Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that the main thing on the agenda for July is the Paris Olympics: they’re just weeks away and the excitement is palpable, with team announcements coming in thick and fast Here at Eventing Nation, we are existing in some sort of Olympic Fever Dream – you will not doubt have seen Tilly’s Olympic themed Monday News & Notes to get us all in the spirit, and I am seriously considering starting an Olympic sweepstake amongst Team EN.
Before that all kicks off though, there is another fantastic event for us all to enjoy. In fact for those of you reading in the States, it will already be well underway. I am of course, referring to the SAP Cup at CHIO Aachen, an event that is, according to those in the know, quite unlike any other.
Quite a nice little appetiser before the Olympics themselves, expect two days of thrills and spills: Aachen seems to almost always produce some drama or another in terms of the leaderboard – who can forget the year that Michael Jung won, then ahem, ‘unwon’ to Sandra Auffarth?! Or even last year, when leader after dressage Yasmin Ingham dropped to third place following the showjumping, only to leapfrog back into the lead (and take an historical first Aachen win for a British rider), when the final few riders on cross country all became unravelled?!
Get yourself clued up on all of the top contenders and find out all you ever needed to know about past winners – and losers – in this super insightful form guide from our friends over at EquiRatings. Full of facts and stats about events gone by, as well as predictions for the movers and shakers after each phase, you can guarantee that this guide will arm you with no end of Aachen related knowledge!
Here at Eventing Nation, we will be taking a break from our Olympic frenzy, and bringing you all of the very best coverage – Tilly will of course be bringing you all of the action as it unfolds, while Cheg will be keeping you posted on the cross country action as it happens, too!
For further information on how to follow the proceedings out in Germany, here is our own super handy guide with all the info and links that you will need – including the livestream coverage, exclusively from Clipmyhorse.tv, and the live results and scoring.
It’s set to be another top class weekend of sport, so enjoy, my friends, as we Go Eventing once more!
U.S. Weekend Preview
Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]
Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Mile High Horse Ranch H.T. (Parker, CO) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Summer Coconino HT and Western Underground, Inc. TR,N,BN 3 Day Event (Flagstaff, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
The Maryland International + Horse Trials (Adamstown, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
UK International Events
Aston-le-Walls International (2) (Northamptonshire) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
European International Events
World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen (Germany) [Website] [Program – All Disciplines] [Program – Eventing] [Entries – All Disciplines] [Entries – Eventing] [US Eventing Team] [British Eventing Team] [Live Stream] [Results – All Disciplines] [Results – Eventing] [EN’s Coverage]
Friday News and Reading
You may remember that last week we shared the wonderful news that Team McEwen had welcomed a new member to their team, with the birth of CHF Cooliser’s first foal. Now we are THRILLED to announce even more happy news from Tom – he and his lovely wife Harriet are expecting a new arrival all of their own! Due in November, Mini McEwen will be the first baby for Tom and Harriet, who were married last year. Congratulations to you both, from all of us here at Eventing Nation.
More new arrivals! Julia Norman welcomed baby Harry into her family last week – a baby brother to Max. Congratulations to Julia and family – thrilled to see that mum and baby are both happy and healthy, and we look forward to seeing you BOTH out on the circuit at some point soon!
I have held off from mentioning the Olympics too much thus far, but I can’t help myself any longer. Besides, this one is too good to miss – an interview with Paris cross-country designer Pierre le Goupil. While he doesn’t give all that much away, he does offer a few sneaky hints and quite frankly, I cannot WAIT to see what he has up his sleeve. Just as well that there isn’t too long left to wait…!
Oh dear, one mention of the Olympics and it seems I am off down a Paris related rabbit hole once again. #Sorrynotsorry. Especially since this is simultaneously heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time, and again, something that I just couldn’t not share. The New Zealand eventing team was announced earlier this week, with Clarke Johnston getting the call up alongside Kiwi stalwarts Tim and Jonelle Price. For Clarke, his Olympic call up is somewhat bittersweet: his partner Codey Jervis, died unexpectedly last year, and Clarke says this was both of their dream – yet he remains strong in the knowledge that he would have been ‘so proud,’ to see it become reality. Go well, Clarke, we are sure he will be bursting with pride at your call up.
If, like me, you are already anticipating a major post-Olympic depression, then fear not! Burghley will be here before we know it, and the team over at Burghley are already working their magic to ensure it will be another brilliant event, with lots of added extras to enjoy alongside the eventing. The masterclasses that take place each after dressage – and indeed in the lunchtime dressage break, too – have already been announced, with husband and wife duos William and Alice Fox Pitt, and Pippa and William Funnell filling the Thursday and Friday afternoon slots respectively, while Dressage supremo Carl Hester and Queen of British Racing, Henrietta Knight will fill the lunchtime slots. If that, plus 5* action, isn’t enough to revive you from your Olympic hangover, then I don’t know what is!
Sponsor Corner
Photo by Christine Quinn Photography.
After a short break for the spring season, the Eventing Academy is back! Registration closes on July 12th, so act fast to reserve your spot. School on the competition grounds on Friday and Saturday before competing in an unrecognized horse trial on Sunday. Register now.
Weekend Watching
Not Olympic or Aachen related, but still kind of equestrian themed?! Maybe Jilly Cooper isn’t that big of a thing over in the States, but here in the UK, her novel, Riders is a veritable bible amongst most of the horse world. Now the sequel, Rivals, is set to get the Hollywood treatment, and I can’t wait.
Here is a sneak peek – and if you haven’t already read Riders then please do, I beseech you!
