My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
According to Princess Haya, the president of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the status of equestrian sports at future Olympics is precarious. In a recent interview she stated that there is no guarantee that horse sports will survive beyond the 2012 Olympics. The problems? Interest in dressage is low, there have been complaints about the […]
Read MoreMany of us dream of finding horses with International potential in a backyard barn or turned out in a field. There are two horses competing this year that fall into that category — they started out in careers that did not generally lead to Olympic success. Poggio II, Amy Tryon’s eventing mount, worked as a […]
Read MoreWith the spotlight focused on the safety of eventing, it is critical that the ambassadors of our sport — course designers, trainers, equestrian organizations, and riders — take all steps that can prevent injuries to both riders and horses. There is some progress. For example, at the Olympics, there was a last minute change to […]
Read MoreAs we wait for the Olympics to begin, it’s really interesting to get a window into the life of some of the competitors. There are several Olympians who are keeping blogs . . . just be careful, reading them can be addictive. Enjoy! General Overview: Brian O’Connor is the announcer of the equestrian events: http://special.equisearch.com/blog/brianoconnor/ […]
Read MoreWhen I was horse shopping 12 years ago, I wasn’t in the market for a Trakehner. I didn’t really have any breed in mind. Mostly I wanted a horse to event. A horse that would have good enough movement to produce a decent dressage test, enough jump to keep me out of trouble, and brave […]
Read MoreThe equestrian events at the Olympics are the only event where men and women compete against each other, and the only event where human athletes partner with animal athletes. It is one of the aspects of the Olympics that provides a direct link to the sports played at the ancient games. Unfortunately, there are no […]
Read MoreThere has been a lot of discussion among the eventing community about how to prevent rotational falls — a fall where the horse hits a fence with its front legs or chest and its body somersaults over the fence with the fence acting as a pivot point. In a rotational fall, the rider usually is […]
Read MoreA few days ago my Trakehner gelding turned 17. I’ve owned him for 12 years and it’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since I brought him home. So, how old is he in human years? I’ve been doing some research into comparing horse and human age, but haven’t come up with […]
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