Boyd Martin’s Monday News and Notes from ECOGOLD

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Emily Beshear and Here’s To You. Photo thanks to my sweet mother (who I wasn’t aware had photography skillzz)
What a weekend for eventing! Without a doubt, this is a weekend to leave everyone feeling inspired. Boyd Martin’s win on Ying Yang Yo was just incredible. I am sure Boyd feels just as excited to have “Thomas” back out there as we are to see him back out there. Jumping across the pond to the land of wine and cheese, there was more excitement. My boyfriend idol, William Fox-Pitt, took the big blue (and a hefty chunk of moo-la) at the Pau CCI****. And then there is Mary King. King took the HSBC FEI Classics title and an even bigger chunk of $$ ($150,000 to be exact). Some good wins, some good come backs, and a safe weekend make for a lot of happy folks. 
Fair Hill [Final Scores]

Sol Int. at Meadowcreek Park Fall HT [Scores]
    
Briarwood PC Annual Event [Final Scores]

Grass Ridge HT [Scores]

Missouri Wine Country Sporthorse Show [Scores]

Cobblestone Fall Event Derby [Scores]

Fresh Aire Events Derby and CT [Scores

CDCTA [Website]

I know John has given a fantastic recap of FHI. But I just want to say again how awesome of a weekend it was. The top 3 riders in the CCI*** couldn’t be more deserving of their places. Looking beyond the top three gives the US something to be really excited about. There is a growing depth in this country’s string of horses which makes London look even more exciting. 
I know I am biased, but in my unbiased opinion, Emily Beshear was one of the absolute best ones out there Saturday. Quincy has grown into a real top level horse this season and Emily just keeps getting better and better. With two top 10 CCI*** finishes this year, I can’t wait to see what happens in the spring. 
Another thing that made FHI a great event was the tailgating. We tailgate at all sorts of sporting events and I am really excited to see tailgating making it’s way into the event scene. I was told that more people tailgated than expected and they are hoping for double or more next year. Our group had a prime spot right in front of the duck pond water. This made for a fantastic day of action accompanied with great food and drinks. [Boyd’s recap, Shetland pony race pictures]
As I mentioned in the intro, WFP took the win at Pau. But what I didn’t mention was he finished 3rd as well. There are few humans who can ride a horse. Even fewer can get to a 4*. And of those who do, there are even fewer who will ever see a win. WFP has won nearly a gazillion 4*s. His consistent top finishes make him, in my opinion, the best in the world. However, WFP started the show jumping in less than stellar fashion when Macchiato had 8 down. However, his luck got better and the jumping improved for him. Mary King, winner of the HSBC FEI Classic Title, finished fourth. The pressure was on for Mary to jump a clear round. Had she finished anything less than 8th place, the HSBC title would have been handed over to WFP. Overnight leader, Chris Burton, unfortunately had 3 rails down to finish 8th. [PAU
The US and Canadian riders, grooms and horses should be settled into their accommodations in Mexico by now. John will be in route to Mexico to provide us with great coverage. After a little issue with the chinchillas’ travel visa, the rest will hopefully be smooth sailing. As mentioned earlier on EN, Jon Holling did not travel to Mexico. With a slight veterinary issue, Jon withdrew from the team. Lynn Symansky has taken his spot with her lovely mount, Donner. [Update on team
Edward Gal donated a beautiful signed picture of him and Totilas for a fundraising effort. The picture, which was sold on Trade Me, was donated to raise money for Kiwi para-equestrians, Rachel Stock. The money raised will help send Stock to Germany to train for 3 months leading up to the Olympics. The picture was sold for $3500. [Fundraising]

Pan Ams: The US dressage team won a 4th straight Pan Am team gold Sunday

Good News: Parker is home

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Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me. Photo thanks to my mom.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday. Sit tight, there is some awesome Pan American Games coverage coming your way! Go Eventing.
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