Classic Eventing Nation

US Equestrian COVID-19 Action Plan Update: Face Coverings Now Mandated Unless Mounted/Driving

By on Jul 29, 2020 12:00 pm -

Photo via Rebecca Farm on Facebook.

US Equestrian has released an update to its Action Plan for Licensed Competitions in its continued effort to keep shows and events moving while maintaining safety and public health standards. The latest update will now mandate face coverings at competitions at all times, except when mounted on a horse or driving a horse-drawn carriage or cart.

A statement released by CEO Bill Moroney reads as follows:

We truly appreciate the diligence and cooperation of participants and organizers who have gone above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of their competition communities by adhering to the various state and local requirements, as well as the requirements and recommendations outlined in the USEF Action Plan for Licensed Competitions. However, USEF has received reports of non-compliance with and non-enforcement of the Action Plan. Every instance of non-compliance and non-enforcement not only endangers the health and safety of your fellow participants, but also threatens our ability to continue having competitions in this extremely tenuous environment.

The ability to keep competitions operating depends on every one of us, individually and collectively. It hinges on our cooperative participation in efforts to control the spread of the virus.

With that in mind, effective immediately, USEF mandates the use of face masks/face coverings at all times while on the competition grounds except when mounted on a horse or driving a horse-drawn carriage or cart. The USEF Action Plan update, released yesterday, reflects this strengthened mandate.

In addition to the updated face mask/face covering requirement, USEF expects that:

  • All participants will adhere to, and all competition organizers will enforce, social distancing requirements at all times while on competition grounds.
  • Competition organizers will restrict access to competition grounds in accordance with state and local travel and quarantine restrictions.
  • During a competition, Stewards and Technical Delegates will report non-compliance to competition management, and individuals who continue to demonstrate non-compliance with social distancing or mask/face covering requirements will be promptly removed from the competition grounds by competition management.
  • Stewards and Technical Delegates will document and include in their report to the USEF all incidents of non-compliance, so that USEF can address any deficiencies.

We all share the enormous responsibility of doing our utmost to maintain a safe competition environment. It is no easy task. It can sometimes be uncomfortable, even unpleasant. However, in this significantly altered environment, these steps are necessary to keep our competitions as safe as possible and keep them operating. We cannot lose sight of the wide-reaching and devastating impacts facing our industry that would result from competitions being shut down due to failure to comply with mitigation efforts. If you are unwilling or unable to adhere to the COVID-19 requirements mandated by USEF or state and local agencies, please stay home and refrain from attending or operating USEF-recognized events until the pandemic resolves.

We continue to monitor and assess the pandemic impact, and we will keep you informed of any updates to our position as circumstances warrant or as instructed by the government and public health authorities.

The safety and welfare of our members and their horses remains our top priority, and everyone must do their part and take every step necessary to keep fellow competitors as safe and healthy as possible and to keep the competition environment open.

You can read the statement and get up to speed on the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan for Licensed Competitions here. For more information on coronavirus protocol and competition, visit this link.

Who Jumped It Best? Rebecca Farm Advanced Edition

By on Jul 29, 2020 11:00 am -

Ready for a couple of fresh editions of Who Jumped It Best? We linked up with Hope Carlin, a born and raised Montana resident who graciously shared some shots with us from arguably the most picturesque event in the country.

Hope caught the eventing bug and the photography bug from her dad at Rebecca Farm in 2007. “My dad, who had done eventing in college, heard about Rebecca Farm and took me out to The Event on cross-country day,” she said. “I took a few (badly timed) photos with my little point and shoot camera, and from that day on I was hooked.” After her dad gave Hope her first “real” camera for her birthday, the rest was history. Hope linked up with a classmate who was also an eventer, which eventually led her to Julie and Malcolm Hook’s farm in Oregon, where she was a working student. Hope now lives back in Montana, where she works as a dog groomer and salon manager. Hope says she’s grateful for the opportunities she’s had so far (a press pass a Kentucky is one bucket list item she can check off now) and above all loves the sport and the horses in it. Many thanks to Hope for sharing her art with us this week!

Now, let’s get to the Advanced riders from Rebecca Farm. It was a dominant performance by mother-daughter dynamic duo Tamie Smith and Kaylawna Smith-Cook (fun fact: there were more than one mother-daughter pair competing this weekend in Montana! Jennifer and Taylor McFall also competed as well as Leonie and Harper Padgett, who both collected wins in their respective divisions. We also got to see Michele Pestl and her daughter, Emily Pestl-Demmitt, who have been competing together since Emily was just seven, as well as Amy Click and daughter Sophie Click (pictured below aboard Quidproquo). I may have missed some, too – please tip me at [email protected] if I did!)

Take a look at the below photos by Hope Carlin and cast your vote for the horse and rider pair that presents the best overall picture in the poll at the bottom. We’ll close the poll after a week!

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Sara Mittleider and La Paz. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Marc Grandia and Campari FFF. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Sophie Click and Quidproquo. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Kaylawna Smith-Cook and Passepartout. Photo by Hope Carlin.

Tamie Smith and En Vogue. Photo by Hope Carlin.

 

RRP Highs and Lows: Plan B and First Events

By on Jul 29, 2020 9:00 am -

While the 2020 Retired Racehorse Thoroughbred Makeover has been postponed to 2021, there are still dedicated trainers working with the horses they’d selected to be their projects for this year. Three trainers plus one team of four trainers have been blogging their journeys, including their triumphs and their heartbreaks, successes and failures, for Eventing Nation readers.

Earlier this year we met a team of four trainers from Dappir Ridge Eventing in Charlottesville, Virginia, and there have definitely been some changes for the team in the wake of the Makeover’s postponement. Here’s an update Adriana Nannini’s update — be sure to check out her website here. You can read the last Dappir Ridge blog here.

The Dappir Ridge Baby OTTB Contingent at the Carolina Horse Park! From left to right: Kelly Giunta with Robbie Jones, Alex Austin with Hunter’s Dream, Kiki Osbourne with Prince Attack and Adriana Nannini with Sevennotrump. Photo courtesy of Ruth Cruz.

I think it’s safe to say we were all very disappointed when we learned of the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover being postponed to 2021. A few of our Dappir Ridge horses are resale projects, and the plan for those guys was to keep them until after the Makeover, then sell them thereafter. Now, everything is up in the air, and we have to reshuffle our plans. But we horse people are pretty accustomed to throwing our best laid plans out the window, because we all know that with horses, nothing ever goes according to plan! So the “Plan B” tentatively involves a couple of our horses remaining with us to contest the 2021 Makeover, while a couple of the others will be sold, as originally intended, and replaced with new Makeover prospects for 2021. 

Nonetheless, RRP aside, four of our baby OTTBs contested their very first event a couple of weekends ago at the War Horse Event Series at the Carolina Horse Park! It was a wonderful learning experience for all. Hunter’s Dream aka “Fox” as well as Robbie Jones contested the Beginner Novice division, while the greener Sevennotrump aka “Tricks” and Prince Attack aka “Prince” competed in the Maiden division. The great thing about the War Horse Event Series is the opportunity to school the day before. We hauled down on Friday, and rode the horses around the horse park, allowing them to acclimate to their surroundings and settle in a bit. Saturday was schooling day, so the babies all got to school both stadium and cross country. By the time competition day rolled around on Sunday, our four OTTBs were pretty much cool as cucumbers. I think we can all agree that each of them came away from the weekend far more mature than when they arrived!

A big thanks to High Time Photography for generously providing many of the action photos below of our baby OTTBs from the weekend!

The Dappir Ridge RRP Team! From left to right: Kiki Osbourne with Prince Attack, Alex Austin with Hunter’s Dream, Adriana Nannini with Sevennotrump and Kelly Giunta with Robbie Jones. Photo courtesy of Andrea Cushing.

Adriana Nannini

Sevennotrump aka “Tricks” (and affectionately nicknamed “Schnitzel”) had a great lead up to his first event. He had several sessions with Kiki’s cowgirl friend, Allie Farley, who was able to get through to his little brain by way of ground work. We also went cross-country schooling a few times, and took a field trip to a local hunter/jumper farm to practice jumping around courses in their big ring. As time goes by, it is becoming apparent what a ridiculously natural athlete Tricks is. At just 4 years old, he is able to canter around courses in a totally relaxed, rhythmic manner. His jump is effortless and scopey, and his canter is like sitting on a cloud. He is really going to be something. 

When we first arrived at the Carolina Horse Park, Tricks seemed wide-eyed and overwhelmed, as were his fellow Dappir Ridge OTTB comrades. But after hacking him around the horse park a bit and flatting for a while in the dressage ring (the first one he had ever seen), he did settle. The judge’s box was VERY SCARY(!!!) so we spent a little while walking around it and sniffing it. There were so many new sights and sounds, and his little heart was hammering at a mile a minute, but he held it together like a good boy, for which I was very proud of him. 

On Saturday, we began the day by schooling the showjumping. The course contained many [very scary] colorful poles, gates and oxers, which were at first rather overwhelming to The Schnitzel! I was able to eventually convince him that the jumps were not going to eat him, after which he took a deep breath and decided he could, in fact, jump them just fine. I also discovered, in the process, that Tricks is far more confident when cantering to jumps as opposed to trotting, so we spent the rest of the day cantering to our jumps which seemed to work better for us. We then proceeded to school the cross-country course. Baby Schnitzel really impressed me by putting on his big boy pants and jumping around all of those new jumps with ease, in a totally casual, relaxed manner as though he had done it all before. 

On Sunday, Tricks trotted down his very first centerline and completed a relaxed, pleasant dressage test without jumping out of the dressage ring, or picking up the wrong canter lead, or spooking at the judge’s box – a far cry from the horse that couldn’t steer in a circle just a couple of months ago! He was an absolute pleasure to ride in stadium, cantering confidently and rhythmically around the course, jumping all of the jumps with ease. Coming out of the start box on cross-country, he initially seemed slightly less brave without his buddies there watching him, but I put my leg on and he obliged, gaining confidence with each fence. He jumped bravely through the water, over coops, logs, rolltops and little brushy tables. Nearing the end of the course we had an accidental drive-by to a plain brown log, but circled back and jumped it fine on second attempt, as well as the remainder of the course. 

Tricks finished the weekend a much more grown-up horse, and I am incredibly proud of him. It is so rewarding to see the progress he has made in such a short period of time. I can’t wait to bring him back to the War Horse event in August!

Tricks jumping confidently at his very first event. Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Tricks’ first halt-salute! Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Tricks, affectionately nicknamed “Schnitzel” is a real character. Photo courtesy of Alex Austin.

Kelly Giunta, VMD

I was so proud of Robbie Jones at his first horse trial. We began our weekend with cross-country schooling. The warm up ring was definitely not Robbie’s favorite place.  He developed a new move that I later termed “the whirly bird”. The whirly bird involves a canter pirouette followed by a rein back and a turn on the forehand all in a row and performed at warp speed. I wasn’t sure if I was going to fall off or lose my lunch. We quickly opted to exit the warm up area and just go jump the beginner novice course, which was no problem for Robbie.

By the next day, we were both exhausted from the travel and 95 degree heat! He bravely marched around the dressage ring and only had a slight spook when somebody slammed the door of the port-o-potty. Robbie cantered around the showjumping like an old pro, but unfortunately was too tired to pick his feet up and we had a couple of rails.  Cross-country went fine but I had to kick a bit to make the time (and we were on the steeplechase track!).  I think I understand why he retired from racing!

Robbie Jones acted like a seasoned pro at his first event! Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Robbie Jones and Kelly on course. Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Robbie is such a handsome Thoroughbred specimen! Photo courtesy of Kelly Giunta.

Alex Austin

Hunter’s Dream aka “Fox” went to his first real event two weeks ago with his other OTTB buddies at the Carolina Horse Park! The atmosphere was very busy and a bit overwhelming for Fox, but he eventually adjusted, and by Sunday seemed to be settled into his weekend accommodations. 

We schooled stadium and cross-country on Saturday and Fox took a little while to get down to business, but once he did he rocked around like he does at home. Fox has a very enthusiastic jump, and one thing we’ve been focusing on is utilizing the half halt. He’s learning to jump off his hind end and that the long distance isn’t always the best distance!

The day of the competition, we warmed up for dressage in a very crowded warm-up under the noonday sun, but Fox handled the chaos very well, providing really solid warm up work. However, once we went off on our own to go perform our test, he became a bit rattled and tense. The test didn’t end up demonstrating what he’s capable of, but was still a very good learning experience. 

Fox jumped around showjumping like a pro, and still had energy to jig his way to the cross-country start box. Galloping around cross country is always a blast, and he braved everything that came his way, including the water! 

While we had already achieved our goal of the weekend, which was to have a positive learning experience for all the boys, we received the happy surprise that Fox had finished fifth in his Beginner Novice division! I’m looking forward to learning and improving for next time!

Fox bravely jumped around cross-country at his first event. Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Alex and Fox sure do clean up nicely! Photo courtesy of Adriana Nannini.

Fox and Alex sharing a quiet moment at the horse show. Photo courtesy of Adriana Nannini.

Kiki Osbourne – Our Fearless Leader

Oh Prince! Just as I predicted last time, since Prince Attack celebrated his 4th birthday at the end of May, he’s decided to act more grown up. The highlight of this past month has been our trip to the War Horse July Event. Leading up to this three day long field trip, we prepared by going on many small trips to different places. This gave Prince the low-stress opportunity to be comfortable doing his job at unfamiliar places. He rose to the occasion, and even got to go to a lesson! We worked on schooling him like a 6-year-old, even though he’s only 4. Basically the theory is to expect more out of him, and he should give you more! That mentality helped me a lot during the event in North Carolina.

“Mr. P” grew up a lot over the big weekend. He learned how to stay in a dressage ring, and not even spook at the sides or the letters…or the judges stand!  He also learned how to jump solid fences from the trot, and land in a quiet, balanced canter. I think he liked the water the best, especially from the canter.

His (and my) biggest challenge was the show jumping. On schooling day, he wasn’t so sure of the colorful show jumps, and consequently, we had to skip a few. After schooling cross-country, he came back to the showjump ring with more confidence than he had earlier. This is why I like the schooling series so much! It is so important for the youngsters to have a good experience.  

On show day, we were able to put most things together- minus a few oxer rails in the showjump ring, and a random red roll top that apparently Prince forgot he had jumped the day before- but that’s all ok!  It’s all part of the journey with a young horse. Next time will be better!

Without the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover to aim for in October, we will try and do a handful more field trips, and one or 2 more events at the Carolina Horse Park, but then Prince will make his way back to his owner in the Midwest. We will definitely aim him at The Makeover for 2021.

Prince Attack schooling cross-country. Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Prince Attack attacking the showjumping! Photo courtesy of High Time Photography.

Kiki and Prince. Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Our furry weekend sidekicks enjoying a reprieve from the 100-degree Carolina heat in front of a fan in the stabling area! Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Go Thoroughbreds and Go Eventing!

Wednesday News & Notes from Ecovet

By on Jul 29, 2020 12:01 am -

A view worth lots of envy! Photo by JJ Sillman.

She’s probably going to hate me for doing this, but I wanted to dedicate this morning’s intro to our friend and eventing’s biggest fan, JJ Sillman. For those of you who don’t know JJ, you’ve likely seen some of her famous photos floating around your social media. Chances are, she’s even snagged a candid photo of you at some point. JJ is currently on the adventure of a lifetime, on a road trip across the country in her beloved Kia Soul, Simon.

I wanted to take a moment to talk about JJ. I don’t know JJ very well, but what I do see is how so very loved this girl is. She makes friends and fans everywhere she goes, she even boosts small businesses without even trying (Bourbon Chicken, anyone?), and she goes out of her way to make eventing a better place. To be as loved as JJ is for as simple of traits as a good eye for photos and a beautiful personality is something we could all aspire to achieve. Her love for the sport and for the horses and people in it is evident in every photo she captures. When we get caught up in worrying about show schedules, scores, and whatever other stressors we encounter on the daily, may we all take a moment to approach life with as much love and enthusiasm as JJ Sillman. We’re all better for knowing you, friend.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Cobblestone Farms HT: [Website] [Entry Status & Ride Times]

River Glen Summer HT: [Website] [Entry Status]

Olney Farm HT: [Website] [Entry Status]

Wednesday Reading List

You may recall reading Lauren Kardel’s opinion editorial on The Plaid Horse last month regarding the ongoing much needed discussion around race and equestrian sport. “I believe one thing our sport needs in this time of upheaval is honest conversation,” Lauren wrote. “So, though many of you already know me, I would like to introduce myself as I wish I had possessed the strength to do so many years ago.” Her piece is well worth a read – and so is her discussion with PH Editor-In-Chief Piper Klemm on the most recent episode of the Plaidcast. Pop this one in for your next trot set; I know voices such as Lauren’s have helped expand my worldview and I hope it does yours, too.

A new initiative, the Equestrian Diversity Alliance, has been headed up by several riders hoping to effect a shift in conversation within our sport. They’ve created a Facebook group to share and promote voices of color. Their social media has been active in promoting new projects and initiatives within the equestrian community — worth a follow to be in the know on what’s developing and how you can be involved, too!

Donkeys are life, am I right? Popular leather cleaning brand Sterling Essentials recently sat down with Liz Beeson Evans, owner of the non-profit, Caring Cowgirl. The Caring Cowgirl’s mission is to provide therapeutic mini-equine visits in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having a lasting impact has become Liz’s personal mission, and this blog provides great perspective on her work and how important it is.

Our thoughts are with Buck Davidson, who is recovering from surgery after being kicked in the face last week. The laundry list of injuries includes a broken jaw, missing teeth, and a newly installed plate in his face — but Buck told the Chronicle of the Horse he planned to start riding this week. Very dedicated, a little crazy, or a little of both (doesn’t that describe every eventer?), we’re wishing Buck and his family well and are above all grateful that he’s still with us.

Wits End Eventing and Copper Meadows Eventing have released updates to their upcoming horse trials schedules. Get up to speed on Wits End here and Copper here.

The USEA has started highlighting the 300+ ICP-certified trainers who are currently teaching all around the country. Dividing the series up by Area, we visit with Area IV (California and Hawaii) trainers such as Auburn Excell Brady, Jennifer Wooten Macouzet, Shannon Lilley, and many more.

Wednesday Video Break:

The Work to Ride kids got a special treat last week: a schooling session at Boyd and Silva Martin’s Windurra USA facility. Have a look!

Thanks Anastasia for taking the kids to school at Windurra USA  They had a blast !

Posted by Work To Ride on Thursday, July 23, 2020

Ecovet is an entirely different type of fly spray … and you apply it to your horse in a different way, too. With fly season upon us, we’re sharing some tips for how to best apply Ecovet:

Tuesday Video from Flexible Fit Equestrian USA: Summer 2020, as Told by Ingrid Klimke

By on Jul 28, 2020 6:00 pm -

Ingrid Klimke’s instagram page has just been plain fun this summer. Of course, we love to follow her updates on competitions and training, but with this year’s unique competition schedule, she’s had a bit of time to share more of her life with horses including her sweet trailering setup, a gallop routine, a super fun field trip with friends, cavaletti work and more.

Give her a follow on instagram for more!

Flexible Fit Equestrian: Redefining Comfort & Quality at an Affordable Price. Learn more at www.ffequestrian.com.au.

Virginia Horse Trials to Host 2020 USEA YEH East Coast Championships

By on Jul 28, 2020 5:03 pm -

Virginia in autumn! Rachel Lawson and High Tide at Virginia Horse Trials in 2017. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

A new venue has been secured for the The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships for 2020, which was originally set to take place alongside the postponed inaugural Maryland Five-Star at Fair Hill. In the interest of rescheduling, the USEA reviewed several expressions of interest from East Coast organizers and ultimately recommended the bid from the Virginia Horse Trials.

The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships are now confirmed to take place at the Virginia Horse Trials, Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 28-29, 2020.

From the USEA:

“We’re very happy to be able to keep the YEH [East Coast] Championships going during these difficult times,” said VHT organizer Andy Bowles. “We will ensure that people feel valued and their experience at Virginia is one that they will remember. Our aim is to run the dressage in the grand prix dressage arena and the YEH cross-country will be across the street on Oak Hill, so the course doesn’t feel cluttered amongst all the national classes.”

The 2020 YEH Championship judges originally contracted were Chris Ryan (IRL) and Debbie Adams (USA). Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Ryan will not be able to travel from Ireland to judge this year. However, The USEA Young Event Horse Committee and the USEA Executive Committee voted to approve Peter Gray (CAN) as the new YEH judge for 2020. Adams will judge the dressage section while Gray does the conformation section, and then the two will judge the jumping/galloping phase together.

“As we all navigate and adjust during the unprecedented times, we want to thank the USEA, the YEH Committee, and the Virginia Horse Trials organizing team for coming together to keep The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships on the calendar. We look forward to seeing everyone in October,” said Tim Dutta of The Dutta Corporation.

New Qualification Criteria: Due to COVID-19 and the loss of some YEH qualifier competitions, the YEH Committee also recently voted to ease the YEH Championships qualifying score to a 70% for both the 2020 East and West Coast Championships. In 2021, the qualifying score will go back up to 75%, but for 2020, horses will need to earn one score of 70% or higher at any YEH qualifier competition. All competitors who are currently qualified will be contacted in the coming weeks, and the YEH qualified horse list will be updated.

What’s at Stake: The Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Prize and Grant is awarded to the highest placed horse from the USEA YEH 5-year-old Championships, who two years later, is qualified and willing to compete in the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships at Le Mondial du Lion d’Angers in France. North American bred winners will be awarded $17,500 in aid; imported winners will be awarded $8,000. New for 2020, title sponsor The Dutta Corp. is offering a round trip flight to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient to travel to Mondial du Lion.

Links:

We look forward to it. Go Eventing!

[New Location Announced for The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH East Coast Championships]

Take 5 With Phillip, Presented by Equilume: The Equine Namesakes of True Prospect Farm

By on Jul 28, 2020 11:00 am -

We’ve been enjoying following along with Equilume sponsored rider Phillip Dutton each Thursday as he takes a trip down memory lane to recall relationships with the special horses who have defined his career. A couple weeks ago we took a moment to remember True Blue Girdwood, Phillip’s partner for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games when his original competitive nationality, Australia, won Team Gold.

“True” Blue Girdwood represents half of the namesake of the farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania, where Phillip is based: True Prospect Farm. The other half — “Prospect” — is a tribute to another of Phillip’s legend partners, Sky’s Prospect.

The flea bitten grey American Thoroughbred (Tank’s Prospect x Third and Ten), born in 1987, was a steeplechase horse bought by Tim and Nina Gardner, the first horse of many eventers that Phillip would go on to ride for them.

“He was incredibly honest on cross country and had quite a high knee action on the flat,” Phillip recalls. “The main area we had to work on was his show jumping, where he was quick to go flat and low, like he’d been taught racing. He did very well, including winning the Fair Hill CCI3* and a top-10 finish at Bramham. He also jumped around clean at Burghley, representing Australia in the 1997 Open European Championships.”

Thursday again already which means it’s time to dig into the archives….something pretty special today: Sky’s Prospect,…

Posted by Phillip Dutton Eventing on Thursday, July 16, 2020

Go Phillip. Go Eventing!

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#EventerProblems Vol. 236, Presented by Haygain: Kick On

By on Jul 28, 2020 9:00 am -

Hats off to Sarah here for finding a way to make it work! That’s pretty much the theme of 2020 I suppose — a dumpster fire, but make it work. Y’all certainly are. Here’s a few examples:

View this post on Instagram

Anyone else? . #eventer #eventerproblems #tiktokaddict

A post shared by Karla Parsons (@muddymayhem1) on

Haygain is a science driven company with the horse’s health as the primary focus.

We are committed to improving equine health through scientific research, product innovation and consumer education in respiratory and digestive health. Developed by riders, for riders, we understand the importance of clean forage and a healthy stable environment in maintaining the overall well-being of the horse.

Our Haygain hay steamers are recommended by the world’s leading riders, trainers and equine vets and ComfortStall® Sealed Orthopedic Flooring System is used and recommended by leading Veterinary Hospitals, including Cornell University.

Tuesday News & Notes from Legends Horse Feeds

By on Jul 28, 2020 12:01 am -

Madeline DiNicola and Vinny. Photo via Metz Equine LLC.

Here at EN we can’t resist a game face and a stinking cute pony! Madeline DiNicola competed in her very first horse trial this weekend at FENCE H.T. She and Vinny finished fourth in the Starter A division after adding just a sprinkle of time in the jumping phases. Well done you two!

National Holiday: National Milk Chocolate Day

Events Opening This Week: GMHA September H.T., Blue Ridge Mountain Horse Trials at TIEC, Flora Lea Fall H.T., USEA MDHT FEH/YEH/NEH Qualifier, CDCTA Fall H.T., Ocala Summer H.T. I, Otter Creek Fall H.T., Flying Cross Farm H.T., Stone Gate Farm H.T., The Event at Skyline

Events Closing This Week: Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club H.T., Waredaca Farm H.T., Full Gallop Farm August HT, Ocala Summer H.T. II

Tuesday News: 

With less than a month to go before the American Eventing Championships, the USEA has released some key information on the COVID-19 protocol that competitors can expect. All staff, volunteers, competitors, support staff, and officials will have their temperatures taken daily before entering the facility. Masks will also be mandatory unless mounted. [30 Days to AEC: COVID-19 Measures in Effect During the Event]

If it’s been a hot minute since your Pony Club days, you might not remember all the plants that could be toxic to your horse. There’s no time like the present for a little reminder. Peep these pictures and descriptions before you go out and walk your paddocks. [5 common plants that could kill your horse]

Grab the tissues, Noelle Floyd’s Letter to My Horse series will make you ugly cry. [To the Horses Who Shaped Us, Loved Us, and Left Us Forever Changed]

Two five-star riders are looking to add to their team. Caroline Martin and Liz Halliday-Sharp each want to add a working student to their team. For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected] to apply.

Olympic show jumper Flor Isava Fonseca passed away on July 25 at the age of 99. Fonseca founded the Venezuelan Equestrian Federation in 1947, and she was one of the first two women to be elected as an International Olympic Committee member in 1981. [Olympic jumper, writer, and IOC member Flor Isava Fonseca dies at 99]

Horses, but make it fashion. [Meet the Argentinian brand making equestrian chic the trend of 2020]

Hot on Horse Nation: National Disability Independence Day: Equestrian Version

Just in on Jumper Nation: From Apple to Passion Fruit: Why Producing Horses is like Fruit Salad

Tuesday Video:

Monday Video from CLM DWN: Helmet Cam Alert! Ride Novice at Rebecca

By on Jul 27, 2020 5:00 pm -

We certainly missed the big International divisions at Rebecca Farm this year — the enormous event on picturesque property in Kallispell, Montana is a real sight to behold — but we’re absolutely thrilled that the event still ran National divisions, treating scores of West Coast and Northwest-based event riders to a wonderful weekend of eventing fun.

Among them was Katrina Natwick of Bozeman, Montana who made her first ever recognized eventing start in the Senior Open Novice C division aboard Sugar and Spice, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare owned and previously ridden to the Preliminary Andora Tutvedt. Ride along with them as Katrina leaves the bright pink start box for the first time!