Derek and Bea di Grazia with James Wofford. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld
Derek and Bea di Grazia were honored with the Wofford Cup at the 2015 USEA Year-End Awards during the Annual Meeting and Convention. The Wofford Cup is awarded to recognize a person’s dedication to the sport, and that person is chosen by past recipients of the award. This is only the second time the Wofford Cup has been given to a husband and wife together, and it was touching to see Bea and Derek make their way to the stage with tears in their eyes and a standing ovation escorting them. As they posed for a photo, Bea accidentally knocked the trophy out of Derek’s hands in her excitement. Sadly, not one of the three photographers standing by the stage captured that priceless moment on camera, so this picture will just have to do. Congratulations to everyone who was honored for their achievements!
USEA Convention Links: Website, Schedule, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram
Monday News and Notes:
Congratulations to Allison Thomas, the winner of yesterday’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! Allison will take home a big bucket of prizes from Kentucky Performance Products, which will make her horse very happy! [12 Days of Christmas: Kentucky Performance Products]
Looking for the perfect gift for the Thoroughbred lover in your life? Head over to the Retired Racehorse Project website for tons of OTTB inspired gifts. All proceeds of sales fund RRP programs including the Thoroughbred Makeover and Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, plus you get a free OTTB poster with your purchase of $75 or more. RRP Members receive 10% off purchases from the online store. [Shop RRP Gear]
There are big things coming to the 2016 Cloud Eleven ~ Gavilan North LLC Carolina International, which has quickly become a destination event after only two years running. The 2016 competition will be feature new courses designed by Ian Stark and fat stacks of prize money for all divisions. There will also be a live stream of the two- and three-star provided by EQSportsNet. [Carolina International Raises the Bar]
Monensin tainted horse feed is in the news once again, as a barn operator in California is claiming 13 horses have died and another 49 are chronically ill after ingesting allegedly tainted feed from Western Milling LLC, who recalled some batches of their Western Blend horse feed in September. [Barn Owner Seeks Settlement]
Anytime we make a change in our horses’ diets, we do so slowly, over several days or weeks, so as not to disturb their sensitive digestive systems. A recent study concluded that a horse’s hindgut responds to an abrupt hay change even if the composition of the two hays are similar. [Hindgut Sensitivity to Hay Change Studied]
British Eventing and the Eventing Riders Association recently celebrated its members during an awards ceremony. Kitty King picked up multiple awards, as did rising star Emily King. Ben Hobday and Hannah Francis, both of whom were diagnosed with cancer this year, were honored, as was William Fox-Pitt, who is recovering from a head injury sustained at Le Lion d’Angers. [BE/ERA Awards Winners]
“Christmas in Middleburg” was celebrated this weekend in Middleburg, Virginia. Horses were a highlight, of course!
