Many, many thanks to all our volunteers for the May 19 and 20 Recognized Horse Trials. We were begging and pleading with you the final week to help us out, and you came through, as always. I hope all the volunteers had a wonderful time!
Thanks, also, to all the competitors who came to play with us for the weekend. From Novice to Intermediate, from Sarah Cousins and Boyd Martin to Lauren Walling and Ryan Wood and Katie Kindley... we can't run a competition without you. Thanks for your continued support!
Full results can be seen HERE.
Doesn't look like photos are posted yet, but when they are they can be found HERE.
And please to be thanking Katie Kindley for her fabulous helmet cam video from stadium and from cross country. Katie placed first in Open Novice-C, finishing on her dressage score of 27.0. After seeing these videos of her lovely smooth trips through both jumping phases, it's no wonder! Congrats on your first place finish, Katie, and thanks for sharing your helmet cam!
Katie's Cross Country ride
Katie's Stadium trip
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Foxcatcher Endurance Results
I'm a little late on results - sorry!
Foxcatcher Saturday was bright and sunny for the first time in a few years. And DRY. Which, for Foxcatcher, is absolutely amazing. We had 64 starters in the 25 mile ride, and 85 starters in the 50 mile ride, plus three ride and tie teams. To make things more exciting, we also ran an FEI 1* ride in the 50 miler, in which 7 riders participated. And the 50 mile ride was also the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 50 Mile Championship, in which 7 riders participated.
The 25 Mile ride started at 7AM. The riders completed a 15 mile loop, came in to base camp for a 40 minute hold and vet inspection, and then went back out for a 10 mile loop. The first riders finished around 10:15 or so. The 25 mile riders finish on their pulse time, not when they cross the finish line. This is to discourage riders from riding their horses too fast at the end. Those who have horses with a faster pulse recovery will have a better finish time than those whose horses take longer to recover. The winner of the 25 mile ride was Steven Hay riding Gotcha Covered PW, with a ride time of 2 hours 42 minutes (ride time does not include the 40 minutes of hold time). Delanie Kite, finishing in a tie for fifth place, was the first finishing Junior rider (juniors are under 16 years and have to ride with a sponsor). Out of our 64 starting riders, 54 completed the ride. Congrats!
The 50 mile riders also started at 7AM. They completed a 25 mile loop first, with a 10 minute "stop" part way through the loop to give the horses a little breather. After a 40 minute hold and vet exam, they went out for a 15 mile loop. Another 40 minute hold and vet exam followed, and then one last 10 mile loop. The first riders completed a little after 1PM.
Sandra Fretelliere (riding Tikis Twistyr) and Carmine Villani (riding TEF Sunflash) raced to the finish, with Sandra just edging out Carmine for the win. The 50 mile riders finish at the time they cross the finish line, so there is sometimes a race to the finish. All riders, however, must meet pulse criteria within a specified time after finishing, or risk being eliminated from the ride.
The 50 mile ride has a coveted "Best Condition" award, given to the horse who scores best in a fairly complicated formula of final vet scores, finishing time, and weight the horse carried. The award is available for the Top 10 completing horses. This year we had 5 horses presented to the vet for Best Conditioned scoring. The Best Conditioned award was given to TEF Sunflash. Congrats to Carmine for riding an excellent ride, and to Tracy Reynolds, who bred and owns this lovely horse.
The top finishing Junior rider was Austin Shaffer, riding Pearl Jam. Sandra Fretelliere won both the FEI and the AHA (full Arab) 50 mile rides, as well as the AHA Best Conditioned award for full Arabs. TEF Sunflash took home the Best Conditioned award for the FEI ride. And Deb Shaffer, riding Bahma, won the AHA ride for half-Arabs and took home the Best Conditioned award for that division.
Of the 85 horses who started the 50 mile ride, 70 completed. Most with a smile on their face.
Our three ride and tie teams all finished the ride in good spirits. We had one 10 mile team (who stated at the end of the ride that this was the PERFECT way to start a young horse in endurance or competitive trail riding, as the horse ran right with the runner the entire time, thus giving the horse a bit of a "security blanket" if you will), and two 25 mile teams. Ride and Tie is always looking for more participants in this fun and unusual sport - give us a shout if you're interested!
We had a wonderfully successful ride this year, with a record number of entries and fabulous weather. It was a safe ride - our EMT was bored the entire time, which we love. We'd like to thank all our competitors for their support. We also want to give a HUGE shout of thanks to the vets and to the volunteers. It takes a phenomenal number of people to run a ride like this, and our volunteers always do a wonderful job. Thanks so very much! We're looking forward to another great ride in 2013.
Foxcatcher Saturday was bright and sunny for the first time in a few years. And DRY. Which, for Foxcatcher, is absolutely amazing. We had 64 starters in the 25 mile ride, and 85 starters in the 50 mile ride, plus three ride and tie teams. To make things more exciting, we also ran an FEI 1* ride in the 50 miler, in which 7 riders participated. And the 50 mile ride was also the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 50 Mile Championship, in which 7 riders participated.
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| 25 mile riders on trail on Saturday morning. |
The 25 Mile ride started at 7AM. The riders completed a 15 mile loop, came in to base camp for a 40 minute hold and vet inspection, and then went back out for a 10 mile loop. The first riders finished around 10:15 or so. The 25 mile riders finish on their pulse time, not when they cross the finish line. This is to discourage riders from riding their horses too fast at the end. Those who have horses with a faster pulse recovery will have a better finish time than those whose horses take longer to recover. The winner of the 25 mile ride was Steven Hay riding Gotcha Covered PW, with a ride time of 2 hours 42 minutes (ride time does not include the 40 minutes of hold time). Delanie Kite, finishing in a tie for fifth place, was the first finishing Junior rider (juniors are under 16 years and have to ride with a sponsor). Out of our 64 starting riders, 54 completed the ride. Congrats!
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| Dr. Julie performs a completion vet exam of Steven Hay's horse, Gotcha Covered PW. Steven finished in first place in the 25 mile ride. |
The 50 mile riders also started at 7AM. They completed a 25 mile loop first, with a 10 minute "stop" part way through the loop to give the horses a little breather. After a 40 minute hold and vet exam, they went out for a 15 mile loop. Another 40 minute hold and vet exam followed, and then one last 10 mile loop. The first riders completed a little after 1PM.
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| Dean Hillard, riding RA Sultan, finished the 50 mile ride in a tie for 16th place. Louisa Emerick Photo. |
Sandra Fretelliere (riding Tikis Twistyr) and Carmine Villani (riding TEF Sunflash) raced to the finish, with Sandra just edging out Carmine for the win. The 50 mile riders finish at the time they cross the finish line, so there is sometimes a race to the finish. All riders, however, must meet pulse criteria within a specified time after finishing, or risk being eliminated from the ride.
The 50 mile ride has a coveted "Best Condition" award, given to the horse who scores best in a fairly complicated formula of final vet scores, finishing time, and weight the horse carried. The award is available for the Top 10 completing horses. This year we had 5 horses presented to the vet for Best Conditioned scoring. The Best Conditioned award was given to TEF Sunflash. Congrats to Carmine for riding an excellent ride, and to Tracy Reynolds, who bred and owns this lovely horse.
The top finishing Junior rider was Austin Shaffer, riding Pearl Jam. Sandra Fretelliere won both the FEI and the AHA (full Arab) 50 mile rides, as well as the AHA Best Conditioned award for full Arabs. TEF Sunflash took home the Best Conditioned award for the FEI ride. And Deb Shaffer, riding Bahma, won the AHA ride for half-Arabs and took home the Best Conditioned award for that division.
Of the 85 horses who started the 50 mile ride, 70 completed. Most with a smile on their face.
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| Dr. Nick performs a vet exam on one of the horses at a 40 minute hold. Louisa Emerick photo. |
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| Dawn Engle (left) riding The Last Shot, and Ranelle Kohut riding Propel finished in a tie for 16th place. Louisa Emerick photo. |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
CHOO CHOO!
Some of FHI's most faithful have been busy painting some of the new cross country jumps to get everything ready for the April Recognized horse trials.
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Is it weird to call these the cutest darn cross country jumps I've ever seen?
Monday, April 2, 2012
Foxcatcher Endurance
Fair Hill International is gearing up for the 2012 competition schedule. First on the docket? The 2012 Foxcatcher Endurance Ride, to be held on Saturday April 14. Base camp for the ride is the CCI Stabling field on Gallaher Road, but riders will travel throughout the Fair Hill NRMA acreage for the 50 mile and 25 mile rides.
Ye who only think of FHI as an eventing organization, think again! FHI has been hosting the Foxcatcher Endurance ride for many years, and in 2005 was the host of the North American Endurance Championship, which drew riders from across North America to compete in a 100 mile test of endurance for both horse and rider.
So what IS this crazy sport of endurance? I'd try to explain it to you, but's best if we quote directly from the Rider Handbook of the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference, the governing body of endurance in the United States):
"Reduced to its most basic explanation, an endurance ride is a marathon for horses. It is run over a pre-marked, pre-measured trail. Although awards are based on the fastest riding times in the different divisions, many people compete not to win, but to finish within the maximum time allowed (twelve hours for a fifty miler and twenty-four hours for a hundred miler). There are designated holds along the way, with veterinary examinations required at each one. In the course of a fifty mile ride there will be from one (required) to as many as four checks (including the post ride check), with roughly twice that number being common for a hundred mile ride. At the checks, the horse must show that he is able to continue safely with that judgment being made on the basis of specific metabolic and mechanical recovery factors known to be significant (among other things, the pulse must recover to predetermined ride pulse criteria, usually between 60-68. The temperature must be no higher than 103 degrees F., and the horse must be sound at the trot). The length of time allowed for the vet checks varies with the weather, terrain, and distance covered up to that point; most commonly it ranges from fifteen minutes to one hour.
Anytime within the hour after crossing the finish line, the horse must pass a final inspection, with recovery factors based on the same requirements as those of the vet check. To stand for Best Condition, an honor designed to reward superior care during the competition, the first ten finishers are required to return after the full hour for the BC judging.
Aside from the open rides of at least fifty miles, there are novice rides of twenty-five to thirty-five miles designed for beginner horses and/or riders. The rules for Limited Distance, as this category is called, are slightly different and somewhat stricter."
This year, Foxcatcher is hosting a 50 mile AERC Endurance ride, a 25 mile AERC Limited Distance ride, and a 10 mile and 25 mile Ride and Tie (which is a WHOLE NUTHER brand of crazy. The basic gist - one horse, 2 riders. Riders switch off riding the horse and running the trail. Horse is tied to a tree in strategic locations for runner to eventually catch up to horse, mount, and ride. Eventually rider leap-frogs partner, finds place to tie horse, etc etc. Want to know more? See http://www.rideandtie.org/.) In addition, Foxcatcher is hosting the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 Endurance Championship, as well as a 50 mile FEI* Endurance ride, which is sanctioned by the FEI and is intended to be used as a qualifying ride for horses to move up to the next level in FEI competition. Much the same as CCI one, two, and three star events, but in endurance the level of difficulty increases by the number of miles ridden.
Have we peaked your interest? Want to know more? The very best way to learn is to COME. The endurance community is very friendly, and the vets and volunteers would be delighted to explain what's going on so long as the line of horses waiting to see the vet isn't ridiculously long. Vet-in for the ride is Friday afternoon, April 13th. The 25 and 50 mile rides both start at 7AM on Saturday April 14th. The 25 mile riders have to be finished by 1PM on Saturday (but expect the first finishers around 10AM). The 50 mile riders have to be finished by 7PM (but expect the first finishers around 1PM).
Want to learn even more? Volunteer! Can you take a pulse? Can you read a clock? Can you scribe for a vet? We're always looking for fresh blood, so to speak. If you're interested, please see our volunteer page.
Finally, if you're riding around Fair Hill on Saturday April 14 and see a horse tied to a tree, that has a number written on its butt in crayon, PLEASE don't untie it! The runner for that Ride and Tie team will be so disappointed if he or she has to run all the way home!
Ye who only think of FHI as an eventing organization, think again! FHI has been hosting the Foxcatcher Endurance ride for many years, and in 2005 was the host of the North American Endurance Championship, which drew riders from across North America to compete in a 100 mile test of endurance for both horse and rider.
So what IS this crazy sport of endurance? I'd try to explain it to you, but's best if we quote directly from the Rider Handbook of the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference, the governing body of endurance in the United States):
"Reduced to its most basic explanation, an endurance ride is a marathon for horses. It is run over a pre-marked, pre-measured trail. Although awards are based on the fastest riding times in the different divisions, many people compete not to win, but to finish within the maximum time allowed (twelve hours for a fifty miler and twenty-four hours for a hundred miler). There are designated holds along the way, with veterinary examinations required at each one. In the course of a fifty mile ride there will be from one (required) to as many as four checks (including the post ride check), with roughly twice that number being common for a hundred mile ride. At the checks, the horse must show that he is able to continue safely with that judgment being made on the basis of specific metabolic and mechanical recovery factors known to be significant (among other things, the pulse must recover to predetermined ride pulse criteria, usually between 60-68. The temperature must be no higher than 103 degrees F., and the horse must be sound at the trot). The length of time allowed for the vet checks varies with the weather, terrain, and distance covered up to that point; most commonly it ranges from fifteen minutes to one hour.
Anytime within the hour after crossing the finish line, the horse must pass a final inspection, with recovery factors based on the same requirements as those of the vet check. To stand for Best Condition, an honor designed to reward superior care during the competition, the first ten finishers are required to return after the full hour for the BC judging.
Aside from the open rides of at least fifty miles, there are novice rides of twenty-five to thirty-five miles designed for beginner horses and/or riders. The rules for Limited Distance, as this category is called, are slightly different and somewhat stricter."
This year, Foxcatcher is hosting a 50 mile AERC Endurance ride, a 25 mile AERC Limited Distance ride, and a 10 mile and 25 mile Ride and Tie (which is a WHOLE NUTHER brand of crazy. The basic gist - one horse, 2 riders. Riders switch off riding the horse and running the trail. Horse is tied to a tree in strategic locations for runner to eventually catch up to horse, mount, and ride. Eventually rider leap-frogs partner, finds place to tie horse, etc etc. Want to know more? See http://www.rideandtie.org/.) In addition, Foxcatcher is hosting the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 Endurance Championship, as well as a 50 mile FEI* Endurance ride, which is sanctioned by the FEI and is intended to be used as a qualifying ride for horses to move up to the next level in FEI competition. Much the same as CCI one, two, and three star events, but in endurance the level of difficulty increases by the number of miles ridden.
Have we peaked your interest? Want to know more? The very best way to learn is to COME. The endurance community is very friendly, and the vets and volunteers would be delighted to explain what's going on so long as the line of horses waiting to see the vet isn't ridiculously long. Vet-in for the ride is Friday afternoon, April 13th. The 25 and 50 mile rides both start at 7AM on Saturday April 14th. The 25 mile riders have to be finished by 1PM on Saturday (but expect the first finishers around 10AM). The 50 mile riders have to be finished by 7PM (but expect the first finishers around 1PM).
Want to learn even more? Volunteer! Can you take a pulse? Can you read a clock? Can you scribe for a vet? We're always looking for fresh blood, so to speak. If you're interested, please see our volunteer page.
Finally, if you're riding around Fair Hill on Saturday April 14 and see a horse tied to a tree, that has a number written on its butt in crayon, PLEASE don't untie it! The runner for that Ride and Tie team will be so disappointed if he or she has to run all the way home!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
And the Winner Is...
Many thanks to all those who participated in our online survey. You gave us some great feedback to help improve FHI for 2012.
The lucky winner of tickets to Dansko's Fair Hill International 2012, drawn from all participants, is...
Lyn Christie, of Olney, Maryland.
Congrats, Lyn!
In other news, we're working right now on a re-do of our website. We're hoping to launch it in March. If you have any high quality photos from FHIs past we would love to see them! Anything - horses, dogs, behind the scenes, volunteers, jumps. We'll take a look at anything, and if something you have fits in the flow of what we're doing we'd love to use it.
Send any photos you have to FHIoutreach@gmail.com
Happy New Year!
The lucky winner of tickets to Dansko's Fair Hill International 2012, drawn from all participants, is...
Lyn Christie, of Olney, Maryland.
Congrats, Lyn!
In other news, we're working right now on a re-do of our website. We're hoping to launch it in March. If you have any high quality photos from FHIs past we would love to see them! Anything - horses, dogs, behind the scenes, volunteers, jumps. We'll take a look at anything, and if something you have fits in the flow of what we're doing we'd love to use it.
Send any photos you have to FHIoutreach@gmail.com
Happy New Year!
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| FHI 2007 |
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Getting to Know Peter Atkins and his family
Living so close to Fair Hill, I often host competitors from Fair Hill. This year, in a "its-a-small-world" scenerio, we hosted Peter Atkins, his wife, Amy, their son, Owen, and Peter's young horse, Drake, during the event. Because of some truck problems, Peter and his horses Henny and Drake stayed with us afterwards. What a great time we had! Peter has a great sense of humor and a wonderful devotion to his family. Amy The connection shared by horse and rider I first saw in the Run Henny Run video of the x-country WEG I saw up close during the event. The connection between that horse and not only Peter but also with his family. The horse is always aware of where Peter is and focuses on Owen when he is nearby. On their website, Amy has pictures of young Owen riding this powerful 3-day horse in a lead line class! We are so fortunate to have had Peter and his family come into our lives. We plan to be in touch with them in Florida when we make the trip south this winter.
Since my sport is combined driving, and Peter had time on his hands after the event, I talked him into going on the back of the carriage and prodded him into driving my mare! Having only driven a pony years ago for about 10 minutes, he took the reins and had the mare going quite well in a short time. He even managed to shoot a short video while driving and read and answered a few texts on his cell phone! Before he left he cooked one of his specialties for dinner, a great Salmon dinner! My only regret is not getting a photo of my ole swaybacked hunter with his two illustrious pasture mates!
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| Owen, at age 5(?) rode Henny in a Lead Line Class! These two definitely have a connection! |
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| A big father - son hug after Dressage |
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| Peter getting the hang of being behind a horse instead of being on top! |
Thursday, October 27, 2011
I Promised My Kids Some Photos...
I promised my Pony Club kids that I would post pictures on the blog. And also the sled dog folks. And various other people who took advantage of the free dog agility lessons. SO.
If you want to see photos of President's Cup weights and measures, the Pony Club course walk with Doug Payne, and some nasty looking thunderstorm clouds, check out my pictures from FRIDAY
If you want to see pictures of President's Cup competition, mini horse demos, sled dog demos, tracking demos, Ray Owen's concert, Kids Corner, the falcon guy, and Courtney Cooper, check out my pictures from SATURDAY. There's also a few videos mixed in there.
And if you want to see President's Cup awards, Shetland Pony races, dog agility lessons, and a tiny bit of show jumping, check out my photos from SUNDAY.
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