Throw Back Thursday: the last time I saw greenery. PLEASE COME BACK SUMMER!!
At this point, I think even hot chocolate has lost its allure for me. Fireplaces don’t seem cozy anymore, and sweating outside sounds like a good time. I explained to a non-horsey friend of mine that it was basically cruelty for me to have to go south and compete in the warmth only to return home to yet another snow storm and he dubbed this a “champagne problem,” which I think is a polite way of telling me that I have first world problems coming out the wazoo. But seriously, no more snow, ok winter? Because March is bad, but April is just twisting the knife a little too much.
Events This Weekend:
Galway Downs International H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. [Website]
Full Gallop Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Morven Park Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Rocking Horse Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
News From Around the Globe:
John’s got a bee in his bonnet, and he needs your help. He claims he’s doing research, although about what he won’t reveal. It’s got something to do with horses, and also some other stuff. We here at Eventing Nation are accustomed to odd requests such as this from our fearless leader, and we trust that it is all part of his evil plan masterful design for the future. If you’ve got three minutes to answer some fun questions, DO IT. [John’s Questionnaire]
Stop the presses: Andrew Nicholson and William Fox Pitt are already hot favorites to win Badminton. I know, I know, it’s kind of a given, right? WFP has four horses entered (although he can only compete two), Chilli Morning, Bay My Hero, Parklane Hawk and Cool Mountain. Nicholson has Quimbo, Avebury, and Nereo on the list, but the first two are cross-entered at Rolex. Personally, I’m hoping for a Pippa Funnell comeback. [Badminton Entries]
Zara Phillips has a horse in the Grand National next week, and he’s got a great long shot backstory. Bought for a measly £12,000 at auction, Zara and her husband Mike bought Monbeg Dude with a few other rugby stars. Trained by Michael Scudamore, who has a small operation, he’s a 20/1 shot next week in the field of 40 horses for the £1 million race. Zara has also been training the horse over jumps, schooling him like a proper Event horse to know where his toes are at all times. [Zara’s Horse to Run at Aintree]
Do you have a hard keeper? Need some tips on how to pack on the pounds? First you have to tell how many calories your horse is burning. Is he a weekend warrior or a high performance upper level horse? Make sure your hay is the highest quality you can get, and don’t feed stuff that’s just like straw. Check out some other ways to make sure your horse stays in tip top shape. [Gain Weight with The Horse]
This ought to start your day off right …
