Equestrian News Roundup

“When you jump in a place that has a crowd and has an atmosphere, the whole energy changes and your desire to win also changes,” said 28-year-old rider and new father…”

“I learned that being patient is a imperative skill. Fortunately, this sport allows you to be a part of it for many years.”

“State legislatures have come to recognize that licensing may be negatively impacting their workforce and consumers … The line that licensing is the best way to protect the public may not necessarily be true.”

“Nobody wants to pet a squad car.” Mulry says he gets more citizen contacts–positive ones–in one day on horseback than a week in a squad car.
Source: MadisonCommons.org

Over 350,000 spectators attended the annual German Nations Cup at the showgrounds of Aachen …

Source: World of Showjumping

“… treasured summer rite for those deliriously in love with horses to indulge their obsession alongside approximately 30,000 (mostly teenage, mostly female) kindred spirits: “horse girls,” as they are sometimes called.

Source: The New York Times

All sports are continually taking steps to enhance their product to attract new viewers and to produce exciting sport … However, viewership still lags dramatically behind other sports.

via HorseNetwork

With 3 months to go, 500 construction workers are working around the clock to complete major infrastructure projects in time for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon … “We’ll be ready.”

via WLOS

Researcher who credits horses in her recovery from breast cancer is planning a study of equine therapy benefits to cancer patients.

via Horse & Hound

“What I care about the most is that through horseback riding, a child’s willpower, tenderness and strength can be cultivated.”
via Global Times

“My two vocations rarely intersected — until I came across a story about Jimmy A. Williams, a trainer who coached many young female riders to Olympic fame, while sexually abusing them.”

via The New York Times

via The New York Times

“I think the speed and the action of show jumping has always been what’s made it the most popular equestrian discipline…”

via SportsPro

via New York Times

“Individual jumps and the courses they are part of can be a great outlet for the imagination…”

Source: –Eurosport

The Riders Masters Cup … a new team competition with high octane duels between two international show jumping powers, the USA and Europe.

Source:Equnews.com

In all, there are more than 100 clones from several of their best horses.–CBS News

Source: – CBS News

“Pieter Devos’ performance today was described as ‘inspiring’ by the newly-converted show jumping fans who have flocked to the event here in Shanghai. The first round was a tough and demanding course set by Uliano Vezzani (ITA). There were no real ‘bogey’ fences, but the technical lines and tricky distances came thick and fast causing more than a few top names to pick up penalties. Of the 18 riders through to the second round, eleven carried zero penalties with seven going through on four faults.”

By Marcella Peyre-Ferry “ Francis Jacobs is not ready to start building a museum yet, but he thinks it could be something for the near future. “My vision is that we will have a museum here on the grounds and it will depict all of the disciplines that Devon represents as the oldest and most historic, most notable, outdoor horse show in the country,”“

By Sevie Kenyon ‘“We had to up our game,” said Todd Frey of the Columbus-based Frey Carriage Co. “We were listening to the things drivers were telling us and knew we could come up with a new experience.” Frey has been in the business more than 20 years. For much of that time, restorations were the mainstay of the business and the work was done in a shop out in the country. “The recession really hurt that part of the business,” Frey said. “But making new carriages began to pick up.”‘

Beyond the spectacle and the equestrian competition, the show means business for artisans and sellers of horse-related goods inside the grounds, and enterprising businesses outside of them. About 100,000 people attend annually.

Every year, nearby hotels and restaurants can count on a boost. Churches, businesses, and even homeowners offer parking spaces to people who come from throughout the country to go to one of the nation’s largest outdoor horse shows, now in its 118th year.

‘Getting the jumps in an out of the show ring, and making sure they are set at the correct height and distances apart takes a 16-man crew that specializes in this job … “There’s enough of us and we’ve been doing it a while, so that we are confident we can do it quick and accurately,” Bennett said. “We have to do rapid changeovers and do things quickly.”‘

By Bill Finley “Why has horse racing become a second tier sport while baseball still prospers?”

By Andrew Hawkins “It’s remarkable that a sport which has the same premise – horses running around in a circle – could be so different between jurisdictions. There are always going to be some distinctions – culture, interest, importance – but to see turnover skyrocketing and crowds booming in Hong Kong at a time when Australia is struggling to attract new blood is something which provokes contemplation. And while concrete answers aren’t possible, there are definitely a number of obvious reasons.”

“Show jumping is a sport not usually associated with black people however young rider Vincent Lebogang Moemise is fast dispelling that notion.”

By Ginger Adams Otis “The New York State Horse Council — backed by the American Horse Council — has signed on to the Daily News’ campaign to save the city’s carriage industry. The association’s city chapter conducted a thorough investigation of the stables used to house carriage horses and found they are ‘probably the most regulated horses in the country, if not the world.’“

By Loren Zhimanskova “Like many, the moment I learned of skijoring, a sport combining horses and skiers, my curiosity was piqued. Being a historian with a degree from Yale, I began to research the sport, and I was amazed at what I discovered. For example, did you know skijoring began more than 2,000 years ago in Lapland?”

By Pilar Clark “Five four-legged standouts that have earned a permanent spot in Disney’s stable of most memorable characters…”

“Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Westchester) plans to introduce legislation in Albany on Friday that would prevent the city from reducing the number of horse-drawn carriage licenses it issues. It would also declare that it is not inhumane for a horse pull a carriage.“

By Michele Dargan “When Mark Bellissimo sought to grow the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington into one of the top horse shows in the world, there were plenty of naysayers … But seven years later, Bellissimo has silenced most of those people by thinking big and delivering even bigger.”

By Neal Benoit “… don’t get discouraged, throw up your arms and lament over what can possibly be done to fix everything that is wrong. If you do, you will become impotent and do nothing. Instead, ask yourself this simple question. “What can I do to help?” To that there is an answer.”

By JoAnn Alumbaugh ‘As part of its ongoing campaign to expose the deceptive fundraising practices of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), HumaneWatch.org sponsored a billboard in Times Square that calls attention to the organization … The ad portrays an angry-looking cat with the headline, “WTF? (Where’s The Funding?),” and goes on to explain, “The Humane Society of the United States only gives 1% of its budget to local pet shelters.”‘

By Kaitlyn Ridel ‘In order to revive the 2015 Classic, Swann is hosting a meeting 6 p.m. today at Sara’s Place in Gates Mills to generate excitement and local support. Swann is planning to form committees of local business leaders and residents that will focus on finding sponsors, reaching out to young people and creating a larger social media presence for the Classic. “We need more than money,” he said. “We need people talking about the horse show.”‘

By Robert Kieckhefer ‘”With the safety of our horses, the integrity of competition and the general perception of the sport all at risk, we cannot afford to wait any longer,” Phipps said. “Enough is enough.”‘

By Steuart Pittman “Public scrutiny has its place … That is the environment that racing and all sports are in today. So what. Let’s have the conversation. Let’s tell the story of what life is like for a racehorse. And let’s tell the story of what these magnificent animals do later in life with the education they receive as racehorses. Maybe somebody will listen.”

By Ellie Hughes “A new 6-part showjumping series is to be broadcast on BT Sport this summer. The programmes will feature the 2014 International Stairway championships at 6 county shows: Devon, Suffolk, South of England, Royal Norfolk, New Forest and Hampshire and Royal Berkshire.”

By Andrew Cohen “Horse racing simply cannot survive if the general public believes racehorses are abused or neglected. I have no idea if Asmussen and Blasi are guilty of anything and I accuse them here of nothing. My point is that it doesn’t really matter. The whole industry is guilty of letting it get this far.”

By Alicia Graef “With hidden cameras, investigators visited feedlots, auctions, veterinary checkpoints and slaughterhouses and found problems with transport, sick, starving, injured and dead horses in varying states of decomposition. Additionally they found animals intended for human consumption who had been given unsafe drugs, such as phenylbutazone (bute), which is banned for cattle in the U.S. and in the European Union, according to the AFP.”

By Tricia L. Nadolny ‘The chairman of the Devon Horse Show has resigned, four months after board members at the prestigious Main Line institution challenged what some said was his undisclosed role in a proposal to build a high-end retail center and hotel beside the fairgrounds. Wade McDevitt, whose grandfather was one of the show’s founders and who in many ways grew up on its grounds, said he stepped down to spend more time with his family … “Time is precious,” he said, “and anything I can do to manage my life to have more time with my family, I’m going to do.”‘

By Laura Schreffler

“EEM World, the creator and organizer of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor, the world’s most prestigious indoor Show Jumping events that include the annual Gucci Paris Masters and Longines Hong Kong Masters, has decided to make LA the home of its Stateside show jumping event.”

By Vivienne Nicoll “By supporting access to riding for young people with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds, a whole new range of opportunities will be opened up to our young people … On top of this, the proposal also offers important training and work experience opportunities to young people.”

“Norwegian researcher Anita Maurstad, a professor in the Department of Cultural Sciences in Tromsø University Museum, explains that, in essence, both the horse and the human become attuned to each other’s physical and mental ways, thus developing the state of co-being.”

By Ed Zieralski “…this magnificent and magical era in horse racing comes to an end with today’s final races.”

“More than 80 delegates from more than 30 countries took part in the inaugural three-day Global Equestrian Forum in The Netherlands in the first week of the month.”

“Will the purchase prices continue to soar or is there a ceiling? If there is no ceiling, what measures would our sport go to keep a level playing field? Should it be required to take action or is our sport best kept to evolve naturally into a new age?”

By Jon Brand ‘“Everything has changed so much in our sport,” Lamaze said. “And so have the horses along with it.” But specialization has not bred out style and personality, often what endears horses to jumping fans.’

By Brad Choat ‘An Occupational Therapy lab at Washington University School of Medicine is recuiting participants for a study on the effects of horses in a therapy setting, according to third-year student Julia Sanders, “They might be riding on a horse. They might just be grooming, just hanging out with a horse. It has been shown that horses can really calm down the effects of PTSD.”‘

Henry Moreigne photos of Day #2 of the 2013 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Finals.

Photos by Henry Moreigne Photography – Day #1 of the 2013 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Finals in photos.

“History will be written at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain the coming weekend as the winners of the first Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Final will be decided on Sunday evening. This year’s new Nations Cup concept concludes with a global final and a completely new format.”

By Louise Parkes “There is a huge sense of anticipation in the air at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain today as horses and riders are settling in ahead of this week’s inaugural Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final. It promises to be a page-turner, as 18 nations from all around the globe will battle it out for a place in the record books as the very first Furusiyya champions…”

Michael D’Antonio “No animal has served us more thoroughly — as athlete, transport, tool, and warrior – or more reliably. All this service was rendered thanks to human intervention. We made the horse a partner above all others in the animal world. We also made it dependent on us for its well-being.”

“The crowds for the Burghley Horse Trials, the flagship event of three-day eventing, were always big but they have never approached 170,000 as they will this weekend. If this really is an elitist sport, an accusation levelled at eventing every time it seeks funding, then the elite stretches further than we could possibly have imagined.”

With Hong Kong investing a lot in equestrianism, many provinces have followed suit recently, hiring overseas trainers and bringing in overseas horses. Their trainer, Lars Meyer zu Bexte: “They did very well at the Asian Games in Guangzhou the year after the Shandong bronze and have been working very hard in Europe.”

By Noelle Floyd “Taking each event into consideration, it would have been Team France who would have won this year’s Nations Cup title. Surprised?”

“Some horse owners may also think that turnout is unnecessary, believing that horses get all the exercise they need from being ridden. A 30-year-old research paper stated that the riding school horses studied received on average 41 minutes of exercise, six days per week; this contrasts with the results of a more recent (2010) study showing feral horses traveled an average of 17.9 km per day.”

“Next time you see a horse trailer, assume an animal’s in there. Please give the rig some space and offer some patience. By driving safely, we’ll all get where we’re going.”

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“… here is this animal which, within living memory, provided our main means of mobility and haulage, served us in peace and war, and otherwise underpinned our civilization, and yet its fate today is to be derided by motorists shouting “you ought not to be on the road!”

By Perry Backus “As a martial discipline, mounted archery can trace its roots back more than 2,500 years … In this country, the sport of galloping a horse down a straight-line, 99-meter-long track in less than 20 seconds while firing arrows at a set target in rapid order is something relatively new.”

‘The wild horse and burro advocacy group, Wild Horse Education, filed papers on Monday in Reno federal court to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from hiding their actions from the public during a removal operation in Western Nevada that could begin any day. “The BLM cannot be allowed to avoid public scrutiny in an area that is already under intense scrutiny by stripping the public’s First Amendment rights,” said the founder Laura Leigh. The bureau is refusing to disclose documents requested by Leigh’s attorney that show exact numbers of animal deaths and injuries caused by BLM removals.’

by John Royce In a world of shrinking resources and increasing human population, decisions must be made about which activities can be sustained. At some point the question must be asked and hopefully well-answered: What is the value of horse sports to society?

That’s the headline from SurferToday.com about a splashy new sport that is slowly but steadily gaining momentum.

by Terri Miller “The course has been the same since 1924. The track is dead simple: right lead around the outside, up the center, left lead around the outside. There are no bending lines, just a few related distances, nothing of what we would consider ‘technical’ in the world of Grand Prix jumping.”

By Jean Luc Cornille “It is extremely unfortunate that instead of exploring a more advanced form of equitation optimizing the horses’ talent through subtle orchestration of their vertebral column’s properties, otherwise skilled riders have elected to reactivate a technique of the 19th century in order to subdue extraordinarily gifted horses.”

Who says draft crosses can’t jump? Rescue horse advocate Cate Lamm reports on her gelding Banjo’s introduction to jumping: “When I’d brought Banjo home from the rescue, he was a scruffy, terrified mess. Now he is healthy and happy!”

8 Nations will contest the French Nations Cup in the Longines International Tournament (May 16-19) … total of 64 riders and 177 horses from 19 nations are competing.

The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Norway is being held this weekend …

Originally published Dec. 2011 by Molly Sorge An open forum hosted by the U.S. Equestrian Federation took a hard look at how horse shows and the sport of show jumping have evolved over the last few decades, and where they’ve gone wrong.

“37 nations will be seeking to qualify for the world Final which will be held in September 2013…”

“As the home team, the Americans had the advantage, so perhaps they can continue to build on that win under new coach Robert Ridland with the confidence needed to rebuild the team after a dismal record at the Olympics last year.”

Project Gutenburg free ebook of the 1916 edition of a Special Report on Diseases of the Horse, which was originally issued in 1890 by order of the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring). (released 2007)

by Nancy Jaffer “…for McLain, winning his third Invitational since 1998 has special meaning: ‘This class is an institution for this country, this sport. I really hope people in the industry rally behind this … it’s very, very important to us as athletes.'”

Jump-offs are judged by the speed at which the course is jumped. A “clean trip,” (one in which the horse doesn’t knock down any jumps) run in record time wins, as seen in McLain Ward’s winning ride in the video…

by Danielle Goldstein: “I do believe that Israel can achieve true greatness in show jumping (or any other sport) assuming that we as a nation can clear this one final hurdle. … Hopefully, the sport of show jumping itself will play a part in setting the positive example we need to succeed.”

by Jason Schwartz “For a quarter-century, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs ruled the clubby equestrian scene in Wellington, Florida. From his palatial estate, he fought to keep the exclusive community exactly the way he and his family wanted it. Then a brash Boston entrepreneur named Mark Bellissimo appeared on the scene.”

Laura Kraut and CEDRICK demonstrated the form that helped them clinch Team Gold for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games as they jumped an impressive faultless effort in round one.

Show jumping’s Nations Cup is going global under a new name and with a €16m sponsorship package.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5895K-Xjupk&feature=related

Working Equitation. Speed test. Beja, Portugal. April 2008.

The FEI Nations Cup showjumping series is to be re-named and re-packaged for 2013, which FEI President HRH Princess Haya says is “wonderful news for equestrian sport”.

Developing responsibility and communication skills are an integral part of learning horsemanship. Working with horses is conducive to forming emotional bonds. Shared experience promotes personal growth.

Great shots of Dutch national rider Gerco Schröder …

You don’t have to own your own horse to enjoy the informative tips and colorful stories told by these bloggers.

by Linda Allen “Show jumping spans such a wide range of levels and participants these days that it can be hard to recognize as a single discipline.”

Candidate for President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Dutch businessman Henk Rottinghuis, created a well-regarded analysis called “A Fresh Approach to Create a Space for the Sport” following a Listening Tour to form his 2010 campaign agenda.

One recent study, published in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, found that “a 10-week therapeutic horseback riding intervention with children diagnosed with can result in significant improvement.” Teachers tell us they see these benefits extend into the classroom, long after the riding session is over.