Login
Apr 03, 2020
A Letter from Max Corcoran: Keeping The Glass Half-Full
And just like that the spring season was gone . . .
All the plans.
All the excitement.
All the goals. The calendar now has scratch marks on the days we were meant to travel and nothing more for the rest of the season can be filled in yet.
So here we sit – watching the news, looking at maps, happy we don’t live in the worst hit areas and empathizing with the people that do.
What to do now? We need to keep this glass half full.
Some barns are open and some are shut – hopefully we respect the farm owner’s wishes and take care of fellow boarders and ourselves and take all precautions.
If you are riding, this is a great time to practice the basics. How round can you make that circle? How straight can you get to the jump AND go away from it? How long can you go without stirrups? It’s also a great time to get outside as the weather gets better and go for a long walk. We have to remember that it is still five weeks (at best case scenario) before any horse goes out the start box. We need to pace ourselves – this virus, unfortunately, is a marathon, not a sprint.
Some have chosen this time to give their horses some time off. The crews that are lucky enough to be in California or South Carolina or Georgia or Florida have already had a mini season. These horses have earned a bit of downtime.
Some people have made the decision not to ride. Riding is dangerous and if we do fall off that could take up another hospital bed for someone that is sick, but those horses still need care and movement and turnout.
What is important for ANY of these horses is to make sure when the end is in sight, we are ready to roll. Horses and riders are fit enough, shoes are on schedule, vaccines are done, teeth are floated, trailers are checked, we have practiced, we start back at the right level, and we can do our best for our horses to be successful.
We can make the most of this mini break – without competition we now have time, if we choose, to tidy up all the details and be more than ready when we hear “3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . have a great ride!”
COVID-19 Updates from USEA
- Event Cancellations and Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- USEA Extends Suspension of Recognizing Events (March 27, 2020)
- Resources for Eventing Businesses and Non-Profits Impacted by COVID-19 (March 24, 2020)
- A Letter From USEA CEO Rob Burk (March 17, 2020)
- USEA Podcast #253: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and U.S. Eventing (March 16, 2020)
- USEA to Suspend Recognizing Events for Two Weeks (March 14, 2020)
- USEA Coronavirus News
Jul 02, 2024
Educational Activities
USEA Educational Activity Highlight: Sherwood Forest Hunter Pace | Sherwood Oregon | July 13, 2024
What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.
Jul 02, 2024
Profile
No Longer Dreaming: Claire Allen's Goal of Qualifying for USEF Eventing Young Rider Championship is Now Reality
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
Jul 01, 2024
Competitions
Alliston’s Busy Weekend, Braitling’s Reuniting with Five-Star Mount, & Kalkman’s Advanced Victory Highlight Twin Rivers Summer H.T.
As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
Jul 01, 2024
Education
USEA Podcast #364: All Your Grooming Questions Answered
There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.
