View this post on Instagram
I always get a jolt of second-hand thrill from watching another rider live their big dream — whether that’s making a team, winning a competition they’ve long coveted, or, in the case of Kentucky eventer Alexa Thompson, packing up her beloved horses and heading to Europe for a few months of intensive training and competition. She’s currently at the base of French national dish Maxime Livio, and by all accounts, she really is living the dream, as you can see from this travel diary reel that thrums with the excitement of everything to come. Allez, allez, Alexa!
National Holiday: It’s National Sea Serpent Day. A holiday we neither needed nor wanted, but here we are.
U.S. Weekend Action:
Area VII Young Rider Benefit H.T. at Caber Farm (Onalaska, WA) [Website] [Results]
Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trials (Iowa City, IA) [Website]
Cobblestone Farms H.T. II (Dexter, MI) [Website] [Results]
Early Bird Summer Event at Galway Downs (Temecula, CA) [Website]
Hoosier Horse Trials (Edinburgh, IN) [Website] [Results]
Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT) [Website]
Olney Farm Horse Trials (Joppa, MD) [Website] [Results]
River Glen Summer H.T. (New Market, TN) [Website] [Results]
Spring Gulch H.T. (Highland, CO) [Website]
Your Monday Reading List:
We, like so many others, were so disappointed that the awful weather over the last few days forced The Festival of British Eventing to cancel. But even if we couldn’t all celebrate the event’s fortieth anniversary in the famous Gatcombe bowl, there were still plenty of memories being shared and celebrated over the weekend – and some of them even made it into the mainstream media. Check out this great clip to see Zara Tindall, Captain Mark Phillips, and Peter Phillips share their fondest memories of this special event. [Watch it here]
There are some very lucky Area VI riders out there! A whole bunch of them have just won an AEC entry and stabling award, worth up to $1000, in a random draw – and you can see whose names are on that list here.
I don’t know anyone in the horse world who doesn’t take Strangles very seriously. But just in case it didn’t give you The Fear already, here’s a story for you: a 70-year-old woman managed to contract an infection from the bacterium present in her affected horse, leading to a very rare — but nearly fatal — illness. It’s hugely unlikely that this could happen to you, but it does still make for interesting reading. [Here’s the full story]
And now for something completely different: the weirdest horse stories you’ll read all day, namely. From the jockey who won a race after he died to the oldest horse who ever lived, there’s some bonkers stuff in here. And that’s my favourite kind of stuff. [Dive on in, you crazy kids]
The FutureTrack Follow:
View this post on Instagram
This week, it’ll have to be British Equestrian, for all their behind-the-scenes content with the hot favourites at the European Championships — starting with this weirdly soothing video of Yas Ingham piloting a huge lorry into the teeny-tiny Euro Shuttle. Fits like a glove.
Morning Viewing:
Behold: my favourite victory ‘gallop’ of all time. Someone get the gal a hobby horse.
View this post on Instagram
