Bonnie and Flynn photo via Jessica Bortner-Harris
Good morning Eventing Nation!
Thanks for letting my brother take the wheel for yesterday’s notes. Generally, we try to keep our ghost-writers under the radar, but I thought my big bro did a wonderful job considering he hates horses. EN fun fact: Coren hasn’t actually written a post since 2009. Neither has John, come to think of it, but he had to give the chinchillas a bribe to keep posting under his name. I think they’re doing a great job moonlighting for him. But, really, that’s why John and Coren are made for each other. Neither of them can spell or write good. Ha! Getting fired and losing my bff in one paragraph? I call that skill. But, these are Bonnie’s News and Notes, so here we go…
Bonnie’s back in action! Big thanks to EN tipster Jessica for the story. Bonnie rode “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore”, Bridgett Barown’s Canadian horse, at Hillcrest Farm HT in NC over the weekend. She took home the blue in a Novice division. Talk about coming back with bang! Go Bonnie!
Olympic fever is in the air in case you were wondering what that smell was. UKEventing blog has given us a look at the unofficial shoo-ins for Team GBR. Obviously, Mary King and William Fox-Pitt are at the top of everyone’s list. I hadn’t realized though, that WFP has qualified 9, yes, nine, horses for the Games. My 2011 feels a whole lot more unproductive now… They do report, though, that Tina Cook and Miners Frolic are competing this weekend at Ballindenisk 3* to get their qualification in. Pippa Funnell and Redesigned are hoping to get their qualification in at Burnham Market in April. Don’t forget about Ruth Edge, Polly Stockton and your other favourite GBR riders. Team GBR is stacked! [UK Eventing]
Check out the slideshow on Boyd’s blog of Paradise photos. Cindy Lawler was behind the camera and caught not only great action shots, but some really terrific candid shots as well. [Boyd’s blog]
Cat Hill, groom extraordinaire, has started blogging for PRO. In her first post, she introduces herself as the girl trying to corral two large hound dogs. Oh, and she’s from near where Courageous Comet’s from. Is her horse life busy? Her longest stretch at home was 21 days in 2011. She’s already been wearing out the rubber on her tires with several trips down and back from Virginia to Aiken. Here’s to looking forward to Cat’s 2012 adventures! [PRO]
Lots going on over the pond as the JAS (Jumping and Style) winter series continues. Jo Thorogood, Alice Collard, Lily Bradstock, and Zoe Adams dominated by qualifying multiple horses and taking home the top prize in the BE90, BE100, Novice and Open, respectively. Elizabeth Mantel also finished horses in the top of the Novice and Open divisions. Congratulations, and good luck at the Final at Addington this weekend! [BE]
Over on Horse Nation… SERIOUSLY, YOU’LL THANK ME FOR THE CROSS POST! Wylie’s taken all the work out of stalking, to bring you Joe McKinley. Now, I’m sure all our West Coasters know about him and drool all the way to the start box, but for those of us on the east coast, this is a new infatuation! The skinny: he’s an eventer that has a sense of humor (see end of video 1) and skillz as he drops down banks and does 5 one strides in a row bareback. He teaches lessons to inner city kids, carries himself well, is well-spoken, and he’s on Full Metal Jousting. Clearly he’s competitive and likes a challenge! Check out Wylie’s hard work, then tune in to the History channel! [HN]
Ever get jealous of those 16 year olds raking in millions in Hollywood? What if I told you a 14 year old just won a $50,000 Hunter Derby at WEF? That’s why we event. We don’t like money. Victoria Colvin, a Florida native, beat out several top trainers and professionals to clinch the win over the weekend. She “didn’t feel any pressure” and “[doesn’t] get nervous”. As for how she feels after the win, “It was really cool”. [Horsetalk]
In show jumping Olympic news, Eric Lamaze is aiming three new horses at the 2012 Games. He’s very excited about his future, but acknowledges there’s still quite a bit of time until London. Also, interestingly enough, he says he sends 80% of his time teaching and just 20% riding. Ask me about the time I saw Eric dancing on a bar table in Wellington. Maybe show jumpers do know how to have fun. [Horsetalk]
In the blogosphere (guess which event they’re blogging about!):
Havarah Equestrian recaps Paradise and we’ll hear more from them soon!
Boyd recaps Paradise as well, and had a great time with owners that made the trip
Valerie V had a fabulous first event of the season, and quite a fun read. Congrats!
The prelim xc course as brought to you by GoLightlyHorses:
From Pennfield: Finally! The winners of the Pennfield What’s Your Word contest will be revealed this week. Although we’re still trying to figure out what to do with a fabulous entry whose word was, essentially, “poop”. As in, Pennfield poop is a work of art (indicating a much healthier digestive system). Oh, the dinner party conversations we horse people have.
Go eventing.
