Well Eventing Nation, sadly but truly the year of 2011 is drawing to a close. Simply due to nature of a news website, we cover a lot of stories throughout the course of the year. We’ve written about stories that have probably made you laugh, possibly made you cry (It’s okay, John), but hopefully have helped you to realize what a cool sport we are all so fortunate to be a part of. Sit back, relax, and take a minute to enjoy this look back at some of the best moments of 2011.
1. In March, at the PRO Derby Cross, Udonna put one stride in the two stride angled brush line!
2. Phillip doesn’t punch rails out like this very often, but this photo just goes to show that it can happen to the best of them. Phillip at Pine Top last February.
3. Both John and I have said this in the past, but Jon Holling’s first blog was hands down, the best piece of writing to come across the EN homepage all year. There is so much wisdom in Jon’s article, everyone, no matter their age or riding level, can benefit from reading it. His last line, so simply stated but so true: “While I’m working daily to achieve the goal, I am actually living the dream.”
4. Remember when Buck got his Renegade and massive horse trailer stuck while turning out of the driveway at Poplar in March? Two squad cars had to come out and hold the traffic while he got the rig out of the ditch and back onto the highway. Niceeeeeee.
5. Mark Todd won his fourth Badminton this year, at age 55 and precisely 31 years after he won Badminton for the first time. If he wasn’t already considered the best event rider in the history of Eventing, winning Badminton this year certainly did. Mark’s show jump round.
6. Attending Rolex for the first time is special for anyone, but doubly so if you are a horse crazy, sixteen year old girl, seriously ill with Sarcoma cancer. Hannah Hicks
7. At Virginia Horse Trials at the end of May, Lauren Kieffer rode seven horses, and won five of the divisions. The other two horses finished second and third, respectively. To come away from an event with a result like that requires that a.) you either buy a string of horses so fancy and easy to ride that they could beat the rest of the field with a monkey on their back, or b.) you are a really good rider. You decide which was the case.
8. In my introduction when I said that there might have been a piece of writing on this website that made you tear up, it was probably this one. EN writer Abbie lost her horse, Phantom Pursuit, in the True Prospect Barn Fire last May, and a few weeks later she wrote a touching tribute to Phantom and all he meant to her. I’m not really one to cry all that often, but I definitely shed a few tears when I read Abbie’s post.
9. The first Eventing Nation cross country jump was debuted at the Maryland Horse Trials this past July, thanks to Tyson Rementer. We’re famous!
11. This June was the first time we got to see the amazing videographer, Buzzterbrown, on the other side of the camera, when he completed his first recognized event at Rubicon HT.
12. If the video of Nat dancing didn’t make the Best of 2011 list, then it wouldn’t be much of a Best of 2011 list.
13. One day this past summer, a mom and daughter were driving in New Hampshire on their way to the Area I Young Rider camp when they noticed smoke coming up from the trailer. They quickly pulled off the highway to find that the front of the horse trailer was on fire. Grace, only age 14, quickly jumped in the burning trailer to guide her horse Hershey out to safety. Less than five minutes later, the entire trailer was engulfed in flames. Both mom, daughter, and horse were fine, but talk about heroism! [A 14 year old hero]
14. William Fox Pitt’s epic save in the water jump at the Europeans this year was pretty memorable.
15. I don’t know about the rest of the country, but the East Coast sure got some strange weather this fall, Brian O’Connor reports, in what I believe to be his best ‘Insanity in the Middle’ video to date.
16. That insane weather Brian reported on wrecked havoc on the eventing calendar this fall, causing several events to cancel, including the Flora Lea September Horse Trials. Regrettably, at the time, it went under our radar but I was just informed a couple weeks ago of the lengths the Flora Lea organizers went to for the riders entered. Several weeks after the event, each competitor received a check from the event for the entirety of their entry fees, along with invitation to two open schooling days at the farm free of charge, as well as a $75 credit per horse to put towards a 2012 Flora Lea Event. The folks at Flora Lea truly went above and beyond the call of duty of any organizer, they definitely will be on the nice list with Santa this year. I know I’ll be making an effort to attend at least one of their events next year.
17. Sinead Halpin made the Best of 2011 List with performances that were nothing short of brilliant at both Rolex and Burghley this year. If you would have told me a year ago that Sinead would be one of only three A-List riders on the High Performance list this year, I might not have believed you. Sinead came up from behind to blow everyone out of the water this year, a third at Rolex as the highest placed American, and 15th at Burghley with a handful of time penalties and an unlucky couple of rails. For the cynics who think the top of the sport is so locked up by the Phillip’s, Buck’s, and Boyd’s that there is no room for anyone else, Sinead is the perfect example of someone who has broken through into the big leagues with hard work, patience, and perseverance.
18. Similarly, Colleen Rutledge is another who really impressed a lot of people this year, although the US selectors don’t seem to be in that camp at the moment. With or without the support of the team, just a quick glance at the Chronicle forums or the comment section in one of Samantha’s interviews of her, it’s incredible the amount of support this lady has garnered through her accomplishments this year. Balancing a business, raising young children, and competing at the international level is pretty remarkable, and is definitely a story that resonates with lots of us out there.
19. Jennie Brannigan made the Best of 2011 List with her record bareback Puissance jump at the Plantation Field Horse Trials. It’s a little sad when her position over a six foot fence without a saddle is better than most of our positions with tack over a novice or training level fence. Hey, that’s what the winter is for, right?
Photo via Steve Berkowitz
20. Jan Bynny’s return to competition this year is definitely worthy of the Best list. I remember writing about her first competition back at Sporting Days in February, where she rode two novice horses and one training level one. Fast forward to October at Fair Hill, where she came within inches of winning the three star if it weren’t for a couple of rails, but she still managed to hang onto third place. How she did that, I don’t really know, but it sure is a credit to her riding to come back so quickly to the top level.
21. Not that we advise this or anything: but that Eventing Nation Tattoo was pretty awesome.
22. I felt bad for Doug when both nights of Indoor Eventing at the Royal Winter Fair ended with him on the ground, but not bad enough to leave it off the Best of 2011 list.
Well, Eventing Nation, it seems a little silly to end this list at twenty two instead of a more normal number, but as my soccer coach once told me, as he benched me after scoring my one (and only) goal that season: it’s always best to quit while you’re still on top. So I leave you, Eventing Nation, with the twenty two best of 2011.
