Karen O'Connor and Mr. Medicott. Photo by Samantha Clark.
It’s been an exciting 24 hours, as Phillip Dutton announced yesterday via his Facebook page that he’s taken over the ride on Mr. Medicott, as we reported here. When a two-time Olympic gold medallist teams up with a horse that placed in the top 10 individually at the last two Olympic Games, something spectacular is bound to happen. I spoke to Dr. Mark Hart, chair of the Event Owners Task Force, yesterday for a follow-up story you’ll see first thing this morning. I’m thrilled that the general consensus in High Performance seems to be that there’s an abundance of optimism about future teams, especially with Cave’s fate secure here in the U.S. Go eventing.
Events This Weekend:
Surefire HT: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Encore HT: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Fox River Valley Pony Club HT, CIC* and CCI*: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Midsouth HT: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Shepherd Ranch HT: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Great Vista Horse Trials: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
Your Friday News:
Andrew Nicholson strengthened his lead in the HSBC FEI Classics Series thanks to his win at Luhmühlen with Mr. Cruise Control last weekend. It’s also noteworthy that Lucinda Fredericks is making a steady comeback after a bad fall in March that left her with six broken ribs, a broken collarbone and punctured lungs. [Swinton Advertiser]
Opposition Buzz, Nicola Wilson’s mount for the 2012 London Olympics, is doing well after a rotational fall at Luhmühlen. “Dodi” was another victim of the tricky first water complex on course and tried to leave out a stride over the out element. Nicola is still planning to compete Dodi at the British Open at Gatcombe in August. [Horse & Hound]
The prize pot for the Land Rover Burghey Horse Trials has been increased for a second year in a row. The winning rider will now receive a check for £60,000, a £5,000 increase over last year. The prize money for second and third place has also risen to £42,000 for second and to £32,000 for third, an increase of 20 percent in two years. [British Eventing]
The Irish Draught Horse Society of North America’s Annual Breed Show will be held in Washoe Valley, Nev., Aug. 15-18. The show is open to Irish Sport Horses with a minimum of one-eighth Registered Irish Draught blood and will offer an inspection and Future Event Horse competition. [Annual Show]
Windurra, Boyd Martin’s farm in Cochranville, Pa., will host a schooling training day on June 26. Show jumping courses will be offered from beginner voice through intermediate level. Cost is $25 per round. On a separate but equally cool note, Boyd is opening his cross country course for schooling for just $25 per horse. [Boyd’s Blog]
Riders4Helmets.com is sponsoring a webinar series tomorrow in honor of International Helmet Awareness Day. Webinar topics range from “The FEI Helmet Rule — Your Questions Answered” to Olympian Courtney King-Dye’s lecture on “The Importance of Helmets.” All participating Tipperary dealers will be offering 10 percent off on helmets tomorrow. [International Helmet Awareness Day]
SmartPak Product of the Day: My OTTB Mia is competing in her first dressage show on Sunday and has been moving like a champ lately. I have peace of mind knowing she’s comfortable thanks to MSM Pellets by SmartPak, which helps with any joint soreness she has after her 42 starts on the track. [SmartPak]
Video: In this latest installment of the FLAIR Master Class Eventing series, Eric Dierks and Ralph Hill take their group through effort number 13, The Sheep Shelter:
