Paul Tapner and Kilronan Photo by Samantha Clark
This is a very exciting weekend, with Badminton and Jersey Fresh running at the same time! I’m particularly bummed that I’m not at Jersey, but my horse just had an ill timed hoof soreness issue that is now resolved (of course now that he missed his last week, he’s fine now!). I love looking at the jog outfits from both sides of the pond, and I have to say I was particularly impressed by the Badminton crowd. I mean, look at Paul Tapner (Dapper Tapner?). The famed photographer Nico Morgan has called him “an ungodly mutation of Ben Hobday and Ludvig Svennerstal” which made me laugh fit to burst. Right on, Nico!
#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:
Congratulations to Glendon Crain, the winner of our first ever Instagram contest! Glendon is the lucky recipient of a #TredstepSoloMakeover — I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say I’m quote envious! [#TredstepSoloMakeover]
USEF Land Rover Grant Recipient Matt Brown has travelled all the way across the country for the Jersey Fresh CCI3*, and he’s here to make a splash. Jersey is serving as the last selection trials for the Pan American Games, so understandably the competition will be fierce, and Matt is hoping to bring a little West Coast style to the weekend. Matt has three horses in the CCI3*, and while it is only his second run at this level, he’s definitely going to be competitive. [Matt Brown Heads East]
Did you want to watch everyone do jogs at Jersey Fresh? Don’t worry, The Horse Pesterer has you covered. As per usual! [Jersey Fresh Playlist]
Badminton Radio is an excellent way to get audio interviews on the sly as we go through the week. They already have twenty-three interviews up on the blog, including 2014 winner Sam Griffiths, course designer Guiseppe della Chiesa, William Fox Pitt, Tina Cook, Oliver Townend and more. You can even listen covertly while you’re at work! [Badminton Radio]
Dutch rider Tim Lips just barely made it to Badminton with his four star horse Keyflow NOP. Tim admits to almost throwing in the towel multiple times, after being thwarted by a ferry, general road delays for hours upon hours, his credit card getting stuck in a machine for thirty minutes, and a lack of paperwork for travel. Luckily, Tim and Keyflow did arrive, through help from the Badminton organizers themselves and a very horse friendly train. [Tim Lips’ Nightmare Journey]
Even Olympians have “splurge” foods. What do your favorite Olympic athletes crave on the long ride home from a competition? Check out if you can see the answer from a certain equestrian who just did very well indeed at Rolex. [Olympic Athletes Love Junk Food]
Horse husbands: listen up! If you’re considering taking your lovely horse crazy wife on an equine centric holiday, it could be amazing, or you could have some serious regrets. Take it from Gary Ashton Coulton, who has been in this horse husband game for some time now, and has a bit of advice regarding vacations plus horses. [Horse Husband’s Blog]
Somebody with a) a lot of Legos and b) a lot of free time, created Badminton by Lego:
