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Another big weekend of eventing’s in the books, and with it came a win for the USA, signed, sealed, and delivered by Hallie Coon and Cute Girl in the CCI4*-S at the North Holland Horse Trials. The pair began the week in fourth place on a 26.7, climbed into the lead after adding just 4.4 time penalties in a decisive, bold cross-country round, and then delivered a classy, characteristic clear in the showjumping to secure their first international win as a partnership. Expect big things from them this year – we last saw them make waves at Boekelo last year, when they put themselves in second place after dressage, and this year is set to be Cute Girl’s first truly competitive season at four-star after learning the ropes and being produced steadily last season. Go Hallie, Go USA – and Go Eventing!
National Holiday: It’s National Laundry Day. I spent two hours the other day making plans for all our yard’s winter rugs to go off for washing and reproofing and, as if on cue, a storm rolled in. So that’s that on hold for a bit, I guess.
US Weekend Action:
F.E.N.C.E. H.T. (Tryon, SC) [Website] [Results]
Longleaf Pine H.T. (Raeford, NC) [Website] [Results]
Unionville Horse Trials (Unionville, PA) [Website] [Results]
Spring Bay H.T. (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Results]
Twin Rivers Spring International (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Results]
UK Weekend Action:
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International (Burnham Market, Norfolk): [Website] [Results]
Oxstalls (X) (Stroud, Gloucs.): [Results]
Major International Events:
North Holland Horse Trials (The Netherlands): [Website] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
To microchip or not to microchip – that is no longer the question. Now that USEF’s bringing in mandatory microchips, though, are you feeling up-to-speed on what they do, how they work, and what you’ve got to do, or are you slightly winging it and hoping your barn owner might take the reins on this one? Never fear: it’s all actually pretty straightforward. Here’s a handy primer from USEA on how they work and why they’re so important.
Sitting the trot: a necessary evil, right? Well, not necessarily – if you learn how to do it properly. As it turns out, developing your seat will allow the motion to flow through you in a much more manageable way, rather than making your teeth rattle in your head. Who’d have thunk it! Dressage aficionado Amelia Newcomb runs you through the need-to-knows here – give her tips a try and you’ll be gliding, rather than jackhammering, your way around the arena soon.
Go behind the major results and find out the story of Lauren Nicholson – from young rider hellbent on Olympic glory to a mentee of the O’Connors and well beyond. My favourite part of this piece? Finding out more about how Lauren and the O’Connors use natural horsemanship in a sensible, practical way to put the foundations on their young event horses. Check out the full story here.
And finally, a bit of silliness from our sister site, Horse Nation. You know what’s worse than trying to get an iPhone to let you vent your spleen through a serious of creative swear words? Getting it to help you pass a horse-specific message along without having it jumbled into nonsense by autocorrect. A ducking nightmare.
Morning Viewing:
Mustang Sally (er, Elisa) is back – and this time, she’s showing us how she works through the fundamentals of getting a Mustang to trust her and work with her. Her tips can be implemented with your horse even if you don’t have a Mustang yourself, so check them out:
