Justine Dutton will be jumping the Advanced table in the background...but not on super pony Merrylegs! Photo via Justine Dutton's Facebook.
Buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gents, because for every weekend in the foreseeable future, there is an Advanced or CIC3* horse trials running! This means you’ll be seeing a lot more of me starting in March, when I resume my By the Numbers series for Red Hills. Rocking Horse in particular will always have a special place in my heart after running my first Advanced there in 2012. For all those moving horses up to the big A this weekend, good luck!
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Rocking Horse II H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Paradise Farm H.T. [Website] [Ride Times]
Fresno County Horse Park CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Sydney Collier is just another horse-crazy teen trying to make a US Team. Except that Sydney has arteriovenous malformations, a condition that has resulted in paralysis, blindness, and strokes. After seeing the Para-dressage team at the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games, Sydney decided she had to be part of it. She moved to Millbrook, NY to train, and is now aiming to ride in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. [Who Am I?]
The Eventing Showcase wasn’t Jennie Brannigan’s first experience in Wellington. A diverse experience with other types of professionals meant Jennie has had the chance to acclimate to the Welly World dynamic. This may have been her first time competing there as an eventer, but she’s dipped her toe in the jumper waters before. [We’re Conquering the Wellington Shakes]
British Eventing is introducing half marks for dressage. Foreshadowed by the USEF 2015 rule changes, FEI has updated their scoring scheme to allow dressage judges to award half marks on each movement. British Eventing has followed suit. [Dressage Half Marks Introduced]
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we want to see your “Smooch Selfies”! Snap a photo of you smooching your horse and send it to us for a chance to win a prize pack from Kentucky Performance Products — horses make the best Valentines, right? [Smoochin’ Selfies for Valentine’s Day]
This week on the Eventing Radio Show: Liz Halliday-Sharp, Laine Ashker, and Will Faudree. This week Liz Halliday-Sharp joins hosts Jess and Samantha to talk about what it’s like to be back in the States, then Laine Ashker discusses Wellington. Finally, Will Faudree recaps his experience with the new Pine Top courses. [Eventing Radio Show]
SmartPak Product of the Day: With the plethora of people moving up to a new level in the winter, it might be a good time to buy a bottle of Sit-Tite Spray. You never know when it could make the difference between a miraculous save or a bath in the water jump. [SmartPak]
In honor of the first Advanced of the year, I’m throwing it back to the highlights of the water at Rocking Horse Advanced from last year.
