Leslie Law speaks about his application

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation

Leslie Law was kind enough to give me a few minutes to chat about his decision to apply for the US Team coaching job.  The first thing we discussed is that Leslie is applying to fill both the Technical Advisor and Chef roles.  Leslie said that he studies coaching in riding as well as other sports such as soccer (yes, he said soccer) and feels there has got to be one person that the riders answer to.  Leslie said:

"With other sports, there is always one [coach] in charge"

We then spoke about Leslie's successes history with the British team and I asked him how his experience riding so long in England before moving to the US shaped his ideas about US High Performance.  As he put it:

"The US Team is not really a case of reinventing the wheel.  I had experience being part of a very successful team system.  I learned a lot and I would bring the ideas that worked when I was on the British Team.  America is a different country, but many of the same principles apply."

In eventing, being a bit more like the British team is probably a good thing.  One sentiment that Leslie expressed to me that I wholeheartedly agree with is that the US Team is fortunate to have a variety of great applicants.  Leslie was very gracious and spoke highly of his competitors.

"It looks very good for the US to have so many strong applicants"

Thanks for chatting with me Leslie, thanks to Leslie's wife Lesley Grant Law for getting us in touch, and thank you for reading.  Go eventing.

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SmartPaks ship free

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

If you haven't already noticed it, we have a new SmartPak banner graphic posted in the EN sidebar.  The banner is pretty self explanatory--it means that you can get free shipping for SmartPaks over $40!  This is great news because you save some money while getting the fabulous SmartPak system for your horse.  SmartPaks are cost effective, they eliminate supplement errors, and they are convenient as heck, and now you don't have to pay UPS to get them. 

SmartPak and EN's other wonderful sponsors have helped keep the heat on at the EN headquarters and our Chinchilla army well fed this winter, so be sure to support our sponsors by shopping with them.  Click here or, as always, on the banner to check out all the great SmartPak options. 

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Coaching Application Deadline Notes

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation


Photo courtesy of Allie Conrad

Today is the deadline for applying for the USEF Technical Advisor/Chef position, and here are a few notes about the things we know, the things we don't know, and what it all means:

1) Not all of the applicants are public and the odds are reasonably high that at least one or two of the applicants will never be made public.  Applying for the US coaching position is like applying for any job in the sense that applicants often don't want other people to find out about their application, particularly their current employers, if they are going to get rejected.  Applicants who have jobs coaching other teams and applicants with large buying/selling businesses that would probably end if they took the US job have particular motivation to stay private.  It's important that we respect those wishes, and I won't be the one to break the news on an applicant that hasn't made it clear that they are comfortable with the information becoming public because if I was applying I would appreciate the same courtesy.   Of course, if the news becomes public somewhere else, we'll post it 15 seconds later. The only time that applicants will necessarily be made public is when the short list is sent from the Search Committee to the Active Athletes.  So, we could conceivably never hear about someone applying if they remain private through the Search Committee and then don't make the short list.

2) The Hoys present a very strong team to coach the US, and make no mistake that Bettina and Andrew will both have integral coaching roles if they get the job.  From speaking with two sources close to the Hoys, Bettina would likely coach the High Performance dressage and the developing riders and Andrew will cover all the other responsibilities including the role of Chef.  The COTH wrote an article this afternoon confirming the Hoys application but saying that only Andrew applied, and in the sense that Andrew is the primary applicant and would bear most of the responsibilities I agree completely.  It's perhaps a semantic difference, but an important one and it is important that Bettina is very much a part of the plan for US eventing.  If the application was going to be just Andrew, with Bettina playing no role whatsoever, I think we all would like the idea a lot less.  The USEF Search Committee has encouraged applicants to develop new and innovative proposals for the High Performance program and so far the applicants have not announced the details of their plans to the media for obvious reasons.   

3) Jimmy Wofford absolutely steamrolled the other candidates in our poll from Friday night.   I texted someone when we posted the poll that I thought Jimmy would win by about 30%.  He captured 53% of the nearly 900 votes, David was second with 27%, followed by the Hoys with 12%, and Phillip/Bobby received just 8%.  Phillip and Bobby's single digit performance shocks me, but I still think they have a great chance at getting the job.  Popularity isn't a huge part of the equation, but it does matter as far as USEF's sponsors are concerned and Jimmy's fans are giving him a big boost. 

Here's a quick review of the applicants that we know of right now (in no particular order):

Leslie Law
The Hoys
Jimmy Wofford
Bobby Costello and Phillip Dutton
David O'Connor

Go eventing.

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Buck Davidson’s Packers jersey

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation, Random

BuckDavidsonPackersJersey.jpg
Nice pants Buck  [photo courtesy of someone who may or may not be named Jon Holling]

As the story goes, Buck Davidson and Jon Holling made a bet on the NFL wild card playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Jon's Packers defeated Buck's Eagles 21 to 16.  As I mentioned this morning, the price for losing was that Buck spent all of Saturday at Rocking Horse HT riding in a Green Bay Packers jersey.  The above photo might become the official EN Buck photo.  Here's Buck on course wearing the jersey:

BuckDavidsonPackersJersey2.jpg
Photo courtesy of Jess Halliday

Go eventing.

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My Boy Bobby Fully Retired

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

In my news and notes this morning I mentioned a tweet by Ecogold that it was rumored My Boy Bobby had retired and would continue being ridden at the lower levels.  The Chronicle has confirmed that Bobby is retired and that there are no plans to compete him at any lower level events, but Bobby will continue to be ridden and worked throughout his retirement to keep him happy.  Bobby's owner, Carl Segal said regarding the decision to retire Bobby:

"We don't want to chase it.  Some people just keep going and going and going until the horse breaks, but we figure it's good for an athlete to go out on top sometimes." 

Certainly this was a classy decision by Buck and the Segals to retire Bobby rather than trying to push the line too hard to the detriment of such a fabulous horse.  Lots of fans loved Bobby for his dressage talent, but I loved him because he was such an honest and kind jumper and because he had an incredible heart galloping on XC.  You will be deeply missed Bobby.  Go eventing.  [COTH]

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FEI: XC falls are declining

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation

A few weeks ago ESJ wrote on the EventingSafety blog that the FEI would be holding a National Safety Officer seminar in Greenwich.  What ESJ asked for at the time, and we seconded, was to have more transparency from the meeting.  The FEI has responded and this morning they sent out a press release about the meeting.  Part of the release explained that the rate of eventing falls is steadily declining at FEI events.  Here are several paragraphs from the release:


Since 2005, the [fall] rate has dropped steadily from one Cross-Country fall per 17 starters to one in 19 in 2009-10. In 2009, there were 778 falls from 14,206 starters (an incidence of 5.48%); in 2010, this figure was 767 from 15,518 (4.94%).

[Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA), Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee, said] "Of course, we are happy to have a growing Eventing community, but we must make sure that these competitors who are coming into the sport and progressing up it are properly prepared for each level. Our priority is always to ensure competitors do not face any unnecessary risk in what inevitably will remain a risk sport.

"The number of falls at 1* level, and the proportion of horse falls (240 in 2010), is still of concern, as is the consistency of national methods of record-keeping, and we are continually striving to find ways of educating officials and riders, and standardising data collection throughout the world."  [Full Press Release]

I'll be interested to hear ESJ's take on the situation, but I am very glad that the FEI is taking advantage of the chance to release safety statistics.  Go eventing.

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Quit Horsing Around: The Monkey in the Middle

By Leslie on , Filed Under Just Kidding, Sport Horse Nation

monkey-rider-retouched.jpg

Description: Marmalade the Monkey and his pony known as Duke.  Together they form the dynamic duo - Marmaduke.  It would be really great if someone could get them out of my hair.  They'd make great companions for the elderly, or the most entertaining babysitters your kids have ever seen.  Neither me, nor my pathetic plot of dirt that once was a garden, can take it any more.  These two are inseparable, and their appetites for mischief - insatiable.  They are lots of fun, but I have things to do.  If anyone knows of an opening at a circus, please contact.


Adjectives: Adorable, Intelligent, Frustrating

Price: If you pet it, you buy it.
Location: A bunker
Contact: The authorities
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Leslie Law’s Monday News and Notes

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

If you didn't catch the news last night (don't worry, only Coren reads Eventing Nation on Sunday nights), Leslie Law became the 5th confirmed application for the US coaching position.  I say 'application' because there have actually been 7 applicants with the two paired applications of the Hoys and Bobby/Phillip.  My guess is that there will still be one or two more applicants, but we can safely say that the USEF's Search Committee now has a wide variety of choices. 

The application deadline is today, and then the next major step in the process is when the USEF Search Committee will pass a short list onto the Active Athletes Committee.  Wisely but frustratingly, a deadline has not been announced for when that step or the final hiring decision will occur.  We'll have more about Leslie Law later, but my first reaction is that it's a very good application from the standpoint that Leslie is familiar with US eventing, having lived in the US for 4 years, but he is also very independent because he has never been part of the USEF's system.

Now for your news and notes, which are scientifically guaranteed to cure a case of the 'Mondays':

--Buck Davidson kicked butt at Rocking Horse, winning two intermediate divisions and taking second in the other intermediate division.  Buck was riding Ballynoecastle RM in the Open Intermediat-B and won by 8 points.  Canadian Kendal Lehari placed first and second in the Intermediate/Preliminary.  I could tell you a story about Kendal's jack russell, but I should probably stay on topic.  Leslie Law won the Prelim Horse division on Amarna, edging Karen O'Connor by two points. [Rocking Horse Results (FL)]

--The Pine Top results page appears to be offline at the time I am writing this, but I can tell you from chatting with someone at Pine Top on Sunday that Nathalie Pollard won a prelim division on a 20.  That dominant finish was likely made all the more satisfying by the fact that she beat her husband Michael who was in the same division.  Nathalie has been taking a maternity break from riding for the past 3 years, but she obviously hasn't lost a step from her previous USEF training list days.  Nathalie scores 9's for rider about half the time...and 10's the other half of the time.  To get an 8 on rider you need to have perfect position, to get a 9 you need to have perfect position and have the horse so well tuned to the aids that it looks like you are doing absolutely nothing.  Seriously, go watch Nathalie ride dressage at an event some time, it's a very humbling experience for us dressage mortals.  [Pine Top Results]   

--Buck Davidson spent all of Saturday at Rocking Horse riding in a Green Bay Packers jersey because he lost a bet with Jon Holling, who is a big Packers fan.  If you can find a photo of Buck wearing the Packers jersey, please send in to the EN Team at eventingnation@gmail.com.  It will certainly be worth EN Karma, and it might be worth an EN hat.  Speaking of which, yes, the hats are coming soon.  More importantly, who is EN rooting for in the Super Bowl?  Which reminds me Jon, whose my little...?  Inside jokes were not meant for websites.

--Ecogold, one of Eventing Nation's fantastic sponsors, tweeted Sunday night that "Buck Davidson no longer rides My Boy Bobby, who will have a happy future at a lower level."  Ecogold has a pretty good source for this, but I haven't confirmed it yet.  For what it's worth, keeping Bobby sound while getting him 4* fit has always been a challenge, but Bobby is one of the truly great US horses and I would hate to see him retire from the upper levels so soon.  A sponsor finding news for EN?  Gotta love it.  Also, if that's not enough, the Ecogold Facebook page reports that 23 Canadian pairs have already applied for the Pan Ams.  @ecogold  @eventingnation

--Eventing Nation was rocking loud and proud courtesy of the announcer at the Rocking Horse HT.  Cyndi Kurth is absolutely one of my favorite announcers in eventing, and not just because she was able to sneak in two Eventing Nation shout-outs while our very own Annie Yeager was galloping around the cross-country.  I have already sent an email request to Cyndi to not mention EN when she announces my rides because that would almost certainly make me fall off.

--In other news, the world is all ears for a major grand prix showdown.  The champion Swedish team is facing staunch opposition from the Brits in the UK's first rabbit Grand National.  The BBC has all the coverage (cute bunny video included) [BBC via the great one, JER]  If you send us enough awesome news tips, you can get an official EN title like 'the great one' too.    

--Top 10 reasons to wear your helmet [Riders4Helmets]

--Samantha welcomes Obi home [Samantha's blog]

--Zara Phillips will marry Rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh on July 30th. [Daily Mail]

--Winter hacking with Buzzterbrown [Youtube]

--Something that I forgot over the weekend was to give a big congratulations to the Chronicle for winning the USEF Pegasus award for General Publication.  It's a pleasure to work along side the Chronicle on a daily basis and they have some really great journalists working for them.  A special shout-out to the Chronicle crew that I see regularly at events including Sara, Kat, Lisa, and Lindsay. [Chronicle] 

--Hay is becoming so scarce in the UK that supply companies are having to import hay from as far away as Pakistan.  As one supplier exaplined: "We're importing hay from Norway, Sweden, France, Pakistan, Canada and America and I'm trying Morocco next." [Horse and Hound]

--Today's Tack of the Day items are high and standard neck heavy turnouts for 35% off retail.  Click here to view them, but hurry--you only have until noon ET before TOTD posts new items.  And, whenever you see the TOTD banner in the EN sidebar, be sure to click on it and check out what new items they have each day. [Tack of the Day]

--Eventing Nation seems a bit brighter today, can you tell why?    

--Be sure to enter our EN Point Two contest.  Some people have told me that the video is dull to watch, which I can agree with, but I think it's well worth the chance to win a Point Two Airjacket.  I had to watch the entire video and I don't even get the chance to win one!

That's all for now.  We are speeding towards the most exciting two months in eventing and Eventing Nation is absolutely at the top of its game.  I'll be leaving for Ocala this week, but I am around all day today with regularly scheduled posts and breaking news as it happens.  Now more than ever, thanks for coming to the Eventing Nation community for your latest eventing news, commentary, and fun.  Wherever you may be, thanks for making us part of your day.  See you soon...

26 Comments

Leslie Law to Apply for USEF Technical Advisor/Chef

By John on , Filed Under Eventing Nation

I have just confirmed that Leslie Law has sent in an application for the USEF Eventing Technical Advisor and the Chef d'Equipe position.  Leslie joins a growing list of now 5 confirmed applications:

Bettina and Andrew Hoy
David O'Connor
Jimmy Wofford
Leslie Law
Phillip Dutton and Bobby Costello

I expect that there will be one or two more applicants for the position.  The deadline for candidates to come forward with their applications and proposals for guiding the US Eventing Team is Monday.  We will have much more on Monday, including hopefully a quick interview with Leslie. 

Leslie has a long history of international success competing for Great Britain.  He was second at Badminton in 2000 and third in 2002, he won team silver at 2000 Olympics, and he took home team bronze in 2002 at the World Equestrian Games.  At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Leslie won team silver and the individual Olympic gold medal after fellow applicant Bettina Hoy's show jumping controversy removed her from the lead.  Leslie's wife, Lesley Grant Law, has competed up to the 4* level for Canada.  In 2006, the Laws moved from England to the US, where they operate a well respected competition and training program out of Virginia and Ocala.  Go eventing.  

12 Comments

SHN Winter Recap

By Leslie on , Filed Under Eventing Nation
I used to pick up the local equine sale catalogue when I visited the tack store, not because I was in the market for another horse, but because I loved oogling what was out there and dreaming of all the adventures I might have had with them in another life.  Sport Horse Nation is your daily catalogue.  Check us out every day; there is always something new to see! We post ads of horses in every price category and experience level plus some ads for saddles, eventing-related job openings, and a real estate listing or two.  So when you check Eventing Nation every morning, click over to SHN or you can sign up to get emails of the latest horses for sale by subscribing in the sidebar on SHN.
Say you're in the market for a new horse, narrow your search by price category or Area location, or you can try picking out a descriptive adjective from the tag cloud in the sidebar. Don't forget to become a fan on Facebook, and if you still can't get enough, follow SHN on Twitter.
If you're considering placing an ad on SHN, consider the success rate: At least 4 ads that posted in December sold the same month, and at least one more since then.  Since launching SHN last summer, several saddles and at least one horse sold within hours of posting!  And these are just some of the success stories we know about!
Don't Miss Them! Check out these horses and Click to here to see the rest of the ads posted in December 2010.

Wicked Fun Shire Cross...Ready for any Discipline: Kozmo is a 4 year old Shire cross gelding measuring about 15.3 hands and growing! He really likes jumping so far and loves to be around people. See more pictures at www.rosehillstables.com 

Ho Hum: Fancy Mover & Jumper with Scope for More: 11-year-old 16.2h Thoroughbred gelding. Dressage scores in the 20s with a true packer personality. More information and horses for sale at www.csquarefarm.com

Super Talented!: 2006 16.2h, Thoroughbred gelding. He will be in Aiken from February 2-14.
Imported ISH Prelim Eventer: Windsor High is a lovely 16.2h 2003 ISH scoring in the 20s and 30s in dressage. He will jump anything you point him at and he truly loves eventing.

Talented Young Event Horse For Sale: Simply Fred is a 7 year old Thoroughbred gelding who is moving up to Novice this winter in Aiken. Fred also has some experience in the hunter ring.  

Pharoah's Tale, 16.3h TB gelding: Winner of 2005 Novice AEC. He had time off when his owner went to college and is happy to be eventing again. No spook cross-country, sound with no vices.
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