Throwback Thursday: Me, aged 4, dragging my pony around and wearing the best tiny pair of chaps ever. You're welcome.
OCTOBER?! I can’t believe it’s October already. Fall and the holiday season always sneaks up on me. Maybe it’s because I live in Virginia, and the weather is basically hot and muggy until it snows, and there really isn’t a whole lot of in-between. A friend asked me the other day what I was planning for a Halloween costume, and I immediately replied that the Virginia Horse Trials usually fall on Halloween, so I haven’t dressed up in many, many years … and then I realized my friend is not a horse person. At all. Can’t I just wear my top hat and tails as a costume? Is there something witty that goes along with that? Some sort of pop culture reference that I’m missing?
North American Weekend Preview:
Kent School Fall H.T. [Website]
Morven Park Fall CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
WindRidge Farm Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
ESDCTA New Jersey at the Horsepark H.T. [Website]
Woodside International CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Vittoria Panizzon is a lady that I would definitely like to ride with, and therefore I will be reading her seven tips for equine fitness. How each upper level rider goes about getting horses fit for the top levels while also maintaining their soundness is fascinating, because it is definitely an art unto itself. Vittoria recommends hacking for an hour every day, in addition to regular work, and includes hills in her gallop routine for extra oomph. [Vittoria Panizzon’s 7 Tips To Fitness]
Paul Tapner’s former head girl, Zoe Wilkinson, has just triumphed over many others who were vying for the Mark Todd Bridging The Gap Scholarship. Zoe will receive support and training for the 2015 competition season including three private training sessions and mentoring from Mark. She also wins £1500 worth of Keyflow Feed and £1500 worth of clothing, tack and horse wear from the Mark Todd Collection. [Former Head Girl Wins Mark Todd Scholarship]
What’s the worst injury that you’ve sustained while riding…and continued riding with, much to your doctor’s chagrin? British dressage rider Jody Haswell fell off a young horse in 2013, and got a bit banged up, but continued on with his life, including riding six to ten horses a day and tending to his new triplets with his wife. Eighteen months later, Jody had to go to the doctor because of crippling migraines. Turns out, Jody had a broken neck. “Don’t be a fool like me”. [Riding With A Broken Neck]
I’ve always vaguely wondered how horses with broken ribs, a broken pelvis, or a fractured skull recover and seem to do well afterwards. Think about all the wonderful comeback stories we’ve heard, even recently from Ashley Russell, whose horse flipped and broke his pelvis and withers, how do they recover? This fascinating article from The Horse lays out all the details for various fracture injuries for horses, and how to treat them for full recovery. [Fractures: Beyond The Limbs]
Can’t turn down a little inspirational video action right before a competition weekend …
