Classic Eventing Nation

Catching Up with Capt. Mark Phillips and Katie Malensek at Stable View

By on Apr 7, 2022 9:00 am -

Capt. Mark Phillips surveying the scene as cross country kicked-off on Saturday.

Stable View has come a long way since it ran its inaugural H.T. with 127 entries in 2014. Among the early supporters of Stable View are cross country course designer Capt. Mark Phillips and 4* eventer Katie Malensek, both of whom, eight years later this past weekend, reminisced with us about building a recognized show facility from scratch, talked about progress in the sport of eventing, and offered advice for riders creating their own cross country schooling courses at home (spoiler alert: Don’t.).

SV: Tell us about your initial visits to Stable View almost ten years ago.

Katie: Of course there were already some existing structures, but so many luxurious experiences have been added for riders since then. Just the stabling and riders’ lounges alone for those of us coming in from a long trip are crucial. The courses have evolved as well. The progression of cross country with the addition of permanent and mobile obstacles has provided new challenges for those of us preparing for the big spring events. Especially at the upper levels, where we need the horses to last as long as possible. The footing here is exceptional and a no-brainer. There is a lot to take into account making sure an event is right for horses at this level.

Mark: It is difficult to accelerate nature and therefore, looking back ten years later, a lot of what you see now has come from the input of grass seed, fertilizer, organic matter … this is what nature needs. You cannot get here in one year. It takes time to get a root structure.

Then years ago we sort of came up with a bit of a master plan, some of which [Stable View facility owner Barry Olliff] has retained, and some of which he has thrown out! First, the basics—a derby field, rings. From then, the new arenas, the Boyd Martin cross country schooling area, the Academy fields, that’s all grown! The schooling areas used to be over by the dog kennels. But the first rule of course design is, don’t do it on paper. Let the ground talk to you.

SV: Please share your thoughts on how eventing has evolved.

Mark: Feeding, training, vetting, all has changed. In sports nothing stands still. Take golf and go back 20 years when very few people could hit the ball 350 yards, and now you don’t even begin as a pro if you can’t hit that. As soon as you stand still, you get left behind. How did we predict Modified was going to even exist? But it is completely logical. The move up from 1.00m to 1.10m is a massive jump … at 1.00m you don’t have to ride, you just point and kick. If you do that at 1.10m you are potentially running into trouble. You actually have to start to ride it. However, the horse today is the same animal as the young horse of 20 years ago … an animal learning its job with its rider. Therefore, the educational process hasn’t changed. Some people forget this and try to make the lower levels too technical. Keep the basics in the lower levels! In the upper levels, plan one step ahead of where those horses and riders are.

SV: Talk a bit about this weekend’s 4*-S course at Stable View.

Katie: The attractiveness is that it is a beautifully built course. The horses read the questions well. It encourages bold, forward riding, and the layout of how this property was designed to address cross country, it is a beautiful flow. The rolling aspect of some of the hills is good for the horses’ fitness, especially horses like mine in Florida that are on flat ground all winter. There is a very well thought out progression through the levels here.

Mark: The beginning starts out warming up over the first five or six fences, then progresses with questions through the middle. At the end, the last three fences offer a feel good factor. A few new features are the alp that we’ve not done here before, with offsets at the bottom, and the G.L. Williams Water has a corner coming out of it, which is interesting. The Pavilion Splash and the Blanchard fences are a variation on a theme that we’ve done many times. Going back to the evolution of Stable View, from a riding perspective, the trip here is not just for the upper levels. The atmosphere is good for up-and-coming horses … to gallop past people, and go into an arena in front of a big building. A grass field is not going to prep them for bigger venues.

The Pavilion, a new feature jump within “Stable View Village.”

SV: Mark, do you have any advice for a rider putting together a cross country course at home?

The competitor we’ve created is one who wants to be able to practice everything at home. What is a table? It’s an oxer. What is a ditch to a brush jump? A triple bar. We have no different shapes than in the stadium, so why do you need to go cross country schooling? If you need to practice cross country at home, you can’t. You just can’t replicate it. Do you really want to be jumping those jumps at half the speed you need on the course?

SV: Any parting thoughts?

Katie: If ridden well, a course not only ends in success, but your horse has gained experience without getting hurt. This weekend’s course has Mark’s signature bold, forward riding with the technical aspects that are always there, but it’s not trappy. It rewards bold, forward riding. We always say, if you are going to make a mistake, make it going forward so that the horse has the power to deal with whatever is in front of him.

Mark: One of the best course designers of the late 20th Century, Wolfgang Feld, said, “It’s the responsibility of the rider to take their head with them when they leave the start box.” All I want from riders is for them to respect the fences, and jump every fence.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Apr 7, 2022 12:03 am -

Great jumping technique! Photo by Amy Morris.

I picked up a new project pony this week, which is possibly my most favorite thing in the world. He belongs to the racing stable where I get all my OTTB’s, and he was a special favorite of theirs, so they sent him to me to see what he would like to do as a second career. He is brown with no markings (just how I like them), has a tiny head, and his name is Beep. So all of these characteristics mean it’s meant to be. Yesterday he accompanied me to the arena (which he thought was a very strange race track) and helped me teach a lesson. He found it all intriguing, and I can tell he’s very intelligent and happy to have attention and a job again after six months in the field!

U.S. Weekend Preview

The Fork at TIEC (Tryon, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Chattahoochee Hills International H.T. (Fairburn, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

CDCTA Spring H.T. (Berryville, Va.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Pine Hill Spring H.T. (Bellville, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Strzegom Spring Open CCI4*-S (Poland): [Website] [Sunday XC Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

Winning one’s third attempt at a novice horse trials is a feat, but even more so when it happens on another person’s horse just two months after being introduced to the sport. For Sierra Lesny, who topped a field of 21 to win the senior novice rider division at the Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials, April 1-3 in Altoona, Florida, the victory was the culmination of a winter of training and learning.Lesny, 25, is this year’s recipient of Strides for Equality Equestrians’ (SEE) Ever So Sweet scholarship, which allowed her to spend the winter training with eventing professional Sara Kozumplik at her Ocala, Florida, location. [Winner of the Week]

Best of Blogs: Today We Just Walked: Balancing Riding & Mental Health

Numerous horses headed to Badminton Horse Trials enjoyed a prep run at Thoresby last weekend, including the top three in the Lycetts Grantham Cup CCI4*-S – Brookfield Inocent (Piggy March), Cola III (Bubby Upton) and London 52 (Laura Collett). If you’d like to see some Badminton-bound horses stretching their legs, check out these Thoresby Park Horse Trials pictures. [Badminton Bound]

The USEA is excited to announce that coach applications are now being accepted for the 2022 USEA Emerging Athlete 21 program. Three coaches will be selected for the EA21 program for the regional clinics, one coach per region. The coaches should be able to instruct Young Riders competing at the Modified through Intermediate levels of eventing. [USEA EA21 Coach Search]

British team gold medallist and five-star event winner Gemma Tattersall has jumped and been placed in her first showjumping ranking grands prix, on a pocket-rocket mare who is “almost human” in her intelligence. Gemma rode Isabel Fox’s MGH Candy Girl to 10th place in her first ranking grand prix on 20 March, then came third in the 1.45m grand prix on 27 March, at CSI Lier in Belgium. [Eventing Superstar Tries Out Show Jumping]

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Top Eventers Switch Sports (Sort Of)

By on Apr 6, 2022 5:18 pm -

Behind the Barn 2022: Riders share what other equestrian sport they’d like to try from Kentucky Three-Day Event on Vimeo.

Three cheers to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, and three more cheers to TerraNova Equestrian Centre, who have sponsored their brilliant Behind the Barn video series in the lead-up to this year’s event. It’s made me laugh (Buck’s horse diving comment!), it’s made me cry (yes, I did have a little weep over riders sharing their favorite Kentucky memories last week, and no, I’m not ashamed), and more than anything, it’s made me so unspeakably excited for this super-special event to re-open its doors – hopefully with an extra arena on the go for eventers playing polo really badly!

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Be Your Horse’s Hero: The Haygain Way, Holistic Care, Optimal Health

By on Apr 6, 2022 2:09 pm -

Karen Laidley, DVM

This post is brought to you in partnership with:

Karen Laidley, DVM, would like to put herself out of business.

“I want to give owners the tools to need me less,” says the equine veterinarian whose Central Oregon facility is a hub of holistic horse care and training. A lifelong equestrian, Dr. Laidley has been learning and leaning more into whole-horse thinking in recent years.

She’s not alone.

“There is more of a movement in the equine industry where owners are going to speak up more and want better for their horses,” says Dr. Laidley, a 1998 graduate of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “People are asking why their horse only has three to five years at the top of their career. Why are they breaking down earlier? The more we can empower owners and trainers to look deeper into those questions, the more we are going to have these needed discussions.”

The pandemic pushed this trend. “People have more time to spend with their horses: they are starting to trust themselves and ask questions. For so long, people were almost intimidated to ask questions. The fact that everybody was doing something one way does not mean it has to continue that way.”

After many years serving the community at a mixed animal veterinary practice, Dr. Laidley narrowed her focus to horses only. She then opened her scope of study to all aspects and ideas regarding their optimal physical and mental health.

Filling A Knowledge Void

Saddle fit, podiatry and dental care are a few of the many paths she’s pursuing. Being a rider is an advantage. “It helps me see and feel the holes that exist for horses and the ways that we can help to round out their education and improve their health and well-being.  That is a void in veterinary medicine that I’d like to fill.”

Saddle fit was the crux of an early eye-opener for Dr. Laidley. It involved Buzz (aka “Snow Globe Effect”), an eventing partner the 3* rider hoped might take her to the Kentucky Three-Day Event and beyond. That dream was nixed by an injury that eluded diagnosis.

While seeking to help Buzz, Dr. Laidley was recommended to a session with Master Saddle Fitter Jochen Schleese, founder of Schleese Saddlery Service and the Saddle Fit 4 Life education programs. She was sponsored by another saddle maker at the time, yet she agreed to a fitting and trialed a Schleese saddle. “My horse went from being a little off to a lot off,” Dr. Laidley recalls.

While that was the opposite of what she’d hoped for, it illustrated “what happens when you free up the horse’s back: it allows them to blossom into their real self. And it shows how much they try to hide from us because they are prey animals.”

Buzz’s injury was eventually diagnosed as a proximal suspensory tear. It was treated appropriately and has healed completely.  He is now integral to Dr. Laidley’s drive to achieve her US Dressage Federation medals, and Dr. Laidley is now a certified Schleese saddle ergonomist herself and utilizes that knowledge as part of an ever-bigger tool kit to evaluate and tend to horses in her care.

Bringing These Ideas to the Barn

Fruition Farm was conceived as a facility for the veterinarian’s own horses, not as a boarding or training business. “I was doing it for our own horses, and I did a ton of research on every aspect of the barn.”

Like many savvy horse people, she prioritized flooring in the early design and budget phases.

In the flooring and bedding realm, Dr. Laidley searched for a solution to improve barn air quality from a respiratory health perspective. She also favored flooring that could be easily cleaned and sanitized. All those searches led Dr. Laidley to ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring, by Haygain. “In doing the research, I found out about the quality of ComfortStall and that’s how I ended up with it.”

That was 15 years ago. Fruition Farm’s five 14’ x 20’ stalls are still “beautiful,” the veterinarian states. “They are as perfect now as when we put them in!”

It has fulfilled Dr. Laidley’s various objectives in purchasing it: providing comfort for horses on stall rest or recovering from sedation and foaling mares. Sanitization has been as easy as advertised.

Even though Fruition Farm’s horses live outside with individual shelters and heated waterers, Dr. Laidley wanted them on supportive flooring for whatever hours they were indoors. “I wanted them to be on something that I’d want to be on.”

ComfortStall’s layer of orthopedic foam provides cushion for deep rest and sleep, without the need of bedding. Only enough bedding to absorb urine is required. Reducing bedding improves stable air quality because most bedding is loaded with respirable irritants. Bedding and hay are the biggest sources of these microscopic irritants that are the main cause of surprisingly common respiratory challenges, including inflammatory airway disease (IAD).

The respiratory benefits of ComfortStall are furthered by a single-piece durable rubber top cover that seals to the stall wall. The impermeable surface prevents urine from seeping to the stall floor, where bacteria and unhealthy ammonia off-gasses can otherwise accumulate.

Setting Stage for Respiratory Health

Triggering proprioception is another benefit Dr. Laidley loves. The flooring’s slight give prompts horses to make tiny muscle movements for balance. This encourages blood flow that helps muscles, tendons and joints recover. She likens the ComfortStall surface to a full-time version of Sure Foot Stability Pads that encourage horses to find their own balance during short sessions.

ComfortStall is a perfect fit with Fruition Farm’s arena footing: Travel Right Footing. Dr. Laidley choose it for its rebound, traction, and no-dust qualities.

Haygain’s High Temperature Hay Steaming is an important part of Dr. Laidley’s effort to reduce respirable irritants in the horse keeping environment. The patented steaming technology reduces up to 99% of the dust, mold, bacteria and other allergens found even in hay of desired nutrient content.

She also has a Flexineb Equine Nebulizer that enables her to treat various inflammatory airway conditions, including inflammation caused by regional forest fires.

Dr. Laidley’s horses and boarders’ horses benefit from steamed forage thanks to Fruition Farm’s half-bale Haygain. “One client kept her horse a different facility where she developed some serious Inflammatory Airway Disease symptoms,” the veterinarian relays. “Her owner needed a place where the environment supported respiratory health to every extent possible. That’s why she tracked me down. Since her horse arrived at Fruition Farm, she is doing really well and is no longer coughing when she starts to work.”

Most recently, Dr. Laidley added the third “Haygain Way” product: the Forager Slow Feeder. The Forager appealed to Dr. Laidley because of its ability to provide a safe slow-feeding option, even for shod horses, and one that mimics normal grazing posture. Its durability and its ability to withstand significant variations in temperature were also a great selling point. “An added benefit is not having to worry about it being blown away with the blustery winds that Central Oregon can be known for, especially in the cold and dark winter months.”

Your Horse’s Hero 

Providing and sharing holistic and cutting-edge care and training methods is gratifying work. “Shut down” is how the veterinarian describes the state of several horses that find their way to Fruition Farm. “You look in their eyes and nobody’s there. They have their head down, nose to the ground and are just getting by.”

Delivering thoughtful, whole-horse care starts a rewarding path of discovery. “The horses start to show more personality, to show you what they like and don’t like,” Dr. Laidley explains. She wants all owners to embody Fruition Farm’s motto: “Be Your Horse’s Hero.”

“Owners start to discover that there are so many other things going on with their horses.” That’s true of care and training. “I firmly believe that horses are not innately bad. If they exhibit behaviors that we consider ‘unfavorable,’ it’s likely because they don’t understand what we are asking or because they are painful or uncomfortable.”

The vast realm of information can be overwhelming. Reflecting on her own horses’ injuries over the years, Dr. Laidley still feels “Oh my god, there’s so much more I could have done for them. That makes me sad, but it was also the catalyst for me to learn all that I’m learning now and to think of things on a bigger scale.”

Photo Feature: #GoEventing at Morven Park

By on Apr 6, 2022 11:30 am -

Photo by Samantha Haynie for Erin Gilmore Photography.

There is just something magical about a good show photographer. It’s not an easy profession, especially today: iPhones now take better photos than the old point-and-shoot cameras, and DSLR cameras are becoming more common among parents and sporting fans. But none of the technological advances can replace a true eye and talent behind the lens, a knack for capturing the best moments in the best way possible.

We’re fortunate to work with many immensely talented photographers here at EN, and we’re pleased to introduce a new series aimed at celebrating and showcasing the work of these artists at your local events.

Competitors from Morven Park Spring H.T. (April 2-3, 2022), click here to access and order your show photos from Erin Gilmore Photography!

Last weekend, Erin Gilmore and her team worked Morven Park’s first event of the 2022 season, set in picturesque Leesburg, Va. Morven Park is rich in its own history and recently added a CCI4*-L to their fall calendar, making it a perennial popular spot for eventers at all levels.

And it’s quite photogenic, if you ask us…

Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

Not only does your show photographer capture the moment while you’re on course, they also keep their eyes open for the moments that happen behind the scenes, away from the ring…

Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

But, there’s also a lot to be said for a perfect action shot…

Photo by Chelsea Spear for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Photo by Chelsea Spear for Erin Gilmore Photography.

Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

Photographers such as Erin work long, hard hours in all sorts of elements to deliver their services — we know they greatly appreciate your business, too! Click here to learn more about Erin Gilmore Photography and access your show photos — and keep an eye here on EN for more photo essays throughout the season!

The Growing Trend of Expensive Young Rider Horses

By on Apr 6, 2022 9:00 am -

Ema Klugman and Bendigo, the Saddlebred/Thoroughbred gelding who took her to her first 5*. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Talent is broadly distributed in the horse industry, but opportunities are not. In a previous article, I wrote about the barriers to accessing equestrian sport and the corresponding lack of diversity in the industry – and one such barrier is the increasing cost of horses, particularly for younger riders who are trying to get a foothold in the sport.

While it is still possible to find the diamond-in-the-rough types — those horses with big hearts that are inexpensive because they do not look like much initially, but become superstars — more often, parents are having to make large investments in horses for their children. If they can’t, the upper levels of the sport are seemingly unattainable.

Buying safe, quality mounts with proper training has gotten harder, and much pricier, in recent years. Whether someone is looking to compete at the Novice and Training levels, or move up to contesting the young rider international classes, competitive horses have come to be worth much more than they used to be.

On one hand, this trend is good for professionals. Professionals can produce young horses and make money on them if they are well-trained, good quality animals that are capable of campaigning with kids who are starting out in the sport, or even looking to compete in higher divisions such as the young rider championships. Higher prices mean that professionals who find these horses can expect to do well out of them, which in turn makes their businesses more successful and allows them to pursue their own opportunities. Higher prices can also trickle down to breeders, who can price their quality youngstock higher because the professionals buying them can expect to price those horses even higher when they become six-, seven-, and eight-year-olds.

On the other hand, it’s hard enough to get into this sport in the first place, and access to the higher levels of the sport should not require such a big checkbook. It should be possible to train an inexpensive, non-warmblood horse to get to the young rider level in dressage, show jumping, and eventing. I did it on a Saddlebred/Thoroughbred who took me to my first five-star.

But this is not the norm, and it happens so infrequently that the perception of that kind of situation being possible is that it’s just dumb luck.

Who are we missing out on if the cost of competing at a high level as a young rider is so astronomical? Is the next Kent Farrington able to imagine himself getting to the young rider championships, or is he just completely priced out of the market?

Young riders in dressage used to be able to compete at the North American Young Rider Championships on self-made horses; now the quality of horses is so high that they need to start with a six-figure horse to make the team. In eventing, it is not uncommon for the young rider teams to be made up of former five-star horses.

While it is fabulous for these young competitors to learn from the wisdom of experienced horses, the kid with the Saddlebred cross or the Thoroughbred/Appaloosa who will never move like a warmblood, but is qualified at the level, probably won’t make the team. So although it’s good that the quality of riding and horses has gone up, it also means that the whole thing is that much more elitist.

The perception is that you need to start with a huge amount of money to even get in the door. The trend of families with resources buying their junior riders a six-figure, experienced horse to get to the upper levels seems not just common but the standard. These riders are talented, but how much talent are we overlooking because their families don’t have a blank check to buy a horse to take them to young riders?

As the saying goes, “good horses make good riders.” A good horse is a good horse, no matter its breeding or its price tag. It’s possible to find them in unexpected places, and it’s also useful for riders to go through the trials and tribulations of training an animal that is perhaps not the easiest or has had all of the formal training that a more expensive horse has had.

At the same time, it is good for the industry that the caliber of horses, breeding, and competition has improved. Quality jumping horses make the sport safer. But it is bad for accessibility when the perception — and the reality — is that so many promising riders are priced out of the market.

Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Apr 6, 2022 12:01 am -

Got to spend some quality time Compton Cowboys thanks to Andis Company. Teaching them techniques that can turn into career paths in the feature🙌 Horse and Rider Books

Posted by World Class Grooming for Horses on Sunday, March 27, 2022

World Class Grooming has been on a whirlwind California tour, making a stop to visit with the Compton Cowboys recently in collaboration with Andis Grooming. I remember when World Class Grooming for Horses was first released, and how quickly it became a handbook for horse care and grooming that transcended disciplines. The topics taught in the book, which is the brainchild of top grooms Emma Ford and Cat Hill, are universal and it’s really cool to see the concepts being spread about outside of our little eventing community, too!

U.S. Weekend Preview

The Fork at TIEC (Tryon, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Chattahoochee Hills International H.T. (Fairburn, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

CDCTA Spring H.T. (Berryville, Va.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Pine Hill Spring H.T. (Bellville, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Strzegom Spring Open CCI4*-S (Poland): [Website] [Sunday XC Live Stream]

Wednesday News & Reading

Entries are now open for the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships! The Championships will be held at Chattahoochee Hills, May 21-22, and promise to be an exciting competition full of team spirit. But entries are limited, so be sure to coordinate with your team and send team rosters to Leslie Threlkeld. Click here to download the Intercollegiate Handbook and click here to view the event Omnibus listing.

Because she clearly had too much free time on her hand, Florida Horse Park organizer, sporthorse breeder, and wearer of multiple hats Emily Holmes is now the Executive Director of Horse Farms Forever, a Florida organization dedicated to preserving horse culture and farms in the state.

Want to support Area IV eventing? The Midwest area’s annual fundraising auction is now live with tons of goodies to bid on! Click here to start bidding.

While you’re in a bidding mood, you can also stop by Canadian rider Karl Slezak’s fundraiser as he travels to Badminton with Fernhill Wishes on a quest to represent Canada at WEG later this year.

Are you attending this year’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event? Join EN and Ride iQ for a ridiculously epic course walk led by Kyle Carter and Buck Davidson on Friday, April 29. If you register ahead of time, you’ll be entered to win prizes such as a limited edition signed tote bag and goodies from our sponsors. Click here to learn.

Wednesday Video Break

Just, you know, an epic barn tour at the dreamy Helgstrand Dressage base:

Essex Horse Trials Announces New Location, Format for 2022

By on Apr 5, 2022 12:00 pm -

Photo courtesy of Essex Horse Trials.

Essex Horse Trials, the iconic New Jersey event that was reborn in 2017 after a near two-decade hiatus, continues evolving to best suit the needs of the modern eventing community.

It offered Beginner Novice through Preliminary divisions for its first two years of reincarnation, sampled an Advanced division in 2019, was canceled like many events due to Covid in 2020, and rebounded with its original divisions in 2021. For 2022, it will continue with these held at two locations: on Friday, July 1, dressage and show jumping will be held at Hamilton Farm, home of the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone. The next day, July 2, cross-country phase returns to the familiar surroundings of historic Moorland Farm in Far Hills.

 

The two-day festival will also include family-friendly activities, a car show and fun demonstrations to kick off Fourth of July activities. The shift in the schedule will give more time for everyone to enjoy the long holiday weekend, which was important to event co-organizer Ralph Jones.

“The Essex Horse Trials is such a great way for families to enjoy a weekend in the country. We believe that the changes we made will benefit not only the competitors, but the spectators as well,” said Jones, who is President of the Essex Horse Trials. “Historic Hamilton Farm will provide a beautiful venue for dressage and show jumping while Moorland Farm offers a spectacular setting for the exciting cross country course.”

More than 150 entries are expected to compete at the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training and Preliminary divisions. Co-organizer Morgan Rowsell is also looking forward to the new format.

“The welfare of the horse is always of paramount importance for us. The two locations provide ideal conditions for the weekend,” said Rowsell. “Gladstone will have all-weather footing for dressage and show jumping while Far Hills will give the horses and riders of all levels a first-rate cross-country course.”

On Saturday, the Essex H.T. will feature the Peter Chesson Memorial Classic Car Show for horsepower enthusiasts outside the equestrian arena. Nearly 100 cars will be showcased representing more than a century of motorized technology.

General admission is $10 per car. Tailgating spots will be available for the best viewing of the exciting cross-country course at Moorland Farm. Packages range in cost from $50-$300 depending on location. For more info on tailgate packages and ringside sponsorships, please call 908-581-0514 or email [email protected].

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greater Newark LifeCamp in nearby Pottersville, a day camp for inner-city youth.

For more information, visit www.essexhorsetrials.org.

 

Who Jumped It Best? Stable View Spring CCI3*-S

By on Apr 5, 2022 9:00 am -

Guillermo de Campo Marambio and Quelite. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Three-star riders had plenty to do around Capt. Mark Phillips’ CCI3*-S cross country course at their International spring event. Horses got their feet wet for the first time at the GL Williams Water Complex. The A element was a shinny chevron into the water followed by another rolled drop into water, seen here. Immediately following this, riders faced a narrow corner that required a particularly devilish determination to straightness.

Now you can be the judge. Take a look at the horse and rider combinations below and vote in the poll for which pair you think presents the best overall picture. Winners take home bragging rights.

Stable View Spring 2/3/4*: Website, Results, EN’s Coverage

Lindsey Lanier and Fernhill Feel Happy. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Siobhain O’Connor and Summer Solstice. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Sallie Johnson and Ado Rock. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Mia Petersen and Fernhill Royale. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Lauren New and Flying Again. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Lillian Heard and Chilly. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Guillermo de Campo Marambio and Quelite. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Courtney Cooper and Excel Star First Class. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Carolyn Wehle and Edelmann. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Use the poll below to cast your vote. Eternal EN karma to the winner! Go Eventing.

Tuesday News & Notes from Legends Horse Feed

By on Apr 5, 2022 7:49 am -

Now that the competition season has started again, we’re all going to see a lot of highlights reels – not just on social media, but in the framing of the sport and its stars across all kinds of media. It’s really easy, then, to fall into the trap of thinking badly about your own riding and results (more than once, I’ve thought to myself, “Piggy wouldn’t have knocked that rail down!”), and so it’s always refreshing when top riders share the wobbly bits of the journey, whether that’s a frustrating result with an upper level horse or the topsy-turvy process of producing a youngster. It’s also so educational to see that development, as in the case of this video of Madeline Backus and her horse Lynx, who learned all about skinny wedges recently.

Events Opening Today: Spring Gulch H.T., Fair Hill International Recognized H.T., Chattahoochee Hills H.T., Otter Creek Spring H.T., Hunt Club Farms H.T.

Events Closing Today: Unionville Spring Horse Trials, Sporting Days Farm April H.T. III, River Glen Spring H.T.

Are you attending this year’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event? Join EN and Ride iQ for a ridiculously epic course walk led by Kyle Carter and Buck Davidson on Friday, April 29. If you register ahead of time, you’ll be entered to win prizes such as a limited edition signed tote bag and goodies from our sponsors. Click here to learn more!

Tuesday News & Notes From Around the World:

For most eventers, the idea of swapping to pure dressage is probably groan-inducing at best. But that’s just what Chase Shipka did after a bad fall knocked her confidence — and now, she’s aiming for US team selection in the not-too-distant future. Read more about her journey – and the incredible adventures she’s had — here.

Getting it wrong sometimes is part of the process — and the legacy of ‘wrongness’ goes back generations. Jimmy Wofford explores the history of major equestrian industry disagreements and argues the case that making mistakes is part of the process of developing the horse industry as a whole – as long as we’re all willing to take a step back and engage in some productive evaluation.

Most parents will agree that watching their child leave the start box is WAY more nerve-wracking than doing it themselves. That’s why knowing how best to manage their day at an event, and contribute to the overall process, is a great idea — by being involved constructively, watching from the sidelines can feel less helpless. Check out some top tips from the parents who’ve nailed the brief.

Equine pros, listen up: STRIDER is hosting a series of webinars aimed at helping you boost your business this year. Sign up now and get insights into communications, working with the media, and making sure your clinics bring in a healthy profit.

Video Break:

Catch up on Carolina with Elisa Wallace and Let It Be Lee: