The most amazing and incredible gift is a child, and the even more incredible gift is when your baby has a baby. So…
Posted by Next Level Eventing on Sunday, November 29, 2020
Huge congratulations to Kaylawna and Tyler Cook, who welcomed their first child into the world over the weekend (and a big congratulations to newly-minted grandmother Tamie Smith, too, of course!). We can’t wait to see all three generations out there tearing up the West Coast scene before too long.
One of the biggest topics of conversation over the weekend has been the newly-rehashed debate about the fate of the 2021 European Eventing Championships, originally scheduled to take place at Haras du Pin but ultimately cancelled in favour of the Olympics. Both dressage and showjumping have seen their Europeans reinstated, but eventing is facing a fight for their own competition, led by some chap called Michael Jung, who divulges that Switzerland’s Avenches team is ready and able to host the competition, giving developing riders, horses and nations the opportunity to step up to the world stage. You can add your voice to the conversation using the hashtag #eventingwantseuropeans, and stay tuned for the full story on EN.
National Holiday: It’s both Personal Space Day and Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, which is like, the ultimate panny-D combo. Oh, and it’s also Cyber Monday, so treat yourself to an online splurge with a super small business. Here are some ideas.
US Weekend Results:
Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T.: [Website] [Results]
Global Eventing Round-Up:
- Week two of the Portugal Winter Tour wrapped over the weekend, with Germany’s Andreas Dibowski riding Brennan to a win in the top class of the week, the CCI3*-S. You can check out the full results here.
Your Monday Reading List:
Over To You certainly earned legend status in his storied career, in which he became the most capped British event horse of all time. Jeanette Brakewell shares some of her fondest memories of the horse in this piece – it’s available exclusively to H&H Plus members, but you can access it by signing up for a free trial on the site. [Legends of the sport: Over To You — ‘I came home many times thinking that was his best round ever’]
20-year-old Kanane Francis is making impressive moves in the world of racing, while working to shift perspectives on what a jockey ‘should’ look like. The young rider has graduated from the British Racing School and started his first industry job just a year after riding a horse for the first time – and he’s calling for the industry to put in the work to further diversity. [‘It doesn’t matter what colour you are’]
Look, don’t lie, we know you’ve definitely punched yourself in the face while girthing up at least once. In fact, you might have ticked off a fair few of these universal embarrassing moments for equestrians… [Embarrassing Mistakes All Riders Have Made]
We’ve all had that one saddle that’s become a part of who we are. It might have been the first one you owned, the one that you loved a little too hard like a functional Velveteen Rabbit. Or it might be your first custom bit of kit, or the ancient old thing that starts all your breakers out. Either way, they carry more than the weight of their riders – our saddles carry all our memories, too. [Selling a Saddle After 16 Years of Rides and Memories]
Morning Viewing:
Never let anyone tell you you can’t make your dreams come true. Take a little Monday morning inspiration from In Shaallah Saad Hameed’s journey to become Iraq’s first-ever Youth Olympian.
