Classic Eventing Nation

Sunday Links from SmartPak

By on Jul 30, 2023 12:01 am -

One year after her fatal accident at Bramham International Horse Trials, Katherine O’Brien’s Ms. Poppins has finally been brought home. Allie Knowles picked up the mare’s ashes on Friday and released this statement commemorating her friend and partner, “Poppy”.

We’ve had a rather dismal year in terms of equine mortalities (from the accidents at Blenheim International to WSF Carthago to Solaguayre California), and in the midst of all these tragic accidents, the support offered by our eventing community to those affected has been heartwarming and inspiring. While it can be hard, it is important that we address these occurrences and talk about them so that we more fully open ourselves up to some of the difficult realities of this sport. Eventing is hard on both human and equine participants, and the dedication and commitment brought by both parties to this challenging lifestyle is what makes us the people that we are. I think it’s when we are at our lowest that we are most able to feel the strength and encouragement of our own support systems and the close-knit network that exists within this sport, so I hope that the owners and riders of these horses are able to find the strength and healing they need from their teams and our community.

U.S. Weekend Action

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Major International Events

FEI Eventing European Championships for Ponies (Le Mans, France): [Definite Entries]

Burgham International (United Kingdom): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream]

Links to Start Your Sunday:

Help support Lyndsey Smith, Area VI eventer, after sustaining many injuries from a riding accident

Liz Halliday-Sharp is hiring for a groom/working student

Permission To Post: A Case For Allowing Rising Trot Through Fourth Level

Canadian rider has launched a a civil lawsuit against trainer and convicted sex offender Dylan Harries, USEF, and others, seeking more than $1 million in damages

International Society for Equitation Science to FEI: Time to Address Double Bridles, Noseband Tightness

Weekly Pick from SmartPak: Looking for a horsey summer activity that doesn’t involve going out in the heat? SmartPak has you covered with this no-bake horse treat recipe.

Morning Viewing: This past Wednesday was the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim — if you’ve never made it out yourself, here’s a video of the whole thing!

Sharon White and Claus 63 Take Advanced Lead at Millbrook Horse Trials

By on Jul 29, 2023 8:00 pm -

Advanced cross country leader at the Millbrook Horse Trials, Sharon White riding Claus 63. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

Sharon White and her 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding Claus 63 (Catoo – Tina II, by Levisto) took the lead after cross country at the 2023 The Millbrook Horse Trials, held July 27-30 in Dutchess County, NY. She’s also standing in fifth place with the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Shirsheen Ice (Beowulf – Candy Copper, by Regal Sting xx).

“This is ‘Wolfie’s’ – that’s Shirsheen Ice’s – first Advanced ever, and he was so good, but it was a lot of work for his first time at the level. The course was wonderful, but the speed is different and the jumps are bigger and it can be a big thing for them, so I was really thrilled with him. Claus is very experienced, and I pulled my groin a couple of weeks ago and I’m so exhausted but I thought, ‘Claus will take care of mama’, and he was better than he has ever been before, which is saying something, because he’s a very good cross country horse. But I’ve always struggled a bit with him pulling down, and while I’ve never liked a Waterford bit, I went ahead and tried one on him today…he was just magical, it was easy, and just so satisfying.”

Heavy rains the evening before cross-country kept the footing soft but not overly muddy and sticky, and White said that course designer Morgan Rowsell’s course was very bold and that the horses could read it easily. “The horses had really good experiences, and the ones that had more experience just clocked around. It was nice that there’s been rain and for once the ground wasn’t hard, and I didn’t have to worry about pounding them on the hard ground.”

White is also in the lead in Preliminary Division A riding Jaguars Duende (Jaguar Mail – Latina, by Lancaster).

Lea Adams-Blackmore, who is White’s current assistant trainer, is competing at the Advanced level for the first time and is currently placed 18th riding her own 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Frostbite (VDL Zirocco Blue – Zanna, by Corland). White’s former assistant trainer Tim Bourke (Ireland) is ranked eighth aboard Lisa Takada’s Monbeg Libertine, and her other former assistant trainer, Woods Baughman, led the competition after dressage and jumped clear around cross country to stand second overall before he withdrew from the competition.

Baughman said that C’est La Vie 135 (Contendro I – Anette, by Aarking), who he has struggled to contain on the cross country phase, had his best round yet today and felt much more rideable, but the gelding pulled a shoe and so he will save him for another day. He is also competing Kamara CFF (Negro – Damara, by Vivaldi) in Intermediate Division A and is currently ranked sixth after cross country.

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

Will Faudree, who is one of Baughman’s current coaches, moved up to second overall with Mama’s Magic Way (Mighty Magic – Straightaway, by Star Regent xx) when Baughman withdrew, and Faudree is also in fourth place riding Pfun (Tadmus – Celerina, by Cento).

He said, “Pfun and I have a great partnership; he was so excited to be out, he was really taking me to the fences, but I think after the water the heat and humidity were getting to him so I backed off on the pace a little bit and he jumped amazing all the way to the end. He was very proud of himself. ‘Mason’ was the polar opposite, he was so excited to be out and going cross country and not a lot backed him off, so I had to spend a lot of time getting him set up. He’s not a strong horse, I ride him in a French link snaffle bit, but he was eating the distances up pretty easily so I toned it down on him and he was dragging me all the way to the finish.”

Faudree commented of his student, “I’m so proud of [Woods]…when I started helping him, he was telling me the different bits he’s tried and I said, you can put whatever you want in this horse’s mouth and he would just be stronger — you have to change your position. You don’t ever want to take his exuberance away. When I teach, I teach balance, rhythm, speed, direction, in that order; if they can pull you forward, they’ve affected your balance, so therefore they’re in control. He’s a great student and the horse really listened to him today. His mare was also great this morning.”

Young Rider Cassie Sanger, who was fourth after dressage with Fernhill Zoro, also withdrew her top horse from the competition, but is currently ranked 19th with Redfield Fyre.

Out of 26 starters in the Advanced division, 21 jumped clear and only one horse and rider combination, Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times (Cult Hero – Lackaghbeg Crest, by Sea Crest), now ranked third overall with a score of 41.0, finished within the optimum time.

Beginner Novice through Training level wrapped up the competition with show jumping today, while Preliminary through Advanced levels will show jump tomorrow. Patrons will enjoy a Sunday luncheon in private tents overlooking the show jumping arena. Both the Trade Fair and the Millbrook Market will be open tomorrow, and food vendors will be available on-site. General admission and parking is free of charge.

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Saturday Video: Get To Know Allie Sacksen

By on Jul 29, 2023 6:27 pm -

In this quickfire interview with 5* event rider Allie Sacksen, you’ll get to know what makes her tick, how she got into eventing, and what you can find her doing whenever she’s not in the saddle. For those of us who were big fans of Allie and her late superstar Sparrow’s Nio, the indomitable pony who captured the nation’s hearts, it’s a great way to find out more about the woman behind the magic. Go Eventing — and go Allie!

Tips on Practicing Pace: An Excerpt from ‘Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton’

By on Jul 29, 2023 12:00 pm -

Rating your speed cross-country is a skill that needs to be developed. In his book Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton, Olympian Phillip Dutton gives you an easy exercise to practice at home so you can learn the appropriate speed for your horse and your level, as well as get comfortable adjusting it when necessary.

Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

Learning what correct pace feels like is essential to the event rider. To practice feeling what different speeds feel like, it’s quite easy to get a car or motorbike speedometer and map out an exact distance where you can canter in specific increments of time. It’s great when it’s on a straightaway, but it can loop around if you are short on space. In addition, you will need a stopwatch.

Here’s an exercise for practicing pace:

Let’s say, for example, that you’re going to do Training Level at 475 mpm.

1. Map out 950 meters (it will take you two minutes to canter the distance) by setting out cones, buckets, or other easily identifiable markers.

2. Start your canter or gallop well before your first marker–you want to have the pace established already so that you can hit your stopwatch as you pass the marker.

3. You want the horse to settle into the speed so you’re not changing the pace all the time, and learn to judge the speed yourself. Every horse’s stride will be different so it takes some judgment and experience to settle your horse into the correct pace and get within a few seconds of where you need to be on your time trial.

4. Canter the allotted distance, and stop your watch as you pass your finish marker. Your aim is to canter the 950 meters in as close to two minutes as possible, while maintaining a steady pace.

Note: If you find it too difficult to check your watch while you are riding, in the beginning, have someone on the ground time you. Eventually, though, learn to check your watch while you gallop since that is what you will need to do during a competition.

Bear in mind that on your cross-country course during an event this is the average speed: A lot of jumps will require that you come in slower, or you’ll have to turn sharply and won’t be able to maintain the optimum speed. So if you want to make time, the speed you’ll need to go between fences will have to be a little bit faster in order to average it out.

  • You can change the measurements to whatever level you are aiming for or want to practice.
  • You shouldn’t practice this too frequently, because it will become taxing on your horse.
  • Be sure to take into account the ground conditions and try to find good footing for practicing galloping. Good footing is where a horse can get some grip so he doesn’t slip—that is, not too wet, nor slippery, nor hard. Very hard ground can be just as slippery as wet ground, and can be quite concussive to the horse. The ground should be pretty consistently even, not changing from hard to soft, so the horse does not have to keep finding his footing and rebalancing. Studs can be helpful to improve the horse’s confidence when galloping and give him more grip.

This excerpt from Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Jul 29, 2023 12:01 am -

The beloved Millbrook Horse Trials is back with a bang after an absence from the calendar last year. We all know it’s a lot of work to put on an event, but as many events now know from 2020 it takes an even greater effort to bring an event back after a year hiatus. Thanks to the hard work of the organizers and volunteers, competitors were welcomed back to the property this year and enjoyed Millbrook’s traditional Friday night competitor’s dinner where their annual volunteer award is presented. This year it went to local upper-level riders Mikki Kuchta and Bridgette Miller who pitched in to help prep for the event!

U.S. Weekend Action

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Major International Events

FEI Eventing European Championships for Ponies (Le Mans, France): [Definite Entries]

Burgham International (United Kingdom): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream]

Links to Start Your Weekend:

Fundraising Efforts For Safety Vest Research Off To Slow Start

Using AI to Assess Gait Changes in Event Horses

Grandia and O’Neal Claim Rebecca Farm Classic Series Victories

Ukrainian Vaulters overcome odds to compete at World Championships

Sponsor Corner: Who’s bridle shopping on a budget? Explore World Equestrian Brands’ sale on Vespucci bridles! You could get a gorgeous Vespucci bridle of your very own for 50% off. While supplies last!

Morning Viewing: Feast your eyes on the Barbie Dream Fence gracing Millbrook’s Advanced and Intermediate courses!

Woods Baughman Takes Advanced Lead at Millbrook

By on Jul 28, 2023 10:00 pm -

Woods Baughman and C’est la Vie 135. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

The Millbrook Horse Trials, held July 27-30 in Dutchess County, NY wrapped up the first two days of competition Friday, with the upper levels taking to the dressage phase at Riga Meadow at Coole Park Farm, and the lower levels heading out on the cross country course across the road.

In the Advanced division, Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135, a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Contendro I — Anette, by Aarking xx) took the lead on a sore of 25.7. With a heat advisory in the Millbrook area today, Baughman said that the big, black gelding was feeling the effects of the weather and was less energetic than usual.

“He’s a really fun horse. I mostly work on suppleness and keeping him feeling good in his body. At shows he’s like a different horse and all I really have to do is guide him.” Woods has been working with German Olympian and dressage coach Bettina Hoy on improving his performance in the first phase.

For tomorrow’s cross country, hot temperatures would be to Woods’ advantage, as “Contendro”, as he calls C’est La Vie at home, tends to be strong and hard to handle in the cross country phase. But the forecast appears cooler tomorrow, so time will tell if the weather helps or hinders their performance.

“He’s a bit of a beast,” said Baughman. “I’ve started riding with Will Faudree and he’s helped me with cross country technique, managing rather than trying to control the horse — because ‘control’ is not going to just happen. It’s more trying to regulate him and take advantage of his unreal athleticism.”

They’ll be heading to the American Eventing Championships in Kentucky next, and will plan their fall season depending on the results of their next few outings. Admitting he’s struggled to get the job done at the top level, Woods is always aiming for that goal but won’t make the plans unless the rest of the boxes are ticked successfully.

Woods Baughman and C’est la Vie 135. Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

Baughman is also competing Kamara in the Open Intermediate A and is currently tied for 7th place (32.3).

Baughman’s coach, Will Faudree, holds second and third places in the Advanced division riding Pfun, a 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tadmus x Celerina/Cento) owned by Jennifer Mosing (27.3) and Mama’s Magic Way, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Mighty Magic x Straightaway/Star Regent xx)(28.6). Young Rider Cassie Sanger is in fourth place riding Fernhill Zoro, (Verdi x Oronia 2/Voltaire) (29.8), fresh off a trip to Strzegom’s Nations Cup leg last month.

Will has competed Pfun internationally and said that since the gelding is 16 years old he plans to back him down from the 5* level. He said that the lesser demands on the horse’s fitness have resulted in him being more supple in the dressage.

“I decided last year that I wasn’t going to do the five-star level on him anymore,” he said. “He struggled with the speed and the fitness. But I’ve been having a lot of fun with him. I’ve jumped some big jumper rounds — some big 1.40 classes. With backing off the fitness needed for five-star, I’ve been able to keep him more supple.”

Of Mama’s Magic Way, he said, “He’s one the nicest horses I’ve ridden – he’s amazing – but he’s tough. We’ve been working really hard with Bettina Hoy. I’ve been lucky throughout my career to be coached by a bunch of fantastic people. He’s done four five-stars now and he’s now mentally strong enough that he’s handling the pressure at home to really train him. I was conservative on him today but he went in the ring and really stayed with me, I was thrilled.”

Will is entered at Burghley Horse Trials, the next CCI5* on the calendar at the end of August, with Mama’s Magic Way.

In the Open Intermediate A division local rider Ariel Grald, who represented the USA at last year’s World Championships at Pratoni, Italy took the early lead riding Forrest Gump 124 (30.). In Open Intermediate B Caroline Pamukcu (nee Martin), who just returned to the US after representing the US on the Nations Cup team is Strzegom, Poland, took the lead riding HSH Connor (27.3).

Beginner Novice through Training level did the cross country phase of the event today and Preliminary through Advanced will go cross country tomorrow. The Advanced track, designed by Morgan Rowsell, features an optimum time of 6 minutes, 9 seconds with 23 numbered obstacles. You can view maps for all cross country courses at Millbrook here.

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Big Rewards for Mark Davidson at Burgham

By on Jul 28, 2023 2:17 pm -

Mark Davidson and Fonbherna Lancer. Photo by Peter Nixon for Burgham International Horse Trials.

Cumbrian-born rider Mark Davidson scored by far the biggest payday of his career to date today when taking section A of the AW Jenkinson CCI3*-S at Burgham International Horse Trials on Fonbherna Lancer. Mark’s Burgham victory means he wins a £7,000 bonus for scoring in two legs of the Northumberland Challenge – the big-money prize-pot that unites the county’s three international events (Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham).

Mark won on the The Round Table Syndicate’s 13-year-old grey last month at Alnwick Ford, and pulled off this second win at Burgham against a highly competitive field of top riders.

“It’s amazing – it’s not every day you win £7,000 and it goes a long way! I was reminded when I was warming up for showjumping that I probably won’t get to ride for prize-money like this again for another decade,” joked a delighted Mark, 30. “‘Lance’ was completely brilliant. He pricks his ears, says ‘Look at me’. We are still a new partnership – I managed to get a syndicate together to buy him for me to ride in the spring – and I was so pleased with him. He’s a total gentleman and a lovely horse to have anything to do with.”

Mark, who is based at leading rider Piggy March’s Northamptonshire yard, led the dressage on an impressive score of 21.1, showjumped clear and just picked up 1.2 time-penalties across country. His winning margin over second-placed Tom Jackson (Dazzling Intuition) was 7.8 marks.

Belsay organiser Laura de Wesselow, who started the Northumberland Challenge in 2022, said: “I am absolutely delighted for Mark Davidson and the Round Table Syndicate’s Fonbherna Lancer. We started the Northumberland Challenge last year across the CCI2*-S events at Belsay, Alnwick Ford and Burgham and extended it this year to the CCI3*-S with a total available prize pot of £45,000 generously provided by our sponsors, AW Jenkinson Forest Products (for the CCI3*-S) and Encon Technical Solutions Ltd and NIS Group Ltd (for the CCI2*-S).  The whole idea of the Challenge is to encourage owners and riders, both amateur and professional, to make the journey north to our fabulous venues in Northumberland and we look forward to seeing more of them up here in 2024.”

Section B of the AW Jenkinson CCI3*-S at Burgham went to Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Laura Collett, riding the Ace of Spades Syndicate’s eight-year-old Fetiche Des Rouges.

Laura said: “He’s a little pocket rocket! I’m stand-in jockey for [Irish rider] Aoife Clark, who is injured – I’d prefer to be full-time jockey, because he’s so cool. I have had four runs now in quick succession to try to get used to him; he’s a bit of a cheeky chap, but he’s really come out and been a little professional here. He gallops like a thoroughbred but jumps like a warmblood, which is really nice! Today we felt like a proper partnership.”

The pair finished on a score of 33.3, while second-placed combination Arthur Duffort and JSC Bucket List completed on 37.

In the feature Holme Dodsworth Metals CCI4*-S, Ros Canter has held on to her day one lead on Izilot DHI in section C with a mark of 26, a fraction ahead of Piggy March and the grey stallion Halo on 26.2.

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, part of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics and already dual winners of this class at Burgham, are in pole position in section D on 24.4. Again, Piggy March is 0.2 of a penalty behind, this time on Coolparks Sarco.

Showjumping and cross-country for the CCI4*-S classes start tomorrow (Saturday, 29 July). Visitors can enjoy a great variety of tradestands and locally produced food and drink while they are watching the sporting action – and there’s even a fun dog show on Saturday and Sunday to raise money for Burgham’s supported charity, the British Eventing Support Trust (BEST).

Burgham is thrilled to welcome Project Pony as its supporting partner for 2023. This new initiative aims to identify and support up-and-coming young riders by giving them the opportunity to compete on elite event ponies.

To buy tickets and for more information, please visit burghaminternationalhorsetrials.co.uk. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the gate.

If you can’t make it to Burgham, Horse & Country TV will be streaming the cross-country on both Saturday and Sunday – horseandcountry.tv.

Fitness Work on Hills: An Excerpt from ‘Training Horses the Ingrid Klimke Way’

By on Jul 28, 2023 11:30 am -

In this excerpt from “Training Horses the Ingrid Klimke Way,” Olympian Ingrid Klimke shares why she feels hill workouts are necessary fitness builders for the equine athlete. Reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Photo by Horst Streitferdt.

Training on hills is part of our regular working program. Going uphill and working on hills strengthens the entire musculature, promotes conditioning, and is good for the horse’s balance and surefootedness.

Ideally, we travel to hills for training every fifth day. There, we begin with a 10- to 15-minute stretching phase at the walk — good training for building up the horse’s entire musculature. When we begin uphill, the horse must strike off very energetically from behind and use his whole back. In the beginning, I must make sure not to ride up- or downhill when it’s too steep: a horse needs to adjust slowly to the new demand being made of him. With regular training, the overall steepness can be increased.

At the end of the stretching phase at the walk, I work in posting trot at an easy tempo for 10 to 15 minutes. In trot, I also work both uphill and downhill. Training on the hills is especially exciting for stallions as it presents many new sensations for them to process. Temporarily, this excitement promotes a dynamic through which you can enhance the horse’s entire way of going, making it more expressive, imposing, and cadenced. When riding uphill, you bend slightly forward and push your weight down into your heels. Of course, the horse must, at some point, learn to trot downhill and maintain his balance as he does so. As this takes place, you bring your upper body back slightly, in order to always keep your seat in balance with the horse.

After the trot phase, I canter on at a quiet tempo. Often, with young horses, the canter work on hills is often still weak. Most of the time, horses that are familiar with this exercise accelerate as the hill gets steeper. On the other hand, young horses often lose power quickly and, for example, break to trot. Initially, allow your horse to go in his chosen tempo and do not drive him uphill. You should always introduce this training to a young horse very slowly and carefully, so as not to overwhelm him. While the horse may have become accustomed to varying ground conditions while going uphill, coming downhill really requires the highest levels of concentration.

When cantering in a large group, it’s a given that there is the danger of horses egging each other on and getting hot. Therefore, it’s advisable to work in small groups. Only horses that fit together well based on their level of training should get to canter together. But it is not only the horse’s training level that needs to be considered: what’s “inside” your horse is also a decisive factor. For example, with my horses, ambitious Bobby always wants to try to pass the equally ambitious Escada. Therefore, at a certain point in their conditioning, they must go their separate ways, otherwise, they simply gallop much too fast. In contrast, the amiable Soma will happily canter more calmly with Geraldine, and they can easily take turns following one another when ridden. Along these lines, Weisse Düne is easy to regulate, even when she is following other horses (although, this may change with time).

The more regularly and often the horses gallop in the hills, the more conditioned and strong they become. This can definitely increase their motivation and ambition, and then the groups need to be reorganized to accommodate. Therefore, begin gallop work very quietly, not galloping for more than 2 minutes. If your horse still has enough strength, you can take a 3-minute walk break and then gallop uphill again one more time. Afterward, slowly transition down to a trot, spending 5 to 10 minutes at a slow trot before finally transitioning to the walk. We ride long enough at the walk for the pulse and breath of our horses to completely return to normal.

Pick up your copy of Training Horses the Ingrid Klimke Way from Trafalgar Square Books HERE!

Rain Continues to Plague British Eventing Season as Burgham Loses Saturday National Classes

By on Jul 28, 2023 9:13 am -

Image courtesy of Burgham Horse Trials.

An extraordinarily wet year continues to wreak havoc on the British eventing calendar, as Northumberland’s Burgham International Horse Trials announced today that, in the interest of maintaining the footing for this weekend’s international classes, they would be forced to cancel tomorrow’s national Novice classes.
“In order to preserve the best possible ground conditions for the International CCI 4*-S (Jumping & Cross-Country running Saturday 29th July) & CCI 2*-S (Jumping & Cross-Country running Sunday 30th July), we have taken the decision to cancel the BE National Classes scheduled for Saturday 29th July (Novice O, P & Open Novice Q),” reads the statement published via British Eventing. “The weather is currently drying and we are hopeful that we can run the Sunday BE National classes as planned alongside the CCI 4*-S & CCI 2*-S classes. More information on refunds will follow early next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding with the challenging weather.”
Burgham is well underway, with BE100, Novice, and Intermediate classes running yesterday, the CCI3*-S currently midway through its cross-country finale, and CCI2*-S and CCI4*-S dressage continuing on apace today.
You can follow along with the event’s live scoring here, and to tune in for cross-country, head to Horse&Country TV.

Friday News & Notes from Stable View

By on Jul 28, 2023 6:35 am -

The FEI Eventing European Championships for Ponies is underway, and I’m loving these first glimpses at the cross-country course thanks to the CrossCountry App! Watching these intrepid ponies and kids tackle tough courses with guts and gumption is one of my highlights of my live-streaming year, and if you also fancy tuning in for the excitement, you can do so via ClipMyHorse. Kick on, everyone!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Millbrook H.T. (Millbrook, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Major International Events

FEI Eventing European Championships for Ponies (Le Mans, France): [Definite Entries]

Burgham International (United Kingdom): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

The pandemic changed a lot about our sport – and one of those things was prizegivings. Now, in the UK at least, prizegivings for national level classes are much less likely to happen, which means that riders can arrive, compete, and leave, often without ever interacting with organisers or sponsors. But, says Piggy March, it’s well worthwhile for all of us – especially pros – to take the time to express gratitude, provide feedback, and actually foster interactions between competitors and organising teams. Read her thoughts here.

You’ve packed extra haynets, plenty of water, and a couple of different sheets in case the temperature changes – but do you have a travel first-aid kit? There’s so much that can go wrong on the road, from cuts and bruises to colic to choke, and being adequately prepared (and then keeping all that kit up-to-date!) is absolutely crucial to stop a stressful situation from escalating into a serious crisis. Pack yours with advice from an equine vet.

How devoted are you to routine? I’ll confess that this is one of my weak spots – I’m prone to disorganisation and am the queen of winging it. But taking the time to create a tailored routine that suits you and your horse is one of the keys to success, says hunter trainer Rob Jacobs. More on that here.

Watch This:

Sack off your responsibilities and rewatch all the action from last weekend’s Nations Cup cross country at Avenches instead. It’s one of my favourite venues in the most beautiful of Swiss countryside – so I can’t be held responsible if you end up planning a trip there next year!