VELCRO: Just like Jessica Phoenix’s butt.
I want to say one more little thing before we move on from the fact that Jessica Phoenix won Equine Canada’s Equestrian of the Year over the weekend, and that is: Jessica Phoenix IS eventing. Her numerous accolades aside, I will never forget glancing up at the jumbotron during the 2010 WEGs just in time to see Jessica and Exponential dive off the bounce bank at the Head of the Lake and disappear in a giant, terrible splash only to rise, yes, Phoenix-like, from their watery ashes and kick on to the next jump. It was, without a doubt, the most eventing-est thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Congrats, Jessica, and here’s hoping you continue making waves of a different variety in 2012! [Horse Canada]
USEF Eventing High Performance and Developing Rider training sessions continue at Bridle Creek in Aiken Tuesday. The schedule is as follows:
8 a.m. – Boyd Martin
8:45 a.m. – Will Faudree/Pawlow
9:30 a.m. – Boyd Martin
10:15 a.m. – Will Coleman/Twizzel
11 a.m. – Boyd Martin
11:45 a.m. – Susan Beebee/Wolf
12:30 p.m. – LUNCH
1 p.m. – Megan O’Donoghue/Pirate
1:45 p.m. – Lynn Symanski/Donner
2:30 p.m. – Kristin Schmolze/Ballylaffin Bracken
3:15 – Alexandra Green/Fernhill Cubalawn
[The rest of the schedule for this week]
Since there is just not that much going on in eventing news today, I’m going to seize the opportunity to once again shamelessly plug Eventing Nation’s sister site, Horse Nation. We’re off to a rollicking start, featuring a spooling reel of news, commentary and ridiculousness. OK, it’s still mostly ridiculousness, but one of these days we’re going to get our act together and do some serious by-God reporting. Maybe. Anyway, check up on HN frequently and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. [HN]
Bad People Doing Bad Things:
-24-year-old British horse dealer Brooke Lee was found guilty of taking horses on loan, assuring their owners that they’d be well cared for, then selling them at auction without their owners’ knowledge or permission. One horse she sold days after it came into her care was sent to slaughter; another was euthanized after the new owner discovered that the horse was lame. Lee was sentenced to 220 hours of community service and 750 Euro in court costs. [Horse & Hound]
-A buggy carrying five teenagers in Pennsylvania was the victim of a hit-and-run accident on Monday night. The buggy was rear-ended, injuring one passenger, and the driver fled the scene. The incident occurred at–wait for it–12:43 a.m. That’s what you get, kids, when you’re out cruising the drag in a horse-drawn party buggy in the middle of the night. [Horse Talk]
-Police are investigating after three horses in Bedford County, VA, were found with slashed necks. Each horse had a similar wound, an incision measuring six to eight inches long and three to four inches deep. Police determined that the wounds were likely neither accident or self-sustained. The horses are in stable condition. [Horse Talk]
Best of the Blogs: Megan Moore of Team CEO Eventing is having way too much fun in the horsey wonderland that is Aiken’s Hitchcock Woods. [Team CEO]
Irish Three-Star Entries: [Nina, Ian Stark, Blyth Tait, Jules Stiller, and many more]
Kiwis on TV: [Jock Paget]
Top of the Tweets: Young British event riders Laura Collett (@CollettEventing) and Georgie Spence (@georgiespence23) are apparently indulging in a junk food + vodka binge fest tonight. Collett tweets, “I am a good friend… got instructions to bring comfort food to @georgiespence23.” The attached photo shows a buffet of BiscBits, Minstels, Crunchie Rocks, a giant chocolate bar and a bottle of Smirnoff.
Once more with feeling:
