Explore the many educational opportunities at GMHA by earning a scholarship! Photo by GMHA staff.
Areas I, VII, and IX rejoice! In what is a surer sign of spring, the first opening dates of the year have arrived! As an added bonus, Area I Young Riders can benefit from an array of generous scholarships from the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA). Learn more about these incredible opportunities here!
I’m anxiously awaiting the return of my mare Firefly (aka “the stinkbug”) as she travels back to the much chillier lands of Minnesota after a wonderful winter of training with Dom and Jimmie Schramm in Aiken. I may or may not be doing happy dances as I fill out the entry form for first horse trials together.
Events Opening Today: Hitching Post Farm Horse Trials (VT, A-1), Kent School Spring H.T. (CT, A-1), Fair Hill International H.T. (MD, A-2), CHC International at Chattahoochee Hills (GA, A-3), Otter Creek Spring H.T. (WI, A-4), Sol Events at Circle T H.T. (TX, A-5), The Event at Woodland Stallion Station (CA, A-6), Equestrians Institute H.T. (WA, A-7), CCC Spring Gulch H.T. (CO, A-9)
Events Closing Today: Fair Hill International H.T. (MD, A-2), Longleaf Pine H.T. (NC, A-2), CDCTA Spring Horse Trials II (VA, A-2), River Glen Spring H.T. (TN, A-3), Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials III (SC, A-3), Holly Hill Spring H.T. (LA, A-5), St. Johns H.T. (AZ, A-10)
News and Notes:
It’s time to vote for your favorite EN style Rolex ticket art! The winner will receive a T-series helmet from Tipperary, so be sure to get your votes in now. Voting will close on Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. EST, and we’ll announce the winner in Saturday’s Links post. [Vote for Tipperary Contest Winner]
Best of the blogs: Kristin Carpenter recaps her experience competing in the CIC* at Carolina International. “This weekend was everything I love about eventing: we cheer each other on and pick each other up, we finish a course only to tell the next few heading out information on how it rides so they can have a better go, and we watch others on cross-country, holding our breath and wishing them the best.” Read more about her experience here.
Doping allegations leave racehorse vets facing jail time: An investigation by the FBI, FDA, Pennsylvania State Police, and the state’s Horse Racing Commission seeks to uncover the truth behind allegations of racehorse doping by four veterinarians, who would face up to two years of imprisonment and a $200,000 fine each. The charges allege that the vets conspired with horses’ trainers to falsify documents after administering drugs to racehorses within 24 hours of races, violating veterinary ethics codes and doping laws. [The Horse: Veterinarians charged with drugging racehorses]
Rain, rain, go away… A bout of nasty weather caused British Eventing competitions at Stafford and Gatcombe to abandon ship over the weekend; this weekend’s Goring Heath Horse Trials has been cancelled due to poor footing caused by the torrential downpours, and the storms nearly ended the Ponies Winter Classic at Bury Farm. Read about the chaos and how tenacious organizers and competitors braved the galeforce winds: [Horse & Hound: Bad weather causes chaos at equestrian events]
Video of the Day: For those of us who are unfamiliar with Britain’s ridiculous rainfall, BBC One has some science for you.
