at all, and after a couple rounds of ice that we would have done anyways, he jogged off just fine!! 
 
Ollie and I also made a new friend this weekend in Massage therapist  Angie Cooney. Dr. Ober introduced us early in the week, and on Saturday night after we had recovered a bit and had some dinner, Angie did some work to help undo some of the tension that Ollie was carrying in his body from the run. He was so funny during the massage, because he was very sensitive in some parts of his body and as she was applying pressure you could tell that he was really uncomfortable. He kept looking at her like he was very offended! But Angie said that as she felt each muscle start to release, she felt him sort of relax and he accepted the pressure more and more as she moved around his body. By the time she was working on his hind end, he was leaning into her!! I usually think that other people don't really notice his expressions as much as I do, because I know him so well, but Angie thought he was pretty hilarious the way that he was so offended at first, but then figured out that if he just went with it, he would feel better! And feel better he did. He came out of his stall on Sunday morning and took a huge stretch and then marched off to find some grass. 
 
Obviously, I couldn't have been more pleased with the way he jumped on Sunday afternoon. I felt like there were a few fences in warm up where I wasn't completely there for him, but he was still jumping great. The course, however, I felt like I did a pretty good job with. He was very focused and did his job just right. After our clear ride, I would have been happy finishing the competition in third place, because we did everything we set out to do. The way I see it, there is absolutely no shame in finishing third behind the likes of Becky and Kim. Winning was a very nice icing on the cake for us, seeing as its only the second time I have ever won anything!!
 
So now, we are home in Virginia after driving until 3 am, and the preparation is ON for the AEC's next weekend. It might be the American Championships, but I would think that the Canadian invasion will continue!! Hopefully I'm right, for those of you who have been rooting for us, please carry on!! And for those of you who haven't been, consider jumping on the bandwagon!!! Thanks a lot for reading....  :)


~Stephanie
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Sharon White is excited for Monday news and notes

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes

I have always been told that I have a face for radio.  So when our friends at the Horse Radio Network asked me to come on their Stable Scoop radio show and chat about Hahahorses.com, I jumped at the opportunity.  I had a fun time, but in all honesty, I haven't listened to the show because I always get really critical of myself when I see or hear replays.  So, you might say I have a voice for writing, but you can hear the show below for yourself.

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From The Stable Scoop Radio Show:
 A variety pack this week from Kathleen's Wild Ride update, to HaHaHorses, to Sports Massage Therapist Jamie Cohen about why CROSS TRAINING is so important for muscle health in ALL horses. Listen in... Stable Scoop Episode 106 - Show Notes and Links:

Please visit our sponsors and show your support:

_____________________________________ Listen, Download or Subscribe: listennow125

You will remember today's photo on Hahahorses as being featured on Eventing Nation's Omega Alpha caption contest.  If you entered that contest, you are welcome to reuse your captions, just please submit the same email address so we can verify the entry.
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In other news, Sharon White and Rafferty's Rules continued their Blenheim prep today by competing in the Highclere advanced.   The competition was held on Monday because it was a bank holiday--Badminton finished on Monday this year for the same reason.  Sharon told me before the event that she was planning to just do the combined test.  Rafferty's Rules got a 34 in the dressage and would have finished towards the top of the division just looking at the combined test scores.  Sharon also mentioned that they have ferret racing at Highclere, as if the XC wasn't exciting enough.  Link:  Highclere Results
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**Don't forget to submit your entries to win a free Point Two Airjacket from Point Two and Eventing Nation.  There are only a few more days left to enter and remember that we will get the vest autographed by a rider at the WEGs.  Go eventing.
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Monday US Team Vet Inspections

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation
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I just got word that Neville Bardos, Remington, Balynoecastle RM, My Boy Bobby, The Foreman, and Woodburn will not be required to run cross-country at the American Eventing Championships.  The 6 horses received a full inspection by the US team's veterinarians on Monday morning and will likely just do the combined test at the AECs.  The US Team obviously has good reason to be confident in these horses on the XC, and I think this further supports what I have been saying for a while--it's just a question of which horses Phillip, Buck, and Boyd will take to the WEGs.  Go eventing.

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Monday Reader

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Eventing News and Notes
One thing is clear: it's an exciting time to be an eventer.  We have Burghley this coming weekend, then the AECs in two weekends, and the World Equestrian Games in just under a month.  Michael Pollard and Wonderful Will are still on the Burghley entries list as of Monday morning, so hopefully our US readers will have a rooting interest in Burghley.  Also, the word is that Peter Atkins and Henry are reserves for the Australian team.  I'm glad to see that the Aussie selectors took our advice, and Eventing Nation is one step closer to getting a helmet-cam video of the WEG course.
If you are still looking for hotel tickets for the WEGs you are in luck.  The Canadian Team has a small number of rooms available from Sept 28 to October 3 (incl) at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. The rate is $325 per night.  The GG is one of the best hotels in Lexington, and I am told that it has sold out of all other rooms at $450-500.  The teams all made reservations years in advance, and I guess the Canadians have a few extra.  I think they might throw in an official Team Canada hat designed by yours truly if you buy the rooms.  If you are interested, contact Sandra DeGraff @ 613-248-3433 xt 109 and please reference Eventing Nation, I think they have heard of us.
Check out Doug Payne's helmet cam of the Richland CIC3* course:


Go eventing.
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Eventing Radio Network – Buying & Selling Horses

By Leslie on , Filed Under Editorial, Sport Horse Nation

The Eventing Radio Network has provided excellent interviews and advice on the sport to a constantly growing fanbase for almost 100 episodes!

In this episode, Boyd Martin talks about the do's and don't of buying and selling horses and has some valuable advice about pre-purchase exams.  Guest Jonathan Holling talks about the Professional Horseman's Council.  This episode originally aired in January on the show's one year anniversary.

Eventing Radio Episode 59 - Show Notes and Links:

EndurExtra

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