Mary King and Apache Sauce at Burghley last year, photo by Samantha Clark

The Horse & Hound reported that Apache Sauce, owned by Gillian Jonas, was sadly put down after suffering an injury today at Weston Park CCI2*.  Since his retirement from upper level competition with Mary King, Apache has been competing with Mary’s daughter, Emily.  The pair had completed five events together clear cross-country, and finished in the top 10 three times.  Our condolences to Emily, Mary, and Apache Sauce’s connections.  His beautiful white face will surely be missed.

Doug Payne and Lysander at Stuart Horse Trials. Photo credit: Summer Crosby

Stuart Horse Trials has decided not to run their CIC* or CIC** divisions in 2013.  Despite the loss of these divisions, it looks like it will be a fantastic event next year.  From organizer Heidi Stuart Vahue:

We still plan on having a high class exciting festival of eventing celebrating  levels  BN through Intermediate with more Prize Money for the 2 highest levels than we have ever offered before.

The CIC may come back in the future but we have had very low attendance in both the 1* and 2* for the past few years. The costs to put on any CIC level competition are huge with many added officials required.When we have so few enter those divisions it is not financially wise to keep them. We thought it best to use that money for our footing and prize money to make our event even better. It will still be a premier event with more prize money than before and better footing than ever! We now have the capacity to do even more watering in areas  such as the water complex and dressage warm up. The jumping warm up and show jumping can be watered as can the first loop of the upper levels cross-country course. We have developed an extensive year round footing program that include aerovation, fertilization and watering along with seeding when needed. Happy riders and even happier horses.

Molly Rosin and Puttin' On the Ritz, photo by Samantha Clark

Molly Rosin’s good friends and working students sent us a note that Molly and longtime boyfriend Bryce are getting married today on the beach in the Outer Banks, NC.  Congratulations, Molly and Bryce!

Jess, Clark Montgomery’s wife, sent us an email this morning that the US horses are on their way to Boekelo.  Thanks to Jess for the update and best wishes for safe travels and good luck!  Stay tuned to EN tomorrow for Jenni Autry’s article with Clark Montgomery about his expectations for Loughan Glen at Boekelo.

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From Jess:

Aaaaaaaaaaand we’re off! The Nations Cup team headed to Boekelo is loaded and on their way to JFK as we speak! Having logged an air mile or two already this summer, Clark’s Loughan Glen is pretty light hearted about his travels. More to come- we’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Jess

I would love to take an equestrian vacation  in a foreign country.  I’ve never considered India, but this is a pretty neat trail ride.  The horses shown are Marwari horses, a breed native to India and known for their distinctive curled ears.  Many of them are gaited, and come in a variety of colors.  It’s interesting to watch the bridleless riding…and a pack horse just following along loose among the trail riders.

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MeadowCreek Park Horse Trials, Kosse, TX – The Rewards of Preparation and Fortitude

by Mary Hirsch

Mark Hall and Remington Steele     Credit: Manuel Flores – A Photon Hunt

Robbie and Brad Peterson, owners of MeadowCreek Park in Kosse, Texas, host two Area V recognized horse trials each year.  They made an enormous investment over the summer into bringing their grounds substantially up in quality, re-working the footing, re-designing and re-building the cross-country course, but they did not expect to be tested to the very limit by a relentless two-day rain storm at the very first horse trials after work was completed.  Still after a weekend of schedule changes and minor course modifications, several riders, trainers and officials gave glowing reviews.  Or in their words: “Fabulous job!” “Rode well, so much better than I thought after the rain.”  And as Diane Pitts, Area V Young Rider Coordinator, texted to the Ground Jury, “MeadowCreek is back!”

Several inches of relentless rainfall saturated the MeadowCreek dressage and show jumping on Saturday, Sep. 29.  It was a continuation of a downpour that had begun on Friday.  Riders and attendees left the wet grounds on Saturday night full of suspense and debate –  will we be able to run cross-country on Sunday, or will this horse trials become a combined test?  What if it rains overnight?  (It did.)  At stake was a course that was the product of a great refurbishment, as well as competitors’ hopes of qualifying rounds, and even just a good and safe experience.

But among the event officials that question was never in doubt–  MeadowCreek cross-country would run on Sunday.  “Of course it rains on many events all over the country, all over the world.  The decision to run or not to run isn’t a suspenseful drama.  It’s a defined process,” explained Ground Jury President Jim Graham.    “The first concern is safety, and that is broken down into specific components.”

“We had a Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C already formulated by Friday night.  We ended up doing Plan Z, a combination of the plans,” Graham explained.  The first part of Plan Z was re-arranging MeadowCreek’s traditional order of dressage and cross-country on Saturday, show-jumping on Sunday.   “The first consideration for cross-country is if a critically injured horse and/or a rider can be evacuated quickly from the course.”

“Will a helicopter ambulance be able to fly in the weather conditions? Can the pilot see directions given from the ground, and will wind allow it to land? And the EMT’s and horse ambulance personnel assess if conditions will allow them to access the course to extract a rider or a horse over ground.” So, an all-day forecast of wind, along with the steady rain, led to the schedule change.  Fortunately no lightning appeared either day.

And so on Saturday competitors soldiered on.  Bays and chestnuts took on the same color – wet.  Not every competitor chose to make the allowed switch to rain gear, and one can only imagine what the dry-cleaners will say when they receive the wadded bundles of thoroughly saturated, mud splattered show coats.  One rider admitted that her high-quality, leak-proof boots filled from the top with rain.  But the footing in both the dressage and the show jumping arenas, while deeper by the hour, responded to the work invested in it over the summer and remained largely stable.  Horses were not seen to be slipping. While the Prelimimary and Training divisions saw many rails tumble, in all divisions there were also double-clear rides over the jumps in driving rain.

No report of MeadowCreek is complete without a word about the emphasis on hospitality.  A Friday evening gathering and a Saturday evening social, with food, isn’t all.  During the day one of the covered decks becomes the Man-Cave.  Two wide-screen t.v.’s broadcast football games to the couches next to the vending machines.  Dads, husbands, SO’s across the Nation of Eventers:  You could have been at MeadowCreek!

“On Saturday evening we assured competitors we would run cross-country on Sunday,” Graham said.  The decision was made on a drier forecast for Sunday, even though more rain came through overnight.  “Saturday evening and very early Sunday morning the officials were out on course.  We removed only a couple of jumps from Preliminary and Training, and moved just a few others.  We made no changes to the Novice and Beginner Novice courses.”

It was a gray early morning as riders and attendees gathered at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday in MeadowCreek’s large covered porch area for an official meeting about the cross-country course.  There officials affirmed once again that cross-country would run, “with flexible start times.” The first to go, Preliminary and Training, were asked, along with their trainers, to join course tours by 4-wheelers to view the slightly modified course.  Competitors in all divisions were encouraged to catch a ride at some point to review conditions on their course as well.

“We listened to the riders’ and trainers’ comments,” said Graham, “and made a few other moves of upper-level obstacles, and removed one more jump.  We didn’t make all the suggested changes, but we did consider the merits of each.” Finally all preparations were complete.  Under an overcast, windy but rain-less sky, at last horses began to emerge from the tall trees surrounding the stabling area with all gear on and riders aboard, in a steady parade to warm-up.  Shortly after 10:30 a.m. horses were on course, and things were rolling once again.

Riders and trainers reported the courses rode well.  There were few jumping faults across all divisions.  The new courses travel from one meadow to the next through connecting tree-shaded trails, with a variety of obstacles and questions.  Courses are up to height, but as one trainer said, “that doesn’t matter because it flows.” The Preliminary course has added galloping jumps around a large green meadow, then through the woods and up-and-down terrain jumps, finally routing back into the ditch complex.

As is usual at any event with a lot of rain, in some divisions most of the riders chose to complete; in others, most riders did not.  As always the reasons were varied: concerns about shoeing and/or studding; horse or rider green at the level; and the other usual reasons.   And it may have been a factor that Area V has four more recognized events to run before the fall season closes out in November.

Preliminary cross-country riders all had quite a few time faults, but only one rider had jumping faults.  The three riders completing Open Preliminary all took advantage of withdrawals to come up from double-digit placings.  Open Prelim winner Emily Dufort and Vital Eight came from 10^th place after show jumping.  In the Preliminary Rider division, Morgan Worthington and Primo’s Charro were the only pair in all Prelim to come in with under ten time faults, and that allowed her to edge out Bailey Moran and Corocotta de la Galerna for the win.

Training had several double-clears across all three divisions.  Open Training offered a shrewd opportunity when the top five placings after show jumping elected to withdraw.  Amanda Merritt on Flagmount’s Mischief, 8^th after show jumping, won on a 33.2 dressage score, while Ashley Hays and Northern Lights, 10^th after show jumping, came in right behind her for second place, adding nothing to her 35.2 dressage score.  For all the rest of the divisions at MeadowCreek, clean jumping and zero time faults claimed the top placings, with the exception of minimal time faults with clear jumping in Beginner Novice.

“As long as emergency services can be accommodated and there is no lightening, a well-prepared cross-country course can expect to run with only a few modifications that don’t change the intent of the design,” Jim Graham asserted.

“This course is national caliber.  It is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of Robbie and Brad Peterson.  We can look forward to quality courses and horse trials in the future.”

James Alliston and Canadian Maestro, photo by Kari Lyman

Ram Tap was mentioned on Monday in the “Events Opening This Week” segment of the News and Notes.  But this   upcoming November Ram Tap is not just another event– it’s the final one for the Fresno horse trials.

The Fresno Bee had a nice article about Ram Tap Horse Trials in their Sunday paper on September 30.  The first show was held in 1957, making it the second-longest running horse trials in the country.  Owner Bill Burton told the paper that the property, leased from gas/electric company and the flood district, was soon to undergo construction of a flood basin.  The flood basin would force relocation of the horses’ stabling, and the (up to) $100,000 price tag of such a move is just too much.

It is sad to say goodbye to such a well-loved and longstanding event.  Many events have come and gone over the years, and it is important not to forget them– or the owners, organizers, secretaries, and volunteers who made them possible.  Many thanks to Ram Tap and all its supporters, it will truly be missed.

[Read full article]

Enjoy this helmet cam from Douglas Thomson on Marksman Arrow.  The description says this is Novice cross-country at Solway, New Zealand.  Clearly, New Zealand’s “novice level” is more similar to Great Britain’s novice, and not the American novice version!  There’s quite a serious double corners-to-skinny combination at 1:25 in the video.  Well done!

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Our wonderful friends over at Kentucky Performance Products are announcing their contest winner today!  Congrats to the lucky winner!

Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star, photo by Samantha Clark

The Chronicle of the Horse has written an article with an update on Caitlin Silliman’s condition after sustaining a head injury from a fall on September 26.  She is due to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility later today.  Boyd Martin told the Chronicle that Caitlin didn’t suffer any brain damage or damage to her spinal column.  She is expected to make a full recovery.  Apparently the fall happened when her horse tripped while trotting, and Caitlin tumbled off, bumping her head (below the helmet) on the kickboard of the arena.

Best wishes to Caitlin to get well soon!  And let this be a reminder to everyone: wear your helmet!  You never know when even the steadiest of horses may stumble or take a bad step.

EN blogger finalist Yvette Seger is back with more Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City.  Yvette will always be remembered for the famous Insane Walmart Ride, and we welcome her contributions to Eventing Nation.

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From Yvette:

Tips for Eventers Living in Itty Bitty Apartments in the City – When Worlds Collide

Happy October, Eventing Nation!  I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with this month.  The Good:  I get to bust out my awesome fall wardrobe, my horses are no longer being pilloried by flies of all sizes, and the walk from the barn to my horse (who has conveniently nestled himself in the furthest corner of his pasture upon hearing my car squeal up the drive) no longer leaves me drenched in sweat and in dire need of Gatorade.  The Bad:  All the slacking that I did between Q1 and Q3 seems to catch up to me in Q4 meaning I have some crazy 12+ hour workdays, my once sleek, summer-coated horses are now looking like fuzzy Thelwell ponies (well, at least the pony has a genetically viable excuse for this…), and, oh yeah, it’s like dark by 7 pm.

In the end, I guess my biggest beef is with the waning daylight.  Yes, it cuts into my riding time at the most inconvenient time of the eventing season, but I’ve also learned creative ways to convince my employers that letting me leave the office a little bit early to go ride provides a safer work environment for everyone in the company.  No, no…the worst part of these shorter days is that I get home from the barn earlier, which in turn means I have an increased likelihood of having to interact with non-horse people.  Non-horse city people.  AKA my neighbors.  After a few hours at the barn.  In an enclosed, non-horsey space.  AKA the elevator…and no, I’m not talking about a bit.

Long-time tenants of my building know the drill…say hi, ask about the horse, and then move along before they either a) get a whiff or b) I start brushing hay/shavings/horsehair off my coat. They’ve worked out that I want to get up to my apartment and shower almost as quickly as they would like me to…I mean, I get it…I’m dirty and smell!

It’s the newbies in the building that make me want to have a magic trampoline that launches me up to my apartment from street level and entirely bypass human interactions post-barn.  They stare.  They wrinkle their noses.  They may even feel the need to bellow, “wow, you STINK!” while riding in the elevator with you (Thanks for the info, dude…and BTW, I hope you enjoyed that bottle of Jack that I can smell on YOU!).

While this used to make me feel like the school kid who got picked last for the kickball team in gym class, I’ve learned that it’s not me…it’s them.  And that it’s always best to take the stairs.

Tip for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City #8:

Get a thick skin about the fact that people will either a) wrinkle their noses and step to the opposite side of the elevator when you step in, b) say, “oh, we’ll wait for the next one” even though you’re the only person in the car, or c) run out of the elevator clutching their noses and coughing the second you get in, because let’s face it, Rockstar…you’re dirty and you smell. You have hay in your hair, horsehair and sawdust on your pants, and oh yeah, a nice chunk of fresh manure stuck to your boot.

If you can’t take this pressure, I recommend that you get used to taking the stairs.  And not the normal set of stairs…I’m talking about the scary stairwell at the back of the building that smells like some frat boys have confused it with the bathroom.

Thanks to Leslie Wylie:

Just When You Thought Kentucky License Plates Couldn’t Get Any Cuter…

Last week, we introduced a new contest from Success Equestrian, makers of fine non-slip saddle pads.

Underside of the pad

Two lucky winners will each receive a monogrammed Success Equestrian saddle pad of their choice – pretty awesome. Contestants have until Friday, October 5 to enter.  Here’s your challenge:

Creatively describe a successful situation that you have had with your horse. Be clever and the funnier the better. Here’s the trick, you have to describe it in 160 characters! We know, a bit of a tough one, but seeing as you all are becoming social media and Tweeting entrepreneurs we have confidence you can come up with some creative, concise ways to tell your tale.  Email your entry to [email protected] with “Success” in the title by October 5th.

Horse riding?  Or child wearing?

From Vicky:

 

Well we’re back from our first experience of a French one day event, Tartas, and none the worse for it! Imagine our dismay though when we woke up and it was raining! Properly! Not what we signed up for when we moved down here to the South of France.

I’ll back track a little though and explain the long and tortuous process we went through to enter. Being the tail end of the season and reckoning we could manage with just one run before Pau, I struck upon Tartas as the ideal distance and timing before hand. A French Pro license, required for the class I wanted to do, costs 330 euros, plus the horse’s registration, so we’d have to win a lot of prize money at the one event to justify that. On that basis I asked the organisers if they could “invite” me as an exotic foreign species under my British license, and they were ok with that, as long as I rode HC. Fine by me, but come Wednesday and the publication of the start times I couldn’t find my name. Anywhere. I rang, I emailed, I hunted high and low, and by Friday afternoon with all pleas ignored I had decided to drive down there when I unearthed a listing for me where I hadn’t thought to look, and was actually very pleased with my civilised times!

So, the aforementioned rain beat down on us as we drove there, cue much grumbling from both myself and Stefan. William had also seen fit to take 20 minutes to load (he does that sometimes) in a not-waterproof rug, besmirching his polished self. We found the place and went to meet the organisers, who were charm personified, and what with the rain stopping too we were cheerful as we set off to the dressage to put Jean-Paul’s work into action. The arena was on the deep side, but we’ll have some more of that at Pau please as the two (2!) judges saw fit to mark William with a stonking 40.7 penalties, which is a massive personal best for us at any level! I’ll admit it was a generous mark, but it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised sometimes.

On to the show-jumping and I’d watched some earlier classes and stood next to the over-worked pole putter-uppers who I was busy learning new French swear words from. We also joined in the game of bowling and put two on the floor, and got away with quite a few taps. A wake-up call pre-Pau, for me mainly; I’ve watched the video and I’m sure we could have had a better round if I wasn’t flinging my shoulders forward with such gay abandon. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been told this consistently for the past 3 years, I still need to hear it every fortnight or so for them to stay back where they belong! Happily international show jumper Louise Morley, who I had some great training from this Spring in Belgium, has moved down this way (jammy or what?!) and we’ll organise a couple of sessions before Pau.

 

And finally to the cross-country! The ground was great, a mix of fields and woods, sandy everywhere, enough to jump but nothing horrifying, just what I was hoping for. I may have ridden a little cautiously for the first field, but as we came into the second and he ate up a half coffin for fun we got back into our groove and enjoyed a cracking round from there on. As the ground was so good I opened him up quite a bit and he loved it, locking on (even to one of the little white fence posts holding up the string – I know Pierre Michelet likes his skinny fences but he’s not gone that far yet William!), coming back when asked, tucking in a little clever stride if needed, just a joy. He was barely puffing when he finished and his respiration rate came down fast, but he was hotter than I’m used to, so we’ll need to keep an eye on that. Despite my rugging efforts his winter coat is coming through, so I will clip him for Pau but I’ll wait another fortnight or so.

His score would have left him in 3rd, and we were pleased to see they value the important things at the prize givings: generous prize money, bottles of wine (two for the really good results!), plaques and rosettes… Bring on the full French license!  The bar seemed to have enough patrons, over half of it was dedicated to selling wine and foie gras, they do know how to live well here! Everyone was friendly and helpful, it was a really great day out and I’m looking forward to lots more of the same next year, hopefully with a few more rides!

Thanks for reading,

Vx

Last week, Lauren Nethery answered a few questions about why off-track thoroughbreds act the way they do. Here she is again with Part II of the series.
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From Lauren:

“Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?”   Volume II

Have you ever been unceremoniously dumped on your behind in the warm-up when your OTTB detected a cantering presence in his general vicinity?  Does your OTTB pout like a toddler in timeout when you are gone from the barn for just a few short days?  These woes are common place in the world of the OTTB and I am here to do my best to answer all of the questions about these endearing, hardworking creatures that you have always been too embarrassed, afraid, or freaked out to ask.  Enjoy!

Why does Charger bolt in warm up if he can even so much as hear another horse breathing? (Question compliments of EN reader Maggie Miller)

With age I find that OTTB’s begin to relax in the company of other horses but after the first few years of their lives as racehorses, it is hard to shake the mentality of go-go-go when they are in company of any sort.  I try to warm up in an isolated area for all dressage tests.  Be it a back field on the show grounds or an unused dressage arena or even a paddock, I try to stay out of everyone’s way as much as possible.  I have found that, if possible, riding in company at home in their normal environment can help expedite the process of acclimating to working in the company of other horses quietly and in a relaxed fashion.  This may even mean having people trailer in to your farm if you horses are at home just for some extra company.

Why does Snuggle Bunny cling to me at every possible opportunity and pout for days if I leave for even a weekend? (Question compliments of EN reader Celeste Coulter)

At the track, TB’s often don’t have their “own people.”  Their grooms, riders, trainers, farriers, vets, and owners are usually in constant state of flux and because of this, I think that OTTB’s really latch on to the first person that becomes a day in/day out presence in their adult lives.  When my now-11-year-old OTTB was just off of the track, his separation anxiety was so bad that he slithered beneath a divider on a four horse slant and jumped out of the trailer over the butt bar to satisfy his urgent need to be ringside near me.  They say that kids say the darndest things.  It’s a good thing horses can’t talk sometimes because I am certain that they would give those kids an expletive-filled run for their money.

Why does Courtney scream (not whinny) when she gets stressed?

Racetrack barns are kind of like kindergarten classes, full of a whole bunch of youngsters all clamoring to be heard. There is a constant melody of whinnies, nickers, snorts, and bellows. Some horses really learn to project in order to be heard.

Why does Sweetpea prefer to straight tie (or to ground tie) but dances around like a child on a sugar high in cross ties?

Cross ties are impractical on race tracks because horses are constantly cooling out in the shed row or walking around with their riders up before going to the track. All racehorses are tied to the wall on a short tether and groomed, tacked, and bandaged this way. It is the first thing most yearlings learn to do.

Why does my Loony Tune load great but can’t stay still once on the trailer?

Racehorses are not typically shipped on normal trailers. They are either hauled in large box stalls or commercially head to head on tractor trailers, almost always with company. While they know how to stand, they usually aren’t fond of doing so if alone. Just food for thought on this one. Might be a more horse-specific thing.  This also accounts for the fear that many OTTB’s experience when learning to load into dark, narrow, confined “bear caves” also known as slant and straight load trailers.

I do hope that some of my answers to the questions above have demystified at least one of your OTTB’s strange quirks and I encourage you to send any further, horse-specific questions to me via email ( [email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answers.  Stay tuned for the next installment of “Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?” which will feature such enthralling epics as “Why does Moe always drink like he’s…well, drunk?” and “Why does Princess treat my 5 year old like fine china and my 15 year old like a cougar on her back?”.  Go Eventing and go gallop a (former) racehorse!

Morven Park Horse Trials (VA) is scheduled for next weekend (Oct 6-7).  Jump judges are still needed for both Saturday and Sunday cross-country.  If you are in the area and can help, please contact [email protected] for information.  All divisions will be running both days, no experience is necessary!

Thanks to all who volunteer at horse trials each weekend.  This sport would not run without you!

From Failblog.org….  horse costume WIN!

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Happy Friday, Eventing Nation!

Curragh Schooling Horse Trials – “A Bit More” Strengthens Competitors

From Mary Hirsch:

One detects a sense of purpose in a schooling horse trials Novice course with lots of galloping room and a number of wide max-height jumps, along with a “baby trakhener” (log over ditch) and an optional drop into water.  Norleen Corlett of Curragh Equestrian Center describes her course philosophy as “Novice is a bit more, and Beginner Novice is a bit less than recognized.” That was the theme of Curragh’s one-day horse trials Sunday, Sep. 24^th, just southwest of Fort Worth, Texas.   An opportune preparation, as many of the riders are also entered for Meadow Creek’s recognized horse trials in Kosse, Texas the following weekend.

Dressage judge Mary D’Arcy O’Connell scored riders accountably, following each test with a brief verbal consult with the rider for explanations and pointers.  Show jumping followed in the sand arena over a course designed by Angela Gryzwinski.  Angela included an inviting triple combination for Novice and Training, as well as a plank jump boldly inscribed “Rolex Olympics Badminton” (just to keep the future clearly in mind!).  The course jumped well, as did the cross-country, leaving most with a confidence-inspiring, learning experience.

Training winner Olivia Alland and When It Counts

Olivia Alland’s mount When It Counts lived up to his name, securing the Training level win.  Trooper was well-moniker’ed as well, winning Senior Novice with rider Jenny Andrews, while Kirstie Headlee and Sterling took the Junior Novice.

Beginner Novice was well-attended with three divisions.  Winners were Lynda Lewis on Luna in Senior, Chloe McCombs on Joey in Junior A and Albany Castor on Mandy in Junior B.  Elementary finished out the afternoon, with Heather Lowry and Caleb taking the Senior and Halle Thomas and Joseph winning the Junior.

Curragh’s courses also show the influence of instructor and former Irish Olympic team coach Mary D’Arcy O’Connell, and Angela Gryzwinski , upper-level competitor, instructor and Curragh boarder.  Angela was named to the 2012 USEF Eventing Developing Riders list, and has placed in the top 5 in upper-level divisions at Ocala, Galway, Texas Rose, Colorado Horse Park and other events.

Curragh began as a dedicated eventing stable true to its Irish roots in 1993.  The Corlett’s philosophy of stable management and teaching is based on the British Horse Society Instructor’s program.  Many Area V riders have come through Curragh’s program, well-prepared at lower and upper levels to Go Eventing!

Barrett Phillips and Mercedes

Karen O’Connor and Mandiba had a great cross-country round this past weekend in the CIC3* at Plantation Field.  Thanks to VideoByPatrick for the awesome footage!

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Kimberly Clark gave us permission to share Kate Ruppel’s story about her Advanced horse and OTTB Houdini.    She got him through the TPR (Thoroughbred Placement Resources).   Houdini had his start at Leighton Farm, like many of the TPR horses.  As with most horses that retire off of Maryland tracks, he was not a rescue, he was a prospect.

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Kate Ruppel and Houdini, photo by Leah Anderson

Houdini’s story, by Kate Ruppel

I found him on the Leighton Farm website as a 3yo and bought him as a gift for my boyfriend at the time who was generous enough to let me ride his Intermediate horse for a summer and go to NAYRC on it. Hewie was to be his thank you present. I bought him in the fall and for three nights straight he wiggled out of his blanket without undoing any of the straps. That is how he got his name Houdini and we called him Hewie for short.

Hewie has always been a shy horse. He is a very nervous and spooky type. I took him to a few starter horse trials and he won them all. My boyfriend then took over the ride and he went to his frist recognized horse trial. It was all a bit too much for Hewie and he literally ran away from the first jump on cross country, through the ropes and back to the trailer.

The relationship didn’t last much longer and I took a job in Maryland riding and training. My boyfriend said there was no way he was keeping the Hewie and to get rid of him. I took him with me to Maryland and kept working on him. I didn’t necessarily believe in him then but the horse needed a job. I figured I could sell him on down the line. I had 2 prospective purchasers vet him and twice he did something minor right before, such as pull a shoe off and step on a clip. I felt like I couldn’t give this horse away.

I wasn’t sure what to do so with him so I took him up to Buck’s with my other horses for a second opinion. Buck was the first one to tell me to keep working on this horse and to give him a shot. Buck really put me on the right path for training this horse when he was younger and I credit him for helping me turn him around.

Photo by Samantha Clark

The years go by and I kept a keen eye out for the horse that could win it all for me, little did I know he was in my barn already. I would not consider Hewie the most talented jumper or the most brave horse, but he is incredibly obediant and like most Thoroughbreds he tries very hard to please me. He has an amazing work ethic and that is what has gotten him this far. Hewie is now on a little fall vacation after winning the Advanced at Poplar. He is still young at 8 years old and I will just keep letting him tell me what he wants to do. I will aim him at Jersey CCI3* in the spring and we have a great start to our qualifications after this year so I am in a position to pick and choose where to run him in the spring.

Hewie is not only my best Advanced horse, he is my partner and my pet.

We have literally grown up together and he has been with me through all the many changes in my young adult life.

I laugh now, I think losing my boyfriend and getting stuck with Hewie was the best thing that has ever happened to me!

At Galway Downs, photo by Samantha Clark

Not long ago, we featured a video of a super cute pony and young rider doing dressage.   Here’s a video of a super cute pony and young rider going barrel racing…and they look pretty serious about it, too!  (Note: EN would prefer to see an ASTM helmet on all riders.)

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Our wonderful friends over at Kentucky Performance Products are hosting a contest! For those of you using their products, email [email protected] with information about your horse, which products you use, and why your horse loves ’em! Pretty easy way to win a bucket of KPP goodies! The winner will be announced soon on October 3.

From Yvette:

Metropolitan Pony Club Regional “D” Eventing Rally – Where It All Begins!

When I’m not cavorting around Capitol Hill in a suit and stilettos that convert me from my native 15.3 to a good 17 hands or trying to squeeze in conditioning intervals on my two noble steeds even as my daylight is rapidly diminishing to get them ready for the Novice 3-day at Waredaca, you can find me hanging out with my most favorite people on the planet – Pony Club members!!!  Since 2007, I have served as a Chief Horse Management Judge, which means I am responsible for the judging of Pony Club members on their turnout (you will NEVER catch a Pony Clubber trotting around warm up at an event with the loose ends of their stock tie slapping them in the face), tack room set up (if you ever need duct tape, would dressing, a hole punch, or an extra bridle at an event – find a Pony Clubber…trust me), and overall care of their horse without help from parents or coaches while functioning in 4 or 5 member teams.  Heady stuff, right?  Especially since you’re probably convinced that someone who is best known for riding around shopping cart in full cross-country attire is not the best role model for young equestrians…

Well, let me confirm your fears assumptions that my Pony Club persona is as outlandish as you would expect – the kids know me as “the Crazy Sock Lady,” because, well, like a zebra and its stripes, I would never be caught dead at a Pony Club rally without my appropriate footwear (paddock shoes), my Pony Club pin (hey, I’m a proud Alumna!) or my colorful knee socks.  But let me reassure you that Horse Management is Pony Club’s Big Deal.  I’m allowed to accept as many food-related bribes as I can consume have as much fun with the kids as I want as long as I uphold Pony Club’s key tenets of safety, teamwork, and practical horsemanship.

The Metropolitan Region encompasses the greater NYC region, including my graduate school stomping ground of Long Island, Connecticut and Westchester County, NY.  This past weekend’s competition (a “rally” in Pony Club lingo) was at Judy Richter’s lovely and amazing Coker Farm in Bedford, NY and was specifically for “D” level Pony Club members, with jumps ranging from trot poles and small crossrails up to ~2’3”.  For many competitors, this was their first foray into eventing, and I have to say that even the most jaded observer can’t help but smile at the sight of children cantering over mum-laiden obstacles in an open field.

Pony Club days start with the all-important briefing, where we relay important information like warm-up and ring locations, reminders that we should leave the host farm as clean – if not cleaner – than we found it, and basic expectations for the day.  As you can see, brightly colored pajama pants are the Pony Clubbers’  go-to for keeping breeches and jodhpurs clean until formal inspection.

Once we get the briefing out of the way (and catch the random pony who has decided that the grass IS in fact, greener on the other side of the fence), competitors prepare for their Turnout Inspections, at which my assistant judges assess competitors’  in terms of attire (cleanliness and correctness for sport), grooming of horse (you’ll never see a Pony Club pony with shavings in his tail!) and tack (fit, safety, and care).  Since the Metropolitan Region is in the heart of Hunter/Jumper-land, many of the girls were sporting uber-fancy bows at the ends of their pigtails.  I’m thinking I might have to get a set!

Teams consist of three or four riding members and one Stable Manager, who is ultimately responsible for overseeing the operation of the team for the day…they help keep the tack room and required equipment kits neat, organized, and ready to be evaluated by my roving teams of Horse Management judges (Do we have everything?  Is it labeled?  Do all of my team members know where to find things?), make sure teammates get to their inspections on time, keep track of when scores are posted so that the team captain doesn’t miss an opportunity to inquire about any points, and make sure the stable/tie area is neat and tidy throughout the day (Horse Management judges HATE stepping into a fresh, steamy pile of poo!)  Although they are not riding members of the team, the Stable Manager can make or break a team!

Since I’m a big kid at heart, my favorite part of any rally – once I’ve finished scoring the myriad forms involved with judging Horse Management and dealt with inquiries (I bet a large percentage of any incoming law school class has some sort of background in Pony Club – these kids KNOW how to work their rulebooks!) – is visiting the competitors, checking out their tack rooms and accepting various food bribes (hey, a girl’s gotta eat!)  Many times, a “Chief on the Loose” can strike fear into competitors (“Nooooo!  She’s here to take points!”), but I think my crazy socks (and sometimes cape, stupid head boppers, and maybe even a feather boa) help reduce the fear factor.  My tack room visits always give me new ideas, like using mailboxes for saddle racks.

D Rallies are particularly awesome because for many of the competitors, this may be their first and/or only time to do what eventers take for granted – ride cross country!  We also give them early exposure to a moderated vet box in which we take vitals and only release horses back to the stable area once they’ve shown sufficient recovery.  While most of the horses recover in, oh, 2 minutes, the vet box experience lays the groundwork for conditioning for more intense activities and establishing an appropriate cooling out procedure.  Guess you wouldn’t be surprised to discover that the majority of upper level eventers have SOME sort of Pony Club upbringing, huh?

While my coworkers think I’m a bit nuts for spending my weekends wrangling 50+ kids and their ponies, the smiles and hugs at the end of the rally remind me why I’m okay with parking trailers in a random field before the sun has risen, concocting ways to repair various pieces of equipment and/or vehicles with only duct tape and baling twine, and porta-pots…lots of porta-pots.  Pony Club has taught many individuals to be very good riders, but more importantly, it instills the qualities of horsemanship, sportsmanship, and teamwork that transcend generations.  The Metropolitan Region is clearly blessed with young members eager to learn, teenage members willing to teach, and parents and volunteers ready and willing to provide support wherever needed!

Thank you, Metro Region for hosting me, and seriously…I need a hook-up for the hairbows!