Classic Eventing Nation

Thanks for the Memories: Looking Back at Tina Cook’s Career upon her Retirement

By on Nov 27, 2022 10:29 am -

Tina Cook at Pau. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

So far this off-season, we’ve dealt with the emotional blow of the retirement of Jonelle Price’s Classic Moet and Faerie Dianimo, plus Sarah Bullimore’s Reve du Rouet — but none of those quite prepared us for the announcement that British team stalwart, five-star superhero, and all-around exceptionally good egg Tina Cook is hanging up her upper-level boots.

The announcement came yesterday via a story in Horse and Hound, wherein she told the magazine that she plans to continue producing horses up to three-star level, but won’t continue competing through four- and five-star, nor will she vie for spots on British teams, any longer. The decision comes after the sad death of her top horse, Elisabeth Murdoch and Keith Tyson’s 15-year-old Billy the Red, following a brief attempt at retirement in the field. The gelding competed at Pau CCI5* last autumn, finishing 16th, but hasn’t competed internationally since, as some unevenness of stride became evident in the run-up to Badminton. Being turned out to enjoy his remaining years, Tina explained to H&H, wasn’t a viable or happy solution for the busy-brained, clever little horse, and so the tough decision was made to put him down.

“I took the decision that was right for the horse,” she says in the article, which you can read in full here. “I get so attached to my horses; it was so sad but if they can’t have a happy retirement, you have to do what’s right by the horse. And at the same time as announcing that, I thought maybe now’s the time to say what’s probably going to happen.”

Tina Cook and Billy the Red at Pau in 2021. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tina will now focus her attentions primarily on the youngster, and of course her children, 17-year-old Isabelle and 15-year-old Harry. Izzy is a keen eventer herself, and won individual silver and team gold this year at the Junior European Championships with the homebred mare, Mexican Law, while Harry enjoys playing rugby.

Tina Cook and Billy the Red at the 2019 European Championships. Photo by William Carey.

Across Tina’s extraordinary career, she’s given us all — fans of the sport, reporters, and fellow riders alike — so many happy moments and memories, which her former teammates have been commemorating across social media since the announcement.

“What a women,” writes Gemma Tattersall, who competed alongside Tina at the 2017 European Championships at Strzegom and the 2018 World Equestrian Games at Tryon. “Absolute legend. No better lady to be on a team with. She gave me the most incredible support on the teams I went on, I learnt so much from Tina and will be forever grateful. Proper team player and proper horsewomen.”

Tina Cook and Billy the Red at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Pippa Funnell, too, paid tribute to her longtime friend:  “So sad to hear the news of Billy The Red. He was a brilliant but quirky little number with whom Tina brought out the very best, what a tough decision for Tina but absolutely the right decision to have Billy put down. On making this tough call she has made another very difficult decision and that is to call time on her illustrious career at the very top of our sport.”

“Tina has to have been one of Team GB’s greatest members,” continues Pippa. “She came into her best form always at the big Championship’s, there was no better person to have on a team and I am fortunate enough to have been part of several of those. Many many fond memories but looking forward, she is such a fantastic producer of young horses and that she will continue to do up to 3 star level and as she says her time and efforts will go into helping and supporting Isabelle and Harry. I know we will share many more fun days as dear friends but I will miss sharing the nerves, sharing the highs and sharing the lows, we have had so many laughs at top events throughout the world.”
Tina’s Senior team career began back in 1993, when she was given the call-up for the European Championships with her Pony Club and Junior team mount, the full Thoroughbred Song And Dance Man. They returned with an individual silver medal, establishing Tina — the daughter of late racehorse trainer Josh Gifford and showjumper Althea Roger-Smith — as the poster girl for the pony-mad for the next three decades. Her roster of achievements would go on to include two Olympic appearances, at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, where she won team and individual bronze at the former and team silver at the latter, finishing sixth individually. She would also ride at four World Equestrian Games, taking team gold in 2010 and team silver in 2014, and seven total Senior European Championships, most notably becoming the European Champion at Fontainebleau in 2009 with the exceptional Thoroughbred Miners Frolic.

Tina Cook and Star Witness at Burghley in 2018. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Tina’s horses, which she produces at her home base in West Sussex, where she grew up, have often been larger-than-life characters, too. There have been the Thoroughbreds, such as Miners Frolic, who continued to prove what the breed could do long after it fell out of fashion, and the quirky souls, such as Star Witness and Billy the Red, with whom Tina competed at the 2017 and 2019 European Championships, taking team gold and silver, respectively, and the 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games, where they finished ninth individually.

“[Billy] has just got a bright brain; he’s not malicious, and he’s not nasty — he was just born bright and it’s just about finding the key. He isn’t one you’d want to overwork, as he’d probably get worse, so it’s just that fine line of doing twenty minutes and then hoping,” explained Tina to EN last year. “He’s desperately spooky — oh my god — on hacks and stuff like that. When I rode him this morning he spooked at a pile of stinging nettles, slipped, and whipped ’round. He’s always the same, but that’ll be him all his life; sometimes he spooks at flowers, sometimes he doesn’t, and so I always have to prepared for the unexpected. You just have to smile your legs around him, smile, and get on with it! I ride him at home myself — I don’t think it’s fair on anyone else to have to ride him just in case anything happens, so it’s me and him all the time.”

But for all Billy’s quirks, he was also one of the most reliable jumping horses in the game, with speed, accuracy, and careful feet on his side that made him a stalwart member of the teams. And, of course, he was an inspiration well beyond the upper levels of the sport, paying a visit to London’s Ebony Horse Club, where he and his rider shared an insight into the sport with the riders there.

Though a five-star win eluded Tina throughout her career, she was one of the most formidable competitors in the world at this level, with countless placings at Badminton, Burghley, Pau and Luhmühlen to her name. We have no doubt we’ll continue to see her on site at these competitions — particularly the Big Bs, at which she’s become a mainstay of the on-site commentary and presenting teams, and will, we expect, be the nervous mum of a competitor before too long, too.

Tina Cook and Miners Frolic at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Whichever way the journey goes from here, thank you, Tina, for all you’ve done for the sport so far. We’re still the pony mad kids with eventing posters on our walls at heart, and you’ll always be our poster girl, really.

Sunday Links from SmartPak

By on Nov 27, 2022 12:01 am -

On Friday I did a 5k trail run (can you call it a Turkey Trot if it’s not on Thanksgiving day?) that took place at a local cross country schooling field. We ran past fences that I’ve jumped on my pony (the photo above is the same schooling field in the spring!) and through a bit of the bordering trail system. I stepped on my fair share of old manure throughout the race, but I didn’t mind.

I wanted to give this race a little shoutout because I think it’s a really neat community effort. In this case the race supported my local trail association, but I could see cross country schooling facilities hosting running races to support other local causes or their own operations. To me it seems like a great shared use of the land.

Do you think this model would work in your area? It’s something to think about!

U.S. Weekend Action

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (Thomson, GA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Links to Start Your Sunday:

‘I’ve loved every minute’: Olympic eventer calls time on top-level career after sad loss of horse

Three Shuswap equestrians selected for Canadian Pony Club team off to New Zealand

‘The end goal is to ride again’ – aspiring teenage jockey set on winning with prosthetic leg after life-changing accident

Pimlico’s Canter For The Causes Raises Over $20,000 For Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance

The 2022 Nation Media Holiday Gift Guide is Here!

SmartPak Pick of the Week: SmartPak’s Black Friday sale is currently in full force! You can score 20% off select brands, plus and additional 15% off much more using the code BF2022. Want more? Spend $200 and get today’s free gift!

Sunday Viewing: Don’t look down!

Saturday Video: Storming Around Stockholm with Boyd Martin

By on Nov 26, 2022 5:00 pm -

Imagine, if you will, cantering into an arena packed with tricky questions, in front of a roaring crowd and pounding music — on a horse you’ve only ridden a couple of times. That’s the situation at hand for all those intrepid riders who pick up catch rides for the indoor eventing classes at some of the biggest shows around the world, and this weekend, a number of them are doing so in Sweden, including Boyd Martin. He finished fifth in the first round of the class on Thursday evening, and so will enter the ring at the halfway point in tomorrow night’s finale with Caruccio Paradise. Check out his first round ride in today’s video!

The Birth of the USEA: An Excerpt from ‘Eventing in America’

By on Nov 26, 2022 2:16 pm -

The USEA celebrated its 60th anniversary at the 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, and all of the attendees took home a special USEA Publication – Eventing In America. This is the second edition of Eventing in America with the first being published in 1999 to commemorate 40 years. Now, 20 years later, the USEA has once again taken a look back at its history and the memories of six decades of the sport and produced a publication that takes the readers year-by-year.

A few copies of Eventing in America are now available for purchase – the perfect opportunity to preserve the history of the sport in the U.S. The publication costs $10 and is available to purchase here through www.ShopUSEA.com.

Eventing in America features a page from every year of the USEA’s existence from 1959 to 2019 including all of the U.S. teams at the Olympics, World Equestrian Games, and Pan American Games as well as all of the USEA leaderboard and special award winners. The book starts in the 1920s with cavalry photos and text from some of the USEA’s founding fathers, Alexander MacKay-Smith, Major General Jonathan R. Burton, and Denny Emerson. Each decade is opened up with stories of the period – giving a taste of how the sport evolved over the years from the cavalry to the formation of the USCTA (now USEA) to the golden era under Jack Le Goff to the new millennium and the present day.

From “The Founding of the USEA” by Denny Emerson

Alexander Mackay-Smith realized that there was a need for some sort of Association between Pony Club for youngsters and the USET for international riders if eventing were ever to get established in the United States.

“Accordingly, I sent a letter to everyone I knew interested in eventing to come to a meeting during the Pan American Games in Chicago in September of 1959. About 25 people came to the meeting. We founded the USCTA and elected officers pro-term, with Philip Hofmann as president,” said Mackay-Smith. . . . Even though six decades have passed since that meeting in Illinois, many of the ‘pioneers’ from that day are still active as leaders and innovators in American horse sports. I would hope that they feel gratified that the little Association which they had the vision to create has grown into such a respected and significant leader in the American horse community. The USEA is synonymous with good sportsmanship, good riding, and an emphasis above all else on a respect for the well-being of the horse. That’s quite a legacy.

The Olympics in Montreal saw the U.S. continuing their double gold streak. From left to right: Mary Anne Tauskey/Marcus Aurelius (21st); J. Michael Plumb/Better and Better (individual silver); Bruce Davidson/Irish Cap (10th); and Tad Coffin/Bally Cor (individual gold). Sue Maynard Photo.

From “The Golden Era of Eventing”

For the U.S. Eventing Team, the 1970s was a decade of medals. At every single major championship, the U.S. brought home a podium placing. According to Alexander Mackay-Smith, this success is due to Neil Ayer and Jack Le Goff who both came to the forefront of eventing in the U.S. around 1970. Mackay-Smith said, “They were to influence eventing in North America as no others had before.” . . . In 1973 the first FEI event was held in the U.S. at Ayer’s Ledyard Farm in Massachusetts. Ayer was both the organizer and course designer and invited riders from all over the world to come compete. The inaugural event was won by Britain’s Sue Hatherly and Harley, but the U.S. would have their redemption the following year on British home turf when the 1974 World Championships were held at Burghley. The U.S. won the team gold medal by a huge margin and also claimed individual gold and silver. With their wins, the U.S. also won the rights to host the next World Championships, but a location was needed.

From “A New Millenium”

2000! A new millennium dawned and the USCTA, soon to be the United States Eventing Association (USEA), was ready to face whatever the next decade would bring. The impact of this new technology called the internet, changes to the very nature of the sport, improving safety for horses and riders were all challenges to be met… On the home front, the Association was preparing for a name change. In the mid 1990s the USCTA had adopted the name Eventing USA for the magazine replacing the old USCTA News. Was this prophetic? Farsighted? Maybe. The FEI decreed at the end of century that the name of the sport internationally would be eventing, not “horse trials” or “combined training” or “military” but eventing! In 2000, the work began to legally transition the U.S. Combined Training Association to the U.S. Eventing Association. The USEA was re-branded and was launched with a new name, decal, and logo wear at a grand party at the 2001 Annual Meeting & Convention in Portland, Oregon.

Want a sneak peek inside of the book before purchasing? Current USEA members are able to read Eventing in America by logging into https://services.useventing.com/ and navigating to the Eventing USA Archive.

10 Things We Learned from the Wesko Equestrian Foundation’s Trip to Saumur

By on Nov 26, 2022 9:17 am -

A couple of weeks ago, the Wesko Equestrian Foundation took a particularly exciting trip: the riders, plus mentor Pippa Funnell, travelled to the home of the Cadre Noir in Saumur, France, to take part in the inaugural Young Riders Academy Jumping Forum, which allowed them to learn from riders such as showjumping legends Kevin Staut and Franke Sloothaak, French team stalwart and Cadre Noir rider Thibault Vallette, and more. Their days in France were jam-packed with ridden sessions, chances to watch and learn, a roundtable discussion on training and the all-important conversation on social licence — and, of course, plenty of good French food and wine!

The British-based Wesko Equestrian Foundation was set up in memory of Christina Knudsen, whose own stake in the sport included ownership of the Foundation’s namesake, Tim Price’s Luhmühlen winner Wesko. Its intention? To bridge the gap between the successful Young Rider programme and Senior-level competition by providing a year of mentorship, opportunities, training, and business education to a selected group of 21-28-year-old young professionals — but its scope goes beyond that, too, with links to London’s Ebony Horse Club, an inner-city riding programme, and plans for further expansion to include developing eventing nations. In short? It’s something we’d all quite like to be invited into, frankly — but even if some of us have aged out of its remit (guilty as charged), we still enjoy the odd opportunity to stick our noses in.

Although our invitation to France must have got lost in the post, we did enjoy getting to follow some of the training sessions from afar — and here are ten of the wisest snippets shared during the course of the lessons with Franke and Pippa.

Franke Sloothaak: “The rein back should be the same as asking the horse to move forward, otherwise they can’t move their hind legs — so don’t restrict the movement.”

Pippa Funnell: “If you work on your horse, your horse gets better. If you work on yourself, all your horses will get better.”

Franke Sloothaak: “If the horse is rushing, stop it after the fence and not before. If the horse is slow, speed them up after the fence, then the next time they’ll already be thinking more forward.”

Pippa Funnell: “If you turn your body over a fence, you lose the horse’s outside shoulder — so keep the body straight.”

Franke Sloothaak: “If he’s a strong and forward horse, you want to do lots of canter/walk/canter transitions so that he’s thinking more about the slow transition and not pulling.”

Pippa Funnell: “When riding a different or new horse it is really important to focus it on something easy to help it relax and trust you.”

Franke Sloothaak: “To encourage more activity, try two strides in a forward pace and then return to two strides of the normal working pace. Inside leg equals impulsion.  Outside leg controls the bend.  Use this with walk to canter transitions on a circle. Together with the two strides forward exercise it helps to get the horse thinking forward.”

Pippa Funnell: “What gives us the edge as a good rider? Small margins, staying open-minded and often something as simple as staying hydrated.”

Franke Sloothaak: “The outside rein is the most important. Leg yield from the inside on a circle to get the horse responding and moving forwards.”

Pippa Funnell: “How do we become great horsemen and -women? It’s all about the partnership. A partnership between horse and rider should be like a marriage, it should be about trust, honest, communication and companionship. Break the trust and you will break the confidence between horse and rider. I’m a great believer in empathy and getting inside a horse’s head to work out how they’re thinking. Repeat. Reward. Understand.”

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Nov 26, 2022 12:01 am -

Small Business Saturday is honestly one of my favorite things, but then again I do seriously try to abide by the Small Business Saturday mentality year-round. If you think about it though, being an equestrian makes it pretty easy to shop small, since there are so many fantastic equestrian small businesses out there. I hope you’re supporting your favorite ones today — and the rest of the year!

Need some inspiration? Check out the 2022 Nation Media Holiday Gift Guide.

U.S. Weekend Action

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (Thomson, GA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Links to Start Your Weekend:

Exposed: Practical Lessons from a Real-Life Equine Infectious Disease Outbreak

Tips for the Long Haul: Advice from Shippers on Traveling for the Winter Season

Back From The Brink: Thoroughbred Makeover Competitor Goes From New Bolton ICU To Field Hunter Finalist

In pain, or being a pain? Myth-busting webinar to explore equine behaviour

Equine Tendon Injuries: Reducing the Strain

World Equestrian Brands Pick of the Week: The World Equestrian Brands Black Friday sale is HERE! Score 20% off storewide now through Monday.

Saturday Viewing: Hunt Meet ASMR:

Friday Video: Black Friday — Equestrian Style

By on Nov 25, 2022 5:13 pm -

Okay, okay, of course the most important part of the holiday season is being with those you love and appreciating what you have — as well as doing and giving what you can for and to those less fortunate. But also, isn’t Black Friday shopping kind of fun

I don’t know about you guys, but my Black Friday so far has consisted of spending my pennies on… my horse. Of course it has. She’s got new rugs, new rug liners, new treats and toys and a whole host of things she probably won’t appreciate even a tiny bit, but man, it was great fun buying it all. Almost as fun as actually doing the bargain hunting is hearing about the great deals other people have snapped up — so please do brag about your shopping wins in the comments so we can all enjoy the fruits of our great labours together. Times are tough right now, so let’s share the deals where we can find them! (Also, if you haven;’t started shopping yet, check out our Holiday Gift Guide and nab yourself something special!)

Maxime Livio Takes the Lead in Round One of Sweden’s Indoor Eventing Challenge

By on Nov 25, 2022 9:00 am -

Maxime Livio and Boleybawn Prince lead the way on a scorching time of 30.92. Photo by Roland Thunholm/SIHS.

France’s Maxime Livio and Boleybawn Prince were the best combination in the first class of the Agria Top 10 Indoor Eventing in Stockholm, Sweden, last night. This means they will go last in the final on Sunday.

Livio was very pleased with his horse after the ride: “He is just an amazing horse,” he says. “He did Boekelo when he was eight with the German team. I’m training the Thailand eventing team and now he belongs to one of my Thai riders. He’s 17 now and still loves to compete. We train him for these competitions because they are not so physically demanding — he can just have big fun and feel the atmosphere of the big shows. I’m very lucky to have this horse and I’m very thankful to his owners who let me ride him.”

On indoor eventing, which takes place at many of the big winter indoor competitions, Maxime remarks, “I think it’s really good with the indoor shows because we can promote our sport and it’s helpful for us to have competitions during the winter season. I also think the audience loves to see these competitions, there is always a very good atmosphere.”

But, he points out: “It’s important though to have specific horses for this kind of classes. They need to be fast, but very connected and listening to the rider. They also have to be experienced, because everything comes very quickly.”

Sofia Sjoborg and Eastbourne are the best of the formidable home side in round one. Photo by Roland Thunholm/SIHS.

Sunday will see the finale of the class play out, run in reverse order of merit — and so Maxime will be the last rider to enter the ring, following joint-second placed competitors Sofia Sjoborg, piloting Eastbourne for the home nation, and Denmark’s Peter Flarup, riding his top horse Fascination.

“It will be the first time we do two fast classes during a competition,” says Maxime. “I think I will just have to manage my horse a little bit, because he will probably want to go too quick. I’m happy to be at the end of the order, that means I will have some answers about the course. And I will know who’s in the lead and what kind of risk they took.”

The ten-strong class saw plenty of drama and excitement, including a shock elimination for Oliver Townend after a spooky round with catch-ride Sotomayor resulted in the gelding jumping onto the bounce bank on a half-stride, refusing on top, and then slipping backwards off the side of the bank. Both were totally unharmed and landed on their feet. US representative Boyd Martin sits fifth currently on catch ride Caruccio Paradise, just a fraction of a second behind Germany’s Anna Siemer and the excellent eight-year-old Lillybelle EA, while Olympic champion Julia Krajewski sits sixth after the first round with the exciting eight-year-old Nickel 21.

You can rewatch the class on Horse&CountryTV here, and for full results, click here.

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Nov 25, 2022 12:03 am -

Thanksgiving at Windurra! Photo by Silva Martin.

 

U.S. Weekend Preview

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (Thomson, GA): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

Hello Black Friday, our Holiday Gift Guide has landed! We’ve picked out a few of our favorite gift ideas for all types of riders and partnered with some awesome brands to bring you special deals and promotions. [Start shopping]

In 2018, There were 42 young horses contesting YEH 5-year-old Championships between the East and West Coast Championships which were held in Elkton, Maryland, and Woodside, California, respectively. Following 2018’s YEH finale, many of the graduating class of the 2018 USEA Young Event Horse Championships have worked their way up through the rankings as they establish themselves as upper-level event horse prospects. [YEH Yearbook: Class of 2018]

Winter is the perfect time to work on some details with your riding, one of which is certainly position and rider biomechanics. Mary Wanless, an internationally renowned dressage coach and rider biomechanics specialist, shares some useful advice on how correct biomechanics can positively affect performance. [13 Facts About Rider Biomechanics]

Best of Blogs: Thankful For A Thoroughbred

After watching the annual Presidential Turkey Pardon earlier this week, a Florida trainer was inspired to grant clemency of a different kind. On Wednesday, Alice Abrahams led her fleet of multi-colored lease ponies, three in each hand, to the largest, nine-acre field on her Ocala-based Palm Lane Farm property. There, she removed their halters, handed each a jumbo carrot, and sent them on their merry way.“Nobody’s earned it more,” Abrahams said. “No more little heels banging them in the sides, or pulling on their mouths over cross-rails. No more having to wait out the waterworks when the kiddos take second place, or when they throw a tantrum when it’s time to apply more sunscreen at the show ring. From now until January 1, 2023, my ponies are officially unclipped and off the payroll!” [Ponies Pardoned for Thanksgiving]

 

Thursday Video: William Micklem’s Winter Motivator

By on Nov 24, 2022 6:49 pm -

We feel exceptionally lucky here at EN to count the legendary horseman William Micklem among our friends, supporters, confidantes and collaborators — and we’re sure we’re not alone in having grown up heavily influenced by his experience. I, for one, had a copy of his Complete Horse Riding Manual that, like the Velveteen Rabbit, was loved so hard that its fur (um, its cover) wore off, and in the years of my childhood when I couldn’t actively ride, it was the thing that almost singlehandedly kept me in a place of positive progress. For that alone, I’ve always been grateful to William — but he’s certainly never stopped giving back to the sport, either in his remit as a Fellow of the British Horse Society, inventor of the Micklem Multibridle, source of horses such as Biko and Custom Made and breeder of Olympic High Kingdom and Mandiba, and much-loved educator.

Now, to add a seriously cool string to his bow, he’s tackled the world of Ted Talks — and his recent talk, The GO! Rules, is essential listening for all of us as we learn to run our own race, compete with ourselves, and strive for that same positive progress every day. If you’re in need of a bit of a jump-start for this off-season, take the time to have a listen to this. It’ll be well worth your time.