Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint, winners of the Field Hunter division at the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover. Photo by Heather Benson.
Last year they battled for $100,000 in Kentucky, and this weekend they’re back at it in Pennsylvania!
The stakes might not be quite as high this time but the competition, featuring 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover contestants who are now a year into their training, should be just as interesting! We can’t wait to see how these horses who showed so much promise last year have progressed in their training.
The showdown takes place at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo, which starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, March 6 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and brings the nation’s leading equestrian clinicians and entertainers to Harrisburg for four days.
The featured 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover participants are:
Clovis Crane on Yo Koffy
Elissa Ogburn on Land Run
Emily Daignault-Salvaggio on Gin Joint
Nicole Cammuso on Diabolic
Shariah Harris on Late Starter
With all due respect to each of these riders and OTTBs, we can’t help but cheer a little extra loudly for our fellow eventers, Elissa and Emily.
Here’s Elissa and Land Run, competitors in the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover Eventing division, jumping in the pouring rain at Loch Moy. What a good boy!
And here’s Emily and Gin Joint, winners of the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover Field Hunter division:
We’re so proud of their accomplishments — what a lot of ground they’ve covered!
One year with Gin. What an amazing first year and such a bright future still to come. I’ll be honest it scares me sometimes. He’s just a freak of nature. I hope I’m worthy.
Each day of the expo will will showcase a different part of the their extraordinary journeys from the racetrack to new careers as riding horse, with the rematch to be held on Saturday from 5-6 p.m.
This time the crowd will pick the winner! The winner of the rematch will be awarded a $500 SmartPak Shopping Spree in addition to additional prizes for competitors from Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals.
RRP Session Schedule:
Finding the Right Horse for You
THURSDAY, 3-4pm, Equine Arena
Retraining from Racing to Riding
FRIDAY, 12-1pm, Equine Arena
When it comes to horse health, SmartPak is on our side, so it’s not surprising that they keep a vet on their staff to help us navigate the ins-and-outs of equine ownership.
In the second episode of SmartPak’s monthly video series “Ask the Vet,” Dr. Lydia Gray and SmartPaker Sarah address topics like:
1. How to prevent thrush in the spring during mud season
2. Prevention and treatment options for horses with anemia
3. Essential items for an equine first aid kit
4. Detection, treatment and longterm maintenance for an ulcer-prone horse
5. Recommended exercise for an overweight horse
Have a question of your own? Submit it on this video before March 14 using the hashtag #askthevetvideo. You can also ask your questions on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or the SmartPak blog, where you can read all of Dr. Lydia Gray’s “Ask the Vet” articles at this link.
Bonus: If your question gets selected to be featured in a future “Ask the Vet” video, you win a SmartPak Gift Card!
Be sure to subscribe to SmartPak’s YouTube Channel so you’ll be the first to know about new editions of this great series.
Stockholm’s Field Riding Club, which hosted the 1916 Olympic equestrian events. Photo: Public Domain/IOC
Nothing takes the edge off a dressage test like three days of jumping competition spanning some 35+ miles — which describes the format of the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
That was the year eventing (or at least some vaguely related precursor to the modern version of the sport) was first introduced to the Games, joining a now-dusty roster of sports to include lawn tennis, tug-of-war and yachting. It was called “Military” and, as advertised, was open only to servicemen and army horses.
Twenty-seven riders representing seven countries took part in the event: Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France, Belgium, Great Britain and the U.S., with all the countries except Denmark fielding a full team of four riders.
Photo: Public Domain/IOC
All the components of modern three-day eventing — dressage, cross-country and show jumping — were intact. The order was just a little… different.
Day 1: the Endurance Test, consisting of a 50 km (31 mile) long-distance road ride at a speed of 230 meters per minute immediately followed by a 5 km (3 mile) cross-country course at a speed of 333 meters per minute.
The course was marked by red flags but — not surprisingly, considering the map below — three riders were eliminated for going off course. Only one rider exceeded the time limit (4 hours for endurance and 15 minutes for cross-country) on account of his watch being slow.
The cross-country obstacles were described as not difficult, consisting chiefly of fences, with or without ditches, and streams. Points were subtracted for refusals and falls of horse and/or rider.
The ground was hard and the weather was less than ideal, according to the IOC report: “The heat was oppressive and most of the competitors lost weight during the ride, some as much as 4 1/2 lbs., or more, while the saddles grew considerably heavier, by absorption of sweat from the horses.”
To mimic the weight of military field accouterments, the horses were required to carry a minimum of 80 kg (176 lbs.) during the jumping phases. A double bridle was required in all phases except steeplechase.
Cross-country course maps have come a long way since 1912. Image: Public Domain/IOC
Day 2: Rest Day!
Day 3: Speed Test, held over a 3.5 km (2 mile) steeplechase course with 10 plain obstacles at a speed of 600 meters per minute.
There were 22 starters/Endurance Day survivors, most of whom made it around alright. According to the IOC report: “Of these, two rode the wrong way and retired, one of them, Lieutenant Lawrence (Great Britain) falling at a grass-covered ditch outside the course, the accident causing a slight concussion of the brain, from which the rider soon recovered, however.”
Day 4: the Jumping Test (“Prize Jumping”), which included 15 obstacles set to a maximum height of 1.3 meters (4’2″) and width of 3 meters (9’8″) wide.
Only two of the 19 starters had jumping penalties and 12 had time faults.
Day 5: the Dressage Test (“Prize Riding”).
From the IOC report: “With respect to the order in which the various tests should be executed, it was thought best to place the prize riding last, as the clearest obedience-test could thereby be obtained. A well-trained horse that has been severely taxed should, even after taking part in the previous tests, be able to do itself justice in the final one too.”
Photo: Public Domain/IOC
Riders were required to enter the ring at a gallop, halt/salute, and then use the next 10 minutes to demonstrate figures at the walk, trot and gallop at both “collected” and “fast” speeds. Extra points were awarded for riding with primarily one rein or performing advanced movements such as the Spanish walk, piaffe or passage.
Unlike the straight dressage competition, however, the eventing horses were not required to perform figure-eights, flying changes, or the jumping and obedience tests.
Image: Public Domain/IOC
In the end Sweden took Team Gold, led by Individual Gold Medalist Lieutenant Axel Nordlander. Germany followed in Silver position and the U.S. claimed Bronze.
Photo: Public Domain/IOC
Check out the full 1912 IOC report here, and stay tuned for our next edition of “Weird But True Olympic Eventing History” in which the organizers decide to get rid of dressage completely! If only that one had stuck….
A good groom can take an already gifted set of buns to the next level. Quarter marks, for example, are the booty shorts of the horse world, drawing attention to a toned derrière.
And while you can’t go wrong with traditional patterns like checkerboards, shark’s teeth, triangles and racing stripes….
Andreas Dibowski and (the appropriately named) FRH Butts Avedon. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
…it can be fun to veer off the grid a bit as well.
For basic quarter marks, all the tools you really need to get the job done are a fine-tooth comb, small body brush and spray bottle of water or QuicBraid. For a custom design, however, it may be helpful to bring a stencil into the mix. “No Parking,” anyone?
A photo posted by Natalie Elizabeth (@ticklesandcuddles) on
Last week the British GG Eventing Team of Grace Gerry and Sarah Walker posted this helpful video tutorial demonstrating how to apply a stencil pattern.
Does your horse sport quarter marks at events? Show off those fancy bum pics in the comments section below!
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.
From pewter-dappled to snowy white, OTTBs come in 50 shades of grey and every last one can be a knock-out in the show ring. Sure, they may take a little extra scrubbing, but it’ll be well worth the effort when you trot up the centerline on a horse that stands out from the crowd.
While window-shopping the latest OTTB listings here are three greys (coincidentally all 7 years old, 16.1-hands and listed on CANTER) that jumped off the page:
Photo via CANTER PA.
Jargon(Henny Hughes – Christmas Affair, by Black Tie Affair) is a 2008 16.1-hand gelding who is dressed to impress with an all-over wash of silver dapples. He’s a grandson of the Irish stallion Black Tie Affair, which is some great OTTB DNA to have. Fun fact: The very first winner of the Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge in 2012, Eric Dierks’ Brazilian Wedding, was a Black Tie Affair granddaughter — and also grey!
Retiring from racing with no known injuries or issues, Jargon has already had some re-schooling since leaving the track which will give him a head start on his next career. We hear he loves hacking around the farm and jumping — check out a video of his first school over crossrails here.
Five Shadwell(Freud – Knockout Lilly, by Two Punch) is a 2008 model 16.1-hand gelding who has platinum good looks and a personality to match. He’s been with the same owner since he was a yearling but after earning over $85,000 he is now he’s looking for a new job off the track. He’s described as sound with no vices, and according to his trainer: “This horse is smart, a joy to ride, and would be suitable for any discipline.”
Our final OTTB pick of the week is Greyhawk(Giacomo – Navajo Princess, by Alphabet Soup), also 16.1 hands and foaled in 2008. The son of Kentucky winner Giacomo, Greyhawk is ready to try his hand (hoof?) at a new career. He’s described as having “a cute personality, good looks and an athletic build” as well as being a “GREAT mover.”
This week’s edition: thrown shoes, broken fences, ear cobwebs, cats on leashes, bloody breeches, awkward bank teller exchanges, the shedding begins, selfie fails, dreams of Daylight Savings, husbands who’ve had enough, the coining of the phrase “Netflix and chill clean tack” and much, much more in the latest edition of #EventerProblems.
For those of us who haven’t yet made it into a start box this season, GoPro helmet cams are the next best thing.
We’re loving this one of reader Angie Francart and her horse Blue Cliff (“Bird”) making short work of the Training course at Paradise Farm Horse Trials this past weekend. It was the pair’s first cross-country romp of the season and they turned in a double-clear — handily, if the video is any indication!
“It was a fantastic weekend and event,” says Angie, who co-owns Sleeping Fox Farm in Martinsburg, West Virginia, with husband Gary. They run a 501(c)3 non-profit thoroughbred rescue out of the facility that is dedicated to the rescue and retraining of off-track thoroughbreds — you can learn more about Sleeping Fox here.
On the surface, eventing and yoga might not seem to share much overlap. But 22-year-old Shannon Menestrina, who happens to be a talented practitioner of both pursuits, might argue otherwise.
Shannon and her horse, a big bay OTTB named Dan, were eventing at Training level and on the verge of moving up to Prelim when a suspensory injury ended Dan’s competitive career. She retired him to Dry Ridge Farm in Loudon, Tennessee, and the pair still spends plenty of time kicking around together, hanging out and hitting the trails.
Shannon is a go-getter of a young woman, and without lessons and events to focus on, she turned her attention to a different physical activity: yoga.
A video posted by Shannon May Menestrina (@sm_may_yoga) on
Between Shannon’s discipline, drive and natural athleticism, over the next two years she progressed from the yoga equivalent of Green-as-Grass to Advanced. Having completed the 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher training program, she now moonlights as an instructor at area yoga studios while studying Nutrition/Dietetics at the University of Tennessee.
The shift between riding and yoga was an organic one, Shannon says: “Just like in riding, I had to learn that the act of practicing was different than the art of practicing. In riding, communication between horse and rider is so important, and in my practice that communication occurs between mind and body.”
A photo posted by Shannon May Menestrina (@sm_may_yoga) on
“To feel the process unfold on your mat, to feel how the between moments and the imperfections can be brought to their fullest expressions as part of that process is intriguing to me,” she says.
“Learning on a young thoroughbred, you have to embrace those between moments and trust in the process, practicing NOT perfection but rather practicing progression. You learn that the act of yoga and the art of yoga are very different, just like when you leave the startbox — you have to be present. You have to show up and be all there.”
Not surprisingly, one of Shannon’s favorite places to practice is at Dry Ridge with her horse.
“Practicing on the farm enables me to mesh the two things that bring out my most authentic self,” she explains. “Dan is a saint for putting up with my yoga antics, but it has also revealed just how much I trust him. He also knows that peppermints come shortly after savasana.”
Plus, you don’t find props like this in a yoga studio!
A video posted by Shannon May Menestrina (@sm_may_yoga) on
Shannon records her horse, yoga and horse/yoga adventures on Instagram — you can follow along at sm_may_yoga. Here are a few more photos from her unique, out-of-the-box practice:
Bettina Hoy and Sommer Smith. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
Being the daughter of two former Area IV event riders, one of whom is also an equine vet, horses have always been a part of 19-year-old Sommer Smith’s life. If you had told her not too long ago, however, that her passion would soon carry her to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on other side of the world, she might not have believed you.
The past 14 months have been a whirlwind of learning for Sommer. Throughout 2014 she had been competing her father’s eventer, Fire & Ice (“Harry”), at the Preliminary level, but he was aging and she was eager to take the next step in her riding education.
Sommer and Harry. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
That December she was working at a grocery store in small-town Illinois when she received a call that she’d been accepted as a working student for Pollard Eventing. By early January she had relocated to their farm in Chatsworth, Georgia, where she got her first exposure to the nuts and bolts of a high performance training operation. Under the tutelage of Michael and Nathalie, she honed her stable management skills and learned a tremendous amount from riding a variety of horses.
Sommer and Harry heading out for trot sets at Chatsworth Stud. “It’s so beautiful there!,” Sommer says. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
When Michael recently decided to take a break from competing to focus on his businesses and his family, Sommer says the Pollard’s team pondered what they’d do next. But the Pollards had no intention of leaving their crew hanging: “They were determined to place each of us in an area where we could thrive and wanted to keep us all as close as possible. We were and still are a very tight-knit group.”
As close as possible … with one exception.
“One day Michael asked me if I’d be interested in a working student position for Bettina Hoy and if I would be willing to do an interview if he contacted her,” Sommer recalls. “I said, ABSOLUTELY.”
Pursuing the nine-month position would mean a move to Bettina’s base at the DOKR National Equestrian Center in Warendorf, Germany. But after trading emails and phone calls, and Bettina issuing the all-clear after watching a video of Sommer ride, Sommer explains, “The opportunity sounded like something I couldn’t pass up.”
The indoor arena at the DOKR National Equestrian Center. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
The Pollards did their best to prep Sommer for the experience. “Michael and Nathalie spent hours of their time helping me to better myself before I left,” Sommer says. “They are just really good people who genuinely cared, and I can’t even express the amount of gratitude I have towards them both.”
For most fresh-out-of-high-school teens, moving into a college dorm is a big deal — much less moving abroad. But since making the transition at the beginning of this mont,h Sommer seems to be taking it all in stride.
At least her apartment is only about 300 feet from the barn! Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
Sommer says that thus far she’s been taking lessons mainly on Bettina’s 6-year-old, Mai Tai. “We’ve worked a lot on the sitting trot and posture,” Sommer says.
Learning to appreciate the importance of posture, both on the flat and over fences, has been a revelation, she says. “Riding is so much about your posture it’s ridiculous,” Sommer says. “Since my first lesson, everywhere I go I am trying to sit perfectly straight and make it become a natural thing!”
In addition to in-the-saddle work, Sommer has benefited from working with the team physiologist at the Center. “Bettina brought me there to show me a few exercises that I could use to strengthen my back and core area, thus helping me sit the trot more quietly,” she says.
One exercise, for example, involved sitting on a large inflated ball, lifting one leg and turning the torso from left to right back and forth while holding a 10-pound weight in front of her, in both directions. “ The point was to simulate riding a horse as much as possible, all while maintaining a perfect posture,” she says.
Sommer also had a go on “Rock on Ruby,” a mechanical horse simulator that moves in a teeter-totter like motion. “THE Christopher Bartle was there for team training and was kind enough to help me learn balance when the horse is in all positions,” she says. “It is an incredible training aid.”
Bettina on “Rock on Ruby” with assistance from Christopher Bartle. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
As for stable management, Sommer says there are several differences between Bettina’s system and what she was used to in the States.
For instance, mucking stalls bedded with straw instead of shavings took some getting used to, and she also does quite a lot of hand-walking in lieu of turnout as it seems to rain almost every day. “I try to get them whenever I have a free 30 or 40 minutes in the day,” Sommer says. “They are out of their stalls to be walked or ridden two to three times per day.”
“The DOKR facility is incredible,” Sommer says. “There are several indoor and outdoor arenas, cross country, trails, horse walker, treadmill — you name it.” Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
Bettina is also a stickler for in-detail horse care, especially cleaning sweat off the horses after work. “On my first day, she said ‘I know how much I love taking a shower after working out, so you can only imagine what it’s like for them if you don’t clean the horses properly.’ It completely made sense and showed me that she truly cares about their well-being. Then after showers, they go underneath the ‘solarium’ which consists of several heat lamps. That way they dry very quickly and avoid fungus, mud fever and other skin issues”
Designer drying in the solarium. Photo courtesy of Sommer Smith.
In early March Bettina and her team will be relocating to England to compete for a few months, returning to Germany later on, Sommer says, “hopefully to be preparing for the Olympics!”
Sommer says that while it’s hard sometimes not to be star struck working around world-class riders, it’s a great exercise in learning how to act and speak like a mature young professional. “As I learned while at the Pollard’s, they are people like you and I,” she says. “Often they’d prefer to be treated that way respectfully, rather than being shy not knowing what to say, which in my case is pretty common!”
Sommer will work with Bettina through the end of October. Beyond that, she says, she’s leaving her options open.
“I am very interested in sharing the knowledge that I will acquire while being here,” she says. “This is an experience of a lifetime, and I just want to share every part of it!”
Screenshot from the ESPY Award deserving YouTube video "Thea the Eventing Guinea Pig."
With horse trials popping up on the calendar like the year’s brave first crop of daffodils, full-swing event season feels closer with each passing day — which is music to the ears of those of us who make a living writing about this sport.
Soon, results will be flowing our way like a babbling brook through the woods. Hot-off-the-press event videos will beam forth from YouTube like a rays of sunshine, warming us in their glow. We won’t be able to throw a rock without hitting some up-and-coming horse or rider deserving of a feature story. In short, we here at EN will have stuff to WRITE about.
It’s been a long, cold winter of scraping the bottom of the barrel for content even remotely related to the sport of eventing, but the dog days are coming, friends.
And perhaps, on one of those days when we’re up to our eyeballs in world-class event coverage and sparkling commentary on the sport, we’ll glance in the rear view window. And we’ll remember, fleetingly and with sentimental fondness, those preseason slow-news-days when we were able to post truly amazing filler like THIS:
Get your checkbooks ready! Here are three OTTBs that are making us drool this week.
Photo via Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center.
Suspension much? Icefield(Street Cry (IRE) – Burgundy Ice, by Storm Cat) is a 15.3-hand, 4-year-old gelding with springs on his feet. He is a young horse just coming into himself and just discovering his talent. His trainers say he has an analytical brain and super work ethic: “I don’t know” is the only “no” in his vocabulary and he tries hard to answer every question correctly. He’s been started over fences and already has an automatic lead change from the right to the left, with the other side not far behind. With his athletic body and twinkling personality, the sky is the limit for this guy!
Lightly Wound (Hard Spun – Frolicing, by Royal Academy) is a 2009 model 16.1-hand stunner. Between his adorable dapples, charming expression and big, round build, it’s hard to resist imagining him peeking over the stall door in your own barn. He’s primed and ready for a new career; last year he had a brief vacation on a sport horse farm and immediately was declared a dream horse. Warning: Despite his athletic physique this boy is described as a straight-up “cookie monster,” so be sure you have a year’s supply of mints before you bring this one home.
If you’re a sucker for tall, dark and handsome, we’ve got your guy right here. The Harley Kid(Harlington – Miss Peyote, by Orientate) is a 16.2-hand 2012 gelding with limitless potential. He has three powerful gaits and is happy having a job. He lunges well and has just started work over trot poles; his trainers say he is “all business” under saddle and very willing to try new things. When the saddle comes off, though, he just wants to have fun! Prone to silly antics, he has more personality then he knows what to do with and loves any attention he can get.
Olivia, a working student for Erika Adams of Road Less Traveled Eventing, had only been partnered up with Jumble for three weeks when they decided to take the plunge at a Tennessee Alabama Georgia Dressage & Eventing Association dressage show and combined test in Cleveland, Tennessee.
In addition to a single dressage test they tackled the Beginner Novice combined test, turning in an (almost) spotless show jumping round.
(Watch video with audio) We did make a horrible decision. Laugh, learn from your mistakes and then move on. #EventingProblems
It’s short but sweet and, with the addition of some classic Michael Scott “GOD NO!” audio from The Office, it’s just too perfect not to share. Haven’t we all been there?
“Laugh, learn from your mistakes and then move on…” and move on she did! Olivia finished first in her Intro class and second in the combined test.
Well-played, Olivia, and thanks for the reminder of how far a good attitude and a sense of humor go in 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.
‘Do you still have skin on the insides of your thighs?’
Firstly, thanks for all your well-wishes regarding my busted-up face and bum elbow. Good news: I had my arm checked out by the physio and nothing is broken — just a bone bruise, it turns out.
My physio intake form.
The morning after my “authentic Ledbury experience,” however, I was concerned. Waking up early, I was immediately reminded of two things: (1) I’d fallen asleep on what appeared to be the set of Downton Abbey…
Our digs for the night: Kirtlington Hall, an 18th century manor house in Oxfordshire.
… and (2) I was in serious pain.
I hobbled downstairs and found our generous host, Lucy Holland, already up and at ’em, bouncing around the kitchen in full riding regalia. The plan was for us to go foxhunting with Lucy and her husband, Simon, today at a joint meet between the Cotswold and Vale of the White Horse Hunts.
I confessed to Lucy that I was having second thoughts. You know, the whole maybe-fractured elbow thing, and also just a general feeling like I’d been hit by a bus.
Lucy looked at me, head tilted in thought. “Do you still have skin on the insides of your thighs?”
I mulled the question over. The insides of my knees were raw from five hours of death-gripping the saddle yesterday, and my inner thighs were bruised for sure, but technically, yes, they still had skin.
Case closed, I was riding. Lucy, AKA Patron Saint of In-Over-Their-Head American Girls Gone Foxhunting in England, also loaned me a clean, dry coat and a pair of breeches that didn’t look like they’d been worn in a mud-wrestling tournament.
You should’ve seen the other guy.
We reloaded our suitcases and gear into Martha’s hilariously overstuffed MINI Cooper and set off into the gloomy, ice-cold dawn.
The Rematch
Within moments of arriving at the hunt we were all shaking like leaves. Martha’s Portuguese suitor Manuel was taking it especially hard. “He’s all smooth and Latin, susceptible to the cold,” Martha explains.
A glass or two of port made a small dent in our chill as we prepared to mount up. All I could do was laugh when they unloaded my hireling for the day from the lorry and it was, naturally, another gargantuan blaze-faced chestnut. Unlike Bert, however, this one actually had a name: Mr. Fox.
Three-day eventing could learn a thing or two from foxhunting’s pregame hospitality. If there were complimentary glasses of settle-your-nerves port in the dressage warm-up, I’m sure my scores would improve dramatically.
Also unlike Bert, bless his sturdy Irish heart, Mr. Fox had mad hops and a sportscar-grade gas pedal. He cleared the first jump, a solidly prelim-sized hedge, with air to spare and it was off to the races after that.
Whatever pain I’d been experiencing earlier was quickly washed away by a tidal wave of adrenaline as we tackled not-eventing-rulebook-approved obstacles such as one-stride combinations across paved roads and pasture fences topped by electric wire. All of which seemed quite doable compared to yesterday’s monster “bushes” and nemesis “Badminton fence.” If I wasn’t jumping a four-foot solid vertical out of two feet of mud, I was winning.
Martha owns four horses, “only one of which is presently rideable,” whom she is hunting today. Martha appreciates a good quirk and Winston has plenty of them. Perhaps not the bravest horse in the barn, he keeps Martha on her toes and the dulling monotony of perfection and predictability at bay. Idiosyncrasies, both in horses and in people, seem to keep her entertained.
Martha and Winston.
After several hours of galloping and jumping across misty pastures…
…and darting in and out of the woods…
…we packed it in for the day. We piled into the car once more, Manuel and I both nodding off immediately when we hit the road. Martha sang along softly to a mixed tape as we set off toward the weekend’s final destination: the Grafton Hunt Ball.
‘The Key to Happiness’
The closest I came to seeing Martha break character was when we arrived at the bed and breakfast we were staying at in Towcester. She’d chosen a room for herself that had a claw-foot tub beside a fireplace, and all day long as a psychological buffer against the cold, she’d been talking about the steaming hot bath she was going to take that evening.
“I truly believe that the key to happiness is a hot bath,” she had declared, convincingly, on multiple occasions.
Stepping into her room, uninhibited by the presence of the inn keeper who was carrying her suitcases, she spotted the bathtub and literally collapsed with relief and delight. I wish I’d taken a photo of it, Martha splayed across the floor like a soon-to-be-dethawed snow angel, writhing in the throes of her own private bliss.
I’m glad I’d gone on up to my own room when Martha discovered that they were out of hot water.
“I got a bit grumpy, didn’t I darling,” Martha recounted later, looking to Manuel with the big, apologetic eyes of a repentant puppy.
Ultimately, however, no storm cloud stands a chance against Martha’s sunny demeanor. Hot bath or not, she emerged an hour later looking every bit the part of a glamorous classic-Hollywood starlet in a flowing white gown and fur shawl.
With a tuxedo-ed Manuel on her arm and me in tow, looking as dolled-up as one possibly can with half of one’s nose scraped off (thank God for concealer), we headed back out into the night.
Martha and her “best mate” Mickey, with whom she has solved many a world problem over a late-night bottle of whiskey.
‘I am Spartacus’
I’m not going to lie. By this point in the weekend, we were all hurting a little.
For the past 48 hours we’d either been hunting, at a party, or on the road en route to another hunt or another party. Sleep-deprived, sore and adrift in that gray area where you’re not yet hungover only because you never really stopped drinking, we drew a blank when trying to recall the last time we’d had consumed a beverage that wasn’t either alcoholic or a Red Bull. Not a good sign.
But the dark night of the soul is when party champions like Martha, Manuel and I shine brightest. It was time to rally.
The ball began with a formal, multi-course sit-down dinner. Naturally, Martha kicked things off by demanding that, one-by-one, all 10 or so of us at the table stand up on our chairs, yell “I am Spartacus” and down our drinks in one pull.
Martha went first, and to the great horror of all the prim, proper guests seated at tables around us, everyone else dutifully followed suit. Moreover, no one seemed to bat an eyelash, which just goes to show you the importance of surrounding yourself with the “right” people — whatever that means to you.
Chugging a nearly full glass of Chardonnay worked wonders to bring me back to life. Dinner was lovely, and the conversation was even better, and then in a fateful twist of events someone — smart money is on Martha’s mischievous friend Tam and/or the Irish instigator Maria — ordered a round of Jägerbombs, which sent the rest of the night into a tailspin of unsolicited rabble-rousing and dancing on tables.
You know, just another night in the life of Martha.
My new eyeliner tattoo.
‘Oh God, I hope your angle isn’t NEVER MEET YOUR IDOLS’
I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on this series, much of it along the lines of “You are completely insane” and “I’m glad you’re not dead.” Both of which I’ll take as a compliment.
But bravery comes in all shapes and sizes, only one of which involves climbing on a strange horse, pointing it at giant obstacles and hanging on for dear life. That’s the easy sort of bravery, available to anyone with enough training and access to a Bert or Mr. Fox. And, of course, there’s a fine line between bravery and, as my husband phrased it when he found out about my hitchhiking escapade in a white van, “just plain bad decision-making.”
The more impressive courage varietal, in my opinion, is the sort you call upon to embark on life’s larger adventures: falling in love, letting friends in, saying yes to the unknown, remembering what you’ve forgotten, reconnecting with what’s important, and giving yourself permission to both fail and succeed — because, if you’re doing it right, both are going to happen.
That’s the sort of bravery Martha Sitwell embodies. She’s isn’t afraid to be who she is, even when who she is seems paradoxical: this woman who’d rather drive a tractor than a Maserati, who weighs as much as a feather but could drink any man under the table, who feels just as at home covered in mud as she does dressed to the nines for a swanky ball, who invites a curious American journalist into her life for a long weekend just because, why not?
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you,” and I’m issuing her advice as a challenge. As audacious as an idea might seem, if you just put yourself out there you never know what might happen next.
As for the adventures of Leslie and Martha, it would appear that they aren’t quite over yet …
There are natural resources on this earth that are available only in a finite, limited supply — oil, water and coal being a few examples. Other things, well, they just keep coming. Like #EventerProblems.
The first full East Coast Advanced outing of year, Rocking Horse Winter II H.T., wrapped up today with 56 horses having started across two Advanced divisions.
It’s always fun to see pairs sweeping the last of their winter dust bunnies out from under the bed and getting a feel for where their horses’ fitness is at, and Rocking Horse is a great place to do so with its good going and rewarding courses. With Pine Top Advanced next weekend and Red Hills not far beyond that, it’s safe to say that the winter lull is officially over.
Love this photo from Elaine MacPhail, who finished 11th in Advanced Test B on RF Eloquence and 4th in Open Intermediate A on RF Panamera.
A photo posted by Ellie MacPhail (@elliemacphail) on
Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High won Advanced A on their dressage score of 27.80, with Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Fly Me Courageous finishing second (29.20) and Buck Davidson and Copper Beech rounding out the top three (34.10).
Always a good feeling when your horse comes out of the gate swinging at the beginning of the season…
In other news…..the flying Ziglet was in rare form today. Crushing around the advanced to finish the weekend on a score of 29! Second place prize in a competitive section ☺️
The Horse Pesterer was out and about filming the action — you can out all of his videos on his YouTube channel. Here, he catches Buck and Copper Beech’s dressage and show jumping rounds:
Advanced Test A Top 10:
Meanwhile in Advanced B, it was Buck for the win on Ballynoecastle RM, who added 3.20 cross-country time to their dressage score for a final score of 35.00. Buck is already racking up the 2016 frequent flier miles with 12 horses spread throughout the Prelim through Advanced divisions.
Second went to Joe Meyer and Clip Clop (36.20), who also has quite the busy weekend with 10 horses competing.
Another happy camper, Madeline Backus, who finished 3rd with P.S. Arianna (37.40):
Advanced Test B Top 10:
Intermediate division winners include Chelsea Kolman and Dauntless Courage (34.40) in Intermediate Rider, Lauren Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett (31.70) in Open Intermediate A, and Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair (23.80) in Open Intermediate B.
Lauren’s lovely dressage ride, courtesy of the Horse Pesterer:
The competition continues throughout the weekend for the Beginner through Prelim levels.
See the girl on the chestnut toward the left who is pointing her horse straight at a 10-foot tall stand of sticks? That's me. Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk).
Intrigued by a photo of a British foxhunter with smoldering eyes and apparent ice in her veins, Leslie Wylie reached out to its subject, the Lady Martha Sitwell, in hopes that she could arrange for an interview. One thing led to another, which led to Martha inviting Leslie to come hunting with her in England (see “Part 1: How I Got Invited to Foxhunt with British Royalty” and “Part 2: Darling, You’re Mad!“). In part 3 the story of their epic weekend continues.
Breakfast of Champions
“So, let me get this straight: This is your first time foxhunting in the UK and you’re going out with the Ledbury?”
Around the fourth or fifth time someone asks me this, accompanied by a snort of laughter, I begin to feel a pinch of concern. I grew up hunting and have jumped plenty of proper-sized fences in my life but… it’s been a while. The Ledbury is widely regarded as one of the formidable hunts in the world. Was I in over my head?
Over my hireling Bert’s head, for sure: That moment when you realize the jump is taller than the 17-hand horse you’re riding. Pretty sure I’m holding back some puke in this photo. Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk).
On the morning of the hunt Martha comes floating down the spiral staircase into Manor Farm’s kitchen looking like she’s just stepped out of an antique foxhunt painting. Smartly outfitted in a canary vest and those vintage balloon-thigh breeches that no woman has been able to pull off since Jackie O, she exclaims “Good morning, darling!” then leans in conspiratorially.
“Do you know what we need?” she whispers. “A drink.”
Martha isn’t talking about a cappuccino. In the world of foxhunting a quarter past 10 a.m. is well into happy hour, and today’s riders have already begun fortifying their courage reserves with assorted libations.
Despite the Lord-knows-how-many hours Martha has spent on the back of a horse in the hunt field, she admits that she still gets a few butterflies in her stomach before each meet — which is a healthy thing, I think, indicating respect for the sport, your horse and yourself. And while drowning those butterflies is obviously counterproductive, moistening their wings a little never hurts. Especially when you’re about to go have a one-day giant-hedge-jumping stand with a horse you’ve just met.
We drain a glass or two of champagne and head out to collect our hirelings. I’m handed the reins of a tall, red-headed Irish horse with floppy ears and a kind eye who is introduced to me first as “Charlie” and later as “Leo.” Alice Pearson, a fellow eventer/foxhunt moonlighter, suggests that he looks more like a “Bert.” I agree, so Bert it is.
When I ask Bert’s trainer if there is anything I need to know, he shrugs: “He knows his job. He’ll get you to the other side.”
The handsome bay that Martha is mounted on, on the other hand, requires a more nuanced ride. He’s a keen, game-on, “I’m doing this with you or without you” type, and the trainer has cautioned Martha not to try to pull him off of any jumps.
She laughs, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because she recognizes a little of the horse in herself. If Martha sets her sights on doing something, you’d be a fool to try to stop her, too.
Martha Sitwell meets her match. Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk).
Before mounting I give Bert a peppermint as collateral: “There’s more where this came from if you get me home in one piece, buddy.”
After one final toast there’s a loud clattering of hooves as we set off into the English countryside.
Hedge Fun Managers
With the first succession of mercifully small jumps popping up maybe 30 seconds in, Bert and I don’t have much of a getting-to-know-you period. Luckily my first impression of him is that he’s push-button as advertised; he gallops along on autopilot, slowing down and speeding up in sync with the horses in front of him and leaping each obstacle in stride.
Once settled in on my high-speed equine tour bus, I take the opportunity to enjoy some sightseeing. I imagine that if you looked down on the area we are hunting from above it would look like a chess board, some squares spring-green with crop and others tilled the color of dark chocolate. Each is outlined by the hedgerows for which the Ledbury is known, horses bounding from one into the next like chess pieces moving across the board.
No two game trajectories are ever the same, which is wild considering the fact that hounds have been hunting this area for at least 300 years. The Ledbury Hunt itself can trace its origin to 1846, when a committee was formed and a huntsman engaged to hunt 14 couples of hounds, five days a fortnight.
I wonder if he keeps a rabbit under that thing. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Then and now, the hunt has functioned as a cornerstone of its community. During one of its most prosperous periods, under the Mastership of Sir George Bullough from 1908 to 1927, it was the largest employer in Ledbury with 40 full-time staff. This symbiosis remains integral to modern foxhunting, which could not exist were it not for the generosity and support of area landowners.
On this peculiarly sunny, warm February day, the locals are out in full force. Families have parked their cars along roads to watch, some of them scaling the hills for a better view. And it’s a sight to behold, no doubt: some 50 or 60 horses and riders going hellbent for leather in pursuit of a pack of hive-minded hounds.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
The hedges seem to be getting bigger and bigger as we go along. Before I left the States an eventing friend gave me some good advice: “If you ever start feeling psyched out, remind yourself that they’re just bushes.”
Just bushes. Uh-huh.
At least Alice Pearson makes this one look easy. Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk).
We’ve featured several of Alice’s helmet cam videos here on EN before and she was back at it today with cam in tow, getting her sea legs back after a bad hunting spill last month:
Lucky for me, when it comes to jumping Bert is an energy conservationist. He puts in the bare minimum effort required to get us from one side of the fence to the other, which suits me just fine. Frankly, I have no desire to ride a horse that feels the need to clear a six-foot hedge.
“Over, under or through” has always been my cross-country mantra, and while not many horses have taken me up on the latter two strategies, Bert seems to have his brush jump belly-surfing technique down to an art.
Almost.
Bert’s Big Finish
I’m not going to lie — I saw plenty of fallen soldiers out there.
I think this is the horse that, having removed its rider, jumped a five-bar gate into a different field before they caught him. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Bert and me, though, we have a good system going. If we’re jumping a straightforward hedge, I just put my leg on, slip my reins and let him sort out the fine print. But when we come up on a solid fence, or a brush that looks like it might have wire in it, I make sure to give him a heads up by whispering in his ear: “Alright, Bert old chap, you’ve got to pick your feet up over this one.”
Just kidding. I’m glad that technique worked out for Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet but comprehending subtle messages isn’t really in Bert’s skill set. By “whispering,” I mean I get in the back seat, pick up his ears and boot his hind end underneath him, setting him up for a tidier, more powerful jump.
For four glorious hours Bert and I are on fire. We hang with the big guns, don’t weenie out at a single jump and, despite the risk of getting my front teeth knocked out by a clod of mud, I can’t wipe the grin off my face. Truly, it is some of the best fun I’ve ever experienced on the back of a horse.
When Martha heads back a bit early I take up with Manuel, her Portuguese gentleman friend, who keeps me wildly entertained during checks with stories about bull fighting and swigs of what may be radiator fluid from his flask.
Martha says she was on the fence about Manuel until she took him hunting and, not only did he not fall off, he jumped all the big jumps without batting an eyelash. Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk).
It’s not uncommon for the Ledbury to stay out until dark but we were supposed to have the hirelings back to the lorry by 3, and the time was drawing nigh to hack home. When the Huntsman sets off again, Manuel and I agree that we’ll hop one last jump to catch up and get directions back to Manor Farm.
One last jump = famous last words. Perhaps when two people in front of us fall off at the fence, we might have taken it as a hint, but from a distance I couldn’t see what the fuss was all about. It looked straightforward enough. I’d “whisper in Bert’s ear” and we’d be fine.
What I don’t realize, until it’s too late, is that this “straightforward” fence is actually a 4-foot vertical rail, built out of something like a telephone pole, and the approach is knee-deep mud.
Poor, sweet, true-blue Bert gives it his best effort… but it isn’t quite enough. He catches his knees and goes somersaulting over the top, ass over teakettle, and after 20+ years of riding I experience my very first rotational fall. Luckily he rolls off me straightaway and sets himself back upright, ambling a few steps to where Manuel’s horse is standing then turning to look at me sheepishly.
Having determined that I was, in fact, still alive, I stand up and waggle my whip in Bert’s direction. “I told you to pick up your feet!”
I manage a flimsy laugh before the world gets dark and spinny and I have to plop back down in the mud (to which I probably owe a thank-you for cushioning our fall).
A few feet away Manuel is looking at me, politely aghast. “You seem to be bleeding from your nose,” he notes in his wonderful accent that makes everything sound sort of floral and warm, like a cup of chamomile tea.
Huh. I mop off my face, hoping I won’t have to go the hunt ball tomorrow with a black eye or sideways cartoon nose. A quick inventory of other body parts confirms that I am mostly intact (my elbow may be a little bit fractured but don’t worry, mom, I’m getting it checked out later today), and to my great relief Bert trots out good-as-new.
Bloodstained, mud-spattered and grinning like a maniac on the long walk home, I’m sure I am quite the sight to behold.
Mandatory survivor selfie.
On to the Next One
Martha meets Manuel and I at the lorry and I explain to her what happened. “Oh, the Badminton Fence!” she says, nodding her head in recognition.
The first thing I would like to point out is: I’m very certain that any jump on a modern Badminton cross country course is much safer than the Ledbury “Badminton Fence.” But do go on, Martha.
She proceeds to tell me that she broke her finger there a couple years ago. Apparently the horse in front of her had fallen and was “rolling around in the mud” on the other side, but it was too late for Martha to do much beyond steer her own mount clear and try not to die in the process.
“So did you fall off?” I ask.
No.
“Did your horse fall?”
Still no — Martha explains that he apparently found a “9th leg” and got himself over.
“So how did you break your finger?”
When Martha had shared some hunting words of wisdom with me the night before, much of it revolved around “just keep kicking.” Especially when things go pear-shaped. But sometimes, apparently, even kicking isn’t enough.
Martha broke her finger at the Badminton Fence because she punched her horse in the neck.
What?!
Martha Sitwell, horse neck puncher. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Apologies in advance, Martha: I know you used to take boxing lessons and I’m sure you’re very strong. But the idea of this slip of a woman thumping her horse in the neck for emphasis is almost too much to bear.
“If I had heard this story BEFORE we went hunting today,” I say, gasping for breath between giggles, “maybe I would have gone AROUND that fence.”
Poor Bert, or whatever his name actually is. Before we head out I gave him a big pat and a peppermint. To his credit, he DID get me to the other side.
I don’t know about you but there are definitely days when I’m at a loss when it comes to explaining the sport of eventing to non-horse people.
When people ask me what type of riding I do, my stock answer is “jumping,” which seems to satisfy 97% of inquirers. For the remaining 3% who press me for details, I’ll say “eventing,” and for the small percentage who are still curious beyond that, I’ll explain that it’s a sort of “equine triathlon.”
When I was a younger, more mentally spry and emotionally resilient human being, I would go above and beyond to try to explain what the different phases were, and how they were scored, and what was so cool about the sport, but it always seemed to turn into a five-minute blab-a-thon with me rambling on enthusiastically while their eyes glazed over in direct proportion. So eventually, I just gave up.
As ambassadors of our sport, however, it’s our responsibility to spread the gospel. You never know when a conversation might spark a person to linger on some horse show programming on the rare occasion that is shows up on TV, instead of clicking on past, or even take up some riding lessons.
So when mainstream broadcast network CNN posted this 45-second synopsis of eventing on YouTube today, I gave it a go — and was pleasantly surprised! It’s concise, accurate and dumbed down just enough to be accessible while still conveying the complexities of the sport.
(Unlike this wildly amusing but completely useless wikiHow article, “How to Become a Horse Eventer.” My favorite step of their 10-step process:
Oh, OK. So THAT’S what I’ve been doing wrong all these years!
Anyhow, you know what eventing is, obviously, but it’s good to keep in mind that not everybody does and if we don’t put the good word out there, who will? Check out this video, take some notes, and go forth back into the world a better eventing missionary.
Some people spend their tax refunds on boring, responsible things like paying down credit cards, getting new tires for their car or padding their savings accounts. Good on them and their boring, responsible lives.
You, on the other hand, understand that there are more exciting things to invest in than a 401(k). Like an OTTB!
Here are three “investments” you could make with that government check, coincidentally starting with…
Photo via New Vocations.
Tax is out a mare named Tax Refund — that’s got to be a sign, right? This handsome 4-year-old beefcake by Indian Charlie is 16.1+ hands of goofball. At four years old he’s unraced and is described as “a doll to ride… He is learning that the jump standards are not monsters and that poles are even kinda fun to trot. He is laid back but has a ‘go’ button when asked and a nice lofty stride. Tax is a baby ready to be molded and certainly has a bright future.” He does well in the herd He is all big, dopey boy. Tax does well in the herd and has no stable vices.
While you probably couldn’t have financed this horse with your tax refund as a yearling — he sold for $50,000 — a few years later the price is right. Thankfulness(Congrats – Pelicus Affair, by Pentelicus) is a 7-year-old 16.2-hand gelding that oozes class, then and now. He has “war horse” status with 52 starts and is Retired Racehorse Project eligible. His trainer states, “What’s there not to like?” She says he is sound, a delight to be around and would be a great prospect!
This smokin’ hot 2004-model 15.3-hand mare is described as a long-time barn favorite. After 16 wins and 54 in-the-money finishes spanning 107 starts, Smokin Racer(Smokin Mel – Broom Boss, by Kohoutek) is now in the market for a new career. Her owner/trainer says she is a nice quiet horse and a sweetheart who always gives her best. She’s sound — which speaks volumes to her durability after a long career — with no vices. As the team at Finger Lakes Finest puts it: “In our experience — and in the experience of many others who regularly transition OTTBS to new careers — the more mature horses who are still sound and clean legged after a long racing career are THE BEST! They are sound, durable, have great work ethics, are good to be around, intelligent, and have many more good years to give a new person.”
You know how they keep putting Christmas decorations out earlier and earlier every year? That’s kind of how I feel about the Olympics. I know it’s WAY too soon be this excited — the opening ceremonies are still 171 days, one hour, 43 minutes and 24 seconds away — but I can’t help it, I’ve got the itch and I’m sure I’m not alone!
Let’s scratch it with this video of Mark Todd’s Individual Gold Medal winning performance aboard Charisma at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. It would be the 15.2 hand eventer’s first of two successive Olympic Gold Medals, as he would later nab Individual Gold and Team Bronze in 1988 in Seoul. At that time they were only the second repeat winners of the Olympic three-day event.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Go Toddy and Charisma!
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.
Intrigued by a photo of a British foxhunter with smoldering eyes and apparent ice in her veins, Leslie Wylie reached out to its subject, the Lady Martha Sitwell, in hopes that she could arrange for an interview. One thing led to another, which led to Martha inviting Leslie to come hunting with her in England (see Part I, “How I Got Invited to Foxhunt with British Royalty,” here). In part II the story of their epic weekend begins.
Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk)
A Grand Entrance
When the American guest-of-honor arrives to a dinner party over an hour late accompanied by a complete stranger from whom she has hitchhiked a ride, most people of a certain social stature wouldn’t be amused — and understandably so. But the Lady Martha Sitwell does not fall into the category of “most people.”
To rewind: The hosts of last Friday’s Ledbury Hunt, the Leekes, very generously invited Martha and I to stay the night at their Manor Farm in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, so we’d be on-site for the ride the next morning. I was coming in from London and, because I am logistically challenged, I caught the wrong train and dug the hole even deeper by getting off at the wrong station.
Disembarking from the train, I knew I was in trouble. The other passengers quickly scattered, leaving me alone on the dark platform in the middle of nowhere with two suitcases and a useless cell phone. The only human remaining was a railway worker in reflective trousers who was salting the platform. He noticed me looking bewildered and inquired where I was going.
“I need a cab to Tewkesbury,” I told him. “Is there a phone around?”
“Tewkesbury? That’s half an hour away!” he exclaimed, clearly mystified at how I’d ended up at this station. “It will cost you a fortune to get there and you’ll be standing here for hours waiting to get picked up. I’m just finishing up… how about I give you a lift?”
My husband later pointed out that this is a popular one-liner among rapists and murderers. But at the moment I was late, shivering and limited in my options, so I figured what the heck. Which, my husband also noted, is precisely the sort of attitude that gets people raped and murdered.
The railway worker, “Richard,” grabbed my suitcases and led me out to his vehicle, which was — you guessed it — a white van. With a shovel in the back. This is it, I thought. This is how it ends.
But Richard turned out to just be a really nice, big-hearted guy. Along the way when I mentioned that I’d never actually met my hosts face-to-face, he gave me a big-brotherly lecture about stranger danger, oblivious to the irony of the situation. When we finally arrived at Manor Farm, I sighed with relief and invited him in for a drink despite the fact that it was neither my house nor my dinner party. It just seemed like the least I could do as a thank-you for not disappearing me from the face of the earth.
Walking into the house, heroic plebeian in tow, I heard Martha’s impassioned, husky voice before I spotted her in a circle of women. When she saw me she rushed to give me a hug, squealing as though I was an old friend she hadn’t seen in ages. I apologized for being late and explained how I’d gotten there from the station, gesturing toward Richard who’d already made himself at home with a beer.
She doubled over, roaring with laughter and approval: “Darling, you’re mad!”
Photo by Viki Ross (www.vikirossphotography.co.uk)
Takes One to Know One
When Martha suggested that I come run around with her for a few days, foxhunting and attending black-tie balls, it wasn’t so different from my decision to get in that stranger’s white van. She didn’t know whether I could ride my way out of a paper bag when she got me in as a guest with the infamously madcap Ledbury Hunt or whether I could hold my own in haut monde social situations. She simply opened the door of her life and invited me in.
Such bravery doesn’t come naturally for most of us, but even Martha has had her run-ins with insecurity. She grew up in a family of snow skiers but was unable to muster any trust in her ability to navigate the slopes.
“It’s dangerous!” she says. “With equestrian there are two brains figuring out the same thing, the horse being right much of the time, but you can’t to that with skiing. You’ve got to be responsible for yourself.”
In lieu of skiing young Martha gravitated toward horses. She’d always been the sort of girl who would have slept in her jodhpurs given the choice; for her, then and now, riding was a grounding experience in an otherwise whirlwind life. “You can’t think about anything else when you’re doing it,” she explains.
Or course riding, if not more treacherous, is certainly no safer than skiing. At age 14 Martha broke her neck and back in a bad crash, “a spectacular belly-up on a young horse.” The incident put a damper on her riding for several years until she decided to re-approach the sport at age 26.
Martha took up foxhunting, largely as a way to make friends at a time in her life when she was feeling rather alone. Hunting is among the most social of equestrian sports, the community becoming a family cobbled together by shared experiences: breakfasts, balls, thrills, spills and shared hip flasks in the field.
Getting her groove back in the saddle, however, proved difficult. “I really struggled to regain my confidence,” Martha says. So she did what any completely irrational horsewoman would do: she took up sidesaddle. Because if two legs aren’t enough to make you feel confident, just one leg is even better, right?
“It is in my world!” Martha declares. “You can go cross country sidesaddle as well as any astride rider if you have the right horse.”
As it turned out there was a sidesaddle trainer just 20 minutes away from Martha’s home so she and a friend took up with him to learn the ropes.
Modern sidesaddles have a two-pommel design. There’s the upper fixed head, which supports the right thigh of the rider when it is lying across the top center of the saddle, and the leaping head, which lies below the first on the left of the saddle. Martha explains that when riding, the left leg should remain fairly dormant with all the grip coming from the right leg. You want to think about keeping your toes pointed toward one another, she says, left heel down and right heel up.
“You don’t want too much contact with the leaping head,” Martha explains. “In an emergency you can clamp your legs but you wouldn’t want to do it jumping because it spins you out.”
According to Martha, when positioned correctly it’s almost impossible to fall off. “I actually thought it WAS impossible until I got Harry — he’s got a really clever ‘you’re boring me’ flick, an ‘I want to go faster’ flick.”
Martha and “Sexy Harry.” Photo courtesy of Martha Sitwell.
Of all the horses Martha has trained to sidesaddle over the years, she’s only encountered a couple who didn’t take to it. Most horses, she says, actually seem to enjoy the experience.
“They know they look pretty,” she says. “They arch their neck and point their toes, like ‘Look at me!'”
Although when we ride out with the Ledbury tomorrow Martha will be hunting astride, as we’ll be on hired horses, her reputation as a cornerstone of the sidesaddle renaissance precedes her. Over the years riding sidesaddle, and especially hunting sidesaddle, has become a dying art: “People were riding sidesaddle but they were just trotting around the show ring — walk, trot, canter on each rein and that was all.”
But Martha, along with a determined assemblage of sidesaddle enthusiasts spanning the U.S. and the U.K., have worked hard to bring the tradition back into the spotlight, organizing competitions and charity rides. Martha’s most famous sidesaddle exploit may be her nearly month-long ride across Mongolia in 2014 to honor her deceased sister’s memory.
With the hunt beginning at 11 a.m. and a gathering for drinks aka “courage” beforehand, the last of tonight’s well-fed and lubricated dinner party guests shuffle off to bed at half past midnight. I fall asleep clutching the quilt like a horse’s mane, imagining myself sailing over massive hedges and dark, yawning ditches with the surround-sound thunder of galloping horses in my ear….
To quote EN sister site Horse Nation’s Cowgirl-in-Chief Kristen Kovatch: “140 characters, so much struggle… There’s nothing like the brevity that comes with having just 140 characters to describe your struggle that inspires us as equestrians to reach new eloquent heights.”
This week’s edition of #EventerProblems is dedicated to your struggle-laden Tweets:
Somehow my first show of the season with my very green pony might be two weeks away. How did that happen? #eventerproblems
Horse, how are you a blue ribbon mover 1 week and a discombobulated giraffe the next?! Current status: FRUSTRATED!! #EventerProblems — Stefanie Bates (@sand_eventer) February 4, 2016
When you’re so tired that you cluck at the wheel barrel at 5am, trying to drag it through the mud to the muck pile #eventerproblems
The show jumper wants to event when it chews the top twine off to jump a coop on the field fence line for no reason #EventerProblems — 3 Day Addict (@EventerProblems) February 4, 2016
Working those shifts… to pay for memberships and entry fees #eventerproblems
Happy Valentine’s Day! Know what makes a really great gift? A sexy new off-track thoroughbred. Here are three that caught our eye this week:
Photo via New Vocations.
You know that feel you get when you’re in love and it feels like you’re floating on air? This horse is floating on air, literally.
Slamarama (Grand Slam — Senora Cat, by Cozzene) is a hot-to-trot 16.1 1/2h gelding just turning 6 years old. After a 25 start career, “Slam” is adjusting well to his new life. His trainer says “very business-like about his flatwork” and has just begun work over trot poles. He will be a star student for an intermediate rider who can approach training like a teacher and shows suitability for any discipline.
In the market for Mr. Right? Now that the Thoroughbred Makeover is over, the jewel of the MMSC Dream Team comprised of international eventer Dorothy Crowell and famous jockey Rosie Napravnik, Dare Me(Johannesburg — Oatsee, by Unbridled), is available for adoption!
Here’s what Dorothy had to say about the 16.2-hand, 2010 gelding: “His potential as an event horse is limitless. His personality is amazingly mature for such a young horse. His athleticism can take you from a Cadillac ride to a Formula One racecar in seconds — the Cadillac for dressage, the Formula One for cross country, and the perfect mixture of the two for show jumping.”
You’ll be hard-pressed to not fall in love with this 2010 15.3-hand mare, Maybre’s Girl (Maybry’s Boy — Luscious, by Miswaki).
Feel free to replace “Maybre’s” with your own name when you register her with the USEA. Perfectly suited for eventing, she has a huge, lofty trot, is obviously athletic and her great shoulder suggests jumping ability. She’s clean-legged and is a granddaughter of Broad Brush, by Ack Ack, a sire line one sees too little of in the modern thoroughbred and one known for producing athletic very durable hard trying horses.
Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint, winners of the Field Hunter division at the 2015 Thoroughbred Makeover. Photo by Heather Benson.
![IMG_5144[1]](https://assets.eventingnation.com/eventingnation.com/images/2016/02/IMG_51441-480x640.jpg)
![IMG_4921[1]](https://assets.eventingnation.com/eventingnation.com/images/2016/02/IMG_49211-640x480.jpg)
![IMG_4937[1]](https://assets.eventingnation.com/eventingnation.com/images/2016/02/IMG_49371-640x480.jpg)
![IMG_4945[1]](https://assets.eventingnation.com/eventingnation.com/images/2016/02/IMG_49451-640x480.jpg)
