Conference noted::equitation

I thought it would be a good idea to start a conference that deals with the
USCTA (United States Combined Training Association). People from all the
different areas can ask questions about specific events, results, awards,
clinics, etc. Tells us about yourself, your horse, experiences at events,
good stories in general and the like.

I'll start things out by saying it's my wife that events not me. I just help
with the trailering, grooming, video taping, scoring, lugging water, you get
the idea (actually I love this stuff!)

We are in Area I living in Gardner, MA. My wife is Christine Shea and her
horse is "Share The Profit". She is currently competing at Preliminary and 
expects to move up to Intermediate at GMHA in August. She used to be in the
Groton Pony Club back in the 70's (before I knew her) and had about a 10 year
lay-off from horses between College and marrying me. About 4 years ago she
got back into it and has stayed an amateur since she works full time and we
have 2 kids (yep, it's a busy life).

Christine has gone to 3 events so far this year- UNH, King Oak, and Hitching
Post. For those that went to King Oak you know they cancelled Cross Country
for the Prelim riders due to the rain and poor footing conditions (we don't
need any hurt horses or riders). Rumors have it they may discount the entry to 
their fall show for those that missed XC. She came in 3rd at UNH and Hitching
Post and 8th at King Oak (unfortunately XC is her strong point and she didn't
get to do it. No moving up but better safe than sorry though).

Upcoming events for us include:
	Huntington (S. Strafford, VT) June 11
	Groton House II (Hamilton, MA) June 24-26
	Stoneleigh Burnham (Greenfield, MA) July 9,10
	Stuart (Victor, NY) July 30,31
	And at least 6 more to follow

Our favorite events: Probably Groton House and Ledyard. Beautiful locations,
3 days, good parties, well run, challenging. Christine hasn't competed outside
of Area I yet but I have a feeling I will be driving further and further
every year (she's talking about Fair Hill and Northern Georgia this fall-
yikes! We have been to Fair Hill to watch and that is a beautiful place also).

Christine just got a notice in the mail about a cross country clinic being
offered at Shepley Hill in Groton, MA on July 3rd. If you are interested let
me know and I can get you the details (Betsy Reeves is running it). I do know
they have 3 separate ways you can use the clinic- 1) use one of their 
instructors, 2) use your own instructor, 3) go on your own. You can also
combine 2 of them.

One other thing, I will be helping out again with this years Area I Year End
Awards. I helped out Ray Dennis and Annie Eldridge last year for the first
time and volunteered to do it again this year. If you have any suggestions for
this years awards let me know and I can bring it up.


All right you USCTA members (and of course anyone else), let's hear from you!


Regards,
Shawn

    Could people who are registered with the British Horse Society Horse
    Trials Group enter their discussions here as well?
    
    Wendy						

    Sure Wendy, the more the merrier. I would never exclude anyone.  In
    fact, maybe you could educate me and others by telling us a little
    about the BHS HTG. This horse stuff is fairly new to me but I love
    being involved in it and am trying to learn more all the time. My wife
    has had to ride the BHS test C at several of her events and I never
    even knew where that was coming from. Perhaps you can help out. While
    your at it, tell us about yourself and where you are, and such.
    
    Shawn

    Since you've broadened the topic, I took the liberty of changing the
    title. I also added several keywords so folks can find the topic more
    easily. BTW, if you're interested in reading related notes, you can
    find them through the topics index in note 4.2 which has a list of
    "keywords" (like EVENTING) and the reply number(i.e. Note 4.x ) which
    has a list of all notes which have the EVENTING(or whatever) keyword
    attached to them. You can also use the same commands that were used to
    create the topics index (i.e. DIR/KEY=EVENTING) but that takes more
    time and burns up more computer resources.
    
    Now that the administrative stuff is out of the way, I'll ask a
    question.
    
    I recently heard that the USCTA reported in its newsletter that they
    have removed the Dr Bristol snaffle from the list of approved bits for 
    the dressage phase of events. The Dr Bristol is still on the approved 
    list for straight dressage under AHSA rules. 
    
    The person who told me this said that very similar French snaffles are 
    still permitted and that the article in USCTA's newsletter described the
    differences. Unfortunatley, she couldn't remember why the Dr Bristol is
    no longer approved and she had discarded the newsletter.
    
    Do you recall the article or perhaps still have the Mar/Apr/May
    newsletters around?
    
    John

    Hi,
    
    I live in Berkshire in the UK and I am a member of the British Horse 
    Society Horse Trials Group which I beleive is the equivelent to the USCTA. 
    I am totally hooked on Horse Trials and my boyfriend has now become 
    more involved and volunterred to become my groom this year, which makes
    life so much easier!
    
    There are 4 different levels of competiton within the Horse Trials
    Group and they are Pre Novice for horses with no points, Novice for
    Horses 0 - 21 points Intermediate from 22 - 65 points Advanced 65
    points and above.
    
    I am currently competing at Novice level on my horse William who has 7
    BHS Horse Trials Points.  I have done numerous One day events and two
    2 Day events which has been great fun, but means your horse has to be
    quite fit! I tend to have lessons every other week and this week I was
    very lucky to have a lesson from Dot Willis who trains Ginny Elliot nee
    Leng, and she was brilliant.
    
    Here in the UK Horse Trials has become very popluar so it can sometimes
    be quite difficult to get into some of the events.  This year quite a
    few events have been cancelled due to the bad wether, which can effect
    the going on the cross country.  Windsor 3 Day Event was cancelled
    because of the enormous amount of rain we have had.  
    
    going back to your question Shawn about the dressage test that your
    wife has ridden BHS "C" this test is ridden at Novice level here in the
    UK.  There are 3 tests used in Pre Novice and Novice and they are:
    Horse Trials A,B,C and D. Not particularly difficult and are reletively
    short.  As you progress and get more points and upgrade your horse the
    dressage tests become more difficult.
    
    Wendy
    

    How do you get points?  I would guess by placing at an event, but how
    many points for which place?

    Wendy,
    	Thanks for the info on BHS test C. I had noticed that it was alot
    shorter than most of her Dressage tests, and not as demanding.
    Whenever that test was being ridden at the events the scores would be
    much closer than other tests ridden so Dressage didn't have as much
    effect on the overall placings at the end of the day as other tests
    can. At Preliminary level where my wife currently is, she usually rides
    one of the First Level Dressage tests.
    
    	For those that don't know, the levels of competition in the USCTA
    are: Novice, Training, Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced. There
    are certain requirements to compete at the higher levels but Novice and
    Training are open if you feel you are ready for them.
    
    	Wendy, tell us about William. My wife's horse, "Share the Profit", is
    a 9 year old Thoroughbred Mare. She's 16 hands and about as sweet a
    horse as you can meet. Her name came from the fact that my wife bought
    her with her Profit Sharing checks from where she works. She was a race
    horse born down in Florida, raced up the east coast until she was sold
    at a local race track to a college student. As it ended up the girl
    couldn't afford to keep her and that's when we came in. Shari (as we
    call her) didn't know anything but running. Christine has done most of
    the training herself and recently has been receiving lessons from Jerry
    Schurink who runs the Univeristy Of Massachusetts Equine Center. Shari
    just loves the cross country phase of eventing. You can tell she knows
    when it's time for it, she starts to get a little excited and just
    can't wait to go full bore over those jumps.
    
    Shawn

fyi, as a comparison, the Novice level in the UK is basically the equivalent 
of the Preliminary level in the US. The intermediate and advanced levels are
also comparable in both countries.

    re: .4
    
    John,
    	I found the article you were asking about. I have included it
    below. Remember that the USCTA is part of the AHSA and have their own
    set of rules. If the USCTA chooses to ban the Dr. Bristol from the
    dressage phase, that doesn't mean the AHSA has to do the same for the
    dressage only folks. I agree it sounds like two sets of standards though.
    You would think if something is bad in one place it should be bad in
    all places.
    
        Hope this helps.
    
    Shawn
    
    
The following was copied without permission from the April/May USCTA News:

DR. BRISTOL BIT
With the Dr. Bristol bit no longer allowed for the dressage phase of combined
training in both the U.S. and Canada, the question often comes up of how to
distinguish the Dr. Bristol from the French Snaffle, which is still allowed.
Horse Tack, edited by Julie Richardson and published by William Morrow &
Company, Inc., in 1981 provides the following descriptions:

o Dr. Bristol Snaffle: Generally, double-jointed mouthpieces are joined in the
  center by a smooth, flat plate. In the Dr. Bristol family of bits, this plate
  lies at an angle to the tongue.

o French Snaffle: The French snaffle also has a plate link, but this lies flat
  all the time and the bit is therefore milder than the Dr. Bristol.

  Therefore, the difference is that there is a slight twist to the joint where
it connects to the plate on the Dr. Bristol. This twist is generally about 45
degrees.

    Thanks Sean. I don't think it's a matter of the bit being "bad."
    Like you said, dressage and CT are different "divisions" of AHSA and
    therefore can have different rules. The main confusion for me was that
    the figure in the dressage division rules said that it showed the bits
    allowed in dressage and the dressage phase of CT *and* it showed a Dr
    Bristol bit! In other words, AHSA needs to clean up that figure now
    that CT has separate bit rules(and figures!) for the dressage phase. 
    
    I recently saw this on rec.equestrian which explains the logic behind
    Dr Bristol's not being allowed this year:
    
    
From: [email protected] (Lori Kowal)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Dr. Bristol and the USCTA
Date: 14 Jun 1994 22:00:59 GMT

Well, I called USCTA and talked to a very nice lady. Those of you on
equine L already have seen this so skip this article!

The lady at the USCTA said that the reason the Dr. Bristol was outlawed
has nothing to do with less equipment or more. The simple reason is that
in international competition this bit is illegal. 

The bit manufcturers
have been crossing the Dr. Bristol and the French Snaffle, so the
end result can be a bit that is pretty mild BUT the nice fat link
is at an angle. 

She claims that there have been instances in the last year where people
have shown up at a star event and been told they can't use their bit.
What a chock that would be! So, the rule change is to get the local
clubs in line with the International Rules. 

She said that she's only had about a thousand phone calls from competitors,
who were held up at the gate, and gate judges who didn't know
what the heck was going on! Looks like an education issue!

By the way, I've been told that there is a bit on the market that acts
like a french snaffle but has a little roundish ball instead of the
link. 

Sigh, what will they think of next!

    
    
    
    
    Anyone competing at Groton House (Hamilton, Ma) this coming weekend?
    
    It's going to be a scortcher!
    
    I may be there to watch.
    
    Simone

    Hi Simone!
    
    Christine will be going to Groton House II in two weeks, but not this
    weekend. This weekend her and Erin will be going to the Hunter Pace at
    Shepley Hill. It will be Erin's and "Spiders" first time out.
    
    If you happen to make it up to Groton House II make sure you find us.
    We always park in the very back and set up a tent and canopy and really
    enjoy the weekend. They have a party there on Saturday night- a BBQ
    with a DJ and usually videos. It's alot of fun!
    
    Shawn

Hi,

I would like to watch the cross country phase of Groton House II. Could
someone tell me what day cross country is being held (25th or 26th) 
and what are the cross country start times for the various levels.  


thanks a bunch,

diane

    Hi Diane,
    
    	Cross country at GHF II is on Saturday the 25th. I don't know what
    the times are for the different divisions (GHF II has Training,
    Preliminary and Intermediate, no Novice riders) but I do know that
    Preliminary is probably the first division to go out. The reason I say
    this is that my wife Christine goes at 8:34 and she is going
    Preliminary. 
    
    	I would assume (uh oh) that Intermediate will follow Preliminary and 
    Training will be going last. I think they do it this way to allow the 
    spectators to see the Intermediate riders at the "best" time. XC will 
    probably start at 8:00 but they have started earlier at different
    events. This should give you a gage on when to show up depending on what 
    you want to see.
     
    	I love watching the Intermediate people go, and the water complex is 
    usually the jump where the crowd gathers to watch. It's alot of fun!
    
    Hope you make it there,
    Shawn

    
    I am a new spectator to the shows and competition, now that my kids are
    really interested in riding more.  Could someone post directions to get
    to the GHF II on the 25th?  I will be coming from Fitchburg.
    
    Sounds like a great event to watch!!!
    
    Thanks!
    Marcia

    Shawn,

    Thanks very much for the information. I've only been to GHF II once
    many years back.  That time I was lucky enough to catch the Prelim & 
    Intermediate competitions.  It was great!  I love to watch XC even 
    though you'd never get me to ride over a pre-novice course. Instead 
    I usually fence judge once or twice a year.  I rarely get to go
    and just be a spectator so this will be a real treat.

    I second .16's request for directions.  I have detailed maps of the
    area so even the street name and # would probably be enough to get
    me there.

    Thanks again and good-luck to your wife!


    diane

    Marcia, Diane, everyone else,
    
    Directions to Groton House Farm:
    
    Northbound: Rte 128 to exit 20 North to Rte 1A for 2.3 miles to Wenham
    Center. Left on Arbor St (becomes Highland St). GHF 3.5 miles on left.
    
    Southbound: Rte 95 to exit 54. Left on Rte 133 East for 3.2 miles to
    Rte 1. Right on Rte 1 South for 4 miles to traffic light. Left on
    Ipswich Road for 2.5 miles. Right on Willowdale Road (becomes Winthrop
    St) to end. Left on Highland St for 1/2 mile to GHF. Driveway on left.
    
    If any of you fellow Equitation Notes filers make it to GHF try to
    track me down and introduce yourself. Some hints to find us... There is
    a listing at the stalls set up under the big tents of the horse and
    rider (Christine Shea and "Share The Profit") so you will know which
    stall is ours and sooner or later we will show up there. Also, we
    usually camp out in the back section by the grounds behind the stall
    tents. There will be a green tent and blue canopy set up back there,
    that's us. And me personally... I'm pretty easy to find... I'm 6'5"
    tall, about 240 pounds with a real short hair cut (yes my wife just
    uses the horse clippers on me and my son!).
    
    Hope to see you there!
    Shawn

    Cross country at Groton House II nominally begins at 8:00 a.m. on
    Saturday and goes all day. It will depend on how many entries each
    division has and how many competitors drop out as to when the last
    horse goes but it could be as late as 5:00 p.m.
    
    Coming from the north to Groton House Farm, the right turn from Ipswich
    Road on to Winthrop Street is easy to miss because Winthrop Street is
    narrow and soon turns to dirt. It's the first right after the road to
    Bradley Palmer State Park. There may be a small "GHF" sign at the
    turning.
    
    I will be fence judging this Saturday as I did last Saturday for GHF I.
    I don't know what fence(s) I will be at.
    
    GHF I did not pass without incident. A Training Horse had a heart
    attack and died at Fence 8. There was nothing to indicate a problem
    ahead of time either with the course or the horse.
    
    While this tragedy appeared to be by chance some other competitors
    later in the day seem to have abandoned their common sense. For the
    Novice Divisions the Ground Jury lowered the optimum speed to 300
    metres a minute (a strong trot) because of the heat. A significant
    number of competitors paid no attention and zoomed around at 500 metres
    a minute or more.

    Thanks for the info and the directions. Maybe we'll see you there.
    
    
    diane

This was in the USCTA News from February 1994. I thought it would be good
information for those that hadn't seen it yet. It would be interesting to
see the corresponding information from the BHS HTG if anyone has it.



Summary of Changes in Specifications for Horse Trials
(Prior specifications are shown in parentheses)


CROSS-COUNTRY            Novice           Training        Preliminary

Distance (meters)....1500-2000(2000)   2000-2500(2500)   2000-3000(same)
Speed (mpm)...........350-400(same)    400-450(400-500)    520-550(520)
Jumping Efforts........12-20(same)       16-20(same)       18-28(18-26)
Drop Maximum...........3'11"(3'7")       4'7"(4'0")         5'3"(4'7")
Number of Maximum      
Drops Allowed...........NS(same)            NS(1)              NS(1)
Minimum Distance
Between Numbered
Obstacles..................33'              21'5"             NS(same)

		      Intermediate         Advanced

Distance (meters)....2400-3500(same)    3250-4000(same)
Speed (mpm)...........550-570(550)        570-600(570)
Jumping Efforts........22-32(20-28)       25-40(22-30)
Drop Maximum...........5'11"(5'7")         6'7"(same)
Number of Maximum      
Drops Allowed.............NS(1)              NS(1)
Minimum Distance
Between Numbered
Obstacles...............NS(same)            NS(same)


*NS= Not Specified

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHOW JUMPING (Maximum Height Unchanged)
		   	 Novice           Training        Preliminary

Spread Across Top
(Maximum)..............3'3"(same)        3'9"(3'11")       4'3"(4'7")
Spread at Base
(Maximum)..............4'11"(same)       5'7"(5'3")        6'3"(6'7")
Number of
Combinations...........One double     Two doubles or      Two doubles or
                     (Was permitted   one double and      one double and
                      now required)     one triple          one triple
				     (one double, one     (Not previously
				     triple permitted)	     specified)

Minimum number of 
fences combining
height & spread..........2(1)               2(1)               2(1)



		       Intermediate         Advanced

Spread Across Top
(Maximum)...............4'9"(5'3")         5'3"(5'11")
Spread at Base
(Maximum)..............6'11"(7'10")        7'7"(9'2")
Number of
Combinations..........Two doubles or      Two doubles or
                      one double and      one double and
                        one triple          one triple
	              (Not previously     (Not previously
		         specified)          specified)

Minimum number of 
fences combining
height & spread............2(1)                2(1)

    Don't you find it curious that all the distances and speeds used metric
    units(meters and meters per minute) but that jump heights and drops
    were specified in feet and inches?

    re: .22
    
    John,
    	You're right, that is a little strange. I hadn't really noticed
    that before. You would think it would be entirely in English or metric,
    but not mixed. If I think of it I will ask Anne Getchell at GHF II this 
    weekend, she may have an answer for that. If she doesn't there are
    plenty of other folks I can ask.
    
    
    
    Shawn

    Anyone know of upcoming x-country events in NH. or VT ??
    
    I would like to watch a few this summer, directions would 
    be helpful also.
    
    Thanks, T

RE: .24

T, 

The following list shows the Events through the rest of the year in NH and VT
only. If you have a specific show you are interested in let me know and I can
get the directions and days/times for the different phases. The letters after
the farm show what levels are competing there. N= Novice, T= Training, 
P= Preliminary, I= Intermediate. 

Hope this helps, 
Shawn


July
----
15-17 Huntington Farm: S. Strafford, VT. (T,P,I)


August
------
 5-7  GMHA: S. Woodstock, VT. (T,P,I)
13-14 Tamarack Hill Farm: Strafford, VT. (N,T)
21    Taproot Morgan Equestrian Centre: Hinesburg, VT. (N,T)

September
---------
 2-4  Huntington Farm: S. Strafford, VT. (N,T,P)
17-18 GMHAYC: S. Woodstock, VT. (N,T)
25    Red Horse Hill: ?, NH. (N)

October
-------
 8-9  UNH: Durham, NH. (N,T,P)

    re: .22
    John,
    	I asked around at GHF II this past weekend about the mix of metric
    and English measurements and nobody seemed to know why. Most of them
    reacted like I did at first, not really noticing it or really paying
    attention to it. Others guessed that the distances and speed were such
    that miles/mph were not accurate to use for detailing the speed of a
    horse and as far as the heights, just simple... that's what we are
    used to here in the U.S. Not that this justifies it but it probably has
    some accuracy to it.
    
    	Maybe other noters can ask around also to see if there is a reason
    for this mix or if it just evolved into what we have for no apparent
    reason.
    
    Shawn

    New this year in the USCTA/AHSA rules for combined training is the
    abolition of penalty zones around the obstacles in the cross country
    course. Allegedly to bring US rules more into line with FEI rules the
    "no penalty zone" change will both help and hinder competitors. Now the
    runouts, refusals and falls have to be judged to be associated with an
    attempt to jump a fence no matter where on course they occur.
    
    I witnessed both the positive and negative impact of the rule change at
    the two Groton House Farm events in Hamilton, Massachusetts, over the
    last two weekends.
    
    Many of the obstacles at GHF are built into the farms fence lines so
    there is a lot of galloping across a field and jumping over an obstacle
    into the next field. More than one Novice or Training Horse coming
    across a field towards a fence line and the obstacle in it stopped dead
    in the middle of the field with a "I am not going near that (obstacle)"
    snorting act. Under the old rules this would not have counted as a
    refusal if it happened more than 10 metres - 33 feet from the obstacle,
    the limit of the old penalty zone. However, since the riders were
    clearly setting up their horses to jump the obstacle when the horses
    gave the "Not on my shift" response, these stops counted as refusals. 
    
    On the other hand one of the Intermediate Young Riders approached the
    fence I was judging at a runaway. The fence required a turn to the
    right before jumping it, but the rider had no control of the horse at
    that point. So the horse charged straight ahead down the track along
    the fence line paying no attention at all to the rider. Under the old
    rules entering and leaving the penalty zone without jumping the
    obstacle (which is what this horse effectively did) counted as a runout
    or refusal. However, since the rider, whatever her intentions, was
    unable to present her horse to the obstacle this did not count as a
    runout. All the rider incurred was the extra time it took to get her
    horse back under control and return and jump the obstacle. I had a long
    discussion with the Technical Delegate on the finer points of this
    incident before I turned in my score sheet.

The numbers below were listed in the USCTA News. I thought it would be 
interesting to show the two years side by side and see how the various areas
showed growth or decline. There is a wide mix of growth and decline in both
number of events held and the number of starters from each area but as you
can see by the total there was growth in both events and starters overall in the
USCTA! 

There is alot more detail to these charts from each area (showing by level; 
Novice, Training, etc) but too much to copy over. It will be interesting to see 
what 1994 brings. 

If anyone has this same type of information for years prior to 1992 please 
include it, it would be interesting to see how the USCTA has evolved. Also, if 
anyone from the BHS has similar information, please include it as well.


Shawn



	        1992                    1993
Area     Events    Starters      Events     Starters
-----    ------------------      -------------------
I	   31        4315          30         3993
II         42	     6790	   43  	      6540
III	   32        3667	   39         3587
IV	   18        1826	   21         2124
V	   16        1467	   13         1268
VI	   20        2791          26         3198
VII	   13        1366	   15         1864
VIII	   24        3186          23         3059
IX	   11         962          16         1125
X          11         945           9          913
-----    ------------------      -------------------
Total     218      27,315         235       27,671

    Has anyone ever been to the Stuart Horse Trials in Victor, NY? We are
    heading up there for a show on July 30th and 31st and were just curious
    as to what to expect. If you have been there, what event in Area I would
    you compare it to as far as how it is run and how the XC course is? We
    have heard it is a well run show and has a challenging XC course but I
    would like to hear more specifics if anyone has them to share.
    
    Thanks,
    Shawn

    If you're only going to make 1 long trip to an event in Area I, make it
    Stuart. This place was fantastic! I don't recall ever being at an event
    that went off as well as this one did and provide a beautiful facility
    to boot! 
    
    This place was run perfectly, the P.A. system was spread out all over
    so you could hear it everywhere, the timing was on schedule, everyone
    was friendly (even the folks helping you park) and helpful, and they never
    made you feel like you were putting them out.
    
    Dressage warm up was nice in that they had a field where you first went
    to start warming up and there may be alot of horses, then they called you 
    to the "collecting area" about 20 minutes before your test and it was
    only you and maybe 3 other horses warming up there so you could really
    concentrate (in a separate field), then to top it off when you were
    called into the ring as the previous person was finishing they called
    you by your first name. It may seem like a small thing but it was a
    class touch, and much better than "Hey, number 26, you're up now".
    
    Cross Country was beautiful. They went all out and had sponsors for
    each fence and it showed. They were all either new or in great shape
    and always well decorated with the sponsors name on a sign next to it.
    The terrain is up and down small hills with flat galloping between
    which made it interesting but not too much on the horses. There was a
    nice water complex for Novice, Training, and Preliminary levels all to
    utilize. I would say the XC course was moderate to difficult but not
    dangerous. All the fence judges seemed well trained and always kept the
    crowd back for safety reasons (quite a few people were there to watch).
    Since it was hot on XC day, the riders that were going during the
    hotter parts of the day were given juice drinks as they came through
    the finish flags (again, nice class act). And, not that anyone wanted
    to use it, but there was a lifeflight helicopter on grounds.
    
    The stadium course was nice, was well decorated, and used the terrain well
    as part of it was on a slope. Small problem with one jump that had a
    cute dinosaur on each side as part of the standards... they were so big
    and had alot of surface area that later in the day when it got windy
    they blew down a few times. Nobody seemed to care too much and the jump
    crew was fast to fix it.
    
    For misc input... They had a large tent set up with different folks selling 
    their equestrian wares. An ice cream vendor did well over the warm
    weekend, and the food service did a great job (they even had a roast
    going on a spit). The scores went up fairly quickly, the secretary was
    always available, there were plenty of porta-potties, and everything
    was well marked. In each of the competitors packets (with their numbers
    and such) they all received samples of liniments, mane care, vitamins,
    etc. (quite alot actually). When it came time for the awards
    presentations there was alot of "Pomp and Circumstance". They had a man
    playing the Bagpipes, flags flying, the sponsors taking pictures with
    the winners, etc. The prizes they gave away were incredible. A friend
    of ours won the Young Riders Open Preliminary division and received a
    Cooler for her horse embroidered with "Stuart Horse Trials", a hard
    hat, and a new XC event saddle (over $1,000 saddle)! Not a bad deal.
    
    This is the 5th year they have held this event and next year they will
    be hosting the Eastern Adult Team Championships. The stabling was about
    8 miles away at an old racetrack training barn. The stalls and
    facilities were fine and it only took about 15 minutes to get to the
    event, but... according to what I heard, they are putting permanent stalls 
    on ground for next year!
    
    Another thing to say, the competitors party Saturday night... most
    places that have the parties have a DJ, set up some benches or chairs
    have a Bar-B-Q and charge $5 for competitors and $10 for all else. Stuart 
    had a live band, a nice buffet, tables with linens, helium balloons,
    and open bar for beer and wine... cost- competitors were free and all
    else were $14, not bad at all!
    
    Stuart is the classiest place in Area I that we have been to (and we
    have been to almost all of them) and the best run. Mark it down on your
    event calendar for next year (end of July), you won't be disappointed!
    
    This is all my opinion obviously and yours may vary, but even if you
    only like it half as much as everyone I know liked it, it will still be
    better than 90% of the events you go to.
    
    
    Shawn

    Is there anyone out there that has any knowledge of Area X (Arizona,
    New Mexico, Nevada area) events? What are they like, how well are they
    run, etc? The Omnibus shows all the events and the levels they have but
    I was looking for some specific input to the shows themselves. If
    anyone can respond to this and also has experience with Area I (New
    England and New York) please make a comparison. Also, how practical is
    it to make it to various shows in Area X when they are spread out so
    far? How many shows a year does a competitor make it to in Area X? We
    are very spoiled here in Area I as far as the number of events within a
    reasonable driving distance (most within 2-3 hours, all within 7 for
    us).
    
    Thanks for any input,
    Shawn

    Hmmm. I don't think we have anybody left from the Arizona, New Mexico,
    Nevada region. Holly Butterman was in NM but she left Digital a little
    while ago. She did offer some comments about eventing in NM when I
    mentioned a televised event from NM. See notes 1564.40-1564.44.
    
    As to driving distances, that was a bit of culture shock when we came
    out here from New England. Like you with the events, we went to dressage 
    shows in MA, NH and VT, and had as many shows as we cared to enter 
    within a few hours drive. 
    
    Out here in the West, the driving distances can be enormous! Fortnuately, 
    we have 2 or 3 recognized shows that are within 3 hours trailering. 
    
    Unfortunately, most shows are 4 or more hours away and involve either a 
    ferry ride and/or crossing mountains that make the New England mountains 
    look like ant hills. It ain't much fun getting to these shows. The ferry 
    ride itself isn't so bad but you usually have to wait twice as long as 
    the ride lasts(e.g. the ferry trip is 35 min but you have to be there at 
    least 1 hour before the ferry you want to catch!)
    
    
    In AZ, NM or NV, you would have the problem with ferry trips but they
    still have mountains. And all that empty desert between towns...
    
    I know somebody who lives in AZ, I send 'em mail and see if they do any
    significant travellign with horses.

Here's the response to my e-mail to Arizona...

Subj:	Re:  Hey, do you guys do much trailering?


> I know somebody(an eventer) who asked about shows in AZ, NM & NV and was 
> wondering about the travelliing time/conditions when trailering horses to 
> competitions. Since you live there and show some, I thought you might be able 
> to provide some info.

	The main thing to remember is that when it is 100+ degrees don't 
trailer during the day, especially not the middle of the day.  You can get 
away with it for short distances (30 minutes travel) but anything longer and 
you will just plain cook your horse.  Horses founder from the heat in those 
conditions and I have known of at least two fine horses that were heat 
foundered when trailered over an hour when it was above 100 degrees.  I've 
heard of others who have suspicious founders after trailering in those kind of 
conditions.  People travel at night or in the very very early mornings when 
it's hot like that.  Another thing to do is to stop frequently to water the 
horses and let them out, like at least once every two hours.  Some trailers 
are better than others for horses to travel in when it's hot.  Stock trailers
with roofs (as you know never use an open stock trailer for horses they can
rear up and get caught over the side, I know of one that had to have 
emergency roadside surgery in order to save its life because of that kind of
trailer) anyway stock trailers with roofs have more air flow since they have
long openings along the sides.  They are less good when it's cold.  A good
rule of thumb is that if it's hot for you in the car without the air
conditioning on it's worse for the horse in the trailer.  You must bring
lots and lots of water with you as water is not always easily accessible
either at the competition or on the road in case of a breakdown.  Five
gallons is a minimum to carry when travelling.  One woman I know uses 2 Liter
Coke bottles to bring her water with her to competitions. 
	There are big differences in the degree of heat depending on what
part of Arizona you are in.  Most places in Northern Arizona are at a higher
elevation (4500 to 7000 feet) and are cooler than Southern Arizona (1500 to
3000 feet).  The big cities, Phoenix and Tucson, are in Southern Arizona.  
There is also a difference in temperature depending on whether you are in 
Phoenix and Tucson.  Phoenix can reach temps of 122 degrees F, Tucson's 
highest high was 117 F.  This summer we had many many days of over 100 degree 
temps, Tucson's highest temp this summer was 115.  We had over 20 days of 110 
degrees or higher.  Starting in May we began our 100 degree and higher temps.  
With an occassional day that dropped down to 99 we still continue with 100 + 
temps.  In Northern Arizona you are looking at temps of roughly 85 to 99 
degrees during the summer.  The competition season here begins in September 
and goes through May with a break in the middle of the summer.  Occassional 
competitions take place at higher elevations during the summer but you must 
be very careful when travelling then because of potential heat stress on the 
horses.  It doesn't get cool here in the lower deserts until the middle of 
October.  Cool in this case means below 90 F.  When it does get cool it gets 
real cool and even cold.  In the winter our lows are roughly 25-35 degrees F 
with the high country having lows from 0 to the lower teens.  The high temp 
during the day is often 30 to 40 degrees above the low but not always. 
	A big problem here is with horses and people who suffer from
anhydrosis, the inability to sweat.  Those horses and people are very very
susceptible to heat stress.  There is a biochemist I know of who works with
Dr Sarah Ralston[note: Dr Ralston is a DVM & a board certified nutritionist]  
who has formulated a supplement that will cause an anhydrotic horse (or 
person) to resume sweating if taken on a daily basis but it is still in the 
testing phase.  
	Humidity during the summer is a real problem.  The first half of 
the summer it's so dry it can suck the life right out of you or your horse
without you realizing it.  Every year we lose people during the dry season
to dehydration.  This year an entire family died when their evaporative
cooler went out during a time when our temps were over 110.  They died of
dehydration during the night.  Horses can handle the heat stress well if 
certain points of care are observed.  1) Make sure they have access at all 
times to lots and lots of water and that the water is not too hot (automatic 
waterers are notorious for delivering boiling hot water that horses cannot 
drink).  The water should be shaded most of the day, a bigger tank will allow 
the water to stay cooler than a smaller tank, a round one is better than an
oval one, a tall one is better than a shallow one.  2) The horse must have
access to shade during the entire day.  An open corral with a shade is
often better than a stall in an enclosed barn because the air movement
provides for better sweat evaporation.  3) Don't overfeed, fat horses
founder here with great ease during the summer.  4) If the horse looks
stressed hose it down to cool it off, start with the legs.  Horses are
most in danger of impaction colic during the summer here.  
	When we begin to get our annual monsoon air flow the humidity climbs
with great rapidity.  Often we get temps of over 110 with humidities of
50 to 60%, not much by eastern standards but when the temp is that high
that level of humidity creates absolutely intolerable conditions.  At that
time everyone backs off of riding.  If you ride you ride in the evening or
in the morning with occassional natives with Arabs or QHs riding during the
day but bringing lots of water (some of us teach our horses to drink from
our canteens).  But we don't do a lot vigorous stuff in that kind of heat
and humidity.  With the monsoons we can get thunderstorms and flash floods,
which are a welcome relief because they cool us down but the next day
the humidity is much higher and the heat returns.  Conditions can change
by the hour so the watchful newcomer watches the natives and asks them
what the weather is going to do, do not pay any attention to the weather
reports they are rarely accurate during the monsoons.  The natives feel
that rain is our friend, newcomers rarely appreciate it the way we do.
Nobody trailers when the temps and the humidity are high unless they 
want to kill their horse or they are desparate.
	The reason that QHs and Arabs are so popular here is because they
keep better than most other breeds during the hot periods.  Big horses
particularly warmbloods often are not very tolerant of the heat.  Many
people wind up moving their big horses up north for the summer if they are
wealthy enough. 
	Trace mineral salt is essential, during the very hottest part of
the summer horses cannot get all the trace minerals they need from licking
a block, they'd rub their tongues raw.  During that time providing loose
trace mineral salt is helpful (I knock chunks off my horse's blocks with
a hammer and put them in their grain buckets when it's very hot).  

> Thanks for any help
> John

	You're very welcome.  I hope this was of some use.  I can give more
specific information if your friend can tell you what town in Arizona he or
she is thinking of moving to.  Phoenix is roughly a two and a half hour drive
from Tucson.

    John,
    	Thank your friend for me, that was alot of helpful information. I
    think if we do move down there (very slim chance as of right now) it
    will take some major adjusting. We never have to think about all the
    stuff your friend mentioned, we just pack up and go wherever we want at
    any time we want and don't really have to worry about the elements. If
    we were to head to Arizona it would be in the Flagstaff area which is
    north and may not be as extreme but still very different for us.
    
    	Another subject... Are there very few people in Digital that Event?
    It seems like there would be more but there is very little activity in
    this note. Perhaps they aren't noters or perhaps there just aren't that
    many. Oh well, there is still some activity going on.
    
    Thanks again,
    Shawn

    
    The information John provided about AZ is accurate.  I was out there
    for two years and had a Warmblood that I boarded at CARA (Central AZ
    Riding Academy).  I focused on dressage - and didn't hear/see much on
    the eventing circuit.  Although the summer is very hot - the horses do
    get used to it and there are a few precautions you must take
    (electrolytes, barn fans, etc).  My lessons were scheduled at dusk when
    it was still well over 100 in the summer.  It was only the dryness that
    bothered me - and I had my water bottle hanging on the fence at all
    times.  My Warmblood may have the exception - but he seemed to thrive
    in the heat - he would choose an open, sunny, sandy spot in our pasture
    to 'sunbath' (he had a shaded stall to go to).  The amount of dressage
    activity was nothing compared to the northeast - but there were
    recognized shows in Chandler and Scottsdale.
    
    Flagstaff is gorgeous.  Period.  It's cooler than the Phoenix area
    during the summer - but not as cold here in the winter (although they
    can get considerable snow in the winter).  If we ever move back there -
    my first choice would be Flagstaff.

More from Arizona... Hope it helps...

Hi, John,


> Yes, it was a great deal of help. They are considering moving to Flagstaff. 
> It seems to be only a possibility at this point but they want to take the 
> important things(e.g. quality of life with horses ;-) into account when they 
> make the decision. They said thanks very much and that you mentioned things 
> they would never have thought about. Also said that it would be a big 
> adjustment! (That may qualify as the understatement of the year! ;-)

	Flagstaff is a beautiful area, it is mountainous, at about 6900 ft.,
gets cold in the winter, warm in the summer (95F) but not hot like in Tucson 
and Phoenix.  In Flag they're going to have to worry about ice in water troughs
in the winter more than heat in the summer.  We wish we could move up there
but there isn't much in the way of jobs there.  The other thing they are
having trouble with is water.  Flagstaff is dependent on underground water
and that is in short supply.  Most of the time there isn't much trouble
in travelling from Flagstaff to Phoenix because most of the shows in the
Phoenix area (Phoenix is closer to Flag than Tucson so they will mostly
go to shows in Phoenix) are during the fall or spring and therefore not
too hot.  The problem is actually more for those of us living in the
Tucson and Phoenix areas going to Flagstaff because the few shows that are
in the Flagstaff area are held when it is very hot in high summer and that
means that trailering for us must take place at night, no other way.

Flagstaff doesn't have much in the way of schooling shows, only one or two
recognized shows, one Arab, one open dressage, a couple of combined training
events, and one or two hunter/jumper shows.  Phoenix is 2 1/2 hours away 
from Flag (~150 miles) and because of the 6 degree slopes on I-17 they'll 
need a truck with some umph (3.5 or better rear axle, ours is a 3.73) to 
pull a trailer easily up those slopes.  Tell them to get air conditioning 
and a transmission and engine oil cooler in order to travel to the Phoenix 
area when the temps are high.  If they don't intend to travel to Phoenix 
when it's hot then they can probably get away without the air conditioning 
but will probably be glad to have the transmission and oil cooler for 
trailering anyway.  You don't need a transmission and oil cooler when 
hauling from Tucson to Phoenix and back because it's so flat, 120 miles
away and only a 700 ft elevation change (Tucson is at 2500 feet, Phoenix is
at 1800 ft.).  

It does snow in Flagstaff in the winter and pastures can get icy, with mud 
under the ice, but winter is not bad there and there are only a couple of 
bad storms per season.  

I am told hay is very expensive there, I don't know how expensive.  It's 
pretty expensive here, $9.50/125 lb. bale of alfalfa or bermuda, timothy is 
not available for the most part and is very very expensive when it is.  
Most horses do very well in Flag with just a run-in shed.  Those are the 
only other things that I can think of to tell your friends.  

    Oops, I forgot to mention this when I posted the info about Flagstaff.
    My friend says:
    
    >Flagstaff is a beautiful area, it is mountainous, at about 6900 ft.,
    
    > ... Phoenix is 2 1/2 hours away
    >from Flag (~150 miles) and because of the 6 degree slopes on I-17 they'll
    >need a truck with some umph (3.5 or better rear axle, ours is a 3.73) to
    >pull a trailer easily up those slopes.
    
    That may read like a recommendation for going to a 3.50 rear-end ratio
    from a 3.73. It's not. The 3.50/3.55 gear ratio is the "standard"
    "general use" ratio and is not really suitable for towing. In mountainous 
    areas, especially those with high elevations(like the Rockies and 
    Cascades), the 3.73 rear-end gear ratio is considered the minimum 
    acceptable. Lots of people go with a higher ratio like 4.10 or 4.11. As 
    for engine size, a 350 V8 is minimum. Those that don't want to slow down 
    to 30 MPH on uphill pulls order a big block engine(425-475 range.) 
    
    With our 454 V8 Suburban(4.10 rear-end), I've towed over both the
    Rockies and the Cascades without ever dropping below 50 MPH on the
    Interstate. Our car can't get itself, the driver and a few suitcases
    over the same roads at 45!

    John,
    	Thanks again for all the info. We are still waiting on the proposed
    job opening for my wife out in Flagstaff. It has been dragging on and
    the longer it goes the less likely I think anything will come of it.
    Should it happen I think the truck/trailer combination we have will be
    ok. We have a 1994 extended cab Chevy 2500 heavy duty with all the extra 
    cooling equipment on the 350 engine. The rear gears are 4.11 and it is
    pulling an aluminum 1994 Kingston 2 horse with a dressing room. It
    handles just fine in the "hills" of Vermont (I know they aren't the
    Rockies) and does pretty well for mileage on the highways.
    	Should it look more realistic that we will be heading out I will
    start asking for more details from our noter friends on places to
    board, trainers in the area and such. I know they mentioned sending our
    family out for a look at the area prior to any decision we may make so
    at that time we would check into the horse stuff in addition to
    everything else.
    
    Thanks,
    Shawn

    Is anyone in noterland heading out to Ledyard in Hamilton, Ma next
    weekend? It's running Friday the 23rd through Sunday the 25th. Ledyard
    is always a great place to go see eventing even though they only have
    horse trials and no 3-days anymore (last year was the last for 3-day
    competitions). My wife Christine is competing Preliminary there so if
    you think you are going to be heading out let me know and I will try to
    meet up with you and put a face with the messages in the file.
    
    If anyone needs directions let me know and I can post them.
    
    Shawn

        Hi
    
          I live in the UK in Cambridgeshire and a member of the
          B.H.S.T.H.G.
          For the last 2 years I have competed at Pre Novice level on my
          trusty  old friend Polly who is only 15.2 and now 13 years old.
          (Cleveland bay x TB)
    
          We had a lot of fun and last year completed 10 events and came 4
          times in the top 10 and the rest in the top 15.
    
          This year I have decided not to Eventing Polly, but just compete
          her at local events and also take her cross county schooling. I
          know she would love to do Novice, but I don't think it is fair on
          her. ( we hope to breed from her next year).
    
          Last July we bought another horse he is now just 5 (Irish Draft X
          TB)
          he is 16.2 and we have called him  Alfi (we are still looking for
          a register name for him any suggestions would be appreciated).
          If his training goes well I hope to Pre Novice end of the year.
    
          Anyone who has done Eventing will find it totally addictive.
          There is a lot of hard work in getting them fit. May I say to
          anyone thinking about Eventing don't be put off by thinking you
          or your horse is not good enough, just prove yourself wrong.
    
          Most people are put off by the cross country phase but there is
          no disgrace in doing the fist few jumps then retiring. The fun of
          Eventing is building up the experience and mileage. On my 1st
          cross country I ended up with 110 penalties but I did get round.
          You can't explain to people the feeling you get when you finish
          your cross country with no penalties or you win your 1st rosette,
          all the effort is worth it.
    
          Always remember in Eventing the 2nd most important person after
          the horse is the groom how could we Event without them. Many
          thanks to my wife.
    
    
           Araz
    
          ( May all your penalties bet low ones.)
        

    Hi Shawn!  How did you wife do?!  Frank Perla had a few of his
    folks there, and I guess things went ok!  I heard it was a wonderful 
    show!!
    
    I would have loved to have gone (and to meet you and Christine) but...
    I was designated barn manager for the weekend! (not that I minded!)
    
    Caroline 

    Caroline,
    	Thanks for asking how Christine did. Two thirds of the show went
    great, then came Stadium on Sunday. Friday was dressage or as Brian
    O'Connor the announcer put it "The Dressage Mud Bog Championships".
    
    Friday we got 5 inches of rain and it was absolutely miserable.
    Everyone did compete and survived, although I bet a few shoes got
    sucked off in the mud. The stabling area was flooding, people were
    making trenches around their stalls to keep the water out and some even
    had to get moved to the Myopia stables. Christine though had a nice
    test and was in 7th at that point. 
    
    Saturday the weather was better and the footing for XC wasn't too bad. 
    For Prelim they removed 3 of the fences due to footing but the rest of 
    the course rode fine. Christine had a great ride, went clean but did pick 
    up 3.2 time penalties which she didn't care about, better slow and safe 
    than fast with a slip. That moved her up to 5th. 
    
    Sunday the weather again was pretty nice, a little cloudy and cool but not 
    bad. The stadium course seemed to ride either pretty well or not good at 
    all, there wasn't much in between. Well, Christine pulled 4 rails which 
    dropped her to 13th. She felt bad but I told her to check out the 
    competition she was against... Mike Plumb (7 time Olympian) came in first 
    and second, his son Charlie came in 6th, and the rest of the front runners 
    were mostly Professionals also. Of the Amateur riders in her division I 
    would guess she was 4th. I thought she did great, but then again I'm
    biased!
    
    Up next for her is UNH this weekend. It is her last event for her horse
    this year. She just started eventing my daughters horse to get him some
    experience. She took him to Pembury House in August, then Stoneleigh
    Burnham this past Sunday. She will also be taking him to U Mass on Oct
    15th and 16th. He just turned 5 and had never been away to a
    competition until August . We plan on my daughter eventing next year (she
    just turned 11) but we need to get her horse some experience first
    before I trust her out on XC with him. She rode him at Xenophon in a
    small 2 phase show and actually won, she was thrilled. Her horse is
    good he's just very young and inexperienced so mom will teach him the
    ropes first. 
    
    Do you event Caroline? If not do you plan on it? Well Christine placed
    3rd at UNH this spring at Preliminary, I'm hoping she does as well this
    time.
    
    Take care,
    Shawn

    The USCTA Area I Annual Meeting is being held at Old Sturbridge Village
    Tavern in Sturbridge, Ma on Friday, November 4, 1994. The schedule is
    this:
    
    	4:30
    	 	Nominating Committee Meeting
    		Open to all!
    
    	5:00	
    		Cocktails
    		Area I Organizers Meeting with Ray Denis
    		Young Riders parents, coaches meeting with Bobbie Mudge
    
    	5:30-6:30
    		General Meeting
    
    	7:00
    		Dinner...Awards...Auction
    
    
    	Dinner is a Yankee Buffet and costs $27.50.
    
    	You can book a room and make a night of it by calling 800-Publick.
    
    	This is open to anyone, you do not have to be a USCTA member. It is
    	a fun time, you get to meet alot of nice people, dinner is always
    	good, and the auction is fun.
    
    	Send Reservations and Ballots to:
    
    	Fran Cross
    	King Oak Farm
    	Rt. 10, P.O. Box 12
    	Southampton, MA 01073
    	d 413-527-4454  n 413-527-7834
    
    	Put in your check for however many people and put the names down
    	also.
    
    	BALLOT
    	------
    
    	Best Event:_____________________________
    
    	Most Valued Volunteer:___________________________________
    
    	Area Contribution Award: Vote for the person who has contributed
    	the most to the sport of eventing in Area I in 1994. Why?
    
    	------------------------------------------------------------------
    	------------------------------------------------------------------
    	------------------------------------------------------------------
    	------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    	If you have any questions let me know and I will try to answer them 
    	for you. Hope to see some of you noters there!
    
    	Shawn

        <<< The Area I meeting was held at Old Sturbridge Village in
        Sturbridge MA >>>
    
        The Area I meeting went rather well this year. There were about 70
        people that showed up from Junior riders on up. We gave out somewhere
        in the neighborhood of 80 awards from the Novice riders on up to the
        Intermediate (no Advanced awards) and those were broken out by
        Professionals, Amateurs, and Juniors. Just a quick plug for my wife...
        she came in 4th in the Adult Amateur for Preliminary level (way to go
        Christine).
    
        Ok, now that I have that out of my system... There was an award given 
    	to the outstanding event of the year and this year it did not go to 
    	King Oak Farm who had won it the past 2 years, but it went to the 
    	Stuart Horse Trials (upstate New York). Stuart by the way will
        be holding the East Coast Adult Team Championships next season.
    	It's a beautiful place and well run for those that haven't been there.
    	If you only make one long trip to an event this year, save it for
    	Stuart.
    
    	The big news of the meeting was that Ray Dennis was stepping down as
    	the Area I Chairperson and Hope Greenfield will be taking over.
    
    	One thing that Hope brought up at the meeting was that she wanted
    	the events to promote team competitions. People can make up their
    	own teams or they will be placed on a team. This is to get people
    	to meet each other and have good clean competitions. They plan on
    	doing this at least at Novice and Training levels, and perhaps at
    	Preliminary.
    
    	The results from the awards will be in the next Area I newsletter
    	as well as the meeting updates.
    
    
    	Shawn

    Well, the next season of eventing is about to begin. Is there anybody
    out there competing this year? If so, why not tell us about yourself
    and your horse and what Area or country you will be competing in.
    
    My wife Christine is getting ready for the upcoming season. She will be
    riding her mare "Share the Profit" at Preliminary to start off, then
    move up to Intermediate later. She will also be bringing along our
    daughters horse "Spider" (his real name is Magic's Premier, but we all
    call him Spider). He has only been out 2 or 3 times so until he's been
    around a few XC courses with an experienced rider I don't want my 11
    year old daughter (Erin) out there with him. She has taken him to some
    2 phase shows but XC scares me when both horse and rider are rookies.
    She plans on going to a full event by the years end.
    
    So let's here from the rest of you out there...
    
    
    Shawn

    Hi Shawn,
    
    I won't be eventing, but I love to go watch. How can I get
    a listing of what shows are where this year? Where do I get
    a copy of the upcoming USCTA events? I am interested in VT/NH
    area.
    
    Thanks, Tina
    

    Tina and all,
    
Here is a calendar of the USCTA Area I events for 1995. This is a tentative
calendar and is subject to change. If anyone needs directions to any of these
events just let me know and I'll post them.

    Shawn
    
    
    
    1995 USCTA Area I Event Listing
    -------------------------------

May
---
6-7	University of New Hampshire (NH)
13-14	King Oak Farm (MA)
27-28 	Hitching Post Farm (VT)

June
----
3	Mystic Valley Hunt Club (CT)
3-4	Genesee Valley (NY)
10	Rhine Valley Farm (NY)
10-11	Huntington Farm (VT)
16-18	Groton House Farm I (MA)
23-25	Groton House Farm II (MA)

July
----
7-9	Stoneleigh-Burnham School (MA)
14-16	Huntington Farm (VT)
22-23	Millbrook Equestrian Center (NY)
22-23	Summers Mist Farm (ME)
29-30	Mountain View Farm (NY)
29-30	Stuart (NY)

August
------
4-6	GMHA (VT)
6	Kent School (CT)
12	Taproot Equestrian Centre (VT)
12-13	Chestnut Ridge (NY)
19-20	Snowfields (ME)
25-27	Millbrook Equestrian Center (NY)
26	Pembury House (MA)

September
---------
1-3	Huntington Farm (VT)
9-10	Genesee Valley Hunt (NY)
9-10	King Oak Farm (MA)
16-17	GMHAYC (VT)
24	Cayuga (NY)
30-1	Stoneleigh-Burnham School (MA)

October
-------
7-8	University of New Hampshire (NH)
15	Kent School (CT)
21-22	University of Massachusetts (MA)

    Is anyone making the trek to Stuart Horse Trials in Victor, NY this
    weekend? We are heading up on Thursday morning since we are 7 hours
    away with horse in tow. My wife is riding our daughters horse in his
    first Training level event so that should be interesting especially
    since Stuart has a fairly tough Cross Country course. 
    
    Dressage is on Friday with XC on Saturday and Stadium Sunday. The
    facility is very nice and they have tents set up with alot of goodies
    being sold for those who like to poke around.
    
    Shawn

    King Oak Farm (in S. Hampton MA) is having their Fall event this weekend,
    is anyone heading there? 
    
    My wife Christine is riding my daughters horse there to get him some 
    experience (going Novice) since my daughter Erin will be going to her
    first event at GMHAYC (in S. Woodstock VT) next weekend! Yes, as a
    father of an 11 year old I will be petrified when she is out on Cross
    Country. The Dressage and Stadium won't bother me, and the XC parts
    where I can see her won't be too bad, but when she disappears into the
    woods or the next field I will be a mess. She's going Beginner Novice
    so I realize things will be low and slow, but I'll still be a wreck.
    
    Let's all wish Simone Cormier (another Hudson employee) good luck as she 
    heads to King Oak for her first Event!
    
    Let us know if your going there so we can track you down and say hi!
    
    Shawn

    Proud father note:
    
    I just wanted to let you know that my daughter Erin (age 11) completed
    her first Event at GMHA (Green Mountain Horse Association) in Vermont
    this weekend. This was a recognized event which she went in at Beginner
    Novice Rider. Saturday they did Dressage and Stadium with XC on Sunday.
    The weather held out on Sunday after a rainy start so it was just cool
    and cloudy when she went out. As I had said in my previous note, I was
    a wreck during her XC. I think I need to invest in one of those
    camcorders with the built in stabilization unit as I'm sure my hands
    were shaking so much it showed it's effect on the video. Anyway, she
    made it back safe and sound and was thrilled with herself (she did have
    one stop but loved the ride). Her Dressage was good and she had a clean
    stadium round so all in all it was a very satisyfing introduction to
    the sport for her.
    
    Two weeks from now she will have her second show at Stoneleigh Burnham
    School in Greenfield, MA again at Beginner Novice then she will end her
    short 1995 season at U Mass (Amherst) at Novice level (they don't hold
    Beginner Novice there). I hope I can survive two more outings!
    
    Thanks for lettting me gab about my daughter,
    Shawn

    Congratulations!  You have good reason to be proud!!  
    
    Enjoy the Stoneleigh/Burnham show -- the show grounds there are
    beautiful.
    
    -JB

    
    
    re: .49
    
    Thanks for the encouragement, Shawn!
    
    Here's how our first rated show went (Beg. Novice Horse):
    
    Dressage:
    
    Annie was a little distracted at first and I was pretty nervous, but
    our warm-up improved dramatically after a friend asked, "Simone, are
    you breathing?"  So I attempted to relax and Annie immediately felt
    better and started to step up into the bridle.
    
    Then, as we passed the judge on one of our warmup laps before the
    whistle was blown, the scribe ripped a piece of paper from her pad
    and Annie had a minor breakdown at the sudden noise.  So I brought her
    back to the box the judge, Marge Kitridge, and her scribe were sitting
    in and they were kind enough to talk to Annie and reassured her that 
    they were harmless.
    
    I though the test was mediocre (I always expect too much).  Annie
    swapped leads behind in our right lead canter when I tried to straighten
    her on the long side.  Marge commented that I did the right thing, but
    my aids were a little too stong, hence the lead swap behind.
    
    When the scores were posted, I was very pleased to find that we were in
    6th place. (When I read my test scores I was psyched to see 7's and
    8's!)
    
    X-Country:
    
    Then I blew it in X-Country when Annie dumped me at the second fence
    (smallest one on the course...go figure).  Annie high-tailed
    (literally) it across the main field and luckily let my instructor
    catch her.  I had a couple more stops the rest of the course, but was
    still having such a blast I didn't care.
    
    Stadium:   
    
    Great until the last fence, which was on a downhill slant and I
    couldn't pick her head up (slightly out of control); we took the whole
    thing down.  
    
    It may sound like we didn't have the best time out, but considering the
    fact that this horse only started jumping in February and spent the two
    years before that on her hind legs the majority of the time, she's come
    a long way.
    
    Next:
    
    We'll finish out the season at an unrated show in W.Newbury (Pipestave
    Hill).  I wanted to give her a bit more confidence X-country.  I'm
    hoping that more trail riding this fall will help her X-country by making
    her braver.
    
    Simone
    

    
    
    
    Hi Folks!
    
    Annie and I just finished our first Horse Trials of the year...what a
    difference 6 months can make.
    
    We went down to Southern Pines, North Carolina to show at the Longleaf
    Pines H.T.  It took us 18 hours to get down there and about 15 hours on
    the return trip.  It was a great experience, but I don't think I'll go
    that far, again.  Maybe Pennsylvania next year?  Who knows.
    
    Anyway, we finished 9th overall and Annie was a star!  She warmed up
    very well for dressage, but I got nervous right before entering the
    arena, which resulted in a mediocre test.
    
    The cross country course was very inviting, but we did have one stop
    (my fault again as I was looking down at the fence).  Quite a different
    story from our cross country round at King Oak (see reply -1) last fall.
    
    We had a clean round in stadium.
    
    I'm so proud of Annie.  She really seems to be enjoying herself and
    appears to understand exactly what she's supposed to do.  I just have
    to learn to relax, have fun and enjoy the ride.  
    
    One minor nit was that Annie wouldn't stop calling for my instructor's
    horse (who she trucked down with).  I am assuming this is partly
    separation anxiety and partly a mare thing.  Has anyone else had this
    problem?  Do you think she'll settle down as she becomes more experienced?
                                                                         
    Simone

    Well done!
    
    >One minor nit was that Annie wouldn't stop calling for my instructor's
    >horse (who she trucked down with).  I am assuming this is partly
    >separation anxiety and partly a mare thing.  Has anyone else had this
    >problem?  
    
    Yes, Jan's mare is bad but the gelding is worse! He won't work unless
    one of his pals is in sight. Jan's mare will work but occassionally 
    yells.
    
    My mare could care less. She'll go anywhere , anytime and do anything 
    you asked. I think she has called to other horses when she's working 
    *exactly* once in her 22 years on planet earth. 
    
    
    >Do you think she'll settle down as she becomes more experienced?
    
    Doubtful. Ours haven't. The only solution we found was to take one
    horse at a time so they were alone on the trip. Then, they're fine.
    
    Hope you have better luck!

    Well, our eventing season began last weekend. My daughter Erin (now 12
    years old) competed at King Oak Farm in Southampton, MA on her horse Spider 
    in the Beginner Novice Rider division. She had a very good dressage test 
    putting her in 3rd, then had 2 stops on XC but only dropped to 6th since 
    many other people also had XC problems, then had a clean Stadium round to 
    finish in 6th and collect her Green Ribbon.
    
    The weather held out right up to the last minute. Just after we loaded
    the horse and pulled into the road the rain let loose and poured
    non-stop. I'm glad it hadn't started a half hour earlier, it would have
    been a mess. I heard that the show there Sunday was pretty messy from
    the rain.
    
    Erin loved being the first one in the family out this year as my wife had 
    sold her horse "Share the Profit" last year and picked up a new one that 
    she has been training over the winter. He will have his debut in the 
    eventing world on May 25th at Hitching Post Farm in Vermont. He is a 9 year 
    old Thoroughbred Gelding. He's a dark Bay and 16.2H. His name is "Miner 
    Adjustment" (just "Miner" around the barn). I'll have to send out an
    update as to his first performance, he may be a complete lunatic or a
    well behaved boy, only time will tell. Other events for us will be
    Huntington Farm in VT June 8th, then Groton House in MA June 21-23.
    
    Is anybody else other than Simone eventing out there? Anybody going to
    watch any of the events in their area? Let us know.
    
    
    Shawn

    
    
    Re: last reply
    
    Hi Shawn!
    
    Sounds like Erin is enjoying herself and is becoming an accomplished 
    little rider.  How about yourself?  When are you going to make the
    switch from groom/video recorder to Mr. Eventer?
    
                    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    
    Annie and I went to a schooling show (3 phase and dressage) at the
    Groton Fairgrounds, sponsored by Groton Pony Club, last Sunday.  We
    rode one practice test (Test 1), which was an abomination to say the
    least.  The ring was next to the cross country course and Annie was
    getting pumped up with horses galloping around right next to us while
    we were in the middle of our test.  Our second test (the one that 
    counted for the 3 phase) was in the next ring over and she was much
    more obedient and we scored mostly 7's with a couple of 6's.  We had
    one stop at the ditch cross country (my fault as I took a bad approach)
    and we had a great stadium round (nicked one verticle fence because I
    leaned at it a bit).  We finished 2nd overall.  Annie is becoming quite
    a jumping machine.  She is so much braver than just six months ago and
    is actually fun to jump.  The funny thing is that most folks say that
    flat work helps your jumping.  In our case, jumping has helped our flat
    work because it seems to relax and balance Annie.  
    
    On another note, I spoke with the DC of Groton Pony Club (an old
    friend) who was working at the show and she said that they had only 5
    members last winter, but were up to @ 20-25 members this spring.  I
    was shocked!  When I was in Groton Pony Club we had 150 members,
    easily.  Did the stock market crash of the eighties affect that many 
    horse folks, or was it just that I was in Pony Club at the tail end of
    the baby boomer period?
    
    Oh, yeah, I almost forgot... John, I am very happy to say that Annie did
    not scream for her friends as much as she did in N.Carolina.  She gave
    a small whinny back to her pasture mate when we were in our second
    test, and only gave one full neigh the whole rest of the time.
    
    Maybe there's hope for her, yet!
    
    Simone                       

    Simone,
    	Glad to hear about the GPC outing, sounds like Annie is progressing
    very quickly which I'm sure you like. It sounds as though you'll be
    more than ready for Groton House in a few weeks. We will be seeing you
    there as Christine will be riding Miner there.
    
    	Miner had his Eventing debut May 26th up at Hitching Post Farm in
    Vermont. For his first time out he did very well. He had a fairly good
    Dressage test to start the day. When he went past the Judge sitting in
    the trailer he shyed having never seen anyone in a trailer before. In
    fact, he had never seen a Dressage ring before either so it was nice
    that he stayed in it for the test! He was in 6th after Dressage. Next
    was Cross Country and he was absolutely great. He went over everything
    without any problems other than a short look at the water before going
    in. There were only 5 clean rounds in her division and she had one of
    them. This moved her up to 3rd. Then disaster hit. While warming up for
    stadium Miner pulled up and looked lame. I put down the Camcorder to
    see what I could help with and we found he had half pulled off a shoe.
    The blacksmith had already left for the day so we were running around
    trying to find some blacksmith tools to pull the shoe off. By the time
    we got it off her division was done but they said she could take a
    quick practice jump then do the course. By this time she and Miner had
    lost their concentration and flow and ended up with two stops which
    Christine said were her fault. She ended up in 11th but was thrilled
    with how well Miner behaved and especially how well he did XC. They are
    currently on the waiting list for the event at Huntington Farm in
    Vermont for this Sunday. After that it's off to Groton House.
    
    	Erin did have a good time at King Oak and we just signed her up for
    camp at GMHA in August (I think). That should help her out quite a bit
    getting the coaching from different people and being able to ride a
    couple times a day for a week.
    
    	And Simone, as far as me eventing... don't hold your breath.
    Besides being too busy with both the kids and the Wife and my own
    schedule, at 6'5" 240lbs I don't think there are too many horses out
    there that want me on their backs! I'll stick to my Mountain Biking.
    
    Shawn

    	***   ATTENTION: ATLANTA SELECTION DIVISION   ***
    
    If you want to see some of the better riders at one of the nicer places
    in Area I then you will want to come to Groton House in Hamilton, MA
    June 14, 15, 16. THIS IS A USET SHORTLIST OBSERVATION TRIAL FOR THE
    OLYMPICS. They will be running Open Training, Open Preliminary, Open
    Intermediate, and Advanced.
    
    If you have never been to Groton House it is a beautiful place and is
    always well run. The stabling is on grounds so you can see the horses
    that are competing. They have food booths as well as shops set up where
    you can buy lots of nice horse stuff. They may charge a small amount
    for parking (usually donated to a local charity or animal shelter) but
    I would guess that is it ("guess" being the key word there).
    
    Here are directions:
    
    	Northbound: Rt. 128 to exit 20N to Rt. 1A for 2.3 miles to Wenham
    Center. Left on Arbor St (becomes Highland St). GHF is 3.5 miles on
    left.
    	Southbound: Rt. 95 to exit 54. Left on Rt. 133 East for 3.2 miles
    to Rt. 1. Right on Rt. 1 South for 4 miles to traffic light. Left on
    Ipswich Rd for 2.5 miles. Right on Willowdale Rd (becomes Winthrop St)
    to end. Left on Highland St for 1/2 mile to GHF. Driveway on left.
    
    
    Time Schedule:
    
    	Friday: Dressage, 8 am start
    
    	Saturday: Cross Country, 8 am start
    
    	Sunday: Show Jumping, 9 am start
    
    
    We will be there on Saturday for the XC but that will probably be it
    since Christine will be competing there (as will Simone) the following
    week. Let's hope for nice weather and some exciting rounds.
    
    
    Shawn

My wife Christine and my daughter Erin will both be competing this Saturday
at Pembury House Horse Trials (Sutton, MA). Listed below are their times and 
directions to Pembury. I have volunteered to be the timer for Cross Country 
both days so if you make it to the show stop by and say hi (I'll be the 6'5" 
guy with the Goatee- kinda hard to miss me). 

This is my daughters first Novice level event. She has 2 or 3 Beginner Novice 
levels under her belt, but this will be new to her. "Miner" is seeing only his 
3rd Training level event after only 3 Novice level events since coming off the 
race track about a year and a half ago.

It's a fairly new event but a fun one, so stop by and cheer everybody on. 

Shawn


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pembury Horse Trials times: Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st


Training Level (Saturday)
--------------
Miner Adjustment (Christine)

Dressage: 10:36 XC: 12:09


Novice Level (Saturday)
------------
Magics Premier (Erin)

Dressage: 1:06 XC: 2:33


Directions: From Ma Pike: Exit 10 to Rt 395 south to Oxford/Webster. Exit 
4A to Sutton Ave. 4 miles to left on West Sutton Rd. and immediate right on 
Boston Rd. Farm 1 mile on left.

From Rt 395 North: Exit 4A, as above. 

From Rt 495 South: Take Worcester exit to Rt 290 which becomes Rt 395 at 
Auburn, then as above.

From Rt 146 North: Left on Boston Rd. at Sutton Sq. Lights. Thru center 
(schools on left). Farm 1/2 mile on right.

From Rt. 146 South: Right on Boston Rd. at Sutton Sq. lights, then as 
above.

    Is anyone else going to Flora Lea HT (Area II) this weekend?  Widge & I
    will be competing on Sunday...

					-Caroline

    Caroline, 
    	I'm not heading down to Flora Lea but good luck there. Some friends
    of ours went down there last year and liked it.
    
    	How did things go for you at King Oak this past weekend? I saw your
    name on the scoreboard but didn't see you around while you had a number
    on so I would know it's you. The weather wasn't too bad on Sunday when 
    compared to Saturday, but the footing was pretty bad in spots.
    
    	My wife Christine on "Miner Adjustment" came in 7th in one of the
    Training levels. She's done for the season and expects to do a couple
    Training events next year then move up to Preliminary. The new guy
    needs to work on his dressage and needs to get used to the activity
    around an event and he'll be fine. My daughter is planning on going to
    Stoneleigh in a few weeks or UMass at the end of October for her last 
    show of the year. 
    
    	Let us know how things go at Flora Lea!
    
    Shawn

    Hey, I have a question for you eventer folks. I've heard several times
    about events having to have the endurance phase modified when the
    temperature and humidity add up to more than 150. I can see why that
    would work for hot climates like Barcelona and Atlanta but consider
    us in the rainy parts of the world.
    
    For example, yesterday morning it wasn't even raining but, according to
    the local TV station, the humdity was 99% to 100% and the temperature
    was in the mid 50's (55-57) all over the region. That addds up to a
    minimum of 154 points.
    
    Similarly, in summer, our high temperatures are in the upper 70's or
    maybe low 80's (We start whining about the heat when it breaks 80! ;-)
    Humidity is typically in the mid to upper 70% range. 
    
    To me, these seem like ideal conditions to work a horse (especially
    early on a summer morning when the temps are below 60). But, If I
    understand the 150 thing correctly, we'd have to shorten the endurance
    phase of events *most* of the time even in our mild climate.
    
    Can anybody explain this idea?
    
    

    
>    	How did things go for you at King Oak this past weekend? 

    We went clean and faster than usual (time penalties R us!).  Widge took
    very good care of me (I was allowed to steer)... straight through the
    road crossing, never came close to the "Prudential", did the corner option,
    and bounced down the steps!  (last year we did training there and Widge 
    _walked_ down the double steps)  Her only hairy moment was when she 
    considered banking the steeplechase fence with her hind legs -- I saw 3 
    people fall at that fence before our ride, and one of those the horses
    hooked its hind legs and twisted.  YUCK!  My hairy moment was when I 
    neglected to lean back over the first part of the coffin...  we did the
    ditch w/me on Widge's neck -- what a good horse!  ;-)


>   footing

    Was great on the xc course!  I found the footing in the dressage ring, xc
    warmup, and the stadium course pretty bad.  


>	My wife Christine on "Miner Adjustment" came in 7th in one of the

    Super!  


>       move up to Preliminary. 

    Pick your move-up wisely!  (Sounds like Christine has seen most of 
    Area I)  I asked about all the xc problems and was told that many folks
    see King Oak as a good 'move up P'... I disagree.  Spring Huntington xc is
    forgiving (its stadium is something else).  As is Hitchingpost. This fall's 
    GMHAYC (this weekend) has a P division, which is suppose to be a 'move up'.


				-Caroline

    re-62
    
    John,
    	I don't know about the "150" being a limit or not. I am only
    familiar with Horse Trials and not 3 day events which have the roads
    and tracks and such. At horse trials I know the Cross Country phase can
    be modified by the TD and ground jury if they feel there is anything
    that might put horse or rider at risk which includes hot weather, heavy
    rain, poor footing, etc. They may allow a longer optimum time, they may
    remove certain fences from the course, and they may even cancel it
    completely. My wife has ridden in all three of those options over the
    years. They are very good about watching out for the well being of the
    horse and rider but as far as the specifics of the combined temp and 
    humidity I can't say. I will try to ask some of the folks I see around
    to see if they know.
    
    Shawn

    
    I was told the the USCTA has new novie test for combined training. 
    Does anyone have a copy of the test?
    
    Louisa