Photo courtesy of Anna Crittendon.
Here’s something you don’t see every day! While cross country schooling at Stable View in Aiken, SC recently, EN reader Amy Cobb’s student got a special visit from a parrot who’d gotten lost. Turns out, the bird
had flown some 4+ miles from his home!
“Turns out he is a scaly-breasted parakeet,” Amy wrote to EN. “He obviously belonged to someone and was clearly lost. He was super friendly and seemed to be looking for help. There was no way we could leave him there, so he went home with my student where she gave him water and fruit. I posted him on Facebook hoping to find the owner. As it turns out, he had flown over four miles from his home! Thanks to the kindness of everyone in the aiken community, his owner was located and he made it safely home.”
That’s the eventing community for you – always willing to help someone in need!
U.S. Events Opening Entries Today
Five Points H.T. (NC); Flora Lea Fall H.T. (NJ); Honey Run H.T. (MI); CDCTA H.T. (VA)
U.S. Events Closing Entries Today
GMHA Festival of Eventing (VT); Otter Creek Summer H.T. (WI); Fair Hill International H.T. (MD); WindRidge Farm Summer H.T. (NC); Woodside Summer H.T. (CA)
News & Reading
Still need a qualifier for the USEA Young Event Horse Championships on the East coast? The Middle Tennessee Pony Club H.T. has announced that it will host a qualifier event on Sunday, September 7 at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. Learn more and submit your entry here.
When amateur hunter rider Anna Pavlov spotted a familiar name on a Facebook post from a Texas kill pen page, she didn’t hesitate. The emaciated mare in the photo was Cheers—barn name “Flicka”—a former top hunter with a USEF record a mile long. Thanks to her microchip, the mare was identified and ultimately rescued by her original breeder, Robin Swinderman Mitchell. Flicka’s story is a powerful reminder of both the fallibility of our sport’s safety nets and the lifesaving potential of microchipping. Though Flicka ultimately crossed the rainbow bridge due to complications from prior neglect, she did so surrounded by love and care. “This one got unlucky,” Robin said, “but then was lucky that I was able to find her again.” Read the full story from The Chronicle of the Horse here.
If your horse gets a bit…er..jumpy during farrier visits, there are ways to help this. “Naughty” behavior usually has a root, and there are usually a few ways to help your horse deal with the stress of the visit without incurring any injuries to your hardworking farrier. Visit this article on The Horse for more advice.
Top-level rider Quentin Judge recently shared some powerful advice on The Plaidcast—and while his expertise may come from the hunter/jumper world, his insights apply to every rider chasing big goals. “Don’t think—say it as crazy as you think it is,” Judge encourages. Whether you’re aiming for your first recognized event or daydreaming about a podium finish, Quentin’s six-step framework breaks down big dreams into actionable, motivating goals. From aligning training with short-term milestones to celebrating progress over podiums, it’s a mindset masterclass worth a listen. Catch the full episode and takeaways here.
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Video Break
Watch Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent across the country at Burgham last year to get hyped for this weekend’s event in the UK!
