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Tuesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Nov 22, 2022 8:44 am -

Anna-Katharina Vogel and DSP Quintana P at Pau – the last event on this journalist’s calendar for 2022 and one she’s very thankful for indeed. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s Thanksgiving week, which means I — your loyal British and European correspondent — am taking the reins at EN this week to give the team in the US a chance to unwind, head home, and eat a lot of food. (Eat some for me, guys!) As a Brit, Thanksgiving isn’t really something that factors into my calendar, and I mostly hold a melee of opinions about the whole sorry state of affairs that kickstarted it — but I do love the idea of making space for gratitude, which is something that we’re all guilty of running out of time for in our hectic day-to-day lives.

This week, I want to try to slow everything I do down a bit and take the time to really savour the moment and the people and places who are part of it all. I’m grateful for the chance to spend time with a horse who’s changed my life for the better; I’m grateful for a job that gives me the chance to travel the world and daydream about ponies all day long; I’m grateful for a partner and friends who are more like a big extended family. Mostly, though, I’m grateful to everyone who posts photos of their Thanksgiving dinner so I can engage in a savage, wine-fuelled judge-a-thon over how you all season your meat. Happy holidays, folks — if you need me, I’ll be dragging my non-horsey boyfriend out to the field to feed my nag a selection box of root vegetables.

Events Closing This Week: Full Gallop Farm Jingle Bells H.T

Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:

Piggy March is reflecting on the season – and the sport – in her latest column for Horse&Hound. In it, she suggests different ways riders can contribute to progressing the sport — from helping one another out to getting involved in tough decisions. Plus, she praises the ‘old school’ event horse and laments the loss of some of Britain’s most useful Advanced runs. [A particularly good Piggy dispatch]

As we head into winter, we’re all cautious about the spread of EHV and EIV. But you can offer yourself considerable peace of mind by introducing sensible biosecurity measures into your barn — and ones that can take to the road with you while you’re competing, too. [Keep those ponies safe]

I’m all about a good pump-up song. I actively have to listen to ‘Church’ by T-Pain before I go cross-country, or in the car on the way to report on a five-star cross-country day, or I feel like I’ve missed something hugely important from my to-do list, which results in me getting a doomy feeling that sets the tone for the rest of the day. But as Daniel Stewart explains, there’s actually a really sound psychological basis for the use of an ‘athletic anthem’ to put you in the right headspace to compete. [Honestly, though, listen to Church]

Finally, the ‘social license’ dilemma has been put to a survey. Turns out we’re really not very popular. [The numbers suck, but we need to know them to improve]

The OHP Dream Farm of the Week:

Where do I even begin with this utterly delicious spot? The spacious, beautifully maintained arena? The generous 21 acres of space? The pool of actual dreams? The classy, cozy interiors? I love this place.

Listen to This: Want to get yourself prepared for the USEA Convention? The latest episode of the US Eventing podcast dives into what’s on the agenda and why you should be there, with Rob Burk and Max Corcoran.

Watch This: Ever fancied giving team chasing a go? British amateur eventer Lucy Robinson took to the fields and hedges — and she’s shared the rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions that happens while out there in the mud!

Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Nov 21, 2022 7:05 am -

The Wesko Equestrian Foundation, which provides a comprehensive education in becoming a professional eventers to a hand-picked group of young riders each year, just returned from the trip of a lifetime to France, where they got to ride with the Cadre Noir, Franke Sloothak, and their mentor, Pippa Funnell. I’m envious beyond words but have been enjoying living vicariously through the gang on social media — and now you can, too.

National Holiday: It’s Odd Socks Day! Frankly, I celebrate this year ’round. Where does the other sock go in the washing machine?

US Weekend Action:

Ram Tap H.T. (Fresno, CA): [Website] [Results]

SAzEA Fall H.T. (Tucson, AZ): [Website] [Results]

Global Eventing Round-Up:

Le Pouget CCI4*-S (Montpellier, France): [Website] [Results]

Your Monday Reading List:

Have you background-checked your practitioner? Okay, so you don’t have to do a full deep-dive — but if you’ve hired someone, for example an osteopath or massage therapist, to work on your horse, are you confident that they’ve been properly trained and qualified for the job at hand? The spread of unqualified, unregistered paraprofessionals in the UK has become so significant that experts are speaking out about it — finally. [Protect your horse; check your professional]

Ahh, blanketing season. I know I’m not alone in second-guessing my decision every time I throw a rug over my horse for the night, even this year, when I’m leaving her unclipped until the new year. Too hot? Too cold? Is there, god forbid, a leak in the outer layer? Ease your winter wear stress with this funny throwback from COTH. [The blanket clause]

Showjumping fans, this one’s for you: Martin Fuch’s extraordinary Clooney 51 will be officially retired in a ceremony at Switzerland’s CHI Geneva next month. If, like me, you followed the dramatic, sad saga of his return from Tokyo and subsequent injury in the field just days later, which nearly ended the special gelding’s life, you, too, will be watching this with tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat. [Farewell to Clooney]

The OTTB lovers among us know that there’s something extra special in retraining an ex-racehorse. Whether it’s their endearing personalities, their enviable athleticism, or the little bit of extra something-something that comes from having been the purveyor of a second chance, it’s always a memorable experience that changes you as a horseman. [Thoroughbred fans, unite]

The FutureTrack Follow:

I love these folksy, Yves Klein-esque horse paintings by Maggie Robertson, whose work I’ll be gobbling up once I make my millions from *checks notes* writing about eventing for a living. Gorgeous.

Morning Viewing:

Ever fancied watching a reality TV competition show — for horse people? The LeMieux All Star Academy is back on Horse&Country TV, and it’s just that. Check out the first episode of season four:

Saturday Video: Meet the Olympic Gold Medallist – from 1920!

By on Nov 19, 2022 5:00 pm -

This video isn’t even two minutes long, but throughout the course of watching it, I think I said “oh my god” about forty times, which always bodes well, doesn’t it? Enjoy this compilation of clips from the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games, wherein Sweden’s Helmer Mörner took both individual and team gold in the eventing. This was just the second time the sport had been included in the Olympics: its official introduction came in 1912 in Stockholm, but the 1916 Berlin Olympics were cancelled as war raged through Europe.

In these early years, Sweden was the dominant superpower in the then-military sport, which had a very different look and feel to the sport as we know it today. Safety devices? Nonexistent — they didn’t even wear helmets at this point. Roping on cross-country courses? Nope — you could plunge through a copse of trees and straight into the close-quartered crowd, adding an extra element of chaos to proceedings. Take-off and landing maintenance? Don’t be silly: you jumped the ground as you found it, even if that meant leaping up or down a decaying near-vertical slope. The showjumping was interesting too, as you’ll see in this clip — one fence was to be jumped both ways, with a stopping point just beyond the landing side to pull up, turn, and then jump again from. Bonkers, but the basis for what could be a useful training exercise at home, we reckon.

“Wee Pocket Rocket” 5* Thoroughbred Passes Away at Age 25

By on Nov 19, 2022 9:27 am -

Andrew Hoy and Algebra. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Tributes have been paid to diminutive Thoroughbred Algebra (Azzaam x Sand Dollar, sire unrecorded) following his passing on Tuesday at the farm of owner John Glenn and Julia McLean. The gelding enjoyed an exciting career and achieved global stardom after joining Andrew Hoy‘s string in 2015, promptly winning the CCI4*-L at Montelibretti and going on to take Haras du Pin CCI4*-L that summer. He went on compete through his nineteen-year-old season, ultimately retiring on his 20th birthday in 2017.

“The 15th November has been a memorable date — it was “Mr Pocket Rocket’s” birthday and his ‘retirement party’ date at the age of 20,” writes Andrew in a touching post on his social media. “The 15th November 2022 — on his 25th Birthday — is where the journey ended and he passed away at John & Julia’s beautiful farm — where he has been bossing around the young horses right until the end!”

Nat Blundell & Algebra, moved into 2nd place after XC

Nat Blundell & Algebra.

Andrew took the reins after Algebra had already enjoyed a successful, vibrant career with student Natalie Blundell, who produced him through to five-star level. Their debut at the level would come at Adelaide in 2010, where they finished eighth. They followed that up with a fourth place finish in 2011 and second place in 2012, following a campaign for Olympic selection. Though their Badminton debut in 2014 was cut short by a horse fall across the country, they rerouted to Luhmühlen the next month and were thirteenth in a hot field. After a non-completion at Burghley that autumn, Andrew took over the ride, and after a trip to Luhmühlen in 2015, focused on campaigning the horse at the four-star level.

“He certainly was the most special character and I have so much to thank him for — we had an amazing time together and some pretty remarkable results. I was so lucky to take over the reins from my most wonderful student Natalie Blundell at the end of 2014 — she produced him all the way from Grassroots to 5* level.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Andrew Hoy (@hoyeventing)

“2015 was ‘our year’ — with winning the CCI4*-L at Montelibretti and also the CCI4*-L at Haras du Pin,” he continues. “Steffi and I had arranged to catch up with John & Julia, now proud owners of our beautiful girl Byebye Brisquenouille on Tuesday, the 15th, this week — so it was somehow fitting that we could be there to raise a glass with them and share memories of this most amazing little horse, that has touched all our hearts and given all of us the most wonderful experiences and memories. THANK YOU, SAM. You will always keep a very special place in my heart.”

John and Julia also posted their own tribute on Instagram: “With great sadness we advise the passing of the wee pocket rocket Algebra. What a life we had with him! An individual to the end. Sam always did things the way he wanted to — in a terribly polite way of course. He was always very very polite and mannerly on the ground. Destined for the jumps racing in Victoria, I bought [him] because he was pretty but he turned out to be a bit tricky for me! Better riders took him over as in Lizzy McRoberts, Natalie Blundell and then Andrew Hoy and the rest is legend.”

The poignant post continues: “So much joy, so much pride…thank you to everyone who participated along the way — I’d name them but I’d miss someone and then I’d be in trouble — I know who you are — the grooms, the cool down crews taking time from doing your own horses, the people that drove him places, those that participated in his London campaign and contributed $10 every week to support Natalie in her quest for Olympic selection — just so wonderful how much you were all so supportive and inspired. Thank you for such a special once in a life time experience.”

Friday Video: Boyd’s Helmet Cam Debut

By on Nov 18, 2022 6:23 pm -

What a time to be alive! Boyd Martin has joined the hatcam crew, and that means we get a real ‘backstage’ insight into what it’s like to be the big man on a day out at a competition. Join him for a spin around Tryon with Contessa, including a near miss at the final fence, because hat cams are the real humblers, aren’t they? We can’t wait to see what Boyd documents next: meditations with Guru Rubee? His spin around the Sweden International Horse Show indoor eventing next week? Wacky races with Nox and Leo? We’ll patiently wait for the suggestion box to open.

Star-Studded Field To Take on Sweden’s Indoor Eventing Class

By on Nov 18, 2022 9:34 am -

Boyd Martin will take on this year’s indoor cross-country class at the Sweden Horse Show. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Indoor cross-country season continues on apace, and the next big one on our radar is Stockholm’s Sweden International Horse Show, which takes place next week at the Friends Arena. Thursday the 24th of November is cross-country day, and this year, this fast and furious class has been tailored to exhibit some of the best and fiercest competitors in eventing.

The ten-strong line-up has been designed to act as a showcase of the sport, with a number of the world’s best riders invited to take part, including individual Olympic gold medallist Julia Krajewski and World Number One Tim Price. Seven countries in total are represented in the line-up, which features a strong US shout in the form of Boyd Martin, while home crowds will also be delighted to cheer on World Championships team riders Frida Andersen, Aminda Ingulfsson, and Sofia Sjoborg, who helped their nation to an Olympic qualifying result at Pratoni this year.

The full line-up is as follows:

Boyd Martin — USA
Oliver Townend — GBR
Tim Price — NZL
Julia Krajewski — GER
Anna Siemer — GER
Maxime Livio — FRA
Cathal Daniels — IRL
Frida Andersén — SWE
Aminda Ingulfsson — SWE
Sofia Sjöborg — SWE

No word has been released yet on which horses the entrants will ride, though a number of them will likely pick up catch rides for the show. You can still get your hands on tickets to the Sweden International Horse Show here, which we’d highly recommend for a very jolly, very horsey few days away, or you can tune in via Horse&Country TV to stream the action from afar. We’ll be bringing you all the news of our friends’ adventures in Scandinavia, so keep it locked on EN, and Go Eventing (inside)!

Friday News & Notes from Zoetis

By on Nov 18, 2022 8:39 am -

How cool is this fence at France’s Le Pouget? I love the French commitment to making cross-country courses a work of art, rather than just function. Pierre le Goupil, Le Pouget’s designer, is also the course designer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, so I’m particularly excited to follow along with the competition this week from afar.

US Weekend Preview:

Ram Tap H.T. (Fresno, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

SAzEA Fall H.T. (Tucson, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times]

Major International Events:

Le Pouget CCI4*-S (Montpellier, France): [Website] [Timetable] [Entry Lists] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Taupo CCI4*-S (New Zealand): [Website] [Schedule]

News From Around the Globe:

Do you insure your horses? While insurance policies are common practice over here in the UK, they’re not as prevalent in the US — but they can really save your bacon if your horse suffers an expensive injury or becomes ill. That’s what Helen Alliston discovered when her four-star horse, Ebay, sustained some hidden injuries in a rotational fall, but with the help of her insurance brokers, she’s been able to give him everything he needs to come right again. [And then he went on to win the Advanced Final at the AEC!]

Goodbye to Westwood Mariner, who finished fourteenth at Burghley with Piggy March and went on to become a young rider’s dream horse. Throughout his career, ‘Rooney’ had a number of star riders on his back, including Polly Stockton, Izzy Taylor, and Ruth Edge, but it’s his last rider, Ella Woodhead, who is sharing her memories of the horse who changed her life. [We all need a Rooney]

Just in case you were starting to miss PCR testing, it’s back! But not quite in the way you’re used to. Instead, the tests will be used at Thermal and Wellington’s showgrounds to prevent outbreaks of EHV-1, which has swept through winter show circuits over the last two seasons and can have a devastating effect on the equine community. [Here’s how it works]

If you attended Kentucky this spring, you might have been inspired by the extraordinary para-showjumping demo that took place. One of the riders involved was Lily Rhodes, who lost an arm in an ATV accident as a teenager but hasn’t let it slow her down one bit. [Read her story here]

Watch this:

20-year-old Alice Casburn is one of our favourite riders here at EN, because her story is so pony novel: this year, she completed her third CCI5*, taking fifth at Burghley (and become the Young Rider European bronze medallist a few weeks prior!) with Topspin, a horse her mother bred after competing his dam and granddam at the upper levels. He still lives in the stable he was born in, and the pair began eventing together just a few years ago. She’s also just a gem of a person, and you can get to know her a bit more in this video from the FEI, who crowned her the Longines Rising Star of 2022 last week.

Thursday Video: A Mustang Tackles Beginner Novice

By on Nov 17, 2022 5:52 pm -

We share a lot of upper-level helmet cams on EN, but if I’m honest, my favourite videos are the ones at the lower levels: the greener horses, the riders I relate to, the fence-by-fence learning process and joy and fear and excitement and sheer accomplishment of the thing. This video, which features Sam van Fleet and one of her cast of Mustangs, Wild Card, as they tackle a Beginner Novice course, ticks all my boxes — and makes me want a wild horse of my own. What a cutie!

The Stars of Tomorrow? Meet The Top Lots and Celeb Buyers of the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale

By on Nov 17, 2022 11:00 am -

 

The top lot at this year’s Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, MBF Bonfire Heart.

When EN’s boss lady, Sally Spickard, first asked me to pick out my favourite horses in the catalogue and plan for a trip to the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, held in Co. Wexford, Ireland, I truly thought I might be sent with full access to the company accounts and a blessing from our chinchilla overlords to find a new mascot. And really, truly, I did my best to pick out some worthy candidates, most of which ended up selling for the kind of prices that would require those chinchillas to start an OnlyFans, probably. Alas, I ended up spending eight hours at the auction yesterday sitting on my hands so heavily that even typing this is a struggle today, but I do come with news of my fellow attendees who were let off the leash and happily took my horses away with them.

84 horses went under the hammer in this year’s sale, which took place at Gorey’s Amber Springs Hotel after two full days of viewing and trials at nearby Barnadown Showjumping. 61 of them sold, with a couple of those going unsold in the auction itself but changing hands through private deals later in the day.

The top lot went for a very respectable €65,000: that was the attractive MBF Bonfire Heart, who began at €5,000 and then promptly jumped to €20,000 in the next bid, skyrocketing to his final sum over the course of nine bids before ultimately changing hands. The three-year-old son of Castlecomer Q, who is out of a daughter of Damiro, joins CHF Cornet Vivendi (€35,000) in making his way to buyers Barratt Equestrian.

That top sale marked the second consecutive year in which Co. Waterford-based MBF Sporthorses, the enterprise of husband and wife Meabh Bolger and Brian Flynn, has led the Go For Gold Sale — and it was just the tip of the iceberg for the pair, who sold all 14 of their entered horses at a total sum of €430,000. Several of their horses, including the top lot, were consigned in partnership with Jason Higgins, who bred MBF Bonfire Heart.

Monbeg Celtic Moon is one of the top lots of the day, and will go to 5* rider Fiona Kashel.

Marti Rudd and Tomas Doyle of Monbeg Sport Horses put forth the joint-second best-selling lots of the sale in Monbeg Raegen and Monbeg Celtic Mist, both three-year-olds, who sold for €50,000 each. Monbeg Celtic Mist (Celtic Hero x Ballycapple Mist, by Boherdeal Clover) will begin his career under the auspices of British five-star rider Fiona Kashel, while Monbeg Raegan (Quabri de l’Isle x OBOS Nancy Broome, damsire unlisted) will head to the UK for phone bidder Karla Wheatcroft, who has previously owned horses for British rider Tom Grant and Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy.

The next Vassily? Andrew Hoy nabs EN’s favourite horse of the sale, three-year-old MBF PLS Castlecomer Q.

A number of five-star riders picked up new projects in the sale, whether buying for themselves or on behalf of owners: the fourth highest-selling lot in the sale, the enormously appealing MBF PLS Castlecomer Q (Castlecomer Q x Fornet Roos, by Cornet’s Stern) commanded a price of €47,000 and was ultimately secured by Steffi and Andrew Hoy, while MBF Barravalley, a very promising son of Tom Carlile’s Anglo Arab stallion Upsilon, was a surprisingly low seller at the end of the day, and was picked up by Irish team rider Susie Berry and her partner, Max Warburton, for the bargain price of €13,000. Nicolai Aldinger was delighted to place the winning €19,000 bid on Lot 86, Carrigshawn Apollo (Carrigshawn Quantum x Carrigshawn Polly, by Bolivar) on behalf of stalwart owner Jutta Spethmann, who also owns his top horse Timmo, with whom he was named as reserve for the German team at Pratoni this year. Who Knows (Yeats x Prime Adage, by Marignan), a lightly backed three-year-old, will also go to Germany, having been bought for €17,000 by Robert Sirch.

MBF Flintstone will head to the US under the auspices of agent Ruthie Meyer.

Plenty of the horses sold in this year’s catalogue will be winging their way to the US soon, too — and many of those were selected by Ruthie Meyer, busy acting in an agent capacity, who secured five lots, including the five-year-old MBF Flintstone, a horse that was among EN’s picks to go straight to the States. 19 horses in total will be heading to US buyers, while two will go to Canadian owners. One of those will join the stable of Katlyn and Karl Slezak, who purchased Maplevalleys Tyson (Tyson x Rowanstown Clover, by Touchdown) for €22,ooo.

You can check out the results of this year’s sale in full here, and stay tuned for a look behind the scenes at Goresbridge, coming soon on EN!

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Live from the PSBE3D

By on Nov 16, 2022 5:00 pm -

There’s a ton of education to be had this week at the first Peterson Smith Barnstaple Educational Three-Day Event, held at Barnstaple South in Morriston, FL. The competition began in earnest today with horse inspections, but on top of the competition there is also a full slate of seminars, workshops, mini-clinics, and demos to take part in.

Thanks to the support of RNS Videomedia and Taylor Harris Insurance, a free live stream has been provided for the PSBE3D, and you can follow along all weekend on the RNS Videomedia Youtube channel here. You can also replay any sessions that have already been broadcast at the same link. All content will be available after the event in the Ride iQ library.

The tentative schedule for the remainder of the week, beginning Thursday, is as follows:

Thursday, November 17:

  • 8:00 am Dressage Begins
  • 8:00 am Cross Course walks begin for riders going on Friday
  • 10:00 am Steeplechase Demo with Kyle Carter
  • 11:00 am “Good Horsemanship Techniques” with Tik Maynard
  • 12:00 – 5:00 Ride-A-Test for riders going Friday with Debbie Adams
  • 12:00 – 5:00 Steeplechase Schooling with Dorothy Crowell for riders who rode Thursday
  • 12:30 – 1:30 2nd Tour of A, B & C
  • 6:00 pm Dinner with Sinead Halpin – “The Equine Connection and Communication”

Friday, November 18:

  • 8:00 am Dressage begins
  • 8:00 am Cross Course walks begin for riders going on Thursday
  • 9:45 am Vet Box Demo & Discussion with Max Corcoran and Rachel Goth from Peterson & Smith
  • 11:00 am Cross Country demo with Lauren Nicholson and Buck Davidson
  • 12:30 – 5:30 Steeplechase Schooling with Dorothy Crowell for riders who rode Friday
  • 1:00 – 2:30 3rd Tour of A, B, C
  • 6:30 Dinner with Mac Corcoran and Rachel Goth – “Horsemanship!!”

Saturday, November 19:

  • 8:00 am Endurance Begins!
  • 3:00 pm SJ Course open for walking
  • 4:30 – 5:30 “Riding your Three-Day Horse is Different” – SJ demo with Sara Kozumplik & Brody
    Robertson
  • 6:30 pm Boogie with the Band Competitor Party!

Sunday, November 20:

  • 8:00 am Third Horse Inspection
  • 10:30 am Omelets and Special Awards Brunch – Kyle Carter & Buck Davidson as MC’s
  • 12:00 Show Jumping begins

PSBE3D: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Live Stream]

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Tuesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Nov 15, 2022 6:30 am -

Hello from the sky office — I’m writing today’s N&N en route to Ireland’s Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, which I’m attending on behalf of EN over the next couple of days. 80+ top-notch young horses, some of the best event riders in the world, and a spa hotel in County Wexford? Count me in. I’ll be bringing you lots of insights into what goes on at the sales this week, plus updates on my favourite horses from the catalogue — you can check them out here.

Events Closing Today: Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials IV, Rocking Horse December H.T.

Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:

Emily Hamel has had a seriously big year. The five-star powerhouse relocated to England and tackled both Badminton and Burghley, despite a badly-timed knee injury at the start of the year, and has been crushing it with her heart horse, Corvett. But do you know the full story of this former 4-H member and the horse with whom she’s become a household name? [Now you do]

Who was the original horse girl, anyway? There’s a pretty good argument to say that Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, was our spiritual forebear — and that’s why it’s a damn shame that the weird, bestiality-related propaganda of the time has dogged her name over the centuries. We’re all for a reclamation of reputation for this clever, fascinating woman. [Read this, then watch The Great]

Losing your confidence can be an odd and nebulous thing, and it doesn’t even necessarily have to follow on from a fall. That’s what Laura Owens discovered after a freak injury while walking to school sidelined her in the peak of her junior equitation career — and the horse that helped her regain her drive and love for the sport was probably the last one she’d have expected. [The special ones surprise you]

Betting has begun to find its way into equestrian sport, prompting concerns of cheating and foul play. The FEI, IOC, and governing bodies are working to address this, with discussions ongoing about the various ways in which sports with a long history of gambling — such as horse racing — have been impacted by sabotage and thrown games. [Another kind of risk in horse sport]

Speaking of throwing the game, USEF has officially adopted a policy for performance manipulation in competition. This is designed to discourage competitors from intentionally underperforming in order to skew the results of a class — something that’ll become a hot topic as betting continues to make its way into the sport. [Read more here]

The OHP Dream Farm of the Week:

Let them eat cake, baby. I’ll let Equestrian Barbie’s Dream Castle speak for itself here.

Watch This:

NBD, just Ingrid Klimke making herself the queen of the dressage arena:

Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Nov 14, 2022 8:51 am -

How cool to see not one, but two eventing gals honoured at last night’s FEI Awards! 20-year-old Alice Casburn, who we first wrote about back in mid-2021, won the Longines Rising Star Award, while Kerryn Edmans, groom to Tim and Jonelle Price, took the Cavalor Grooms’ Prize. Well done, ladies — we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving!

National Holiday: It’s National Pickle Day! Not quite as divisive as, say, Marmite, but I will still hold it against you if you remove the pickle from your burger.

US Weekend Action:

Dutta Corp. Tryon International Three-Day Event (Mill Spring, NC): [Website] [Shannon Brinkman Photo] Results] [YR Team Results]

Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks (Ocala, FL): [Website] [Results]

River Glen Fall H.T. (New Market, TN): [Website] [Results]

Global Eventing Round-Up:

The big one on everyone’s radar over the weekend was Montelibretti in Italy (ha! I told you the European season was over! I lied!), which hosted a full spectrum of classes all the way from CCI1* to CCI4*-L, with both long- and short-format classes on the roster AND the Senior and Young Rider Regional Championship titles up for grabs.

14 combinations came forward for the feature CCI4*-L, which proved plenty tough: just eight would complete the competition, and after the withdrawal of two-phase leaders Maxime Livio and Elvis de Hus Z after cross-country, plus an unlucky 20 penalties for second-placed Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom of the Opera and an elimination across the country for third-placed Susanna Bordone and Walvis Bay, the door was open for France’s Benoit Parent to step up into the top spot with Dragibus D’Olympe AA. At just nine years old, this exceptional Selle Français impressed through the weekend, delivering a 31.9 in the first phase and coming achingly close to making the time — an achievement managed only by Maxime — in the second. His two seconds over the time on Sunday certainly didn’t take any of the shine off a sparkling clear round.

The CCI4*-S, which had 25 starters and 23 finishers, was led from pillar to post by Germany’s Felix Etzel, a student of the DOKR Warendorf system, and the Trakehner stallion TSF Polartanz. Their excellent clear over a tough showjumping course added just 1.6 time penalties to their first-phase score of 27.5, which gave them a comfortable margin for the cross-country, where time proved tricky: nobody caught it throughout the class, and Felix didn’t have to push to be one of the fastest, either. He picked up 9.6 time penalties on the track but still stayed in front by nearly six penalties — and comfortably romped home with his first-ever four-star victory.

Maxime Livio made up for his disappointment in the CCI4*-L by taking first and second in the CCI3*-L, riding Joel and Chateau de Versailles M2S, respectively. He edged first-phase leaders Julia Krajewski and Ero de Cantraie into third place in the process, ahead of China’s Ruiji Liang and Kiriaantje in fourth.

It was a great weekend to be called Felix: the Swiss edition, Felix Vogg, took top honours in the CCI3*-S, riding wire-to-wire leader Dao de l’Ocean, and won from the front in the CCI2*-S, too, with Zucker 4, and took the CCI1*, for good measure, leading throughout with Giandra van Schloesslihof. Learn to share, Felix.

Finally, the CCI2*-L went the way of another Swiss rider — this time, Camille Guyot, who rode Vinecheska Jeclai’s to a decisive win after taking the lead in the first phase and never relinquishing it.

Your Monday Reading List:

Next month, five new inductees will be added to the US Eventing Hall of Fame. Get to know the four people — and one horse — who’ve been granted this enormous accolade, and find out how you can join in with the celebrations. [Let’s get this party started]

The question of social license and horse welfare was the focal point of this year’s World Horse Welfare conference, with participants discussing the precarious position that the equestrian industry finds itself in in the public eye at the moment. Some salient points were made across the disciplines, including racing, and this round-up of the key points is well worth a read. [Can equestrian sports improve their image?]

How’s this for nominal determinism? Researcher Gordon Gallup has been looking into horses’ sense of self — and, indeed, whether they even are self-aware — and some of the findings and arguments are truly fantastic. Mostly the one that suggests that horses can’t be self-aware because they don’t use mirrors to check out their own bottoms, which, frankly, I’m quite glad about, as someone with a whole wall of mirrors in the arena. [Is your horse self-aware? Who knows.]

The introduction of a surveillance and reporting system at some key competitions has led to a decrease in incidents reported. The Equestrian Community Integrity Unit was set up to tackle any instances of wrongdoing in horse sport, and now, backed up by comprehensive CCTV footage, it appears to be leading to a diminished chance of wrongdoing being committed. [Equestrian sport continues to take out the trash]

The FutureTrack Follow:

FEI photographer and charming Italian Massimo Argenziano is well worth your follow for his vibrant, emotive photos of equestrian sport across the disciplines. Ciao, Bella!

Morning Viewing:

Check out these faintly mad scenes from the showjumping at the 1948 Olympics in London, where stride patterns and sensible lines weren’t really a thing, but horse sports could pack out Wembley Stadium:

Friday Video: A Day in the Life of a Professional Eventer

By on Nov 11, 2022 5:55 pm -

No two riders have the exact same routine on their yards, which is why it’s so endlessly fascinating to dive into how different people do things. In this vlog, you’ll get the chance to meet young, up-and-coming four-star rider Kate Dennis (and her mum, Vicky!) and her horses, and find out how she structures her day with the long-term aim of upper-level success. I’m particularly impressed with that in-barn DIY gym set-up!

Michael Jung Takes Ninth(!) Consecutive Victory in Stuttgart Masters Indoor Eventing

By on Nov 10, 2022 3:00 pm -

Michael Jung and Kilcandra Ocean Power. Photo courtesy of Stuttgart German Masters.

We’re well into the thick of indoor cross-country derby season, and no one’s embracing the format more than Herr Michael Jung. Fresh off a plane from catch-riding in Canada’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair edition, he zoomed over to his local, the Stuttgart German Masters, where he roundly won the class for the ninth consecutive time. Not only that, but he did so by a margin of nearly ten seconds. That’s just showing off now, Michi.

His ride in the class was Kilcandra Ocean Power, the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding with whom we saw him tackle CHIO Aachen earlier this year. Though still relatively inexperienced, the smart chestnut obviously enjoys an atmosphere: he entered the ring as the last horse of the evening to a great swell of support from the audience, and duly delivered the goods to trounce the til-then leaders, Cathal Daniels and CDS Cairnview Romolu. His 44.52 second round put the Irishman into second place on his still very respectable 53.43, while Sweden’s Sofia Sjoborg – who has been based previously with both Michi and Cathal, and has obviously picked up a thing or two along the way — took third place with a classy 53.64 second effort aboard the Dutch Warmblood Eastbourne.

“It’s great that the German Masters are taking place again and it’s a great pleasure to ride here,” says Michi. “Thanks to my supporters I have great horses at my disposal. Kilcandra Ocean Power gave me a great feeling today and was a blast to ride!”

18 total competitors, representing five countries, took part in the competition, which also saw the return of Ingrid Klimke‘s former Seven-Year-Old World Champion Weisse Dune, these days a specialist in these classes, who finished in a close sixth place. You can check out the full results here.

So how did Michi do it? Inside turns, baby, all the way — with some fine rollbacks that show exactly why he’s also a formidable Grand Prix show jumper in his own right. Check out his round in full (and take notes, because some of those turns are pure artistry. The music? Less so.)

The top five in the hotly-contested 2022 Stuttgart German Masters Eventing Derby.

“I Owe Them Everything”: Jonelle Price Announces Retirement of Five-Star Winning Mares

By on Nov 8, 2022 10:04 am -

It’s a day we all knew, deep down, was coming, but it certainly doesn’t make the announcement any less poignant: Jonelle Price has officially retired Classic Moet and Faerie Dianimo, the dynamic mares with whom she won back-to-back five-stars in 2018.

 

“With the season drawing to a close, sadly the time has come to officially call time on these two incredible mares’ careers and break the news to Molly [Classic Moet] that she won’t be going to Badminton,” writes Jonelle of the mares, both of whom are owned by Trisha Rickards, who also bred Faerie Dianimo. “They have done so much for my career — taught me how to compete on the world stage and together made many dreams, reality. I will miss them hugely and forever be indebted to them for all that they did for me. Trisha Rickards, not only their owner but one of the most knowledgeable horse ladies I’ve met, thank you for entrusting me with Molly and Maggie’s journey. I owe them everything.”

Both mares enjoyed call-ups for Team New Zealand at Championship level: Faerie Dianimo at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she finished seventeenth individually and the Kiwis were fourth as a team, and Classic Moet at the World Championships in 2014 in Caen, where she was fourth as an individual, and in 2018 at Tryon, where she was nineteenth individually and the team was seventh.

 

 

Jonelle Price and Classic Moet check out their new piece of silverware at Badminton 2018. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But it was at the five-star level where each mare truly shone. Though enormously different in their characters and styles, both mares shared a common characteristic: an excess of grit, which helped them to log fruitful, lengthy careers.

Classic Moet (Classic x Gamston Bubbles, by Bohemond) amassed 31 FEI eventing starts — plus a number of FEI jumping rounds in her winters on the Sunshine Tour — and ten of those, non-inclusive of World Championships, were at the five-star level. In seven, she finished in the top ten — and never finished outside the top twenty at the level, nor did she ever pick up cross-country jumping penalties at five-star. Across her career, though, she was most famous for her extraordinary penchant for easy speed, which led her to make the time in seven of those ten five-stars — and amass just 6 total time penalties at the level.

Jonelle Price finishes her round and realises that she and Classic Moet have scooped Badminton. Priceless. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“She’s so unspecial that she’s very special,” said Jonelle after cross-country at Badminton in 2018, where they finished just one second over the optimum time and ultimately went on to win. “She’s so quick that she makes me look good – I’m dreading the day she retires and people realise it’s all her! The partnership is so cemented – she trusts me. I got her as a ten-year-old and did a two-star on her at Hartpury and I thought, ‘I just don’t know how fast she’s going to be.’ But she’s proved me wrong, and she’s like a best friend. She wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea – she has a pretty peculiar way of going.”

‘Molly’s’ career began with British team stalwart Karen Dixon, who produced her to CCI3*-L before handing the reins to Darrell Scaife. He enjoyed two international runs on the mare before Ireland’s Esib Power took over, though her run with the mare was even shorter, with just one international start. New Zealand’s Caroline Powell was next up to bat, and she ran the mare in one FEI event before the unique mare landed at her final destination: Wiltshire’s Mere Farm, under the auspices of Jonelle. That was the latter half of 2013, and by late June of the following year, Molly was a five-star horse, finishing twelfth on her debut at Luhmühlen.

2018 Badminton winners Jonelle Price and Classic Moet. Photo by Kit Houghton/Mitsubishi Motors.

Her WEG debut would follow that year, and in 2015, Molly would make her first trip to Badminton, where she jumped clear inside the time on Saturday, giving everyone a taster of what was to come from the exceptional little athlete. A frustrating first phase and two rails down on the final day meant they had to settle for twentieth place — but that would be the lowest Molly would ever finish at the level. That autumn, the pair were fifth at Burghley, and when they returned to Badminton in the spring, it was to take tenth place. A few months later, they were third at Burghley — and by now, everyone had clocked that the mare was truly a vintage sort of competitor, and one perfectly suited to the ‘Big Bs’. When she won Badminton eighteen months later, after Jonelle’s return from maternity leave, it felt like a bit of fairytale kismet come true: the unassuming champion ridden by one of the world’s fiercest competitors, taking her very first title at the level. In 2019, they followed it up with a decisive win in the British Open Championship at Gatcombe, which would be their last international run before Covid-19 hit.

Though the pandemic robbed us of, perhaps, another Classic Moet five-star victory, we’ve been lucky to witness her greatness around the world since eventing’s return. She’s been aimed exclusively at national level competitions as prep and five-stars as ‘real-deal’ runs, and in 2021, was seventh at Kentucky and eighth at the inaugural Maryland Five Star. This year, at the age of nineteen, she was eleventh at Badminton and fourth at Burghley, which would also serve as her final run. There, she was also awarded with the inaugural Avebury Trophy, given by Captain Mark Phillips to the horse and rider deemed to have delivered the best cross-country round of the day. They were the only pair to finish inside the optimum time, despite a stopwatch malfunction that meant that they had to rely solely on rhythm.

Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo at Aachen in 2019. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Faerie Dianimo (Dimaggio X Faerie Dazzler VII, by Catherston Dazzler), for her part, made 37 FEI starts in her career, first bursting into the spotlight in earnest back in 2014, when she picked up her first international win in the Blenheim Eight- and Nine-Year-Old CCI4*-S. She then went on to make her five-star debut a month later at Pau, finishing fourth, and would follow it up with an impressive second place finish the following year at Luhmühlen. Two consecutive top-ten finishes in the tough CCIO4*-S at Aachen bolstered her resume, leading to her selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and on her return to five-star at Pau in 2017, she was once again in the top ten.

The next year, just over a month after Jonelle took her first five-star title at Badminton with Molly, ‘Maggie May’ gave her her second at Luhmühlen.

“Faerie Dianimo is pint-sized,” Jonelle told EN back in 2018 after that Luhmühlen win. “She is tiny. She thinks in her head she’s about 18 hands high — and it’s that attitude that has seen her get to the very top level of the sport. She fights me a bit on the cross-country, and in the dressage she can get a bit hot, but it’s these qualities that make her such a competitor. It was almost like she knew how important it was today.”

Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo put a run of bad luck behind them to take third. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In the couple of years following that win, Maggie May was the victim of a bit of bad luck — but was also well-preserved by her rider, who never ran the horse when circumstances made them uncompetitive. She started at Burghley in 2019, but activated a safety device for 11 penalties, after which Jonelle decided to save her for another day; the next year, she travelled to Pau but delivered an uncharacteristically high dressage score, and so Jonelle withdrew her before the cross-country. In 2021, Maggie May was one of five horses to make the big, two-week journey to Luhmühlen with the Prices, who cleverly worked around travel restrictions by competing abroad and basing with the Netherlands’ Tim Lips, but a freak stumble on course saw her and Jonelle hit the deck while in a competitive position. This year, though, they returned to Germany and took a decisive third place finish in the CCI5*, proving that the good stuff had been there all along, despite some mishaps along the way.

“She’s just had a few unlucky years,” said Jonelle at Luhmühlen. “In 2019 at Burghley she had a reaction to a jab in her neck and wasn’t quite right, and then last year here I had a stupid crash. She hasn’t really been off form, but we just haven’t had a clean run – and she only does one big event a year, because she’s made of glass, so when you only do one a year and you fuck your chance, it’s a long old way to the next!”

Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo. Photo by Ben Clark/Event Rider Masters.

Of that last run, Jonelle continued: “It’s kind of a relief, and just a pleasure to have her here, because she’s been such a phenomenal mare. She went Advanced when she was eight — she did the CCI4*-L at Blenheim at eight and won the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S there as a nine-year-old, so she’s been a pretty special mare. It’s nice to finish up on a good one.”

“As much as she’s brilliant in every respect, she’s a right madam and she’s as hot as you like. So the dressage is quite hard work, and it’s not because she’s not capable. She can easily go from an 8 or a 9 to a 3 or a 4, and I’m afraid that’s just her. Even though she’s seventeen years of age, she’s not got any better. We sort of managed to keep a lid on it on Friday, but certainly when I was stood in the prize giving, I couldn’t help but think what might have been.”

“It was a relief, really, to tick the box and do all the right things, and she gave me a really lovely ride. She’s a little bit unorthodox; I think she’s got double-jointed front limbs or something, because you see one leg up there and one leg up there, but you know that she’s always fighting for the fence and looking for the flags. I always liken her to a tumble dryer — you sort of just sit on top and get rocked around, but she’s always trying to do the right thing.”

The well-earned retirement of these two extraordinary mares opens the door for Jonelle’s enviable ‘second string’, including this year’s Pau winner Grappa Nera and team bronze medallist McClaren, to step to the forefront of her line-up — but their unique characters will no doubt be missed aboard the Price lorry.

Happy retirement, girls — and thank you for all the great story fodder you’ve given us over the years! It’s been a pleasure and a privilege.

Tuesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Nov 8, 2022 7:30 am -

 

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There are two things I really, really love, perhaps above all else: impromptu shopping sprees and horsey fairy tales. Last week, while reporting on Pau, I got to be a part of both when my great friend and yard owner Kate Tarrant ventured down for a jolly at the event with our pal Helen Howell. One of the lesser-known things about Pau is that it also hosts a rather informal horse sale on Saturday evening, and Kate and Helen had watched some of the young horses registered for the sale as they’d loose-jumped a few days prior — with no intention to actually buy, of course.

That is, until they spotted Ipanema Classic. Tall, beautifully put together with legs up to here; sired by World Champ Banzai du Loir’s sire Nouma d’Auzay and packed with talent on the dam side, too; equipped with big, clever radar ears and kind eyes and a clever, curious countenance — she was perfect. And so, a few pink wines and a little bit of enabling later, they snuck off into the crowd as the sun set over the auction and minutes — and some cobbled-together French — later, came back with a horse they now own between them, a big five-star dream, and a bottle of champagne. What a whirlwind!

Once they’d rung their husbands to admit to what they’d done, we got down to the business of celebrating — and now, Penny Pau, as we’ve christened her, has arrived back in England, every bit as perfect as she was in France. We’re all redownloading DuoLingo so we can actually talk to her, and in the meantime, she’s had her first short lunge and will enjoy her inaugural ride on English soil today. We’ve all got a great feeling about this one, and I can’t wait to follow her through the age classes all the way up — we hope — to the very top of the sport. Expect to see plenty more of EN’s unofficial new English mascot.

Events Closing Today: Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T.

Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:

Have a brand that NEEDS to be on everyone’s holiday list this year? We’ve just opened up spots for our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide with Horse Nation. Info/book your spot here.

We’re on Day 2 of SmartPak’s 12 Days of Deals! Today, you can snag a free saddle pad with a Buy 2, Get 1 Free deal using code 22DEAL2 at checkout. Click here to shop.

Two years into their five-year contract, The Jockey Club has withdrawn from its role in running England’s Blenheim Palace International. This major blow to eventing comes as a result of the current economic climate in the UK, and leaves the prestigious event — which hosts one of just three CCI4*-L competitions in the country alongside the enormously important eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S — with an uncertain future. [A blow for Blenheim]

I don’t follow racing much, but after I saw the viral video of Flightline’s owner quietly crying as he watched his horse run away with the Breeder’s Cup, I needed to know everything about the race, the horse, and the circumstances that led to such an emotional moment. [Here’s the full story]

What’s the difference between being a rider and being a horseman? That’s the question at the heart of a new book by hunter-jumper trainers Traci and Carleton Brooks Balmoral, and this article, which condenses the answer down to ten essential bullet points. The key? Communication — and setting aside your ego to do so effectively. [Become a horseman]

Are you planning a move-up? Brushing up on the expectations at your intended level is never a bad idea, and can help you stay safe as you amp up the difficulty. The USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels was developed by the USEA Eventing Coaches’ Program’s members, and is jam-packed with useful information — and best of all? It’s a free download, so there’s no excuse not to be clued up. [Get it here]

Last winter, EHV-1 once again triggered a major circuit shutdown and plenty of fear among horse people. Nearly a year on, what have we learned from it, and how can we best prepare to avoid outbreaks and manage situations in which they occur? USEF is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday, November 15 at 5 p.m. ET covering these topics and more, with a panel of experts discussing best practice and prevention. It’ll be well worth the watch. [Sign up here]

The Ocala Horse Properties Dream Farm of the Week:

How sweet is this barn-and-apartment combo? It’s got eight stalls and six paddocks, and it’s perfectly located just a couple of minutes from WEC. While the property comes with plenty of space to build a huge main residence, I actually love the idea of just moving into an apartment and closing those big gates so me and my horses can enjoy our little slice of heaven without any input from the real world. Is that a realistic dream? Maybe not — but who among us hasn’t dreamed of looking out our bedroom window and seeing our happy horses, knowing that it’s just and them tucked away in a perfect little oasis? Bliss.

Watch This:

Check out how dressage has changed — and how it’s remained the same — in this vintage training footage.

Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Nov 7, 2022 7:06 am -

 

Three cheers for Canada’s Holly Jacks, who took the win in the indoor eventing at Canada’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, riding in honour of her late student, Zara Buren, and beating out the likes of Michael Jung. Get ’em, girl!

National Holiday: It’s National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day, and I don’t really know why either.

US Weekend Round-Up:

Galway Downs International Three-Day Event (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Results]

The VHT International & H.T. (Lexington, VA): [Website] [Results]

Full Gallop Farm November H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Results]

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Altoona, FL): [Website] [Results]

Texas Rose Horse Park Fall H.T. (Tyler, TX): [Website] [Results]

Global Eventing Round-Up:

The South American Games took place over the weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was duly won by the Brazilian team — and individual gold, too, went the way of Brazil, with British-based Carlos Parro taking top honours in this CCI3*-L competition with Tullabeg Chinzano. The course didn’t mess around; they had their own level-appropriate version of Pratoni’s slide, giving the nineteen entrants plenty to sink their teeth into.

Your Monday Reading List:

Getting transitions right — and then riding a tonne of them — is key to a great ride. But nailing the transitions in life, too, is pretty essential, for many of the same reasons. [Direct, indirect — they all count]

World Championships team silver medalist Will Coleman is having one heck of an 18 months. Between that Pratoni result and his history-making Aachen win last year — and a slew of other accolades in between — he’s riding high at the top. But that upper-level success comes off the back of a commitment to training his horses properly from their earliest rides. So what’s his secret? US Eventing sat down with him to uncover his training philosophies. [Spoiler alert: he loves the YEH program]

Horse show competitors said the darnedest things. This collection of gems from the Facebook group ‘Overheard at the In-Gate’ is particularly good, and even features a couple of stinkers from the competitors at Maryland last month. The pros: they’re just like us. [No one knows where the stretchy thing starts]

I’ve been following along with the National Horse Show over the last few days, mostly because I like to get wine drunk and treat my boyfriend to my own unique brand of Maclay commentary. But in all seriousness, what a show — and what a rich history it has, too. COTH has done a deep dive back into their own archives to look at the 52nd edition, back in 1937, when the show was still held at Madison Square Garden. There’s even some remarkable footage, courtesy of the British Pathé archives. [Vintage? SO cute.]

The FutureTrack Follow:

 

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Bring a bit of fine art to your timeline with this curated collection of UK-based equine artists. On show today? These gorgeous oils of racehorses. I particularly love the slightly undone studies.

Morning Viewing:

Take some inspiration from the world of dressage, and this incredible performance from Olympic gold medallist Jessica von Bredow-Werndl at Lyon, where she made her return to the top after maternity leave.

Saturday Video: Jump in the Wayback Machine to Atlanta ’96

By on Nov 5, 2022 4:39 pm -

You all know I’m a sucker for a bit of eventing history, especially if it harks back to a part of the sport I actually kind of remember. I definitely had posters from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics ripped out of Horse and Pony magazine and Blue-Tacked onto my walls, even if it came just weeks after my fifth birthday, and no matter your age, I’d be willing to bet you’ve spent some time idolising some of the riders in this cross-country footage. Some of them are still going strong, too, so you may well have had a very recent fan-girl over them! This is about as Equestrian 2001 as a bit of eventing footage can get — enjoy.

Paris 2024 Reveals Equestrian Schedule – With a Twist

By on Nov 5, 2022 3:44 pm -

The 2024 Olympic eventing format will feel even more compact than that of Tokyo 2020, which delivered the sport in a condensed, high-intensity format. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

In the latest news from the International Olympic Committee and the Paris 2024 organisers, we’ve been treated to a much firmer timetable of sports, including a daily plan of each of the equestrian disciplines — and all, at first glance, looks pretty much as normal.

At first glance, that is. Another cursory glance will reveal something interesting: at the next Games, we’ll see all the eventing dressage take place over one day. That’s a stonking 65 tests in one go, folks — a big difference from Tokyo, where we saw a 44/21 split over two days. We also saw shorter tests in action at that Games, which will be wholly necessary at the next with this ambitious timetable, and our sources on the inside tell us that some events will begin to trial this format next year so it can be finely honed in time for July 2024.

Here’s a look at how the most exciting couple of weeks of 2024 will play out:

Friday, July 26

Opening Ceremony

Eventing – First Horse Inspection

Saturday, July 27

Eventing – Dressage (team and individual — 65 starters)

Sunday, July 28

Eventing –  Cross-Country (team and individual — 65 starters)

Dressage – First Horse Inspection

Monday, July 29

Eventing – Final Horse Inspection

Eventing – Jumping (team final and individual qualifier)

Eventing – Jumping (individual final, 25 starters)

Eventing – Medal Ceremonies

Tuesday, July 30

Dressage – Grand Prix (1st team and individual qualifier, 30 starters)

Wednesday, July 31 

Dressage – Grand Prix (1st team and individual qualifier, 30 starters)

Jumping – First Horse Inspection

Thursday, August 1

Jumping – Team Qualifier (20 teams/60 starters)

Friday, August 2

Dressage – Second Horse Inspection

Jumping – Team Final (30 starters)

Jumping – Team Medal Ceremony

Saturday, August 3

Dressage – Grand Prix Special, Team Final (30 starters)

Dressage – Team Medal Ceremony

Jumping – Horse Inspection, Individual

Sunday, August 4

Dressage – Grand Prix Freestyle (individual final, 18 starters)

Dressage – Individual Medal Ceremony

Monday, August 5

Jumping – Individual Qualifier (75 starters)

Tuesday, August 6

Jumping – Individual Final (30 starters)

Jumping – Medal Ceremony

Santa, Baby?: A Horse-Crazy Shopaholic Meets the Goresbridge Go-For-Gold Catalogue

By on Nov 4, 2022 11:00 am -

Remember the good old days of magazine advertisements for horses? Whether you grew up circling your dream horses in the back of Horse&Hound or, like me, you lived in rural New England and picked your horse of a lifetime out of the weekly Uncle Henry’s, the sport of window shopping is as time-honoured as the sport of actually riding a horse itself. These days, we’re spoilt for choice: I, for one, end up down an endless rabbit hole whenever I’m asked to pick out my favourite listings in Sport Horse Nation, and I can happily browse HorseQuest for hours. So deep is my love for daydreaming about horses and trying to spot future champions that I’ve even picked up a little side hustle sourcing horses, which is just about the most fun a gal can have, frankly. Even better? The special days when I’m asked to have a browse through an auction catalogue and pick out some eye-catchers. I’m delighted to be heading to Ireland this month for the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale (November 14-16), and so, to prepare for my big trip to come, I took a deep dive into the newly-revealed auction catalogue, and picked out the horses I’ll be keeping a particularly close eye on when I’m there. I tried to keep it to a top ten, but like any good horse-shopaholic, I have no willpower, so here’s my eleven favourite horses from this year’s line-up. Happy bidding!

Lot 4: MBF Flintstone

Five-year-old gelding (Grandorado TN x Dakota G, by Heartbreaker). 16.2hh.

I spend half my time living in a glorious fantasy world, in which I have a healthy chunk of expendable funds that I can use to pick up young, talented horses and produce them to sell into uniquely American niches. Flintstone ticks all my boxes there: he’s got the style to go nail the hunter derbies, but the scope and canter to succeed across all three US hunter/jumper disciplines, frankly. In this fantasy world of mine, I’m also the only person who would ever possibly have this bright idea, so I’m sure no one else will scoop him up and sell him for six figures in six months’ time. Oh, hang on, spoiler alert — I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Lot 31: Monbeg Celtic Mist

Three-year-old gelding (Celtic Hero B Z x Ballycapple Mist, by Boherdeal Clover). 16.1hh. 

I know you lot love a grey, so I’m going to skip ahead a bit in the catalogue here and keep everything monochromatic for now. I love how blood this three-year-old looks, and the quality that the Zangersheide lines bring to the table make him a really attractive sport prospect. He’s also enormously commercial, because we’re all a sucker for a bit of colour and a sweet white face, and his spotty botty and rose-grey hue mean he’ll be an eye-catching prospect if produced for resale. I could see this being a really fun young rider’s horse or competitive amateur ride in a few years’ time.

Lot 23: Belline Olympic Date

Four-year-old gelding (Olympic Lux x MH Smart Date, by Tjipke). 16.1hh.

Everything about this compact, athletic four-year-old looks fun. He’s got a great, naturally balanced canter and a sweet, neat jump — plus, I love how he really takes the time to analyse where he needs to take off and makes a tidy job of it as a result. I think there’s talent to burn there, but I also think this would be a super project for a young rider who wants to produce their own horse to go on and tackle some teams with. The whole impression here is of a horse who wants to please and likes his work, and that’s the sort of youngster we all like to climb aboard.

Lot 30: MBF PLS Castlecomer Q

Three-year-old gelding (Castlecomer Q x Fornet Roos, by Cornet’s Stern). 16.2hh.

Each year, I’m more and more impressed by MBF Sporthorses, the production and sales business operated by Co. Waterford’s Brian Flynn and Meabh Bolger. Generally speaking, my favourite lot in every Irish sale comes from their place, and this flashy chestnut is yet another excellent stamp. He reminds me, in many ways, of TMX Herby, the former ride of the Netherlands’ Tim Lips and a horse I unabashedly adored, despite the fact that every time I tried to bribe him into liking me, he just determinedly hated me more. I feel confident I’d have more success with this chap, and I intend to test that theory at the sales. Even if he, too, hates me, though, he makes up for it with an extraordinary natural lightness that I can’t help but love: even though he throws a huge jump, he immediately lands in balance, allowing him to travel on. That’ll be a seriously handy trait in the years to come, and no doubt comes, in part, from his maternal great-granddaddy, the excellent Cornet Obolensky.

Lot 36: MBF Otasia

Three-year-old gelding (Glasgow x Santasia, by Corland). 16.1hh.

If one athletic chestnut gelding with a tonne of chrome wasn’t enough — and is it ever, really? — meet the second of my Big Orange MBF Crushes, the delightful Otasia. What initially drew me to this gelding, who has some serious jumping lines on top and bottom, including Quidam de Revel and Darco through his sire and Cor de la Bryere and Nimmerdor through his dam, is the twinkle in his eye. I just KNOW this talented boy is going to make his new person laugh every day, whether that’s through comically spooking at his own farts, making faces and throwing buckets over the stable door, or simply through serving up *that* cheeky head-toss after every fence. He’s got clown vibes in the best possible way, and I hope that he finds someone who finds life as much of a lark as he does. He’s pretty well-matched with Castlecomer in terms of talent, though if I’m being picky, I’d say his lower hindlimb and hoof conformation slightly edges the win for me — but both horses are super special, and I can’t wait to see them in the flesh.

Lot 49: Caragh Harley Jo

Three-year-old gelding (Jorado x Caraghs Harley Lady, by Ringwood Harley Carol). 16.2hh.

I love a Diarado, and this paternal grandson of the German stallion has really been stamped by him. He’s got the Diarado head, the easy jump, and the loose movement that makes the sire so coveted, and I’ve often found that the line brings forward a real clever trainability, too. I like the look of this horse a lot, and I suspect we’ll see it go the way of a good professional, who’ll be happy to give him a year to continue filling out so that his front end catches up to his slightly croup-high back end.

Lot 33: Unnamed

Three-year-old gelding (Diarado x The Kings Lady, by Kings Master). 16.1hh.

Speaking of Diarados, this own son is another really nice sort with a tonne of ability and balance. Every time I see an unnamed horse pop up in an auction, it makes me think of the delightful Italian rider Filippo Gregoroni, who has a very good horse that he’s campaigned at the Young Horse World Championships, who is actually registered as Unnamed. I don’t actually know the story, but my best guess is that a language barrier got in the way somewhere there, and when the horse was bought, they assumed that was actually his name. It’s the kind of harmless whoopsy that I live for, frankly.

Lot 66: Balief MBF

Three-year-old filly (HHS Cornet x Lazio, by Aldato). 16.1hh.

Talk about a leg at each corner: this sweet filly is beautifully put together with plenty of strength through her hindend and a real oil painting countenance that I find totally irresistible. And she can move and jump, too! With great jumping lines top and bottom, plus some classy Thoroughbreds just a couple of generations back (and a maternal great-granddam called Great Tilly, delightfully), she’d be as useful as a breeding prospect as she is as an athlete.

Lot 74: Rincoola MBF

Three-year-old gelding (Moonlight Silver Shadow x Rincoola Duchess, by Presenting). 16.1hh. 

IT’S GOLD.

Lot 78: Aidensfield Babel

Three-year-old colt (Corporal VDL x Aidensfield Caprice, by Aldatus Z). 16.2hh.

Generally speaking, this striking chap wouldn’t actually be my type of horse – he’s quite big, and I like a pony on steroids; he’s uncut, and I prefer my men to have had their undercarriages cleared out, frankly; and he’s an extraordinarily powerful, scopey jumper. Okay, okay, that might seem like a really odd gripe to have – after all, we all want to spend our hard-earned pennies on something that can actually get to the other side of a fence. But when a three-year-old is particularly showy over a fence, I start to worry that it might be too careful to make a great eventer, or that it may have been overproduced at an early age.

But this guy? I can’t stop myself from going back to his videos, because it doesn’t look at all like he’s been overproduced — it just looks as though he’s having the most fun ever. Do I want to try to sit that enormous effort? Probably not! But will I be achingly curious to see which strong-cored pro picks this obvious talent up? Totally. This is a horse whose progression I’d love to watch.

Lot 90: MBF Mystro Max

I promise, I’m not actually being paid off by MBF Sporthorses here — they really do just have a seriously nice collection of horses in this sale. This one ticks a lot of boxes for me: he has a great name (Mystro Max! He sounds like a superhero!), a great hind end, and a great jump. I also love his sweet, cheeky expression, which suggests that I might sit a couple of good dance moves through his younger years if I buy him, but that it’ll all be worth it for the things we’ll win, too. He’s ‘bred in the purple’ on the bottom and the top half, which is much more continental, has him closely related to a German horse I once had the ride on, so that feels like a good enough omen. This one looks much better quality, for what it’s worth.

As a bonus entry, I also have to put forward Lot 3, who wins the prize for the best name of all the horses in this year’s sale. My totally non-horsey boyfriend is constantly disparaging of odd horse names, and has taken to referring to any horse with a slightly silly name as ‘Filly of the Bush’. Therefore, he was as delighted — or perhaps horrified; I don’t know — as I was to click into the catalogue and find the exceptionally-monikered Red Hot Chilli Filly. I would buy her ten times over just for that name. It is, truly, a work of art.

 

Thursday Video: A Day in the Life of an Up-and-Coming Jockey

By on Nov 3, 2022 5:28 pm -

For today’s evening viewing, we’re steering slightly away from the world of eventing and into that of racing — more specifically, into the life and story of Kanane Francis, a graduate of Freedom Zampaladus’s inner-city riding programme The Urban Equestrian. Nowadays, the 21-year-old is a trainee jockey, a career path in which he’s thriving — and vlogger Riding with Rhi met him with a camera in tow to find out more about his day-to-day routine.

Galway Through the Lens: Sights and Sounds from the First Horse Inspection

By on Nov 3, 2022 12:00 pm -

Kaylawna Smith-Cook and Mai Blume. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

The European season might have wrapped up, but on the West Coast, eventing is still alive and kicking — and this week takes us straight to sunny California, where Galway Downs International got underway with the first horse inspections. Our friend Sherry Stewart is on the ground with her cameras to give us all a bit of escapism and some gorgeous horses — and if you want to follow along, you can do so with our handy-dandy viewing guide. For now, though? Let’s take a front-row seat at the jog strip.

James Alliston and Monkey. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Sophie Click and Tarantino 54 Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Tamie Smith and Cheers. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

James Alliston and Karma. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Sophie Click and Quidproquo. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Sophie Click and Quidproquo. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

James Alliston with Paper Jam and Keep Calm. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

James Alliston and Paper Jam. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Kaylawna Smith-Cook and Passepartout. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Tamie Smith’s ride Kynan meets a much smaller four-legged friend. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Molly Duda and Disco Traveller. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Taren Hoffos and Findlay. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Tamie Smith and Crafty Don. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Taylor McFall and Stoneman. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Galway Downs International Three-Day Event (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer]

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Every Horse Movie Ever, in Four Minutes

By on Nov 2, 2022 6:05 pm -

No matter how old we get here at EN, we’re always going to be suckers for the most basic of horse movie tropes — the rogue mare who won’t be tamed but turns to putty in the hands of a stroppy teenager; the mustang or racehorse who displays such an aptitude for jumping fences that within a year, he’s at five-star; the unfeeling parent or farm owner who wants nothing more than to keep the main character and the horse apart, often for no real reason. It’s the blood in our veins, this stuff, but even we are willing to admit it’s all just a touch ridiculous — and that’s why we’re suckers, too, for a jolly good parody of the whole silly business.

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