Between the ears in Colorado. Photo by Amanda Wilder.
Ok, for real, everybody stop what you’re doing right now and do a rain dance for Virginia. All year we had such nice weather, with regular rain to keep everything super lush. I was even complaining about mowing the grass too frequently! Well, that’ll teach me, because in just one month of no rain, everything has turned into crispy, sad, brown stuff, and there is so much dust in the air I think I’m turning into dust every day. Please, please, please, whatever power above that may or may not exist, or just like, clouds and winds, PLEASE bring rain to Virginia. I’m literally begging you, and all my horses will also be appreciative.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Applewood Farm YEH & Mini Event (Califon, NJ) [Website] [YEH Ride Times] [Mini Event Ride Times]
CDCTA Fall H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Volunteer]
Five Points H.T. (Raeford, NC) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Flora Lea Fall H.T. (Medford, NJ) [Website] [Entries][Ride Times]
Larkin Hill Fall H.T. (North Chatham, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
In a twist I don’t think anybody ever saw coming, former top Canadian show jumper Eric Lamaze has been proven in an Ontario court to have lied about a brain tumor for many years. Former Canadian top rider Eric Lamaze has been exposed in an Ontario court as a fraudster who falsified medical documents to lead the world, and judges, into believing that he had a brain tumor that needed to be treated through surgery and chemotherapy. During a lawsuit involving the sale of three horses, it became clear that the documents presented by Lamaze that he listed as supporting evidence were all forged (and there is not a single evidence so far that there is any truth) for the very serious brain tumor that Lamaze has claimed to have for years. If that’s not enough, he’s currently being sued by several former clients for incredibly messy horse sales deals gone wrong. [Eric Lamaze Fakes a Brain Tumor]
Ever wondered about donating a horse for continued education at college? College equestrian programs provide students with opportunities to compete in equestrian events as their primary sport and can also introduce newcomers to the horse world with the opportunity to hone their skills. Most college programs thrive on donated horses — they may not have the budget to purchase animals. If you may be considering donating your horse to a college equestrian program, here are some things to consider. [Donating Your Horse to a College Program]
Dressage judging is always a tricky job, but one researcher is saying there are ways to make it more reliable. Inga Wolframm has identified inadvertent potential biases in the scoring of high-level dressage judges which she says create a cascade effect benefiting a specific group of riders. She says a clear evidence-based set of judging guidelines should be developed for the discipline to assist judges in providing objective, transparent scores. This, she said, would prevent judges from having to resort to cognitive shortcuts. That way, the complexity of judging is reduced, making scores more objective, transparent and fair. [Improve Dressage Judging and Remove Bias]
If anybody knows how to stay cool under pressure, it’s Carl Hester’s groom and Alan Davies’ replacement, Lucy Scudamore. The well-beloved Alan Davies stepped back from the position of head traveling groom at the beginning of 2023, and Lucy has stepped up to plate. Grooming for the best riders in the world is no mean feat, but Lucy, 26, has learnt from the best in Alan, and was thrown in the deep end when she travelled to her first championship, which was none other than the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where “everything was magnified”. [Grooming for the Stars]
