Anything For The Win

I will start off this post by saying this: while I love horses and care extensively about their welfare, I do understand that every horse cannot go in a double-jointed snaffle and simple hunter noseband bridle. I am not one of those people who think bits and bridles are bad. In fact, I generally believe that the bit and bridle are only as severe as the hands holding the reins.

However, after watching the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event this year, I was left with sadness in my heart and a feeling of anger and disappointment centered at the organizations that serve as the foundation of our sport. The center of it: Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous.

Pictured below is an image of ML from the dressage phase of the Land Rover Three-Day Event and a closer look at the same picture.

Marilyn Little atop RF Scandalous

A closer look at the picture posted above.

When I saw how tight that flash noseband was, I was appalled. A noseband as tight as this one has every possibility of restricting air flow and causing injury to the lips and tongue. Not to mention, the tightness could very well cause damage to cartilage that makes up the horse’s nasal passage.

My first thought was: how could this have passed the tack inspection?

After all, according to the eventing division of the USEF rulebook, “a steward should be appointed to check the saddlery of each horse before it enters the arena or starts a Test“, and that “the checking of the bridle must be done with the greatest caution“. And while I see that there is no direct reference to the tightness of flash nosebands in the USEF rulebook concerning the evening division, I did see a rule that states that “a cavesson noseband may never be so tightly fastened as to harm the horse”. Does this not apply to flash nosebands as well? What happened to the two-finger rule?

A noseband as tight as this one should have never been allowed to enter the ring.

To make things worse, not only was Marilyn’s flash noseband obscenely tight in the dressage phase but RF Scandalous was found to have blood in her mouth before, during, and after the cross-country phase. This is not the first time this has happened with Marilyn Little. In fact, there are at least two other documented cases of the presence of blood in RF Scandalous’s mouth – once at Boekelo and once at Fair Hill beside this instance. This doesn’t include the multiple other offenses with other horses that Marilyn has racked up. You would think after the third documented instance with the same horse that something would be done as this is obviously no longer a coincidence. After seeing her groom rush over to the pair with a RED towel after cross-country, I definitely think not.

Marilyn Little’s RF Scandalous displayed blood in her mouth while on cross-country at the Land Rover Kentucky CCI****. Photo by Erin Harty/Retired Racehorse Project acquired from Chronicle of the Horse.

It can be seen in The Chronicle of the Horse’s article concerning the blood found in the mouth of RF Scandalous that the official vet ruled the blood was due to the horse biting her bottom lip. After seeing the photo of how tight Marilyn’s noseband was the day before, I would be hardpressed to believe that the horse biting its lip is an unrelated incident – especially since this is only one of the multiple incidences involving ML. Think about this: how many times have you heard of a horse biting its lip resulting in blood beside the cases related to Marilyn? The blood could very well be the result of a too-tight noseband. That would be my first guess after seeing how tight her flash was in dressage.

As a rider and a member of the equestrian community, it saddens me to see such blatant abuse of equipment by a professional that is supposed to serve as a role model to the younger generation of riders. It saddens me even more that the organizations that are entrusted with regulating our competitions and the welfare of the horses competing allow this to happen without enforcing any kind of punishment. This is a welfare issue that needs to be addressed.

While this post is undoubtedly centered around Marilyn Hill, she is not the only person at fault in this industry. Our organizations need to hold people accountable for their actions instead of making excuses for them. The FEI/USEA/USEF need to examine their rules and standardize a rule across all disciplines and actually enforce them. Blood is not acceptable in any circumstance – especially not the amount of blood that was coming from RF Scandalous’s mouth. Step up to the plate, FEI/USEA/USEF, something needs to be done now.

 

 

 

 

 

HJ Fox Show | One Stride At A Time

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. With the semester coming to an end, a tidal wave of assignments and exams have made riding pretty much non-existent in my life for the past few weeks. It has also made finding time to post almost impossible!

Before I get into the details of the show, I have to share a picture and a video from when I got to come home and watch Dies school before the show last week! My awesome trainer has been working really hard on developing his adjustability and putting him over some bigger fences to raise his confidence. It was the first time I have seen him go over anything higher than 2 ft. Of course, my trainer is amazing and made him look like a seasoned pro. Enjoy the cuteness!

Diesel jumping a “big boy” jump a couple of weeks ago!

 

HJ FOX SHOW | FRIDAY SCHOOLING

If I had to pick a theme for this show in one word, it would be “progress”. This weekend was full of so many triumphs and accomplishments for Diesel both in and out of the show ring.

Like any other horse, Diesel has his own quirks that, while endearing in a way, can be frustrating and discouraging to work through at times. Some of our worst enemies right now are his lack of confidence and tendency to become easily overwhelmed. Yes, they are pretty common quirks in younger horses, but boy, are they a doozy! They most often manifest at the beginning of the ride with him starting off very tense through his body and becoming hyper-alert to everything except his rider. In the saddle, it feels almost like you’re riding a fully stretched rubber band just waiting to snap under pressure.

However, he really surprised me this weekend with how well he coped with his insecurities in a busy show environment. There was a definite improvement from the last show. His transition from walking off the trailer to going into the covered arena to school on Friday was much smoother than it has been in the past. Last show, it took around 20 minutes of intense flat work to ease his mind, stop the unnecessary spooking, and get a more relaxed, supple pony. However, this time it only took him 10 minutes to get to that relaxed state of mind and get to work. I’d say that’s progress!

 

 

HJ FOX SHOW | BABY GREEN CHAMPION

Like last show, I was up bright and early at 5:30 in order to drive to the horse park, tack Dies up, and lunge him to get the early morning sillies out before meeting my trainer at the covered arena to warm up at 7:00 am sharp. This show I got to break out my new Back On Track Mesh Sheet that I got on sale from SmartPak, and let me tell you, I am a believer! After wearing the sheet all night, Dies came out of the stall nice and loose despite the weather taking a 40-degree dip overnight. Of course, I will have to do a full review with pictures, so stay tuned for that in a few days!

He was an absolute rock star on the flat and took home the first-place ribbon out of a large class comprising of 16 horses. He was visibly much more relaxed than he was at the last show, which translated into some really nice, flowy trot work. He is starting to settle much quicker than he used to, which definitely translates into a better performance on the flat. Both of his over fences rounds were really wonderful as well! He put in some great rounds that earned him a first-place ribbon for his first round and a third-place ribbon for his second round. Unlike the last show, he graced us with some flawless flying changes, which in of itself was a huge accomplishment for him! Go Dies!

With a first on the flat and a first and a third over fences, he ended up taking home the champion ribbon for the whole division! I was such a proud horse mom!

 

Showing off his champion ribbon!

Showing off his champion ribbon!

Not only did he do extremely well in the baby green division, but he also knocked it out of the park in the schooling hunter division as well. He ended up placing second on the flat and second in his first over fences course out of 24 horses, which was absolutely amazing!

 

Dies also put in some really great trips on Sunday, but sadly, the new judge just didn’t seem to agree with me. He was an absolute angel both on the flat and over fences and put in some of the best trips he has had yet even though the ribbons didn’t quite reflect that. Oh well! That’s just how it is in hunterland sometimes! I couldn’t be any prouder of my pony and all that he has accomplished this past weekend!

The next show we have planned isn’t until July. However, that will give us plenty of time to improve and grow! I can’t wait to dive into summer!

 

An Open Letter to My First Horse | Throwback Post

While scrolling through Facebook tonight, I stumbled upon a post sharing something I wrote two years ago on a blogging site known as Pucker Mob. Reading it brought a smile to my face as it reminds me of all of the great memories that I share with my first horse and first love, Diablo. I couldn’t help but share it here with you all! Enjoy!

An Open Letter to My First Horse

Horseback riding is such an all-consuming sport – in fact, it’s addicting. Riding is as addicting to a rider as heroine is to a drug addict or a cigarette is to a smoker. You just can’t get enough of it. The feeling of being in the saddle is so thrilling – especially when you’re competing at a show. This sport just takes over your life.

However, it isn’t just the sport itself that is addicting – it is the bond and partnerships you form with the horses who you have been blessed to ride. Over the past five years, God has blessed me with the opportunity to form a partnership with you that has changed me as both a rider and a person, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Thank you for teaching me that the color or quantity of ribbons you receive doesn’t define your success. Over the past five years that we have been together, there were plenty of shows where we didn’t place. At first, I was so frustrated and discouraged because it made me feel as though I wasn’t good enough – that we weren’t good enough. Then, I began to realize that you were teaching me one of the most valuable lessons you could have ever taught me – that ribbons don’t define your success. Success for me may not be a blue ribbon. It may just be jumping a clean round or getting that lead change we always seem to forget and that’s ok. You don’t have to be winning blue ribbons at every show to be successful. After all, we don’t pay hundreds of dollars just for the ribbons – we pay for the experience that comes from showing.

Thank you for teaching me to be tough and fearless while staying humble. There have been plenty of times where we have disagreed – whether that was on how many strides we should get down a line or if we should even jump the jump in the first place. Many of those disagreements ended up with me on the ground wondering where I went wrong, but those falls served an important purpose. By challenging me as a rider, you taught me how to be tough and get back in the saddle – even when I am afraid – and how to stay humble. After all, what is more humbling than eating dust?

Thank you for showing me that hard work pays off. In the beginning, I remember wondering if I was even cut out to be a rider. In fact, the first day I brought you home, you had me in tears when you broke your brand new bridle in the middle of the barn aisle! I spent so many hours in the saddle over the past five years learning your quirks and how to ride through every curveball you threw my way. However, by challenging me, you taught me that the best things in life never come easy.  All of the blood, sweat, and tears that I have shed in the saddle have paid off because I have been able to witness you blossom from a horse that I could barely canter without you running away with me to a horse that has taken me around a 3’ course without a blink of an eye. You have become a different horse in every way, shape, and form. You have truly become my once in a lifetime horse.

Most importantly, thank you for the irreplaceable friendship we have formed and the many years of love you have given me so far. You have always given me unconditional love no matter what, been my shoulder to cry on, and have brought a smile to my face every day. You have brought so much joy into my life through the little things you do such as the way you always pose for the camera or the funny way you look at me when you hear the treat bag crinkle behind you. There is no way that I could ever replace you or the joy that you have given me. I am so thankful for our partnership and friendship.