Kids these days….they have a lot more motivation to ride in this weather than me!
I heard yesterday that by January 17th, most people have already broken or given up on their New Year’s Resolutions, so if you’re here with me on the 18th still going strong, congrats! You are already better than average, and it’s not even 1/12 of the year gone yet. In other news, do people actually follow resolutions for the entire year? Do you know people like that? Is that a real thing?
National Holiday: National Winnie the Pooh Day
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Grand Oaks H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
News From Around the Globe:
We are saddened to report that a 22-year-old Scottish eventer, Natasha Galpin, died after an accident while galloping a racehorse on Jan. 15. Natasha, winner of the 2018 Scottish and Northern Novice Championships, was on the grass gallops of a training yard in Carrutherstown, Scotland, when the horse she was on ruptured an artery, caused by Gutteral Pouch Mycosis. Galpin was taken to the hospital where she passed away on Wednesday. The horse also did not survive. Our deepest condolences to Natasha’s family and friends. [Young Eventing Rider, Horse Die After Race-Training Incident]
Looking for some serious mid-winter inspiration for the upcoming season? I got you covered. Or rather, Buck does. International three-day eventer and top-ranked U.S. rider Buck Davidson, aided by Silvio Mazzoni, shared his thoughts on how to ride a well-prepared show-jumping warm-up for different types of horses. “Training horses is about consistency,” Buck says. “If you want to teach your horse to jump a barrel without a bridle and saddle, you can do that. As long as you train your horse the same way, he will understand what’s expected.” [Show Jumping Warm-Up Strategies That Work]
Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The box office is now open for the Gloucestershire event, which runs from Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 May. Early bird discount personal admission tickets range from £8 for the Mitsubishi Motors Cup and the first horse inspection on Wednesday to £30 on cross-country day (Saturday). Vehicle passes are £10 with discounted prices for season (whole event) passes. Children aged 12 and under go free. All admission prices rise by £2 on the gate. [Go To Badminton! Do it!]
Relive the 2018 USEA Convention with this video of five expert course designers discussing the future of cross country. James Atkinson led a panel including course designers Captain Mark Phillips, John Michael Durr, Gretchen Butts, Morgan Rowsell, and Cathy Wieschhoff in a discussion about the responsibilities of the course designer and the many factors that influence course design. The panel educated attendees on how the horse’s vision works and provided examples of how designers use decoration to help the horse see all four corners of the fence. The conversation then turned to terrain, covering how and why designers use terrain and how they use it to influence how the horse sees a fence. They explained how the horse’s balance and stride length relate to the degree of slope. [Education Friday: Cross Country Designs for the Future]
Hot on Horse Nation: Five Horses and Riders Enjoying the Snow
