EN isn’t just your leading source for eventing news, results and commentary; it’s a community where fans of this crazy sport come together to share their war stories. We love hearing from readers and, in turn, sharing your thoughts with the world. All reader submissions are eligible for the Omega Alpha Reader Submission of the Month in which they are published. All winners will receive an Omega Alpha supplement of their choosing. Have something to share with EN? Send it to us at [email protected]!
Max and Joan Goswell with Another Song, a former Karen O'Connor ride. Photo courtesy of Mary Beth Herbert.
We’re pleased to announce that Colleen Hofstetter’s reader submission, “Horsemanship Clinic with Max Corcoran,” is the Omega Alpha Reader Submission of the Month for July. Max taught a horsemanship clinic for local Pony Clubs at Hidden Field Farm in Valencia, Pa., last month. Kids and adults alike relished in the wealth of knowledge Max gained from working for so many years as Karen O’Connor’s head groom, and Colleen interviewed her about her time spent working for one of the top riders in the sport:
So just how does one learn to care for such valuable creatures? ‘I just kept asking questions, kept listening; I have had the added advantage of working with top grooms, top vets, top farriers. All these people have such store houses of skills and knowledge.’ However, it is not only the monetary value at stake: the partnership that builds between the horse and its significant people is a hard one to describe, but ask a good groom to describe their charge and there would be no loss of words.
Colleen will receive a free supply of an Omega Alpha supplement of her choice for sharing their story. Want to win an Omega Alpha supplement? Send in your story, clinic report, video or other article to [email protected]. If it’s published this month, it will be eligible for August’s giveaway. *Month to be determined by date of publishing, not date of submission. Many thanks to Colleen for writing and to Omega Alpha for supporting Eventing Nation. Go eventing!
Here are some other reader submissions we loved from this month:
Best Event Report: “Coconino Summer I Horse Trials” by Kat Drake
West Coast eventers frequent Coconino for its beautiful cross country courses, great camping facilities, and well run N3D and T3D, and Kat Drake sent in a great report: “Coconino is an absolutely beautiful venue and is very different from the events Californians like me attend on a regular basis. As an added bonus, it has the cleanest porta-potties of any horse show you’ve ever been to! The last point is especially important, since the majority of competitors seem to camp at the event. The camping is between and around the barns, which are in the midst of Fort Tuthill County Park’s pine forest at about 7,000 feet above sea level.”
Best Camp Report: “British Columbia Developing Young Riders Camp” by Lynne Larsen
Camp season has been in full swing this summer, and Lynne Larsen sent in an excellent report from the British Columbia Developing Young Riders Camp. “Last year we were very lucky to have Hawley Bennett-Awad healthy enough after London to come and coach for us, and this year we were extremely fortunate again in the timing of camp to have our own Rebecca Howard back to the province directly from England and her successes there. It is a HUGE inspiration to the Young Riders to have graduates of our program come back to work with them, particularly after representing their country.”
Best NAJYRC Report: “A Week of Ups and Downs at NAJYRC” by Erika Carson
Erika Carson horse was sadly spun at the jogs at at the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships, but she kept her chin up and helped out her teammates for the rest of the week. “I was honored to receive the Eventing Style award this year. This award recognizes a rider’s “style” throughout the week, not only while mounted, but also in the form of manners and overall demeanor around the competition grounds and at the organized functions. It was such a privilege to receive this award, and it was an amazing surprise.”
Best Clinic Report: “California Training Sessions” by Katy Groesbeck
Katy’s report on her time spent training with David O’Connor at the California training sessions last month is probably the best clinic report we’ve ever run on EN. “I personally feel that the most incredible part of participating in the training sessions has been watching the friendships develop between the riders and David and watching everyone give back as much as they are taking away. The barn aisle is full of shenanigans and jokes as we each tend to our horses, and there is plenty of teasing to go around as we all try with varying success to negotiate the exercises David sets for us. We are all also pretty comfortable teasing David about his Diet Coke addiction at this point.”
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