via Macy and Katie
It is with deepest regret that I share with you Clifton Jade has passed away. On December 19th, Katie Hasse, purchased “Morris” from Valerie Vizcarrondo. Katie was riding in a cross-country clinic on December 30 when they suffered a fall. Morris was humanely euthanized. Katie says of Morris, “I loved Morris from the moment I sat on him, and he always made me smile. He loved to jump and was keen and expressive. To say that I am devastated can hardly cover what I am feeling right now. While we were only together for a short while, Morris’ willing attitude and kindness will always stand out to me as a standard for other horses.” [Katie’s blog]
There’s a brand new exhibit opening in May at the British Museum, and it’s all about the horse. They’re tracing back 5,000 years of history. Items on loan include paintings and newly excavated carvings, to name a couple. The curator for this exhibit can also testify to the fact horses tend to pick up pace bolt when they’re headed back to the barn home. This free exhibit opens in May to get people pumped for the Olympics and is also a gift to the Queen. Many thanks to Jane for the tip! [Guardian]
I love Denny’s blogs. They’re school for the eventing-crazed. While, like he said at the end, I’m not wealthy enough to buy based on breeding one who really buys horses based on breeding (other than that they are OTTBs), eventing as a whole is still trying to figure out which horses are best suited for our sport. And while we all still pretty much ride TBs or TB crosses, Denny finds that several current top eventing stars trace back to some big-time jumper blood lines. [Denny’s blog]
The USEF has a recap of the 2011 High Performance programs. The US teams had a great year. Lots of eventers getting shout-outs: Sinead, Boyd, Will F, Andrea Leatherman, Clark, and many more.. Go eventing. [USEF]
War Horse is 4th at the box office over the weekend. It was beat out by Mission Impossible, Sherlock Holmes, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Like Wylie said in her review, I think many of us are refraining from seeing it until we can bawl like babies in the privacy of our own homes. Truth be told, it’s moved from 7th over Christmas to 4th. That’s pretty good. [Horsetalk]
Robert Dover, who’s a big fan of Coren Eventing Nation, wrapped up his Horsemanship Series on December 31. These camps sounds amazing with not only Mr. Dover, but Courtney King-Dye and Anne Gribbons stepping in as well to instruct. Anne Gribbons, who is the US Technical Advisor as well as an FEI judge, had a lot to say about riding vs training mounts. I think there are some parallels we can draw from the current state of the US dressage world to the current state of the US eventing world, specifically regarding importing horses and what it will mean for our future medal contentions. I’ll let you decide. [COTH]
For those of you who have never traveled more than six hours with your horse, Jess Pye will break it down for you. It’s an adventure to say the least. And since the horse world is an equal opportunity employer, I’m betting if you’ve even traveled 10 minutes with your horse, something like his has happened to you. Take it away Jess! [Pye Equestrian]
Marina of MER Eventing won’t spill the goods about the O’Connor Event Camp in late December, save a few references. She’s in Ocala for one more week, so here’s to hoping she’ll give us something juicy this week since it’s technically not camp anymore…. [MER Eventing]
That’s all for now folks. It’s January 3rd, you can keep that resolution! Put down the diet coke and hit the gym. I have faith! Go eventing.
