Classic Eventing Nation

A Human on Stall Rest, Vol. III: Risk Assessment

By on Mar 17, 2022 1:00 pm -

The subject of an Amateur’s Corner interview in 2021, Elena Perea is an Emergency Room physician who balances work, family life, and competing in Area II. In her latest blog, she brings us an update on her recovery. If you missed it: Vol. 1, Vol. 2. 

Hacking yesterday with me. Photo by Elena Perea.

At 6 weeks and 5 days post-op from the Biggest Should Repair Ever I saw my surgeon.  I was doing well—“almost too well.”  He looked me in the eye and said “you can’t screw this up because I can’t fix it again.”  It was sobering, as we discussed the literature that includes a 50-90% chance of repair failure, and the fact that the failure risk is greatest in the 3-to-6 MONTH postoperative period. I couldn’t stress the bone anchors with lifting more than a pound of weight until the scar matured.

“Why didn’t we talk about the risk of failure being so high before I had the surgery?” I wanted to know.

“Because you didn’t have any options.  None,” he replied.

He’s not wrong.  I couldn’t lift my arm from my side when I had the surgery, and it wasn’t going to get better.  At this appointment, I was able to hold it at about 45 degrees from my body, although I was so weak, I was trembling instantly.  So.  I can’t screw it up.  Fear installed.

At 7 weeks and 1 day, when I was officially liberated from the sling, I hooked up the trailer, put Beezie on it, and drove to Aiken for the Busiest Horse Weekend EVER in which I Did Not Ride.  Saturday started early, with my friend riding with William Fox Pitt at 7:15 (who was kind and signed an autograph for my kid).  I went and watched Beez do a short jump school so she could be perfect for Sporting Days the next day.  We saw the inimitable Kathy Viele ride a beautiful Grand Prix dressage freestyle at Stable View. We watched the Grand Prix of Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field.  After I pulled myself together after Annie Goodwin’s horse won it all (and Boyd waved at my hero-worshiping son with his million-dollar smile–thanks man), we walked Beezie’s Cross Country course for the next day.

Sporting Days Preliminary with John Michael Durr. Photo courtesy of Elena Perea.

Sunday, Beezie completed her second Preliminary, although my 60-pound spawn just wasn’t cutting it as a substitute for adult-male-sized JM at home, and she came home with a fatigue-related stop.  It was apparent we were going to change things up with her conditioning work.  I spent the drive home thinking I needed and wanted to get back on a horse.  Early in the 8th postoperative week, I convinced myself I could do it.  My physical therapist had ramped up my exercises and declared me ahead of the curve.  She gave me exercises that included pulling on bands like you would on reins.  You can’t hurry tendon healing.  I still couldn’t get my arms above shoulder height, and definitely wouldn’t be lifting more than the aforementioned pound, but felt like I could do it.

Life is about risk assessment, and I’m literally a professional at it.  Every time we make decisions, we weigh the potential benefit against associated risk.  I know the donuts could potentially make me fat; the pleasure of the sugar outweighs that risk almost every time.  There is real fear that I will ruin the repair, and need another big surgery with a less desirable outcome.  The likelihood is a non-zero number.  However, I’m not pitching a baseball or bowling or playing tennis.  The risks associated with riding include ruining the repair, although there isn’t any real direct stress to the shoulder.  My horse is quiet, has a soft mouth, doesn’t pull, I have help tacking up.  I am pulling on “reins” for physical therapy.  I could fall off and ruin my life, but that risk is unchanged today, a year from now, and in a decade.  The benefit of regaining some joy and independence, and of helping my horse be prepared for the next Prelim, far outweighed the risk when I did the math for myself.  The same risks might be present for another person who makes a different decision than I did, and that’s ok too.

And so, 8.5 weeks after having my shoulder pieced back together, 13 weeks after I took it apart, I got back on my horse.  It felt like coming home.  I did a 12-minute trot set and could not walk the next day.  I’m taking it slow, and mitigating risk by riding only my horse in only controlled settings with supervision.  I am not lifting my saddle, and am bridling with my left hand (which, by the way, is very strange).  I’m not jumping, and I’m giving the arm a lot of breaks.  It’s not “normal,” but it’s keeping my head in the game.

I’ll tell the surgeon when I see him again in 4 weeks.  As with most things, it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.

Volunteer Nation: Four Events That Could Use a Helping Hand This Weekend

By on Mar 17, 2022 11:00 am -

Photo via The Maryland Horse Trials @ Loch Moy Farm Facebook page.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This weekend’s first MDHT Starter Horse Trial of 2022 is getting into the spirit. Word to the wise: wear green or risk being pinched!

The event is still in need of a few volunteers — two jump judges and a show jumping scribe for Sunday, and if those get filled we bet they could still find a way to put you to work. Loch Moy always treats its volunteers well; those who work a full day receive their choice of a schooling pass OR a raffle ticket — pick between a 2022 Maryland 5* 2nd Tier Event package for two (four days, including hospitality) Oct. 13-16 OR $1,000, your choice. Dressage volunteers ALSO receive a bonus incentive of a dressage entry to any show that has a Dressage Only option, as well as an entry for an upcoming dressage clinic (TBA) at Loch Moy. Thanks for all your volunteer appreciation, Loch Moy!

Here are four events that could us a helping hand this weekend. As always, you can earn merit points when you donate your time through the USEA’s Volunteer Incentive Program. Registering to volunteer through EventingVolunteers.com makes it easy and seamless to both find a job and shift as well as learn what your role will entail.

USEA Events

SAzEA Spring Horse Trials

February 28th, 2022 to March 20th, 2022

Ocala Winter II Horse Trials

March 14th, 2022 to March 20th, 2022

Pine Top Spring HT

March 17th, 2022 to March 20th, 2022

Other Events

2022 MDHT March Starter Horse Trial

March 18th, 2022 to March 20th, 2022

Meet Red Hills 3* Winner, Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick

By on Mar 17, 2022 9:00 am -

Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick and Riviera Lu at Red Hills. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

A first FEI win is always a memorable one, but especially so for Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick who topped the leaderboard of the CCI3-S at Red Hills International Horse Trials this weekend with 14-year old Brazilian Sport Horse mare, Riviera Lu.

Through no fault of the event or location itself, Meaghan has a bit of a sad history with Red Hills. Last year she returned to the event for the first time since 2008, when her coach Darren Chiacchia suffered a rotational fall that left him seriously injured and in a coma for forty two days. At that same event, her friend Missy Miller also lost her horse as a result of a fall. 

“I have a lot of previous demons here that I’ve had to get over, so I think it’s pretty neat to have my first FEI win here – it adds a very good memory,” she says. 

Hoofprints Around the Country and Across the Pond 

Meaghan was bitten by the horse bug at an early age and was naturally drawn to eventing. She rode at two barns when she started out taking riding lessons – a hunter barn and an eventing barn – in order to be able to take more than one lesson a week. Soon enough, it became apparent which discipline she favored. 

“I used to sleep over at my friend’s house who lived near both barns and I would purposely skip my hunter lessons on Saturday morning so I could go to the eventing barn to clean stalls,” she said.

“The hunter trainer called my mom and said, ‘This is the second week where she hasn’t shown up, I don’t think she is interested in horses.’ So my mom calls my friend’s mom and the mom said, ‘No, I dropped them off hours ago. They are cleaning stalls.’”

Meaghan’s mom sat her down that evening to ask what was going on and why she was playing hooky from the hunter barn.

“I said I would rather take care of the eventing horses and be with them than take the hunter lessons. The rest is kind of history.”

Meaghan Marinovich and Riviera Lu. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Meaghan’s eventing education and career have left hoof prints across the country – and across the pond – from her home state of Minnesota, where her first event horse took her through Training level, to her first working student position with Tracey Amaral on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, who would set her down the Young Riders path. 

In Ocala, Meaghan spent time riding with Olympian Darren Chiacchia and purchased the Trakehner stallion Ahlerich, who he rode through the then three-star level, from him. Ahlerich would take Meaghan on to win team gold for Area IV in the now two-star at the 2006 Young Rider Championships. 

When Meaghan went off to college, she headed overseas to Hartpury College to study equine sports science and further her dream of riding professionally. Ahlerich joined Meaghan across the pond where they rode with the elite squad at the Hartpury Equine Academy and took Meaghan to her first Advanced horse trials. While training in England, they contested the likes of Aston le Walls, Barbury Castle, Houghton Hall. 

After earning a graduate degree from Hartpury in sports management, Meaghan made the choice to return to the US in 2014 to continue her career there while being closer to family. To this day, her business Marinovich Eventing, can be found operating out of Aiken in the winter and out of her parents’ Powder River Ranch in summer — a 400 acre working farm just outside of Des Moines, Iowa that produces soybeans, corn, and alfalfa hay and also hosts an annual polo charity event – in the summer.

Linking Ireland to Brazil

The name Rock Phantom might ring a bell to you. The Irish Sport Horse Gelding has been competing with Nilson Moreira da Silva at the Advanced and four-star levels since 2019, earning a top 10 finish in the CCI4-L at the Tryon International 3-Day Event last fall. At the end of last year, he was purchased by Edy Hunter Rameika and now joins Sara Kozumplik’s string. But what does “Rock” have to do with Meaghan and Riviera? In a way, he helped them find each other.

Meaghan sourced Rock Phantom (Sprit House xx – Ballycroy Rose, by Clonakilty Hero) from Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses in 2015, importing him as a 4-year-old having only seen him from a video. Flash forward a few years into Rock’s eventing career with Meaghan and “I was having the most difficult time with him,” she says. That same year, 2018, she began riding with Nilson, who offered to help her with the gelding. Ultimately, they ended up trading horses – Rock became Nilson’s and Meaghan took on a different chestnut called, Red Lion. 

Meaghan sadly had to part with Red Lion too soon – he had to be put down in August 2019 – but next month another special chestnut would come into her life. Nilson had been helping Meaghan look for an additional horse to add to her string and helped connect her with Luciano Miranda Drubi, who he used to work for. Luciano represented Brazil at the 1995 Pan American Games 1996 Olympics with Riviera’s grand dam Xilena, where Nilson groomed for them at both events. He later on bred Xilena, stamping horses from his program with the ‘Lu’ suffix. 

Meaghan took another chance on a horse after seeing her only via video, and Riviera Lu (Rembrandt Jmen x Ravena 3J, by Diapason des Gaves) arrived stateside in September 2019.

Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick and Riviera Lu at Red Hills. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Riviera Goes to the Red Hills

Meaghan and Riviera did their first event as a new partnership in November 2019, stepped up to Intermediate just prior to the pandemic hitting in 2020, and were able to finish out the year with a strong fall 2020 season ending with a CCI3-L completion at the Hagyard Midsouth Three-day Event. The pair went on to move up to the Advanced level early last year and successfully completed the very tricky inaugural CCI4-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, followed by Jersey Fresh International CCI4-L in May.  

“It’s been a very fun ride,” Meaghan says of her and the chestnut mare’s journey together so far.

Now in their third year together, the partnership is still relatively early days and Meaghan is continuing to figure out how to get the most out of her fiery chestnut mare. 

“I’ve been switching her bit up lately and I ran her cross country [at Red Hills] in a rubber pelham with rubber around the chain,” Meaghan said. “I didn’t end up really having much control so I think that’s where the time penalties came from, but she’s so honest and I can put her in front of anything and she’ll jump it.”

Even so, the pair was the second fastest round over a course which ten others in the division were unable to complete. They added only 5.2 time penalties to their dressage score, which was a personal best of 31.8 despite some spooks in the sandbox and Meaghan feeling like she might have left some points on the table in their test.

While River is a bold jumper, Meaghan cites the show jumping as their weakest phase. “Show jumping has always been her nemesis – that’s how I was able to purchase her,” she says. 

But they had the help of a friend of Meaghan’s from overseas and of another of Meaghan’s coaches, Cathy Jones-Forsberg, to support them over the weekend. With just the one horse to care for throughout the competition and some good company to help her, Meaghan seemed able to relax and let the chips fall where they may. 

“I was just jumping and having fun with my Queen.”

Having fun led to jumping a double clear round and earning the top spot, rising through the ranks from sitting in 16th after dressage – a spectacular new memory added to the legacy of Red Hills and she helped a young fan and volunteer, Anna Holman, make a memory that she’ll never forget as well. Meaghan noticed that Anna, who was volunteering with her dad Eric, had taken a particular liking to Riviera throughout the competition and gifted her with her blue ribbon after the victory gallop.

“I love inspiring the next generation of riders and that ribbon will mean more to her than it ever could to me sitting in the tackroom at home. Maybe one day she will end up being my working student. You never know where kindness and generosity will take your life. It melts my heart seeing her so happy – this is why we do this sport.”

We’ll see Meaghan and Riviera Lu out and about next at the Stable View Spring CCI in the CCI4-S, followed by the four-star at the Kentucky Three-Day Event. They’re looking to cap their spring season by contesting the CCI4-L at the Tryon International May 3-Day Event. We can’t wait to see what’s next for this dynamic pair and cheer them on in their continued partnership.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Mar 17, 2022 12:03 am -

Photo courtesy of Stateline Tack.

Dear horses, why do you have to be doing so many midnight hijinks? Is it spring fever? Are you just feeling fitter after the winter break? Or are you trying to give me some form of sleep deprivation anxiety? Because it’s working, and now you can stop. Specifically, I would love it if my horses stopped showing off their athleticism by jumping out of their fields in the middle of the night to graze on my yard. I know the grass is great, but you have grass in your field that is just as good.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Ocala Winter II H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Pine Top Spring H.T. (Thomson, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

News From Around the Globe:

One thing that eventing and parenthood share in common is the amount of dedication required to get it right. Aiming for excellence in horse showing and child-rearing is taxing enough on its own, but combining the two and things can get a little more challenging. For many, eventing truly can be a family affair. We have some first-hand advice from USEA members sharing some of their favorite eventing parenting tips, tricks, and hacks to make juggling all of the pieces just a little easier the next time you head out to the barn to ride or make your way to the start box. [Balancing Barn & Baby Time]

Best of Blogs: A Turd In Your Feed Tub

 Just how fit do event riders, at the lower levels, and their horses have to be? In this article with Craig Barrett, he discusses how to organize your horse’s fitness and yours for lower level competency. Depending on your horse’s age, breed, and experience, the answer can be different, and the same goes for riders! [Fit to Event]

As air vests have become more popular, especially in other disciplines, it stands to reason that we would also begin to see turnover in the products as people upgrade to new technology or find a better fitting vest. This means that we’re starting to see more air vests available for purchase in used condition. But is it safe to buy a used air vest? [Buying A Used Air Vest]

Experts from the University of Nottingham have found that the sex of a jockey doesn’t influence any aspect of racehorse physiology and performance. Shocking, I know. The findings of the study, published at Research Square, offer a new perspective on the possible balance of elite male and female jockeys on the start line of races. Studies assessing the effect of the sex of a rider on racehorse performance and physiology during training have not been reported, mostly due to the lack of available data for female participants within the sport. [Hot on Horse Nation]

Diet balancers aren’t just for the easy keepers anymore. In today’s world of high hay prices and various hay shortages, making sure your horse’s diet is balanced can be a challenge.  Hay alone will not supply 100% of the nutrient needs of any horse.  All forage types will be short in critical vitamins, minerals and trace minerals.  Most forages, even the best alfalfa hays, will fall short in meeting a horse’s needs for essential amino acids that impact their topline, performance and growth.  This is where a diet balancer comes in—it supplies the essential nutrition not found in forages, and allows for very specific feeding rates to meet those needs – even by forage type. [Using Diet Balancer for Essential Nutrition]

 

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Ride Around Red Hills CCI3*-S

By on Mar 16, 2022 5:00 pm -

I’ve never been to Red Hills, but it’s one of those events I love to watch from afar from my (ordinarily drizzly and cold) perch in the UK. Relative warmth, sun-scorched ground, Spanish moss gently floating in the breeze and catching the sunlight? Absolute bliss, and no matter how many of my Floridian friends try to tell me that the moss is actually heaving with insect infestations, I will merrily plug my ears and keep enjoying how nice it all looks on a livestream.

Or, indeed, on a GoPro round-up. Queen of the hatcam Elisa Wallace is back, and this time, she’s taking us around the CCI3*-S at Red Hills aboard Sharp Decision. Heels down, eyes up, and watch out for the bugs!

Elevate®

Performance horses are susceptible to exercise-induced muscle damage. Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, limits the damage caused by everyday oxidative stress. It maintains healthy muscle and nerve functions, and supports a strong immune system in horses of all ages.

Elevate was developed to provide a highly bioavailable source of natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) to horses.

Check out this KPP article: Vitamin E and the Performance Horse – A Winning Combination.

The horse that matters to you matters to us®. KPPusa.com

Equestrian Australia Names High-Performance Eventing Squad for 2022

By on Mar 16, 2022 3:00 pm -

Australia wins silver: Kevin McNab, Shane Rose and Andrew Hoy. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It’s that time again: with the Tokyo Olympic cycle well and truly – and finally – put to bed, we begin again with our sights set on Paris 2024. As such, governing bodies around the world are busy putting together their tiered squad lists, which feature their country’s biggest stars and brightest up-and-comers, whose performances can be honed and developed with a view to selection over the next couple of years.

The latest country to release their squad list is Australia, who emerged from a tricky and contentious couple of years to take team silver at last year’s Olympics. Their three-part squad system features an elite tier, called the Gold (Podium) tier, a Green tier, for Podium Ready and Podium Potential athletes, and a Generation Next tier for Developing and Emerging athletes.

It’s particularly exciting to see some friends of EN feature in the line-up as Australia’s eventing squad enters a crucial developmental period following the departure of Sam Griffiths, who will now serve as coach to the New Zealand eventing team, and Chris Burton, who is focusing his attentions on showjumping instead.

Here are the riders named to each tier:

GOLD (PODIUM)

  • Andrew Hoy
  • Kevin McNab
  • Shane Rose

GREEN (PODIUM READY AND PODIUM POTENTIAL)

  • Sammi Birch
  • Sonja Johnson
  • Bill Levett
  • Sam Lyle
  • Hazel Shannon

GENERATION NEXT (DEVELOPING AND EMERGING)

  • Olivia Barton
  • Emma Bishop
  • Lauren Browne
  • Catherine Burrell
  • Annabel Cargill
  • Andrew Cooper
  • Isabel English
  • Jade Findlay
  • Thea Horsley
  • Ema Klugman
  • Shenae Lowings
  • Emma Mason
  • Jessica Rae
  • Dominic Schramm
  • Katie Taliana
  • Gemma Tinney

 

 

Two Ways to use Positive Reinforcement Training for the Competitive Event Horse

By on Mar 16, 2022 12:00 pm -

Chelsea Canedy and Little Einstein. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Missed part one of Chelsea’s blog? Catch up here!

In my last blog, I wrote about how much more my eyes have been opened to positive reinforcement training and all of the ways that we can use the horse’s “happy hormones” in training instead of leveraging his fight or flight instinct alone.

While I think every person who trains horses should know that this exists, there’s a big caveat to r+ training: You CAN mess it up.

In fact, I think this is why r+ gets a bad rap sometimes – because we’ve all probably met a horse who was morphed into a total walk-all-over-you, crazed cookie monster after his owner started using “positive reinforcement” (or thought that’s what they were using, at least!).

Let’s talk about two important ground rules before we proceed: First, you must create significance to the clicker. Yes, food is a big part of the process too, but the clicker is the most precise tool in terms of timing. The clicker allows you to pinpoint the exact moment that the horse is behaving how you want, in a way that you simply cannot while fumbling around your pocket for treats.

Next, your first foray into r+ is setting polite boundaries. Your horse should learn to walk with space between you and him, next you, not in front of you, and to not reach into your space for treats. How do you achieve this? You reward him when he’s doing that precise combination of things all at the same time, and never when he’s pushing into your “invisible box”. You have to be very present and observant to catch that moment.

Now, let’s get to the real heart of this blog. How do I practically use this type of training in my competitive event horse? I think it’s important to hear about the practical applications of r+ training to understand how it can fit into your daily life with horses.

#1: Eliminating the Cross Tie Dance

My horse Albert can get a little edgy in the cross-ties when we’re somewhere new. He doesn’t do anything dramatic, but he does a lot more stepping forward, fidgeting, and learning ahead into the cross-ties than he does at home, simply because he’s not as relaxed. So, I want to not only teach him to stand still for my own sanity, but also that the cross-ties are a place to relax. That’s the beauty of r+ training.
In the past, when he moved, I’d stop his movement and put him back where I wanted him to stand, over and over, to get him to plant his feet. That’s great, but it doesn’t necessarily cue his body to relax, and it could be quite monotonous and laborious.
So, I tried it with r+. It took, kid you not, about 5 minutes, maybe less, before he was standing quite still, lowering his head, and looking soft and relaxed in his eye and jaw.
How’d I do it? Whenever he would take a step back from his leaning forward position in the cross ties, I’d click and give him a treat (note that he was already very familiar with the clicker and what it meant from some liberty leading sessions in a round pen). When he stood relaxed for one second, click and treat. Another couple of seconds, click and treat. And so on, until I could see him thinking of stepping forward, and then watch him choose to rock gently back and settle instead.
#2: Establishing a Relaxed Way of Going in Any Gait
Our connection with the horse’s mouth can still be a major part of our ridden work with them, but we can reinforce what we want with r+ training. This is where I love Shawna’s approach to r+: it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Yes, you can still put your leg on. Yes, you can still take a feel of the reins. It doesn’t work against you because you’re still able to reward the horse with the clicker in the moments that feel just right in the ridden work.
With my horse Albert, as we progress in flatwork, I’ll use the example of reinforcing a nice, relaxed frame in the trot. Forward, soft in the mouth, up in the withers, pushing from behind – a nice working trot that would be appropriate for a dressage test. I can certainly get him there with my usual leg, hand, and seat aids, and then when he feels like a rockstar, I can click and treat.
This makes him want to find that way of going. It simply changes the tone of training – it feels more like a happy game than a serious, consequence-laden session. This gets the feel-good hormones going and I am combatting much less of his natural anxiety in his training – anxiety that would surely catch up to us at some point in his progress.
If you’d like to learn more about this method of training, Shawna Karrasch has lots of blogs and podcasts on the topic. Find her work here. She also appeared on the Equestrian Voices podcast (which I’ve also been a guest on!) to break down this approach.
Also, I’m hosting a clinic on the basics of R+ training at my farm in Wales, Maine on April 9. Sign up here!

Stable View Presents: 10 Questions with Tamie Smith

By on Mar 16, 2022 9:00 am -

 

It’s all about team spirit: Jennie Brannigan and Tamie Smith at Boekelo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ahead of Tamie Smith‘s first-ever East coast clinic, which is set to take place on March 28, 29, and 30 at Stable View in Aiken, SC., the organizers sat down for a coffee-break chat with the Tokyo reserve and globe-trotting superstar to get to know what makes her tick. Want to nab your spot and learn from one of the best ahead of her busy spring five-star campaigns at Kentucky and Badminton? Sign up here!

Do you remember the moment you decided to commit to riding full time?

I never intended to become a professional. It wasn’t until after I had my son, who is in high school now, that I considered it and I’m very happy I did.

You have said that to better understand the horse, you have to think like a horse…with that in mind, what do you see as the fundamental things riders fail to observe about their horse(s) that will get them that much further with their equine partner(s)? 

Horses do not think and reason like humans, so my best advice is to read books, watch YouTube videos, or clinic with someone who provides an understanding in this area. But also, so often when we get on our horses we just stop thinking altogether. We freeze and react instead of being proactive.

What advice do you have for young riders who want to run their own competition barn as a business?

I feel that getting an education and a job that requires you to clock in is your first step to building a better foundation as a business owner. Learning to communicate over the phone and face to face is key. It is also essential to understand how to be hard working, have integrity and patience. Like with any business, it takes time to develop a good reputation and it takes one wrong thing to destroy it, so be wise and thoughtful.

Who do you turn to for advice, for anything from horse care to mental preparedness?

I have several people that I lean on to help me through these things. Like with any athlete, it takes a village.

Do you recommend any books or podcast or websites or videos that you have found helpful?

YouTube is a super tool to search for riders who are great for learning. There are several books I love about mental toughness; Relentless by Tim Grover is a great one. I will say mental preparation to me is one of the most important factors to success.

Being on the West Coast, what differences or distinctions (or similarities!) do you observe with training or competing on the East Coast?

Training is always the same … it is a system, no matter where you are in the world.

Mostly, here in the U.S., I see a variety of approaches to training but not necessarily a system in place. I think our country is working on developing a more standardized system like what the Germans have developed. I recently wrote a blog about this for Noelle Floyd.

As far as venues and footing, the places that we event in California are very different than the East Coast. We are lucky to have manicured tracks for galloping, and the venues would be a variety of properties, which is nice to have.

You have also said that lack of patience gets in our way of training progression … How do you teach patience to riders?

Riding can’t be emotional, and it has to always be rewarding for the horse. This is why thinking like a horse is so important.

You travel often to compete … Where is your favorite destination and why? Is there a place you have not yet been that you’d like to visit?

I am very fortunate that I’ve been able to travel all over to compete. I have several favorite places but generally competing at high level events with world class riding is so amazing.

What do you like to do in your “free” time?

The off-season these days is typically the only time I have to do any extracurricular activities. I love snow skiing. I really enjoy going to my son’s basketball games and luckily his season is during my off-season. If I actually have any free time I typically fill it up with teaching clinics.

This is your first clinic ever on the East Coast … What are you most looking forward to?

It’s always great meeting new people and sharing my experience with everyone.

Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Mar 16, 2022 12:01 am -

Something we don’t talk about often enough (I think, at least) is the character-building traits horsemanship cultivates. I feel like I always hear parents expressing gratitude that their kids found horses versus partying in high school, and I have to believe that isn’t only because horses take up a lot of time. Spending time around horses builds work ethic, compassion, empathy, awareness, dedication…the list is basically endless.

This is one reason why I really love the PERCS program at Detroit Horsepower. This program, which teaches Detroit-area youth how to ride and care for horses while also building character traits, centers around five core focuses: Perseverance, Empathy, Responsible risk-taking, Confidence, and Self-control. Through this value-charged approach, Detroit Horsepower is producing not only knowledgeable horsemen and women but also better-equipped humans. You can learn more about this incredible program and how you can support it here.

#WomensHistoryMonth Bit of the Day:

Ok, bear with me here. For today’s moment in women’s history, let’s talk about the sidesaddle. I got to wondering: what was the origin of the sidesaddle? Well, I went down a rabbit hole and what I found was…interesting. There are plenty of women warriors who have ridden into battle astride a horse, but then men decided they needed a say, and that protecting a woman’s virginity was more important than riding “normally”.

It was Princess Anne of Bohemia who was on a journey to wed England’s King Richard II. On the journey, it was decided that the princess’ virginity must be preserved, so the sidesaddle was used. Excuse me — really?

True West Magazine writes: “By 1600, riding aside was the only way a “decent” woman could ride a horse without scorn. Most women went willingly along—except for Catherine the Great, of course, who was so powerful, she decreed her court would all ride astride. The reins, both of personal power and individual equestrian control, had been taken away by men who now restricted a woman’s political and equestrian destinies,” CuChullaine O’Reilly wrote for the Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation.”

As time went on, women began to leave the sidesaddle behind, a choice that was soon associated with female liberty. ““The fall of the sidesaddle is linked to the rise of female liberty, for it was the dawning of political freedom which brought about the overdue death of this repressive equine invention,” CuChullaine O’Reilly wrote in her article “Sidesaddles and Suffragettes, the Fight to Ride and Vote“.

At any rate, it’s an interesting history lesson. I know I learned something new. You can read the full article here.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Ocala Winter II H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Pine Top Spring H.T. (Thomson, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Wednesday News & Reading:

Calling all volunteers! The Ocala Winter II H.T. at Florida Horse Park is still in need of volunteers this weekend. The Advanced division will run on Friday, and volunteers are needed to jump judge on cross country. Click here to sign up and earn some VIP points!

It’s time to apply for the next round of Strides for Equality Equestrians’ Ever So Sweet Scholarship! If you’ve missed any of the cool things winter recipient Sierra Lesny has been up to, you’ll definitely want to follow the Ever So Sweet Instagram page — talk about FOMO! Now’s your chance to apply: click here to learn more.

Canadian rider Dana Cooke is hot off a great weekend at Red Hills and has some exciting horses coming up in her string. Read all about her weekend and learn some more about her horses in this write-up from Equestrian Canada.

I think it’s safe to say the Swedish know a thing or two about horse management — just ask their Tokyo gold medal-winning show jumping team. Get some insight and perspective on turnout from Peder Fredericson in this interview piece from The Chronicle of the Horse.

Watch This on H&C+:

Did you miss any action from this weekend’s Dutch Masters? You can catch the replay on H&C — and then don’t forget to tune in next week for Carolina International!

Wednesday Video Break:

Just another highlight reel from “back in the day” — this one comes from the 1978 World Championships held in Kentucky!

Tuesday Video: 8 Times Amanda Cousins Nailed ‘Mare Vibez’ on TikTok

By on Mar 15, 2022 5:30 pm -

Full disclosure: I’m a mare person. I don’t mean to engage in gender stereotyping — certainly not every mare subscribes to the boss-beotch “outta my way” equine Beyoncé variety, but I certainly am a fan of those who do. And Amanda Cousins of ACE Equestrian in Hume, Virginia, really has her impersonation of that varietal down.

She’s been nailing all things The Life Equestrian, and in particular eventing, with her TikTok account (@pewpewsnponies). By turns hilarious and heartwarming, we’ve loved following her adventures on social media, and no doubt all 30,000 of her followers cheered loudly when she got back in the tack after a broken arm (and I mean a REALLY broke arm) when her horse had a bobble (but she didn’t fall off!) in the two-star at Great Meadow last August.

Now she’s back on form — even posting videos of her shooting her brace in a field (pew-pew, get it? And the girl is a FIERCE shot.) Let’s all wish her luck this season and have a giggle at these TikToks, too.

@pewpewsnponies Can’t even #horsesoftiktok #equestrian ♬ original sound – Marcial

@pewpewsnponies Thanks for 30k followers! And welcome if you’re new! #horsesoftiktok #eventerproblems ♬ got nothing in my brain – user10101010*•*

@pewpewsnponies Best one I’ve done yet #horsesoftiktok #equestrian #eventerproblems ♬ Halloween party at Wayne Manor – 🇨🇦 Canadian Native Cosplayer

@pewpewsnponies Life with mares #horsetok #farmlife #equestrian ♬ original sound – Tik Toker

@pewpewsnponies Never get in an argument with a mare #equestrian #horsesoftiktok ♬ I remember when – Teo Domani

@pewpewsnponies She’s definitely Karen Walker 😂 #horsesofinstagram #Equestrian #over30club #farmlife ♬ original sound – Tatiana Turan

@pewpewsnponies♬ original sound – Tik Toker

@pewpewsnponies Don’t come for me, I love mares 😂 #horsesoftiktok #equestrian ♬ original sound – Kylie Hernandez