Thursday News & Notes from Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS)

A summer outfit for chubby boys. Photo by JJ Sillman.

I’m getting excited for the Virginia Horse Trials this weekend, my most local event, and the horse center where I grew up learning to love eventing. I did my very first unrecognized three-phase events there, and have pictures of me and my best friend Natasha tearing around the cross country on our ponies when we were about 10. I had two ponies, one named Hershey who I bought for five dollars because nobody could catch her, and the other one Natasha rode, who’s name was Moonstar. Moonstar came from the wild herd of spanish ponies in North Carolina, and my parents got me for her as a yearling. When I was seven. It was a real education, but she was a B.A. pony!

National Holiday: National Lucky Penny Day

U.S. Weekend Action:

Mystic Valley Hunt Club H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Virginia Horse Trials International & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Flora Lea Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

*CANCELLED* Willow Draw Charity Show [Website]

The Spring Event at Woodside [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

May-Daze at the Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Coconino Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Maryland Horse Trials FEH/YEH/NEH Qualifier [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

News From Around the Globe:

Still confused by SafeSport? If you were one of the many who were befuddled by the SafeSport training protocols, you’ll be happy to know that anybody who takes them after April 15th will now have a modified single format training session. In addition to that, beginning on the 1st of June, we now have new policies called the USEF Minor Athlete Abuse Policies to look over in the updated regulations. [Addition of MAAP to SafesSport]

The OTTB: an excellent sporthorse! Thoroughbreds off the track are intelligent, athletic and know how to do a job, and they can be incredible partners for the right sport and the right rider. However, they’re not for everyone. If you’re endeavoring to buy your first OTTB, pair up with somebody who is familiar with retraining them in the right way, and also read this article on considerations moving forward. [Buying an Ex-Racehorse: What You Need To Know]

No hoof, no horse, so they say. They’re right really, and a good-hooved horse can make your life ten million times easier than one with not so great feet. With factors like genetics, farrier care, environment, and diet, there are ways to increase your chances of keeping your horse’s hooves happy and healthy for their entire life. Not surprisingly, the first advice from experts is to buy or breed a horse with good feet to start with, but when you can’t have that, there are definitely steps to take to help the other ones too. [How To Keep Healthy Hooves]

Best of Blogs: 6 Things Not To Say To Your Instructor

Hot on Horse Nation: Freakness At The Preakness: Running of the Urinals

 

We live for Budweiser ads, the British live for Lloyds ads: