Here we are, folks: it’s Monday once again, and that means we’ve all made it through a whole week since Bicton. I hope that that week has been a kind and gentle one for you; one in which you’ve been able to slow down, process, and lean on friends and family while you figure out how you feel and how you want to move forward.
Nobody will be ‘back to normal’ quite yet, and nor should they expect to be, but together, we’re going to start taking some steps back into something like ‘ordinary’ life. We might not have a wholly gung-ho start to proceedings; this week’s competition coverage at Bramham will be slightly modified with a weekend-heavy focus, and as a team, we’ll be continuing our conversations behind the scenes on how we can best contribute to the ongoing safety work being done in our sport, as well as lending our hand to the collective healing that’s happening in the wake of Georgie Campbell’s passing.
Today, the day of Caroline March’s celebration of life service, feels as good a day as any to call for a moment of reflection – a reflection on the lives we’ve lost, both human and equine, and a reflection on what safety means and how we can all play a part in furthering it, for ourselves and the community around us. I’m so thrilled that we’ve largely moved on from even just fifteen years ago or so, when I was a working student and riding without a helmet was a way to ‘keep up’ with the ‘cool kids’. But are we doing enough? Is your hat properly fitted and new enough not to have suffered from internal decay or compression? Is your chin strap adjusted correctly? Are you wearing a vest every time you jump solid fences? Have you checked your tack to make sure that your girth straps, your stirrup leathers, your reins are fit for purpose? And, more broadly, are you taking part in the wider conversations on safety in the sport? Not everyone has access to a platform that’ll allow them to contribute to change on a global level, but if this is something you feel strongly about and you’d like to be involved with, we can’t recommend enough getting in touch with your local eventing group, whether that’s your Area committee or a state-wide unrecognised show circuit, and bringing your voice and your observations to the table.
You’ll see a little more from us this week, and a lot more over the coming weeks as we ramp up towards the Olympics. But always, always at the heart of it is a knowledge of what it all means, and what it has cost so many. We don’t want our sport to ever cost so much again.
I’ll also reshare our list of support resources here for anyone who needs it. Go well today, wear your purple and white ribbons, and in the words of Jesse Campbell, “please just smile at each other, don’t feel awkward about laughing, and above all, try and love everything and everyone.”
U.S. Weekend Action
Carriage House Farm Combined Test (Hugo, MN): [Website] [Results]
Equestrians’ Institute H.T. (Cle Elum, WA): [Website] [Results]
Essex H.T. (Gladstone, NJ): [Website] [Results]
Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club Spring H.T. (Geneseo, NY): [Website] [Results]
GMHA June H.T. (South Woodstock, VT): [Website] [Results]
IEA Horse Trials (Edinburgh, IN): [Website] [Results]
MCTA H.T. at Shawan Downs (Cockeysville, MD): [Website] [Results]
Ocala Summer H.T. I (Ocala, FL): [Website] [Results]
Poplar Place June H.T. (Hamilton, GA): [Website] [Results]
The Spring Event at Archer (Cheyenne, WY): [Website] [Results]
European International Events
Millstreet International Horse Trials (Nations Cup) (Co. Cork, Ireland): [Website] [Results] [Free Live Stream NC Dressage 1] [Free Live Stream NC Dressage 2] [Free Live Stream NC Show Jumping] [Free Live Stream NC Cross Country] [Complete Live Stream – CMH]
Outdoor Horst (Kronenberg, The Netherlands): [Website] [Results] [Live Stream]
Your Monday Reading List:
The continuing onslaught of violence in the Gaza Strip is affecting every single person living there. But it’s also having an enormous impact on animals – including the horses of Aljawad Club, a riding school and community centre in the heart of the city. Find out more about the centre, its people and horses, and its future in this piece from the Chronicle. Ceasefire now.
Tamie Smith and her team have made the difficult decision to withdraw Mai Baum, who had been heavily favored to contribute to a medal or two for the U.S. in Paris this summer, from Olympic consideration. The decision comes on the heels of a minor setback experienced ahead of the gelding’s scheduled competition in the CCI4*-S at Kentucky in April, and Tamie says there will not be sufficient time for proper training and conditioning ahead of the team’s Mandatory Outing at Stable View in a few weeks’ time. We are obviously disappointed, but always have his best interest at heart and will be looking to aim him for an exciting fall competition. Mai Baum will instead aim for July’s Rebecca Farm event in Kalispell, MT.
One of the most stressful parts of competing is navigating the hustle and bustle of the warm-up ring. It’s no surprise, then, that many generally well-behaved horses come undone in this tricky environment, leaving you to focus on simply managing their stress levels rather than working on coaxing out their very best work. Here are some great tips to help them settle, take a deep breath, and thrive.
You might have clocked Bubby Upton and Cola for the first time when they very nearly won Badminton this year after a horrendous injury. Or you might have been following this dynamic duo’s progress for years, like most of us here in the UK. Either way, now that they’ve been put on the British team longlist for Paris, you’ll definitely want to familiarise yourself with them. Here’s a good starting point.
Bad behaviour often stems from pain. Let me repeat that: bad behaviour often stems from pain. And in this case study, featuring a draft cross who got spicier and spicier into her teens, the naughtiness was coming from one source: a serious case of previously unsuspected kissing spines. This article is a fascinating primer into how this condition can affect horses.
Morning Viewing:
Rewatch all the action from Millstreet’s smoking hot CCIO4*-S Nations Cup cross-country:
