Custom FLAIR! Photo courtesy of Maryland Five Star.
I’ll see you all later today at the Maryland Five Star! I’m bringing ten pounds of custom trail mix (don’t @ me, you’re just jealous) and maybe like, a few gallons of margaritas for my hardworking media team, my best walking shoes, and some serious camera gadgets so I can keep you all updated live on Instagram through the weekend.
Also, check out these custom Maryland Five Star FLAIR strips courtesy of our wonderful sponsor FLAIR! Each competitor was given one of these custom strips so they can rock around cross country on Saturday in style, and more importantly, while improving their breathing and reducing fatigue during intense exercise.
Don’t forget to check out our Maryland Form Guide, filled with all the info about every single horse in the 5*, and useful if you’re watching from home, or lucky enough to witness it in person.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill: [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries] [Friday 3* Dressage Start Times] [Friday 5* Start Times] [Digital Program] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage] [Daily Digest Email Sign-up] [EN’s Twitter] [EN’s Instagram]
Ocala Fall H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status]
Pine Hill Fall H.T. (Bellville, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]
News From Around the Globe:
Did you know we’re running some awesome giveaways and other activities this week at Maryland? A course walk this afternoon with Ema Klugman, a giveaway on Instagram for Fairfax & Favor as well as an Athletux ear bonnet (Frilly Fillies) and jump pad (Fleeceworks) bundle. Click here to learn more!
Dressage is already underway at the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, but what everybody is most excited to see is the cross-country. Longtime attendees of the venue’s previous four-star long won’t recognize much on Ian Stark’s course. It’s an entirely new route in a new location, running from Fair Hill’s steeplechase track out to the Sawmill Road Field, where cross-country is held for national-level horse trials, before looping back to finish at the steeplechase course. Stark has said he likes to build horse-friendly courses with “rider frightener” fences, and there are plenty of those to be found on the 11-minute track. [Walk the Maryland Five Star Course]
We aren’t in Kansas, anymore Toto. And Fair Hill doesn’t look like the Fair Hill of yesteryear. If you’re lucky enough to attend the event this weekend, you’ll see that the changes are massive. And if you’re staying tuned remotely, COTH has kindly provided a virtual walk around the new fantabulous facilities.From plentiful shopping to a dog jump course, there’s nothing you’ll want to miss. [Take A Walk Around MD5*]
Alongside the 5* and 3* action at Maryland this week, there’s also the East Coast Young Event Horse Championships running. Yesterday, the 4-year-old winners were crowned, and you can catch up on that action here.
A fundraising campaign has been launched aiming to create “a lasting memorial” for the four event horses killed in a road collision. The Archie Legacy, founded by Pammy Hutton and Islay Auty, with support from eventer Nick Gauntlett, will raise funds towards an ongoing breeding project using frozen semen from Nick’s stallion Party Trick, who died in the accident on the way to Blair Castle International Horse Trials on 24 August, along with Sophie Hulme’s Ice Cool Cooley, Charisma TH and Farytale Cooley. The aim is to breed a son or daughter of Party Trick, a Sports Horse Breeding (GB) champion stallion by Chilli Morning, who could go on to compete at future Olympic Games. [The Archie Legacy]
Best of Blogs: Honoring Your Mental Health is Good Horsemanship
Check out this cool video from MD5* with some of the leading riders this weekend!
