Today on HN: Holiday barn decor
Good morning EN! I’m sure most of you have glanced at John’s coverage from the USEA Annual Meeting that took place over the weekend and know that there has been a lot of concern and confusion over the FEI’s amendments to the 2013 rules for eventing. Yesterday the FEI published a 20 question FAQ to attempt to clarify the situation. While a nice addendum to the officials rules, there is still a lot left up in the air concerning implementation, whether or not riders who are qualified for X level under the current rules will have to re-qualify for X level according to the 2013 rules, and probably a lot more that will only come up once the rules actually go into effect. Click to read the full FAQ and find links to the official rules. [FEI FAQ]
The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and the FEI have convened a conference in Panama City this week to discuss the international movement of horses. Representatives, officials, and veterinarians from 23 countries are in attendance, with the goal of “finding a solution to current import and export procedures, which do not take into consideration the lower risks of “high-health” sport horses, and which are restricting the growth of top-level equestrian sport in the region.” The number of FEI competitions held per year has increased by 27% since 2008, now standing at 3,000 a year with more than 300 taking place in South America alone. Swift transport of international sport horses is obviously a priority for the FEI, and all parties hope that this summit will help streamline the process. [Horsetalk]
The USEF and Equus Foundation have announced the establishment of the Horse Stars Hall of Fame. The program will “honor the contributions of amazing horses that have excelled in sport and in careers serving the public” and will feature stories of their athletic and humanitarian achievements. Currently accepting nominations for the 2013 inductees, the organizers are looking for horses that “have excelled or are excelling in sport or public service after overcoming significant hardship” or have made life-changing contributions to sport or service. The nomination deadline is January 15, 2013. [Horsetalk] [Nomination Form]
Speaking of awards, the USEF has announced the recipients of this year’s Pegasus Awards, which consist of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Junior Equestrian of the Year, and the Pegasus Medal of Honor. The recipients are Joe Fargis, Hunter Chancellor, and Linda Zang, respectively. Linda Zang is a fixture in the eventing world, having coach many of our top riders. Congrats to all. [Horse Channel]
The German eventing team has a new coach for the Rio Olympics: British eventer, dressage rider, and former Olympian Christopher Bartle. Bartle represented Great Britain at the Olympics in dressage and traveled to Sydney as a reserve for eventing. He won Badminton in 1998 and was 5th at Burghley in 2005. Read a Q&A about his appointment on his farm website to learn more. [Yorkshire Riding Center]
Our generous sponsor Horse Quencher has announced that it has been invited to join the Equine Quality Alliance (EQA), an organization comprised of several small equine companies dedicated to four things: “proven quality, proven customer service, uniqueness, and the need to share marketing efforts, especially in regards to attending the many horse expos and trade fairs that populate the calendar every month.” Read more about this exciting development on their Facebook. [Horse Quencher]
Two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kauto Star will be assessed by Laura Collett and British coach Yogi Breisner in the coming weeks to evaluate his suitability for dressage. Kauto Star’s owner Clive Smith is very excited about this development, but apparently did not inform the horse’s longstanding trainer Paul Nicholls before announcing the decision. Nicholls said he understands that the horse belongs to Smith and that Smith has final say in all decisions regarding his future, but is unhappy to have been excluded from the process completely. ”What upset me and my team here is when Clive announced that he had spoken to experts about the horse’s future – but failed to consult and listen properly to the team that had looked after him here for the past nine years. That really upset us.” [Yahoo]
Germany’s Christian Ahlmann knocked reigning Olympic champion Steve Guerdat out of the World Number One spot on show jumping’s Rolex Rankings. Ahlmann is currently sixth in the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 standings. [Horsetalk]
Did you know Bloodhounds can foxhunt? Now you do- but the only hunt of its kind is in danger of being disbanded due to lack of staff. Click to read more. [Horse and Hound]
Britian’s 21st annual National Equine Forum will take place on March 5, 2013. The forum features the who’s who of the British horse industry as well as government officials and will cover a variety of topics related to horses, the industry, veterinary developments, and more. [Horsetalk]
Horse and Hound writes a year-end recap featuring the top horse stories of 2012. [Horse and Hound]
Best of Blogs:
Young Rider Emily Macauley has created a great website to chronicle her road to qualify for and compete at the 2013 NAJYRC. Not only is Emily a talented webmistress, she is also a pre-med college freshman and spends her extra time volunteering with horse related charities. Click to read more of her story, and lots of EN karma to her!
That’s all for now EN, thank you for reading!
From Horse Quencher: As seen in the Horse Quencher in-box from good friend Hawley Bennett-Awad: “Never before have my horses consistently drank water and have performed so well on a consistent basis, which I know is a direct reflection of using your superior product. Not only have my horses demonstrated improvement and increased durability since adding Horse Quencher, all of my clients who have made the transition are noticing great results as well. Whether it is an upper-level eventing star, a child’s pony, or a retired elder horse, I truly believe Horse Quencher can help every horse in the barn.”
