PL
On the Buckle
Covid Competition, Near and Far By Whitney Weston
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or many horse and rider teams who have been training for years, the future during COVID looked bleak as competition after competition was canceled. Then the unthinkable happened: the Olympics were canceled! At that point, equestrians knew they were in for a long ride back to normalcy. For the past year, competitions have been slowly getting back into swing. There are directives given from our national equestrian governing body, the United States Equestrian Federation, that have helped keep our community as safe as possible during competition. Everyone on showgrounds must wear masks, keep social distancing and sign waivers upon entering. There is typically a volunteer at the entrance gate who receives the signed waivers, and gives the competitor a wristband to wear during the show. While there are still no spectators allowed, there is one loophole to seeing these great competitions … volunteer! We would not be able to hold horse shows without volunteers. You generally do not need horse experience, and will be taught everything you need to know for your shift. Often volunteers receive “swag” and food and drink! To volunteer, go to carolinahorsepark.com/support/volunteer. For other venues, check in
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with the show manager for volunteer opportunities or visit their website. The Carolina Horse Park in Raeford is our local competition venue. It draws competitors from all over the country for competitions in several disciplines, including dressage, driving, eventing and hunter/jumper. Every March, the Carolina International is held, where teams from all over the country come to compete against the nation’s best in eventing. This is followed up by one of my favorite series, the War Horse Event Series, which kicks off in May and ends with the Championship in November. Here you will see the entire range of horses and riders, from kids and ponies jumping small logs to Olympic hopefuls training their mounts for the next big event. This year, we are very excited to see a new partnership with Sedgefield Show Series at the horse park. Sedgefield has managed a large series of hunter/jumper competitions for the past 15 years at the Greensboro showgrounds. They have since outgrown the facility and plan to hold 12 competitions this year at CHP! This allows for more competitors to test their skills in the ring on the hunter/jumper circuit, but as an eventer, I am thrilled for the opportunity for my students and me to cross-train.
