Holly Payne’s Santino begs for a treat at Jersey Fresh after scoring a 46 on the flat yesterday in the CCI3*. Photo via Holly’s Twitter.
While I wish I was competing at Jersey Fresh this weekend, I realized today that while my bank account might not agree, and my competitive side definitely thinks I’m a lunatic, hacking through the woods and allowing Nyls to eat all the trees within his reach was just where I wanted to be. I mean, I definitely would rather be gearing up for a massive XC course, but just to feel him happy and sound and enjoying life is really what it’s all about. I’ll still be cheering all my friends though, and I might enter next year just to break the spell of bad luck!
#JFI3DE: Website, Live Scores, Entries, Schedule, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry
#MMBHT15: Website, Entries, Schedule, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, Live Jog Updates, @samanthalclark
U.S. Weekend Preview:
King Oak Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Plantation Field H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
WindRidge Farm H.T. [Website]
Mill Creek Pony Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Galway Downs Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Winona H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
News From Around The Globe:
Badminton has been around for 66 years, and do you know about all the previous winners? Fun facts to consider: Badminton has only been won by an American twice, by Bruce Davidson on Eagle Lion in 1995 and David O’Connor on Custom Made in 1997. There have been six riders to win back to back Badminton trophies. Lucinda Green still holds the record for the most Badminton wins, with six titles to her name. The event has been cancelled due to weather a grand total of four times, once due to foot and mouth disease, and in 1963 they ran it as a one-day event (what?!). [Badminton Winners Past]
Virtual cross country course walk at Jersey Fresh? Don’t mind if I do. [Jersey Fresh International CCI3*]
Badminton riders react: thoughts from everyone on their dressage tests so far. I love the classically understated relations of riders from the UK, especially when it comes to dressage. This phase is definitely part of what keeps us humble, and sometimes you just have to throw your hands up and laugh, and look forward to Saturday! Badminton reporters were on hand to get some great quips from riders up and down the leaderboard after dressage day one. [Riders Thoughts on Dressage]
Oh, did you want to stalk Nico Morgan’s photos of Badminton? Yeah, me too. [Nico Morgan Photography]
Coming into the summer months, we’re already thinking about our favorite June event…Surefire Horse Trials! Maybe it’s because I have a special spot in my heart for Jan Byyny, but it’s also because Surefire is definitely the premier summer event. This year they are running in conjunction with the Pan Am CIC3* prep trial at Great Meadow, so you can watch both at the same time! They are also having a $10,000 Intermediate challenge, and tailgating galore. Check out the video below, and the new website too. [Surefire Eventing]
Lynn Symansky is still on a high from having a great run at Rolex a few weeks ago with Donner, aka The Deer. While she didn’t feel that her performance was attention grabbing, she was super pleased with how he galloped around his first four-star back from the slog of the WEG. Lynn is always a great blogger, and a good read, so be sure to catch up on her latest COTH entry. [Some Ramblings on Competitiveness, Complacency, and the Evolution of a Deer]
Related side-note: can you tell an upper level event horse? COTH dug up some pictures of one of your favorite horses as a freshly retired racehorse. Can you guess who? [Scruffy OTTB Turns 4* Monster]
Hey, it’s fly season! Yeah, they’ve already started coming out in droves. Most of my horses go out at night because they can avoid the flies and they also are super stuffed and tired in the morning, so well behaved to ride! Joking, mostly. However, there are a few horses that go out during the day, and they just can’t survive without fly sheets. I just bought a few of these Amigo Bug Buster fly sheets, and I’m pretty impressed with them. They are lightweight, yet hardy, and seem to fit a variety of horse shapes. [SmartPak Product of the Day]
Surefire Horse Trials…come on let’s go!
