Aug 07, 2008

Soggy but Sensational - an Official's View of the Olympic Cross-Country Course

Marilyn Payne, one of the eventing dressage judges at the Olympics, shares her tale of her experiences so far at the Olympics.

Due to my flight delay I finally arrived at midnight Tuesday night. Wednesday morning I woke up after four hours sleep to a typhoon ( and 8 out of 10 !). So, buses weren’t allowed out and the barns were all "locked down" until six that evening. But, as dedicated officials, we were driven to the cross-country course and walked the entire course with the technical delegate and course designer so it could be approved before the rider briefing at 6pm.

What an adventure! We were given plastic raincoats which kept blowing up but luckily we just had our Olympic drip dry shorts on so we did get soaked, but dried quickly! They nicely gave us a radio to call if we needed help – how comforting! We did manage to see all the fences among the fallen branches and debris. We had over eight inches of rain but the galloping track was fabulous due to the million dollar drainage system.

At one fence under the trees there was a blinding spot light on. We found that it cost $50,000 and was there to help the grass grow!! Next to it was a giant fan to dry the ground. That was turned off since there were already severe winds.

The course was great lots of variety, all with Chinese themes: the Great Wall of China, a panda playground,
chopsticks, dragons and pagodas. Most of the flowers and decorations had been removed due to the typhoon
and the last fence which was a big arch was roped and staked down so it didn’t blow away! It all still looked fabulous, with even in torrential rain and wind! We are going back this morning since the typhoon is only a #3 now .

So we survived our first adventure and got back to the hotel and got to get clean, dry and take a nap,yeah!! At six o’clock we attended the riders briefing followed by a lively chefs meeting. We then watched the riders have a jump school in the Olympic arena under the lights. The riders were concerned about the shadows caused by the lights and the giant TV screen with live action. They all seemed to do fine but unfortunately got soaked in the downpour. I guess they need to get used to that too!

stay tuned….

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.

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