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Annie Yeager

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A View From My Horse

By on Sep 19, 2010 5:32 pm -
Although it’s a few days late, this week’s  “A View From My Horse” entry pays great tribute to September 11th, and is a very cool story as well, so I didn’t want to pass it up.  Thanks to Liz for sharing, and thank you for reading.
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My name is Liz Gallen and this is the view of beautiful Tewksbury, New Jersey, just an hour West of NYC. I run a small event barn called Blue Heron Farm. I’ve been here for many years and I never get tired of riding up this hill. On 9/11 you could see the debris cloud from the Twin Towers and I clearly remember it being an incredibly clear, beautiful day just like this. I also remember that businesses in and around the city closed releasing thousands of people onto the roadways. I had several boarders unable to make it home that afternoon and they ended up at the barn. It was a good day to find some solice on horseback in beautiful country.

 

Remember to keep submitting your photos and paragraphs to [email protected]!

Pressure Principles

By on Sep 15, 2010 4:02 pm -
If there was a meter that measured the stress and pressure that each countries riders, selectors, grooms, and team coaches were feeling right now in the last stretch of the WEG lead up; I’m pretty sure that it would be in the red “danger” zone. Most eventers are type-A, seriously competitive human beings who feel the need to be in control of all situations (especially those situations that may come to define their careers long term.) The World Equestrian Games are less than two weeks away, and the soundness and well being of team horses is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Horses will always keep you guessing; hence the old innuendo that “You never really know that you’ve made the team until you’re cantering down the centerline to start your test.” And this is where the control factor comes in. Everyone involved is taking all the precautions possible, but it really will be out of human control whether the horses will hold up and stay sound.

A world-class group of horses and riders will be traveling to Kentucky in just a couple weeks. The seasoned nations such as Great Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand,  the United States, Canada, and France will all bring horses and riders that are fully capable of putting in three solid performances at the toughest Championship event in the world. Not every horse and rider will be able to do so however. It really will come down to who can handle the pressure; as Jimmy Wofford famously describes what he terms “Sunday afternoon nerve; the rarest of qualities for a rider to ride better in the afternoon in formal attire then in a morning practice session.” This quality will separate the winners from everyone else. Karen O’Connor’s got it, Phillip Dutton’s got it, and in less than two weeks, the world will get to see who else does.

The only thing left for the riders to do now is trust in their abilities and those of their horses, and hope that all the training and preparation they have put in over the last few months or even years will prove to be enough. Minute fine tuning will be done in training sessions taking place this week, but all the foundation work is complete. Was that twenty minutes spent warming up for the WEG dressage test, or twenty years?

 Let the Games begin.   

A View From My Horse: Hawaii Edition

By on Sep 10, 2010 9:14 am -
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This weeks “A View From My Horse” is special because the picture is from a good friend of mine. If I ever get to go on a non-horse related vacation someday, Hawaii is definitely on the top of my list! Remember if you’d like your photo to be featured on EN, please send said photo and a paragraph describing it to [email protected].
Thanks Sue for submitting and thank you for reading.
Hi, my name is Sue.  In the fall of 2008, my husband and I traveled to Hawaii for my sister’s wedding.  After a week and a half, and 3 different islands, we finally landed on the island of Oahu.  We spend 5 days on the north shore at the Turtle Bay Resort.  Lucky for me, they had a small riding stable and offered beach rides.  After admitting that I did know how to ride, I was given “the daughters old barrel horse”.  I feared I might be in for a jiggy ride, but he was happy to bring up the rear at a nice walk.  I hooked the reins over my arm and took lots of pictures of the beautiful scenery.  This picture is looking out over the Pacific Ocean.  It was a really nice ride and we saw where part of the TV series Lost was filmed.

Middleburg

By on Sep 9, 2010 11:26 am -

The town of Middleburg is known for two things; horses and horse people.  Middleburg is home to numerous eventers, including the O’Connors, Jan Byyny, Mara Dean, Nina Fout, Kelli Temple, and the Law family, and everyone has probably heard sightings of all the top east coast eventers at “The Pub.”

The idyllic town of Middleburg, nestled in Northern Virginia, provides the perfect setting for anything related to horses, whether it is eventing, show jumping, steeplechasing, or foxhunting. It seems as if everyone in Middleburg has some connection to horses; I think if they didn’t they would have moved away a long time ago! The town has a long, rich history dating all the way back to the founding years of the United States. 

According to Middleburg Online, “Middleburg was established in 1787 by Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman Leven Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 an acre from Joseph Chinn, first cousin to George Washington. Previously called “Chinn’s Crossroads,” Powell chose the name Middleburg because of the town’s location midway between Alexandria and Winchester on the Ashby Gap trading route (now Route 50)… After the turn of the century, Middleburg began welcoming a new wave of visitors that descended on the town for foxhunting and steeplechasing. The charming village soon earned a reputation as the “Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital,” attracting prominent visitors from across the United States.”

For being such a small town, Middleburg still has a huge variety of great shops and restaurants, and almost all of them are equestrian themed. Here are some of my favorites:

 

Middleburg Tack Exchange: This is a consignment tack shop that sells every piece of tack you could possibly imagine. There are a lot of used items but everything is of really good quality and repair. The Tack Exchange is neat because a lot of times you can find odd or rare horse items that you can’t find in a regular tack shop.

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The Tack Box: This is the tack shop I go to when I can’t find what I am looking for at the Tack Exchange (which rarely happens). They’ve got beautiful clothes and lovely tack for sale, but at not-so-beautiful prices.

 


Cuppa Giddy Up: The local coffee shop has both excellent lattes and some excellent people watching.


Red Horse Tavern: The pub is the favorite hangout in Middleburg. They have good food and really good service.

The Upper Crust: You haven’t lived until you have been to the Upper Crust Bakery. The cookies and pastries are definitely worth the extra hour you’ll have to spend in the gym burning off all the calories.

So there’s something for everyone to enjoy in Middleburg; Well, if you are into horses anyway.

A View From My Horse

By on Sep 3, 2010 11:10 am -
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We’re going to take a momentary break from the Burghley coverage for this weeks “A View From My Horse” submission. 
Remember if you’d like your photo to be featured on EN, please send said photo and a paragraph describing it to [email protected].
Thanks to Seija for writing, and thank you for reading.
Hi my name is Seija, I’m a sophomore is high school. I grew up around horses and riding from before I could even walk. My parents own an eventing and dressage farm in Bedford, MA (www.edfarm.com). Our farm is over 300 years old and is about 14 acres nestled right in the middle of the suburbs. The farm has 2 outdoor rings, an indoor, and field turnout. We are lucky enough to have 2 conservation fields that the town allows us ride on, but it can still be tricky to keep an event horse in top shape. This has forced us to be creative about where we ride. I try about 2 times a week to take each horse out into the quiet neighborhoods surrounding the farm. Trotting on the roads keeps the horses fit and exposes them to a lot. In the picture I am hacking out Natty (Canequin’s Leatherstocking) and you can see the barn in the distance. Natty is a 16 y.o. Morgan gelding. His owner Nancy has so generously let me compete him this summer. We are looking forward to move up to Training this fall!

Change is the only constant

By on Aug 31, 2010 10:10 am -

There’s an old proverb that says, “Change is the only constant.” I was thinking recently about all the changes Eventing has seen through the years. The more serious and definitely the most discussed ones involve changes of course design, the change from the long format to short format, and consequently the different type of horse one needs to be competitive in the age of the short format. So after some heavy research on the COTH forums, I’ve come up with a few more.

The dress for eventing has evolved from virtually no safety equipment to some pretty high tech gear. Some of which is now even starting to make an appearance in the dressage ring! Head protection has evolved from absolutely none to the heavily tested and approved helmets we wear today. When helmet use did start to become popular a few decades ago, it was really only velvet hunt caps without harnesses that were worn. Eventually the famed Caliente skullcap came along and offered slightly more protection, but only slightly. Although we eventers generally leave it to the show hunters to be the fashionistas, our sport has witnessed some pretty  untrendy fashions as well. Rugby shirts used to be the shirts of choice for the cross-country phase. They came in many different color combinations that could be coordinated with one’s cross-country colors. There were flared breeches, then there were rust-colored breeches. Today, both would be on most people’s “Things-to-toss-or-give-to-Goodwill” list!

 

The famous Three-Day Events of past decades like Ledyard, Blue Ridge, and more recently Radnor have been discontinued; along with countless other small, family run horse trials. It needs not mentioning that Bruce Davidson’s gold medal performance at the 1974 World Championships at Burghley in England gave the United States the right to host the next World Championships. They took place four years later at the Kentucky Horse Park, where Bruce brought home the gold medal for the second time. The Kentucky Horse Park has a legacy that goes far beyond the Rolex Kentucky Four Star that we all know today.

The famous You Tube videos that feature riders coming unstuck on the backside of a fence and clinging to the side of their horses’ until they made it past the penalty zone flags were also from a different time. By doing so, one could avoid the penalties for a fall and afford the video cameras some very interesting footage. Fall in the zone, 60 penalties.  Make it past  and all it costs you is the time it takes to climb back in the saddle in and carry on.  Most women that competed in Three-Day Events had to carry weight pads under their saddles to meet the 165 lb minimum weight requirement. After cross-country riders had to “weigh-in” with their saddles and weight pads to make sure they met the minimum requirement.

 

In one Chronicle thread, Denny Emerson wrote about how he felt at the 1973 Ledyard Three Day Event. “I was trotting on roads and tracks on Victor Dakin after steeplechase at Appleton Farm, and getting close to Ledyard Farm for the first big International Three-Day in the US, Ledyard `73, and hearing the roar of the crowd as some rider sped around x-c.  I was thinking “what the f— am I doing here?”, scared out of my mind, but too committed to back out now.”

I think he summed up the changes to Eventing best by later stating, “I have a hunch that the kids who are experiencing today’s events, fresh, excited, and keen, will look back on the early two thousands as “the good old days”, just as I do the 60s or 70s or 80s. I don’t think it’s worse, only different, and just as meaningful as ever. That fear I felt at Ledyard 34 years ago, some kid is feeling today going prelim or intermediate for the first time, just as poignant and intense as ever. I’m going to try to figure out how to make this new deal work, and not get into the “in my day” any more than I can help it.”

The View from My Horse

By on Aug 27, 2010 5:36 am -

So when John introduces a great new idea for a reader series on Eventing Nation, his thoughts immediately after turn to finding someone else to manage and write the series for him!  In this case, I am that someone. We will do our best to post a picture and caption every week towards the end of the week.  If one thing is for sure, this sport of ours takes us to a lot of very different, beautiful places. I am looking forward to seeing all the cool places that the EN community is lucky to experience. 

Our first photo, from Stacey, is taken of a beautiful Napa Valley vineyard. Thanks Stacey for submitting, and thank you for reading.

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“My name is Stacey, I am a sophomore in college and have been addicted to horses since age 4 and eventing since age 12 (I’m a huge fan of eventingnation). Recently I was on vacation in Napa Valley, CA where I was afforded the opportunity to take a lovely trail ride on a really sweet standardbred through an incredible vineyard. It was so beautiful!”

Also, a recap of the guidelines John mentioned a couple weeks ago:

 

–       We are looking for pictures of good resolution, cell phone pictures are fine as long as they are set on maximum resolution.

 

–       The picture must contain both of your horse’s ears, but the subject material is totally up to you. It could be the scenery on a hack, your barn, etc.

 

–       Write a short paragraph introducing  yourself, the horse that you are sitting on, and what the picture is of/why you chose to take it.

 

–       Send your picture and paragraph to [email protected] with “View from my horse” in the subject line. All the pictures that people originally sent to [email protected] have been forwarded to me, and they are in line to be published.

Eventing for the Future

By on Aug 24, 2010 3:32 pm -

With all the hype about the WEG this fall and the London Olympics only a couple years from now, it got me thinking about the current young riders that will be riding in Olympics and World Championships as the next generation. If one thing is certain, there are many talented young riders in the US right now, but who will be the next Bruce Davidson or Karen O’Connor is all to play for. I think one of the most vital factors for the security of the sport of Eventing is having riders that are good enough for team selection step up when the current household names finally hang up their pinque coats. Phillip Dutton and Karen O’Connor aren’t going to be able to anchor the US team forever! I think no one is more aware of that fact than the US selectors. They have, together with the USEA and USEF, implemented several programs over the past years to better channel the good riders to the top of the sport.

 Its important to note that no program, no matter how good, can really put a rider through the levels without the rider’s fierce resolve and unwavering dedication to get there himself. The economic reality of being a young professional in the horse world is daunting to say the least, and many riders will find that they simply cannot afford all the things that go into competing at the highest levels. This is when educational scholarships, grants to compete in Europe, and programs like Developing Riders become vital for young professionals to improve, gain invaluable experience, and above all be able to continue on the Olympic quest. 


Before any of today’s young professionals were even born, there was the USET headquarters at Gladstone; where riders trained solely under the tutelage of the great Jack Le Goff. Jack trained the US team from 1970 until 1984. During this period, the US brought home 18 medals, including gold ones from both the 1976 and 1984 Olympics’. I think its interesting to point out that Jack was training his team for six years before they brought home a gold medal. That “flat” period could just have been due to bad luck,  but I think it clearly shows how long it takes to produce horses and riders that were already good before, to a level where they are consistent winners. This training program at Gladstone was really the only one of its kind. Riders stayed at Gladstone and trained with Le Goff on a daily basis, and some even got to compete horses owned by the USET. The training program was rigorous and Le Goff believed in the basics to the highest degree. As Denny Emerson recalled, “He believed the first basic prerequisite to becoming a good rider was developing an independent dressage seat.” And as David O’Connor will tell you, an independent seat was achieved through a lot of sitting trot with no stirrups!  It was either a program for the best and brightest riders, or Jack polished the riders until they were the best and brightest, I’m not sure which it was. Either way, Bruce Davidson was the first person to come through the program, and David was the last, so it must have been pretty effective. No program exists like that today, so we as a sport need to have a way to to give the young riders enough guidance and opportunity to someday be the best, without being in a daily program with a top coach. 

The good news is that the national organizations have a few programs set up to help young riders along the way: 


The USEA Youth Board Educational Grant is given annually to two young riders that the Youth Board chooses, and gives them two weeks training with two top professionals, one based in the East and the other in the West. This is an opportunity for for kids to see the inner workings of a top professionals’ business, and also gain invaluable riding experience.

 
The Worth the Trust Young Adult Scholarship is for riders aged 16-25, who compete at any level. This is an annual $3,000 scholarship that is to be used for educational purposes such as a clinic or training with a well known trainer, or participating in one of the unmounted clinics that the USEA offers. An application can be found on the USEA website, the deadline for the 2011 scholarship is October 18th. Whoever ultimitely wins the scholarship will be required to write an article about their chosen educational experience that will be featured in the US Eventing magazine, as well as complete a few community service hours. 

The Essex Grant is a highly competitive grant of $5,000 dollars given by the USEF. To qualify, riders must be under the age of 25 and have competed at the CIC** level or higher. They must submit an application and written essay to the USEF. A selection board then reviews all the applicants, and with consideration to performance results and the essay written, they choose the winner. 

Contrary to popular belief, the Young Riders Program is not just for the Championship competition at the one-and-two star levels. By joining their respective area’s Young rider program, kids of all levels can get to know their fellow Young riders better, participate in clinics put on by their area’s program, and a few may even get to groom at the Young Riders Championship competition.  

The Developing Riders program is an active list program where the most talented young professionals are picked to participate in a few training sessions with Captain Phillips throughout the year. This program is kind of a stepping stone (theoretically, anyway) for young professionals to make it on to the short-list  (B and A) for true team selection. An added bonus is that its also an opportunity for those chosen to ride under the eye of Mark Phillps several times over the competition season. Riders wishing to making the Developing Riders list must either submit an application or be selected by a “talent spotter” either Derek di Grazia, Phillip Dutton, Becky Holder, Mike Huber, Kerry Milliken, Karen O’Connor, Mark Phillips, Kim Severson, or Amy Tryon.

So, as I said before, the good news is that there are programs in place to help guide young professionals hopefully onto future short lists’. Unfortunately though, at this time all of these programs are very small scale, and only a few riders reap the benefits. Strength lies in numbers, and the more riders that can see the benefits of these programs, the more chance the United States has of being able to field a competitive international team in the years to come. Also, more competitors means more competition, and that way the bar for excellence is always being raised.

Millbrook Sunday Report

By on Aug 8, 2010 8:19 pm -

The show jumping phase at Millbrook Horse Trials proved to be very influential to the final results. Advanced didn’t start until 2:15, but this morning they started running the show jumping from training level on up. You could tell that the organizers put a lot of effort into bringing spectators out to enjoy the event, and it worked. A lot of people came out to watch the horses jump. Kerry Millikin lead a course walk for patrons and sponsors while the riders were walking the Advanced course, and Kerry also provided some commentary while the horses were going too. 

The show jumping course was big, and it really had the feel of a big three-day event. The time was wheeled pretty tightly as well, and it was clear what riders were feeling the pressure of making it by hustling in places where they probably should have waited, and consequently the rails did fall. Nate Chambers and Rolling Stone, the overnight leaders of Advanced A, had five rails down and unfortunately dropped down the order quite a bit. Kristen Bond and Are You Ready stepped up and jumped a beautiful double clear round to win the division. Will Faudree and his mare Andromaque also jumped a super round and ended in second. Holly and Last Monarch had one rail down but he looked to be jumping really well. My Boy Bobby was withdrawn after dressage but the organizers let Buck do a combined test and he of course jumped clear. Boyd jumped clean with Neville but he did have a couple time penalties. 
In Advanced B, Buck won on Ballynoecastle and was second on May I Tell Ya, and jumped clean with both. Kate Willis also jumped a lovely clear with Polar Storm and came third. Buck had three down on the Titanium horse and dropped from second to seventh. 
Pawlow and Remington were the only two short-listed pairs that ran in the Intermediate. Pawlow had one fence down and moved to fourth, and Remington had two down. Overall, I think it was a really good weekend for the sport, everyone stayed safe and all of the horses that I saw looked really well coming off the cross country and then the show jumping today.

Millbrook Saturday Recap

By on Aug 7, 2010 10:05 pm -


Well if one thing is for sure, the weather gods were definitely with us today at Millbrook Horse Trials. The temperatures stayed cool and there was a nice breeze the entire day. Sadly, when John’s weekend ended at the coffin, mine ended as I galloped by Fence 16, completely unaware that it even existed!! Needless to say, I had plenty of time to watch the rides today, and there were many excellent ones to watch. 

Nate Chambers and Rolling Stone flew around the Advanced and were the only pair to make time, so they retain their lead in Advanced Division A. Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott move to second with .8 time penalties added to their score of 38.9. Buck Davidson leads the Advanced Division B with Ballynoecastle RM, and is in second with Titanium and fourth on May I Tell Ya. All the WEG shortlisters had great performances as well, Last Monarch is in 8th with four time penalties. Neville Bardos is saving his running shoes for a bigger event later this fall, as evident by the 18.4 time penalties he had today. My Boy Bobby was withdrawn, as he too obviously has bigger plans for the fall. In Advanced Division B, Connaught and Phillip had 12.4 time penalties and are currently lying in 9th.  Remington and Pawlow had strong performances in the intermediate as they come back from summer holiday.  Buzzterbrown was out filming today so we will surely post those videos when we get them.
The time was very influential on the course today, but there were minimal problems with the fences. All the riders I saw go today looked really well prepared for the level at which they were competing, and the “nailbiters” kept to a minimum. I think it is important to point out that the divisions are all very large in size, and competitive with the horses and riders in them. To win or place well in one of these sections will require that you have three really good, consistent performances. I think that there is probably nothing worse in terms of a rider’s mental state to put forth only a mediocre performance, and by virtue of the scoring or other competitors misfortunes, come away with a result that doesn’t match up to the performance. 
The Show jumping course looks beautifully layed out and hopefully tomorrow will produce some really good jumping from the horses, with a little help from their riders of course! 
Till’ next time 
Annie

Millbrook Update

By on Aug 7, 2010 12:30 pm -

Our fearless leader fell early on the advanced course today at Millbrook.  He and his horse are both fine, but John is, needless to say, not in the best mood.  Other than John’s fall, the course is riding well and either John or I will have a report later this afternoon.  The live scores will be posted here when they are available. 

Millbrook Thursday Dressage Recap

By on Aug 5, 2010 10:32 pm -

The weather today was very accommodating for the lunchtime wet t-shirt contest. Well I should say that we had some wet t-shirts here around lunchtime, whether there was a contest or not. The day started off hot and humid, but mid-afternoon, right as the first Advanced horses were starting, the skies opened and we got poured on. For as much as it rained, I was surprised they didn’t put a hold on the rings.


Millbrook links: Live Scores, Entries/Ride Times, Weather

The riding was really quality Thursday, and it showed all throughout the levels. The scores were pretty low, but since I was competing I like to think it was because of good riding, not that the judges we’re in an extra good mood. The younger riders really shined in the large Advanced A section that rode on Thursday. Nate Chambers and Rolling Stone II are leading Advanced A with 32.2, and Lauren Kieffer and Ultra Tim are second with a 35. That is pretty impressive considering they were competing against some of the horses and riders that are shortlisted to go to the WEG’s this September.

Speaking of Short-listed horses, Neville Bardos is in 4th in Advanced A with a 37.2, My Boy Bobby is in a tie for 8th with a 39.7, and Last Monarch is in 13th with a 42.5. Will Faudree and Pawlow are leading OI-A with a 30.8 and Boyd Martin and Remington XXV are a close second in that division with a 32.4.

I think the general consensus is that all the cross country courses look fair and ask the right questions. And the footing will have gotten much needed help from the rain we had today.

Stay tuned and go eventing.