Strzegom will host is first FEI European Eventing Championships on Aug. 24-17 of next year. The Polish venue was the site of the fourth leg of 2016 FEI Nations Cup Eventing in June and was hotly contested by teams seeking to get a feel for its cross country track.
Course Designer Rudiger Schwarz is beginning the final stage of preparations for next year’s event, with the track set and new concepts for each fence having been developed.
This video does a good job of showcasing the lay of the land, which looks emerald-green and sprawling!
For more information on the Championships, visit the website here.
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One trip to Ocala, two seminars, three days of education … mark your calendars for Feb. 20-22, when an educational opportunity will be taking place in Ocala that you won’t want to miss!
In the past the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) and the USEA’s Future Event Horse (FEH) and Young Event Horse (YEH) Programs have hosted their educational symposiums separately. But for 2017 they are teaming up to provide USEA members the opportunity to access both learning experiences in one place.
Here’s what you need to know about the two concurrent symposiums:
What: USEA ICP Symposium, featuring Australian Olympian, Burghley CCI4* and Le Lion d’Angers winner Chris Burton
Cost: $50 for a single day fee for the general public, or a $35 fee for ICP certified instructors, USEF licensed officials, or those who are attending any days of the FEH/YEH symposium. The two-day fee is $60 for ICP certified instructors or USEF licensed officials, or $90 for the general public.
For more information: Contact Nancy Knight ([email protected] or 703-669-9997) or register here.
Auditors gather to watch Silvio Mazzoni teach day two of the Ocala ICP Symposium in 2016. Photo by Sally Spickard.
What: USEA Training and Education of the Young Eventing Horse Symposium, featuring Irish young horse producer and judge Chris Ryan, Olympian Leslie Law and ICP clinician Chris Burton
When: Monday, Feb. 20 (FEH) and Wednesday, Feb. 22 (YEH)
Where: Morning classroom sessions at the Clubhouse at the Ocala Jockey Club, afternoon live horse sessions at Longwood Farm South
Cost: One-time fee of $50, whether you choose to attend one or both days. Attendees may audit both Monday and Wednesday for $50 total, then receive a discount to audit the ICP Symposium on Tuesday for only $35.
For more information: Contact Kate Lokey ([email protected] or 703-779-9897) or register online here.
What’s in Your Ring? is a new EN series in which riders share their favorite jumping exercises. It’s easy to get stuck in a training rut, and we hope this will inspire you with fresh ideas that you can take home and incorporate into your own programs.
Cantering a straight line through the zig zig as poles on the ground is one of several possible variations on this versatile exercise. Screenshot from video.
Molly Doan has had a big 2016 with her horse Northern Go. A sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, she and “Digger” moved up to Prelim together earlier this year — a first for them both.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky to grow up with my current horse, Digger,” she says. “We did our very first Starter event together almost six years ago and earlier this season, we did our first Preliminary. Producing my own upper level horse has been a challenge, but Digger has proved to be a gracious and forgiving partner. Of course, I couldn’t have made it here without the being a member of Team V Eventing, coached by Clare VanderWoude.”
Molly Doan and Northern Go. Photo by Rona Neri-Bergmann.
In addition to Digger, Molly owns an OTTB named Tiago whom she is excited to bring up the levels. She has big plans for both horses this winter.
“I’m counting down the days until the semester is over as I will pack up the boys and head to Florida to be a working student for Cathy Jones-Forsberg and compete in my first one-star,” she says.
Molly and Digger closed out their season with a 7th-place finish in an Open Prelim division at the Hagyard Midsouth Three-day Event & Team Challenge H.T. in October. Of 27 starters, only four pairs turned in a double-clear show jumping round — Molly and Digger being among them.
Seeing as they are clearly nailing the show jumping thing, we reached out to Molly to ask, “What’s in your ring?” Here’s what she had to say.
The exercise: “The zigzag”
How to ride it: “The zigzag can either be set up as four rails on the ground or four raised rails for a more advanced rider. Riders school the zigzag by circling and changing directions over the rails. I generally warm my horse’s trot and canter over the rails, decreasing the size of the turns as I go to make my horse stand up off my inside leg. Especially in the canter, I use this exercise to challenge my horse to a deep distance while maintaining a short, active gait. This collected canter makes the bigger competition canter better balanced and more powerful.”
Molly schooling Digger over a raised zigzag:
“One of the best parts about this exercise is how versatile it is. Whether you’ve just completed your first Beginner Novice or you’re an upper level rider, this exercise can be used to improve your horse’s footwork. For a more experienced pair, the zigzag can also be ridden in a straight line. This not only challenges a horse’s ability to hold a springy, collected canter, but also the straightness of the horse.”
“Once the horse is warmed up, I start to add in jumps. Ideally, the horse will sit and push at the zigzag rail and maintain a short canter to the fence. Towards the end of the school, I usually school some oxers that are unrelated to the zigzag. The oxers allow the rider to open up the horse’s canter and see if it maintains the same balance and power as the short canter did.”
“In this grid, the distances are purposefully short to school the gymnastic canter.”
Molly schooling her sister’s horse over the zigzag and jumps:
Many thanks to Molly for sharing and best of luck to her and her horses!
Do you have an exercise to share, or is there an eventer you would like to nominate for the “What’s in Your Ring?” series? Email us at [email protected].
No-Stirrup November comes exactly where we need it to be in the equestrian calendar: the regular show season is over for the most part, we might be moving into the indoor for what feels like the next six months straight as the weather grows colder and the outdoor slowly freezes over, and the days of springtime showing and fun seem further away than ever. What better time of the year to challenge yourself and make it your biggest month of riding transformation ever?
If the benefits of suffering through a month without your stirrups aren’t enough incentive for you to give it a shot, imagine cozying up at the end of November in the gorgeous Luxe Parka by Goode Rider:
Image courtesy of Goode Rider.
This luxurious down parka will keep you warm and cozy in the cold winter months. Neoprene sides gives a slimming, stretchy, sexy yet comfortable silhouette. Removable faux fur hood. The coat has a soft shearling fleece inside the collar. There is leather piping on the princess seams, cuffs and collar. Zip pockets with pretty leather trim and cozy stormcuffs with thumbhole will keep your hands warm. Luxury meets comfort, this jacket can go from the barn to the ski slopes to the grocery store or out to town.
Yep, one lucky winner will be receiving the Luxe Parka, valued at $299, for toughing out a month without stirrups. Keen to enter? Here’s how:
Create an achievable no-stirrup goal for yourself that you want to accomplish this month
Drop those stirrups and work hard!
Send a photo or video of yourself working on or achieving that goal to [email protected]
All entries must include the following: your full name, your No-Stirrup November goal, a description of what you’re achieving in the photo or video, and the photographer/videographer’s full name (incomplete entries will be disregarded)
Entries are due by Tuesday, November 29 at midnight. All of our entries will be shared on November 30 with one winner randomly selected.
Werner Geven and Reddy Or Not. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
This big, solid corner has been a permanent fixture at Poplar Place Farm in Hamilton, Ga. for as long as I can remember. Used alone or in various combination set ups over the years, it has seen thousands of horses and riders between its flags.
The structure made an appearance on the John Williams designed Preliminary course this weekend in sequence with a cabin several strides before. The fence jumped beautifully, with nearly every horse and rider keeping a steady forward stride from the cabin to a perfect shot at the corner.
Poplar’s resident trainer and flying Dutchman Werner Geven came first and second in the Open Preliminary division with Christy Edwards’ Reddy or Not and L’Avventura, owned by Launa Desportes, respectively. Both mares went double clear on cross country in their maiden Preliminary attempts to finish less than one point of each other on the leaderboard.
So now it’s time to play Who Jumped It Best? Pick which Preliminary horse and rider give the best overall impression over the iconic Poplar corner.
My lad's ears staring at the pretty tree in front of Windurra. Photo by Maggie Deatrick
One of the things I never had growing up in South Texas was a true fall, complete with changing colors in the leaves. We had a tree here or there that would fade to yellow, but nothing like the absolute vibrancy of the leaves up north. Now that I live here, I absolutely revel in the colors, even when they’re a bit late like this year.
Are you going to the USEA Convention? The discounted room rate for the Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood Hotel has been extended through Friday, Nov. 18. [Discounted Room Rate]
Behind the Stall Door revisits an old favorite this week. Shiraz was quite the world traveler back in his heyday but takes it easy these days by making faces at the goat. After a fabulous run at Rolex in 2015, Colleen Rutledge decided to retire him maybe a bit too early rather than a day too late. [Behind the Stall Door]
Prepare to feel all the feels. In advance of his retirement at Olympia, Valegro has gotten his very own tribute video. I’m sure Blueberry appreciates the sentiment, but the video is clearly as much for the fans as well as the team behind his success. [One of the Greatest Creatures]
The Wobbleberries Challenge has raised more than £63,000 for charity. The challenge inspires self-described ‘middle-aged, wimpy riders’ to aim to compete their first event at BE80 (equivalent to our Novice) by the autumn of 2017. Registration is now closed and more than 1,200 riders have signed up to participate, raising money for Hannah Francis’s Willberry Wonder Pony charity. [Fantastic BE Boost for Wobbleberries]
SmartPak Product of the Day: If you’re in the market for a new set of boots, it’s time to jump on these Donatello field boots from Tredstep. Already marked down, you can save another 15% thanks to SmarPak’s Black Friday sale and get them for an absolute steal! [SmartPak]
Wednesday Video: Why do top professionals choose footing from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces?
You already know the storyline: Michael Jung rolls off his flight from Germany to Toronto, hops on Shawn Ferguson’s Cruising Guy, and just 31 hours later wins the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. (Click here for a full recap.)
“I definitely had a good feeling from the beginning,” Michael remarked after their win. That guy and his good feelings!
Here’s the video of their second round as well as the awards ceremony, which I have watched several times in hopes of soaking up some Jung juju by osmosis. Watch and learn, kids!
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Aine Minihane is a 25-year-old adult amateur who has been riding since she was 8 and began eventing at 13. She competed her retired pony paint Murphy at Novice and now leases a Dutch Warmblood named Tank, training at Hawkwood Hill Farm with David Adamo in Petaluma, California. Her goal is to complete a CCI* one day. Go Aine and Tank!
Tank and Aine Minihane with their 3rd place ribbon from Twin Rivers HT in BN Senior Rider. Photo by Dana Grant.
I sat in the warmup, one rider out, before it was Tank and I’s turn to head out onto the Beginner Novice cross country course at September Twin Rivers Horse Trials. With the biggest pit in my stomach, I looked over at my coach, David Adamo, and knew we had not only a plan A, but a plan B and in a couple minutes it would be time to execute one of them.
Tank and I started our career together in the spring of 2015, placing second in our very first event together at Inavale. After another successful Beginner Novice and a couple solid Novice events under our belt, we headed to the April Twin Rivers Event, which would leave us with two stops at the Novice down bank and two stops at the ditch.
After the April Twin Rivers event everything started to go downhill. Our confidence was nowhere to be found, and it seemed almost impossible to ever get it back. After being eliminated going Novice at Shepherd, my coach, David, decided we needed to go back to basics and have a successful event to get our mojo back.
Aine and Tank from April Twin Rivers H.T. Photo by Captured Moment Photography.
As we left the start box, having had a fabulous dressage test and a very bold stadium round, this was it, what we had been preparing for the last three months, the down bank …
Plan A: Break to a trot after jump 8, the brush coming out of the water. Trot over jump 9, the cabin at the top of the hill, be sitting in the back seat, leg on, eyes up and trot down the bank. As we landed over jump 9, I knew plan A was not going to work.
Plan B: After landing on the other side of jump 9, Tank immediately stopped and decided to run out to the right (which he has done in the past) but being seven canter strides from the down bank I knew I had time for plan B. Plan B was to serpentine on the bit down the hill to the bank. This allowed us to break up the space between the cabin at the top of the hill, proceed to walk to the edge of the bank and drop down like an old pro.
David Adamo, Tank and Aine Minihane. Photo by Dana Grant.
As we dropped down the bank, my eyes filled with tears and the pit in my stomach moved to my throat as it took everything in me to not break down and sob in relief. At that moment I felt the biggest weight had been lifted off my shoulders. WE. DID. IT. All the time, money, sweat and tears had been worth it. As I continued to pat Tank as we cantered to our next fence, I was finally able to accept that we were tied for third place in our Senior Beginner Novice division and that it was time to finish strong.
As we crossed through the finish flags, I was overwhelmed with emotions. Eventing is one of the most challenging parts of my life, yet Tank getting down the bank on our first try reminded me eventing is also the most rewarding. Greeted by my team, all with huge smiles on their faces, I knew we had done it — we had our mojo back!
Three-hundred Thoroughbreds recently retired from 64 different tracks took to the Kentucky Horse Park a couple weekends ago for the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. The $100,000 competition, in which trainers take less than a year to transform a racehorse into master of up to two equestrian disciplines, demonstrated the breed’s versatility and showcased its athleticism.
Organizer Retired Racehorse Project has just posted videos of winning rides from the various disciplines, including a performance by Eventing winners Cathy Wieschhoff and Speed Rail (Purge x Five O’Clock by Saratoga Six). The pair topped the 75-horse eventing division and in this video it’s easy to see why — Cathy has done a super job of creating a ridable young horse and giving him a solid introduction to the sport.
Click here to read more about their win via Lorraine’s full recap.
Clayton Fredericks and FE Bowman. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Clayton Fredericks confirmed this morning via a statement on his website that his role as International Technical Advisor for the Canadian Eventing Team will conclude at the end of this month.
Clayton took over the position from David O’Connor in January 2013, when David took over the role as U.S. coach. In his statement, Clayton outlines his intentions to focus on his business, Fredericks Equestrian, and return to the international competition stage — perhaps even representing his native Australia at the 2018 World Equestrian Games.
His statement reads:
“With the post games review in full swing it is clear that High Performance Eventing in Canada will require some change to continue and build upon its success. The challenge of a relatively small pool of High Performance riders spread across North America and Europe is one that cannot be underestimated and a rethink of the traditional program and the role of a Head Coach is required, not just to support the riders at the top level of the sport but also to support the development of the up and coming combinations to increase this pool of riders.
“As November ends so does my time with Equestrian Canada and my role as the International Technical Advisor. The last four years have certainly been interesting but years that I would not change. While as a Federation we may not of always had the smoothest lead up to Championships but I am proud of the fact that we always pulled together as a team. Since I took over the role in 2013, Canada has finished a team at every Championship, which is a testament to the grit and determination of everyone involved. Looking forward to the future, I hope this is one trait the Canadians can carry forward.
“While I may be stepping away from this role in an official capacity I still hope to provide support to the Canadian riders who have supported me. I look forward to continuing to coach and help develop an exciting group of Canadian up and coming riders in their ambition to make a Senior team. I am also excited to announce the addition of Canadian Olympian, Colleen Loach to the team at Fredericks Equestrian in the role of Assistant Trainer. Colleen’s skills and experience in developing young horses will be a valuable addition to our team and likewise I hope the support we can offer at Fredericks Equestrian will help Colleen become a regular on future Canadian teams.
“Looking forward to 2017, I am excited with the challenge of re-establishing myself at the top level as a competitor and continuing to develop Fredericks Equestrian International and our sale horse program. With the recent announcement of Tryon as the WEG venue it has added some extra motivation to be qualified and in contention for what will be a ‘home games’ for all involved at Fredericks Equestrian. I have the support of fantastic group of Australians living in North America with an exciting group of young horses and am really looking forward to the future challenge.”
Equestrian Canada has not yet released an official statement.
You can read Clayton’s full statement on his website here (but note that the website is currently showing a malware warning, so click with caution.)
