Horse Network

12/09/2024

Shoes, who needs 'em? Apparently NOT Donatello 141.

It was a million-dollar question for Ashlee Bond. After a subpar performance at the Paris Olympics, the Israeli rider’s second games with Donatello 141, Bond considered retiring the 13-year-old Westphalian gelding. The pair finished 11th individually in Tokyo but were eliminated in the team event...

12/09/2024

Weishaupt FTW! 🍾 #

As the size of a jump-off field increases, so does the size of the question mark.  Even among a stacked field of top-ranked competitors (think: World No. 1 Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward), more riders equals more opportunities—and pressure—to solve the course’s riddle. Maybe that means ...

12/06/2024

“I didn’t even know what ‘derp’ was before . Everything they do is just so non-traditional and that’s my favorite part. It lets people wear things that they feel suits their identity, which is what I love about Phyllis Stein but it’s a totally different thing—it’s appropriate for everyone regardless of discipline, you know? They’re plentiful. They’re accessible. They’re not expensive. They make great gifts. You can just be starting out in a lesson program and still have the need for a great collection of D&S socks. And they’re all the same style and material thickness so you can mix and match/not freak out when you lose one. But my personal favorite thing is the custom socks. We did some Rocky Horror inspired ones once for Phyllis Stein and I’ll grab one of those bad boys and throw it on with a Horse Chicks Are Weird sock to ensure maximum non matchiness. They’re a really discreet way to let your freak flag fly in a very conservative environment. And they last forever.”
—Meredith Duncan, founder

What’s yours?

12/06/2024

“First Lady has been incredible all season. She’s top three in almost everything she’s gone in all over the world, so I’m very proud of how she’s come along at this level. In the jump-off, I got a little lucky to beat one of my students, Lillie Keenan. Sometimes you need a little luck on your side. Lady’s a very quick horse, so she’s always going to be close on the time. I got a pretty lucky rub in two spots, but there were plenty of classes where I had an unlucky one, so I’ll take it!”
—McLain Ward on 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, First Lady, winners of the BrainJava 5* Qualifier at MLSJ La Quinta.

📷 / MLSJ

12/06/2024

If you've been watching the deer-like, lightning-quick Foxy de La Roque with your jaw on the floor, all the while thinking, "Hmm, doesn't she remind me of someone?" 🤔 That question may have just answered itself...

There’s a very special new lady heading to American rider Karl Cook’s stable this month after CHI Geneva.  Clarification: another very special lady. That would be 2024’s indomitable Foxy de La Roque, who, under Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf, set a new standard for 9-year-olds this season. ...

12/06/2024

“It’s cute how today’s riders, and the parents thereof, are concerned with things like heatstroke and breathing. In my day, heatstroke was a given, and breathing was an option. The show coats we have now are ridiculous, and I mean that in a good way. They are everything the coats of yesteryear were not. For research purposes, I pulled my old riding jackets from my closet and, needless to say, I tried one on. I swung my arms around a little to see what sort of range I had, and immediately, that old familiar feeling of restriction returned. How on earth did I manage to compete in such a thing? It was clear that these jackets of mine, which have been collecting dust for 25 years, are the antithesis of what we see in 2024. Now, because these jackets were unforgiving in every conceivable way, it was a common sight to see the back of one’s jacket split wide open. Everyone laughed, of course, but it was a laughter of solidarity because it was never a matter of if it happened to you, but rather, when. If the back seam managed to hold together over the jumps, it was only because the arm seams were on the verge of breaking free. You may have noticed a few paragraphs ago, I said, ‘I still have my old riding jackets.’ I wasn’t passive-aggressively letting you know I was so rich I could afford several coats. I had to own two, because one was my fat coat, and the other was my skinny coat. My eating habits could not be trusted enough to allow me to believe I could fit into only one coat per show season. Two were essential.” Read Rebecca Berry’s historical account of show coats on Horse Network or in the comments below.

12/05/2024

“I never dreamed we’d get this far. When we started Uryadi’s Village, it was a response to the immense need. There are over 4.5M orphaned children in Ethiopia. We have 17 adopted kids. If we could, we’d adopt them all. We can’t, of course. So the question became, what can we do for the kids that are going to stay behind? That’s how Uryadi’s Village was born. We secured land in Soddo and started a permaculture-based village in 2014. I’m proud to say that the Village is now home to 99 kids. We are responsible for them in every way—safety, security, food, education, medical care and, of course, love! But we’re not doing it alone. The work we do is made possible by the equestrian community. By people like Eric Navet, Beezie and John Madden, Keri Potter and many more. Over the past 10 years, Uryadi’s Village has become a place of hope and so much more than we hoped. And it’s a constant work in progress. Every year, we make improvements. We have three construction projects left to complete the Village—two family style homes and a general purpose building for an additional classroom for kids with special learning needs, a library and a computer lab. And they’re within reach. A family from Australia generously offered to send a crew over to build our last two homes, IF we could come up with the funds for the materials. I’ve lost sleep over making that dream a reality. But we did it! A donation match from our board and an extremely generous donation from the Kehring family put us OVER our $25k goal. Now, we’re aiming to push the final project over the finish line. We’ve already poured the foundation for the multi-purpose building. If we can raise $25k USD more, we can COMPLETE the Village in 2025. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 10th anniversary than that! I’m so inspired by this community. Every child who calls the Village home has a better life because of the people who choose to join us on this journey. It takes a village to change the world. We’re so grateful to everyone who is part of ours.”
—Jennifer Fill-Crooks, Founder

Please consider donating to Uryadi’s Village this holiday season and help complete the Village!

https://link.horsenetwork.com/4igKKuV

Uryadi's Village is 10 years old this year, and as part of our celebration, we have a chance to build the last two of our family style houses for LESS THAN 50% of the estimated costs. We have made a connection with an amazing team of Australian vo...

12/05/2024

Darry Lou, former international mount of Beezie Madden, Nayel Nassar, Jennifer Gates Nassar AND Harrie Smolders, has a new job: breeding stallion at Studfarm Zangersheide.

Read the full story on Horse Network!

https://horsenetwork.com/2024/12/a-fond-adieu-for-darry-lou/?amp=1

📷 .images

12/05/2024

Pulling on matching family PJs for a photo op? Questionably cool. Pulling on a pair of D&S checkered knit socks to covertly match your barn fam on show or lesson days? Always a power move.

And you know a classic check never goes out of style.

This Huntsmen & Hounds collab is the perfect stable to street sock, effortlessly transitioning from super comfortable boot sock to sweet ankle accessory with a change of your pants. They look cute poking out under your jeans or over the top of your rubber boots—even with the occasional stray shaving attached.

Shop the collection at https://link.horsenetwork.com/3Z1Wbhg

12/04/2024

"Just maybe, this could be my transformation from wine-in-a-box to a fine Bordeaux." 🍷

Full disclosure. I’ve been trapped inside my hunter bubble. In my younger years, I dabbled. I dipped my toes in dressage, hunter paces, and eventing. I attempted Western.  Fun fact: my crowning achievement was winning a blinged-out belt buckle. Turns out, my warmblood was an overgrown snail who k...

12/03/2024

A striking redhead with his shock of flaxen mane and deceptively pony-like build, the one-of-a-kind Darry Lou has jumped for four different nations in his nine-year career! 🇳🇱 🇪🇬 🇲🇽 🇺🇸

If there was a United Nations for horse sport, Darry Lou might just be its most hardworking representative.  A striking redhead with his shock of flaxen mane and deceptively pony-like build, the KWPN stallion has jumped for nations including the Netherlands (under Harrie Smolders), Egypt (under Nay...

12/03/2024

“When I first started working with Zillow, I did not know how much I would be able to help him. He had been through a great amount of trauma and being locked in a small, dark space had done a great deal of psychological damage. He was very difficult to catch and would kick out any time you touched his hind legs or rear end. He also had a pretty severe bolting problem and he got away from me many times, even jumping fences in his panic. I was concerned that he might not be able to adjust to normal domestic horse life, so our goal at the time was to help him become comfortable as a non-riding companion horse. It took months, but Zillow slowly started to trust and relax in our training sessions. Once he became more comfortable away from his herd, we were able to work through the other behaviors. He learned to trust me to keep him safe. With time he was eager to be with me more and he wanted to please me. Before I knew it, he was my new liberty partner. He was picking up something new each week. Zillow is very intuitive. He relies heavily on having a leader, but I’ve seen his confidence grow as he starts to come out of his shell. He’s a deep thinker and enjoys learning new skills. He is also very playful. Earlier this year we were invited to do a liberty demonstration at Horse Week Expo. Now, that’s his job—to help raise awareness about the work we do at Days End Farm Horse. In October, we did demos at the Capital Challenge Horse Show and the Washington International Horse Show. He’s an amazing example of what can be accomplished with patience and good care. Zillow ultimately made the decision to change: to trust humans and feel content in his new life. It amazes me how some horses are able to work through the terrible psychological damage caused by neglect. It’s not every day that you meet a horse like Zillow."
—Days End Farm Horse Rescue trainer Leigha Schrader on rescue horse Zillow.

Learn more about DEFHR's life-saving work and hands-on programs at DEFHR.org.

12/03/2024

“I’m not saying the breeches of my younger days, say 1980-2000, were perfect, but they were designed for a generation of thick-skinned riders. Namby-pamby riders need not apply. Our riding pants were a zero-way-stretch affair with pant legs that ended mid-calf and fastened with newly popular Velcro that never quite closed. Imagine, if you will, enduring the 20-minute struggle of getting your leather boots on, only to find the pokey part of the Velcro closure rubbing against your skin whilst snagging on your nylons. We didn’t have time to take our boots off and put them back on, so we toughed it out. ‘Do your worst, Velcro,’ we’d say. And the Velcro did, rasping off little bits of skin until suitable divets were etched from our legs for it to rest for the day. Not only were things happening within our boots, but also just above the top of them. Due to the zero-way-stretch technology, our riding pants, aided by their leather knee patches, had the ability to press our precious kneecaps into unpredictable and unfavorable positions. Our coaches then, as they do now, yelled, ‘Quit gripping with your knees!’ and we, the hapless students, wondered, Then why are there leather knee patches on these stupid pants? Tradition, that’s why. The neat thing, other than the apparent uselessness of the aforementioned patches, was their constant ability to shrink in the wash due to a hot water oversight. This shrinkage meant that the material that sat beneath them would get bunched up and take to burrowing into the side of your knees. We also loved a side-zip breech because it meant we could also wear our belt sideways. Getting these pants done up was a tremendous way to isolate the exact location of your back pain. That quarter waist contort testing our desire for oxygen over fashion as we tucked things in, zipped things up, and got the belt perfectly off-center. I’m not saying that all these New Age breeches are for the birds, I’m just saying they appeal to the masses, whereas in my day, they appealed to the tall and slim. The rest of us just had to get on with it.”

Read Rebecca Berry’s historical account of breeches on Horse Network.

12/02/2024

Under Maikel van der Vleuten's saddle, Beauville Z N.O.P. has spent the last six years defying his price tag—and expectations

In 2016, Spanish rider Gabriela Roger Ibars was just 21 and shopping for a young horse to bring along with her then-trainers Eric van der Vleuten and Maikel van der Vleuten. She liked three at Hogel Hetzel’s auction, among them Beauville Z N.O.P. The deciding factor was price. “He was the first ...

12/02/2024

Is there anything this duo can't do?

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN) and Mount St John Freestyle earned first place in the CDI5* FEI Dressage Stockholm Grand Prix, with a new personal best score in the Grand Prix Freestyle. The duo’s impressive performance also elevated them to the 90% club on the one-year anniversary of their partners...

12/01/2024

One, two, three, all eyes on Bucci.

Piergeorgio Bucci had a straight forward strategy heading into Sunday’s 13-horse jump-off for Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ at Madrid: “just go faster than [Maikel] van der Vleuten.” That’s precisely what they did—0.71 seconds faster to be exact. Bucci and Hantano were the only pair to...

11/30/2024

"Thank you my little horse for everything you bring me."

Pauline Basquin is having the best season of her career with Sertorius de Rima Z Ifce. The former jumper rider contested her first Olympic Games in France this past summer and earned a new personal best of 81.915% in the freestyle at the World Cup in Lyon in November, her first post-Paris appearance...

11/29/2024

“I can think of no one more deserving of a little extra charity during the holiday season than a pony who’s managed to keep her kid alive all season long.” 🙌

OCALA, FLORIDA—After watching the annual Presidential Turkey Pardon earlier this week, a Florida trainer was inspired to grant clemency of a different kind.  On Wednesday, Alice Abrahams led her fleet of multi-colored lease ponies, three in each hand, to the largest, nine-acre field on her Ocala...