One man’s quest to get the perfect eventing selfie: completed, with help from Hallie Coon and Global Ex.
Let’s talk about non-horsey partners, shall we? For years, I was very happy single, but also convinced that if I did ever want to settle down with someone, they’d have to also work in eventing so we’d actually have half a chance of seeing one another. How wrong I was! Turns out, it works just as well if you find someone who can barely spot a horse in a field of cows, but cares enough about what you love to make an effort. I’ve been so lucky to find that with my partner, a very talented musician who now brings my mare, Bella, bags of carrots while I’m away reporting; who came with me to Boekelo CCI4*-L in October and not only befriended the World Champion but also took it upon himself to teach himself how to use my camera, which meant that I turned around at one point to see him kneeling down in the prize giving looking for some serious angles; who asks earnestly to re-watch all the events I’ve been at the second I get home; and who’s jumping on a plane with me to Kentucky next week as a confirmed eventing super fan. I’m very, very lucky, and I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong in my notions.
Of course, relationships are all about give and take, and it’s been so much fun supporting him in his music career, especially as his band, Lilies in my brain, releases poppy, punky indie bangers that my friends and I just cannot get enough of. Even better, they’ve just been handed the potential for an opportunity of a lifetime: they’ve been shortlisted, down from 2000 bands, to play one of the UK’s biggest festivals. This is a particularly big deal because unlike many bands, they haven’t outsourced work to a recording studio, or a PR person, or a manager, or anything: our living room is the recording studio, my boyfriend does all the mixing and mastering (and playing guitar, and writing drum tracks and bass lines, and splitting songwriting duties with the lead singer), I’ve taken on the role of de facto manager and PR person and booking agent, and last week, we even taught ourselves to screen print so we didn’t have to pay through the nose to make t-shirts for the merch stand. And actually? Every step of the way, it all feels so familiar — because it feels like that sort of let’s-make-it-happen scrappiness that I love about our eventing community. So, while I appreciate that this is a very cheeky use of our News & Notes round-up, I reckon we’ve all got to embrace our newest superfan and show him some love back — especially because it might just mean that pretty soon down the line, we have another person with a really big platform who’s able to help us all tell the world how cool eventing really is. Please give Lilies in my brain a vote for Truck Festival 2023 here; give them a listen on Spotify here; and if you like what you hear, follow them on Insta here for all the latest updates!
(Note to my editor: I did use one of their songs on one of our reels once, so it’s kind of relevant; please don’t fire me)
National Holiday: It’s National Cheese Ball Day. Count me in.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Twin Rivers Spring International (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Results]
FENCE H.T. (Tryon, NC) [Website] [Results]
Longleaf Pine H.T. (Raeford, NC) [Website] [Results]
Plantation Field Horse Trials (Coatesville, PA) [Website] [Results]
Poplar Place April H.T. (Hamilton, GA) [Website] [Results]
Spring Bay H.T. (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Results]
UK Weekend Results:
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International (Burnham Market, Norfolk): [Results]
Oxstalls (Stroud, Gloucs.): [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
Eventers are a pretty barmy bunch, but we’re also very capable of pulling our socks up and serving the greater good, too. That’s always in evidence when the London Marathon rolls around, which always features a rotating cast of equestrians — but eventers, as always, remain at the forefront. Check out who’s running it this year (if you haven’t seen a certain couple of riders sprinting around in wellies recently, which may have offered a clue or two!) [Eventers running to the clock]
Talent is a nebulous concept, but being a great student is something any of us can do. Sidelines‘ advice columnist introduces us all to the concept of the ‘five Cs’, which will help to ensure you’re improving as quickly as possible, but will also get your confidence on track so that when your trainer tells you it’s time to move up, you actually believe them. [Get to grips with the Cs]
I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to horse-shopping stories. Maybe it’s the perennial window-shopper in me, but reading people’s tales of travel and trials to find the perfect match is one of my favourite idle pastimes. Especially when the person at the keyboard is COTH blogger Lauren Sprieser. [Get in loser, we’re going shopping]
Burnham Market delivered Britain’s second CCI4*-S over the weekend – and for once, Oliver Townend didn’t win it. Instead, we saw Laura Collett’s Dacapo step up to the plate in this hot field of entrants, and we also saw quite a lot of the same weather issues that plagued Thoresby last month, which is a bummer. Will England ever dry out? [Catch up on Burnham Market’s finale]
The FutureTrack Follow:
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After watching her ride with wisdom beyond her years around Burnham Market yesterday, it’s got to be Izzy Cook, the 18-year-old daughter of the legendary Tina Cook, and a British team medallist in her own right. There are big things coming for this young talent!
Morning Viewing:
If you’re a fan of Love Island, you might know the name Gemma Owen — dressage rider, footballer’s daughter, and now reality tv star. Get to know her, if that’s what you’re into:
