The FEI continues its “Best of 2021” video series with a recap of the FEI European Eventing Championships in Avenches, an event that had it all: cross country action, dressage poetry and show jumping thrills. See once again Nicola Wilson and JL Dublin jumping to Individual Gold and Team Great Britain winning the gold medals as well.
EN TRENDS:
Classic Eventing Nation
Best of 2021 Video Countdown: #2 – Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart Commentate on Olympic Dressage
Each day between now and the New Year we’re counting down the top 20 most popular videos shared on EN in 2021. The #2 spot goes to this video, which garnered 12,292 views when it was originally posted on Aug. 3, 2021.
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Once every four years, the un-horsey masses are reminded that there exists a sport called dressage — or, as Stephen Colbert put it during his relentless roast of it during last Olympic cycle, “competitive horse prancing.”
One man’s Very Serious Sport is another man’s comedy gold, I guess. This go-round, Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart got hold of some dressage footage and went to town with it. This clip has probably already been forwarded to you by 10 of your closest un-horsey friends who are trying their best to relate to your obscure pastime, but if it hasn’t (maybe or maybe not because you don’t actually have any un-horsey friends) here it is. Enjoy!
Volunteer Nation: A Heartfelt Cheers to the Volunteers of 2021
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We’re very nearly to the finish line of 2021, and we owe each and everyone who contributed a volunteer hour over the past 12 months a huge thank-you. Collectively, a whopping grand total of 64,528 hours were logged on Eventing Volunteers. 64,528! That’s equal to 2,688 days, which is equal to over seven years.
Cheers to you all! We’d like to take this edition of Volunteer Nation to recognize the top five volunteers from each USEA area, with links to the complete scoreboard for each. Additional scoreboards can be viewed here.
Did you know that over 1,000 lifetime volunteer hours earns you a silver medal from the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program? Two people earned this prestigious honor this year.
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.
Until next year …
Area I Recognized Events: 857 Hours – 69 Volunteers – 7 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Potorski , Margaret (MA) | 109:07 | |
| 2 | Foley, Jim (NH) | 38:30 | |
| 3 | Santos, Crystal (NY) | 36:31 | |
| 4 | Watko, Tim (CT) | 30:13 | |
| 5 | Lewis, AmyGrace (MA) | 27:37 |
Area II Recognized Events: 23,236 Hours – 1,299 Volunteers – 52 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fleming, Leah (MD) | 308:55 | |
| 2 | Newman, James B (VA) | 300:24 | |
| 3 | Leihy, Angie (MD) | 293:20 | |
| 4 | Davis, Dennis (MD) | 286:40 | |
| 5 | Hart, Susan (PA) | 272:17 |
Area III Recognized Events: 10,298 Hours – 509 Volunteers – 50 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith, Cynthia (GA) | 463:35 | |
| 2 | Slagle, David (TN) | 311:26 | |
| 3 | Hale, Catherine (CA) | 256:15 | |
| 4 | Bird, Diane (SC) | 248:35 | |
| 5 | Owen, Dick (FL) | 246:47 |
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bixby, Dylan (WI) | 66:00 | |
| 2 | Hoberg, Jodi (MN) | 65:45 | |
| 3 | Cross, Kelly (MN) | 63:30 | |
| 4 | Keene, Michelle (WI) | 50:45 | |
| 5 | Faith, Dru (MN) | 36:32 |
Area V Recognized Events: 888 Hours – 128 Volunteers – 8 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slottke, Don (TX) | 39:58 | |
| 2 | Carroll, David (TX) | 39:30 | |
| 3 | Moss, Matt (TX) | 20:45 | |
| 4 | Stegeman, Caroline (LA) | 18:37 | |
| 5 | tushman, kira (TX) | 18:29 |
Area VI Recognized Events: 4,508 Hours – 303 Volunteers – 21 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin, Golly (CA) | 293:15 | |
| 2 | Sanchez, Amy (CA) | 141:10 | |
| 3 | Killalea , Todd (CA) | 128:51 | |
| 4 | Noble, Pat (CA) | 119:20 | |
| 5 | Murray, Julie (CA) | 111:44 |
Area VII Recognized Events: 4,224 Hours – 247 Volunteers – 8 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moyer, Jim (WA) | 229:59 | |
| 2 | Martin, Michelle (WA) | 126:15 | |
| 3 | Bernhofer, Marissa (WA) | 111:57 | |
| 4 | Hannan, Joe (WA) | 108:40 | |
| 5 | Hannan, Catherine (WA) | 85:15 |
Area VIII Recognized Events: 18,221 Hours – 1,042 Volunteers – 14 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hinkle, Debbie (KY) | 220:18 | |
| 2 | Crowl, Caroll (KY) | 194:15 | |
| 3 | Marshall, John (FL) | 192:05 | |
| 4 | Ang, Amanda (FL) | 184:00 | |
| 5 | Maddock, Andrea (KY) | 177:45 |
Area X Recognized Events: 977 Hours – 71 Volunteers – 2 Events
| Ranking | Name | Approved Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flagler, Jana (AZ) | 86:18 | |
| 2 | Renwick, Terri (AZ) | 63:33 | |
| 3 | Morris-Reid, Taharra | 54:58 | |
| 4 | Patten, Elizabeth (AZ) | 51:20 | |
| 5 | Lazzaretti , Cynthia (NM) | 50:01 |
Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View
What Christmas looks like to horse people. Photo courtesy of Kate Brown.
This last week of December always feels like some kind of fever dream, and quite honestly it’s a trick for me to even remotely remember the days of the week. The idea of starting a whole new year can be overwhelming in a multitude of ways, as people share their goals for next year, and look back on what was yet another strange year of life in 2021. Anyway, I just hope I get a better grasp on the passage of time, and specifically days of the week, next year.
News From Around the Globe:
Earning national recognition in the sport is a victory that takes years of hard work, and for some, the hard work started with the YEH program. Increasing in popularity since its creation in 2004, the mission of the program is to identify upper-level event horses during their 4- and 5-year-old years. A true testament to the program’s success, this year, two YEH graduate horses represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, the historic winner of CHIO Aachen was a YEH graduate, the USET Connaught Grant Recipient was a YEH graduate, and almost every national year-end leaderboard has at least one YEH graduate ranked in the top 10. [Leading YEH Horses of 2021]
Do you have a grumpy-faced horse in the barn? Lots of times we label them with undue names, due to their expression in the stall, but they are just trying to communicate something and we’re missing it. Tristan Tucker, an Australian Grand Prix dressage rider who is specialized in natural horsemanship, shared an interesting post on Facebook about horses that make grumpy faces and how we as humans should respond to it. [How to Positively Reinforce a Grumpy Face]
We love nothing more than snooping around in famous barns, and even though he isn’t an eventer, Peder Fredericson took the No 1. spot in the 2021 FEI Longines Show Jumping rankings, after an individual silver and team gold with All In at Tokyo. So, he’s like, pretty good, I guess. He also has a super cool facility on the southeastern coast of Sweden. [Inside World No 1’s Barn]
Best of Blogs: Ticking an Ocala Winter Off My Personal Bucket List
Video:
Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Scnobia Stewart Drops the Skincare Routine
There’s a little part of me that’s always wanted to start an Instagram story with a faintly sarcastic “so you’ve all been asking me about my skincare routine…”, except for the fact that literally nobody has ever asked me for my skincare routine, so it would all be a filthy lie. But Allure Magazine found someone much more interesting to share not just the lotions and potions she uses to keep her pores so remarkably nonexistent, but the entirety of her daily routine. Meet Scnobia Stewart, dressage rider and multitasker extraordinaire, and find out how she fits in training, a full-time job in the pharmaceuticals industry, and a bit of self-care, too. If you love looking behind the curtain and seeing how other riders get sh*t done, this’ll tick a big box for you. Oh, and there’s skincare for horses in there, too.
Leave your horse a 5-star review to win!
2021 is coming to an end. It is time to take a look back at how the year has gone. If you had to leave your horse a review, would it be 5 stars? Leave us a review about your horse for a chance to win custom stickers with your horse’s name on them. Be creative!
Submit your review at KPPusa.com/5-star. All entries must be submitted by 12/31/21.
Winners will be drawn in early January.
The horse that matters to you matters to us®. Call 859-873-2974 or visit KPPusa.com.
The Nine New Year’s Resolutions All Eventers Make (Just to Break)
With just a couple of days left until we tumble headlong into another year of whatever the hell this has been, you’re probably breaking up your post-Christmas cheese coma with the noble task of making your New Year’s resolutions. I won’t stop you, of course, but do consider allowing me to save you some effort by crossing off the ones I know none of us are managing in the year to come…
9. “This is the season in which I actually leave enough time to warm up.”
At home, you’re a consistent 25-er, aren’t you? But it all falls apart, doesn’t it, somewhere between putting your foot in the stirrup and entering at A when you’re out competing. I can’t think why that would be; it’s unlikely that it’s got anything to do with that leisurely 10 minutes you spend working your horse in a loose and relaxed outline at home, before gently picking up the contact and riding approximately 10,001 transitions until your horse is sitting on his backside and dancing around the arena. There’s no way that careening into the warm-up 45 seconds before your test is due to start and frantically riding five transitions in and out of canter with one boot totally unzipped won’t yield the same end result. And anyway, even if that was the cause, you’re definitely going to be more punctual in the season to come, and you’re never going to lose your horse in the lorry park after he buggers off while you’re attempting to get the bridle on, and as such, you’ll definitely always have time to find a quiet space and do all that very zen stretching. Of course.
8. “In 2022, I’ll spend more time schooling the walk.”
Like hell you will. You’ll go into January with the best of intentions: you’ll plan to work lateral movements into your walk, keeping your horse working into a contact and engaging his hind end. You’ll pepper this most boring of paces with transitions into free or extended walk and back again, and in those headiest, most ambitious early days of the new year, you might even vow to nail walk pirouettes, a movement surely thought up by the devil himself. But by mid-January, you’ll be just like the rest of us schmucks, and walk will mean one thing: a loose-reined opportunity for a breather. Oh, maybe another thing, too: a reliable 5 in every test you ever ride. But you know what? Nothing’s more comforting than consistency. Nothing, that is, except pootling around on the buckle, thinking about anything in the world other than trying to make a decent walk happen.
7. “This year, I’m going to take my fitness as seriously as my horse’s.”
Look at me. Look deep in my eyes. Don’t be frightened. I know you. I am you. We are the same, you and me, sitting here in our kitchens, poring over the year’s competition calendar. And that’s how I know you’re lying.
“My horse is back from her holiday and trotting for 30 minutes now,” we think to ourselves, marking the date with a red pen, “so by this date” — another quick scribble — “I want her to start jumping and by this date” — can you smell the Sharpie fumes? — “she should be ready to compete.” The path from A to B to C? Weeks of interval training, as prescribed by our universal fairy godmother, Lucinda Green. And there’ll be no cutting corners, oh no: that same Sharpie will be used to jot those intervals onto our bare arms, so we can easily glance at the timings as we set our watches. Our horses won’t take a single step more or less than what we’ve painstakingly decided they need, and by March, they’ll emerge hard and muscled and rippling with power and barely-suppressed insanity. Meanwhile, we’ll nearly tip over a porta-loo at our first event back, so robust will be our struggle to do up last season’s breeches, now a full size too small.
Now, there’s nothing at all wrong with changes in your shape or size, all of which are natural and normal and should be embraced as signs we’re alive and thriving against all the odds that modern life throws our way. But maybe we do owe it to ourselves — and our horses — to at least give ourselves a bit more cardiovascular stamina, right?
6. “No matter how many rosettes they win, I will not fancy an event rider in the year of our lord 2022.”
Can you hear that? It’s the sound of the deepest sigh I have ever sighed. Pour yourself a glass of wine, love, and prepare yourself — because in 2022, I’m afraid you’re going to make the same mistakes you always have.
There’s a little game my friends and I like to play called “Do I Fancy Him, or Is He Just Wearing Breeches?” The premise is very simple: imagine the object of your lust in ordinary clothes, on some ordinary street somewhere. Stripped of his tall boots and spurs (steady on, Jilly Cooper), he’s probably just another chap with an ego that’s convinced him he deserves a harem of blonde Young Rider candidates doting on him, despite the fact that he truly believes that wearing loafers sans socks is the hautest of couture. Remove the skull cap and you’ll likely find a fierce receder. Look a little deeper, truly analyse his chat and game, and you might be devastated to discover he has none. You want to host a dinner with your clever university friends and discuss Dostoevsky? Eventing Boy’s got one topic of conversation per letter of the alphabet and D’s taken by Ditches, I’m afraid. But god, does he look good going over them, and so we are all doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
(Before I get cancelled in the comments section, I adore a great many male event riders, many of whom are excellent people. But I’m British, and so I reserve the right to affectionately bully the people I like. Thank you and goodnight.)
5. “I’m going to ride without stirrups once a week this year.”
Alright, Mr Stickability, steady on. You’ll suffer through a total of two (2) lunge lessons, pull so many muscles that you consider reviewing your last will and testament, and then read a scathing comment on a Facebook group that points out that no-stirrup work is detrimental to your horse’s spinal health. That will be good enough reason for you to staple your stirrups to your saddle for now and evermore.
4. “I will absolutely not continue to haemorrhage money on gear I don’t actually need.”
Look, perhaps you will manage this. Perhaps you’re better than me, a person with no impulse control, who wouldn’t know a budget if it shat in her kettle and who has to start all her Hinge dates with an embarrassing confession about the state of my credit score. Maybe you won’t be influenced by targeted advertisements, which won’t at all convince you that a special £35 pair of knickers will help you finally sit the trot, or a £750 bridle will cure your horse of being a terminal idiot. Maybe. Or maybe you’ve already ordered your January supply of turmeric, and there’s no hope for you either.
3. “This is the season in which I give up drinking. “
Is it? Is it really? Because you and I both know that the cooler you’re keeping your horse’s ice boots in is also perfectly formed for a post-cross-country gin in a tin or five.
That said, if you found yourself doing pre-dressage shots at 8am in 2021, maybe this is a good resolution to stick to.
2. “I will no longer do horsey laundry in the house machine.”
If you’re happily married, you may actually stand a chance of sticking to this one, purely because you know that the good ones are hard to find and divorces are pretty paperwork heavy. If your washing machine is yours and yours alone, though, you’re as stuffed as its wheezing filter. Just don’t come crying to us when you realise that all that errant horsehair has become one with the cups of your bras, leaving you trying to subtly itch your way through your working day as half a horse trit-trots its way across your areolas. This could have been avoided! You could have secured yourself a lifetime ban from the local laundromat instead! Do you ever learn?
1. “From now on, I will wash my hands before I snack at the yard.”
Objectively, you’re a filthy little gremlin: you muck out your horse’s biohazard zone of a stable and then merely wipe off the excess slimy bits onto your breeches before popping the kettle on and grabbing a couple of custard creams out of the shared biscuit tin. You, of course, think nothing of it — there’s a bit of a pooey whiff if you really linger with your fingertips by your nose, of course, but you’re not much of a lingerer. Instead, you fling your snack somewhere in the direction of your tonsils and crack on with your day, blissfully unaware that your entire existence is one long flirtation with cholera. You might be committed to changing this horrible habit in 2022 — much as you might have convinced yourself you’ll stop wandering into the supermarket stinking of a urinal — but you know it’s not true. Anyway, your immune system is probably an ironclad beast of a thing these days, and in these trying times, that’s exactly what you need. Crack on; you’re nailing it.
Best of 2021 Video Countdown: #3 – ‘She Knew What She Was Doing’
Each day between now and the New Year we’re counting down the top 20 most popular videos shared on EN in 2021. The #3 spot goes to this video, which garnered 5,065 views when it was originally posted on August 5, 2021.
*Trigger warning* This video contains discussions of sexual abuse and misconduct.
Young athletes, particularly those in elite sports, are more frequently sexually abused by coaches when they are competing at a higher level. There are several reasons for this. None of which are “she knew what she was doing.” The second PSA of the #WeRideTogether campaign has launched features Maggie Kehring, a survivor of abuse bt world champion show jumper Rich Fellers who has since been banned from the sport.
#WeRideTogether gives a voice to survivor stories, provides resources to report abuse and get help, and offers educational information for athletes, coaches, and families. Sexual misconduct and abuse have long been an issue in equestrian sport, and is often ignored, minimized, or wrongly blamed on the victim. The equestrian community is no longer sitting idly by.
The microsite will be updated on an ongoing basis to provide a safe place for survivors to share their experiences. It is intended a true movement and cultural shift that demands increased accountability from trainers and coaches, gives survivors a safe platform for their voice, and helps diminish the stigma and fear of coming forward.
Visit WeRideTogether.Today to learn more.
The Secret to Success in the Horse Business? Resilience
In this excerpt from her book It’s Not Just About the Ribbons, master of motivation Jane Savoie tells us how to go ahead and be discouraged sometimes—just don’t ever give up.
Kerry Milliken on Out and About at the Burghley Horse Trials, in England, 1997. Photo by Brant Gamma.
At one time or another, you’re going to get discouraged about your riding. This might happen when you think you’re just not making any progress. You feel like you’re taking two steps forward and three steps back. Maybe it happens when either you or your horse are sidelined with an injury. Perhaps you get discouraged because your horse is so good at home, but he’s inattentive or disobedient when away.
Your reactions are perfectly normal, and it’s fine to be discouraged for the moment. The problem only exists if you stay that way. The antidote to “getting stuck there” is to be resilient.
Resilience is an important quality in every area of life but it seems particularly necessary if you’re going to survive in the horse business. How many times have you been chugging along, smoothly working toward a goal, and then you show up at the barn and discover your horse is lame and needs a month off? How many times have you been in the top placing at a horse trial only to have a rail down in stadium and get knocked out of the ribbons? How many times have you felt like quitting because you’re riding so badly? At times like these, your resilience—your bounce-back ability—will help you stay optimistic and ready to soldier on.
It really doesn’t matter what the challenge is. You can get knocked down in any area of your life as you pursue your goals. But getting knocked down doesn’t matter. You never truly fail unless you quit. And if you’re resilient, you’ll be able to bounce back after disappointment and stay in the game.
What gives some people the ability to bounce back after a huge disappointment while others quit and run home with their tails between their legs? Denny Emerson thinks it boils down to several factors that add up to this quality we call resilience. It all starts with having a fire in your belly. He explained to me:
“First, you have to be filled with a burning desire. You absolutely have to want to reach your goals so badly that you will do any task, make any change, work twice as hard as the next guy, and even suffer physical discomfort to succeed.
“Secondly, you have to have an unshakable belief in yourself. Look at Kerry Milliken, a highly successful three-day event rider who competed for the U.S. She had H.M.S. Dash and The Pirate and she was on top of the world. Then she disappeared for ten years. But eventually she came back with Out and About. It was ten long years between those horses, but Kerry never quit thinking that she was a great rider.
“Winners like Kerry see themselves as successful. Disappointments are just temporary setbacks. Setbacks don’t defeat them. As a matter of fact, setbacks often motivate them because they annoy them or even make them angry.”
Making a decision and committing yourself to your goal and boldness are other factors in resilience. Denny added:
“Until there is decision, there is always hesitancy—the chance to draw back. The moment that one commits, however, all sorts of unforeseen things come along to support your decision. Things that you never would have dreamed of start to happen.
“I have earned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets, ‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.’ A lot of the people who keep coming back for more are very bold. I don’t mean bold in the sense of the word that they would drive a race car, but bold in the sense that they’re going to get what they want. They’re going to do whatever it takes to succeed and when they get knocked down, well, that’s just a step back.
“Boldness enables you to be resilient because you dare to take a risk and perhaps fail. But, you see, resilient people don’t equate failing with being a failure. Failing is just a screw-up in the road. It’s a temporary aberration from your goal.
“In fact, failing can be a positive glitch because it gives you necessary feedback. When something doesn’t work for me, I don’t think of it as ultimate failure. I think, ‘I’ve screwed up and I’d better not do that again. I’d better go take some lessons and learn how to do this or that.’ I think of it as merely a temporary obstacle and I just keep on plugging.
“I tell the kids I teach that they have to be persistent. I say, ‘If you try, if you study and plug, I cannot guarantee in any way that you’ll succeed. But I can tell you this for sure. If you don’t, I can guarantee that you won’t.’”
TIPS FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE
- It’s normal to get discouraged from time to time. It only becomes a problem if you stay there emotionally.
- Look at “failure” in a positive light. It gives you necessary feedback. It tells you what doesn’t work so you can figure out what does.
- You never really fail unless you quit.
- The factors that make up resilience are:
- Having a fire in your belly.
- Believing in yourself.
- Committing yourself to your goal.
- Being bold enough to dare to keep on “keeping on.”
- Using hurt, such as anger, as a motivator.
This excerpt from It’s Not Just About the Ribbons by Jane Savoie is adapted and reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com). You can also download the audiobook, read by Jane herself!, here.
Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain
As the year winds to a close, even if you aren’t a resolution-maker per se it’s somewhat unavoidable to think of January 1 as a page turned. Call me an obnoxious optimist, but I always feel freshly motivated (for roughly four days) at the start of a new year.
Jokes aside, this holiday season has been a bit of a time for reflection for me. I’m easily distracted by new stories, new ideas, or shiny things, and sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture or the road ahead. I invite you to join me in focusing back in on those “what’s most important” matters, and for me that includes helping expand our world of horses to welcome more to the table. One small yet impactful way to help with this ongoing mission is to donate to programs doing this work. Detroit Horse Power is just one example of an organization working to introduce horses to more people, and they’re always a wonderful option if you’re wanting to be involved or offer support.
Wednesday News & Reading
Race trainer Michael Matz’s Fair Hill, Md. training barn was destroyed by a fire on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, no humans or horses were harmed in the fire, which did an estimated $850,000 in damage to the facility shared with Equine Veterinary Care.
Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Overlook Farm South are hosting a winter schooling dressage series in Florida. One date in January, two in February, and one in early April will round out the schooling series which will be held in “fix-a-test” format. Click here to learn more.
Speaking of dressage, this 2017 article from Dressage Today made some fresh rounds on social media this week and for good reason: it provides some excellent insight into the handy (but oh-so-torturous) figure eight exercise.
You have just one head — be sure to look after it! With technology always advancing, it’s important to continue to advance with our safety equipment. Learn how Charles Owen focuses on testing and safety with its latest offerings here.
Are you thinking of hanging your shingle as an equine professional in 2022? Building a brand doesn’t only apply to professions such as marketing or social media. A brand is a key part of any business’ success, and that includes pro riders, bookkeepers, writers, veterinarians, and everyone else involved in our industry. Bookmark this guide for building an equestrian brand from Black Unicorn Creative for some useful info as you lean into your brilliant new business idea.
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Tuesday Video: FEI’s Best Moments of 2021 – Tokyo Olympics
I got legit confused the other day when someone said the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, like, “Wait … has it really been a year and a half? Are we having so much fun that time is flying THAT fast? Am I losing my mind?” Correct answers: (1) no. (2) no. (3) yes.
The 2020 Games, of course, took place in summer 2021. Recent, but not so much that we aren’t ready for a recap — which we get in this video from the FEI’s “Best Moments of 2021” series.
