Sometimes it’s so hot in Virginia what you need is to ride your horse bareback in the river. Photo by Kate Samuels.
I’m stealing a quote I found from Isaac Johnson here today as a little inspiration for you today:
“The #1 rule around here is ‘Have fun’. I have always believed that no growth happens in the comfort zone. It is very important to push yourself, set goals, sacrifice, and work harder than you think possible. But… It is really easy to take ourselves too serious, hold ourselves to an unrealistic standard, set goals and expect to achieve them right away, and get frustrated and discouraged because we want to be better.”
U.S. Weekend Preview
Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT): [Website] [Volunteer]
Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]
Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. (Geneseo, NY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores]
Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
The Maryland International + H.T. (Adamstown, MD): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]
Round Top H.T. (Castle Rock, CO): [Scores]
Summer Coconino H.T. (Flagstaff, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
Major International Events
FEI Nations Cup of Eventing CCIO4*-S (Avenches, Switzerland): [Website] [Live Stream]
Keyflow Feeds Barbury Castle International CCI4*-S (Marlborough, England): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]
News From Around the Globe:
If you want to start a heated discussion among equine enthusiasts, ask the best way to cool a horse after exercise. Chances are, most will agree that actively cooling the horse with cold water is the best place to start. After that, though, the conversation may rapidly devolve when you ask whether to leave the water on the horse or scrape it off? Spoiler alert: put down the scraper. [Thermoregulation: What’s the Best Method?]
Mustangs are becoming more and more common in the eventing world, as people realize what amazing little horses they can be. It makes perfect sense that a rider would want to partner up with a wild mustang for eventing—big risk, big reward! But more importantly, big heart. If you’ve ever gentled a mustang, you know that trust is a key ingredient to success. It’s easy for our domesticated horse handling experience to rely on our tools—halters, lead ropes, trailer dividers, ramps, hay bags, the list goes on when we bring home our new steed—but mustangs have no use for these things at first. Our familiar tools are a foreign language, so we must learn to communicate differently and reach for our roots. Mustangs ask you all of their questions up front, and if you answer with the correct recipe of horsemanship, trust and respect, they can lend a fresh perspective on all three phases of eventing and teach us something about ourselves as riders and handlers. [Mustangs in Eventing]
Think you know everything about that bloke Boyd and his amazing wife Silva? Think again. Go inside their farm, their barns, and learn about a day in their lives with this neat article from Equestrian Living. [Boyd & Silva]
There are so many things to love about a classic long format event: the way the conditioning and preparation strengthens your bond with your horse, the educational opportunities to enhance your skills as a rider, and, of course, the steeplechase. There are eight Classic Series events taking place across the U.S. in the 2022 season and they are a great goal for many horse and rider pairs to work towards. Featuring the traditional long-format phases of roads and tracks and steeplechase in addition to the three regular phases of a horse trial, a long format event puts partnerships to the ultimate test. For riders who have already ticked off completing a long-format event from their bucket list, looking back on the thrill of steeplechase before heading out on cross-country often comes with fond memories. Check out what these USEA riders had to say about their favorite steeplechase moments! [Riders Share Memories of Steeplechase]
