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When you’re a professional rider, you have to take advantage of those few and far between free moments whenever they arise to just take a breather and relax. Just ask Sara Kozumplik Murphy who was just trying to take a little nap, but accidentally ended up photobombing Heather Gillette out on the Advanced course at Rocking Horse. We see you, Sara!
Black History Bit of the Day:
We generally try to keep to equestrian-related bits of history, but with the Winter Olympics wrapping up it feels appropriate to mix things up today! Last week one of Russia’s skaters became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, but she was far from the first to try the difficult skill on the world stage. Thirty years ago at the 1992 Olympics, French figure skater Surya Bonaly was the first to attempt a Quad in Olympic competition. She landed it — but the judges deemed that that it was under-rotated and therefore only counted it as a Triple. You can read more about Surya, her role as a Black pioneer in the predominantly white sport of of figure skating, and also about the history of the Quad in women’s skating here and here.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Jumping Branch Farm H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer] [Live Scores]
Ram Tap Horse Park H.T. (Fresno, Ca.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Rocking Horse Winter II Advanced H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Live Scores]
Stable View Young Event Horse Qualifier & Eventing Academy Schooling Show (Aiken, Sc.): [Website]
Sunday Links:
Alex and Ellie O’Neal: Marriage, Family and Eventing
Safety First: Building Your Own Cross-Country Schooling Course
Jockey Club backtracks on thoroughbred stallion breeding limits
What We Learned at the 2022 USEF Horsemastership Training Series
Sunday Video: Three different horses, three different personalities!