Eye on July
Saturday, February 11 2012
With the goal of bringing home Gold from London this summer, the 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team Training Sessions continue in Aiken, SC this winter, hosted by Ilene and Bob Boorman at their Mohaph Farm, the winter home for Boyd Martin, his staff and horses. Mohaph Farm is located within the Bridle Creek Equestrian Community which also encompasses the training facilities of Phillip Dutton and Kevin Keane. http://www.usef.org/documents/highPerformance/eventing/EventingHPP.pdf The dressage arena comprises the front "lawn" of the beautiful Boorman barn and home combination. The Boormans have invested heavily in separate paddocks and a cross country schooling area. The United States Eventing Association announced an updated 2012 Eventing High Performance Training List last fall ( http://useventing.com/news/usef-high-performance-training-lists-updated-2012-land-rover-us-eventing-team ) and two of the four A List Riders and several of the B List Riders showed up for the Training Sessions with Bettina Hoy and Captain Mark Phillips; in addition, several of the USEF 2012 Eventing Developing Riders were participating as well ( http://useventing.com/news/usef-announces-2012-eventing-developing-riders ).
Equestrian Mom’s ‘MyPokit’ Helps Daughter Pursue Dreams of Riding Despite Lifelong Illness
Tuesday, January 24 2012
Commerce, MI – For 13-year-old Bayley Saville, having a permanent feeding tube does little to hinder her equestrian aspirations. Bayley was born with a rare intestinal motility disorder called pseudo-obstructive disease. She had her first stomach surgery when she was three months old and had a feeding tube placed to help with her nutrition
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Autumn in Cheshire Country
Wednesday, December 07 2011
A Visual Recap of Foxhunting in Cheshire Country, Autumn, 2011 –::– Opening Meet, Formal Hunting, Runnymede Tuesday, November 1, 2011 Formal Hunting moves to 11:00 A.M. in November from 9:00 the previous month. Riders met at St. Malachi Church to park their vehicles and hacked to the Meet at Runnymede, about a mile away, down the hill and a long driveway, along a creek ruled by a venerable Blue Heron. The Joint Masters, Huntsman and Whip, wearing Pinque for the first time this season, are joined by the Field (the riders following the hounds) on the lawn of Runnymede. Runnymede is known for its broad, open fields and sloping terrain, punctuated by fences with gates and coops, with creeks emptying to the Doe Run, and eventually to the Brandywine River. –::– Byrd Road, Webbs Woods Saturday, November 5, 2011 The Meet at Byrd Road encompasses a large woods, Webbs Woods, and is flatter than Runnymede, with many foxes. The Meet is close by the Veterinary School at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton. Cheshire encourages family participation and many children join their parents on the hunt
MORE: FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES
Wednesday, December 07 2011
The response to the re-published “For The Love Of Horses” has been amazing, but the problem isn’t going to go away by itself. What are we going to do about the unwanted horses? I’ve been reading comments on Facebook, visiting various sites, and looking for answers. Here are several links and comments worth reading.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
USDF Approves National Dressage Championships
Monday, December 05 2011
[Lexington, KY] The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce approval by its Board of Governors of a US national dressage championship beginning in 2013. This championship will be a head to head competition showcasing Adult Amateur and Open riders at Training Level through Grand Prix. With invitations to be extended to competitors who have qualified through the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships, the inaugural championship (exact name TBD) will take place in the fall of 2013 at the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington, KY. The KHP was the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It also hosts the annual Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. According to USDF President George Williams, the first formal discussions within the USDF, regarding a US national championship, started almost 20 years ago.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES pt. 1
Thursday, December 01 2011
The following is a story that I researched and wrote for Sidelines’ February 2011 issue. It was a very challenging story to write, because of the subject matter: unwanted horses in the United States. I love horses, but my work doesn’t have me laughing all the way to the bank. Neigh, I live on a tight budget and if I splurge on anything, it’s on having one pony and one dog. That’s it. They eat before I do.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Fun Bustin’ Muttons at WIHS
Friday, November 18 2011
Sure, the 53rd annual Washington International Horse Show (October 23-28, 2011 at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C.) may have been home to such prestigious competitions as the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI3*-W, the WIHS Equitation Classic Finals and the $25,000 Puissance, but what folks really came out to see was the tough as nails riders who braved the fiercely competitive mutton-busting class. That’s right, Mutton Busting! Show us a rider who will don a full-face helmet, wind their fingers through the rough wool of a writhing sheep and hang on for dear life as said sheep runs for its own, and we’ll show you a true champion. Hats off to all the 2011 WIHS Mutton Busters, and especially to this year’s Mutton Busting Champion, 8-year-old Marissa Jones of River Chase Farm. Out of the gate they came, in a fast-moving blaze of thick wool and hooved fury. . . . . . Some riders kept their eyes bravely forward, determined to tame their mutton by ring's end
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Equestrian Sport Productions Announces 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Schedule Highlights
Friday, November 18 2011
[Wellington, FL] Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) is pleased to announce the schedule highlights of the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), including the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games along with the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Prize List availability online. The prize list is online at their website, www.equestriansport.com under the “Horse Show” tab and “Prize List” link. The 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival is the world’s largest and longest-running horse show, combining hunter, jumper, and equitation competition for 12 weeks from January 11 to April 1. There will be some changes to the upcoming year’s schedule, and all of the exciting classes from last year will return. Management company Equestrian Sport Productions welcomes equestrians to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida for the biggest and best FTI WEF yet. Once again the show leads the country in prize money with over $6 million awarded, with the highlight class, the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix, CSI 5*, moving to week 12 and running on Saturday, March 31
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Happy 89th, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair!!!
Friday, November 04 2011
The Royal – Nov. 4-13th in Ontario – is more than just a horse show, says our friend and colleague, Michelle C. Dunn, who for the past three or four years has handled both the Royal’s photography and PR. It is a celebration of the Royal’s motto – “bringing the country to the city” – and the livestock side of the show serves to remind kids of all ages that ‘real life’ means growing food to fill all those pretty packages that line supermarket shelves. The opening night of the Royal offers spectators a double header of equestrian excitement. The uber-popular horse hockey returns with NHL legends Darcy Tucker and Mark Napier ‘facing off’ on horseback with Curtis Joseph and Darryl Sittler. We have been hoping for years to run away to the Royal to assist Michelle – maybe next year! This sounds almost as much fun to watch as indoor eventing – Rolex Kentucky 2006 being where we met Michelle for the first time, as numero uno photographer for Marty Bauman’s Classic Communications team in the Rolex 3-day event press center.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Who’s Your Daddy?
Monday, October 31 2011
The Who’s Your (Horse’s) Daddy Contest , sponsored by Omega Fields The art of breeding depends on many things; bloodlines of the mare, bloodlines of the sire, performance, conformation, markings, the list goes on and on! And successfully breeding and raising that next big star requires knowledge, a good plan, and a whole lot of patience! For those of you who have been lucky (or crazy) enough to dip your toe into the deep pool of sporthorse breeding, our hat’s off to you. In honor of Sidelines Magazine ’s upcoming breeding focus issue, and also just for fun, we’ve partnered with Omega Fields to present a contest that asks foals and their humans, “who’s your daddy?” We’re looking for that foal who is the mirror image of his daddy. Markings, attitude, confirmation. We know being a lookalike isn’t necessarily a foal’s golden ticket to success in life, but it sure is fun to find the sires that really “stamp” their offspring. We want to see the best lookalike picture of your foal AND his sire. We’ll put them side-by-side, and let you vote for the foal who looks the most like his daddy.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs