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Abby Gibbon

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Meydan's Tuesday News & Notes from Pennfield

By on Mar 27, 2012 1:32 am -
Meydanday.jpgMeydan Racecourse Grandstand (Photo via Dubai Racing Club Media Centre)


Only four days till Dubai World Cup Saturday: racing’s richest program with more than $27 million at stake. Two U.S. horses, 2011 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic winner Royal Delta and 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Game On Dude, have flown overseas to challenge international contenders in Meydan Racecourse’s $10 million World Cup. Six million dollars in purse money goes to the victor. [Blood-Horse]

Meydan boasts a pretty spectacular grandstand, 2,400 meter turf and 1,750 meter synthetic tracks, the world’s first 285-room, 5-star trackside hotel and 72 corporate entertainment suites. Must be a sight to behold. [Racing Club Gallery]

Bob Baffert, multiple Kentucky Derby-winning trainer of Game On Dude, is now recovering in a Dubai hospital after suffering a heart attack Monday morning. Trainer Tim Yakteen, a former assistant of Baffert’s, will oversee Game On Dude’s preparations. [DRF]

Meanwhile Game On Dude’s jockey Chantal Sutherland, the first woman to ride in the Dubai World Cup, is looking to make additional history as the first woman to win it. [GulfNews]

On the subject of winners, World and European eventing champion Michael Jung led Germany to first-leg victory in the FEI Nations Cup at Fontainebleau (France) last weekend. Jung took first, second and fourth places aboard Leopin, La Biosthetique-Sam and Weidezaunprofi’s River Of Joy, respectively. Who likes Leopin’s odds for Badminton? [FEI]

RIP Mrs Tilly: Caroline Powell’s 11-year-old four-star mare has been put down after complications from a suspected case of encephalitis. Together Powell and Mrs Tilly placed in the top 15 at Luhm

Badminton Preview Fever

By on Mar 23, 2012 2:27 pm -

With only a month and a half to go and the release of the entry list yesterday, it’s high time we start analyzing and predicting. Will William Fox-Pitt claim the second-ever Rolex Grand Slam? Will a 15.1 hand Connemara bounce easily around Badminton on his way to Greenwich?

As you mull over the list, here are a few entry list tidbits:

Badminton-2011-dressage-Laura-Collett-Rayef-11.jpgLaura Collett & Rayef, Badminton 2011, courtesy of the great Nico Morgan

 

Laura Collett & Rayef: 22-year-old Laura took 8th aboard Rayef in their 2011 Badminton debut before getting the call-up for the senior European Championship squad. On a good day, Rayef’s probably unbeatable on the flat. Laura’s other ride Noble Bestman is 12th on the waitlist.

William Fox-Pitt & Seacookie,  Macchiato,  Lionheart,  Parklane Hawk and Neuf Des Cours: Macchiato is the only horse William hasn’t cross-entered at Rolex, which means the gelding’s probably a solid bet to start Badminton. But riders can only start two horses at Badminton and three at Rolex (possibly four with written consent), so it’s anyone’s guess which horses will go where. After winning Burghley with Parklane Hawk, William’s in contention for the Rolex Grand Slam, and all five of these horses are capable of making that happen.

Piggy French & Jakata: Have you been watching Horse & Country TV’s awesome “Getting to Greenwich” online? If so, you’ll know where Piggy and Jakata hope to end up. Expecting big things from P & J at Badminton.

Andrew Hoy & Rutherglen: After finishing second in the Montelibretti CCI*** at the end of February, Hoy & Rutherglen will start Badminton just a little over two months later (fellow Badminton entrants Susanna Bordonne & Blue Moss and Alex Hua Tian & ESB Irish Fiddle also finished 8th and 11th at Montelibretti, respectively)–that’s a couple of big events in a short period of time.

Bettina Hoy & Lanfranco TSF: Though Bettina was a shoe-in for several international teams with Ringwood Cockatoo, Germany’s got seven riders accepted at Badminton (including WEG gold medalist Michael Jung in his Badminton debut); securing a spot on the London team’s gonna be tough. Bettina & Lanfranco placed third at the Blenheim CCI*** last year and a good finish at Badminton would do them well.

Olivia Loiacono & Subway: This pair currently sit 35th on the waitlist. 92 riders have been accepted, but only 85 will start, and riders with more than two accepted mounts (like William Fox-Pitt) will have to withdraw their extras by Monday, April 30. Will Olivia get in? Last year, only 17 horses were taken off the waitlist, though 31 were taken in 2010, 43 in 2009 and 38 in 2008. We’ll have to wait and see!

Zara Phillips & High Kingdom: If there’s anything the British press would love more than seeing Zara on the London team, I don’t know what it is. A top ten Badminton finish would help her follow in her parents’ Olympic footsteps. Zara and High Kingdom were 10th at Burghley last year.

 

Shiraz_sj.jpgColleen Rutledge & Shiraz, Burghley 2011, photo courtesy of Allie Conrad

Colleen Rutledge & Shiraz: “Luke” is a cross-country fiend, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t make the course look easy.  Colleen’s also been putting some serious effort into her flatwork with Olympic O Judge Linda Zang. If they nail a solid performance at Badminton, can the selectors still look away?

Kristin Schmolze & Cavaldi: Kristen and her 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding “Joey” have been partners for 10 years, with four four-star finishes (3 Rolex, 1 Burghley) under their belts. Kristen’s had her eye on Badminton for a while now, and though Joey can sometimes be unreliable in dressage, his cross-country prowess should help propel them through the finish flags.

Camilla Spiers & Portersize Just A Jiff: 22-year-old Camilla and 15.1 hand “Jiff” helped secure an Irish Olympic eventing team berth with a win in the Ballindenisk CIC*** earlier this year. They’re perennial crowd favorites, and with a good go at Badminton, odds are we’ll see Jiff at Greenwich. Go Connemaras.

Paul Tapner & Inonothing: Tapner will be sitting on the only previous Badminton-winning mount in the field, and though Inonothing underwent surgery for the stifle he chipped on the WEG cross-country course, he’s looked solid at early starts this year. Tapner joins Andrew Hoy, William Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell, Mary King, Oliver Townend and Mark Todd on the list of previous Badminton-winning riders entered.

The entire entry list is a who’s who: Caroline Powell and the 19-year-old Lenamore, Mary King with both Appache Sauce and Chilli Morning, and last year’s victor Mark Todd with both Major Milestone and NZB Grass Valley, amongst many others.

[Accepted Entries PDF] [Waitlist PDF] [Badminton]

Weigh in with your early predictions and thoughts below. Go Badminton.

Paul Tapner's Wednesday News & Notes from Horse Quencher

By on Mar 20, 2012 11:55 pm -

paultapner.jpgAussie Paul Tapner has had a roller coaster few days. Sadly, Highpoint, the 22-year-old Polish Warmblood gelding whom Tapner piloted around Bramham, Badminton and Burghley and credited as “the horse that put me on the northern hemisphere map,” was put down following an illness at owner Sarah Smith’s farm. After an illustrious eventing career, “Joey” went on to become a dressage schoolmaster before retiring last year. [Horse & Hound]

On a happier note, Inonothing, Tapner’s 2010 Badminton champion, has affirmed his recovery from the stifle injury he incurred on the WEG cross-country course with solid performances at Tweseldown and Aldon (UK). Paul wrote in his Badminton blog: “At the end of the day at Tweseldown when I confided in some of my colleagues about my nervousness about riding XC on Inonothing, none of them really gave me any sympathy, but just rebuked me with a few different versions of: ‘I wish I was riding a Badminton winner around here, what have you got to worry about!’ ” Here’s sending some EN karma Tapner Eventing’s way. [Badminton]

British Eventing President Jane Holderness-Roddam will bear the Olympic Torch through the village of Shurdington on May 23. Holderness-Roddam was the first female member of the British Olympic eventing team, helping win a team gold medal aboard her 15-hand mount Our Nobby at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. [British Eventing]

If you’re still on the lookout for London Olympic tickets, Cosport.com has a few eventing and dressage seats available in the $200-500 range. Email registration required, then click “Products” and “Individual Tickets.” [Horse Junkies]

The Phillip and Evie Dutton-hosted fourth annual Olympic Gala raised (cha-ching!) $65,000.  All proceeds go to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation for the benefit of the U.S. Eventing High Performance programs. [COTH]

The Daily Racing Form weighs in on the complicated relationship between racing and slot machines: “The day-to-day racing at tracks such as Parx and Delaware Park is just about as dreary as it was before slots inflated the purses. One track that has made the most of slots money is Woodbine, in Toronto, which offers some of the best daily cards on the continent and uses its resources to promote the sport and to create new horseplayers. But Woodbine is a rarity.” [DRF]

A note from our friends at Cavalor: Congrats to Marsha Zebley, winner of a month’s supply of Cavalor Calm through Cavalor’s Tail of Solutions Contest with Bit of Britain. Marsha’s 5-year-old OTTB experiences anxiety when other horses leave the barn, leading to nervous behavior during their rides. The solution: Cavalor Calm.  Enter this week’s contest on Facebook.

Most Ridiculous Headline: “Three mounted officers pursue man after horse slap“

Found on Facebook: Olympic Dressage Rider Courtney King Dye, still recovering from her traumatic fall in 2010, is looking for the right horse to qualify for the walk-only, Grade 1A division of the Para Equestrian Olympics. She appealed via Facebook: “I would absolutely love to do the last qualifier to get into the Para Equestrian Olympic Selection Trials which are coming up quick, April 26-29. I’m allowed to borrow a horse. Does anyone know of a super quiet horse with a fantastic walk near Houston who I could borrow? I know it’s a slim possibility, but it’s worth a try. Email me at [email protected] if you do!” [Courtney’s Facebook]

Best of the Blogs: Sam Griffiths’ season is underway, with Happy Times targeting Badminton [FLAIR]

Runner-Up: Boyd’s March-October Waredaca clinic dates [The Martins]

Inonothing’s winning Badminton cross-country:

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We love you…

By on Mar 20, 2012 10:45 am -

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Kyle Carter!
Kyle hardly needs an introduction, and a few of you DID recognise him just from his trews alone – impressive! A successful Canadian four star rider and Olympian, he is based out of Ocala with his lovely wife Jen, and their two beautiful daughters Trista and Riley, where they run Five Ring Stables. Kyle is also the coach for the Guatemalan Eventing Team, as well as being a hugely popular trainer and coach locally, and sits on the Canadian Coaching Faculty. No wonder he’s been a bit slack on that terrific blog of his lately! If you don’t read it, shame on you, but you’re in for a treat because you get to read the whole backlog brand new! 
Looking forward to seeing the Carter family out and about again soon, it’s always a pleasure. Go Five Ring Stables and Go Eventing! 

Quiz Question

By on Mar 18, 2012 2:52 pm -
Whose four star legs are these? 

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I was going to take it easy on you this weekend, just because you might have been feeling a bit ropey seeing as it is the day after St Patrick’s Day and all, but Lily took one look at the picture I was thinking of using and nixed it immediately, so if you can’t guess who these four star legs belong to, blame her! 

Good luck, and I hope your recovery is swift and relatively painless! Go green beer (groan!) and go eventing! 

Helmet Cams – What we know now

By on Mar 17, 2012 4:57 pm -

What started off as an innocent remark following the cross country at Red Hills, that wouldn’t we all love to see a Henny helmet cam at Badminton, has turned into something akin to an international incident.  Although we don’t have all the answers, yet, it seems like a good idea to share what we do know so far. 

Eventing Nation’s own ESJ, as an FEI Technical Delegate, is communicating with the FEI and will have all the details from that perspective as soon as he hears back from them to follow up on his story up on EN already.
The rule that started the furor  (“1. Beginning 1 January 2013, while riding on the show grounds the use of a properly fastened Protective Headgear will be mandatory. In the Competition arena venue and adjacent warm-up areas, as well as riding from one to the other and from the stables for the purposes of competing, the Protective Headgear requirements are governed by the applicable Sport Rules. The use of cameras on Athletes or equipment (such as on Protective Headgear, head covering or carriage) shall not be permitted, unless otherwise specifically agreed by the FEI. An Athlete’s decision to wear a camera while competing shall always be voluntary and at the Athlete’s own risk.”) was updated in the small print to be effective on January of this year, but apparently not many people are aware of it. 
Certainly not Peter Atkins, who’s original helmet cam two years ago at Red Hills went viral as soon as they posted it on the event website, and was subsequently used in the Red Hills tv promotion programme to great effect. 
“The only FEI person I’ve spoken to was at Rolex, and he took a copy of the video to show to all his friends.  He loved it, and and was wondering how they could best use it to promote the sport more”, Peter told me.
Since that first Red Hills video Peter has famously posted helmet cam videos from many advanced courses, but especially Rolex CCI**** and the Alltech FEI 2010 WEG. The Run Henny Run Youtube channel has had well over 150,000 hits, many of them from non horsey and eventing people, as Peter told me, from spouses and connections who enjoy the ride for the pure thrill and nothing else, and Henny, and the view from between his ears, has become something of a phenomenon.
Elisa Wallace was also competing at Red Hills in the CIC*, and although she too was unaware of the FEI rule, she did actually receive permission and sign a waiver before wearing her helmet cam on the cross country. I spoke to Timothy Harfield, who manages video production for the Wallace Eventing Team,
“There was no formal announcement, and to my knowledge none of the other riders signed anything. Elisa made a point of going to the the FEI representatives and asking them if there was anything she should do as she intended to wear the helmet cam, and they asked Elisa to sign a personal injury waiver.  It was nothing official, basically just a signed letter accepting full responsibility for any injury related to wearing a helmet-cam. The letter was submitted to Rick Dunkerton.”
Elisa said that the FEI representatives were “very happy and grateful” that she asked permission before wearing the helmet cam, and praised her initiative as exemplary.
Timothy added that the Tallahassee Deomocrat posted Elisa’s helmet cam on their website on Sunday, but whereas in the US it has become the norm for videos to be posted on youtube within hours, to be shared and enjoyed by all, this is not always the case in Europe. 
Competitors at Badminton Horse Trials for instance, including Peter Atkins, will have to abide by the competition rules as well as FEI ones, and Badminton Press Officer Julian Seaman told me, 
“We own rights to all competition footage, the only headcams are the ones on riders chosen by the BBC.” 
Julian did add that if Peter were to volunteer, and that if the Director is using headcams again this year, then he has a good chance of being chosen.  Paul Tapner’s 2011 ride around the iconic course, with a voice-over commentary by Paul, is still up on the site, and still gives me goosebumps.
The FEI has said it will issue a clarification on the rule regarding safety, but copyright falls under a different jurisdiction altogether and the rules are bound to change depending on where you are riding.  For example, British Eventing  has it’s own rule in place regarding hat cams at BE events – (waivers to be signed, the footage belongs to BE and must only be used for ‘home use’ basically).  The only sensible advice at the moment would be to try and find out exactly what you can and can’t do in advance, like Elisa did, and assume nothing!  Go helmet cams, carefully, and under advisement, and Go eventing! 

Sara Kozumplik and Overlook Farm

By on Mar 17, 2012 1:02 pm -

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Sara and Manolo Blahnik on the Red Hills xc this year
Sara had three rides at Red Hills this year – Manolo Blahnik above, who jumped flawlessly to finish 9th in the CIC***, Tatton Winter (with the lovely face!) who just had a rail down on the Sunday but still performed like a star to finish 8th at his second Advanced, and Cavalier All Dun who skipped around his first preliminary to pick up a 5th place rosette. 
Tatton Winter.jpg
Tatton Winter, en route to 8th in the Advanced
Sara kindly took some time to talk to us after her cross country rides and introduced me to the horses she had with her at Red Hills, as well as explaining the set up at Overlook both down in Florida during the winter, and back home in Virginia.
Many thanks to Sara for her time, and wishing her the best of luck at Rolex, and of course her other events this spring. Thanks for reading, thanks for the suggestions, and Go Eventing! 

Heather Gillette

By on Mar 15, 2012 10:55 am -

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Heather on Opera Groove
After a horrific accident earlier this winter it would hardly have been surprising if Heather Gillette had taken a few months off – in fact those were her doctor’s orders.However, having met Heather last summer in Montana at Rebecca Farm, and as anyone who knows her will agree, Heather is cut from some pretty special cloth and it was fairly clear she wasn’t going to sit around and feel sorry for herself.  After bargaining with her doctor on the eve of her surgery and kitting herself out with a customised face mask a la Kobe Bryant, she’s not only back in the tack, but back on track to tackle Rolex this spring, and very kindly took a few minutes out of her flat work at Red Hills to stop and chat. 
Heather rode Our Questionnaire into 9th place in the Open Intermediate, Opera Groove into 11th place in the Open Prelim, and pulled up G-Star after she was getting too strong across country.  I want to thank Heather profusely for talking to us so openly about her accident and recovery, and wish her continued success and rapid healing. Thank you for reading and go Eventing! 

Peter Atkins and Henny the Wonder Horse

By on Mar 14, 2012 8:48 am -

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Peter Atkins jumping HJ Hampton into 6th place at the Red Hills Horse Trials CIC***

HJ Hampton aka Henny is a legitimate legend, for so many reasons – those incredible helmet cam videos alone would be enough, but add to that his comeback from colic surgery, his clear round across country at Rolex and the WEG when representing Australia as a last minute stand in, the unpleasant and lengthy ownership dispute, and this weekend he pulled another ace out of the bag.  He and Peter looked to be cruising round Hugh Lochore’s CIC*** cross country at Red Hills only to be, as far as we know, the only combination ever to make the time in the advanced division!

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Heading out to stretch Henny’s legs after an awesome cross-country ride

I caught up with Peter after his amazing round on Saturday at Red Hills, and we chatted about Henny, his plans, and his wife Amy’s endurance talents – there may be a double-pronged Atkins attack at WEG 2014 yet!

Peter maintains a great Henny facebook page which he updates constantly with pictures, as well as his competition page.  You can ride watch the Red Hills edition of Run Henny Run’s helmet cam here.  Many thanks to Peter for chatting to us, thanks for visitng, Go Henny and Go eventing! 

Getting to Know Joe

By on Mar 13, 2012 2:02 pm -

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Joe Meyer on Alexander

Joe’s been over here in the States long enough now that I think it’s going to stick, so I decided to bug him for a chat at Red Hills! I discovered that not only has he settled in, he’s embracing Florida! 
You can read Joe’s blogs on the PRO website and do be sure to follow him on twitter too. Thanks for chatting Joe, and thanks for reading. Go Red Hills, sunny eventing Florida, but in my heart Go English Eventing whatever the weather!

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Joe on Classic Imp, 2nd in Open Prelim B (thanks to anon for the correction!)

Quiz Answer: The Mystery Legs Belong To….

By on Mar 13, 2012 10:58 am -

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The answer to this weekend’s quiz question was indeed…
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Red Hills Man of the Moment Phillip Dutton

Congratulations to those of you who guessed correctly, and of course Congratulations to Phillip himself.  Thank you as always for joining in, we have much more from Red Hills still to come this week, so stay with us and go eventing! 

The Jockey Club TIP at Red Hills

By on Mar 13, 2012 9:14 am -
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Lara Borson Knight on Shooby Do

Red Hills was proud to be a participating show in the Jockey Club T.I.P (Thoroughbred Incentive Program) in this, it’s inaugural year. There were 8 eligible horses in the preliminary divisions, and just one in the intermediate. 
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Gin Fizz, an OTTB, belongs to Whitney Weston and I spoke to her after the show-jumping to find out a bit about her, and also catch up on her other rather nice mare, Lusty, aka Rock on Rose, 

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Gin Fizz with her ribbon

Gin Fizz finished 3rd in Open Prelim B. Many thanks to Whitney for stopping to chat, and wishing the best of luck for the remainder of the season.
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Lara Borson Knight finished Prelim Rider on her dressage score, taking 2nd place, and ended up winning the TIP award, this gorgeous saddle pad, rossette and $100. I also managed to catch up with her briefly after the show-jumping, but before she knew the good news. For more background on Shooby Do you can check out our conversation at the Area VIII Annual convention – Shooby Do is a graduate of the Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park where Lara now works, I do love a happy ending!

You can find out more about the Jockey Club TIP here and they also have an active facebook page where they encourage you to post stories about, and pictures of your own thoroughbred. Many thanks to the Jockey Club for the Incentive Program, many thanks to Whitney and Lara for chatting, and of course many thanks to Eventing Nation readers. Apologies for not rounding up more of the TIP competitors who were spread out across the divisions, but please do feel free to send me your pictures and stories at [email protected]. Go Thoroughbreds and Go Eventing! 

Karen & Marilyn reflect on their Red Hills CIC*** Rides

By on Mar 12, 2012 2:36 pm -

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Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex en route to 2nd place in the Red Hills CIC***
I wanted to call Karen and Marilyn the golden girls, but hesitated because of the connotations due to the television series, but I’m thinking about all their successes.  I think we’re all fairly familiar with Karen’s medal haul at every Championship going, but Marilyn although new to eventing is stacking up some very, very impressive results. I know there are plenty of people who want to knock her but she keeps coming out and getting the job done. I promise you she couldn’t be more helpful, any nicer, very modest, not to mention a super rider and class act – at some point you’re going to have to admit that she deserves everything she’s getting!  I must admit I was sceptical at first, but I’m well and truly converted having seen her ride at these last few events on different horses, and having met her.  I think the US should be jolly grateful that she’s devoting such huge amounts of effort, and money, into trying to get to Rolex first, and then who knows what may happen, she hasn’t admitted to crossing that bridge yet, but on her current form, and if Rolex went well, it might be remiss of the USEF not to consider her for London? 
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Karen on Mr Medicott – although they’re still feeling each other out, and ironed more kinks this  weekend they still finished an impressive 5th in the CIC***.  Not that I want to re-hash it all over again, but  I’d also like to make clear that it was the dressage judges who suggested to Karen that she redo her half-pass movement, not Karen that requested it.  Here are Karen and Marilyn after the show-jumping
Fuzzy Mayo was the Show-Jumping Course Designer. Karen also finished 10th on Veronica and Marilyn was 20th on RF Demeter. Both Karen and Marilyn came and talked to me after the CIC*** show-jumping even though they both had other rides still to come, and I’d like to thank them for their time. Thank you for reading as always, and Go Eventing! 

GMHA’s Summer Festival of Eventing Comeback

By on Mar 7, 2012 2:47 pm -

EN introduced our newest writer, Abby Gibbon, on Tuesday.

 

I caught up with Organizer Molly Hutchins yesterday afternoon,
who credited the support of the eventing community in helping to re-vamp the
venue. “We got hit by Hurricane Irene and got trashed, but we’ve been
fortunate that people raised funds and we’ve been able to bring the facility back from the flood,” she said. “We’d planned to do fundraising to
re-do the existing courses, and then people came through again. We’re now
two-thirds of the way done with the new intermediate course.”
In addition to the competitions, attendees will also be
treated to GMHA’s exquisitely maintained miles of hacking (for those unfamiliar, GMHA hosts several
competitive trail rides throughout the year), a variety of evening
entertainment including a competitor’s party and live music, and virtually
limitless opportunities to give back to the sport. Molly estimates they’ll need
somewhere in the range of 200+ volunteers throughout the course of the week
(email [email protected] to sign up).

“Our courses have been redesigned, we’ve done a lot of
work on our drainage and our footing’s been upgraded. We hope to catch people
the week after Millbrook; they could just head over here and compete in any
variety of events!”

Keep an eye on GMHA’s website for updates as the “Festival of Eventing” approaches!

Go GMHA, Go Eventing.