Photo by Valerie Durbon Photography.
It’s going to be a cold, wet weekend at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, which saw 6 inches of rain fall yesterday — the highest amount recorded anywhere in the state on Tuesday. The Northeast corridor has been slammed by heavy rains early this week, with schools closing early in many parts of Virginia yesterday due to flash flooding.
Suzanne Musgrave, Morven Park’s director of development and communications, said the event is prepared for very saturated conditions for its fall horse trials and will be monitoring the cross country course closely as the weekend approaches.
“Last week we needed a little rain on the course, and we’ve definitely got some coming down. We’re expecting substantial rainfall this week and are preparing for a wet weekend. Our turf takes the rain well, and we have a lot of bluestone for footing repair as needed,” Suzanne said.
“We have an experienced team of officials who will make any necessary weather related adjustments, which will be communicated via e-mail to competitors and on our webpage. We’re also stocking up on hot coffee for our volunteers.”
The National Weather Service is recommending that residents of the East Coast monitor flooding conditions carefully, especially as Hurricane Joaquin gains momentum over the Atlantic Ocean.
As we wait to see how Hurricane Joaquin develops, it’s never a bad idea as horse owners to be prepared. Check out this list of hurricane preparation tips for horse owners from TheHorse.com.
How have the storms impacted you so far? Email us your flood photos at [email protected] or post in the comments below. EN will continue to work closely with Morven Park to keep competitors, volunteers and spectators up to date on the latest conditions.
Stay safe, EN!
Update 10/1 from Morven Park: “We are planning to proceed Friday as scheduled. We are considering changing all horse trials divisions to a combined test. That decision will be made by 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The CIC divisions may shift when they run cross country. That decision will be made by 1:30 p.m. on Friday for the CIC3* and CIC2*, and by 1:30 on Saturday for the CIC*.”
[Heavy Rainmaker Clobbers Mid-Atlantic States; Northeast Braces for Flash Flooding]
[Hurricane Joaquin Prompts Warnings in Bahamas; U.S. East Coast Landfall Possible]
