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We all hope we’ll never need to rely on entities such as the British Eventing Support Trust, but that’s the thing about eventing: no matter how much you plan ahead, don the highest-rated safety kit, and invest in lessons to keep you secure in the saddle, shit happens — as it did to Britain’s under-25 champ and 5* competitor Bubby Upton, who’s recently got back in the saddle after major spinal surgery and rehab. She was helped throughout by the BEST, and we reckon a donation in someone’s name might make quite a nice functional Christmas pressie this season, if that sort of thing is what you’re into. Find out more about their work here.
National Holiday: It’s International Mountain Day. It’s okay if the closest you’ll be getting to a mountain is pushing your wheelbarrow up the frozen muck heap ramp. Solidarity, my friend.
US Weekend Action:
USEA Annual Meeting and Convention (St. Louis, MO): [Information Hub] [Schedule] [Fast Facts]
Full Gallop Farm Jingle Bells H.T (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
At this time of year, I get much more into things like jump-off lines. And so what a treat it was to follow the Rolex Grand Prix at Geneva in Switzerland, where Richard Vogel and United Touch S gave a masterclass in turns and tight lines to ace the jump off by 2.5 seconds. Scroll down to check out the video, and click here to find out more about how they did it. Interesting, if not necessarily relevant, is this stallion’s breeding: he’s got the same grandmother on both sides, and while this level of inbreeding has obviously worked for him, I sort of hope they don’t plan to breed him. Or at least, I hope they avoid any cousins.
I began reading this story about Bob Giles because of proximity: he grew up in the foster care system in tiny, rural Lubec, Maine, just two towns over from the poverty-riddled area I lived in from the age of 12 to 19, too. But I found so much more in it than just a fellow horse-lover who managed to rise above that rough, tough place. Bob’s a man who’s built to survive, and with a smile on his face — and his incredible story also saw him push through a botched spinal surgery and subsequent paralysis to get himself back to his beloved horses. Imbibe a bit of inspiration to start your day right.
Strangles is something that every horse owner fears. But what happens when your barn is actually hit by it? Ontario’s Tessa Laughton, who runs a busy show, sales, and livery barn, first discovered signs of the disease on September 5, and has since been on lockdown with her team, aggressively tackling the outbreak. She shares the story of how they did it here.
Need a morning muck-out listen? Get to know Maddie Temkin, who’s part of the 2024 Emerging Athletes program, in this episode of the Major League Eventing podcast.
Morning Viewing:
Check out Richard Vogel’s incredible jump-off round at Geneva with United Touch S.
