Who’s that guy, and why is he jumping a fence? Today’s photo, contributed by our friend Alec Thayer, features a retired champion steeplechase trainer with a very interesting hobby.

Michael Dickinson is a former professional jockey, trainer and British Steeplechasing Hall of Fame inductee. He has five entries in the Guinness Book of World Records, including saddling 12 winners in one day and training the first five finishers in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Kentucky Derby of steeplechasing. In the late ’80s Dickinson emigrated to Maryland, where he became the developer of the Tapeta artificial racing surface. He retired from racing in 2007.

Now, at age 72, Dickinson has invented a new means of entertaining himself: He runs alongside the Cheshire Foxhunt for the duration of their outings, typically three to four hours, sprinting through the mud and jumping all the fences.

Alec explains, “I was talking to him yesterday and he was telling me how he has gone so far as to build a hurdle on the front lawn–and practices jumping it on foot at least 30 jumps a day–and he recently relocated it into his barn during the cold months. This picture captures Michael demonstrating his love for the sport with field masters Mary Ellen DeRuschi and Stevie Hayes.”

Thanks for sharing, Alec!

Events Opening Today

Southern Pines H.T. II (NC, A-2), Poplar Place Farm March H.T. (GA, A-3)

Events Closing Today

Pine Top Spring Advanced HT (GA, A-3)

Road to Rolex: Rolex Kentucky has released its roster of featured riders for 2013, each of which will maintain a journal on rk3de.org chronicling their journey to the event. The riders are Jennie Brannigan with Cambalda, Will Coleman with Twizzel and Sinead Halpin with Manoir de Carneville. Additionally Stephen Blauner, part-owner of Neville Bardos and Trading Aces, will be a featured owner. [US Eventing]

A Safer Sport: Horse Talk NZ had a good roundup of the FEI’s sixth annual Risk Management Seminar, held in Rome Jan. 26-27. A number of topics were discussed, including concussions, national qualifying procedures, air vests, frangible devices and the rise in arena eventing competitions. It was also noted that the ratio of falls to starters has been steadily decreasing since data began being collected in 2004. [Horse Talk NZ]

Team Great Britain: Updated World Class performance lists have been released by Team Great Britain for the Olympic equestrian disciplines. Aimed at providing support for elite horse/rider combinations, riders on the lists have access to team vets, farriers and physiotherapists and receive funding to help with travel expenses, stabling at competition overseas and veterinary issues. The new eventing list includes Charlotte Agnew, Jodie Amos, Laura Collett, Georgie Davies, Emily Llewellyn and Harry Meade. [H&H]

Destination Bromont: Dates for the June events at Bromont have been announced. The Bromont CCI will be held June 6-9 with Little Bromont to follow June 15-16, offering Beginner Novice through Prelim levels. [Bromont’s Facebook Page]

Show Jumping Practice Opportunity: Southern Cross Equestrian in Reddick, Fla. is hosting a schooling jumper show on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Classes start at 8:30 a.m. with Novice-height fences, to be raised throughout the day to as high as anyone wishes to jump. Classes are $25–do two rounds, and the third is free per horse. The course is held on excellent Wordley Martin footing. Sounds like fun! [PDF]

Rock the Vote: A friendly reminder to cast your votes for the 2013 Equestrian Social Media Awards before February 8! Eventing Nation is a finalist for “Best Blog” and “Best Use of Facebook,” while Horse Nation is a finalist for “Best Newcomer.” EN karma is real! Go vote! [ESMA]

Meanwhile In Dressageland: Anne Gribbons reflects on the highs and lows of her past three years as coach of the U.S. dressage team. [Dressage-News]

Best of the Blogs: Talkinghorse.net posted an interesting recap of the 2013 International Eventing Forum, held yesterday in Gloucestershire, England. Riding sessions were led by Ian Woodhead (dressage), Mark Todd (show jumping) and David O’Connor (cross-country).

Video: Can’t get enough Budweiser Clydesdale? Check out the extended version of the 2013 Superbowl ad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG7PcI67dE

Dreaming of Three">Source: Dreaming of Three

A few days ago EN’s sister site Horse Nation shared this photo on its Facebook page and asked readers to submit their captions. Naturally, ridiculousness ensued. These were a few of my favorites

">">">">">

Oh man, there I go spitting out my coffee all over again. Equestrians have the best sense of humor in the world (probably out of necessity, but nonetheless). Stay hilarious, EN.

And now for your news:

Events Opening Today:

Pine Top Spring H.T. (GA, A-3), Feather Creek Farm H.T. (OK, A-5), Copper Meadows H.T.  (CA, A-6)

Events Closing Today:

Paradise Farm H.T. Sponsored By ARENUS (SC, A-3), Rocking Horse Winter II H.T. (FL, A-3), Fresno County Horse Park H.T. (CA, A-6),

[Omnibus]

Mark Your Calendar: The 2013 Annual Ocala Symposium is only three weeks away (Feb. 18-19)! Featuring Yogi Breisner, Linda Zang, and David O’Connor, it’s a no-miss educational event. [USEA]

Looking Ahead to Rio: New Zealand has named its high performance eventing squad, comprised of horse/rider combinations who have the potential to produce an individual podium result at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The list includes Andrew Nicholson, Mark Todd, Jock Paget, Caroline Powell, Jonelle Richards, Clarke Johnstone and Lucy Jackson. [Stuff.co.nz]

In Our Thoughts and Prayers: Colleen Rutledge’s son Connor stopped breathing yesterday and is in the ICU at Johns Hopkins. Here’s sending the Rutledge family lots of love and well wishes.

Reed rules: Olympic showjumper Reed Kessler is the recipient of this year’s USET Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy, presented to a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies sportsmanship and horsemanship. [USET]

Chronicling 2012: The Chronicle‘s “American Horses in Sport” issue is hot off the presses and includes the publication’s annual naming of “Eventing Horse of the Year” and “Eventing Horseman of the Year.” Pick up a copy to see who took the honors. [COTH]

Best of the Blogs: Molly Rosin and MK Equestrian (formerly Havarah Equestrian) have landed in Aiken. [Molly’s blog]

Wellington! From Skyeler Voss’ Facebook page

With highs below the freezing mark across much of the country, it’s a good day to live vicariously through someone else. Someone like Skyeler Voss, who posted the above pic to her Facebook page yesterday. Those pricked grey ears belong to Skyeler’s up-and-coming one-star horse, Accolade.

Stay warm, Eventing Nation!

Events Opening Today:

Red Hills International Horse Trials & Trade Fair (FL, A-3), Southern Pines H.T. I (NC, A-2), Full Gallop Farm March H.T. (SC, A-3)

Events Closing Today:

Full Gallop Farm February H.T. (SC, A-3), Pine Top Winter H.T. (GA, A-3), Ocala Horse Properties Winter II H.T. (FL, A-3) [Omnibus]

News

USEF managing director and chef d’equipe Eva Salomon has resigned in order to move back to her home country of Sweden to care for her nearly 90-year-old mother. She plans to continue helping the U.S. dressage program while based in Europe, although details have yet to be finalized. [COTH]

Hugo Simon’s champion showjumper ET, one of the first horses to be cloned, has been euthanized at the age of 25. The two-time World Cup winner’s clone, E.T. Cryozootech-Stallion, was born in 2006 and is genetically identical to ET. ET’s 28-year-old paddock mate Apricot D, whom Simon rode to team silver at the 1992 Olympics, was also euthanized. [Horse Talk NZ]

Erin Harty recaps the 100-Day Thoroughbred Challenge held at the Maryland Horse World Expo over the weekend. [COTH] Speaking of thoroughbreds, check out this story on the U.S. Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program, which has approved more than 375 shows for 2013. [Horse Talk]

A friendly reminder to cast your votes for the 2013 Equestrian Social Media Awards! Eventing Nation is a finalist for “Best Blog” and “Best Use of Facebook,” while Horse Nation is a finalist for “Best Newcomer.” EN karma is real! Go vote! [ESMA]

New Zealand showjumper Grant Wilson will be teaching a clinic in Aiken on February 6-7 at Southern Cross Farm. Wilson actively competes at the Grand Prix level in international competition and his clients include Belgium eventing Olympian Karin Donkers. Contact Corinne Ashton at [email protected] for more information.

Video: Sweden doesn’t have a “Wellington” riders can retreat to in the winter, but that doesn’t stop them from getting the job done. Check out this video of Swedish event rider Louise Hiort af Ornäs and Amigo riding at Gärds horse trials in southern Sweden in April 2012.

Rick Wallace saw Horse Nation’s “15 Horses With Really Cool Facial Markings” post and raised us this picture of his two-star horse Ultimate Victory, who has a perfect “V” on his forehead. Team Wallace South kicked off its 2013 show season over the weekend at the Gulf Coast Classic Hunter Jumper Show in Pensacola, Fla, where Ultimate Victory placed 2nd in the 1.20 meter Open Jumpers with a clear round. Rick wrote on the Team Wallace Blog, “He was super and I am excited about 2013.” We’re excited about 2013, too. Here’s wishing all of you out there in Eventing Nation loads of victory this year!

Events Opening Today: Rocking Horse Winter III H.T.(A-3, FL), Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials  (A-3, SC), MeadowCreek Park – The Spring Social Event (A-5, TX), Twin Rivers Winter H.T. (A-6, CA)

Events Closing Today: Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials (A-3, SC), Poplar Place Farm February H.T. (A-3, GA), Galway Downs Winter H.T. (A-6, CA)

News:

Speaking of victory, Canada has it on the brain. Equine Canada has proposed an ambitious six-year strategic plan, titled “One Vision,” that it describes as “a blueprint to reinvigorate the organization and set the stage for future successes as we build towards 2018.” The detailed plan has been two years in the making and aims not only to improve Canada’s performance on the international equestrian sports stage, but also to bolster the horse industry at large. [Dressage-News]

You are cordially invited to the 2013 Ocala Symposium, presented by the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program. The event takes place Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 18 and 19, at Longwood Farm South in Ocala. This year’s featured clinicians are British event team coach Yogi Breisner, dressage judge Linda Zang, and incoming U.S. eventing boss David O’Connor. Attendance of ICP-certified instructors will earn them ICP Continuing Education credit, and riders are also being sought to participate. Cost and more information is available on the USEA website. [USEA]

New Zealand’s annual Horse of the Year show is a big deal, and Mark Todd will be taking center stage during the 2013 edition taking place March 12 to 17. In addition to competing in the New Zealand Speed Championships, he’ll be a special guest speaker at the HoY’s Hall of Fame Gala Dinner. [Horse Talk NZ]

Horse owners can now elect to obtain a Equine Interstate Event Permit, a new six-month passport, in lieu of a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) that is only good for 30-days. Fourteen states will accept the permit: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Permits are available through accredited veterinarians. [TheHorse.com]

There’s so much going on in Florida right now, it can be hard to keep up. Molly Sorge is making it a little bit easier with her Omega Alpha’s Weekend Wrap-Ups for the Chronicle. Check out her most recent wrap-up, which includes results from the Ocala Horse Properties Winter I Horse Trials held Jan. 5-6. [COTH]

Best of the Blogs: ‘Tis the season for sitting down with your event calendar and mapping out your year. British event rider Lauren Shannon outlines her intentions for 2013 in her blog for Horse & Hound, noting that no plans are immune to revision. “Last year didn’t go to plan for a lot of people, and the weather played a big part in that,” she writes. “I am currently writing this in my kitchen watching the snow fall outside. So I’d like to say we are in for a more predictable 2013 as far as weather goes, but the truth is, we could be in for just as much of a roller coaster this year! I like the phrase lightening doesn’t strike twice, but I think flooding can… so we’ll leave it there.” [H&H]

I'd say the horse in this picture deserves a round of applause as well.

I’m from Tennessee and my momma’d wash my mouth out with soap if she heard me say it but good lord, roll tide roll. If you missed it (or, like my husband’s buddies, got bored and left the party halfway through the game), Alabama opened a good ‘ol-fashioned can of whoop-butt on Notre Dame last night to claim the BCS National Championship by a final score of 42 to 14. Good job, boys.

Your news:

Events opening today: Pine Top Spring Advanced HT (GA, A-3)

Events closing today: Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (FL, A-3), Full Gallop Farm H.T (SC, A-3), Fresno County Horse Park Combined Test (CA, A-6)

Many horse owners are finding hay to be in short supply this year. Jolene Wright, an equine nutrition expert from Nutrena, responds to some commonly asked questions about dealing with the deficit. [USEA]

Where will the next Olympic Games be held? The three candidates– Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid–will undergo on-site inspection by the International Olympic Committee in March. Detailed risk analysis reports will be published in July, to be followed by an election of the host city on September 7. [Horse Talk NZ]

Exercise might be detrimental to equine baby-making. Researchers at Clemson University and the University of Florida have found that competition mares in work may have more trouble conceiving than those who receive little or no regular work. [Horse & Hound]

Brett Mace, Australia’s high performance manager, has resigned, and other Australian officials involved in the Olympic selection process are under review. Mace and the selectors came under scrutiny this year, most notably after they left dressage rider Hayley Beresford off the Olympic team despite qualifying scores that were among the top three. [Dressage-News]

Reed Kessler has a couple new Grand Prix rides. Kessler’s trainers, Katie and Henri Prudent, helped her find Soraya De L’Obstination from Belgium and Wolf S from Switzerland. Kessler intends to compete the horses at WEF this winter. [COTH]

Hot on HN: We’ve got painting ponies, farting broncos, hot polo babes, booty-shaking horses, fairy tale type horses, etc. etc. Come ‘n get it. [HN]

Video: Next stop – Super Bowl!

The very talented Alec Thayer captured this image of some guy out riding with Cheshire Foxhunt over the weekend. Thanks for sharing, Alec!

Happy New Year, Eventing Nation! Champagne headache aside, I hope you woke up this morning with a renewed zest for tackling all those big goals you’ve set for yourself for the coming year.

Goals are important, you know. A couple weeks ago Sinead Halpin posted this picture on Twitter of a vision board she made for herself in 2006, year of The Secret. Do you remember that book? Oh, I do. Made popular by Oprah, the book advocated the use of positive thinking and intention to shape your life. It suggested putting together a “vision board” with pictures and whatnot to help you clarify what you wanted and make those things feel more tangible. In the case of Sinead’s board, she really, really, really wanted to compete at Rolex. Like really bad. Consciously and on perhaps some deeper level as well, she was putting that ball in motion. She named her goal and was focusing hard on it. Of course, it took much more than a collage to get Sinead where she is today, but isn’t that kind of inspiring? The power of goal-setting. Dwell on that for a moment, EN.

Events Opening Today: Rocking Horse Winter II H.T.  (FL, A-3), Paradise Farm H.T. Sponsored By ARENUS (SC, A-3), Fresno County Horse Park H.T. (CA, A-6)

Events Closing Today: Poplar Place Farm January H.T. (GA, A-3)

[2013 USEA Omnibus]

Eventing: The USEA Young Event Horse Series has been in place since 2004 now, and by all accounts it’s a sweeping success. The USEA has gathered a “Where are they now?” compendium following the careers of YEH champions, reserve champions and other graduates of the program. [USEA]

This weekend marks the first event of the year, Ocala Horse Properties Winter I H.T. [Entry Status]

Dressage: Three-time U.S. Olympic dressage medalist Günter Seidel has an exciting new Grand Prix ride. Coral Reef Wylea (named changed from Winci) is a coming 13-year-old mare formerly owned and trained by German Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. team coach Klaus Balkenhol. She was puchased for Günter to ride by Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer and her Coral Reef Ranch in Southern California. Gwendolyn is also the owner of of several jumpers ridden by Beezie Madden, including her 2012 Olympic mount Via Volo. [Dressage News]

Racing: Well-known New Zealand jockey Ashlee Mundy died from injuries sustained by a race over the weekend. All jockeys riding in race seven tomorrow, New Year’s Day, at the three meetings – Ellerslie, Hastings and Waikouaiti – will be wearing black arm-bands and there will be a minute’s silence on-course 20 minutes before the first race to mark her passing. [Horse Talk]

Best of the Blogs: Jitterbug’s 2013 Resolutions For Your Human [COTH]

Yep, that’s David O’Connor in a penguin suit. Happy holidays Eventing Nation!

Wherever you are this morning, here’s hoping you’re surrounded by loved ones–and maybe also some baked goods. Thank you for helping to make the eventing community the crazy amazing (emphasis on “crazy”) entity that it is, and on behalf of the EN Team, here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas!!!

Events Opening Today:

Full Gallop Farm February H.T. (A-3, SC); Pine Top Winter H.T. (GA, A-3), Ocala Horse Properties Winter II H.T. (FL, A-3) [Omnibus]

News:

Andrew Nicholson was awarded a sweet $50,000 Christmas gift as the HSBC Rankings leader at the end of the 2012 season, having held onto the world No. 1 spot since claiming team bronze at the London Games. His other top finishes included a 7th at Rolex, a 4th at Luhmühlen, and an individual 4th at the Olympics. [Horse Talk NZ]

Four ponies from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses in Gainesville, Fla. have made their way to Connecticut to work with children, families and first responders of last week’s tragic Sandy Hook school shooting. [Horse & Country TV]

The British Equestrian Federation honored eight individuals at the London International Horse Show at Olympia for their exceptional achievements. Among the recipients were eventer Zara Phillips and Tim Hadaway, LOCOG Sport Competition Manager for equestrian events at the London Olympic Games. [British Eventing]

Video: It just wouldn’t be Christmas here at Eventing Nation without a good old-fashioned elfing (or penguin-ing, as the case may be). “Here to stay is the new bird”… it just seemed fitting.

Go Eventing.

One of the things that makes horse people a uniquely bizarre species of the human race is our enthusiasm for gifts that might as well have our horses’ names written on the “To” tag. Dog people don’t get freak out when someone gifts them a new squeaky toy. Cat people don’t squeal with delight when someone gifts them a bag of tuna-flavored kitty chews. Give a horse person a present they can use on their horse, though, and watch the sparks of happiness fly.

As you wrap up your last-minute gift shopping for the special horse people (and horses) in your life, please choose to make your holiday purchases through our sponsors. Not only are they all fantastic companies with top-quality products, their support enables us to continually provide you with the news, commentary and ridiculousness you’ve come to expect. ‘Tis the season to show them some love in return!

Here are your headlines:

Not a ton going on in the eventing world, I’m not gonna lie. The biggest headline I could scrounge up was a USEA announcement regarding the 2013 leaderboard point system and eligibility requirements. Explains the press release, “The major change from previous years is that a horse or rider can move up a level, but will still retain the leaderboard points earned at the lower level. For example: if you are on the Junior Training Rider leaderboard with 45 points and you move up and complete more than two Preliminary level competitions, then you will keep your 45 points on the Junior Training Rider leaderboard. But, after completing more than two Preliminary level competitions, any further points earned at the training level, will not be applied to the Training level leaderboard.

The dressage world, on the other hand, is rocking. 2012 Olympic individual and team gold medalists Charlotte Dujardin and Velegro capped off their banner year with a win in the fifth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Western European League series at Olympia in London. [Horse Talk] In the same competition, Dujardin’s Olympic teammate Carl Hester left the arena to a standing ovation after his final competitive ride aboard Uthopia. They scored a 79.9% to finish third behind Dujardin and Isabell Werth. [Horse & Hound] Where to from here? According to the Chronicle, Hester has stated that both horses are for sale. Dujardin hopes to gather a syndicate to purchase Valegro so she can continue competing him. [COTH] Speaking of owners, those of Pan Am Games gold medalist Weltino’s Magic have decided to extend a lease that will enable his rider, 18-year-old phenom Brandi Roenick, to continue competing him at least through the fall. [Dressage-News] And… the USEF has appointed new USA Dressage High Performance and Eligible Athletes Committees. [USEF]

Best of the Blogs: Jitterbug, the Chronicle of the Horse‘s “quadruped correspondent,” uses his letter to Santa to dispel any opinions that he might be better suited to Santa’s “naughty” list. [COTH]

Found on Facebook: …A really gross picture of eventer Katie Ruppel‘s arm bending in a way it totally shouldn’t be bending (the official diagnosis was dislocation). She took a spill during a jump school and, while lying facedown on the ground in pain, requested that her buddy Ashley Adams take a picture of her mangled arm. That’s an eventer for you.

Also, Laine Ashker reported that her mother Valerie suffered “a broken leg and countless stitches” after getting pinned beneath a tractor this morning. Here’s wishing her a speedy recovery!

Video: Are you one of the 18,000 (and counting) people who has seen Horse Nation’s 6 Videos of Little Girls TOTALLY Freaking Out Because They Got a Horse for Christmas post? Here’s an excerpt:

All good things must come to an end, including Manior de Carneville’s winter vacay. Our friend Meg Kep reported that she was “looking forward to watching Tate trying to buck Sinead Halpin off on day one of work post-Burghley,” but things must have gone well because we haven’t seen any Facebook updates from the ER yet, thank goodness.

And now for the rest of your news:

Events opening today: Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (A-3, FL); Full Gallop Farm H.T (A-3, SC) [2013 Omnibus]

Convention coverage continues:

– Sara Lieser from the Chronicle pens her impressions of the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, which seem overwhelmingly favorable. “Every rider I spoke to, whether we were out jogging in the pre-dawn hours or conducting a formal interview, was bubbling with excitement,” she writes. “You couldn’t help but be impressed by O’Connor’s innovative ideas and effective leadership.” [COTH]

Best of the Blogs: Laine Ashker was taking some serious notes during the USEA Convention High Performance Meeting. [Laine Ashker’s Competition Journal]

Video: Our thoughts are with Jackie Imholte today following the loss of her promising Irish Sport Horse Fernhill Frolic. Jackie described Frolic as her “best friend and teammate of a lifetime;” together they earned top placings at several novice and training level events, most recently including a 2nd place finish at Fair Hill International Horse Trials in 2011.

Keep up to date with all the latest Cavalor North America news by “liking” its Facebook page here!

Sometimes I like to imagine that the FEI General Assembly is a mad tea party, and the USEA is Alice, and now it’s Alice’s turn to report to her constituency at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention about what we’re going to do about what happened at the tea party. Man, I’m glad I’m not Alice.

Speaking of which, today should be interesting. The USEF Eventing Technical Committee is meeting first thing this morning, and a discussion of the new FEI rules and qualifications for 2013 is expected to be at the top of the committee’s agenda. The short version of the change approved at last month’s FEI General Assembly, set to take effect Jan. 1, involves a new matrix of eligibility for CIC and CCI events. Now, in addition to national federation requirements, you’ve got to do a CIC* before you do a CIC**, a CIC* or a CIC** plus an additional CIC** before you do a CCI**, etc. etc. According to the Chronicle, “the [USEF] Eventing Committee has asked the FEI to delay the implementation of the matrix of eligibility requirements until 2014 so they can have time to review and make sense of them, but they haven’t received a decision yet.” (Read COTH’s roundup of other eventing-related FEI changes here.) Thankfully, John will be bringing us the latest from the USEF Eventing Technical Committee Open Forum, which takes place immediately afterward.

Here’s the full day’s schedule:

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM           USEA Convention Registration
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM           USEA Trade Fair Vendors
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM          USEF Eventing Technical Committee (Committee Members Only)
9:30 AM – 12:00 PM         USEF Eventing Technical Committee Open Forum
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM        Covering Ground: Perserving our Barns, Training Grounds, and Competition Venues
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM            Eventing Calendar Planning for 2014 and Beyond
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM           Membership Committee (Committee Members Only)
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM            Course Advisors Committee (Committee Members Only)
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM            Professional Horseman’s Council
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM            Young Event Horse Committee (Committee Members Only)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM            Joint Health Facts: What You May Not Know? Presented by Adequan
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM            USEF Active Athletes Open Forum
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM            Eventing Course Designers/Builders (Committee Members Only)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM            Xentry Explained
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM            USEF Event Owner’s Task Force
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM            Eventing Licensed Officials Committee (Committee Members Only)
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM            USEA Board of Governors’ Reception & Live Auction
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM           USEA Executive/Admin and Finance Committees Joint Meeting (Committee Members Only)

For more information on the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention, visit the USEA website.

The German Olympic Equestrian Committee announced yesterday that Totilas and Matthias Alexander Rath have been dropped from the German Championship squad. The decision came after a year in which Matthias and Totilas failed to compete at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen and then the Olympic Games in London. The only CDI they did compete in was the CDI4* in Hagen, Germany in April, where they won but came under fire after the publication of photos of Rath riding Totilas in rollkur in the warmup. [Dressage-News]

U.S. eventing might be in hibernation, but the sport is going strong in New Zealand. This weekend’s Puhinui Three-Day Event has 12 combinations vying for honors in the CCI3* class. The event marks the halfway stage in the Bell Tea Super League, with three-day events earning winners double points. [Horse Talk NZ]

During the recent World Horse Welfare Conference, a panel of equestrian experts discussed the topic of what are acceptable methods of training for competition horses and what oversteps the line to constitute abuse. Horse & Hound has some video of the very interesting proceedings on its site. [H&H]

Best of the Blogs: Jennie Brannigan penned a touching tribute to Phillip Dutton’s longtime groom Emma Ford, who is leaving True Prospect Farm to begin a new chapter in her life in Aiken, S.C. She writes, “Emma does the horses for all the right reasons, and I think it’s so important to try to keep that in mind when we’re all doing what we’re doing.” [COTH]

Eric Dierks wrote a great one, too, titled “Do you know what you are riding for?” He advocates for rider accountability and true commitment to the basics, rather than chasing ribbons or thrills. [Eric Dierks Eventing]

Found on Facebook:  It sounds like young rider McKenna Oxenden is doing her winter homework. She writes, “Nothing like flatting two horses stirrupless and then running a few miles.” Look for McKenna’s column each Thursday on Horse Nation.

Video: The theme of this week’s episode of Evention is “Winterising: How to prepare yourself, barn and horse for the cold wintery months.” Best Evention tip-of-the-day ever: “Move somewhere warmer!” Good one, Dom. Evention is produced weekly by Jimmie and Dom Shramm of Schramm Equestrian and filmed by Right Start Photography. Subscribe to Evention’s YouTube Channel here for brand new tutorials and updates on other happenings in the eventing world each week!

What do eventers do to keep themselves entertained in the off-season? Nicolette Merle-Smith is in France accompanying her parents on a hunting trip. Sounds like she’s having a blast, bounding through gorgeous French forests in hot pursuit of stag. Yesterday she posted on Facebook, “I wish I could just have two lives. One at home, riding my horses, competing, and living the American dream. The other here in France, caring for the Rallye Chouan hunt stables and hounds and hunting all the time. Both are so darn appealing.”

It’s a News & Notes double header! Here’s a photo of Boyd and Silva Martin a-hunting in Chester Counter from their blog. Photo by Alec Thaye.

How about the rest of you, EN? Have we got any foxhunters in the house?

This morning’s news:

If you have your horse on a once-a-month Adequan program, you might want to reconsider. Eventers Jade Anderson and Gwen Patterson explain how using Adequan in accordance with its FDA approved label (one 5 mL injection i.m. every four days for seven treatments) made all the difference in their horses’ soundness. [USEA]

The ASPCA announced yesterday that a total of $250,000 is being granted to 53 equine welfare organizations and animal control agencies across 19 states as part of its Equine “Hay Bale-Out” grant program. The funds will provide relief for horses impacted by the high cost and low supply of hay in these drought-stricken states. [ASPCA]

Researchers from the University College Dublin found that elite racehorses tend to be leaner than their less successful counterparts. The conclusion was the result of a study on the effects of age, gender and training on body composition, and the relationship between body composition, physiological measurements and performance in thoroughbred racehorses. [Horse Talk NZ]

The MidSouth Eventing & Dressage Association is preparing its 2012 Year End Awards. If you think you might qualify, get your scores in by November 30. [Midsouth]

Horse & Hound compiled an amazing list of Carl Hester-isms from a recent clinic, with gems like, “Use lots of forwards and back transitions within the canter to spice up the hindleg” and “It doesn’t matter what type of horse you have, you can teach it square halts – they’re ‘free’ marks.” It’s definitely worth checking out. [H&H]

Video: How does Buzzterbrown keep entertained in the off-season? Check out this video of the Thanksgiving meet with the Blue Ridge Hunt at Historical Longbranch House & Farm. Buzzterbrown writes, “An overdose of horse & hound, with mulled port – yum! If you look carefully you might spot an eventer or two. Thank you Mr. Issacs.”

Between scheduling, logistics and expenses, college can put a damper on even the most enthusiastic young rider’s eventing career. Ryann Quigley, co-founder of the High Point University (NC) Eventing Team, explains how she and her her teammates make it work. Thanks for sharing, Ryann!

–

From Ryann:

Hey EN, my name is Ryann Quigley and along with Hayley Parsons, we founded the High Point University Eventing Team. Here are some commonly asked questions about the team! Follow us on twitter (@HPUeventingteam) and on Facebook.

–

What is required of a teammate?

Being a teammate is really easy. We are a close-knit group of students who love horses and the sport of eventing. We have someone from virtually every level. We require a club sport payment of 60 dollars, which gets you a jacket and t-shirt. The school helps us out with costs the best they can, giving us a budget each semester to offset the costs of eventing as a college student. Our university is geared to making every student’s experience extraordinary! Check it out at www.highpoint.edu

How is being on a team different than competing alone?

Being on a team is great! We’re all used to having parents or grooms to drive us to events to help us out any way they can, but once you’re in college having your parents come to every event seems a bit absurd. Having the team makes it easier at the events, we help each other out, and we can all split the costs of driving and hotel rooms! Parents love the fact that riding bills may be shrinking. We all look out for each other any way we can. Coach can’t be there to walk your course? Have a more experienced teammate help you out!

–

Is it difficult to balance schoolwork and riding? Do you have a social life?

At first it’s definitely a challenge. If you’re good with time management and are lucky enough to get a schedule that works for you, then you should be fine, but everyone is different. I might suggest taking a month or so off before bringing a horse to school–that way you can get acclimated with your classmates and get a feel for how much schoolwork you’ll have during the week.

Who is the coach? How often do you train with them?

We use Holly Hudspeth for a coach, although we have no requirements. Your usual coach will be in Aiken and you want them to help you at Paradise Horse Trials? No problem. We’re super flexible in that regard because we want everyone to succeed. Holly is based out of Equiventure Farm which is a little over an hour away. It’s extremely convienient to go there, and the facilities are amazing. Check them out at http://hollyhudspetheventing.com/ or http://equiventurefarm.com/.

–

Where are you based?

When we were looking for a location, we needed a place close enough to campus that provided top-notch care for our beloved horses. We found the most amazing barn, Hunter’s Pointe Stable, that is six miles from campus. Hunter’s Pointe is a hunter/jumper farm that has beautiful pastures and a HUGE ring. They treat each border like it’s their own horse–they do a fantastic job.

–

How often do you compete and where?

We compete as often as we can, but it’s totally up to the individual. They can pick and choose what events they’d like to go to. Typically we’ll to two to three competitions in Aiken, Southern Pines I & II, and Virginia Horse Trials in October (They have the college team challenge!! Really fun!). There are also tons of schooling shows in the area, and other Prelim and below shows all within 90 minutes away. All these competitions are within three hours and we try to keep everything to weekends so we don’t have to miss any classes.

Have any more questions? Message us on facebook or email us here: [email protected]

–

Go EN, and Go High Point University!

–

Ashley Allen of Knoxville, TN won the Junior/Young Rider Open Prelim division at River Glen Horse Trials over the weekend on her dressage score of 35.9. It was her horse Teodoir’s second outing at the level–glad to see your hard work paying off, Ashley! Photo by Debbie Allen.

Looking Ahead: This weekend marks the final competition of 2012, Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T., and today is the opening date of the first USEA competition of 2013, Ocala Horse Properties Winter I H.T. (January 5-6). What’s the next weekend circled on your eventing calendar? Have a look at the 2013 Omnibus here.

Feel-good Story of the Day: When the owner of Mrs. Medicott, the three-star horse ridden by Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt, expressed interest in selling the mare this summer, Sara couldn’t come up with the funds to buy the horse herself. Then a friend set up a a Facebook group, “Saving Mrs. Medicott for Sara Algotsson Ostholt,” to which people could donate money–and they did. In about two week’s time between 8,000 and 10,000 donors raised almost 100,000 euros, and Sara was able to to keep her horse. Heartwarming! [COTH]

Convention News: An FEI Level 1 Eventing Stewards’ Course will be held December 5-6 in conjunction with the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in Colorado Springs. This course is open to national level Stewards/TDs and other interested individuals seeking promotion to FEI Level 1 Eventing Steward. Deadline for registration is November 28. [USEF] Check out the full Convention schedule here.

Meanwhile, in Australia: Eventing may be shuttering up for the winter here in the States, but in Australia the sport is kicking into high gear via Australia’s International 3 Day Event in Adelaide, the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013. The competition, which features CCI4* and CCI2* divisions, takes place this weekend with top riders including Olympians Shane Rose and Stuart Tinney vying for the win. [Entry List] [Website] [FEI Press Release] Megan Jones withdrew 19-year-old Kirby Park Irish Jester; it was to be the horse’s final major meet but Megan is opting to retire him instead on account of an adductor injury. [Herald Sun]

…and New Zealand: Taupo is set to host the New Zealand One-day Eventing Championships this weekend. The competition includes Pre-Novice, Novice (CIC1*), Intermediate (CIC2*) and Advanced (CIC3*) levels. [Horse Talk NZ]

Found on Facebook: From My Virtual Eventing Coach, “To succeed in Eventing, you need to be as motivated by your failures as much as you are by your successes.”

Best of the Blogs: There is no off-season for healthy joints. [SmartPak]

Video: Highlights from the 201 Australian International Three-Day Event. [ggrolton]

http://youtu.be/vOxT9HCeerk

My wonderful groom-in-training husband snapped this photo over the weekend looking out over the cross-country course at Poplar Place. Weather is always a gamble this late in the season but it couldn’t have been more perfect in Georgia: brisk mornings that saw horses prancing their way across the free-walk diagonal to the start box and sunkissed, 70-degree afternoons. It was Poplar’s final event of the year, and the event’s organizers–along with organizers across the country–are owed a big round of applause for helping to make 2012 another fantastic year for eventing. There are only five horse trials left on the calendar: River Glen, Ocala Horse Properties, Las Cruces and Ram Tap, all taking place this coming weekend, and Pine Top’s Thanksgiving weekend event. Then it’s a full month of crickets before things start firing up again in the balmier parts of the country. Anyway, here’s wishing you all mild winters to see you through until your first event of 2013.

Here’s your morning eventing news:

‘Tis the season for schooling shows: Brush up on your showjumping skillz at the TaylorMade Jumper Show, to be held on Sunday, December 2 at TaylorMade Stables in Mt. Airy, Maryland. The show is a fundraiser for international mounted games competitor Mackenzie Taylor and her partner Inky. 18″ through 3′ jumping heights are offered.  [Info]

Today at the USEA: Leslie Threlkeld interviews Maj. Laurie-An Lanpher, a Joint Base Charleston Airman, about balancing her eventing goals with a military career. Also, check out this profile of 17-year-old Lydia Kennedy, who won the final SmartPak Equine USEA Training Three -Day of 2012 at Rocking Horse aboard Subtle Dream. [USEA]

Continuing Education: The Canadian Eventing Symposium is scheduled to take place Dec. 1-2 at Thunderbird Equestrian Show Park in Langley, BC. This year’s presenters include David O’Connor, Hawley Bennett-Awad, Rebecca Howard and Jessica Phoenix and special guest Liz Ashton. The weekend features practical training sessions, and riding demonstrations along with panel discussions. The pre-registration deadline is Nov. 23. [Horse-Canada]

Speaking of ways to keep oneself entertained in December: Don’t forget about the USEA’s Annual Meeting and Convention, taking place in Colorado Springs Dec. 5-9. This year’s keynote speaker is Mary King (!!!) and the gathering features an array of seminars, forums, and meetings along with annual inductions into the Eventing Hall of Fame. [Schedule]

Get well soon, Lucinda Green: The British event rider is still in recovery from a trampling incident last week. Bedside visitors include Mark Todd, who brought her a bottle of champagne on her birthday last week. [Horse & Hound]

Best of the Blogs: A big congrats is in order for Laura Szeremi’s successful foray into “jumping the red numbers” over the weekend at Texas Rose HT. She writes about it on her blog–which, Laura, might be due for a renaming. [Tales from a Bad Eventer]

Runner Up: Do you need a limited edition oil painting print of wonderhorse Neville? Sure you do–just think how great it would look hanging in your tack room, reminding you that anything is possible with determination, or perhaps in your horse’s stall for a little role model action. The artist is Chris Johnson, a student at Savannah College of Art & Design. [Boyd & Silva]

Found on Facebook: Headquartered in Jersey, our friends at Horse Quencher took a beating from Sandy last week. Read their fun post about felled beehives, a lucky bear and the importance of keeping Horse Quencher on hand to ensure that your horses stay hydrated even in the event of an emergency. [HQ’s Facebook]

Video: Phillip Dutton answers questions, and hands out autographed photos and FLAIR® Nasal Strips to all the course walk participants at Rolex earlier this year. [FLAIR]

Can a beer bottle be opened with a chainsaw? The answer is… yes, as evidence by this ridiculous photo from the Virginia Horse Trials competitors’ party on Saturday night. (We’ll keep the names of individuals involved anonymous to protect the innocent guilty.) Only eventers…

In other news:

Events Closing Tomorrow: Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T.  (A-3, GA)

Galway Remix: Can’t get enough Galway? Check out the USEA’s final wrap-up, including a video of Sunday’s showjumping, here and Lisa Slade’s extensive Chronicle of the Horse coverage here.

An Apple for the Teacher: Make that, half chaps for the teacher. PROCHAPS, a Canadian manufacturer of high-performance riding chaps, announced its sponsorship of a new program designed to reward the instructors of the U.S.’s top junior event riders. PROCHAPS will award a free pair of chaps to the winning rider and his/her instructor of each Junior Rider Division of the National Leaderboard, and the instructor at the area level. [USEA]

A Family Affair: What’s it like inside Mary King’s household? This charming Telegraph story tells the story of Team King, a grandmother-mother-daughter trifecta that includes Mary’s own lorry-driving mum, Jill; Mary, one of the most humble and practical-minded rock stars in the eventing world; and Mary’s 16-year-old daughter Emily, who has eventing aspirations of her own. “Emily cannot wait to beat me,” admits Mary. [Telegraph]

Have You Voted?: We are talking, of course, about EN’s Facebook Cover Contest! Pick your favorite reader submission before voting ends on Thursday at midnight. (Go vote for your favorite presidential candidate, as well.) [EN]

Found on Facebook: From O’Connor Equestrian, “Lucky Karen having Tracey Hewlett here for the week to help out!!! Multiple daily walks, physical therapy, etc – recovery is going very well so far!”

Best of the Blogs: Learn how to remove burrs from your horse’s forelock and tail (without actually removing your horse’s forelock and tail). [Regarding Horses]

Video: Our friends at FLAIR sent us this masterclass video featuring Phillip Dutton leading a course walk through the The Hollow at Rolex 2012. [FLAIR]

Reader Jon Bicho captured this photo during the trail ride portion of the Furlongs to Fences event that took place at Fair Hill over the weekend. (That set of ears belongs to 24-year-old OTTB Cheer Cheer.) Jon reports, “There were 32 thoroughbreds that rode through Fair Hill and the training center. Some thoroughbreds went out on the track and galloped.” Only one person got run off with, we hear–and it was allegedly intentional!

The weekend-long event included Saturday’s Fair Hill Thoroughbreds For All, featuring a sale and educational activities, and the Furlongs to Fences Thoroughbred Horse Show on Sunday.

Go eventing on an OTTB!!!

Events Closing Today: River Glen Fall H.T. (A-3, TN), Ocala Horse Properties Fall Event (A-3, FL), Ram Tap Horse Trials (A-6, CA), Las Cruces H.T. (A-10, NM)

Superstorm Sandy: The East Coast braced itself for the worst on Monday, and the storm’s far-reaching effects will continue to be felt throughout the week. Here’s hoping everybody out there is safe and taking appropriate horse-keeping precautions as Sandy continues its path inland. [Horse Talk]

Pau Remix: Can’t get enough of Pau winners Andrew Nicholson and Nereo, whom Andrew claims is “probably the best cross country horse in the world”? (No pressure, Nereo.) Relive Andrew’s glory with this recap. [USEA]

Pump Up the Jams: Training Level dressage just got a little more entertaining. The USDF has released a Training Level Freestyle, which can be used in competition beginning on Dec. 1. [Dressage-News]

Breeders’ Cup Update: Some East Coast Breeders’ Cup competitors might be late to the party, with flights having been delayed due to Hurricane Sandy, but everyone is expected to make it there in plenty of time for the big event this weekend. [North County Times]

Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale: In the market for a top-quality eventing prospect? To be held Nov. 12-12 in Co. Wexford, Ireland, this sale features 75 horses ranging in age from 3 to 6, all of which have the potential to compete at the upper levels. Alumni from the 2011 sale include Copper Beach, who won the CCI* at Bromont this year with Buck Davidson. [Goresbridge]

Cover Models Wanted: Don’t forget to enter EN’s Facebook Cover Photo Contest by the Friday, Nov. 2, deadline. From EN’s social media guru Jenni Autry, “We’ve received some really fantastic submissions and are excited to finally get a cover photo on our Facebook page. It’s looking rather naked right now.”

EN Halloween Extravaganza: Submit a photo of yourself and your horse in costume for a chance to be featured on Eventing Nation and Horse Nation on Halloween!! Email your pics to [email protected].

Best of the Blogs: Meg Kep, meteorologist. [The Adventures of Meg Kep]

Reminder from Area 2 Adult Riders Coordinator DC McBroom: the Virginia Horse Center is an
Evacuation Center if anyone needs to get out of the way of this latest meteorological challenge. If you need use of the facility, it is best to call ahead (540-464-2950).

Video: In case you missed this bit of comic relief yesterday…

Alec Thayer left a stack of wonderful Fair Hill photos in my inbox, including these. Top photo: Connor Husain winning the CCI**; bottom two photos: Laine Ashker winning the Pro Bareback Show Jumping Challenge. (Check out the video here.) Thanks, Alec!

Pau Is the Place To Be: The French CCI****, set to take place this weekend, boasts a star-studded lineup. In addition to the U.S.’s Buck Davidson and Colleen Rutledge, the roster lists Michael Jung, William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Oliver Townend, Laura Collett, Andrew Nicholson, Jonathan Paget, Caroline Powell, Mark Todd, Christopher Burton and Karin Donckers. [Entry List]

Don’t Forget:To enter the EN Facebook Cover Photo Contest. One lucky winner will earn street cred and the honor of being the designer of EN’s first ever Facebook cover photo. Entries are due Wednesday. [EN]

News of the Hmmm: PETA has filed charges against the owners of Totilas for being in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. The organization claims that Totilas is allegedly trained with the rollkur method and lives an isolated life confined to his stall. [Eurodressage]

Watch this: Check out U.S. Eventing and Frankie Thieriot’s video coverage of the final day of competition at Fair Hill. [US Eventing]

Events Closing Today:

CDCTA Fall H.T. (A-2, VA), Poplar Place Farm November H.T. (A-3, GA), Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (A-5, TX)

Best of the Blogs: Lord help us all, Meg Kep “is back.” [The Adventures of Meg Kep]

Runner-up: Boyd was pleased as punch with his Fair Hill rides, Crackerjack and Master Frisky. [Boy & Silva]

Video: Our friends at FLAIR sent us this masterclass video featuring Phillip Dutton leading a course walk through the Sheep Shelter obstacle at Rolex, an effort that sets competitors up for the more difficult effort to come–the corners. [FLAIR]

It’s not uncommon for citizens of the Eventing Nation to experience feelings of emptiness and withdrawal following major overseas events. (“Boekelo is over. What am I supposed to do with myself now?”) Fear not: More international action is headed our way next week via Les Étoiles De Pau, the French four-star. Helene Gallagher kindly sent us this picture of Kathleen Blauth, Buck Davidson and Colleen Rutledge as they prepared Shiraz and Ballynoecastle RM to ship out. [Pau]

Events Closing Today: The Virginia CCI * and H.T. (VA, A-2), Rocking Horse Classic 3-day & H.T. (FL, A-3) Pine Hill Fall H.T. (TX, A-5), Galway Downs International Three-Day Event & H.T. (CA, A-6)

The Hill That Is Fair: It’s almost that time. Order of draw is posted here. There are 70 horses in the CCI** and 43 in the CCI***, plus 17 in the 4-year-old and 19 in the 5-year-old YEH classes. [Website]

Germany Takes Wold Cup Title: The German team’s win at Boekelo confirmed its domination of the inaugural FEI Nations Cup Eventing series. The team led from the outset and was the only nation to have competed in five of the series’ six legs. They finished 24 points ahead of second-placed the Netherlands, with France finishing in third. [FEI]

Change of Address: Caroline Powell, who represented New Zealand in the London Olympics, announced that she is relocating from Scotland to Wiltshire for the 2013 season. The move will put her close to fellow team members Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson and Jonelle Richards as well as Jesse Campbell and Clarke Johnstone, and will enable her to attend more training sessions. She explains that the relocation means “a lot less driving and lots more competing and training.” [Team New Zealand]

Tina Cook’s New Project: …is making up point-to-point horses. The British event rider has two of them in training, whom she hopes to have ready to run in December. “This works perfectly for me,” she says. “I can event during the summer and train pointers in the winter.” [H&H]

Kiss me, I’m Irish: The Irish Sport Horse Studbook bested the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses Eventing Studbook rankings for 2012. Karen O’Connor’s Olympic ride Mr. Medicott, an ISH, took first in the individual eventing rankings. The Hanoverian studbook finished second with the Holstein studbook rounding out the top three. [Horse Talk]

Best of the Blogs: Molly Rosin has been a busy gal of late, between winning at Rador, prepping for Fair Hill, and getting hitched. Congrats, Molly, and good luck! [Havarah Equestrian]

Runners-up: You know you’re getting more confident when jumps that once seemed huge appear to be shrinking. The Bad Eventer calls it “The Sinking Jump Effect.” [Tales from a Bad Eventer] And, Katy Groesbeck looks for the silver lining after her autumn event season, which was supposed to culminate in the Galway CCI***, got derailed. [HN]

Video: Our friends at FLAIR sent us this masterclass video of Phillip Dutton taking his group of course-walkers through the Sunken Road at Rolex 2012. [FLAIR]

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Fun fact: Aside from its annual equestrian event, probably the most exciting thing the Dutch village of Boekelo has going for it is beer. Boekelo, population 2,500, is the home of Grolsch, the second largest brewer in the Netherlands after Heineken. Grolsch enjoys worldwide distribution and is fairly commonplace in the States. Boekelo is also known for its salt industry; Bad Boekelo, a resort in the area, was once renowned for its saltwater pools.

Now, go impress your friends.

Events Opening Today

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (GA, A-3)

Events Closing Today

Waredaca H.T. and Classic Training 3 Day Event (MD, A-2), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (GA, A-3), Heritage Park H.T.  (KS, A-4), Holly Hill Fall H.T. (LA, A-5)

Fair Hill Prep: The Maryland Horse Trials just added a “Get ready for Fair Hill” CT for Sunday afternoon, Oct. 14. Competitors can run through their CCI** B test in two different rings before two different judges ($75 for the CT, $25 for a second test). Extra SJ rounds are $20. Submit a filled-out USEA CT entry form, signature page and current Coggins to the Maryland Horse Trials by e-mail or fax: [email protected], 240-489-7885. Pay through PayPal at www.themarylandhorsetrials.com being sure to add the $5 convenience fee.

Stepping Down: U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation President and CEO Jane Clark has resigned her post after giving British Olympic showjumping team gold medalist Ben Maher the ride on some of her horses. Although she sponsors several American riders, Clark said she was unable to connect the jumpers with a suitable U.S. rider. She compared her situation to that of David O’Connor’s as coach of the Canadian team: “His loyalty to the U.S. didn’t change; my loyalties to the U.S. haven’t changed,” but added, “I don’t ever want to put the foundation in an awkward situation.” [equisearch]

Moving Up: Elysian Hills is hosting a “Move Up” Schooling Horse Trial on Oct. 21 designed to let riders and horses get their feet wet at the next level in a safe, no-pressure environment. After completing cross-country, rider can opt to take a ride around the next higher level at no additional cost–Take the jumps you want, and pass on the jumps you’re not quite ready for! [Elysian Hills]

License to ride: The FEI’s eventing committee has proposed a new rule that riders contesting international events may first have to obtain a license proving “a reliable and consistent competence” at the level. The initiative was set forth in hope of improving the standard of combinations at each level. [H&H]

Found on Facebook: An update on Karen from the O’Connor Event Team, “Karen is doing great – she hopes to have her brace tomorrow and to be home later this week! Veronica is enjoying her time in the field and is very sound and happy being covered in mud. David returned home late yesterday afternoon to see Karen and is going to try and make it back in time to coach Team USA this weekend at Boekelo… we will keep you posted!”

Top of the Tweets: From eventfulifebook, “The biggest teams event since London is brimming with stars at Boekelo #eventinglive“

Video: Check out the new YouTube instructional series “Evention,” created by Schramm Equestrian and filmed/directed by Right Start Photography. There are tutorials, like this one on “The Perfect Stud Kit,” as well as eventing news and specials. [EventionTV]

Brian O’Connor snapped this photo of daybreak at the Middleburg Horse Trials, which took place over the weekend. His vantage point was the announcer/stewards tower just prior to the pre-XC briefing at 7:15 a.m. Whether a testament to the full moon or great riding or both, Brian reports that the whole weekend was, well, easy like Sunday morning. “It was a lovely event,” he says. “Not one person fell off, horses and riders were all safe, and the weather was lovely… a super event and a great lead-up to our major U.S. Championships coming in the next month… Go EN!” Thanks, Brian, for sharing!

Our condolences to the friends and family of paralympian Jonathan Wentz, who passed away over the weekend at age 21. Jonathan was the highest placed U.S. rider at this year’s Paralympic Games in London, and he also represented the United States at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. He was born with Cerebral Palsy and began riding at age 5 as a form of therapy, which grew into a passion for competitive dressage. Donations may be made to a Scholarship Fund in his name through the United States Para-Equestrian Association. [COTH]

Have you ever been in warmup and your arch-rival shows up ringside and suddenly all your focus and riding skills go flying out the window? The technical term for that is “performance-intimidation,” and Daniel Stewart has some advice for getting over it. [USEA]

Keep your eyes peeled for Dougie Hannum’s RV, which was stolen out of a backyard in Ocala. The odds are in his favor–it has “Dougie Hannum” in big letters on the side and it’s not the most reliable vehicle, so hopefully whomever took it won’t get far. Unfortunately, it contains photos and sentimental items–here’s hoping it comes back unharmed.

Richard Jeffry is back by popular demand to conduct a show jumping seminar at this year’s annual meeting, to be held in Colorado Springs Dec. 5-9. Attendance at the seminar will fulfill the USEF Continuing Education Clinic Requirements for “R” Eventing Jumping Course Designers. [USEA]

Police horses have to confront obstacles that would make even the bravest eventer quake in its horse shoes. Over 70 horses and 100 officers came together over the weekend to compete in the North American Police Equestrian Championships, held in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The obstacle course was designed around miniature versions of Washington, DC landmarks. Challenges included pushing through turnstiles, not freaking out at the sound of airbrakes, staying calm as steam emerged from a street gate, and keeping their cool as cardboard cutouts of Secret Service agents popped up as they passed a miniature White House. Police horses, we salute you. [NZ Horse Talk]

We know how you guys love watching videos of tiny adorable ponies doing dressage. Consider this a gift from EN to you:

Crummy dressage test? More spills than thrills cross-country? Your horse went bowling for stadium jumps? If at any point you should desire some comic relief this weekend, and fast, check out the artistry of Morgane Schmidt, equine illustrator extraordinaire. Morgane posts a brand new comic each Wednesday on Horse Nation, and you can view her entire collection on website The Idea of Order. And now, for the news at hand:

Events This Weekend:

Middleburg HT: [Website] [Ride Times]

Colorado Horse Park HT: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Meadow Creek HT: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Jump Start HT: [Website] [Status/Times/Results]

University of New Hampshire HT: [Website] [Status/Times/Results]

Flora Lea HT: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Tryon HT: [Website] [Ride Times]

Links:

Caitlin Silliman, who suffered a skull fracture earlier this week in a riding accident, has been released from Intensive Care. Wear your helmets, kids!

Derek di Grazia has done a substantial redesign of his cross-country course for the Woodside International Horse Trials, which will take place on Oct. 5-7.

Five hundred trees have been planted in preparation for the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event on Nov. 1-4.

Michael Pollard wrote a thoughtful piece for COTH concerning the future of equestrian sport in America.

Mary King will be the Keynote speaker at this year’s USEA Annual Meeting, to be held wDecember 5-9 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO.

Get your 2013 Burghley calendars and limited edition bags here.

The IDHSNA/USEA Future Event Horse Central Championships scheduled for Oct. 11 at Willow Draw Farm in Weatherford, Texas, have been canceled due to lack of entries.

An investigation of a spike in horse fatalities last winter at New York’s Aqueduct racetrack concludes that it was the result of a “perfect storm” of factors.

Ten horses perished in a North Carolina barn fire on Thursday night.

Tuesdays always stress me out a little. So many events opening! So many events closing! Decisions! Decisions! What’s my plan? Do I HAVE a plan? Where’s my Coggins? What’s my USEA number? Is there any money in my bank account? When does the post office close? It’s all very stressful. Here’s hoping you’re having a better Tuesday than I am.

Events Opening Today: CDCTA Fall H.T. (VA, A-2), Poplar Place Farm November H.T. (GA, A-3), Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (TX, A-5)

Events Closing Today: Course Brook Farm Fall Horse Trials  (MA, A-1), Radnor Hunt H.T. (PA, A-2), The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm (MD, A-2), Fall Horse Trials at the Ark (NC, A-2), Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials (TN, A-3), Pine Top October HT  (GA, A-3), Greenwood Farm Inc. Fall H.T. (TX, A-5), Grass Ridge H.T. (Az, A-10)

Bea di Grazia and her own Lad’s Night Out won the final event of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series at Twin Rivers over the weekend. The pair led from start to finish, adding only two time penalties to their dressage score. [US Eventing]

Becky Holder and Courageous Comet, who retired from upper-level competition on a win at the AECs, have one more jewel to add to their already gleaming crown. With Twin Rivers concluding this year’s roster of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series events, the pair comes out on top of the leaderboard, leading the pack by a whopping 240 points. For their efforts, they’ll receive a check for $20,000, an official Gold Cup Champion Jacket, and a huge trophy at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention. The Reserve Champion (also Becky, this time with Can’t Fire Me) receives $1,500 worth of Nunn Finer Products and a Gold Cup Reserve Champion Jacket. [US Eventing]

Speaking of leaderboards, the FEI Nations Cup Eventing wrapped up #5 of 6 events over the weekend with Montelibretti in Italy. Spain had a bang-up weekend and moved into second place in the rankings, behind #1 Germany and ahead of #3 Netherlands. The final leg takes place at Boekelo next month. [FEI]

JFK Airport is getting a new state-of-the-art animal handling facility. Called the ARK, the $32 million, 172,165 square-foot center will operate 24 hours a day and handle about 70,000 domestic and wild animals annually. Plans include a veterinary hospital, a three-day equine quarantine area, and a rehabilitation center for horses and other large animals. [NZ Horse Talk]

The auction of Rita Crundwell’s horses concluded Monday in Dixon, Ill. Hundreds of quarter horses, along with tack, trailers and farm equipment, were being auctioned off after it was discovered that the Dixon comptroller stole millions of dollars from the town to support her equestrian lifestyle. The highest dollar horse, a three-time world champion, sold for $775,000. If Crundwell is found guilty the town will receive all proceeds from the auction. [ABC]

Found on Facebook: Dia Moya’s crazy photos from Otter Creek Horse Trials, which took place over the weekend in Wheeler, WI. The football obsession, I kind of get–I know folks up there are crazy about their sports. (One of my barn buddies who is from Michigan just named her new event horse Izzo.) The cardboard cutout of the queen–which, according to other pictures that we shall not post here, also accompanied a handful of happy-looking eventer folks to the bar afterwards… explanation please?

Go Eventing.

Where was this photo taken? Hint: An event will be held there two weekends from now.

Events Opening Today:

The Virginia CCI * and H.T. (VA, A-2); Rocking Horse Classic 3-day & H.T. (FL, A-3); Pine Hill Fall H.T. (TX, A-5); Galway Downs International Three-Day Event & H.T. (CA, A-6)

Events Closing Today:

Kent School Fall H.T. (CT, A-1); Morven Park Fall H.T. (VA, A-2); WindRidge Farm Fall Horse Trials (NC, A-3); Roebke’s Run H.T. (MN, A-4); Woodside International Horse Trials (CA, A-6); Northern Colorado H.T. (CO, A-9)

Clayton Fredericks has a Florida address: The Australian Olympian announced yesterday that he’ll be opening the doors of Team Frederick’s training facility in Ocala next month. He’ll be setting up shop at Oak Lane Farm, owned by Chuck and Anne Koch and located on County Road 441. Fredericks intends to move four horses to Ocala following Fair Hill, Oct. 19-21, and hopes to have 10 horses in training by January. “I’m extremely fortunate to have found this perfect setting on which to establish my U.S. training operation here in Ocala,” Clayton said in a press release. “I have been exploring several options for expansion of my eventing program along with Southern Stars Saddlery into the U.S. market and this location will enable me to fully explore the potential of both businesses.” The other half of Team Fredericks, Lucinda, will remain in England to continue their European operation. [Team Fredericks]

Plantation Field Silent Auction: If you’re heading to Plantation Field Horse Trials this weekend, be sure to take advantage of the event’s amazing silent option. Tons of items are up for grabs, including items donated by Bit of Britain, a custom Stubben saddle, Phillip Dutton’s signed Olympic helmet, Boyd Martin’s signed Olympic shirt and much, much more. The auction benefits the Plantation Field Equestrian Events, the Barn at Spring Brook Farm and the Cheshire Land Preservation Fund and is open Friday-Sunday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. [PFHT]

Know a friend of the sport who deserves a little recognition?: Nominate them for a 2012 USEA Appreciation Award. From course builders and designers to volunteers and organizers to riders young and not-so-young, there’s a category for everybody. The deadline for nominations is October 15. [USEA]

Condolences: Pippa Funnell’s rideChamrock, with whom she competed through the three-star level, was put down last Friday at age 16 following persistent chronic lameness. [Horse & Hound]

Best of the Blogs: If you haven’t ridden vicariously around a cross-country course via a Team Wallace helmet cam yet, you’re missing out. The Wallace gang was recently interviewed for a story in Eventing USA Magazine about their social media efforts–check it out here. [Team Wallace]

Let the Pre-Plantation Bareback Puissance smack talk begin: It sounds like Boyd has his money on Dominick Schramm, the “Thunder from Down Under,” to take down defending champion Jennie Brannigan in this year’s high jump competition. Boyd adds, “Ladies, take note: there is some rumor of Dominick jumping shirtless with an Aussie flag as a cape if it comes down to a record-breaking attempt.” [Boyd & Silva]

Here’s a video of Dom practicing:

Go eventing.