Monday News and Notes from Fleeceworks

Photo by Leslie Threlkeld. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

It’s always an interesting experience taking a young horse to his series of “firsts”: first cross country school, first competition… first warm-up ring. From the moment you load them up on the trailer until you return home again you learn a multitude of things about their personality, from how they react to unfamiliar surroundings and their ability to cope with never-before-seen obstacles/terrain/flags/banners/etc to discovering whether or not they are actually suited to eventing and (hopefully) enjoy it.

I took my young Thoroughbred to his first cross country school last week and I was tickled to bits with how he behaved. He was totally calm coming off the trailer, jumped everything willingly and happily stood around quietly watching others do their thing. I kind of expected him to be that good (because he’s a gem), but you never know until you know!

U.S. Weekend Action:

Poplar Place Farm January H.T. [Website] [Results]

Monday News and Notes:

The TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program’s 2017 season is well under way, with nine horse shows in six states offering our Hunter and Jumper divisions this weekend. Don’t forget to renew your membership — or enroll a new horse — in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League! League members earn points in affiliated USEF Thoroughbred Hunter and Jumper Divisions at horse shows nationwide. Year-end awards total $30,000, paid out to 10th place in each division. The annual membership fee is $50 per registered Thoroughbred. To join or renew your membership for 2017, go to www.take2tbreds.com/become-a-member/ or click here to download the registration form. The deadline for enrollment is one week following the final day of the competition at which points are earned.

Are you an amateur rider who owns and competes a horse in Dressage, Show Jumping and/or Eventing? You are invited to participate in a short online research study conducted by Michael Willham from Otterbein University. The study is regarding behavior patterns with new market media trends in the horse industry, specifically the advertising considerations of buying and selling sport horses. After completing the survey, you can enter to win one of four $25 SmartPak gift cards! [Otterbein Amateur Owner Survey]

EN caught up with Michael to learn more about his research: [Eventer Seeking Help with Research Study on Sport Horse Marketing]

Jacqueline Mars was presented with the R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award at the recent USET Foundation’s Gold Medal Club Reception. This award was created in recognition of Duchossois’ leadership, generosity and outstanding character and is presented annually to a USET Foundation trustee who exemplifies the same qualities. For more than four decades, Ms. Mars has been an invaluable member of the eventing community as an owner, supporter and friend to countless people and horses. She has founded numerous grants and has always had a passion for helping ensure the future of the sport and the next generation of eventers. The sport can never thank her enough. [Jacqueline B. Mars Honored with R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award]

Good news, Thoroughbred owners! The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program will be offering classes and awards at more than 1,000 competition in 2017. The T.I.P. has grown every year since its inception and celebrates the breed across a multitude of disciplines. This year the T.I.P. is introducing the brand new Thoroughbred Recreational Riding Incentive Program for TB owners who spend most of their time outside of the show ring. They’ve also announced new championship divisions. [T.I.P. Increases Shows and Offerings in 2017]

Yogi Breisner is taking on a new role with his home country of Sweden after stepping down as the British Eventing Performance Manager last year. He will now serve as advisor to the Swedish equestrian Olympic national coaches and coordinators for all three Olympic disciplines. [Yogi Breisner to Work with Swedish Equestrian Federation]

Two new mobile apps have been developed for the dressage world. One lets you input your own scores as a spectator and compare them to the judges’ real time scores (could you imagine having this at Rolex?!). The other lays out a “floor plan” for freestyles that will calculate the level of difficulty for the rider’s benefit ahead of time as well as assist the judges in scoring the freestyle in a more objective way. Both apps are being introduced at the weekends Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Palm Beach. [There’s An App for That]

Best of the Blogs: Creating Your Own Bravery

Monday Video: How can you not adore a pony named Everlasting Gobstopper??