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Wofford Speaks, We Listen

By on Jan 24, 2011 4:51 pm -

I had the opportunity to chat with Jim Wofford for a few minutes this evening about his decision to apply for the USEF’s Chef/Technical Advisor position.  When I first heard that Jim was applying, I will admit that my first reaction was to ask myself ‘does Jim really want to put up with that mess at this stage in his life?‘  It took me about 15 seconds of chatting with him to realize that Jimmy is 100% committed to winning the job and to succeeding in the job once he gets it.  If you know Jimmy, you know exactly what tone of voice he was using.

The first thing we talked about was that, like David, he is applying for both the Chef and Technical Advisor roles as one.  Jimmy explained that the Chef responsibility is not all that time consuming, aside from a few committees.  He also said that having one Chef/Technical Advisor would cut down on expenses and communication errors.  As he put it:

“I think it’s important to have a unity of message to the riders.”

Jimmy explained that over the past several years he has been organizing his life in preparation for this role, and that while he continues to coach actively, he has put an emphasis on making his life free of conflicts of interest.  Jimmy also explained that he will be fully committed to the job:

“It is my intention to be the first full-time US coach.”

Jim’s qualifications are impossible to question.  He is a 3 time Olympian and won individual silver in 1980.  He competed at the World Championships 2 times, won the US national championships 5 times, and is a member of the USEA hall of fame.  Perhaps most importantly, Jimmy has extraordinary coaching experience.  Jimmy coached the Canadian Team at the 2002 WEGs, the 2003 Pan Ams, and the 2004 Olympics.  He didn’t have quite the success that David has had with the Canadians, but he did win team bronze in 2003. 

Jimmy told me that he has coached at least one student on every U.S. Olympic, World Championship, and Pan-American team since 1978, and that he decided to apply for the job after sitting down and writing out the achievements of his students.  Jimmy has coached Karen, David, and Kim to name a few, and, while I think all three of those riders would have been Team riders no matter who coached them, they are good students to have on your resume. 

For eventers, Jimmy is a regular spectator at major competitions these days.  He has maintained a leadership role in our sport both behind the scenes and through his blog.  The eventing public’s support from Jimmy is unquestioned and trust me when I say that the USEF and the US Team’s sponsors are keeping an eye on public opinion.

The one concern that is sure to be raised is Jimmy’s distance of late from big time competing and coaching.  Jimmy retired from riding over 20 years ago, and he hasn’t had the steady stream of 4* students that Phillip and David have had over the last decade.  That said, it’s hard to look at Jimmy’s lifetime of service to eventing and disagree when he told me:

“I am uniquely qualified to lead the US team.”

Go eventing.  

Jimmy Wofford Applies for US Team Chef/Technical Advisor

By on Jan 24, 2011 2:50 pm -

From Jimmy’s website:

I wanted to let you know that this morning I sent in my application for the USET Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor position, an application which included both a comprehensive CV and my plan for future USET success. I am seeking this job because I believe I can help our sport reach new heights.To quote in part from my summary,

“For the past thirty-five years, the common denominator of our US eventing teams has been the presence of my former students. They learn a classical and effective system of training and riding from me, they go on in the sport to do great things, and I am incredibly proud of them. I am confident in my ability to continue to produce this result for the USET.”

There you have it Eventing Nation!  Jimmy is one of US eventing’s true godfathers, a champion rider, someone who has previously coached much of the current US team, a true statesman, and someone who can bring a refreshingly old-school mentality to the USEF. Jimmy joins David O’Connor and the joint application of Phillip Dutton and Bobby Costello as the third confirmed application to be sent in to replace Mark Phillips when he retires after 2012. The deadline for applications is January 31st.  We’ll have much more soon.  Go eventing.

Monday Video Break – Foxhunters are Nuts

By on Jan 24, 2011 11:02 am -

Get your popcorn folks and watch as a steady stream of horses jumps a giant ditch, with or without their riders, and as the footing slowly deteriorates.  Best of all, commentary is provided with a fantastic accent that I can barely understand.  The commentary may or may not be safe for work, I can’t really tell–again, the accents.  This video has all the components of fabulous television.  Don’t worry, even though some of the riders clearly are not, the horses are trained professionals. 

Congratulations, you now are 7 minutes closer to the end of work today.  Go eventing.

Poplar Place’s Monday Reader

By on Jan 24, 2011 12:10 am -

The only recognized US event this weekend was held at Poplar Place in Georgia, where US Team rider Becky Holder stole the show.  Becky and Can’t Fire Me led wire to wire in the Open Intermediate/Preliminary, adding just 3.2 cross-country time penalties to their dressage score.  Becky also placed third in the same division on Call Me Ollie.  The OI/P division is a hybrid where the dressage and show jumping are at the intermediate level and the cross-country course is set for prelim.  Werner Geven won the 17 horse Open Prelim division on Master Manipulator.  All of the prelim horses completed the event and just three horses from the novice and training divisions were eliminated.  For the sake of variety, I have organized today’s news and notes by topic:

Helmet Rules: As we all know, the USEF passed the helmet rule change on Sunday morning that will require strapped certified helmets to be worn at all times when mounted in USEF divisions at events.  I can only imagine that Robert Dover is writing a blog post praising eventing for our new helmet safety initiative as we speak.

The date that the rule change will go into effect has not been official announced, but it probably will be announced this week in a press release from the USEF and USEA.  From what I have heard, the eventing helmet rule will go into effect immediately. 

[EV 114 Rule Change PDF]

Our friends in the pure dressage world also passed a helmet rule at the USEF board meeting on Sunday.  All dressage riders are required to wear ASTM certified and strapped helmets when mounted.  Riders in FEI level tests may switch to their top hats, but only for their test.  For everyone else, it is all helmets all the time.  The Chronicle was at the convention this weekend and I would guess they will have a full report early this week including the rule changes.

The US Coaching Search: We are now one week away from the USEF’s application deadline.  We have two confirmed applications (David and Phillip with Bobby) and I suspect that we will hear about at least one more application this week.  Bear in mind that it is entirely possible that we will not hear about several of the applications, at least until a short list is announced.  For example, if I was currently the coach of another international team, I might want my application to be kept private.  It’s going to be an exciting week on Eventing Nation.

Area II Convention:

The Golightly Sport Horse Blog has posted an Area II Convention report that would make Eventing Nation proud.  One interesting thing that the report points out that to be eligible for Area II year end awards you have to sign up, pay $20, and do 8 hours of volunteer work during the year.  That’s definitely a great way to get people involved in volunteering, and be sure to sign up early this year if you are in Area II.  Best of all, Cherie gave a shout-out to Ecogold, and I also had to quote this from her post if only to demand why I haven’t gotten an awesome mini-bag from Cavalor:

“Cavalor feeds was there as a meeting sponsor.   When they asked me if I’d heard of Cavalor, I said “Yes! Because you sponsor Eventing Nation!” and I was promptly handed a goodie bag with the cutest little mini grain bag ever – complete with the stitched thread at the top!” 

I’ll be checking the mail Cavalor.  As for the rest of the article, we’ll just link to it and let you read about all the awards and presentations:  [Golightly Sport Horse Blog]

The Carrot: Felicity Foxhunter is continuing her fantastical search for The Carrot.  Me, I’ll just shoot The Carrot an email and ask why they disappeared.  Hopefully The Carrot still checks its email.  What everyone might not know is that The Carrot is actually just a very intelligent vegetable.  

Books: Get ready Eventing Nation because two eventing greats have written books that will hit the shelves this spring.  Denny Emerson’s new book, How Good Riders Get Good: Daily Choices That Lead To Success In Any Equestrian Sport, is due on shelves in March.  Stephanie Diaz from The Pilot chatted with Denny about the book, and you can read the interview here.   Jimmy Wofford also has a new booking coming out, which a little birdie told me will be released at Rolex.  So, the Eventing Nation book club already has our summer reading list set. 

Best of the Blogs: Ian Stark clinic

Best of the Blogs (honorable mention): Lainey says Wagener is the new Aiken

That’s all for now Eventing Nation.  Stay tuned throughout the day for a clinic report from Samantha and much, much more.  Go eventing.

Sponsor Spotlight: Hawley Bennett and Omega Alpha

By on Jan 23, 2011 7:44 pm -

Omega Alpha has some fabulous riders who use their products and one of those riders, our good friend Hawley Bennett of Team Canada, was kind enough to answer a few questions about Omega Alpha’s supplements and her spring plans.  Thanks for being a great friend to Eventing Nation Hawley and Omega Alpha, and thank you for reading.

Q: What are your plans for the spring and summer with your upper level horses?

Hawley: Well, that is a very loaded question!! I have been riding long enough to make plans a, b, c, and sometimes d!!! For Gin & Juice I will be starting the year Intermediate across the street at Galway Downs. She will run a few Advanced and then (here is where plans a, b, c, etc. come in to play!!) she will do the CIC*** at Galway or head East for the CIC*** at the Fork. The plans from there are still up in the air!! Ideally I would LOVE to take Gin & Juice to Badminton!!! I feel that in the last year she has been amazing at Kentucky in the spring and then the WEG in the fall. I am just waiting to see if we get a grant to help with the expense!! It costs “a little” more to come from the West!!

As for Gin & Juice’s little brother Five O’Clocksomewhere, he will start the year competing against his older sister in the Intermediate at Galway Downs!! He has never jumped “red numbers” before, but will be well prepared after riding with Buck Davidson last weekend and Ian Stark this weekend at the Galway Downs Fundraiser Clinic! He will be aiming for the CIC** at Galway in March and then from there, his plans depend on what his sister is doing!! I would love to be able to stay on the West Coast and run the CCI** at Twin Rivers, but if Gin & Juice goes to Badminton it is on the same weekend. So, that means that I need to come up with some $$$ to send Five O’Clocksomewhere to the CCI** at Jersey Fresh!!! I am aiming him for the Pan Am Games this fall, so I really need to get the ** done this spring!!

Q: Please name some of your favorite OA products.

Hawley: My horses on a daily basis use the following products from Omega Alpha: Gastra-FX, Sinew-X, and Equisel-Lyte. After a jump school, gallop, or really hard dressage lesson my horse legs and backs get rubbed down with Tetda which is a fabulous natural liniment. I have also used Tetda on myself after hard work out at the gym!! 🙂

Q: What do you appreciate about OA as a supplement company?

Hawley: Omega Alpha has such a vast selection of natural formulations for my horses well being and performance. I am a big believer in Natural products, especially competing under FEI rules!!! I have some “picky eaters” but they all love the Omega Alpha products! I also love the fact that the staff and researchers at Omega Alpha are extremely knowledgeable and friendly!! They can be reached very easily for any question you might have about a product plan for you horse. I am a big fan of good customer service and Omega Alpha is second to none.

USEF Board Approves Eventing Helmet Rule

By on Jan 23, 2011 10:39 am -

I have just confirmed from Lexington that the USEF Board approved the eventing helmet rule at their Sunday morning board meeting.  The helmet rule proposal [EV 114] passed unanimously.  The rule change will make ASTM approved and strapped helmets mandatory at all times when mounted at US national events.  This will not affect rules in FEI divisions.  At events with both FEI and USEF divisions, the FEI riders will not be required to wear helmets but the USEF riders will. 

The USEA, USEF, and the eventers who helped shepherd the rule change through the USEF committees this week deserve a lot of credit for passing this rule.  Eventing is the first discipline within the USEF to make helmets mandatory, which is just yet another example of how eventing is a leader in safety initiatives among equestrian sports.  Go eventing.

Watch people get USEF awards

By on Jan 22, 2011 6:24 pm -

If you are like Coren and have absolutely nothing to do with your Saturday night, you could spend the evening watching the USEF Awards gala and dinner starting at 7:30pm ET live on the USEF Network.  The good news is that most equestrians aren’t used to large audiences so who knows, maybe someone will do something entertaining.  Kidding aside, the USEF network does maybe the best job video broadcasting live equestrian events in the media and I wish they would broadcast more events.  If you do have something to do with your Saturday night, keep it safe and don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to read about on Eventing Nation.

[USEF Network starting at 7:30pm ET]

Go eventing.

NEW: Win a FREE Point Two Airjacket

By on Jan 22, 2011 2:20 pm -

It’s a big Saturday for Eventing Nation’s sponsors.  Flair, Cavalor, and Ecogold were all major sponsors at the Area II annual meeting (more on that later), and of course we have the much anticipated new Point Two contest announcement in this post.

When Point Two first signed on as one of Eventing Nation’s first sponsors, they made a commitment to promoting and growing safety around eventing.  That’s an easy thing to say, but Point Two has put their money where their mouth is and we have the privilege of giving away another Point Two Airjacket to one lucky EN reader.

The contest is incredibly simple–in fact, it’s exactly the same as our holiday contest in December.  Simply click the link below, watch the quick video and answer three multiple choice questions.  When the contest ends in a few weeks, one lucky winner will be randomly chosen from the group of entrants.  Please spread the word about the contest to your friends not just to give them a chance to win a $700 airjacket but because lots of entrants make us look good to the bosses.  The contest runs until February 21st, so be sure to get your entries in soon. 

As you remember, Brittany Schneider of Fredericksburg, VA won our first Eventing Nation Point-Two contest, and Melissa Quinn from Cambridge, MN won our holiday Point Two contest.  Will you be our next winner?

Note: This is a brand new contest, so if you entered the last contest be sure to enter again to have a chance of winning.

Click here to win a FREE Point Two airjacket

Also, if you didn’t catch Jenny’s working student guest blog post on Thursday, click here to watch her test out her pink Point Two that she got for Christmas–ah the wonders of Youtube.  Go eventing.

New Zealand eventing squad means business

By on Jan 22, 2011 2:14 pm -


The Kiwi flag from the WEGs

The Horse and Hound is reporting that the entire New Zealand 2012 Olympic eventing squad is moving to England this spring.  New Zealand took the unconventional step of naming their 5 rider Olympic short list last December.  Three riders on the squad–Andrew Nicholson, Mark Todd, and Caroline Powell–are already based in England along with the Kiwi vet and farrier.  The other two riders on the list, Jonathan Paget and Clarke Johnstone, will relocate to England.  The team coach, Erik Duvander said:

“Our riders need to compete against the best in the world — in the UK and Europe“

New Zealand placed third at the 2010 WEGs, and they are making a big commitment to win gold in 2012.  We are still over a year and a half away from the Olympics and most countries are busy naming their training lists for 2011.  Making the 2012 short list so early gives New Zealand major strategic advantages in being able to focus funding and coaching on just a few riders.  There are certainly risks with naming the list so early, but that risk is mitigated by the fact that Andrew Nicholson was named with four horses and Mark Todd with two.  Furthermore, moving to England gives the Kiwis the opportunity to acclimate their horses to England and train with the best in the world.  My guess is that this model will be both successful and imitated by other nations, particularly small but powerful eventing countries, over the next few years. 

[Horse and Hound via JER] 

Go eventing.

Samantha Clark’s new blog

By on Jan 21, 2011 6:32 pm -

Whether it has been introducing Eventing Nation to some top eventers with great video interviews, covering the Helmet Safety Symposium, reporting from events, or writing about the Henny situation, Samantha Clark has been a fantastic addition to the EN Team over the past several months.  We look forward to a great 2011 with Samantha taking us behind the scenes in eventing and, in that spirit, we are partnering with Samantha on a fun new project–her personal blog at www.SamanthaLClark.com.  Don’t worry, all of Samantha’s major eventing articles will still be posted right here on Eventing Nation, but they will also be posted on Samantha’s own blog along with some of her personal musings and additional content.  We have already added Samantha’s previous EN articles to her new blog.  Check it out at:

As one last thing to note, due to some technical challenges we will be posting the next EN Point Two contest on Saturday, but, just like the last one, everyone will have a few weeks to enter.  Go eventing.

Helmets at the USEF Annual Meeting

By on Jan 21, 2011 3:59 pm -
The USEF annual meeting is underway in Lexington, Kentucky right now and, as you may have noticed, it’s getting about as much coverage as the Green Bay Packers wide receivers got in Atlanta last weekend.  
The most important item for eventers at the convention is probably the mandatory helmet rule change proposal stipulating that buckled and approved helmets must be worn at all times when mounted at eventing competitions.  As we all know, the mandatory helmet proposal received virtually no opposition at the USEA convention in December and was unanimously passed by the USEA Board.  However, US eventing faces the strange circumstance of having the rules at our national competitions set by the USEF rather than the USEA, and so the rule change proposal can only becomes a rule with the USEF’s consent.
While many of us might assume that the USEF would just rubber stamp the rule since the USEA has unanimously asked the USEF to enact what is a sensible rule promoting safety that would only affect eventers, that is not necessarily the case.  This rule proposal would make eventing the first USEF sport (to my knowledge) in which the USEF passes a ‘mandatory at all all-times’ helmet rule.  One worry is that USEF members from other disciplines who do not support mandatory helmets could oppose the eventing helmet rule to avoid a precedent being set that might someday affect their own sport.
The rule proposal has been working its way through the various USEF committees since Wednesday, and, from what I hear this afternoon, it will likely make it to the Sunday USEF Board meeting where the board will vote to determine if the proposal will indeed become a final rule.
However, the fate of the helmet rule still seems uncertain.  One eventer involved in the rule proposal process told me today that the proposal is “a long way from becoming a rule.”  If the USEF were to spurn a unanimous USEA request for a rule that would only affect eventing, then things could get very interesting indeed.
For information on non-helmet eventing topics discussed at the USEF annual meeting on Thursday, Diana De Rosa has posted this article with the Examiner. Go eventing.

Henny has arrived in Florida

By on Jan 21, 2011 12:31 pm -

Best friends reunite – Henny and Peter’s son Owen
After a custody battle and emergency colic surgery in late 2010, HJ Hampton has finally arrived in Florida where he will spend the winter with his rider Peter Atkins.  “Henny” is still 3 months away from being able to do even dressage, but it looks like Henny is very happy to be back with Peter’s son Owen.  The WEG superstar and fan-favorite event horse has spent the past several months at Ring Brook Farm in New Hampshire while the court figured out who would get possession of him until a ruling could be made on his complicated ownership situation–that ruling could be months or even years from now.  Rolex 2011 is certainly out of the question for Henny, but he should be back in time for a fall three-day, which would set him up really well for the 2012 Olympics.  [Run Henny Run]
#FreeHenny

Get well soon Forrest Allen

By on Jan 21, 2011 11:20 am -

As a quick note this morning, I’d like to extend a big dose of Eventing Nation’s thoughts and prayers to Forrest Allen, who was severely injured in a snowboarding accident earlier this week. Forrest suffered brain and spine trauma and is currently recovering at my alma mater’s University of Virginia hospital, which is one of the best trauma hospitals in the country.  Forrest is the son of Dr. Kent Allen, one of the preeminent sports medicine vets in the country.  Dr. Allen writes a series of articles for the Chronicle, including an article about prepurchase exams that was published this morning.  Forrest’s family is with him at the hospital and they are keeping people updated on Forrest’s recovery with Forrest’s blog.  [Forrest’s Recovery Blog via LK and SI]

Working Student Diaries, part 10

By on Jan 20, 2011 7:28 pm -

First of all, a big thanks to Annie for holding down the fort here at EN today while I was on the road.  Having listened to the radio for about 8 hours today, all I can say is congratulations to Akon for getting back on the radio.  Unfortunately, as a result, the radio will be terrible for the next 5 months.  We have a busy and exciting day planned for Friday with hopefully a new contest and the unveiling of Samantha Clark’s new blog.  I’ll let Annie tell you more about that later, but for now here is our next article from our working student guest blogger Jenny.
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FREEDOM.JPG

From Jenny:

Hello Eventing Nation!

      I am now back in Kentucky from my wonderful vacation back home in Boston. It was great to see all of my family and friends at home, catch up with the non-equestrian world, and spend some quality time doing absolutely nothing. Of course I was eager to get back to Team CEO, so the second I landed at LEX, my fast-paced life picked back up–I drove straight from the airport to Masterson and hopped on Pesto for a x-country school. Never a dull moment as a working student, this was by far the best welcome home I have ever had! I also came home to my Christmas present in the mail from my family, a new (PINK!!) Point Two air vest! I was able to test it out the next day on another x-country trip while riding one of my project horses, and to my surprise I was actually terrified of the vest! I never thought a safety device would scare me, but for some reason galloping while being attached to your saddle, knowing that if you fall off you are going to go ‘POP’ freaked me out. (Funny side note: when I *remembered* to unhook before dismounting so I didn’t ‘pop,’ I realized I had failed to put a CO2 cartridge in it… oops!) Anyways, Megan decided I needed to be blown up once so I could see what it feels like, and be more comfortable wearing it out on the course. Andrea was delegated to pull the cord while Megan filmed, and this was the result: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkyOm4X7mik. As you can see I am a huge chicken, but have conquered my fear of popping my vest, as it really is just like a giant bear hug!

      Now for the big (and best!) news– Molson is SOUND!!! The best day of my life was last Wednesday when Dr. Newton confirmed his 100% recovery. I am now allowed to walk him for 20-30 minutes a day under saddle (if I am feeling brave). This past week I have just been hand walking him in the ring, as he is still feeling his oats and likes to try and practice his Lipizzaner moves every once in a while, which is funny because he is normally a perfect gentleman, but who can blame him after being on stall rest for 12 weeks?? I got on him on Thursday for a short walk for nostalgic purposes while Andrea played damage control (leading me) on the ground, and I have never been happier! The plan now is to walk for a couple of weeks, then remove the medical plate and slowly start on some flatwork, and maybe even some monitored turnout.

      Now that Molson is on the mend, I am hopeful that I may be able to bring him to Aiken with us in March. We have 8 weeks until then, and I do not, under any circumstance, want to push him, so we will see! It would be a week of having fun in the sun, no shows or pressure, just a good time with some of our clients! If it is not in the cards, then I might be able to convince Megan to let me bring Pesto… who, in other news, was a superstar this past weekend again at one of the local jumper shows. She was a crowd pleaser, especially as we soared over the joker jump in the gambler’s choice class! For a little paint pony, she certainly has a lot of heart, and double the scope. The next jumper show we are bringing a bunch of the babies for exposure, so we have been doing lots of riding (6+ sets a day each) to make sure everyone is in top shape for the start of the season.

      This week we have a full schedule not only riding our project horses, but also attending various seminars by Southern States, Alltech, and the University of Kentucky. One of the greatest things about being a working student is the amount of priceless information and experience you gain that you can’t get anywhere else. Every day I still wonder why anyone would ever want to do anything else!?

Until next time,

xo, Jenny

Eventing Nation in Hawaii

By on Jan 19, 2011 5:50 pm -

Thanks to one vacationing EN reader, Eventing Nation is represented on the lava flows of Hawaii. 

ENbighawaii.jpg

From Blueandgreen:

“Even on vacation in Kona, Hawaii I have to get my EN fix, so I have been checking your site daily while lounging by the pool and on the black sand beach.  One cool thing about the big island of Hawaii is that it still has active lava flows.  The lava on our side of the island is less than 200 years old, so as you drive along the roads there are sections which look like photos of Mars covered in craggy black-brown rock.  Along the barren roadsides are messages spelled out in bits of white dead coral collected on the beaches, most are messages of love, dates, names, occassionally a few funny ones.  So my hubby helped me write out our own message in coral, Eventing Nation is representing on the Big Island.”

Cobblestone Farm’s Wednesday Reader from Ecogold

By on Jan 19, 2011 1:02 am -

Cobblestone Farm, which hosts an event each year near Ann Arbor, Michigan, is applying for a local “greenbelt” land conservation program.  Jim and Darlyn Daratony, owners of the 100 acre Cobblestone farm, are asking the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Commission to have land adjacent to their property preserved and protected to use for their event.  The greenbelt land program protects land by purchasing the development rights but allowing the land to remain in private ownership.  Nearly 200 horses participated in Cobbletone’s 2010 event and we’d love to see the Ann Arbor community support Cobblestone’s bid for land conservation in the name of eventing.  [Ann Arbor Chronicle]  Now for some quick eventing news and notes:

–In all of the discussion about David’s application to coach the US team yesterday, I forgot to mention that it was David’s birthday.  David turned 49 on Tuesday, which gives him at least two or three more good sound years before it’s time to turn him out to pasture.  Happy birthday ‘Larry,’ and here’s to another 49. 

–Our good friend Sara Lieser at the Chronicle interviewed David on Tuesday, and it sounded like David wasn’t in the mood to talk about Phillip and Bobby’s application.  David said “I think those guys have their reasons for doing it. There are different philosophies.”  [Sara’s article]

–Speaking of the Chronicle, the great John Strassburg has written an article about the California Appeal Court’s decision to continue the Eriksson case against Kristi Nunnink alleging negligence in the tragic death of Mia Eriksson at Galway in 2006.  The article contains some additional details, including that “[Mia] Eriksson did not heed course officials attempting to stop her, as she’d already exceeded the maximum number of refusals allowed on course.” and explains that the Erikssons had previously filed suits against the USEA, USEF, and event officials, all of which have been since dismissed.  Our EN post about the court’s decision last Wednesday has 58 comments to date and the issue is obviously very polarizing because it involves the tragic death of a young lady.  Ultimately, no court action will bring Mia back and I hope that cooler heads will prevail in court.  [COTH]

—3D3W interviews Clark Montgomery, part 1

–In classic FEI form, the FEI has sent out a press release announcing that an “extraordinary general assembly” will be held May 6th to “restructure the current FEI governance model.”  Of course, the press release says nothing about what the “restructuring” will actually entail, and just says that the newly restructured board will be elected in November.  I confess that my imagination turns to the possibility of Princess Haya “restructuring” into nonexistence those who opposed her in the 2010 FEI presidential election.  I wonder if The Carrot was “restructured”–posts from EN’s favorite blog stopped mid-way through the WEGs and have not resumed.  [FEI Press Release]

–Our Tennessee readers will be glad to learn that Cavalor has added a new feed company in Knoxville to their expanding list of distributors.  Check out Agri Feed Pet Supply Company in Knoxville for their full line of Cavalor.  And, as always, check out the Cavalor dealer directory for a store near you.

—Are horses or humans fatter? Scientists estimate that as many as 54% of leisure horses are overweight/obese, which means that horses edge out humans for the title of fattest.  Clearly no one at Science Daily watches New York Jets press conferences.  [Science Daily]

—The Holling Event Team is now 100% helmet safe.  As of last Sunday anyone on a horse at the Holling farm must be wearing an approved helmet with the chin strap done up at all times.  Take the example from Jon and Jen folks and make your eventing program 100% helmet safe.   Also, one of our commenters mentioned Jon Holling as a possible name to replace David at Team Canada if David moves on to the US job.   I have no idea if Jon would be interested in applying, but I feel strongly that he will coach big international teams someday.  Jon is still in his 30’s and coaching Canada might be a few years away still, but he’s someone to keep an eye on for the future.

—The next time you think your life with horses is hard, try doing it with no arms [Horse and Man via Andrea]

—The USEA has a big push going to remind everyone to renew your membership.  If you live in the US, it’s just common sense to be a USEA member.  Your membership fee helps pay for competitions, USEA functions, the USEA magazine and website, and generally supports eventing in the United States.  Renew your membership Eventing Nation!  [USEA]

–In some sad news, we’d like to extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Jeff Keffer, who passed away from a heart attack while foxhunting earlier this week.  I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Keffer, but he was a big supporter of eventing in the Northern Virginia area and he will be missed by many in the eventing community.

–Be sure to show our friends at Ecogold some love by voting for them in the Equestrian Social Media Awards. The video below explains everything:

That’s all for now.  I’ll be traveling much of the next few days, but of course we’ll keep up a steady stream of eventing news and ridiculousness. We have an exciting new announcement from Samantha Clark coming as soon as the news cycle gives us a moment to breathe so stay tuned for that. Now, more than ever, go eventing.

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Karen would retire from team competitions

By on Jan 18, 2011 6:30 pm -

As a quick note this evening, one of the big questions that has been raised is what would Karen O’Connor do to avoid a conflict of interest if David was hired as coach of the US Eventing Team?  I had a chance to speak with Karen tonight and she explained David’s application to the USEF includes the explanation that she would retire from riding for the US Team.  As Karen said:

“If David does get this job, I would definitely no longer apply for team competitions.”

Karen would essentially be removed entirely from the High Performance program (including grants) to avoid any conflict of interest.  But, she would continue to compete internationally at non-team events, such as Rolex, Badminton, Bromont, etc.  This is a great solution because it takes away the conflict of interest but still lets Karen compete at big events for her many fans around the world.  The bad news is that if David is hired, the US loses Karen, and if Phillip is hired we lose Phillip.  Go eventing

Would David lead Team USA back to Gold?

By on Jan 18, 2011 1:01 pm -

The USEF Search Committee can finally breathe a sigh of relief today knowing they will get at least two applications for the US coaching job.  David’s experience and achievements make him an incredibly strong applicant, and I have outlined a few of my thoughts about David’s potential role as US Coach in this post.

In my mind, there are two types of accomplishments that are important for the next US coach: success as a rider, and success as a coach.  David has achieved both of these in spades.  In a three-day eventing career that spanned 20 years, David won 18 three-day events.  David’s riding resume includes a team gold at the ’02 WEGs, a win at the ’01 Rolex CCI4*, a victory at Badminton in 1997, six Fair Hill CCI3* victories, two Rolex CCI3* victories, Olympic team silver and bronze medals, and of course the individual Olympic gold medal in Sydney.

As for coaching, I have said it before and I will say it again: I expect David to win more international medals as a coach than he did as a rider.  I still fully expect that to be true whether or not the USEF decides to make him the next US coach.  When David took over the reins at Team Canada four years ago, the Canadian eventing program was a mess.  Canada hadn’t won a WEG medal since 1978, and their last Olympic team medal had come in 1956.  It was a popular joke among my friends in 2004 that since we were two-star riders we should all just marry a Canadian and go to the Olympics–not anymore.  In 2006 David developed a step-by-step written four-year plan to build a winning program for Canada.  The support staff, team directors, and riders believed in and executed David’s plan to perfection, and we all saw the results in Lexington.  The USEF Search Committee will certainly ask themselves what they think David’s next four-year plan could produce for the US if he started with better funding, a squad of excellent veteran riders, and a greater depth of talent with which to build a program.

When I talk to top riders about David’s potential as the US coach, they are, in general, very complimentary about his coaching skills and his ability to build a winning program.  The most common concern they raise is whether or not the system that David used in Canada would work as well in the US.  David took a very direct and technical coaching approach with the Canadians, but he told me this morning that he sees the role of the US coach as being more about guiding and helping the riders to make a plan in coordination with their personal coaches.  This suggests to me that David understands that the US team will need to be handled differently than the Canadian team in the sense that the US coach will have less of a pure instructional role and more of an emphasis on guiding the considerable talents of the US riders.

One issue that will be raised with any candidate from within the US is a discussion about conflict of interest.  With David, that question has a lot to do with Karen being a High Performance rider and a perennial member of the US Team.  It is my educated guess that Karen will retire after 2012, and this would almost certainly have to be a requirement if David is chosen to be the US coach.

A lot of people might disagree with me on this, but I think that one of the reasons that David makes such a good coach is that he wasn’t an extremely natural rider.  I’m pretty sure that Bruce Davidson could have ridden around a 4* course when he was 7 years old–and probably made the time.  David, on the other hand, had to spend his career studying how to ride and how horses think.  The result is that David possesses the most developed and refined theory of riding that I have ever seen.  David is an intellectual, he’s a thinker, and he will never ask you as a rider to do something without providing a conceptual framework for understanding what you are doing.  

Personally, I’m very excited that the USEF will have the opportunity to consider David’s application because, in all honesty, I wasn’t sure whether David would apply for the US job after the Canadians did so well at the WEGs.  I know that David truly loves his Canadian squad and those riders would ride through the gates of hell for him.  Our Canadian readers are undoubtedly really disappointed at the prospect of losing their coach, but remember that either way David will coach Canada through the 2012 Olympics, and Team Canada has unquestionably reemerged as an eventing power.  

David told me this morning that he has been preparing his entire life to coach the US Team, and his career certainly feels that way; studied under Jimmy Wofford and Jack Le Goff, international competitor for the US, won Olympic gold, became coach of the Canadian Team, led the Canadians to WEG silver…doesn’t it seem like the next step on that list is coaching the US Team?

After the January 31st application deadline, the candidates will be ranked by the selection committee using the applications and phone interviews to create a working short list.  The short list will be passed to the USEF Active Athletes Committee, which will make a recommendation to the High Performance Committee, which will make a final recommendation to USEF CEO John Long, who will make the final hiring decision.

There is a long way to go before the USEF names our next eventing coach, and I expect that at least a couple more very strong candidates will apply.  But, I think that we can all start getting excited that US eventing has some fantastic potential leaders.  Go eventing.

David’s Thoughts on Applying

By on Jan 18, 2011 9:17 am -

I had a chance to briefly speak with David about his decision to apply to be the USA’s next eventing coach this morning.  David told me that he had informed the Canadian staff and riders of his decision over the past few days and that he would be handing in his application to the USEF at the Federation’s annual meeting in Lexington this week.

David is submitting an application to serve both the Technical Advisor and Chef responsibilities, but he stressed that building a winning program will be very much a team effort, with the USEF Eventing Director, the Chair of the High Performance Committee, and Chair of the Selection Committee all playing integral roles in building the US program.  David said that he was applying for both the Chef and Technical Advisor responsibilities because, as he said, “I think there has to be one voice of communication to the riders.” 

David has had extraordinary success with the Canadian Team, but the US and Canadian programs are very different, and I asked him about how he would approach coaching the US riders.  David said:

“I think the role of the US coach has to be one of guiding the riders’ technical excellence.  I really believe this means in many cases guiding through their own personal coaches at home, and that much of the Team coaching is about creating a plan for the top riders.  The training sessions really then are about monitoring the progress and making adjustments if needed, and ensuring the riders are pushed beyond their comfort zone to do what is possible, not just what the level is at that moment.“

David’s decision to apply for the job is welcome news for the US, but it isn’t any surprise for those close to him.  As David said, “I have been preparing for this my whole life.”  Get excited USA and go eventing.

BREAKING: David O’Connor Will Apply to Coach Team USA

By on Jan 18, 2011 8:01 am -

I have just gotten word that David O’Connor will be submitting his application to coach Team USA later this week.  The Olympic gold medalist and current Canadian coach joins the combined application of Phillip Dutton and Bobby Costello as the only two confirmed applicants vying to replace Captain Mark Phillips when Mark retires at the end of 2012.  The deadline for candidates to come forward with their applications and proposals for guiding the US Eventing Team is January 31st.  We’ll have much more soon.  Go eventing. 

Zenyatta’s Tuesday News and Notes from RevitaVet

By on Jan 18, 2011 12:22 am -

Congratulations to super-filly Zenyatta for winning the Eclipse Horse of the Year Award on Monday night.  Zenyatta returned the favor from the Breeders’ Cup Classic and edged out Blame for the award.  “Z” is happily retired right now and it’s nice that she could win one award without having to fly around a track to get it, although I think we all would enjoy seeing one more run from Zenyatta.  Congrats Z and thanks again for an amazing career.  [Paulick Report]  Here are a few quick eventing news and notes:

–Congratulations to Boyd.  Boyd will be spending the winter at a fabulously beautiful barn in Aiken, SC with his wife Silva.  Silva’s dressage horses have already arrived in Aiken and the eventers will be coming shortly.  The barn is absolutely beautiful.  [Boyd’s blog]

Update: As a minor correction, Boyd will be spending the winter at an equally beautiful barn, but a different one than is shown in the blog post.  Boyd will be back in Bridle Creek this year, which is the farm development in Aiken where camp Dutton is based. 

–A Montana anti-DUI advertisement allegedly promotes drinking and riding horses, which is ok because drinking and riding horses is legal in Montana.  Montana drunks have noticed the ad and have started to–you guessed it–ride horses home from the bar. [Horsetalk]

—Jennie Brannigan has had an excellent off-season. Cambalda was named USEA horse of the year, Jennie, made the B-list, Nina Gardner bought her horse Indie, and she has decided to start wearing a helmet every time she rides.  [COTH]

–Our weekly ‘Stupid Headline’ award goes to a New Zealand website that is reporting the following headline: “Teen caught by police wearing stolen undies”  The report is unclear why the police had stolen the undergarments in the first place.  

—Best of the Blogs: A message for horses  

Our weekly ‘cool or creepy? video contest nominee [via Boyd Martin]:
 

–Lastly, I want to give a quick shout-out to RevitaVet, who is a great sponsor on Eventing Nation and helps to bring you one ‘news and notes’ post packed to the brim with fun and insanity each week.  If you haven’t considered buying a RevitaVet system, please do.   RevitaVet is a proven, non-invasive, and natural therapy that even gets rave reviews from people I know who use the system on themselves.  RevitaVet uses a variety of LEDs, infrared and visible, of specific wavelengths to increase circulation on a cellular level which helps with healing–and it’s perfectly legal at national and FEI events.  Click the banner below to visit RevitaVet’s site.  

That’s it for now.  Stick around throughout the day for your daily dose of eventing news and ridiculousness.  Go eventing.

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s Monday Reader

By on Jan 17, 2011 12:49 am -

Today we get a chance to remember one of the true visionaries and leaders in the history of mankind.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested over 20 times, his home was bombed, he was personally assaulted at least 4 times, and his phones were wiretapped, but he never wavered from his commitment to leadership through peace.  When he was 35 years old, Dr. King became the youngest man in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and he donated the considerable monetary prize to the civil rights movement.  On April 4th, 1968, he was assassinated at a Memphis, Tennessee hotel while preparing to lead a protest march.  Martin Luther King Jr.’s life will forever stand as evidence that a great man driven by a great cause can create lasting change in our world. 

With the possible exception of racing, equestrian sports in the US are some of the least racially diverse sports in the country.  But at least for today we should be reminded that racial challenges still very much affect many other parts of our world.  Now for some quick eventing news and notes…

—Pure Vida Eventing got some new Ecogold boots and so can you

–In her Sunday morning post, Annie linked to Boyd’s blog post about Remington heading to ‘boot camp’ at Katie Prudent’s in Wellington.  It is becoming pretty trendy for top US riders to spend these first few weeks of January in Wellington, touching up on the dressage and show jumping before the eventing season starts. 

–Speaking of Katie Prudent, she has received a lot of flak for the US team’s performance on Sunday at the WEGs, much of which I think is undeserved.  Many of the US riders chose not to ride with Katie leading up to the WEGs and those that did ride with her, such as Kim, saw considerable improvement.  I know that Katie was debating whether or not she would return to help the eventers in 2011 and for our sake I hope she does.

–The USEF Annual Meeting is this week in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky.  Let’s be realistic, conventions are just an excuse for the higher-ups to spend 3 hours a day talking about important issues and then the rest of the time getting their Marmaduke on.  I won’t be attending the USEF Annual Meeting this year–heck, even if I was in Lexington I still probably wouldn’t attend.  I can only imagine that Saddlebred rule change open forums must be scintillating.  “Should we actually stop people from causing horses pain to make them prance bigger this year?…Nah, maybe next year.”  Nonetheless, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for the good stuff all week and and write/link to it as usual.  More importantly, if ‘The Marmaduke’ was a drink, what would it be?

It’s getting late, and I have an early morning, so let’s wrap these up quickly:

—Another horse lawsuit, this time in the UK
 

Mugshot of the week

—A New Jersey man was jailed for 9 years for stealing $1.7 million he promised would be used for a horseshoe business

—Best of the Blogs: And then there was mud

That’s all for now.  Notice I got though the entire post without mentioning the Jets, Rex Ryan’s cholesterol, or The Hoodie.  Check back throughout the day for more ridiculousness and/or news.  Go eventing.