Photo courtesy of Rachel Martin.
The days getting longer is a blessing and a curse for the horse person, honestly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pumped that I get to enjoy warmer weather and there are more hours in the day for me to ride and bathe and pull manes and do all sorts of fun things. But, there are also more hours in the day which necessitate working outside, hence me spending hours every afternoon this week dragging my fields so that I can spend hours next week throwing down new grass seed. Live on a farm they said, it will be fun they said.
U.S. Weekend Preview
$50,000 Liftmaster Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field: [Website] [Entry Status] [Course Preview] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
Chattahoochee Hills H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Full Gallop Farm March H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Stabling] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Rocking Horse Winter III H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Sporting Days Farm March H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Southern Pines H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]
News From Around the Globe:
Red Hills Horse Trials will be implementing biosecurity precautions at next weekend’s Tallahassee, Fl. event due to ongoing concerns about EHV-1. To date, one case has been reported in Ocala, Fl. Red Hills posted the following on its website:
Biosecurity measures will be implemented at Red Hills due to a confirmed case of EHV-1 in a horse in Ocala. Three-Day Health Certificates will be required for each horse coming to Red Hills. Health Certificate Extensions will not be accepted. Each horse will have its temperature checked upon arrival at the showgrounds. Any horse with a sustained temperature of 102 degrees or more, and all horses traveling with that horse, will be asked to leave the show grounds.
Twice daily temperatures will be required to be taken and recorded for every horse on grounds during the event. Please be sure to pack thermometers
It caught a lot of eventers by surprise a week ago when they learned that the USEA’s Cross-Country Safety Subcommittee was recommending a rule change that would significantly toughen the minimum eligibility requirements to move up the levels, as well as establishing a tiered licensing system based on rider experience. COTH spoke to Danny Warrington, a member of the USEA Rider Safety Subcommittee, former steeplechase rider and upper-level eventer, and founder of the LandSafe Rider Fall Safety System, to find out how the committee came to these changes and what they mean for the sport as a whole. [Danny Warrington Explains New MER Rules]
One case of EHV-1 has been reported in Chester County, Pa. after a horse exhibiting neurological symptoms was euthanized at New Bolton Center on March 4.
Ketki Hotaling is an Indian American show jumper from Minnesota. She started loving horses at the age of three, and considered the barn her sanctuary. However, growing up in a majority white area, she was always told that she had to be on her best behavior, because she “stood out”. She has experienced racism from the equestrian community in subtle, and not so subtle ways. This is her open letter. [An Open Letter From an Indian Rider]
When you think about the challenges of riding, the physical is almost nothing close to the mental. To be able to survive and even thrive within the equestrian world, you really have to be able to control your mind in the saddle and out. Daniel Stewart talks this week about the anxiety cycle. Learn more about the chemical and scientific side effects of avoiding danger, and the way your brain tricks you into not succeeding. [Pressure Proof with Daniel Stewart: The Anxiety Cycle]
Best of Blogs: Advice for the Young and Talented: Don’t Settle Down Just Yet
Best of Blogs Pt II: On Burnout
Get your education on! Registration for Clarkson University’s new online equine studies course, BEA 113: Business and Bias in the Equestrian Industry, to be taught by Professor Piper Klemm, Ph.D., is open now! The two-credit-hour course, set for May 24 – June 26, 2021, provides students with an intellectual skill set to navigate through and flourish within the equestrian industry and is aimed at educating not only college students, but high schoolers, equestrian professionals, equine business owners and others alike.
