2011 USEF Horse of the Year Sjoerd, the first and Friesian in history to win that honor . Photo courtesy ThreeDayRanch. http://www.threedayranch.com/sjoerd.htm

Virginia Horse Center

The tenth-annual Friesian Grand Nationals are taking over the Anderson Coliseum this weekend. It began Wednesday with Dressage in the morning and trail in the evening. Thursday will spotlight breeding in the morning and afternoon and shift over to driving and pleasure classes in the evening. Friday morning will shift back to dressage and then back to pleasure and driving classes in the afternoon and evening. There will also be a costume class on Friday afternoon. More of the same, including World Championship classes, will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Find a full schedule here.  Watch for photos soon on The Roundup blog.

Costume class participants

Also at the horse center, Therapeutic Riding Assoc. of Va. Fall Horse Show will be held. The annual show for riders with disabilities will feature a variety of classes including dressage, equitation, obstacles, pole bending, costume and United Professional Horseman’s Association classes.

Blacksburg

Walnut Spring Stables on Glade Road in Blacksburg is holding an open show starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Hunter, over fences, Western, Reining and gaming classes will be offered. The showbill can be found here.

Online:

• The Capital Challenge Horse Show is streaming live from Maryland on the USEFnetwork now through Sunday, Oct. 5.  Hunters are in the spotlight and there are many pony classes through the weekend. Find the schedule here.
• The USEFnetwork is also broadcasting the Paso Fino Grand National Show from the Kentucky Horse Park through Saturday. A class schedule is available here.
• The Miniature Horse World Championship Show from Fort Worth, Texas, is streaming on iEquine.com through Saturday, Oct. 4. Find the class schedule here.
• The Arabian National Breeder Finals in Scottsdale, Arizona, is being broadcast by iEquine now through Saturday. Find the show schedule here.
• The All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, begins its broadcast on Thursday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 26 on iEquine.com. The show received more than 20,000 horse show entries in 2014 during its three-week schedule. The show will begin with reining this weekend. A complete schedule can be found here. 

Reminder:

There are three huge horse shows coming up on the schedule within easy driving distance to Southwest Virginia. As mentioned above, the All-American Quarter Horse Congress is kicking off Thursday, Oct. 2 and runs through Oct. 26. In Columbus, Ohio, this show is a 6-hour drive and well worth it with unmatched shopping opportunities for all things horse as well as the world-class AQHA competition. Single day admission is $25 PER VEHICLE (Daily parking on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays is only $15) or $70 PER VEHICLE for the entire show.

The Pennsylvania National Horse Show is Oct. 9-18 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa. The largest multi-breed show in the country includes the $85,000 Grand Prix de Penn National and the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Final. Admission prices and ticket information can be found here.

The Washington International Horse Show will kick off in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21.Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix and the prestigious Equitation Finals for junior riders. Tickets are required and can be purchased here.

Hunt Night Monday is full of interesting and entertaining classes. Shown here in perfect harmony are the Hunt Team winners, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds. Photo ©alcookphoto.com

This weekend is the Virginia 4-H State Championship Horse Show at the Virginia Horse Center. It opens Thursday evening with a Reining qualifier class and Hunter Showmanship in the coliseum. If you like your day watching at the horse show to be broken up by plenty of variety, this is a great place to go watch. Not only have these youth exhibitors from across the state worked very hard to get to the state show, there’s plenty of different types of action going on throughout the day. Even the most hardcore horse show fans can get a little fatigued after hours of the same discipline cantering along in front of them.  But at the state 4-H show there are 4 arenas running at the same time. For instance, on Saturday around noon, the Coliseum will be the site of Western Horsemanship, while in other arenas you can watch Driving, Hunter horses or hunter ponies. Find the full show schedule for more on class times and arenas.

If AQHA is more your cup of tea, you’ll have to travel all the way over to Doswell, Virginia, for the Virginia Bred Futurity at Meadows Event Park, which is just north of Richmond. The stallions involved in the Virginia-bred program for 2014 and last year’s results, including payouts, can be found here. Beyond the futurities there is also a full show. Find the schedule here.

Also on Saturday, the Blue Ridge Eventing Association is hosting an Eventing clinic with Ashley Adams, who has been competing in the top levels of  the sport for more than a decade with an emphasis on starting young horses. The clinic is free to audit and $100 to ride.

The best thing about summer is horse shows. And if you can’t get out to show on your own horse, they are still a great way to spend the day. The Virginia Horse Center is hosting the Virginia Barrel Classic, Dressage with a View and SBRAA Lee-Jackson Classic (Appaloosas.)and Hear the Beat Horse Show.

Can’t get out to see them live? You can still get your fix online. The Devon Horse Show is streaming live on the USEFnetwork every day. The show schedule can be found here and the USEFnetwork streams the Dixon Oval (Devon’s main arena) live every day. Meanwhile the AQHA’s Redbud Spectacular is streaming live through June 8 on iequine.com. Find the schedule here.

This video is getting attention around the Internet of a horse performing in Extreme Trail without a bridle at the Oregon Trail Center in Eugene, Ore. The horse seen in the video is Sir Rugged Chex’s, aka Checkers, and is shown here with rider Mark Bolender, winning the class by turning in the fastest time.

The Oregon Trail Center duplicates the terrain of the mountains inside its arena using 200 tons of rock, dirt, hand-picked sage brush and trees and even a 20-foot waterfall for their Mountain Trail Show. Many different divisions from youth to advanced are offered on two different trail courses.

Mark Bolender, of Silver Creek Wash., is a leading trainer in Extreme Trail competition.

“Black Jack has been a poignant symbol of our nation’s grief on many occasions over the years. Citizens in mourning felt dignity and purpose conveyed, a simpler yet deeper tribute to the memory of those heroic ‘riders’ who have given so much for our nation. Our people are grateful to Black Jack for helping us bear the burden of sorrow during difficult times.”  — Richard Nixon.

The black riderless horse that paraded into history at JFK’s funeral kind of ended up there on accident. Because he refused to do anything else, the hot and impatient Black Jack became the caparisoned horse.  He was not suitable for riding and threw rider after rider. He also couldn’t be trained to drive.

But despite his ornery attitude, he was gorgeous, with a beautiful head and black coat.  He was moved to the Caisson Platoon at Fort Meyer, Va., in 1952. And frankly, after his first funeral it appeared he wasn’t suitable as the caparisoned horse either. He wouldn’t stand still. He wouldn’t walk, he pranced beside his handler instead. And when the funeral procession would stop, he’d kick out and misbehave. The military apologized for the horse’s behavior, but the family liked his spirit and said it symbolized the life of the one they were honoring. After that day, Black Jack walked (or danced) through 1,000 funerals over 24 years.

The riderless horse, or caparisoned horse, has roots back to Ghengis Khan’s time. The Mongols and Tartars believed that the spirit of a sacrificed horse would travel with its master to the afterlife. The riderless horses are no longer sacrificed, but they still represent a powerful tradition and came to symbolize a rider’s last journey, and the backward boots imply that the warrior is taking one last look at his family.

Perhaps one reason for Black Jack’s continued poor behavior was his ever-changing handlers (military roles changed every 18 months) and because of the solemnity of funeral processions his handler was unable to reprimand or talk to him during the procession. Pfc. Arthur Carlson was Black Jack’s handler for the JFK funeral. He recalled, “He had gotten spooked. He was starting to dance and starting to throw his head. Completely wet with sweat and I said ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with this horse, but I’m in big trouble.'”

Despite his poor behavior, Black Jack was the first choice for important funerals. He also served as the riderless horse forpresidents Herbert Hoover and Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

The coal black Morgan/Quarter Horse cross with a star was the last of the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster-issued horses. Born on Jan. 19, 1947, he carried the U.S. Army brand on his left shoulder and neck.

Black Jack himself died after 29 years of military service on Feb. 6, 1976, and was laid to rest at Fort Myer, Virginia. He was buried with full military honors, only the second horse in U.S. history to receive such an honor (the other being Comanche).

Sandra Morgan‘s good luck and dream of owning multiple World and Congress champion Good I Will Be has come to an end.

Morgan announced Monday, Nov. 11, that the 2004 bay stallion was euthanized after undergoing surgery for a kidney stone at Texas A&M University.

Willy became a bit of a celebrity after being purchased by Morgan at the Rita Crundwell sale. He was the first horse sold at the sale and was bought for $775,000. Morgan had won $35.7 million in the Canadian Lottery in May of 2011.

(Willy’s former owner, Crundwell, was convicted of embezzling about $53 million from the town of Dixon, Ill., where she was the comptroller and treasurer over a 22-year period. Crundwell was one of the top quarter horse breeders with her horses winning 52 world championships.)

After his purchase at the Crundwell sale, Willy posed for hours at the 2012 Quarter Horse Congress as his many adoring fans took photos with the bay stallion. “Before now, people may have thought Willy was inaccessible, but with his new home, ownership and marketing campaign, we want to make sure that everybody knows that he is everybody’s horse,” Stephen Stephens, owner of Dry River Ranch, told GoHorseShow.com in 2012.

 
“He is just eight years-old and he has already sired several futurity champions and we are looking forward to continuing his breeding career,” Stephens said after the sale. “I am blessed to be given the opportunity to stand such a talented stallion.” He was standing at Dry River Ranch for a 2014 stud fee of $2,500.

As a journalist, one of my Facebook pet peeves are the numerous viral false posts that are shared on my news feed. I can’t help but head right over to snopes.com to verify the information. But this week I was the one who was helping spread a false study on horse blanketing.

Titled “CSU Blanketing Study” it backed all my own completely unscientific beliefs about blanketing horses, or more accurately, why you shouldn’t blanket horses.  It reads “Horses have the ability to loft and lower their coats to 17 different levels, so it’s like exchanging 17 different thermal weights of blankets off and on them all day and night, depending on what they need,” and, “Only three things make the ‘self-blanketing’ process not work: blanketing, clipping and wind. Not even snow or rain stops their own thermostats from doing the job.” Yes! I knew it! And finally a study was showing it was more than a horseman’s hunch!

The only problem was, there never was such a study at Colorado State University. The fake claims seem to start making the Internet rounds every fall, but the university says it has never done such a study.

So what is the prevailing beliefs on blanketing horses? It seems to depend who you ask and on your individual circumstances. Older, weak or ill horses; horses that are clipped; very extreme weather or lack of shelter; a move from a warmer climate to a cooler climate; and of course if the horse is shivering are all reasons that blanketing is recommended.

Several years ago, Animal Planet did a reality show “Horse Power: Road to the Maclay” that I became obsessed with. The journey of a group of teens from around the country trying to win the most prestigious hunt-seat equitation championship in the world was fascinating. On Sunday, Oct. 13, this year’s competitors took to the arena in Harrisburg to go after the Medal Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. While we didn’t get to follow them for months to see the obstacles they faced to be in that arena Sunday night, they undoubtedly overcame many, regardless of talent, money or training.

Lillie Keenan, who was crowned champion Sunday, admitted to the break in her confidence leading up to the Harrisburg show. Keenan is one of America’s top junior riders, and has been for many years. She made history at the 2007 USEF Pony Finals when she won all three regular pony hunter divisions. In 2008, she won five out of the six possible championships and was reserve champion in the medal. She has been in the top ten at the Maclay Finals twice.So what would shake such an accomplished rider’s trust in her horse and her own ability?

At the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals-East in New Jersey, where she was leading the competition after two rounds, Keenan’s ride, Clearway, stopped twice at a simple stone wall oxer, eliminating her.

“Horses are horses. I think it was a wake-up call that they’re not robots; they’re animals,” Keenan said, who admits she brought a backup horse with her to Harrisburg. She said that in the first round of the Medal Finals, she wasn’t riding her best. “I wasn’t trusting my horse as much as I should have and I wasn’t confident in myself. But my horse didn’t put a foot wrong all week, so I gradually began to trust him again and ride him like his old self.”

Sunday night the final six riders were put through a very difficult test over jumps, without their irons. Given to them in the arena, it was repeated three times before the first rider took to the course.  Keenan’s carefully thought out ride that gave herself the time and room to do the required movements between jumps secured her the win.

Michael Hughes finished in second and Charlotte Jacobs, who had been leading the competition but was unable to complete the two lead changes required in the final test, dropped to third.

Macs Good and Plenty

AQHA stallion Macs Good and Plenty will be offered for sale in the Quarter Horse Congress Super Sale on Sunday, Oct. 20 in Columbus, Ohio.

The 1997 brown son of Zippos Mr Good Bar (x Macs Debutante) is a Congress Champion and Equistat Leading Pleasure Sire. He has NSBA $13,991.79. He is the sire of NSBA, AQHA,PHBA, PtHA & Buckskin World Champions & Congress Champions.

Macs Good and Plenty’s stablemate and son, Ty, by Misstig Rebel (daughter of Iron Rebel), and the sire of AQHA point earners, NSBA money earners and multiple Futurity champions is also being offered in the sale. Ty was diagnosed with EPM in 2006 just before he was ready to show at Congress in the maiden 2 YO Master’s class. His owners say he has made a full recovery and is now not affected.

Ty

A few of Macs Good and Plenty’s other offspring will also be offered in the sale. To see a sale preview, visit the Congress Super Sale Preview of Entries. ready to show at the 2006 Congress in the maiden 2 YO Master’s class. He has made a remarkable FULL recovery and does not affect him in any way today.