Stylin' in Aiken. Photo by Maggie Deatrick.
One of the toughest things about winter for me is the absence of horses. I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to board with a wonderful barn and more lucky still to have the means to send my boys south when my barn migrates down to Aiken for twelve weeks. On the one hand, it’s nice to be able to live a little less structured, be able to put in long hours on a project to earn recognition and spend all my waking weekend hours vegging out in my house with my husband. On the other hand, not knowing what is going on with their training on a daily basis drives me a little bit nuts and every text and photo gets way more attention than it really deserves. Still, absence and idleness rekindles my competitive fire so I’ll be ready to hit the ground running in April.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Poplar Place Farm January H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Your Wednesday News & Notes:
Re-live William Fox-Pitt’s keynote speech from the USEA Convention. If you couldn’t make it down to Tamp for the USEA convention last December, the USEA wants to make sure you don’t miss what he had to say. Since watching this video means I didn’t have to be taunted by the Florida beach while it rains down buckets, I’m game. [WFP Recounts His Remarkable Recovery]
Tattersalls will be holding a Young Event Horse Qualifier. The Tattersalls July show, which currently consists of show jumping, in-hand and ridden showing, working hunter, and side-saddle classes, will now add the qualifier open to four and five-year-old horses who aim to qualify for the Dubarry Young Event Horse Championship held concurrently with Burghley. [Tattersalls]
Badminton is the gold standard for scary looking fences. Horse & Hound has compiled a series of the scariest fences Badminton has offered in it’s long history. Tiger traps, elephant traps, footbridges, and open rail oxers all feature prominently, as do giant ditches. [Badminton’s Hairiest Fences]
Eventing Podcast: Listener’s Choice. Do you have a trend you’d like the EquiRatings to dissect, examine, and expound upon? Are you curious about dressage session bias, or the comparative difficulty of making the time at different event? Let the ER team know! [Eventing Podcast]
SmartPak Product of the Day: If you have a horse who chronically loses his shoe, abscesses, or requires hoof soak on a regular basis, rejoice! Woof has come up with this ingenious glove for a hoof, allowing you and your horse to breathe a sigh of relief as you soak their hoof easily, or save duct tape by the roll. [SmartPak]
