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Monday, November 11 2019 / Published in General

Everything Eventing With Boyd Martin

Boyd Martin riding Kyra

What advice do you have for deciding whether to run your horse cross-country or not, based on the footing conditions?

One of the realities is that the sport of eventing is an absolute outdoor sport. We all dream of perfect conditions, but sometimes Mother Nature has different ideas and often conditions aren’t perfect, especially on cross-country day. Obviously in the spring and winter, with lots of moisture and rain, conditions can get wet and muddy and the ground can get deep and holding; when the ground gets hard in summer it can also be not ideal to run because there’s no cushion in the ground.

With the ground wet and footing heavy, the big concern is soft-tissue injuries. There’s a higher chance of the horse slipping or sinking into the ground and stretching a tendon or ligament. When the ground is dry and rock hard, I think the biggest concern is concussion: With the horse landing after jumps and galloping on the hard ground, each joint receives concussion, especially the front end, and this can result in bruising of the horse’s feet. I also think it has a cumulative effect: Your horse might trot up sound the day after an event but after years of running on hard ground, your horse will start to show wear and tear.

When you’re in a competition, things get nerve-racking and the easiest thing to do when you’re not convinced about the footing is pull out of the competition. You listen to other riders talking about saving their horse and it’s easy to agree with everyone, do the dressage and show jumping, and put your horse on the trailer. But here in America, like in Australia, your next event could be just the same. So at some point you have to take a deep breath and run your horse.

Hopefully you’ve been training on good footing at home, in the ring for dressage and jumping, and on a track with prepared footing for fitness work. At the competition, your horse is only on the rough ground for seven or eight minutes. I think running a little slow across country also reduces the effects of hard ground and it’s worth the time penalties. If it’s a big competition like the American Eventing Championships (AECs) or a certain event that has been your big goal, it is what it is. There’s also a time you have to look at the horse and its performance, realize it’s not a critical event, and even if you skip the cross-country you can still reach the goals that you set at the beginning of the season.

As far as hard ground goes, a lot of events are using agrivators and aerovators and spiking the footing to break it up, so if you stick to the track laid out, the footing should be in decent shape, if not perfect. Farriers can also use things like Equithane™, rim pads, leather pads and all sorts of weird and wonderful designs of shoes to cushion the feet and reduce concussion.

All in all, I think the decision has to be made based on the horse and the time of the year. The age and experience of the horse also come into play: Young horses can bounce back a bit but with older horses with more mileage, I do believe we have to save for better footing.

My last piece of advice is to try not to be swayed by other riders. For sure, talk to one or two people you really respect, or your mentor, but anyone who decides to withdraw always loves company — it’s important to think through your own set of circumstances and have a true feeling of what’s to be gained by running or not running your horse.

How do you plan the competition season for your horses?

At the beginning of the year, I have a list of horses that are fit and sound. Because it’s the beginning of the year, everyone’s full of energy and you can’t wait to get started. You have to step back, look at each horse as an individual and really try to imagine what you think are some goals that your horse could meet throughout the year. Start looking at some events that will help you best reach these goals. For me personally, I try to do these calendar schedules about six months out; I think in that time a lot can change — some horses progress at a fast rate while others need more time to plan for.

I like to map out a few ideal or key competitions, and work backwards from there. For example, the AECs are a wonderful goal for many riders. I hate running a horse closer than two weeks apart; I always try to take three or four weeks between events, or try to take a horse to a horse trial once a month. Any more than that is hard on the horse and you’re risking injury by running cross-country too close together. With competitions three, four or five weeks apart, I like to throw in a jumper or dressage show on one of the weekends; it’s a great exercise to compete your horse against other horses specialized in these events. It’s also humbling to show up with your fit, sleek Thoroughbred and warm up with the big, shiny warmbloods, but it’s a good experience to compete against people who are better than you.

I think it’s always important to be flexible enough to change your plan mid-season. Obviously, you always like to stick to your original plan, but one thing I’ve found with horses is nothing ever goes as planned. Horses and riders get niggling little injuries and you might have to choose another show due to soundness reasons. In the spring and summer, we’re always chasing ideal footing and it’s a good idea to have an alternate event on the calendar in case your first choice has less than ideal footing, especially on cross-country day.

I’d try to not do more than four or five horse trials before giving my horse a mini vacation. The schedule in America is such that you could run nearly every weekend and it’s easy to fall into the trap of competing too often.

With the first event, I like to start out at a level lower than the horse is ready for, and take it nice and slow for a nice, quiet, confidence-building experience, not even worrying about the optimum time on cross-country. The next couple of events, I try to get more competitive, looking for a small improvement at each event. The fourth event on the list would be my big goal: the AECs or an event like Stable View or Plantation Field, and that’s where I’d try to give my personal best performance. After that event, I’d give my horse two or three weeks of vacation for a break from the mental and physical demands of training.

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
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It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
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You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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