Photo courtesy of MARS Maryland 5* FB.
If you’re all dressage-d out today, you can watch another kind of magic with Elisa Wallace’s mustang demonstration! She uses relational horsemanship methods to train some amazing things with very little (or no) tack. Can she jump big jumps bareback with a rope around their neck? Yes. Can they passage on command? Also yes. She has them in every color, so keep an eye on the main arena for your full mustang madness.
US Weekend Preview
Pine Hill Fall H.T. (Bellville, TX): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]
Poplar Place Farm October H.T. (Hamilton, GA): [Website] [Entries] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
Major International Events
MARS Maryland 5 Star:: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule ] [Drawn Order] [USEF Network Live Stream (North America)] [H&C+ Live Stream (Worldwide)] [Form Guide] [Digital Program] [EN’s Coverage]
Strzegom October Festival, Poland: [Website] [Entries] [Start Lists/Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
If you can’t be there in person, a virtual course-walk will have to do. Check out Ian Stark’s second MARS Maryland 5* at Fair Hill, where he’s kept a few of the hot favorites from last year, but changed it up plenty as well. Don’t worry, the crab makes an appearance, and there are lots of fun challenges ahead for the competitors tomorrow. [Fence by Fence Cross Country Preview]
Mia Farley rounded out the top three at last weekend’s Morven Park CCI4*L with David O’Connor’s thoroughbred, Phelps. Purchased for “basically a dollar” through a tip from Joanie Morris, Mia has been partnered with the 9-year-old thoroughbred since the age of five, and has produced him under David’s thoughtful guidance. Now he gets to enjoy two months off before aiming for another CCI4*L in the spring. [Phelps the Underdog Delivers]
Best of Blogs: 20 Things That Scare Amateurs More Than Goblins or Ghosts
From a polyvagal standpoint, nipping activates the muscles around the mouth, which (like eating, lip play, etc.), can be an attempt at self-regulation (mouth muscles —> cranial nerve stimulation —> vagus stimulation —> downregulation). Similar to thumb sucking, emotional eating, substance abuse, etc., though those behaviours are a bit different as they involve suck/swallow, which nipping does not. But from the standpoint of what is being accessed, it’s stimulating the ventral branch of the vagus, which is part of the social engagement system. Which speaks to a potential need or bid for connection. Rethink “biting” horses in the video below.
