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Full disclosure: Zoetis Equine, as I’m sure you can tell by looking at EN, is an advertiser of ours. However, I still would have shared this video in the same context because I appreciate the effort that was made to diversify the content. I’ve lost count of how many ads and commercials out there that didn’t pay as much mind to who they were showing in their creative materials. In recent months, more companies have understood that onus falls to them, in many ways, to help increase representation. Of course, the buck doesn’t stop with hiring the right people to appear as models and actors — it continues with a responsibility to work with intention in all aspects of a company to properly address inequity.
Wednesday News & Reading
Due to the ongoing threat of Covid-19, the “Celebration of Spirit” for Annie Goodwin, scheduled for January 9 at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, Sc. has been canceled. “The in-person event planned for Feb 9th at Bruce’s Field would present an unacceptable risk for transmission of disease for Annie’s family, friends and many of the athletes planning to compete the next weekend at Pine Top or other venues,” the Aiken Horse Park Foundation said in an email update. “Putter, Tina and Jake know that Annie would want to put the health of her community first. We had so hoped that Covid 19 would be in our rear-view mirror by now. At this point there are too many unknowns for the Omicron variant other than it is extremely transmissible and case counts are soaring to the highest levels since the start of the pandemic. We hope to either reschedule for a more suitable time or plan a different type of event that would not pose a health risk to Annie’s community.”
Those interested in learning more about the USEF’s updated calendaring process, which will go into effect with a revised competition calendar in 2023, can sign up to attend a free webinar on January 19. The calendaring process can and will affect riders and organizers, regardless of level, and there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the new protocol for allotting event dates. If you can’t attend, we’ll be tuning in for a story coming soon.
Ocala-bound riders: make sure to knock off that show jumping rust with the new Winter Schooling Series hosted by several area farms, including Sara Kozumplik Murphy at Overlook South, Will Coleman Equestrian at Okonokos Equestrian, Meg Kepferle at Kepferle Equestrian, and Clayton Fredericks’ Fredericks Equestrian International. The first leg kicked off this week at Okonokos and will continue over 12 weeks, rotating among venues on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can view more information and the schedule here.
Area III is currently accepting applications for a new Young Rider coach. This contract will run from 2022 through 2024, and you can find a full description of the role as well as more information on applying here.
After suffering devastating damage from the record-breaking tornadoes that wreaked havoc on much of central America last month, the University of Kentucky is beginning the long process of rebuilding. Its Research and Education Center, a part of the university’s School of Agriculture, sustained the most damage, taking a direct hit from the tornado. Find out how you can help here.
Looking for some new reading material in the new year? Look no further than the this list of the best horse books that were released in 2021.
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And finally, some helpful tips on winter respiratory health from our friends at Haygain:
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