Friday News & Notes Presented by Horse First

The real behind-the-scenes of the AECs. Photo courtesy of Fylicia Barr Eventing.

Inspired by the week of championship riding, I’ve scheduled some lessons for myself over the next few days and I’m honestly so excited. I don’t actually often get to take time out for my own lessons, but recently the weather has changed so I can ride after 11 a.m. without wanting to die, so that’s a huge bonus. Dressage lesson today, jumping lesson this weekend! And maybe some cross country schooling too. Why not do it all, right?

U.S. Weekend Preview:

#AEC2021 (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Ride Times/Live Scores] [Live Stream] [Volunteer]

Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Revere, Pa.): [Website]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Equestrians’ Institute H.T. (Cle Elum, Wa.): [Website] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Silverwood Farm H.T. (Camp Lake, Wi.): [Website]

Major International Events:

Bicton Arena CCI5*: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

Derek di Grazia’s challenging cross-country course shuffled the leaderboard in the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final, with Fylicia Barr emerging as the new leader Barr, a West Grove, Pa. resident, was one of the quickest rides on a day when no one made the time with her own Galloway Sunrise, a 13-year-old American Warmblood mare, who she bought for $500 off Craigslist. “She was a feral 2-year-old when I got her. Like, wasn’t even halter broke at the time. You know, it’s been a really, really long journey. And obviously, as a kid, my dream was always to go Advanced with her. And now she’s here. And it’s a little bit of that dream come true moment,” Barr said. [Fylicia Barr Leads Advanced Championship]

This is the first year that the U.S. Eventing Association American Eventing Championships have offered a modified division, and 36 competitors took advantage of the new offering. Modified division dressage leaders Julie Wolfert and Namibia added no cross-country penalties to maintain their lead on their dressage score of 25.2. Wolfert’s had the gelding for two years. “I am very fortunate that he’s not one of those Thoroughbreds that gets very anxious. He’s spooky, but he’s not anxious. He’s always very relaxed in the trot—he’s almost a kick ride,” she said. [Kansas Native and an OTTB Lead Modified Division]

If you’re not competing this weekend at the AEC, perhaps you’re just inspired by four days of cross country action. Most cross-country courses these days ask us to take jumps off turns. A typical version of such a question, one you may encounter from Novice level on up, is a drop—where your horse has to jump down from one level to a lower one—followed by a fairly short, bending line to a narrow fence. This means you have only a few seconds after the drop to reestablish your position, focus your horse on where he’s going and make sure he keeps his energy forward through the turn. Let Phillip Dutton walk you through how to ride and train this particular question. [Master The Drop with a Bending Line to a Narrow]

Thinking about reseeding your pastures this fall? Good grass cover in your fields is important to your horse’s health, and can save you a lot of money by providing great nutrition. However, you have to know which seeds to use for cold weather, and which seeds are more suitable for the warm spring weather. [Reseeding Horse Pastures in the Fall]

HORSE FIRST know that finding the right supplement can be difficult. Whether you’re looking for a calmer horse, stronger hooves or supple joints, you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for within our product range. Horse First uses only the highest quality active ingredients and are renowned for being some of the most tailored and advanced supplements on the market – “Made by horse people for horse people.” [Learn More About Horse First]

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