Happy Thursday, Eventing Nation! I have finally returned from my two month sojourn down south, culminating in my first experience at Red Hills Horse Trials as a competitor, and then the long 14 hour drive back to Virginia. I am now enduring what I like to call my “Aiken Hangover”, which is manifesting itself as a head cold and an insatiable appetite for home cooked meals. While I enjoyed my spring “vacation”, I am so unbelievably happy to be home, and once again have access to my kitchen, my dogs, and my bed. If you know anything about me, these three things have been desperately lacking in my life, and I’m excited to get cooking, sleeping, and dog snuggling again!
Events This Weekend:
Feather Creek Farm HT: [Website] [Ride Times]
The Event at 3 Day Ranch: [Website]
Copper Meadows HT: [Website] [Ride Times]
Pine Top Spring HT: [Website] [Ride Times]
News from Around the Globe:
Dutch rider Merel Blom encountered a nightmare highway situation, when she and four of her horses got stuck in the trailer for 30 hours due to snow blocking the road. “Now out of water for the horses. Trying to melt snow for them. Getting sick and tired of the situation,” she tweeted, followed by: “Pls retweet! If someone has information or can help, we are with 4 horses on the A1, for 30 hours now. Help!” She was finally saved when she took her motor-scooter around the snowy fields and found a chicken farmer who offered her some hay and water for her horses. [Event Rider Stranded in Highway Due to Snow]
Because of the horsemeat scandal, officials in Iceland tested local meat pies and were surprised to discover….that there wasn’t any meat at all in them! “That was the peculiar thing,” Icelandic meat inspector Kjarton Hreinsson said in a telephone interview last Friday. “It was labelled as beef pie, so it should be beef pie.” [Not-So-Horsemeat Scandal]
It’s beginning to look a lot like….Spring! Yay! Except for the fact that some nasty weeds might be starting to grow in your horse’s paddock. Get a head start on your year with this handy slideshow of some common weeds that can cause serious harm to your horse if ingested, and keep an eye out for those suckers! Here in the wilderness of Virginia, we usually spend at least a day per week walking the fields to look for groundhog holes, poisonous weeds, and loose fenceboards. [Common Pasture Weeds]
Sitting at your desk with nothing to do? Why not reminisce about your childhood and read some chapters from Black Beauty. The Anna Sewell novel was one of my favorites, and giving it a look over once every few years always puts me in a good mood. [Read Black Beauty Online]
Hettie the cow thinks she is a pony, and as such, participates in activities such as pulling a buggy, jumping jumps, and hanging out with other ponies. She was orphaned as a young calf, and given to a woman named Amanda who runs a pony display team called “Chariots of Fire”. “Cows are terribly on forehand so they’re really difficult to steer,” she said. “You can turn their head but the body doesn’t always follow so you can be going along the road and end up in hedge! It’s hilarious!” [Hettie The Cow/Pony]
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See above note for information on this cow that apparently thinks she is a pony.
