Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Sep 2, 2022 12:03 am -

WFP trotted up Courouet for Sarah Bullimore, photo courtesy of Fox-Pitt Eventing.

If there is anything you take away from Burghley this week, it’s that size really, really doesn’t matter. Take 15.1 hand Courouet here, with the size reference of William Fox-Pitt. That little horse blew us away in dressage yesterday, but just you wait until cross country. I remember watching him on course this spring at Kentucky and every jump made me smile so hard. He has absolutely no idea that he’s considered an underdog due to his height, and certainly doesn’t consider those jumps a challenge.

Just in case you’re behind the eight-ball on this, all you need to know for the AECs can be found here, and everything Burghley can be found here.

North American Weekend Preview

USEA American Eventing Championships (Kalispell, MT): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores] [Livestream] [Shannon Brinkman Photography] [Ride On Video]
Park Equine Kentucky Classique H.T. (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]
Course Brook Farm Fall H.T. (Sherborn, MA): [Website] [Live Scores]
Silverwood Farm Fall H.T. (Camp Lake, WI): [Website] [Live Scores]
Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Seneca Valley PC H.T. (Poolesville, MD): [Website] [Entry Status]
Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Revere, PA): [Website]
Foshay Horse Trails (Jemseg, NB): [Website] [Live Scores]
Major International Events
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials: [Website] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

Classic Moet just keeps on keepin’ on. At 19 years of age, this machine of a little mare shows no signs of slowing down, which is a testament to both her toughness, and the management team behind Jonelle Price. She may be a little unorthodox, but she’s always a joy to watch on Saturday, and jumps for fun. Horse & Hound interviewed Molly’s groom to find out more about the black mare. [Treasuring Every Moment]

The horse-human connection is one that honestly boggles the mind. In mounted teams, horses, with prey brains, and humans, with predator brains, share largely invisible signals via mutual body language. These signals are received and transmitted through peripheral nerves leading to each party’s spinal cord. Upon arrival in each brain, they are interpreted, and a learned response is generated. It, too, is transmitted through the spinal cord and nerves. This collaborative neural action forms a feedback loop, allowing communication from brain to brain in real time. Such conversations allow horse and human to achieve their immediate goals in athletic performance and everyday life. In a very real sense, each species’ mind is extended beyond its own skin into the mind of another, with physical interaction becoming a kind of neural dance. [Becoming a Centaur]

What happens if your horse’s shoe takes down a pole in show jumping? Now, the shoe in question was not attached to the horse at the time, so does it count? When it comes to horse sports, anything is possible, and Taylor St Jacques knows that well as she and her chestnut mare Jakilly encountered a strange penalty issue in their five-star debut. [Rogue Shoe Can’t Ruin Five-Star Debut]

Speaking of unfortunate mid-course accidents, Nicholas Beshear recently pulled a Toddy at Great Meadow International, finishing the 3* course on Rio de Janeiro with only one stirrup after fence 9. He finished the course with no jumping and no time penalties, finishing 6th individually, and topping the Under 25 Combined Leaderboard. [No Stirrup, No Problem]