ECOGOLD - Equestrian Textile Engineering

Ecogold Proud Sponsor of New Educational Grant for Amateur Riders

2012-01-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

Equestrian blog Horse Junkies United has developed an exciting new educational opportunity for Adult Amateur riders. After posing the question “If someone were to put a program together to benefit ammie riders, what should it offer?” Bloggers and readers agreed that education is at the top of the list.

Thus was created the Horse Junkies United Ammie Educational Grant, presented by ECOGOLD. Available to adult amateur riders aged 25 years-old or older, the grant will cover the cost to enter a clinic, lesson with a pro or symposium.

"ECOGOLD is extremely proud to provide the necessary funding to launch Horse Junkies United's Ammie Educational Grant program” said Ecogold Marketing VP Patricia Da Silva. “Adult amateur riders are at the core of the sport and we feel it is important to invest in their development and help them become better riders.”

The educational opportunities can be in any of the three English disciplines: Hunter/Jumper, Eventing or Dressage. Applicants must be at least 25 years old and write an article about their journey and goals as a rider and provide details of the educational experience that they would like to attend. A winner will be picked at random, among all entries that respect the guidelines.

Winners also must write a report of their educational experience which will be published on Horse Junkies United.

The first grant will be awarded in January, 2012 for an educational opportunity taking place in February, March or April 2012. The grant will cover the entry fee or auditing fee only and will be paid directly to the event. Travel and other costs will be at the rider’s expense. The deadline for submissions is January 27, 2012. To be considered, send your article, information about the educational opportunity, as well as a photo to info@horsejunkiesunited.com.

Amazing Results from Ecogold Saddle Pads in Pressure Scans!

2011-12-13T15:57:00.005-05:00

Wow! Independent, Certified Saddle Fitter Brita Rizzi of Dynamic Equine Saddle Fitting recently shared the results of tests that she conducted with a pressure scanner, and the results are clear: ECOGOLD saddle pads and half pads reduce pressure on the horse’s back under a variety of circumstances.

Rizzi, who has an excellent reputation in the industry, uses the technology in her regular saddle fittings and decided to give it a try for testing ECOGOLD pads. ECOGOLD did not order or participate in the testing in any way. The independent saddle fitter was curious to see if the high-tech saddle pads live up to their reputation when put to the test. Needless to say she was very impressed with the result.

"I did quite an array of comparison pressure scans with ECOGOLD saddle pads and the results are amazing," said Rizzi, "It even improved the fit of a way too tightly fitting saddle. Usually, extra saddle pads make it a lot worse since you are creating more bulk under an already too-narrow tree. Another impressive feature is that ECOGOLD half pads stay up in the gullet and don't come pressing down on the horse's withers."

Here are the results

As the result of a scan using a pressure saddle pad that is contoured to the horse’s back and consists of 256 thin sensors sewn into a textile-like material, computerized images are generated that show that pressure is greatly reduced when using the ECOGOLD Secure™ saddle pad, most notably in comparison with a plain cotton saddle pad.

“While we were amazed looking at the results of these pressure scans, we weren’t that surprised at the superior performance of ECOGOLD half pads and saddle pads,” said Patricia Da Silva, ECOGOLD’s Marketing VP. “Our expertise in textile engineering and high-tech materials, results in innovative products that make a leap forward in the protection of your horse.”

The products tested were Ecogold's Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad and the Secure line of Saddle pads, shown in the images below. Ecogold's Forward Flap Hunter Saddle Pad and the Stabilizer half pad offer the same impact protection as the Secure Saddle pad.

Ecogold Triple Protection Half Pad - Click on the image for info

Secure line of saddle pads - click on the image for info

Visit ECOGOLD's online shop here >>.

Much more information about pressure scan testing is available at Rizzi’s website.

Helmet Cam Alert! Doug Payne on Running Order at the AECs

2011-09-12T11:54:00.000-04:00

ECOGOLD Saddle Pads, The Choice of Top Riders at the Burghley Horse Trials

2011-08-30T12:28:00.000-04:00

William Fox-Pitt, photo by Tracy Porter

Top riders competing at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials CCI4* in England will have something in common: their ECOGOLD saddle pads. ECOGOLD North American sponsored riders at this year’s Burghley Horse Trials CCI**** include Sinead Halpin, Boyd Martin, Kyle Carter, Jessica Phoenix and Hawley Bennett. ECOGOLD is also supplying saddle pads to the Land Rover US Eventing Teams competing at Burghley and Blenheim (England), Boekelo (the Netherlands) and the Pan-Am Games (Mexico).

"Christmas came early to Gladstone; the boxes kept coming!” said Sara Ike, Managing Director of Eventing for the USEF. “Our Land Rover Eventing Team will be using crisp new saddle pads. ECOGOLD went above and beyond."

Ecogold Saddle Pads are also used by Burghley competitors William Fox-Pitt, Lucinda Fredericks, Hamish Cargill and Dag Albert. “The ECOGOLD Saddle Pads are fast becoming a competition favourite for me,” said William Fox-Pitt, World and British leading Three-Day Event Rider. “It is imperative that my horses remain comfortable during their work and the fantastic non-slip, breathable fabric ensures just that, whilst also looking extremely smart.”

The choice of leading three-day event riders, the ECOGOLD Secure Saddle pad is specially designed to improve the safety, comfort and performance of horse and rider. This means no slipping and no sliding, even in the worst conditions!

"In addition to our sponsorship of individual riders, it is a great honour to supply the US and Canadian Eventing Team's official saddle pads for international competitions. It proves a great confidence in ECOGOLD products," said Marketing Director Patricia Da Silva of ECOGOLD.

“We absolutely love riding in the ECOGOLD pads,” said Lucinda Fredericks. “Whilst being cool and breathable for the horse, the non-slip properties mean they sit brilliantly on the horse and distribute any pressure evenly. I can’t recommend them highly enough!”

The 100% breathable high-density foam in the seat area protects the horse's back from impact without adding extra bulk while the ergonomic shape and ultra-thin flaps provide the rider with a more stable position. The high-tech, 100% breathable materials quickly evaporate moisture away, keeping the horse cool and dry, even on the hottest days.

About Ecogold

ECOGOLD is a Canadian textile engineering company making innovative saddle pads and horse boots to improve your horses’ safety, comfort and performance. For more information or to order ECOGOLD saddle pads, please visit www.ecogold.ca or call 1-866-432-6465.

by Amber Heintzberger

Helmet Cam Alert Ecogold-rider Clayton Fredericks on Pigrella - XC Novice

2011-07-31T22:32:00.002-04:00

Helmet Cam Alert Hawley Bennett and Gin & Juice - Cross-Country Ride at Rebecca Farm

2011-07-24T21:34:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Ecogold-rider and good friend Hawley Bennett and Gin & Juice for winning the 3* at Rebecca Farm!!! And she wore a helmet cam. Enjoy the ride!

Great rides with ECOGOLD pads: "We had fun and felt totally secure"

2011-07-11T17:16:00.000-04:00

We just received this email from a client:

"Hello!

Having ridden with several non-slip pads before, my expectations of the Jumper "secure" pad were not overly high. I was very pleasantly surprised to experience otherwise!

I showed my young TB gelding at his first jumper show this weekend, which is usually more "hairy" than jumping a bigger fence with a more experienced horse! I used a combination of the Secure Jumping pad and the Memory Foam Triple Protection pad.

Because Sensation Treeless saddles require a little more firm support padding than a traditional saddle, the combination was perfect for me. I didn't budge. I was so impressed at the stability even with the huge overjumps my athletic 17 h horse threw at me, that I told my student to borrow it for the Derby class, which incorporates Cross Country fences as well as stadium fences.

Up and down, over all types of fences, it stayed put! She paired it with her current half pad, and rode the best ride ever on her little horse. We're not Olympians, nor are we even classed with "the big guys" at the show, jumping 3'6" +... yet! But we had fun and felt totally secure.

Thought I'd send along a couple photos for you. I love the one of the leg/pad combo where a friend captured my horse and I sizing up the jumps during warmup. It shows my Sensation English trail (the only Canadian-made Treeless Saddle) right beside the Canadian flag on the pad.... how perfect!

The other photo is of Mikaela riding Lacey over a spread fence.

Melissa

Thank you Melissa for your great feedback!!! :)

Ecogold Pad in Action: Thai Event Rider Nina Ligon at the London Test Event

2011-07-05T19:11:00.000-04:00

We spotted an Ecogold Secure XC pad in action at the London Test Event, used by Thai event rider Nina Ligon on her horse Jazz King. Here's the video of her cross-country ride:

Nina Ligon at Olympic Test Event Cross Country from Nisha Ligon on Vimeo.

Video - Clayton Fredericks at the London Olympic Test Event

2011-07-04T11:25:00.001-04:00

Ecogold-rider Clayton Fredericks talks to Horse and Country TV after walking the course for the London Olympic Test Event (his interview is right after the short commercial)

Cool pics and Kyle Carter and Sharon White - the long lost interview

2011-06-27T18:07:00.003-04:00

First, a cool story about a saddle pad bought to benefit Boyd.

This is Jennifer Pavlinich's horse Buggers (I suppose that's his barn name) showing off his new Ecogold XC pad. Jennifer bought one of the six original pads in memory of the horses lost in the fire.

Buggers with his "Boyd pad", as we call them here.

What is really special, is that she will use the saddle pad for the first time, this Wednesday at the Boyd Martin Clinic at White North Stable and South Farm in Ohio (clinic info here). How fitting is that?

Then, a couple of pics from our Canadian-sponsored rider based in France, Mathieu Boisselier. He got a sponsorship from Volvo and just received his flashy new ride. Go Canada! (or I should say "Allez le Canada!). Mathieu is planning to compete in the 2* at Pau.

Nice wheels!

The guy in front has a view of the Maple Leaf. Love it!

Third, cool pic here - sent by Trish Bosch and published on our Horse Junkies United blog.

And to conclude this mix-and-match blog post, I have no idea how this happened, but I forgot to upload this interview from Bromont. Here are two of the most fun riders I know: Kyle Carter and Sharon White. Enjoy!

Congrats to our PR agent Amber Heinztberger on her new arrival!

2011-06-22T16:10:00.001-04:00

Heinztberger baby #2... pic from Amber

Amber Heinztberger is our PR agent, who we share with Ecogold sponsored-rider Boyd Martin (he found her first), Kristin Schmolze and many others...

All her clients and friends (including moi) have been waiting impatiently for the past few days as the due date came and went... but the baby was staying put. We could not be more thrilled to see that he's finally decided to come out.

Big congrats to Amber and her husband Juergen!

and... Welcome to the world little one!

Ecogold-riders Hawley Bennett, Jessica Phoenix, Rebecca Howard and Kyle Carter are going to Burghley

2011-06-21T16:13:00.003-04:00

Ah...Burghley (pic from our 2009 trip)

Well... we knew Equine Canada would give four grants for riders to compete at the 2011 Burghley Horse Trials and the riders have just been confirmed today.

All four selected are Ecogold-riders:

Hawley Bennett on Gin & Juice
Jessica Phoenix on Exponential
Rebecca Howard on Riddle Master
Kyle Carter on Madison Park

Congrats and good luck!!!!

We went to Burghley in 2009 and there were only 2 Canadian riders competing at the time. It's fantastic to see the progress of the Canadian Team since then (maybe it has to do with some saddle pads they've been using....lol!)

Here's our video of Kyle at Burghley in 2009.

Show Jumping Puissance 2.19m London 1980 - before our saddle pads were born...

2011-06-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Found this amazing puissance video from 1980. Gary Gillespie and Goldfink going over a 2.19 meter wall (that's 7.16 feet!) in a saddle pad that looks very similar to our Forward Flap Hunter Pad (the one McLain Ward rides in..)

Gary Gillespie - Goldfink - Puissance 2.19m London 1980

And then, there's this...

$8,032.50 Can you believe it????

2011-06-16T10:03:00.002-04:00

$8, 032.50 - Ok that's HUUUUUUUGE. A big Thank You to everyone who bought a saddle pad and who sent us emails etc.. Your generosity & kindness is a blessing and it will be imprinted in our minds for a very long time. (And thank you for your patience as we struggle with delays in delivery...doing the best we can to get those pads out asap).

Here's the official Press Release from the wonderful Amber Heintzberger, who is about to have a baby any minute now...

Ecogold raises over $8,000 to help Boyd Martin

Following the devastating fire that killed six horses at True Prospect Farm in West Grove, PA on May 31, 2011, resident trainer and four-star event rider Boyd Martin’s sponsor ECOGOLD decided to take action and start a fundraiser to benefit Martin’s recovery efforts.

Initially ECOGOLD donated six saddle pads, one in memory of each horse that died in the fire. The response was so positive – all six saddle pads were sold within an hour – the company offered an unlimited number of saddle pads for sale over five days, during which 50% of the proceeds would be donated to Martin.

"As soon as we put those six saddle pads online, we were overwhelmed,” said Patricia Da Silva of ECOGOLD. “It was a huge wave of generosity; I've never seen anything like it in my life. Orders were coming in left and right, from all parts of the world: dressage riders, hunter-jumper riders and eventers came together to help a fellow rider. We were still getting orders at 11:59 pm on the last day of the fundraising sale. It was unbelievable and for us at ECOGOLD, quite overwhelming."

Jennifer Pavlinich, who ordered one of the original six saddle pads, said, “When word first came out about the fire at True Prospect Farm, my first thought - after I could form coherent thought that is – was, ‘How can I help?’ As soon as I saw that ECOGOLD was donating saddle pads to help Boyd, I jumped on it. I wanted to help, and it didn't hurt that I'd been drooling over the Ecogold pads for a while now - I just couldn't justify spending the money. But spending the money to help a truly great horseman through such a difficult time, and get a great saddle pad? That, I can justify."

One person who bought a saddle pad re-donated it to the Professional Riders Organization (PRO) Fire Relief Auction so that it would raise even more money for True Prospect Farm.

Da Silva said that she believed the ECOGOLD sale would raise somewhere around $2,000. “We just finished entering the orders last night and got the final number today: $8,032.50, which is simply amazing!” she said. “I’m really glad we could do our part to help Boyd, who truly deserves all the happiness in the world from this point forward.”

And that's how we want to see Boyd from now on! photo by Calina

Now go bid on the PRO Auction!!!!! click here!

Ecogold Videos - Bromont CCI3* Cross-Country

2011-06-11T18:16:00.005-04:00

Leslie Law and Rehy Lux - currently in 2nd

the lovely Sharon White and Rafferty's Rules (aka Reggie) - in 3rd after XC

Phillip Dutton and William Penn at Bromont CCI3 Three Day Event

Diana Burnett and Shigatzi - 2011 Bromont CCI3* Three Day Event

Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition - 2011 Bromont CCI3* Three Day Event

Buck Davidson and Absolutely Liberty - 2011 Bromont CCI3* Three Day Event

Ecogold rider Hannah Burnett at Bromont CCI Three Day Event

2011-06-11T17:18:00.001-04:00

Hannah Burnett and Harbor Pilot, after their fantastic CCI2* ride (double clear!!!)

Ecogold-rider, the very cool Hannah Burnett took some time to speak to us about her first experience at the Bromont CCI Three Day Event.

Check it out!

Ecogold Pads in Full Force at Bromont CCI - XC CCI1* Videos

2011-06-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

I lost track of how many Secure XC Saddle pads were spotted in the CCI1* at the Bromont Three Day Event... but there were lots!

From ECOGOLD-sponsored riders Kyle Carter, Buck Davidson and Doug Payne (sitting in 2nd place with Camerlingo... sold by Ecogold-friend Anita Nemtin-Gilmour) to amateur riders.

It was great to see the True Prospect Farm riders doing what they love, especially Lee Lee Jones competing in her 1st CCI1* and Abbie Golden, riding Arundel.

Here are a few videos. Enjoy!

Ecogold-rider Doug Payne and Camerlingo - currently in 2nd place

True Prospect Farm Rider Lee Lee Jones and Model Cadet riding in their first CCI1*

True Prospect Farm Rider Abbie Golden and Arundel

Ryann Quigley and Ardfield Rover

Ecogold-rider Buck Davidson and No More Rocks

Updates and answers on fundraising for Boyd Martin

2011-06-03T11:04:00.006-04:00

Boyd and Minotaure du Passoir, one of the horses who was saved

We are getting a lot of emails, so I will post answers to questions, information and updates here.

Questions:

1) How much of the proceeds are you donating?

50% of your order will go DIRECTLY to Boyd. So on a $165 saddle pad order, we are donating exactly $82.50. Not a penny less.

2) Can I get a Hunter Pad or a Half Pad instead of the Cross-country Pad?

YES. We set up a special Cross-country Saddle Pad as the donated item in honour of the event horses, but you can change it to a dressage, show jumping, hunter saddle pad or half pad.

We would prefer that you would place your "charity" order directly on the special item we have set up and if you want something else, just WRITE in the COMMENTS: the item, colour and size. It just makes it easier for us to calculate the donation amount.

CLICK and ORDER USING THIS ITEM,

write in the comments if you want something else.

3) When is the sale of pads for Boyd's benefit going to stop?

Sunday is the last day to place your order. On Monday morning, we will close the fundraising section and send Boyd the check.

4) When will my pad be delivered?

The charity pads might take up to 2 weeks to be delivered. We are receiving a high volume of "charity" orders, on top of our very busy "normal" sales. Please understand that we are trying to get orders out as soon as possible, but this is an unusual situation. We are prioritizing our "normal" orders, as we don't want to penalize clients who are not aware of this fundraiser and just need their ECOGOLD pads for their next show. If you NEED the pad quickly, please write it in the comments and we will do our best.

5) Can I get the saddle pad in colours?

At this point, we are out of colours. So white or black are the only options for the saddle pads. If you want to get the Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad, all the colours we offer normally are available.

UPDATE:

As of 10:45 Friday, we have raised $3547.50. Originally, we thought we would raise $990 with the sale of the 6 saddle pads donated in name of the 6 horses who perished (would have rounded up to $1,000), so anything above that is simply incredible.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive, kind and generous.

Amber Heintzberger, who coincidentally is ECOGOLD's PR person as well as Boyd's (he found her first!), linked to this video this morning. (I wasn't able to watch the first one that everyone was posting on Facebook two days ago, but I'm glad I watched this one):

May you all gallop atop the clouds in heaven

How Chelan Kozak and Lexi Campbell got my iPhone wet

2011-06-02T14:43:00.012-04:00

First, an update on our fundraising efforts for Boyd.

- So far, we have raised $2887.50 from the sale of the 6 saddle pads donated in memory of each horse lost, and the additional saddle pads where 50% is donated to Boyd. We are posting updates daily on our Facebook page.

- The fundraiser will continue through the weekend. Sunday will be the last day.

- You can be absolutely sure that 100% of what we raise will go directly to Boyd. We will send him a check on Monday. He is our sponsored rider, and that's the way we've decided to do it. He will spend the money the way he sees fit.

To purchase an ECOGOLD Saddle Pad and donate to Boyd Martin: Click here!

So... how did Chelan Kozak get my iPhone wet?

Early this morning, on my phone, I saw that Chelan had sent the following email to all her contacts. Needless to say, I was deeply touched by her gesture:

Re: Boyd martin's barn fire

On 2011-06-01, at 11:25 PM, Chelan Kozak wrote:

Hey everyone,

As many of you have heard US eventer Boyd Martin lost 6 horses in a tragic barn fire earlier this week. http://www.eventingnation.com/home/ Out of such horrific tragedy comes bright light. In case, the 'light' is that the Eventing community has come together in many ways to assist Boyd, his working students, owners, etc in their recovery efforts from this tragedy.

Ecogold, makers of the BEST saddle pads in the universe began by donating six saddle pads in memory of the six horse who perished in the fire. Those pads went in such record time that Ecogold decided to donate 50% of all saddle pad sales for the next few days to Boyd's crew's recovery efforts. If any of you has been thinking of buying a saddle pad, now is a great time. Each have you has probably heard me ramble on about how much I like the ecogold products, but I have never been more proud to be associated with their products as now. It is during adversity that we see a person's (or company's) true colours.

Thank you Ecogold for your support for fellow event rider during such a time of sorrow.

http://horsejunkiesunited.com/2011/05/a-moment-of-silence-and-how-to-help-boyd/

Chelan Kozak www.3DAZE.com
"The difficult we do immediately; the impossible, takes a little time."

Similarly, Lexi Campbell got my iPhone wet...

...when I found this on ECOGOLD's Facebook page. She had posted the following note on her FB wall, tagged all her friends, as well as ECOGOLD. I do not know Lexi personally, so I found it remarkable that a total stranger would help in this way. I was truly humbled.

I don't know what I would do without my horse

Help Boyd Martins team by buying a Ecogold pad!
by Lexi Campbell on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 2:15pm

I had recently bought an Ecogold pad for my hard to fit mare, it is the best thing in my tack trunk. I am tagging all my equestrian friends to spread the word of the tragic barn fire that happened. There are many ways to help and donate but I find that besides giving just plain old money you can buy an awesome pad from Ecogold and 50% of the profit goes to Boyd Martin’s fund. I would want the same done for any of my horses or friends horses regardless if you are an international rider or just a pleasure rider, we are all equestrians and we all belong to the horse community regardless of our background.

If you have no use for a jumping or dressage pad my suggestion would be to buy one as a gift or buy one to donate to a nonprofit organization whether it’s for a horse rescue or a handicapped riding association

https://www.ecogold.ca/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=119

http://eventingnation.com/home/2011/05/fire-at-boyd-martins-barn-at-true-prospect-farm.html

the best thing in my tack trunk

Yesterday, I wrote a post on our Horse Junkies United Blog - When we all became members of True Prospect Farm, so I will not repeat the same things about how impressed I am by the horse community, coming together in this difficult time.

To Chelan and Lexi and all of you who have stepped up, donated, spread the word, sent messages of support, written nice comments: Thank you. Your kindness has been a blessing.

ECOGOLD donates 6 Saddle Pads, one in memory of each horse lost in Boyd Martin's Barn Fire

2011-05-31T16:30:00.004-04:00

Boyd and Charla, at Bromont last year

All day, we haven't been able to think of anything else but Boyd's barn fire, where 6 horses lost their lives. In tragedy, you feel so powerless. I'm sure there will be some fundraising efforts to help Boyd, but at the time I write this, I haven't heard anything official yet.

As I am of an impatient nature, and as one of Boyd's sponsors, we feel the need to step up and help him, even before anybody asks. So, we've decided to set up a special section on our online store where we are donating 1 Secure Saddle Pad in memory of each horse lost. You can be assured that 100% of your purchase will go to Boyd.

I have set up six Secure Cross-Country Saddle Pads, in honour of these event horses, but if you prefer a dressage or square jumper saddle pad, just write it in the comments.

Here is the section: Boyd Martin's Fund

Each saddle pad is listed separately here, as a tribute to each horse:

Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Ariel **SOLD**

Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Cagney Herself **SOLD**

Secure Saddle Pad / In Memory of Call Me Ollie **SOLD**

Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Charla **SOLD**

Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Phantom Pursuit **SOLD**

Secure Saddle Pad / In memory of Summer Breeze **SOLD**

UPDATE 6:52 PM: Due to the quick sale of the saddle pads in memory of the horses, we have added an unlimited amount, where we will donate 50% of the sales to Boyd.

Secure Saddle Pad (unlimited) / 50% of the proceeds will go to Boyd

We are praying for the surviving horses being treated, the first two in intensive care, Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, (Caitlin’s) Catch a Star and Ambassador’s Rose.

Our gesture will not erase the sorrow or come close to provide what Boyd and his team will need, but it makes us feel a little more useful.

If you want to donate any amount, you can do so by clicking on the PayPal button below. This relief fund is a general fund set up by True Prospect Farm to help everyone at Windurra LLC and True Prospect Farm, as well as Boyd’s owners and riders who have been impacted by this tragedy.

Also, a Facebook Page has been set up by Evie Dutton from True Prospect Farm: True Prospect Fire Recovery Fund

Devastating

2011-05-31T13:07:00.000-04:00

Tragedies like these, normally happen to people we don't know. But unfortunately, this one hit very close to home.

This morning, as I was about to drive to work, I received a text asking me if I had heard anything about a fire at Boyd Martin's barn. Boyd is one of our sponsored riders and I have visited his barn at Phillip Dutton's True Prospect Farm a couple of times. My reaction was "What? That can't be right". When the news was confirmed that it was indeed true and that horses were lost, it hit like a ton of bricks.

Today, we feel unbelievably sad for Boyd and his team, and completely powerless.

On behalf of ECOGOLD, I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the owners and everyone connected to the horses lost in the fire: Call Me Ollie, Charla, (Lillian's) Ariel, Phantom Pursuit, Cagney Herself, and Summer Breeze.

We are praying for the surviving horses being treated at the New Bolton Center: Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, (Caitlin's) Catch a Star and Ambassador's Rose.

We are thinking how brave Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman, Ryan and the others at True Prospect Farm who went in the fire to save them, are.

Boyd, you are in our thoughts, with Silva, Lillian, Caitlin, Phillip and Evie, the owners and everyone at True Prospect Farm. We are grieving with you.

The Jog at Dressage at Bromont CDI... sponsored by ECOGOLD

2011-05-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

Don't ask me how we ended up sponsoring a best-dressed jog competition at Dressage at Bromont CDI1*... I will just say one minute I was chatting with Linda Pepin, the show organizer about this year's show, and the next I was agreeing to donating a prize for the best presented rider and horse.

I have no idea who decides the winners, but here are some pics.

Simone Williams and Farley

Ecogold Launches Horse Junkies United, a Blog by Amateur Equestrians, for Amateur Equestrians!

2011-05-17T07:54:00.003-04:00

We are very excited to announce.... that ECOGOLD has created a new website for amateur equestrians, “Horse Junkies United”, by and for amateur equestrians from different English riding disciplines.

The content is written by Amateur riders from across North America who are actively involved in dressage, hunter/jumpers and eventing. The goal is to provide cool, fun and meaningful content - with a point of view - that will relate to amateur equestrians across all English disciplines. The blog will cover all aspects of English riding including coverage of events and shows across North America, clinic reports, fashion, informative product reviews, and interviews with professional riders, special segments and of course contests!

The blog, which can be found at www.horsejunkiesunited.com, is the brainchild of Patricia Da Silva, ECOGOLD's Marketing VP. “After the successful Ammie Blogger Experience at Rolex Kentucky, where a team of amateur riders covered the event on ECOGOLD’s blog, some of the bloggers expressed an interest to keep going,” she said. “It just made sense to create a separate website and to bring in dressage and hunter/jumper riders to be more representative of the North American horse show scene.”

In 2011 ECOGOLD was the winner of the Equestrian Social Media Award for Best Use of Social Media in Category 14 - Saddlery or Tack Company - International.

ECOGOLD is proud to welcome CHARLES OWEN & CO. as their first partner. Danielle Santos of Charles Owen said, “Horse Junkies United is a great idea! Amateur riders across disciplines love to share their experiences and this blog gives them a place to do that. Charles Owen is proud to be involved in such an exciting new project.”

Another feature of the blog will be reviews of Boyd and Silva Martin’s training videos. The Martins, who are both sponsored by ECOGOLD and CHARLES OWEN and compete at the international levels of eventing and dressage, respectively, have created a series of training videos. One of the Horse Junkies United bloggers will watch the videos and write something about each one.

Carrie Braff, an amateur event rider from Ontario, Canada will be Blogger-in-Chief for Horse Junkies United. “We really want this site to branch out to ALL the amateur English Discipline riders out there.” said Carrie. “What better way than to have the content be written by amateur riders who are not only intelligent but funny, witty and somewhat crazy. After all, if all of us horse junkies were normal, let's face it, we'd have nothing interesting to write about!”

While the blog will feature regular contributors, anyone can submit blog posts or get involved by emailing info@horsejunkiesunited.com

Check it out!!!!! www.horsejunkiesunited.com

Team Fredericks - The Next Generation!

2011-05-09T21:00:00.001-04:00

Uh, oh... There's another member of Team Fredericks that we might need to start sponsoring... meet Ellie, daughter of Ecogold-riders Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks.

See you at Rolex!

Happy Mother's Day from ECOGOLD! with Awww videos...

2011-05-08T19:14:00.003-04:00

Denielle Gallagher with daughter Juliette

We deal with a lot of wonderful horse moms... They drive their horse-crazy kid to lessons, bankroll the horse adventure, carry buckets, wash those dirty saddle pads and the list of "mom-tasks" goes on and on... Not only they are in charge of all the boring stuff, but they are also their kids #1 fan and supporter, ringside at the end of a ride to say "well done!"

Mothers play a huge role, even at the higher levels of the sport. They often own the horses or are involved in their children's career in an active way.

And let's not forget all the professional riders who are also moms. It must take an incredible amount of organizational skills and sheer determination, to balance their sports objectives and business requirements with the demands of motherhood.

So here's our Awww salute to moms... whether they are of the "human kind or the interspecies kind...

Jessica Phoenix and baby Jacob

WEG Silver Medalists Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch and Hawley Bennett discuss their mothers & families

Doggie-mommy adopts some kittehs

Kitteh-mommy adopts some squirrels

Kitteh-mommy adopts a baby bunny

Best of Rolex: The Ammies rocked!

2011-05-07T19:19:00.011-04:00

The Ammie Bloggers were THIS great!

Having the Ammie Blogger Experience at Rolex Kentucky (amateur riders blogging about their experience and posting updates and photos on ECOGOLD's Facebook and Twitter pages) brought another dimension to the event.

In my job, I deal with top riders on a daily basis, so I tend to forget that they are a big deal to a lot of people.

But seeing the Ammie Bloggers every day with eyes full of stars, so excited and grateful for the experience, brought another dimension to "my" Rolex. I felt like Santa every single day! Kind of a "fake Santa" though, because I didn't think I was doing all that much for the amount of gratitude I received in return. I was glad to help, in a very small way, bridge some of the gap between "the general public" and the "Rolex stars".

I knew those private moments and one-on-one course walks with Rolex riders and meetings with grooms, would be special but never, in a million years I thought the bloggers would be so amazing. I was really, really impressed with #1. how much fun they all were #2. how incredibly talented they are.

The photos and content created by the Amateur Bloggers compared favorably to a lot of the Rolex coverage out there, with a lot more emotion thrown in... There were at least one or two kleenex-worthy reads... So a BIG thank you to Cheryl, Calina, Carrie, Tracy, Jennifer, Sarah, Holly, Kate, Elyse, Becky, Krisy, Lori, Cathy and Aislinn! You made our Rolex really special. (I have a feeling the Ammies will be back....)

Our Amateur Bloggers were featured every day on the Horses in the Morning Radio Shows (big thanks to Glenn and Jamie!) Here are the links to the shows:

Rolex Show Day #1 - Cheryl and Calina's Interview at -56.00 minutes

Rolex Show Day #2 - Becky's Interview at -46.00 minutes

Rolex Show Day #3 - Holly's Interview at -36.50 minutes

Rolex Show Day #4 - Carrie's Interview at -33.75 minutes

Also, I want to feature some cool fan videos...(not by our Ammies but fun stuff nonetheless.) I love this kind of videos. Not professional in any way, but you can tell there's a lot of time, effort and passion behind each of them. Enjoy!

Rolex 2011 from jumpingchicka96

2011 Rolex Kentucky from eventerbug2

2011 Rolex Kentucky from PretzellyPony

Kentucky Part 1 by ridergirl101

Rolex 2011 from ShoshanaSaysHi

Best of Rolex Kentucky: Impressive Stats... with videos

2011-05-06T17:53:00.012-04:00

Hannah Burnett and St-Barths - by Tracy Porter

In addition to the 7 riders in the top 10 who rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads (see our previous blog post with videos of all their rides here), ECOGOLD products were spotted on several 2011 Rolex Kentucky competitors.

Whether they finished or not, it is an achievement in itself to enter a 4* competition and for us, a great source of pride, seeing our products on so many of those top horses.

Here are the impressive stats!

A total of 19 riders out of 45 entered at Rolex Kentucky rode in an ECOGOLD product during the weekend (42%)
50% who finished (14 riders out of 28) rode in an ECOGOLD product
70% riders in Top Ten rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads
2 out of 3 riders with double clear cross-country rounds were ECOGOLD riders (ECOGOLD dominated the double clear rounds with 66.67%- Jessica Phoenix and Hannah Sue Burnett)
ECOGOLD products were used by riders from 4 countries: Australia, Canada, USA and the UK
All Australian riders and all Canadian riders entered at 2011 Rolex Kentucky rode in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads
Only 2 riders finished on her dressage score... Mary King and ECOGOLD-rider Jessica Phoenix

Without further ado, here are the riders we spotted using some ECOGOLD gear (besides those in the top 10, who we already listed in our previous post).

Karen O'Connor rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads and XC Boots

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - by Tracy Porter

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Karen O'Connor and Quintus 54 - Dressage 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Kim Severson

Kim Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan - photo by Tracy Porter

Phillip Dutton rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

they are at 0:38 in this video featuring various riders

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad was spotted on Michael Pollard

Michael Pollard and Icarus - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Michael Pollard and Icarus - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Jessica Hampf rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads and XC Boots

Jessica Hampf and High Society III by Cathy J Allen-Shinn

Jessica Hampf and High Society - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Peter Barry rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure XC Saddle Pad

Peter Barry and Kildoran Abbott - by Jennifer Pavlinich

Peter Barry and Kildoran Abbott - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Kelly Prather

Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory

Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Hamish Cargill rode in ECOGOLD's Secure Saddle Pads

Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger - by Kate Taylor

Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Allison Springer rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure XC Saddle Pad

Allison Springer and Arthur - by Cathy J Allen-Shinn

Allison Springer and Arthur - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

An ECOGOLD Secure Saddle Pad was spotted on Martha McDowell

Martha McDowell and Gaelic Marriage - by Kate Taylor

Martha McDowell and Gaelic Marriage - Cross-Country (not from Rolex!)

Diana Burnett rode in an ECOGOLD Secure Dressage Saddle Pad and Half Pad

Diana Burnett and Manny - Dressage at 2011 Rolex - by Calina

and sorry no pic... but Buck Davidson rode in an ECOGOLD's Secure Dressage Saddle Pad

Best of Rolex Kentucky: The Saddle Pad Brag... with videos

2011-05-06T12:29:00.002-04:00

We've been a little shell-shocked since the end of Rolex Kentucky. It was a lot of fun but also quite exhausting, with the Ammie Blogger Experience (more about that in another post), the Q&As with top riders, taking care of clients and partners, the trade stand set up/tear down, plus a three-day drive back in the rain... I don't think I've ever been so busy/sleep deprived in my life (outside of university).

We finally got home on Wednesday and found a nice message from Canadian Rolex photographer Michelle Dunn on my Facebook page: "Was there anyone NOT riding in Ecogold pads at Rolex???!!! OMG they are in every single photo I have, or so it seems..."

On Sunday before leaving, I received a very nice email from Glenn The Geek from the Horse Radio Network, telling me, among other things, that we should be proud of all the ECOGOLD saddle pads at Rolex.

When you are so tired, you are not processing much information, you just want to go home and sleep. But now that we've been home for 24 hrs, let's be proud and brag a little.

7 riders in the top 10 rode in ECOGOLD Saddle pads!

I don't quite remember how many we had last year, but we had zero two years ago. So we've come a long way in a very short time. (Virtual High-five!)

Here are the seven riders in the top ten with videos of their rides in ECOGOLD Saddle Pads (and some using ECOGOLD boots too)...

3rd - Sinead Halpin

photo by: Tracy Porter

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

4th -

William Fox-Pitt

photo by: Jennifer Pavlinich

William Fox-Pitt and Neuf des Coeurs - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

5th -Clayton Fredericks

photo by: Calina

Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

7th - Jessica Phoenix

photo by: Calina

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential - Show Jumping 2011 Rolex Kentucky

8th - Hannah Sue Burnett

photo by: Aislinn Duke

Hannah Sue Burnett and St-Barths - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

9th - Boyd Martin

photo by: Calina

Boyd Martin and Remington - Cross Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Boyd Martin and Remington - Dressage 2011 Rolex Kentucky

10th - Rebecca Howard

photo by: Tracy Porter

Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master - Cross-Country 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Perfect Rolex Hangover Remedy - The Complete Rider Interviews!

2011-05-05T08:51:00.003-04:00


Meg Kepferle with Hamish Cargill

Another Rolex has come and gone, and you may have missed some of our coverage. One of the highlights was certainly having our riders come to our stand/"studio", for fun and informative in-depth video interviews. The questions were submitted by amateur riders, so they range from riding advice to more personal questions.

The sessions not only allowed us to get to know the riders better, but we also had a few scoops... like Sinead Halpin's "come to Jesus" moment on Thursday which set her up for ultimate success, Karen O'Connor's discussing for the first time her plans after David becomes US Team Coach (it involves show jumping...), Diana Burnett's decision to widthdraw Manny and what Phillip Dutton would do if he were "King of Eventing".

A big Thank You to Meg Kepferle (Sinead Halpin's groom), Doug Payne and our own Amateur Blogger Carrie Braff, for hosting the sessions. And Thank You to our riders for taking the time to come by and being so gracious.

Here are some interesting conversations (funny at times) with ECOGOLD riders Hannah Burnett, Clayton Fredericks, Karen O'Connor, Hamish Cargill, Boyd Martin, Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf, Rebecca Howard, Phillip Dutton, Peter Atkins, Sinead Halpin and Diana Burnett. Enjoy!

HANNAH BURNETT - Part 1 and 2

CLAYTON FREDERICKS

KAREN O'CONNOR - Part 1 and 2

HAMISH CARGILL

BOYD MARTIN

CANADA's JESSICA PHOENIX, JESSICA HAMPF, REBECCA HOWARD - Part 1 and 2

PHILLIP DUTTON - Part 1, 2 and 3

PETER ATKINS

SINEAD HALPIN

DIANA BURNETT

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - Goodbye Rolex, Hello Reality

2011-05-04T10:01:00.002-04:00

Well, I’ve been putting off writing this because then it means that Rolex really truly is over and I have to return to the real world full time. Rolex this year was such an amazing time. Thank you Ecogold for making this year so great. I got to meet so many people, finally being able to see and talk to Patricia in person after conversing with her for weeks on facebook. Meeting my fellow ammie bloggers, you guys are great and I’m looking forward to keeping up on your adventures throughout the year. The people I met randomly out on course or in the grandstands. I didn’t catch you name, but thank you to the very nice gentleman at the sunken road on cross country who let me sneak into the media only section with him. I got some great photos of Hannah because of that. The super nice Nan from eventingday.com, she was so interesting to talk to. And I can’t wait to try the Flair strips on my horse; I’ll let you know how it works for her. All the riders who took time out of their very busy weekend for us. Emma Ford, who was probably busier than anyone keeping Phillip’s horses looking and feeling their best, thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to us. Every single one of you made this weekend special for me.

It was also the best learning experience for me. And not just the obvious things like how to ride that combination or such. But learning about true horsemanship. Diana Burnett, making the decision to withdraw Manny when he didn’t feel quite right. That had to be such a difficult thing to do after working so hard to get there. But it was the right thing to do for Manny and I applaud her for that. The poise and confidence of Mary King. Going into show jumping sitting in both 1^st and 2^nd place had to have been nerve-wracking for her. She didn’t let it show though. She looked cool as could be.

And Sinead Halpin, she is my new hero after this weekend. I want to be her! Something she said during her Q&A Sunday morning has really stuck with me. She was talking about getting to the horse park and during the first part of the week she was pushing Tate to get to the next level, for everything to be perfect. And Tate wasn’t too happy with that. But then on Thursday she had the chance to take him to the ring and she said everyone else was practicing the movements but she was just riding around (in her own words) like a 12 year old girl. Telling Tate, “Just be happy. I want you to be happy.” That’s what I want to strive for. I find myself doing that so often when I get in the dressage ring. I focus so much on wanting everything to be perfect, that I forget we have a much better ride when we are just relaxed and happy. That’s going to be my new mantra when I go to shows: Just be happy.

As great as it was to see Mary make history at Rolex, I think the highlight of the weekend for me was watching Sinead after her double clear show jumping round. As she and Tate canter around the ring, Sinead trying not to cry, I found myself wiping tears away. It was getting a little hard to hold the camera steady. She has worked so hard to get here and it paid off in a big way. To finish in 3^rd place in her first 4*, that’s just amazing. It’s the stuff of dreams. To be standing in the company of Mary King and William Fox-Pitt and knowing that you deserve to be there, it had to have been such an incredible feeling. I was proud to have been there to witness it. And feel, just the tiniest bit, a part of it. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Sinead, I’m sure it’s going to be great.

Sinead Halpin wiping off the tears

Once again thank you to Patricia and Ecogold. It was an unforgettable experience for me. And I hope we can do something like this again next year. Only I’ll make sure I get a hotel with better internet access. Tracy, we’ll have to work on that together. Congratulations to everyone who competed. You all are an inspiration to me. Now it’s time for my show season to start and I’ve got a lot to live up to.

A victorious Mary King

Carrie's Rolex Experience - What It's All About...

2011-05-03T19:25:00.003-04:00

Really, what IS Rolex all about?

Is it about coming away with the coveted Rolex watch mid way through Sunday afternoon? Is it about finishing on your dressage score? Is it about having a completion? Is it about making the right decision(s) for your horse and putting his welfare before any pipe dreams that you have? Putting it into perspective, I think every rider over the Rolex Weekend would answer that question differently.

I think about Mary King. Did she go into it thinking she was going to finish 1-2? I would bet probably not. But she did. She is incredible...the smile on her face was contagious.

I think about Peter Barry. He and his horse Kilrodan Abbot are a pair I have been rooting for for over a year. They are the true definition of 'Adult Amateur'. At 54 years young, Mr. Barry just completed his first 4*. While I do not know Peter from a hole in the ground, I could not be more happy for him. He is probably on Cloud 9...and he has every right to feel that way. Way to go Peter!! I want to be you....badly.

I think about Clayton Fredericks' mount 'Be My Guest'...that pair was instantly one of my favourites when they started warming up in dressage...big floppy ears and all. (The horse's ears, not Clayton's.) I mean, how could you NOT love a horse with big floppy donkey ears?!

I think about Jessica Phoenix - (who not only is a genuinely lovely individual), who had nothing but praise for Exponential after their brilliant xc round. Not to mention her evident emotion when she literally flung her arms around his neck after their show jumping round on Sunday. That gave me goosebumps.

I think about Diana Burnett - who has a machine of an xc horse, but who chose to withdraw before xc because something 'wasn't quite right with him'. That made me respect her. A lot. You bet your ass I'll be cheering for them at Burghley from across the pond.

I think about the man I was standing beside on Friday morning watching Susan Beebee's test on Prowler. He was giving the play by play to whomever he was speaking to on the other end of his iPhone and the excitement he had in his voice as they cantered down the centre line for the 2nd time. I felt his excitement!

Sinead and Tate over the Hammock

I think about Sinead Halpin and her weekend of a lifetime. I could only imagine getting so close to coming to Rolex in 2010, having it go 'poof'' right in front of your eyes, then coming the year after..and finishing 3rd at your first 4*. The emotion was evident after her clear SJ round as she covered her face to attempt and stop the tears. I don't think it worked. The crowd roared...and I am sure that didn't help her any either. I think she had the biggest cheer...more then anyone else. We were sitting in the South grandstand - and I think each and every person rode each and every stride of that SJ course with her. I love it when the riders cry. Sinead - you just allowed a lot of little girls out there to live out their dreams through you with the weekend you had. Congratulations and I am so so so happy for you.

I think about my goals as a rider. Yes, I think the riders at that level are absolutely bonkers...That trakehner is the scariest thing I have ever seen...that said, it makes me want to achieve that level. Badly. Standing in front of that trakehner, I pictured myself galloping up to it, clearing it and then taking off for the next fence. I now have absolutely zero reason to stand in front of any other xc jump on any of the xc courses I walk from now on and think to myself 'wow, that is BIG'...until we get to Rolex of course.

I think about all the little girls and boys who got to meet their eventing idols (and yes, I include myself in that 'little girl' category when I met Peter Atkins), get an autograph and get a word in to their heros.

I think about the majority of the people who I met in Kentucky - the riders, Patricia, Glenn the Geek and Jennifer from HRN, Bobbi the jump judge from Cincinnati who has been jump judging at Rolex since 1978, people from all over the World (I met someone from Germany on Saturday afternoon), the other ammie bloggers, the vendors in the trade fair who are all so passionate about their products, the volunteers...I have nothing to say but 'wow'...and thank you for all that you do, etc etc etc. So, whether it be your goal to win Rolex, ride at Rolex, better yourself as a rider because of Rolex, be part of the support crew for those riders at Rolex or be a part of the cheering crowd on Saturday...we all come together from very different walks of life for one very same common reason: we love the horses and the evident joy they bring to those around them. To me, THAT, is what Rolex is all about.

Thank you Patricia and Ecogold for giving me a Rolex experience like no other and which will be hard to duplicate. It was an incredible 3 days and I can't WAIT to get to the Horse Park again in 2012.

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - What a Finish

2011-05-03T08:37:00.001-04:00

Sunday at Rolex is always a day of mixed emotions for me. On one hand, I’m excited for show jumping but on the other hand it’s the last day for Rolex and I have to head back to the real world. I don’t ever look forward to that. This year, the show jumping was highly anticipated. Would Mary King hold onto her 1, 2 lead? How would the up and coming young, American riders in the top 10 finish? Plus I had some exciting activities with Ecogold to look forward to in the morning.

I had planned to get over to the Horse Park to watch the second horse inspection. But when I work up to rain and thunder I decided to skip it and sleep in a little longer. I made my way over shortly before 10 to meet up at the Ecogold booth in the trade fair. First up, a Q&A session with the fabulous Sinead Halpin. Sinead talked a lot about her horse Tate and also what a typical day is like on her farm.

Meg Kepferle and Sinead Halpin

Next a visit from Diana Burnett for a Q&A session. Unfortunately Diana had to withdraw Manny before cross country on Saturday. Diana spoke about why she chose to withdraw and what’s up next for her and Manny.

Diana Burnett

Then we got to head over to the stabling area and we got the chance to meet the incredible Emma Ford and see Fernhill Eagle up close and personal. Shared with us a little of her own history, life on Phillip’s farm and how he manages to always have such great event horses.

Time for a last look around the trade fair and then into our seats for show jumping. The course was very fair. Time good, only the real slow pokes seemed to accrue any time penalties and the rails were pretty spread out over all the fences. As I’m sure everyone has heard by now, there was not much suspense going into the end of show jumping. Mary King jumped out of order with Fernhill Urco. A double clear round guaranteed that Mary would be taking home the Rolex watch, the only question was with which horse.

William Fox-Pitt jumped a perfect , clear round, moving him up 2 places to finish in 4th.

William Fox-Pitt and Neuf des Coeurs

Sinead Halpin, who was so nice and genuine when we met that morning, also had a double clear round. She finished her both her and Tate’s first 4*by adding only a few time penalties to her dressage score. It was also enough to move her up to 3rd place and make her the highest placing American rider. Congrats Sinead, you deserve every bit of it!

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville

Finally Mary King entered the ring on King Temptress. Although she later admitted to being nervous, Mary looked cool as could be. The mare’s unusual jumping style caused me at least to have a few gasps, sure that they would knock a rail. But she finished with all the rails still firmly in the cups and no time penalties on the clock. Mary had made history as the only rider to place 1st and 2nd at the Rolex Kentucky event. It was an incredible end to a great weekend. Hard to believe it all happened so quickly and once again it was time for me to start the 6 hour drive home.

Mary King and King Temptress

Sarah's Rolex Wrap up.

2011-05-02T19:46:00.004-04:00

Emma Ford and Fernhill Eagle - photo by Tracy Porter

Well by now you all know the results of Sunday's thrilling show jumping. With Mary King placing 1 and 2 and Ecogold's on Sinead Halpin taking the 3rd place spot it was an exciting day to be sure. My favorite round (aside from the three mentioned above) were Kelly Prather's clean round to start the day and watching Snip cruise around the SJ in good style!

I think the thing that myself and others love about Joe Meyer and Snip is their love for the sport. It really resonated with the crowd, the horse still loves his job at some 19 years of age and they received one of the loudest cheers of the day! With the exception of Wonderful Will (who did not present) all the horses passed the jog. There was a tense moment when Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger were held, but luckily they passed on re inspection. Obviously Mark Todd decided not to jump his mount Grass Valley but when all was said and done it was a great end to a great weekend!

Phillip Dutton's Fernhill Eagle - photo by Tracy Porter

In addition to all the great jumping action Ecogold set up a pretty cool treat for some of the bloggers. We were able to meet and talk to Phillip Dutton's wonderful groom, Emma Ford. Thank you Emma for taking time out of a busy day to chat with us! (and also for letting us meet Fernhill Eagle...what a nice looking guy he is!) Emma told us a bit about how she came to work for Phillip, what they do to take care of Fernhill Eagle post XC (sounds like lots of icing and hand walking are involved!) among other things. She stays plenty busy taking care of a barn full of top class event horses!

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from Sunday (I was afraid that Camera + Rain = No Good) but I believe some of my fellow bloggers were taking some and may have those to share.

Thank you for joining me and the wonderful Ecogold on this journey to Rolex 2011. I hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as I did! Best of luck recovering from the post-3 day doldrums (where we realize that we have to go back to work so that we can afford to come back to Rolex next year!) Thanks everyone!

~ Sarah

Looking back - looking forward

2011-05-02T12:43:00.002-04:00

I apologize for not getting lots more up quicker but internet was slow at my hotel, and we were so busy and so tired when we got back at night! I want to thank Patricia, and Ecogold, for their incredible support. The folks with Southern Stars Saddlery (Clayton Fredericks line) told me they thought Patricia and Ecogold were "the best" when it came to promotion and support! (I loved their saddles, too.)

I watched Sineads' great triumph with a lot of joy and emotion! Who could not, when she covered her face with her hand to wipe away tears of the long struggle, stress, great performance, and gratitude for her lovely horse? But Sinead didn't just get "lucky". As she spoke to us on the course on Friday, this outstanding result for her was the process of a lot of hard work and experience.

(Left, she is explaining the trakehner's question -- that you had to gallop at this nice big fence, but use the immediate left turn after to get the horse back on his feet for the brush drop into the 2nd water, and huge corner out.)

When we went over the Sunken Road, Sinead stopped and explained how she needed to ride that complex. She said she had to be soft going in, not over-ride Tate. Then power out, holding her line. She spoke confidently; she knew her horse could do this, and she had a plan, and was ready to execute. (See the video for how it all worked out.)

What this showed me is that when you do your homework, you have the experience, and you have confidence in what you are doing --- there can be a successful outcome. It is not strange that Ecogold products are following this same diagram; Patricia knows what she is doing, her textiles perform for horses and riders, and the experience and confidence they have in their products result in success. By the way, William Fox-Pitt was riding in an Ecogold pad, too!

At the double brushes his horse pulled off a left front shoe. Retrieved by the jump judges, as it was the end of the day, some kids asked to see the shoe up close.

Then when I said I thought it was William Fox-Pitts' horses' shoe, they were doubly excited, and posed for this picture -- a four-star event horse's shoe, and a couple of really great Rolex fans!
(the shoe made its way back to the finish area so it could be put back on Neuf de Couers.)

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - Cross Country Day!

2011-05-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Well my time in Kentucky has ended. As I write this I'm back home in Pittsburgh and what a let down it is to have to go back to work in the morning. But first (since I finally have working internet again!) I've got two more exciting days at Rolex to talk about.

Saturday, cross country day. Undoubtedly the day we all look forward to the most. The day turned out to be absolutely gorgeous, sunny and warm. The footing seemed to be pretty decent, a little squishy in places but over all not too bad considering. At promptly 10:00 Allison Springer headed out of the start box. She looked great over the first fence, but it wasn't to be her weekend. The course seemed to ride well. And although there were a lot of problems on course, no single fence was the cause. Some surprising pairs did not complete cross country, but the ones who did finished looking great.

We saw Phillip Dutton early in the course. Eagle was looking full of jump over the second fence.

Hannah Sue Burnett looked great through through the sunken road. And still going strong a few fences later at the step table after the head of the lake.

Luckily I didn't witness any of the falls this year, although I did catch a few of the run-outs, including Mark Todd's at the angled brushes. After walking the entire course, I stayed at the covered bridge at the very end for a few riders, where I got to chat with a couple of very nice ladies for a bit. And I got a couple free samples of Flair strips. Score! Can't wait to try those out on my mare. I caught Hamish Cargill at the covered bridge, still looking great at the end of the course.

Eventually I moved on and parked by the farm yard for the remainder of the riders. I had a great spot to photograph and saw Mary King navigate the combination beautifully.

Sadly Friday's leader had some problems on course, including a fall (everyone OK) but that left the door open for the incredible Mary King to sweep into both the 1 and 2 spots.

Cheryl and Calina's Monday Morning Nostalgia

2011-05-02T02:20:00.000-04:00

Rumour has it that it's Monday morning and that we are both expected at our respective places of work. Our hearts, however, are still in Kentucky; it was warm there, the grass was green and the countryside was full of horses.

We both had a fabulous time at Rolex this year. While the original plan had been to fly to the UK for Badminton, we are so glad that we ultimately ended up in Kentucky and were able to see Mary King dominate as well as watch so many up-and-coming riders rise to the occasion.

Yesterday morning, as yet more rain poured down, we got up early and headed to the KHP for the final horse inspection. Trudging through the rain (and the mud), I couldn't help but think that only an eventer would consider getting soaked while watching horses trot up and down a strip of roadway as a highlight of the vacation.

Fortunately by the time the first horse trotted up, the rain had subsided. I don't think Mary King's horses cared either way, they were so fresh they practically dragged her around:

Speaking of fresh, Manoir de Carneville looked picturesque while posing for the cameras but quickly let us all know he was ready to play by letting out a quick buck:

Many of the riders refused to let the threat of rain deter them from showing off their jog outfits:

Still others seemed prepared for any poor weather lurking behind the clouds:

Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master seemed to be having a grand time:

All in all a fabulous weekend! We can't until next year, and I'm even somewhat hopeful that I'll manage to edit and sort all the pictures I took by this time next year.

Finally, we would like thank Ecogold. Ecogold played a large part in making this weekend special for us by setting up course walks and interesting Q&A sessions with various riders and we really appreciate it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

ECOGOLD's Diana Burnett at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-05-01T23:32:00.001-04:00

We spent a few minutes with Ecogold rider Diana Burnett at 2011 Rolex Kentucky before she had to head home to Canada.

Stadium Jumping: Girl Power!

2011-05-01T21:30:00.010-04:00

I have a confession: when I heard the rolling thunder and saw the flashes of lightening when the alarm went off this morning after the alarm went off, I couldn’t help myself….I decided to wait for the SJ in the afternoon.

I understand a couple horses, including Mark Todd’s horse, withdrew before SJ; I think the XC course took a heavy toll on some horses and riders who might not have anticipated the necessary fitness. I think several of the rails we saw tumbling today could be attributed to fatigue.

Luckily, though, the sun broke through the clouds and SJ was beautiful.

Heather Morris on Slate River

Heather Morris, the TX hero, went early, but I was INCREDIBLY proud of her; she road Slate River beautifully, and she was the first rider to have a double clear.

Hannah Burnett also went double clear….well done, Hannah!

Mary King on Fernhill Urco

Probably the “golden girls” of the day, however, were Mary King, who ended up first AND second on two very different horses (shows what a horsewoman she is!), and Sinead Halpin, who ended up THIRD in her very first 4****! Go GIRLS!

Sinead Halpin on MANOIR DE CARNEVILLE

Thanks to my brother and sister in law for housing us, and to Patricia and Ecogold for giving me the opportunity to meet Hannah Burnett, for the HRN spot, and for the great Q&A sessions….and thanks to Cynthia for trekking to KY with me. We both noted that we have lots of inspiration for riding now. Here’s to next year!

Cheryl and Calina's Sunday Recap

2011-05-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

Another Rolex has come to an end.

For a number of riders, it was a weekend full of highs. Mary King, as you have all no doubt heard by now, won the Rolex watch with her homebred mare Kings Temptress. To top it off, she also took second place with the lovely gray gelding Fernhill Urco.

Ecogold rider Sinead Halpin, and her horse Manoir de Carneville, finished her first four-star in 3rd place. She put in a lovely dressage test, jumped clear with only a few time faults on Saturday and put in a perfect Sunday performance to finish as the top American. 'Tate', as he is known around the barn, was also the best conditioned horse of the weekend.

There were lots of other fabulous rides as well. Ecogold's Hannah Sue Burnett returned to the Kentucky Horse Park and rode decisively to a 8th place finish. Ecogold's Jessica Phoenix, and her horse Exponential, had one of three double clear cross-country rounds and ended the weekend in 7th place. Exponential was also the top-placed rider-owned horse, one of only two horses to finish on his dressage score and jumped a fault-less show jumping round today.

Jessie's WEG teammate Rebecca Howard, also an Ecogold rider, finished in 10th after a three days of outstanding riding.

Some of the more seasoned riders also put in super performances. Boyd Martin and Remington XXV took 9th place; Karen O'Connor piloted the striking Quintus 54 to 13th at his first four-star.

We certainly can't forget the rest of the international contingent. Clayton Fredericks and his wife Lucinda have a super event mare in be My Guest who finished 5th. William Fox-Pitt, with Neuf des Coeurs, and Oliver Townend, ODT Sonas Rovatio, finished 4th and 6th, respectively, after solid weekends.

Unfortunately, the flip side of eventing is the disappointment that goes hand in hand with the unlucky run-out, getting eliminated or having to withdraw because your horse is not quite right. I think we all feel for these riders but I'm sure we'll all see them out competing soon and getting ready for next year.

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ECOGOLD's Sinead Halpin at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-05-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

Sinead and Manoir de Carneville

Ecogold rider and our good friend Sinead Halpin spent some time in our stand at Rolex Kentucky before the show jumping round, with her groom / our fantastic interviewer Meg Kepferle.

Sinead talked about her first Rolex experience, sitting in 4th and the highest-placed American rider after cross-country. And also answered questions submitted by amateur riders.

ECOGOLD rider Sinead Halpin at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Doug Payne and Peter Atkins - Cross-country Recap from 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-30T23:58:00.001-04:00

Peter Atkins gives his thoughts about the cross-country phase at 2011 Rolex Kentucky and answers a few questions from Doug Payne.

Fence Judging: It's a Job

2011-04-30T23:33:00.002-04:00

Phillip Dutton navigating the second element of my fence

For the sixth year in a row, I had the privilege of being a fence judge at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. But I’m actually quite the baby; I spoke with at least three folks who’ve been doing this for 20+ years! Last year at WEG I opted to “just” be a competitor and roam from fence to fence; but there is something magical about watching every single rider—the BEST riders in the world—take a single fence, seeing how they navigate it differently.

Being a fence judge, however, isn’t all savoring each ride; it’s making sure that we pay attention to every ride in case of a problem, making sure that each rider has as close to the SAME ride, making sure that the crowd doesn’t interfere, making sure that the jump remains consistent….and sometimes we have minutes, sometimes we have seconds. While I have friends stop by and say hi, I feel bad, but I can’t spend time talking with them. I have a job to do. I have to make sure the riders have a good, consistent, fair experience over MY fence.

My fence this time was #26, the Angled Brushes. I recall a version of this fence from WEG, and I also recall some folks having a wee bit of trouble with the fence, but I wasn’t quite prepared for it to begin so quickly. Our first rider, Allison Springer and Arthur, were in third place and had gone cleanly up to us. Arthur was still “going” and since the approach to our fence was a long downhill gallop, I thought she was having trouble getting her horse back. She got to the first brush fairly flat, then he put in an extra step and launched himself through the brush (scraping his stifle), stumbling on the landing and popping Allison off.

We had several “iffy” rides, mostly from riders slowing down too much and not having enough impulsion to get over the brush and ditch handily. What I learned was that a good, forward, up, consistent ride worked. Every time. Notable was Kim Severson’s ride—she made it look like a series of bounces. Mary King was VERY forward, but also VERY balanced and consistent. Same for Hannah Sue Burnett. Bravo!

Poor Mark Todd was one of those who slowed down a bit too much, and his horse simply said “I can’t do it at this pace—I’m tired!” and ran out of the first element. He circled and took the long route and then finished the course well.

I saw a LOT of tired horses—I mean REALLY, tired, spent horses—and I wonder how the SJ will go tomorrow. The new course designer provided a challenging course, and the fact that the refusals and runouts and falls were spread out throughout the course makes me think that it was a fair course, too. Well done!

After cross country day, I always feel a little bit like the young girl in the ancient “Shake and Bake” commercial: “Mamma made fried chicken—and I helped!”. Once again, we had a successful Rolex cross country—and I helped!

Cheryl and Calina's Cross-Country Recap - The Top Ten

2011-04-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

Despite the miserable weather and tornado warnings earlier this week, cross-country day was ultimately bright and sunny, with a light breeze. The footing was very good, though heavy toward the end of the day. There were numerous refusals and run-out, particularly at the beginning of the day, and even a few rider falls. Fortunately, all equines and humans are safe and sound, and a look at the scoreboard shows that the problems were spread out throughout the course. That said, I think its safe to say that the hollow claimed more than its fair share of victims. Fence 5, the first water, also caused numerous problems and lots of ‘peaking’.

The Top Ten Horse/Rider combinations after an exciting and grueling day of cross-country are:

1. Mary King and Kings Temptress (47.7)

2. Mary King and Fernhill Urco (49.7)

3. Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest (53.0)

4. Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville (53.1)

5. Hannah Sue Burnett and St Barths (53.3)

6. William Fox-Pitt and Neufs des Coeurs (54.0)

7. Oliver Townend and ODT Sonas Rovatio (58.2)

8. Jessica Phoenix and Exponential (60.0)

9. Boyd Martin and Remington XXV (61.4)

10. Kim Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan (62.5)

Cross-Country Videos - 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event by Holly

2011-04-30T22:59:00.001-04:00

2011 Rolex Kentucky Cross Country Videos. Enjoy!

Mary King - Kings Temptress

Rebecca Howard - Riddle Master - The Hollow

Karen O'Connor - Quintus 54 - at the corners

Mark Todd - Grass Valley - at the sunken road

Sinead Halpin - Manoir de Carneville - sunken road

Sinead Halpin - Manoir de Carneville

Mary King - Fernhill Urco

Mary King - Fernhill Urco, water and brushes

Michael Pollard - Wonderful Will, double brushes

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure-The Very Late Dressage Recap

2011-04-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle

I feel like such a horrible blogger. But the internet at my hotel is practically non existent! Anyway onto the Rolex fun.

Well it's been a fun two days of some really great dressage. It's also been a long couple of days. We made it down to Kentucky very early Thursday morning so I was going into dressage day one with very little sleep. Unfortunately I didn't get to see as much dressage as I would have liked but I still was able to see some great rides. First thing Thursday morning I was able to hang out by the warm up and watch Allison Springer, Phillip Dutton, Mary King and Jessica Phoenix. During the morning break I headed over to the Ecogold booth to finally met Patricia in person.

We unfortunately got stuck in some traffic when we went to check into the hotel during the lunch break so I did miss Boyd's ride just after the break, but I was able to take my seat for the rest of the afternoon. There were some really nice rides in the afternoon, including Heather Morris with Slate River. All too soon the first day of Rolex came to an end.

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister

Friday morning started with a trip to Keeneland to watch the morning workouts, something that has become a tradition in the last few years. It's pretty fun to stand at the rail and pick out the ones we'd like to turn into event horses. Then we headed over to the horse park in time to watch Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master. They were having a beautiful test, but a couple of bobbles at the canter hurt their score. Then in came Tiana Courday and Ringwood Magister and I could not take my eyes off of them. They had a perfect test and rightfully so took the lead from Allison Springer. The rest of the morning saw some great rides from Karen O'Connor, Mark Todd, and Clayton Fredericks.

Mary King and Fernhill Urco

After the lunch break came some riders that I was super excited to see: Hamish Cargill, Sinead Halpin, Missy Ransenhousen, Mary King and William Fox-Pitt. After following Hamish at the World Equestrian games last fall, I was looking forward to seeing him ride. And he really did have a lovely test. He scored at 51.3 to put him in 14^th place. Very respectable placing and he should be able to move up if he jumps clean. Missy Ransenhousen had a nice test as well. I always enjoy seeing them go, Critical Decision reminds me a lot of one of our horses. And then Mary King. I don't know what to say about her. I've wanted to see her ride for so long and I wasn't disappointed. Quite impressive to sit both 2^nd and 4^th at Rolex.

We finished up the day with a little bit of shopping in the trade fair and then headed over for a night of reining in the new Alltech Arena. So cool to watch something that seems like it would be totally different, but really it was dressage in a western saddle.

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Saturday...Need I say More?

2011-04-30T19:29:00.000-04:00

Good thing we got to the KHP when we did. As we pulled off I-75 (at 8:15 a.m.) there was a line, a long one, already forming to get in. Parking, was closer to the campground for us today, which actually, I didn't mind. I think by now we have seen literally one end of the park to the other. The place is massive.

Ecogold Rider Sinead Halpin and 'Tate'

From what I heard described as 'a pretty straightforward track for a 4*'...I can assure you, it certainly didn't ride that way. There were a ton of run outs, 'the Big E' reared its ugly head more times then I can count and there were massive changes among the leader board from yesterday.

I loved Laine Ashker's ride though the HSBC Water Park...not only was it brilliant, on the way out...she had a massive smile on her face and gave 'Al' several huge pats.

Bobbi - Who has been a Jump Judge at
Rolex since I have been alive

We spent a little time at the Head of the Lake (d'uh), where I was lucky enough to be sitting beside the jump judge. No big deal right?! Well, this might be a little different. Bobbi, from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been coming to Rolex and volunteering as a jump judge since 1978....for the record, I was born in 1978. I turned 32 last December. A-Ma-Zing!!! She said she has been coming every year because she loves the horses, the atmosphere and the people. She was awesome. She also told me that "1978 was a pretty good year then." Thanks for speaking with me Bobbi!! And thank you as a volunteer for making Rolex what it is today!

At the end of the day, we were headed over towards the Altech Indoor because the rest of my entourage wanted to check out the reining horses and|Western stuff...at which point I realized I wouldn't be able to do up a western girth if my life depended on it...anyways...probably the highlight of my day...We were walking along the dirt path that the horses use to get to and from the start/finish of the xc. Ecogold rider, Jessica Phoenix, whom I interviewed yesterday afternoon, was on her way back to the barn (she literally still had all her gear on and her helmet done up), after a wicked run on Exponential. I saw her, she saw me, I went "Hey!!! You were amazing!!" She threw her arms around me, hugged me (more like crushed my ribs) and said "Isn't he AMAZING?!" I wish I could describe the pure joy and admiration in her voice. It was probably the highlight of my day. Exponential = one Hell of a horse. I can only describe him as being able to soar. Walking back to the barn...you wouldn't have thought he had just run around a 6,300 meter track. He was cool as a cucumber.

We spent a little bit of time swimming with the ducks on the way out of the park and are really looking forward to stadium tomorrow. As all the horses are getting their legs iced, I am hoping that the riders are enjoying a much deserved beer.

We are sunburned, our feet hurt, I have blisters from my flip flops...and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

ECOGOLD's Phillip Dutton Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-30T17:43:00.001-04:00

Phillip Dutton at the ECOGOLD Stand

ECOGOLD-rider Phillip Dutton was at our stand earlier today answering questions asked by US event rider Doug Payne . Boyd talked about how he finds top quality horses, how he plans a competition season for a horse, what he would change if he were "king of eventing", what he does to make his students successful and how it felt to win Rolex in 2008.

1/3 ECOGOLD Phillip Dutton at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2/3 ECOGOLD Phillip Dutton at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

3/3 ECOGOLD Phillip Dutton at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Even

Sarah's Saturday XC Impressions

2011-04-30T17:14:00.004-04:00

WOW! is all I can say about the course. It was seriously influential today. I would be interested to see how the stat's from previous years stack up against today because it felt like there were quite a number of issues. That said, there were also some really fabulous rides. Mary King is an obvious one! As a kid I had a Mary King's Eventing Stable computer game that my sister and I would spend hours playing. So, understandably, I was thrilled to see her go around in such great style!

Mary King on Cross Country.

Another ride I loved was Jessica Phoenix and Exponential. That horse has some serious hops. Not to mention she looked thrilled to be out there riding him around the course.

<- Jessica and Exponential getting ready to jump the double brush towards the end of the course!

I was worried for a little bit that we would be seriously missing out on horse Show Jumping tomorrow with all the R/W/E's. As it is I am looking forward to a great day of jumping tomorrow.

Best of luck to the competitors tomorrow. My condolences to those whose day's didn't go to plan and better luck next time out!

Tracy's Friday Rolex (just a little bit late!)

2011-04-30T08:23:00.025-04:00

I feel like the M.I.A. blogger!! Due to a series of epic FAILS, I find myself sitting in a McDonald's writing my Friday blog on Saturday!
First and foremost, I hope that everyone has safe clean rides today and also a whole lot of fun!
Walking the course with Jessica Hampf yesterday I realized many things about the sport I love. Not only do you need to be incredibly fit to ride these horses but you need to be incredibly fit to walk a four star course! Jessica was FABULOUS about explaining the jumps, the quality of gallop she looked for between fences, and the canter she wants before her take-off point. Jessica made me feel like a friend, not a guest as she patiently answered all of my questions. I asked her what she thought of the course and she told me that it was a "Trevor" kind of course.

While my experience yesterday did not go the way I planned, I learned that it is impossible to have a bad time at Rolex and sometimes plan B is better than the best laid plan A. I did not see a single Dressage ride in it's entirety, but I spent a lot of time in the warm up. Spending time there gave me a better feel for what the riders are like as people, not just the well oiled machines we see in the arena. Some spent the entire time with lots of warm up, perfecting every movement that would be asked while some worked for a shorter time and let their horses relax. I watched grooms and coaches bustle around while horses patiently stood for the final preps. Sinead Halpin was especially nice, chatting with people and allowing a few to pet Tate before she finished her warm-up. The rest of my Friday experience was spent doing large amounts of shopping and helping to support our equestrian economy! Festin will be so happy when I come home with all of his new gear, especially his new ECOGOLD cross-country boots!

Sinead Halpin & Manoir De Carneville (Tate)
Oh and I almost forgot to mention one of my other highlights, a personal introduction to Peter Atkins and a nice chat about his riding & his amazing horse Henny.

I will add an album to Facebook once I stop at Wal-Mart for a new card reader, just another one of my epic FAILS yesterday!

Fun times with Canadian Eventing Team's Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf...and Rebecca Howard at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-30T07:27:00.001-04:00

We spent some hilarious moments interviewing ECOGOLD riders and fellow Canucks Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf... and Rebecca Howard (Diana Burnett was doing a longer than expected course walk, we'll get her tomorrow) on Friday afternoon before heading to the Red and White party.

We talked about their horses, mentors, support staff, but most importantly, fashion. Enjoy one of our most memorable Q&A sessions hosted by our amazing Ammie Blogger Carrie Braff!

1/2 ECOGOLD's Jessica Phoenix and Jessica Hampf at 2011 Rolex Kentucky

2/2 ECOGOLD's Jessica Phoenix and Jessica Hampf at 2011 Rolex Kentucky

Friday

2011-04-30T00:39:00.002-04:00

A wild and crazy day. As of now I've been up too many hours to count, over 18. Here's photos and when I can see straight, more videos of the great course walk with Sinead.

Cheryl & Calina’s Friday Recap

2011-04-29T23:46:00.000-04:00

One of the most interesting and educational places to be during Rolex, or any other big event, is the warm-up ring. It is truly fascinating to watch these top horses and riders get ready to step into the big ring. We started the morning by watching Hannah Sue Burnett and St Barth's warm up. Under David O'Connor's watchful eye, she and Nike did some absolutely lovely trot work.

Canadian Ecogold rider Rebecca Howard, and her Canadian-bred horse Riddle Master, were also competing this morning. Riddle Master is one of my (Calina's) favourite horses competing right now. He rose to the challenge last fall when he ran his first four-star at the WEG and I can't wait to see how he progresses over the course of the next year or so.

Quintus 54 and Karen O'Connor were very impressive today. While his dressage score didn't put him at the top of the leaderboard today, it is clear that he will be very competitive in short order.

This afternoon, after eating a quick lunch, we headed to the warm-up area to watch Ecogold rider Sinead Halpin prepare for her four-star debut. Manoir de Carneville (Tate) showed off his super trot and then took a few quiet moments to meet some fans. It was very heartwarming to watch a couple of kids get to meet one of their equine heroes.

Sinead’s test was absolutely beautiful – we are sure she was thrilled with Tate’s performance and are so happy that she is sitting in the top 10 going into cross-country tomorrow.

Hamish Cargill and Sandhills Tiger were also warming up at the same time – I (Cheryl) loved the bridle Hamish had on his horse. It stood out from all the other bridles I saw this weekend, and looked stunning on his beautiful black horse.

During the afternoon break we got to watch Jessie Phoenix warm-up Exponential (and Mary King warm-up her beautiful grey Fernhill Urco, who is currently sitting in second):

We hope Jessie was happy with this test – it was very tactfully ridden and the pair had some nice trot work. Where this horse really shines, however, is on cross-country - we can’t wait to see his jump tomorrow.

Becky's Day Two "Quickies"

2011-04-29T23:28:00.004-04:00

I felt like a celebrity this morning….I got to be a guest on the Horse Radio Network! That’s right: I was interviewed by none other than Glenn the Geek himself. Jimmy Wofford was the guest before me….so in a way, my day was book-ended by JW! Here’s Glenn and Jen:

After my brush with radio stardom, we settled down to watch dressage, and I was able to see Hannah Sue Burnett put in a respectable dressage test.

We ended up making sure we knew what was in the trade fair soon after, and we missed Tiana Coudray’s first place dressage score….drat! But we watched Mary King’s ride, and it was phenomenal.

As always, Jimmy Wofford’s coursewalk was 20 minutes after dressage….and as always, that gave me about 30 minutes to watch and learn from “the Woff” before I had to attend my fence judge meeting. Just a few gems: “The first three fences are designed to get the butterflies in the rider’s stomachs flying in formation. Then they get to fence four. Fence four isn’t a fence; it’s a condominium!”

I LOVE JIMMY WOFFORD!!

At the fence judge briefing, I ran into my good friend Nancy, a fellow fence judge since my first time six years ago. It was nice to catch up!

Tomorrow I’ll be at fence 26. Good luck to all the riders!

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Oh, So Dubarry's Are Cool...?

2011-04-29T21:42:00.000-04:00

1-75 South is the longest, straightest, most boring highway I have ever driven on...except when trying to navigate through Dayton and its 137 lanes of construction at 2:30 in the morning. We arrived to our location of choice - located off of Exit 110 - to find that - well, we didn't really have a reservation to come to...there was no person in my name with a reservation at our location of choice...good thing my credit card had already been charged for it...

I can not believe just how GREEN Kentucky is...it is amazing.

As we pulled into the Horse Park for the first time, I was a little bit taken aback by the size of it. The volunteers directing traffic were fantastic and we ended up a good hike away from everything...but were made to feel very welcome by the other Ontario license plated people who were drinking mimosas...at 8:30 in the morning...I liked the place even better instantly.

There was a strange and eerie feeling as the morning progressed. Something wasn't, right. It took me about an hour to figure it out. EVERYONE was wearing Dubarry's....everyone except us Canucks who thought that flip flops were much better suited for walking around the Horse Park for the entire day. Honestly, I have never seen so many Dubarry's in one place, at one time.

This being my first time here, it was very much the sensory overload that I expected it to be...amazing people, incredible horses, the trade fair is to die for! And the Daiquiris at 10:30 a.m. were pretty great too!

After a quick stop in to the Ecogold booth, we stuck to our plan of watching the riders in the dressage warm up...one of the Ecogold riders, Hannah Burnett - was warming up with DOC and St. Barths....There was a point in the warm up, where her pony was having a quick walk break and he started to get a little tense and we could see the white of his eyes...Hannah simply gave him a couple soothing pats, murmured to him and calmly carried on. It was very sweet.

Hannah warming up with St. Barths

She ended up having a really nice test...Especially for the first horse of the morning.

I met Peter Atkins today. Told him he was my hero and he hugged me and said: "I like being people's hero's."...I might as well have been a 13 year old teenager meeting Justin Bieber. (I am a loser.)

Unbeknown to me at the time, our wonderful host Patricia ~~roped~~ asked me to host a Q & A with one of their sponsored riders, Boyd Martin. Ummmm, okay?! Actually, it was pretty fun. Patrica has already posted the video to this blog and if I do say so myself, I think I did a pretty good job.

I was even MORE excited about going on a course walk with Diana Burnett. She hails from my neck of the woods, has a machine of an xc horse and I was really looking forward to meeting her and getting her take on the course...annnnnd then total chaos happened. There were about 4 or 5 (no joke) OTHER course walks all going on at the same time with groups of people EVERYWHERE...long story made really short - I couldn't find Diana and didn't get to walk the course with her. I am completely totally bummed about that. Honestly - I really thought that was going to be my highlight of the entire weekend.... I did get to walk around the course though and there are a couple REALLY cool questions and jumps that we are going to be scoping out tomorrow.

I will never, ever, EVER complain about the
height and width of a Training Table with brush again
(Ps - I'm almost 5'9)

After reporting back to Patricia that I wasn't able to hook up with Diana, ~~and sobbing uncontrollably about it for a solid 10 minutes~~ she ~~told me to get it together~~ and once again ~~cornered~~ asked me to host another Q&A...this one with Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf...they were great...AND we talked about Fashion...what better? Oh - how about Rebecca Howard showing up half way through! You can tell from the Q&A, that all three ladies really truly enjoy what they do, love their horses and more importantly, have a wonderful support crew around them that enables them to come out and perform at their best...and I am sure the Ecogold products help too!

So after the disappointment of not being the cool kids with the Dubarry's and not going on a course walk with Diana - WHICH IS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE - I, and the rest of my entourage will be cheering on all the Ecogold riders - and well, okay, all the others too - tomorrow on what looks to be a super xc track. I can not wait to hear the ~~thundering~~ squishing hooves on the waterlogged ground!

Sarah's Dressage Day 2 recap and more!

2011-04-29T21:29:00.008-04:00

Whew! As you can see from my fellow Ammy Blogger's posts it was an exciting day of dressage at Rolex 2011! It seems that the grey horses dominated! (which is fine by me, they need some compensation for all the extra time spent bathing!) I have taken over 400 pictures... yea excessive I know. But I will be posting those of the Ecogold riders on their facebook page so stay tuned for that later this evening!

I think my favorite ride of the day (and there were many great ones!) would have to be Joe Meyer (NZL) and Snip. I read an article about their relationship recently in the April 25 edition of The Chronicle (http://www.chronofhorse.com/) and just loved their story. Such a wonderful and long lasting partnership!

From Q&A sessions (see below for video footage) with a number of great riders to course walks there was definitely no shortage of things to do. I really enjoyed the course walk that I went on with riders Allison Springer, Sinead Halpin, and Rebecca Howard (I believe there were other riders but they were switching off and we bailed out a bit early to get to the Q&A session with the Canadian riders.)

Boyd at a Q&A session this afternoon

One thing I found interesting was that all the riders seemed to think the footing would play a major role in tomorrow's cross country. Obviously footing is important, but I would have thought that it is better to have some great footing and some bad than alot of mud. Apparently this is not always the case. A couple of the riders on the course walk mentioned that it is more difficult for the Horses to transition from one type of footing to another. All the riders were interesting and encouraged those of us on the course walk to ask questions. It was definitely fun to hear more about the riders, their horses and their background and to see the course before the start of XC competition tomorrow!

Is Sinead telling us how to ride the jump...or showing us her dance moves?

All in all a great day! Best wishes for clean, fast, and safe rides for everyone tomorrow!

Hey..That doesn't look like an event horse? Nope it is one of the competitors at the Kentucky Reining Cup!

Cheryl & Calina’s Dressage Recap – The Top 10

2011-04-29T20:50:00.000-04:00

Dressage at Rolex is over and there are 3 Ecogold riders in the top 10. The scores for the top 10 are:

1st – Tiana Coudray on Ringwood Magister (40.8)

2nd – Mary King on Fernhill Urco (41.7)

3rd – Allison Springer on Arthur (42.3)

4th – Mary King on Kings Temptress (47.7)

5th (tied) – William Coleman on Twizzel (48.2)

5th (tied) – James Alliston on Jumbo’s Jake (48.2) (unfortunately we didn’t manage to get any pictures of James’ ride on Jumbo’s Jake – we were too busy watching his lovely test. We do have a picture from yesterday’s test on his other ride Parker).

7th – Kim Severson on Tipperary Liadhnan (48.5)

8th – Ecogold rider Sinead Halpin on Manoir de Carneville (48.7)

9th – Ecogold rider Boyd Martin on Remington XXV (49.0)

10th – Ecogold rider Clayton Frederick’s on Be My Guest (50.2)

ECOGOLD's Boyd Martin Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-29T16:38:00.001-04:00

Popular ECOGOLD-rider Boyd Martin was at our stand earlier today answering questions and our Ammie Blogger Carrie did a great job hosting. Boyd talked about his support team, discussed riding position, how he prepares mentally for competition, secret to success for young riders, what he would change in his career and of course, his two cats.

Boyd and his fans

ECOGOLD's Boyd Martin Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

ECOGOLD's Hamish Cargill at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-29T15:13:00.001-04:00

Australian rider Hamish Cargill stopped by the ECOGOLD stand at Rolex Kentucky for a Q&A with the fantastic Meg Kepferle, who also moonlights as Sinead Halpin's groom (when she is not working for ECOGOLD). Hamish talked about his horse Sandhills Tiger, who is in 14th place after dressage.

Sandhills Tiger getting ready for dressage with his new ECOGOLD Saddle Pad

ECOGOLD's Hamish Cargill Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Calina & Cheryl's Friday Morning Dressage Recap - 2011 Rolex Kentucky

2011-04-29T12:49:00.004-04:00

The clouds may look a little daunting in some of the photos but so far it has just been windy and a little chilly here for Friday morning dressage. The rain is thankfully holding off and hopefully the soggy cross country course is drying out. Although very few people were here yesterday morning to see Allison's test on Arthur, the stands were quite full this morning for dressage.

We got here around 9am and headed straight to dressage warmup to see Ecogold rider Hannah Sue Burnett warmup St Barths. She wasn't yet onand looked quite nervous, but her wonderful groom Shannon Kinsley made a few jokes and she relaxed. Her warmup was lovely and coach David O'Connor watched on.

I was so impressed with the horse - I am not sure I have seen him go in person before (at least on the flat). Her test was absolutely lovely and scored quite well despite a few bobbles in the canter work. I cannot wait to see them go cross country tomorrow!

Canadian rider Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master had incredible trot work and canter work until the last serpentine, where a few mistakes made. Despite the bobbles, this WEG combination had an excellent test and are currently the top placed Canadian pair, with just Jessica Phoenix and her WEG mount Exponential to go this afternoon.

The horse that most impressed me (and probably everyone else here) was Tiana Coudray's Ringwood Magister. As she is based on the west coast, this is the first time I have seen them go. He is absolutely stunning and I was thrilled to see them as the new leaders.

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister.

Ecogold rider Karen O'Connor on Quintus 54 went next and put in a solid test. There is clearly room for improvement and it will be interesting to see how this horse looks this time next year.

Karen O'Connor and Quintus

As I sit here in the empty grandstands writing the blog, Rolex is kindly showing clips from the Royal wedding on the big screens. I will continue watching this as Calina finishes editing her pictures for the blog.

Our afternoon plans involve watching Sinead Halpin's warm up during lunch break and then watching the rest of the tests this afternoon.

Don't forget Boyd Martin will be at the Ecogold booth (#69 in the arena) at 1pm for a Q&A and the lovely Canadian riders are doing a Q&A at 5:30pm.

ECOGOLD's Karen O'Connor at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-29T08:58:00.001-04:00

Our informative and entertaining video series continues, with the fantastic Meg Kep hosting a Q&A session with ECOGOLD rider and eventing icon Karen O'Connor. Karen tells us what she is going to do now that David has been appointed as US coach, talks candidly about her career , differences between the UK and US, what makes a successful rider, her training methods and a little tribute to the pony that could, Teddy O'Connor.

Part 1 - ECOGOLD's Karen O'Connor at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Part 2 - ECOGOLD's Karen O'Connor at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Who will be at our stand #69 in the Trade Fair Arena

- Friday at 1:00 Boyd Martin

- Friday at 5:30 Canadian Eventing Team

- Saturday at 12:00 Phillip Dutton

Stay tuned for more Rolex coverage from our Ammie Bloggers and our Video Q&A Sessions with ECOGOLD Riders.

ECOGOLD's Clayton Fredericks at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

2011-04-29T04:57:00.001-04:00

Ecogold rider Clayton Fredericks answered questions submitted by the public at the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. The video session was hosted by US Event rider Doug Payne. Enjoy!

ECOGOLD's Clayton Fredericks at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Becky’s coursewalk with Hannah Sue Burnett

2011-04-28T23:33:00.002-04:00

Hannah Sue Burnett and St-Barths

After several false starts, I was able to meet up and walk the cross country course with Hannah Sue Burnett. Hannah, a lovely, athletic, charming woman was eager to accommodate my needs (I had fractured a heel a few months ago, and couldn’t walk as fast as I used to!), and to answer all my questions as we walked. I felt like Cinderella…or perhaps Kate Middleton!

The first few jumps, she explained, were “easy”…save one, they were downhill approaches, and while the size/spread were intimidating to me, Hannah assured me that her horse would have no problem with them. “He’s very honest, and he’ll try to do anything I point him at!” Hannah assured me. She likes to see her stride and ride to it, something she’s been doing since she was twelve years old, when she rode her pony up to Preliminary.

I asked her what her favorite part of eventing, and she told me that stadium jumping was her favorite because, and I quote, she is a “control freak”. She loves the measured step, seeing the exact stride, and body control of stadium. I asked if she liked dressage, too, and she laughed; “I should, and I guess I do. I’m learning to love it. We’ve been working really hard on it, and I think we’re on the verge of a breakthrough. I’m really excited about tomorrow.” Hannah rides “Nike” at 10 tomorrow, first rider tomorrow!

Her biggest challenge, particularly in dressage, is that she expects a lot of her horses, and then fears that she puts too much pressure on them. In cross country, her biggest “bugaboo” is, believe it not, smaller fences! “When you ride the big fences all the time and are suddenly confronted with a smaller one, you lose the ability to see your stride, and both you and your horse come to it underpowered/tentative!” I can only imagine what THAT must feel like!

Another challenge that’s come to the fore only recently is that of remembering courses. “I’ve always been really good at remembering courses, dressage tests, and so forth. But as I ride more horses in competition at different levels, I am suddenly having brain farts; at Red Hills I had three horses at three levels, and while the SJ fences were the same, the courses were different. I accidently left a fence out of one of the levels that was left out in another. That type of thing never happened before! So I’m going to have to work harder to learn my tests/courses.”

I asked her how she kept positive when walking (and riding) a course, and Hannah responded that being positive and thinking ahead were some of the biggest challenges of riding. As she walks her course, she gives herself a positive pep talk, and thinks about how she’ll ride each fence—THEN she walks and thinks about thinking about the NEXT fence as she comes to the fence before it. “It’s sort of like thinking with peripheral vision” Hannah noted. What a great illustration….I’ll have to work on that!

As we finished, I asked about her “Equestrian Bucket List”. Hannah would love to be on a US team, win a medal, and ride in England.

Hannah explained that she had to hurry; she was singing at a memorial service for eventing organizing legend Rebecca Broussard. “You SING?” I asked incredulously. Yes, Hannah sings at weddings and so forth (but she gets nervous when she’s in front of people). “It’s something I’d like to do more of after I retire from eventing,” Hannah mused. “I love singing.” When I asked her what she wanted to do with it, Hannah replied: “I want to be a rock star!”

Rock on, Hannah! I’ll be cheering for you tomorrow!

Calina & Cheryl's Thursday Afternoon Recap - Dressage, Q&As & Course Walk with Jessica Phoenix

2011-04-28T23:16:00.003-04:00

We didn’t get to see as many dressage tests as we would have liked this afternoon because we spent a lot of time at Ecogold’s booth listening to some very interesting Q&A sessions – first with Karen O’Connor (hosted by Sinead Halpin’s wonderful groom Meg) and then with Clayton Fredericks (hosted by Doug Payne). I’m sure Patricia will have the videos of those sessions, as well as Hamish’s Q&A, online later this evening. All three riders ride dressage tomorrow and we will make a point of being there to watch their tests.

We spent some time near the warm up ring this afternoon while Boyd Martin was warming up. His horse, Remington XXV, was sporting Ecogold boots and saddle pads:

Boyd Martin and Remington XXV

Boyd Martin and Remington

Late this afternoon we met up with Jessica Phoenix, who had generously agreed to walk the course with us. As of this afternoon, the footing is hit or miss – some parts are quite dry, while others vary from squishy to downright wet. Here are a few of the highlights from our walk with Jessie:

The course starts with several galloping fences and then you come around a corner to the first water. The direct route is a large log drop in followed by a skinny in the water and an angled hedge out. Jessie’s plan is to ride the direct route on both horses – but thinks Exploring will need to be ridden more aggressively in the last 3 strides.

The next complex was the coffin – and you can barely see the ditch as it is so full of water. Here is a picture of Jessie leaping over the first of many unintentional water obstacles on the course – we think she has excellent potential as an upper level horse.

Jessica Phoenix

We also got the opportunity to ask her several questions throughout the course walk. Being from Ontario, we see Jessie out on a lot of horses with names starting with “Ex”. Turns out after Exploring took her to her first advanced, a client suggested she start naming all her horses with names starting with “Ex”. As a result, it is very easy to figure out which of her rides she owns herself, as they are the ones with that naming scheme. It is clearly very lucky – they are all fantastic horses.

Thanks so much to Jessica for letting us tag along on the course walk (although we only made it as far as the Head of the Lake before heading back to the Ecogold booth). We hope she has a fantastic dressage test tomorrow and clean cross-country rounds on Saturday. We can’t wait to catch up with her when she comes to Ottawa to teach a clinic at Oakhurst Farm in June.

Cheryl & Calina's Thursday Morning Dressage Recap

2011-04-28T13:03:00.001-04:00

Yesterday morning we got up insanely early to catch 6am flights to
Cincinnati. As Calina was flying on Airmiles and I was not, we had
different flights. I made it on time at 11am and Calina..... did not.
After missing her connection in Toronto due to fog, she was rerouted
to Charlotte and then finally Cincinatti. This wasn't all bad - it
meant I got to pick up the rental car and don't have to suffer through
Calina's terrifying driving all weekend (she'd argue she is an
excellent driver).

After killing 4 hours in WalMart, I picked up Calina and our other
travel buddy Shannon and we made the 1 hour drive to the Horse Park.

We arrived just in time for some beautiful weather (see picture), to
meet the famous Hamish picking up his saddle pads and for Hannah Sue
Burnett's Q&A at the Ecogold booth.

Thankfully when we woke up this morning it was beautiful skies.
Allison Springer was first in the ring and did a lovely test on Arthur
to sit in 1st at the Thursday lunch break. I was also very impressed
with both Jessica Phoenix and Diana Burnett's tests.

Enjoy some pictures courtesy of Calina (more on the Ecogold Facebook
page later tonight).

Allison Springer on Arthur - currently in the lead

Phillip Dutton on Fernhill Eagle

Again

Jessica Phoenix on Exploring - who we are very excited to course walk with later today

Diana Burnett on Manny

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Bye Bye Logic...

2011-04-28T08:31:00.002-04:00

Throwing logic to the wind...I find myself sitting down to write a blog post for super-awesome-wicked ECOGOLD...rather then doing the other 4 million things that I have to do today. Have you all been keeping up with Patricia's posts on this blog and on Facebook...?!! I personally, am having a hard time keeping up! I think she has cloned herself and is in 4 places at the same time. She is doing an incredible job...so, if you are going to be at Rolex, make sure you all visit BOOTH #69 at the Trade Fair in the new Arena, buy some cool stuff (I have my eye on an ECOGOLD patriotic xc pad) and say "THANK YOU PATRICIA FOR PROVIDING US ALL WITH SUPER-AWESOME-WICKED BEHIND THE SCENES COVERAGE FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST". Not that difficult right?! No promises, but you might even get an M&M or two.

Bertuzzi is NOT as upset
as Chester about being
left behind...

Among the things I have to do today - in no particular order - are: finish packing, buy snacks, go to the bank to get some Yankie money, fill up the tank with Diesel (don't even get me started on the price of diesel), move a fridge (don't ask me about that either), get Chester all sorted out for the 4 days I am gone (given that he is on the injured reserve list for the next 3+ months, there are specific things that he needs to do every day..but, don't ask me about that either), check in to the Live Blog that EN is doing (I have no idea how I am going to rip myself away from that to do all the other damn things on this list), get my eyebrows waxed (feel free to ask me about that...and as if all you ladies out there didn't do the same thing right before Rolex), REMEMBER MY PASSPORT, make sure Bertuzzi is looked after, charge all the batteries for the camera (remember the camera), etc etc etc.

More important then ANY of that stuff...I have to remember to set the PVR to record the 8 hours of Royal Wedding Coverage that begins promptly at 3:00 a.m. Eastern time tonight. If you see anyone tomorrow running around with a Royal Wedding Hat - more then likely, it is yours truly.

And just WHY do I have so much to do today before we start the 1,037.18 km trek later this evening?! Well, feel free to ask the wonderful people who work at my local ~~Crappy~~ Canadian Tire. I made an appointment specifically at 1:00 p.m. to have the Winters changed to the Summers...3 hours later, I was still there...explain that to me.

Good luck to all the riders...!!! Stay safe and give your horses the best damn rides you have ever given them. We are all rooting for you. ~~And we are all living vicariously through you too.~~

Less writing, more doing stuff on the 'things I have to do today' list as above.
Next time, I write...it will be from the Bluegrass...
See you soon!

2011 Rolex Kentucky - Video Q&A Session with Hannah Burnett

2011-04-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

We started our Q&A Sessions yesterday, with Kentucky native Hannah Burnett, who is competing at Rolex with St Barths. Sinead Halpin's groom Meg Kepferle asked her the tough questions. Enjoy!

Part 1 ECOGOLD Q&A with Rolex Kentucky rider Hannah Burnett

Part 2 ECOGOLD Q&A with Rolex Kentucky rider Hannah Burnett

Q&A Sessions with Top Riders Every Day at the ECOGOLD Stand #69 at Rolex Kentucky

Thursday Q&A's with Karen O'Connor and Hamish Cargill

If you are at Rolex, today Thursday April, 28th make sure to stop by the ECOGOLD booth (in the trade fair arena upstairs near the Media center, booth #69) to be a part of the Q&A sessions. During the afternoon dressage break Karen O'Connor will be answering your questions and at 5:30pm Hamish Cargill will do the same! Don't miss this great opportunity to learn about their horses and get training tips from the pros!

Friday Q&A's with Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin

The Competitor's Gift To Us

2011-04-27T21:52:00.001-04:00

On the eve of Rolex competition, I sincerely hope that each and every rider this year gets around safe, enjoys the competition, learns something, goes home with a prize or with the satisfaction of having done the best they could.
The very best gift riders could possibly give us spectators (and volunteers, too) is the gift of good horsemanship. Make it a great Rolex for us by doing the very best you can for your horse. That is all that we ask. The show of good horsemanship, no matter where you end up in the standings, will be good enough for all of us!

Good luck to all! (And especially rooting for all Ecogold riders, of course!;))

Stop at the ECOGOLD Booth Tomorrow for Q&A's: Karen O'Connor and Hamish Cargill

2011-04-27T21:00:00.012-04:00

Patricia and the great people at ECOGOLD have been working extra hard to keep everyone up to date on the latest happenings at Rolex. They have also set up some AMAZING question and answer sessions with some of the top riders.

If you are at Rolex on Thursday April, 28th make sure to stop by the ECOGOLD booth (in the trade fair arena upstairs near the Media center, booth #69) to be a part of the Q&A sessions. During the afternoon dressage break Karen O'Connor will be answering your questions and at 5:30pm Hamish Cargill will do the same! ECOGOLD needs you to help with the questions, don't miss this great opportunity!

Stay tuned for more Q&A times throughout the weekend! Friday has Phillip Dutton at a TBA time in the morning and Boyd Martin at 1:00pm.

Oh, and if you see Patricia at the booth make sure to give her a huge thanks for all of her hard work!

Hannah Burnett answers questions during the Wednesday session!

Tracy's Rolex: I can hardly wait!!

2011-04-27T18:23:00.011-04:00

I am counting down the hours and minutes until Friday when we enter the front gates of the Kentucky Horse Park and start a whirlwind three day weekend. First stop? The ECOGOLD booth to meet up with the wonderful Patricia and hopefully some of my fellow bloggers (and to pick up my pre-ordered cross country boots!!!!!)!

When I ordered this years Rolex tickets during the WEG pre-sale it seemed like the last weekend in April was light-years away. During the last week or so things seem to have moved in warp speed and I find myself in a frenzy of doing laundry, charging batteries and triple checking that all memory cards are working and empty, and studying the ever changing Kentucky weather in an attempt to be somewhat informed as I toss things from my spring, summer, fall, and winter wardrobe into a bag. Like Holly, I too suffer from F.O.M.S. and have spent hours reading the COTH Jimmy Wofford Rolex preview and every EN, Twitter, Facebook, and blog post about Rolex.

I am now only a good-nights sleep, a 12 hour workday, and an almost seven hour rental car ride away! Who would have thought that it will actually be cheaper for us to rent an economy car and pay for it's gas than to keep filling the tank of an F250 Super Duty?

Better finish packing and go spend a little time with my horse, Festin, since he will be "abandoned" for the weekend! I actually think he will be happy to be spared from the embarrassing de-spooking work that would have been planned (see photo to right)!

Tracy

ECOGOLD - Equestrian Textile Engineering

Ecogold Proud Sponsor of New Educational Grant for Amateur Riders

Amazing Results from Ecogold Saddle Pads in Pressure Scans!

Helmet Cam Alert! Doug Payne on Running Order at the AECs

ECOGOLD Saddle Pads, The Choice of Top Riders at the Burghley Horse Trials

*Helmet Cam Alert* Ecogold-rider Clayton Fredericks on Pigrella - XC Novice

*Helmet Cam Alert* Hawley Bennett and Gin & Juice - Cross-Country Ride at Rebecca Farm

Great rides with ECOGOLD pads: "We had fun and felt totally secure"

Ecogold Pad in Action: Thai Event Rider Nina Ligon at the London Test Event

Video - Clayton Fredericks at the London Olympic Test Event

Cool pics and Kyle Carter and Sharon White - the long lost interview

Congrats to our PR agent Amber Heinztberger on her new arrival!

Ecogold-riders Hawley Bennett, Jessica Phoenix, Rebecca Howard and Kyle Carter are going to Burghley

Show Jumping Puissance 2.19m London 1980 - before our saddle pads were born...

$8,032.50 Can you believe it????

Ecogold Videos - Bromont CCI3* Cross-Country

Ecogold rider Hannah Burnett at Bromont CCI Three Day Event

Ecogold Pads in Full Force at Bromont CCI - XC CCI1* Videos

Updates and answers on fundraising for Boyd Martin

How Chelan Kozak and Lexi Campbell got my iPhone wet

ECOGOLD donates 6 Saddle Pads, one in memory of each horse lost in Boyd Martin's Barn Fire

Devastating

The Jog at Dressage at Bromont CDI... sponsored by ECOGOLD

Ecogold Launches Horse Junkies United, a Blog by Amateur Equestrians, for Amateur Equestrians!

Team Fredericks - The Next Generation!

Happy Mother's Day from ECOGOLD! with Awww videos...

Best of Rolex: The Ammies rocked!

Best of Rolex Kentucky: Impressive Stats... with videos

Best of Rolex Kentucky: The Saddle Pad Brag... with videos

Perfect Rolex Hangover Remedy - The Complete Rider Interviews!

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - Goodbye Rolex, Hello Reality

Carrie's Rolex Experience - What It's All About...

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - What a Finish

Sarah's Rolex Wrap up.

Looking back - looking forward

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure - Cross Country Day!

Cheryl and Calina's Monday Morning Nostalgia

ECOGOLD's Diana Burnett at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Stadium Jumping: Girl Power!

Cheryl and Calina's Sunday Recap

ECOGOLD's Sinead Halpin at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Doug Payne and Peter Atkins - Cross-country Recap from 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Fence Judging: It's a Job

Cheryl and Calina's Cross-Country Recap - The Top Ten

Cross-Country Videos - 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event by Holly

Jennifer's Rolex Adventure-The Very Late Dressage Recap

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Saturday...Need I say More?

ECOGOLD's Phillip Dutton Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Sarah's Saturday XC Impressions

Tracy's Friday Rolex (just a little bit late!)

Fun times with Canadian Eventing Team's Jessica Phoenix, Jessica Hampf...and Rebecca Howard at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Friday

Cheryl & Calina’s Friday Recap

Becky's Day Two "Quickies"

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Oh, So Dubarry's Are Cool...?

Sarah's Dressage Day 2 recap and more!

Cheryl & Calina’s Dressage Recap – The Top 10

ECOGOLD's Boyd Martin Q&A at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

ECOGOLD's Hamish Cargill at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Calina & Cheryl's Friday Morning Dressage Recap - 2011 Rolex Kentucky

ECOGOLD's Karen O'Connor at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

ECOGOLD's Clayton Fredericks at 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event

Becky’s coursewalk with Hannah Sue Burnett

Calina & Cheryl's Thursday Afternoon Recap - Dressage, Q&As & Course Walk with Jessica Phoenix

Cheryl & Calina's Thursday Morning Dressage Recap

Carrie's Rolex Experience - Bye Bye Logic...

2011 Rolex Kentucky - Video Q&A Session with Hannah Burnett

The Competitor's Gift To Us

Stop at the ECOGOLD Booth Tomorrow for Q&A's: Karen O'Connor and Hamish Cargill

Tracy's Rolex: I can hardly wait!!

Helmet Cam Alert Ecogold-rider Clayton Fredericks on Pigrella - XC Novice

Helmet Cam Alert Hawley Bennett and Gin & Juice - Cross-Country Ride at Rebecca Farm