Really, stop taunting all of us up north. Or west. Or anywhere else, really. Photo via Brigitte Aickelin's FB.
Event season starts this weekend! About half of the people in my newsfeed are shivering and posting photos of snowfalls. The other half are in t-shirts and gleefully adding photos of the sun. Surprisingly, the California folks were in the former camp earlier this week, although I’m sure it won’t be long until they rejoin the ranks of the warm and sunny.
North American Weekend Preview:
Ocala I H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
In sad news, the great Richard Meade has been hospitalized with cancer. Richard was diagnosed in October, and while he has gone through treatment, he was forced to enter the hospital on Boxing Day. Please keep Richard and his family in your thoughts and prayers. [Richard Meade Seriously Ill]
The FEI has updated their lists of categorized riders. If you aren’t sure which (or any) category you fall into just by reading the rules, this list will help you determine which type you are. For both the US and Canada, the lists of Category A riders (the highest level) remain unchanged. In remarkable news, William Fox-Pitt has 45 MERs at the 4* level alone. [FEI Qualifications]
Melissa Hunsberger is focusing on YEH and FEH horses. Melissa has competed up through the 4* level, and now she’s setting her sights on starting prospects from a young age. Along with her husband, she has successfully transitioned Rule of Thumb from FEH Three Year Old East Coast Champion to YEH Four Year Old East Coast Champion, and has several other youngsters coming up the FEH pipeline. [Meet Popular Young Horse Trainer]
SmartPak Product of the Day: One of the most frustrating things about mucking is the tendency of forks to have just one broken tine. I’m just never as efficient with a broken-tined fork, and I inevitably end up replacing the whole thing promptly. This pitchfork comes in tons of cool colors, and the best part is that you can buy a replacement pack of tines, meaning you will never have to toss a fork due to one pesky gap again. [SmartPak]
Because I wish I was down in the land of sunshine getting ready for my first event of the year, here’s a few riders running Training at last year’s Ocala I.
