A cool new custom jump in the works with Eric Bull! Photo courtesy of Stable View.
After three weeks in January where almost no rides happened due to two snow storms, February has already kicked off at a proper rate and everybody is double panicked about work missed with their horses. My body, however, is not rejoicing. Isn’t it amazing how fast you can lose fitness? I have a PEMF machine for my horses, but honestly I’m using it more days than not, since riding no horses and suddenly riding 6+ horses a day is not recommended.
Black History Bit of the Day:
Did you know that 1 out of every 4 cowboys was Black? Historians now estimate that between 20 to 25% of cowboys in the American West were African American. Oftentimes popular films and literature that depict the Wild West fail to convey the diverse nature of the Western Frontier. Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s historians and other scholars have inquired more about the integral role African Americans played in the settlement and development of the West. Being a cowboy was one of the few ways African American men and some women were able to obtain autonomy and freedom in ways typically unheard of during the 19th century.
Even the term cowboy has interesting origins. Originally, White cowboys were called cowhands, and African Americans were pejoratively referred to as “cowboys.” Learn more in this fascinating history here.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Full Gallop Farm February I H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Ocala Winter I H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Pine Top Intermediate H.T. (Thomson, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
News From Around the Globe:
To honor the lives of Devyn Merritt Anderson and Jessica Halliday who both lost their courageous battles with cancer in late 2021 Area I has established an annual “Living Courageously” Sportsmanship Award. Both Anderson and Halliday were active Adult Rider Program (ARP) members in Area I. They continued to support their riding friends and family no matter what life threw at them and could often be found cheering others on with a smile. The inaugural award was presented to Katy Raynor DVM during the virtual USEA Area I Annual Meeting held January 26-27, 2022. Several Area I members submitted Raynor’s name for consideration for the award after Raynor combatted an immense amount of adversity throughout 2021 and early 2022. [Katy Raynor Wins Living Courageously Award]
Best of Blogs: Are We Over-Competing Our Horses? By Max Corcoran
Despite the light drizzle, trainers and auditors filed into the tent at Barnstaple South leaving no seat empty for the first day of the 2022 ICP Symposium at Barnstaple South in Ocala, Florida. There were 140 USEA members in attendance, half of which were currently USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) certified instructors and the other half who were eager to learn more about the program and obtain critical skills from the symposium to take home to their students or to apply to their own riding. The morning began with an introduction of the day’s faculty leaders, Phyllis Dawson, Robin Walker, Eric Horgan, Mary D’Arcy, Karen O’Connor, David O’Connor, Dayna Lynd-Pugh, Jim Graham, Rebecca Brown, Emily Beshear, Bec Braitling, Jennifer Rousseau, and Peter Gray, as well as the much-anticipated first look at the USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels. [Day 1 Of ICP Symposium]
The second day of the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) Symposium at BarnStaple South in Ocala, Florida focused on adapting each lesson to the rider you are teaching, especially while schooling cross-country. The morning opened up with an exceptional seminar over teaching modalities and sports psychology from Dr. Paul Haefner. Following an overview of cross-country course design and risk management measures led by David O’Connor, the attendees made their way to the cross-country course at BarnStaple South to begin the educational exercises. [Cross Country Exercises from Day Two]
Video: Puppy in a puffer coat at Jen and Earl McFall’s Dragonfire Farm!
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