Classic Eventing Nation

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Feb 11, 2022 12:03 am -

Flying Fridays! Photo courtesy of Audrey Davidson.

Happy Friday! Today and tomorrow in Virginia will be in the 60’s, and I’m going to soak up every little bit of that Vitamin D and wear a t-shirt if I can get away with it. Why? Other than the fact that it’s February and the worst season of all, the Sunday forecast features….SNOW. AGAIN. Ok folks down in Florida, I see you. I get it. Maybe next year.

U.S. Weekend Preview

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

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

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

Black History Bit of the Day:

Horsewomen have been a rarity; minority women, especially so. Historically, women with a desire to work within the horse industry faced long odds. They were up against both racial discrimination and sexism. African American horsewomen exhibit strong resolution and endure extraneous pressure.

The first female African American trainer was Sylvia Bishop. She noted of her early experiences on the track, “When I began training back in 1938, men were definitely shocked and surprised to see me. The fact that I was a woman, and on top of that a Black woman, was almost too much for some of the fellows.”

Read more about these amazing black horsewomen who surpassed expectations.

News From Around the Globe:

How are three top riders spending their winters? Recent social media posts give us glimpses, from Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro showing us they’re still quite the pair, Boyd Martin introducing his new assistant rider to the ice bath, and Peder Fredricson getting “roasted” by his team at Grevlunda Fredricson Show Jumping in Sweden. [Winter, Olympian Style]

Domestication is relatively new to horses, which is why two Italian researchers are urging competitive riders to allow their horses to engage in natural behaviors. Horses have deeply ingrained biological and ethological needs that haven’t disappeared through domestication. When domestic life, including management styles and competition schedules, doesn’t meet those needs, it can lead to compromised welfare and the development of undesirable behaviors or stereotypies. However, considering these ethological needs can help horse people become more sensitive to them and turn to scientific knowledge to find solutions that will help horses live better lives through improved management and training. [Let Horses Be Horses, Even in Elite Sport]

Regenerative medicine is giving us new options for treating horses with joint disease and other injuries. Learn more and get your questions answered during the live recording of this podcast. Sponsored by Zoetis! [Treating Equine Lameness with Biologics]

Ready to spice up your arena routine this winter training season? In this series, the USEA is revisiting some of our favorite Grid Pro Quo articles from Eventing USA to help you use the off-season to your advantage and keep you and your horse in tip-top shape for when it’s time to get back out there. [Grid Pro Quo with Ariel Grald]

Video: All the feels. Congrats on your move-up, Stephanie Cordell!

 

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Thursday Video: Tsetserleg’s First XC School Since Tokyo

By on Feb 10, 2022 5:00 pm -

 

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Boyd Martin’s Tokyo partner Tsetserleg (“Thomas”) enjoyed some kick-back-and-relax time following the Games while his rider focused on other pursuits, like winning his first five-star. But now the dream team is back in action, schooling some insultingly small cross country obstacles to knock off the dust.

Looking good!

Postcards from the 2022 USEA ICP Symposium

By on Feb 10, 2022 4:00 pm -

The 2022 USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) Symposium just wrapped up at Barnstaple South Farm in Ocala, Florida, having taken place on Tuesday and Wednesday. A hand of applause to all the brave demo riders who offered themselves up for commentary, and a thank-you to all the ICP faculty members and instructors who brought the education!

You can find recaps of each day on the USEA website — here are links to Day 1 and Day 2.

Here are a few of your snaps from the Symposium:

 

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Go Eventing.

Volunteer Nation: 2 Events & 1 Dressage Show That Need Help This Weekend

By on Feb 10, 2022 3:00 pm -

Noel Muehlbauer and “Victor ISF” at Stable View’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ Dressage Event. Photo courtesy of Stable View.

You can learn a lot from watching riders compete in different disciplines. And volunteering just makes the experience more interactive … take, for instance, this week’s “I LOVE Dressage” show at Stable View Farm in Aiken. This USEF/USDF competition, featuring divisions ranging from Training Level all the way up to FEI, still needs dressage score runners and scribes, which offer a behind-the-scenes education in how tests are scored and why. Click here for more info.

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. Eventing Volunteers also has a free mobile app — download it today for iPhone & iPad or Android.

USEA Events

USEF/USDF “I Love Dressage”

February 12th, 2022 to February 13th, 2022

Ocala Winter I Horse Trials

February 7th, 2022 to February 13th, 2022

Pine Top Intermediate H.T.

February 10th, 2022 to February 13th, 2022

Ride Smarter to Ride Better: Four Days with Bettina Hoy

By on Feb 10, 2022 1:00 pm -

Bettina supervises Sharon White and Cooley On Show on jump day. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Spending a week in Florida last month lined up beautifully as my trip happened to align with a Bettina Hoy clinic at Mardanza Farms. I was headed south to do some freelance work, and Sharon White was gracious enough to host me – which meant I was front and center to learn from Bettina for the first part of the week.

Bettina Hoy certainly needs no introduction, but allow me to wax for just a bit. A three-time Olympian for Germany, Bettina made history in 2004 when she earned the gold medal as the first woman to top the podium in eventing. While some ill-timed controversy would sadly reverse this result, the fact remains that Bettina was the best that weekend and also has multiple other accolades adorning her name, including a European Championship gold, two WEG medals, and two five-star wins with her famous partner Ringwood Cockatoo.

Now spending her time primarily in the dressage ring and traveling the world as a coach, Bettina shares the wisdom she’s accumulated through her career, doing so in a delightfully engaging manner that somehow also makes you want to become her best friend.

For as much as we might expect a top-level clinician to get technical with their exercises, Bettina stayed refreshingly basic. She primarily taught a variety of professional riders – and one pro Western dressage rider! – on experienced horses, but the exercises remained similar across the board.

Resting at the core of Bettina’s riding and training philosophy is the dressage pyramid of training, a progressive system that creates a balanced and responsive athlete. Through this scale, a horse learns to properly understand the rider’s aids. This, Bettina says, is where everything starts. “A horse can only understand if the rider sits in balance,” she explained. Further, Bettina believes that issues rarely lie in the test movements themselves – rather, trouble in movements can be fixed by going back to the basics and foundation of the horse’s training (and understanding of aids).

Bettina preferred to teach riders on multiple days, with two days of flatwork and one day of jumping. This, she said, allowed her to see progression of both horse and rider – “they’ve had the night to think about everything!” she would laugh before day two’s lessons began – and make any additional adjustments to the concepts she’d taught the day before.

 

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Every combination began over a series of pole questions. Bettina was insistent that each horse be responsive to the rider’s aids – right away – and this became a focal point for the majority of riders she saw. She wanted riders to show more leadership in the saddle. “By taking responsibility and taking charge, it actually helps the horse relax,” she explained. “And when they relax, they get supple and find the bit.”

Bettina worked with riders to supple their horses, getting them to move more from their hind ends and over their backs. Much of this suppling work involved, as Bettina put it, “placing the front end in a way so that the hind end can follow”. Stiffness, she noted, protects the body. Horses that are stiff and/or tense are holding on, and taking this tension down requires patience. She wanted horses to show more “body composure” or awareness of where their body was – many horses’ weaknesses were exposed during this work.

Lea Adams-Blackmore navigates poles on flatwork day. Photo by Sally Spickard.

To help establish a greater sense of body awareness, Bettina slowed things down and had riders do a lot of work at the walk. “Set your ground rules at the walk,” she instructed. “There’s no point going faster until those ground rules are established.” What ground rules, exactly? Responsiveness to aids – does your horse yield to your leg immediately, or is there a delay? Do they respond to suppling and half-halts, or do they dig in and resist?

Just like us, horses are animals of habit. We can use this concept to our advantage in the saddle by establishing better habits and paying attention to details. This requires body awareness of our own, as well as a present mind to be able to feel what’s happening in the moment. “Feel, then act,” Bettina said often. “If you have to react, you are too late.”

On jumping day, once again the exercises stayed small and simple. Bettina worked with placement poles on either side of single verticals and oxers, stringing together small courses that focused more on efficiency of lines than speed or size. She also introduced angles, but only over poles, noting that this was a way to incorporate cross country lines into everyday work without adding stress on the horse’s legs.

“You can be faster without riding faster,” Bettina explained of the importance of choosing good lines. “This doesn’t take as much energy away from the horse. Ride better lines, and ride them at the walk. It’s possible to practice as long as the horse is in front of your leg.”

Bettina works with Olivia Miller over some basic jump exercises. Photo by Sally Spickard.

By the end of each ride, we saw higher quality gaits and better responsiveness (and delivery of) to aids. Bettina expects you to listen and execute, but her genuine excitement when the lightbulb clicks on is contagious. She mixed in tales from her adventures eventing around the world, life lessons learned, and enough jokes to keep us all laughing, and everyone seemed to come away with some valuable new tools.

And it’s not just tools for achieving better scores in the ring – Bettina emphasized that this work also helps horses stay stronger and sounder. A fitness buff herself, Bettina associates correct riding (remember that body composure she spoke often of – that applies to horse and rider!) with sound horses. “Correct riding is not just a means to get a better dressage score but also to keep the horse sound and healthy in whatever we ask them to do,” she explained. “Particularly when we are asking them to run and jump at speed.”

Training horses is a universal language. Photo by Sally Spickard.

A highlight of the week was watching Bettina teach Rachel Ory, a professional who competes in Western dressage and a variety of other disciplines. It was a wonderful experience to watch Bettina teach Rachel and her beautifully trained partner, Jagalicious, demonstrating that partnership with a horse is a universal language. “I have used dressage training as cross training and it has made her stronger and more balanced,” Rachel commented. “It has complemented her reining training from the start.”

Bettina capped off her week with a spin on one of Tom Pierson’s experienced reiners, and then it was off to Maryland for one more clinic before returning to Germany.

Always cool to learn something new in the saddle especially having 19 year old Casey teaching you how to do it!
Thank you Tom Pierson and Rachel Ory for giving me an insight in your work. Absolutely loved it Sharon White
Schockemöhle Sports breeches just looked the part 😊

Posted by Bettina Hoy Eventing on Thursday, January 27, 2022

Auditing a clinic is an invaluable experience, even if you aren’t actively riding. Bettina’s clinic would be one of my favorites on record, and should you ever find yourself with the chance to ride with her or audit a clinic, seize it!

10 Unique Airbnbs For Your Next Lexington-Area Event

By on Feb 10, 2022 9:00 am -

I’m a big fan of Airbnb and Vrbo. I’ve booked accommodations through these sites everywhere from Rebecca Farm to Red Hills, Luhmühlen to LRK3DE, Badminton to Boekelo. Not only can they be cheaper than a hotel (always a plus for EN, on our quest to cover every important event in the world with a budget of literally zero dollars), they often have character and help create memories in a way that cookie cutter chain hotels just can’t.

In a new series, we are combing Airbnb listings for unique places to stay in some of the most popular eventing destinations. Previous editions: Ocala, Aiken, Tryon, Rocca di Papa (site of the 2022 WEG). Today we head to Lexington, Kentucky.

Photo via Airbnb.

Vintage Airstream/Downtown

If the idea of camping appeals to you — except for the part about having to set up a tent, and lack of heat/air conditioning or really any basic modern amenities whatsoever — you’re the target “glamping” demographic. This vintage 1960 Airstream is located in downtown Lexington, but feel free to close your eyes and pretend you’re out in the wilderness. It has loads of character and sits behind an 1890 Victorian House with fenced yard, fire pit and outdoor dining area.

Photo via Airbnb.

The Dairy Dream Farm Stay

Moo-oove over, hotels! Three cozy cow-themed bedrooms await guests on this working dairy farm. This would be an especially fun stay for kids, who can experience milking cows, collecting chicken eggs, and play time with sheep and goats. Free coffee, tea and fresh farm eggs for breakfast included. A portion of your stay contributes to the program at Stack-a-Story Inc. to provide farm stays for the underserved.

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ARCADIA FARM COTTAGE – Luxury Bluegrass Retreat

The word “Arcadia” is often used to describe an idyllically pastoral place, and that checks out with this three-bedroom, four-bath cottage. Located on a historic 384-acre farm, it features include Tempur-pedic mattresses fitted with luxe linens, king bedrooms, classic equestrian decor and a patio with panoramic views.

Photo via Airbnb.

YOU DESERVE IT! DOWNTOWN LEX LUX LOFT. RUPP ARENA

“Is this our Airbnb or are we just at a cool but really empty club?” This downtown loft with a city skyline view is the perfect place to recreate the vibes of Meg Kep’s early “Creepy Dance Party” videos in a more appropriate setting. Includes HDTV with every possible subscription (Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, premium cable, Netflix, Apple TV, etc.) and some crazy lights.

Photo via Airbnb.

Estate in The Heart of Horse Country

Looking for a luxury horse show getaway with up to a dozen of your closest barn buds? This opulent five-bedroom, five-bath estate is adjacent to a working winery and overlooks a stately horse farm. It’s the perfect place to kick back with a glass of bubbly and imagine yourself the silk-stockinged owner of a fleet of champion race horses.

Photo via Airbnb.

Unique Stay – 1907 Log Cabin Near Kentucky River

This 1907 log cabin is a bit of a haul from the Horse Park but it’s so unique, we couldn’t leave it out. Perched on the palisades of The Kentucky River, it has king bedroom and a fun two-bed loft (ladder access, of course!) The hosts recommend dinner at the nearby Proud Marys BBQ, and if you’re luck you’ll catch some live music.

Photo via Airbnb.

Modern & Bright Tiny House

No Airbnb highlight reel would be complete without a tiny house (or two!) This one looks like a dollhouse but actually can sleep up to four; it was built and lived in by its hosts until their family started to grow. Here’s another cute one in the area: Purple Door Tiny House.

Photo via Airbnb.

Bourbon Hous – 7 Bdrms, Bar, Billiards, Brand New!

Why go out on the town when you can just stay in? In my experience stay-at-home bartenders mix the strongest drinks, too. This renovated historic house has seven bedrooms and seven and a half baths, making it a fun place for your whole barn crew to stay.

Photo via Airbnb.

 Enjoy Downtown Lex from your Private Deck

This breezy one-bedroom, one-bath loft makes me want to rip out every wall in my house and replace it with a garage door. Brilliant! So cute and cozy and equipped with basic kitchen amenities, all new appliances, washer/dryer and two TVs. About 20 minutes from the Horse Park.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Feb 10, 2022 12:03 am -

A cool new custom jump in the works with Eric Bull! Photo courtesy of Stable View.

After three weeks in January where almost no rides happened due to two snow storms, February has already kicked off at a proper rate and everybody is double panicked about work missed with their horses. My body, however, is not rejoicing. Isn’t it amazing how fast you can lose fitness? I have a PEMF machine for my horses, but honestly I’m using it more days than not, since riding no horses and suddenly riding 6+ horses a day is not recommended.

Black History Bit of the Day:

Did you know that 1 out of every 4 cowboys was Black? Historians now estimate that between 20 to 25% of cowboys in the American West were African American. Oftentimes popular films and literature that depict the Wild West fail to convey the diverse nature of the Western Frontier. Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s historians and other scholars have inquired more about the integral role African Americans played in the settlement and development of the West. Being a cowboy was one of the few ways African American men and some women were able to obtain autonomy and freedom in ways typically unheard of during the 19th century.

Even the term cowboy has interesting origins. Originally, White cowboys were called cowhands, and African Americans were pejoratively referred to as “cowboys.” Learn more in this fascinating history here.

U.S. Weekend Preview

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

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

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

News From Around the Globe:

To honor the lives of Devyn Merritt Anderson and Jessica Halliday who both lost their courageous battles with cancer in late 2021 Area I has established an annual “Living Courageously” Sportsmanship Award. Both Anderson and Halliday were active Adult Rider Program (ARP) members in Area I. They continued to support their riding friends and family no matter what life threw at them and could often be found cheering others on with a smile. The inaugural award was presented to Katy Raynor DVM during the virtual USEA Area I Annual Meeting held January 26-27, 2022. Several Area I members submitted Raynor’s name for consideration for the award after Raynor combatted an immense amount of adversity throughout 2021 and early 2022. [Katy Raynor Wins Living Courageously Award]

Best of Blogs: Are We Over-Competing Our Horses? By Max Corcoran

Despite the light drizzle, trainers and auditors filed into the tent at Barnstaple South leaving no seat empty for the first day of the 2022 ICP Symposium at Barnstaple South in Ocala, Florida. There were 140 USEA members in attendance, half of which were currently USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) certified instructors and the other half who were eager to learn more about the program and obtain critical skills from the symposium to take home to their students or to apply to their own riding. The morning began with an introduction of the day’s faculty leaders, Phyllis Dawson, Robin Walker, Eric Horgan, Mary D’Arcy, Karen O’Connor, David O’Connor, Dayna Lynd-Pugh, Jim Graham, Rebecca Brown, Emily Beshear, Bec Braitling, Jennifer Rousseau, and Peter Gray, as well as the much-anticipated first look at the USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels. [Day 1 Of ICP Symposium]

The second day of the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) Symposium at BarnStaple South in Ocala, Florida focused on adapting each lesson to the rider you are teaching, especially while schooling cross-country. The morning opened up with an exceptional seminar over teaching modalities and sports psychology from Dr. Paul Haefner. Following an overview of cross-country course design and risk management measures led by David O’Connor, the attendees made their way to the cross-country course at BarnStaple South to begin the educational exercises. [Cross Country Exercises from Day Two]

Video: Puppy in a puffer coat at Jen and Earl McFall’s Dragonfire Farm!

 

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Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Connie Pride with Allie Sacksen

By on Feb 9, 2022 5:00 pm -

There are some horses that just capture all our hearts collectively as they skip around the top-level events, and Allie Sacksen‘s late, great Sparrow’s Nio was one of those wonderful unifiers. Small, tough, and determined, he made everything about his job look like jolly good fun, and we’d be lying to you if we said we hadn’t been daydreaming about a Connemara pony of our own since then.

“Nio took me places that I could never have dreamed of as a little girl, not because he was the biggest or fanciest horse but because he truly loved what he did and always tried his hardest for me. If you want a heart horse, a Connemara will give you all they have and even a little more,” says Allie in conversation with US Equestrian, who’ve rereleased this video of Nio’s 2019 Kentucky round for us all to get inspired by all over again.

Go eventing, and Go Ponies!

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When in Rome: 9 Places to Stay for the World Championships

By on Feb 9, 2022 3:30 pm -

My travel-hungry little brain has been living for Leslie Wylie’s AirBNB roundups this week – I’ve now picked my pad of choice for trips to Ocala, Aiken, and Tryon that I don’t even actually have in my diary, because she’s such a dab hand at picking out the gems. But if Leslie is a pro at AirBNB-ing America, I’m going to claim the honour of being the queen of European hotel booking. In my years as EN’s British and European correspondent, I’ve blagged my way into chateaus in the Loire Valley, balconies overlooking Swiss lakes, and cozy English hotels that provide you with your very own rubber duckie for bath time. (I’ve also stayed in what I’m absolutely certain was a crack den for a whole £10 per night, but that was early in my career and I was rather more avant-garde about my booking methods. A learning curve, if you will.)

I love nothing more than hunting out my next haunt abroad – and because I got a head start on this year’s World Championships and pre-booked a party villa that’ll likely end up housing all of the equestrian media at this rate, I’ve got a bit of spare time to help you find your perfect (and exceptionally well-reviewed!) spot for your trip to Italy this September. You can thank me with an Aperol at the VIP bar.

First things first — when are we going? The World Championships run from September 14-18 this year.

And where is it, again? Pratoni del Vivaro is situated in Rocca di Papa, which is about 45 minutes south-east of central Rome and about 30 minutes south-east of Ciampino Airport.

What else is nearby? A couple of jolly good lakes. Lago Albino and Lago di Nemi are popular spots to cool down on hot days, and Lago Albino even has its own volcano.

Okay — but how hot are we talking? Pretty much perfect for Rome, actually. The humidity lessens a bit in September and you can expect dry, sunny days between the mid-70s and low 80s, with cool evenings that are perfect for dinners outside.

Cool. But before I book a place to stay, I probably need a ticket. You probably do, yes. Here you go.

All the hotels and AirBNBs listed below have vacancy during the World Championships at the time of posting. Prices represent a stay from Wednesday — that’s trot-up and opening ceremony day — with a Monday checkout. 

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE LAKE LIFE

Photo via booking.com.

Hotel Castel Gandolfo

Sleeps: Four

Price for five nights: $1,405 (or $351 per person)

There aren’t many rules I stick to in life, but this is one I take very seriously: if you’re staying near a body of water, you simply must book a place with a balcony. This sweet two-bedroom apartment offers just that, giving you the chance to enjoy some quality time by Lago Albino while remaining in close proximity to the event itself. You’ll enjoy a view of the lake from the apartment itself, as well as access to this stunning terrace, equipped with a hot tub, dining area, and apparently a ‘spa corner’. It’s in the historic part of this pretty town and close to the Pope’s summer home, so you know you’ll be guaranteed a dreamy spot. You’ll also get discounted rates at the local country club, so get those massages and facials booked in stat.

Photo via vrbo.com.

Cozy Refuge In Genzano Historic City Center

Sleeps: Four

Price for five nights: $443 for two guests, up to $675 for four (that’s just $169 per person!)

I’m obsessed with the rooftop views from this sweet, historic apartment, which has one bedroom and a double sofa bed. In fact, the entire village it’s in is medieval and gorgeous, with picture postcard views and, of course, the sparkling expanse of Lake Nemi to its credit. This is the kind of place you can live your best Italian life: head out in the morning and buy your vegetables from the friendly local greengrocer, Virgilio, who’s got as many jokes as he has tomatoes, or visit Juri at the local seafood spot for a special discount. You’ll feel like a local all week.

FOR THOSE ON A BUDGET

Photo via booking.com.

Sole Mio Loft

Sleeps: Four

Price for five nights: $744 (or $186 per person)

I love this as a cheap and cheerful option for a group of friends – it’s just a 20 minute drive from the event and it’s got everything you need, including a pool, a lovely terraced dining area, your own private kitchen for late-night snackage, and that all-important AC. It’s in a pretty, historic-looking building and the owners get lots of nods in the reviews for being incredibly kind and welcoming – plus, they’ll provide breakfast to fuel you up before each day of adventuring.

Photo via booking.com.

Casale Colleoni

Sleeps: Two

Price for five nights: From $595 for a twin; $766 for a double (or $297.50/$383 per person)

This guest house in Tivoli feels old in all the right ways – like the sultry scenes of Italian getaways in Normal People or Call Me By Your Name. If you want to pair your eventing with some countryside bike rides, covert kisses amidst the Cyprus trees, and, um, some snuggles with the resident donkey, this gorgeous spot has all the ingredients to give you a bit of a fairytale experience. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Pratoni, but you’ll be just a matter of steps away from Hadrian’s Villa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an absolute must-see on your trip. Reviews describe this as an idyllic spot, and we totally get that.

Photo via booking.com.

Travelershome Ciampino B&B

Sleeps: Up to four

Price for five nights: $175 if a single traveller; from $530 for four people (or $133 per person)

Flying into Ciampino? Then this easy option will make your life very simple indeed — it’s just three miles from the airport, and a 30 minute drive from Pratoni. It’s also mind-blowingly cheap despite its glowing 9.1 rating, so if you’re coming with a pal, a partner, or just flying solo for a bargain trip to the biggest event of the year, you’ll be able to save all your pennies for pizza and tradestand-raiding. Okay, so it’s not the most inspiring setting – your views will include a perfectly nice, but reasonably modern, suburban neighbourhood, and the decor is a little bit like a sugared-up teenager from 2005 has been let loose in IKEA, but the reviews are super, the place is clean and well-equipped, and as far as a bargain option goes, it’s pretty sweet.

FOR CITY-BREAK STAYS

Photo via booking.com.

Hotel Splendide Royale

Sleeps: Two

Price for five nights: From $3,215, depending on the options you choose

If you’re staying here, I expect an invite to dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant on site. Talk about doing a championships properly: this place will go down in history as one of your most memorable eventing stays, I reckon. The hotel is housed in a 19th-century monastery next to the stunning Villa Borghese (itself home to a major horse show) and just a few minutes’ walk away from the iconic Fontana de Trevi and the heart of historic Rome. It’s not a cheap stay, mind you, but if this is a treat yo’self sort of trip for you, you could certainly do worse than this beautiful spot. Those views of the city that you’ll be treated to while you dine? Guaranteed to blow your Insta feed up.

Photo via booking.com.

Vatican Studio Apartment

Sleeps: Two

Price for five nights: $794 (or $397 per person)

This gorgeous studio offers you plenty of options — it has a large double bed and a sofa bed, so while the booking suggests it’s a two-person spot, I reckon you can get two more pals in there and make it a real bargain for what it is. (You’ll need to be pretty comfortable with one another, though – there don’t appear to be many doors within the place!) Just ten minutes from St Peter’s Square, the threshold of the Vatican, this all-in-one booking gives you the ease and convenience of a private kitchen, which can make your trip a whole lot cheaper and gives you a great excuse to raid some of those early-morning markets to get fresh ingredients. Is there anything more Italian, really? I’m not sure what I love more – that gorgeous old entryway, the archway in the studio, or the proximity to everything you might want to explore in this incredible city.

Photo via booking.com.

Nikis Collection Navona

Sleeps: Two in a double or up to five in an executive suite

Price for five nights: From $710 for a double; $1341 for a suite with five guests (or $268 per person)

Okay, so staying in the heart of Rome means you could be looking at an hour long commute into the event each day, but when you consider you’ll be within walking distance of the Pantheon and nestled in next to the River Tiber, it all starts to feel as though it might be worth it. I love the idea of getting a group of five horse-mad gal pals together and going eventing all day and partying all night – and the best thing about this place is that its sun-trap terrace will be the perfect spot to sweat out any remaining hangover before you go back to do it all again. The location of this place is a solid 10, and if you go for a suite, you’ll get a kitchen of your own too – ideal for stashing extra bottles of the good stuff.

And finally…

FOR THOSE WITH A LOT OF FRIENDS

Photo via vrbo.com.

Villa dei Castelli

Sleeps: Up to fourteen in seven bedrooms

Price for five nights: $3,248 if you’re bringing 14 people – that works out to $232 per person

Ever fancied running away with all your horsey pals and just totally living the villa dream for a week? This surprisingly affordable place is exactly what you need. Located in Rocca di Papa, just a stone’s throw from the event, it features seven bedrooms and five bathrooms over three floors, with a massive balcony, a huge amount of garden space to go bonkers in, and a living room/second kitchen/party zone on the top floor for end-of-day debriefs about who nailed their changes. You probably won’t need it, but there’s even a fireplace up there if the evenings start to get chilly. If you’re all sick of one another, though, don’t worry — there’s another living area and kitchen on the bottom floor, so there’s plenty of space for everyone to decompress. You’re totally in your own oasis here, so stick those Bluetooth speakers on and make the most of it.

On Education, Part III: Should We Use the Socratic Method to Train?

By on Feb 9, 2022 2:00 pm -

Ema Klugman & Bronte Beach Z. Photo by Abby Powell.

Did you miss Part I and Part II of this series? Click here to catch up. 

After my final exams had concluded last semester, I went through the backlog of documents open on my laptop. Among the practice exams and outlines and all sorts of other study materials, there was a word document with two lines. The first read:

“We should not teach our horses using the Socratic Method.”

I sort of laughed. This is how some of my articles start: I have an idea or I take a position, and then I put it somewhere to look at later. The funny thing about this very-empty document was that it had almost no explanation — a few lines later, there was a second line, which was a single hint:

“It is too frustrating!”

Clearly, I had started this document in irritation during or after one of my classes. I can imagine which class it was because although all of my law professors use the Socratic method, one of them last semester did so in a particularly infuriating way. He would ask the same question over and over for minutes, to dozens of students, usually without any hint, no matter how many people got it wrong. And once someone did finally get it right, he didn’t stop: his follow-up question was always, “why?”.

Obviously at the time I was not convinced that it was the best way to teach, or a suitable way to learn. But in hindsight I think that it is. The Socratic method is a conversation between teacher and student where the teacher leads the student to the correct answer through a series of pointed questions. The idea is that the student will better understand the material if she arrives at the answer on her own, using her own logic.

It is valuable for the students, and fun for the teacher. I imagine that it feels a little bit like guiding a blindfolded student toward the correct answer: “warmer, warmer… no, colder, colder… yes, warmer, hotter, there you go.” Taking wrong turns is part of the process, and the best teachers keep you nimble and curious and willing to keep trying, even if the process is frustrating.

Spending the last few months and preparing to spend the next two-and-a-half years working through the Socratic Method made me think: should we use it when we are training our horses and riders?

There are obviously some reasons not to use the Socratic method with horses:

The stakes are too high. The whole point of law professors asking us incessant questions is to allow us to make mistakes. We are wrong A LOT. But do we want our horses guessing the wrong answers? Maybe not. Not if it means putting them in dangerous situations or scaring them.

Confusion breeds frustration. Having been incredibly frustrated with the method myself, I am not sure that I would want my horses to feel that way. They might begin to despise me as their rider!

Some horses are better learners than others. Not every horse is super clever. Sometimes that is a blessing: you can keep things simple and basic, and they don’t overthink everything that you say. However, it is our responsibility to understand our horses and then to meet them halfway. If they aren’t getting to the answer on their own, the prudent thing to do is to make it very clear. Think of putting wings on a skinny jump, and guiding rails on the approach side — you want to make it as obvious as possible where the horse is supposed to jump, particularly if they are young.

But maybe the Socratic method with horses can make sense in some ways, if used prudently — after all, that “aha” moment tends to be more memorable than when the teacher just tells you the answer and you write it down. Take the example of teaching a horse to be careful in the show jumping: at home, if the rider is always placing them at a ‘gap’ distance and lifting their front end off the ground, they might be clearing the jump, but they aren’t learning the idea that the colored poles are something they are responsible for avoiding.

To learn that lesson, they need the freedom to jump without our help, even if that means that they make a mistake at home. And crucially, when they pick the right answer, they need lots of praise and to be told they are an absolute genius. Remember that if you don’t know you’ve gotten the answer right, you are probably going to keep guessing. Make it obvious when they are correct! If we want our horses to choose the right answer in competition, particularly when we make a mistake and they need to hold up their end of the bargain to pull through, having those teachable moments from the training makes a lot of sense.

The same ideas apply to teaching riders. My most memorable lessons came when I arrived at the answer on my own: by the feeling that my horse jumped much better when I rode a particular way, or the movement he gave me when I showed him how to be through. Your coach can explain things a thousand ways, but you only really learn to repeat them in competition when you have explained them to yourself through feel. You have to be convinced.

On the other hand, because riding horses is dangerous and difficult, coaches need to be mindful that their teaching methods are always putting safety and confidence first. This idea is particularly important when riders are lost or unsure about what they are doing and without further guidance would continue to make mistakes.

My best law professors (including the one about whom I was writing when I began this article, in honest frustration) did not send us blindly into the world to answer a legal question. They gave us a place to start, a framework to follow, and made us keep asking “why?” They walked the line between giving things away and hiding the ball so much that we would never find it. So, too, should we learn to be those kinds of coaches and riders — the kind that guides patiently. Because the reward when they pick the right answer on their own, whether they are a horse or a student, is both lasting and special.