Thursday News & Notes from Professional’s Choice

Pokemon, anyone? Photo via Horse Network FB.

Pokemon, anyone? Photo via Horse Network FB.

Ok, it’s time to admit that even horse people have been bitten by the Pokemon Go bug. What’s Pokemon, you ask? Well, it used to be a game that you would slave over for hours on your gameboy (remember those!?) and now it’s suddenly available on your smartphone. It’s kinda like Pokemon and Google Maps had a baby, so it’s a combination of virtual reality and real life that is oddly addicting. You can catch little monster things on your phone while you walk around your town, or on your trot sets. What a world to live in, y’all.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Live Scores]

Riga Meadow H.T. [Website]

The Maryland at Loch Moy H.T. & CIC [Website] [Entry Status]

Champagne Run H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

Aspen Ridge H.T. [Website]

Coconino Summer II H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

News From Around the Globe:

After his wire to wire win at Great Meadow International, it’s the Clark Montgomery show from here on out. NBC Olympics even picked up on his greatness, and had a little Q&A sit down with him. Turns out little Clark used to doodle Olympic rings on his papers in elementary school, and he’s a bit worried that he might lose fitness and get fat in the next few weeks with only one horse to ride! Side note: Clark is in the Middleburg area and looking for people to give lessons to and ride horses to keep him busy, so you should get on that. [Q&A With Clark Montgomery]

In honor of National Farrier Week, Horse Nation invited a lauded farrier to lend some tips and tricks from the trade. Not all kicks are created equal. Farrier Jeremiah Kemp of Eagle Ridge Equine Farrier Service points out the humorous differences from breed to breed. Number one horse likely to kick you across the barn aisle? The American Thoroughbred. Number two? Egyptian Arabians (because “their small dished heads compress their brains, making them prone to hallucinations.”). Get ready to laugh out loud. [Horse Kicks 101]

Would you get an animal communicator to chat with your horse after a bad experience? That’s just what COTH blogger Lindsey Long did with her horse Kingston. Turns out he had a lot to say, including that he considers himself to be strong and handsome and well trained, and in his opinion his rider could use a little bit more training. Oh my, a can of worms to be opened indeed! [Amateurs Like Us]

As riders are delving more into getting horses through auctions and rescues, they are often faced with a new horse with no history. While this is a problem that professionals deal with often, it can be a daunting task to begin physical and mental rehabilitation. Where to start? The Horse has lots of great suggestions to help you get going in the right direction with your new steed. [New Horse, No History]

Is it too early to relive this?