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Ever wondered if there was an easier way to ice your horse’s legs than boots, which warm up quickly, or those tricky rubber wellingtons? Course there is — just train your horse to get in an ice bath! YMMV.
National Holiday: It’s National Croissant Day. Consider doing a coffee shop run for your barn’s staff this morning – they’ll always appreciate some caffeine and a pastry!
U.S. Weekend Action:
Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Results]
Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, FL): [Website] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
Here’s something interesting to consider: is it actually a little bit insensitive to get a Jockey Club tattoo? I’m a tatted rider myself, and although I don’t have an OTTB at the moment, I used to — and when I was a teenager, I definitely wanted to get his number inked on me as a tribute to a horse who meant the world to me. I’m glad, in hindsight, that I didn’t, because as this thoughtful piece points out, the history of numerical tattoos is considerably darker than us well-intentioned pony-mad folks and our four-legged fur-babies. [Skip the numbers]
Contact is one of the wiliest concepts in the horse world. What does it actually feel like when it’s good? How do we know if we’ve got too much — or too little? What’s the ratio between leg and hand actually supposed to feel like? [Here are some answers for ya]
From working part-time at Applebees to fund her eventing to running two thriving businesses, Liz Lund has figured a few things out. Check out her story, and bottle a little bit of her relentless positivity to take into your week. [You go, Liz Lund]
We’re a month into 2023, and that means that riders with spring five-stars on their calendars are gearing up, big time. For some, that doesn’t just mean scheduling in some more dressage lessons or beginning to ramp up the fast work – it means focusing hard on fundraising, too. For California’s Lauren LoPiccolo, that’s at the forefront of her mind as she aims for Kentucky with her horse, Diego. Fortunately, this hard-working trainer and mom has plenty of great ideas to raise the funds. [Check out what she’s up to]
The FutureTrack Follow:
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Want to make 2023 the year you become the best horseperson you can be? I love this account for its horse-first training tips and insights that remind me to discard any shred of ego and listen to what the horses in my life are telling me – even when they’re telling me uncomfortable truths.
Morning Viewing:
Bid farewell to Caroline Powell’s extraordinary Burghley winner and Olympic mount Lenamore, who died yesterday at the age of 31, with this compilation of clips.