Classic Eventing Nation

Thursday News & Notes from Ecogold

By on Jun 27, 2024 12:01 am -

The impossible choice of selecting the British Olympic eventing team has finally been made, but I can’t get over the fact that we’ve still been left in suspense as we don’t yet know which of these fantastic four will end up in the traveling reserve spot. Another impossible choice!

The other thing I can’t get over is the fact that they’ve had Ros stand on the edge of the fountain for their official photos at the Team GB kitting out day. That just really tickles me.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. and Area III Eventing Championships (Chattahoochee Hills, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]

Full Moon Farm HT (Finksburg, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Inavale Farm HT (Philomath, OR) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]

Larkin Hill H.T. (North Chatham, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Flagstaff, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

UK International Events

Burgham International (Northumberland) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

European International Events

SemaLease Kilguilkey House International 1 (Ireland) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring]

Thursday News and Reading

To celebrate the launch of Canter Culture’s first riding top, the Alice Sun Shirt, Canter Culture is giving away an entire outfit! For your chance to win an Alice Sun Shirt, one pair of Athletic Breeches, Boot Socks, and a Double Circle Belt, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter and fill out the form in the 7/1 ICYMI Newsletter! Winner will select color options & sizing. Canter Culture seamlessly blends style & sport, so all that’s left to do is enjoy the ride. Stay tuned — we’ll announce the winner in our weekly newsletter on 7/1! Sign up for our newsletter here.

The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant is now open to qualified applicants! Find out more here.

Meg Kepferle is spearheading a campaign to revamp the ditches at the Horse Park of New Jersey. The current ones at the lower levels are known to be a little tricky for greener horses and riders and $7,500 is the current fundraising goal for new ditches from the Starter through Preliminary levels. Here’s where to send donations and there’s also an air vest up for auction!

We all hear the many desperate calls for volunteers at events. So why are they seeming to fall on deaf ears? In this excellent first half of a two-part report, COTH spoke to several different event organizers to identify the problems they currently face in finding and retaining volunteers. Here’s what they had to say.

Researchers have recently published a study in the Equine Veterinary Journal using data recorded by StrideMASTER — a wearable tech used originally used to help time races more precisely — from 584 horses who ran in more than 5,000 races between 2011 and 2016. The data was compared to the horses’ records of orthopedic injuries and the results demonstrated a relationship between speed, stride, and risk of injury even as far as six races out from an injury.

Sponsor Corner: Few things look nicer than a fresh, clean, and white saddle pad. But how do you keep your white saddle pad actually white — not ivory, not cream, and certainly not yellow! Check out these tips from Ecogold!

Video Break: It’s all sure coming together now!

Italy Nominates Paris Olympic Eventing Entries

By on Jun 26, 2024 1:20 pm -

Arianna Schivo and Quefira de l’Ormeau. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Italy is the latest nation to nominate its entries for the upcoming Paris Olympics, putting forward eight horse and rider combinations ahead of the Definite Entries deadline of July 8. The Italian Federation will select its final team from the following list of riders:

  • Evelina Bertoli with Fidji Des Melezes (Aga Khan – Louna de Sainte-Ode, by Bayard D’Elle), owned by az. agricola di campello argenta and Evelina Bertoli
  • Daniele Bizzarro on Stormhill Riot (Downe Right Rebel – Stormhill Matilda), owned by the Rider and Alice Dazeley
  • Emiliano Portale on Scuderia 1918 Future (Fetcher N – Grace Keg, by Le Mistral), owned by Scuderia 1918 Capital srl and Emma McNab
  • Alessio Proia on Gatta Salta D’O (Hos D’O – Cassandra Van’t Cheikenshof, by Skippy II), owned by Rider and Gabriele Proia and Valerio Proia
  • Pietro Sandei on Rubis De Prere (Fedor de Seves – Cina du Logis, by Quandy du Mayne), owned by az.agr. Galanthus di Castellani S.
  • Arianna Schivo on Quefira De L’ormeau (Iolisco De Quinhon – Isabelle du Brulot, by Beausejour IV), owned by Rider and Thomas Bouquet
  • Paolo Torlonia on ESI Bethany Bay (OBOS Quality 004 – Catina, by Quasimodo van de Molendreef), owned by Kilpatrick T Limited and Emanuela Torlonia
  • Giovanni Ugolotti on Florencina (Verdi TN – Whitsuntide de Marsch, by Goodtimes), owned by Rider and Philip Hunt and Jo Preston-Hunt
    • Direct Reserve Horse: Swirly Temptress (For Ladies Only – Betty Barclay, by Brentano II), owned by Krin and Kristina Rausing

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

Reigning Olympic Champions Great Britain Announce All-Star Team for Paris

By on Jun 26, 2024 12:04 pm -

The British squad for Paris 2024. Photo courtesy of Team GB.

Who’d be a British selector, right? In this economy, with this many extraordinary horses and riders taking up spots on that spicy meatball of a long-list?! No. Thank. You.

But somehow, that selection committee has managed to come to the end of what we can only imagine was a deeply fraught process, with several fist-fights (maybe), a few arm-wrestling sessions (probably), and probably at least one instance of playing blindfolded darts to try to make a call between two riders (almost certainly), and has emerged, battered, bruised, and ready for social media to rip them to shreds, with a team of four horses and riders.

We could write thousands of words on how terrible we feel for several of the obvious omissions on this list, who deserved selection enormously but have the misfortune of representing a country with just, well, way too many options. Instead, we’ll wish for brilliant autumn campaigns, major, career-boosting victories, and many open doors to come for them and move swiftly on to the four horses and riders who have been selected to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Paris Olympics, where they’ll aim to retain the team gold won in Tokyo.

The four selected combinations are as follows, in alphabetical order:

  • Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo – twelve-year-old British-Bred Sport Horse (Birkhof’s Grafenstolz x Cornish Queen, by Rock King), owned by Michele and Archie Saul and groomed by Sarah Charnley
  • Laura Collett and London 52 – fifteen-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Landos x Vernante, by Quinar Z), owned by Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett, and the rider, and groomed by Tilly Hughes
  • Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir – thirteen-year-old Selle Français gelding (Nouma d’Auzay x Gerboise du Cochet, by Livarot), owned by Jeanette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund, and groomed by Alison Bell
  • Tom McEwen and JL Dublin – thirteen-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Diarado x Zarinna, by Canto 16), owned by Mr and Mrs J Lambert and Deirdre Johnstone, and groomed by Adam Short

Notice that that’s four, and in alphabetical order, rather than three and a reserve – that’s because, apparently, the selection committee is just like the rest of us mere mortals and, for now, can’t quite make the call on who’s going to be travelling reserve. We expect this will follow closer to the competition, which begins at the end of next month, once observations have been made about the horses’ form in their final preparations.

So, to recap, that’s our reigning European Champions (Ros and Lordships Graffalo), who also won Badminton last year; a combination who’ve won all three of their five-star starts and were part of the gold medal-winning team at Tokyo (Laura and London 52); our reigning World Champions and CHIO Aachen champions, who also won Luhmühlen’s Olympics-Lite CCI4*-S a couple of weeks ago (Yas and Banzai du Loir); and a former European Champion horse and his new-ish rider, with whom he’s finished in the top three thrice at five-star (Tom and JL Dublin). MAN, OH MAN.

We’d say ‘good luck to the rest of the world’, but that would be doing eventing a disservice: the Brits didn’t have their day as a team in Pratoni, and while this is arguably the most formidable team of the Paris line-up, one of the things that keeps us all coming back to this mad sport is how truly unpredictable it can be. One thing’s for certain – we can’t wait to watch these guys give it their all at Versailles in a month.

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

10 Nations Represented with 50 Entries at CHIO Aachen

By on Jun 26, 2024 9:30 am -

Sandra Auffarth waves to the busy stadium after winning Aachen in 2022. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

EN’s coverage of CHIO Aachen in 2024 is brought to you with support from Deirdre Vaillancourt Stoker Real Estate, your prime choice for Aiken, SC property!

Entries for the eventing portion, the SAP Cup, at CHIO Aachen’s annual World Equestrian Festival have been published, with 10 nations receiving an invitation and sending forward a total of 51 horses for entry into the CCIO4*-S happening July 6 and 7 in Germany.

Aachen has been chosen to host the 2026 FEI World Championships / World Equestrian Games for most disciplines, and it’s been the prime choice of top competitors around the world for many years. Some countries aiming for Paris will make their final team selections following Aachen, where we might see some pairs under orders to pull up or otherwise save their competitiveness for the Olympics in a few weeks’ time.

The complete list of entries can be found here or below:

 AUS AUSTRALIA Chef d’Equipe: Erin O’Neill
BARNETT, Andrew Go Tosca
BURTON, Christopher Clever Louis
HOY, Andrew Cadet de Beliard
MCNAB, Kevin Miss Pepperpot, Willunga (Jump&Drive)
 AUT AUSTRIA
SIEGL, Lea van Helsing P
 BEL BELGIUM
DE LIEDEKERKE – MEIER, Lara Ducati d’Arville, Hermione d’Arville, Pumpkin de la Liniere (Jump&Drive)
 FRA FRANCE Chef d’Equipe: Michel Asseray
EURIAT, Morgane Fixin de Conde
LEFEVRE, Cyrielle Armanjo Serosah
MARX, Arthur Church’Ile
MASSIE, Benjamin Filao de Perle
 GBR GREAT BRITAIN Chef d’Equipe: Philip Surl
team CHABERT, Kirsty Classic v.
team COLLETT, Laura Dacapo
team KING, Emily Valmy Biats
team TAYLOR, Isabelle Sbh Big Wall
DOEL, David Captain Tiger Tilly (Jump&Drive), Kenzo Power B
 GER GERMANY Chef d’Equipe: Jens Prof.Dr. Adolphsen
team HANSEN-HOTOPP, Malin Carlitos Quidditch K
team JUNG, Michael Fischerchipmunk FRH, Kilcandra Ocean Power (team)
team ROBINE, Jerome Black Ice
team WAHLER, Christoph Carjatan S, d’Accord FRH
AUFFARTH, Sandra Viamant du Matz
BÖCKMANN, Calvin Crunchip M (Jump&Drive), The Phantom Of The Opera
KRAJEWSKI, Julia Great Twist d’Ive Z (Jump&Drive), Nickel 21
SCHRADE, Dirk Casino 80
SIEMER, Anna FRH Butt’s Avondale
 IRL IRELAND Chef d’Equipe: Dag Albert
CASSELLS, Ian Millridge Atlantis
MURPHY, Joseph Calmaro, Choclat (Jump&Drive)
O’CONNOR, Austin Isazsa
WATSON, Sam Ballyneety Rocketman
 NZL NEW ZEALAND Chef d’Equipe: Jonathan Paget
team JOHNSTONE, Clarke Domasco
team POWELL, Caroline Cbi Aldo
team PRICE, Jonelle Senor Crocodillo
team PRICE, Tim Jarillo
THOMASEN, Ginny Capitaine de Hus Z
 SUI SWITZERLAND Chef d’Equipe: Dominik Burger
GODEL, Robin Global Dhi
MINDER, Nadja Top Job’s Jalisco
RYAN, Philip Amansara
VOGG, Felix Colero
 USA UNITED STATES Chef d’Equipe: Robert Costello
team ALLISTON, James Karma
team BRANNIGAN, Jennie [WITHDRAWN 6/25] FE Lifestyle [WITHDRAWN 6/25]
team HALLIDAY, Elisabeth Shanroe Cooley
team PHILLIPS, Alyssa Oskar
COON, Hallie Cute Girl

Hallie Coon and Cute Girl. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There is a late substitute on the U.S. team, which sees Hallie Coon and Cute Girl added to the roster, while Liz Halliday‘s individual horse, Shanroe Cooley, was moved to the team. Liz’s original team horse, Miks Master C, will not make the trip to Aachen. Liz posted the following update on her social media:

“We have unfortunately made the tough decision to withdraw Miks Master C from the team for CHIO Aachen next week. He had an excellent Cross-Country round in the Advanced at Stable View last weekend and finished very well, but when we checked him later that day it was apparent that he was not 100%[.]

With the quick turn around to head to Aachen we decided that it was not in his best interest to put him on a plane and instead need to focus on getting him back to feeling his best.”

[Editor’s Update] Late on Tuesday, Jennie Brannigan announced that she was also withdrawing FE Lifestyle from the Aachen team, stating that “Foxy” had picked up a shipping fever after Stable View. “After consulting with Mary Griffin and trusting my own gut as a horsemen [sic] we do both feel it is not right to put him on a van/plane tomorrow,” she wrote on social media. “I am grateful to the USEF for the opportunity and to my owners who always let me make the right choice for the horses. There is always another horse show…. there is only one Foxy.”

The second alternate for the U.S. was designated as Emily Hamel and Corvett, who just completed Luhmühlen earlier this month and will not be turning around for Aachen. While an official USEF update has yet to be made, we will likely see Hallie Coon (originally the first alternate) moved into the vacant team spot with Cute Girl, and the U.S. will proceed with no individual riders. We will update this post and the entry list once USEF has made any further changes official.

You will be able to watch CHIO Aachen live and on-demand with your ClipMyHorse.TV membership. Bookmark this page to access the live stream. As always, Tilly Berendt will be our eyes on the ground in Germany next weekend.

World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Program – All Disciplines] [Program – Eventing] [Entries – All Disciplines] [Entries – Eventing] [Live Stream] [Results – All Disciplines] [Results – Eventing] [EN’s Coverage]

Wednesday News & Notes

By on Jun 26, 2024 12:01 am -

Aachen approacheth…

Whilst eventers have to wait ‘til next week to get our Aachen started (July 5th to be exact), the equestrian extravaganza that is the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen is all set to get things underway this Friday — first up, vaulting. Despite the clear and present plethora of differences between the two disciplines, in fact, there’s an eventing interest in the women’s individual vaulting competition, which comes in the form of Ursula Levett. Think that name rings a bell? You’re right, for Ursula — who competes for Great Britain – is none other than Australian eventing stalwart Bill Levett’s daughter.

If you’ve never partaken in this unique discipline, have at all the sparkles and spangles you can handle, as well as the ridiculously impressive, jaw-dropping feats of acrobatics (which are, yes, performed on galloping horses, really) via the livestream on ClipMyHorse (subscription required).

For now, here are all the links you need to get yourself acquainted with what’s in store at Aachen:

World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Program – All Disciplines] [Program – Eventing] [Entries – All Disciplines] [Entries – Eventing] [US Eventing Team] [British Eventing Team] [Live Stream] [Results – All Disciplines] [Results – Eventing] [EN’s Coverage]

I am reasonably reliably informed that today is Chocolate Pudding Day. On that note, dig in, and go eventing!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. and Area III Eventing Championships (Chattahoochee Hills, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]

Full Moon Farm HT (Finksburg, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Inavale Farm HT (Philomath, OR) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]

Larkin Hill H.T. (North Chatham, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Flagstaff, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

UK International Events

Burgham International (Northumberland) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

European International Events

SemaLease Kilguilkey House International 1 (Ireland) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring]

Wednesday News and Reading

To celebrate the launch of Canter Culture’s first riding top, the Alice Sun Shirt, Canter Culture is giving away an entire outfit! For your chance to win an Alice Sun Shirt, one pair of Athletic Breeches, Boot Socks, and a Double Circle Belt, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter and fill out the form in the 7/1 ICYMI Newsletter! Winner will select color options & sizing. Canter Culture seamlessly blends style & sport, so all that’s left to do is enjoy the ride. Stay tuned — we’ll announce the winner in our weekly newsletter on 7/1! Sign up for our newsletter here.

The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant is now open to qualified applicants! Find out more here.

Update on 5* eventer Louise Harwood following a serious, non-horse related, accident. Louise says she’s grateful for all the love and support she’s received. She’s waiting on X-ray results and in the meantime, hasn’t lost her characteristic, infectious smile. Take a look.

Royal horsegirl, eventing star of yesteryear, and Zara Tindall’s mom, Princess Anne has been treated for minor injuries and concussion following a run-in with a horse at home. At the time of writing, it’s not clear whether she was kicked or headbutted — she’s conscious but concussed, so the details are a little fuzzy. She’s due to stay in hospital until next week. As well as reporting the incident, this piece has some cool extra info about this accomplished equestrian.

Hot on Horse Nation: How Much? Horses are spendy. Very spendy at times. Very, very… You get the message (because you’re probably living it, right?). All this spendiness occurs, sometimes because we can’t resist that thing we don’t need but we’re going to buy another one of anyway; sometimes because horses seem to have a sixth sense about when we really can’t afford a vet’s bill and choose those moments to test the maximum limits of our love for them; and sometimes because we got sucked in by the reviews on that super expensive thingy and launch ahead with our bank details yelling, take my money. You know it. But aside from frivolity and irresponsible horse behavior, even just to meet a horse’s basic needs can take up an awful lot of cash, and when times are tough, well, it’s tough. That’s the topic of conversation currently over at Horse Nation. Check out the results of a recent cost of living survey by the National Equine Welfare Council, and join the discussion on the cost of horses, here.

And finally, horses meet high fashion. To plug the gap of fabulous things happening in France as Paris awaits its Opening Ceremony, Vogue World has taken fashion to the Place Vendôme. And how is this relevant to us, horsenerds? Well, supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner were strutting their stuff for all of us as they showed up in style on horseback. Check out their horsegirl chic here.

Video Break

Whet your appetite for all things Aachen with this highlights taster from last year’s spectacular:

Poland Unveils Paris 2024 Eventing Team

By on Jun 25, 2024 12:30 pm -

Malgorzata Korycka and Canvalencia. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Following the most recent FEI Eventing Nations Cup competition, Poland has put forward the three combinations it will be sending to Paris for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. There was not a Traveling Reserve pair named in the announcement video, meaning the squad of three will be under pressure to complete with no possibility of substitution (subject to change ahead of the Definite Entries deadline in early July).

Robert Powala’s Tosca del Castegno (POL). Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The named eventing team for Poland is:

Malgorzada Korycka and Canvalencia, a 13-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Beata Korycka and Jerry Korycki

Robert Powala and Tosca del Castegno , an 11-year-old Italian Sport Horse mare owned by the rider

Pawel Warszawski and Lucinda Ex Ani 4, a 16-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Wechta Inwestycje Sp.

Traveling Reserve: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134, a 14-year-old DSP gelding owned by Michal Knap and Consalnet GmbH

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

Great Britain Makes Change to Nominated Entries Ahead of Paris Team Selection

By on Jun 25, 2024 12:00 pm -

Ros Canter and MHS Seventeen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British Equestrian and the British Eventing Selectors have added a further combination to the eventing nominated entry list, following the withdrawal of Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class on June 11. Rosalind Canter now has MHS Seventeen, owned by Deirdre Johnston and Lady Milnes Coates, added to the list to join her other two nominated rides, Izilot DHI and Lordships Graffalo.

The 12 eventing athlete and horse combination will be submitted in alphabetical order to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as our nominated entries for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on June 25 2024.

Horse and rider detail:

Ros Canter (38) from Hallington, Lincolnshire, with Deirdre Johnston and Lady Milnes Coates’ MHS Seventeen (bay, gelding, 11yrs, 16hh, Callahan x Quidam Junior I, Breeder: Mary Brennan GBR).

The full longlist of nominated entries for the defending gold medalists can be found here.

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

Dutch Team for Paris Announced

By on Jun 25, 2024 10:59 am -

Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The Netherlands have named the teams they will be sending to Paris in a month’s time for the Olympics.

National coach Andrew Heffernan says: “I’m looking forward to going to Paris with these four riders. My goal – and assignment – is to achieve a top 6-8 ranking with the team and I have the confidence that these riders can do that. The competitions we participated in during the preparation have ensured that we travel to Paris very well prepared. Horses and riders have shown that they can do it.”

The following riders and alternates have been tapped for eventing in Paris:

Janneke Boonzaadjer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur (by Quidam de Revel, gray, gelding, 2007)
Owner: Hetty Roozendaal and Lieke van der Werf
Groom: Ria Westeneng

Direct Reserve:
I’m Special N NOP (by I’m Special de Muze, brown, mare, 2013)
Owner: Sandhoeve Stables – Bas de Grood and Janneke Boonzaadjer
Groom: Ria Westeneng

Sanne de Jong and Enjoy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sanne de Jong and Enjoy (v. Cartano, gray, mare, 2009)
Owner: Sanne de Jong and Jantien van Zon
Groom: Jantien van Zon

Raf Kooremans and Crossborder Radar Love (by Diarado, brown, gelding, 2013)
Owner: Jeanine Steentjes
Groom: Lydie Kooremans

Traveling Reserve: Elaine Pen and Diwali (s.Cardento, dark brown, mare, 2008)
Owner: Eli and Stephanie Leenaars
Groom: Sabine Heijn

First Alternate: Tim Lips and Eckinops D’am (by Naiade Du Baret, chestnut, gelding, 2014)
Owner: Lips Stables
Groom: Sammie Aanraad

Alternate Horse for Sanne de Jong:

Global Faerlie Flashy (s.Primitive Fairytale, dark brown, mare, 2012)
Owner: Morgan Sheehy and Van Zon and de Jong Hippique
Groom: Jantien van Zon

National coach: Andrew Heffernan
Team veterinarian: Leendert Jan Hofland

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

Astier Nicolas Withdraws Babylon de Gamma from Paris Consideration

By on Jun 25, 2024 9:30 am -

Astier Nicolas and Babylon de Gamma. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Astier Nicolas is down to one horse in the running for the yet-to-be-named final French team ahead of their home Olympics in Paris next month. The 2016 team gold and individual silver medalist announced that he had withdrawn Babylon de Gamma from consideration after a minor injury stemming from a lost shoe was sustained at Marbach in Germany in May.

His statement posted on social media, which has been translated from German (please forgive any translation errors!) is as follows:

“The small injury sustained from his cross-country course in Marbach, which was run mostly unbeaten, leaves us a little less time than initially planned to prepare him for the Olympic Games. After discussions with federal staff, his owners and I resolved with great disappointment to remove him from the competition. We are all competitive bitten but we love our horse more than anything. No doubt he will come back stronger to face new challenges together.”

“Ultimately, it turns out that the timing won’t be perfect,” he also told Cheval Mag. “I don’t want to take him if the conditions aren’t ideal.”

Astier was named to the French longlist with two horses, the other being the 14-year-old Anglo Arabian gelding, Alertamalib’or (Summer Song – Dambine, by Prince Ig’or). Alertamalib’or achieved his final MER for Paris in the 4*-S at Luhmühlen earlier this month. The gelding also came second in the 4*-L at Saumur in April and won at the same level and same venue in 2022. Alertamalib’or was also Astier’s partner for the most recent FEI World Championships for Eventing in Pratoni del Vivaro.

So while it could be argued that the 13-year-old Babylon de Gamma (Mylord Carthago – Sunshine Des Ka, by Happy Vergoignan) may have been the more competitive of the two, being a confirmed 5* horse, Astier is by no means out of the running for what would be his second Olympic appearance, and the experience of Alertamalib’or should not be discounted.

Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’Or. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“[Alertamalib’or] qualified like the great champion he is with an extremely demanding season where qualification and selection had to be cumulative,” Astier wrote. “He had no fault and never failed in each of his three qualifying outings, and he took on the challenge beautifully.”

The full French longlist can be viewed here as we eagerly await the final selection of the “home team”. Definite entries are due on July 8, so we will have all teams and individuals by or before then. Stay tuned.

View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

Tuesday News & Notes from Kentucky Performance Products

By on Jun 25, 2024 7:46 am -

This morning marks the occasion of Georgie Campbell’s funeral — a standing room only affair in the church that’s stood steadfast through her life and many, many complex and beautiful lives before hers.

The endless fall of rain in England has stopped, and the sudden appearance of the sun has sent the verges wild: the drive down the A21 sees them unfurling joyously, rambunctiously into the road. And they’ve come dressed for the occasion, too — there’s a sea of little white flowers, workmanlike and bustling and communal, and a rollicking spread of purple blooms, big petalled and small, giving praise and celebrating, a tiny miracle of nature and serendipity.

And celebrating is what we all need to do, now. Summer has come — it was Camus, I think, who wrote that “in the midst of winter I found there was, within me, an invincible summer”, and though I’ve probably butchered that quote in pulling it out of the back storeroom of my brain, we all need to find in ourselves that sunshine as we forge ahead.

There are fruit vendors, operating out of the backs of their cars, dotted along the roads into Kent. They sell cherries and strawberries, plucked from their nearby vines and trees, and it’s so easy to go on autopilot and cruise past them, thinking only of the end destination. But instead, we all need to find joy and the thrill of the extraordinary gift of life, and we need to stop, and dig around in our centre consoles for some sticky spare change, and buy the cherries. We need to bite into them and feel the warm, sweet, tangy juice drip down our chins and stain our fingers and our tops red. We need to taste and smell and see and hear everything, to take it in, to marvel in how lucky we are to do so. And we need to love one another, and our horses, and our lot in life, because even when it gets incredibly hard to do so, we have a gift: the gift of second chances, of the possibility of changed circumstances.

We’ll never know what’s around the corner for us. We have to live as though it’ll be the greatest thing yet, and we also have to live as though it may be the final chapter.

Today, we say goodbye, but we don’t forget. If you would like to be part of Georgie’s continued legacy, please consider donating to one of the following organisations.

The British Eventing Support Trust is working together with Sporting Chance to continue to provide help to anyone who needs it. You can donate here or call 07780 008877 at any time of the day or night to be connected with a mental health professional. Or, email [email protected].

Georgie was also a passionate advocate for spinal cord injury survivors. You can donate to BackUp Trust in her honour here and help to give people with a spinal cord injury a full and flourishing life.

Fly high, Georgie.

Events Opening This Week: Masterson Equestrian Trust YEH/NEH Qualifier, WindRidge Farm Summer H.T., Fair Hill International Recognized H.T., Woodside Summer H.T, Otter Creek Summer H.T., GMHA Festival of Eventing August H.T.

Events Closing This Week: One & Done Horse Trials, US Pony Club Championships, The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Genesee Valley Hunt H.T.

News & Notes from Around the World:

You might not think of Hawaii as an eventing stronghold. And, like, fair enough – it’s not! But there is a community of equestrians there, and a love for horses that was enough to feed the drive and desire of a young Gaby Ruane when she was growing up there. Now, she runs her own eventing business out of Reddick, Florida (that one IS an eventing stronghold!) and is chasing her dreams, big time. Find out more about this up-and-coming talent here.

We’re still riding the wave of an exciting mandatory outing for the US team at Stable View. If you feel much the same, you’ll enjoy diving into this visual review of the weekend.

Noor Slaoui isn’t just Morocco’s first-ever international eventer — she’s also the only rider from an Arab nation to compete in the sport at Paris this year. Both are incredible achievements already, but even more amazing? She began her riding journey on the backs of mules, trekking through the mountains and falling completely in love with riding. She then began competing in her late teens and now, at 29, she’s soon to be an Olympian. Read her remarkable story here.

To celebrate the launch of Canter Culture’s first riding top, the Alice Sun Shirt, Canter Culture is giving away an entire outfit! For your chance to win an Alice Sun Shirt, one pair of Athletic Breeches, Boot Socks, and a Double Circle Belt, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter and fill out the form in the 7/1 ICYMI Newsletter! Winner will select color options & sizing. Canter Culture seamlessly blends style & sport, so all that’s left to do is enjoy the ride. Stay tuned– we’ll announce the winner in our weekly newsletter on 7/1! Sign up for our newsletter here.

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.

Sponsor Corner: After putting in great performances at the last mandatory team outing last weekend, what’s next for Team USA before they hit the ground in Versailles? Whether they’re heading to Aachen or going back to their home bases, find out the plan for Team USA between now and July 24th. Read it here! All of Eventing Nation’s coverage of the Paris Olympics is made possible by Kentucky Performance Products, your source for affordable, guaranteed, and research-proven horse supplements.