There’s much to learn when it comes to caring for horses, and we’re fortunate to have groups like the USEA Grooms’ Association, which hosts educational seminars in Ocala and Aiken each winter. Each session focuses on a different aspect of horse management and is open to anyone to attend for a nominal donation to the Grooms’ Association. This week in Ocala (January 28), you can attend one of show jumping course designer Chris Barnard’s popular seminars on theory, design, materials, rules, and much more. This seminar will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the World Equestrian Center – Ocala in Indoor 2 (see a site map of WEC Ocala here).
Also on January 28 at 6:30 p.m., but happening in Aiken at Bruce’s Field, a seminar will be held on The Importance of Good Feet and the Art of a Good Farrier, featuring Red Oak Equine co-founder Dan Martzall CF.
To see more information and schedules for future sessions, visit the USEA Grooms’ Association on Instagram here.
U.S. Weekend Results
Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (FL): [Website] [Scores]
Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (SC): [Website] [Scores]
News & Reading
We are very much in the digital era when it comes to managing our businesses and our competitions. How can we expect to see benefits from making use of digital tools? By expanding the convenience factor associated with entering and managing events, unrecognized or not, the sport becomes accessible to a wider range and greater number of people. STRIDER’s Natasha Sprengers-Levine writes more here.
It’s no secret that burnout is a very real thing that those working in our industry suffer from regularly. Balancing a career, in many cases a family, the benefit of the horse, competitive aspirations, and scraping enough money together day in and day out to keep the whole wheel spinning — it’s enough to cause anyone to spin out, even just a little. A summarization of one researcher’s finding about this subject can be read here.
Can social media be used to create a better dialogue around social license and equestrian sports? Social media is a volatile environment, but it can also be a forum in which opinions can flow and constructive dialogue can effect real change. But that takes a responsibility from each and every one of us. Read more thoughts on how social media could be leveraged to build a more sustainable future for our sports here.
The BridgeUP GiddyUP program in Tennessee is showing the community around it just how incredible horses can be for all. A writer for The Plaid Horse traveled to Tennessee to meet this group, and the lessons he took away can be read here.
Video Break:
Cowboy dressage at Ben Hobday’s, anyone?
