Jordán Linstedt Granquist and her husband had some very special news to announce on Valentine’s Day: They are expecting their first baby! Jordán and her husband Brad married in 2019 and have said they are expecting this exciting new addition in August 2020. Congratulations to the happy couple!
The second of Rocking Horse’s Winter Series is always a key competition in the winter circuit. With nearly 50 Advanced competitors amongst the hundreds entered, you’re sure to see an assortment of big names out laying the groundwork for a home run season ahead. Lisa Marie Fergusson and Buck Davidson were the most successful of those Advanced riders, winning the A and B divisions respectively. We catch up on the results, which are brought to life by David Frechette’s video coverage.
Tali was brilliant today at Rocking Horse for a 31.3 in Dressage! Now onto jumping tomorrow!!!
Lisa Marie Fergusson proudly took the leading spot in the Advanced A division with her longtime partner Honor Me. The 14-year-old Welsh Sport Horse moved steadily up the standings through each phase, beginning in 7th place on a 31.3 result in dressage. A double clear show jumping moved them to fifth and 5.6 time penalties on cross country — the quickest Advanced ride of the day — finally gave them the win.
Allie Knowles took home second and third place with Katherine B. O’Brien’s Ms. Poppins and Business Class, respectively.
Ms. Poppins, a 9-year-old Westphalian, had a final score of 39.8, which was closely rivaled by stablemate Business Class on a result of 41.
Abigail Niles and Carrick Finest Lad made the massive leap from 19th to fourth by the final phase, finishing on a score of 45.9 in their debut at the level.
Rebecca Brown and Dassett Choice were fifth on a score of 47.6. Bobby Meyerhoff and Fortuna finished sixth with 50.2 points. Dana Cooke and FE Mississippi took seventh (51.4). Kimberly Steinbuch and PDQ Leigh earned 8th place (61.4), Melissa Boutin and EWSZ Jalando were ninth (61.9), and Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara were 10th (62).
Buck Davidson has come out guns blazing with Carlevo this season. He very nearly took the win in the MARS Wellington Eventing Showcase last weekend, finishing second by the slimmest of margins. The pair have run into luck twice now this season at Rocking Horse. The 13-year-old Holsteiner owned by Carlevo LLC won the Open Intermediate at Winter I and now the Advanced B at Winter II.
This weekend’s triumph was wire-to-wire. After earning 24.4 in the first phase they added time in the jumping phases, 0.4 in show jumping and 14 penalties in cross country, for a final result of 38.8.
Buck doubled down in division B, also taking second place aboard Eroll Gobey, a 10-year-old Holsteiner owned by Cassie Segal, Lisa Darden and Natalie Sandler. They added just 9.2 time penalties for a final score of 40.6.
Buck also piloted Copper Beach to fourth place, having one rail down and 13.2 cross country time penalties to finish on a 45.6 for his first Advanced of the season.
Third place went to Joe Meyer and Buccaneer, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Light Speed Equestrian on a final score of 40.7. Clark Montgomery and Caribbean Soul were fifth with a 49-point result.
Happy Valentine’s Day, EN! 💕 We know that you spent it with your four-legged BFF. We can tell, on account of the overflowing surge in #EventerProblems. Here’s your latest batch:
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We are sad to share that No It ‘Tissant, Lynn Symansky’s first four-star partner was laid to rest last month at the age of 28.
“Fergus” was an off-the-track Thoroughbred by Admiral’s Flag and out of Yes Tis. Racing at Charles Town, Philadelphia Park, Garden State and Laurel Park, the handsome grey had 24 starts. He won three of those and ended his first career with earnings of $16,675.
Julia Gomena then introduced him to eventing, taking him through Training level. Lynn met Fergus when she was 14 and he was five. Both young and full of fire, they learned the sport together, leaping from Novice to Advanced in only four years.
Lynn & Fergus sharing a moment. Photo by Dana Voorhees.
For Lynn, Fergus was a horse of many firsts. The pair hit it big in 2003, earning a spot on the USEF Winter Training List and 10th place at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. Lynn and Fergus tackled their first five-star at Kentucky in 2007 where they finished 19th. The following year they also snagged a top 20 result and Fergus was recognized as the best-conditioned horse.
Lynn shared these touching thoughts with US Eventing:
“Fergus was never lacking in personality and had the strongest opinions of any horse I’ll know. His emotions were never hard to read, and his dramatic hatred of dressage and discipline was only rivaled by his obsessive love for cross-country and dirt. We would likely never win a single thing in the modern-day sport, but I can’t think of a better horse to have learned from.
“Fergus was a tried-and-true long format horse—he taught me the importance of showing up and kicking on no matter how far down the leaderboard we found ourselves on the first day. What he lacked in classic technique over fences he made up for in scope and heart. As a kid I had little understanding of his exceptional bravery and power, but it was that feel which instilled a confidence in me nearly impossible to teach without the right partner. It’s what most of us work our lives towards cultivating.
“For every bit of success he helped me realize, we saw even more disappointment. He taught me lifelong lessons in patience, a strong work ethic, compromise, respect, and friendship. I learned that a horse’s most frustrating flaw can also be their best attribute. Whether bruising my mom’s arms in the ‘D’ box as his heart rate rose in direct proportion to the excitement still out on course, or scaring away the barn help from the only place that tolerated him, he would gladly push anyone around in pursuit of his own self-interest. Even in full retirement he would gladly plow one over to escape his stall or the perceived threat of a bath. He acted like this up until the day I had to say goodbye.
“Fergus, thank you for giving me my foundation, keeping me humble, and solidifying my love for OTTBs and eventing. He was my best friend from my early teens, helped me survive college and adulthood, gave me a taste of breaking into the top, and granted me the joy of paying it forward as I watched him teach (and terrorize) others. He was my most frustrating rival, my best professor, and responsible for changing the course of my life.”
Fergus enjoying retirement. Photo by Lynn Symansky.
Fergus stepped back from the top of the sport in 2008, where he went on to teach Lynn’s students Retsy Holliday and Cara Goode. He enjoyed his twilight years ruling the roost at the Symansky’s Handlen Farm in Middleburg, Virginia.
Grace Gorham is an 18 year old eventer currently compete her OTTB, Murphy at the beginner novice level. She hails from Area II and “loves the challenge of having to perfect all three phases.” She shares this and many more insights on her blog, Murphy’s Law of Riding, which you can read here.
Photo courtesy of Grace Gorham.
About a month ago, I saw an ad for a Doug Payne clinic being held at Oldfields School. I knew that I had to do whatever it took to be able to go.
I’ve always wanted to ride with Doug, but I have never seen any clinics with him nearby. Oldfields is about 30 minutes away from me, so it couldn’t have been a more perfect location. As a high school student, the cost was intimidating, but I decided that it would be the perfect Christmas present. When people ask me what I’d like for Christmas, I can never think of specific ideas, and honestly I’d rather have this riding opportunity than new clothes or the latest Apple product any day!
Of course, it’s never as easy as just signing up and going to the clinic. As most eventers know, horses somehow always seem to develop a mysterious lameness two weeks before an event. I guess Murphy caught the drift, and after some initial concern panic it was determined that he had an abcess. Thankfully the clinic was far enough away that he would still be fine to go after some time off. Although it felt like time was being taken away to prepare for the clinic, I am so grateful that it was just an abscess and not something more! And, Murphy is not a horse to lose fitness quickly, so we were safe there.
The days flew by and before I knew it, it was the weekend before the clinic. The clinic was in two days, and the high temperature for the first day was 32 degrees. But at least no snow! I sat out my many layers of clothes and was as ready as I would ever be.
Day 1
On the first day, I walked into Oldfield’s pristine indoor arena and saw that most of the jumps were set fairly low. There was an assortment of small exercises, including an oxer with placement poles, cross rail bounces, and an angled one stride. I was hoping that we would be doing grids because I know that Doug has a lot of exercises that Murphy and I would benefit from.
The very first exercise was an oxer that was maybe two feet high with placement poles in the front and back. We jumped it on a figure eight on what was about a 20-meter circle, which proved to be more difficult than expected when it came to making the tight turn. After Doug saw Murphy jump it a couple times, he told me to stop and go on a 10-meter canter circle and work on counter bending to straighten his shoulders, which is something that I already work on with my trainers. Side note: there was a ton of overlap in what Doug said about Murphy and me at the clinic, and what my trainers at home say, so I was very happy about that.
Doug also used a visual example of how Murphy’s shoulders turn by putting my crop in the pommel of the saddle and showing that no matter which way his head turns, he is still going to go in whatever direction that the crop, or his withers and shoulders, are turned. This was helpful for me to visualize because Murphy can act a little crazy about tossing his head around trying to evade my hands, but I really need to focus on his shoulders.
After that warm-up, Doug added more to the exercise and we did the same oxer, four strides to another vertical, then a sharp turn to the right toward three bounces, and a change of direction to do the whole thing backwards.
I liked all of the courses Doug came up with because they were very symmetrical, which was nice to jump everything fluidly in both directions. The last two exercises we did included an angled one-stride and a bending line to the angled one stride, focusing on straightness and accuracy. It was harder to execute than it looked!
There was a lot of trotting into fences, too, which I liked because that’s one of Murphy’s weaknesses. However, it was also good for the greener horses, because the exercises were somewhat complex and technical, but all of the fences were small enough to make it less intimidating. One of my favorite quotes from Doug over the two days was, “Don’t be afraid to introduce complexity early, just do it at a height where the consequences are insignificant.”
The overall theme of the first day was to slow it down when in doubt, and be precise about what you’re asking the horse. For me, Doug reinforced that I need to use a lighter seat since I tend to drive with my seat by instinct even if I don’t mean to, and I need to strengthen my leg by keeping it down and my knee off the saddle.
Day 2
When we walked into the indoor on the second day, there were lots of new exercises set up. It was still only a few degrees above freezing, but it felt warm compared to the first day!
We warmed up over the same small oxer with placement poles, and I was pleasantly surprised because Murphy jumped it well in a nice collected canter.
From there, we moved on to a bending line from the oxer to a vertical, then a sharp turn to three low bounces on a curved line, which I think Murphy was a little confused with at first – he got up to it and then was like, wait, what is this?? – then a change of direction over a vertical, but it had two blocks set up on the front and backside of it to force you to jump straight over it. Murphy jumped it a little awkwardly the first time and knocked over the block on the backside. Whoops! Next was a sharp turn to the same bounces on a curved line, which Murphy jumped through better, and then back to the first two jumps. I remember after doing this exercise I was thinking, well, we were off to such a great start, but that definitely did not feel so smooth!
One thing I noticed about Doug’s exercises is that everything looked deceivingly simple from the ground. However, you could not get away with making a course look effortless unless you were straight and had your horse completely on your aids. I also enjoyed having to make some tight turns.
From there, we moved on to a one-stride, to a liverpool, to the jump with blocks, to the bounces, and back to the liverpool to a one-stride. Murphy did well with this, and we just worked on making the liverpool jump smoother so he didn’t launch over it.
Murphy had one runout when Doug put the liverpool up to a bigger oxer. I think that he lost some focus since he had a lot of stopping and starting, and it was just a super quick mishap where I didn’t give Murphy enough direction. The first thing Doug said when it happened was that as soon as you have a runout, you need to halt as quickly as possible and leg yield away from the direction they tried to runout. He also said that I needed to fix my line coming in, because although I didn’t put him on a crazy angle, I did not come in as straight as I should have. We repeated the exercise, fixing my line, and Murphy was totally fine.
One horse was having a lot of trouble with the liverpool and Doug got on him. This was honestly one of my favorite parts of the clinic because I got to see Doug’s expertise at work, close up. He made it crystal clear to the horse what was allowed and not allowed, and did so in an efficient, calm and controlled way. What stood out to me the most was that Doug managed to deal with a problematic horse and never once lost contact in the bridle. Seeing that up close made it clear why he’s able to bring horses along as quickly as he does.
By the end of the second day, I was pleased with Murphy. He jumped well through some challenging exercises and he was quite professional.
To wrap up the clinic, Doug talked a lot about how the horses need to be quick on their feet. They need to respond immediately with tight turns to jumps, which means the horse always has to be looking for what’s coming next.
Also, the rider must be 100% clear in what they’re asking and expecting from their horse, because if you don’t give clear direction they will not understand what you’re asking.
As for me, I came away from the clinic with some key points and homework. I need to:
Work on staying in half seat more rather than going straight to my seat
Keep quiet, low hands
Add leg at the base of fences
On that past point, Murphy and I usually find it easy to move up to distances. He loves a long spot! We’ve worked hard in the last year or so to get him more confident and powerful from short spots. Doug suggested I focus on staying at a good canter pace, and be more aggressive with my leg at the base of fences so he jumps out well and I can fix his canter at the base of the fence rather than 5 strides before or after the fence. He said that short spots are fine, but Murphy has to be animated and pop up off the ground quickly, which comes from me putting my leg on.
I loved how Doug taught, because he was low key and cool, calm and collected about everything, but he clearly still has high standards that he will hold you and your horse to.
One interesting thing – to me, anyway – is that Doug often uses percentages when he teaches, as in, “You need about 20% more leg coming to that fence” or “Increase the contact by 10%.” It took me a bit to grasp this since it didn’t make sense in my brain, but for Doug, being an engineer, I’m sure that’s just how his mind works. Either way, I really liked Doug’s focus on precision and details.
Overall, I was pleased with how Murphy jumped and the advice I got from Doug. A lot of it was overlap from what my jump trainer, Jenny, already tells me, but it’s just confirmation from another professional’s eye that we are working on all the right things!
My Valentine’s Day 2019 view. Photo by Abby Powell.
One year ago I was in Aiken helping out my trainer. It wasn’t until after I had booked my flight down that I realized I’d be inadvertently ditching my husband on Valentine’s Day … whoops. He was cool with it though, because that’s the kind of guy he is and he’s pretty great about letting me (and by letting me I actually mean encouraging me) to run away and pursue random horse ventures. In fact, last year I was also away pursuing random horse ventures on his birthday and our anniversary as well … double whoops. This year though I made the point stick around town and have a decidedly un-horsey Valentine’s Day complete with dinner at a restaurant where I probably would have been kicked out for wearing barn boots — a significant change in venue than we are accustomed too. Life is all about balance!
Saturday Video: Jennie Barnnigan and FE Lifestyle took home an Open Intermediate at Rocking Horse yesterday thanks to this double clear jumping round and the fastest XC round of the division.
There are certain names in eventing that are known the world over – and they don’t all belong to eventers. Jackie Potts has been head girl to William Fox-Pitt for more than 26 years, playing her (enormous!) role in his genesis from fresh-faced university graduate to veritable legend of the sport. These days, you can still find her running the show at his Wood Lane Stables, as well as working closely with Japanese superstar Kazuma Tomoto, and doing her bit to educate the next generation of career grooms, too. Basically, Jackie is every bit as much of a legend of the sport as her boss – okay, her partner-in-crime.
The latest instalment in the Fox-Pitt Equestrian video series gives us the chance to get to know this FEI Groom of the Year and total powerhouse a bit better. How did she get into grooming? Where did she meet William? Which horses have provided the most momentous moments of her career thus far? You’ll find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about one of British Eventing’s most beloved characters. Grans, will you be our Valentine?
2019 competitors Remember Gizmo and Kendal Lehari — eventers, represent! Photo by CanterClix.
The journey officially begins today for 616 accepted entries, representing 604 unique trainers and teams, on the road to the Retired Racehorse Project’s 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The 2020 event will take place at Oct. 7-10 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
The Thoroughbred Makeover is a retraining competition open to professionals, juniors and amateurs to compete side-by-side. Ten disciplines of competition are offered, including barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunter, polo, ranch work, show hunter, show jumper, and freestyle (a free-form discipline to demonstrate skills of the trainer’s choice). Horses can compete in one or two of those disciplines. We’re proud to see that eventing is the most represented group, with 153 entries!
A few household eventing names we spotted on the accepted trainers list: four-star eventer and national-level Pony Club coach Richard Lamb, four-star eventer Emma Lomangino, retired Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey turned eventer Rosie Napravnik, and five-star eventers Sally Cousins, Katie Ruppel, Erin Sylvester and Cathy Wieschhoff. Shout out also to 2019 EN Makeover bloggers Clare Mansmann, one of the hardest working and most heart-on-their-sleeve OTTB advocates in the biz, as well as Lindsey Burns, a true inspiration who is also heading back to Kentucky in 2020! Speaking of which, we’ll be scouting out a fresh batch of bloggers to chronicle their journeys to this year’s Makeover — if interested, email us at [email protected].
The five top-placed horses in each discipline after preliminary competition will return for the Finale on Saturday, where they will compete once more to determine final placings. A panel consisting of all of the judges from the 10 disciplines will determine the overall Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, selecting the best-trained horse from the 10 discipline winners. A popular vote placed by spectators watching both in-person and online via live stream will determine a People’s Choice winner, who wins the right to direct a donation to an equine charity of their choosing.
2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion Cowboy Swagger, trained by Fallon Taylor. Photo by CanterClix.
Accepted trainers are encouraged to register their horses at www.tbmakeover.org as soon as they acquire them. Horse registration closes on July 31, but registration upon acquisition allows the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) to better gather data on horses in the Makeover process.
The application process for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover required trainers to demonstrate their skills and expertise through competition results, videos and references, as well as a letter from a vet stating that the applicant had the necessary skills and knowledge to appropriately care for a horse transitioning off the track. The RRP’s selection committee took into consideration both candidates’ ability to effectively retrain an off-track Thoroughbred and candidates’ commitment to the RRP mission of promoting off-track Thoroughbreds in second careers.
“Every year that we run this event, we learn more about how to make it that much better of an experience for those involved, and 2020 will be no exception,” states Kirsten Green, Managing Director. “Our staff continue to devote themselves to providing resources to our trainers and fostering a community of like-minded equestrians that support one another throughout the year on the road to Kentucky — and beyond. This year, while we welcome strong numbers of first-time applicants to the community, we also cheer on alumni trainers who are developing their Makeover graduates as recreational or competitive partners.”
Harry Caldwell and Silken Lady (grey) and Buck Schott and Great Reward (chestnut) in the polo chukker on Finale Saturday. Photo by Anne Litz.
The Makeover has historically attracted a broad cross-section of the horse industry, represented by junior, amateur and professional equestrians, as well as teams. The great equalizer at the Makeover are the horses: eligible Thoroughbreds competed in 2020 will all come from similar backgrounds, with no more than 10 months of retraining for a second career and all having raced or trained to race within the past two years.
This format allows all trainers — the juniors, amateurs, professionals and teams preparing the horses — to compete side-by-side on equal footing. Juniors and amateurs routinely enjoy great success at past Makeovers with multiple top-five finishes; the 2017 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion Old Tavern was trained by junior Charlie Caldwell.
Trainers for 2020 have signed up to bring a total of 670 horses. The full list of accepted trainers for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover can be found at the event website: https://www.tbmakeover.org/entries-2020.
New for 2020, the RRP has added a waitlist for entry into the Thoroughbred Makeover: with the uncertainty of training green horses, the length of time between acceptance of trainers and Final Entry, and the fact that some horses sell before the Makeover, the RRP listened to trainer feedback to develop a wait list process that allows late applicants a chance at competing. While the wait list does not guarantee final entry into the competition, it widens the impact of the Makeover and helps more horses transition into second careers. Trainers interested in applying to the waitlist should contact the show secretary at [email protected].
“The entry process for the Makeover has always been ten months prior to the event for a number of reasons, including simple logistical purposes and to chronicle the training journeys of our competitors and their horses to the public,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of the RRP. “Just as we know that situations can change over the course of a year that could prevent someone from bringing a horse to the event, we understand that opportunities can also arise in which a trainer could gain the opportunity to train a horse for the Makeover that they could not have foreseen at the time of application. The waitlist will be based on a combination of scratches and entries in the various disciplines, and hopefully will allow more horses and riders the chance to participate in the Thoroughbred Makeover.”
The Makeover Marketplace allows buyers to watch, try, vet and buy in one location in one weekend. Photo by Giulia Garcia.
For riders seeking a well-started off-track Thoroughbred for competition or pleasure, the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace will return, offering buyers the unique opportunity to watch a horse compete, trial ride and vet all in one location. Over 100 horses are expected to be entered in the Marketplace.
In addition to a weekend of Thoroughbred competition and celebration of what makes the off-track Thoroughbred great, the Makeover also offers ample opportunity for education for both trainers and the public: educational seminars and panel discussion will take place on Friday, October 9, as well as the Makeover Master Class. Structured similarly to popular colt-starting competitions but without the competitive aspect, the Makeover Master Class offers spectators the opportunity to watch experienced off-track Thoroughbred trainers assess a prospect’s conformation and movement, as well as demonstrate their process for initial training and first rides. A vendor fair provides plenty of shopping as well!
“The Thoroughbred Makeover is much more than a competition. It’s a coming together of the Thoroughbred aftercare community,” said Roytz. “We are incredibly thankful to our sponsors, who not only make this event possible, but who encourage us to expand it every year in ways that will further serve those who love and serve our horses after racing. It is thanks to our sponsors, competitors, volunteers, staff and others that the Thoroughbred Makeover is touted as one of the key drivers for the resurgence of Thoroughbreds in the sport horse world.”
The Thoroughbred Makeover is the flagship event for the RRP, a 501(c)3 non-profit committed to increasing the demand for and value of Thoroughbreds in their careers after racing. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover.
The RRP is a membership-based organization and an engaged membership base is key to furthering the organization’s mission. Individual membership is $45 annually and includes a subscription to Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, discounts on merchandise and Thoroughbred Makeover tickets and more. For more information or to join, go to www.retiredracehorseproject.org.
A few more fun stats:
2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Things to Know:
▪ The competition is open to any Thoroughbred that raced or had a published work after July 1, 2018, and did not start retraining for a second career before Dec. 1, 2019.
▪ Trainers indicate a primary (and optional secondary) discipline on their applications, but are free to change disciplines as the competition approaches and they learn their horses’ strengths. A horse can compete in up to two disciplines, and a trainer can compete a maximum of two horses.
▪ Trainers do not need to have obtained the horse they intend to compete at the time of their application. Some trainers have already obtained their Thoroughbred Makeover mounts, but many are still searching. Trainers may begin registering their horses today, but have through July 31 to complete horse registration.
▪ Participation in the Thoroughbred Makeover Marketplace sale is entirely voluntary, but many trainers take advantage of the extra exposure to market their prospects. All sales are private contracts between individual trainers and buyers; the RRP is not involved and receives no commissions.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes is not only a top rider herself but is also highly experienced in managing all aspects of business development for equestrian clients via her agency Athletux. In a recent blog entry, she addresses a disturbing trend in social media — the unnecessary attacking and tearing down of others — and suggests a simple yet revelatory alternative: What if instead, we chose to be kind?
A very wise woman in both horse sports and life, recently said to me, “It costs nothing to be kind.” With the role social media now plays in our day to day lives, now more than ever, we are measured by how things seem and not always what they really are. This comes in a multitude of forms, both real and fake. In the equine world, and in life, people are pretending things are a certain way be it in their relationships, riding, or otherwise, concerned with how others are viewing them. Equestrian sponsors, clients and beyond are interested in how many followers you have, the type of content you post, and your online image. Like it or not, this is the way things are in today’s world.
That being said however, you can accomplish what you need to in order to attract the right kind of attention without ever saying or doing something that might make someone else feel bad. I can assure you no one has ever said, “I can’t wait to take a lesson from that person, they go off on various social media rants all the time,” and likewise no sponsor I have ever worked with said, “We would love to work with that rider because of the degrading comments they make about their peers.”
Recently, I have had situation after situation brought to my attention where someone said something hurtful and unnecessary about someone else in the equestrian community via social media. In most cases, the people making these hurtful comments do not even know the person they are commenting about. I see it affecting the many young professionals I work with, deeply hurting their self-esteem, making them feel inadequate and a multitude of other things, and I see it with the industry professionals I work with as well. The most shocking thing to me is how people have become so quick to comment on social media about a variety of things, not stopping to think how it could make someone reading it feel.
I too am guilty of considering posting such things, but I have learned it is better to stop and think first about what good will come of my comments vs. how it could make someone feel. Don’t get me wrong, I am not for one second saying I do not have judgmental thoughts of others in my mind, that are not kind of me to have, but I make a conscious choice to keep them there, in my own mind, where they cannot hurt. We are people, we will have opinions, but we also get to decide if we let them impact others in a negative way.
A particular comment made in recent months in an online article about a top U.S. equestrian has stuck with me. In this particular comment, a person saying particularly horrific things about an athlete they confirmed they had never met, said it was their right to make judgements and say things about any equine athlete who puts them self on the public stage. This person used the comparison of how athletes in other professional sports take harsh criticism from the public every day, and the media does not protect them, so why should equine media take a stand for our athletes when comments are made. Why should an online publication remove comments citing “bullying” in equine sports when they do not frequently in mainstream ones?
As someone who married a professional athlete and has many friends who have and currently still play non equine related professional sports, I can tell you a few things. The comments the public makes about these athletes are noticed by them and do hurt. They go to bed at night sometimes, thinking about what has been said, and like it or not, it wears on them in some capacity. If they are lucky, it drives them to silence their critics, but in some ways, it also leads them to shut out the public more. Many other professional sports keep their top athletes away from the public and from fans because of this, so they can focus. I think equestrian sports are special because of the interactions any young person or adult amateur can have riding alongside an Olympic medalist, but it does open these people up to increased vulnerability.
So what if instead of saying our athletes better get used to mean things being said about them (with very little merit in some cases), we as an industry decided to choose kindness. What if instead of commenting something unnecessary on an article, post, or your social media updates, you stopped and thought, could this possibly make anyone feel bad before you did it? What is the worst thing that could happen if you did that? To me the most spectacular thing about our industry are the wonderful people in it. Maybe we should all go back to what my mother told me as a little girl — “kill them with kindness” — because like dressage hall-of-famer Lilo Fore says, “It costs nothing to be kind.”
I am sure people will have opinions about me writing this just like they do about everything else, but even if it makes one person stop and think, then that is good enough for me. What if you made a choice to be different, in a good way? The way I think of it, every unnecessary comment, could mean one more person who does not have to feel bad that day. Our sport in my opinion is full of the most wonderful, hardworking, kind people out there, so in 2020, let’s lead by example.
Big news from Athletux! The agency 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.
February is Equine Dental Awareness Month. When were your horse’s teeth last checked? Photo courtesy of Banixx.
Horses should have their first check-up at 1.5 to 2.5 years of age, then annually from then until they are in their 20s. Then our older horses may need their teeth checked more frequently so that they can get the most value from their food, and in all age ranges more frequent check-ups are warranted in any of the following situations:
Chomping the bit, difficulty taking and/or dropping the bit
Twisting his head in the bridle
Hangs on one rein
Difficulty turning one direction
Ulcers on the inside of the cheeks
Dropping grain/feed, hay ‘balls’ found on the ground
Choking
Colic
Front teeth do not line up – uneven incisors (affects the jaw alignment too!) This could also mean malocclusions (jaw and teeth not lining up)
Lumps seen from outside on cheeks
Behavior changes
Weight loss
Smelly mouth
It is important to monitor a young horse’s teeth and particularly check for wolf teeth and caps (the baby teeth that fall out/get pushed out by adult teeth). Caps can get jammed between other teeth rather than fall out on their own.
In general, most horses need at least an annual check-up/floating. However, horses in regular work may need a check-up every six to nine months to avoid ulcerated cheeks and/or tooth issues. Sharp points, uneven edges, etc. may be more problematic for a horse that wears a bridle, for instance. More frequent check-ups may also be warranted for horses with dental issues. Although cavities are uncommon in horses, they do occur. More common dental ailments are painful points, uneven arcades (tops and bottom rows of teeth), but a Periapical infection, or infection at the root of the tooth, can also occur. Also, a cracked tooth may go undetected without a dental exam.
It is so easy to skip having your horse’s teeth checked but it is such an important part of their health! We ask so much of our horses and their mouth is vital – do the right thing! Get your horse’s teeth checked!
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