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Just in case you’ve ever fancied seeing Tom McEwen with tatas, the London International Horse Show is here to sort you out. Last night saw the return of the fancy dress relay, which featured stars including Gemma Stevens, Laura Collett, Austin O’Connor, our Tommy boy, plus a whole load of show jumpers, all gathered to tackle a highly competitive jumping class in the most ridiculous outfits possible. Find out how it went down here, and please do join us in petitioning Land Rover Kentucky to add a similar class next year.
National Holiday: It’s International Migrants Day, which began two decades ago as a way to raise awareness of, and solidarity with, the extraordinary number of displaced people forced to leave their homelands due to persecution, war, famine, or poverty. This year’s theme is ‘Act Today’, and the UN has some bold, bright ideas on how embracing mobilisation can actually help us in the ongoing battle against climate change. Read more about it here. (And an honourable mention to tomorrow’s national holiday, National Emo Day. That’s every day for me, frankly.)
Notable Global Weekend Action:
London International Horse Show: (Wednesday December 13th – Monday December 18th) [Website] [Tickets] [Program] [Scoring]
How to Watch: [UK] [FEI Classes: FEI TV (via ClipMyHorse.TV)] [Non-FEI Classes: H&C+]
Your Monday Reading List:
Have you ever utilised visualisation to help improve your rides? It’s a big part of my own riding; the last thing I do before I mount up to head to the cross-country warm-up is visualise riding the whole course perfectly, without any misses, and it really does put me in the right headspace to go out there and find forward, positive distances into fences. But it can be used for so much more than that, too – right down to nailing your transitions.
There’s no one who can maximise the power of a set of cavaletti quite like Ingrid Klimke. Heck, the woman’s so keen on the benefits of raised poles that she even sells her own branded set! Now that I’m deep in equine rehab life, I’m definitely taking all her tips to heart, though, because pole work and cavaletti work is incredible for building strength and has a serious list of knock-on benefits, whatever your discipline or competitive aims or if, like me, you just want to bring your horse back from time off in a sensible, sustainable way. Check out this debrief from her recent California clinic to get some inspiration for your own schooling sessions this week.
How far would you go for your horses? Would you, for example, lie to your husband to the point of divorce? Take a wild ride through one woman’s questionable decision making and then, like me, show the story to your partner so they think you’re really sane and sensible and a great partner.
Looking for an exciting new role in 2024? Want to learn more than you ever thought possible and take your riding to the next level with your horse? Good news: Mr Stickability himself, Andrew Nicholson, is looking for a working pupil. Find out more about the opening here.
Morning Viewing:
There is nothing – NOTHING – that thrills me more than watching non-horsey men attempt to ride horses. Dressage ride Anna Buffini has really given us the goods here.
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