Patriotism at its finest.
11 score and 16 years ago, our founding fathers declared independence from our English overlords and started a war for America’s freedom. While a lot has happened in our nation’s history that is worth celebrating today, as this is an equine blog I would like to take a moment to highlight the contribution that horses have made to our national history. Remember the epic poem about Paul Revere’s ride? Would that have sounded as nearly as dramatic if he was running on foot? Horses have served in our military, carried our correspondence hundreds of miles, and transported explorers all the way from New York to California. Obviously these are just the highlights, but you get the idea. So today, while you are enjoying your day off from work and grilling to your heart’s content, take a moment to remember that without horses, none of us would be here. Happy Fourth of July EN, and (historical validity aside) thank goodness Paul Revere had a fast horse.
There are two big pieces of news from the FEI today, the first being that the organization has launched a micro site dedicated to equestrians at the Olympics. The site has a “historical hub” that showcases photos from past games, as well as a list of technical rules and qualifications for riders, up-to-date news about equestrian athletes, schedules, and results for both Olympic and Paralympic divisions. [FEI] [COTH]
The other headline follows the FEI Bureau’s spring meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, that took place from June 8-9: the Bureau has announced that cloned horses can now compete in FEI competitions. The latest research on equine cloning was presented at the meeting, and the members determined that “the FEI will not forbid participation of clones or their progenies in FEI competitions. The FEI will continue to monitor further research, especially with regard to equine welfare.” This reverses their 2007 decision, that stated it would be “unacceptable” for a cloned horse to compete at international levels. There are no cloned horses currently competing, but Austrian rider Hugo Simon’s Grand Prix show jumper ET has been cloned, and two clones of the famed jumper Gem Twist have been born. In addition, two clones of Grand Prix dressage stallion Jazz were recently born in the United States and eventing’s own Ronald Zabala-Goetsche has three clones of his Rolex mount Che Mr. Wiseguy. [COTH]
The Olympic news roundup:
BBC filmed a video interview with William Fox-Pitt and his family about his “Olympic Dreams.” [Watch here]
After London, Andrew Hoy will become the only athlete in Australia’s history to have competed at seven Olympic games. [Equestrian Australia]
Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd lead the way for NZ [Horse & Hound]
This weekend at Barbury there was a competition of a different kind, but don’t doubt that it was as intense as the three star. Event riders faced off against British jockeys in, you guessed it, a mechanical bull riding competition sponsored by Hit-Air. The eventing team consisted of Paul Tapner, Laura Collett, Lauren Shannon and Mark Todd, Jock Pageant, Mike Ryan, Ludwig Svennerstal and Beanie Sturgis, who faced off against British jockeys Choc Thornton, Richard Johnson, Andrew Tinkler , Wayne Hutchinson, and William Kennedy, with late entries from Alan King and Irish eventer Sam Watson, who were recruited from the crowd. There were two days of competition, and the eventers took home the win on Saturday- but the jockeys redeemed themselves on Sunday (with a stellar performance from Watson cinching the win). This is the first leg of the “Hit-Air Pro Bull Rider Series” that will continue at Hickstead on July 19, where eventers will face off against show jumpers after the Eventing Grand Prix. See below for a video of Day 1. [British Eventing] [Horse & Hound]
Ireland will send show jumpers Billy Twomey and Denis Lynch to represent their country as individuals at the Olympics. Lynch is returning to the games after a scandal in 2008, when he was suspended over a medication issue with his horse Lantinus before the final jumping round. Horse Sport Ireland CEO Damian McDonald said that “since 2008 a number of measures have been put in place to address what happened at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games. Since 2008 over 300 horses ridden by Irish riders have been tested during international competitions by the FEI and all have tested negative which is as it should be.” While Ireland is looking for a successful go in London, according to McDonald, the priority is ensuring that there are no doping or medication infringements at the games. [Horsetalk]
In a surprising turn of events, an event was cancelled in Britain due to rain. [British Eventing]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered a Tennessee-based shipping firm, Three Angles Farm, to cease all transportation activity after two highway accidents occurred earlier this year, killing a total of four horses. Both trailers that crashed, carrying 36 and 37 horses respectively, were headed for Presidio, Texas, where horses are known to be kept before being sold in Mexico for slaughter. [Horsetalk]
Construction has begun on a 12,200-square-foot Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University after a fire destroyed the main building less than a year ago. The building is expected to be complete by March 2013, in time for breeding season. [Horsetalk]
Best of blogs: Will Coleman shares the playlist that got him from VA to Barbury and through the long day before the selection announcement.
As promised, here is the video from Day 1 of the bull riding competition at Barbury. Thanks for reading, EN, and enjoy the holiday!
