Eventing fam, it’s time to rally around one of our own. Much-loved West Coast announcer and course builder Louis Blankenship is on the road to recovery following a serious motorcycle accident, but he needs our help as he faces the prospect of multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. You can chip in and help him and his wife Kristi with the not at all insignificant financial burden by contributing to, or simply sharing, this GoFundMe created by Debi Ravenscroft. Anyone who knows Louis knows that he’s the kind of guy who’ll save the day in any situation – now, it’s our turn to return the favour and get him back in the metaphorical saddle. Get well soon, Louis!
Events Opening Today: Summer Coconino HT and Western Underground, Inc. TR,N,BN 3 Day Event, Mile High Horse Ranch H.T., Bouckaert Equestrian H.T., Arrowhead H.T., The Maryland International + Horse Trials
Events Closing Today: Apple Knoll Farm H.T., Mill Creek Pony Club Horse Trials, Middleburg H.T., Cobblestone Farms H.T. I, Golden Spike H.T.
Tuesday News from Around the World:
For Jen Moody, competing at Kentucky was just the final chapter of a serious odyssey. She travelled all the way from Montana, where she’s based at the Broussards’ Rebecca Farm, in order to tackle the CCI4*-S with her Thoroughbred, Eye of the Storm. Find out how they got on, how they first partnered up, and where they went from Kentucky, in this piece from USEA.
When you play let’s-plan-your-dream-barn, do you think much about the feed room? If you’re anything like me, probably not — I spend so much time daydreaming about an indoor arena, a derby field, hundreds of acres of turnout, and, obviously, a jacked and stacked tack room. But if you were to daydream about feed rooms, or if you were, perchance, on a mission to improve your existing one, you’d definitely benefit from taking into account these top tips for maximising the space and making sure it’s actually a nice, clean, and safe area to use.
An oldie, but a goodie for those of us who just can’t let our horses go, even when we buy them to resell. Hey! It happens! We’re all big-hearted saps, really! And so we’ll all relate to writer Justine Griffin, who learned that the selling thing is just not her bag.
And finally, here’s something practical we can all take into our Tuesday. A lot of us are probably guilty of going into autopilot on circles and letting this handy shape take care of itself. And it does do that, kind of — a good 15m or 20m circle will help engage your horse’s hind end and restabilise his balance. But you can do better than that — you can bring the ‘wow’ factor and use it to positively impact the rest of your ride. Here’s how (with tips that are really brilliant for visual learners!).
Golden Great Britain! Tom McEwen, Laura Collett and Oliver Townend. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Sponsor Corner: Great Britain has unveiled 12 nominated entries for Paris! Notable pairs include Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir and Tom Mcewen and JL Dublin among others. Meet the 12 pairs that could be going to the Olympics in this article sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products.
Watch This:
Rewatch the cross-country leaders at Badminton, Tim Price and Vitali, as they tackle Eric Winter’s challenging course:
