Too cold to ride? Not for these brave riders in Area 4! Photo courtesy of Woodloch Stable.
Bundled up in layers upon layers of warm clothing, my glasses fogging up from my breath against the frigid air, I ask myself, “Is it spring yet?” While this winter has been decidedly milder than last winter in “Minnesnowta,” the blasts of arctic winds are enough to send even the most rugged of shaggy ponies scurrying for the nearest shelter.
Nonetheless, it warms my heart (not literally, but I wish) to see so many of my students marching enthusiastically through the barn, bundled up to the eyeballs and still excited for their riding lesson. The colder weather means that we have to conserve heat in the indoor arenas and take it easy with the lesson horses so they don’t get too sweaty before going back outside, but I think both the students and the horses look forward to their time together. When winter cabin fever starts to set in, a nice bareback lesson can certainly do the trick to keep the body and mind active and warm.
Events Opening Today: The Fork CIC3*/CIC2*/CIC1* & HT (NC, A-2), CDCTA Spring Horse Trials I (VA, A-2), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (GA, A-3), Spring Bay H.T. (KY, A-8)
Events Closing Today: Southern Pines H.T. (NC, A-2), Red Hills International Horse Trials & Trade Fair (FL, A-3), Full Gallop Farm March I H.T. (SC, A-3)
News and Notes:
Pine Top Advanced needs volunteers! The CIC2*, CIC* and Advanced divisions need dressage scribes, bit checkers, stadium jump crew and fence judges. Plenty of food, snacks and drinks will be provided for volunteers. Contact Janet Wilson at [email protected] if you’re able to volunteer on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Speaking of Pine Top… Please note the revised schedule: Anticipated freezing temperatures have led Pine Top officials to revise this weekend’s schedule, splitting the Advanced divisions across two days. The CIC2* and CIC* will still run in a one-day format on Friday, but other schedule changes have been made to accommodate the effects of Winter Storm Octavia. [EN: Pine Top Advanced Bracing for Frigid Temperatures + Schedule Change]
Best of the Blogs: This installment of Barn Mice discusses the ridiculously fast response time of horses, which has been determined to be the fastest of all common domesticated animals. Their response time is 7 times faster than ours, which is what oftentimes leads to riders getting “left in the dust” (oftentimes literally) if the horse senses a threat. Check out some tips for thinking like a horse, reducing the interference of your human tendency to overthink, and helping your horse overcome his prey animal instincts and trust in his rider. [Barn Mice]
Mineral status can be judged using hair samples: Researchers in Iran have found that analyzing hair samples from individual horses can provide accurate evaluations of their mineral levels. This method was found to be a better indicator than serum, which has been commonly used to determine horses’ mineral status. [Horsetalk]
“That was my son’s best friend that got killed.” Up to 2 dozen horses have been found shot and dumped in a field on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. BethYana Pease-Takes Horse said that her son’s horse was among those killed. “He’s the one who found him. He’s had that horse since he was 5,” she said. [New York Times]
