If you recall, last week we published a preview article by Katie Wherley about the Full Moon Farm 1/4 star three-day for novice to elementary level competitors. Margaret Rizzo was kind enough to write a recap of the event, which sounds like it was a lot of fun and very educational. Thanks for writing this Margaret and thank you for reading.
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Photo: Savannah Fulton and FMF’s Manilla Bay on the Novice steeplechase course. Savannah also won the Best Turned Out award for the competition. It also looks like she’s rocking a Point-Two.
From Margaret:
I finally had a chance to catch up with Karen Fulton of Full Moon Farm following their 2nd Annual 1/4 Star Three-Day Event. Immediately following the three-day the Fultons headed off to Surefire Farm for the weekend’s horse trials. Needless to say, I think the Fulton family deserves a day off!
Karen shared that the event went really well, and each participant came away a better rider with increased knowledge and horsemanship skills. Since many of the competitors also competed last year, she tried to bring in new speakers so that the competitors heard from different people this time. Special thanks goes to the following professionals who donated their time throughout the week:
Dr. Julie Augustine: Checked riders in on the first day, plus stuck around to answer questions Kate Chadderton, Victory Sport Horses: How to walk your stadium course
Stephen Fulton (Karen’s husband and co-owner of FMF): How to budget your time on endurance day
Jim Ligon: Came to announce on endurance day and gave the riders the feeling of competing at a big event
Peggy Pariso: How to score well on dressage day
Kristen Parris, A Deck Above Farm: How to get ready for the jogs
Dr. Liz Paternotte, Equine Performance Services: How to condition your horse for a three-day event
Katie Wherley, Rock Solid Training: How to care for your horse on endurance day
Kelley Williams, A Bit Better Farm: How to ride steeplechase
Karen’s youngest daughter Grace Fulton and FMF’s Griffin on the Beginner Novice steeplechase course. Note: both photos are courtesy of Mike J. McNally
For those of you in the mid-atlantic you’ve probably become familiar with losing 10 pounds in sweat every ride. The Full Moon crew was very aware of the heat, and adjusted the schedule as needed throughout the week. Roads & Tracks started at 7:30 am on Thursday, an hour earlier than planned. The weather gods were looking after these three-day riders, as the wind started blowing after the fourth horse. The horses were coming into the 10-minute box really well and all cooled off well.
Link: FMF 1/4 star results
I’ve talked with several people that were involved with the 1/4 Star, and everyone kept saying how much fun it was. And isn’t that what eventing is about?? Having fun with your horse! Kudos to Full Moon Farm for putting together such an educational event!
