Taylor McFall meets her idol, Pippa Funnell, at Blenheim Horse Trials, accompanying her mom on the trip! Photo courtesy of Hawley Bennett.
I’m so bummed not to be going to Plantation Field this weekend, as I was hoping to be able to contest the CIC3*. Unfortunately, I was amongst the many who were at the whim of the summer drought, and with previous concerns over the integrity of Nyls’ feet this year, I was unwilling to do gallops on the concrete hard dirt, and so our fitness was just not up to scratch for the level. However, he’s entered in his first fall competition at Surefire, in the Intermediate, and if anybody wants to see a fire breathing cross country dragon, now’s your chance. It will be….interesting…..but fun!
Blenheim Links: Website, Ride Times & Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @samanthalclark
Plantation Field Links: Website, Schedule & Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Stoneleigh-Burnham School Fall H.T. [Website]
Plantation Field CIC & H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Marlborough H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Tryon Riding & Hunt Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Fleur de Leap H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Otter Creek Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Twin Rivers Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Stanton Farms H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Stone Gate Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
News From Around The Globe:
The deadline for applications for the 2016 USEA Worth the Trust Educational Scholarships for Young Adults and Adult Amateurs is October 1, 2015. The $3,000 Amateur Young Adult Scholarship is available for riders between the ages of 16 and 25, while the $2,000 Adult Amateur Scholarship is available for Eventers 26 and up. Learning to officiate or working with a course designer, Technical Delegate, judge, veterinarian, etc. are also appropriate uses of the scholarship, with the approval of the scholarship panel. [Apply For Worth The Trust Scholarship]
King Oak Horse Trials spent last weekend in style, offering cash prizes to all divisions. In a trend we’d all like to see continue, King Oak supported riders by promoting their tag line, “3 phases, 2 days, 1 event” and giving prizes to first through third place for Preliminary to Beginner Novice. First place won $300, second place won $200, and third place won $100. Congrats to all the winners, and most importantly, go King Oak! [King Oak Horse Trials]
Increased core fitness and stability not only helps your riding, but helps your horse too. Most riders favor one direction or another, either through the hips or the shoulders, but doing simple exercises to increase your core stability could prevent your horse from experiencing back pain or even lameness. Core stability is your ability to control the position and motion of your trunk over your pelvis, which can in turn lead to your ability to control your limbs. Scientific studies showed that as the riders got straighter, the horses experienced less back pain, and an increase in stride length. [Core Fitness Training for Riders]
With the recent outbreak of drug suspensions in the equestrian world, it’s worth looking into calming supplements, and how they supposedly “work”. Anybody with a scientific background might not be surprised to know that many of the supplements on the market don’t have science backing them up when they claim to have calming effects. Studies on magnesium, for example, were done by injecting mice with IV magnesium, but not through feeding them. Calcium, another common calmer, has no direct link to a decrease in anxiety. How much of what you feed your horse is a placebo effect, or for your benefit only? [Calming Supplements Debunked]
This works a little better if you’re already in England, but….[9 Reasons To Cancel All Your Plans and Go To Blenheim This Weekend]
Hot on Horse Nation: A Foray Into Mounted Archery
KER ClockIt Session of the Week with Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy:
“I was in a cross country lesson with Boyd Martin, and most of our cross country schools do work in a progression. It was pretty hot that day, but Bellamy handled the weather really well. The first 15 minutes would have been a trot and canter around and then the warm-up jumps. We put a few together (four or five jumps) then come back to talk about it or re-do anything we need to.
“With every peak in the chart, I was doing an exercise. Each exercise progressively got harder. The lull in the middle was watching another person do an exercise that I wasn’t doing. The next two exercises added banks with accuracy questions, so down bank to corner, and double up banks to skinny, etc. The last exercise was at the water. This was a final prep before I headed to Millbrook, so we tried to keep it light for him.”
Lovely weather at Blenheim jogs…
