Winter, in a nutshell. Photo courtesy of Walnut Lawn Farm.
Its January, and I’ve now had TWO really good flat schools in a row on Turkey. For those of us who don’t go south, this is big, because it means I’ve left the road hacking stage of winter fitness and moved into the arena. I even texted a dressage friend of mine to tell her the good news, and let her know that I was feeling ready for her to yell at me to sit back and make my horse do real work. She gets it, and was excited about the lack of exuberant bucking this week as well.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
News From Around the Globe:
I love this New Event Horse series from the USEA! The USEA NEH Program was created to be an introduction to the sport of eventing for both horse and rider, and the 2023 NEH Calendar is now available here. Adapted from the YEH program, NEH classes are intended to assess a horse’s capability for eventing and provide a steppingstone to recognized eventing by focusing on education and preparation to begin competing in a correct and progressive manner. Horses are asked to compete in two sections: the dressage phase and the jumping test/gallop/general impression phase. The ultimate goal of the NEH is to choose the horse that possesses the talent and mind set and who, with proper training, would be the horse most likely to become a competent, safe, and fun adult amateur, junior, or young rider horse at the Preliminary levels and below. [2023 Debuts NEH Program]
If you’re feeling adventurous, working abroad can offer equestrian and life opportunities that are unrivaled. However, it’s not for the faint of heart, and especially if you are a young working student, the challenges come fast. Blogger Valentina Martinez is a Mexican teenager who left at the age of sixteen to start working abroad with horses, and tells frankly of her experiences. [The Reality of Working Abroad]
Do you know how you get really, really good in a horse sport? There are some truisms: Just keep doing it; take lessons; hopefully have your coach help with your horse occasionally. But here’s the thing a lot of people miss: Even if you’re a novice dressage rider, getting basics from a coach who genuinely feels the training scale in their bones will change the trajectory of your riding. It doesn’t speed you through the levels faster (in some cases, it is the opposite, actually) but for the goal of making elegant, happy horses who can score well in competition, there is no way around it. If you can’t ride in a clinic, auditing is 1000% worth it, for any level. [Audit Clinics with the Best]
Best of Blogs: Five Development Training Session Questions with Leslie Law
Seriously, what is with that one corner of death in the arena? I’ve ridden many horses in many different arenas, and almost every one has The Corner which terrifies even the most sensible of horses. Horse Network asked Equine ethologist Renate Larssen explains why some horses spook at one corner of the arena—and how to re-train their response. [What’s With The Corner of Death?]
