Competitors at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships were up bright and early this morning for the final veterinary inspection. Horses and riders arrived at the jog lanes behind the Kentucky Horse Park steeplechase barn at 7:00, groomed and dressed in their best.
The jog started with the CH-J*. The first horse sent to the holding box for further inspection after the jog was Charlotte Evans’s 15 year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred mare, Mail Order Bride. Mail Order Bride was spun after her initial jog, and was re-jogged. The mare cantered a couple strides coming down the lane, and was not accepted to move on to stadium. The next horse to show a soundness issue was Nicole Doolittle’s10 year-old Warmblood mare, Utopia III. Utopia was sent to the holding box, and Nicole withdrew her from the event. In addition to the two horses withdrawn in the jog, Coleen Shaughnessy withdrew her 9 year-old Hanoverian gelding, Wynthrop.
The CH-Y** jog followed the CCI*. Luckily, all of the horses in the 2 star trotted up sound. The Young Rider Championships will commence and winners will be determined after the show jumping phase today.
One of the most important things to do before hitting "Submit" on your horse trial entry form is to review the event's Omnibus details on the USEA Calendar. Each event will have its own listing which outlines everything you need to know about the competition beforehand from entry information, who the officials are, what levels will be offered, what you can expect from the cross-country course, and much more.
Proper conditioning is a very important factor in getting the most out of a competition horse. There are two elements to fitness—cardiovascular and musculoskeletal. They are equally important. Both are ideally developed through long slow distance work (LSD).
For some riders, it’s easy to miss the moments in between the big goals like a championship or a long format event, but Jennie Brannigan is savoring her moment today at the Setters' Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S, where she took home the win on Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle.
Riders in the CCI4*-S at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S were in for a change this afternoon as Brody Robertson made his show jumping course design debut in the class and built a challenging track that shuffled the top 10.