The Willow Draw Charity Show, scheduled to run on Saturday, May 25, has been forced to cancel due to heavy rainfall in the northern region of Texas.
"Willow Draw Charity Show is cancelled," said the event on a statement on Facebook. "Holly Hill and Tyler fought it out as they are on hills and we are a catch basin. Everything was set, flag, staked, warmup jumps, start boxes, safety ropes in place. The only piece left was to set up stadium. With 100 entries, the parking would have been tough enough. The deal breaker was outdoor stadium. This winter we leveled and mixed in lightly arena footing. It has not been able to set. Horses would have punch the ground 4-6" easily. With more rain schedule this week after today, it was best to cancel as we know our ground has been saturated for the last 30 days. Full refunds, less office fee, and expenses [will be given]."
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.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.