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Kate Samuels
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Kate Samuels

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About Kate Samuels

Kate Samuels is an avid 3-Day Eventer who currently competes at the Advanced/3* level with her wonderful Selle Francais gelding, Nyls du Terroir. A rider since the tender age of three, she is a young professional in the sport learning as much as she can from various mentors, both equine and human. Kate has worked for Eventing Nation since 2011, and has enjoyed every minute of it. She brings a lifetime of experience with horses as well as a wealth of knowledge gained through competing at the top levels of the sport. When not riding through the boiling hot, freezing cold, rain or snow, Kate enjoys baking pies, photography, and finding ridiculous videos on the internet.

Eventing Background

USEA Rider Profile Click to view profile
Area Area II
Highest Level Competed Advanced/CCI4*

Latest Articles Written

New USEF Drug Regulations Begin Dec. 1

By on Nov 27, 2013 9:00 am -

Following the USEF Town Hall meetings in March and June of this year, the U.S. Equestrian Federation has added some  new regulations to their Rule Book, which will officially take effect on December 1st, 2013. The first rule is commonly known as the “12 hour rule” and it prevents any injectable substances from being administered within twelve hours prior to a competition, minus a few exceptions. After the massive coverage of the death of the pony Humble at Devon earlier this year due to multiple injections, I believe that most equestrians will be happy to see increased regulations in this area.

You can read GR 414 in it’s entirety HERE.

From the USEF: 

GR 414 Prohibited Practices

1. No injectable substances may be administered to any horse or pony within 12 hours prior to competing, with the following three exceptions subject to paragraph 2 below: 

a. Therapeutic fluids, which amount must consist of a minimum of 10L of polyionic fluids; and which must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and guidelines. The fluids must not be supplemented with concentrated electrolytes, such as magnesium. 

b. Antibiotics. Procaine penicillin G is prohibited under this exception. 

c. Dexamethasone. This is permitted only for the treatment of acute urticaria (hives). The dose must not exceed 0.5 mg per 100lb (5.0 mg for 1000-pound horse) if administered more than six hours and less than 12 hours prior to entering the competition ring, and must not exceed 1.0 mg per 100 pounds (10.0 mg for 1000-pound horse) within any 24-hour period. 

2. The above exceptions are permitted only when (i) the substance is administered by a licensed veterinarian and no less than six hours prior to competing; and (ii) the “trainer” as defined under General Rule 404 properly files, or causes to be properly filed, an Equine Drugs and Medications Report Form with the steward/technical delegate or competition office representative within one hour after the administration of the substance or one hour after the steward/technical delegate or competition office representative returns to duty if the administration occurs at a time outside competition hours. The steward/technical delegate or competition office representative shall sign and record the time of receipt on the Equine Drugs and Medications Report Form.

In summary, there are a few bullet points to remember about this rule change.

  • No horses or ponies maybe injected within twelve hours of competing.
  • There are only three exceptions to this rule: therapeutic fluids, antibiotics and dexamethasone (for the treatment of hives).
  • All excepted substances must be administered by a veterinarian and cannot be administered to a horse or pony within six hours of competing. 

There are three restricted medications that are affected by this change:

  • Dexamethasone (Azium) — maximum 24-hour dose has been decreased from 20mg/1000-pound horse to 10mg/1000-pound horse and must be administered in accordance with the new “12-Hour Rule” GR414.
  • Ketoprofen (Ketofen) — maximum 24-hour dose 1.0 gram/1000-pound horse remains the same, however it must be administered no later than 12 hours prior to competition.
  • Methocarbamol (Robaxin) — maximum 24-hour dose 5.0 grams/1000-pound horse remains the same, however must be administered no later than 12 hours prior to competition.

Click here to read more. 

Tuesday Video from SpectraVet: The Best Costume Quadrille Ever

By on Nov 26, 2013 1:00 pm -

I’m a total sucker for Disney movies, and I practically grew up on Mary Poppins (and may or may not have the whole thing memorized), so this video particularly interested me. Not only are quadrilles incredibly difficult and awesome to see in action, but the costumes on both the horses and the riders in this instance are unbelievable. How long do you think it took to create each costume, organize and practice the dressage test, and then execute it? How awesome are those horses for calmly wearing what looks like an entire body suit with a fake colored tail? I’m seriously impressed.

Why SpectraVET?

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SpectraVET is committed to providing only the highest-quality products and services to our customers, and to educating the world in the science and art of laser therapy.

We design and manufacture the broadest range of clinically-proven veterinary therapeutic laser products, which are represented and supported worldwide by our network of specialist distributors and authorized service centers.

Nine Foolproof Ways to Survive Winter

By on Nov 25, 2013 9:00 am -

Necessary clothing: fur hats, scarves and Carhartt overalls. Photo by Elise Gibson.

This Saturday night, I officially saw the first few flakes of snow falling in Washington, D.C. I’ve dug out all of my heavy weight blankets, my various sets of gloves, and I’ve visited Amazon buying bulk boxes of hand warmers. The holidays are just around the corner, and as always it seems that winter has snuck up on us again! Not only do we riders have to battle the dark during these months, but we also have to brave a kind of bitter cold that most “normal” people can avoid with quick runs between their house and their cars. So here are some of the top ways to survive the depressing weather that looms before us for the next month!

1. Best way to drag yourself out of bed on those frigid, dark mornings? Buy yourself a space heater, and set your alarm half an hour before you really need to get out of bed. Crank that space heater on so that your room is toasty before you have to leave the comfort of your many blankets and dogs. The barn is calling, so get put your fuzzy slippers near the heater for extra motivation.

2. If you haven’t already, get familiar with scarves. Buy yourself a few different ones, and make sure they aren’t the scratchy kind. On a blustery day, a scarf helps keep the warmth down in your jacket, and can double as a face mask, ear muffs or even a full head wrap if it’s long enough. Did you know that there are over twenty-five different ways to tie a scarf?! That’s a lot of different ways to stay cozy.

3. Don’t you hate going outside in the morning, only to find that your car is completely covered in ice? Here’s a quick fix: fill an extra spray bottle (you know you have like twenty in the barn) with 1/4 water and 3/4 vinegar from the kitchen. Spray this on your car windows before you go to bed at night. Vinegar has acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water and prevents that annoying ice from building up! If you forgot, just spray it on the ice and it will expedite the melting process.

 

 

4. Keep some awesome recipes on hand for warming up your insides after a full day battling the elements. As an avid amateur chef myself I recommend a few staples: hot chocolate, creamy tomato soup paired with grilled cheese, and pretty much anything made in a crock pot. The key is that these things are easy to make, fairly quick, and effectively toast you all the way down to your toes.

5. Hand warmers, foot warmers, everything you can stuff in your socks and your gloves to keep your extremities from falling off while you’re outside. You can either go buy an enormous box of those little packets of toasty warmth, or if you’re feeling super crafty you can make your own out of some felt and some rice or flax seed. All you have to do is cut out the shape you want, sew a tiny bit, stuff them, and pop them in the microwave before you go outdoors.

6. If you start to feel icky, take action quickly! Yes you can overload yourself with generic cold remedies, or you can try these fun and tasty alternatives. If you’re feeling congested and your coughing in a really unattractive way, try putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet and covering it with socks. How about a hot mug of Sriracha, ginger and lemon goodness? For something a little sweeter, try vinegar, honey, ginger and cayenne pepper.


 

7. Your horses are all stylish and warm, but how about your doggy companions? They deserve to be cozy as they accompany you to the barn. Did you know that you can buy jackets that are styled after your horse turnout blankets? Or even a Back On Track blanket for your older dogs? SmartPak has some seriously cool dog blankets.

8. In this digital age, it’s impossible to ignore your phone completely when you’re outside in the cold. In most situations, you end up holding the glove in your mouth while you hold the reins in one hand and try to do stuff with your phone with the other hand. Your fingers freeze and your horse scoots off while you’re busy with your iPhone. Some riding gloves work, but most don’t. You can now buy things called Digits, which you attach to the tips of your fingers, and no more bother!

9. When you’re shoveling snow out from the front of your barn, or in the gateways of your paddocks, try not to grumble too much. Instead, keep some cooking spray handy. Completely coating your shovel in the cooking spray will keep the snow from collecting and help you fling it further and easier. Incidentally, this is a good temporary fix to keep snow out of your horse’s shoes too.

Saturday Video: The Cadre Noir

By on Nov 23, 2013 2:00 pm -

When it comes to airs above the ground, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, gets the majority of the attention. In fact, there are three other original schools of classical dressage: the Cadre Noir of the French National Riding School in Saumur, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, Spain, and Lisbon’s Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. While we are accustomed to seeing white Lipizanner stallions performing in this way, the Cadre Noir uses Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabians, Hanoverians, Lusitanos and Selle Francais horses for their training and performance. They also use a combination of geldings and mares! While they share a lot of similarities with the Spanish Riding School, they also do quite a lot of other things, like jumping and cross country training. Enjoy this little peek into the Cadre Noir!

[Cadre Noir Website]

Crocs for Horses and Glow In The Dark Tails

By on Nov 22, 2013 12:00 pm -

Tail Lights in action

Horse fashion gets pretty crazy these days, and almost every product is offered in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and with the option of glitter. However, these two products managed to go above and beyond the usual realm of creativity, and the chinchillas really liked the idea of LED lights attached to horse bums, so we’re going to explore these ideas a bit further.

Crocs for horses? What’s that!? A new company in the UK has invented what they’re calling the GluShu, a revolutionary way of fitting shoes to hooves. The GluShu uses a traditional metal horseshoe, but then coats it in a durable thick plastic covering, which obviously comes in a variety of colors. Would you like your horse to be wearing neon pink shoes? That’s great, because the GluShu comes in every color you can imagine, just like Croc sandals.

The designer of the GluShu, John Wright, worked in collaboration with Team GB farrier Jeffrey Newnham and hopes that this new method will be more than just a fashion statement. Everybody knows that using nails to attach shoes causes a certain amount of damage to the hooves, and horses that have poor quality feet usually need glue-on shoes. The GluShu is fully attached in three minutes, and the plastic can be easily adjusted to fit any size or shape of hoof, which makes the process easier, more affordable and more customizable.

[Crocs For Horses]

GluShu colors, anyone?

The second product, which I know you’ve been dying to hear about ever since you saw that photo at the top, is LED tail lights for horses. These lights are used for increasing visibility for horses and riders any time of the day, but are definitely cooler at night. Tail Lights is currently in a Kickstarter campaign, raising money to produce and design more versions.

Designer and founder Sami Gros was involved in a horrible riding accident years ago, as she and her friend were returning to the barn at dusk. Despite the use of reflective clothing, her friend’s horse was struck by a vehicle from behind. Sami’s search for better safety products was unsuccessful, and so she designed Tail Lights.

Tail Lights is six strands of water-resistant LED lighting strips of differing lengths that attach to the top of your horse’s tail by a neoprene tail wrap. The lights are heat free and ergonomic, so they sway with the tail of the horse as he moves. Tail Lights can be seen over half a mile away! While they are only currently offered in red or blue, the company hopes to create lots of different models and way more colors.

[Tail Lights Kickstarter]

Fashion is always best when it coincides with logical and legitimate usage. While I’m a little skeptical of the GluShu, I think that Tail Lights are a really cool idea that could be really valuable, especially in the winter months when so many of us are riding when it’s dark outside. What do you think, Eventing Nation?

Thoroughbred Legends Presented by Cosequin: In A Trance

By on Nov 21, 2013 12:00 pm -

Thoroughbred racehorses that go on to second careers are unique in that they have two retirements in their lifetimes: the first from the track and the second from the show ring. Thoroughbred Legends, a new EN series presented by Cosequin, seeks to honor off-track Thoroughbreds that went on to accomplish great things as upper-level eventers and now enjoy a second retirement in their golden years. If you know of a great Thoroughbred for this series, email [email protected].

Kristin and Trance at the AECs. Photo by HoofClix.

In 1998, a bay colt was born and named Mr Andrew, registered with the Jockey Club and fated to be a racehorse. He ran only four times in southern Louisiana and made a measly $1,080. His racing comments included “unhurried” and “little impact.” The gelding left the racetrack to find another career, only to be sold to a horse trader looking to sell him to the slaughterhouse.

In 2002, Kristin Carpenter was searching the classifieds section of her local Louisiana newspaper and was finding only Quarter Horses for sale. On Valentine’s Day, Kristin saw an ad for a “16.3 brown TB,” and she jumped at the chance to go look at him. The gelding was living in a backyard with a fat black pony and had unsuccessfully been trying his hand at barrel racing. “I fell in love with his face instantly,” Kristin said. “I was young and stupid, so I didn’t vet him, paid my $1,200 and took him home. I thought that since he was pretty, I could re-sell him as a hunter and finally afford a ‘real’ event horse.” Kristin was 17, and the gelding was 4.

Newly renamed “In A Trance,” the young Thoroughbred turned out to be a handful. He had a bad habit of rearing, and when introduced to jumps, he simply bolted at them. Kristin enlisted the help of a cowboy to introduce ground manners to Trance, and he became marginally more reasonable. She even went as far as to sign up for a Jim Graham clinic, but it took six attempts to get Trance to jump a Beginner Novice rolltop. Kristin remembers Jim saying, “That horse has a world class jump, but you gotta stick on him like a tick on a dog!”

From that interaction, Jim offered Kristin a working student position, which she initially declined but decided after a few months that she needed a break from school, and in 2004, she and Trance went to Jim’s farm. “I couldn’t sit the trot, and when I got Trance to canter, I couldn’t stop him. It was a disaster!” Kristin said. However, Jim believed in them, and told her on the third day that her first event was in two weeks, going Novice at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Kristin and Trance into the water at Pine Top. Photo by HoofClix.

Their first dressage test was filled with bucking, rearing and panicking from both parties. “The judge actually came out of the box and asked me if I had a trainer, and I didn’t tell her he was an Olympic selector,” Kristin said. However, Trance completed his first cross-country course with only one stop and put in a foot perfect clean show jumping on the last day. Kristin had herself an event horse.

Trance and Kristin continued to move up the levels, eventually completing two long format CCI*s and a short format CCI2*. He thrived in the long-format event, but when the format changed, he had to be more competitive on the flat, which was a constant struggle. “He has terrible natural movement and no suspension whatsoever,” Kristin said. “For us, dressage literally was the total improvement and transformation of the horse’s gaits. He worked so hard his whole life, and he became competitive on the flat from his heart and determination.”

The pair competed at NAJYRC in 2005 and brought home a team bronze. However, upon returning to Louisiana, Kristin and Trance were amongst those hit with Hurricane Katrina. Trance blew out 65 percent of his deep digital flexor tendon in a paddock accident during the hurricane and had to be immediately retired. Kristin returned to school and Trance was without a job for the next five years.

In 2010, they both moved to Virginia, and under the urging of her coach Skyeler Icke Voss, Kristin took a second look at the tendon, and slowly brought Trance back into work in May. He kept staying sound and looking better than ever, and in June of 2011, they smoked around the Bromont CCI2*. In the fall, while preparing for Fair Hill CCI2*, Trance was administered some Tildren, and he was the first horse in the U.S. to have the one in 1,200 chance of going into renal failure. He spent 18 days in the ICU, but fought his way back to health.

True Love. Photo by Diane Ball Lindner.

After this, Trance and Kristin competed twice more at the Intermediate level, but small things kept cropping up, and Kristin made the decision to retire him to a lower-impact job. Skyeler helped her find the perfect family in the Pitcher family and the two younger daughters who competed him at the lower levels. He spends his days spoiled rotten and occasionally breaking lose to gallop around the farm and give his mother a heart attack.

“Trance has taught me that the odds don’t matter. I grew up in an area where there is no real eventing, with a family who did not understand the “horse thing” or have the means to really support it. I wanted more than anything to go to the North American Young Riders Championships, and I wanted to compete internationally, and I had no reason to think I ever would. Against all the odds, and due to so much random luck and opportunity, I did those things with him,” Kristen said.

“He taught me that you can be considered broken, and you can be counted as done, and with a little time and patience, you can still achieve your dreams. The horse must have nine lives, and he has certainly used all of them, but he has found what he loves in life and will do it until the day his legs will no longer work.”

Clipping Creations: EN Edition!

By on Nov 21, 2013 10:30 am -

There’s nothing that says “horse person” quite as much as the sensation of a buzzing clipper in your hand for two hours straight, wearing a rain coat and rain pants inside the barn, and sneezing horse hair out of your nose for days. Yep, it must be clipping season. I want to see your amazing, entertaining, beautiful and clever clipping creations. Send me a picture that shows off your artistry and a little blurb explaining what it’s all about. Include the name of your horse, your name and where you are from. Email [email protected]!

Helen Guidotti: “Mystical Creek, my dear friend Kathy Stern’s 10-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred, needed a clip job. I was envisioning a creek coming around his hind end, a full moon, trees, sailboats — the works. I tried …”

Helen Guidotti (part II): “I got it all in there, but decided to do something different on the other side. He wears it well with pride! Go Eventing Nation!”

*****

Lara Knight: “In honor of her father’s company Painter Ready, we did the dripping paint clip on Faith New’s horse, Teddy.”

*****

Erin Critz: “Booty art is the highlight of my fall and winter. I have been known to start pondering what to put on my pony’s bum in mid-September. This year I gave myself a pretty intense challenge — a Chinese dragon!  Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. I’m hoping it radiates so much awesome that we get bonus booty-art points on our dressage test.”

*****

Megan Burke: “This is a photo of my 19-year-old event horse All That Jazz. I decided to clip music notes on him because he is named after the song “And All That Jazz.” The three notes are each note of the words “all that jazz” from the sheet music.”

Thursday Reader from Devoucoux

By on Nov 21, 2013 12:33 am -
Never gets old Never gets old

Happy Thursday, Eventing Nation! I hope you’re all hunkered down for the winter, because this weekend marks the last competitions of 2013. While winter can sometimes be great (lots of food) it can also be tough to keep yourself motivated (there’s all that food to be eaten…). We here at EN are on the job scrounging up stuff to keep you interested and laughing even when it gets dark at 3:30 in the afternoon. Never fear!

Events this Weekend:

MeadowCreek Park H.T – The Fall Social Event [Website]

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]

News from Around the Globe:

Big news for Advanced competitors in the spring of 2014: The Carolina Horse Park is introducing a CIC3* division.  To help American eventing pairs prepare and qualify for the 2014 World Equestrian Games, the Carolina Horse Park is hosting a CIC3* in addition to their late March horse trials.The horse park has been preparing for this for years and now top horse and rider combinations will be invited to test their skill over Hugh Lochore’s cross country courses. [Carolina International CIC3*]

Amerigo has just introduced a new model of stirrups, and we’re giving away a pair here on EN courtesy of our fabulous sponsor World Equestrian Brands. The stirrups, made from aluminum, feature a self-cleaning tread and an excellent grip for all types of boots. All you have to do is create your own stirrups and sending us a photo by next Monday, November 25. Our top picks will be posted and a reader’s choice poll will determine the winner. So the more creative the submission, the better your chance of winning! Click to check out more photos of the stirrups in action and further contest submission details. [Make Your Own Stirrups Contest]

Check out the PRO 2013 Leaderboards for Rider, Horse and Intermediate challenge. Buck absolutely smashed the competition with 99 points over second placed Will Coleman with 56 points and third placed Phillip Dutton with 51 points. Jan Byyny’s champion TB Inmidair won the horse division, just four points ahead of Bunnie Sexton’s Rise Against. Buck took home top honors in the Intermediate Challenge division, but this time only one point ahead of Sharon White. [PRO]

In a gesture of love, a Florida woman rescued five starving and neglected horses from an ad on Craigslist. While we make fun of the Craigslist Crazies all the time, Carol Young found an ad for a free horse and discovered on arrival that there were five horses, and all of them were on the brink of death. Like a true horsewoman, she packed them all up and saved them, taking them to Faith Equine Rescue and treating them right. [Five Horses Rescued]

Best of Blogs: Sidesaddle Hunting Adventures in Ireland

 

Best of Craigslist: Thoroughbred Horse

By on Nov 19, 2013 12:00 pm -

Thanks to EN reader Marjean McIntyre for sending this gem in with the note: “Personally, I have never seen one like this running at the track …” If you come across a hilarious Craigslist ad of a horse-themed nature, send the link to [email protected]. Go Craigslist.

Picture of said Thoroughbred. Photo via Craigslist.

Thoroughbred Horse — $1500 (West Grove, PA)

“I have a great tb horse he’s right off the track. He is started over jumps and can be any kind of horse u want him to be he does to please you. I’m getting rid of him because I don’t have time for him between school and work he’s just sitting in a field wasting away when he has so much potential. He is sound. He’s a bay 5yrs old and he’s 17hands. Call/text 555-555-5555. website: http://www.jacksonhorsefarm.com”

Click to see the actual ad HERE!

P.S. Jackson’s Horse Farm is a Hanoverian breeding operation in Boston, Mass.

The Long and Short Of It

By on Nov 19, 2013 10:30 am -

The short one (Nyls)

I’ve always been a confirmed lover of the short-coupled horse, and despite the fact that Nyls is a smidge over 17 hands, he has a serious case of tiny-head, short-neck syndrome and rides like a really tall pony. However, these days, my two-horse team consists of Mr. Stubby Neck Nyls and the new guy, Long Leggy Leo. I’ve certainly ridden horses of differing sizes and shapes, but never two so vastly different as these.

When I was a young rider, bebopping around my first cross-country rounds at Preliminary and Intermediate, having a short-coupled horse that could jam in a 4-foot extra stride was really handy, because I certainly needed that fifth (and sometimes sixth) leg over the jumps. Adjustable has always been both a blessing and a curse with Nyls, as he can ball up into the most unimaginable tiny stride one second and then explode into a stride inspired by Secretariat the next. I blame some of my early inability to figure out distances on his volatile and mostly unregulated self-adjusting stride.

As you can probably imagine, this pony-ish ability to scrunch up like a slinky backfired in the dressage arena, and still comes back to haunt me on occasion. Nyls, while built perfectly fine to jump, does not have the conformation for a dominating dressage performance. I’ve spent the last eight years convincing him that he does in fact have an acceptable extended trot, to some varied levels of success. Stubby Neck Nyls frequently receives the polite “short neck” comment at the bottom of his tests; meanwhile I  silently scream, “HE HAS A SHORT NECK WHAT DO YOU WANT!”

However, riding Leo and starting him from the beginning is a whole different experience. I rode some really long horses at the track, but I’ve never had an animal that was this big in every aspect. As he came to me with little to no muscling, I’ve been astonished at his general lack of coordination over varying terrain and through mud. Then again, when I realize that his hind legs are just that far away from his front, it makes more sense. I have spent a reasonable amount of time teaching him to take smaller steps than he naturally wants in an effort to increase his sure-footedness.

The long one (Leo)

In terms of jumping, he’s got great instincts but does not naturally understand the short distance. Nyls loves to be shoved practically underneath a jump and clears them easily from there, while Leo … not so much. “When in doubt, leave it out” seems to be his motto, and with a long body like that, it’s not really a problem. Learning to package all those body parts that are so far apart is an exercise within itself for both of us, as I’m doing just about as much work as he is! It is teaching me to learn to leave my horse alone more, because I simply don’t have the buttons that allow me to micromanage the way I am wont to do.

On the flat, though, Leo greatly exceeds Nyls in a natural manner. His gaits are lovely and floaty, and he positively loves extending! Fitting him inside a tiny arena to do a Beginner Novice test means that we literally take four strides and we’re at the other end, but outside of that he’s got a lot of potential in that area and is able to score quite well without really knowing what he’s doing. This makes my life easier, as I have no fear of receiving remarks about a perceived nervous tension due to a tiny neck.

There are clear advantages to each type, with both of them possessing qualities that are useful in the competition field. I still believe that the short-coupled horse is my favorite type, but that doesn’t mean it is the ultimate answer or even the answer for the majority of riders. Where do you weigh in, Eventing Nation? Do you side with Stubby Neck Nyls or Long Leggy Leo?

Monday Video from Tredstep Ireland: What Does a 16.4 in Dressage Look Like?

By on Nov 18, 2013 2:00 pm -

I feel like maybe Michael Pollard has some incredible magic juju at work at the Ocala Horse Properties Horse Trials, because this spring he stunned us all with a score of 17.6 on Mensa in an Intermediate division, and now at the end of the year, he capped it off with a 16.4 in a Preliminary division with one of his young horses, Kyra. Thanks to The Horse Pesterer, we have video proof of this happening, so check out what it takes to score a sweet 16 in dressage. Michael ended up winning this division, finishing on his dressage score. Leslie Law took second, third and fourth places on scores of 20, 22 and 25.

And don’t forget that Tredstep Ireland is still running the $100 off promotion on its Da Vinci and Raphael boots through the end of the month! Click here for more information.

[Final Scores Ocala HT]

To Clip, or Not To Clip? A Good Cold Weather Question.

By on Nov 16, 2013 10:45 am -

Leo sporting his first clip of the year

There’s always much talk here on Eventing Nation about those of us with fantastic artistic skills with a set of clippers, but now it’s time to think about actual clipping jobs, and their practical uses, rather than aesthetic features. How do you decide when it’s time to clip your horse? What style of clip should you choose for your climate and exercise regimen?  What happens when your horse is really bad about clippers? Never fear, I’m here to answer all your questions.

First off, how can you tell it’s time to pull out the clippers and get rid of some of that fuzz? Here is my general rule: if my exercise schedule means that my horse is sweating a lot and not drying quickly, I think it’s time to clip. There are a few different reasons for this, and it’s not just about convenience. If my horse is significantly sweaty under thick hair, I have to squirt them off, because if I leave salty sweaty hair for too long, it will turn into skin funk, and it will hide under the long hair and fester. Ew!! We can’t have that! A wet horse also takes longer to dry, and in cold weather, this means your horse is colder for longer, which is terrible for their muscles following a workout. Yes, you can mitigate these effects with a good cooler, but you can’t deny the truth. Clipping means you can decrease the sweat factor, keep things clean, and increase the drying time for a happier pony at the end of the day.

As for styles, everybody has their favorite for different reasons. I try to keep it simple during November through January, and then before heading to Aiken in February I generally do a full body clip in preparation for competitions. I love the blanket clip (seen above on Leo), as it hits all the major heat expulsion spots while keeping some warmth on top over their backs and organs. It’s like having a clipped horse with his own personal quarter sheet! I’m particular about clipping heads, because I’m obsessed with preventing skin funk, and I think leaving a furry head is just asking for crud to develop under the bridle.

For lesser clips that still help your horse out, you can do an under belly and neck clip, a low trace clip, or a high trace clip. These leave a little more fur on the horse for the colder climates, but help their skin breathe a little easier. For those of you who hate all of the hair, you can do the full body minus legs or plus legs. Legs are quite time consuming, and sometimes I just clip the backs of the legs, so I can keep an eye on the major tendons and ligaments without taking away all the fur. Check out this guide to clipping lines for more inspiration.

Ella showing off her full body clip in Aiken this spring

If you own or ride a horse that has a particular distaste for clipping, there are obvious ways around that. If you need to get the job done, then you can sedate them and have several people clip at once to get it done as quickly as possible. However, as with anything, I prefer to think that as humans our job is to explain to the horse that clippers are not here to eat you alive, and to familiarize them with the sensation in a way that makes them calmly accept it. Spend time with your ticklish or finicky horse, holding buzzing or still clippers up around their bodies and heads and legs. With enough patience, encouragement and positive reinforcement, all but the most averse horses can be taught to relax into a clip.

If you are unfamiliar with techniques for clipping, hire somebody who is proficient and watch them clip your horse. Ask them questions about how they get the lines to be straight and how they smooth out funny pieces. While bad clip jobs are mostly just an eyesore, they can also be very uncomfortable for the horse, as an uneducated clipper can jab and poke in sensitive spots and make the horse resent the experience. There are always eager young girls who are willing to submerge themselves in itchy hair for an hour or two to make a little money!

It goes without saying that if you are considering a clip, you must also have the proper blanketing available to your horse. Don’t expect to clip him naked and then leave him outside when it’s thirty degrees! Clip him to fit your needs, and your ability to provide warmth and shelter. And of course, the number one rule of clipping is: less is more! You can always clip a little more off the horse, but you can’t put it back on once you’ve made the plunge, so clip carefully!

 

This is how I spend my Friday nights…exciting, I know…

Inspirational Friday Video

By on Nov 15, 2013 6:00 pm -

http://youtu.be/bPJoLeKz28I

Equestrian sports can be one of the most thrilling, phenomenal, exciting sports around, but it can also lead to the most gut wrenching, disappointing and humbling experiences of your life. For this reason, I believe the bond between fellow horsemen and women is stronger than that of your average fellow sportsmen, and our capacity for empathy within our ranks is so great. Sometimes, at the end of the day or the end of the year, what you need is a little real talk combined with a little inspiration. Today, I bring you a video that does just that, and I hope you enjoy it.

Here’s the thing that makes life so interesting: The Theory of Evolution claims that “only the strong shall survive.” Maybe so, maybe so. But the Theory of Competition says “just because they’re the strong doesn’t mean they can’t get their asses kicked.” That’s right. See, what every long-shot, come-from-behind underdog will tell you is this: The other guy may in fact be the favorite; the odds may be stacked against you. Fair enough …

But what the odds don’t know is this isn’t a math test. This is a completely different kind of test. One where passion has a funny way of trumping logic. So before you step up to the starting line, before the whistle blows and the clock starts ticking, just remember: out here, the results don’t always add up. No matter what the stats may say and the experts may think and the commentators may have predicted, when the race is on, all bets are off. Don’t be surprised if someone decides to flip the script and take a pass on yelling “uncle.” And then suddenly, as the old saying goes, “We got ourselves a game.”

Holiday Gift Ideas: Custom Bonnets by Frilly Fillies

By on Nov 14, 2013 6:00 pm -

Lucid Opposition, Caroline Dein's upper-level horse, models a Frilly Fillies custom bonnet. Photo by Nancy Dein.

Ah, the holidays. Colder weather, over-eating, baking, clipping horses, gift-giving and gift-buying, and of course, gift anxiety. ‘Tis the season to have absolutely no idea what to get any of your friends or family, for the umpteenth year in a row. Every once in a while, you find the perfect present, but especially for horsey friends, the pressure is on. Obviously you’ll be purchasing something horse-related, but does it have to be pink and have a fat pony on it?

We here at Eventing Nation say NAY! That’s why this holiday season, I’ve corralled each one of our impressive staff writers into picking one unique, amazing, thoughtful and clever horsey gift to help you along during this time of stress. We’ve chosen things that we want to get for the holidays, so obviously they are phenomenal ideas.

My pick for the holidays comes from personal experience: I own a horse with teeny-tiny ears, and while I try to make him look stylish for shows and wear a bonnet, it always backfires because I have the tell-tale tip flop going on. So not cool looking. I found out about Frilly Fillies through the grapevine, and after watching Hawley Bennett-Awad sport them at Rolex and Pau, I’ve been obsessively stalking their website ever since. I’m honestly hoping that one of my family members reads this and takes the hint, because these bonnets are the bomb.

Black and Gold with Rhinestones. Photo by Nancy Dein.

I had the chance to talk to the creator of Frilly Fillies, Nancy Dein, and pick her mind about how she came up with the idea. Nancy’s daughter, Caroline, is an avid eventer in Sacramento, Calif., and rides with Earl and Jenny McFall of DragonFire Farms. “Last fall, Caroline and Jenny were searching for some bright red bonnets, and I thought that I’d maybe try to make them myself,” Nancy said.

Despite having never crocheted anything before, she went on YouTube and taught herself how to knit creations out of yarn pretty quickly. In January of 2013, Nancy was approached by Hawley Bennett-Awad, who was searching for some bling to put on Ginny’s head. After talking design for a few months, Nancy discovered how to customize the bonnets for different-sized horse heads, and since then she’s simply been bombarded by requests.

Nancy has a fabulous set of designs and 73 preset bonnets that you can order, but that’s not the best part of Frilly Fillies. You can design your own bonnet with custom colors and bling, different ear sizes and many varied materials. If you can’t find what you want on the site, you can call Nancy and talk to her about what you have in mind. “It’s pretty  much anything people can come up with,” Nancy said. “If you can think of it, I can design it for your horse.”

Custom pink and black bonnet. Photo by Nancy Dein.

“This fall, I was driving to Twin Rivers Horse Trials really early in the morning, and this horse and rider come toward me in the morning light, and they were wearing my bonnet. I didn’t even know them! It means so much to me that people love my bonnets and that they are so popular amongst the professionals; it’s really exciting.”

Nancy reports that the West Coast is pretty familiar with her product thanks to Jenny McFall, Frankie Thieriot and Hawley Bennett-Awad, but she’s thrilled to have made connections on the East Coast with riders like Allison Springer, Lainey Ashker and Caitlin Silliman.

I’m clearly not the only one hankering for these for Christmas, and they make the perfect fancy stocking stuffer. Eventers love being able to get stuff in their colors, and with added bling, what more could you want! Tune in next week to find out what EN writer Ellie Thompson has on her wish list.

[Frilly Fillies Website]  [Frilly Fillies Facebook]

Thoroughbred Legends Presented by Cosequin: No It Tissant

By on Nov 14, 2013 12:00 pm -

Thoroughbred racehorses that go on to second careers are unique in that they have two retirements in their lifetimes: the first from the track and the second from the show ring. Thoroughbred Legends, a new EN series presented by Cosequin, seeks to honor off-track Thoroughbreds that went on to accomplish great things as upper-level eventers and now enjoy a second retirement in their golden years. If you know of a great Thoroughbred for this series, email [email protected].

Lynn and Fergus at Rolex. Photo by Dana Voorhees.

A dark grey Thoroughbred colt was born in West Virginia in 1992 and registered with the Jockey Club as No It Tissant. Out of Yes Tis by Admiral’s Flag, he gave racing a fair shot, running at Charles Town, Philadelphia Park, Garden State and Laurel Park. The colt raced 24 times in all, winning three times, placing second three times and finishing third once. He earned $16,675 before retiring to the life of a sport horse.

Julie Gomena found Fergus and transitioned him into the world of eventing. They competed through Training level successfully, and at age 5 Fergus found himself for sale as an athletic and brave prospect. A young Lynn Symansky came to try him out, and at only 14, she was a little hesitant about purchasing the bold, young horse, despite the urgings of her coach Michael Mendell.

“All I can remember is that he felt incredibly powerful, and all I could do was point him at the jumps and try to hold on,” Lynn said. “He was insanely brave, almost to a fault. It was pretty typical for him to leave a stride or two out of most combinations until I was strong enough and educated enough to ride him better and know how to change his canter.”

While Fergus was more than willing and incredibly quick off the ground, he had an unconventional jumping style, hanging his front legs no matter the height of the fence. The Symansky family took Michael’s advice, despite some concerns from other Pony Club members, and bought the horse that would change Lynn’s life.

From the very beginning, Fergus was pushy and opinionated — both on the ground and in the tack. He has very little patience for anything, and has been certain from day one that he is king of everything that surrounds him. When Lynn tried to work on his strange jumping technique through the use of grids, he simply outsmarted her, no matter how many rails, circles, transitions or different distances she set.

“The only thing that seemed to slow him down was having my mom stand at the end of the line, and we would come straight at her and she would run out of the way at the last minute,” Lynn said. “Thanks, Mom, for risking your life on multiple occasions.” While Fergus’ insistent and bossy personality was difficult in the beginning, it made him into one of the best cross-country horses alive. He thought he ruled the world, and nobody would stand in his way.

Lynn and Fergus sharing a moment. Photo by Dana Voorhees.

While Fergus positively lived to run and jump, he developed a distaste for dressage despite having natural talent in the arena. When Lynn showed up at Radnor CCI2* in 2001 for their first attempt at that level, he morphed into a beast and went absolutely wild in the dressage arena. Shortly thereafter, they moved up to Advanced, and Fergus got a real taste of the upper levels and big cross-country courses. He experienced real fitness for the first time in his life and lost all respect for the dressage.

“I think if I had him right now from the beginning, he would have turned out differently,” Lynn said. “I had no idea what I was doing. I was still a teenager when we were running around CCI3* events, and we were both learning together. On lucky days, I was able to score in the 30s at Advanced. On unlucky days, we saw FEI dressage scores in the 80s.”

Lynn tried all the regular tricks: multiple rides, no rides, lungeing, one-and-a-half hours of warm up, no warm up, five tests in a row at a dressage show, jumping right before the show and doing dressage in her jump saddle, but nothing seemed to mitigate Fergus’s wild antics. Despite these struggles, Lynn and Fergus moved up the levels quickly, and the pair completed their first CCI4* together at Rolex in 2007.

Due to a minor setback just two weeks before Kentucky, Fergus was relegated to walking hills for hours each day leading up the event, and only got the go ahead from Dr. Kent Allen the day before the first horse inspection. Lynn had a terrible time convincing Fergus to take his time around the cross-country course, but they jumped clear with time on Saturday and returned on Sunday to deliver another clear round in show jumping. “I think it turned into a great weekend because my expectations were quite low, and our end result far exceeded that, and I was also lucky enough to be sitting on one of the best cross-country horses in the country,” Lynn said.

In 2008, the pair returned to Rolex feeling much more prepared. This time, they made the time on cross country and won the award for the best conditioned horse. “There’s nothing better than a bold, confident OTTB to do your first CCI4* on!” Lynn said. “I would give anything to have another cross-country horse as game as him, and I hope one day that I’m able to find something as incredibly bold and honest as he was.”

Fergus enjoying retirement. Photo by Lynn Symansky.

Fergus changed Lynn’s life. He taught her some of the most important lessons in eventing and the horse business as a whole. While he was difficult in the dressage, he taught her to stand up straight even after a horribly embarrassing test and gather her wits for the cross-country ride of her life.

As an accident-prone horse, Fergus taught Lynn that not making it to a certain event was not the end of the world, even if it was a three-day. He was always bossy and rude on the ground, and now Lynn realizes that part of it was because she didn’t work with him enough on the groundwork, and now she is diligent in teaching even the most quirky horses basic ground manners.

Fergus’ fearlessness on the cross country injected Lynn with her own confidence. This feeling is one that she never forgot and still works to create that in all of her horses. “Fergus really taught me horsemanship,” Lynn said. “He was always getting injured in weird ways, and he showed me that I shouldn’t take a day for granted. However, I had to be really careful about how I trained, competed and conditioned him, which was hard because he was my only upper-level horse, and I needed the practice. I learned how to get the most out of every second spent in the saddle.”

At 17 years of age, Fergus retired from the upper levels. He taught both Retsy Holliday and Cara Goode the ropes at the preliminary level, which was amazing for Lynn to watch. Sadly, he was injured less than a week away from his CCI* with Cara, and Lynn decided to fully retire him. He now lives on Lynn’s farm, fully sound and muddy as all get out. He keeps himself busy by bossing other horses around and galloping laps around the field in the morning.

Thursday Reader from Devoucoux

By on Nov 14, 2013 12:03 am -

Not horse related -- totally awesome anyway

Good morning Eventing Nation! Yesterday was the start of the Australian International Three Day Event, kicking off with the first horse inspection. Today the CCI2* does dressage, while the CCI4* division begins on Friday. While there are only 26 entrants in the 4* division, it still promises to be an exciting competition, and we’ll be here to keep you updated on the progress.

AI3DE Links: [Website] [Schedule] [CCI4* Entry List] [CCI2* Entry List]

Events This Weekend:

Fresno County Horse Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]

Full Moon Farm HT [Website] [Ride Times]

Las Cruces H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]

River Glen Fall H.T. [Website] [Ride Times]

The Fork H.T.  [Website]

Ocala Horse Properties Fall Event [Website] [Entry Status]

News from Around the Globe:

Our friends at Horse & Hound always know what’s up, and thus I give you: 8 Reasons Why Horses Are Better Than Men (And Dogs Are Better Than Women). Some samples? Horses are better than men because you can look up their performance records before you purchase them. Dogs are better than women because they agree that salad and vegetables are overrated. [8 Reasons Why]

After a stellar year, Nicola Wilson confirmed that the coming 17 year old Opposition Buzz will continue competing in 2014. The pair put down one of their best ever dressage tests this year at Burghley to score a 43.3 and proceeded to jump clean to finish 11th. Opposition Buzz has been a pathfinder for the British Team for the past four years, including two European Championships, WEG at Kentucky in 2010 and the London Olympics in 2012. He is well known for his exuberant and unique style of clearing everything by 2-3 feet. [Buzz To Keep Competing]

Draw reins have their fair share of drama following them around, and there are definitely folks who are a resounding NO when it comes to using them. However, in this interesting and informative article, Jimmy Wofford outlines the ways in which draw reins were designed to be used for good, and not abused. Even if you’re categorically against the use of draw reins, hear me out and read this article, and then get back to me. I think that, like anything powerful, draw reins can obviously do great harm in the wrong hands, but they also have their place in certain training situations. [A Good Teaching Tool Only If…]

Well, its officially winter because I’ve heard tell of winter jackets and scarfs as far down at Georgia. Speaking of winter jackets, I have a problem with them, and it’s a collecting problem. I’m addicted to jackets! I justify it by saying that I need multiple different ones for different occasions, and in order to keep them all clean I have to rotate…but it’s just pure addiction. One that I’ve put on my wish list for the holidays is the Dubarry Shaw Quilt Jacket, because not only is it stylish enough to wear as a “normal person” but it also is super warm and makes me look professional while riding in the bitter cold. SmartPak’s got your back. [Dubarry Shaw Quilt Jacket]

 

A bit of action from last year’s Adelaide CCI4*

 

 

 

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Feeding Horses with GoPro

By on Nov 13, 2013 1:30 pm -

We’ve seen a lot of different uses of GoPro here in the horse world, and especially in eventing they’ve become super popular for documenting cross-country rides. However, a question I’ve never really wondered before is what does the world look like from the apple’s point of view? AvgJoeGoesPro answers that question for us today in this fun little video featuring a lot of cute fuzzy noses and one chestnut Paint that doesn’t understand biting an apple.

Top Ten Things Your Horse Would Say If He Could

By on Nov 13, 2013 10:33 am -

“This lady …” Photo by Samantha Brooke Photography

Being that it’s now officially winter — I’ve broken out my poofy coat with fur-lined hood and started shopping for hand warmers — we here at EN finally have time to relax from the hectic show schedule and think about some of the smaller, more personal aspects of spending your life with horses. While not every horse can be a Winsome Andante or a La Biosthetique Sam FBW, they all share a lot of things in common. After one more year of having the chinchillas acquire detailed information on event horses, we’ve compiled a list of things we’re pretty sure your horse would say, if he had the chance.

Top Ten Things Your Horse Would Say If He Could

1. “Yeah, of course I’m acting like a pufferfish. How about we crank your belt in three holes at a time and then ask you to gallop over jumps?!”

2. “Wow, this new blanket is just great. There’s just one thing it needs to break it in and make me feel at home: MUD! Come back tomorrow to admire my work.”

3. “Sometimes I swear you’re really thick. When you whistle for me in the field and I stare at you blankly and turn around, it’s my not-so-subtle way of requesting a day off. I’m not deaf, you know.”

4. “I’ve been bathed twice, you’ve been bustling about the barn since 3 a.m., and these horrible, tight braids are making my neck feel weird. Of course I’m not getting on the trailer today.”

5. “I don’t know where you learned that plastic bags are harmless, but you’ve got some pretty poor survival skills. Did it just move?! ARGH RUN!”

6. “You want me to go out in this green field with a muzzle on?!?! Let’s take you to Chipotle and only let you eat through a straw.”

7. “I really honestly don’t understand what you’re doing right now combining your legs and your hands in that weird positioning. NO, doing it harder doesn’t help! That’s about as effective as screaming English louder at a foreigner who only speaks Mandarin Chinese.”

8. “Where is my breakfast? Where is my breakfast?! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD HERE IT COMES OMNOMNOMNOMNOM!”

9. “Thank you so much for all that hard work you just did grooming me! It totally reminded me that I could use a little extra scratching in my life, and I’m headed out to the field right now to do some more in the dirt and grass!”

10. “Ugh … it’s that day of the week when the lady stands in the middle of the arena and yells at you. You get all tense and start trying to make me do things that we don’t ever do any other day. Can we seriously just go on a hack?”

Why Being Intimidated by Upper-Level Riders is Overrated

By on Nov 12, 2013 9:00 am -

Me: "He doesn't like liverpools in schooling." William: "As long as he jumps them at shows, we're cool." (*not actual quotes) Photo by Ellie Thompson

While waiting for William Fox-Pitt to arrive and give his first set of lessons last week, the crowd of riders and spectators were filled with nervous jitters. How could we act in order to not embarrass ourselves in front of such a god amongst men?! Not only were we going to be physically close to William, but many of the spectators were getting a rare inside look at U.S. upper-level riders and their styles of riding and learning. The tension was palpable.

Whenever most mere mortals come within striking distance of upper-level riders who are successful and competitive, they are struck with a combination of fear and awe. We become giggly like school girls and act like Johnny Depp is walking in our midst (OK, to be fair, the Boyd effect is a whole ‘nother kit and caboodle, and it’s totally normal to experience heart palpitations). We worry that they are so beyond us in skill that they can’t possibly have interest in talking about the Novice horse that’s worried about water or a struggle with getting a certain mare on the bit consistently.

However, here’s the thing: upper-level riders aren’t actually that scary. If you think about it, to be a successful event rider who competes at the top levels, you have to have a pretty particular personality. They are determined as hell and accustomed to working their fingers to the bone, even well into the realm of perceived success. Speaking of hard work, upper-level riders work harder and longer than is physically healthy and literally don’t know what a “day off” would look like if it bit them in the butt. If anything, they’re a rare combination of confident and humble that you don’t get in other sports because eventing will keep you humble like nothing else in this world.

Professional upper-level riders have had to ride every horse known to man at pretty much every level. They’ve had to create something out of nothing an incalculable amount of times. Upper-level riders spend their days riding and teaching horses of all shapes and sizes and working out a system that produces consistent results. If your horse has a weird habit, chances are that they’ve seen it, and it’s not an incurable disease.

I know multiple people that worry about taking lessons from famous upper-level riders, as they feel inadequate in their skill sets and apprehensive about being judged on their relative inexperience. Here’s the deal: Even if you’re a four-star rider, you’re never above the small problems in riding. We’ve all been there, and some of us more recently than others. Experience makes riders more forgiving of mistakes and imperfection, not less.

William explaining a better hand position to Kristin Carpenter. Photo by Kate Samuels.

Being able to affect positive change is exciting for all riders, whether it’s teaching a young horse to go on the bit happily, or high-fiving your adult amateur rider after her first successful Training level cross country or bringing your talented superstar home after their first three-star. Upper-level riders and professional horse people are able to find joy in all levels, and while big jumps are fun, they aren’t everything.

William Fox-Pitt, by the way, was the perfect example of this. The man exuded a calm and confident air that was impossible not to catch as you interacted with him. He was nothing but gracious, witty and willing to work with any and all problems of both horse and rider. There was nothing highfalutin’ about him at all; despite having won an unprecedented eleven four-stars and 50 CCI competitions, he was quite down to earth and personable to everyone he met.

So here’s my message: Don’t be afraid of the people you see in the magazines casually cruising over jumps larger than your minivan. They’re just like you and me, except perhaps dirtier on a daily basis and less inclined to sleep in on the weekends. They like cats (Boyd has two that eat KFC at the dinner table with him, and William has one named “Puddypuds”), they have really pale legs all year round and they probably bite their fingernails. No, they probably don’t want to be mobbed every time they walk around in public, but despite being the cool kids on the block, they’re generally not that scary at all.

The Pains and Joys of Selling a Horse

By on Nov 11, 2013 1:30 pm -

We all intimately know the struggles involved with buying a horse and how it is simultaneously the most exciting and wondrous thing you could be doing, as well as the most exhausting and horrific experience possible. You’re searching high and wide for a horse that matches all your qualifications: height, ability, style, temperament, sex, price bracket, soundness … and you know somewhere this horse exists, but where in the wide world you’re not sure.

And let’s be honest here: Along with car salesmen, horse agents get a bad rap — and not always for unfounded reasons. When you’re dealing with thousands of dollars built on a moment of truth or dishonesty, there are a lot of people who choose the latter in order to get the deal finished. As buyers, we usually enter into the interaction with a certain amount of suspicion, either instilled in us by our peers and mentors or taught to us the hard way.

From the other side of the stick, however, it can be just as confusing. I get to meet awesome people through passing my horses along to different homes. I get to (hopefully) watch as these horses that I brought up from nothing flourish with their new person and build a strong relationship. There’s nothing better than getting a picture sent to me of a happy match; it’s a bit like being the cupid for horses and people.

However, the natural suspicion held by buyers, while understandable, is sometimes difficult for me as the seller. I get lots of questions that I know are designed to suss out my honesty, and I can only respond with the most open answers I have to gain the trust of a stranger. I’m not really a horse agent; I simply have one horse who is “the chosen one” and the rest must at some point find another home in order to sustain my pursuits with my big horse.

I understand that this is a complexity that can’t disappear, and the trust between strangers exchanging horseflesh and thousands of dollars isn’t going to be automatic. I also know that inevitably and unintentionally, I have at some point offended a buyer or made the wrong step and confirmed their theories on shady horse dealers. My goal is to be the most conscientious person that I can be and represent the horse to the best of my abilities. After all, what is the point about lying during the trial period? Your horse will go to a rider who possibly isn’t suitable, and neither party will be satisfied. Then I get no pictures of happy couples in the mail at Christmas!

FEH & YEH Seminar at High Point Hanoverians

By on Nov 9, 2013 3:00 pm -

3-year old FEH winner at GMHA (photo courtesy of Joan Davis and Flatlands Foto)

Next weekend the USEA is hosting a Future Event Horse and Young Event Horse Seminar at High Point Hanoverians in Chestertown, Maryland on both the 16th and the 17th of November. There will also be a seminar for the west coast eventers at DG Bar Ranch in Hanford, California on December 14-15. As the FEH & YEH competitions continue to grow in popularity and participation, attending one of these seminars could be integral to your success if you are considering entering your young horses for 2014 and beyond.

From the USEA:

“The seminar will include lectures and presentations by experienced breeders and judges Susan Graham-White, Faith Fessenden, and Robin Walker as well as biometrics specialist Dr. Deb Bennett. The focus of the session is to introduce both judges and interested parties to the Future Event Horse program. It is appropriate for anyone who is a breeder, exhibitor, judge, or just passionate about young horses.

In addition to the lectures, the seminar will include free jumping and under saddle demonstrations. In the coming years, the FEH committee hopes to add free jumping and three-year-old Materiale classes to the FEH Championships and these previews will help introduce both the judges and potential competitors to the additions.”

All riders, breeders and sport enthusiasts are welcome to attend, and USEA members get in free of cost. While the weekend will focus mainly on FEH training and classes, there will be a YEH portion on the Friday prior, at the Holiday Inn in Chestertown. YEH judge and renowned dressage judge Marilyn Payne will be leading the video and discussion session.

Click the link below for further information on the schedule, and how to register for your ticket!

[FEH Seminar]

[Contact Nancy Knight for Information]

[Registration Form]

 

Thoroughbred Legends Presented by Cosequin: Savannah

By on Nov 8, 2013 1:15 pm -

Thoroughbred racehorses that go on to second careers are unique in that they have two retirements in their lifetimes: the first from the track and the second from the show ring. Thoroughbred Legends, a new EN series presented by Cosequin, seeks to honor off-track Thoroughbreds that went on to accomplish great things as upper-level eventers and now enjoy a second retirement in their golden years. If you know of a great Thoroughbred for this series, email [email protected].

Skyeler and Savannah at Plantation. Photo by Tim Icke.

Savannah was born in Colorado in 1986 and registered to the name of “Strikette.” With Bold Ruler bloodlines, her breeders hoped she would earn them a lot of money at the track. Standing only 15.2  handswhen fully grown, the small bay mare wasn’t impressive to look at, nor was she successful as a racehorse. But she soon transitioned into the life of a sport horse and found her calling in eventing.

Julie Richards believed in the diminutive mare, despite her difficult personality. Savannah was not sweet, cuddly or kid-friendly. She was an intense stall weaver and intensely mareish, which created a constant nervous energy around the barn. However, this fire and vigor that she displayed in every aspect of her life is what made her an exceptionally brave event horse. Savannah and Julie successfully competed through the Advanced level of eventing, with numerous horse trials placings, as well as success at the two-star level.

In 1999, Savannah met her match in the form of 14-year-old Skyeler Icke Voss. Julie was teaching lessons at the Difficult Run Pony Club camp that year and noticed that Skye was riding a not-so-talented horse and attempting to compete in eventing. At the end of the camp, she was impressed by Skye and mentioned to her parents that a more capable horse was a good investment. Savannah was 13 and slowing down from the upper levels due to an old knee injury. Despite the hot attitude and the arthritic knee, the two small athletes were a perfect match.

It wasn’t an easy transition, however, as Savannah was an extremely sensitive upper-level horse, and Skye had only scraped around a few Novice level events thus far in her career. “I had always ridden green or naughty horses, and I felt Savannah’s extensive upper-level experience was actually harder for me to adapt to at a young age,” Skye said. “She had tons of speed and scope and was a very sensitive ride. She came to me directly after campaigning at the Advanced level, and she thought teaching me to go Training level wasn’t very exciting.”

Savannah found no problems with running fast and jumping clean, but she did harbor a distaste for the dressage. “After all her success with Julie, many people would have called her ‘push button,’ Skye said. “I struggled to find which buttons Savannah would let me push, and she had strong opinions about each one of them.”

Skye’s very first competition on Savannah was at Training level, which was the first time she competed at that level. The mare piloted her very terrified teenage jockey around what appeared to be the biggest cross-country course of all time, and the pair ended up with a win in the Junior Training division. Skye’s trainer, Stuart Black, put her on the fast track to a Young Rider career, and within the same year they had finished third at the Bromont CCI* and qualified for the Area II NAJYRC team.

Savannah and Skye at NAJYRC. Photo by Tim Icke.

Savannah and Skye went on to compete in multiple Young Riders team competitions, conquer the CCI*, CCI2* and Advanced horse trials levels together — all the while defying the odds, as the older mare continued fighting an arthritic knee. “I owe my entire career to Savannah. She was my first everything,” Skye said. “No matter what mistakes I made, she was always 10 times wiser and smarter than the child on her back.”
In 2002, the pair competed in the Advanced division at Plantation Field Horse Trials. Skye was only 17, but it was her 18-year-old year, and she could finally compete at Advanced. This horse trials was to be their last hurrah, as Savannah’s knee was reaching the end of it’s time.
“Everyone joked that you couldn’t see my helmet when Savannah and I were approaching the fences because she was so small,” Skye said. “She skipped around Plantation like the professional she was and finished fifth. As my dad and I pulled out of Plantation in our Jeep Wagoneer and two-horse trailer, Stuart walked up to me and shook my hand, saying, ‘Welcome to the big leagues, girly.'”

While Skye was in college, Savannah enjoyed a luxurious retirement in a field at home. After college, Skye went into the eventing business in earnest and began to take students. Amy Giordano was one of her very first and, like Skye, had struggled with difficult ponies and was unable to afford a nicer horse.

Savannah, feeling healthy and sound, came out of retirement to raise yet another teenager. At the age of 22, she competed at the USPC National Championships at Training level, jumping double clean and managing to live up to her reputation by winning the Best Conditioned Horse Award.

Savannah fully retired after that competition and is now 28 and living in a field right next to Skye’s house at Morningside Training Farm. Instead of raising young teenagers, she is now in charge of raising fresh young OTTBs in training for an eventing career. She is their babysitter in the field, hopefully teaching them how to be a fierce Advanced event horse like herself.

Clipping Creations: November Edition

By on Nov 8, 2013 10:30 am -

There’s nothing that says “horse person” quite as much as the sensation of a buzzing clipper in your hand for two hours straight, wearing a rain coat and rain pants inside the barn, and sneezing horse hair out of your nose for days. Yep, it must be clipping season. I want to see your amazing, entertaining, beautiful and clever clipping creations. Send me a picture that shows off your artistry and a little blurb explaining what it’s all about. Include the name of your horse, your name and where you are from. Email [email protected]!

Rachael Walker, Wisconsin: “This is my 6-year-old eventing mare, Lili. Last year she got a lightning bolt on her shoulder, but she can get nervous and tight in the winter time, so this year I went with the Chinese symbol meaning ‘peace, tranquility, inner calm, centered’ in the hopes of keeping us both a little more zen.”

Karen Bayha, New York: “This year we tried to do clipping designs according to the names of the ponies.  This roan pony is named Nemo and was clipped accordingly.”

Megan Jurasek: “After I gave my Morgan a fancy clip, my Thoroughbred didn’t want to be left out of the action (OK, he probably did, but I didn’t give him that option), so he had his blanket clip dressed up a bit. He received lots of comments about how he looked like a Christmas ornament. In a bout of short-sighted “well, we’ll see how this turns out,” I freehanded the whole design. It took three sessions to complete, but I might be a perfectionist …”

Lisie, Baltimore, Md.: “This is a picture of my horse Tommy with a fun snowflake design for the winter! Pictures show before and after the design.”