Virginia in the fall…it can’t be beat! Photo by Lauren Schwartzenberger.
As far as I’m concerned, September and October are our best months in Virginia, because it FINALLY cools off at night, but it’s not yet cold during the day. To me, there is nothing better than getting up in the morning to bring the horses in and throwing on a cozy sweater as I head out the door. I’m not ready for the multi-layering process of winter yet, but I am so down for sweater weather.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Heritage Park H.T. (Olathe, KS) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Meadowcreek Park H.T – Fall Social Event (Kosse, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]
Unionville H.T. (Unionville, PA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Twin Rivers Fall International (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]
University of New Hampshire H.T. (Durham, NH) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
Not too many 15-year-olds get to partner with a horse that has competed at multiple Olympics and World Equestrian Games, but then again, Olivia Dutton isn’t just anybody. Today, we’re throwing it back to an article about Olivia and her partnership with the late Mr Medicott, who stepped down from the 5* level in 2017 to successfully take Olivia to a gold medal in the 2018 NAYC. [Mr Medicott’s Teaching Phase]
Despite the long-standing tradition for most draft horses, Anheuser-Busch announced this week that they will no longer dock tails on the Budweiser Clydesdales. The move came as Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser’s parent company, has faced criticism for the practice, which is banned in several countries and has been denounced as inhumane by animal welfare organizations. The practice has been used forever to prevent the tail from becoming entangled in the equipment, but docking involves removing part of the spine from the end of the tail, which is a welfare concern. [No More Docking for Budweiser Clydesdales]
Looking for the next great book to inspire your riding? In this excerpt from her new book Finding Your Superhorse, renowned trainer and clinician Lynn Palm shares her favorite exercise for improving your horse’s self-carriage and improving your own riding at the same time. [The Very Best Single Exercise for Improving Collection]
Major League Eventing podcast never fails to bring us interesting stories. This week, it’s Irish Eventer Lee Maher. Lee shares how he grew up in Ireland in a non-horsey family and started riding with his cousin. He met and started riding with Carol Gee from Fernhill Sporthorses and also worked for Joseph Murphy. Lee then came to the US to work for Caroline Pamukcu to help run her sales program. Be on the lookout for Lee at the Mars Maryland 5* Presented by the Brown Advisory Group in October as he has 10 horses qualified for the 4 &5 YEH East Coast Championships. TEN! [Get to Know Lee Maher]
