Robin Thomas and her horse Guisseppe demonstrate forward off the leg. Photo courtesy of Lee Ann Zobbe.
Sometimes you have to tell a horse something over and over again before they get it. That was not the case with Robin Thomas’ horse Guisseppe, who was given an abrupt lesson in how to go forward from Leslie Law during a clinic last weekend. Once Robin mounted again, the group moved on to the water complex, where Guisseppe emphasized that the message of forward had gotten through loud and clear. Thank you to Lee Ann Zobbe for sending in this great photo!
U.S. Weekend Preview:
GMHA Festival of Eventing H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Fair Hill H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Otter Creek Summer H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Summer Event at Woodside H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Area VII Young Rider Benefit H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Join Chris Ruyson in Lexington, KY for a jumping clinic. Ruyson, a Grand Prix show jumper and eventer, will be at Westwinds Farm and Carriage Station Farm for a two day jumping clinic. Ruyson focuses on good balance and a powerful canter to aid the jump. The clinic will be held over October 10 and 11. [Chris Ruyson Clinic]
Kate Chadderton is planning a trip to Blenheim CCI3* with VS McCuan Civil Liberty. To help with the cost of attending an overseas event, a silent auction and dinner will be held in Maryland the weekend of Waredaca. Boyd Martin will be the guest speaker and all proceeds will go towards funding the trip. [Silent Auction to Benefit Kate Chadderton]
Alarmingly, cases of glanders have been reported in the Rio Olympic venue. Glanders, an infectious disease largely eradicated worldwide, has manifested in a couple of horses in Brazil since April. Unfortunately, the Brazilian government and Olympic organizers have kept this information under wraps. While authorities have been quick to reassure the FEI that the issue is contained, the lack of transparency is disturbing. [Glanders Scare at Rio Olympic Park]
Equus International Film Festival will be featuring the documentary of a para-dressage rider. Margaret McIntosh is a former eventer turned para-dressage rider who has set her sights on the 2016 Paralympic Games. She and her horse Rio Rio are featured in this documentary filmed at the Ransehousens’ Blue Hill Farm and Bruce Davidson’s Chesterland Farm. In addition, Fork in the Road is in the running to be featured in the Musicbed Film Festival, and needs our votes to ensure inclusion. [Fork In the Road to Be Featured in Equus] [Vote to Include ‘Fork’ in Musicbed]
This week in Horse & Hound’s Numbers: Mary King won a section at Calmsden on a homebred named King Robert II. His parents? Rolex winner King’s Temptress and Badminton winner Chilli Morning. No pressure, right? [Eventing in Numbers]
Michael Jung will be making his Burghley debut. Jung is bring both fischerRocana FST and La Biosthetique Sam to Burghley, which will be the third 4* start for both horses this year. Other notable entries on the Burghley list include Andrew Nicholson with Avebury and Nereo, William Fox-Pitt on Bay My Hero, Nicola Wilson on Annie Clover and Mark Todd among Leonidas II. The American-based contingent includes Anthony Patch, Covert Rights, Donner, and Luckaun Quality. [Burghley Entries Released]
American Pharoah is back home in Southern California. After boarding a private jet to Del Mar racecourse, the Triple Crown champion is back in familiar territory. Trainer Bob Baffert has left few clues as to where he might start next, but has indicated that he will probably not run against older horses before the Breeder’s Cup Classic. [American Pharoah Heads Home]
SmartPak Product of the Day: If you own a grey horse, you’re probably familiar with the product already. If you don’t own a grey, you should know about this. The Kool Coat Airstream is a great option when stabling at shows during the warmer months. The extremely lightweight fabric helps keep the horse cool, but allow you to put something on your horse to keep him clean throughout the weekend. [SmartPak]
Is it too early to get excited for Fair Hill? No way. Check out this promo video.
