I would like to thank all the competitors for choosing to come to the 25th running of the Winona Horse Trials. I hope you and your horse had an enjoyable experience. We really lucked out with the weather. Despite the rain on Fri., the gusty winds on Sat. and the cool temperatures on Sun.; I think all went well. Much of that is due to our incredible volunteers. At your next event be sure to thank a volunteer and if you’re not riding please consider becoming a volunteer.
Both photographers got many nice pictures so be sure to check them out at www.brantgamma.com and www.casualcreation.exposuremanager.com. Results can be found at http://eventingscores.com/sgf/win09/. The use of Start Box Scoring and the internet has made it possible to get results up fast and live. In fact many competitors’ stadium scores were posted before they had gotten back to their trailers or stalls!
The new Technical Merit Award was well received with 75% of the competitors signing up to have their ride evaluated and have the chance of winning a Brant Gamma photograph. The Technical Merit Award was sponsored by Joanna Rae from American National Insurance 1-877-840-4400. Complete results can be found at www.stonegatefarm.org.
The winners were:
Preliminary: Amanda Haney
Training: Carly Strohmeyer
Novice: Kim Wolf
Beginner Novice: Teneley Struhs
Photos by Casual Creations
Kevin Smith & Tin Tin, winners of the Junior Training/YR division |
Carly Stromeyer was the winner of the Training level Technical Merit Award |
It was bitter sweet knowing that it was the last time that the cross country will be running at Huffman’s beautiful farm and we can’t thank them enough for their hospitality for the last 25 years! Fortunately I was out of town over the weekend when my husband started dismantling the course. I’m not sure I would have been able to handle that! But as we end the era of cross country at Huffman’s, we look forward to using the our new land to provide a different track at Stone Gate for next spring.
I hope many of you will be able to join us for future activities at Stone Gate Farm. For those of you who live close enough; you might want to join us for our Hunter Pace on Mon. May 25th Memorial Day!
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!
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.
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.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.