Sally Spickard is a Korean adoptee living in San Diego, California. Sally joined the Eventing Nation team in 2013 and has subsequently written for Noelle Floyd, Heels Down Mag, and other publications both in and out of the equestrian world. Sally is an eventing fan through and through and enjoys telling the stories of riders who are not well-represented within equestrian media.
Eventers gathered for the first outing of the season at Loch Moy this weekend, participating in a fun cross derby over the venue’s newest cross country jumps. Our own Dave Taylor even brought his newest ride out for a spin in the Beginner Novice, and all horses and riders looked to be having a great time in some pleasant January weather.
Many thanks to Loch Moy Farm for hosting a fun event and to EN’s good friend Jamie Rees for producing this video. Cross derby events like this are a great confidence builder for horses and riders! If there’s one held in your area, you should definitely try to go this winter.
Tamie Smith and Fleeceworks Royal. Photo courtesy of Captured Moment Photography.
Welcome to the first Fab Freebie of the new year, EN! We’ve got a great one for you this week! Fleeceworks recently launched a new line of Easy Care Bamboo saddle pads, and they’re definitely all the rage as the new “it” pad to have in your tack room.
A layer of bamboo has been incorporated into the designs; the natural fibers provide support — without bulk — and wick moisture, keeping horses backs cool and comfortable. Bamboo is noted to have antibacterial properties. The Non-slip style has strategically located small microfiber areas, which aid in the prevention of pad and saddle slippage.
Graphic courtesy of Fleeceworks.
The Easy Care Square pads are cotton poly, quilted in ½ inch diamonds for a clean, crisp, professional look. The anatomically correct topline allows for room in wither area, while the cotton poly filler with Bamboo lining is supportive and moisture wicking. These pads are also machine washable and can be put into the dryer.
The Easy Care Bamboo pads are available in Dressage, Close Contact, Cross Country and Contour Cross Country — and the winner of this week’s giveaway will receive their choice of style!
To enter for your chance to win, simply enter the Rafflecopter widget below and we will announce the winner in Friday’s News & Notes! 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.
If you haven’t heard Adele’s new single, Hello, then you may possibly be living under a rock. Love her or hate her, Adele has kicked off her new year with a bang, and now people are getting in on it with parodies.
Everyone loves a good parody, but this one definitely takes the cake for equestrians. Kelly Jewell’s cover deals with an issue we all know too well: catching a naughty horse in the pasture.
Ms. Mars generously pledged $25,000 to renew the Frangible Fence Study and set a goal for the USEA to match that amount by January 15. It took just a couple of weeks, however, to meet that goal.
The USEA will continue to fundraise with the goal of an additional $10,000 needed to fund this two-year study, and they have extended their heartfelt appreciation to members and supporters who have made this happen.
Dr. Suzanne Smith, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Kentucky, will lead the study and is excited about the findings of the program. “What we did before really moved our understanding forward about how rotational falls can happen, but we haven’t yet expressed that mathematically so that we can use that understanding to help us create better fence designs. That’s the importance and the focus of this next study — to capture the understanding that we already have and then extend that into fence design,” Dr. Smith said previously.
The study is projected to take anywhere from 18 months to two years, and Dr. Smith hopes to have some initial findings to present to the USEA Safety Committee within the first six months.
We here at EN would like to take a moment to thank Ms. Mars, the USEA, Dr. Smith and everyone who has put forward by donating and/or spreading the word about this program. Only with further research efforts and education can our sport continue to progress, so kudos to everyone for recognizing its importance.
Kate Chadderton had an envy-worthy New Year's kiss: Collection Pass! Photo via Kate on Facebook.
Happy 2016, EN! Can you believe it? It was actually difficult to type 2016 for the first time. I’m sure I’ll forget several more times in the coming weeks.
I spent my New Year’s pretty quietly, with my dog and roommate on the couch. Pretty exciting, right? Yeah, I agree. It’s an exciting time, though. It always feels so fresh to start a new year, as if we’re all turning the page on a clean slate. I’ve made resolutions in the past, but I’m terrible at sticking with them. So here is my “resolution” for this year:
Sometimes it’s hard to put your plans and resolutions into action. Why do you think we see hundreds of people swarming to the gym on January 1, only to disappear a few weeks later? I’ve been a repeat offender of talking but not acting, so this year I am not resolving to do anything specific, rather, I am resolving to become a person of action.
There are many things I want to accomplish, many of which have not happened because I’ve only ever thought about them. Thinking becomes dreaming, which can then be turned into action — but most of the time, we’re too scared of our own dreams. I think the quote goes something like “If your dreams aren’t big enough to scare you, dream bigger,” and that will be what I think of moving forward. Action over apathy. That’s my resolution.
Now that I’m done rambling, we’d love to hear yours! Submit your New Year’s resolutions in the comments and share them with us!
Friday News:
Start your 2016 with some heartwarming stories from Horse & Hound. They’re counting down 10 of the most touching stories they published this year, and this is definitely a must read list! [10 Heartwarming Stories from 2015]
The Horse is also doing some great reviews of 2015 — this is a cool look back at their top infographics of the year. There is never a lack of information to learn when it comes to horses, and infographics are a great way to break things down into layman’s terms. [Top Infographics of the Year]
Here’s another great way to kick off the new year! The 2016 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Sessions are officially underway in Florida, where some of the top young riders in the country are taking advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Chronicle of the Horse has a great recap of day one here. [Day One with George Morris]
Friday Video:
Just because, here’s a #FlashbackFriday look back at one of our favorite events of 2015. Here’s to many more in 2016!
Get out the tissues and hold on tight, EN — this one’s a doozy. Samantha Balogh is a part of the William Fox-Pitt team, having started in the 2015 season after a couple of years in Germany.
Samantha was in for the surprise of her life when a camera crew posing as members from Horse & Hound visited the yard under the pretense of doing a photo shoot. She wrote the following description on her Vimeo page:
“A ‘normal’ day at work turned into the most magical day of my life. AnnA, I love you the most. Thank you to everybody who brought this to life – a crew posing as Horse & Hound magazine had me genuinely fooled, thinking we were all prepping the stable and horses for a photoshoot. needless to say this was an extremely special experience and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’m the luckiest pony-girl on earth!”
Ready? Get ready to watch the best idea ever come to fruition, and also feel free to have major yard-envy of the Fox-Pitt home base:
Many, many congratulations are in order for Samantha and Anna!
This post originally appeared on our sister site, Horse Nation.
Large amounts of rain over the last week have caused many areas of Missouri to declare a state of emergency following historic rates of flooding. Centered mostly in St. Louis and the surrounding areas, the Bourbeuse, Mississippi and Meramec rivers have flooded, displacing many people from their homes in a matter of hours.
The flooding has also affected several Missouri horse farms, who were forced to evacuate their horses to higher ground in anticipation of the river crest.
Graphic via the National Weather Service.
Several of these farms, all of which house many horses, are virtually invisible under the rising water. At this time, it appears that all horses were able to move safely before the water came.
Chris Kraus owns Kraus Farms in Valley Park, said she started planning when she was told the forecasted flood level was 33 feet. “33 feet would have hit one of our barns, and we didn’t want to be sitting ducks out there with over 100 head of horses,” she said. Fortunately, Chris and her family made the right call as the flood quickly progressed to 44 feet, essentially burying the entire farm under water.
Here is a full view of kraus farms. We are thankful for all the people that helped us clear everything out before the flood hit.
Kraus Farms has 180 horses in their care, so evacuating was no easy process. Fortunately, operating on a flood plain prompted the Kraus family to plan ahead. They purchased another farm in Union, Missouri to use as hay fields and an evacuation site if needed. It only took one day (and five rigs traveling back and forth) to move all horses and as many supplies and grain they could manage.
“We have several grain silos at the farm, so we got as much as we could but we did lose the grain in those silos. The hay we have off the flood plain, so we didn’t lose that,” Chris said. “My biggest concern is the condition of the property — we know there is a feed room floating and we aren’t sure if any of the barns were lifted up or not. But the sooner we can get back and get running, the better because we don’t make money when we aren’t operating.”
Kraus Farms is not the only farm affected, as several others found themselves in harm’s way as the water continues to rise.
At this time, it appears that all horses affected by evacuation have been moved to higher ground. We will continue to monitor the situation in Missouri, as well as provide ways in which you can help. At this time, there is no one organization to contact to offer assistance.
We’re wishing for all the best for all who have been affected by the floods in Missouri. St. Louis is my hometown, and it broke my heart to drive through this weekend and see so much destruction. Even now, the danger is far from over as the rivers continue to swell and rise. Interstates have been shut down, and many areas are impassable. Water rescues are underway for those who are stranded on their rooftops.
We’ve featured the UK’s Pearson Eventing and their off-season hunting adventures in the past, and they’re back with a new recap from their recent jaunt with the Ledbury Hunt. Held at Tweenhills Farm in Gloucestershire, the hunt features plenty of scenery and enough big hedges to scare the pants off the average person.
We’d love to see your videos of you and your horse out foxhunting this off season, so send them to us at [email protected]!
Terri Myers and her 8-year-old Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse gelding, Terroz, were never supposed to compete as eventers.
“Several years ago I purchased ‘Oz’ knowing he had an injury,” she said. “The veterinarian said he would probably not be suitable for dressage. I spent years conditioning him, and he is now doing Second Level dressage. We just finished the year competing at Beginner Novice and are hoping to move up to Novice/Training in the spring.”
This video filmed at Bucks County Horse Park in Pennsylvania was produced by Terri’s son, Seth Umbenhauer, as her Christmas gift, showing the pure joy we all feel every time we compete. Many thanks to Terri for sharing this special video that truly reminds us all of the love we have for our sport.
Go Eventing.
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.
Great saves. We’ve all had our own — those moments where we see our life (or at least our dignity) flash before our eyes. We saw some really top-notch saves in 2015, and we’re continuing our look back on another year full of insanity with our Top Saves of 2015.
We’d also like to know who gets your vote for the unofficial Best Save of 2015! Take a look here, and vote in the poll for your favorite.
Losing a stirrup is pretty nerve wracking at any time, but imagine losing your stirrup while on course at big, bad Burghley. Your heart rate just went up a tick, didn’t it? Thankfully, Tim went on to complete with no further issues, but he somehow jumped the Cottesmore Leap with his iron dangling in the wind.
If “Dancing With the Equine Stars” were a thing, perhaps Joe and South Paw would not have won, but they’d certainly win plenty of marks for composure (or lack thereof for South Paw). Luckily, Joe had everything under control and made his save look easy.
This save could straight up go on one of those Thrills and Spills videos that we all used to watch as kids. Lizzie Snow and Coal Creek made their four-star debut this spring at Rolex, and they kept things exciting at fence 20. Thanks to Tylir Penton, we can see how it (nearly) went down.
It definitely seemed to be a year of great four-star saves, and this one from Niklas Bschorer is no exception. Niklas made the best of a potentially bad (and wet) situation — as well as an inflated air vest — and somehow made it through a tricky question on course with Tom Tom Go 3.
We saw a fantastic stickability lesson from Lillian Heard at The Fork when she somehow managed to both hang on and still pilot Arundel to the next fence.
Darby Weerstra competed in the Novice division at Richland Park this year and safely made it home, albeit with one heck of a save at fence 5. Way to kick on, Darby!
And finally, we look back at little Naomi Langeler, who at just 9 years old already has a viral save under her belt. Thank goodness for “around the world” training! Keep an eye on this one, y’all.
So now it’s time for a vote! Pick your favorite save of 2015:
Team Tredstep rider Elisa Wallace of Wallace Eventing has been a very busy vlogger of late, keeping us up to date on both her mustang endeavors as well as her competition with Simply Priceless, with whom she completed Rolex in 2015.
In the latest edition of her vlog, Elisa fills us in on her Christmas (hint: it involves a rat and a Christmas ornament…), updates on her four-legged family and an update on her upcoming plans with Simply Priceless, or “Johnny.”
Many thanks to Wallace Eventing for allowing us to share their vlog content. To catch up on more, visit their website here.
Happy Monday, EN! We hope you’re having a great recovery from the holidays (and we still have just one more to go: New Year’s!). In case you’re looking for a little more help with legging back up for the upcoming season, MOJO Future Tech is here to help.
For this week’s Fab Freebie, we’re giving away a prize pack from MOJO that includes two wristbands as well as a set of Power Patches to be used on your horse’s halter or dog’s collar.
If you’ve not read up on the buzz around MOJO, you can check out our product review here.
So here’s the drill: use the Rafflecopter widget below to submit your entry before January 1 at midnight. We’ll announce the winner in Friday’s News & Notes. 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.
You have to check out this cute video from the Legrande – Oldenburg Stallion Facebook page. The stallion was out for the Worcester Boxing Day Hunt, and this video of the opening parade was published yesterday. Let’s see how long it takes you to spot him in the crowd!
Claire and Legrande out at the Worcester Hunt boxing day meet today, lots of supports out and lots of new friends to add to his ever growing fan club.
Well, I certainly hope that ponies were waiting under the trees for all of you this week! For those of you who didn’t get your Christmas horse, though, there’s still time to snatch one up! Here are a few of our favorite OTTBs from organizations around the country:
Photo used with permission from CANTER PA.
Ascania (Lion Heart – Ascot Gold, by Mutakddim) is a 2009 gelding described as an “amateur’s Christmas wish” with his kind eye and pleasant personality. Ascania stands 15.3 hands tall and raced 37 times, winning three times to earn some money.
Ascania is described as retired with no known issues and should make a nice project for someone looking to start an OTTB. This cute guy is available through the Pennsylvania chapter of CANTER.
There are only a few days left to take advantage of New Vocations’ 50% off adoption fees for their horses! Thesiriousmoonlite is one such horse currently available through the Kentucky location. Thesiriousmoonlite (Sir Whimsey – Star Orchid, by Successful Appeal) is a New York bred 2012 model standing 16.2 hands who raced just twice in her career.
This mare is said to be naturally balanced with a great, confident personality. This big girl is just oozing athletic potential, and she’s just waiting for someone to come along and tap into it!
Our final horse this week is Sparing Action, a 2011 mare who is unraced due to not having room at the track for her. According to this girl’s listing, she’d prefer to run on the turf, but the lack of room forced her to have to find a new home.
Sparing Action (Action This Day – Saratoga Spar, by Two Punch) is said to be sound, sweet and sane. She’s a 15.3 hand clean slate just waiting to find her new home!
Mile View Farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania has been placed under a 21 day quarantine following three euthanizations due to equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, caused by the EHV-1 virus. One of the horses did compete at a hunter/jumper show prior to showing symptoms from the virus, and an investigation is currently underway to determine the timeline of the infection.
Many barn owners in the surrounding areas have asked their clients to take extra precautions when coming into contact with their horses. Since the EHV-1 virus can be transmitted from horse to horse via nasal secretions.
Here are some symptoms to be aware of for possible EHV-1 infection:
• Nasal discharge
• Incoordination
• Hind limb weakness
• Loss of tail tone
• Lethargy
• Urine dribbling
• Head tilt
• Leaning against a fence or wall to maintain balance
• Inability to rise
The virus can be spread by using contaminated items on other horses, such as buckets, tack, grooming supplies, and trailers. There are many more helpful tips and resources about EHV-1 on the AAEP journal here.
We’ll continue to bring you updates from Pennsylvania as they become available — we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that this case does not spread, and our thoughts and condolences are with those who have been affected.
It’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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
