Tally Ho Farms Eventing

11/06/2023

https://www.ridetvgo.tv/land-of-the-horse-the-story-of-the-kentucky-horse-park

The Kentucky Horse Park is a legendary equestrian destination that exudes a timeless charm, captivating all who visit. As you step onto its hallowed grounds, you're enveloped in a world of horses, where history and heritage blend seamlessly. It's more than just a park; it's a place where you can ...

10/29/2023

🎉🥳 We are very excited to host another schooling jumper show on November 18th! Low stress & fun practice environment.

$25/round & $15/2nd round at same height. The XC field is being consistently aerated and is ready to go! 🤩

08/02/2023

07/19/2023

Mobile trainer, lessons and coaching available! While relatively new to the Lexington area, I have been an upper level event rider and trainer for more than 25yrs, running successful training businesses on the west coast before relcating here. I am no longer running my own training barn, but am still actively riding and competing. Would love to add some students to my schedule, please don't hesitate to reach out if I can help. www.thfeventing.com

05/26/2023

05/18/2023

05/13/2023

We at ERAofNA, want to pledge our commitment to being stewards of our equine partners welfare, as well as lead by example the highest level of horsemanship on and off the sporting field.

We support all equine professionals having the highest horsemanship and welfare standards at home as well as in public. It becomes even more essential when surrounded by spectators and livestream viewers. As competitors, please consider the responsibility you have when you are at a competition. In the warm up, presenting at the trot up, finishing a dressage test or show jumping round, and leaving cross country after a difficult go- are all moments that can be fueled with emotion, and a split-second reaction caught on livestream or seen by the spectators can have a huge impact on the survival of our sport.

It only takes one person’s poor horsemanship to ruin the reputation of all Eventing professionals in the public’s eye. If you see something, say something. Don’t be afraid to take concerns to event officials, the competition Rider Rep, or an ERAofNA member.

We at ERAofNA challenge all of you to share this philosophy and to help educate and be examples of excellence in horsemanship.

Each and every one of us play a role in keeping a positive light on Eventing. It is the future of our sport that rests squarely on the shoulders of officials, riders, and coaches at any and all levels of competition.

📸:

05/11/2023

04/30/2023

03/24/2023

03/19/2023

I've always thought of riding like this. When you're struggling it feels like you're climbing a mountain. Climbing mountains is hard, but the view at the top is worth it and once you're up there, getting down is easy.

When you feel like you took two steps forward and one step back.
Last night in the arena someone asked, “Am I getting worse?”

No girl. You’re leveling up✨
You’re past the level of knowledge or skill you were previously at and on the precipice of taking things to a new level. You and your horse are in transition. Where things get messy, a bit uncomfortable and you feel like the more you know, the more you don’t know.

In the barn. In the saddle. In life.
Give yourself permission to get messy.
Lean into the discomfort.
Be open to learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Remember that growth is not linear 🌱

01/19/2023

Monday morning thoughts.
The problem with “heels down”

Heels down is one of the first things taught in the saddle. I remember it being like the Holy Grail of riding as a kid. “Look at her heels!”
Here’s the problem. Heels being down is a symptom of relaxation, hip function, leg position, and flexibility. Our heels should never be *pushed* down. If the heels are pushed down as far as they can go, then they are at the end of their flexion, and the shock absorbing function is lost, and the whole point is shock absorption.
The problem with focusing on “heels down” is that riders will sacrifice leg and pelvis positioning for the be all and end all result of “heels down”.
This causes a bajillion problems as a trickle up effect to tension, bracing, a heavy or driving seat, up/down posting, a swinging leg, ineffectiveness of the leg, gripping leg, immobile hips, too closed of a hip angle, inability to oscillate, landing heavy over fences, jumping ahead, getting left behind, a collapsed core, using the hands for balance, too low of hands, elbows out, funky wrists, a collapsed chest, shoulders rotated inward, a forward head position, inadequate breathing, to eyes looking downward.
What?! All of this just by pushing the heels too far down??
Yep. Can happen. Frequently does. Like, a lot. And it’s because the body is trying to catch up to the feet.

The most important thing on a horse is to balance your center of gravity over their center of gravity, to make yourself light and mobile. To do this, the foot must be under us. The stirrup is the ground. If we shove it forward, the ground slips out from beneath us like we’re wiping out on ice, except it’s the horse’s back that catches our butts.

The first time we told a rider to lift her heels and draw them back, we got some weird looks. Who says that, right?? It’s, “heels down, heels down, weight in your heels, push your heels down.” Well, what if flexibility does not allow for the rider’s heels to be more than level, or even a touch above when the leg is properly placed underneath them? Should they wiggle and shove and stand and try with all their might to get those heels down, or should they find their balance, with even pressure on the stirrup, and not worry if their toes touch their shin?

Of course it doesn’t mean “stand on your toes and pinch with your knees.” We’re not flipping two sides of a bad penny here. But it’s about balancing the stirrup. Not yourself on the stirrup, but balancing the stirrup, which is a metal swing, attached to a small strip of leather, attached to a piece of metal, that we use to aid us in navigating a large animal at various speeds over obstacles, terrain, and patterns. Riding is weird.

So go ahead, lift those heels just a little, draw a little line back. See how it feels. See if you can stretch taller, if your leg works a little better, if your hands become a little more independent, you breathe a little easier. Let it be a little weird.

10/14/2022

It may be hot in Texas, but the horses are already getting their winter wooly coats!

The horses know what's coming---

This is a photo of the average northern horse in the last couple of months headed toward winter---

09/28/2022

Creekside Eventing offers professional training, premium boarding, eventing lessons, clinics, and eventing horses for sale near Austin in Georgetown, TX.

09/22/2022

What it was like---Old Fashioned Eventing

Already, there are many more event riders who have NOT had the experience of a long format event than those who have, and for those interested in what the sport was like “back in the day, here are some details.

Because it was a big deal at the time when the USET squad won the gold medal at Burghley in 1974, and because I have a copy of the speeds and distances, I’ll use that event as an example.

The first thought I had, comparing it to modern 10-11-12 minute championship cross country days is just how daunting the times and distances were by comparison. In 1974 the eventing World Championship cross country day took one hour and 27 minutes (87 minutes) to complete without incurring time faults.

We galloped and jumped for 19 minutes. Five and one half minutes of that was steeplechase at a speed of 690 meters per minute, and thirteen and one half minutes was cross country at a speed of 570 meters per minute.

In addition, we trotted at a fast trot for one hour and 8 minutes on what was called “roads and tracks.”

The whole distance was a bit more than seventeen miles. Steeplechase was 2.35 miles, and cross country was 4.8 miles, so it involved galloping for more than seven miles.

The riders had to be fit, too. We walked the cross country course 4 times. That came to about 19 miles. We walked the steeplechase twice, another 4-5 miles, and we walked a few sections of roads and tracks that they couldn’t drive us on in pickup trucks, So we walked---no motor scooters then—maybe 25 miles in the few days before the event,

Then there was the complexity of figuring out times, so many minutes per kilometer on roads and tracks, and we wrote it down on strips of heavy paper which we taped to our arms.

Then we had to have someone with a spare set of shoes at the end of steeplechase. We had to be able to change studs, if necessary, during the intensity of the ten minute rest and vet check hold between the second roads and tracks and the start of cross country.
It was like plotting a military campaign. A totally different sport, as unlike what they have today as is an apple from an orange.

Better or worse depends upon who you ask. But two different sports, not one as an “evolution” of the other.

09/21/2022

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/sports-psychology-when-affirmations-arent-enough?fbclid=IwAR3bY1qaOBKY7XC1giCrernZQYcfmKpVyV4uvlPAaWEjtNl5Ew9jBaOwyzY

I’ve been an equestrian sport psychologist for over 30 years, working with riders of all stripes: amateurs and professionals, recreational riders, trainers, instructors, juniors and their parents. Some of my clients rode at the Olympics o...

08/15/2022

08/12/2022

When you thought she couldn't get better... solid 10's for the extended canter! 🤩

08/08/2022

🌟 A quick tip to remember for your next ride!

If you're grappling with the concept of riding leg to hand, here's one way to remember the importance of doing so:

We want our horses to think about what their bodies are doing, not their heads. What the head does is in direct relation to what the rest of the body (namely, the hind end) is doing. So why pay so much attention to your hands? Focus more on your legs ➡️ your horse's body vs. your hands ➡️ the horse's head.

07/30/2022

The originally posted article cut off the interview with Raquel. The USEA has updated it, so please take a moment to read. Good work Raquel and Rory! Ardeo Sport Horses Neil Wrynn Melanie Wrynn Raquel Kantor

Nielsen and Egdes Celebrate Rewarding Victories at USEA Classic Series Event at Rebecca Farm

07/08/2022

Attracting hundreds of world-class competitors to the largest equestrian triathlon west of the Mississippi, the 21st running of The Event at Rebecca Farm is July 20 – 24 in Kalispell. Riders compete in three disciplines

07/02/2022

Congratulations THF rider Kendal Smith (and her horse Ardeo Upload) for being selected!!! The last 3yrs have been a wild ride. So proud of you. Thank you for being you. ❤️ Allegretto Equestrian Center Jennifer Whisonant Smith Ardeo Sport Horses

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the athletes selected for the 2022 USEA Emerging Athlete 21 (EA21) Program. USEA Young Rider program members aged 21 and under are eligible for the

06/29/2022

Come in to get all your equine needs before July 19th!

06/22/2022

It's here! The Accepted Rider List has been posted. Congratulations, we can't wait to welcome you to Rebecca Farm!

https://eventing.startboxscoring.com/eventsr/rebecca/ht0722/