Carrie Wehle asks," What do you do on a nice warm day in Aiken?"
There was that one weekend we had a bit of ice and a dusting of snow, and another few days where I threw a blanket on the old man at night, but for the most part it’s been a fairly mild winter in my neck of the woods. One thing I could definitely do without, though, is the mud. It’s fun to stomp around in for a few days, but rubber boots aren’t exactly the most comfortable all-day footwear. Then again, I don’t expect the youngsters to ever have any qualms with water jumps and dodgy footing.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Rocking Horse Winter II H.T. [Results]
Paradise Farm H.T. [Results]
Fresno County Horse Park CIC & H.T. [Results]
“Riders and horses were waiting to enter the arena in order to show their hunter-jumper skills from simply walking, trotting, cantering to jumping over obstacles. The ladies from Take Flight Academy were among these equestrians and they are a group of terrific girls who support and cheer for each other.” [Elena Maas: Portrait of a Schooling Show]
Scott Keach may be a top show jumper but his name is not unfamiliar in eventing. An event rider who represented Australia at both the Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games in the ’80s, Scott has since found his way to the Grand Prix show jumping ring. This weekend, Scott topped the $100,000 City of Ocala Grand Prix with an 11-year-old Belgium Warmblood named Fedor, with whom he is preparing to return to the Olympic Games in a new discipline. [Fedor Finds His Rhythm]
An Australian researcher counted the number of eventing rider deaths that have been reported since 1993 and explored obstacles to risk calculation which she published in a journal called Animals. The researcher, Denzil O’Brien, feels that a system should be established to record all falls of horse and rider at every event around the world, the circumstances of which could be analyzed to possibly reduce the risk of falls in the future. [Rider Deaths Identified in Eventing]
The Time to Ride Challenge has introduced more than 60,000 people to horses through beginner-friendly equine experiences since the program’s inception in 2014. The challenge incentivizes horse-related businesses and organizations to focus on outreach for new participants and offers $100,000 in cash and prizes. [Time to Ride Challenge returns with new incentives]
Interested in Becoming a Licensed Eventing Judge or TD? The B & C Jumping Training Program for prospective “r” Eventing Judges and “r” TDs will be conducted April 15-17, 2016 during the Ocala Horse Properties International 3-Day Festival of Eventing in Ocala, Florida. Auditors are welcome to observe and learn as well. [More Info]
