It was Barb Crabo, in an interview at the 2013 AEC at the Texas Rose Horse Park, who said, “just get a nice book on tape and drive.” She wasn’t speaking to me specifically but I took her advice anyway, and I now spend much of my time on the road to events listening to books. Tonight, as I pulled up to the house returning home from Pine Top Horse Trials, I finished listening to “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown, a true story about the U.S. 8-oar rowing team that won gold in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
It was a difficult time in World History, but the bulk of the story focused on the development of the University of Washington rowing team over several years and how they learned to overcome their personal struggles and work together. In the end, it was uninhibited trust in each other, harmony as a team, and unyielding determination that led to their success. My final thought as I turned off the engine was how similar that concept is to the relationship between horses and riders and all the partnerships like that that we witness every weekend. Go Eventing.
ATTENTION: EN’s servers are undergoing some upgrades and maintenance today, so we will be experiencing some downtime. Please bear with us as we have a lighter posting schedule than usual, and we will be back up and running very soon.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Pine Top Spring H.T. [Website] [Results]
Exmoor H.T. [Website] [Results]
MeadowCreek Park H.T. [Website] [Results]
Copper Meadows H.T. [Website] [Results]
Coming up on 3/21: Stable View H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Monday News and Notes:
Heads up Area V, a USEA Town Hall Meeting will take place at the Texas Rose Horse Park HT on Friday, March 31, 2017. Meet in the indoor arena 90 minutes prior to the competitor’s party. This is the second year Town Hall Meetings will take place around the country as a place where eventing enthusiasts can give their input on topics from eventing costs, to education to the future of the sport. Every voice can be heard in an open and respectful forum and the input will be compiled for consideration by the USEA. [Area V Town Hall: check this post here for firm details]
Katie Mays and Margot Luria are the first 2017 recipients of the Charles Owen Technical Merit Award. This award encourages riders for safe and appropriate cross country technique at events around the country, and Katie and Margo were rewarded by judge Janis Linnan for their performances at Pine Top Horse Trials February 23-26. The next Charles Owen Technical Merit competition will be at Coconino July 8-9. [Learn more about Katie and Margot and see the full schedule]
“Beneath a canopy of massive oaks, shrouded in Spanish moss, light dances on the dapples of an impressive bay at the starting gate.” The Tallahassee Democrat offers a colorful review of the 2017 Red Hills International Horse Trials. [Beneath the Oaks at the Red Hills Horse Trials]
Willberry Wonder Pony, the legacy of Hannah Francis, is gearing up for Badminton 2017. An event on April 11 will benefit the Willberry Wonder Pony charity, which raises funds for cancer research, will feature Badminton-bound event riders, course designer Eric Winter and will feature special talks and a live auction. [Willberry Does Badminton]
Monday Video: Black Horse Eventing on their way to taking second place in Intermediate Pairs at the 2017 Exmoor Eventing Hunter Trials.
