1956 Farmington Hunt Club Horse Show: Owie Samuels, age 12.
For your Flashback Friday of the week, I present to you an awesome photo that is literally proof that horse obsession is at least partially genetic. Above is my mother, looking like a badass and having incredible equitation for a twelve-year-old while also wearing super sweet baggy riding pants, as was the style back in the day. Also, please note that saddle pads were not yet a thing in 1956, and hunter shows had what seems like pretty solid fences! Cool beans.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
MCTA H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day & H.T. [Website] [3-Day Live Scores] [HT Live Scores]
Poplar Place Farm May H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Greenwood Farm CIC/CCI & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Penny Oaks H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
News From Around The Globe:
It’s time to vote for this year’s Rolex Top Dog! We’ve teamed up with World Equestrian Brands to offer this year’s winner a Mattes Gold Half Pad with rear trim. Our finalists are as adorable as ever this year, so get to voting! The poll will close on Thursday, May 7 at 5 p.m. EST. [Rolex Top Dog Voting]
Do you know the story behind the famed three horse Badminton trophy? Designed and crafted by sculptor Judy Boyt, she based the three equines on real horses. King’s Jester for dressage, Murphy Himself for cross country, and King William for show jumping. Purely by chance, King William and Mary King won the first trophy in 1992. Also, unusually, winners of Badminton are allowed to take home the valuable trophy during their reign, and return it for polishing for the next winner. [A History of Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Trophy]
British researchers are looking into the elasticity of tendons and why they seem to stiffen with age. While the study was actually supposed to benefit humans, they used horse tendons to do the research, because of the similarities with human tendons. I’m more interested in how they think they can help us keep our event horses sound for longer, as now you will find horses competing at the highest levels well into their teens. [New Research on Old Tendons]
As Badminton draws closer, Horse & Hound is taking a look at some of the finer details of the event, including the William Miflin Memorial Trophy. Given by Sara Miflin in memory of her husband, the trophy tradition began last year, and is given to the rider who is closest to the optimum time on cross country. Many will remember the tough course of 2014, and Tim Price won the inaugural prize with Ringwood Sky Boy, after accumulating only 11.6 time penalties on that killer of a course. [William Miflin Memorial Trophy Continues]
My weird dream is to one day have a fully polished wooden travel set for competitions. This lightweight traveling saddle stand is part of that dream, and it could also double as a beautiful addition to the barn at home! With beautiful spruce wood and a dark walnut stain, who wouldn’t want to show this puppy off? [SmartPak Product of the Day]
These pictures give “rider frightener” a whole new meaning. [Are These Badminton’s Hairiest Jumps Ever?]
Law Eventing Presents: So You Want To Be A Working Student?
