Eventing Nation salutes all the diehard freaks out there who have been getting up at 5 a.m. (or earlier!) almost every morning for the last week and a half to watch the Olympic equestrian live stream. Like Amy Vodraska, who posted the above image on her blog “A Work In Progress.” (Image originally created by http://www.coffeenate.com/late-night-olympic-2012-watching-lots-of-coffee/)
Dressage kicks back up today with the Grand Prix Special, bright and early at 5 a.m. ET. Jan Ebeling/Rafalca, Tina Konyot/Calecto V and Steffen Peters/Ravel will compete in this round. The schedule and results are posted here.
In the U.S., we talk a lot about developing our equestrian team from the ground up–developing young riders, developing young horses, developing our breeding program, etc. Saudi Arabia, yesterday’s winner of the team bronze in show jumping, believes in a different sort of program. Here’s the backstory behind their rapid rise from international equestrian nobodies to the Olympic medal podium: First, the country chose six riders they believed capable of being competitive in the international show jumping ring. Next, they combed the world for the best horses possible, money being no object, fueled by funds from an undisclosed source. And not just any horses. “The policy is not to buy young horses and to hopefully have them develop to a good level, because then you have a lot of disappointments. The target is to buy proven quality,” said Chef d’equipe Rogier van Iersel. Step three, win Olympic bronze. Well, that’s one way to do it. Anybody have a few million dollars they’d like to donate to the USET? [Reuters]
For British show jumpers Nick Skelton, 54, and Peter Charles, 54, the path to the podium hasn’t always been paved with gold. Both of the team gold medalists have overcome traumatic injuries in recent years. For Skelton, it was a broken neck in the build-up to the Sydney Olympics; for Charles, it was a ruptured spinal sheath, broken vertebrae and cracked ribs in 2006. Talk about a come-back. [BBC Sport]
Have you entered the AECs yet? The last day to take advantage of the early bird special entry fee ends today! After today, the entry fee increases by $100. Not sure if you’re qualified? Be sure to check out the list of Qualified Riders and list of and list of Qualified Horses. Omnibus listing and entry information available here. [USEA]
NPR’s “All Things Considered” program weighed in on Rafalcagate yesterday. The reporter, who discloses that she is a dressage enthusiast herself, explains that all the attention visited upon her sport of late has been a mixed blessing. On one hand, it’s raised awareness of the fact that dressage exists. On the other hand, comments about dressage being an elitist sport “have started to irritate the thousands of Americans… who actually do participate in the sport of dressage without being independently wealthy.” [NPR]
The Olympics do crazy things to people, including addicting normally un-horsey viewers to equestrian sports. Here’s a funny narrative written by Scott Feschuk, who suddenly finds himself compelled to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to watching eventing. “Why am I watching horses jump over fences and rails?,” he writes. “I’m not sure. To this point in my life, I’ve had no enthusiasm for horses and only a passing interest in poles. Yet I can’t pull myself away.” [Macleans]
Our friends at SmartPak are living it up in London, blogging, tweeting, videoing, picture-taking, interviewing and even managing to squeeze in a visit to “a proper British club.” Here’s how to stay in the SmartPak loop: (1) Like SmartPak on Facebook – the post updated blogs and new photos and videos every day. (2) Follow them on Twitter @SmartPakerSarah and @SmartPakerColby. (3) Tune into the USEF Network for their nightly broadcast on the USEF Network. (5) Check them out and like them on Facebook to stay up to date on all things Team USA. [SmartPak]
Quotable: “This horse that I ended up liking very much brought me to the four-star level at Rolex and brought me to represent our team. There really are no words for it,” said Mueller. “It’s just a really emotional feeling that this horse has done this for me, and [I’m] sad that he’s not going to do it again. He owes me nothing, and I owe him everything.” — Canadian event rider Michele Mueller on the retirement of her 2012 Olympic partner, Amistad, in the Chronicle [COTH]
Heard on Horse Nation: HN’s in-house historian Lorraine Jackson tells the larger-than-life story of a Hungarian countess and her horse who transcended extraordinary odds not only to survive, but to find one another after being torn apart during WWI. [HN]
Found on Facebook: Rocky Mountain Horse Trials in Longmont, CO, took place over the weekend–you couldn’t ask for a more gorgeous backdrop for photos! “Like” RMHT on their Facebook page to stay up to date on the event’s latest happenings!
No pressure: In this video, Team GBR endures a tense moment as they wait to see if their final team member, Peter Charles, can clinch the gold medal with a fault-free performance.
