Good Enough, ridden by Phillip Dutton. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Sadly, Phillip Dutton lost the Irish Sport Horse Good Enough on Monday due to a catastrophic leg injury sustained in a pasture accident. The 8-year-old was one of the final horses imported by the great Bruce Duchossois and competed up through the one-star and Intermediate levels. Our condolences go out to all of the connections of the horse, including Phillip, owners John and Kristine Norton and Caroline Moran, and groom Emma Ford.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Waredaca Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Full Gallop Farm August H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Best of the Blogs: Riding Isn’t a Sport…Or Is It? Super blogger Carleigh Fedorka ruminates on how non-equestrians view those of us who make horses a lifestyle rather than a hobby. At the age of thirty, her friends and family have finally accepted that this isn’t a phase (sound familiar?) and she’s created a bubble in her work and daily life that subsists on equines. Every four years she gets a rude awakening when the mainstream media decides to butt in with their uneducated but loud opinions. [A Yankee In Paris]
Charlotte Dujardin’s fiance Dean Goulding is a patient man. Engaged to Valegro’s rider for four years now, he’s been patiently waiting for Charlotte to give the green light to some nuptials, claiming she is too busy. On Monday during her world-record breaking freestyle, he wore a sign in the audience- not a ‘Will you marry me?’ sign, but a ‘Can we get married now?’ sign. Charlotte has apparently promised to finally marry him in the next year! [Dujardin Finally Says ‘Yes’]
Hold onto your breeches, the Ocala Jockey Club website is live! This November the Jockey Club will be hosting a CIC3* over Thanksgiving weekend, offering the largest amount of prize money in the world outside of a four-star. Might we see some foreign talent ship over a crack at the jackpot? Ocala has also confirmed they are one of the venues to put forth a bid to hold a North American fall CCI4* in 2018. [Ocala Jockey Club]
If you’re watching or following the Olympic equestrian coverage, talk about it! The IOC is measuring interest in each sport and as usual, equestrian is on the cusp. Use the hashtags #JointheJourney and #TwoHearts on social media to indicate your interest in eventing, dressage, or show jumping and help let the IOC know that our sport has a huge fan base. [Fans Urged to Support Equestrian Sport]
SmartPak Product of the Day: I have a lot of feelings when it comes to boots for my horses and everyday brushing boots have been my Everest. I want options of white and black, and the white needs to be white with no black edges! Single lock is a must for my everyday boots as I cannot seem to ever have enough hands to keep double lock from sticking to itself. The edges of the boots need to be bound to hold up to daily washing and ideally the straps aren’t so long that they stick well off the edge of the leg, flapping as we trot. Oh, and I want several sets to keep them clean, so affordable is a must! These Professional’s Choice boots tick off all those boxes and as a plus are under forty bucks a pair. [SmartPak]
Ok, this is blasphemy, but….I wasn’t a huge fan of the music for Valegro’s freestyle. Yes, it was Rio themed, and yes it was beautifully and perfectly executed….but nothing could compare for me to their freestyle set to music from How to Train Your Dragon. This freestyle at the London Olympia will always and forever be my go-to Valegro fix.
