Welcome to EN’s newest series, “So You Want To Be A…”. In an ongoing effort to educate those interested in getting more involved in eventing, we’ll be highlighting jobs and positions that could always use more applicants. Do you have an eventing-specific job that you’d like to learn more about? Tip me by emailing [email protected] and Chinch will get right on it!
Cross country laid out at Virginia Horse Trials. Photo by David Taylor.
So, you want to be a cross country course designer. Great choice! The job of a course designer is no easy task, and it carries a huge weight of responsibility for safety of both horses and riders. A strong understanding of course design leads to safer courses, and all sports can greatly benefit from an influx of fresh thinking.
David Taylor first caught the course design bug after some deep thinking led him to seek out more avenues of involvement in the sport of eventing. “I wanted to be more involved rather than just being a participant who only takes from the sport,” David explained.
This notion led David to reach out to then-president of US Eventing, Rob Burk, to find out about ways to be more involved, to help give back. Rob, always willing to help someone who asks, set David up on the USEA Safety Committee. But David’s interests didn’t stop there. “I wanted to have a more personal impact,” he explained.
Cross country has always been David’s favorite phase, and it’s one he feels he understands well. “Cross country has always felt like it was written in my own language, but I wanted to learn more about it,” he said. “Even if I hadn’t become a designer, what I learned could still help me as a rider and a teacher, so I thought, ‘why not?’”
And so David signed up for a training session that was being held at Sporting Days Farm in Aiken. This is the first step on the road to becoming a course designer, which has three levels of designation through the USEF (“r” for Preliminary and below, “R” for Intermediate, and “S” for Advanced).
A prospective designer must attend a Course Design Training Session before beginning the next required step, which is an apprenticeship. For the “r” designation, the starting point, these apprenticeships must include a minimum of eight hours with two different designers. Passage of a final exam must also be completed before obtaining your first course design letter.
VHT organizer Andy Bowles and FEI course designer John Nicholson. Photo by Brant Gamma.
David completed apprenticeships with Tremaine Cooper, John Michael Durr, and David O’Connor — but he strongly encourages anyone interested in pursuing course design to just simply learn from as many people as they can. “It’s not just about fulfilling requirements,” David said. “You have to want to learn as much as you can from anyone willing to teach you.” He’s quick to name a slew of other well-known designers such as Derek di Grazia and Ian Stark as others who’ve lent him a word of advice or a moment of time.
Indeed, every designer has their own flair, their own signature style. And most, if not all, are usually willing to take on a shadow as they walk around their course or put finishing touches on.
The path to becoming a course designer does take some legwork as well as some personal investment of time and money — but the payoff is well worth it, David says. “It’s rewarding — and maybe a bit nerve racking at first! — to see riders take on the course that you designed, to see them answering the questions you’re asking.”
Once you learn about the intricacies of course design — the way just a few feet of undulating terrain can make or break a question, the subtle manner in which a designer asks horses and riders if they’ve prepared adequately — the possibilities are endless. “The adrenaline I get watching horses go around when I’ve done everything I can leading up to that point is just unmatched,” David said. “You just want the riders to do well and make the right decisions.”
Are you interested in obtaining your cross country course design license? Here are some useful links to get you started:
June heralds in the return of equestrian competition and riders are getting creative to ensure safety. Area III Chair Cyndi Kurth passed along an idea from Pat Bunge of Red Roses Farm in Illinois, who drummed up a great way to make sure everyone has enough personal protective gear PLUS a great opportunity for more show swag.
“Bandannas — can be pulled up when not riding, and pulled down when riding. Events could put their logo or a sponsor logo on for their staff/volunteers. Barns could have their own colors.”
Waredaca is evaluating if they can run their spring horse trials on the new date of June 13-14. They need to gauge interest, so if you’re going enter! Do the full entry (minus payment) so they can go forward with state and county approval. [NEW date of June 13 and 14 for Spring Horse Trials]
Have a Sport Horse Nation matchup success story? Send a photo to [email protected] to be an upcoming EN banner ad cover model. Faraway shots are the best as it’s a long, skinny banner ad. This week: just to get the ball rolling, we’ve got a pic of EN editor Leslie Wylie with her SHN perfect pony match-up, Princess. [Sport Horse Nation]
US Equestrian has approved rule change modifications due to COVID-19. CLICK HERE to read through them.
The USEA has issued an update on the 2020 American Eventing Championships. With less than 100 days to go, they are carefully monitoring the situation and plan to hold the event within CDC and WHO recommendations. At this time, no changes have been made to the qualification requirements. [100 Days Until the 2020 AEC]
Last month we told you about the Painted Ponies Art Walk & Auction to the Benefit Carolina Horse Park Foundation. Carolina Horse Park is, of course, a preeminent venue on the Area II eventing calendar and host of approximately 28 weeks of equestrian events each year. Given current health concerns, the Auction will now take place online from Wednesday, June 17, until Saturday, June 20, 2020. On June 1, an Auction Catalog will be available online at www.carolinahorsepark.com, where bidders can learn more about each pony. [Carolina Horse Park]
De sportscholen zijn nog steeds dicht, maar dat betekent niet dat je niet aan je ruiterfitheid kunt werken 🏋️♀️💪 Met een cavalettibalk kun je heel creatief zijn op stal. Voor of na het trainen van je paard, train je zelf ook nog eventjes 😎 Erwin Loomeyer en ik hebben een aantal simpele, effectieve oefeningen voor je op een rij gezet. 1️⃣ Walking lunges: over de A-C lijn met op X 10 seconden rust. Ben je in good shape, dan loop je de hele A-C lijn. Je traint balans.2️⃣ Walking shoulder lift: over de A-C lijn met op X 10 seconden rust. Ben je in good shape, dan loop je de hele A-C lijn. Je traint balans en ritme. 3️⃣ Laterale Jump over: spring van links naar rechts, vooruit en weer achteruit over de cavaletti. 10 seconden rust. Herhaal dit 3 keer. Je traint balans, coördinatie en conditie. 4️⃣ Quick feet: tik met de bal van je voet de bovenkant van de cavaletti balk aan. Houd dit 30 seconden vol. 10 seconden en herhaal 3 keer. De balk mag niet wegrollen. Je traint balans, coördinatie en conditie.Stay fit for you and your horse 💪
Don’t go channeling you inner barrel racer too much here in Lainey Ashker‘s newest Grid of the Day (#GOTD) — this exercise will help you keep keenly aware of utilizing your outside rein to turn so that your horse’s outside shoulder doesn’t wander away! Hear what Lainey has to say:
“HELLO OUTSIDE REIN!!! I’m sure your coaches have yelled at you about this many times over the odd run out or pole down from time to time. This #GOTD hones right on in on perfecting those outside aids to get it done correctly! Make sure when approaching the right side to come off the right lead and make sure to keep ahold of the left rein and keep the outside leg back and vice versa! The barrels will really provide a good gage as to whether you’re using your tools correctly. This is one of my favorite exercises that really helps to create a more rideable horse underneath your saddle! Enjoy my friends! Hope we may have a show season upon us! 🤞🏽👊🏽💪🏽#LÆ#outsiderein#theotheroutsiderein#quarentraining“
Virtual Eventing supported by NAF announced that £178,500 has been raised for the NHS and medical charities around the world following the five-day competition, which was live-streamed between May 6-10.
The amazing commitment and effort from riders and presenters, kind donations by the sponsors, and generosity of those who pledged auction prizes meant initial targets were smashed, and a legacy has been left by the eventing world in helping to tackle COVID-19.
Over a million people tuned in to watch 50 world-class riders take part in a series of challenges to mirror elements of modern three-day eventing with a twist. The entertainment came thick and fast, from roller skates to snorkels, stethoscopes to stilettos; this was no eventing fake news story, confirmed by the appearance of Donald Trump. Decorated eventing Olympian William Fox-Pitt (Nurse) and fellow British team member Gemma Tattersall (Unicorn) trotted off with the HiHo Silver best-dressed male and female prizes following the public vote on Facebook.
The dressage was a rare opportunity to see some of the world’s best equine training facilities, as horses and riders floated across our computer screens from their arenas at home under the watchful eye of the judges. Accuracy and precision saw the supremely talented GB Team Rider Laura Collett and London 52 lead at the end of the phase on 24.9.
Cross-Country consisted of a multi-part obstacle course on foot with each rider accompanied by a dog, teddy bear, or, in the case of Australian Olympian Megan Jones, a Shetland pony. Collett’s dominance didn’t last after an impressive dunking at the water complex. Clear rounds were few and far between, with refusals racking up and the clocks ticking down. Flying Frenchman Sebastien Cavaillon proved the most agile with Gemma Tattersall moving into second and Britain’s Matt Heath in third.
Show jumping has so often proved the undoing of many, and at the end of the hotly contested four-day competition, riders were given the final leg up into the saddle, this time on their bikes. Britain’s Kirsty Chabert, who sat sixth at the start of the day’s competition, produced a perfect and penalty-free round to put pressure on the top five.
An abundance of kicking and peddling saw Louisa Lockwood (GB), Olympian Tom Carlile (FR), and Matt Heath produce competitive rounds, while Gemma Tattersall slipped to fifth with four time faults. Tension mounted with Sebastien Cavaillon last to go, on the cusp of glory until an unfortunate error which saw two feet hit the ground, costing him dearly and dropping him to seventeenth place, meaning Wiltshire based Chabert was crowned the winner.
Chabert commented on victory, “I feel terrible for Sebastien and certainly never thought I would finish on my dressage score!”
“It’s really important we do our bit for the NHS and medical charities. They have helped riders on numerous occasions, picking us up off the floor, so it’s the least we could do for an amazing cause.”
Each rider trained diligently for the challenge alongside fundraising from their own Virgin Giving Money platform. Seventeen-year-old Archie Smith-Maxwell (GB) topped the individual fundraising table with a phenomenal £25,000 raised. The French team flew their flag for their nation, with Arthur Chabert, Sebastien Cavaillon, and Tom Carlile collecting the best part of £5,619 for Foundation de France.
Aside from the high octane equestrian action, streamers were invited to browse the silent auction where funds swelled. Generously donated lots, included staycations, lessons with the world’s best riders and bespoke luxury items, which added £41,331 to the fundraising haul. The shopping theme continued; people were able to purchase Virtual Eventing merchandise such as hats and t-shirts, with all proceeds going to charity, while the Virtual Shopping Village saw hundreds of stalls exhibited across the five days.
Rachel Wakefield, organiser of Virtual Eventing, commented, “Eventing has a big community of competitors and fans, and it’s been amazing to see how our sport has united. I never anticipated the support we have had, and to raise nearly £180,000, it is exceptional.”
“My thanks must go to our riders and their owners, auction donors, title sponsor NAF, and all our day sponsors; FMBS, Monbeg Sport Horses, Lotus Romero, Dubarry Of Ireland, SEIB Insurance, Equestriana, Saracens, SEIB Insurance, Voltaire Design, Bloomfield Horseboxes, and Houso, without whose support, this would not have been possible.”
For further information about Virtual Eventing and to watch the event on-demand, visit www.virtualeventing.com and follow at Virtual Eventing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Back together again: John Williams’ 2004 Olympic partner Carrick enjoying retirement with Sloopy, pictured here in 2015. Carrick passed away in 2017 at age 25; Sloopy joins him now, having passed last week at age 28. Photo by Allie Conrad.
Our condolences to those whose lives were touched by Sloopy, the OTTB best known as John Williams’ five-star partner, who also went on to partner successfully with Lizzie Snow and enjoyed a happy retirement with Ellen Chaney. He passed away on Friday at age 28.
Ellen shared:
“Goodbye to my little Thoroughbred with the biggest heart. A big heart that had him racing, and winning, for three years, then finding a new path as an event horse. A heart that powered his spooky self over the biggest cross country courses in the world with only a single run-out at his very first Prelim. Burghley and Kentucky twice, as well as Fair Hill and Foxhall where he won the Fitness Awards, all with a big heart with a big leaky valve discovered when he was 8 years old. Long formats, short formats, he could do them all. A heart that finally gave out suddenly, and hopefully painlessly, on a beautiful May morning in his paddock. I am grateful that he was happy, healthy, beautiful and full of cookies to the very last moment. I will miss him terribly, but so happy to have shared so very many years with him. Carrick is in charge of him now. xoxo Super.”
Always overshadowed by Carrick, who served as the selectors’ first choice when it came time to choose horses for teams, Sloopy quietly accumulated solid placings with John at major events like Kentucky and Burghley during his career, earning himself the 19th spot on the USEA’s most recent High Scoring Horses list. While he never truly stood alone in the spotlight, Sloopy made a name for himself in his own right, serving as a textbook example of just how suited an off-track Thoroughbred can be to a second career in eventing.
Allie Conrad, a talented photographer and dedicated OTTB advocate, said after the photo session: “I had the honor of photographing two legends yesterday, and it was honestly standing in the light of greatness. This face galloped over countless long-format [five]-stars after having a racing career. He was a character and a half! Demanding of attention and loved the camera.” Photo by Allie Conrad.
Sloopy raced 43 times under the Jockey Club name Sloopy’s David (Two Davids X Nearly Sloopy, by Military Bearing), accumulating eight wins and more than $50,000 in earnings. John and Ellen purchased him in 1999 in partnership with Bob Boeckman and Mary Delton as a 7-year-old from Jan Byyny, who had him for several months after he came off the track in Tampa Bay. “John clicked with him as soon as he met him,” Ellen recalled in an EN interview some years ago. “I was not as sure about him at the start, but John was. I don’t think Sloopy would ever have done what he did without John. They just had such an incredible partnership. Sloopy would do anything for him.”
Just one year after John and Sloopy began their partnership, Sloopy stumbled in the Intermediate water complex at Stuart Horse Trials in 2000. “He went down and completely removed the front of his knee,” Ellen said. “It was like someone took an ice cream scoop out of the flesh down to the bone. I remember thinking when I saw the injury that he was not going to survive, and if he did, he would certainly never compete again.” But Sloopy recovered beautifully from what appeared to be a career-ending injury, coming back mere months later to win the Camino Real CCI2*.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Chaney.
Sloopy and Carrick having a graze. Photo courtesy of Ellen Chaney.
Sloopy continued to persevere through the knee injury, piloting John to 18th-place finishes at Burghley in both 2003 and 2004, as well as a 10th-place finish at Kentucky in 2006. The injury ultimately triggered arthritic changes in Sloopy’s knee, and he underwent surgery after Fair Hill in 2007 to remove bone chips. “The surgeon said we might have a pasture sound horse after that if we were lucky, but he couldn’t promise anything else,” Ellen said. In typical Sloopy fashion, he rallied back to compete again, this time with Lizzie Snow in the irons for her first Intermediate at Lumber River Horse Trials in 2008, which they won. The pair went on to finish 4th at Young Riders in 2009, and Lizzie kept continuing up the levels, jumping clear with time around Kentucky with another Thoroughbred, Coal Creek, in 2015.
Lizzie Snow and Sloopy. Photo courtesy of Diane Snow.
Sloopy concluded his eventing career one year later, going out on a high note with a win at Five Points Horse Trials with Lizzie in the fall of 2009. In his retirement he lived the good life in Southern Pines, getting “fat and happy” and becoming “absolutely feral,” as Ellen fondly described him. “He has little interest in doing anything civilized.” But after all he accomplished, Sloopy deserved a grand retirement. “The number of [four- and five-stars] he did — many of them long format — was impressive,” Ellen said. “He also won Best Conditioned at Fair Hill and Foxhall, all with a heart murmur. He never quit trying even in awful conditions, which is probably a Thoroughbred trait.”
Double European eventing champion and five-time Olympian Ingrid Klimke was on track to a historic 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, having qualified for not only eventing but dressage as well. Now that the Olympics, along with much of this season, has been wiped from the calendar, how is Ingrid coping? With a smile on her face and a positive attitude, as usual. We appreciate this update from Louise Parkes and the FEI — Ingrid, you’re an inspiration to us all!
“It’s alway more special when the horse is getting older. Now he is 16 and these are our last years together so I treasure it even more.” Ingrid Klimke talking about her partnership with SAP Hale Bob OLD, pictured here at Aachen in 2019. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Ingrid Klimke was cooking dinner while we chatted on Saturday evening. No surprises there, the German star is a born multi-tasker, so juggling an interview and an evening meal is a breeze for this lady.
In the sport of eventing she has five Olympic Games, four FEI WEGs and 10 FEI European Championships under her belt. Her medal collection includes two Olympic team golds and one team silver, two WEG team golds and an individual bronze, and last summer’s double-gold in Luhmühlen brought her European Championships tally to six golds along with a silver and a bronze.
Her prowess as a dressage rider has been key to many of these successes, and just to prove the point she finished seventh in the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in ’s-Hertogenbosch in 2002. It’s a staggering record but far from complete. As we begin our chat she reminds me that she was selected for the German A squads in both eventing and dressage for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, “with three horses in the two disciplines, so already a dream has come true! Now I’m very much hoping that they all stay healthy for next year!,” she says.
One of my dreams
So what prompted you to try to qualify in two Olympic disciplines this time around? “I watched Mark Todd (New Zealand superstar) compete in jumping and eventing in Barcelona, so it was one of my dreams to do the same some day! My father (the late, great German horseman Reiner Klimke) competed at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome in eventing and later changed to become a dressage rider.”
Apart from your father who were your heroes when you were growing up? “I really admired Lucinda Green and I read all her wonderful books. She was World and European Champion when she won here at Luhmühlen (team gold for Great Britain at the World Championships in 1992) — I ran around the course after her that day! She was so brave and horses did everything for her. I really liked the way she talked about her horses and the kindness of her — she was fun and open-hearted and had a lovely personality.
“And Mark Todd has always been a legend — when I was at my first Olympics in Sydney neither myself nor my horse (Sleep Late) had ever done a four-star. When I saw the cross-country I thought ‘Oh my God!’ and I followed behind Mark when he was walking the course hoping to learn something from him!”
Has it been a pressure for you being Reiner Klimke’s daughter? “When I was young people would say when I did well ‘Oh for a Klimke that’s a typical result’ and when I made a mistake they would say ‘a Klimke should be doing better than that.’ So I tell my girls (her two daughters Greta and Philippa) don’t worry, you can’t make everything right for other people, but you don’t do it for them you do it for yourself because you love the sport and you love the horse.”
Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD claimed individual bronze at the FEI WEG 2018 in Tryon. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Ambitious
Are your daughters ambitious? “The oldest, Greta, is now 18 and will be in Young Riders next year and she’s very ambitious and very determined. The young one is almost 10 and she likes to play with the horses, to ride bareback. She comes into the arena and goes ‘OK I’ve done one round of dressage so now Bye Bye M’am!’ She’s having a lot of fun and she has a lovely pony but I’m not sure what she will do with herself!”
I realise Miss Philippa has inherited some of her mother’s characteristics when I ask my next question….
What do you like best about being around horses? “I’m starting a four-year-old again and a friend said to me why are you starting a four-year-old, let the girls do it! But this is what gives me such fun, to see how they discover the world, how they trust you, connect with you. And the other part I enjoy is the horsemanship, going bareback, riding with a neck-rein (see what I mean?), I feel like I’m playing with my ponies again!”
Is there anything you don’t like about being around horses? “No, although my father didn’t want me to become a professional rider when I was young. He thought it would change my attitude to the horses because I’d have to sell them. He wanted horses to be my hobby and it took me a while to persuade him that I could find another way, but I did and I love it.”
Ingrid created her own business model. “We don’t sell horses but keep them and compete them, and I’m really happy to have very good sponsors and try to take good care of them. Asha (her now nine-year-old star eventing mare), could have been sold for so much money but her owner said we don’t sell family members!”
Ingrid Klimke and FRH Escada JS at the 2014 WEG in Caen. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Pinot
The horse you liked most? “Pinot, my first horse, a little Trakehner stallion. I did my first dressage, my first jumping and my first eventing with him. I had no idea what I was doing, and on my first cross-country round I was looking around and thinking how wonderful it was so I was nearly two minutes too slow!
“He was small with so much heart and not much scope but he was a great schoolmaster and because of him I decided I wanted to do all three disciplines.”
The horse you liked least? Ingrid hesitates here, she doesn’t really want to be critical of any horse and doesn’t name him but…”there was one horse that wasn’t my favourite but I knew there was something in him that he wasn’t showing me. I said to myself, ‘Ingrid you are a Reitmeister (Riding Master) and you’ve got to be able to ride every horse so look for other ways with him!’ We got there in the end and he taught me a lot about having to be patient, and later he won my heart — but it certainly wasn’t love at first sight!”
The best horse you’ve ever ridden? “The mare Escada, she was in the winning team in the WEG at Caen (in 2014) and she had all the qualities you can imagine. She was a unique jumper, careful, powerful, so much scope with lovely gaits, and she could go forever cross-country. Unfortunately because she was always giving too much we couldn’t keep her sound. She and Hale Bob grew up together and Bobby was always no. 2 when she was at her most brilliant.”
How did you learn to master three tough disciplines? “Because of the chances my parents gave me, to feel different dressage horses and schoolmasters, and when I was with (Canadian Jumping legend) Ian Millar I had the chance to see the Canadian way of showjumping. And Fritz Ligges (German gold medallist, Munich Olympic Games 1972) was also competing in eventing and jumping and was a close friend of my father so when I was growing up I went on holidays and did a lot of jumping there, so I think from youth on I had a good chance to feel wonderful horses in the three disciplines.”
Your favourite discipline and why? Eventing cross-country — I’m really competitive when I’m out there. The buzz going into the start-box is what I love the most!
“And in top dressage when you ride the freestyle to music. My father always said try to have invisible aids so the spectators can’t see what you do and the horse seems to be doing it on its own … when you have that, and it’s not too often but when you have it, then I also really like dressage a lot!
“It depends on the horse too. In my next life I would maybe like to become a jumping star!”
Ingrid Klimke and Butts Abraxxas. Photo by Kit Houghton/FEI.
Memorable moments
Memorable cross-country moments? “At Sydney (2000 Olympic Games) the cross-country was so long — 13 minutes and five seconds — with steeplechase and roads and tracks, and it was so hot. I really wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I went at the very end, and so many people before me had falls and it didn’t go well for the German team either. When I came in the 10-minute box I heard someone say ‘I don’t think Ingrid will make it’….
“I said to Blue (Sleep Late) we have to do something we’ve never done before and that we’ll never forget, you have to show you are a thoroughbred and run forever! The second water was jumping onto a bank and into a deep drop followed by a brush fence and I was leaning too far forward at the drop. But he just jumped everything totally straight without any attention to me trying to hang on. He galloped the last minute uphill and kept this incredible rhythm and I was in time and I couldn’t believe it!
“And then there was my last ride with Braxxi (Butts Abraxxas, two-time Olympic team gold medallist) when he was 16. It was at Burghley (2013) and I couldn’t believe how huge the fences were! He gave me his everything — twice on that cross-country round I wondered if I should stop, but when we finished it was so emotional. I said to Braxxi this is our last competition together, you can’t give me any more! He showed more ability than he had, more scope than he had. I hadn’t planned it but I retired him then”.
Where did he retire to? “Greta was 11 at the time and he was a great schoolmaster for her. He’s now 23 and still in my barn. I did send him to a retirement home with other horses but he decided he didn’t want to stay there and kept jumping out. He wanted to be with us, so I took him back and I love it every day when I see him out with the ponies. He’s still in Stable No. 1 which he deserves!”
Ingrid Klimke wins double-gold at the 2019 FEI European Eventing Championships at Luhmühlen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Philosophy
What’s your philosophy when things go wrong? “Get back on your feet and look for the positive things even though sometimes you don’t see them right away. A good example was me and Braxxi, he was not a good show jumper and all his life I tried everything with him but finally I had to accept that there are some things you cannot change. When I did that then I could appreciate our wonderful dressage and cross-country rounds even though I knew I was never going to win an individual medal because he would never jump clear. But I was always a good team member.”
Was European double-gold in Luhmühlen last summer particularly special for you? “Yes I was so thrilled for Bobby (Hale Bob) because in Strezegom (POL in 2017) it was a close battle between Michael Jung and me, and it was very close this time again. Bobby did such a wonderful cross-country round, it felt so easy, I looked at my watch and we were so much ahead of time we could canter home! He did a brilliant show jumping round. In Tryon (WEG 2018) we had the last showjumping fence down and lost the medal, but this time we showed we really could do it when the pressure was on.
“And it’s alway more special when the horse is getting older. Now he is 16 and these are our last years together so I treasure it even more.”
Smiling through the rain: Ingrid Klimke and the 7-y/o Equistros Siena Just Do It making the most of it during a soggy first horse inspection at the FEI World Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion D’Angers last fall. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Three mothers
The important people in your life? “My family of course, and I have three mothers (two along with her mother Ruth). There is also Faith Berghuis (Canadian patron of equestrian sport) who supported me with great advice and gave me the chance to work with Ian Millar, and Aunt. She’s not my real aunt but she owns a little farm behind my parents house and I spent a lot of my childhood there learning about animals and farming and nature.
“After my father died (aged 63 in 1999) his advisor, friend and teacher when he was young, the old cavalryman Paul Stecken, became my mentor and just four years ago he passed away aged 100. He was a lovely man.
“And my friends, some who have nothing to do with horses who were in my school here in Münster (GER) and we have many things in common. And then there are my ‘culture’ friends who take me out to cultural events so my life is not all about horses!”
What makes you laugh? “Kids, and young horses … the way they see the world can be really funny!”
What makes you cry? “Seeing the refugees sitting in those camps in Greece and nobody willing to take them. When people are poor and born into hopeless situations, that makes me very sad. I’m a member of PLAN International, an organisation that works to improve children’s rights and equality for girls who live in poverty. We have to help as much as we can.
“And also the animals, when you see the rhinos and other beautiful animals being slaughtered by poachers it makes me so angry — that really makes me cry.”
Finally how are you coping with life during this pandemic? “If you listen to the news it’s very easy to lose your positive attitude, because there is so much uncertainty. But I tell myself I’m privileged, I’m healthy and so are my family so we must stay patient. We don’t know when the vaccination will come but until then we must stay optimistic and be thankful for what we have.”
A post shared by Daniel Crane (@daniel_crane_artist) on
How’s everyone doing on week 289 of The Happening? Anyone written King Lear yet? All I’ve managed to do is muck out a lot of stables and stare at this painting by Daniel Crane for so long that I’ve convinced myself that I could also do a very complicated and rather beautiful painting of Badminton. Haven’t actually picked up a brush though, so basically the concept is just Schrödinger’s Painting — it could be good or it could be terrible, but because I’ll probably never try to do it, we’ll never know.
National Holiday: National No Dirty Dishes Day. We’re really scraping the barrel — or, um, pan — here.
Your Monday reading list:
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Chronicle is publishing some brilliant original content on the subject. In this blog by Samantha Silver, the writer delves into her experiences as a bipolar equestrian and how she’s learned to be gentle with herself when she needs it. It makes for enlightening reading. [Moving Beyond “Why Me?”: Life After A Bipolar Diagnosis]
Apparently the Queen of England is making the most of lockdown — she’s been riding every day. Admittedly this, um, insightful article from Cosmo doesn’t tell us much else, but that’s fine. It’s Monday morning. Sometimes you need something light. [The Queen, 94, Has Been Spending Quarantine Riding Horses Every Damn Day]
Speaking of royals, Vanity Fair celebrated Princess Anne’s 70th by putting her on the cover. It’s not often we get eventing legends on the cover of major mainstream magazines, and okay, they’ve definitely put her on there because she’s a princess, but there’s some mention of her riding career in the accompanying piece and one heck of a cover shot that’ll make you forget the infamous bouffant. [Princess Anne Opens Up About Her Lifetime as a Royal]
If cross-country schooling is on your to-do list this week, check out this great advice from Boyd Martin about nailing sunken roads. My approach is usually ‘kick on, Hail Mary King, and hope for the best’, but apparently it’s possible to add a bit of finesse. [The Downs and Ups of Sunken Roads]
In some countries, horse racing has started again — but what’s life like behind the closed doors of these racetracks? BBC Sport shares all the details, giving us plenty of food for thought as we look ahead to the eventual resumption of our own sport. [Horse racing behind closed doors: How it works in Hong Kong and elsewhere]
Bonus! Monday listening:
The first episode of EN’s brand new podcast, Insanity in the Middle, has hit the airwaves, and we’ve got the legendary Lucinda Green along for the ride. Click here to tune in.
Monday Video from Fleeceworks: Social Distancing as Explained by Two Plastic Horses
What did I just watch? No idea. Am I now watching all the rest of them? Yeah, sure am.
Welcome to the very first episode of Insanity in the Middle, the brand new podcast from Eventing Nation! We’re excited to have you with us. We’re even more excited about the wine we’ve stockpiled for recording purposes.
So who are we, anyway? Well, I’m Tilly Berendt, EN’s British correspondent, and I’ll be (ineffectually) ring-leading this week’s episode with my glamorous co-host, EN editor-in-chief Leslie Wylie. We’re celebrating our long-awaited launch with a bumper episode of boozy chit-chat, covering such diverse topics as:
Leslie’s life of lockdown crime
The exciting extra class planned at Fair Hill’s inaugural CCI5*
The role of moustaches in eventing
A theory: does everyone in the sport have an embarrassing story involving Andrew Hoy?
and much, much more!
We’re also delighted to welcome our very first guest into the Lockdown Lowdown, an interview series with a twist: each episode, we’ll take a person of note from the sport and send them into a hypothetical (and rather lonely) quarantine situation. They’ll be stuck in self-isolation with two films, two books, and a horse to keep them company (and all the arena accoutrements they could possibly need – actually, this quarantine sitch doesn’t sound too shabby…). They’ll also get a free pass for a social distancing dinner with any person they choose. This week’s guest? None other than the Queen of Badminton herself, Lucinda Green.
But if you’re here reading these notes, it’s probably because you’ve already delved into the episode and want to have a browse of some of the things we chatted about. Things like…
Virtual Eventing, which featured William Fox-Pitt’s fake breasts and further insanity. You can rewatch all the action here, or you can read our coverage here.
Or maybe you’re keen on the idea of Tiny People Attempting Cross-Country, which is the only correct reaction. If so, Merry Christmas to you, and enjoy the bonus Andreas Ostholt – I sure am.
Photo via Turniergesellschaft Luhmühlen on Facebook.
The Tiny Person prize giving at Luhmühlen 2019. Also an excuse to look at Andreas Ostholt. #sinningiswinning. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Channel your inner Lucinda Green with this classic scene from The Sound of Music. New pre-cross-country song? Sure:
Or curl up for the evening with Mrs Doubtfire, which truly is one of the greatest films of all time, and also gives us plenty of ideas for future wacky trot-up outfits. You can stream it through Disney+, HBO, or Amazon Prime.
Oh, and you want to see that second fence that made Richard Meade say a bad word? Here you go…
Lucinda Green and Be Fair forwards and in flight over the notorious Fence two at the Kiev European Championships in 1973. Photo courtesy of Lucinda Green.
You can also enfootage of the infamous 1978 World Championships, which cemented Lucinda’s opinions on eventing as a team sport, here:
Bored of screens and want to tuck into Lucinda’s lockdown book recommendations instead? Sure thing. Wild Swans by Jung Chang is a critically-acclaimed bestselling novel that follows the lives of three women: a grandmother given to a warlord as a concubine in her younger years, a mother who begins working for China’s Communist party as a teenager, and Chang herself, who documents the harsh reality of her life under Chairman Mao’s regime. It’s a hard-hitting, fascinating look at the country’s Cultural Revolution and an expansive, compelling history lesson, too.
Or, if you fancy some horsey escapism, pick up a copy of Rough Magic, written by Lucinda’s niece Lara Prior-Palmer, who set out to tackle the Mongol Derby – dubbed the world’s toughest horse race – at just nineteen. She duly won it, and in this book, she recounts the adventures, injuries, and sheer tenacity that filled those 1000km across – and aboard – the wilderness.
If Lucinda could steal the ride on any horse, it would be 1998 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase winner One Man. Here’s a look at the great hurdler in action.
Leslie’s spent some time crying over old five-star rounds this week – you can find plenty to dive into on USEF Network, FEI TV, and the Badminton and Burghley websites, all of which have opened up their archives for free during lockdown. Unfortunately, we can’t embed Julie Richards and Jacob Two Two‘s 2004 Kentucky round here, but you can find it on USEF Network. Instead, here’s a photo of the pair at the Athens Olympics:
And one of Leslie and Jacob a few years later…
Photo courtesy of Leslie Wylie.
I’m sad to say that there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to stream International Velvet online, but I’ve tracked down a juicy DVD multipack that contains it — looks like it’s US only, but I reckon if you’re a Mac owner in the UK, you might get away with it. Or, you can rent or buy the digital copy on Amazon (US), or iTunes.
If not, here’s Julian Seaman and his dodgy moustache to tide you over:
Jonny Mexican on International Velvet.
Stick on porno moustache.
You can’t play Equestriad 2001 online, but you can get it very cheaply here. To McGyver it for your MacBook, you’ll need a copy of Porting Kit and a bit of time. Download the ‘skin’ for Age of Empires and install it on that.
Thoroughbred racing is returning to Kentucky this weekend as Churchill Downs begins their meet Saturday, May 16 after a weeks-long delay to that start of their spring meet caused by COVID-19. As more racehorses return to the area, Kentucky-based rehoming organizations such as Second Stride, New Vocations, and Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center will likely start to take in more horses soon.
Wouldn’t you love to help them open up a stall by taking home an adoptable horse? Here are three current Kentucky residents looking to go home with you:
Can Do Man can do anything when he grows up! This young one is still growing into himself and packing on some pounds, but I can picture a sleek-looking sporthorse under that baby chestnut fuzz, can’t you? He already shows off a big tracking-up trot and good use of his hind-end when working in a round pen. Can Do Man never made a career start on the track and actually hasn’t done any racing, so he’s a clean slate for anyone looking to scoop up a nice young horse to bring along
Here’s another lovely-looking unraced youngster for you all! He certainly lives up to his name and a real princely-looking prospect. Though Paddock Prince did not race, he did live on the track and have published workouts (so he is 2020 or 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover eligible!) and is a very new, recently having been gelding upon arrival at MMSC so he’s still getting adjusted to his new environment. He’ll need an experienced adopter at this time for that reason, but the sky’s the limit for this guy once he’s been given the opportunity to settle in to a new life.
Union Cat last raced in October 2019 and ran a total of six times, winning one race. Since arriving at Second Stride, Union Cat has been ridden in both English and Western tack. He’s also been cleared by the vet and is thought to be suitable for any discipline. Union Cat has a super cute expression under saddle and looks like like he could have some really cute movement too! We’ve featured Union Cat in a previous edition of OTTB Wishlist, but his profile photo has been updated since then and DANG he looks good!
Remember when finding (and remembering) your courses was the toughest part of your weekend.. ha.. ha… I’ve never missed them so much! Thank you to photographer Amy Dragoo for keeping me entertained with her fun instagram throwbacks lately.
