Doug Payne and Running Order will compete in the CIC** at the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials this weekend.
You may be wondering why Michael Whitaker is our title headline today when he isn’t an eventer (in fact he is a British show jumper who has been nominated as a non-traveling reserve for the British Olympic team), but trust me, this one is a good one. So last Sunday Michael competed in the Aachen Grand Prix- and the night before he went out to the bar. Sounds like a normal horse show weekend, right? It was, until “after a few beers” Michael declared that he was “not going to stop riding, not until [his] name was on the winners’ board,” and promptly grabbed a marker and wrote his name on the winners’ plaque. Michael (or at least the beers) proved to have a sixth sense, because the next day he made good on his pledge and won the £350,000 class. Unfortunately for Michael, he was only half right, because he rode Beatrice Mertens’ GIG Amai instead of the mount he wrote in on Saturday evening- Totilas. Hopefully the marker wasn’t permanent. [Horse & Hound]
This weekend the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials and CIC takes place up in New York, and today competitors begin arriving. Tomorrow the Novice and Beginner Novice divisions do dressage and cross country, and the remaining levels begin on Friday. There are some big names in the CIC**, like Rolex competitors Doug Payne and Running Order and Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries. Doug’s sister Holly Payne is also in the division, riding both Madeline and Santino. Good luck to all competitors this weekend! [Schedule] [Ride Times/Entries]
There is a lot of Olympic drama flaring up as final team selections are announced and the following are today’s headlines:
Two dressage riders lost appeals to the Court of Arbitration of Sport this week: Australia’s Hayley Beresford and the Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos de Muñiz, who along with the Dominican Republic Equestrian Federation after Brazil’s Luiza Tavares de Almeida was chosen as Latin America’s individual representative at the games. Hayley Beresford appealed after being named as a reserve rider, rather than as a team member. Both appeals were dismissed. [Horse & Hound]
Irish show jumper Denis Lynch is also considering an appeal, after being named as one of two riders to represent Ireland in London and then removed from the team. Lynch was told that he would no longer be going to the Olympics after he was disqualified in Aachen last week, when his horse Lantinus 3 failed a hypersensitivity test. According to Lynch, Latinus sustained a minor injury on his left fore and right hind during competition earlier in the week, and on Friday was found to have “increased sensitivity” and subsequently disqualified. A meeting at the Dublin Airport between Lynch and Horse Sport Ireland yesterday resulted in Lynch being dropped from the squad. HSI confirmed the meeting to Horse & Hound, and said, “The group was unanimous in its concerns at the number of horses Denis Lynch had had disqualified for hypersensitivity in the previous 12 months and these concerns were not allayed at the meeting.” [Horse & Hound]
And on that note, Cian O’Connor has been named to take the place of Denis Lynch at the London Olympic Games. O’Conner was stripped of the individual gold medal after the 2004 games due to a drug offense, and he has been working to get back to the games for the past eight years. [Horsetalk]
In a tragic turn of events, Saudi show jumper Khaled Al Eid’s ride Presley Boy has developed colic and laminitis and is in intensive care in Holland. Presley Boy became ill the night of July 5 and has been in the hospital since then. Yesterday Saudi Arabia announced their team, and Al Eid and Presley Boy were not on the list. However,Al Eid was one of the two Saudi riders suspended by the FEI in May after their horses tested positive for Bute, and a Saudi spokesman said that because of the recent controversy Al Eid was not a sure thing for the team even before Presley Boy became sick. [Horse & Hound]
The German Dressage team has a decidedly new look this year, as all three riders are making their Olympic debut. Multi-Olympic gold medal winner Isabell Werth did not make the squad, and she declined to take the first reserve spot. [Horse & Hound]
The German show jumping team was also announced this weekend, after several hiccups during the selection process: Marco Kutscher was a shock omission after a below-par performance in Aachen, dropping 4 rails in Sunday’s Grand Prix. This comes on the heels of Ludger Beerbaum ruling himself and top horse Gotha FRH out of selection, saying that the mare is not fit enough to compete. Finally Carsten-Otto Nagel withdrew Corradina before Aachen due to a tooth problem. The pair were team gold medalists both at WEG in 2010 and at the European championships in Madrid in 2011. Even without the omissions, the team is still looking like a strong competitive force in London. [Horse & Hound]
Dressage rider Hiroshi Hoketsu will be the oldest Olympic competitor. At 71, he will compete for Japan. [DW]
Onto the rest of your links:
On Monday morning COTH contributor Sarah L. Greenhalgh is suspected to have died in a fire at her house. Firefighters saw smoke around 8am and after putting out the flames found a body they suspect to be Greenhalgh in a bedroom. According to the fire department, the fire appeared to be “suspicious” in nature and they are investigating the cause. Our hearts go out to Greenhalgh’s family and friends, as well as the staff at The Chronicle as they mourn the loss of their colleague. Rest in peace Sarah. [COTH]
Andrew Nicholson will ride against top Irish jockey Robbie Power in the Amlin Plus Eventing Grand Prix at Hickstead next week. Last year, Nicholson placed third in the event, and this will be Power’s first year competing. Don’t let that make you think he’s a rookie though- the son of Irish show jumper Con Power, Robbie Power won the Grand National in 2007 and before switching to racing was a professional show jumper. [Horsetalk]
Britain’s biggest police horse, topping the charts at 19 hands, is retiring. [Horsetalk]
Over seventy days of competition have been lost due to rain in Britain this year, and accordingly Blenheim is relaxing the qualifications for the BE100 challenge later in the year due to this year’s weather patterns. [British Eventing]
Several women will attempt to break the record for the highest sidesaddle jump at the Leaping Ladies competition at the National Showing and Showjumping Show at Aintree later this month. Among the mounts will be a former three star eventer-turned-foxhunter and a borrowed grand prix jumper. [Horse & Hound]
Best of blogs:
Sara Gumbiner was first loser at Maryland last weekend
Laine Ashker recaps Rolex, Jersey, and her summer.
Dear Competitor, I am your fence judge
I leave you with a Rebecca Farm preview. Thanks for reading, EN, and enjoy your day!
