Ellie Taylor with her pony Dear Abbie. Photo by Lisa Madren.
Remember your childhood days on ponies like this and the level of enthusiasm you felt about cantering through the water? I miss the days when I would just go to the barn and hop on a pony with nothing but a halter and some clip-on reins and go galavanting around with not a care in the world. I didn’t have all that awesome matching pink stuff though, Ellie has it way more together than I ever did.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Chattahoochee Hills H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Silverwood Farm H.T.: [Website] [Live Scores]
News From Around the Globe:
USEF has released the updated selection procedures for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The list of selection trials was expanded to include:
2020
- Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (FRA) | CCI5*-L | October 21-25
- Galway Downs International Three-Day Event (USA) | CCI4*-L | October 28-November 1
- Tryon International Three-Day Event (USA) | CCI4*-L | November 11-15
2021
- Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA) | CCI5*-L | April 21-25
- Badminton Horse Trials (GBR) | CCI5*-L | May 5-9
- Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event (USA) | CCI4*-L | May 5-9
Boyd picked a good year to get all his surgeries out of the way. In a silver lining of the cancellation of, well, everything in 2020, Boyd decided it was prime time to finally take care of his body, and get some surgeries on his hip and groin muscle, which have been the cause of significant pain for years now. Luckily, he’s got some pretty okay riders on his team to keep everything running smoothly. [It Takes a Village at Windurra]
Got the No-Burghley blues? Despite cancellation the event has a big virtual weekend lined up, with a journey of archive material and an all-star line-up of Sunday guests including Pippa Funnell, Sir Mark Todd, Oliver Townend and five-time Olympian Carl Hester. [Celebrate Our Past, Present & Future on Land Rover Burghley Weekend]
Work on those dressage skillz with this video about developing the right stretchy trot. Stretching now features more heavily in eventing dressage, and having a good one can really boost your scores, so get to work! [Developing a Good Stretchy Trot]
In 1990, a 14-year-old McLain Ward told The Chronicle that he’d like to get to the Olympics by the age of 18. He had just won the Talent Derby on a 6-year-old thoroughbred called Polarized, and he was already dreaming big. He didn’t make it to the Olympics by 18, but he’s still done okay. [Flashback Friday]
Video: Remember Laila Alexander, the 4-year-old eventer we featured last weekend? (Of course you do … who could forget?!) Laila and her 20-year-old superstar pony recently completed her first mini horse trials, with a little coaching from her mom Lauren.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Alexander.
Well, it turns out Laila can do a little coaching as well! Turn the sound up to hear her running commentary on her mom’s show jumping round.
