Compare our rates to print for space, time and audience!
Michigan's Blair King will ride her 13-year old "King" in the Rolex 4-star. Named by his breeder Richard King as King's Whisper, King raced at DRC in the track's last season. Blair took him home after the last meet.
People think he was a CANTER horse but he wasn't. I bought him about the same time as the CANTER program got started. Joanne Normile called the barn and said there were horses going for slaughter so I went out and looked around. The track at DRC was closing. Horse had to be moved out. I saw him and of course I loved him. Grey, 3, super cute. His name was King and so I liked that. He had a bow. We took him home and gave him a year off in the pasture. Then we ultrasounded him and they said there was hardly any scar tissue. Unless you knew it was there, you couldn't find it. We put him into work and the bow never recurred. Nothing has ever happened with that.
What's he like to ride?
In the beginning, he had many years of bad habits. He's a bit of a runaway. On cross country, you let him go and you don't try to get in his way. But he gets tense and nervous in the dressage and he's not as successful there. I work extremely hard on that phase.
You've stuck with him. Why?
I always knew that he had it in him. Moving up the levels he was always solid. I never thought he wouldn't do it, it was only a matter of when. He was my pet, too. I was learning on him as well. That's part of being a horse person - knowing what I'm doing wrong and what I can do better. He's a great horse. He's taught me unbelievable amounts. He's helped me with my young horses coming along. Now, I make sure they have the basics.
Rolex is only a few weeks away. What are you doing now in your training program?
As far as conditioning and the program, I don't change anything. I keep everything going smoothly. It's one thing to get him fit and another to keep him safe, sound and sane a few weeks before the 4-star. As I watch him, all is going pretty smoothly. This will be our first 4-star. We've been around 3 3-stars. He's the horse I would want to be riding on my first 4-star.
How long have you been based in Ocala?
This is my fourth year. I used to go back to Michigan in the summers and then I started staying down here for the eventing - the footing here is great - and I got involved in the race horses. I love eventing, obviously. Most of my eventing horses were off the track. I used to be an exercise rider down here in Ocala in the winter. I always really enjoyed the racing. I went to the Keeneland Sales one year and I was working for a vet then, going around scoping for the vet, and I was amazed at the prices and at the racing people. I went out and bought a couple of cheap horses to see how my eventing experience would help in the racing. I was playing with the mixture - the fitness of eventing and the race training.
Any interesting racing prospect right now?
I have a horse by Runaway Broom who won the Canadian Triple Crown. Usually his horses are distance and turf. My gelding did well in his first race. He came out in the middle of the pack and he made his way up the first turn. It was only 7/8. He needs a longer race and turf. He used up his dirt date and now we're looking for a turf date. He handled the crowd, and so on. I was pretty happy with him. I'm just getting started in the actual racing. I did the sales the last couple of years, pinhooking. You never know what's going to make a great race horse. The most expensive don't always make it to the track. Sales people are looking for something that is a freshman sire with great potential, or something that's proven itself. Usually that latter is coming out of Kentucky or Florida.
And your future?
I have young eventing and racing prospects coming along. And I'll compete on King a couple of more years. There will come a time when I'm old and retired but then I can still have a barnful of horses. I'll be racing. You can be too involved in one discipline. It's always nice to go outside of it and meet new people and get involved in another discipline. You can bring something new into the racing world from eventing or jumping.
Blair King is happy to talk to people about her career, about eventing and about racing. You can email her whisperbka@aol.com.
| Area Young Rider Finishes 8th at Fairhill CCI*** |
Kelly Sult and horse Hollywood recently scored an 8th place finish at the Fairhill CCI*** - her first 3- star. |
The Eventing Association of Michigan
Annual Banquet
November 3 at Brookshire Inn, Williamston
Meeting at 4:30 - Party at 5:30 - Dinner at 6:30
To reserve seats: go to TEAM
In Chicago this weekend, event horses and riders converge for the AEC - all 560 of them!
Winning the Training Amateur division was Ashley DeBoer, 24, of Haslett aboard Safari (30.5).
In Jr/YR Novice Division were several Michigan people:
Coming in 1st was Taylor Foote on Lazerbeam who held that spot all the way through - on a dressage score of 27.4!
Erin Strader, 16, of Arbor , finished 8th overall.
Alyssa Meek, 13, of Fowlerville tied for 16th after dressage but incurred over 7 penalties for galloping too fast on cc. She finished at 37th.
If you know other Great Lakes riders in the Championships, we'll post their scores.
Alyssa on Mr. Cellophane (Spirit) a halflinger cross, riding at Encore in June.
Ongoing Reporting of the WEC by Amber Heintzberger - reporting post-dressage and pre-cc:
In a very competitive Advanced Championship division that included eight Olympic veterans, Allison Springer and her eight-year-old Irish Thoroughbred gelding Arthur emerged as the leaders on a score of 27.1 after a relaxed and consistent performance at the Wellpride American Eventing Championships at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL. Nineteen horses are competing in the Advanced championship and the scores leave little room for error as the riders head out on Rich Temple¹s imposing cross-country course tomorrow.
US Eventing team members Becky Holder of Mendota Heights, MN on Courageous Comet (28.3) and Darren Chiacchia of Ocala, FL on Windfall (29.2) are in second and third places, respectively. John Williams and his veteran Sloopy, co-owned by John and Ellen Williams and Stephen Williams are in fourth
(29.6) followed by New Zealander Donna Smith riding Jacqueline Mars¹ Rocket (30.0). Chiacchia¹s second ride, Better I Do It, owned by Adrienne Iorio Borden, is sixth (30.4).
Over 550 entries have been received for this year’s Wellpride American Eventing Championships, a new record for this national championships for the Olympic equestrian sport of eventing which will be held September 13-16 at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Not only has this year’s Wellpride AEC set a record for entries, it has also set a record for national and international representation, with riders coming from 42 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, five countries and three continents are represented: the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
The entry list includes nearly a dozen Olympic, World Equestrian, and Pan American Games veterans, including reigning Olympic gold medallist Leslie Law of Great Britain, three-time Olympian (team silver and team bronze) and reigning Pan Am individual and team gold medallist Karen O’Connor (U.S.); World Equestrian Games (WEG) team gold and Olympic team bronze medallist John Williams (U.S.); Pan Am gold and Olympian Darren Chiacchia (U.S.); and 2000 Olympics alternate, Becky Holder (U.S.). Canadian Olympians Mike Winter and Hawley Bennett will be on hand, with Bennett coming all the way from the West Coast. Additional top names include Olympian and three-time WEG U.S. team member and Pan Am gold medallist Mike Huber, WEG silver medallist Dorothy Trapp (U.S.), New Zealand WEG team member Donna Smith, and famed Australian Boyd Martin.
In addition to those top international names, expect to see many former AEC champions and newbies vying for top honors and nearly $60,000 in prize money and over $100,000 in prizes, as well as bragging rights.
This year’s Wellpride AEC benefits the local Fox River Chapter of the American Red Cross, a connection now even more relevant after the severe flooding in the area less than two weeks ago. The Fox River Chapter will be active at the event, offering a Pet First-Aid seminar at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 16, right after the SmartPak Canine Dog Show. Anyone is welcome to enter this purely-for-fun dog show, with a class list that includes Best Costume, Show Jumping (a type of agility course), Best Trick, Best Vocal Performance, and even a Dog/Owner Lookalike contest. The show starts at 11 a.m. Sunday, with ribbons through fifth and prizes through third place from SmartPak Canine, Saratoga Horseworks, and Merial. Dogs can be pre-registered (call or email Nancy at 703-779-0440 ext. 3007 or nancy@useventing.com) or registered on site at the USEA tent.
This event is fun for the whole family with an extensive trade fair, scrumptious food, and some of the most talented horses and riders not just in the country, but in the world. Gates open at 9 a.m. each day, rain or shine, and admission is free. Parking donations to the Fox River Chapter of the American Red Cross are welcome.
For more information on the event site, visit www.LamplightEquestrian.com, and for more details on the event, visit www.useventing.com or www.aecatlamplight.org.
Eventing Scholarship for 16-25 age group to fund your training. Deadline to apply: October 16, 2007
The USEA 2007 Worth the Trust Coaching Scholarship for young adults and adult amateurs has widened its age range to allow for more applicants.
Amateur young riders between the ages of 16 and 25 are now permitted the chance to win the $3000 training scholarship; previously, the age range for the young rider scholarship was 22-25. The $2,000 Adult amateur scholarship is still available for riders ages 26 and older.
The Worth the Trust scholarship rewards young up-and-coming eventers by helping to fund their training—clinics, working student opportunities, private or group instruction. Applicants must be members of their local eventing club or association and contribute at least six hours volunteer work to either a national or local charitable organization, any minority/disadvantaged group, local Eventing Association or horse trials, et cetera.
Applications and other qualifications criteria can be found on the USEA website in the Forms and Documents folder under Education and Instruction.
Visit the Great Lakes Region Pony Club website. For the third year, Waterloo Hunt will host the Regional D Event Rally. Check it out! Join your local Pony Club!
Encore Horse Trials - 2007 June 23-24 Event. Great weather; cheerful people coming from all over Area 8; good food; good footing. What more could you ask? Kathy Arrandale, co-Organizer of this year's event, once again keeps this event running smoothly. Eric Retford, co-Organizer once again updates an interesting, encouraging course at 4 levels from B Novice to Prelim.. Come out and watch X-country! USEA
2007 Summer Pan Am Eventing Sites Selected
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named Woodside Horse Trials Menlo Park, CA, May 24-27, 2007 and the Jersey Fresh CCI**/CCI*** at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown, NJ, May 31-Jun 3, 2007 to host the selection trials for this summer’s Pan American Games. This is the first time since 1991 that the West Coast has hosted a selection division. The Pan American Games will be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil from July 13-29, 2007.
The U.S. will be aiming to defend its Pan American team gold and sweep of the individual medals it won in 2003. Reigning individual gold and silver medalists are Darren Chiacchia and Karen O’Connor.
June 11, selected for the team are Stephen Bradley, Mara Dean, Phillip Dutton, Gina Miles, Bonnie Mosser, Karen O'Connor. For details
Interview with Jackie Smith
Area 8 Young Rider Eventing Coordinator
You are extremely qualified to take on the challenge of the YR Coordinator, but you’re a very, very busy person, deeply involved in horses at many levels. What made you take it on?
I was asked - and I forgot a very important little word, No! At the time I was also the Chair of the USEA Organizers’ Committee, on the USEA BOG & on the USEF Eventing Committee. Fortunately those jobs ended in December.
I became involved in 2004 when my son started his first NAYRC. I helped with the promotions and then I took over and so here I am. Now my son is into the national drill team. I have always been involved in eventing and we hold several events here each year. We also are interested in young horse development and hold at our farm one of the national qualifiers for 4 and 5 year old event horses.
What’s your immediate goal for the Young Rider program?
Right now I am focusing on getting the young rider program information out to potential riders and to help raise money to support the year’s budget. We are holding a 3-week online auction on the Area 8 website that began March 14.
How many riders are there in the YR program here in Area 8?
Today the program covers a wider age and skill range than in the past. It starts at the Beginning Novice level and works all the way up to the two-star. Last year at camp, we had 55 riders and the spread was equally divided at all the levels. The fewest were at training level and also at the highest levels. Because of the variety of skill levels, it’s hard to organize the camp to benefit everyone so we are thinking of starting a mentoring program with older kids mentoring younger ones at the competitions. A younger rider could hook up with an older member at a show and learn the ropes.
Well, our national goal is to get people involved in the program at a younger age than before. That’s because once you reach 18, you no longer qualify to participate in the one-star. So that means to be skilled enough to do a one-star before the end of your 18th birthday, you need to start eventing earlier in your riding career.
The one-stars are a lot of expense and work for everyone involved. Is this why the FEI has restricted the one-stars to championships?
That’s not quite right. The FEI mandated that the * Star Championship is for Juniors and that the ** is for YR and in the short format. Brian and Penny Ross felt strongly that the full format for the * was very important for the education of our young riders and wanted to include the 19-21 * riders. For the past two years they have offered an ‘unofficial/non-championship’ division that was in the long format & included the older members. There has been a ‘push’ to make the NAJYRC a championship competition only and, due to the expense, time, etc., the non-championship division has been dropped.
So we plan to have a National one-star team championship (East & West) and then we have team challenges for the younger riders. The eastern championship and team challenge will be held in conjunction with the Hagyard Mid-South Three Day Event & Team Challenge. They’ve also said all championships have to be in the short format. We also have the two-star young rider championship.
Why restrict the one-star to pre-19 year olds?
All of these decisions come from the FEI. From their point of view, that’s the way to go. They have to spread their administrative involvement beyond demands from previous years. For example, there are new categories of riding, such as reining, to administer.
So how doers a rider get to the North American Junior Young Rider Championships?
You have to do two CIC’s or one CCI. There’s one at the end of April at Fairhill and one at the end of May in Virginia and one at Bromont in Canada. The NAYRC is in August in Virginia.
And for those other riders wanting to do the one-star format who are 19?
There is probably going to be a CCI or a one-star Team Championship in October for these riders.
I have a daughter riding two horses at the preliminary level this winter in Fla. and one at training. She will do the same this summer out east, just as she did last year. I find it very expensive. It is not unusual for a weekend to cost over $1,200.00. And there are many weekends to event! How are officials helping to deal with the increasing costs of the sport?
I have similar expenses for my family. It’s become expensive for all levels of young riders to compete in all the riding sports. In eventing, we have been discussing the need to provide less costly events. For the future, some are hoping to develop a CCN that doesn’t qualify you for any other level but gives those who want to ride in a full three day event as their ultimate goal the opportunity without all the extra expense. However, that probably is unlikely. An alternative would be a two-day traditional format event that includes roads and tracks and steeplechase at the preliminary level. A two-day format would have lower costs.
One of our main fundraisers for the program is going on now. It’s a silent auction on the Area 8 site and at the end of April we have a booth at Rolex (we could use some volunteers). Our Young Rider program needs to pay for our teams to the NAJYRC and our teams to the Jr. YR National Team* Championship and – pending its approval - to the JR/YR Team Prelim Challenge in November. The JR/YR Team Prelim Challenge will run in conjunction with the Hagyard Mid-South 3-Day Event and Team Challenge.
Jackie Smith can be reached at Stone Gate Farm in Ohio or by emailing her at youngriders@usea8.org.
The YR auction runs through the first week in April.
FEI ANNOUNCES NEW 4- STAR THREE DAY EVENT
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Eventing Committee met on February 22-23, 2007 at the FEI headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and confirmed the allocation of 4 Star status to Pau, France for three years, as the Organization Committee fulfils the FEI requirement for the attribution of a 4 Star level event.
This addition to the CCI calendar brings the total number of annual four-star events to six. The 2007 competitions are as follows:
Lexington, KY, USA, April 26-29
Badminton, England, May 3-6
Luhmühlen, Germany, June 14-17
Burghley,England,Aug. 30-Sept 2
Pau, France, October 24-28
Adelaide, SA, Australia, Nov 9-11
My French friends tell me that October in Pau is warm. This is the southwest of France. It is a region of Anglo-Arab breeding and there are many horse activities. It is beautiful country ! Here's the event's website: http://www.eventpau.fr/event2006/en/accueil.htm
Tania Evans, Editor
- shows us how to start a young horse
- talks about her favorite teachers in Florida
- trailers 7 horses to Ocala this winter
I break one or two a year and I’ve taken in a lot of young ones that have training issues or that come off the track that are either not broke or need fixing. I call them retreads off the track. I have all level horses, right up through advanced.
What are some training fundamentals?
The first thing is they have to be broke on the flat. A lot of times the horses have no manners on the ground – walk on you and so on. If they don’t listen to you on the ground, they won’t listen to you when you get on their back.
Having their respect is very important. Just like in a herd situation. The person has to be the alpha in the herd.
And I think you’ve got to have control of the shoulder. My goal is to begin at the beginning. I want the horses on the ground to understand Bend 101.
I start on the longe line with this. If their head goes one way, their shoulder has to go the other way. People tend to try to establish a “head set” and you get martingales, draw reins and big bits. Where, if you can teach a horse to break in the neck, you have the control you’ve been looking for. The only way a horse can bolt or buck is when it can lock the head, neck and shoulders straight. But when you put the shoulder in the right place, the head and neck drop into place.
I also think it’s important to show the horses in different disciplines. I’ll maybe do a regional dressage show and the next weekend take the same horse to an event. And I’ll also do some showjumping when I have the time.
Can you give an example of how to bring along a young horse?
A good example of the way I train is the two 2-year olds I have that are coming three this year. They’re homebreds by Indian Art who is a pinto warmblood. One is out of Epic Satin by Epic Win and the other is out of Epic’s daughter Satin Dust. They are the 4th and 5th generation that I’m breeding.
They started longing recently. Generally I wait until horses are three but these two are big and I needed to start them before they realized how big they are.
They are closely related but they have different personalities. Indi’s real laid back. He didn’t care about the surcingle. He’ll be the big, quiet, amateur-type horse. Arty is sensitive, very goosey. He’s going to be more a professional’s ride. He’ll always be a little bit more sensitive.
The first goal is to achieve basic manners. It took only two times on the longe line and they were walking and trotting, in big and little circles. Bend 101. I use the longe whip, of course. Horses instinctively move into pressure. On the longe, I can teach them to move away from pressure, using the whip. The whip tells them to slow or stop, to move out or to go forward, depending on where it’s pointed. The same goes for when I put on the bridle – they’ll wear it on the long line and have a bit of steering and they’ll know the bit. Often people just bridle them and get on and the horse doesn’t understand the bit.
On the longe line, I want them to move the shoulder. That moving is basic for leg yield, circle, shoulder-in to half-pass. Once you can place the shoulder you can steer the direction the body goes.
What’s your schedule for developing these two horses?
They are too young to go to Florida. I’ll be sitting on the quiet one, Indi, before I leave for Florida. So that’s in a bout a week from now. The other one needs the old cowboy style of sacking out because he’s so sensitive to touch. I’ll rub him with pads, throw the leadline over his back and that sort of thing.
They are so different but they were raised in the same environment their whole lives. Indi was in your face and Arty was hanging back from the time they were born. It’s important to take into account the personality when you’re training, whether it’s a young horse or a problem horse.
This year – by mid-March – I want to be sitting on their backs and know they understand Go, Stop and Turn. Then they’ll be able to hack out and get comfortable with the larger environment.
I never jump a 3-year old but if they offer the canter and they’re balanced, then I’ll take it. But I never ask for it. That way, hopefully, I’ll have a sound horse when it’s ten years old. I wait because I’ve seen horses between 4 and 5 years old really change in terms of improving their balance. Especially when they’re big like these two. It’s easy to push them too fast. They look mature, but they’re not.
Do you like to teach as well as train?
I like them both. The fun part about teaching – it’s like trying to explain to somebody what strawberry jam tastes like if they’ve never had it before. It can be really challenging.
But sometimes I think I’m a better trainer than teacher. I know it’s hard to find an instructor you can work with. Some teachers teach mechanically and some riders work mechanically. That’s a good fit. Some teachers work by feel and some riders learn from feel. Usually the riders who learn from feel are more advanced – it’s the harder thing to do.
I’ve been noticing that most people ride from their elbow to their hand. Everything is lower arm muscles rather than their upper shoulder. They ride from the knee down and the only part moving is the lower leg. You really need to work from the hip down. Everything moves around a fixed core.
Sue, I was just down in Ocala and marveled at the miles of horse farms. There are hundred of horses within a few square miles. Eventers, dressage people, hunter-jumpers. What horses are you taking down to Ocala this year?
I didn’t start going down to Florida until I had advanced horses. This year I don’t have any advanced horses but I’m going with young ones because there’s so much to do down there. I have young ones or some coming back from an injury or needing to be re-educated. I’ve got one mare that’s done well eventing and in dressage, too. She’s a sales horse. That one I broke and started. I have another one, an older horse, a Prelim-Intermediate horse and he’s coming back from an injury. I have a problem horse I’m riding for someone else who was thrown off and injured. I have a horse going novice again – he started his eventing career in the fall and we hope we can move him up the levels. I have a young 4-year old doing basic dressage. He’ll be jmping soon and I’ll start eventing him down there in Ocala.
Do you expect to buy and sell down there?
It’s a good market down there. People bring horses to sell and a lot of people go down specifically to buy.
When I was in Ocala in January, I spoke with a lot of eventers and even had dinner with the Canadian Chef d’Equipe, Graeme Thom. I was at Bruce Davidson’s and one day we were riding around the field talking about the riders and trainers in Ocala and he said that there were about 120 of the best in the U.S. in Ocala right now.
That’s one of the best reasons to go down there. I don’t have as much work in Ocala as I do at home in Ann Arbor at my farm so I can go and get instruction. I can focus on my own riding and I pretty much work on my own most of the time. But I also try to get a lesson in dressage and cross country each week. You’ve got all the top coaches there to help you. And just watching the riding brings your own riding up, too.
For dressage I work usually with Andrew Harbison. He’s shown in hand and competed Grand Prix but he doesn’t compete much anymore. He imports a lot of horses. For eventing, I work with Ralph Hill, Jim Graham or Mark Phillips. Mark obviously has a wonderful eye. He doesn’t say a lot in his lessons. It was good when Jim Graham and I took lessons together from Mark because Jim asks a lot of questions and kept Mark talking. Jim mostly coaches now. He’s been a good coach and friend over the years. He’ll be up in Ann Arbor giving a clinic at my place, Paragon Farm, in March. Like he does every year.
Florida is good for watching people. For example, have you ever watched Phillip Dutton warm up? I was watching this guy warm up and he looked like your typical middle-aged stiff guy and then three strides before the fence his body went to jello. Just so fluid and easy over the fence.
Ralph has a wonderful eye. He could get a camel around Rolex. He’s really good if you can get him one-on-one. He’ll give you a ton of information. I remember we did some gallops before Fairhill. I remember we were talking about the horse’s breathing. He said that when you hit a certain point on the course the horse will probably take a deep breath and then you’ll just carry on.
And Bruce. He can see a distance. Once at Redhills, you could see Bruce just lift his shoulder a little bit about 20 strides out and then he puts the pedal to the metal. He finds the perfect distance 20 strides out over this big table.
When you read this online you’ll see that dressage judge Maryal Barnett in her interview speaks about the need of all Michigan riders to get out and watch great riders ride.
Even when I took advanced horses to Ocala, I always went for the instruction.
Live Webcast of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event on NBCSports.com
See all the action from the most exciting equestrian event in the country!
For just $7.99 you get all four days of coverage of the Rolex Kentucky
Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam on NBCSports.com. You can enjoy
dressage on Thursday and Friday, the cross country on Saturday and the show
jumping finale on Sunday. All with multi-camera coverage throughout the
course and commentary by Kerry Millikin, the 1996 Olympic individual Bronze
Medalist and winner of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1987.
Webcast Schedule:
THU: 9:30 -11:30 and 1:30 - 3:30
FRI: 9:30 - 11:30 and 1:30 - 3:30
SAT: 9:00-12:00 and 1:30 - 4:00
? SUN: 1:30 - 3:30
Get It Now!
And, don't miss the one hour television highlights show on NBC, Sunday, May
6th from 5:00 to 6:00 pm Eastern.
__________________________________________________
United States Equestrian
All photographs, illustrations, text and design on this site are the exclusive property of Tania G. Evans. Duplication or usage of content on this site is prohibited by U.S. and International Copyright Law. Usage is denied without express written permission of Tania G.Evans. © 2007Tania G Evans. All Rights Reserved.