Classic Eventing Nation

Summer Ever So Sweet Scholarship Winner Nora Huynh-Watkins Hopes to Encourage Innovation in the Horse World

By on Jul 14, 2022 9:00 am -

Total immersion is the goal for this summer’s Ever So Sweet Scholarship recipient, Nora Huynh-Watkins.

Funded by Strides for Equality Equestrians, Edy Rameika, and the USEA Foundation, the Ever So Sweet Scholarship is an “open door” opportunity for riders from diverse backgrounds to further their riding education with 5* event rider Sara Kozumplik.

Nora is the third recipient of the scholarship, which provides funding for coaching, training, and accommodation for a period of three months. But even as she shared her excitement for the trip ahead, she admitted she was a bit nervous for the trek: she would be driving her off-track Thoroughbred mare, Druzy, all the way from Oregon to Sara’s Virginia base, Overlook Farm.

“I’ve never traveled that far by myself with a horse!” she told me. “But it’s something I’m really excited about. I think it’s going to be a good learning experience.”

Indeed it was, as Nora and her dad spent about a week driving across the country. Add in a mare who didn’t take too favorably to eating or drinking for the first bit of the trip, and the nerves were certainly high.

But without further incident, Nora and Druzy have made it to Virginia and are settling in at Overlook Farm. Nora, who began eventing officially in college at Oregon State, can’t wait to see where these next few months take her.

“I’m really excited to go out there and experience eventing on the East coast,” she said. “I feel like it has a really different feel, and I’m looking forward to being immersed in that.”

Nora has experienced horses in multiple parts of the country, growing up in Missouri and originally catching the horse bug from spending time with her grandmother’s horse. She also put in some working student hours as a teenager and eventually went on to join the Oregon State eventing team, a move she says opened a lot of doors for her riding. “It offered me so much opportunity,” she said. “A lot of learning that I would not have been able to get otherwise. The ability to continue on with this sport that I love has really come from that.”

Accustomed to balancing first school, then work with the horses, Nora says she hasn’t had much time to fully develop Druzy, who she bought from an Oregon race trainer she was working for about two-and-a-half years ago, to her potential. She keeps Druzy at a self-care facility and hauls out for lessons, but this schedule and her work make it difficult to get to competitions regularly. This opportunity, then, comes at a perfect time for her to spend some time focusing on her development as a rider and a horsewoman.

Through her education as an electrical engineer, Nora hopes to find ways to connect her skills to the horse industry, which has historically struggled to embrace new technology and innovation. Encouraging innovation and evolution has become a driving force for Nora, who plans to use this immersive experience to seek out these potential connections.

“I studied engineering because I wanted to have a way to support my riding financially, but I have all these thoughts of ways I could maybe translate my engineering background back to the equestrian world,” she explained. “I’m really interested in the evolution of technology. There are a lot of traditions in the sport, and not to say it hasn’t progressed but I feel like there is still a lot of room for technology and the use of it. So maybe there is a hole I can fill with my skills.”

We look forward to checking in with Nora as her time in Virginia progresses, so watch this space for much more!

If you want to follow along with Nora and Druzy as they settle in at Overlook Farm, be sure to give the @see.eversosweet Instagram and Facebook page a follow. And don’t forget: applications for the next round of the Ever So Sweet scholarship are open NOW! Visit this page to learn more and submit your application for the Fall/Winter 2022 cycle.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Jul 14, 2022 12:03 am -

What is even going on here?! Photo by Jade Barker.

One of my favorite mindless activities is to scroll through Sh*tEventersUnite on Facebook, which is where I found the gem of a photo above. There are some photos where you just wonder, what exactly is the story here? How did this happen?? Did the girl fall off the bay and then immediately hop up to catch her friend falling off the grey? That’s truly content creation at it’s finest, and I guarantee you she was thinking, “Dang, I’m gonna post this on SEU for sure”.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Champagne Run at the Park H.T. (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm (Adamstown, MD): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scoring] [Volunteer [FEH/YEH Volunteer]

News From Around the Globe:

Do you love eventing? Are you comfortable with small, naughty rodents? If you’re also interested in a lot of insanity, you might fit in with our crowd here at EN. We’ve extended the deadline for our 9th Annual Blogger Contest due to popular request, so now you can submit your entry until July 22nd! Trust me, you want to join our weird and fun group of writers. We have wine and snacks. [Enter EN’s 9th Annual Blogger Contest]

“The clinic was truly magical experience for all of us,” said amateur eventer Tiffany Morey. Morey was the winner of Practical Horseman’s Buck Davidson Win A Day Clinic contest sponsored by ADM Animal Nutrition. She and nine friends had an “unforgettable day” at Flora Lea Farm in Medford, New Jersey. There the members of Southern New Jersey’s Pineland Riders Pony Club enjoyed a day of private training with leaderboard topping five-star eventer, Buck Davidson. Pick up some top tips from the man himself here. [12 Training Tips from Buck Davidson]

Horse Nation blogger Amanda Ronan is a professional rabbit hole girl. By that I mean, she does a lot of digging into the weird and wonderful niche worlds of equestrian culture. This time, she’s fallen down the hole of circus horses, and discovered a whole bunch of strange facts. [Circus Horses: The Outtakes]

I tell all my students that when riding in the summer, make your choices carefully. In Virginia it’s tooooo hot sometimes, and it’s not healthy for horse or human. Riding early in the morning is best, but afternoon shade is okay too. Choosing the length of your ride, the frequency of walk breaks, and maybe opting for a hack in the woods versus boiling in the hot arena, are all important considerations. [When Is It Too Hot to Ride?]

This child is living my dream:

 

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Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Fight the Fear with British Eventer Simon Grieve

By on Jul 13, 2022 5:35 pm -

I’d be willing to bet that every eventer at every level has suffered a confidence wobble at some point — whether that’s a short-lived and specific fear of a certain kind of fence (hi, my name is Tilly, and I DREADED trakehners for years) or a more deeply-rooted, expansive loss of confidence that requires a more tactical rebuilding. It’s not level specific, either, though I think those of us who just event one or two horses alongside busy lives and jobs are probably more likely to suffer from the kind of confidence knock that makes us feel as though we plateau at a certain level, purely because we aren’t riding from sun-up ’til sundown and pushing through it as a result.

Anyway, whatever the root cause of the issue, it’s very common — and British vlogger Tina Wallace certainly found that she’d hit a mental stumbling block with her horse, Banksy. Recently, though, she found a way to work through her fears about bigger, rider frightener fences, all thanks to the coaching prowess of five-star competitor Simon Grieve. Give her vlog a watch to find out how they tackled those nerves.

Equi-Jewel®

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Fat is considered a source of “calm” energy and is thought to modify behavior in some horses, making them more tractable. This, in turn, allows horses to focus their energy on work rather than nervousness.

Learn more at https://kppusa.com/2017/10/20/high-energy-advantages/

The horse that matters to you matters to us®.

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Pratoni 2022 Announces Support of International Grooms Association

By on Jul 13, 2022 11:54 am -

Tyler Held, head groom for Jennie Brannigan, shares a moment with FE Lifestyle. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A partnership signed with between the upcoming FEI World Championships for Eventing and Driving and the International Grooms Association (IGA) marks key progress on the road to better representation and support for professional grooms.

This spring marked a key step forward for grooms seeking formalized representation within governance as the FEI officially recognizing the formation of the International Grooms Association. The nonprofit organization founded by Lucy Katan and driven by the contributions of professional grooms and industry leaders worldwide has dedicated the majority of its resources to providing much-needed support and resources for grooms, who have long gone without voice or recognition.

“This is very significant as thanks to the formation of the IGA, for the first time ever, the international grooms have had a formal voice prior to a major championship,” a release announcing the partnership stated.

Components of this partnership include increased support and visibility for the hardworking grooms accompanying the championship horses to Italy. A Grooms Representative will be named as a liason for both eventing and driving, playing a similar role to a Rider Rep and providing a line of communication between grooms and the IGA. An Eventing Grooms Briefing will also be held during the week of championships.

Grooms will also be recognized in the event program and will be named on TV graphics and results, giving them greater visibility to those following along globally.

“We are pleased that Pratoni 2022 have recognized the critical role of the groom and have listened to, and acted upon our suggestions,” IGA Founding Director Lucy Katan said. “We hope that these World Championships become a flagship for all levels of international competition in the improvement of the groom’s working environment.”

President of the Italion Equestrian Federation Marco Di Paola echoed these sentiments: “From the inception of this Championship we have been designing facilities that supports the grooms. Our feedback from the Test Event was very positive and we are very pleased to be working with the IGA and of course the international grooms who are so important to the success of these Championships.”

We’re looking forward to bringing you much more news out of Pratoni — in the meantime, you can find more details at www.pratoni2022.it.

The IGA invites grooms working for FEI level riders from all over the world to join. The IGA’s aim is to provide an opportunity to recognize, educate and support those who work hardest to keep the equine athletes of our sport happy and healthy and performing at their best. You can learn more and sign up as an IGA member here.

Ocala Horse Properties Rebecca Farm 4*L Flight Grant Awarded to Jules Batters

By on Jul 13, 2022 9:00 am -

It’s hard to believe it, but we are just a week away from the hottest summer destination event of the season: The Event at Rebecca Farm. This week, Ocala Horse Properties announced that original runner-up for its first-ever Rebecca Farm Flight Grant, Jules Batters, will now receive the prize after original recipient Allie Knowles withdrew her entry, Business Class, due to a minor setback.

Jules and Cooley O will now join 3*L Flight Grant recipients Brittany Crandall and Cooley Almighty on a much shorter trip than originally anticipated, and we’ll look forward to seeing them compete next week. You can take a look at all the entries for Rebecca Farm here. And if you’re heading to Montana and have some time to spare, be sure to sign up for volunteer shifts! This helps the volunteer coordinators organize and plan, so even if you don’t know your exact availability yet you can still let them know they can count on you.

We’ll once again be assisted by Erin Tomson for our boots-on-the-ground coverage, and we’re particularly keen to catch up with the two recipients of the Ocala Horse Properties Flight Grant. Stay tuned for much more next week — and yes, there will be a live stream coming to you from our friends at Ride On Video and Athletux! More on that to come.

Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Jul 13, 2022 12:01 am -

Exciting news! It’s that time again: Ever So Sweet Scholarship applications are open for the next cycle, Fall/Winter 2022! This scholarship from Strides for Equality Equestrians and the USEA Foundation provides one rider with funding and support during a three-month immersive training experience with Sara Kozumplik in Berryville, VA and Ocala, FL. The Ever So Sweet opportunity is intended to open doors for riders from diverse backgrounds, who may not have had the chance to get a foothold in the sport and are eager to learn the ins and outs of program management as well as fine-tune their riding.

Summer ESS recipient Nora Huynh-Watkins is settling in at Sara’s Overlook Farm base in Virginia, and you can follow along with her adventures on the ESS Instagram or Facebook pages.

Once you’ve sufficiently picked up FOMO, head on over to Strides for Equality Equestrians to fill out your application, which is due October 15, 2022. And spread the word — this is a fantastic opportunity that deserves to be shared!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Champagne Run at the Park H.T. (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm (Adamstown, MD): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scoring] [Volunteer [FEH/YEH Volunteer]

Wednesday News & Reading

Exciting news out of Kentucky! The Horse Park has been granted $10 million from the state of Kentucky to renovate the competitor stabling on site. To that end, the Park is soliciting feedback from patrons as to what areas they feel should be prioritized for improvement. You can fill out this survey to share your thoughts.

Fancy an extra pile of cash in your pocket? We’ve extended the submission deadline for our 9th Blogger Contest after learning that our news didn’t reach as many readers as we intended! You’ve now got until July 22 to submit, so get cracking! More info here.

Want to make sure your horse is appropriately fit for his or her age and experience level? This and other considerations are important for any event horse, and 5* rider Jon Holling has some insights to share in the latest Ride iQ Office Hours Q&A.

How do you teach kids to handle disappointment and mistakes? How do you encourage riders to take responsibility and have empathy? Francesca Mulligan shares her philosophy for fostering empathetic riders in this Q&A with The Plaid Horse.

Tack Facts: During the summer months, how you store your tack can have a big impact on how it holds up to use. Sterling Essentials founder Teal Shoop shows us some storage hacks:

Sponsor Corner

When that steamed hay is fresh out of the Forager…

Wednesday Eye Bleach

Bet you never got to ride your pony to school (or, at least, I didn’t and I’m salty about it):

Tuesday Video: Versatile Vermont Takes on the Hunters

By on Jul 12, 2022 5:00 pm -

 

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Horses are nothing short of multi-talented, and Colleen Loach’s two top horses, FE Golden Eye and Vermont, each showed off their versatility this weekend at the 2022 Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments. We’ll give the slight nod on versatility to Vermont, who is owned by Colleen as well as Peter Barry, for his chops in the $10,000 Hunter Derby Class. The 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding finished seventh for his efforts — not a bad day at the office!

There’s a lot to be said for getting in some practice at hunter/jumper or dressage shows for us “jack of all trades” eventers and we enjoy seeing pros like Colleen out there dabbling!

 

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A post shared by Colleen Loach (@colleenloach)

Go Eventing.

‘Big, Bold & Brave’: An Excerpt From Emily Hamel’s Inspiring New Children’s Book

By on Jul 12, 2022 3:00 pm -

Illustrations by Tom Monarch.

We have relished following the journey of Emily Hamel and her high-jumping Corvett, who in 2021 finished 21st Kentucky and 14th at Maryland then rocked around Badminton earlier this year. Just when we thought we couldn’t adore them any more than we already do, Emily has published a children’s book that shares their heartwarming backstory, written by Deana Hamel with illustrations by Tom Monarch. She explains: 

“The relationship between an animal and its owner is a unique connection. Learn about how Barry and I found each other, formed a partnership, and became great together.  This is a special story of how the right team brings out greatness in everyone and helps dreams come true.” 

The 64-page fully illustrated children’s book is sure to inspire readers and listeners of all ages. Pre-orders can be made here. All pre-orders come with a signed photo of Emily and Barry doing big, bold, and brave things together. Proceeds help fund their trip overseas and their training leading up to Burghley.  

We thank Emily for generously sharing an excerpt of the book with EN. Enjoy, and be sure to purchase a copy to help support this indomitable team:

As time went on, Barry began to forget
his mother’s words.
He was still Barry the Big.
Barry the Bold.
and Barry the Brave.
But he also became Barry the Sad.
And over time he became Barry the
MAD because no one understood that all
he wanted was to be great!
And after awhile, he stopped dreaming
of being great….

After awhile, nobody wanted to ride with
Barry. They would say:
“That horse is just too Big over the
jumps!”
“Barry is way too Bold to the fences!”
“That horse Barry is far braver than me!”
“Besides, he always seems MAD!”
But there was one rider who didn’t think
so. Her name was Emily. She brought
Barry carrots. So to him, she was Emily
Carrots.

 

One day while standing in his stall, he was
being everything at once – Big, Bold, Brave,
Sad and Mad. Emily Carrots came and took
him out. She put on his saddle, grabbed his
reins and walked to the arena. Before she
got on, Emily Carrots turned and spoke
softly to Barry.
“Barry, to be great, you have to be Big, you
have to be Bold, and you have to be Brave.”
Barry’s ears perked up. What did she say?
“But . . . . you need to let me tell you when
so we can be great together!”

Over time, Emily rode Barry every
day. Barry came to enjoy his time with
Emily Carrots and started to forget
about being mad. Barry liked the
way they played together. She didn’t
get grumpy or try to hold him back
whenever he tried to be great! All she
asked was, “If you listen to me, I can
teach you to jump bigger! We can
approach the jumps more boldly! And
together we will be the bravest!
Barry liked working with Emily
Carrots. When they weren’t working,
Emily Carrots gave him lots of love
and attention. Being great with her
could be fun.

What happened next? Spoiler Alert: 

Click here to order your copy of “Big, Bold & Brave.”

Deana Hamel Publishing
Copyright Year: 2022
Copyright Notice: by Deana Hamel. All rights reserved.

The above information forms this copyright notice: © 2022 by Deana Hamel and Tom Monarch. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

 

Real Rider Cup Lexington Raises Over $90,000 For Thoroughbred Aftercare

By on Jul 12, 2022 1:00 pm -

Real Rider Cup welcomed 30 horse and rider combinations along with hundreds of spectators to New Vocations at Mereworth Farm Saturday, July 9th for an evening of lively competition and entertainment. Created by Anita Motion, the charity show jumping competition brings together personalities from across the breeding and racing industry to increase awareness and raise funds for Thoroughbred aftercare, with each rider pledging to raise at least $1,000.

Offered for the first time in Lexington, the racing community embraced the Real Rider Cup concept in phenomenal fashion, nearly doubling the event’s previous fundraising record, bringing in over $90,000 and counting.

Riders, mounted on off-track Thoroughbreds and wearing the silks of their employers, colleagues, and clients contended a winding course of fences with the fastest clear rounds taking home top honors. Connections and institutions represented included WinStar, Godolphin, Stonestreet, Pin Oak, Lane’s End, Bonne Chance, Airdrie, Stone Farm, BloodHorse, a 1/ST Racing team lead by Aaron Gryder, Churchill Downs, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, R. Brisset Racing, an entire team headed up by Rosie Napravnik, and more.

Noteworthy horses included the first son of Zenyatta, Cozmic One, with Hidden Brook Farm’s Sergio de Sousa in the tack, 5* event horse Sound Prospect, piloted by John Ennis, and Discovery Stakes (G3) winner Sticksstatelydude expertly ridden by Kristin VanMeter. “The voice of Fasig-Tipton,” Terence Collier, served as emcee, providing color commentary.

Awards were given for individual results, as well as teams (riders were given the option of forming their own team or to be assigned to one based on their industry background).

Individual results:

  • Win: Jesslyn Woodall on Lead Player
  • Place: Keira Nygaard on Judge Johnny
  • Show: Tara Coombs on Baptizo

Team Results:

  • Win: Team Blood-Horse (Woodall, Ennis, and Gash)
  • Place: Team Breeding & Bloodstock (Nygaard, de Sousa, and Brooks)
  • Show: Team Off-Track Sporthorses (Napravnik, Crow, Swirsky, Buckberry, and Czerwonka)

“We are totally overwhelmed by the response to the Lexington event,” said Real Rider Cup founder Anita Motion. “It is so apparent that retraining and aftercare are at the forefront of people’s minds and we are incredibly grateful to all the riders and sponsors that worked so hard to make the show possible and to all that came to cheer them on. Lexington really threw down the gauntlet, and we’re excited to return to our home in Fair Hill to see how the mid-Atlantic region will respond.”

With the second leg of the Real Rider Cup to be held at Fair Hill September 16th, the games have just begun as there is still plenty of time to get involved. Rider registration is open through September 9th with a variety of sponsorship packages available.

View full results and learn more at www.therealridercup.com.

Proceeds of the Real Rider Cup benefit the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations Thoroughbred Adoption and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.

Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show is a 501c3 organization supporting riders of Thoroughbreds by providing affordable show fees, scholarships, stakes classes and prizes in every division. By supporting their riders, we are helping more OTTBs find second careers.

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds in the equestrian world. In addition to producing the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium the world’s largest and most lucrative retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses, the organization also publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, produces the Master Class retraining clinic series, and presents programming at major horse expos and events around the country. The RRP maintains an educational library of content to empower more equestrians to ride a Thoroughbred.

Founded in 1992, New Vocations has grown into the largest racehorse adoption program in the country. Its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorse has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with 500 retirees entering the program each year. With facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of aftercare options.