Darren and Amendment 15 at Richland Park earlier this summer.
Good morning EN, today we are sending lots of well-wishes and good EN karma to Darren Chiacchia who is in the hospital with a rare strain of fungal meningitis as well as MERSA, a staph infection commonly found in hospitals. According to a press release posted on The Chronicle yesterday, the meningitis he has is the same strain that is spreading across the country after patients were injected for back pain with a tainted batch of steroid. This particular fungus is also commonly found in soil and thus the virus can be picked up during routine farm work. The press release does not indicate how Darren contracted it. It is a very serious illness and everyone at EN is sending prayers and good thoughts for a full recovery. Friends and fans are encouraged to check Darren’s Facebook fan page for updates. [Press Release] [Darren’s Facebook]
Weekend preview:
Greenwood Farm HT [Website] [Entry Status]
Course Brook Farm [Website]
Middle Tennessee PC HT [Website]
Pine Top HT [Website] [Entry Status]
Radnor Hunt HT [Website] [Entry Status]
Maryland HT at Loch Moy [Website] [Entry Status]
Grass Ridge HT [Website] [Entry Status]
Sadly both the Fall HT at the Ark and The Ethel Walker School HT have been canceled due to lack of entries. All riders will be refunded at both events.
EN wishes our US team at Boekelo all the best as they prepare for the first horse inspection today! Keep checking back for more updates and coverage as the weekend progresses. [Schedule] [Website]
The USEF has announced that it will be forming a Blue Ribbon Panel that will “assemble to evaluate the performances of the USEF’s High Performance teams within the global landscape of Olympic level competition.” The panel will form recommendations and will present them at the USEF Annual Meeting in January 2013 and to the USOC Sports Partnership Division in February 2013. The panel is comprised of 10 members, including eventers David O’Connor and Robert Costello. [USEA]
Germany’s 8th annual Top-Event-Horse-Auction will take place at Luhmuhlen on November 10th. 22 horses between the ages of 4-6, all of which have been given the rating of “exquisite” by auction organizers, will be presented for sale and expectations of buyers will be running high. This year’s vice champion of the German National Championships for 5 yr old event horses, Valentine, tops the list of quality horseflesh that will be available to anyone with a deep checkbook. Want to see for yourself? Check out the catalog here. [Eventing Worldwide]
The 2012-2013 New Zealand Eventing’s Bell Tea Super League is officially kicking off this weekend at Taupo. The Super League runs throughout the competition year and ends in May at the NRM Three-day Event (CCI3*). [Horsetalk]
Today between 8-9am EST, Paralympian Rebecca Hart will be featured on Good Morning America alongside Ann Romney, who uses riding as therapy for multiple sclerosis. There is the potential of Rebecca actually riding her Olympic mount in Times Square, but according to The Chronicle planning discussions were still ongoing as of yesterday. [The Chronicle]
Jane Clark, one of the US’s most prominent horse owners and until now the president and CEO of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, has resigned after announcing that British show jumper Ben Maher will have the ride on two of her horses from now on. Clark’s two show jumpers were previously ridden by Mario Deslauriers. Both were considered to be in contention for a spot at the Olympics this year, and one was 13th on the list of nominated entries until his name was withdrawn after the horse tested positive for a trace amount of cocaine. Clark, who has been a great supporter both of the USEF and riders in the US, still sponsors horses for dressage rider Katherine Bateson-Chandler and four-in-hand driver Chester Weber. She stated that the decision to move the horses to Maher does not signal a shift in loyalties. “It had nothing to do with flags. It had to do with having the right person for my horses and doing the right thing by them,” she said. [The Chronicle]
Texas A&M University has started construction on a new $US80 million equine complex. According to Horsetalk, “initial construction will include an education and outreach center, facilities for the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, a cross country course in collaboration with Texas A&M Athletics, and new facilities for the Parsons Mounted Cavalry.” [Horsetalk]
The British horse industry has seen an uptick in sales since the success of British equestrians at the Olympics. Horse dealers have reported greater interest in buying and governing organizations have seen stronger entry numbers as well as new affiliates. [Horse and Hound]
Best of Blogs: Caitlin is home!
That’s all for today, thanks for reading and enjoy your Wednesday!
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