THE water complex at Blenheim. Photo by Bec Braitling.
Yesterday I was giving a usually very quiet horse a little lunge session in the morning, really enjoying those first feelings of fall, and just vibing. This little horse picks up the canter like a good boy, and around he goes, when suddenly a dog decides she has a really good idea. The idea is for her to run straight at the horse as he is cantering towards her, and then freeze when it comes time to decide which side to dodge and get obliterated. Clearly, she didn’t think it through. Luckily for her, my little horse just thought this was a super weird cross country obstacle and leapt over her with a display of athleticism and kindness I did not see coming. Hey, at least my. horses are idiot proof?
U.S. Weekend Preview
Aspen Farm H.T. (Yelm, WA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Flying Cross Farm H.T. (Goshen, KY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]
GMHA September H.T. (South Woodstock, VT) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Marlborough H.T (Upper Marlboro, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer]
Otter Creek Fall H.T. (Wheeler, WI) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer]
The Event at Skyline (Mt Pleasant, UT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
The Fork at Tryon (Mill Spring, NC) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Other International Events
Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (Oxfordshire, UK) [Website] [Timetable] [Entries: 4*-S] [Entries: 4*-L] [Live Stream]
FEI Eventing Championships for Juniors and Young Riders (Montelibretti, Italy) [Website][Timetable] [Entries: Juniors] [Entries: Young Riders] [Live Stream]
News From Around the Globe:
Marcus Ehning adds his voice to those concerned about future of horsemanship in sport. Even for an Eventer, Marcus Ehning hardly needs an introduction, but in short, the man won the FEI World Cup Final three times, has gold medals from Olympic, World, and European Games, and also has won the Aachen Grand Prix three times, including this summer with Stargold. For a man who has won a whole lot, he confesses that his true passion lies at home, with the small details and improvements in horses in training. Read more to find out about his fascinating journey in horses, and how he’s worried that the younger generations have lost their passion for the small things. [Marcus Ehning on the Past, Present, and Future]
Marilyn Payne fell victim to the COVID-era buying-a horse-off-a-video-sight-unseen craze that went around a few years ago, so now you don’t have to feel so guilty about it! She told herself she would never buy a horse without trying it first, but after watching a video of Rock Me Mama, and with encouragement from both her 5* veteran children, Marilyn bought the young Irish mare. Her bet paid off this year at the AECs, where the pair finished in 6th place out of 42 in the Novice Horse Championship. [Judge, Competitor, Mom, Grandma, It’s Her, Marilyn]
The Amato family made the AEC’s well, a family affair this year. Andy Amato and his wife Tonya Cummins Amato had both previously competed at the AEC’s on separate occasions, but this year their 12-year-old daughter Addison qualified as well. So, with all horses and humans healthy and qualified, they packed up from Aiken, SC, and headed to Kentucky. Tonya rode her 12-year-old Connemara Stallion, Get Smart, in the Training Rider Championships, Andy rode his 14-year-old Holsteiner-Connemara gelding Superman in Preliminary Rider, and Addison rode her 8-year-old Connemara mare Hermione Granger in the Junior Beginner Novice division. [Amato Family Shares Special Week at AECs]
Within France’s rich equestrian tradition, the walk has always deserved to be called the “queen of gaits” because of the benefits that both horse and rider can derive from this gait. In fact, there are several notable classical French dressage trainers who believed in ONLY training their horses at the walk until they could fully do everything, and then they would proceed to be perfect in all the other gaits. I….don’t know how, but….they say it’s true. Anyway, I do agree that walk training is important. [Walk: The Queen of Gaits]
