One of my favorite fields in summer. Photo by Kate Samuels.
I love that riding horses is one of the few ways to really explore anymore, unless you’re some kind of lunatic who hikes all the time. And even then, hikers don’t always get the same access that riders do through neighborhood equestrian throughway permission. I’m unbelievably lucky to have grown up with my horses in an area of Virginia where there are lots of equestrians, and lots of fox hunting. While I don’t hunt anymore, it does have the advantage of an enormous trail system covering several properties that connect right to mine. My neighbor has about 2,000 acres, all in conservation easement and all horse friendly,
U.S. Weekend Preview
FENCE H.T. (Tryon, NC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]
Longleaf Pine H.T. (Raeford, NC) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Plantation Field Horse Trials (Coatesville, PA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Poplar Place April H.T. (Hamilton, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Spring Bay H.T. (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Entries / Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Twin Rivers Spring International (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries / Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
The Badminton entry list – which doesn’t have a waitlist for the first time in memory — has been slightly diminished. One high-profile withdrawal comes from young superstar Bubby Upton, whose Cannavaro (one of two on her roster for the event) sadly sustained an injury after his eleventh place finish at Thoresby. The other comes from longtime five-star competitor Louise Harwood, whose entry was invalidated by the FEI’s tightening of qualifications in November. You can read more here.
It’s bad news for bad men this week: showjumper Rich Fellers, whose name already sets the sport up for far too many jokes from the mainstream media, is potentially looking at a federal prison sentence after sexually assaulting an underage student. Sucks to be him.
Regulating education standards in the industry is a complex and ongoing issue, but the introduction of instructor certification programs is a huge help. George Williams makes a compelling argument for why we should all be using them more — and why fear of failure isn’t a good enough reason not to. Dive in.
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