There’s nowhere in eventing that has quite the hustle and bustle of Badminton, where upwards of 100,000 people will inevitably jostle through the gates and straight into the enormous shopping village before heading out on course on the Saturday of the event. So what does that experience actually look like for the good folks manning all those trade stands? Vlogger Lucy Robinson headed to the Fairfax & Favor stand at this year’s event to find out what it takes to keep one of the most popular shopfronts running smoothly — plus, she shows off some of her favourite goodies, heads out to see some of the toughest fences on course, and interviews sponsored rider Rosie Fry, too. It’s a totally different perspective of one of our favourite events, and we loved getting the chance to see it from the other side!
EN TRENDS:
Classic Eventing Nation
Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant Committee Forms to Honor Late Rider
Photo courtesy of Christine Quinn Photography.
Just over a year after the tragic passing of event rider Annie Goodwin, an extraordinary legacy program is set to carry her dreams on to fruition via other young, aspiring competitors. The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant is the joint brainchild of Annie’s parents, Putter and Tina Goodwin, and the staff at the Aiken Horse Park Foundation, and will seek to reward a rider with a drive, passion, and work ethic that matched that of Annie. En route to that end goal, the Goodwins and AHPF have formed a committee, which was announced this week.
The committee will work together to decide each year’s grant recipient, with a broad array of perspectives brought to the table through their shared and varied experience. Beyond that, “each member… had a strong connection to Annie that transcended sport, friendship, and family,” says the committee in a press release. The committee will be made up of:
- Daniel Geitner – Aiken Horse Park Foundation board member and hunter/jumper professional
- Putter Goodwin – Annie’s father
- Gene ‘Tiger’ Kneece – Polo professional
- Boyd Martin – Eventing pro, of course, and the current rider of Annie’s top horse Fedarman
- Catherine Stumberg – Amateur hunter/jumper rider
- Caitlin Silliman – Eventing pro
- Bobby Stevenson – Eventing pro
The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Fund currently sits at $122,274 after an initial round of donations from Annie’s friends and family, and this will serve as the jumping-off point for the annual grand program. Donations remain open for anyone who wants to contribute to the fund. Though there’s no firm date yet for applications opening, it’s looking like it’ll happen at the end of 2022, with a selection announcement set for the Grand Prix Eventing Festival at Bruce’s Field in March.
Belgian Team Announced for Pratoni
Karin Donckers and Fletcha Van’t Verahof. Photo by William Carey.
Roll up, roll up — get your team fixes here! The latest billing to splash across our news desk is that of the Belgian contingent, who deliver us a team that pairs up serious experience with some of the stars of tomorrow. The team and individual competitors are as follows:
- Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hermione d’Arville – 9-year-old Belgian Sport Horse mare (Birkhof’s Royaldik x Kyra du Relais Pachis, by Kashmir van Schuttershof). Owned by Five Star Eventers SPARL and Larga SPRL.
- Karin Donckers and Fletcha van’t Verahof – 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Vigo d Arsquilles STX x Southern Queen, by Southern Gale). Owned by Joris de Brabandere, Carl Bouckaert, and the rider. Direct reserve: Leipheimer van’t Verahof – 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Vigo d Arsquilles STX x Southern Queen, by Southern Gale). Owned by Joris de Brabandere.
- Senne Vervaecke and Google van Alsingen – 11-year-old KWPN mare (Watch Me x Pinot Brun VH Pannehof, by Forever). Owned by BVBA Alsingen.
- Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia – 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Elvis ter Putte x Cohiba, by Condrieu). Owned by Marc Rigouts and the rider.
- Individual: Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos – 11-year-old KWPN mare (breeding unknown). Owned by the rider.
The team’s lynchpin pair is Karin Donckers and the veteran competitor Fletcha van’t Verahof, who represented Belgium at the 2016 Olympics, the 2014 and 2018 World Equestrian Games, and the 2015, 2017, and 2019 European Championships. Their best result at a championship was individual fifth place at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Karin also enjoys the luxury of a direct reserve in the form of Leipheimer van’t Verahof, the full brother of Fletcha, with whom she competed at last year’s European Championships.
Five-time National Champion Lara de Liedekerke-Meier also brings considerable team experience to the line-up, though her homebred horse has less mileage: it’ll be a championship debut for the nine-year-old, who stepped up to four-star last season and, after some educational early efforts at the level, has produced some exciting results and earned placings at both short- and long-format. Lara herself has long been a stalwart of the Belgian line-up: she’s got 11 European Championships under her belt, from Pony through to Senior level, and has ridden on three World Championships teams previously. She also competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, but withdrew before cross-country. Her experience will undoubtedly be an asset to the team, which is then on filled with exciting new faces: Senne Vervaecke, who has six Junior and Young Rider European Championships under his belt, makes his Senior team debut with his eleven-year-old Google van Alsignen, as does 21-year-old Jarno Verwimp, who rides Mahalia, his partner at last year’s Young Rider European Championships. In their last six FEI runs, they’ve notched up five top-five finishes, and look to be an enormously exciting pair for the future.
Rounding out the line-up for Pratoni is individual competitor Maarten Boon, who rides his own Gravin van Cantos in their first-ever Championship. The reserve rider will be four-time Olympian. Joris Vanspringel with Creator GS, who jumped a steady clear around Badminton this spring.
Final entries and team/individual designations are due to the FEI on September 5. Want to see more from #Pratoni2022? Click on over to our Ultimate Guide to FEI World Championships for more!
Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis
Just a wee table at Great Meadow International. Photo courtesy of Holly Jacks-Smither.
I got the BEST surprise package this week from none other than our own Sally Spickard: a box packed full of horse books. I am an absolute book nerd of the highest degree, and I’ve had to build extra bookshelves in my house just to have locations for them all. Sally sent me autobiographies from several notable riders from different disciplines, a book on stretching your equine athlete, and a certain amazing new book on grid exercises loved by riders from around the nation. I’m so deeply excited to dig into each and every one, I barely have time to actually ride my horses.
U.S. Weekend Preview
MARS Great Meadow International: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Order of Go] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer] [Tickets] [Erin Gilmore Photography] [EN’s Coverage]
Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. (Santa Ynez, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]
Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, CT): [Website] [Scoring]
Major International Events
Land Rover Blair Castle International H.T. (Pitlochry, UK): [Website] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring]
Millstreet International H.T. (Cork, Ireland): [Website] [Timing & Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
The return of Burghley CCI5* is on the horizon! If you’re not pumped already, I guarantee that watching Laura Collett walk the cross country course will get your blood pumping. We haven’t seen anybody compete at Burghley since 2019, which seems like an interminably long time to not see horses leap over the leaf pit as we hold our hearts in our mouths. [Laura Collett Walks Burghley]
Have you ever been told to “drive with your seat bones”? I almost guarantee that you have, as it’s one of the most common things we hear in lessons. Jimmy Wofford thinks that this phrase isn’t really worth the time though, and has a different perspective on what the instructor is trying to communicate, and it’s not about your seat bones. [Lost in Translation]
Twenty-three years ain’t nothin’ for Sagacious HF. Heading into the arena for her Intermediaire II ride in the Adequan/USEF Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship on Wednesday morning at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Championsips, Jordan Lockwood needed a little help from her support crew to lead Sagacious HF into the arena. At 23 years old, the gelding is older than his rider but still just as enthusiastic about his job as when he first trotted down centerline in 2004 at first level. Throughout his career, “Kitty” has taken several riders to Grand Prix, most notably Lauren Sammis, who earned individual silver and team gold at the 2007 Pan American Games at the small tour level. [Still Making Dressage Dreams Come True]
Best of Blogs: Leffkowitz Believes in Second Chances
Thursday Video: Burghley’s First Decade
I always find it fascinating to look back at eventing’s early iterations and get a sense of how much has changed — and, in many cases, how much has stayed the same. The British Pathé archives tend to be a goldmine of old news footage, and they’ve collected plenty from some of the UK’s major equestrian events over the years, too, including these action shots from Burghley back in 1967 — that’s just five years into its existence. These days, it’s the world’s biggest, beefiest five-star, and it certainly wasn’t a track for the faint-hearted back then, either!
Swedish Team Announced for Pratoni World Championships
Aminda Ingulfson and Joystick are best of the Swedish team in eleventh at the Pratoni test event. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sweden is the latest team to release their line-up for next month’s European Championships, at which they hope to consolidate their excellent Nations Cup form into Championship results. The five selected horses and riders are as follows:
- Frida Andersen and Box Leo – 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Jaguar Mail x Box Qutie, by Quite Easy). Owned by Therese Örup.
- Aminda Ingulfson and Joystick – 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Jaguar Mail x For Joy SN, by Cardento 933). Owned by Helena Gunnarsson and the rider.
- Malin Josefsson and Golden Midnight – 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Goldmine x Duva, by Maraton). Owned by Karin Berglund.
- Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z – 11-year-old Zangersheide mare (Bamako de Muze x Cryloga M, by Lord Z). Owned by Juliet and Mattias Sjoborg and the rider.
- Individual: Niklas Lindback and Focus Filiocus – 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Feliciano 823 x Blue Bells, by Be My Chief). Owned by Tun Albertson.
The team mixes stalwart experience with exciting new talent: Malin Josefsson and Golden Midnight were on the 2019 and 2021 bronze-medal-winning European Championships team, while Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z, who made their Senior championship debut at last year’s European Championships as individuals, finishing thirteenth, will step into the team role this time. 24-year-old Sofia brings plenty of team experience in her own right, though: she’s represented Sweden five times at Junior and Young Rider level, taking two bronze medals along the way. Aminda Ingulfson, who has stepped up to Nations Cup teams over the last season, will make her Championship debut with the excellent Joystick, with whom she finished eleventh in the World Championships test event in May this year. Frida Andersen‘s Box Leo will also enjoy a Championship debut, though Frida herself has previously ridden for Sweden at Pony and Young Rider Europeans and the 2013 European Championships, and the 2016 Olympics.
The individual competitors, Niklas Lindback and Focus Filiocus, returned to competition last year after a year and a half out of action, and have picked up some consistent results since, including second place in a CCI4*-S at Strzegom last spring and a win in the CCI4*-S at Sopot this May. The gelding, who jumped clear around the 2017 and 2019 European Championships and the 2018 World Equestrian Games, also made his five-star debut, delivering a steady clear at Luhmühlen for a top twenty finish.
The first reserve for the team will be Christoffer Forsberg and his 2021 Europeans mount Hippos Sapporo, who have enjoyed an excellent season with wins at both CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L this spring, as well as a third place finish at Maarsbergen CCI4*-S and a swift clear at the final selection trial at Haras du Pin.
Final entries and team/individual designations are due to the FEI on September 5. Want to see more from #Pratoni2022? Click on over to our Ultimate Guide to FEI World Championships for more!
Incredible Prize Klaxon: Win a Haygain Hay Steamer at the AECs!
Lisa Niccolai and KC Celtic Character, the 2021 Training Amateur Champions. Photo courtesy of Joan Davis/Flatlandsphoto
“Wow! That is a fantastic prize,” Lisa Niccolai recalls thinking when she learned that her victory in the 2021 American Eventing Championships Training Amateur division had earned her a Haygain High Temperature Hay Steamer. “Competing in the AECs was an overall amazing experience and that really added to it.”
Haygain is honored to sponsor the United States Eventing Association Championships again this year. Presented by Nutrena, the Championships are set for Aug. 30-Sept. 4 at Rebecca Farms in Kalispell, Montana. Haygain’s sponsorship will again include an HG One Hay Steamer — valued at $1,099 — to the winner of the Training Amateur division.
Along with the Hay Steamer donation, all AEC exhibitors will receive a special discount code for the purchase of any of Haygain’s three steamer models and its Forager Slow Feeder.
Haygain High Temperature steaming reduces up to 99% of the dust, mold, fungi, bacteria and other allergens found even in hay of top nutritional content. The benefits of clean hay include preventing or managing respiratory problems that affect over 80% of active sport horses.
Lisa had heard about the respiratory health benefits of Haygain when she won the steamer. Her horse, KC Celtic Character, didn’t have any specific respiratory problems at the time and she was excited for Haygain’s help in keeping it that way.
The now 7-year-old Zweibrücker (a German Warmblood) did have other health concerns, however. He received an ulcer diagnosis as a 4-year-old, so that’s been a major management concern for Lisa. “He is a very sensitive horse and he simply stopped going forward,” Lisa explains of his ulcer symptoms at the time.
Ensuring that “Trey” eats a steady supply of forage has been key to Lisa’s defense against an ulcer recurrence. “That is one of the reasons I was so excited to try the Haygain. He can be a little picky, and especially when it comes to water intake. He doesn’t always like water that doesn’t taste like what he gets at home.”
Haygain’s patented steaming technology can have up to three times to moisture content of dry hay. Its proven appetite appeal is another bonus for Lisa and Trey. “He loves his steamed hay and I love that it has the extra moisture content. When I read more about the Haygain, I realized it could be really good for him. It is another step I can take to help keep him comfortable and healthy.” Trey’s 30-year-old companion pony also loved the Steamed Hay, Lisa reports. “He was having trouble chewing with his teeth, and the steaming really helped.”
Positive Partnership
“The USEA is proud to partner with Haygain,” says Kate Lokey, USEA Director of Programs and Marketing. “Haygain’s dedication to finding new ways to improve the health and well-being of horses is a great fit for the USEA. We are excited to offer their steamer as a prize at the USEA American Eventing Championships!”
Johan Switzer, Haygain’s VP of Marketing, says, “We are happy to continue our long-standing partnership with the eventing community. Hay Steamers, the Forager Slow Feeder and our ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring are now relied on by equestrians in all disciplines and around the world, but our path started with eventers. We wish everyone a successful, safe and healthy competition in Montana!”
For more information on Haygain, visit www.haygain.us.
#Supergroom Sally Robertson’s 6 Pieces of Advice for Professional Grooms
We love celebrating and learning about the #supergrooms who make this sport go around — quite literally! — so we’re on a mission to interview as many grooms as we can to learn about their journeys. Catch up on the other interviews from this series here and nominate a #supergroom of your own by emailing [email protected]!
Sally Robertson and Vermiculus. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Sally Robertson, from Coromandel, New Zealand, has been working in the equine industry for decades. Having worked for riders like Chris Chugg, Clark Montgomery, and Lauren Nicholson, it’s safe to say Sally has learned quite a bit — and so, ahead of next month’s FEI World Championships for Eventing, where Sally will be caring for Team USA member Lauren Nicholson’s partner, Vermiculus, we wanted to pick her brain and learn a few things from this top pro. So, without further ado, here are Sally’s six pieces of advice for aspiring professional grooms!
1. Be patient and stick with it.
Sally has experienced various programs and their atmospheres, but says it may take time to find one that really fits you. “Lauren and I, we just work really well together. I probably wouldn’t want to work for anyone else; she has a great program. She not only respects her horses, but she really respects the staff. It’s taken me a long time to find a position that I feel extremely valued in.”
Being a professional groom is not an easy journey, and the tough days can be as frequent as the exciting ones. But if you stick with it, it’s worth it. “In the early years you have to be prepared that it’s going to be a lot of hard work. You might not get to where you want as quickly as you want. But if you can stick with it, and you find the right place, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
“There are a lot of sacrifices. So it’s up to the individual whether those sacrifices are worth making. Personally, I find that they are.”
Sally and Lauren Nicholson at Kentucky. Photo courtesy of Sally Robertson.
2. Take care of yourself.
It’s typical for anyone in this line of work to ignore minor injuries or pains. No pain, no gain, right? Although that mindset is shifting and becoming less common, it’s still important to be conscious of taking care of yourself, especially when the job is taxing on your body.
“If you get into the profession and you want to stay with it long term, don’t make the mistake I did. Start looking after yourself from the get-go. If you need to see a chiropractor, if you need to have a massage, if you need to take that day off and not leave the house and lay on the couch and reboot yourself, you need to take care of yourself from the get-go. And then, you’ll make your life easier in the long run.”
3. You’ll learn something from everyone that you work for – people you like and people you don’t like. Learn something from each person and keep those lessons in your toolbox.
“To be honest, I’ve learned something from everyone I’ve worked for. And whether that be right or wrong, I think each program has its ups and its downs. If you can take away what they’re trying to teach you whether you agree with it or not agree with it, then you’ll never stop learning. And you’ll find many different ways to deal with people and deal with the horses. Not one staff member is the same; not one horse is the same. The more tools you have in your box, the more versatile and better you can do your job.”
Pony hugs… the best kind. Photo courtesy of Sally Robertson.
4. When the job gets stressful or tiring, remember why you started.
“In the past, if I’ve been in that situation, I just try and take a moment, take a breath, remember why I’m doing it. At the end of the day, everything’s going to get done because it has to get done.”
Sally also said that preparing for what comes next and staying organized helps reduce those stressful moments, which leads us to her next point…
5. Stay organized and think ahead.
Typically, Sally thinks and plans as much as two months ahead of time.
“I’m actually like that on a daily basis and weekly basis. So I don’t have the surprises, but then when the surprises do pop up, I generally find it pretty easy to deal with that. I think just grounding yourself again, for a moment, and remembering to breathe, and the most important thing is making sure the horses are taken care of properly. So if that’s your number one priority, then the rest will fall into place. You might not be finishing at the time you want to but that’s horses. It’s any animal.”
That smile says it all! Photo courtesy of Sally Robertson.
6. Witch hazel is your best friend.
Sally’s go to product is witch hazel, especially because it can be useful for so many things.
“That’s a thing daily in our barn. Once we’ve done our afternoon grooming and they’re curried and brushed off and whatnot, they all get a spray with witch hazel. I just find it helps the coats a lot. I won’t ever at shows put fake stuff on them to make them shiny. I’m not big on that. I think sometimes it interferes with the tack, then you can end up with a slippery saddle pad or something. But I find that witch hazel can actually help with that, a bit of an extra shine if need be without making their coats yucky and greasy.”
Thank you Sally for passing some of your wisdom on to us!
Go Sally and Go Eventing.
Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View
Keepin’ it real. Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin.
There’s a genuinely model-worthy shot that followed the photo above, but I figured it was more fun to post the real one, and not the perfect Instagram photo. Look at old Neville! He is just so bored with all of it, he knows he’s too cool for school. Honestly, Silva and the dressage horse still look fabulous, and Neville and Boyd look very derpy, which is pretty much on point anyway.
U.S. Weekend Preview
MARS Great Meadow International: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Order of Go] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer] [Tickets] [Erin Gilmore Photography] [EN’s Coverage]
Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. (Santa Ynez, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]
Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, CT): [Website] [Scoring]
Major International Events
Land Rover Blair Castle International H.T. (Pitlochry, UK): [Website] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring]
Millstreet International H.T. (Cork, Ireland): [Website] [Timing & Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
Em Loerzel grew up hearing stories about the Ojibwe horse from her uncle, about small ponies that would roam free near Ojibwe communities tucked among the forests and lakes along the Minnesota-Canada border, and help with tasks such as hauling wood and trap lines. She recently raised money to rescue several of the Ojibwe ponies, and brought them to a farm owned by a friend outside River Falls, where Loerzel moved last year with her husband. And she started a nonprofit called The Humble Horse, to raise awareness about the breed–which is also known as the Lac La Croix pony, and to help revive it. Only about 180 Ojibwe horses remain, mostly in Canada. [Return of the Rare Ojibwa Horse Lifts Spirits]
Every teacher of riding lessons has A Thing that makes them nutsy. Maybe it’s people who want to fly up the levels and do tricks without a solid foundation. Maybe it’s students who talk all the time and don’t listen as well. Maybe it’s students who make the same mistake over and over again. For dressage rider Lauren Sprieser, the thing is students who talk back, who tell her why the thing she’s suggesting to them won’t work, or why they can’t try it. [Let The Yeahbuts Live in the Forest]
Ever been shocked that you need to carry a crop or wear spurs with a former racehorse? At the recent Thoroughbred Logic Clinic, riders addressed horses that ranged from four to twenty years old, hot to sluggish, mares to geldings. The great thing about addressing them throughout a single day was that despite a wide range of differences, clear trends surfaced in how to approach successfully riding each one. This week, we’ll take a look at how to be incremental but effective when in the irons. [Thoroughbred Logic: Incremental but Effective]
For creatures of any species, proper diet and exercise are key to maintaining health and proper body weight and condition. But when a horse isn’t getting regular exercise, the onus falls on diet alone. And, of course, this presents its own set of challenges. A horse might be idle for a variety of reasons. He could be a senior mount who has served his time in work and is enjoying a well-deserved retirement. She could be a young prospect who is getting time to grow and mature before starting in training. Or he could be a mature campaigner with a performance-limiting injury who’s embarked on a new career as an equine babysitter. [How To Feed the Non Working Horse]
Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Win a Prelim Aboard Sharp Decision
As a truly mediocre event rider, I often think that winning a Prelim would be rather like taking Olympic gold, relatively speaking. Of course, for some of these pros, it’s just par for the course, but those pros also don’t need leak-proof knickers on whenever they think about jumping trakehners, so bully for them, I guess. Anyway, I’m currently sidelined from riding, so catch-riding other people’s horses via hatcam footage is my only way of getting that cross-country rush — and so I’m particularly grateful to Elisa Wallace and Sharp Decision for winning the Open Prelim at Ocala Summer II for me, just so I can feel what it’s like. And you know what? It feels great.
Simply put, horses need energy.
Energy is traditionally supplied by cereal grains such as oats, corn, and barley. These feedstuffs deliver energy as carbohydrates or starch. But what if you want to supply more energy to your horse without increasing the feed intake? Feeding a fat supplement is an excellent way to achieve this.
Fat is considered a source of “calm” energy and is thought to modify behavior in some horses, making them more tractable. This, in turn, allows horses to focus their energy on work rather than nervousness.
Learn more at https://kppusa.com/2017/10/20/high-energy-advantages/
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