Wishful thinking
Good Morning Eventing Nation, and welcome to Monday! Wow, we’re already almost halfway through January! This winter is already going by fast; it won’t be long before the grass turns green and the flowers start blooming with spring nearing closer by the day.
If you haven’t already had the chance, you should definitely take a few minutes to watch Jimmy Wofford’s acceptance speech for the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award he received Saturday night. A great speech by a great horseman. [USEF Network] And if you don’t want to sift through the entire 120 minutes of the Awards Dinner video, click here to get the straight audio version of Jimmy’s speech.
While Jimmy and Neville really stole the spotlight at this year’s USEF Convention, it can’t go without mentioning that Steffen Peters received the USEF Equestrian of the Year Title this year for a record third time. Steffen is arguably the best Dressage rider the United States, as evidenced by his consistent, brilliant performances over the past years. From his famous partnership with the great Ravel, to his newer but equally brilliant partnership with the up-and-coming Weltino’s Magic, Steffen is a force in the sport and truly deserving of the award. [Yahoo]
The bad news of the past weekend was McLain Ward’s fall on Saturday night in the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix. McLain was riding a young mare called Oh D’Eole in the first round of the Grand Prix, when the horse seemed to spook and veer strongly to the left while jumping out of a double combination, hitting the standards and resulting in a fall for both horse and rider. Thankfully, the mare was unhurt, but McLain sustained a severe compound fracture to his knee in the fall, which required an operation that was performed yesterday afternoon. This is a tough break for McLain, especially coming right at the start of the winter season, but I’m sure even this injury won’t be able to keep him out of the ring for long. Best wishes to McLain in his recovery. [Palm Beach Post]
A full-day seminar targeted towards educating horse owners about equine parasites has been organized by the Pennsylvania State University’s Equine Program. The full day clinic will be held on February 4, 2012, at the Eden Resort and Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for those interested in attending. The seminar will cover topics such as resistance in parasites, modern day recommendations regarding worming rotations and fecal counts, along with hands-on time at the microscope. That sounds like a long day of talking about worms and only worms, but certainly an educational one for those interested. [Horsetalk]
Fran Jurga’s most recent Hoof Blog is about the role that the farrier in the making and producing of War Horse. It may not have been well known until now, but the farrier responsible for shoeing all the horses on the set actually acted the role in the film as well. That man is Brendan Murray, who is better known as the team farrier of the British Eventing Team, having served at five Olympic Games, three World Championships, and multiple international competitions. Our very own Samantha did a great interview of Brendan for the Hoof Blog, which can be seen below: [The Hoof Blog]
As one final note, don’t forget about John and Samantha’s live blog tomorrow night at 6pm. The guests are Francis Whittington and Jon Holling, be sure to tune in as it definitely will be a great discussion.
That’s all for now, Eventing Nation! Have a great day!
