Monday News and Notes from Event Clinics

Craig Nicolai and Just Ironic at Luhmühlen 2014. Photo by Jenni Autry. Craig Nicolai and Just Ironic at Luhmühlen 2014. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Last month we reported that Just Ironic, a 17-year-old gelding ridden at the four-star level by Craig Nicolai, had been seized at Hartpury by a UK debt collection agency as a result of a financial dispute between Craig and a former client. “Spida” has been a part of the Nicolai family since he was purchased as a 2-year-old by Craig’s mother Anne, who is still listed as an owner on the horse’s FEI record along with Craig and Hedde Nicolai. A hearing originally scheduled for this past Friday was postponed to the first available date after September 21 according to a recent Facebook post by Craig, and Spida has still not been returned home. Many have rallied in support of Craig and Spida; a Facebook page called Bring Spida Home has been created as well as a crowdfunding page on Just Giving to raise money for Spida’s safe return. This is a heart wrenching situation and we hope it is resolved quickly with the horse’s best interest in mind.

Weekend Action:

#Blair2015: Website, Final Scores, EN’s CoverageEN’s TwitterEN’s Instagram, @samanthalclark

Area IX Championships & CCC Fall H.T.  [Website] [Ride Times]

Bucks County Horse Park Fall H.T. [Results]

Dunnabeck H.T. [Results]

Feather Creek Farm H.T. [Results]

Flying Cross Farm H.T. [Results]

GMHA September H.T. [Results]

King Oak Farm Fall H.T. [Results]

Poplar Place Farm CIC & H.T. [Results]

Monday News and Notes:

Elite show jumper Beezie Madden has recently joined forces with Cavalor, a partnership which was highlighted during a special press briefing this weekend at Spruce Meadows. Beezie’s horses have been on Cavalor feed and supplements since the spring, and USEF International Horse of the Year Cortes C has especially has benefited from the products considering his sensitive digestive system. [Beezie and Cavalor Join Forces]

Grooms work long hours to give their charges the kind of healthy glow that makes them stand out in the ring and helps them feel their best. Every groom has a few tricks up his or her sleeve, and Lillian Heard’s head girl Savannah Kilpatrick recently shared a few of her own techniques for promoting and maintaining healthy skin and a sparkling coat. [Four-Star Skin Care]

The science of concussions is a hot topic in several impact sports today, and scientists believe they have come up with an effective way to quickly determine if an individual has a concussion through a simple vision test. The patient would rapidly read numbers off of cards while being timed, and the time taken to complete the test would be compared to a baseline test done at the beginning of the season. [Vision test proves effective in detecting concussion]

The racehorse adoption program New Vocations has received a $100,000 donation from prominent racehorse owners. The money will benefit the New Vocations Capital Campaign project to build a premier racehorse adoption facility in Lexington, Kentucky at the historic Mereworth Farm. So far they have raised $950,000 of the estimated $2 million needed to fund the project. [Donation to New Vocations’ Capital Campaign]

Scott Brash made history at Spruce Meadows by becoming the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam for show jumping. The pair were foot-perfect in the CP International grand prix with Hello Sanctos, producing the sole clear round and taking home a large paycheck for the effort at Spruce Meadows as well as wins at Geneva and Aachen. [Rolex Grand Slam]

Best of the Blogs: Tall Braids, “Some Drama” and Short Corners

Video: Doug Payne won the 1.20 meter speed class on Training level eventer HJ Eros at Bruce’s Field in Aiken this weekend. HJ Eros is a 10 year old imported Sella Argentina owned by eventer Paul Swart.