A very rare sight in North Carolina: snow and ice covered fields. Photo via Thalia Farm on Facebook.
I’ve come to the conclusion that this is quite possibly the worst winter I’ve experienced in a very, very long time. While I am still fairly buried under eight inches of snow, I at least have heat wave worthy temperatures of 50 heading my way this weekend to look forward to. For all of you iced in on the East Coast, I send you my deepest sympathies! For those stuck in the more southern parts, it’s difficult to recover quickly from a snowstorm as there are no plans in place for road treatment or snow removal since this type of weather is so rare. Here’s hoping for a quick thaw and better weather for the rest of the winter months! Just remember, spring is only a few weeks away.
Events This Weekend:
Rocking Horse Winter II [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Paradise Farm [Website] [Entry Status]
Fresno County Horse Park HT [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
News from Around the Globe:
For all competitors competing in the Advanced division at Rocking Horse Winter II this weekend, only Advanced Test B will be offered. Due to recent clarification that the Advanced Test A is more technical, organizers felt it best to offer Test B to avoid confusion.
Silva Martin and Rosa Cha W have been named to the US team for the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO***. This competition will be a final test of the new Pan American Games format that mixes small and big tour competitions. Best of luck to Silva and Rosa Cha! [Nations Cup Teams]
The famous Big Ben was posthumously awarded the Hickstead Trophy at Equine Canada’s Awards Gala last week. Big Ben was campaigned by Ian Millar, and together the two racked up countless accolades while representing Canada around the world. [Big Ben Awarded Hickstead Trophy]
Horse Nation’s Carley Sparks recently started a new series entitled “Texts From My Horse.” If you haven’t checked out these hilarious screenshots, do yourself a favor and click over immediately. I’m not sure the people standing behind me at Target today appreciated my unabashed belly laughs, but I think they were well worth it. [HN: Texts From My Horse]
A second UK event has been forced to cancel due to unsatisfactory weather conditions. The Somerford Park event, held in Cheshire in March, was cancelled due to weather preventing work from being done on the cross country course. We feel you, UK! [Somerford Park Cancelled]
In some tragic and heartbreaking news, missing pony Tic Toc was found dead this week. The gelding went missing in December, and his owners launched a viral hunt in an effort to find their companion. Unfortunately, Tic Toc was found a mere half-mile from where he disappeared. [Tragic Ending for Tic Toc Disappearance]
Best of the Blogs:
Kate Samuels’ updates us on her Pine Top experience.
Video Break:
Check out this mad dash for the finish from the jockey’s point of view. Quarter Horse races are ridiculous!
