Classic Eventing Nation

EN TRENDS:

USEF COVID-19 Action Plan Update: Flexibility in a Rapidly Changing Environment

By US Equestrian Press Release on May 19, 2021 9:00 am -

Going forward, competitions must operate in accordance with state and local requirements. In the absence of state or local requirements, USEF recommends compliance with CDC guidelines. US Equestrian has issued this press release.

Dear US Equestrian members,

Thank you for your patience as competition organizers across the country are transitioning to new COVID-19 protocols resulting from recent updates to CDC guidelines and federal, state, and local regulations. Close on the heels of the CDC amendments last Thursday, several states and local jurisdictions have announced upcoming changes which will be enacted over the next few weeks. USEF also issued a communication on Friday, May 14, to quickly adjust face-covering/mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals, pending a full update to the COVID-19 Action Plan.

Effective today, we have released a new edition of the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan for Licensed Competitions, which has been updated to provide increased flexibility in a rapidly changing environment. Going forward, competitions must operate in accordance with state and local requirements. In the absence of state or local requirements, USEF recommends compliance with CDC guidelines. In an effort to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19, competition organizers can impose more restrictive requirements if they so choose.

With these changes come the heightened need for personal responsibility and continuation of the exemplary effort by our community to reduce the effects of the pandemic and keep our sport operating.

Three critical things to remember as we go forward:

Competition organizers remain responsible for posting all COVID-19 requirements under which their competition will operate.
All persons attending USEF competitions are responsible for reviewing and complying with the COVID-19 requirements in effect at each competition. This is vital, as requirements may vary between competitions.
Individuals may choose to wear a face covering/mask even when not required. Anyone choosing to do so will not be penalized.

The last 15 months have challenged us all, but we have persevered. Equestrian sport was one of the first to resume operations last spring, and due to our community’s commitment and resolve, we were able to keep competitions going. Thank you to all of you who have dedicated yourselves to ensuring equestrian sport continues to thrive.

Be safe, enjoy your horses, and please be patient as competition organizers make adjustments based on the new edition of the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan.

Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By Sally Spickard on May 19, 2021 12:01 am -

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A post shared by SOOFA RANCH (@soofaranch)

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness, and in honor of this very important topic I thought I’d share some equine-assisted wellness programs that I’ve stumbled upon throughout my internet-ing. Mental health is something that takes on many different interpretations, but the basic reality is this: life is tough, and the expectations that we pile upon ourselves, that we receive from those around us, and the perception we have of ourselves as a result is a whole lot to sift through. When things get heavy, and with so much feedback coming at us from all sides (including from inside our own hands) – well, it’s easy to see why there’s an all-out mental health epidemic affecting today’s society.

Lucky for us, horses happen to be an excellent source of therapy (just don’t tell your bank account – or do! consider it a mental health investment!) and one program that piqued my interest this week is the Atlanta area’s SOOFA (Stretch Out on Faith Again) Ranch. Founded by Daryl L. Fletcher, SOOFA Ranch focuses on the mental benefits of time spent around horses, aiming to help its participants learn connection, confidence, character and communication.

“We make sure that a person has a connection with the horse they’re riding. We make sure they are comfortable riding that horse, and once we get them saddled, we’re building their confidence because a horse is very in tune with a person’s emotions,” Daryl told Travel Noire. “When you’re excited or sad, the horse can feel it. Our experience gives you a glimpse of what we call ‘Equine Assisted Learning Therapy’ to help you be mindful of your emotions.”

It’s something we can all take a page from: meditative, reflective time spent with our horses. I hope you get some time with your horse for your own health this week.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

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

Flora Lea Farm H.T. (Medford, Nj.): [Website] [Entry Status]

MCTA H.T. at Shawan Downs (Hunt Valley, Md.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Otter Creek Spring H.T. (Wheeler, Wi.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Spring Gulch H.T. (Highlands Ranch, Co.): [Website]

Wednesday Reading List:

“I want to bring awareness to people, saying, ‘It’s okay not to feel good. You’re not alone,'” Ryder Richardson told US Equestrian for their most recent “I Am US Equestrian” feature. “There’s somebody out there to help you.” Don’t miss the inspiring story here.

Have you heard? We just launched an epic giveaway in partnership with SmartPak to get you all kitted out in rain/mud gear. For your chance to win over $400 worth of rain-ready gear, you’ll definitely want to check out this fun contest here.

US Equestrian has released an update to its COVID-19 Action Plan to recommend that members comply with local and state regulations as an added layer of flexibility. Read more here.

The right flooring in your horse’s stall can make a big difference, as this case study from our friends at Haygain shows.

Wednesday Video Break:

Go behind the scenes with the incredible para-equestrian program, Balmoral:

Tuesday Video: Fun First Times at Winona H.T.

By Leslie Wylie on May 18, 2021 6:31 pm -

Do you remember the adrenaline rush of your first time going cross country? We received this helmet cam from Winona Horse Trials in Hanoverton, Ohio, of Heather Terdan and Dermonitti’s first recognized horse trials. At 18 years old he has had plenty of experience in the jumper ring, but he definitely seems to have taken to eventing!

“Be sure to watch with the sound on and enjoy the ride,” says Jackie Smith of Stone Gate Farm. “As an organizer, it’s moments like this that make all our hard work worthwhile! Thanks for sharing and welcome to the ‘dark side’ Heather and Montti!!” View results from the event here.

LRK3DE Remix: 5 US Equestrian TikToks That Got It Right

By Leslie Wylie on May 18, 2021 2:00 pm -

Because I am old, my interaction with TikTok is pretty much limited to clicking the occasional link from my horse-friend group chat.

@victoriagrauppWELL??♬ original sound – Victoria Raupp

But occasionally, some real substance floats to the surface.

@jsissssy ##stitch with @proequinegrooms ##booze ##equestrian ##rideordie ##dressage ##jumpers ##adultammy ##wine ##barn ##barnlife ##lol ##funny ##haha ##hehe ##joke ##jokes ♬ original sound – Jennifer Sison

Which sends me spiraling down a rabbit hole of content that, while I can’t entirely comprehend how it was composed or what it means (literally, I did my very first Instagram story at Kentucky this year and it shows), I am in awe. Whoever is running social media at USEF these days deserves a raise, just sayin’. Keep up the good work, youth.

Check out these TikToks from LRK3DE 2021:

@usequestrianRolling into the ##BestWeekendAllYear 🐎 Whose tuning into USEF Network to watch? ##USAEventing ##LandRover ♬ Deep end – vaxip media

@usequestrianLet’s do this thang 💃 ##LRK3DE ##BestWeekendAllYear ##USAEventing ##WorthTheWait ♬ original sound – US Equestrian

@usequestrianThe rain couldn’t put out this XC heat 🔥 ##LRK3DE ##USAEventing ##BestWeekendAllYear ##crosscountry ♬ Black Eyed Peas Imma Be – uh

@usequestrianSay hello to your new ##LandRover CCI5* ##USAEventing National Champions – Boyd Martin and On Cue 🏆♬ original sound – US Equestrian

@usequestrianNo matter the phase or discipline, @charlesowenhelmets has you covered! ##teamcharlesowen ##usaeventing ♬ original sound – K E I

Go Eventing.

Five Mental Wellness Tips for Equestrians

By Darby Bonomi on May 18, 2021 11:00 am -

This article originally appeared on Athletux and is shared with permission.

Photo by Philippe Oursel on Unsplash.

May is mental health awareness month! It’s a great time to consider strategies to keep ourselves mentally and emotionally strong and fit. Riders go hard, and often ignore signs of stress and overwork. While we are deliberate about our horses’ care, we tend to be much less so with ourselves. Here are five tips to get you started on a path toward improved psychological self care.

Take time breathe and listen to yourself.

Even if it’s a few minutes a day, be deliberate about connecting to your mental and emotional state and breathe into it. Inhale through your nose, exhale out of your mouth. As you inhale, imagine your breath cleansing and replenishing you. As you exhale, allow yourself to expel the stress and angst of the day.

Keep a watchful eye on your perfectionism and self judgment.

While it’s great to be driven, too much perfectionism and self criticism takes a toll on your self esteem and undermines your performance. Give yourself balanced feedback with a healthy dose of compassion.

Take care of your physical health.

To be mentally strong, we need to be physically resilient. Good nutrition is essential. Eating junk, eating fewer calories than you need, or overindulging in a variety of ways diminishes your mental and emotional resilience. In addition, physical fitness is a key component for mental fitness. A good aerobic workout will lift your mood, combat anxiety, and improve sleep as well.

Take time to nurture your relationships.

None of us is an island. We all need a village to celebrate our wins and support us when times are tough. Make sure not to neglect your relationships. Good friendships need time and space to develop.

Rest and restore.

Downtime and rest are essential—both for mental health and performance. Do your best to prioritize sleep and rest—even on those long horse show days. Fatigue decreases our emotional resilience and adds to our overall strain. Prolonged fatigue can leave us depressed, anxious, and physically vulnerable.

About Dr. Bonomi: Darby Bonomi, PhDis a Sport and Performance Psychologist. She works with equestrians of all disciplines, and other athletes, to achieve optimal performance in and out of the saddle. For more information or to contact Dr. Bonomi, click here.

It’s Time to Enter SmartPak’s Mud Madness Giveaway!

By DeAnn Long Sloan on May 18, 2021 9:00 am -

If you’re a horse person, you know that mud season is all year long. Don’t worry! We, along with SmartPak, have you covered with this can’t-miss giveaway!

If you live in a climate with any type of moisture at all, you know that having horses means having mud… lots of it. Whether it’s spring rains, summer thunderstorms, melting snow or just the horses making a mess of their water trough, where there are horses, there is mud.

Fortunately, SmartPak has the solution (as always)! After all, they get us because they are us.

The generous folks at SmartPak want to arm you with as much protection against moisture and mud as possible, so they’ve put together this great package of mud protection goodies:

This prize package, valued at over $400, is sure to keep you and your horses dry and (relatively) clean throughout the mud season. Entering the contest is easy!

Enter a picture of your horse (or you with your horse!) covered in mud or soaked to the skin using the hashtag #MudMadnessGiveaway.

Three Ways to Enter:

Starting May 18, 2021, go to Eventing Nation’s Facebook page. Add your photo to the pinned post at the top of the page and then share the post to your own page with the hashtag #MudMadnessGiveaway. You must also mention @smartpak in your caption. Don’t forget to make your post public so that we can see you shared!
Starting May 18, 2021, upload an image on your Instagram and use our hashtag #MudMadnessGiveaway. You must also mention @smartpak in your caption. Don’t forget to make your post public!
If you don’t have social media and would still like to enter, you can send your photo submission to [email protected]. Make the subject of your email Mud Madness.

All entries must be submitted by May 31, 2021.

On June 1, 2021, we will post an album on our Facebook page with the submissions — the photo with the most votes wins!

We will announce winners on June 9, 2021.

Go SmartPak and go eventing!

Tuesday News & Notes from Legends Horse Feeds

By Shelby Allen on May 18, 2021 12:01 am -

Photo courtesy of Jennie Brannigan.

Photo courtesy of Jennie Brannigan.

Can your five-star horse go on bareback hacks? Cambalda can. To be fair, what can’t Ping do. Although he’s now retired from competition, he’s not finished showing riders the love of horses. From Jennie Brannigan:

“Cambalda might be retired from competition but he still has a little girl to love and appreciate him

Sterling Pollard is the newest member of the Cambalda fan club. Some bareback trail rides and attention from this cutie are in his future.”

National Holiday: National Visit Your Relatives Day

Events Opening This Week: Larkin Hill H.T., The Maryland International + Horse Trials, Chattahoochee Hills H.T., Twin Rivers Summer H.T., Cobblestone Farms H.T. I, Coconino Summer I H.T.

Events Closing This Week: The Event at Archer, GMHA June H.T., Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club Spring H.T., The Middleburg H.T., Unionville Field H.T., New Jersey Region’s H.T., Ocala Summer I Horse Trials, Poplar Place Farm June H.T., Carriage House Farm Combined Test, IEA Horse Trials

Tuesday News:

A horse’s first cross country school is a big deal. You want to make it a confident experience for you and your horse. Laura Collett shares her 8 biggest takeaways to keep in mind. [Eight Ways to Make Sure Your First Cross-Country Schooling Session is a Success]

If you’ve ever seen me jump head on toward you… I’ve likely had a massive drift (oops). As Dom Schramm says “Tokyo Drift.” Sometimes stopping the drift can be as easy as putting a little more weight in your outside stirrup. [Learning To Drive—And Not Drift—With Dom Schramm]

Following a failed drug test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, The New York Racing Association has temporarily suspended trainer Bob Baffert from entering horses in races and occupying stall space at Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack. [NYRA suspends Baffert from Belmont, Saratoga, Aqueduct]

Don’t miss out! Stock up on the next wave of Legends Horse Feed and Supplements and receive $2 per bag through May 31st. No coupon needed. Discount applied at point of purchase. Link: legendshorsefeed.com

Monday Video: Elisa Wallace Wraps Up Jersey Fresh

By Abby Powell on May 17, 2021 5:00 pm -

The aim of many riders who competed in the inaugural Lexington CCI4*-S at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event was to then tackle the CCI4*-L at Jersey Fresh two weeks later. Of those riders taking on the Kentucky-Jersey quest was Elisa Wallace and Let it be Lee. Like others entered in the Lexington CCI4*-S, Elisa and Lee also battled the elements that day over a tough track (relive their helmet cam here), so Elisa’s goal for Jersey Fresh was to give Lee a confidence-building ride for his first four-star long.

From taking a dump down the centerline to beautiful half passes, and from feeding Built bars to everyone in the barn to getting multiple camera angles of them from friends and family on cross country, you can relive their weekend in Elisa’s latest vlog! I’d say they had a great weekend!

Want to Get More Involved with Eventing? Here Are Some Ways

By Sally Spickard on May 17, 2021 3:00 pm -

Collapsible tables on display! Photo by Sally Spickard.

We talk often about the importance of volunteers in terms of helping our event organizers and our local events sustain their vital roles within the eventing community. Whenever you have the opportunity to volunteer for an event, please do so! Not only will you be helping the event run, you’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about eventing and all its facets – and many events even offer volunteer perks like apparel, schooling passes and more. You can always find new volunteering opportunities near you by visiting EventingVolunteers.com or your local horse trials’ website/social media.

But there is another aspect of volunteering that perhaps more people ought to know about: Area and USEA committees. Whether you’re brand-new to the sport and want to dive in feet first or you’ve been around the block more than a few times and want to have a lasting impact, volunteering time with your local Area and/or with a USEA committee is a place to start.

Some USEA members or new eventers may not know that each Area (as the regions determined by the USEA are called) has its own team of leaders, most if not all of whom are volunteers, working tirelessly to support events, raise money and make improvements to keep their Area members happy and wanting to participate. Much like with voting, your impact can go a very long way at the local level. And if you’re seeking a way to get more involved, starting with your Area chair (a list of the Area chairs and websites can be find here).

These days, many Areas are losing events (or, at the least, losing entry numbers), and so help is always needed to help ensure the future of events in each part of the country. There is also an ongoing need for new members – new eventers who maybe caught the bug at Kentucky or from a friend, who have dabbled in horses but never seriously. Forging partnerships with local access programs, Pony Club and other youth-oriented programs is also a key ingredient to securing eventing’s future with new riders. But this takes a concerted effort, and no doubt your Area would welcome help in its various areas of need at any given time.

As for the USEA itself, it operates with the support of many smaller committees and task forces, each dedicated to a different element of improving and growing the sport. A list of these committees and task forces can be found here. To keep things simpler, the USEA coordinates with each committee/task force through a Staff Liaison, and this individual should be your point of contact if you’re interested in joining. You can find a list of USEA Staff here (each committee’s Staff Liaison is listed on the previous link).

As a reminder, not every committee will accept new members at any given point. “The goal is to find engaged people with expertise and interest in the areas of focus of each Committee,” USEA CEO Rob Burk said, adding that while some committees are more active than others and new appointments may not be made overnight, new members are added to committees each year. Your best bet, then, is to express your interest to your committee(s) of choice by contacting the Chair or Staff Liaison.

Eventing is a sport made up of individuals with a collective, common goal. It’s the unique and varied opinions, experiences, voices and perspectives that add rich diversity to our community, and it’s important that all eventers are represented in the sport’s governance. We hope this article helps pinpoint more areas in which you can be more involved and let your voice be heard!

Go Eventing.

Who Jumped It Best: The Greenwich Brushes at Aston le Walls CCI4*-S

By Tilly Berendt on May 17, 2021 11:15 am -

What happens when you put over 200 horse-and-rider combinations into a CCI4*-S? A lot of things, really — including a journalist and photographer with a memory card absolutely brimming with photos, all of which would like to see the light of day on this here eventing website. And so, dear readers, we bring you the second of our Who Jumped It Best? extravaganza’s from England’s Aston le Walls, which stepped up to the big leagues earlier in the week to take on the classes ordinarily hosted at Chatsworth.

On Saturday, we looked at the Protexin Table, a wide, forgiving single fence sandwiched between the penultimate and final combination on course. This time, we’re going to look at what came immediately before it – the last of the Greenwich brushes.

This penultimate combination at 19ABC was comprised of a skinny brush fence — the Voltaire Design Brush — which was followed by two reasonably narrow brush fences with solid ground lines that prevented a deep approach. All three fences were situated on a curving left-handed turn, with four positive strides between the A and B element and three between the B and C. Upon landing, riders had to continue that positive, forward stride to the Protexin table. Here’s a look at Tom Jackson tackling the combination, which saw no faulters through the day:

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A post shared by Tom Jackson (@tomjacksoneventing)

Now it’s time for you to cast your eye over a selection of horses and riders as they pop out over 19C. Who do you think makes the best overall picture over the jump? Take a look, pick your favourite, and then scroll down to cast your vote.