Caitlin and Hoku last Friday at Plantation, photo via Samantha.
Good morning EN, today our lead story is to send lots of EN Karma and get-well wishes to Caitlin Silliman, who suffered a fall yesterday and is in the hospital with a fractured skull. According to Schramm Equestrian’s Facebook update, she is stable but being kept overnight so that doctors can keep an eye on her. This weekend Caitlin finished third in the CIC** at Plantation with Remmington XXV, and 16th in the CIC*** with her superstar mare Catch A Star. We are all sending good thoughts and prayers her way for a speedy and easy recovery. [Schramm Equestrian]
As you may have noticed due to the extensive (not to mention great!) coverage Samantha provided over the weekend, the Plantation Field CIC was last weekend. The Chronicle’s Joanie Morris sat down with landowner Katie Walker and organizer Denis Glaccum to talk to them about how they grew a cattle-grazing pasture into a three-star event, and their plans for the future. Denis and Katie emphasize the historical import of Unionville as a horse-centric area (also the site of the famed Chesterland horse trials), and its current status as a magnet for Olympians and up-and-comers alike. After adding many new features this year like tailgating, mechanical bull rides, and an expanded vendor village, in the future Denis would like to highlight Chester County’s agricultural character by getting the local 4-H and Amish community involved. Their goal is to continue to work to make Plantation a true “destination” for spectators, riders, and owners alike- even attracting international competitors, Denis says, because “the way to get competitive is to compete against those that are.” And the best part? The event is not going anywhere. Unionville and Chester Country are part of a huge land conservancy with strict anti-development codes, and according to Katie this is what sets Plantation truly apart.”Talk about something rare: On the Eastern Seaboard to have 30,000 acres of contiguous conserved and preserved acres of land—to never be changed—is something that isn’t going to exist in 10 or 20 years. This is a Mecca now, and it will be even more so in the future.” [The Chronicle]
Breaking news from across the pond today: Hickstead Derby winner Paul Beecher has had €20,000 worth of tack stolen from his yard. Beecher told Horse & Hound that his tackroom was cleaned out while he was out in a field filming for a television program. 14 saddles were taken, as well as all of his show bridles. The saddles included Prestige and Jaguar models, and some even have his name embroidered on them. Beecher, who is based in Ireland, thinks that the tack is probably in England by now, and is urging everyone to keep an eye out for any saddles that match his descriptions. [Horse & Hound]
Also over in England, Chinese Olympic eventer Alex Hua Tian tried his hand at hunter shows for the first time. He entered the National Hunter Show at Bury Farm with a five-year-old that he has also evented for owner Rosemary Penn, who wanted the mare to also get some traditional show ring experience. According to Alex, while hunter divisions are very much out of his comfort zone, he had a lot of help and advice from veterans along the way, and that prevented him from making “some terrible faux pas — my white numnah and black tack.” Substantial research by this blogger has revealed that a “numnah” is a saddle pad. Congrats to Alex. [Horse & Hound]
Nominations are now open for the The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award. The award was jointly established by the USEF and The EQUUS Foundation in 2009 in order to honor members of the equestrian community for humanitarian actions, specifically to ” spotlight and exalt the selfless dedication one individual or a group of individuals has made, whether on a regional or national scale.” The award is presented at the USEF’s annual Pegasus Awards Dinner in January, and the recipient will receive a $5,000 grant from The EQUUS Foundation to be awarded to the equestrian or horse-related charity of his or her choice. Nominations will be accepted through November 9. [Horse Channel]
You may remember the story of Rita Crundwell, a top quarter horse breeder who is accused of wire fraud and of stealing $US53 million from the city of Dixon, IL, where she worked as financial controller for 22 years. The two-day auction of her trucks, trailers, equipment, and seized horses took place over the weekend and brought in a whopping $4.78 million. This is on top of the $1.64 million raised in an online auction of 80 horses formerly owned by Crundwell that were spread over several states. The most expensive purchase of the weekend was that of world champion stallion Good I Will Be, who sold for $775,000 to a Canadian buyer. The money from the auctions is being held in a trust that will be turned over to the city of Dixon if Crundwell is convicted, or back to her if she is acquitted (minus the cost of caring for the horses since her arrest, which is estimated at $1.3million). She has pleaded not-guilty. [Horsetalk]
Weird news of the day: A Florida man is in jail after riding his horse down train tracks while intoxicated, forcing police to stop a train to avoid killing him. Apparently officers approached him before he reached the tracks, but he refused to stop and talk to them because he was on his way to his grandmother’s house. When they persisted, he galloped off and found his way to the tracks and proceeded to follow them. Eventually he dismounted and ran into the woods, where he was subsequently Tased and subdued. He has been charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest without violence, fleeing police, cruelty to an animal, and interfering with railroad equipment. [Horsetalk]
Best of Blogs:
Team Wallace continues training for the Extreme Mustang Challenge.
Harriet Walker, a British rider who has just finished her A-levels, is taking a gap year before going to college to be a working student at Limpopo Valley Horse Safaris in Botswana. She leaves in three days and will be blogging about her experiences for Horse & Hound. Read her first entry here, and be jealous.
Steve Haskin, editor of Blood Horse Magazine and a famed racing industry journalist/author, asked his daughter Mandy to write a guest post on his personal blog about her experiences growing up surrounded by many of the most famous racehorses of the past twenty years- among them Seattle Slew, Affirmed, John Henry, Mr. Prospector, Northern Dancer, and Secretariat. The coolest part of the blog is at the bottom, where Haskin has included photos of his young daughter and many of the four-legged legends. Click to read Mandy’s reflections and see the photos yourself.
That’s all for now EN, thanks for reading and enjoy your Wednesday!
