Fritz is praying for winter's end. Photo by Lindsey Kahn
My tiny, awkward doglike creature sometimes accompanies me to the barn for work, however the last couple of months were too cold for him to comfortably tolerate the 30-minute drives without freezing his little toes off. Now that Minnesota is finally starting to reach bearable temperatures – the thermometer hit 30 degrees, and I may or may not have wandered around my neighborhood without a jacket – the tiny, awkward doglike creature is much more excited to join me outside.
For those who are wondering, the tiny, awkward doglike creature is an 8-pound Chihuahua-Corgi named Fritz (affectionately known as Chicken Nugget, Tater Tot, or other miscellaneous chunky food items). I adopted him when I lived in Kentucky, and I don’t think he’s forgiven me for moving back to Minnesota.
Who are your non-horsey four-legged (or two-legged, or eight-legged, or no-legged) friends? Share your stories in the comments below!
Events Opening Today: Riga Meadow Combined Test (Connecticut, A-1), MCTA H.T., Inc (Maryland, A-2), Heart of the Carolinas H.T. (South Carolina, A-3), Poplar Place Farm May H.T. (Georgia, A-3), CIC2*/CIC1* Weatherford and Greenwood Farm, Inc. H (Texas, A-5), Penny Oaks H.T. (Indiana, A-8)
Events Closing Today: The Fork CIC3*/CIC2* & HT (North Carolina, A-2), CDCTA Spring Horse Trials (Virginia, A-2), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Georgia, A-3), Spring Bay H.T. (Kentucky, A-8)
News and Notes
New Date for Middleburg Horse Trials: The Middleburg Horse Trials in Virginia’s Glenwood Park will be held on June 7 and 8. A Beginner Novice level has also been added, making this a great destination for Area II riders hoping to get experience in this sport. For more information, visit the USEA Omnibus or the Middleburg Orange County Pony Club website: [MOCPC]
First Equestrian Athlete Sponsored by Nike: 18-year-old Ayden Uhlir, a dressage rider from California, is the first equestrian athlete to be sponsored by sports giant Nike. The 2012 NAJYRC gold medalist hopes that her sponsorship will lead to “awareness and perhaps a growth in the fanbase for equestrian sports.” Congratulations, Ayden! [Horse & Country]
Xentry Downtime This Weekend: The USEA is upgrading its online services this weekend, so Xentry will have some downtime between 11 p.m. Friday night and 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The downtime will affect useventing.com, Email and Online Services, and Xentry. [USEA IT Updates]
Cavalor Feed for Thought: Equine gastric ulcers are a common and persistent syndrome found in many horses. Scientists at Texas A&M have found that horses fed a diet containing high-quality alfalfa and/or alfalfa chaff tend to have less severe ulcers than horses fed diets without alfalfa. It is believed that the buffering qualities of the magnesium and calcium in alfalfa help neutralize the acidic pH in horses’ stomachs. [Feed for Thought]
Carolina International App: Carolina International has launched an iPhone app for the event this weekend. Check it out for ride times, course maps, schedules, area restaurants, accommodations and more. [Event Center for iPhone]
WEG Gains Volunteers Worldwide: The volunteer program for this year’s WEG is busy arranging and allocating the 3000 volunteers needed to make the Games run smoothly. The volunteers were interviewed in France or by telephone, and their positions and accommodations are now in the process of being allocated. [Horsetalk]
Speaking of WEG… According to Horse & Hound, tickets to WEG’s eventing dressage and showjumping sold out within days, while cross country tickets and all other disciplines remained on sale. Eventing fans are furious at logistical issues described as “farcical” and “diabolical,” with poor communication and website problems from WEG. [Horse & Hound]
Boyd Discusses Silva and Competitions: Boyd Martin joined Chris Stafford Radio to chat about Silva’s accident and recovery, as well as how her treatment might affect business at Windurra. He also discusses his Red Hills win, as well as upcoming rides at Carolina International, The Fork, and Rolex. Listen to that smooth Aussie accent here: [Chris Stafford Radio]
SmartPak Product of the Day: One of my favorite (and potentially most expensive) pastimes is scrolling through SmartPak’s Sale section, adding items to my wishlist and planning out my next tack or riding gear purchases. One thing that caught my eye is SmartPak’s sale on their Wellfleet Eventer Bridle, which is designed to alleviate pressure on your horse’s poll. It is marked down 25% to an attractive $206.21, which is about $70 in savings!
Video of the Day: Because I love my tiny, awkward doglike creature so much, I’m going to share more of his squat, waddling existence with the internet. Much of his embarrassing antics have already been shared, such as my illustrated “Adventures with Dog Vomit,” but my most recent tidbit is a video of Fritz and his buddy, Bear the big black barn dog of Woodloch Stable. This is what happens when you take a bounding, nimble canine and give him a furry football with legs to play with.
