Kim Walnes with Skyeler Icke Voss and the beautiful Argyle. Photo by Shanyn Fiske.
I’m so so excited about the making of the documentary The Grey, all about Kim Walnes and her incredible partnership with a beautiful grey horse, not only because my bestie Skyeler (!!!) has been chosen with her horse Argyle to be the main rider, but because we FINALLY will be getting a horse movie made by knowledgeable horse people! No more whinnying every time the camera pans to a horse, no more fantasy anthropomorphic moments, and accurately fitted tack with a more than competent rider. You and I know how long we have waited for such a movie, and tolerated all the others. Keep it tuned to their Facebook page to see all the updates!
Burghley starts NEXT WEEK! Keep it locked onto EN – we have some awesome content headed your way.
Defender Burghley: [Website] [Entries] [Program] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
Eventing is dishing up an equally exciting week in the US, with the American Eventing Championships happening in Lexington, Kentucky. EN is beavering away on both sides of the Pond to bring you all you need to know from the AEC too – so go nowhere, and go eventing!
#AEC2023 (Lexington, KY): [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Schedule] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]
U.S. Weekend Preview
MARS Great Meadow International (The Plains, VA): [Website] [Entries] [Tickets] [Schedule/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]
Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. II (Santa Ynez, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]
Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, CT) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
News From Around the Globe:
Which equestrian inspired you the most this year? Horse & Hound’s 2023 Awards return for the eighth year and they need your vote to pick nominate and pick the most worthy winner. They seek to recognize both the big names who have made 2023 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses, at whatever level. Last year’s winner was Nicola Wilson, who suffered life-changing injuries in a fall at Badminton Horse Trials in May 2022. Nicola spent more than four months in hospital undergoing intensive rehab and physio work as she relearnt basic life skills, before returning home where she has since been offering mentorship and coaching to other talented riders. [Inspirational Equestrians of 2023]
Shane Rose…what can’t he do? His gelding Virgil already has an impressive resume, including an Olympic Silver Medal, two world championship appearances, Event Rider Masters and CCI5 star winner. Now, he can add World Cup Showjumper to his list of achievements. Virgil and Shane took part in the Waratah Showjumping World Cup class last weekend. A tough ask to tackle their first World Cup indoors, it was a tough track that only produced three clear rounds. While Shane and Virgil did not jump clear they produced a solid round with Virgil not looking out of place amongst some of the country’s best showjumpers. Shane loved the challenge and said he learnt a great deal and is looking forward to tackling another World Cup class in the near future. [Shane Rose World Cup Showjumper]
Correct contact with your horse is a goal we almost never stop chasing. As riders and trainers, we are always striving for a more true connection, and an elastic contact is an excellent guide for that. As USEF judge Gail Hoff-Carmona describes it, “Correct contact is difficult to define because it is an ever-changing feeling. When a horse is well balanced and in self-carriage, contact with the mouth is so light it is nearly nothing. It is almost like having just a thread connecting your hand to the horse’s mouth. On the other hand, if a horse loses balance and falls on the forehand, the contact may become quite heavy until the horse is rebalanced and once again in self-carriage.”. [How To Develop Correct Contact]
Planning on running a classic format competition this fall? Success at a Classic Three-Day Event requires attention to detail and careful management of many things. Everyone knows how much attention they need to put into conditioning, but often everyday tasks get lost in the excitement of going to a Classic Three-Day Event. A horse’s shoeing should be part of the competitor’s regular schedule, but will it coincide with their Classic Three-Day Event plans? It can be easy to forget and suddenly a competitor is right on top of what might be the most demanding competition them and their horse have attempted. [Shoeing Tips for Classic Three-Day Events]
