The best XC fence ever. Photo courtesy of Horse-Events.
It’s clipping season! I’ve already done my first few body clips from my usual September hairy boys, with more lining up behind them. Most people really hate clipping, but I’ve never minded it. It has the satisfaction of detail oriented work with a beautiful finished product, and also I get to log some great audiobook hours. Am I a nerd? Yes. Do I apologize for it? Absolutely not.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Fleur de Leap H.T. (Folsom, La.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]
Jump Start H.T. and Area VIII Championships (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Larkin Hill H.T. (North Chatham, Ny.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]
The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm + Area II Championships (Adamstown, Md.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]
Middle Tennessee Pony Club H.T. (Nashville, Tn.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Moqui Meadows H.T. (Greeley, Co.): [Website]
Spokane Sport Horse Seventh Annual Fall H.T. (Spokane, Wa.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Sundance Farm H.T. (Plymouth, Wi.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Willow Draw Charity Show (Weatherford, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
News From Around the Globe:
For a victim, reaching out to SafeSport can feel like an impossibly hard step. They first must recognize what has happened and understand that bringing it to the light of day helps them begin to move forward but also helps protect other potential future victims. The idea of going to SafeSport can feel like a scary cliff that they are jumping off. Carrie Kehring shares her experience alongside her daughter Maggie, who recently brought a SafeSport complaint against her former coach Rich Fellers. She hopes that her tell-all will educate and inform others about the process. [One Journey Through the SafeSport Process]
Kurt Martin and his farrier Darryl Mattern made a winning team at the USEA East Coast FEH this fall. When Kurt took on Anna Bella as a sales horse, the barely broke, nearly feral 5-year-old Holsteiner probably seemed an unlikely prospect for the foundation of a future breeding program.v But a decade later her first foal, a gray named Record Year by Upsilon, took top honors in the filly section of the FEH East Coast 2-Year-Old Championships at Loch Moy Farm. The filly placed third overall among the 2-year-olds with a score of 83.5. [Martin & Mattern Win Big at FEH Championships]
Bringing a horse to the Advanced level from the very beginning is no mean feat. Jimmie Schramm did just that this year, six years after her last Advanced start with her retired mount Bellamy, with her mare Eclaire. The pair met in Germany when Eclaire was just four, and Jimmie fell in love immediately. The path hasn’t always been straightforward, but the mare is a beast on cross country, which has made the transitions up the levels easier. [The Stars Aligned for Jimmie & Eclaire]
Best of Blogs: Air Horse One: An American Thoroughbred In England
In December of 2020, Allison Springer purchased and began a few updates on her own Deerfield Farm in Upperville, Va. which boasts a cross-country course with questions for combinations working anything from Beginner Novice through Advanced as well as quality footing in the sizable indoor and outdoor arenas. These updates have paved the way for Springer to host a popular at-home clinic series which provides regularly scheduled opportunities for riders local to Area II. [Featured Clinician: Allison Springer]
