Dunlavin’s Token all geared up for a gallop in preparation for Great Meadows in two weeks! Photo courtesy of Danica Meyerhoff.
Last night my baby horse was brilliant in his Derby debut, jumping all the Training level jumps and behaving perfectly! I love the feeling you get when your horse starts to understand intellectually what his job is, and has the muscle and training to back it up. No matter what level you’re competing at, that is a magical feeling. When you’ve worked long and hard for it, there’s nothing more satisfying. I think it’s moments like these, maybe doing a round at a schooling show at 7 pm, or maybe it’s at Rolex, but it’s the same “we did it!” that a little voice says in your head that keeps you coming back for more.
Bramham Links: Website, Entries, Schedule, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, @samanthalclark
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Valinor Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Larkin Hill H.T. [Website]
Seneca Valley PC Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Live Scores]
Full Gallop Farm June H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Queeny Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Silverwood Farm Spring H.T. [Website]
Aspen Farms CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Round Top H.T. [Omnibus]
News From Around The Globe:
Congratulations to Breanna Kaho, the winner of this week’s Fab Freebie from Kentucky Performance Products! Breanna will receive a year’s supply of Summer Games Electrolyte, so her horse will be nice and hydrated this summer. Congratulations, Breanna! [Fab Freebie: Kentucky Performance Products]
The USEA has announced the addition of a free jumping evaluation at the East Coast Future Event Horse Championships. While this will become mandatory for both east and west coasts in 2016, 2015 will only require East Coast horses at Loch Moy Farms in October. The chute will be regularly configured, with two verticals to an oxer, which is not to exceed 3’6 in height. Judges will evaluate the canter quality, jumping technique, jumping ability, and scope. [USEA Adds Free Jumping to FEH]
#FBF to equestrians learning about “heat illness” and how to cope with riding in the summer months. This great article was written by Dr. David Mclean as we all prepared for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Much of the knowledge we have now about cooling horses and humans down after cross country or during the summer comes from this original research. [Heat Illness]
Famous New Zealand racehorse Bonecrusher died this week at the ripe old age of 32. Racing in the eighties, Bonecrusher was the first horse to earn over $1 million in the country, named Horse of the Year for both 1986 and 1987, and clearly the winner of the best name ever. Check out the video below of Bonecrusher, and admire his gallop stride and his striking looks! [RIP Bonecrusher]
Riding corners in your dressage test can be a real pain in the arse, until you get the hang of it. I always think of corners as little helpers that I can use to balance and bend my horse for the next movement. Need a half halt? There’s a corner for that. Need a little shoulder in soon? There’s a corner for that too. Anyway, Horse & Hound has a guide for learning how to use the corners for better marks on your dressage test. [How To Ride A Corner]
If you’re like me, you run around at shows carrying too many things at all times. Usually I am sporting something like this collection: an extra towel, some fly spray, a tail brush, a camera, an extra lens, a water bottle or two, a gatorade bottle, a coke bottle, a phone charger, and maybe my helmet. All of these things need a pretty special backpack to keep from killing each other in the bag. I love this Under Armour ringside pack, designed specifically for the horse show needs! I mean, if you’re gonna be serious about it, be serious about it and get a sweet backpack. [Under Armour Ringside Pack]
Bonecrusher!
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