While it hasn’t snowed in Virginia (yet), it is definitely entering what I like to call the “Michelin Man” zone, wherein I wake up in the pitch black, go to my closet, and spend 10 full minutes intricately layering my clothing so to survive 10-12 hours unimpeded in the outdoors. I learned long ago to invest in very warm items that are also very thin (hello, nano puff jacket and under armour long sleeves) as you can layer a lot of them while still feeling like you can move your arms. There’s nothing worse than feeling like the little brother from A Christmas Story on your way to the barn!
News From Around the Globe:
Kentucky Equine Research is offering $15 off any order over $100 on shop.kerx.com through the month of December. The promotion includes ClockIt heart-rate monitors, which only going on sale this time of year. Heart-rate monitors make great stocking stuffers for the techy equestrian on your Christmas shopping list! [shop.kerx.com]
If you’ve got a horse with ulcers, you know that maintenance is a big part of your future success. After treating for gastric ulcers medically, the best way to keep them at bay is through a feeding and care program that prevents reoccurrence. Horse & Hound offers some advice on how and what to feed a horse with ulcers. [H&H Question & Answer]
This ain’t your grandma’s bedding anymore. People are getting creative with what they stuff in their stalls these days, with lots of different alternatives to regular old shavings or straw. Did you know that you can use corn husks? Or that you can get hemp bedding? Me neither. While some of these bedding options are best if locally sourced, they could be the key to your success in the barn this winter. [Bedding Alternatives]
Now that you’ve clipped your horse naked, the wind is picking up, and you might feel kinda bad going on a hack. If you don’t already, maybe pick up a nice quarter sheet? This one from SmartPak is incredibly nice fleece, comes in different colors, and really covers the important parts. Even better, it’s on sale for only $25!! I may or may not have just bought one myself. [SmartPak Product of the Day]
I know I’m not the only one who stays up late watching these old jumper videos…right??
David O'Connor speaks to the High Performance riders at the USEA Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
David O’Connor spoke to the U.S. High Performance riders this afternoon at the USEA Convention in Fort Lauderdale following yesterday’s announcement that he will remain Eventing Technical Advisor through 2018, though with less of a focus on hands-on coaching.
The change in his role came following a three-month review process of the USEF Eventing High Performance program after the U.S. did not complete a team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“In the review of this — coming after such an emotional letdown, an honest letdown — going through that becomes soul-searching. It becomes heart-rending, and the review process becomes very important.”
As U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor, David will remain the chef d’equipe of the team at international competitions, but his role will now shift to managing the personalized coaching programs of the High Performance listed riders rather than directly coaching each listed rider.
The idea, David explained, is to give the riders the power to manage their own coaching and develop close relationships with their personalized coaches, who can in turn communicate with David to ensure the next major goal for the High Performance program is met: to continue improving in all three phases.
“(Rio) was a huge disappointment to the country and to us that put so much time and effort into it. That day didn’t work out, but I don’t believe the program is broken. I think the program is actually working and the program has a way forward,” David said. “We’re developing an international presence and in a place that around the world, including the Olympic Games, we have players in the top five fairly consistently.”
The next step, David said, is for the riders to “academically look at their program” and “set target markers for what is achievable” to improve their scores, consistency and overall performance in dressage, cross country and show jumping.
“What is your percentage of jumping clear rounds on cross country for CCI and CIC? How many clear show jumping rounds do you jump at CIC and CCI? … If you’re on a 49 average score for dressage, can you get that down to a 47 or 46 in a short time? Then set a long-term target to get that below 45,” David said.
“How are you doing to do that? Who do you have that helps you? Who do you have that on an everyday basis is coaching you? If you’re a 75 percent clear cross country-jumping rider, can you get that to 80 percent? What are you going to do to be able to help improve that? Tell me that plan. Let’s agree on that plan.”
David said he expects USEF High Performance Training Lists to be released in the next month, and listed riders will have access to funding to pay for the coaches in their personalized training programs. (The winter/spring lists have not yet been released due to the three-month long review process following Rio.)
The overall process of how the riders on the Training Lists are selected and removed will also be made more clear and transparent going forward, David said. “That way the owners understand it and the public understands it. It will also be made clear how someone comes off the list. That will be more clear as we go on.”
USEF Eventing High Performance Sessions will also look a bit different under this program shift to focus on personalized coaching and will no longer be mandatory for listed riders because not all riders will be working directly with David.
Riders can still choose to work with David in their individual coaching programs, and, for example, a training session could be scheduled if multiple listed riders working with him are in the same geographic location. Additionally, if multiple listed riders train with Richard Picken or Silvio Mazzoni in show jumping, for example, a training session with those coaches could be scheduled, and David would be on site to observe.
David also addressed the new Olympic and World Equestrian Games formats during the High Performance Riders session. (Cross country is downgrading to a three-star level for both, starting with the 2018 WEG at Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Click here and here to read more.)
“WEG is only 20 months away on a property we’ve never been on before. It’s a home-field advantage because of the fans and the enthusiasm, but it isn’t a true home-field advantage because we haven’t run over that property over and over again like we had at Kentucky. Twenty months away is right around the corner,” David said.
“I want you to forget that WEG has been changed to a three-star. It’s still a 10-minute course. Usually on a three-star course there are 40 jumping efforts; at four-star there are 45. It’s going to have the same intensity. … It’s going to feel like a four-star and ride like a four-star. It’s going to be everything you ever thought a World Championships would be.”
While Derek di Grazia was named the course designer for the 2018 WEG when the Games were still at Bromont, the course designer is now in question due to the location change. The FEI confirmed to EN last month that the 2018 WEG course designer has not yet been determined. (Capt. Mark Phillips designed the American Eventing Championships course at Tryon this year and is also designing the course for The Fork at the venue next spring.)
Finally, David addressed sending riders overseas to compete. “We made a huge investment over the last four years on a strategic plan and taking riders overseas. … I can see the targets being strict for getting funding to go to Europe,” he said. “If you have ambition, don’t wait for the government to send you. If you have ambition, make that happen.”
Stay tuned for much more from the #USEAConvention. Go Eventing.
Perfect balance! What we are all seeking in eventing. Photo courtesy of Holly Covey.
In all things, there is a season … so the famous old saying goes. In eventing, we too have seasons, but not just for competition and training our horses. We also have seasons of the spirit.
A human changes throughout their life; so a rider also changes from the early days of beginner awkwardness to middle years of competency and balance in the saddle and life. As we progress, we swing constantly from ninja warrior, fighting the battles in the ring with a green or reluctant horse, to prima ballerina, flexible and soft, creating a beautiful scene of harmony.
One of the reasons I think the sport of eventing attracts so many riders in middle life are the multiple opportunities to excel, the three avenues of sport to tackle and master and see through to the end. The phases work together to produce a horseman from start to finish line, and we get the experiences of competition, equitation, training, strategy, care and horsemanship along the way.
There’s a lot written about riders who work hard, nose to the grindstone, produce their own horses from first backing to three-star, and we admire their toughness and skill. We also admire riders who seamlessly ride many different horses well, taking on rogues and sensitive, difficult horses and producing beautiful cross country rounds from each — often in the same day.
It’s a balance we seek, the happy medium, the right amount of force and the right amount of kindness. In order to get a horse in front of your leg, you may have to carry a whip, and you may have to use it. That’s the ninja part. In order to get the proper lateral work out of your horse, you may have to sit very still and apply just a light aid to get the right amount of bend. That’s the ballerina.
For those of us in life who were just a little bit of dancer and just a little bit of warrior, eventing seems like a good fit. We don’t have to stand up to impossible expectations, fight for respect, mind political objectives, tiptoe around or wield authority in the flow of learning that is eventing. We can be good and not have to be great. We can achieve without specializing. We can tap into both our sword and our tutu to enjoy the sport and riding our horses.
So here’s the constant problem with this quotient: It’s an equal share of warrior and dancer that produces the sporting spirit. That last thing isn’t the most important thing in the world, and sometimes it’s not even important at all to some event riders. Not everyone wants to worry about competition, winning and all that. Sometimes, you just compete to check your progress, and in that vein, sporting spirit becomes all about FAIRNESS.
No one set gains more than another set. No one is seen as worse or better than another rider or competitor, no matter why they are there or how they arrive. All have equality, Olympic medalist to 60-year-old Beginner Novice eventer, 18-year-old young rider candidate to 8-year-old on the pony, professional on eight horses and backyard amateur on one cherished lifetime horse.
Some people in eventing confuse competitiveness with business. They do not want fairness; they want an advantage. Because they make their living in the sport, they equate competition with opportunity. When we give importance to this, we do a disservice to the balance, and I believe, we jeopardize the very attraction of the balance the sport gives us. If 30,000 people thought the ticket they bought to attend Rolex cross-country Saturday was to pad the pockets of the 40 or so pros that rode that day, they certainly wouldn’t be there to cheer them. Why do they come? You know the answer.
Having a great sport with balance needs its members to show up and bring the sword on occasion. We’ll fight for the right thing in our sport, and we’ll stand up to bullies who want to capitalize on wrong-headed aggressiveness. Yet, we’ll temper the competitiveness with sensitivity to our horses who are but willing animals giving us what we ask.
We’ll stand for those who aren’t talking or can’t make it to the meetings. We’ll argue for fairness, protect the weak, look out for the inexperienced and newbies. Aggression isn’t always the answer, whether in the warm-up ring on up to the highest levels of the sport. Sometimes tact and skill are more important than big bits. When we lose the ninja side to the ballerina side, the spirit of the sport suffers.
This balancing of spirit in the sport also means we’ll find solutions for the needs of upper-level riders living out of their horse trailers and eating ramen noodles trying to afford entry fees and travel expenses. We’ll take into account the hard work and care needed to keep top level horses in the game, in this country and overseas and seek funding to keep owners in the game. We need to keep all our great organizers coming back to year after year to let their land be a place of sport, and most important of all, increase respect of the volunteers who literally carry the sport on their backs. We need aggressive solutions to these concerns!
We’re ninjas AND we’re ballerinas. We all are. That’s why we’re here, why we ride, why we spend most of our non-working waking hours in the barn, on the horse, online or on foot at events, volunteering and cheering. We ride like warriors at the trakehner and yet have to put on the tutu and make fun of ourselves once in a while. We seek the mixture of tough and soft, strong and sensitive, the balance of accomplishment over great tests yet the satisfaction of simply nailing that canter depart. This balance creates the spirit.
We check our spirit for this balance each day we ride, and it makes us whole beings and better people. Our horses create this opportunity for us, and we are never wrong to thank them and appreciate them for the education they provide us and the sport. How much our lives are enriched by their generosity and kind willingness, and how our hearts (and other body parts occasionally) ache to ride better and become the rider our horses need us to be. It is our mission.
How are you balancing the quotient? In your everyday riding and in your consideration for the sport you love? Here’s your challenge: Wear the tutu, but carry the sword, just in case. Keep an eye out for fairness in everything you see and hear in eventing this year. From the USEA Convention to winter clinics and seminars to lessons, competition, volunteering, and interaction with professionals and officials. Keep the balance. Seek the spirit of the sport, the balance of ninja and ballerina. Wear the tutu, but carry the sword!
Welcome to Fort Lauderdale! Photo by Daniel Dudek/Creative Commons.
It’s that time of year again! Eventers from all across the country are heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to attend the 2016 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention this weekend at the Diplomat Resort & Spa. For those of us who live in parts of the U.S. where winter has arrived, the USEA Convention presents a wonderful opportunity to get out of the cold for a few days and enjoy the sunshine.
Beyond an excuse for a warm-weather getaway, the Convention also presents a time for USEA members from all backgrounds — professionals, amateurs, officials, organizers and beyond — to come together and discuss critical issues facing the sport at a national level.
This year’s USEA Convention schedule is packed with open forums and educational sessions you don’t want to miss. Be sure to check out the entire schedule to plan your Convention itinerary, and we’ve highlighted five must-do things below. See you in Fort Lauderdale, EN!
USEA Annual Meeting of Members and Luncheon Saturday noon-2 p.m. Great Hall 3 The one and only William Fox-Pitt will deliver the keynote address at this year’s luncheon. The Annual Meeting is also an exciting time as we thank outgoing Board of Governors members and welcome new faces. The following are joining the Board of Governors this year: Max Corcoran, Janis Linnan, Jennifer Miller, Darin Mollett, Morgan Rowsell, Alice Sarno and Jerry Schurink.
Rio Olympic Games Recap with Phillip Dutton Saturday, Dec. 10, 2-3 p.m. Great Hall 2
This is your chance to hear the first-hand account of our individual bronze medalist Phillip Dutton at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games! (You can definitely expect to hear a play-by-play of Phillip and Mighty Nice’s incredible save at the corner combination on cross country.)
Town Hall and Summit Recap Saturday 3-4 p.m. Great Hall 2 Following the Eventing 2016-2026 USEA Summit at the 2015 USEA Convention, town hall meetings were then held in every area of the country this year to discuss key issues facing the sport. USEA CEO Rob Burk and USEA President Diane Pitts will present the findings from the town hall meetings, show members how they can track the progress of recommendations that were made, and discuss how member input will be used to better the sport going forward.
USEA Year-End Awards Dinner 6:30-9:30 p.m. Great Hall 3 Jimmy Wofford will once again emcee the USEA Year-End Awards Ceremony, which is always a highlight of the USEA Convention. We’re also in for an extra special treat this year, as The Fork at Tryon International Equestrian Center is sponsoring a South Beach After Glow Party following the awards dinner starting at 9:30 p.m.
EquiRatings with Sam Watson and Diarm Byrne Saturday 10:30-11:30 a.m. Room 314 By now you’ve heard of the Irish stats chaps who are changing the face of equine sports data analysis. EquiRatings co-founders Sam Watson and Diarm Byrne have traveled all the way from Ireland to lead a session on how data science can lead to a better and safer sport. If you love following EquiRatings on Twitter, you’re going to love this session!
U.S. Olympian Kerry Millikin always felt that riding and showing a horse at its best is an art form. Although she no longer competes, she still strives to portray the same beauty of movement and athleticism through art. She paints life-like landscapes, and her bronze sculptures are a showcase of the intensity and emotion of equestrian sport.
“I’m always trying to create the electric feeling of say jumping down a six foot drop into water. That sensation, that passion, the feeling, the movement. In the dressage it was the complexity and elegance of the horse and rider I am always trying to emulate,” she said.
Kerry always loved art but pursued a more conventional degree in nursing while she was competing on the international eventing stage. Among the many accomplishments for her and her off-track Thoroughbred Out and About was an individual bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, team bronze at the 1998 World Equestrian Games and team gold at the 1999 Pan American Games. Kerry turned towards art once more after retiring “Outie,” using her years of experience working with animals as a creative guide.
“Riding was an art form for me. It was a performance. It’s beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to see a horse galloping and jumping correctly. It was an art form to me to show off how beautiful and athletic these athletes are. Transferring that elegance and form into art is how I can show my appreciation and love of these athletes.”
In The Air. Sculpture by Kerry Millikin.
Kerry’s upbringing and eventing career positioned her well for her current career. Her mother was a dog breeder and trainer, and she and her sister Liz spent time on the racetrack with their mother from an early age. She describes it as a “lifelong study of the form and function of animals and athletes.”
“I always took care of my own horses. I put my hands down their legs every day and knew their anatomy and conformation. I knew how things were supposed to be put together and move. It’s not that that’s easy to transfer to sculpting. Every time they move different muscles contract and it’s challenging to put that into a 3D piece and get all the angles correct.”
The Lost Wax Process
Kerry uses the lost wax process to create her sculptures. Using an oil based clay that doesn’t dry out, she molds the clay to look like a leaping horse, a playful pup, a balanced dancer. She then transports the clay from her home in Massachusetts to New Art Foundry in Baltimore. Several layers of a rubber composite and then a plastic is painted over the clay until it is several times larger than the original piece.
Heated wax is then poured into the mold and separated when cool. A lot of detail can be lost during this process so the artist will work the wax until they are satisfied. “You make the clay as perfect as you can get it, but there is always something lost along the way,” Kerry lamented. “People don’t notice it, but the artist always does.”
When the artist is finished with the wax, it is outfitted with gates, or vents, dipped in a liquid as a protective shell and the wax is then melted out, or “lost.” The final step is pouring molten bronze into the casing. The foundry and artist work together at various stages after the pour to cover up evidence of the gates or imperfections and make final touch ups.
Kerry said she didn’t realize early on how much labor went into making bronzes, but like most riders, she is “used to hard work.”
Play Ball. Sculpture by Kerry Millikin.
Making a Sculpture ‘Move’
Before Kerry even begins a new piece she takes many photographs of a subject, capturing them from every angle so she can be sure to get the details just right. Then she will spend up to 40 hours or more on the clay, attempting to animate the object and bring it to life.
One of her favorite bronzes is Play Ball, an ode to her lab, Stogie, whom she lost last year. Another is To The Post, portraying a racehorse and jockey galloping to the start of a race. The forward movement of the horse makes it look like it will gallop off the table at any moment, and you can just imagine picking up the ball to toss for the patiently waiting Stogie.
Kerry says she “branching out” and sculpting human figures, seeking the same illusion of movement like what emerges in the grace and flexibility of Half Moon Dancer. The same amount of attention to detail and realism is evident in Kerry’s paintings, which often depict a beautiful landscape you can practically step into.
Kerry accepts commissions for clients; she made the USEA Hall of Fame trophies for the induction ceremonies last year. One piece she described with an obvious smile over the phone is All Ears, a trophy featuring Mike Huber with his dog and a young rider on a horse, going over the upcoming course.
Kerry is enjoying time at home working on her art but she is still active in the eventing community as a USEF Eventing Team selector and a current member of the USEF Eventing Committee and USEA Competitions Calendar and Rules Committee.
Many thanks to Kerry for allowing us to share some of her favorite bronzes here on EN. To see more of her work or to contact her for commissions, visit her website.
When your dad, the combat vet, picks out your heavyweight. ‘Murica. Photo by Jenny Smalley.
I’ve recently gotten enough time to go out Fox Hunting again, which I don’t usually do in the winter. Mostly, I’ve just always had horses that were nut bags and totally not suitable. One time, I took Nyls on a walk and talk with a small child student, and he spent the entire 2.5 hours running backwards, sideways, rearing, bucking, sweating, frothing, prancing and dancing. It was horrible. My giant red dinosaur, however, thinks that group trail rides are great! I’m pretty sure thats what he thinks hunting is about. You just blindly follow the horse in front of you, and then sometimes you stand around and the humans pass around beverages, right?
News From Around the Globe:
Savannah “Woodge” Fulton is this year’s recipient of the Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant. At only 20 years old, Woodge has been competing the 13-year-old thoroughbred, Captain Jack, at the CIC3* and CCI3* level all year. They were 7th together at Bromont CCI3* and ran a double clear cross country round at Fair Hill CCI3* this fall. She will receive $5,000 to help offset some of her training costs as she continues her path to hopefully one day represent the US in international competition. [Woodge Fulton Wins Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant]
If you’re trying to work your horse with long hair this winter, you’re constantly faced with how to help him dry out. Horses are designed to dry their bodies by using body heat to push the moisture out to the tip of the hair, but when they’re super sweaty or wet from rain, they lose the ability to do this, and just stand around burning calories being cold. Certain kinds of coolers are better than others, and certain methods are definitely more effective and quick than others. [Dry Your Damp Horse in Winter]
Kentucky Equine Research is offering $15 off any order over $100 on shop.kerx.com through the month of December. The promotion includes ClockIt heart-rate monitors, which only going on sale this time of year. Heart-rate monitors make great stocking stuffers for the techy equestrian on your Christmas shopping list! [shop.kerx.com]
Everyone else in the “real” world is all excited about the holidays and the possibility of snow. All equestrians can think of is how depressing it is to keep waking up when it’s pitch black outside, don 34 layers of clothing, and trudge through the inevitable upcoming months of mud to retrieve equally muddy horses. [Tis The Season To Be Jolly]
Shout out to my neighbor Reynolds Cowles for being named the President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) this week. Dr. Cowles is famous around these parts, and we’re so proud that he’s getting the recognition that he deserves as a long time sport horse practitioner. Founder of Blue Ridge Equine Clinic in 1979, and deeply involved in both the Thoroughbred racing community as well as the sport horse world that is so richly available in central Virginia, Dr. Cowles brings a lot of good experience to the table. [Reynolds Cowles Named AAEP President]
Take a virtual trip to the Lisronagh Point-To-Point in Co Tipperary, Ireland for the first ever ladies side saddle race to be run in the country! Thirteen ladies strapped on safety vests for the mile and a quarter race on horses of all breeds and sizes. You’ll meet some of the riders in the video, plus watch Amelia Turner chat about her victory with Money Bags.
If you can’t get enough of the Lisronagh Point-to-Point, David Maloney filmed more footage from the races you can watch on YouTube here. It was a dry, overcast and cold day in Ireland with ground described as “yielding” — perfect for a brisk day at the races!
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2014 America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest winner Icabad Crane has gone on to a successful eventing career, first with Phillip Dutton and currently with his daughter Olivia. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Thinking about throwing your hat in the ring of this year’s Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover? Do it! The trainer application process opened today, Dec. 7, and runs through Feb. 28, 2017.
For roundabout the cost of a regular horse trial, you could not only jump-start the career of an off-track horse but also be part of the biggest OTTB lovefest of the year. The 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium takes place October 5-8 at the Kentucky Horse Park and will feature competition in 10 disciplines ranging from eventing to barrel racing and polo.
Horses and their trainers will compete for $100,000 in prize money and the title of America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred. The event includes seminars, demonstrations, sponsor fair, and a livestreamed finale featuring the top three horses in each discipline.
Detailed information is available at the RRP website but here’s a fast and dirty eventer’s guide:
How do I apply to be a Makeover trainer?
The Makeover is open to all members of RPP so if you aren’t already you’ll need to join. Membership is $45 a year and has several perks including a one-year subscription to Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, a copy of Retired Racehorse Resource Directory, a free ticket to the Thoroughbred Makeover, discounts from sponsors and other benefits. Professionals, amateurs and juniors are all welcome to apply.
The next step is filling out an online trainer application, which asks for competition highlights, references, and videos of your riding skills. The application window is Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 through Feb. 28, 2017. See trainer forms and documents here.
There’s a $200 entry fee; if not accepted the fee will be returned minus a $25 processing fee.
Is my OTTB eligible?
The Makeover is open to Jockey Club registered horses that raced or had a published work after July 1, 2015. They must not have begun training for a second career before Dec. 1, 2016 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides or training sessions that introduce skills specific to non-racing careers. Some trainers will already have horses identified and others will begin a search after they are approved. Trainers can contract with owners or acquire the horse themselves.
How many OTTBs can I enter?
New for 2017, all approved trainers may enter up to two horses.
What does it cost?
There’s a $200 entry fee; if not accepted the fee will be returned minus a $25 processing fee. Other expenses, such as stabling at the competition, are outlined here.
What if I need to withdraw my OTTB?
Trainers may withdraw a horse from the Makeover at any time using the online Makeover Horse Withdrawal Form. Trainers may replace a scratched horse with any eligible horse as late as August 1, 2017. Replacement horses must be registered with the online Makeover Horse Registration Form.
What does the Makeover competition for eventing entail?
Note: The jumping format has changed from 2016 and will now feature a separate show jumping course and a longer cross country course. Rather than the combined jumping with only six to eight cross country fences it will feel more like a horse trials with all three phases.
Format for Show Jumping: All horses will be judged over a course set at dimensions for United States Eventing Association (USEA) Beginner Novice (2’7” maximum), Novice (2’11” maximum), or Training (3’3” maximum). Trainers will select their level with their final entry form in August.
Format for Cross Country: All horses will be judged over a cross country course of approximately twelve obstacles. Each obstacle will have at least two options, one at Beginner Novice dimensions (2’7”) and the other at Novice (2’11”). Optional fences may be offered for riders to demonstrate a higher level of training as well. Riders should jump the obstacle choice that best demonstrates the quality and level of their horse’s training. They need not jump all fences at the same level.
Finale: The top three scoring horses will compete for additional points in the finale, demonstrating basic work on the flat and jumping a course that includes show jumps and cross country portables in the covered arena.
The scoring system for eventing has been simplified from 2016 — view the new scoring guidelines here.
What happens after the Makeover is over?
Owners can choose to keep their horses at the end of the process or offer them for sale. The Makeover Horse Sale is not an auction but an opportunity for buyers and sellers to do business in a setting that allows trial rides, pre-purchase exams, and observation of horses in competition.
David O'Connor at Badminton 2016. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
The USEF just announced that David O’Connor will serve as the Eventing Technical Advisor for the U.S. Eventing Team for the next two years with a focus on the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina.
“Following the post-Rio Review, the role of the Technical Advisor has been adjusted to focus more on management of the programs and the athlete’s personal programs and goals rather than hands-on coaching,” the USEF said in a press release.
David will work alongside Joanie Morris, the USEF Managing Director of Eventing, “in the development and implementation of eventing plans, pathway, program and systems that will help grow programs for developing and elite athletes.”
“I think this is a great opportunity to continue strengthening the U.S. Eventing Team and the sport overall,” David said. “I will work closely with the Eventing Managing Director, the Eventing Sport Committee, personal coaches and athletes to communicate targets and strategies for continual athlete improvement and to develop a sustainable system in all three phases to deliver medals.”
The USEF added that David will continue working to implement his “pipeline program,” which he introduced in 2012 to “more effectively identify and develop talented youth while also developing programs for the riders at the top end of the sport.”
“David has brought continuity and commitment to U.S. Eventing for years,” USEF President Chrystine Tauber said. “From his gold medal and his position as President of the USEF, to his continued focus on growing development programs, David is well positioned to move the sport of eventing forward.
“As an athlete, chef d’equipe and technical advisor, David has been fully committed to the process of making the USA a leader in the eventing world.”
Chelsea Kolman and Dauntless Courage at Fair Hill 2016. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It wasn’t more than a year ago that Kentucky-based eventer Chelsea Kolman and her Percheron/Thoroughbred cross, Dauntless Courage, stole our hearts. When we first met Chelsea and “Dante,” they were just beginning to get their sea legs, collecting top places at the Training and Preliminary level with a a goal to represent Area VIII at the Adequan North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.
“Young Riders was our most recent goal,” Chelsea said. “I like to set goals as stepping stones so I don’t feel trapped if I don’t get to one of them.” After obtaining their qualification at Poplar Place earlier this year, Chelsea set her sights on the Colorado Horse Park and the CICY2* at Young Riders.
Chelsea and Dauntless Courage at NAJYRC. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Coming of Age in Colorado
“We traveled to Colorado a week early, which was tough for Dante, who isn’t used to being in a stall,” Chelsea said. Though it was difficult for 18-hand Dante, who lives out at home, to be in a stall during Young Riders, he still came out guns blazing to lead the Area VIII team following dressage.
Chelsea knew after walking cross country that it would be a tough course that would test her horse’s rideability. “It was definitely unlike any course I’ve ever ridden,” she said. “It was a long course of maxed out tables, but we all had good cross country horses. I was teamed up with Margaret Ragan and Woods Baughman, and I knew we had a good shot on cross country.”
Through her many adventures with Dante, Chelsea has gotten to know her horse like the back of her hand. “He has two ways of going: He’s either spot on and will jump exactly when I tell him to, or he will get really deep to the fences and just pop over them. Unfortunately on cross country day, the latter is what I had.”
Though Chelsea and Dante broke a frangible pin on cross country, they still went inside the time and found themselves in team gold medal position thanks to double clear rounds from Margaret and Woods. The last rider to go for Area VIII in the show jumping finale, Chelsea was feeling the pressure as she entered the ring to try to seal the gold medal for the team.
“I came to the fifth jump and my rein broke. I pulled him up and leaned over to tie it as quickly as I could. Surprisingly, I remembered where I was going after that. We had two rails after that, but that was a really big moment for me that he let me tie that rein back. It was unbelievable,” Chelsea said.
“He typically has good composure, but what people don’t realize is that he can lose his brain sometimes, and so I was fully prepared for him to try to jump out of the arena after that. It just melted my heart that he stopped. We ended up with a bronze medal, and it was definitely our team’s highest show jumping score, but I was thrilled with him.”
Chelsea and Dauntless Courage after NAJYRC Show Jumping. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Ticking the Boxes
With Young Riders checked off on Chelsea’s list of goals, she next looked ahead to the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* in October. “Fair Hill was actually planned at the beginning of the year. I came to my coach Cathy Wieschhoff after our last Training level and told her that I wanted to take this horse to Young Riders at the two-star level. She kind of chuckled a bit, but said that if I put in the time and was consistent that she’d do our best to get us there,” Chelsea said.
“I know she believed in me, but she hadn’t known me for that long and to look at the horse he was, nobody thought he’d get there. But once Cathy saw us move up to Intermediate, she said, ‘I want you to get to Young Riders, and then I want you to take him to Fair Hill in the fall.’ So that’s been the goal.”
Chelsea is a self-proclaimed planner who likes to set her goals years in advance. “A lot of people set their sights on one thing and are gutted and broken if that doesn’t pan out,” she said. “Dante cannot handle that. He feeds 100 percent on me, and I never want to make him feel as if he isn’t good enough or hasn’t done his job. I try to set us up to succeed so that if one show doesn’t work out, we have another opportunity to get to our final plan.”
Red and Blue Numbers
Chelsea never really pictured herself as a rider at the upper levels. When she first began to catch the eventing bug, she thought she’d try to get to the Preliminary level and didn’t have ambitions to go above that. With Dante, Chelsea always promised that she’d take him as far as he wanted to go, but no further. It didn’t take long for Dante to surpass all expectations and for Chelsea to begin picturing red numbers.
“By about halfway through our Prelim year I’d planned out our whole Intermediate season,” she laughed. “I started doing cross country with him to calm his brain, and he just loved it. He was so good at it that I thought, ‘I could never take that away from this horse.’ I thought I would be content running Prelim, but I knew we had more in us.”
Fair Hill was a big goal, and fitness was a challenge for the big-bodied draft cross. Chelsea made it a priority to put horsemanship and Dante’s needs first every step of the way. “My theory on fitness is not to overdo it because he’s so big. He swims three times a week, and I have to do sprints for our gallops because his heart rate does not elevate easily,” Chelsea said.
“He never lost his shape over the fences at Fair Hill and he made the time, but he was definitely tired by the end of the course. Now that we’re starting to look at Advanced as the next step, I know we’ll need to get him even more fit going forward. But, he wasn’t fit to run the three-star at Fair Hill this year because he isn’t running three-star right now. He was just as fit as he needed to be.”
Chelsea and Dante scored 56.3 in dressage to sit in 30th place after the first phase. A double clear cross country trip boosted them to 10th place, and they added one rail in show jumping on the final day to finish in 11th place on 60.3 at Fair Hill.
Chelsea and Dante at Midsouth. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Born This Way
At home, Dante will enjoy a bit of downtime, which includes as much time as possible in turnout getting fuzzy, before he and Chelsea go back to work to prepare for the 2017 season. “You wouldn’t even recognize him if you saw him when he’s on vacation,” Chelsea said. “I like for him to be a horse as much as possible. It keeps it fun for the horse, and you never want to take the fun out of it for them.”
Chelsea already has her plans laid out for the next season with her endlessly courageous horse. “I’m going to work my butt off to get us ready for the next level,” she said. “His heart goes to the moon and back. I know he’d do anything I ask of him, so it’s going to be about returning the favor and listening to him. I’m just going to strategically get us where we need to be because this is what he was born to do.”
