The Diesel Boy is really enjoying his holiday! Photo by Molly Sue Kinnamon.
I spent all of yesterday driving my horse several hours down the road to Virginia Tech so that he could see an ophthalmologist, and I always really enjoy when new people meet my horse. Can we have his medical history? Sure, I’ve owned him twelve years, how far back do you want to go? Is he going to behave to have his eye inspected? Nope. Do you think we should sedate him? Yes, and please, give him the maximum, trust me, he’s the opposite of a cheap date. No, seriously, he’s like a really good cross country horse, which means he’s literally the most stubborn horse alive and no amount of sedation will convince him to do something he doesn’t like. Good luck!
Selena O’Hanlon won Fair Hill CCI3*, but it turns out that she didn’t win the free flight from Dutta Corp. In the most confusing news of the week, it seems that the flight we all thought went to the winner of the CCI3* is in fact reserved for the highest placed American rider in the division, and as Selena is Canadian, she did not win it. The “grant” is awarded by the USEF, and Dutta Corp does not make the selection criteria, unfortunately. However, Selena’s owners and supporters will be pitching in to ship her and Woody to Badminton next spring regardless. [Confusion Over Fair Hill CCI3* Winner]
Winter is for honing your skills with circle exercises! In this excerpt from the full educational video, Gina Miles demonstrates an exercise for maintaining line and balance over four small jumps on a circle. There are five levels to the excercise that Miles demonstrates on her own horse. You can access the full video by signing in at EventingTrainingOnline.com. [Eventing Training Circle Exercises with Gina Miles]
Has Charlotte DuJardin found “Mrs Valegro” in Mount St John Freestyle? I mean her name alone must bring some sort of good luck for that particular part of her job, right? She gave an exhibition at Olympia this week with Emma Blundell’s super exciting nine-year-old mare that simply raised goosebumps for everyone watching. This mare is truly something amazing, and Charlotte thinks that she’s her mount for the 2018 WEG. [6 Reasons Mount St John Freestyle is the Next Valegro]
Congrats to Jordan Gandy, our day three winner of EN’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaways! Jordan will receive a prize pack from World Equestrian Brands, including a Mattes Ear Bonnet, Hamag Number Holder and bag of Equilibrium Crunch-Its. Tune in to EN later today for your next chance to win a prize from one of EN’s awesome sponsors.
Erin Sylvester won the $30,000 Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant last weekend at the USEA Year-End Awards. We’re delighted for her, so we’re throwing it back to her cross country round at the 2017 Kentucky Three-Day Event with Mettraise.
Erin and Spike and Jeanne Sylvester’s 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare won the Land Rover Best Ride of the Day. They crossed the finish line right on the optimum time of 11 minutes 17 seconds for a double clear round in the mare’s first four-star!
The “Big Becky” grant has been a game-changer for every rider to have won it, and we can’t wait to see where it will take Erin!
The feeling you get when it’s just you and your horse
It’s why we do what we do.
Fight back against an energy crisis that can impact condition and performance
Equi-Jewel® is a high-fat, low-starch and -sugar formula that was developed to safely meet the energy needs of your horse. Whether you have a hard keeper that needs extra calories to maintain his weight, or a top performance horse that needs cool energy to perform at her peak, Equi-Jewel can meet your horse’s needs. Equi-Jewel reduces the risk of digestive upset, supports optimal muscle function, maintains stamina, and helps horses recover faster after hard work, all while providing the calories your horse needs to thrive.
The fat found in rice bran is an extraordinary source of dietary energy. In fact, fat contains more than two times the energy that carbohydrates and proteins do, thereby fueling horses more efficiently. Fat is considered a “cool” feedstuff because it does not cause the hormone spikes that lead to excitability. Adding stabilized rice bran to your horse’s diet allows you to decrease the amount of starchy concentrates (grains) you feed, reducing the risk of colic and laminitis resulting from grain overload. Equi-Jewel is an excellent source of calories for horses on low sugar and starch diets.
It is why the horse that matters to you matters to us. Not sure which horse supplement best meets your horse’s needs? We are here to help. Contact Kentucky Performance Products, LLC at 859-873-2974 or visit our website at KPPusa.com.
On Dec. 2-3, Mid-South Eventing & Dressage Association welcomed David O’Connor to the bluegrass for two-day educational forum. The first day consisted of in-seat education — read highlights from that in Part 1 here. The second day was a demonstration at the beautiful Valley View Farm in Midway, Ky.
There were four demonstrations throughout the day that focused on the development of horse and rider through the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training and Preliminary levels.
Although the horses and riders ranged in experience, O’Connor had each group start out with the same exercise. On a circle he had two poles randomly placed and asked each rider to trot over them. After a few rounds, he asked them to canter the poles and then challenged the riders to change the speed of the horse to get in more or fewer strides. For example, he asked the riders to canter from the center of one pole to the other in four-strides, then from the inside of one pole to the inside of the other pole in three strides and the same for the outside in five strides.
O’Connor’s solution to the rider’s problems was simple. The answer was that you should either go faster or slower — that’s it.
The Beginner Novice and Novice groups both had green horses, so O’Connor focused on developing their rhythm and balance using basic jumping grid exercises.
When it comes to the lower levels, O’Connor reminded riders to think of the horse’s perspective. He spent a few minutes discussing the importance of natural horsemanship while he gave a demonstration on groundwork. He added that you don’t have to be a guinea pig when it comes to a green horse. For example, the first time you ask a green horse to jump a ditch, do it on the lunge line and let the horse figure itself out without putting yourself in harm’s way. Once the horse has gained confidence in jumping the ditch, then you can get it on and try it yourself.
In the Training group, the riders were local professionals Megan Moore and Allie Knowles with green horses. Since O’Connor had more experienced riders in this group, he focused more on the horses.
Photo by Chelsea Smith.
To assess the horses’ suitability for upper levels, he set up a grid to test their jump. To start out, O’Connor asked the rider to go down a line with a single square oxer. Each time they approached, he added a bounce pole in front of the fence. By the end, he had set six bounce poles approaching the fence. O’Connor then removed all of the bounce poles and set up the oxer where the front rail was much higher than the back rail. He asked each rider to go down the line several times while he raised the back rail or widened the oxer to test the horse’s limits. It was very fun and exciting to watch!
Throughout the weekend, O’Connor stated several times that riders need to work more in forward seat — even in dressage. Yes, hike up your stirrups in your dressage saddle and get comfortable. Rider position was the theme of the day. With each group he commented on rider position; he wanted to be sure that the rider’s shoulders are parallel to the horse’s shoulders and that the rider’s hips are parallel to the horse’s hips. O’Connor said that the rider’s job is to become part of the horse’s motion. After you’ve established that connection, you can then direct the motion
He also reminded everyone that roundness in dressage is NOT the same as roundness in jumping. He wants the horses traveling straight and square, not with necks bent and haunches to the outside.
VHT hosted the first two years of the Intercollegiate Championship in 2016 and 2017. It was a brand new concept at the time but still wildly successful, with 10 schools and 10 teams at the inaugural Championship rising to 17 schools and 21 teams in the second year.
“We are thrilled to have the Intercollegiate Championship return to Virginia Horse Trials for one more year. To have participation more than double in the first two years of the Championship was very exciting and we look forward to continued progress in 2018,” said VHT Organizer Andy Bowles.
“It has been wonderful to be involved in the development of the Intercollegiate program. The enthusiasm from the students and the support of parents, coaches, and school faculty indicates that the future is bright for the Intercollegiate program. We are thankful to have played a part in that and hope to play a part in the future.”
Following the 2018 edition, the USEA will accept expressions of interest from organizers to determine the location of the 2019-2021 Intercollegiate Championships. The Championship will continue on a three-year venue rotation in order to “spread the concept and vary the ability of colleges and universities potentially limited by proximity to attend.”
“The Intercollegiate Program and its Championship are very important to the USEA. It is a central component of our larger strategic plan,” said USEA CEO Rob Burk. “In the first two years of the Championship, getting the right host site was vital. The Virginia Horse Center along with organizer Andy Bowles, team coordinator Leslie Threlkeld, and the whole team from the Virginia Horse Trials have knocked it out of the park! We are excited to have one more year of the Intercollegiate Eventing Championships in Virginia.”
Texas A&M, winners of the 2017 Spirit Award. Photo by Rob Burk.
During the Intercollegiate Open Forum at the USEA Convention last week, the Intercollegiate Committee reported that in 2017, there were 215 USEA members who received the discounted Collegiate Membership and 33 colleges and universities registered as affiliates, which makes those schools eligible to compete at the Intercollegiate Championship. In 2017, 23 of those affiliates sent teams to a either the Championship or an intercollegiate team challenge (or both).
The Intercollegiate program is strong on the East Coast with Areas 2, 3 and 8 have the most affiliates (six or more) while Areas 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 have only one or two affiliates. Areas 9 and 10 have none. Reaching out to event organizers and schools in the less active areas in order to promote the Intercollegiate program is a focus of the Committee going forward.
Are you interested in joining an Intercollegiate Eventing Team? Click here to see if your school is already a registered affiliate with the USEA.
Want to start a team at your college or university? The Intercollegiate Committee has created a guide to assist students in forming teams at their college or university and also a guide to assist organizers in running a collegiate team challenge at their event. Those documents are available on the USEA website here and here.
We’re huge fans of the Intercollegiate Program here at EN and we’re so excited to watch this program thrive!
It’s day three of EN’s “12 Days of Christmas,” featuring a giveaway a day from our amazing and very holiday-spirited sponsors! Today’s lucky winner will receive a prize pack from World Equestrian Brands, including a…
Mattes Ear Bonnet: Imagine how fly your horse will look in a custom crocheted ear bonnet, made from the finest Egyptian cotton. Whether sporting your cross country colors or opting for dressage judge approved conservative hues, you and your horse alike will appreciate the comfort, quality and fit of your new Mattes Ear Bonnet.
Hamag Number Holder: Tired of dealing with unsightly torn plastic holders? Hamag Leather Number Holders are handmade in Australia from quality materials and have been designed to last a lifetime. And we mean it when we say that they WILL NOT fall off! You’ve seen top eventers like Kim Severson and Buck Davidson use them, and now you can own one of your own.
Equilibrium Crunch-Its: Crunchits are naturally healthy, low sugar, bite-sized treats made with healthy stuff like strawberry, beetroot, parsnip, carrot, banana, pea and spinach. Tasty AND nutritious — only the best for your perfect pony!
Ready to win? Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Entries will close at midnight EST tonight, with the winner to be announced in News & Notes tomorrow morning. Good luck! Go Eventing.
This should really not be that mesmerizing. I really should not be watching it on loop. I am not absolutely fascinated by Michael Jung making random faces and it absolutely does not make him adorable and relatable. Not at all.
National Holiday: Ice Cream Day (Because it’s not cold or anything…)
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Patiently waiting for 2018…
Your Wednesday News & Notes:
Our historic Fair Hill winner Foxwood High is up for EquiRatings Horse of the Year. Foxwood High capped off a banner year by becoming the first Canadian winner of Fair Hill. This capped off a season that saw his dressage drop ten points from start to finish, his stadium improve and his cross country faster. [ER HOTY Contender]
Breaking tack on course is everyone’s worst nightmare. And yet, it seems to happen more often than it should. Re-live tales of riders who have broken tack and gone on to finish…or take the sensible route and retire when it’s too dangerous. [7 Terrifying Moments]
The Intercollegiate Championships will return to VAHT again. After hosting for two years, VAHT has been awarded the Intercollegiate Championships for one more year before they are opened up for a bid for the next three years. The USEA hopes to rotate to venues accessible to other college programs to grow the Intercollegiate participation. [Intercollegiate Championships Will Return]
SmartPak Product of the Day: Guys. Horseware products are on sale. Horseware products haven’t been on sale as long as I remember, so please go stock up on Rambo turnouts while you can! [SmartPak]
Congrats to Morgan, our day two winner of EN’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaways! Morgan will receive a StretchTech Shoulder Relief Girthfrom our awesome sponsor Total Saddle Fit. Tune in to EN later today for your next chance to win a prize from one of EN’s awesome sponsors.
The last big indoor eventing competition was held over the weekend at CHI Genève in Switzerland. This venue showcases flashy portables alongside eventing fixtures like water drops and banks on a track that winds around the both the spacious main arena and into a secondary ring practically inside the trade fair.
Frenchman Karim Laghoaug was the big winner with Punch, followed by World Number One Michael Jung aboard Corazon. We’ve got every single ride shown in today’s video with Karim starting at 36:21, and Michael starting at 57:01. Happy watching!
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This is a next-level girth. Building on the massive success and effectiveness of Total Saddle Fit’s Shoulder Relief Girth, with its revolutionary shoulder freedom and elbow clearance, the StretchTech girth features a triangular center elastic that contours perfectly to a horse’s barrel and allows for the 1.5 cm chest expansion that horses undergo go while breathing. This offers less respiratory restriction and even girth contact on the horse’s chest while in work.
Lauren Schwartzenberger shared a glowing review of the girth with EN in which she gave it two thumbs up — you can read it here.
Ready to win? Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Entries will close at midnight EST tonight, with the winner to be announced in News & Notes tomorrow morning. Good luck! Go Eventing.
Equestrian Australia is leading the eventing world by example, having yesterday announced a rule change that mandates the use of approved FEI frangible devices. Beginning Feb. 1, 2018, frangible devices must be utilized “on those fences in 1*/2*/3*/4* courses in Australia (National and FEI events) where the materials fit the specifications for use of a frangible device.”
The initiative to introduce frangible pins was originally implemented with financial support from the Equestrian Australia Making Eventing Safer Fund, supported by Terry Snow, and the Olivia Inglis Foundation.
The Making Eventing Safer Fund will distribute $45,000 toward the rollout of frangible devices at all EA events across Australia, with funding to be matched by State Eventing Committees, meaning a total of $90,000 will be spent on improving safety. The fund was introduced following the deaths of two young Australian event riders, Caitlyn Fischer and Olivia Inglis, last year.
The change was made following a series of meetings at the Australian International Three-Day Event in Adelaide last month involving the Equestrian Australia Eventing Committee, the EA National Safety Officer, members of the FEI Risk Management Steering Group (Mike Etherington-Smith and Geoff Sinclair) and EA Chair Judy Fasher.
The new rule is in addition to other initiatives being carried out by EA toward improved safety of both horses and riders. Its implementation is supported by an explanatory memorandum for Officials and Organising Committees with an Officials’ Education Program to be rolled out in February and March 2018. You can view the updated 2018 EA Eventing Rules here.
In this video, Olympic medalist Stuart Tinney talks about the “Making Eventing Safer” initiative to introduce frangible jumps in Australia, and breaks down how this technology works.
Despite calls for the FEI to make frangible devices compulsory from National Federations, including the U.S. and Canada, as well as events such as Badminton and individual leaders within the sport, the FEI confirmed in a Dec. 7 Risk Management memo that it will not be enforcing a global rule until more evidence is available.
From the memo:
Why is the FEI not making [frangible device] use mandatory?
“The global use of frangible technology is one of our goals in risk management, and it is the FEI’s role to provide the necessary educational and logistical support to National Federations to enable them to source approved devices, ensure their correct use and ultimately decide when the time is right to make their use compulsory so that frangible technology is used effectively worldwide. We are also encouraging the National Federations, alongside the FEI, to look at other aspects of risk management, including coaching and course design. Frangible technology is clearly part of the way forward, but it is one element in a complex picture.
“While rotational horse falls have decreased dramatically, there is evidence – as highlighted in the Barnett report – that the number of horse falls in general is higher at fences fitted with frangible technology. Although clearly it could be the question rather than the frangible technology that is causing these falls, more information and data is needed to understand this horse fall rate.
“It is a priority to reduce horse falls as a whole so this is where data collection is an extremely important part of the decision-making process around the world. However, as stated above, FEI statistics show that rotational falls have been reduced by more than 50% in the 10-year period from 2006-2016 so there are clear benefits. The bottom line is that we need to have a better understanding of this evidence, and where it fits into the overall picture, before we can consider making the use of frangible technology mandatory.”
Isn’t that going against the recommendations of the Risk Management Steering Group?
“Following the recommendations of the Risk Management Steering Group, we are continuing to work with our National Federations on the logistical and educational elements of frangibles, respecting the individual decision of each National Federation regarding their eventual mandatory use in their own country when they have the knowledge base to ensure the technology can be effectively used. The decision of National Federations to use frangible technology is fully supported by the FEI and in line with National Federations taking their responsibilities on risk management. However, following a more comprehensive evaluation by the FEI Eventing Committee and for the reasons mentioned above, the FEI strongly believes that it would not be beneficial to the sport to impose mandatory implementation at this point in time.”
So should the FEI stop recommending the use of frangible technology?
“No, for the same reasons as above, but the facts are that although we have evidence that there is an increased risk of horse falls at fences fitted with frangible technology, rotational falls have been dramatically decreased and the percentage of serious injuries have also shown a strong reduction, halved from 0.28% of starters in 2006 to 0.13% in 2016. The percentage of horse falls overall is also reducing, going down from 1.76% of starters in 2006 to 1.4% in 2016, so the risk management strategy is clearly having a positive effect.”
“The bottom line is that we need to have a better understanding of this evidence, and where it fits into the overall picture, before we can consider making the use of frangible technology mandatory.”
Read the full memo here, and access the FEI Eventing Risk Management and Action Plan here.
Photo courtesy of Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Good news for fans of equestrian sport! NBC Sports Group has received exclusive U.S. media rights to air the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be held Sept. 11-23, 2018 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.
The Olympic Channel will air more than 50 hours of coverage from WEG, with NBC and NBCSN showing 15 hours of live coverage. All coverage will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Coverage on the Olympic Channel will also be streamed on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app.
“Our vision is to broaden the reach of equestrian sport to an audience of horse enthusiasts around the country, and we appreciate NBC Sports Group’s partnership as we deliver the most televised equestrian sports coverage in history,” Mark Bellissimo, founder and CEO of Tryon International Equestrian Center, said.
“The 2014 Games in France attracted a cumulative global broadcast audience of 350 million, so this partnership with NBC will be an important factor in boosting numbers for Tryon 2018.”
An anticipated 1,000 athletes, 1,500 horses, and 500,000 spectators from more than 70 countries are expected to attend WEG. Tickets have already been sold to people from all 50 U.S. states and 31 countries. WEG is projected to be the highest-attended sporting event in the U.S. in 2018.
