Classic Eventing Nation

An Ode to the #supergroom: A Kentucky & Badminton Lookback Album

Sarah Charnley cheers on Ros Canter, who finished second at Badminton with the debut horse Lordships Graffalo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Behind every event horse is a groom who cares for them as if they were their own. Every rider worth their salt will tell you that the team running the show behind the scenes is an integral part of any success — rare as it can be in this sport — found. They’re the first at the barn and the last to leave at night, they’re the one waiting for you at the finish line, and they know their charges inside and out thanks to so much time spent together.

We spend a lot of time talking about the big moments, the winners, and the riders — but here at EN we also do our best to celebrate the #supergrooms at every turn. As our team rifled through the endless photos captured from Kentucky and Badminton, we pulled out a few favorite shots of support crews — family, grooms, working students, volunteers, and riders themselves — behind the scenes at the two spring 5* events.

And we’re also thrilled to see grooms gaining higher recognition and representation in governing bodies; the FEI announced in April that it would recognize the International Grooms Association, a professional organization for FEI grooms designed to support, educate, and provide a voice for grooms who have for so long going without formal recognition in our sport and others.

Want to learn more about the #supergroom life? Click here to catch up on our groom profiles, and stay tuned for more to come in the series!

Team Jung attends to fischerChipmunk. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Dan Krietl helps his pit crew. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Super boy pats for Sarah Bullimore’s Courouet.

Josh Ellington, groom for Fiona Kashel, with Creevagh Silver de Haar. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

One last time up the ramp! Photo by Sally Spickard.

Only a #supergroom can pull off quarter marks like Corouet’s! Photo by Sally Spickard.

Adam Short, groom to Tom McEwen, after a stellar Badminton dressage test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Photo by Sally Spickard.

Photo by Sally Spickard.

Emma Grange looks after Milchem Eclipse for James Rushbrooke at Badminton. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Marilyn Payne helps out with Quantum Leap in the vet box. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Tilly Hughes: professional London 52 sitter. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

All hands on deck for Team Payne. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Those Kentucky finishing feelings — Yasmin Ingham’s team celebrates after a clear show jumping that solidified her runner-up spot on the podium in Kentucky. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

Horses are so majestic!! Photo by Mary Mac Kinnon.

Virginia has been blessed with the best spring in recent history, and I’m really digging it. Cool 40’s at night and 60’s in the day, sign me up! I realize it won’t last forever, but I’ll bask in the idea that I could live in a place that had this season all year ’round. Of course, if I did find this magical location, everybody else would also want to live near me, and since I am a hermit that likes to live alone in a cabin in the woods, this would never work. Anyway….Happy Friday!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event (Mill Spring, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Galway Downs Spring H.T. (Temecula, Ca.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (South Royalton, Vt.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Majestic Oaks Ocala H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. (Spokane, Wa.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Unionville May H.T. (Unionvilla, Pa.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

WindRidge Farm Spring H.T. (Mooresboro, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Winona H.T. (Hanoverton, Oh.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI Nations Cup CCIO4*-S/WEG Test Event (Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Scoring] [EN’s Coverage] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

We can’t wait for you to get your hands on our new #goeventing merchandise line that’s just launched in collaboration with Dapplebay. You may have gotten a sneak peek at Kentucky, and now you can snag your own online! New to the collection are baseball caps, a sticker pack and a limited-edition tote bag that’s a collaboration between EN and Ride iQ. We’ll be adding to the collection throughout the year, so stay tuned for much more to come. In the meantime, you can start shopping here.

Growing up around horses, Caitlin Gooch says she always wore a helmet, but it wasn’t necessarily true of many of her fellow riders. Caitlin noticed that a lot of riders who aren’t wearing a helmet are not doing so because they are necessarily anti-helmet. “The reality is, there are not a lot of helmets out there for ethnic hairstyles. If we are just looking at the access, like what is actually available to us, we can see that some of these helmets get pretty pricey and who is going to spend money on a helmet that they can’t even safely fit over their natural hair?” So while she’s hoping that talking about re-shaping the negative helmet associations on social media will help riders of all ages and skill levels re-examine their attitudes toward protective headgear, Caitlin is also ready to ask the helmet companies and equestrian sport governing bodies some challenging questions. [Black Riders Need Helmets Too]

Rich Strike pulled off an 80-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and on Thursday his connections came with another shocker, taking the colt out of consideration for the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 21 at Pimlico. He will instead await the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, on June 11 in New York. Both Rick Dawson, who owns Rich Strike, and Eric Reed, the colt’s trainer, said they believed running back in two weeks was not in the best interests of Rich Strike. They said giving him five weeks between starts was more suitable. [Rich Strike Will Not Contest Preakness]

Best of Blogs: Meet Impressive John R: The Blind Thoroughbred Therapy Horse

Not done with Badminton yet? H&H gathered a list of bizarre facts from the event last weekend, and some of them will rock your world. Which rider fell off their bike? Who ran to the start box alongside their horse? [9 Funny Facts About Badminton]

Thursday Video: Go Team Chasing on an OTTB

Parker hat cam 📸 Bicester Open Team Chase 2022 – 2nd place🥈😍😁 finished in less than 4 minutes!!! 😱😍

A beautiful round for Team Ride Away to finish the season 😍😍

The whole team ride ex racehorses;
🐎 Charlotte Alexander in front on Saphir Du Rheu
🐎 Myself on Parker (Soir D’Estruval) in 2nd
🐎 Susannah Stanning on Grouse Lodge in 3rd
🐎 Joe Stevenson on San Cassiano in 4th

Thank you so much to my other half James for giving me the ride on Parker this season. I’ve loved every minute and I’m so grateful to be trusted with him especially when James is out of the country ❤️

What a fabulous end to a crap week 🤣 and this is precisely the reason I keep smiling, no matter how bad everything is going, it always ALWAYS gets better 🥰🦄

Now for a summer of unaffiliated competitions and building confidence with Tom and Simba 😁 plus I finally have a plan for Wrigley 🤞🏻😍😍

Enjoy the ride behind Parker’s ears, and following the legend that is Saphir Du Rheu 📸🥰

#teamrideaway #teamchasing

Posted by Sophie Seymour Equestrian on Sunday, April 24, 2022

If you’ve spent any time following Team Chasing, which in Great Britain consists of over 20 British Team Chases finishing with a championship, you know that it’s an immensely popular sport that even gives eventers an adrenaline-fueled kick in the pants.

We’ve got an exciting ride-along for you this week from the second-placed Open team at last month’s Bicester Team Chase. A fun fact, the whole Team Ride Away was sat on ex-racehorses!

Enjoy the ride with Charlotte Alexander out in front on Saphir Du Rheu and Sophie Seymour on Soir D’Estruval; also on Team Ride Away were Susannah Stanning on Grouse Lodge and Joe Stevenson on San Cassiano.

Previewing Pratoni: Your First Look at the Dressage Set-Up

New Zealand’s Tim Price and Falco, winners of last year’s Pau CCI5*, deliver their first-phase performance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s tricky, sometimes, to remember that this week isn’t just about scoping out the facilities and set-up for this September’s World Championships in Pratoni, south-east of Rome — it’s also a busy Nations Cup CCIO4*-S. Today, the nine teams came forward to produce their dressage tests, giving us all a chance to see the first of the week’s competition locations in action.

Though many of the officials this week are the same ones who’ll fill those roles come September, including Technical Delegate Marcin Konarski, Chief Steward Nicki Kelly, cross-country course designer Guiseppe della Chiesa and showjumping designer Uliano Vezzani, as well as a full roster of assistant stewards, there’s one pertinent difference in the line-up: the ground jury. This week, we’ve got a ground jury that’s made up of president Peter Gray (CAN) and members Marina Sciocchetti (ITA) and Laure Eslan (FRA), but in September, we’ll see Christina Klingspor (SWE) step into the president role at C, joined by Peter Gray (CAN) and Christian Steiner (AUT). That’s part and parcel of a reasonably new FEI ruling: in order to avoid other events bringing in the championship ground jury as a draw for competitors, thus limiting the available workload for other ground jury representatives, a championship ground jury cannot work together in the period between their selection and the championship itself.

That is, of course, far from the only difference between the two events: this week’s competition is a CCI4*-S, though will feature the showjumping on the final day as in a long-format competition. That means that the dressage test is different — this week, we’re using CCI4* B, while September’s competition will use the CCI5* B test that we saw at both Kentucky and Badminton — as are both the cross-country and showjumping challenges. We’ll be taking a closer look at this week’s course — and finding out from designer Giuseppe what we can expect to change this September, wherein the course will be significantly longer and at championship level, which is effectively a ‘four and a half star’ track — and we’ll be looking at a bigger showjumping course on grass at the World Championships, too.

But first of all, let’s focus on the dressage: while it may not be the same test, nor the same full ground jury, today’s Nations Cup face-off has been a great opportunity to test out the 100x62m surfaced main arena, called the Merano arena. Situated in a beautiful sun trap and surrounded by the Roman hills so characteristic of Pratoni, it’s already a stunning spot to watch a day’s sport unfold — even without the extensive grandstands, VIP spectator area, and arena fencing we can expect to see when we return. It’s also a super chance for the nine assembled teams to practice some team tactics, particularly as there’s no rule to say that a horse that’s done the test event is ineligible for the World Championships. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s meant that the German team pathfinder and reigning Pratoni CCI4*-S champion, Ingrid Klimke, has taken an easy day one lead on 24.8 with her superb SAP Hale Bob OLD, a horse we could well see repeat the feat in September.

Though world-beaters Great Britain are conspicuous in their absence, as is the USA, we’re seeing many other nations bring forward some serious heavy-hitters – Germany, who currently lead the way after the culmination of the team tests, is filled with names who will certainly be aiming for the WEG, with Andreas Dibowski and FRH CorridaAnna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale, and Boekelo winners Sophie Leube and J’Adore Moi joining Ingrid on the team. With three of the four team riders sitting in the top ten after this first phase, it looks like the country is well on track to aim for a return to former glories come September, particularly as Olympic gold medallist Julia Krajewski and Michael Jung aren’t here this week.

Here’s a look at how the leaderboards stand after the first, team-oriented day of dressage:

The individual leaderboard at the end of day one.

The Nations Cup team standings after the first phase of dressage.

So what have we learned so far? Mostly that even in its semi-constructed state, there’s plenty for fit, sharp competition horses to spook at — and even with a different ground jury, the standards here are high. The dressage arena is well-placed in close proximity to the stabling, and the ten-minute ring and warm-up arena sit opposite the competition arena, which can make for quite a busy environment if you happen to be sitting on an unfocused horse, as it’ll be able to see other horses working in and team representatives bustling around. This will be helped somewhat by the construction of an arena fence — this week, the arena is simply roped — and as I write, a number of other sand schooling arenas are being built further away from the main arena, which will help to reduce horse traffic in the championship itself. There’ll also be a large grandstand along one long side of this main arena, while the grass showjumping arena next to it will be hemmed in on three sides by grandstands.

For now, here’s a visual look at the action in the Merano arena — we’ll be back with plenty more info from the ground here at Pratoni, including visitor guides, advice on ticketing, a look at the final layout for the site in September, and much, much more. Until then: vai a fare eventi!

Pratoni 2022 Test Event: Website, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Entries, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

 

Get Your #goeventing Gear: EN x Dapplebay’s Online Store is Live!

Photo courtesy of Dapplebay.

We can’t wait for you to get your hands on our new #goeventing merchandise line that’s just launched in collaboration with Dapplebay. You may have gotten a sneak peek at Kentucky, and now you can snag your own online!

New to the collection are baseball caps, a sticker pack and a limited-edition tote bag that’s a collaboration between EN and Ride iQ. We’ll be adding to the collection throughout the year, so stay tuned for much more to come. In the meantime, you can start shopping here.

Take a look at the line:

Doughnuts and Olympic Dreams for Falco and Tim Price

Tim Price and Falco. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Falco is fast becoming a superstar, and could be tipped for the Olympic team in Paris come 2024 — he’s now the number one ride of Marlborough-based New Zealand event rider Tim Price.

The 13-year old pocket rocket (he’s a “nuggety” 16hh) certainly has diva-like tendencies to suit the big stage: he likes the occasional doughnut, and is described by Tim as “a bit of a cheeky brat who uses a ‘spooky’ card”.

“He’s always been cheeky,” Tim said. “He’ll spin, he’ll bugger about. The bell would have gone for the dressage and he’s stood up on his hind legs and spun around. But I just ignore that kind of thing. He is an incredibly unique character. I’ve never known another horse like him. He was never really pitching himself as a top level eventer through those first six years.

“He’s been an enthusiastic and rather too exuberant jumper from the beginning,” Tim described. “But he is incredibly intelligent and he has learned how to adapt and perfect his skills. We have had a lot of bumps in the road and while he has made mistakes, he has never made the same mistake twice.”

Falco is owned by another Marlborough-based equestrian legend, Sue Benson, described by Tim as an owner of a lifetime. Sue, the London Olympics 2012 Cross Country course designer, has a phenomenal equestrian CV from the 70’s to the 90’s when she represented Great Britain at three European championships, finished second at Badminton and third at Burghley, amongst other things.

Sue says she picked Tim to ride Falco seven years ago, as he was nearby at Mere Farm near Mildenhall in Marlborough. But a choice of convenience has emerged as a partnership of magnificence. “Although initially location was the main factor for choosing Tim, the coincidence is that he is now regarded as one of the best riders in the world,” Sue said.

Tim Price and Falco. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“By this time I was no longer competing myself so I only wanted him because I didn’t want anyone else to have him!” Sue recalled. “His sale price was not within my perceived budget but I released some inherited investments and purchased him anyway. I wanted him because he was beautiful. He had presence. He moved with such lightness of step, his eye was big, dark and full of glee. It’s such a cliché, but he literally jumped like a stag; effortless but with such joy. He appeared to be the ultimate athlete.”

“It was only 12 months ago that I started noticing the change in him,” Tim continued. “I really noticed it at Burnham Market where he won the Advanced class, and thought, ‘you are different now.’”

Now, Tim has the Luhmühlen 5* in Gemany in his sights this June, followed by the World Equestrian Games, and then hopefully the Paris Olympics in two years’ time.

“He is definitely a championship team horse. We might get in a couple of Badmintons too,” added Tim.

In 2021, after six long years, Tim and Falco excited the equestrian world when winning both their Millstreet 4* and Pau 5*, back to back.

“When I think of Falco I think of Tim, and when I think of Tim I think of Falco,” Sue explained. “They are a partnership which can never be separated. Bonded by their many successes — and a few failures — their combined belief in each other has united them.”

Falco was bred in Germany to jump, but Sue says dressage was easy for him as well, and says she won every dressage competition she entered on him, before deciding to find another rider to bring him on further.

“Even after seven years with Tim he is not the finished article,” she added. “I believe he can still improve.

“I believe he wants to improve and I believe he longs for more mileage! He never looks happier than when he is doing what he does best: competing with his best friend Tim Price at the controls.”

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

Jonelle Price and Classic Moet are at their best in the horse’s nineteenth year. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

I can’t stop thinking about the personal energy that Jonelle Price must have. First she goes to Kentucky, rides around the 5*, then she’s straight off to Badminton, rides around that incredible track, and jets straight off to Pratoni for the 4*. I mean look, we’ve all watched her ride on cross country and thought maybe she’s a bit nuts (in a good way), but that schedule has me yawning just thinking about it. What is her secret? Why? How? I’ll take a nap and think on it later.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event (Mill Spring, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Galway Downs Spring H.T. (Temecula, Ca.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (South Royalton, Vt.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Majestic Oaks Ocala H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. (Spokane, Wa.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Unionville May H.T. (Unionvilla, Pa.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

WindRidge Farm Spring H.T. (Mooresboro, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Winona H.T. (Hanoverton, Oh.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI Nations Cup CCIO4*-S/WEG Test Event (Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Scoring] [EN’s Coverage] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

US Equestrian has announced that the next DEI Community Conversation, “Cultivating Inclusive Spaces for Transgender and Non-Binary Equestrians,” will be on Monday, June 13, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. ET via Zoom. Centered through the lens of supporting youth athletes, this conversation will explore how people can support transgender and non-binary equestrians of all ages and will provide practical tips for creating welcoming, gender-inclusive spaces. In partnership with the IEA, USEF will welcome three panelists with the personal and/or professional experience of navigating gender identity in the context of equestrian sport. They will offer perspectives to help fellow equestrians learn how to advocate for and support their transgender and non-binary friends, students, and clients. Panelists include Alexis Novak, Liam Miranda, and Kate Sharkey. The session is free to attend and open to all people. You do not need to be a USEF member to attend the live session. [Register Now]

Laura Collett pulled off a sensational first Badminton victory this past weekend riding London 52. The 32-year-old British rider is a household name, thanks largely to last year’s Olympic team gold, but did you know that she always rides cross-country wearing goggles? Is a former Horse of the Year Show champion and has had to cope with death threats via social media? Check out some neat facts you may not know about the 5* winner. [12 Things You Might Not Know About Laura Collett]

What happens when a horse gets held at a big competition? I’ve never been held, somehow, and I always wondered if it would be hard to get my horse and myself back in the zone afterwards. Much less halfway around Badminton! Courtesy of Laura Collett’s helmet cam, you can now see what goes on behind the scenes. [Badminton XC Hold Footage]

Best of Blogs: Road to the Makeover: It Takes a Village

Training Tip Thursday: 15 Exercises to Improve Communication with Your Horse

 

Jog Day Kicks Off Tryon Spring International CCI4*-L

Andrew McConnon presents Wakita 54 and D’Luxe Steele. Photo by Alison Green for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We’re not done yet! The spring season continues this weekend with a CCI4*-L hosted at Tryon International. For some this is a move up or a confirming test, others have rerouted here from other spring three-days. The event is also running all other FEI levels, including a 1*-S and a 4*-S.

A total of 30 horse and rider combinations have entered the 4*-L this weekend, and we’ll see several pairs who contested the 4*-S at Kentucky last month cap off their spring seasons here.

The full entry list and ride times for all divisions can be found here. There is no live stream for the majority of this event, but you will be able to tune in the 3*-L and 4*-L show jumping on Sunday beginning at 10:30 a.m. EST with the 3*-L and continuing at 1:00 p.m. EST with the 4*-L.

Today we saw the 4*-L horses trot up for the Ground Jury, which this weekend includes President of the Ground Jury Robert Stevenson (USA) as well as Katarzyna Konarska (POL) and Valerie Pride (USA). Many thanks to Alison Green of Shannon Brinkman Photography for the lookbook from today’s action!

Stay tuned for much more from Tryon all weekend long right here on EN.

Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event (Mill Spring, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Yep, We’re Still Obsessing Over Badminton

Okay, okay, I might be at Pratoni and well into the throes of the WEG test event (and all its uniformed eye candy), but I left a little part of my heart behind in Gloucestershire, and I know I’m not the only one. Reliving all the emotions of the final day has certainly been made easier with this super round-up video from Horse&Hound, helmed by the excellent Lucy Elder. Yes, I’ve cried all over again watching Laura Collett’s shaky-voiced interview just after her round and no, I’m not at all embarrassed to admit that on the internet. Just 51 weeks ’til the next one!

Elevate®

Performance horses are susceptible to exercise-induced muscle damage. Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, limits the damage caused by everyday oxidative stress. It maintains healthy muscle and nerve functions, and supports a strong immune system in horses of all ages.

Elevate was developed to provide a highly bioavailable source of natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) to horses.

Check out this KPP article: Vitamin E and the Performance Horse – A Winning Combination.

The horse that matters to you matters to us®. KPPusa.com

Volunteer Nation: 15 Events That Could Use Help This Weekend

We are right smack dab in the thick of it, folks! This is the pinnacle of spring season eventing insanity, with events taking place from sea to shining sea. And they need our help!

Here are five events that could use a hand this weekend. As always, you can earn merit points when you donate your time through the USEA’s Volunteer Incentive Program. Registering to volunteer through EventingVolunteers.com makes it easy and seamless to both find a job and shift as well as learn what your role will entail.

USEA Events

Majestic Oaks May Recognized Horse Trial (May 10th, 2022 to May 14th, 2022)

Galway Downs Spring Horse Trials (May 12th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

Windridge Farms Spring HT 2022 (May 13th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

Winona Horse Trials (May 8th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

Texas Rose Horse Park Summer Horse Trials (May 14th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

Tryon International May 3-Day Event (May 9th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

OTHER

May Schooling Dressage (May 11th, 2022)

Fox River Valley Pony Club Mini Event (May 14th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

Flying Cross Farm May Mini Trial (May 14th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

2022 MDHT May Starter Horse Trial (May 13th, 2022 to May 15th, 2022)

May War Horse Event Series (May 12th, 2022 to May 16th, 2022)