The bad news is that there is an adult division. So don't laugh too hard at the little ones. It may come back to haunt you !
Last one to register for the show gets a pumpkin for a prize !!!!!!
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What are we to do ?
The snack trays at the barn operate on an "honour system".$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
It seems our honour went missing 30 times last week alone !
Need we point out that this is disappointing behaviour by Eden
Park students and reflects badly on everyone.
Please pay up !
PROfile
Casper's Retirement:
Casper's retirement party will be held on Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m in the indoor school. If you would like to contribute to his pension fund (also known as the "Fluffy Bucket"), retirement cake and new winter blanket, please see Beth at the office. All donations of apples and carrots will be gratefully received !Casper the Gentle Giant, is one of our original school ponies and has helped Beth and Liz introduce equitation to dozens of beginner riders, both young and old . We have found the greenest possible retirement field for him at Mr. Devlin's Windrush Farm a few miles away , where he will babysit four or five Thoroughbred yearlings, and everyone is welcome to visit him . Please call Mr. Devlin first , however.
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YOUR QUESTION
Now that the cold weather is upon us , how can I continue to school my horse and yet make sure his coat doesn't get wet and sweaty ?
This is actually a big problem in Canada , as the winters are so cold here that horses always seem to grow very heavy coats, no matter how snugly they are rugged up. In England, says Dee, our overseas correspondant, horses are routinely clipped out during the winter so that they can continue to do fast work such as hunting or jumping, without the fear that their heavy coats will get so wet from sweat that they would be impossible to dry off. There are several patterns of clipping,ranging from just a tummy and neck clip,called a trace clip, to a complete clip , depending on the work being done. However, the down-side of this is that they must then be rugged to provide a substitute for the natural source of warmth we have removed. It must be remembered that winters are much milder in England than in Canada : racing still continues there as the ground rarely freezes ! However, when the temperature in a Canadian barn hits -30 there is a limit to how many rugs a horse can wear !
So as you get ready for winter with those sheepskin insoles and down-filled ski jackets,don't forget your horse too. If you clip him,then you will also have to rug him, and rugs must be removed and replaced at least once a day to guard against chafing. If you do not clip him and he grows a heavy coat ,then avoid any strenuous work until spring that might make him sweat, unless you have a good supply of last summer's beach towels . After towelling down, feel his ears. If they are cold,then very gently pull them between your fingers until the circulation returns. This will make him quite relaxed, too !
Remember , horses will suffer far far more from damp than they will from cold !
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Blair's (Little) Bits
:
Blair Williams , our resident show-jumping coach, is an F.E.I. show jumping course designer extraordinaire. He is much in demand and has built courses at most major shows , from Tampa Bay, Florida to Hickstead, Sussex, England .
His favourite little person is his West Highland White Terrier, Little Bits .
Blair has recently returned from course building in Denver,Colorado . So we asked him what his impressions were of the event.
"In a sentence, hard, hot, wet, and abounding in pseudo-Mexican food ! The entries for the show were not high. There were an average of ten classes in my ring every day except Saturday,which was Grand Prix day. Because the entries were light,we averaged only eight horses per class daily,so we were able to finish at a reasonable hour.
The Grand Prix was for a total of $130,000 and was videotaped for later broadcast. The colour commentator was an old friend of mine, Peter Leone, brother of Armand and Mark Leone, who have competed at the Royal on the U.S. Equestrian team for the last few years.Most of the competitors were new to me; there were, however, two of the very best U.S.E.T. memebers competing in the class: Hap Hanson with three horses, who had incidentally won this class every year for the last eight years, and Sue Hutchinson, whose claim to fame is that she rode in the Barcelona Olympics without a bridle on her horse, just a piece of string tied around his jaw Indian-style. She also had three horses entered.
The course was interesting, because there were two really spectacular sponsored jumps. One was two huge ten foot high wing stands in the form of two killer whales. I was amazed the horses didn't spook at them, but most had seen them before. The second was a pair of Budweiser beer bottles with planks on very flat cups. The course worked very well, and there were eight left after the first round to contest the jump-off. Hap Hanson had two down, as did Sue Hutchinson, as well as a local boy in his first Grand Prix, which pleased everyone.
The first four to go over a slightly raised jump off all had one fence down, then the local boy came in to challenge and blew it with a stop at the water. Sue Hutchinson had the first clear round,then Hap Hanson followed with a similar round, but cut the corner to the last and so came in a second faster, thus winning yet again !
My only complaint was trying to make everyone work again on Sunday after such a good Grand Prix, and such a good party afterwards !"
For further information on Volvo World Cup Show Jumping and the latest American Grand Prix fall circuit results
CHRISTMAS WISH LIST COMPETITION
Have you got a truly wonderful yearning for that extra weird gift from Santa ? Perhaps it has something to do with those big hairy people here at Eden Park...Write in with your wackiest Christmas wish ever and WIN a pair of tickets to the Christilot Hanson dressage clinic to be held in January at Sam-Son Farm. Tickets, priced at $20 each, will be extremely scarce, as Christilot , who has ridden in four Olympics , is now based in Germany and only rarely returns to Ontario.
THE MEDICINE CHEST
What every horse owner should have in their First Aid Kit : by Beth (AKA um-Beth...)
poultice
sterile gauze pads
peroxide
Epsom salts
long stable bandages
polo bandages
iodine shampoo
masking tape
electrical tape
antiseptic spray
antiseptic ointment
antiseptic powder
Absorbine linament
sponges
rubber gloves
plastic surgical gloves
cotton wraps
quarter sheet
fly spray
hoof care products
extra lead
band-aids for owners !
razor blades
scissors
small bucket for water
sterile water
vet wrap
MARCH BREAK CLINIC :
We hope to have Philip and Dee Hinson for your March Break Clinic.Spaces will be limited as before to fifteen riders, so please book as soon as possible. Many of you will remember them from 18 months ago, when they spent a very successful 10 days with us here.
We would like to follow a similar format in the spring,with the clinic running from Monday to Friday,with two lessons a day and ending with a mini-one-day-event on Friday. The Hinsons will also be available the following week for private lessons, and we will try to arrange a driving clinic for Philip to give as well .
Philip and Dee
FILM NIGHTS
Don't forget that every first and third Friday evening of the month we have two hours of videos and films to show in the club room , from 7:30 until 9:30. Popcorn is on the house, but bring your own soft drinks ! Tickets are $1.50 each.
The next four weeks' schedule is :
