Friday News & Notes from FLAIR Nasal Strips

Defending Rolex Champion Bay My Hero boards a plane with Easy Target (both owned by Catherine Witt) and are headed to the Bluegrass State! Photo courtesy of Alex VT and Sharon Mephem.

Defending Rolex Champion Bay My Hero boards a plane with Easy Target (both owned by Catherine Witt) and are headed to the Bluegrass State! Photo courtesy of Alex VT and Sharon Mephem.

While everybody else is gnawing the inside of their mouth in anticipation of Rolex, I’m over here toodling around and enjoying the spring weather. I got to play Hunter/Jumper last weekend (more on that later) and we moved all the horses to the summer fields and barn this week. Occasionally, I feel bad for those who have been in Florida all winter, because the most enjoyable part of spring is the appreciation that comes from experiencing the horrible cold, wet, brown and white stuff for months on end. This is my rationalization, and I’m sticking to it.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Fair Hill International H.T. & CIC [Website] [Omnibus] [Live Scores]

Longleaf Pine H.T. [Website] [Omnibus] [Entry Status]

CDCTA Spring II H.T.  [Website] [Omnibus] [Entry Status]

River Glen Spring H.T.  [Website] [Omnibus] [Live Scores]

Holly Hill Farm H.T.  [Website] [Omnibus] [Entry Status]

St. Johns H.T.  [Website] [Omnibus] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

News From Around The Globe:

Three-time Burghley winner Avebury will miss Badminton this year, after Andrew Nicholson has withdrawn the grey gelding due to a small bone fragment that cropped up earlier in the season. Avebury sustained a small cut at Aldon and upon further inspection the team realized it was a bone chip, and he missed a bit of work due to the recovery. No worries though, he will be returning to work later in the spring and heading to Burghley again in the fall. Four times lucky?? [Avebury Withdrawn from Badminton]

Ready to walk the Rolex CCI4* Cross Country course with two of the best riders in the country? Be sure to sign up for SmartPak’s 11th Annual Course Walk, this year featuring Boyd Martin and Allison Springer to guide you through the toughest test in the country. Date and time of the walk will be announced after ride times have been determined, but you can pre-register now. Bonus: if you are amongst the first 500 entrants to visit the SmartPak booth, you win a free secret prize! [Enter SmartPak Course Walk]

Team FLAIR is going all out for Rolex week, with lots of activities planned. While Allison Springer won’t be competing anymore with Arthur, you can still enter the FLAIR drawing to personally meet up with her while at Rolex. Not only that, but you can win FLAIR gear like hats and nasal strips in daily drawings, and also check out a meet and greet signing booth with Sinead Halpin at the Bit of Britain booth on Friday at 11am. [FLAIR RK3DE Activities]

Bonus Fact: FLAIR is sponsoring a $1500 Protect and Perform Award to the highest placed rider who uses a FLAIR strip on XC and in SJ! [FLAIR Strips Rock]

Congratulations to Kaila Orr, our Fab Freebie winner this week! Lee is the lucky winner of a pair of Cadence Dressage Boots, so that she can practice her Dressage Skillz. [Fab Freebie: Ariat Cadence Dressage Tall Boots]

Spring weather means I finally get to take off my layers of many jackets! In the past year, I’ve discovered the joy of two things: 1) shirts with mesh on the underside of the arm and 2) not getting scalded and sunburned immediately following my winter hibernation. The SmartPak Sunshield shirts have been instrumental in both of these discoveries, and they are absolutely perfect for this time of year. Get you some. [SmartPak Product Of The Day]