Nothing like the Blue Ridge Mountains at VHC. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Horse Center Foundation.
Ok, it’s the first week of November and I was wearing a tank top yesterday, and quite warm at that. I don’t want to complain about the weather too much, but as somebody who works outside I feel like that’s the tradeoff for not having coworkers to complain about. I’m ready for sweaters and vests, because to be totally honest, I love having pockets where I can stash my phone, my earbuds, and of course hundreds of horse and dog cookies. Girls really get the short end of the stick when it comes to pockets, and so we are understandably pumped about pocket season.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Galway Downs International Three-Day Event (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
The VHT International & H.T. (Lexington, VA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Full Gallop Farm November H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Volunteer]
Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Altoona, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]
Texas Rose Horse Park Fall H.T. (Tyler, TX): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
What happens when you show up to do a training ride and ride the wrong horse? Not only that, but you manage to get on a horse that has been barely started, and has been sitting on vacation for six months. Well, for Catie Cejka, a hilarious mistake led to a successful partnership with a chestnut mare named Valiane. Recently, this unexpected chestnut mare topped the rankings for the USEF Four-Year Old West Coast FEH Championships, with Catie at the helm. [The Wrong Chestnut Mare]
The 2022 Eventing Nation Blogger Contest is underway and we’re pleased to welcome 8 finalists forward to the third and final round of competition.Here’s where you, our readers, come into account! You’ll be helping us select the winner of the 2022 EN Blogger Contest, who will earn eternal EN karma as well as some cold hard cash to pay a vet bill or something equally unsexy. The ask is simple: use the scoring widget below each entry to share your opinion. We’ll factor in this popular vote when making the final decision — but let’s face it, Chinch gets the final call. [EN’s Big Bad Blogger Contest!]
Our entire riding careers, we’re told to keep our shoulders back, heels down, eyes up, hands soft “the list goes on.” Have you ever taken the time to sit back and really examine why we’re told to do these things? There’s often a misconception of what body control really is and riders become so focused on checking off the boxes of “good equitation”that they don’t fully understand the function of each part of their riding position. Body control is not just making sure our body checks off the boxes of a perfect position, but rather a way of riding that allows us to have an accurate feel and control of our horse without inhibiting their movement. [Body Control & Why It Matters]
Best of Blogs: Lessons In Listening with Kim Walnes & The Grey Goose
It’s Breeders’ Cup weekend and the mile-and-a-quarter Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is the big event on the card! There are eight entries this year – see who’s running and vote for your favorite here! [2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic Entries]
