Classic Eventing Nation

Clinic Report: Learning from Leading Hunter Rider John French

By on Jan 6, 2018 9:00 am -

Lilly, Andrea Baxter and Bec Braitling at the John French clinic.

Over here in sunny California, 2017 ended with a small group of eventers trying to learn the ways of arguably America’s most winning hunter/jumper rider John French. John recently relocated to the barn where I base, Arnell Sporthorses out of Templeton Farms, and after watching the hunter derby at a local show Andrea Baxter and I decided this would be a winter goal of ours.

John is a great sport and agreed to a small “eventer clinic,” or as it turned out a “taming our horses” clinic. Andrea Baxter’s four-star mare Indy 500 gave John a run for his money, demonstrating how she moved up 56 places at Blenheim Palace CCI3* earlier this season. Actually that was her last outing before the clinic … three months earlier. Andrea also brought along Enfinity, who most recently finished third in the 5-year West Coast Young Event Horse Championships.

I rode “most likely to be repurposed as a hunter” Santana II. Fresh off her win in the CCI1* at Galway this November, I felt like I was ready to dominate. Lauren Burnell rode her seeing-eye horse Counterpoint. Although not known for his hunter way of going, he was the perfect post-baby choice for Lauren. Sonya Bengali rode her Training level event horse, who really is also a hunter.

We started out with loads of flatwork. John was really pushing to emphasize the origins of the flat class and what they were looking for in horses that would be considered great hunt horses. He giggled as he pointed out (very politely) that Indy 500 “doesn’t quite have the neck for it,” but we pushed on nevertheless. Then it was on to some great cavaletti exercises working on adjustability and helping with the changes before starting over fences on the first day.

We began the second day the same but graduated to a hunter course followed by the handy round. I use the term ‘graduated’ loosely. We were, however, far more composed by day two. Indy 500 took half as long to complete her courses, and we aced the skinny hay bales, the bonus fence in the handy round (probably the only fence we were actually equipped to jump well).

We did suffer some indignity when 12-year-old equitation rider Lilly joined our lesson on her lovely hunter Zing and put us all to shame … Er, showed us how it’s done …

Our purpose for the clinic wasn’t to learn the hunter lean nor how to leave strides out, and we aren’t quite ready for our hunter derby debut (yet …). We were reminded how to use our position in the turns and a steadiness of the body to create a good jump.

John has a fantastic way of teaching how to settle the horse through the use of quiet aids. There really is something to be said for cross training, and while it was basically hilarious watching us try this, there were some fantastic lessons to be had. I can’t thank John enough for being such a good sport. It was such an educational insight into a discipline we know little about.

Saturday Links from Tipperary

By on Jan 6, 2018 12:01 am -

We got some ❄️⛄️

A post shared by Caroline Teich (@teicheventing) on

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…ok now please make it stop thankyouverymuch. The 18″ outside my door is quite enough. And the worst part for me? I have completely thrown out my back by shoveling and can’t do anything. I’m too young for this, I swear… Right now I’m feeling very thankful for good friends who can take care of my horse for me this weekend!

National Holiday: National Cuddle Up Day

Saturday Links:

Meet Your Clinicians for the 2018 Educational Symposium in Ocala

Blinging In The New Year

‘Her heart made her’: rider pays tribute to four-star mare

What You Need To Know: The 2018 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session

Zara Tindall expecting second child

Keep Horse Barns Safe From Fire as Cold Bears Down

Tune Your Riding Position to Put Your Horse into “Drive”

Saturday Video: Working students know how to have fun on a snow day!

https://www.facebook.com/150971375061334/videos/910928879065576/

Future of Roebke’s Run in Question Following Calendar Dispute

By on Jan 5, 2018 6:36 pm -

Lisa Borgia competing at Roebke’s Run. Photo by Derith Vogt.

Area IV is reeling following yesterday’s announcement that Roebke’s Run is canceling all horse trials and making the Hector, Minnesota venue available to rent. The USEA confirmed to EN that they received a letter from Roebke’s Run requesting the cancellation of their events for 2018.

The conflict stems from choosing the dates for Roebke’s Run’s 2019 events. Brook Schweiss of Roebke’s Run told EN the family is declining to comment on the record at this time, but multiple comments have been posted on the venue’s Facebook page, including the text of email correspondence with Area IV Council Chair Kathy Kerns.

“After a meeting with our family we (are) moving towards not hosting any shows,” Brook wrote in an email dated December 22. “It has been very clear that the area does not support us.”

First held in 2010, Roebke’s Run has hosted horse trials twice a year at the Schweiss family’s Magister Equitum Stables, offering Beginner Novice though Intermediate levels, as well as a CIC1*/2* and CCI1*/2*. Roebke’s Run was the only venue in Area IV running an FEI competition.

Kathy Kerns, Area IV Council Chair, told EN that Roebke’s Run most recently proposed 2019 dates of June 29-30 and July 27-28, which would fall back-to-back with fellow Area IV event Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials in Barrington, Illinois, and on the same weekend as The Event at Rebecca Farm and FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships in Kalispell, Montana.

“When we held our Area IV town hall meeting last year, we got a lot of flak from members about having Roebke’s Run back-to-back with Fox River Valley. They were very unhappy with that move, which they had not expressed to us before. We wanted to listen to our members,” Kathy said.

“Then at the annual meeting in December, it was announced that the AEC would be at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2019. I went back to three horse trials (Roebke’s Run, Silverwood and Dunnabeck) that will be affected by that in our area. Many of our members go to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete, so I told all three that if they thought the AEC would affect them adversely, we would support a date change even if it required an appeal.”

As a result, Roebke’s Run requested to move to Rebecca Farm’s date, as their original requested date would fall back-to-back with the AEC at the Kentucky Horse Park. “We were perfectly OK with that and we told them that, but they also asked if they could move (their other event) to June 29, which is the weekend after Fox River Valley. We told them we were not sure that was in their best interest. However, if they want those dates, they’ve got them.”

USEA CEO Rob Burk told EN this is an area matter the organization hopes can be resolved so Roebke’s Run will still run their events in 2018 and beyond. “Kathy Kerns has been working hard to resolve the concerns that Roebke’s Run has put forward,” he said.

While Roebke’s Run has already requested the cancellation of their 2018 events and posted a message on their website that all shows have been “terminated indefinitely,” Kathy said she hopes the Schweiss family will reconsider and emphasized that they can have their most recently requested 2019 dates of June 29-30 and July 27-28.

“We don’t want to lose Roebke’s Run. It is a tremendous event. The Schweisses have been fabulous supporters of eventing and the area,” Kathy said. “We have tried everything we could think of to try to get their numbers (of starters) up, which was why we suggested other dates so they didn’t run back-to-back with other events. I don’t think Fox River Valley’s numbers would be hurt if they run back-to-back. I think it’s Roebke’s Run that would be hurt, and I don’t want to see that happen.”

The problem of finding dates for events is not unique to Area IV, and the USEF and USEA are currently working towards completely revamping the calendar review process starting in 2020.

“As an Area Council, we have tried our darnedest to find a place where Roebke’s Run can sit and stay and be successful,” Kathy said. “Part of the problem is we have horse trials in Area IV that have been running many years longer than Roebke’s Run, and they hold onto their dates like they are precious gem stones. It’s no different than other areas. Many of our horse trials are held on public lands, so they are not easy to move.”

For example, Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials run on public lands at the Barrington Hills Park District Riding Center. Organizer Kristy Yashinsky went to the FRVPC Horse Trials Advisory Board in an effort to move their 2019 date to give Roebke’s Run more breathing room on the calendar but was ultimately unsuccessful.

“Unfortunately they could not make it happen. Between trying to find a different date with the Barrington Hills Park Board, the Spring Lake Forest Preserve and the event’s donors, it became an insurmountable problem for them. But at least they tried, because we all value Roebke’s Run,” Kathy said.

“We want to put Roebke’s Run in a spot on the calendar so they have the best chance of being successful, but we will also give them exactly what they want and what they think will be successful. If there is a way we can fix this with the Schweisses, we will do it.”

Roebke’s Run declined to comment on the record for this story.

Friday Video from World Equestrian Brands: A Trip to Welly World

By on Jan 5, 2018 5:30 pm -

Boyd Martin and Trading Aces at the $15,000 Wellington Eventing Showcase. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Wellington is one of those places that doesn’t really require any further description in order for equestrians to be able to pinpoint it on a map. It’s like Cher, but with states instead of surnames, and speed classes instead of power ballads. Sometimes, when I’m doing fitness work in 15 inches of mud and sideways ice rain I ponder how different life could be if I just sacked it all in and went to Welly World to play in the sunshine. But then I remember that the last time I went near the hunter-jumper crowd, monogrammed lavender collars were still in fashion, and that’s just wrong on so many levels (mostly because it was 12 years ago and I still have no intention of getting with the times).

Jennie Brannigan at the Wellington Eventing Showcase. Photo by Jenni Autry.

But the brilliant thing is that the Big W offered us mad and muddy types a generous hand of friendship, which we let Boyd Martin shake for three years in a row. That hand of friendship was the Wellington Eventers Showcase, a fast, furious, and well-heeled ode to the sport, packaged up in a golf-buggy friendly version for the Vineyard Vines and Napa Valley Riesling crowd. And it was GREAT, not least because it involved jumping into a marquee full of people who had possibly never seen mud in real life before.

It wouldn’t be eventing in Wellington without a selfie! Photo courtesy of Laine Ashker.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflict with the Winter Equestrian Festival’s showjumping calendar, the Showcase won’t be running this year. We look forward to cheering on our hardy brethren in the sunshine next year, but, in the meantime, here’s an in-depth look back at 2017’s competition, courtesy of Elisa Wallace.

Go eventing, and go sunshine! (No, I don’t mean that, please come back, sunshine, I beg of you…!)

Best of HN: Too Cold To Ride? Using Common Sense & Science

By on Jan 5, 2018 1:00 pm -

Photo by Kristen Kovatch.

A recent Facebook posting from Yates Equine Veterinary Services has been going viral around equestrian social media concerning what temperatures could be considered too cold to work a horse. The post has sparked plenty of lively discussion, with plenty of equestrians on both sides of the issue cherry-picking a few key facts to back up their own theories. We’ll establish the facts, combined with common sense, to help readers decide for themselves in the middle of the United States’ intense cold snap (not to mention this coming “bomb cyclone,” whatever on earth that might be…).

The post that launched a thousand comments:

I am frequently asked, and I wondered myself, about working horses in extremely frigid weather like what we are…

Posted by Yates Equine Veterinary Services on Friday, December 29, 2017

Thanks, Dr. Yates, for digging into the research!

The tl;dr version in bullet facts:

  • The horse’s respiratory tract is designed to warm and humidify air by the time air reaches his lungs. Intense exercise (anything more than a walk) speeds up and deepens breaths so that air is not as warm or humid when it reaches the lungs
  • Scientists discovered in three studies that respiratory tracts in horses can become damaged by breathing cold air (23 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Damage to lower respiratory tracts was found 48 hours after exercise, including elevated white blood cell counts and inflammatory proteins as well as narrowing of the tracts
  • While full text was not available for two of the three studies, the third study was performed on nine horses on a treadmill in a climate-controlled facility. No further information is given on the horses
  • Dr. Yates observes that there are no studies done in natural environments (outside) and no studies done in relation to horses’ acclimatization — are horses who live outside in cold environments better acclimated to working in cold temperatures?

Dr. Yates’ conclusion is that she will likely avoid exercise (trotting, cantering and jumping) when temperatures are under 20 degrees F.

Interpreting the results

Some riders are taking these studies as evidence that all riding should cease when temperatures are below 25-20 degrees F, while others are reading this post as justification to just bundle up and keep on training. As with lots of discussions in the horse world, the best path may lie somewhere in the middle — and with the unknown factor of how acclimatization might affect a horse’s ability to work in the cold, common sense should continue to dictate the ride.

Here are a few considerations when deciding to ride in the cold:

How is your footing? Frozen hard-packed bare ground at 25 degrees is a far different riding surface from a snow-covered pasture at 25 degrees. No matter how warm it is, icy conditions should be a no-go for any rider.

Where does your horse live? Again, while acclimatization did not come into play with the above referenced studies, I believe you can make a case that a horse coming from a heated barn to a cold outdoor arena would likely have a harder time both breathing cold air and physically/mentally settling in to work, while a horse living out 24/7 working in the same environment should feasibly be more likely to be ready to go.

What’s your horse’s level of fitness? Going hand-in-hand with considerations of acclimatization, cold weather is not a good time to decide to bring a horse back into work if he’s going to be breathing that cold air into his out-of-shape body as you make him trot and canter. It may take some creative management to exercise a fit horse in extreme cold; hand walking and ground work are good strategies that will protect his respiratory system while keeping him mentally and physically engaged, especially if he’s not the sort of horse who can go out for a snowy trail ride around the property.

Take your time in warm-up. Regardless of your horse’s acclimatization, both his muscles and his respiratory tract need plenty of time to warm up in this weather. The golden rule from multiple sources seems to be a 10-15 minute walking warm-up if you’re planning a regular work in colder weather. If it’s under 20-23 degrees, it’s advisable to walk only to avoid damaging your horse’s respiratory tract.

Cooling down is equally vital. Even if your horse is clipped to allow him to work without sweating up a long, shaggy coat, an appropriate cool-down is essential. For unclipped horses who have worked up a sweat, cool-down is critical to allow the horse’s coat to dry before it freezes, giving the horse a chill.

Discretion is the better part of valor. Seriously, very few of us are in true life-or-death scenarios where we MUST work a horse hard in extreme cold. (And those of us who are — I’m thinking of ranchers with livestock to tend — may have horses who are acclimated to working in the cold and therefore may not be as prone to respiratory damage — again, we’ll need another study to look into this). While it’s frustrating in the immediate moment to be “grounded” due to weather, in the long run our horses and we ourselves may ultimately be happier and healthier if we skip a training ride and instead slow things down for this period of intense cold.

Take a look at your own conditions, your horse and your weather forecast to make decisions in your riding life. And if you can — go riding!

Further reading

SmartPak: Ask the Vet: Too Cold to Ride?

Certified Horsemanship Association: Exercising Your Horse During Winter

Study: “Cold air-induced late-phase bronchoconstriction in horses” (subscription needed for full article)

Study: “Influx of neutrophils and persistence of cytokine expression in airways of horses after performing exercise while breathing cold air” (subscription needed for full article)

Ah-ha! Moment of the Week from Attwood: Boyd Martin’s Horse of a Lifetime

By on Jan 5, 2018 11:00 am -

Many eventers have encountered a special horse, had a breakthrough competition, or experienced a revelation during training that changed … well … everything. In a new weekly series presented by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces, eventers share their ah-ha! moments. In the premier edition Boyd Martin, whose Windurra USA in Cochranville, PA, features Pinnacle and Sand Blend arenas from Attwood, recollects the story of the eventer he calls his “horse of a lifetime.” 

Boyd Martin galloping SBS Cortez at home on his Attwood Equestrian Surfaces track at Windurra USA.  Photo by Lisa Thomas/Mid-Atlantic Equestrian.

When I was growing up in Australia my first 13.2-hand pony was called Will He Do It; later I moved up to 15.1-hand Lenny, but when I was about 15 years old and getting taller, I needed a bigger horse. We found an 11-year-old, 16.2-hand off-the-track Thoroughbred called Flying Doctor for $1,200. He’d had a bit of basic training but had never been to a show, and at the time my parents didn’t know much about horses. I decided to try him over a few fences and at the first oxer I pointed him at, he stopped dead in his tracks and I fell off. My dad said, “I think we should buy him because he didn’t run away!”

In hindsight Flying Doctor wasn’t actually that talented, but he had a heart of gold and the toughness of a gladiator. Being an off-the-track Australian Thoroughbred, he also had no “quit” in him. Neither of us knew too much but he took me to my first one-, two- and three-stars and eventually my first four-star in the year 2000.

At our first four-star at Adelaide, he did a great dressage, roared around cross country and had one rail down for a 5th place finish. At this point he was starting to get a bit old and a bit creaky in his joints so I planned to give him six months off after the event. I decided I’d like to take him to one more four-star before he retired, at the same event the following year.

Boyd Martin and Flying Doctor. Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin.

These days my horses receive lots of pampering to keep them at the top of their game, but things were a bit different back then. During our preparation for his final four-star I was riding around in Heath Ryan’s indoor, which had a mixture of wood chips and horse manure for footing. I didn’t realize he was limping a bit while I was doing dressage. Heath had a great old vet named Shanksy who I’d never seen without a cigarette in his mouth. He told me to wait right there and headed over to his truck. He came back with a big needle and syringe, still with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, pulled off the boot and shoved the needle into the horse’s ankle. Then he put the boot back on and told me tomorrow the horse would feel like new. Old Shanksy was right, and Flying Doctor was sound as could be the next day.

I figured because he was such a seasoned campaigner I’d just give him one CIC3* in preparation for the four-star. I chose Golbourn CIC3*, which was about three weeks before Adelaide, and I couldn’t believe it when I got there and pulled him off the truck: he was three degrees lame with a foot abscess. He was in absolutely no condition to do his only preparation event for the big one. So off we went to our second four-star, having not competed at all since our previous four-star a year before.

Boyd Martin and Flying Doctor. Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin.

It was bit daunting not to have any lead-up events but to his credit, he was such a legend that he dug deep and gritted his teeth and went clear around the big, tough cross country track in the long-format CCI4* at Adelaide. I still remember the thrill that it gave me: He may not have been a world champion, but he was a good, tough old horse and really powered around the massive, solid course.

There was one particularly dramatic moment on the steeplechase course. It was a four and a half-minute steeplechase, and we were galloping as fast as we could at the big brush fences to make the time. I had the miss of all misses as we took off over one fence and Flying Doctor skidded through the jump. There was brush flying everywhere and I nearly got pitched off, but he somehow found his feet as he landed on his nose, picked himself up and kept on galloping. Unfortunately the fence was next to roads and tracks course, so a number of my friends were witness to that moment and were ribbing me before I headed out on cross country!

As a competitor Flying Doctor was heroic, achieving far more than I ever imagined, and he really inspired me by giving me a taste for the four-star level, an addiction I’ve never been able to kick. These days I would never consider buying an untried, 11-year-old horse off the track, but he really helped launch my career as an event rider.

After Adelaide I felt he was getting a bit too old to keep running him over big cross country tracks so I sold him to a kid for a couple grand and he did Pony Club for a few years. He was a legendary wind-sucker and towards the end of his time with me, his front teeth had almost worn away. After his stint in Pony Club, he retired to live out his days. Unfortunately he was bitten by a poisonous snake and died under a tree in his paddock. In a way it was a fitting and dramatic end for a horse that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

How Montana Eventers Do Winter: Rebecca Farm’s Inaugural Skijoring Competition

By on Jan 5, 2018 9:00 am -

Jen Johnson in the tack and Sarah Broussard skiing in the Skijoring at Rebecca Farm costume class. Photo by Tommy Diegel Photography.

Sarah Broussard is a woman of many talents, among them mom, rider, event organizer, firefighter and cancer-fighting superhero. And she’s also quite the skijorer, apparently!

Derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning “ski driving,” skijoring is a winter sport that combines skiing and horseback riding. The sport consists of a horse pulling a skier through an obstacle course, all while hitting jumps that range in size from three feet to nine feet high. Competitors are judged based on how long it takes for them to run the track, which stretches approximately 850 feet from start to finish.

On the final weekend of 2017 Sarah handed the reins over to a mustachioed sea captain, Jen Johnson, and laced up her ski boots to celebrate Rebecca Farm’s inaugural skijoring competition.

Photo by Tommy Diegel Photography.

Rebecca Farm vs. Mother Nature

Sarah made the course look easy, but Rebecca Farm’s path to hosting the event wasn’t without its challenges. Snow, of course, is critical to the sport — and there wasn’t a snowflake in sight throughout the month of December. With barren ground and no snow in the forecast, Sarah and her team feared their foray into skijoring might be over before it even began.

Fortunately, snow started to fall shortly before Christmas. Sarah drew a celebratory breath of relief and she and her team set to work prepping the facility. But their relief turned to concern as ominous weather reports circulated; record snowfall and low temperatures were predicted for the New Year’s Eve weekend.

“After a dry December, the irony that there could, in fact, be too MUCH snow or temperatures too cold for the horses? Well, that was a heavy weight. We wanted to have a great event but safety is the top priority. We were fighting for a way to have both,” Sarah says.

As the predicted winter storm barreled down on the Flathead Valley, Broussard’s team soldiered up. Throughout the frigid post-Christmas week, they were determined to make the inaugural run of Skijoring at Rebecca Farm a reality.

Photo by Green Kat Photography.

‘Come Hell, Heavy Snow or Detours, We’ll Be There’ 

Simultaneously, Skijoring America board member and open division competitor, Richard Weber and his longtime teammate and travel partner, Tyler Smedsrud, were loading up five horses. The pair was preparing to make the 18-hour, 1,200-mile trek from their home base in Ridgway, Colorado to Rebecca Farm, where they would lead preparations for the course. Richard and Tyler are some of the sport’s most visible and committed competitors; in addition to contending in the top division, the duo volunteers most of winter weekends building courses for events sanctioned by Skijoring America.

Richard believes that ensuring the appropriate blend of safety and challenge for sanctioned courses is an important part of skijoring’s future. It is that devotion, along with the adrenaline rush, that have had him trucking through winter storms, power outages, and significant detours over the last two years.

“After six years of skijoring locally, I decided to get serious,” he explains. “For three years, I’ve been on the circuit. I put 15,000 miles on last season; it was worth it. Those people out there on the skijoring road, they’re family. I’ve also learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t, and I want to help others.”

Sarah, Richard, Tyler and the scores of other hardy event volunteers would need all of that determination and more to face down the challenges headed their way: The evening of Friday, Dec. 29, just one day prior to opening ceremonies, snow and high winds belted the Flathead Valley. As highway crews struggled to keep major roadways open, the newly created skijoring course, parking area and roadways at Rebecca Farm were buried in layers and drifts of snow. And while most of the Flathead Valley battened down the hatches, skijoring crews fired up equipment and started working in the early hours of Saturday to make a way for the event.

Photo by Green Kat Photography.

It Takes a Valley

“For me, Saturday was very challenging but there was a real sense of camaraderie with the crew. We had 10 rigs out moving snow,” Sarah says. “Earlier, on Thursday and Friday, we needed water to reinforce the jumps, and our West Valley volunteer firefighters brought the fire trucks over and jumped in to help. It was crazy but that whole weekend really had a community feel to it. People helped out any way they could.”

In the end, the snow was cleared, and though festivities kicked off an hour late, happy spectators would say the event itself was a small miracle. Considering the “can-do” attitude of the participants and crew, though, the success of Skijoring at Rebecca Farm might well have been predictable.

“I love to see the sport growing with people just as stubborn as I am, that don’t let obstacles get in their way,” Richard laughs. “Come hell, heavy snow, or a 400 mile detour, we’re getting there.”

Richard was not alone. Both out-of-state and Montana horse trailers began to roll into Rebecca Farm early Saturday morning. In the end, despite the weather, approximately 80 teams ponied up and thousands of spectators braved the cold to partake in the fun.

“When it comes to these kinds of events, I always say that ‘it takes a valley.’ Skijoring at Rebecca is certainly no exception,” emphasizes Sarah. “The community, the sponsors, the local volunteers, the folks from Skijoring America – they were all incredible. They pulled together and made this event — which felt impossible at moments — possible.”

And Richard couldn’t agree more. “I’ve been to a lot of great events, but Rebecca Farm had an amazing group of volunteers – maybe the best I’ve ever seen.”

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Farm.

Race Results

Local racers scooped up several weekend honors and landed at the top of Skijoring America’s 2018 leader board for the Open and Sport Divisions. Scott Ping, the Whitefish resident affectionately called “The Grandaddy of Skijoring,” rode to first place in the open division rider standings, finishing with a total of 90 points. Ping’s trusty steed, Kona Koffee, led the field for open division horses with an overall score of 90 points. Open division skier, Toby MacIntosh of Columbia Falls, jumped his way to the top of Skijoring America’s rankings with a perfect score of 100 points.

In the sport division, Kalispell native Kali Kitchen headed the rider leaderboard with a total score of 48 points. Longtime skijoring competitor Bart Slaney matched Kitchen with 48 points of his own, landing the lead for skiers in sport.  Topping sport scoring honors for horses with 24 points was Royaleigh, ridden by the Flathead Valley’s Jennifer Butler.

Eric Christianson, a Columbia Falls resident, aboard his mounts Charger and Cowboy, dominated the novice division, holding down the top three times. Christianson and Charger, partnered with skier Dane Ockerland, took first in novice with an overall time of 33.5 seconds. Christianson and Ockerland also teamed up for a second round with Christianson’s horse, Cowboy, securing a 36.01, second place finish in novice. Skier Matthew Stickney also teamed up with Christianson and Cowboy, to take third at 36.71. (Novice races, although fully incorporated into Skijoring at Rebecca Farm, are not used in Skijoring America’s national ranking system.)

While held the last weekend of 2017, Skijoring at Rebecca Farm in fact served as the opening event for Skijoring America’s 2018 season. Learn more about the sport of skijoring here.

Watch videos from the event here.

This story is edited from a press release.

Friday News & Notes from SmartPak

By on Jan 5, 2018 12:03 am -

I feel ya, bruh. Photo by Libby Head.

Anyone from Vermont, please tune out now, because I’m about to complain about the cold. Look, I’m from Virginia, where it gets pretty cold but not like, I’M DYING level cold. This whole week it’s been hovering around 1* at night, which is just out of control. I mean, how do people live like this? WHY do people live in places where it’s like this in the winter?? What kind of penance are you serving from a past life? Good god, I can’t even.

National Holiday: National Whipped Cream Day

News From Around the Globe:

“The question of whether or not to blanket your horse at arises frequently this time of year. The temperature is prone to unexpected dives, and many horses are sporting some sort of body clip. You may have seen the wonderful When-to-Blanket flowchart posted on the Facebook page of The Equine Program at Auburn University that’s been making the rounds of social media. The intentionally convoluted diagram illustrates the volume of information that horse people must consider when making the blanketing decision. The answer is less black-and-white than it is furry shades of grey.” [COTH To Blanket or Not To Blanket?]

Oh, New Year’s resolutions. These are just a pile of rules that are made to be broken, right? We all attempt to make them, and some of them are about our horsey habits. Mine is always to start writing down what each of my horses does every day in greater detail, but that never happens after a few months. Sometimes you also want to clean your tack every day, but who has time for that unless you have slaves working students? [6 Horsey New Years Resolutions That You’ll Definitely Break]

FBF: Yesterday, I didn’t Know About Equine Jock Straps

Hot on Horse Nation: Trip Review: Riding Mules in the Grand Canyon

Interested in participating in the ICP Symposium in Ocala mid-February? The USEA is looking for demo riders and horses to ride with Leslie Law and Kai-Steffen Meier at Longwood Farm this spring. You can apply here to be considered for a rider position, or fill out an application for your young horse to be used as well. [USEA Wants You]

 

 

Thursday Video: Bored? Here’s How to Turn a Tangerine Peel into a Horse. You’re Welcome.

By on Jan 4, 2018 4:30 pm -

Are you snowed in from this bombo-whatever-it-is blizzard that’s whalloping the east coast today? Well, citizens of EN, you’re in luck because here’s a real boredom buster that will test your knife skills and artistic capabilities.

All you need to start are three simple materials:

  1. A round citrus fruit.
  2. An Exacto knife or other sharp implement.
  3. Literally nothing better to do.

Hidden Artwork

Wait for the reveal!Please say something about this video with one word <3

Posted by Miracles of nature on Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Ya’ll, I cann’t believe that all this time I’ve just been throwing peels away when I could have been doing this. Did you try it? Post a pic in the comments and show us how you did!

Go … citrus peeling?

Wellington Eventing Showcase Will Not Run in 2018

By on Jan 4, 2018 2:46 pm -

Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery at the 2016 Wellington Eventing Showcase. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Equestrian Sport Productions confirmed to EN that the Wellington Eventing Showcase, held during the Winter Equestrian Festival at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida for the past three years, will not run in 2018.

“Schedule and location changes to show jumping classes at the Winter Equestrian Festival will prevent the Wellington Eventing Showcase from running this year at PBIEC. The management team is looking forward to adding the Wellington Eventing Showcase back to the calendar for the 2019 season.”

First held in 2015, the showcase is an unrecognized three-phase competition that has offered one of the largest prize pots on the North American eventing circuit, with $100,000 awarded in 2017. In addition to the top riders in North America, the showcase attracted big names like William Fox-Pitt, Mark Todd, Tim Price and Dan Jocelyn from across the pond.

Boyd Martin has won the showcase each year since it began — 2015 with Trading Aces, owned by the Trading Aces Syndicate; 2016 with his Rio Olympic mount Blackfoot Mystery, owned by the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate; and 2017 with Welcome Shadow, owned by Craig and Gloria Callen.

Click here for more information about the Winter Equestrian Festival.