I don’t know about you, but I am never very far from technology. Whether it’s my smartphone, iPad, or computer, I have information and entertainment at my beck and call. My fingertips have become a gateway to parts of the world I might never see or experience in person. Oftentimes I will start out searching for one little tidbit, but end up hours later learning about something completely unrelated to my original search. Or I will use websites like Pinterest to kill a little time (or to bolster my Queen of Procrastination status. Honestly, who wants to clean the house when there is Pinterest to peruse?) I’ll admit it…I’m addicted to the internet.
But internet addiction can be a good thing. On this rainy day, I look to my beloved internet for inspiration. Let me share some of my favorite equestrian websites, so you, in turn, may be inspired as well.
First off, and my personal favorite for the streaming content they provide, is www.usefnetwork.com, the United States Equestrian Federation website. I stumbled upon this site one day trying to find information about Grand Prix showjumping. They provide streaming video of some of the biggest events in horsedom, such as the Rolex Kentucky three day event, the ASPCA Medal Finals, the US Dressage Finals, and the Kentucky Reining Cup. They have also broadcast some driving events and vaulting competitions—covering a broad variety of equestrian competition. This year, they provided video of the George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, an invitation only clinic I certainly would not have been able to experience first hand. However, through the miracle of modern internet, I was able to “attend” this event and learn from the godfather of American showjumping, George Morris. Amazing.
Schedule – USEF Network shows the upcoming and on demand events schedule.
Another website that has provided live streaming of some of its events is nrcha.com. The National Reined Cow Horse Association provided live coverage of its recent Celebration of Champions. Combined with this event was the World’s Greatest Horseman challenge. Some of the top runs are archived and can be viewed on demand, if you need a little cow horse fix. Again, inspiration from watching some of the top competitors in the sport, from the comfort of your own home.
World’s Greatest Horseman Prelims – Top Runs | National Reined Cow Horse Assocation links you to archived video of the World’s Greatest Horseman competition.
Another English-rider-centric website with live streaming content is chronofthehorse.com. Several Grand Prix competitions have been shown in the past few months, but sometimes technical difficulties make their live streams a little challenging. However, for reading content and motivation, their content and blog entries are worth a look.
I recently stumbled across two websites that might also be interesting to follow. iEquine – The World’s Premiere Equestrian Directory looks to be a pretty interesting site that will allow you to follow different events and watch live feeds from competitions. Livestream | Watch or Broadcast Live Events also has live streaming of some equine events, as well as archived video. It seems a little cumbersome to navigate, but it appears that the searches work better when using specific terms (i.e search for “arabian” or “show jumping” rather than a general term like “equestrian”). An example is shown here: East Coast Arabian Championships on Livestream.
So if you have a little down time, an internet connection, and a comfy place to watch, get ready to watch the best…Or a least get lost for a few hours.
Feel free to share your favorite equestrian websites in the comment section below!
