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Huge congratulations to Irish eventer Camilla Speirs and her partner, show jumper Ethen Ahearne, who welcomed their first child, baby Tilly (great name), into the world on January 19th. We’re not sure which discipline baby Tilly will end up choosing when she’s older, but we’re ready and waiting to coax her over to the fun side. One of us! One of us!
National Holiday: It’s National Hot Chocolate Day. Bonus points if you add a dash of amaretto.
US Weekend Action:
Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Results]
Full Gallop Farm January H.T. (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
A new leading rider prize from Animalintex, awarded to the rider who accrues the most points throughout the event, will be among the prize pot on offer at this spring’s Thoresby International Horse Trials. The new British fixture, which got a trial run as the temporary home of the British Young Horse Championships last season, replaces the much-loved international season opener at Belton House, which closed its doors to eventing after the 2019 renewal of the event.
Speaking of Britain and its horses, an official update has been made to the Highway Code, which should make a major difference for riders hacking on roads. Though common sense has always dictated a ‘pass wide and slow’ approach to cars and horses, the new rule adds in some specificity – cars will need to leave a 2 meter gap and pass at no more than 10mph. With four horse deaths already recorded on British roads in 2022, this modification is widely welcomed.
Half my friends are in sunny Ocala at the moment (and, okay, I do feel a little bit smug that the state has seen record low temps this month!), while the rest of us are here just trying to survive the worst of the winter weather. I’ll be real with you: I’m feeling a wee bit better about the gale blowing outside while I sit here with a steaming cuppa, reading about a serious set of winter woes.
Mind you, if you’re having a similar winter to the one depicted in the above blog, you might have been considering heating your horses’ water troughs. But how can you do so safely, without risking a rogue electrical current? Here’s everything you need to know.
Finally, if your coping mechanism is simply a bit of escapism, join dressage rider Kasey Cannon as she embarks on the trip of a lifetime to train in Germany. Though I must tell you that I was in Germany just last week, and it’s not warm there, either.
The FutureTrack Follow:
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Okay, okay, I know you’re all already following British team gold medallist Laura Collett. But in case you missed her recent hunting excursions with youngster Moonlight Charmer, they’re so worth revisiting – and her write-up in Horse&Hound is super stuff, too. (By the by, if you’re hankering after some H&H in the US, you can find it on the Readly app – you’re welcome!)
Morning Viewing:
How great is it to see Will Coleman and Off The Record back in the ring for the first time since that incredible Aachen win in September? They popped around the 1.35m at Split Rock like it ain’t no thang – what a way to start the year!
