Every day we’re blown away by the innovation and positivity from all of you out there in the Eventing Nation during these difficult times. We’ve got another fun opportunity for you —- get your dressage test judged by Peter Gray! His Remote Centerline Workshop will give you scores and feedback from a FEI five-star judge. Here is a video of Jon Holling giving it a go.
This service is available for any test. Email [email protected] to sign up.
Go (Virtual) Eventing.
Got itchy skin? Photo courtesy of Banixx.
Bugs, heat, humidity, shedding, gunk, all sorts of situations can cause your horse to be itchy. What can you do? Of course, we see someone else’s horse that never seems to be bothered, yet your horse is rubbing out every inch of mane and gouging his skin to hamburger via scratching!
We’re in shedding season and that can make your horse itchy. A good grooming session will reveal any small abrasions, bug bites and troublesome spots and it’s your first defense. Put that rubber curry or glove to work! Additionally, good airflow is important for your horse’s health; muggy conditions with no airflow can be uncomfortable for anyone, and especially your horse, add to his ‘itchies.’ Parasites can cause your horse to itch, so fecal checks and deworming are important protocols to maintain.
Regular grooming and air quality still not fully relieving your horse’s discomfort? A good bath with a quality product like Banixx Medicated Shampoo may be in order. Wet your horse and massage in the shampoo, then let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing. The chlorohexidine in Banixx Medicated Shampoo helps kill bacteria and fungus while the marine collagen soothes, moisturizes and heals the skin. And it’s a soap-free shampoo that does NOT contain parabens, sulfates, alcohol or steroids. No harsh detergents, so it will not dry out your horse’s (or pet’s) skin or coat.
After your horse dries from his bath, spray Banixx Horse & Pet Care Spray directly on the troublesome spots. Then follow up with an application of the Banixx Wound Care Cream for a horse that is hyper-itchy. This step is helpful as a daily maintenance as well.
Some areas to pay special attention to while grooming and washing:
Various fly sprays and bug deterrent products are out there to keep the bugs at bay; however, they need to be ‘swapped up’/rotated as something might work for a bit then it stops working. Perhaps the bugs change or become immune? For horses with sensitive skin, be careful not to burn your horse with fly/bug repellents!
On a final note, if the issues can be resolved with good horse husbandry, then you are doing your horse a favor (and yourself) – quality grooming time and less ‘stuff’ (medication/herbs/etc.) flowing through his system. Medications and herbal solutions can have side-affects that outweigh their good, and/or may be banned for competition horses. The use of medications and herbal remedies should be carefully discussed with your veterinarian and used sparingly.
Brought to you by Banixx – the #1 trusted solution for equine and pet owners! Learn more about Banixx by clicking here:
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say? That’s the topic of a new series by Equestrian Marketing Firm Athletux. Today four-star eventer Natalia Gurmankin shares her letter.
Previous letters: Tamie Smith, Jennifer Wooten, Katy Robinson
Photo courtesy of Natalia Gurmankin.
Dear Natalia,
Keep going! That sentiment will ring true throughout everything in your life, but especially as it applies to your career in horses, just keep going!
You’re really focused on the destination right now, wide eyed and new to the east coast, but man just wait until you can see the journey that unfolds. You have already done some pretty incredible things, though you won’t recognize how cool they are quite yet.
Who knew horses would get you a ticket to travel the world? Your time as a groom/working student will yield some of your most valuable memories. You will find yourself in Greenwich Park grooming at the London Olympics and head down south for a memorable Pan Am Games. You’ll dance the night away in the tent at Burghley and drink one too many Pimms at Badminton!
At every venue you will picture what it would be like to find yourself here someday, and who knows someday you just might. You will gain lifelong friends on these trips, have the best inside jokes, and more importantly you will gain a wealth of knowledge in taking care of equine athletes at the highest level of sport.
You’ll drive big rigs up and down the coast, become an expert tire changer (well not really, but you’re really good at finding someone to help), it’ll take you a long time to figure out backing up a truck and trailer (lets face it, still not your strong suit), you’ll even get your CDL. And through all this, every long ass drive, flight and ferry you will find that when it comes time to consider doing this on your own, it all just seems a little less scary.
When it comes to your riding, you think you know what you’re doing, you don’t. You’re still learning something new every day- the good, the bad the ugly. Keep aspiring to be the best student in all things. You will work harder than you think, the days will be longer than you want and the lows will be lower than you realize but in those never-ending days, those low points you will find one of your greatest successes; the bonds forged between friends.
You will find a family that you didn’t realize you had, fiercely loyal friends that will continue to push you beyond what you think you are capable of, and out of the times that seem so dark, they will drag you back into the light. They will remind you of what is important and push you not only to be a better rider and competitor everyday but also to be a better person.
You will be lucky enough to ride some really incredible horses, and they will all teach you something different. Perseverance, patience, focus and perhaps most importantly humility!
When you lose your dad, you will think the dream is over. It’s not, it’s just the beginning of something different! Out of that tragedy you will find grit you didn’t know you had, and you will be hungrier to keep going. You will miss seeing him at the in gate, but you know he really has the best view, and that will bring you tremendous joy. You will find a group of incredible people who want to support your career, and you will start to build a business that you are very proud of.
Your greatest achievement will come in October 2019 and it is not a win, or a medal, it’s your son Jay. He will enrich your life in a way you didn’t think possible. You will load him up every day and take him to the barn with you and he will remind you why you want to keep working hard, plus he makes it so much more fun! You will be super nervous about returning to the sport as a new mom, don’t be! The days will look a little different, but you will come back and be hungrier than ever to continue as a competitor.
My advice to you, just keep going and don’t focus so much on the destination. Stay present, your only goal should be to be better than you were the day before. Be a student of the sport always. Keep learning and adapting, don’t worry about things not going perfectly, you are gaining experience!
Most importantly don’t lose sight of what is most important. Stay ambitious and KEEP GOING! Repeat that to yourself over and over. You will be more than you ever knew you could.
Love,
Natalia
Equestrian Marketing Firm Athletux has recently restructured its business model to focus on three main areas: equestrian brands, athletes and events. This is a particularly exciting development for brands, who will benefit from Athletux’s wealth of industry insight to help build their image, maximize use of social media platforms and email marketing campaigns, manage sponsored riders, assist with graphic design and more. Learn more by visiting the just-launched new Athletux website here.
Photo via Creative Commons.
The following equestrian events have been canceled or modified due to coronavirus concerns. This page will be updated daily (last update: April 29, 5 p.m. EST).
Due to the sheer volume of events being canceled worldwide, we are now only listing canceled USEA/USEF North American events and major international CCI events.
🇺🇸United States🇺🇸
The USEA has suspended all recognized events through May 3. In accordance with the FEI, the USEF has issued a recommendation that all competitions be suspended through May 3.
Eventing:
🇧🇪Belgium🇧🇪
🇨🇦Canada🇨🇦
All EC sanctioned competitions and activities are suspended until April 12, 2020.
🇨🇳China🇨🇳
🇫🇷France🇫🇷
France now restricting gatherings to 10 people, so all competitions are canceled.
🇩🇪Germany 🇩🇪
🇮🇪Ireland🇮🇪
🇮🇹Italy🇮🇹
🇯🇵Japan🇯🇵
🇳🇿New Zealand🇳🇿
March 17: Equestrian Sports NZL Announces 3-Month Cancellation of All Events
🇵🇱Poland🇵🇱
🇬🇧United Kingdom🇬🇧
As of 3/16, all British Eventing shows have been canceled with immediate effect.
Please send canceled/modified equestrian event listings to [email protected]. We will keep you posted with further updates as they develop.
Shelby Allen and Sally Spickard contributed to this report.
View this post on InstagramEaster surprise!! 🐰🐰Aubrey will be a big sister in September!! 🌸🌸
Big congratulations to Andrea and Buck Davidson! A little dose of happy news each day is important during these trying times, and we wish them all the best with their growing family. Aubrey and the pooch look very excited for their little sister!
National Holiday: (Ironically) National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day
News From Around the Globe:
The FEI has clarified their decision around virtual competitions, saying that it is off-limits for FEI judges to participate in them, and use of any FEI tests without further compliance with FEI rules such as drug testing and welfare assessments is also not allowed. So much for getting creative, I guess? [FEI Rules Against Virtual Competitions]
The great show jumper Flexible won our hearts with his style, and won countless grand-prix level events well through his teens. Now, he’s just about cloned himself in his son, Dawson’s Gold, who is also in Rich Feller’s barn. Rich’s son Christopher is taking on the ride, as the 6-year-old is quite electric, and not only looks like his sire, but acts like him too. [Flexible Lives on in Dawson’s Gold]
The British Groom’s Association has created a video showing how coronavirus can spread around the barn. Even if you’re being super careful and practicing social distancing, it’s easy to forget how many common surfaces we have in the barn. Watching this video could help keep you and your barn friends a bit safer. [Don’t Pass It On]
Fundraising for frangible fence implementation in the U.S. took a massive step forward today. Between the USEA Foundation’s Frangible Fence Research initiative and a GoFundMe effort that raised over $87,000, eventing supporters have raised a little over $100,000. Now, the Manton Foundation has agreed to do matching funds for what you have raised up to $250,000.
The Manton Foundation was created in New York in 1991 by Jim and Gretchen Manton as a vehicle for their charitable giving. Today the foundation is managed by the Mantons’ descendants and functions as a family endeavor. Funded projects fall largely into a range of fields encompassing education, arts and culture, medical research, and community preservation.
“So we have around $200,000, just a little bit over, ready to go out to the events,” says Jon Holling, Chair of the USEA’s Cross Country Safety Committee, after a joint meeting today.
“In these tough times, it is nice to be able to share some good news with the eventing community,” said Diane Pitts, Chair of the USEA Foundation. “We are extremely grateful to the Manton Foundation and to the many, many people who have donated to the Frangible Technology Fund. Our commitment to safety and the mandate to make frangible technology more widely available will continue during this downtime as we provide grants to organizers through this fund.”
Another meeting will be held to finalize all of the details as to how that money is going out, and how/when events can apply to receive the funds. Jon says he expects to have those specifics with the next week to 10 days.
“It’ll be a bit of a phased-in program, so all the events will have access to it at the Preliminary level and above and then going forward the plan is that all of that money that we’ve raised will continue to go out to events into the future until the money’s gone,” Jon says. “There’ll be more fundraising efforts going forward.”
“Really excited about the Manton Foundation stepping on board … To every $50,000 that we raise, they will match that with another $50,000 dollars until we reach the total of $500,000, so right now we’re just really excited. I’m just really excited to come back to you with something concrete and let you know that things are happening behind the scenes so that when we’re ready to event and that first horse leaves in start box that we will have done something concrete to improve the safety in our sport.”
Jon reiterates that frangible fence implementation is just once piece of the eventing safety puzzle, but, “This is a huge piece, being able to have these frangible devices out on course, and this is a way that we’re going to get that done.”
“Thanks for sticking with us,” he says. “I know everybody’s really struggling right now with the virus and being stuck at home, and I’m just happy to be able to send out some good news to everybody and give us something to look forward to in the future.”
The USEA Foundation and the USEA would like to thank the GoFundMe initiative, led by Andy Bowles, Jon Holling, Emily Holmes, Doug Payne, Leslie Law, Kyle Carter, and Robert Kellerhouse for successfully kick-starting this latest effort.
“By working together and combining the money raised by both groups, it has given us this great opportunity to have the funds matched by the Manton Foundation,” said Andy Bowles, organizer of the GoFundMe initiative. “This is an amazing start to help provide the opportunity for organizers, cross-country course designers, and cross-country builders to use the technology available to make our sport safer.”
Grant and distribution information is currently being finalized with the assistance of a newly formed Frangible Technology Fund Review Committee consisting of Andy Bowles, Marc Grandia, Jon Holling, Emily Holmes, and Darrin Mollett.
GO EVENTING.
How to Donate
Donations to the USEA Foundation are fully tax-deductible. Donate today by going to https://useafoundation.org/donate and selecting “Frangible Technology Fund” from the dropdown menu.
All donations will help reach the matching of the Manton Foundation, help us reach our goal of $500,000, and raise the safety of eventing in the U.S.
[$250,000 Matching Grant Gives Frangible Technology Push Forward]
Learn more about the frangible technology fundraising efforts here.
If there’s anything that binds us together as a community, it’s a shared love for a throwback – the more nostalgic, the better. And truly, they don’t come much more nostalgic than International Velvet, the late-70s eventing flick that kinda-sorta followed up the classic National Velvet and absolutely convinced us all that we could romp our way to the Olympics (and a hunky eventing honey) with little more than a foal and a dream. But what was life like on the set of this utterly incomparable bit of cinematic excellence? In those pre-CGI days, how much of the riding did lead actress Tatum O’Neal have to do herself? And which famous horsey household names made an appearance in the fast-paced competition scenes? (All of them, as it turns out!) Now excuse us while we find a dodgy torrent and sob over THAT plane scene again.
Fight back against an energy crisis that can impact condition and performance.
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EN’s Virtual Vendor Village: Deals so great you won’t want to let them get away!
Been missing out on shopping the vendors of spring events? We are very excited to present the inaugural Eventing Nation Virtual Vendor Village, a week-long online opportunity to score fantastic deals and discover new products from our favorite brands. It’s also a great way to show our support for equestrian businesses that have had to close down shop due to coronavirus restrictions. It truly does take a “village”!
The Virtual Vendor Village will take place right here on EN from Monday, April 20 through Sunday, April 26. Throughout the week, nearly 30 companies will be offering a “Deal of the Day” on their products — which means you’ll want to check in on their “booths” daily to make sure you don’t miss a sale! Expect deep discounts, special promotions and product giveaways. PLUS! We’ll be hosting virtual “autograph signings,” live Q&As with top five-star riders and flashback watch parties.
We don’t want to give away too much of the surprise, but rest assured we’ll start dropping hints about our top-shelf assortment of Vendors in the coming days. Stay tuned!
Go Eventing. And get ready to Go Shopping!
How five-star eventer Cathy Wieschhoff is keeping spirits lifted during quarantine: a Facebook Live drum set each night. And she’s not just pottering around with it, either — this lady knows her way around a drum kit!
A little teaser:
Each morning Cathy posts the day’s playlist to her Facebook page, and then friends can tune in live at 8 p.m. EST to hear the set.
Tonight’s playlist:
Playlist for tonight 👍👍👍
Happy at Home 🏡🏡🏡
QuaranTunes with Cathy 🥁🥁🍷🍷
8:00
Tune in 😎😎😎
Share ✅✅✅
Posted by Cathy Wieschhoff on Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Cathy, whose Carriage Station Farm/CW Event Team is in Lexington, Kentucky, has worked tirelessly in the service of our sport over the years — thank you for everything you do, Cathy. And also, we heard it was her birthday yesterday … HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Rock on, EN. Go Eventing.
We’re excited today to point you toward a new-to-the-Wishlist resource: the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Horse Listings. These listings drew our attention for a fantastic reason: RRP has made their online listings free to use during the COVID-19 crisis, as an effort to assist horsemen and women in the racing industry and their charges during this time.
As tracks have closed and race meets across the country have been canceled, there’s an increased need to find Thoroughbreds new homes at this time, and RRP is here to help. RRP also has sample Bill of Sale documents that can be downloaded and used by sellers, and if you’re a new OTTB buyer, be sure to check out this helpful how-to article.
You’ll find a great mix of horses here in the RRP listings — from those being sold directly by their race connections, to ones who’ve already started to enjoy a little down time, and horses who have already begun their second career — plus, you’ll also find horses located in all parts of the country! Here are three that caught our eye this week:
Contest. Photo via Retired Racehorse Project Horse listings.
Contest (RAMONTI (FR) – COOL CONTEST (IRE), BY ONE COOL CAT): 2012 16.0-hand Kentucky-bred gelding
This eight-year-old was race-trained as a youngster, but never ended up making an official start. Though he has no physical limitations to keep him from partaking in any more strenuous occupations, Contest has mainly been a trail horse since 2017, and a very reliable one too, hacking out alone or in a group, over bridges, through water, and near traffic. There’s no reason to think he couldn’t go on to be your next great fox hunter or event horse!
Located in Liberty, North Carolina
View Contest in the Retired Racehorse Project Horse Listings.
Rock On Wye. Photo via Retired Racehorse Project Horse Listings.
Rock On Wye (ROCK SLIDE – HAMSEH, BY DANZIG): 2012 16.2-hand Maryland-bred gelding
Can you resist a well-built, well-bred gelding with a stunning set of dapples? Rock on Wye is waiting a lucky person to scoop him up! A minor bow ended his short racing career in late 2017, but his owner gave him ample time off the allow him heal and he is reportedly sound. He has a lovely swinging and over-tracking walk and his connections call him a “smart, forward-going horse with a kind personality.”
Located in Easton, Maryland.
View Rock On Wye in the Retired Racehorse Project Horse Listings.
Runa. Photo via Retired Racehorse Project Horse Listings.
Runa (LATENT HEAT – C U LATER, BY JUMP START): 2014 15.3-hand Iowa-bred mare
Runa’s connections think she could succeed in anything from jumpers to barrel racing, saying she has the attitude and speed for and she looks like a handy type, indeed! Any rider who likes a pocket-rocket type will tell you as well, that handiness and cat-like quickness are assets on the cross country course as well. Runa is being sold by her owner/breeder whose farm she has returned to since retiring from the track. The farm is a small operation which produces racehorses with their second careers in mind — very commendable!
Located in Rogersville, Missouri.
