Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

Do I dare to hope? Is spring, perhaps, finally on its way? The sun is making just enough of an effort this week that even though we only reached 8 degrees Celsius yesterday here, I still felt happy swinging rugs off and giving my mare her first naked session of the year. I think she was delighted, too: when I brought her in, she was covered in dirt and had done such a good job of kickstarting her shedding process that I’ve been picking horse hairs out of my teeth ever since. Now, though, it really feels like we’re out of the thick of it and speeding towards glorious, wonderful spring.

National Holiday: It’s National Frozen Yogurt Day! While it might be less popular than ice cream, frozen yogurt deserves recognition as a non-dairy, semi-healthy alternative. Obviously, that cancels out the potential negative health impact of the toppings you put on it.

U.S. Weekend Action:

Galway Downs 2023 Kickoff H.T. (Temecula, CA): [Website] [Scoring]

Sporting Days Farm February H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website] [Scoring]

Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch (Groveland, FL): [Website] [Scoring]

Your Monday Reading List:

We tend to focus so much on what the pandemic took away from us that we forget the gift it gave to some horses: time. When you start really dissecting the development of many horses, though, their riders will admit that the removal of pressure and the endless expanse of time to simply focus on education and fun has been truly transformative  – and that’s not a phenomenon that’s exclusive to the upper levels. For this rescue pony, it was also a great healer. [Time turns the corner]

I’ve loved this winter’s European indoor cross-country series for one big reason. It’s been absolutely dominated by equine OAPs. Maxime Livio’s Boleybawn Prince, who won three of them back to back, is nineteen, while Karim Laghouag’s faithful team stalwart Punch de l’Esques won at Bordeaux at the weekend at twenty years old. That final victory marked his retirement from the sport in which he’s shone for so long — and what a treat it was to see him going out on such good form. [Thanks for the memories, Punch]

TikTok has a tendency to formulate ‘microtrends’ of extraordinary specificity. But we’re not too focused on ‘coastal grandma sleaze-core’ or ‘times Harry Styles split his trousers on stage’ — instead, we’re very into the hugely specific ‘mare stare’ trend that’s currently on the go. [Check out some of the frontrunners]

A trauma centre in Germany has begun collating data about riding accidents. Right now, we reckon every trauma specialist in the country is sighing into their hands at the suggestion of providing extra counselling and advice to a group of people who will happily climb back aboard while still glued into a selection of casts. [Good luck, doc!]

 

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A post shared by Irish Eventing Times (@irisheventing)

Our pals over at Irish Eventing Times are a bit like us — they’re totally unconstrained by national borders, so you’ll find content on their page from events all over Europe, and featuring a wide range of riders. But their bread and butter, of course, is the scene in Ireland, and I love keeping an eye on their Insta to get to know horses, riders, and competitions I may not otherwise have encountered. My favourite posts? The high-flying ponies and kiddos who are learning the ropes at the lower international levels. VERY cool stuff.

Morning Viewing:

Here’s that final round for the exceptional 20-year-old Punch de l’Esques. Au revoir, champ!

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