It’s early March, which means two things: 1, NCAA Basketball Madness is here, and 2, Red Hills Horse Trials is upon us. Since the brackets aren’t out just yet, let’s see what Red Hills has to offer this weekend.
Red Hills is a fabulous event hosted in Tallahassee, FL. While most events in Florida are pancake-flat, Red Hills is delightfully hilly, as its name would suggest. It is known for being a challenging course with a “Big Time” event atmosphere. It is not uncommon to find boxes of (FREE!) Krispy Kreme donuts in the competitor’s hospitality tent each morning. Now THAT is big time, my friends. It is also the only event where I, a lowly prelim rider at the time, was asked to sign autographs by little kids. Really, I was a star. Even though I totally bombed in show jumping (they didn’t know that).
John and Samantha will both be on site this weekend to give us wall-to-wall coverage of the entire event. Unlike any other weekend, this time John and Samantha will have the added pressure of being ESMA-awarded famous superstars as they traipse around the show grounds. Don’t let us down, you two!
Other Red Hills notes:
Phillip Dutton is entered to ride 8 horses this weekend; three advanced, three CIC***, and two CIC**. Olympic prospects William Penn, Mystery Whisper, and Ben are in the CIC*** division. Phillip also picks up Buck’s ride The Apprentice in the Advanced. (Get well soon, Buck!)
The CIC*** division is full of big names, not least among them YouTube sensation HJ Hampton and Peter Atkins. Go Henny go! US Olympic selectors will also have an eye on Marilyn Little-Meredith’s RF Rovano Rex and RF Demeter, as well as Karen and Mr. Medicott. Michael Pollard looks to continue his quest for world domination after Pine Top, with Icarus, Hanni, and Wonderful Will all in the CIC***. Canada also has a few London hopefuls in the CIC***, with Diana Burnett, Selena O’Hanlon, and Kendal Lehari bringing their top horses.
It’s shaping up to be a busy, competitive weekend. Stay tuned for all the details.
Go Red Hills. Go Eventing.
