I love this time of year. There’s eventing underway in the US; the British Eventing season kicked off over the weekend despite rain and even snow making life a touch tricky for folks around the country; we’re starting to see entry lists fill up for the early-season four-stars; Badminton and Kentucky are racing closer (a fact that makes my stomach feel like it’s going to explode with butterflies, which I hope isn’t just a sign that actually, I’m in my thirties now and maybe I’ve developed a GI issue as a result); and everything’s full-steam ahead for the Olympics. Everything is still yet to happen – the stories are yet to unfold, and the possibilities are truly endless. And alongside all of the above? All our favourite events are well into their 2024 planning and building. Germany’s Luhmühlen CCI5* and CCI4*-S is a longtime EN fave, and today, they released their first look at what Mike Etherington-Smith has got up his sleeve for this year’s courses. Join him, friend of EN Juliane Barth, and a whole bunch of heavy machinery out on course and see how the stage will be set for one of the biggest showdowns pre-Paris. It’s going to be a remarkable week of sport.
National Holiday: It’s National Grammar Day. Mind you’re words and contractions.
US Weekend Action:
2024 $100,000 Conceal Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Results] [Ride For Charity Teams] [Ride For Charity Online Vote] [EN’s Coverage]
Full Gallop Farm March Wednesday H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Results]
Rocking Horse Winter III H.T. (Altoona, FL) [Website] [Results]
Sporting Days Farm March H.T. II (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Results]
Twin Rivers Winter H.T. (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
If you’re a committed entry list stalker, you might have noticed something interesting on the Montelibretti 3* line-up for this week. That something interesting is an entry from Australia’s Chris Burton, who left eventing in 2021 to focus on showjumping. Now, it appears, he’s back – and with an exciting new partner in Shadow Man, the former 5* mount of Britain’s Ben Hobday. Here’s how they’re getting on so far, and confirmation that yes, Burto has had the horse since before the cut-off date for Olympic ownership to be secured.
Speaking of folks getting the bug again, that’s exactly what happened to dentist Dr Jesse Akers Reagin. Her hiatus was a touch longer – 18 years, in fact! – but after attending a baby shower in 2019 at the farm of Katie Malensek, Canada’s high-flying vet-turned-team-member, she felt that spark reignite and knew it was well worth trying to get horses back into her life. And now? Well, she’s doing pretty darn well herself.
Okay, we know eventing prize money ain’t all that. But how does it actually compare to the pots across the disciplines? Horse & Hound dived into the numbers, and it turns out that while we’re definitely not leading the charge, we’re also not at the bottom of the heap. It makes for some interesting reading, and has certainly reignited my spark for working out the hows and the whys. Here’s what they found.
One of the best ways to ensure everyone is well-represented in sport is to make sure that everyone who has something to contribute is given a voice and a platform. That’s why I’m really pleased to see that US Eventing is now offering complimentary digital memberships to USEA affiliates – including members of volunteering programs and regional eventing associations. The former actually got this benefit last year, and the addition of the latter should give more of a platform for those regional programs to be able to highlight the challenges and benefits of hosting the sport in various parts of the country. Find out more information here and remember: a governing body is the sum of all its subsidiary voices, opinions, and pushes for change. Make sure yours is heard.
Morning Viewing:
Every year at Badminton, I’m once again struck by just how fun — and challenging! — the BE90 and BE100 Voltaire Design Grassroots Championship looks. It truly is the creme-de-la-creme of lower-level competition, and takes an enormous amount of planning, prep, and dedication to get to. I’ll never get a chance to try it for myself – I suspect it’ll be many decades yet that I’ll be deeply entrenched in reporting on Badminton itself! – so I’ll be living vicariously through those riders who are blogging and vlogging the whole experience, from their early-season runs and training to the week itself. Here’s one to get you started, that lays bear just how tricky it can be to get everything moving in the right direction. Come on, Donut – we’re rooting for you!
