Volunteering is a great way to be involved in horse sports, whether you are an active competitor who wants to give back or you are a horse enthusiast who just wants to be involved. Every competitor in eventing must ride a dressage test, and every dressage judge at a horse trials or three-day event is required to have a scribe to write down their comments and scores during each ride so that they can focus on the horse and rider in front of them. That means that there is a great need for volunteers who are capable of scribing. This can be a great way to give back to the sport and get to know what happens in the judge’s booth - but there is a little more to scribing than being able to quickly write things down.
USEF licensed “r” Judge and USDF Gold Medalist Jacquelyn Stapel recently conducted a seminar for people interested in scribing at Four Farthings Farm in Northern New Jersey. She offered tips to make your scribing session run smoothly for both you and the judge.
It’s easiest to start out with the lower levels – find a schooling dressage show to give scribing a try, and give yourself a chance to learn the ropes. Maybe at your next event you’ll be hanging out in the judge’s box!
Check out this short video of Jacquelyn Stapel talking about the importance of abbreviations and how competitiors can brush up on their terminology with the USDF Glossary of Judging Terms.Thirty-five five-star horses presented today under sunny skies at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event.
If all goes according to plan in the first part of the extended weekend, we will see 36 horses galloping across Derek di Grazia's CCI5*-L cross-country course at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (DK3DE). We partnered up with the team at CrossCountry App to bring you a preview of both the five-star and CCI4*-s tracks this year.
Lights, cameras, action! The first formal horse inspection (which some might informally refer to as "the jog") at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) takes place this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. While this part of the event is a fan-favorite historically based on the impeccable turnout of the horses and the stylish and forward fashion choices of the riders (we are looking at you Boyd Martin in hopes that you bring back the American flag suit circa 2022), it serves a very important purpose: ensuring that each horse is fit, sound, and ready to compete at the five-star level.
There are so many things to love about the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and the opportunity to peruse the booths of so many amazing vendors is definitely one of them! Don’t forget to stop by the USEA booth, located just behind the Rolex Stadium next to the large Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event booth, to stock up on all of your favorite USEA apparel.