United States Eventing Association

As show season starts ramping up, an awful lot of us will be hitting the start box astride former racehorses. Their popularity in sport careers, and especially eventing, does not appear to be waning, and it’s easy to see why. The disposition of a horse bred for racing and bred for eventing is largely similar, and when these horses retire from their first career it makes sense for eventers to pick them up so they can try their hooves at something new.

Building a strong lesson program can be a great boost to any eventing business. A riding school that complements the training and show program can provide a steady stream of training horses and competitive riders as the riders learn and become addicted to the sport. Creating the perfect environment for your lesson program can be challenging; you want a team atmosphere, where your riders root for each other and are always willing to lend a hand.

With the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, a lot of equestrians are starting to thaw out and really think about show season, cross-country schooling, and maybe, just maybe, a little horse shopping. If you find yourself looking for a new equine partner this spring, you might be asking yourself just what to be looking for in those all too-short sale ads.

Last month, John Michael Durr shared some pros and cons for those contemplating a migration south for the winter. Making the decision to head to Florida or South Carolina is exciting, and a big move for any sized business. It also triggers about a thousand other smaller decisions that need to be made. Will you take all of your horses, or leave some behind?

Thoroughbreds make up a large number of horses in the eventing community, and the efforts to market former racehorses as sport horses are only causing that percentage to grow. Thoroughbreds have proven themselves at every level, with horses like Donner and Anthony Patch leading the charge for OTTB’s at the highest level of the sport.

Every year as January 1^st approaches, people sit down and reflect on the past 12 months and resolve to be better in the months to come. New Year’s Resolutions are a tradition that dates back to the Ancient Babylonians some 4,000 years ago, and while their resolutions were probably less about watching reality TV and cutting gluten, the fact is that people from all over the world for thousands have years have used the calendar switching over as an opportunity for growth.

As I write this article my weather app lists the current temperature at 5 degrees Fahrenheit. My Facebook newsfeed is inundated with photos of horses munching on their bran mash and tucked into the heaviest blankets their owners have on hand. Snow and ice have schools shutdown, and riding without an indoor, preferably a heated one? Probably not going to happen.

As the calendar changes from 2017 to 2018 you can count on one thing to say consistent - eventers will continue to rehome Thoroughbreds from the track and attempt to take them to the upper echelons of the sport. As far as plans go, it’s not a bad one. The natural athleticism of the Thoroughbred combined with the traits required for a racehorse tend to result in great eventing partners.

With the show season winding down, many training programs find themselves marketing their sales horses more fervently than ever. Winter can be a great time to make good sales videos, take those conformation shots, and write up fun and eye-catching ads. If you find yourself with a horse for sale this off-season and are looking for some tricks of the trade when it comes to marketing them, you’re not alone.

Thoroughbreds are a natural partner for eventing riders. They’re bred to sustain the rigors of track, be speedy, and competitive, and for many horses a second career in the cross-country field is a great opportunity to use those natural abilities for years after life on the track.