Classic Eventing Nation

New Year, New Rules: Check in with Changes to the FEI Rulebook for 2023

By on Feb 3, 2023 1:00 pm -

The FEI, like the USEA, has revised its MERs for the 2023 season with the aim of making the sport safer. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A new year means new rule changes from the USEA and FEI. This year, we’re looking at some sizable changes, mainly to the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) for Modified and above. The general gist of the rule changes? Ensuring that horses and athletes are better prepared for the level they’re riding at. 

For example, one of the new updates states that “Horses having not competed at FEI Competition for a period of 13 consecutive months or more will have to complete an event at a lower level before entering a CCI4*-S/L or CCI5*-L Event.”

Athlete categorization has also been updated, with slightly fewer MERs required, but the time in which the MERs are recorded halved. This means that athletes must now obtain more MERs per year than before. 

The new changes may have an effect on your athlete categorization level. Here’s how they’ll be decided for the 2023 season:

“Athletes will be categorized (A, B, C, D) according to their performance in a rolling four year period, rather than eight years. 

D – Ten (10) MERs at CCI2*-S or CCI2*-L level or above; or three (3) MERs at CCI-S or CCI-L at a higher level.

C – Ten (10) MERs at CCI3*-S or CCI3*-L level or above; or three (3) MERs at CCI-S or CCI-L at a higher level.

B – Ten (10) MERs at CCI4*-S or CCI4*-L level or above; or three (3) MERs CCI5*-L.

A – Ten (10) MERs at CCI4*-S or CCI4*-L level or above of which three (3) MERs were at CCI5*-L.”

Athlete categories will now be updated at the end of each month, but your category on the closing date of entries for a specific event will remain your category for that event, regardless of whether you move up to the next category between the close of entries and the event itself, and so you’ll need to ensure you’re adequately qualified as per your categorisation at the time of entry.

For category A riders, there are a few changes to CCI5*-L Qualifications. Now, horses without an existing CCI5*-L MER must achieve an MER as a combination at a CCI4*-L. Horses with an existing CCI5*-L MER must achieve an MER as a combination at either the CCI4*-L level or they must achieve two MERs at the CCI4*-S level. Note that World Championships and Olympic Games require 5* level MERs. 

Better stay on top of those show jumping faults! According to the FEI, “For short format competitions (when the Jumping test is before the Cross Country test), an athlete incurring 20 or more obstacle penalties during the Jumping test will not be authorized to start in the Cross Country test and will be automatically eliminated from the competition.”

The requirements to gain an MER at an international event generally remain much the same: athletes must not earn more than 45 penalty points in the dressage; they must not topple more than four rails in the showjumping; and they must ostensibly go clear in the cross-country without exceeding the optimum time by more than 75 seconds (100 seconds at 5*). That ostensible clear has previously allowed for one activation of a safety device (11 penalties); as of this year, it also allows for one missed flag (15 penalties), though the two cannot occur in the same round.

The Conflict of Interest statement that caused a pretty big uproar in 2022 has also been reworked after significant backlash and salient points made by many individuals, who observed that the majority of judges at FEI events must also teach to sustain their livelihood. The previous iteration of the statement disallowed competitors from riding in front of a judge that had previously taught them.

According to the FEI, the statement is now written as “Conflicts must be avoided whenever practicable. However, conflicts may be linked to experience and expertise that is necessary to qualify Officials. The specific balance between conflict and expertise shall be regulated by the relevant Sport Rules. (FEI General Regulations, Appendix H-FEI Officials’ code of conduct).”

If you have questions about rule changes, talk with your local official or the steward at your next trial. Review the 2023 FEI Rulebook here.

Modifications to National Requirements 

US competitors who stay below the CCI* level are also subject to MERs at the Modified level and above. According to the USEA, “All MER requirements for Modified, Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels (except Classic Three-day Events), are required for Horses and Athletes to move from one level to the next. After obtaining an MER at the Intro level or above horses and riders are established at the level. Horses and athletes having achieved an MER at the level and [who] have not competed at the level over twelve months must achieve a MER at the next lowest height level.”

The long and short of it is that athletes competing at or above Modified must have obtained at least six MERs at one level before moving up to the next. The horse must have also obtained at least four MERs at one level before moving up, and one of these four MERs must be in combination with the rider.

In the case of a loss of qualifications following dangerous riding penalties, or accumulated incidents as outlined in the USEA rulebook, an athlete “may be re-qualified by achieving two MERs at the next lower height level within any 6-month period and no sooner than 10 days following the loss of qualification.”

The period by which all MERs must be obtained in order to be valid has been shortened. “All Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER), except Classic Three-day Events, must be obtained within a 4-year period. One MER must be obtained within 12 weeks of the Event for which it is needed when moving from one level to the next.” 

If you’re planning on riding in a Classic Three Day Event at Modified or above, you’ll need to have obtained your MERs within a 24-month period of the start of the competition. 

 

 

‘Pressure is a Privilege’: Inside Boyd Martin’s By The Minute Webinar on Competition Anxiety and Nerves

By on Feb 3, 2023 10:00 am -

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

You’re about to start your dressage test and it starts to rain. Before you even finish trotting down the first long side of the arena, the judge rings the bell. After what you believe to be a beautiful trot down centerline, you halt, salute, look the judge in the eye, and watch as they say to their scribe: “Four”.

At this point, as three-time Olympian Boyd Martin illustrated in Tuesday night’s By The Minute webinar on handling competition anxiety and nerves, “this is where the true champions can kind of roll up their sleeves, grit their teeth, pick themselves up, and keep going.”

Boyd holds a wealth of knowledge on battling the nerves and anxiety that come with the high level of performance demanded by our sport, and at the top of his list of advice was to embrace the fact that “pressure is an absolute privilege”.

We eventers have chosen a sport that not only places us in harm’s way, but also allows us the whole range of emotional highs and lows associated with this fast-paced competitive lifestyle. He heavily emphasized the importance of staying in the moment every step of the way; at any given moment, Boyd reminds us, all you’re in control of is the next ten strides. “Make the next couple of seconds as perfect as you can… [ask yourself,] what can I do in this moment to make my performance better?”

Above all, it is pointless to agonize over things you cannot control. This includes situations such as:
– Weather
– Start order
– Course design or difficulty
– Who the judges are
– Who you’re competing against
– Things that have already happened

Instead, continue to focus on things you do have control over, including:
– People you’re around
– Warm up and preparation
– Watching other people’s performances
– Your confidence level

Five Tools to Use During Competition

1. Visualization

Boyd takes himself through several routines during competitions, one of which includes visualizing his cross country course while lying on a yoga mat in his horse trailer. He recommends blocking off a window of time before your ride to hide away, whether alone or with your coach, and visualize how you’re going to warm up, how you’ll ride your test, or pieces of your course that you will jump. Visualizing success can help you stay confident on the course, knowing that you’ve already “jumped it correctly” before.

2. Watch your fellow riders

If you can watch the other horses and riders, do so! Coming up with a game plan for your warm up and your ride will be easier if you can base it on other riders’ experiences in the same situations. “Horses all read the same jumps about the same,” Boyd notes, so if you expect the unexpected, your ride can run more smoothly. Watching how the warm up is working or how the course is riding can prevent massive surprises when it’s your turn to navigate them.

3. Stick to your routine

Riders often have the innate tendency to change things up when they’re nervous, whether it be new tack, more rides, or pushing harder than normal. Even at the highest level, people trying to do something new or different in a competition environment can lead to disaster. According to Boyd, his jumping coach Peter Wylde has advised, “You’ve got to have a dress rehearsal… where you use the equipment you’re going to use, [and] warm up the way you’re planning to warm up.” Stick to your normal riding routine and resist the urge to change things up just because you’re in a new and scary environment.

4. Avoid negative energy

Nervous people create a negative energy that you should do your best to avoid. Self-doubt can also bring negative energy and affect your confidence. Boyd affirms that your confidence level is directly correlated to your preparation; knowing that your horse has jumped bigger, wider, and more technical questions than what you’re about to compete over will enable confidence in both you and your horse. Thinking back to your successes during training and schooling can erase the negativity carried by self-doubt, and can help you to remind yourself that you do belong where you are. Keeping this positivity and optimism is one of the things Boyd says has helped him come this far. “Saying ‘I don’t belong here’ gets into your head”, he advises. “It isn’t positive and it isn’t helpful.”

5. Create trained behavior

Tense in the brain = tense in the body. Working to find awareness in your body during your warmups can help you stay physically relaxed and prevent setting your horse off due to your body’s natural response to anxiety. Boyd even uses his Instagram-famous ice baths to train his body to stay calm and fight the physiological resistance that can be associated with anxiety. Through breath control, he trains himself to stay relaxed, even if your heart rate is going crazy and your body is trying to tense, which he can then apply to his riding. He notes that his ultimate goal while competing is to attain a level of relaxation equal to when he rides at home by himself, “like no one’s watching me”.

Boyd’s affirmations on staying in the moment greatly resonated with me, as it has been my personal life mantra for years: “Whatever just happened, happened; all you can change is the next moment.” You can have the best ultimate plan, but if something goes wrong, you have to change the way you’re riding and adjust to the ride you have now. Training for and maintaining a clear mental state will foster flexibility, allowing you a clear mind to address what’s happening at the moment, adjust, and adapt. To riders that he sees looking back after a jump to see if they dropped a rail, Boyd reminds them: “That moment is completely done, and it’s pointless agonizing over it… You can’t pick it up and put it back on!”

Boyd Martin and Contessa. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Rebuilding Confidence

An audience question near the end of the webinar asked Boyd how he recommends rebuilding confidence when trying to execute something you’ve done poorly in the past. Boyd stated that when “putting yourself under pressure often, you get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Pushing to get through a training session when your horse may be spooky or losing their focus will put you under a little bit of pressure, similarly to when you’re at an event. When competing, remember that “history repeats itself”; rather than dwelling on a previous poor decision, instead think, “How am I going to make sure that doesn’t happen again?”

“Try not to make things too perfect,” he says, recommending that riders work to come up with their own formula to get the best out of yourself and your horse in all kinds of situations. “The knack of getting better is plucking a bunch of different ideas and giving them a go.” Once you have a game plan formulated to best accommodate the ride you have, stay confident and stick to it – everything else is out of your control. Trust that you and your horse have done the right amount of preparation, and combat fear and anxiety with positive experiences.

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boyd Martin’s new By The Minute webinar series will continue with its next session on Tuesday, February 28th at 7:00 pm ET, and is open to everyone! For anyone who missed this one, the on-demand webinar is available to purchase and watch here. His team is welcoming topic suggestions, which can be submitted to [email protected].

Friday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Feb 3, 2023 12:03 am -

Jim Wofford and Chinch share a moment. Photo via EN’s Instagram.

Yesterday, the eventing world lost a legend. I never had the privilege of training with Jimmy, but he was the cornerstone of education for so many riders over the years it’s hard to imagine. He continued being a source of knowledge, confidence, and comfort for everyone who knew him, right up until the end. We will all miss your smiling face Jimmy, and we just know you’re out on a long-format cross country course right now.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Galway Downs 2023 Kickoff H.T. (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Sporting Days Farm February H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch (Groveland, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

As all of us mourn the loss of Jimmy Wofford, we also look back on many fond memories through the ages. No corner of the horse world went untouched by the magic of Jimmy, and we will see many tributes in the days to come. [A Legendary Horseman] [Remembering James C Wofford]

Best of Blogs: I Am A Fat Equestrian and I’m Never Dieting Again

Experience the thrill of traditional long format three-day eventing by competing in a USEA Classic Series event in 2023! The USEA has announced that the 2023 Classic Series calendar is now available. Long-format events from the Beginner Novice to Preliminary levels are still a reality thanks to the USEA Classic Series and include roads and tracks, steeplechase, and cross-country on “endurance day,” as well as horse inspections and additional educational activities throughout the weekend. [Blast from the Past: Long Format Dreams]

Helping your horse with his post-exercise cooling process can improve his recovery but during winter, it requires a little more thought. Assisting your horse with his post-exercise cooling process can impact how well and how quickly he recovers. This stands true no matter the season. But cold weather cooling requires also guarding against a chilled horse. Not only do you want to make sure that your warm-up is lengthy and slow to properly coax the muscles and tendons into stretching, but you want to pay special care to the cool-down as well. [Warm Muscles, Cold Days]

We all have our own ways of dealing with stress, setbacks, relationship woes, demanding workloads and all of the effects these discomforts bring to our minds and bodies. There are countless ways humans will try to distract themselves, resulting in bad habits. Horses are no different. They can overly anticipate the busyness of barns or feel neglected or rushed in day-to-day routines. Their relationships with their neighbors and pasturemates can either make or break their social life. Training stress can cause a horse to struggle both mentally and physically and can sour his view of his job. Sometimes, these stressors result in “stable vices”, but more often they are coping mechanisms. [Stable Vices vs Coping Mechanisms]

Thursday Video: The Jimmy Wofford Philosophy, In His Own Words

By on Feb 2, 2023 8:51 pm -

Earlier this afternoon, I received a text that left me reeling: it was the great Irish horseman William Micklem, who shared with me the incredibly sad news that Jimmy Wofford had died. I was never lucky enough to know Jimmy personally myself, but he certainly made an enormous impression on me: his firm belief that riding could be learned in an academic way gave me so much hope, as a kid with access to books but seldom to horses, and never to good training, that everything I dreamed of could still happen for me. I learned an enormous amount from his books, and his columns, and dreamed of one day, perhaps, getting the chance to ride with him myself. I can only imagine how those who knew and loved him must be feeling right now — but how lucky are we all to have his words of wisdom to continue taking comfort from and learning from?

It’s only right that this evening’s video should be an interview with the great man himself. Here’s the philosophy and educational foundation of one of eventing’s finest, in his own words, and packed full of wit and wisdom as always. Rest in peace and knowledge, Jimmy.

The Horse-Craziest of Them All: Goodbye to Eventing Pioneer Jimmy Wofford

By on Feb 2, 2023 5:29 pm -

Jim Wofford and Chinch share a moment. Photo via EN’s Instagram.

We’re deeply saddened to share the news that Jimmy Wofford, five-star winner, Olympian, leading equestrian intellect, and consummate horseman, has died at the age of 78 following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. His extraordinary, forward-thinking and wide-reaching vision for the sport of eventing has helped to shape it in innumerable ways over the last number of decades, and his passing leaves an enormous void in our industry.

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.

The youngest son of an Olympic show jumper and U.S. cavalryman, Jimmy was, perhaps, predestined to be a horseman himself. Certainly, it was a deep-rooted love that coursed through the family, almost all of whom were involved with riding or breeding horses to the uppermost levels. It was Jimmy’s father, Colonel John Wofford, who was one the founding fathers of the U.S. Equestrian Team in its modern iteration, taking equestrian sport from a purely military activity to a civilian one and heralding a new age for the industry. Jimmy’s mother, for her part, was a crucial figure in the founding of the United States Eventing Association (USEA), then the United States Combined Training Association (USCTA), and Jimmy would grow up to be one of its greatest stars.

But before all that, there was a childhood in which horses, dogs, and books became the cornerstones of a vivid world — and one often inhabited by Jimmy alone. His siblings, all much older than him, left when he was young; his father, after achieving so much, succumbed to cancer when his youngest son was just ten; his mother, deeply impacted by the loss, receded into her grief. Jimmy would learn early on to take comfort in the relationships he created with animals, and to find solace in the world of words, both of which would become hugely important parts of his career. At 13, he left home to attend military school, where he spent his free time reading riding handbooks from cover to cover; after that, he pursued further education at the University of Colorado. Soon after, he was named to the U.S. Equestrian Team for the first time, and would remain a part of it — whether as a rider, a coach, or a formative part of the sport itself — for the rest of his life.

Jim Wofford and Kilkenny on their way to clinching team silver and individual sixth place at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. Photo copyright Werner Ernst.

Though the early years as part of the USET training squad were hardly crowned with glory, they allowed Jimmy to receive the formal equestrian education he’d previously only read about, while competing a variety of not-quite-suitable mounts. And then Kilkenny came along.

Kilkenny had already made a name for himself as part of the Irish Olympic team, and he was something of a bargain basement purchase due to his iffy x-rays, but he and Jimmy quickly gelled. Together, they earned a national championship title in 1967, a gold at the Pan-American Games the same year, and team silver in Jimmy’s Olympic debut in 1968 in Mexico City. They repeated the feat in 1972, and picked up an individual bronze medal at the World Championships in 1970, too — though in many ways, all of those early team experiences were educational ones rather than the pinnacle of Jimmy’s achievements.

James Wofford on Carawich, 1978. Photo courtesy of Gamecock Photo.

Kilkenny’s career as an upper-level event horse wound down to a close shortly thereafter, but Jimmy wouldn’t be off the Olympic radar for long: in 1977, he joined forces with the great Carawich, who he rode at the famously tough 1978 World Championships at Lexington, helping the U.S. team to bronze. In 1980, the pair were named for the Olympics following a spectacular fifth-place finish at Badminton in 1979, but the US’s boycott of those Moscow Games meant that they rerouted to the ‘alternate Games’ instead at Fontainebleau, France, where they won individual silver, finishing second to Denmark’s Nils Haagensen. In 1981, they won the Kentucky Three-Day Event, closing the book on Carawich’s exceptional career.

Jim Wofford competing with The Optimist at Kentucky in 1986.

The retirement of Carawich, who had sustained an injury at Luhmühlen months after his Kentucky win, looked set to be the close of Jimmy’s own competitive career, too — but although he made every effort to step away from the sport and into ‘normality’, working as an insurance salesman and enjoying time spent just being a dad, when he was offered a catch ride on Karen O’Connor’s (then Lende’s) The Optimist for the 1986 Kentucky Three-Day Event, he couldn’t pass up the chance. The decision was a wise one: the pair won in fine style, despite their short partnership.

Later that decade, Jimmy would put his extraordinary experience and intellect to work at an even higher level: in 1988, after serving as Vice President for the American Horse Show Association, he became its President — a role he would hold until 1991. He also served on boards across the sport, including the USCTA and USET, did two years as part of the FEI’s eventing committee and was part of the US Olympic Committee as its first-ever equestrian representative. His influence went further than just the US, too: he was the chef d’equipe for the Canadian eventing team from 2001 to 2004, and has been a mentor and coach to many of the biggest names in eventing throughout his life, including David O’Connor, Bea and Derek diGrazia, and Wash Bishop.

“At least one rider on every U.S. Olympic, World Championship, and Pan American team since 1978 has been a graduate of Jim’s program,” reads his Hall of Fame biography, and when you begin to break down those lists, it’s truly remarkable: his students included Kim Severson and John Williams, who won team bronze — and Kim won individual silver — at Athens in 2004; in 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, every single member of the bronze medal winning team, including individual gold medallist David O’Connor, had trained with him.

Even those who couldn’t ride and train with him in person were able to benefit from his academic, theoretical view of the sport – and that was an enormous encouragement to riders who, like Jimmy, didn’t grow up surrounded by trainers in the confines of a school. His belief that talent could be learn through reading and applying that knowledge was a breath of fresh air, and there are few eventing enthusiasts in the U.S. — or beyond — who won’t have picked up a copy of his venerated book, Training the Three-Day Event Horse and Rider. He was also a popular columnist for The Chronicle of the Horse and was inducted into the USEA Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jimmy is survived by his wife, Gail, daughters Jennifer and Hillary, grandsons James, Hudson, Lewis, and Theodore, and countless supporters, students, friends and colleagues across the breadth and depth of the equestrian industry, all of whom will be feeling keenly the absence of one of eventing’s true greats. Our thoughts are with you all.

Enjoy an EN Exclusive Discount for Horse&Country TV – Plus Member Rewards!

By on Feb 2, 2023 12:00 pm -

Laura Collett and London 52 take the win at the 2020 edition of Les 5 Etoiles de Pau – one of the great events streaming on H&C+. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Always fancied getting your hands on a subscription to Horse&Country TV, but conscious of wanting to save money? We’ve teamed up with the streaming giant, whose service provides live coverage of competitions around the world, training masterclasses, documentaries, reality TV shows, and much more, to give you an EN exclusive deal throughout the month of February. To get 15% off an annual subscription, head to this link and use the code ENMR15 at checkout.

Photo courtesy of Dapplebay.

Becoming a member of H&C+ doesn’t just give you access to all the horsey programming you could need — it also means you can enjoy special discounts across a number of brands. This month, the member rewards include 15% off Strider’s Digital Waiver service (a seriously useful tool to protect yourself legally in a number of situations!), and two great competitions. You could win an Equestrian Lifestyle Box from Cavali Club, or an oversized, highly covetable tote bag from EN – perfect for getting all your bits and bobs to the collecting ring, for schlepping a week’s worth of groceries home from the shops, or for carrying up to a small, juvenile Labrador, we reckon. Head to the Member Rewards page to get involved and reap the rewards!

 

A Better You in 2023: The Four Horsemen of Stability

By on Feb 2, 2023 10:00 am -

The four horsemen of stability: choose your fighter (and preferably, make it all of them). Illustration by Cameron Rouse.

There’s no denying that being an equestrian can often mean living a very unbalanced lifestyle: there are lots of demands on your time, and some of us live out of a gooseneck trailer for the better part of the year, spending more time on the road than at home.

But if you want to succeed, it’s so important to be present and as stable as you can be for your horse, which is why I came up with something I call ‘the four horsemen of stability’ — four areas of your life that you can focus on to help rein in the wild beast of your routine.

Illustration by Cameron Rouse.

Horseman #1: Rest

There’s no substitute for sleep. The US military and many private companies alike have spent a lot of time, energy, and money on studies of things that could replace sleep, and they keep coming up empty-handed. The vast majority of the adult population requires at least seven hours of sleep, and adolescents even more — and so the trick here is to assume you are part the of the population that needs eight hours of sleep. Remember: you are the rule, not the exception — I know I am! 

Illustration by Cameron Rouse.

Horseman #2: Hydration

I subscribe to the notion that you should drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. To make that math simple: say you weigh 150lbs, half your body weight is 75lbs — and so, you should drink 75 ounces of water a day. Drinking water is not something I struggle with during the summer: I’m constantly drinking room temperature water and find it easy to do so. However, during the winter I struggle a lot more with drinking enough water, and that may well be an issue you have, too.

I used to track my intake with eight pint glasses of water a day, but once I found a water bottle I love, I changed to the half-your-body-weight-in-ounces program. I have found that drinking herbal teas helps me with increasing consumption, or just drinking warm water, with a touch of fresh lemon added for flavour as needed. If winter drinking is something you’re struggling with too, give that a go – and remember that your daily coffee intake doesn’t count towards your hydration goals. 

The moral of the story? If you’re not tracking the water you’re drinking, you’re probably not drinking enough water.

Illustration by Cameron Rouse.

Horseman #3: Nutrition

I’m not a registered dietician, and being a nutritionist requires a degree of its own for good reason. However, I can tell you the mantra that works for me.  It’s from the journalist and author Michael Pollan, who says: “Eat food — not too much; mostly plants”. The most important part of that is this: eat food. You must fuel your body. When I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I’m more likely to skip a meal than eat too much, and especially on busy competition days, I think we’re all guilty of the same. 

Because I was working student from a very young age. I got in the habit early of skipping breakfast, drinking coffee and not eating until 12:00pm or 1:00pm. Even when I was in school, I remember the knock down, drag out fights I would have with my parents and nannies about eating breakfast. We finally got into the habit of eating instant breakfast, and that was the negotiation we settled on. The thing was, when I had breakfast it would jump start my metabolism, and I would be starving by 10am — which was painful in school, because I couldn’t eat until lunch time. That leads me to the second point of Michael’s point: not too much. Nowadays, I meal prep my lunches (and in reality, my husband helps a lot with this). This stops me from eating too much, because I know what I need to be full, and if I’m still hungry I drink a pint of water and that usually fills me up, while helping me hit those crucial hydration goals.

The third point is mostly plants. The majority of your calories should be coming from plants. I truly believe this, and when I’m eating completely vegan is usually when I’m feeling my healthiest. I have upgraded from instant breakfast to THIS Garden of Life Protein Powder, with a banana for taste, and maybe some spinach. I like this brand because it’s plant-based, it’s made from real food, and it’s naturally low in sugar. Adding the banana kind of defeats the purpose of low sugar, but I’m ok with that — fruit is a preferable sugar source than a chocolate bar that you’ve grabbed at the gas station because you’re starving between rides. 

Illustration by Cameron Rouse.

Horseman #4: Activity

In all honesty, this is the section I am the most qualified to talk about — but paradoxically, it’s also the section I personally struggle with the most. I’ve always been someone who leans into things that I struggle with, which is why I was a working student for a Grand Prix dressage rider after regular scoring in the high 30s to low 40s in the dressage phase; why I’m a very dyslexic published writer; and why I HATE EXERCISING and hold a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science.

Activity is different from exercise. I define exercise very specifically as something you do with the intended purpose of adapting to positive physiological change in the body. I don’t ride to make my body stronger; I ride because I love it. Many runners are hitting the pavement to ‘get in shape’ but are actually doing more pounding and concussion to their joints than adapting positive physiological change. Then there’s barn work: you’re doing this to have a safe clean space for your horse, so pushing that wheelbarrow does not count as exercise — however, it does for sure count as physical activity. 

Being active is important because our bodies were not designed to sit at desk or on the couch. Riding horses definitely counts as physical activity; hand-walking horses definitely counts as activity. Walking is actually a very healthy way to be active, because it’s such a low-impact option. Activity is the last on my list of the four horsemen of stability, because when this one gets out of balances for most equestrian it’s generally to the extreme of too much activity — and although it’s not easy to lessen the activity you’re doing on a daily basis, being conscious of it and the effect it has on your body will help you use the other three ‘horsemen’ to find a balance. 

If you’re feeling like you need to strength certain areas of your body, or just want to be better in the tack, I’m happy to help you with personal training. All of my sessions are via Zoom so you don’t have to leave the barn or your house — depending on which has better WiFi! I’m running a promotion from Thursday, February 2nd to Sunday, February 5th wherein the first ten riders who sign up can get training for $55 a session — my lowest cost per session yet. You can get access to the deal here. https://www.hiddenheightsfitness.com/promo

 

Thursday News & Notes

By on Feb 2, 2023 12:03 am -

Normal behavior. Photo courtesy of Kate Samuels.

As you can see, being a weird horse girl is a lifelong affliction. Pictured here is 13-year-old me, hanging upside down on the neck of my first (and clearly very forgiving) horse after a series of less tolerant ponies. He was an off-the-track Thoroughbred, and my shenanigans did not amuse him. I realized upon seeing this photo that not much has changed in my life, and I’m still clambering all over my horses in absurd ways, and they still tolerate me.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Galway Downs 2023 Kickoff H.T. (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Sporting Days Farm February H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch (Groveland, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

Amanda Walker took a chance when she bought Runaway Romeo in 2018. Their first ride was not auspicious, and mostly included a lot of running sideways. “Roman” had been found at an auction a month earlier by Julie Copper of Copper Horse Crusade, an Ohio-based organization that saves slaughter-bound horses, and he was still skin and bones when Amanda took him. Unsure of his past, she worked for years to earn his trust, and now the two are successfully competing and winning at the Novice level. [Rescued Runaway Romeo Finds His Calling]

Interested in meeting the horses in Tamie Smith’s string? If you’re near Galway Downs this weekend, you’re in luck! Next Level Eventing is hosting a meet and greet with lunch provided by EquiFit tomorrow at Kingsway Farms. Do some pony petting and get some lunch! [Meet NLE Horses]

In news of sh*t we just shouldn’t have to tell you, a harness trainer in NZ was banned this week for injecting his horses with vodka. Phillip Burrows admitted to injecting a horse with 30 milliliters of vodka and to tubing it with a mixture of bicarbonate of soda, Epsom salts, brown sugar and water. Somehow, this man truly believed that shooting this into their veins would be a performance enhancer. I can’t. I just can’t. [Don’t. Inject. Horses. With. Vodka]

Stephanie Tassos-Reimers has always been a rider, but came to eventing after trying a lot of other disciplines. Once she got into eventing, she didn’t hold back: Around careers in energy trading and commercial development, Tassos-Reimers has competed through the intermediate level, groomed at the country’s biggest events and volunteered for the Area V Council and her local Greater Houston Combined Training Association, as well as pursuing her technical delegate’s license and her ‘r’ judging license. For her contributions to the sport, Tassos-Reimers was recognized with the 2022 USEA Amateur Impact Award during the USEA Convention. [Amateur Impact Award Winner]

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Mental Health Matters

By on Feb 1, 2023 6:58 pm -

I often find myself gravitating towards a bit of nostalgia for the Wednesday evening video slot, or to something silly and comedic — but today, I couldn’t help but highlight the British-based charity Riders Minds, and the important work they’re doing for mental health awareness and action for equestrians. The charity is the legacy of top rider Matthew Wright, who sadly took his own life in 2021, and is spearheaded by his widow, Victoria, along with a super team of industry pros who all understand the struggles that us horsey folks can find ourselves up against. Get to know what they do, and why, in this documentary film — and then check out their website here, as well as the free resources available if you need some extra support.

Wish your horse was calmer?

Spooky, tense, edgy, unfocused. If these words describe your horse, a calming supplement could make training easier and riding more fun.

Trouble Free is scientifically formulated to support healthy nervous system function and help your horse maintain a more confident, focused, and relaxed disposition.

Trouble Free:

  • Contains alpha-lactalbumin, a unique ingredient that supports normal nerve function and maintains calmness.
  • Helps horses maintain a relaxed attitude and supports a positive experience for both horse and rider.
  • Provides supplemental thiamine (B1), taurine, inositol, and magnesium.

The horse that matters to you matters to us®.

Have you grabbed your winter running horse stickers? Check them out at KPPusa.com/winter23.

#FlatworkFebruary Excerpt of the Week: Bouncing Off the Bit

By on Feb 1, 2023 1:40 pm -

‘Tis the season to hit the refresh button on your flatwork foundation! You’ll see the extra effort pay off not just in improved dressage scores, but in improved performance in the jumping phases as the year goes on. Has your practice plateaued? Struggling to feel inspired? In partnership with Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com), we present #FlatworkFebruary, a month-long series of book excerpts from leading dressage experts around the world. 

This week: In this excerpt from When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics, Dressage Today Technical Editor Beth Baumert explains how good contact really involves the horse “bouncing off” the bit at every stride.

Photo by Susan J. Stickle.

When your horse reaches for the bit, he “pushes” on it slightly. We sometimes hear riders complain: My horse is pulling, but the horse, from his point of view, can’t pull on the bit. (The rider sometimes pulls, though.) The horse reaches for the bit and pushes on it slightly. If he pushed on it more than slightly, he might end up “leaning” on the bit and using your hands as a “fifth wheel.”

Most riders know how the energy goes from a thrusting hind leg, through the back, and to the bit, but when I ask students in my clinics, “What happens to the energy after it gets to the bit?” most riders don’t know. Here’s what should happen:

Ideally, instead of leaning on the bit, the horse should yield to it respectfully, “push away” from it, or “bounce off” it. This moment of “pushing away” should happen every stride, and during that moment, the horse shifts weight from the bit back to his hindquarters. In that moment of shifting the weight back, your horse becomes lighter in front and his self-carriage improves.

There’s a little “Go” and a little “Whoa” in every stride—just as there is a little “Go” and a little “Whoa” and “Soften” during every half-halt.

Here’s how the dynamics of that works:

  • During the “Go” moment, your horse thrusts and reaches with a hind leg, and the energy flows through your horse’s topline and goes to the bit. Your horse pushes on the bit, and because of your dynamic, connected riding position, he draws on your Connecting Powerline, including your elbow, which engages your Vertical Powerline, including your seat. This connection causes the “Whoa” moment.
  • At this “Whoa” moment, your horse pushes away from the bit, shifts weight to the hindquarters so he carries himself better, and becomes instantly lighter in the hand, which invites the next moment.
  • This is the moment within the half-halt when you “Soften” all your aids, which invites the next moment, the “Go” moment of the next thrusting stride.

“Pushing away from the bit” should be an ongoing situation that happens within the self-perpetuating rhythm of pure gaits, and it results in the horse’s proud self-carriage.

Photo by Susan J. Stickle.

This excerpt from When Two Spines Align by Beth Baumert is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).