Classic Eventing Nation

All Horses Pass (Completely Bonkers) Virtual Eventing Horse Inspection – Now It’s Time to Vote!

By on May 6, 2020 2:44 pm -

Spencer Sturmey’s face just about sums it up. Oooh-er.

Move over, Kim Kardashian — when venerated Olympian and consummate professional William Fox-Pitt took to the jog strip this evening in drag, he truly did break the internet. But the team behind Virtual Eventing were quick to get the wheels back on this bus (impressive, really, as the rest of us were all laughing too hard to have been much use in a crisis) and carry on — or should that be Carry On — the proceedings.

And what proceedings they were. We’ve now seen more eventing chaps in drag than we quite know how to process, plus some reverse drag from US rider Hallie Coon, who presented her 2019 USEA Mare of the Year Celien. We’ve also seen several unicorns — give us a match race between Gemma Tattersall and Warren Lamperd, we beg you — and, erm, a mullet, courtesy of (who else?) Boyd Martin. We’ve enjoyed an evening full of dodgy stethoscopes, questionable footwear, and eventing in-jokes (anyone who caught the 2019 European Championships prize-giving will have shared a smirk over multitasking commentator Spencer Sturmey‘s mount, the tiny dun Billy the Red-ish).

But now it’s time to take some decisive action and vote for the riders who you think truly outpaced the competition and deserve to win Hi Ho Silver’s Best Dressed competition. You can do so by visiting Virtual Eventing‘s Facebook page — or the post below — but first, let’s recap some of the #LOOKS that were served up on the strip today.

IT’S TIME TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE Hi Ho Silver BEST DRESSED MALE AND FEMALE 🏆🥇
To vote 👇
👍 LIKE THE PHOTO OF THE TROT UP OUTFIT YOU DEEM THE BEST
Voting closes AT 8.30pm ⌛️
👑 WINNERS announced at 9pm (BST)

Posted by Virtual Eventing on Wednesday, May 6, 2020

It was a battle of the unicorns as three very patient greys accompanied their brightly-coloured (and, erm, inflatable) humans down the strip…

…while men in dresses had a bit of a moment, too, with Will Furlong (Collien P2) taking on the role of a hirsute Snow White and William Fox-Pitt (Cool Mountain) donning a very ‘come hither’ nurse’s uniform. Meanwhile, Tom Rowland channelled his inner Roller Derby gal in a cheeky tutu and some wheels.

Surely, though, it was Spencer Sturmey who made the most impressive lady — just check out these pins:

If political heat is your thing, Hector Payne transformed himself into Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while Meg Kepferle dressed up as what appears to be a Trump supporter. #giterdone. (Look, you can harangue me all you like in the comments for that, but I’m British, and we laugh at everything – TB)

Nobody took national pride more seriously than Vittoria Panizzon, who crafted a skirt out of pasta and came as an Italian stereotype, giving us all a craving for some carbs in the process:

And if you were ready to volunteer yourself as a test subject when you spotted Sebastien Cavaillon‘s deft handling of his stethoscope…

…you may have changed your mind when he stepped out for his jog. Maybe not, though, and that’s cool — we don’t judge here at EN.

Want to see more? Scroll right back up to that Facebook post and get your voting fingers ready — voting closes at 20.30 BST/3.30pm Eastern time this evening.  You can also donate your spare change to your favourite rider’s charity fundraising page, which will benefit the leading medical charity in their country of origin.

Dressage gets underway tomorrow at 11.00am BST/6.00am Eastern. You can rewatch all the fun from the first horse inspection here. Go Eventing!

Watch the NAF Virtual 5* Eventing ‘Trot Up’ Live

By on May 6, 2020 2:02 pm -

It’s go time for the first ever NAF 5* Virtual Eventing competition, running today through Sunday right in your own living room. A collective charitable effort benefitting worldwide healthcare charities and NHS Charities Together during the COVID-19 pandemic, Virtual Eventing has kicked off this afternoon with the “trot up” from the entered riders.

The U.S. is represented in this competition by Hannah Sue Burnett, Katherine Coleman, Hallie Coon, Meg Kepferle, Boyd Martin, and honorary American Joe Meyer. For this competition, riders will “compete” using videos pre-recorded and then run together on a live stream with commentary. Keep an eye out for some other famous faces too, including some former 5* horses back for one more tongue-in-cheek go.

There is also a virtual trade fair happening in conjunction with Virtual Eventing, the deals for which can be found here.

DressageQueen_of_Memes Is Single-Handedly Keeping My Soul Alive During Quarantine

By on May 6, 2020 10:51 am -

I’ll take a little humor where I can get it these days, and my #1 go-to-source for a ROTFL is DressageQueen_Of_Memes Instagram account. Unlike 90% of DQs I can think of, this internet goddess, whomever she may be, is a first-class riot, often at the expense of her sandbox-dwelling brethren. Many thanks to my buddy Lisa for the introduction. I’m pulling a few of my faves here, but just go straight to her IG account for a deep dive into this beautiful abyss.

Her quarantine posts have been on-point:

And then there are there’s all the rest:

Thank you for your service DressageQueen_Of_Memes. You’re not the hero we deserve, but you you’re the one we need rn.

Go Eventing.

Wednesday News & Notes from Ecovet

By on May 6, 2020 12:01 am -

Newest member of the Zaragoza Acres clan, ‘Sovereign ZA’ (Sandro’s Star – Judgement ISF), checks out his future. Photo via Chris Talley on Facebook.

With the news that competitions may soon see a return, it’s got me thinking a little about future goals and learning to be adaptable. While I’m not currently riding/competing, I’m still a very goal-driven person. So when the pandemic lockdown came around, I think it was an adjustment to “realign” my goals for the year. If anything, this time has been an excellent reminder of what we have, what we can do without, and what matters the most and I hope that we continue to remember this even as the world starts to open back up.

National Holiday: May 6 is National Nurses Day, and I know I’m not alone when I say that nurses are among the most important, kindest, hardest-working individuals on the planet. Thank you, nurses!

News & Notes:

Are you ready for Virtual Eventing? The first ever NAF Virtual Eventing competition will kick off today with the “trot-up” happening at 6 pm BST / 1 pm EST. You can watch the live stream and check out the schedule for the competition here. And remember, Virtual Eventing is benefiting charities all over the world, and there’s a massive online auction happening concurrently. Check out all the goods here.

The USEF has some plans for resuming competitions. In a webinar hosted earlier this week, USEF officials outlined some remaining concerns and ways to work around them as the June 1 expiration of the competition ban draws closer.

As we gear up for the reopening of many facets of the country, horse shows have begun planning for what remains of the year. Our sister site, Jumper Nation, published some new protocol released by HITS competitions. These guidelines could be something we see in our own competitions, too.

Surefire Farm Horse Trials, scheduled to take place June 19-21 in Purcelville, VA, is now open and accepting entries. Prompt entries are appreciated so that organizers can plan for social distancing and sanitization protocols. A complete list of policies, including no on-site food and no trade fair, will be on the Surefire website on May 15th.

Wednesday Video Break

Watch the rider draw for Virtual Eventing:

Independent Study: Ecovet Outperforms All Other Repellents* in Both Efficacy and Duration

A 2019 research study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology confirms that, in head-to-head comparisons with other fly spray products, Ecovet is the most effective at inhibiting flies AND Ecovet lasts the longest. Watch the video to see the study results in action, and learn more about how Ecovet stacks up against other fly sprays > eco-vet.com/study

Social Media Roundup: Competitors ‘Arrive’ at NAF Virtual Eventing 5*

By on May 5, 2020 6:36 pm -

View this post on Instagram

Guess who's these luscious legs belong too… 😉 🤔 FIND OUT THIS TIME TOMORROW when the @nafuk Virtual 5* Event begins.💃🕺 👇 THE ESSENTIALS… 👇 ▪️ 6pm Weds 6th May ▫️TROT UP free Live stream ▪️At virtualeventing.com ▫️With huge thanks to trot up day sponsors @monbegsporthorses & @fmbstherapysystems AND… 🔥🔥🔥👀👀👀 ▪️YOU will be choosing the @hihosilveruk BEST DRESSED MALE AND FEMALE! ▫️Find out how YOU can vote tomorrow morning! 👀👏 💙 We are within sniffing distance of raising £90k as of today. We couldn't have done this without you. So PLEASE PLEASE help us smash our £100k target by clicking the link in our bio and donating to our global Covid-19 charities. Thank you! 🙏 . . . #donate #forcharity #nhs #doctors #nurses #getinvolved #virtualeventing #herewego #partygettingstarted #eventing #professionalriders #poweredbynaf #naf #naffivestar #fivestarcompetition #potd #sport #extremesports

A post shared by Virtual Eventing (@virtualeventing) on

It’s finally here: the first-ever utterly bonkers, totally brilliant, completely socially-distanced online international has landed, and we’re looking forward to a jam-packed week of action as the NAF International Virtual Three-Day Event gets underway. We’ll be bringing you reports all week with all you need to know, but first? Let’s check in with some of the competitors and see how they got on with the journey today.

Little Finn, son of Australia’s Megan Jones, gives the lorry one last close inspection before the team sets sail to Virtual Eventing HQ:

Kirsty Johnston and Arthur Chabert‘s packing was done at warp speed, which sounds familiar to us roving journalist types:

Laura Collett‘s London 52 proved that if he was a person, he’d fly first class in a Hugo Boss suit:

Gemma Tattersall, too, got her string outfitted for the big day:

View this post on Instagram

We should have been on our way to @bhorsetrials today ready to get settled in with these two wonderful horses, Arctic Soul for his 7th Badminton and Santiago Bay for her 1st. Instead we are focussing on something a little different this year – @virtualeventing! Rather than a top placing at the biggest and best event in the world I am aiming to raise as much money as we can for the @nhscharitiestogether. The VE trot-up starts tomorrow (Wednesday 6th) at 6pm! I would love you all to please tune in and donate as much as you can spare. It’s going to be great fun I can assure you that it will be well worth watching! Head to the Virtual Eventing profile for a link to their livestream and to my bio to donate! #virtualeventing #ourNHS #arcticsoul #santiagobay #teamtatt #trotup #horsesofinstagram

A post shared by Gemma Tattersall (@gemma_tattersall) on

Yasmin Ingham paid close attention to the parking lot attendant’s meticulous gesturing — and good job, too, because it looks as though she and Sandman 7 got the best spot going:

It’s a long drive from Ocala (or is it, really?), but Joe Meyer put the pedal to the metal and plans to arrive just in time for tomorrow’s trot-up:

Tom Crisp and Liberty and Glory hit the road in their big yellow school bus, ready to see and be seen in the lorry park:

Virtual Eventing kicks off tomorrow at 6pm BST/1pm Eastern time with the first horse inspection — but this one will be like no trot-up you’ve EVER seen before. Follow along for free on Virtual Eventing’s Facebook page or website, and to donate to your favourite rider’s charity page, click here.

Go (Virtual!) Eventing!

Tuesday Video from Flexible Fit Equestrian USA: Another #GOTD from Lainey Ashker

By on May 5, 2020 5:00 pm -

#GOTD ✅ I hope you guys have lots of poles for this zinger of a grid! For those of you who don’t feel free to take out the last half and it’ll have a similar effect! I built this grid to teach the horse how to self-balance. The cross rail vertical bounces are there to rock him back (and keep him straight). I made the two stride shorter to the oxer from the bounces because of this shortened canter you’ll now have after the bounces. Following the big effort from the oxer I’ve allowed an extra yard in distance to the bounces but this time it’s the horse’s job to self rate and “sit” [it goes without saying that the rider should be in a balance to allow for this to happen] and the bounces will help him do this without your having to pull on the reins. ***Some horses may tap the front rail of the first oxer (as Karl did in this video). I don’t really care that they hit it I care more about how they jump the second oxer as a result from touching the first. This grid looks easy but I assure you it is not. However any level of horse and rider can learn from it just begin small and work your way up from there! Enjoy guys and keep up that #quarentraining! #LÆ #eyeontheprize #poweredbyOTTB #kentuckyweek

Posted by Laine Ashker Eventing and Dressage on Thursday, April 23, 2020

Put those extra poles to work and test your mettle against Lainey Ashker’s latest #GOTD. You’ll need a lot of extra poles, but if you’re short on those, feel free to take out the last half.

“I built this grid to teach the horse how to self-balance. The cross rail vertical bounces are there to rock him back (and keep him straight). I made the two stride shorter to the oxer from the bounces because of this shortened canter you’ll now have after the bounces. Following the big effort from the oxer I’ve allowed an extra yard in distance to the bounces but this time it’s the horse’s job to self rate and ‘sit”’ [it goes without saying that the rider should be in a balance to allow for this to happen] and the bounces will help him do this without your having to pull on the reins,” she said.

“Some horses may tap the front rail of the first oxer (as Karl did in this video). I don’t really care that they hit it; I care more about how they jump the second oxer as a result from touching the first. This grid looks easy but I assure you it is not. However any level of horse and rider can learn from it just begin small and work your way up from there!”

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

Save Jon Holling from a Tattoo He’ll Regret On #GivingTuesday

By on May 5, 2020 3:20 pm -

Honestly, I think Jon Holling has a gambling problem and needs to be cut off. First there was that time in 2012 when he promised to streak the Bromont sign if he won the CCI3*, which he did, with Downtown Harrison.

Then there are all the stupid football bets he’s made with Buck Davidson. Jon is for the Green Bay Packers, Buck is for the Philadelphia Eagles, and when one or the other team loses the losing party’s fan is relegated to wear the other team’s jersey throughout the weekend at an event — including but not limited to cross country. I seem to recall Jon last wearing Eagles gear at Ocala Jockey Club last year, and me being like, “Ya lost, eh? Sorry.”

It cuts both ways, sometimes. Photo courtesy of Jon Holling.

But now Jon, perhaps buoyed by the Packers’ first winning season since 2016 last year, has made his dumbest bet of all: a pledge that if we can get to the next $50,000 benchmark for frangible fence fundraising, “I will get a tattoo, #FrangibleNow, right across my ribs. But we gotta get there before the next horse leaves the startbox.”

“So the next 50 grand, I’ll get the tattoo and I’ll video it so you guys can see me cry. Alright let’s do it.”

No Jon, no. This is not OK. I know it’s a cause you care bone-deeply for but …. this is why you can’t have nice things, especially a long weekend in Vegas. Have we learned nothing from the Eagles? Have you consulted your wife, who has always presented as a very pragmatic human being, about this? What if the next horse doesn’t leave the startbox until 2023? You’ve done enough for this sport without also desecrating your body with a tattooed hashtag.

So here’s the plan, EN: Let’s raise the money, but no TOO much. Just like … an extra $49,999 m’kay? Because Jon Holling is a man of his word, and his heart is in the right place, but also I am genuinely concerned about him.

With the support of the USEA Foundation, a dedicated group of organizers, and a matching grant the fund has already raised over $200,000 of the $500,000 goal.Read up on the latest efforts here. The Frangible Technology Fundraiser was launched on March 2 in order to provide funding directly to organizers to build nearly 500 frangible tables at all USEA recognized events across the country. Can you help (a little, but not TOO much bc nobody wants to see Jon Holling cry).

Go Eventing.

This Old Bucket Has Stories To Tell

By on May 5, 2020 12:51 pm -

Photo by Holly Covey.

This old bucket … it has stories.

It has been across the nation twice, once in a horse trailer and once in a moving van. It has been under the muzzles of about 20 of my horses and a few more that I didn’t own but rode and loved. It has had a lot of use and abuse over its 30 year history.

As far as I can tell, it might be the world’s oldest water bucket, at least, it’s my world’s oldest. I bought it from a catalog and had it shipped to me when I was in California, keeping horses in Woodland Hills. It was stood on for braiding to compete at Moorpark and Ram Tap and traveled to Coconino and Lily Glen and hung in portable stalls and wooden polo pony pens and on pine fence rails with haystring looped over the handle.

Then it went back to the Northwest with me and met Cindy Burge in Washington and helped carry fencing tools when I helped her build the Deep Creek Horse Trials. It followed my horses as they shipped all over the west, and then when I moved east, it came along, too.

It went into a racing barn for a while and was used for all kinds of things — carrying water, grain, bandages, grooming tools, and then when we bought our place it helped create our farm.

The bucket held tools, and paint, and backbreaking rocks that were picked up by tired hands from the track and in the ring we built. It held jump cups when my jumps got built and set up. It held boots for the barnful of horses that were exercised every day in the barn when we were busy and full. It sat sentinel in the barn aisle as it held many things safely and proudly.

It got scratched a bit, and knocked around, and hoof oil spilled in it that was a real pain to get out. It accidentally got into the garbage can a couple of times, and I rescued it at least twice. It was lost for about a year in the tractor shed, half buried under an old pallet that I thought was on a half a cement block, and which held heavy round bales – and survived. It’s biggest injury was to its handle while sitting in the barn aisle.

Its big tough metal handle got run over by a hay wagon one day. It was bent almost in half, squeezing the bucket almost shut, and I was afraid it was a goner. I stopped unloading the hay, and tried to fix it by pulling the handle back out, but didn’t have quite enough strength to get it back the way it was.

When my boyfriend heard the sadness in my voice when I told him it was probably done, he went out to the barn in the night, after a very long hard working day, and turned on the barn lights and heated up the handle with a torch and put it on the anvil and banged it back to shape and put it back on the bucket, and that kindness made me cry. That was its toughest injury, but it survived.

It had a pretty easy life after I bought new feed tubs and water buckets a couple years ago, and it held fencing supplies for a long time in the storage room. Recently I needed a bucket for something and decided to empty the fencing stuff into another container, and I set it aside, empty, for another use.

Because right now we all have a lot of time to fix and clean, I picked it up today and thought, “it needs a scrub.” And I took it to the wash rack, the old familiar bump on my leg as I carried it, and it brought back memories of the horses who drank from it. While I scrubbed it and rinsed it, I knew it was still working. Helping me think of the good days.

An old bucket holds your hopes and dreams, while you fill it with water and hang it up, or grab it and fill it with tools and walk with it banging your leg, reminding you it is still working.

Its sturdy, thick bottom won’t let that hope run out. Its heavy metal handle won’t break and won’t bend under the strain of worry and stress. It promises to hold what you need, and when you get back to the barn, it is there — might be dusty, might be scratched — but it is available for duty.

It’s just an old bucket, just something in the barn that has been around for a long time.

May everyone have an old bucket to save you.

A Letter to Me — Will Faudree

By on May 5, 2020 9:00 am -

If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say? That’s the topic of an ongoing series by Equestrian Marketing Firm Athletux. Today five-star rider and U.S. Eventing Team rider Will Faudree shares her letter. 

Previous letters: Tamie Smith, Jennifer Wooten, Katy Robinson, Natalia Gurmankin, Joanie Morris

Photo courtesy of Will Faudree.

Will,

As I sit down to write a letter to my 15-year-old self my mind starts seeing a movie trailer directed by Tim Burton …  A lot of bright colors that you wouldn’t put together but somehow it works so here goes.

I need to talk with you. You spend all your time in the barn, don’t worry it is where you are supposed to be. You are not actually that good at anything else, so I am so proud that you recognize this now and you can focus to make this your career and reality. It’s not going to be easy or smooth the whole time. In fact, a lot of it is going to be hard. Really hard.

I am so proud of the fact that you have shown the passion and drive to be in the barn with a bunch of girls, all the time. In fact, I know — you feel like one of them (this will make sense as you get older).

You have always been the black sheep, and that is OK. That’s why you started taking jump lessons — you will not believe where all those jump lessons are going to take you.

The dreams and hopes you have and write about in every English paper; they are going to come true. You are going to graduate high school, move to the east coast, and pretend to go to college, though it won’t last too long.

You will get a new horse because the ones you brought with bring with you have absolutely no scope and are what you will call as you get older, leg hangers.

This new horse will change your life. He will take you to your first five-star, he will take you to your first senior team and win team gold! You will even get to do Badminton and Burghley. You will go to Athens as the traveling reserve and even place 4th with the Team at the WEG in Aachen. This is all going to happen by the time you are 24 with not a lot of knowledge of how you got there or how he got you out of the distances you got him to.

The friendships and advice you will get will shape who you become. You will be told that your success is all because of your horse. That will be true, but what you may not know at the time and what I want you to remember is what this horse teaches you. Your work ethic, your drive, your focus. That is what you will gain and take to many other horses in your future.

One thing I want you to remember is not to ever expect one horse to fill the shoes of the next. That is advice you will get from an Icon. You will have more success, but you will hit the ground a lot more than you bring home the blue. There will be great heartache from the horses. Remember with great success comes great responsibility and with heartache, there will be a lot of pain, in all aspects (especially when you break your neck).  There will be more heartache than success, and you know what? That is OK, because it makes the good even better. It is all worth it. Don’t ever forget that.

Your life outside the horses will remind you why you keep yourself consumed with the horses. Remember when you were young and loved being at the barn with all the girls … well that’s because you’re gay. It will take you until your 30s to be able to tell your family. Give them time, it took you 30 years to accept yourself. You will fall in love, you will get your heart broken. Always Love hard, but don’t ever become hardened.

The hardest thing you will ever have to do is carry your sister’s casket to the grave, you will rely on everything your horses have taught you to get you through this. All of the friendships you have made, that work ethic, drive, and focus. You will never stop celebrating her, missing her, or loving her. You will continue to cherish and champion your family, and you’ll give one hell of a best man speech at your brother’s wedding to his high school sweetheart.

The horses you will get to meet, they are all amazing. Enjoy them, learn from them, listen to them, remember to always accept, and never expect. This is true for all areas of your life. Never lose your soft side.

You are going to be left off teams when you think you should be on them and likewise, you will be put on some that you don’t see coming. Keep believing in what you do. Keep dreaming, keep wishing. Keep your head up through the hard parts … It is a beautiful life.

P.S. You will never be able to sing well, really sorry.

Love, Will

Equestrian Marketing Firm Athletux is proud to be one of the longest running agencies in the business, working exclusively with equestrian brands, athletes and events. Athletux understands your audience, utilizing innovative and creative ideas to build your brand and image. By integrating a passion for all things equine with drive and knowledge, you will achieve unparalleled results. Think of Athletux as an extension of your team, providing highly specialized tools to take your business to the next level. Learn more about how Athletux can help you revolutionize your business today. Visit athletux.com for more information, or follow along via social @athletux. 

Tuesday News & Notes from Legends Horse Feeds

By on May 5, 2020 12:01 am -

Happy Tuesday! You guys hanging in there? We’re all in this together — and the best news is that today is Cinco de Mayo, so go self medicate with a margarita!

National Holiday: Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Tuesday News: 

This quarantine is what you make it. Olympic Show Jumper Gail Greenough reminds us that we’ll get out of it what we put in. [Gail Greenough’s Tips on Getting Through Quarantine: ‘Be Proud of How You Spent This Journey’].

With no competitions last month, the USEA got creative to determine how to nominate the April Horse of the Month. Winston, a 13-year-old Morgan cross sealed the deal with his impressive dance moves. [USEA Horse of the Month: Winston]

Rest in peace, Trig Point. [‘The kindest and bravest horse I have ever met’: farewell to international winner who completed Badminton]

Tuesday Video: