Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Jun 23, 2021 12:01 am -

If FLAIR Strips are looking for some inspiration for their next design, might we suggest this young fan’s rendering?

It made be Pride Month, but the reality is that members of the LGBTQ+ community struggle against marginalization, stigmatization and secrecy in many walks of life, in every month of the year. Just yesterday, the National Football League gained its first officially out player – and Carl Nassib’s message resonated with many as his Raiders jersey became the top-selling jersey on multiple platforms as a result. It’s a huge first in a sport dominated by toxic masculinity, and I truly hope that Carl’s bravery gives other athletes in similar positions the confidence to also share their truth. We, in the horse industry, are privileged to have many confidently out members of the LGBTQ+ community in our midst, but the concept of allyship, community and support is one that must extend past a single month.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, Mt.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

Fox River Valley Pony Club H.T. (Barrington, Il.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Inavale Farm H.T. (Philomath, Or.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Loudoun Hunt Pony Club Summer H.T. (Leesburg, Va.) : [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Midsouth Pony Club H.T. (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Stable View Summer H.T. and Area III Championships (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Wednesday Reading List:

Dr. Anastasia Curwood has succinctly put into words what many struggle to understand about the concept of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In her latest column for The Chronicle of the Horse, Dr. Curwood writes about “learning, language and lift” in terms of effecting change. “Racism is a broader system, not just a feeling that individuals do or do not have,” she writes. “The overwhelming weight of historical evidence shows that racism—individual, systemic or internalized—has been and remains a powerful force in our lives as Americans. The horse world is by no means exempt. In fact, the horse world, with its concentration of wealthy and powerful people and lack of diversity, reflects the patterns that maintain racial inequality in our larger society. It will take a collaborative, sustained and deliberate effort to make change.” It’s a great read, and you can find it here.

After Horse Sport Ireland and its dressage high performance director Johann Hinnermann elected to withdraw the country from consideration of sending a dressage team to Tokyo, several riders have launched an appeal. Ireland named its show jumping and eventing teams yesterday but paired that announcement with that of the dressage team’s withdrawal.

Learn more about Erin Brown, the “Concrete Cowgirl” and her involvement with Fletcher Street Stables and the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy – which you may now recognize the story of after watching the movie Concrete Cowboy on Netflix – in this interview with Horses 4 Your Consideration.

Dressage rider Lauren Spreiser ventures out of the dressage ring regularly to give her horses mental breaks and work on their fitness – and she’s enlisted the help of Jimmy Wofford to increase her skillset. “I knew upper-level event riders do trot sets, but I had some concerns,” she writes. “My horses are heavier than event horses, carrying much more muscular bulk, and I was afraid of the extra wear and tear that trot or gallop sets would do, particularly at Elvis’ mass. So I called Mr. Wofford, who is not only an exceptionally accomplished horseman but also a real scholar, and I’ve always loved his articulate and wise thoughts on a variety of subjects, horsey and not.” Read more here.

If you missed out on our Cambox giveaway earlier this month but are still eyeing a helmet cam of your own, we can sweeten the deal with free shipping using code EVENTINGFREE on the Cambox website here.

Some horses don’t have regular access to free forage. Haygain wants to help remedy this issue with its Forager hay decide. Holding approximately 26 pounds of hay, the 28″ tall Forager enables the lowered-head eating position nature intended. A regulator grid with holes of different sizes sits on top of the hay. The horse pulls hay through one bite at a time, ensuring slow consumption and smaller bites. The extra chewing that is required maintains saliva flow which becomes a buffer between the stomach lining and the naturally occurring acids waiting there to digest food. To learn more about this innovative device, click here.

Wednesday Video Break:

Today is Olympic Day! In celebration, let’s take a look back at Michael Jung’s winning weekend in Rio in 2016. Will he make it a three-peat next month? Only time will tell.