Author: RoanokeEquestrian

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events in the Roanoke area Aug. 14-16

OPEN SHOWS

The New London Horse Show Series continues Saturday at Coyote Crossing Cattle Company at 4178 Headens Bridge Road, Bedford. Neal Bost will judge. The arena footing at Coyote Crossing’s new show grounds has been recently redone with a new stone base. The show will begin at 9 a.m. with halter and showmanship classes. The show includes classes for English, Western, Minis, Arabians and Ranch Riding. Send pre-entries to NewLondonHorseShow@gmail.com.

VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

The horse center will host the National Barrel Horse Association’s Colonial Nationals from Thursday, Aug. 13 to Sunday, Aug. 16. The Colonial Nationals is one of eight national shows that lead to the NBHA World Championships and attracts more than 1,000 entries from 20 states to compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes.

TALKS/CLINICS/MISC.

  • The Trail Horse Clinic & Challenge with Perfect Partners Equine will be held Aug. 13-16 in Ivanhoe, Va. Clinicians Odell Grose, Jackie Turnbull, Joe Most & Trent Rhea will join riders along the New River at the Ivanhoe Show Grounds, 527 Trestle Road, Ivanhoe. Thursday and Friday will feature clinics, while Saturday and Sunday will feature Trail Horse competitions. Classes will be offered at three levels — Training, Intermediate and Masters.
  • The Botetourt County Horseman’s Association will host Virginia Trail Talk with Sally Aungier, who is a member of the Governor’s State Trail Committee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Fincastle Library. The talk will focus on who manages the lands equestrians ride on, places to ride and a Q&A session. Please RSVP to bilju@yahoo.com. That evening the organization will also host a BCHA Member Summer Social at Fincastle Vineyard & Winery. The event is part of a membership drive. $12 gives you a concert and wine-tasting plus a yearlong membership with the BCHA. RSVP with Debbie Mooty at 540-312-8393. 
  • ABT Tack will be having a tack yard sale this Saturday in Roanoke at 6109 Ashmont Drive (off Cotton Hill Road) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find a list of items for sale here.

REMEMBER TO REGISTER

    LOOK AHEAD

    Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar.

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia wins VHSA/EMO Medal Finals

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia won the VHSA Medal Finals
    on Saturday night. Photo by Phelps Media Group.

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia of Alexandria, Virginia, grabbed the VHSA/EMO Medal Finals title on Saturday evening at the Virginia Horse Center as part of the Lexington National Horse Show.

    Cordia was also Reserve in the Championship on the Flat prior to the Medal Finals.

    Nineteen competitors vied for the year-end title in the Coliseum. One rider didn’t finish after a fall on course.

    The top four riders were invited back into the arena after all riders had completed the course. Each of those riders were then given a new course to ride that included hand-galloping to the first fence from the lineup, trotting the second fence, cantering the next three fences, then halting before cantering the next fence and walking back into the lineup on a loose rein.

    “I was a little bit worried about the halt because that’s definitely our weakest point. Sometimes he just decides that he doesn’t want to stand. I was happy when he agreed with me when I asked him to do it!,” Cordia said of Thrift Shop, her winning mount, a Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Fairfield Farms.

    Cordia was the last to ride the work-off course and maintained her lead in the class with a final score of 85. Find the video of her work-off round at the bottom of this post.

    The Top 3 riders dismounted before the placings were made and mounted podiums Olympic Games style to receive their awards. Personally, it made me feel like their equine partners were a little left out standing on the side with grooms. And it was hard to follow for spectators as you could no longer tell which rider was which once they left their horses.

    The Top 3 placings were:

    1. Mary Elizabeth Cordia of Alexandria, Virginia.
    2. Darby Cole of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
    3. Grace Boston of Owings Mill, Maryland.

    The groom of the winning horse was also given an award for all their hard work getting the horse to the top of the competitive class of equitation riders.

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia takes her victory gallop on Thrift Shop.
    Casey Schmitz of Ashburn, Va., placed fourth in the Medal Finals.

        

     

    Casey Schmitz of Ashburn, Va., placed fourth in the Medal Finals.

    Elizabeth Bailey of Roanoke.
     

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia rode Thrift Shop to a win in the
    VHSA/EMO Medal Finals at the Virginia Horse Center.

    Mary Elizabeth Cordia rode Thrift Shop to a win in the
    VHSA/EMO Medal Finals at the Virginia Horse Center.

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/WN8FHehoG2k?feature=player_embedded

    Elizabeth Bailey of Roanoke wins VHSA Championship on the Flat

    Elizabeth Bailey takes her victory lap.

    Elizabeth Bailey of Roanoke outlasted a class of 24 to win the VHSA Championship on the Flat on Saturday evening at the Virginia Horse Center.

    The large class was put through several gaits in each direction including extension of both the trot and the canter.  The class was also split in half to perform a counter-canter in each direction.

    The top nine riders were asked to take the rail and given additional testing as the judges’ whittled the class to its top rider. By the time the riders were asked to drop their irons, only two riders were left. At the working trot, sitting, reserve champion Mary Elizabeth Cordia, was invited to come to the center, leaving just Bailey on the rail.

    The Top 3 (from left) Selina Peronelli, or Churchville, Maryland, Mary Elizabeth Cordia,
    of Alexandria, Va., and Elizabeth Bailey, of Roanoke.
    Elizabeth Bailey of Roanoke

    GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events in the Roanoke area August 1-2

    VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

    The Eastern Arabian Horse Show & East Coast Championships will be held Thursday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 2 at the Virginia Horse Center. Michele Blackwell-Betten, Oliver Brown, Phoebe Devoe-Moore, Nicky Vogel and Gwen Ka’awaloa will judge the Eastern Arabian Horse Show. Wendy Gruskiewicz, Kevn Price, Dawn Coons, Grace Greenlee, David Schmutz,Phoebe Devoe-Moore, Gwen Ka’awaloa and Nancy Ashway will judge the East Coast Championship classes. In honor of the late Sue Eves, a perpetual trophy has been established in her honor to be awarded to the Purebred Arabian earning the most points in Sport Horse In Hand and Sport Horse Under Saddle classes, combined, at the East Coast Championships. The show will also include a Egyptian Arabian Performance Challenge. A detailed class list can be found here.  And if you are curious about Egyptian Arabians, find an article here by The Roanoke Times on a local breeder.

    HUNTER/JUMPERS

    • Horseplay 4-H Benefit Show, will be held Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Alphin-Stewart Arena at Virginia Tech. This show is also Blue Ridge Horse Force sanctioned. The show begins at 10 a.m. and has a variety of flat and over-fences classes. The afternoon session, which won’t start before 2 p.m., also includes several dressage seat equitation classes, leadline and showmanship.

    CLINICS/TALKS

      A few auditor spots are still available for the Julie Winkel Clinic (hunt seat equitation), Tuesday, Aug. 4, Virginia Horse Center. Winkel is a trainer, judge, and popular clinician. She’s trained and shown hunters and jumpers to the top levels, nationally and internationally, and has had many grand prix wins and hunter championships throughout her career.

        LOOK AHEAD

        Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar.

        GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events in the Roanoke region July 18-19

        OPEN SHOWS

        The New London Horse Show Series will hold its first show of the season (after the first show was postponed due to weather) on Saturday, July 18, at Coyote Crossing Cattle Company (4178 Headens Bridge Road) in Bedford, Va. Wendy Snyder is set to judge. The show includes classes for hunters on the flat, Western, Ranch Riding, Halter, Minis, Gaited, Arabian, Saddle Seat and includes several championship classes with added-money payouts. The show is Blue Ridge Horse Force sanctioned. The Jo Anne Bass Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the Arabian English Pleasure Class.

        VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

        The center will be hosting the Rockbridge Regional Fair this week, and two horse shows will be included. The Southern States Horse Show is July 16-18 in Wiley Arena. Brook Jacobs of Georgetown, Kentucky, will judge Saddlebreds and Bill Garvey of Hagerstown, Maryland, will judge Hunter, Western and Walking classes.

        • THURSDAY, 6:30 p.m.: Saddlebred classes included Park Harness, Country Pleasure, 5- and 3-Gaited Pleasure classes.
        • FRIDAY, 6:30 p.m.: Saddlebred classes continue
        • SATURDAY, 8:30 a.m.: Open show classes including Saddleseat, Western, Hunter, Showmanship and Model English/Western classes throughout the day
        • SATURDAY, 6 p.m.: Saddlebred Championship Classes

        DRESSAGE

        The Southwest Virginia Dressage Association will hold a schooling show on Saturday, July 18, at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va.

        LOOK AHEAD

        Like Roanoke Equestrian on Facebook for continued updates on horse shows in the area. Have a show coming up? Contact us at Roanoke.Equestrian@gmail.com to add it to our calendar.

        At Pine Spur Hunt Club Horse Show, draft horses have a place in the spotlight

        Pine Spur Hunt Club held their 62nd annual horse show on Saturday, July 11, featuring a variety of breeds. Gaited horses dominated the classes in the evening session, but the drafts and draft crosses also were featured in several classes and a demonstration to lead off the evening session. Here are photos of the gentle giants from Saturday night:

        Equestrian community mourns loss of legendary coach J.T. Tallon

        “Hunter courses are a little bit like Muzak in an elevator. You know it’s there but it should never call attention to itself.” 

        J.T. Tallon riding Charlotte Jones’ Goldschaum in 1996.
        Photo via SWVHJA Facebook page.

         

        Collegiate riding lost a legendary and colorful figure Saturday, July 11, when J.T. Tallon died in a Lexington, Va., hospice center, the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association said Monday in a news release. He was 62.

        Tallon had battled cancer for some time and suffered complications from a car accident in March.

        IHSA Executive Director Bob Cacchione has pledged IHSA will create a Zone 4 scholarship in the name of Tallon.

        Tallon was best known for coaching perhaps the most successful IHSA team of all time – Southern Seminary for Women in Buena Vista, Virginia – first as an assistant to Russ Walther, and later taking over as head coach. Southern Seminary was the IHSA National Champion team eight times in the 1980s.

        Over three decades, Tallon became involved in nearly everything in the central Virginia hunter/jumper business. “He was always there,” said his old boss, Russ Walther. “He truly was a fixture of the horse industry in that part of Virginia, as a coach, trainer, course designer and judge.”

        Photo via Facebook

        For 16 years, Tallon made the hour-long drive daily over the Blue Ridge Mountains from his home in Lexington, Va., to his job as equestrian director at Randolph-Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, before retiring in 2011. At Randolph, he won three championships in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, coached several riders to IHSA and ANRC Nationals ribbons, and coached Randolph-Macon to its best (third-place) Collegiate Cup Team finish at the 1999 IHSA Nationals.

        “He was a great coach and improved riding tremendously in this area,” said Nancy Peterson, the long time Equestrian Director of Hollins University in Roanoke.

        Tallon was originally from Philadelphia, coming to Virginia to attend Roanoke College. He was teaching lessons when Walther hired him at Southern Seminary. Since retiring from collegiate coaching, Tallon worked as a instructor, as well as judging horse shows and doing course design. He recently had been working out of Stone Bridge Equestrian Center in Lexington, Va.

        J.T. Tallon died Saturday,
        July 11, in Lexington, Va.
        Photo via Facebook.

        “Hunter courses are a little bit like Muzak in an elevator,” Tallon once said, “You know it’s there but it should never call attention to itself.”

        He was famous for his colorful and descriptive way of teaching: “He jumps like a cow falling out of a tree.” His students will tell you they still hear his commentary running inside their heads while riding.

        Contributions to the JT Tallon IHSA Scholarship may be mailed to IHSA VP George Lukemire at 311 Parker-Slatton Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681.

        Tallon and a group of other riders formed the Southwest Virginia Hunter/Jumper Association (SWVHJA). They formulated a set of rules, divisions and levels of competition based on the horse’s experience and the rider’s ability. Tallon served as president of the group in the early 1990s and was just inducted into its Hall of Fame.

        Tallon was also a fixture at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show for many years and his wife, Sue, was part of the show office staff.    

        Elsewhere in the media: 

        Pine Spur Hunt Club Horse Show a lovely way to spend the evening

        Pine Spur Hunt Club Horse Show

        The first thing that strikes your attention at the Pine Spur Hunt Club showgrounds in Vinton is the natural stadium made by the hills around the arena. And the high-stepping horses that were exhibited Saturday night were certainly deserving the attention of the crowd that gathered on the hillside to watch them.

        An evening show adds a bit of flair to the classes and the Pine Spur Hunt Club’s version did not disappoint. The classes had a nice variety, although they were geared to the gaited breeds. And the showgrounds is great for spectators. What a wonderful place to spread out a blanket and share a picnic dinner while watching the horses perform. There wasn’t so much as a wisp of dust near the seating area, and the view was excellent from anywhere on the hill. Many spectators sat in lawn chairs or laid on blankets. Others made use of the bleachers set into the hillside. Trees offered shade until the sun went down, and when it did the arena lights came on to add an some dramatic effect to the night. The spectators were very engaged with the action, not a bit shy about calling out their favorites to the judge and the atmosphere was fun and lively. You could feel how much this crowd loved the event and the horses being shown. 

        After light attendance for the first group of classes, the break in the middle of the day was a little long for anyone that was showing in both the afternoon and evening, with several hours in the hot sun for those that stuck it through. But there was a tack consignment sale to browse, and that building was air conditioned and a great place to beat the heat while picking up something new (or getting rid of something old).

        Rewarding a good job.

        About 3:30-4 p.m. several large trailers started pulling in for those that were targeting just the evening classes. How nice it would be to have the early part of your day free and not have to show up at the showgrounds until evening! Evening shows should be the standard in the heat of Virginia summers.

        It’s easy to see how the Pine Spur Hunt Club show has lasted 62 years in Vinton. Relaxed yet competitive, hopefully the show will be around for many more beautiful summer evenings and will continue to draw an appreciative crowd to its grounds.

        Come back for more photos to be posted soon.

        A lead liner on her part Draft pony.

        A future rider confidently enters the Stick Horse Class.

        A lead liner on her beautiful palomino Tennessee Walking Horse.

        A lead liner’s pony decides to grab a quick snack after the class.

        Draft horse classes were also popular at the show.

        Next industry trend: Ensuring humane treatment of show horses and improving public perception of equestrian sports

        Recently while browsing my Facebook feed, I came across a post from Horse&Rider magazine about the top trends in the past 10 years. And it got me thinking about what changes we are on the verge of now? The major change that seems to be really taking hold, and ruffling some feathers in many parts of the industry, is action on the humane treatment of horses, particularly show and race horses.

        Folks who show in AQHA halter are largely unhappy with the new rule banning a lip chain at AQHA events. Starting next year, lip chains will be prohibited for show horses. A lip chain is placed under a horse’s upper lip and across the surface of his upper gum. The chain, which is commonly used with halter horses for more control, hooks to the halter and connects to the handler’s lead shank.

        A lip chain is one placed under a horse’s upper lip and across the surface of his upper gum. The chain hooks to the halter and connects to the handler’s lead shank, for control. It is commonly used in halter classes. – See more at: http://horseandrider.com/blog/aqha-bans-lip-chains-showing-28310#sthash.TeRY9aR7.dpufA lip chain is one placed under a horse’s upper lip and across the surface of his upper gum. The chain hooks to the halter and connects to the handler’s lead shank, for control. It is commonly used in halter classes. – See more at: http://horseandrider.com/blog/aqha-bans-lip-chains-showing-28310#sthash.TeRY9aR7.dpuf

        A lip chain is placed under a horse’s upper lip
        and across the surface of his upper gum.

        “While many of our halter exhibitors lobbied in favor of lip chains at the 2015 convention, the Executive Committee members – based on input from the Animal Welfare Commission, the Show Committee and Show Council – believe that the use of lip chains in halter classes is not the intended use for lip chains – especially in the hands of novice exhibitors. It’s simply not humane,” Dr. Blodgett said.

        While there is controversy on both sides, with good points about safety and proper training, the point is that big organizations are becoming more sensitive to the welfare of the horses and perhaps even more so the perception of the public. And the ban follows some other crack-downs on equipment, such as the use of whips used for showmanship; war bridles or like devices; or an type wire or rope over a horse’s head. The ban of the lip chain has many people using the old “slippery slope” warning that your class could be next with spurs and the like the next to be banned.

        Halter at the AQHA Virginia Classic Horse Show at the Virginia Horse Center.

        The Big Lick Tennessee Walking Horses may have been the spark of this new look at humane treatment of show horses. The practice of soring, inflicting intentional pain to a horse’s legs or hooves with chemicals or pads in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait, has gone as far as to get the attention of politicians and get the show class dropped from major horse shows.

        Sen. Mark Warner (D), of Virginia, joined with Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), of New Hampshire to introduce the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act in April. The legislation aims to strengthen the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and prevent the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses and Spotted Saddle Horses.

        The proposed legislation also aims to:

        • Eliminate self-policing by requiring the USDA to assign a licensed inspector if the show’s management indicates its intent to hire one. Licensed or accredited veterinarians, if available, would be given preference for these positions.
        • Increase the penalties on an individual caught soring a horse from a misdemeanor to a felony subject to as much as three years’ incarceration, increases fines from $3,000 to $5,000 per violation. A third violation allows permanent disqualification from participating in horse shows, exhibitions, sales or auctions.

        “Whether riding, racing, hunting or training, horses have been a part of Virginia’s culture for 400 years,” Warner said. “However, owners and breeders from across the Commonwealth agree that the deliberate act of inflicting pain on horses has no place in modern equestrian competition. Sen. Ayotte and I are proud to reintroduce the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act to give USDA the tools it needs to crack down on horse soring and end this cruel practice once and for all.”

        https://www.youtube.com/embed/qvgARPpilew?feature=player_embedded

        The North Carolina State Fair has dropped the class from its schedule. In addition, Pepsi dropped its sponsorship of The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in 2012 after an ABC News investigation.

        For many people, their exposure to horses is limited to the Kentucky Derby each year. The New York Times in particular has been casting a very critical eye on horse racing and looking into the seedier side of the sport. And really, who didn’t lose some of our enthusiasm for the sport when Barbaro broke his leg in the Preakness Stakes? Some recent critical articles in the media include:

        There is no riding discipline that is completely free of these problems and scandals.

        A rotational fall is extremely dangerous as the horse
        somersaults over the fence that is fixed and immovable.
        • Eventing faces heat over continuing deaths at competitions and over jumps that do not move by rule. In response to a series of fatalities by both riders and horses — and the negative publicity they attracted — Eventing’s governing bodies have focused on reducing the sport’s risk for riders. The FEI now collects data on falls and rider injuries, and encourages protective equipment such as inflatable vests. The sport has started using frangible pins, which are designed to prevent ‘rotational’ falls — where a horse somersaults over a jump. However some jumps, including many solid obstacles favored by eventing traditionalists, cannot be made frangible.
        • Dressage, the height of classical training, isn’t even immune. The practice of “Rollkur,” the exaggerated flexion of a horse’s poll and neck has become a dividing topic. Findings that the training method was harmful to the horses and photos of horses with blue tongues from the pressure exerted by the bit turned public sentiment. Soon photos of top riders and horses could be found all over the Internet, taken by Dressage spectators and media. In 2010, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) added a section to the Stewards Manual for dressage. The addendum includes illustrations of three “permitted stretches.” Stewards are now instructed to intervene if they see riders performing “deliberate extreme flexions of the neck” for more than “very short periods.”
          Rollkur is the extreme flexion of the poll and neck.
        • In the world of show hunters, again the New York Times ran a piece on the sudden collapse and death of a pony after it was administered drugs at the Devon Horse Show. These show animals are reportedly being given more and more drugs to calm them for the show ring.

        It isn’t that big of a leap to see the same scrutiny being placed on other organizations and no horse show is immune. It’s important to remember that in this age everyone has a high-quality video camera in their pocket and can instantly upload a video showing abuse or aggressive training to the Internet right from the warm-up arena rail. And while horsemen may understand the reason for a certain device, such as a lip chain or use of spurs, the general public may not see it as any more than a torture device.

        Whenever one part of the industry faces a controversy over inhumane practices, the whole industry suffers. Generally people don’t differentiate between the disciplines. Horses are horses and we all get lumped in together. It seems that more and more equine organizations are making some moves to clean up public perception, and at the same time protect the horses. We will see how their efforts evolve over the next decade.

        Watch the AQHA World Shows free online

        Good news to those of us sitting at home wishing we could be at the AQHA World Show to see the action as world champions are crowned. The AQHYA, Adequan Select and AQHA world championship shows will be available free to watch online this year. The free webcast will include video feeds from all show arenas.
        And exhibitors will be provided a viewing area in the warm-up arenas to watch their run immediately after exiting the show arena.
        The dates for these events are:

        A tentative schedule for the AQHA World Show can be found here so you can plan when you need to turn your attention to the broadcast to catch your favorite classes.

        AQHA has partnered with Equine Promotion of Whitesboro, Texas, as the videographer and webcaste. Equine Promotion also films the National Reining Horse and National Reined Cow Horse association events, including the NRHA Derby and Futurity and NRCHA Derby and Snaffle Bit Futurity.
        “During this year’s AQHA convention, the show committee made the recommendation that there be no charge for the webcast, and the Executive Committee supported it,” said Pete Kyle, AQHA chief show officer.
        No word on whether there will be a web feed of the AQHA Novice Championship this fall at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va.
        For more information about the AQHA world shows, visit www.aqha.com/showing.