Classic Eventing Nation

Terrifying Cavalry Training Tips Part 4: Skinnies

By on Dec 18, 2015 3:00 pm -

Itty-bitty teeny-weenie skinnies, the kind that make you suck in your own gut just walking up to them, are pretty standard fare on modern cross-country courses.

Fat horses need not apply. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Fat horses need not apply. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

But long before we were pointing our event horses at carved wooden waterfowl and corners the size of a billiard ball rack, cavalry riders were practicing their accuracy over obstacles like this (source: British Pathe):

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Um, yeah. Which brings us to our Cavalry Training Tip of the Day, presented by the Cadre Noir de Saumur.

Now that's what you call a skinny. Photo: Flickr/jmbaud74/Creative Commons.

So skinny. Photo: Flickr/jmbaud74/Creative Commons.

Even skinnier. Photo: Croquant/Creative Commons.

Even skinnier. Photo: Croquant/Creative Commons.

Founded in 1828, the historic role of the Saumur School of Cavalry was to provide training for the officers and non-commissioned officers of the French cavalry. After World War II, however, the mounted element of the French Army had been greatly reduced and the need for a purely military riding academy had almost vanished. Fortunately, the international prestige of French horsemanship ensured the survival of the Saumur training centre in the form of a national riding school under the Ministry of Sports.

In 1972 the National School of Équitation was constituted around the Cadre Noir, which forms its core teaching staff. Today there are about 50 horses and a team of elite riders, usually limited to 22. The members of the Cadre Noir have either civilian or military status.

The equitation on which the school is built was taught by Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere, the French riding master to King Louis XV and author of the book École de Cavalerie, published in 1731.

Today this troupe of elite French riders still dazzles audiences with spectacular displays of horsemanship — like this bonkers progression of skinnies. First a table, then a chair, then for dessert … a single upright pole.

Well kids, there you have it. Drag that dining room furniture out to the ring and get started! (Note from EN’s lawyer: Eventing Nation shall not be held liable for broken, smashed or otherwise damaged personal property.)

Go Eventing.

Eventing Community Mourns Loss of Gerrian Henderson

By on Dec 18, 2015 12:00 pm -
Geriann Henderson and Kingslee. Photo courtesy of Liz Hall. Geriann Henderson and Kingslee. Photo courtesy of Liz Hall.

The eventing community and those who knew and loved Geriann Henderson will gather today at a memorial service for the former Advanced level rider. Geriann was killed in a skydiving accident on Nov. 23, 2015; she was 26 years old.

A native of Teller County, Colorado, Geriann was a much loved member of Area IX, where she competed Kingslee, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding she owned with Deb Henderson, through the three-star level. Geriann and Kingslee enjoyed top placings at the Galway Downs CIC3* and Rebecca Farm CIC3* before she leased him to USEF Eventing 18 rider Madison Temkin in 2014.

Kingslee and Madison’s partnership has flourished ever since. They successfully completed their first one-star at Galway Downs in 2014 and finished fifth individually in the CH-J* at this year’s North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.

Geriann lived in Arizona, where she was a pilot and flight instructor; she was a skydiving student at Skydive Phoenix Inc. at the time of her death. The EN team extends our deepest condolences and sympathies to Geriann’s friends and family during this terrible time. She will be deeply missed.

New Zealand Names 2016 High Performance Squad

By on Dec 18, 2015 9:00 am -
Tim Price and Wesko. Photo by Rare Air Photography. Tim Price and Wesko. Photo by Rare Air Photography.

New Zealand has named its High Performance Squad looking ahead to the 2016 season, and they aren’t messing around with the Rio Olympics on the horizon. The High Performance program is aimed towards cultivating the best possible team to send to Rio, but there are also other developing squads in this program.

The 2016 High Performance Eventing Squad for New Zealand is as follows:

Sir Mark Todd – Leonidas II – Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell & Sir Mark Todd

Sir Mark Todd – NZB Campino – New Zealand Bloodstock & Sir Mark Todd

Jonelle Price – Classic Moet – Trisha Rickards & Jonelle Price

Jonelle Price – Faerie Dianimo – Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green & Jonelle Price

Tim Price – Wesko – Christina Knudsen & the Wesko Syndicate

Tim Price – Bango – Numero Uno Syndicate

Tim Price – Ringwood Sky Boy – Robert Taylor, Varenna Allen, Selwood.com & Tim Price

Jock Paget – Clifton Lush – Frances Stead & Lucy Allison

Jock Paget – Clifton Signature – Frances Stead

Clarke Johnstone – Balmoral Sensation – Johnstone Family

Blyth Tait – Xanthus III – Jane Lovell-Smith & Blyth Tait

Blyth Tait – Bear Necessity V – Ronnie Bartlett & Blyth Tait

The Kiwis have had a stellar year on the international circuit in 2015, with consistent top placings in CCI3* and CCI4* events — a rider from New Zealand has placed on the podium in all six CCI4* events this year. Olympic selectors will be taking a hard look at the squad as the time comes to select their best team.

This High Performance squad list is open to revisions in June, where other riders may be added. Also on the eventing squad list are the High Performance Accelerator, Talent Development and Talent ID. You can see the names on these developing lists here.

[New Zealand Names High Performance Eventing Squad]

Friday News & Notes from FLAIR Nasal Strips

By on Dec 18, 2015 12:03 am -
This is how cutting down three christmas trees made me feel.

This is how cutting down three christmas trees made me feel.

You guys, little known fact? Cutting down Christmas trees is hella hard. I remember doing it with my dad as a small kid and thinking it was super fun, but in fact he was the one doing the cutting and I literally did nothing except maybe contribute to picking the tree. But actually cutting it down means you basically have to get down in the dirt and lie/kneel there for whatever amount of time it takes you to hack through the stump with a rubbery cheap push saw that’s provided at the Christmas Tree Farm, which happens to be in the middle of nowhere. I’ve never realized how unfit I am before this moment.

News From Around the Globe:

 Helena “Lana” DuPont Wright as the winner of the 2015 USEF Lifetime Achievement Award. Lana, of Chesapeake, Md., has done it all, from being the first woman ever to compete on an Olympic Eventing team, to winning a medal at the World Championships more than 20 years later. Lana is best known for breaking the glass ceiling for women in Eventing, competing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with her Maryland bred Mr Wister in appalling conditions, and proving that women could hold up to the rigors of the sport just as well as men. [Lana DuPont Lifetime Achievement Award]

Now that he’s a big winner at Olympia, we have to know more about dressage superstar Uthiopia. The 14-year-old stallion belongs to Carl Hester and Sasha Stewart, and while he wasn’t immediately considered Olympic level quality at four years old, Carl took a chance on him based on a feel. Sasha competed Uti for a short while, before handing over the reins to Carl, and the rest is history. [You Need to Know More About Uthiopia]

Ugly Christmas sweaters aren’t just for people. You too can subject your horse to the same shame! [Horse Nation]

Great news guys: buying gifts for horse girls is really very simple! We’re not complex creatures, and we like almost the same things year-round. Horse things, duh. We also like duct tape, ginormous bags of carrots, and luxurious hand creme. What we don’t like is gifts for our horse that you don’t understand fully. Read more to learn the ways. [Horse Girl Gift Giving]

What is life without a classic Baker Blanket, really? One of the all time greats in horse fashion, the Baker Blanket is basically a necessity at this point. The triple weave of this blanket helps your horse stay cozy but without the bulk of some of the big turnouts, and the brand is known for its durability. [SmartPak Product of the Day]

Belton CIC2* & CIC3*

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Thursday Video from Zoetis: The Ultimate Partnership

By on Dec 17, 2015 5:00 pm -

This is one of the most inspirational and heartwarming things we’ve ever seen. Lauren Barwick is a Canadian Paralympic equestrian who has made quite a name for herself in the dressage world. Though she is paraplegic, Lauren has reached soaring heights as a rider, representing Canada at three Paralympic Games to date.

Lauren was paralyzed when 75 kg of hay fell on her while working at a ranch in 2000. She broke her back in the fall, but was learning how to ride again as soon as she was able to. Now, she’s the current number one ranked par-equestrian rider in the world.

Lauren recently performed a demo with her Oldenburg mare, Off to Paris. Watch this and prepare for goosebumps:

Posted by Городская жизнь on Sunday, December 13, 2015

To follow along with Lauren, you can visit her website here.

5 Sweet Stocking Stuffers from the Rolex Shop

By on Dec 17, 2015 2:30 pm -

There’s nothing cheerier than a stocking hung from mantle with care, ESPECIALLY if it’s filled with horse stuff. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Shop is one-stop shopping when it comes to stuffing the socks of that special eventer in your life.

Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling, but act fast! The shipping deadline for delivery by Christmas Eve is Thursday, December 17 — i.e. today!

Screen Shot 2014-11-19 at 11.38.24 AMCoffee. Between crack-of-dawn mornings and the necessity of hot beverages to keep us warm on bitter-cold days, it’s the drink of choice for eventers everywhere. Drink it in style with this Customizable Illustrated Coffee Mug! It’s only $10, and for an extra $5 you can get the mug personalized with a name.

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In keeping with the coffee theme, this 16-oz Tervis Tumbler is perfect for caffeine-guzzlers on the go. It’s great for both hot and cold beverages and is microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe.

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Forgot to get a souvenir from Rolex 2015? There’s still time to grab one of these official event glasses, featuring last year’s winners William Fox-Pitt and Bay My Hero. At just $10, it will fit just fine into that stocking AND your wallet. There are a few 2014 edition glasses available as well.

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Speaking of wallets, this Rebecca Ray cotton duck canvas pouch ($20) could be a game-changer for eventers, like me, seem to be constantly losing everything they own. Also available in red and yellow.

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An eventer can never have too many ball caps. Luckily, the Rolex show has a vast array of designs to choose from. Choose your own adventure, from classic-sporty to bright-splashy. Shown here is the Round Logo Oil Cloth Hat.

Photo by Lenore Threlkeld.

Photo by Lenore Threlkeld.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a ticket or two to Rolex itself! All the information you need is here.

Click here to shop for all things Rolex, including a variety of polo shirts, jackets, thermal zips and much, much more!

Go Shopping!

Dressage at Olympia: Carl Hester Bests Charlotte Dujardin

By on Dec 17, 2015 12:00 pm -
Carl Hester and Nip Tuck. Photo courtesy of FEI/Jon Stroud. Carl Hester and Nip Tuck. Photo courtesy of FEI/Jon Stroud.

Carl Hester was the best of the night at Olympia last night in the World Cup Freestyle, taking home the title aboard Nip Tuck. This was Carl’s first victory at Olympia in 11 tries, scoring an 83.75% for a win over Charlotte Dujardin.

“I’m really glad to get my ‘secondits’ over having finished second so many times!” Carl said after his win. “I’m very proud of him. He’s not your typical dressage model but he has the brain of a gold medallist and just keeps improving all the time. For me, it’s a special win because I never imagined winning with him and seeing him transform from something we didn’t know we had.”

Charlotte Dujardin rode Uthopia to the same music she often rides Valegro to in the freestyle, earning a 82.55% for second place. Charlotte was nothing less than thrilled for Carl, however. “He was incredible tonight. He inspires me every day but tonight I had goose pimples watching. He’s worked hard on the floor plan and I knew he’d nail it. It was as it should be; effortless and easy. I know what this win means for him and I couldn’t be happier if someone was going to beat me it was him!”

Watch Carl and Nip Tuck’s routine here, and prepare to be amazed:

Terrifying Cavalry Training Tips Part 3: Water Jumps

By on Dec 17, 2015 9:00 am -

Modern eventers may be a little bit wackadoodle-doodle-doo, but it’s not our fault, really. The condition is hereditary, and if you’ve been following along with this week’s Cavalry Training Tips series you know who left us their insanity inheritance.

Cavalrymen, bless ’em, may be the godfathers of our sport but they sure had some unique ways of doing things. From death-defying drop banks to gridlines that are literally on fire, this week we’ve been having a look at the madness that is military horse training.

Today’s topic: water jumps.

Water jumps are standard cross-country fare at every level these days but this hasn’t always been the case. Let’s kick things off with a canter back in time to the eventing competition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The cross-country course was a doozie, a five-phase test that spanned 36 kilometers (22 miles) with a time limit of just over two hours. It took two years to construct and contained many “new and unusual kinds of jumps,” including fence #4, the WORLD’S FIRST OFFICIAL WATER JUMP.

Nobody saw this thing coming. Like, literally.

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Many riders, not knowing how to approach such a jump, ran at it full-tilt, clearing the hurdle only to succumb to the drag of three-foot deep water and treacherously boggy footing on the other side. According to the official IOC report, of 46 horses who jumped into the pond, there were 18 horse/rider falls and 10 rider falls.

It’s worth noting that Germany wasn’t exactly in its “ethical prime” during this era. There was widespread speculation that the Germans, who claimed individual and team gold medals in all three equestrian disciplines, had known such a jump would be on the course and thus claimed an advantage.

You can see footage of the obstacle here. I can’t decide whose save is more amazing: the Italian’s…

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…or the Norwegian’s.

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But for sure my favorite moment is when the soggy rider marches off in disgust when his horse decides, post-fall, to seize the moment for a water break.

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To their credit these are war horses we’re talking about, not show ponies. It’s not like they had never gotten their feet wet before. But whereas you and I might introduce our green mounts to the joy of water with a creek crossing or splash through a baby water complex, a cavalry horse’s initial experience with water may have been a little more belly flop than swan dive.

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Portuguese Cavalry, 1917. Source: British Pathé.

As time went on, however, it appears that the cavalry came to embrace a happier, or at least less traumatic, approach to water familiarization. Peer pressure for the win!

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Royal Scots Greys and 2nd Dragoons Cavalry, Britain, 1936. Source: Critical Past.

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German Cavalry, 1939. Source: British Pathé.

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German Cavalry, 1939. Source: British Pathé.

There’s one in every crowd.

Stay tuned for more military-inspired training tips and exercises you definitely shouldn’t try at home. Go Eventing!

Thursday News & Notes from Kentucky Equine Research

By on Dec 17, 2015 12:03 am -
Photo courtesy of Sinead Halpin.

Photo courtesy of Sinead Halpin.

On this Thursday, the team at Eventing Nation and the Eventing community at large would like to send our deepest sympathies and condolences to Sinead and her family, who lost her father yesterday. There are no words to show how we feel, and we wish nothing but peace and love to everyone who knew Eamon during this difficult time.

Competitions?

No.

News From Around the Globe:

British dressage star Carl Hester added another title to his impressive collection yesterday, winning the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle at Olympia with Nip Tuck. After Tuesday, when his pupil and reigning World/Olympic/European Champion Charlotte DuJardin won the Grand Prix with Uthiopia, he was determined to win, and did so handily with an 83.75%. Charlotte was close behind with an 82.55%. [Carl Hester Wins at Olympia]

You too can go hunting with the Farmer’s Bloodhounds on an incredibly bold grey horse! Wait….what? Well, at least virtually. Saddle up for some great hunting footage courtesy of British rider Helen Newbold, who has a super horse named Finn, and it’s unimaginably fun to check out her helmet cams as they cross the English countryside and jump wild hedges and gates. For sure an adrenaline rush. [Hunt with Helen]

Because Horse Nation is just nerdy enough, they did serious research on sleigh bells. Did you know that bells are historically a charm and a sign of good luck, but also a good traffic signal so you don’t get run the hell over? Much like other horse traditions, the shinier your sleigh bells were and the more you had of them was a good indicator of how important and wealthy the owners were. [Everything You Never Knew You Never Knew About Sleigh Bells]

SmartPak Video Break: Stuff Riders Say on Christmas (Or Hanukkah, birthdays or…)

Looking for the ultimate crafty gift for a horse loving friend this holiday season? Look no further. Here’s a step by step guide to making your own awesome horse hair bracelet! Just don’t cut the hair straight out of your friends horse’s tail….[How To Make Horse Hair Bracelets]

 

KER ClockIt Session of the Week

This week’s session is a standard workout consisting of a 15-minute easy trot followed by three 5-minute canters in an indoor arena. This routine is easy work for this horse!

This session illustrates how KER ClockIt can still be used to monitor conditioning during indoor rides. KER ClockIt relies on your phone’s GPS to calculate speed and location. It includes algorithms to minimize the effects of GPS variation, but indoor arenas (or other canopies, such as dense tree cover) may interrupt the signal and reduce its accuracy. Newer phone models are generally more accurate. The heart rate, however, is a direct communication between the monitor and your phone and will work anywhere. To get the best possible performance indoors, we recommend starting your session outdoors to establish GPS, then heading inside to ride. Do your workout, then step back out and end the session. If the speed is still wonky when viewing the graph, just uncheck the speed box to simplify the view and only show heart rate.

Make 2016 your horse’s fittest year ever! This month only you can save $15 on a KER ClockIt equine heart-rate monitor (or any other purchase over $100) on shop.kerx.com. Just use code MERRY15 at checkout.

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Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Perks of Being a Working Student

By on Dec 16, 2015 5:00 pm -

Diane Portwood, an Area III Young Rider and NAJYRC CH-Y2* individual gold medalist, has been sharing her insightful video blogs with us, and we’re super excited that she’s posted a fresh one for our viewing. Diane currently works for Kyle Carter, and in this vlog she shares her thoughts on becoming a working student.

Working students get an inside look at the operation of an equestrian business — but it’s anything but just observing! Hard work and attention to detail are among the most highly valued qualities of a good working student, and the self-motivated person has the opportunity to learn more than they could ever dream.

Are you sold? Check out our Working Student Opportunities post here to see if you can find your next position!