Become an Eventing Nation BloggerIt’s not too often we see Michael Jung quietly practicing his plans for world domination at his home base — usually, we’re watching him put those tactics to good use while beating the pants off everyone else at competitions around the world.
These videos from Pavo Horsefeed, while in German, provide a great look at Michael’s routine while he’s at home. Ever thought of practicing your flatwork in a water complex? Michael has.
Christmas has come and gone for yet another year, and we’re all left wistfully remembering another holiday gone by. But once the holiday is over, the post-Christmas sales begin — and those can get pretty wild if you aren’t careful.
SmartPak is one such company running a great sale to cure your holiday hangover. You can save up to 75% for a limited time only on select items. Here’s a list of our favorite things available right now at a great price:
1. WeatherBeeta Genero Turnout Blanket
Image via SmartPak.
This tough WeatherBeeta blanket is made exclusively for SmartPak — which means you can get a top quality blanket for a steal of a deal right now. Featuring a 1200D outer shell and a Lite or Medium weight option, this blanket is sure to keep your horse warm and dry this winter, whenever it decides to come.
Image via SmartPak.
While you’re ensuring your horse is nice and warm, you can also take the same measures for yourself by taking advantage of 30% off the SmartPak Winter Jacket. This jacket features a detachable hood, armpit vents (trust us, you will love these), and adjustable riding vents so you can wear it on and off your horse.
Image via SmartPak.
If you’re as big of a Piper breech fan as I am, you’ll immediately jump at the chance to get a pair (or three) at a discount. Luckily, the full seat edition of these colorful breeches is currently 40% off, so it’s a good time to stock up for the upcoming season.
4. Tredstep Symphony Argenta Full Seat Breeches
Image via SmartPak.
Tredstep has a really nice line of breeches to choose from as well, and the Argenta is just one of their collections. These breeches feature Nanosphere technology, which serves to repel dirt and water from (gasp!) your lovely white breeches. This is definitely a necessary feature when it comes to total klutz’s such as myself.
Let’s face it, we’ve all asked for a horse for Christmas at some point during our lives. Maybe some of us do it every year, no judgement here. I’ve got quite the collection of toy horses to show for all of my requests for a horse over the years — I suppose I should start being more specific.
If, however, you are lucky enough to be gifting or receiving a horse for Christmas this year, we thought you’d like to know the step by step process of gift wrapping said horse.
The first ingredient you’ll need is a super quiet horse. Like, no spook allowed, lest you rip the wrap job. Once you have this part, the rest is easy … ish.
We’re excited to be publishing Area III Young Rider Diane Portwood’s video blog series as she chronicles her life as a college student and eventer.
In this week’s vlog, Diane discusses and shows us the various exercises that she’s been working on with her mare, Cinerescent, in her recent lessons. These are some great “back to basics” exercises that we can all benefit from, and the nice thing is that they can be made as low or high impact as necessary.
What are some other basic exercises you have put into your riding routine recently? Comment below to share your ideas!
Why SpectraVET?
Reliable. Effective. Affordable.
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.
Whoops
Posted by Horses UK on Sunday, December 20, 2015
Is this an audition for a spot on Santa’s sleigh or a show jumping round? Check out this gutsy jump-off where an awkward distance meets a more than game horse! What happens next? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!
Now the question remains: Is this truly a horse, or is it a deer?
EN reader Darren Dawes sent us this beautifully produced video depicting eventing in Australia in high definition. This video captures the spirit of eventing as well as the love we all share for the sport.
You can view more videos from Darren on his Vimeo channel here. Meanwhile, don’t mind us while we watch this over and over again praying for the new season to hurry up and start already.
Go Eventing!
Geriann Henderson and Kingslee. Photo courtesy of Liz Hall.
The eventing community and those who knew and loved Geriann Henderson will gather today at a memorial service for the former Advanced level rider. Geriann was killed in a skydiving accident on Nov. 23, 2015; she was 26 years old.
A native of Teller County, Colorado, Geriann was a much loved member of Area IX, where she competed Kingslee, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding she owned with Deb Henderson, through the three-star level. Geriann and Kingslee enjoyed top placings at the Galway Downs CIC3* and Rebecca Farm CIC3* before she leased him to USEF Eventing 18 rider Madison Temkin in 2014.
Kingslee and Madison’s partnership has flourished ever since. They successfully completed their first one-star at Galway Downs in 2014 and finished fifth individually in the CH-J* at this year’s North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.
Geriann lived in Arizona, where she was a pilot and flight instructor; she was a skydiving student at Skydive Phoenix Inc. at the time of her death. The EN team extends our deepest condolences and sympathies to Geriann’s friends and family during this terrible time. She will be deeply missed.
Tim Price and Wesko. Photo by Rare Air Photography.
New Zealand has named its High Performance Squad looking ahead to the 2016 season, and they aren’t messing around with the Rio Olympics on the horizon. The High Performance program is aimed towards cultivating the best possible team to send to Rio, but there are also other developing squads in this program.
The 2016 High Performance Eventing Squad for New Zealand is as follows:
Sir Mark Todd – Leonidas II – Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell & Sir Mark Todd
Sir Mark Todd – NZB Campino – New Zealand Bloodstock & Sir Mark Todd
Jonelle Price – Classic Moet – Trisha Rickards & Jonelle Price
Jonelle Price – Faerie Dianimo – Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green & Jonelle Price
Tim Price – Wesko – Christina Knudsen & the Wesko Syndicate
Tim Price – Bango – Numero Uno Syndicate
Tim Price – Ringwood Sky Boy – Robert Taylor, Varenna Allen, Selwood.com & Tim Price
Jock Paget – Clifton Lush – Frances Stead & Lucy Allison
Jock Paget – Clifton Signature – Frances Stead
Clarke Johnstone – Balmoral Sensation – Johnstone Family
Blyth Tait – Xanthus III – Jane Lovell-Smith & Blyth Tait
Blyth Tait – Bear Necessity V – Ronnie Bartlett & Blyth Tait
The Kiwis have had a stellar year on the international circuit in 2015, with consistent top placings in CCI3* and CCI4* events — a rider from New Zealand has placed on the podium in all six CCI4* events this year. Olympic selectors will be taking a hard look at the squad as the time comes to select their best team.
This High Performance squad list is open to revisions in June, where other riders may be added. Also on the eventing squad list are the High Performance Accelerator, Talent Development and Talent ID. You can see the names on these developing lists here.
This is one of the most inspirational and heartwarming things we’ve ever seen. Lauren Barwick is a Canadian Paralympic equestrian who has made quite a name for herself in the dressage world. Though she is paraplegic, Lauren has reached soaring heights as a rider, representing Canada at three Paralympic Games to date.
Lauren was paralyzed when 75 kg of hay fell on her while working at a ranch in 2000. She broke her back in the fall, but was learning how to ride again as soon as she was able to. Now, she’s the current number one ranked par-equestrian rider in the world.
Lauren recently performed a demo with her Oldenburg mare, Off to Paris. Watch this and prepare for goosebumps:
Posted by Городская жизнь on Sunday, December 13, 2015
To follow along with Lauren, you can visit her website here.
Carl Hester and Nip Tuck. Photo courtesy of FEI/Jon Stroud.
Carl Hester was the best of the night at Olympia last night in the World Cup Freestyle, taking home the title aboard Nip Tuck. This was Carl’s first victory at Olympia in 11 tries, scoring an 83.75% for a win over Charlotte Dujardin.
“I’m really glad to get my ‘secondits’ over having finished second so many times!” Carl said after his win. “I’m very proud of him. He’s not your typical dressage model but he has the brain of a gold medallist and just keeps improving all the time. For me, it’s a special win because I never imagined winning with him and seeing him transform from something we didn’t know we had.”
Charlotte Dujardin rode Uthopia to the same music she often rides Valegro to in the freestyle, earning a 82.55% for second place. Charlotte was nothing less than thrilled for Carl, however. “He was incredible tonight. He inspires me every day but tonight I had goose pimples watching. He’s worked hard on the floor plan and I knew he’d nail it. It was as it should be; effortless and easy. I know what this win means for him and I couldn’t be happier if someone was going to beat me it was him!”
Watch Carl and Nip Tuck’s routine here, and prepare to be amazed:
Diane Portwood, an Area III Young Rider and NAJYRC CH-Y2* individual gold medalist, has been sharing her insightful video blogs with us, and we’re super excited that she’s posted a fresh one for our viewing. Diane currently works for Kyle Carter, and in this vlog she shares her thoughts on becoming a working student.
Working students get an inside look at the operation of an equestrian business — but it’s anything but just observing! Hard work and attention to detail are among the most highly valued qualities of a good working student, and the self-motivated person has the opportunity to learn more than they could ever dream.
Are you sold? Check out our Working Student Opportunities post here to see if you can find your next position!
My first advanced horse, Rusheen Warrior, still kicking up his heels at 35 yrs old!! Thank you Shelli Cantine for taking such good care of him and for sending this video!
Posted by Kristin Schmolze on Monday, December 14, 2015
We love this heartwarming video from Kristin Schmolze, whose former Advanced partner, Rusheen Warrior, is very much still kicking up his heels at 26 years old.
Kristin and Rusheen Warrior successfully competed through the CCI3* level together, also taking a trip to NAJYRC at Bromont in 2003, where they finished second individually in the two-star championship.
Now Rusheen Warrior is happily living out his retirement with Shelli Cantine. Many thanks to Shelli and Kristin for sharing this video!
Why SpectraVET?
Reliable. Effective. Affordable.
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.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry on cross country — there are a lot of variables at play, from terrain to slick ground to bad weather conditions and beyond. Luckily, there are plenty of products on the market these day to suit every rider and horse.
World Equestrian Brands is proud to offer some great choices when it comes to outfitting your horse for cross country. In today’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, we’re teaming up with World Equestrian Brands to give away a set of Equilibrium Tri-Zone Impact Cross Country Boots as well as the corresponding overreach boots.
We recently reviewed these cross country boots and were thoroughly impressed with the design and functionality of them.
Don’t waste any time and get your entry in before midnight tonight to win this very generous prize from World Equestrian Brands! We’ll announce the winner in tomorrow’s News & Notes post. Good luck!
Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.
The Qatar Eventing Team in action.The Qatar Eventing Team in action. All competition and training filmed at Aston Le Walls in 2015.#TeamQatar #QEF #Eventing #Equestrian #Horses #Qatar #Doha #WGOQ #WGOQatar #AstonLeWalls #UKFollow us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/qatar_equestrain_federation/
Posted by Qatar Equestrian Federation on Saturday, December 12, 2015
Last year, we picked up on a profile story on the Qatar Eventing Team and their quest to qualify for Rio in 2016. Based in England at Joss Gray’s yard, the team first eyed the Asian Games as their first step in qualification.
This video catches up with the team at Aston Le Walls earlier this year, where they completed much of their training for all three phases. We continue to wish the Qatari team the best of luck in their quest for Rio.
You can follow along with more updates from the team on their Facebook page here.
Horse shopping has its ups and downs. Just like buying a new home or a car, there are stressful situations that come along with the search for the perfect horse.
There are a lot of question marks when it comes to buying a horse right off the track — will this horse stay sound? Will its athletic ability live up to my expectations? Is it sane enough for me to be able to work with it?
The questions are endless, which is why its always important to do your research and make sure you are thoroughly prepared to bring a new horse into your home. These horses are often diamonds in the rough, just waiting for the right person to come along and help them shine.
Here are a few options for you to peruse in this week’s Wishlist, presented by Cosequin.
Photo used with permission from CANTER Illinois.
Win Friendly (My Friend Max – Win for Stacy, by Marquetry) is a 2008 mare standing 16.1 hands. She has 58 starts on her record, with two wins, two seconds and five thirds to show for her efforts.
Win Friendly has a very sweet personality and her race trainer says she is sound, just not competitive. She’s currently available through CANTER Illinois and has that sweet eye that many people are looking for!
Win Friendly on CANTER Illinois
Photo used with permission from CANTER PA.
Ever So Nasty (Shermanesque – Eversolively, by Littlebitlively) is anything but, according to her listing on CANTER PA. This girl is a 2012 model standing 16 hands with a sweet personality to go with her good looks.
Ever So Nasty raced seven times, winning once and placing second three times. She most recently raced at Penn National on Halloween of this year. She is said to have a slight bit of ankle rounding, but they evidently do not bother her at all. This girl is just begging to be a sport horse!
Photo via CANTER Northern California.
This handsome guy is Mason, a 2012 gelding standing 16.2 who is currently available in Northern California. We couldn’t find his breeding, but he did win three races as a two- and three-year-old and is now looking to move on to his new home.
Mason is currently located at Golden Gate Fields, and his owner is exploring other options for him rather than push him to continue racing more.
French rider Sidney Dufresne and Looping de Buissy are on an absolute tear this winter on the indoor eventing circuit. They recently won the Indoor Derby at Stuttgart and have also accumulated other top placings. Now, they’ve added another win at CHI Genève in Switzerland.
Revivez en images le Cross Indoor présenté par Rolex. Un grand bravo à Sidney Dufresne qui remporte cette épreuve, devant Dirk Schrade et Karim Florent Laghouag http://bit.ly/1IMixt6#CHIGeneve
Posted by CHI de Genève on Saturday, December 12, 2015
This video of the course has been making its rounds on social media today, and it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss. I don’t believe we’ve ever seen an indoor course like this one where it extends into the warmup ring as well! Pretty intense.
How Awesome is this? Indoor Eventing at the CHI de Genève. WOW!
Posted by Rocky Mountain Show Jumping on Saturday, December 12, 2015
You can view the full results from this class here; Sidney Dufresne were the winners on a score of 145.38, followed by Dirk Schrade and Boleybawn Prince.
Graphic via Omega Alpha.
It’s always a bummer when the weekend is almost over, especially one as unseasonably warm as it has been! If this is what we have to look forward to this winter, I’m all for it. Colder weather, even if it’s a slight temperature change, can still affect horse’s joints, though. For horses who require maintenance or who have a bit more serious of an issue, joint supplements are often quite helpful.
Omega Alpha offers Sinew-X Plus HA, one of the most popular joint supplements on the market. Hailed for its natural approach and palatable products, Omega Alpha is constantly working to improve our horses’ well-being, one supplement at a time.
Today we are teaming up with Omega Alpha to give away a gallon of Sinew X Plus HA. Additionally, another lucky winner will receive six tubes of RegenerEQ Plus, which can be useful in stressful situations and to prevent gastric distress. To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below before midnight tonight, and then check tomorrow’s News & Notes to find out if you are our winner!
Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.
Posted by Horsephysio on Monday, December 7, 2015
We are loving all of these videos from Horse Physio, which you should really check out when you get the chance. The horses and riders demonstrating these intricate exercises make things look so very easy … enough so that we think someone should make their own video of a, well, less than rhythmical pass through an exercise! Trust us, we all feel your pain.
We’ll keep looking for more videos featuring pole and gymnastic exercises — it never hurts to have a few of these in your back pocket! If you can master some of these exercises, you’ll be the queen/king of straightness and rhythm in no time!
Clipping season is still in effect, and with many horses headed south for the winter, it’s becoming crunch time! Here in Kansas City, we’re having some absolutely lovely weather, which is causing our clip jobs to get moved up quite a bit! I never thought I’d see so many sweaty, hairy horses on December 10. Go figure, winter. It’s ok, I’m still leaving you for Florida later, no matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise.
Here are a few more #ClippingChronicles creations from our readers! Don’t forget to send us yours by emailing [email protected] or using the hashtag #ClippingChronicles on your social media!
Jillian Scott of Peatside Equi Custom Clipping sent us a collection of clip jobs from this year, and wow are they impressive! Here’s a sample:
Louisa McGarty sent in this photo of her Dutch Warmblood, Parome, sporting his stylish clip job by Amanda Hund. Amanda used to groom for Phillip Dutton — we would have paid good money to see a heart on Mr. Medicott!
Photo courtesy of Louisa McGarty.
EN’s very own Kate Samuels got crafty with her clippings this week as well:
Photo via Kate Samuels on Facebook.
David O'Connor and Silvio Mazzoni. Photo by Rachael Walker.
Each year, the USEA hosts Instructor’s Certification Program (ICP) symposiums for aspiring eventing coaches on both the East and West coasts. The ICP program is a useful resource both for coaches and for riders — coaches have access to training programs that help them become better teachers and riders have a database of certified coaches to choose from in their areas.
In order to continue the promotion and growth of the ICP program, the symposium is hosted each year with top level clinicians, and this year is no different. In 2016, U.S. Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor, show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni and Sport Psychologist Shannon Thomspon have been named as ICP clinicians.
David O’Connor will be present at both the East and West coast sessions, and Shannon will teach a seminar at the West coast clinic at Galway Downs. Silvio will base at Longwood Farm South in Ocala and teach alongside David.
The dates for the West coast seminar are January 20-21 at Galway Downs and the East coast session will be at Longwood Farm South on February 15 and 16.
This is a great opportunity, whether or not you are currently ICP certified, and auditing is offered to the public. You can find more information and a registration form here. EN will be in attendance for the Ocala session, and we look forward to bringing you some educational tidbits from this session!
Have you tried MOJO? Photo by Sally Spickard.
If you haven’t caught wind of the MOJO buzz yet, now is a great time to catch up! We first tried out the MOJO wristband earlier this year, and several of our staff have been thrilled with the results we’ve seen. From back pain relief to better overall balance, the MOJO wristband has its benefits for all sorts of maladies using holographic technology.
Additionally, the MOJO Velcro Power Patch, usable on halters, bridles and dog collars, has shown a lot of positive results when it comes to animals.
To celebrate the holiday season, we’re teaming up with MOJO to offer a great prize pack containing two MOJO wristbands as well as a set of Velcro Power Patches. You can start an entire MOJO collection!
If you’re shopping for gifts, you can also use the code MERRY15 to receive 15% off your order, as well as the code FREESHIPPING to receive free shipping on your items.
To enter to win our MOJO prize pack, use the Rafflecopter widget below. We’ll announce the winner in tomorrow’s Links post. Good luck!
Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.
The Thoroughbred is one of the most prominent breeds in the sport of eventing — and in the horse world in general. Without this fiercely athletic breed, we would not have many of the champions that have gone down in history as the best of the best.
This narrated video from EquestrianCoach.com is a tribute to the ability of these horses and the impact they’ve had in all disciplines and facets of the equine world. It’s about 37 minutes long, but once I started watching I couldn’t stop!
Go Thoroughbreds, and Go Eventing.
Graphic via Phoenix Performance Products.
We’re all about safety here at EN, and having a helmet that meets the highest safety standards is always at the top of our list. We’re continuing that trend with today’s giveaway, as we’re teaming up with Tipperary to give away a T-series helmet to one lucky winner!
The T-series helmet is a lightweight low profile helmet that is available in both a matte and velvet finish. Maximum airflow and a drop back shell make this helmet unique. The T-series helmet also features a removable washable liner.
So, what are you waiting for? Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and find out if you’re a winner by checking tomorrow’s Links post. Happy entering!
Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.
