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Jun 21, 2012
Area V Selection Trials
Fleeceworks is proud to announce their Sponsorship of the Area V Young Riders Teams. They would like to invite all of our fans to follow the journey to the North American Junior/Young Riders Championships in Kentucky on their website as well as the USEA site with Area V Young Rider, Jacob Fletcher.
Greetings from Bartonville, Texas! A lot has happened to the Area V Good Shepherds since my last entry, and I’m here to tell you all about it! Area V is the only Area this year to have held a selection trial, which was at the Texas Rose Horse Park. All of our Area V Selectors were on-site, so the pressure was on to deliver our best performance. Mike Huber, the coach of the vast majority of our young and junior riders, was not at Texas Rose because he was in Bromont conducting the United States’ very own Olympic Selection Trials. It is quite spectacular to see these two different selection trials being held juxtaposed to each other. (And I must confess that most of us all dream about being in the other someday!)
The vast majority of the riders had respectful, if not spectacular, dressage tests. Many of the junior riders were in the upper 20s, and no one was above 34, making the selector’s jobs no easier. Despite the higher scores in the intermediate, I feel that all of the young riders had respectful tests, and Mary Frances Cargile trumped the class on a 38. In the dressage department, Area V looks to be in good shape and we’ll only get better since we’re all attending our various boot camps. Speaking of boot camp, Heather Morris has a new torture method: push-ups. When anyone repeats a mistake with their horse that said person has to do 10 push-ups. Needless to say, we’re not only going to be riding well at Young Riders, but we’re also going to have amazing “guns”. Watchout, if you see one of us coming by in an awesome Fleeceworks pad, we may just challenge you to arm wrestle!
Carston Meyer, the show jump course designer, built the course with Young Riders in mind, which resulted in some interestingly challenging questions including long distances to short combinations. All of the Young Riders showed that they meant business, putting in stellar rounds. Avery Klunick and In It To Win It had quite a great round at the beginning of the division, showing everyone else how to ride it. A few problems sprouted up in the Junior Riders’ show jump rounds, but overall the riding was still quite good. The show jumping test most definitely required a fair bit of riding and a good, forward rhythm, and most of the riders rose to the challenge. Tragically, that night, Mary Frances and I suffered an unfortunate injury. I would not suggest riding with no hands on a moped to anyone ever again. Other than a few scrapes, and our pride going down the toilet, we were fine as we were only going at a walking pace. It was actually quite embarrassing because all we needed to do was put our feet down. I never said I was the brightest crayon in the box. It provided great entertainment for those around us….although not as much as Jon Holling provided in Bromont! Go Jon!!
The cross country in the Young Riders division rode quite well overall, but there were a few uncharacteristic run outs that were no doubt a freak accident and will not happen again. I decided to withdraw Theo from the cross country to save him for another day. Avery Klunick ended up winning the Young Rider division after a great weekend for her. The prelim cross country had a few rough edges as the up bank out of the water to a skinny proved to be quite difficult.
Once again, there were unique challenges presented at the Texas Rose Horse Park, and overall, our Young and Junior Rider groups did quite an impeccable job, making the selectors job that much harder. From the sound of it, Mike Huber’s Olympic Selection Committee had just as hard of a time at Bromont with the stellar weekend some of our riders had in the CCI3* and CIC3*. Until next time, we will be down here trying to keep the lambs in line!
Dec 23, 2024
Education
Saddle Fit Simplified
Eventers who are new to the sport may feel a little overwhelmed by the often-misunderstood world of saddle fitting. Riders are often bombarded with information from peers online or self-described experts, putting them at risk of following bad advice related to equipment that impacts horse welfare perhaps more than any other piece of tack. Finding a qualified expert to answer these questions is crucial. Who better to turn to than both a qualified Master Saddle Fitter and a fourth-generation saddle designer to answer some of these questions?
Dec 22, 2024
USEA Foundation
Top Tips for Applying for a USEA Foundation Grant
Did you know that the USEA Foundation awards over 150 grants each year to deserving individuals who are involved in the sport of eventing? With grants that assist riders with accomplishing their competition goals, grants geared toward licensed officials, grants that are specific to continuing education for coaches, grants that assist competitions with obtaining frangible technology, and so much more, there really is a grant opportunity available to almost anyone!
Dec 21, 2024
Education
3 Ways to Help Eventing Thrive in 2025
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Dec 20, 2024
Sponsor
“Happy Horse Equals Happy Judge”: Ask An Expert with Dressage Judge Peter Gray, Brought to You by Ride iQ
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
