Classic Eventing Nation

What You Need to Know From Day 1 of the USEA Convention

By on Dec 3, 2015 7:00 pm -
Sharon White gets some love from Chinch! We're so thrilled to see Sharon smiling and pain-free (and orange!) following her back surgery. Photo via EN's Instagram. Sharon White gets some love from Chinch! We're so thrilled to see Sharon smiling and pain-free (and orange!) following her back surgery. Photo via EN's Instagram.

It’s been a busy first day here at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the EN team has been bouncing around to various meetings and forums to bring you all the latest from the 2015 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention. Read on for recaps of the key sessions that took place today.

Peacock irons are safe — for now

The USEF Eventing Technical Committee voted to approve seven rule change proposals in its meeting this morning. A heated debate brewed over whether to approve a rule that would prohibit peacock stirrup irons from being used on the grounds of a USEF competition. Rule change GR1301.9 states the safety risks of peacock stirrups as follows:

“In dismounting, riders’ clothing could get caught on the hook. Even more dangerously, the hook could rip through riders’ pants or lacerate the groin area and genitals. There have been several reported incidents of riders being injured by these safety stirrups and it is therefore necessary that the Federation prohibit its use to protect the wellbeing of our members.”

Those in favor of prohibiting peacock stirrups felt that there are other designs of safety stirrups available that don’t pose the same safety risks. However, some trainers said that it is difficult to find other types of safety stirrups in small sizes for young riders, whereas peacock irons can be purchased in sizes appropriate for children. The committee ultimately voted not to approve the proposal, so peacock stirrup irons are safe for now.

The committee did vote to approve to pass GR914.3, which prohibits a horse that was spun or withdrawn from an FEI first horse inspection from being entered at a National competition on the same weekend.

All rule changes related to the new proposed Modified division were tabled, as the new level has not yet been approved. It’s one of the hot topics up for discussion — and ultimately approval — during the weekend.

The USEA has a great roundup of all the USEF rule changes that were approved and not approved. Click here to see all of the proposed USEF rule changes.

Waitlists and balloting aren’t going away

Event entries have increased with the upswing in the economy, and David O’Connor emphasized the importance of understanding waitlists and balloting, which will now be a reality for competitors at heavily attended U.S. events. Riders need to ensure that their entries are complete and paid in full if they want to ensure that they have a spot in the competition.

David also emphasized that USEF team selectors would be able to reserve a certain number of entries at popular upper-level competitions for the purposes of team riders, or riders who have been funded to go overseas.

Certification for course builders?

The USEA Safety Committee’s closed meeting was changed to an open forum unexpectedly today, and we caught a discussion on proposing the idea of having course builders go through a certification process. At this time, course designers are responsible for the actions and jumps provided by the builders but generally do not see the obstacles until just prior to the event.

In conjunction with certification of the builders, the committee brought forth the idea of creating standards for jump construction. These standards would create minimum requirements, much like building codes, for jump construction. Highlighted in this discussions were examples of jumps used on competition courses that in some members’ eyes were substandard when it comes to rider and horse safety.

Should USEA members be allowed to choose their area?

The Membership Committee open forum covered several different topics of discussion, chiefly whether the USEA allow members to choose their area, and how that would impact the elected board of governors, area organizers and officials? It was also recommended to allow USEA members to select which area programs they wish to participate in. Additionally, it was suggested that area representatives be elected to a position in the area where they hold a primary residence.

A new CCI3* at Richland?

Those who attended the Eventing Calendar Planning Workshop were treated to a sneak peek at what the 2017 USEA calendar might look like. Among the additions on the table are a new CCI3* at Richland Park, a CIC3* or Advanced event at Live Oak, a CCI2* at the Horse Park of New Jersey in June, and a CIC* and CIC2* to July’s Maryland Horse Trials. All of these events are still pending.

The deadline to submit an event for approval on the USEA calendar is July 15, 2016. All applications to host an event submitted after that date will incur a $1,000 fine.

In appreciation of event horse owners

The USEF Event Owner’s Task Force had a packed house for its meeting this afternoon, with some of the top owners in the sport in attendance and others listening in via a conference call to discuss how to engage and show appreciation to current owners, provide resources for riders and owners looking to start syndications, and ultimately attract new owners to the sport.

Event horse ownership is in good hands with Mark Hart at the helm and a very passionate committee assisting him, and there are a lot of exciting ideas on the horizon for this topic. Stay tuned for much more on the Event Owner’s Task Force coming soon on EN.

EN superstar writers Maggie Deatrick and and Dave Taylor contributed to this report, so many thanks to them for their help today! If you missed EN’s report on David O’Connor’s first High Performance session, click here. Stay tuned for much more when Master of All Things Leslie Threlkeld joins the staff tomorrow to bring you everything you need to know from the #USEAConvention.

Don’t forget to keep checking Instagram to follow along with Chinch’s shenanigans (and to see this photo of Chinch chilling with Ms. Jacqueline Mars).

USEA Convention Links: Website, Schedule, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Thursday Video from Zoetis: The Best American Pharoah Video Yet

By on Dec 3, 2015 5:00 pm -

American Pharoah certainly needs no introduction anymore, as the first winner of the Triple Crown in 37 years, the winner of the Breeder’s Cup Classic, and overall amazing athlete (come on, Sport’s Illustrated, you know you want to make him your SI Sportsman of the Year!), he’s basically the biggest thing of 2015.

Let’s all admit right here and right now that we get a little bit weepy every time we watch Secretariat’s race in the Belmont all those years ago, but if you’re looking for some tears and some more goosebumps, settle down and watch this video. With clips from almost all his races as a two and three year old, as well as interviews with some of the most respected horseman in the business, this will definitely be a video highlight to replay again and again.

Team USA Year in Review: Key Facts & Figures from 2015

By on Dec 3, 2015 3:30 pm -
Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick

Hello from the 2015 USEA Annual Convention & Meeting! The festivities kicked off this morning with the first rounds of meetings, forums and seminars taking place this weekend here at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Team Coach David O’Connor led the first of his sessions for the High Performance riders this afternoon, taking a look back at some key facts and figures from the 2015 season.

Team USA targeted three major trips this year: the Pan American Games, where the U.S. needed to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games, and two Nations Cup competitions at Aachen CICO3* and Boekelo CCIO3*.

“We really wanted to compete at as many Nations Cups as possible because we have so few team opportunities in the U.S.,” David said. “We wanted to go after the (Nations Cup) program, including bringing one back here to the U.S.,” which is slated to happen for the first time in North America at Great Meadow on July 8-10, 2016.

The U.S. “hit all the markers” in all three trips, with team goal and individual gold medals at the Pan American Games, a third-place Nations Cup finish at Aachen and a second-place Nations Cup finish at Boekelo.

Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick

Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick

Funding trips for riders to compete overseas and “get off the island” continues to be a huge priority for the U.S. High Performance program, David said, and he gave a report on the success rate of the riders that received competition grants in 2015.

Team USA sent 20 fully funded riders and one partially funded rider to international competitions in 2015: four to the Pan American Games, one to Bramham, four to Aachen, two to Burghley, five to Blenheim, three to Boekelo and one to Pau. Paying for travel costs to send horses and riders overseas continues to make up a large part of the High Performance budget.

Another 17 U.S. riders traveled overseas on their own dime without a grant: one at Tattersalls, 1 at Luhmühlen, three at Bramham, one at Burghley, two at Blenheim, six at Boekelo and three at Pau.

“Having a presence of 37 combinations in Europe I think is huge,” David said. “That’s being talked about in Europe quite a bit. They’re seeing a lot of news faces and combinations, and that is definitely a buzz over in Europe.”

Next we took a look at the average scores for the funded riders that competed internationally in 2015. In dressage, 32 percent of riders scored under 70%, and the overall average dressage score is continuing to drop. The U.S. also saw two scores under 40 from funded riders.

In show jumping, 63 percent of the funded riders jumped clear, which is up from 41 percent two years ago. Twenty-six percent of the riders had one rail. If you crunch those two percentages together, 89 percent of funded riders had less than one rail at overseas competitions.

“That made a huge difference in the competitiveness, as it always does,” David said. The U.S. Nations Cup team at Boekelo was able to climb to second place in the final standings thanks to good show jumping rounds.

Photo by Maggie Deatrick

Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick

On cross country, 89 percent of the funded riders jumped clear rounds, one elimination and one round with a runout. Eighty-four percent of riders were within 30 seconds of making the optimum time, and 52 percent were within 10 seconds of making the optimum time.

When you consider that only 53 percent of funded riders were jumping clear cross country rounds two years ago, the consistency rate is definitely improving. As David put it: “The ship is starting to turn.”

“Things are getting more consistent,” David said. “That’s the key to selection — a consistent performance time and time again.”

But with the 2016 Olympics just around the corner, David made it clear that the work is far from over. “In the end, where we missed was the technical and theoretical side. We’re about to get into phase two: the competitive and instinctual side. It’s not any good to tell people to be better if they don’t know how.”

Continuing on the topic of polishing the competitive and instinctual side of Team USA: “The top riders across the board are getting a lot more comfortable in the dressage ring … We’re starting to see the instinct and the moments,” David said. Now it’s about “fine-tuning those details,” which David said will be a priority through incorporating more dressage test riding into the High Performance training sessions.

David said the team’s show jumping “is better in controlling position and softness, but show jumping is not at the instinctual level yet. We’re having to think about it, and that’s a great step. It’s a step on the way and in the right direction, but that will be a huge thing to start practicing that and bring control to a more instinctual level.”

The 2016 High Performance training sessions will continue to incorporate cross country schooling, and David said he has been pleased to see many of the riders incorporating more cross country schooling into their programs at home.

Photo by Maggie Deatrick

Click to view larger. Photo by Maggie Deatrick

“What I’ll be looking for is working more on the rideability and the smoothness, because we still have too much movement and swinging around for the area of 10 strides away (from the jump) to two strides away,” David said. “Too much swing, too much movement without the horses able to concentrate on what’s out in front of them.”

A focus on smoothness will be especially important in looking ahead to the 2016 Olympics, where designer Pierre Michelet’s cross country course “will be about handiness, 10 minutes of twisting and turning,” David said.

Here are some other noteworthy tidbits from today’s High Performance session:

  • In striving to show appreciation to owners, the USEF continued course walks for owners at major competitions this year, and Ariat and Hermès sponsored clothing for owners. The USEF office also provided travel and ticket assistance for owners to competitions.
  • Team USA will continue to participate in Kentucky Equine Research’s heart rate monitor and fitness program research this year, as well as starting to look at lactate levels. If you have a heart rate monitor, you can track the same type of information with the KER ClockItSport app. (Check out the KER ClockIt Session of the Week in today’s News & Notes, and you can share your own sessions for the chance to win cool prizes!)
  • David plans to work with some of the riders to set goals for their stable management and time management. “In going around to so many different farms, you see how they work and how things can get away from people without them knowing because they’re so busy,” he said. “Details get missed, and that can come back to bite you.”
  • The High Performance session ended in a presentation from Jennifer Dodd of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, who gave an informative presentation to the riders about the athlete drug testing process and explained Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) for medications.

Tomorrow’s High Performance presentation will focus on Team USA’s plan for the 2016 Olympic Games. Stay tuned for much more from the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, and click here for all of EN’s coverage so far. Go Eventing.

USEA Convention Links: Website, Schedule, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

A Horse of a Different Color: There’s An App For That

By on Dec 3, 2015 1:00 pm -

"A Horse of a Different Color" features horses and ponies that have been successful in the sport of eventing while representing a unique breed. Do you have a horse that you think would be a great feature subject? If so, email [email protected].

Lindsay Barrack and There's An App For That at Pine Top. Photo courtesy of Hoofclix.com. Lindsay Barrack and There's An App For That at Pine Top. Photo courtesy of Hoofclix.com.

Lindsay Barrack was not horse shopping when she met “Chappy’s” former owner. The Thoroughbred/Appaloosa cross had successfully fox hunted, but his owner was going to college and needed to find a new home for him. In a twist of fate, Lindsay offered to help a friend, who owned a local tack shop, with their holiday sale. On the day she was helping, Chappy’s owner happened to also be working.

Lindsay got to talking, and agreed to try the horse. “I had just sold my mare,” she recalled. “And I was planning on focusing on my students for awhile, so I really wasn’t in the market. But when Chappy came to my barn and I tried him, I didn’t want to let him go home.”

And so, There’s An App For That found a new home in an eventing barn after stealing Lindsay’s heart. Now 16 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down, campaigning at Training level and eyeing a potential move up to Prelim before his career is over.

“He’d done a little bit of hunter/jumper, but he primarily fox hunted, which is why he is so good on cross country,” Lindsay said. “I just got really excited after I rode him.”

Chappy became a confidence booster in Lindsay’s barn, taking students around jump courses and even taking a student around Beginner Novice and Novice this year as a packer. For Lindsay, he’s been a breath of fresh air after she worked with a few more “difficult” horses in the past.

“You can tell how confident he is on cross country,” she said. “He doesn’t look at anything. For my student who leased him, she had adopted a kind of defensive riding style from riding a stopper before. It was hard for her to understand how to be more ‘graceful’ to the fences, and he really helped her with that. It was really cool to take a step back and watch that progression.”

Lindsay and Chappy at Pine Top. Photo courtesy of Hoofclix.com.

Lindsay and Chappy at Pine Top. Photo courtesy of Hoofclix.com.

Chappy’s sire was a Thoroughbred with racing lines and his dam was an Appaloosa. He’s a registered Appaloosa, and he’s definitely built more like his dam than his sire, Lindsay says. Aside from his build, though, he’s shown no limitations when it comes to sport.

“He’s actually a really nice mover on his own,” Lindsay said. “Probably one of the best in our barn! He’s been so sound and honest for everyone.” When it comes to fitness, Lindsay keeps him on a routine of trot and gallop sets, but he pulled up from his last Training run at the Thanksgiving Pine Top still ready to go around again.

“He’s more fit than I am at this point, I’d say,” Lindsay laughed. “I broke my pinky a few months ago, and it needed surgery so I was off for awhile. We came off cross country at Pine Top and he could have gone again but I was done. He’s a total machine — if I could describe him in one word, it would be ‘rockstar.'”

Lindsay bases in Tallahassse at Mahan Farm and trains with Hilda Donahue, who is confident that Chappy will be Lindsay’s one-star horse in the near future. “I think it would be an absolute great end to his career if we got him there. We’ve schooled some Prelim stuff and he had no trouble with it. I think we’ll just need to focus on getting him more conditioned so that he can make the time at Prelim. The biggest challenges will be the speed and the dressage.”

Lindsay plans to take Chappy to the new event in Florida at Three Lakes this winter and formulate a plan to move him up when he is ready. “He’s super capable, and he’s in the best shape of his life. It’s just one of those things where I wasn’t expecting this to happen, and he just kind of fell into my lap.”

7 Ridiculous Eventing Moments from the HRN Holiday Radiothon

By on Dec 3, 2015 11:00 am -
Ugly sweater supermodels Boyd Martin and Dom Schramm.

What happens when Boyd Martin and Dom Schramm (and Jimmie Schramm and Laine Ashker) join EN on the radio? Hilarity ensues.

You can count on us to crash a party, which is pretty much what happened when Eventing Nation and Horse Nation took over the final hour of Horse Radio Network’s epic 12-hour holiday radiothon on Monday evening.

Between hosts Jenni Autry and Leslie Wylie, HRN emcees Glenn the Geek and Dr. Wendy Ying, and celebrity guests Boyd Martin, Lainey Ashker and Dom and Jimmie Schramm, it was a ridiculously merry grand finale to a long, fun, star-studded day.

Tons of prizes were given (you can check out a list of the winners here), the virtual wassail was passed around, and Christmas memories ranging from heartwarming to humiliating were shared. You can listen to any of the Radiothon’s 12 hours here…

index

… or skip straight to the EN/HN hour by clicking here.

A small sampling of the hilarity that ensued with Eventing Nation at the wheel:

1. Broken childhood Christmas dreams  (9:08)

Leslie: “For the first 10 maybe 11 years of my life Christmas was always a traumatic, emotionally devastating event. Because all I wanted was a horse. A pony. Like, whatever. Something with four legs I could ride around in circles. That was all I wanted. And every year I was just in tears because I did not get the horse. I didn’t understand why Santa hated me, what I did so wrong to deserve nothing resembling a live horse for Christmas. I guess that’s pretty bratty.”

2. Breaking the internet (13:44)

Call-in listener/EN writer David Taylor: “Leave it to the eventers to break the Internet.”

Jenni: “That’s what we do. That’s par for the course around here.”

Leslie: “Totally on purpose.”

Glenn: “I remember the first time that EN crashed and you guys were like me today when we crashed these servers, you were so excited. When you do that the first time it’s so exciting and terrifying at the same time.”

Jenni: “And then every year after that you’d expect us to get our act together, and we somehow never do.”

Leslie: “It’s a Rolex tradition.”

Jenni: “It is a Rolex tradition, absolutely. People have expectations now.”

3. Eventers are not like normal people (13:15)

Wendy: “Oh my god. You can’t put all these eventers together at once. It’s dangerous. They’re not like normal horse people, Glenn. They’re wild.”

4: Boyd’s first Christmas with Silva’s family (20:54)

Boyd: “Basically in Australia you wear a Hawaiian shirt or a T-shirt and a pair of board shorts and Christmas was a pretty relaxing day with your family. I met Silva and went to Germany for Christmas and I would have thought the Germans had the same sort of protocol when it comes to Christmas.

“I had a really, really cool button-up shirt, like a Hawaiian type shirt, with a really, really nice rooster on the chest of it. And so I was meeting Silva’s family for the first time and I was staying in the basement, and I walked upstairs and everyone was in a shirt and tie, her dad was in a proper suit, and I walk into the room with this big rooster on my shirt. The whole room went silent and it was so weird. And Silva’s sister said in German to Silva, ‘Nice rooster.’

“So German Christmas and Australian Christmas are quite different.”

5. Dom’s first Christmas with Jimmie’s family (36:13)

Jimmie: “Every year for Christmas my sweet mom buys everybody pajamas to wear Christmas morning. Our Christmas morning it’s like we’re 10 — we close our eyes and come into the room and go to our pile of presents and we all like to wear our matching pajamas.”

Dom: “You’re going to pay for this, Jimmie.”

Jimmie: “So this is Dom’s first Christmas in the U.S. and first Christmas with my family so it was kind of a big deal, and I have a big family. My mom has put both sets of pajamas, mine and his, in Dom’s room— we were sleeping in different rooms, it was before we were married— so we wake up and we’re all rushing in, and here comes Dom walking in.

“He’s got on a pair of flannel pajama pants with reindeer all over them and a top that was skin-tight fleece, and it had this like scoop neck, like really low scoop neck, and my whole family was like, “Um, what are you wearing?” And he says, “These are the pajamas that Mrs. Holotik gave me to wear.” And my mom was like, “Those are the wrong ones! Those aren’t the right ones! Those are Jimmie’s pajamas!”

Dom: “I mean, just imagine my confusion. I thought … they grossly underestimated my size …”

Glenn: “But were there any roosters on them?”

6. Broken Christmas bones (47:42)

Laine: “Most of the time my holiday season is spent injured or in a hospital. Last year, I was in a hospital.”

Jenni: “You really have made a tradition of it.”

Laine: “Absolutely. If I’m going to get hurt, it’s a perfect time to do it.”

7. Picking the winner of the $1,000 prize giveaway (50:06)

Jenni: “Can Lainey pick the winner?”

Lainey: “Can I have the prizes?”

Many thanks to Horse Radio Network for letting us be a part of their fun holiday event! Visit the website to view their full roster of shows, including a brand new edition of the Eventing Radio Show each week.

Go Eventing.

New 2016 FEI Rules Overhaul CCI4* Qualifications + Other Changes

By on Dec 3, 2015 9:25 am -
Photo by Eric Swinebroad Photo by Eric Swinebroad

The FEI has quietly released the new eventing rules for 2016, but never fear EN readers, because we have been on the lookout for you. If you are amazing and have memorized the rulebook word for word, you can check out the clean version here. If you’re like me and need to see the red mark-ups to fully catch all of the changes, the marked-up version is here. All FEI eventing rules can be accessed at this link.

While there are many minor changes, we are outlining the highlights in this post. We strongly recommend that each rider read through the rules themselves.

CCI4* Qualifications

Rumors have been swirling throughout the year about an increased requirement to qualify for the four-star level, and that is what we have in the 2016 rulebook. The previous rule required one CCI3* and two CIC3* plus National Federation (NF) requirements for all categories of rider except A. Meanwhile, Category A riders could take any horse that had completed a CCI3* and ride it at a CCI4*.

The new CCI4* qualification requirements are as follows:

  • Uncategorized, Category C, and Category D riders must now obtain two CCI3* and two additional CIC3*.
  • Category B riders must obtain one CCI3* and three additional CIC3*, alongside National Federation requirements.
  • Category A riders must qualify for the four-star level by completing a CCI3* as a pair with the horse.
  • Categorized requirements for other levels now require some qualifications to be accomplished as a pair with the horse.
  • The definition of a Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) has been added to allow 11 penalties for breaking a frangible pin to qualify.

EN confirmed today with the FEI that these new CCI4* qualifications will go into effect July 1, 2016. However, the FEI also confirmed that the three CCI4* events taking place in 2016 prior to that date — Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Luhmühlen — will have the option to adopt the new requirements.

EN is seeking clarification from Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Luhmühlen as to whether these events will require the new qualifications to compete at the 2016 events, so stay tuned. The new CCI4* qualification requirements will be in effect for Burghley, Pau and Adelaide in 2016.

Reverse Qualifications

  • Reverse qualifications for the horse no longer expire due to a qualification exiting the rolling 12-month period, but must be cleared by an MER. This was previously a gray area.
  • Should an athlete obtain two reverse qualifications (regardless of horse) within a one-year period, his category will be dropped down a level for the period of one year. Previously, his ability to use the categorized path was suspended for one year.

Saddlery and Dress

  • Earhoods (ear bonnets) have been explicitly allowed for the dressage phase. However, they must be “discreet” in color. Ear plugs are specifically not permitted.

Refusals

  • The wording has been clarified to explicitly require the head, neck and both shoulders of the horse to pass between the flags.
  • When an obstacle is composed of multiple elements (A, B, C, D), a refusal will only be recorded if a horse circles around the back of the subsequent element. The previous rules prevented crossing the back or circling between any element.

Things We Were Expecting to See But Didn’t

  • Cross country bit rules. Although we were told to expect bit limitations for cross country in 2016, there were no changes.
  • Flag penalties. Despite a lot of chatter over possible penalties for hitting flags, the new rules only clarify the language regarding awarding refusals in ambiguous situations.
  • New four-star dressage tests. We saw all levels except the four-star receive new tests in 2015 and were told to expect new four-star tests in 2016. However, the 2009 tests are still in effect for 2016 according to these rules.

What do we think about the new rules, Eventing Nation? Do you approve of new qualifications for the four-star level in the quest for improving safety in the sport? Let us know in the comment section.

[FEI 2016 Eventing Rulebook]

[Full listing of all FEI rules for eventing]

Thursday News & Notes from Kentucky Equine Research

By on Dec 3, 2015 12:03 am -
My vet is cooler than your vet. The acclaimed Tiffany Snell enjoying Virginia fox hunting. Photo by Cathy Summers.

My vet is cooler than your vet. The acclaimed Tiffany Snell enjoying Virginia fox hunting. Photo by Cathy Summers.

Here’s how I feel about winter: mostly, the picture you should see in your mind is grumpy cat, but at the same time, there’s something almost a little nice about those genuinely awful days, where there is just no way in hell you could reasonably ride a horse because it’s 30 degrees and icing from the sky, so you just have to bundle up to do the barn chores, but then you can retreat inside for some hot tea and Netflix. I don’t have access to an indoor, and mostly Virginia is pretty mild, but when the weather outside is frightful, I’m ok with an unscheduled day off to write things, bake things, and wear pajamas all day. Perks of winter?

US Weekend Preview:

🙁

News From Around the Globe:

Many congratulations are in order for Rob Burk, who has just been named as the CEO of the USEA in light of Jo Whitehouse’s retirement. Rob has been the COO for the USEA and has been transitioning to the new position following Jo’s retirement announcement earlier this year. [Rob Burk Named CEO of USEA]

A donkey in the back of a police cruiser, what could possibly go wrong? Tuesday morning, Officer Kyle Canaan responded to a call about a stray donkey wandering a highway. When he arrived to find the jenny in danger amongst the traffic, he also found a good samaritan who offered a paddock to keep her safe until her owner could be found. However, they had to drive her there. So Officer Canaan popped her into the back of his car and rolled the window down. Yes, she pooped in his police cruiser. [Oklahoma News of the Weird]

8 Things Your Trainer Will Never Tell You, But You Really Need To Know

If you didn’t grow up watching and obsessing over the original National Velvet, then you need to stop everything and go watch it now. The classic film not only jump started Elizabeth Taylor’s acting career, but burned a fierce hole of desire in thousands of little horse-obsessed girls hearts. Because why wouldn’t you win a horse in a town raffle and then enter the Grand National pretending to be a boy? Even better, “The Pie” was in fact a chestnut thoroughbred grandson of Man O’War named King Charles. [National Velvet: Best Movie Ever?]

Ten Questions Non-Equestrians Should Stop Asking. General rules? Don’t ask how much anything costs, because you don’t want to know. Don’t even think about asking me to rate my love of my horses and humans in order. It’s best to just stick to listening to us talk about our horses. [Horse Nation]

Best of Blogs: Are You a Sportsman or a Gamesman?

Everybody’s got that horsey friend. You know, the one that secretly loves everything lined in swarovski crystals, and actually enjoys wearing very preppy horse clothes. Or maybe you just have a DQ friend who really needs the worlds most sparkliest dressage whip, or a magnetic blinged out number holder for their show style. Horsenista has you covered. [Horsenista Christmas: The Posh List]

Still lost for what to get your horsey friends or significant other? SmartPak saves the day again with a whole new section on their site just for gifts! You can get stocking stuffers, big fancy gifts, and everything in between. They’ve made it easy for you by including a Best Selling Gifts list for your convenience. Hint: you can hardly go wrong with the classic padded leather bracelet with the best horse’s name. [SmartPak Christmas Gift List]

 

KER ClockIt Session of the Week

Madison Dasti has had a winning fall! First she scored a KER ClockIt starter pack for winning Novice Best Conditioned at Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event in October (read more), then she put the heart-rate monitor to good use to win the drawing in November’s Share Your Sessions sweepstakes! Here’s Madison’s winning session, a jump clinic with Shawn Mack over 3’3” courses:

For submitting the winning session, Madison received a $100 gift card to Shop.KERx.com. The card can be used on KERx Special Needs Nutrition supplements, ClockIt accessories, or other KER gear. Want a chance to win? KER is running another sweepstakes for sessions recorded in December and January. To enter, just record a session of at least 20 minutes with a heart rate, then send the link and a brief description of the ride to [email protected]. There’s no limit on entries—the more sessions you record and submit, the more chances you have to win! More details: [KER Share Your Sessions]

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This is what I leave you with:

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Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Diane Portwood’s Young Rider Vlog

By on Dec 2, 2015 5:00 pm -

Area III young rider Diane Portwood and her mare, Cinerescent, won the CCI2* at NAJYRC this year and are campaigning their way toward the Advanced level as they look ahead to 2016. Diane recently began a video blog series chronicling her season and her preparation for the upcoming year. She stays busy as a student at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!), where she studies chemical, environmental and biological engineering.

We’re excited that Diane has graciously offered to share her vlog series with us as she works with her upper level mare as well as searches for a new OTTB to bring along, all while triple majoring at a big university. I’m tired just after writing about that!

You can follow along with and watch other videos from Diane on her YouTube channel here.

Product Review: Professional’s Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots

By on Dec 2, 2015 3:00 pm -
Mia models the Professional's Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots. Photo by Josh Autry. Mia models the Professional's Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots. Photo by Josh Autry.

I think we can all agree that protective boots are one of the most important parts of your horse’s wardrobe. Whether you’re schooling on the flat at home or galloping cross country at a competition, ensuring that your horse’s legs are protected from bumps, cuts and injuries is crucial to longterm soundness.

That’s why I’m obsessed with always searching for the very best choices when it comes to protecting my event horse’s legs. I’ve tried several different types of boots for her this season, and the Professional’s Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots are my current favorite choice for schooling and riding at home.

The thing that jumps out to you right away about these boots is the quality and craftsmanship you can both see and feel. Sometimes schooling boots seem too flimsy to offer any real protection, but the Pro Performance Schooling Boots offer an ideal balance between durability and flexibility — they protect while still allowing comfort and freedom of movement.

The outer shell of the boots is made from a honeycomb, hex-patterned TPU material that is extremely lightweight and breathable but also feels tough — like it can hold up to a lot of abuse and heavy use. The boots also feature a ballistic strike guard on the outer shell to protect against interference. The inner lining is made of soft, comfortable foam that is also eco-friendly and antibacterial.

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Image courtesy of Professional’s Choice

My 16.2-hand big-boned Thoroughbred usually wears a large in hind boots, but I ended up needing to size down to a medium in the Pro Performance Schooling Boots to get the proper fit (the inner straps on the double hook-and-loop system were too long to be secured properly). The Pro Performance Schooling Boots don’t have separate front and hind sizes, but I found that the mediums fit all four of Mia’s legs well.

(Note that the large and extra large sizes in the Pro Performance Schooling Boots have three hook-and-loop straps, while the small and medium sizes have two straps. Click here to see the sizing chart, and if you have any questions on the fit, feel free to ask me in the comments below.)

Even before I swapped down to a smaller size, the larger boots didn’t slip down during rides. The foam lining really does an excellent job of keeping the boots in place, as well as preventing rubs. I really liked that I didn’t have to worry about splashing through a creek while out for a hack when Mia wore the Pro Performance Schooling Boots.

The inside lining of the boots is made of a comfortable, soft foam. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The inner lining is made of soft, comfortable foam that is also eco-friendly and antibacterial. Photo by Jenni Autry.

I know what you’re probably thinking in seeing these pictures: “My slob of a horse would turn those pretty white boots to brown in approximately five minutes.” I did worry about using white boots as an everyday schooling option, and this is actually the first time I’ve ever owned schooling boots in white.

The boots wipe down well, but since they’re machine washable, I’ve found that the easiest way to keep them clean is to toss them in the washer. I’ve had some schooling boots slowly start to fall apart after regular washing in a machine, but the Pro Performance Schooling Boots still look sparkly white and new, and I’ve even been able to buff out stains.

The Professional’s Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots are available in black or white and are sold in pairs; you can get them in sizes small, medium, large and extra large at a retail price of $89.95 per pair. Click here to check them out on the Professional’s Choice website.

Do you own the Professional’s Choice Pro Performance Schooling Boots? Let us know your own experience with the boots in the comments below. We’ve also reviewed the other boots in the Pro Performance series, so don’t miss EN’s experience with the XC boots and jumping boots. Go Eventing.

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club Brings Horse Community to Philadelphia

By on Dec 2, 2015 1:00 pm -
The Ferrell family and Dan Aquilante. Photo courtesy of Lisa Thomas. The Ferrell family and Dan Aquilante. Photo courtesy of Lisa Thomas.

Traveling into downtown Philadelphia to visit the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is a far cry from the preserved open space in Chester County that is just a short hour’s drive from the city.

Juxtapose the bucolic rural equestrian countryside that surrounds the city which is home to many world class riders, trainers and breeders … to the backdrop of this urban riding club.

The city streets of Strawberry Mansion in North Philly are scattered with litter, graffiti, and abandoned homes, and this is where residents live at the poverty level.

The community has fallen victim to unemployment, inner-city violence, and increased drug trafficking. This isn’t where one would expect to find a counter culture of families and individuals who come from several generations of devoted horsemen.

The History of Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club

For decades, the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club has offered local youth the opportunity to learn positive life lessons through caring for and riding horses that live in this urban environment.

The Club gives children and young adults the alternative to a life dominated by drugs and crime, the pervasive socio-economic situation that plagues the area.

Everyone here is drawn together by their love of horses and their passion to preserve the legacy of this urban riding culture created by previous generations. It is rumored that riding clubs in this area have existed for 100 years, and city land maps show stables dating back to the 1940’s.

There is an interesting backstory and unique history on the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club. Ellis Ferrell is the Grandfather of the club, and he and his family have been championing the cause for this group for the past several decades.

He is a large man with an even bigger heart, who has often saved many horses from the kill pen at New Holland in order to provide partners for these kids in need. This is truly a story of horses and humans saving one another.

Philanthropic Spirit to the Rescue

Susan Jordan, who literally stumbled across the area three years ago while researching information on the city, was shocked to see a horse stable and riders on the streets of Philadelphia.

She became emotionally drawn to understand more about Fletcher Street, and began to look for more information on the history of inner-city riding clubs.

In 2011, Ellis was forced to move out of his old stable on Fletcher Street into an open garage around the corner due to increased building rental costs. She approached Ellis wanting to get involved and to spearhead efforts to save the club.

Susan began researching property ownership information on the community riding area (nicknamed “Fletcher Field”) where all the surrounding stables exercise and turn out their horses.

At that point, Susan coordinated the approval of the 501C3 and their official fundraising site. She also helped negotiate the donation of the open building lot on Fletcher Street after it was purchased by someone at Sheriff’s auction, so Ellis could have a place to rebuild.

They were able to get the building lot donated in 2014, and that land was officially deeded to Ellis Ferrell in the name of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club’s 501C3. She worked with Sean Eisele, a young filmmaker who produced the short featured film on Rally.org, and Susan and Sean also created the Club’s Facebook page to raise social awareness.

They were perched to clear the lot and to start rebuilding, but fundraising had stalled. With funds dwindling, Ellis was forced to move the horses to another part of the city, and the future of the club was looking bleak.

The Next Chapter of Giving

The next chapter of help began when a documentary film maker connected with Karen Raach, owner of Rock Solid Stables in Limerick, PA., in need of hauling horses during the film shoot.

Discovering the plight of the club and their horses, Karen quickly started organizing efforts to help Fletcher Street, and through tireless efforts and updates via social media, a core group was formed.

Dominique Damico of Ramble On Farm in Berwyn joined forces with her boyfriend Dan Aquilante of Aquilante Construction, who quickly organized a work crew to go into the city to level and clear the lot so there could be a new location for the stables.

Aquilante, who comes from a family of 16 siblings, understands the meaning of giving back to those less fortunate. When he originally contacted Ellis Ferrell and his family, the Ferrells were skeptical of the community outreach because they had been let down in the past.

Aquilante, anxious to prove his sincerity, delivered Thanksgiving dinner with his mother to serve 25 members of the Ferrell family on Thanksgiving Day! Due to his large family upbringing, he lives by the motto “Invest in yourself and don’t forget to give back”.

Raach made a call to 6 ABC Action News about the efforts being made over the holiday, and they were on site on Saturday, November 28th to report on the initial rehabbing efforts of the club’s donated lot.

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club Is An Island of Hope and They Need Our Help

Lisa Thomas, founder of Mid-Atlantic Equestrian Services, had previously read about Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club through an article on Horse Nation that was published back in 2014.

Thomas, who is a friend of Karen Raach’s, saw her outcry for support on Facebook, and volunteered to coordinate the current fundraising efforts and PR with national equestrian media outlets. The following video is from her visit to Fletcher Street this past weekend:

The club is an approved 501C3 (EIN # 46-3515556) and donations (monetary, services and in-kind) are tax-deductible.

Funds need to be directed through their official 501C3 fundraising site, where you can view the video interview with Ellis which is very informative.

The lot clearing and stone base will be completed within the next week through the generosity of Aquilante Construction. The next step is to raise funds to buy supplies for the club to build their stalls, shelter and storage areas. During this season of giving, please consider donating to this worthy cause.

Please also show your support by liking the riding club through their Facebook page.