Classic Eventing Nation

600 Horses and Riders Set to Compete at This Year’s Event at Rebecca Farm

By on Jul 8, 2022 9:00 am -

Photo by Shelby Allen.

Attracting hundreds of world-class competitors to the largest equestrian triathlon west of the Mississippi, the 21st running of The Event at Rebecca Farm is July 20 – 24 in Kalispell. Riders compete in three disciplines — dressage, cross country and show jumping — that combine to form the sport of eventing.

More than 600 horse and rider teams will be arriving by plane, long-haul trucks and horse trailers from the East Coast to the West Coast, and no matter how they arrive, all are looking forward to the reunions, competition and legendary western hospitality of the Rebecca Farm organizers and volunteers.

“I competed at Rebecca Farm for the first time in 2021 and found the sense of community and ability to deliver a great experience for the competitors and owners very inspiring,” said Lucienne Bellissimo of Wellington, Florida. Bellissimo is returning this year to compete and her company, Horse Scout Design, is sponsoring the top international divisions.

“The Broussard family makes a huge effort to run a fantastic eventing experience for everyone, so the Horse Scout Team wished to support the 4*divisions in 2022,” Bellissimo said.

This year, 12 horses will arrive by air, landing at the Great Falls airport on July 17. “We had a few new East Coast riders for last year’s event and it really re-ignited the interest of top-tier riders to venture west for this year’s competition,” said Sarah Broussard, Event Organizer. “That excitement, coupled with two flight grants for 3* and 4* riders offered by Ocala Horse Properties, have the caliber of competition very high this year.”

The 2022 flight grants came as a result of two horse-owning brothers, Rob and Chris Desino, who experienced The Event at Rebecca Farm for the first time in 2021.

“We are in awe of the quality of the event, the hospitality from the organizers and the strength of predominantly West Coast riders,” said Chris Desino. “Being from the East Coast, we wanted this opportunity to be more accessible for top riders who couldn’t typically make the long trek.”

Working with the United States Eventing Association (USEA) the Desinos established a flight grant that will bring two top-level riders in the CCI3*-L and CCI4*-L divisions to Rebecca Farm. Instead of the typical 30+-hour horse trailer haul, they will enjoy a much shortened airplane ride from the East Coast.

With five days of competition, horse and riders at almost every national eventing level are showcased against the backdrop of Glacier National Park. Novice riders begin with dressage on July 20, then all levels, up to international 4*, follow in line with the always popular cross country Thursday – Saturday, and show jumping beginning Friday for novices and ending with the 2*, 3* and 4* riders on Sunday.

In addition to the equestrian competition, The Event aims to please all spectators, no matter their familiarity with the sport. The Kid Zone features mini golf, face painting, arts and crafts and the ever-popular pony rides Friday-Sunday. The area’s favorite food trucks are open Thursday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and a shopping fair featuring art, jewelry, decor and more is also open Thursday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Volunteer recruitment is underway for the 2022 Event and a range of opportunities are available from July 20-24. Volunteers enjoy a “backstage pass” to the event, serving in a variety of roles from hospitality and parking to arena and cross country helpers. No experience is required and first-time participants, families and groups are highly encouraged to participate.

“Volunteering is a unique way to experience The Event — volunteers get an up-close look at all the action and are treated like family. That’s what keeps them coming back year after year — they have a great time, meet new friends and enjoy giving back,” said Broussard. “I’m so grateful to the hundreds of people who generously donate their time — we truly couldn’t do it without them.”

The Event is free for all spectators, and a $10 parking donation is encouraged to benefit the charitable initiative, Halt Cancer at X, that provides grants to national research projects seeking a cure for breast cancer and to local nonprofits providing support services to cancer patients and survivors.

The Event at Rebecca Farm: [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer] [Halt Cancer at X]

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Jul 8, 2022 12:03 am -

Snoot! Photo by Kate Samuels.

Ah summer, the days of waking up when it’s dark outside just so you can try to ride all the horses before you boil alive. Virginia has been so spoiled this year with pleasant weather, but now it’s July and the jig is up. When I feel the need to take a cold midday shower just to regulate my body temperature, you know things are bad. When I was in my twenties, I would dunk my head in a bucket of cold water between rides to avoid heat stroke, but then I realized I was ruining my helmets, so now I take a lunch break and take a cold shower. Highly recommend.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT): [Website] [Volunteer]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. (Geneseo, NY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores]

Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

The Maryland International + H.T. (Adamstown, MD): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Round Top H.T. (Castle Rock, CO): [Scores]

Summer Coconino H.T. (Flagstaff, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI Nations Cup of Eventing CCIO4*-S (Avenches, Switzerland): [Website] [Schedule] [CCIO4* Leaderboard] [Live Stream]

Keyflow Feeds Barbury Castle International CCI4*-S (Marlborough, England): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

In 2020, a group of photographers came together to create the Equestrians of Color Photography Project, a weekly blog that promotes inclusion and amplifies the voices of equestrians of color ready to openly share their story with the community. This week you get to meet Quinnton Alston, Brittany Hazzard, and Lara Rahman, each from different realms of the equestrian world and telling their stories. [Equestrians of Color]

Are you an excellent equine vet looking for a grant? The Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarship awards top veterinary school students with a dedication to equine medicine for their academic excellence, leadership in their school and chapter, and their long-term goals. Penelope Knight, an avid horsewoman and strong advocate of horse health, created the Coyote Rock Ranch Veterinary Scholarships in 2015. Three scholarships of $75,000 are awarded each year, so apply now! [Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarship]

Speaking of vets, please be extra kind to yours. Whether equine or small animal, there is a real shortage of vets everywhere. When COVID hit, there was a surge in appointments, and the virus precautions made everything more difficult and time consuming. Vets are exhausted, and they already have an incredibly strenuous job, both physical and mental. [The Great Vet Shortage]

As costs of horse ownership rise, owners are faced with some tough budgeting decisions. Owners have been urged not to cut corners in essential horse care as the cost of living crisis “starts to bite”. Concerns continue around rising costs, but industry experts have warned that with horses, prevention is “better than cure” and veterinary treatment, hoof care and saddle fittings should not be scrimped on to save money. And please, don’t be mad at your barn manager for raising boarding costs as our hay prices go through the roof. [Budgeting with Horses in 2022]

Best of Blogs: Permission to be Proud: A Step in My Battle with Imposter Syndrome

Sponsor Corner:

Zoetis Equine is celebrating hardworking vets! Nominate a vet to recognize their efforts:

A little behind-the-scenes of the thought and work that goes into course building:

 

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A post shared by Cathy Wieschhoff (@cathywieschhoff)

Thursday Video: Fly Around Aachen with Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos

By on Jul 7, 2022 4:00 pm -

Time for a fresh new Hoy Helmet Cam! We can always depend on Aussie Olympian Andrew Hoy to tack on his helmet cam for cross country, and the latest video comes to us from his run around CHIO Aachen with Tokyo partner Vassily de Lassos, owned by Paula and David Evans.

Andrew’s earned himself a reputation for being one of the quicker cross country riders, and his partnership with Vassily de Lassos has made them a formidable pair in competition, typically quite reliable to deliver a fast, clear round.

And this one is no different: though no one would catch the optimum time around Rüdiger Schwarz’s cross country at Aachen last weekend, Andrew and Vassily de Lassos came the closest, adding just one second of time as the fastest of the day.

Did you miss any of our coverage from CHIO Aachen? Click here to catch up — and you can also watch on-demand rounds sorted by horses/riders on ClipMyHorse.TV here.

How to Follow Nations Cup Eventing at Avenches + Barbury International This Weekend

By on Jul 7, 2022 1:30 pm -

Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This weekend brings us two international events, both of which you’ll be able to follow along live and on replay after the action concludes.

First up is the next leg of the FEI Nations Cup, which this week stops in Switzerland at the 2021 European Championships site in Avenches. The Nations Cup CCIO4*-S class will play host to representatives from five countries, and we do have one American pair competing as individuals in this division as well: Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8 earned a 37.2 today in dressage.

To follow live, you can use the IENA Facebook page and/or the FEI YouTube channel here for coverage from all three phases. The 4*-S competition schedule is as follows:

Thursday – 2:30 p.m. local / 8:30 a.m. EST: Dressage (Startlist)
Friday – 2:30 p.m. local / 8:30 a.m. EST: Dressage (Startlist)
Saturday – 12:45 p.m. local / 6:45 a.m. EST: Cross Country
Sunday – 1:00 p.m. local / 7:00 a.m. EST: Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup of Eventing CCIO4*-S (Avenches, Switzerland): [Website] [Schedule] [Scoring] [Live Stream]

Meanwhile in the UK, the Keyflow Feeds Barbury Castle CCI4*-S is set to begin tomorrow with two full divisions headlining the event. With familiar names and faces such as Zara Tindall and Class Affair, Christoph Six and Totem de Brecey, Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On, Tom Crisp and Liberty and Glory, and plenty more the action is sure to be exciting and you can follow along all weekend with your H&C+ subscription.

The provisional timetable for this weekend’s CCI4*-S is:

Friday – 9:00 a.m. local / 4:00 a.m. EST: Dressage
Saturday – 9:00 a.m. local / 4:00 a.m. EST: Dressage
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. local / 3:30 a.m. EST: Show Jumping
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. local / 5:00 a.m. EST: Cross Country

Keyflow Feeds Barbury Castle International CCI4*-S (Marlborough, England): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]

How to Get Your Hands on an Equilibrium Massage Hotspot from World Equestrian Brands

By on Jul 7, 2022 12:00 pm -

Listen: if you haven’t gotten your hands on the new Equilibrium Massage Hotspot, distributed by our friends at World Equestrian Brands, you are absolutely missing out.

The Hotspot is the new solution for on-the-go therapy and relaxation, and the addition of heat treatment with this Hotspot gives you an even greater ability to release tension and achieve relaxation with your horse. Heat also leads to increased metabolic activity, meaning that the muscles are more efficient in receiving more oxygen while quickly removing waste products. This can help aid recovery and means more oxygen and nutrients are available for the muscle cells.

Massage at your fingertips will be the name of the game if you’re the lucky winner of this week’s World Equestrian Brands giveaway, and here’s how you can win:

1. Join the World Equestrian Brands email list so you’re the first to see our blogs, specials, and giveaway contests! *If you’ve already joined, move on to #2.
2. Like and share this post or this post on social media.
3. For an extra entry, tag @WorldEqBrands on Instagram or @WorldEquestrianBrands on Facebook with a photo showing how you pamper your horse!

Entries for this giveaway will close on Sunday, July 11 so don’t wait!

See the full line of Equilibrium therapy products available through World Equestrian Brands here.

Everything Happens for a Reason – but Most Planes Don’t Crash for One Reason

By on Jul 7, 2022 9:30 am -

When we leave the start box, a world of possibilities await, including that of something going wrong. Do things go wrong for a specific reason? Photo by Jenni Autry.

In college, I read a memoir titled Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved. The author, Kate Bowler, chronicles her challenges in facing stage 4 colon cancer. Bowler taught at my university but I never had the pleasure of meeting her. However, the principal lesson of her book — that everything doesn’t happen for a reason — struck me at the time as being both rebellious and freeing.

“Everything happens for a reason” is a convenient mindset, a way of tying up all of the pieces so they make sense to us. But sometimes there is no reason. Sometimes your mentor passes away, or your kid gets sick, or your horse gets injured, or your partner loses their job, or you get in a car accident. And sometimes there really is no good reason. Sometimes it’s unexplainable.

My friend Elena Perea and I were talking about this the other day. She has written guest posts for Eventing Nation, and the most recent ones involve a silly but quite serious accident that she had. She was walking on foot and managed to severely injure her shoulder such that she couldn’t ride her horse for several months. She put the mare in training with a professional, who moved her up to the Preliminary level.

Then, back in the saddle, Elena accomplished her goal of doing her first Preliminary herself on her horse. You could say that her accident “happened for a reason.” Elena’s injury forced her to change her plans, which you could read as the explanation for the injury itself. However, I think that a better mindset is that every setback has a solution if you’re willing to be creative.

Ema Klugman and Bronte Beach. Photo by Abby Powell.

I’d like to propose three alternatives to “everything happens for a reason.”

The first is to say “not everything happens for a reason.” This one applies to those tragic situations in which trying to explain why is just a futile exercise. The second is to say “good things can come from bad things.” This one actually applies to everything, I think, and what I like about it is that it emphasizes agency and forward-thinking. And the third, which is most empowering for me from the point of view of analyzing but also wanting to move forward, is to say that “most planes don’t crash for one reason.”

Are we talking about planes? Not really, but the same logic applies. Someone said this to me the other day as a metaphor: “Most planes don’t crash for one reason. They crash for a number of different reasons.” The point was that if we take too simplistic of a view — that a problem can be attributed to one particular reason — then we aren’t really seeing the whole picture.

The idea behind the plane metaphor is that most often problems arise because of the cumulative effect of several different underlying issues. It can all come to a head at once, which might make it seem like X or Y is the sole reason for the issue, but usually there were lots of other things going on that contributed to the problem.

I’m no pilot, so I’m not sure exactly why planes crash. Luckily it doesn’t happen very often. However, I imagine that a confluence of factors does make it more likely for a travesty to occur. In the same way, accidents in horse sports are not usually attributable to one event.

Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I have been thinking about this concept from both a personal and broader perspective. On a personal level, having had a number of bad falls myself, I have noticed that my reaction to falling off is sometimes extreme. It is easy to throw everything out the window and want to wipe the slate clean when you have an accident. It’s tempting to change the tack, change the strategy, change the training, or all of the above. We have this human urge to explain why things happen, to pinpoint the exact reason, so that we can fix them.

But most planes don’t crash for one reason. It’s pretty hard, usually, to attribute falling off your horse to exactly one thing. You often hear people do it: “I fell off because I was going too fast” or “I fell off because I missed” or “I fell off because I had the wrong bit on my horse.”

There are a whole host of factors that go into making a horse and rider successful, which means that, logically, there can be a whole host of factors that contribute to things going wrong, too. Taking this approach, rather than concluding that “everything happens for one reason,” is a much more practical way of thinking. And it might make us better pilots for our horses, as well.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Jul 7, 2022 12:03 am -

Sometimes it’s so hot in Virginia what you need is to ride your horse bareback in the river. Photo by Kate Samuels.

I’m stealing a quote I found from Isaac Johnson here today as a little inspiration for you today:

“The #1 rule around here is ‘Have fun’. I have always believed that no growth happens in the comfort zone. It is very important to push yourself, set goals, sacrifice, and work harder than you think possible. But… It is really easy to take ourselves too serious, hold ourselves to an unrealistic standard, set goals and expect to achieve them right away, and get frustrated and discouraged because we want to be better.”

“It is ok to not know something, it is ok to be green at something, everyone has been there at some point. Be honest with yourself! We all go through the struggles of learning new things and refining old things and there is nothing wrong with that. Figure out how to enjoy where you are! Enjoy the process, enjoy the challenge, enjoy learning, enjoy progressing, enjoy getting better, understand where you are and enjoy it, you won’t stay there for long!”

U.S. Weekend Preview

Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT): [Website] [Volunteer]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. (Geneseo, NY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores]

Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

The Maryland International + H.T. (Adamstown, MD): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Round Top H.T. (Castle Rock, CO): [Scores]

Summer Coconino H.T. (Flagstaff, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI Nations Cup of Eventing CCIO4*-S (Avenches, Switzerland): [Website] [Live Stream]

Keyflow Feeds Barbury Castle International CCI4*-S (Marlborough, England): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

If you want to start a heated discussion among equine enthusiasts, ask the best way to cool a horse after exercise. Chances are, most will agree that actively cooling the horse with cold water is the best place to start. After that, though, the conversation may rapidly devolve when you ask whether to leave the water on the horse or scrape it off? Spoiler alert: put down the scraper. [Thermoregulation: What’s the Best Method?]

Mustangs are becoming more and more common in the eventing world, as people realize what amazing little horses they can be. It makes perfect sense that a rider would want to partner up with a wild mustang for eventing—big risk, big reward! But more importantly, big heart. If you’ve ever gentled a mustang, you know that trust is a key ingredient to success. It’s easy for our domesticated horse handling experience to rely on our tools—halters, lead ropes, trailer dividers, ramps, hay bags, the list goes on when we bring home our new steed—but mustangs have no use for these things at first. Our familiar tools are a foreign language, so we must learn to communicate differently and reach for our roots. Mustangs ask you all of their questions up front, and if you answer with the correct recipe of horsemanship, trust and respect, they can lend a fresh perspective on all three phases of eventing and teach us something about ourselves as riders and handlers. [Mustangs in Eventing]

Think you know everything about that bloke Boyd and his amazing wife Silva? Think again. Go inside their farm, their barns, and learn about a day in their lives with this neat article from Equestrian Living. [Boyd & Silva]

There are so many things to love about a classic long format event: the way the conditioning and preparation strengthens your bond with your horse, the educational opportunities to enhance your skills as a rider, and, of course, the steeplechase. There are eight Classic Series events taking place across the U.S. in the 2022 season and they are a great goal for many horse and rider pairs to work towards. Featuring the traditional long-format phases of roads and tracks and steeplechase in addition to the three regular phases of a horse trial, a long format event puts partnerships to the ultimate test. For riders who have already ticked off completing a long-format event from their bucket list, looking back on the thrill of steeplechase before heading out on cross-country often comes with fond memories. Check out what these USEA riders had to say about their favorite steeplechase moments! [Riders Share Memories of Steeplechase]

 

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: The #Pratoni2022 Hype Video is Here

By on Jul 6, 2022 4:00 pm -

We are just a shade over two months away from this year’s FEI World Championships, which take on a different format this year as the disciplines have been divided up among venues instead of gathering at a single place.

WEG, or at least this year’s version of it, for eventers and combined drivers will be held mid-September at Pratoni del Vivaro, just to the east of Rome, Italy. Meanwhile, the dressage riders, jumpers, vaulters, and para-riders will all competed for their respective World Championships in Herning, Denmark next month, and the endurance riders will compete in Verona, Spain in October.

So it’s three months full of the top-class horses and riders in the world, and this hype video is sure to get you amped to follow along.

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Two Riders Added to Complete Host Nation Italy’s Long List for FEI World Championships

By on Jul 6, 2022 11:30 am -

Italy’s Pietro Majolino is one of two riders added to the potential squad list for Pratoni. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

After initially releasing a short list consisting of six horse-and-rider combinations, this year’s FEI World Championships host nation, Italy, has now completed its prospective list for Pratoni with the addition of two riders.

Evelina Bertoli and Leitrim Orient Express at WEG in 2014. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Pietro Majolino, a former European Young Riders medallist, and Evelina Bertoli, who represented Italy at the 2014 WEG, have been added to complete the list of eight riders, from which the final squad will be named in mid-August. The final team will be named with a total of four team combinations and one individual pair.

Stay tuned right here on EN for more Pratoni news coming your way as we look forward to September!

Equestrian Canada Releases Declared and Qualified List for Pratoni 2022

By on Jul 6, 2022 9:00 am -

Equestrian Canada has announced its list of Declared and Qualified eventing riders for the FEI World Championships at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy this September. As with all long and short lists, the final squads for this year’s WEG — which will host eventing and driving at one venue, endurance at another, and dressage, show jumping and vaulting at a third — will be named by August 15. Each federation can send a total of five combinations: four team members and one individual pair.

Holly Jacks-Smither and Candy King. Photo by Shelby Allen.

The Canadian declared long-list is:

  • Hawley Bennett-Awad with her own and the Jollybo Syndicate LLC’s Jollybo
  • Dana Cooke with the FE Mississippi Syndicate’s FE Mississippi
  • Lisa Marie Fergusson with her own Honor Me
  • Holly Jacks-Smither with Candy King Eventing Limited Partnership’s Candy King
  • Jamie Kellock and her own Summer Bay
  • Colleen Loach with her own, Amanda Bernhard and Peter Barry’s FE Golden Eye
  • Colleen Loach with Peter and Susan Berry’s Vermont
  • Jessica Phoenix with her own and Charlotte Schickedanz’s Watson GS
  • Jessica Phoenix with Jim Phillips’ and Colleen Mitchell’s Wabbit
  • Karl Slezak with his own and Kirk Hoppner’s Fernhill Wishes
  • Lindsay Traisnel with Patricia and Craig Pierce’s Bacyrouge
  • Mike Winter with his own, Emma Winter, and Jonathan Nelson’s El Mundo