Classic Eventing Nation

100 Days Until Kentucky! Have You Started Planning Yet?

By on Jan 13, 2020 3:00 pm -

Chris and Billy out of the Head of the Lake at Kentucky. Photo by Miranda Akins/Photography In Stride.

If you’re in need of some motivation to get you through the next few months of winter, allow us to provide it: we’re just 100 days away from the 2020 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by MARS Equestrian!

The #BestWeekendAllYear is one that an eventer (or a horse person, period) should tick off their bucket list at least once. Soon to be joined by North America’s second CCI5* event in Maryland later this year, the Kentucky Three-Day has a rich history as one of the premier CCI5* events in the world.

But a trip to Kentucky takes some logistical planning! If you’re eyeing a trip to the Bluegrass State in April, you’ll want to go ahead and get a jump on your planning now. We’ve rounded up some helpful links for you to peruse. Tickets are already on sale, and hotels book up quickly so our best advice is to book as much of your trip now as you possibly can. Looking for more tips on attending Kentucky? Keep an eye out for a first-timer’s guide for all the nuts and bolts to making it a memorable weekend.

Kentucky Three-Day Event Ticket Sales
Hospitality Packages
Kentucky Three-Day FAQ
VRBO Vacation Rentals
AirBNB

Will we see you in Kentucky in April, EN? Comment with your plans! We’ll see you at the Kentucky Horse Park, April 23-26, for what’s sure to be the #BestWeekendAllYear.

Nupafeed Weekend Winners: Kicking Off 2020 at Majestic Oaks

By on Jan 13, 2020 1:00 pm -

We’re back with the first edition of Weekend Winners for the new year! This weekend, the American eventing season officially kicked off at Majestic Oaks in Reddick, Florida where riders knocked off the rust and opened the pipes from the Starter through Preliminary levels. Majestic Oaks has initiated a point system and prize money to encourage competitors to come back for their March event. A total of $4,125 is on the line for riders who meet qualifications — and this goes for riders at all levels! Prize money is awarded to the winning rider/horse combinations after the conclusion of the March Horse Trials.

We’ve got a special treat from the weekend, as friend of EN Lisa Madren was on the ground at Majestic Oaks with her camera in hand. Scroll down for a full winner gallery from all divisions. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the results and social media from the first official eventing weekend of 2020:

Majestic Oaks H.T. [Website] [Final Scores]

Open Preliminary: Caroline Martin and Cheranimo (29.0)
Preliminary Rider: Samantha Tinney and Glenbrook Cooley (29.0)
Open Training A: Leslie Law and Rock On Cooley (20.5)
Open Training B: Andrea Davidson and Victor B Z (25.7)
Training Rider: Catherine Shu and 24 Karat Fernhill (31.0)
Novice Rider: Ellie Celarek and FWF Princess Shatka (26.9)
Open Novice A: Will Zuschlag and Lincara TWF (22.1)
Open Novice B: Kelly Prather and Southern Chrome (26.7)
Beginner Novice Rider: Gillian Matheson and Imagine That (31.5)
Open Beginner Novice: Caroline Martin and Redfield Galwaybay HSH (21.8)
Starter: Jamie Bassett and Master Higgins (30.2)

15-Penalty Flag Rule Reform: ERA of NA Seeks Stories/Video of the Rule’s Impact

By on Jan 13, 2020 11:00 am -

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

At the 2019 FEI General Assembly, which took place in Moscow, Russia, in November, all proposed eventing rule changes for 2020 were passed including a revision to the FEI’s much debated rule regarding missing a flag on cross country.

The revision to Article 549.2, which became effective on Jan. 1, 2020, is as follows:

  • a) Clear (0 penalties): A horse is considered to have cleared the fence when the head, neck and both shoulders of the horse (to the point of the front of the saddle) pass between the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged and the hindquarters of the horse jump the dimensions of the fence. 
  • b) Missing a flag (15 penalties): A horse is considered to have missed a flag if part of the horse’s head, neck or shoulder (to the point of the front of the saddle) jump outside the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged. The hindquarters must jump the dimensions of the fence.
  • c) Run-Out (20 penalties): A horse is considered to have run out if, having been presented at an element or obstacle on the course, it avoids it in such a way that the head, neck and both shoulders (to the point of the front of the saddle) fail to pass between the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged or the hindquarters have not jumped dimensions of the fence. Continuing on course will incur elimination.

Additionally:

Faults: In the event of an appeal, only official video recording can to be used as evidence.it was in the event of an appeal, only official video recording can to be used as evidence.

In October, the Event Riders Association of North America came out in support of the proposed changes to Article 549.2 following the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, when the 15 Penalty Rule came into play and had a profound effect on the competition results, as well as prize money and FEI Ranking point allocations. However, ERA of NA noted, “the implementation and transparency of the rule going forward needs to be amended.”

While the ERA of NA believes this update is an improvement on the current rule, we also believe the following points should be considered and implemented.

  •  Assessment and adjudication of Article 549.2 should be handled uniformly at every FEI competition regardless of level or location.
  •  Should there be a question as to whether a horse-and-rider combination has cleared a fence, the issue should be reviewed immediately by the Technical Delegate and/or a member of the Ground Jury as opposed to waiting until the end of the competition day.
  • The Official Video that is reviewed by the Ground Jury should be made public in a timely fashion to aid in transparency and serve as an educational resource for riders, officials and the eventing constituency.
  • Video or photographs other than the Official Video should be allowed to be submitted and reviewed when an appeal is made.
  • At fences where Official Video will be used for review, a clear marker of where the camera will be placed should be present at the time the course officially becomes open. In addition, there should be clear guidelines for officials as to the positioning of cameras to ensure the fair and consistent application of the rule.
  • When setting the flags on a narrow fence or corner, Course Designers could further consider the positioning of flags in a way that increases the likelihood horses are not penalized when a good faith effort has been made to jump the fence correctly.”

On Jan. 10 ERA of NA president Shannon Lilley issued the following memo to members:

The ERA of NA and the Eligible Athletes Group are working in conjunction with Event Owners Task Force to prepare for the FEI Eventing Risk Management Seminar and Forum at Aintree Racecourse, Jan. 24-26, 2020. At this Forum guidelines for the newly revised 15 Penalty Flag rule will be discussed. We would like your stories and/or videos if you were affected by the flag rule last year. The more video footage we have, the better we can make a case for implementing the rule consistently and transparently.

Can you help, EN? Please submit videos to [email protected].

Click here to read the full document of proposed, and now approved, rule changes for 2020. The complete 2020 FEI Eventing Rules can be viewed here.

Kailey Giancola Keeps Kicking as She Begins Therapy at the Shepherd Center

By on Jan 13, 2020 9:00 am -

Kailey Giancola and Pete. Photo by Becca Knopf via the EN archives.

Kailey Giancola, the 25-year-old eventer who suffered a severe brain stem injury in a horse-related accident on Dec. 16, is nothing if not a fighter, and her strength continues to be revealed in her recovery.

After initial admission to Ocala Regional Medical Center followed by three weeks in the Neurointensive Care Unit at the UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, on Jan. 9 she was discharged and transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta to begin rehabilitation. This signaled a huge step forward in her progress as she began therapy with the center’s skilled team of brain injury specialists.

Kailey’s brother, David, has been keeping family and friends posted via a Caring Bridge online journal here. From the first flickering of her eyes to all the physical and emotional mile-markers of moving through the stages of a coma, we are grateful to the Giancola family for sharing daily updates.

Since Kailey arrived at the Shepherd Center she has undergone initial baseline testing, begun speech therapy, visited with her first therapy dog, and was fit for a custom wheelchair with PT. The family is awaiting results from an MRI performed on Saturday to reveal another depiction of Kailey’s injuries, the results of which will help them obtain a more accurate prognosis for the future.

David’s latest update, from Sunday, Jan. 12:

Kailey has had a great day today as she demonstrated the ability to grasp and lift an object on-command for the very first time. Her strength and endurance continues to grow each and every day. She remains very active in all extremities but has been doing much better with little to no vast spikes in her vitals. It seems the neurostorming events that were rather prominent before have settled at least for the time being. Respiratory therapy was back again today and stated that Kailey has been doing much better with her respirations since the changes they had noticed when she first arrived. They feel that if progress continues, they should be able to completely wean her from the ventilator in 5-7 days. [Before leaving UF, Kailey was breathing unassisted for up to a 14-hour stretch.] The new imaging, MRI with contrast, that was requested yesterday has been completed, but due to the weekend, a specialist could not be consulted for a more in-depth interpretation until tomorrow.

You can read more updates and share well-wishes via the journal here. David writes, “We have created this site to share Kailey’s recovery story with the world as she demonstrates her resilience, unwavering determination and spirit to return the riding arena.”

You’ve got this, Kailey!

The eventing community continues to rally around Kailey in every way possible, including contributions to a GoFundMe set up to assist the Giancola family with medical bills. The fund is just $4,000 shy of its $50,000 goal — you can make a donation today here to help them cross that threshold. We hear some #RideForKailey saddle pads are in the works as well and we’ll let you know when those are available.

Go Kailey. Go Eventing.

Monday News & Notes from Fleeceworks

By on Jan 13, 2020 12:01 am -

View this post on Instagram

One rail in his first prelim!

A post shared by KH Eventing (@kh.eventing) on

Phew, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to write “Weekend Results” here on a Monday morning! It feels pretty good to be back in the swing of things in that respect, though it’ll still be a little while longer before I personally go eventing in 2020. But hey, living vicariously through others and keeping everyone in the loop part of what EN is here for and we are happy to be of service!

National Holiday: National Sticker Day

U.S. Weekend Results:

Majestic Oaks H.T. [Website] [Final Scores]

Monday News & Notes:

There were certainly plenty of news and notes from the US Equestrian Annual Meeting, which took place this weekend. From new rule change formats, to the USEF offering insurance and health benefits, and dispelling myths about SafeSport here are some key takeaways courtesy of The Chronicle of the Horse. [2020 USEF Annual Meeting In A Nutshell: Need-To-Know Takeaways]

The path to becoming a top-level competition groom is a familiar one, with the best roles hard-won through working student positions. But are these roles an invaluable education — or just exploitation? This piece, authored by our own Tilly Berendt was originally published in June 2019 in print in Noelle Floyd, explores the blurred line between working student and professional groom along with the benefits and pay, or lack-thereof, that go along with the jobs. [Education Or Exploitation? The Alarming Financial Realities Of Grooms And Working Students]

Do you have a panic attack when you land on the wrong lead after a jump? Would you like to keep that from happening? Irish event rider Austin O’Connor explains a simple exercise to help teach horses to land on the correct canter lead after a jump. [#SundaySchool: how to teach your horse to land on the correct leg]

Monday Video:

Sunday Video: ‘Bomb Proofing’ with Andrew Hoy

By on Jan 12, 2020 5:00 pm -

Bomb proofing your horse for the dressage ring is simple. According to Andrew Hoy all you need is a toddler and a very tiny car. The result is equal parts inspired and adorable.

And if that’s not cute enough, take a look at Andrew’s daughter Philippa ready to follow in her dad’s footsteps:

Photo courtesy of Andrew Hoy.

Go Philippa! We can’t wait for you to take the headlines on EN someday.

 

Best of HN: Book Review: ‘Riding for the Team’

By on Jan 12, 2020 3:47 pm -

Everyone at work makes fun of me because my life seems to revolve around horses 24/7. Shopping for horses on my lunch break? Yep. Drinking my morning coffee out of an equestrian mug? You betcha. Talking about horses to anyone who will listen to me? Sure am.

So my coworker wasn’t one bit surprised when I whipped out my copy of Riding for the Team: Inspirational Stories of the USA’s Medal-Winning Equestrians and Their Horses as we settled into our four-hour flight.

I love books almost as much as I love horses, so this book seemed to be a no-brainer. Riding for the Team features “mini-biographies,” if you will, of over 40 Olympic athletes from varying disciplines, each one as captivating as the first. If I am honest, I initially imagined I would read through the showjumping and eventing sections thoroughly and then skim through the rest, but I truly could not put the book down.

In Riding for the Team, you get a behind-the-scenes look at how most of our country’s best equestrians came to be. Each rider shares a personal tidbit that reminds the reader that they are, in fact, human just like we are and all endure hardships or suffer through mistakes. I found myself laughing along with Robert Ridland, sitting on edge alongside Boyd Martin (You can read an excerpt of his portion here), and gaining a new understanding of the importance of owners in our sport thanks to Chester Weber.

And while the showjumping and eventing stories definitely had my heart, one of my favorite excerpts was from dressage rider Laura Graves. We all know about Laura and her impressive horse Verdades, but I had no clue what a struggle the two shared during their partnership together. Reading Laura’s first-hand account of bringing the horse along to the amazing feats he is known for now was eye-opening. I found myself thinking, “Wow, it is possible to start from scratch and become a somebody in this world after all.”

If there is one thing most of these stories share in common, it is the way each rider had to earn his or her way to the podium. Not only do you get to see how countless riders from all over the world rose to the top, but also you get to hear from some of the founding members of these industries and how the sports have evolved over time. It was a delight to read the O’Connors’ perspectives on how the changes in eventing have impacted the sport.

In addition to reading about some of the people I idolize today, I got to learn more about disciplines I am less-than-familiar with through the masters themselves. Hearing how para-dressage rider Lynn Seidemann or endurance rider Becky Hart earned a place on the USET was not only informative, but also extremely captivating.

I will admit, I read that whole book on my four-hour flight, but that just wasn’t enough for me. So I endured more taunting at home from my husband as I cracked the spine of one of my new favorite books for the second time while cooking up some holiday candy and enjoying a homemade drink. I mean… what gets more equestrian than that?

If you haven’t scooped up your copy of Riding for the Team yet, you will most definitely want to add it to your wish list. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. After reading it from cover-to-cover three times through, my copy is proudly displayed on our living room bookcase, but I can promise you that it will be making it’s way down from time-to-time when I need some inspiration to get me through my difficult rides.

Riding for the Team was produced by the USET and edited by Nancy Jaffer, and reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks). The book is also available directly from USET here. 

#DogsofEN: Winter Woolies

By on Jan 12, 2020 1:00 pm -

We trudge to the barn all through the winter, followed closely by your canine companions. Barn dogs are ready to run, play and eat unspeakable things in any weather. That’s why dog blankets exist right?

Here’s your latest collection of four-legged friends. Keep tagging them with #DogsofEN for a chance to be featured.

View this post on Instagram

Scary jockey . . . .#dogsofen #equestrian #farmdog

A post shared by Paige (@salty.eventer) on

Drop Your Stirrups, It’s Hell Week at Sharon White’s Last Frontier Farm

By on Jan 12, 2020 11:00 am -

The cherry on top of Hell Week with Sharon White? A backflip dismount. Photo by Mary Pat Stone.

This was no ordinary week at Sharon White’s Last Frontier Farm, the last five days were filled with circus inspired, seat strengthening, courage testing exercises, or as Sharon prefers to call it: Hell Week. This delightful idea is the brainchild of Jimmy Wofford, and though all though all the exercises are wildly different, the goal is the same: achieving a more independent seat.

“This is Jimmy Wofford all the way. Hell week is his thing. I’ve done it with him the past four years. This is the first year I’ve done it on my own. Each year it has helped me so much with my position and the ability to know you can sit on a horse and do just about anything,” Sharon said.

“It’s such an important part of your work with horses: how your skeleton affects their skeleton. It’s amazing what you can do with just your seat and balance. That’s what it’s all about.”

Photo by Mary Pat Stone.

Hell Week riders forfeit their reins and stirrups for the week as they are put on the lunge line. From here, they work through a collection of exercises that test their balance and strength at all three gaits.

Some examples: Windmill (arm circles), Body Twisters (arms out to the side, palms up as you twist side to side. Start slowly, then pick up the tempo), Sit ups (cross your arms, lean all the way forward to touch your head to the neck, then all the way back to touch your head to the rump), and Sharon’s personal favorite, Side Saddle (hold cantle and the pommel, then lift a leg and swing it over to one side and then the other).

Besides the physical exertion required, perfecting these exercises is just as much a brain game. “It’s a mental issue at first, and then overcoming that is huge. The sheer since of accomplishment is really satisfying for the riders too. To overcome fears is always a wonderful feeling,” Sharon said.

Photo by Mary Pat Stone.

“It’s intense. You get sore doing it. That’s why it’s called hell week. It’s also great for the horses because it’s January, so some are pretty fresh from their holiday. It’s a good way for you to really make more of a bond with your horse. I can’t recommend it enough – even just having your coach lunge you. It’s a super, super start to the beginning of the year to get your position stronger.”

Do you incorporate exercises like this in your training? Let us know in the comments.

Go eventing.

Calling All Floridians! Demo Horses & Riders Needed for USEA Educational Symposium

By on Jan 12, 2020 9:00 am -

Jenni Autry working on her dressage skillz in the 2019 USEA Educational Symposium. Photo by Leslie Mintz/USEA.

If you’ve ever dreamed of riding with German eventing great Andreas Dibowski, then this is your lucky day. The USEA is looking for demo horses and riders for their Educational Symposium, held February 17-20 at Barnstaple South in Ocala, Florida.

The USEA Educational Symposium is a mega event hosting experts for the Young Event Horse, Future Event Horse and Instructors’ Certification Program portions. Read on to see the demo positions they are looking for.

ICP Symposium

Who: Riders with experience at Beginner Novice – Advanced.

When: Feb 17-18

What: Andreas Dibowski will teach dressage on Monday followed by show jumping and cross country on Tuesday.

How: All interested riders should fill out an ICP Demo Rider Registration Form and send to Lauren Gash at [email protected]. The ICP demo rider fee is $125 per ride/lesson.

YEH Symposium

Who: Horses at any skill level and at any age, though they prefer five years or older AND proven Advanced/five-star horses to demonstrate a successful gallop.

When: Feb 19

What: The YEH symposium will be split into three portions: dressage, jumping and gallop. All horses — from amateur friendly to upper level — are welcome to sign up. Yours might even be selected by Dibowski to ride himself.

How: Interested owners please fill out this form and send to Claire Kelley at [email protected]. There is no fee for YEH demo horses, but riders must register themselves for the Symposium here.

FEH Symposium

Who: Younger horses, preferred age 1-4.

When: Feb 20

What: Susan Graham White and Robin Walker will be the lead clinicians for Thursday, February 20 with the main focus being on judge testing and the assessment of a future event horse.

How: For anyone interested in signing up their young horse (ages 1-4) as a demo horse for the FEH Symposium, please fill out this form and send to Claire Kelley at [email protected]. There is no fee for FEH demo horses, but owners must register themselves for the symposium here.

[Demo Horses and Riders Needed for the 2020 USEA Educational Symposium with Andreas Dibowski]