Don’t forget to vote for your favorite holiday decorations in the SmartPak Deck the Halls contest- Click to see all the entrants.
Good morning EN! The top news today deals once again with the new FEI qualifications: apparently us Americans aren’t the only ones confused about the new rules. On December 6, representatives of the Event Riders Association from Brazil, New Zealand, and Britain met with FEI officials in order to get a better grasp on the new rules. According to Horsetalk, Athlete Categorisation and Minimum Eligibility Requirements were the key points of the discussion, which was intended to shed light on the motivations behind the new rules that will take effect on January 1. ERA President Francis Whittington said, “It was a really valuable discussion and was very much appreciated by the riders. We were really delighted at how receptive the FEI were to our comments and it shows how dedicated the Eventing Committee is to the future development of the sport.” [Horsetalk]
Speaking of rule changes, the FEI has announced a new drive to promote helmet use in advance of the rule requiring helmets to be worn at all times while mounted on show grounds. The Chronicle reports that as part of the campaign the FEI will be launching an email campaign to remind riders, federations, and various stakeholders about the importance of wearing helmets. [COTH]
Good news for British equestrians: UK Sport has announced it will provide £21.7 million in funding for equestrian sports after this year’s impressive showing at the London games. This funding places equestrian sports along side cycling, rowing, sailing, and gymnastics in terms of amount of money allotted. [Horsetalk]
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro set a new world grand prix record at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup with a score of 84.447% on Monday night. It was their first appearance since the Olympics, where they won the individual gold medal. Their score on Monday was better than their marks at the Olympics and beat the previous world record set by Edward Gal and Totilas at the European Championship at Windsor in 2009. Dujardin is still uncertain that she will be able to keep the ride on Valegro, and said she hopes a syndication agreement can be worked out should she find an investor willing to buy into the horse’s ownership. [Horse and Hound]
The British Young Breeders (BYB) has been awarded a gift by the Elise Pilkington’s Charitable Trust just in time for the World Young Breeder Championships in July 2013. According to Horsetalk, “the Trust is supporting BYB to help educate young people in the importance of responsible breeding with a view to reducing welfare cases.” [Horsetalk]
After the the Heythrop Hunt was convicted and fined of unlawful hunting on December 17, a judge questioned the “staggering” amount of money the RSPCA spent in pursuing the case, which came to a total of £326,000. He commented that “members of the public may feel that RSPCA funds can be more usefully employed.” [Horse and Hound]
Firefighters in Florida rescued a 30-year-old horse who decided to take a midnight swim in a private pool last night. Luckily the horse was unhurt and apparently completely unalarmed at finding itself in a pool. The pictures of the rescue are worth a click. [Horsetalk]
Today on HN: a gift guide featuring stocking stuffers from Dubarry. [Horse Nation]
Century Club rider Liz Benney remembers her first horse show and talks about her partnership with her current mount, Minty. [COTH]
Horse and Hound’s editor posted a review of 2012. [Horse and Hound]
Best of Blogs: A gift guide from Kristin Schmolze
Thanks for reading EN, enjoy your Wednesday. Leaving you with a message from our generous sponsor, Horse Quencher: Don’t forget to use Horse Quencher to stave off impaction colic during cold snaps, and give your horses a special treat for Christmas by making it warm. They love it!
