Classic Eventing Nation

Between the Ears with Zoe Crawford

By on Dec 27, 2023 9:30 am -

Welcome to EN’s 2023 rewind! We’ll be resharing some of our most popular stories from the year throughout the last few days of 2023. This article first appeared on EN in June.

It seems like these days we look at each other’s lives through the lens of a highlight reel. We get to see the incredible trips, the best jumps, and the moments that we’re proud enough of to put on social media. What we don’t talk about is how much pressure this adds to athletes on both ends of the news feed.

Riders, whether professional or not, are made to feel like they ‘have to’ post something that makes them look cool and successful. Then, as we consume this content, we are stuck with the disillusioned perception that the sport is easy and that if you’re not succeeding, then maybe you aren’t cut out for it. I would like to take this opportunity to go ‘between the ears’ of some of the riders that make up our Eventing Nation and work to understand some of the real challenges this industry presents.

To read more from the Between the Ears series, click here.

Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara. Photo by Abby Powell.

I think everyone remembers the first time they fell in love with horses. For Zoe Crawford, it all started at her grandparents’ cabin in New England and a memorable trip… to get ice cream.

As the story goes, across from the ice cream stand was a ranch offering pony rides. Little Zoe threw a temper tantrum when she was told to get off of her pony and her parents thought, “This kid needs some riding lessons!”

Growing up in the city of Boston, Zoe had to start at a local hunter/jumper barn, where she was involved in Pony Club but didn’t have access to real eventing until after she graduated high school. After graduation, she took a gap year to be a working student for Jeannie Clark in Ocala, where she finally got her first taste of eventing.

Throughout college, Zoe learned and rode as much as she could. By the time she graduated, she had three horses and went right into building her own business. Now a CCI5* rider, Zoe has a lot to share about what she has learned in the industry and all the ups and downs along the way. Let’s go between the ears…

Can you tell me about how you built confidence throughout your college years while not being in a program full-time?

“I was able to compete at Young Riders the summer before my sophomore year of college, and in doing so, I was named to the U25 Team. This opportunity, and getting help from Leslie Law were crucial to navigating the waters of upper-level competition. A year or two later, I was awarded the Essex grant, which was another huge boost to my confidence. Here I was, juggling school, competition, and training- and getting the validation that someone else saw my hard work was awesome. That summer, I came up to ride with Phillip Dutton, and I learned a lot from him as well as other professionals in the area. At that point, my confidence was very high.”

Zoe Crawford and K.E.C Zara. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

When was your confidence at its lowest? How did you get it back?

“I think the biggest thing that really rattled my confidence was following my first year at Kentucky. [K.E.C. Zara] had been so consistent on cross country, so I just really didn’t expect to fall off. Luckily, we both walked away fine, but the experience affected both of our confidence. It was the first time that I had a fall like that. Coming off of the event, I was lucky enough to have two other horses, one going Prelim and one going Intermediate, so I got to get right back out there. I did go quite slow on cross country while I was getting back into the groove of it and trusting myself again. But I think the confidence just came back with time and practice.

“When I got to go back to Kentucky with Zara, we made it through cross country, but that show was not without its challenges either. I had to face a huge mental battle when I was held on the cross country right before the exact spot where we had fallen before. Over the loudspeaker, I could hear it was Ashlynn Muechel whose fall had caused the hold on course. Ashlynn and I are friends, and we had driven up to the show together and were sharing a tack stall, so it was really hard to not think about her on top of all the other emotions I was experiencing. Zara is quite hot at events, which proved to be a welcome distraction. I had to use all of my concentration to keep her calm during the hold. I also took the opportunity to think about my game plan and realize that if I had to take some of the longer routes, that would be OK because my goal was to get through the finish flags.”

Zara and Zoe were ultimately spun at the second jog after their successful cross country completion at Kentucky in 2022. Luckily, it was just a little bit of soreness and the pair was able to compete at the Maryland 5 Star later that fall, complete with a double clear cross country ride and a top 20 finish. While gearing up for their Kentucky redemption this fall, Zara sustained an injury and is now enjoying retirement with Zoe.

Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara. Photo by Sally Spickard.

How are you dealing with Zara’s retirement?

“When I found out that Zara was injured, it was obviously bittersweet. I caught the leg right before we left for Stable View, and she wasn’t even lame on it, so on one hand, I was disappointed about the future but on another, I was so glad that I know my horse so well and trusted my gut to have her looked at. So I’m glad she’s ultimately OK, and she’s still here with me in my barn and I get to see her everyday. She’s 17 now and I’ve had her since she was six, and with all she’s given me, I just don’t think it’s fair to try to make her come back to compete at that level again, even though her prognosis looks great.

“Now that she’s retired, it’s almost like I’m starting over again. I currently don’t have any other horses competing at the upper levels, which is something I have to wrap my head around. Zara took me around Advanced for six years and now I don’t even have something going FEI. So now I’m just focusing on the lessons that I learned from her and how I can produce the horses that I do have now.”

Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara. Photo by Abby Powell.

Have you ever experienced burnout? How do you overcome it?

“I’ve been burnt out a few times on different levels. Sometimes it’s been when I feel like the horses haven’t been going as well as they should be, and sometimes it’s when I feel like I’m working away and not a whole lot is changing. The last time I was really feeling it, I had a conversation with my Dad and he asked me if I wanted to do something else, and that kind of snapped me right out of it. Even when the day to day stuff gets hard, it’s still what I want to be doing. I can’t see myself working a desk job and I know that there are going to be struggles everywhere you go. Zara helped put things in perspective for me, because the challenges that I’ve faced with her have given me confidence to handle other setbacks.”

Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara. Photo by Shelby Allen.

What advice would you give for someone in the sport that’s currently facing adversity?

“Sometimes you have to be one of your own biggest cheerleader, which can be really hard, but you have to be able to believe in yourself. I also feel like you have to have a few people that you can call and vent to, just so that whatever you’re going through, you can get it off your chest. The reality of the horse industry is that you might not be able to change the situation that you are in, so you have to have those people that are going to help you process your feelings.”

Zoe is working on rebuilding and refocusing her goals for this year, growing her business and building her team. One of the most unique things about our sport is that it’s so dependant on our horses, and sometimes they have their own needs and plans.

If you make the Olympic team for basketball, you don’t have to restart at the pee-wee game just because your basketball deflated, but when you’re an equestrian, you are going to have to constantly rebuild horses and partnerships from ground zero as part of the process. This is where separating yourself from results is an important part of mental health, from Beginner Novice to Advanced, and everything in between.

Dr. Tyler Held EdD CMPC is a professional groom and Certified Mental Performance Consultant. You may have seen her over the last few years working for International 5* Jennie Brannigan or listened to an episode of her podcast, The Whole Equestrian.

Tyler started riding in summer camp at the age of 5 and essentially never looked back. She obtained her Undergraduate degrees in Animal Science and Equine Business Management from the University of Findlay in 2014. During this time, she spent her summers doing her first working student job at an eventing barn and quickly became obsessed with the sport. After experiencing some mental blocks in her own riding, she decided to focus more on grooming and learning more about Sport Psychology. In 2017 she moved to Chester County, PA to work as a Vet Tech and groom for Dr. Kevin Keane, which opened a lot of doors in the eventing community.

Just as she finished her Master’s Degree in Sport and Performance Psychology, she took the reins at Brannigan Eventing as head groom. Now partially retired from grooming, Tyler is focusing on growing her consulting business, Thought Quest Mental Performance Solutions, and helping Equestrian athletes navigate the mental challenges that come with the sport.

Wednesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Dec 27, 2023 12:01 am -

Since my only child became an adult, my Christmas Days have been merry ones, spent in bed sipping something fancy. But this year I got my *** up and into outdoor clothes, pulled on my boots and headed to the barn to spend the day with my new horse. The usual cat lady mug in my stocking was swapped out for a horse mom one, and my non-horsey husband has admitted that he’s been upgraded to now-horsey husband. Here’s to many more horsey Christmases (and enjoy the video above of a Christmas made very special!).

U.S. Weekend Preview

It’s that time of year – nothing to add here.

Wednesday News and Reading

“A pony won’t fit on the sleigh” was a seasonal refrain repeated more than jingle bells in our house – it almost became a family Christmas tradition. It turns out, though, that sometimes Santa does manage to make kids’ horsey dreams come true. Here’s a round-up of reactions to getting the ultimate Christmas wish. [Best. Christmas. Ever]

It’s the perfect time to add a bit of flavor to your arena work by changing things up. These ten exercises are a handy way to break out of the rut that is the outside track and give you and your horse something to really think about. [Variety is the Spice of Life (and Arena Work)]

Riding bareback isn’t for everyone, but for Janet Jones, it’s a pretty awesome feeling. She shares her story of her love affair with bareback riding – from learning to ride right from the beginning sans saddle to navigating the fact that vaulting onto a horse in your forties is not quite the same as when you’re twenty-something. There are also some great tips for how to get started if you fancy it. [Au Naturel]

It’s always a good time to celebrate the people who are making a difference in the world through horses. From helping at-risk children to supporting US equestrian teams reach the pinnacle of their sports, find out about four individuals whose work is having a real impact. [Change Makers]

And finally, our friends at Horse Nation have rounded up some festive Thoroughbred names. Yes, Santa Claus is on there, but poor Rudolph doesn’t seem to be any more popular in the racing world than he is with the other reindeer. Check out who did make the cut. [Season’s Greetings]

Sponsor Corner

Looking for a new home for the new year? Ocala Horse Properties has the beautiful Oaks & Meadows Farm for sale. This ten stall barn is only 20 minutes from WEC and features a 2 acre fully stocked pond.

Video Break

I always think this time between Christmas and New Year is a bit of a waiting game, and what better way to while away six hours than watching some throwback cross country?

One Simple Fitness Exercise to Help You Sit the Trot Like a Grand Prix Rider

By on Dec 26, 2023 9:30 am -

Welcome to EN’s 2023 rewind! We’ll be resharing some of our most popular stories from the year throughout the last few days of 2023. This article first appeared on EN in March.

Want to sit the trot so well you start firing out sub-20 scores? Laura’s got the exercise for you. Photo by Shelby Allen.

A good friend of mine recently made the shift from mostly eventing to mostly dressage. The first questions she postulated for me were, ‘what does this mean for my exercise routine?’ and,  ‘do you think that there is an exercise that I should be doing more now that I’m a dressage rider?’ The answer to both of those questions, though, goes much deeper than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

My first question in response to something like this is always this: Are you exercising outside of the tack? If you are exercising, I’m proud of you: that’s half the battle, and one where a lot of equestrians fall short already. In my book Ultimate Exercise Routines for Riders there are event riders, jumper riders, and dressage riders as models. However, the routines aren’t specific for the discipline they represent. A dressage rider can get as much out of the Sharon White exercise routine as the showjumper can get from the routine with Lauren Sprieser.

I work with many event riders because, to be honest with you, this is the population I know best. However, I also train professional dressage rider JJ Tate, and have worked with many professional  and amateur dressage riders.  The exercises I have JJ doing aren’t all the same as the ones I prescribe to my event riders — however, there is also a lot of overlap, and very rarely will any rider get through of a week without doing squats or bird dogs.

Here’s something that’s totally universal for riders of all disciplines, though: the best muscle to target if you want to develop an independent seat is the glute medius. I will say, of course, that most strictly dressage riders are already pretty strong in area of the body — however, the event rider tends to be a lot stronger in the hip adductors or the inner thigh. This comes from establishing a strong galloping position.

But what about those eventers who want to develop their seat to emulate the strength of dressage riders? A great exercise for transitioning from eventing to dressage is the fire hydrant, but this is also a great exercise for the strictly event rider to do as well, because it’s main focus is developing your glute medius. This exercise will help you to wrap your leg around the horse in the sitting trot and canter transitions, and it’ll also help with applying your leg correctly — a win all round!

The Fire Hydrant

To begin the exercise, start on all fours. Photo by Tally Ho Creative.

1. Start on all fours, with your hands under your shoulders and you knees aligned under your hips.

Begin to lift your knee while keeping your spine straight. Photo by Tally Ho Creative.

2. Keeping your hands rooted into the ground, lift your knee off the ground.

Here’s an example of what it looks like when you let your spine rotate – don’t do this! Photo by Tally Ho Creative.

3. While staying strong in your spine (you don’t want too much rotation in your spine, so focus on staying straight), lift your leg to the side with your knee bent.

Instead, stay straight, move slowly and deliberately, and focus on your breathing, too, rather than quick fire reps. Photo by Tally Ho Creative.

4. Inhale as you bring it up, exhale as you bring it back down.

5. Repeat for two minutes or as long as you can, and then switch and do the other side.

 Laura Crump Anderson is a certified as a personal trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine and is a Registered 200 Hour Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She specializes in working with riders of all ages and disciplines through her business, Hidden Heights Fitness, and is also the author of Ultimate Exercise Routines for Riders. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science, and has evented through Training level. Read more of her EN fitness columns here.

Boxing Day News & Notes from Kentucky Performance Products

By on Dec 26, 2023 8:43 am -

 

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It’s all I can do, really, to muster up a tiny scrap of energy in my post-Christmas Day food coma to share the sentiments above with a hearty “same”. I hope you’re all enjoying a bit of down time after a hectic season — and if you need an excuse to take five, enjoy my pick of the reads of the day.

Events Opening Today: Pine Top Intermediate H.T., Rocking Horse Winter II H.T..

Events Closing Today: Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks

Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:

Every year, The Chronicle shares this tear-jerker of a Christmas story, and this year is no exception. It’s a sweet read on helping others’ dreams come true and grabbing your own by the horns, too, no matter how late in the game you might find yourself. It’s fine if you have a tiny little cry.

There are few eventers as ineffably cool and effortlessly glam as Ginny Elliott, and I never, ever get bored of deep-diving back into her horses and escapades of years gone by. If you, like me, want to be even a quarter as cool as this sporting pioneer, you’ll love reading some of her memories this morning as you get that first coffee of the day in.

2023 has been the first year of individual leaderboards for the season for the Interscholastic Eventing League — and let me tell you, I am SO jealous of anyone who’s getting to reap the rewards of this super-fun programme, which first started in 2020. Meet this year’s leaderboard champs and live vicariously through the adventures they’re having here.

And finally, Christmas Day might be behind us, but I’m stretching my festivities out for another few weeks. I mean, it’s going to take me at least that long to bother taking the tree down, so might as well, right? That’s why I’m telling myself that it’s not too late to share this horsey version of the Night Before Christmas.

Sponsor Corner: The best source of vitamin E is fresh green grass. In the winter time, it’s easy for our horses’ Vitamin E levels to drop low. Signs of low vitamin E include neurological problems, a damaged coat, and eye & muscle issues. Learn more on this with a handy graphic from Kentucky Performance Products.

Watch This:

Catch up with Elisa Wallace and mustang Dior as they tackle their first show together:

Christmas Day News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Dec 25, 2023 6:48 am -

 

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us here at Team EN! It’s been a year of extraordinary highs and crushing lows, with major victories and also plenty of sad goodbyes dotting the year gone by. Now, we hope you can all take a moment — or more — to celebrate all you’ve accomplished (or, perhaps, survived) this year and raise a glass to a new one to come. Eat, drink, be merry, and if all else fails, we’ll meet you in the barn!

Your Monday Reading List:

For some towns and cultures, horses aren’t just a part of the Christmas morning chore list — they’re a major player in the traditions of the holiday, too. Get to know how horses help make Christmas complete around the world in this round-up guide.

Is your New Year’s Resolution to buy the young horse of a lifetime at an elite auction? Great plan, if so — we’re huge fans of heading to Ireland, say, for a jam-packed couple of days of analysing quality horses and bloodlines and then losing our minds on auction day. But the whole thing can seem pretty intimidating, so it’s worth checking out this guide to getting it right as a buyer at your first auction experience.

Merry Christmas to everyone, but mostly to Sidelines Magazine’s Hot Horseman of the Year, Woods Baughman. Here at EN, we take this accolade and accomplishment very seriously, and definitely aren’t planning to get a series of comedy T-shirts made for Woods to don at trot-ups while we continue to bully him mercilessly on the internet. Definitely not. Anyway, you can read more about our favourite walking stud muffin here.

Got an unhorsey other half in need of a crash course in, well, horsing? Perhaps the time has come to sign them up for a comprehensive online learning course — or, I guess, you could just hand them a shavings fork and let them learn the hard way.

Morning Viewing:

Sneak in some festive polework with this set-up, the installation and execution of which should get you away from your family for a good hour or so:

“She’s Incredibly Special To Us”: Olympic Gold Medallist Amande de B’Neville Retires from Sport

By on Dec 24, 2023 12:31 pm -

 

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Tokyo Olympic individual gold medallist Amande de b’Neville will not return to eventing after a break from the sport that began after the Pratoni World Championships last year, at which she won team gold and individual silver with Germany’s Julia Krajewski in the irons.

“I suppose many people are wondering how Mandy is doing and what’s next for her,” writes Julia in a statement on her Instagram. “First of all she is doing absolutely fine, spending her life in the most horsey way (lots of field time) and being her usual proud self.

“About what’s next for her — to be able to give a reliable answer to that question has taken quite some time and consideration… She is an incredibly special horse to us and every decision about her has to do her the best justice possible! To make it short, she will not return to sport but hopefully become as wonderful as a mummy as she was in eventing.”

Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The decision, Julia continues, “was taken together with her part owner Professor Dr. Bernd Heicke, who is the most supportive owner in these difficult topic, always having the horse’s best interest in mind!”

The 13-year-old Selle Français mare’s (Oscar des Fontaines x Perle de b’Neville, by Elan de la Cour) absence from the sport began with “a hoof issue […] which in itself is not very dramatic”, but despite the dedicated ministrations of Julia and her team, including head groom Sandra Decker, it “simply didn’t improve as we hoped since then, despite all sorts of approaches in treatment. While it does not make her uncomfortable in normal life, there is a risk that it might get way worse when the pressure of performance is put on. Even though there also is a little chance it could work, we decided against trying it.”

Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

For Julia, co-owner Bernd, and all of the special mare’s connections, it’s been a labour of love and a major decision to retire Mandy from sport and begin her career as a broodmare.

“Everyone is to judge himself what chances are right to take, but I felt that Mandy gave me so so much, being the most outstanding horse, making all my dreams come true, that my biggest fear would have been to fail her in return and not deciding in her best interest,” says Julia. “Honestly though I’m feeling ambivalent about this final decision… while I am very sad that I will not feel her incredible power, clever mind, scopey jump and sheer determination, which then sometimes peaked into this unreal connection I felt in Tokyo or Pratoni at the last day, again, I am very much at peace with the decision to retire her now and hopefully have some nice foals from her in the future.”

If those foals live up to half their mother’s talent, they’ll certainly be worth getting excited about. In her FEI career, which began in the latter half of 2016, Mandy tackled 31 international events, finishing in the top ten 21 times and winning four times. Though she spent the early part of her upper-level career in the spotlight of her stablemate, the five-star winner Samourai du Thot, she blossomed at exactly the right time: in 2021, just before the German team’s final selections were made for Tokyo, and just as Julia had to retire ‘Sam’ after he lost an eye.

“At the beginning of the year, I deleted all of the Tokyo deadlines and cancelled flights and things, because I thought, ‘okay, well, it’s not for me this year,’ and then we went to Saumur and I had to say, ‘oh, maybe we can go — better cancel the holiday!’,” Julia told EN at Luhmühlen that summer, just weeks before she took the gold in Tokyo. “She’s really come into her own this year — she’s stabled next to Sam, so perhaps he’s telling her a few things. She’s so cool — she’s a real princess, and sometimes a queen. She’s quite a fighter, and a real machine.”

Happy retirement, Mandy – we look forward to covering the successes of your offspring in the years to come.

‘A Different System Means a Struggle’: An Excerpt from Jim Wofford’s Memoir

By on Dec 24, 2023 10:00 am -

In this excerpt from his autobiography Still Horse Crazy After All These Years, Olympian Jim Wofford shares what it was like to struggle with learning a new system of riding in 1965 when he was first selected to train at Gladstone with Stefan von Visy, then US Eventing Team coach.

Jim Wofford as a 14-year-old Lance Corporal at the 1959 Round Barn Horse Show in Barrington, Illinois, doing a pretty good imitation of the U.S. Cavalry seat. Photo courtesy of Culver Academies.

I had always ridden with instructors who based their teaching on the U.S. Cavalry system, as developed by General Harry Chamberlin. Dressage was taught under his system, but the exercises were aimed at improving the rider’s control of the horse, not as specific exercises and movements produced at an exact spot and designed to produce a numerical score. According to Stefan, the rider should control every movement of the horse, especially when approaching a jump. For the first time in my life, I was introduced to the concept of “timing,” which I later defined as the rider’s ability to predict and influence the remaining increments of stride before an obstacle.

In short, I had never known that it was possible to get to a jump “wrong,” so usually produced acceptable efforts from my horses, who were willing partners in our attempts to get to the other side. Not only was I now required to regulate my horse’s approach and arrive at a pre-determined spot in front of each jump, but also I was a terrible rider and a stupid boy when I failed to do this. Stefan had a short fuse, but there were twelve of us on the eventing talent squad (and another twelve on the show-jumping squad), so there were plenty of other stupid boys and girls around to share his critical comments. I didn’t complain; I had expected it to be tough. My military background had accustomed me to discipline and strict behavioral parameters. However, I had expected to be able to improve, and that wasn’t happening.

All this was from my perspective; from the Team’s perspective, I must have been among the best of an unskilled lot. At the end of the two-week clinic, the show jumping and eventing  squads each named six riders who would remain at Gladstone for further training, and I made the list.

The training became more useful as the Intermediate Championships approached. We had a couple of cross-country schools, and we now galloped on a regular basis. Stefan was as organized in his conditioning work as in everything else, and I quickly realized what an advantage I had in coming from a high-altitude location. Both of my horses were obviously fitter than the rest and handled the work easily. My long, slow, progressive conditioning was paying off. Play the Field looked especially good—her old tendon injury did not seem to be an issue—and Atos sniffed disdainfully at his workload.

When the event was over I had placed in the top five, but I suffered one of my most embarrassing moments to do it. The Championships used the Classic format, including road and tracks, steeplechase, and so on. In those days, riders got down after steeplechase and ran alongside their horses on Phase C in order to take the weight off the horse’s back. Atos and I were jogging happily along a gravel road behind the Gladstone estate after steeplechase, heading for the ten-minute vet box, when a car full of young ladies including Lana du Pont, Carol Hoffman, and Donnan Sharp pulled up alongside and started to tell me how good we had looked on the steeplechase. Carol was already a successful show jumper, Lana was an Olympic veteran, and Donnan soon would be. I was consorting with equestrian royalty, and good-looking ones to boot, plus I was fit enough to jog and talk at the same time. But just at the moment I started to think that maybe I was pretty cool, I caught one spur in my other spur strap, tripped, and fell flat on my face in the gravel. Atos never suffered fools gladly and bolted up the road, heading for the barn.

I knew if he ever got loose from me, I wouldn’t catch him until next week, so I held onto the reins like grim death. He pulled me up the gravel road for a while, but finally got tired of my weight on the bridle and stopped. I got to my feet with bloody knees and torn breeches, looking as if I had been pulled backward through a hedge, while the girls in the car pulled past me. I could hear them shrieking with laughter as they went around the bend. I can laugh now, but at the time I was in a suitably grumpy mood for cross-country.

I wasn’t in a hurry to share that story, and obviously Stefan did not hear about it, as I survived the next cut and remained in residence at Gladstone, preparing for the U.S. National Championships in early September. This event would be held in upstate New York, outside of Geneseo, and would provide my most serious test to date.

This excerpt from Still Horse Crazy After All These Years by Jim Wofford is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Sunday Links from Etalon Equine Genetics

By on Dec 24, 2023 12:01 am -

Merry Christmas Eve to all! I think a pony gift box from Chewy sounds adorable, and am thinking about starting a new tradition myself. What are your horsey or barn-related Christmas Day traditions? Do you bring a gift for your pony, make a Christmas mash, go for a snowy hack, or give your four-legged partner some R&R? Maybe I’ll start bringing my horse-related gift haul to the barn so my horse can sniff through the box of evidence of just how much of my life belongs to them… Merry Christmas ponies, it’s all for you anyway!

Links to Start Your Sunday:

Dressage riders allowed to ditch spurs completely, plus other horse sport rule changes for 2024

YEH Symposium Returns to Ocala on Feb. 20, 2024

British Eventing 2024 fixture list released

Sponsor Corner: How much blood does your horse really have? Eventers often take the amount of Thoroughbred breeding in their horse as fact. But little do they know that how we currently calculate a horse’s blood percentage isn’t accurate.

Morning Viewing: Last week of the year! It’s been a rollercoaster, so enjoy these wrap-up reels from some European favorites. May your 2024 be full of good rides and healthy horses!

Saturday Video: Sit in on a Lesson with Unstoppable Nicola Wilson

By on Dec 23, 2023 7:22 pm -

Apparently the lead-up to Christmas is also ‘vlogmas’ for those thus inclined — and that means plenty of horsey hijinks over on YouTube, some of which are actually pretty fascinating. For example, this video from British eventing vlogger Meg Elphick, who headed up north to Nicola Wilson’s Yorkshire yard to get a lesson from the former European Champion — and to catch up with her about life on the other side of a major accident. It’ll certainly make you feel grateful for all you’ve got as we head into the holidays proper.

Horse Sport Ireland Confirms High Performance Eventing Managers for Paris Campaign

By on Dec 23, 2023 11:30 am -

Dag Albert and Sue Shortt. Photo courtesy of HSI.

It’s been an admittedly tumultuous period for the Irish eventing team, at least as far as leadership is concerned: after the temporary suspension of team manager Sally Corscadden, who was cleared after an investigation into training practices concluded in July, the team has been operating under the interim management of Swedish Olympian Dag Albert. While the outcome of the case against Corscadden went public in September and HSI, at the time, said that it had not yet confirmed whether or not she would return to her role, in early November, it was announced that Corscadden and HSI would be parting ways, ostensibly amicably, with each thanking one another for a fruitful period spent together — one which saw Corscadden lead the team to team and individual silver medals at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.

Now, though, with the Paris Olympics inching ever closer, the Irish can sleep a little easier knowing that they’ve once again got a permanent team in place to steer their ship at the Games. Dag Albert has been confirmed as Corscadden’s official successor, taking on the title of High Performance Director for Senior Eventing, while double Irish Olympian manager Sue Shortt will step into the role of Junior Manager, alongside managing Ireland’s Junior and Young Rider eventing teams.

“I am delighted to lead the HSI High Performance Eventing Team to Paris next summer,” says Albert, who stepped into the role in an acting basis in 2022. “Having lead the team to qualification in Pratoni, Italy at the 2022 World Equestrian Games, it is a great honour now to build on that success, and lead the team to the 2024 Olympic Games.”

HSI Chief Executive, Denis Duggan, says: “We are delighted to have secured Dag’s services as High Performance Director for Senior Eventing in what is a very exciting period for Irish eventing. Equally, we are pleased that our existing Young Rider Manager, Sue Shortt will assume additional responsibilities for the Junior Programme while Dag focusses on the Olympic programme over the months ahead.”

“Dag has done a fantastic job at underage level and in the role as Acting Director over the last 20+ months and he has the utmost trust of the organisation and the athletes as we build towards Paris. He has outlined his plans and hopes for the team and has had really productive conversations with our Acting Head of High Performance Sport, Bernard Jackman – we’re really excited for the future and delighted to have him leading the programme, with support from Sue in the Junior and Young Riders programme along with Jane Kinsella who continues as the Eventing Pony manager.”

All High Performance contracts will run until October 2024, after which a review will take place following the closing of the Olympic cycle — but Ireland, which claimed its first five-star win in over fifty years when Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue took Maryland in October, can head into the pivotal season to come with a real hope for an uptick in Olympic fortune.