For some reason, Tyrella in Ireland has just never crossed my radar. Probably because at this time of the year, I’m frantically following British one-day events en route to Badminton, and so the Emerald Isle just doesn’t really get a look in. Over the weekend, though, I saw so many Instagram posts and videos from the venue and wow — now I’m determined to get a run in there one day. It’s quite literally a beach event and the landscape couldn’t possibly be more dramatic. Anyone fancy lending me a catch ride for the next one?!
National Holiday: It’s National Joe Day! Give Joe Meyer a high-five if you see him out and about.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, TX): [Website] [Results]
March Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks (Ocala, FL): [Website] [Results]
Full Gallop Farm II H.T. (Aiken, SC): [Website]
U.K. Weekend Results:
Cirencester Park (1): Results
Munstead (1): Results
Your Monday Reading List:
We totally stand by the old adage that you don’t need a $10,000 horse — you need a $1,000 horse and $10,000 worth of lessons. (Inflation and the current horse market notwithstanding, of course, because I’m not even sure where you’d find a $1,000 horse these days!) But few of us can ride with a trainer every day, and actually, even if we could, it wouldn’t help us much when we’re then dropped into a competition scenario and effectively left to fend for ourselves. That’s why learning to self-coach alongside lessons is so, so important, as Liz Halliday-Sharp explains. [Learn how to be your own coach, sometimes]
Jan Byyny’s been at this game a long time. But one of the things I admire most about her is how much she puts into making sure she’s still learning new things every day. In this fascinating piece, she explains some of her recent projects and how and why she pursued them — from a trip around a hunter derby, to a Parelli-based groundwork course with a young horse, and plenty in between. [Variety is the spice of life]
Heels Down is taking the conversation about grooms and working students and turning it back to the audience. They’ve released a survey to try to identify who, exactly, will want to do barn work in the future, which could yield some interesting results. (My answer, for what it’s worth, is that I’d have been willing to keep it up for a lot longer if it had paid me well enough to eat more than one meal a day.) [Submit your answers here]
And finally, goodbye to Kevin Freeman. A pivotal part of the US eventing team in the 60s and 70s, he earned himself three silver Olympic medals through his career and continued to be a prolific coach, horse trials organiser, and businessman until his death at the age of 81. [Read more here]
The FutureTrack Follow:
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He’s not eventing-related, although his father, Rupert, can often be found helming the radio show at Badminton and Burghley — but racing presenter Oli Bell is first class in his industry. We’re particularly fond of how much effort he puts into the causes he believes in, including increasing access and improving diversity within racing thanks to his involvement with the Ebony Horse Club and the Riding the Dream initiative, and now mental health campaigns, too. A good lad all ’round. Also, eye candy.
Morning Viewing:
Get comfy and tune in for an hour of quality documentary magic with dressage legend Charlotte Dujardin!
