Classic Eventing Nation

Weekend Winners: Full Gallop, Rocking Horse

By on Jan 31, 2022 9:00 am -

We’ve got a special shout-out this week: you may recall the brilliant pink colors of Charlotte Collier as she swarmed around cross country courses with her longtime Advanced partner, Clifford M. But after Clifford M presented with severe respiratory symptoms last fall, Charlotte thought her heart horse’s career was done for. As it turned out, Clifford M was suffering from a rare and mysterious condition that involved him inhaling his own saliva, essentially drowning himself over time. Surgery was successful in reducing symptoms, but he was still experiencing discomfort.

It was here that Charlotte became connected to Pinpoint Equine, which uses hair follicle analysis to formulate supplementation for each individual horse — and Charlotte says this has made all the difference for “Nils”, who was soon enough back to bucking, squealing, and yes even jumping! We’re thrilled to see Charlotte and Nils make their competition return this weekend at Rocking Horse, where they enjoyed an easy romp around the Training level. Here’s to what we hope will be many more such adventures together! To read Charlotte’s full experience, check out the comments on the post above.

Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Final Results]

Preliminary: Kristi Foresman and KDR Kingston (64.4)
Training: Jennifer Helgren and Del Rio (29.0)
Novice: Alexander Conrad and Ricky (26.8)
Training/Novice: Erin Pullen and Fibonacci (40.3)
Beginner Novice A: Rosary Murphy and Fiji (24.7)
Beginner Novice B: Erin Pullen and Garvey (25.6)
Starter: Nick Olijslager and Northern Quest Lionheart (26.7)

 

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Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fla.): [Final Results]

Intermediate/Preliminary: Jamie McAllister and Army Ranger (39.1)
Open Intermediate A: Leslie Law and Lady Chatterley (27.9)
Open Intermediate B: Buck Davidson and Carlevo (23.9)
Open Intermediate One Day: Natalia Neneman and Electric Lux (33.9)
Open Preliminary: Lucienne Bellissimo and Tremanton (24.3)
Open Preliminary One Day: Sharon White and Cooley Kildaire (29.1)
Preliminary Horse: Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande Lande (24.4)
Preliminary Rider: Darcy Drury and Ardeo Illusion (27.2)
Jr. Training Rider: Audrey Littlefield and Prince Renan (32.1)
Open Training A: Anna Loschiavo and I’m Special VG (27.1)
Open Training B: Katie Malensek and FE Cheerio (26.0)
Open Training C: Stephanie Jackson and Drumloman Lad (23.3)
Preliminary/Training: Catherine Pournelle and MTF Cooley Knight (35.0)
Sr. Training Rider: Amelia Ebhardt and Fernhill In Motion (28.1)
Training Horse A: Elinor O’Neal and FE Lions Darco (31.4)
Training Horse B: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Sky Watch (25.7)
Jr. Novice Rider: Molly McLaughlin and Fernhill Sinatra (25.8)
Novice Horse A: Chelsea Canedy and Little Einstein (29.7)
Novice Horse B: Alex Green Kerby and Lanikai (26.7)
Open Novice A: Mike Huber and Fernhill Liverpool (22.8)
Open Novice B: Delaney Emerson and Namiro Star (30.0)
Sr. Novice Rider: Alyssa Cairo and Paddington (33.7)
Beginner Novice Rider A: River Rogers and Redfield Jim (25.6)
Beginner Novice Rider B: Maura Tierney and Ballytarsna Dunne Waiting (24.1)
Open Beginner Novice: Angela Bowles and Sybil AB (31.6)

 

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Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Jan 31, 2022 6:55 am -

 

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Huge congratulations to Irish eventer Camilla Speirs and her partner, show jumper Ethen Ahearne, who welcomed their first child, baby Tilly (great name), into the world on January 19th. We’re not sure which discipline baby Tilly will end up choosing when she’s older, but we’re ready and waiting to coax her over to the fun side. One of us! One of us!

National Holiday: It’s National Hot Chocolate Day. Bonus points if you add a dash of amaretto.

US Weekend Action:

Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Results]

Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Results]

Your Monday Reading List:

A new leading rider prize from Animalintex, awarded to the rider who accrues the most points throughout the event, will be among the prize pot on offer at this spring’s Thoresby International Horse Trials. The new British fixture, which got a trial run as the temporary home of the British Young Horse Championships last season, replaces the much-loved international season opener at Belton House, which closed its doors to eventing after the 2019 renewal of the event.

Speaking of Britain and its horses, an official update has been made to the Highway Code, which should make a major difference for riders hacking on roads. Though common sense has always dictated a ‘pass wide and slow’ approach to cars and horses, the new rule adds in some specificity – cars will need to leave a 2 meter gap and pass at no more than 10mph. With four horse deaths already recorded on British roads in 2022, this modification is widely welcomed.

Half my friends are in sunny Ocala at the moment (and, okay, I do feel a little bit smug that the state has seen record low temps this month!), while the rest of us are here just trying to survive the worst of the winter weather. I’ll be real with you: I’m feeling a wee bit better about the gale blowing outside while I sit here with a steaming cuppa, reading about a serious set of winter woes.

Mind you, if you’re having a similar winter to the one depicted in the above blog, you might have been considering heating your horses’ water troughs. But how can you do so safely, without risking a rogue electrical current? Here’s everything you need to know.

Finally, if your coping mechanism is simply a bit of escapism, join dressage rider Kasey Cannon as she embarks on the trip of a lifetime to train in Germany. Though I must tell you that I was in Germany just last week, and it’s not warm there, either.

The FutureTrack Follow:

 

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Okay, okay, I know you’re all already following British team gold medallist Laura Collett. But in case you missed her recent hunting excursions with youngster Moonlight Charmer, they’re so worth revisiting – and her write-up in Horse&Hound is super stuff, too. (By the by, if you’re hankering after some H&H in the US, you can find it on the Readly app – you’re welcome!)

Morning Viewing:

How great is it to see Will Coleman and Off The Record back in the ring for the first time since that incredible Aachen win in September? They popped around the 1.35m at Split Rock like it ain’t no thang – what a way to start the year!

Popular Painted Ponies Art Walk Returns to Southern Pines

By on Jan 30, 2022 10:00 am -

Photo courtesy of Carolina Horse Park.

Soon, the Painted Ponies will roam the streets of downtown Southern Pines! The third annual Painted Ponies Art Walk runs from January 29 through the end of March as 15 fiberglass Ponies line Broad Street for visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown. The ponies include 9 large horse sculptures along with 6 smaller colts. After the Art Walk is over, the ponies will be auctioned off on Saturday, April 9, with the proceeds benefitting the Carolina Horse Park Foundation.

“The Carolina Horse Park is proud to once again bring the Painted Ponies Art Walk to downtown Southern Pines. It demonstrates our commitment to our local businesses and artists while also highlighting our equestrian heritage and community,” said Bryan Rosenberg, chairman of the board for the Carolina Horse Park. “The Art Walk has been a phenomenal community effort. We look forward to visitors and residents enjoying the Painted Ponies while they line Broad Street and generously supporting the online auction on April 9.”

Local businesses coordinated to sponsor the Painted Ponies that will be placed at 15 locations in downtown Southern Pines. Artists from the region donated their time and talent to transform the ponies into exquisite works of art. Once the display ends, the Painted Ponies will be removed and auctioned off through an online auction on Saturday, April 9.

Photo courtesy of Carolina Horse Park.

The 2022 Painted Ponies Sponsors are:

  • Aberdeen Supply Company

     

  • Ashten’s Restaurant and Bar

     

  • Assertive Professionals

     

  • Audrey Wiggins

     

  • BHGRE Lifestyle Property Partners

     

  • Cabin Branch Tack Shop

     

  • Casino Guitars

     

  • DAHR

     

  • Dreher Financial Partners

     

  • Duncraig Manor & Gardens

     

  • English Riding Supply

     

  • FirstHealth of the Carolinas

     

  • Front Runner Realty Group

     

  • Glenda Kirby, The Amazing Grace Farm

     

  • Moore Exposure

     

  • NC State College of Veterinary Medicine

     

  • NorthState Insurance & Advisors

     

  • Opulence & DUXIANA of Southern Pines

     

  • Phreestyle Equestrian Artwork

     

  • Railhouse Brewery

     

  • Southern Pines Equine Associates

     

  • Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique

     

  • The Neon Rooster

     

  • Truist

     

  • Twin Gates Farm

     

  • Valkyrie Sporthorses

     

  • Windy Hill Creative

Visitors viewing the Painted Ponies Art Walk are invited to use the hashtag #PaintedPoniesCHP when taking pictures and posting them to social media.
The Carolina Horse Park (CHP) Foundation was established to support a 315-acre, nationally recognized premier equine competition venue and land preserve located in Hoke County, NC.

Founded in 1998 as a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization by equestrian enthusiasts, CHP is dedicated to the preservation of open space for equestrian events, as well as educational and recreational purposes.

For more information about the Painted Ponies Art Walk and Auction, visit www.CarolinaHorsePark.com.

Sunday Links from Fairfax & Favor

By on Jan 30, 2022 12:01 am -

The calm before the storm at Windrush Farm in North Andover, MA. Photo via Facebook.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how it seemed like everywhere else in the country had been getting more snow than my area of the the North East. Well … I think we’ve caught now. Our horses spent their day munching hay in their warm stalls while a “bombogenesis” snow storm dumped up to 30″ of accumulation, depending upon location. It’s going to be a long day of cleanup today!

U.S. Weekend Action:

Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Sunday Links:

Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian Organizer EEI Selects Mike Cooper as Interim Executive Director

When Do Heart Murmurs Affect Horse Performance?

What’s It Like To Be… a Mindset Coach?

An Intro to the Midwest’s New, Inclusive Field Hunt

New “smart saddle” has tech to improve horse riding skills

Sunday Video: A moment of horse swimming zen courtesy of Tamie Smith’s stable.

 

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Fairfax & Favor Fan of the Week:

 

 

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Groton House H.T. Draws Its Historic Run to a Close

By on Jan 29, 2022 3:56 pm -

Anna Loschiavo and Prince Renan at Groton House Farm HT 2017. Photo by Abby Powell.

Groton House Farm in Hamilton, Massachusetts, owned by the Winthrop family, has been an eventing institution since the late ’50s, pre-dating even the United States Combined Training Association (USCTA, now USEA). It has loyally served the full spectrum of the eventing community, from young riders tackling their first event to international competitors.

We have nothing but eternal gratitude and well wishes to Ann Getchell, the organizing team, devoted volunteers and all those who made Groton House H.T. such a special one, as they announced yesterday that the USEA sanctioned event will be drawing to a close:

“Sadly, having had to cancel twice in the past two years due to the pandemic, and facing an uncertain (and in any case limited) future, we have concluded that the time has come for Groton House to call it a day.

“It is something we haven’t contemplated until fairly recently, but the pandemic has only hastened the inevitable. None of us is getting any younger, and nothing lasts forever.

“We have had a great run, thanks to all the people including volunteers, competitors, officials and farm and logistic support personnel who have made it happen for so long.

“The game may have changed over the years and we may have been old-fashioned, but we like to think we always did it right: the phases in the right order, courses that actually went across the country, and that glorious victory gallop at the end. We will miss it.

“Thanks, everybody, for your loyalty, your help, and your friendship.”

We are happy to hear, however, that the Summer and Fall Classics will continue to run. These unsanctioned three-phase events are held for Beginner Novice and Elementary riders and horses, as well as hosting Elementary through Preliminary dressage. You can learn more here.

Thank you, Groton House, for your past and continuing contributions to the sport of eventing in the U.S. .

Read more here.

Saturday Links

By on Jan 29, 2022 12:01 am -

Anna Loschiavo and Prince Renan at Groton House Farm HT 2017. Photo by Abby Powell.

I think that everyone in Area I feared this day would come, but that doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. After two years of cancelling the event due to COVID concerns, Groton House Farm Horse Trials has announced that the event will not return this year and will retire permanently. A bucket-list summertime event for many and a cornerstone of eventing history in America.

Thank you Ann Getchell and the Wintrop family for all you have done for the eventing community. While the event will be sorely missed, what a privilege it was to be able to enjoy it for so long.

U.S. Weekend Action:

Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Saturday Links:

2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event Will Host Para Dressage And Para Jumping Demonstrations

A Day with Phillip Dutton

VIDEO: Making Strides for Equality and Growing the Sport

The Tale of an Emerging Equestrian Professional

Human Rehab Tools That Might Translate To Equine Athletes

Saturday Video: Let’s flashback to a compilation of riders through the water complex at Groton House Farm’s last running in 2019, courtesy of RNS Videomedia. This iconic two-tier complex is always a heartbreaker for a fair few riders — especially this year!

Friday Video from SmartPak: Making Strides for Equality and Growing the Sport

By on Jan 28, 2022 5:00 pm -

Making Strides for Equality and Growing the Sport from USEA on Vimeo.

At the 2021 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an open forum led by Anastasia Curwood and Heather Gillette, the co-chairs of the USEA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and co-founders of Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE) explored the question of “What does eventing have to do with equality in our nation and the world?”

Read more here.

US Equestrian Announces Athletes Selected to 2022 Eventing 25 Emerging Athlete Program

By on Jan 28, 2022 1:20 pm -

Alina Patterson and Flashback. Photo by Abby Powell.

US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes selected for the 2022 USEF Eventing Emerging Athlete Program. Eventers age 25 and under are eligible for the program, which identifies and supports athlete/horse combinations that have shown the potential to develop into future U.S. team candidates.

Participants in the Emerging Athlete Program have the opportunity to work with U.S. Eventing Development and Emerging Coach Leslie Law in honing their skills in competition as well as their knowledge of the pathway to high performance.

Athletes are selected for the Emerging Athlete Program based on their application, which includes their results at the CCI3*-L level. Applicants who have not yet achieved an MER at a CCI3*-L may be talent spotted into the program by the Performance Advisory Team. For this year’s program, applicants were evaluated at assessment sessions in January at Stable View in Aiken, S.C.; Caroline Martin Eventing in Ocala, Fla.; and at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, Calif.

The following athletes are listed in alphabetical order.

Alex Baugh (Lexington, Ky.)
Isabelle Bosley (Cochranville, Pa.)
Sophie Click (Snoqualmie, Wash.)
Cornelia Dorr (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.)
Mia Farley (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Cosby Green (Lexington, Ky.)
Tommy Greengard (Malibu, Calif.)*
Savannah Gwin (San Clemente, Calif.)
Katie Lichten (South Hamilton, Mass.)
Alina Patterson (Chehalis, Wash.)
Meg Pellegrini (Wayne, Pa.)
Cassie Sanger (Lakeville, Conn.)*
Maddy Tempkin (Sebastapol, Calif.)
Haley Turner (Alamo, Calif.)*
*Denotes athlete was talented spotted for assessment sessions.

To learn more about the Eventing Pathway Program, please contact Christina Vaughn, Director of Eventing Performance and Program Support, at [email protected].

On Education, Part II: Addicted to Ideas

By on Jan 28, 2022 9:00 am -

Ema Klugman and Bendigo. Photo by Shelby Allen.

“We are all of us more complicated than the roles we are assigned in the stories other people tell.” — Tara Westover

I had a lightbulb moment in college a few years ago. It was in a political science seminar course. We spent the majority of the class time debating the merits of abstract ideas that ancient philosophers developed and trying to map them onto current policy debates about technology, immigration, healthcare, and more broadly, the role of government in society. A light went off in my brain when my professor said three words, which, in hindsight, were not that groundbreaking: “ideas have consequences.”

At once this phrase encapsulated so little and so much. On the one hand, of course ideas have consequences—that’s why we have education and emphasize it as a public good. Understanding ideas and debating them informs us about how to improve things for ourselves and those around us. But the concept that “ideas have consequences” also underlies our faith in this experiment we call democracy. The problem is that only the ideas that bubble to the surface have consequences—those ideas which are unspoken or unheard (either because they are suppressed or because people are afraid to mention them) do not really have consequences because they are never considered seriously or enacted as policies.

As a law student, I think the phrase “ideas have consequences” is even more true than I did before. And that is because ideas represent decisions and tradeoffs. Consider some examples that I came across and wondered about during my first semester of law school. The idea that statutes of limitations differ from state to state. The idea that defamation is a tort, but only when someone is alive. The idea that an oral contract can be enforceable just like a written one. The idea that unless you understand these ideas, no one will take you seriously in your attempts to challenge them.

Which takes me to my next idea: that without education we really cannot understand ideas, which means we cannot understand their consequences either. A lawyer is supposed to be an advocate, a voice on behalf of the person or people they are representing. It should not be lost on us that we have access to the tools to understand ideas and their consequences. We are learning how the system works, and with that privilege should come the responsibility that if we see something wrong with it, we should try to fix it.

In my first semester of law school, I learned that I knew very little about the American legal system. This made me hungry. It also made me stressed—particularly when other students in my classes seemed to know what was going on. But I learned to pay less attention to what other people were doing, and ask the questions that were plaguing me. Because if they were questions consistently popping up in my head, they must have also been popping up in others’ heads.

I also learned something that was hard for me: to trust that ideas would make sense in time. I lost track of the number of times I encountered ideas that made no sense to me. It was as if they were being presented in a different language, on 3x speed. It was funny to review my notebooks at the end of the semester—in several spots, I had pages with the heading “Stuff I Don’t Understand,” where I had written down all of the most recent concepts that had flown straight over my head. I would then Google them, look up YouTube videos about them, or call my friends to talk about them. I would look at the materials that my professors posted online. Even then, I often felt like I had only a basic understanding of the concepts. It was nerve-wracking because I felt so stupid, so behind. But then a miraculous thing would happen: two or three weeks later, everything would just click.

Sometimes concepts really did not make sense in isolation. But when we had covered more material, I could understand where they fit in. I could start to see what their purpose was. Why they existed. What their consequences were.

So here I am, a little bit addicted to ideas. The problem—and the joy of it—is that I am persuaded by so many ideas, and driven to investigate them further. And that must be why I love school, and debates, and classes that make me feel inadequate for a while and then satisfied when I start to understand what is going on.

The late David Foster Wallace said that “the real value of a real education… has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us.” Education is realizing that ideas have consequences. It is seeing an idea from different angles, at different times, through different lenses. It is wondering: even if this seems like a good idea for most people, is it fair to everyone? It is asking whether an idea we had 40 years about how society should work should apply to our world today. It is looking at the rules, and the people they affect, and considering the possibilities of what could be different.

This story was originally published on Jumper Nation. 

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Jan 28, 2022 12:03 am -

Classic. Photo courtesy of Paige Ervin.

Ah winter, the season of lost shoes! With mud, frozen footing, and horses on vacation, the recipe is perfect for a farrier’s nightmare. In fact, have you thanked your farrier today? I know my farrier’s birthday, and make sure to get him cool gifts for that day as well as Christmas every year for the past ten years, and hopefully that will buy me good humor for maintaining my barn full of crummy-footed thoroughbreds. That’s the plan, anyway.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

News From Around the Globe:

US Eventing performance on a global level is a topic we’ve mulled over time and time again. The fall of 2021 featured some of the best results from American riders ever, but was it luck or the result of many years’ work? After years competing at the top levels of eventing and, more recently, traveling to the Olympic Games in Tokyo as the traveling reserve, Tamie Smith reflects on what it will take for the U.S. to see a shift in global performance. [What’s Missing in the US Training System?]

Oliver Townend has confirmed a new partnership with Caunton Stud. The three-day eventer, who is based in Dudleston Heath, near Ellesmere, has teamed up with Caunton Stud as their official rider. It’s a collaboration that is unprecedented in equestrian sport, but a regular occurrence in Formula 1 and Premiership football. The Nottinghamshire stud, home to stallions from top bloodlines and young competition horses, is the brainchild of Victoria Wright and her father, Sir John Peace. [Oliver Townend Teams Up With Breeding Farm]

Why is breaking up with a barn so hard? Of course, it doesn’t have to be, but changing trainers or even barns can be rife with emotions from all sides. We’ve all been there, and some of us have been on both sides, so we can all agree that it can be better in the future. [Why is Having “The Talk” With Your Trainer So Hard?]

Best of Blogs: Thoroughbred Logic: Earning the Walk

Video: Cathy Wieschhoff talks groundlines in this new video. “Be sure when you are jumping by yourselves that your ground lines are on the correct side,” she explains. “It can be unsafe to jump fences with the ground lines on the wrong side because the horse will look underneath the fence and see the ground line and miss judge his take off. You’re better off with no ground lines than a false ground line.”