Shawna White and Chunder looking Sochi-ready.
Are you surviving the snow EN? One of our loyal readers is not just surviving, but even getting creative. Shawna White sent us the above photo of herself and her horse Chunder jumping an ingenious obstacle made, you guessed it, totally out of snow. The pair lives in Kentucky, but Shawna grew up in upstate New York and so she has had plenty of practice riding in the snow. I think this photo serves as proof that riding should clearly be added to the winter Olympics and that Chunder would make the shortlist.
Weekend Preview:
Pine Top Spring Advanced HT [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
The new US Eventing show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni will teach High Performance riders in Aiken tomorrow. From the USEF Eventing High Performance Facebook page, it appears as though Silvio will teach a joint lesson to the riders with David. If you are in the area and would like to attend, you can check out a full schedule of ride times on the Facebook page as well. [USEF Eventing High Performance]
British Eventing is taking a stand on concussions. BE rules now state that any rider suffering a concussion at a competition will be suspended for 21 days following the fall or accident that caused the concussion. In addition, any rider that bumps their head but does not present with a concussion will have to revisit the event doctor two hours after their fall to be examined for signs of a delayed concussion, and a failure to return will result in a 21-day suspension until a clarification of a diagnosis can be made. [Horsetalk]
Have you voted in our Smooch Your Horse contest? We asked you to send us the best Valentines inspired photos of you smooching your horse in order to be eligible to win a $50 Hamilton BioVet gift card, and we got a lot of very adorable entries. Click to see our top pics and vote for your favorite! Voting ends today at 10 PM EST. [Smooch Your Horse Contest]
This week’s SmartPak Horse Health Challenge topic is nutrition. Do you know if your horse is getting a balanced meal? This guide will help you decide. According to SmartPak’s own survey, 7 out of 10 horses aren’t getting a full serving of fortified grain or complete feed for their weight and workload- so it might be worth a click to make sure you are on the right track. [SmartPak Blog]
This week on the Eventing Radio Show: The Event Riders Association, Aiken ice, crowdfunding, and Devoucoux saddles. Hosts Nate Chambers and Joe Meyer are joined by ERA leader Bruce Haskill, Aiken survivor Doug Payne, Devoucoux technical advisor James Daniel Conner, and professional rider Rebecca Brown. Rebecca currently aims to crowdfund her next horse and stops by to discuss her strategy. Finally Joe and Nate discuss teaching a horse how to jump ditches as this week’s Trainer Tip. [Eventing Radio Show]
The “high health, high performance horse”concept is getting attention at a forum this week in Hong Kong organized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The concept is part of a campaign by several organizations to educate others about the level of care high performance horses receive in order to argue for less regulation of high performance international travel. Supporters of the HHP concept believe that the burdensome and inconsistent regulations for travel and quarantine are limiting the growth of high performance equestrian sports and hope to ease regulations surrounding the movement of elite equine athletes. [Horsetalk]
Check out this compilation video of the Advanced water complex at Rocking Horse last weekend, courtesy of RNS Video.
