I was debating between a picture of Lady Gaga or the new dollar coin. I figured the latter was more ‘all ages appropriate.’
Good Morning Eventing Nation! Have you come up with your New Years Resolutions yet? Lady GaGa has. According to TMZ she was quoted for saying: ‘My New Years Resolution is never be afraid to be kicked in the teeth. Let the blood and the bruises define your legacy.’ It’s not the typical ‘Stop smoking/ Quit drinking/ Go to the gym’ resolution that most Americans come up with, but I guess wearing dresses made of latex on the street or mimicking Little Red Riding Hood isn’t all that typical either. To each their own. Anyway, let’s get started on the news and notes of the day:
The 2012 $1 coin will feature a horse and a Native American to represent the huge impact horses had on trade routes in the 17th Century. According to an article from Horsetalk: “American Indians maintained widespread trans-continental, inter-tribal trade for more than a millennium. The Native American trade infrastructure became the channel by which exploration, settlement and economic development in the colonial period – and later of the young republic – ultimately thrived.” Those successes were largely because of the horses used for transportation that allowed for the spread of settlements, goods, and knowledge. It’s nice that the US government is recognizing the huge role that horses played from the very beginnings of our country, but I’d have been really nice if they at least put the horse head on a coin that is a little more popular! I’m pretty sure the last time I held a dollar in the form of a coin was back when I was in my coin collecting phase in the third grade. Oh well, at least they’re trying. [Horsetalk]
Nancy Jaffer wrote a great article about Remembering 2011 and Looking Forward to 2012. There was a lot that happened across the board in the horse world last year, from the federal measure to make horse slaughter one step closer to resuming in the US, to the construction of a major dressage facility in Wellington, to the overall success of the Pan American Games, to the death of Hickstead this fall.. It’s been quite the year of surprises. Looking forward to this year, Nancy writes of two major items: the excitement surrounding the London Olympics and the end of an era that will be when both Mark Phillips and George Morris step down from office at the conclusion of this year. Oh and of course the helmet rules now apply in both the US and Canada. Buckle up, it’s going to be an exciting ride!
A 400-year-old painting by a famed Dutch artist of a rearing horse is thought to fetch close to $US 3.5 million dollars at an upcoming New York auction. The painter is thought to be Anthony Van Dyck, although there is a small amount of doubt as to whether the painting is truly his work. Regardless, Christies auction house has put a reserve price on the painting of $US 2.5 million. Grab your wallets, folks, and book those tickets to NYC! [Horsetalk]
A World Horse Welfare Executive recently received and honor from the Queen for his services to equine welfare. The Queen recognized Christopher Hall, the Chairman of WHW, through her annual New Year’s Honours List. Among Hall’s many accomplishments, he made the decision to increase the charity’s overseas training projects in countries where treatment of working horses is far below par. Hall was also responsible for appointing Roly Owers as a Chief Executive in 2008, together they have made great strides in increasing the charity’s size and scope. The Queen has always had a special interest and fondness for horses, but it’s really nice to see her honor individuals that are so committed to helping horses that have been badly treated or are otherwise in need. [Equisearch]
Heidi wrote a great blog looking back on the past year of her four year tenure with Phyllis Dawson and Windchase. Going from working student to assistant trainer is a big promotion, and one that certainly comes with a great deal of sweat equity and hard work. Congrats to Heidi on a great 2011, hopefully 2012 will be just as good. [Life at Windchase]
Our friends Jack and Jill had their fourth birthdays yesterday, and are looking forward to many more adventures in 2012. [Jack and Jill]
Always one to be at the cutting edge of technology, Doug is now doing Podcasts. Check out the latest one here.
Uptown Eventing published an awesome video with the best thrills and spills of 2011. It’s definitely one to watch [Thrills and Spills]
As a final note, the folks from Area II sent us this announcement about the upcoming Area II Annual Meeting:
The USEA Area 2 Annual Meeting and Year End Awards Luncheon will be taking place at the Holiday Inn at Carradoc Hall on Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 8 am to 5 pm. Pre-registration is open until January 19th and is $110 for both the meetings and the Awards Luncheon, and the Awards Luncheon only is $55; on site registration will be $120. Rooms are available for $70 a night, just mention USEA Area 2! So far the speakers include Carey Williams to discuss supplements for the equine athlete, Kent Allen DVM is going to come and discuss the newest rules governing drugs and medications; the newest way to enter events, “Xentry”, will be discussed by representatives of the main USEA office. Lynn Symansky, a member of the gold-medal winning Team USA at the 2011 Pan-Am Games, will be our keynote speaker at the Awards Luncheon. It’s also looking like Ecogold and Cavalor are both going to be sponsors again this year, which means that there will be some great door prizes! Click here to register.
That’s all for now, Eventing Nation. Have a great day, I’ll see you soon!
